Chapter Nine

A/N: Sorry for the short chapters, hopefully I'll have some longer ones up next week. Let me know what you think!

Narcissa Malfoy was standing the large stone balcony, looking out onto the snow covered gardens. In the soft glow of the moonlight she looked peaceful, serene even. But a storm was brewing underneath.
"How could you have shamed me?" Her voice was quivering with emotion. "How?"
Lucius's heavy breath came out in white wisps, the frigid cold of the winters night seemed to cling to his very soul.
"With a mudblood no less?"
Her hands reached down to protectively cradle the bump below her stomach that was growing larger everyday. She could feel the little life inside of her kick, as if it too was furious at the injustice of it all. Lucius stared at his young wife, stared at the slender hands that cupped the spot where his unborn child grew. For once in his life, he was speechless.
"I might not have cared Lucius, I might have been accepting. But you have better get rid of her and get rid of it now."
Lucius felt his face go aflame, but said nothing. How could he tell his wife that he had no intention of letting her go? How could he describe the tingles that went up his spine at the thought of how he possessed her completely? She would die for him if he asked, and holding that sort of power over a person was more precious than gold.
"I will not tolerate a rival for my child Lucius. It will be a boy, and he will be your heir. I won't let the bastard child of a mudblood stand in his way. Remedy the situation, or perhaps next time I will 'forget' to lie for you when the ministry comes around. I'm sure they'll be dying to know what they're favorite aristocrat has been up to this days."
Lucius raised the back of his hand to his wife, but knew he couldn't strike her. She was right; he couldn't have his son's place in the world jeopardized because of his own foolishness. He could tell her tomorrow, he knew she could obey. After all, she had no choice.

------
Katherine woke with a start. She had been dreaming again, dreaming another persons memory no less. She wiped the sleep from her eyes, wondering what time it was. In the darkness of the dungeons day was no different than night, and sometimes time seemed to loose its meaning all together. She had left Severus in the hospital wing for the night, and was at once incredibly glad for this stroke of luck. She had a habit of talking in her sleep, especially when she had these strange dreams that seemed so much like memories. She was not sure how it happened, or how to stop it.
Suddenly to troubled to sleep, Katherine made her way to the washroom. She stared at herself for a long while in the mirror, her face was puffy from lack of sleep, and her hair matted. With a critical eye she mapped out the familiar contours of her face, but nothing had changed. She had never been beautiful, not like Narcissa had been beautiful. But she wasn't ugly either...maybe she was just plain.
A sudden sharp pain attacked her then, radiating from her arm like a wave of burning fire. Her response was automatic by now, she knew better than to keep her master waiting. She dressed quickly in the darkness, and then dug up her robe and mask from the bottom of a locked trunk. Katherine didn't bother to take the time to brush her hair or wash her face, no one would see her anyway. She hid the robe and the mask under her cloak, and then tip toed out into the hallway. She had heard it rumored that the very walls of Hogwarts had ears, and figured it would be better to stay on the safe side. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard footsteps echoing down the hall, coming in her direction. She could make out the billowing of robes, but the figure stayed hidden in the darkness. She let out her breath as the figure finally entered the light, and she realized it was Severus.
"You too?" He asked, rubbing his arm.
"Yes." Katherine whispered.
Severus noticed that she looked pale, and her hands shook as she reached up to smooth her hair.
"Let's go then. We shouldn't keep him waiting."

When they reached the apperation point Severus conjured up his robe and mask, and after taking a careful look around slipped them on. Katherine did the same, dreading the numb feeling that always came over her face when she wore the mask. During her time under the heavy robes and stiff unforgiving mask, everything seemed dulled.
"Ready?" Severus asked, now looking bit scared himself.
Katherine nodded. "I'll go first."
Katherine stepped forward and took out her wand. Severus stared at her, his eyes drinking her in slowly.
"What?" She said suddenly, turning around to see what had caught his attention.
"Nothing." He murmured, "Just hurry and go."
With the mask on, her innocent look had faded, and she looked very much a vivacious creature of prey. But he wondered how much of it was costume, was she merely a child playing dress up? He could never be sure, but she didn't seem the Death Eater type at all...
Severus dislodged such thoughts with a shake of his head. They wouldn't have trusted her with whatever it was she had to do if she wasn't loyal. She was probably treacherous and evil, and would do him in a second if she could.
'Yes,' He told himself with a false satisfaction. 'She is no different than the rest.'
He raised his wand, and with a louder pop he disappeared as well, leaving behind only his footprints on the empty moonlit path.