It was horrible, absolutely horrible. Students, most crying, were walking back into the castle covered in blood and pieces of flesh. Hagrid walked into the entrance hall carrying five unconscious students. A few students had lost control of their bladders from fright. Everyone was shaking, even the teachers. McGonagall looked stunned as she helped two students walk back to the school.
"Everyone please take a shower and return to the Great Hall. All bathrooms are open, even the prefect baths." Dumbledore was standing in front of the bedraggled crowd, tears of horror gracing his large blue eyes. The crowd quickly walked off. Everyone wanted to get clean.
"How could they do this?" Minerva asked, her voice scratchy from unshed tears.
"How could anyone do this to innocent children?" Dumbledore answered. "Whatever Voldemort created isn't human, or at least, it doesn't feel human emotions. Whoever did this is far more dangerous than The Dark Lord." Dumbledore paused to think for a second. Suddenly he looked up at his deputy headmistress in shock. "I don't think even Voldemort knows what he created. There is no way that Voldemort would allow someone more powerful than himself to be alive. If Voldemort doesn't know what power his underlings are hiding from him, he isn't the one controlling this war. If we thought Voldemort was horrifying," he closed his eyes and grimaced. "He is nothing compared to his creations."
"Oh man, that was brilliant!" I gasped, leaning on a laughing Draco for support. We were standing inside of Honeydukes after we had "run" from the explosion. The store was empty except for us. In front of us, through the large candy filled window, we could see teachers and towns people helping the students. As we watched Professor Sinistra from Astronomy slipped in a particularly large puddle of blood and fell, knocking over two students in spray of blood. We just laughed harder.
"Come on, we need to get back to the manor." Draco forced through his laughter.
We arrived, still chortling slightly, at our new home on the English coast.
"The plan was successful?" A high cold voice asked.
We immediately stopped laughing and bowed to our Lord. "Yes my Lord," I answered. "It was most successful."
"And the third letter?" Voldemort asked dangerously.
"The letter is on its way my Lord." Draco answered with another bow.
"Very good, you may go."
Dumbledore was sitting in his large chair at the staff table in the Great Hall, thinking. How was it possible to create something so powerful and inhuman? An owl glided into the hall, Dumbledore jumped to his feet, wand in hand, before he realized that the owl held a small piece of parchment in its beak. With slight trepidation, he took the letter and read it.
When McGonagall walked into the room she had the letter shoved in her face by a pallid Dumbledore.
Have you finished washing Kinsley down the drain? Little Ginny had to package the body herself. The Imperious Curse is a wonderful thing. Oops, I wasn't supposed to tell you that Ginny is unwillingly under our control, but I suppose you already know. After all, she did send that letter. Don't worry; she has been punished for it. We told you not to send another spy. This is the result you get. You have been warned.
Draco
"Minerva, if this keeps up, we might be forced to close the school. Our students cannot be exposed to such gruesome happenings. How can we prevent this?"
"How can we let that young girl suffer?" She asked him, sniffing slightly. "We have to save her!"
Dumbledore nodded. "Call an Order meeting tonight. I need to give an announcement to our students." He nodded towards the small group of Slytherins that were waiting for the rest of the students to show up. McGonagall nodded, her lips pressed into a thin angry line and walked out of the hall.
"Draco! We just received a letter from Adrian Pucey. He overheard Dumbledore and McGonagall talking about rescuing me. They are going to have an Order meeting tonight to discuss what to do. They were also talking about closing the school." I called into the next room where Draco was spelling something with his wand.
Draco poked his head into the room I was in and smirked. "It seems that our plan is working. I'll go and deliver Pucey's reward."
"Can I come?" I asked eagerly. "I want to meet the other Elect."
Draco nodded his assent.
Minutes later, we apparated into a corner of the Slytherin common room. Addressing the students with his back turned towards us was the new potions teacher and the new head of Slytherin house.
"So do you understand how important it is that you tell someone every speck of information you have on Draco Malfoy? We need to know what he looks like, how he acts, anything."
Draco smirked at me, winked and threw an arm over the mans' shoulder.
"So you want to know everything about me?" Draco drawled. "Come, let's take a short walk. We can talk about me. I like that subject. Oh, do keep your hands in sight Mr. ... what is your name again?" Draco pulled the unwilling, scared man out of the door and into the hallways of Hogwarts.
As soon as they were gone I stepped into the center of the common room. "Of course, all of you realize that if you dare tell anyone about us, you will not live to see another sunrise." The students turned to look at me, startled. The only person who had ever come to see them before was Draco. They had never seen me before.
"Adrian Pucey, you gave us useful information. Come forward to get your reward." A small, brown haired third year stepped forward. He knelt at my feet, a look of awe on his small face. I held out a small badge with the Dark Mark on it to all of the congregated students. "This badge signifies that Adrian Pucey has earned a small favor from either me, or Draco. You may ask for this small favor at any time. As long as it doesn't interfere with any of our plans, we will grant it." I handed the badge to the boy. "You understand that it is imperative that no one outside of Slytherin house knows that this exists?" The boy nodded. Not only would the badge signify a favor for the boy, but also it would help us keep tabs on all of the Slytherins. If one of our Slytherins finally cracks and dares to tell someone about either Draco, or me the badge held spells that would contact us and give us information of that person. I looked at the room with a smirk. "Now I would like to see all of the Elect members. Everyone else please retire to your dorms." There was a scramble as the majority of the students rushed to get out of the common room. About ten students stayed to greet me.
"First Elect Ginevra," Blaise called from the front of the crowd. "This is the Slytherin Elect. There are two Elect in Ravenclaw and one in Hufflepuff that are unable to be here. May I introduce the leaders of the Slytherin Elect?" I nodded to the boy.
"As you know, I am Blaise Zabini, the most powerful Slytherin and Voldemort's Second Elect. This is Pansy Parkinson, Voldemort's fourth Elect. Crabb and Goyle are Elect as well, eighth I think." he pointed to two large boys that I recognized. "We are the power of the Slytherin Elect." He bowed to me again. "Moon, from Ravenclaw is the Third Elect."
"Thank you Zabini." I walked up to my Elect and took a good look at the people who would follow my every word without question. I smirked slightly. It was a surprisingly good feeling to know that I have so much power over others. By the time Draco returned, I had gotten to know every single one of my Slytherin Elect. I now knew their strengths and weaknesses and would be able to employ them in battle with ease.
We returned to the coast, satisfied with our work. Draco had gleaned some of the Orders plans from a lengthy, though sadly bloodless, interrogation of the new potions teacher. The teacher, Professor Mumter, had told Draco about how the Order planned to storm the Dark Manor to rescue the poor helpless Ginny. They would take as many Death Eater prisoners as they could in the process. It was really too bad for the Order that we knew of their plans and they had no idea what our plans were. A powerful memory charm that Draco had placed on old Mumter would keep him from telling our secrets. The Dark Lord will be very pleased when we tell him of our work.
It had been over two weeks since our visit to the Slytherin common room before we caught sign of the Order massing near our Manor. They were gathering people and supplies a few miles away. This attack would be coming tonight. Voldemort, Draco, and I had devised a brilliant plan. The rest of the Death Eaters and my Elect had been informed of our plans. Tonight I was to be placed on guard duty at the side entrance the Order was planning on entering from. Draco would pretend to place the imperious curse on me while the Aurors were watching. He would leave me alone and we would let the Aurors capture me and end the curse. The manor would be empty of everyone and some clever traps would be laid. We had one-way portkeys hidden among the various trinkets that littered the manor. If anyone touched one of our portkeys they would be immediately taken to the dungeons in our real stronghold. Plus, if Potter or any of his friends had been allowed to join in on this mission, a special surprise awaited. This was bound to be a hell of a lot of fun.
Moody led the way up the winding, gnarled path that led to the foreboding dark manor. He was the leader of this expedition and he already had a bad feeling about it. It seemed completely implausible that the Death Eaters hadn't sensed them yet, but their path lay unhindered. The countryside was far too quiet. There weren't any animals making their usual night noises and there weren't any bugs chirping annoyingly. Moody knew that something had to go wrong.
Up ahead he could finally hear movement. There was a man speaking, his voice cold and cloaked with darkness.
"You are to stay here and guard. If you hear or see anything suspicious you are to yell as loud as you can." Moody moved closer, his Auror group following soundlessly behind.
There was a thump ahead of them and Moody could see the man, his long hair shining a yellow white in the moonlight. At his feet was a red headed girl. The man drew his wand and pointed it at her.
"Imperious!" A jet of light blasted from the man's wand and hit the girl squarely on the chest. "Do you understand your orders?" He snarled. The girl hesitated pointedly. "Answer!"
"Yes Master," she whispered in a defeated, toneless voice. "I understand." The man snarled and spun around leaving the girl on the ground.
After waiting for a minute Moody gave the signal to move forward. When the girl saw them she squeaked and clapped her hands over her mouth. She rocked back and forth, trying with all her might to keep her mouth closed.
"Please," she whimpered. "Please leave. I have to obey. Go before I loose control."
"Are you Ginny Weasley?" Moody asked, his gruff voice near inaudible in the still air. The girl had clamped her mouth shut again and nodded. Moody raised his wand and whispered, "Finite Incantatem." The girl smiled brightly at him and promptly fainted. Moody beckoned two of his trustworthy men forward. "Take her to Dumbledore at once." The men gently picked her up and apparated away.
I had watched the two men walk towards me with my eyes half closed. They thought I had fainted. They took me to the Hogwarts infirmary and Dumbledore, Harry, Hermione, and Ron all crowded around the bed I had been placed in. This was going to be great, all of my least favorite people, crowded around me, waiting for answers that I was more than willing to give them. I stirred quietly. It was time for an amazing bout of acting.