Chapter 2 :Defenseless yet Aware

MALFOY MANOR

A cold draft echoed throughout the manor. A stony silence echoing throughout the halls. The house was very much indeed elegant and aristocratic in every way. One would never expect that dark and mysterious things were being discussed at this very moment inside one of the rooms. The house would have been considered almost welcoming if it hadntt been widely known that this is where one of the most sickest of things were living, right now talking with his followers on what to do to ensure that their Lords plan was brought into action...

"Now,Now my loyal followers, come and rest for it has been a woeful night.", the voice of Lord Voldemort beckoned to his Death Eaters. Voldemort raised his wand to the fireplace and a fire was made instantly. He beckoned his Death Eaters to come forward towards the fire, but they wouldnt move. Something was wrong with their master. Why was he acting so kind? He hardly ever showed warmth and this much enthusiasm, even when he was happy and things had gone his way. His eyes gleamed maliciously with a reddish glow while his mouth stretched into a sadistic smile. "No? Fine well get right into business then" He stopped smiling at once and glared evily, it seemed, while he eyed each one, that he was looking into their souls. Voldemort settled himself into an armchair that was right in front of the fireplace,but looking away from it, so it seemed that the fires flames were silhouetting him. "I suppose you want to know exactly what I intend to do, now that I only have a year to live?" said Voldemort. All his Death Eaters at once started bowing and screaming different ranges of protests to this statement.

"No Sir, you will never die, The Dark Lord is above death."

"The Dark Lord will never leave us, never."

"Please Lord, you must not give up hope,there must be a countercurse or potion that will take away this damnation that Potter will make us suffer once you have left us."

"ENOUGH! Stop your moaning! Yes, I know some of you will actually be saddened once the curse has taken effect and I am no longer here, while many of you, will actually quite frankly wont care, and pretend that you were under the Imperius Curse and deny ever following me like you did so many years ago." Voldemorts eyes scanned the room, a few Death Eaters exchanged nervous glances or shuffled under their cloaks. Voldemort smiled again.

"But I know something that few do, and I have something that few even knew existed." Voldemort said with the biggest smile on his evil snake-like face that the Death Eaters had ever seen before. "Draco come here, my child..." Draco walked forward. His eyes only glancing around once at the Death Eaters who were all looking at him, and of course looking at the prophecy that Draco was holding in his hand. Even Lucious Malfoy, was showing more interest in the small silver orb in Dracos hand then in his own son. Draco stepped before his master, his handsome features slightly showing amidst the eerie orange glow of the room. "Draco...I will now explain to you and your fellows what exactly that prophecy entails." Voldemort said his hands closed together tightly in the shape of a fist on his lap. All the Death Eaters perked up their ears, they didnt want to miss this.

"Now Draco" Voldemort began very smoothly and calmly "That prophecy says that yes I shall die, but there will be a successor." He finished these last words very carefully. All the Death Eaters faces showing great interest. Was Voldemort going to name his successor, would among them be the new Dark Leader? Voldemort sensed that they must have been thinking this because next he said,"My successor must be born," Voldemort sneered at the dissappointed faces of the Death Eaters, He continued," This child will be like none other, it shall be powerful and it shall gain every single power that I have. The conception of this child is crucial though, or else I would not have an heir to my throne." Draco was sweating feverently, he was wondering what Voldemort meant back in the Dept. of Mysteries about him being his chosen vessel, he was wondering if this child had anything to do about it...

"As you know, I cannot make a child because I am not human enough, but ahh, you see the prophecy tells us everything, even about the parents of my prohetic child, because you see I must inhabit temporarily, the body of a male vessel during the night of conception, or else my powers will not be transferred." Voldemort said quite smoothly with a smirk on his face. Voldemort now looked directly at Draco, the Death Eaters surrounding them suddenly understood, as well did Draco. "I am deeply honored that the Dark Lord would pick me to be his vessel" He said this as he bowed as low as his back would allow him to lean over. Draco wasnt lying, he loved the fact that his position had dramatically changed to one of the highest and exalted. Voldemort nodded his head toward him in agreement. Then a woman Death Eaters voice,clearly,shrilly and slightly unwelcomed due to the cold silence in the room, said," And the woman, My Lord? There must be a woman, for their can be no baby, no heir for you O greatness if you do not pick a female vessel" Pansy Parkinsons voice rang with eagerness. Clearly she wanted to be chosen for that job.

Voldemort sneered evilly at her,"Dont miss anything do you, Parkinson, well as a matter of fact the prophecy also clearly states who or shall I say what the woman is." He stood up and walked past Draco and towards his Death Eaters who bowed automatically. He surveyed each and everyone of the them while saying, in a clearly highly amused voice," How ironic that the very thing we have worked so hard to destroy, must aid us in the neccessary device we need to ensure power over the wizarding world."

He stopped walking and looked around the room. "We must use a mudblood witch to be the mother of my heir", he said almost whispering. All the Death Eaters almost tripped over their cloaks. They didnt even bother to keep their voices down in front of their lord,when they started yelling screams of protest. Voldemort silenced them with a horrible evil look, and threatened them to be quiet if they didnt want to suffer the same way that many of their victims had suffered that night. "I understand your anger, but it makes no difference, my heir was prophesized and I will make sure no harm shall come to the mother, while I am still alive." He thundered. Draco finally stood from where he was kneeling a moment before and said rather hastily," Where exactly will we find a mudblood who will be willing to give birth to the most darkest and most powerful of wizards since the beginning of magic, especially since it is common knowledge that we not only torture and kill mudbloods," He said this with a slight snicker in his voice,"But we also kill off half-bloods and muggles for fun." The room was silent as Voldemort glided over to Draco. "I never said the filthy little mudblood wench would be willing I only said that it had to be a mudblood, nothing more." He finished this sentence with pure venom in his voice and a mad smile smothered on his pasty, skeletal face. "Are you still willing to help, even if you must touch a mudblood, even for a night?" He questioned him. Draco simply bowed and answered, "I will serve you till my dying day, if that means I must sleep with a mudblood so be it, I shall do it only because it is what is needed for my Lord." He looked up at the cold, pale unmerciful face of his Lord.

Voldemort simply glared down at him then turned toward Lucious. "Well Malfoy? What do you feel? Tell me, how do you feel knowing that your only son and child must touch such an impure creature?" Lucious simply bowed like his son and said, "I am pleased that my son has been hand-chosen by my lord and that my grandchild will be one of the most powerful and most repsected wizards of all time, it pleases me that Voldemort has picked my noble family for his work." Voldemort nodded at him most reluctantly and spoke again to his subjects,"Now to find a powerful mudblood witch, because I shall not settle for average sorcery skills not when the matter of my heirs powers are involved" He glided around the room through his subjects peering down upon him, "Any suggestions?" He said laughing evily. Then a voice spoke out.

"I do, I know the perfect little miss-know-it-all mudblood you can use." Voldemort walked curiously over to the young Death Eater, the Death Eater whispered something only Voldemort could hear. "Shes perfect, just who I had in mind as well, we begin the attack NOW..."

12 GRIMMAULD PLACE, OUTSIDE IN FRONT

Hermione and Ron were outside in the cold breeze, Dumbledores words ringing clearly through their ears. After they had toasted to their hero and friend Dumbledore had broken a very odd silence with startling news that effected the entire outcome of wizarding kind as well as the muggle-kind. He told them that before he left Hogwarts he had information that another prophecy was made regarding Voldemort. It said that Voldemort would have a heir, not just any heir, an heir that would be concieved from both a muggle-born and pure-blood parentage. This news startled everyone, but not as much as the next piece of information did. It said that Voldemort would pick the both two parents. It was dreadful. Now, not only was the world in danger now every single muggle-born...

Hermione held on tightly to Ron as the breeze picked up and a cold wind swept through her curls.

"I cant believe it, first our friends, and now this."Ron spoke bravely into the night. "Yes I know what you mean."Hermione said holding back freshly-arrived tears. She placed her head into his chest and breathed in his smell. "I feel strange, Ron, as if somethings going to happen and Ill never see you again" She said faintly with her eyes closed. For some reason, she wanted to remember this moment forever because she felt as if something bad was going to happen...

"Rubbish, Hermione dont talk nonsense. I know that you are muggle-born and yes your in probably the most danger because Voldemort knows you personally." Ron said trying to console his fiancee. "But always remember that no matter what happens I will always love you." Hermione finally looked up from Rons chest and looked into his own shocking blue eyes that could even rival Harrys green ones. "And no matter what I will always love you." She said with utter love in both her eyes and voice. They both leaned forward for one of the most passionate kisses they ever experienced. Possibly, because their self-consciouses knew that that would be their last kiss.

With a boom like the sound of a cannonball hitting its target, about 60 people apparated in front of the house. Hermione and Ron stood there stunned at what just happened before their eyes before they had time to react, but to late, with one sweeping motion with his wand one death eater was able to seperate Hermione from her first love for the rest of her life. Hermione tried to get her wand out to retaliate but wasnt fast enough as the spell hit Ron causing him to hit the floor. Hermiones wails and screams shook the whole neighborhood,causing some of the order to come hurrying outside. It was to no avail, with one curse Ron was lying dead on the stone-cold pavement with Hermione by his side. Some of the Order started doing battle with some of the Death Eaters. Draco although had other plans. In one swift run he was able to knock out Hermione, pick her up, and apparate as fast as he and his fellow Death Eaters had done just a few moments before. The last thing Hermione remembered seeing was Rons cold blue eyes looking up at her from the sidewalk.