Choices to Make

okie. Only one review so far for chapter 4. bleah. I'm still not happy. But I'm nice enough to actually post another chapter.sorry for the late reply. See? I'm nice. And i intend to finish this story.

Chapter 5: A New Mark.

Clarissa sat on her couch doing a little light reading. She still had not opened the present Draco gave her. Wondering why anyone would give her a present out of the blue and she was still contemplating on whether she should give Draco the quidditch gloves she bought for him. Why did she even buy that pair of gloves in the first place? It was not like she was best friends with him for 6 years. Right. She did not have anymore friends. She would be sorted into Slytherin and she would have to start all over again. Harry and Ron would be happy without her. No! I would still have family. I will still have some one. Clarissa sat there battling with the voices in her head, before she finally drifted to sleep.

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While Clarissa was asleep, Draco was in the shower, going through the same process as the one Clarissa went through. Scolding himself for giving something to that mudblood. He was supposed to hate them. All mudbloods. And yet he was falling for her. He finally decided that it was enough and got out of the shower. He needed to talk to someone. Draco got out of his room after changing into a new set of clothes and went over to Paige's room. He knocked on her door but no one answered. He went in anyway. She must be in her divination room.

Paige was indeed in her divination room, where all things related to divination were there. She was sitting by the window with her crystal ball, her scrying pool and her tarot cards. She was hit by a vision at Flourish and Blotts and now she is trying to get what it meant when she heard someone enter the room.

"You should stop stressing yourself and trying to find the answers for the NEWTS paper." Draco joked.

"I wasn't doing that, I was hit by a vision when I was buying my books. I saw my mother, bleeding, her life slowly slipping away from her. And there stood a man, no, a vampire. He had a smile on his face, a smile of pure evil and then I see him looking right at me. Saying that I would be next and that i would be his for eternity." Draco just stared into her dark purple voids, empty.

"And now you are trying to find out what it means right?" Paige just nodded her head. " Why don't you got take a shower? Dinner will be here soon ans the meeting will start soon after." Paige stood up and gave Draco a big hug.

"Thank you." Draco accepted and pushed her back into her room so that she can have a shower and left her room. Just as Draco was walking back to his room, he slapped his forehead. He forgot to talk to Paige about Clarissa. Frustrated, he took his broom and went to the quidditch pitch.

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Clarissa got woken up by Paige who was shaking her, indicating that she needed to change for dinner. Clarissa lazily got off the bed and walked to her closet.

"You better look good today, its the first time you're eating dinner with father. He is the kind of guy who looks at first impression."

Clarissa entered the bathroom with her clothes and changed. After changing, she decided to put on some make up and noticed that her hair was really straight. She stuck her head and called for Paige. Paige got up to see what was going on.

"My hair is really straight. It wasn't like this before I fell asleep." Paige just smirked.

"The texture and color of your hair depends on your mood. Its in your blood. Our mothers come from a very long line of purebloods. So its natural." Paige stated. Clarissa mumbled something under her breath about her needing to learn more about her family to prevent humiliation. Paige heard every single word and smiled at her sister.

Clarissa was ready to go, dressed in a black tank top and a black mini skirt, all she had to do was to take her black cloak. Clarissa was dressed in all black just in case the was an initiation ceremony that night. Clarissa was about to leave her room with Paige when she remembered Draco's gift. She walked towards her dresser and opened the box. She gasped at what she saw in there. Its was a crystal shaped like a tear drop but it was whats in the crystal that really captivated Clarissa. Inside the crystal, was an actual tear of a phoenix. With Paige's help, she put the necklace on. It completed the look she was looking for, casual yet elegant. She looked simply stunning. Draco would love this. Not knowing where that thought came from, she shook her head and went down for dinner with Paige.

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The dinner table was really extravagant. The table was big enough for at least twenty people. As Clarissa and Paige walked down the stairs to see Hayden and Draco already seated at the dinner table, both dressed in black as well. Clarissa was too caught up with looking at someone that she did not notice a certain hooded person apparted behind her and put his hand on her shoulder, Clarissa gasped in surprise.

"Dinner awaits us. Shall we?" The hooded figure asked. Clarissa figured that it was her father, she simply nodded as the continued to walk down the stairs. The hooded figure instructed Clarissa to sit next to him and Paige next to her. Clarissa was not comfortable because she was sitting next to her father who she have not even met yet and she was sitting opposite Draco. Clarissa could feel Draco staring at her.

"Your initiation ceremony is tonight." the hooded figure decided to break the silence as he took off his hood.

Clarissa turned to face the person talking and she could not believe that the man sitting next to her is Voldermot. He was not as ugly as she though he would be. He look like the exact replica of the sixteen year old Tom Riddle that kidnapped Ginny back in her 2nd year. Only thing is that there were streaks of gray hair and there were wrinkles which make him look more like a man than a boy who was just sixteen but very powerful. Clarissa did not know what to do, how to address him or what to say to him all she could do was to nod her head.

"You don't have to change, you look as good as it is already. You will feel pain, but bear with it for a while, it just comes and go." Tom Riddle just continued. "Seventh years will be there, I want you to set an example to them." Clarissa nodded yet again. Tom Riddle took her hand as a sign of affection. "I know that we have just met, but please try to this for me." Clarissa stared into his eyes and saw sincerity. And besides, she had no choice but to agree, who knows what he might do if she opposed him.

"Yes father." Clarissa swore that she saw a hint of a smile on his face.

"Let the dinner begin." With a wave of his hand, food appeared on the table and the ate in silence.

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After dinner, all of them went to the Grand Hall in the Riddle Manor where all the Death Eaters and their children were present. Draco walked over to his father and Hayden stayed next to Paige. As far as Paige knows, Hayden was an orphan and her father took him in and taught him the dark arts. Hayden was one of her father's most trusted man, thats why he was assigned as Paige's guard. Paige and Clarissa were instructed to keep their hoods on. Paige was not sure why but she listened anyway.

"Welcome to all who are here today. The meeting today is to plan for the year ahead and also to witness an initiation ceremony." Tom Riddle said and every activity seem to stop and concentrated on him.

"This year is the last year of that blasted Harry Potter and I plan to destroy him and Hogwarts as soon a possible. Any ideas?"

"We could kidnap that stupid mudblood of that Golden Trio and lure Harry Potter out of Hogwats and kill him." Lucius Malfoy was the first one to speak up. The rest of the Death Eaters seemed to agree.

"That way we can kill Harry Potter, but what if he calls upon the Order and we get ambushed. And by doing so, what about Hogwarts? We want to do this as fast and easy as possible. Am I right?" All the rest turned and face the person who just spoke. "We should do this as a surprise. Hit them where it hurts unexpectedly. And who are you calling a mudblood Malfoy?" She said with venom in her voice.

"Who are you?" Lucius asked. She took off her cloak to show who she was.

"Clarissa Adria Riddle." murmurs started as they could not believe that the mudblood is actually the long lost daughter of their Dark Lord.

"Then what do you think we should do?" This time it was Patrick Parkinson who spoke.

"Halloween Ball. Its the closest event this year. The Order would not expect an attack so early in the school year, NEWTS will not start till February next year so there will be no interruptions in our studies." Paige smirked, that was so like Hermione to put studies first.

"Alright, we shall go according to plan. We will bring down Harry Potter and Hogwarts!" Everyone cheered.

"Now its time for the highlight of tonight. The initiation ceremony of my daughter, Clarissa Adria Riddle." With a wave of his hand, Voldermot conjured up a bronze bowl. In it was a black liquid. He gestured for Clarissa to stand in front of it.

"Would you pledge your loyalty to me?"

"Yes my lord." Clarissa replied

"Would you carry out my orders without hesitation?"

"Definitely my lord." She replied again. He handed her a dagger.

"Then show me." Clarissa took the dagger and slit her wrists over the bowl. Voldermot and Paige did the same. The black liquid hissed and bubbled, draining the energy of the both of them. Clarissa felt an upsurge of strength and power, then she felt an intense pain on her hip, it was almost unbearable she wanted to faint, but she held on, not wanting to collapse in front of so many people. Then everything cleared, she opened her eyes to see her father and her sister smiling at her, as if to say that they were proud of her.

"The meeting is over, you will all be contacted regarding the attack later this year. Lucius, Patrick, I want to meet all those who will be aiding us in this attack and Lucius, follow me to my study."

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Clarissa, Paige, Hayden and Draco retired to Clarissa's room after the meeting.

"So you really belong to the dark side now huh?" Clarissa turned to face Paige.

"No, I plan to inform the Order about this. Like I said, I will support your cause to banish the evil from our father and that is what i set out to do." That earned a smile from the rest. Clarissa was astounded by Draco and Hayden's reaction.

"Don't they belong to the dark side?"

"They are just like us, neutral. They won't tell." Draco and Hayden nodded along. "So i guess you better write that letter to Dumbledore." Clarissa nodded in agreement , took out her parchment and quill and started writing the letter to her headmaster.

"You better get some rest, we better get going." Hayden said, indicating ti Paige and himself. Clarissa and Draco said goodnight to the both of them and they left.

"Did you like your present?" Draco trying to break the awkward silence.

"Oh! It was beautiful! I love it!" She went over to Draco and hugged him. Draco cleared his throat as they broke apart from each other. Clarissa felt heat rising to her cheeks when she remembered her gift for Draco.

"And I almost forgot to give you your gift." Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"A gift?"

"Yes, and here it is." Clarissa handed him a plain green box and he opened it like a little boy opening a Christmas present.

" Its qudditch gloves, since you are the seeker of the quidditch team, you'll need it to catch the snitch." Draco gave her a small smile and thanked her for it.

"I have not seen your mark. How does it look like?" Draco was curious, he had not gotten the dark mark yet, he was told that his initiation ceremony was to be on Christmas eve. Clarissa hand went to where it hurt most at the ceremony. She pulled her skirt down to show her hip. The sight was beautiful, its was an imprint of a tiny fairy with butterfly wings, Draco's hand reached out to touch it. Her skin so smooth and soft, he wanted more but he had to restrain himself.

"I like it." Draco's head shot up.

"Like what?"

"The mark I mean." And the way you touch me. Clarissa could feel herself blush, how could she think such a thing? He hates her, taunts her, how could she like him? She was tired, she needed sleep. She could not care less if Draco was there. She simply took off her whole skirt and went to bed in her tank top and her black underwear. Leaving behind a very aroused Draco Malfoy.

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Paige and Hayden were walking back to their rooms. Paige was dragging her legs, walking behind Hayden. This initiation ceremony was the most difficult one, so much of energy was drained from her body, but she refused to show it in front of the Death Eaters or her sister. She could not show them any sign of weakness, something which all pureblooded families should master and she did it really well. Paige look up to see Hayden still walking. That bloody bastard he is my guard and he is walking as if nothings happening! Oh god, I can't take it anymore, I can't even move. She wanted to call out to Hayden but before she could do so, darkness surrounded her.

Hayden was walking in front of Paige, he knew what had happened during the ceremony, he knew that she was almost out of energy. But he could not show her he cared, he can not let he know that he had feelings for her. All he could do was to protect her, so he kept on walking when he heard a loud thump. He turned around to see that Paige had already fainted. He cursed under his breath and went over to pick her up, as he continued to walk towards her room he noticed a trail of blood that was dripping from her wrist.

"Shit fuck!" Hayden ran towards her room and laid her down on her bed. He hurriedly grabbed a healing potion from her cabinet and applied it on her wrist. As soon as the potion touched her skin, the wound healed. He took off her cloak and went off to the couch and slept.

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Meanwhile in the study, Voldermot was really mad.

"The Order has all our allies now!" He bellowed.

"We have nothing but ourselves now!"

"M.. my Lord." Lucius stuttered in fear.

"What?!"

"We could use that last resort now. The Vampires." Voldermot calmed down a lot more.

A/N: hey all. ThanKs for reading. Please review. I'll post again soon!

GothicendinG