Daughter of the Dark
Disclaimer: I only own Serena and the plot!
Chapter Twelve
By the time Serena and Harry made it to Gryffindor Tower, only Hermione and Ron were in the common room. It was late and everyone else had already gone to bed. Hermione nudged a sleeping Ron and she got up to leave. Ron reluctantly got off the couch and went to follow Hermione.
"Don't leave," Serena said softly. "You should hear this too."
Hermione and Ron nodded and climbed back on the couch. Harry and Serena sat down on another couch, opposite Hermione and Ron. Once everyone seemed settled, Serena began her story.
"The real reason that I am here at Hogwarts is because I was sent here on a mission by none other than Lord Voldemort and his servant Bellatrix Lestrange."
"What?" the trio remarked in surprise.
"Bellatrix visited me with a mission shortly before I took a little tumble down a flight of stairs. She told me that for this mission to succeed, I would need to attend Hogwarts in the fall."
"Did she tell you what the mission was?" Harry asked.
"She didn't tell me the complete mission until after the welcoming feast. She sent me a letter with the details via owl. She told me that I was to befriend the three of you somehow and then later betray you to her and Voldemort."
"So you were sent here to kill us?" Ron asked, shocked at the revelation.
"No, I was sent here to bring you to Voldemort's hands so he could kill you," Serena corrected.
"Like that's so much better," Ron mumbled.
"So what changed your mission?" Hermione questioned.
"Well, I never was as evil as everyone thought I was and when Snape attacked me, I realized that I couldn't keep playing both sides. And once I got to know you, and I fell in love with Harry, and I knew then that I could never betray you to Voldemort."
"But, he'll kill you, won't he?" Harry asked solemnly.
"I don't care if he kills me. He can kill me if that's what he wishes. No matter what, I won't betray you. I swear."
"What are you going to do then?" Hermione asked, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Voldemort pressured Serena into revealing them.
"When the time comes, I will betray him to the Order. He wants me to betray you, so I'll turn the tables on him."
The following day, Serena had her first of three detentions with Snape. First thing in the morning, she had received confirmation that she would have her detention that evening. Following a long day of classes, the last thing she wanted to do was see Snape. But she had to go to her detention. So Harry walked with her to the dungeons. They stopped in front of the door and Serena sighed.
"I guess this is it," she whispered.
"I guess so," Harry whispered back and leaned in to kiss her.
Their lips met and they shared a nice kiss before Serena stepped away. "I'd better go," she whispered with a smile.
Harry smiled back and whispered, "Good luck."
Serena opened the door and watched Harry walk away before entering. With a sigh, she entered the dungeon classroom. The smile on her face faded as soon as she saw a figure robed in black. The figure spun around to face Serena and she quickly realized that it was not Snape, but none other than Bellatrix Lestrange.
"Snape warned me that you would be here for a detention. So I requested that he allow me to speak with you. Tell me, how is the mission coming along?"
"Not as much as a 'Hi, how are you?', huh? It's always about work, isn't it?" Serena asked, disgusted.
"Not always."
Serena snorted. "Like I really believe that line."
"Serena, how have you been then?" Bellatrix asked, pure venom laced into her question.
"I'd be better if you could keep your Death Eaters under control," Serena shot back, nastily.
"Snape told me all about your little fight and I must say, I believe you finally got what you deserved."
"Notice I said 'Death Eaters', not 'Death Eater', mother."
"So who else was causing problems, my dear daughter? Maybe, I'll kill them for you."
"That's a laugh! You would never kill him, unfortunately."
"Who is it?"
"Malfoy. He attacked me in a hall. I should have killed him."
"Does he know who you are?" Bellatrix inquired.
"Of course not! No one here knows who I really am. No one knows that I'm your daughter. But he has been flirting with me and it is getting really annoying!"
"He knows you are a pureblood then and he must be able to see through your disguise."
"I want nothing to do with him."
"It doesn't matter what you want. You will do as I tell you and if I tell you to befriend Draco Malfoy as well, you will as you are told."
"And what if I don't?"
"Then you will most likely be killed. You are not to be linked with anyone other than a pureblood," Bellatrix said, turning her back to Serena.
"Other than the trio, right?" Serena shot at her mother's back.
Bellatrix spun back around, "What about the trio?"
"I'm not to talk to anyone who is not a pureblood unless they are a member of the trio, correct?"
"You should not even talk to them."
"Then how else am I supposed to befriend them?"
"You will listen to me and not question my orders."
"Only in your dreams," Serena muttered under her breath, glaring at her mother.
"What did you just say to me?" Bellatrix questioned, standing forward and placing her wand at Serena's throat.
"Nothing that was meant for your ears."
"Tell me what you said," the older witch ordered.
"Fine. I said for you to 'buzz off'!"
"Liar!" Bellatrix hissed as she whacked Serena soundly across the face.
Serena stepped backwards and placed her hand on her hand and started to draw it. She didn't want to fight her mother, but if she needed to, she would defend herself. Bellatrix stepped closer, closing the gap between them and with a flick of her wrist, threw Serena into a wall. Serena cracked her head soundly against the wall and slowly got up from the floor. She tightened the grip on her wand as Bellatrix stepped forward. But before she could raise her wand, Bellatrix had both hands closed around her neck and was choking her. Serena fought her mother's grip but she was slowly weakening and was unable to perform the magic that could very well save her life.
Serena choked a few more times and she knew she was dying. Her mother was killing her. Her thoughts quickly shifted to Harry. Would he miss her? Would he avenge her death? Would he kill her parents and rid the world of evil? Or would he die at their hands like so many others had, herself included? Harry…
Author's Notes:
Bellatrix's motives will become clear all too soon. The story will be finished by Monday, May 30th.
po – Thanks for the review! Romance is something that I need to work on for sure, and I'm sorry that it seems abrupt. I realize that now, but there is not much I can about it, other than say Serena's never really been in love before, so she thinks she's in love. And Harry hasn't really either, so they could just be jumping the gun with what they think is love and true love will actually come later. Who knows? I'm not a terribly romantic person myself and I have only just now fallen in what I think is love. But who knows for me either because we were kinda pushed together by friends. Love is a very complicated thing!