Chapter Seven
Snape stared at the young girl. There were cuts all over her face and one of her eyes was bruised. What could have caused this?
"How bad is it?" He inquired.
Madam Promfey shook her head. "Her whole body is torn up...and Severus...something happened. She was physically beaten and it looks as though she was submitted to torturing spells. Whoever did this to her were definitely wizards."
Snape felt that this was partly his fault. He hadn't watched her close enough. She had been his responsibility.
Snape turned when Dumbledore came in.
"What happened to her?"
Poppy retold Dumbledore everything that Hagrid had told her.
"I suppose we shall know the truth only when she has awakened."
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Karen slowly opened her eyes, feeling somewhat stiff. She jumped suddenly, thinking she might be in an unpleasant place. To her surprise, she was in the Hospital Wing. Soft, golden light shone pleasantly through the windows. She propped herself up on her elbows. She was the only one there. She was only sitting there for a moment, looking around amazed and puzzled at how she miraculously got there, when Madam Promfey suddenly came bustling over to her.
"How do you feel? Do you have any pains? Anything?" She asked rapidly, checking Karen's pulse and temperature as she spoke.
"I'm fine..."
Madam Promfey straightened up. "Dumbledore wants to speak with you as soon as you are better."
"I'm fine, really! I've never felt better!"
Talking to Dumbledore was better than staying in there.
"Well...I suppose. But I want you to come back tonight for a check up."
"Okay, I will."
Happy that she was free, she got changed quickly and hurried out of the Hospital Wing. Despite her growling stomach, she did as she was told and went to Dumbledore's office.
"You wanted to see me, Professor?"
"Yes, sit down, Karen. I wanted to have a word with you. I'd like to know everything that happened since you left for your Uncle's funeral and I'm sure you'd like to know how you wound up here."
"Yes, sir. I would." And so she recounted everything that had happened from Bellatrix tricking her to her escape. "...and I don't know what happened after that."
"Well," said Dumbledore as he stood up. "Luckily Hagrid was in the area and stumbled upon you by chance. That was yesterday morning. You've been out for some time."
"Professor, I don't understand. Why is it that the Dark Lord wants me as his servant? I'm not really anyone special."
Dumbledore sighed. "There are numerous reasons, Karen, but there are many that must be kept from you for your own sake. But the main reason as to why he chose you was because you just happened to find your way into his clutches."
"But Malfoy! He seemed to be trying to get me to go outside for some reason. He seemed to know everything that was going on."
"Draco Malfoy might have been put up to getting you to be there. I don't know for sure. There may be more reasons than seem obvious. But do not fret about it too much. As long you don't go wandering off into the Forbidden Forest anytime soon, you will be safe."
"Thank you, Professor." She said as she stood up.
"Just be careful."
Karen left, feeling more confused than she had been before. What confused her even more was Draco's attitude toward her. It had suddenly changed. Not dramatically at first, but she noticed him being...caring. It struck her as odd and definitely suspicious.
In the days that followed she did her best to avoid people, especially the Gryffindors. The last thing she needed was someone seeing her flinching in pain and grabbing her forearm. The Slytherins wouldn't think much of it, but the Gryffindors would do anything to get a Slytherin expelled. So, she had to keep a low profile.
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Draco sat in the Slytherin Common Room, deep in thought. He had always been expected to follow his father's footsteps and become a servant for the Dark Lord. He had known nothing else. So, when news of Karen becoming the youngest Death Eater reached his ears, he was furious and immediately thought of revenge. He had already informed the Ministry and changed his mind about telling the whole school when he heard some startling information about her from the first person he told.
"You know Karen Shan?" He had said to one of the seventh years.
"Yeah...you pick on her a lot, don't you?" The seventh year Slytherin girl asked.
"Well, sort of but---"
She cut him off. "Don't then. She's had it really rough. Her parents died when she was twelve. They abused her a lot and were always drunk. She had to go live with her Uncle, who she barely knew, and now he's dead too."
"How do you know that?" He had asked, incredulously.
"My cousin was one of the Aurors who arrested her dad once when he was drunk and almost killed her and her mother."
He knew what it was like. His parents drank often enough. They had never beaten him, but in his father's drunkenness, he had used the Crutacius curse on Draco more than once.
So, from then on he decided to show her a little respect. She was after all a Slytherin and not some stupid Gryffindor.
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Hermione was furious that Harry would not tell her who it was that had accepted the Dark Mark. He told her and Ron everything that had happened, but refused to tell them who it was. All he had told them was that it was a sixth year Slytherin girl. From this information, Hermione was able to narrow it down to six girls. Pansy Parkinson, Maleficent Bulstrode, Eva White, Karen Shan, and Celina Grundy.
They all seemed as likely as the others until one day when she watched them all during double Potions. Pansy seemed far too unlikely. The only thing that she had on the mind was flirting with Malfoy. Malfoy seemed quite annoyed by this. Maleficent seemed about as stupid as Crabbe and Goyle. Eva seemed quite the shy type and said 'thank you' when her Potions partner passed her a dead beetle. Hermione could hardly imagine a Death Eater saying 'thank you.' Celina was highly amused when her cauldron burst into flame. When Snape finally extinguished the flames, Celina scribbled furiously on a scrap of paper as though the event inspired her. Hermione regarded her as somewhat suspicious, but mostly insane.
Karen on the other hand seemed even more suspicious than even the pyromaniac. She kept mostly to herself and didn't look anyone in the eye when someone spoke to her. Hermione even caught her rubbing her forearm several times. She'd have to test Karen to make her reveal it to her. Then she'd have to tell one of the teachers. They needed to know that there was a Death Eater in the castle.