Chapter 50

The room was grand. Cassie had never seen so much finery before. Gold brocade curtains were pulled back with large ivory cords allowing sunlight to flood in through the large paned glass windows. Landscapes in gilded wooden frames hung on every wall. Several depicted rural settings with shepherds, gardens or hunting parties. One was of a lakeshore with a small boy sailing a boat. Vases of varying sizes sat on pedestals throughout the room, each picked for their aesthetic beauty to complement the paintings. A chandelier made of crystal and bronze hung above her. She had to strain her neck to see it, which was the only part of her body she could move.

She was spelled to a round backed chair; her wand was in the hands of her grandfather. Around him stood people all in black with masks. Only two others besides Lucius were not wearing a mask. One was a man with a few whips of hair and a sickly pallor, the other looked like a monster. His skin was white and iridescent. Large red lidless eyes regarded her with mild interest. He had no nose that she could see, just two slits where nostrils should've been.

"Potter will come for his offspring," Voldemort hissed.

"Most certainly, as well as my son, my Lord," Lucius replied coolly. All they had to do was wait. Pettigrew looked rather pleased with himself for his part in this. Lucius kept his face neutral; he despised the man who'd triumphed where he'd failed. I did order him to do so, he reminded himself. That doesn't give him license to be smug.

"You can control her once her fathers have been dispatched?" The Dark Lord inquired, his voice holding a certain menace in it. Lucius shuddered inwardly.

"She will be easy enough to mold." Draco was a lost cause, but his granddaughter had potential. Lucius would do whatever necessary to keep her from following Draco's path. There was a cost though. He'd lose his only son. Some sentimental part of him regretted this and wished there was another way. The other was furious at the boy for not doing what he'd been brought up to do. That disobedience would cost him his life.

"You believed that about your son," Voldemort reminded him before stepping closer to inspect the child. Lucius bit back a retort that certainly would've been counterproductive and resulted in painful welts.

Voldemort slithered rather than walked like a normal man. Step by step he moved closer to the terrified child. Cassie fought to move, but it was no use. There was nothing she could do, not even scream. Voldemort towered over her, swaying slightly as he examined her. Such a small weak body, so easy for him to crush it, but he needed her. She was bait.

Sweat prickled her skin as Voldemort made a slow circle around her. Cassie wanted to cry, but couldn't. Terror froze her, wrapping itself tightly around her until she was barely aware of anything except Voldemort's towering presence. Behind him, the Death Eaters closed the gap between them, anxious to hear what their leader had to say.

"The child has been stripped of all magical items?" It was a question directed at Lucius and Pettigrew.

"We have her wand," Pettigrew said unsure what Voldemort was getting at. The dark wizard lifted his head and fixed his unblinking eyes at him. If he had an eyebrow he would've raised it, but the look was enough for the man to realize that his lord had found something they'd missed.

"There's a lump under her shirt," he stated backing away. Pettigrew visibly cringed while Lucius remained still. A murmur went up through the ranks until one brave soul stepped forward.

"I'll remove it for you my Lord," the man stated confidently. Voldemort gave him a short nod as he further removed himself from potential harms way. It was probably nothing more than a child's trinket, but he preferred to be safe than sorry. Let his follower handle this. If he died, he died in the name of the cause, a small sacrifice in the grand scheme.

There was movement as the Death Eaters shuffled about, jockeying for position around Voldemort. Some were jealous of the attention the vocal one had received; others breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't them. A small handful moved as far away from the child and her potentially dangerous lump. Lucius remembering well what surprise his granddaughter had delivered to him the last time they met, retreated as far away from the center of the room as possible. As he slipped further back he noticed the great walnut stained doors open and a shaded figure sneak out. Frowning, he followed. It appeared they had either a weak stomach or a traitor amongst them.

Cassie watched the Death Eater approach the same amount of fear as she'd shown Voldemort. There was no distinction between them other than physical appearance in her mind. They were evil, horrible bad men and she needed to get away. Only she couldn't.

"Now missy, this won't hurt," he said softly. She didn't believe him for a second. His hand came forward, reaching out towards her neck. Eyes pleading, they widened as his fingers touched the soft skin on her neck and dipped down under her shirt. She screamed mentally. The man snatched back his hand as if he'd been stung. As he did the whole room darkened unnaturally. He had a moment to realize he was going to die before the explosion.

"Where are you going?" Lucius demanded catching up with the stray Death Eater.

"I thought I heard something," Snape replied. Lucius snorted realizing who it was. Narrowing his eyes, he gave the other man a wary glance.

"I heard nothing."

"I said I thought, I heard something. I didn't say I had heard something, I could be wrong," Snape pointed out keeping his distance from the other Death Eater.

Lucius didn't trust him. He hadn't trusted Snape in a while. Maybe it was because of the way he acted or how many of Voldemort's plans had been thwarted over the years. They knew they had an informant in the ranks, but they hadn't been able to pin down whom. Snape was certainly making himself out to be a prime suspect currently.

As he opened his mouth to say more, a boom shook the whole manor.

"I know I heard that," Snape said in a startled voice. He turned, running back towards the room with Lucius hot on his heels.

There was no need to open the doors; they were hanging off their hinges at skewed angles. Shoving one, Snape stepped into the room, only to jump aside as the damaged wood cracked and fell. It landed on the floor squishing a black clad body. The Death Eater groaned as Snape stared at the injured woman. His gaze quickly swept the room, noted the debris and Cassie's position before further entering. He hadn't taken more than a step or two when he heard Lucius hiss.

"You knew this would happen," he accused, his eyes assessing the damage. Stepping over the moaning female, he turned all his anger towards one of the two upright figures in the room. Cassie was still of some value, but Snape wasn't. With pure fury driving him, he stalked up to the other man wand out.

"I knew nothing of the sort," Snape defended putting himself between Cassie and Lucius.

"You left the room, you've been with my son, he MUST have warned you about this," He snarled. Raising his wand, he spoke the words and invisible hands tightened around Snape's throat. "What did he tell you!"

"N-nothing," Snape wheezed. Lifting his own wand, he began the counter curse, but the invisible fingers tightened.

"Lying won't save you," he warned. "The truth Severus."

"I'm…telling…you…the…truth."

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!" A voice boomed. Lucius froze. There were some things that were even more frightening than Lord Voldemort. The person behind him was one of them.