Chapter 17 – A Guest at the Manor

Part 65 – Lord Voldemort

The fluttering-bird terror that had overpowered her earlier threatened to overtake Meega again at the sight of Lord Voldemort's serpentine features. Closing her eyes, she swallowed, trying to suppress it. This was an even worse time to panic than when faced by four Death Eaters.

"I sent you after two girls. You brought me one. Has your time in Azkaban made you so incompetent that you cannot capture two children for me?"

"The other girl is an Animagus, Master. She changes into a small Black Wolf. Karkaroff and Avery went after her. They failed to capture her."

The simpering tone of her voice very nearly made Meega gag. No one should be that obsequious. Voldemort treated her like a favorite pet, and she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed pleased when he patted her head.

"It will be harder to capture her now. I do wish to speak with her, Bella." He paused, smiling cruelly at Meega. "Since she is here, bring Miss Kyl-Derc to me. Gently, Bella. Remember that she is my guest."

Bellatrix smiled viciously at Meega, closing her arm in an almost-painful grip and pulling her forward to stand before the Dark Lord.

"Meega Ororo Kyl-Derc," Voldemort acknowledged. "I have heard so much about you from Lucius." His lipless mouth curved into a sick effigy of a smile. "He worries about how attached to you his heir has become."

"Somehow I'm not surprised," Meega retorted blandly. "Lord Voldemort, I presume."

"Another who dares to call me by my name . . . I have heard reports of your foolish bravery."

"Again, I'm not surprised. Death Eaters' children are far from uncommon in Slytherin. At least some of them have to report to their parents. A Slytherin transferring into the school in her fifth year and calling herself a Muggleborn is something that would be both noticed and mentioned. In some sense, I am—just as the Muggleborns, I bring new blood and new ideas to the Wizarding World. As for calling you by your name . . . I have never dared to do that. I doubt, somehow, that any except for Albus Dumbledore himself would dare to call you by the name you were born with . . .the name of your Muggle father."

Bellatrix's slap snapped Meega's head to the side. "How dare you address the Dark Lord so! How dare you speak such blasphemies!"

"She is my guest, Bella. You cannot go around slapping my guests. As she obviously suspected, I know all about Meega's origins. Such ignorance of the truth I have taught you are to be expected."

"Truth?" Meega snapped. "What truth would that be? I know something of what you would have people believe. That there is nothing but power and weakness. That nothing is worse than death. That blood is all-important—when you yourself are a half-blood. None of these things are even close to the truth. I have personally seen proof that they are lies."

To Meega's surprise, Voldemort threw back his head and laughed.

Part 66 – Reason #2 Not to Date a Death Eater's Son

The next morning Bellatrix arrived to drag Meega from the well-furnished room she'd been locked in the night before to face Voldemort once more. This time they were to talk over a breakfast as formal as the ones Meega had attended at Malfoy Manor. The only reason she ate anything at all was because she knew Voldemort was blatantly obvious about killing people. Poison just wasn't his style.

"Your sister has done well with the child, Bella. Lucius reported that she was completely uncultured when she was introduced to him."

Meega concentrated on her breakfast, attempting to ignore Voldemort and Bellatrix discussing her over theirs.

:Kassan:

Meega paused for a fraction of a second, a bite halfway to her mouth, then hastily put it there. Hopefully, Voldemort had either not noticed her hesitation or took it for a reaction to something in the conversation she was the topic of. :Assina! You're all right, aren't you baby:

:I am unhurt, Kassan. I should have been there:

:Slow down, love.: Meega paused, swallowing and taking another bite. :I've been kidnapped, but I'm in no immediate danger. Voldemort is trying to recruit me. He also seems to be checking to see if I'm worthy to become a Malfoy.:

:How would you do that: Assina seemed genuinely confused, and Meega had to concentrate on not laughing and choking on her food.

:If a man and a woman want to have children together, they get married. Being married to someone means that you'll love them and stay with them for the rest of your life, as equal partners. Then the woman takes the man's name. So if I married Draco, then I'd be Meega Ororo Malfoy instead of Meega Ororo Kyl-Derc.:

:Why:

Meega smiled slightly between bites. :It's tradition, Assina. Now, I want you to stay with Draco. He'll take care of you. I'm very sure that Voldemort will send me back in one piece. I doubt he's going to want to keep supplying food, clothing, and shelter for a girl that won't do him any good for two years. Not for any length of time.:

:Two years:

:Well, a little over one year, technically, I suppose. You can't do magic outside of school until you're seventeen, and doing so is generally frowned upon before you finish school.:

:Oh.: There was a slight pause. :I will go to Salzari's Father Draco.:

:Good girl. I love you, sweety.:

:Ai Shiteru, Kassan.: The contact between Meega's mind and Assina's dimmed slightly, returning to its normal level. Meega sighed, returning her full attention to her meal. Voldemort and Bellatrix were still talking, but after a moment they stopped. Meega was painfully aware of the fact that they were both now focused on watching her.

Taking another bite, Meega suppressed the urge to sigh again. As much as she disliked spending time in Voldemort's presence, and as edgy as Bellatrix made her feel, Meega wanted them to tell Lucius that she was suitable for his son.

Part 67 – Proof of Good Will

At dinner on the third day of Meega's enforced stay at the manor with Voldemort, the Dark Lord actually addressed his 'guest.' "Tomorrow morning after breakfast you will be returned to Hogsmeade." Meega's head jerked up in surprise when he spoke to her, then nodded slightly. "I will communicate with you over the summer."

"I will have to accept that," Meega said lightly. She was on edge; she had heard Karkaroff and Avery screaming the night before as they had been punished for failing to capture Mione. They had been put under the Cruciatus Curse, and Karkaroff (who had been far from being in the Dark Lord's good graces before their recent failure) had been killed. "I cannot stop you from sending me letters."

"I am just interested in helping you, Meega. You and your friend could be great, and I can help you on your way to greatness."

Meega raised an eyebrow slightly, and gave a trifling nod. That had been carefully aimed to play on her Slytherin traits—and it wouldn't work on her. Voldemort had no desire to help her. He just wanted to use her.

The next morning Bellatrix was assigned to take her back to Hogsmeade, and left her up by the Shrieking Shack. Four days after she had been taken from the same spot, Meega headed back to Hogwarts. No sooner did she come into sight of the castle than teachers and students started pouring out to meet her. Draco was the first to reach her, and in front of the whole school he pulled her into a desperate crushing embrace and gave her a quick fierce kiss.

"I was so worried about you," he murmured, still holding her close. "Assina told me where you were through Salzari just before Mione collapsed on the front steps. The whole castle knew you'd been taken within an hour of her return."

"I'm fine, Draco, the worst that happened to me was Bellatrix slapping me." She didn't mention hearing the screams of the Death Eaters being punished. "He wants to turn Mione and I. He said he'd communicate with me over the summer. I don't like the look of things."

"Neither do I, Meega," Draco muttered back, his forehead creased slightly in worry.

"Miss Kyl-Derc, are you all right?" Professor McGonagall asked, clutching at her heart.

"I'm fine, Professor."

"We feared the worst when Miss Green returned," Professor Snape said smoothly. He had obviously known what was going on before she had; this had been something that it would have hurt more than helped to stop. "I believe Madam Pomfrey will want to look you over, and the Ministry will undoubtedly want a statement."

Meega nodded. "I understand, Professor. Let's see Madam Pomfrey first. She'll be very upset, otherwise."

Part 68 – Girl Talk

"There are all sorts of rumors about you and Draco after your display last week," Mione teased. The train jerked, knocking over her card house, and she scowled at it for a moment.

"He's never touched you in public before that," Hermione noted. "Except dancing at the ball, of course. And I think he's helped you up a couple of times. Then he goes and does that . . .."

Meega shrugged, blushing faintly. "It got out that I'm spending the summer at Malfoy Manor, and that probably doesn't help matters. What they don't know is that our rooms are on opposite ends of the manor, and positioned so that we'd have to go past his parents' room to get to either one. Besides, Draco's a perfect gentleman—and you're staying at the Burrow, Mione!"

"In Ginny's room. With Fred and George between Ron and I. Besides, we're a much more normal couple."

"You two act like you've stepped out of a fairy story."

Meega shook her head, grinning at the other two girls in their little group. "As I said, Draco's a perfect gentleman—and I have no desire to change that. It's very nice."

"I'm sure it is. Ron can be a prat."

"And Harry has a tendency to get . . . distracted. I don't mind that, though. Someone has to so what he does, and who else would?"

"Someone would have to." The train was slowing. "Mione, you're never going to get that thing any taller than two layers. Not on the train—especially not since we're almost to the station."

Mione stuck her tongue out at Meega, but put her cards away. A few minutes later the train stopped, and they got off and rejoined the boys. They said their good-byes and the others joined the adults who were taking them home for the summer. Meega and Draco walked together to meet Lucius and Narcissa where they were waiting for them, and Meega met Lucius' sneer with a smile.