Chapter Sixteen: More Than They Bargained For

Draco had come out the hospital wing on Tuesday just as Snape said. The school had heard some version of what had happened, but if anyone was talking about it no one close to the situation heard them.

It was the second week of June, two weeks before school let out for the year. The cabinet was fixed and the time for the invasion had been set. Dumbledore was to do something with Potter. While they were gone Draco would let the death eaters in the school. They would make their way to the North Tower where the Dark Mark would be set. Dumbledore would arrive there by broom with Potter where he would imobilize the boy. Ginevra would fight both sides during the battle, defending the others from the death eaters but helping to clear the way as well. Dumbledore, Snape and Draco had a scene planned out. Dumbledore would try to persuade the boy from going through with murder. Draco would feign hesitation. Snape would kill Dumbledore. If Snape, Ginevra, and Draco all thought it was a weakness in the headmaster to insist on playing it out like this, they said nothing. It would damage Draco's image before the death eaters and the Dark Lord, but the man could not bring himself to order his student to commit murder, even if he knew the boy would do much worse in order to keep his mask in place than kill a compliant victim. The others saw it as granting a dieing man his last request.

Everything went smoothly. There was pure chaos in the corridor as Snape and Draco descended from the tower. Curses and hexes were flying everywhere. They dodged flashes of light and charging combatants and forced their way through the melee. As they past, Ginevra followed them. She stretched her arm forward toward Draco and he grabbed her hand. Both of them needed the contact to keep going.

Ron saw his sister turn after Snape and Malfoy and ran after them. Around the corner he saw Malfoy holding his sister by the hand and assumed he was dragging her after him. He tried to throw a few curses but was afraid of hitting his sister so he just chased them as fast as he possibly could. He was actually gaining on them. He might be able to overtake them before they got off the grounds. He just couldn't slow down.

As Harry came down from the tower he was filled with rage. He instinctively took off after Snape. Snape had killed Dumbledore. He barely noticed the battle going on around him. He barely noticed all the death eaters were running away now that their job was done. He did hear, however, Luna call out to him that they had taken Ginny. Harry ran faster. When he reached the stairs to the entrance he could see Snape lead Draco who had Ginny by the hand out the front doors. Ron wasn't far behind. Harry practically flew down the stairs.

Snape, Draco, and Ginevra were well away from the school. Ron started firing curses again, aiming for Snape now, hoping to distract Malfoy enough that he would let go of Ginny. The curses were impeding their progress as Snape had to keep dodging. Ginevra turned around and shot her brother with, "Petrificus totalis." Harry stopped dead as he watched Ginny lower her wand as Ron fell face first to the ground. Time stood still for all three of them. That is until Ginevra felt Draco tug gently on her hand and they continued to run.

Once they were off the grounds they apperated. Ginevra had no idea where they had gone but she didn't care. She turned away from the others and threw up. She had cursed her brother. It had really started. There was no going back.

Draco grabbed her around the waist, spun her around, and held her. They couldn't stay like that long and they both knew it. She took a few breaths, sighed deeply, and backed away. She looked at both Draco and Snape in turn and nodded.

"This way," Snape said as he led them off into the darkness.

The stood, the three of them, surrounded by death eaters in their robes and masks. Voldemort stood before them. Silence reigned. Snape had dared to bring the girl without permission.

"She is a Weasley. Her parents and brothers are in the order. Yet you say I should trust her." Voldemort hissed.

Snape bowed low. He said nothing. Voldemort turned to Ginevra. "Why are you here?"

She stood up tall, refusing to bow to the Dark Lord, risking everything on a hunch. Her eyes were sharp and her voice was haughty. "The Weasleys care nothing for me nor I for them. The shall pay for how they have mistreated me. They are nothing more than filthy blood traitors, they are not my family. I was fortunate enough to see real power through the diary you so kindly left behind and have not been satisfied since. Accept me and you will not be disappointed, My Lord." Here she courtsied. "I wish to serve the Dark Lord and learn at his feet." She stood again, suddenly arrayed in garments so deeply crimson they were almost black, so rich and elegant she appeared ethreal. They were not her conjuring but she did not react to her appearance, rather, she gave the impression as though they had been what she was wearing the entire time.

Voldemort looked her deep in they eye. Snape marvelled at the girl's Occlumency skills. He had, of course, had lessons with both she and Draco, but she had never needed them. No matter how hard he had tried he could not break through. Apparently neither could Voldemort.

"Come to me, child, kneel before me." Voldemort reached out his hand. She layed the tips of her fingers in his and kneeled at his feet, eyes on the floor. "You are strong, child, I can feel it. Your passion runs deep, and you are beautiful. From thence forth you shall be my daughter and you shall call me father." The tip of his wand touched her left arm as he still held it aloft. She raised her eyes to his, those horrible red eyes with slits for pupils, and stood. She turned to stand beside him, facing the death eaters. He addressed those gathered before him. "This is my daughter! The Dark Lady Nevra! You will obey her and serve her!"

How they managed to refrain from reacting none of them ever knew. Snape, Draco, and Ginevra had never, in their wildest speculations, ever considered this a possibility. They would speak of it years to come, still in awe, still unable to comprehend just exactly what had happened, and they would always reach the same conclusion. Voldemort still had some form of connection to the piece of his soul in the diary and that had formed some sort of connection with the shadow Tom had left in her even after the diary had been destroyed. None of that matter now, however, and all three determinedly kept blank minds.

Voldemort turned back to the two men before him. "The boy, he failed." It was a statement. He was not asking for clarification or an explanation, he was merely making an observation.

"The others could not have entered the castle without him." Snape spoke blandly, as though he wasn't really interested in what happened to the boy.

"But you could have killed the fool without them, without breaking your cover as surely as you did tonight." Voldemort was playing with them and they knew it.

"I convinced Dumbledore to leave a letter for the Order should something like this occur. My position is safe." Dumbledore had indeed left a letter. It would be a difficult sell, but he would retain the Order's trust.

Voldemort seemed unimpressed.

"But father, he's such a great lover." Nevra sounded as though that was would be enough to save anyone. "Besides, with a little training to undo everything that fool Lucious did, he will make an excellent general. It isn't his fault his father was weak and therefore trained weak soldiers." She looked at Draco critically as she spoke, as though envisioning the training he would need to undergo in order to be presentable.

"Very well, if you wish to keep him you may. Do not bring him before me again unless you are sure of him, for the next time he slips I will not spare him, even if his does make a good toy." No one there could believe what they had just witnessed. Voldemort, the Dark Lord, was indulging someone. He gave Draco the Dark Mark.

"However," Voldemort continued after Draco had stood. "My daughter must be pure." His words confused her for a moment before her gown changed again. This time it was the most beautiful wedding dress you could ever imagine, with one difference, it was black. Draco moved to her side instinctively and Voldemort turned to face them. "As the Lord and Authority of Wizards and Witches, I give my daughter to you as a wife," he looked at Draco, "And this is your husband," he looked at Nevra. "If you tire of him, kill him. If he tires of you, allow me that pleasure."

Deep in their minds, where it was undectible, three people thought to themselves This is more than we bargained for! What have we gotten ourselves into?