disclaimer:I do not own Harry Potter

NOIR and the Dark Side

It used to be a warm and nice house, but the appearances of it now left no trace of the past. The house now was dark, very dimly lit by only a few torches. The wallpaper had wearied off from its walls, revealing mould-covered dividers. The floor screeched loudly every time it was walked upon. The glass of the window had shattered a long time ago, so the ventilations were tacked up with thick boards of wood to prevent any violation from the weather coming in.

'Nagini, my dear,' hissed a voice.

A long, yet slim, snake came slithering towards the voice summoning it. It slid onto the arm chair where its owner was sitting elegantly. The man - rather half-man - stroked his reptile companion gently.

'There is prey for you in the backyard. I'm sure you'd be delighted,' he said to the snake.

Was it only an illusion, or was it true that the snake had a slight grin on her triangle-like face? With an elated aura, the snake glided along the hallway, set out to the grounds.

The man now stood straight up. His façade somehow resembled to his reptile pet, with slits as nostrils, and there was a shade of grey at his skin. His robes were extremely long, swaying along his graceful movements. 'Ah, Wormtail,' he suddenly alleged, sensing the servant's attendance. 'Earlier than I expected.'

The servant who had appeared out of thin air a split second ago stuttered. 'I was told that you called upon me, Master.'

'Yes, I did,' said the master. 'I had Noir to keep an eye on Severus. Noir herself wanted to have a chat with that teacher of hers. You do know how she doesn't like to be bothered when she is with Severus. And even the Great Voldemort gives in on his daughter.' The Dark Lord actually gave a little - nearly inaudible - sigh.

There was a short silence before the Dark Lord then turned to Wormtail and announced, 'I will be expecting more guests, so you should get this place prepared.'

Wormtail couldn't resist not asking, 'Who will it be, Master?'

The master raised an eyebrow. 'I am personally amused by your wits to ask such a question, for it is none of your business, Wormtail.' The other whimpered quietly. 'But I shall let you know anyway, as a reward for your early appearance. I am very much calling upon our young boy, Draco Malfoy.'

His mother was a bit exaggerating. Why in the world was she hugging him as if he was still a toddler? Heaven's sake, he's seventeen! Draco Malfoy rolled his eyes in his mother's embrace as she stroked his head gently.

'Be careful, Draco. Do not disappointment him,' she kept on repeating.

Draco slowly brushed his mother's hand away. 'I will if I come late, Mum. The Mark on my arm burnt almost half an hour ago. You are delaying me, Mother.'

Narcissa Malfoy looked up at her only son. 'True,' she nodded, wiping away a tear from under her left eye. 'But do promise me you will be careful.'

'I will,' replied Draco shortly, without thinking it over. He slipped on a mask and flapped his robes around swiftly as he Disapparated from his mother's sight. Irritating, he thought, how his mother treated him as if he was still five. But wasn't he always treated like that? Not just by his mother, but also by fellow Death Eaters. It was as if they did not trust him and his abilities. Sure, the last plan had strayed a bit from what was arranged, but it did succeed in the end, didn't it?

Draco must have still been thinking about this by the time he had Apparated at his current destination. For then a cold, crispy voice startled him. 'Deep in thoughts, I presume, my dear boy.'

Draco immediately became aware of his surroundings. He was no longer in his family's mansion; he was now in a small, damp house. He recognized it right away as his Master's cavity. The Dark Lord was sitting fully composed in front of him with his dazzling red eyes fixed on him.

'My Lord,' said Draco at once, falling upon his knees. He bent down to give honour to the host.

'Yes, yes, parents may be very irksome, but do pleasure them while they are still at hand,' Lord Voldemort said along, obviously having read his inferior's mind before hand. 'And I have noticed, dear boy,' he continued, 'that you have not mastered Occlumency.' He gave Draco a smile - or more of a sneer.

Draco hung his head low, desperate for what was to come. 'Indeed, I have not, my Lord.'

'Severus Snape,' mentioned Voldemort, 'is to teach you that lesson. This time, I am very sure it will not fail as it failed on the Potter boy.' Draco twitched at the name. 'Foul wizards will be after you, especially after these recent occurrences. With the old school closed, your education will be handed over to the finest teaching wizards and witches of the Dark Side. I have been arranging things with a few… friends of mine…'

But the Dark Lord's explanation was interrupted by a faint popping sound and the presence of a young, tanned-skin witch. She right away butted into Lord Voldemort's conversation, announcing happily, 'Father, can I visit Mother's tomb for a while? I'll go with Severus and I won't take long, I promise!'

Lord Voldemort made a motion as if he wanted to clap a hand over his forehead, though he did not in the end. Instead, he said plainly, 'Noir, are you not aware that I am having guests?'

The young witch spun around and spotted Draco kneeling on the floor. Even though Draco was wearing his Death Eater mask, Noir could figure out who the person was. Her oval shaped face broke into a wide grin. 'Draco! I haven't seen you in such a long time!'

Draco was dragged to his feet by Noir's petite hands. She hugged the teenage boy as if he were her long-lost brother. 'Bali was no fun without you,' she pouted like a kindergarten child.

Draco made a great fight against the desire to pat the other one's head.

'In the mean time,' Lord Voldemort kept on with the previous talk, 'you, Draco, will be guarding my little daughter while she is in the country. You do know how things can become reckless with her around.'

Draco gave a small nod. He was still imprisoned by the small figure wrapped around his torso.

'And Noir,' said Lord Voldemort.

Noir immediately let go of Draco -- finally giving him a chance to breathe. 'Yes, Father?'

'You may go with Severus, Draco will be going with you two also. Fetch WOrmtail on the way for me. I sent him of for hunting,' said Lord Voldemort. 'And do not cling on to Draco like when you were six, you are sixteen. It is very unnecessary to act that way.'

'But I missed him, Father,' pointed Noir. She then added, 'I missed you too, Father.' She walked over to her father to give him an affectionate hug.

'Yes, yes,' replied Lord Voldemort, feeling strange -- what emotion was this? He gave a single pat on Noir's back, and then said, 'Now, go.'

With those two last words, the two teenagers vanished into thin air. Once again on his own, Lord Voldemort -- Greatest of Dark Wizards -- let out a huge sigh.

author's note: it took me a long time to edit this thing... sorry... how was it? I am very much awaiting for reviews, thank you... to Jinxeh (did i get your name right?)-- thanks for reviewing, i changed the summary, but i think it still kinds sucks, anyone willing to help me on the summary? grin ...to Audriel, yeah, gw tau banget summarynya kacau... rimba: thanks for being the first reviewer... keep on reading and reviewing, thank you