Star and Lightning
16th Chapter – The Heiress
Lord Voldemort stood in front of his desk in his private rooms. He was waiting for one of his servants to bring the girl. She would probably be a bit annoyed that he had let her wait so long, but he had had things to prepare. And waiting when he wanted her to wait was one of the first things she would have to learn anyhow. He was quite sure that he already had her on his side. And with a little manipulation today… she was his. The muggle woman had given very useful information. He hadn't decided what he would do with her yet. Maybe he would let he free, as a present to his new heiress, after her memory was altered of course.
Then there was a sound coming from the tunnel that led inside his rooms and little later, the girl appeared. Though she hid it quite well, he clearly felt her anger and annoyance. Forestalling her angry remark, he addressed her:
"Elisha. I'm sorry that you had to wait, but I had to prepare something. I don't want to know your answer, yet. At first I want to show you something."
At a wink of his hand a door to his left opened and two Deatheaters brought Garry, Starlett's former boss, in. He looked worn and frightened. Voldemort heard Elisha gasp. He spoke again:
"There you see why I have been busy. It wasn't easy to find a little gang's boss in whole Muggle London. I've heard that he hasn't always treated you very well."
When Elisha looked at him, he rejoiced silently. This had been the only weak point in his plan. With his Leglimency skills he entered her mind and looked for memories of Garry treating her bad. He let her relive all those moments when he had humilated, hurt or angered her.
"And now, I want to show you something" He directed his wand at Garry and said loudly and clearly: "Crucio." Garry cried out in pain and bent on the floor. Elisha looked at Voldemort shocked. Obviously there hadn't been enough anger in her yet. So he rummaged in her mind again and left her with an incredible wrath and hatred at Garry. When he tortured him again, he saw pleasure in her eyes.
"You can do this, too. Here take my wand." It was a risk, giving his wand away, but she was so deep in the rage he had caused, he felt safe. Hesitatingly, the girl took his wand. He hold her hand and helped her direct the wand at her former boss, who was looking at her horrified and pleadingly, and whispered in her ear: "And now, only say it, with enough anger."
Elisha uncertainely whispered the spell. A red beam emerged from the wand in her hand and when it hit Garry, he was once more writhing in pain. Voldemort encouraged her to do it again. And she did, this time with more confidence.
After some time of torturing the muggle, Voldemort touched her hand to stop her. Elisha looked up at him and he saw a grim satisfication in her eyes. Good.
"Now kill him. The spell is 'Aveda Kadevra'. You hate him. Do it!"
And she did. A bright green light illuminated the room for a short time and when it was dark again, Garry was dead.
Voldemort took his wand back, led the girl to his desk and motioned her to sit down opposite of him. He let the experience work his way to her brain and then asked her:
"Did you like it?"
His heart jumped of joy when she nodded. "These spells you just used are spells, Dumbledore will never teach you. He considers them evil. I consider them useful. Don't you, too?"
When she nodded again, still in sort of a trance, he continued: "You are very powerful witch with a lot of potential. The first spells you ever did with a wand worked at once and those aren't easy spells. But you can only be powerful when you use your ful potential. Dumbledore will try to disturb you development. I am getting old and I need an heir to help me fulfil my work. You, Elisha Potter, would be perfect to be my heiress."
"You want me to be your heiress?" she asked slowly.
"Yes, I want. I will train you in the Dark Arts and you will be the most powerful sorceress in the world. Isn't that a really advantageous offer?"
"And you will teach me things, Dumbledore won't?"
"Yes. Dumbledore fears the Dark Arts. The old fool would never teach them to you." Now, he was looking expectantly at her. Elisha was thinking and then she answered:
"I accept to be your heiress."
Harry suddenly clutched his scar and moaned quietly. Five heads turned and looked at him worried: his three friends, Molly Weasley and Remus Lupin.
"What's wrong, Harry?" Ron asked.
"It's Voldemort." Harry said through gritted teath. "He's very happy about something."
"But that can only mean…" Hermione didn't finish her sentence because everybody looked at her in shock.
"I will inform Dumbledore." Molly said and went to the kittchen to floo him.
About half the Order and the four students were sitting silently in the kittchen. There was nothing they could do. Starlett aka Elisha Potter was lost. When the front door of Grimmauld Place 12 opened and footsteps of several people were heard, the Weasley twins curiously poked inside the hall. When they saw Nymphradora Tonks with a shaking Elisha and an other horrified woman, Zaza, they both exclaimed at once: "I can't believe it!"
The people sitting in the kittchen rushed to the hallway and stood at once when they saw Elisha. Harry was the first one to talk: "You… You are alive!"
"I… uhm… managed to escape." Elisha stuttered.
Molly Weasley ushered them all back in the kittchen and served both Zaza and Elisha a mug of hot chocolade while Remus Lupin called Dumbledore who arrived only one minute later.
When he entered the kittchen and looked at Elisha, he felt at once that something was terribly wrong. But he explained this with the terror of being prisoner to Voldemort and the effort to get free. She hardly spoke at all and avoided his gaze. Zaza was the extreme opposite. She was very talkative and often broke out crying. She told how the Deatheaters had captured them in spite of Elisha's fight, that they had been kept in a dungeon for three days and that after Elisha had understood the guards' schedule they had managed to escape.
After Zaza had told the story that had been put in her memory, there was silence in the room. Then Hermione asked: "But what has Voldemort been happy about? Harry felt it!"
Elisha looked up quickly. Harry answered: "Maybe I misinterpreted the feeling. It was a strong emotion, but maybe it wasn't happiness. It wouldn't be the first time I misunderstood something I got from him."
Elisha sank back in her chair and concentrated on her chocolade again, hoping no one had noticed her weird reaction. But Hermione and Albus Dumbledore had.
In the night, Elisha couldn't sleep. She lay awake in her bed in the little room she shared with Zaza. What had she gotten herself into? She had killed a person. It was true, she hated Garry, but she never wanted to kill him. She was afraid of herself, of that part of her that had enjoyed torturing Garry, seeing him writhing with pain in front of her. She was Voldemort's heiress. In some years, people would be afraid to speak her name, too. She wasn't sure wether that was what she wanted. But there was no way back now. Voldemort wouldn't let her go and she couldn't turn to Dumbledore for help. She had killed a person. And what about Harry? She had liked him the few times she had met him. But he was her Lord's foe, therefore also her foe. But he was her twin brother! Anyhow, who was she? Last week, she had been Starlett, one of the many youths living on the street. Now she was Elisha Potter, torn between the Dark and the Light in a war that would decide on the wizarding world's future. But Lord Voldemort had said, that there was no good or evil, only power. And deciding for the power was the right decision, or not? She was completely confused and desperate. In past times, she had turned to Zaza with all her problems, but she couldn't do this now. Zaza wouldn't understand.