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Chessboard Revolution

II

- Into Darkness -


Even though it was very dark, a strange sense of twilight enshrouded the area, or so Molly noticed upon regaining her bearings. She'd been left on the ground beneath some rather thick bushes, hidden safely in the shadows.

And upon recognizing the settings she was thankful for the cover, even if she still felt bare.

A circle of white-masked figures stood silently in front of the ruins of an old castle, black cloaks swaying in the breeze. Beyond the ruins, flat land stretched towards a dark horizon, where the sky was lit up in irregular intervals by flashes, signs of an approaching thunderstorm. Even with a bit of wind going, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressed.

Quivering in her hiding place, Molly's eyes involuntarily thought out the tall form reclining on a stone throne, its red eyes even visible over the distance. Pressing her lips together and mumbling a prayer, she looked away, remembering those old rumours about people sensing when they were starred at. If the saying was true, than Voldemort was the first person who was capable of this feat.

And after having escaped Malfoy, Molly had no intention to be caught here. She didn't even want to think about what would happen to her, if she was discovered. Her insides were twisting enough as it was.

There was a series of loud cracks which sent Molly jumping.

About twenty other Death Eaters appeared, clutching several victims. To her utmost horror, she recognized them to be the other customers from the small store in Diagon Alley. Ice cursed through her veins, freezing her brain and tuning out the screams and sobs which assaulted her ears.

Too horrible to be true.

Too much horror for one single night.

Lord Voldemort stood and waved a hand in one grand, majestic gesture. Once again, unperturbed silence settled over the scene.

It had been a spell, Molly discovered with shock, a powerful silencing spell performed Many victims were clawing at their throats, wide-eyed and white-faced, frantic with panic and despair.

Ice enfolded her heart, when she understood, that to them all hope was lost.

"Dear guests of tonight, I bid you welcome and would like to excuse any form of inappropriate behaviour on behalf of my loyal Death Eaters."

The saccharine smile on those pasty-white features was sickening. As were those red rubies, glittering with deadly mirth.

"As to you, my followers, I ask you to have a little patience. Business cometh before pleasure, and tonight we must bow to this role. So please, gather our guests of honour in a circle. We will have other visitors before morning dawns."

Orders were obeyed noiselessly, while tension grew stronger and the distant rumble of thunder louder. Flickering light lit up the sky overhead, revealing thick purple and yellow clouds covering the expanse of nightly sky.

"Step back to your places. We are awaiting a commission from several vampire clans tonight. You…" ,he flashed a toothy smirk at the terrified witches and wizards, "…will be their welcoming gift."

A nervous chuckle cursed through the rows of Death Eaters who were assuming certain positions, all of them which seemed to have been previously determined. Voldemort sat on his throne in the middle, high above all others. Lucius Malfoy, as expected, stood to his right and next to him was his wife, also discernible by masses of curly blond hair escaping from beneath the hood. Molly gasped lightly, when she recognized the figure on Voldemort's left to be professor Snape.

Vampires." ,somebody breathed tersly.

Another voice joined. "The old clans – really…"

"I only ever heard the tales. Could you imagine this, … this to …"

So Molly was not the only one who had twitched upon the mentioning of those dark creatures. Well, there were two kinds of vampires – newly reformed ones, harmless creatures really. Yet in face of this utter respect no one here was talking about the new age vampires.

They were on about the old creatures, dark, rich and living in places hidden away from the world. Observing humanity throughout the centuries, taking great care of the obscuring their existence. So far, that even the wizarding world was only barely aware of this dark presence lurking within twilight zones, watchful and dangerous.

Only Voldemort seemed at ease.

"Behave."

A creepy smile illuminated by a flash overhead.

"And beware."

A thunderclap in the distance. The wind picked up one last time, sent robes fluttering and leaves flying, before dieing down.

"My Lord, when will they arrive?" ,Malfoy asked in a hushed whisper.

The dark entity gave no sign of having heard the question and it was Snape who answered, gravely and sending a shiver down Molly's back.

"They're here."

The next bolt of lightening showed seven black silhouettes approaching silently. Whether they were walking or simply hovering over the ground wasn't discernable. Neither could Molly see any face, only finely woven cloaks, heavily decorated with odd symbols and pendants. Jewellery was sparkling ominously, promising riches beyond imagination and hinting at magical powers long since forgotten.

And even thought professor Binn's lectures on history had always instilled the desire to sleep in her, Molly couldn't help discovering a certain fascination for it right now. There was more, she realized, holding her breath, more to those dark revels than everyone believed.

Perhaps there was a reason that drew undoubtedly brilliant minds to the dark arts. Perhaps it was not sorely blood-lust, an unhealthy desire for power or a wish to uphold prejudices.

Perhaps it was also the fact that knowledge, hidden from the public, rotting away in the ministry's archives, could be uncovered.

Memories of what Dumbledore had told her concerning Tom Riddle resurfaced. A brilliant student, really. One with a bleak past, even for an eleven year old; bitter but determined and thirsting for knowledge. Had he ever had his wish granted?

She could see him asking, being told what he wanted to know was forbidden, as it was considered dark. No word as to explain the why.

Why were certain spells forbidden?

What exactly defined dark?

She swallowed, abruptly ending her train of thought. It was neither a comfortable direction, nor one she would want to head down considering her actual situation.

"Welcome my honoured guests."

Voldemort nodded his head while only one vampire bowed stiffly.

"Lord Voldemort, the honour is entirely on our side. We thank you for your invitation and would like to inquire further about this proposal you have mentioned. But for now, let us begin with the introductions.

As you can see, seven of the thirteen families have come. Those others are not interested in your endeavour and bid you leave them alone in future. You must understand, we have over centuries found that contact with the wizarding world mostly is a hazard and often went not too favourable for all involved, so please do not take offence in their scepticism.

Present are however the head of the Medici clan, the Graf von Frankenstein, Vice-Count Bakersville, the Duke of Cluj-Napoka, Contessa Borgia, Lady Mina and myself, Vladimir Flad."

So all those gothic tales were true.

It was frightening and mesmerizing, stimulating curiosity and fear at the same time. Molly was shivering, yet a part of her wanted to see their faces, wanted to go out there and ask questions, wanted to learn more about those shady figures.

"Thank you, Baron Flad. As for now only I myself will speak with you, the Death Eaters heed my saying without argument. But before we settle down to business, I present you those wizards and witches here as a welcoming present."

A small titter went through the seven figures.

"It is indeed a gracious gift, Lord Voldemort." ,said another vampire, although he seemed to be far from enthusiastic.

Besides him, another person shifted, throwing back a hood and revealing long blond hair that put Narcissa Malfoy's to shame. A dry, devious smile was formed by blood-red lips and eerily glittering eyes sought Voldemort's without fear.

"Even thou those headst your command, I would like to know at least those closest to you. When you have lived as long as I have, you come to find sense in old sayings such as having a look at a person's friends might give you a clue as what to expect."

Molly couldn't help but sense a hidden intent behind those words and Voldemort shifted uneasily.

"Very well, but I will spare you long introductions to everyone. To my right are Lucius Malfoy and his wife, Narcissa – remove your masks."

Both did as ordered and while Lucius held the vampire's scrutiny with only the smallest twitch, Narcissa kept avoiding their gazes.

The vampire lady appeared coldly amused.

"To my left are Severus Snape, Ev…"

"Severus? Oh my, that is a pleasant surprise."

Molly obviously wasn't the only one surprised. Actually, the only one who wasn't was perhaps Snape himself.

"Signora Borgia, it has indeed been a long time."

Lord Voldemort seemed somewhat put out, yet he didn't disrupt the scene – probably because he was just as curious as Molly Weasley, wondering what connection existed between a wizard as Snape and an ancient, infamous vampire.

Contessa Borgia wasn't fazed by the tittering around her. She crossed the distance until she stood directly before the professor, paying no mind to Voldemort himself.

"Oh my, the years simply fly by, if you forgive this unbecoming modern expression. The last time I saw you, you were … nineteen, I believe."

She fixed his eyes with an intensive stare and then said, cryptically.

"Many things have happened since then. We should catch up on them some time."

The blood-red lips spread, revealing razor-sharp white canine teeth. Contessa Borgia stepped forward, placing one hand on the back of Snape's neck and drawing him down, towards her.

"I always wanted…" ,she started in a stage whisper, before her voice dropped too low to be heard by anyone. A fractional widening of Snape's eyes was the only reaction he betrayed.

Not even the thrilling kiss she placed on his neck made him shiver.

The figure beside him however did so and rather thoroughly. Molly wondered how somebody would calmly let a fanged, blood-sucking entity close to his neck, when even the rest of the Death Eaters – regular harbringers of death, destruction and damnation – were frightened.

Voldemort looked as incredulous as possible for somebody who had no real face.

Contessa Borgia turned to him, smiling poisonously sweet. "I bid you pardon my escapade, yet perhaps in some years time you will come to understand. As for now, I will spare you further trouble, let us speak about business."

There was a certain mischievous glint in her eyes that sent everyone present on the edge.

"No need to apologize, feel free to interact with my servants as if they were your own. I am certain they would be glad to obey your wishes."

Lucius Malfoy and Contessa Borgia bristled and in her mind's eye Molly could also see Snape's eyes narrowing.

Vladimir Flad chose the moment to intervene, before coolly perfected politeness could turn into something ugly. "Well then, you spoke of an incredible offer, promising us fresh, living blood legally and in excessive amounts if we join you in your endeavour. We were wondering, what it was, that you exactly were planning to do."

Several other figures were nodding their heads, oozing scepticism.

"My, I thought I had been clear on that subject. My goal is to create a world free of inferior interferences. Were everyone can live as what he truly is, were everyone has his proper place. Wizard, Muggles and Vampires, each and everyone living according to their own rules – not twisted and denied their natural rights by obscure laws made up by incompetent idiots wanting to cover their weaknesses. A truer world, is what I want.

A world, where every being has it's rightful place and nobody can take that one away."

"It sounds… tempting to us. If this world was established, we were able to take blood of whomever we wanted without dreading trouble with the ministry, do I understand correctly?"

Two vampires in the back started whispering.

Voldemort nodded. "That is my offer. Will you help me?"

Contessa Borgia coolly raised one eyebrow and Baron Flad responded: "What kind of help is it that you need? And how exactly do you intent to realize this vision?"

"We must eliminate all fools who continue to preach false teachings, who refuse to see the natural order of things and insist on twisting them to their own ends. We must gather the wizarding world behind our project, we need them to agree and find back to their original culture. To discern those modern muggle ways for their falsity and pretentiousness, for their sheer idiocy. It is a lot we have to do, and there are many who have amassed recognition and wealth through the years for their poisonous words – those must fall first.

Show your allegiance, show to those the importance of tradition.

Show to them, the only way to be free is to accept their nature."

Thunder rumbled. Closer this time, the storm was only mere seconds away. Molly was trembling on the inside, unable to forget Voldemort's words. The vampires had every reason to join, she couldn't think of an argument to the contrary.

Somebody leaned forward, whispered a word to Flad who looked to Contessa Borgia. She nodded subtly, putting up her hood.

And all of sudden the polite Baron Flad changed. Raised his head, drew himself up to his full height – and jewels started glowing ominously within the darkness. Unknown symbols of power showed, white fangs were glittering underneath several hoods.

This was beyond even Voldemort.

"Lord Voldemort – you speak of freedom yet keep those whom you made the promise to as servants. Are we to suffer the same fate? Are we to accept, only to bow our heads under your order, wait on your every whim only for the sake of a promise?"

A flash tore through the ruin, and suddenly those seven robed figures seemed all the more dangerous.

"A promise that can not be fulfilled. You speak of separating spezies, but ask us, Dementors and Giants to join under your reign? What is that, if not mixing our cultural businesses? And while flesh blood is a tempting surprise, we have taken it until nowadays, regardless of your ministrie's attempts of interference. Perhaps it did never occur to your lordship, but younger members of our families are growing up with muggle ways and while tradition shan't get lost, we can not close our eyes and deny the future. We can not try and escape back into a past that never existed. Change is a challenge, perhaps the last one the world can offer to us immortals.

And you want to liberate us from that?"

There was a layer to darkness, that no one had told Molly existed.

A reasonability nobody dared to even consider.

Scary and enthralling.

Voldemort sucked in a deep breath, ugly red spots appearing on his face. The wind suddenly and swiftly started again, howling around the ruins and rustling leaves.

"You promise us eternal damnation or death, Lord Voldemort, and neither is what we desire. We refuse."

Molly held her breath, half expecting a fight to ensue. Malfoy was gripping his wand tightly beneath his robe, several Death Eaters had already drawn theirs.

"And as for consequences…" ,somebody else spoke up, the other female in the group. She stepped into the circle where the frightened victims were gathered and held spellbound, inspecting one or two until she came to stop in front of a small girl who couldn't have been older than ten.

"Oh my god, there are children." ,Molly thought. She hadn't noticed any during the fight, but … who could torture and kill children and live with himself afterwards? Or just look on? For one moment she saw Ginny instead of the dark haired girl, teary eyed and ghostly pale, shivering silently under the vampires caress.

She didn't know what to think about Snape anymore, only, that there were a lot of questions she wanted answered.

"Look into my eyes, little one." ,the vampire purred, "Do not be afraid."

The child did so.

"Do you remember who hurt you?" ,she asked, gently touching a scratch on the girl's cheek.

Terrified, the small one nodded.

The vampire crouched down, smiling. "Don't ever forget their faces. I will give you the means to pay them back their due."

The child's eyes widened dramatically, several Death Eaters gasped and Voldemort looked furious.

Lightening tore down, somebody was laughing loudly and then they were gone. The vampires, as well as their "presents".

If that had happened to her – Molly dreaded thinking of it. First delivered to Voldemort, than, perhaps saved from death and torture, only to end in the hands of notorious vampires. Her insides felt cold, deadened.

Rationally, she knew that it was shock, numbing her mind and dimming the sensations. She needed to go home, lie down with a cup of warm tea and her family.

But home had never been so far away.

The storm broke.

Howling wind, cold, hard raindrops drenching scorched grounds, trees bending abnormally, lightening and thunder as if there was no tomorrow. Death Eaters were huddling together, clearly uncomfortable. Even the collected Lucius Malfoy was several shades paler than normal; his wife was shivering, hunched her shoulder for protection from the icy water.

Lord Voldemort was too enraged to notice.

"This is unacceptable." ,the red-eyed creature hissed, seething with barely repressed fury, "Nobody rejects my offer. They join or die!"

Somebody else would suffer tonight, Molly realized. A cold gust of wind had her retreating further underneath the small bit of protection the bush provided. Somebody whispered a rain-repelling spell.

"What was that?" ,Voldemort turned like a snake, and advanced fast and merciless, "Did I allow spell-casting? Did I ask you to act on your own? The quivering I see is disgusting enough, yet disobedience can not go unpunished. Crucio!"

One fell down screaming, unarticulated and unrestrained in a voice much, much too young.

"Crucio ultima!"

The scream pitched higher, more desperate, reaching heart and core. Beyond saving now, beyond sanity and beyond hope.

Yet so very young.

And already too lost.

Everyone was watching in silence, nobody dared to move. Neither Malfoy nor Snape were disturbed by the display of cruelty.

Voldemort lifted his wand, hissed a word in a strange language that drew a shudder from those nearest to him. Thunder clapped, and in the eerie lightening blood splattered down on the ground.

There were no more screams, only weak twitches.

And a malicious smile on Voldemort's face.

"That should suffice. Let this be an example to all of you, you will not act without my permission. Heed this lesson or be the next to suffer!

You know what you have to do! Leave! Only the inner circle shall rejoin me!"

And with a loud crack he apparated away.

In a matter of minutes almost everyone was gone, only a few remained. As did the one on the ground, still moving weakly.

Molly had not even heard anyone approaching, but all of a sudden Snape picked her up and heaved a deep sigh. His robe was drenched, cold and her place beneath the bush had seemed relatively warm in comparison to the robe's pocket. Without saying anything he strode over to Voldemort's last victim, frowned and shook his head.

The ground was slowly turning red and those eyes were glossy, starring sightlessly up into the storm. But the chest was still rising and falling ever so slowly.

Few moments later Snape held a strange wand in his left hand.

"Avada Kedavra."


Jiantian zher shi dou kewen.

Zaijian!