Chapter 6
Ebony awoke to the feel of someone's hands playing with her hair, running their fingers through its whole length, and then plaiting bits of it loosely and undoing them again. She opened her eyes slowly, then immediately closed them again as the bright sunlight that filtered in through the windowpane brought sunspots to her vision. She opened her eyes once more and allowed her eyes to adjust to the light and then looked eagerly around her, trying to ignore the stabs of pain that seemed to threaten to rip her head apart.
The room was large, with pale green paint covering the walls and tastefully draped green sheets around the windows and the seats that were built in underneath them. There was a large dresser standing in the corner with an ornate mirror atop it and a few feminine vanity items on it, like hairbrushes and perfumes. Ebony discovered she was lying on a large double bed with a soft green coverlet, deep, comfortable pillows and…
Chains. Yes, chains. Ebony discovered them as she tried to move position to catch a look of the person currently stroking her hair; they chafed against her wrists and ankles and clanked ominously as she shook them. On discovering that she was awake, the mysterious person moved to the other side of the bed, and into Ebony's line of view.
Narcissa Malfoy smiled down at Ebony; the smile transformed her face, from one of cold and calculated indifferent hate to one of loving, almost angelic, caring and sensitive. Reaching out her hand, Narcissa drew her long, pale fingers through Ebony's hair once more and murmured, "if only Lucius had let me keep my own hair long, I do miss taking time to care for it…" at that Ebony noticed that unlike the Narcissa in the Harry Potter books, this woman in front of her had creamy hair that curled just underneath her earlobes. "Lucius told me that it was so that I could spend more time caring for the family and less on myself…" She closed her eyes against painful memories. "But now you're here, and I can do your hair instead, can't I?" Narcissa placed a well-manicured hand underneath Ebony's chin and lifted her head so that they had eye contact; there was a soft pleading in Narcissa's eyes that touched something in Ebony. She was about to answer when the door clattered open and a cloak of emerald swept in, followed by a bruised Draco, at least, that is how it seemed, for all Ebony could see of Lucius was his billowing cloak, so imposing and demanding.
"Stop acting sentimental and go and tell the house elves that by cleaning, it means that when I come round to inspect, I do not expect to find a speck of dust ANYWHERE especially when we have…guests…" a grim smile spread across Lucius' face as he held up his hands for Ebony to see, "thanks to your little stunt with your intriguing powers, I now am scarred for life…but don't worry, our guest tonight will make it more than worth your while!" And with that he swept back out of the room, with Draco hot on his heels and an apologizing Narcissa in front of him.
Ebony made sure they had left before snorting in disgust, 'pur-lease' she thought 'chains? Oh how very quaint…shame they won't hold me long…' Ebony closed her eyes and felt her body shifting. Slipping through the chains she grinned, a snake, how appropriate. She shifted once more to a more comfortable shape. She grew long, supple legs, a flexible frame, a shifting tail, ragged and dark fur, her camouflage was complete. Padding to the doorway, she pricked her ears, her hearing and sight greatly improved by her new form, hearing faint footsteps heading in the opposite direction, she padded out into the hallway and looked around. She had to be careful; nobody would think it was normal if they saw a jaguar strutting down the hallway.
The whole corridor had an eerie feeling about it, and Ebony shuddered as she looked for an exit, 'this is bizarre' she thought, 'I could have sworn I'd already passed that picture of that knight beheading the house elf…' Ebony sighed; even she wasn't stupid enough to deny that she was lost. She was about to continue on her way when she heard footsteps coming down the corridor, and voices, lots of voices. She hurriedly backed into the nearest room, which happened to have a low desk in it, she crawled under it and crouched in deadly silence, perfectly still, hoping that her breathing wasn't loud enough to attract attention.
"I don't think the Dark Lord will be pleased about this, Lucius. I mean, it's not as if she's just a normal girl is it? If she has these powers like you say she does, then she could be used for more than just what he has in store for her, think about the possibilities of a spy who can go anywhere, do anything, the possibilities are endless! But if you keep her secret, your secret, then…we may…well...lose."
"Are you stupid Dolohov? If the Dark Lord finds out about this, he'll want to…study her…you know how he is with these sorts of things, it'll be like a child pulling wings off a fly and then expecting it to still be able to fly because of its name. And anyway, I don't think the girl has any conception of just how powerful she is, her concentration slips and I don't think she can hold a complete shape, only parts of one…"
'Ha! Wrong there Malfoy!' thought Ebony triumphantly, before realising that another Death Eater was speaking,
"are you sure this is wise Lucius? If Dumbledore was to find out about the girl, that she was a Metamagus, then he may want to bring her to Hogwarts, where I would be able to keep a close eye on her and report back to the Dark Lord, also, if Dumbledore was to find out, he would no doubt want to hone her skills, so that when the Dark Lord approaches her with his offer, she will already be able to harness her power, surely that will make her a much more liable asset?"
Ebony could guess who that was, the slimy voice, the connection to Hogwarts, Serverus Snape, the potions master and double-spy for the Order of the Phoenix!
'Urgh,' thought Ebony, 'he sounds horrible, all smarmy and full of himself! Just like JK Rowling described him!'
Ebony was about to stretch out a paw when suddenly the door opened, and in walked the group of Death Eaters!
Lucius strode over to the desk and sat down in the chair beside it. Ebony could see his Armani tailored trouser leg in the corner of her vision and suddenly froze, feeling his shoe graze across the back of her head, and come to rest mere centimetres from her neck. Barely daring to move, Ebony listened to the Death Eaters conversations (mostly about how much the Dark Lord hated Harry Potter and his bizarre schemes for eradicating him) until suddenly, Lucius moved his foot, and came in direct contact with Ebony's head.
Awwwww is disappointed I started this chapter with such fluffy good intentions...THEN looked what happened shakes head shame on me, shame on me...slaps wrists to the next chapter, amigos! gallops off (odd, who, me?)
