A knock on her door causes Isabella to jump, smearing the ink that she had just put down on the parchment. Quickly, she shoves the parchment into the drawer of the vanity, straightening her hair. It must be time for Draco to come and give her her tour of the Manor. Another knock causes some confusion until she realizes that she had never answered. "Come in."
Draco slowly opens the door, standing with it open as he addresses her, "I'm to take- you're still in your school robes."
Isabella glances down at her robes and then looks back up at Draco, shrugging. "I didn't exactly have time to pack an overnight bag." She felt more comfortable being a smart alek around Draco since they had gone to school together, even if they had only talked to each other maybe once or twice in that time.
"There's clothes already here for you in your closet and dresser, I mentioned it earlier. The elves brought over your clothes from Hogwarts and my mother went through, deeming what is appropriate. I can leave you to change if you want. Lelay can help you pick something out." Instantly, the small elf appears and bows to Draco and then Isabella. "Just come out whenever you're done." Without so much as another word, Draco turns on his heel and shuts the door behind him. Lelay rushes to the door closest to the door leading out of the room.
"Miss must come and pick clothes!" Lelay calls to Isabella, "then Lelay will help Miss put clothes on!" Isabella stands and walks into the closet, her jaw dropping instantly. The closet was at least half the size of the bedroom. Robes and dresses of all different colors were hung around the room while shoes sat on row after row of shelves below. A large dresser, bigger than anything she'd ever seen, was against the furthest wall. Lelay was standing in the middle of it all, bouncing up and down in absolute excitement. "Miss must hurry! Master Draco is waiting!"
"Right, um," Isabella didn't know where to begin. She knew the Malfoys were rich but why on Earth they would spend this much money on her, she had no idea. "Draco said that some of my old clothes is here. I'll just wear that." If I can find it, she adds to herself. Reaching up, Isabella begins to flip through the dresses, trying to find her old ones. "I can't believe I'm supposed to have dinner with the Malfoys.."
"Miss? May Lelay make suggestion?"
"Of course." Isabella gives her a small smile and the elf immediately jumps up, conjuring a small step ladder from Lord knows where. Lelay climbs it and pulls down a floor length dress. It was of a modest a-line cut, with flutter sleeves made of a chiffon material. It was a simple light pink color with floral detailing. To Isabella, it was way fancier than it needed to be just for dinner. "Is all of that really necessary? It's only dinner."
"My masters is liking to dress nice for dinners miss. This is perfect!" Lelay declares happily, snapping so the dress floats in place and climbing down the ladder. She snaps again and the ladder moves to in front of the dresser where Lelay climbs it and digs through the top drawers, pulling out a simple diamond charm necklace and a set of matching diamond earrings. "These is perfect! Miss will be so pretty! Lelay means, more pretty than miss is!" Lelay's eyes fill with fear so Isabella quickly thanks her for the compliment, noting how the elf's shoulder sag with relief. "Miss must hurry and dress then Lelay will do miss's hair!" Lelay climbs down the ladder and leaves the closet, going to the vanity and conjuring the tools she would need to tame Isabella's hair.
Quickly, Isabella strips out of her school uniform and pulls on the dress. It fit like it was made for her. The simple design complimented her body shape while also making her appear the right age. With slightly shaking hands, she walks out of the closet and takes a seat in the vanity chair. Lelay immediately sets to work, twisting and curling Isabella's dark locks. "Miss must brush her hair more. Miss's hair is very oily." Isabella blushes dark red and tries to hide her face, earning a small tap on the head from Lelay. "Miss, please sit still." Muttering an apology, Isabella sits up and let's Lelay continue to work. Once her hair is set, Lelay comes around to her face and begins to put on some light makeup, adding to the look. With the final touches, Lelay snaps her fingers and the jewelry she'd picked out puts itself on Isabella's body. "There! Lelay is done and Miss is just as beautiful as before!" Lelay jumps down from the vanity, leaving Isabella to take in the full effect.
The jewelry was understated and the dress flattered her. Lelay had managed to pull Isabella's hair up into a loose but classy bun, leaving some pieces out to frame her face. The makeup was no more than simple blush and eyeshadow, highlighting her best facial features. The entire effect made Isabella look young but also sophisticated. "Wow.." Isabella mutters, turning slightly in the mirror to look at herself. "Um, are there shoes?" Lelay jumps up and runs to the closet, returning with a pair of short heeled sandals. She lays them in front of Isabella and steps back, smiling up at Lelay. "Thank you for your help." Lelay's bottom lip trembles and her large eyes fill with tears as she bows and mutters 'thank you's to Isabella for her kindness. "Please don't throw out my robes… If you can help it."
"Yes miss! Now go, Master Draco is waiting!" Lelay ushers Isabella out of the room, opening the door for her. Isabella walks out, trying not to fiddle too much with her hands. Draco stands across the hall from the door, his hands deep in the pockets of his robes and his eyes shut. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he was asleep. As she walks out, Draco's silver eyes slowly open and he looks her up and down. Isabella squirms slightly under his gaze, looking down at the floor.
"Mum will be happy with that. I'm assuming Lelay helped?"
Isabella nods, "she picked out all of it actually. I'm sort of rubbish at that sort of thing." Draco nods and stands fully up, rolling his shoulders back.
"Well, we don't have much time before dinner so I guess I'll take you on the abbreviated version and then you can explore later. We'll head down this way first" he gestures to the right of her room. Isabella nods and falls in step next to him as he heads that way, not really sure what to expect. As they walk, Draco points out a few interesting things and then leads her down a back stairwell to the next floor where he points out even more interesting rooms such as the family library which was spread out over the second and third floor, the informal family rooms, and the potions lab as well as a dueling practice room. Finally, they make it to the first floor which mostly consists of ballrooms, formal dining rooms, formal tea rooms, and the kitchen. "And finally, here are the gardens which is where we'll be having dinner." Draco pushes open a side door in one of the ballrooms, holding it open as Isabella walks through. She can't help but gasp slightly.
Down the marble stairs, which split slightly, there was a courtyard but beyond that was a beautifully kept garden. It reminded her of the gardens at the palaces in Italy that she'd seen when she was fourteen and traveled over the summer. There were bushes upon bushes of all kinds of flowers and plant life. Everything from roses to weeping willows. In the distance, she could see a large clearing on a hill where a herd of unicorns could just be seen. To the left in the distance, she could see a greenhouse where she assumed they grew some of their own potions ingredients. Everything was beautifully kept and while it was a rather busy looking place, none of it seemed unkempt or unruly. It was beautiful in her eyes and her heart ached slightly at the truth of the situation. This was a beautiful prison for her.
"I didn't have you marked as a garden lover." Draco comments, his hands back in his pockets. She turns to look at him, her cheeks slightly pink as she knew she'd been caught staring in awe.
"I have an appreciation for plant life, it's true."
"Let's walk it then. We have some time before dinner I think." Draco lifts his left arm and pulls up his sleeve slightly, checking the time. Just above it, Isabella spots the bottom of the Dark Mark that had such a great contrast against his pale skin. As he looks up and let's his arm fall, Isabella quickly snaps her head down, ashamed to have been caught staring at it. Without a word, Draco heads down the leftmost set of stairs. Isabella follows him, lifting her dress slightly so that she doesn't fall. While she wasn't exactly a clutz, stone stairs and a floor length dress could spell disaster for anyone. When they reach the bottom, Draco offers his right arm to her, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him. "I don't want you to fall. My mother would never let me hear the end of it." Isabella cautiously takes his arm, her heart pounding. They set off to the left and he begins to guide her down the path of the garden.
After a moment of silence, Isabella can't stand it anymore. "Why am I here? And what rules am I to follow? Your mother mentioned during tea-"
"I am aware." Draco sighs heavily and continues to walk, staring straight ahead. "The Dark Lord has requested that you stay here. I can not tell you why, that is for him to disclose during dinner." Isabella stops in her tracks, jerking Draco to a stop beside her.
"H-he's coming to dinner?" Isabella's voice trembles slightly and her heart speeds up. She pulls back from Draco's arm as if he had burned her.
"Yes. As I said, he'll disclose why you're here during dinner. I have been forbidden from telling you so no more on that. I hardly know to be honest with you. Now, as for the rules." Draco turns and starts to walk down the path again, leaving Isabella to catch up with him. "Rule one, no magic until you can be trusted with a wand. That much was obvious from my mother taking your wand I think. Rule two, no speaking out against my father or, more importantly, the Dark Lord. Neither will take kindly to it, especially the latter. Rule three, no interfering with our other… less honored guests."
"You have prisoners here? I mean, other than me?"
Draco frowns and looks around at her, "we prefer not to call them that but yes. We do. Under orders from the Dark Lord. Now rule four, you'll come to every meal that you are requested to come to and dress appropriately. If you are not requested, Lelay or one of the other house elves will bring you food wherever you want it. Rule five, you are allowed to explore the house and the grounds as much as you would like except the dungeons and any room that is locked. You may have access to the library, so long as you are under watch of one of the family or one of the house elves. Rule six, no sending letters that are not approved. All owls will be checked by a house elf. I think that is all the rules my mother said to pass along. I'm sure if she has others she'd want you to follow, she'll give them to you shortly. Oh, and while you explore I wouldn't try to go past the boundaries of the property. It'll set off an alarm and you'll have a Snatchers team on you faster than you can say 'Quidditch'."
Draco turns a corner and they come upon a small gazebo where a table had been set out. Small balls of light twinkle overhead, lighting the area nicely since the sun had begun to set. The table is set for fourteen with one of the chairs, the grandest of them all, being at the head of the table. Isabella could only assume that it was for the Dark Lord. Nacrissa was checking over everything, followed dutifully by a very old and weathered house elf. She was dressed in a dark green floor length dress with a shawl over her shoulders. A slit that came up to her left knee added to the dramatic effect of the dress. Her hair was pinned back from her face and flowed down her back in loose curls. Her jewelry was understated but added to the effect of the outfit. Looking at Narcissa, Isabella suddenly feels underdressed. As the two young people come into view, Narcissa looks up from the place settings and gives them a smile, walking over to greet them.
"Oh, you look absolutely perfect Miss Green. I'm assuming Lelay helped you?" Isabella silently nods, clasping her hands in front of her so Narcissa doesn't notice the shaking. "Well it's good to know that she remembers what her mother taught her. I do hope that my son showed you our home and explained the rules."
"I did, Mother. I told her if there were any more that you would tell them to her. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe the Zabinis have arrived." He bows his head to them both before walking away and leaving Isabella in his mother's care.
Narcissa gently takes Isabella's arm and leads her around the table to the left side, showing her seat. "This is where you'll be seated tonight. You'll be between Draco and Blaise Zabini, another one of your schoolmates. I'll be seated beside Draco so not too far away from you dear. There's no need to worry tonight. Just follow what everyone else is doing and speak when spoken to. I'm sure you'll do fine. From everything I know about you, you seem like a very well mannered young lady."
"Tha-thank you ma'am."
"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt but I figured I should introduce Ms. Zabini and Isabella." Draco's voice interrupts as he walks up to them. Blaise Zabini, dressed in a dark set of robes like Draco, stands next to Draco with a woman on his arm. The woman was dressed in a dark purple dress, much like Narcissa's except her's has an even longer slit up her leg. She is bedecked in silver and diamonds, with a long necklace dipping into her cleavage, drawing attention there. She was also skinnier than Narcissa, with a pinched face the looked like it had been pulled up and kept tight with Muggle plastic surgery. She was still beautiful, but in a fake mannequin sort of way. "Ms. Zabini, this is Miss Isabella Green, our guest of honor this evening."
"It's so good to meet you and please, call me Vittoria. How many times do I have to tell you Draco?" Vittoria bats her long eyelashes at the younger man, clearly flirting as she pushes out her chest. Draco gives her a tight smile, clearly uncomfortable with the attention.
Blaise simply smirks and gives Isabella a slight bow of his head, "good to see you again, Isabella. It's been a while." Just like Draco, Blaise hadn't returned to school that year. It was clear they were both working their way up through the ranks of the Death Eaters. Isabella gives him a small smile and a nod, not really sure what was expected of her. Lucius walks out of the Manor next to Professor Snape, followed by a few more people to include Bellatrix and her husband, Rabastian Lestrange, Theodore Nott and an older man who looked just like him who she guessed was his father Tedd Nott, and Corbon Yaxley who Isabella recognized from the Daily Prophet. Narcissa excuses herself and walks over to her husband, greeting Professor Snape while placing herself on her husband's arm. Everyone descends the stairs and walks to the table, trays filled with glasses of champagne appearing for everyone to take. Isabella takes a flute and holds it, hoping that it would help to stop the shaking of her hands. She felt out of place in her dress. The color seemed wrong but maybe that was what Lelay had wanted, for her to stand out from everyone else. Theodore extracts himself from his father when Vittoria walks over and greets them, immediately taking a place on Ted's arm.
"Hello Malfoy, Zabini. It's a pleasure to see you again Miss Green." Theodore gives her a polite smile and sips from his glass, "I must say you do look beautiful." Both Blaise and Draco roll their eyes at him, all three of them wearing the signature Slytherin smirk, though none of them wearing it quite as well as Draco does. "What? Does she not look beautiful?"
"She does but you don't need to say it like you're old enough to be her father." Blaise comments, also sipping from his flute. The three fall into an easy banter while Isabella takes the opportunity to look around at all of those that were gathered. There was no way that she could escape, not when they were all here and armed and she wasn't. Professor Snape saunters over, looking very strange to her as he was holding a champagne flute as well, a sight she never thought she'd see.
"Hello Miss Green. How are you?"
"I'm well, Professor. Admittedly, I would rather be in my common room studying but I suppose there are worse places to be." Isabella doesn't even attempt to hide the venom from her voice, placing blame on him for everything that was happening at Hogwarts and her current predicament.
"Yes, well sometimes we end up in places we did not think that we would be." His voice is smooth, as it always was. Isabella frowns and opens her mouth to comment back but then there's a collective gasp from all gathered except for three people, Vittoria, Narcissa, and Isabella. "It would seem our Lord has arrived."
Sure enough, Isabella turns to look where everyone is looking and see the Dark Lord standing there, clear as day. A shudder runs through her and his appearance. His white skin stands out against the darkness of his robe. His scarlet eyes seem to glow as he looks over the gathered group. He doesn't seem to walk but rather glides forward as he approaches. The group all bow slightly from the waist, Narcissa and Vittoria sinking into identical dignified curtsies. Isabella, though a second later than everyone else, averts her eyes and looks towards the floor, her entire body trembling. She hears a chair slide out and then suddenly Draco is guiding her into her chair.
"Good evening, my most loyal followers." His voice is high and smooth, much like the hiss of a snake, as he greets them as they all finish settling into their assigned seats. To his left are seated Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, Isabella, Blaise, Mrs. Zabini, and Yaxley while to his right sits Snape, Bellatrix, Rudolphus, Rabastian, Theodore Nott, and Ted Nott. "And of course, our honored guest tonight. Miss Regina Isabella Green." A shiver runs through her entire body as he speaks her voice. "We are so happy to have you here this evening. But before we get into all that, let's eat." Food immediately appears on their plates and Isabella knows that it is because of the small army of house elves the Malfoys have. Everyone but Isabella immediately begins to eat and chatter with each other.
Through the first few courses, Isabella manages to scarf down a couple of bites but mostly just sits, pushing around her food and trying not to be noticed. After the dessert plates are cleared, Voldemort once again takes over the floor. "I know some of you are wondering, as Miss Green is herself, as to why she is here." There's a small noise of agreeance among those at the table, all except the Malfoys and the Lestranges. Voldemort silently stands and begins to walk around the table. Even with the lights dancing across the now empty silver, the area suddenly feels colder and darker. "As you in my inner circle know, I do not come from pure breeding as most of you gathered here now. My mother was a witch but chose to mate with a filthy, unworthy, common Muggle. But you, my most loyal followers, do not hold this over me. On my mother's side, as a direct descendent, is the most noble House of Slytherin. What you may not know, is that my mother had a brother. This brother was wrongly prosecuted for having some… fun with a filthy little muggle. What he did not know, and what took me many years to track down, was that he had made this muggle with child."
There's a slight pause and the tension in the area rises as this news sinks in. "Yes, I am not the only one of direct Slytherin blood gathered here." He stops behind Isabella's chair, laying a cold hand on it and sending a shiver directly down her spine and into her legs. "Miss Green is the product of that relation, one generation removed from my own." Tears spring into Isabella's eyes and she looks at her lap, letting them fall. "Miss Green, am I correct in thinking that you already knew this? You are, afterall, a Ravenclaw." Isabella nods slowly, her heart pounding in her chest. "I can't hear you Regina."
"Ye-yes, I knew."
"And when did you figure it out?" Voldemort walks away, staring at the young girl with no pity in his eyes.
"Fourth ye-year, during the summer." Isabella had gotten curious if her mother had any magical blood in her. It had taken a bit of time but she'd managed to track it down and put it together with what limited resources she had.
"I wonder though, how much of my heritage do you have? Can you hear my Nagini?" From his left, a large green snake rises and slithers on to the table. Even though the table was all loyal Death Eaters and Slytherins, most of them recoil from it as she makes her way across the table. "Can you understand her as she speaks?" It takes her a second, but Isabella realizes that he is speaking Parseltongue. She had figured out during her second year that she could hear snakes when Harry Potter had talked to the snake during the dueling lesson and she'd understood both of them. Unlike him though, she was smart enough not to act on it and instead kept it a well kept secret. She had heard the Basilisk in the walls that year as well but kept that to herself as well. Without having many friends, it was fairly easy to do. "Ah, you can. Now I wonder, what other skills are you hiding?" Nagini rises in her face, flicking her tongue out before slithering back to her master, curling up around his feet. "Tell me, Miss Green, are you a duelist?"
"Wh-what?"
Voldemort snickers at her stuttering, "it is a very simple question. Can you duel? I know your father was an accomplished duelist when he was at school. I wonder if he taught you any of his skills… Shall we test it?" His scarlet eyes gleam even brighter with mirth.
"I don't have my wand," she states rather stupidly, her heart beat pounding in her ears. She felt like she was having an out of body experience.
"I have her wand my lord," Narcissa volunteers, pulling it out of thin air and offering it to him. Voldemort takes it in his long, thin fingers, and examines it.
"Let's have a duel, shall we?" Voldemort stands and everyone else follows, Isabella tripping over herself as she does so. Smoothly, Draco reaches over and steadies her by her elbow.
"Remember to breathe," he practically hisses to her before dropping her arm. Voldemort raises his hand and the table and chairs disappear. Everyone steps back, leaving the middle of the floor empty except for Voldemort and Isabella. He glides forward and extends her wand to her, smirking ever so slightly. Reaching out her shaking hand, Isabella accepts her wand from him and quickly lowers it to herself, feeling the familiar piece of wood in her fingers.
"Let us see, who shall you duel?" Voldemort circles around her, looking at each of his followers in turn. "Bellatrix. I feel as though you haven't had the chance to duel anyone in a while." Bellatrix eagerly comes forward, drawing her wand in one smooth motion. Her dark eyes gleam with malice and intent. "Now, no killing curses, Bellatrix. She is family after all."
"Yes, my Lord. I promise I won't hurt her. Too bad." Bellatrix smirks and gives a grandiose bow, smirking coldly as she looks at the girl in front of her. Voldemort steps out and waves his wand, setting up a protective barrier around Bellatrix and Isabella. Isabella takes a deep breath and walks to the middle, meeting Bellatrix. The two bow, turn, and walk twenty paces the other way, each taking their stance as they face each other. Isabella's heart beats loudly but she blocks it out, purely focused on the task ahead. If she didn't focus, if she let her emotions take over, then she would surely be wounded to an extreme degree. Even if the Dark Lord had ordered her not to use the killing curse, Isabella knows that Bellatrix wouldn't go easy on her.
"Begin."
