IX. THIS IS HELL
Draco had been unable to actually talk to any member of the order in a very long time, at least no one of particular import. He passed messages along, plans and papers, where he could but had no idea what they were planning for him until a school owl was tapping at his window a week before school begun.
Mr Malfoy
You are invited to regoin Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry for your seventh year at your own personal risk. Hogwarts has as much protection in place as possible to keep students safe but staff cannot gaurentee saftey in numbers with the recent extreme attacks.
Please find attatched your booklist for the new term.
We hope to see you at school to continue your education,
Headmistress M. McGonagall.
Draco's hands had been shaking, surely they were not being serious about this? But at the next meeting Crabbe and Goyle both presented identical letters.
The room was very quiet. The Dark Lord sat pensive, his fingers steepeled as he looked at the letter on the desk in front of him, Crabbe stood before him with a look that gave Draco the impression his classmate was constipated.
"What is the meaning of this? Weasely? What are they playing at?" Voldemort demanded, Charlie Weasley looked at the dark lord in schock.
"I never heard of this - I knew the school was going to be reopened but I don't know why these three have been accepted back." He said. "Seems like they're trying to run the school as normal, kids on both sides are there so they think we won't attack?"
Voldemort sat back in his chair. Draco wouldn't voice his own opinion of it all in case he acadenally fucks up more of the orders plans.
"Draco," The Dark Lord called and Draco stepped forward, inclining his head with respect. "Do you want to go back?"
"Yes my Lord," He said immediately, "They have severely underestimated us, if they think we can't use this invitation to our advantage."
The Dark Lord looked very pelased with him, laughed even, breifly.
"Excellent. Send your replies. Mulciber, tell the dogs to leave the owls will you?"
Mulciber nodded gruffly and left, Crabbe and Goyle still looked apprihensive, though most would be around Voldemort. They were dismissed, and he left, straight to his own room to pen the accepance of is invitation back - he couldn't help but smile, no matter what exactly the order had planned he was going back to school.
It was later that night that Draco's elation became short lived. A simple dinner made by house elves was being sereved to those livingor staying in the house - little more than spiced potato and a unidentifyable cut of meat. Draco suspected Voldemort didn't have much by way of taste buds, he never saw the man eat anything though he was always present at dinner, but surely he had to eat, and if the Dark Lord was eating the slop that was served to the rest of them he definately couldn't taste the stuff.
He was very happy. And it wasn't long before Draco found out why.
"I have another assignment for you Draco." The Dark Lord said. Draco put down his cutlery to give the mad man his full attention. "Soon our spy at the school will attempt to kidnap Harriet Potter." Draco's insides clentched, remembering Ginny Weasley still in the cellar.
"Who is this spy? If you need me to help obviously he's not very good." Draco muttered, Voldemort laughed, but no answeres were forthcoming.
"No, no, not help, but since you will be back at Hogwarts, should the first plan fail I can trust you to come up with a second?"
"Of course my Lord, is there a timeframe you can give me to work with?" Draco asked, he could only hope he appeared as calm as he was trying to be, he had to concentrate all his energy in sheilding the terrified thughts flying around in his mind to pay much attention to his acting. Voldemort laughed again.
"You'll be informed," He said, and Draco still had a horrible feeling in his stomach - he had to warn Harry.
It wasn't difficult to get a warning to the order. He passed a note onto Charlie Weasley at the next meeting and that was the end of it - all he could do. All his other information had gotten through alright and there was no need to worry, but still as the final weeks of summer dragged on Voldemort seemed to be becoming more and more delighted, Draco became more agitated and the war became more dangerous. They would drag groups of people in almost every night, families who weren't affiliated with either side, muggles who didn't even know there was a war going on, the worst was when Authur Weasely was dragged in front of Voldemort and tried for his crimes against the wizarding world. The red haired man looked battle worn, and Draco had been assured that Authur had taken down half the death eaters sent to fetch him. Voldemort was in a particularly gleeful mood and Draco's stomach dropped when his Aunt was called on. Bellatrix dancd from the room to the music of her own manic cackling.
"Authur Weasley." Voldemort said, "A thorn in my side for a very long time, your whole family has made it their personal mission to try to stop me."
To his credit, Mr. Weasley kept his head held high, proud. But Voldemort continued, "Your in laws especially, their deaths were hugely celebrated, though not quite as much as yours will be."
"I'd like to get this over with, if you don't mind." Mr. Weasley said, a hard line to his jaw, Draco clenched his fists to stop his hands from shaking.
"No, no I think you wouldn't want to miss this," Voldemort says and Bellatrix slips back into the room. "Your daughter is, after all, very much alive."
The hope that flits across Mr. Weasley's face would break any heart, Draco looked away before he cold see the next expression.
"Ginny?"
Mr. Weasleys' voice cracked on the word, snickers began to rise around the room, as though the heartbreak of this man was something to laugh at.
"Say hello to your father, Ginerva." Bellatrix ordered and Ginny looked at the red haired man.
"Hello Father." Ginny said, but there was no emotion behind her greeting, nothing to indicate she even recognised the man in front of her.
"Lovely girl." Bellatrix rewarded her by stroking her hair.
"Ginny, no," Arthur pleaded, looking at the girl with disbelief on his face. "What did you do to her?" He asked, though is bit out like a demand, his own pain forgotten Mr. Weasley faced the dark Lord looking for answers.
"She's been broken, trained and is now obedient. When this is all over her pure blood will be used to re-populate the wizarding world, and the same will happen to any pureblood who defies us."
Mr. Weasley looked as though he couldn't process the information. He was silent and Voldemort continued.
"Arthur, this is a blood traitor." Voldemort said. Mr. Weasley yelled, launched himself across the table and started wailing on the dark lord, he got in a couple decent punches before there was a flash of green light and his body hit the ground with a dead thump.
Voldemort had a skeletal hand over his face, Bellatrix was crying and whining asking if her lord was hurt. He pushed her away, and the action revealed his lip was split and eye swelling up.
"GET OUT!" The dark lord roared, wiping blood from his chin where it dribbled down. The death eaters did not hesitate to scramble from the room.
Draco followed the order like everyone else, but inside he was reeling. He'd always een the Dark Lord as otherworldy, immortal even, untouchable. Like what the muggles would term a god.
Such a being didn't bleed like that.
Draco focused on trying to get the message to the order - wholly, he wanted everyone on the light side to know that Arthur Weasley had made lord Voldemort bleed. He passed his mother in the entrance hall and stopped to squeeze her hand - the only comfort he could afford to offer her - before continuing to his own room.
There was scarce few days until he would return to school and only one thing had been playing on his mind - Harriet. Where was she now? Was she safe? Did she get his message? Draco would breathe easy again when he saw her, could tell her his warning in person, hold her and say sorry for leaving without saying goodbye.
They'd parted on less than ideal terms, but she'd haunted him. The look in her eyes and the feel of her skin and the way she made him felt, and she'd hauned him in that he had seen first hand what these monsters had planned to do to her. The days ticked by, filled with blood and torture. He'd had to kill for fun and torture for sport, trapped as he was in this place - though there was a rumor going around now that the dark mark could be removed and Draco couldn't help the balooning hapiness in his guts at the idea.
He couldn't wait for september first, he would see Harry again, apologise to her, he would have his dark mark removed and he would fight by her side, then when the war ends - they could have a life together. The end was near, Draco could practically taste it.
Short little chapter, sorry, but its pretty charged. R&R please and stay tuned for Chapter X. Thank you all for reading and I hope you're still enjoying this. For those old fans of the original this is war, this is where the bigger changes will come hard and fast and I hope you all enjoy it.
Thanks again for reading,
-D