Malfoy Manor was a dark place. The largest mansion she had ever set eyes on, it rose into the sky fearlessly. With architecture that seemed aggressive by English standards, the many buttresses and columns rose from the dark earth and loomed toward the sun. Grey and black were the colors that overwhelmingly reigned. Old, grey stone that was crossed with dark black cracks that laced the bricks like veins. This was where she was to spend her time. Well, not all of her time. She would still keep up with all of her duties as the infirmary nurse at Hogwarts but she would also serve as the head healer for Voldemort and his death eaters.
Angelina traced her fingers over the light imprint that served to show where Severus had lain only moments before. He had crept out of bed in the middle of the night, kissed her lightly on the forehead, and disappeared. Angelina had woken from her fitful rest immediately, but feigned sleep when she felt the bed rise as he left the bed. Healer for Voldemort. Her thoughts flashed jarringly to the phrase. Healer for Voldemort. Her mind flew to earlier that day, after the meeting, when she had been summoned.
One hand danced its finger along her neckline and the other held the small of her back. Severus pulled out of the kiss, only to immediately kiss her again with renewed vigor. She raised her body to meet his, as any time separated was painful. Her fingers played in his hair, moved to his shoulders, and felt his forearms lightly. And then she jumped in pain and accidentally bit down.
Severus jerked his body up and away until he was on the opposite side of the bed. Blood that almost looked black from the reflections of twilight in the windows beaded from his bottom lip. However, his eyes were on his Dark Mark. The serpent was furiously winding its way in and out of the skull and his skin glowed bright red as the tattoo outlined itself. His expression quickly moved from surprise to stoicism. His eyes narrowed. His mouth transformed into a hard line. He slowly looked up at her. Angelina was hunched over, staring at him with large dark eyes.
"You're to go meet him." His words were low but perfectly clear. Angelina blinked once and then asked, "May you accompany me?" His expression only grew stonier, and he suddenly looked a thousand years old, a skeleton carrying the weight of the world. "No." The word rang out harshly, even though it had been said gently, reassuringly. Angelina unfolded her legs, gathered her robes, and rose to go get changed.
She held her robes firmly in her left hand as she kept her fingertips in contact with the stone as she descended the rough staircase quickly. Keeping her body in contact with the wall helped steady her. Helped her to know what was approaching. As she went deeper into the bowels of Malfoy Manor, she felt a dark and panicked magic rise within her. A foreboding such as she had never known began to consume her and she began to sweat lightly. Her breaths changed from determined and calm to hurried and tinged with anxiety. Anxiety. Angelina slipped and barely caught herself from smashing into a thick oaken door that had appeared directly in front of her. It took up all of the space in the stairwell but when she gazed up to see where it met the ceiling, she saw no ceiling, only darkness. Forcibly shifting her mind back to the task at hand, she drew herself full in front of the oaken door and moved her hand toward the large golden serpentine knocker that decorated the door. She changed the direction of her hand in midair and went to her waist where her wand was instead. An idea had just occurred to her. Bringing her long ash wand to her lips for a quick kiss, she whispered, "Expecto Patronum."
The beautiful shaggy wolf burst from her wand tip and bounded across the magical boundary that showed itself as an oaken door. Angelina waited with baited breath. The residual silvery glow left by her wolf had long dissipated before she received a response.
"Enter." Voldemort called to her. His voice was cold and brittle, yet clear as day. She crossed the boundary in one step. Instead of the warm glow that one usually felt when crossing a magical barrier, she felt an uncomfortable shock. Not painful, but discomfiting all the same. What met her eyes after she crossed was a large drawing room wreathed in shadows. An enormous hearth dominated the center of the room and a roaring fire crackled and spit within. Controlling the urge to wring her head around in circles looking for the Dark Lord, she maintained her composure and gazed straight ahead, into the flames. Movement caught her eye and she slowly turned to face Voldemort. He had emerged from a shadowy corner and now stood in plain sight. A tall, thin figure, that cut a terrifying yet impressive picture. Jet black robes that started at his throat and swept the ground near his feet. He opened his arms wide and smiled horribly at her. "Let us now discuss the terms of our agreement."