Chapter Five
Chariot Allison followed Lucius Malfoy into the corridor. In a moment, they would be back at the Malfoy Manor. They were using a Portkey, of course. Aparating and Disaparating didn't work in transmitting to, from, or in the Riddle House.
Chariot wished she could stop at her cozy quarters for just a moment. Just for a minute to herself for once. In the Malfoy household, she was always being watched.
In the weekly Report Meeting, she and Lucius had given their master the papers Chariot had filled out. The registration papers for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The forgery had taken literally hours to complete and expended a few of the connections Chariot had, but when Chariot was done, she had to admit she looked damn good on paper. A model citizen.
This assignment was one of major importance within the Death Eater queue and being that she was partnering Lucius Malfoy on it, Chariot was in a position of power.
Their new assignment was an extension of the old one. But this one would be long and grueling. Especially to Chariot who would be in the line of fire if anything were to go wrong.
Chariot would feign being a transfer student from Durmstrang. She would be sorted into the Gryffindor House with a little sabotage.
The hat would, naturally, place her in Slytherin. But to get close to the dear Mr. Potter, Gryffindor would have to do. Chariot would follow the script Lord Voldemort had written, supervised by Lucius Malfoy. She would follow the script at all costs.
"It seems the Dark Lord approves of your…relationship with my son," Lucius said once they had returned to his manor. There was almost a grudge in his voice.
Chariot didn't answer. No kidding.
"I must agree with him. Except…" Lucius said smoothly, moving his arm gracefully around her waist.
Chariot stepped away. "I don't think so, Lucius. I make it a point not to have affairs with my colleagues."
"So you have said, my dear. I will have you eventually and you will come willingly." A threat, presumably. "They all do," he said as an afterthought and walked away.
That night before dinner, Chariot stood in front of her closet. She was thinking about Draco. Certainly he would be at dinner. She hadn't seen him since that day at the pool. Obviously, he had thought of her.
How to bring that thread closer was the next question. Looking in her wardrobe, Chariot found herself what he would like, what would impress him most. She shook the thought from her head, rebuking herself. Seducing a spoiled teenage boy shouldn't be a problem.
Finally, she pulled a chocolate brown dress over her head with a ring to match. After running a brush though her hair, Chariot left.
In the formal dining room, with its long mahogany table and stiff chairs, Chariot found Draco. His parents weren't there yet.
Chariot was thankful. Keeping Lucius' hands off her was beginning to be a job in itself. But he wouldn't dare do anything in front of his family. Would he?
Also, she was thankful she would be able to speak to Draco alone. But he apparently wasn't in the mood. They made their hellos and stood awkwardly in silence. Draco watched her, his hardened steel eyes raked over her, almost painfully.
In an odd way, Chariot enjoyed his eyes scouring her being. It proved she'd won.
When his parents arrived, Draco pulled out a chair and seated her then sat down himself but continued to watch her in his subtle way. Chariot was sure Lucius, if not Narcissa, noticed.
"Draco, our guest Chariot will be joining you at Hogwarts in the coming weeks. Transferring from Durmstrang, aren't you, my dear?"
Chariot nodded. "Yes, of course. I look forward to it." Chariot was confused. Surely Draco already knew she had in no way attended any magic school before. How dim did Lucius think his son was?
Draco simply nodded and sipped his wine: uninterested. Perhaps he didn't like her as much as Chariot had thought. Perhaps, for once, Chariot was wrong.
Chariot had packed up the few things she chose to take with her to Hogwarts. Mainly clothes and school supplies.
But tucked into the folds of fabric she had hidden a stun wand, a small dagger, and her trusty vial of invisibility potion. The wand, when touched with the lightest stokes, would set a fire or send volts of energy into a man and stop his heart. It was a slim and even beautiful thing, but it was deadly. It was Chariot's most treasured possession and could kill a fully grown bull elephant.
And of course the invisibility potion was useful in its delicate crystal vial. The liquid itself was a deep eggplant purple, but through the crystal, it was dull ebony.
The dagger was mostly for show, for threats. In the wizarding world, she would be stunned or worse by the time she got close enough to do any damage with the blade but one could never be too prepared.
Ready to leave the Manor at last, Chariot strapped the tiny vials to her thigh, just above her knee. They were hidden under the uniform skirt, no one would check there.
Inside the first one, in the clear glass was an emerald-hued potion that would insure her placement Gryffindor House. It had been prepared by Lord Voldemort himself. Chariot would take it in the train, minutes before being sorted.
From her body, it would seep into her brain and send messages to the Sorting Hat. Instant Gryffindor. It would also block out all thoughts she might have about her job at the school. The hat couldn't know what she was really doing there. It would most certainly tell someone her true intentions.
The second vial was an antitoxin found in any simple potion book. Chariot had brewed that herself. It was easy, so Chariot knew it would work. Also, it had turned the promised hazy white.
The first potion would, in an hour or two past ingesting it, poison her brain, shutting it down, and leak into her bloodstream, leading to her heart and lungs which would cease to beat and absorb oxygen. If she didn't take the antitoxin in time, Chariot would slowly suffocate and die.
Chariot shook her head and climbed into the car. Draco was already inside.
There was no need to think about possible death. Not anymore. Overanalyzing often led to rushing and when you rushed, mistakes were made. She couldn't afford any mistakes on this job.
In a minute, Lucius joined them. The script was that Chariot was an exchange student and her family knew the Malfoys. Lucius was escorting her to school on the first day as a favor to Chariot's uncle. What he was really doing there was making sure the first phase went off without a hitch. The rest would be up to Chariot.
They arrived at the train station and Lucius handled the business with Chariot's and Draco's luggage.
"You're not going to ride the train, are you?" Draco asked. Of course he knew the answer. It was obvious.
"No. I will Aparate, then take a car," Lucius answered patiently.
Chariot was surprised. At both of them. Lucius was extremely cool and calm. Especially for the extreme importance of the job they were just started.
Chariot had earlier taken a Calming Draught to cool her frazzled nerves. Her nerves were probably the best in the business. That's why she was so good at her job. And even she had needed magical help with this task.
Draco was also oddly cool and calm, Chariot thought. He had to know what was going on. Living with who he did, with his intelligence, he had to know. But whatever he knew, or didn't know, Draco disguised it very well.
Hello, all. Well, please continue to read and review. Mostly read, but I would love to see some reviews in my mailbox tomorrow. Much love, hippy