"Lunch time!" Ron said, piling chips onto his plate. "I'm starving! I thought Divination would never end!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, taking a sip of pumpkin juice from her goblet.

Harry laughed at the pair of them and looked up at the Head Table. He had been thinking of Dumbledore and his mysterious package all morning. Dumbledore was missing, as well as Snape.

Reaching across the table to push down the book covering her face, Harry drew Hermione's attention to the head table. "Dumbledore isn't here," he said with some consternation. Hermione raised her eyes from her book to scan the Head Table. She frowned and nodded her head in silent affirmation. It was unusual for the Headmaster to be missing at a meal without explanation.

Harry spent the rest of his lunch plagued by the ominous thoughts that had followed him all morning. He knew something was amiss with Dumbledore….but what.

"Let's get going," Hermione said, putting her book into her bag. "It's Double-Potions next and I heard Snape was in a mood."

Ron grabbed a roll from the basket on the table, and shoved it into his mouth. "Calm down, Hermione, we have loads of time!"

"Hurry up, Ron," she said bossily. "And don't talk with your mouth full!"

Harry had grown accustomed to tuning out Ron and Hermione's bickering and simply gave one last glance at the Head Table before picking up his book bag.

The trio left the Great Hall, which was emptying rapidly as the students headed off to their afternoon lessons. When they arrived in the dungeon Potions room, Snape was unusually quiet. He ordered them to read the instructions from the black board and try not to blow up the castle, melt a cauldron or set anyone on fire. Harry looked up at him while cutting his ginger root, but Snape had his head down, focusing on whatever was in front of him.

As class was coming to an end, Snape ordered them to bottle their potions and leave them on his desk for marking. Neville Longbottom was last to come forward with his phial. In his rush to escape from his professors' presence he didn't notice Draco Malfoy's foot sneak out to trip him. Neville toppled forward dropping his potion sample in the process and watched his days work splatter on the floor.

Malfoy, seeing Snapes head turn to the disturbance, promptly pulled his wand and pointed at the mess calling "It's alright professor, I've got it. Reparo, Scourgify." Draco looked at Neville and sneered "And you're a pure blood? You're pathetic."

Snape approached the sprawled body of Neville and a mocking Malfoy. He looked down at the visibly quaking boy and snarled "Longbottom your ineptitude never ceases to amaze me. There's no point in giving you detention, you're not capable of learning anything from it and Mr Filch already has his hands full this evening." Snape turned and swept away calling over his shoulder "Fifty points from Gryffindor because you exist Longbottom and thirty points to Slytherin for your prompt action Malfoy. Now get out!" Neville grabbed his bag and books while running full tilt out of the classroom. Malfoy took his time, packing his bag before strolling to the hallway wearing a smug look to meet his sidekicks, Crabbe and Goyle.

Hermione had stood at the back of the class silently witnessing the debacle that had just happened. She would have normally defended Neville and Gryffindor to Snape but when she turned to look at her professor, he seemed to be in deep thought. Her anger faded while she watched the normally sarcastic man frown in obvious consternation. Keeping silent, Hermione quietly left the dungeons wondering what was causing this uncharacteristic behaviour.

Snape promptly forgot about the accident and sat staring into space, lost in thought. He knew there was something that should have caught his attention about the parcel's delivery and he had used the class time to think about where he had seen that owl before. Suddenly, it came to him and his normal scowl deepened. He looked up to see the last student, Hermione Granger, leave the classroom.

'Of course,' he thought to himself. 'Damn it, that owl is Goyle's pet. He was so proud of it when he first got it.' Snape could remember, quite clearly two summers ago. He had been to Goyle Sr.'s summer holiday party. Goyle had come out with the black bird, showing it off.

Snape got up from his seat and hurried out closing and warding the door to his classroom on his way to see Dumbledore.

Claire was sitting dejectedly on the floor of her cell. She had used her time alone to become intimately acquainted with her prison. Close inspection of every bar, brick, nook and cranny had shown there was no way out. She was left to her thoughts in the gloomy darkness.

Her pensive moments were interrupted when the door to her cell finally swung open again. The same two men who had assaulted her entered the cell. Claire backed away thinking of how best to defend herself. Thoughts of crushed testicles and bruised scrotums figured brightly at the forefront of her mind.

She heard one word and any thought of escaping was impossible. "Imperio. Yes, your thoughts are far too evident on your face my dear." smirked Malfoy senior. "We wouldn't want anyone to be damaged now would we?" As much as she wanted to, Claire couldn't move a muscle. Her body wasn't hers to control.

Earlier

Lucius Malfoy had just come from the Dark Lord's call. Voldemort had told Lucius he wanted the girl brought to him immediately. He said he wanted to speak to her.

"Damn it!" Lucius swore to himself in the empty Malfoy Manor. "It's too soon! I wasn't given time to tame her!" he paced his large sitting room. "Perhaps later…." His debauched thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his front door opening. He looked up at the enormous figure that had lumbered inside his house.

"Finally, Goyle," Malfoy glared at him. "What took so long? Did you take Muggle transportation?"

"Hello, Lucius," said the well built man, ignoring his comment.

"The Dark Lord is waiting," said Lucius to the stocky Death Eater, who was neither extraordinary bright nor courteous. "Let's get the girl."

Now

Getting Claire was an easy task, as far as Death Eater orders went. She was put under the Imperious curse by Malfoy when she still appeared to have some fight left. Upon seeing this, Goyle had wanted to 'Claim his just rewards' as he put it. Only the reminder of the Dark Lords displeasure at being made to wait and the probable reward for disobedience restrained his lecherous advances but not before pawing Claire's body.

As the men led her from her cell, Claire only got a small glimpse of the house she was being held in. She was dragged up the stone steps of a long damp stairway. Everything was dark, dank and smelled mouldy. She went through a wooden door and into a hall.

The hall was not at all what she was expecting. It was breathtaking, high ceilings and rich, stately furniture. The led her outside through strange and beautiful gardens, where tiny shimmers of light twinkled around the flowers. She could hear dogs barking not very far away.

A disturbing thought crossed her mind that maybe they would feed her to the dogs? As they rounded a bend in the garden path and she could see two enormous Dobermans sitting near the house who growled at her as she passed. She was so focused on her surroundings; she wasn't paying attention to what then men were doing. The shorter man yanked her hand and laid it on top of something. She suddenly felt a pull behind her navel and everything began to spin.

When she felt the spinning stop, she opened her eyes and fell to her knees. Her surroundings had changed drastically. Her stomach rebelled against the rapid changes her body was subjected to but she held it in check. The smells of this place were absolutely horrible. It was the stench of rotting flesh, a charnel house. Ahead of her, a figure sat in a chair made of black stone. The two men kneeled before the figure in the throne and she felt herself being forced down onto her knees.

"Kneel before the Dark Lord, you foolish girl," one of the men barked.

"Now, Lucius, that's no way to treat a lady," said the figure before them. Claire finally got a good look at it and she was horrified. It was a man with pale skin and red eyes. His face was snake-like and his voice was cold and high pitched.

"I'm sorry, my dear," he said. "They may be rude, but they are faithful servants."

Claire could feel his red eyes burning into her own.

"There's no doubt she is Dumbledore's daughter," the man said. "Come to me, Claire. Do not be afraid."

Claire was paralyzed. She was terrified and couldn't move if her life depended on it.

She was shoved forward and fell to her knees again, right in front of snake-like man. Strangely, she no longer felt overwhelming fear now. She knew she should be, but seeing the two men who had beaten her on their knees as slaves to this creature gave her satisfaction and smile crept across her face.

She gracefully stood up and looked into the blood red eyes. "Who are you and why am I here?" her voice suddenly bold and confident.

"My dear Claire, so many questions. They'll be answered all in due time. Come with me, you must be tired and so confused after the barbaric treatment you received at the hands of my minions," he glared angrily at the men who were kneeling. "I apologize for their mistreatment of you. All will be explained. I'm certain that you'll understand soon enough my eagerness to have you here, safe with me. These are dangerous times, especially for a young woman in your position," he said in voice that could have been described as friendly if it weren't for his horrible snake-like appearance.

Claire could feel her heart beating a tattoo within her chest. Perhaps everything will be all right…

"Who are you?" she said after a few moments of silence.

With a courtly bow the creature answered her "Forgive me, allow me to introduce myself, I am Lord Voldemort. I have brought you here because I'm trying to prevent your murder at the hands of some very dangerous people," Voldemort smiled thinly.

"Are you a police officer?" she ventured.

Voldemort gave a high pitched laugh. "No, my dear, I'm a wizard, one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Now have some tea, you're exhausted and you'll need your strength.

Lucius and Goyle exchanged puzzled glances wondering at their lords' words and actions. They had never witnessed such a display in his company before.

"You two, leave, now! I am no longer in need of your services" Voldemort said, his voice cold and dangerous once again.

Professor Snape came before the statue that opened to the headmasters' office and called out "Turkish Delight" gagging slightly at the current confection used as a password. When the door opened, he quickly climbed up the spiral stair case to Dumbledore's office entering to find the Headmaster sitting at his desk with the parcel open in front of him.

"Headmaster I need to speak with you, it's quite urgent," Snape said quickly.

Dumbledore looked up at him nodded, pointing to the empty chair in front of his desk.

"What is it, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, his face heavy with sadness.

Snape looked at the Headmaster, and could see all his years were showing themselves in Dumbledore's face. His eyes were not twinkling. Severus Snape could not remember ever seeing Dumbledore in this state. "I recognized the owl that delivered your post this morning," he said quietly.

Dumbledore looked at him over his half moon spectacles. "Please continue, Severus."

"I recall seeing that same owl two years ago. I was attending a small party at the Goyle's Summer Home. It's his prized pet. Black owls, as you know, are extremely rare. Highly faithful creatures and are often used in dark rituals," Snape said. "They are believed to call on the dark spirits that walk the Earth at night; if you believe such rubbish."

Dumbledore said nothing and merely gazed down at his desk.

"Headmaster, that necklace was sent by the Dark Lord," Snape said shakily.

After what felt like decades, Dumbledore finally spoke, "Severus I already suspected as much. This morning I contacted the Portuguese Minister of Magic, he told me they did register some magical use in a Muggle neighbourhood in Lisbon." Dumbledore sat down in a chair near his fireplace. "I tried to find Ricardo but he is nowhere to be found, and still no one knows anything about Maria's whereabouts. I'm assuming that Voldemort does indeed have her," Dumbledore took a deep breath and continued. "Voldemort will try and blackmail me. I'm expecting to receive a message sometime soon."

"What do you plan to do?" Snape asked his voice as silky as ever.

"I'm going to have to break a promise I made twenty-four years ago. I can not and will not risk everything for Maria. People in the Order have worked hard for us, and died for us, for our cause. I cannot jeopardize our people for my personal short coming. My debt is far greater to the Order, to you alone for that matter than a summer tryst with a young woman from whom I have had no contact with until now. There's too much at stake to extend my protection to only one woman. I can not protect her now." Tears were streaming down Dumbledore's face into his long beard. .

A rustling noise caught Snape's attention and he watched Fawkes glide off his perch and into Dumbledore's lap. The great bird began to sing the Phoenix Song piercing the silence with its rich soothing melody. The bird looked at Snape, its eyes big and yellow.

"Headmaster, let me try and find where they may be holding her. We can try to rescue her," Snape said, feeling wholly obligated to serve the man who save his life.

Dumbledore stroked Fawkes affectionately. "Severus, I have failed many people many times. To ask you to find Maria would be like sentencing you to death. If Maria is still alive there is little we can do to save her. So please, do nothing. I love you like a son and I do not want you in any more danger than necessary. You hold a high position in the Inner Circle, if you should happen to hear something, you will do nothing but report it to me, as quickly as possible. Nothing more." Changing the subject Dumbledore looked at his watch. "I believe it's time for dinner, so please go" Dumbledore said sadly.

Snape left the office, knowing that Albus Dumbledore was making the right decision, but at what cost to his mentor he couldn't fathom. Many times in his life had killed for the Dark Lord, but his victims had always been random, anonymous. He was never forced to kill someone important to him. "I must find a way!" he said to himself, his voice echoing in the corridor. With that in mind, Snape headed for the Great Hall.

Voldemort was smiling gleefully. Everything was going so well.

"My dear," he said, "come sit with me. Let us have some tea and sandwiches while I answer all your questions," Voldemort led her to a table near the fire.

Claire felt a chill, she could sense an evil presence, but she did as she was told.

"Wormtail, tea, now!" Voldemort barked.

In seconds, a steaming pot of tea and a plate of assorted sandwiches were on the small table.

Claire hungrily ate a tuna sandwich and helped herself to some black tea. "Please Lord Voldemort, can I have some answers?"

"Of course, my dear, Claire. Now is the time to talk," Voldemort smiled.

"Where am I? What am I doing here?" she asked in her shaky English.

Voldemort rose from his chair and began pacing the room. "It's a rather long story, I shall tell you as much as I can. Twenty-four years ago your mother had an affair with a very dangerous wizard by the name of Albus Dumbledore…"

"A what!" Claire interrupted, incredulously, "Wizards are in fairy tales, they don't exist!"

"Yes, they do, my dear. Have a look at your cup of tea," Voldemort said.

Claire looked down at her teacup and watched in amazement as the cup transformed into a black bird and few off.

"As you can see, we do exist," Voldemort said gently. "As I was saying, this evil wizard Dumbledore took advantage of your mother. I believe she found out what he was and ran away from him. At that time we were fighting a war; Dumbledore and his Order against me and my loyal supporters. I was forced to go into hiding later on, and it took me thirteen years to return to my corporeal self. It was very an extremely difficult time for me. Dumbledore sought to stop me, but through my powers I found a way to return to my body. A few weeks ago I discovered that you existed and that some of Dumbledore's followers were after you. Your mother died last year, correct?

"Yes, I lost her a year ago to cancer," Claire said sadly.

"It was not cancer that killed your mother, but a spell that was cast on her twenty-four years ago to prevent her from conceiving Dumbledore's child. However, the spell was cast a week too late, and she was already pregnant at the time. The spell had two side effects. The first was if you were born a witch, your magical abilities would be sealed. The second effect was that after giving birth to you, the remaining magic would stay in your mother, killing her after all this time."

"So you're saying that Dumbledore cursed my mother?" Claire asked, absorbing the information. "She was cursed because of me?"

Voldemort ignored her question. "Dumbledore is an extremely cunning wizard and only he knows how to break the seal to your powers. It's entirely possible, my dear Claire, that you have magic abilities as well. I will try my best to help you. I don't believe Dumbledore knows you exist, but you are dangerous to those who follow him. You are considered a dangerous liability due to the power that may lie inside of you. As you see this is why I was so eager to rescue you, even if you felt 'kidnapped'."

Claire thought for a moment and realized pieces were coming into place. Her mother had said on several occasions that she had a great fear of dark powers. "So, Dumbledore is my father and he killed my mother?" she asked.

"Yes," Voldemort smiled.

Her voice came out as cold as ice, "I will avenge my mother. Dumbledore must die."