Knights of the Serpent Lord, Chapter One
She understood him to be an arrogant and cold man. No one ever made an attempt to dispute that assumption.
No one.
So who was she to even try?
"Madame Knight?"
She turned slowly, glared coldly, and fixed the Minister of Magic(k) with a frozen stare.
"Yes?"
"This way, please." he indicated the large black marble doors to the Grand Hall.
"Oh yes, of course, Minister."
He smiled warmly.
"I cannot tell you how excited and pleased we are, to have you here! Hogwart's has not hosted the American University of Dark Arts for some time..."
She cut him off.
"Nearly three hundred years...yes, I know." she snarled, "The last time, was a disaster."
The Minister's face fell at this last remark.
"That is most regrettable, I assure you, Madame Knight."
"Clearly." She muttered and stalked towards the doors. He followed quickly in her wake.
She stopped and surveyed the Hall.
"Where is our host for tonight?"
The Minister, who appeared startled by such a question, stared blankly at her.
"Mr. Malfoy will arrive presently. He had urgent business to attend to." He grinned slowly, "At the Ministry."
She sneered coldly at him.
She reminded him more of Lucius Malfoy every second, but where Malfoy was blonde, pale and with steel grey eyes, Madame Knight was dark, pale and possessed of the greeniest eyes he had ever seen.
But, the sneer was the same.
As were the coldness and the all too apparent disgust, at those who were beneath them.
She was, in his opinion, the female version of Lucius Malfoy. And Malfoy, would be most pleased by this, no doubt.
She stared at him for a moment, waiting for an explanation. But when none was forthcoming, she turned away and went into the Hall.
The Minister watched as she slinked away, the smile growing ever more bold.
Yes, he thought delightedly to himself, Lucius would like this one...
...very much so.
Lucius stared around the Hall, almost like a King surveying his subjects. If truth be told, being Lord of the Malfoy Manor, had it's perks. And watching, without having to waste idle time chatting, was one of those he enjoyed immensely.
The ever present sneer was fixed upon his pale, yet handsome, face. The cold grey eyes took in everything, and nothing escaped his notice.
Americans.
The whole lot of them. The wrong sort, as he called them, though here and there, he saw those of his kind.
Precious few of them, though.
The man at his side laughed deeply. Lucius turned, arched his eyebrow, and sneered more coldly.
"What is so funny, Tobias?"
The man laughed again.
"Oh nothing. Nothing Lucius, just thinking."
Lucius snarled.
"Nothing? If nothing is this amusing to you, perhaps, you'd cared to explain?"
The older man laughed, but did not elaborate further.
Lucius watched as Tobias' gaze swept around the Hall. The older Wizard was irritating, to say the least, but he was one of the few here, that Lucius could tolerate.
Not that it took much to irritate a Malfoy, Lucius especially. Tobias had an unnatural flare for doing just that, and he took great joy in doing so. Lucius had often wished, that Tobias had been anyone else, so he could have him put out of the way.
But, Tobias was not anyone else. He was from one of the Most Noble Houses of Dark Witches, an old family friend, and if what Lucius' Father had said was true, putting Tobias Knight out of the way, would prove to be more of a dangerous move, then a good one.
When the Wizard's gaze stopped and lingered, he touched the man's shoulder.
"And who, might that be?"
Tobias chuckled.
"That, my dear Lucius, is my daughter."
Lucius grinned faintly.
"Ah yes, what an enchanting creature."
The older Wizard smiled slowly.
"You think so, Lucius?" he regarded Malfoy for a moment, "She would find you of particular interest, as well."
The grin spread, but then, in a flash, it had been replaced by the cold sneer.
"Yes, she is clearly enchanting. And," the sneer grew icy, "Of the puriest blood."
Tobias smiled at him, quite indifferent to Malfoy's coldness.
"She is, after all, my daughter, Lucius. The Most Noble House of Knight produces, nothing but the puriest of Dark Witches."
Lucius smiled ruefully. Even with the smile, he still looked threatening and dangerous.
"But of course." he bowed slightly to the older Wizard.
Finally, after such a long time, the Houses of Knight and Malfoy had come together. It had been years, since a Knight had graced Malfoy Manor with their monumental presence.
And Lucius, like his Father before him, would not allow this opportunity to slip through his fingers.
He let Tobias steer him towards the entryway, pushing aside those who got in their way. No one challenged him on this.
They wouldn't dare.
"Ah my dear!" Tobias called over the head of a taller Wizard, "Come, come! I must introduce you to our gracious host!"
The woman standing in the entryway, turned slowly, and gifted her Father with a warm smile. It was then, that she finally noticed Lucius. The once warm smile, froze over quickly.
She stared at him, and he in turn, stared back. Enchantress yes, but a very, very deadly one.
Tobias laughed.
"Lucius, may I present my daughter, Eliah."
She neither moved, nor spoke, she merely nodded at the introduction. She had fixed Lucius with a cold, penetrating glare.
She reminded him of a small snake waiting to strike...
However, Lucius eyed her thoughtful.
"Miss Knight."
She held out her left hand, presenting him with it as if she were a queen, and he, a Malfoy, her lowly subject.
That would have to change...
He brushed his lips litely over the pale flesh, before she tore her hand away from his.
That too, would need to change.
"And now," Tobias gestured to Lucius, "Our very gracious host, Lucius Malfoy."
She spoke for the first time, and her voice, though soft, dripped with icy contempt. The very coldness of it, punctuated every word.
"If I am correct, and I am, gracious would not be a word used to describe a Malfoy."
"Neither would it be used, to describe a Knight." Lucius spat out before he could stop himself. He saw the curious look on Tobias' face, but spoke no further.
Eliah's lips curled up into a sneer.
"There are many ways to describe both Houses, though I dare say, not all of them would be pleasant, nor flattering, Mr. Malfoy."
Both men exchanged amused, yet carefully concealed glances.
"Quite right, my dear." Tobias chuckled, "However, we are not here to discuss which of our families would be worse..."
"Or, superiour." she snapped.
It was at this remark, that Malfoy finally understood her better. She may have been a direct descendent of Alexander Knight, but she was so like a Malfoy, that anyone else would've been hard pressed to see the difference.
Lucius smiled at her. She though, did not return it.
"Miss Knight," the smile now replaced by the trademark sneer, "And just how would they describe you?"
Before she could reply, another voice, equally as cold, but holding far more loathing then anything, spoke from behind them.
Lucius turned and saw Severus Snape standing there. His eyebrow rose, and his lips curled into a faint snarl.
"Severus."
"Lucius."
Tobias for once, was silent. But from the look etched upon his face, he was obviously amused.
"You seem to show up quite unexpectedly, Severus. Why is that?"
Snape said nothing.
Lucius glared harder at him, pushing the snake headed top of his walking stick into the man's chest.
"What exactly were you going to say, Severus? How would you describe Miss Knight?"
"Viper." Snape growled.
Eliah only stared coldly at him. From beside her, Lucius laughed suddenly. So sudden was the laughter, that she turned to look at him.
It was his laugh, cold and deadly, that sparked the first glimmer of interest in him. She forced herself to remain in control. It would simply not do, to let him see her in anything but, control.
Damn you Malfoy, she thought bitterly.
Lucius smiled.
"However, since you are here, may I introduce Miss Eliah Knight."
Snape snickered softly.
"I know who she is."
Tobias snorted into his wine glass.
Lucius did not find this amusing at all.
"Viper? Just what does that imply, Severus?"
Tobias again snickered.
"Oh, I think I may be able to explain that." He turned to Eliah, "You do not mind, my dear?"
She inclined her head slightly towards Malfoy and shrugged.
Tobias turned back to Lucius and Snape. He smiled broadly.
"Being of the Dark Arts yourselves and, " he smirked, "Having been in the service of the Dark Lord, that the Noble House of Knight..."
"Servants of the Serpent Lord." Snapped hissed.
Tobias looked to him and nodded.
"Why yes, we are, and have been for centuries. Unlike you, however, we were never called Deatheaters. Silly and vain, if you ask me. As if you can control Death and his many faces?" He saw the furious look of anger on Malfoy's face, and quickly added, "No offense, my dear Lucius! You are a force unto yourself."
Snape moved moved closer still, until he was standing next to Eliah. She turned to look at him, but he afforded her no more then a slight, though thoroughly cold, glance.
"Correct me if I am wrong, Professor Knight...you are called Knights of the Black Serpent?"
Eliah muttered softly.
"Yes, you are correct, Snape," she snarled.
"Yes indeed, Snape! Well done! Hence, our family name...Knight."
She muttered again.
"Ah Father, why not tell them the whole story? Perhaps," she smiled, "Snape will finally be able to lay aside the lies?"
"Please do," he ran shaky fingers thru greasy black hair, "And then, why not tell our dear Lucius, about your time in Wizard Prison?"
Malfoy looked at Snape, then turned his full gaze upon Tobias.
"You never mentioned...nor did my Father..." Lucius grinned.
"I don't speak of it, Lucius."
"I see...but why would you have been..."
Eliah laughed abruptly.
"You think my Father was imprisoned? Now that, Mr. Malfoy, is amusing."
His attention now focused upon her, the coldness was obvious...
...as was the mutual...
He shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts.
"Naturally..I only..." Lucius shook his head, yet again.
Tobias smiled tiredly.
"Of course...no need to apologise. Easy mistake to make. But Lucius, mistakes like those, can be very, ah, dangerous to make."
Malfoy nodded.
Snape cleared his throat loudly.
"Lucius, SHE was the one imprisoned," he turned to Eliah, "Deorum, was it not?"
She sneered frozenly at him.
"Yes, it was Deorum."
Lucius tilted his head, and the silvery mane of blonde hair fell over his shoulder. She caught this out of the corner of her eye, and fought, once more, for control.
Knights did not, would not, fall for one of the Malfoys. Even if it was Lucius Malfoy, notorius and legend among the Wizarding world.
That was not an option.