The Half-Blood Princess

Chapter 4

The Dark Lord had called Gwen to a meeting with very few of his Death Eaters there during the summer before her seventh year. Her father had told her that the Dark Lord wanted to officially make her a Death Eater. She stood quietly waiting outside in another room while the Dark Lord talked to the few Death Eaters privileged enough to be invited, her father included. The door next to her opened, and a bumbling Peter Pettigrew came out.

"You are to come in." He said.

She followed him in, the black, backless, dress robe she had been told to wear dragged slightly on the floor. She was brought before Voldemort and she bowed her head. The room went deathly silent.

"Tonight we will have a new member of our inner fold." Voldemort said loudly. "Miss Snape, turn around." She did as she was ordered and turned around, her pale, skin radiated in the dark as the candles glowed. Voldemort came closer to her with his wand withdrawn. He stepped behind Gwen, pointed his wand at her back and said "Morsmorde." The pain that shot through her back was nearly unbearable. She had to be strong, for herself and for her father. Gwen frowned slightly, but that was the only outward expression that she gave to the internal throbbing that threatened to break her. She took her place at her father's side, not daring to look around the room to see if Draco and Lucius were there to see.

Gwen didn't know what happened throughout the rest of the meeting, but once it was over, she met Severus outside and he apparated them both Spinner's End. They went in hurriedly, and locked and warded all of the doors so no one could get in. Severus laid her down gently on the sofa, her back facing the ceiling. He got out a calming and soothing potion, and trembling rubbed it onto her now tattooed back. By now Gwen was aware that she was home, and began to cry.

"It hurts so badly." She wept into his robes as he held her close to him, careful to avoid touching her back too much.

"I know, Gwen, I know…" He said as he cast a cooling charm onto her back. She sank into his arms, slowly falling asleep as he rubbed her shoulders soothingly.

Gwen woke up panting slightly, her body drenched in sweat from the vivid memory. Draco looked over at her as she stirred in the bed. He looked concerned at her.

"Are you all right?" He said tucking the hairs that had strayed into her face during the night behind her ear. "What's the matter?"

She smiled sadly at him, grateful that her fiancé was so caring.

"I was just remembering that night…" She said allowing a few tears to escape her eyes, as he pulled her close to him wiping them away with his thumb as he looked into her eyes.

"The night you got your mark?" He whispered quietly into her ear, as she snuggled into his chest. She nodded against his chest as he held her closer to him. "I hate him for doing that to you." He said still holding her. "I hate what he's done to my parents… to me." They held close to each other. That was one thing that had truly united them over the last year. They hated how Voldemort manipulated everyone around him and Draco especially hated how his Aunt Bellatrix hung on the Dark Lord's every word like Voldemort was God himself. He had grown disgusted of Voldemort because of his Aunt. Since his father had been thrown in Azkaban at the end of his fifth year, he had been brought into the ranks of the Death Eaters only because Voldemort was furious at his father. He was assigned to kill Dumbledore by Voldemort. Although he acted tough to everyone else, Gwen was the only person who knew the truth of how he really felt. It was her adoptive father who had saved him from the fate that Voldemort had wanted for him. Draco had survived, and because of that they bonded even more closely than when they were children over their father's dark arts. She hugged him to her, treasuring the sound of his heart beat, the feel of his muscled chest, the taste of his silent tears, the sight of him holding her, and the smell of his body.

"I hate him too. I hate him for making the only father I've ever known do such things, for forcing his beliefs onto me." They sat there for a few more minutes, soaking in each other's presence.

"We should get to breakfast." She said moving off of the bed, her legs hanging off the side of the bed. Draco got up, stepped over to where Gwen was standing, and kissed her cheek.

"I'll go get dressed in my room." He said as he stepped out of Gwen's room shutting the door behind him. Gwen went into her bathroom, got out of her pajamas and stepped into the shower. She took a short shower, got out and dressed in her room. She pulled on her underclothes, slid on her grey skirt, buttoned up her white shirt, threw on her grey sweater with red and gold piping along the collar, and cast a spell to tie her tie for her. She put her socks and shoes on, grabbed her bag and left her room. She met Draco in their common room and they left for the Great Hall arm in arm.

They arrived at the Great Hall and sat down at the front end of the Slytherin table that they had all but claimed. She nodded at her father where he sat in the Headmaster's seat. Professor Slughorn came up to Gwen and Draco shortly after they sat down.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Snape. The Headmaster asked me to distribute your class schedules to you." Slughorn said as he handed a sheet of parchment to Gwen and another to Draco. "I shall see you both later." He said as he proceeded to take the rest of Slytherin house their class schedules. They looked at their class schedules side by side. They had NEWT Potions together, as well as NEWT Transfiguration, NEWT Defense Against the Dark Arts, NEWT Charms and Muggle Studies. Gwen had NEWT Herbology whilst Draco had NEWT Arithmancy. They ate in relative silence, not wishing to make most of their thoughts known to most around them. "Why do we have to take Muggle Studies?" Gwen asked Draco quietly.

"I think that the Dark Lord is trying to indoctrinate the Hogwarts population into believing that Muggles are animals. I'd prefer not to have to take it myself."

"I'll go have a talk with father after Potions." She said as they finished up their breakfast.

They attended NEWT Potions together and then Draco walked Gwen to outside the headmaster's office before leaving her for his Arithmancy class. She whispered "ad victoriam" and walked up the spiral staircase. The door was open, so she walked right into the office, closing the door behind her with a thud. She cast a few choice wards, and privacy charms as she sauntered up to her father.

"Draco and I want out of this Muggle Studies crap that everyone has to take." She said sitting down on one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Hello to you too." He said turning to face her, his face looking tired.

"You and the Dark Lord and everyone else already know that we are good little Death Eaters that hate Muggles and Muggleborns, so can we be exempt?"

Severus thought about it for a few minutes.

"You know I cannot stand that Carrow woman. She's just awful." Gwen whispered loud enough for only Severus to hear her.

"I suppose that I could get you both out of it…" He said slowly. "He'll want to make sure that you both are being taught in some way or another…"

Gwen looked and thought carefully. "Suppose you had both of us do a sort of independent study with you…You are after-all his most faithful servant…The only one able to kill Dumbledore…That should be good enough for him."

Severus thought about her suggestion for a moment. "That could very well work. I will see what I can do for you. I'll find him later today. Are you pleased with your classes other than that small hiccup?" He asked her.

"Absolutely." She got up out of the chair, walked around the desk, and hugged him. He gave her a small kiss on her forehead.

"Behave." He said warningly to her.

"Don't worry, dad. I'll be fine." She said walking back to the chair and slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you later." She said blowing a kiss to him as she walked out the door.

Severus had to admit, she had a point. What were two of Voldemort's youngest Death Eaters supposed to take away from a class that was supposed to teach them things that they already knew and had been indoctrinated with since they had been children? He left his office and locked it on his way out. He walked out to the gates and apparated to the Malfoy Manor.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter Characters, but I suppose I do own Gwen somewhat.

Author's note: "ad victoriam" is more commonly translated into "for victory" and was a battle cry of the Romans. Sorry about the long, overdue update, but these things do take some time. I will try to post another chapter sooner, but I am one of those people who just love getting reviews. The more reviews I get the faster I'll try to update. I didn't feel like writing the Snape Voldemort scene, but the jist is Snape does talk to Voldemort and tells him of Gwen's idea, and Voldemort likes it, so Draco and Gwen don't have to take Muggle Studies, and they have a sort of independent study with Severus.