Note: I apologize for taking so long to write this chapter! Well, long for me; almost a week! EW! Sorry, guys! It's only because I am also writing A New Moon... anyway, this chapter is (slightly) longer than usual; so, hopefully that makes up for it? :D I have a note for you at the end; and Bellatrix is explained in a later chapter, sorry; didn't include it here. ;)

Chapter 3

Draco

No. It was impossible. Fucking impossible. She was dead… Bellatrix was killed. Wasn't she? Or had she been in Azkaban….

I couldn't make sense of anything. But I knew one thing; wherever she had been, she wasn't there now.

"Why do you look so surprised, Draco?" she cooed wickedly, teetering to the side as she sauntered towards him. She bent down at the waist, and breathed in his ear, "I'd think you'd be better at hiding your weaknesses."

I jerked away from her. "I'm not weak." I snapped, narrowing my eyes cautiously. She let out a cruel laugh.

"Oh, but you are." She replied, circling him. "For a wizard of such blood status and at such an age… how old are you now, Draco?" She didn't seem the slightest bit interested. "Sixteen? Seventeen?"

"I'm nineteen." I answered stiffly. My birthday was soon, actually. I would be twenty. I would be turning twenty in a shithole.

She scoffed. "By nineteen I achieved far more than you did!" she shrieked, bending down again. "You are a failure, Draco."

My jaw tightened. "Then why do you want me?" I asked through clenched teeth.

She tilted her head back in laughter, wild black curls shaking as she did. "You think… you think… I want your help?" she asked, cackling. She kneeled on the ground, her mouth right next to my ear. "You are worthless. I would never require your help." She hissed, standing up. "For some reason He wanted your help." She said dismissively, waving her hand. "But you're not worthy."

"Worthy of what?" I snapped, my eyes wide. I was shaking.

"You're a bloody traitor!" she hissed, stepping away from me. "You… deserve to suffer." She said before whipping around and aiming her wand at me. "CRUCIO!"

I collapsed in a heap almost instantly, twitching in pain. I let out a throaty scream, clutching my sides, trying to keep them from pouring out. My sides… everything… was ripping open, tearing itself apart.

"STOP! STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" I screamed in agony.

She smiled cruelly before lifting the spell, and then crossed her arms, looking at me in disgust. She smiled wickedly before stalking over to me. "He will be here shortly, Draco."

She slammed her spiked heel on my leg, and I bit down on my tongue to keep the scream inside. She stalked out of the room, shaking with silent and demented laughter.

"Fuck…" I muttered, tugging my pant-leg up to my knee. The puncture was deep, and blood was gushing out of it. I pressed the fabric against my leg, trying to stop the bleeding, and cursed Bellatrix under my breath.

If only I had my wand.

I was disturbed by another bright light, and I didn't even have to blink to know who was there; Bellatrix. I could hear the metallic clicking of her heels as they met the hard ground, and then stopped a few feet away from me.

"He's here." She said stiffly, before whirling around and stalking out of the room. She left the door ajar, so I assumed I was supposed to follow.

I jumped up, wobbling on my shaky and unused legs. As I stepped down on my right leg, pain seared through it.

"Shit…" I hissed, remembering the deep cut Bellatrix had given me. I didn't dare ask for it to be heeled; I'd probably be rewarded with something worse.

So I limped after her, wincing in pain every time my leg muscle was strained.

She led me down twisting hallways, at times I almost lost her. She was rushed and hardly concerned that I was injured and unable to keep up with the pace. Finally, she stopped in front of a wooden door.

"Keep your tongue, Draco." She hissed, before her hand shot out and twisted the doorknob. It opened with a creak, and I stepped inside.

The room was bathed in a cool moonlight, which seeped through the cracks lacing the ceiling. It was nighttime. I had no idea what day it was; but it was nighttime. Of course. No maniacal exchange could happily take place during the day. Always at night. It had to be in a fucking rulebook somewhere. I made a mental note to find that book as I glanced around the room, searching for the He that Bellatrix had continued to mention.

"Draco." A cold voice echoed around the room, piercing my ears. I clutched them desperately. "Draco." It repeated. "Ssstep three pacess closser."

I did as it told, and stepped closer before I collapsed to the ground in a similar pain I'd felt before from Bellatrix, only sharper and much stronger. I let out a shriek that sounded inhuman in my ears, and the pain only intensified. I decided that whoever He was, was even more cruel that Bellatrix herself; and wanted me to remain silent through the whole ordeal. So I did. I bit my tongue, and soon felt the crimson taste in my mouth. I had drawn blood, and I knew the pain wasn't ending soon; so I tried to conjure images of happy times while I writhed on the ground in silent agony.

Finally, the pain lifted, and I was left with the throbbing of the potion as it worked. But that was bearable; kind of. I just had to wait for the antidote, and pray it happened soon; my gut was starting to twist.

"You are disappointing me, Draco." He hissed. I swallowed the continuing pool of blood in my mouth, and sat on my knees. My head spun at the slight movement.

"You are weak…" He continued. I looked up, my eyes barely held open, as a dark figure emerged from the darkness. I watched as shadows played across his hidden face, and revealed was a dark hooded cape. I squinted, wanting to see who was beneath the cape.

"But you can learn…" He hissed. "And I can teach you… if you are willing to learn…"

Bellatrix made a choking noise from behind me.

"But… my Lord, he isn't worthy of you." She said, sounding disdainful. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. My Lord? I knew that. I knew that reference. I knew who Bellatrix referred to as that. And if it was who I thought it was, I was definitely fucking screwed.

"SILENCE!" He bellowed. His voice bounced back from the walls, sending vibrations through the floorboards. I covered my ears on instinct, and tucked my chin to my chest as I waited for the vibrations to stop. When I looked back up, the black cape was inches from my face. I shrunk back, collapsing onto my back. I pushed off the ground with my hands so I could sit up, but He was pointing his wand at my chest.

"Now Draco, I want you to listen to me. There may be time for questionsss later…" He hissed, the hood covering his face from my view. "I'm ssure you're wondering why you're here." He continued. "And I can explain. Then, you musst make a choice, and make the wisse one. Otherwisse, you could end up with the ssame fate as Mr. Finnigan here."

I watched in horror as a mutilated body floated into the room, by Bellatrix's will, as He kept his wand fixed on my chest. I knew He knew it was there. I could almost see him smiling.

"You might recognize him from Hogwarts. A Gryffindor." He said, pacing back and forth. "He didn't agree with our views, and I came acrosss him one day, and decccided it was time for him to move on."

I'd just seen Seamus Finnigan at Hermione's wedding; the one she'd abandoned. My chest ached at the thought of her.

"Draco, we want to continue our work. We want to rebuild our forcessss, and take over Hogwartsss. We want to get rid of all the filthy diisgracess and muggless… they are foul creaturesss. I am going to rule, and you will be at my ssside. Your father was loyal… but he disssapointed me. You can do better. You will do better. Or you will sssuffer a worsse fate." He said in his icy voice. I cringed at the sound.

"Stand up." He ordered, jerking his wand I the air. "Defend yourself."

I barely had time to pull out my wand before a hex was shot at me. I rolled to the side, jumping to my feet as I tugged my wand from my pocket and aimed it, ready to attack, but another hex was already being shot at me. I quickly put up a shield, sidestepping the light spiraling towards me.

I lunged forwards, managing to shoot a poorly aimed hex in the direction of He. He swung his wand around his head, and pointed it towards me. A green light shot towards me.

Is he fucking crazy?

I ducked down, and heard the wall shatter as the curse came in contact with it. I quickly aimed my wand, and managed body-binding curse. He easily blocked this, and then quickly shot the same curse at me. I put up a shield once more, feeling the pressure as his curse slammed into my ever-weakening shield. I was tired. And he knew it. I'd been worn down, and the potion was taking its toll on me. It confirmed my suspicions when I felt a lurch down in the pit of my stomach, and a burning sensation in my chest.

"AVADA KEDEVRA!" He shouted, taking my distraction for granted. As he fucking trying to kill me?

I met his curse with one of my own, and watched as the colors battled, lighting the room with rainbows of light. My arm burned as the potion coursed through my veins, my eyes sagging closed as lost my will to fight even more. My energy was draining from my body as my shoulders slowly hunched over.

Suddenly, He stopped his spell, and I stopped mine. I instantly collapsed to the ground, panting. I had no energy left. Nothing. I was spent, and it was the only thing I could do to keep myself awake. I could barely even register what He was saying to Bellatrix.

"He hasss disssapointed me." He said. The words became a jumbled mess in my head, but I still managed to decipher what He was saying.

"My Lord, he has been kept in the Chambers for a week." Bellatrix replied. A week? I was locked in their fucking basement for a week?

"He shall not be favored." He snapped. I opened my eyes sleepily, watching as his heels scuffed away. "Nonethelesss, I can break him. He will be able to handle it. I trussst you, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix bowed, a smile twisting up her face. "Yes, my Lord."

"Prove your trussst worthy." He hissed. I gulped as his shoes walked back towards me, stopping centimeters from my limp legs. "He hasss a few hoursss before the potion killss him. Put him back in the Chamberss."

"Yes, my Lord." She turned to me with a bow, flicking her wand to lift me into the air. I felt the air drop beneath me, and quickly scrambled to land on my legs. I almost buckled beneath the weight, but caught myself, but barely. I was on the verge of toppling over. "Walk, Draco." She ordered, jabbing her wand into my back. I started towards the door, but paused.

"Who are you?" I croaked out, my throat protesting. My body wanted sleep.

"HOW DARE YOU ADDRESS THE DARK LORD!" Bellatrix wailed. She threw me against the wall, pressing her wand into my throat.

"Bellatrix. Let the boy go. He hasss a right to know." He hissed. I heard a smile in his voice.

Bellatrix reluctantly dropped her wand, allowing me to lean against the wall freely for support. I kept my wand held at my side, ready in case they decided to attack, though I stood no chance, especially in my state.

He stepped forwards, the moonlight washing across his now revealed face. I let out a choked gasp. He… he was… dead? His body was there… but his eyes were dark and lifeless. They screamed death and danger.

I was looking at a very much alive Albus Dumbledore.

Note: I know! Suspense! ;p

Well, you're probably reaaalllly confused right now; don't be! I PROMISE it'll all be explained soon enough; next two chapters, at least? I'm not quite sure; I'll see.

Expect the next chapter by Friday... maybe. I'll try my best! I'm just really busy with other writing and my out of writing life. :)

Anyway... REVIEW! I love reading 'em!

If you want to ask me a question, as in your review; I'll be answering questions again, as I did for Never What I Want.

In the meantime, go check out A New Moon and review it, and answer my poll on my profile! (A New Moon will be updated soon; hopefully by Wednesday, maybe not...)