A/N: I would like to thank my talented new beta, MarkDarcy, who helped me polish up all of these new chapters.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Katrina and Maggie. I wish I owned the rest of them, but if wishes were horses….
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What a terrible way to start a day, Katrina thought as she paced across the small room for the hundredth time. They had flooed from the alley to Malfoy Manor. Lucius had placed her into this small, windowless room where he had removed the Imperio and locked the door. The only furniture in the room consisted of a small cot and a single wooden chair.
She anxiously glanced at her watch and saw it was approaching four in the afternoon. She gave up her pacing and sat heavily on the cot, which was only marginally more comfortable than the chair.
The creaking of a floorboard outside her room brought her to her feet. The lock on her door clicked and the door slowly swung open. She found herself face to face with Lucius Malfoy. His wand was out and casually at his side. The fingers of his other hand idly stroked the head of his cane.
"I thought you might like to use the toilet and perhaps eat something," he said smoothly.
She nodded, slowly rising to stand before him, "Yes, I would."
"The house is warded to keep you inside. I do trust you won't try anything foolish…?"
"I'm not stupid, Lucius," she snapped coldly. "I'm well aware of how helpless I am here." She glared at him for a moment in silence, "What are you planning to do with me?"
He laughed, the sound grating on her fragile nerves, "I am to deliver you to my master. He seems to be intrigued with your… condition."
Katrina shivered, using a force of will to keep the fear from her eyes. "You said something about food?" She didn't know how long it would be before she was offered food again and if Lucius was planning to hand her over to Voldemort, she knew he wouldn't dare poison her.
He gave her an aristocratic tilt of his head, "If you will follow me…"
Following him from the room, she stopped behind him as he halted before an open door leading to a large, lavish bathroom, "Perhaps you would prefer to freshen up first?"
"Yes, thank you," she responded, entering the bathroom. She quickly took care of her business, ran a hand through her hair to tame it, and quickly exited the bathroom. "After you, sir," she said to him as she emerged. It was funny, but she found her upbringing rising to the fore while dealing with Lucius. It was probably that his aristocratic bearing reminded her of her parents. It was the same with most pure-blood families, she knew.
He silently led her down the hallway and down a flight of stairs. They entered a dining room with a long elegant table. He clapped his hands and a house elf appeared, bowing before him. Lucius ordered it to bring food for both of them and it disappeared again.
Lucius gestured to a chair at one end of the long table, "Sit, please." He moved and took the chair opposite her as she sat.
Katrina glanced around the opulent room, "I see the years since school have been good to you and yours."
He smiled thinly as he fiddled with the head of his cane, "Better to us than to many of our classmates."
"Yes," she replied, returning his thin smile, "It does seem that those from Slytherin fared better than the rest of us."
The house elf reappeared and deposited plates of food onto the table. It also placed a pair of goblets on the table, which it filled from a bottle of red wine. A pop and the elf was gone.
"Loyalty to Lord Voldemort did serve many of us well," he continued.
She picked up her goblet and took a long sip, "It did nothing for my parents, as I hear."
"Fools," he hissed, taking meat from the platter before him and placing it on his plate. "They were captured by aurors and sent to Azkaban where they were sentenced to the Dementor's kiss."
She swallowed slightly. Dumbledore had told her as much years ago, but to hear it again still hurt. She daintily picked up a piece of fruit and nibbled on it. "What does he want with me?"
"I almost thought you weren't going to ask," he said with a smirk. "I owled Lord Voldemort regarding you and he replied, ordering that I bring you to him." He took a neat bite of food, leisurely chewed, and swallowed before continuing, "As for what he will do to you," he shrugged gracefully. "I wouldn't presume to guess."
Katrina suspected that even if the man did know, he probably wouldn't say. She thought it safe to assume she wouldn't survive her meeting with Voldemort. "When?"
"Tonight, of course," he replied, carefully wiping his mouth on an elegant napkin.
Finishing her meal in silence, Katrina drank all of the wine in her goblet and accepted his offer of a second glass. She finished that as well and he stood, gesturing her to do likewise.
"Come with me. You will bathe and prepare yourself for tonight. If you refuse to do so, I will do it for you." He led her from the dining room and back to the bathroom. "On the hook in there is a dress robe which you will wear. Take as long as you wish to prepare." He leaned close, "And you had better be more than simply presentable, do I make myself clear?"
She resisted the urge to take a step back, "Crystal."
"Go and when you are finished, come back downstairs to the dining room." He turned and strode away, leaving Katrina standing there.
She glanced at her watch, seeing that an hour had passed while they had eaten. Resignedly, she entered the bathroom. She decided that if she were going to die tonight, she would leave a damn good-looking corpse behind.
-- --
The tapping at the sole window in Severus' living quarters came just as they were sitting for dinner. He rose and opened the window, allowing the pair of small owls to enter. One bird landed near him, extending its leg for him to remove the letter. The other fluttered over to Maggie and landed on the table in front of her.
He glanced at the writing on his letter, "They're from your mother." He glanced through his own letter:
Dear Severus,
I hope you and Maggie are getting along. I wanted to remind you that we have a dinner date when Maggie comes home. I realized how much I will miss seeing you every day as I find I have grown accustomed to having you around all of the time.
See you soon,
Katrina
He blinked and read the letter twice before feeling a smile making its way onto his face. She missed him and she was looking forward to their 'date'?
-- --
Maggie handed the owl a piece of bread crust before it fluttered off. She glanced down at the letter from her mum:
Dearest Maggie,
I hope you and your father are both doing well. I will miss you, Maggie. How is Hogwarts? I so miss that school! I hope your father has at least shown some of it to you, though it would take years to explore fully. Please be careful, my dear. Potion making can be exceptionally dangerous. I am sure your father will keep you safe. I love you and I will see you soon.
With love,
Your mum
She smiled and carefully refolded her letter. Maggie suspected her mother was a bit jealous that she wasn't there with her. She placed the letter into the pocket of her jeans and they sat down to dinner. The conversation flowed easily between them as they ate.