A/N: This chapter was surprisingly difficult to write. It's much shorter than the last one, and I hope you all enjoy it~
"She had quite a scare, poor girl…"
"Is she going to be okay?"
"Oh, I've seen worse, my dear boy. She'll be perfectly fine in no time. The only thing I find troubling is how she acquired those wounds in the first place…are you certain you didn't see anything unusual last night, Miss Black?"
"No Madam Pomfrey. It was very dark and I believe I must have been asleep when this happened."
"Oh dear…I'll have to speak with the headmaster then…"
The girl lying peacefully on the bed was Lily Evans. Her mind was blank and fuzzy, and somewhere beyond the pinkish clouds of the misty dream land she was trapped in, she heard voices. She couldn't identify the speakers, but their softly spoken words relaxed her.
This blissful slumber didn't last long, however; after a while, she began to feel a sharp, stinging pain near the back of her head, right around her neck. As the throbbing worsened, Lily knew she couldn't hide in this strange place forever…
With some effort, her eyes fluttered open.
Hello reality, she thought sleepily as her eyes adjusted to the morning light shining through the massive windows across the room. The voices instantly quieted upon her awakening; the three vague figures patiently waited for her to become fully conscious before asking questions.
"Sev?" she mumbled softly. Her friend's eyes widened and a small smile crept onto his face. The girl standing next to him looked familiar too. "Narcissa?"
"Are you feeling alright, Lily?" Narcissa asked calmly, taking a seat on the edge of her bed and gently stroking her friend's hair.
"I dunno…my neck hurts, am I—"
"You sustained some serious injuries back there," the woman known as Madam Pomfrey said. "You will have to leave those bandages on just one more night, to make sure you are fully healed."
Lily muttered her thanks and tried to sit up, however, the burning sensation in her neck returned at this tiny movement, and she was forced to lie back down.
For reasons she couldn't explain, she felt strangely…lighter. Her world was clearer, and she felt happier than she had felt in a long time.
Gazing into Severus' worried eyes, she remembered what Laika had told her: she had been such a jerk to him these past weeks. She had yelled at him endlessly and told him to get away from her more times than she could count on two hands. She had been a monster. Not only that, but a lousy friend. And yet…he was still here for her.
"Oh Sev!" she cried, jumping out of bed— ignoring the horrendous pain as she did so— and flung her arms around him, startling him slightly.
"Lily…you really need to lie down—" he awkwardly patted her on the back, feeling a little embarrassed as Narcissa smiled knowingly at him and Pomfrey even wiped a tear from her eye.
"I've been the biggest prat in the world," Lily cried into his shoulder, feeling overwhelmingly remorseful for the way she had been treating him for so long. She didn't even remember doing most of what people said she did, but she apologized profusely anyways. After all, she had very nearly driven away her best friend in the entire world, and she knew that Sev wouldn't leave her unless there was a really good reason…
"Lily calm down, I forgive you…"
"But I've been so awful to you!" Lily whispered in a strangled voice. "How can you possibly forgive me so easily?"
Severus pushed Lily back and firmly grasped her arms. Lily didn't know that it wasn't her fault, and he was determined to tell her the truth…eventually.
Looking into her forever-green eyes, he sighed. "Because friends forgive each other."
Lily smiled and tearfully jerked him back to her in another bone-crushing embrace. Narcissa continued gazing on at the scene; feeling both amused and oddly cheered to see Lily reunite with her Gryffindor friend. Once she let go of the poor suffocating boy, Madam Pomfrey forced her to lie back down again. Rolling her eyes, but doing as she was told, Lily turned to Narcissa.
"I'm sorry for anything I did to you and Laika…I honestly don't remember much, but I know I've been really nasty—"
"Don't worry about it," Narcissa replied coolly, though deep down, a pang of guilt constricted in her chest. She had lied to Madam Pomfrey…she had seen who it was and what had happened. But she couldn't possibly incriminate her own sister. She adored Bella, and Lily was going to make a full recovery within a couple of days. As far as Narcissa knew, everything was going to be fine.
xXxXxXxXx
"You must certainly realize that the evidence against you is overwhelming, Miss Black."
Bellatrix's harsh black eyes glared hatefully back at Dumbledore's quiet blue ones. The plan had been so perfect…how did things manage to go so horribly wrong?
At first, she had been somewhat relieved by the fact that Dumbledore had let them off the night before; however, this morning, she received an urgent message to come to the headmaster's office. Apparently she wasn't getting away without punishment after all…
"You have no absolute proof that it was me," Bellatrix replied as calmly as she could manage. "It would be such a pity to blame the wrong person."
Dumbledore did not smile. "Then could you please explain to me how Miss Evans' neck wounds are completely unrelated to the bloodstained locket I found you with last night? Mere coincidence perhaps?"
Bellatrix continued glaring. "It's not mine. It belongs to Lucius."
Dumbledore nodded slowly, but continued frowning. "But Mr. Malfoy couldn't have gotten up into the girls' dormitory last night to hurt Lily Evans—"
"What about the other girls?" Bellatrix demanded. "What if it was them?"
"Then why did you have the locket?" Dumbledore asked calmly, his eyebrows rising in the most irritating way. "And they are first years, Miss Black. They would not have been capable of such magic. Because you are the only possible suspect left, I'm afraid I have no choice but to suspend you from Hogwarts."
"What?" Bellatrix hissed, trying to maintain her coolness, but that was gradually slipping away the longer she was in the headmaster's presence. "But it was Lucius! Punish him!"
"Miss Black, while he may have been with you last night, there is no evidence that he harmed another student as you clearly have—"
"— I didn't—"
"— please do not interrupt me, Miss Black, because I find it rather rude. I cannot tolerate such behaviour around other students, especially those younger than you. You deliberately harmed Miss Evans last night, and you must understand the seriousness of what you have done. Come, I shall escort you to your home."
He motioned to the fireplace. Bellatrix kicked her chair to the ground, but did not walk forward. Instead, she stood defiantly where she was, unwilling to give in to the old man's orders.
"For how long?" she spat, feeling a strong rush of hatred towards Lucius come over her. If it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't even be in this mess. She was doing him a favour for God's sake, and this was how he thanked her? By not even coming here to support her story that she didn't hurt Evans?
"Two weeks."
"Forget it."
Bellatrix began stomping towards the door, but was enraged to find that it was locked. Eyes flashing dangerously, she whirled around the face Dumbledore, who was still waiting patiently next to the fireplace.
"Let me out or I'll kick this door down myself."
"Go ahead. I daresay it's time that I replaced it anyways," Dumbledore gave her a small smile, as though he were daring her to try. "However…it would save so much time if would please follow me."
"You can't suspend me," she said shrilly. "I did nothing wrong."
"Miss Black, if you insist on arguing, then I could invite your parents here if you would prefer that."
Bellatrix's eyes narrowed. "They would believe me. They would know that you're convicting an innocent girl. My parents would not be pleased then, would they Professor?"
"Miss Black, follow me or I will expel you from Hogwarts," Dumbledore said in a mildly threatening tone.
For a few seconds, Bellatrix considered turning around and busting down his door, but figured that expulsion really wasn't worth it. She was too young to leave Hogwarts; there was still secrets to discover and advanced magic to learn. The Dark Lord would never allow a dropout to join him without advanced knowledge of magic…well beyond that of a fifth year level, anyways.
Slowly and reluctantly, Bellatrix made her way over to the fire. Her parents wouldn't be mad at her, of course, but the fact that Lucius had inadvertently framed her was downright infuriating.
Lucius will pay for this, she thought revengefully as she stepped through the green flames without saying goodbye to Hogwarts.
xXxXxXxXx
The handsome, dark-haired man did not speak, yet all eyes were on him. His silent, watchful eyes interchanged between hazel and a violent shade of scarlet as he observed the unnaturally stiff people around him. He examined his phoenix-core wand with feigned interest, as though he wished to pretend these fools didn't even exist, and it was just him and his wand in that dimly-lit room. The people didn't dare utter even the faintest cough in his presence. They all waited expectantly for him to say something, but behind their fake masks of eagerness, he saw nothing but cowardly fear.
All of them were failures. What a sorry lot of idiots this brilliant wizard had as supposedly 'loyal' servants. They could never do anything right; whether it was Imperiusing an important Ministry official or ridding the world of the filth known as Muggles. Worse still: whenever he displayed the littlest ounce of confidence in one of them, the results were usually disastrous. Lord Voldemort did not like when his followers disappointed him. Ah well, that's what Unforgiveables were for…
The latest Death Eaters to mess things up were, unsurprisingly, not present at the moment. Abraxus Malfoy's Imperius Curse on Darcy Umbridge, one of the most influential people in the Ministry of Magic (besides the Minister, of course), had worn off after just two weeks. She was out of their reach now, and the public was growing very suspicious about Death Eater activity within the Ministry. Meanwhile, Lilu Malfoy's failures were too great for Voldemort to bother counting.
On top of everything else, the Malfoys had misplaced something that Voldemort had strictly instructed them to guard as though it were their own lives. It was a locket. One of his most prized possessions. Of course, he hadn't told them why it was so important, and he had so wrongfully assumed that the message that it was worth more than either of their lives combined would have gotten through the pathetic minds of his previously most-faithful and dependable servants.
Come to think of it, the two Malfoys had become more of a liability to Voldemort lately…perhaps it was time to say goodbye…
"Rosier," Voldemort's terrifying voice echoed along the empty walls of the room. He did not bother looking up to see the man's reaction.
"My— my Lord?"
Voldemort's eyes narrowed at the sound of apprehension in the man's voice. Rosier was like all of the others: a coward who only joined him out of fear. Would there never be someone truly devoted to him? Someone who wouldn't answer him in fear, but rather unwavering loyalty?
"You have ways of communicating with the Malfoys, am I correct?" Voldemort hissed softly.
"Yes…yes my Lord."
Voldemort smiled cruelly and looked up at his followers. "Because…it appears that Abraxas and Lilu have lost interest in answering my summons."
At once, every Death Eater around the table unconsciously flexed their left forearms and continued watching their leader.
"What— what message do you have for them, my Lord?" Rosier stuttered, refusing to make eye contact with Voldemort.
"'I want it back,'" he replied quietly, though his voice was overflowing with venom. The Death Eaters looked bewildered by these words— none of them had heard of the assignment Abraxas and Lilu had been given, after all— but kept their confusion to themselves. What their lord wanted was anyone's guess. All they knew was that the Malfoys were in trouble, judging by the tone in which their lord spoke.
"I know where your locket is, my Lord," a new voice came from the doorway.
It was a girl, perhaps no older than fifteen or sixteen. She appeared to be awestruck from Voldemort's presence; and she easily ignored the jeers and muffled laughter erupting from the masses of people surrounding him. She only had eyes and ears for the man at the end of the table.
Voldemort was immediately intrigued by the girl's sudden presence and what she had said, though he did not show this to his Death Eaters.
"Bellatrix!"
Voldemort watched on in mild curiosity as one of the men leaped to their feet and looked back and forth between the girl and his master with an expression of unmistakable panic. Strangely, the girl did not appear to be afraid. Instead, she was staring down towards Voldemort with breathless wonder, seemingly unaware of what consequences lay before her if Voldemort decided her presence was unnecessary…
"Black," Voldemort directly addressed the Death Eater who had gotten to his feet. "Do you know this girl?"
Cygnus Black quickly lowered himself back into his seat, trembling slightly as he did so. "Yes my Lord. She is my daughter…please forgive her intruding, she is young and naïve…she shall leave at once," he added with a murderous glare towards Bellatrix.
"There'll be no need for that," Voldemort whispered, still secretly interested in how the girl came to know about his locket. The Death Eaters fell silent, almost jealous by the attention the girl was receiving from their master when she was not even a member. "Come in."
Bellatrix's heart pounded against her chest as she walked into the room. She knew that she had just risked it all by interrupting this meeting, and luckily for her, Voldemort did not punish her…yet. Seeing that her left arm was sadly free of the Mark, she was forced to sit down at the opposite end from him, much to her dismay. Still, she figured she was fortunate to have been granted a seat in the first place. Perhaps that locket was more valuable to the Dark Lord than she realized…
"My locket, you say?" Voldemort asked quietly after a long period of silence, his hands resting below his chin as he observed the teenager across from him. Everyone else looked on anxiously, wondering what their master would do to this girl if she proved unworthy of Voldemort's attention. Surely their lord couldn't be missing something as trivial as a locket…
But Bellatrix knew. She had forced Lucius to tell her why it was so important to get it back before she had agreed to go ahead with the plan. Since Lucius ended up betraying her, Bellatrix was about to get her revenge…
xXxXxXxXx
Knock. Knock.
Abraxas and Lilu Malfoy both jumped to their feet at once. It was late, perhaps midnight…why was there someone knocking at the door?
"I'll get it," Abraxas told her, but Lilu shook her head, so they went together. Their shattered tea cups were strewn all over the pristine white carpet from when they jolted off of the sofas, but Lilu did not go back to tidy up for their guest.
The Malfoys gave each other one last nervous glance once they reached the door, and Abraxas slowly pulled the massive door open.
"Lilu…Abraxas…good evening."
The Malfoys were speechless. Standing in their doorway was the Dark Lord himself. Never had he visited them before, except for the one time when the Death Eaters congregated there.
"My Lord," they both murmured and bowed their heads respectfully.
"Please come in," Lilu beckoned him inside, but Voldemort remained where he was.
"Is everything alright my Lord?" Abraxas asked, feeling slightly queasy. He had felt the Mark burn a couple of hours ago…and had chosen to ignore it. Was this why Voldemort had come to their home?
"Actually," Voldemort hissed contemptuously. "Everything is not alright."
His normally-hazel pupils gleamed scarlet as he watched the couple cower into the foray behind them. Voldemort followed them into the house. There would be no escaping…
"My— my Lord?" Lilu spoke in an unnaturally high voice.
"Tell me…have you found my locket yet?"
"Well…we are certain we know where it is—"
"— do not lie to Lord Voldemort! He knows the truth!"
Lilu fell to her knees, unable to keep her balance. "My Lord, please! We can find it! Have mercy, my Lord!"
"Have mercy?" Voldemort sneered. "Even after you lost my most prized possession to Albus Dumbledore?"
Lilu and Abraxas were stunned; they hadn't seen the Hogwarts headmaster in months. How could he possibly have taken the locket? Surely someone had deceived their master…
"My Lord, we have not seen Dumbledore—"
"Silence! It is the truth. Your carelessness disappoints me."
"My Lord!" Lilu sobbed, pulling at his robes, but Voldemort kicked her away as though she were filthier than the lowest of house elves. "Please…we can get it back!"
"You've made enough mistakes as it is," Voldemort spat furiously. "I will not give you any further assignments. Your usefulness has…run its course."
Lilu and Abraxas' eyes widened in utmost terror. "My Lord…we can still help…please, you must give us another chance…"
Voldemort's shrill laughter rang throughout the entire manor. "Another chance? Lord Voldemort is not as merciful as you so falsely believe…you must pay the price for your failures."
Abraxas pulled out his wand in protest, but no spell would come to his lips. His wife didn't even look up to see what was coming. Voldemort slowly pulled out his own yew wand as well and wordlessly pointed it at the horror-struck Malfoys.
"Avada Kedavra!"
There was a flash of green light, and Abraxas and Lilu Malfoy moved no more.
A/N: Was that okay? The scene between Bellatrix and Dumbledore was the hardest for me (I wanted to show that while she is disrespectful towards authority, she's still smart enough to avoid expulsion). As much as I love Bellatrix, the story will go back to mainly Lily, Severus & friends after this chapter.
Detail overload for Voldemort. I know. I just wanted to make a grand entrance for him, since he plays a rather big role in this story later on.
I know I sound like a broken record, but reviews are (and always will be) highly appreciated :)