The Dark Lord seemed to be, for the moment, satisfied with the effect he'd had on the room. Addie was standing with stillness that could only come from fear of movement. Draco knew that the two of them had passed under the Dark Lord's nose undetected, but for how long the two could keep up the charade, he did not know. He felt a sickness in the pit of his stomach that was agitated every time the Dark Lord smiled at Addie. Draco could tell that he was amused by her naïveté. Draco shuddered to think at what lengths the Dark Lord would go to exploit it.
"This will do," The Dark Lord said calmly. "Draco, I am hoping you can be trusted with the task of showing Miss White to the guest bedroom."
Draco bowed, "Yes, my Lord."
"This is a step up from your previous accommodations, I'm sure," The Dark Lord sneered.
"You are merciful," Draco responded. After years of living under the frightful shadow of Lord Voldemort Draco's responses had become almost automatic.
Addie on the other hand, was an obvious novice. She shuffled behind Draco, allowing her eagerness to leave the presence of the Dark Lord show.
"You do not wish to stay with me, Miss White?" Lord Voldemort said softly.
"I—I'm sorry, my Lord, I was merely tired and wanted to—"
"Excuses," He laughed. "How silly the young can be. You've been spoiled, Miss White. Spoiled by the world of Harry Potter, of Albus Dumbledore, of nobility, but we will not spoil you here. This is my domain, Miss White, soon enough the world will be my domain, and here excuses count for nothing and forgiveness is a thing of the past. Action is the only thing of value in this world, Miss White. You are young yet, but it would do you good to know that."
"Y—yes my Lord," She bowed her head.
"I will be leaving you again shortly," The Dark Lord said, this time addressing the entire room. "Bellatrix, I will entrust you with the care of this young lady. Squash the nobility out of her. There is no room for that here."
"But—But my Lord! Aren't there more important things I could be doing? Training a little girl is hardly a task for your most devoted—your most loyal—"
The Dark Lord held up his hand and Bellatrix fell silent.
"I see you in her, Bellatrix. She has the potential to possess the same skill, the same devotion as you have shown me. Perhaps Miss White could even be an improvement on yourself. If you want to show me loyalty, Bellatrix, then train Miss White as if she were your natural heir. She is as pure as you are. She even has a bit of Black blood in her. Take her under your wing, Bellatrix. Mold her into the perfect servant of the Dark Lord."
"With pleasure," Bellatrix bowed, and twirled her wand ominously.
"Now, Draco," The Dark Lord sneered. "You may take Miss White to bed."
Draco led Addie quickly up the stairs and into a dark corridor that he'd thought he would never see again. Malfoy family portraits still lined the walls and he could feel the faint air of the family he'd left behind; a family that had been torn apart. He paused for a moment at the most recent portrait. His mother's blank eyes looked back at him, her lips pursed in her traditional way. One did not smile in a Malfoy family portrait. Photographic images of his mother, father, and himself gazed back at him, sometimes yawning or fixing their hair. He thought sadly of his mother. Where was she now? What would the order do with her once they found he'd betrayed them? Would they keep her alive? Surely they would. Forgiveness was not a thing of the past with the Order, at least, Draco had been lead to believe that it was not.
"She'll be alright," Addie said softly, placing her hand gently on his shoulder. "They won't blame her."
"It probably broke her heart," Draco whispered. "She's worried. I'm sure of it."
"One day soon your mother will know how brave her son has been," Addie smiled.
He nodded and the two continued down the hallway. The guest bedroom was two doors down from Draco's own bedroom, and he was grateful to have Addie so near to him. He felt that her behavior in the parlor had displayed a need for him to keep her under constant surveillance. The Dark Lord had been right; the world of Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, and nobility had been embedded into Addie's very being. Draco feared that she would be unable to part with it. Until this point he had found her egocentricity amusing, endearing to a point, but now he recognized it as a dangerous liability to their cause.
He opened the door and waved his wand allowing the lights above the bed to flicker on, illuminating the musty bedroom. Draco could tell that it had been empty for ages now. It had been a long time since the Malfoys had entertained a guest. A large, comfortable looking bed sat in the middle of the room adorned with pillows and topped with a long red canopy that was drawn open for the time being, but could be closed to allow the sleeper absolute privacy. Addie's chest stood open in the corner of the room. Her things had already been neatly placed in the armoire that stood adjacent to the bed. A mirror was hung in the far corner of the room atop an elaborate vanity which came equipped with a pink chair adorned with neat little cushions.
"We should contact them, you know," Addie said, fingering the locket around her neck.
"Yes," Draco agreed. "It's best we let them know now."
Addie took off toward the bed, beckoning Draco to follow her. The two of them closed the canopy's train behind them and opened up the locket.
"Should we cast a spell to make sure no one can hear us?" Addie asked.
"All of the rooms in Malfoy manor are magically enchanted to protect its inhabitants. No one outside this door could hear what we are saying."
The locket began to vibrate and Addie spoke into it clearly. "Hello? Harry? Ron? Hermione?"
It took a moment for them to respond, but soon the frantic voice of Hermione Granger was ringing out through the locket.
"Yes? Addie? What's going on?"
"We're safe," She said quickly. "We just spoke with—with him."
Harry's voice suddenly cut in, "You spoke with him? You mean he's there with you?"
"Only for the moment," Addie responded. "It seems as though he's been abroad or something. He came in only because of what happened with Yaxley."
"You've heard about that?" Harry asked sharply.
"Yes, are you all alright?" Addie asked.
"Yes, we're fine," Hermione said. "Ron's asleep at the moment. And yourselves? Is Draco with you?"
"I'm here," Draco responded. "We're both fine."
"So the He's abroad then, is he?" Harry asked again.
"It would appear that way. It seems as though he's traveling alone. If a Death Eater wants him they must summon him, and they should only do so under the most dire circumstances." Draco said.
"Do you know how far away he is, or what he's after?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes, he's entrusted us with that information right away, actually. We're going to have tea with him tomorrow morning." Draco drawled.
"I don't have time for your sarcasm. You either know or you don't," Harry snapped.
"We don't," Draco said. "And we probably never will. If the Dark Lord is keeping this mission only to himself, I doubt he'll allow Addie and I in on the secret."
"Well, get what you can. We'll contact you again when there's time," Harry said.
"Is Ron alright?" Addie called.
"Yes, he's should be fine," Hermione said.
"Oh, alright, well send him my love," Addie said.
"Of course," There was significant coldness in Hermione's tone.
There was a faint click and the connection between the two parties was closed for the time being. Draco and Addie sat silent. Draco allowed his eyes to explore the contours of Addie's face. Her features were delicate and eerily beautiful in the dim red light that shone through the canopy. Her hair was wild and far from the fabulous up-dos he was used to seeing. Her makeup had rubbed off long ago and there was a deep sadness in her naked eyes. She was hunched over the locket, allowing its gold chain to fall through her fingers. Her eyes were intent on the heart pendant. Draco could tell she was hoping they would speak to her again; lack of contact with her friends had taken a toll on Addie's morale.
"I should go," Draco said abruptly.
Addie looked up, her eyes were pleading for him to stay, but she merely said, "I'll see you in the morning. Call on me when you wake up."
"Do the same for me," Draco smiled, opening the curtain and slowly exiting the room. The day had been long and eventful. Sleep beckoned Draco into its warm embrace. He was safe, for the time being.
Draco rose early the next morning and set off down the hall to wake Addie. He did not want to let her out of his sight in these early days of their mission. Maybe after Addie had assimilated to life in Malfoy Manor could she be allowed time to herself, until then, Draco knew he must keep a close watch on her. To his surprise the door to Addie's bedroom opened just as he was about to knock and a fully dressed and re-vitalized looking Addie greeted him. Far from the candle-lit image from the evening before, Addie had re-applied her makeup and her hair was pulled back into a neat pony tail. Her clothes were less tattered and she seemed to have had new life breathed into her. She even smiled as she saw Draco at the door.
"Your aunt beat you to it," She laughed.
"Excuse me?" Draco asked.
"Your aunt, Bellatrix, you remember her?" Addie said sarcastically.
"But why did she wake you?"
"Training," Addie answered. "Apparently my instruction begins today."
"And she woke you personally?" Draco was intrigued. His aunt was not one to take on a task that could easily be accomplished by a house elf.
"Yep," Addie replied nonchalantly, closing the door behind her.
"Interesting…" Draco mused. "We'll we'd best get going."
"We?" Addie raised an eyebrow.
"Well you didn't think I was going to let you go alone," Draco drawled.
"You're going to have to let me go alone. Bellatrix requested it," Addie sneered.
"What?" Draco asked anxiously.
"She said she wanted to give me private lessons. She said specifically that you weren't allowed in."
Draco was irritated by the casual tone of Addie's voice. He sensed that she was entirely unaware of the situation into which she was so unwarily wandering.
"Addie, you must cut your lesson short!" Draco commanded. "Don't stay with her for too long."
"Why?" Addie asked indignantly. "I can handle her. Besides, it would look way too suspicious if I just up and left."
"You can't handle Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix Lestrange is not one to be handled." Draco said.
"Well, we'll have to see," Addie said, turning on her heels and marching down the hallway.
"Addie are you really this naïve?" Draco called.
"Naïve?" Addie shot back. "I am far from naïve, Draco."
There was an essence of sexuality in her voice that made the fibers of Draco's being stir uncomfortably.
"Don't play games," He said flatly. "This is not the time."
"No, it's not. It's time for my lesson with Bellatrix, and I'm already late. I'll tell you what happens afterward." Addie hurried down the staircase before Draco could think to follow.
Idiot girl, Draco thought. She's going to get us both killed.
He paused for a moment, wondering if he should follow. He had no way of knowing where Addie was to meet Bellatrix, and once he got there it would be suicide to interrupt. Questions swam through Draco's mind as his heart began to beat more rapidly. When would she be out? What would Bellatrix be teaching her? What tortures would his aunt subject her to? Draco was left with hundreds of questions and no answers. He decided the best course of action would be to stay right outside Addie's bedroom. She would have to return; at which point Draco could question her about her 'lesson'.
Draco sat relatively motionless for what could have been either minutes or eternities. He strained his ears for the slightest movement, for the faint whisper of a spell, the snap of a jinx, or, he shuddered to think, a scream. He heard nothing, of course, just as he had told Addie the evening before Malfoy Manor had been enchanted to protect the inhabitants of each room. Spying was nearly impossible, if one wished to see what was going on in a room, one needed to enter the room itself.
Draco's muscles were just beginning to grow tense when he heard the soft clicking of heels coming up the stairwell and the faint scent of fruit alerted Draco that Addie had returned from her time with Bellatrix, and upon looking at her, she seemed unscathed.
"Have you been here all this time?" She laughed.
"It isn't funny," He spat.
"I told you I would be able to take care of it," She placed her hands on her hips.
"And I told you that you don't even know what 'take care of it' means," Draco retorted.
"Well, apparently you're wrong, because Bellatrix likes me," Addie said with an air of conceit.
"Bellatrix does not like anyone," Draco responded.
"Well she likes me. You'll see. She wants to make me 'in her image'," Addie pulled a disgusted face and laughed at herself.
Draco was not amused.
"What did you do down there?" He asked.
"She made me practice different spells," Addie shrugged. "It wasn't really much of anything. It kind of reminded me of the D.A."
"Yes, exactly like the D.A. except here you're going to use the spells to actually harm innocent people," Draco spat.
"Calm down," Addie dismissed him, "it's not like I'm actually going to use any of the things she teaches me. I'm just playing a part."
"It's a difficult part to play," Draco said, sinking down closer to the floor. He had a long way to go to make Addie understand exactly how grave their situation was.
"Yeah well, I did learn something useful down there if you'd like to know," She pouted.
"Let's go in your room," He said. "People can hear us if we're out here. It was careless for us to talk out here."
"Suit yourself," Addie turned the knob to her room and Draco followed close behind her.
"What did you hear?" Draco asked as soon as he heard the click of the door shutting.
"It's not really a big deal, but apparently You-Know-Who is going to be contacting us tonight," She said.
"Us as in the Death Eaters?" He asked.
"No, us as in you and me," She said, sitting on the bed and taking off her socks. "He's apparently found a use for us of some kind."
"And this isn't really a big deal?" Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Well I mean, its good news, isn't it? He's already trusting us with a job! That's more information we can get to Harry!" She smiled.
"Oh yes, and the jobs the Dark Lord doles out are usually so pleasant and easy to accomplish," Draco said quietly.
"Well—I mean—he can't tell us to kill Dumbledore, he's already dead for goodness sake!" She stammered.
"Addie," Draco began, pacing himself against his anger, "you clearly have much more to learn about the world outside your own than I had previously thought. You've done an excellent job of fooling everyone into thinking you were street-smart and worldly. Hopefully you can fool the Dark Lord with the same precision."
Draco bowed and exited the room, leaving Addie with her thoughts.
Draco and Addie both remained in their rooms until they were summoned. A house elf was sent up to retrieve them both individually. The elf arrived at Draco's room first, and he could feel the pit of his stomach squirming uncomfortably as they approached Addie's room. The elf knocked on her door and she hurried out the door. Upon seeing Draco, Addie turned away indignantly and proceeded to ignore him for the entirety of the walk down the dining room.
The air around the long table that sat in the middle of the Malfoy dining room was tense. Bellatrix sat at the head of the table tapping her nails anxiously against the hard wood of the table. The room was chillingly cold, and Draco couldn't help but be proud at how well Addie was holding up against the icy air. She had confined her shivering to the very back of her left foot and had set her discomfort in her face, an expression that sat well with may of the Death Eaters who lived their lives in discomfort. The two teenagers had been sat next to each other and he had to restrain himself from reaching over and taking her hand. She had made it clear, in her silence, that she was less than pleased with him, and Draco knew better than to strain Addie's short temper.
Suddenly, the Death Eaters mask that had been placed in the middle of the table glowed bright red and Bellatrix sat up straighter.
"It's him!" She nearly shrieked. Draco hated the way that his aunt's eyes lit up at the slightest mention of the Dark Lord.
The chilling voice that sunk right into Draco's bones emanated from the mask in the middle of the table. It lifted into the air and spun about as if the Dark Lord himself could see them. The shining red eyes of the mask fell upon Draco and Addie. Draco sensed that if the mask could it would have smiled at them, eerily, with the same disgusting smile that the Dark Lord had had when he first laid eyes on Addie terrified in his presence.
"My young recruits," The voice filled the room.
"Yes my Lord," Draco and Addie rang in unison.
"It is early, I know, to hand you a task," The Dark Lord began.
"My Lord," Draco responded, "We will do what you ask of us."
"Of course you will," The voice snapped. "It is not your willingness to accept my task that plagues the Dark Lord; it is your ability to complete it to my liking."
"My Lord," Bellatrix spoke from the head of the table, "If you're worried about Draco—understandably so—he is weak and has proven to be so. The girl, though her lesson went surprisingly well today, is remarkably under trained. But, my Lord, anything you ask of me, any task, give it to me I can complete it with preci—"
"Enough!" The Dark Lord commanded. "They are the only ones who can do what I need them to."
Bellatrix looked defeated.
"Now, onto your instructions," The mask turned toward the teenagers again and Draco felt Addie sit up straighter next to him.
"You are aware, of course, that Hogwarts is under new administration," He said.
"Yes, my Lord," The two said in unison.
"Hogwarts is under the control of the Death Eaters," He said.
The news hit Draco hard. During his sixth year Hogwarts had been the only form of sanctuary Draco had been able to find. His home and been infiltrated by Death Eaters and was being used as a headquarters. His life, his mind, his future, all belonged to the Dark Lord, but Hogwarts had remained the same as ever. Draco had never dreamed the Dark Lord would be able to take Hogwarts, and with revulsion Draco remembered that it had been his own hand that had brought Dumbledore's downfall.
"Yes, Draco," The Dark Lord said silkily, "some of that success can be attributed to you."
Draco merely bowed his head. He was too sick to speak.
"Hogwarts is under the direction of Severus Snape, the new Headmaster," The Dark Lord told them.
Addie shifted in her seat. It would have taken a keen eye to notice the change in her demeanor, but the news had clearly been difficult for her to swallow.
"Unfortunately, the implementation of my regime at Hogwarts had not gone smoothly," There was anger in the Dark Lord's voice now. "A few of your…classmates have been consistently undermining Severus' authority."
"But how can we help, my Lord?" Addie asked. Her voice was noticeably restrained.
"Patience, Miss White," The Dark Lord said, he'd obviously taken her change in tone to mean excitement. "I will tell you soon enough."
"I'm sorry, my Lord," She bowed her head.
"Most recently, a group of students were found attempting to steal a particularly valuable possession from the Headmasters office. This group—Dumbledore's Army—they call themselves, has been attempting to instate a rebellion against my hand over the school."
Addie looked up at the mask. Dumbledore's Army was a name familiar to both the teenagers. Draco feared he knew what was coming.
"I need you to go back to Hogwarts," The Dark Lord instructed. "You must return and organize the Slytherins against this Dumbledore's Army. You must help to maintain control from within the school. Professors, Headmasters, and staff appointments can only do so much. I need an eye on the students at all times."
"Back to Hogwarts?" Addie whispered.
Draco knew what was running through their mind. All of the students that had once been Addie's friend would by now think that she had betrayed them, and she was forbidden from telling them the truth.
"Yes, Miss White," The Dark Lord said. "Back to Hogwarts."
"But, My Lord," Draco's aunt said from the head of the table, "How can I continue her lessons?"
"You will continue to train the girl," The Dark Lord said. "You will make an appearance weekly at the school. Accommodations will be made for you there. Her lessons will continue as planned. I have high hopes for you, Miss White."
"I intend to exceed them," Addie responded.
"This mission should be of particular interest to you, Miss White," Draco felt instinctively that the Dark Lord was sneering.
"Any mission you give me is in my interest," Addie responded.
Draco was pleased with how much she'd learned in so short a span of time.
"It culminates," The Dark Lord began, "in the removal of one Ginny Weasley."
"Removal?" Addie asked.
"Murder," The Dark Lord responded.