Taking Veritaserum, telling the truth, getting the Mark
(Alternative title: Being Accepted)
The phone rang. She had only just fallen asleep on the couch in her office. She got up, cursing."Yeah?!?"
"Hi, Suzanne. Get down here as quickly as possible! Your patient's heart began racing!"
"OK, Mark, I'm on my way!"
Three minutes later she was next to him, looking at the readings. She muttered something to herself and nodded.
"Are you absolutely certain that your equipment is functioning correctly?"
"Positive, Doc. What kind of question is that? You know I work with only the best equipment there is on the market!" Mark responded quite offended.
"Sorry! But these readings are puzzling. I mean, they indicate that she is conscious. But she isn't! She's wired to all those machines and she didn't respond to any stimulant!"
"I…I don't know what to say, Suzanne…"
"We have to wait and see…And, Mark? Register every piece of data!" she said storming out the door.
Clara was sitting on a chair as Severus Snape was pouring the potion on her tongue. Voldemort seemed very determined to squeeze every drop of truth from her.
"It should last at least one hour, my Lord." Snape said.
"Hmm…no taste, no odor. Very nicely concealable in every liquid at hand. I like it. Too bad it isn't poison." she said to herself.
"Be warned! If you try to lie, the potion will suffocate you to death!" Voldemort menaced.
"I have no intention to lie, Master. The truth is said to set one free!" "Bullshit!"
"With that kind of impertinence you would have been sorted in Gryffindor for certain!" Malfoy said in disdain.
"I don't know what this…Gryffindor is, Mr. Malfoy, but I don't remember asking your opinion of me! Sir!"
"Why, you…" he started before being interrupted by the Dark Lord.
"ENOUGH!" Voldemort said. "Now, answer my question girl! Who are you?"
"My name is Clara Noctus. I am the granddaughter of Annabella Noctus, one of the darkest witches of her time, and I am the Daughter of Fire." Clara answered, calm on the surface but boiling inside.
"Why are you here?" came another question.
And another question. And another. It felt like forever that she was standing before what she saw as the incarnation of evil…and stupidity. Fighting the Veritaserum. She said the truth…the one he wanted to hear. "I just want to serve you, Master!" He finally stopped. "He doesn't know if he should believe me! Good! Doubt me, because in order to survey me better you have to keep me in range!"
"Leave now, Clara. Wormtail! You keep company to our guest!" Voldemort finally said.
"As you wish, Master." the little man responded as he bowed and hurried Clara to follow him.
As the girl and his most insufferable servant left the room, Voldemort turned to face Snape and Malfoy.
"Your opinions!" he said.
"If I may, Master" Malfoy began speaking "the girl is telling the truth. Or, at least she is very convinced that she is. One cannot doubt the quality of Severus's potions! Do you consider making her one of ours?"
"I don't doubt Severus or his skills in potions. But I find it hard to believe that one will just come so willingly to serve me. And her magic…so dark and so powerful! But I will make her a Death Eater! Tonight!" he answered. "And you Severus, what say you?"
"My Lord, what do we do with her afterwards? She certainly didn't receive any magical education. We don't know what she can and cannot do!" Snape answered.
"Wise as always, Severus! I have already thought of something! And that's where you intercede. Wormtail! Bring her in!"
They both entered the room, the one called Wormtail with a worried look on his face and Clara, who left her cloak in her trunk, seemingly bored of waiting.
"You will attend our meeting tonight! If you are so desperate to serve me, you will be initiated tonight!" Voldemort said.
"Great! Now get yourself out of the initiation, girlie, or you'll have blood on your hands for certain!"
"I do hope you brought your wand." he continued.
"I never had one, my Lord." she answered.
"In that case, how do you suppose you'll prove your loyalty to me?"
"What is the initiation supposed to be, Master? Killing a mud blood or a Muggle? Several, maybe?"
"Exactly! At least you're intelligent…not completely useless after all."
"If you think you discourage me with that speech, shit face, you're very wrong!" she said to herself, thankful that he was not able to read her mind anyway.
"May I suggest a solution to the problem presented, my Lord?" she inquired.
"Ssspeak!" he hissed.
"I can prove my allegiance through pain. Make someone torture me!"
The sudden silence in the room gave her the chill. "What did I just say?!?" she squinted. "Oops!"
"Hmm, excellent idea! I like you already! Lucius, go fetch your son! I do believe he's already home." Voldemort said with a hideous grin on his snake like face.
Snape gave her a penetrating look. She looked back right into his onyx eyes and a smile flourished on her lips, as she got a fresh new idea.
Malfoy disappeared with a pop! and reappeared shortly with his son. He looked like a younger copy of his father, only with shorter hair. As he set eyes on Clara he looked puzzled.
"Good evening!" he said politely, addressing to everyone in the room and bowing to Voldemort.
"Draco! As you are to become my loyal Death Eater as soon as you are of age, I thought you might as well be at our meeting tonight."
"It's very generous of you, my Lord! Thank you!" the pale skinned boy answered.
He was taller than Clara, looked about 17, with gray-blue eyes and a grimace on his face like he had eaten something sour.
"He obviously doesn't want to be here. I wonder why was he brought? What's in your dirty little mind, oh gloomy Dark Lord?" Clara asked herself.
Suddenly, Voldemort pointed his wand to the window, muttering some sort of spell and a green skull lightened the sky with a snake getting off his mouth.
One could hear quite a few pops! in front of the house as hooded men appeared out of nowhere. Voldemort exited as the others followed him, all of them putting their hood over their heads and a nasty mask on their faces.
"If they had white costumes they could be mistaken for a KKK gathering." Clara mused to herself.
She was walking between Malfoy Sr and Snape, right behind Voldemort. As they arrived in the courtyard, everyone kneeled before his or her Master and Clara was the only one standing. Voldemort didn't seem to notice that, though.
"Good! Many of you answered my call! Tonight we'll have something special as a new member will be integrated in our circle!" Voldemort begun his speech.
And as it was said, they all gathered in a circle around Clara and Voldemort, Snape, the Malfoys and Wormtail. He continued:
"Tonight we receive among us Clara Noctus, a pureblood witch of an ancient family. I myself never heard of the Noctus family, but I know those who had, like our enemy, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. I bet the old fool knew your grandmother, Clara!" he said turning to her. "Anyway, it seems to be a night for exceptions, as our Death Eater in becoming has lived all her life among Muggles and isn't trained in magic. So, I've decided to let our young Mr. Malfoy here give us a glimpse of his future "career" and practice his Unforgivables on Clara."
They started to murmur. She looked at the boy named Draco, who gulped.
"SILENCE! Draco, step into the circle and begin. Be warned, she must not die. And…make her beg!" he added with that awful grin on his face.
"My Lord, if I may!" Draco spoke.
"What is it? Lost your wand?!?"
"No, Master. It's just…I'm not of age. Could I borrow my father's wand?"
For a moment, Clara thought that Draco would refuse. She saw the expression of his face as he took of his mask. He looked disgusted and uncertain about what he had to do. But she realized he didn't have a choice, not if he wasn't the suicidal type. Which he didn't seem to be.
"Very well!" Voldemort said nervously. "Proceed!"
Draco took his father's wand and walked towards her. Suddenly, realizing that pain will come, Clara's heart begun racing, pumping the blood furiously, making her head hurt.
But she didn't move. She tried to calm herself, to feel the breeze on her skin, her skirt billowing gently around her. She tried to calm the electricity running through her body, making her want to release it as she felt the danger coming. "You will not hurt him, no matter what! Don't hurt him!" she was saying to herself repeatedly.
Draco stopped a few steps away from her and pointed the wand at her chest. Everybody around seemed to hold his or her breath. Only Voldemort, flanked by Snape and Malfoy Sr, was caught in a heated discussion. But Clara realized they were watching too.
"CRUCIO!" Draco shouted.
As the blast hit her, Clara felt that every nerve in her body was torn apart, making her feel a deep pain. But she didn't scream. She just backed up a little, accepting it, not fighting it, creating an image of a veil passing through her body. She started to breath heavily, as if there was no air. But Draco didn't give her time to breath! He shouted again the curse. And again. Four times in a row, until she was down gasping for air, tears falling down her eyes on her cheeks and on the ground. Then he stopped. He approached and looked down at her.
Voldemort had finished talking with Severus and Lucius and walked near them.
"Well done, Draco! You'll make an excellent Death Eater, I'm certain!" Voldemort said, looking pleased.
Draco took his eyes away from him and started to look in disbelief as Clara rose from the ground, shaking as a leaf, with tears down her face, barely standing.
"Make her kneel before me and beg, or you'll live to regret this, Draco!" his voice thundered.
"HARAKIRI!" Draco shouted.
Suddenly, Clara's breath was regular again. She felt so light and peaceful. She had a huge knife in her hands. She admired the blade in the moonlight. "Great illusion! I'm supposed to commit suicide. I don't fall for that, young dragon, not now when I have such a good reason to live! But show must go on, as one once said." Clara thought. She lifted her eyes from the shining blade and looked at Draco.
"Why, Draco? Why do you make me kill myself? What have I ever done to you?" she asked and forced herself one or two tears.
A feeble smile. She never interrupted eye contact with the boy as she lifted the imaginary blade and stabbed herself in the heart. She felt on her knees. Then, as if she had a glimpse of consciousness, she turned to Voldemort and threw herself at his feet.
"Master, I beg you! Stop the pain! I beg you, my Lord! Make it stop!" she cried.
Voldemort smiled.
"Hush now, child. The pain will stop."
He pushed her on her back with his foot. He took her left arm up and pointed his wand on her forearm.
"Whose are you?" he asked loudly.
"Yours, Master!" she said in a clear voice.
"You are indeed! MORSMORDERE!"
The pain was excruciating. She yelled from the top of her lungs and her voice seemed to reason so far. The green flash of light was interrupted soon, and a mark, red and steamy, appeared on her flesh. The skull and the snake.
This time she couldn't get up. "Fuck! It hurts like hell!" She took deep breaths of air, still blocking her magic inside. It exhausted her more than the curses, more than the pain in her left arm. "I need to stay focused and conscious."
"Severus, you'll help her up and continue with the plan as we discussed." Voldemort said in a low voice as Snape approached them. "Talk to McGonagall, see if you can convince her to take you where Dumbledore is hiding. She must not be seen in Hogwarts. Umbridge must not know about this. My mission for you, girl, he said as he approached her ear, is to bring me Potter. I will not tolerate failure!"
"In this case, Master, I must have total independence of my actions…and time!" she whispered. "It cannot be done in a rush. That's were the others failed in bringing him to you."
"How much time?" he inquired.
"Two years, my Lord. And I'll bring him to you, to take his right place as your servant."
"Very well, Clara. We will keep in touch through Severus and Lucius." And he rose, walking in the middle of the circle to give orders to the others.
She felt lifted and leaned her head on the shoulder of her sustainer, trying to calm her trembling and walk.
"She's having severe convulsions, Doc. And the medications have no effect."
"Did you double the dose, Mark?"
"Suzanne, I tripled it!"
"And…nothing?!?"
"Nothing."
"OK, stop all medication. It's useless, anyway. Attach her well to the bed and put a gag in her mouth so she doesn't bite her tongue."
"OK, Doc. Are you going to call that neurologist?"
"I have to, Mark. Because whatever this is, it's inside her mind. I hope he'll be here soon."
"Ah, it seems she's calmed now."
Dr. Suzanne Billings sighed heavily. What she thought to be a case of incurable disease turns out to be one of those situations where an exorcist wouldn't be such a bad idea. She was tired. It'd been a day and a half since she last slept. Over 36 hours. And the last hours had been both exciting and worrying.
Sustained by Snape and followed by the two Malfoys, Clara was barely walking towards the house.
As they entered the room where she waited with Wormtail for Voldemort to call her, Snape let her lean on the wall, got his wand out and pointed it to her trunk. She didn't hear the incantation but the trunk was suddenly the size of a matchbox.
Snape lifted it and gave it to her.
"You should put that in your pocket. We must go somewhere before you will be the guest of Lucius." he said.
"No emotions. No tremble in his voice. Everything, every gesture and tone carefully measured and balanced. If I didn't know any better, I would say he's a hell of a spy. But I'll study him later. First, let's concentrate on Hogwarts. What is this place? A town? A castle? But, wait a minute! Voldemort said the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore! THAT'S IT! A school for wizards and witches. Awesome!" she was thinking.
Snape took her by the waist and they walked to the fireplace. Then he put one hand in his pocket and when he got it out, he had some kind of powder in it. He threw it into the flames and said in a clear voice:
"Severus Snape's office, Hogwarts!"
The flames turned green and he tried to pull her in the fire.
"NO! Not the fire, please don't throw me into the fire!" she whispered and desperately tried to escape from his firm grip.
"Calm down, Miss Noctus! I'm not trying to kill you. It is a way of transportation."
Draco had his mouth opened. He didn't expect her to have that reaction. He didn't expect anything that had happened tonight, as a matter of fact. His father muttered with disgust: "Muggles!"
Snape held her tighter, bringing her closely to him and covering her with his cloak. She could feel the edges of his mask in the inside pocket. They stepped into the green flames and this time she didn't fight it. The world begun to whirl around her, and she closed her eyes. The last thing she saw was Draco turning to his father and both of them disappearing with a pop!
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