Sirius stared at the cover of the Daily Prophet in the biggest bold type they had twinkled the words, Black Double Wedding Now Triple Wedding! Underneath the headline there was a picture of Bellatrix, Ashlynn, and Narcissa behind each of them was their soon to be grooms. Sirius stared at Ashlynn who looked rather unhappy with Rabastan's hand on her shoulder. "Give him hell while your there love. You'll be back here soon enough." He whispered and then threw the paper in the rubbish bin.
It had been a week since Ashlynn had been taken from him, a week with no news that she was alive or dead. Even with the grim news that she would be marrying Rabastan soon it had made Sirius' heart leap, Ashlynn was alive! Sirius stood up and walked the small flat, he was going a bit stir crazy sending owls everyone he could think of that would help him find and get Ashlynn back.
Lily floated into the kitchen and smiled sadly at Sirius who had been staying at the Potter's house since he left Hogwarts. "Hey how you holding up?" Lily asked softly and squeezed his shoulder.
Sirius looked up at her and forced a smile. "As good as I can be." He said softly as he cleared away his breakfast dishes. "Dumbledore is sending me with Lupin tonight."
Lily nodded and smiled. "Be careful Sirius. Blow off some steam while you're out with him." She said.
"I'll try Lily but the wedding is only three weeks away, if we don't get her soon she'll be his forever." Sirius whispered as he pointed at the calendar. Lily sighed as she looked at the calendar Sirius had made; February 25th was marked in red. "Eighteen more days Lil." With those words, Sirius left the kitchen.
Ashlynn sat helping Severus brew a potion he watched her through his long hair as she took the sliver knife and cut into the rat spleens slowly. "Finally after seven years I rub off on you!" He cried looking at her.
Ashlynn smirked and nodded. "You're the only reason I got an O.W.L and an N.E.W.T. in potions." She said softly as she scrapped the rat spleens into the potion.
Severus looked at her it had only taken a week for Ashlynn to learn the lesson the Dark Lord had set out for her to learn. She was allowed to have her wand when supervised but every night she had to turn it over to him. Yet ever occasionally, he would place her under the Cruciatus Curse to remind her that the Dark Lord was the way to her freedom.
An owl screeched into the dark room and landed on the desk next to Severus. "What is it Sev?" Ashlynn asked looking curiously at the letter.
Severus held up a long finger and read the short letter with a sigh he looked at Ashlynn and smiled. "Well you better go get ready our presence is needed tonight." He said.
Ashlynn cocked her head to the side and looked at him. "Where and for whom?" She asked.
"We are going to see our Lord tonight Ashlynn, wear those black robes of yours." He said and then shooed her away. Ashlynn walked into her room and looked down at her left arm with tears in her eyes she accepted her fate as she donned the black robes.
Ashlynn stood with Bellatrix in a dark hallway. She had seen her brother and father enter moments before with the rest of the inner circle and now she and Bellatrix were waiting to enter. Ashlynn shifted nervously as they waited to be called in. After a few moments, the door opened and a mask figure said. "Come."
Bellatrix stood up and quickly made her way into the room as Ashlynn followed slowly behind. They entered the center of the circle of people and when they reached the chair, they bowed to their knees. "Rise Bellatrix Black." Voldemort said and Ashlynn stayed in the supine position as Bellatrix rose to a standing position. "Do you know why you are here Bellatrix?"
"No my lord." She whispered as she looked into his face with adoration.
"Bellatrix you have proven your worth to me by finding and killing Margwen Valdena. Therefore I grant you the highest honor, hold out your left arm." Voldemort said as Bellatrix quickly held out her left arm.
"My lord you honor me!" She gasped as he set his wand to her arm.
After a few moments, Voldemort pulled her wand away and said. "Bellatrix Black you are my ever faithful Death Eater. Take your mask and stand next to Rodolphus." With that, Bellatrix went and stood by her fiancée.
Voldemort's eyes found the bowing Ashlynn and he smirked slowly. "Ashlynn Malfoy you may rise." Ashlynn rose slowly and shakily keeping her head bowed. "Ashlynn you have been a very bad girl. Have you not disobeyed me many times?"
"I have my lord." She whispered keeping her head bowed.
"Yet you stand in front of me today alive. Does this not make me a fair and just Lord?" Voldemort asked.
Ashlynn nodded slowly and said. "You're a fair and just Lord." She said softly.
He nodded slowly and said. "A forgiving one also don't you think?"
Ashlynn nodded again. "I believe so my lord."
"Ashlynn you have not earned my forgiveness nor have you earned the Dark Mark but we might rectify this tonight." He nodded to a death eater behind him and the door opened again. In stumbled a confused looking man with a death eater following close behind him. "Ashlynn do you know this man?"
Ashlynn nodded. "I do my lord." She whispered.
"Who is he and how do you know him?" Voldemort asked eyes blazing with excitement.
"He is Benjy Fenwick my lord. I know him from meetings with the Order of the Phoenix." Ashlynn said as she looked at with fear and sadness in her eyes.
"That he is." Voldemort said. "I want you to do exactly what I say when I say it do you understand?"
"Yes my lord." Ashlynn said.
"Take out your wand." Voldemort said with a grin.
"I don't have it my lord." Ashlynn whispered.
"I do my lord." Severus said as he held out Ashlynn's wand. Voldemort nodded and Ashlynn grabbed it quickly.
"Cruciatus Curse." Voldemort said wickedly.
Ashlynn sighed as she shakily pointed her want at Benjy. "Crucio!" She cried and he fell to the floor screaming.
"Again!"
"Crucio!" Benjy went ridged with pain and his screams continued.
"Again!" Ashlynn bit back her tears and the horrible feeling in her stomach she knew this was just the beginning.
Twenty minutes of the Cruciatus Curse went by before Voldemort was satisfied. "Very good Ashlynn you seem to perform the Cruciatus Curse very well." Voldemort whispered as Benjy crawled towards her and grabbed the hem of her robes.
"Please Ashlynn stop this madness please." He cried to her. Ashlynn bit back her tears again and looked up at Voldemort waiting for his commands as Benjy begged for his life at her feet.
"Ashlynn place our guest under the Imperius Curse." Voldemort laughed.
"Imperio!" Ashlynn cried and Benjy laid still and quiet.
"Such a clever little witch make him bow before his new master." Voldemort said and with a flick of her wand, Benjy was bowing before Voldemort. The death eaters around her started laughing. After making Benjy do numerous things that made Voldemort smile Ashlynn released Benjy.
Ashlynn moaned out loud when Voldemort told her to use Sectumsempra. "Sectumsempra!" She cried and the slashes craved into Benjy's chest, neck and face. Scrambling away from Ashlynn his back towards her she screamed Sectumsempra again and slashed his back open.
"Please Ashlynn!" He screamed as she stood in front of him, her eyes blazing in anger. How could he let himself be so weak? "Please!" He cried again as he grabbed at her robes again.
Ashlynn laughed and kicked him away. "Keep your hands off me you filthy Mudblood." She cried.
Voldemort smiled cruelly and nodded. "Good my pet, good. Finish him off for your master."
Without thinking, Ashlynn held her wand out and cried. "Avada Kedavra!" And Benjy fell down dead.
Voldemort flicked his hand and two Death Eaters came and pulled the body away. "My pet sit next to me." Voldemort said and Ashlynn sat next to him. "Give me your left arm my pet." Without thinking once again, Ashlynn raised her arm up and felt his cold hands on her arm. She felt the burning and at once, she came back to herself. What had she just done? She had tortured and killed an innocent man and now his mark was on her! "Go join your fiancée and brother pet."
Ashlynn stood up and without thinking; she ran past Lucius and Rabastan and slammed the doors shut before spinning around and appearing in Spinner's End. She rushed in her room and fell down to the floor sobbing. She had killed him! She had tortured him and killed him like they had done to her mother! Ashlynn gasped and fell to her knees as she vomited. She sat back on her knees and wiped her mouth when Severus entered.
"You did well tonight." He whispered as he ran his fingers through his hair. "He is very pleased with your return to our ways."
Ashlynn nodded slowly and stood up looking at her branded arm. "I'm tired Sev. Here's my wand." She said softly.
Severus shook his head and smiled. "You get to keep your wand Miss. Malfoy." With that, he turned and left.
Ashlynn sighed and knew why she got the mark now. They knew she could not return now with the Dark Mark branded on her. They also knew she could not return because she was the one to kill Benjy. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and thought of what Sirius would say. She knew she could never return to The Order of the phoenix, she could never return to the love of her life.
Tears in her eyes she stood up and walked to the window. Thinking to herself, she thought of her what she was now. Ashlynn Malfoy, soon to be Lestrange, death eater, and killer. She shivered in the cool air that is what she was beyond everything else she was a killer and knew that no matter what nothing could ever change that fact. With a sigh, she turned from the window and laid in bed.
Sirius stared at the night's sky. It was freezing outside but Remus and his mission forced them to stay outside for the night. "You okay?" Remus asked softly.
Sirius shrugged. "I don't know Moony." He whispered. "I want to get Ashlynn back but it seems like no one wants to help."
Remus nodded slowly and looked up at him. "You know we are going to get her back. Dumbledore has a plan he's just trying to keep it as quiet as possible and he knows you would jump the gun and go off plan." He said softly.
Sirius sighed. "I need her back Moony."
"We will get her back; I promise one way or another Sirius we will get her back." Remus said with a reassuring smile.
Sirius nodded and smiled. "Thanks mate that means a lot coming from you." He said.
"What do you mean coming from me?" Lupin cried unhappily.
"You hate Ashlynn!" Sirius cried.
"I don't hate her Sirius!"
"You don't?"
"No far from it! I just don't know her and I thought you too rushed into the engagement but I see now that you really care for her and I want only the best for you my friend." Lupin said. "That's why we will get her back one way or another. That's my promise as your mate."
Sirius smiled at him and then pointed to the house they were watching as a figure appeared in the window. "Where are we and who's house is this?"
Lupin laughed and whispered. "Spinner's end, this is Snape's house. We are pretty sure that's where Ashlynn is." Lupin grabbed his arm. "We aren't charging in there Sirius. This is our job, confirm and report understood?"
Sirius nodded slowly and sighed. "I understand." He said as he hung his head and hoped that Ashlynn was okay and no harm had come to her. In his heart, though he knew Ashlynn had suffered some sort of torture and that no matter what when he got her back she would not be the same girl she had been before.