The Meeting
"You call that a good polishing job?" Bellatrix said, as she loomed over where I was sitting. Apparently there was some super important Death Eater meeting, so I had to do an incredibly thorough job at cleaning the house today. Well, at least the parts that people would see. I had just made my way to the last corner of the house, and was relieved to be almost done so I could go upstairs and take a hot shower. Maybe even invite Draco to share it with me, I had thought with a smile on my face. I mean, seeing as how he was Voldemort's newest recruit, he should really present himself as a very clean person, right? And that could only be accomplished if he had someone there to help him clean places he couldn't reach, like his back. And of course, as I was having these amazingly dirty thoughts, that's when Bellatrix decided to rain on my parade.
"Of course not, ma'am. I'll go over it again." I said to her, trying not to make eye contact. She creeped me out. Instead, I tried finding something to focus on behind her, which was super easy since Draco had just come down the stairs with a book in his hand. When Bellatrix didn't immediately answer, I got worried. So I looked up at her.
"Of course you will. Just like you'll go back to where you started and go over everything else a second time." I thought about arguing, but that was a terrible idea. And apparently Draco had the same idea, because when she said that, he got mad and started making his way over to us.
"Yes ma'am." I said quickly, before Draco had a chance to speak. Bellatrix smiled at me, which always managed to make her seem just a little bit creepier.
"Very good." And she turned around to go down a hallway that I'd never been through.
"Do you want me to polish anything down that hallway, ma'am?" I asked her, and she suddenly went rigid. When she turned around and ran towards me, her knife suddenly in her hand, I got scared and backed against the wall. She came up to me and rested the knife against my neck, and I felt a little drop of blood form.
"You are never to go down that hallway, do you understand me? Never, under any circumstances!"
"Of course, ma'am! I'm sorry I mentioned it!" I said, and she left, right after giving me a threatening look. I looked back over at Draco, who was still watching her with that angry gaze that he seemed to give everyone except for me, and his mother. When he finally looked back to me, I gave him a smile that melted that hard gaze just a bit.
"Crazy bitch." He mouthed to me, which made me smile. I gestured up to my room and mouthed back to him, "One hour," Which he seemed to understand. He walked back up the stairs, maybe just going straight to my room, which made me want to finish that much sooner. So, looking around to make sure I didn't get caught, I pulled out my wand, and waved it to make all this cleaning go just a tiny bit faster.
And sure enough, when I walked into my room, there Draco was. Sitting on my bed. Well, more like lying on my bed. In fact, I think he was purposefully trying to be sexy, which of course wasn't working, because Draco Malfoy is only sexy when he's not trying. Okay, maybe he was a little sexy just then. When he started rubbing the spot next to him with his hand, I laughed. And then caught myself and quickly closed the door, and laughed even louder.
"Draco Malfoy, you always know how to make me laugh." I said to him, coming over to lie next to him.
"If I wasn't here with you through all of this, you might have gone crazy." He said as a joke, no idea how spot on he actually was.
"You got that right." I said, and he sensed the seriousness in my voice. Joking time was over. "Draco, even with you here, I won't be able to stand this much longer. I know it's only been for the summer, but I know it's going to be much, much longer until I get out of here." He scooted closer to me so we could cuddle. It was comforting.
"I know. Hell, I've lived here my whole life, and I always seem to be suffocating in this monster of a house." Then, he noticed the cut on my neck from before, and lightly touched it. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It doesn't hurt." That was a small lie. It did hurt a little bit, but I didn't want to worry him. He seemed to buy it.
"Good."
"DRACO! Are you ready yet? Everyone will be arriving soon! You need to get into your suit, now!" Bellatrix shouted from downstairs. Man, her voice was pretty loud sometimes. Draco and I both looked down at the suit he was wearing, and I smiled at him.
"Doesn't she realize that you're always in a suit?" I said, and he laughed.
"I wear normal clothes, too!"
"Oh please! We may not have been dating for more than a few months, but I've been going to school with you for almost seven years now. I've only ever seen you wear Slytherin robes, and suits. Even on the weekends, just suits. Around your own house, suits. Suits, suits, suits." He chuckled, and scooted ever closer.
"Maybe I'll have to prove you wrong." He said in a deep, breathy voice. Just as we were about to start kissing, that crazy bitch had to go and ruin it.
"Draco! Hurry up!"
Draco sighed in a frustrated way, and got off the bed.
"Why don't you come and see me after the meeting? We can talk… and stuff." I said, and wagged my eyebrows at him. He chuckled, his mood lightened a bit.
"I'll be there." But as he backed out of the room, I saw his smile fade a bit.
…
Draco POV
As I walked down the stairs, dread filled me. I always hated these meetings, but I had no choice but to attend. I always made sure to put on a brave face for Talia, but the truth was, all this stuff scared me just as much as it scared her. Before, when we were joking about how she's go crazy without me, I couldn't help but think it would be the other way around, too. I don't think I could survive without knowing that she'd be there for me to talk to at the end of the day, but I also wished she was anywhere but here.
As I walked over to my seat at the table, right next to my parents, I noticed that everyone else was already there. Well, almost everyone. Snape hadn't arrived yet. And while we all waited for him, it was so silent in that room that you could've heard a pin drop. It was way awkward. I kept my head down, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes, and thought of Talia. And that's when, weirdly, The Dark Lord started to talk about her.
"So tell me, Mrs. Malfoy, how is our dear siren doing? I was very pleased with her when we displayed her. Has she made any progress?" He asked my mother, and I looked up at him, my ears practically steaming. How dare he talk about her like that? Like she was just some prized dog that needed to be "displayed". Not thinking, I tensed up, ready to voice these thoughts. But, as always, my mother sensed how I was feeling, and grabbed my hand from under the table.
"She has, my lord. I'm pleased to report that she is ready for anything you have planned for her." I looked to my mother with surprise, horrified that she was going along with these plans for Talia. But when I saw the look in her eyes, I realized that she had no choice. She didn't want Talia involved in all of this any more than I did, but there was no getting her out of it. It would take a miracle.
"Good. Very good." The Dark Lord said, and I didn't like the look in his eyes. Just then we heard the front door open, as a group, turned our heads to the door to the dining room. When Snape walked in, I realized I hadn't seen him since that last night at Hogwarts. I would never admit this to anyone besides Talia, but I would always be grateful for what he did on top of the Astronomy Tower. Obviously I didn't want Dumbledore to die, but I also didn't want to be the one to kill him. Honestly, I don't think I could've done it.
"Severus. I was beginning to think you'd lost your way. Come, I've saved you a seat." The Dark Lord said, and Snape took the seat to his left. Just then, I noticed a figure floating above us. I recognized the levitating person, but could not remember where I had seen her before. But as she rotated, and I got a better view of her face, I found that it was Professor Burbage, the Muggle Studies teacher at school. "You know our hosts, of course, Severus. Narcissa in particular has been most hospitable. Lucius, on the other hand, I fear, is burdened by my presence. Are you, Lucius?" My father looked up from his lap for the first time, and acted as if he hadn't heard. But I knew he had.
"My Lord?" He said.
"Are you burdened?" The Dark Lord asked him again, and I could tell he already knew the answer.
"My Lord is always welcome here." My mother said for my father, with a polite smile on her face. Satisfied, The Dark Lord turned back to Snape.
"You bring news I trust, Severus?" Snape gave a single nod.
"It will happen Saturday next, at nightfall." He said in that long, drawling voice of his.
"And this information comes from…?"
"From the source we discussed, My Lord." Another Death Eater, Yaxley, I believed his name was, leaned forward, switching our attention to him.
"I have heard differently, My Lord. Dawlish, the Auror, let slip that the Potter boy will not be moved until the thirteenth of this month, the night before he turns seventeen."
"This is a false trail." Snape said, silencing Yaxley. "The Auror office no longer plays any part in the protection of Harry Potter. Those closest to him believe we have infiltrated the Ministry." Then a fat little man started cackling.
"Well, they've got that right, then, 'aven't they?" and everyone joined in his cackling. Everyone except me and my parents. Even The Dark Lord let a smile crack his face, but then he suddenly turned to a small, thin man who had apparently spoken, but was stifled by the laughter.
"What did you say, Pius?" So that was the infamous Pius Thicknesse, the man who was The Dark Lord's new Minister of Magic.
"One hears many things, My Lord. Whether the truth is among them is not clear." He said, and it seemed to amuse The Dark Lord.
"Spoken like a true politician. You will, I think, prove most useful, Pius." Once again, the attention was moved back to Snape. "Where will he be taken? The boy?"
"To a safe house, likely the home of someone in the Order. I'm told it has been given every manner of protection possible. Once there, it will be impractical to attack him." Snape said, not caring if it was what The Dark Lord wanting to hear or not. "WE may have compromised the Ministry, but there are those who are still loyal to him. As long as the Ministry stands, his allies within will have the means at their disposal to insure his safety." Bellatrix quickly sat up straighter.
"My Lord, if I might, I'd like to volunteer myself for this task. I'd like to kill the boy." She was cut short by an agonized wail coming from somewhere beneath us. It was quite loud, and I wondered if Talia heard it. I hope it didn't scare her too much.
"Wormtail! Have I not spoken to you about keeping our guest quiet?" The Dark Lord shouted at Pettigrew, who had been cowering in the corner this whole time. I wondered how he had gotten that nickname, but it seemed to fit him quite accurately.
"Y-yes, My Lord. Right away, My Lord." He stammered, and then left the room. The Dark Lord turned back to Bellatrix.
"As inspiring as I find your bloodlust, Bellatrix, I must be the one to kill Harry Potter. But I face an unfortunate complication. It had recently come to my attention that my wand and Potter's share the same core." Two wands having the same core? I didn't think that that ever happened. "They are, in some ways, twins. We can wound, but not fatally harm one another. Which means, if I am to kill him… I will have to do it with another's wand." Everyone stirred uncomfortably, not wanting their wands to be taken from them. His eyes narrowed. "Come, now. Surely one of you would like the honor? What about you… Lucius?" Somehow, I wasn't surprised. My father was basically useless to the Dark Lord these days, so he might as well use his wand. "I require your wand." My father handed over his wand, and the Dark Lord studied it for a few minutes. As he turned it, the light caught the emerald eye of the snake's head that occupied the top of the wand. As much as I loathed my father, I had always appreciated the beauty of that piece of his wand. "Do I detect elm?"
"Yes, My Lord." My father spoke for the first time.
"And the core?"
"Dragon Heartstring." I noticed he gave up the 'My Lord' crap. Good. The dark Lord continued to study the wand for a few more moments, and then he suddenly snapped the snake head right off. I balled my hands into fists, carefully keeping my mouth shut, though my mind was screaming, "You son of a bitch! Don't you know how valuable that is?!" He dropped it to the floor, treating it like a piece of lint he had found on his robes. His attention suddenly moved to the floating professor above us, and with a flick of his new wand, she started to move.
"For those of you who don't know, we are joined tonight by Miss Charity Burbage, who until recently, taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her specialty was Muggle Studies. It is her belief that Muggles are not so different from us. She would, given her way, have us mate with them. To her, the mixture of magical and Muggle blood is not an abomination, but something to be encouraged. I, of course, take a contrary view." Her face turned towards Snape, and I noticed that her cheeks were tear-stained.
"Severus, please… we're friends…" I watched a tear fall and hit the table, and felt a pang of sympathy. I wished I could help her.
"Avada Kedavra!" I heard the familiar words and saw the green light, and suddenly there was a lifeless, stiff body right in front of me. It surprised me, and I had to stifle a gasp. He had murdered her! In cold blood! Later on I came to my senses and remembered that all he had was cold blood. But just then, I was cold, and numb to everything else except for the dead body right in front of my eyes. I couldn't move, and couldn't look away, not even when The Dark Lord set his evil snake on the empty body. I was slightly aware that my mother had gotten me to stand up and walk out of the room, but even when we left I couldn't stop thinking about it. She led me up the stairs, and once we were out of sight of everyone else, pulled me into a warm hug.
"I'm so sorry you had to see that." She whispered. I couldn't find my voice, so I just hugged her tighter. "I have to get back downstairs. I shouldn't have left, but I had to get you out of there." She kissed my forehead before she left, and then I turned to head to my room. But then I realized that the hall ways she took me to didn't lead to my room, but Talia's, and I remembered that I had said I'd come by after the meeting. Not wanting to burden her, I tried my best to put on a normal face, hoping that she wouldn't suspect the turmoil within me.
As always, she was able to see right through me.
…
Talia POV
I had changed into a very cute, very tiny little night gown for when Draco turned up, because I had decided that this whole No-Sex-In-The-Same-House-As-Voldemort thing was getting really frustrating. The way I figured, as long as we were careful, all was good. I should've realized, however, that this meeting was going to be a little longer than I thought, and I had accidentally fallen asleep while reading a book in bed. I awoke to the light being turned on, which startled me a little, but I relaxed when I saw it was Draco. He, however, looked a little upset at the thought of having woken me up.
"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I can come back in the morning." He said, and began to leave.
"Don't you dare leave this room, Draco Malfoy. As you can see, I'm wide awake, and not at all upset about it." As he came all the way in and closed the door, I posed my body to show off my cute little outfit. "You like?" he smiled, but it wasn't quite as big as his usual smile.
"I really like. But what happened to the No-Sex thing?"
"I changed my mind. Do you have a problem with that?" I asked, pulling my robe a bit more closed. He walked toward me until he was only inches away from me.
"Do I look like I have a problem with that?" He said, and started to kiss my neck. And that's when I realized that something was really wrong. So I pushed him back a bit.
"Okay, what the hell is wrong, Malfoy?" He looked like he was trying to look confused.
"What do you mean? I was just kissing your neck."
"Exactly. You always kiss my lips first. And that smile you gave me was a little phony. What gives?" When I saw how his face transformed, I realized it was a little more serious than I thought. "Draco, what is it?" I said, my voice softer this time. He tried to speak, but his voice caught in his throat, and a traitorous tear escaped from his eye. I pulled him toward the bed and laid him down, and scooted next to him, but laid on my side so I could look at him. It took him a few minutes to find his voice, but then he also turned on his side.
"They're going to attack Harry." He told me, which made me catch my breath.
"What?" I asked, needing him to explain.
"Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They know that Harry is being moved to a safe house before his birthday, and they're planning an attack on him. Voldemort even took my dad's wand, because apparently his and Harry's have the same core, and that prevents him from being able to kill him." I nodded. I remember Harry telling me about what Ollivander told him, seven years ago.
"I can't believe this! We have to warn him!" I said, and jumped up and started pacing, looking around for something I could do. And all the while, I was muttering about sending notes and patronuses, and I probably looked quite insane. "What are you just sitting there for? We have to do something!" He got up, but it wasn't to brainstorm with me. He placed his hands on both of my arms, stopping my pacing.
"What can we do?" He said, looking into my eyes. My body relaxed, and I knew he was right. "We're both trapped here. We can't do anything but hope he'll be alright."
"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry." I said, and we went back to lying on the bed.
"Hell, he's Harry Potter! He's been through worse than this! And he's already faced The Dark Lord, like, four times already, right? Trust me, he'll be okay." I smiled at his confidence in my best friend. But studying his face more, I realized that there was something else going on.
"There's something else. Why won't you tell me?"
"I already told you, it's Harry—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know about Harry. But I can tell that you're keeping something else from me, so spill." I said, but kept my voice soft, because I could tell this was bothering him. But it wasn't until I saw how shaky his hands were that I realized just how much. Once again, I waited for him to be ready to tell me.
"You remember Professor Burbage? From Hogwarts?" He said after a while, and I nodded.
"She was the Muggle Studies teacher. She's brilliant."
"She was here tonight." That shocked me.
"You mean…?"
"Not as a Death Eater. As his prisoner."
"Bloody Hell. Is he keeping her hostage or something?" He shook his head, which confused me.
"He killed her." He whispered. I covered my mouth, horror struck at what he was saying, and all of a sudden it was like a well broke inside of him, and he continued. "He used the killing curse on her, and she fell to the table, right in front of me, and I couldn't look away… she was so still… and cold… and I still couldn't look away… not even when Nagini started to…" And then he lost it. He wasn't exactly crying, but he was definitely hyperventilating. And after I pulled him into a hug, all I could do was run my fingers through his hair until he calmed down. It brought me back to our fourth year at school, when Harry watched Cedric Diggory die. He had acted the same way, and I had had to start singing to calm him down. So, this time, I started to hum a nice, soft tune, and Draco's sobs slowly faded into slow breathing. Actually, I thought he was sleeping at first, but then he spoke.
"That was embarrassing."
"We've all been there, trust me."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize. That was perfectly understandable." I got up, and giggled at the lost little puppy look on his face.
"Where are you going? I still need comforting!" He said and started to pout.
"Oh, I know you do. Which is why I'm going to the stash of liquor I took from Blaise's that I keep in the bathroom." I said, and made my way toward the bathroom. But I paused, something outside the window catching my eye. I saw something moving outside, but when I went to look closer, nothing was there.
"What the hell?" I said to myself, and Draco got up to come look with me.
"What is it?" He asked me.
"I swear I saw something moving outside. It almost looked like… a person."
"Maybe it was just your reflection."
"No, it wasn't. Someone was in the tree, looking in the window. I swear."
"Well, that's creepy." We looked out the window some more, and when it was decided that whatever was there was gone, we went to the liquor stash and got drunk and passed out in bed. All in all, it was a good night.