Chapter 31- Nowhere To Run:
"I just want you to know how much I hate you." I said.
Donovan rolled his eyes.
"It's not the end of the world, and don't forget your role. You're Cassandra, not Lily. And Cassandra loves getting new dresses." He said sarcastically.
"No, you're the one who wants to go." I said.
"Yes, because I know who will be there. You will behave and be the perfect socialite. We want them to like you, don't forget that." He said.
I stuck out my tongue as he held out his arm to side-along apparate us. I realize it's completely immature and childish, but socialite isn't what I thought I was signing up for. It's exactly what I thought I was getting away from.
"Come on, we need to go." He hurried me.
I was dragging my feet as slowly as possible, just to irritate him further.
"Cassandra." He warned.
The second I touched his arm we were gone. He had apparated us into the back alley behind the shop.
"Nice place." I said as I looked at the large trash bins against the back of the building.
He shot me a pointed look.
"Let's go." He whispered.
I said nothing as I took his arm and walked with my head down. He led us to the front of the building where people were milling down the street going in and out of the different shops.
When he opened the door an invisible bell tinkled overhead. The shop wasn't set up with rows of dresses or anything like that. In fact, it looked more like a business office. There weren't any dresses anywhere. When you first walked in, there was a small booth with a woman waiting to take our names and a small waiting room type area with some chairs and magazines. Apparently you could only get in if you were on the list.
The woman was around my age, her name badge said 'Anna' and she was eyeing Donovan appreciatively as she checked off our name. No doubt he was exactly the type of guy she would hope for. He was attractive in a charmingly handsome way. His looks could definitely be pictured in Witch Weekly for girls to drool over, but he put on this debonair act when he was among society that made you want to swoon. And then there was the fact that he was obviously rich. Donovan and I were both dressed expensively, for it made the right impression on these types of people. But really, must she stare at him so openly? His wife is right next to him. Well, I'm his pretend wife... but she doesn't know it's pretend.
"Right this way, Mr. Mihalov." She said.
Donovan grinned but turned to me instead.
"Actually, the appointment is for my wife. I do hope you can satisfy her, she has exquisite taste." He said.
The woman, Anna, did not look pleased. She actually scowled at me.
Donovan dropped his arm and put his hand on my back giving me a subtle push forward.
Anna led me further into the shop that opened into a large room with chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and small tables and chairs scattered around it. There were also a few couches in the room. And most of them were full of different women of varying ages, all dressed up like they were already at a ball.
I was glad when Anna turned and left me here, but not glad when I was standing alone with everyone staring at me.
I took a deep breath and prepared my socialite side. I plastered a smile on my face as a beautiful girl not much older than me with blonde hair and blue eyes walked up to me.
"You're the elusive Mrs. Mihalov we've all been hearing about!" She welcomed me.
What has she heard about me?
"My name is Victoria Richter." She smiled.
Richter? As in Barnabus Richter, the host of the ball? This woman looked like she was in her early twenties, I had imagined Barnabus as some 40-year-old grungy man the way Donovan spoke about him being some vampire drifter.
"Oh, you are Barnabus' wife?" I asked politely.
She laughed.
"Oh no, I'm his only sister." She said.
I smiled shyly.
"I'm so glad you could make it today, Cassandra. Come, you'll sit with me." She hooked her arm in mine and pulled me to her table in the center of the room.
Everyone stared at me with calculating eyes as I was led to the seat of honor, right next to the host's sister.
And then a thought occurred to me, Donovan said Barnabus was a vampire.. Then his sister was as well, right? Or were all of these women vampires? Surely Donovan wouldn't just leave me with a bunch of vampires...would he?
"So, Donovan tells me you've never been aware of meeting a vampire before?" She said to me as everyone went back to their drinks and their own conversations.
I guess that answers that. Merlin's beard, I'm surrounded too. Good one, Lily, walk right into a nest of them and get yourself completely surrounded.
Victoria chuckled.
"Cassandra, your heart is racing. Calm down, I assure you we aren't what you probably think. We aren't about to attack you." She said.
"That's good, because I would have worn a different dress." I said as I wished my daggers were a bit more accessible.
But she burst out laughing as a man in a tailored suit appeared with a tray of drinks. I was afraid of seeing a cup full of blood, but he gave us both champagne.
"Let's be friends." She said as though it were a proclamation instead of a suggestion.
Only, I didn't know why she would want to. I didn't know anything about these people, other than they knew Donovan. Why would she want to befriend me other than her own amusement apparently. Like I'm just a big joke. She doesn't know me whatsoever. Unless she's playing her own game, there's really not a reason for her to talk to me. And Donovan is no help, he tells me nothing and throws me into situations where I have no idea what to do. I feel so lost in all of this. It isn't anything like school, there I knew how to control most situations. Here I'm just a pawn in someone else's game. And the worst part is knowing it and having nothing to do about it. Though it might help to know who's game I'm really playing.
I smiled at Victoria.
"I am sorry though, I guess I was expecting Dracula." I said.
She was still smiling.
"Oh pet, you are a delight. It's refreshing to have someone speak freely. Most everyone is afraid of me. But I suppose that's due to my brother..." She said as she sipped her champagne with elegance.
There was such an aristocratic air to everyone, was I messing this up?
"Now, I'm going to design you the most magnificent dress you've ever worn." She said.
"You're the designer?" I asked with surprise.
"Of course." She smiled as Anna came back in and waited by a side door.
"Come, I know exactly what to do." Victoria said as she led me past Anna into the side room that had a huge platform surrounded by mirrors.
Anna walked in behind me and Victoria turned to her.
"Wand. I'll do this one myself." She said.
The girl pulled out her wand and handed it to Victoria.
That was odd, why wouldn't Victoria use her own wand?
"Now Cassandra, step up and I'll measure you." She said.
I stepped on the platform and measuring tapes started going all around me as she circled me, writing down numbers and measurements. She summoned some black fabrics and they zoomed into the room. She started muttering charms as the black fabrics unrolled themselves and we're magically cut out. They floated to me and were wrapping around different parts of me. She kept swishing the wand around and the fabrics were layering and forming into the shape of a dress. It only took her about ten minutes.
She poked me in several spots to make adjustments and embroider the thin lace that went over my chest barely concealing the top of my breast that the low-cut front revealed. The back of the dress plunged far down, and as I looked into the mirror I saw the skin of my back. Too much skin then I would ever normally show. But I had to admit, the dress was sophisticated and sexy. I felt sexy just standing in it. As Lily, I would never wear something like this. But as Cassandra, I didn't need to be embarrassed because nobody knew who I really was. The dress had satin swoops just over the tops of my shoulders and arms, barely qualifying as sleeves. The satin shined and the top glittered with beautiful bead work.
"Victoria, this is amazing..." I whispered.
She grinned.
"A new dress for my new friend. My gift to you." She said smoothly.
Anna stood in the corner silently, watching us. I had to remember to ask Donovan about her. Something seemed.. Off.
I spent a couple more hours with Victoria drinking champagne and eating off of the many trays the staff brought out to us. Victoria introduced me to some of the other women but they didn't say much. They all watched me, but were cordial enough. I got the feeling it was only because of Victoria. She seemed to be someone they respected. It were as if she were a princess or something. She seemed to do and say whatever she wanted and nobody said anything to counter her. But behind her back they stared at me with distaste, like I didn't belong here and I was below them.
When Donovan brought me home the first thing he asked me was how it went.
"Well, you know, pretty good I think." I said.
"Explain." He said.
"Well, I'm still alive considering you left me in a building filled with vampires!" I said.
I hadn't forgotten that he had lied to me again and figuratively thrown me to the wolves.
"Come now, you would have given everything away if I had of told you. You were too afraid of them." He said.
"Of course I'm afraid! They're vampires! They could kill me!" I said.
"Don't overreact. I thought today would be good for you to get over your fear." He said.
"You should have told me! I was unprepared!" I said.
"Cassandra, if I had told you then you would have refused to go." He said.
"Oh right, and my life isn't as important as your plans." I said.
"You're being hysterical." He said calmly but a slight edge of irritation laced his voice.
"I have a right to be!" I yelled.
"No, you don't. You accepted this mission, now stop acting like a child and pull yourself together. You knew it was going to be dangerous. And while you think I don't do my job of preparing you, you're wrong. Not every situation is going to go like you plan. You need to learn how to keep up with whatever is thrown at you without blowing your cover." He said.
"So this was just a test?" I said.
"I wasn't about to let you blow it at the gala." He said.
"Why did you even agree to me doing this? You obviously don't think I can do anything." I screamed.
He didn't say anything, just kept his calm demeanor that infuriated me even more.
I stormed out of the room. One minute Donovan is finally telling me things and opening up and dare say it complimenting me, the next minute he is closed off again and making me feel smaller than a child.
The next day I was still in a bad mood when I walked in to the old manor. Severus was already there, as usual, and writing away in the leather book he always kept with him.
He looked up when I walked in and as always, put his book up out of my view. I wonder what he wrote in there.
"Any changes last night?" I asked.
"No, they remained stable. They are finished and ready for testing." He said.
"Testing? How are we supposed to test them?" I asked.
"On werewolves, of course." He said.
"But, we have no idea what the effects of any of these potions will be. You can't just test them on live subjects, it could kill someone." I said.
Was he serious?
"Well, it's a good thing they're only werewolves." He said.
I was astonished. Severus must have seen the look on my face because he stopped walking towards the cauldrons and stared at me.
"The Dark Lord will not wait patiently forever. He expects results of some kind. If we fail to produce progress he'll have us killed. How did you think we were going to test these?" He said.
I just shook my head. I hadn't thought about that. At least, not on live subjects.
"How are you planning to test them on werewolves? I doubt any volunteered." I said, dreading what I knew he would say.
"It's already arranged. They're waiting for us." He said.
"What? As in, right now?" I asked.
He nodded.
I stood there in shock as he walked out to get several trays of glass viles. He brought them back in and I tried to compose myself. He handed me some and we started to fill them with the potions labeling which was which. We took a couple viles of each one, and Severus placed a charm on them to prevent them from breaking should they be accidentally dropped. He then shrunk them into his robes and turned to me.
"I'll apparate us to the site." He held out his arm for me.
I wanted to refuse. I wanted to tell him werewolves were people too. I wanted to just blow up the whole lab and get as far away as possible. These were our first potions, there was no way to know what would happen if they were consumed. We were lucky none of them exploded this time, as Severus had experienced before I started. I knew I was working for the Dark Lord, but I suppose I never thought I'd do this. Everything in me was screaming how wrong this was, that I needed to stop it. I'd ruin everything now if I did though. It would jeopardize Donovan and probably get myself killed. And I was willing to sacrifice my life, but I knew they would just find someone else. I could still do good by being here, though it wasn't my place to judge who's lives had to be sacrificed for the greater good.
And so, I resolved myself with the fate that would now surely await me after this life. I put my hand on Severus' arm and he apparated us away.
We arrived at another building in ruin, like it was once a stone castle but now destroyed. But this time there were no illusions. This depressing place was as real as it ever was. We walked through a stone entrance, no door left on it, and Severus led us through the halls. There were pieces of stone rubble littering the stone ground, parts of the ceilings were gone letting the light from the sun through along with the rain that poured outside. We walked in silence, and we arrived at a staircase that descended into the ground. In this lower chamber the floors were dirt, the walls a thick stone, and we were greeted by three men. All of them were wearing black cloaks with hoods over their heads. Two of them were at a table playing cards by candlelight. The third stood in the shadows, barely in view.
"It's about time." One of the men said as he threw down his cards.
Severus frowned at him with distaste.
"Let's get on with it." The portly man said.
He reached in his robes and pulled out a key, walking toward the dungeon-like door.
"Mind if we watch?" The other man at the table said.
Severus gave the man an irritated look before saying,
"If you stay silent, we need to see the effects without distraction."
The man held his hands up in surrender as he smiled and quickly got to his feet. The third man in the corner moved forward as well, but still in the shadows.
"Who's he?" Severus said.
"He's new, pay him no mind." The second guy said.
The portly man finally got the door unlocked and it opened with an eerie creek.
Severus walked forward and I followed silently.
The room smelled ghastly. It assaulted my nose and made bile rise up my throat. It was the smell of deification and urine that must have been trapped in here for days.
The two men pulled out their wands and lit the torches on the walls. My eyes were assaulted with the most gruesome thing I had ever seen. Five men were chained to the back wall, all looked like they had been starved and beaten for days or maybe even weeks. Their clothes were stained with mud and blood and their own feces. Their faces were sunken in and bruised. Their was a sixth man at the end slumped over, unmoving. The stench of his death permeated around us. The two Death Eaters had stepped forward and offered out their hands.
"We can give it to 'em, wouldn't want the misses to get her robes dirty." The portly one said.
"Indeed." Severus said.
He pulled out his wand a produced two chairs. As I sat down the third man slipped into the room, and I caught a glimpse of his face when he passed through the torch-light before slipping back into the shadows. I looked away quickly and Severus handed me a journal and a never dry quill.
I was to take notes on how the potions effected each subject.
Severus handed the portly man a vile and whispered #1 to me.
The portly man went to the first chained man who looked at him miserably. The werewolf was probably about 30 years old or so, and all of them were men.
The portly Death Eater grabbed the mans throat and told him to drink. He made no fight and swallowed the vile. It only took about a minute before he slumped over. The Death Eater checked his pulse before pronouncing him dead.
Potion #2 had the same effect, although it took about five minutes before it claimed the mans life.
Potion #3 was administered to an older man who looked to be in his late forties. He tried to resist and was beaten before he finally took the potion. He started convulsing before he,too, died.
Potion #4 was administered and nothing happened. The werewolf stood silently, refusing to look at us. We sat and watched him for twenty minutes before he fell asleep only to never wake up again.
When the portly Death Eater walked to the last werewolf I noticed that he was only in his early twenties or so. He resisted and both Death Eaters started to beat him violently. My hands squeezed my journal tightly as I tried to stay quiet.
The boy screamed in pain.
"You're the ones who are monsters! You're all going to burn in hell for this! We're victims! We didn't do anything wrong!" He screamed hoarsely.
"You exist. That's your crime." The second Death Eater said as he forced the vile down the boys throat.
The boy started convulsing and white foam bubbled out of his mouth as his eyes rolled back in his head. I couldn't look anymore. As I looked away, I noticed the third and silent Death Eater was watching me. But I didn't care, I didn't care about any of it anymore.
I felt Severus' hand on my arm and looked at him.
"It's finished. We're leaving." He said.
I looked back at the dead boy and tried to hold back my tears.
God forgive me.
I hadn't made a single note in the journal. I didn't need to. I wouldn't be forgetting anything about this day any time soon. As soon as we arrived back at the old manor I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Luckily my back was to Severus, but I think he knew. He said nothing as he walked upstairs to the bedroom he had stayed in. I apparated away as quickly as possible.
That night my dreams were plagued with screams of the boy. The figures of the slumped men started rising with dead eyes but coming after me to take me to hell. I don't know when the boys screams became my own, but it was enough for Donovan to come in and shake me awake.
"Lily?" He questioned cautiously.
I couldn't speak, I ran to the bathroom to release the sick that had bubbled up my throat. Donovan came in after me and crouched next to me, waiting for my explanation I suppose. He just stared at me as I started sobbing, offering me a towel.
"It's my fault. They're dead because I didn't stop it. Because I failed." I said.
"They were dead anyways. They were never going to be released." He said.
I looked up at him, not in the least surprised that he knew what had happened.
"Severus sent me an owl. He said you looked sick after today, that you were probably coming down with something and to keep you here until you recovered so that he wasn't exposed." Donovan said.
I gave him a strange look.
"I think you may have a new friend, or he just feels sorry for you." Donovan said.
I shook my head. Severus wasn't the type to make excuses or cover for anyone. And he definitely didn't see me as a friend or admire me in the least. Most of the time he treats me as if I were a pest he had to put up with.
"The best thing you can do isn't necessarily to forget what happened, but you do need to move on. It happened and it won't be the last time. Let that be your motivation to keep going, knowing one day this will all be over." He said.
He touched my shoulder briefly before he left me alone.
It wasn't that he was being unkind, it's just how Donovan was. He didn't seem to dwell on things that could not be changed, but looked ahead to drive on and keep going. It's probably the only way to live like this and still stay sane. I said a quick prayer for those men before I climbed back to bed, willing myself forgiveness that I didn't deserve. I had failed. And the cost of my failure were their lives.
There were no nightmares this time, but I was pulled into Charlie's mind again. I had taken to thinking of them as Charlie Dreams. Although I was quite sure they were all very real...
"Fucking hell, Alice!" Charlie whispered urgently.
"What?! We can't just stay back and not know what's going on! Death Eaters are in Knockturn alley on our shift! We actually have a chance to do something!" Alice whispered excitedly, her blonde hair flying in the breeze as her blue eyes shined with excitement.
"We need some backup! We're out numbered." Charlie whispered furiously as he glanced around.
The streets were dark and the shops closed for the night. The only light came from the street lamps, but even they stopped before Knockturn alley. The alley was already dark in the day, only dim and eery green light illuminated it now. Charlie and Alice were on a roof of one of the shops that overlooked Knockturn alley. Alice peered over the edge slowly and ever so slightly before leaning back and turning to Charlie.
"We need to move further down, I can't hear anything and I can only make out outlines of them." Alice whispered.
"Alice, if we get much closer they'll hear us. We need to keep out of view and just make sure nothing happens." Charlie said.
Alice frowned at him.
"Are you an Auror or not? This is our job, and we finally have a chance to do something and you want to sit back here and observe quietly while waiting for Moody? Well, not me." Alice whispered.
She slowly started crawling on the roof toward the other end of the street, careful to keep far enough away from the edge of the roof so that the Death Eaters below would not see her or her shadow. Charlie felt obligated to stick with her though he knew the consequences Moody would give them for not doing exactly what he told Alice they should do. He imagined a harsh tongue lashing from Moody while being moved to the most docile part of wizarding England to patrol, or perhaps be demoted to paper work and strictly desk time. But still, Charlie couldn't shake the feeling that something important was happening just below him. Why else would the Death Eaters be here? It wasn't a secret that the Aurors patrol the streets at all times. It was quite stupid of them, Charlie thought. And though his first instinct was to check it out just as Alice wanted, he still felt the charge to keep Alice out of danger. Except that Alice seemed to crave danger, and she refused to be held back.
They crawled as slowly and quietly as possible, until they could start to make out voices. Charlie waved a stop to Alice and they flattened themselves against the roof to ease a bit closer to the edge.
"Are you sure those Aurors aren't around?" One of the Death Eaters asked.
"I checked. I saw them duck into the pub, never came back out." Another replied.
That much was true, they had went into the Pub to get to the top floor in order to climb onto the roof of the building next to it.
The first Death Eater chuckled.
"I want their job, sitting in a pub all night." He said.
Charlie and Alice glanced at each other. They had no idea that they were even being watched at that time.
"Now don't tell me the big bad Death Eaters are afraid of the little Aurors." A familiar voice said.
Charlie froze as he realized who that voice belonged to, but he hoped that Alice hadn't known Sirius Black long enough to recognize it was him. Alice hadn't been in their training program, having been an Auror for about a year now. But Charlie feared she might remember Sirius from Hogwarts. They still couldn't risk looking over the edge, but they could hear quite clearly from their vantage point right above the three men.
"Shut it or we'll give you a reason to be afraid of us." The second Death Eater threatened.
"Now gentleman, you are the ones that asked for this meeting. What can I do for you?" Sirius' smooth voice asked.
The Death Eaters hesitated before the first one replied.
"You're aware of the recent bans the Ministry has put in place on class D and class E potions ingredients?" He asked.
"Indeed." Sirius replied.
"Well, we heard you're the only one who's got em' now." The second Death Eater said.
"That would be correct." Sirius said.
"Then we need to place an order with you." The first Death Eater responded.
"Really? You two fine gentleman don't really look the type for potioneers." Sirius said sarcastically.
"It's not for us, we're just deliverin' the list." The second responded.
"Ah. Well you see, I don't deal with go-between's. Easiest way to get caught. I'm sure you understand." Sirius said.
There were footsteps as if someone was leaving and then a rustle of cloaks.
"Would you dare defy the Dark Lord?!" The first man hissed.
"I greatly doubt that the Dark Lord himself sent the two of you." Sirius said.
"It's like I said, I don't do go-between's. So either you tell me what it's really for and where it's going or you send someone who can. I'm a businessman, I'm not stupid enough to get some undercover MLE getting their hands on my label." Sirius said.
"Fine. If I send the person in charge will you bring this list?" The first one asked.
"And who should I be expecting than?" Sirius asked.
"Severus Snape." The second man said.
There was a pause.
"Give me the list. And tell him to meet me here tomorrow night." Sirius said.
"Well he can't, can he? He's in Germany, that'll be at least two days to get authorized for international travel wouldn't it?" Said the second Death Eater.
"Shut up, you idiot." The first Death Eater hissed.
"I happen to have a family residence in Berlin. Perhaps I could make the trip myself?" Sirius said.
"Fine. We'll have him contact you in three days." The first Death Eater said.
"I look forward to it." Sirius said.
Two pops signaled Apparation. After a few seconds, a third one sounded and all was quiet again. Alice chanced a look over the edge before pulling back and saying,
"They're gone."
Charlie checked his watch and looked back at Alice.
"Our shift is over, we need to report back in." He said.
"Right. At least we have one name to give Moody now." Alice said.
Charlie looked at her. Had she recognized Sirius' voice?
"Severus Snape is working for the Dark Lord. I can't say I'm surprised though." Alice said.
Right, Severus Snape. Of course, until now only he and Sirius had known that Voldemort was working abroad. Even if Alice tells Moody, the Aurors have no jurisdiction outside of England. But they would start to watch everyone and everything coming in and out that looked remotely suspicious from now on. But he didn't see that as a bad thing at all.
After the debrief, Charlie left the Ministry and went straight to Sirius' flat. He wasn't there, but Charlie knew he'd be back sooner or later. Sirius wasn't stupid, although he often liked to play the part. It was the best trick card Sirius had, he was always underestimated. But Charlie knew that Sirius had met the Death Eaters on his patrol for a reason. And he'd wait on the couch all night until Sirius returned to find out what it was.
I sat up quickly, jarred awake and pulled out of Charlie's mind by my realization.
Sirius was coming to Germany. He was the illegal supplier working with the Death Eaters? It didn't make sense, unless he too was playing double agent. That would also explain why Sirius was pushing James away and not talking to him. I knew Sirius came from a Dark Arts supporting family, but he'd always renounced those ways. But the fact was, he was meeting with Snape in just three days.
Snape wasn't letting me stay home because he knew I was upset or felt sorry for me. He was using it to get me out of the way so he could meet with the supplier, with Sirius, in secret. Well, I've had about enough of being kept in the dark.
I needed to find out what game Sirius was up to. Because I didn't believe he had switched sides. I had heard a lot of things about the Black family and how crazy and evil they all were, but I knew Sirius was different. Using his family's reputation would make an excellent cover for him, but I don't know what his motivation is to do this. Unless Dumbledore had secretly recruited him as well, it's not like I had ever been to an official Order of the Phoenix meeting or knew any other members besides Donovan. But this was something I needed to find out, if Sirius ever recognized me, it could blow everything.
The next morning I arrived at the old manor at my usual time. Severus looked quite surprised to see me though.
"What are you doing here?" He asked.
"I always arrive at this time." I said.
"I thought you'd be staying home." He said.
"I appreciate your concern for my health, but I assure you I'm fine." I said.
He didn't say anything more so I walked closer.
"What are you working on?" I asked.
"Going over yesterday's test results. Trying to come up with something new." He said.
I nodded and sat across from him.
"I noticed that the potion with Nightshade took longer to... before we saw any changes. But it was also the potion I put Wolfberry in. I was also thinking about-" but he cut me off.
"You don't have to be here." He said finally.
"Of course I do." I said.
He studied me for a moment before saying,
"I think the Wolfberry was a rather unusual choice." He said.
I paused.
"It's proven to show they're very nutritious and I thought the high protein levels could help counter the nightshade's poison effect, especially since they're both alkaloids." I said.
He studied me for a moment before he started scratching on the parchment with his quill.
"We can do another trial with a higher amount of Wolfberry." He said.
"Also, Datura may be a bit too strong. We could try Mandragora. It's in the same tropane alkaloid family, yet it's toxicity is much less." I said.
But I really couldn't see Severus pulling up Mandrakes with pink fluffy earmuffs on anytime soon.
"I'll see if I can get some from my supplier." Severus said.
He made some more notes and we discussed more changes to the potions.
"We can't start anything yet, but I'll contact you when I have the ingredients." Severus said.
"I can go with you, to help." I volunteered.
"It's not necessary." Severus dismissed.
He swept out of the room with a flutter of his cloaks and he was gone. Now I didn't know of anything else but to keep coming every day and hope I can catch him or the supplier here. I doubt Severus would bring anyone here but it's worth a shot to think he might take me with him anyways. I'll just keep showing up. I still have three days left. But in the mean time, I have a ball to get ready for.
Victoria had sent my dress by owl, and it was just as beautiful as I remembered. Donovan hadn't seen it yet, but he said I'd made myself known throughout the clans. Victoria's acceptance of me had unsettled some of the other members of the clans enough to be curious about me. It put even more pressure on me to make a good impression at the ball. I just hoped I didn't end up dead at the end of all this. Apparently the clans are selective on the outsiders that can fraternize with them. They seem very aristocratic that way.
When I pulled on my dress, it fit snugly. I still couldn't believe I was wearing this. Lily Evans would never wear something so revealing and sexy. But Cassandra wore it like she was the sexiest person alive. I grabbed my wand and cast a charm on my hair to put it in an elegant up do. I had actually put on make up for this and Victoria had made a black cloak to go with the dress that she had sent over as well. I put on some lipstick and pulled on my black glittering heels before walking down to meet Donovan.
As I walked down the stairs Donovan had his back to me looking in a mirror and fixing the collar of his white shirt under his tux.
"It's about time, we're going to be late. I thought maybe you'd died and I was going to have to-"
He stopped talking as he turned around and watched me walk down the rest of the stairs.
"Sorry I took so long." I said.
He just stared at me.
"You look-" he stuttered.
I think I was blushing. Donovan had never looked at me with interest before. His eyes went up and down the dress and finally settled on my face.
"Here, let me help you with your cloak." He said.
I handed it to him and turned my back to him so he could put it over my shoulders.
I could hear his quick intake of breath as he saw the back of my dress.
"You're stunning." He said.
Now I was glad my back was to him, I felt really awkward and embarrassed now.
"Thanks." I whispered.
I turned around and he was still giving me an odd look, but he held out his arm for me to take and he apparated us.
We arrived outside the doors of a huge Victorian style mansion. Donovan pulled out the invitation from his coat and pushed it against the door. It magically disintegrated and the door swung open. We were greeted by several people waiting to take our cloaks and coats. We handed them over and I felt suddenly stupid for wearing this dress. There were tons of people in the ballroom I could already make out just from the foyer. Donovan held his arm out for me again and he led us into the ball room and towards the right side of the room. People around us stared as they held their drink glasses. Servers walked around carrying silver trays and an orchestra in the back was playing loudly. There were many people dancing together, everyone dressed exquisitely.
"Where are we going?" I whispered.
"To the host." He said under his breath.
People parted for us, some with curious looks, others with barely masked scowls. I wondered how many of them were vampires. I know Donovan mentioned Death Eaters being here. I was glad I'd brought my daggers hidden under my dress. And my wand was transfigured into a sparkling hair piece, there wasn't anywhere I could put it in this dress.
There was a small line of people talking among themselves, waiting to thank the host. We stopped at the end when Victoria suddenly appeared by my side.
"Cassandra! I knew it must be you, everyone has been whispering about you since you arrived. You look absolutely delicious." She smiled.
I hoped she didn't mean that in the food sense of the word.
Victoria herself was dressed in a crimson red dress. And if I felt weary about the amount of skin showing with my dress, it was nothing compared to her dress. She had a plunging neckline that went down to just above her naval. The back of the dress went down equally far. It was simple but brilliant. She looked absolutely beautiful, and I felt like an idiot standing next to her. There was no way I could compare to her and even be half as sexy.
"The credit goes to the dress, but I'm nothing compared to you." I said to her.
She smiled and winked at Donovan.
"Donovan, Barnabus has been most anxious for your arrival. Come, I'll take you both straight to him. He's just dying to meet Cassandra." Victoria chuckled.
Donovan gave her his other arm and the three of us walked past the group of people pretending not to stare at us.
"Dear brother! I have a most delicious guest for you." Victorias voice rang.
She really needed to stop calling me that before I make a run for it. I sound like dinner! It's definitely not something you want to hear a vampire say to you.
A man with blondish brown hair turned around and found my eyes immediately. And I almost gasped out loud. It wasn't because he was achingly handsome and looked to be in his early twenties though he was probably closer to 100. It was because I'd seen him before. I didn't know it at the time, but Barnabus was the third Death Eater that kept to the shadows the day of the potion trials. I only saw his face once as he slipped under the torch light, but I would not forget it.
Now here he was, staring me down with an intensity that made me want to look away. He reached out his hand for mine and as he kissed it, a shiver ran down my spine. This was more dangerous than I thought, not because he was a vampire, but because he knew what I was doing and what I'd been involved with. And no matter how much training I'd had, nothing can quite compare you for this. My blood must have been surging through my veins the way my heart was beating out of control. The epitome of danger was just before me, and I had nowhere to run.