Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the Harry Potter Series. That right belongs solely to the amazing J.K. Rowling. I DO, however, own the plot, Oura (not her last name, again the literary goddess J.K. Rowling) and my favorite cat Sterling.

xXx Hello my little Owlettes! Just a couple of things you should know. One; if you haven't already read the Author's Note, please do. It's VERY important. Thanks. And second... well there isn't really a second, so... Enjoy! xXx

Chapter 9

Draco froze in shock. What?! Oura... Dark Lord's...Daughter?! Actually, now that he thought about it, it kind of made sense. When he first met her, she'd known who he and his father were….and hadn't she also said something about her own father? "If you knew who my father was, you would kiss the ground I walked on." Yes, that was it. At the time, he thought her father was a prominent figure in the Ministry, or something of the sort, but now he realized what she meant. She was hinting that she knew what he was, and who his family worked for. And yet, she kept quiet about it. But that would make sense. If she revealed his position in the Dark Arts, she would have to reveal how she knew the information. No wonder she told no one. Draco absently wondered if Professor Dumbledore knew.

Many of the other Death Eaters were in a similar state of shock, except for Professor Snape, who simply leaned forward with interest. He didn't seem surprised, and only his eyebrows were raised in anticipation. He didn't seem to care that one of his best Potions students was standing in front of the most dangerous man in the world, wand pointed, and hair aflame. It looked as though he saw such things every day. Knowing his professor, though, Draco wouldn't be surprised if he did.

"You may have been responsible for my conception, but you are NOT my father!" Oura hissed dangerously. Only the man at the head of the table and the long snake that was slithering around his chair understood what she said.

Voldemort sighed. In any other person, the sound would be one of weariness, but in the man with only a piece of a soul, it came out as an angry hiss. "When will you learn, dearest Oura, that you are just like me? I am a part of who you are, and the sooner you accept it, the sooner I can grant you the power that I know you crave." He said for all to hear.

"I am nothing like you and crave no power, not as you do. The power I want is to have you gone, so you can't destroy any more lives. I will do as much as I can to help make that happen."

"Is this about me killing Sisilla?"

"No, I'm just here for tea. Of course, that's what this is about!" Oura spat, "You murdered her. She loved you, trusted you! Do you have no soul?" She changed to English halfway through. "I already knew you had no heart"

"I simply did that so you would understand where you belong, Oura;" Voldemort said, his voice slippery and smooth. "With me! I wouldn't have custody of you otherwise. You know, before she died she asked me to take care of you. How did she put it, 'Raise her right'? Sisilla accepted the death willingly. I do believe she was actually in love with me. Asked me to forgive her. Wanted me to take her right there." He laughed and his Death Eaters did, too. Draco did so half-heartily. He had heard the woman's screams. They still haunted him at night. "The look on her face when I refused her, and told her of my intentions, was priceless. But then, she said, 'Oh, Tom, I would do anything for you. Do as you must.' She doesn't take the Cruciatus Curse very well, does she?" The man smiled evilly.

Oura's eyes widened in horror as the pale man before her described her mother's death. She took a shaky breath, eyes closed, before reopening them with new determination in them.

"Avis, Oppugno" She hissed, conjuring a flock of birds with sharp beaks and sending them straight for her father's eyes. A dozen Death Eaters jumped to their feet ready to curse the young stupid girl into oblivion, but the Dark Lord dissipated the spell with a flick of his wand and motioned for his followers to sit, not wanting them to interfere.

"Is that all you've got, my dear?"

Oura fumed. "Stupefy, Petrificus Totalus , Incendio, Conjunctivitus, Expelliarmus, Impedimenta, Levicorpus, Confringo, Locomotor Mortis, Sectumsempra, Tarantallegra, Furnunculus."

"Finite Incantatem" Voldemort shook his head as he deflected all of the girl's attacks. He watched the anger build in the girl in front of him. He smiled knowing she just needed a push. "Crucio is a very helpful curse when you're angry."

Suddenly, the anger in her eyes faded a bit as she realized what she was doing. She was doing just what her father wanted. If she used an Unforgivable curse, even on the man who killed her mother, she would be no better than he was. She lowered her wand and took a deep breath.

"I would never stoop down to your level."

"You're weak. You just don't have the guts... or the power."

"Power is not just being able to hurt someone; it's being able to, and choosing not to."

The pale man got up and walked towards the girl with flaming hair and eyes full of hatred. Nagini followed at his heels. Oura's cat, Sterling, hissed at the large beast and jumped out, trying to scratch it. The snake pulled back and was about to strike when Voldemort stopped it with a sharp word. The cat hissed at the large snake.

"Do you remember the offer I gave you when you were younger?" the Dark Lord asked. Oura tensed and glared at him. She nodded once. "It's still open. Join me, and we will dominate the world. My power and your... abilities, nothing is stronger."

A slap rang out as her hand met the Dark Lord's face.

"Do you honestly believe I would ever join you after what you DID!?"

Many of Death Eaters gasped. No one had ever laid a hand on their master. She was dead. She wouldn't live to see another hour. Before her hand could fall back to her side, he caught her hand.

"Such intensity. If only we could get you to place your stubbornness and power into our... campaign, we would not lose."

She ripped her hand from his grip, spun on her heel, wrenched open the doors, and they slammed behind her as she left the room. The Death Eaters were in shock. How could one girl be so important that their merciless master, who had tortured each and every one of them, left her unscathed? What were these abilities that she held that he needed so badly?

"My lord," Bellatrix Lestrange stood and bowed low behind her Dark Lord, who was still watching the door, deep in thought. "Might I ask why you let the girl leave, let alone unharmed? She assaulted you, and she can inform those against us of our whereabouts. What about her is so-" Her words were interrupted by her own screams as her master preformed the Cruciatus Curse on the witch without turning around.

"You," He said quietly, "Shall find out when I deem you ready. As of now, you will never question my decisions." He looked around her whimpering form to the rest of his followers. "She is not to be harmed by any of you. She is a vital part of my plan to rise to power and you would all simply prove to be hindrances. Now, Draco…"

The boy looked up in a panic. His father elbowed him and shot him a glare. The young boy put on a mask of indifference and obedience and asked quietly, "Yes, my lord?"

The pale man smiled at the boy's fear. He stepped over Bellatrix's whimpering body and walked back to the head of the table. After some effort, the witch stood as well and took her seat at the table. Once she was seated, Voldemort turned back to Draco.

"I want you to befriend my daughter." If Draco was imagining any order, it wasn't this. "Befriend her, make her fall for you, it is of no consequence. Just get her to join our cause. This is very important. Do whatever it takes, but make sure you are always in control of the situation. I want her to join willingly. You shall report to your father monthly, and he will report to me. Go now, she couldn't have gotten far. She will want someone to comfort her."

The platinum haired boy nodded and stood, collecting his mask and walking briskly out of the heavy wooden double doors, thinking. If he was the daughter of the most powerful and feared wizard in the world who had just heard about the brutal murder of his mother, where would he go?

Draco had absolutely no clue.