Chapter Two
Severus drummed his fingers on the long table. It was discoloured from years of barely being cleaned and the lack of care that they'd tried to make up for with a lot of heavy scrubbing lately.
It seated thirty with ease, with matching, ornate chairs that had been shown the same level of care and were also freshly cleaned and reupholstered in a rather gaudy printed silk.
In fact, everything in the Lestrange Manor had been freshly cleaned. The rooms made up, broken furniture replaced as the Lestranges' welcomed the Dark Lord into their home. It had been done quickly with whatever they could find, leaving it with very little taste.
Rodolphus had survived his stint in Azkaban with little change. He was thinner, and a little more likely to jump at every noise but he still had little interest in his wife and had taken to following Narcissa around as she was the only blonde resident female.
Currently the table was only half filled, the early arrivals to the meeting they had all been summoned to. Severus's Dark Mark burned painfully upon his left forearm and would continue to do so until Voldemort arrived, three minutes after he was due so that he could make a grand entrance.
It was expected and annoying now, although Severus wouldn't dream of even thinking such a thing at the present time. He was exhausted from keeping his mind shielded night and day, he didn't need more to keep hidden.
Narcissa swanned into the dinning room and sat down next to Severus.
"Rodolphus, you are to sit next to your wife." Severus hissed as Rodolphus slipped into the chair next to Narcissa, rubbing up against her.
Rodolphus glared at him, showing rotting teeth, something else that Azkaban hadn't helped with, "Who put you in charge? Gotten over your little mudblood already and want something a bit purer?"
Every time a comment was made like that about Lily, Harry or Danica Severus impressed himself with how calm he could remain.
"The Dark Lord will be angry if we do not sit where he chooses, as we should be happy to obey his wishes." Severus said smoothly.
Rodolphus opened his mouth to complain as the door bust open, Bellatrix spotted her husband snuggling up to her sister and glared, a few seconds away from barring teeth.
Rodolphus knew better than to argue further and moved to the other side and further down the table. Gemini and the younger Rodolphus followed their mother into the room and sat down where Bellatrix told them to, behind their parents and away from the table.
"It's our house, why shouldn't we sit at the table?" the younger Rodolphus hissed in a barely audible whisper.
Gemini looked horrified and raised her hand to strike her brother. Bellatrix grabbed her roughly and forced her into the seat.
"Will you two behave?" Bellatrix snapped, "I have had enough of your constant bickering. You do not sit at the table as you are not honoured yet! And you never will be if you continue this way. You should be grateful you are even allowed in the room. Now sit down and shut up!"
Gemini and her brother both mumbled apologies and fell silent.
The room continued to fill until at last there was only one seat free- next to Severus's left at the centre of the table. The silence stretched painfully on until Voldemort swept in through the large double doors, Nagini following closely behind and a woman, who could have been asleep, floating upside down.
Voldemort pointed his wand at the woman who stopped at the centre of the table and floated there for all to see.
Voldemort looked around his Death Eaters and smiled before sitting down, placing his long, white fingers on the arm rests.
"I am glad to see you all here." he began, looking around, his eyes boring into each of them in turn. "Bella… you brought your children?"
"Yes… yes My Lord." Bellatrix said, her eyes not leaving her master, "I thought it would be good for them to learn." her eyes flicked to the floating woman for a second before returning to Voldemort's red ones.
Voldemort thought for a moment, "As you wish." he said finally, Bellatrix and her husband breathing a sigh of relief, "I agree it would be a good learning opportunity for them both. Tell me, Gemini, Rodolphus, do you recognise this thing?" he asked, pointing to the woman.
Bellatrix turned around and dragged her children to their feet, Gemini looked at Voldemort directly, while Rodolphus stared at his feet.
"She taught at Hogwarts." Gemini said, wrinkling her nose and looking the woman up and down, "Muggle Studies."
Voldemort nodded, smiling slightly at the two children, "Yes… her name is?"
"Professor Burbage." Gemini told him, Rodolphus still just staring at his feet.
"Well done." Voldemort smiled, again, "Bella, your daughter is a credit to you. Both of you, sit."
The twins did as they were told, Rodolphus glaring angrily at his sister as he sat down. Gemini flicked her long black curls over her shoulder, purposely ignoring her brother.
Voldemort watched the floating woman, slowly spinning in front of him, for a few moments before shifting his weight as Nagini climbed over his shoulders, "Professor Burbage was a big fan of muggles… she even went to the paper lately and published an article saying how she would be most happy if we all mated with muggles."
There was a general noise of disgust from around the table.
Voldemort drummed his long fingers on the table, "This is why we must fight back. We must fight the cancer that infects us, that forces us to dirty our pure blood with filth. It infects us from the inside, eating away at us and before we know it, it infects every cell of out being."
"And we are all willing to serve." Bellatrix simpered.
Voldemort shot her a cold look, "Willingness is not enough when this… this sickness infects even the best families amongst us." he glared at Bellatrix and Narcissa briefly.
"My Lord?" Narcissa said softly, "I can assure you that I would never sully myself so."
Voldemort smiled nastily, making everyone in the room feel slightly sick and scared, "Is that so? While your husband sleeps with a mudblood as we speak?"
He reached into his robes and threw a copy of Witch Weekly at her. Narcissa glanced at it for a second before pushing it away. She had already seen it, Bellatrix had been delighting in Narcissa's marriage crumbing.
The front cover was almost entirely with a picture of Lily and Lucius kissing at a train station. Narcissa knew exactly what was really happening, it was nothing more than a simple kiss on the check and clever camera angles made to look like a lot more. It was still difficult to see, and she made sure to show that pain and disgust on her face.
"I no longer consider him to be my husband." Narcissa hissed.
Voldemort laughed, mimicked by the others sat around the table.
"And yet you still are married to him, that can not be denied." Voldemort pointed out, his laughter stopping suddenly.
Narcissa sat up a little straighter, "No, you are, of course correct and it can not be denied, however I am here and have been your loyal servant, attending every summons, for over a year now. I have long suspected that my husband was unfaithful. Both to me and to you, my Lord."
Voldemort pondered for a minute, "I do feel some pity for you; it is true you have been through much… but there is some good news I hear? You and Bella are to welcome a mutt into the family."
There was another round of nasty laughter over the table. Narcissa lowered her eyes, when Voldemort was in this sort of mood, pointing out every supposed flaw in whoever was unlucky enough to be picked on that day, there was no use trying to fight back or defend yourself. Just look humble and insulted by whichever loved one had let you down so horrifically this time.
Bellatrix however was not so restrained and looked as though she was either about to scream or cry at the laughter in her direction.
"My Lord… we had little to do with my sister before, I have barely spoken to her since she married the mudblood and whatever her brat gets up to is nothing to do with me or mine!" Bellatrix pleaded.
"Well, what an impassioned speech." Voldemort smirked, "Tell me Gemini, Rodolphus the Younger… will you be babysitting the cubs?"
Rodolphus looked insulted and muttered something under his breath.
Gemini, however, smiled and looked at Voldemort through her long eyelashes, "I think if I did, they'd only ask me the once."
Voldemort smiled, "Very good."
The room fell silent, the frozen teacher still floating upside down over the table.
"Yaxley." Voldemort said suddenly, causing the man who had been called to jump, "When are they to move Harry from his godfather's house?"
Yaxley pushed his pale hair from his face and raised his eyes to look at Voldemort. This was something they had gone over this at the last meeting. Something was wrong, "I believe it is the thirtieth, the day before the boy turns seventeen, Dawlish let it slip and now with Thicknesse under our control, we can be certain of our information."
Severus let out a loud snort of laughter, "My Lord, the Order has never worked closely with the Ministry and they will be well aware that the Ministry is, in part, under our control and have made their own plans. Potter will be moved next Saturday."
Voldemort smiled nastily between the two of them, "I managed to send Alecto to the offices of Witch Weekly, for the larger picture this one was taken from," he gestured to the picture of Lucius and Lily, "and the exact date it was taken…"
He flicked his wand and showed a large picture of the train station, one that clearly showed Harry by his mother's side.
"This picture, was taken nearly two weeks ago." Voldemort hissed, his eyes burning with anger, "The correct answer is, to my most important question is, Potter has already been moved!"
He flicked his wand quickly and both Yaxley and Severus gave a yell of pain, falling from their chairs and convulsing a few times.
"Get up." Voldemort snapped, "I am very disappointed in you, all of you. Narcissa, shall we assume that Potter has been taken to the Malfoy family home?"
Narcissa cleared her throat, her mouth feeling painfully dry, she tried not to look at Severus who was clutching his side in pain as he pulled himself back into his seat, "I think it can be assumed. He has been good friends with Draco since they were children."
Voldemort nodded, "Exactly. And, can we breach the Manor's grounds?"
Narcissa shook her head, looking fixedly at her hands.
"No." Voldemort sighed, "I imagine that Malfoy Manor, which has not moved for over eight hundred years, is rather well protected."
"When the Ministry falls-"
Voldemort looked around sharply at the speaker. Dolohov tried to hold his gaze but soon failed, "Narcissa, explain to our uneducated friend why the Ministry falling will have no effect on the protection of Malfoy Manor."
Narcissa straightened up, composing her face to one of amusement, "Malfoy Manor, and it's immediate grounds, are surrounded by Blood Wards. They always have been. They will be feeding them again and they will be up to full strength. Unless you are a blood Malfoy, of which there are only two or both of them are dead, there is no way to break such powerful magic. It would be foolish to try."
"Can you not get in Cissy?" Bellatrix suggested, in what she considered a pleading voice.
"No." Narcissa said, rolling her eyes, "As I have told you. I am not a blood Malfoy, I am a Black."
Voldemort let out a loud sigh, "So… we have to hope that the boy will leave the Manor sooner rather than later."
"He will." Severus assured him. Even thought the thought filled him with dread, it was dread that was currently deeply buried, "Potter has never been able to see others suffer and not do anything to help. He will leave. My guess would be once the Ministry falls."
Voldemort thought for a moment, "It is a pity I could not get to him sooner, I would have liked the boy dealt with as soon as possible, but it will not be long, if you are correct Severus."
The room fell into another painful silence, Voldemort revelling in their discomfort. He flicked his wand to the woman floating, snapping her back to consciousness. She let out a moan of pain and fear as she spotted those she was at the mercy of.
"Did Burbage teach while you were at school, Flint? Being one of the youngest amongst us." Voldemort asked.
The young man, no older than mid-twenties shook his head, "No… no she was after my time."
"Severus… please…" Professor Burbage managed to croak out, as she spun to face Severus.
He closed himself off, and held her gaze, now was not the time to leave his loyalty up for question.
Voldemort nodded, "Well, for those of you who were not unfortunate enough to be forced to sit through her lessons, she boasted of how nice muggles were; how they weren't really so different from us." the last syllable hissed violently through the air, "She wrote that we should accept, be grateful for these thieves of magic and knowledge! No doubt she would wish us to accept any werewolf pups that tear at pure lines as well."
Narcissa knew what was coming and closed her eyes. She could still see the green flash of light though, still feel the thud as the lifeless woman's body hit the table.
"Dinner Nagini…" Voldemort smiled.