Chapter 10: The Ball


Tom Riddle was not having it today. He could not believe that he allowed his 18 year old daughter and that slimy wanker of a potions master to convince him this was a good idea.

Yes, Hermione and Severus had come up with their brilliant scheme. This weekend, Lord Voldemort will be hosting a big 'ol Death Eater ball celebrating the Autumn Equinox. The climax of this grand celebration will be the introduction of Mya Katherine Riddle, Lord Voldemort's Heir. Hermione believes that if she can win the Death Eaters over, especially the younger ones, she will develop enough influence to become a third stream of information for their three person rebellion.

Severus, of course, thinks this is a stupendous idea and backed Hermione straight away. Tom, on the other hand, thinks it is complete horse shit that they would even consider putting his only daughter in the spotlight, making her a target not only to all the Death Eater ladder climbers but for the Order of the Phoenix as well. Nevertheless, Tom was outvoted, and the ball will, indeed, be happening this weekend. Maggie and Farkle were leaping for joy when they found out they had to prepare an event for hundreds of people. As soon as she found out, Maggie pulled out a giant binder and began pestering Tom with horderve options, color pallets, and floral arrangements. Farkle ran around the manor telling everyone just how excited he was about the fancy party.

Tom's biggest concern about the whole ordeal was Hermione's ability to maintain appearances. Of course, now that the glamor charm was off, Hermione definitely looked the part of Voldemort's heir, but could she act the part? When Tom brought up his concerns, Hermione looked him down from over her shoulder and drawled, "Please, as if it's hard to act like the most patronizing person in the room."

Tom's mouth dropped at her coolness and change in demeanor. "Touche, young lady, but I still need to test your Occlumency skills."

"I'm actually quite good at Occlumency." Hermione responded.

"Oh really? Mind if I give it a go?" Tom asked, not believing that the 18 year old could hold up against his years of experience. Severus, who was on the couch reading the newspaper, looked up at them, his interest peaked. Tom began to attack Hermione's mind, expecting clanky walls that would easily come down. Instead, he entered an open meadow filled with tulips of various colors. To the untrained eye, it would seem like there were no protective barriers in sight, but as Tom inspected more closely, he noticed a tree at the end of the meadow. He approached the tree and saw that at its base was a dark tunnel. Curious, he made his way through the tunnel where he encountered a maze. After minutes of rummaging through this maze, Tom stepped out of Hermione's mind.

"How-how did you learn how to do that?" Tom asked, in awe at the intricacies of her mental defenses. And this was only the entrance of her mind! He could not imagine what else he would find once he made his way into the heart of the maze.

Hermione smirked at him and responded, "Books."

Severus choked on his tea as he held back a snort.

"Fucking bookworm."

xX_Xx

As the weekend got closer, Hermione realized they had a big problem at hand. She decided she needed to find Severus straight away, for this issue was dire.

"Severus, we have an issue." Hermione exclaimed, her worry evident as her eyebrows knit together.

Severus immediately wracked his brain, trying to figure out what Hermione could be talking about. "What is it, child? What could we possibly have missed?"

Hermione paced back and forth, "How could we have forgotten about this? It is one of the most important pieces to our success!"

"Hermione, stop rambling and tell me what the problem is!" Severus shouted, taking a hold of his niece's shoulders and giving her a slight shake.

Hermione looked up at him, eyes in a panic.

"What am I going to wear?"

"You are an infuriating woman." Severus muttered, "Just like your mother."

xX_Xx

After much debate over Hermione's wardrobe for the ball (Tom and Severus insisting on modesty, and Hermione reminding the two men that she's trying to get people to follow her not torment her), the three continued their plotting.

Severus developed a thorough background story for Mya Riddle. It was imperative that Mya's identity as Hermione Granger stay a secret between the three of them. So, as far as anyone else will know, Mya Riddle was raised in the shadows by Lord Voldemort himself. When she became of age, Voldemort sent her to Koldovstoretz, the Russian Wizarding school, where she took on an alias and studied alongside prestigious Russian pureblooded students. While Severus developed the background story, Tom focused on Hermione's training. Though her Occlumentary was already strong, they both ran through drills, testing every corner of Hermione's mental maze (which Tom eventually found out led to a library full rows of novels and, unfortunately for Tom, a multitude of traps.) Tom also trained his daughter on pureblood mannerisms and costumes, ensuring that she would be the epitome of upper class poise, elegance, and regalness.

The morning of the ball was chaotic. Maggie was up and about before the sun rose, hammering away in the kitchen. Every so often she would enter the ballroom to check on Fringle's progress in decorating the main ballroom. Usually, she would find Fringle delicately placing flowers in each arrangement, gently stroking the petals as he placed them in their perspective vase. Eventually, in a stern voice, Maggie scolded Fingle, "Fringle, if you keep arranging those flowers at this pace, you won't be done by next week, much less by tonight!"

Once the clock hit 8, Fringle made his way to Hermione's room. Fringle bounced back and forth with excitement once he saw Hermione's dress. Laughing at his enthusiasm, Hermione let Fringle perform a variety of charms on her hair, followed by the meticulous placement of jewelry on her body. After almost an hour of getting ready, it was time for Hermione to make her way down to the ball. She stood outside the doors of the ballroom, and peaked through the crack.

The Riddle Manor ballroom was decorated immaculately. Maggie and Fringle truly did a marvelous job in making the room shine. The room was decorated with white, peach, dark purple, and black flowers. A gorgeous silver chandelier hung in the center of the room, its candles illuminating the room. Towards the back was the Dark Lord's throne, surrounded by an altar of candles, separating the throne from the rest of the room. The room was filled with Lord Voldemort's loyal followers, all dressed in an assortment of flowing black robes. Many were wearing their silver Death Eater masks, but others were maskless, proudly parading around the room. She recognized Bellatrix and Rodolphus parading around, along with Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, Peter Petigrew, and the Crabbe and Goyle head of houses. Hermione noticed a tall figure making its way towards the altar. She soon realized the figure was Lord Voldemort himself. As Voldemort made his way across the room, his loyal Death Eaters would make room for him, bowing their heads as their lord passed. Lord Voldemort took his place at the base of his altar and all music stopped. Everyone in the room turned their attention towards the Dark Lord.

"Welcome, my faithful friends." Lord Voldemort announced, lowering his hood to reveal his snakelike complexion. The crowd hissed in response.

"I know a lot of you are eager to take action against the stains in our society, but I have gathered you here today to share some exciting news." The crowd of Death Eaters held their breaths, anxiously awaiting their leader's announcement.

"Tonight, you all will welcome my successor. My second in command. My Heir."

The crowd broke out into a roar, sparks flying from the tips of wands, canes stomping on the ground. Members of the inner circle stood proudly, awaiting for their lord to call out one of their names, or, at least that of their sons.

Lord Voldemort held his hands out, and the crowd settled down.

"It is my pleasure to introduce to you, my most loyal followers, your new Dark Lady, my daughter, Mya Riddle."

The crowd went still. Slowly, the room began to buzz with conversation as the Death Eaters looked around the room in confusion. Their muttering stopped as the doors behind Voldemort's alter creaked open to reveal Mya Riddle.

The room was so silent a pin could fall and the sound would ring throughout the room. All eyes were studying the beautiful woman who had just entered the room. The woman's silhouette was enhanced with a Slytherin green dress made of silk. The neckline was plunging, falling to her sternum, sensually, but softly caressing her curves. The woman, which the crowd now identified as the newly introduced Mya Riddle, turned to bow to the Dark Lord, revealing the backlessness of her dress. The Dark Lord acknowledged her bow and reached for his daughter's hand, planting a kiss on her palm. He turned her back to the crowd, allowing them to take a closer look at his heir. Their eyes studied her once more, taking in her striking green eyes that were adorned with a sharp black eyeliner and a smokey eye. On the nape of her neck sat the head of a silver snake, whose eyes were made of two dazzling emeralds and whose body was wrapped around her neck. Her jet black hair was pinned to the back of her head with a couple of loose strands framing her face.

Hermione looked up to her father and waited for his permission to speak. He gave her a small nod, and she stepped forwards, preparing to address the crowd.

"Thank you, My Lord, for that wonderful introduction." She said, bowing to her father once again.

"Though you are unfamiliar with me, it is my hope that you will accept me as your Dark Lady. I will prove to you my strength and my loyalty to our honorable cause. But for tonight, let's continue our celebration!" With a wave of her hand, trays of champagne appeared throughout the crowd. Summoning a tray for herself, she took two glasses and offered one to Voldemort.

"To our Dark Lord." Hermione exclaimed.

"And to our newfound Dark Lady," Yelled a voice from the crowd, "May her reign be mighty!"

This outburst was met with a dull roar that eventually grew into a substantial cheer. Hemerione smirked into her champagne glass. The music resumed, and the mingling began once again. Hermione began to make her way down the altar to join the crowd of Death Eaters, when a hand appeared in front of her. This hand, she discovered, belonged to Theadore Nott Sr.

"My Dark Lady, allow me to help you." He said, still holding out his hand to her.

Hermione raised her chin to him and accepted with a small smile.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Theadore Nott, a member of your father's inner circle."

"Ah yes, Nott. My father has told me about you. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"The pleasure is mine. We have all been waiting for the announcement of an heir for some years now. We were all hoping the honor would go to a member of the inner circle… but that was before we were informed of an offspring of the Dark Lord." Nott said. Before she could respond, Nott scanned the crowd and exclaimed, "Ah, look, here is my son!"

Nott Sr led Hermione towards a young man with light brown hair. "My lady, this is my son, Theadore Nott Jr."

"Please, call me Theo, my Lady." The younger Nott grabbed a hold of her hand and placed a gentle kiss upon it.

Nott Sr smiled proudly at his son and clapped his hands, "Well, it looks like my wife is calling me. I will leave you two to get acquainted."

Internally, Hermione groaned. Tom and Severus had speculated that once Mya Riddle was announced as the Dark Lord's heir, many Death Eaters would jump on the opportunity to match her with one of their sons. She knew that this speculation was probably true, but she did not think it would begin so soon. Especially not mere minutes after she was formally introduced!

"Your father is…very zealous. " Mya smirked.

Theo smirked back at her and responded. "Yes, well, it is not every day that we meet a beautiful woman whose status is equal to that of royalty."

"Touche." She smiled.

Theo looked ready to respond, but was interrupted by the arrival of her father accompanied by Lucious Malfoy.

"Excuse me, young Theadore, I require my daughter's presence." Voldemort said.

"My Lord." Theo bowed and excused himself.

Voldemort placed his hand at the small of Mya's back and drew her closer to his companion.

"Mya, my dear, let me introduce you to Lucious. My right hand man and commander of my ranks."

Lucious, seemingly pleased by his introduction, bowed to Mya. Mya held out her hand and Lucious accepted it, placing a kiss upon it.

"I have heard great things about you, Lucious. My father holds you in high regard." Mya praised.

"You falter me, my Lady. I hope I can live up to your expectations." Lucious bowed, playing the part of a humble servant before his master and his daughter.

"That makes two of us." Mya responded, looking him up and down.

"My Lord!"

Mya turned to find Bellatrix and Rodolphus approaching. Bellatrix made a beeline towards Voldemort and threw herself at his feet. Rodolphus quickly followed and greeted Voldemort with a respectful bow.

"Rodolphus." Voldemort nodded at the man, then looked down at the woman at his feet. "Bellatrix. You may rise."

"I was unaware that you had a daughter, my lord. If you want an heir, you know my services are always at your disposal. And I can give you a son, my lord!" Bellarix exclaimed.

"I have an heir. Your services are not required." Voldemort stated, brushing her away.

"But, my Lord! I can give you a more suitable heir, a male heir!" Bellatrix exclaimed. At this point, bystanders were beginning to listen in to the conversation. "There is no need to settle for an inferior heir, when you could have-"

Before she was able to finish her statement, Bellatrix began to choke. The crowd soon realized that this was a result of Mya Riddle, who was holding her hand out in front of Bellatrix, fire burning behind her eyes.

"I was unaware that being a woman made one inferior, Bellatrix. Is this why you let your fellow male Death Eaters climb ahead of you in my Father's ranks?" Mya hissed, curling her fingers in the air causing Bellatrix to choke even louder.

"If anything, I thought being a woman was working well for you, seeing as you ascended to the inner circle by spreading your legs to anyone who had a cock."

Mya released her hold on Bellatrix, and the latter fell to the floor, holding her throat and gasping for breath.

"Let me make myself clear to you Bellatrix," she turned to the crowd of spectators and added, "as well as to anyone in this room who is questioning my position. I am your Dark Lady. I may be unknown to you, but let me assure you that I will not tolerate insolence and disrespect."

Mya looked back down at Bellatrix. "I was in a festive mood today. The next time someone publicly questions my ability to be the Dark Lord's heir, you will experience much more than shortness of breath."

The sea of spectators bowed their heads towards the Dark Lady, collectively showing their acknowledgement to her threat. Mya raised her hand, releasing them from their bow. Slowly, the chattering began once more.

Rodolphus took a hold of Bellatrix, dragging her up to her feet. He turned to address Voldemort and Mya, "I apologize for my wife, my Lord, my Lady. I will do a better job containing her outbursts in the future." With that, Redolphus dragged his wife to the other side of the room, whispering threats into her ear the entire way.

"Very well handled, my Lady." Lucious praised, nodding his head towards Mya. "It seems like our future is in good hands."

"Yes," Voldemort responded, "I believe young Draco is also growing to be a strong warrior?"

"Ah, yes, he is growing to be a strong fighter and a good leader. He is eager to join your ranks, my Lord."

"Is he here tonight?" Mya asked.

"He would not miss it." Lucious responded. "Would you like to meet him?"

"That would be agreeable." Mya responded.

Lucious nodded at her and left to find his son. As Lucious left, Voldemort turned to Hermione and whispered, "You are doing well."

Hermione looked up to him and smirked in acknowledgement. Before she got a chance to respond, she saw Lucious Malfoy approaching them once again, but this time he was followed by a short haired version of himself.

"Draco Malfoy, my Lady." The platinum blonde bowed, taking her hand to meet his lips, as most men did before him. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance.

Mya nodded at him, and he turned to bow to Voldemort. "My Lord."

"Young Draco, I am glad you could make it." Voldemort stated.

"It is my honor to be a guest at your celebration, my Lord."

"He is well mannered, Lucious." Voldmort chuckled.

Lucious bowed his head in thanks to his Lord. As he did so, there was a change in music that did not go unnoticed by the younger one of the Malfoy men.

"My Lady, it would be my honor if you would allow me this dance?" Draco bowed his head towards Mya and held out his hand in invitation.

"And chivalrous, what a surprise." Voldemort added.

Mya smirked at her father then turned her attention back to the young Malfoy.

Internally, Hermione could not believe this was happening. If Draco Malfoy only knew he was trying to impress Hermione Granger, he would spontaneously combust. Letting her amusement fade, Mya took hold of Draco's outstretched hand.

As Draco led Mya to the dance floor, the crowd parted, clearing the path for the newly introduced Dark Lady.

The couple took their place in the center of the room. Draco placed one hand on Mya's waist and grabbed her hand with the other, beginning to lead her through the slow waltz.

"Thank you for the invitation to dance. May I call you Draco?"

"You can call me anything you like, My Lady." He said smoothly.

Internally, Hermione groaned at his response, but externally she was the picture of elegance.

"My father informed me that you attend Hogwarts?" Mya asked.

"Yes, I do. I am actually a prefect for Slytherin house."

"How lovely." Mya said dryly.

"Slytherin house is composed of all the Dark Lord's future Death Eaters. We Slytherins are eager to join your father's cause."

"This is excellent news." Mya applauded, "I might have to organize a meeting with all future recruits… to get this new generation more involved in our movement."

"That is an excellent idea, My Lady." Draco bowed his head. He twirled Mya around the room, and returned to the basic waltz step.

"You dance well, Draco."

"Yes, well, you can thank my mother and her army of governesses. Etiquette and cotillion were at the top of her priorities list when it came to my upbringing. But thank you for the compliment." He smirked at her, a small smolder appearing at the corner of his lips.

They danced in silence for a while until Draco asked, "My lady, if I may ask, where do you take your schooling? I definitely have not seen you in the halls of Hogwarts. I am sure I would have remembered seeing you around."

Again with the shameless flirting, Hermione thought.

"I attend Koldovstoretz in Russia. Of course, nobody there knows me by the name Mya Riddle."

"Koldovstoretz… interesting. I have heard that the curriculum there is inclusive of the Dark Arts."

"You would be correct."

"I am of the belief that censorship in education is a crime to the general society. It is refreshing to hear that Koldovstoretz is not afraid of teaching their students the Dark Arts."

Intrigued, Mya pried for more, "Why is that?"

Sparks flew behind Draco's gray eyes. "At Hogwarts, our curriculum is handpicked by Dumbledore himself. We are not to learn about the Dark Arts. No information about soul magic, blood magic, forbidden curses, etc. Yet, by not teaching us these concepts, you are leaving your students vulnerable."

"Ignorance leaves you defenseless."

"Exactly. Not to mention, most of the supposed 'Dark' Arts are founded on the beginning principles of magic. Blood magic is some of the most raw magic a wizard can tap into. In fact, I read in Hogwarts, A History that the castle was-"

"Wait, you read Hogwarts, A History?" Mya asked, being caught off guard by the mention of her favorite book.

"Of course. I have read every edition of Hogwarts, A Histiory. I believe students should be educated on the institute they attend. Plus, I think it's a good read."

"I could not agree more." Mya responded. She looked into the eyes of Draco Malfoy, and instead of the obnoxious Slytherin, she found the eyes of an intelligent young man who was passionate about knowledge and worldliness.

"It looks like the song is over." Draco said, stepping away from Mya.

"So it is." She responded, surprised by her disappointment. He was an intriguing man.

"This does not mean that our conversation has to end. Would you mind giving me a tour of the grounds, My lady?"

Mya hesitated, knowing that the young Malfoy was just trying to court her, just as all other young available men in this ball were attempting to. Yet, something inside of her urged her to accept his proposal.

She led him to the gardens, which were lit up with little orbs of light floating along the path. Bushes filled with blood red roses adorned the gardens, creating a beautiful ambiance.

"You seem to be very passionate about your education at Hogwarts. Tell me, what is your favorite subject?" Mya asked, suspecting that he would choose something terribly Slytherin like Potions or boyish like Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Arithmancy."

Mya was totally shocked.

Draco chuckled at her reaction. "Yes, I know. You may find it terribly boring." He said, brushing a strand of platinum blonde hair away from his face.

"I happen to find arithmancy to be an incredibly interesting subject." Mya retorted.

Draco snorted. "So defensive."

"I'll have you know, arithmancy is also my favorite subject." She huffed.

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really." She huffed.

"After the stunt you pulled with Bellatrix, I would have guessed your favorite subject was something …more practical"

"I am going to take that as a compliment to my skills-"

"As opposed to a dig at your intellect?"

Draco smirked at her, and he was met with a death stare from her.

Draco's smirk only became wider.

"Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"That smirk you have on your face!"

Once again, it became even bigger. Mya huffed in response.

"I apologize for riling you up, my Lady." He said, very obviously finding the whole situation amusing.

"Thank you for your oh so gracious apology, Mr. Malfoy."

"I live to serve." He bowed, once again sending a charming smirk her way.

Hermione did not know which Draco Malfoy she found more frustrating, the charming intellectual she was currently standing in front of, or the king of Slytherin prat from Hogwarts.

"Mya, there you are."

She turned to find Snape making his way to her from the gardens.

"Severus." She responded.

"Hiding from the ball, are we?" Snape teased.

"Oh Severus, not all of us are as terribly antisocial as you."

"Says the woman who would take the company of books over humans anyday." He responded, lifting an eyebrow at her.

"Touche." She laughed.

Draco watched his potions master interact with the Dark Lady in shock.

"Draco, close your mouth, you'll catch flies." Severus chidded.

Draco snapped his mouth close and muttered "Sorry, Professor."

Severus nodded at his godchild and turned back to Mya, "Your father is looking for you. It is time for your meeting."

"Ah yes. My first private audience with the inner circle." Mya responded.

"How thrilling." Severus said dryly, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Well, I musnt keep them waiting. Severus, would you mind escorting me to the Dark Lord's office?"

Severus bowed his head and held out his arm to her. Before Mya accepted her uncle's arm, she turned to Draco.

"Draco." She nodded. "Thank you for the dance. And the conversation. It was much more pleasant than I thought it would be."

"It was my pleasure, My Lady." He bowed. "Perhaps next time we met we can actually talk about Arithmancy instead of defending our love for the subject."

Mya smiled at his response and took her uncle's arm. The two walked back into the manor, leaving a grinning Draco Malfoy alone in the Riddle Gardens, his eyes never leaving the sight of the Dark Lady.