Liberty - A Harry Potter fan fiction

Chapter 9 - The First Days

As a part of my death eater "initiation", the Dark Lord put me through a series of tests over the Christmas holiday. If I passed one, I was rewarded with praise from my new master. If I failed, I was punished with the Cruciatus curse and locked in the basement of what was the Malfoy Manor until he deemed me worthy enough to continue with these tasks.

The memories of my abduction were erased from my parents and sisters mind. Instead, it was planted that I'd decided to go on Christmas vacation with a school friend. I was to return to Hogwarts and play my previous role of braniac loner. Only this time I had a little secret on my arm to hide. I was also ordered to help Malfoy with some mission of his. This proved to be a challenge since we didn't seem to be able to be in the same room with each other, for reasons and emotions we didn't know or wish to find out. I avoided talking to him and it seemed he had the same thought.

I was given a nice room in the manor, but forbidden to go exploring. From what I understood, there were rooms that even the Malfoy's couldn't enter. Pretty messed up considering it was their home. Bellatrix took me under her wing, mentoring me and letting me in on her secrets.

How had this happened to me? I asked myself that question every night as I lay thinking of everything I'd learned throughout the day. I came from a good family; I was in Gryffindor house and quite frankly, I never thought I'd ever be in the position where I was forcibly given any sort of mark. It was something that bugged me to no end. Strangely however, I felt I now had a sense of purpose in my life. I was excited when given a new task and thrilled at the prospect of carrying them through.

My final test came one a rainy night. Bellatrix woke me from a deep sleep. Dressed in her signature black, she handed me a similar gown to hers, this one in a deep purple. I didn't know it at the time, but purple was to become my own signature color, just at blue was Narcissa Malfoy's color. She urged me to hurry, even helping me dress in my semi sleep state. Urging me to leave my wand, Bellatrix took hold of my hand and apparated us to a familiar street. It wove its way up through the trees, many driveways branching off from it.

Without her telling me, I recognized the old shack home of Tiberius Hudgisen. He was an older wizard who'd never gotten married or had children of his own and was quite reclusive. Entering his house in the dead of night could only mean one thing was required of me.

"Make him happy with you," Bellatrix said as we entered the old mans bedroom.

She handed me her wand and shoved me toward the bed. I looked down on the man, taking note of how fragile he looked in sleep. That was my last thought before Bellatrix's wand swished up and down in front of me. I jet of green light emitted from it and disappeared into his chest, killing him mid breath. I hadn't realized I'd even moved, my mouth hadn't opened to utter the words, but there he was. Dead. By my hand.

Bellatrix laughed her now familiar cackle and I heard myself join in. My strange adrenaline rush, growing more familiar with each new task, was coursing strongly through my veins.

Returning us to Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix gleefully informed her sister I'd just orchestrated my first kill. She wanted to celebrate but Lucius wouldn't allow it. Malfoy looked at me mournfully, as though he wanted to say something but didn't dare in his aunts presence. I felt careless, with a tinge of guilt pushed way down so that I barely even felt it.