One Fate Leads To Another

Chapter 17: Dark Mark

Inside a small and mucky bar sat two hooded strangers drinking in silence. One took out a delicate silver stopwatch and timed the incoming of guests. Every twenty minutes, a person entered the inn and went directly upstairs. There were five in total. One of the hooded pair tailed the fifth and went upstairs. The other awaited, resetting the stopwatch again.

Neither Severus nor I knew what to do next, but we let liquid luck guide us to the right path. The man I was following looked around him cautiously and entered a private room. I was ear dropping and recognised some familiar voices.

"Thank you for coming today. I understand that all of you are under careful watch, but I would not have demanded a meeting if it wasn't for urgent business." It was Dumbledore speaking. "The followers of Voldemort are no longer hunting down muggle-born witches and wizards only, but also those they call blood traitors. Two from our side had disappeared lately."

"Names?" 

"Two Prewett brothers. Fabian and Gideon Prewett," replied Dumbledore.

"They are Arthur's brothers-in-law," said another man.

"It was Antonin Dolohov who did it." There went another familiar voice. Remus Lupin added, "His crowd brought in two new subjects lately. I'll find out where they hide."

"Very well then. Alastor, I trust that you will be there tomorrow night, wherever it is that they have taken our friends?"

Alastor did not reply verbally but I heard a knock on the ground. It sounds like someone hitting the floor with a heavy stick.

"Frank, please tell Arthur not to worry too much. Alastor is a very skilled auror."

No other word was uttered for a while, so their secret meeting must have ended. I heard footsteps from the staircase and turned around. The hooded man warned, "Your luck is running out."

I agreed with Severus and marched towards the stairs when the door behind me was suddenly opened, and a spell in fiery orange hit right on my leg.

At that exact moment, Severus reached out his arm and grabbed my hand to dissaparate us back to his place. It was, however, too late. I fell down immediately to the ground, my hands clutching to the carpet that had been sunk in fresh blood. The minor explosion from the spell caused a horrible explosion that blasted the flesh off the back of my legs. I needed extended medical care if I wish to have functional limps again.

While Severus was rushing around the house to bring me the best potion he has in possession, I saw that face he makes when he is worried sick, just as when I was attacked by werewolfs back then. I grabbed his leg while he was passing by, had him stopped and listened, and whispered all the information I've retrieved before I fainted.

I was fed an extremely powerful sleeping pill and some painkiller. When I wake up again, my legs wrapped in bandage were almost recovered. Beside my bed but out of my sight, Severus was pouring a glass of water.

"Severus? How were things?" said I with a dry throat.

"Your little scheme was very successful. The Dark Lord was very pleased, but that was four days ago." The person who spoke was not Severus, but his frequent visitor, Lucius Malfoy.

"Malfoy?! What are you doing here? And what do you mean four days ago?"

As the white-blonde nobleman passed me a glass of water, he replied, "The Dark Lord learnt that the Aurors were after Dolohov and so he had Merciber and Bellatrix staying with him to take down the most powerful of them. He would have sent Severus but he granted him time to take care of you as a reward for the information you had brought to us."

"That night, we outnumbered the Aurors and almost had them killed. Victory was nigh, until Dumbledore himself decided to show up."

The glass of water tasted extremely bitter. It was mixed with Severus' potion. "Did the Dark Lord put the blame on me? Or worse, Severus? Where's Severus anyway?"

"The Dark Lord's mind was impenetrable. He is likely joined by Severus right this moment. Ask him when he returns." He walked out of the room. "My work here is done. Farewell."

I must admit, Lucius Malfoy was loyal and tolerable to be around when he saw me as someone on his side.

Severus hurried back to bring me a message: The Dark Lord wanted to see me. Was he curious of the new recruit that had provided him with rewarding results?

With a splash of floo powder, I walked out of a delicately decorated fireplace. An elf walked me through the hallway and at last entered the drawing room. It had a tall ceiling and two crystal chandeliers. On the two sides of the long ornate table sat a few death eaters, and at the end of it sat the Dark Lord himself.

"Come, take a seat." A cold, sharp voice alerted me. I took the nearest one, right next to Narcissa Malfoy.

"What is your name?" Voldemort proceeded to ask.

"Ali-, Elizabeth Prince, my lord."

"Very well. Lucius and Severus speak very highly of you. The others, however, remember you very differently from your times in Hogwarts."

"My lord, I was disgusted by my unclear bloodline and I feared I might be unworthy of following you, but now I have sought the truth about my past. I am half-blood."

"I shall see the truth for myself." Voldemort said as he picked up his wand and prepared to intrude my mind.

"My lord," Severus interrupted him boldly. The Dark Lord turned and listened. "I have with me several bottles of Veritaserum. Perhaps they may come into assistance."

"I appreciate it, Severus, but I have decide to save it for our other guests."

As the spell hits me, an unwelcomed foreign matter, more like a different conscious, penetrated my mind. I unconsciously showed him the memory of my conversation with my aunt, then my unfortunate childhood, followed by pieces of memory I had with Severus, the first time I met him on the hill, him cutting off ties with me, and the day we reunited.

It was very disturbing, and I experienced a major headache, but if this was the only way to show to the Dark Lord that I had nothing to hide, let it be this way.

The spell was done. Voldemort was pleased with what he had found in my mind.  "Reach out your arm."

A dark mark was imprinted on my left forearm. It was settled. From this moment forward, I was a death eater. I served Voldemort.