The Dark Promise// Theodore Nott

CH 26

It would seem the two of them had started a routine. Olivia would wake up to Mattheo leaving or already left. He never really explained where he would go, just the normal 'stuff' as usual. She wondered if he was stealing pointless things like movies and music. While he was gone, she would read. Mostly the Secrets of the Darkest arts but today she was reading the autobiography of Ominis Sallow. She was reading rather slowly than she normally would read a book. His words were like the cinnamon frosting on a pastry. Every word had her captivated.

Ominis Sallow was once born a Gaunt and was no saint himself. He did horrible things in order to prove himself to his pureblood family. He killed muggles, tortured muggleborns, even his future wife. It was his wife that forced him out of his ways and made him a better person. He became a protector of muggleborn witches and wizards and was even a muggle studies teacher at Hogwarts. When she got to the later part of his book, he explained that he felt like a failure. He had not been able to change the wizarding world like he had hoped.

Even so, he vowed to do whatever he could to stop the madness that was pure blood supremacy. This made Olivia sorrowful. If Sallow were alive today, he would be disgusted by what he saw. She had wondered what would happened if they succeeded in their venture? Would the process start all over again? Would the pureblood agenda always win? Would it always just circle through?

She wished she could talk to him. The end of his book was ominous, no pun intended. He warned the reader that if you don't open your eyes to see the light early, you might always be lost in the darkness. Was this his way of saying it might be too late for some people? Were some people just not worth saving? Mattheo was doing all of this for his mother, knowing full well she was an evil witch. Was she not worth saving? What about Theo's father? He used to be a dedicated death eater. They all had their sins, why give them another chance?

It had been a couple of days since their meeting in the library and still no letter from Theo. It had worried Olivia, but knew they had to be discreet. She was sure Theo wouldn't send a letter unless he was sure he had found something out. It was better that he was safe and secretive. Mattheo returned with a solemn look on his face, not speaking when he entered the room. "What's wrong? Is everything ok?" She said, getting up from her reading chair. She knew something bad was happening when Mattheo didn't have that stupid grin on his face.

"We have been summoned. All of us. Tonight." He said in a low voice, throwing his bag on the ground and sitting on the edge of the bed. "All of us? Even me?" She asked. He intertwined his hands bringing them to his face. "Yea, even you. He asked us to come unmasked." That certainly was odd, didn't they always come masked at meetings? Why would he need her? Didn't he just keep her around to be a healer? If he asked everyone to come, would Theo be there? "You don't think he knows something is up do you?"

"I don't know, but we can't go in scared. We have to pretend nothing is happening. This is just a normal meeting. If we act like something is up, he will know something is up." Olivia nodded her head, agreeing with him. Calm, cool and collected. She hoped Theo would be thinking the same thing they were. That night, the house elf that was assigned to her came in with a new dress this time. It was shorter and black, with a snake beaded detail along the back. Candy held it up to her, waiting for her approval.

"Did you pick this one out too?" She asked, thinking how vastly different it was than the first one she had worn on her wedding night. Candy shook her head. "No, it was the mistress who picked this one." Mattheo glanced over at the dress, trying to get his tie on. "Yea, that looks like something my mom would pick out. It will look nice on you though."

She took the dress and went into the bathroom to change. It fit her perfectly, but didn't suit her. It looked like more of a costume, like she was playing a part in a play. Tonight, she would be playing a part. She would work on her acting skills and give the best performance. Tonight, she was the dark lord's healer, a dedicated subject.