The Dark Promise// Theodore Nott

CH 46

Olivia felt like she was in class. Only this was not the normal class at Hogwarts. No, this class was being taught every single boy she had ever had true feelings for and there just happened to be three of them. Never in a million years would Crazy Corny think she would be in this situation, but here she was. Mattheo was standing up at the front, pointing at a large crude map he had drawn up with the help of Ron Weasley and Padma. He was pointing at different entrance points and a few traps that had been laid out on the property. "Whatever you do, avoid these at all costs. They have the power to obliviate anyone that steps on them. I would know I put them there." He said with a small giggle. He continued with his explanation, seeing as no one found that as funny as he did. "I would disarm them, but I will be focusing in getting the main door open for the rest of the party. First, I have to take out the guards patrolling the front." He was speaking like this was a game of dungeons and dragons. It was a muggle game he loved, even though he never had friends to play with. He droned on and on about it one night in their room at the castle, forcing Olivia to learn about classes and stats.

Sitting in the first row of chairs was Theo, acting surprisingly normal. He didn't give Mattheo one death glare as he was explaining the fortress that was Voldemort's castle, in fact he was taking notes, taking in every word Mattheo was saying. She couldn't help but feel she was in another dimension, another world where all of the boys got along and they were totally fine with each other's feelings for her. That's what she thought until she looked over at Malfoy, who was refreshingly acting like she thought he would. He was still handcuffed, but no longer to a radiator. He was forced to sit beside Bill so the ginger haired man could keep a close watch on him. He was slumping in his chair, staring up at the morning clouds. He didn't need to listen to this lecture. There was nothing his cousin could teach him that he already didn't know.

When she had come out of the room to talk about her conversation with him, the order members were not entirely onboard with trusting him. Sure, he had pledged allegiance, but only to her. If Olivia was out of the picture, there would be no Malfoy alliance. However, the prospect of Draco infecting the dark lord was too good to pass up. If he died in the process, it would be no great loss for the order. Bill only agreed to talk about his immunity if he survived this ordeal, which was fine for now, but Olivia was gung-ho about maintaining her promise to him. She would make sure Malfoy didn't rot in a cell in Azkaban.

When Mattheo was done talking strategy, Bill lifted from his seat and walked to the front. The Weasley twins who were sitting behind him leaned forward in the chairs, making sure Draco didn't move a muscle. Malfoy rolled his eyes, finding all of this abit overkill. Bill spoke in a commanding voice, the voice of a general preparing for battle. "Now we all know our positions it's time to talk about the full plan. Malfoy has told us about a painting in the south hallway. It is called The Traitor and is the final horcrux. The snake will always be close to Voldemort so that will be easy. What will not is getting to that hallway and destroying the painting. We need a team of at least three to find it. Any volunteers?" He asked, looking about the aisles of chairs. Several hands shot up, including Theo. It was Olivia who spoke instead of putting her hand up. "The Hogwarts team had proved to work well together. Why don't the four of us find the picture?" She asked, looking at Neville and Hermione who had already had their hands raised as well.

Bill looked like he was in deep thought. Olivia was right. They had worked well together to get the diadem but the stakes were quite low compared to this. After what Malfoy had said about Theo last night, it furthered his distrust for the Nott boy. Should he really send Nott to do such an important task? He was meaning to send him in as a grunt to fight off guards. He looked over at Hermione who seemed completely fine with this plan. She offered him a small nod, showing her trustworthy nature. Finally, he gave his answer, licking his dry lips before speaking. "That will do fine." Was all he said, not showing any real conviction in his tone. He then went on to explain Malfoy's part in this intricate plan. "We will release Malfoy tonight, giving hm a full twenty-four hours to infect Voldemort before we invade. If he is successful, we agreed that he will shine a light in the window of Olivia's old bedroom, giving us a signal that he is incapacitated. If he fails, we will still proceed just with more caution." Bill was interrupted by Malfoy, a spiciness to his tone. "I won't fail. He will be laying on the floor drooling when you come in. I'll make it nice and easy for you." His face was contorted in a deep scowl, not amused with their disbelief in him.