Her Single Rose (Remus Lupin)

One-Hundred & Twenty-Three

"Are you ready, Miss Black?" Aries took a deep breath, situating herself in the chair a bit more. Pulling around memories to find some hidden meaning wasn't exactly what she thought she would be doing on a Saturday afternoon, but here they were.

Dumbledore had Sirius and Remus in another room with Estella to minimize the distractions. Of course this didn't make Aries feel any safer.

Aries nodded, "Always, just do it." 

Without hesitating, Dumbledore pulled out his wand, pointing it at Aries head and sending her into a whirlwind of her own memories

He was quick, flitting from memory to memory and shuffling through the passed few months until making his way to the years she had been sent on the mission. 

Focus Miss Black, Show me Voldemort

Aries did as asked, focusing her mind on blimps that she could recall of times she had spent alone or with a small group with Voldemort.

She had attempted to focus on one, the first time she had been pulled aside alone by the enemy, but Dumbledore pushed away from it. Aries didn't know what he was looking for but kept her mind focused and soft to allow him passage.

Eventually, Dumbledore stopped on a particularly haunting memory, making Aries twitch and recoil at it. It was right after he commanded her to murder Mindy Farfield.

"So beautiful, Aries, isn't she? Laying there so pale, as radiant as mist and fog, a rainy day." Voldemort whispered beside her, looking at Mindy's body as if it was a treasure. 

Aries stayed silent while he commanded two by standing Death Eaters to get rid of her body. Aries had suddenly realized she was alone with him, but her brain and body felt separated, her mind frozen while her head and eyes watched his movement. A reflex.

"I have yet to find the blood traitors that owe me their children, from the prophecy Severus has spoken of. I have a need to learn patience and because of that I have decided to turn my certain focus onto preserving myself. My soul specifically, if you will." 

His voice was like a salty venom laced with a smile, terrifying still even when one had to look away. 

"Do you know what I am speaking of, my gifted girl?" He asked, running his fingers over the chairs that lined the table she stood next to. They were in a dining room of sorts, but Aries mind was hardly on food and rather on the girl she had just tortured.

Aries stayed silent, making his smiled twist into what looked like a sinister smirk. Like he knew exactly what Aries was truly thinking about, "Do you fear the prophecy?" Aries felt her spine tingle and straighten as if someone had been holding ice up to it.

The question gained a raised brow from the man who circled around the table, "I fear nothing, Aries, I thought you would have learned that by now." She knew he was lying, she had known since she looked through his mind earlier that day. 

He wasn't afraid of dying, not of his own death. He was afraid of a world filled with witches or wizards that were stronger and more powerful than him. He was afraid to lose. 

"Then why distract from the prophecy." Aries asked making Voldemort pause in his step, locking eyes with the young woman.

"There's nothing wrong with a bit of caution now is there." Another lie. The more caution one takes, the harder it is to focus solely on what their main goal is to accomplish. The more caution, the worse the outcome. 

His words nearly made Aries show relief, he wasn't going to be trying so hard to find her friends, which meant this would give them more time. Give her more time.