Callidora Nott has always known exactly what is expected of her.
As the daughter of one of Britain's oldest pure-blood families, her future has already been carefully planned; alliances, power, and a life shaped by tradition she never chose. At home...
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"My Lord."
Her father's voice carried a reverence so absolute it made something in Calli's stomach turn.
She didn't move.
Didn't look up.
She remained exactly as she had been taught; head bowed, posture precise, expression hidden.
"Callidora." Cantankerus continued smoothly. "As I have mentioned. She is currently useful to us within the Ministry. She has already proven capable of accessing the mind of an Unspeakable."
Calli kept her gaze lowered.
Still.
Controlled.
Invisible.
She heard it before she saw anything.
Movement.
The faint drag of fabric.
A soft, unmistakable hiss.
Then black robes entered her line of vision, shifting like shadows given form. Beneath them, a pale, inhuman foot stepped forward, too white, too bare against the polished floor.
"Tell me."
The voice was quiet.
It didn't need to be louder.
Calli lifted her head.
Voldemort looked at her.
And she knew instantly, with absolute certainty that she would never forget those eyes. Scarlet, slit-pupiled, fixed on her with a kind of attention that didn't feel like being seen so much as being opened.
For the first time that night, she was grateful.
Grateful for every grueling lesson.
For every moment Severus Snape had pushed and prodded and forced her to build walls strong enough to hold.
Because she needed them now.
Her mind stayed anchored, deliberately, methodically on safe ground.
Textbooks.
Chapters.
Theory.
Anything but truth.
Anything but fear.
"The entrance is a trap, my Lord."
Her voice came out steady.
Stronger than she expected.
It surprised her but she didn't let it show.
"If one does not know the proper command or possess clearance, the structure disorients. It would be... easy to become lost indefinitely."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Measured.
"Lucius." He said, without shifting his gaze. "You know what to do."
