Jade Evans, Death Eater {Jade Book 4}

Chapter 8

Hey. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I think I'm slowly getting over my Writer's Block. However, school work still gets in the way, so I'll probably have difficulty updating more often than once a week. I'm aiming for one update every Saturday or Sunday depending on my homework/assignments.

Reviews of this chapter?

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Term had started out a while ago now, which meant it was about time for me to have another Occlumency lesson.

Unfortunately.

After feeding some lie to Blaise and Anja, I left the Common Room and headed for my father's office.

I opened the door just as someone on the other side opened it, too...

Professor Dumbledore.

He walked past me, half-moon glasses glinting in the moonlight. "Good evening, Miss Evans," he said politely.

"Good evening, Headmaster," I replied in an equally polite tone. He inclined his head and moved off down the corridor, leaving me to enter my father's office.

I often tried not to like Dumbledore due to his love of Harry and the Gryffindors, but it was very hard not to. He was funny, and intelligent, and experienced. If only he didn't act so mad...

"Hello, Father," I sighed, reluctant to begin my Occlumency lesson. He nodded as a greeting and then, without any formalities, began to give me the usual instructions. Then he added something he didn't usually say: "Since you're going to be attending school classes now, I've decided that your lessons will be every Wednesday evening at six-thirty –"

"That's Quidditch practise," I interrupted immediately.

Father frowned at me, sighed and then thought for a moment. "Fine. Then Monday nights at six-thirty pm?"

I nodded – "Okay" – and then Father returned to his speech. "Right. So you're at a lot of risk from –" he swallowed "– the Dark Lord, who I suspect will return towards the end of this year. He will attempt to recruit you – and we will let him. Thus, we will be able to pass valuable information to the group of Aurors in charge of fighting Dark forces, while keeping ourselves alive, of course.

'But the Dark Lord will want to see into your mind to check your true loyalty to him. You'll have to show him thoughts that'll make you appeal to him, while hiding everything else. Now, I'm going to try to penetrate your mind every so often. You won't be warned. Prepare yourself."

I scowled. This was new – Father was raising the stakes.

Quickly, I brought up my defenses just as a wave of Father's consciousness swept across mine. Luckily, I was focused, but Father still managed to attack pretty forcefully.

Just not forcefully enough to get through my defenses.

I had succeeded!

Father finally stopped his siege and smiled – actually smiled. "Well done, Jade," he said in a pleased voice. "But some Legilimens are capable of attacking your mind while they –"

Speak, I finished in my mind, horrified, and suddenly I felt a probing in my mind.

Then all my defenses came crashing down. All my thoughts and memories tumbled out, and I was exposed, forced to relieve my worst and best experiences.

I recalled the memory of a carefree evening in the Room of Requirement with Kaya and Holly, after the horrifying events of the afternoon...

Going out with Theodore, Holly and Kaya to get ice-cream and being left alone with Theodore...

Then I remembered my last conversation with Harry Potter, after he returned from his interview, and I happened to be wandering around the castle...

"Jade?" Harry's bewildered voice asked. "What are you doing here?"

I shrugged. "Just exploring." He raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing me.

"Right...I wouldn't trust any child of Snape, even if she is my sister."

I lowered my voice and whispered to him, "Harry, watch out. Just because my father is Professor Snape, just because I'm a Slytherin – doesn't make me evil. But some people – some Slytherins – are evil –"

"Malfoy," Harry interrupted with a frown.

"No, Draco isn't evil, whatever you might think. But some are. Remember the wizard who killed our mother and your father on the 31st of October, 1981?"

"Voldemort," Harry whispered. "No."

"Yes," I returned in a pained voice. But I knew that if my father ever found out what I'd revealed, he'd be so angry that I'd be punished severely.

So I just said, "Goodnight, Harry," and walked away.

I opened my eyes to see Father frowning at me. "Remember, attacks could come at any time. And the Dark Lord's Legilimency is far better than mine."

I gaped at him in horror.

"But –"

"And when," Father continued, "did that last memory occur? Why in Merlin's name did you give anything at all away to Potter about the Dark Lord's return to power? He will suspect you, now."

I shook my head. "You don't understand, Father. Harry is my brother. I have to protect him. It's instinctive – you wouldn't understand."

And with that, I got up and left the office.