The Mark of a Death Eater : Sequel

Chapter Three

"Of course Narcissa," I said what I hoped was graciously.

Draco stood up to excuse himself. "I'll see you later," he promised. He gave me a meaningful look before he exited past him mother, but I didn't know how to interpret it.

Narcissa strode into the room, shut the door, and say on the very edge of my bed. All of this was done very gracefully, and reminded me of my mother.

"How aware are you of what's been happening around you?"
I flashed back to the last few weeks at the Manor. Brooding, staring out the window, watching people come and go, clutching my opal necklace, reading books.
"I could use some reminders," I admitted.

Narcissa looked as if her fears were confirmed.
"Things have been difficult. You know of the many people that have been killed over the past weeks?"
I nodded grimly. I'd done my best to shut out the world, but the deaths were common knowledge. From high classes ministry officials to civilians who dared mention Harry Potter in esteem, all were dead within days.

"The deaths are getting worse. The Dark Lord will be coming here in three days time for a meeting with us all. He plans on cornering Harry Potter once and for all."
I hadn't though much of The Boy Who Lived / Prince / Chosen One since that night. I'd been very selfish with regards to my thoughts. A picture of his face, with his untidy black hair and green-green eyes came to mind. And of course, the famous lightning bolt on his forehead. I hadn't uncovered the matter of Lily and Snape yet. To be honest, I didn't care much to any more. The ploy to finally put an end to Harry Potter was a song we've all heard sung before.
What makes Him think it will work this time? He's been playing at it for years and been unsuccessful.
"He thinks we will be successful this time," Narcissa said, as if she read my thoughts. "We have Severus Snape," her mouth set into a hard line, "who's knowledge of The Order is unprecedented, seeing as he was a part of them until recently. And we also have Yaxley, who is attempting to infiltrate the ministry." She looked grim. "Not that he has been successful."

Severus Snape. I hadn't seen him since the day after he brought me to the Manor. He had come the next day to tell me to stay put, and, would you believe it, offer to allow me to continue my Occlumecy and defence lessons. That hadn't gone very well. I'd shouted as yelled obscenities at him for a while, at one point shattering a porcelain urn against the wall next to his head. I don't really remember it all, and it was never mentioned again. No one mentioned the week after Dumbledore's death.

"Is Snape going to be here?" I asked. "Everyone's going to be here," she replied.

Narcissa stood, paced around my bed and wrung her hands. It was a rare show of disquiet for Narcissa. She usually made such a big show of being calm.
"But that isn't going to matter for you."

That drew me up short.
"What do you mean?" I asked immediately.
Narcissa stopped pacing and tried very hard not to look me. "The fact remains that you failed to kill Albus Dumbledore," she said. "Severus Snape killed him, and that did not go unnoticed."

Damn Severus Snape. Damn him to the bottomless eternal pits of wherever evil goes when they finally perish. He had pretended to help us, pretended to care about me for a long time, offering me lessons, being there to help me... And when the time came to finally win, he strode in front of us on the tower and killed Albus Dumbledore.

The truth was, that this was the thing that scared me most. When Draco and I stood alone on that tower, Albus Dumbledore trying so hard to talk us out of killing him (had it been for his benefit, or ours? as he so liked to pretend that night), when the moment came, Draco had dropped his wand an inch.

But I had raised mine.

What would have happened, had those death eaters not burst onto the ramparts? What would have happened, had Severus not marched into the green light, his wand aloft? Would I have had the guts to kill Albus Dumbledore? And had I, what would have happened to Draco and I after?

But those were all questions that would forever go unanswered, because we failed, and Snape won.

When I dream that dream, the nightmares are all drenched in green light and black agony.

"We're going to be punished, aren't we?" I didn't sound apprehensive. I sounded like it was exactly what I expected, and nothing less, and all I now required was some sort of affirmation to make true my nightmares.

Narcissa didn't want to answer but she did. Another point for her, the brave woman.
"Yes."

"How?" I asked immediately. Physical pain was something I could endure, to an extent. What I was worried about was them going after my family.

"I don't know," Narcissa admitted, spreading her hands. "It's possible that he could have some sort of torture in store." Every word looked like it would choke her. "I really don't know. I am so sorry."

I slid down the headboard of my bed, sinking into doom and gloom.

"Does Draco know this?" I asked.
"I told him after Bella left this morning, before his father's arrival."
"And he didn't tell me?" I had been playing a kid's game with him, for goodness sake. He could have at least brought up the subject if a meeting in three days time and our ultimately-possible destruction.

Narcissa raised her hands. "You must forgive him for that. I asked him to hold this back from you. I wanted to tell it to you myself." She hesitated before carrying on. "Also, I wasn't sure if the two of you were on speaking terms at all. There was a good chance you would take the news better if I told you than if he did."
The undertone to her voice told me what her high words did not. She was afraid that I would cause a scene and attempt to throttle Draco if he suddenly began speaking to me. That Narcissa too thought me unstable brought a slight wave if shame to me. Then again, she had watched as I'd hurled her ornaments at Severus Snape and swore to kill him.

Then I had a small brainwave.

"Do you think he'll go after my family?" I asked carefully.
Narcissa was openly loyal to The Dark Lord, but her true loyalties lay with her family. This was something I was going to be counting on.

She hung her head. "It is possible," she admitted.

I sucked in a breath.
"Then I need you to help me."