Snowflakes in a Storm - [Scorose]

Chapter 20: Unbreakable

I walked behind my father, much like I had for the whole of my life. His cloak trailed on the ground behind him and I stood tall, just like always. A proud Malfoy. He let me out of my restraints and ordered me to follow him, which I did without hesitation. He lead me into a large room with a round table which sat nearly twenty people, maybe more. Everyone in there was wearing masks and my father had put his own on before we'd entered. I didn't have one and had to say I felt slightly out of place. As my father walked in the room, everyone there stood from their seats and my father approached an empty chair.

There wasn't a chair free for me, so I stood behind him as he sat down in front of everyone and they all followed his lead. I stood for the duration of the meeting with my hands behind my back looking over everyone. Everyone's masks hid their faces quite well, but there were some people I could recognise. Men and women, young and old, sat with my father.

"What's the status on Blowhold?" My father asked the table. Frederick Blowhold had been at one of the recent attacks and was captured.

"Still detained at Azkaban along with Richmond and Derman." A woman a couple of seats away from my father said. I recognised her voice and her long hair – it was Violet's mother Pansy, my father's ex-girlfriend and childhood friend.

"Derman's in Azkaban?" My father asked quizzically.

"He was caught last night at his home. Apparently someone recognised and reported him after the last attack in Diagon Alley." She explained and my father shook his head.

"Any news of the losses we had last night during the attack?" My father asked and no one said anything. "Anyone?" As he waited, a few of the Death Eaters glanced up at me.

"Well..." An older man on the other side of the table began. "Fourteen died last night, three are currently unaccounted for. Two of them were under the Imperius curse and no doubt those curses will already be broken if the Aurors had anything to do with it. We're about two days away from another ambush if they speak of what happened here."

"Well two days is more than enough time, Jones." My father said, I assumed Jones was the man who was speaking. "That is if my son can achieve what he needs to." Without thinking, I smirked a little.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" A woman I didn't recognise through her mask said.

"He's currently under an Imperius curse as we speak. Honiton-" He started, turning to a man on his right. "Your Imperius curses are the strongest, I want you to cast one on Scorpius. It's our best chance of it lasting long enough while he's back at school finding the stone and we're not there to make sure he stays this way." Honiton nodded at my father's command.

Both my father and Honiton stood up and looked at me. I was just smaller than him but slightly taller than my father. I looked up at the strong looking man beside me. My father waved his wand in front of my face and I snapped out of my trance.

"What..." I said, dazed, looking around and trying to figure out what was going on and then before I knew it I heard the word "Imperio" and I was snapped back into my cursed state. Dazed, happy, determined. My father reached into his pocket and pulled out my wand, handing it to me. I took it graciously and bowed my head in respect.

"Now, son..." My father put his hand on my shoulder and led me to the other side of the room, away from the table and rest of the Death Eaters, although they were close enough to clearly hear whatever my father was about to say to me. "I trust you to do what must be done for us, and I'm sorry that cursing you is the only way to get you on our side, at least for now – but I need to make sure you do what you need to in order to get the stone and help us." I nodded and my father gestured downwards to the floor. He kneeled before me and I followed his lead, kneeling in front of him also.

"That's why this needs to be done." He said, grabbing my hand. Pansy Parkinson stood up from her seat and walked over to us. We held our right hands together out in front of each other. Parkinson stood in the middle to the side of us and poised her wand toward our clasped hands.

"Will you, Scorpius Malfoy-" My father began and I realised what was happening. We were making an unbreakable vow. "promise to keep our plans a secret from anyone who shall ask?"

Without hesitation, I, cursed, looking into my father's eyes said "I will." A flame of red came out of Parkinson's wand and wound itself around mine and my father's hands.

"And will you spend every moment possible searching for the resurrection stone until it is found?"

"I will." Another flame.

"And, when found, will you bring it straight to us?"

"I will." Another flame. It burned slightly, but I didn't move – I couldn't.

"And lastly, will you inform us of any plans that Hermione Weasley and aurors Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley speak of with you present?"

"I will."

The light faded into our skin, burning myself and my father for a second before we stood and my father placed his hand on my shoulder approvingly.

"We must get Scorpius back to Hogwarts without arousing suspicion. This will only work if no one suspects him." My father explained as he spoke to the table. I stood behind him again looking at everyone as they looked at us.

"Jones, Grisher and Zabini." I hadn't noticed that my father's friend Blaise was at the table, there were too many to notice everyone. "You will take Scorpius to Hogsmeade as a fake hostage. You'll threaten to kill him if they don't give up information about what we're looking for but don't be specific. Then, when everything gets chaotic, as usual, you apparate away and leave him. He'll be taken back to the school and cared for then he can start his search."

The three of them nodded at my father's instructions and stood up swiftly walking over to us. "Good luck, my son." My father said, then before I knew it I was apparated away to Hogsmeade which was currently full of people and students and a couple of Aurors here and there.

A cloud of black smoke was released by one of them as we landed in the street, causing a ruckus and screams of fear from the witches and wizards that lined the street. Zabini held me around my neck with his wand pointed into my throat hard. It hurt and made me cough.

Before I could barely take in my surroundings, there were Aurors standing in front of us and the Death Eaters were screaming and shouting about information about something.

"TELL US WHERE IT IS!"

"TELL US OR HE DIES!"

"WE KNOW THAT YOU KNOW WHERE IT IS!" etc. etc. I played my part struggling and looking scared when I knew the whole time that I was never going to get hurt.

The Aurors stood in front of us shouting back saying "WE DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT."

"HAND HIM OVER AND NO ONE GETS HURT."

"NO ONE NEEDS TO DIE." And things along those lines. One of the Aurors shot a spell at the Death Eater beside Zabini and they blocked it. A few other spells were shot before they apparated away just like my father instructed. I fell to the ground on my knees and the Aurors came rushing over.

"We need to get him back to the school." One of them said and they picked me up and held my arms over their shoulders, helping me walk back even though I wasn't hurt. A small part of my brain was telling me that what was happening was wrong, but the Imperius curse was too strong and I couldn't fight it. The only thing on my mind was getting back to school, getting people to believe the story and finding the resurrection stone.

I hadn't thought about Rose all day.