UNEQUIVOCALLY | DM

•THIRTY FIVE•

•THIRTY FIVE•

THE DARK LORD HAD BEEN USING MALFOY MANOR as a place to hold meetings, meaning she and Draco spent a fair bit of time cooped up in their bedroom over the summer, in fear of bumping into him.

Jasmine was feeling quite unwell, her period hadn't come and she spent most mornings hunched over the toilet vomiting. At first, she and Draco had put it down to nerves, but this morning, Jasmine had noticed the slight swell in her lower stomach, and knew exactly what it had meant.

This meeting was different. He had requested their presence, they were both nervous and didn't want to be there. Most nights they talked about running away, somewhere tropical where they didn't need to worry about anything and nobody could find them.

However, they both knew that because of Draco's mark, he'd know exactly where they were, and Jasmine wasn't particularly willing to leave Theo.

Jasmine sat at the table, Draco one side of her, next to his father and Theo the other side of her, with their father sat beside him.

Jasmines hands were shaking underneath the table as the dark lord moved a floating body into the room at the end of the table. Professor Burbage, teacher of muggle studies.

She had attended those lessons with the lovely teacher, and professor Burbage liked the girl. She could see that Draco and Theo's demeanours were shaking as they saw their professor at the end of the table.

She had been beaten up and looked to be in a horrible way. Jasmine felt sick and she wasn't sure if it was because of the sight in front of her, or the fact she was pregnant and hadn't told anybody yet. The air was cold, despite the fire burning bright behind them, Jasmine guessed it was Voldemort's presence.

They waited for the last guest to join the meeting, that being Snape. He walked into the room, pausing when he saw one of his fellow colleagues floating in mid air.

"Severus. I was beginning to worry you'd lost your way. Come. I've saved you a seat." he said as everyone watched Snape stop moving at the sight of his colleague. Jasmine didn't look up however, she kept her eyes trained to the table. Much like her brother and Draco.

"You bring news I trust, Severus?" He asked as Snape sat himself down.

"It will happen Saturday next, at night fall." Snape said, looking at Lord Voldemort.

"I have heard differently, my lord. Dawlish the Auror, let slip that the Potter boy will not be moved until the thirtieth of this month, the night before he turns seventeen" Yaxley spoke. Yaxley had always been horrible. He and her father had never seen eye to eye.

"this is a false trail. The Auror office no longer plays any part in the protection of Harry Potter. Those closest to him believe we have infiltrated the ministry" Snape replied, cutting Yaxley off. It was clear Snape didn't like him either.

"well, they've got that right then, haven't they?" A man laughed, someone that Jasmine didn't recognise, nor did she care to know his name.

Others joined in laughing but the Malfoy and Nott families stayed quiet. Voldemort raised a hand causing everyone to go silent.

"Pius, what say you?" he asked the man sat at the very end of the table. He looked up, almost scared to speak.

"One hears many things, my lord. Whether the truth is among them is not clear" Pius responded causing Voldemort to scoff a laugh.

"spoken like a true politician. You will, I think prove most useful, Pius. Where will he be taken? the boy?" He then turned back to Snape.

"to a safehouse. likely the home of someone in the Order. I'm told it has been given every manner of protection possible. Once there, it will be impractical to attack him. We may have compromised the ministry, but there are those who remain loyal to him. As long as the ministry stands, his allies within will have the means at their disposal to insure his safety." Snape then spoke, Jasmine felt Draco's hand slide into her lap, taking her hand in his and giving it a squeeze, as reassurance. Although he wasn't sure if he was reassuring her or himself.

"My lord, if I might, I'd like to volunteer myself for this task. I'd like to kill the boy" Bellatrix then spoke up, her voice much softer than it had been when speaking to Draco and Jasmine.

Before Voldemort could respond, professor Burbage wailed in pain causing Voldemort's eyes to flash red in anger.

"Wormtail! have I not spoken to you about keeping our guest quiet?" He shouted at the small man in the corner. Jasmine flinched as he shouted, causing Draco to squeeze her hand once more.

"Yes, m-my lord. Right away, my lord" Wormtail replied, scrambling to perform a silencing spell to get her to be quiet.

"As inspiring as I find your bloodlust, Bellatrix, I must be the one to kill Harry Potter. But I face an unfortunate complication. It has recently come to my attention that my want and Potter's share the same core. They are in some ways, twins. We can wound but not fatally harm one another. Which means, if I am to kill him... I will have to do it with another's wand" Voldemort looked to the entire table as he watched them all stiffen.

He stood up and began to walk around the table, his hand brushing past peoples chairs.

"Come now. Surely one of you would like the honour? what about... you Lucius?" Voldemort asked and Jasmine felt Draco stiffen beside her.

Lucius peered up at him, "I require your wand." He then spoke. Lucius looked hesitant and unlatched his wand from his walking stick handing it to Voldemort.

"Do I detect elm?" He asked, Lucius nodded but didn't meet his eyes. "Yes, my lord." Lucius nodded, staring ahead.

"And the core?" he questioned, "Dragon-Dragon heartstring" Lucius stuttered out, Voldemort nodded and felt the wand. he snapped the snake head off the top and threw it onto the table.

Voldemort then raised his wand to Professor Burbage, using it to bring her to the table, she hovered over, and was clearly in pain.

"For those of you who do not know, we are joined tonight by Miss Charity Burbage who until recently taught at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her speciality was muggle studies. It is miss Burbage's belief that muggles are not so different from us" Causing everyone around the table to laugh, except Draco, Theo and Jasmine, who couldn't bring themselves to look up.

"She would, given her way, have us mate with them. To her, the mixture of magical and muggle blood is not an abomination but something to be encouraged. I, of course take a contrary view. But we're all civilised here. All adults. We can agree to disagree" Voldemort said as Burbage craned her neck to look at Snape.

Her face was streaming with tears as she spoke. "Severus, please. We're friends" She cried, her tears hitting the table.

Snape showed no emotion as the woman cried to him.

"Avada Kedavra" Voldemort shouted, a stream of green light coming from his wand and onto the witch, causing her to drop to the table.

Jasmine flinched, as did her brother and Draco, Jasmine had a tear fall from her eye as she watched the life leave one of her professors.

"Nagini... dinner" he told his snake, who slithered across the table, everyone moving backwards a bit for the large boa constrictor.

Jasmine briefly met Draco's eyes who looked just as distraught as she, she needed to tell him she was pregnant.