Voldemort's Death Eater

19) Winter Bait

I cursed the day Severus Snape lifted the apparating shield over Hogwarts as the Snatcher landed me on a familiar hard, wooden floor.

     ‘I brought her, My Lord,’ The Snatcher said as I fell onto my knees.

      Straightening up, the Snatcher stepped aside in fear as The Dark Lord began to approach me. As he stopped inches before me, he looked down, although head held high, and smiled.

     ‘I have not seen you in some months, Hopkins,’ he said, placing a pale hand under my chin. ‘You look dreadful,’

     Laughter erupted in the room after The Dark Lord insulted me.

     ‘Hogwarts isn’t exactly a relaxing place now, My Lord,’ I spoke up before the laughter stopped; the room awaiting The Dark Lord’s next words.

     ‘Hogwarts School is now running sufficiently,’ said The Dark Lord. ‘It is much greater than when Dumbledore was Headmaster!’

     I didn’t dare speak my mind about how Dumbledore was a much greater Headmaster than Snape. Whatever The Dark Lord said, there was no trying to deny it.

     ‘Of course,’ I said, accepting my place.

     As I looked around, Lucius and Narcissa appeared perhaps as dreadful as me. They obviously hadn’t seen the sun in months and were emotional wrecked, too. Just like I was.

     A number of new faces were standing around the room, all in dark attire as usual. How I felt sorry for those people. They probably felt on top of the world as they were getting themselves into this mess but their hopes and enthusiasm were soon crushed when they learnt what it was really like to serve under Lord Voldemort.

     ‘Well?’ The Dark Lord asked me. ‘Aren’t you going to ask why I asked you here?’

     ‘Err …  What is it you want, My Lord?’ I asked, feeling like a robot.

     ‘I won’t tell you,’ The Dark Lord said with a hint of amusement. ‘But they will show you.’

     ‘What?’ I said just before two of the new Death Eaters hurried to grab my arms and apparate me somewhere else. ‘I am so sick of this!’ I shouted when I had taken in a deep breath of freezing air.

     We were standing in some forest, next to an almost frozen lake. It was just the beginning of winter and I hadn’t noticed how warm it was inside Hogwarts. My fingers and nose started to freeze as the Death Eaters dragged me to a certain tree wrapped in some kind of fabric.

     ‘What do you want with me out here?’ I asked, a number of terrifying scenarios rushing through my head.

     ‘See this?’ The taller Death Eater said, grabbing an end of the fabric tied around the tree.

     ‘I’m not blind,’ I said angrily.

     ‘On our journey’s, we’ve been spotting these all through woods around the country,’ the smaller Death Eater spoke up in a thick Scottish accent. ‘We suspect they’re Harry Potter’s.’

     ‘And why do you think that?’ I asked.

     ‘Well, we don’t know yet why they’re leaving them tied around random trees like this,’

     ‘Can you get to the point?’ I interrupted, feeling the cold getting to my bones.

     ‘We’re tying you around this tree to see if we can catch some fish with you.’ The taller Death Eater said, getting out his wand as the other pushed me against the tree.

     ‘I’m not acting as bait out here!’ I said, struggling against their strength. ‘It’s freezing!’

     ‘Can’t argue with us,’ The Scottish Death Eater said, looking utterly thrilled to be tying me to a tree in the middle of the woods. ‘’Tis The Dark Lord’s doing, ma’am,’

     ‘Hey! Hey!’ I shouted when my hands were tied together and my body was wrapped around the tree tight.

     They had taken my wand from my pocket, walked off chuckling, turned around and waved goodbye before leaving me alone in the winter woods.

     ‘I swear to God, I will get those two back.’ I muttered to myself.

     I couldn’t exactly tell how long I had been tied to the cold tree but I could feel a strange sleepy feeling creeping up on me after a few minutes. I felt lucky to still be in my Hogwarts uniform; they gave me some warmth but I regretted taking off my robe as I entered the Dark Arts classroom. Soon, my grey jumper started to freeze and I started to shake as the air seemed to be getting colder.

     A loud popping noise gave me a shock as I was drifting into a cold sleep. My eyes snapped open and I saw it had already started to snow.

     ‘Hermione?’ A warmly familiar voice shouted. ‘Harry?’

     ‘Ron?’ I shouted out, trying to fight the approaching sleep. ‘Weasley, is that you?’