LETTERS, harry potter

- twenty nine -

"As inspiring as I find your blood lust Bellatrix I must be the one to kill Harry Potter."

Stella shuddered at the thought and dig her nails in her thighs to prevent herself from screaming.

"But." Voldemort continued, getting up from his seat,"I face an unfortunate complication that my wand and the Potter's share the same core. They are in some ways twins. We can wound but not fatally harm one another." He kept the wand on the table and moved around,"If I am to kill him I must do it with another's wand."

Voldemort walked behind where the Malfoys were seated,"Surely one of you would like the honor. What about you... Lucius?"

Lucius Malfoy looked up. His skin appeared yellowish and waxy in the firelight, and his eyes were sunken and shadowed. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse.

"My Lord?"

"Your wand, Lucius. I require your wand."

"I . . ."

Malfoy glanced sideways at his wife. She was staring straight ahead, quite as pale as he was, her long blonde hair hanging down her back.

Malfoy put his hand into his robes, withdrew a wand, and passed it along to Voldemort, who held it up in front of his red eyes, examining it closely.

"Do I detect Elm?"

"Yes my lord."

Voldemort ran his hands over the wand and snapped the wand away from the sheath which covered the lower portion of the wand.

"And the core?"

"Dragon heart string."

"Dragon heart string." Voldemort repeated to which Lucius Malfoy nodded. Voldemort threw the sheath of the wand away causing the Malfoys to flinch in fear.

Voldemort raised Lucius's wand towards the hanging figure in the air as she started floating towards the centre of the table.

"To those of you who do not know." Voldemort started,"Today we are joined by Miss Charity Burbage who until recently taught at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Her specialty was muggle studies."

Some of the dead Eaters let out a laugh.

"It is Miss Burbage's belief that muggles are not so different from us. She would, given her way, have us mate with them."

Bellatrix let out a disgusted chuckled followed by others.

"To her, the mixture of magical and muggle blood is not an abomination but something to be encouraged." Voldemort sat back on his place.

"Severus . . . please . . . please . . ." Charity Burbage begged as Stella's heart dropped at how vulnerable the professor looked.

"Stella." Voldemort ordered, startling the girl who turned her gaze to her father,"Do the honour, my child."

"W-What h-honour?" Stella stuttered, her hands trembling with fear.

"You know very well dear." Voldemort smiled, handing her the wand which she reluctantly grabbed.

With trembling hands, Stella pointed the wand towards the professor who was begging severus to help her. Draco looked away not able to watch the scene.

"I.. I c-can't..." Stella gulped, a tear escaping her eyes.

Fuming with anger, Voldemort grabbed the wand out of Stella grip and yelled,"Avada Kedavra."

The flash of green light illuminated every corner of the room.

Charity fell, with a resounding crash, onto the table below, which trembled and creaked. Several of the Death Eaters leapt back in their chairs. Draco fell out of his onto the floor.

Stella fell down on the chair, clasping her hands over her mouth. Stella felt like she could have saved the Professor but she didn't. Stella was scared and she disliked it.

"Dinner, Nagini," said Voldemort softly, and the great snake swayed and slithered from his shoulders onto the polished wood.

Everybody walked outside including Stella who was sobbing without making any sound. The tears were just effortlessly flowing down.

"I would like to have a talk with Stella." Voldemort said and everybody got this as a cue to leave. Stella got a little tensed but didn't let it show on her face.

Voldemort grabbed her hand harshly as Stella whimpered in pain, struggling under his grip.

"Who dared to hurt my child?" Voldemort asked, his eyes blood shot red.

"It was me." Stella answered honestly.

"How?"

"I was angry and I punched the window pane." Stella lied when in fact the window broke because of Stella's non verbal magic which she herself knows nothing about.

"I see you're lying." Voldemort laughed, removing his grip from her hand.

"You have to realise who you are." Voldemort said, circling around Stella,"You have to realise how powerful you are. You don't know what you're capable of."

"I'll assign somebody to teach you everything you need in order to be the next powerful witch-"

"I don't want to be." Stella quietly whispered.

"What did you say?" Voldemort said, his tone getting scarier.

"I said I don't want to be." Stella mustered up the courage and looked at Voldemort.

"You don't say no to me, my child." Voldemort laughed evilly,"Get ready to be the next powerful witch."

Before Stella could protest, Voldemort left her alone in the drawing room, the fire in the fireplace dying down.

"Hey." Stella lifted up her heavy eyelids to find Draco walking inside with a scared expression on his face.

"I'm scared." Stella sobbed, covering her face with his hands as Draco rubbed her back.

"We'll find a way Stella." Draco assured.

"I don't know. I have never felt scared in my entire life. I just want to make sure that he's okay."