Selenophile // Marauders

|115| Darkness

August 9th, 1978

The day arrived. It was the day Riley had to go and face the death eaters.

Things were almost all right for Riley in the past week. Ethan wasn't seen around, Penny came to visit.

Riley looked at herself one last time in the mirror nervously. Then, she made sure the doors were locked and left the house to apparate to the Malfoy Mannor; the headquarters for the death eaters.

Lena had told her to meet her there, sharp at ten o'clock in the morning. Riley had talked to Dumbledore multiple times to learn everything she needed to say, step by step.

The manor looked frightening and gloomy. The dark walls and the big fountain at the front didn't make anything look joyful. There were bushes, lots of them, surrounding the pathway to the manor. A girl also appeared next to Riley, she was panting.

"You ready?" asked Lena with a grin. "These bastards don't have a clue on who they are about to face."

"Did you just compliment yourself?" asked Riley quietly. Lena ignored the question and started walking to the bushes with no fear in her steps.

"You look like you're about to piss yourself," said Lena.

"Oh, wow, wonder why..." said Riley. "You're too confident to go in there, makes everything suspicious."

"I've been dragged here many times thanks to my dad," said Lena. "Stupid old bastard."

Lena made the doors open with the flick of her wand. The doors were made of a very strong metal, couldn't be opened by anyone unless a spell.

The inside of the manor wasn't any different. There were many portraits hung up on the walls, Riley recognized the people from Lena's memory. The dimly lit hallway was long, it felt like it never ended.

At the end of the hallway stood a door. Lena knocked carefully and then entered, gesturing Riley to enter after her, as well.

"Greetings," said Abraxas Malfoy. "What brings Lena Thatcher here?"

"Sir, as you may remember, we have a new member who is interested in joining us," said Lena in a complete different tone. She sounded so formal and serious with no tone of sarcasm or mockery. Riley raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, of course," said Abraxas Malfoy. Behind him, a trembling man stood. "Riley Spade, a surprise to all of us. He's waiting for you."

"He?" asked Lena as she stumbled a bit. "You mean t—the Dark Lord?"

"Yes, what did you expect, Lena Thatcher?" said Malfoy slyly. "A nice little tea-party and some glitter? Move!"

"Yes, sir," said Lena in fear. Riley gulped as she saw what she was about to face.

"Rosier, don't stand there like a buffoon! Assist them!" said Abraxas as he turned to the trembling man. The man nodded and said "this way," quietly to Lena and Riley.

They walked farther in the room, reaching another door. Riley didn't notice herself sweating in fear, she took a deep breath and entered the room before Lena.

The room was — like the other rooms — dimly lit with some torches around. But instead of a long table, there was just a man with his back turned against them. He had his hood on and was wearing a long, black robe.

"M—My lord," said the Rosier boy as he stuttered. "Lena Thatcher and — Riley Spade..."

The man swiveled quickly, moving his hand aggressively to make the door shut in Rosier's face before he could say another word.

Riley avoided looking in the man's eyes, because it was Lord Voldemort standing right in front of her, waiting for her to join his army. His red eyes stared at Riley, he had very pale skin and a skull-like face. He had cat-like slits for pupils, and snake-like slits for nostrils.

"I see you've brought the girl, Lena Thatcher," said Voldemort with a silent yet intimidating voice.

"I've completed the mission, my lord—" said Lena but was cut off by Voldemort.

"Let's not jump to conclusions! The mudblood still hasn't joined us officially!" yelled Voldemort in fury. Lena took a step back and nodded.

Riley's eyes darted to Voldemort, the man who had ordered the death eaters to murder her family one by one. She wanted to blast a curse, fire a spell at him, She wanted to kill him so badly... She wanted to take her revenge, but she also knew she had to wait.

"Now," said Voldemort a little bit more calmly. "Riley Spade... I'm sure you can be a great support to the death eaters, seeing that you've survived these years, that's a difficult accomplishment. Once you're in, you are never out."

"Yes, sir," said Riley, it took a bit of effort to actually speak.

"And know that if you were ever to betray us, you will face severe consequences. And not only that you will face consequences, but you will also end up dead, or even worse than dead."

Worse than dead, Riley thought about what he meant for a moment. But she couldn't understand what it meant. What was worse than being murdered brutally anyways?

"I will be loyal, sir," said Riley as she thought about what Dumbledore had told her before coming to the Malfoy Manor. He had specifically told her to emphasize on gaining his trust instead of proving her power.

"This is the first time a mudblood is joining us. And if you are ever to tell that to someone, you will be dead before you can catch your breath."

"Nonetheless," said Voldemort as he walked away and slowly ran his hands through his hands on his wand. "I will need to see your capabilities..."

Riley didn't understand what he was about to do. Before she could say a word, Voldemort held his wand up high and casted a spell, aiming for Riley.

"Protego!" said Riley without thinking as she reached for her wand. Lena had stepped to the right to avoid getting hit by the spell.

"Not bad." Voldemort sighed. "But not enough."

He casted another spell. Riley casted another protecting charm. But then, she found herself casting a spell at Voldemort.

She had just did the opposite of what Dumbledore had told her. She tried proving her power.

But Voldemort didn't say anything after Riley's attack.

"Come on the twenty-fifth," he said, then ordered the two of them to leave, shutting the door loudly.