His Final Riddle

2. Hello Father

I stand at the empty seat my fingers resting lightly on the back of the chair, I look down at it my hair falling over my face. Turning my head I look to my right where my father nods slowly at me.

I pull the chair out and sit into it slowly, a shift within my body occurs. It's so faint that I'm not even sure that it had happened at first. But then it starts to spread, it's this feeling of freezing cold and warmth together.

Like the feeling of wanting to be anywhere else but also knowing this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

I look up from the table and feel my eyes widen slightly as I make eye contact with the person directly opposite me.

Snape?

We stare at each other in silence neither breaking eye contact, Snape's eyes seem to be saying something to me but I can't seem to know what. He offers me the slightest twitch of his mouth and in that second I feel myself calm down slightly.

It's okay.

I'm okay.

I give him a tight smile in return before quickly dropping back into a grimace as I look towards the head of the table. Voldemort remains standing his fingers wrapped around the wood of the chair.

He begins to talk about things that mean nothing to me, speaking of which members of the ministry we have on our side. Who is cursing who. Whose targeting who, it's all just endless names spoken between my father and Snape as the others merely listen.

"Now the matter of our imprisoned friends still stands." Voldemort takes a seat his hands resting on the table, between his fingers he plays delicately with his wand. "Angelica" I jump at him calling my name shocked he's addressing me again. He spins his wand as he looks at me "you may not know daughter, but many of our own are currently within the walls of Azkaban. Of course this is not an issue." He looks towards the others now "I have gotten some of you out of Azkaban before and I can easily do it again."

Voldemort looks down at Theo "young Theodore Nott here did what was asked of him today. My daughter is back by my side, therefore I shall allow his father to be bought back to his."

I turn and look towards Draco and his mother who are holding their breath it would seem. I lay eyes on Theo who is at the very other end of the table, he avoids my eyes but I can see the relief on his face from here.

Voldemort carries on "it isn't so much the issue of how but more so when. We must do it in a way that Fudge will not want to plaster it all over the papers. It will be embarrassing for him, we need to be sure to do this discreetly."

He looks directly at Narcissa now "in the mean time I need you to carry on as you normally did Narcissa."

Draco watches his mother out of the side of his eye his face unreadable.

"My lord" Narcissa bows her head in respect as she looks at the table not looking into my fathers eyes "what is it you need me to do exactly?"

Voldemort pauses for a second "I need you to have a summer you normally would have. The parties, the balls, all of it. It's important that you and your family as well as my daughter are seen by the right people. The people who will join us, who have joined us or are thinking of joining us. I need ministry workers attending, journalists and students of notable worth."

Narcissa nods "I understand my Lord. Our yearly garden party will normally be hosted in two weeks time. I'll make sure this goes ahead as usual."

Voldemort nods "very well." He stands up in one fluid movement "Angelica you're to stay here from now on, I do not want you leaving the manor unless it is with a death eater." He gives me no room for questions or arguments before he leaves the room an eerie cold being left in his presence.