A Beautiful and Terrible Truth

Chapter 10

“Severus, I was beginning to worry that you had lost your way. Come,” he smirked. “We have saved you a seat. You bring news I trust?”

“It will happen Saturday next at nightfall.”

Yaxely smiled. “Dulish the Auror let slip that he wouldn’t be moved until the thirtieth of this month, the day before he turns seventeen.”

“This is a false trail,” Snape spoke up. “The Auror office no longer plays a part in the protection of Harry Potter. Those closest to him believe we have infiltrated the Ministry.”

“They got that right, don’t they?” said a random follower. Laugher rippled through the crowd.

Voldemort smiled down at the man with a goatee, black as night. “What say you Pious?”

 “One hears many things, My Lord. Whether the truth is among them is not clear,” the man said cleverly.

Voldmort chuckled. “Spoken like a true politician. You will, I think, prove most useful, Pious,” he then looked over at Snape. “Where will he be taken? The Boy?”

“A safe house,” replied Snape. “Most likely the home of someone in the Order. I have been told that it has been given every measure of protection possible. Once there, it will be impractical to attack him.”

A throat then cleared. “My Lord, I want to volunteer myself for the task,” Aunt Bellatrix smiled. “I want to kill the boy.”

Screams then could be heard from the basement, making me jump in surprise. I saw across from me that Lila had jumped as well. Neither of us had expected to hear what was going on, although I had a feeling that none of it was good.

“Wormtail!” Voldemort shrieked. “What have I told you about keeping our guests quite?”

“Yes, my Lord,” Wormtail bowed. “Right away, My Lord.” And he scurried off to silence the ‘guests’.

Voldemort then turned his sights on Bellatrix. “As inspiring as I find your blood lust, Bellatrix, I must be the one to kill Harry Potter,” and with that said, she shrunk back into her chair. “But I face an unfortunate complication that my wand and Potter’s share the same core. They are, in some ways, twins. We can wound but not fatally harm one another.” He stood and started to walk around the table in my direction, sending chills down my spine. “If I am to kill him, I must do it with another’s wand.” I felt him pass me and let out a sigh of relief. “Come. Surely one of you would like the honor? Hmmm.” There was a slight pause. “What about you, Lucius?”

I looked down the table at my father who looked up at his master with scared eyes. “My Lord?” He questioned in a small voice.

“I require your wand,” he said, holding his hand out for it and received it without further questioning. “Do I detect elm?”

“Yes, my Lord,” my father replied and jumped at the sound of his snake tip being broken off his wand and thrown on the table.

“And the core?”

“Dragon heartstring,” my father’s quavering voice said.

Voldemort then waved my father’s wand and in floated a body, a very familiar body. I gulped down a bit of fear that had been rising up in my throat. My mother’s hand found mine under the table and gave it a good squeeze. I felt better but only for a moment.

“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 specialty: Muggle Studies.” I tried not to look up at my former professor, one that I had downgraded before, for I might cry. “It is Miss Burbage’s belief that muggles are not so different from us. 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.”

“Severus,” Miss Burbage whimpered to her collegue. “Please, Severus, we’re friends.”

“Adva Kadavra,” Our master hissed.

Snape just merely looked away as Voldemort allowed his snake to have his dinner. I closed my eyes in attempts not to watch the gory sight of someone who had once been a part of my everyday life, a life that I was somewhat happy in. I caught Snape’s eye at that moment. He looked as if he was tired but nodded off in the direction of the kitchen.

After we had been dismissed, I followed Snape into the kitchen when everyone had left. He looked at me with sad eyes. I knew what he was going to say. He was going to tell me how sorry he was that Courtney was dead. He was one of the only people that knew that I loved her.

I shook my head. “Don’t say it. I already know. I’ve heard it a million bloody times, and I don’t need to hear it once more. She’s dead, and she’s not coming back. I accept that. As much as I wish it wasn’t true, I accept it.”

“Draco, how can you possibly bel-“

He then cut off as my mother and father entered the room. He nodded to me briefly before leaving out the back door. I looked over to my parents, who looked grief-stricken as much as I was. I took in a deep breath because I knew exactly what they had come to fetch me for.

“Let’s get on with it,” I said in a dull voice “Let’s plan the end of my life.”