Lumos

46 | Professors and Nonexistent Plans

I took the seat across from Snape, between Crabbe and Goyle (of all the people!), and waited.  Daring to lift my eyes away from the table and see if I could recognize a few more people, I searched the faces.

I caught Bellatrix's eye. Her lips curled as she stared at me, deep circles appearing under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in days. Her hair was still an unruly, frizzy mess. Her lips were a strange shade of deep purple, and her eyes were wide, wide open.

Staring into my soul.

Hairs stood up on the back of my neck, goosebumps appearing on my arms. I swallowed, averting my gaze. There was a sudden whoosh of air, blowing strands of dark hair around my face.

Voldemort was here. 

I didn't dare look up. I tried to sink into my chair, make myself nonexistent. If there was one way to win this war, it would be to be an insignificant, useless, Death Eater.

Yes, that's what I'd be. I rolled my eyes at myself. 

I heard the scrape of the chair across the marble as he sat down, the blood pounding in my ears.

"Yaxley, you called us," I heard Voldemort say. "Why don't you begin?"

Yaxley cleared his throat, possibly hiding the shake in his voice.

"I've have an update on Harry Potter's location."

I tried not to show my surprise.

"Well?" I heard the chair creak as Voldemort leaned forward. "Do tell."

"He was seen last at the home of Bathilda Bagshot."

Last seen. So they didn't have him yet. 

I wiped all traces of relief off my face, keeping my ears open and my head down. 

"I know," Voldemort said. "I knew they'd end up going to Godric's Hollow. The place where it all began," he said with a sigh. It wasn't a tired sigh, more like one where he'd expected this to happen all along, and he was satisfied that he was right. "Did Nagini manage to kill the Boy Who Lived?" Oh, the irony.

"No," Yaxley said. "They managed to stun her and make it out alive."

"Hmm . . . " Voldemort said, not angrily, as if he had presumed this as well. "And where are they now?"

"I . . . I don't know. I thought an update on their location would be the right information to bring you, my lord." 

Before I could think, before I realized what I was doing, I let out a scoff.

A scoff. 

My eyes widened, all the blood draining from my body. Time seemed to freeze. I kept my eyes down on my lap, only glancing up for a moment, my eyes meeting Lucius Malfoy's.

He was staring at me, his face paler than usual.

You shouldn't have done that, his silver eyes said. My eyes flicked to the right. Parkinson and Nott seemed to be holding their breaths, and suddenly, I realized, Draco Malfoy was sitting there too. His face was expressionless, but there was a hint of something in his eyes. Maybe worry. I hoped it was worry. It felt good to have someone worry about me.

"Dear child," Voldemort said slowly, but there was nothing but ice in his voice. "Did you say something?"

"I . . ." I began, my voice quieter, more fragile than I'd hoped. Damn it. 

"Speak up, and look at me when you talk." He didn't yell, but there was demand in his voice. A cruel, sneering order. Voldemort was the master of manipulation, this was certain.

I stilled my shaking hands, took a deep breath, and looked right into his red eyes. I was hit with a wave of fear as I stared at him, but that only gave me a rush of adrenaline. 

Now was the time to prove myself.

"Yaxley is a fool," I said, my voice loud and clear. It seemed to echo across the large, lifeless room, bouncing back towards my ears. And man, was I proud of how strong it sounded. "He wasted our--and especially your--precious time by gathering this insignificant meeting to tell us about where Harry Potter had been. Instead of having all these search parties trailing after him, I can be waiting at his next location before he even decides to be there."

The snake-looking man was quiet. The slits for his eyes seemed to narrow as he thought about what I said. My heart pounded through my ribcage, and I was afraid that everyone in the room would be able to hear just how out of my mind afraid I was. I had just made an insane promise that could either get me killed (or worse, tortured), or award me the Death Eaters'--and maybe even Voldemort's--trust forever. 

The silence seemed to go on forever. 

And then, suddenly, in a flash of white, Voldemort whipped out his wand. I held back a gasp, flinching as I awaited my death. Shutting my eyes, I sank back, waiting for pain. There was a bright burst of red across the darkness of my eyelids.

I heard someone yelp, and then a crash.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. Yaxley lay sprawled on the marble floor at the base of the wall behind him, unconscious. The relief I felt was unlike any other, but I held my breath. With Voldemort, there was always more to come.

"Do it," he said to me in his calm, cold manner. "And when you find him, I'll be waiting." He took one last look around the table, at all the Death Eaters bowing their heads, and his eyes once again met mine. He smirked. 

And with a whoosh of air and black smoke, he was gone, as if he'd never been there. Every Death Eater now looked at me, their faces full of shock at my idiocy, and some even with pity. Bellatrix, on the other hand, threw her head back and barked out a maniacal laugh, showing off her rotting teeth.

"When you fail," she cackled, "I'll be the one to torture you, and there will be nothing greater I'll take pleasure in doing."

I stood, calming my nerves, hiding the shake in my legs. 

"I will not fail." 

I turned, and walked away from them. Yes, I was confident. 

Was I going to fail?

Hopefully not.

Did I have a plan?

Hell to the no.