Allison Riddle & 21st Century Witchcraft

Chapter 1: The Mission

In my 11 years of life there are three definite truths, the most fundamental being that I am a Pureblood. To the general public, this means nothing- except perhaps "stuck up" and "privileged". To the children I've grown up with, it means an entire culture. The unspoken rules of life became deadlier as you grew older:

No muggle association, whether with the people or their culture.

Children don't raise their voices and adults don't cause scandals they can't cover up.

If you use magic under 17, don't get caught.

If you cause misfortune and chaos in general, don't get caught.

There were other things too- you will be caned if you dare to speak about the Dark Lord, whom we refer to as Noseless. We've trained from age four for his impending return to power- or so we're told by Mirabelle, our instructor.

The second truth blends into the first- reputation is everything, especially within a hierarchy.

My name- despite being the oldest and perhaps the most powerful- has bought me nothing but whispers behind my back. Because my supposed families so shrouded in scandal, I had to work my butt off to earn every ounce of fear and respect. Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, and Millicent Bullstrode are the only other girls in my group, leaving me the prettiest by default. Only three boys can hold their own in a fight with me, so I learned early on to keep them at arm's length- expect for Draco Malfoy, but that's a story for another day.

The only Hogwarts-aged trainees we see are those who visit Avery Manor during the summer. My favorite's Cameron Parkinson. He's about to go into his third year and he's the only During that bothers with the younger kids- probably because his sisters among them, but I'm not one to judge. Mirabelle dislikes having him around because he's distracting. However, even she must admit that he's useful for demonstrations and giving basic orders. He's big enough that even the likes of Crabbe and Goyle don't bother him.

The third truth was my birthday- August 28th, to be exact. Better known as the day everything began to change for better and worse.

"Malfoy, Riddle! Come with me."

We were pulled away from an ugly duel between Blaise Zabini and Shadow Lestrange just when the wands had been forgotten- which was always the interesting part.

We followed Cameron out of the dungeon room, past the During's area, and stopped at the top of the stairs.

"Wait here."

Cameron returned downstairs. Draco took my hand and we waited. A few minutes later, the familiar clunking of boots came around the corner to reveal our instructor.

Mirabelle smirked at us, her thin lips almost a fine line. Her roundish face was framed by a couple frizzy curls falling from her ponytail. "We've got a mission for you two."

I perked up at that.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"Do you remember the Volturi?"

We nodded. Being the youngest of our generation, the Before's have heard many stories. One of these legends was the Volturi- a coven of vampires that held two twin witches as old as the Hogwarts founders. One had the power of the Cruciatus Curse while the other had sensory deprivation. They were the very definition of blood traitors.

"Their leader's sending the Witch Twins back to Hogwarts. Your job will be to gain their trust before the school year ends. I don't care how you do it, just make sure they remain oblivious to your intentions. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

My mind was racing, but I focused my thoughts on the present. Plans could be made later- there was a catch coming.

"Malfoy, you can head back inside."

Draco released my hand and returned downstairs. Once the sound of his footsteps disappeared, Mirabelle turned to me. "Keep focused- the both of you. You're easily overwhelmed and Draco's a pushover when logic fails. Don't let them use that- don't let them use your weaknesses."

I nodded, though the idea of being manipulated by vampires wasn't what I was worried about. "Don't worry about us, Mirabelle. We'll do our job."

Finally placated, she turned tail and I followed her back to the dungeons. The setting sun filtered through the barred window. Parents were apparating into the room. Crabbe and Goyle were already gone- say what you will about their intelligence, but their parents weren't half bad. Lady Parkinson wouldn't be here for hours so Pansy would inevitably be waiting for Cameron to leave During training via Floo Powder. Blaise and Millicent were still out cold, but someone had the brains to move them into a corner.

Draco crept over to me, avoiding Theo's glare- merlin, what could he have done in the two minutes I wasn't there- and stood at my side. A pair of pops sounded- Theo leaving with his father, and Lucius Malfoy apparating right in front of us. He gazed down his nose at Draco- bruised and battered- and I- forcing myself to keep a neutral expression.

"Hello Lucius. I assume you heard the news." Mirabelle said, breaking the tense silence.

Lucius nodded to Mirabelle, never taking his eyes off Draco. "Yes, I'm eager to see how they handle it," His gaze flickered to her, carefully indifferent. "Have a nice evening."

She nodded, something flickering in her eyes akin to joy. "You too," She turned away from us, stumbling over to Pansy.

His eyes glinting, Lucius grabbed us by the shoulders and turned on the spot, pulling us through a suffocating ride to Malfoy Manor.