Slytherin Princess | ✓

forty-one

"Ah, Draco Malfoy and Adelaide Ward."

The man who sat in Lucius Malfoy's chair had pale, chalk-white skin with red feline-like eyes and skeletally thin hands with unnaturally long fingers. He was ugly and he terrified me very much.

"Come, come sit," he said in a very raspy, sharp voice.

Bellatrix scurried over to him and whispered, "my Lord" and took the seat on his left as Narcissa sat on his right. Draco took the seat in between Bellatrix and me; he acted like the perfect gentleman, pulling out my chair and helping me push it in. His mannerism was perfect, but I knew it was for show.

"What a lovely home you have, Narcissa," Lord Voldemort said.

"Thank you, my Lord," she said curtly.

With that, food appeared on the table. None of us dared to touch it until Voldemort raised his hands and told us to eat. Taking the smallest amount of food, I ate slowly and quietly, mainly drinking water that had to be filled every few minutes. Finally, Voldemort addressed us.

"Draco, you are the sole heir of the Malfoy family, correct?"

"Yes, my Lord," Draco answered, not daring to meet Voldemort's eyes.

"And you, Adelaide, tell me your story," he demanded. This forced me to look up at him. His red slits stared into my soul and he smiled, widely, scaring me once more. "Ah, I must say, you have surprised me."

"My Lord?" I asked.

"Tell me about yourself, girl."

"I was orphaned as a child, my father died before I was born and my mother died of Dragon Pox, my Lord. With no family, I was placed in a muggle orphanage until I received my acceptance letter to Hogwarts..." I retold my story to the Dark Lord, trying to keep a steady voice and neutral face.

Bellatrix had told Draco and me that Lord Voldemort knew when one lied. Hopefully my story didn't come out as a lie as I've told it multiple times before and sometimes even seem to forget it is untrue— it felt real.

"I sympathise with you, girl," he said as I finished my story. "How wonderful a family, such as the Malfoys, have taken you in as their own. Such loyalty."

The silent dinner continued and as we finished, the Dark Lord seemed to have come to his own decision on what he'd like to do. He motioned to clear the table and the remaining food and plates vanished from sight. I dropped my hands onto my lap and felt Draco's hand encase mine.

A sadistic twinkle in Lord Voldemort's red eyes unnerved me. He turned to Narcissa and gave her a single nod.

"Draco, Adelaide, please stand up and go into the entertainment room," she ordered us. "We will meet you soon enough."

Wordlessly, Draco and I quickly bowed our heads towards the Dark Lord and went into the empty entertainment room.

"We'll be okay, Lady," Draco reassured me.

"Together?"

"Together," he gave me a brief smile before the doors opened.

Narcissa came in by herself and embraced us in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Please forgive me."

"Forgive you?" I echoed.

"You both are brave, you are smart. Listen to the Dark Lord, follow his orders," she instructed ominously. "Stay together."

With a last quick hug, she pulled away from us as Bellatrix and Lord Voldemort came forward. He sat in the throne-like chair in front of the main fireplace and beckoned Draco and me over.

"You both have shown such loyalty and compassion. Adelaide, dear, your loyalty is astounding for such a girl your age. I would like to offer you a role, a very important one," his voice was sharp and commanding; it was no offer, but an order. "Lord Voldemort knows all and knows you will do well in my ranks."

"My Lord, it would be an honor," I said, straining my voice to be steady.

"And Draco, you, so much like your father, show great integrity and clemency. As Lucius is undisposable as of now, I am also offering you an important role to carry out a simple, yet crucial task for me."

"Of course, my Lord," Draco answered quickly.

"Perfect," Voldemort's face broke out in a gastly smile, showing all of his broken, blackened, and crooked teeth. "Draco, your left arm."

Draco followed his orders and gave Voldemort his left arm. With his wand extended, the Dark Lord pushed the tip of it against Draco's pale skin and muttered an incantation. Dark black liquid flowed through his arm and created a familiar mark I had seen at the Quidditch World Cup nearly two years ago: the Dark Mark.

We we being branded to be Death Eaters.

"Adelaide, your arm, as well."

Just as Draco had done, I handed the Dark Lord my arm and put on a brave face. The tip of his wand burned as it made contact with my skin, but it was nothing next to the pain of branding the tattoo-like marking on my arm. A dull, hot knife was being dragged through my skin in the shape of the Dark Mark. Tears bit at my eyes and I began to regret everything I've done up to this moment.

Perfection seemed to be so minimal compared the the heavy load of being a Death Eater for the Darkest wizard of them all.

"Draco Malfoy, you are a boy no longer but a man ready to receive his first order," Lord Voldemort said with a sick smile.

My ears rang as he spoke, my mind could only focus on the pain in my arm.

"You will kill Albus Dumbledore by the end of your sixth year," he said as if he were talking about something as menial as the weather.

The tension in the room grew heavier and thicker, too thick to cut with the sharpest of knives. Bellatrix cackled at the sentence, overjoyed at the idea of Professor Dumbledore's death.

"Adelaide Ward, a woman such as yourself full of grace, poise, and power, will see to it that Draco goes through with his task. You both have been chosen for your qualities that are important to Lord Voldemort," his smile turned into a strained sneer.

"Yes, my Lord," Draco and I said together.

"Good, dismissed."

With a bow, Draco and I made it to our rooms. Nothing seemed important anymore; not school, not rivals, nothing— not even my O.W.L results. The Dark Lord gave Draco and me an important task, he trusted we would see it through and do as he said.

With a flick of my wand, I casted a Muffling Charm so Draco and I could speak freely without fear of eavesdroppers.

"We have to do it," I said barely above a whisper. "We have to kill Albus Dumbledore, we have no choice."

"It's either him or us," Draco breathed.

I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. Between the pain of the mark, the thought of committing murder, and the idea of dying if we were didn't succeed, I couldn't hide my emotions any more. Draco pulled me into a hug and we both hissed at the contact of our marks against each other and ourselves.

"I will help you," I finally side, sniffling and wiping the few stray tears. "W-We have to do it. It is my task."

"Adelaide," Draco started, but I only shook my head.

"For the last five years, we have done everything together from taunting Potter and his friends to comforting one another when something had gone wrong. I'm not going to stop now. It is you and me forever. Our friendship will never faulter, you can't get rid of me," I said firmly.

"This is different—"

"No, this is still us. We have to do this, Draco. It might not have hit you yet, but it's hit me: We don't have a choice. We have to kill Dumbledore... or he'll kill us," my voice cracked slightly. "I can't lose you, Draco. I just can't, I can't bear it. I will help you."

"Are you sure about this?" asked Draco reluctantly.

"It's you and me, not you or me. We do this together, as instructed. I've got your back and you've got mine. Together, Draco."

"Together, Adelaide."