Light in the Darkness

Chapter 23

They made their way outside and grabbed ahold of their father's sleeve before apparating to a Manor sitting ominously on a hill. To put it in perspective, the sight of the place even sent a chill down Philip's spine. They walked up the steep steps, a deep rumble echoing across the sky. 

Adelaide instinctively grabbed for Philip's hand. He was always able to calm her down with how calm he was in stressful situations, her stomach lurched as she turned to see a grim expression plastered on his face. It's going to be okay. He told her silently. 

They walked up the creaky steps and walked down the narrow hallway towards the room at the very end. A scruff looking man, who the Burkes knew to be Peter Pettigrew stood there sniffling and fidgeting at their arrival. "W-welcome Burkes." he announced, "The Dark Lord will see you now." Breathe Addie Philip whispered in her mind. She realized she was gripping his hand so tightly it was a wonder he didn't wince in pain.

"Ah yes, hello to the Burke Family. One of my most loyal followers, come in! come in. We have a lot to discuss" an airy voice called out from the room, filling Adelaide with chills. As they walked in, Adelaide looked to see a feeble doll-like body wrapped in a black cloak. This was The Dark Lord?

"Once you all have done your job I will be in my complete form once more." his tiny hand motioned towards Perseus and I, "come closer"

Perseus and I stiffly took a step forward. The Dark Lord looked up at Perseus and then Adelaide, "You two look so much like your mother" after an uncomfortable amount of silence he looked down and hissed, "Your left arms."

Do as he says Addie, this will all be over soon I promise

With her brother's words she pulled up the sleeve of her dress and pulled it forward. She heard a presence approaching from the hallway. Her heart pounded faster as she saw the ginormous snake make its way in. It approached Adelaide's side and softly examined her arm, then looking up to her face with incredibly expressive features. She held her breath as the snake explored the girl's face.

The snake dropped down and slid to the other side of the Dark Lord's chair, causing Adelaide to breath out a little louder than she meant to.

"Not a fan of snake's my dear girl?" The Dark Lord laughed coldly, his whispy voice grading her ears. 

"Not when they look like they are about to eat me, My Lord." Adelaide mumbled. Her father's eyes grew large and filled with anger he hissed, "How dare you speak like tha-"

"SILENCE BURKE" The Dark Lord roared, sending her father a few feet back, cowering in fear. "The girl was only being honest. I appreciate honesty." 

She silently scoffed at his remark, all the evil things he has done, honesty was the virtue he chose to value.

Without further talking, the Dark Lord pressed his wand down into Perseus' arm. Adelaide tried to keep her composure as pain spread across his face and he bit his lip in attempt to stop himself from screaming. After what seemed like an eternity, the Dark Lord raised his wand up and Adelaide stared blankly at the Dark Mark that now adorned her brother's forearm. She swallowed lightly and calmly looked at the Dark Lord. A searing pain shot through her as he lowered his wand. She focused on sending silent Lenio spells, but it did nothing to stop the sharp pain on her arm. It felt as though he were digging the Mark into her arm with a shard of hot glass. Finally he released his wand from her arm and she repressed the chill that threatened to fall down her spine. 

"Your task is to make sure Harry Potter is chosen as a champion in the Triwizard Tournament and make sure he makes it to the final round. Lastly, one of you will make sure he ends up here, in front of this home in the graveyard the night of the final task. Do this, and I will rise again, do this and I will never forget your family's loyalty to me." 

Perseus and I both nod at the Dark Lord and slowly back away. Another creaking noise was echoing in the hallway. The Burkes looked over to see an older man hesitantly walking up the stairs. Peter Pettigrew mumbled something about it being the muggle groundskeeper from next door and with a flick of Peter's wand, a green light flashed and the man dropped dead onto the floor. 

Adelaide held her breath, she felt as though she were going to be sick. Philip stepped forward and bowed slightly towards the Dark Lord, "My Lord, it is an honor to finally meet you." The frail figure leaned forward slightly, "Ah yes, I've heard a lot about you Philip. Specifically your magic, it's very powerful for a young man your age. You have potential to be great." 

His words made Adelaide feel incredibly uneasy. 

"I hear you also share a resemblance to my younger self, I do say it's almost like looking into a mirror of my past." The floor board creaked slightly where her father was standing and I could've sworn there was an anger in his eyes. 

An icy chill flew down her spine, she had a thought that was too scary for her to even contemplate, she gently touched the necklace her mother gave her. She swallowed the thought away and focused on the room. The Dark Lord pushed his wand into Philip's arm and he stood there with a murderous look on his face. Once the Mark was complete, Philip tensed his arm and watched the snake slither on his arm. Adelaide couldn't even bring herself to look at it, the pain still spreading like waves, making her feel sick.

"Don't fail me." The Dark Lord whispered. 

The Burkes bowed and made their way out of the house. As they stepped outside and saw the sun beginning to raise, they all apparated back to the Malfoy Manor. Adelaide rushed inside, bumping into a worried looking Draco. She pushed past him, running up the stairs and to the nearest bathroom. She threw up and sank to the floor tears flowing from her eyes. She quickly rinsed her mouth with mouth wash and gathered her composure. For the first time, she gathered the courage to lift her sleeve and look at the angry Mark on her arm. She looked closely and saw a few tiny flowers next to the skull. Overwhelmed by the day's events and not having the energy to think about the flowers, she shoved her sleeve down and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. She reapplied her makeup and stepped out of the bathroom.

To her surprise, Draco was sitting on the floor right outside and upon seeing her step out, he quickly scrambled to his feet. 

Draco didn't know what to say to her, he couldn't even begin imagine what she was thinking. She instinctively grabbed for her new necklace around her neck, curious as to whether it actually worked, she looked up at Draco and said, "I just..really need time to myself right now." 

His eyes went blank and he stepped away saying, "of course, I understand." and made his way downstairs without hesitation. She stared down at the necklace, she ripped it off and shoved it back into the velvet bag and put it in her room aggressively, plopping onto the bed. She couldn't bare the thought of her manipulating someone with magic. It made her feel empty and horrible. The adrenaline beginning to leave her body she fell into a deep sleep.

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"We are leaving in ten minutes!" Lucius called from the bottom of the steps. "We'll be having lunch with Cornelius beforehand."

Great, three Death Eaters eating lunch with the Minister of Magic. 

Sounds like the start of a bad joke.