The Half-Blood Prince | Hermione Granger x Male Reader (Book Six)

24. His Darkness Within

Y/N's POV

I was awoken by a gentle knock on the bedroom door. I wanted to ignore that sound but my brain refused to let me.

"Who is it?" I mumbled, looking at the door.

Narcissa Malfoy walked in with some breakfast on a tray. She looked at me and placed the tray by my bedside.

"The Dark Lord wants to see you later today." she informed me.

"Do you know for what?" I asked her.

She shook her head and looked at me. "Unfortunately not."

I groaned and reached over to grab my breakfast.

Narcissa took a few tenetaive steps towards me before looking at me. "Are you ok Y/N?"

"Never been better." I said sarcastically.

I looked up at the Malfoy woman who looked back down at me with sympathetic eyes. "If there's anything I can do, let me know Y/N."

I gave her a thankful nod as she left my room, leaving me alone with my tray of food. Consuming that as slowly as possible to delay my inevitable time with Voldemort, it took me around an hour to finish it.

After getting changed out of my pyjamas, I proceeded to walk down the Malfoy Manor steps and down to the main room where I assumed Voldemort would be.

"You're late." Voldemort hissed at me, Nagini by his side.

"You gave me no specific time to be down here grandfather," I countered, "I merely ate my breakfast and came down."

Voldemort looked at me, his eyes narrowed before gesturing to an empty seat beside him.

"What am I doing today?" I asked him, making eye contact.

Nagini slithered onto my lap and I made no signs of fear as she coiled herself around my neck.

"You wanted me here so Nagini could have some breakfast of her own?" I asked, an amused look on my face.

Voldemort let out a dry laugh. "Of course not my heir, today we will be spending some time here before going out into the world."

"Would it not be dangerous for you to be out? What if the Aurors find you?" I questioned.

"That's not my main concern. I just want to see you prove yourself." Voldemort replied.

"Have I not already proved myself?" I questioned. "At the Ministry? I came when I wasn't needed."

Voldemort looked at me. "I know you did but I want to see you, on your own, proving your capabilities and loyalty to my beliefs."

I remained straight-faced and emotionless. "So you want me to kill some Muggles?"

"Exactly. Smart brain you have my boy." Voldemort said, evidently pleased. "We're going to kill some Muggle scum."

I almost winced at the phrase 'Muggle scum'. I didn't want to kill any Muggles. I didn't want to hurt any Muggles. I didn't want to hurt anyone right now apart from Voldemort and Dumbledore.

Voldemort rose from the chair he was sitting on and beckoned me to come down to the same room we went to during the summer where he 'trained' me.

"Stand there." Voldemort ordered.

I stood there. Wand in hand, staring at Voldemort.

"CRUCIO!" Voldemort yelled, pointing his wand directly at me.