The limousine they ordered pulls up to the Malfoy Manor without a sound. Audra accepts the hand reaching down to help her out and slides out onto the gravel sidewalk, staring around at the long lane lit by lamp posts and iron gates. They could have apparated or used floo powder, but her mother decided to go for the more dramatic entrance. Sometimes, Audra knows, it's better to shine than be subtle.
"Ms. Stanton." Draco appears at her side and sweeps down into an exaggerated bow. He straightens back up with a smile, the kind that you see between two people who've developed an easy type of friendship. "May I escort you to the grand festivities that await?"
Audra laughs, and takes the arm that he offered. "You may."
The door flies open when he reaches the top steps, saving her the bother of knocking and waiting for one of the house elves to let her in. A second later Audra's glad that she has her cousin's arm to hold onto. She doesn't think she'd be able to make it through the shock of the grandeur and sheer amount of people inside if she hadn't been holding onto his arm.
The party, technically, was for her, to make up for the uncelebrated birthday that had passed back in February. It was hard to be disappointed in the turn out, even if the sheer magnitude of the effort that they had gone to- heavy oak tables, leather sofas surrounding a great stone fireplace, floating candles and sparkling light. There is music floating from invisible speakers, classical (her mother probably picked it out) and a table overflows with food. There's a fountain flowing with wine that the adults are already dipping their glasses into, and another seeping chocolate, which Draco leaves her to join Crabbe and Goyle at.
Her birthday is an excuse, she amends later, after she's accepted compliments and smiled and had her fill of both the wine and the chocolate. It's an excuse for them all together someplace where they can hope to impress the man who will never be pleased, the women dripping jewels and the men oozing power. It was never about her at all.
"You made it!" Emmeline shrieks from across the room. She's in a blood red dress and has diamonds woven through her hair, making her shimmer every time the light falls on her. Her eyes are darting around the room like a wounded animal, but the smile on her face is real, and when she finally weaves her way across the room to her, she stuffs a tiara down on her head. "So everyone knows that tonight is about you," she explains.
They eat dinner, which Audra decided to turn into one giant serving of dessert. Her friends follow her lead, and the adults smile at them indulgently, because you can get away with these things when you're young and beautiful and more than a bit of a spoiled brat. Then someone drags her to the couch for presents, and it is an endless cycle of surprise and smiles and shiny things- jewelry and dresses, books and shining potions equipment, throwing knives and mysterious powders and one expensive bottle of brandy that's warm to the touch, tickets to the wizarding orchestra and VIP passes to a weird sisters concert. She says thank you after each of them, and they all wave her thanks away like it was nothing- and to them this was nothing, nothing to acquire these meetings with powerful people and goblin made accessories and slightly illegal things.
"You aren't going to dance?" Snape appears at her side like a shadow melting off the wall. His lips curls up in distaste, like people doing something as frivolous and extravagant as dancing, but Audra just smiles and leans back against the wall. She is still wearing the tiara.
"Not right now. Just watching." It was nice to watch, to feel the swell of the music and watch the party evolve, like dusk turning into night. Laughter rings out like the clink of crystal, and the food turns into crumbs. There are splatters of chocolate and drips of wine on everyone's arms, but their faces are still painted and dresses still pristine. On the dance floor, skirts swirl and fall as the women are twirled in their partners arms. "They certainly went to a lot of trouble for this."
"It's a show of power. He enjoys those." Audra doesn't need to ask who He was this time, either, and Snape doesn't say. "He waits for you tonight, when all this is over."
She had known, even if no one had told her, that that's what all this was really about. They are operating in secret, still, so it's helpful to have an excuse when they gather together. It's probably been what all these gatherings have been about, secret meetings in the cover of darkness hidden by public revels. Audra meets Emmeline's eyes across the crowd, and she raises one hand in acknowledgment- tonight, her eyes say, tonight we truly come of age.
Tonight, her aunt Narcissa whispers, fingers gripping her wrist and eyes searching Audra's face.
Tonight, Lucius murmurs, the snake shaped tip of his cane tracing over the straps of her dress when he corners her in the hallway.
She dances with Vance, the two of them moving in tandem and his hands firm on her waist, protective and proud like a brother should be. The world will be ours, sister, Vance promises, and she looks over her shoulder to see Snape already looking at her, raising a glass in a lone toast so the champagne sparkles in the light. Tonight.
The party drips on, seconds into minutes and minutes into hours that disappear in the splashing of wine and the swirl of dances. As time goes on, the younger ones seem to melt away, disappearing into one of the lounges. They are sprawled across sofas and sitting on tables, incredibly beautiful as deadly things sometimes are. The music seeps underneath the seal of the doors. It should have been a more relaxed place when they are with friends and have no one too impress, seeing as the girls have taken apart their hair so it falls in messy tangles and the boys have lost their ties, but it's more tense, more charged. Tonight, they have all been told. Tonight they will choose.
Draco, she notices, is no where to be seen. Maybe he's too young. Or maybe her aunt and uncle aren't as willing to use their own flesh and blood as cannon fodder as she would have thought. Maybe Draco is still being given a chance to choose.
They call them out one by one. Audra watches them all go with worried eyes, and when Emmeline passes her she reaches out to squeeze her hand, until she's left alone. When Vance finally comes to get her, every inch of his body practically vibrating with excitement and no small amount of fear, she keeps her head held high and climbs the stairs with shaking legs.
She pushes the door to the library open like she had been instructed. There is a body on the ground, with blank eyes and awkwardly twisted limbs, but she does not spare him more than a glance before stepping over him. She only moves forward to kneel beside the leather arm chair, bowing her head so her hair tumbles down to hide her face. "My Lord," she breathes, and when she feels him press into her mind, she doesn't flinch. He can look, but he will not see anything more than what Audra wants him too.
"You look so much like Bella," He says finally, one pale finger tracing her cheek. He is both greater and more terrible than her brother had described- skin like snow and eyes an unearthly red, snake like slits for a nose and elongated fingers. He's so thin she thinks she should be able to see every bone in his body. Audra shudders under his touch, but doesn't look away, and he smiles. "I have heard you share other things with her, as well."
"Yes." She does not look away, cannot look away. Does not dare.
"And I have heard that you have Dumbledore's trust. That you made some friends while I was away." He grabs her under the chin and forces her to look at him. For the first time, a flicker of fear flits across her face. "Is that true?"
She hesitates, but lets him see the truth that would not be able to be buried, no matter how good she was at Occlumency- her hugging Harry, laughing with Ginny, sitting in the library with the twins. This, she knew, was the moment where everything hangs in the balance, where the plan might work or it would fail. "Yes."
Audra expects punishment. She expects pain. But he only smiles like Christmas has come early and she was exactly what he wanted for a present. "Then I have a job for you."
They are all lined up on the table, only now it is marred by the marks of wands and knives alike, and in the center there is a stain that looks an awful lot like blood. A snake slithers underneath, twisting through their feet, wrapping around Audra's ankles and sliding up the back of her chair. They are still in their dresses, but there is no music or dancing, only silence and reverence as they stare up at the thing they have sworn their lives to serving.
Audra looks down towards where her family sits, halfway down the table. Her parents stare straight ahead, but Vance catches her eye and winks, a gesture that's reassuring and familiar.
And Audra herself? She's seated beside Snape, one of the closest seats towards the Dark Lord she could get.