My Wings Are Black

Odette sat in her bedroom, still and straight on her bed, watching with dark eyes the snow falling outside. It was the 24th of December, and she had arrived home for Christmas. But this was not home, this large castle, empty with silence, was not home.

Odette closed her eyes, suddenly wishing herself back in Hogwarts, where there was always the chatter or laughter of students. There was always a smile to be seen in the corridors even if they were not directed towards her. There was always the chance of seeing the bright, musical brown eyes of the boy that had captured her heart.

A pain ran through her body as she remembered the hurt look on his face as she had pushed away from him. The pleading look in his gaze, asking for a chance.

She burrowed the side of her face into the silk silver pillow, her black hair running down her cheeks in thin trickles “can’t you see Fred, I’m saving you…” she whispered to no-one.

A familiar comforting hiss reached her ears as Styx slithered up the posters of her bed, sliding onto the covers and around her mistresses shoulders. Her tongue flicked out, touching Odette’s face softly “Don’t cry Odette”

Odette sighed “I’m not crying…”

Styx hissed again “Christmasss can bring exceptions.”

Odette looked at the snake “What do you mean?”

If snakes could smile, Styx would be smiling “I mean, at Christmas you may do things you haven’t been able to do before. It is the season of celebration, of forgiveness, of…joy”

Odette snorted “Joy? I don’t know that word”

Styx grew bored, slipping onto the wooden floor and slithering towards the door “Go to see him Mistress…one last time, let him know you care. The Dark Lord need not know.”

Odette looked towards the falling snow again, the sky was turning dark and without further hesitation, she grabbed her cloak, running out into the mountains and with a loud crack disappeared.

~

Fred sat dejectedly beside his family. They talked loudly, laughing and shouting happily. It was nice to see his family, minus Percy, plus Hermione and Harry look happy in times like these. He sighed, looking out of the window of the burrow, picking at a hole in his new Weasley jumper.

He watched his father sit beside him, and waited for Arthur Weasley to speak;

“You’re unusually quiet Fred”

Fred shrugged, and then managed a half hearted smile “Times getting me down dad…” he didn’t catch the eye of George who was staring at his twin with a frown on his face. George knew Fred wasn’t telling him everything these days but he would bet two hundred Golden Snitches that Fred’s downcast mood could only be cause by the Slytherin Girl he had been chasing.

Arthur Weasley patted his son’s knee “Don’t lose hope Fred. We have Dumbledore, we have Harry…we’ll defeat them Wait and see…”

Them. Who were them exactly? Fred ran her words over his head again and again. Trying to discover what she meant. What was Odette hiding…what was so important, so utterly terrible that caused her to push him away, to deny the feelings they had for each other.

“If you knew who I was, you’d hate me”
“I’m a bad person”
“My wings are black…the farthest thing from an angel”

Fred shook his head, ridding her voice from his mind. She was a dark angel, a bad person…but why?

An image swam before him, an image he had seen on a rare occasion. The two black snakes twisted into a malformed, evil heart embedded into the smooth white skin of her neck. He remembered how she had cried, clutching it, how she had flinched whenever he had brushed his hands over it.

Fred looked to his mother, she was bust talking to Tonks in the kitchen and with a casual wave of his wand, he closed the door slightly so he and his father were alone. Arthur jumped from his thoughts and looked at Fred “What is it Son…?”

If Fred couldn’t trust his father, who could he trust…

“I’m…I’m wondering what something means dad…” he flicked his wand, and smoke trailed from the tip, gradually forming the mark that was inked onto the neck of his angel. He jumped when his dad gasped violently, and his face went pale. He flapped his hands, diminishing the smoke and grabbed Fred by the shoulder;

“Where have you seen that Mark Fred..? Was it on somebody, it’s very important you tell me”

Fred looked at his father with wide eyes before gulping, stringing a lie. He couldn’t betray her, even if it was terrible “I...saw it in a book. In the restricted section of the library”

Arthur slumped, relieved back into his chair and Fred spoke quietly “What does it mean Dad? Is it bad?”

Arthur sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair “It’s…the mark of You Know Who”

Fred’s blood ran cold “What?” he whispered, surely not…she couldn’t.

Arthur continued “It hasn’t been seen in a long time. The last Death Eater that had it, Vladgregori…she was terrible. The Ministry lost count of the amount of people she killed, magic and muggles. It took seven Aurors to bring her down, they had to kill her…”

Fred said nothing, his face ashen.

“It’s the mark of his favoured follower. He chooses them and brands them himself. They would be his closest death eater. The most evil, corrupt person he can think of. We’ve been expecting to see it on Bellatrix Lestrange before now, but nothing. This person, whoever has it…their devoted to the Dark Lord. They live for him, they will die for him. Fred…tell me..have you seen it”

Fred looked at his father, hands shaking and shook his head “No...I haven’t seen it”

~

Later that night, Fred lay on his bed, thoughts churning in his head. She was a death-eater, after everything…it turned out she was a death-eater. The highest ranking death eater!

Fred couldn’t help it. He felt betrayed, but suddenly he understood all the warnings she had been sending him. He could see the pain in her eyes when was with him. She was afraid, not for herself but for him. If they were caught together, Odette the Death Eater and Fred, Member of the Order of the Phoenix…they would be killed, surely.

He jumped at the tapping noise that suddenly sounded on his window. He shot out of bed, and glanced at George who simply turned over and continued snoring. Fred slowly opened the window, blinking away the snow that swirled into his eyes. He looked at the snow falling and watched as it began to shape in letters…

She waits…

He frowned, no-body could see the burrow anymore, it was under the Fidelius charm. He squinted towards the laneway, by the small forest and noticed a hooded figure. the hood was blown back and her hair swept around her and she looked remarkably banshee like.

Fred’s mouth set in a grim line, the last person he needed to see right now was Odette Silver. But nevertheless, he pulled on his Wellington boots and cloak, trudging out through the snow and wind towards her.

She looked up as he approached and backed further into the trees, he followed her until they were shrouded in darkness.

He stopped “Odette, this is ridiculous…lumos”

He set the orb of light onto a hole in a trunk and as it cast it’s shine in a small circle around him, he made out Odette standing close to him…he sighed “What are you doing here Odette?”

She gazed at him, her green eyes shimmering “I don’t really know”

Fred looked away from her “I know what you are. I know who you are”

Odette paled and her fingers flinched as if to grab her neck, or her wand, he didn’t know.
“What were you planning to do Odette” he whispered “Kill me…how many people have you killed Odette, how many muggles have you tortured for him”

Odette let out a shaky breath but she stood firm, her stare strong and for a brief second Fred saw the strong Death Eater Voldemort had chosen as his own.
“I have killed Fred. I won’t deny it. It was what I was brought up to do…bit those that have died by my hands, deserved death.”

Fred looked at her, startled she could speak of killing in such an easy manner “Odette you took a life!” he shouted “How am I supposed to think of that…the girl I’ve fallen for. She’s a killer!”

Odette growled “I’ve stood up for what I believe in Fred. Nothing more, nothing else. Don’t pretend you know me Fred….because you don’t. If you knew me, you’d be afraid”

Fred’s eyes flashed “Afraid of what!” he yelled, stepping closer to her. He grabbed her neck, spinning her around, and placing his other palm over her mark, he could feel it burn under his touch as if Voldemort himself could feel the hand of good magic “Afraid of this…am I supposed to be afraid of this?”

He flung her away from him, and she fell heavily onto the snow. She lay for a moment, her face turned to the ground, her hair covering her head and shoulders. Her body shook with laughter, it was slow and manic and then Fred did feel fear, at the girl that was slowly resembling evil. She looked at him, getting up slowly and turning to face him.

He set his mouth in a grim line as he felt the tip of her wand touch his neck. Her green eyes were cold, malicious…none of the previous beauty or warmth was present “I was chosen Fred…chosen for a reason” she whispered “I’m cold, ruthless and give no mercy. I can kill children without blinking, without an ounce of regret. I have the statue of power that only be seen elsewhere in my Lord himself…”

Fred looked at her and then grinned evilly, a grin that did not suit his good natured face “Then why are you here Odette? Why have you come here to me?”

Odette didn’t blink but she stood closer to him, less than an inch apart. Her breath was sweet on his face but her wand still pressed dangerously into his neck “Why do you think Fred?”

And then her wand dropped onto the snow as Fred wrapped his arms around her and she brought her lips to his. They forgot everything as they melted into each other, her breath coming in small gasps as he moaned into her neck. Fred lifted her legs to wrap around her waist as he pressed her into the tree, biting into her neck and licking her lips.

"Merry Christmas Fred" she whispered

They both knew they weren’t meant to last and sooner or later, it would end in disaster.