Another Year at Hogwarts

The room was silent. Bellatrix was staring back at me with fiery eyes. I could tell that she was imagining herself ripping me up into tiny pieces, while lavishing in my painful cries.

“Very well done,” Voldemort said as he appeared my by side. He placed his hand on my shoulder and have me a gentle pat on the back as the announced me the winner and an official Death Eater.

“NO!” Bellatrix suddenly shouted. “There had to have been a mistake!” she screamed.

“A rematch! I demand—”

“Bellatrix,” Voldemort calmly said, making her shut her mouth instantly. “Victoria won. Are you really going to argue with my decision?”

“But my Lord—”

“Bellatrix!” Voldemort said again while stepping towards Bellatrix.

A gasp escaped Bellatrix’s mouth as she stared at Voldemort with widen eyes. But she quickly diverted her eyes to the ground and lowered her head.

“Now…as I was saying before Bellatrix brought Victoria in here,” Voldemort said return to the rest of his followers, “I shall be leaving once again. I expect that all of you do well to eliminate anyone who stands in my way. You all,” he said glancing at me, “shall be greatly rewarded once I destroy Harry Potter and restore the glory of the wizardry world!”

The Death Eaters roared in approval. Each Death Eater—other than Lucius and Draco—gave a bow to Voldemort before Disapparating away.

Once all the other Death Eaters were gone, Draco quickly walked up behind me and asked.

“How are you?” he whispered to me.

“I’m all right,” I answered while glancing down at the wound on my arm. A grin found its way onto my face as I said, “I really think your mother should stop buying me such nice clothing though.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” he said. His eyes then wandered lower to my forearm. “Was that why—”

“I’m okay,” I said.

“Well, let’s go get that taken cared of then—your wound and the dress.”

As Draco looked up and was going to bid Voldemort goodbye, only to quickly became aware that Voldemort was observing us.

“Leave. I need to have a discussion with our new recruit,” Voldemort said.

“Y—yes my Lord,” Lucius said with a bow. As he walked to where Narcissa was standing, he took Draco and dragged him away. Bellatrix was the last to leave, and it looked as though she was reluctant to do so. However, she did leave, closing the two large doors behind her.

“You and Draco…” Voldemort began. He then laughed to himself before saying, “First Bellatrix’s niece runs off and marries Lupin and now Draco is looking towards you… Must run in the family.”

“Draco and I—”

“I do, however,” Voldemort cut in, “agree that this would be a better match. Marry and Malfoy…it’d be a good way to redeem yourself, couldn’t it?”

I scrunched my eyebrows together. “What are you getting at?”

“Your mother, Scarlet Angel, was a skillful witch like yourself,” Voldemort said as he began to pace around the ruined drawing room. “The Malfoy family is also one of great power and wealth. Though Lucius is a coward and pathetic—Draco has much potential. The two of your together…” Voldemort said trailing off. “I would say that if you two ever married, your children should be very powerful. Having such powerful children would redeem the Malfoy family for all their failures and would grant your way into the wizardry world. You can then dispose yourself of that awful surname given to you by your Muggle father.”

Why the hell is everyone talking about Draco and me getting married? I thought to myself. We’re seventeen-years-old for crying out loud! Marriage is the last thing on our minds given the fact that we’re practically in the middle of a war.

“My Lord…may I ask you something?” I questioned before he could reveal to me that he had some ultimate plan to marry Draco and me to guarantee himself some—supposedly—powerful minions in the future, or something along that line.

“If you must,” he replied.

“Bellatrix…she did bring up a good point before our duel. Aren’t you trying to rid the wizardry world of people like myself? If that is truly your cause, why allow me to become a Death Eater? Why allow me—a half-blood—bare the mark of the Dark Lord?”

“Because you hold a power greater than that of your mother’s—despite being a half-blood,” Voldemort simply replied. “I knew your mother, once. I had tried to get to on my side because I knew the greatness she should achieve. She, however, made the mistake of joining those opposing me and perished.

“You, on the other hand, have chosen the correct path to follow, Victoria. I knew this the moment you cast that curse on the Weasley girl.”

My eyes widened. “It was you. You were the voice in my head…”

“I was the one who encouraged you to do it, yes,” Voldemort explained. “But even after I stopped, you pressed on. In that moment, I knew that you were destined to become one of my top Death Eaters. You had already cast aside the weak part of yourself—the Muggle in you, and had already been working faithfully for me, after all. And of course, with Severus’ recommendation—”

“‘Severus’? You mean—Snape suggested you give me the Dark Mark?” I questioned.

“He has been a loyal servant of mine…and I do respect his suggestions,” Voldemort replied. “And I guess bestowing the Dark Mark upon you was my way of rewarding Severus. Giving him something he could have had.”

“W—what are you talking about?” I questioned.

“He was in love with your mother. That was probably why he brought you in here the first place,” Voldemort laughed as he walked over to where Bellatrix’s wand had fallen and picked it up. “After seeing how the two women he desired most die for a pointless cause, he must have been worried that you would also follow the same foolish path they had. By bringing you to me, and by allowed you into my family,” Voldemort grinned deviously, “he knew you would be protected. Also, having you—the daughter of his former love interest—here gives him the chance to be a father figure.”

The way Voldemort said that last sentence sent a chill up my spine. I had great doubts that Voldemort would allow me to become one of his inner-circled Death Eaters just so he can reward Snape with the child of Scarlet Angel and allow Snape to experience the joy of fatherhood. No. The way he said it made it sound like I was some kind of leverage—a leverage he could use against Snape one day.

“So,” I said with a fake smile, “my being here is like the cherry on top. For Snape, I’m the daughter he could have had, and for you, I’m possibly the most powerful human weapon you could get your hands on.”

“One could look at it that way,” Voldemort smiled. He then narrowed his eyes at me and said, “You look as though you have something to say.”

“No,” I replied. “I appreciate your honest, my Lord. I at least now know where I stand.”

Voldemort simply stared into my eyes, and I knew exactly what he was doing—or at least trying to do. But thanks to Snape and the horrid lessons he put me though, I was able to block Voldemort out, without it seeming like I had something to hide.

A smirk suddenly appeared onto his face. “You will truly be a great contribution.”

With that, Voldemort disappeared into a cloud of black smoke, and Bellatrix's wand fell to the ground.

“He’s gone,” I announced. “You can come in now.”

It was quiet for a moment, but then the front door to the drawing room opened up. As I suspected, Draco stepped through the doors.

“Make it a habit to listen in on other people’s conversation do you?” I asked. “Isn’t that kind of behavior more appropriate for an eleven-year-old?” I asked referring to the time he had eavesdropped on Hagrid and the others during his first year at Hogwarts. However, I doubted it knew what I was talking about… Or so I thought.

“How did you know about that?” Draco asked walking up to me. “Had my mother been telling you stories about my time at Hogwarts?”

“Th—that doesn’t matter,” I said being cut off guard. “Anyways, since you were eavesdropping, what do you think about what the Dark Lord had to say?”

“Regarding?” Draco asked as he pulled out his wand and began to repair the broken items in the drawing room.

“Our marriage supposedly,” I grinned as I, too, began to help him repair the items in the room.

“Oh,” said Draco.

“‘Oh’? That’s all you have to stay on the matter?” I scoffed as walked passed him and began to repair the chandelier. “I don’t understand why everyone keeps talking about you and I getting married or something. We’re only seventeen. We have our entire lives to live.”

“We are in the middle of the Second Wizardry War,” Draco—surprisingly—reminded. “I mean…who knows if we’ll survive. Better to experience something now than never getting the chance to experience it at all, right?”

I stopped what I was doing and turned back around to face Draco, who was staring back at me. “Draco…you—you don’t honestly think that you’re not going to survive, do you?”

“Who knows,” Draco replied with a sad smile. “Anyways, let’s get this chandelier fixed.”

“Draco,” I said sternly.

Draco scoffed. “I—I don’t know… I barely understand what’s going on now, let alone how things will be in the future. I can’t say for certain that I’ll live to see the end of this war.”

“Well, not with that attitude,” I commented.

Draco smirked. “Do you really think I’ll live through this?”

“Of course you will!” I quickly replied.

“Then you won’t mind promising me something,” Draco added.

“And what is this promise?” I asked.

“Agree to it first,” Draco said.

I narrowed my eyes. “If I agree, will you tell me what it is then?”

“Sure,” he shrugged.

I stared at him for a moment and thought of what I should say. But then again, I knew that Draco wasn’t doing to die at the end of the war, so what would be the harm of making a promise with him?

“All right,” I said playing along with his game. “What is this promise?”

Draco walked up to me and stood in front of me without saying a single word. He simply reached down and took my hands before saying anything. “If I should die before the end of this war, you’ll marry me.”

“What?” I exclaimed. “Draco—”

“You promised!” he reminded with an amused grin.

“Y—yeah, but I was expecting something like: carry my body home to my mother so that I can have a proper burial! Something along that line. Not marry you!”

“Would you actually marry me?” he asked.

“O—of course not!” I blushed. “Now…seriously. Tell me what the promise is!”

Draco smiled sadly as he lifted his left hand up and looked at the ring around his middle finger. “If I die…I want you to find Violet, and return this ring to her.”

“Draco!” I gasped.

“You shouldn’t be worried, right?” Draco asked as he looked up at me. He flashed a grin and said, “After all, you’re confident that I’ll survive. Or are you now having doubts?”

“…No,” I answered. “You’ll survive. That I can assure you.”