Note: This is a story about a new character and her connection to Harry Potter. This story begins at their 3rd year of Hogwarts and will continue until the defeat of either Harry Potter or Lord Voldemort. This fanfic will follow the 7 books as they go, though some details may change. I will include that information when it occurs. So, there most likely WILL BE SPOILERS to some of the books, if not all. I also appologize if some ideas were taken from other fanfics, as it was not my intention. I will try to give credit if that occurs. Thank you for reading this fanfic.
Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling and I do not own the characters in this fanfic. I am not making a profit off this works. Please enjoy!
Chapter One: The Meeting
She knew that there was something special between them the first time she saw him; and she knew that it wasn’t just the lightening shaped scar on his forehead. There was something about his eyes and his smile that were so very familiar to her. She watched him as he sat eating his ice cream outside the shop in Diagon Alley. Suddenly, she was brought back to reality by a sharp poke to her shoulder. As she looked up, she saw the boy who she was destined to serve forever.
“What are you doing?” he snarled. This boy, the one with the terribly pale skin and almost white hair had a look of disgust on his face. “Get over here and carry my books!”
“I’m sorry, Draco.” She muttered while looking at the ground, not daring to look into his eyes. She knew that he got so much enjoyment from torturing her. She grabbed his books and started walking behind him, as that was the normal routine she was very accustomed to.
She noticed the smirk of satisfaction Draco had on his face when he noticed Harry Potter sitting alone, eating his ice cream. He began to walk towards Harry and she tried to keep up with her superior.
“What have we here?” snarled Draco. “Harry Potter, without his entourage of friends? How unfortunate.” He pulled out his wand as he got closer to Harry.
“What do you want, Malfoy?” Harry sneered back at Draco, also pulling out his wand. “You think you can threaten me without your body guards? Where are they, anyway? Stuffing their faces, I imagine.”
She stared at the two boys. She wanted to smile because she was happy to see someone stand up to Draco; unfortunately, she knew the repercussions of any sign of amusement she were to show at the expense of her superior.
She again drifted off at the memory of how horrible her life had been so far. According to Mr. Malfoy, Draco’s father, there had been a poker game about twelve years ago. During this game, her father, a gambling addict, bet his daughter and only child. He thought he could not lose, but did not appear to regret it nonetheless. Though Mr. Malfoy had won her during this poker match, he considered her in debt to him for having to take her in and care for her. Since she can remember, she had been his family’s servant unwillingly.
Worse than that, they did not allow her to own a wand or learn magic of any sort. She was defenseless against any torture they planned on inflicting on her. When Draco was home on vacation from Hogwarts, she was able to sneak his books away for a few hours at a time, unnoticed. However, learning from books was completely different than learning by practice.
Draco used her to practice his spells. Mr. Malfoy believed that one day his master, Lord Voldemort, would return to power and so Draco should be prepared by knowing as much Dark Magic as possible. She knew much of the time it was her own fault that she experienced such torture. There were times when she took too long to answer her masters’ calls or the food was too cold. Their favorite was the Cruciatus Curse. She had endured that more times than she could count and it never got less painful.
The worst was when Draco was angry at Harry or one of his friends. She had heard Draco talk about Hermione and Ron, along with a few other Gryffindor students. He inflicted whatever he could on her as a way to vent his anger, since he could not do so at them. These times were worse for her because he would cut her up, give her bruises, break her bones, and anything else he could think of. But these times were less painful for her because she knew that someone out there was standing up to him; that was why he was so angry. She only wished she could do something to help them.
Through her twelve years under the Malfoys’ watchful eye, she had only had one person she considered a friend. The only person she could talk to had been a house-elf named Dobby. Harry had freed him a few months ago, and so he was no longer living at the manor. She was happy to see him go because he had wanted to be free for so long. This was also horribly painful for her because she no longer had someone to talk to; she had to endure the pain by herself. Mr. Malfoy had not been happy that his house-elf had been freed, and had taken it out on her. She also had to pick up the chores that Dobby used to do, so her workload more than doubled. The only consolation she received was from the feeling she had deep inside her mind that she would do good in the world. She had a purpose in this life, and it wasn’t just to serve the Malfoy family. She just didn’t know what that was quite yet.
She came back to reality with a slap to her face. “You are absolutely worthless. I don’t know why I even bother. You will have to work extra hard tonight,” he paused and gave a small smirk of satisfaction, “to make up for ignoring me. Let’s go!”
She nodded. “Yes, sir.” She began to walk and suddenly felt something at her feet. Before she realized what had happened, she lay sprawled on the ground and Draco’s books were all over the pavement. He had tripped her.
“You idiot! Pick those up now.” He snarled at her. “There had better not be anything as small as a scratch on any of those books, or you might not eat for a week!”
That was a threat she knew all too well. There were many times when she had been locked in the cellar, her bedroom, without food. Just another small price to pay for being me, she thought.
She hurriedly went to pick up the books she had been carrying. Then, a couple of books were handed to her and she looked up. Harry had come over to help her! She looked up at him, pleading with her eyes. Help me, she thought. If anyone can help me, you can. A puzzled expression appeared on his face.
She took the books he gave her and smiled at him. She dared not say anything because Draco would most likely be fuming at this exchange as it was. She felt Draco grab her ponytail and yank her to her feet.
He didn’t say a thing as he kept pulling her. She knew she was going to pay even though she had done nothing wrong. What was interesting was that she didn’t care. She knew that something good was about to happen.
*~*~*~*~*
Once she and Draco had returned back at the manor, she had been required to continue with her chores. She knew that her punishment would be delayed, but she didn’t know for how long. She had gone to the kitchen to begin making dinner as she waited for Mr. Malfoy to return from work. Draco knew that his father would want to hear the story before deciding on her punishment.
Mr. Malfoy came home shortly before dinner was ready, and she could hear the beginning of their conversation as all three Malfoys sat down at the dining room table.
“You did what!? How could you be so careless?” Mr. Malfoy said in his coolly calm voice, though she knew that his temper was rising.
“I didn’t want to carry my purchases. Isn’t that what she’s for?” Draco tried to explain to his father.
“I will deal with you later. Where is that dreadful girl?” She knew that was her cue. She carried in the dinner she had made them with a thought about how she could somehow slip a little potion in their meals and they would never know. She smiled inwardly at the idea.
After she sat the dinner down on the table, she did a little bow and began to exit the room.
“To your room, girl. I will deal with you after dinner.” She knew this was just another excuse, not that they needed one, for Draco to practice his Dark Magic. She stifled a sigh and went to the room in cellar that she called her own. When the door was shut, she heard it lock from the outside.
She sat on the floor wrapped in the one blanket she had to keep warm. The room was small, but she liked it because it was a place she could be by herself. This is the room where she could show her emotions without fear of being punished. As long as she was quiet, she could express anger, happiness (though that was less often than others), and sadness. She could cry here. That was the most important thing to her, that she be allowed to cry. Granted, Draco would hurt her more if he knew she cried here but it didn’t bother her.
She sat, curled with her blanket, and wondered what her punishment would be. Mr. Malfoy would take as long as he wanted because he knew that she would agonize over the torture she was sure to endure.
Many years ago, she had sat in the same position and fantasized about a day when she could be free. She had dreamed about a time where she could do as she wanted and live without fear of being punished for the smallest thing, if she had done anything at all. That was a long time ago, though. She had learned that such dreams were childish and foolish because they led to hope. Having hope that things would get better only led to despair. So, she stopped having such thoughts.
Suddenly, the door flew open and Mr. Malfoy and Draco walked in slowly. She stood up and bowed to them, not daring to look them in the eyes. That was something else she had learned at a young age. Never look them in the eyes. They had impressed that she know she was their subordinate. She was their inferior and she would treat them with the respect they deserved.
“You know you are never to go in public. What do you have to say for yourself?” Mr. Malfoy said in that mockingly calm voice that she had grown accustomed to.
She didn’t know how to respond. She could apologize for her mistake and hope for the best or she could say that Draco made her go. If she did the latter, she knew that she would be punished by Mr. Malfoy now and Draco later. Draco would not appreciate her pointing the finger at him, since she was less than dirt to him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Malfoy. I begged him to take me because I had never been to Diagon Alley and I wanted to see it. It won’t happen again.” She had decided this might spare her of the punishment Draco had in mind, though she doubted it.
“You disobeyed direct orders to remain in this manor. I am disappointed in you, after all I have done for you!” Mr. Malfoy was still calm, he was deciding which punishment he would most enjoy. Draco had that obnoxious smirk on his face, knowing what was to come.
She thought that many of the orders they gave were so that she would fail at them. They loved to watch her fail and even more to watch her suffer. It was excruciating for her at times. Draco had ordered her to go to Diagon Alley and Mr. Malfoy had ordered her to stay in the home. Who’s orders was she supposed to follow? It frustrated her so much that she could do no right. She stared at the floor and said nothing.
She felt her arm twist behind her back. Slowly at first, but then more quickly until she heard it crack. She fought to hold back the tears that were springing to her eyes; she must not cry. She tried unsuccessfully to hold back the scream of pain that crept up her throat. She crumpled to the floor as her arm continued to twist. It seemed to go on forever, though it was probably only a few seconds. Then it stopped.
“That’ll do for now. Remember next time it will be both arms. In addition, you will have no food for the next 48 hours to help remind you,” he almost whispered. “Do not disobey me again.” He began to walk out the room, then added “This will not get you out of your chores tomorrow.”
Draco was smiling cruelly and when his father was out of sight, he mouthed the words “I’ll be back to see you.” He walked out of the room and it bolted behind him.
That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, she thought. She nursed her arm as she curled up on the floor rocking back and forth. She cried herself to sleep awaiting Draco’s return.
*~*~*~*
Harry could not stop thinking about the encounter with the redhead with Draco this afternoon in Diagon Alley. He lay on his bed at the leaky cauldron awaiting the arrival of his friends Ron and Hermione. He debated whether he should tell them about it, because it seemed so insignificant.
Who was this readhead? She definitely wasn’t a part of Draco’s family, he treated her more like a slave than even a servant. She looked so familiar to him, but he could not place it. He knew that he had never seen her before, so maybe she just resembled someone he knew? And also, why wasn’t she a student at Hogwarts? She looked to be the same age as himself, 13. If Draco is a student at Hogwarts, you would think she would be as well.
He felt saddened when he had looked into her eyes. There was so much pain in there, but he figured if she lived with the Malfoys, there had to be pain involved. When their eyes connected, he felt as if she were pleading for him to help her, to save her. He couldn’t shake the feeling, though he thought it was probably impossible. He didn’t know what he could do to help her.
Harry decided to ask Hermione and Ron about it tomorrow when they arrived. They would have some advice, and Hermione would most likely have an answer. He soon fell asleep at the thought of starting his third year at Hogwarts in a few days. He couldn’t wait to return to the place he called home.
*~*~*~*
The next day hadn’t been that bad. Her arm was in pain and it was definitely broken, but she had experienced the same thing many times before. She knew that it would heal on its own, eventually. Many of the times it had happened before, she had not even told Dobby; though, Dobby probably could have guessed that something was wrong. She wasn’t sure why she never told Dobby about the extra torture she received, but she did know that she didn’t like others to feel sorry for her.
Mr. Malfoy had been at work all day and hadn’t even been home for dinner. She knew that he would want a meal when he came home, so she remained near the kitchen so that he would get his food as soon as he wanted it.
Draco had been gone all day as well. She was pleased with that and even happier that he hadn’t come back to her room the night before. She had expected him to, and she dared not even hope that he would forget about the Diagon Alley incident with Harry Potter.
While doing her chores that day, she let her mind wander. She was alone and did not have to be afraid of someone walking in on her. Most of the day was spent contemplating reasons her masters did not want her to leave the manor.
Could it be because they think I would run? she thought. She didn’t think she would run because she had no where else to go. Did they think that she would talk to someone? Tell them that she was a captive in their home? That could be a possibility since they were so prominent in wizarding society. Mr. Malfoy had an important job at the ministry and they were a pureblood and wealthy family. It wouldn’t be good for their standing for people to know their servant was being held captive.
Many more thoughts came to her throughout the day. The last of which she laughed at the hilarity of. Could it be that they did not want her recognized for some reason?
At that last thought, she realized it would do no good speculating why she was not to leave the Malfoy Manor. She got back to her chores.
Mr. Malfoy had returned home and had not wanted his meal as she had expected. But when he walked through the door, he looked at her skeptically. He pointed his wand at her and she was pushed into the wall behind her. Even though he was able to perform most spells without speaking them, she knew that he was now looking to see if she had eaten anything that day.
A couple of times in the past, she had made the mistake of sneaking food when she was being punished for something. She quickly learned it was better to go the period of time designated without eating, than risk sneaking food. He didn’t always check, but keeping it random gave her more fear of trying to sneak food. She hadn’t eaten anything, and he realized that. He released his spell and she was able to continue her chores.
*~*~*~*
The next day, he relayed the story of the encounter with Draco and the mysterious redhead to Hermione and Ron. “What do you think I should do?” he asked.
“I don’t think there’s anything you can do.” Ron said.
“I think there might be,” Hermione interjected. “Did you get the feeling that she was with him involuntarily?”
“Absolutely. The pain in her eyes, the pleading look she gave me, the way he treated her. There is no way that she was happy to be around him. It was like she had to do what he said.” Harry contemplated telling them about the threat Draco had made to her. “After he tripped her, he threatened her with no food if his books got dirty.”
Hermione had a look of shock on her face. “I know he is a horrible person, Harry. But would he really starve someone like that?”
“You should have seen the look on her face when he said that. She knew that it would happen; she even believed worse than that would happen to her. I just felt so bad for her.” Harry had a look of sadness on his face that his friends had never seen before. “She just looks so familiar, and she looked so pained. I need to help her.”
“Why? You don’t even know her or her situation.” Ron stated. Harry thought that Ron made a good point. He didn’t even know that this girl was in any danger. “Maybe it’s your instinct to save people. You do tend to do that like with Ginny in the chamber or the sorcerer’s stone.”
He wasn’t sure if he wanted to share this next bit; he didn’t want his friends to think he was crazy. “I don’t know…” he hesitated and then decided to tell them. “When she looked at me I could tell. In my head, and I know this sounds crazy, but I heard her ask me for help. She begged me to save her. She said that if anyone could do it, I could.”
Ron looked skeptical and Hermione looked at Harry quizzically. “Do you really think you heard her? Or do you think it was your head telling you what you wanted to hear? As you specifically felt that she needed help.”
“I don’t know. But I think it should be taken seriously.” Harry said.
“Then, there’s only one thing to do. You need to tell Professor Dumbledore.” Hermione said.
“I don’t know, mate.” Ron still wasn’t convinced. “Do you think you should bother him with this? I mean you don’t have any proof that your allegations are true.”
“I’m not sure I even have any allegations. I don’t know…it’s just something I feel I have to do. I agree with Hermione, maybe I should tell Professor Dumbledore.” Harry still needed to think about it.
*~*~*~*
That night she awoke with a shortness of breath. There was a quick shock to her system and she couldn’t breath. She panicked and thought, this is how I’m going to die. I’m going to suffocate.
She then heard Draco laughing and realized he had used a curse he had invented a few weeks ago. He had practiced on her and had intended to use it on one of the Gryffindors at Hogwarts school. When she began to calm down, her breathing returned to normal.
“I saw you looking at Harry for help. He cannot and will not rescue you.” Draco sneered. She just looked at him, trying not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her afraid. He continued, “He is too wrapped up in being the famous Harry Potter. He does not care about what happens to those less important than himself!” He flicked his wand at her.
She felt a stabbing pain in her stomach and she clutched it hoping something would relieve the pain. She remained silent, though, willing herself not to give in to the pain. Then all was calm and Draco gave a big smirk. His eyes glinted with the pleasure of what he was about to do.
She saw it coming but it could not prepare her. “Crucio!” He said with an air of excitement. She writhed in pain. He let her go. “Crucio!” he said again. And again he let her go.
He walked up to her and sat on the floor next to her. As she lay on the floor gasping for breath, his mouth went to her ear as he whispered, “No one will help you. No one cares enough to help you.” And with another flick of his wrist, he said the word that she knew would come yet again. “Crucio!” She screamed and then the pain was gone.
Draco walked out of the room and the door bolted behind him. She could not move she was in so much pain. She began to cry. What did I do to deserve this?
*~*~*~*
That night, Harry woke up screaming in pain. He had had a dream that Draco was doing the Cruciatus Curse on him. At one point, he had looked down and had seen that his body was not his own. The body was definitely feminine, though he could not tell who he was. Harry didn’t understand the significance of that dream and didn’t know that this link would save him in two years’ time. But he did know that it was more important than ever to tell Professor Dumbledore of the mysterious redhead accompanying Draco Malfoy.
*~*~*~*
Harry had recently been told that an important prisoner had escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban. He was also told that this man, Sirius Black, had been a follower of Lord Voldemort and was looking to kill him. He wasn’t thrilled at the idea, and in all actuality, it scared him a little bit.
He was in the great Hall waiting for the welcome feast to begin when he heard Draco Malfoy mocking him. Yes, he had fainted on the train because of the dementors and he didn’t know why. But right now there were more important things to worry about than his own safety. He stared at Draco, not daring to say anything about the redheaded girl. He just ignored Draco’s comments and waited for the feast to begin.
The feast had been delicious and he had been starving. Before going back to his dormitory he wanted to speak with Professor Dumbledore. He asked Hermione and Ron to head back to Gryffindor Tower and said that he would meet them later to tell them what happened. He walked up to the teacher’s table where Professor Dumbledore was in conversation with Professor McGonagall.
“Professor, can I speak with you?” asked Harry.
“I’m sorry Harry, I’m very busy tonight. Can this wait until tomorrow?” Harry thought about it but felt that this could not wait.
“Please Professor, this might be very important. Someone might be in danger and I don’t know what to do.” Harry pleaded with Professor Dumbledore.
Professor Dumbledore looked at Harry questioningly and then agreed for Harry to meet him in his office in one hour. The password is gummy bears.
Harry went back to Gryffindor Tower and found Ron and Hermione with Neville Longbottom in the common room. They waved him over.
“Isn’t he going to speak with you?” asked Hermione as she set aside the book she was reading. Harry imagined she was getting a head start on her assignments, though in all reality she was probably finished reading all her books. Harry had to smile at the thought.
“In about an hour, but do you think it’s really important?” Harry asked. “He said he is really busy. And now that I think about it, it is probably nothing.”
“What’s going on? What happened?” asked Neville. Harry didn’t want to explain it to more people than was absolutely necessary. He felt like he was making too big a deal out of this as it was.
He had thought about it for awhile and realized that he did have this impulse to help people. What if I am looking for situations to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong? Do I really feel I am all “high and mighty” to be rescuing people that don’t need to be rescued?
Hermione ignored Neville’s questions. “You know you should speak with him. If you are having doubts about how serious this is or if it is even important, you should ask him. I’m pretty sure he would want to know something about this.” She was right, he was sure of it. Forty-five minutes later, he arrived at the headmaster’s office.
“Yes, Harry. Have a seat.” He gestured toward one of the two chairs sitting in front of his desk. Harry looked around the office and noticed the portraits of the previous headmasters, all sleeping. Or horribly pretending to be asleep, thought Harry. “What can I do for you?”
“Professor, a couple of days ago I was in Diagon Alley when Draco Malfoy approached me.” Harry saw Professor Dumbledore’s eyebrow rise in a questioning look. He is probably wondering why I am coming to him with problems about Malfoy, thought Harry. He continued, “Anyway, there was this girl with him, maybe 12 or 13 years old. I have never seen her before, but she just looked so familiar.” He told Professor Dumbledore about the incident in Diagon Alley, and then paused.
Dumbledore said nothing, but nodded for Harry to continue.
“The next night I had a dream. It was as if I was seeing the dream from another person’s point of view. I cannot be certain, but I am sure that I was the redhead girl and Draco was performing the Cruciatus Curse on me.” He stopped, then decided to add, “It was like I was seeing it happen, it was so real.”
Professor Dumbledore was deep in thought. Harry wasn’t sure if he should continue, but Dumbledore asked “and why are you so concerned for her, might I ask?”
Harry was surprised by the question and wasn’t sure how to respond. Shouldn’t he be concerned for the safety of a girl he had seen assaulted by someone? He tried to answer anyway, “The pain in her eyes saddened me. I can’t really explain it. She also looked so familiar to me and I couldn’t place it. I still can’t. It’s like I’ve seen her before, her eyes and her hair…” Harry trailed off.
Dumbledore just sat there deep in contemplation. He finally spoke, “Do you mind if I take a look at these memories, Harry?”
“Sure, but how?” asked Harry.
Dumbledore explained, “There is something called a pensieve, Harry. It allows me to see memories I have experienced once again, so I can take a deeper look. All you have to do is think about the memory and pull it out with your wand. Can you try that?”
Harry did as he was asked and placed the memory in the pensieve. Professor Dumbledore and Harry went into the memory of Diagon Alley. Harry wondered what Dumbledore was thinking about and looked at him. Professor Dumbledore appeared to be very concerned at what he saw.
After they finished viewing the memory of Diagon Alley, they again went into the pensieve to see Harry’s memory of the dream. They sat in silence for a few moments after it was finished.
“Harry, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will do what I can.” The headmaster told Harry.
“Professor,” Harry began, “did I do the right thing? I am concerned for her safety, but I also feel that I am looking for people to save. I feel like I am trying to protect those who don’t need protecting.”
“Harry, you have good instincts. You should always listen to that. I cannot tell you anything about this situation, as I do not know that much myself. What I can tell you is that you did the right thing. You may very well have saved many lives by telling me this information. We cannot know for sure quite yet.” Harry felt better. He nodded and was now sure that he did the right thing.
Reassured, Harry went back to his dormitory and told the others of his conversation with Dumbledore. With everything on his mind about Sirius Black, the dementors, and this girl, he did not even contemplate what this could mean. He fell into a dreamless sleep.
*~*~*~*
After Harry had left Professor Dumbledore’s office, Albus sat in awe at what he had just seen. What are the odds of Harry meeting this mystery girl? Could it really be her? But she was supposed to be dead.
In fact, James and Lily had had two children. Twins. Because of the situation with Voldemort, that fact had not been widely spread, though a few people did know. After their deaths, Albus had worked hard to keep the fact a secret from most of the wizarding world. He had even gone so far as to place a few Memory Charms on those who knew that did not need to know.
He did this not to hide the fact that James and Lily had another child. He did this to protect Harry in the future. It would be hard enough on Harry to know that Lord Voldemort had killed his parents. Albus wanted to spare Harry the pain of knowing Voldemort had also killed his twin sister, Stephanie.
How could it be possible that she is alive and living with the Malfoys? She had not even been at Lily and James’ home the night that Voldemort had attacked. Could that be what had saved her life? How would I be able to get to her, to speak with her? thought Albus, without endangering her safety.
Dobby, came his answer. The house elf that Harry had freed had been offered the chance to work at Hogwarts. That will have to wait, he thought. First, he must speak to Professors Snape and McGonagall.
He summoned them and awaited their arrival. This was good news.
That is all for now. The next post should be up soon. Please let me know what you think, and if I should continue the story!Feedback Please!
Full Version: The Unknown Potter
Chapter Two: A Chance to Escape
Days when Draco returned to Hogwarts were always good for her. She usually had the entire day to herself at the Malfoy Manor and the prospect of over three months of only having to deal with Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Though, Mrs. Malfoy tried to spend as little time around her as possible. That was probably a good thing, she mused.
The Malfoys had left at about 10:30 for King’s Cross Station and she went into the master bedroom to clean it and gather the sheets for washing. The room was always a mess, though it was unlikely that Mr. Malfoy was the one who left it that way. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy had had a fight the night before, she had heard them screaming at each other. There was broken glass and torn papers all over the room. It would take her all day to clean this, she thought.
At least no one was home, so she could be lost in her thoughts as she cleaned. She had never been to King’s Cross, but knew that it must be amazing. All those other kids running around, it must be fantastic. She thought about what it would be like to be a Hogwarts student. She wondered what house she would be in if she had been a student there.
She hoped that she wouldn’t be a part of Slytherin, though she would never have the chance to find out. There were so many dark wizards that had come out of that house, and she knew all of the friends of the Malfoys had been in Slytherin. Draco was in Slytherin, along with his circle of friends. She knew that they all enjoyed causing destruction and fear. They used intimidation to get what they wanted. It was despicable, she thought.
Gryffindor, maybe? If she had been in Gryffindor, she would be in the same house as the famous Harry Potter. She did not know much about this boy, all she knew was what Draco and Mr. Malfoy had said. They did not like him because he had been responsible for the downfall of Lord Voldemort. But she knew that she did not deserve to be in the same house as Harry Potter. Even though this was the house she would have wanted to be in, she also knew that there was no way that she was brave enough to have been sorted into Gryffindor. There were times when she even cowered at the sight of Draco. Would a true Gryffindor recoil at the sight of someone? She doubted it.
What about Ravenclaw? That was the house where the studious and the smart students were placed. Though she had not had the opportunity to learn through traditional means, she doubted that she would be placed in this house either. She was far from what others would call intelligent. In fact, there had been times when her actions were downright stupid, resulting in her unnecessarily being punished. There were times when she just felt that she needed to defy one of the Malfoys, though she did not understand why. No, she definitely would not be placed in Ravenclaw.
The last house was Hufflepuff. She thought about this for a moment, then realized this was no good either. Hufflepuffs were known for their loyalty and she was definitely far from loyal. There were only three people in this world that she would need to be loyal to, and she would turn on them faster than one could say “Quidditch” if she was given the opportunity.
This was tough for her. She knew that she did not belong in any of the four houses Hogwarts had to offer. This must be affirmation that she did not belong anywhere except where she currently was. Mr. Malfoy was right, she did not deserve to be treated as others were. She was a horrible person who could not even serve her masters correctly. Most of all, she didn’t deserve to have people who called her a friend, who cared for her.
She continued to imagine what it would be like to be able to attend school as a normal teenager. She would be able to attend class and make friends. She would have a place could call home. There would be warm beds, friendly faces, enough food, and laughter. She would be free. She realized these thoughts was bordering on the possibility of hoping that something better would come along. Her conditioning kicked in and she regained focus on the task at hand: cleaning the master bedroom before Mr. Malfoy returned to the manor.
*~*~*~*
Albus waited for a response from Severus and Minerva while they took in what they had just witnessed. Without an explanation beforehand, he had shown them Harry’s memory of what had happened in Diagon Alley a few days ago along with the dream that Harry had had.
“This is not possible.” Professor McGonagall mused. She looked as if she were in shock.
“She looks just like Lily Potter,” Professor Snape mentioned. “How could that be, I was unaware they had any living relatives.”
“Let me work out what had happened that night. It might become clearer as we uncover the enormity of what we have just witnessed.” Dumbledore said slowly. “Professor,” he said, looking at Snape, “when Lily became pregnant, it was soon apparent to those closest to her that she would have twins. They knew that the children were in danger because of the work she and James were doing for the Order. To reduce the amount of risk placed on these children, it was decided to only announce the birth of one, Harry. They loved both children dearly, but feared for the safety of the girl. She was placed with Peter Pettigrew, as I am sure you are aware was the family’s secret keeper.”
“Why not Sirius, the children’s godfather?” asked McGonagall.
“It is clear that was a good decision on the part of Lily,” countered Snape, “as he is the one who murdered Peter.”
“As it were, Peter was to place her in a safe location because there had been specific threats to the life of Stephanie, the girl. We tried to find her after we had taken Harry to his Aunt and Uncle’s house, but we could not. Sirius killed Peter soon afterwards and we assumed someone had found and murdered the child.” Dumbledore continued. “The question is how she came to be in the possession of Lucius Malfoy.”
“I assure you, I had no idea of her existence. If I had, I would have let you know immediately.” Snape looked at Dumbledore solemnly.
“I trust you Severus. What should we do now that we know?” Dumbledore asked both professors. “How do you imagine we should proceed with this information?”
“We have to get her out of there! She is in danger every moment she remains in that household.” McGonagall argued, concern showing on her face.
“This could be useful for us.” Snape contemplated slowly. “Though, it would be up to her, of course.”
“I agree, Severus.” said Professor Dumbledore calmly. “I imagine it is late enough for us to safely bring her here now, if you two do not have any disagreements.” He then called for Dobby, the house elf, who immediately appeared.
“Yes, sir. How can Dobby help the headmaster, sir?” Dobby asked looking up into the eyes of Professor Dumbledore.
“Dobby, are you aware of a girl by the name of Stephanie Potter?” Dumbledore asked the elf gently. Dobby shook his head no. Dumbledore continued, “Is there a girl at the Malfoy house who is there unwillingly? Who they treat as a servant?”
Dobby again shook his head no, though removing his eye contact with the headmaster. “Dobby can not speak about the Malfoy house and its inhabitants. Dobby must not speak about the girl. She pleaded with Dobby not to tell anyone about her.” Dobby began to hit his head on the desk.
Dumbledore gently touched the house elf’s shoulders. “Please, Dobby. This is very important. Please do not hurt yourself, but we need to know about this girl.”
Dobby nodded and began his story. “They treat her worse than they treat house-elves, sir. They punish her every day, sir, for things that she has not done. Now that Dobby is gone, she is in charge of all household duties, sir. She must do all the laundry, household maintenance, cooking, cleaning, and everything else the Malfoys order of her. She follows their orders, sir. Miss is very brave, sir. Dobby has looked after her since she was a baby, sir. She is Dobby’s best friend. It hurt him so much to leave her, but she wanted him to be free, sir. She only wants Dobby to be happy, sir, so he left her. Dobby wishes there was something he could do for the miss. She is so lonely now that Dobby is gone.”
“Thank you, Dobby. Can you tell me how she came to be with the Malfoys?” Dumbledore prodded while the other two professors sat, listening.
“It is not clear to Dobby. There had been a spy within an organization fighting against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Dobby does not know more, but this person gave the girl to Mr. Malfoy. It was Dobby’s responsibility to raise her and make her know she was their servant. Dobby was glad to raise this child, but it hurt him that she would not be free. Dobby loves the miss, sir.”
“Can you tell me what they call her, Dobby.” Dumbledore nodded at what Dobby had just told him.
“They never named her, sir. If they called her anything, it was only ‘the girl’. They hated the idea of providing her with a name, sir. Dobby calls her miss, even though she doesn’t like that either. When Dobby left, she made him promise he would tell no one of her struggles, of her existence. She would not tell Dobby why and Dobby should not have said this much. Dobby has betrayed miss’ trust! Bad Dobby!” Dobby again began banging his head on the desk, but Professor Dumbledore again stopped him.
“Dobby, you said that you wished there was something you could do for her. Would you be willing, if it was safe for you to do so, to bring her here? So we may speak with her?” Dobby nodded. He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
“I cannot believe Sirius could do that, give Stephanie up to the death eaters like that. It appeared that he truly loved those children.” McGonagall contemplated out loud.
“But he did turn the Potters over to the Dark Lord,” Snape admitted. “It would not be unlike him to turn over their child to the Death Eaters.”
“I do not believe Sirius was the spy the Death Eaters had within the Order. However, I am sure that we will find out soon.” Dumbledore countered. There was nothing else to say, so they waited for Dobby’s return in silence.
*~*~*~*
She awoke to someone poking her in the shoulder. “Miss, please wake up” a familiar voice whispered in her ear.
She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. Who could possibly want to speak with her this early in the morning? Then, her vision cleared. “Dobby!” she whispered. She leaned over and hugged him. “What are you doing here? Is everything all right?”
“Yes, miss. Dobby is fine, miss. Dobby is sorry, miss. Dobby told the headmaster about miss.” Dobby looked pained, and she knew that he was fighting the urge to punish himself. He knew that if he made any noise and woke up Mr. Malfoy that she would be punished.
“Headmaster?” she asked. “Headmaster of what? Why does he want to know about me? How does he even know about me?” she could not believe that someone was asking about her.
“Headmaster of Hogwarts, miss. Dobby is sorry, but Headmaster Dumbledore said that it was important. He wants me to bring you to him, miss. Please let Dobby bring you to the Headmaster.” Dobby looked anxious at being at the home of his former master. She nodded and took his hand. Dobby snapped his fingers, and they were instantly in the headmaster’s office.
She took a moment to take in her surroundings. This office was larger than she would have imagined. There were many portraits on the walls and a cool looking bird in the corner. Near the desk sat a very old looking man with a long beard. She took this man to be the headmaster. Across from him sat an older looking woman staring at her with tears in her eyes and a younger man that was quite pale, dressed all in black. She didn’t know what to say and was happy that the older man spoke first.
“Thank you, Dobby. We will call you if we need your services again.” He dismissed the house-elf. She let go of Dobby’s hand and he disappeared. “My dear, please have a seat.” He conjured a comfortable looking chair next to the others.
She nodded and sat down. “Thank you” she whispered, not daring to raise her voice.
She sat down and looked at the older man. He wasn’t the next one to speak, however. The woman did. “Oh my goodness. Albus, she looks just like Lily, it’s incredible.”
She wondered who Lily was, though she continued to say nothing. The headmaster broke the silence, “It is an amazing thing, Minerva, these turn of events” He then turned to her, “My dear, I would like to introduce all of us. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore. I am the headmaster here at Hogwarts. This” he said, gesturing towards McGonagall, “is Professor McGonagall, she is my deputy headmistress and is a close, personal friend. Finally, this is Professor Severus Snape.”
She gasped at the name; she had hear that name before. She looked up in fear. Oh no, she thought. It’s a trap! She looked around, though she knew that she had nowhere to run. She clutched the arms of the chair and then cried out in pain because of her broken arm. This is it. I’m going to die today. I’m not ready for this, she thought.
Professor Dumbledore looked concerned, and McGonagall spoke, “What is it, my dear? We are not going to hurt you.”
She didn’t know what to say. She knew her eyes were wide in concern and wariness for her surroundings. Her arm still throbbed, but she didn’t want to let it show. She looked at the ground.
“She has heard of me” Snape noted. “She is afraid of me. She thinks that she is going to be punished for meeting with us.” He is very good at observation, she thought. She nodded at his comment, not knowing what else to say.
This was a new experience for her. She had never had anyone show concern for her before, let alone look at her as if they cared about her.
“They have spoken of you many times. Mr. Malfoy has high regard for your abilities and willingness to remain at Hogwarts, awaiting the Dark Lord’s return. You are Draco’s favorite professor, and he knows he can turn to you for assistance in his desire to acquire superb Dark Magic abilities, and he will.” She whispered, not looking away from the floor. “You are a Death Eater.”
“Was a Death Eater.” Dumbledore commented gently. “He is no more a Death Eater than you are. He is working for us, and we are working to make sure Voldemort never returns to power. We want you to know that if you wish to never return to the Malfoy’s home, we will make sure that you remain safe. We will take care of you, we promise.” She risked the punishment she knew would come. She looked at him, with tears in her eyes.
“Why me?” she asked them. “What have I done to deserve this?”
“Absolutely nothing, my dear! You have done nothing wrong.” It was McGonagall who spoke to her. McGonagall got up and sat next to her. The professor put her arms around the girl and pulled her into a hug. She cried out in pain again as McGonagall touched her arm. “What is wrong with your arm?”
“Nothing” she said. She didn’t want to show these strangers any form of weakness. She did not yet trust that they were not going to hurt her.
McGonagall did not believe her, however, and the professor grabbed her arm and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt. McGonagall gasped when she saw the black and blue colored arm. “What happened?!?” she asked, pulling out her wand. She moved her wand up and down the girl’s arm and the color slowly began to return to normal.
“Thank you,” she said. “It wasn’t anything I didn’t deserve. I disobeyed Mr. Malfoy’s orders to remain inside the manor.”
McGonagall looked shocked and Dumbledore looked at her sympathetically. “Do you know who Lily and James Potter are?” he asked her. She shook her head. “Your name is Stephanie Potter. James and Lily are your parents. Voldemort killed them because he had information to believe that Harry, their son, would be the one that could defeat him. The reason you are with the Malfoy’s is because you were born to parents that were fighting against a very dark wizard.” He then spoke very slowly and empathetically. “You. Did. Nothing. Wrong. And you do not deserve anything they have done to you.”
She took a minute to take the information in. Though she doubted that she had not deserved the treatment she received, other parts of what Professor Dumbledore had said stood out in her mind. She had a name! Someone had loved her enough to give her a name. She hadn’t been called “girl” her entire life. But, if Lily and James Potter were her parents…”that would mean…Harry’s my brother?!?” she exclaimed. It couldn’t be true, there is no way that this could be true.
“Yes. Even more, Harry is your twin brother.” Dumbledore told her. “Earlier this evening, Harry came to me because he was concerned about you. He told me about the encounter you two had a couple of days ago in Diagon Alley and about a dream he had the night afterwards.”
“Dream? What dream?” she asked.
“In good time, my dear” Dumbledore said with a hint of a smile. “First, I would like to ask you something about the moment your eyes met with Harry’s when he was helping you pick up Draco’s books. Do you remember what you were thinking at that moment?” She thought she had an idea to where Dumbledore was going with this. She just couldn’t believe that it had worked.
“I do. I only remember because it was the only thing I could think of, and I knew that he was different. He was different from anyone else I had ever met. Though only with my mind, I was pleading with him to help me. I figured that if anyone could help me, he could.” She paused as Dumbledore again smiled. The other two professors just looked at her with puzzled expressions. “I have learned not to get my hopes up about a better situation, but being in Harry’s presence…I don’t know what came over me. I would have spoken the words if I thought I could get away with it.”
“He heard those words you spoke, in his head of course. As I’m sure you noticed the puzzled look on his face afterwards. This led him to continue thinking about you and he feared for your safety. The next night, he was awoken by a dream. He dreamed that he was a female, you, I presume. He dreamed that Draco Malfoy was performing the Cruciatus Curse on him.” Dumbledore spoke the words, but she could not believe it. She just stared at Dumbledore. “In this dream, Draco had told him that no one would ever care about him enough to help him. I assume that this happened to you that night?”
She just nodded. “But…how?” She asked. This was really creepy. How could Harry have dreamed what she had experienced?
“That is the question.” Dumbledore was clearly amused. “They say that twins can often feel what is going on with the other. I just assume this is a similar connection. Why this has never happened before, we may never know. This may have happened before, on both ends, but it may not have been identified as such. This is a very important connection that you two share.”
“Does he know? Harry.” She asked.
“No. He does not yet realize that this dream is actually what was happening to you, though he has identified that the person in the dream was you. He also does not know that you are his sister. Harry has not been told that he has a sister.” Professor Dumbledore explained.
“Please, don’t tell him.” She begged Dumbledore. “I don’t want him to be concerned for my safety; he has too much to worry about than having to be concerned for me as well.”
“You are safe, we can protect you. You don’t have to return to that home, Stephanie.” Professor McGonagall was almost begging her to stay behind.
She knew what she was going to say before she thought about it. It was something she just had to do. “You, Professor,” Stephanie nodded at Dumbledore, “stated that you are working to make sure Lord Voldemort does not return to power. I want to help. My entire life I have felt so worthless and deserving of what I received. But, I did feel that my life would have a purpose. I am willing to die for that. Please let me help.”
“Absolutely not!” McGonagall fumed. “You are a child!”
Stephanie looked at the ground. Why would she want to return to that horrible environment? she asked herself. There has to be a reason. Maybe she could do good, maybe she could help in some way. What she wanted most was to be able to help Harry, and this had to be the way that could happen. He did offer her the help that she so desperately begged him for.
“Are you sure? We don’t want to put you in any danger and you would be safe if you did not return. They would not find you. They could not harm you.” Dumbledore offered.
“I want to help.” She whispered, not daring to look up.
“There is so much that she needs to learn if this is to happen.” Snape said, speaking to the headmaster. “She needs to learn Occlumency so she, and us as well, is not discovered. She needs to learn how to protect herself. She doesn’t have a wand. Is that possible, given her current situation? We do not want to endanger our mission by employing a thirteen year old.”
“Such things can be arranged,” said the headmaster. “If she is up to it, I would like her to remain with the Malfoys. There is so much that can be gained by her courage. Many lives may be saved. Are you certain you wish to return?” He looked at her and his bright blue eyes pierced her with such concern.
“Please. Finally, I will have a reason to keep going. Please let me do this!” she begged them.
“Of course, my dear. There are things we must do to arrange for your safety and your education. We will send Dobby to return you here soon.” The professors stood and Dumbledore called for Dobby.
Stephanie stood quickly, following the adults in the room. She must have gotten up too quickly, though, because her legs gave out and she collapsed on the floor. Dobby and Professor McGonagall ran to her side.
“Miss, are you okay?” Dobby squeaked.
“I’m fine, I must have stood up too quickly” she lied. Dobby looked at her and she realized Dobby could see right through her.
“Miss, how long has it been since you have eaten?” He knew the signs of each torment the Malfoys had placed on her. His big eyes showed concern and he knew the answer before she could speak it. He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
She ignored the question as she tried to sit up, but the room was spinning and she decided to lie back down.
“Tell me, how long has it been since you have eaten?” asked a concerned McGonagall.
“It hasn’t been that long, really. I have gone longer periods of time without eating before. I’ll be fine.” Dobby reappeared with a plate piled high with food. “No, Dobby. I can’t. You know what’ll happen if Mr. Malfoy finds out.”
“Please miss, you are weak.” Dobby begged her.
“What happens if you eat something?” asked McGonagall.
“I am being punished because I disobeyed Mr. Malfoy’s orders. He ordered me not to leave the manor under any circumstances, but Draco made me accompany him to Diagon Alley. My punishment is to remind me not to disobey Mr. Malfoy. The 48 hours has passed since he told me I could not eat, but I have learned not to eat until he has given his approval. He always surprises me with the punishment for my disobedience. I cannot guess what he would do this time for eating something.” She explained.
“You cannot eat anything at all? Not even a cracker?” She succumbed to the small cracker McGonagall handed her. Professor Snape looked at her disapprovingly and Dumbledore looked concerned. McGonagall, on the other hand, looked a little happier that she was eating something. Stephanie decided it was more important to eat than the punishment she would receive. This would show them that she was serious and unafraid about returning to the Malfoy home.
“Thank you.” She said.
“You should return. You have been gone long enough, and we do not wish to have your absence discovered. But before you go,” Dumbledore paused. “Draco was incorrect in his statement to you. You have people who care about you and wish to help you. Always remember that.”
She nodded and showed a quick smile.
“Dobby, if you would. Stephanie, we will be in touch through Dobby.” Dumbledore nodded at her, and McGonagall gave her one quick hug. She took Dobby’s hand and was returned to her cellar.
*~*~*~*
Albus, Severus, and Minerva remained in the headmaster’s office to discuss what had just happened.
“How could you let her return? She is in mortal danger, Professor! What if they find out she has met with us?” McGonagall fumed. She could not believe Albus would be so irresponsible as to send a child back into danger like that.
“When the Dark Lord returns, she will be a most valuable asset to have, Professor McGonagall.” Snape said coolly. “They will discuss such things they do not disclose even to me, because they will not look past their own misgivings. They will not realize that she has anyone to go to with her knowledge.”
“What if they find out? They could torture her. They could kill her! Hasn’t she been through enough?” McGonagall knew she was fighting a losing battle.
“We may never know all that she has gone through or will go through. She has had a tough life, and it will most likely get worse as darker times come nearer. The fact remains that she is James and Lily’s child. She is Harry’s sister. She is stubborn but brave. She has yet to realize how brave she is, and she will do well in her position. It is the best chance we have to get information from inside the Death Eater circle, besides Severus here. They will not disclose certain information to Severus because of his affiliation with me. She may get the information we lack. This will be a good thing, Minerva.” Dumbledore explained patiently.
“When the Dark Lord returns, I will look out for her. She will be as safe as can be, I assure you.” Snape tried to soothe McGonagall’s concerns. His reaction to seeing the young Potter surprised him. He had feelings of compassion for her that he did not have for her brother. It was like looking at Lily again.
“There are many things we must do to ensure her safety. First, I assume, Severus, that you would be willing to provide her with Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons?” Snape nodded. “Good. I will be in touch with Kingsley Shacklebolt and inform him that I need several pendants. Each of us, and Stephanie, will receive a pendant. When she receives this pendant, I will explain its full uses.” He paused and thought for a moment. “Now, should we tell Mr. Potter about this?”
“Absolutely not.” Snape said. “Stephanie made an excellent point. He has too much going on, and he need not worry about this situation.”
“No. If she is to do this, there should be as few people as possible that know about her position and existence. It would put her at increased risk to tell Potter.” McGonagall continued.
“Potter’s temper goes against him. If he were to find out about this, who knows how he would react. He might even take his anger out on Draco Malfoy, risking Stephanie’s life. We must not inform Potter” Snape added.
“Very well. I think we have exhausted all possibilities tonight. I hope you have a good evening, and I will arrange our next meeting about this issue very soon. I will see you two tomorrow morning.” Dumbledore said his goodbyes as the others left his office.
Professor Dumbledore looked at himself in the mirror. I just hope I don’t get her killed, he thought as a tear ran down his cheek.
Here is is. Chapther Three should be up within the next few days! I hope you are enjoying this fanfic. Please Leave FEEDBACK HERE!
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Days when Draco returned to Hogwarts were always good for her. She usually had the entire day to herself at the Malfoy Manor and the prospect of over three months of only having to deal with Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Though, Mrs. Malfoy tried to spend as little time around her as possible. That was probably a good thing, she mused.
The Malfoys had left at about 10:30 for King’s Cross Station and she went into the master bedroom to clean it and gather the sheets for washing. The room was always a mess, though it was unlikely that Mr. Malfoy was the one who left it that way. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy had had a fight the night before, she had heard them screaming at each other. There was broken glass and torn papers all over the room. It would take her all day to clean this, she thought.
At least no one was home, so she could be lost in her thoughts as she cleaned. She had never been to King’s Cross, but knew that it must be amazing. All those other kids running around, it must be fantastic. She thought about what it would be like to be a Hogwarts student. She wondered what house she would be in if she had been a student there.
She hoped that she wouldn’t be a part of Slytherin, though she would never have the chance to find out. There were so many dark wizards that had come out of that house, and she knew all of the friends of the Malfoys had been in Slytherin. Draco was in Slytherin, along with his circle of friends. She knew that they all enjoyed causing destruction and fear. They used intimidation to get what they wanted. It was despicable, she thought.
Gryffindor, maybe? If she had been in Gryffindor, she would be in the same house as the famous Harry Potter. She did not know much about this boy, all she knew was what Draco and Mr. Malfoy had said. They did not like him because he had been responsible for the downfall of Lord Voldemort. But she knew that she did not deserve to be in the same house as Harry Potter. Even though this was the house she would have wanted to be in, she also knew that there was no way that she was brave enough to have been sorted into Gryffindor. There were times when she even cowered at the sight of Draco. Would a true Gryffindor recoil at the sight of someone? She doubted it.
What about Ravenclaw? That was the house where the studious and the smart students were placed. Though she had not had the opportunity to learn through traditional means, she doubted that she would be placed in this house either. She was far from what others would call intelligent. In fact, there had been times when her actions were downright stupid, resulting in her unnecessarily being punished. There were times when she just felt that she needed to defy one of the Malfoys, though she did not understand why. No, she definitely would not be placed in Ravenclaw.
The last house was Hufflepuff. She thought about this for a moment, then realized this was no good either. Hufflepuffs were known for their loyalty and she was definitely far from loyal. There were only three people in this world that she would need to be loyal to, and she would turn on them faster than one could say “Quidditch” if she was given the opportunity.
This was tough for her. She knew that she did not belong in any of the four houses Hogwarts had to offer. This must be affirmation that she did not belong anywhere except where she currently was. Mr. Malfoy was right, she did not deserve to be treated as others were. She was a horrible person who could not even serve her masters correctly. Most of all, she didn’t deserve to have people who called her a friend, who cared for her.
She continued to imagine what it would be like to be able to attend school as a normal teenager. She would be able to attend class and make friends. She would have a place could call home. There would be warm beds, friendly faces, enough food, and laughter. She would be free. She realized these thoughts was bordering on the possibility of hoping that something better would come along. Her conditioning kicked in and she regained focus on the task at hand: cleaning the master bedroom before Mr. Malfoy returned to the manor.
*~*~*~*
Albus waited for a response from Severus and Minerva while they took in what they had just witnessed. Without an explanation beforehand, he had shown them Harry’s memory of what had happened in Diagon Alley a few days ago along with the dream that Harry had had.
“This is not possible.” Professor McGonagall mused. She looked as if she were in shock.
“She looks just like Lily Potter,” Professor Snape mentioned. “How could that be, I was unaware they had any living relatives.”
“Let me work out what had happened that night. It might become clearer as we uncover the enormity of what we have just witnessed.” Dumbledore said slowly. “Professor,” he said, looking at Snape, “when Lily became pregnant, it was soon apparent to those closest to her that she would have twins. They knew that the children were in danger because of the work she and James were doing for the Order. To reduce the amount of risk placed on these children, it was decided to only announce the birth of one, Harry. They loved both children dearly, but feared for the safety of the girl. She was placed with Peter Pettigrew, as I am sure you are aware was the family’s secret keeper.”
“Why not Sirius, the children’s godfather?” asked McGonagall.
“It is clear that was a good decision on the part of Lily,” countered Snape, “as he is the one who murdered Peter.”
“As it were, Peter was to place her in a safe location because there had been specific threats to the life of Stephanie, the girl. We tried to find her after we had taken Harry to his Aunt and Uncle’s house, but we could not. Sirius killed Peter soon afterwards and we assumed someone had found and murdered the child.” Dumbledore continued. “The question is how she came to be in the possession of Lucius Malfoy.”
“I assure you, I had no idea of her existence. If I had, I would have let you know immediately.” Snape looked at Dumbledore solemnly.
“I trust you Severus. What should we do now that we know?” Dumbledore asked both professors. “How do you imagine we should proceed with this information?”
“We have to get her out of there! She is in danger every moment she remains in that household.” McGonagall argued, concern showing on her face.
“This could be useful for us.” Snape contemplated slowly. “Though, it would be up to her, of course.”
“I agree, Severus.” said Professor Dumbledore calmly. “I imagine it is late enough for us to safely bring her here now, if you two do not have any disagreements.” He then called for Dobby, the house elf, who immediately appeared.
“Yes, sir. How can Dobby help the headmaster, sir?” Dobby asked looking up into the eyes of Professor Dumbledore.
“Dobby, are you aware of a girl by the name of Stephanie Potter?” Dumbledore asked the elf gently. Dobby shook his head no. Dumbledore continued, “Is there a girl at the Malfoy house who is there unwillingly? Who they treat as a servant?”
Dobby again shook his head no, though removing his eye contact with the headmaster. “Dobby can not speak about the Malfoy house and its inhabitants. Dobby must not speak about the girl. She pleaded with Dobby not to tell anyone about her.” Dobby began to hit his head on the desk.
Dumbledore gently touched the house elf’s shoulders. “Please, Dobby. This is very important. Please do not hurt yourself, but we need to know about this girl.”
Dobby nodded and began his story. “They treat her worse than they treat house-elves, sir. They punish her every day, sir, for things that she has not done. Now that Dobby is gone, she is in charge of all household duties, sir. She must do all the laundry, household maintenance, cooking, cleaning, and everything else the Malfoys order of her. She follows their orders, sir. Miss is very brave, sir. Dobby has looked after her since she was a baby, sir. She is Dobby’s best friend. It hurt him so much to leave her, but she wanted him to be free, sir. She only wants Dobby to be happy, sir, so he left her. Dobby wishes there was something he could do for the miss. She is so lonely now that Dobby is gone.”
“Thank you, Dobby. Can you tell me how she came to be with the Malfoys?” Dumbledore prodded while the other two professors sat, listening.
“It is not clear to Dobby. There had been a spy within an organization fighting against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Dobby does not know more, but this person gave the girl to Mr. Malfoy. It was Dobby’s responsibility to raise her and make her know she was their servant. Dobby was glad to raise this child, but it hurt him that she would not be free. Dobby loves the miss, sir.”
“Can you tell me what they call her, Dobby.” Dumbledore nodded at what Dobby had just told him.
“They never named her, sir. If they called her anything, it was only ‘the girl’. They hated the idea of providing her with a name, sir. Dobby calls her miss, even though she doesn’t like that either. When Dobby left, she made him promise he would tell no one of her struggles, of her existence. She would not tell Dobby why and Dobby should not have said this much. Dobby has betrayed miss’ trust! Bad Dobby!” Dobby again began banging his head on the desk, but Professor Dumbledore again stopped him.
“Dobby, you said that you wished there was something you could do for her. Would you be willing, if it was safe for you to do so, to bring her here? So we may speak with her?” Dobby nodded. He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
“I cannot believe Sirius could do that, give Stephanie up to the death eaters like that. It appeared that he truly loved those children.” McGonagall contemplated out loud.
“But he did turn the Potters over to the Dark Lord,” Snape admitted. “It would not be unlike him to turn over their child to the Death Eaters.”
“I do not believe Sirius was the spy the Death Eaters had within the Order. However, I am sure that we will find out soon.” Dumbledore countered. There was nothing else to say, so they waited for Dobby’s return in silence.
*~*~*~*
She awoke to someone poking her in the shoulder. “Miss, please wake up” a familiar voice whispered in her ear.
She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. Who could possibly want to speak with her this early in the morning? Then, her vision cleared. “Dobby!” she whispered. She leaned over and hugged him. “What are you doing here? Is everything all right?”
“Yes, miss. Dobby is fine, miss. Dobby is sorry, miss. Dobby told the headmaster about miss.” Dobby looked pained, and she knew that he was fighting the urge to punish himself. He knew that if he made any noise and woke up Mr. Malfoy that she would be punished.
“Headmaster?” she asked. “Headmaster of what? Why does he want to know about me? How does he even know about me?” she could not believe that someone was asking about her.
“Headmaster of Hogwarts, miss. Dobby is sorry, but Headmaster Dumbledore said that it was important. He wants me to bring you to him, miss. Please let Dobby bring you to the Headmaster.” Dobby looked anxious at being at the home of his former master. She nodded and took his hand. Dobby snapped his fingers, and they were instantly in the headmaster’s office.
She took a moment to take in her surroundings. This office was larger than she would have imagined. There were many portraits on the walls and a cool looking bird in the corner. Near the desk sat a very old looking man with a long beard. She took this man to be the headmaster. Across from him sat an older looking woman staring at her with tears in her eyes and a younger man that was quite pale, dressed all in black. She didn’t know what to say and was happy that the older man spoke first.
“Thank you, Dobby. We will call you if we need your services again.” He dismissed the house-elf. She let go of Dobby’s hand and he disappeared. “My dear, please have a seat.” He conjured a comfortable looking chair next to the others.
She nodded and sat down. “Thank you” she whispered, not daring to raise her voice.
She sat down and looked at the older man. He wasn’t the next one to speak, however. The woman did. “Oh my goodness. Albus, she looks just like Lily, it’s incredible.”
She wondered who Lily was, though she continued to say nothing. The headmaster broke the silence, “It is an amazing thing, Minerva, these turn of events” He then turned to her, “My dear, I would like to introduce all of us. I am Professor Albus Dumbledore. I am the headmaster here at Hogwarts. This” he said, gesturing towards McGonagall, “is Professor McGonagall, she is my deputy headmistress and is a close, personal friend. Finally, this is Professor Severus Snape.”
She gasped at the name; she had hear that name before. She looked up in fear. Oh no, she thought. It’s a trap! She looked around, though she knew that she had nowhere to run. She clutched the arms of the chair and then cried out in pain because of her broken arm. This is it. I’m going to die today. I’m not ready for this, she thought.
Professor Dumbledore looked concerned, and McGonagall spoke, “What is it, my dear? We are not going to hurt you.”
She didn’t know what to say. She knew her eyes were wide in concern and wariness for her surroundings. Her arm still throbbed, but she didn’t want to let it show. She looked at the ground.
“She has heard of me” Snape noted. “She is afraid of me. She thinks that she is going to be punished for meeting with us.” He is very good at observation, she thought. She nodded at his comment, not knowing what else to say.
This was a new experience for her. She had never had anyone show concern for her before, let alone look at her as if they cared about her.
“They have spoken of you many times. Mr. Malfoy has high regard for your abilities and willingness to remain at Hogwarts, awaiting the Dark Lord’s return. You are Draco’s favorite professor, and he knows he can turn to you for assistance in his desire to acquire superb Dark Magic abilities, and he will.” She whispered, not looking away from the floor. “You are a Death Eater.”
“Was a Death Eater.” Dumbledore commented gently. “He is no more a Death Eater than you are. He is working for us, and we are working to make sure Voldemort never returns to power. We want you to know that if you wish to never return to the Malfoy’s home, we will make sure that you remain safe. We will take care of you, we promise.” She risked the punishment she knew would come. She looked at him, with tears in her eyes.
“Why me?” she asked them. “What have I done to deserve this?”
“Absolutely nothing, my dear! You have done nothing wrong.” It was McGonagall who spoke to her. McGonagall got up and sat next to her. The professor put her arms around the girl and pulled her into a hug. She cried out in pain again as McGonagall touched her arm. “What is wrong with your arm?”
“Nothing” she said. She didn’t want to show these strangers any form of weakness. She did not yet trust that they were not going to hurt her.
McGonagall did not believe her, however, and the professor grabbed her arm and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt. McGonagall gasped when she saw the black and blue colored arm. “What happened?!?” she asked, pulling out her wand. She moved her wand up and down the girl’s arm and the color slowly began to return to normal.
“Thank you,” she said. “It wasn’t anything I didn’t deserve. I disobeyed Mr. Malfoy’s orders to remain inside the manor.”
McGonagall looked shocked and Dumbledore looked at her sympathetically. “Do you know who Lily and James Potter are?” he asked her. She shook her head. “Your name is Stephanie Potter. James and Lily are your parents. Voldemort killed them because he had information to believe that Harry, their son, would be the one that could defeat him. The reason you are with the Malfoy’s is because you were born to parents that were fighting against a very dark wizard.” He then spoke very slowly and empathetically. “You. Did. Nothing. Wrong. And you do not deserve anything they have done to you.”
She took a minute to take the information in. Though she doubted that she had not deserved the treatment she received, other parts of what Professor Dumbledore had said stood out in her mind. She had a name! Someone had loved her enough to give her a name. She hadn’t been called “girl” her entire life. But, if Lily and James Potter were her parents…”that would mean…Harry’s my brother?!?” she exclaimed. It couldn’t be true, there is no way that this could be true.
“Yes. Even more, Harry is your twin brother.” Dumbledore told her. “Earlier this evening, Harry came to me because he was concerned about you. He told me about the encounter you two had a couple of days ago in Diagon Alley and about a dream he had the night afterwards.”
“Dream? What dream?” she asked.
“In good time, my dear” Dumbledore said with a hint of a smile. “First, I would like to ask you something about the moment your eyes met with Harry’s when he was helping you pick up Draco’s books. Do you remember what you were thinking at that moment?” She thought she had an idea to where Dumbledore was going with this. She just couldn’t believe that it had worked.
“I do. I only remember because it was the only thing I could think of, and I knew that he was different. He was different from anyone else I had ever met. Though only with my mind, I was pleading with him to help me. I figured that if anyone could help me, he could.” She paused as Dumbledore again smiled. The other two professors just looked at her with puzzled expressions. “I have learned not to get my hopes up about a better situation, but being in Harry’s presence…I don’t know what came over me. I would have spoken the words if I thought I could get away with it.”
“He heard those words you spoke, in his head of course. As I’m sure you noticed the puzzled look on his face afterwards. This led him to continue thinking about you and he feared for your safety. The next night, he was awoken by a dream. He dreamed that he was a female, you, I presume. He dreamed that Draco Malfoy was performing the Cruciatus Curse on him.” Dumbledore spoke the words, but she could not believe it. She just stared at Dumbledore. “In this dream, Draco had told him that no one would ever care about him enough to help him. I assume that this happened to you that night?”
She just nodded. “But…how?” She asked. This was really creepy. How could Harry have dreamed what she had experienced?
“That is the question.” Dumbledore was clearly amused. “They say that twins can often feel what is going on with the other. I just assume this is a similar connection. Why this has never happened before, we may never know. This may have happened before, on both ends, but it may not have been identified as such. This is a very important connection that you two share.”
“Does he know? Harry.” She asked.
“No. He does not yet realize that this dream is actually what was happening to you, though he has identified that the person in the dream was you. He also does not know that you are his sister. Harry has not been told that he has a sister.” Professor Dumbledore explained.
“Please, don’t tell him.” She begged Dumbledore. “I don’t want him to be concerned for my safety; he has too much to worry about than having to be concerned for me as well.”
“You are safe, we can protect you. You don’t have to return to that home, Stephanie.” Professor McGonagall was almost begging her to stay behind.
She knew what she was going to say before she thought about it. It was something she just had to do. “You, Professor,” Stephanie nodded at Dumbledore, “stated that you are working to make sure Lord Voldemort does not return to power. I want to help. My entire life I have felt so worthless and deserving of what I received. But, I did feel that my life would have a purpose. I am willing to die for that. Please let me help.”
“Absolutely not!” McGonagall fumed. “You are a child!”
Stephanie looked at the ground. Why would she want to return to that horrible environment? she asked herself. There has to be a reason. Maybe she could do good, maybe she could help in some way. What she wanted most was to be able to help Harry, and this had to be the way that could happen. He did offer her the help that she so desperately begged him for.
“Are you sure? We don’t want to put you in any danger and you would be safe if you did not return. They would not find you. They could not harm you.” Dumbledore offered.
“I want to help.” She whispered, not daring to look up.
“There is so much that she needs to learn if this is to happen.” Snape said, speaking to the headmaster. “She needs to learn Occlumency so she, and us as well, is not discovered. She needs to learn how to protect herself. She doesn’t have a wand. Is that possible, given her current situation? We do not want to endanger our mission by employing a thirteen year old.”
“Such things can be arranged,” said the headmaster. “If she is up to it, I would like her to remain with the Malfoys. There is so much that can be gained by her courage. Many lives may be saved. Are you certain you wish to return?” He looked at her and his bright blue eyes pierced her with such concern.
“Please. Finally, I will have a reason to keep going. Please let me do this!” she begged them.
“Of course, my dear. There are things we must do to arrange for your safety and your education. We will send Dobby to return you here soon.” The professors stood and Dumbledore called for Dobby.
Stephanie stood quickly, following the adults in the room. She must have gotten up too quickly, though, because her legs gave out and she collapsed on the floor. Dobby and Professor McGonagall ran to her side.
“Miss, are you okay?” Dobby squeaked.
“I’m fine, I must have stood up too quickly” she lied. Dobby looked at her and she realized Dobby could see right through her.
“Miss, how long has it been since you have eaten?” He knew the signs of each torment the Malfoys had placed on her. His big eyes showed concern and he knew the answer before she could speak it. He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
She ignored the question as she tried to sit up, but the room was spinning and she decided to lie back down.
“Tell me, how long has it been since you have eaten?” asked a concerned McGonagall.
“It hasn’t been that long, really. I have gone longer periods of time without eating before. I’ll be fine.” Dobby reappeared with a plate piled high with food. “No, Dobby. I can’t. You know what’ll happen if Mr. Malfoy finds out.”
“Please miss, you are weak.” Dobby begged her.
“What happens if you eat something?” asked McGonagall.
“I am being punished because I disobeyed Mr. Malfoy’s orders. He ordered me not to leave the manor under any circumstances, but Draco made me accompany him to Diagon Alley. My punishment is to remind me not to disobey Mr. Malfoy. The 48 hours has passed since he told me I could not eat, but I have learned not to eat until he has given his approval. He always surprises me with the punishment for my disobedience. I cannot guess what he would do this time for eating something.” She explained.
“You cannot eat anything at all? Not even a cracker?” She succumbed to the small cracker McGonagall handed her. Professor Snape looked at her disapprovingly and Dumbledore looked concerned. McGonagall, on the other hand, looked a little happier that she was eating something. Stephanie decided it was more important to eat than the punishment she would receive. This would show them that she was serious and unafraid about returning to the Malfoy home.
“Thank you.” She said.
“You should return. You have been gone long enough, and we do not wish to have your absence discovered. But before you go,” Dumbledore paused. “Draco was incorrect in his statement to you. You have people who care about you and wish to help you. Always remember that.”
She nodded and showed a quick smile.
“Dobby, if you would. Stephanie, we will be in touch through Dobby.” Dumbledore nodded at her, and McGonagall gave her one quick hug. She took Dobby’s hand and was returned to her cellar.
*~*~*~*
Albus, Severus, and Minerva remained in the headmaster’s office to discuss what had just happened.
“How could you let her return? She is in mortal danger, Professor! What if they find out she has met with us?” McGonagall fumed. She could not believe Albus would be so irresponsible as to send a child back into danger like that.
“When the Dark Lord returns, she will be a most valuable asset to have, Professor McGonagall.” Snape said coolly. “They will discuss such things they do not disclose even to me, because they will not look past their own misgivings. They will not realize that she has anyone to go to with her knowledge.”
“What if they find out? They could torture her. They could kill her! Hasn’t she been through enough?” McGonagall knew she was fighting a losing battle.
“We may never know all that she has gone through or will go through. She has had a tough life, and it will most likely get worse as darker times come nearer. The fact remains that she is James and Lily’s child. She is Harry’s sister. She is stubborn but brave. She has yet to realize how brave she is, and she will do well in her position. It is the best chance we have to get information from inside the Death Eater circle, besides Severus here. They will not disclose certain information to Severus because of his affiliation with me. She may get the information we lack. This will be a good thing, Minerva.” Dumbledore explained patiently.
“When the Dark Lord returns, I will look out for her. She will be as safe as can be, I assure you.” Snape tried to soothe McGonagall’s concerns. His reaction to seeing the young Potter surprised him. He had feelings of compassion for her that he did not have for her brother. It was like looking at Lily again.
“There are many things we must do to ensure her safety. First, I assume, Severus, that you would be willing to provide her with Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons?” Snape nodded. “Good. I will be in touch with Kingsley Shacklebolt and inform him that I need several pendants. Each of us, and Stephanie, will receive a pendant. When she receives this pendant, I will explain its full uses.” He paused and thought for a moment. “Now, should we tell Mr. Potter about this?”
“Absolutely not.” Snape said. “Stephanie made an excellent point. He has too much going on, and he need not worry about this situation.”
“No. If she is to do this, there should be as few people as possible that know about her position and existence. It would put her at increased risk to tell Potter.” McGonagall continued.
“Potter’s temper goes against him. If he were to find out about this, who knows how he would react. He might even take his anger out on Draco Malfoy, risking Stephanie’s life. We must not inform Potter” Snape added.
“Very well. I think we have exhausted all possibilities tonight. I hope you have a good evening, and I will arrange our next meeting about this issue very soon. I will see you two tomorrow morning.” Dumbledore said his goodbyes as the others left his office.
Professor Dumbledore looked at himself in the mirror. I just hope I don’t get her killed, he thought as a tear ran down his cheek.
Here is is. Chapther Three should be up within the next few days! I hope you are enjoying this fanfic. Please Leave FEEDBACK HERE!
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Chapter Three: A Pendant for Safety
She woke to hear Mr. Malfoy slamming open the door to her room. She scrambled to stand up.
“What are you doing, you lazy girl?” He was seething.
“I’m sorry, sir.” She couldn’t believe she had overslept. After returning from Hogwarts in the early hours of that morning, she spent a couple of hours going over all that she had learned. It made her so happy to be able to do something useful. She could do something good and possibly make a difference in something important.
“Get upstairs and make my breakfast. I am going to be late for work because of you.” He left the room. She could hear him mumbling to himself as he walked the stairs. “Ungrateful, she is. I should just throw her out into the street.” She quickly got dressed and ran up to the kitchen.
After she finished cooking Mr. Malfoy’s breakfast, she put it on a plate and carried it out to the dining room. Mr. Malfoy put down the copy of the Daily Prophet he was reading so she could set the plate in front of him. Before she could withdraw her hands, Mr. Malfoy grabbed her left arm. She stood there, unsure of what he was doing. He pulled up her sleeve and began stroking her arm very gently.
“I have an important meeting this morning with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. How do you imagine I give my presentation effectively with a grumbling stomach?” He said in a calm, soothing voice while continuing to stare at her arm.
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s my fault. I promise it won’t happen again.” She told him. He was still stroking her arm.
“You’re right. It will not.” He said, pulling out his wand. He tapped the inside of her forearm and it began to burn intensely. A rather large circle in what appeared to be dark black ink began to appear where he had touched her arm. She gasped in pain and held her breath. It burned so bad; worse than when Draco had snuck up and scared her while she was once carrying a boiling pot of water. She had spilled the water all over her legs and feet, which had burned her severely. Dobby had been kind enough to heal her wounds. She tried not to make a sound.
The sensation was felt all the way through her entire arm. She wanted to rub it, to try and ease the pain, but Mr. Malfoy was still holding her arm. The burning reached its peak, though the pain did not decrease. She looked at the image that had been burned onto her skin. It was something she had seen many times before. The image consisted of a circle with two snakes entwined inside, making a capital M.
“The Malfoy family crest” said Mr. Malfoy coolly. “As I am sure you recognize it. This is similar to the Dark Mark that I, myself, so proudly bear. The Dark Lord uses the Dark Mark to call his followers. When it burns, we must apparate immediately to his location. You have not yet earned the right to learn apparition, but when this mark burns, you are to come immediately. Failure to do so will result in a very severe punishment. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Good. You are dismissed.” She bowed and then went back into the kitchen to begin washing the dishes. When Stephanie collected Mr. Malfoy’s dishes after he was finished with his breakfast, she couldn’t help but think it looked as if he had more that he wanted to say. It made her a little nervous because he didn’t usually hold back when he wanted to berate or criticize her.
As she was drying the dishes, she felt her body slam into the wall next to the sink and she crumpled to the floor with pain from the impact. The plate she was holding smashed into pieces on the floor.
“You have disappointed me yet again, little girl. Though, I should not expect any better from you, since you are incapable of following such a simple order.” She could see that he was getting enjoyment from her reaction.
“Sir?” She whimpered. She had no idea what he could be talking about.
“You have eaten something. You directly disobeyed my orders, yet again.” She realized that he had known since the moment he woke her up and had just needed some time to figure out her next punishment.
“No, I swear!” she cried, though she knew it was no use. He walked up to her and slapped her in the face.
“Do not lie to me.” He said in his cunningly slow voice.
“I had to. I’m sorry, sir.” She looked at him with pleading hope in her eyes. “I fainted and needed something to give me a little strength. It was just a small cracker.”
“You have no willpower. How terribly weak of you!” He was so close to her face that she could feel his breath on her cheek. “However, being the merciful man that I am, I will allow you to eat.”
“Thank you, sir.” She whispered, looking at the ground. “I do not deserve your kindness.”
“You are right, you don’t.” He hissed. “You may eat only after you drink this.”
He handed her a small vial with dark, green liquid. “Drink up.” She drank the potion and Mr. Malfoy smiled. “Have a nice day!” He said and then disapparated to the Ministry.
She still couldn’t believe that Mr. Malfoy had branded her. Stephanie rubbed her arm, as it still burned intensely. While she went to get the broom and dustpan to clean up the broken plate, she thought that this wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. She had imagined he would do more than make her drink some silly potion. The next moment, though, she found out what the potion’s effect was supposed to be. She suddenly had a gut-wrenching pain in her stomach and she ran to the sink. Her stomach was trying to get rid of the potion, but all that came out was a little clear liquid.
She collapsed on the floor in front of the sink while clutching her stomach. Her body continued to try to rid itself of the substance that was no longer there. She still lay there, crying, whimpering, clutching her stomach, and dry heaving, when Mr. Malfoy returned from the Ministry that evening with a look of utter joy in his eyes.
*~*~*~*
That evening at dinner in the Great Hall, Hermione eyed Harry curiously. “What’s wrong with your arm?” She asked.
He looked at her with a puzzled expression. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve been rubbing your arm all day. Haven’t you noticed?” She looked at him.
“No, not really. Hmm…It’s not like it hurts or anything.” Harry stopped rubbing his arm.
Ron looked at Harry’s plate of food. “Are you going to eat the rest of that?” He asked while taking what was left of Harry’s hamburger before waiting for an answer.
“No, go ahead. I haven’t been hungry all day.” The topic then turned to the Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black, who had been sighted in a nearby town.
*~*~*~*
The next couple of weeks went pretty smoothly for Stephanie. She did her best to stay out of Mr. Malfoy’s way and it turned out to be a successful strategy. He seemed preoccupied a lot lately, which didn’t surprise her. There were times when she could hear him laughing with his wife at the dinner table.
“I still can’t believe they think he was a Death Eater.” Mr. Malfoy laughed. “There is no way he would have the guts or the brains to work for the Dark Lord. It’s laughable to associate Sirius Black with the Death Eaters. If there ever was a blood traitor…” He trailed off as he took a bite of his food.
“I just wish he could give Bella some pointers on how to get out of there. We are family, after all. How I do miss her.” Narcissa Malfoy commented with a sigh. She had never met Bellatrix Lestrange, Mrs. Malfoy’s sister, but Stephanie had heard many stories about her. The woman got more pleasure out of torture and pain than both Mr. Malfoy and Draco combined. She shuddered at the idea of Bellatrix ever leaving Azkaban.
“We will get her out, my dear. Just be patient.” They finished their meal in silence.
Later that night, she was once again awoken by Dobby’s prodding. She was excited because she had begun to think that the others had forgotten about her. She dared not look forward to the day that Dobby would return for her. She took his hand, silently, and they appeared in Professor Dumbledore’s office moments later.
“Thank you, Dobby. We will call you when she is to return.” Professor Dumbledore spoke to the house-elf, and Dobby disapparated with a snap of his fingers.
Stephanie looked around the room and found the familiar faces of Professors Snape and McGonagall. There was another person in the room, however. He was a large, black man that she had never seen before. That wasn’t saying much, though, since she didn’t know too many people outside the Malfoy social circle.
“May I introduce Kingsley Shacklebolt.” Professor Dumbledore nodded towards the stranger.
“It is a pleasure to meet you.” Kingsley said in a deep voice.
“Please, have a seat.” Dumbledore gestured towards the empty chair next to Mr. Shacklebolt. “Kingsley, here, is an Auror.” At her questioning look, he added, “a dark wizard catcher.” He paused. “He knew your parents and we felt it was important for your safety to inform him of the work you are doing. I hope you do not mind.”
Stephanie shook her head.
“I apologize for the length of time it has taken to bring you back here.” He continued. “But there has been a lot to organize and we wanted to make sure not to put you in any more danger than you are already in. How have you been?”
She took a moment to answer. It was difficult for her to decide what information should be relayed to them and what should be kept to herself. It would probably be important for them to know about the Malfoy crest branded on her arm, but she did not want to worry them unnecessarily. Some things needed to be kept secret, for her own sake more than for the others’s.
“Pretty much the same. It was difficult not to show my excitement and relief the first few days, but I’m pretty sure that no one noticed.” She paused, still deciding on how much information to withhold. “I did oversleep that first morning. Mr. Malfoy was really upset; it was kind of funny, but definitely not fun. But I survived.”
‘Oh, was it bad? What happened?” McGonagall asked, concerned.
“Jut a little burn. It’s long since healed.” She lied while tugging on the sleeve of her left arm. McGonagall exhaled in relief.
“Now, onto business. We don’t want to keep you too long and we do not want to cause you to oversleep again. Since the majority of our meetings will have to be late at night, for your safety, maybe Severus can arrange something.” Professor Dumbledore mused.
“Of course, headmaster.” Snape nodded.
Professor Dumbledore looked at Kingsley as he spoke, “I asked Kingsley to join us this evening so he could explain the most important aspect of your security. Before you leave tonight, we will cast a permanent disillusionment spell on it so it can only be seen by you.”
“This pendant will be a direct link to the Aurors at the Ministry, including myself, and Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape. It also functions as a tracker of sorts; it can tell us your exact location. The five of us will each have one and the Aurors will keep watch for an emergency signal you are to activate if you need our assistance.
“There are only two ways we will come to your assistance. First, if you squeeze it for three seconds, we will come immediately. If you do this, the other pendants will also be notified and a connection with all will open. The others will be able to hear what is going on. I know that in a life threatening situation three seconds can seem like a long time, but we have to ensure that we do not come prematurely and risk anyone’s lives more than necessary, including our own.
“You will feel the pendant vibrate when one of us is trying to contact you. It will also turn the color of the person who is calling you. You are pink, Minerva is red, Snape green, Dumbledore is orange, and I am blue. If you feel it vibrate and you cannot speak at that moment, tap it with your finger one time. We feel this move should not direct any attention to you at all. If you have not tapped the pendant within thirty seconds of receiving the call, the person will notify Auror headquarters immediately. We will assume that you are in mortal danger. You must tap the pendant to give us a response.
“If you are able to speak with one of us, tap the pendant two times. That will open the connection and you will be able to speak freely. To close the connection, merely tap the pendant another two times.
“If you wish to speak with one of us, tap the pendant two times and say the last name of the person you wish to contact. For example, if you wish to speak with Severus, simply tap the pendant twice and say ‘Snape’. We will try to answer immediately or as soon as possible.
“I know this is confusing, but it is the best security measure we could come up with. Did you catch all that?” Kingsley concluded.
She nodded. “I think so. Tap twice to speak with someone or to close a connection; to accept a call or say the last name of the person I wish to speak to. One time within thirty seconds to ignore a call. For an emergency, squeeze the pendant for three seconds.”
“Good.” Kingsley said.
Kingsley handed the pendant to Dumbledore who performed the disillusionment spell. Stephanie put the pendant around her neck and was surprised to see it disappear when it touched her skin. She touched it to make sure it was still there; it was. This is amazing, she thought.
“I have a question.” Kingsley nodded for her to continue. “Do all the Aurors know who they are monitoring?”
“Good question. No. It is just a sensor we have that will go off on our main screen. At least one Auror is always monitoring for activity on this security device, as many important people have similar devices; the Minister of Magic included.” He answered. “The Aurors on duty will immediately respond and apparate to the location of the sensor.”
“It is also important to say that you are to keep the pendant on at all times. This means even when you are showering or bathing. This is for several reasons, the most obvious being that we do not wish you to miss a call resulting in us send the Aurors. The second reason is that we do not want anyone else to find it. If you remove the pendant, it will become visible to everyone.” Dumbledore explained and Stephanie nodded her understanding. “If someone found this pendant, they could use it to set a trap for ourselves and the Aurors. It is very important that you understand this.”
Stephanie again nodded. “I understand.” She unconsciously tugged at the sleeve of her left arm again and Professor Snape eyed her suspiciously, though she did not notice.
“Next agenda item is your need for a wand. We had a local wand maker, Ollivander, make one especially for you.” Dumbledore continued, and before Stephanie could interrupt, he added, “No, he does not know who he made the wand for, which was very difficult for him to do.”
She smiled.
“The wand is 8 ¾ inches, eagle feather and evergreen. It should be good for your purposes, here. Now, the question is whether you would like to keep the wand with you or have one of us keep it for you. We have discussed this issue and have an idea what should be done, but we would like to know your thoughts.” Dumbledore handed her the wand.
She handled it. This was amazing! Stephanie had never even touched a wand before as it was forbidden for her at the Malfoy home. She had not even been allowed to pick one up if the owner had dropped it. Now she was the owner of a wand. Wow, she thought.
“I think I should keep it with me. That way I can practice when no one is home.” She said quietly, not taking her eyes off the wand.
“We agree.” Said Kingsley. “Not for practice, but in case of some unforeseeable situation where you would need to defend yourself or another. Is there a safe way you could carry it at all times?”
Stephanie could swear that she saw a hint of amusement on Dumbledore’s face, though it quickly vanished. Did he know something she didn’t? Most definitely, she thought.
“I’m pretty sure I can do so.” She said.
“Just on the safe side, I want you to take this.” Professor McGonagall handed her what appeared to be a black strap with a holder for her wand. “This goes on your leg, and it should go unnoticed if you are wearing pants.”
Stephanie nodded, “That should work perfectly.”
“Do not,” Snape began slowly, “try to use your wand before we begin your lessons. I will not tolerate the idiocy of a thirteen year old.”
She was taken aback, but agreed. He is an odd man, she thought. He kind of scared her a little, though she had a feeling that wouldn’t last long.
‘Now, the last thing we need to discuss is that of your education.” Dumbledore spoke with a calm demeanor that soothed Stephanie’s anxiety.
“I would prefer that you be able to attend Hogwarts, though that is not an option. An alternative would be to have myself, the headmaster, and Professor Snape provide you with classes that would be important for your future including transfiguration, potions, and so on. However, that, too, is not possible due to time limitations.” McGonagall spoke to her gently. “I do wish we could prepare you more for your future.” Stephanie could see the pain in the professor’s eyes. “It is not fair that you be denied such an experience and opportunity.”
“That’s all right,” Stephanie looked at McGonagall. “I am just pleased to be able to help in any way I can. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
“I admire that. You are such a brave girl. Courageous beyond your years.”
Stephanie looked at the ground. She was not accustomed to such compliments, especially those that she felt were untrue. She said nothing.
“Professor Snape will be the person providing you with Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. Severus, will you please explain what you plan to work on with Stephanie?” Dumbledore asked.
Snape did a small nod and looked at Stephanie. “First, and most importantly, I plan on teaching you Occlumency. This is a form of advanced magic that is necessary for you to master. In the coming future, there may be people who wish to look into your mind using Legilimency to lean what you know. It is imperative you learn how to defend against such attacks in a manner that does not allow others to know you are doing so. It could risk your life, as well as others, for the wrong people to find out you are able to do this. Therefore, it is important you tell no one outside of this room of your ability. Not even Dobby.
“Occlumency will also allow you to control which information and experiences you send to Mr. Potter. It is essential that you not provide him any clues of this connection, as that would be a risk to all those involved. Including Mr. Potter and yourself.
“Also, we will begin by learning defensive spells, as those will be the most common magic you will be required to use. In the event of an emergency, seconds do count, and you being able to put up a protective shield could save your life. The first time you do so will be a surprise to those present and may provide you with additional seconds you will need to survive.
“As time allows, we will also begin to work on offensive spells, as that will be useful in your future. We do not foresee a situation in which you would use such spells while at the Malfoy Manor, but things do arise. And you must be prepared.
“We will begin your lessons in two days time. We will conduct two or three lessons a week, lasting only one hour each. I will call you on your pendant beforehand to make sure it is safe to send the house-elf.” Snape finished and Dumbledore asked:
“Do you have any questions, Stephanie?”
“Just a quick one. Why only one hour? Wouldn’t I learn quicker if the sessions lasted longer?” Stephanie didn’t want to say that she just wanted more time away from the Manor. She wanted more time to be with a friendly face, even though no one would consider Snape a friendly face. He’s definitely better than the Malfoy’s, she thought.
“We must take into account that such extended absences on your part could be noticed. We will not risk keeping you out of the home for longer periods of time. It is dangerous enough that we are bringing you here so often.” Dumbledore explained. That makes sense, Stephanie thought.
“Now, will Dobby bring me here to this office? Or where will the lessons take place?” She asked.
“The house-elf will bring you to my office in the Dungeons.” Snape offered. Stephanie nodded.
“Okay, we should get you back home. Are you alright; do you think you need something to prevent you from oversleeping in the morning?” Dumbledore asked her, concern showing in his bright blue eyes.
“No. I think I should be okay.” She said.
“Good. Dobby.” Dumbledore summoned the house-elf.
“Before she goes, Professor.” McGonagall spoke. “I would like to speak with Stephanie for a moment.”
The headmaster nodded and McGonagall pulled Stephanie aside.
“It must be so difficult for you, Stephanie. I want you to know that we all both knew and loved for your parents. We also admire and care very much for you as well. Though we have not been able to get to know you, we do want what is best for you.” McGonagall paused. “I can see the sadness in your eyes, and it pains me. It must be so difficult for you at that awful place.”
“It’s not so bad,” Stephanie argued. She didn’t want to let them know how bad it truly was. She was afraid that they would remove her from what she knew she must do.
“I don’t mean the work you do or the punishments you receive. I also don’t mean the treatment you receive from the Malfoys. The emotional aspect must be devastating. The fact that you have no one to talk to, no one to vent to, and no one to show you compassion. I want you to know that if you would like to speak with someone just for the purpose of talking, you should feel free to use the pendants for that purpose as well. Use it to speak to any of us you wish, but I want you to feel able to speak with me. I am so concerned and afraid for you.”
“Thank you, professor.” Stephanie began. Tears had come to her eyes. “That means a lot to me.”
“Any time. Please do not hesitate.” McGonagall said, she too had tears rolling down her cheeks.
Stephanie then walked over to Dobby and without another word, took his hand. Moments later they were back in her bedroom. She lay down on the thin mattress that was her bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, and drifted off to sleep while wondering what learning how to defend herself would feel like.
Note: Here you go! I hope you all enjoyed Chapther Three. I wanted to say that the idea of the pendants came from a fanfic entitled "Harry Potter and the Veil of Mystery", though I did change aspects of it. It was such a great way to communicate, that I couldn't resist. I am still debating on how i want to proceed with the next chapter, but chapter four should be up sometime this weekend. Thank you for reading this, and Please Leave Feedback HERE to let me know what you think. Good and bad comments are all welcomed and appreciated!
She woke to hear Mr. Malfoy slamming open the door to her room. She scrambled to stand up.
“What are you doing, you lazy girl?” He was seething.
“I’m sorry, sir.” She couldn’t believe she had overslept. After returning from Hogwarts in the early hours of that morning, she spent a couple of hours going over all that she had learned. It made her so happy to be able to do something useful. She could do something good and possibly make a difference in something important.
“Get upstairs and make my breakfast. I am going to be late for work because of you.” He left the room. She could hear him mumbling to himself as he walked the stairs. “Ungrateful, she is. I should just throw her out into the street.” She quickly got dressed and ran up to the kitchen.
After she finished cooking Mr. Malfoy’s breakfast, she put it on a plate and carried it out to the dining room. Mr. Malfoy put down the copy of the Daily Prophet he was reading so she could set the plate in front of him. Before she could withdraw her hands, Mr. Malfoy grabbed her left arm. She stood there, unsure of what he was doing. He pulled up her sleeve and began stroking her arm very gently.
“I have an important meeting this morning with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. How do you imagine I give my presentation effectively with a grumbling stomach?” He said in a calm, soothing voice while continuing to stare at her arm.
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s my fault. I promise it won’t happen again.” She told him. He was still stroking her arm.
“You’re right. It will not.” He said, pulling out his wand. He tapped the inside of her forearm and it began to burn intensely. A rather large circle in what appeared to be dark black ink began to appear where he had touched her arm. She gasped in pain and held her breath. It burned so bad; worse than when Draco had snuck up and scared her while she was once carrying a boiling pot of water. She had spilled the water all over her legs and feet, which had burned her severely. Dobby had been kind enough to heal her wounds. She tried not to make a sound.
The sensation was felt all the way through her entire arm. She wanted to rub it, to try and ease the pain, but Mr. Malfoy was still holding her arm. The burning reached its peak, though the pain did not decrease. She looked at the image that had been burned onto her skin. It was something she had seen many times before. The image consisted of a circle with two snakes entwined inside, making a capital M.
“The Malfoy family crest” said Mr. Malfoy coolly. “As I am sure you recognize it. This is similar to the Dark Mark that I, myself, so proudly bear. The Dark Lord uses the Dark Mark to call his followers. When it burns, we must apparate immediately to his location. You have not yet earned the right to learn apparition, but when this mark burns, you are to come immediately. Failure to do so will result in a very severe punishment. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Good. You are dismissed.” She bowed and then went back into the kitchen to begin washing the dishes. When Stephanie collected Mr. Malfoy’s dishes after he was finished with his breakfast, she couldn’t help but think it looked as if he had more that he wanted to say. It made her a little nervous because he didn’t usually hold back when he wanted to berate or criticize her.
As she was drying the dishes, she felt her body slam into the wall next to the sink and she crumpled to the floor with pain from the impact. The plate she was holding smashed into pieces on the floor.
“You have disappointed me yet again, little girl. Though, I should not expect any better from you, since you are incapable of following such a simple order.” She could see that he was getting enjoyment from her reaction.
“Sir?” She whimpered. She had no idea what he could be talking about.
“You have eaten something. You directly disobeyed my orders, yet again.” She realized that he had known since the moment he woke her up and had just needed some time to figure out her next punishment.
“No, I swear!” she cried, though she knew it was no use. He walked up to her and slapped her in the face.
“Do not lie to me.” He said in his cunningly slow voice.
“I had to. I’m sorry, sir.” She looked at him with pleading hope in her eyes. “I fainted and needed something to give me a little strength. It was just a small cracker.”
“You have no willpower. How terribly weak of you!” He was so close to her face that she could feel his breath on her cheek. “However, being the merciful man that I am, I will allow you to eat.”
“Thank you, sir.” She whispered, looking at the ground. “I do not deserve your kindness.”
“You are right, you don’t.” He hissed. “You may eat only after you drink this.”
He handed her a small vial with dark, green liquid. “Drink up.” She drank the potion and Mr. Malfoy smiled. “Have a nice day!” He said and then disapparated to the Ministry.
She still couldn’t believe that Mr. Malfoy had branded her. Stephanie rubbed her arm, as it still burned intensely. While she went to get the broom and dustpan to clean up the broken plate, she thought that this wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. She had imagined he would do more than make her drink some silly potion. The next moment, though, she found out what the potion’s effect was supposed to be. She suddenly had a gut-wrenching pain in her stomach and she ran to the sink. Her stomach was trying to get rid of the potion, but all that came out was a little clear liquid.
She collapsed on the floor in front of the sink while clutching her stomach. Her body continued to try to rid itself of the substance that was no longer there. She still lay there, crying, whimpering, clutching her stomach, and dry heaving, when Mr. Malfoy returned from the Ministry that evening with a look of utter joy in his eyes.
*~*~*~*
That evening at dinner in the Great Hall, Hermione eyed Harry curiously. “What’s wrong with your arm?” She asked.
He looked at her with a puzzled expression. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ve been rubbing your arm all day. Haven’t you noticed?” She looked at him.
“No, not really. Hmm…It’s not like it hurts or anything.” Harry stopped rubbing his arm.
Ron looked at Harry’s plate of food. “Are you going to eat the rest of that?” He asked while taking what was left of Harry’s hamburger before waiting for an answer.
“No, go ahead. I haven’t been hungry all day.” The topic then turned to the Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black, who had been sighted in a nearby town.
*~*~*~*
The next couple of weeks went pretty smoothly for Stephanie. She did her best to stay out of Mr. Malfoy’s way and it turned out to be a successful strategy. He seemed preoccupied a lot lately, which didn’t surprise her. There were times when she could hear him laughing with his wife at the dinner table.
“I still can’t believe they think he was a Death Eater.” Mr. Malfoy laughed. “There is no way he would have the guts or the brains to work for the Dark Lord. It’s laughable to associate Sirius Black with the Death Eaters. If there ever was a blood traitor…” He trailed off as he took a bite of his food.
“I just wish he could give Bella some pointers on how to get out of there. We are family, after all. How I do miss her.” Narcissa Malfoy commented with a sigh. She had never met Bellatrix Lestrange, Mrs. Malfoy’s sister, but Stephanie had heard many stories about her. The woman got more pleasure out of torture and pain than both Mr. Malfoy and Draco combined. She shuddered at the idea of Bellatrix ever leaving Azkaban.
“We will get her out, my dear. Just be patient.” They finished their meal in silence.
Later that night, she was once again awoken by Dobby’s prodding. She was excited because she had begun to think that the others had forgotten about her. She dared not look forward to the day that Dobby would return for her. She took his hand, silently, and they appeared in Professor Dumbledore’s office moments later.
“Thank you, Dobby. We will call you when she is to return.” Professor Dumbledore spoke to the house-elf, and Dobby disapparated with a snap of his fingers.
Stephanie looked around the room and found the familiar faces of Professors Snape and McGonagall. There was another person in the room, however. He was a large, black man that she had never seen before. That wasn’t saying much, though, since she didn’t know too many people outside the Malfoy social circle.
“May I introduce Kingsley Shacklebolt.” Professor Dumbledore nodded towards the stranger.
“It is a pleasure to meet you.” Kingsley said in a deep voice.
“Please, have a seat.” Dumbledore gestured towards the empty chair next to Mr. Shacklebolt. “Kingsley, here, is an Auror.” At her questioning look, he added, “a dark wizard catcher.” He paused. “He knew your parents and we felt it was important for your safety to inform him of the work you are doing. I hope you do not mind.”
Stephanie shook her head.
“I apologize for the length of time it has taken to bring you back here.” He continued. “But there has been a lot to organize and we wanted to make sure not to put you in any more danger than you are already in. How have you been?”
She took a moment to answer. It was difficult for her to decide what information should be relayed to them and what should be kept to herself. It would probably be important for them to know about the Malfoy crest branded on her arm, but she did not want to worry them unnecessarily. Some things needed to be kept secret, for her own sake more than for the others’s.
“Pretty much the same. It was difficult not to show my excitement and relief the first few days, but I’m pretty sure that no one noticed.” She paused, still deciding on how much information to withhold. “I did oversleep that first morning. Mr. Malfoy was really upset; it was kind of funny, but definitely not fun. But I survived.”
‘Oh, was it bad? What happened?” McGonagall asked, concerned.
“Jut a little burn. It’s long since healed.” She lied while tugging on the sleeve of her left arm. McGonagall exhaled in relief.
“Now, onto business. We don’t want to keep you too long and we do not want to cause you to oversleep again. Since the majority of our meetings will have to be late at night, for your safety, maybe Severus can arrange something.” Professor Dumbledore mused.
“Of course, headmaster.” Snape nodded.
Professor Dumbledore looked at Kingsley as he spoke, “I asked Kingsley to join us this evening so he could explain the most important aspect of your security. Before you leave tonight, we will cast a permanent disillusionment spell on it so it can only be seen by you.”
“This pendant will be a direct link to the Aurors at the Ministry, including myself, and Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape. It also functions as a tracker of sorts; it can tell us your exact location. The five of us will each have one and the Aurors will keep watch for an emergency signal you are to activate if you need our assistance.
“There are only two ways we will come to your assistance. First, if you squeeze it for three seconds, we will come immediately. If you do this, the other pendants will also be notified and a connection with all will open. The others will be able to hear what is going on. I know that in a life threatening situation three seconds can seem like a long time, but we have to ensure that we do not come prematurely and risk anyone’s lives more than necessary, including our own.
“You will feel the pendant vibrate when one of us is trying to contact you. It will also turn the color of the person who is calling you. You are pink, Minerva is red, Snape green, Dumbledore is orange, and I am blue. If you feel it vibrate and you cannot speak at that moment, tap it with your finger one time. We feel this move should not direct any attention to you at all. If you have not tapped the pendant within thirty seconds of receiving the call, the person will notify Auror headquarters immediately. We will assume that you are in mortal danger. You must tap the pendant to give us a response.
“If you are able to speak with one of us, tap the pendant two times. That will open the connection and you will be able to speak freely. To close the connection, merely tap the pendant another two times.
“If you wish to speak with one of us, tap the pendant two times and say the last name of the person you wish to contact. For example, if you wish to speak with Severus, simply tap the pendant twice and say ‘Snape’. We will try to answer immediately or as soon as possible.
“I know this is confusing, but it is the best security measure we could come up with. Did you catch all that?” Kingsley concluded.
She nodded. “I think so. Tap twice to speak with someone or to close a connection; to accept a call or say the last name of the person I wish to speak to. One time within thirty seconds to ignore a call. For an emergency, squeeze the pendant for three seconds.”
“Good.” Kingsley said.
Kingsley handed the pendant to Dumbledore who performed the disillusionment spell. Stephanie put the pendant around her neck and was surprised to see it disappear when it touched her skin. She touched it to make sure it was still there; it was. This is amazing, she thought.
“I have a question.” Kingsley nodded for her to continue. “Do all the Aurors know who they are monitoring?”
“Good question. No. It is just a sensor we have that will go off on our main screen. At least one Auror is always monitoring for activity on this security device, as many important people have similar devices; the Minister of Magic included.” He answered. “The Aurors on duty will immediately respond and apparate to the location of the sensor.”
“It is also important to say that you are to keep the pendant on at all times. This means even when you are showering or bathing. This is for several reasons, the most obvious being that we do not wish you to miss a call resulting in us send the Aurors. The second reason is that we do not want anyone else to find it. If you remove the pendant, it will become visible to everyone.” Dumbledore explained and Stephanie nodded her understanding. “If someone found this pendant, they could use it to set a trap for ourselves and the Aurors. It is very important that you understand this.”
Stephanie again nodded. “I understand.” She unconsciously tugged at the sleeve of her left arm again and Professor Snape eyed her suspiciously, though she did not notice.
“Next agenda item is your need for a wand. We had a local wand maker, Ollivander, make one especially for you.” Dumbledore continued, and before Stephanie could interrupt, he added, “No, he does not know who he made the wand for, which was very difficult for him to do.”
She smiled.
“The wand is 8 ¾ inches, eagle feather and evergreen. It should be good for your purposes, here. Now, the question is whether you would like to keep the wand with you or have one of us keep it for you. We have discussed this issue and have an idea what should be done, but we would like to know your thoughts.” Dumbledore handed her the wand.
She handled it. This was amazing! Stephanie had never even touched a wand before as it was forbidden for her at the Malfoy home. She had not even been allowed to pick one up if the owner had dropped it. Now she was the owner of a wand. Wow, she thought.
“I think I should keep it with me. That way I can practice when no one is home.” She said quietly, not taking her eyes off the wand.
“We agree.” Said Kingsley. “Not for practice, but in case of some unforeseeable situation where you would need to defend yourself or another. Is there a safe way you could carry it at all times?”
Stephanie could swear that she saw a hint of amusement on Dumbledore’s face, though it quickly vanished. Did he know something she didn’t? Most definitely, she thought.
“I’m pretty sure I can do so.” She said.
“Just on the safe side, I want you to take this.” Professor McGonagall handed her what appeared to be a black strap with a holder for her wand. “This goes on your leg, and it should go unnoticed if you are wearing pants.”
Stephanie nodded, “That should work perfectly.”
“Do not,” Snape began slowly, “try to use your wand before we begin your lessons. I will not tolerate the idiocy of a thirteen year old.”
She was taken aback, but agreed. He is an odd man, she thought. He kind of scared her a little, though she had a feeling that wouldn’t last long.
‘Now, the last thing we need to discuss is that of your education.” Dumbledore spoke with a calm demeanor that soothed Stephanie’s anxiety.
“I would prefer that you be able to attend Hogwarts, though that is not an option. An alternative would be to have myself, the headmaster, and Professor Snape provide you with classes that would be important for your future including transfiguration, potions, and so on. However, that, too, is not possible due to time limitations.” McGonagall spoke to her gently. “I do wish we could prepare you more for your future.” Stephanie could see the pain in the professor’s eyes. “It is not fair that you be denied such an experience and opportunity.”
“That’s all right,” Stephanie looked at McGonagall. “I am just pleased to be able to help in any way I can. You don’t know how much that means to me.”
“I admire that. You are such a brave girl. Courageous beyond your years.”
Stephanie looked at the ground. She was not accustomed to such compliments, especially those that she felt were untrue. She said nothing.
“Professor Snape will be the person providing you with Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. Severus, will you please explain what you plan to work on with Stephanie?” Dumbledore asked.
Snape did a small nod and looked at Stephanie. “First, and most importantly, I plan on teaching you Occlumency. This is a form of advanced magic that is necessary for you to master. In the coming future, there may be people who wish to look into your mind using Legilimency to lean what you know. It is imperative you learn how to defend against such attacks in a manner that does not allow others to know you are doing so. It could risk your life, as well as others, for the wrong people to find out you are able to do this. Therefore, it is important you tell no one outside of this room of your ability. Not even Dobby.
“Occlumency will also allow you to control which information and experiences you send to Mr. Potter. It is essential that you not provide him any clues of this connection, as that would be a risk to all those involved. Including Mr. Potter and yourself.
“Also, we will begin by learning defensive spells, as those will be the most common magic you will be required to use. In the event of an emergency, seconds do count, and you being able to put up a protective shield could save your life. The first time you do so will be a surprise to those present and may provide you with additional seconds you will need to survive.
“As time allows, we will also begin to work on offensive spells, as that will be useful in your future. We do not foresee a situation in which you would use such spells while at the Malfoy Manor, but things do arise. And you must be prepared.
“We will begin your lessons in two days time. We will conduct two or three lessons a week, lasting only one hour each. I will call you on your pendant beforehand to make sure it is safe to send the house-elf.” Snape finished and Dumbledore asked:
“Do you have any questions, Stephanie?”
“Just a quick one. Why only one hour? Wouldn’t I learn quicker if the sessions lasted longer?” Stephanie didn’t want to say that she just wanted more time away from the Manor. She wanted more time to be with a friendly face, even though no one would consider Snape a friendly face. He’s definitely better than the Malfoy’s, she thought.
“We must take into account that such extended absences on your part could be noticed. We will not risk keeping you out of the home for longer periods of time. It is dangerous enough that we are bringing you here so often.” Dumbledore explained. That makes sense, Stephanie thought.
“Now, will Dobby bring me here to this office? Or where will the lessons take place?” She asked.
“The house-elf will bring you to my office in the Dungeons.” Snape offered. Stephanie nodded.
“Okay, we should get you back home. Are you alright; do you think you need something to prevent you from oversleeping in the morning?” Dumbledore asked her, concern showing in his bright blue eyes.
“No. I think I should be okay.” She said.
“Good. Dobby.” Dumbledore summoned the house-elf.
“Before she goes, Professor.” McGonagall spoke. “I would like to speak with Stephanie for a moment.”
The headmaster nodded and McGonagall pulled Stephanie aside.
“It must be so difficult for you, Stephanie. I want you to know that we all both knew and loved for your parents. We also admire and care very much for you as well. Though we have not been able to get to know you, we do want what is best for you.” McGonagall paused. “I can see the sadness in your eyes, and it pains me. It must be so difficult for you at that awful place.”
“It’s not so bad,” Stephanie argued. She didn’t want to let them know how bad it truly was. She was afraid that they would remove her from what she knew she must do.
“I don’t mean the work you do or the punishments you receive. I also don’t mean the treatment you receive from the Malfoys. The emotional aspect must be devastating. The fact that you have no one to talk to, no one to vent to, and no one to show you compassion. I want you to know that if you would like to speak with someone just for the purpose of talking, you should feel free to use the pendants for that purpose as well. Use it to speak to any of us you wish, but I want you to feel able to speak with me. I am so concerned and afraid for you.”
“Thank you, professor.” Stephanie began. Tears had come to her eyes. “That means a lot to me.”
“Any time. Please do not hesitate.” McGonagall said, she too had tears rolling down her cheeks.
Stephanie then walked over to Dobby and without another word, took his hand. Moments later they were back in her bedroom. She lay down on the thin mattress that was her bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, and drifted off to sleep while wondering what learning how to defend herself would feel like.
Note: Here you go! I hope you all enjoyed Chapther Three. I wanted to say that the idea of the pendants came from a fanfic entitled "Harry Potter and the Veil of Mystery", though I did change aspects of it. It was such a great way to communicate, that I couldn't resist. I am still debating on how i want to proceed with the next chapter, but chapter four should be up sometime this weekend. Thank you for reading this, and Please Leave Feedback HERE to let me know what you think. Good and bad comments are all welcomed and appreciated!
Chapter 4: Defense Against the Dark Arts
Two days later, Stephanie felt her pendant vibrate for the first time. She looked down and saw that it had changed color to green: Professor Snape. She smiled; finally she would begin her lessons. She tapped the pendant twice to open the connection.
“Yes, sir.” She whispered.
“Are you available?” She heard Professor Snape’s voice as clearly as if he were in the same room as her.
“Yes” she answered. Dobby appeared soon after she had closed the connection. She took his hand and they appeared in Snape’s classroom. This must be where the students learn Potions, she thought looking around. It was pretty bare and quite dreary. It is a dungeon, she mused and then smiled at the thought.
“Let’s begin.” Snape drawled. “Have a seat.”
She sat in one of the chairs as the professor sat opposite her. He then began to explain how the sessions would work. “When we practice Occlumency, I want you to clear your mind. I will attempt to penetrate your memories, and you are to eject me from them. You will see the memories I am viewing, though you must concentrate at all times. We will begin by having you resist my attempts completely. Once this has been mastered, you will learn how to manipulate what others can see. Are you ready?”
She nodded.
Snape pointed his wand at her and said, “Legilimens.”
She immediately felt someone inside her mind and several memories flashed through her head fairly quickly. She saw Mr. Malfoy teaching Draco how to use the Cruciatus curse. He tried, “Crucio.”
Stephanie felt a jolt from the curse, though it wasn’t very strong. Almost like receiving a static shock.
“Abysmal, Draco,” slithered Lucius Malfoy. “You have to truly mean it. You must want to watch her suffer.” He then pointed his wand at her and said the word. “Crucio.”
She curled up into a ball, twitching from the effects of the curse. She screamed in pain and then gasped for breath when the spell had been lifted.
“You try.” Mr. Malfoy encouraged his son.
Draco nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “Crucio.” This time it was more intense than his previous attempt. It wasn’t as horrible as Mr. Malfoy’s curse, but it was still excruciatingly painful. The curse lifted.
“Better.” Mr. Malfoy said. “Keep practicing.” He then left the room. She saw Draco point his wand at her again as the memory faded.
The next memory she saw was her encounter with Harry at Diagon Alley. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push Snape out of her mind. Get. Out. she thought. The memory ended abruptly and she opened her eyes. There was blood dripping from her nose because of the pressure she had exerted to expel Snape from her mind.
“Impressive,” Snape said while handing her a tissue. “Your brother would never be able to rid me from his mind on the first try. He does not have the discipline to do so. Though, I did make it easy for you.”
“So, you see everything that I am seeing?” she asked. She was concerned that he would relay what he was seeing to the others. She wanted to keep her experiences private because one of her fears was that she would be judged as weak and useless by her newfound mentors.
“Yes.” Snape said matter-of-factly.
“Are you going to tell Dumbledore and McGonagall about what you see?” She felt that she needed to know the answer to this question.
“No. I will only tell them what is important for the Order to know. Otherwise, it will be at your discretion what to relay to the others.” Snape told her.
“Order?” She asked.
“That is not for you to know quite yet.” Snape responded. “Let’s continue.”
The remainder of the session didn’t go too much better; she was able to fend off Snape only one more time. When they were done with Occlumency, Snape showed her the protection shield. She hadn’t been able to conjure one, but Professor Snape felt that was to be expected seeing as she had never done magic before. Students usually started with much simpler spells. He told her to practice and she was to be able to conjure a shield that could protect her from minimal-damage spells by the next lesson.
After the lesson, an exhausted Stephanie returned to the Malfoy manor. She fell asleep immediately and was awakened the next morning when her pendant began vibrating. She looked at it: red. She tapped the pendant two times and whispered, “Thank you, professor.” Then she tapped it another two times to close the connection. The agreement was that Professor McGonagall would send her a wakeup call the mornings after her lessons with Snape to ensure that she would not oversleep. She then drank the potion that Professor Snape had given her that would allow her to stay awake all day. Stephanie got dressed and went upstairs.
*~*~*~*
December soon brought Christmas vacation. This meant that Draco was home for the holidays. The only thing that made the situation brighter was the fact that he would soon be gone for another few months. Draco’s time at home was always worse for Stephanie because Mr. Malfoy wanted Draco to use this time to practice his Dark Magic. Draco couldn’t practice at Hogwarts because he didn’t want to risk getting expelled, so he practiced at home on his servant.
His father also wanted Draco to perfect his nonverbal spell casting, even though that was way beyond his ordinary wizarding level. This was so important to Mr. Malfoy that he had asked Professor Snape to assist Draco while at school, which Professor Snape had been doing all year. Silent spells, Mr. Malfoy had said, were a way to keep the opponent guessing, and are key to launching a successful surprise attack.
The first night Draco was home, she lay in bed waiting for her pendant to vibrate, signaling the time for her to go to Hogwarts for her Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Before it came, however, her arm began to burn. Oh, no, she thought. She went to find Draco.
“Yes, sir?” She asked.
“Pansy and I have a date tomorrow evening. I need you to shine all of my shoes and iron all of my suits,” he grinned.
Her pendant began to vibrate and she tapped it once to signal to Professor Snape that she was busy at the moment. This was the first time she had to miss a lesson. AHHHH, she silently screamed. Though it was exhausting, she had really come to enjoy these times away from the manor and her role as servant. She loved being able to forget it all for an hour twice a week.
“All of them?” she dared ask.
“Are you deaf?” Draco sneered. He couldn’t believe she had the nerve to question him! Something must be done to abate her insolence, he thought. “Yes. All. Of. Them. I have yet to decide what I want to wear, and I want to be prepared.”
“But that could take all night!” She was so frustrated. She knew she was skating on thin ice, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Yes, it could.” Draco responded nonchalantly, though she could sense that he was losing his patience. “Your point?”
“Can it wait until the morning? I could do it before I begin my morning chores.” It was already two in the morning. If she were to start this now, she wouldn’t get any sleep tonight and she didn’t have any of the potion Snape usually gave her after their lessons. This won’t be good, she thought.
“Absolutely not. You are to do this now because you will be preparing for our date all day in addition to your normal responsibilities.” He said and then handed her a piece of parchment. “This is the list of what needs to be done.”
She looked at the piece of paper. He was just doing this to torment her, she was sure of it. The list was very long and included cooking the meal, picking flowers, cleaning the dining room, setting the table, and preparing the lighting. The list went on and on.
“Now, you should get started if you are to finish that list before Pansy arrives. And make sure you do not remove any of my clothing from this room. You wake me up, and you will pay. A man needs his beauty rest in order to impress a beautiful woman.” He got into bed and turned out the light. Great, she thought, I have to do all of this in the dark. She walked slowly to his closet and began the endless task ahead of her.
*~*~*~*
That day had dragged on and she was so tired. It had taken her four hours to finish polishing Draco’s shoes and ironing his suits. For a guy, he sure has a lot of clothes, she had thought many times that morning. There had been a few times she thought she had waken him up, and she knew she was lucky that she hadn’t. The room had been so dark and she had tripped several times but she had been able to catch herself before she made too loud of a commotion.
For the past several hours she had been working on the list Draco had created for her. Pansy would arrive at about five that afternoon and she and Draco would go flying for a bit on their brooms before dinner. Stephanie hastened her pace as the meal was not even close to being finished and she still had to decorate the living room. Draco had wanted a ham glazed in pineapples for the main course, with baby red potatoes in butter sauce as the vegetable. She had had to make fresh rolls and a salad, as well. What took the most time was a complicated chocolate dessert that Draco had wanted her to make. That took most of the afternoon.
As four o’clock rolled around, she began to decorate the dining room. Draco had wanted a table for two set up in front of the fireplace with a light green tablecloth the color of his House at Hogwarts: Slytherin. The best china was to be used as place settings and two tall candles were to be placed in the middle of the table. To finish the ensemble, there was to be a bouquet of flowers as the table’s centerpiece.
The lights were to be dimmed to almost darkness with dangling white Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. A fire was to be going in the fireplace with marshmallows nearby for roasting later that night.
At five o’clock on the dot, Pansy’s arrival was announced by the ringing of the doorbell. Stephanie answered the door and showed her to the living room, where she was to await Draco’s arrival.
Stephanie curtsied to Pansy as she left the room, “I will let Draco know of your arrival, ma’am.”
Pansy nodded.
She went upstairs to let Draco know Pansy was there. “Very good.” He said, looking at himself in the mirror. “Now, fetch my broom and a spare for Ms. Parkinson.” She obliged and brought them their brooms.
The two spent a good hour outside flying on their brooms. When they returned, Stephanie took their coats and hung them up in the closet near the door. They sat at the dinner table next to the warm fire and Stephanie brought them their first course.
Draco really likes this girl, Stephanie thought. It was such an awkward idea, that he could show such compassion and care for someone.
They ate their meal slowly as she waited in the corner of the room. Draco had ordered her to do so in case either one of them needed a refill or the next course. After dinner, she cleared their dishes and gathered the blanket that Draco had ordered her to clean for that evening. She brought them their jackets and followed them outside.
“Where are we going, Draco?” Pansy asked, smiling.
“You’ll see.” He replied. They walked along a path through the woods behind the manor and finally approached a clearing. Stephanie set down the blanket and backed away from the pair.
As the two cuddled together looking up at the bright stars in the huge sky, Stephanie became lost in her thoughts. Why did Draco want her to accompany them on this part of their date? Surely, he would want to be alone with Pansy. It wasn’t even like he needed her for anything because he could have easily carried the blanket on his own. He’s rubbing it in, it occurred to her. He wanted to show her what would never happen for her. No one would ever love her; no one would ever hold her as he was holding Pansy. This is a new low, she thought as a tear escaped her eye and froze to her cheek.
After about forty-five minutes, Draco snapped his fingers at her to collect the blanket. They began walking back to the manor and once inside, she again took their coats to the closet near the front door. They sat in front of the warm fire while she went to prepare cups of hot cocoa. They drank their cocoa and roasted marshmallows while Stephanie stood in the corner and watched.
As horrible as Draco had been to her, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him. In fact, she felt sorry for him; she pitied him. After what she had just witnessed, Stephanie knew that he had the capacity for acts of kindness. She just wondered if she would ever see him spare any towards her.
He had had no chance at life. He had been offered no opportunity for becoming a decent human being. Draco was a victim of his environment, of the conditioning his father had placed on him. Draco was nothing more than a Death Eater in training to his father. She wasn’t even sure that Mr. Malfoy loved his son. Draco had no chance even through all the measures he had taken to try to gain his fathers approval. How very sad.
*~*~*~*
After she had cleaned up after Pansy and Draco’s date, she went down to her bedroom to try and get some sleep. It had been forty-eight hours since she had last slept and it was taking its toll on her body. Her muscles ached, everything she did was at a slow pace, and she was sick to her stomach. She lay down and closed her eyes.
She let out a groan, AHHHH. Her arm began to burn. He’s going to kill me by depriving me of sleep, she thought. Draco seemed to enjoy the fact that he could summon her so easily. She went up to his room and knocked on the door. He told her to come in.
She bowed to him, “How can I help you, sir?”
“The bathroom is disgusting. You need to clean it, now. What if I need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night? I am horrified you even need to be told.” He spat at her.
“Draco, please!” This was the first time she had ever begged him for anything. She walked over to him and collapsed to her knees. “Please, I haven’t slept in two days. Draco, please.”
“Your disrespect sickens me. Your one job, your main purpose in life, is to serve the residents of this household; how dare you put yourself above my needs!” He glared at her. She could tell she had gone too far. “There is no way I am walking into a room that disgusting. You will do as you are told, when you are told. I am exhausted now, so your punishment for your insolence will have to wait until tomorrow. You will have to learn your place. Now go!” He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
Stephanie went into Draco’s bathroom and was appalled by what she saw. There was mud absolutely everywhere. She saw mud on the window, in the sink, smeared all over the shower. She shut the door and slid to the floor as she burst into tears. Why would he do this to her?
*~*~*~*
The sun was already up when she finished cleaning Draco’s bathroom. She went to the kitchen and began to cook the family’s breakfast. As she was waiting for the food to finish, she sat at the table and lay her head down. She awoke to a smoke filled kitchen and Draco putting out a small fire. Not good, she thought.
She got up to assist Draco, but he just glared at her. “Don’t you dare. Go, sit down.” She went back to where she had been sitting. He finished putting out the fire, and then walked over to the table.
He leaned over so his face was almost touching hers. “First, you question my orders. You think of yourself above my needs, your master’s needs. If that weren’t enough, then you try to burn down the house!” He slapped her, and her face flew to the right due to the force of the blow.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-” She was looking at the ground, but Draco cut her off.
“No, you’re not. I don’t know how father let your behavior get so out of line, but rest assured that when I am done with you, you will know your place.” There was no smile on his face, he was so angry. How dare this girl show him anything but the respect he deserved?
Draco pointed his wand at her. “Crucio.” She fell out of her chair onto the floor and writhed in pain but she didn’t scream. She held onto the fact that she knew she could get through this. The curse lasted thirty seconds until he finally released it.
She lay still, panting. “Who is your master?” He asked.
“You are.” She whispered.
“Crucio!” He said again and she again was at the mercy of the torture curse. This time, though, she couldn’t help but scream out in pain. This time, he let the curse go on for much longer, probably a minute. He let her go. “Now, who is your master?” he asked again.
“You are.” She whispered again. The pain from the curse lingered and she lay on the floor with tears streaming down her face. She didn’t even have the strength to lift her head off the ground.
He knelt in front of her and said, “I can’t hear you. Crucio!”
He’s going to drive me to insanity, she thought. I’ve crossed the line, and he’s not going to let me survive this. The curse lasted much longer than she had ever endured it. He was feeding off the pain she was in; he was enjoying the amount of suffering he was causing her.
“Now,” he began and then paused. He put his face next to hers and he yelled at her, “WHO IS YOUR MASTER?”
It took all the strength she could gather. “You are, sir.” She said in her normal tone, though it was hoarse and weak.
“Good, now that we have that covered, get up.” He smiled. But she could not move, so he grabbed her ponytail and yanked her to her feet. The tears continued streaming from her eyes.
“Don’t cry,” he said sweetly. “You know you deserve what you are getting. There are lessons you must learn.” He traced an invisible line on her upper arm and a gash suddenly appeared and began to bleed. “Oh, you must learn, dear girl.”
Draco backed away from her and she fell to the floor. He motioned his wand towards the pots that were drying on the counter. They began to move towards her and one by one they smashed into her, repeatedly. She curled into a ball and tried to tune out the pain, she kept thinking of Harry. She was doing this to protect Harry. Then she remembered her Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape and focused on clearing her mind to make sure she didn’t send anything to her brother. She whimpered.
Then, Draco slammed a chair into her abdomen. She screamed in pain and clutched her stomach. When will this end? She thought. Then she remembered the pendant. Stephanie reached up to grab the pendant, but then thought better of it. He’s almost done, he has to be. I can handle this, she told herself. I can survive this.
She felt Draco grab her ponytail again and he dragged her to the mirror in the living room. She looked at herself; she was bloody, bruised, and tear-streaked, but alive. There were several large bumps on her cheek and forehead, but again she told herself that she was alive.
“This is all you will ever be good for. You are absolutely worthless. Now tell me what you have learned from this.” Draco smiled.
She tried to look at the ground, but he forced her to continue looking at herself in the mirror. “You are my master and I shall never question you again.”
“Or?” he asked.
“Talk back to you.” She added.
“And?” He questioned her. Oh, the enjoyment he was receiving from this.
“I am not deserving of your kindness, your mercy. I am worthless, I am nothing.”
“Very good. You disgust me. I don’t want to see you for the rest of the day. Get down to your room.” He threw her to the ground.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” She said in a quiet voice. She scrambled to stand up, bowed to him, and then left the room. At least she would get to finally sleep a little. When she got to her room, she heard the door lock from the outside.
She decided that she should probably check in with Professor Snape before she fell asleep. Stephanie tapped her pendant two times and said “Snape.”
“Yes,” Professor Snape answered in his slow, monotone voice.
“I can’t do any lessons while Draco is home from Hogwarts,” she said in a very weak voice, hoping Snape would not notice. “He’s been keeping me pretty busy and I don’t have the time to spare.” She wasn’t about to tell the professor about how busy Draco had been keeping her or the punishment she had just received. She also didn’t want Professor Snape to see her like this, but she figured she would be well healed by the time Draco went back to school. She hoped so, at least.
“Very well. We shall resume when classes begin for the next semester.” She tapped the pendant twice to close the connection, and then she fell asleep.
*~*~*~*
It was now mid-April and her lessons with Professor Snape had been going fairly well. She was getting better at kicking Snape out of her mind, but she still was no where close to mastering the skill. She could tell that Snape was getting impatient, but there wasn’t too much she could do. Unlike the spells, she could not practice Occlumency outside of these lessons. It had frustrated her so much because she did want to improve; she knew what it would mean if someone were to look into her mind. She had been lucky so far. She didn’t think Mr. Malfoy was a Legilimens, but she wouldn’t stake her life on it.
Mr. Malfoy had been planning something recently, though she didn’t know what. He had had some friends over quite frequently; she knew these men to be his fellow Death Eaters and Draco’s friends’ parents. This can’t be good, she thought each time they were at the manor. Stephanie had withheld this information from those at Hogwarts, because it could be nothing. She didn’t even know what she would tell them if she had decided to. That they were planning something? Oh yes, that would be really helpful.
For the past few months, she had noticed that she became frustrated a lot more easily than normal. She also continued to feel as if her position were pointless. Lord Voldemort had yet to return and there were no implications it would ever happen. To allow this charade to continue, she thought, they must know something more than they were telling her. Though, she did admit that they would have pulled her from her mission if they knew how seriously she had been tortured by Draco in December. She hadn’t been able to provide the others any information since the espionage had begun.
Occasionally she thought of Professor McGonagall’s offer to talk, but she never could bring herself to say what she longed to say. Living under the Malfoy’s watchful eye, she had been conditioned to believe that showing emotions was a form of weakness, and weakness is unacceptable and would not be tolerated. She feared that McGonagall and Dumbledore would decide she was not courageous enough to do what needed to be done and decide to abandon the effort; leaving her in the Malfoy home and all alone to deal with her situation, and probably to die. No, she must not disclose such information to Professor McGonagall.
She was brought back from her thoughts by the vibrating pendant. She gave the all clear to Professor Snape and Dobby suddenly appeared. Stephanie was transported to the Hogwarts dungeons where she sat opposite Snape. He nodded and they began; they had long since stopped having small talk before starting the lessons. “Legilimens.”
Immediately, he saw a memory she had not wanted Snape to see. Mr. Malfoy was telling her she would never oversleep again. She saw him pull back the sleeve of her left arm and burn the Malfoy family crest onto it. Then, she saw the look of horrible pain on her face while trying to hold back any sound. She forced herself to focus and she kicked Snape out of the memory.
“Very good.” He said. She was furious with him. How dare he see that? He had no right to know how she had been branded. Branded like cattle! That she was nothing more than a piece of property. Would never be worth anything more.
She could see that Snape was looking at her curiously; a look of anger must be showing on her face, she thought. He grabbed her arm and pulled up the sleeve to look at the mark more closely.
She pulled her arm away, pulled the sleeve down forcefully, and got up. She walked over to the tables where his students created their potions and she picked up a glass vial filled with some sort of potion. She threw it against the wall and it shattered. The glass fell to the ground and the potion dripped down the wall.
“Reparo.” Snape muttered and the bottle magically fixed itself. She could see Snape eyeing her, but she didn’t care. She leaned against the wall and slid down it slowly. She sat against the wall hugging her knees and she let out what had been yearning to be released for so long. She cried. She wasn’t even sure how long she had been crying, but at that moment she didn’t care. She didn’t care what Snape thought; she didn’t care how weak she was. This was something she needed to do.
Finally, she spoke in a hoarse whisper. “I feel so dirty.”
She knew what happened next was so very uncharacteristic of Professor Severus Snape and it made her feel better after he had done it. He walked over to her and kneeled next to her. He rolled up the sleeve of his robes and showed her the mark Lord Voldemort had branded him with so many years ago. The Dark Mark.
“I think that will be all for today,” he said. Dobby appeared as he handed her the potion to keep her awake the next day. She nodded her thanks and returned to the manor. She would never again fail at keeping Snape out of her mind.
Please leave feedback HERE! This chapter was really difficult for me to write, but I am really happy with it! I even teared up a little when I was writing this last part about Snape. I am really looking forward to the next couple of chapters. Chapter 5 will be up soon. Please let me know what you think!
Two days later, Stephanie felt her pendant vibrate for the first time. She looked down and saw that it had changed color to green: Professor Snape. She smiled; finally she would begin her lessons. She tapped the pendant twice to open the connection.
“Yes, sir.” She whispered.
“Are you available?” She heard Professor Snape’s voice as clearly as if he were in the same room as her.
“Yes” she answered. Dobby appeared soon after she had closed the connection. She took his hand and they appeared in Snape’s classroom. This must be where the students learn Potions, she thought looking around. It was pretty bare and quite dreary. It is a dungeon, she mused and then smiled at the thought.
“Let’s begin.” Snape drawled. “Have a seat.”
She sat in one of the chairs as the professor sat opposite her. He then began to explain how the sessions would work. “When we practice Occlumency, I want you to clear your mind. I will attempt to penetrate your memories, and you are to eject me from them. You will see the memories I am viewing, though you must concentrate at all times. We will begin by having you resist my attempts completely. Once this has been mastered, you will learn how to manipulate what others can see. Are you ready?”
She nodded.
Snape pointed his wand at her and said, “Legilimens.”
She immediately felt someone inside her mind and several memories flashed through her head fairly quickly. She saw Mr. Malfoy teaching Draco how to use the Cruciatus curse. He tried, “Crucio.”
Stephanie felt a jolt from the curse, though it wasn’t very strong. Almost like receiving a static shock.
“Abysmal, Draco,” slithered Lucius Malfoy. “You have to truly mean it. You must want to watch her suffer.” He then pointed his wand at her and said the word. “Crucio.”
She curled up into a ball, twitching from the effects of the curse. She screamed in pain and then gasped for breath when the spell had been lifted.
“You try.” Mr. Malfoy encouraged his son.
Draco nodded, took a deep breath, and said, “Crucio.” This time it was more intense than his previous attempt. It wasn’t as horrible as Mr. Malfoy’s curse, but it was still excruciatingly painful. The curse lifted.
“Better.” Mr. Malfoy said. “Keep practicing.” He then left the room. She saw Draco point his wand at her again as the memory faded.
The next memory she saw was her encounter with Harry at Diagon Alley. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to push Snape out of her mind. Get. Out. she thought. The memory ended abruptly and she opened her eyes. There was blood dripping from her nose because of the pressure she had exerted to expel Snape from her mind.
“Impressive,” Snape said while handing her a tissue. “Your brother would never be able to rid me from his mind on the first try. He does not have the discipline to do so. Though, I did make it easy for you.”
“So, you see everything that I am seeing?” she asked. She was concerned that he would relay what he was seeing to the others. She wanted to keep her experiences private because one of her fears was that she would be judged as weak and useless by her newfound mentors.
“Yes.” Snape said matter-of-factly.
“Are you going to tell Dumbledore and McGonagall about what you see?” She felt that she needed to know the answer to this question.
“No. I will only tell them what is important for the Order to know. Otherwise, it will be at your discretion what to relay to the others.” Snape told her.
“Order?” She asked.
“That is not for you to know quite yet.” Snape responded. “Let’s continue.”
The remainder of the session didn’t go too much better; she was able to fend off Snape only one more time. When they were done with Occlumency, Snape showed her the protection shield. She hadn’t been able to conjure one, but Professor Snape felt that was to be expected seeing as she had never done magic before. Students usually started with much simpler spells. He told her to practice and she was to be able to conjure a shield that could protect her from minimal-damage spells by the next lesson.
After the lesson, an exhausted Stephanie returned to the Malfoy manor. She fell asleep immediately and was awakened the next morning when her pendant began vibrating. She looked at it: red. She tapped the pendant two times and whispered, “Thank you, professor.” Then she tapped it another two times to close the connection. The agreement was that Professor McGonagall would send her a wakeup call the mornings after her lessons with Snape to ensure that she would not oversleep. She then drank the potion that Professor Snape had given her that would allow her to stay awake all day. Stephanie got dressed and went upstairs.
*~*~*~*
December soon brought Christmas vacation. This meant that Draco was home for the holidays. The only thing that made the situation brighter was the fact that he would soon be gone for another few months. Draco’s time at home was always worse for Stephanie because Mr. Malfoy wanted Draco to use this time to practice his Dark Magic. Draco couldn’t practice at Hogwarts because he didn’t want to risk getting expelled, so he practiced at home on his servant.
His father also wanted Draco to perfect his nonverbal spell casting, even though that was way beyond his ordinary wizarding level. This was so important to Mr. Malfoy that he had asked Professor Snape to assist Draco while at school, which Professor Snape had been doing all year. Silent spells, Mr. Malfoy had said, were a way to keep the opponent guessing, and are key to launching a successful surprise attack.
The first night Draco was home, she lay in bed waiting for her pendant to vibrate, signaling the time for her to go to Hogwarts for her Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Before it came, however, her arm began to burn. Oh, no, she thought. She went to find Draco.
“Yes, sir?” She asked.
“Pansy and I have a date tomorrow evening. I need you to shine all of my shoes and iron all of my suits,” he grinned.
Her pendant began to vibrate and she tapped it once to signal to Professor Snape that she was busy at the moment. This was the first time she had to miss a lesson. AHHHH, she silently screamed. Though it was exhausting, she had really come to enjoy these times away from the manor and her role as servant. She loved being able to forget it all for an hour twice a week.
“All of them?” she dared ask.
“Are you deaf?” Draco sneered. He couldn’t believe she had the nerve to question him! Something must be done to abate her insolence, he thought. “Yes. All. Of. Them. I have yet to decide what I want to wear, and I want to be prepared.”
“But that could take all night!” She was so frustrated. She knew she was skating on thin ice, but she couldn’t help herself.
“Yes, it could.” Draco responded nonchalantly, though she could sense that he was losing his patience. “Your point?”
“Can it wait until the morning? I could do it before I begin my morning chores.” It was already two in the morning. If she were to start this now, she wouldn’t get any sleep tonight and she didn’t have any of the potion Snape usually gave her after their lessons. This won’t be good, she thought.
“Absolutely not. You are to do this now because you will be preparing for our date all day in addition to your normal responsibilities.” He said and then handed her a piece of parchment. “This is the list of what needs to be done.”
She looked at the piece of paper. He was just doing this to torment her, she was sure of it. The list was very long and included cooking the meal, picking flowers, cleaning the dining room, setting the table, and preparing the lighting. The list went on and on.
“Now, you should get started if you are to finish that list before Pansy arrives. And make sure you do not remove any of my clothing from this room. You wake me up, and you will pay. A man needs his beauty rest in order to impress a beautiful woman.” He got into bed and turned out the light. Great, she thought, I have to do all of this in the dark. She walked slowly to his closet and began the endless task ahead of her.
*~*~*~*
That day had dragged on and she was so tired. It had taken her four hours to finish polishing Draco’s shoes and ironing his suits. For a guy, he sure has a lot of clothes, she had thought many times that morning. There had been a few times she thought she had waken him up, and she knew she was lucky that she hadn’t. The room had been so dark and she had tripped several times but she had been able to catch herself before she made too loud of a commotion.
For the past several hours she had been working on the list Draco had created for her. Pansy would arrive at about five that afternoon and she and Draco would go flying for a bit on their brooms before dinner. Stephanie hastened her pace as the meal was not even close to being finished and she still had to decorate the living room. Draco had wanted a ham glazed in pineapples for the main course, with baby red potatoes in butter sauce as the vegetable. She had had to make fresh rolls and a salad, as well. What took the most time was a complicated chocolate dessert that Draco had wanted her to make. That took most of the afternoon.
As four o’clock rolled around, she began to decorate the dining room. Draco had wanted a table for two set up in front of the fireplace with a light green tablecloth the color of his House at Hogwarts: Slytherin. The best china was to be used as place settings and two tall candles were to be placed in the middle of the table. To finish the ensemble, there was to be a bouquet of flowers as the table’s centerpiece.
The lights were to be dimmed to almost darkness with dangling white Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling. A fire was to be going in the fireplace with marshmallows nearby for roasting later that night.
At five o’clock on the dot, Pansy’s arrival was announced by the ringing of the doorbell. Stephanie answered the door and showed her to the living room, where she was to await Draco’s arrival.
Stephanie curtsied to Pansy as she left the room, “I will let Draco know of your arrival, ma’am.”
Pansy nodded.
She went upstairs to let Draco know Pansy was there. “Very good.” He said, looking at himself in the mirror. “Now, fetch my broom and a spare for Ms. Parkinson.” She obliged and brought them their brooms.
The two spent a good hour outside flying on their brooms. When they returned, Stephanie took their coats and hung them up in the closet near the door. They sat at the dinner table next to the warm fire and Stephanie brought them their first course.
Draco really likes this girl, Stephanie thought. It was such an awkward idea, that he could show such compassion and care for someone.
They ate their meal slowly as she waited in the corner of the room. Draco had ordered her to do so in case either one of them needed a refill or the next course. After dinner, she cleared their dishes and gathered the blanket that Draco had ordered her to clean for that evening. She brought them their jackets and followed them outside.
“Where are we going, Draco?” Pansy asked, smiling.
“You’ll see.” He replied. They walked along a path through the woods behind the manor and finally approached a clearing. Stephanie set down the blanket and backed away from the pair.
As the two cuddled together looking up at the bright stars in the huge sky, Stephanie became lost in her thoughts. Why did Draco want her to accompany them on this part of their date? Surely, he would want to be alone with Pansy. It wasn’t even like he needed her for anything because he could have easily carried the blanket on his own. He’s rubbing it in, it occurred to her. He wanted to show her what would never happen for her. No one would ever love her; no one would ever hold her as he was holding Pansy. This is a new low, she thought as a tear escaped her eye and froze to her cheek.
After about forty-five minutes, Draco snapped his fingers at her to collect the blanket. They began walking back to the manor and once inside, she again took their coats to the closet near the front door. They sat in front of the warm fire while she went to prepare cups of hot cocoa. They drank their cocoa and roasted marshmallows while Stephanie stood in the corner and watched.
As horrible as Draco had been to her, she couldn’t bring herself to hate him. In fact, she felt sorry for him; she pitied him. After what she had just witnessed, Stephanie knew that he had the capacity for acts of kindness. She just wondered if she would ever see him spare any towards her.
He had had no chance at life. He had been offered no opportunity for becoming a decent human being. Draco was a victim of his environment, of the conditioning his father had placed on him. Draco was nothing more than a Death Eater in training to his father. She wasn’t even sure that Mr. Malfoy loved his son. Draco had no chance even through all the measures he had taken to try to gain his fathers approval. How very sad.
*~*~*~*
After she had cleaned up after Pansy and Draco’s date, she went down to her bedroom to try and get some sleep. It had been forty-eight hours since she had last slept and it was taking its toll on her body. Her muscles ached, everything she did was at a slow pace, and she was sick to her stomach. She lay down and closed her eyes.
She let out a groan, AHHHH. Her arm began to burn. He’s going to kill me by depriving me of sleep, she thought. Draco seemed to enjoy the fact that he could summon her so easily. She went up to his room and knocked on the door. He told her to come in.
She bowed to him, “How can I help you, sir?”
“The bathroom is disgusting. You need to clean it, now. What if I need to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night? I am horrified you even need to be told.” He spat at her.
“Draco, please!” This was the first time she had ever begged him for anything. She walked over to him and collapsed to her knees. “Please, I haven’t slept in two days. Draco, please.”
“Your disrespect sickens me. Your one job, your main purpose in life, is to serve the residents of this household; how dare you put yourself above my needs!” He glared at her. She could tell she had gone too far. “There is no way I am walking into a room that disgusting. You will do as you are told, when you are told. I am exhausted now, so your punishment for your insolence will have to wait until tomorrow. You will have to learn your place. Now go!” He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
Stephanie went into Draco’s bathroom and was appalled by what she saw. There was mud absolutely everywhere. She saw mud on the window, in the sink, smeared all over the shower. She shut the door and slid to the floor as she burst into tears. Why would he do this to her?
*~*~*~*
The sun was already up when she finished cleaning Draco’s bathroom. She went to the kitchen and began to cook the family’s breakfast. As she was waiting for the food to finish, she sat at the table and lay her head down. She awoke to a smoke filled kitchen and Draco putting out a small fire. Not good, she thought.
She got up to assist Draco, but he just glared at her. “Don’t you dare. Go, sit down.” She went back to where she had been sitting. He finished putting out the fire, and then walked over to the table.
He leaned over so his face was almost touching hers. “First, you question my orders. You think of yourself above my needs, your master’s needs. If that weren’t enough, then you try to burn down the house!” He slapped her, and her face flew to the right due to the force of the blow.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-” She was looking at the ground, but Draco cut her off.
“No, you’re not. I don’t know how father let your behavior get so out of line, but rest assured that when I am done with you, you will know your place.” There was no smile on his face, he was so angry. How dare this girl show him anything but the respect he deserved?
Draco pointed his wand at her. “Crucio.” She fell out of her chair onto the floor and writhed in pain but she didn’t scream. She held onto the fact that she knew she could get through this. The curse lasted thirty seconds until he finally released it.
She lay still, panting. “Who is your master?” He asked.
“You are.” She whispered.
“Crucio!” He said again and she again was at the mercy of the torture curse. This time, though, she couldn’t help but scream out in pain. This time, he let the curse go on for much longer, probably a minute. He let her go. “Now, who is your master?” he asked again.
“You are.” She whispered again. The pain from the curse lingered and she lay on the floor with tears streaming down her face. She didn’t even have the strength to lift her head off the ground.
He knelt in front of her and said, “I can’t hear you. Crucio!”
He’s going to drive me to insanity, she thought. I’ve crossed the line, and he’s not going to let me survive this. The curse lasted much longer than she had ever endured it. He was feeding off the pain she was in; he was enjoying the amount of suffering he was causing her.
“Now,” he began and then paused. He put his face next to hers and he yelled at her, “WHO IS YOUR MASTER?”
It took all the strength she could gather. “You are, sir.” She said in her normal tone, though it was hoarse and weak.
“Good, now that we have that covered, get up.” He smiled. But she could not move, so he grabbed her ponytail and yanked her to her feet. The tears continued streaming from her eyes.
“Don’t cry,” he said sweetly. “You know you deserve what you are getting. There are lessons you must learn.” He traced an invisible line on her upper arm and a gash suddenly appeared and began to bleed. “Oh, you must learn, dear girl.”
Draco backed away from her and she fell to the floor. He motioned his wand towards the pots that were drying on the counter. They began to move towards her and one by one they smashed into her, repeatedly. She curled into a ball and tried to tune out the pain, she kept thinking of Harry. She was doing this to protect Harry. Then she remembered her Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape and focused on clearing her mind to make sure she didn’t send anything to her brother. She whimpered.
Then, Draco slammed a chair into her abdomen. She screamed in pain and clutched her stomach. When will this end? She thought. Then she remembered the pendant. Stephanie reached up to grab the pendant, but then thought better of it. He’s almost done, he has to be. I can handle this, she told herself. I can survive this.
She felt Draco grab her ponytail again and he dragged her to the mirror in the living room. She looked at herself; she was bloody, bruised, and tear-streaked, but alive. There were several large bumps on her cheek and forehead, but again she told herself that she was alive.
“This is all you will ever be good for. You are absolutely worthless. Now tell me what you have learned from this.” Draco smiled.
She tried to look at the ground, but he forced her to continue looking at herself in the mirror. “You are my master and I shall never question you again.”
“Or?” he asked.
“Talk back to you.” She added.
“And?” He questioned her. Oh, the enjoyment he was receiving from this.
“I am not deserving of your kindness, your mercy. I am worthless, I am nothing.”
“Very good. You disgust me. I don’t want to see you for the rest of the day. Get down to your room.” He threw her to the ground.
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” She said in a quiet voice. She scrambled to stand up, bowed to him, and then left the room. At least she would get to finally sleep a little. When she got to her room, she heard the door lock from the outside.
She decided that she should probably check in with Professor Snape before she fell asleep. Stephanie tapped her pendant two times and said “Snape.”
“Yes,” Professor Snape answered in his slow, monotone voice.
“I can’t do any lessons while Draco is home from Hogwarts,” she said in a very weak voice, hoping Snape would not notice. “He’s been keeping me pretty busy and I don’t have the time to spare.” She wasn’t about to tell the professor about how busy Draco had been keeping her or the punishment she had just received. She also didn’t want Professor Snape to see her like this, but she figured she would be well healed by the time Draco went back to school. She hoped so, at least.
“Very well. We shall resume when classes begin for the next semester.” She tapped the pendant twice to close the connection, and then she fell asleep.
*~*~*~*
It was now mid-April and her lessons with Professor Snape had been going fairly well. She was getting better at kicking Snape out of her mind, but she still was no where close to mastering the skill. She could tell that Snape was getting impatient, but there wasn’t too much she could do. Unlike the spells, she could not practice Occlumency outside of these lessons. It had frustrated her so much because she did want to improve; she knew what it would mean if someone were to look into her mind. She had been lucky so far. She didn’t think Mr. Malfoy was a Legilimens, but she wouldn’t stake her life on it.
Mr. Malfoy had been planning something recently, though she didn’t know what. He had had some friends over quite frequently; she knew these men to be his fellow Death Eaters and Draco’s friends’ parents. This can’t be good, she thought each time they were at the manor. Stephanie had withheld this information from those at Hogwarts, because it could be nothing. She didn’t even know what she would tell them if she had decided to. That they were planning something? Oh yes, that would be really helpful.
For the past few months, she had noticed that she became frustrated a lot more easily than normal. She also continued to feel as if her position were pointless. Lord Voldemort had yet to return and there were no implications it would ever happen. To allow this charade to continue, she thought, they must know something more than they were telling her. Though, she did admit that they would have pulled her from her mission if they knew how seriously she had been tortured by Draco in December. She hadn’t been able to provide the others any information since the espionage had begun.
Occasionally she thought of Professor McGonagall’s offer to talk, but she never could bring herself to say what she longed to say. Living under the Malfoy’s watchful eye, she had been conditioned to believe that showing emotions was a form of weakness, and weakness is unacceptable and would not be tolerated. She feared that McGonagall and Dumbledore would decide she was not courageous enough to do what needed to be done and decide to abandon the effort; leaving her in the Malfoy home and all alone to deal with her situation, and probably to die. No, she must not disclose such information to Professor McGonagall.
She was brought back from her thoughts by the vibrating pendant. She gave the all clear to Professor Snape and Dobby suddenly appeared. Stephanie was transported to the Hogwarts dungeons where she sat opposite Snape. He nodded and they began; they had long since stopped having small talk before starting the lessons. “Legilimens.”
Immediately, he saw a memory she had not wanted Snape to see. Mr. Malfoy was telling her she would never oversleep again. She saw him pull back the sleeve of her left arm and burn the Malfoy family crest onto it. Then, she saw the look of horrible pain on her face while trying to hold back any sound. She forced herself to focus and she kicked Snape out of the memory.
“Very good.” He said. She was furious with him. How dare he see that? He had no right to know how she had been branded. Branded like cattle! That she was nothing more than a piece of property. Would never be worth anything more.
She could see that Snape was looking at her curiously; a look of anger must be showing on her face, she thought. He grabbed her arm and pulled up the sleeve to look at the mark more closely.
She pulled her arm away, pulled the sleeve down forcefully, and got up. She walked over to the tables where his students created their potions and she picked up a glass vial filled with some sort of potion. She threw it against the wall and it shattered. The glass fell to the ground and the potion dripped down the wall.
“Reparo.” Snape muttered and the bottle magically fixed itself. She could see Snape eyeing her, but she didn’t care. She leaned against the wall and slid down it slowly. She sat against the wall hugging her knees and she let out what had been yearning to be released for so long. She cried. She wasn’t even sure how long she had been crying, but at that moment she didn’t care. She didn’t care what Snape thought; she didn’t care how weak she was. This was something she needed to do.
Finally, she spoke in a hoarse whisper. “I feel so dirty.”
She knew what happened next was so very uncharacteristic of Professor Severus Snape and it made her feel better after he had done it. He walked over to her and kneeled next to her. He rolled up the sleeve of his robes and showed her the mark Lord Voldemort had branded him with so many years ago. The Dark Mark.
“I think that will be all for today,” he said. Dobby appeared as he handed her the potion to keep her awake the next day. She nodded her thanks and returned to the manor. She would never again fail at keeping Snape out of her mind.
Please leave feedback HERE!
This chapter was really difficult for me to write, but I am really happy with it! I even teared up a little when I was writing this last part about Snape. I am really looking forward to the next couple of chapters. Chapter 5 will be up soon. Please let me know what you think!
Chapter 5: The Diary
They were in the Great Hall eating dinner with the rest of the Gryffindors. “I can’t believe we have that Potions test next week. I don’t have time to study for it with Quidditch this on Saturday. I bet he scheduled it on purpose!” Harry complained.
“I highly doubt he scheduled all of the Potions exams around your Quidditch schedule just to spite you.” Hermione rolled her eyes.
“It still sucks.” Harry mumbled between bites.
“Are you excited about the match this weekend?” Ron asked Harry.
“You know I am. I can’t wait to see the look on Malfoy’s face when we beat Slytherin and win the Quidditch Cup.” Harry smiled.
“That is going to be wicked. That would make up for Snape’s exams any day” Ron added.
“Party in the common room after the match.” Their fellow Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan announced.
“We’ll bring refreshments.” Ron’s brother Fred offered.
“And the party favors,” Fred’s twin George laughed.
“Hi, Professor.” Hermione gushed as McGonagall came up to their table. Everyone looked up.
“Miss Granger, I hope you wouldn’t mind joining me in my office later this evening?” She asked and Hermione nodded. Professor McGonagall walked back to the teacher’s table at the front of the Great Hall.
“What is that about?” Ron asked Hermione.
“Probably in trouble.” George offered solemnly. The table erupted in laughter. There was absolutely no possibility that Hermione would be in trouble, now or in the future.
Hermione smiled and silently wondered what the professor could want.
Later that evening, Hermione knocked on Professor McGonagall’s office door. She heard the professor call for her to come in.
“Thank you for coming, Miss Granger. Please, have a seat.” McGonagall offered. “Now, I have a request to make of you. But I want to make sure that you know that you can say no, if you wish.”
Hermione nodded.
“Do you remember Harry mentioning a young girl he ran into while at Diagon Alley in August?” She asked Hermione.
“Yes, professor.” Hermione nodded. “Harry spoke with Professor Dumbledore about her because something just didn’t feel right about the situation.”
“Harry’s intuition was very much correct. Now, what I am about to tell you must remain in this room. Can you promise me that you won’t share this information with anyone, not even Harry or Ron?” Hermione could tell that Professor McGonagall was very serious about what she was about to tell Hermione.
“Absolutely.” She would ask questions after McGonagall explained the situation, even though her mind was racing.
“Professors Dumbledore, Snape, and myself spoke with her the evening Harry came to Professor Dumbledore. We immediately recognized her as James and Lily Potter’s missing daughter. We all had thought her to be long dead, but here she is. Alive. Her name is Stephanie, and we would like you to help her.” McGonagall explained, looking for Hermione’s reaction.
“Is she-” Hermione began.
“Harry’s twin sister, yes.” McGonagall nodded. “Let me explain her background and then I’ll tell you what I request of you.”
“Okay.” Hermione said. She was shocked. Harry had a sister; he would be so ecstatic when he found out. This was great news; Harry had family! She smiled at the idea.
“Though we have yet to understand how she was placed in this situation, Stephanie somehow came into Lucius Malfoy’s possession. For the past twelve years, she has been a servant in the Malfoy home and it is my understanding that her outing to Diagon Alley had been her first in public. Lucius had always been afraid that she would be recognized, as she looks so much like her mother. To our knowledge, he does not yet know that she has been identified. This is the reason we must keep this quiet. Her life is put in even more danger with each person who learns of her existence.
“We offered to rescue her from the manor and bring her to safety. However, once we explained a few things to her, she refused to leave the Malfoy residence. She wants to remain there in order to learn information that may prove to be very valuable in the future. Most importantly, she remains behind in order to protect Harry.” She paused, anticipating Hermione’s question, “Harry is in no immediate danger, but he most definitely will be a target in the future. We must take as many precautions as possible.”
Hermione nodded.
“You must understand that she has been tortured endlessly, berated, humiliated, and worked beyond exhaustion. She has endured more than many people can even fathom. Stephanie is a very courageous girl. However, she is also in a lot of pain for what she has gone through, both emotionally and physically. She has no self-esteem and feels as though she were not deserving of companionship and love. She feels utterly alone. I do not blame her for experiencing such feelings, as she is told of these things on a daily basis. She has not stated as much, but we can see the pain in her eyes.” McGonagall had tears in her eyes. Hermione already had tears streaming down her face.
“But, why can’t we tell Harry? He would want to do something; he would want to help?!” Hermione was almost begging McGonagall to help this girl that she didn’t even know.
“Tell me, Hermione,” Professor McGonagall handed Hermione a box of tissues. “What would Harry do if I were to bring him in here and tell him as I have just done with you?”
Hermione didn’t need to think, the answer came to her immediately. “He would run to Draco and,” she shuddered at the thought, “and probably try to kill him.”
McGonagall nodded. “You are correct. That is one reason we do not tell him. Stephanie has also requested her identity remain hidden from Harry. However, those reasons are hers to share with you when she decides the time is right. Although, I feel that there time may be right to tell him in the future and I give you permission to do so when that moment approaches.”
“But, what can I do to help?” What could she possibly do to help this girl? And why her?
“She has held so many things inside her for so long. Professors Dumbledore and I feel that she is in serious danger, emotionally speaking, of causing herself long-term damage. She needs someone to talk to, and I feel she needs someone her own age. I have offered myself to her, but we all know how easy people find it to talk to me.” McGonagall joked.
Hermione knew that this was true, McGonagall could be quite intimidating. She thought about this for a moment. Could she really keep something so big and important away from Harry? She yelled at herself for the thought. She had to do this. There was no way she could refuse to provide the little help that she could for someone who was risking so much more. “I’ll do it. But how? And why me?”
McGonagall handed her a diary. “This is a two way diary. All you need to do is write in it and the other person will see the entry the next time they open the book. Professor Dumbledore is meeting with her tonight to offer this to her. Granted she may decline the opportunity, but I have a feeling she won’t. And I chose you because I know that you will be discrete about this. You are one of Harry’s closest friends and this will be most beneficial for Stephanie, yourself, and Harry, eventually. I also chose you because of your compassionate heart, Hermione.”
Hermione looked at the diary for a moment. She nodded, and then stood up to leave. As she was close to the door, McGonagall added, “And please don’t ask her to share her experiences. Let her offer that information in her own time. For the time being, she may just need someone to listen to and talk to like a normal thirteen year old.”
Hermione opened the door and McGonagall spoke once again, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, professor. I’ll be glad to do this.” Hermione answered. She was truly happy to be given this opportunity and she hoped she would not let Professor McGonagall down.
Ron and Harry were waiting for her when she returned to the common room. She smiled at them and sat down at the table.
“Well?” Ron asked.
“Well, what?” Hermione teased. She knew perfectly well what he was asking.
“What did she want?” Harry asked.
“She wanted to go over the essay we turned in yesterday for Transfiguration.” Hermione hugged the diary, and then sat it down and opened her Ancient Runes textbook. She began to study.
Ron rolled his eyes at Harry and the continued talking about the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin.
*~*~*~*
She had felt horrible about her behavior in Snape’s office last week. There was absolutely no excuse for expressing her emotions like that. Throwing things, what had come over her? She hadn’t heard from the professor since that night and she was concerned she had offended him. It had been over a week, was he angry with her? Did she blow that opportunity? This was just another thing she could add to the list that proved Draco was right. She was worthless and couldn’t do anything right.
She sat there in the silence and cold of her bedroom, wrapped in her blanket. She suddenly thought of Dobby. I wonder what he is doing? I hope he is happy at Hogwarts.
She knew that Dobby was able to have contact with Harry. She also knew that Dobby truly admired him for his bravery; he did free Dobby, after all. There were moments when she contemplated calling Dobby to have him relay a message or to take her to Harry. She just wanted someone to talk to who would know what she was going through, someone who could understand. Harry didn’t have experiences this bad, but his were similar. He also knew Draco and what Draco was capable of.
She jumped and suppressed a scream. Her pendant began to vibrate, scaring her because she had not been expecting it. She didn’t look down at the pendant, because she already knew who was calling her. She tapped it twice and whispered, “Yes, sir.”
“I hope you wouldn’t mind coming to my office this evening.” A voice requested, however it wasn’t Professor Snape.
“Professor Dumbledore?” She asked, surprised.
“Yes, dear. Are you able to come over?” He answered.
“Oh, yes. Of course.” She stated into her pendant. Dobby appeared and she closed the connection. Before Dobby could transport her to Hogwarts though, she wanted to ask him a few questions. “Dobby! How are you doing?”
“Dobby is doing great, miss!” He looked up at her with his large eyes.
“Are you happy at Hogwarts? Are the students treating you alright?”
“Of course, miss. Dobby loves Hogwarts!” Dobby smiled. “Dobby can see you are concerned for him. No need, miss. Dobby is scared for YOU.”
She hugged him. “Don’t worry about me. I come out of everything alright. You know that.” She smiled. “How is Harry?”
“Harry is doing good, miss. Dobby is worried about Harry as well. Someone has broken into Hogwarts twice to murder Harry Potter.” Dobby squeaked.
“What?!” Isn’t he safe at Hogwarts, she thought? “Who?”
“Sirius Black. They say he escaped from Azkaban to find Harry Potter. Poor, poor Potters. Dobby feel’s sorry for the Potters.” Dobby continued.
“But he’s okay?” She was concerned about her brother.
“Professor Dumbledore has taken good care of Harry Potter, miss. Harry is fine, miss. Dobby has been looking out for him too” He said proudly.
“That is good. Thank you, Dobby. Let’s go to Hogwarts.” Dobby snapped his fingers and they appeared in the headmaster’s office.
Professor Dumbledore was the only other person in the office. She had figured, when she heard Dumbledore through the pendant, that it was another meeting with them all. He nodded towards Dobby, who disappeared.
“I apologize that it has been over a week since you have been contacted by Professor Snape.” He said, and then gestured towards the chair. “Please have a seat.”
She walked over to the large chair and sat down in front of the headmaster’s desk. She looked around and noticed that tonight the paintings of the previous headmasters were not pretending to be sleeping. They must know that I am in trouble, she thought. This is it, it’s all over.
She just stared at Professor Dumbledore, playing with her fingers. She was so nervous. He looked at her with such sadness in his eyes that she had never seen before. He appeared to be considering how to begin.
She couldn’t stand the silence anymore. She had to ask, “Am I in trouble?” She knew that she wouldn’t receive a punishment from this man, but she was afraid that he would leave her at the Malfoy home.
His look of sadness turned to pity. “No, dear.” He got up and moved to the chair next to the one she was sitting in. “After your last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Professor Snape, he came to me. He was very concerned by the reaction you showed when he witnessed a memory. Though he would not tell me what this memory contained, he did convey how very horrible it must have been for you.”
She responded, still afraid of the consequences. “I lost control for a few minutes, but I am better now.”
He sighed. “I regret that I have overlooked the emotional strain this situation could have on you. I admit that I have been contemplating removing you from the home.”
“NO!” She shouted, standing up. He couldn’t do that to her! What would she do if she didn’t have this? Her life would no longer have a purpose; SHE would no longer have a purpose. She couldn’t even attend Hogwarts. No. She had to remain at the Malfoy home; she had to help Harry.
Her reaction surprised Dumbledore. He had not expected her to be so forceful. Maybe her role for him was benefiting her more than they all realized. She never would have responded like that the first time he had met her.
“I must admit, your reaction surprises me a little. Can you explain to me why you so strongly wish to remain in that home?” He asked her gently.
She hesitated. He finally understood, “I want you to know that you are safe here. No matter what you tell me, I, we, will always be there for you. We will not leave you. We will not punish you. I promise you this.”
She hesitated again, thinking about what she would say. Stephanie decided to take a risk and speak as openly as she could muster. “My whole life, I have been told that I don’t matter; that I have one purpose in life. It has been horrible and at times has been excruciatingly painful. But, I want to do this. I want to be a part of something important.”
“You do not need to remain in the Malfoy home to do something important, we could take you in and give you plenty of tasks.” Dumbledore eyed her.
“I have no education, very minimal defensive skills, and no self-esteem. I am not fooled that there is little I can do. There is no way that I could attend school, it would be too public and I would be too easily accessible to those who would want to kill me. No, it must be this way.” She was very determined to prove her dedication.
“I have kept Mr. Potter safe, here at Hogwarts, and I can most certainly keep you safe as well.” His offered her, but she was losing her temper.
“A man has broken into the castle two times to murder Harry! How can you say he is safe?” She almost yelled at the headmaster. She got up and walked over to look at some of the portraits on the wall, not caring how she was treating the headmaster. Then she eyed an old looking hat on a nearby shelf. Draco had mentioned this hat, it was the Sorting Hat!
Professor Dumbledore looked hurt, but she continued anyway. “There are many more Death Eaters that have children at Hogwarts than you know. I would not be safe here. And if I weren’t here, I would just feel useless. No, I must stay where I am. At least they keep me busy.”
“If we removed you from the Malfoy home, you would be able to attend classes; although, you would be behind the other students your own age. There are measures we could take to ensure your safety, and I’m sure others at this school would work together to keep an eye on you. I fear I have made a mistake in allowing you to stay.” Dumbledore really did not want her to return, she could tell he was very concerned about her.
“There is no way I want others to ‘keep an eye’ on me. I have taken care of myself for almost 13 years before you came to me and I can take care of myself now. Regardless of whether you allow me to return, I will go back. Mr. Malfoy and his friends are planning an attack of sorts. I have no more information than that, but rest assured, I will find out what it is. I must go back.” Dumbledore conceded. He thought how very much like Harry and James she was. She was truly determined.
“Very well. Come back and sit down.” Dumbledore gestured towards her. “I apologize for doubting you, but I must admit we neglected your emotional well-being. Professor McGonagall has spoken to one of our students and we would hope that you would speak with her. You don’t have to share anything you do not wish; we understand that you do not know this person. However, it may be beneficial for you to speak with her as a normal teenager. She can provide you support Professor McGonagall and I cannot give you.”
She thought about this for a few minutes. Someone to talk to? Earlier, she had wanted to speak with Harry; she had even contemplated risking everything to have Dobby bring her to him. Though this wasn’t the same thing, it wasn’t her brother, she figured it would be nice to talk to another girl about things. “Okay.” she would do as he asked. “But, how?”
He handed her a diary. “This is a two way diary. When you write something in yours, the other person will be able to read it and write you a response. You must keep this hidden; is there a safe place to do so?”
She thought about it quickly. There was an old shelving unit on the wall in her bedroom. She was absolutely sure that this diary would fit behind it. None of the Malfoys went into her bedroom very often, so it should be safe. She nodded.
“Good. Professor McGonagall has spoken with Miss Hermione Granger, one of your brother’s closest friends. Miss Granger has been told of your situation and has willingly agreed to participate; she has already been given the other diary, and if I am not mistaken has already written an entry.” Professor Dumbledore smiled.
Stephanie opened it, and surely enough, there was a message from Hermione.
She smiled. This would definitely be a good thing. She didn’t know this girl and it may prove to be easier to open up to her than it would be face-to-face. “Thank you, professor. I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I can’t explain it, but I have been so angry lately. I’m sorry.”
Dumbledore nodded. “It is alright, Stephanie. We all need outlets for our emotions, and you have been denied such experiences. It is our hope that this diary will help you with this.
“Now, let us turn to business. You mentioned earlier that Lucius Malfoy has been planning an attack. What can you tell me about this?”
“Not much,” she began. “Once a week he and some of his friends lock themselves in his den for a few hours. Usually they would have me come in and provide refreshments, but Mr. Malfoy orders me to stay away from his office. They are definitely planning something.”
“You can tell me nothing more? Such as when or where?” Dumbledore asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
“Do not apologize, dear. You are doing what you can.” He patted her hand, and then stood up. “I believe that it is time we send you back, if you are sure this is what you want.”
“I am sure. But, first, there are a few questions I have to ask.” She felt she should have asked this first question awhile ago. “I remember a few months ago, Mr. Malfoy mentioning a man named Sirius Black and Dobby told me this afternoon that this man has broken into Hogwarts to murder Harry. Why, sir?”
He thought for a moment. “I believe that is a question you should ask Miss Granger. She may have more insight for you than myself. I’m just curious, but what did Lucius have to say?”
“He was just laughing at the idea of this man being a Death Eater. He couldn’t believe that people would think he would associate with Lord Voldemort,” she answered.
Professor Dumbledore smiled. “That is what I thought. Very good.”
“What was he in Azkaban for?” Stephanie asked.
“Again, that is a question for Miss Granger. What was your next question?” He prodded.
“If I were a student here, do you know which House I would be sorted into?” She asked him. Seeing the Sorting Hat had reminded her that she needed proof that she could belong somewhere, if she had been given the opportunity.
“Why don’t we see. I’m sure the Sorting Hat would not mind to provide you some insight.” He got up and retrieved the Hat. He walked back and gently put it on her head.
“Hmm..Another Potter, eh? This a difficult decision.” She heard the Sorting Hat say. “You show such excitement for learning, a good quality in a Ravenclaw. You even taught yourself how to read at a very young age. You are also very loyal to those you care about and especially those you do not know, Hufflepuff. You could be placed in either of these Houses, but I will not sort you there. You would do fantastic things in Slytherin; your ambition to prove yourself is such that I have never seen before. But I sense this House frightens you. You need not worry; it is not the House that turns wizards evil. It is the individual that turns wizards evil; we all make choices and those choices drive who we become. So, I must make the same decision I had to make for your brother three years ago. Gryffindor!”
“But why, Gryffindor?” She was taken aback. There is absolutely no way she should be in this House.
The Sorting Hat answered her question. “Gryffindor is the House of true bravery and courage. You alone know what you truly face when you return to the Malfoy home each day. Day after day you face the horrors with your chin held high and you cannot even contemplate doing otherwise. As with your ambition, your courage is unmatched with any student here at Hogwarts. Gryffindor.”
Professor Dumbledore was smiling. She couldn’t say anything; she was sitting there in shock. Dumbledore finally spoke to her, “Harry would be very proud. Now, if that is all, you must return home.”
She nodded and he called Dobby. Stephanie hugged the diary and returned back to the Malfoy manor. She lay on her bed and began writing in the diary.
*~*~*~*
Before breakfast the next day, Hermione opened up the diary expecting a question about Harry or herself. But that wasn’t what was written on the page.
She definitely wasn’t expecting a question about Sirius Black. Hermione didn’t know why Dumbledore would want her to be the one to tell Stephanie the story, but she figured he had his reasons. She got out her quill and began to write her response.
Later that night Hermione was even more surprised by the response Stephanie gave to her story.
Note: I hope you enjoyed Chapter 5. I encourage you to Please leave feedback HERE. The idea of the diary, though similar to Riddle's diary in Book 2, was borrowed form a fanfic entitled "HP and the Veil of Mystery." I like to give credit where it is due. Chapter Six: Stephanie's New Task will be up soon!
They were in the Great Hall eating dinner with the rest of the Gryffindors. “I can’t believe we have that Potions test next week. I don’t have time to study for it with Quidditch this on Saturday. I bet he scheduled it on purpose!” Harry complained.
“I highly doubt he scheduled all of the Potions exams around your Quidditch schedule just to spite you.” Hermione rolled her eyes.
“It still sucks.” Harry mumbled between bites.
“Are you excited about the match this weekend?” Ron asked Harry.
“You know I am. I can’t wait to see the look on Malfoy’s face when we beat Slytherin and win the Quidditch Cup.” Harry smiled.
“That is going to be wicked. That would make up for Snape’s exams any day” Ron added.
“Party in the common room after the match.” Their fellow Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan announced.
“We’ll bring refreshments.” Ron’s brother Fred offered.
“And the party favors,” Fred’s twin George laughed.
“Hi, Professor.” Hermione gushed as McGonagall came up to their table. Everyone looked up.
“Miss Granger, I hope you wouldn’t mind joining me in my office later this evening?” She asked and Hermione nodded. Professor McGonagall walked back to the teacher’s table at the front of the Great Hall.
“What is that about?” Ron asked Hermione.
“Probably in trouble.” George offered solemnly. The table erupted in laughter. There was absolutely no possibility that Hermione would be in trouble, now or in the future.
Hermione smiled and silently wondered what the professor could want.
Later that evening, Hermione knocked on Professor McGonagall’s office door. She heard the professor call for her to come in.
“Thank you for coming, Miss Granger. Please, have a seat.” McGonagall offered. “Now, I have a request to make of you. But I want to make sure that you know that you can say no, if you wish.”
Hermione nodded.
“Do you remember Harry mentioning a young girl he ran into while at Diagon Alley in August?” She asked Hermione.
“Yes, professor.” Hermione nodded. “Harry spoke with Professor Dumbledore about her because something just didn’t feel right about the situation.”
“Harry’s intuition was very much correct. Now, what I am about to tell you must remain in this room. Can you promise me that you won’t share this information with anyone, not even Harry or Ron?” Hermione could tell that Professor McGonagall was very serious about what she was about to tell Hermione.
“Absolutely.” She would ask questions after McGonagall explained the situation, even though her mind was racing.
“Professors Dumbledore, Snape, and myself spoke with her the evening Harry came to Professor Dumbledore. We immediately recognized her as James and Lily Potter’s missing daughter. We all had thought her to be long dead, but here she is. Alive. Her name is Stephanie, and we would like you to help her.” McGonagall explained, looking for Hermione’s reaction.
“Is she-” Hermione began.
“Harry’s twin sister, yes.” McGonagall nodded. “Let me explain her background and then I’ll tell you what I request of you.”
“Okay.” Hermione said. She was shocked. Harry had a sister; he would be so ecstatic when he found out. This was great news; Harry had family! She smiled at the idea.
“Though we have yet to understand how she was placed in this situation, Stephanie somehow came into Lucius Malfoy’s possession. For the past twelve years, she has been a servant in the Malfoy home and it is my understanding that her outing to Diagon Alley had been her first in public. Lucius had always been afraid that she would be recognized, as she looks so much like her mother. To our knowledge, he does not yet know that she has been identified. This is the reason we must keep this quiet. Her life is put in even more danger with each person who learns of her existence.
“We offered to rescue her from the manor and bring her to safety. However, once we explained a few things to her, she refused to leave the Malfoy residence. She wants to remain there in order to learn information that may prove to be very valuable in the future. Most importantly, she remains behind in order to protect Harry.” She paused, anticipating Hermione’s question, “Harry is in no immediate danger, but he most definitely will be a target in the future. We must take as many precautions as possible.”
Hermione nodded.
“You must understand that she has been tortured endlessly, berated, humiliated, and worked beyond exhaustion. She has endured more than many people can even fathom. Stephanie is a very courageous girl. However, she is also in a lot of pain for what she has gone through, both emotionally and physically. She has no self-esteem and feels as though she were not deserving of companionship and love. She feels utterly alone. I do not blame her for experiencing such feelings, as she is told of these things on a daily basis. She has not stated as much, but we can see the pain in her eyes.” McGonagall had tears in her eyes. Hermione already had tears streaming down her face.
“But, why can’t we tell Harry? He would want to do something; he would want to help?!” Hermione was almost begging McGonagall to help this girl that she didn’t even know.
“Tell me, Hermione,” Professor McGonagall handed Hermione a box of tissues. “What would Harry do if I were to bring him in here and tell him as I have just done with you?”
Hermione didn’t need to think, the answer came to her immediately. “He would run to Draco and,” she shuddered at the thought, “and probably try to kill him.”
McGonagall nodded. “You are correct. That is one reason we do not tell him. Stephanie has also requested her identity remain hidden from Harry. However, those reasons are hers to share with you when she decides the time is right. Although, I feel that there time may be right to tell him in the future and I give you permission to do so when that moment approaches.”
“But, what can I do to help?” What could she possibly do to help this girl? And why her?
“She has held so many things inside her for so long. Professors Dumbledore and I feel that she is in serious danger, emotionally speaking, of causing herself long-term damage. She needs someone to talk to, and I feel she needs someone her own age. I have offered myself to her, but we all know how easy people find it to talk to me.” McGonagall joked.
Hermione knew that this was true, McGonagall could be quite intimidating. She thought about this for a moment. Could she really keep something so big and important away from Harry? She yelled at herself for the thought. She had to do this. There was no way she could refuse to provide the little help that she could for someone who was risking so much more. “I’ll do it. But how? And why me?”
McGonagall handed her a diary. “This is a two way diary. All you need to do is write in it and the other person will see the entry the next time they open the book. Professor Dumbledore is meeting with her tonight to offer this to her. Granted she may decline the opportunity, but I have a feeling she won’t. And I chose you because I know that you will be discrete about this. You are one of Harry’s closest friends and this will be most beneficial for Stephanie, yourself, and Harry, eventually. I also chose you because of your compassionate heart, Hermione.”
Hermione looked at the diary for a moment. She nodded, and then stood up to leave. As she was close to the door, McGonagall added, “And please don’t ask her to share her experiences. Let her offer that information in her own time. For the time being, she may just need someone to listen to and talk to like a normal thirteen year old.”
Hermione opened the door and McGonagall spoke once again, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, professor. I’ll be glad to do this.” Hermione answered. She was truly happy to be given this opportunity and she hoped she would not let Professor McGonagall down.
Ron and Harry were waiting for her when she returned to the common room. She smiled at them and sat down at the table.
“Well?” Ron asked.
“Well, what?” Hermione teased. She knew perfectly well what he was asking.
“What did she want?” Harry asked.
“She wanted to go over the essay we turned in yesterday for Transfiguration.” Hermione hugged the diary, and then sat it down and opened her Ancient Runes textbook. She began to study.
Ron rolled his eyes at Harry and the continued talking about the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin.
*~*~*~*
She had felt horrible about her behavior in Snape’s office last week. There was absolutely no excuse for expressing her emotions like that. Throwing things, what had come over her? She hadn’t heard from the professor since that night and she was concerned she had offended him. It had been over a week, was he angry with her? Did she blow that opportunity? This was just another thing she could add to the list that proved Draco was right. She was worthless and couldn’t do anything right.
She sat there in the silence and cold of her bedroom, wrapped in her blanket. She suddenly thought of Dobby. I wonder what he is doing? I hope he is happy at Hogwarts.
She knew that Dobby was able to have contact with Harry. She also knew that Dobby truly admired him for his bravery; he did free Dobby, after all. There were moments when she contemplated calling Dobby to have him relay a message or to take her to Harry. She just wanted someone to talk to who would know what she was going through, someone who could understand. Harry didn’t have experiences this bad, but his were similar. He also knew Draco and what Draco was capable of.
She jumped and suppressed a scream. Her pendant began to vibrate, scaring her because she had not been expecting it. She didn’t look down at the pendant, because she already knew who was calling her. She tapped it twice and whispered, “Yes, sir.”
“I hope you wouldn’t mind coming to my office this evening.” A voice requested, however it wasn’t Professor Snape.
“Professor Dumbledore?” She asked, surprised.
“Yes, dear. Are you able to come over?” He answered.
“Oh, yes. Of course.” She stated into her pendant. Dobby appeared and she closed the connection. Before Dobby could transport her to Hogwarts though, she wanted to ask him a few questions. “Dobby! How are you doing?”
“Dobby is doing great, miss!” He looked up at her with his large eyes.
“Are you happy at Hogwarts? Are the students treating you alright?”
“Of course, miss. Dobby loves Hogwarts!” Dobby smiled. “Dobby can see you are concerned for him. No need, miss. Dobby is scared for YOU.”
She hugged him. “Don’t worry about me. I come out of everything alright. You know that.” She smiled. “How is Harry?”
“Harry is doing good, miss. Dobby is worried about Harry as well. Someone has broken into Hogwarts twice to murder Harry Potter.” Dobby squeaked.
“What?!” Isn’t he safe at Hogwarts, she thought? “Who?”
“Sirius Black. They say he escaped from Azkaban to find Harry Potter. Poor, poor Potters. Dobby feel’s sorry for the Potters.” Dobby continued.
“But he’s okay?” She was concerned about her brother.
“Professor Dumbledore has taken good care of Harry Potter, miss. Harry is fine, miss. Dobby has been looking out for him too” He said proudly.
“That is good. Thank you, Dobby. Let’s go to Hogwarts.” Dobby snapped his fingers and they appeared in the headmaster’s office.
Professor Dumbledore was the only other person in the office. She had figured, when she heard Dumbledore through the pendant, that it was another meeting with them all. He nodded towards Dobby, who disappeared.
“I apologize that it has been over a week since you have been contacted by Professor Snape.” He said, and then gestured towards the chair. “Please have a seat.”
She walked over to the large chair and sat down in front of the headmaster’s desk. She looked around and noticed that tonight the paintings of the previous headmasters were not pretending to be sleeping. They must know that I am in trouble, she thought. This is it, it’s all over.
She just stared at Professor Dumbledore, playing with her fingers. She was so nervous. He looked at her with such sadness in his eyes that she had never seen before. He appeared to be considering how to begin.
She couldn’t stand the silence anymore. She had to ask, “Am I in trouble?” She knew that she wouldn’t receive a punishment from this man, but she was afraid that he would leave her at the Malfoy home.
His look of sadness turned to pity. “No, dear.” He got up and moved to the chair next to the one she was sitting in. “After your last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Professor Snape, he came to me. He was very concerned by the reaction you showed when he witnessed a memory. Though he would not tell me what this memory contained, he did convey how very horrible it must have been for you.”
She responded, still afraid of the consequences. “I lost control for a few minutes, but I am better now.”
He sighed. “I regret that I have overlooked the emotional strain this situation could have on you. I admit that I have been contemplating removing you from the home.”
“NO!” She shouted, standing up. He couldn’t do that to her! What would she do if she didn’t have this? Her life would no longer have a purpose; SHE would no longer have a purpose. She couldn’t even attend Hogwarts. No. She had to remain at the Malfoy home; she had to help Harry.
Her reaction surprised Dumbledore. He had not expected her to be so forceful. Maybe her role for him was benefiting her more than they all realized. She never would have responded like that the first time he had met her.
“I must admit, your reaction surprises me a little. Can you explain to me why you so strongly wish to remain in that home?” He asked her gently.
She hesitated. He finally understood, “I want you to know that you are safe here. No matter what you tell me, I, we, will always be there for you. We will not leave you. We will not punish you. I promise you this.”
She hesitated again, thinking about what she would say. Stephanie decided to take a risk and speak as openly as she could muster. “My whole life, I have been told that I don’t matter; that I have one purpose in life. It has been horrible and at times has been excruciatingly painful. But, I want to do this. I want to be a part of something important.”
“You do not need to remain in the Malfoy home to do something important, we could take you in and give you plenty of tasks.” Dumbledore eyed her.
“I have no education, very minimal defensive skills, and no self-esteem. I am not fooled that there is little I can do. There is no way that I could attend school, it would be too public and I would be too easily accessible to those who would want to kill me. No, it must be this way.” She was very determined to prove her dedication.
“I have kept Mr. Potter safe, here at Hogwarts, and I can most certainly keep you safe as well.” His offered her, but she was losing her temper.
“A man has broken into the castle two times to murder Harry! How can you say he is safe?” She almost yelled at the headmaster. She got up and walked over to look at some of the portraits on the wall, not caring how she was treating the headmaster. Then she eyed an old looking hat on a nearby shelf. Draco had mentioned this hat, it was the Sorting Hat!
Professor Dumbledore looked hurt, but she continued anyway. “There are many more Death Eaters that have children at Hogwarts than you know. I would not be safe here. And if I weren’t here, I would just feel useless. No, I must stay where I am. At least they keep me busy.”
“If we removed you from the Malfoy home, you would be able to attend classes; although, you would be behind the other students your own age. There are measures we could take to ensure your safety, and I’m sure others at this school would work together to keep an eye on you. I fear I have made a mistake in allowing you to stay.” Dumbledore really did not want her to return, she could tell he was very concerned about her.
“There is no way I want others to ‘keep an eye’ on me. I have taken care of myself for almost 13 years before you came to me and I can take care of myself now. Regardless of whether you allow me to return, I will go back. Mr. Malfoy and his friends are planning an attack of sorts. I have no more information than that, but rest assured, I will find out what it is. I must go back.” Dumbledore conceded. He thought how very much like Harry and James she was. She was truly determined.
“Very well. Come back and sit down.” Dumbledore gestured towards her. “I apologize for doubting you, but I must admit we neglected your emotional well-being. Professor McGonagall has spoken to one of our students and we would hope that you would speak with her. You don’t have to share anything you do not wish; we understand that you do not know this person. However, it may be beneficial for you to speak with her as a normal teenager. She can provide you support Professor McGonagall and I cannot give you.”
She thought about this for a few minutes. Someone to talk to? Earlier, she had wanted to speak with Harry; she had even contemplated risking everything to have Dobby bring her to him. Though this wasn’t the same thing, it wasn’t her brother, she figured it would be nice to talk to another girl about things. “Okay.” she would do as he asked. “But, how?”
He handed her a diary. “This is a two way diary. When you write something in yours, the other person will be able to read it and write you a response. You must keep this hidden; is there a safe place to do so?”
She thought about it quickly. There was an old shelving unit on the wall in her bedroom. She was absolutely sure that this diary would fit behind it. None of the Malfoys went into her bedroom very often, so it should be safe. She nodded.
“Good. Professor McGonagall has spoken with Miss Hermione Granger, one of your brother’s closest friends. Miss Granger has been told of your situation and has willingly agreed to participate; she has already been given the other diary, and if I am not mistaken has already written an entry.” Professor Dumbledore smiled.
Stephanie opened it, and surely enough, there was a message from Hermione.
Dear Stephanie,
I am very happy to have a copy of this diary. I hope you will accept Dumbledore’s offer to use this. Though I don’t know what I can do to make things better, I can tell you stories about your brother. Let me know and feel free to ask me whatever you wish.
Hermione
I am very happy to have a copy of this diary. I hope you will accept Dumbledore’s offer to use this. Though I don’t know what I can do to make things better, I can tell you stories about your brother. Let me know and feel free to ask me whatever you wish.
Hermione
She smiled. This would definitely be a good thing. She didn’t know this girl and it may prove to be easier to open up to her than it would be face-to-face. “Thank you, professor. I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I can’t explain it, but I have been so angry lately. I’m sorry.”
Dumbledore nodded. “It is alright, Stephanie. We all need outlets for our emotions, and you have been denied such experiences. It is our hope that this diary will help you with this.
“Now, let us turn to business. You mentioned earlier that Lucius Malfoy has been planning an attack. What can you tell me about this?”
“Not much,” she began. “Once a week he and some of his friends lock themselves in his den for a few hours. Usually they would have me come in and provide refreshments, but Mr. Malfoy orders me to stay away from his office. They are definitely planning something.”
“You can tell me nothing more? Such as when or where?” Dumbledore asked.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
“Do not apologize, dear. You are doing what you can.” He patted her hand, and then stood up. “I believe that it is time we send you back, if you are sure this is what you want.”
“I am sure. But, first, there are a few questions I have to ask.” She felt she should have asked this first question awhile ago. “I remember a few months ago, Mr. Malfoy mentioning a man named Sirius Black and Dobby told me this afternoon that this man has broken into Hogwarts to murder Harry. Why, sir?”
He thought for a moment. “I believe that is a question you should ask Miss Granger. She may have more insight for you than myself. I’m just curious, but what did Lucius have to say?”
“He was just laughing at the idea of this man being a Death Eater. He couldn’t believe that people would think he would associate with Lord Voldemort,” she answered.
Professor Dumbledore smiled. “That is what I thought. Very good.”
“What was he in Azkaban for?” Stephanie asked.
“Again, that is a question for Miss Granger. What was your next question?” He prodded.
“If I were a student here, do you know which House I would be sorted into?” She asked him. Seeing the Sorting Hat had reminded her that she needed proof that she could belong somewhere, if she had been given the opportunity.
“Why don’t we see. I’m sure the Sorting Hat would not mind to provide you some insight.” He got up and retrieved the Hat. He walked back and gently put it on her head.
“Hmm..Another Potter, eh? This a difficult decision.” She heard the Sorting Hat say. “You show such excitement for learning, a good quality in a Ravenclaw. You even taught yourself how to read at a very young age. You are also very loyal to those you care about and especially those you do not know, Hufflepuff. You could be placed in either of these Houses, but I will not sort you there. You would do fantastic things in Slytherin; your ambition to prove yourself is such that I have never seen before. But I sense this House frightens you. You need not worry; it is not the House that turns wizards evil. It is the individual that turns wizards evil; we all make choices and those choices drive who we become. So, I must make the same decision I had to make for your brother three years ago. Gryffindor!”
“But why, Gryffindor?” She was taken aback. There is absolutely no way she should be in this House.
The Sorting Hat answered her question. “Gryffindor is the House of true bravery and courage. You alone know what you truly face when you return to the Malfoy home each day. Day after day you face the horrors with your chin held high and you cannot even contemplate doing otherwise. As with your ambition, your courage is unmatched with any student here at Hogwarts. Gryffindor.”
Professor Dumbledore was smiling. She couldn’t say anything; she was sitting there in shock. Dumbledore finally spoke to her, “Harry would be very proud. Now, if that is all, you must return home.”
She nodded and he called Dobby. Stephanie hugged the diary and returned back to the Malfoy manor. She lay on her bed and began writing in the diary.
*~*~*~*
Before breakfast the next day, Hermione opened up the diary expecting a question about Harry or herself. But that wasn’t what was written on the page.
Hermione,
Thank you so much for doing this. I didn’t want to do it at first, but it is going to be great to have someone to talk to. I asked Professor Dumbledore last night about a man named Sirius Black and he told me to ask you. Can you tell me anything about why he wants to kill Harry?
~Stephanie
Thank you so much for doing this. I didn’t want to do it at first, but it is going to be great to have someone to talk to. I asked Professor Dumbledore last night about a man named Sirius Black and he told me to ask you. Can you tell me anything about why he wants to kill Harry?
~Stephanie
She definitely wasn’t expecting a question about Sirius Black. Hermione didn’t know why Dumbledore would want her to be the one to tell Stephanie the story, but she figured he had his reasons. She got out her quill and began to write her response.
Sirius Black is Harry’s, and your, Godfather. He was best friends with your father when they went to Hogwarts. Sirius was your parents Secret Keeper; he was supposed to protect your parents from You-Know-Who, but instead provided your parents’ location to You-Know-Who. After the downfall of You-Know-Who, he went on a rampage and murdered Peter Pettigrew, another friend of your parents, and several innocent muggles. He had been in Azkaban for that, but somehow escaped. Now, he has been trying to finish what You-Know-Who started by killing Harry.
I want you to know that we will not let that happen; Harry is well protected here.
Hermione
I want you to know that we will not let that happen; Harry is well protected here.
Hermione
Later that night Hermione was even more surprised by the response Stephanie gave to her story.
But, he wasn’t a Death Eater. He wasn’t in league with the Dark Lord. Why would he do that?
Note: I hope you enjoyed Chapter 5. I encourage you to Please leave feedback HERE. The idea of the diary, though similar to Riddle's diary in Book 2, was borrowed form a fanfic entitled "HP and the Veil of Mystery." I like to give credit where it is due.
Chapter Six: Stephanie's New Task will be up soon!
Chapter Six: Stephanie’s Next Task
Stephanie had resumed her Defense Against The Dark Arts lessons with Professor Snape the following week. It had been awkward at first, since it had been over two weeks since their last session. She was happy that Snape had not mentioned her little outburst.
Every attempt that Snape made to penetrate her mind, Stephanie blocked perfectly. He decided to move on to blocking or modifying specific memories. She was to allow him into her mind and attempt to provide false images. She wasn’t able to do this successfully at all, though she hadn’t been too frustrated. It had taken her almost nine months to get this far in Occlumency; she knew it would come.
Professor Snape had taught her several hexes and a protection shield that could block a majority of spells. He had decided to move onto patronuses because she may need to defend against dementors, since Lord Voldemort had chosen to utilize them the last time he had been in power. She found this very difficult because she had experienced very few happy memories.
The memory that had provided the most results was her meeting Harry in Diagon Alley. She was able to conjure a small puff of light, though she wanted to produce a full fledged patronus. More than the patronus itself, she was curious to see what shape it would become.
At the end of the lesson, she had decided to ask Snape a personal question. “Sir, you knew my parents, right?”
“I did.” He answered. He knew where this was leading and he didn’t like it.
“Can you tell me about them?” She was really interested in his perspective.
He couldn’t stand James Potter. He and his friends had been arrogant bullies; they thought they were so much better than the rest of the school. As much as he took his hatred of James Potter out on Harry, he couldn’t hurt Stephanie like that. He couldn’t disclose such information to the person who reminded him so much of Lily.
“You’re mother treated me with the kindness and respect that few others did. She had been a close friend in my younger years, though we ended up growing apart. Lily Potter would do anything for those she loved; and she did. She died so the Dark Lord would spare Harry. That is all I can say for now.” He didn’t want to tell Stephanie that he had loved Lily Evans. He had loved her more than anyone knew; he still loved her.
Stephanie nodded, she knew the conversation was over. “Thank you.”
Dobby appeared and returned her to the Malfoy manor.
*~*~*~*
That summer had been pretty ordinary. The event that Mr. Malfoy had been planning was nearing, she could tell. The Death Eaters had been meeting at the manor more frequently and Mr. Malfoy had been in higher spirits than she had seen him in a long time. He even smirked at her once in awhile; it wasn’t a smile per se, but it was close.
Draco had been home a good majority of the time, but he had not been allowed to participate in his father’s meetings either. He pretty much left her to the chores, though a couple of times a week he called her in order to practice his nonverbal spells. They weren’t too bad, at least compared to what it could have been like. He was pretty much just perfecting random hexes and jinxes. Though, he was getting really good at the nonverbal aspect of the spell casting. Other than that, she tried to avoid him at all costs and these attempts had been pretty successful.
She had continued her lessons with Snape. She still couldn’t put up that wall to block certain images from Snape and it didn’t appear she was getting better. Snape kept reminding her that she needed to remain focused, but she found it very difficult to do that. She just hoped that she would never have to actually rely on the ability to do so.
Her communications with Hermione had been the highlight of each day. There had been one night in August they sat up discussing so many different things. It had been fantastic.
*~*~*~*
Two days later she was folding the clothes she had just taken out of the dryer when her arm began to burn. She got up and went to find Mr. Malfoy and she found him in his den looking at some papers. He looked up as she walked in.
“Yes, sir?” She asked after she had bowed to him.
“You have forty-five minutes to make sure Draco’s and my things are packed for the Quidditch World Cup. You need to be packed as well, since you will be accompanying us.” She looked at him with a puzzled look. Did he just say that she was to go with them? This had never happened before.
“Sir?” she asked. She had to have misheard him.
“What?” He snapped.
“I am going with you?” she said in shock.
“That is what I said.” She couldn’t believe it and she couldn’t help herself. She accidentally let herself smile.
“Oh, dear girl. You will not be attending the match. There are many things I will need you to do at our place of lodging. However, we may allow you to participate in the festivities afterwards.” He had a knowing grin on his face, though she couldn’t figure out what it meant. “Now, go pack.”
She nodded and bowed as she left the room. She quickly ran up to Mr. Malfoy’s bedroom to pack his clothes. It took her about fifteen minutes to pack all of his things so they would not wrinkle. Then, she went into Draco’s room and did the same. Finally, with fifteen minutes to go, she rushed to her room to pack her things. As she was packing, she realized how lucky she was at how many nice clothes she had. They weren’t fancy or anything, but they definitely weren’t rags either. That was the one thing they had allowed her the luxury to have. Mr. Malfoy had always felt that impressions were truly important; he would not allow his servant to dress like a pauper.
She picked up her diary and thought for a moment. She didn’t dare bring it as there may not be any place to hide it. She put it in its spot behind the shelving unit. As she zipped up her bag, the realization of what was happening hit her. She made sure the no one was near her room and she shut the door. She tapped her pendant twice and said, “Dumbledore.” She waited in silence for close to a minute without a response. Oh no, she thought. I can’t wait for an answer. She tapped the pendant two more times and said, “Snape.” No answer. What am I going to do? This is an emergency.
Calm down, she thought. She still had two people that could answer their pendants. She tapped it twice and said, “McGonagall.” The professor responded after about 15 seconds.
“Yes, Stephanie?” McGonagall asked.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Stephanie rushed. “They are going to attack the Quidditch World Cup!”
“Are you sure?” McGonagall asked, surprised.
“Absolutely. They are taking me to the match, though I’m not going to be allowed to watch it. He said that I would participate in the festivities afterwards! They are going to attack, and they are going to make me help!” What was she going to do? She couldn’t hurt anyone! She couldn’t watch anyone get hurt.
“Calm down, Stephanie. I will let Kingsley know and he will make sure security is tightened. It is important for you to do as Lucius orders. I doubt he will have you do anything too important, since he believes that you do not know how to do magic.” McGonagall did have a point.
Stephanie then heard someone on the stairs. She whispered, “I have to go. Please tell Professor Snape I can’t do lessons while I’m at the match.” She closed the connection just as her door opened.
“It’s time to go. Father tells me that you are coming with us. Now, come help me carry my things,” Draco spat at her. They walked up the stairs and Mr. Malfoy disapparated them to the Quidditch World Cup grounds.
Stephanie hurried to keep up with the Malfoy men while she was carrying three bags of luggage. She couldn’t help but be amazed at the sights. There were so many people and vendors selling everything from candy and team memorabilia to omnioculars. She wished she could go and look around, but knew that would never be allowed. They seemed to walk forever before they finally stopped in front of a quaint looking cabin.
“That is where the poor people stay” Mr. Malfoy was telling Draco, “in those tents.”
“Sucks for them,” Draco sneered.
They walked inside and it appeared to be a two bedroom flat with a small kitchen and bathroom. She followed Mr. Malfoy into the larger of the bedrooms and she put down the luggage. “This will be my quarters; Draco will be in the other room. You may unpack our things and then begin cooking dinner. There should be food in the kitchen.”
She looked around and wondered where she would be sleeping. “Sir, where would you like me to sleep?” She asked.
“Draco will not be happy about this, but you are to sleep on the floor of his room. Precautions must be taken to make sure you remain in this cabin.” Great, she thought.
“I understand sir. But, I would not run.” She let him know because it was true. She had nowhere to go, even if she had wanted to escape.
He glared at her. “I cannot know that. You are an insolent little girl; you have no respect for what we have done for you. I must take care to protect my property.”
She nodded her understanding and began to unpack his things. Mr. Malfoy went outside and put up a shield surrounding the entire cabin that would prevent her from leaving or opening any of the windows.
Later that evening, Mr. Malfoy and Draco had left her in the cabin while they went and looked around at the vendors. She also figured that they had wanted to meet up with Mr. Malfoy’s friends. Who knew when they would do what they were planning. She just wished there was something she could do to stop it.
She sat in front of the window and looked out at the sights. I am just happy I am not out there, she thought. There were way too many people around for her to be comfortable with. Then, she looked and saw a familiar face. Harry! The two people with him must be Hermione and Ron. So that was what Hermione looks like, she thought. It was nice to finally put a face with the person who she had been communicating with through the diary. Harry was smiling and it looked like they were shopping. She was glad that he seemed to be enjoying himself; he definitely deserved it. Hermione had described Harry’s living situation with his (and hers, though she would rather they weren’t related) aunt and uncle. It was definitely comparable to her own.
She had to resist the urge to signal to them. Not to rescue her, but just so she could talk to them. Then, she noticed Draco walk up to the trio. He was probably bragging about where he got to stay as opposed to the rest of the match attendees. He pointed towards his cabin and she quickly ducked out of sight. She hoped that Draco hadn’t seen her in the window.
She slowly lifted her head and sighed in relief when she saw Draco continue to talk to the three friends. She did notice that Hermione was looking in her direction and Stephanie thought she saw Hermione send a little wave. She couldn’t be sure, but it was nice to think so. She went back to the kitchen and found something to keep her busy.
*~*~*~*
The evening the match had ended brought a lot of celebration. She could hear loud cheering and yelling of those who had been supporting the winning team; she did not know nor did she care which team had won.
She was washing dishes when Mr. Malfoy sent Draco out of the cabin. He walked up to her with robes in his hand. “We are going to have some fun. Put this on, they are Death Eater robes. You will walk in front of me at all times; you try to run and I will kill you immediately. Starting now, you are not allowed to speak and that includes asking any questions. You say anything or signal to anyone and I will kill you. Do you understand?”
She nodded. She followed his instructions and put on the robes. Her mind was flying. He wants me out in public? What? He must know I’ll be recognized! she thought. Mr. Malfoy grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the cabin.
They walked to a clearing where there were about a half dozen people in their Death Eater robes. They nodded when they saw Mr. Malfoy and he finally let go of her arm. They all, including Mr. Malfoy, put on their masks and pulled their hoods up. Mr. Malfoy yanked her hood up as well, but she knew her face was still visible.
Stephanie hadn’t noticed the muggle family that was being held captive nearby, but she did now. They were magically hoisted into the air and the group began to walk. She was placed in front of Mr. Malfoy but behind several other individuals. She was scared, she had no idea what to do; although, she knew there was only one option and that was to follow the orders she was given.
The group began to chant something, though she didn’t hear what they were saying. She didn’t want to know. Several of the Death Eaters shot out flames out of their wands and while others sent random curses to wizards nearby. A few were even shooting the Avada Kedavra curse, though no on hit its mark. Pandemonium ensued. People began to scream and run. Everyone panicked. She heard some of the men laugh; they were enjoying this so much.
Stephanie couldn’t figure out why they had wanted her to participate in this attack. It just didn’t make any sense. She was just marching along with the crowd and watching the destruction they were causing. She tuned out what was going on around her; she couldn’t handle what she was witnessing. Stephanie just continued marching. Somehow the muggles had been freed from the wrath of their captors and the Death Eaters scattered. Then, she looked up and saw the Dark Mark in the air.
“Which one of you did that?” Mr. Malfoy whispered.
Those Death Eaters that were still nearby all shook there heads. No one knew who had cast the Dark Mark. Mr. Malfoy grabbed her arm and disapparated the two of them back to the cabin. He removed his robes and mask. Stephanie noticed the look of terror on his face. It disappeared when he noticed Stephanie was looking at him questioningly. Why would the Dark Mark frighten him if he was a Death Eater? she wondered.
“Pack our things while I find Draco. We leave in fifteen minutes.” He said. She complied and a few minutes later they were back at Malfoy manor.
*~*~*~*
A week later, after Draco had returned to Hogwarts, Stephanie walked into the dining room to serve Mr. Malfoy his breakfast. She set down his plate of food after he had put down the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet. She couldn’t move; she was horrified at what she saw.
The headline read:
Underneath was a very large picture of herself dressed in the Death Eater robes at the Quidditch World Cup. Below her picture was the caption:
She looked at Mr. Malfoy who was eyeing her with a huge grin of satisfaction. He had wanted this. The question, Stephanie wondered, was why?
Note: I truly hope you guys are enjoying this story. I'm really sorry, I tried to get Hermione/Steph's communication to a larger size but nothing would work. Please provide any feedback you can spare, HERE. Chapter Seven should be up within the next couple of days.
Stephanie had resumed her Defense Against The Dark Arts lessons with Professor Snape the following week. It had been awkward at first, since it had been over two weeks since their last session. She was happy that Snape had not mentioned her little outburst.
Every attempt that Snape made to penetrate her mind, Stephanie blocked perfectly. He decided to move on to blocking or modifying specific memories. She was to allow him into her mind and attempt to provide false images. She wasn’t able to do this successfully at all, though she hadn’t been too frustrated. It had taken her almost nine months to get this far in Occlumency; she knew it would come.
Professor Snape had taught her several hexes and a protection shield that could block a majority of spells. He had decided to move onto patronuses because she may need to defend against dementors, since Lord Voldemort had chosen to utilize them the last time he had been in power. She found this very difficult because she had experienced very few happy memories.
The memory that had provided the most results was her meeting Harry in Diagon Alley. She was able to conjure a small puff of light, though she wanted to produce a full fledged patronus. More than the patronus itself, she was curious to see what shape it would become.
At the end of the lesson, she had decided to ask Snape a personal question. “Sir, you knew my parents, right?”
“I did.” He answered. He knew where this was leading and he didn’t like it.
“Can you tell me about them?” She was really interested in his perspective.
He couldn’t stand James Potter. He and his friends had been arrogant bullies; they thought they were so much better than the rest of the school. As much as he took his hatred of James Potter out on Harry, he couldn’t hurt Stephanie like that. He couldn’t disclose such information to the person who reminded him so much of Lily.
“You’re mother treated me with the kindness and respect that few others did. She had been a close friend in my younger years, though we ended up growing apart. Lily Potter would do anything for those she loved; and she did. She died so the Dark Lord would spare Harry. That is all I can say for now.” He didn’t want to tell Stephanie that he had loved Lily Evans. He had loved her more than anyone knew; he still loved her.
Stephanie nodded, she knew the conversation was over. “Thank you.”
Dobby appeared and returned her to the Malfoy manor.
*~*~*~*
That summer had been pretty ordinary. The event that Mr. Malfoy had been planning was nearing, she could tell. The Death Eaters had been meeting at the manor more frequently and Mr. Malfoy had been in higher spirits than she had seen him in a long time. He even smirked at her once in awhile; it wasn’t a smile per se, but it was close.
Draco had been home a good majority of the time, but he had not been allowed to participate in his father’s meetings either. He pretty much left her to the chores, though a couple of times a week he called her in order to practice his nonverbal spells. They weren’t too bad, at least compared to what it could have been like. He was pretty much just perfecting random hexes and jinxes. Though, he was getting really good at the nonverbal aspect of the spell casting. Other than that, she tried to avoid him at all costs and these attempts had been pretty successful.
She had continued her lessons with Snape. She still couldn’t put up that wall to block certain images from Snape and it didn’t appear she was getting better. Snape kept reminding her that she needed to remain focused, but she found it very difficult to do that. She just hoped that she would never have to actually rely on the ability to do so.
Her communications with Hermione had been the highlight of each day. There had been one night in August they sat up discussing so many different things. It had been fantastic.
Did I tell you that Dumbledore let me try the Sorting Hat on so I could see which House I would be in if I had been able to go to Hogwarts? ~Steph
~
No. What did it say? –H
~
It actually said that I could be in any of the Houses. However, it said that it had the same difficulty in placing me as it did with Harry. Guess which Houses? ~Steph
~
Ha! Slytherin and Gryffindor. It didn’t place you in Slytherin, did it? –H
~
No. It said that it had never seen such ambition to prove themselves in anyone before. Surprisingly, it could tell that I was afraid of being placed in Slytherin. It said that the House doesn’t make the dark wizard, the choices that person makes defines the dark wizard. I was actually surprised that it placed me in Gryffindor. I couldn’t believe it thought that I had unmatched courage. ~Steph
~
That is cool. I’m so happy you would have been in Gryffindor! Harry would be proud of you. And about your courage, I don’t know. I wouldn’t be able to do what you have done. To tell you the truth, I really admire you for living with Draco. –H
~
Well, I don’t feel like it sometimes. ~Steph
~
We all feel that way sometimes. Everyone has their own insecurities; you are not unique in that way. It is just pronounced for you because of what you have been through. You have to understand that you are special and that you have people that care about you. Stephanie, you deserve that. Don’t let the Malfoys let you believe anything different. –H
~
I don’t know how to respond to that because it is really hard for me to believe that. My mind knows that you are right, but I just can’t get my heart to believe it. ~Steph
~
Just remind yourself of what I have told you. It will take time, but I’m sure you can learn to live with it. –H
~
I’ll try. You know, I just fear that I’m not going to survive this. I am doing what I can to help Dumbledore and Harry. But I have this deep feeling that there is no use in thinking otherwise. Is it horrible to think that? ~Steph
~
Absolutely not. You had been in such a hopeless situation for so long, it is hard to think otherwise. You know you could always leave, but you choose to stay. That is amazing. To tell you the truth, I honestly don’t think Dumbledore would let you stay there if he thought there was a chance they would kill you. –H
~
Hermione, he doesn’t realize how horrible it is. I don’t want him to know because I don’t want him to pull me out of there. There is so much good that I can do from inside that house. Although, I do fear that if I disappoint Dumbledore, McGonagall, or Snape that they will either pull me or leave me there forever. If they take me out of there, I would have nowhere to go and no opportunity for a future. If they leave me there without their help, I know one of the Malfoys will eventually kill me. ~Steph
~
Oh, Stephanie. I am so sorry you have to do this on your own. You know that I would be there for you if I could. I know that they would want me to tell you that they would never, ever do anything like that. They may remove you from that home, but they would take care of you. It may be too dangerous for you to attend Hogwarts, but they would provide you with a place to stay and an opportunity for employment. They would teach you themselves what you needed to learn. They would make sure you could do whatever you wanted to do. They care about you. Most importantly, they would pull you out of there before they left you there to die. That, I know for sure, would never happen. –H
~
How can you be so sure? How can you truly trust anybody? I mean, look at the Malfoys. I am punished for the smallest thing, such as looking one of them in the eye. It is just so hard to believe that someone could look out for me. ~Steph
~
Dumbledore would never do that, I guarantee that. You have to believe me. I don’t know what else I can say. –H
~
Hermione, if I tell you something would you promise not to share it with anyone else? Including McGonagall or Dumbledore? ~Steph
~
I promise. Everything you say here is confidential. –H
~
There was one time that I thought Draco was going to kill me. It was two in the morning and I hadn’t slept for two days when he had requested that I shine his shoes and iron his suits. I had had it and threw myself at his feet and begged him to let me do it in the morning. He had been upset that I had questioned him and put my needs above his. The next day, he used the Cruciatus Curse longer than I have ever endured it. He did it three times and then beat me to a pulp with furniture and pots. Then, he dragged me to the mirror and made me look at myself. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, was look in that mirror. ~Steph
~
Oh, honey. I never knew exactly how evil Draco is. Please don’t think that you deserve that treatment. You do not. No one deserves that, no matter what they have done; not even those Death Eaters. Please try to remember that. –H
~
I keep telling myself that. We’ll see if in time I can believe that. ~Steph
~
Oh, and speaking about Death Eaters, did I tell you that Sirius Black didn’t kill Peter Pettigrew? –H
~
WHAT?!? Why was he trying to kill Harry, then? ~Steph
~
I guess he wasn’t trying to kill Harry. He was trying to kill Ron’s rat….who was Peter Pettigrew. Harry tried to take Pettigrew to the Ministry so Sirius could be free, but he escaped. Sirius is on the run with the hippogriff that Draco and his father had wanted to be executed. –H
~
Wow. That explains things. So, he’s not a killer? ~Steph
~
No. –H
~
That makes me feel better. Maybe one day I’ll get to meet him, since he is my Godfather. Somehow, I think Dumbledore knew that Sirius was innocent. I wonder if he’ll tell Sirius about me. ~Steph
~
He probably did, but I’m not sure about him telling Sirius. You could ask him. –H
~
I’ll have to. Maybe I should have Dumbledore tell him. He would want to know. Now, to change the subject, I have a question for you. What do you want to do when you are done with your studies at Hogwarts? ~Steph
~
That is a good question. I haven’t really thought about it, I still have four years left. Maybe something to do with ethical treatment of magical creatures or teach at Hogwarts. It would be fabulous to work alongside Professor McGonagall; I just admire her. I can almost guarantee that you will not be at the Malfoy’s forever; what would you like to do when you get out of there? –H
~
I have been thinking about that for a long time now. It’s crazy that I want to do this because my magical skills are so horrible. But I would absolutely love to be an Auror and help catch dark wizards like those that have held me captive for so long. I think I could be good at it too, since I have lived with dark wizards and seen what they are capable of. I just don’t think I would ever be accepted, since I haven’t had any of the classes that they require. ~Steph
~
You know what, I’ll tell you something. I don’t have much influence, but I will do all in my power to make sure you become an Auror. I will train you myself for as long as it takes so you could pass your O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. You deserve it. –H
~
I wouldn’t expect you to do that. But thank you for the offer. ~Steph
~
I will make sure it will happen. I’m at the Weasley’s now and Harry is coming over tomorrow! We are leaving the day after that for the Quidditch World Cup. Even though I don’t like Quidditch, I really am excited. –H
~
Wow, that’s cool. Mr. Malfoy and Draco are going as well. They have seats in the Minister’s box. It’s all Draco’s been talking about for weeks. It’ll be nice for me because they will be gone for as long as the match lasts. It’ll be like a vacation! ~Steph
~
I wish you could come, but I know you can’t. I’m just happy that you will get a nice reprieve away from them. –H
~
Don’t worry about it. I’m not sure I would want to be around that many people anyway; I am horrible at being in crowds. I have a hard time with just Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape. It’ll be good and I really hope you guys have fun. ~Steph
~
Anyway, I should probably get to bed as I know you should as well. We don’t want you to oversleep. It has been great to do this. I want you to remember that we all care about you. Even those that don’t know about you; I know that Harry would tell you to keep your chin up. Good night. –H
~
Thank you, Hermione. You really do make me feel so much better. Good night. ~Steph
~
No. What did it say? –H
~
It actually said that I could be in any of the Houses. However, it said that it had the same difficulty in placing me as it did with Harry. Guess which Houses? ~Steph
~
Ha! Slytherin and Gryffindor. It didn’t place you in Slytherin, did it? –H
~
No. It said that it had never seen such ambition to prove themselves in anyone before. Surprisingly, it could tell that I was afraid of being placed in Slytherin. It said that the House doesn’t make the dark wizard, the choices that person makes defines the dark wizard. I was actually surprised that it placed me in Gryffindor. I couldn’t believe it thought that I had unmatched courage. ~Steph
~
That is cool. I’m so happy you would have been in Gryffindor! Harry would be proud of you. And about your courage, I don’t know. I wouldn’t be able to do what you have done. To tell you the truth, I really admire you for living with Draco. –H
~
Well, I don’t feel like it sometimes. ~Steph
~
We all feel that way sometimes. Everyone has their own insecurities; you are not unique in that way. It is just pronounced for you because of what you have been through. You have to understand that you are special and that you have people that care about you. Stephanie, you deserve that. Don’t let the Malfoys let you believe anything different. –H
~
I don’t know how to respond to that because it is really hard for me to believe that. My mind knows that you are right, but I just can’t get my heart to believe it. ~Steph
~
Just remind yourself of what I have told you. It will take time, but I’m sure you can learn to live with it. –H
~
I’ll try. You know, I just fear that I’m not going to survive this. I am doing what I can to help Dumbledore and Harry. But I have this deep feeling that there is no use in thinking otherwise. Is it horrible to think that? ~Steph
~
Absolutely not. You had been in such a hopeless situation for so long, it is hard to think otherwise. You know you could always leave, but you choose to stay. That is amazing. To tell you the truth, I honestly don’t think Dumbledore would let you stay there if he thought there was a chance they would kill you. –H
~
Hermione, he doesn’t realize how horrible it is. I don’t want him to know because I don’t want him to pull me out of there. There is so much good that I can do from inside that house. Although, I do fear that if I disappoint Dumbledore, McGonagall, or Snape that they will either pull me or leave me there forever. If they take me out of there, I would have nowhere to go and no opportunity for a future. If they leave me there without their help, I know one of the Malfoys will eventually kill me. ~Steph
~
Oh, Stephanie. I am so sorry you have to do this on your own. You know that I would be there for you if I could. I know that they would want me to tell you that they would never, ever do anything like that. They may remove you from that home, but they would take care of you. It may be too dangerous for you to attend Hogwarts, but they would provide you with a place to stay and an opportunity for employment. They would teach you themselves what you needed to learn. They would make sure you could do whatever you wanted to do. They care about you. Most importantly, they would pull you out of there before they left you there to die. That, I know for sure, would never happen. –H
~
How can you be so sure? How can you truly trust anybody? I mean, look at the Malfoys. I am punished for the smallest thing, such as looking one of them in the eye. It is just so hard to believe that someone could look out for me. ~Steph
~
Dumbledore would never do that, I guarantee that. You have to believe me. I don’t know what else I can say. –H
~
Hermione, if I tell you something would you promise not to share it with anyone else? Including McGonagall or Dumbledore? ~Steph
~
I promise. Everything you say here is confidential. –H
~
There was one time that I thought Draco was going to kill me. It was two in the morning and I hadn’t slept for two days when he had requested that I shine his shoes and iron his suits. I had had it and threw myself at his feet and begged him to let me do it in the morning. He had been upset that I had questioned him and put my needs above his. The next day, he used the Cruciatus Curse longer than I have ever endured it. He did it three times and then beat me to a pulp with furniture and pots. Then, he dragged me to the mirror and made me look at myself. That was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, was look in that mirror. ~Steph
~
Oh, honey. I never knew exactly how evil Draco is. Please don’t think that you deserve that treatment. You do not. No one deserves that, no matter what they have done; not even those Death Eaters. Please try to remember that. –H
~
I keep telling myself that. We’ll see if in time I can believe that. ~Steph
~
Oh, and speaking about Death Eaters, did I tell you that Sirius Black didn’t kill Peter Pettigrew? –H
~
WHAT?!? Why was he trying to kill Harry, then? ~Steph
~
I guess he wasn’t trying to kill Harry. He was trying to kill Ron’s rat….who was Peter Pettigrew. Harry tried to take Pettigrew to the Ministry so Sirius could be free, but he escaped. Sirius is on the run with the hippogriff that Draco and his father had wanted to be executed. –H
~
Wow. That explains things. So, he’s not a killer? ~Steph
~
No. –H
~
That makes me feel better. Maybe one day I’ll get to meet him, since he is my Godfather. Somehow, I think Dumbledore knew that Sirius was innocent. I wonder if he’ll tell Sirius about me. ~Steph
~
He probably did, but I’m not sure about him telling Sirius. You could ask him. –H
~
I’ll have to. Maybe I should have Dumbledore tell him. He would want to know. Now, to change the subject, I have a question for you. What do you want to do when you are done with your studies at Hogwarts? ~Steph
~
That is a good question. I haven’t really thought about it, I still have four years left. Maybe something to do with ethical treatment of magical creatures or teach at Hogwarts. It would be fabulous to work alongside Professor McGonagall; I just admire her. I can almost guarantee that you will not be at the Malfoy’s forever; what would you like to do when you get out of there? –H
~
I have been thinking about that for a long time now. It’s crazy that I want to do this because my magical skills are so horrible. But I would absolutely love to be an Auror and help catch dark wizards like those that have held me captive for so long. I think I could be good at it too, since I have lived with dark wizards and seen what they are capable of. I just don’t think I would ever be accepted, since I haven’t had any of the classes that they require. ~Steph
~
You know what, I’ll tell you something. I don’t have much influence, but I will do all in my power to make sure you become an Auror. I will train you myself for as long as it takes so you could pass your O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s. You deserve it. –H
~
I wouldn’t expect you to do that. But thank you for the offer. ~Steph
~
I will make sure it will happen. I’m at the Weasley’s now and Harry is coming over tomorrow! We are leaving the day after that for the Quidditch World Cup. Even though I don’t like Quidditch, I really am excited. –H
~
Wow, that’s cool. Mr. Malfoy and Draco are going as well. They have seats in the Minister’s box. It’s all Draco’s been talking about for weeks. It’ll be nice for me because they will be gone for as long as the match lasts. It’ll be like a vacation! ~Steph
~
I wish you could come, but I know you can’t. I’m just happy that you will get a nice reprieve away from them. –H
~
Don’t worry about it. I’m not sure I would want to be around that many people anyway; I am horrible at being in crowds. I have a hard time with just Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape. It’ll be good and I really hope you guys have fun. ~Steph
~
Anyway, I should probably get to bed as I know you should as well. We don’t want you to oversleep. It has been great to do this. I want you to remember that we all care about you. Even those that don’t know about you; I know that Harry would tell you to keep your chin up. Good night. –H
~
Thank you, Hermione. You really do make me feel so much better. Good night. ~Steph
*~*~*~*
Two days later she was folding the clothes she had just taken out of the dryer when her arm began to burn. She got up and went to find Mr. Malfoy and she found him in his den looking at some papers. He looked up as she walked in.
“Yes, sir?” She asked after she had bowed to him.
“You have forty-five minutes to make sure Draco’s and my things are packed for the Quidditch World Cup. You need to be packed as well, since you will be accompanying us.” She looked at him with a puzzled look. Did he just say that she was to go with them? This had never happened before.
“Sir?” she asked. She had to have misheard him.
“What?” He snapped.
“I am going with you?” she said in shock.
“That is what I said.” She couldn’t believe it and she couldn’t help herself. She accidentally let herself smile.
“Oh, dear girl. You will not be attending the match. There are many things I will need you to do at our place of lodging. However, we may allow you to participate in the festivities afterwards.” He had a knowing grin on his face, though she couldn’t figure out what it meant. “Now, go pack.”
She nodded and bowed as she left the room. She quickly ran up to Mr. Malfoy’s bedroom to pack his clothes. It took her about fifteen minutes to pack all of his things so they would not wrinkle. Then, she went into Draco’s room and did the same. Finally, with fifteen minutes to go, she rushed to her room to pack her things. As she was packing, she realized how lucky she was at how many nice clothes she had. They weren’t fancy or anything, but they definitely weren’t rags either. That was the one thing they had allowed her the luxury to have. Mr. Malfoy had always felt that impressions were truly important; he would not allow his servant to dress like a pauper.
She picked up her diary and thought for a moment. She didn’t dare bring it as there may not be any place to hide it. She put it in its spot behind the shelving unit. As she zipped up her bag, the realization of what was happening hit her. She made sure the no one was near her room and she shut the door. She tapped her pendant twice and said, “Dumbledore.” She waited in silence for close to a minute without a response. Oh no, she thought. I can’t wait for an answer. She tapped the pendant two more times and said, “Snape.” No answer. What am I going to do? This is an emergency.
Calm down, she thought. She still had two people that could answer their pendants. She tapped it twice and said, “McGonagall.” The professor responded after about 15 seconds.
“Yes, Stephanie?” McGonagall asked.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Stephanie rushed. “They are going to attack the Quidditch World Cup!”
“Are you sure?” McGonagall asked, surprised.
“Absolutely. They are taking me to the match, though I’m not going to be allowed to watch it. He said that I would participate in the festivities afterwards! They are going to attack, and they are going to make me help!” What was she going to do? She couldn’t hurt anyone! She couldn’t watch anyone get hurt.
“Calm down, Stephanie. I will let Kingsley know and he will make sure security is tightened. It is important for you to do as Lucius orders. I doubt he will have you do anything too important, since he believes that you do not know how to do magic.” McGonagall did have a point.
Stephanie then heard someone on the stairs. She whispered, “I have to go. Please tell Professor Snape I can’t do lessons while I’m at the match.” She closed the connection just as her door opened.
“It’s time to go. Father tells me that you are coming with us. Now, come help me carry my things,” Draco spat at her. They walked up the stairs and Mr. Malfoy disapparated them to the Quidditch World Cup grounds.
Stephanie hurried to keep up with the Malfoy men while she was carrying three bags of luggage. She couldn’t help but be amazed at the sights. There were so many people and vendors selling everything from candy and team memorabilia to omnioculars. She wished she could go and look around, but knew that would never be allowed. They seemed to walk forever before they finally stopped in front of a quaint looking cabin.
“That is where the poor people stay” Mr. Malfoy was telling Draco, “in those tents.”
“Sucks for them,” Draco sneered.
They walked inside and it appeared to be a two bedroom flat with a small kitchen and bathroom. She followed Mr. Malfoy into the larger of the bedrooms and she put down the luggage. “This will be my quarters; Draco will be in the other room. You may unpack our things and then begin cooking dinner. There should be food in the kitchen.”
She looked around and wondered where she would be sleeping. “Sir, where would you like me to sleep?” She asked.
“Draco will not be happy about this, but you are to sleep on the floor of his room. Precautions must be taken to make sure you remain in this cabin.” Great, she thought.
“I understand sir. But, I would not run.” She let him know because it was true. She had nowhere to go, even if she had wanted to escape.
He glared at her. “I cannot know that. You are an insolent little girl; you have no respect for what we have done for you. I must take care to protect my property.”
She nodded her understanding and began to unpack his things. Mr. Malfoy went outside and put up a shield surrounding the entire cabin that would prevent her from leaving or opening any of the windows.
Later that evening, Mr. Malfoy and Draco had left her in the cabin while they went and looked around at the vendors. She also figured that they had wanted to meet up with Mr. Malfoy’s friends. Who knew when they would do what they were planning. She just wished there was something she could do to stop it.
She sat in front of the window and looked out at the sights. I am just happy I am not out there, she thought. There were way too many people around for her to be comfortable with. Then, she looked and saw a familiar face. Harry! The two people with him must be Hermione and Ron. So that was what Hermione looks like, she thought. It was nice to finally put a face with the person who she had been communicating with through the diary. Harry was smiling and it looked like they were shopping. She was glad that he seemed to be enjoying himself; he definitely deserved it. Hermione had described Harry’s living situation with his (and hers, though she would rather they weren’t related) aunt and uncle. It was definitely comparable to her own.
She had to resist the urge to signal to them. Not to rescue her, but just so she could talk to them. Then, she noticed Draco walk up to the trio. He was probably bragging about where he got to stay as opposed to the rest of the match attendees. He pointed towards his cabin and she quickly ducked out of sight. She hoped that Draco hadn’t seen her in the window.
She slowly lifted her head and sighed in relief when she saw Draco continue to talk to the three friends. She did notice that Hermione was looking in her direction and Stephanie thought she saw Hermione send a little wave. She couldn’t be sure, but it was nice to think so. She went back to the kitchen and found something to keep her busy.
*~*~*~*
The evening the match had ended brought a lot of celebration. She could hear loud cheering and yelling of those who had been supporting the winning team; she did not know nor did she care which team had won.
She was washing dishes when Mr. Malfoy sent Draco out of the cabin. He walked up to her with robes in his hand. “We are going to have some fun. Put this on, they are Death Eater robes. You will walk in front of me at all times; you try to run and I will kill you immediately. Starting now, you are not allowed to speak and that includes asking any questions. You say anything or signal to anyone and I will kill you. Do you understand?”
She nodded. She followed his instructions and put on the robes. Her mind was flying. He wants me out in public? What? He must know I’ll be recognized! she thought. Mr. Malfoy grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the cabin.
They walked to a clearing where there were about a half dozen people in their Death Eater robes. They nodded when they saw Mr. Malfoy and he finally let go of her arm. They all, including Mr. Malfoy, put on their masks and pulled their hoods up. Mr. Malfoy yanked her hood up as well, but she knew her face was still visible.
Stephanie hadn’t noticed the muggle family that was being held captive nearby, but she did now. They were magically hoisted into the air and the group began to walk. She was placed in front of Mr. Malfoy but behind several other individuals. She was scared, she had no idea what to do; although, she knew there was only one option and that was to follow the orders she was given.
The group began to chant something, though she didn’t hear what they were saying. She didn’t want to know. Several of the Death Eaters shot out flames out of their wands and while others sent random curses to wizards nearby. A few were even shooting the Avada Kedavra curse, though no on hit its mark. Pandemonium ensued. People began to scream and run. Everyone panicked. She heard some of the men laugh; they were enjoying this so much.
Stephanie couldn’t figure out why they had wanted her to participate in this attack. It just didn’t make any sense. She was just marching along with the crowd and watching the destruction they were causing. She tuned out what was going on around her; she couldn’t handle what she was witnessing. Stephanie just continued marching. Somehow the muggles had been freed from the wrath of their captors and the Death Eaters scattered. Then, she looked up and saw the Dark Mark in the air.
“Which one of you did that?” Mr. Malfoy whispered.
Those Death Eaters that were still nearby all shook there heads. No one knew who had cast the Dark Mark. Mr. Malfoy grabbed her arm and disapparated the two of them back to the cabin. He removed his robes and mask. Stephanie noticed the look of terror on his face. It disappeared when he noticed Stephanie was looking at him questioningly. Why would the Dark Mark frighten him if he was a Death Eater? she wondered.
“Pack our things while I find Draco. We leave in fifteen minutes.” He said. She complied and a few minutes later they were back at Malfoy manor.
*~*~*~*
A week later, after Draco had returned to Hogwarts, Stephanie walked into the dining room to serve Mr. Malfoy his breakfast. She set down his plate of food after he had put down the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet. She couldn’t move; she was horrified at what she saw.
The headline read:
Ministry Still Working to Identify Unknown Girl.
Underneath was a very large picture of herself dressed in the Death Eater robes at the Quidditch World Cup. Below her picture was the caption:
Unmasked teenage girl works with Death Eaters to cause terror and destruction at last week’s Quidditch World Cup.
She looked at Mr. Malfoy who was eyeing her with a huge grin of satisfaction. He had wanted this. The question, Stephanie wondered, was why?
Note: I truly hope you guys are enjoying this story. I'm really sorry, I tried to get Hermione/Steph's communication to a larger size but nothing would work. Please provide any feedback you can spare, HERE. Chapter Seven should be up within the next couple of days.
Chapter Seven: The Daily Prophet
A tan colored owl flew over the Gryffindor table and dropped the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet into a bowl of eggs. Hermione picked it up with interest to see what else the paper could talk about related to the events at the Quidditch World Cup. Every day for a week it had been the headline, and they were no closer to catching the person who had cast the Dark Mark.
When she saw the front page of the paper, she gasped and tried to hide it from the others. It was too late, however, because Harry, Ron, and Neville had seen her. Ron grabbed the paper and set it down on the table.
“What’s it say?” Neville asked as they all looked at it.
“Give it back!” Hermione cried.
“Oh my goodness! That’s her!” Harry said in a loud whisper, pointing at the picture.
“’oo? ‘Oo is it?” Ron asked with a mouthful of food.
Harry looked around to make sure they were out of earshot of anyone else. “Do you remember that girl I saw with Draco in Diagon Alley last summer? That’s her!”
“No way!” Ron breathed.
“Read the article!” Neville said. Harry read it aloud.
Harry stopped reading and couldn’t believe it. He was fuming. How could she be a Death Eater? If she wasn’t one, how could she help them? She looked so innocent when he had seen her in Diagon Alley. He felt so stupid to have been fooled like that.
“I don’t believe this.” He told the others.
Neville had a look of confusion on his face. “How do you know her, Harry?”
Harry wasn’t sure he wanted to explain it, but decided he now had no choice. He quietly explained what had happened the previous summer.
“Wow, I don’t believe this.” Neville said.
“Neville, you cannot tell anyone about this.” Hermione said.
“Of course. But what do we do about Draco? If this girl was with him in Diagon Alley, wouldn’t that mean Draco and his father had been part of the attack?” Neville responded.
Hermione thought that Neville was much brighter than she had ever given him credit for. This is not good, she pondered; another person who knows about Stephanie causes her even more danger.
“Nothing. Harry, you need to go to Professor Dumbledore with this. He’ll know what’s going on and what to do.” Hermione told Harry. She was concerned about Stephanie; Hermione had not known that Stephanie had participated in the attack. It made her even more nervous than she had been because Stephanie hadn’t responded to any messages in the diary since before the Quidditch World Cup. Professor Dumbledore would talk to Stephanie, Hermione was sure of it.
“You’re right. I’ll go to him after my classes this afternoon.” Harry told her.
*~*~*~*
Harry stormed up to Professor Dumbledore’s office after providing the gargoyle guarding the door with the password: Candy Corn. He then pounded on the door. Harry heard the professor call, “Come in.”
He opened the door and walked into the headmaster’s office. Dumbledore was just finishing a conversation with Professor McGonagall. “She’ll be fine, Minerva. She just needs some time to work things out for herself. We just need to give her a little break and get back to things when she is ready.”
McGonagall nodded and looked at Harry. “Mr. Potter, you do not need to pound on the door. A light knock will suffice next time.”
“Yes, professor.” He said to her. She smiled at him and then left the headmaster’s office.
“How may I help you, Harry?” Dumbledore asked him and gestured for Harry to have a seat in the oversized chair next to the desk.
He pulled the article that had been in the Daily Prophet that morning out of his pocket. Harry unfolded the paper and placed it on Dumbledore’s desk. “Why didn’t you tell me she was a Death Eater?” He was infuriated that he had been so concerned about her safety.
“Harry, this girl is not a Death Eater.” Dumbledore told him solemnly. “I cannot tell you too much information but you do have the right to know this much. We believe that she was forced to participate in the attack, but I cannot tell you the reason for this. Those of us who know this girl can only assume what the motive behind such a decision would be.”
Harry was not convinced. “But she’s in Death Eater robes! How can you know she didn’t want to be a part of it?”
“I am sorry, Harry. For the safety of many others, not only this girl’s, I cannot share that information. If it is any consolation for you, I do know that she is suffering for what she has done.” Dumbledore contemplated for a moment. “I must ask you this question and please think about it carefully before you answer.”
Harry conceded. “Okay.”
“Why do you think this girl, the only among the Death Eaters, had no mask?” Dumbledore was curious to see how Harry would respond to the question.
Harry thought about it for a moment and then spoke aloud. “Well, it could be like Mr. Malfoy says in the article. She could be pretty stupid. Or,” he paused. “Let’s say that you are right that she was made to do this against her will. I guess, someone wanted her to be seen?”
“Very good, Harry. Now, I apologize, but that is all I can share.” Dumbledore told Harry.
“But-” Harry began and Dumbledore interrupted.
“There is no more to say. Just remember that this girl is in safe hands because of what you did for her last summer. I must tell you that she appreciated what you did for her, and she has not forgotten your kindness and concern.” He explained to Harry.
“You are absolutely sure that she didn’t want to participate in the attack?” Harry figured that he had to admit that if Dumbledore thought she was innocent, she must be. Harry trusted Dumbledore’s judgment.
“Absolutely.” Dumbledore answered.
“I guess I have to trust you,” Harry told the headmaster.
“Thank you,” Dumbledore was happy Harry understood. “But I must ask you to ignore your urge to speak with Draco regarding this. It could prove to be disastrous if you do so.”
Harry nodded. “Thank you, professor.” He picked the article off the desk and got up to leave.
“You are very welcome, Harry. I just want you to know that you are welcome in my office any time.” Dumbledore told him.
Harry left Dumbledore’s office feeling much better than when he had entered it. He still wasn’t convinced that this girl was innocent, but he would accept that she hadn’t been there by her own free will. He would accept this only because Dumbledore believed it was true. That had to be good enough.
*~*~*~*
Albus sat at his desk, yet again reading the letter that had come shortly after the article about Stephanie had appeared in the Daily Prophet. He had not known how to write a response, but had decided he could put it off no longer. It read:
Albus put down the letter. He had been highly distressed since the Quidditch World Cup because so many awful things had happened to Stephanie and Harry Potter. It was already mid-November and no one had heard from Stephanie since the attack in August. She had responded to each call on her pendant but refused to speak to anyone. He knew she must be struggling with her role in the attack, even though it had been very minimal. Albus knew that physically speaking, Stephanie was alright, but he was still very concerned. In fact, he had scheduled a meeting later that week with Minerva, Severus, and Kingsley to discuss the next step. They could not keep her in the Malfoy home if she refused to speak with anyone.
Harry, as well had been having many difficulties. He had not placed his name in the Goblet, but was still drawn to be an entrant in the tournament. The only individual he could think of who would do such a thing and have access to the Goblet would be Igor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang. However, Albus couldn’t figure out why Igor would do this. Sure, he had been a Death Eater and could have many reasons to kill Harry. Igor, however, had turned on the Death Eaters when he provided the Ministry with Barty Crouch Jr.’s name. He was seen as a traitor and could never hope to return to them. Maybe he was trying to redeem himself, Albus thought.
It was highly unlikely that Igor would risk such a thing. The chances that Harry was to die in this tournament, although the danger was present, were very minimal. In fact, if Igor had wanted Harry dead, there would have been ample time around the castle to make sure the deed had been done.
Albus had to admit that he had been surprised and very proud at how well Harry had done against the dragon. He was sure that someone had tipped Harry off about the dragons, though. Albus knew that the other headmasters were providing their students with information and advice, but he would not do so; he had to stand by his principles.
As much as he liked and admired Harry, Albus had to admit that Harry wasn’t too quick on the uptake at times. There was little chance that Harry had thought to use his broom that quickly on his own. The next two tasks were not too horribly difficult and Albus knew Harry would do very well.
In addition to all of this, Severus’ Dark Mark had begun to darken. They both knew the terrible implications of this; Lord Voldemort’s return was imminent. It was just a matter of when, not if, it would happen. Stephanie must be prepared and she had stopped her lessons with Professor Snape in August. Either she resume the lessons or Albus would be forced to remove her from the situation. She was fourteen years old and in serious danger. She had to learn how to deal with things by asking for help from others.
Albus retrieved his quill and penned a response to Sirius.
*~*~*~*
Wednesday evening Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape and Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt met in Dumbledore’s office.
“Minerva, you met with Hermione a few weeks ago, correct?” Dumbledore began.
“Yes. She was concerned because Stephanie still had not written to her. I requested that Hermione continue to write in the diary on a continuing basis to give Stephanie an opportunity for normalcy and to write back if she so chose.” McGonagall paused. “Why would she cut herself off like this? She had really begun to open up to Hermione. A few days before the attack, she shared her fears with Hermione. Even more, she finally confided in Hermione about something that had happened to her last Christmas.”
“We must assume, then, that the attack has had some profound effect on her. Either she is having difficulty dealing with what happened or she is too scared to make contact for some reason.” Dumbledore contemplated aloud.
“She did not do anything wrong; she was just following orders. The girl has no reason to be suffering.” Professor Snape rationalized. The first time he had ever regretted an action he had done was when Lily Evans had been killed. He could not fathom why Stephanie would be suffering so severely as to withdraw all contact from those that care about her.
McGonagall looked both concerned and amused at Professor Snape’s last comment. “Severus, I dare say that you are not a teenage girl. She has witnessed other people’s suffering, which I feel may be more damaging for her than the treatment she has experienced from Lucius Malfoy.
“She rationalizes the treatment that she has received because she feels that she deserves to be punished. Stephanie feels that her actions prompt the harsh torture she endures. This makes the situation easier for her to deal with rather than thinking that there is nothing that can be done to end her suffering. As I am exploring this possibility, it has occurred to me that perhaps this is part of her unconscious reasons why she has stayed in that home instead of allowing us to rescue her.” McGonagall finished.
“I believe that is a very good analysis of what is going on in Stephanie’s mind, Minerva. I am just guessing, but at the Quidditch World Cup, she saw Death Eaters attacking innocent people; they did not deserve what was happening to them. To make it worse, she was at the center of what was causing the terror. This, in her mind, allowed her to associate that her very presence is what caused such terror.” Dumbledore added.
“However, we will not truly know or be able to understand until she allows us to speak with her.” Dumbledore said and the others agreed. “The question is, how can we help her?”
“Give her an ultimatum.” Snape offered. “We all know what she will choose.”
Kingsley spoke up for the first time that evening, “If she does not contact one of us by the end of the week, I am personally going to the Malfoy manor and remove her by force. She is a danger to herself if she cannot learn how to allow others to help her. This is a risk to many more people than just herself with Voldemort’s return so near.” Snape nodded his agreement.
“Very well. Minerva, could you speak with Hermione and ask her to write to Stephanie in the diary? Tell her that if Stephanie does not meet with us tomorrow evening, Kingsley will be there to pick up Stephanie on Friday afternoon.” Dumbledore felt that this was the only option available. He knew Stephanie would not like this, but he had to begin looking out for her best interests.
*~*~*~*
“Thank you again for meeting with me, Hermione.” McGonagall offered Hermione a seat. After the meeting with the headmaster, McGonagall had called Hermione to her office. This was something that needed to be addressed immediately.
“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked, concerned. She was not accustomed to being summoned by the professor.
McGonagall looked at Hermione solemnly. “Has Stephanie answered any of your diary responses, yet?”
Hermione shook her head. “Do you think she’s alright? I really thought we were making good strides. She was opening up so much.”
“We believe that she is safe; whether or not she is alright is another question.” McGonagall offered seriously.
“Maybe there was something else I could have done to get her to talk to me. Maybe I could have tried harder.” Hermione was in tears and McGonagall offered her some tissues. “Professor, she must feel so alone.”
“I do not think there is more that you could have done than you already did. She just needs to know that we are still there for her, that we still care about her. I called you here this evening to ask you to do something for me. We need you to write a specific message to her.” McGonagall looked at Hermione.
“Whatever it is, I’ll do it. I want to help her.” Hermione sobbed.
“Okay. Please tell Stephanie that if she does not meet with us tomorrow evening, Kingsley will arrive on Friday afternoon to remove her from the manor.” At Hermione’s questioning and shocked look, McGonagall continued. “We feel that there is no other way we can take care of her. She is obviously suffering, and our need to care for her supersedes any use she could be in the future. She needs to heal, even if she does not wish to admit it to herself.”
“What will happen to her if you take her out of the manor?” Hermione asked.
“We have secured housing for her; and then we would work on getting her an education. To be honest, other than that I am not sure. She will be taken care of, though.” McGonagall offered. “She is going to be okay, eventually.”
“Will the truth be released about her participation in the attack at the Quidditch World Cup?” Hermione began, “Or will she have to remain in hiding?”
“I am not sure that decision will be made until Stephanie is safe and out of that household. Regardless of the decision, she will not be going to Azkaban. That is something I am positive about.” McGonagall reassured the crying Hermione.
Hermione nodded, but something else occurred to her. “Professor, what if Stephanie has stopped reading the diary? What if she doesn’t read what I write to her?”
“Then, I guess she will be surprised when Kingsley shows up on Friday.” McGonagall smiled. “Please tell me if she responds to your message. Thank you for doing this.”
“Like I said before, professor. As I would do this for Harry in a heartbeat, I want to do everything I can for Stephanie. She is such a sweetheart and I want to be able to help her.” Hermione said, then got up and walked back to Gryffindor tower.
Ron and Harry were in the common room when she came through the picture of the fat lady. They looked at her concerned. I knew I should have stopped in the bathroom first, Hermione thought.
She tried to walk past them, but they stopped her.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been crying!” Ron said and started rubbing her back.
“Nice observation.” She smiled at her attempt of a joke.
“Seriously, what’s wrong? You were meeting with Professor McGonagall, right?” Harry asked seriously.
“Yes. I’ll be fine.” She tried to assure them that she was alright. Harry wrapped Hermione in a hug. “Thank you, Harry. I think I’m just going to bed.”
Ron was the one to offer his support. “Well, if you need to talk, we’ll be down here for awhile.”
“I’m not the one that needs comforting.” Hermione said under her breath, though Harry and Ron heard her. She nodded as she walked up to her dormitory.
In her room, Hermione sat on her bed and opened the diary. There was still no entry from Stephanie. Hermione flipped through the pages and saw that the last response Stephanie had written was the one right before the Quidditch World Cup. The rest of the pages were filled with two and a half months worth of Hermione’s attempts to get Stephanie to speak with her. She wrote the note McGonagall had asked her to pass along.
When she finished, Hermione closed the diary and got out her textbooks. She needed to take her mind off Stephanie, so she figured she should try and study.
*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were discussing Hermione downstairs.
“What do you think McGonagall told her?” Ron wondered.
“Do you think someone in her family got hurt or died?” Harry asked. Ron shook his head. “She muttered something about she wasn’t the one who needed comforting”.
“I think she would have told us that. Why don’t you think she told us what it was? I mean, she usually tells us everything.” Ron said.
“I don’t know.” Harry couldn’t think of what could have bothered her so much. He tried to make a joke, “Maybe she failed that test.”
Ron smiled. “I don’t think that’s possible. I just wish there was something I could do to comfort her.”
“Let her sleep on it. She’ll be fine in the morning, you’ll see.” Harry reassured his friend.
The two turned conversation over to what their plans were for the holidays while playing a game of exploding snap. A short while later they went to bed.
Note: Here it is. There was so much going on in the chapter that I split it in two. The next chapter should be finished in a day or so. Plese leave feedback here!
A tan colored owl flew over the Gryffindor table and dropped the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet into a bowl of eggs. Hermione picked it up with interest to see what else the paper could talk about related to the events at the Quidditch World Cup. Every day for a week it had been the headline, and they were no closer to catching the person who had cast the Dark Mark.
When she saw the front page of the paper, she gasped and tried to hide it from the others. It was too late, however, because Harry, Ron, and Neville had seen her. Ron grabbed the paper and set it down on the table.
“What’s it say?” Neville asked as they all looked at it.
“Give it back!” Hermione cried.
“Oh my goodness! That’s her!” Harry said in a loud whisper, pointing at the picture.
“’oo? ‘Oo is it?” Ron asked with a mouthful of food.
Harry looked around to make sure they were out of earshot of anyone else. “Do you remember that girl I saw with Draco in Diagon Alley last summer? That’s her!”
“No way!” Ron breathed.
“Read the article!” Neville said. Harry read it aloud.
Ministry Still Working to Identify Unknown Girl
By Rita Skeeter
Unmasked teenage girl works with Death Eaters to cause terror and destruction at last week’s Quidditch World Cup.
This writer is excited to provide exclusive breaking news regarding the events at the Quidditch World Cup last week. It is widely known that Death Eaters had taken the muggle caretakers captive and attacked innocent witches and wizards. One or all of these individuals also cast the Dark Mark above the grounds which caused fear and panic nationwide. What the Ministry has neglected to tell the citizens of Britain is that one of those Death Eaters had been unmasked.
Ministry officials claim that they have not disclosed this information for the safety of Britain’s citizens. They felt that they would find this girl fairly quickly and be able to obtain more information regarding the incident. This, however, has not been the case.
When asked for comment, Minister Fudge would only say that they were close to finding the identity of this girl and that the people of Britain are safe. There is no more threat of danger than there was before last week’s attack. Minister Fudge then referred this reporter to Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt for additional information regarding pubic safety.
Mr. Shacklebolt stated that the Aurors were working very hard to apprehend this girl and anyone else involved in the attack. “We are currently in the process of interviewing anyone who may have information regarding the identities of those involved. We are confident that those responsible will be held accountable.”
When asked what would happen to the girl if she were caught, Mr. Shacklebolt responded, “First, she will be questioned by Ministry officials, then she will be sent to Azkaban.”
Lucius Malfoy, an important Ministry official, was asked about the unmasked girl. “What an idiotic little girl” he scoffed. “Conducting such an attack without her face hidden.” This reporter commented on past allegations that Mr. Malfoy had been a Death Eater prior to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s downfall and he responded with, “That is absurd. I have never been nor will I ever be a Death Eater.”
All that remains to be answered is the question of who this girl is. Someone has to know her identity and location; the Ministry has offered a 1000 Galleon reward for her capture. See page 9 for the latest information regarding the attack at the Quidditch World Cup.
Ministry officials claim that they have not disclosed this information for the safety of Britain’s citizens. They felt that they would find this girl fairly quickly and be able to obtain more information regarding the incident. This, however, has not been the case.
When asked for comment, Minister Fudge would only say that they were close to finding the identity of this girl and that the people of Britain are safe. There is no more threat of danger than there was before last week’s attack. Minister Fudge then referred this reporter to Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt for additional information regarding pubic safety.
Mr. Shacklebolt stated that the Aurors were working very hard to apprehend this girl and anyone else involved in the attack. “We are currently in the process of interviewing anyone who may have information regarding the identities of those involved. We are confident that those responsible will be held accountable.”
When asked what would happen to the girl if she were caught, Mr. Shacklebolt responded, “First, she will be questioned by Ministry officials, then she will be sent to Azkaban.”
Lucius Malfoy, an important Ministry official, was asked about the unmasked girl. “What an idiotic little girl” he scoffed. “Conducting such an attack without her face hidden.” This reporter commented on past allegations that Mr. Malfoy had been a Death Eater prior to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named’s downfall and he responded with, “That is absurd. I have never been nor will I ever be a Death Eater.”
All that remains to be answered is the question of who this girl is. Someone has to know her identity and location; the Ministry has offered a 1000 Galleon reward for her capture. See page 9 for the latest information regarding the attack at the Quidditch World Cup.
Harry stopped reading and couldn’t believe it. He was fuming. How could she be a Death Eater? If she wasn’t one, how could she help them? She looked so innocent when he had seen her in Diagon Alley. He felt so stupid to have been fooled like that.
“I don’t believe this.” He told the others.
Neville had a look of confusion on his face. “How do you know her, Harry?”
Harry wasn’t sure he wanted to explain it, but decided he now had no choice. He quietly explained what had happened the previous summer.
“Wow, I don’t believe this.” Neville said.
“Neville, you cannot tell anyone about this.” Hermione said.
“Of course. But what do we do about Draco? If this girl was with him in Diagon Alley, wouldn’t that mean Draco and his father had been part of the attack?” Neville responded.
Hermione thought that Neville was much brighter than she had ever given him credit for. This is not good, she pondered; another person who knows about Stephanie causes her even more danger.
“Nothing. Harry, you need to go to Professor Dumbledore with this. He’ll know what’s going on and what to do.” Hermione told Harry. She was concerned about Stephanie; Hermione had not known that Stephanie had participated in the attack. It made her even more nervous than she had been because Stephanie hadn’t responded to any messages in the diary since before the Quidditch World Cup. Professor Dumbledore would talk to Stephanie, Hermione was sure of it.
“You’re right. I’ll go to him after my classes this afternoon.” Harry told her.
*~*~*~*
Harry stormed up to Professor Dumbledore’s office after providing the gargoyle guarding the door with the password: Candy Corn. He then pounded on the door. Harry heard the professor call, “Come in.”
He opened the door and walked into the headmaster’s office. Dumbledore was just finishing a conversation with Professor McGonagall. “She’ll be fine, Minerva. She just needs some time to work things out for herself. We just need to give her a little break and get back to things when she is ready.”
McGonagall nodded and looked at Harry. “Mr. Potter, you do not need to pound on the door. A light knock will suffice next time.”
“Yes, professor.” He said to her. She smiled at him and then left the headmaster’s office.
“How may I help you, Harry?” Dumbledore asked him and gestured for Harry to have a seat in the oversized chair next to the desk.
He pulled the article that had been in the Daily Prophet that morning out of his pocket. Harry unfolded the paper and placed it on Dumbledore’s desk. “Why didn’t you tell me she was a Death Eater?” He was infuriated that he had been so concerned about her safety.
“Harry, this girl is not a Death Eater.” Dumbledore told him solemnly. “I cannot tell you too much information but you do have the right to know this much. We believe that she was forced to participate in the attack, but I cannot tell you the reason for this. Those of us who know this girl can only assume what the motive behind such a decision would be.”
Harry was not convinced. “But she’s in Death Eater robes! How can you know she didn’t want to be a part of it?”
“I am sorry, Harry. For the safety of many others, not only this girl’s, I cannot share that information. If it is any consolation for you, I do know that she is suffering for what she has done.” Dumbledore contemplated for a moment. “I must ask you this question and please think about it carefully before you answer.”
Harry conceded. “Okay.”
“Why do you think this girl, the only among the Death Eaters, had no mask?” Dumbledore was curious to see how Harry would respond to the question.
Harry thought about it for a moment and then spoke aloud. “Well, it could be like Mr. Malfoy says in the article. She could be pretty stupid. Or,” he paused. “Let’s say that you are right that she was made to do this against her will. I guess, someone wanted her to be seen?”
“Very good, Harry. Now, I apologize, but that is all I can share.” Dumbledore told Harry.
“But-” Harry began and Dumbledore interrupted.
“There is no more to say. Just remember that this girl is in safe hands because of what you did for her last summer. I must tell you that she appreciated what you did for her, and she has not forgotten your kindness and concern.” He explained to Harry.
“You are absolutely sure that she didn’t want to participate in the attack?” Harry figured that he had to admit that if Dumbledore thought she was innocent, she must be. Harry trusted Dumbledore’s judgment.
“Absolutely.” Dumbledore answered.
“I guess I have to trust you,” Harry told the headmaster.
“Thank you,” Dumbledore was happy Harry understood. “But I must ask you to ignore your urge to speak with Draco regarding this. It could prove to be disastrous if you do so.”
Harry nodded. “Thank you, professor.” He picked the article off the desk and got up to leave.
“You are very welcome, Harry. I just want you to know that you are welcome in my office any time.” Dumbledore told him.
Harry left Dumbledore’s office feeling much better than when he had entered it. He still wasn’t convinced that this girl was innocent, but he would accept that she hadn’t been there by her own free will. He would accept this only because Dumbledore believed it was true. That had to be good enough.
*~*~*~*
Albus sat at his desk, yet again reading the letter that had come shortly after the article about Stephanie had appeared in the Daily Prophet. He had not known how to write a response, but had decided he could put it off no longer. It read:
Dear Albus,
Thank you for allowing Harry and Hermione to aid in my escape from Hogwarts last June. Without your assistance, I would not be here today. I heard that Harry is participating in the Triwizard Tournament. I admit that this excites me, although I understand its impending dangers. Harry assures me that he did not put his name into the Goblet of Fire. Do you have any suspicions as to who could have done so? The first task should be in November, how do you think he will do? He is a mighty fine wizard and if he is anything like James, he will succeed beautifully.
A few days ago, I was looking through old copies of the Daily Prophet that I found in the trash. When I saw one in particular, I could swear that Lily was on the front page. The girl had to be the same age as Harry, so it made me think of the impossible. Is Stephanie alive?!? Do you have any ideas about her whereabouts and the reason why she is participating in Death Eater attacks?
Please write soon,
Sirius
P.S. Please tell Hagrid that Buckbeak is doing well. He really seems to be enjoying himself and we have bonded somewhat. I will admit that I have grown quite fond of the hippogriff.
Thank you for allowing Harry and Hermione to aid in my escape from Hogwarts last June. Without your assistance, I would not be here today. I heard that Harry is participating in the Triwizard Tournament. I admit that this excites me, although I understand its impending dangers. Harry assures me that he did not put his name into the Goblet of Fire. Do you have any suspicions as to who could have done so? The first task should be in November, how do you think he will do? He is a mighty fine wizard and if he is anything like James, he will succeed beautifully.
A few days ago, I was looking through old copies of the Daily Prophet that I found in the trash. When I saw one in particular, I could swear that Lily was on the front page. The girl had to be the same age as Harry, so it made me think of the impossible. Is Stephanie alive?!? Do you have any ideas about her whereabouts and the reason why she is participating in Death Eater attacks?
Please write soon,
Sirius
P.S. Please tell Hagrid that Buckbeak is doing well. He really seems to be enjoying himself and we have bonded somewhat. I will admit that I have grown quite fond of the hippogriff.
Albus put down the letter. He had been highly distressed since the Quidditch World Cup because so many awful things had happened to Stephanie and Harry Potter. It was already mid-November and no one had heard from Stephanie since the attack in August. She had responded to each call on her pendant but refused to speak to anyone. He knew she must be struggling with her role in the attack, even though it had been very minimal. Albus knew that physically speaking, Stephanie was alright, but he was still very concerned. In fact, he had scheduled a meeting later that week with Minerva, Severus, and Kingsley to discuss the next step. They could not keep her in the Malfoy home if she refused to speak with anyone.
Harry, as well had been having many difficulties. He had not placed his name in the Goblet, but was still drawn to be an entrant in the tournament. The only individual he could think of who would do such a thing and have access to the Goblet would be Igor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang. However, Albus couldn’t figure out why Igor would do this. Sure, he had been a Death Eater and could have many reasons to kill Harry. Igor, however, had turned on the Death Eaters when he provided the Ministry with Barty Crouch Jr.’s name. He was seen as a traitor and could never hope to return to them. Maybe he was trying to redeem himself, Albus thought.
It was highly unlikely that Igor would risk such a thing. The chances that Harry was to die in this tournament, although the danger was present, were very minimal. In fact, if Igor had wanted Harry dead, there would have been ample time around the castle to make sure the deed had been done.
Albus had to admit that he had been surprised and very proud at how well Harry had done against the dragon. He was sure that someone had tipped Harry off about the dragons, though. Albus knew that the other headmasters were providing their students with information and advice, but he would not do so; he had to stand by his principles.
As much as he liked and admired Harry, Albus had to admit that Harry wasn’t too quick on the uptake at times. There was little chance that Harry had thought to use his broom that quickly on his own. The next two tasks were not too horribly difficult and Albus knew Harry would do very well.
In addition to all of this, Severus’ Dark Mark had begun to darken. They both knew the terrible implications of this; Lord Voldemort’s return was imminent. It was just a matter of when, not if, it would happen. Stephanie must be prepared and she had stopped her lessons with Professor Snape in August. Either she resume the lessons or Albus would be forced to remove her from the situation. She was fourteen years old and in serious danger. She had to learn how to deal with things by asking for help from others.
Albus retrieved his quill and penned a response to Sirius.
Dear Sirius,
I apologize for the length of time it has taken to respond to your last letter. Many things have demanded my immediate attention, and they are not all pleasant. As I am sure you are aware, Harry did very well on the first task with the dragon. He summoned his firebolt and flew superbly. I am positive he will do similarly well in his next tasks. I regret, however, that we still have no idea who put his name in the Goblet; though I do doubt that it was Igor Karkaroff. We are all sure we will find out who and what the intentions were when the time is right.
As for the girl on the cover of the Daily Prophet. I can happily tell you that we have found Stephanie Potter, alive. Her location cannot be disclosed in a letter in case the owl was to be intercepted, but I can tell you several things. We have been in contact with her and she is so much like her parents. She is stubborn and yet very brave. The most admirable thing about her is that she loves her brother so unconditionally, even though she does not know him. Stephanie has told me several times that she is willing to die to help Harry, and her actions say the same thing. I think it would be most beneficial if you could write her a letter. I know that she would appreciate it.
Albus
I apologize for the length of time it has taken to respond to your last letter. Many things have demanded my immediate attention, and they are not all pleasant. As I am sure you are aware, Harry did very well on the first task with the dragon. He summoned his firebolt and flew superbly. I am positive he will do similarly well in his next tasks. I regret, however, that we still have no idea who put his name in the Goblet; though I do doubt that it was Igor Karkaroff. We are all sure we will find out who and what the intentions were when the time is right.
As for the girl on the cover of the Daily Prophet. I can happily tell you that we have found Stephanie Potter, alive. Her location cannot be disclosed in a letter in case the owl was to be intercepted, but I can tell you several things. We have been in contact with her and she is so much like her parents. She is stubborn and yet very brave. The most admirable thing about her is that she loves her brother so unconditionally, even though she does not know him. Stephanie has told me several times that she is willing to die to help Harry, and her actions say the same thing. I think it would be most beneficial if you could write her a letter. I know that she would appreciate it.
Albus
*~*~*~*
Wednesday evening Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape and Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt met in Dumbledore’s office.
“Minerva, you met with Hermione a few weeks ago, correct?” Dumbledore began.
“Yes. She was concerned because Stephanie still had not written to her. I requested that Hermione continue to write in the diary on a continuing basis to give Stephanie an opportunity for normalcy and to write back if she so chose.” McGonagall paused. “Why would she cut herself off like this? She had really begun to open up to Hermione. A few days before the attack, she shared her fears with Hermione. Even more, she finally confided in Hermione about something that had happened to her last Christmas.”
“We must assume, then, that the attack has had some profound effect on her. Either she is having difficulty dealing with what happened or she is too scared to make contact for some reason.” Dumbledore contemplated aloud.
“She did not do anything wrong; she was just following orders. The girl has no reason to be suffering.” Professor Snape rationalized. The first time he had ever regretted an action he had done was when Lily Evans had been killed. He could not fathom why Stephanie would be suffering so severely as to withdraw all contact from those that care about her.
McGonagall looked both concerned and amused at Professor Snape’s last comment. “Severus, I dare say that you are not a teenage girl. She has witnessed other people’s suffering, which I feel may be more damaging for her than the treatment she has experienced from Lucius Malfoy.
“She rationalizes the treatment that she has received because she feels that she deserves to be punished. Stephanie feels that her actions prompt the harsh torture she endures. This makes the situation easier for her to deal with rather than thinking that there is nothing that can be done to end her suffering. As I am exploring this possibility, it has occurred to me that perhaps this is part of her unconscious reasons why she has stayed in that home instead of allowing us to rescue her.” McGonagall finished.
“I believe that is a very good analysis of what is going on in Stephanie’s mind, Minerva. I am just guessing, but at the Quidditch World Cup, she saw Death Eaters attacking innocent people; they did not deserve what was happening to them. To make it worse, she was at the center of what was causing the terror. This, in her mind, allowed her to associate that her very presence is what caused such terror.” Dumbledore added.
“However, we will not truly know or be able to understand until she allows us to speak with her.” Dumbledore said and the others agreed. “The question is, how can we help her?”
“Give her an ultimatum.” Snape offered. “We all know what she will choose.”
Kingsley spoke up for the first time that evening, “If she does not contact one of us by the end of the week, I am personally going to the Malfoy manor and remove her by force. She is a danger to herself if she cannot learn how to allow others to help her. This is a risk to many more people than just herself with Voldemort’s return so near.” Snape nodded his agreement.
“Very well. Minerva, could you speak with Hermione and ask her to write to Stephanie in the diary? Tell her that if Stephanie does not meet with us tomorrow evening, Kingsley will be there to pick up Stephanie on Friday afternoon.” Dumbledore felt that this was the only option available. He knew Stephanie would not like this, but he had to begin looking out for her best interests.
*~*~*~*
“Thank you again for meeting with me, Hermione.” McGonagall offered Hermione a seat. After the meeting with the headmaster, McGonagall had called Hermione to her office. This was something that needed to be addressed immediately.
“What’s wrong?” Hermione asked, concerned. She was not accustomed to being summoned by the professor.
McGonagall looked at Hermione solemnly. “Has Stephanie answered any of your diary responses, yet?”
Hermione shook her head. “Do you think she’s alright? I really thought we were making good strides. She was opening up so much.”
“We believe that she is safe; whether or not she is alright is another question.” McGonagall offered seriously.
“Maybe there was something else I could have done to get her to talk to me. Maybe I could have tried harder.” Hermione was in tears and McGonagall offered her some tissues. “Professor, she must feel so alone.”
“I do not think there is more that you could have done than you already did. She just needs to know that we are still there for her, that we still care about her. I called you here this evening to ask you to do something for me. We need you to write a specific message to her.” McGonagall looked at Hermione.
“Whatever it is, I’ll do it. I want to help her.” Hermione sobbed.
“Okay. Please tell Stephanie that if she does not meet with us tomorrow evening, Kingsley will arrive on Friday afternoon to remove her from the manor.” At Hermione’s questioning and shocked look, McGonagall continued. “We feel that there is no other way we can take care of her. She is obviously suffering, and our need to care for her supersedes any use she could be in the future. She needs to heal, even if she does not wish to admit it to herself.”
“What will happen to her if you take her out of the manor?” Hermione asked.
“We have secured housing for her; and then we would work on getting her an education. To be honest, other than that I am not sure. She will be taken care of, though.” McGonagall offered. “She is going to be okay, eventually.”
“Will the truth be released about her participation in the attack at the Quidditch World Cup?” Hermione began, “Or will she have to remain in hiding?”
“I am not sure that decision will be made until Stephanie is safe and out of that household. Regardless of the decision, she will not be going to Azkaban. That is something I am positive about.” McGonagall reassured the crying Hermione.
Hermione nodded, but something else occurred to her. “Professor, what if Stephanie has stopped reading the diary? What if she doesn’t read what I write to her?”
“Then, I guess she will be surprised when Kingsley shows up on Friday.” McGonagall smiled. “Please tell me if she responds to your message. Thank you for doing this.”
“Like I said before, professor. As I would do this for Harry in a heartbeat, I want to do everything I can for Stephanie. She is such a sweetheart and I want to be able to help her.” Hermione said, then got up and walked back to Gryffindor tower.
Ron and Harry were in the common room when she came through the picture of the fat lady. They looked at her concerned. I knew I should have stopped in the bathroom first, Hermione thought.
She tried to walk past them, but they stopped her.
“What’s wrong? You’ve been crying!” Ron said and started rubbing her back.
“Nice observation.” She smiled at her attempt of a joke.
“Seriously, what’s wrong? You were meeting with Professor McGonagall, right?” Harry asked seriously.
“Yes. I’ll be fine.” She tried to assure them that she was alright. Harry wrapped Hermione in a hug. “Thank you, Harry. I think I’m just going to bed.”
Ron was the one to offer his support. “Well, if you need to talk, we’ll be down here for awhile.”
“I’m not the one that needs comforting.” Hermione said under her breath, though Harry and Ron heard her. She nodded as she walked up to her dormitory.
In her room, Hermione sat on her bed and opened the diary. There was still no entry from Stephanie. Hermione flipped through the pages and saw that the last response Stephanie had written was the one right before the Quidditch World Cup. The rest of the pages were filled with two and a half months worth of Hermione’s attempts to get Stephanie to speak with her. She wrote the note McGonagall had asked her to pass along.
When she finished, Hermione closed the diary and got out her textbooks. She needed to take her mind off Stephanie, so she figured she should try and study.
*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Ron and Harry were discussing Hermione downstairs.
“What do you think McGonagall told her?” Ron wondered.
“Do you think someone in her family got hurt or died?” Harry asked. Ron shook his head. “She muttered something about she wasn’t the one who needed comforting”.
“I think she would have told us that. Why don’t you think she told us what it was? I mean, she usually tells us everything.” Ron said.
“I don’t know.” Harry couldn’t think of what could have bothered her so much. He tried to make a joke, “Maybe she failed that test.”
Ron smiled. “I don’t think that’s possible. I just wish there was something I could do to comfort her.”
“Let her sleep on it. She’ll be fine in the morning, you’ll see.” Harry reassured his friend.
The two turned conversation over to what their plans were for the holidays while playing a game of exploding snap. A short while later they went to bed.
Note: Here it is. There was so much going on in the chapter that I split it in two. The next chapter should be finished in a day or so. Plese leave feedback here!
Chapter Eight: Internal Struggles
Stephanie got on her hands and knees to begin cleaning the fireplace. It had been years since it had been cleaned, so it was absolutely filthy. She had learned to truly enjoy these kinds of tasks because it required her complete concentration. With this responsibility, she needed to focus in order to get all the soot out of the cracks.
She admitted to herself that she had not been doing well since August. She cherished the moments when she was awake because her flashbacks were more realistic to what had actually happened that night at the Quidditch World Cup. In contrast, her dreams held a world where she was a ruthless monster. In these dreams, she was the one with the wand casting the Killing Curse into the crowd of innocent bystanders. During the worst ones, she was directly aiming the Curse at those who cared about her, including Harry.
Since the attack, she had lost a considerable amount of weight even though she had not had too much weight to lose. She had had to force herself to eat; she was just not hungry anymore. She slept only as much as was necessary in order to avoid her dreams.
Mr. Malfoy had once mentioned that she needed to participate in such activities more frequently because they had such a positive effect on her behavior around the house. Stephanie had barely spoken in the two and a half months since the attack and she forced herself to focus on her chores. She found that it was easier to avoid thoughts about what she had been forced to participate in if she kept busy, so that is what she did. Mr. Malfoy had been very pleased.
It had taken Professor Snape about two weeks to realize that she was avoiding his lessons. Each time he had called her, she tapped the pendant once to signal him. After two weeks, professors McGonagall and Dumbledore began to call her every couple of days or so. She had figured Snape told them that she was no longer attending sessions.
Shortly after that, each professor and Kingsley tried contacting her several times a day. Each time, she tapped the pendant only once to signal that she was safe but unavailable. Now, her pendant vibrated only four times a day; once for each person who also had a pendant. And each time, she responded the same way.
The attack had affected her more deeply than she ever could have expected. Though she knew she had had no choice, she still felt partially responsible. She had known the attack was going to occur and had been unable to stop it. People had been afraid of her. She felt so ashamed at what she had done, that she couldn’t bare facing those at Hogwarts. It wasn’t that she thought they wouldn’t understand because she knew they would. She just knew that they would be disappointed in her.
She was also terrified of what could happen to her or the others. Kingsley had said in the article that she would be sent to Azkaban. I know I would never survive in Azkaban, she had told herself many times. Her thoughts turned to the morning Mr. Malfoy had shown her the Daily Prophet.
“Have a seat and read the article.” Mr. Malfoy had smirked at her. She had been taken aback because she had never been asked to sit at the dining room table before, but she obliged.
Stephanie read the article and had to hold back tears so Mr. Malfoy could not see how it had affected her. Her mind was racing. 1000 Galleon price on her capture? That is nothing for Mr. Malfoy. Is that why he had wanted her to participate, to get a reward?
The article had said that they were close to finding out who she was. Kingsley was quoted in saying she would be sent to Azkaban. Would he really do that to her? He must know that she had no choice! But, he still had to do his job, she rationalized. Azkaban is such an awful place, there’s no way she would survive a week there. Would the Ministry really send a fourteen year old girl there?
She was so scared about what was going to happen to her when they found her.
Mr. Malfoy hadn’t done anything to ease her concerns, either. “Did you see that part about your going to Azkaban?” He had asked her.
She nodded.
“You are a wanted criminal. All that is keeping you from Azkaban is me. Remember that.” He got up and stood behind her chair. He leaned over to her side and he gently stroked her cheek with his hand. He then whispered slowly in her ear as she stared straight ahead, “You owe me.”
He walked out of the room leaving her alone. He had finally managed what he had been trying to do since the moment she came to live with him thirteen years ago. He finally broke her; Stephanie’s will and spirit had been decimated. She went numb.
Stephanie sneezed from the soot and was brought back from her thoughts. She hadn’t even responded to Hermione through the diary. It had taken her over a month to even look at it and she saw that Hermione had been begging her to respond. Stephanie couldn’t bring herself do it. She was so ashamed of herself; it hurt down to her core.
That night she opened the diary and reread the passages that Hermione had written since August.
When she got to this last entry, Stephanie realized there was a new one.
She had known this had been inevitable. Stephanie had just wanted to postpone the moment when she had to face them again. She wasn’t sure that she could handle their looks of disappointment or disgust at what she had been forced to do. Though she knew that if she were to be removed from the manor, she could do no good for Harry.
Mr. Malfoy had been afraid lately because his Dark Mark had been darkening. He had commented to Mrs. Malfoy that the Dark Lord was going to return soon and it made him very nervous. Though he awaited his master’s return with great anticipation, he had also been worried about his place at the Ministry. He had worked so hard to put up an innocent front, what if he lost that?
Stephanie knew that with Lord Voldemort’s return being imminent, it was more important than ever that she remain in the home. She had a feeling deep down that she was needed there. Stephanie knew, though she didn’t know why and she couldn’t explain it, that Harry needed her to remain in the Malfoy’s care. She was in for even more difficult times than before the attack.
She wrote her response to Hermione.
*~*~*~*
The next morning Hermione woke early and immediately opened the diary. She was ecstatic that there was finally a response from Stephanie! She couldn’t wait to tell Professor McGonagall.
That morning she headed to Transfiguration a few minutes early so she could speak with the professor alone. When she arrived, McGonagall was sitting at the teacher’s desk. Hermione knocked on the door to get the professor’s attention.
McGonagall looked up from her papers. “Oh, good. Hermione, come in. What can I do for you?”
“She wrote back!” Hermione gushed, happily. “She says she’ll come to the meeting tonight.”
“Very good.” McGonagall nodded. “I’ll notify the others so they may be prepared.”
“I’m sorry, Professor, if this is out of line. But, do you think I could be there? I think it might make things easier for her.” Hermione asked. She had wondered about this last night, but didn’t want to say anything in case Stephanie declined the meeting.
“That very well may not be a bad idea. Let me confer with Professor Dumbledore and one of us will let you know.” McGonagall finished as other students began to file into the room.
“Thank you, Professor.” Hermione finished and took her seat. She smiled at Ron and Harry as they came into the room.
“I’m glad you are feeling better,” Ron told her.
“I told you that I would be alright!” She laughed. “Today should be a good day.”
*~*~*~*
The next evening, Stephanie waited anxiously for her pendant to vibrate. The entire day had gone so quickly because she had been dreading this meeting. She just didn’t want to face them; it was too hard. Finally it went off and she answered Professor Dumbledore. “It’s okay. Send Dobby.”
Dobby then appeared in her room and ran to her. “Miss, thank goodness! Dobby has been so worried!” He gave her a hug. She didn’t want him to hug her, but she didn’t dare resist his attempts because of all that he had done for her in the past.
“Thanks Dobby. Ready?” She asked.
Dobby nodded and he transported her to Hogwarts.
She was greeted with a flash of someone running to her and trying to give her a hug. “Oh, thank goodness!” The girl gushed.
Stephanie flinched and shrank back. She just couldn’t be touched right then.
“Hermione, why don’t we try that later?” McGonagall asked.
Hermione nodded and returned to her seat. Stephanie couldn’t look at anyone, so she eyed the portraits on the wall until she was spoken to.
“Stephanie. Please come here and sit down. We do really need to speak with you.” McGonagall said in a comforting voice. Stephanie obliged but still avoided all eye contact.
“Stephanie, before we begin I have a letter to give you. I have spoken with your godfather, Sirius Black, and he wanted me to give this to you. I am providing you with this now because I feel it may make you feel a little better.” Professor Dumbledore said with concern in his voice. He handed her the letter and she opened it and began to read.
She felt the tears running down her cheeks; it was the first time she had cried since the Quidditch World cup. She felt Professor McGonagall try to rub her hand, but Stephanie pulled it away. She looked at McGonagall and begged, “Please. Don’t touch me.”
McGonagall handed her a tissue. “Stephanie, you have to talk to us. It’s the only way you are going to be able to let it out, the only way to heal.”
They sat in silence for a moment while Stephanie let out her tears. She finally looked at Professor Dumbledore and whispered, “Can you tell Sirius thank you? I have just felt so numb, for so long.”
Dumbledore nodded. Then Kingsley spoke up and Stephanie looked at him. “Can you tell us about the Quidditch World Cup? Can you tell us what happened?”
Stephanie nodded. She took a deep breath and began her story. Once she started, she found that it was difficult for her to stop, so she kept talking until she had run out of things to say. It felt great finally allowing herself to speak about how she was feeling. “Mr. Malfoy told me that I was going to be participating in the ‘festivities’ after the Quidditch World Cup, so I tried to use the pendant to tell someone about it. Professors Dumbledore and Snape did not answer, so I called Professor McGonagall. She told me to follow Mr. Malfoy’s orders, so I did. Before the attack, he sent Draco out of the cabin and told him to go into the woods. Then, he had me change into the robes and he gave me my orders.
“He told me I was to walk in front of him and if I were to speak, try to signal anyone, or run he would-” She paused, swallowed, and took a deep breath. “-kill me immediately. I believed him; I knew he would do it! I’m so sorry!” She started crying again. No one said anything, waiting for her to calm down and continue.
“Why didn’t he just put a silencing spell or the Imperius curse on me?” She had wondered this every day since the attack. “It would have ensured my compliance.”
“It was all about power.” Professor Snape told her. “He wanted to see how much control he has over you, to see how far you will go when given orders.”
Stephanie nodded and they all sat in silence for a moment. Dumbledore encouraged her, “We are all positive that you did the right thing. Please continue.”
She continued with her story. “So, I followed them. I was so upset at what they were doing that I tuned everything out. I don’t know what happened until the Dark Mark appeared. Mr. Malfoy had been scared; he asked the others who had cast it and no one had known. They scattered. He grabbed my arm and returned me to the cabin and he went to find Draco. When they returned we went back to the Manor.
“I was handling the situation okay after that. I just became more concentrated on my chores. A week after the attack, Mr. Malfoy made me read the article in the Daily Prophet about myself. He told me that I was going to Azkaban for what I did.” She gasped for breath in between sobs. “I just knew that I would never survive in Azkaban. That is when I fell apart,” she had decided not to mention what had happened between Mr. Malfoy and herself after she read the article. “I just lost it. I felt broken, disgusting.”
Stephanie paused again. She looked around. McGonagall and Hermione were crying silently. But what surprised her most was when she looked at Professor Dumbledore; he, too, had tears running down his face. Snape was the only one who remained emotionless. Dumbledore gestured for her to continue.
“Mr. Malfoy had been really happy with my performance after that. I became entranced in my chores and went above and beyond anything I had ever done before. I haven’t been able to eat; I’ve had no appetite. I continue to have flashbacks about that night. The worst are my dreams. Dreams are something that I have tried to avoid at all costs. I have barely slept in almost three months. I. Become. A. Monster.” She had to pause again. Still, no one said anything. Hermione looked like she was going to be sick. Stephanie couldn’t relive her nightmares again, so she moved on.
“I feel so horrible, like such an awful person. I haven’t been able to cry since the day I read that newspaper article. My insides feel so empty, I feel so numb.” She finished. She couldn’t say any more.
There was more silence while everyone processed what they had heard. Dumbledore was the first person to speak. “Stephanie, why didn’t you come to us? Why did you refuse to answer your pendant?”
“I am so ashamed. I am so disgusted with myself, and it hurts too much. I knew that I had disappointed you all, I couldn’t bring myself to face you.” She said. She had to force herself to look at Dumbledore.
“Stephanie, if someone is to blame it is myself!” McGonagall voiced a little too loudly. “For I am the one who told you to follow his orders!” She lowered her voice and said gently, “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You behaved admirably. You were so brave to do what you did.”
“Minerva, Lucius is the only one to blame. I would have told her the same thing.” Snape put in. He turned to Stephanie. “Stephanie, you did the only thing you could. It is one of the consequences of the mission you agreed to participate in. It cannot always be glorious. You must learn this.”
Stephanie didn’t know what to say. She turned to Kingsley. “Are you going to arrest me?”
He smiled. “No, Stephanie. I said that in the article to please Minister Fudge. Immediately after the attack, I made the sure the Aurors expended as few resources as possible to look for you. You were never in any danger of being sent to Azkaban.”
“I must reiterate the fact that you did nothing wrong.” Dumbledore told her solemnly. “Now, I am going to ask you this even though I know what your response will be.”
She knew what he was going to ask. Stephanie nodded at him and he began. “We think it is in your best interests to be removed from the Malfoy home. What are your thoughts?”
Stephanie had been thinking all day about how she would respond to this request. “I agree.”
Hermione gasped, “No!” and Stephanie noticed the looks of shock each person in the room had. They had obviously not expected her to agree.
“Hermione!” McGonagall scolded her.
“Sorry, Professor.” Hermione said quietly. “But I don’t think she should leave that house.” She looked at Stephanie. “I know you have been in so much pain. It hurts me to see you suffer like that. But you’ve told me that what you are doing is what gives your life purpose. I don’t want you to think I’m saying you are less important than Harry, but I know you want to do this for him. Don’t let Mr. Malfoy get to you. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
“Miss Granger is right.” This time it was Professor Snape.
“You cannot be serious!” McGonagall countered.
“Of course I am.” Professor Snape snapped back. “The Dark Lord is going to return very soon. We need her to be on the inside, since I will not be there twenty-four hours a day.”
“Stephanie,” Professor Dumbledore said gently. “I am curious as to your reasons for wishing to leave the Malfoy manor.”
“I cannot do it. I have been extremely weak and unable to care for myself. All I can think about is what I have done. What if I put others in danger because of my stupidity?” She asked.
“You are only weak because you have isolated yourself from others. You will be able to overcome what you are feeling now if you utilize the support we can offer.” Professor Snape was scolding her without actually doing so. “You are a valuable asset to the fight against the Dark Lord.”
“Severus, that is enough.” Dumbledore admonished. “Stephanie, you are not just a tool for us to use when we see fit. You must make your own decision and we will not force you either way. I know most of us,” he said while sneaking a glance at Snape, “would rather you leave the manor. But we will not make that decision for you. It is one you must make on your own.”
Stephanie didn’t know what to do. She really did not want to end her mission. Was she being selfish to want to leave because she felt bad? On the other hand, she felt that she had expended all the emotional energy she had left. Stephanie looked at Hermione and asked the question that she knew would give her the answer. “Would Harry stay?”
“Absolutely.” Hermione nodded.
“However,” McGonagall began, “you are not your brother. We would not judge you or even be disappointed in you if you decided not to return to the Malfoys. Doing so is not a sign of weakness, you must understand this.”
“I will go back.” Tears had again come to her eyes. She was absolutely terrified to return, but she knew it was what she must do. As she had felt for a long time, she knew that a time was coming that she would be useful for these people. She would do something good very soon.
“You must understand that you may be required to participate in attacks even more destructive. People will die. Are you sure you can live with that?” Professor Snape pointed out to her. She wasn’t sure if she would survive another attack like the one at the Quidditch World Cup.
“I don’t know.” She said honestly.
“Stephanie, we would not allow you to return if we did not have full confidence in you. I know that you can overcome whatever is thrown at you if you make sure to utilize the support we can provide. Each of the four of us are available to you around the clock; we will respond as soon as it is safe to do so, if you so choose to call us.” Dumbledore assured her.
“I carry the diary with me all the time. I will be available to you, as well.” Hermione added.
“You must do as Mr. Malfoy orders. Realize that it is not your fault for what happens; it is his. If you feel so uncomfortable, grasp your pendant and the Aurors will come to your aid. They, we, will get you out of there safely.” Kingsley put in.
She nodded.
“Stephanie, you have to promise not to cut yourself off from us again. I know it was difficult for you to come here tonight, and we all admire you for that. We all appreciate the courage you have for what you are doing. Please know that you can never do anything that will disappoint us.” Dumbledore tried to assure her.
“There is something I feel I must warn you about.” Snape began slowly. “Draco Malfoy has approached me to assist him with his nonverbal spells. His father has requested my help in preparing Draco for the Dark Lord’s return. I am positive that Lucius plans on having Draco practice heavily over Christmas, since we do not know exactly when the Dark Lord will return. It may be extremely painful.”
More tears fell from her eyes. “Professor, I welcome the physical pain of his spells. That kind of pain would make me feel so alive right now. There isn’t anything compared to feeling absolutely nothing.”
Hermione and McGonagall began crying again, though they tried to hide it. Professor Dumbledore spoke to her, “Stephanie, it is comments like that that make me feel that you should not return to that home. You need time to recover.”
“If Hermione can be patient, and with the help of the diary, I am sure that I can overcome the deficit I feel.” She looked at Hermione and Hermione nodded. “I have just felt so alone. Looking at her messages really lifted me up when I was at my worst. I am positive that with time, I will be able to heal.”
“Very well.” Dumbledore conceded.
“And you are not alone. You have all of us, remember that.” Hermione spoke to her.
Stephanie felt an overwhelming feeling of compassion. She did not deserve the care that each of these people was showing her. She got up and walked slowly to Hermione. Stephanie wrapped herself around Hermione so tightly. Both girls began to sob loudly.
When they finally let go, Stephanie snuck a glance at Professor Snape who had a look of disgust on his face. She smiled at the sight. It was then that she knew she would be alright.
“You are to resume your lessons with Professor Snape on Monday. Is that alright with you?” Dumbledore asked her.
“Yes, Professor.” She nodded.
“Now, you must return to the manor. You must take better care of yourself. That means eating and sleeping properly.” Stephanie nodded. “Do you have any other questions?” Professor Dumbledore said with sadness.
“This helped me more than you will know. I thought it would be so horrible. Thank you.” She said to all of them.
“We love you, Stephanie. Remember that we are all here for you.” Professor McGonagall was the next one to wrap her in a hug.
When they released each other, Stephanie asked Professor Dumbledore, “Can I keep this letter?”
“Absolutely. It is yours. If you would like to write a response, just give the letter to Professor Snape during one of your lessons.” Dumbledore looked at Snape who had another look of disgust on his face. Albus knew that Severus would not be happy to be the messenger for Sirius Black. He was amused at the thought.
“Okay. Thank you,” she said again. Dobby was called and she returned to the Malfoy house. As she got ready for bed, she thought for the second time that she would be alright. She would survive this just like she has survived everything else.
Note: Here's Chapter 8. This one was really emotional for me to write, and I'll admit that I did tear up just a bit! I hope you enjoyed it. Chapter 9 should be up on Sunday morning. Feedback is always greatly appreciated!
Stephanie got on her hands and knees to begin cleaning the fireplace. It had been years since it had been cleaned, so it was absolutely filthy. She had learned to truly enjoy these kinds of tasks because it required her complete concentration. With this responsibility, she needed to focus in order to get all the soot out of the cracks.
She admitted to herself that she had not been doing well since August. She cherished the moments when she was awake because her flashbacks were more realistic to what had actually happened that night at the Quidditch World Cup. In contrast, her dreams held a world where she was a ruthless monster. In these dreams, she was the one with the wand casting the Killing Curse into the crowd of innocent bystanders. During the worst ones, she was directly aiming the Curse at those who cared about her, including Harry.
Since the attack, she had lost a considerable amount of weight even though she had not had too much weight to lose. She had had to force herself to eat; she was just not hungry anymore. She slept only as much as was necessary in order to avoid her dreams.
Mr. Malfoy had once mentioned that she needed to participate in such activities more frequently because they had such a positive effect on her behavior around the house. Stephanie had barely spoken in the two and a half months since the attack and she forced herself to focus on her chores. She found that it was easier to avoid thoughts about what she had been forced to participate in if she kept busy, so that is what she did. Mr. Malfoy had been very pleased.
It had taken Professor Snape about two weeks to realize that she was avoiding his lessons. Each time he had called her, she tapped the pendant once to signal him. After two weeks, professors McGonagall and Dumbledore began to call her every couple of days or so. She had figured Snape told them that she was no longer attending sessions.
Shortly after that, each professor and Kingsley tried contacting her several times a day. Each time, she tapped the pendant only once to signal that she was safe but unavailable. Now, her pendant vibrated only four times a day; once for each person who also had a pendant. And each time, she responded the same way.
The attack had affected her more deeply than she ever could have expected. Though she knew she had had no choice, she still felt partially responsible. She had known the attack was going to occur and had been unable to stop it. People had been afraid of her. She felt so ashamed at what she had done, that she couldn’t bare facing those at Hogwarts. It wasn’t that she thought they wouldn’t understand because she knew they would. She just knew that they would be disappointed in her.
She was also terrified of what could happen to her or the others. Kingsley had said in the article that she would be sent to Azkaban. I know I would never survive in Azkaban, she had told herself many times. Her thoughts turned to the morning Mr. Malfoy had shown her the Daily Prophet.
“Have a seat and read the article.” Mr. Malfoy had smirked at her. She had been taken aback because she had never been asked to sit at the dining room table before, but she obliged.
Stephanie read the article and had to hold back tears so Mr. Malfoy could not see how it had affected her. Her mind was racing. 1000 Galleon price on her capture? That is nothing for Mr. Malfoy. Is that why he had wanted her to participate, to get a reward?
The article had said that they were close to finding out who she was. Kingsley was quoted in saying she would be sent to Azkaban. Would he really do that to her? He must know that she had no choice! But, he still had to do his job, she rationalized. Azkaban is such an awful place, there’s no way she would survive a week there. Would the Ministry really send a fourteen year old girl there?
She was so scared about what was going to happen to her when they found her.
Mr. Malfoy hadn’t done anything to ease her concerns, either. “Did you see that part about your going to Azkaban?” He had asked her.
She nodded.
“You are a wanted criminal. All that is keeping you from Azkaban is me. Remember that.” He got up and stood behind her chair. He leaned over to her side and he gently stroked her cheek with his hand. He then whispered slowly in her ear as she stared straight ahead, “You owe me.”
He walked out of the room leaving her alone. He had finally managed what he had been trying to do since the moment she came to live with him thirteen years ago. He finally broke her; Stephanie’s will and spirit had been decimated. She went numb.
Stephanie sneezed from the soot and was brought back from her thoughts. She hadn’t even responded to Hermione through the diary. It had taken her over a month to even look at it and she saw that Hermione had been begging her to respond. Stephanie couldn’t bring herself do it. She was so ashamed of herself; it hurt down to her core.
That night she opened the diary and reread the passages that Hermione had written since August.
Hey, I saw you looking out of the cabin this evening. I was disappointed they brought you because I knew you were looking forward to having some time alone, but it was great to get a glimpse of you. Don’t worry, Draco didn’t see you! –H
~
I just saw you on the front page of Daily Prophet. I can’t believe they questioned Malfoy. He is such a liar! You know he said what he did because he knew you’d see the article. Please don’t listen to what that article said. You are not going to be in trouble. -H
~
I know it hurts to talk about what happened at the Quidditch World Cup, but please talk to me. We don’t even need to talk about that, but please let me know you are okay. –H
~
Stephanie, please talk to me. Everyone is so worried about you. We care about you, please talk to me. –H
~
Please tell me what I can do for you. You need to talk to someone. Please. –H
~
You are not alone. –H
~
Stephanie, I am here for you regardless of your willingness to speak with me. I’m going to keep checking the diary for a response. McGonagall told me I should talk to you as I normally would, so I’ll keep providing you with updates from Hogwarts. I’ll write more later. –H
~
The Triwizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts this year! It’s a tournament for three wizards to perform dangerous tasks and the winner receives a cash prize and “eternal glory.” There are two other schools here to be part of the tournament. Even though you have to be 17 to participate, someone put Harry’s name in the Goblet and he was chosen. This year, there are four entrants; two from Hogwarts. That has never happened before! I know that he doesn’t want to do this, but they are making him. He’s Harry, so I know he’ll do just fine. –H
~
Ron and Harry are fighting and it is driving me crazy! Ron is mad that Harry didn’t tell him how Harry put his name into the Goblet. I think he’s just jealous. It has to be difficult for Ron at times. He always seems to be in Harry’s shadow. Ron has to grow up, though. I hope they work things out soon. I hate being torn between the two of them. –H
~
Harry’s first task is dragons! I don’t know how he’s going to do against a dragon. I’m so worried about him. –H
~
Harry did wonderfully! He summoned his broom and grabbed the egg faster than the other contestants! He did great, you would be so proud! I hope you are doing well. I miss talking to you! –H
~
I just saw you on the front page of Daily Prophet. I can’t believe they questioned Malfoy. He is such a liar! You know he said what he did because he knew you’d see the article. Please don’t listen to what that article said. You are not going to be in trouble. -H
~
I know it hurts to talk about what happened at the Quidditch World Cup, but please talk to me. We don’t even need to talk about that, but please let me know you are okay. –H
~
Stephanie, please talk to me. Everyone is so worried about you. We care about you, please talk to me. –H
~
Please tell me what I can do for you. You need to talk to someone. Please. –H
~
You are not alone. –H
~
Stephanie, I am here for you regardless of your willingness to speak with me. I’m going to keep checking the diary for a response. McGonagall told me I should talk to you as I normally would, so I’ll keep providing you with updates from Hogwarts. I’ll write more later. –H
~
The Triwizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts this year! It’s a tournament for three wizards to perform dangerous tasks and the winner receives a cash prize and “eternal glory.” There are two other schools here to be part of the tournament. Even though you have to be 17 to participate, someone put Harry’s name in the Goblet and he was chosen. This year, there are four entrants; two from Hogwarts. That has never happened before! I know that he doesn’t want to do this, but they are making him. He’s Harry, so I know he’ll do just fine. –H
~
Ron and Harry are fighting and it is driving me crazy! Ron is mad that Harry didn’t tell him how Harry put his name into the Goblet. I think he’s just jealous. It has to be difficult for Ron at times. He always seems to be in Harry’s shadow. Ron has to grow up, though. I hope they work things out soon. I hate being torn between the two of them. –H
~
Harry’s first task is dragons! I don’t know how he’s going to do against a dragon. I’m so worried about him. –H
~
Harry did wonderfully! He summoned his broom and grabbed the egg faster than the other contestants! He did great, you would be so proud! I hope you are doing well. I miss talking to you! –H
When she got to this last entry, Stephanie realized there was a new one.
Stephanie, Professor McGonagall wanted me to let you know that you are to come to Hogwarts tomorrow evening for a meeting. She says that Kingsley will be at the manor on Friday afternoon to pick you up if you do not attend this meeting with Kingsley and Professors Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore. Please write to me and let me know if you received this and if you will be coming. They need to know whether to send Dobby or not. –H
She had known this had been inevitable. Stephanie had just wanted to postpone the moment when she had to face them again. She wasn’t sure that she could handle their looks of disappointment or disgust at what she had been forced to do. Though she knew that if she were to be removed from the manor, she could do no good for Harry.
Mr. Malfoy had been afraid lately because his Dark Mark had been darkening. He had commented to Mrs. Malfoy that the Dark Lord was going to return soon and it made him very nervous. Though he awaited his master’s return with great anticipation, he had also been worried about his place at the Ministry. He had worked so hard to put up an innocent front, what if he lost that?
Stephanie knew that with Lord Voldemort’s return being imminent, it was more important than ever that she remain in the home. She had a feeling deep down that she was needed there. Stephanie knew, though she didn’t know why and she couldn’t explain it, that Harry needed her to remain in the Malfoy’s care. She was in for even more difficult times than before the attack.
She wrote her response to Hermione.
Fine. I’ll be there. ~Steph
*~*~*~*
The next morning Hermione woke early and immediately opened the diary. She was ecstatic that there was finally a response from Stephanie! She couldn’t wait to tell Professor McGonagall.
That morning she headed to Transfiguration a few minutes early so she could speak with the professor alone. When she arrived, McGonagall was sitting at the teacher’s desk. Hermione knocked on the door to get the professor’s attention.
McGonagall looked up from her papers. “Oh, good. Hermione, come in. What can I do for you?”
“She wrote back!” Hermione gushed, happily. “She says she’ll come to the meeting tonight.”
“Very good.” McGonagall nodded. “I’ll notify the others so they may be prepared.”
“I’m sorry, Professor, if this is out of line. But, do you think I could be there? I think it might make things easier for her.” Hermione asked. She had wondered about this last night, but didn’t want to say anything in case Stephanie declined the meeting.
“That very well may not be a bad idea. Let me confer with Professor Dumbledore and one of us will let you know.” McGonagall finished as other students began to file into the room.
“Thank you, Professor.” Hermione finished and took her seat. She smiled at Ron and Harry as they came into the room.
“I’m glad you are feeling better,” Ron told her.
“I told you that I would be alright!” She laughed. “Today should be a good day.”
*~*~*~*
The next evening, Stephanie waited anxiously for her pendant to vibrate. The entire day had gone so quickly because she had been dreading this meeting. She just didn’t want to face them; it was too hard. Finally it went off and she answered Professor Dumbledore. “It’s okay. Send Dobby.”
Dobby then appeared in her room and ran to her. “Miss, thank goodness! Dobby has been so worried!” He gave her a hug. She didn’t want him to hug her, but she didn’t dare resist his attempts because of all that he had done for her in the past.
“Thanks Dobby. Ready?” She asked.
Dobby nodded and he transported her to Hogwarts.
She was greeted with a flash of someone running to her and trying to give her a hug. “Oh, thank goodness!” The girl gushed.
Stephanie flinched and shrank back. She just couldn’t be touched right then.
“Hermione, why don’t we try that later?” McGonagall asked.
Hermione nodded and returned to her seat. Stephanie couldn’t look at anyone, so she eyed the portraits on the wall until she was spoken to.
“Stephanie. Please come here and sit down. We do really need to speak with you.” McGonagall said in a comforting voice. Stephanie obliged but still avoided all eye contact.
“Stephanie, before we begin I have a letter to give you. I have spoken with your godfather, Sirius Black, and he wanted me to give this to you. I am providing you with this now because I feel it may make you feel a little better.” Professor Dumbledore said with concern in his voice. He handed her the letter and she opened it and began to read.
Dear Stephanie,
I know that you do not know me, but I felt that I could help you. It is horrible that neither you nor Harry had a chance to know me while you were growing up, and it saddens me that you both have had less than pleasant lives thus far.
I wanted to tell you a little about your parents; maybe that will help you regain your strength. Your father was my best friend. From what I have been told you have many of his qualities, though your best come from your mother. Your mother was kind, gentle, and very loving. She befriended those that no one else would. Lily was also so very brave. She loved you and your brother more than anything else in this world. She would have done anything for you, and I know she would be proud, although very saddened, of what you have survived through. There were many times when your father told me that he did not deserve Lily. He was a great man, but he had many flaws. He, too, would have done anything for your brother and you. They would want me to tell you that they still love you and that they are with you every moment.
It is a shame that I cannot spend time with you to get to know you, Stephanie. I hope that there will be a time when we can all be a family; you, your brother, and me. Until then, I am thinking about you. Expressing emotions has always been very difficult for me, but I want to let you know that I love you. I love you so much and it tortures me to hear you are in such pain. I was overjoyed when I saw your picture on the front page of the Daily Prophet. It was great knowing that you were still alive. Please feel free to write me if you ever have a chance. I will do what I can for you.
Sirius
I know that you do not know me, but I felt that I could help you. It is horrible that neither you nor Harry had a chance to know me while you were growing up, and it saddens me that you both have had less than pleasant lives thus far.
I wanted to tell you a little about your parents; maybe that will help you regain your strength. Your father was my best friend. From what I have been told you have many of his qualities, though your best come from your mother. Your mother was kind, gentle, and very loving. She befriended those that no one else would. Lily was also so very brave. She loved you and your brother more than anything else in this world. She would have done anything for you, and I know she would be proud, although very saddened, of what you have survived through. There were many times when your father told me that he did not deserve Lily. He was a great man, but he had many flaws. He, too, would have done anything for your brother and you. They would want me to tell you that they still love you and that they are with you every moment.
It is a shame that I cannot spend time with you to get to know you, Stephanie. I hope that there will be a time when we can all be a family; you, your brother, and me. Until then, I am thinking about you. Expressing emotions has always been very difficult for me, but I want to let you know that I love you. I love you so much and it tortures me to hear you are in such pain. I was overjoyed when I saw your picture on the front page of the Daily Prophet. It was great knowing that you were still alive. Please feel free to write me if you ever have a chance. I will do what I can for you.
Sirius
She felt the tears running down her cheeks; it was the first time she had cried since the Quidditch World cup. She felt Professor McGonagall try to rub her hand, but Stephanie pulled it away. She looked at McGonagall and begged, “Please. Don’t touch me.”
McGonagall handed her a tissue. “Stephanie, you have to talk to us. It’s the only way you are going to be able to let it out, the only way to heal.”
They sat in silence for a moment while Stephanie let out her tears. She finally looked at Professor Dumbledore and whispered, “Can you tell Sirius thank you? I have just felt so numb, for so long.”
Dumbledore nodded. Then Kingsley spoke up and Stephanie looked at him. “Can you tell us about the Quidditch World Cup? Can you tell us what happened?”
Stephanie nodded. She took a deep breath and began her story. Once she started, she found that it was difficult for her to stop, so she kept talking until she had run out of things to say. It felt great finally allowing herself to speak about how she was feeling. “Mr. Malfoy told me that I was going to be participating in the ‘festivities’ after the Quidditch World Cup, so I tried to use the pendant to tell someone about it. Professors Dumbledore and Snape did not answer, so I called Professor McGonagall. She told me to follow Mr. Malfoy’s orders, so I did. Before the attack, he sent Draco out of the cabin and told him to go into the woods. Then, he had me change into the robes and he gave me my orders.
“He told me I was to walk in front of him and if I were to speak, try to signal anyone, or run he would-” She paused, swallowed, and took a deep breath. “-kill me immediately. I believed him; I knew he would do it! I’m so sorry!” She started crying again. No one said anything, waiting for her to calm down and continue.
“Why didn’t he just put a silencing spell or the Imperius curse on me?” She had wondered this every day since the attack. “It would have ensured my compliance.”
“It was all about power.” Professor Snape told her. “He wanted to see how much control he has over you, to see how far you will go when given orders.”
Stephanie nodded and they all sat in silence for a moment. Dumbledore encouraged her, “We are all positive that you did the right thing. Please continue.”
She continued with her story. “So, I followed them. I was so upset at what they were doing that I tuned everything out. I don’t know what happened until the Dark Mark appeared. Mr. Malfoy had been scared; he asked the others who had cast it and no one had known. They scattered. He grabbed my arm and returned me to the cabin and he went to find Draco. When they returned we went back to the Manor.
“I was handling the situation okay after that. I just became more concentrated on my chores. A week after the attack, Mr. Malfoy made me read the article in the Daily Prophet about myself. He told me that I was going to Azkaban for what I did.” She gasped for breath in between sobs. “I just knew that I would never survive in Azkaban. That is when I fell apart,” she had decided not to mention what had happened between Mr. Malfoy and herself after she read the article. “I just lost it. I felt broken, disgusting.”
Stephanie paused again. She looked around. McGonagall and Hermione were crying silently. But what surprised her most was when she looked at Professor Dumbledore; he, too, had tears running down his face. Snape was the only one who remained emotionless. Dumbledore gestured for her to continue.
“Mr. Malfoy had been really happy with my performance after that. I became entranced in my chores and went above and beyond anything I had ever done before. I haven’t been able to eat; I’ve had no appetite. I continue to have flashbacks about that night. The worst are my dreams. Dreams are something that I have tried to avoid at all costs. I have barely slept in almost three months. I. Become. A. Monster.” She had to pause again. Still, no one said anything. Hermione looked like she was going to be sick. Stephanie couldn’t relive her nightmares again, so she moved on.
“I feel so horrible, like such an awful person. I haven’t been able to cry since the day I read that newspaper article. My insides feel so empty, I feel so numb.” She finished. She couldn’t say any more.
There was more silence while everyone processed what they had heard. Dumbledore was the first person to speak. “Stephanie, why didn’t you come to us? Why did you refuse to answer your pendant?”
“I am so ashamed. I am so disgusted with myself, and it hurts too much. I knew that I had disappointed you all, I couldn’t bring myself to face you.” She said. She had to force herself to look at Dumbledore.
“Stephanie, if someone is to blame it is myself!” McGonagall voiced a little too loudly. “For I am the one who told you to follow his orders!” She lowered her voice and said gently, “You have nothing to be ashamed of. You behaved admirably. You were so brave to do what you did.”
“Minerva, Lucius is the only one to blame. I would have told her the same thing.” Snape put in. He turned to Stephanie. “Stephanie, you did the only thing you could. It is one of the consequences of the mission you agreed to participate in. It cannot always be glorious. You must learn this.”
Stephanie didn’t know what to say. She turned to Kingsley. “Are you going to arrest me?”
He smiled. “No, Stephanie. I said that in the article to please Minister Fudge. Immediately after the attack, I made the sure the Aurors expended as few resources as possible to look for you. You were never in any danger of being sent to Azkaban.”
“I must reiterate the fact that you did nothing wrong.” Dumbledore told her solemnly. “Now, I am going to ask you this even though I know what your response will be.”
She knew what he was going to ask. Stephanie nodded at him and he began. “We think it is in your best interests to be removed from the Malfoy home. What are your thoughts?”
Stephanie had been thinking all day about how she would respond to this request. “I agree.”
Hermione gasped, “No!” and Stephanie noticed the looks of shock each person in the room had. They had obviously not expected her to agree.
“Hermione!” McGonagall scolded her.
“Sorry, Professor.” Hermione said quietly. “But I don’t think she should leave that house.” She looked at Stephanie. “I know you have been in so much pain. It hurts me to see you suffer like that. But you’ve told me that what you are doing is what gives your life purpose. I don’t want you to think I’m saying you are less important than Harry, but I know you want to do this for him. Don’t let Mr. Malfoy get to you. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
“Miss Granger is right.” This time it was Professor Snape.
“You cannot be serious!” McGonagall countered.
“Of course I am.” Professor Snape snapped back. “The Dark Lord is going to return very soon. We need her to be on the inside, since I will not be there twenty-four hours a day.”
“Stephanie,” Professor Dumbledore said gently. “I am curious as to your reasons for wishing to leave the Malfoy manor.”
“I cannot do it. I have been extremely weak and unable to care for myself. All I can think about is what I have done. What if I put others in danger because of my stupidity?” She asked.
“You are only weak because you have isolated yourself from others. You will be able to overcome what you are feeling now if you utilize the support we can offer.” Professor Snape was scolding her without actually doing so. “You are a valuable asset to the fight against the Dark Lord.”
“Severus, that is enough.” Dumbledore admonished. “Stephanie, you are not just a tool for us to use when we see fit. You must make your own decision and we will not force you either way. I know most of us,” he said while sneaking a glance at Snape, “would rather you leave the manor. But we will not make that decision for you. It is one you must make on your own.”
Stephanie didn’t know what to do. She really did not want to end her mission. Was she being selfish to want to leave because she felt bad? On the other hand, she felt that she had expended all the emotional energy she had left. Stephanie looked at Hermione and asked the question that she knew would give her the answer. “Would Harry stay?”
“Absolutely.” Hermione nodded.
“However,” McGonagall began, “you are not your brother. We would not judge you or even be disappointed in you if you decided not to return to the Malfoys. Doing so is not a sign of weakness, you must understand this.”
“I will go back.” Tears had again come to her eyes. She was absolutely terrified to return, but she knew it was what she must do. As she had felt for a long time, she knew that a time was coming that she would be useful for these people. She would do something good very soon.
“You must understand that you may be required to participate in attacks even more destructive. People will die. Are you sure you can live with that?” Professor Snape pointed out to her. She wasn’t sure if she would survive another attack like the one at the Quidditch World Cup.
“I don’t know.” She said honestly.
“Stephanie, we would not allow you to return if we did not have full confidence in you. I know that you can overcome whatever is thrown at you if you make sure to utilize the support we can provide. Each of the four of us are available to you around the clock; we will respond as soon as it is safe to do so, if you so choose to call us.” Dumbledore assured her.
“I carry the diary with me all the time. I will be available to you, as well.” Hermione added.
“You must do as Mr. Malfoy orders. Realize that it is not your fault for what happens; it is his. If you feel so uncomfortable, grasp your pendant and the Aurors will come to your aid. They, we, will get you out of there safely.” Kingsley put in.
She nodded.
“Stephanie, you have to promise not to cut yourself off from us again. I know it was difficult for you to come here tonight, and we all admire you for that. We all appreciate the courage you have for what you are doing. Please know that you can never do anything that will disappoint us.” Dumbledore tried to assure her.
“There is something I feel I must warn you about.” Snape began slowly. “Draco Malfoy has approached me to assist him with his nonverbal spells. His father has requested my help in preparing Draco for the Dark Lord’s return. I am positive that Lucius plans on having Draco practice heavily over Christmas, since we do not know exactly when the Dark Lord will return. It may be extremely painful.”
More tears fell from her eyes. “Professor, I welcome the physical pain of his spells. That kind of pain would make me feel so alive right now. There isn’t anything compared to feeling absolutely nothing.”
Hermione and McGonagall began crying again, though they tried to hide it. Professor Dumbledore spoke to her, “Stephanie, it is comments like that that make me feel that you should not return to that home. You need time to recover.”
“If Hermione can be patient, and with the help of the diary, I am sure that I can overcome the deficit I feel.” She looked at Hermione and Hermione nodded. “I have just felt so alone. Looking at her messages really lifted me up when I was at my worst. I am positive that with time, I will be able to heal.”
“Very well.” Dumbledore conceded.
“And you are not alone. You have all of us, remember that.” Hermione spoke to her.
Stephanie felt an overwhelming feeling of compassion. She did not deserve the care that each of these people was showing her. She got up and walked slowly to Hermione. Stephanie wrapped herself around Hermione so tightly. Both girls began to sob loudly.
When they finally let go, Stephanie snuck a glance at Professor Snape who had a look of disgust on his face. She smiled at the sight. It was then that she knew she would be alright.
“You are to resume your lessons with Professor Snape on Monday. Is that alright with you?” Dumbledore asked her.
“Yes, Professor.” She nodded.
“Now, you must return to the manor. You must take better care of yourself. That means eating and sleeping properly.” Stephanie nodded. “Do you have any other questions?” Professor Dumbledore said with sadness.
“This helped me more than you will know. I thought it would be so horrible. Thank you.” She said to all of them.
“We love you, Stephanie. Remember that we are all here for you.” Professor McGonagall was the next one to wrap her in a hug.
When they released each other, Stephanie asked Professor Dumbledore, “Can I keep this letter?”
“Absolutely. It is yours. If you would like to write a response, just give the letter to Professor Snape during one of your lessons.” Dumbledore looked at Snape who had another look of disgust on his face. Albus knew that Severus would not be happy to be the messenger for Sirius Black. He was amused at the thought.
“Okay. Thank you,” she said again. Dobby was called and she returned to the Malfoy house. As she got ready for bed, she thought for the second time that she would be alright. She would survive this just like she has survived everything else.
Note: Here's Chapter 8. This one was really emotional for me to write, and I'll admit that I did tear up just a bit! I hope you enjoyed it. Chapter 9 should be up on Sunday morning. Feedback is always greatly appreciated!
Chapter Nine: The Hunted
The meeting with the others had lifted her spirits, though she still had a lot of things to sort through. She still felt horribly guilty about what had happened at the Quidditch World Cup, but she no longer had nightmares like she used to. That night she surprisingly had a great night’s sleep. Her appetite also slowly began to return.
Over the weekend, she worked on the letter she wanted to send to her godfather. It was difficult for her to write to this man because she really didn’t know who he was. She tried anyway.
The following Monday, she returned to the dungeons of Hogwarts to resume her Defense of the Dark Arts lessons with Professor Snape. He had called her attempts at Occlumency abysmal, but she hadn’t practiced in three months.
After the Occlumency session, Professor Snape wanted to begin working on her dueling skills. “It is very crucial that you learn how to duel. I doubt that you will be participating in such activities in the near future, but you never know what could happen.
“I am going to teach you to cast spells in quick succession, as that makes it more difficult for your opponent to guess which spells you are casting. It also makes it more difficult for them to dodge the spells.
“Now, do not tell me which spells you are casting. We will start with two spells at a time; I want you to try offensive spells on me.” Stephanie nodded and Snape gestured for her to begin. “I am going to defend myself from your attack, so be prepared.”
“Expelliarmus!” She shot at him. “Furnun-” Before she could even finish her second jinx she was slammed backwards.
She was slow to get up. Snape sneered at her, “You have to be quicker than that. Again.”
She got her wand ready, and thought of the spells she would use. She opened her mouth to speak, and before she could say anything, her wand had flown out of her hand and into Professor Snape’s.
She was getting frustrated. “I didn’t even say anything yet!”
“I am a Legilimens and you do not know that your opponent isn’t one as well. You must not think of your spells beforehand.” Snape said in his monotone voice.
“That’s not fair!” She said.
“Life’s not fair.” Snape snapped. “Again.”
She took a deep breath, raised her wand, and began. “Impedimenta. Langlock.” Stephanie had tried to freeze Snape and then lock his tongue to the roof of his mouth. She saw a protection shield go up near Professor Snape as she felt a blindfold wrap itself around her eyes.
“Better. That impedimenta spell almost hit me.” Snape said to her, though it was far from a compliment. He removed the blindfold. “Again.”
Stephanie raised her wand and stood there for a moment. She wanted to take Snape by surprise, as much as she could with him knowing something was coming. She started, “Levicor-” Then Snape hit her with a stinging hex.
“Ouch! Come on.” She begged him. How was she going to learn if she couldn’t hit him with anything?
He had a smirk on his face. Snape was enjoying this. “When you can hit me with a spell, we will know that you are ready. How do you expect to learn, to improve, if I take it easy on you?”
She grimaced. “You’re right. Shall we continue?”
Snape nodded his agreement and they continued for another twenty minutes.
After the lesson, Stephanie had to gather the courage to ask Snape what she had wanted to ask him the night they had their meeting.
“Professor,” she began slowly. “How do you do it? How can you look at yourself after you hurt someone?”
“I have no conscience.” He looked at her with interest. “Honestly, I truly enjoyed what I was doing. The Dark Arts have always fascinated me and it was such a thrill to watch someone suffer.”
She was shocked. She didn’t know how to respond to his honesty. “But, then why did you go against Voldemort? Why are you working with Professor Dumbledore?”
“There was a young woman.” He hesitated but continued. He figured she had gone through enough to learn a little about what had happened. “She had been my best friend, though she was disgusted by my fascination with the Dark Arts. My love for dark magic drove us apart. She graduated from Hogwarts and got married.
“After Hogwarts, I joined the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. We did many horrible things. I did many horrible things. We tortured and killed innocent witches and wizards as well as muggles. Many of us did worse things than that.” Snape had stopped looking at her. He had a sadness in his eyes that Stephanie didn’t think she’d ever see in this professor. She felt for him.
“I was having the time of my life. It brought such enjoyment to all of us. But, then, the Dark Lord had decided that this woman needed to be sacrificed. I loved her and had begged the Dark Lord to spare her. He cannot fathom the power of love. He considers such feelings to be a weakness that one must rid themselves of. I went to Professor Dumbledore and asked him to provide this woman with safety; and he tried, he really did.” Stephanie was surprised to see tears in Snape’s eyes. He quickly blinked them away and continued.
“The Dark Lord murdered the only woman I ever loved. I had no choice after that but to fight against him.” Snape finished and Stephanie just looked at him. That was such a horrible story; she didn’t know what to say to him.
“How did you end up working at Hogwarts, then?” She asked him.
“When I approached Professor Dumbledore about protecting her, he offered me a position as the Potions Master.” Snape said matter-of-factly. The emotions he had shown a few moments ago were now gone from his face. “The Dark Lord was most pleased that I had attained such a position as to gain Albus Dumbledore’s trust.”
Stephanie nodded. “Sir, can I ask you another question?”
“If you must.” Snape answered her coolly.
“Why would Mr. Malfoy want me to be unmasked during the attack? If I look so much like my mother, wouldn’t people recognize me? I just don’t understand why if it is all about power as you said the other night.” She asked.
“You may look like your mother, but as far as I know, no one has made the connection. Very few people knew that Lily had twins; they believe that Harry was the Potters’ only child. What he wants is your face associated with the terror at the Quidditch World Cup.” He said. “If you were to escape from him, you would still be associated with the Death Eaters. That was his plan.”
“People are afraid of me?” She asked incredulously. That is absurd. She would never hurt anyone!
“Correction. They are terrified of you.” Snape told her.
Stephanie sat there for a few moments, tears coming to her eyes. How could anyone be afraid of her?
“In time, they will learn the truth.” Snape offered. She nodded. “I believe it is time you should return to the manor.”
“Alright. Thank you, Professor.” She said. He nodded.
Dobby appeared and she returned to her bedroom.
*~*~*~*
Professor Snape had been right when he had warned Stephanie that Draco was going to practice on her during Christmas vacation. It seemed that all of his waking hours was used practicing on her. The only restriction Mr. Malfoy had given Draco was that he must not kill her. That’s reassuring, she thought sarcastically.
She cringed when she felt her arm burn the night before Draco was to return to Hogwarts. She had already had suffered several hours of torture that day and wasn’t really up for experiencing any more. Though, after tomorrow she would no longer have to endure his endless hours of practice. This thought made her smile.
She knocked on Draco’s door. He called for her to enter and she bowed before him. “You called me, sir?” She asked quietly.
“Of course. Tonight, we are going to play a little game.” He sneered with enjoyment. “It has occurred to me that most of my enemies will not be as pathetic as you. They will not remain still and allow me to hit them with random curses.”
This made Stephanie nervous. This might be worse than anything she has endured before, she thought.
Draco continued. “You are to remain on our grounds outside. I am going to hunt you. You have two minutes to hide.”
She paused. Was he really serious? She thought that she could either hide so he wouldn’t find her or she could just sit there when he attacked. How could she let him play these mind games with her?
He must have known what she was thinking. “You are to run from me as normal prey would. If you do not, the consequences will be severe.” He laughed. “Do you understand?”
She nodded and left the room. She walked out of the manor and into the woods. Stephanie had never been forced to do something like this before. It honestly scared her, because at least with the prior sessions she would know when the spells were coming. It was definitely an odd idea for her to run from him.
Stephanie looked around for a place to hide. There was a nice clump of bushes near where she was standing. She stooped behind the bushes and waited. It was very dark outside since there was no moon. Stephanie had always hated the woods behind the manor because there were always weird noises coming from it. She definitely preferred the safety that the manor provided compared to the forest. She heard Draco walking close to her.
Draco had used the human presence revealing spell to identify where she was. He cast the Reducto spell at a tree close to here. She got up and ran, but she didn’t get very far.
She let out of a yelp of pain when she was hit by a curse on her back, causing her to fall into a bush full of thorns. Her arms and legs were all scratched and bleeding. Draco was laughing.
She contemplated staying where she was, but thought better of it. Stephanie pushed herself up and began running again. Draco was walking slowly behind her, and she sped up.
She kneeled behind a large tree, out of breath. Good, she thought. She lost him. Then, suddenly, she was hoisted into the air. She felt her insides squeezing tight and she gasped for breath. The spell lifted and she was dropped onto the ground. She landed on her right arm and gasped in pain as she felt it break.
She lay on the ground, panting. She was lifted into the air again and slammed into a tree. As she lay hanging in the air against the tree, she gasped for the breath that wouldn’t come. He had knocked the wind out of her. Draco lowered his wand and she slumped to the ground. Her breath slowly returned.
He kneeled in front of her and lowered his face into hers. “Having fun?” He laughed as she silently begged him to stop. “Run.”
She lay still. Stephanie had had enough. She couldn’t move.
“Now!” He pulled her to her feet by her ponytail.
She ran away from him as fast as she could. She was hit in the back and was suddenly very thirsty. She thought she was going to die of thirst, it was so horrible. Then, she saw it. A lake. But how can that be? she thought. There isn’t a lake anywhere near the manor.
She walked over to the lake and began to scoop up the water. She put it to her mouth and spat it out immediately. Dirt. He had cast a hallucination spell on her! But she still needed water! She had to find water.
Stephanie ran to the manor to get water from the faucet. Just as she was almost to the door, the spell lifted. She was no longer thirsty. She immediately ducked, knowing that he was nearby somewhere. She lay on the ground, covering her head, for a few minutes before she began writhing in pain. She screamed, and tears fell from her eyes
The Cruciatus Curse continued. She could hear Draco laughing. It was definitely much stronger than it had ever been. He was improving greatly. Then, it finally lifted.
“Impressive, Draco.” Mr. Malfoy said as he walked out of the shadows. Stephanie lay on the ground watching father and son, trying to catch her breath.
“Thank you, father.” Draco smiled at his father’s compliment.
“However, there are many more creative ways to cause pain. Here, let me show you.” Mr. Malfoy said calmly. Draco nodded in anticipation.
Mr. Malfoy raised his wand at his still servant. She began to convulse uncontrollably. She was so cold; it was like pins and needles stabbing her entire body. Again, she screamed in pain. Then it lifted. She shivered uncontrollably as a result of the lingering spell.
Draco smiled. Then he watched as Stephanie began to digging at her skin, causing deep gouges to appear.
Stephanie began screaming, “Get them off. They are biting me! They are all over me. HELP ME! Please!” When it was over, Stephanie realized there had never been anything on her skin.
Draco laughed. Mr. Malfoy explained, “This spell is one of my favorites. It causes the recipient to see some sort of insect crawling all over her body. They scratch and hit themselves until there is nothing left. Basically, they kill themselves from the fear of what isn’t really there.”
“Intriguing.” Draco breathed in awe.
Stephanie hoped that they were almost done. She couldn’t believe that these spells even existed. There would be only one purpose to do this to someone: to torture them. If they were to do another spell, she felt that she would need to grasp her pendant. She didn’t want to, but she was in more pain than she had ever felt before.
“That should be all for the evening. We don’t want to kill the poor girl.” Mr. Malfoy looked at her and smiled. Stephanie let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Just one more, father.” Draco sneered. “I want to show you a spell Professor Snape taught me. It is absolutely fabulous!”
“All right.” Mr. Malfoy agreed.
Stephanie saw Draco raise his wand with a huge grin on his face. She saw him open his mouth and she heard the word, “Sectumsempra!”
Stephanie didn’t have any energy to scream, even though the pain was excruciating. A huge gash appeared on her stomach and the wound began to bleed severely. All Stephanie could do was hug her wound and whimper. The tears streamed down even harder than before.
“Excellent.” Mr. Malfoy said happily. “That always was one of Severus’ favorites. Let’s go inside before we get deathly sick from this cold.”
They began walking inside, leaving Stephanie on the ground bleeding.
“Sir,” she whispered. “Masters. Please, help me.” It hurt her so bad to beg these men to save her life. But she knew she had to do so.
“You do not deserve this, but I guess I can reward you for the hard work you have done since the Quidditch World Cup. Very well then.” Mr. Malfoy glared at her. Her wound closed up with a wave of his wand.
They left her on the ground; she was in so much pain that she couldn’t move. She knew she would be there all night, out in the cold. Stephanie couldn’t bear to be alone, so she called Professor McGonagall on her pendant once she was sure the Malfoys were inside the manor.
*~*~*~*
Minerva McGonagall had just changed into her nightclothes after staying up late grading papers and was getting ready to get in bed for the night when her pendant went off. She was surprised when she looked at it, because it had turned that color only once before. It was pink: Stephanie. McGonagall tapped it twice in order to speak with Stephanie.
“Stephanie, what can I do for you?” She asked the girl.
“Professor,” Stephanie whispered in between sobs. “I need to speak with Hermione.”
“I am sorry, dear. Hermione is not here.” McGonagall told her.
“Please,” Stephanie cried. “I have to” she paused. “Please.”
“Alright. It may take awhile for me to get to her, so I’ll have her give you a call from my pendant.” McGonagall went to close the connection with Stephanie, but she spoke again.
“Please don’t leave me!” Stephanie cried.
“Okay, dear. I won’t. I’ll keep the connection with you open. I promise.” Minerva was happy that Stephanie was finally utilizing the pendant for the purpose they had intended. However, something must be horribly wrong for Stephanie to do so and speak to her like that.
She quickly got dressed and hurried outside the castle. Once she was outside the castle gates, she Apparated to the Burrow, the Weasley residence, where Hermione was staying for the holidays.
Minerva knocked on the door and after a few minutes, Molly Weasley answered.
“Minerva!” Molly exclaimed. “What is wrong?”
“I’m sorry to bother you so late, Molly. But I need to speak with Miss Granger immediately.” McGonagall rushed.
“Yes, yes. Come in and I’ll wake her.” Molly showed Minerva to the living room. A few minutes later, Hermione came in looking terrified.
“What is going on?” Hermione asked.
“Miss Granger, I have Stephanie on the line.” McGonagall began. “She is pleading to speak with you.”
She handed Hermione the pendant. Then she requested that Hermione return the pendant the next day when everyone returned to Hogwarts. She went into the kitchen to say goodbye to Molly.
“Hermione?” Stephanie asked weakly.
“Yes, Stephanie. I’m here!” Hermione exclaimed. “What’s wrong?”
“Hermione, I’m scared.” Stephanie admitted.
“Oh, Stephanie.” Hermione was dumbfounded. She had no idea what she could say to make Stephanie feel better.
“I just need to hear your voice. I don’t want to be alone right now.” Stephanie whispered. Hermione could tell that she was crying. Stephanie continued, “Is Ginny there?”
Hermione had told Stephanie about all of Harry’s friends, including Ron’s little sister. For some reason, Stephanie had taken a special interest in Ginny. Maybe it was sister’s intuition, Hermione thought. It had been widely known, though Hermione didn’t share this with Stephanie, that Ginny had had a crush on Harry since before the two had even met.
“Yeah.” Hermione said.
“Please, wake her up and let her be a part of this.” Stephanie pleaded with Hermione. “I need as much support as I can get right now.”
“But, Stephanie! It’s too dangerous!” Hermione cried.
“Please, I need you right now.” Stephanie begged. She was asking Hermione to share this with Ginny because she knew that Ginny was Hermione’s closest girlfriend. Stephanie was asking so much of Hermione right now, she had to let Hermione be able to share it with someone else.
“All right.” Hermione conceded. She walked up to the room she shared with Ginny and gently shook her. “Ginny, wake up.”
Ginny rubbed her eyes. “Is it morning already?”
“No, I have to tell you something. Something you can’t share with anyone.” Hermione began.
Ginny sat up slowly and said, “okay.” She wondered what Hermione could tell her that was so important as to wake her up in the middle of the night.
Hermione explained the situation to Ginny. Ginny was absolutely shocked. “Wow,” she said. “And you aren’t going to tell Harry?”
“He will find out very soon.” Stephanie said faintly. Her teeth were chattering violently, she was absolutely freezing lying there in the snow.
“Stephanie, can you tell us what’s happened?” Hermione asked gently.
Stephanie told the girls what had happened to her that evening. There were many times when she had to pause in order to catch her breath. She was just so exhausted and in so much pain. She finished with, “it just hurts so much.”
When she finished, the two girls were both in tears. Hermione begged Stephanie to let her call the Aurors in to pick her up. Stephanie refused.
“No! The time where I am most needed is coming. The moment when I am going to save Harry’s life is coming closer.” Stephanie told the girls.
“But how can you be sure?” Ginny asked.
“There was a prophecy.” Stephanie told them. They looked at each other bewildered.
“A prophecy?” Hermione asked.
“One night at Hogwarts, a strange woman, I think Snape called her Trelawny, came into the dungeons during my lesson with him. He didn’t know how she had gotten in because he had set up defenses against intruders. Mostly to prevent Draco from come in looking for his mentor” Stephanie whispered, afraid one of the Malfoys would hear her. “But she said: ‘The one who serves a dark wizard will sacrifice herself for one with the same blood. The Dark Lord will use her to cause terror and destruction and to divide a nation.’
“When she finished, the woman had no idea where she was and how she had gotten to the dungeons. Snape had to perform a memory charm so she wouldn’t try to figure out who I was.” Stephanie breathed. This had been given to her only a short while ago, but she knew what it had meant.
“Oh my goodness. What does it mean that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will use you?” Ginny asked.
“I don’t know,” Stephanie cried. “And how I can divide a country, I don’t know.”
“What did Snape say?” Hermione asked. She didn’t really believe in prophesies, especially those provided by Professor Trelawny.
“He thought it was a load of bull.” Stephanie answered.
Hermione wanted to say that he was right, but Ginny stopped her. Stephanie continued, “If I leave now, I may not be able to save Harry.”
Hermione and Ginny stayed up all night talking to and comforting Stephanie. Hermione was glad that Stephanie allowed her to share this with Ginny because now she had someone to share this burden. She felt bad that she considered it a burden, but it was a lot to deal with on your own. Poor Stephanie, Hermione thought.
The next morning at the breakfast table, Mrs. Weasley was explaining how they were going to get back to Hogwarts. Then she turned to Hermione and asked concerned, “Minerva gave me such a fright last night. Is everything alright?”
Hermione wanted to lie, but she just couldn’t; she just wasn’t up to it. “No, but it will be.”
“Professor McGonagall was here last night?” Harry asked.
Hermione nodded.
“What did she want?” George questioned.
“She just needed to talk to me.” Hermione couldn’t tell the others why, though.
“About what?” Ron piped in.
“I can’t answer that.” Hermione said.
“Oh, you two look absolutely awful.” Mrs. Weasley gushed at Hermione and Ginny’s appearances, changing the subject. They were bedraggled and had dark circles under their eyes. Their eyes were puffy from all of the crying they had done.
“Oh, mom! That’s really nice!” Fred joked with his mother.
“It’s okay.” Hermione said.
“We stayed up all night.” Ginny added.
Ron and Harry looked at each other quizzically. Something is wrong, Harry thought. He made a mental note to ask Hermione about it once they returned to Hogwarts.
*~*~*~*
When she returned to Hogwarts, she separated from her friends so she could find professor McGonagall. Hermione found McGonagall in the Great Hall.
“Professor, here is your pendant.” Hermione held out the pendant.
“Thank you.” McGonagall said, taking the pendant. “Is she alright?”
“No. But I did what I could.” Hermione said.
“And she appreciates that.” McGonagall offered.
“There’s something else,” Hermione added. She had debated whether or not to tell McGonagall about any of the conversation, but she figured that she had to. This is something they all needed to know.
“Yes, dear?” McGonagall asked.
“She had me tell Ginny about her.” Hermione admitted and McGonagall raised her eyebrow. “I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t refuse her last night. She begged me.”
“Does Miss Weasley know not to share the information?” McGonagall asked.
Hermione nodded. Then something else occurred to her. “Neville Longbottom knows about her, as well.”
“How did that happen?” McGonagall was really surprised about this. She knew that Hermione would never tell Mr. Longbottom this information.
“He was there when we got the copy of the Daily Prophet with Stephanie on the front page. Harry accidentally stated that he knew her, and he felt he had to explain to Neville.” Hermione explained. “He has promised to keep it a secret, as well.”
“Very well. But you do understand the increasing danger Stephanie is in with each new person who learns of her identity, I assume.” McGonagall asked.
“Yes, Professor.” Hermione said. “I am positive no one else will find out.”
McGonagall nodded. “Very well. Thank you for keeping me informed.”
And with that, Hermione went back to her dormitory.
*~*~*~*
Back in the common room of Gryffindor, Harry finally had an opportunity to ask Hermione about the conversation they had had at the breakfast table.
“Are you going to tell us what’s going on?” He asked her bluntly.
Ron looked at Hermione, questioningly.
“No.” Hermione answered.
“You usually tell us everything. We want to help you with this.” Ron said. “We know something is going on.”
“I appreciate your concern. But this is something that you can’t help me with quite yet.” Hermione told them. “I’m just glad that Ginny is able to provide as much support as she can.”
“But we’re your best friends!” Ron yelled at her. “If you can’t tell us, why are we even friends?”
Hermione put her head in her hands. “Ron, I want to. But I can’t.”
“But, you told Ginny!” Ron was losing his temper.
“So?” Hermione lost her temper as well. “I don’t have to tell you everything! Don’t be stupid!”
“I’m not being stupid! I’m trying to help you.” Ron said quieter now.
“Well, you can’t!” Hermione said. She got up and stormed to her bedroom.
“Hermione.” Harry called after her.
She paused and looked at him over her shoulder. “Don’t.” she said.
When she got up to her bedroom, Hermione lay down on her bed and cried herself to sleep.
*~*~*~*
Things had gotten better for Stephanie. The conversation with Hermione and Ginny in December had allowed her to become more open and share more things with the two girls. Ginny had even begun to write in the diary, as well. It was great for Stephanie to have this companionship. She was definitely healing quite well from what had happened at the Quidditch World Cup.
She was beginning to serve Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy their dinner, but she was extremely on edge. Stephanie knew that this was the evening of the last task of the Triwizard Tournament and she was scared for Harry. She wanted him to do well.
She almost dropped the tray of food she was carrying as a shooting pain began in her leg. She looked at Mr. Malfoy who was talking to his wife, so she knew that he wasn’t the one causing it. As quickly as it had come, the pain faded and she forgot about it.
A little while later she got an extremely strong feeling of terror. She became sick to her stomach and ran to the bathroom. She kneeled in front of the toilet and vomited. Unexplainable to Stephanie, she began to cry uncontrollably. Then, she screamed, more in surprise than in pain, as her arm began to throb as if someone had taken a gouge out of it. She suddenly realized what was happening to her.
Stephanie tapped her pendant twice and said, “Dumbledore.”
“Yes, Stephanie.” Dumbledore answered a few seconds later.
“Where is Harry?” She asked, hurriedly.
“He’s in the maze, doing the last task. Why?” Professor Dumbledore asked curiously.
“He’s in danger! You need to get him out of there!” She almost screamed into the pendant.
“He can’t be. I saw him into the maze, myself.” Dumbledore said.
“You have to believe me! You need to help him!” She had to convince Dumbledore that Harry was really in danger.
“I’ll see what I can do, Stephanie.” He answered.
“Thank you,” She responded. Then she heard Mr. Malfoy yelling for her from the dining room. “I have to go.”
“What is all that commotion?” She heard Mr. Malfoy yell.
Stephanie ran into the dining room and said, out of breath. “I’m sorry. I tripped and fell.”
“Stupid girl.” Mr. Malfoy criticized her. “You are so clums-”
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence. He pulled up the sleeve of his robes and looked at his Dark Mark. It was pitch black and appeared to be pulsating.
“Very nice.” He smiled broadly. Mr. Malfoy got up and kissed his wife. “I’ll be back.”
He then Disapparated away from the manor.
Note: Chapter Ten is almost completed and will be up tomorrow morning. I appreciate any feedback you can provide!
The meeting with the others had lifted her spirits, though she still had a lot of things to sort through. She still felt horribly guilty about what had happened at the Quidditch World Cup, but she no longer had nightmares like she used to. That night she surprisingly had a great night’s sleep. Her appetite also slowly began to return.
Over the weekend, she worked on the letter she wanted to send to her godfather. It was difficult for her to write to this man because she really didn’t know who he was. She tried anyway.
Sirius,
Thank you for the kind words of encouragement and about my mother. I hope that you will be able to tell me more stories about my parents in the future.
I don’t know what else to say, except Thank You. Your letter really helped me release the sadness I had held in for a long time. It was nice to see those words, “I love you.” I don’t get told that very often, and rarely do I believe it. So, again. Thank you.
Stephanie
Thank you for the kind words of encouragement and about my mother. I hope that you will be able to tell me more stories about my parents in the future.
I don’t know what else to say, except Thank You. Your letter really helped me release the sadness I had held in for a long time. It was nice to see those words, “I love you.” I don’t get told that very often, and rarely do I believe it. So, again. Thank you.
Stephanie
The following Monday, she returned to the dungeons of Hogwarts to resume her Defense of the Dark Arts lessons with Professor Snape. He had called her attempts at Occlumency abysmal, but she hadn’t practiced in three months.
After the Occlumency session, Professor Snape wanted to begin working on her dueling skills. “It is very crucial that you learn how to duel. I doubt that you will be participating in such activities in the near future, but you never know what could happen.
“I am going to teach you to cast spells in quick succession, as that makes it more difficult for your opponent to guess which spells you are casting. It also makes it more difficult for them to dodge the spells.
“Now, do not tell me which spells you are casting. We will start with two spells at a time; I want you to try offensive spells on me.” Stephanie nodded and Snape gestured for her to begin. “I am going to defend myself from your attack, so be prepared.”
“Expelliarmus!” She shot at him. “Furnun-” Before she could even finish her second jinx she was slammed backwards.
She was slow to get up. Snape sneered at her, “You have to be quicker than that. Again.”
She got her wand ready, and thought of the spells she would use. She opened her mouth to speak, and before she could say anything, her wand had flown out of her hand and into Professor Snape’s.
She was getting frustrated. “I didn’t even say anything yet!”
“I am a Legilimens and you do not know that your opponent isn’t one as well. You must not think of your spells beforehand.” Snape said in his monotone voice.
“That’s not fair!” She said.
“Life’s not fair.” Snape snapped. “Again.”
She took a deep breath, raised her wand, and began. “Impedimenta. Langlock.” Stephanie had tried to freeze Snape and then lock his tongue to the roof of his mouth. She saw a protection shield go up near Professor Snape as she felt a blindfold wrap itself around her eyes.
“Better. That impedimenta spell almost hit me.” Snape said to her, though it was far from a compliment. He removed the blindfold. “Again.”
Stephanie raised her wand and stood there for a moment. She wanted to take Snape by surprise, as much as she could with him knowing something was coming. She started, “Levicor-” Then Snape hit her with a stinging hex.
“Ouch! Come on.” She begged him. How was she going to learn if she couldn’t hit him with anything?
He had a smirk on his face. Snape was enjoying this. “When you can hit me with a spell, we will know that you are ready. How do you expect to learn, to improve, if I take it easy on you?”
She grimaced. “You’re right. Shall we continue?”
Snape nodded his agreement and they continued for another twenty minutes.
After the lesson, Stephanie had to gather the courage to ask Snape what she had wanted to ask him the night they had their meeting.
“Professor,” she began slowly. “How do you do it? How can you look at yourself after you hurt someone?”
“I have no conscience.” He looked at her with interest. “Honestly, I truly enjoyed what I was doing. The Dark Arts have always fascinated me and it was such a thrill to watch someone suffer.”
She was shocked. She didn’t know how to respond to his honesty. “But, then why did you go against Voldemort? Why are you working with Professor Dumbledore?”
“There was a young woman.” He hesitated but continued. He figured she had gone through enough to learn a little about what had happened. “She had been my best friend, though she was disgusted by my fascination with the Dark Arts. My love for dark magic drove us apart. She graduated from Hogwarts and got married.
“After Hogwarts, I joined the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. We did many horrible things. I did many horrible things. We tortured and killed innocent witches and wizards as well as muggles. Many of us did worse things than that.” Snape had stopped looking at her. He had a sadness in his eyes that Stephanie didn’t think she’d ever see in this professor. She felt for him.
“I was having the time of my life. It brought such enjoyment to all of us. But, then, the Dark Lord had decided that this woman needed to be sacrificed. I loved her and had begged the Dark Lord to spare her. He cannot fathom the power of love. He considers such feelings to be a weakness that one must rid themselves of. I went to Professor Dumbledore and asked him to provide this woman with safety; and he tried, he really did.” Stephanie was surprised to see tears in Snape’s eyes. He quickly blinked them away and continued.
“The Dark Lord murdered the only woman I ever loved. I had no choice after that but to fight against him.” Snape finished and Stephanie just looked at him. That was such a horrible story; she didn’t know what to say to him.
“How did you end up working at Hogwarts, then?” She asked him.
“When I approached Professor Dumbledore about protecting her, he offered me a position as the Potions Master.” Snape said matter-of-factly. The emotions he had shown a few moments ago were now gone from his face. “The Dark Lord was most pleased that I had attained such a position as to gain Albus Dumbledore’s trust.”
Stephanie nodded. “Sir, can I ask you another question?”
“If you must.” Snape answered her coolly.
“Why would Mr. Malfoy want me to be unmasked during the attack? If I look so much like my mother, wouldn’t people recognize me? I just don’t understand why if it is all about power as you said the other night.” She asked.
“You may look like your mother, but as far as I know, no one has made the connection. Very few people knew that Lily had twins; they believe that Harry was the Potters’ only child. What he wants is your face associated with the terror at the Quidditch World Cup.” He said. “If you were to escape from him, you would still be associated with the Death Eaters. That was his plan.”
“People are afraid of me?” She asked incredulously. That is absurd. She would never hurt anyone!
“Correction. They are terrified of you.” Snape told her.
Stephanie sat there for a few moments, tears coming to her eyes. How could anyone be afraid of her?
“In time, they will learn the truth.” Snape offered. She nodded. “I believe it is time you should return to the manor.”
“Alright. Thank you, Professor.” She said. He nodded.
Dobby appeared and she returned to her bedroom.
*~*~*~*
Professor Snape had been right when he had warned Stephanie that Draco was going to practice on her during Christmas vacation. It seemed that all of his waking hours was used practicing on her. The only restriction Mr. Malfoy had given Draco was that he must not kill her. That’s reassuring, she thought sarcastically.
She cringed when she felt her arm burn the night before Draco was to return to Hogwarts. She had already had suffered several hours of torture that day and wasn’t really up for experiencing any more. Though, after tomorrow she would no longer have to endure his endless hours of practice. This thought made her smile.
She knocked on Draco’s door. He called for her to enter and she bowed before him. “You called me, sir?” She asked quietly.
“Of course. Tonight, we are going to play a little game.” He sneered with enjoyment. “It has occurred to me that most of my enemies will not be as pathetic as you. They will not remain still and allow me to hit them with random curses.”
This made Stephanie nervous. This might be worse than anything she has endured before, she thought.
Draco continued. “You are to remain on our grounds outside. I am going to hunt you. You have two minutes to hide.”
She paused. Was he really serious? She thought that she could either hide so he wouldn’t find her or she could just sit there when he attacked. How could she let him play these mind games with her?
He must have known what she was thinking. “You are to run from me as normal prey would. If you do not, the consequences will be severe.” He laughed. “Do you understand?”
She nodded and left the room. She walked out of the manor and into the woods. Stephanie had never been forced to do something like this before. It honestly scared her, because at least with the prior sessions she would know when the spells were coming. It was definitely an odd idea for her to run from him.
Stephanie looked around for a place to hide. There was a nice clump of bushes near where she was standing. She stooped behind the bushes and waited. It was very dark outside since there was no moon. Stephanie had always hated the woods behind the manor because there were always weird noises coming from it. She definitely preferred the safety that the manor provided compared to the forest. She heard Draco walking close to her.
Draco had used the human presence revealing spell to identify where she was. He cast the Reducto spell at a tree close to here. She got up and ran, but she didn’t get very far.
She let out of a yelp of pain when she was hit by a curse on her back, causing her to fall into a bush full of thorns. Her arms and legs were all scratched and bleeding. Draco was laughing.
She contemplated staying where she was, but thought better of it. Stephanie pushed herself up and began running again. Draco was walking slowly behind her, and she sped up.
She kneeled behind a large tree, out of breath. Good, she thought. She lost him. Then, suddenly, she was hoisted into the air. She felt her insides squeezing tight and she gasped for breath. The spell lifted and she was dropped onto the ground. She landed on her right arm and gasped in pain as she felt it break.
She lay on the ground, panting. She was lifted into the air again and slammed into a tree. As she lay hanging in the air against the tree, she gasped for the breath that wouldn’t come. He had knocked the wind out of her. Draco lowered his wand and she slumped to the ground. Her breath slowly returned.
He kneeled in front of her and lowered his face into hers. “Having fun?” He laughed as she silently begged him to stop. “Run.”
She lay still. Stephanie had had enough. She couldn’t move.
“Now!” He pulled her to her feet by her ponytail.
She ran away from him as fast as she could. She was hit in the back and was suddenly very thirsty. She thought she was going to die of thirst, it was so horrible. Then, she saw it. A lake. But how can that be? she thought. There isn’t a lake anywhere near the manor.
She walked over to the lake and began to scoop up the water. She put it to her mouth and spat it out immediately. Dirt. He had cast a hallucination spell on her! But she still needed water! She had to find water.
Stephanie ran to the manor to get water from the faucet. Just as she was almost to the door, the spell lifted. She was no longer thirsty. She immediately ducked, knowing that he was nearby somewhere. She lay on the ground, covering her head, for a few minutes before she began writhing in pain. She screamed, and tears fell from her eyes
The Cruciatus Curse continued. She could hear Draco laughing. It was definitely much stronger than it had ever been. He was improving greatly. Then, it finally lifted.
“Impressive, Draco.” Mr. Malfoy said as he walked out of the shadows. Stephanie lay on the ground watching father and son, trying to catch her breath.
“Thank you, father.” Draco smiled at his father’s compliment.
“However, there are many more creative ways to cause pain. Here, let me show you.” Mr. Malfoy said calmly. Draco nodded in anticipation.
Mr. Malfoy raised his wand at his still servant. She began to convulse uncontrollably. She was so cold; it was like pins and needles stabbing her entire body. Again, she screamed in pain. Then it lifted. She shivered uncontrollably as a result of the lingering spell.
Draco smiled. Then he watched as Stephanie began to digging at her skin, causing deep gouges to appear.
Stephanie began screaming, “Get them off. They are biting me! They are all over me. HELP ME! Please!” When it was over, Stephanie realized there had never been anything on her skin.
Draco laughed. Mr. Malfoy explained, “This spell is one of my favorites. It causes the recipient to see some sort of insect crawling all over her body. They scratch and hit themselves until there is nothing left. Basically, they kill themselves from the fear of what isn’t really there.”
“Intriguing.” Draco breathed in awe.
Stephanie hoped that they were almost done. She couldn’t believe that these spells even existed. There would be only one purpose to do this to someone: to torture them. If they were to do another spell, she felt that she would need to grasp her pendant. She didn’t want to, but she was in more pain than she had ever felt before.
“That should be all for the evening. We don’t want to kill the poor girl.” Mr. Malfoy looked at her and smiled. Stephanie let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Just one more, father.” Draco sneered. “I want to show you a spell Professor Snape taught me. It is absolutely fabulous!”
“All right.” Mr. Malfoy agreed.
Stephanie saw Draco raise his wand with a huge grin on his face. She saw him open his mouth and she heard the word, “Sectumsempra!”
Stephanie didn’t have any energy to scream, even though the pain was excruciating. A huge gash appeared on her stomach and the wound began to bleed severely. All Stephanie could do was hug her wound and whimper. The tears streamed down even harder than before.
“Excellent.” Mr. Malfoy said happily. “That always was one of Severus’ favorites. Let’s go inside before we get deathly sick from this cold.”
They began walking inside, leaving Stephanie on the ground bleeding.
“Sir,” she whispered. “Masters. Please, help me.” It hurt her so bad to beg these men to save her life. But she knew she had to do so.
“You do not deserve this, but I guess I can reward you for the hard work you have done since the Quidditch World Cup. Very well then.” Mr. Malfoy glared at her. Her wound closed up with a wave of his wand.
They left her on the ground; she was in so much pain that she couldn’t move. She knew she would be there all night, out in the cold. Stephanie couldn’t bear to be alone, so she called Professor McGonagall on her pendant once she was sure the Malfoys were inside the manor.
*~*~*~*
Minerva McGonagall had just changed into her nightclothes after staying up late grading papers and was getting ready to get in bed for the night when her pendant went off. She was surprised when she looked at it, because it had turned that color only once before. It was pink: Stephanie. McGonagall tapped it twice in order to speak with Stephanie.
“Stephanie, what can I do for you?” She asked the girl.
“Professor,” Stephanie whispered in between sobs. “I need to speak with Hermione.”
“I am sorry, dear. Hermione is not here.” McGonagall told her.
“Please,” Stephanie cried. “I have to” she paused. “Please.”
“Alright. It may take awhile for me to get to her, so I’ll have her give you a call from my pendant.” McGonagall went to close the connection with Stephanie, but she spoke again.
“Please don’t leave me!” Stephanie cried.
“Okay, dear. I won’t. I’ll keep the connection with you open. I promise.” Minerva was happy that Stephanie was finally utilizing the pendant for the purpose they had intended. However, something must be horribly wrong for Stephanie to do so and speak to her like that.
She quickly got dressed and hurried outside the castle. Once she was outside the castle gates, she Apparated to the Burrow, the Weasley residence, where Hermione was staying for the holidays.
Minerva knocked on the door and after a few minutes, Molly Weasley answered.
“Minerva!” Molly exclaimed. “What is wrong?”
“I’m sorry to bother you so late, Molly. But I need to speak with Miss Granger immediately.” McGonagall rushed.
“Yes, yes. Come in and I’ll wake her.” Molly showed Minerva to the living room. A few minutes later, Hermione came in looking terrified.
“What is going on?” Hermione asked.
“Miss Granger, I have Stephanie on the line.” McGonagall began. “She is pleading to speak with you.”
She handed Hermione the pendant. Then she requested that Hermione return the pendant the next day when everyone returned to Hogwarts. She went into the kitchen to say goodbye to Molly.
“Hermione?” Stephanie asked weakly.
“Yes, Stephanie. I’m here!” Hermione exclaimed. “What’s wrong?”
“Hermione, I’m scared.” Stephanie admitted.
“Oh, Stephanie.” Hermione was dumbfounded. She had no idea what she could say to make Stephanie feel better.
“I just need to hear your voice. I don’t want to be alone right now.” Stephanie whispered. Hermione could tell that she was crying. Stephanie continued, “Is Ginny there?”
Hermione had told Stephanie about all of Harry’s friends, including Ron’s little sister. For some reason, Stephanie had taken a special interest in Ginny. Maybe it was sister’s intuition, Hermione thought. It had been widely known, though Hermione didn’t share this with Stephanie, that Ginny had had a crush on Harry since before the two had even met.
“Yeah.” Hermione said.
“Please, wake her up and let her be a part of this.” Stephanie pleaded with Hermione. “I need as much support as I can get right now.”
“But, Stephanie! It’s too dangerous!” Hermione cried.
“Please, I need you right now.” Stephanie begged. She was asking Hermione to share this with Ginny because she knew that Ginny was Hermione’s closest girlfriend. Stephanie was asking so much of Hermione right now, she had to let Hermione be able to share it with someone else.
“All right.” Hermione conceded. She walked up to the room she shared with Ginny and gently shook her. “Ginny, wake up.”
Ginny rubbed her eyes. “Is it morning already?”
“No, I have to tell you something. Something you can’t share with anyone.” Hermione began.
Ginny sat up slowly and said, “okay.” She wondered what Hermione could tell her that was so important as to wake her up in the middle of the night.
Hermione explained the situation to Ginny. Ginny was absolutely shocked. “Wow,” she said. “And you aren’t going to tell Harry?”
“He will find out very soon.” Stephanie said faintly. Her teeth were chattering violently, she was absolutely freezing lying there in the snow.
“Stephanie, can you tell us what’s happened?” Hermione asked gently.
Stephanie told the girls what had happened to her that evening. There were many times when she had to pause in order to catch her breath. She was just so exhausted and in so much pain. She finished with, “it just hurts so much.”
When she finished, the two girls were both in tears. Hermione begged Stephanie to let her call the Aurors in to pick her up. Stephanie refused.
“No! The time where I am most needed is coming. The moment when I am going to save Harry’s life is coming closer.” Stephanie told the girls.
“But how can you be sure?” Ginny asked.
“There was a prophecy.” Stephanie told them. They looked at each other bewildered.
“A prophecy?” Hermione asked.
“One night at Hogwarts, a strange woman, I think Snape called her Trelawny, came into the dungeons during my lesson with him. He didn’t know how she had gotten in because he had set up defenses against intruders. Mostly to prevent Draco from come in looking for his mentor” Stephanie whispered, afraid one of the Malfoys would hear her. “But she said: ‘The one who serves a dark wizard will sacrifice herself for one with the same blood. The Dark Lord will use her to cause terror and destruction and to divide a nation.’
“When she finished, the woman had no idea where she was and how she had gotten to the dungeons. Snape had to perform a memory charm so she wouldn’t try to figure out who I was.” Stephanie breathed. This had been given to her only a short while ago, but she knew what it had meant.
“Oh my goodness. What does it mean that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will use you?” Ginny asked.
“I don’t know,” Stephanie cried. “And how I can divide a country, I don’t know.”
“What did Snape say?” Hermione asked. She didn’t really believe in prophesies, especially those provided by Professor Trelawny.
“He thought it was a load of bull.” Stephanie answered.
Hermione wanted to say that he was right, but Ginny stopped her. Stephanie continued, “If I leave now, I may not be able to save Harry.”
Hermione and Ginny stayed up all night talking to and comforting Stephanie. Hermione was glad that Stephanie allowed her to share this with Ginny because now she had someone to share this burden. She felt bad that she considered it a burden, but it was a lot to deal with on your own. Poor Stephanie, Hermione thought.
The next morning at the breakfast table, Mrs. Weasley was explaining how they were going to get back to Hogwarts. Then she turned to Hermione and asked concerned, “Minerva gave me such a fright last night. Is everything alright?”
Hermione wanted to lie, but she just couldn’t; she just wasn’t up to it. “No, but it will be.”
“Professor McGonagall was here last night?” Harry asked.
Hermione nodded.
“What did she want?” George questioned.
“She just needed to talk to me.” Hermione couldn’t tell the others why, though.
“About what?” Ron piped in.
“I can’t answer that.” Hermione said.
“Oh, you two look absolutely awful.” Mrs. Weasley gushed at Hermione and Ginny’s appearances, changing the subject. They were bedraggled and had dark circles under their eyes. Their eyes were puffy from all of the crying they had done.
“Oh, mom! That’s really nice!” Fred joked with his mother.
“It’s okay.” Hermione said.
“We stayed up all night.” Ginny added.
Ron and Harry looked at each other quizzically. Something is wrong, Harry thought. He made a mental note to ask Hermione about it once they returned to Hogwarts.
*~*~*~*
When she returned to Hogwarts, she separated from her friends so she could find professor McGonagall. Hermione found McGonagall in the Great Hall.
“Professor, here is your pendant.” Hermione held out the pendant.
“Thank you.” McGonagall said, taking the pendant. “Is she alright?”
“No. But I did what I could.” Hermione said.
“And she appreciates that.” McGonagall offered.
“There’s something else,” Hermione added. She had debated whether or not to tell McGonagall about any of the conversation, but she figured that she had to. This is something they all needed to know.
“Yes, dear?” McGonagall asked.
“She had me tell Ginny about her.” Hermione admitted and McGonagall raised her eyebrow. “I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t refuse her last night. She begged me.”
“Does Miss Weasley know not to share the information?” McGonagall asked.
Hermione nodded. Then something else occurred to her. “Neville Longbottom knows about her, as well.”
“How did that happen?” McGonagall was really surprised about this. She knew that Hermione would never tell Mr. Longbottom this information.
“He was there when we got the copy of the Daily Prophet with Stephanie on the front page. Harry accidentally stated that he knew her, and he felt he had to explain to Neville.” Hermione explained. “He has promised to keep it a secret, as well.”
“Very well. But you do understand the increasing danger Stephanie is in with each new person who learns of her identity, I assume.” McGonagall asked.
“Yes, Professor.” Hermione said. “I am positive no one else will find out.”
McGonagall nodded. “Very well. Thank you for keeping me informed.”
And with that, Hermione went back to her dormitory.
*~*~*~*
Back in the common room of Gryffindor, Harry finally had an opportunity to ask Hermione about the conversation they had had at the breakfast table.
“Are you going to tell us what’s going on?” He asked her bluntly.
Ron looked at Hermione, questioningly.
“No.” Hermione answered.
“You usually tell us everything. We want to help you with this.” Ron said. “We know something is going on.”
“I appreciate your concern. But this is something that you can’t help me with quite yet.” Hermione told them. “I’m just glad that Ginny is able to provide as much support as she can.”
“But we’re your best friends!” Ron yelled at her. “If you can’t tell us, why are we even friends?”
Hermione put her head in her hands. “Ron, I want to. But I can’t.”
“But, you told Ginny!” Ron was losing his temper.
“So?” Hermione lost her temper as well. “I don’t have to tell you everything! Don’t be stupid!”
“I’m not being stupid! I’m trying to help you.” Ron said quieter now.
“Well, you can’t!” Hermione said. She got up and stormed to her bedroom.
“Hermione.” Harry called after her.
She paused and looked at him over her shoulder. “Don’t.” she said.
When she got up to her bedroom, Hermione lay down on her bed and cried herself to sleep.
*~*~*~*
Things had gotten better for Stephanie. The conversation with Hermione and Ginny in December had allowed her to become more open and share more things with the two girls. Ginny had even begun to write in the diary, as well. It was great for Stephanie to have this companionship. She was definitely healing quite well from what had happened at the Quidditch World Cup.
She was beginning to serve Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy their dinner, but she was extremely on edge. Stephanie knew that this was the evening of the last task of the Triwizard Tournament and she was scared for Harry. She wanted him to do well.
She almost dropped the tray of food she was carrying as a shooting pain began in her leg. She looked at Mr. Malfoy who was talking to his wife, so she knew that he wasn’t the one causing it. As quickly as it had come, the pain faded and she forgot about it.
A little while later she got an extremely strong feeling of terror. She became sick to her stomach and ran to the bathroom. She kneeled in front of the toilet and vomited. Unexplainable to Stephanie, she began to cry uncontrollably. Then, she screamed, more in surprise than in pain, as her arm began to throb as if someone had taken a gouge out of it. She suddenly realized what was happening to her.
Stephanie tapped her pendant twice and said, “Dumbledore.”
“Yes, Stephanie.” Dumbledore answered a few seconds later.
“Where is Harry?” She asked, hurriedly.
“He’s in the maze, doing the last task. Why?” Professor Dumbledore asked curiously.
“He’s in danger! You need to get him out of there!” She almost screamed into the pendant.
“He can’t be. I saw him into the maze, myself.” Dumbledore said.
“You have to believe me! You need to help him!” She had to convince Dumbledore that Harry was really in danger.
“I’ll see what I can do, Stephanie.” He answered.
“Thank you,” She responded. Then she heard Mr. Malfoy yelling for her from the dining room. “I have to go.”
“What is all that commotion?” She heard Mr. Malfoy yell.
Stephanie ran into the dining room and said, out of breath. “I’m sorry. I tripped and fell.”
“Stupid girl.” Mr. Malfoy criticized her. “You are so clums-”
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence. He pulled up the sleeve of his robes and looked at his Dark Mark. It was pitch black and appeared to be pulsating.
“Very nice.” He smiled broadly. Mr. Malfoy got up and kissed his wife. “I’ll be back.”
He then Disapparated away from the manor.
Note: Chapter Ten is almost completed and will be up tomorrow morning. I appreciate any feedback you can provide!
Chapter Ten: The Dark Lord Returns
Harry had just finished the third task in the Triwizard tournament. It hadn’t been as rough as he thought it would be; nothing like battling a dragon, at least. Though, it was more about knowledge than skill, and it was definitely one more fit for his best friend Hermione. At the end of the maze, he had been attacked by a giant spider. He looked down at his leg and it was still bleeding. It was painful, but it didn’t compare to the terror he was feeling at the moment.
Harry had saved his opponent and fellow Hogwarts student, Cedric Diggory, from the spider in the maze. They, then, decided to share the triumph of winning the Twiwizard Cup. At least the victory would go to Hogwarts, they had concluded. But when they both touched the Cup, they were transported to a dark graveyard.
Shortly after they arrived, a short, stubbly looking man in dark robes came out of the shadows. Harry had noticed that he was carrying a bundle of robes. Before Harry could do anything, he had witnessed Cedric getting hit with the Avada Kedavra curse. He ran to the boy. How could Harry not see that coming? He should have done something. Cedric couldn’t be dead! Harry started to sob.
Before he could even think about running, the man lifted Harry up with his wand and silently bound him to a headstone. Harry caught a quick glimpse of the name: Tom Riddle. It can’t be, Harry thought.
Harry struggled against the ropes that were binding him. The harder he fought, the tighter they became. The ropes were so tight against his skin that he had trouble breathing. He finally succumbed to his captivity and stopped struggling. The ropes loosened a little when he did this. He began fighting again and they tightened even more than before. It was no use, he was trapped.
He bit down on the piece of cloth in his mouth, trying to spit it out. However, it, too, was too tight and it wouldn’t budge. He couldn’t scream for help. Would anybody even hear me? he wondered.
He watched as the man in the robes started a fire and began to boil some sort of liquid in a large black cauldron. What is going on? Harry thought. Please don’t let it work, let it fail. He begged.
The man began chanting an incantation and Harry watched in horror as the man cut off his own hand. The hand fell into the cauldron. He tried screaming again.
“HMPH MPH” He tried yelling for help. But only mumbled words would come out. He struggled again and the ropes tightened. Harry could only sit and watch what was about to happen. He felt so helpless.
Then he realized who this man was. Wormtail, he thought. I am going to die here. Even after I spared him his life, I am going to die. Harry panicked. He tried to think of a way out of this, but nothing came to him.
Wormtail’s face showed so much agony. At least he’s in pain, Harry thought. Wormtail walked over to him and pulled up the sleeve of Harry’s shirt. Wormtail stared at Harry’s arm for a moment, and then continued his incantation. Soon, he pulled out the same dagger he had used to cut off his own hand and slashed a deep gouge into Harry’s arm. Harry screamed in anguish.
Wormtail then walked over to the cauldron and let a few drops of blood from the dagger spill into it. Afterwards, he ran to a shaded area and cowered, whimpering loudly.
Harry watched as the liquid in the cauldron began to bubble and steam. Please don’t work, he thought. Please don’t let it work. He cringed at what he saw. A man was slowly beginning to take form as he was floating out of the cauldron. The man had horrendously pale skin, narrow eyes, and snakelike slits where his nose should be. He was eyeing his newly formed body with a sinister grin. Harry was absolutely horrified. It couldn’t be. Lord Voldemort had returned, and he had helped.
“Wormtail, come here.” Voldemort called to his servant. Wormtail whimpered in fear, but followed his orders. He slowly walked over to his master.
“My Lord. You promised, Please.” Wormtail begged, avoiding eye contact with Voldemort.
“You are such a coward, you will get what you deserve.” Voldemort hissed. “Now. Give me your arm.”
“Thank you, master.” Wormtail sighed. He would no longer be in pain. He stuck out his stump of an arm.
“The other arm, Wormtail.” Voldemort jeered. Wormtail obliged and Harry watched as Voldemort touched Wormtail’s Dark Mark with his wand. The Dark Mark began to burn on Wormtail’s arm and he cried out in pain. It turned pitch black and began to pulsate.
A few moments later, Death Eaters began to Apparate into the graveyard. Harry watched as Voldemort went through the attendance, addressing several people whose names were familiar to him. Crabbe and Goyle’s fathers were there. However, the one that upset Harry the most was Lucius Malfoy. His nerve! Harry yelled in his mind. He began to struggle again and Voldemort’s attention was brought towards Harry.
“Ahh, yes.” Voldemort turned and smiled at Harry. “Thank you for helping me return to my human form. I owe you so much. It is amazing what a few drops of my enemy’s blood will do. I am going to kill you, Harry Potter.”
He struggled against the ropes some more, and they began to tighten. Voldemort let out a little laugh. “But, before I do, I believe I have a little surprise for you.” He turned to Lucius Malfoy and asked, “Do you still have the girl?”
Malfoy nodded and responded. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Bring her to me.” Ordered Voldemort. Mr. Malfoy nodded and Disapparated.
Voldemort eyed Harry. “Oh, it will feel so good to finally show the world that a young boy is no match for the greatest wizard of all time. It is a shame that I did not take into account such old magic, your mothers love. But I have solved that problem.”
The cloth from Harry’s mouth fell to the ground. Voldemort touched Harry’s forehead and Harry screamed in pain. This was the worst pain he had ever felt. He thought that his head was going to burst open. Then, Voldemort lifted his finger. “Oh, but what is this surprise that the Dark Lord could have for the great Harry Potter? We shall see very soon.”
Lord Voldemort smiled at Harry with a sinister twinkle in his eye, and then walked back to his Death Eaters. They waited for Lucius Malfoy to return with the girl.
*~*~*~*
Professor Dumbledore closed the connection on the pendant with Stephanie. How could Harry be in trouble? That was absolutely absurd. How could anyone get to him with a whole stadium of spectators? However, he had to make sure that Harry was safe. He got up and walked to the edge of the maze. He pointed his wand and said, “Homenum Revelio.”
That can’t be right, he thought. There was only one person in the maze. There should be three, as Fleur had been removed just a few moments ago. Where are Harry and the other contestant? He did not know whether Cedric or Viktor remained in the maze.
Albus tapped his pendant twice and summoned Professors Snape and McGonagall, along with Kingsley who was on Auror duty providing security for the third task. “There have been new developments that require your presence.” He said and the others soon met him near the maze.
“What is it, Albus?” McGonagall asked him.
“Stephanie has just contacted me in a panic stating that Harry was in danger.” He said. “To appease her and assure her that he was alright, I just now checked the maze and there are two students missing.”
“How could they have disappeared from the maze? We have Aurors at every entrance and no one saw anything.” Kingsley said, baffled.
“That is a good question. Now, we must keep this conspicuous until we know more. We must not draw attention to the fact that anything is wrong.” Dumbledore explained.
“What would you like us to do?” McGonagall asked.
“For now, return to your seats and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.” He paused, looking at Professor Snape. “What is it Severus?”
Snape had a very concerned look on his face. He pulled up the sleeve of his robes to display his Dark Mark. It had turned pitch black and was pulsating. “He has returned.”
“Severus, I want you to wait for a few hours until you return to him. It would be too suspicious to me if you immediately left Hogwarts. He will understand.” Dumbledore said slowly. He paused for a moment and then continued, “When you do return, make sure that Stephanie is safe.”
“Of course, headmaster.” Snape nodded.
“Now, you need to go and prepare for your return.” Dumbledore dismissed him. Professor Snape walked towards the castle and disappeared into the shadows.
“Why can’t we go get her now?” McGonagall asked. Stephanie could be in more grave danger than Mr. Potter.
“It is too dangerous, Minerva. We have no idea what is going on and who she is with. She may even still be at the Malfoy house. We just don’t know.” Dumbledore said sadly.
McGonagall nodded. She had an overwhelming need to do something, to keep busy. Reaching for something she could do, she asked “should we inform Miss Granger or Minister Fudge?”
“Not quite yet. We don’t want to worry them until we know more. Cornelius would panic more than would be helpful.” Dumbledore explained. He looked at McGonagall sympathetically; he wished he could do more to reassure her. Minerva had grown quite fond of Stephanie. However, he knew that it would be impossible until they had more information.
Kingsley and McGonagall returned to their assigned positions. Professor Dumbledore was left to his thoughts. What have I gotten these children into? He pondered. He had a feeling that at least one of these students wasn’t going to be returning to him tonight. A tear rolled down his cheek.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie was shocked at what had just happened. She didn’t know what to do; she started to walk back to the kitchen, and then paused to look at Mrs. Malfoy. Stephanie knew what had just happened and she couldn’t believe the time had finally come. Mr. Malfoy’s Dark Mark had signaled Lord Voldemort’s return. Because of the symptoms she had had earlier, she figured that Harry was involved somehow. She just hoped that he was alright; he hadn’t sent her anything since her arm had begun to hurt.
“What are you waiting for?” Mrs. Malfoy said nastily. “Clear these dishes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Stephanie nodded. She began picking up the dishes and took them to the kitchen for washing. As she washed the dishes, she wished she could talk to someone. However, she had already told Dumbledore about her suspicions and she knew Hermione and Ginny wouldn’t be looking at the diary. They were watching the third task. She would just have to wait and see how things would unfold. She wondered how Voldemort’s return would affect her.
She jumped and dropped the plate she was drying when she heard a loud crack. Mr. Malfoy had Apparated into the kitchen. Wow, that was fast, she thought. Little did she know that he was only back to pick something up for his master.
“Come here,” he ordered.
“But-“ She said gesturing to the broken dinner plate.
“NOW!” He said forcefully. She walked over to him quickly. He grabbed her arm and Disapparated them out of the kitchen.
They appeared in a graveyard. She looked around and noticed there were quite a few people, all in Death Eater robes and masks. She gasped when she noticed that there was a dead boy on the ground nearby. Her eyes traveled to the man she figured to be Lord Voldemort. Stephanie shuddered, he was absolutely terrifying. He smiled when he saw her.
“Ah, yes. My dear. Thank you for joining our festivities this evening.” He bowed to her. Voldemort turned to someone restrained by ropes and she realized that it was Harry. She saw the blood dripping down his forearm and she rubbed her own. She wanted to look away, but couldn’t.
“Harry!” She cried out and tried to run to him; she wanted to help him. This was a mistake. Mr. Malfoy grabbed her and pulled her back. He wrapped an arm around her chest to restrain her and he pushed his wand into her neck. “Ow.” She winced.
“My, my, my. Such insolence, Lucius.” Voldemort muttered. “I am disappointed.”
Mr. Malfoy responded by pushing his wand further into her neck. She knew that she had better not move or make a sound, though she desperately wanted to go for the wand strapped to her leg. Stephanie knew that she would be dead long before she reached it.
“Now, bring her to me.” Voldemort ordered. Lucius walked her closer, without releasing his grasp. Voldemort turned once again to Harry and spoke to him. “Now, Harry. I’d like you to meet Stephanie Potter, your twin sister; although it appears she already knows of you. She really does look just like your muggle mother.”
Voldemort reached out and stroked her cheek. Stephanie flinched. How could he touch her? She was terrified, and the look must have shown on her face.
“Let her go!” Harry yelled, struggling with his ropes. “It’s me you want, don’t hurt her.”
“Oh, dear boy. Silly boy.” Voldemort sneered. “No harm will come to Stephanie Potter tonight. She has graciously joined us here tonight merely to watch you die. I thought it was only appropriate that you meet your sister just before your death.”
“No!” She screamed, struggling with Mr. Malfoy. She broke free and ran closer towards Harry. Stephanie didn’t know what she was going to do, and she knew she had just done something stupid. But she couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.
“Silence!” Voldemort instructed. “Crucio!”
Stephanie fell to the ground at Harry’s feet and she screamed in pain. His Curse was so strong; she had never experienced anything so painful. It didn’t last too long, however.
Harry bellowed, “Stop it!” And Voldemort lifted the Curse. He laughed at Harry’s courage and turned to Stephanie who was laying on the ground, gasping for breath.
“I apologize, Stephanie.” Voldemort looked down at her. The Death Eaters behind him began to murmur. Obviously he had never apologized to anyone before. “Now, I won’t do that again if you promise to be a good girl and stay there quietly.”
She had tears running down her face, she was frightened. Why was he speaking so nicely to her? This guy is messed up, she thought. Stephanie sat up and nodded.
“Good. We need you to have a good view of your brother’s demise.” Voldemort turned back to Harry. “Now, I need absolute silence from you.” He waved his wand at Harry. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Voldemort lowered Harry so he was on the ground next to Stephanie. They looked at each other; both had tears running down their faces. Harry gave her a comforting look. He decided that he would do all he could to protect her.
Stephanie wiped her eyes and decided not to let Harry see how weak she was. He had to trust that she could handle what was happening to them. He had to see that she was brave enough. She forced herself to stop crying.
“I want to tell you both a little story. Once upon a time, there were two young parents who had decided to join the fight against the most powerful wizard of all time. Neither of these wizards was very great, but they believed themselves to be. Then again, everyone looks weak compared to the mighty Lord Voldemort.” He smiled and began playing with his wand, moving it between his long, white fingers.
“It had been said that a young boy would be my downfall. I laughed at the idea but could not risk letting that happen, so I put out word that this family would be a target marked for death. The family went into hiding. The father asked his best friend, your godfather, to be secret keeper. But, this man was a blood traitor and incredibly weak; he couldn’t bring himself to do it.” Voldemort paused. Harry was struggling against his ropes and tried to yell at Voldemort, though he couldn’t. He was so angry that Voldemort would dare call his godfather weak. Harry knew that this was far from the truth.
Voldemort turned to his Death Eaters and said, “He thinks he can bring harm to me.” The Death Eaters laughed nervously.
“I would like to continue, since we do not have much time.” He glared at Harry. “If that is alright with you.” Harry knew that it was no use fighting with the ropes, so he stopped struggling. Voldemort continued with his story.
“Sirius Black naively asked my most cowardly follower to be the Potter’s secret keeper. Wormtail happily obliged and provided me with information about their location. Just for laughs, I spread a rumor stating that I was targeting the girl.” He smiled at Stephanie. She lowered her eyes, his glare made her sick to her stomach.
“When Wormtail provided your parents with this information, they decided that Stephanie would be much safer away from them. It would be much more difficult to find and kill them all if they were in different locations, right?” Voldemort closed his eyes; he was in ecstasy while remembering the events of thirteen years ago.
“So, they immediately decided to have Wormtail bring the girl to your godfather’s home. He was to explain the situation to Sirius Black and then make the werewolf, Remus Lupin, their secret keeper. They didn’t even see it necessary to inform Black of this decision beforehand. Your parents foolishly believed he would take Stephanie in, no questions asked.” Voldemort sneered.
Stephanie knew that he was bluffing. She had been in contact with Sirius, though Voldemort did not know that. Sirius had told her several times that he loved her. He would have taken her in, she was sure of it.
“However, instead of taking you, Stephanie, to your godfather’s home, Wormtail brought you to me. I will admit that I was ecstatic. I could never have guessed your parents would throw you away like that. It was absolutely perfect. Black did not know you were supposed to be on your way to his house and now I had the Potters’ child. The child they had hidden from the world. What more could I ask for?” He smiled at her sweetly.
Stephanie looked at Harry. Did they really throw her away? She wondered. She hoped that they wouldn’t have done that. They must have thought it was best for her! At least she hoped that this was true.
“That evening, I left you with Lucius while I went to the Potters’ home to finish Harry and your father. I had not yet decided whether I was going to kill you or utilize you in some other way. The options were plentiful. However, we all know how that story ends.” He paused and glared at Harry. “Who knew that I would be destroyed by such a young, pathetic little boy?
“Stephanie, your mother died to save your brother. Her love saved his life. Where was her love for you when she sent you away?” Stephanie put her head in her hands but held back her tears. Harry began struggling against his ropes again. Though Harry just found out that this girl was his sister, he knew that his parents had loved her. He didn’t doubt that for one moment. How dare Voldemort insinuate anything else!
“It really is a blessing that Lucius was not so stupid as to murder you without receiving orders to do so.” Voldemort hissed.
“My Lord, I would never do such a thing.” Mr. Malfoy said coolly.
“Of course, Lucius.” Voldemort kneeled in front of Stephanie and whispered so only Harry and she could hear him. “You will be of such great use to me in my rise to power.”
Stephanie whimpered. She was trembling. What use could she be? Could she refuse? What did he have planned for her?
Voldemort stood up and continued, “Now, it’s time for business. The time has come for Harry to be reunited with his parents.” He released the ropes binding Harry with a wave of his wand.
Harry started to stand up as Voldemort began to Curse him. “Crucio!” Harry writhed and screamed in pain. Stephanie wanted to reach out and touch him, to comfort him. But she didn’t dare to move. She thought that this was obviously the first time he had been hit with the Curse. Stephanie felt bad for him, especially since Voldemort’s was the strongest one she had ever experienced. She winced from the pain she received from Harry. It took all she could do to keep the pain from her face; it would be horrible if any of the Death Eaters realized that she had this connection with Harry.
“Wormtail, Harry’s wand.” Voldemort ordered his servant to retrieve the wand. Wormtail brought the wand to Harry, and Harry clutched it. “Up!” Voldemort ordered Harry.
Harry slowly got up and Voldemort continued. “We shall duel. I am going to enjoy watching you die, Harry Potter.”
Though he was terrified, Harry knew that there was nothing else to do but fight. He raised his wand and yelled, “Expelliarmus!” Though, Voldemort’s curse hit him before his could expel Voldemort’s wand. He was thrust backwards and thrown to the ground. He landed with an “oomf.”
While all eyes were on Harry and Voldemort, Stephanie slowly moved her hand towards the wand tied to her leg. She pulled it out and hid it in the sleeve of her shirt, not daring to let go of it.
Voldemort just laughed. He was toying with his prey before he launched the fatal curse. He had been gone for way too long and he needed to have a little enjoyment. Stress relief, he called it. “Silly boy. You need to use more powerful spells than that if you want to survive this little duel, even though there is no chance that a fourteen year old boy is going to defeat the great Lord Voldemort.”
Harry spat at the ground and looked at Stephanie. She was hugging her knees looking at him with her eyes wide. She was scared, but Harry knew it wasn’t of Voldemort. She was scared for him, though he couldn’t explain how he knew this. He knew he had to defeat Voldemort. He had to do what he should have done in Diagon Alley; he had rescue her once and for all. He raised his wand and once again yelled, “Expelliarmus.”
Just as he did, Voldemort yelled the Killing Curse’s incantation, “Avada Kedavra!” The two spells connected and something spectacular happened. The red and green bolts had connected and were fighting with each other. Both Harry and Voldemort were struggling to keep hold of their wands. Then, mist began coming out of Voldemort’s wand. They all looked at it, mystified.
“Don’t do anything. He’s mine to kill!” Voldemort ordered his Death Eaters. Sweat was pouring down both Voldemort and Harry’s faces while they watched the mist surrounding them.
Stephanie knew what this was. Priori Incantatem. She had read about this in one of Draco’s books! She saw the images of her parents talking to Harry, walking him through what he needed to do. She concentrated on opening her connection with Harry, making it as strong as she could.
Harry, it’s Stephanie. She told him so he wouldn’t think he was going crazy. Let me know if you can hear me. Harry raised his eyebrows and looked at her. He had definitely heard her.
Keep concentrating, don’t lower your wand! He continued to look at her. He needs to concentrate she yelled in her mind. Harry, look at Voldemort! He followed her instructions. She couldn’t take the risk that one of the Death Eaters would notice her. So far, no one had even looked in her direction. She continued talking to Harry.
Now, this is important. You need to do as I say. The ‘mist people’ will distract Voldemort. When this happens, you need to forget about me. You need to run to the Cup and take the boy’s body back to Hogwarts. She calmly told him. It was surprising to her that she could be so calm about this. But it was something that she knew she had to do. This moment was the reason she had stayed in the Malfoy home for so long. She was going to fulfill her prophecy; she was going to sacrifice herself to save her brother. It was the only way either one of them would escape this.
She slowly got to her feet. For what she was planning to do, she had to be standing. Stephanie needed all of her strength to do this. Harry looked at her again with a look of defiance. No! Don’t look at me! She yelled at him. You have to leave me here. There is no time. You have to trust me when I say that I know they will not kill me. I will be fine, I promise you.
Honestly, she didn’t really know that. She felt that they probably would kill her for what she was about to do. Why would they let her survive after that? But oddly, she wasn’t afraid of death. She continued talking to Harry. Talk to Hermione. She will explain what I have sacrificed to make sure you are safe. Harry, I love you. Please, listen to me. She begged him.
The time was getting near. She was terrified of what could happen to Harry, but she was calm. Then she suddenly understood that it was the presence of her parents in the mist that made this so easy for her. They were all working together to protect Harry. It felt so great to be able to actually do something productive for once. It was time. Harry, on the count of three you need to release your spell. The mist will preoccupy Voldemort for a short amount of time in order for you to get to the Cup. Trust me. Harry tried glaring at her, but she continued anyway. She wondered if he would actually leave her behind. She really hoped so because there wasn’t enough time for him to run to her. One. She began to count. Two. She paused and raised her wand. Three.
Harry lowered his wand as the mist flew towards Voldemort. Harry ran toward the boy’s body and he summoned the cup. Before he got too far, Stephanie screamed, “Protego!” and the protection shield encompassed Harry as the Killing Curse was released at him and then she quickly turned to Voldemort and yelled, “Expelliarmus!”
Voldemort’s wand flew out of his hand; he had been taken by surprise. Stephanie saw Harry disappear with the cup. Good, he left, she sighed in relief. She had done it; she had saved her brother! She heard Voldemort yelling in frustration. Before she could grasp her pendant and summon help, she heard several people yell, “Stupefy!” She was hit with three spells and she fell to the ground. She lost consciousness.
DISCLAIMER: A good portion of the ideas for this chapter came from HP book 4 and JK Rowling.
Note: I must say this is my second favorite chapter so far. Chapter Eleven is completed and will be posted tomorrow, and that, is my favorite chapter to date. I am just dying to get your feedback, so Please, Please, Please leave feedback HERE!
Harry had just finished the third task in the Triwizard tournament. It hadn’t been as rough as he thought it would be; nothing like battling a dragon, at least. Though, it was more about knowledge than skill, and it was definitely one more fit for his best friend Hermione. At the end of the maze, he had been attacked by a giant spider. He looked down at his leg and it was still bleeding. It was painful, but it didn’t compare to the terror he was feeling at the moment.
Harry had saved his opponent and fellow Hogwarts student, Cedric Diggory, from the spider in the maze. They, then, decided to share the triumph of winning the Twiwizard Cup. At least the victory would go to Hogwarts, they had concluded. But when they both touched the Cup, they were transported to a dark graveyard.
Shortly after they arrived, a short, stubbly looking man in dark robes came out of the shadows. Harry had noticed that he was carrying a bundle of robes. Before Harry could do anything, he had witnessed Cedric getting hit with the Avada Kedavra curse. He ran to the boy. How could Harry not see that coming? He should have done something. Cedric couldn’t be dead! Harry started to sob.
Before he could even think about running, the man lifted Harry up with his wand and silently bound him to a headstone. Harry caught a quick glimpse of the name: Tom Riddle. It can’t be, Harry thought.
Harry struggled against the ropes that were binding him. The harder he fought, the tighter they became. The ropes were so tight against his skin that he had trouble breathing. He finally succumbed to his captivity and stopped struggling. The ropes loosened a little when he did this. He began fighting again and they tightened even more than before. It was no use, he was trapped.
He bit down on the piece of cloth in his mouth, trying to spit it out. However, it, too, was too tight and it wouldn’t budge. He couldn’t scream for help. Would anybody even hear me? he wondered.
He watched as the man in the robes started a fire and began to boil some sort of liquid in a large black cauldron. What is going on? Harry thought. Please don’t let it work, let it fail. He begged.
The man began chanting an incantation and Harry watched in horror as the man cut off his own hand. The hand fell into the cauldron. He tried screaming again.
“HMPH MPH” He tried yelling for help. But only mumbled words would come out. He struggled again and the ropes tightened. Harry could only sit and watch what was about to happen. He felt so helpless.
Then he realized who this man was. Wormtail, he thought. I am going to die here. Even after I spared him his life, I am going to die. Harry panicked. He tried to think of a way out of this, but nothing came to him.
Wormtail’s face showed so much agony. At least he’s in pain, Harry thought. Wormtail walked over to him and pulled up the sleeve of Harry’s shirt. Wormtail stared at Harry’s arm for a moment, and then continued his incantation. Soon, he pulled out the same dagger he had used to cut off his own hand and slashed a deep gouge into Harry’s arm. Harry screamed in anguish.
Wormtail then walked over to the cauldron and let a few drops of blood from the dagger spill into it. Afterwards, he ran to a shaded area and cowered, whimpering loudly.
Harry watched as the liquid in the cauldron began to bubble and steam. Please don’t work, he thought. Please don’t let it work. He cringed at what he saw. A man was slowly beginning to take form as he was floating out of the cauldron. The man had horrendously pale skin, narrow eyes, and snakelike slits where his nose should be. He was eyeing his newly formed body with a sinister grin. Harry was absolutely horrified. It couldn’t be. Lord Voldemort had returned, and he had helped.
“Wormtail, come here.” Voldemort called to his servant. Wormtail whimpered in fear, but followed his orders. He slowly walked over to his master.
“My Lord. You promised, Please.” Wormtail begged, avoiding eye contact with Voldemort.
“You are such a coward, you will get what you deserve.” Voldemort hissed. “Now. Give me your arm.”
“Thank you, master.” Wormtail sighed. He would no longer be in pain. He stuck out his stump of an arm.
“The other arm, Wormtail.” Voldemort jeered. Wormtail obliged and Harry watched as Voldemort touched Wormtail’s Dark Mark with his wand. The Dark Mark began to burn on Wormtail’s arm and he cried out in pain. It turned pitch black and began to pulsate.
A few moments later, Death Eaters began to Apparate into the graveyard. Harry watched as Voldemort went through the attendance, addressing several people whose names were familiar to him. Crabbe and Goyle’s fathers were there. However, the one that upset Harry the most was Lucius Malfoy. His nerve! Harry yelled in his mind. He began to struggle again and Voldemort’s attention was brought towards Harry.
“Ahh, yes.” Voldemort turned and smiled at Harry. “Thank you for helping me return to my human form. I owe you so much. It is amazing what a few drops of my enemy’s blood will do. I am going to kill you, Harry Potter.”
He struggled against the ropes some more, and they began to tighten. Voldemort let out a little laugh. “But, before I do, I believe I have a little surprise for you.” He turned to Lucius Malfoy and asked, “Do you still have the girl?”
Malfoy nodded and responded. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Bring her to me.” Ordered Voldemort. Mr. Malfoy nodded and Disapparated.
Voldemort eyed Harry. “Oh, it will feel so good to finally show the world that a young boy is no match for the greatest wizard of all time. It is a shame that I did not take into account such old magic, your mothers love. But I have solved that problem.”
The cloth from Harry’s mouth fell to the ground. Voldemort touched Harry’s forehead and Harry screamed in pain. This was the worst pain he had ever felt. He thought that his head was going to burst open. Then, Voldemort lifted his finger. “Oh, but what is this surprise that the Dark Lord could have for the great Harry Potter? We shall see very soon.”
Lord Voldemort smiled at Harry with a sinister twinkle in his eye, and then walked back to his Death Eaters. They waited for Lucius Malfoy to return with the girl.
*~*~*~*
Professor Dumbledore closed the connection on the pendant with Stephanie. How could Harry be in trouble? That was absolutely absurd. How could anyone get to him with a whole stadium of spectators? However, he had to make sure that Harry was safe. He got up and walked to the edge of the maze. He pointed his wand and said, “Homenum Revelio.”
That can’t be right, he thought. There was only one person in the maze. There should be three, as Fleur had been removed just a few moments ago. Where are Harry and the other contestant? He did not know whether Cedric or Viktor remained in the maze.
Albus tapped his pendant twice and summoned Professors Snape and McGonagall, along with Kingsley who was on Auror duty providing security for the third task. “There have been new developments that require your presence.” He said and the others soon met him near the maze.
“What is it, Albus?” McGonagall asked him.
“Stephanie has just contacted me in a panic stating that Harry was in danger.” He said. “To appease her and assure her that he was alright, I just now checked the maze and there are two students missing.”
“How could they have disappeared from the maze? We have Aurors at every entrance and no one saw anything.” Kingsley said, baffled.
“That is a good question. Now, we must keep this conspicuous until we know more. We must not draw attention to the fact that anything is wrong.” Dumbledore explained.
“What would you like us to do?” McGonagall asked.
“For now, return to your seats and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.” He paused, looking at Professor Snape. “What is it Severus?”
Snape had a very concerned look on his face. He pulled up the sleeve of his robes to display his Dark Mark. It had turned pitch black and was pulsating. “He has returned.”
“Severus, I want you to wait for a few hours until you return to him. It would be too suspicious to me if you immediately left Hogwarts. He will understand.” Dumbledore said slowly. He paused for a moment and then continued, “When you do return, make sure that Stephanie is safe.”
“Of course, headmaster.” Snape nodded.
“Now, you need to go and prepare for your return.” Dumbledore dismissed him. Professor Snape walked towards the castle and disappeared into the shadows.
“Why can’t we go get her now?” McGonagall asked. Stephanie could be in more grave danger than Mr. Potter.
“It is too dangerous, Minerva. We have no idea what is going on and who she is with. She may even still be at the Malfoy house. We just don’t know.” Dumbledore said sadly.
McGonagall nodded. She had an overwhelming need to do something, to keep busy. Reaching for something she could do, she asked “should we inform Miss Granger or Minister Fudge?”
“Not quite yet. We don’t want to worry them until we know more. Cornelius would panic more than would be helpful.” Dumbledore explained. He looked at McGonagall sympathetically; he wished he could do more to reassure her. Minerva had grown quite fond of Stephanie. However, he knew that it would be impossible until they had more information.
Kingsley and McGonagall returned to their assigned positions. Professor Dumbledore was left to his thoughts. What have I gotten these children into? He pondered. He had a feeling that at least one of these students wasn’t going to be returning to him tonight. A tear rolled down his cheek.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie was shocked at what had just happened. She didn’t know what to do; she started to walk back to the kitchen, and then paused to look at Mrs. Malfoy. Stephanie knew what had just happened and she couldn’t believe the time had finally come. Mr. Malfoy’s Dark Mark had signaled Lord Voldemort’s return. Because of the symptoms she had had earlier, she figured that Harry was involved somehow. She just hoped that he was alright; he hadn’t sent her anything since her arm had begun to hurt.
“What are you waiting for?” Mrs. Malfoy said nastily. “Clear these dishes.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Stephanie nodded. She began picking up the dishes and took them to the kitchen for washing. As she washed the dishes, she wished she could talk to someone. However, she had already told Dumbledore about her suspicions and she knew Hermione and Ginny wouldn’t be looking at the diary. They were watching the third task. She would just have to wait and see how things would unfold. She wondered how Voldemort’s return would affect her.
She jumped and dropped the plate she was drying when she heard a loud crack. Mr. Malfoy had Apparated into the kitchen. Wow, that was fast, she thought. Little did she know that he was only back to pick something up for his master.
“Come here,” he ordered.
“But-“ She said gesturing to the broken dinner plate.
“NOW!” He said forcefully. She walked over to him quickly. He grabbed her arm and Disapparated them out of the kitchen.
They appeared in a graveyard. She looked around and noticed there were quite a few people, all in Death Eater robes and masks. She gasped when she noticed that there was a dead boy on the ground nearby. Her eyes traveled to the man she figured to be Lord Voldemort. Stephanie shuddered, he was absolutely terrifying. He smiled when he saw her.
“Ah, yes. My dear. Thank you for joining our festivities this evening.” He bowed to her. Voldemort turned to someone restrained by ropes and she realized that it was Harry. She saw the blood dripping down his forearm and she rubbed her own. She wanted to look away, but couldn’t.
“Harry!” She cried out and tried to run to him; she wanted to help him. This was a mistake. Mr. Malfoy grabbed her and pulled her back. He wrapped an arm around her chest to restrain her and he pushed his wand into her neck. “Ow.” She winced.
“My, my, my. Such insolence, Lucius.” Voldemort muttered. “I am disappointed.”
Mr. Malfoy responded by pushing his wand further into her neck. She knew that she had better not move or make a sound, though she desperately wanted to go for the wand strapped to her leg. Stephanie knew that she would be dead long before she reached it.
“Now, bring her to me.” Voldemort ordered. Lucius walked her closer, without releasing his grasp. Voldemort turned once again to Harry and spoke to him. “Now, Harry. I’d like you to meet Stephanie Potter, your twin sister; although it appears she already knows of you. She really does look just like your muggle mother.”
Voldemort reached out and stroked her cheek. Stephanie flinched. How could he touch her? She was terrified, and the look must have shown on her face.
“Let her go!” Harry yelled, struggling with his ropes. “It’s me you want, don’t hurt her.”
“Oh, dear boy. Silly boy.” Voldemort sneered. “No harm will come to Stephanie Potter tonight. She has graciously joined us here tonight merely to watch you die. I thought it was only appropriate that you meet your sister just before your death.”
“No!” She screamed, struggling with Mr. Malfoy. She broke free and ran closer towards Harry. Stephanie didn’t know what she was going to do, and she knew she had just done something stupid. But she couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.
“Silence!” Voldemort instructed. “Crucio!”
Stephanie fell to the ground at Harry’s feet and she screamed in pain. His Curse was so strong; she had never experienced anything so painful. It didn’t last too long, however.
Harry bellowed, “Stop it!” And Voldemort lifted the Curse. He laughed at Harry’s courage and turned to Stephanie who was laying on the ground, gasping for breath.
“I apologize, Stephanie.” Voldemort looked down at her. The Death Eaters behind him began to murmur. Obviously he had never apologized to anyone before. “Now, I won’t do that again if you promise to be a good girl and stay there quietly.”
She had tears running down her face, she was frightened. Why was he speaking so nicely to her? This guy is messed up, she thought. Stephanie sat up and nodded.
“Good. We need you to have a good view of your brother’s demise.” Voldemort turned back to Harry. “Now, I need absolute silence from you.” He waved his wand at Harry. Harry opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Voldemort lowered Harry so he was on the ground next to Stephanie. They looked at each other; both had tears running down their faces. Harry gave her a comforting look. He decided that he would do all he could to protect her.
Stephanie wiped her eyes and decided not to let Harry see how weak she was. He had to trust that she could handle what was happening to them. He had to see that she was brave enough. She forced herself to stop crying.
“I want to tell you both a little story. Once upon a time, there were two young parents who had decided to join the fight against the most powerful wizard of all time. Neither of these wizards was very great, but they believed themselves to be. Then again, everyone looks weak compared to the mighty Lord Voldemort.” He smiled and began playing with his wand, moving it between his long, white fingers.
“It had been said that a young boy would be my downfall. I laughed at the idea but could not risk letting that happen, so I put out word that this family would be a target marked for death. The family went into hiding. The father asked his best friend, your godfather, to be secret keeper. But, this man was a blood traitor and incredibly weak; he couldn’t bring himself to do it.” Voldemort paused. Harry was struggling against his ropes and tried to yell at Voldemort, though he couldn’t. He was so angry that Voldemort would dare call his godfather weak. Harry knew that this was far from the truth.
Voldemort turned to his Death Eaters and said, “He thinks he can bring harm to me.” The Death Eaters laughed nervously.
“I would like to continue, since we do not have much time.” He glared at Harry. “If that is alright with you.” Harry knew that it was no use fighting with the ropes, so he stopped struggling. Voldemort continued with his story.
“Sirius Black naively asked my most cowardly follower to be the Potter’s secret keeper. Wormtail happily obliged and provided me with information about their location. Just for laughs, I spread a rumor stating that I was targeting the girl.” He smiled at Stephanie. She lowered her eyes, his glare made her sick to her stomach.
“When Wormtail provided your parents with this information, they decided that Stephanie would be much safer away from them. It would be much more difficult to find and kill them all if they were in different locations, right?” Voldemort closed his eyes; he was in ecstasy while remembering the events of thirteen years ago.
“So, they immediately decided to have Wormtail bring the girl to your godfather’s home. He was to explain the situation to Sirius Black and then make the werewolf, Remus Lupin, their secret keeper. They didn’t even see it necessary to inform Black of this decision beforehand. Your parents foolishly believed he would take Stephanie in, no questions asked.” Voldemort sneered.
Stephanie knew that he was bluffing. She had been in contact with Sirius, though Voldemort did not know that. Sirius had told her several times that he loved her. He would have taken her in, she was sure of it.
“However, instead of taking you, Stephanie, to your godfather’s home, Wormtail brought you to me. I will admit that I was ecstatic. I could never have guessed your parents would throw you away like that. It was absolutely perfect. Black did not know you were supposed to be on your way to his house and now I had the Potters’ child. The child they had hidden from the world. What more could I ask for?” He smiled at her sweetly.
Stephanie looked at Harry. Did they really throw her away? She wondered. She hoped that they wouldn’t have done that. They must have thought it was best for her! At least she hoped that this was true.
“That evening, I left you with Lucius while I went to the Potters’ home to finish Harry and your father. I had not yet decided whether I was going to kill you or utilize you in some other way. The options were plentiful. However, we all know how that story ends.” He paused and glared at Harry. “Who knew that I would be destroyed by such a young, pathetic little boy?
“Stephanie, your mother died to save your brother. Her love saved his life. Where was her love for you when she sent you away?” Stephanie put her head in her hands but held back her tears. Harry began struggling against his ropes again. Though Harry just found out that this girl was his sister, he knew that his parents had loved her. He didn’t doubt that for one moment. How dare Voldemort insinuate anything else!
“It really is a blessing that Lucius was not so stupid as to murder you without receiving orders to do so.” Voldemort hissed.
“My Lord, I would never do such a thing.” Mr. Malfoy said coolly.
“Of course, Lucius.” Voldemort kneeled in front of Stephanie and whispered so only Harry and she could hear him. “You will be of such great use to me in my rise to power.”
Stephanie whimpered. She was trembling. What use could she be? Could she refuse? What did he have planned for her?
Voldemort stood up and continued, “Now, it’s time for business. The time has come for Harry to be reunited with his parents.” He released the ropes binding Harry with a wave of his wand.
Harry started to stand up as Voldemort began to Curse him. “Crucio!” Harry writhed and screamed in pain. Stephanie wanted to reach out and touch him, to comfort him. But she didn’t dare to move. She thought that this was obviously the first time he had been hit with the Curse. Stephanie felt bad for him, especially since Voldemort’s was the strongest one she had ever experienced. She winced from the pain she received from Harry. It took all she could do to keep the pain from her face; it would be horrible if any of the Death Eaters realized that she had this connection with Harry.
“Wormtail, Harry’s wand.” Voldemort ordered his servant to retrieve the wand. Wormtail brought the wand to Harry, and Harry clutched it. “Up!” Voldemort ordered Harry.
Harry slowly got up and Voldemort continued. “We shall duel. I am going to enjoy watching you die, Harry Potter.”
Though he was terrified, Harry knew that there was nothing else to do but fight. He raised his wand and yelled, “Expelliarmus!” Though, Voldemort’s curse hit him before his could expel Voldemort’s wand. He was thrust backwards and thrown to the ground. He landed with an “oomf.”
While all eyes were on Harry and Voldemort, Stephanie slowly moved her hand towards the wand tied to her leg. She pulled it out and hid it in the sleeve of her shirt, not daring to let go of it.
Voldemort just laughed. He was toying with his prey before he launched the fatal curse. He had been gone for way too long and he needed to have a little enjoyment. Stress relief, he called it. “Silly boy. You need to use more powerful spells than that if you want to survive this little duel, even though there is no chance that a fourteen year old boy is going to defeat the great Lord Voldemort.”
Harry spat at the ground and looked at Stephanie. She was hugging her knees looking at him with her eyes wide. She was scared, but Harry knew it wasn’t of Voldemort. She was scared for him, though he couldn’t explain how he knew this. He knew he had to defeat Voldemort. He had to do what he should have done in Diagon Alley; he had rescue her once and for all. He raised his wand and once again yelled, “Expelliarmus.”
Just as he did, Voldemort yelled the Killing Curse’s incantation, “Avada Kedavra!” The two spells connected and something spectacular happened. The red and green bolts had connected and were fighting with each other. Both Harry and Voldemort were struggling to keep hold of their wands. Then, mist began coming out of Voldemort’s wand. They all looked at it, mystified.
“Don’t do anything. He’s mine to kill!” Voldemort ordered his Death Eaters. Sweat was pouring down both Voldemort and Harry’s faces while they watched the mist surrounding them.
Stephanie knew what this was. Priori Incantatem. She had read about this in one of Draco’s books! She saw the images of her parents talking to Harry, walking him through what he needed to do. She concentrated on opening her connection with Harry, making it as strong as she could.
Harry, it’s Stephanie. She told him so he wouldn’t think he was going crazy. Let me know if you can hear me. Harry raised his eyebrows and looked at her. He had definitely heard her.
Keep concentrating, don’t lower your wand! He continued to look at her. He needs to concentrate she yelled in her mind. Harry, look at Voldemort! He followed her instructions. She couldn’t take the risk that one of the Death Eaters would notice her. So far, no one had even looked in her direction. She continued talking to Harry.
Now, this is important. You need to do as I say. The ‘mist people’ will distract Voldemort. When this happens, you need to forget about me. You need to run to the Cup and take the boy’s body back to Hogwarts. She calmly told him. It was surprising to her that she could be so calm about this. But it was something that she knew she had to do. This moment was the reason she had stayed in the Malfoy home for so long. She was going to fulfill her prophecy; she was going to sacrifice herself to save her brother. It was the only way either one of them would escape this.
She slowly got to her feet. For what she was planning to do, she had to be standing. Stephanie needed all of her strength to do this. Harry looked at her again with a look of defiance. No! Don’t look at me! She yelled at him. You have to leave me here. There is no time. You have to trust me when I say that I know they will not kill me. I will be fine, I promise you.
Honestly, she didn’t really know that. She felt that they probably would kill her for what she was about to do. Why would they let her survive after that? But oddly, she wasn’t afraid of death. She continued talking to Harry. Talk to Hermione. She will explain what I have sacrificed to make sure you are safe. Harry, I love you. Please, listen to me. She begged him.
The time was getting near. She was terrified of what could happen to Harry, but she was calm. Then she suddenly understood that it was the presence of her parents in the mist that made this so easy for her. They were all working together to protect Harry. It felt so great to be able to actually do something productive for once. It was time. Harry, on the count of three you need to release your spell. The mist will preoccupy Voldemort for a short amount of time in order for you to get to the Cup. Trust me. Harry tried glaring at her, but she continued anyway. She wondered if he would actually leave her behind. She really hoped so because there wasn’t enough time for him to run to her. One. She began to count. Two. She paused and raised her wand. Three.
Harry lowered his wand as the mist flew towards Voldemort. Harry ran toward the boy’s body and he summoned the cup. Before he got too far, Stephanie screamed, “Protego!” and the protection shield encompassed Harry as the Killing Curse was released at him and then she quickly turned to Voldemort and yelled, “Expelliarmus!”
Voldemort’s wand flew out of his hand; he had been taken by surprise. Stephanie saw Harry disappear with the cup. Good, he left, she sighed in relief. She had done it; she had saved her brother! She heard Voldemort yelling in frustration. Before she could grasp her pendant and summon help, she heard several people yell, “Stupefy!” She was hit with three spells and she fell to the ground. She lost consciousness.
DISCLAIMER: A good portion of the ideas for this chapter came from HP book 4 and JK Rowling.
Note: I must say this is my second favorite chapter so far. Chapter Eleven is completed and will be posted tomorrow, and that, is my favorite chapter to date. I am just dying to get your feedback, so Please, Please, Please leave feedback HERE!
Chapter Eleven: Solitary Confinement
Harry sat with Dumbledore and his godfather, Sirius, in the headmaster’s office. When he had returned to the Hogwarts grounds with the Cup and Cedric’s body, he had immediately informed the headmaster that Lord Voldemort had returned. He was so numb and he couldn’t stop shaking. He couldn’t process all that had happened within the last couple of hours.
He just finished telling Dumbledore and Sirius his account of the night’s events and they sat there in silence. He was lost in his thoughts.
He couldn’t believe Cedric was dead. And it was all his fault. Had Harry not insisted that they both win the tournament, Cedric would be safe. Cedric would be alive. Then, he had assisted, though against his will, in the return of Lord Voldemort. There had to have been something he could have done to stop that from happening. He should have thought of something.
And then there was Stephanie, the girl he had seen with Draco in Diagon Alley two years ago. He cried at the thought that he had betrayed his sister. She had looked so familiar to him because she did look just like his mother. Why had he never put the two together? He wondered to himself.
Harry thought she had been so brave in the graveyard. She had run to him knowing that they would not take kindly to that. She had saved his life. He had been shocked when she spoke to him in his mind. At first he thought he was going crazy, but the pleading look she gave him made him realize he had really heard her. She had begged him to listen to her and to leave her there. He had to admit she was right, there was no way he could have reached her before something awful would happen. It just hurt him to think that he left her there; he had abandoned her. She saved his life and he abandoned her; he left her to die. How could he do that to his own sister?
When he had returned to Hogwarts, his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had taken Harry to his office and tried to question him about the events. It turned out that it hadn’t been the real Alastor Moody, but was one of Voldemort’s Death Eaters using Polyjuice Potion. And yet again someone came to his rescue: Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Could he do anything right tonight?
“Thank you, Harry. For all that you have done tonight and for reliving this again.” Dumbledore looked at him gently. “I want you to go to the infirmary. I will have Madame Pomfrey give you something that will allow you to sleep tonight.”
“No. Not yet.” Harry said quietly. He was experiencing emotional overload; he had never experienced so many emotions at once and he had no idea how to handle them. He was flooded with grief, anger, frustration, sadness, terror, and exhaustion. “What about Stephanie?”
Dumbledore shook his head. “We don’t know, Harry. I’m sorry. All I can say is that we will get to her when it is safe to do so.”
“How do you know she’s not already dead?!?” He almost screamed at his headmaster.
Sirius put his hand on Harry’s shoulder to try and comfort his godson. “Harry, Stephanie is a strong person. I am confident she will survive this.”
Harry looked at Sirius and then Dumbledore. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You mean you know her? You knew who she was? YOU KNEW WHERE SHE WAS AND YOU DID NOTHING?”
Dumbledore and Sirius looked at him sadly. Sirius looked ashamed of himself. Dumbledore spoke to Harry. “Harry, everything will be explained to you. I will make sure of that. But right now, you need your rest.”
Harry looked at his godfather with pain in his eyes. “You knew and you didn’t tell me.”
“Harry, what would you have done if we told you Stephanie was a servant in the Malfoy home? What would you have done if we had told you what she has suffered through?” Sirius asked him seriously.
“Malfoy wouldn’t still be standing.” Harry growled. “I am going to kill him.”
“Exactly. Harry, she begged us to let her stay. She stayed for you. When you have had some rest, we will explain to you.” Sirius said gently. “But, now you must rest.”
Harry conceded. He was so exhausted and emotionally drained. He could barely think clearly. All he wanted to do was sleep.
Dumbledore and Sirius, in his dog form, walked him down to the infirmary where the entire Weasley family and Hermione were waiting for him. They helped him into bed as Dumbledore explained that he needed his rest. Dumbledore requested that the others not question him about the incident until he was ready to talk. Harry was then given a potion and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
*~*~*~*
Hermione sat with Ron and Ginny at Harry’s bedside. The rest of the Weasley family was sprawled throughout the infirmary trying to get some sleep. Mrs. Weasley had been pacing by the door and Mr. Weasley sat nearby eyeing her. Fred and George were sleeping in two empty beds and their other brothers Charlie and Bill were stretched out on two couches near the window. The only Weasley missing was Percy. Sirius was on the foot of Harry’s bed and would not take his eyes off Harry. He was keeping guard.
Before Professor Dumbledore had left to meet with Minister Fudge, he had pulled Hermione to the side and explained what she was to do. Stephanie had indeed been in the graveyard with Harry. Dumbledore explained that Stephanie had saved Harry’s life by distracting Voldemort, but Harry had not known exactly how she had planned to do so. There had been a protection shield placed around him as he summoned the cup, but he didn’t have time to see anything else.
Professor Dumbledore had asked her to explain to Harry about Stephanie. Dumbledore was sure that Harry would want to know immediately when he woke up. She was to answer any of his questions, except those relating to topics that Stephanie would not want disclosed. In addition, Hermione was to keep an eye on the diary and let him know if Stephanie tried to make contact. Hermione had agreed and went back to the infirmary to wait with the others.
“Ginny, Stephanie was in the graveyard.” Hermione confirmed Ginny’s suspicions when she returned.
“Is she alright?” Ginny asked.
“They don’t know. Harry doesn’t even know exactly what happened.” Hermione said, sitting down and opening the diary to the page where the next entry would appear. It was completely blank. She closed her eyes and willed for Stephanie to write something down.
“Who is Stephanie?” Ron asked.
Hermione sighed. “We’ll explain everything when Harry wakes up. I don’t want to have to tell the story more than once. He is not going to like it.”
Ron nodded and they waited in silence.
*~*~*~*
Harry finally stirred a few hours later. His head hurt from all that he had gone through; his muscles ached from the tension. He slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Hermione staring at a blank page of a book.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Hermione stood up and called to Mrs. Weasley. “He’s awake!”
Mrs. Weasley rushed over to him and gave him a big hug. “Oh, Harry. We are all so worried about you.”
Harry smiled feebly. He weakly tried to joke and ease the uncomfortable silence, “You are studying while I am on my deathbed, I should have figured.”
Hermione looked at him sadly, “Oh, Harry. That’s not funny.”
Harry suddenly was flooded with the full memory of what had happened the night before. He closed his eyes and sighed. A few minutes later, he opened them and stared at Hermione. “Tell me about Stephanie.”
“Are you sure you are up to it? There is nothing we can do for her right now and you need your strength.” Hermione asked him. She was concerned at how this news would affect him in his weakened condition. He had a way of losing his temper and that wouldn’t be good for him right now.
“Hermione, I need to know. Tell me.” Harry begged her.
“All right.” She said and turned to Mrs. Weasley. “I’m sorry Mrs. Weasley, could we have a few minutes?”
“What you have to say to Harry, you can say to me.” Mrs. Weasley said protectively.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Weasley.” Harry assured her. “I’ll be fine.”
Mrs. Weasley looked offended but walked over to her husband. Hermione began the story quietly.
“After you told Professor Dumbledore about meeting Stephanie and Draco in Diagon Alley, he sent Dobby to retrieve her from the Manor. They wanted to pull her out and keep her safe. They begged her to let them do so. But she wouldn’t leave. She wanted to help in the fight against Voldemort. They allowed her to do so with some precautionary measures.” Hermione explained to the others about the pendants and Stephanie’s Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons with Snape.
“Then, they asked me to help her. That’s what the diary is for that I have been carrying around since third year. It’s how I remain in contact with her. The diary allows her to act like a normal girl, she was able to open up and express emotions she had been denied in the Malfoy home.
“Harry, they tortured her. They were cruel and vile, and a normal person would not have survived. But she is so strong and brave and persistent. Then, she was forced to participate in the attack at the Quidditch World Cup. It tore her apart; she struggled with it for so long. It took three months for any of us to get in touch with her and that was only because they threatened to remove her from the home.
“She was blaming herself for what had happened. It was so sad to see her that night we first met with her after that. Christmas vacation, there was an incident that almost killed her. That was the night McGonagall came to the Burrow and Ginny and I stayed up all night talking with her. Stephanie begged me to tell Ginny so that I would have someone to share this with. Ginny has been such a great support.” Hermione finished.
Harry just sat there as he took in what Hermione had told him. “But, why didn’t you tell me? Did I not deserve to know that I have a sister? That I have family?”
“Harry, we didn’t tell you because we were scared for her safety. She was in such horrible danger just coming to Hogwarts several times a week. If you had known, you would have gone after Malfoy. She would have been killed.” Hermione told him sternly. “Also, she begged us not to tell you. She didn’t want you to know; she knew you would want her taken out of there and she felt that there was something she could do to protect you.”
“You’re damn right I would have told her to get out of there. And I don’t need her protecting me. I am her brother, I should be protecting her!” He yelled. Harry was so angry that they didn’t tell him about his sister.
“Harry, she saved your life last night.” Hermione told him gently. Harry realized that this was true. Had it not been for Stephanie, he probably would not have gotten out of the graveyard alive.
Mrs. Weasley ran over to Harry’s bed. “That is enough! Harry needs his rest and you are only upsetting him.”
“Please, mom.” Ginny begged. “Just a few more minutes.”
“Mrs. Weasley, I promise I’ll get some rest when we are done. This is important.” Harry looked at her.
“Fine, you have five minutes.” Mrs. Weasley nodded and pointed a warning finger at each of the children.
“You should have told me.” Harry whispered when Mrs. Weasley left. “She needs family who can support her. She needs to know people care about her. Stephanie needs her brother.”
Hermione looked at Harry with compassion; she had tears in her eyes. “Harry, we have all told her that we love her. Though she does not believe it most of the time and she believes she does not deserve it, there is one person who she does believe.” She looked at Sirius.
Sirius nodded at Harry and walked up and nuzzled his head into Harry’s chest. Hermione explained, “Dumbledore asked Sirius to write Stephanie letters and he has done so. She has written him back on several occasions saying how much she appreciates his concern. He tried to convince her to leave the manor, but she wouldn’t. She was so stubborn because she wanted to help you more than she cared about her own safety.”
“I didn’t want to leave her. She begged me. She said that they would not kill her.” Harry began to lose it. He started to cry. “I didn’t save her. Voldemort was going to kill me and I abandoned her. Now they’re going to kill her.”
“Harry, this is not your fault.” Ginny rubbed his arm. “She knew what she was getting into when she chose to stay at that home. Stephanie was happy to do what she did. She wanted you to leave her.”
“I should have saved her. But I turned my back on her like I did in Diagon Alley.” Harry pleaded with them to tell him what he deserved to hear. They had to tell him it was his fault.
“There was nothing you could have done. If you would have gone after her, you both would probably be dead.” Hermione tried to explain to him.
“You probably saved both of your lives, mate.” Ron added. This information was new to him and he didn’t know what else to say.
Harry gave up; he didn’t know how to make them understand how he was feeling. He asked, “What do we do now?”
“We wait. Professor Dumbledore told me he would let us know if they hear anything about Stephanie.” She lifted the open diary. “I was told to keep watch over the diary in case she tries to contact me.”
“Should we write to her?” Ginny asked.
“No. Dumbledore was very clear in that. All we can do is wait.” Hermione said wearily.
Then, Mrs. Weasley came over and told them it was time for Harry to get some sleep. She gave him some more potion and he fell back into his dreamless sleep.
Hermione got up and walked to the window to think about what she had just told Harry. Surprisingly, Ron followed her.
“Hermione, I’m sorry about how I reacted when you were so upset. I shouldn’t have said that we shouldn’t be friends.” He looked at her sadly.
“It’s all right, Ron.” Hermione was glad that he was apologizing. “I know you were just worried and wanted to help.”
“I feel so stupid and useless,” he admitted to her. “I didn’t know what else to say to comfort Harry. What can we do to help him through this?”
Hermione thought for a moment, and then answered. “All that we can do is be there for him. Our presence will do much more for him than you would realize.”
Ron nodded and walked back to his seat next to Harry. Hermione stared out the window and wondered where Stephanie was and if she was alright.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the floor of her bedroom in the Malfoy basement. The memory of the graveyard came back to her and she immediately felt for her wand that was usually tied to her leg. It wasn’t there. She looked frantically around the room and it was nowhere to be seen. They had her wand! She was defenseless.
She wondered why she was still alive. She had attacked Lord Voldemort in front of his Death Eaters. Who had ever survived to tell that tale? She wondered.
Then she heard a man screaming in pain upstairs. She had to hear to what was going on. She walked to the door and put her ear against it so she could listen to what was happening. Stephanie could hear Lord Voldemort talking to someone.
“How dare you return to me? You must know that I would not tolerate a traitor to return to my service.” Voldemort hissed. The man screamed in pain again.
When the screaming stopped, she heard the man try to speak with Voldemort. “Please, my Lord. I have never renounced my service to you.” She realized that the man being tortured was Professor Snape! Oh, no! She thought.
“Then explain to me why you did not join the others in the graveyard when you felt the Mark burn.” Voldemort asked.
“My Lord. I have remained at Hogwarts anticipating your return.” Snape breathed. “It would have looked too suspicious if I had returned to you while Harry Potter was missing.”
Stephanie couldn’t hear what was said for the next few minutes. It sounded like the voices had gotten farther away.
“Albus trusts you?” Was the next thing she heard.
“Very much.” Snape answered. “He shares much information with me. But my true loyalties lay with you, Master.”
“Very well. I can see that you are not lying to me.” Stephanie heard Snape scream in pain again and her heart went out to him. “This is to remind you to come immediately the next time I call you.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Snape answered.
“Now, the girl stirs. Let us go down and speak with her.” Voldemort said. Stephanie didn’t know if anyone else was there, but she suddenly became terrified. This is it, she thought.
She ran to the corner and sank to the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest. The door burst open and Lucius Malfoy walked in with his wand raised at her. She flinched and whimpered. Before he could cast a spell, his wand flew out of his hand.
“What did I tell you, Lucius?” Voldemort reprimanded his servant. “Were you planning on disobeying a direct order?”
“No, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy responded. He refused to look his master in the eye. “But she attacked you; the girl must be punished!”
“And she will be. That is not a task I have delegated to you.” Voldemort looked at her. “She is not to be harmed.”
“I apologize, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy said.
“You will be dealt with later,” Voldemort smiled. He walked over and knelt in front of her. She looked up to see who else was in the room. Mr. Malfoy was near the door, looking very frustrated, and Professor Snape was next to him. She wanted to run to him, she wanted Snape to do something. But she didn’t dare look at him in fear that she would give him a pleading look to help her. He was in as much danger as she was.
“Now, dear. Tell me who gave you that wand and taught you magic?” He breathed in her face. She refused to look at him; she was trembling so violently that her entire body was shaking. She had tears running down her face. She was too scared to answer.
Voldemort grabbed her chin and yanked her head so she was facing him. “You are to look at me when I talk to you. Now, Lucius tells me that he had not allowed you to touch a wand, let alone perform magic.” He paused and she closed her eyes. “I will not ask you again. Who taught you to do magic?”
What was she going to say? She couldn’t tell him how she had really learned how to do magic! Stephanie felt him penetrating her. Stephanie thought about her Occlumency lessons with Snape and tried her best to keep him out of her mind. She answered with the only thing that came to her, “Dobby gave me the wand as a present. I taught myself the magic.” She paused to take in a deep breath. The tears were still falling from her eyes. “When Draco was home from Hogwarts, I stole his books and I taught myself.”
“You dirty thief!” She heard Mr. Malfoy yell at her as Voldemort slapped her face. She looked away from him; she couldn’t look in his nasty eyes. They were so hideous and filled with evil.
“She lies!” Voldemort hissed. “Stephanie, I believe I have been much too accommodating to you for how you have been treating me since my return. Though, I admit that it is not entirely your fault. There is some blame to be placed in your raising.” He looked at Mr. Malfoy. “I am truly disappointed that Lucius has not been strict enough with you. He has failed at teaching you who your true master is, where your true allegiances lie.”
“You will be punished for lying to me and I am positive that you will not do so again.” Voldemort eyed her. She was looking at a spot on the wall. Why doesn’t he just kill me? She thought. That would be better than not knowing what he was going to do to her. “What did I say about looking at me?”
Still holding her knees, she turned her head and looked at him. He continued, “You wouldn’t lie to me again, would you?”
She shook her head.
“I can’t hear you.” He said to her quietly.
“No.” She whispered and Voldemort smiled.
“See, she is learning already.” Again he turned to Mr. Malfoy. “See, it’s not that difficult.”
She whimpered again and Voldemort let out a cold laugh. “Look how terrified she is. It is quite cute, really.” Snape and Mr. Malfoy let out chuckles. She cringed at hearing Snape laugh at her misery. Stephanie was mad at him because he couldn’t help her. At that moment, she hated Professor Snape.
“I really cannot blame you, dear girl. For what you did, protecting your brother. But the great thing is that he left you to die in that graveyard. He must have known that we would not react kindly to being attacked by one of our servants.” Voldemort was getting enjoyment with this.
Stephanie tried to hold back a smile. Little did Voldemort know that she had begged Harry to leave her in the graveyard. This thought gave her a little satisfaction. She knew the others would come for her shortly. She should be free soon. Then, she could finally get to know her godfather and brother. Soon.
“However,” Voldemort continued. “I will teach you where your true loyalties lie. I will show you your true destiny. You will do amazing things for me, Stephanie. You will assist in my rise to power and, most importantly, you will lead me to Potter. And you will be greatly rewarded.”
He got up and walked back over to Snape and Mr. Malfoy. She sighed in relief. Maybe it’s over, she thought. Stephanie knew she was going to be punished for lying to Voldemort, but she figured it couldn’t be too bad. She had survived quite a bit in her short life and he seemed to want her unharmed. She listened to their conversation.
“Severus, you are to interrogate her. Come find me when you have identified where she has learned her magic. We’ve got to know how she was able to sneak around without alerting Lucius.” Voldemort ordered Snape. He then continued, turning to Mr. Malfoy. “When he is finished, you will take her to where I will be residing. Lock her in the cell in the basement.”
“But, Master.” Lucius began and looked over at Stephanie. “She is my servant; let me deal with her here.”
“You are proving to be an incompetent fool, Lucius.” Voldemort sneered. “With Potter already off telling his precious headmaster what has happened, the Ministry will be here soon to search your premises. We cannot risk the dear girl being found, can we?”
“No, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy responded, defeated.
“My Lord, may I be informed of where you will be staying?” Professor Snape asked his master. Stephanie realized that he was trying to learn her location rather than Voldemort’s. What a brave man, Stephanie thought. She suddenly felt horrible for being angry at him.
“That information is on a need to know basis only. And quite frankly, you do not need to know.” Voldemort clarified. “Wormtail will guard her. How incompetent he is, but I doubt she will try to escape.”
Voldemort clasped his hands together in excitement. “That reminds me. I almost forgot!” He turned and walked back towards her. “You won’t try to escape, will you?”
Stephanie shook her head and looked at the ground. He moved his wand scanning her body, starting with her feet and moving slowly towards her head. She thought he paused when he reached her neckline and she could swear he had a small smile on his face, though it disappeared quickly.
He grabbed her arm and turned it so the Malfoy Crest was showing. He moved his wand around her arm three times and then tapped the crest. Her arm began to tingle painfully. She did not want show any sign of pain, but she winced. She couldn’t help it. When he let go of her arm, she rubbed it trying to get the tingling to stop.
“Stand.” He ordered her and she obliged. She pulled her body tight, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He walked around her waving his wand up and down, quietly saying an incantation.
“What are you doing?” She whispered, not daring to take her eyes off the ground.
“I am helping to teach you who you should show your allegiance to. You will find out soon enough.” He smiled as he finished. “Now, your punishment will be solitary confinement until I return to speak with you.”
She felt relief. Solitary confinement? That was the worst he would do to her? That was absolutely nothing. She could handle that!
“You are pleased.” Voldemort sneered. “I am sure that you will not be so pleased when I return in a few days. Let me assure you that it will get much worse if you ever disobey or disrespect me again. For instance, Lucius is just dying to pay you back for the insolence you showed in the graveyard. If you misbehave, I may be forced to allow you in a room alone with him so he can repay you.”
With that, Voldemort led Mr. Malfoy up the stairs and out of her bedroom. Stephanie was left alone with Professor Snape.
He walked to the door and made sure that the others were gone. He then cast the Muffliato spell so Voldemort would not overhear their conversation.
“Is he going to kill me?” She asked him, looking desperately into Snape’s eyes. She wanted him to tell her the truth, even if it was horrible.
“Were you not listening?” He said to her, frustrated. “He will not harm you. For some reason, he feels that you will be very valuable to him. He will take care of you and he will actually protect you from the others.”
“Let me see what happened in the graveyard.” He said to her. She nodded as he pointed his wand at her and cast Legilimens. She saw the events play through her mind: Harry, Voldemort’s story, the wand connection, her speaking with Harry in his mind, and her attacking Voldemort.
When the memory was finished, Snape complimented her. “Wow. Very nice.” He was talking about her successive spell casting. “Even with all those Death Eaters there. I am impressed. Though you did show some rash behavior and this must not continue.”
“I know.” She nodded. “What are you going to tell them? About my learning magic?” She asked him.
“That doesn’t really matter. The headmaster and I have decided on a believable story to relay. Do not worry, they won’t know who taught you.” Snape tried to assure her. He could tell how terrified she was.
Stephanie nodded. They stood in silence for a few moments until Snape finally spoke again.
“Now, I want to teach you how to survive your time with the Dark Lord with minimal suffering. The most important thing I can share is to look at him when he is speaking to you. That is very, very important.” He informed her. His tone was deadly serious. “And always,” He stressed the word. “ALWAYS, address him as ‘Master’ or ‘My Lord.’”
She nodded and he continued. “Speak when you are answering him. No nodding, no shaking your head. Always ‘yes, my Lord’ or ‘no, Master.’ And finally, only speak when you are spoken to. Do you understand this?”
Again she nodded. “I don’t want to do this. I can’t do this.” She admitted to him.
“You must. When you did not allow us to remove you from the Malfoy home, you agreed to whatever would happen.” He scolded her for voicing her doubts. “The others will come for you as soon as it is safe to do so.
“But, that reminds me. You are, under no, circumstances allowed to use your pendant until I tell you otherwise.” He warned her.
“Why not?” she asked.
“I am concerned about the curses the Dark Lord has placed on you. The first, when he tapped your Mark, was a trace. It allows him to know your exact position wherever you are. This is a most advanced tracker. It can even show your position if you are in an unplottable location; including Hogwarts. This power is far greater than the trace in your pendant.” He stared at her as what he said sank in. “This means, if you are given the opportunity to escape, you must resist. At least until we can find a countercurse.”
“Oh, no.” Tears came back to her eyes. “I really am going to die here, aren’t I?”
“Stop saying that.” He reprimanded her. “You must be stronger than that if you are to survive this. And I know you are going to survive. You are a Potter for crying out loud.”
Stephanie conceded. Obviously she couldn’t confide in him about her fears. Why didn’t he realize how difficult this was for her?
“Now, the Dark Lord put two other curses on you.” He said seriously, there was a little bit of fear showing on his pale face. “I have never heard of these and I do not know what they do. That is what concerns me, as I am an expert in the Dark Arts. If given the opportunity, do NOT do anything that would disrespect or disobey the Dark Lord. Do not do anything that would give him reason to punish you. It is imperative that you understand this.”
“I understand.” She said as she swallowed the lump in her throat.
“Lastly, do you have the diary?” He asked.
“Yes,” she said. Stephanie walked over to where she kept the diary and pulled it out.
“Good. Take it with you. However, you must not use it until you hear from me. I will not take any chances with these curses he has placed on you.” He told her. “Do you understand this?”
“Yes.” She responded.
“Very well, I believe we have exceeded an acceptable amount of time.” He walked to the door. “I should not have to remind you not to show any recognition or let on that you know who I am. We do not know each other, and I despise you.”
“Absolutely.” She answered. She may not be the smartest sometimes, but she wasn’t that stupid. Before he removed the Muffliato spell and left, she added, “And Professor, I’m sorry he used the Cruciatus on you.”
“It’s the price I pay…” He trailed off. He nodded at her and left the room. The door locked behind him.
Stephanie stuck the diary in the back of her pants so that it would not be seen. She hoped that it didn’t fall out before they got to their location. She sat in the corner awaiting Mr. Malfoy’s return.
What seemed like hours later, though Stephanie was certain that it was only forty-five minutes, Mr. Malfoy returned. She jumped up and he rushed over to her. He yanked her by the arm and they Apparated outside of a large manor she had never seen before.
Mr. Malfoy pulled her inside and down the stairs to the basement. Stephanie had to run to keep up with him and she stumbled on the stairs as he yanked her down them. It was very dark and musty. They walked to the end of the hallway and he pushed her into a small room and she fell to the ground. He slammed the door shut and looked at her through the metal bars.
“I look forward to the day that you screw up, little girl. Because we all know that it is inevitable being that you are so incompetent. I will get my revenge for your humiliating me in front of my master and my friends.” Mr. Malfoy eyed her with a rage she had never seen in him before. This is bad, she thought. She decided that she must do all she could to ensure that Mr. Malfoy was not given the chance he so desperately wanted.
Mr. Malfoy left her alone to return to his manor and Stephanie looked around. She couldn’t see too much, it was horribly dark. The room was about the size of a very small pantry, she probably wouldn’t even be able to lie down. This would mean that there wouldn’t be space for her to even walk around. There was a small window high on the wall allowing only a miniscule amount of moonlight through.
The room was horribly cold and Stephanie shivered; though she wasn’t sure how much was from the cold or was a result of fear. As she tried to get comfortable, she felt something tickle her leg. She scratched the spot and then let out a scream. Cockroaches! She hugged her knees and she began to cry.
Note: So here it is. I hope you enjoyed it. And good news! Chapter Twelve (as yet untitled) will be up tomorrow morning! Feedback is always appreciated, please!
Harry sat with Dumbledore and his godfather, Sirius, in the headmaster’s office. When he had returned to the Hogwarts grounds with the Cup and Cedric’s body, he had immediately informed the headmaster that Lord Voldemort had returned. He was so numb and he couldn’t stop shaking. He couldn’t process all that had happened within the last couple of hours.
He just finished telling Dumbledore and Sirius his account of the night’s events and they sat there in silence. He was lost in his thoughts.
He couldn’t believe Cedric was dead. And it was all his fault. Had Harry not insisted that they both win the tournament, Cedric would be safe. Cedric would be alive. Then, he had assisted, though against his will, in the return of Lord Voldemort. There had to have been something he could have done to stop that from happening. He should have thought of something.
And then there was Stephanie, the girl he had seen with Draco in Diagon Alley two years ago. He cried at the thought that he had betrayed his sister. She had looked so familiar to him because she did look just like his mother. Why had he never put the two together? He wondered to himself.
Harry thought she had been so brave in the graveyard. She had run to him knowing that they would not take kindly to that. She had saved his life. He had been shocked when she spoke to him in his mind. At first he thought he was going crazy, but the pleading look she gave him made him realize he had really heard her. She had begged him to listen to her and to leave her there. He had to admit she was right, there was no way he could have reached her before something awful would happen. It just hurt him to think that he left her there; he had abandoned her. She saved his life and he abandoned her; he left her to die. How could he do that to his own sister?
When he had returned to Hogwarts, his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had taken Harry to his office and tried to question him about the events. It turned out that it hadn’t been the real Alastor Moody, but was one of Voldemort’s Death Eaters using Polyjuice Potion. And yet again someone came to his rescue: Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. Could he do anything right tonight?
“Thank you, Harry. For all that you have done tonight and for reliving this again.” Dumbledore looked at him gently. “I want you to go to the infirmary. I will have Madame Pomfrey give you something that will allow you to sleep tonight.”
“No. Not yet.” Harry said quietly. He was experiencing emotional overload; he had never experienced so many emotions at once and he had no idea how to handle them. He was flooded with grief, anger, frustration, sadness, terror, and exhaustion. “What about Stephanie?”
Dumbledore shook his head. “We don’t know, Harry. I’m sorry. All I can say is that we will get to her when it is safe to do so.”
“How do you know she’s not already dead?!?” He almost screamed at his headmaster.
Sirius put his hand on Harry’s shoulder to try and comfort his godson. “Harry, Stephanie is a strong person. I am confident she will survive this.”
Harry looked at Sirius and then Dumbledore. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You mean you know her? You knew who she was? YOU KNEW WHERE SHE WAS AND YOU DID NOTHING?”
Dumbledore and Sirius looked at him sadly. Sirius looked ashamed of himself. Dumbledore spoke to Harry. “Harry, everything will be explained to you. I will make sure of that. But right now, you need your rest.”
Harry looked at his godfather with pain in his eyes. “You knew and you didn’t tell me.”
“Harry, what would you have done if we told you Stephanie was a servant in the Malfoy home? What would you have done if we had told you what she has suffered through?” Sirius asked him seriously.
“Malfoy wouldn’t still be standing.” Harry growled. “I am going to kill him.”
“Exactly. Harry, she begged us to let her stay. She stayed for you. When you have had some rest, we will explain to you.” Sirius said gently. “But, now you must rest.”
Harry conceded. He was so exhausted and emotionally drained. He could barely think clearly. All he wanted to do was sleep.
Dumbledore and Sirius, in his dog form, walked him down to the infirmary where the entire Weasley family and Hermione were waiting for him. They helped him into bed as Dumbledore explained that he needed his rest. Dumbledore requested that the others not question him about the incident until he was ready to talk. Harry was then given a potion and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
*~*~*~*
Hermione sat with Ron and Ginny at Harry’s bedside. The rest of the Weasley family was sprawled throughout the infirmary trying to get some sleep. Mrs. Weasley had been pacing by the door and Mr. Weasley sat nearby eyeing her. Fred and George were sleeping in two empty beds and their other brothers Charlie and Bill were stretched out on two couches near the window. The only Weasley missing was Percy. Sirius was on the foot of Harry’s bed and would not take his eyes off Harry. He was keeping guard.
Before Professor Dumbledore had left to meet with Minister Fudge, he had pulled Hermione to the side and explained what she was to do. Stephanie had indeed been in the graveyard with Harry. Dumbledore explained that Stephanie had saved Harry’s life by distracting Voldemort, but Harry had not known exactly how she had planned to do so. There had been a protection shield placed around him as he summoned the cup, but he didn’t have time to see anything else.
Professor Dumbledore had asked her to explain to Harry about Stephanie. Dumbledore was sure that Harry would want to know immediately when he woke up. She was to answer any of his questions, except those relating to topics that Stephanie would not want disclosed. In addition, Hermione was to keep an eye on the diary and let him know if Stephanie tried to make contact. Hermione had agreed and went back to the infirmary to wait with the others.
“Ginny, Stephanie was in the graveyard.” Hermione confirmed Ginny’s suspicions when she returned.
“Is she alright?” Ginny asked.
“They don’t know. Harry doesn’t even know exactly what happened.” Hermione said, sitting down and opening the diary to the page where the next entry would appear. It was completely blank. She closed her eyes and willed for Stephanie to write something down.
“Who is Stephanie?” Ron asked.
Hermione sighed. “We’ll explain everything when Harry wakes up. I don’t want to have to tell the story more than once. He is not going to like it.”
Ron nodded and they waited in silence.
*~*~*~*
Harry finally stirred a few hours later. His head hurt from all that he had gone through; his muscles ached from the tension. He slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Hermione staring at a blank page of a book.
“Oh, thank goodness!” Hermione stood up and called to Mrs. Weasley. “He’s awake!”
Mrs. Weasley rushed over to him and gave him a big hug. “Oh, Harry. We are all so worried about you.”
Harry smiled feebly. He weakly tried to joke and ease the uncomfortable silence, “You are studying while I am on my deathbed, I should have figured.”
Hermione looked at him sadly, “Oh, Harry. That’s not funny.”
Harry suddenly was flooded with the full memory of what had happened the night before. He closed his eyes and sighed. A few minutes later, he opened them and stared at Hermione. “Tell me about Stephanie.”
“Are you sure you are up to it? There is nothing we can do for her right now and you need your strength.” Hermione asked him. She was concerned at how this news would affect him in his weakened condition. He had a way of losing his temper and that wouldn’t be good for him right now.
“Hermione, I need to know. Tell me.” Harry begged her.
“All right.” She said and turned to Mrs. Weasley. “I’m sorry Mrs. Weasley, could we have a few minutes?”
“What you have to say to Harry, you can say to me.” Mrs. Weasley said protectively.
“It’s okay, Mrs. Weasley.” Harry assured her. “I’ll be fine.”
Mrs. Weasley looked offended but walked over to her husband. Hermione began the story quietly.
“After you told Professor Dumbledore about meeting Stephanie and Draco in Diagon Alley, he sent Dobby to retrieve her from the Manor. They wanted to pull her out and keep her safe. They begged her to let them do so. But she wouldn’t leave. She wanted to help in the fight against Voldemort. They allowed her to do so with some precautionary measures.” Hermione explained to the others about the pendants and Stephanie’s Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons with Snape.
“Then, they asked me to help her. That’s what the diary is for that I have been carrying around since third year. It’s how I remain in contact with her. The diary allows her to act like a normal girl, she was able to open up and express emotions she had been denied in the Malfoy home.
“Harry, they tortured her. They were cruel and vile, and a normal person would not have survived. But she is so strong and brave and persistent. Then, she was forced to participate in the attack at the Quidditch World Cup. It tore her apart; she struggled with it for so long. It took three months for any of us to get in touch with her and that was only because they threatened to remove her from the home.
“She was blaming herself for what had happened. It was so sad to see her that night we first met with her after that. Christmas vacation, there was an incident that almost killed her. That was the night McGonagall came to the Burrow and Ginny and I stayed up all night talking with her. Stephanie begged me to tell Ginny so that I would have someone to share this with. Ginny has been such a great support.” Hermione finished.
Harry just sat there as he took in what Hermione had told him. “But, why didn’t you tell me? Did I not deserve to know that I have a sister? That I have family?”
“Harry, we didn’t tell you because we were scared for her safety. She was in such horrible danger just coming to Hogwarts several times a week. If you had known, you would have gone after Malfoy. She would have been killed.” Hermione told him sternly. “Also, she begged us not to tell you. She didn’t want you to know; she knew you would want her taken out of there and she felt that there was something she could do to protect you.”
“You’re damn right I would have told her to get out of there. And I don’t need her protecting me. I am her brother, I should be protecting her!” He yelled. Harry was so angry that they didn’t tell him about his sister.
“Harry, she saved your life last night.” Hermione told him gently. Harry realized that this was true. Had it not been for Stephanie, he probably would not have gotten out of the graveyard alive.
Mrs. Weasley ran over to Harry’s bed. “That is enough! Harry needs his rest and you are only upsetting him.”
“Please, mom.” Ginny begged. “Just a few more minutes.”
“Mrs. Weasley, I promise I’ll get some rest when we are done. This is important.” Harry looked at her.
“Fine, you have five minutes.” Mrs. Weasley nodded and pointed a warning finger at each of the children.
“You should have told me.” Harry whispered when Mrs. Weasley left. “She needs family who can support her. She needs to know people care about her. Stephanie needs her brother.”
Hermione looked at Harry with compassion; she had tears in her eyes. “Harry, we have all told her that we love her. Though she does not believe it most of the time and she believes she does not deserve it, there is one person who she does believe.” She looked at Sirius.
Sirius nodded at Harry and walked up and nuzzled his head into Harry’s chest. Hermione explained, “Dumbledore asked Sirius to write Stephanie letters and he has done so. She has written him back on several occasions saying how much she appreciates his concern. He tried to convince her to leave the manor, but she wouldn’t. She was so stubborn because she wanted to help you more than she cared about her own safety.”
“I didn’t want to leave her. She begged me. She said that they would not kill her.” Harry began to lose it. He started to cry. “I didn’t save her. Voldemort was going to kill me and I abandoned her. Now they’re going to kill her.”
“Harry, this is not your fault.” Ginny rubbed his arm. “She knew what she was getting into when she chose to stay at that home. Stephanie was happy to do what she did. She wanted you to leave her.”
“I should have saved her. But I turned my back on her like I did in Diagon Alley.” Harry pleaded with them to tell him what he deserved to hear. They had to tell him it was his fault.
“There was nothing you could have done. If you would have gone after her, you both would probably be dead.” Hermione tried to explain to him.
“You probably saved both of your lives, mate.” Ron added. This information was new to him and he didn’t know what else to say.
Harry gave up; he didn’t know how to make them understand how he was feeling. He asked, “What do we do now?”
“We wait. Professor Dumbledore told me he would let us know if they hear anything about Stephanie.” She lifted the open diary. “I was told to keep watch over the diary in case she tries to contact me.”
“Should we write to her?” Ginny asked.
“No. Dumbledore was very clear in that. All we can do is wait.” Hermione said wearily.
Then, Mrs. Weasley came over and told them it was time for Harry to get some sleep. She gave him some more potion and he fell back into his dreamless sleep.
Hermione got up and walked to the window to think about what she had just told Harry. Surprisingly, Ron followed her.
“Hermione, I’m sorry about how I reacted when you were so upset. I shouldn’t have said that we shouldn’t be friends.” He looked at her sadly.
“It’s all right, Ron.” Hermione was glad that he was apologizing. “I know you were just worried and wanted to help.”
“I feel so stupid and useless,” he admitted to her. “I didn’t know what else to say to comfort Harry. What can we do to help him through this?”
Hermione thought for a moment, and then answered. “All that we can do is be there for him. Our presence will do much more for him than you would realize.”
Ron nodded and walked back to his seat next to Harry. Hermione stared out the window and wondered where Stephanie was and if she was alright.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying on the floor of her bedroom in the Malfoy basement. The memory of the graveyard came back to her and she immediately felt for her wand that was usually tied to her leg. It wasn’t there. She looked frantically around the room and it was nowhere to be seen. They had her wand! She was defenseless.
She wondered why she was still alive. She had attacked Lord Voldemort in front of his Death Eaters. Who had ever survived to tell that tale? She wondered.
Then she heard a man screaming in pain upstairs. She had to hear to what was going on. She walked to the door and put her ear against it so she could listen to what was happening. Stephanie could hear Lord Voldemort talking to someone.
“How dare you return to me? You must know that I would not tolerate a traitor to return to my service.” Voldemort hissed. The man screamed in pain again.
When the screaming stopped, she heard the man try to speak with Voldemort. “Please, my Lord. I have never renounced my service to you.” She realized that the man being tortured was Professor Snape! Oh, no! She thought.
“Then explain to me why you did not join the others in the graveyard when you felt the Mark burn.” Voldemort asked.
“My Lord. I have remained at Hogwarts anticipating your return.” Snape breathed. “It would have looked too suspicious if I had returned to you while Harry Potter was missing.”
Stephanie couldn’t hear what was said for the next few minutes. It sounded like the voices had gotten farther away.
“Albus trusts you?” Was the next thing she heard.
“Very much.” Snape answered. “He shares much information with me. But my true loyalties lay with you, Master.”
“Very well. I can see that you are not lying to me.” Stephanie heard Snape scream in pain again and her heart went out to him. “This is to remind you to come immediately the next time I call you.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Snape answered.
“Now, the girl stirs. Let us go down and speak with her.” Voldemort said. Stephanie didn’t know if anyone else was there, but she suddenly became terrified. This is it, she thought.
She ran to the corner and sank to the floor. She hugged her knees to her chest. The door burst open and Lucius Malfoy walked in with his wand raised at her. She flinched and whimpered. Before he could cast a spell, his wand flew out of his hand.
“What did I tell you, Lucius?” Voldemort reprimanded his servant. “Were you planning on disobeying a direct order?”
“No, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy responded. He refused to look his master in the eye. “But she attacked you; the girl must be punished!”
“And she will be. That is not a task I have delegated to you.” Voldemort looked at her. “She is not to be harmed.”
“I apologize, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy said.
“You will be dealt with later,” Voldemort smiled. He walked over and knelt in front of her. She looked up to see who else was in the room. Mr. Malfoy was near the door, looking very frustrated, and Professor Snape was next to him. She wanted to run to him, she wanted Snape to do something. But she didn’t dare look at him in fear that she would give him a pleading look to help her. He was in as much danger as she was.
“Now, dear. Tell me who gave you that wand and taught you magic?” He breathed in her face. She refused to look at him; she was trembling so violently that her entire body was shaking. She had tears running down her face. She was too scared to answer.
Voldemort grabbed her chin and yanked her head so she was facing him. “You are to look at me when I talk to you. Now, Lucius tells me that he had not allowed you to touch a wand, let alone perform magic.” He paused and she closed her eyes. “I will not ask you again. Who taught you to do magic?”
What was she going to say? She couldn’t tell him how she had really learned how to do magic! Stephanie felt him penetrating her. Stephanie thought about her Occlumency lessons with Snape and tried her best to keep him out of her mind. She answered with the only thing that came to her, “Dobby gave me the wand as a present. I taught myself the magic.” She paused to take in a deep breath. The tears were still falling from her eyes. “When Draco was home from Hogwarts, I stole his books and I taught myself.”
“You dirty thief!” She heard Mr. Malfoy yell at her as Voldemort slapped her face. She looked away from him; she couldn’t look in his nasty eyes. They were so hideous and filled with evil.
“She lies!” Voldemort hissed. “Stephanie, I believe I have been much too accommodating to you for how you have been treating me since my return. Though, I admit that it is not entirely your fault. There is some blame to be placed in your raising.” He looked at Mr. Malfoy. “I am truly disappointed that Lucius has not been strict enough with you. He has failed at teaching you who your true master is, where your true allegiances lie.”
“You will be punished for lying to me and I am positive that you will not do so again.” Voldemort eyed her. She was looking at a spot on the wall. Why doesn’t he just kill me? She thought. That would be better than not knowing what he was going to do to her. “What did I say about looking at me?”
Still holding her knees, she turned her head and looked at him. He continued, “You wouldn’t lie to me again, would you?”
She shook her head.
“I can’t hear you.” He said to her quietly.
“No.” She whispered and Voldemort smiled.
“See, she is learning already.” Again he turned to Mr. Malfoy. “See, it’s not that difficult.”
She whimpered again and Voldemort let out a cold laugh. “Look how terrified she is. It is quite cute, really.” Snape and Mr. Malfoy let out chuckles. She cringed at hearing Snape laugh at her misery. Stephanie was mad at him because he couldn’t help her. At that moment, she hated Professor Snape.
“I really cannot blame you, dear girl. For what you did, protecting your brother. But the great thing is that he left you to die in that graveyard. He must have known that we would not react kindly to being attacked by one of our servants.” Voldemort was getting enjoyment with this.
Stephanie tried to hold back a smile. Little did Voldemort know that she had begged Harry to leave her in the graveyard. This thought gave her a little satisfaction. She knew the others would come for her shortly. She should be free soon. Then, she could finally get to know her godfather and brother. Soon.
“However,” Voldemort continued. “I will teach you where your true loyalties lie. I will show you your true destiny. You will do amazing things for me, Stephanie. You will assist in my rise to power and, most importantly, you will lead me to Potter. And you will be greatly rewarded.”
He got up and walked back over to Snape and Mr. Malfoy. She sighed in relief. Maybe it’s over, she thought. Stephanie knew she was going to be punished for lying to Voldemort, but she figured it couldn’t be too bad. She had survived quite a bit in her short life and he seemed to want her unharmed. She listened to their conversation.
“Severus, you are to interrogate her. Come find me when you have identified where she has learned her magic. We’ve got to know how she was able to sneak around without alerting Lucius.” Voldemort ordered Snape. He then continued, turning to Mr. Malfoy. “When he is finished, you will take her to where I will be residing. Lock her in the cell in the basement.”
“But, Master.” Lucius began and looked over at Stephanie. “She is my servant; let me deal with her here.”
“You are proving to be an incompetent fool, Lucius.” Voldemort sneered. “With Potter already off telling his precious headmaster what has happened, the Ministry will be here soon to search your premises. We cannot risk the dear girl being found, can we?”
“No, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy responded, defeated.
“My Lord, may I be informed of where you will be staying?” Professor Snape asked his master. Stephanie realized that he was trying to learn her location rather than Voldemort’s. What a brave man, Stephanie thought. She suddenly felt horrible for being angry at him.
“That information is on a need to know basis only. And quite frankly, you do not need to know.” Voldemort clarified. “Wormtail will guard her. How incompetent he is, but I doubt she will try to escape.”
Voldemort clasped his hands together in excitement. “That reminds me. I almost forgot!” He turned and walked back towards her. “You won’t try to escape, will you?”
Stephanie shook her head and looked at the ground. He moved his wand scanning her body, starting with her feet and moving slowly towards her head. She thought he paused when he reached her neckline and she could swear he had a small smile on his face, though it disappeared quickly.
He grabbed her arm and turned it so the Malfoy Crest was showing. He moved his wand around her arm three times and then tapped the crest. Her arm began to tingle painfully. She did not want show any sign of pain, but she winced. She couldn’t help it. When he let go of her arm, she rubbed it trying to get the tingling to stop.
“Stand.” He ordered her and she obliged. She pulled her body tight, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He walked around her waving his wand up and down, quietly saying an incantation.
“What are you doing?” She whispered, not daring to take her eyes off the ground.
“I am helping to teach you who you should show your allegiance to. You will find out soon enough.” He smiled as he finished. “Now, your punishment will be solitary confinement until I return to speak with you.”
She felt relief. Solitary confinement? That was the worst he would do to her? That was absolutely nothing. She could handle that!
“You are pleased.” Voldemort sneered. “I am sure that you will not be so pleased when I return in a few days. Let me assure you that it will get much worse if you ever disobey or disrespect me again. For instance, Lucius is just dying to pay you back for the insolence you showed in the graveyard. If you misbehave, I may be forced to allow you in a room alone with him so he can repay you.”
With that, Voldemort led Mr. Malfoy up the stairs and out of her bedroom. Stephanie was left alone with Professor Snape.
He walked to the door and made sure that the others were gone. He then cast the Muffliato spell so Voldemort would not overhear their conversation.
“Is he going to kill me?” She asked him, looking desperately into Snape’s eyes. She wanted him to tell her the truth, even if it was horrible.
“Were you not listening?” He said to her, frustrated. “He will not harm you. For some reason, he feels that you will be very valuable to him. He will take care of you and he will actually protect you from the others.”
“Let me see what happened in the graveyard.” He said to her. She nodded as he pointed his wand at her and cast Legilimens. She saw the events play through her mind: Harry, Voldemort’s story, the wand connection, her speaking with Harry in his mind, and her attacking Voldemort.
When the memory was finished, Snape complimented her. “Wow. Very nice.” He was talking about her successive spell casting. “Even with all those Death Eaters there. I am impressed. Though you did show some rash behavior and this must not continue.”
“I know.” She nodded. “What are you going to tell them? About my learning magic?” She asked him.
“That doesn’t really matter. The headmaster and I have decided on a believable story to relay. Do not worry, they won’t know who taught you.” Snape tried to assure her. He could tell how terrified she was.
Stephanie nodded. They stood in silence for a few moments until Snape finally spoke again.
“Now, I want to teach you how to survive your time with the Dark Lord with minimal suffering. The most important thing I can share is to look at him when he is speaking to you. That is very, very important.” He informed her. His tone was deadly serious. “And always,” He stressed the word. “ALWAYS, address him as ‘Master’ or ‘My Lord.’”
She nodded and he continued. “Speak when you are answering him. No nodding, no shaking your head. Always ‘yes, my Lord’ or ‘no, Master.’ And finally, only speak when you are spoken to. Do you understand this?”
Again she nodded. “I don’t want to do this. I can’t do this.” She admitted to him.
“You must. When you did not allow us to remove you from the Malfoy home, you agreed to whatever would happen.” He scolded her for voicing her doubts. “The others will come for you as soon as it is safe to do so.
“But, that reminds me. You are, under no, circumstances allowed to use your pendant until I tell you otherwise.” He warned her.
“Why not?” she asked.
“I am concerned about the curses the Dark Lord has placed on you. The first, when he tapped your Mark, was a trace. It allows him to know your exact position wherever you are. This is a most advanced tracker. It can even show your position if you are in an unplottable location; including Hogwarts. This power is far greater than the trace in your pendant.” He stared at her as what he said sank in. “This means, if you are given the opportunity to escape, you must resist. At least until we can find a countercurse.”
“Oh, no.” Tears came back to her eyes. “I really am going to die here, aren’t I?”
“Stop saying that.” He reprimanded her. “You must be stronger than that if you are to survive this. And I know you are going to survive. You are a Potter for crying out loud.”
Stephanie conceded. Obviously she couldn’t confide in him about her fears. Why didn’t he realize how difficult this was for her?
“Now, the Dark Lord put two other curses on you.” He said seriously, there was a little bit of fear showing on his pale face. “I have never heard of these and I do not know what they do. That is what concerns me, as I am an expert in the Dark Arts. If given the opportunity, do NOT do anything that would disrespect or disobey the Dark Lord. Do not do anything that would give him reason to punish you. It is imperative that you understand this.”
“I understand.” She said as she swallowed the lump in her throat.
“Lastly, do you have the diary?” He asked.
“Yes,” she said. Stephanie walked over to where she kept the diary and pulled it out.
“Good. Take it with you. However, you must not use it until you hear from me. I will not take any chances with these curses he has placed on you.” He told her. “Do you understand this?”
“Yes.” She responded.
“Very well, I believe we have exceeded an acceptable amount of time.” He walked to the door. “I should not have to remind you not to show any recognition or let on that you know who I am. We do not know each other, and I despise you.”
“Absolutely.” She answered. She may not be the smartest sometimes, but she wasn’t that stupid. Before he removed the Muffliato spell and left, she added, “And Professor, I’m sorry he used the Cruciatus on you.”
“It’s the price I pay…” He trailed off. He nodded at her and left the room. The door locked behind him.
Stephanie stuck the diary in the back of her pants so that it would not be seen. She hoped that it didn’t fall out before they got to their location. She sat in the corner awaiting Mr. Malfoy’s return.
What seemed like hours later, though Stephanie was certain that it was only forty-five minutes, Mr. Malfoy returned. She jumped up and he rushed over to her. He yanked her by the arm and they Apparated outside of a large manor she had never seen before.
Mr. Malfoy pulled her inside and down the stairs to the basement. Stephanie had to run to keep up with him and she stumbled on the stairs as he yanked her down them. It was very dark and musty. They walked to the end of the hallway and he pushed her into a small room and she fell to the ground. He slammed the door shut and looked at her through the metal bars.
“I look forward to the day that you screw up, little girl. Because we all know that it is inevitable being that you are so incompetent. I will get my revenge for your humiliating me in front of my master and my friends.” Mr. Malfoy eyed her with a rage she had never seen in him before. This is bad, she thought. She decided that she must do all she could to ensure that Mr. Malfoy was not given the chance he so desperately wanted.
Mr. Malfoy left her alone to return to his manor and Stephanie looked around. She couldn’t see too much, it was horribly dark. The room was about the size of a very small pantry, she probably wouldn’t even be able to lie down. This would mean that there wouldn’t be space for her to even walk around. There was a small window high on the wall allowing only a miniscule amount of moonlight through.
The room was horribly cold and Stephanie shivered; though she wasn’t sure how much was from the cold or was a result of fear. As she tried to get comfortable, she felt something tickle her leg. She scratched the spot and then let out a scream. Cockroaches! She hugged her knees and she began to cry.
Note: So here it is. I hope you enjoyed it. And good news! Chapter Twelve (as yet untitled) will be up tomorrow morning! Feedback is always appreciated, please!
Chapter Twelve: Total Abandonment
Immediately after Severus had left the Malfoy manor, he returned to Hogwarts to research the spells the Dark Lord had placed on Stephanie. He did not like what he found and he wondered how he was going to tell her. He put his head in his hands and a single tear ran down his cheek.
He had grown fond of the girl, even though she was James Potter’s daughter. He admired her in spite of that fact, and he loved her because she was Lily Evans’ daughter. There was nothing he could do to protect her from the fate the Dark Lord had prescribed for her.
Severus got up and walked slowly to the headmaster’s office. It was imperative that the headmaster know about Stephanie’s destiny. He knocked on the door and Albus called for him to enter.
Professor Dumbledore stood as he saw Severus enter. Severus nodded and the two men sat down. Albus asked Severus gently, “How did it go?”
“It could have been much worse. Stephanie is alive and she will be fine.” He paused and looked sadly at the headmaster. “For the time being.”
“Very well. May I see the memory of the graveyard?” Albus asked his friend.
“I want to show you the graveyard scene and my recollection of her meeting with the Dark Lord afterwards.” Severus pulled the two memories out of his mind and placed them in the pensieve.
Afterwards, the two men sat in silence for a few moments while Albus contemplated what he had just seen. “I am surprised that she attacked Voldemort. I would never have expected that of her, though I am afraid I should have.”
“I agree. In our last sessions, I would never have imagined she would be capable to do what she did.” Severus began. “The Dark Lord will not harm her; I believe he plans on training her as a Death Eater.”
“He’s going to train her to kill Harry, isn’t he?” Albus asked slowly, already knowing the answer. Severus nodded and Albus looked away in thought. He had never expected that Voldemort would do such a thing. He was being surprised by many things this evening that he should have forseen. “Severus,” he continued. “I was concerned at how strict you were with her. You must understand she is only fourteen and she is terrified.”
“Headmaster, if you please.” Severus explained. “If she is to survive her captivity with the Dark Lord, she has to toughen up. She can do much more than she gives herself credit for and she must realize this. Complaining about her situation will only frustrate the Dark Lord and he may decide she must be terminated. I am not willing to risk that.”
“You are right, Severus. I apologize.” Albus sighed in despair. “Now, please explain those spells Voldemort placed on Stephanie.”
“As you saw in the memory, the first is a trace. But after reviewing the memory, I am afraid it is much worse than I originally feared.” He said, the sadness creeping to his voice. “As you saw, the Dark Lord was scanning her body for magical devices and he found the pendant. Within the trace on her Mark, he placed a spell that deactivates any magical device having contact with her skin. We cannot track her using the pendant, nor can we communicate with her.
“In addition to that, he has placed a most powerful anti-apparition field around his place of residence. He refuses to tell me where he will be staying, but I am confident I will find out soon. However, this anti-Apparition field is also effective against house-elf Apparition. When Stephanie told him Dobby gave her the wand, he realized the house-elf may come back for her. He could not let that happen.
“As for the other two curses, Albus, I fear they are far less pleasant.” Severus concluded by explaining the purpose of these two spells. Both men looked at each other solemnly, horrified.
“There is no countercurse, I imagine?” Albus asked.
“Not for the two curses, but I am positive there is something for the tracking spell. I will conduct some research.” Severus answered his headmaster.
“Very well.” Albus shook his head. “Do you think we should tell her about these things?”
“I believe so.” Severus said slowly. “She has to be prepared for what will undoubtedly come in her future. This knowledge may allow it to be easier for her to follow orders from the Dark Lord.”
“I agree,” Albus said, sadly. “She must know what she is up against, though I do not wish any of the others to know. Please inform her of such, though I am sure she would not share this information anyway.”
“Of course, headmaster.” Severus acknowledged. “Now, I am going to borrow Miss Granger’s diary and will be making some adjustments to it. I will make copies for Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Weasley. This will allow Stephanie maximum opportunity for communication.”
“Good idea, Severus.” Albus stated. It would be more important now than ever for Stephanie to remain connected to those that care about her. She must continue to be in touch with those who know the person she truly is, for Lord Voldemort surely has sinister deeds planned for her in the near future.
“At my first opportunity, I will also be making adjustments to Stephanie’s copy. We should have thought of this at the beginning, but I was foolish.” Severus admitted. “It is imperative that Stephanie be the only person who may read what is in that diary.”
“I must say, Severus.” Albus said with a hint of a smile. “You seem to have taken quite a liking for her. When did this occur?”
“It has taken this long for me to realize how much like her mother she is.” Severus said sadly.
“Indeed she is.” Albus nodded. “Now, please keep me informed and be careful when you return to Voldemort.
“Thank you, headmaster.” Severus got up and headed for the dungeons. He still needed to summon Miss Granger to begin work on the diaries.
*~*~*~*
The next day, Harry and Sirius were alone in the infirmary. Harry was still angry with his godfather for keeping Stephanie’s identity from him. If he had known who she was and what she was doing, he could have protected her. He was sure of it.
“Voldemort was taunting her, saying that our parents didn’t want her. He said that when they found out that there was a direct threat on her life that they got rid of her.” Harry told his godfather. “They wouldn’t do that, would they?”
“Of course not.” Sirius said angrily. “They loved you both very much; more than anything in this world. Stephanie knows that, I have told so her several times.”
“But they hid her existence from the world.” Harry went on.
“They did not hide her existence from the world, Harry.” Sirius looked at him. “They only neglected to disclose the birth of another child in order to provide a safer home for their children. You have to understand that I never knew they had sent Stephanie to live with me. Had I known that, I would have gone searching for her. When Voldemort attacked you, I assumed she had died along with your parents.
“A day hasn’t gone by since I’ve found out she was alive that I haven’t hated myself. It is so frustrating to know that she was alive this whole time while I sat in Azkaban. She deserves so much more than what she has. And honestly, I don’t know how she survived so long. She has a resilience I have only seen in one other person.” Sirius smiled sadly.
“Who?” Harry asked curiously.
“You, Harry.” Sirius answered. “Had the situation been reversed, you would have sacrificed yourself to save your sister. I know you would have. You must not blame yourself for the strength your sister has shown. It would hurt her so much to know you blame yourself for her captivity.”
Harry thought about this for a moment. He still couldn’t help but think that she could have been here, sitting with him, if he had chosen not to run away.
“I feel like such a coward, leaving her in the graveyard.” Harry admitted to his godfather.
“Harry, you did everything you could. Remember that you both would have died if you had gone after her. Dumbledore tells me he has seen Stephanie’s memory of that night, and you both acted perfectly. It was she, as you suspected, that cast the protection charm that shielded you from the Killing Curse once it was freed. After that, she successfully cast the spell you had attempted on Voldemort. She saved your life.” Sirius told Harry solemnly.
Harry was surprised that she had pulled it off. He was greatly impressed with his sister’s magical skills and bravery. If the situation had been reversed, he was not sure that he would have had the courage to attack Voldemort. She did that knowing they would probably kill her. He definitely owed her.
“What happened after I left?” He asked.
“She was hit by a few stunning spells and she lost consciousness.” Sirius told him. “What I say here must not leave your circle of friends, do you understand?”
Harry nodded.
“After that, she was taken back to the Malfoy manor where she was questioned by Voldemort. Severus was able to speak with her alone and obtain the memory of the graveyard.” Sirius paused, unsure if he should continue. He, himself, hated the fact that he could not help Stephanie. He should have done something when he had the chance; she had needed her guardian to watch out for her.
He decided he had to tell Harry the rest. “The good news is that she was removed from the Malfoy home.”
Harry thought this was a bad way to conclude a story. He knew there was more to come. “And the bad news?”
“We don’t know where she is. Stephanie was taken to where Voldemort will be residing, and Voldemort refused to tell anyone where that is. He says it is for security purposes, but who knows what his actual reasons are.” Sirius looked so angry.
“But Snape must know where he is!” Harry exploded. Dumbledore had promised him that they would get her as soon they could. They couldn’t rescue her if they didn’t know where she was.
“Voldemort refused to tell Severus where he was staying.” Sirius said; he didn’t believe it either but wouldn’t tell Harry that. He had never liked Severus Snape and figured that Snape was just protecting himself.
“What about the pendants? Hermione said that Stephanie’s pendant had a trace in it so the Aurors could Apparate to her when she needed them.” Harry hoped that there was some way they could find his sister.
“We do not know why, but the pendant is not working.” Sirius admitted, sadly. He was unaware that Severus knew exactly why the pendant wasn’t working.
“There must be something we can do.” Harry begged his godfather.
“The only thing we can do is wait.” He told Harry. “Severus assures me that Voldemort does not plan to harm Stephanie. We can only hope that he is correct.”
Harry couldn’t say anything. He refused to believe that there was no way they could find her. As he was trying to think of ways he could help his sister, he saw Sirius digging in his robes.
“Harry, I want to show you some of the letters Stephanie sent to me. It may help you understand her a little more.” Sirius said, handing Harry the letters. Harry opened them and read.
Harry flipped to the second letter Sirius had given him.
Harry read the final letter that Stephanie had written shortly before the incident at the graveyard.
Harry looked up when he finished the letters. He had tears in his eyes because he was so proud of his sister. She was wise beyond her years and much braver than he. For the first time since he left her in the graveyard, he realized that she would survive.
“Harry,” Sirius interrupted Harry’s thoughts. “Did you see the last thing she said in that third letter?”
He looked back at the letter and quoted, “‘Thank you for everything. I love you.’”
“I imagine you don’t understand the implications of such a comment.” Sirius asked.
Harry shook his head and Sirius continued. “Harry, that was the first time she has ever said that she loved someone. Shortly after writing this letter, I am told that she said the same thing to you. In the graveyard.”
Sirius paused as Harry thought about this. His godfather continued. “It has been so difficult for her to accept that others care about her, even love her. She has grown so much since Dumbledore first met her. Stephanie no longer is that little girl who was afraid of Draco Malfoy.” He paused again to see if Harry understood. Harry did not appear to understand, so he continued.
“Harry, she has made such wonderful strides because of what she is doing for you. Whether or not you knew, or accept it now, you give her purpose. You give her a reason to work so hard. She works as hard as she does to prove to you, not anyone else, that she is brave enough; for you. I am sure that she does not blame you for leaving her in the graveyard. In fact, I believe that she is quite proud that you were able to do so.” Sirius finished.
“Wow” Harry said, amazed. “I would never have guessed I could have such a profound effect on someone without trying.”
“You affect more people than you know in such a positive way.” Sirius joked. “But, I am afraid that I must leave you now. I will be in touch with you soon.”
“Just one last question.” Harry said and Sirius nodded for him to continue. “What am I going to do about Malfoy? How can I face him? You know that he is going to want to harass me about this.”
“You must ignore him. Any aggression on your part will put Stephanie in danger.” Sirius looked at him solemnly. “Do not give him a reason to take it out on her.”
Harry nodded as Sirius left. Harry was glad to finally be alone because he had a lot to think about. He laid his head down and fell asleep.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie sat in the dark cell she had called home for the past three days. It had definitely been three of the worst days of her life. She didn’t have any space to move, so she just sat there reliving the night in the graveyard over and over. What made it more difficult was that during the daylight hours, and utilizing the small amount of light the sun provided through the tiny window, she stared at the diary hoping someone would write her. She figured Hermione and Ginny had been instructed not to use it, but she still hoped something would appear. The isolation was driving her insane.
Three times a day Wormtail had brought her meals. He would only appear to bring her food and then take away the previous dinner’s dishes. She had returned each plate with her food untouched. Wormtail had even begged her to eat something, but she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t hungry; she was sick to her stomach for most of her three days in solitary confinement.
On the fourth morning, Wormtail came in. She had expected him to be carrying her breakfast, but he had nothing. He unlocked the door and motioned for her to stand up. “The Dark Lord requests your presence this morning at breakfast.”
Stephanie got up and followed the cowardly man up the stairs. When she entered the dining room, she saw a long table with place settings only for two. Voldemort was at the head of the table and her plates were next to him. Wormtail walked her to her seat and he pulled out her chair. Voldemort gestured for her to sit and she obliged. Wormtail pushed in her chair after she sat.
“Thank you for joining me this morning.” Voldemort smiled at her. She desperately wanted to look away from him, but she remembered Snape’s warnings. “I apologize for your accommodations these last few days, but you have to learn your lessons. I hope you will not lie to me again.”
“No, my Lord.” She whispered holding her arms tightly around her chest.
“Smart girl. Now, Wormtail tells me you haven’t eaten anything since you arrived.” She looked down at her food. She picked up her fork and began playing with the eggs. He continued, “Meal times are 8:30, 12:30, and 6:00. I expect you to arrive promptly, as I do not tolerate tardiness. I also expect you to clean your plate at each meal; you will need your strength. Do you understand?”
She continued looking at her food. “Yes, my Lord.”
“I am pleased. Someone has taught you etiquette. I doubt it would have been Wormtail, so I daresay Lucius may have redeemed himself somewhat.” Voldemort smiled. She didn’t dare correct him. Stephanie was sure he would question why Snape would take the time to teach her how to speak to him.
Stephanie began to eat her food, even though she wasn’t hungry. She doubted she would ever be hungry again. It just felt so disgusting to eat this man’s food. He continued talking to her. “Good girl. Though Lucius tells me differently, I can tell that you are an intelligent girl. Now, I assume you have been wondering where we are.”
She hadn’t really cared where she was. She looked up at him and answered quietly, anyway. “Yes, Master.”
“This is the home of my most faithful servant, Bellatrix LeStrange. She is proudly serving time in Azkaban for serving me so beautifully. You have heard of her?” Voldemort asked gently.
“Yes, Master.” Stephanie answered. She shuddered; it felt so disgusting to call him that.
“She is Narcissa’s sister. Bella has such a passion for torture. It is beautiful, really.” Voldemort smiled at her. It took all she could muster to continue looking at him. “She will be rejoining us very soon. I am positive that you will reach Bella’s level of magical ability and love for pain. You will become my most admired and feared follower.”
She couldn’t look at him anymore. She looked back to her food, holding back tears.
“You disagree.” He stated, clearly amused.
“I can’t do that.” She whispered. “I can’t hurt people.”
“You would be surprised what people can and will do. You just need some training, and you will do so well.” He paused, looking at her interestedly. “I am confident you will do as you are told, and eventually you will develop a taste for what you have done.
“That brings me to the plans I have for you.” He continued, excitement creeping into his voice. “You are going to accompany me and my followers on many of our missions. I am considering you my apprentice, of sorts. Eventually, you will lead me to your brother and you will assist me in killing him. If you are a good girl, you will even be the one allowed to perform the Killing Curse.” He smiled and reached to her with his long, white fingers. He wiped the tear that had just fallen down her cheek.
“You know, Stephanie. You and I are not all that different. Both of us grew up in homes where we were despised. I grew up in a muggle orphanage where I was treated disgracefully and without a family while you grew up as a servant in the Malfoy home. My father would not acknowledge my existence and your parents gave you away at the smallest hint of danger to themselves and their dear Harry.” He smiled at her as he told the story; she still couldn’t look at him.
“Your godfather never went looking for you because he didn’t care about you. He was glad to get rid of you and your brother. Black always resented you two when you were born because it took away from the time he could spend with his best friend. You stole his best friend and he despised you for it.” He paused for effect, and then continued. “What’s worse, your brother had a chance to save you. What did he do? He ran at the first opportunity he was given. Harry abandoned you and left you for dead; you disgust him.
“But, I do care about you. Here, with me, you will be given the attention and protection you deserve. For it was I who took you in when your parents threw you away like garbage. You will be cared for while you are with us.” He said sweetly.
She whispered very quietly, not daring to look into his eyes. She was still playing with her food. “What if I refuse to help you?”
He laughed at her courage to defy him. “I know you will choose not to do that, sweetheart. It is simple. Life will be very easy for you if you comply and very, very difficult if you resist. I know what Lucius has made you endure while you have lived in his house, and I assure you that life will be much more painful for you if you choose it to be so. You alone have the decision of how you will be treated here.
“Now, as long as you are a good girl, you will no longer have to perform servant duties. That will be Wormtail’s responsibility. You will have free rein here in this home, you may wander as you see fit. However, you will begin your training sessions in two weeks and I hope you will take some time to practice each day. Your books have been placed on your bed. So, are you going to work with me?” He finished.
She looked at him and realized she had no choice. In a voice only a little louder than a whisper, she answered. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Very good. You have pleased your master, Stephanie.” Voldemort had a wide grin on his face. He reached into his robes and pulled out a wand; her wand. She eyed it yearningly.
“I am allowing you to have possession of this wand. I suspect you wish to use this to cause harm to myself or other individuals in my circle. You must resist, and I believe you can do so.” He said, putting the wand on the table. “Possessing this wand will allow you to practice; can I trust that you will use it responsibly?”
She stared at the wand. Oh, how badly she wanted to pick it up and use it on him. She knew, though, that she must follow his orders. Stephanie had told herself she would do what she had to in order to stay alive; she couldn’t use this wand in any way except to follow orders.
“Yes, my Lord.” She responded.
“You really are a smart girl.” He rolled the wand to her and she picked it up. “Now, your room is up the stairs and is the second door on the right. You may be excused.”
“Thank you.” She said and got up. Stephanie ran up to her room. She threw the pile of books on the floor and lay on the bed, curled into a tight ball.
She grasped her pendant and waited for the Aurors to Apparate in. She needed to get out of there! No one came. She started to sob uncontrollably. She tapped her pendant twice and said, “Dumbledore.” There was no response. She tapped it again and said, “Snape.” Still, no answer. She tried a third time, “McGonagall.” Stephanie started to panic. What is going on? Why isn’t anyone answering their pendants? There was one person left she could try. She called, “Kingsley.” And there no answer for the fourth time. She screamed out in frustration, “AAAAHHHHH!”
Shortly after that, Wormtail came into her room. “Stephanie, are you alright?” He asked. Stephanie picked up the lamp on the nightstand and threw it at him, hitting Wormtail in the face, and shattering the lamp.
“Leave me alone!” She yelled at him. Wormtail left the room, closing the door behind him. She waved her wand at the lamp and muttered, “Reparo.” The lamp fixed itself and lay on the floor.
Stephanie curled into a ball on her bed and cried for a long time. She didn’t want to be there, she didn’t want to do this anymore. Stephanie grabbed her diary and opened it up. There was still no entry from Hermione or Ginny. She felt so alone. Stephanie didn’t care that Snape had told her not to use the diary; she had to let them know they needed to come get her. She wrote in the diary.
Note: Yes I know what the two curses placed on Stephanie are. And I'm afraid to say I've decided not to tell anyone until the 7th year! Please leave feedback HERE and tell me what you think! I have only just begun chapter thirteen and am still deciding which direction I want to take. There are so many options! So, the next chapter probably won't be posted until this weekend. Sorry, guys!
Immediately after Severus had left the Malfoy manor, he returned to Hogwarts to research the spells the Dark Lord had placed on Stephanie. He did not like what he found and he wondered how he was going to tell her. He put his head in his hands and a single tear ran down his cheek.
He had grown fond of the girl, even though she was James Potter’s daughter. He admired her in spite of that fact, and he loved her because she was Lily Evans’ daughter. There was nothing he could do to protect her from the fate the Dark Lord had prescribed for her.
Severus got up and walked slowly to the headmaster’s office. It was imperative that the headmaster know about Stephanie’s destiny. He knocked on the door and Albus called for him to enter.
Professor Dumbledore stood as he saw Severus enter. Severus nodded and the two men sat down. Albus asked Severus gently, “How did it go?”
“It could have been much worse. Stephanie is alive and she will be fine.” He paused and looked sadly at the headmaster. “For the time being.”
“Very well. May I see the memory of the graveyard?” Albus asked his friend.
“I want to show you the graveyard scene and my recollection of her meeting with the Dark Lord afterwards.” Severus pulled the two memories out of his mind and placed them in the pensieve.
Afterwards, the two men sat in silence for a few moments while Albus contemplated what he had just seen. “I am surprised that she attacked Voldemort. I would never have expected that of her, though I am afraid I should have.”
“I agree. In our last sessions, I would never have imagined she would be capable to do what she did.” Severus began. “The Dark Lord will not harm her; I believe he plans on training her as a Death Eater.”
“He’s going to train her to kill Harry, isn’t he?” Albus asked slowly, already knowing the answer. Severus nodded and Albus looked away in thought. He had never expected that Voldemort would do such a thing. He was being surprised by many things this evening that he should have forseen. “Severus,” he continued. “I was concerned at how strict you were with her. You must understand she is only fourteen and she is terrified.”
“Headmaster, if you please.” Severus explained. “If she is to survive her captivity with the Dark Lord, she has to toughen up. She can do much more than she gives herself credit for and she must realize this. Complaining about her situation will only frustrate the Dark Lord and he may decide she must be terminated. I am not willing to risk that.”
“You are right, Severus. I apologize.” Albus sighed in despair. “Now, please explain those spells Voldemort placed on Stephanie.”
“As you saw in the memory, the first is a trace. But after reviewing the memory, I am afraid it is much worse than I originally feared.” He said, the sadness creeping to his voice. “As you saw, the Dark Lord was scanning her body for magical devices and he found the pendant. Within the trace on her Mark, he placed a spell that deactivates any magical device having contact with her skin. We cannot track her using the pendant, nor can we communicate with her.
“In addition to that, he has placed a most powerful anti-apparition field around his place of residence. He refuses to tell me where he will be staying, but I am confident I will find out soon. However, this anti-Apparition field is also effective against house-elf Apparition. When Stephanie told him Dobby gave her the wand, he realized the house-elf may come back for her. He could not let that happen.
“As for the other two curses, Albus, I fear they are far less pleasant.” Severus concluded by explaining the purpose of these two spells. Both men looked at each other solemnly, horrified.
“There is no countercurse, I imagine?” Albus asked.
“Not for the two curses, but I am positive there is something for the tracking spell. I will conduct some research.” Severus answered his headmaster.
“Very well.” Albus shook his head. “Do you think we should tell her about these things?”
“I believe so.” Severus said slowly. “She has to be prepared for what will undoubtedly come in her future. This knowledge may allow it to be easier for her to follow orders from the Dark Lord.”
“I agree,” Albus said, sadly. “She must know what she is up against, though I do not wish any of the others to know. Please inform her of such, though I am sure she would not share this information anyway.”
“Of course, headmaster.” Severus acknowledged. “Now, I am going to borrow Miss Granger’s diary and will be making some adjustments to it. I will make copies for Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Weasley. This will allow Stephanie maximum opportunity for communication.”
“Good idea, Severus.” Albus stated. It would be more important now than ever for Stephanie to remain connected to those that care about her. She must continue to be in touch with those who know the person she truly is, for Lord Voldemort surely has sinister deeds planned for her in the near future.
“At my first opportunity, I will also be making adjustments to Stephanie’s copy. We should have thought of this at the beginning, but I was foolish.” Severus admitted. “It is imperative that Stephanie be the only person who may read what is in that diary.”
“I must say, Severus.” Albus said with a hint of a smile. “You seem to have taken quite a liking for her. When did this occur?”
“It has taken this long for me to realize how much like her mother she is.” Severus said sadly.
“Indeed she is.” Albus nodded. “Now, please keep me informed and be careful when you return to Voldemort.
“Thank you, headmaster.” Severus got up and headed for the dungeons. He still needed to summon Miss Granger to begin work on the diaries.
*~*~*~*
The next day, Harry and Sirius were alone in the infirmary. Harry was still angry with his godfather for keeping Stephanie’s identity from him. If he had known who she was and what she was doing, he could have protected her. He was sure of it.
“Voldemort was taunting her, saying that our parents didn’t want her. He said that when they found out that there was a direct threat on her life that they got rid of her.” Harry told his godfather. “They wouldn’t do that, would they?”
“Of course not.” Sirius said angrily. “They loved you both very much; more than anything in this world. Stephanie knows that, I have told so her several times.”
“But they hid her existence from the world.” Harry went on.
“They did not hide her existence from the world, Harry.” Sirius looked at him. “They only neglected to disclose the birth of another child in order to provide a safer home for their children. You have to understand that I never knew they had sent Stephanie to live with me. Had I known that, I would have gone searching for her. When Voldemort attacked you, I assumed she had died along with your parents.
“A day hasn’t gone by since I’ve found out she was alive that I haven’t hated myself. It is so frustrating to know that she was alive this whole time while I sat in Azkaban. She deserves so much more than what she has. And honestly, I don’t know how she survived so long. She has a resilience I have only seen in one other person.” Sirius smiled sadly.
“Who?” Harry asked curiously.
“You, Harry.” Sirius answered. “Had the situation been reversed, you would have sacrificed yourself to save your sister. I know you would have. You must not blame yourself for the strength your sister has shown. It would hurt her so much to know you blame yourself for her captivity.”
Harry thought about this for a moment. He still couldn’t help but think that she could have been here, sitting with him, if he had chosen not to run away.
“I feel like such a coward, leaving her in the graveyard.” Harry admitted to his godfather.
“Harry, you did everything you could. Remember that you both would have died if you had gone after her. Dumbledore tells me he has seen Stephanie’s memory of that night, and you both acted perfectly. It was she, as you suspected, that cast the protection charm that shielded you from the Killing Curse once it was freed. After that, she successfully cast the spell you had attempted on Voldemort. She saved your life.” Sirius told Harry solemnly.
Harry was surprised that she had pulled it off. He was greatly impressed with his sister’s magical skills and bravery. If the situation had been reversed, he was not sure that he would have had the courage to attack Voldemort. She did that knowing they would probably kill her. He definitely owed her.
“What happened after I left?” He asked.
“She was hit by a few stunning spells and she lost consciousness.” Sirius told him. “What I say here must not leave your circle of friends, do you understand?”
Harry nodded.
“After that, she was taken back to the Malfoy manor where she was questioned by Voldemort. Severus was able to speak with her alone and obtain the memory of the graveyard.” Sirius paused, unsure if he should continue. He, himself, hated the fact that he could not help Stephanie. He should have done something when he had the chance; she had needed her guardian to watch out for her.
He decided he had to tell Harry the rest. “The good news is that she was removed from the Malfoy home.”
Harry thought this was a bad way to conclude a story. He knew there was more to come. “And the bad news?”
“We don’t know where she is. Stephanie was taken to where Voldemort will be residing, and Voldemort refused to tell anyone where that is. He says it is for security purposes, but who knows what his actual reasons are.” Sirius looked so angry.
“But Snape must know where he is!” Harry exploded. Dumbledore had promised him that they would get her as soon they could. They couldn’t rescue her if they didn’t know where she was.
“Voldemort refused to tell Severus where he was staying.” Sirius said; he didn’t believe it either but wouldn’t tell Harry that. He had never liked Severus Snape and figured that Snape was just protecting himself.
“What about the pendants? Hermione said that Stephanie’s pendant had a trace in it so the Aurors could Apparate to her when she needed them.” Harry hoped that there was some way they could find his sister.
“We do not know why, but the pendant is not working.” Sirius admitted, sadly. He was unaware that Severus knew exactly why the pendant wasn’t working.
“There must be something we can do.” Harry begged his godfather.
“The only thing we can do is wait.” He told Harry. “Severus assures me that Voldemort does not plan to harm Stephanie. We can only hope that he is correct.”
Harry couldn’t say anything. He refused to believe that there was no way they could find her. As he was trying to think of ways he could help his sister, he saw Sirius digging in his robes.
“Harry, I want to show you some of the letters Stephanie sent to me. It may help you understand her a little more.” Sirius said, handing Harry the letters. Harry opened them and read.
Dear Sirius,
Thank you for your concern, but there is no way that I can leave here. It is the only life that I have ever known. To be honest, anything else completely terrifies me. I haven’t told anyone that before, but I feel that you can understand better than anyone. Even though I could be placed in a safe environment where I wouldn’t have to worry about punishments and torture all day, I know that I would feel completely useless.
I have been told my entire life how stupid, incompetent, and worthless I am that it is hard to realize I am anything other than that. Mostly with Hermione’s help, I have been able to accept that it may be a possibility that I deserve better. But it’s still so hard. At some level, I feel like I deserve what I have gotten in life. To prove to myself that I am worthy of anything, I have to remain here and endure what I have to. I hope you can understand this.
~Stephanie
Thank you for your concern, but there is no way that I can leave here. It is the only life that I have ever known. To be honest, anything else completely terrifies me. I haven’t told anyone that before, but I feel that you can understand better than anyone. Even though I could be placed in a safe environment where I wouldn’t have to worry about punishments and torture all day, I know that I would feel completely useless.
I have been told my entire life how stupid, incompetent, and worthless I am that it is hard to realize I am anything other than that. Mostly with Hermione’s help, I have been able to accept that it may be a possibility that I deserve better. But it’s still so hard. At some level, I feel like I deserve what I have gotten in life. To prove to myself that I am worthy of anything, I have to remain here and endure what I have to. I hope you can understand this.
~Stephanie
Harry flipped to the second letter Sirius had given him.
Dear Sirius,
I don’t have too much time to write, but again, I wanted to thank you for your words of encouragement. I understand how you feel. You were so different from your family, as I am from those who raised me. I know that I can survive anything with help from people like you, Hermione, and Dumbledore.
It just makes me so proud of myself that I can do this for Harry. I hope he would be proud that I can do something for him. I just hope that when the time comes I will be brave enough to do what needs to be done. Although I don’t know him, he gave me so much to live for that day in Diagon Alley when he helped me pick up those books. The look of encouragement he gave me; he gave me so much confidence. I owe him so much, I just want to do this for him. I have to do this for him.
~Stephanie
I don’t have too much time to write, but again, I wanted to thank you for your words of encouragement. I understand how you feel. You were so different from your family, as I am from those who raised me. I know that I can survive anything with help from people like you, Hermione, and Dumbledore.
It just makes me so proud of myself that I can do this for Harry. I hope he would be proud that I can do something for him. I just hope that when the time comes I will be brave enough to do what needs to be done. Although I don’t know him, he gave me so much to live for that day in Diagon Alley when he helped me pick up those books. The look of encouragement he gave me; he gave me so much confidence. I owe him so much, I just want to do this for him. I have to do this for him.
~Stephanie
Harry read the final letter that Stephanie had written shortly before the incident at the graveyard.
Dear Sirius,
I truly am sorry. I still cannot tell you the things they have done to me. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, I do. I don’t want you to worry about me more than you already do. You do not need to know exact details to know that horrible things happen in this house.
Thank you for everything. I love you.
~Stephanie
I truly am sorry. I still cannot tell you the things they have done to me. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, I do. I don’t want you to worry about me more than you already do. You do not need to know exact details to know that horrible things happen in this house.
Thank you for everything. I love you.
~Stephanie
Harry looked up when he finished the letters. He had tears in his eyes because he was so proud of his sister. She was wise beyond her years and much braver than he. For the first time since he left her in the graveyard, he realized that she would survive.
“Harry,” Sirius interrupted Harry’s thoughts. “Did you see the last thing she said in that third letter?”
He looked back at the letter and quoted, “‘Thank you for everything. I love you.’”
“I imagine you don’t understand the implications of such a comment.” Sirius asked.
Harry shook his head and Sirius continued. “Harry, that was the first time she has ever said that she loved someone. Shortly after writing this letter, I am told that she said the same thing to you. In the graveyard.”
Sirius paused as Harry thought about this. His godfather continued. “It has been so difficult for her to accept that others care about her, even love her. She has grown so much since Dumbledore first met her. Stephanie no longer is that little girl who was afraid of Draco Malfoy.” He paused again to see if Harry understood. Harry did not appear to understand, so he continued.
“Harry, she has made such wonderful strides because of what she is doing for you. Whether or not you knew, or accept it now, you give her purpose. You give her a reason to work so hard. She works as hard as she does to prove to you, not anyone else, that she is brave enough; for you. I am sure that she does not blame you for leaving her in the graveyard. In fact, I believe that she is quite proud that you were able to do so.” Sirius finished.
“Wow” Harry said, amazed. “I would never have guessed I could have such a profound effect on someone without trying.”
“You affect more people than you know in such a positive way.” Sirius joked. “But, I am afraid that I must leave you now. I will be in touch with you soon.”
“Just one last question.” Harry said and Sirius nodded for him to continue. “What am I going to do about Malfoy? How can I face him? You know that he is going to want to harass me about this.”
“You must ignore him. Any aggression on your part will put Stephanie in danger.” Sirius looked at him solemnly. “Do not give him a reason to take it out on her.”
Harry nodded as Sirius left. Harry was glad to finally be alone because he had a lot to think about. He laid his head down and fell asleep.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie sat in the dark cell she had called home for the past three days. It had definitely been three of the worst days of her life. She didn’t have any space to move, so she just sat there reliving the night in the graveyard over and over. What made it more difficult was that during the daylight hours, and utilizing the small amount of light the sun provided through the tiny window, she stared at the diary hoping someone would write her. She figured Hermione and Ginny had been instructed not to use it, but she still hoped something would appear. The isolation was driving her insane.
Three times a day Wormtail had brought her meals. He would only appear to bring her food and then take away the previous dinner’s dishes. She had returned each plate with her food untouched. Wormtail had even begged her to eat something, but she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t hungry; she was sick to her stomach for most of her three days in solitary confinement.
On the fourth morning, Wormtail came in. She had expected him to be carrying her breakfast, but he had nothing. He unlocked the door and motioned for her to stand up. “The Dark Lord requests your presence this morning at breakfast.”
Stephanie got up and followed the cowardly man up the stairs. When she entered the dining room, she saw a long table with place settings only for two. Voldemort was at the head of the table and her plates were next to him. Wormtail walked her to her seat and he pulled out her chair. Voldemort gestured for her to sit and she obliged. Wormtail pushed in her chair after she sat.
“Thank you for joining me this morning.” Voldemort smiled at her. She desperately wanted to look away from him, but she remembered Snape’s warnings. “I apologize for your accommodations these last few days, but you have to learn your lessons. I hope you will not lie to me again.”
“No, my Lord.” She whispered holding her arms tightly around her chest.
“Smart girl. Now, Wormtail tells me you haven’t eaten anything since you arrived.” She looked down at her food. She picked up her fork and began playing with the eggs. He continued, “Meal times are 8:30, 12:30, and 6:00. I expect you to arrive promptly, as I do not tolerate tardiness. I also expect you to clean your plate at each meal; you will need your strength. Do you understand?”
She continued looking at her food. “Yes, my Lord.”
“I am pleased. Someone has taught you etiquette. I doubt it would have been Wormtail, so I daresay Lucius may have redeemed himself somewhat.” Voldemort smiled. She didn’t dare correct him. Stephanie was sure he would question why Snape would take the time to teach her how to speak to him.
Stephanie began to eat her food, even though she wasn’t hungry. She doubted she would ever be hungry again. It just felt so disgusting to eat this man’s food. He continued talking to her. “Good girl. Though Lucius tells me differently, I can tell that you are an intelligent girl. Now, I assume you have been wondering where we are.”
She hadn’t really cared where she was. She looked up at him and answered quietly, anyway. “Yes, Master.”
“This is the home of my most faithful servant, Bellatrix LeStrange. She is proudly serving time in Azkaban for serving me so beautifully. You have heard of her?” Voldemort asked gently.
“Yes, Master.” Stephanie answered. She shuddered; it felt so disgusting to call him that.
“She is Narcissa’s sister. Bella has such a passion for torture. It is beautiful, really.” Voldemort smiled at her. It took all she could muster to continue looking at him. “She will be rejoining us very soon. I am positive that you will reach Bella’s level of magical ability and love for pain. You will become my most admired and feared follower.”
She couldn’t look at him anymore. She looked back to her food, holding back tears.
“You disagree.” He stated, clearly amused.
“I can’t do that.” She whispered. “I can’t hurt people.”
“You would be surprised what people can and will do. You just need some training, and you will do so well.” He paused, looking at her interestedly. “I am confident you will do as you are told, and eventually you will develop a taste for what you have done.
“That brings me to the plans I have for you.” He continued, excitement creeping into his voice. “You are going to accompany me and my followers on many of our missions. I am considering you my apprentice, of sorts. Eventually, you will lead me to your brother and you will assist me in killing him. If you are a good girl, you will even be the one allowed to perform the Killing Curse.” He smiled and reached to her with his long, white fingers. He wiped the tear that had just fallen down her cheek.
“You know, Stephanie. You and I are not all that different. Both of us grew up in homes where we were despised. I grew up in a muggle orphanage where I was treated disgracefully and without a family while you grew up as a servant in the Malfoy home. My father would not acknowledge my existence and your parents gave you away at the smallest hint of danger to themselves and their dear Harry.” He smiled at her as he told the story; she still couldn’t look at him.
“Your godfather never went looking for you because he didn’t care about you. He was glad to get rid of you and your brother. Black always resented you two when you were born because it took away from the time he could spend with his best friend. You stole his best friend and he despised you for it.” He paused for effect, and then continued. “What’s worse, your brother had a chance to save you. What did he do? He ran at the first opportunity he was given. Harry abandoned you and left you for dead; you disgust him.
“But, I do care about you. Here, with me, you will be given the attention and protection you deserve. For it was I who took you in when your parents threw you away like garbage. You will be cared for while you are with us.” He said sweetly.
She whispered very quietly, not daring to look into his eyes. She was still playing with her food. “What if I refuse to help you?”
He laughed at her courage to defy him. “I know you will choose not to do that, sweetheart. It is simple. Life will be very easy for you if you comply and very, very difficult if you resist. I know what Lucius has made you endure while you have lived in his house, and I assure you that life will be much more painful for you if you choose it to be so. You alone have the decision of how you will be treated here.
“Now, as long as you are a good girl, you will no longer have to perform servant duties. That will be Wormtail’s responsibility. You will have free rein here in this home, you may wander as you see fit. However, you will begin your training sessions in two weeks and I hope you will take some time to practice each day. Your books have been placed on your bed. So, are you going to work with me?” He finished.
She looked at him and realized she had no choice. In a voice only a little louder than a whisper, she answered. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Very good. You have pleased your master, Stephanie.” Voldemort had a wide grin on his face. He reached into his robes and pulled out a wand; her wand. She eyed it yearningly.
“I am allowing you to have possession of this wand. I suspect you wish to use this to cause harm to myself or other individuals in my circle. You must resist, and I believe you can do so.” He said, putting the wand on the table. “Possessing this wand will allow you to practice; can I trust that you will use it responsibly?”
She stared at the wand. Oh, how badly she wanted to pick it up and use it on him. She knew, though, that she must follow his orders. Stephanie had told herself she would do what she had to in order to stay alive; she couldn’t use this wand in any way except to follow orders.
“Yes, my Lord.” She responded.
“You really are a smart girl.” He rolled the wand to her and she picked it up. “Now, your room is up the stairs and is the second door on the right. You may be excused.”
“Thank you.” She said and got up. Stephanie ran up to her room. She threw the pile of books on the floor and lay on the bed, curled into a tight ball.
She grasped her pendant and waited for the Aurors to Apparate in. She needed to get out of there! No one came. She started to sob uncontrollably. She tapped her pendant twice and said, “Dumbledore.” There was no response. She tapped it again and said, “Snape.” Still, no answer. She tried a third time, “McGonagall.” Stephanie started to panic. What is going on? Why isn’t anyone answering their pendants? There was one person left she could try. She called, “Kingsley.” And there no answer for the fourth time. She screamed out in frustration, “AAAAHHHHH!”
Shortly after that, Wormtail came into her room. “Stephanie, are you alright?” He asked. Stephanie picked up the lamp on the nightstand and threw it at him, hitting Wormtail in the face, and shattering the lamp.
“Leave me alone!” She yelled at him. Wormtail left the room, closing the door behind him. She waved her wand at the lamp and muttered, “Reparo.” The lamp fixed itself and lay on the floor.
Stephanie curled into a ball on her bed and cried for a long time. She didn’t want to be there, she didn’t want to do this anymore. Stephanie grabbed her diary and opened it up. There was still no entry from Hermione or Ginny. She felt so alone. Stephanie didn’t care that Snape had told her not to use the diary; she had to let them know they needed to come get her. She wrote in the diary.
HELP ME!
No one is answering their pendants! They have abandoned me! You HAVE to get me out of here! I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to be brave, and I don’t want to defy Voldemort. I want to be normal. I WANT OUT OF HERE! Please, Help me. Please don’t leave me here.
No one is answering their pendants! They have abandoned me! You HAVE to get me out of here! I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to be brave, and I don’t want to defy Voldemort. I want to be normal. I WANT OUT OF HERE! Please, Help me. Please don’t leave me here.
Note: Yes I know what the two curses placed on Stephanie are. And I'm afraid to say I've decided not to tell anyone until the 7th year!
Please leave feedback HERE and tell me what you think! I have only just begun chapter thirteen and am still deciding which direction I want to take. There are so many options! So, the next chapter probably won't be posted until this weekend. Sorry, guys!
Chapter Thirteen: Harry’s First Mistake
Severus opened the diary. In order to obtain it, he had to promise Miss Granger that he wouldn’t read previous entries, but he couldn’t help himself. Through the Occlumency exercises, he had seen pretty much everything that Stephanie had described anyway. Teenage girls, he thought. How disgusting. Men don’t talk to each other like that.
When he got to the final entry, he suddenly became very disappointed in the girl. She had promised him that she would not use the diary or the pendants until she had heard from him. How was he supposed to make the adjustments if she kept writing in it? Stupid girl, he thought. He grabbed his quill and penned a response.
Severus put down his quill and pulled out his wand. He tapped the diary and Stephanie’s last entry disappeared. Severus did not want Miss Granger to see Stephanie’s pleading. Then, he closed the diary. He knew that his name was all over it, but he still did not feel comfortable writing it down for her. It felt too much like signing his own death certificate. Severus was positive that Stephanie would know it was he who had written her this response. He also knew that it was imperative he get to Stephanie’s copy of the diary before it was discovered.
He began working on copying the magical effects of the diary and protecting its contents.
*~*~*~*
“Keep looking at me.” Ginny told Harry. They were sitting across from each other in the Great Hall. Ron, Hermione, and Neville were sitting next to them. “Don’t take your eyes off of me.”
Hermione grabbed and squeezed Harry’s hand. “Please, take a deep breath. We are all here for you.”
Harry took a deep breath and refused to take his eyes off Ginny. He had gotten out of the infirmary two days before; this was the final day before the term ended for summer vacation. One day, he thought.
“Potter.” Harry finally heard the voice he had tried for two days to avoid. “You know what the most beautiful sound in the world is?”
“Remember. Me. Keep looking.” Ginny prodded. He continued eye contact as Draco Malfoy spoke to his back.
“The whimpering.” Harry heard Draco and his friends laughing. “She doesn’t do it often, it’s how you know that you are breaking her down. She really is quite pathetic.”
Harry clenched his fists. Ron and Neville prepared themselves to restrain Harry if they needed to. The entire Hall was silent, watching. Draco wanted to get a reaction out of Harry, so he knew had to control his temper. He couldn’t risk going off on Draco; he couldn’t risk his sister’s life again. He took another deep breath.
Draco persisted. “Did she tell you that father branded her?” There was more laughter from the Slytherin table. “She’s got the Malfoy family crest branded onto her arm. Your dear sister is nothing but Malfoy family property.”
Harry couldn’t hold on anymore. He stood up forcefully and faced Malfoy, breathing heavily. How dare this boy torture his sister for thirteen years and then rub his face in it! Harry couldn’t let him get away with it. Draco and his friends all stood up, as well. As he walked towards Malfoy, he heard the sounds of the entire Hall getting to their feet. Then, he felt himself being restrained.
Seamus, Dean, Ron, and Neville had grabbed hold of him, preventing him from getting any closer to the Slytherin. Fred and George jumped in front of him to block his view. He struggled against his friends.
“Let me go. I’ll make sure he doesn’t make it home to tell Daddy.” Harry bellowed. The boys pulled him backwards and he felt himself being led out of the Great Hall.
“That’s right” Draco sneered. “Go and cry to the headmaster!”
“Shove it, Malfoy.” Ginny called over her shoulder as she followed the crowd.
“Harry!” Hermione reprimanded him once they were outside the Great Hall. “You can’t do things like that. That’s what he wants; he wants to get a reaction from you!”
“I can’t allow him to talk about her like that.” Harry tried to justify his actions. “He can taunt me all he wants, but I will not allow him to speak about her like that.”
“You must.” Ginny said. “Do not give them an excuse to harm her.”
“I don’t know if I can avoid him” Harry breathed. He knew they were right. He couldn’t believe he had lost control and he hoped that it didn’t end up hurting Stephanie.
“We’ll make sure you do.” Ron said. “Malfoy will not get anywhere near you until we leave here.”
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t get within 50 yards of you.” Fred smiled cunningly.
“That won’t be necessary.” Hermione scolded. “We can’t have anything traced back to Harry.”
“Believe me, it won’t be traced back to anyone.” George laughed. Hermione shook her head at the twins and Harry nodded to them from behind her. The twins nodded in unison at Harry.
“Good.” Hermione told them. She thought that they understood her.
Harry was able to avoid any contact with Draco for the rest of the day with the help of his fellow Gryffindors. Fred and George hadn’t even needed to set off whatever they were planning. Harry thought that was probably a good thing, though the twins had been very, very disappointed.
*~*~*~*
The next day, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville were preparing to board the Hogwarts Express to return home for the summer holidays when Professor Snape came up to them.
“I must speak with you” he told them.
“Neville, could you excuse us?” Hermione asked him politely. She figured she knew what Snape had wanted. Shortly after she had told Harry the story about Stephanie, Snape had summoned her requesting to borrow her diary. He had explained that he was going to make some adjustments and then return it before she left for the holidays. She had asked him what he planned to do, but he refused to give any details. It was definitely difficult for her to part with the diary because it was her only link to Stephanie. Keeping it on her made her feel as if she could help Stephanie somehow; she felt lost without it.
Neville nodded and began walking towards the train when Snape spoke. “No, I believe Neville may be interested in this.”
They all looked at each other, confused. If he wanted to speak with all of them, Hermione thought, it couldn’t have anything to do with Stephanie or the diary.
“First, I must comment on how truly predictable you are, Mr. Potter.” Snape looked at Harry coldly.
“Excuse me, sir?” Harry asked, wondering what the professor could be talking about. Even though Snape had been helping his sister survive her time at the Malfoys, and now with Voldemort, he still despised the man. He had never treated Harry with any respect, and Harry felt he didn’t deserve any in return.
“You know very well what I am talking about.” Snape glared at him. “You lost your temper with Mr. Malfoy. Though I had expected it, I did hope that you would understand how much danger your sister truly is in.”
“But-” Harry began, but Snape cut in.
“No, you did not attack him. But it was the same thing.” Snape said, seething. “Do not put your sister in that kind of danger again. I never understood her determination to keep you safe; I would prefer that the situation were reversed. You do not deserve the protection she has given you.”
“He was-” Harry tried again.
“I don’t care if you are watching him torture her.” Snape was losing his temper at this idiot boy. “You do not lift a finger on Mr. Malfoy. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” Harry said, nodding. Though he hated to admit it, Snape did have a point.
“Good.” Snape answered. He reached into the bag he had been carrying and pulled out five books. He handed one to each of the students. “Now, you will each have a diary. This is a direct link to Stephanie. It works exactly how it did before; however, I have made a few additions. The owner of the diary is the only person who may read what is written; the Dark Lord himself will have no way of seeing its contents. You should be warned that because I did not have Stephanie’s copy, I could not make it so you could write to her privately. What you write will be seen by all of you. The same goes in reverse. When Stephanie writes an entry, you will all see it.
“Finally. Do not use this mode of communication to talk to each other. This is strictly to be used to communicate with Stephanie and her to you.” Snape ordered.
“Professor,” Neville whispered. “Why did you give me one of these? I don’t know Stephanie.”
“Neither does Mr. Weasley.” Snape said dryly. “However, Professor McGonagall has requested you receive a copy of this, as well. She believes you may be helpful to Stephanie for some unknown reason.”
“Okay.” He said and looked down at the diary. Neville was surprised that McGonagall would feel that he would do any good for this girl. He didn’t even know what he would say.
“Also, again due to Harry’s incompetence,” Snape paused and gave Harry a dirty look. “You already know about her. I am afraid she may need as much support as she can get.”
“Sir, is she alright?” Ginny asked.
“As of right now, she is fine. The Dark Lord has not harmed her and does not plan to do so. However, you need to continue to remind her of who she is; the person she is.” He paused. It was uncharacteristic of him to disclose so much information, but for these particular students one had to be very direct. “She will be asked to perform horrible tasks. It is very easy to get lost in the Dark Arts, and it is imperative that you remind her of who she is.”
Everyone nodded at him. He walked back to the school as the students got on the train.
“Why can’t we use it to write to each other?” Ron asked. “I mean it would be perfect instead of using Owls.”
“Think, Ron.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “She can’t be with us and she would feel left out. Let’s say Mrs. Weasley wants to invite Harry over for dinner, and you use the diary to ask him. How do you think that would make Stephanie feel?”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that.” Ron said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“Should someone write to her?” Neville asked, changing the subject.
“Yes. But I think Harry should be the first one to write to her.” Ginny said.
Harry opened his diary and thought about what he should write. He took out his quill and began to pen the first entry to his sister.
The others weren’t sure if they should read Harry’s response, but Harry told them it was okay.
“Aww, that was sweet.” Hermione told him.
“I didn’t know what to say.” Harry admitted. They sat in silence for a moment before Fred and George came into the compartment. The diaries were put away and a game of exploding snap began.
*~*~*~*
It had been about a week since Stephanie had been released from her cell. Draco had long since returned home from Hogwarts and had occasionally been to the LeStrange manor with his father. One morning, Stephanie sat on her bed, thinking about the past few days. Not much had happened since she was released from her solitary confinement. Stephanie pretty much just stayed in her room except to attend meals. It was a great way for her to avoid making any contact with Voldemort and the Death Eaters who were constantly in and out.
Mostly at meals, it was just her and Voldemort, but occasionally other followers joined them. This was more common for the evening meal. Voldemort had also been absent during a few meals, which she had learned to truly enjoy. She always made sure Wormtail gave her smaller portions, as she still wasn’t hungry, and she didn’t have to worry about talking to anyone.
Stephanie did try to listen to what she could hear downstairs. When a new voice came in, she always hoped that it would be Professor Snape. If he had come, it would mean that Snape would know her location. Stephanie would write it in the diary, but Snape had expressly told her not to. He had reprimanded her for using the diary to ask for help, so she wasn’t about to write in it to disclose her location. Anyway, she didn’t want to risk telling Harry her location because he would most certainly come after her. He must not do so. She hoped the Aurors would rescue her soon, anyway.
She had been excited that all the others had been given diaries to speak with her. They had been in communication quite a bit, since they were now on summer holidays and she had remained in her room the majority of the time. It was nice to get to know these other people that were her own age. Hermione had described these other two boys to Stephanie, but she had never spoken with them before. Ron had surprised her by writing quite frequently, though the topic was broad in nature and was never about emotions. Neville had been fairly quiet, but he did add some good input as well.
The noontime meal after her talk with Voldemort had been interesting. Stephanie looked back on it and smiled. She had screamed out in frustration and then had thrown a lamp at Wormtail for coming into her room. It had been amazing to see the look of surprise on his face. Voldemort hadn’t been upset, but he said he had been “disappointed.”
“Stephanie, you must not attack any of my followers, either by magic or physical force.” He said calmly. “I know you are angry, but it is best to hold it in and preserve it. There will be time soon enough for you to release such emotions. That time will be much more productive for my purposes. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Lord.” She had said. It was weird that Dumbledore always told her to express her emotions and now this man was telling her to hold things in. She didn’t know what was worse, holding it in and then taking it out on innocent people or expressing it and risk receiving a punishment from the cruelest man to ever be seen in the magical community.
While waiting for breakfast that morning, she sat looking over the Dark Arts books that Voldemort had wanted her to study. They were absolutely disgusting for her to read and she had yet to force herself to attempt a spell out of it. There were step by step instructions on how to torture and murder. She had never realized there were different forms of torture: to get information, to cause the greatest amount of pain, to provide a slow death, to provide a quick death, to get revenge, and for the maximum pleasure of the torturer. It was absolutely horrible and she couldn’t see herself performing any of those spells. She just hoped Voldemort wouldn’t make her do it.
She had decided that she was going to practice as much as she could, even if it was horrible for her to do. For one, she needed something to keep her occupied. It would drive her crazy sitting alone in her room the entire summer, since she wasn’t allowed outside. Another reason was that she wanted Voldemort to think that she was dedicated to his cause. It would hurt him much more later on to find out she would never join him if she started the spectacle early. She just hoped she wouldn’t change too much in the process of pretending.
She suddenly realized it was 8:25. It was time to go down for breakfast. She closed the Dark Arts book she was looking at and placed it on the nightstand next to her bed. When she got down the stairs and into the dining room, she noticed that there were several people there. Mr. Malfoy, Draco, and a few others she had recognized from the graveyard were sitting at the table. She sat at her usual spot next to Lord Voldemort.
“Ah. Good morning, dear.” Voldemort looked at her as he put down the newspaper he was reading. “It’s always good to keep up on the happenings in the world, don’t you think?”
“Yes, my Lord.” She said, quietly.
“However, I am too busy planning the return of my most faithful servants.” He paused and glared at the others around the table. “So, each morning before breakfast you are going to read it for me and then inform me of any crucial details at the next meal that I attend.”
Stephanie figured that he didn’t just want her to read the newspaper. He was testing her to see if she would tell him everything that he wanted to hear. If she neglected to tell him something important, it would prove that she wasn’t loyal to him. She had to tell him everything, especially if it had to do with Harry. That scared her. She answered Voldemort, “Yes, Master.”
“You are such an obedient girl. I don’t know why Lucius had such problems with you.” Voldemort laughed. The other Death Eaters glared at her and she looked down at her food.
The others talked while they ate their meal. Stephanie sat in silence and ate as quickly as possible. Voldemort had once reprimanded her for this, but she was so uncomfortable. She just wanted to go back to her room before anyone addressed her again.
“May I be excused?” She asked when she had cleaned her plate. This was something else she had learned fairly quickly; she must ask permission to leave the table.
“What is your hurry, my dear Stephanie?” Voldemort said. He picked up the copy of the Daily Prophet and handed it to her. “I want you to read the main article and then we need to discuss a few things.”
Stephanie took the newspaper from Voldemort and unfolded it. She gasped when she saw the headline and a few of the men at the table laughed loudly.
Stephanie put the newspaper down when she finished reading. Her very identity was terrifying a nation. She couldn’t even fathom that idea. Even more, she couldn’t figure out why Voldemort would want people to know who she was. She was sure that everything was about to be explained to her, so she looked at Voldemort.
He was smiling at her. “Everything is going to plan, my dear Stephanie. Unknown at the time, Lucius’ desire for you to participate in the Quidditch World Cup attack has worked to my highest advantage. He set the stage for terror and division much earlier than I could have, meaning my rise to power is all that closer.”
Stephanie didn’t understand. How could her identity help Voldemort rise to power?
“You do not understand.” Voldemort said to her. She hated how he did that. Stephanie could never hide her emotions from him and it was so frustrating. “Let me explain. Ever since I was forced out of power fourteen years ago, Harry has been the epitome of freedom and hope. He is put on a pedestal and worshiped, though his magical abilities are horrendous. The fact that his twin sister is a Death Eater terrifies people. What they have known for fourteen years has been destroyed. Even more, some people will continue to support Harry while others will turn against him. The nation will fall because of its own division. And I have you to thank for that, Stephanie.”
She sat there in silence. People would still support Harry, wouldn’t they? They had to. He needed support right now. She knew he needed all the support he could get, just like she needed the support of those at Hogwarts.
Voldemort eyed her for a reaction. He continued, “You are going to be a key player in my next big move. We have a lot of planning to do over the summer, so your schedule will be pretty full. Your lessons will begin in two days time. You will have a training session in the morning, one in the afternoon, and private lessons with Lucius in the evening.”
She looked quickly at Mr. Malfoy. Private lessons with the man who had treated her so horribly for so long? She hadn’t done anything wrong, had she? She hoped this wasn’t the punishment that Mr. Malfoy was so desperately waiting to give her.
Sensing her panic, Voldemort laughed and then explained to the others. “She is afraid of Lucius.” The others laughed again, and Voldemort turned back to her. “Stephanie, he will not harm you. There is something you must learn to do that Lucius is most qualified to teach. But that does remind me.”
Voldemort paused and turned to Draco. Draco shrank back in his chair a little. Stephanie let out a little smile at the sight. Even the great Draco Malfoy was terrified of Lord Voldemort. Justice, she thought.
“Young Malfoy. You will be staying here at your aunt’s home this summer. There are several lessons with Stephanie that require your presence.” Draco nodded and Voldemort continued. “You are under no circumstances allowed to harm Stephanie, do you understand?”
“Yes, Master.” Draco responded and then glared at Stephanie. She sighed in relief.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort said turning back to her. “Because of your participation in this upcoming mission, your presence at our planning sessions will be required. Someone will let you know when you are to attend.”
“Yes, my Lord.” She responded. She didn’t even dare to think about what they wanted her to do. Voldemort excused her and she went back to her room to practice her Dark Arts spells.
*~*~*~*
Albus, Minerva, and Severus were in the headmaster’s office discussing the mission Voldemort was requiring Stephanie to prepare for. “Will he have her kill anyone?” Albus asked Severus.
“I do not believe so. He knows that her training and transformation must go slowly. He understands what will happen if he breaks her. He must allow her to change her behaviors and thought patterns in slow progression. If he breaks her spirit and will, she will be completely useless.” Severus explained. “No, she will only be used for the specific task I mentioned earlier.”
“We just need to make sure that she does not fall into his trap. It will be difficult to resist, as the Dark Arts can be so entrancing.” Albus said.
“I think if it were just the Dark Arts, that she would be fine.” Minerva interrupted. “It’s the emotional torture she is sure to endure. Being told repeatedly how unloved she is and how her parents abandoned her. How Voldemort is the only one who cares about her and is the only one who can protect her.”
“That is why the diaries are of the most importance.” Albus said. “Do we know if they have been communicating with each other?”
“I haven’t heard any differently.” Minerva said. “I’m sure that Miss Granger would notify me if Stephanie were to stop responding to her attempts.”
“The Dark Lord has disclosed her location to me. He has requested my presence this week, so I will be at the manor with her.” Severus told the others. “She is staying at the LeStrange home. Quite fitting, actually, since he hopes Stephanie will follow in Bella’s footsteps.”
“You mean, how tragic.” Minerva said, half-seriously.
“Her Dark Arts lessons begin on Wednesday, and the Dark Lord wishes me to be there.” Severus explained. “The Dark Lord tells me she sits in her room all day. I hope she has been preparing.”
“I am sure she has, Severus.” Albus supposed. “She should know that this is something she has to do in order to survive.”
“I will meet with her privately and discuss what I told you last week.” Severus reminded the headmaster.
“Very well. Let me know how she takes the information.” Albus said, remembering about the curses that Voldemort placed on the poor girl. He was terrified for her; he didn’t want her to shut down emotionally at the news.
Minerva wanted to ask, but she knew they would have told her if they had wanted her to know.
“There is something else that I must discuss with you.” Severus began slowly. “I have been noticing how uncharacteristically weak she has become. In the graveyard she was whimpering and crying uncontrollably. Then in the basement with the Dark Lord, she was trembling severely and was again unable to control her tears. She repeatedly was concerned with hear impending death. She admitted to me that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do the task that was forced upon her. When I borrowed Miss Granger’s diary to make the adjustments, Stephanie had written an entry from the LeStrange home.”
Albus looked at Severus with concern. He had not been told about a new diary entry and was wondering why Severus had not shared this information with him.
“She was begging Miss Granger to help her get out of there. Stephanie disobeyed the order I had given her to not use the diary or the pendant. It was like she had given up.” Severus finished. Minerva again had tears in her eyes. She felt so bad that she could do nothing to protect the young girl.
“This may be good news, Severus.” Albus admitted after he thought about it for a few minutes. Both Minerva and Severus looked at him with shock on their faces. He continued, “The last time she showed any weakness was after the Quidditch World Cup. After we were able to speak with her and assure her that she was not to blame; she was able to heal.”
The other two looked at Albus skeptically as he paused. He continued, “She became much stronger than she had been before the attack. Had the attack never happened, I doubt that she would have had the determination to practice her Defense lessons so rigorously. She would not have been capable of disarming Voldemort so successfully in the graveyard. I expect that we are about to see a similar burst of strength come out of her very soon. I am excited to see what form it will take.”
“Are you sure, Albus?” Minerva asked. She wasn’t sure that she believed this to be the same situation.
“As always, I can only make an educated guess.” Albus said, amused. “But, though she believes she cannot do as she is told, that she cannot perform Dark Magic, I am positive she will do so with pride. It may not be something to be proud of, to harm another individual, but she will do it because she has to. Her physical strength to do so will provide her with the emotional strength to survive.”
*~*~*~*
Instead of going upstairs and practicing Dark Arts spells, Stephanie first had to see if any of the others were looking at their diaries. She had to get their opinion on the Daily Prophet article. Only two people responded to her entry.
Stephanie repeatedly forgot that Harry didn’t live in the magical community during his summer vacations. During many of the conversations they had had, she had asked him to tell her about their relatives. Though she didn’t like what he told her, she enjoyed hearing stories about her mother’s sister. Even though they were horrible people, it was nice hearing about family. Stephanie explained the article and the prophecy to Harry. They talked for a little while longer before she changed the subject.
Stephanie let out a little laugh. She doubted that she would be able to touch Draco; his father would make sure of that. They talked a little longer and she decided it was time to begin practicing the spells in her books. She had to actually try before the lessons began in two days. Stephanie promised to let them all know how they went and what she had been forced to do.
Note: Hope you liked Chapter Thirteen. Chapter Fourteen will be posted tomorrow! Any feedback you can spare would be greatly appreciated!
Severus opened the diary. In order to obtain it, he had to promise Miss Granger that he wouldn’t read previous entries, but he couldn’t help himself. Through the Occlumency exercises, he had seen pretty much everything that Stephanie had described anyway. Teenage girls, he thought. How disgusting. Men don’t talk to each other like that.
When he got to the final entry, he suddenly became very disappointed in the girl. She had promised him that she would not use the diary or the pendants until she had heard from him. How was he supposed to make the adjustments if she kept writing in it? Stupid girl, he thought. He grabbed his quill and penned a response.
Stephanie,
You must not write in this diary until someone writes to you stating otherwise. As I have already told you, it is imperative that you follow my orders. I am making adjustments to it and cannot be disturbed. You will understand very soon.
You absolutely need to stop complaining. There is nothing to be gained from showing such weakness. We are all in positions we would rather not be in. Tough it out. You are in absolutely no danger if you do as you are told.
I have found what the purposes of those curses are, and I will find a time to tell you soon. It is something that must be said in person. Just calm down and you will be fine. By the way, make sure to be prepared when your lessons start. And if you learn your location, do not tell anyone where you are. That information is to come directly from me.
You must not write in this diary until someone writes to you stating otherwise. As I have already told you, it is imperative that you follow my orders. I am making adjustments to it and cannot be disturbed. You will understand very soon.
You absolutely need to stop complaining. There is nothing to be gained from showing such weakness. We are all in positions we would rather not be in. Tough it out. You are in absolutely no danger if you do as you are told.
I have found what the purposes of those curses are, and I will find a time to tell you soon. It is something that must be said in person. Just calm down and you will be fine. By the way, make sure to be prepared when your lessons start. And if you learn your location, do not tell anyone where you are. That information is to come directly from me.
Severus put down his quill and pulled out his wand. He tapped the diary and Stephanie’s last entry disappeared. Severus did not want Miss Granger to see Stephanie’s pleading. Then, he closed the diary. He knew that his name was all over it, but he still did not feel comfortable writing it down for her. It felt too much like signing his own death certificate. Severus was positive that Stephanie would know it was he who had written her this response. He also knew that it was imperative he get to Stephanie’s copy of the diary before it was discovered.
He began working on copying the magical effects of the diary and protecting its contents.
*~*~*~*
“Keep looking at me.” Ginny told Harry. They were sitting across from each other in the Great Hall. Ron, Hermione, and Neville were sitting next to them. “Don’t take your eyes off of me.”
Hermione grabbed and squeezed Harry’s hand. “Please, take a deep breath. We are all here for you.”
Harry took a deep breath and refused to take his eyes off Ginny. He had gotten out of the infirmary two days before; this was the final day before the term ended for summer vacation. One day, he thought.
“Potter.” Harry finally heard the voice he had tried for two days to avoid. “You know what the most beautiful sound in the world is?”
“Remember. Me. Keep looking.” Ginny prodded. He continued eye contact as Draco Malfoy spoke to his back.
“The whimpering.” Harry heard Draco and his friends laughing. “She doesn’t do it often, it’s how you know that you are breaking her down. She really is quite pathetic.”
Harry clenched his fists. Ron and Neville prepared themselves to restrain Harry if they needed to. The entire Hall was silent, watching. Draco wanted to get a reaction out of Harry, so he knew had to control his temper. He couldn’t risk going off on Draco; he couldn’t risk his sister’s life again. He took another deep breath.
Draco persisted. “Did she tell you that father branded her?” There was more laughter from the Slytherin table. “She’s got the Malfoy family crest branded onto her arm. Your dear sister is nothing but Malfoy family property.”
Harry couldn’t hold on anymore. He stood up forcefully and faced Malfoy, breathing heavily. How dare this boy torture his sister for thirteen years and then rub his face in it! Harry couldn’t let him get away with it. Draco and his friends all stood up, as well. As he walked towards Malfoy, he heard the sounds of the entire Hall getting to their feet. Then, he felt himself being restrained.
Seamus, Dean, Ron, and Neville had grabbed hold of him, preventing him from getting any closer to the Slytherin. Fred and George jumped in front of him to block his view. He struggled against his friends.
“Let me go. I’ll make sure he doesn’t make it home to tell Daddy.” Harry bellowed. The boys pulled him backwards and he felt himself being led out of the Great Hall.
“That’s right” Draco sneered. “Go and cry to the headmaster!”
“Shove it, Malfoy.” Ginny called over her shoulder as she followed the crowd.
“Harry!” Hermione reprimanded him once they were outside the Great Hall. “You can’t do things like that. That’s what he wants; he wants to get a reaction from you!”
“I can’t allow him to talk about her like that.” Harry tried to justify his actions. “He can taunt me all he wants, but I will not allow him to speak about her like that.”
“You must.” Ginny said. “Do not give them an excuse to harm her.”
“I don’t know if I can avoid him” Harry breathed. He knew they were right. He couldn’t believe he had lost control and he hoped that it didn’t end up hurting Stephanie.
“We’ll make sure you do.” Ron said. “Malfoy will not get anywhere near you until we leave here.”
“We’ll make sure he doesn’t get within 50 yards of you.” Fred smiled cunningly.
“That won’t be necessary.” Hermione scolded. “We can’t have anything traced back to Harry.”
“Believe me, it won’t be traced back to anyone.” George laughed. Hermione shook her head at the twins and Harry nodded to them from behind her. The twins nodded in unison at Harry.
“Good.” Hermione told them. She thought that they understood her.
Harry was able to avoid any contact with Draco for the rest of the day with the help of his fellow Gryffindors. Fred and George hadn’t even needed to set off whatever they were planning. Harry thought that was probably a good thing, though the twins had been very, very disappointed.
*~*~*~*
The next day, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Neville were preparing to board the Hogwarts Express to return home for the summer holidays when Professor Snape came up to them.
“I must speak with you” he told them.
“Neville, could you excuse us?” Hermione asked him politely. She figured she knew what Snape had wanted. Shortly after she had told Harry the story about Stephanie, Snape had summoned her requesting to borrow her diary. He had explained that he was going to make some adjustments and then return it before she left for the holidays. She had asked him what he planned to do, but he refused to give any details. It was definitely difficult for her to part with the diary because it was her only link to Stephanie. Keeping it on her made her feel as if she could help Stephanie somehow; she felt lost without it.
Neville nodded and began walking towards the train when Snape spoke. “No, I believe Neville may be interested in this.”
They all looked at each other, confused. If he wanted to speak with all of them, Hermione thought, it couldn’t have anything to do with Stephanie or the diary.
“First, I must comment on how truly predictable you are, Mr. Potter.” Snape looked at Harry coldly.
“Excuse me, sir?” Harry asked, wondering what the professor could be talking about. Even though Snape had been helping his sister survive her time at the Malfoys, and now with Voldemort, he still despised the man. He had never treated Harry with any respect, and Harry felt he didn’t deserve any in return.
“You know very well what I am talking about.” Snape glared at him. “You lost your temper with Mr. Malfoy. Though I had expected it, I did hope that you would understand how much danger your sister truly is in.”
“But-” Harry began, but Snape cut in.
“No, you did not attack him. But it was the same thing.” Snape said, seething. “Do not put your sister in that kind of danger again. I never understood her determination to keep you safe; I would prefer that the situation were reversed. You do not deserve the protection she has given you.”
“He was-” Harry tried again.
“I don’t care if you are watching him torture her.” Snape was losing his temper at this idiot boy. “You do not lift a finger on Mr. Malfoy. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir.” Harry said, nodding. Though he hated to admit it, Snape did have a point.
“Good.” Snape answered. He reached into the bag he had been carrying and pulled out five books. He handed one to each of the students. “Now, you will each have a diary. This is a direct link to Stephanie. It works exactly how it did before; however, I have made a few additions. The owner of the diary is the only person who may read what is written; the Dark Lord himself will have no way of seeing its contents. You should be warned that because I did not have Stephanie’s copy, I could not make it so you could write to her privately. What you write will be seen by all of you. The same goes in reverse. When Stephanie writes an entry, you will all see it.
“Finally. Do not use this mode of communication to talk to each other. This is strictly to be used to communicate with Stephanie and her to you.” Snape ordered.
“Professor,” Neville whispered. “Why did you give me one of these? I don’t know Stephanie.”
“Neither does Mr. Weasley.” Snape said dryly. “However, Professor McGonagall has requested you receive a copy of this, as well. She believes you may be helpful to Stephanie for some unknown reason.”
“Okay.” He said and looked down at the diary. Neville was surprised that McGonagall would feel that he would do any good for this girl. He didn’t even know what he would say.
“Also, again due to Harry’s incompetence,” Snape paused and gave Harry a dirty look. “You already know about her. I am afraid she may need as much support as she can get.”
“Sir, is she alright?” Ginny asked.
“As of right now, she is fine. The Dark Lord has not harmed her and does not plan to do so. However, you need to continue to remind her of who she is; the person she is.” He paused. It was uncharacteristic of him to disclose so much information, but for these particular students one had to be very direct. “She will be asked to perform horrible tasks. It is very easy to get lost in the Dark Arts, and it is imperative that you remind her of who she is.”
Everyone nodded at him. He walked back to the school as the students got on the train.
“Why can’t we use it to write to each other?” Ron asked. “I mean it would be perfect instead of using Owls.”
“Think, Ron.” Hermione rolled her eyes. “She can’t be with us and she would feel left out. Let’s say Mrs. Weasley wants to invite Harry over for dinner, and you use the diary to ask him. How do you think that would make Stephanie feel?”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that.” Ron said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
“Should someone write to her?” Neville asked, changing the subject.
“Yes. But I think Harry should be the first one to write to her.” Ginny said.
Harry opened his diary and thought about what he should write. He took out his quill and began to pen the first entry to his sister.
Steph- It’s Harry. Professor Snape gave Ron, Ginny, and Neville our own copies of the diary so we may write to you. I am so concerned about you. I didn’t want to leave you in the graveyard. You have to know that! I wish there was something I could do for you. Sirius told me that you said you loved him. It made him so proud of you; he knew it was difficult. I want to let you know that I am so proud of you and I love you, too. –Harry
The others weren’t sure if they should read Harry’s response, but Harry told them it was okay.
“Aww, that was sweet.” Hermione told him.
“I didn’t know what to say.” Harry admitted. They sat in silence for a moment before Fred and George came into the compartment. The diaries were put away and a game of exploding snap began.
*~*~*~*
It had been about a week since Stephanie had been released from her cell. Draco had long since returned home from Hogwarts and had occasionally been to the LeStrange manor with his father. One morning, Stephanie sat on her bed, thinking about the past few days. Not much had happened since she was released from her solitary confinement. Stephanie pretty much just stayed in her room except to attend meals. It was a great way for her to avoid making any contact with Voldemort and the Death Eaters who were constantly in and out.
Mostly at meals, it was just her and Voldemort, but occasionally other followers joined them. This was more common for the evening meal. Voldemort had also been absent during a few meals, which she had learned to truly enjoy. She always made sure Wormtail gave her smaller portions, as she still wasn’t hungry, and she didn’t have to worry about talking to anyone.
Stephanie did try to listen to what she could hear downstairs. When a new voice came in, she always hoped that it would be Professor Snape. If he had come, it would mean that Snape would know her location. Stephanie would write it in the diary, but Snape had expressly told her not to. He had reprimanded her for using the diary to ask for help, so she wasn’t about to write in it to disclose her location. Anyway, she didn’t want to risk telling Harry her location because he would most certainly come after her. He must not do so. She hoped the Aurors would rescue her soon, anyway.
She had been excited that all the others had been given diaries to speak with her. They had been in communication quite a bit, since they were now on summer holidays and she had remained in her room the majority of the time. It was nice to get to know these other people that were her own age. Hermione had described these other two boys to Stephanie, but she had never spoken with them before. Ron had surprised her by writing quite frequently, though the topic was broad in nature and was never about emotions. Neville had been fairly quiet, but he did add some good input as well.
The noontime meal after her talk with Voldemort had been interesting. Stephanie looked back on it and smiled. She had screamed out in frustration and then had thrown a lamp at Wormtail for coming into her room. It had been amazing to see the look of surprise on his face. Voldemort hadn’t been upset, but he said he had been “disappointed.”
“Stephanie, you must not attack any of my followers, either by magic or physical force.” He said calmly. “I know you are angry, but it is best to hold it in and preserve it. There will be time soon enough for you to release such emotions. That time will be much more productive for my purposes. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Lord.” She had said. It was weird that Dumbledore always told her to express her emotions and now this man was telling her to hold things in. She didn’t know what was worse, holding it in and then taking it out on innocent people or expressing it and risk receiving a punishment from the cruelest man to ever be seen in the magical community.
While waiting for breakfast that morning, she sat looking over the Dark Arts books that Voldemort had wanted her to study. They were absolutely disgusting for her to read and she had yet to force herself to attempt a spell out of it. There were step by step instructions on how to torture and murder. She had never realized there were different forms of torture: to get information, to cause the greatest amount of pain, to provide a slow death, to provide a quick death, to get revenge, and for the maximum pleasure of the torturer. It was absolutely horrible and she couldn’t see herself performing any of those spells. She just hoped Voldemort wouldn’t make her do it.
She had decided that she was going to practice as much as she could, even if it was horrible for her to do. For one, she needed something to keep her occupied. It would drive her crazy sitting alone in her room the entire summer, since she wasn’t allowed outside. Another reason was that she wanted Voldemort to think that she was dedicated to his cause. It would hurt him much more later on to find out she would never join him if she started the spectacle early. She just hoped she wouldn’t change too much in the process of pretending.
She suddenly realized it was 8:25. It was time to go down for breakfast. She closed the Dark Arts book she was looking at and placed it on the nightstand next to her bed. When she got down the stairs and into the dining room, she noticed that there were several people there. Mr. Malfoy, Draco, and a few others she had recognized from the graveyard were sitting at the table. She sat at her usual spot next to Lord Voldemort.
“Ah. Good morning, dear.” Voldemort looked at her as he put down the newspaper he was reading. “It’s always good to keep up on the happenings in the world, don’t you think?”
“Yes, my Lord.” She said, quietly.
“However, I am too busy planning the return of my most faithful servants.” He paused and glared at the others around the table. “So, each morning before breakfast you are going to read it for me and then inform me of any crucial details at the next meal that I attend.”
Stephanie figured that he didn’t just want her to read the newspaper. He was testing her to see if she would tell him everything that he wanted to hear. If she neglected to tell him something important, it would prove that she wasn’t loyal to him. She had to tell him everything, especially if it had to do with Harry. That scared her. She answered Voldemort, “Yes, Master.”
“You are such an obedient girl. I don’t know why Lucius had such problems with you.” Voldemort laughed. The other Death Eaters glared at her and she looked down at her food.
The others talked while they ate their meal. Stephanie sat in silence and ate as quickly as possible. Voldemort had once reprimanded her for this, but she was so uncomfortable. She just wanted to go back to her room before anyone addressed her again.
“May I be excused?” She asked when she had cleaned her plate. This was something else she had learned fairly quickly; she must ask permission to leave the table.
“What is your hurry, my dear Stephanie?” Voldemort said. He picked up the copy of the Daily Prophet and handed it to her. “I want you to read the main article and then we need to discuss a few things.”
Stephanie took the newspaper from Voldemort and unfolded it. She gasped when she saw the headline and a few of the men at the table laughed loudly.
Terror at the Quidditch World Cup
Caused by HARRY POTTER’s Sister
Caused by HARRY POTTER’s Sister
A highly ranked Ministry official has anonymously disclosed new information regarding the incidents at the Quidditch World Cup last August. The unmasked teenage girl at the center of the terror has been identified as the unknown Potter, Stephanie.
Stephanie Potter is Harry Potter’s twin sister. It may be recalled that Harry Potter is the Boy-Who-Lived and caused the downfall of You-Know-Who almost fourteen years ago. What was never widely known is that Lily and James Potter had twin children. After You-Know-Who attacked his parents, Harry was sent to live with his muggle relatives. What is not known is where his sister has been this entire time.
This news has been released just days after Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, claim that You-Know-Who has returned to power. Minister Fudge continues to deny these rumors and attempts to calm the people of Britain. “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has not returned, nor will he ever.” He denied comment when questioned for this article.
The question that is on the minds of many concerned individuals is why Harry Potter’s sister has joined the efforts of the Death Eaters. Is Harry Potter also on the side of evil and destruction? Is he attempting to cause terror alongside his sister by falsely claiming You-Know-Who has returned? What has been discussed is the bravado this girl has shown, attacking innocent people without a disguise. She has shown no concern about getting caught. What else will she do without regard for others while facing lifetime imprisonment? That may be the most terrifying characteristic about this girl. What is also frightening the public is the fact that this girl’s location remains unknown. Harry Potter was not immediately available for comment.
Do you think Harry Potter is assisting his sister? What do you think of the news about Harry even having a sister? Why do you think it was kept a secret for so long? Tell us what you think.
Stephanie Potter is Harry Potter’s twin sister. It may be recalled that Harry Potter is the Boy-Who-Lived and caused the downfall of You-Know-Who almost fourteen years ago. What was never widely known is that Lily and James Potter had twin children. After You-Know-Who attacked his parents, Harry was sent to live with his muggle relatives. What is not known is where his sister has been this entire time.
This news has been released just days after Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, claim that You-Know-Who has returned to power. Minister Fudge continues to deny these rumors and attempts to calm the people of Britain. “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has not returned, nor will he ever.” He denied comment when questioned for this article.
The question that is on the minds of many concerned individuals is why Harry Potter’s sister has joined the efforts of the Death Eaters. Is Harry Potter also on the side of evil and destruction? Is he attempting to cause terror alongside his sister by falsely claiming You-Know-Who has returned? What has been discussed is the bravado this girl has shown, attacking innocent people without a disguise. She has shown no concern about getting caught. What else will she do without regard for others while facing lifetime imprisonment? That may be the most terrifying characteristic about this girl. What is also frightening the public is the fact that this girl’s location remains unknown. Harry Potter was not immediately available for comment.
Do you think Harry Potter is assisting his sister? What do you think of the news about Harry even having a sister? Why do you think it was kept a secret for so long? Tell us what you think.
Stephanie put the newspaper down when she finished reading. Her very identity was terrifying a nation. She couldn’t even fathom that idea. Even more, she couldn’t figure out why Voldemort would want people to know who she was. She was sure that everything was about to be explained to her, so she looked at Voldemort.
He was smiling at her. “Everything is going to plan, my dear Stephanie. Unknown at the time, Lucius’ desire for you to participate in the Quidditch World Cup attack has worked to my highest advantage. He set the stage for terror and division much earlier than I could have, meaning my rise to power is all that closer.”
Stephanie didn’t understand. How could her identity help Voldemort rise to power?
“You do not understand.” Voldemort said to her. She hated how he did that. Stephanie could never hide her emotions from him and it was so frustrating. “Let me explain. Ever since I was forced out of power fourteen years ago, Harry has been the epitome of freedom and hope. He is put on a pedestal and worshiped, though his magical abilities are horrendous. The fact that his twin sister is a Death Eater terrifies people. What they have known for fourteen years has been destroyed. Even more, some people will continue to support Harry while others will turn against him. The nation will fall because of its own division. And I have you to thank for that, Stephanie.”
She sat there in silence. People would still support Harry, wouldn’t they? They had to. He needed support right now. She knew he needed all the support he could get, just like she needed the support of those at Hogwarts.
Voldemort eyed her for a reaction. He continued, “You are going to be a key player in my next big move. We have a lot of planning to do over the summer, so your schedule will be pretty full. Your lessons will begin in two days time. You will have a training session in the morning, one in the afternoon, and private lessons with Lucius in the evening.”
She looked quickly at Mr. Malfoy. Private lessons with the man who had treated her so horribly for so long? She hadn’t done anything wrong, had she? She hoped this wasn’t the punishment that Mr. Malfoy was so desperately waiting to give her.
Sensing her panic, Voldemort laughed and then explained to the others. “She is afraid of Lucius.” The others laughed again, and Voldemort turned back to her. “Stephanie, he will not harm you. There is something you must learn to do that Lucius is most qualified to teach. But that does remind me.”
Voldemort paused and turned to Draco. Draco shrank back in his chair a little. Stephanie let out a little smile at the sight. Even the great Draco Malfoy was terrified of Lord Voldemort. Justice, she thought.
“Young Malfoy. You will be staying here at your aunt’s home this summer. There are several lessons with Stephanie that require your presence.” Draco nodded and Voldemort continued. “You are under no circumstances allowed to harm Stephanie, do you understand?”
“Yes, Master.” Draco responded and then glared at Stephanie. She sighed in relief.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort said turning back to her. “Because of your participation in this upcoming mission, your presence at our planning sessions will be required. Someone will let you know when you are to attend.”
“Yes, my Lord.” She responded. She didn’t even dare to think about what they wanted her to do. Voldemort excused her and she went back to her room to practice her Dark Arts spells.
*~*~*~*
Albus, Minerva, and Severus were in the headmaster’s office discussing the mission Voldemort was requiring Stephanie to prepare for. “Will he have her kill anyone?” Albus asked Severus.
“I do not believe so. He knows that her training and transformation must go slowly. He understands what will happen if he breaks her. He must allow her to change her behaviors and thought patterns in slow progression. If he breaks her spirit and will, she will be completely useless.” Severus explained. “No, she will only be used for the specific task I mentioned earlier.”
“We just need to make sure that she does not fall into his trap. It will be difficult to resist, as the Dark Arts can be so entrancing.” Albus said.
“I think if it were just the Dark Arts, that she would be fine.” Minerva interrupted. “It’s the emotional torture she is sure to endure. Being told repeatedly how unloved she is and how her parents abandoned her. How Voldemort is the only one who cares about her and is the only one who can protect her.”
“That is why the diaries are of the most importance.” Albus said. “Do we know if they have been communicating with each other?”
“I haven’t heard any differently.” Minerva said. “I’m sure that Miss Granger would notify me if Stephanie were to stop responding to her attempts.”
“The Dark Lord has disclosed her location to me. He has requested my presence this week, so I will be at the manor with her.” Severus told the others. “She is staying at the LeStrange home. Quite fitting, actually, since he hopes Stephanie will follow in Bella’s footsteps.”
“You mean, how tragic.” Minerva said, half-seriously.
“Her Dark Arts lessons begin on Wednesday, and the Dark Lord wishes me to be there.” Severus explained. “The Dark Lord tells me she sits in her room all day. I hope she has been preparing.”
“I am sure she has, Severus.” Albus supposed. “She should know that this is something she has to do in order to survive.”
“I will meet with her privately and discuss what I told you last week.” Severus reminded the headmaster.
“Very well. Let me know how she takes the information.” Albus said, remembering about the curses that Voldemort placed on the poor girl. He was terrified for her; he didn’t want her to shut down emotionally at the news.
Minerva wanted to ask, but she knew they would have told her if they had wanted her to know.
“There is something else that I must discuss with you.” Severus began slowly. “I have been noticing how uncharacteristically weak she has become. In the graveyard she was whimpering and crying uncontrollably. Then in the basement with the Dark Lord, she was trembling severely and was again unable to control her tears. She repeatedly was concerned with hear impending death. She admitted to me that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do the task that was forced upon her. When I borrowed Miss Granger’s diary to make the adjustments, Stephanie had written an entry from the LeStrange home.”
Albus looked at Severus with concern. He had not been told about a new diary entry and was wondering why Severus had not shared this information with him.
“She was begging Miss Granger to help her get out of there. Stephanie disobeyed the order I had given her to not use the diary or the pendant. It was like she had given up.” Severus finished. Minerva again had tears in her eyes. She felt so bad that she could do nothing to protect the young girl.
“This may be good news, Severus.” Albus admitted after he thought about it for a few minutes. Both Minerva and Severus looked at him with shock on their faces. He continued, “The last time she showed any weakness was after the Quidditch World Cup. After we were able to speak with her and assure her that she was not to blame; she was able to heal.”
The other two looked at Albus skeptically as he paused. He continued, “She became much stronger than she had been before the attack. Had the attack never happened, I doubt that she would have had the determination to practice her Defense lessons so rigorously. She would not have been capable of disarming Voldemort so successfully in the graveyard. I expect that we are about to see a similar burst of strength come out of her very soon. I am excited to see what form it will take.”
“Are you sure, Albus?” Minerva asked. She wasn’t sure that she believed this to be the same situation.
“As always, I can only make an educated guess.” Albus said, amused. “But, though she believes she cannot do as she is told, that she cannot perform Dark Magic, I am positive she will do so with pride. It may not be something to be proud of, to harm another individual, but she will do it because she has to. Her physical strength to do so will provide her with the emotional strength to survive.”
*~*~*~*
Instead of going upstairs and practicing Dark Arts spells, Stephanie first had to see if any of the others were looking at their diaries. She had to get their opinion on the Daily Prophet article. Only two people responded to her entry.
Did you guys read the Daily Prophet this morning? Let me know if you did and what you guys think. ~Steph
~
No. What’s in it?-Harry
~
Yeah, I did. I was really upset! Who would have told the Daily Prophet about you? –Hermione
~
Surprisingly, Voldemort did. Hermione, did you remember the prophecy I told you about that night on the pendants? ~Steph
~
Yeah. –Hermione
~
Voldemort is using the fact that I am Harry’s sister to divide the country. People are torn because they don’t want to believe the inevitable. They are scared Harry is a Death Eater. They are terrified of me. ~Steph
~
Can one of you tell me what is going on? What prophecy? –Harry
~
No. What’s in it?-Harry
~
Yeah, I did. I was really upset! Who would have told the Daily Prophet about you? –Hermione
~
Surprisingly, Voldemort did. Hermione, did you remember the prophecy I told you about that night on the pendants? ~Steph
~
Yeah. –Hermione
~
Voldemort is using the fact that I am Harry’s sister to divide the country. People are torn because they don’t want to believe the inevitable. They are scared Harry is a Death Eater. They are terrified of me. ~Steph
~
Can one of you tell me what is going on? What prophecy? –Harry
Stephanie repeatedly forgot that Harry didn’t live in the magical community during his summer vacations. During many of the conversations they had had, she had asked him to tell her about their relatives. Though she didn’t like what he told her, she enjoyed hearing stories about her mother’s sister. Even though they were horrible people, it was nice hearing about family. Stephanie explained the article and the prophecy to Harry. They talked for a little while longer before she changed the subject.
I have a confession to make. Voldemort is going to start giving me Dark Arts lessons. ~Steph
~
To tell you the truth, Steph, we kind of figured he would. –Hermione
~
What is he going to teach you? –Harry
~
I’m not sure. I start in two days. But he did give me a couple of books that I have been studying. The stuff in there makes me sick to my stomach. I have a feeling he’s going to want me to do most of the stuff in there. ~Steph
~
Well, you must do as you are told. No matter what it is. Do what you can to survive. –Harry
~
I know, I know. He is having Draco join in. That’s worries me more than performing the Dark Magic. ~Steph
~
Kick his butt! –Harry
~
Nice, Harry. But I do agree, you do need to follow orders. You will do fine. –Hermione
~
Hey! I may not be able to touch him, but she can. –Harry
~
To tell you the truth, Steph, we kind of figured he would. –Hermione
~
What is he going to teach you? –Harry
~
I’m not sure. I start in two days. But he did give me a couple of books that I have been studying. The stuff in there makes me sick to my stomach. I have a feeling he’s going to want me to do most of the stuff in there. ~Steph
~
Well, you must do as you are told. No matter what it is. Do what you can to survive. –Harry
~
I know, I know. He is having Draco join in. That’s worries me more than performing the Dark Magic. ~Steph
~
Kick his butt! –Harry
~
Nice, Harry. But I do agree, you do need to follow orders. You will do fine. –Hermione
~
Hey! I may not be able to touch him, but she can. –Harry
Stephanie let out a little laugh. She doubted that she would be able to touch Draco; his father would make sure of that. They talked a little longer and she decided it was time to begin practicing the spells in her books. She had to actually try before the lessons began in two days. Stephanie promised to let them all know how they went and what she had been forced to do.
Note: Hope you liked Chapter Thirteen. Chapter Fourteen will be posted tomorrow! Any feedback you can spare would be greatly appreciated!
Chapter Fourteen: The Dark Arts
Two days later, Stephanie waited in anticipation for her lessons to begin. She knew that this would begin the early stages of a change in her that she was not yet ready to endure. These lessons would test her far beyond anything she had ever experienced. At breakfast that morning, she had learned that Draco would be joining the lesson as well as Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape.
After breakfast, they all moved to the living room. Professor Snape silently moved the couch out of the way so there would be more room. Voldemort motioned for Draco to go to the far side of the room while he stood next to Stephanie. Mr. Malfoy and Snape stood behind them.
“Today, we will start with quite advanced magic, since this particular curse will prove to be one of the most important you will utilize.” Voldemort told her gently. “Now, I want you to watch me and then we will begin.”
She watched in horror as Voldemort slowly raised his wand and pointed it at Draco. Stephanie saw the look of horror on Draco’s face when the realization of what was about to happen hit him. As much pain as Draco had put her through, she couldn’t watch his suffering. She turned away as Voldemort calmly said, “Crucio.”
Draco fell to the floor and began twitching. His scream of pain pierced the quiet and still manor. Mr. Malfoy watched the torturing of his son with a blank expression on his face. How can he not care? Stephanie thought, panicking. Snape also just stared at Draco without emotion. Draco finally quieted down and Voldemort spoke to Stephanie.
“Stephanie,” He said coolly, walking closer to her so they were almost touching. “I would like you to try this Curse.”
She nodded and raised her wand at the pathetic form of Draco Malfoy lying on the ground, as he was panting from the pain of the previous torture curse. She realized that she couldn’t do it; she couldn’t perform the Curse, not even on Draco.
“I can’t do it.” She said quietly, lowering her wand.
“It may be difficult, but I am positive you are capable.” Voldemort told her. He stroked her arm and gently lifted it so her wand was pointing at Draco.
Again she nodded, not daring to look at Voldemort. Tears began to fall from her eyes and she lowered her wand again. She couldn’t do it, but she was too afraid to say so again. She lifted her wand again and stood, staring at Draco. Finally, she mustered the courage to whisper the word, “Crucio.”
A weak form of the Curse shot from her wand and fizzled out before it even got to Draco. She saw him sigh in relief. Voldemort clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Stephanie, you need to want to cause him pain.” He explained to her. “I know what he has put you through; you must have so much anger towards him. Give him what he deserves.”
Stephanie lifted her wand again. She couldn’t believe that she was being forced to torture another person. She sniffled as she hugged her free arm around her chest. Before she could try again, she snuck a glance at Snape. Again, he was looking at her with no emotion. She walked forward a step and then backwards. She couldn’t stand still, she was so horrified.
“Crucio.” She said in louder voice this time. The Curse shot towards Draco and he didn’t even flinch. She could tell that it had only tickled him. Maybe they won’t make me do it anymore, since I can’t make it work. Stephanie tried to convince herself.
“That was a little better.” Voldemort told her. He grabbed the arm she was using to hug herself and he put it to her side. “But you have to have confidence that you can do it. Let me assist you.”
She watched as Voldemort pointed his wand at her. Suddenly, the memory of Draco’s date with Pansy Parkinson flashed through her eyes. She understood what he was doing and the tears continued to fall from her eyes. She nodded and raised her wand again.
“Crucio.” She said a little more forcefully this time. She watched as the Curse flew from her wand and Draco gasped in surprise. He had definitely felt it that time. Stephanie, herself, gasped from the surprise of the feeling she had just experienced.
“You are surprised at the feeling of pleasure this has brought you.” Voldemort said happily. “Do not worry, this is normal, and it will become more natural to you. Now, let me assist you again.
He pointed his wand at her again and this time more memories flooded her mind. Draco was punishing her for wanting to sleep instead of preparing for his date with Pansy, he was speaking with Harry at the Quidditch World Cup, and he was torturing her over and over again.
She took a deep breath as she raised her wand. She couldn’t stop herself from the remorse she was feeling, even though she knew she had no choice. She wiped the tears from her eyes and prepared for what she knew she had to do.
“Crucio.” She said and this time Draco screamed. The curse lasted only a few seconds, but it made her feel exhilarated. This emotion disgusted her and she ran out of the room and into the kitchen. There, she found the garbage can and threw up what she had eaten for breakfast. Stephanie wiped her mouth and walked back into the living room to rejoin the others.
“You are progressing quite well, Stephanie.” Voldemort was amused at her display. “You must learn to enjoy what I am asking of you and I can see you are getting closer. Now, let me assist you one more time.”
Again, he pointed his wand at her and this time the memory was too painful for her to bear. She saw the night that Draco had played his hunting game with her. Instead of flashing by quickly, like the others, this one played in slow motion. She couldn’t watch it anymore. She cried out to her master.
“Stop!” She begged. “Please.”
Voldemort retreated from her mind and smiled at her. “You are ready. Begin.”
Stephanie nodded and raised her wand. Draco was smiling at her because he knew that she wouldn’t be able to cast a very painful Curse. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to the boy who had made her suffer endlessly for almost fourteen years. “Crucio.”
This time, she didn’t let go of the Curse. It shot towards him and she maintained the connection. He writhed in pain and screamed in agony. She continued to walk closer to him and she turned her wand, watching this boy’s suffering, enjoying his pain. Stephanie allowed a smile to appear on her face as she watched him writhing on the floor in his pathetic form. She continued the Curse.
“Stop her!” Mr. Malfoy yelled. Stephanie felt someone gently lower her arm and she finally released the Curse. Stephanie was suddenly exhausted and she collapsed to the floor.
“You did very well, Stephanie.” Voldemort was smiling at her again. “See the excitement that is to be had at making someone suffer? You continue to impress me. I believe that should be all for now. Severus will be teaching you some basic spells this afternoon; you are free until then.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered. Draco continued to lie on the floor in too much pain to get up. The others left them alone in the room. Stephanie brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them, unable to move.
She forced herself to stop crying. It was then that she realized she must not show such emotion in the presence of Lord Voldemort or any of the Death Eaters any longer. Crying only made it more difficult for her to perform the tasks that were inevitable that she complete. She had to do what she was asked, and she had to do it well. Stephanie decided that she had to shut herself down from feeling such emotions. What she didn’t realize when she made this decision was that tears would not come for almost three years.
*~*~*~*
Later that night, Stephanie waited in her room for Mr. Malfoy to summon her for their first lesson together. That morning, Stephanie had sat in the living room until lunch was served. She couldn’t believe what she had done to Draco. For the entire time, she rocked back and forth, hugging her knees and trying to rationalize what she had done. Before she knew it, she was being called for lunch.
Her lesson with Professor Snape had been much different than they were at Hogwarts. He only spoke to her to explain a spell. She tried to ask him a question and he reprimanded her. Snape was acting like he didn’t know her, and she was really confused. There was no one else there, so why would he behaving that way? The only thing she could do was follow his demands.
After dinner, she had gone up to her room. The meeting with Mr. Malfoy would not begin until very late that evening, so she had some time to kill. She opened the diary and stared at the entries. As much as she knew they wanted to know about how the lessons were going, she couldn’t bring herself to write about it quite yet. Harry and Ron would be pleased that Draco had suffered, and Hermione and Ginny would be glad that she had not refused her orders. Stephanie wasn’t sure how Neville would respond. She decided that she should open the Dark Arts books and study a little more. Snape had taught her some of the spells out of the book, so now she knew how to perform them.
Around one in the morning, Mr. Malfoy knocked on her door. The time had come for their first session. She followed him downstairs and outside the manor gates. Stephanie wondered where they were going, since she had not been allowed to leave the house since she had arrived. He took her arm and Disapparated them.
They arrived in a small town. She looked around and noticed several houses and shops nearby. There was a large castle in the distance. Finally, Mr. Malfoy spoke to her.
“The Dark Lord has requested that I teach you to conjure the Dark Mark.” He said quietly. “Performing such a spell in Hogsmeade will provide practical experience as well as create an air of terror. We shall begin.”
They walked over to the closest home. The windows were all dark and Stephanie assumed the inhabitants must be sleeping. Mr. Malfoy raised his want to the sky and cast the spell, “Morsmordre.”
Stephanie was horrified at the sight when the Mark that was branded onto Snape and Mr. Malfoy’s arms suddenly appeared in the sky. She knew that Voldemort used this mark to signal when a Death Eater had murdered someone in that location.
“We’re not going to hurt anyone, are we?” Stephanie asked, afraid that she would be required to kill someone that evening.
Mr. Malfoy looked at her and laughed quietly. “Not tonight. Eventually, yes, but not tonight. It is your turn to attempt the spell.” He walked her to the next home and gestured for her to begin.
She raised her wand steadily, took a deep breath, and cast the spell. “Morsmordre.”
Mr. Malfoy let out a gasp of surprise when he saw the perfect Dark Mark Stephanie had conjured. Stephanie, too, was surprised that she was able to do such a difficult spell on her first attempt. Mr. Malfoy thought that it must have been a coincidence, so he took her to the next home and gestured for her to try again.
Again, she raised her wand and cast the spell perfectly. The Dark Mark floated above the darkened home as she stared at it in awe. Mr. Malfoy had her try once more before their time ran out. He was afraid that the Aurors would be summoned and so he returned them to the LeStrange manor immediately after she conjured her third Dark Mark.
Up in her room, she took out the diary and decided to write about the day’s events. She figured none of the others would be awake and looking at it, so she wouldn’t have to worry right then about what their responses would be.
Stephanie put the diary aside because she didn’t expect someone to respond. She was preparing for bed when there was a knock on the door. She quickly put the diary under her pillow and called for the person to enter.
Professor Snape walked in and immediately put the Muffliato spell on her door. She definitely was surprised to see him, especially after his treatment of her during their training lesson earlier that afternoon.
“Did you cast the Dark Mark?” He asked her quietly.
“Yes.” She nodded. “On the first try. How was I able to do that?”
Snape raised his eyebrows at her; he was surprised to hear that. “Well, you have been full of surprises lately. I suspect that you were concentrating.”
“I have decided to put all of my effort into doing what is asked of me. It is just too difficult to resist, and then I would have to do it anyway.” She admitted.
“Well, there’s your answer.” He told her matter-of-factly. “Now, give me the diary.”
Stephanie took the diary out from under her pillow and handed it to him. She asked him, “Why did you treat me like that this afternoon? No one was there to see any differently.”
“Voldemort was in the house. I could not have assumed that he would not want to come and see how you were doing.” He gave her a cold look. “I will not risk my life to treat you in a decent fashion. You should realize this by now.”
“I’m sorry.” She said, ashamed of herself. He waved his wand over the diary and then handed it back to her. He explained what he had done.
“You are now the only person who can read this diary. The Dark Lord himself cannot break through the defenses I have placed on it.” He finished and then looked at her seriously. “Now, I have something to tell you.”
Professor Snape spent the next ten minutes explaining why the pendants were no longer working and the purposes of the two Curses that Voldemort had placed on her. She looked at Snape curiously. To tell the truth, she really wasn’t surprised. Deep down, she had already known what her fate would be. She had probably known long before Dobby had even brought her to Hogwarts for the first time. This only confirmed what she had figured she had to do. At the right moment, she would know how to end it all.
There was just one thing that she needed to know. “Will it be painful?”
Snape looked at her with sadness in his eyes. She thought she saw tears, but they quickly disappeared. “I am afraid that it will be more excruciating than you have ever experienced and that it will be ongoing for an unknown length of time.”
She nodded. At that moment, she didn’t really care because when that pain came, it meant that the end was almost near. It wouldn’t be the end only for her; it would also be the end of everyone else’s suffering as well. Her pain would mean something great was about to happen.
“You do not appear to be concerned.” Snape commented.
“I think I have always known.” Stephanie admitted. “It does not concern me. I am not even afraid anymore. I just have to do what I’m told and maybe I can still be of use to someone.”
Snape looked at her in awe, though he tried to hide the surprise from his face. “You continue to impress me, Stephanie. The headmaster recently told me that we would see another increase in the strength you have shown and I must admit he was correct.”
She smiled at him; she knew that Snape rarely gave out compliments, so this must be pretty big for her. Suddenly, she thought about Harry’s reaction to what she had just learned. She asked Snape for a favor, “Could you not tell anyone else about the results of the Curses? I am not sure that I want anyone to know until the time comes.”
“Of course.” Snape’s face showed a little amusement. “The headmaster has asked me to request you to keep this quiet. There’s something else I must request of you that is similar to your request of me. Any plans that you hear in this home, you must keep quiet. There are things that the other students must not learn about; an example is the mission you are being prepared for. If something needs to be relayed to the headmaster, I shall do so. If you learn of something that may be of utmost importance that I am not aware of, let me know as soon as you can.”
She nodded. Stephanie understood completely. She knew that her brother had a knack for getting into dangerous situations and anything she could do to prevent that would be helpful to Professor Dumbledore.
“Very good. I think that is all for now.” Snape nodded and headed for the door. “The Dark Lord will be most pleased at how quickly you have mastered the Dark Mark. I doubt that you will be required to attend evening lessons with Lucius anymore. He had assumed it would take awhile for you to learn it, since many of his Death Eaters cannot even manage it.”
Stephanie was shocked to learn that the Dark Mark summoning spell was such a difficult one to master. She hadn’t even tried too hard, and she definitely wasn’t concentrating on it too much. Maybe it was her desire to prove herself. After Snape left her room, she grabbed the diary and opened it to see if there was a response. Stephanie was surprised that there was one already, and it wasn’t from the person she had expected. After she read the response, she wrote her own.
Stephanie didn’t know what to write to this boy. First, she was surprised because he was showing a personality and boldness much different than how she had heard either Hermione or Draco describe him. To share such a personal story with a complete stranger showed such bravery that Stephanie was not accustomed to. It felt great that Neville was willing to share with her. A portion of her next entry was mainly for the others to read and understand, and partly for Neville.
The conversation went on all night until it was time for breakfast the next morning. Stephanie didn’t care that she would be exhausted for her lessons that day because she got to spend a rare moment speaking with Neville without the others watching their conversation. He really seemed to understand where she was coming from and she liked the fact that he was so willing to open up to her. It was nice, considering the others would know as well. Stephanie got dressed, hid the diary between the mattresses on her bed, and went downstairs for breakfast in a great mood.
*~*~*~*
Harry woke up the next morning to Hedwig poking him in the face. She was carrying a newspaper and a note. He opened the note first.
Next, Harry unrolled the Daily Prophet and looked at the headline:
The article described that there had been four Dark Marks cast over several homes throughout the night, but there had not been any deaths. That is what scared the residents of the wizarding village. Prior to Voldemort’s downfall, the Dark Mark had been cast to signal that a death had occurred. He could only figure that they must be teaching Stephanie how to cast the Dark Mark. But why would she need to know that? He opened the diary and read the conversation between his sister and Neville from the night before.
Note: I am really anjoying Steph's development as she stays with the Death Eaters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next will be up tomorrow! I would greatly appreciate any feedback that you can spare; what you like, what you don't like.So, please leave any feedback here!
Two days later, Stephanie waited in anticipation for her lessons to begin. She knew that this would begin the early stages of a change in her that she was not yet ready to endure. These lessons would test her far beyond anything she had ever experienced. At breakfast that morning, she had learned that Draco would be joining the lesson as well as Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape.
After breakfast, they all moved to the living room. Professor Snape silently moved the couch out of the way so there would be more room. Voldemort motioned for Draco to go to the far side of the room while he stood next to Stephanie. Mr. Malfoy and Snape stood behind them.
“Today, we will start with quite advanced magic, since this particular curse will prove to be one of the most important you will utilize.” Voldemort told her gently. “Now, I want you to watch me and then we will begin.”
She watched in horror as Voldemort slowly raised his wand and pointed it at Draco. Stephanie saw the look of horror on Draco’s face when the realization of what was about to happen hit him. As much pain as Draco had put her through, she couldn’t watch his suffering. She turned away as Voldemort calmly said, “Crucio.”
Draco fell to the floor and began twitching. His scream of pain pierced the quiet and still manor. Mr. Malfoy watched the torturing of his son with a blank expression on his face. How can he not care? Stephanie thought, panicking. Snape also just stared at Draco without emotion. Draco finally quieted down and Voldemort spoke to Stephanie.
“Stephanie,” He said coolly, walking closer to her so they were almost touching. “I would like you to try this Curse.”
She nodded and raised her wand at the pathetic form of Draco Malfoy lying on the ground, as he was panting from the pain of the previous torture curse. She realized that she couldn’t do it; she couldn’t perform the Curse, not even on Draco.
“I can’t do it.” She said quietly, lowering her wand.
“It may be difficult, but I am positive you are capable.” Voldemort told her. He stroked her arm and gently lifted it so her wand was pointing at Draco.
Again she nodded, not daring to look at Voldemort. Tears began to fall from her eyes and she lowered her wand again. She couldn’t do it, but she was too afraid to say so again. She lifted her wand again and stood, staring at Draco. Finally, she mustered the courage to whisper the word, “Crucio.”
A weak form of the Curse shot from her wand and fizzled out before it even got to Draco. She saw him sigh in relief. Voldemort clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Stephanie, you need to want to cause him pain.” He explained to her. “I know what he has put you through; you must have so much anger towards him. Give him what he deserves.”
Stephanie lifted her wand again. She couldn’t believe that she was being forced to torture another person. She sniffled as she hugged her free arm around her chest. Before she could try again, she snuck a glance at Snape. Again, he was looking at her with no emotion. She walked forward a step and then backwards. She couldn’t stand still, she was so horrified.
“Crucio.” She said in louder voice this time. The Curse shot towards Draco and he didn’t even flinch. She could tell that it had only tickled him. Maybe they won’t make me do it anymore, since I can’t make it work. Stephanie tried to convince herself.
“That was a little better.” Voldemort told her. He grabbed the arm she was using to hug herself and he put it to her side. “But you have to have confidence that you can do it. Let me assist you.”
She watched as Voldemort pointed his wand at her. Suddenly, the memory of Draco’s date with Pansy Parkinson flashed through her eyes. She understood what he was doing and the tears continued to fall from her eyes. She nodded and raised her wand again.
“Crucio.” She said a little more forcefully this time. She watched as the Curse flew from her wand and Draco gasped in surprise. He had definitely felt it that time. Stephanie, herself, gasped from the surprise of the feeling she had just experienced.
“You are surprised at the feeling of pleasure this has brought you.” Voldemort said happily. “Do not worry, this is normal, and it will become more natural to you. Now, let me assist you again.
He pointed his wand at her again and this time more memories flooded her mind. Draco was punishing her for wanting to sleep instead of preparing for his date with Pansy, he was speaking with Harry at the Quidditch World Cup, and he was torturing her over and over again.
She took a deep breath as she raised her wand. She couldn’t stop herself from the remorse she was feeling, even though she knew she had no choice. She wiped the tears from her eyes and prepared for what she knew she had to do.
“Crucio.” She said and this time Draco screamed. The curse lasted only a few seconds, but it made her feel exhilarated. This emotion disgusted her and she ran out of the room and into the kitchen. There, she found the garbage can and threw up what she had eaten for breakfast. Stephanie wiped her mouth and walked back into the living room to rejoin the others.
“You are progressing quite well, Stephanie.” Voldemort was amused at her display. “You must learn to enjoy what I am asking of you and I can see you are getting closer. Now, let me assist you one more time.”
Again, he pointed his wand at her and this time the memory was too painful for her to bear. She saw the night that Draco had played his hunting game with her. Instead of flashing by quickly, like the others, this one played in slow motion. She couldn’t watch it anymore. She cried out to her master.
“Stop!” She begged. “Please.”
Voldemort retreated from her mind and smiled at her. “You are ready. Begin.”
Stephanie nodded and raised her wand. Draco was smiling at her because he knew that she wouldn’t be able to cast a very painful Curse. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to the boy who had made her suffer endlessly for almost fourteen years. “Crucio.”
This time, she didn’t let go of the Curse. It shot towards him and she maintained the connection. He writhed in pain and screamed in agony. She continued to walk closer to him and she turned her wand, watching this boy’s suffering, enjoying his pain. Stephanie allowed a smile to appear on her face as she watched him writhing on the floor in his pathetic form. She continued the Curse.
“Stop her!” Mr. Malfoy yelled. Stephanie felt someone gently lower her arm and she finally released the Curse. Stephanie was suddenly exhausted and she collapsed to the floor.
“You did very well, Stephanie.” Voldemort was smiling at her again. “See the excitement that is to be had at making someone suffer? You continue to impress me. I believe that should be all for now. Severus will be teaching you some basic spells this afternoon; you are free until then.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered. Draco continued to lie on the floor in too much pain to get up. The others left them alone in the room. Stephanie brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them, unable to move.
She forced herself to stop crying. It was then that she realized she must not show such emotion in the presence of Lord Voldemort or any of the Death Eaters any longer. Crying only made it more difficult for her to perform the tasks that were inevitable that she complete. She had to do what she was asked, and she had to do it well. Stephanie decided that she had to shut herself down from feeling such emotions. What she didn’t realize when she made this decision was that tears would not come for almost three years.
*~*~*~*
Later that night, Stephanie waited in her room for Mr. Malfoy to summon her for their first lesson together. That morning, Stephanie had sat in the living room until lunch was served. She couldn’t believe what she had done to Draco. For the entire time, she rocked back and forth, hugging her knees and trying to rationalize what she had done. Before she knew it, she was being called for lunch.
Her lesson with Professor Snape had been much different than they were at Hogwarts. He only spoke to her to explain a spell. She tried to ask him a question and he reprimanded her. Snape was acting like he didn’t know her, and she was really confused. There was no one else there, so why would he behaving that way? The only thing she could do was follow his demands.
After dinner, she had gone up to her room. The meeting with Mr. Malfoy would not begin until very late that evening, so she had some time to kill. She opened the diary and stared at the entries. As much as she knew they wanted to know about how the lessons were going, she couldn’t bring herself to write about it quite yet. Harry and Ron would be pleased that Draco had suffered, and Hermione and Ginny would be glad that she had not refused her orders. Stephanie wasn’t sure how Neville would respond. She decided that she should open the Dark Arts books and study a little more. Snape had taught her some of the spells out of the book, so now she knew how to perform them.
Around one in the morning, Mr. Malfoy knocked on her door. The time had come for their first session. She followed him downstairs and outside the manor gates. Stephanie wondered where they were going, since she had not been allowed to leave the house since she had arrived. He took her arm and Disapparated them.
They arrived in a small town. She looked around and noticed several houses and shops nearby. There was a large castle in the distance. Finally, Mr. Malfoy spoke to her.
“The Dark Lord has requested that I teach you to conjure the Dark Mark.” He said quietly. “Performing such a spell in Hogsmeade will provide practical experience as well as create an air of terror. We shall begin.”
They walked over to the closest home. The windows were all dark and Stephanie assumed the inhabitants must be sleeping. Mr. Malfoy raised his want to the sky and cast the spell, “Morsmordre.”
Stephanie was horrified at the sight when the Mark that was branded onto Snape and Mr. Malfoy’s arms suddenly appeared in the sky. She knew that Voldemort used this mark to signal when a Death Eater had murdered someone in that location.
“We’re not going to hurt anyone, are we?” Stephanie asked, afraid that she would be required to kill someone that evening.
Mr. Malfoy looked at her and laughed quietly. “Not tonight. Eventually, yes, but not tonight. It is your turn to attempt the spell.” He walked her to the next home and gestured for her to begin.
She raised her wand steadily, took a deep breath, and cast the spell. “Morsmordre.”
Mr. Malfoy let out a gasp of surprise when he saw the perfect Dark Mark Stephanie had conjured. Stephanie, too, was surprised that she was able to do such a difficult spell on her first attempt. Mr. Malfoy thought that it must have been a coincidence, so he took her to the next home and gestured for her to try again.
Again, she raised her wand and cast the spell perfectly. The Dark Mark floated above the darkened home as she stared at it in awe. Mr. Malfoy had her try once more before their time ran out. He was afraid that the Aurors would be summoned and so he returned them to the LeStrange manor immediately after she conjured her third Dark Mark.
Up in her room, she took out the diary and decided to write about the day’s events. She figured none of the others would be awake and looking at it, so she wouldn’t have to worry right then about what their responses would be.
They made me practice the Cruciatus Curse on Draco. It was so hard, and I didn’t think I could do it. Oh, it was so horrible. At the end, I enjoyed it so much. Voldemort had to force me to stop the spell. I was smiling at Draco as he lay on the ground in pain. How could I do that? ~Steph
Stephanie put the diary aside because she didn’t expect someone to respond. She was preparing for bed when there was a knock on the door. She quickly put the diary under her pillow and called for the person to enter.
Professor Snape walked in and immediately put the Muffliato spell on her door. She definitely was surprised to see him, especially after his treatment of her during their training lesson earlier that afternoon.
“Did you cast the Dark Mark?” He asked her quietly.
“Yes.” She nodded. “On the first try. How was I able to do that?”
Snape raised his eyebrows at her; he was surprised to hear that. “Well, you have been full of surprises lately. I suspect that you were concentrating.”
“I have decided to put all of my effort into doing what is asked of me. It is just too difficult to resist, and then I would have to do it anyway.” She admitted.
“Well, there’s your answer.” He told her matter-of-factly. “Now, give me the diary.”
Stephanie took the diary out from under her pillow and handed it to him. She asked him, “Why did you treat me like that this afternoon? No one was there to see any differently.”
“Voldemort was in the house. I could not have assumed that he would not want to come and see how you were doing.” He gave her a cold look. “I will not risk my life to treat you in a decent fashion. You should realize this by now.”
“I’m sorry.” She said, ashamed of herself. He waved his wand over the diary and then handed it back to her. He explained what he had done.
“You are now the only person who can read this diary. The Dark Lord himself cannot break through the defenses I have placed on it.” He finished and then looked at her seriously. “Now, I have something to tell you.”
Professor Snape spent the next ten minutes explaining why the pendants were no longer working and the purposes of the two Curses that Voldemort had placed on her. She looked at Snape curiously. To tell the truth, she really wasn’t surprised. Deep down, she had already known what her fate would be. She had probably known long before Dobby had even brought her to Hogwarts for the first time. This only confirmed what she had figured she had to do. At the right moment, she would know how to end it all.
There was just one thing that she needed to know. “Will it be painful?”
Snape looked at her with sadness in his eyes. She thought she saw tears, but they quickly disappeared. “I am afraid that it will be more excruciating than you have ever experienced and that it will be ongoing for an unknown length of time.”
She nodded. At that moment, she didn’t really care because when that pain came, it meant that the end was almost near. It wouldn’t be the end only for her; it would also be the end of everyone else’s suffering as well. Her pain would mean something great was about to happen.
“You do not appear to be concerned.” Snape commented.
“I think I have always known.” Stephanie admitted. “It does not concern me. I am not even afraid anymore. I just have to do what I’m told and maybe I can still be of use to someone.”
Snape looked at her in awe, though he tried to hide the surprise from his face. “You continue to impress me, Stephanie. The headmaster recently told me that we would see another increase in the strength you have shown and I must admit he was correct.”
She smiled at him; she knew that Snape rarely gave out compliments, so this must be pretty big for her. Suddenly, she thought about Harry’s reaction to what she had just learned. She asked Snape for a favor, “Could you not tell anyone else about the results of the Curses? I am not sure that I want anyone to know until the time comes.”
“Of course.” Snape’s face showed a little amusement. “The headmaster has asked me to request you to keep this quiet. There’s something else I must request of you that is similar to your request of me. Any plans that you hear in this home, you must keep quiet. There are things that the other students must not learn about; an example is the mission you are being prepared for. If something needs to be relayed to the headmaster, I shall do so. If you learn of something that may be of utmost importance that I am not aware of, let me know as soon as you can.”
She nodded. Stephanie understood completely. She knew that her brother had a knack for getting into dangerous situations and anything she could do to prevent that would be helpful to Professor Dumbledore.
“Very good. I think that is all for now.” Snape nodded and headed for the door. “The Dark Lord will be most pleased at how quickly you have mastered the Dark Mark. I doubt that you will be required to attend evening lessons with Lucius anymore. He had assumed it would take awhile for you to learn it, since many of his Death Eaters cannot even manage it.”
Stephanie was shocked to learn that the Dark Mark summoning spell was such a difficult one to master. She hadn’t even tried too hard, and she definitely wasn’t concentrating on it too much. Maybe it was her desire to prove herself. After Snape left her room, she grabbed the diary and opened it to see if there was a response. Stephanie was surprised that there was one already, and it wasn’t from the person she had expected. After she read the response, she wrote her own.
I really don’t know anything about how he treated you except the little comments that he made at Hogwarts on our last day. But I do know that you can’t blame yourself for enjoying his suffering. He definitely deserves everything he gets; he deserves much worse than that. –Nev
~
What terrifies me is that I enjoyed it. It felt so good to do that. Voldemort told me that I will learn to accept those kinds of feelings as natural. ~Steph
~
You enjoyed it because it is natural. You don’t have to accept that you enjoyed it; you just have to understand that it’s normal. I want to tell you something about my past, it may help you feel better, but I’m not sure that I’m ready for the others to know quite yet. -Nev
~
That’s alright, Neville. I don’t have to know everything about you to know that you care. You are such a sweetheart and having you just take the time to talk with me makes me feel better. ~Steph
~
But I want to share this with you. So, here goes. When I was a baby the Death Eaters tore my family apart, I don’t even remember it. My grandmother has had to tell me the story several times. Bellatrix LeStrange used the Cruciatus Curse on my parents for a very long time. She enjoyed watching them suffer so much. Bellatrix tortured my parents into insanity. They refused to provide her the information she was seeking, and she tortured them. She refused to kill them.
I hate Bellatrix LeStrange. There have been many times when I have dreamt of the day that I will be allowed to be alone with her. She will suffer the same fate as my parents, I guarantee you that.
Now, if I am a “sweetheart,” as you say, how could I get enjoyment out of hurting or wanting to hurt someone like that? I understand that it is normal to feel that way, especially since we are so young. You must not tell yourself that you are a horrible person because you enjoyed watching Draco Malfoy suffer. Do not allow Voldemort to let you think that you are the kind of person who would enjoy causing fear and destruction. You are not a Death Eater and you never will be. You must always remember who you are. And your identity does not include being a Death Eater.
I heard that you suffered dearly after what happened at the Quidditch World Cup. You did absolutely nothing wrong then, and even though you are being forced to perform these horrible acts now, you are doing absolutely nothing wrong now. It may be your body performing these spells, but it is Voldemort flicking the wand. Stay true to who you are, Stephanie. -Nev
~
What terrifies me is that I enjoyed it. It felt so good to do that. Voldemort told me that I will learn to accept those kinds of feelings as natural. ~Steph
~
You enjoyed it because it is natural. You don’t have to accept that you enjoyed it; you just have to understand that it’s normal. I want to tell you something about my past, it may help you feel better, but I’m not sure that I’m ready for the others to know quite yet. -Nev
~
That’s alright, Neville. I don’t have to know everything about you to know that you care. You are such a sweetheart and having you just take the time to talk with me makes me feel better. ~Steph
~
But I want to share this with you. So, here goes. When I was a baby the Death Eaters tore my family apart, I don’t even remember it. My grandmother has had to tell me the story several times. Bellatrix LeStrange used the Cruciatus Curse on my parents for a very long time. She enjoyed watching them suffer so much. Bellatrix tortured my parents into insanity. They refused to provide her the information she was seeking, and she tortured them. She refused to kill them.
I hate Bellatrix LeStrange. There have been many times when I have dreamt of the day that I will be allowed to be alone with her. She will suffer the same fate as my parents, I guarantee you that.
Now, if I am a “sweetheart,” as you say, how could I get enjoyment out of hurting or wanting to hurt someone like that? I understand that it is normal to feel that way, especially since we are so young. You must not tell yourself that you are a horrible person because you enjoyed watching Draco Malfoy suffer. Do not allow Voldemort to let you think that you are the kind of person who would enjoy causing fear and destruction. You are not a Death Eater and you never will be. You must always remember who you are. And your identity does not include being a Death Eater.
I heard that you suffered dearly after what happened at the Quidditch World Cup. You did absolutely nothing wrong then, and even though you are being forced to perform these horrible acts now, you are doing absolutely nothing wrong now. It may be your body performing these spells, but it is Voldemort flicking the wand. Stay true to who you are, Stephanie. -Nev
Stephanie didn’t know what to write to this boy. First, she was surprised because he was showing a personality and boldness much different than how she had heard either Hermione or Draco describe him. To share such a personal story with a complete stranger showed such bravery that Stephanie was not accustomed to. It felt great that Neville was willing to share with her. A portion of her next entry was mainly for the others to read and understand, and partly for Neville.
Thank you, Neville. That must have been so difficult for you to tell me. I know how hard it was for me to ask for help when I most needed it, and I still haven’t disclosed the worst of what I have been through. It is just too hard and people feel too bad for me when I tell them things. I don’t want to cause worry. I am positive that the others will be respectful of the information you have just shared and will not bring it up until you are ready. If you ever need to talk about it, I am here for you. I know it’s not really the same, since everyone else can see our responses, but it’s all I can offer. I want to give you a big hug right now!
I hope that I don’t lose sight of who I am, though I know that it will be very easy to do so. That is why I am so grateful for everything that you all have done for me. I know it’s not easy to do what you are doing, and it was even more difficult for Hermione when she was doing it alone.
But since I enjoyed Cursing Draco so easily, so quickly, I am terrified. What if I turn into the person that Voldemort wants me to become? What if I start to enjoy everything that they are making me do? ~Steph
~
You cannot worry about what may or may not happen. What we do know is that at this moment, you are not that person. There is nothing we can do about the future right now. But we can prepare for it, and that is what these diaries are all about. We will not let you forget who you are. Trust me. Trust all of us. –Nev
~
Thank you, Neville. That really makes me feel better about it. So, tell me what Draco has said about me at Hogwarts. ~Steph
I hope that I don’t lose sight of who I am, though I know that it will be very easy to do so. That is why I am so grateful for everything that you all have done for me. I know it’s not easy to do what you are doing, and it was even more difficult for Hermione when she was doing it alone.
But since I enjoyed Cursing Draco so easily, so quickly, I am terrified. What if I turn into the person that Voldemort wants me to become? What if I start to enjoy everything that they are making me do? ~Steph
~
You cannot worry about what may or may not happen. What we do know is that at this moment, you are not that person. There is nothing we can do about the future right now. But we can prepare for it, and that is what these diaries are all about. We will not let you forget who you are. Trust me. Trust all of us. –Nev
~
Thank you, Neville. That really makes me feel better about it. So, tell me what Draco has said about me at Hogwarts. ~Steph
The conversation went on all night until it was time for breakfast the next morning. Stephanie didn’t care that she would be exhausted for her lessons that day because she got to spend a rare moment speaking with Neville without the others watching their conversation. He really seemed to understand where she was coming from and she liked the fact that he was so willing to open up to her. It was nice, considering the others would know as well. Stephanie got dressed, hid the diary between the mattresses on her bed, and went downstairs for breakfast in a great mood.
*~*~*~*
Harry woke up the next morning to Hedwig poking him in the face. She was carrying a newspaper and a note. He opened the note first.
Dear Harry,
I saw this early this morning and thought you would want to see what Stephanie was up to last night. Don’t worry, no one was hurt, but it is quite impressive. I have heard that the spell is very difficult.
~Hermione
P.S. Read the diary. She and Neville had a nice conversation last night. It’s quite cute! (And really surprising!)
I saw this early this morning and thought you would want to see what Stephanie was up to last night. Don’t worry, no one was hurt, but it is quite impressive. I have heard that the spell is very difficult.
~Hermione
P.S. Read the diary. She and Neville had a nice conversation last night. It’s quite cute! (And really surprising!)
Next, Harry unrolled the Daily Prophet and looked at the headline:
Multiple Dark Marks Cast Throughout Hogsmeade
The article described that there had been four Dark Marks cast over several homes throughout the night, but there had not been any deaths. That is what scared the residents of the wizarding village. Prior to Voldemort’s downfall, the Dark Mark had been cast to signal that a death had occurred. He could only figure that they must be teaching Stephanie how to cast the Dark Mark. But why would she need to know that? He opened the diary and read the conversation between his sister and Neville from the night before.
Note: I am really anjoying Steph's development as she stays with the Death Eaters. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next will be up tomorrow! I would greatly appreciate any feedback that you can spare; what you like, what you don't like.So, please leave any feedback here!
Chapter Fifteen: The Order of the Phoenix
“You’re not going to be expelled are you?” Ginny ran to Harry as he entered the room. “That’s not fair!”
“The others don’t think that the Ministry will expel me.” Harry said, but he wasn’t too convinced. Tonight, he had had to use a patronus charm to save himself and his cousin Dudley from a couple of dementors. Soon after, he had received a message from the Ministry saying that he was going to be expelled from Hogwarts.
“I’ve looked it up, and they can’t expel you.” Hermione said.
“Of course you did.” Ron smiled at her. He turned to Harry. “You don’t think You-Know-Who sent the dementors?”
“I don’t know, we could ask Stephanie.” Harry responded. Ginny pulled out her diary and penned an entry.
Ron changed the subject while they waited. This was the first time they had all been together since the last day of the term at Hogwarts.
“What do you think of Stephanie and Neville?” Ron asked curiously.
“What do you mean?” Harry asked.
“He has been sharing some pretty personal stuff with her.” Ron answered. “It’s just so unexpected because he’s usually so quiet.”
“I think Professor McGonagall realized that he needed someone to talk to as much as Stephanie did.” Hermione began, with a grin on her face. “They are getting pretty close; it’s really good for both of them.”
“I couldn’t believe that story about his parents.” Harry said. “I just felt so bad for him.”
“But you have to make sure not to talk to him about it. You know how sensitive he is about it.” Hermione answered. “He was so sweet when he was telling her how he felt and that she shouldn’t forget about who she is. I couldn’t help but smile and say ‘awww.’”
“When all of this is over, wouldn’t it be great if they got together?” Ginny said with a smile. “They both deserve happiness and they would be so adorable together.”
“That wasn’t what I meant when I brought up the subject,” Ron said rolling his eyes.
“Girls.” Harry laughed as Fred and George Apparated into the room.
“So Harry,” George looked at him seriously. “How come you never told us you had a sister?”
Harry figured they must have read the article in the Daily Prophet that told the whole world about Stephanie. It had angered him so much for the newspaper to insinuate that he was a Death Eater. What hurt him so much more was the image of Stephanie that they were portraying. She was far different than the torture-loving risk-taking person they were saying she was. The magical community was terrified of her and people refused to believe Voldemort had returned. It was so frustrating.
“I didn’t know until the incident in the graveyard.” Harry explained; he didn’t see any danger in telling the twins the story, considering everyone else already knew about her. The twins had shocked looks on their faces when he had finished.
“Is that who Draco was talking about in the Great Hall last term?” George asked. “That explains so much. Had we known that, we would have let you go off on him!”
“Is she single?” Fred asked.
Ginny smacked her brother in the back of his head. “I don’t believe you!”
“What?” Fred looked at her with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. “She’s hot, and you know how I love the ‘bad’ girls!”
George and Ron laughed while Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes. Harry pretended to be offended. “Hey, that’s my sister you’re talking about!” It felt great to be able to say something like that.
Ginny looked down at her diary and motioned them all to read the entry Stephanie had just responded with.
They continued discussing their thoughts on Harry’s impending expulsion until Mrs. Weasley called them downstairs for dinner.
*~*~*~*
After they safely brought Harry to the manor, the members of the Order of the Phoenix sat in the Black family kitchen conducting their meeting. It was called to order when Molly Weasley returned from showing Harry to his room.
“Are they going to expel him?” Molly asked, obviously concerned for Harry’s well-being.
“I find it to be highly unlikely.” Albus said calmly. “I suspect that this attack on Harry was an act to undermine his credibility. The papers will most likely only advertise that he used magic in the presence of a muggle and will neglect the fact that it was to save his and his cousin’s lives.”
“All we can do is wait and see,” Remus Lupin added.
“Now, on to the prophecy.” Albus moved on to the agenda at hand. “Severus has received information that Voldemort is highly interested in obtaining this prophecy. We know that it is in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry and it is highly important that we protect it at all costs.”
“What is your plan, Albus.” Mad-Eye Moody asked.
“It should be safe during hours the Ministry is open, but the prophecy will need to be guarded each night.” Albus began and handed out a piece of parchment to each person at the table. “I have separated each evening into shifts of eight hours. One person will guard from four until midnight, and the next person will cover from midnight until eight.”
“We have to tell Harry about the prophecy,” Sirius spoke up. “He has to know what Voldemort is after.”
“He is just a boy!” Molly argued. “Let him be a child while he can; he does not need to know.”
“He already has to deal with the knowledge that his sister is being held captive by the Death Eaters,” Remus spoke up. “It is unnecessary to give him anything else to worry about.”
“I am afraid they are right, Sirius.” Albus said gently. “He will find out in time, but now is not the right moment.”
Sirius looked angry, but remained silent.
“Soon, there will be much more to worry about than whether Harry knows about the prophecy.” Severus looked at Sirius with seething hatred. “The Dark Lord is planning a mass breakout of Azkaban, and I am sure that it will happen very soon.”
“How is Stephanie involved?” Arthur Weasley questioned.
“Her role has not been clarified to me quite yet. Though I am not a part of the planning sessions, I am told she just sits there quietly. I must admit that isn’t too uncharacteristic of her normal manner, but I assume she has been told what she will be doing.” Severus explained. “I do not believe the Dark Lord trusts her enough quite yet to give her a large role, but I can assure you it will be an important one.”
“Why does he want her to participate?” Kingsley inquired.
“He wants her to participate for several reasons.” Severus answered. “First, he wants her to be seen. The role I believe her to have is most likely one of casting the Dark Mark above Azkaban once the prisoners have escaped. The purpose of this would be to have her be seen doing so. The Ministry, imbecile that the Minister is, will release information to the Daily Prophet, along with a photograph, stating that Stephanie was the one behind the breakout. This will cause mass terror.
“Secondly, he wants to have Stephanie begin to participate in his attacks. Easing her into the process slowly will prove to be most beneficial to him. Now, she won’t harm anyone; but soon, very soon, he will send her on a mission that will require her to cause harm to someone. Allowing her to do this slowly will give her time to adjust to the changes she is experiencing in her personality, as opposed to forcing her to completely shut down.
“What he is not expecting is that she will be in contact with the outside world. She has been in constant communication with her brother, two of the Weasley children, Miss Granger, and Mr. Longbottom. We hope that this will be enough support to negate the mind games the Dark Lord is playing with her.
“I admit that I have been extremely impressed by the resiliency she has shown. Emotionally, she has shut down but it is much different than the effects we saw after the Quidditch World Cup. She still feels her emotions, but she refuses to let them show. Stephanie Potter is very, very intelligent. Albus could not have explained any better than what she figured out on her own. While learning the Cruciatus Curse on Draco Malfoy, she realized that fighting her emotions and conscience was much more exhausting than just doing the spell. She realized she would be forced to do the tasks anyway, so she made the decision not to fight it. This has allowed her to focus on what she can control: the magnitude and power of her magical ability.
“She has perfected many of the spells that most people find very difficult. Though it may not be something to be proud of, her Cruciatus Curse is one of the most powerful ones I have ever seen. The Dark Lord was most pleased that Stephanie conjured the Dark Mark on the first try. It took me three tries and it took Lucius four. The weaker of the Death Eaters never learn how to cast the spell. This is not an easy spell, and Stephanie mastered it on the first try. I believe this shows the strength of her magic and of her as a person. She spends hours in her room studying the books she has been provided and practicing on household objects. Honestly, I am happy she is on my side, because she is going to be a force to be reckoned with very soon.
“Even though she has greatly improved in magical ability, she still has a lot to learn. However, I fear that the Dark Lord may feel that she is ready to learn the Killing Curse soon. That, I believe, may have damaging effects beyond repair.” Severus finished.
“I have learned something about both Harry and Stephanie since I have gotten to know each of them,” Sirius commented on Severus’ last comment, he was so incalculably proud of Stephanie. “They both show immense strength of character when confronted with the most challenging experiences. I believe that Stephanie will be alright if she is forced to kill. It may be very difficult for her, but she will survive it.”
“I believe you are right, Sirius.” Albus agreed. “However, we must delay the moment she is required to commit murder as long as possible. We cannot guess what the effect on her will be.”
“There is no possible way that we can reach her?” Molly asked. She didn’t know Stephanie personally, but she was just as concerned for the girl’s safety as she was for Harry’s or her own children’s.
“Absolutely not.” Severus told her.
“All we can do is wait for Voldemort to make a mistake.” Mad-Eye said.
Albus and Severus left immediately after the meeting was brought to an end a few minutes later. Molly called the children downstairs for dinner.
*~*~*~*
The rest of the summer had gone pretty smoothly for Stephanie. She had begun to focus greatly on her lessons with Voldemort, Mr. Malfoy, and other random Death Eaters. Voldemort had been really happy with her performance conjuring the Dark Mark and had not required her late night sessions to continue. There had been a few other sessions where she was asked to practice on Draco, and she knew it really angered him. He glared at her throughout every meal they ate together. As much as she hated practicing on an actual human, she did get a little enjoyment from paying Draco back for all he had done to her. Stephanie suspected that this was the reason Voldemort had chosen Draco and not Draco’s idiot friends.
There had been a scare a few weeks ago. Harry had been attacked by dementors and had used magic to protect himself and their cousin, Dudley. The Ministry had threatened to expel him from Hogwarts, but the Wizengamot decided that would not be necessary. Voldemort had been disappointed, but he had expected it.
Her daily routine kept her pretty busy. She had meals three times a day, lessons two times a day, and meetings about her upcoming mission randomly throughout the week. They would not tell her exactly when it was to happen, but she could sense that it was going to happen very soon; the meetings were getting more frequent. She had realized that Voldemort was very tedious about every single detail and did not want to risk failing at the task.
She had become more comfortable leaving her bedroom, though she didn’t spend too much time out of it. One morning, when she knew no one else was home, she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. When she was at the sink, filling up the glass, she was suddenly hit by a terrible pain. She collapsed to the floor and screamed, writhing and twitching. Finally the Curse was lifted and she lay on the floor trying to catch her breath.
Stephanie looked up and saw Draco smiling down at her. He raised his wand again as he sneered with a look of utter pleasure, “The Dark Lord isn’t here to protect you now. I am going to get you back for all you have done to me this summer!”
Stephanie pulled her wand out of her pocket and yelled at Draco before he could cast another spell on her, “Crucio!” He had not expected her to try and defend herself from his attack.
She watched as Draco fell to the floor and screamed in agony. She stood up, lifted the Curse, and started attacking him. Something snapped in her, she couldn’t keep her anger in any longer. “I’ll teach you to attack me when my back is turned.”
Stephanie started yelling Curses and Hexes at Draco. Boils and burns appeared on his skin, his bones began to snap, and he was getting all bruised. He was screaming in pain, tears streaming down his face. He began begging her to stop, telling her that he would never touch her again. Draco begged her to spare him his life.
She couldn’t bring herself to stop. She couldn’t control herself. Finally, she silently cast the Sectumsempra spell. A large gash appeared on Draco’s leg and he screamed again. She walked to him so that she was hovering over his pathetic body. She lifted her wand and began the incantation she had wanted to say for so long.
“Avada Kedav-” She was interrupted when her wand was expelled from her hand and landed across the room.
Stephanie turned around in surprise and saw Professor Snape glaring at her. He bellowed at her, “UP TO YOUR ROOM NOW!”
She stomped across the room to her retrieve her wand and then rushed back. When she got back to Draco, who was on the floor writhing and crying in pain, she said, “You’re not so tough now that I can defend myself, are you?”
Snape looked really angry. “I said, NOW!” he repeated and she stormed up to her room. Snape rushed over to Draco and quickly closed his wounds and began healing his injuries. Then, Snape summoned the Dark Lord.
*~*~*~*
She had written that entry immediately upon returning to her bedroom. After she finished, she closed the diary and put it in its place between the mattresses. She couldn’t bring herself to look at their responses right now. Stephanie couldn’t believe she had almost killed Draco. It was even worse because she didn’t feel any remorse; she still wanted him dead.
For two hours she sat on her bed, knees curled up to her chest, rocking back and forth. She was absolutely terrified about what Voldemort would do to her. If he didn’t kill her, surely she would return to the cellar. Then she remembered the punishment he had promised Mr. Malfoy. Was he going to let Mr. Malfoy torture her? How could she have been so stupid as to attack Draco? For those two hours, she did nothing but rock back and forth.
Finally, Professor Snape knocked on her door and then entered. He looked at her furiously and told her that her presence was requested with the Dark Lord. She slowly got up, hugged her chest tightly with both of her arms, and followed Snape down the stairs and into the dining room. Voldemort was sitting in his normal chair, with Mr. Malfoy sitting next to him. Voldemort gestured for her to sit and she obliged. Professor Snape sat next to Mr. Malfoy.
“I am truly disappointed in you, Stephanie.” Voldemort said reproachfully. She looked down at the table. Fear was taking over and she began to tremble; she couldn’t make eye contact with any of the men at the table. “Your magical abilities have greatly improved since I began our lessons. I have taken great care of you, providing you with many luxuries. This is how you repay my kindness? By attacking the child of one of my most trusted and loyal servants?”
“I’m sorry, my Lord. But-” She tried to explain why she had harmed Draco so severely, but Voldemort interrupted.
“I see you are in a hurry to perform the Killing Curse.” He said slowly. “Maybe it is time that we allow you to attempt it on more deserving candidates.”
“No!” She cried out, begging him to reconsider. “Please, Master. I can’t do that.”
“Of course you can. You did not think that you could use the Cruciatus, and look at you. You have mastered that spell.” He sneered at her. “But, I will allow you to explain yourself. Tell me, and dear Lucius here, why you attacked the young Malfoy.”
She looked at Voldemort, pleading with her eyes for him to believe her. “I was just getting a glass of water when he attacked me. I wasn’t even looking at him and he struck me with the Cruciatus Curse!”
She paused to take a deep breath. “I had to defend myself, Master.”
“You did much more than defend yourself, stupid girl.” Mr. Malfoy rasped at her, eyeing her with hatred.
“Well, that is different from what the young Malfoy told me.” Voldemort said, scratching his chin in thought. “We’ll see who is telling Lord Voldemort the truth.”
Stephanie watched as Voldemort pointed his wand at her. She suddenly saw the memory replay itself in her mind. A smile crept to her face as she watched herself boldly defend herself against the boy who had tormented her for so long.
“Very well.” Voldemort said what he finished viewing the memory. “I see that you are pleased with what you have done. But I can assure you that this will not be tolerated again.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said quietly.
“I believe that you may be ready for more advanced lessons, but that will have to wait for a few more weeks. Your new teacher will be here shortly, and then you will have a new mentor to look to for support.” He said, eyeing her. “I am impressed with your nonverbal spell. I trust that you have been studying very hard.”
“Yes, my Lord.” She responded.
“Now, go up to your room. You are to remain there until tomorrow evening’s dinner, without meals. Do you understand?” He told her.
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie got up and walked slowly back to her bedroom. She didn’t know if she would be required to use the Killing Curse anytime soon, but she was afraid that she had sped up the process. When she got to her room, she wrote in the diary about what had happened.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie soon began to feel remorse for what she had done to Draco, but it wasn’t exactly for what she did. It was at the thought that she could be capable of such a thing. Honestly, the idea terrified her and she knew she must work diligently to make sure these changes didn’t continue to develop. She couldn’t let herself slip away from the person she was. Ron, surprisingly, had been instrumental in regaining touch with her reality.
With her communication with Ron, she realized that he had been right. She had spent almost two years working so hard to make sure that Harry was safe. Now that he was, she had to focus on taking care of herself. She was sure that this is what Harry would want her to do.
*~*~*~*
It was the welcome feast and the Gryffindors were enjoying the great meal they were having; everyone had been so hungry. Towards the end, as people were getting up to leave, Harry noticed Draco walking towards them. He let out a laugh when he saw Draco’s bruised face.
“What are you laughing at, Potter?” Draco sneered.
“What happened to you?” Harry asked, feigning interest.
“What do you care?” Draco said coolly. “By the way, how’s Diggory? Oh wait, that’s right. He’s dead because of you.”
Harry stood up. Ron, Fred, George, and Neville did the same. This didn’t make Draco stop talking, however.
“Hey, your sister says ‘hi!’” Draco laughed. “The Dark Lord was willing to allow me to use her for target practice this summer. It was pathetic how she begged me to stop. But, you know, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“Don’t you dare, Malfoy.” Harry tried to restrain his anger. He couldn’t risk anything happening to his sister.
“The greatest moments are when she begs for death.” He lied. “Tears streaming down her face, screaming in pain, and she begs for us to end her suffering. But we don’t oblige. How beautiful it is to leave her lying there in such horrible, awful, excruciating pain.”
Harry couldn’t hold back anymore. He stepped up to Draco and punched him in the eye. Ron and Fred jumped on Harry and wrestled him to the ground. Draco glared at him with fear and surprise and then turned to walk out of the Great Hall.
Harry wriggled free from his captors and stood up. He yelled, “How was the Curse, Malfoy? I hear that she enjoyed it!”
Draco stopped in his tracks and turned back towards Harry. He looked stunned. The look disappeared as he smiled. “I’ll make sure father tells her you say goodbye, Potter!”
Note: There is Chapter Fifteen. I really enjoyed this chapter, as I was reading and editing it I couldn't hold in my excitement. I love the communication with Ron...I'm trying to develop some of these characters to have a great impact on Stephanie..and she on them. We'll see who else has such a profound effect on her...Anyway, Chapter Sixteen is almost done and should be up in a couple of days! Keep me posted on what you think about the story! I love hearing your feedback!
“You’re not going to be expelled are you?” Ginny ran to Harry as he entered the room. “That’s not fair!”
“The others don’t think that the Ministry will expel me.” Harry said, but he wasn’t too convinced. Tonight, he had had to use a patronus charm to save himself and his cousin Dudley from a couple of dementors. Soon after, he had received a message from the Ministry saying that he was going to be expelled from Hogwarts.
“I’ve looked it up, and they can’t expel you.” Hermione said.
“Of course you did.” Ron smiled at her. He turned to Harry. “You don’t think You-Know-Who sent the dementors?”
“I don’t know, we could ask Stephanie.” Harry responded. Ginny pulled out her diary and penned an entry.
Steph-Harry was attacked earlier this afternoon by dementors. Do you know why Voldemort sent them after him? –Ginny
Ron changed the subject while they waited. This was the first time they had all been together since the last day of the term at Hogwarts.
“What do you think of Stephanie and Neville?” Ron asked curiously.
“What do you mean?” Harry asked.
“He has been sharing some pretty personal stuff with her.” Ron answered. “It’s just so unexpected because he’s usually so quiet.”
“I think Professor McGonagall realized that he needed someone to talk to as much as Stephanie did.” Hermione began, with a grin on her face. “They are getting pretty close; it’s really good for both of them.”
“I couldn’t believe that story about his parents.” Harry said. “I just felt so bad for him.”
“But you have to make sure not to talk to him about it. You know how sensitive he is about it.” Hermione answered. “He was so sweet when he was telling her how he felt and that she shouldn’t forget about who she is. I couldn’t help but smile and say ‘awww.’”
“When all of this is over, wouldn’t it be great if they got together?” Ginny said with a smile. “They both deserve happiness and they would be so adorable together.”
“That wasn’t what I meant when I brought up the subject,” Ron said rolling his eyes.
“Girls.” Harry laughed as Fred and George Apparated into the room.
“So Harry,” George looked at him seriously. “How come you never told us you had a sister?”
Harry figured they must have read the article in the Daily Prophet that told the whole world about Stephanie. It had angered him so much for the newspaper to insinuate that he was a Death Eater. What hurt him so much more was the image of Stephanie that they were portraying. She was far different than the torture-loving risk-taking person they were saying she was. The magical community was terrified of her and people refused to believe Voldemort had returned. It was so frustrating.
“I didn’t know until the incident in the graveyard.” Harry explained; he didn’t see any danger in telling the twins the story, considering everyone else already knew about her. The twins had shocked looks on their faces when he had finished.
“Is that who Draco was talking about in the Great Hall last term?” George asked. “That explains so much. Had we known that, we would have let you go off on him!”
“Is she single?” Fred asked.
Ginny smacked her brother in the back of his head. “I don’t believe you!”
“What?” Fred looked at her with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. “She’s hot, and you know how I love the ‘bad’ girls!”
George and Ron laughed while Ginny and Hermione rolled their eyes. Harry pretended to be offended. “Hey, that’s my sister you’re talking about!” It felt great to be able to say something like that.
Ginny looked down at her diary and motioned them all to read the entry Stephanie had just responded with.
I know, I heard. Voldemort is really happy, though I’m not sure he ordered it. He seems to think that Harry is going to be expelled from Hogwarts. Keep me updated. ~Steph
They continued discussing their thoughts on Harry’s impending expulsion until Mrs. Weasley called them downstairs for dinner.
*~*~*~*
After they safely brought Harry to the manor, the members of the Order of the Phoenix sat in the Black family kitchen conducting their meeting. It was called to order when Molly Weasley returned from showing Harry to his room.
“Are they going to expel him?” Molly asked, obviously concerned for Harry’s well-being.
“I find it to be highly unlikely.” Albus said calmly. “I suspect that this attack on Harry was an act to undermine his credibility. The papers will most likely only advertise that he used magic in the presence of a muggle and will neglect the fact that it was to save his and his cousin’s lives.”
“All we can do is wait and see,” Remus Lupin added.
“Now, on to the prophecy.” Albus moved on to the agenda at hand. “Severus has received information that Voldemort is highly interested in obtaining this prophecy. We know that it is in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry and it is highly important that we protect it at all costs.”
“What is your plan, Albus.” Mad-Eye Moody asked.
“It should be safe during hours the Ministry is open, but the prophecy will need to be guarded each night.” Albus began and handed out a piece of parchment to each person at the table. “I have separated each evening into shifts of eight hours. One person will guard from four until midnight, and the next person will cover from midnight until eight.”
“We have to tell Harry about the prophecy,” Sirius spoke up. “He has to know what Voldemort is after.”
“He is just a boy!” Molly argued. “Let him be a child while he can; he does not need to know.”
“He already has to deal with the knowledge that his sister is being held captive by the Death Eaters,” Remus spoke up. “It is unnecessary to give him anything else to worry about.”
“I am afraid they are right, Sirius.” Albus said gently. “He will find out in time, but now is not the right moment.”
Sirius looked angry, but remained silent.
“Soon, there will be much more to worry about than whether Harry knows about the prophecy.” Severus looked at Sirius with seething hatred. “The Dark Lord is planning a mass breakout of Azkaban, and I am sure that it will happen very soon.”
“How is Stephanie involved?” Arthur Weasley questioned.
“Her role has not been clarified to me quite yet. Though I am not a part of the planning sessions, I am told she just sits there quietly. I must admit that isn’t too uncharacteristic of her normal manner, but I assume she has been told what she will be doing.” Severus explained. “I do not believe the Dark Lord trusts her enough quite yet to give her a large role, but I can assure you it will be an important one.”
“Why does he want her to participate?” Kingsley inquired.
“He wants her to participate for several reasons.” Severus answered. “First, he wants her to be seen. The role I believe her to have is most likely one of casting the Dark Mark above Azkaban once the prisoners have escaped. The purpose of this would be to have her be seen doing so. The Ministry, imbecile that the Minister is, will release information to the Daily Prophet, along with a photograph, stating that Stephanie was the one behind the breakout. This will cause mass terror.
“Secondly, he wants to have Stephanie begin to participate in his attacks. Easing her into the process slowly will prove to be most beneficial to him. Now, she won’t harm anyone; but soon, very soon, he will send her on a mission that will require her to cause harm to someone. Allowing her to do this slowly will give her time to adjust to the changes she is experiencing in her personality, as opposed to forcing her to completely shut down.
“What he is not expecting is that she will be in contact with the outside world. She has been in constant communication with her brother, two of the Weasley children, Miss Granger, and Mr. Longbottom. We hope that this will be enough support to negate the mind games the Dark Lord is playing with her.
“I admit that I have been extremely impressed by the resiliency she has shown. Emotionally, she has shut down but it is much different than the effects we saw after the Quidditch World Cup. She still feels her emotions, but she refuses to let them show. Stephanie Potter is very, very intelligent. Albus could not have explained any better than what she figured out on her own. While learning the Cruciatus Curse on Draco Malfoy, she realized that fighting her emotions and conscience was much more exhausting than just doing the spell. She realized she would be forced to do the tasks anyway, so she made the decision not to fight it. This has allowed her to focus on what she can control: the magnitude and power of her magical ability.
“She has perfected many of the spells that most people find very difficult. Though it may not be something to be proud of, her Cruciatus Curse is one of the most powerful ones I have ever seen. The Dark Lord was most pleased that Stephanie conjured the Dark Mark on the first try. It took me three tries and it took Lucius four. The weaker of the Death Eaters never learn how to cast the spell. This is not an easy spell, and Stephanie mastered it on the first try. I believe this shows the strength of her magic and of her as a person. She spends hours in her room studying the books she has been provided and practicing on household objects. Honestly, I am happy she is on my side, because she is going to be a force to be reckoned with very soon.
“Even though she has greatly improved in magical ability, she still has a lot to learn. However, I fear that the Dark Lord may feel that she is ready to learn the Killing Curse soon. That, I believe, may have damaging effects beyond repair.” Severus finished.
“I have learned something about both Harry and Stephanie since I have gotten to know each of them,” Sirius commented on Severus’ last comment, he was so incalculably proud of Stephanie. “They both show immense strength of character when confronted with the most challenging experiences. I believe that Stephanie will be alright if she is forced to kill. It may be very difficult for her, but she will survive it.”
“I believe you are right, Sirius.” Albus agreed. “However, we must delay the moment she is required to commit murder as long as possible. We cannot guess what the effect on her will be.”
“There is no possible way that we can reach her?” Molly asked. She didn’t know Stephanie personally, but she was just as concerned for the girl’s safety as she was for Harry’s or her own children’s.
“Absolutely not.” Severus told her.
“All we can do is wait for Voldemort to make a mistake.” Mad-Eye said.
Albus and Severus left immediately after the meeting was brought to an end a few minutes later. Molly called the children downstairs for dinner.
*~*~*~*
The rest of the summer had gone pretty smoothly for Stephanie. She had begun to focus greatly on her lessons with Voldemort, Mr. Malfoy, and other random Death Eaters. Voldemort had been really happy with her performance conjuring the Dark Mark and had not required her late night sessions to continue. There had been a few other sessions where she was asked to practice on Draco, and she knew it really angered him. He glared at her throughout every meal they ate together. As much as she hated practicing on an actual human, she did get a little enjoyment from paying Draco back for all he had done to her. Stephanie suspected that this was the reason Voldemort had chosen Draco and not Draco’s idiot friends.
There had been a scare a few weeks ago. Harry had been attacked by dementors and had used magic to protect himself and their cousin, Dudley. The Ministry had threatened to expel him from Hogwarts, but the Wizengamot decided that would not be necessary. Voldemort had been disappointed, but he had expected it.
Her daily routine kept her pretty busy. She had meals three times a day, lessons two times a day, and meetings about her upcoming mission randomly throughout the week. They would not tell her exactly when it was to happen, but she could sense that it was going to happen very soon; the meetings were getting more frequent. She had realized that Voldemort was very tedious about every single detail and did not want to risk failing at the task.
She had become more comfortable leaving her bedroom, though she didn’t spend too much time out of it. One morning, when she knew no one else was home, she went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. When she was at the sink, filling up the glass, she was suddenly hit by a terrible pain. She collapsed to the floor and screamed, writhing and twitching. Finally the Curse was lifted and she lay on the floor trying to catch her breath.
Stephanie looked up and saw Draco smiling down at her. He raised his wand again as he sneered with a look of utter pleasure, “The Dark Lord isn’t here to protect you now. I am going to get you back for all you have done to me this summer!”
Stephanie pulled her wand out of her pocket and yelled at Draco before he could cast another spell on her, “Crucio!” He had not expected her to try and defend herself from his attack.
She watched as Draco fell to the floor and screamed in agony. She stood up, lifted the Curse, and started attacking him. Something snapped in her, she couldn’t keep her anger in any longer. “I’ll teach you to attack me when my back is turned.”
Stephanie started yelling Curses and Hexes at Draco. Boils and burns appeared on his skin, his bones began to snap, and he was getting all bruised. He was screaming in pain, tears streaming down his face. He began begging her to stop, telling her that he would never touch her again. Draco begged her to spare him his life.
She couldn’t bring herself to stop. She couldn’t control herself. Finally, she silently cast the Sectumsempra spell. A large gash appeared on Draco’s leg and he screamed again. She walked to him so that she was hovering over his pathetic body. She lifted her wand and began the incantation she had wanted to say for so long.
“Avada Kedav-” She was interrupted when her wand was expelled from her hand and landed across the room.
Stephanie turned around in surprise and saw Professor Snape glaring at her. He bellowed at her, “UP TO YOUR ROOM NOW!”
She stomped across the room to her retrieve her wand and then rushed back. When she got back to Draco, who was on the floor writhing and crying in pain, she said, “You’re not so tough now that I can defend myself, are you?”
Snape looked really angry. “I said, NOW!” he repeated and she stormed up to her room. Snape rushed over to Draco and quickly closed his wounds and began healing his injuries. Then, Snape summoned the Dark Lord.
*~*~*~*
Oh, my goodness. They are going to kill me. I attacked Draco. I was going to kill him. The horrible thing is that I didn’t feel bad. I was mad at Professor Snape for stopping me. I still am. Please tell me what’s going on. What’s wrong with me? ~Steph
She had written that entry immediately upon returning to her bedroom. After she finished, she closed the diary and put it in its place between the mattresses. She couldn’t bring herself to look at their responses right now. Stephanie couldn’t believe she had almost killed Draco. It was even worse because she didn’t feel any remorse; she still wanted him dead.
For two hours she sat on her bed, knees curled up to her chest, rocking back and forth. She was absolutely terrified about what Voldemort would do to her. If he didn’t kill her, surely she would return to the cellar. Then she remembered the punishment he had promised Mr. Malfoy. Was he going to let Mr. Malfoy torture her? How could she have been so stupid as to attack Draco? For those two hours, she did nothing but rock back and forth.
Finally, Professor Snape knocked on her door and then entered. He looked at her furiously and told her that her presence was requested with the Dark Lord. She slowly got up, hugged her chest tightly with both of her arms, and followed Snape down the stairs and into the dining room. Voldemort was sitting in his normal chair, with Mr. Malfoy sitting next to him. Voldemort gestured for her to sit and she obliged. Professor Snape sat next to Mr. Malfoy.
“I am truly disappointed in you, Stephanie.” Voldemort said reproachfully. She looked down at the table. Fear was taking over and she began to tremble; she couldn’t make eye contact with any of the men at the table. “Your magical abilities have greatly improved since I began our lessons. I have taken great care of you, providing you with many luxuries. This is how you repay my kindness? By attacking the child of one of my most trusted and loyal servants?”
“I’m sorry, my Lord. But-” She tried to explain why she had harmed Draco so severely, but Voldemort interrupted.
“I see you are in a hurry to perform the Killing Curse.” He said slowly. “Maybe it is time that we allow you to attempt it on more deserving candidates.”
“No!” She cried out, begging him to reconsider. “Please, Master. I can’t do that.”
“Of course you can. You did not think that you could use the Cruciatus, and look at you. You have mastered that spell.” He sneered at her. “But, I will allow you to explain yourself. Tell me, and dear Lucius here, why you attacked the young Malfoy.”
She looked at Voldemort, pleading with her eyes for him to believe her. “I was just getting a glass of water when he attacked me. I wasn’t even looking at him and he struck me with the Cruciatus Curse!”
She paused to take a deep breath. “I had to defend myself, Master.”
“You did much more than defend yourself, stupid girl.” Mr. Malfoy rasped at her, eyeing her with hatred.
“Well, that is different from what the young Malfoy told me.” Voldemort said, scratching his chin in thought. “We’ll see who is telling Lord Voldemort the truth.”
Stephanie watched as Voldemort pointed his wand at her. She suddenly saw the memory replay itself in her mind. A smile crept to her face as she watched herself boldly defend herself against the boy who had tormented her for so long.
“Very well.” Voldemort said what he finished viewing the memory. “I see that you are pleased with what you have done. But I can assure you that this will not be tolerated again.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said quietly.
“I believe that you may be ready for more advanced lessons, but that will have to wait for a few more weeks. Your new teacher will be here shortly, and then you will have a new mentor to look to for support.” He said, eyeing her. “I am impressed with your nonverbal spell. I trust that you have been studying very hard.”
“Yes, my Lord.” She responded.
“Now, go up to your room. You are to remain there until tomorrow evening’s dinner, without meals. Do you understand?” He told her.
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie got up and walked slowly back to her bedroom. She didn’t know if she would be required to use the Killing Curse anytime soon, but she was afraid that she had sped up the process. When she got to her room, she wrote in the diary about what had happened.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie soon began to feel remorse for what she had done to Draco, but it wasn’t exactly for what she did. It was at the thought that she could be capable of such a thing. Honestly, the idea terrified her and she knew she must work diligently to make sure these changes didn’t continue to develop. She couldn’t let herself slip away from the person she was. Ron, surprisingly, had been instrumental in regaining touch with her reality.
You are only capable of this because you have no outlet for your anger. Even I have taken my frustration out on Hermione and Harry because I bottled everything up inside. I am horrible at expressing emotions and things just boil until they explode. There have been several times when Harry and I have gotten into physical fights. You just need to channel your anger into a more productive forum. –Ron
~
How do you expect I do that? ~Steph
~
Punch a pillow, scream, do something. Just do not keep it inside. –Ron
~
I don’t know. All I do know is that one day I have to make it up to him. In order to forgive myself, I have to do something for him. ~Steph
~
He doesn’t deserve it. Let him suffer. –Ron
~
Is it worth letting him suffer if I do as well? ~Steph
~
But how long as he let you suffer? You deserve to give yourself a break. No one needs to go through nearly a quarter of what you have. You are allowed to make a mistake. –Ron
~
How do I make it all just end? I am just so tired of having to pretend all the time. I can feel myself slipping into the side of evil. ~Steph
~
Why did you start this? Why did you remain in the Malfoy home? –Ron
~
To protect Harry. ~Steph
~
And you have done that. Now you need to protect yourself. –Ron
~
What do you mean? ~Steph
~
You need to do what you can to make sure that you are safe. That doesn’t just mean physically. Do not allow them to change you; take care of yourself. If you feel troubled by something, address it. Do not allow it to remain inside you. –Ron
~
That is easier said than done. ~Steph
~
Tell me, why have you not tried to escape? They leave you alone quite frequently, and yet you still remain. Why? –Ron
~
If I try and escape, and fail, they will kill me. ~Steph
~
Exactly. You are not evil. You do not truly enjoy what you are doing. Although you may have enjoyed Malfoy’s suffering, you would not be happy to cause anyone else harm. Remember that is not who you are. You are a Potter; you are brave and strong and stubborn. You are also caring and loving; you are not who they want you to be. –Ron
~
I don’t know, though. I feel so weak sometimes, and I am constantly afraid. Is that who I truly am? A coward? ~Steph
~
You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for. Maybe accepting that fact will allow you to understand what I am saying. So, I’ll offer something to you, and you better not tell anyone because it is very much unlike me. –Ron
~
Alright, but you do realize that the others can read this? ~Steph
~
That was half-joking, but I am serious, and that goes to them as well! I am going to tell you every day how special you are. Maybe that will help you cope with the things that you are being asked to do. –Ron
~
Ron, you are amazing. Thank you, but I’m not sure I deserve that. ~Steph
~
And STOP saying things like that. Saying them only makes you believe it more. Avoid those thoughts at all costs. We don’t all talk to you because we are bored; we talk to you because we care about you. –Ron
~
It’s just so hard, but I’ll try. And I know, and I appreciate all you guys have done. ~Steph
~
Just to make you smile, my brother thinks you’re hot. –Ron
~
I don’t know what to say to that, but you are right. It did make me smile! ~Steph
~
How do you expect I do that? ~Steph
~
Punch a pillow, scream, do something. Just do not keep it inside. –Ron
~
I don’t know. All I do know is that one day I have to make it up to him. In order to forgive myself, I have to do something for him. ~Steph
~
He doesn’t deserve it. Let him suffer. –Ron
~
Is it worth letting him suffer if I do as well? ~Steph
~
But how long as he let you suffer? You deserve to give yourself a break. No one needs to go through nearly a quarter of what you have. You are allowed to make a mistake. –Ron
~
How do I make it all just end? I am just so tired of having to pretend all the time. I can feel myself slipping into the side of evil. ~Steph
~
Why did you start this? Why did you remain in the Malfoy home? –Ron
~
To protect Harry. ~Steph
~
And you have done that. Now you need to protect yourself. –Ron
~
What do you mean? ~Steph
~
You need to do what you can to make sure that you are safe. That doesn’t just mean physically. Do not allow them to change you; take care of yourself. If you feel troubled by something, address it. Do not allow it to remain inside you. –Ron
~
That is easier said than done. ~Steph
~
Tell me, why have you not tried to escape? They leave you alone quite frequently, and yet you still remain. Why? –Ron
~
If I try and escape, and fail, they will kill me. ~Steph
~
Exactly. You are not evil. You do not truly enjoy what you are doing. Although you may have enjoyed Malfoy’s suffering, you would not be happy to cause anyone else harm. Remember that is not who you are. You are a Potter; you are brave and strong and stubborn. You are also caring and loving; you are not who they want you to be. –Ron
~
I don’t know, though. I feel so weak sometimes, and I am constantly afraid. Is that who I truly am? A coward? ~Steph
~
You are much stronger than you give yourself credit for. Maybe accepting that fact will allow you to understand what I am saying. So, I’ll offer something to you, and you better not tell anyone because it is very much unlike me. –Ron
~
Alright, but you do realize that the others can read this? ~Steph
~
That was half-joking, but I am serious, and that goes to them as well! I am going to tell you every day how special you are. Maybe that will help you cope with the things that you are being asked to do. –Ron
~
Ron, you are amazing. Thank you, but I’m not sure I deserve that. ~Steph
~
And STOP saying things like that. Saying them only makes you believe it more. Avoid those thoughts at all costs. We don’t all talk to you because we are bored; we talk to you because we care about you. –Ron
~
It’s just so hard, but I’ll try. And I know, and I appreciate all you guys have done. ~Steph
~
Just to make you smile, my brother thinks you’re hot. –Ron
~
I don’t know what to say to that, but you are right. It did make me smile! ~Steph
With her communication with Ron, she realized that he had been right. She had spent almost two years working so hard to make sure that Harry was safe. Now that he was, she had to focus on taking care of herself. She was sure that this is what Harry would want her to do.
*~*~*~*
It was the welcome feast and the Gryffindors were enjoying the great meal they were having; everyone had been so hungry. Towards the end, as people were getting up to leave, Harry noticed Draco walking towards them. He let out a laugh when he saw Draco’s bruised face.
“What are you laughing at, Potter?” Draco sneered.
“What happened to you?” Harry asked, feigning interest.
“What do you care?” Draco said coolly. “By the way, how’s Diggory? Oh wait, that’s right. He’s dead because of you.”
Harry stood up. Ron, Fred, George, and Neville did the same. This didn’t make Draco stop talking, however.
“Hey, your sister says ‘hi!’” Draco laughed. “The Dark Lord was willing to allow me to use her for target practice this summer. It was pathetic how she begged me to stop. But, you know, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”
“Don’t you dare, Malfoy.” Harry tried to restrain his anger. He couldn’t risk anything happening to his sister.
“The greatest moments are when she begs for death.” He lied. “Tears streaming down her face, screaming in pain, and she begs for us to end her suffering. But we don’t oblige. How beautiful it is to leave her lying there in such horrible, awful, excruciating pain.”
Harry couldn’t hold back anymore. He stepped up to Draco and punched him in the eye. Ron and Fred jumped on Harry and wrestled him to the ground. Draco glared at him with fear and surprise and then turned to walk out of the Great Hall.
Harry wriggled free from his captors and stood up. He yelled, “How was the Curse, Malfoy? I hear that she enjoyed it!”
Draco stopped in his tracks and turned back towards Harry. He looked stunned. The look disappeared as he smiled. “I’ll make sure father tells her you say goodbye, Potter!”
Note: There is Chapter Fifteen. I really enjoyed this chapter, as I was reading and editing it I couldn't hold in my excitement. I love the communication with Ron...I'm trying to develop some of these characters to have a great impact on Stephanie..and she on them. We'll see who else has such a profound effect on her...Anyway, Chapter Sixteen is almost done and should be up in a couple of days! Keep me posted on what you think about the story! I love hearing your feedback!
Chapter Sixteen: Mass Breakout
Harry was waiting anxiously in Dumbledore’s office when Professor Snape came rushing in. Dumbledore stood up when the door opened.
“What is it, headmaster?” Snape asked. He had the impression that there was an emergency.
Dumbledore shook his head in disappointment. “I must request that you go see what you can do for Stephanie. Maybe she can be spared. Harry will explain what has happened.”
“I didn’t mean to.” Harry pleaded with his headmaster. He put his head in his hands and began to cry. “It was an accident. I’m so sorry.”
“What have you done?” Snape said accusingly, eyeing Harry suspiciously.
Harry looked up and began his account of the incident in the Great Hall. “He said that he had tortured her all summer; that he loved listening to her beg for them to kill her. I lost control and I hit him.”
Snape looked at the headmaster. “That is not too bad; surely they will not kill her because Harry is an idiot.”
Harry lowered his head again and looked at the floor. Wringing his hands, he admitted quietly, “I told him that she enjoyed performing the Curse.”
Snape stood in stunned silence for a moment and then turned to Dumbledore. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do, but I will try. Let’s just hope I am not too late.”
Professor Snape left quickly while Harry remained in Dumbledore’s office. He was so disappointed in himself and he couldn’t face any of his friends. How could he be so stupid as to let that come out of his mouth? After all his sister has done for him, he couldn’t even control his temper to protect her. The look on Hermione’s face had been heartbreaking to see after he realized what he had done. She knew exactly what his actions would cost Stephanie, but she didn’t say anything. It was Ron who had ordered Harry up to Dumbledore’s office.
“There is nothing we can do now except wait.” Dumbledore said quietly. The disappointment in his eyes was much worse than the night Harry and Ron had driven the Weasley’s magical car to Hogwarts in their second year. Harry couldn’t bring himself to look at his headmaster. They waited in silence until Professor Snape returned with news.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie lay on her bed studying the Dark Arts books for what seemed to be the thousandth time, since there was nothing else for her to do. She had to admit that she was getting kind of bored with the same routine each day. She got up, ate breakfast, had a training lesson, ate lunch, had another lesson, ate dinner, and then went to bed. It was getting very tedious.
She had also done a lot of thinking after her conversation with Ron. It was refreshing to have someone be so upfront with her. The others usually just tried to make her feel better and tell her that she was deserving of them, but Ron had made it clear that it was up to her to take things seriously and change her thinking. It was up to her, and no one else, to make sure that things got done. It was the wake up call she needed, and she no longer felt bad about her assault on Draco. Though, she did continue to promise herself that she would eventually do something to make it up to him.
Suddenly, her door burst open and she was lifted into the air and slammed against the wall. She cried out in pain and surprise as she was thrown to the floor with a terrible force that knocked the air out of her lungs. Lucius Malfoy pulled her to a standing position by her ponytail and dug his want into her neck. Voldemort stood next to him. Mr. Malfoy and Voldemort were eyeing her angrily as she was wheezing for breath.
“How are you communicating with Harry?” Mr. Malfoy asked her in his quiet, seething voice. “How did you tell him?”
Stephanie thought for a moment, she looked back and forth between Mr. Malfoy and Voldemort. She tried to answer calmly, but her voice failed her. She opened her mouth again and this time she was able to speak. In a high-pitched and panicked voice she said, “I don’t know what you are talking about!”
“Crucio!” Mr. Malfoy said with pleasure in his voice. She fell to the floor and writhed in pain. She screamed so long that her voice became raw. He paused the Curse for a few seconds and then cast it again. When it was over, she lay on the floor gasping for breath.
“How have you spoken to your brother?” Voldemort walked to her so he was hovering over her still body; she curled up into a ball and covered her head with her hands, trying to shield herself in any way she could. He hissed at her, “We know you told him about practicing the Cruciatus Curse.”
“I haven’t! I swear!” She breathed. It hurt her entire body to just mutter those few words. She pleaded with them for her life.
“The moment has finally arrived that I have been waiting for since your insolence in the graveyard.” Mr. Malfoy smiled at her. “You are going to suffer for lying to us, for betraying the Dark Lord; oh, how much you are going to suffer. And then, dear girl, you are going to die.”
Stephanie again felt the force of Mr. Malfoy’s Curse on her body. He let it last for longer than she had ever endured it; it lasted so long, and she just wanted it to end. She didn’t know what had happened, but she did understand that she was finally going to be freed from her captivity. She didn’t know how long the torturing and pain would last, but in death she would no longer suffer.
When the Curse lifted, she had to tell them again. They had to understand. She whispered, “I didn’t.”
They weren’t listening to her. Voldemort slowly raised his wand and a bright light shot out from it. She felt her insides squeezing tightly; she was being crushed to death. She screamed until nothing came out, and then whimpered when the Curse finally lifted. Before she had a chance to breath, Voldemort hit her with another Cruciatus Curse. His Curses were much worse than anything Mr. Malfoy had ever used on her. She felt like her entire body was on fire, like there were pins and needles stabbing her over and over. She screamed, though no tears would come.
“Please,” she whispered, once again begging for her life. As much as she had accepted that she would not survive, she wasn’t ready to die. “I swear.”
“You could have lived a long and healthy life, my dear Stephanie. However, you were stupid and foolish. It greatly surprises me that you are much more brainless than even your dim-witted brother. I will teach you this last lesson before we kill you, Stephanie.” Voldemort stood over her. He said his next words very slowly. “Never betray Lord Voldemort.”
As Mr. Malfoy raised his wand again, Professor Snape walked in slowly. He looked from Mr. Malfoy to Stephanie, and then finally to Lord Voldemort.
“My Lord, what has she done now?” Snape asked without concern, his face completely blank.
Voldemort remained silent. He eyed Snape suspiciously as Mr. Malfoy responded, “She has been in communication with her brother and refuses to tell us how. Potter told Draco how much she enjoyed Cursing him.”
“Oh, really?” Snape asked. He looked to his master. “I am afraid, my Lord, that it was I who informed Potter of the lessons with Draco. It was on your orders, if you may remember, to release such information to the headmaster. I did not realize at the time that Potter was listening on the outside of the door.”
“I see,” Voldemort said quietly. “I am afraid we have been mistaken, then. You had better be more careful next time, Severus. If there is another informational leak such as this one, you may be terminated. I trust that you understand?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Snape said, unscathed.
“Now, why have you come to the manor when I instructed you to remain at Hogwarts?” Voldemort reprimanded him; he was disappointed in the disobedience of one of his most trusted servants.
“Dumbledore has disclosed some information that I wished to relay to you immediately. You will be most pleased.” Snape answered.
“Very well, we shall go to my quarters and discuss this in private.” Voldemort walked out of the room with Mr. Malfoy following close behind. Neither one gave Stephanie a second look.
Professor Snape walked over to her and placed two small pieces of parchment into her hand. Then he walked out the door, closing it behind him. Stephanie lay on the floor for a very long time; she wasn’t sure how long she stayed there. She was too weak and in too much pain from their torture. But she was still alive and she had Professor Snape to thank for that.
*~*~*~*
Professor Dumbledore had long since asked Harry if he wanted to go back to Gryffindor tower and get some sleep. Dumbledore had offered to summon Harry when he heard something, but Harry had refused. He wanted to be there immediately when Snape returned with news about his sister. He had to know that he didn’t have his sister killed.
For the past half hour, Harry had paced the length of the office many times over. He couldn’t sit still, he couldn’t do anything. Dumbledore had tried to calm him down, but it was no use. He knew it was his fault, and there was absolutely no way around it. His thoughts turned to his friends in the Gryffindor common room. What would they think of him after his outburst? They had grown fond of his sister, how were they going to react if she didn’t survive? How could he live with himself after what he had done?
Finally, after hours of waiting, Professor Snape came through the door of Dumbledore’s office. He nodded at Dumbledore, and Dumbledore sighed in relief.
“Sit down, Severus.” Dumbledore said quietly. “Tell us what has happened?”
“Once again,” Snape began. “In time, she will be alright. Luckily they had been slowly torturing her, so she was still alive when I arrived. They had planned on killing her, but only after Lucius got his revenge for her behavior in the graveyard. They would have questioned her and forcibly taken much more information from her than just that about the diaries. All would have been revealed, including my participation in the Order.”
Snape glared at Harry. Harry looked down at the ground. It wasn’t like he didn’t feel bad enough already. He muttered, “I’m sorry.”
Snape ignored him. “I told them that Mr. Potter had overheard me while I was explaining the lessons to you, headmaster.”
“Did Voldemort believe you?” Dumbledore asked.
“I think so, though he was suspicious as to why I was at the manor when he had ordered me to remain at Hogwarts.” Snape answered, he refused to remove his eyes from Harry.
“What did you tell him?” Dumbledore prodded.
“That you had given me information that the Dark Lord would find most pleasing.” He paused, took a breath, and then continued. “I told him you had set up security for what is hidden at the Ministry.”
“You did as you must,” Dumbledore conceded. He didn’t like the idea that Voldemort had possession of this information, but it had to be accepted if it saved Stephanie her life.
“I must tell you that if something like this happens again, Stephanie and I will both be eliminated.” Snape growled. He was angry at Potter for putting his life in danger. “Look at me, Potter.”
Harry reluctantly looked up at Professor Snape.
“You were selfish and foolish tonight, Potter. I will not tolerate your stupidity any longer. You are to return to your common room and retrieve your diary. I cannot allow you to have any more contact with your sister.” Snape ordered.
“But, sir!” Harry pleaded. He couldn’t lose contact with his sister. He knew that he would not be able to read the others’ diaries; they would have to read and write entries for him.
“That may be too harsh, Severus.” Dumbledore interjected. “If he can promise to keep his temper in line, I am sure he has learned his lesson well enough to keep the diary.”
Snape scoffed, but said nothing.
“Harry,” Dumbledore said to him. “You must not allow yourself to do anything like this again. Putting yourself in harms way is one thing, but causing danger to be placed upon your sister and Professor Snape is unacceptable. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, professor.” Harry didn’t need to be told that. He knew he had messed up. “I am sorry.”
“Maybe you should tell that to Stephanie.” Snape sneered. “I’m sure she appreciates being tortured relentlessly.”
Harry was excused and slowly walked himself up to Gryffindor tower, delaying the moment for as long as possible when he had to face his friends.
*~*~*~*
Immediately after Harry had left for Dumbledore’s office, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville had returned to the Gryffindor common room awaiting his return. Soon afterwards, Fred and George came in as well. They had never spoken to this girl, but they were still concerned for her safety. She was Harry’s sister after all.
Hermione pulled out her diary and began to write a pleading note to Stephanie.
She didn’t want to include the fact that Harry had been the one to tell Draco. There was no need to upset Stephanie any further by informing her of this information. When she was finished, she kept the diary open on the table in front of them so she could see if an entry was written.
“What is going to happen to her?” Fred asked the others.
Hermione didn’t want to think about what was going to happen to Stephanie. Of course she knew what this meant. Draco was going to immediately notify his father, who would happily tell Voldemort. Voldemort was going to kill Stephanie for her betrayal. Saying it out loud just made it so real, so she didn’t say anything. Tears began to fall from her eyes.
“We don’t know.” Ginny answered. She, too, had begun to cry. Neville squeezed Ginny’s hands in his own.
Ron got up and sat down next to Hermione. He put his arms around her shoulders and wrapped her in a long embrace.
They sat in silence; no one spoke for a very long time. Hermione did not blame Harry for what he had done. She knew that Harry felt horrible about his mistake, and she didn’t want to make it worse for him. Hermione also knew that Stephanie would not blame Harry; she was amazing in that way. Stephanie would take what happened as if it were nothing important and be happy that she had done something for Harry. Hermione just hoped the others would not blame him, either.
Hours later, Harry returned with good news. Stephanie was alive.
*~*~*~*
A few days later, Stephanie sat at the dinner table with all of Voldemort’s Death Eaters, except for Professor Snape. He was to remain at Hogwarts at all times to avoid raising suspicion of his participation in Voldemort’s activities.
“My dear friends,” Voldemort began with a twinkle in his eye. “The night has come for the rest of my followers to join us on our journey. I am excited to reveal that I will allow you all much more responsibility and ‘leisure’ activities very soon.”
Stephanie looked down at her plate of food while the rest of the Death Eaters smiled at their master. They were enthusiastic about the mission that evening and the plans Voldemort had for them in the near future. It had been so long since they had been allowed to participate in activities that coincided with their desire for a pureblood nation. They would soon be able to punish the blood traitors and innocent, unsuspecting muggles. Life was about to get much better for them.
However, Stephanie realized that her life was about to get much more difficult. With the now allowed activities that would begin very soon, it was increasingly likely that she would be required to participate. What was worse, Stephanie thought sadly, was that she would have to pretend to enjoy what she was doing to these innocent people. What made her more important than those she was hurting? She had thought this many times before. She was following orders so she would not be punished, but why should she spare herself and not the innocent? Stephanie forced herself to stop such thoughts. She couldn’t allow herself to think such things; these thoughts only made it much more difficult for her to bear.
“We will leave at ten exactly.” Voldemort was saying. “We shall all Apparate to the location. Lucius, you will be in charge of those on brooms. Make sure that all of my followers are released from their cells.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy answered proudly.
“Selwyn, Yaxley.” Voldemort said, looking around the table.
“Yes, my Lord.” They both answered.
“You will be leading the offensive on the ground, attacking the Aurors who will be guarding the prison.” Voldemort told them. “Use any means necessary to subdue them. The more dead, the better for me.”
“Absolutely, my Lord.” Selwyn answered his master.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort looked at her with determination.
“Yes, Master.” She said quietly, looking up to him.
“You will remain by my side. I shall be disillusioned so that the Aurors cannot see me.” Voldemort explained. “The rumors of my return are striking such levels of terror that I would not like it to end quite yet. I have debated whether I shall put you under a spell to ensure your maximum participation, what are your thoughts?”
Stephanie didn’t want to participate. She just wanted to walk out of the manor and leave, but she knew that this was an impossible option. She answered as she knew Voldemort expected of her. “My Lord, I live to serve you. I will do as you request and I will do it with pride. I will not try to escape.”
“You continue to please me, Stephanie.” He smiled at her. “You are excused; we will call for you when we are planning to leave.”
Stephanie got up and walked to her bedroom. She was horribly nervous about the task she was being asked to perform. What made it more difficult on her was the fact that she couldn’t tell the others about it. Sure, she could probably write about it tomorrow after it hit the newspapers, but she wanted to tell them about it now. It really frustrated her that she was going to be helping the woman who had tortured Neville’s parents so cruelly escape from the punishment that was not nearly good enough for her.
While she waited for the time to come, she opened her diary and wrote a quick note to Neville. Then, she pulled out the two pieces of parchment that Snape had given her the night he had saved her from Voldemort and Mr. Malfoy. Though the messages were short, they meant a lot to her.
Harry had apologized to her over and over throughout the past few days. She couldn’t believe he would be so careless, but she didn’t blame him. Of all people, she could understand how easy it was to lose your temper to the pureblood snob that was Draco Malfoy. She had tried repeatedly to assure him that she didn’t blame him, that everyone was allowed to make mistakes.
When she had finally gotten up from the floor, she had gone directly to the diary. There were a multitude of messages from each person begging for her to respond. She hadn’t wanted to say much because she wasn’t in the mood. But she did muster the energy to let them know that she was alright.
As he promised, Ron had continued to write inspiring messages for her to read each morning when she woke up. It amused her that he would do so, considering how much teasing he was likely to get from the others. Stephanie knew it was a huge gesture on his part to do these things. This caused her to realize how much she affected those around her. In front of her, each person acted in ways they wouldn’t normally when around other people. Professor Snape allowed emotion to show around her, though he did so quite infrequently, Neville opened up about his parents and had become quite outspoken to her, and Ron had begun talking about his feelings.
The morning after Harry had punched Draco, Stephanie sat uncomfortably at the breakfast table. She had still been in so much pain that she could barely walk, but she knew that she had to go down for the meal. There was no way that she could risk upsetting Voldemort again.
Voldemort had not directly brought up the incident of the night before, but she knew what he was hinting at. Half-way through the meal, he glared at her and asked in his slow and cunning voice, “You would not dare to betray your master, would you Stephanie?”
Stephanie swallowed her food and then responded. “No, my Lord. Even if I had someone to betray you to, my Lord, I would not. I live to serve you, my Lord.”
“Not even to your stupid brother? You saved him in the graveyard, how do I know you would not do the same again?” Voldemort hissed. He was very suspicious of her and she knew that she had to reassure him. Doing otherwise would result in her immediate death, she was sure of it.
“He abandoned me in that graveyard, Master.” She put a tone of hatred into her voice. It hurt her so much to say these words. “Harry does not care about me. He deserves to die, my Lord.” She paused to look at Voldemort longingly, pleadingly. “You are the only person who cares about me, my Lord. I must live to serve you, to please you.”
“Very well.” Voldemort had said and allowed her to finish the meal in silence. Soon afterwards, she had been excused and they began their next Dark Arts lesson.
Stephanie was brought back to the present. Finally, she was summoned downstairs and it was time to leave for Azkaban prison. She put on her robes, placed the diary under her mattress, put her wand in her pocket, and walked down the stairs. The Death Eaters were already dressed and masked and were beginning to file outside. Without being told to, she walked over to Voldemort and remained by his side where they lingered for a few moments. She knew that she was to remain by his side until they returned.
They stepped outside and Voldemort motioned for the others to begin the mission. He placed the disillusionment spell on himself and then gently grabbed hold of her hand. She heard several loud cracks and then she was removed from the Lestrange grounds. They appeared on the Azkaban grounds a few moments later. It was a dark and dreary place; the prison was the tallest building she had ever seen.
It was freezing and Stephanie shivered when she saw the dementors floating around the prison. They made her feel completely miserable. She knew they would not harm her with Voldemort standing next to her, but they still scared her. Voldemort had told her that he had convinced the dementors to join him in his fight. They would allow the prisoners to escape, and then flee, waiting for Voldemort to summon them again.
Stephanie saw wizards flying on brooms above her head and wizards on the ground preparing for battle. Suddenly, there were spells flying everywhere as the Aurors realized what was happening. Voldemort didn’t waste any time; Stephanie heard him yell, “Expulso!”
She watched in awe at the power of his spell. The wall of the prison collapsed and fell like an avalanche of snow sliding down a mountain. She heard the screams of the surprised inmates and the injured Aurors.
Voldemort’s voice boomed through the air. She jumped at the sound; she hadn’t been expecting him to speak. “My dear followers, I thank you for what you have sacrificed for me. Now we have come for you.”
The Death Eaters on brooms flew to the topmost cells of the prison and pulled their friends out of the rubble. Once all of the Death Eater prisoners had been placed on a broom, they began to retreat.
“It is time, Stephanie.” Voldemort told her. She could not see him, but she had known that he was still there. Stephanie lifted her wand and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath.
“I don’t know if I can cast the spell that far.” She said to herself, though Voldemort had heard her speak.
“Of course you can.” He assured her. “You just need to concentrate.”
She took another deep breath. It would be difficult to make the spell reach that far, so she knew it would take all of her energy. Finally, she forced herself to conjure the Dark Mark. Into the sky, she bellowed, “MORSMORDRE!”
Stephanie heard Voldemort clap his hands in delight at the sight of the perfect Dark Mark as it hovered brightly above the prison. She felt Voldemort take hold of her hand again, and soon they were back on the grounds of the Lestrange manor.
Note: So here is where I start to deviate from the books a little. I know that the breakout is much earlier than it was in book 5, but I need it sooner than later for the purposes that you will learn in the next couple of chapters. With that being said, I could only find evidence of 4 names of the prisoners who had escaped, so I chose the ones who did. These names you will also learn in the next chapter.
With that being said, I hope you liked this one! I would greatly appreciate any feedback! And Chapter Seventeen should be up either Thursday or Friday.
Harry was waiting anxiously in Dumbledore’s office when Professor Snape came rushing in. Dumbledore stood up when the door opened.
“What is it, headmaster?” Snape asked. He had the impression that there was an emergency.
Dumbledore shook his head in disappointment. “I must request that you go see what you can do for Stephanie. Maybe she can be spared. Harry will explain what has happened.”
“I didn’t mean to.” Harry pleaded with his headmaster. He put his head in his hands and began to cry. “It was an accident. I’m so sorry.”
“What have you done?” Snape said accusingly, eyeing Harry suspiciously.
Harry looked up and began his account of the incident in the Great Hall. “He said that he had tortured her all summer; that he loved listening to her beg for them to kill her. I lost control and I hit him.”
Snape looked at the headmaster. “That is not too bad; surely they will not kill her because Harry is an idiot.”
Harry lowered his head again and looked at the floor. Wringing his hands, he admitted quietly, “I told him that she enjoyed performing the Curse.”
Snape stood in stunned silence for a moment and then turned to Dumbledore. “I don’t know if there’s anything I can do, but I will try. Let’s just hope I am not too late.”
Professor Snape left quickly while Harry remained in Dumbledore’s office. He was so disappointed in himself and he couldn’t face any of his friends. How could he be so stupid as to let that come out of his mouth? After all his sister has done for him, he couldn’t even control his temper to protect her. The look on Hermione’s face had been heartbreaking to see after he realized what he had done. She knew exactly what his actions would cost Stephanie, but she didn’t say anything. It was Ron who had ordered Harry up to Dumbledore’s office.
“There is nothing we can do now except wait.” Dumbledore said quietly. The disappointment in his eyes was much worse than the night Harry and Ron had driven the Weasley’s magical car to Hogwarts in their second year. Harry couldn’t bring himself to look at his headmaster. They waited in silence until Professor Snape returned with news.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie lay on her bed studying the Dark Arts books for what seemed to be the thousandth time, since there was nothing else for her to do. She had to admit that she was getting kind of bored with the same routine each day. She got up, ate breakfast, had a training lesson, ate lunch, had another lesson, ate dinner, and then went to bed. It was getting very tedious.
She had also done a lot of thinking after her conversation with Ron. It was refreshing to have someone be so upfront with her. The others usually just tried to make her feel better and tell her that she was deserving of them, but Ron had made it clear that it was up to her to take things seriously and change her thinking. It was up to her, and no one else, to make sure that things got done. It was the wake up call she needed, and she no longer felt bad about her assault on Draco. Though, she did continue to promise herself that she would eventually do something to make it up to him.
Suddenly, her door burst open and she was lifted into the air and slammed against the wall. She cried out in pain and surprise as she was thrown to the floor with a terrible force that knocked the air out of her lungs. Lucius Malfoy pulled her to a standing position by her ponytail and dug his want into her neck. Voldemort stood next to him. Mr. Malfoy and Voldemort were eyeing her angrily as she was wheezing for breath.
“How are you communicating with Harry?” Mr. Malfoy asked her in his quiet, seething voice. “How did you tell him?”
Stephanie thought for a moment, she looked back and forth between Mr. Malfoy and Voldemort. She tried to answer calmly, but her voice failed her. She opened her mouth again and this time she was able to speak. In a high-pitched and panicked voice she said, “I don’t know what you are talking about!”
“Crucio!” Mr. Malfoy said with pleasure in his voice. She fell to the floor and writhed in pain. She screamed so long that her voice became raw. He paused the Curse for a few seconds and then cast it again. When it was over, she lay on the floor gasping for breath.
“How have you spoken to your brother?” Voldemort walked to her so he was hovering over her still body; she curled up into a ball and covered her head with her hands, trying to shield herself in any way she could. He hissed at her, “We know you told him about practicing the Cruciatus Curse.”
“I haven’t! I swear!” She breathed. It hurt her entire body to just mutter those few words. She pleaded with them for her life.
“The moment has finally arrived that I have been waiting for since your insolence in the graveyard.” Mr. Malfoy smiled at her. “You are going to suffer for lying to us, for betraying the Dark Lord; oh, how much you are going to suffer. And then, dear girl, you are going to die.”
Stephanie again felt the force of Mr. Malfoy’s Curse on her body. He let it last for longer than she had ever endured it; it lasted so long, and she just wanted it to end. She didn’t know what had happened, but she did understand that she was finally going to be freed from her captivity. She didn’t know how long the torturing and pain would last, but in death she would no longer suffer.
When the Curse lifted, she had to tell them again. They had to understand. She whispered, “I didn’t.”
They weren’t listening to her. Voldemort slowly raised his wand and a bright light shot out from it. She felt her insides squeezing tightly; she was being crushed to death. She screamed until nothing came out, and then whimpered when the Curse finally lifted. Before she had a chance to breath, Voldemort hit her with another Cruciatus Curse. His Curses were much worse than anything Mr. Malfoy had ever used on her. She felt like her entire body was on fire, like there were pins and needles stabbing her over and over. She screamed, though no tears would come.
“Please,” she whispered, once again begging for her life. As much as she had accepted that she would not survive, she wasn’t ready to die. “I swear.”
“You could have lived a long and healthy life, my dear Stephanie. However, you were stupid and foolish. It greatly surprises me that you are much more brainless than even your dim-witted brother. I will teach you this last lesson before we kill you, Stephanie.” Voldemort stood over her. He said his next words very slowly. “Never betray Lord Voldemort.”
As Mr. Malfoy raised his wand again, Professor Snape walked in slowly. He looked from Mr. Malfoy to Stephanie, and then finally to Lord Voldemort.
“My Lord, what has she done now?” Snape asked without concern, his face completely blank.
Voldemort remained silent. He eyed Snape suspiciously as Mr. Malfoy responded, “She has been in communication with her brother and refuses to tell us how. Potter told Draco how much she enjoyed Cursing him.”
“Oh, really?” Snape asked. He looked to his master. “I am afraid, my Lord, that it was I who informed Potter of the lessons with Draco. It was on your orders, if you may remember, to release such information to the headmaster. I did not realize at the time that Potter was listening on the outside of the door.”
“I see,” Voldemort said quietly. “I am afraid we have been mistaken, then. You had better be more careful next time, Severus. If there is another informational leak such as this one, you may be terminated. I trust that you understand?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Snape said, unscathed.
“Now, why have you come to the manor when I instructed you to remain at Hogwarts?” Voldemort reprimanded him; he was disappointed in the disobedience of one of his most trusted servants.
“Dumbledore has disclosed some information that I wished to relay to you immediately. You will be most pleased.” Snape answered.
“Very well, we shall go to my quarters and discuss this in private.” Voldemort walked out of the room with Mr. Malfoy following close behind. Neither one gave Stephanie a second look.
Professor Snape walked over to her and placed two small pieces of parchment into her hand. Then he walked out the door, closing it behind him. Stephanie lay on the floor for a very long time; she wasn’t sure how long she stayed there. She was too weak and in too much pain from their torture. But she was still alive and she had Professor Snape to thank for that.
*~*~*~*
Professor Dumbledore had long since asked Harry if he wanted to go back to Gryffindor tower and get some sleep. Dumbledore had offered to summon Harry when he heard something, but Harry had refused. He wanted to be there immediately when Snape returned with news about his sister. He had to know that he didn’t have his sister killed.
For the past half hour, Harry had paced the length of the office many times over. He couldn’t sit still, he couldn’t do anything. Dumbledore had tried to calm him down, but it was no use. He knew it was his fault, and there was absolutely no way around it. His thoughts turned to his friends in the Gryffindor common room. What would they think of him after his outburst? They had grown fond of his sister, how were they going to react if she didn’t survive? How could he live with himself after what he had done?
Finally, after hours of waiting, Professor Snape came through the door of Dumbledore’s office. He nodded at Dumbledore, and Dumbledore sighed in relief.
“Sit down, Severus.” Dumbledore said quietly. “Tell us what has happened?”
“Once again,” Snape began. “In time, she will be alright. Luckily they had been slowly torturing her, so she was still alive when I arrived. They had planned on killing her, but only after Lucius got his revenge for her behavior in the graveyard. They would have questioned her and forcibly taken much more information from her than just that about the diaries. All would have been revealed, including my participation in the Order.”
Snape glared at Harry. Harry looked down at the ground. It wasn’t like he didn’t feel bad enough already. He muttered, “I’m sorry.”
Snape ignored him. “I told them that Mr. Potter had overheard me while I was explaining the lessons to you, headmaster.”
“Did Voldemort believe you?” Dumbledore asked.
“I think so, though he was suspicious as to why I was at the manor when he had ordered me to remain at Hogwarts.” Snape answered, he refused to remove his eyes from Harry.
“What did you tell him?” Dumbledore prodded.
“That you had given me information that the Dark Lord would find most pleasing.” He paused, took a breath, and then continued. “I told him you had set up security for what is hidden at the Ministry.”
“You did as you must,” Dumbledore conceded. He didn’t like the idea that Voldemort had possession of this information, but it had to be accepted if it saved Stephanie her life.
“I must tell you that if something like this happens again, Stephanie and I will both be eliminated.” Snape growled. He was angry at Potter for putting his life in danger. “Look at me, Potter.”
Harry reluctantly looked up at Professor Snape.
“You were selfish and foolish tonight, Potter. I will not tolerate your stupidity any longer. You are to return to your common room and retrieve your diary. I cannot allow you to have any more contact with your sister.” Snape ordered.
“But, sir!” Harry pleaded. He couldn’t lose contact with his sister. He knew that he would not be able to read the others’ diaries; they would have to read and write entries for him.
“That may be too harsh, Severus.” Dumbledore interjected. “If he can promise to keep his temper in line, I am sure he has learned his lesson well enough to keep the diary.”
Snape scoffed, but said nothing.
“Harry,” Dumbledore said to him. “You must not allow yourself to do anything like this again. Putting yourself in harms way is one thing, but causing danger to be placed upon your sister and Professor Snape is unacceptable. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, professor.” Harry didn’t need to be told that. He knew he had messed up. “I am sorry.”
“Maybe you should tell that to Stephanie.” Snape sneered. “I’m sure she appreciates being tortured relentlessly.”
Harry was excused and slowly walked himself up to Gryffindor tower, delaying the moment for as long as possible when he had to face his friends.
*~*~*~*
Immediately after Harry had left for Dumbledore’s office, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville had returned to the Gryffindor common room awaiting his return. Soon afterwards, Fred and George came in as well. They had never spoken to this girl, but they were still concerned for her safety. She was Harry’s sister after all.
Hermione pulled out her diary and began to write a pleading note to Stephanie.
Draco accidentally found out that Harry has been communicating with you. Please be careful and let us know if you are okay! We are so worried about you. –Hermione
She didn’t want to include the fact that Harry had been the one to tell Draco. There was no need to upset Stephanie any further by informing her of this information. When she was finished, she kept the diary open on the table in front of them so she could see if an entry was written.
“What is going to happen to her?” Fred asked the others.
Hermione didn’t want to think about what was going to happen to Stephanie. Of course she knew what this meant. Draco was going to immediately notify his father, who would happily tell Voldemort. Voldemort was going to kill Stephanie for her betrayal. Saying it out loud just made it so real, so she didn’t say anything. Tears began to fall from her eyes.
“We don’t know.” Ginny answered. She, too, had begun to cry. Neville squeezed Ginny’s hands in his own.
Ron got up and sat down next to Hermione. He put his arms around her shoulders and wrapped her in a long embrace.
They sat in silence; no one spoke for a very long time. Hermione did not blame Harry for what he had done. She knew that Harry felt horrible about his mistake, and she didn’t want to make it worse for him. Hermione also knew that Stephanie would not blame Harry; she was amazing in that way. Stephanie would take what happened as if it were nothing important and be happy that she had done something for Harry. Hermione just hoped the others would not blame him, either.
Hours later, Harry returned with good news. Stephanie was alive.
*~*~*~*
A few days later, Stephanie sat at the dinner table with all of Voldemort’s Death Eaters, except for Professor Snape. He was to remain at Hogwarts at all times to avoid raising suspicion of his participation in Voldemort’s activities.
“My dear friends,” Voldemort began with a twinkle in his eye. “The night has come for the rest of my followers to join us on our journey. I am excited to reveal that I will allow you all much more responsibility and ‘leisure’ activities very soon.”
Stephanie looked down at her plate of food while the rest of the Death Eaters smiled at their master. They were enthusiastic about the mission that evening and the plans Voldemort had for them in the near future. It had been so long since they had been allowed to participate in activities that coincided with their desire for a pureblood nation. They would soon be able to punish the blood traitors and innocent, unsuspecting muggles. Life was about to get much better for them.
However, Stephanie realized that her life was about to get much more difficult. With the now allowed activities that would begin very soon, it was increasingly likely that she would be required to participate. What was worse, Stephanie thought sadly, was that she would have to pretend to enjoy what she was doing to these innocent people. What made her more important than those she was hurting? She had thought this many times before. She was following orders so she would not be punished, but why should she spare herself and not the innocent? Stephanie forced herself to stop such thoughts. She couldn’t allow herself to think such things; these thoughts only made it much more difficult for her to bear.
“We will leave at ten exactly.” Voldemort was saying. “We shall all Apparate to the location. Lucius, you will be in charge of those on brooms. Make sure that all of my followers are released from their cells.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy answered proudly.
“Selwyn, Yaxley.” Voldemort said, looking around the table.
“Yes, my Lord.” They both answered.
“You will be leading the offensive on the ground, attacking the Aurors who will be guarding the prison.” Voldemort told them. “Use any means necessary to subdue them. The more dead, the better for me.”
“Absolutely, my Lord.” Selwyn answered his master.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort looked at her with determination.
“Yes, Master.” She said quietly, looking up to him.
“You will remain by my side. I shall be disillusioned so that the Aurors cannot see me.” Voldemort explained. “The rumors of my return are striking such levels of terror that I would not like it to end quite yet. I have debated whether I shall put you under a spell to ensure your maximum participation, what are your thoughts?”
Stephanie didn’t want to participate. She just wanted to walk out of the manor and leave, but she knew that this was an impossible option. She answered as she knew Voldemort expected of her. “My Lord, I live to serve you. I will do as you request and I will do it with pride. I will not try to escape.”
“You continue to please me, Stephanie.” He smiled at her. “You are excused; we will call for you when we are planning to leave.”
Stephanie got up and walked to her bedroom. She was horribly nervous about the task she was being asked to perform. What made it more difficult on her was the fact that she couldn’t tell the others about it. Sure, she could probably write about it tomorrow after it hit the newspapers, but she wanted to tell them about it now. It really frustrated her that she was going to be helping the woman who had tortured Neville’s parents so cruelly escape from the punishment that was not nearly good enough for her.
While she waited for the time to come, she opened her diary and wrote a quick note to Neville. Then, she pulled out the two pieces of parchment that Snape had given her the night he had saved her from Voldemort and Mr. Malfoy. Though the messages were short, they meant a lot to her.
You are very strong. –Dumbledore
~
I love you so much! –Harry
~
I love you so much! –Harry
Harry had apologized to her over and over throughout the past few days. She couldn’t believe he would be so careless, but she didn’t blame him. Of all people, she could understand how easy it was to lose your temper to the pureblood snob that was Draco Malfoy. She had tried repeatedly to assure him that she didn’t blame him, that everyone was allowed to make mistakes.
When she had finally gotten up from the floor, she had gone directly to the diary. There were a multitude of messages from each person begging for her to respond. She hadn’t wanted to say much because she wasn’t in the mood. But she did muster the energy to let them know that she was alright.
As he promised, Ron had continued to write inspiring messages for her to read each morning when she woke up. It amused her that he would do so, considering how much teasing he was likely to get from the others. Stephanie knew it was a huge gesture on his part to do these things. This caused her to realize how much she affected those around her. In front of her, each person acted in ways they wouldn’t normally when around other people. Professor Snape allowed emotion to show around her, though he did so quite infrequently, Neville opened up about his parents and had become quite outspoken to her, and Ron had begun talking about his feelings.
The morning after Harry had punched Draco, Stephanie sat uncomfortably at the breakfast table. She had still been in so much pain that she could barely walk, but she knew that she had to go down for the meal. There was no way that she could risk upsetting Voldemort again.
Voldemort had not directly brought up the incident of the night before, but she knew what he was hinting at. Half-way through the meal, he glared at her and asked in his slow and cunning voice, “You would not dare to betray your master, would you Stephanie?”
Stephanie swallowed her food and then responded. “No, my Lord. Even if I had someone to betray you to, my Lord, I would not. I live to serve you, my Lord.”
“Not even to your stupid brother? You saved him in the graveyard, how do I know you would not do the same again?” Voldemort hissed. He was very suspicious of her and she knew that she had to reassure him. Doing otherwise would result in her immediate death, she was sure of it.
“He abandoned me in that graveyard, Master.” She put a tone of hatred into her voice. It hurt her so much to say these words. “Harry does not care about me. He deserves to die, my Lord.” She paused to look at Voldemort longingly, pleadingly. “You are the only person who cares about me, my Lord. I must live to serve you, to please you.”
“Very well.” Voldemort had said and allowed her to finish the meal in silence. Soon afterwards, she had been excused and they began their next Dark Arts lesson.
Stephanie was brought back to the present. Finally, she was summoned downstairs and it was time to leave for Azkaban prison. She put on her robes, placed the diary under her mattress, put her wand in her pocket, and walked down the stairs. The Death Eaters were already dressed and masked and were beginning to file outside. Without being told to, she walked over to Voldemort and remained by his side where they lingered for a few moments. She knew that she was to remain by his side until they returned.
They stepped outside and Voldemort motioned for the others to begin the mission. He placed the disillusionment spell on himself and then gently grabbed hold of her hand. She heard several loud cracks and then she was removed from the Lestrange grounds. They appeared on the Azkaban grounds a few moments later. It was a dark and dreary place; the prison was the tallest building she had ever seen.
It was freezing and Stephanie shivered when she saw the dementors floating around the prison. They made her feel completely miserable. She knew they would not harm her with Voldemort standing next to her, but they still scared her. Voldemort had told her that he had convinced the dementors to join him in his fight. They would allow the prisoners to escape, and then flee, waiting for Voldemort to summon them again.
Stephanie saw wizards flying on brooms above her head and wizards on the ground preparing for battle. Suddenly, there were spells flying everywhere as the Aurors realized what was happening. Voldemort didn’t waste any time; Stephanie heard him yell, “Expulso!”
She watched in awe at the power of his spell. The wall of the prison collapsed and fell like an avalanche of snow sliding down a mountain. She heard the screams of the surprised inmates and the injured Aurors.
Voldemort’s voice boomed through the air. She jumped at the sound; she hadn’t been expecting him to speak. “My dear followers, I thank you for what you have sacrificed for me. Now we have come for you.”
The Death Eaters on brooms flew to the topmost cells of the prison and pulled their friends out of the rubble. Once all of the Death Eater prisoners had been placed on a broom, they began to retreat.
“It is time, Stephanie.” Voldemort told her. She could not see him, but she had known that he was still there. Stephanie lifted her wand and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath.
“I don’t know if I can cast the spell that far.” She said to herself, though Voldemort had heard her speak.
“Of course you can.” He assured her. “You just need to concentrate.”
She took another deep breath. It would be difficult to make the spell reach that far, so she knew it would take all of her energy. Finally, she forced herself to conjure the Dark Mark. Into the sky, she bellowed, “MORSMORDRE!”
Stephanie heard Voldemort clap his hands in delight at the sight of the perfect Dark Mark as it hovered brightly above the prison. She felt Voldemort take hold of her hand again, and soon they were back on the grounds of the Lestrange manor.
Note: So here is where I start to deviate from the books a little. I know that the breakout is much earlier than it was in book 5, but I need it sooner than later for the purposes that you will learn in the next couple of chapters. With that being said, I could only find evidence of 4 names of the prisoners who had escaped, so I chose the ones who did. These names you will also learn in the next chapter.
With that being said, I hope you liked this one! I would greatly appreciate any feedback!
And Chapter Seventeen should be up either Thursday or Friday.
WARNING: I am rating this chapter PG-13 for a little bit of violence.
Chapter Seventeen: Welcome Home
The manor was full of people and it made Stephanie very uncomfortable. First of all, she hated being in a room with more than a couple people. It was so awkward because she never had anything to say. Second, she didn’t feel like mingling with anyone. These were the most violent and dangerous criminals that had been in Azkaban, and she knew the only reason she was still alive was because of Voldemort, however ironic that was. The thought disgusted her greatly. She slowly made her way to the stairs leading up to her bedroom, trying hard not to be noticed. She paused on the first step, closed her eyes, and let out a breath of defeat when she heard someone call her name.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort hissed her name. “Have you been dismissed?”
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie said dejectedly.
“Then, where do you think you are going?” He asked her playfully, toying with her.
She pointed upstairs. “To bed, my Lord.”
He smiled and gestured for her to join him. “Oh, but there are so many people I’d like to introduce you to.”
Stephanie had no choice but to return to her master’s side. She nodded and walked over to him. Voldemort put his arm around her shoulders and Stephanie wanted to shrink back. She didn’t want him to touch her, but she knew better than to show such signs of disrespect.
He spoke to her, “Stephanie, that is Antonin Dolohov, Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Jugson, Mulciber, Augustus Rookwood, and Travers.” They weren’t all standing nearby, so he pointed them out when he reached their names. “These are my most loyal followers; they were willing to serve time in Azkaban for me. Their sacrifices will be greatly rewarded.”
She nodded at each of them when they were introduced. Voldemort then turned to the three people standing next to him and he smiled at Stephanie expectantly. “These three are my most admired and faithful servants, Stephanie. Rabastan, Rodolphus, and Bellatrix Lestrange. They have participated in the most notorious attacks that we have ever executed.”
Stephanie suddenly realized what he was getting at, what he had wanted for her since his return. She knew that she had to redeem herself from the incident the other night, so to please her master she looked at Bellatrix and said, very quietly, “I hope that you could teach me.”
Bellatrix let out a loud laugh. Stephanie’s insides turned over at the sound; this woman’s very presence terrified her. “Me, teach a Potter?”
“Stephanie is highly skilled and would benefit ever so greatly with your assistance, Bella.” Voldemort asked of his follower. Bellatrix stopped laughing immediately and Voldemort continued. “I hope that you would be willing to mentor her and teach her what it truly means to be a Death Eater and follower of the great Lord Voldemort.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Bellatrix breathed. “I would be honored if it pleases you so.”
“I thank you, Bella.” Voldemort smiled at Bellatrix, and then turned to his guests. “If I may have your attention.”
The others quieted down and all eyes turned to Voldemort. “I want to thank everyone for joining me this evening in celebrating the return of my faithful followers. I know you have been locked away for a very long time, and I am happy to say that we will get to business very, very soon.
“But first, I would like to introduce you all to my little project.” He paused and gestured towards Stephanie. She shrank back, accidentally bumping into Bellatrix, uncomfortable as all eyes wandered to her. Everyone laughed as she yelped in surprise after Bellatrix pushed her to the floor; and then they looked back at Voldemort. “This is Stephanie Potter. She is Harry Potter’s twin sister, and she has graciously joined my forces. We will be training her, so she may be accompanying you on some of your missions. Keep an eye on her and give her advice when you see fit. However, no one is to harm her. Do you all understand?”
The room nodded in unison as several people murmured, “Yes, my Lord.” She felt their cold stares; Stephanie knew that they all hated her. She was the sister of the boy who had caused Voldemort’s downfall fourteen years ago. Many of those present had been put into Azkaban because of Harry. They did not take kindly to that, and so they despised her; but they would not harm her.
Voldemort had her join him in his rounds to speak with all of the Death Eaters. She had been forced to listen to stories as they all reminisced of torture and bloodshed. Stephanie didn’t say much, only when she was spoken to, and she became sick to her stomach.
The worst was when she had to endure the story of Frank and Alice Longbottom, Neville’s parents. It took all she could muster to not let the disgust and horror she was feeling let show on her face.
“It took over four hours, but we finally broke them,” Rabastan was saying, with a huge grin on his face. “We left Frank incapacitated but conscious so that he could watch his wife’s demise.”
“Oh it was fabulous!” Bellatrix shrieked, clapping her hands together in excitement. She was bouncing on her heels remembering the experience. “She continued to scream long after the Curse was lifted, she was in so much pain. Frank was begging us to spare her, but we couldn’t do that. Could we?”
“Neither one would tell us where the boy was, not that that matters much, since we would have continued anyway.” Rodolphus said squeezing his wife’s hand. They both smiled gleefully.
“The wife was the first one to go and she suffered the Curse the longest. To see the light go out of her eyes as she lost her mind.” Bellatrix looked to her master. “It was so exhilarating!’
“Bellatrix pretty much did all of the work.” Rabastan added. “It was horribly disappointing that we didn’t get to kill them, but they suffered much longer and severely than we ever could have imagined.”
They continued this discussion for about twenty more minutes. Just when Stephanie thought she couldn’t take anymore, she was finally excused and allowed to go to bed. When she got upstairs, she longed to take out the diary and write to her friends. However, she didn’t dare take it out with so many people downstairs. Who knew if someone would come upstairs and walk in on her? No, she decided. She couldn’t risk it. Instead, she decided to write a letter to Sirius.
Stephanie folded the parchment and placed it in her diary. The next time she was alone with Professor Snape, she would have him deliver the letter to her godfather.
*~*~*~*
“Neville, what did Stephanie mean in her entry last night?” Ron asked. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast. They had just finished complaining about their new Defense of the Dark Arts professor, Delores Jane Umbridge, and were delaying the moment they had to leave for her class.
“I don’t know. I asked her, and she never responded.” Neville answered. He had been concerned when he had read the entry. Stephanie must have had a good reason to feel as she did, but he wished she would have told him why.
Suddenly, a small brown owl dropped the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet into Hermione’s bowl of cereal. She gasped when she saw the headline and immediately reached for her diary. The others watched as Hermione opened the diary and read aloud Stephanie’s entry from the previous night.
“I think we have our answer.” Hermione said sadly. She laid the newspaper on the table and the others could see Stephanie clearly standing there, her wand pointed towards the sky, and with a look of deep concentration on her face. Ginny picked it up and read it aloud.
They sat in silence for a moment reflecting on what they had just heard. None of them could believe that Stephanie had not told them this was going to happen. Surely she had been told of this plan beforehand, especially since she played a part in it.
“Why wouldn’t she tell us about this?” Harry asked.
“What could we have done if we had known?” Ginny responded. “Nothing. That is why she didn’t tell us.”
“But, why did she apologize-” Ron began to ask and then he let out a gasp of pain as Hermione kicked his shin under the table. He rubbed his leg and exclaimed, “Ow!”
“Bellatrix Lestrange,” Neville muttered under his breath. He understood why Stephanie had apologized to him; she knew what she had to do, and it tore her up to do so. He tried so hard not to blame Stephanie for what had happened, but it really was difficult. Bellatrix was the person who had tortured his parents into insanity, and now she was free. He hung his head.
“Neville, you know that she had no choice.” Hermione had watched Neville’s reaction to the article. “Bellatrix will get what she deserves.”
Neville nodded. In his heart, he knew that Hermione was right. He just needed to convince his head that it wasn’t Stephanie’s fault. At times he had thought that it was impossible for the amount of feelings he had for this girl because they had never met. But, they had grown quite close and he was concerned about what she was being forced to do. He quickly wrote an entry in the diary before it was time to leave for their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.
*~*~*~*
The next few days went by pretty quickly. There were Death Eaters randomly in and out of the manor; Voldemort was allowing attacks to occur daily. Stephanie’s lessons with Bellatrix hadn’t started yet because Voldemort wanted to give Bella a few days of vacation before starting up again.
The Lestranges stayed at the manor, since it was their home. Stephanie had remained in her room even more than normal, eating her meals much more quickly than she used to. Their discussions were enough to make Stephanie nauseous and her appetite was nonexistent. Stephanie had to force herself to keep a blank expression and it was very tiring. She knew that it would only get more difficult from then on.
On the fourth day after the escape, Voldemort addressed Stephanie at the breakfast table. “Your lessons with Bella will begin today.”
Stephanie nodded. She then gathered the courage to ask, “What will I be learning?”
Bellatrix smiled deviously. Stephanie looked at the woman in awe. Sure, she was horribly wicked and enjoyed the suffering of others. But she was still a very, very talented witch. Stephanie knew that the things this woman would teach her would be terrible, but they would also help to improve her own magical abilities.
“I don’t believe in lessons.” Bellatrix said. She cocked her head to the side to see Stephanie’s reaction. “What I will be teaching you will be done in a practical setting.”
Stephanie looked from Bellatrix to Voldemort questioningly. She didn’t know what Bellatrix meant by that. Maybe she did understand and just refused to believe it. Voldemort chuckled at Stephanie’s naivety.
“You will be practicing on actual people, in the field.” Voldemort explained. “From now on, you will be learning tactics such as how to obtain information, torture, and murder.”
He paused as Stephanie choked on her breakfast. Bellatrix shrieked in delight. Stephanie knew Bellatrix would get such pleasure out of watching her perform these spells. Stephanie began to panic because she knew that she wasn’t ready to do this. She didn’t want to do this, but she knew she had to.
Voldemort continued. “I also expect you to perfect the art of nonverbal spell casting. This will come in very handy for you, and it is imperative that you learn this immediately. Therefore, none of the spells you cast from now on shall be verbalized. Do you understand?”
Stephanie nodded. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Now, go and have fun.” Voldemort dismissed Stephanie and Bellatrix with a wave of his hand.
The two stood up and Stephanie followed Bellatrix outside the manor gates. Bellatrix grabbed her arm and Disapparated them from the grounds. When they got to their destination, Stephanie looked around. They appeared to be in a large building with lots of stores. Stephanie had heard of these before, they were in a muggle mall. There were so many people; Stephanie was afraid of what she was going to be required to do.
Without releasing Stephanie’s arm, Bellatrix forced Stephanie to face her. Bellatrix hissed in her face, “I am only doing this to please the Dark Lord. You are only to speak if I directly address you, do you understand?”
Stephanie nodded. This woman still terrified her. Bellatrix continued. “I do not trust you and I never will. None of us can see why the Dark Lord is so interested in you. If we had our way, you would have been dead a very long time ago. You had better watch yourself, because one mistake, one slip up, and you will be dead.”
She looked at the ground. Stephanie couldn’t bear to look this woman in the eyes. She knew that Bellatrix would make good of her threat at the slightest provocation. Stephanie knew that she had to work that much harder to make sure she survived her time with the Death Eaters and away from Voldemort’s watchful eye. She couldn’t give Voldemort a reason to let his Death Eaters fulfill their desire to get rid of her.
Bellatrix began to look around the mall, and Stephanie watched as Bellatrix’s eyes paused on a little girl. The mother of this little girl was nearby and she appeared to be distracted with bags and a stroller with another child. The little girl was tugging on her mom’s shirt, begging for her mom to buy her a toy. Bellatrix’s mouth curved into a sinister grin.
“Cast the Imperius Curse on her and walk her over to that balcony.” Bellatrix instructed while pointing to where Stephanie was to take the girl. Stephanie had never cast the Imperius Curse before, but she knew what it did. She closed her eyes at the realization of what Bellatrix was asking of her.
Stephanie pointed her wand at the little girl and took a deep breath. She cast the spell in her head and the girl began to silently walk away from her mother. Stephanie led the girl up the escalators to the fourth floor of the mall. Suddenly, there was a scream on the floor that Bellatrix and Stephanie were on. The little girl’s mother had realized her daughter was missing.
“Hailey!” The mom screamed throughout the mall looking for her daughter. “Where is my daughter? Hailey! Come to mommy!”
Stephanie continued leading the girl to the balcony and the child climbed over the railing. She forced the girl to hang onto the bars and Stephanie stared in horror at the little girl, knowing all too well what Bellatrix was going to order her to do. Surprisingly, Bellatrix ordered her to release the spell. She lifted the Curse reluctantly because the girl was still in incredible danger hanging from the railings.
“Mommy!” The little girl awoke from the spell. She began to cry and scream for her mother. “Help Me! Mommy!”
The child’s mother looked up and screamed in horror at what she saw. Her daughter was hanging onto the railing on the fourth floor balcony inside the mall. She screamed for someone to help her daughter. “Hailey! Hold on!”
Stephanie couldn’t take her eyes off the scene. She wanted to cry but nothing would come; all emotion drained from her body. She was horrified, but she didn’t feel sad. Stephanie was shocked at this feeling, or lack thereof. Bellatrix grabbed her arm and Stephanie prepared for Disapparition. Just as Stephanie realized that the little girl might be spared, she watched in dismay as Bellatrix flicked her wand towards the child and the girl lost her balance. Stephanie watched in slow motion as the little girl fell to her death. The last thing she heard were the screams of the little girl’s mother and Bellatrix’s hysterical laughter. After what seemed like hours, they were finally back at the Lestrange manor.
She walked silently up to her room and closed the door behind her. She pulled the diary out from under her mattress and opened it up. There was no way that she could write in it just then, she just had to see the handwriting of those who cared about her. She needed to know that she wasn’t alone. A piece of parchment fell out of the diary as she flipped through the pages. Stephanie picked it up off the bed and realized that Professor Snape must have slipped it in there while she was gone. She unrolled the parchment and read the letter from her godfather.
After reading the letter from Sirius, she thought that she might be able to handle what was being forced upon her. She again tried to shed a tear for the little girl, but nothing would come. Stephanie decided that she would write in the diary, but she had to omit the worst of it. There was no need for the others to know what a horrible monster she was becoming; there was no need to tell them that she could not mourn this little girl.
*~*~*~*
The next day, Albus, Severus, and Minerva met in the headmaster’s office. Albus had just read the article in the muggle newspaper about the five-year-old girl who climbed over the railing at a mall and then fell to her death. He looked at Severus sadly; there was no twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
“Did she do this?” He asked quietly.
“She did not kill the girl,” Severus explained to the headmaster. “But, she caused the girl to climb over the railing. Bellatrix ordered her to cast the Imperius Curse and force the child up to the fourth floor. When the girl was over the railing, Bellatrix ordered her to remove the Curse. Bellatrix then threw the girl to the ground.”
Minerva had tears in her eyes. “I have spoken with Miss Granger who had not known that the girl had died. Stephanie only told the others that she had to perform the Imperius Curse on the child. I am afraid that she is trying to hold this in.”
“I don’t think that is why she neglected to tell the others, Minerva.” Albus said, looking at his deputy headmistress. “She is attempting to protect the others from this information. I believe that she does not wish the others to worry about the effect it has had on her. Though, I am concerned because, if I am not mistaken, this is the first time she has seen someone die. To make it worse, this girl’s death was very close to being caused by her.”
“I saw her last night after the incident occurred, and she did not appear to be affected too severely.” Severus responded. “Though, I admit that I was not able to speak with her alone. There is some good news, however.”
“We can get her out of there?” Minerva asked, hopefully.
“I am afraid not, Minerva.” Severus said. He was amused at his fellow professor’s optimism, especially in this dire situation. “She will not be required to kill for quite some time. Voldemort wants to make sure she is able to control her emotions before he will allow her to commit that sinister of an act.”
“Miss Granger mentioned that Bellatrix has threatened Stephanie. What do you know about that?” Minerva asked.
Severus was surprised that Bellatrix would dare such a thing. There were explicit orders not to harm Stephanie. “At the present time, Stephanie is in no danger of any of the Death Eaters harming her. Though, I have heard that they do not like her. Many have openly questioned the Dark Lord’s interest in her and others have spoken to me about her impending demise. It surprises me that Bella would threaten Stephanie so directly, but I still believe that she is in no danger. None of the Death Eaters would go against the Dark Lord’s orders in such a way.”
“I am concerned about the influence that Bellatrix Lestrange may have on Stephanie,” Dumbledore thought out loud. “Severus, please keep a close eye on her. Have you identified a countercurse for the tracking spell on her arm?”
“I apologize, headmaster.” Severus shook his head. “I continue to work on it, but it is proving to be most difficult. Although, I am optimistic one can be found or created.”
“Very well.” Albus answered. He hoped that Severus could find the countercurse so they could remove Stephanie before she would be required to commit murder.
Note: Please leave me your thoughts, HERE. So that was the chapter, I hope you guys liked it. I have begun the process of moving, and with holidays, finals, and graduation looming my writing is probably going to slow down (though I hope not). Anyway, the next chapter is almost done, though I am having some difficulties with it. It should be up on Sunday. Have a great weekend and I hope you are enjoying the story so far!
Chapter Seventeen: Welcome Home
The manor was full of people and it made Stephanie very uncomfortable. First of all, she hated being in a room with more than a couple people. It was so awkward because she never had anything to say. Second, she didn’t feel like mingling with anyone. These were the most violent and dangerous criminals that had been in Azkaban, and she knew the only reason she was still alive was because of Voldemort, however ironic that was. The thought disgusted her greatly. She slowly made her way to the stairs leading up to her bedroom, trying hard not to be noticed. She paused on the first step, closed her eyes, and let out a breath of defeat when she heard someone call her name.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort hissed her name. “Have you been dismissed?”
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie said dejectedly.
“Then, where do you think you are going?” He asked her playfully, toying with her.
She pointed upstairs. “To bed, my Lord.”
He smiled and gestured for her to join him. “Oh, but there are so many people I’d like to introduce you to.”
Stephanie had no choice but to return to her master’s side. She nodded and walked over to him. Voldemort put his arm around her shoulders and Stephanie wanted to shrink back. She didn’t want him to touch her, but she knew better than to show such signs of disrespect.
He spoke to her, “Stephanie, that is Antonin Dolohov, Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Jugson, Mulciber, Augustus Rookwood, and Travers.” They weren’t all standing nearby, so he pointed them out when he reached their names. “These are my most loyal followers; they were willing to serve time in Azkaban for me. Their sacrifices will be greatly rewarded.”
She nodded at each of them when they were introduced. Voldemort then turned to the three people standing next to him and he smiled at Stephanie expectantly. “These three are my most admired and faithful servants, Stephanie. Rabastan, Rodolphus, and Bellatrix Lestrange. They have participated in the most notorious attacks that we have ever executed.”
Stephanie suddenly realized what he was getting at, what he had wanted for her since his return. She knew that she had to redeem herself from the incident the other night, so to please her master she looked at Bellatrix and said, very quietly, “I hope that you could teach me.”
Bellatrix let out a loud laugh. Stephanie’s insides turned over at the sound; this woman’s very presence terrified her. “Me, teach a Potter?”
“Stephanie is highly skilled and would benefit ever so greatly with your assistance, Bella.” Voldemort asked of his follower. Bellatrix stopped laughing immediately and Voldemort continued. “I hope that you would be willing to mentor her and teach her what it truly means to be a Death Eater and follower of the great Lord Voldemort.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Bellatrix breathed. “I would be honored if it pleases you so.”
“I thank you, Bella.” Voldemort smiled at Bellatrix, and then turned to his guests. “If I may have your attention.”
The others quieted down and all eyes turned to Voldemort. “I want to thank everyone for joining me this evening in celebrating the return of my faithful followers. I know you have been locked away for a very long time, and I am happy to say that we will get to business very, very soon.
“But first, I would like to introduce you all to my little project.” He paused and gestured towards Stephanie. She shrank back, accidentally bumping into Bellatrix, uncomfortable as all eyes wandered to her. Everyone laughed as she yelped in surprise after Bellatrix pushed her to the floor; and then they looked back at Voldemort. “This is Stephanie Potter. She is Harry Potter’s twin sister, and she has graciously joined my forces. We will be training her, so she may be accompanying you on some of your missions. Keep an eye on her and give her advice when you see fit. However, no one is to harm her. Do you all understand?”
The room nodded in unison as several people murmured, “Yes, my Lord.” She felt their cold stares; Stephanie knew that they all hated her. She was the sister of the boy who had caused Voldemort’s downfall fourteen years ago. Many of those present had been put into Azkaban because of Harry. They did not take kindly to that, and so they despised her; but they would not harm her.
Voldemort had her join him in his rounds to speak with all of the Death Eaters. She had been forced to listen to stories as they all reminisced of torture and bloodshed. Stephanie didn’t say much, only when she was spoken to, and she became sick to her stomach.
The worst was when she had to endure the story of Frank and Alice Longbottom, Neville’s parents. It took all she could muster to not let the disgust and horror she was feeling let show on her face.
“It took over four hours, but we finally broke them,” Rabastan was saying, with a huge grin on his face. “We left Frank incapacitated but conscious so that he could watch his wife’s demise.”
“Oh it was fabulous!” Bellatrix shrieked, clapping her hands together in excitement. She was bouncing on her heels remembering the experience. “She continued to scream long after the Curse was lifted, she was in so much pain. Frank was begging us to spare her, but we couldn’t do that. Could we?”
“Neither one would tell us where the boy was, not that that matters much, since we would have continued anyway.” Rodolphus said squeezing his wife’s hand. They both smiled gleefully.
“The wife was the first one to go and she suffered the Curse the longest. To see the light go out of her eyes as she lost her mind.” Bellatrix looked to her master. “It was so exhilarating!’
“Bellatrix pretty much did all of the work.” Rabastan added. “It was horribly disappointing that we didn’t get to kill them, but they suffered much longer and severely than we ever could have imagined.”
They continued this discussion for about twenty more minutes. Just when Stephanie thought she couldn’t take anymore, she was finally excused and allowed to go to bed. When she got upstairs, she longed to take out the diary and write to her friends. However, she didn’t dare take it out with so many people downstairs. Who knew if someone would come upstairs and walk in on her? No, she decided. She couldn’t risk it. Instead, she decided to write a letter to Sirius.
Dear Sirius,
I am sorry that I helped your cousin escape from Azkaban. Though, I saw no choice around it. Voldemort had a “Welcome Home” party for those that escaped, and I met Bellatrix. She is by far more terrifying than Voldemort, himself. He wants her to mentor me, to teach me how to be like her. I have changed so much since I was brought here, what if I become like her?
There have been times that I’ve questioned myself, and I’d like your input if you can spare it. Tell me something. I am following Voldemort’s orders and, now that the others have been released from Azkaban, I will soon be participating in Death Eater attacks. I am doing so to save myself, to protect myself. What makes me more important than those that I will be harming? What makes my life more important than theirs?
Tonight, they told me how they tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom. It was as if they were torturing me, right then. It hurt me so bad to hear that because I am so fond of Neville and I know how he still suffers for what happened. I know that I can never tell him why they did what they did. It would destroy him to know that the Death Eaters had been looking for him. I don’t know why they wanted him, and I don’t care. I don’t ever want to know.
Can you tell Harry that I am not angry with him for attacking Draco? He doesn’t seem to believe me. The first thing he writes each day is that he is sorry. I know that he feels bad, but it is getting quite tiresome. It is so difficult to be here and have him feeling guilty about something that turned out to be alright. I don’t know how many more apologies I can handle.
It is so horrible here. I had to assure Voldemort that I would be willing to kill Harry if he requested it. It disgusted me to say that, and I said it with hatred in my voice. I hope Harry knows that I would never do any such thing. Anyway, I better go. I’ll have Professor Snape deliver this letter to you soon.
Stephanie
I am sorry that I helped your cousin escape from Azkaban. Though, I saw no choice around it. Voldemort had a “Welcome Home” party for those that escaped, and I met Bellatrix. She is by far more terrifying than Voldemort, himself. He wants her to mentor me, to teach me how to be like her. I have changed so much since I was brought here, what if I become like her?
There have been times that I’ve questioned myself, and I’d like your input if you can spare it. Tell me something. I am following Voldemort’s orders and, now that the others have been released from Azkaban, I will soon be participating in Death Eater attacks. I am doing so to save myself, to protect myself. What makes me more important than those that I will be harming? What makes my life more important than theirs?
Tonight, they told me how they tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom. It was as if they were torturing me, right then. It hurt me so bad to hear that because I am so fond of Neville and I know how he still suffers for what happened. I know that I can never tell him why they did what they did. It would destroy him to know that the Death Eaters had been looking for him. I don’t know why they wanted him, and I don’t care. I don’t ever want to know.
Can you tell Harry that I am not angry with him for attacking Draco? He doesn’t seem to believe me. The first thing he writes each day is that he is sorry. I know that he feels bad, but it is getting quite tiresome. It is so difficult to be here and have him feeling guilty about something that turned out to be alright. I don’t know how many more apologies I can handle.
It is so horrible here. I had to assure Voldemort that I would be willing to kill Harry if he requested it. It disgusted me to say that, and I said it with hatred in my voice. I hope Harry knows that I would never do any such thing. Anyway, I better go. I’ll have Professor Snape deliver this letter to you soon.
Stephanie
Stephanie folded the parchment and placed it in her diary. The next time she was alone with Professor Snape, she would have him deliver the letter to her godfather.
*~*~*~*
“Neville, what did Stephanie mean in her entry last night?” Ron asked. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast. They had just finished complaining about their new Defense of the Dark Arts professor, Delores Jane Umbridge, and were delaying the moment they had to leave for her class.
“I don’t know. I asked her, and she never responded.” Neville answered. He had been concerned when he had read the entry. Stephanie must have had a good reason to feel as she did, but he wished she would have told him why.
Suddenly, a small brown owl dropped the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet into Hermione’s bowl of cereal. She gasped when she saw the headline and immediately reached for her diary. The others watched as Hermione opened the diary and read aloud Stephanie’s entry from the previous night.
Neville, I am so sorry. I hope that you can forgive me. ~Steph
“I think we have our answer.” Hermione said sadly. She laid the newspaper on the table and the others could see Stephanie clearly standing there, her wand pointed towards the sky, and with a look of deep concentration on her face. Ginny picked it up and read it aloud.
Stephanie Potter Aids in Mass Breakout at Azkaban
Last night, ten of the country’s most notorious criminals escaped from the high security prison, Azkaban. These prisoners had all been convicted of crimes connected to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named prior to his downfall fourteen years ago.
What is most terrifying is that these prisoners escaped with the help of fifteen-year-old Stephanie Potter. The spell that destroyed the outside wall of the prison was seen being cast near the teenage girl. As seen in the photograph above, Stephanie conjured the Dark Mark high into the sky above the prison. It can be determined that she has officially joined the Death Eaters in creating fear around the rumors surrounding You-Know-Who’s return.
Minister Fudge commented regarding last night’s events: “This has been an act devised by Stephanie Potter to create fear among the people of Britain. Let me assure the public that there is no evidence that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned. We are very close to finding the location of this teenage girl and she will soon be brought to justice. The Ministry assures its citizens that they remain safe.”
During the attack, wizards on brooms assisted in the escape of these prisoners. Wizards on the ground fought battles against the Aurors keeping guard. Two Aurors lost their lives and three others were injured. The Ministry has claimed they are doing all they can to catch those responsible.
Last night, ten of the country’s most notorious criminals escaped from the high security prison, Azkaban. These prisoners had all been convicted of crimes connected to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named prior to his downfall fourteen years ago.
What is most terrifying is that these prisoners escaped with the help of fifteen-year-old Stephanie Potter. The spell that destroyed the outside wall of the prison was seen being cast near the teenage girl. As seen in the photograph above, Stephanie conjured the Dark Mark high into the sky above the prison. It can be determined that she has officially joined the Death Eaters in creating fear around the rumors surrounding You-Know-Who’s return.
Minister Fudge commented regarding last night’s events: “This has been an act devised by Stephanie Potter to create fear among the people of Britain. Let me assure the public that there is no evidence that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned. We are very close to finding the location of this teenage girl and she will soon be brought to justice. The Ministry assures its citizens that they remain safe.”
During the attack, wizards on brooms assisted in the escape of these prisoners. Wizards on the ground fought battles against the Aurors keeping guard. Two Aurors lost their lives and three others were injured. The Ministry has claimed they are doing all they can to catch those responsible.
They sat in silence for a moment reflecting on what they had just heard. None of them could believe that Stephanie had not told them this was going to happen. Surely she had been told of this plan beforehand, especially since she played a part in it.
“Why wouldn’t she tell us about this?” Harry asked.
“What could we have done if we had known?” Ginny responded. “Nothing. That is why she didn’t tell us.”
“But, why did she apologize-” Ron began to ask and then he let out a gasp of pain as Hermione kicked his shin under the table. He rubbed his leg and exclaimed, “Ow!”
“Bellatrix Lestrange,” Neville muttered under his breath. He understood why Stephanie had apologized to him; she knew what she had to do, and it tore her up to do so. He tried so hard not to blame Stephanie for what had happened, but it really was difficult. Bellatrix was the person who had tortured his parents into insanity, and now she was free. He hung his head.
“Neville, you know that she had no choice.” Hermione had watched Neville’s reaction to the article. “Bellatrix will get what she deserves.”
Neville nodded. In his heart, he knew that Hermione was right. He just needed to convince his head that it wasn’t Stephanie’s fault. At times he had thought that it was impossible for the amount of feelings he had for this girl because they had never met. But, they had grown quite close and he was concerned about what she was being forced to do. He quickly wrote an entry in the diary before it was time to leave for their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson.
Stephanie, I know that you didn’t want to do that. I don’t blame you. Just promise me that you will save her for me to get to. I want to be the one to watch her suffer. –Nev
*~*~*~*
The next few days went by pretty quickly. There were Death Eaters randomly in and out of the manor; Voldemort was allowing attacks to occur daily. Stephanie’s lessons with Bellatrix hadn’t started yet because Voldemort wanted to give Bella a few days of vacation before starting up again.
The Lestranges stayed at the manor, since it was their home. Stephanie had remained in her room even more than normal, eating her meals much more quickly than she used to. Their discussions were enough to make Stephanie nauseous and her appetite was nonexistent. Stephanie had to force herself to keep a blank expression and it was very tiring. She knew that it would only get more difficult from then on.
On the fourth day after the escape, Voldemort addressed Stephanie at the breakfast table. “Your lessons with Bella will begin today.”
Stephanie nodded. She then gathered the courage to ask, “What will I be learning?”
Bellatrix smiled deviously. Stephanie looked at the woman in awe. Sure, she was horribly wicked and enjoyed the suffering of others. But she was still a very, very talented witch. Stephanie knew that the things this woman would teach her would be terrible, but they would also help to improve her own magical abilities.
“I don’t believe in lessons.” Bellatrix said. She cocked her head to the side to see Stephanie’s reaction. “What I will be teaching you will be done in a practical setting.”
Stephanie looked from Bellatrix to Voldemort questioningly. She didn’t know what Bellatrix meant by that. Maybe she did understand and just refused to believe it. Voldemort chuckled at Stephanie’s naivety.
“You will be practicing on actual people, in the field.” Voldemort explained. “From now on, you will be learning tactics such as how to obtain information, torture, and murder.”
He paused as Stephanie choked on her breakfast. Bellatrix shrieked in delight. Stephanie knew Bellatrix would get such pleasure out of watching her perform these spells. Stephanie began to panic because she knew that she wasn’t ready to do this. She didn’t want to do this, but she knew she had to.
Voldemort continued. “I also expect you to perfect the art of nonverbal spell casting. This will come in very handy for you, and it is imperative that you learn this immediately. Therefore, none of the spells you cast from now on shall be verbalized. Do you understand?”
Stephanie nodded. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Now, go and have fun.” Voldemort dismissed Stephanie and Bellatrix with a wave of his hand.
The two stood up and Stephanie followed Bellatrix outside the manor gates. Bellatrix grabbed her arm and Disapparated them from the grounds. When they got to their destination, Stephanie looked around. They appeared to be in a large building with lots of stores. Stephanie had heard of these before, they were in a muggle mall. There were so many people; Stephanie was afraid of what she was going to be required to do.
Without releasing Stephanie’s arm, Bellatrix forced Stephanie to face her. Bellatrix hissed in her face, “I am only doing this to please the Dark Lord. You are only to speak if I directly address you, do you understand?”
Stephanie nodded. This woman still terrified her. Bellatrix continued. “I do not trust you and I never will. None of us can see why the Dark Lord is so interested in you. If we had our way, you would have been dead a very long time ago. You had better watch yourself, because one mistake, one slip up, and you will be dead.”
She looked at the ground. Stephanie couldn’t bear to look this woman in the eyes. She knew that Bellatrix would make good of her threat at the slightest provocation. Stephanie knew that she had to work that much harder to make sure she survived her time with the Death Eaters and away from Voldemort’s watchful eye. She couldn’t give Voldemort a reason to let his Death Eaters fulfill their desire to get rid of her.
Bellatrix began to look around the mall, and Stephanie watched as Bellatrix’s eyes paused on a little girl. The mother of this little girl was nearby and she appeared to be distracted with bags and a stroller with another child. The little girl was tugging on her mom’s shirt, begging for her mom to buy her a toy. Bellatrix’s mouth curved into a sinister grin.
“Cast the Imperius Curse on her and walk her over to that balcony.” Bellatrix instructed while pointing to where Stephanie was to take the girl. Stephanie had never cast the Imperius Curse before, but she knew what it did. She closed her eyes at the realization of what Bellatrix was asking of her.
Stephanie pointed her wand at the little girl and took a deep breath. She cast the spell in her head and the girl began to silently walk away from her mother. Stephanie led the girl up the escalators to the fourth floor of the mall. Suddenly, there was a scream on the floor that Bellatrix and Stephanie were on. The little girl’s mother had realized her daughter was missing.
“Hailey!” The mom screamed throughout the mall looking for her daughter. “Where is my daughter? Hailey! Come to mommy!”
Stephanie continued leading the girl to the balcony and the child climbed over the railing. She forced the girl to hang onto the bars and Stephanie stared in horror at the little girl, knowing all too well what Bellatrix was going to order her to do. Surprisingly, Bellatrix ordered her to release the spell. She lifted the Curse reluctantly because the girl was still in incredible danger hanging from the railings.
“Mommy!” The little girl awoke from the spell. She began to cry and scream for her mother. “Help Me! Mommy!”
The child’s mother looked up and screamed in horror at what she saw. Her daughter was hanging onto the railing on the fourth floor balcony inside the mall. She screamed for someone to help her daughter. “Hailey! Hold on!”
Stephanie couldn’t take her eyes off the scene. She wanted to cry but nothing would come; all emotion drained from her body. She was horrified, but she didn’t feel sad. Stephanie was shocked at this feeling, or lack thereof. Bellatrix grabbed her arm and Stephanie prepared for Disapparition. Just as Stephanie realized that the little girl might be spared, she watched in dismay as Bellatrix flicked her wand towards the child and the girl lost her balance. Stephanie watched in slow motion as the little girl fell to her death. The last thing she heard were the screams of the little girl’s mother and Bellatrix’s hysterical laughter. After what seemed like hours, they were finally back at the Lestrange manor.
She walked silently up to her room and closed the door behind her. She pulled the diary out from under her mattress and opened it up. There was no way that she could write in it just then, she just had to see the handwriting of those who cared about her. She needed to know that she wasn’t alone. A piece of parchment fell out of the diary as she flipped through the pages. Stephanie picked it up off the bed and realized that Professor Snape must have slipped it in there while she was gone. She unrolled the parchment and read the letter from her godfather.
Dear Stephanie,
It is not that you are more important than anyone else. What you are doing, it will save many lives in the end. You have to remember that those people you are hurting would suffer or die whether or not you were there.
Voldemort is having you participate in these attacks so that you will become cold and hard. He wants you to be just like Bellatrix. For some reason, he thinks it will be hysterically ironic when you murder your own brother. That is what he is training you for. But I know that you would never do that, and so it will only hurt Voldemort in the end. Your love for Harry and the others will lead to Voldemort’s downfall. He is incapable of realizing the full impact of such a feeling. Just wait and see.
It may be difficult and, eventually, you will most likely be forced to kill someone. But remember that YOU are not the killer. You are not a killer. Voldemort and his followers are the executioners. You, Stephanie, are a captive; you are not responsible for what happens.
Both Harry and I love you so much, Stephanie. No matter what you have done, no matter what you will do in the future. We will always love you.
Sirius
It is not that you are more important than anyone else. What you are doing, it will save many lives in the end. You have to remember that those people you are hurting would suffer or die whether or not you were there.
Voldemort is having you participate in these attacks so that you will become cold and hard. He wants you to be just like Bellatrix. For some reason, he thinks it will be hysterically ironic when you murder your own brother. That is what he is training you for. But I know that you would never do that, and so it will only hurt Voldemort in the end. Your love for Harry and the others will lead to Voldemort’s downfall. He is incapable of realizing the full impact of such a feeling. Just wait and see.
It may be difficult and, eventually, you will most likely be forced to kill someone. But remember that YOU are not the killer. You are not a killer. Voldemort and his followers are the executioners. You, Stephanie, are a captive; you are not responsible for what happens.
Both Harry and I love you so much, Stephanie. No matter what you have done, no matter what you will do in the future. We will always love you.
Sirius
After reading the letter from Sirius, she thought that she might be able to handle what was being forced upon her. She again tried to shed a tear for the little girl, but nothing would come. Stephanie decided that she would write in the diary, but she had to omit the worst of it. There was no need for the others to know what a horrible monster she was becoming; there was no need to tell them that she could not mourn this little girl.
I had my first lesson with Bellatrix today. Voldemort wants me to cast only silent spells because he says it will be useful. I had to put the Imperius Curse on a little girl. ~Steph
*~*~*~*
The next day, Albus, Severus, and Minerva met in the headmaster’s office. Albus had just read the article in the muggle newspaper about the five-year-old girl who climbed over the railing at a mall and then fell to her death. He looked at Severus sadly; there was no twinkle in his bright blue eyes.
“Did she do this?” He asked quietly.
“She did not kill the girl,” Severus explained to the headmaster. “But, she caused the girl to climb over the railing. Bellatrix ordered her to cast the Imperius Curse and force the child up to the fourth floor. When the girl was over the railing, Bellatrix ordered her to remove the Curse. Bellatrix then threw the girl to the ground.”
Minerva had tears in her eyes. “I have spoken with Miss Granger who had not known that the girl had died. Stephanie only told the others that she had to perform the Imperius Curse on the child. I am afraid that she is trying to hold this in.”
“I don’t think that is why she neglected to tell the others, Minerva.” Albus said, looking at his deputy headmistress. “She is attempting to protect the others from this information. I believe that she does not wish the others to worry about the effect it has had on her. Though, I am concerned because, if I am not mistaken, this is the first time she has seen someone die. To make it worse, this girl’s death was very close to being caused by her.”
“I saw her last night after the incident occurred, and she did not appear to be affected too severely.” Severus responded. “Though, I admit that I was not able to speak with her alone. There is some good news, however.”
“We can get her out of there?” Minerva asked, hopefully.
“I am afraid not, Minerva.” Severus said. He was amused at his fellow professor’s optimism, especially in this dire situation. “She will not be required to kill for quite some time. Voldemort wants to make sure she is able to control her emotions before he will allow her to commit that sinister of an act.”
“Miss Granger mentioned that Bellatrix has threatened Stephanie. What do you know about that?” Minerva asked.
Severus was surprised that Bellatrix would dare such a thing. There were explicit orders not to harm Stephanie. “At the present time, Stephanie is in no danger of any of the Death Eaters harming her. Though, I have heard that they do not like her. Many have openly questioned the Dark Lord’s interest in her and others have spoken to me about her impending demise. It surprises me that Bella would threaten Stephanie so directly, but I still believe that she is in no danger. None of the Death Eaters would go against the Dark Lord’s orders in such a way.”
“I am concerned about the influence that Bellatrix Lestrange may have on Stephanie,” Dumbledore thought out loud. “Severus, please keep a close eye on her. Have you identified a countercurse for the tracking spell on her arm?”
“I apologize, headmaster.” Severus shook his head. “I continue to work on it, but it is proving to be most difficult. Although, I am optimistic one can be found or created.”
“Very well.” Albus answered. He hoped that Severus could find the countercurse so they could remove Stephanie before she would be required to commit murder.
Note: Please leave me your thoughts, HERE.
So that was the chapter, I hope you guys liked it. I have begun the process of moving, and with holidays, finals, and graduation looming my writing is probably going to slow down (though I hope not). Anyway, the next chapter is almost done, though I am having some difficulties with it. It should be up on Sunday. Have a great weekend and I hope you are enjoying the story so far!
Chapter Eighteen: Ministry of Magic
Hermione closed the diary and let out a sigh. She was happy that Stephanie appeared to be handling all of attacks pretty well, though she also had to admit that Stephanie was definitely withholding information from them. In September, Stephanie had been required to participate in an incident that resulted in the death of a young girl; however, Stephanie had only told them that the Imperius Curse was used and not that the girl had died. No one had asked Stephanie about the new information because they knew that she would have brought it up if she wanted to talk about it. Hermione had been afraid that Stephanie was trying to hold her emotions inside again. She had tried so many times over the past few months to get Stephanie to disclose how she was feeling, but Stephanie continued to evade these discussions.
Stephanie had told them that she was being sent on “training sessions” with Bellatrix about two times a week. There were other Death Eaters that had participated in a few of the attacks, watching and judging Stephanie’s every move. The most common ones were the Carrow siblings, who Stephanie had said truly loved watching muggles being tortured, Dolohov, and Travers. Stephanie, however, refused to divulge too much information about what she was being required to do. Hermione figured it was Stephanie’s way of coping with the events; maybe she was even blocking these things from her mind. Hermione didn’t know and she just hoped that Stephanie was not suffering too much.
Instead, they spent the majority of their time talking about what was going on at Hogwarts. They talked about their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the detentions Harry was continuously subjected to, Dumbledore’s Army, and Harry’s love interest, Cho Chang. Stephanie had been most pleased with the formation of Dumbledore’s Army. Harry had been teaching other students how to protect themselves, and it showed his greatness and strength as a leader.
Neville had shown the most progress of all the students. Stephanie had enjoyed hearing stories of the spells Neville had performed, and she always complimented and encouraged him. Hermione had a feeling that Stephanie’s support had more than a little to do with his increased confidence and improvement in his magical abilities. He was becoming more comfortable in his own skin. Hermione was amazed at the transformation that Neville was experiencing.
Hermione and Stephanie had also been excited to see Harry so happy. He was getting closer to Cho, a fellow member of Dumbledore’s Army. The two had even kissed earlier that afternoon. It was really cute because it had been his first time and he hadn’t known how to react. Though, Hermione did feel bad for Ginny. Ginny had been devastated when she found out. But she had done very well at hiding her feelings from Harry since she had first met him; he didn’t know how much Ginny cared for him. Hermione hoped that Ginny would get over her love for Harry because Hermione didn’t see Harry falling for her anytime soon. It hurt to see Ginny in so much pain.
In addition to all of this, Ron had been chosen to play for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was absolutely horrible, and the Slytherins did all they could to let him know it. Stephanie had enjoyed hearing about Harry and Ron’s matches, even though she knew very little about the sport. Hermione had not read these entries because she felt the game was absolutely dreadful and barbaric. But she knew that Stephanie had also helped Ron cope with the harassment he was receiving for his efforts on the team.
So much had been going on for Hermione that she barely got a moment to herself. She and Ron were also prefects this year, meaning that she had additional responsibilities. It was nice to be needed everywhere she went, but it was also exhausting. Hermione had been spending so much time already preparing for her O.W.L.s that would take place in June. She just wished that Harry and Ron would start to take the exams seriously. For goodness sake, Christmas was in a week and time for studying was running out!
Hermione laid her head down on her pillow and finally drifted off to sleep.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie was awakened by the sound of her bedroom door bursting open. She jumped out of bed in surprise and looked around. Voldemort and Bellatrix were standing in her room. Oh no, Stephanie thought in a panic. What could she have done now? Did someone say or do something at Hogwarts?
“Get dressed and come downstairs immediately.” Voldemort ordered. “You have a very important mission.”
Stephanie scrambled to get dressed quickly. As she got ready, she wondered what the mission could be. Voldemort usually had her preparing for weeks ahead of an important one. He had planned the breakout of Azkaban since the day he had returned to his body; he had had to have everything exactly right before he executed that mission. Stephanie had gotten no impression that there was going to be another operation coming so soon. About twelve of his Death Eaters were meeting regularly about something, but she had not been privy to that information. She doubted that those meetings were related to this. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and ran down the stairs. Voldemort must not be kept waiting too long.
When she got downstairs, she found Voldemort, Bellatrix, Rabastan, Rodolphus, and Mr. Malfoy in the living room. Voldemort gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite the fireplace and next to him, she obliged. Mr. Malfoy and Bellatrix had smirks on their faces; they obviously believed that Stephanie would fail at whatever she would soon be asked to do.
“Stephanie, your loyalty is about to be tested for the first time.” Voldemort told her. “I will know where your true allegiances lie after tonight. Will you disappoint me?”
Stephanie took a deep breath, and then answered. “No, my Lord. I only wish to please you, Master.”
“We shall see.” Voldemort eyed her suspiciously. “You will be accompanied by Bellatrix merely for the purpose of transportation.”
“But, my Lord.” Stephanie spoke up, looking at Lord Voldemort with anticipation. “If you allow me to learn Apparition, then I would better be able to prove myself to you.”
The others let out loud howls of laughter. Voldemort chuckled as well. “And provide you with the means of escape? I think not, my dear Stephanie. You truly are still unbelievably naive. I am disappointed.”
“I’m sorry, my Lord. I just thought-” She apologized for her moment of weakness. Stephanie had hoped that Voldemort would teach her Apparition, and then maybe she would have the opportunity to escape if Snape ever figured out the countercurse for the spell tracking her every move.
“You thought wrong.” Voldemort interrupted with a snide edge to his voice. “As I was saying, Bellatrix will transport you, and then she will leave you alone to perform your task. Only Nagini will accompany you.”
Stephanie had opened her mouth to ask why Nagini, the large snake that followed Voldemort wherever he went, was going to join in the mission but she thought better of it. He obviously wasn’t in a great mood and she didn’t want to question him. She couldn’t risk him getting angry at her.
“Once you are inside the room, there will be a man guarding a door.” Voldemort continued. “Your mission is to severely injure this man. Do not render him unconscious and do not allow him to die. I want him to be aware of what is happening; I want him to suffer greatly. You are to keep him an inch from death, and then you are to retreat. Do you understand your orders?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie nodded. “But what has he done?”
Again everyone laughed at her expense. Voldemort sat there quietly, eyeing her and examining her boldness. He leaned over to her and slapped her. She almost fell out of the chair at the force of the blow. “You are questioning me?”
“I apologize, my Lord.” Stephanie said, not daring to rub the cheek that had turned bright red and stung painfully.
“Your new burst of courage surprises me, and it must not continue. Another outburst from you will result in a severe punishment. Do you understand?” His eyes were narrowed as he hissed at her.
She looked down at the ground, ashamed of herself. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Very well.” Voldemort sat back in his chair and continued his orders. “It is not what this man has done; it is what he is guarding. This will also serve as a warning of sorts to your dear brother. Now it is time for you to depart.”
Stephanie stood up and followed Bellatrix outside the manor gates. Bellatrix grabbed her arm and they Disapparated. When they arrived at their destination, Stephanie looked around in shock. She had seen pictures of this place in Draco’s Hogwarts schoolbooks; there were several fireplaces along the wall, there were tall pillars, and the architecture was absolutely gorgeous. High in the air above her was a moving picture of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
“The Ministry of Magic,” she whispered in admiration. This place was amazing and she had never been to a place like it. She was definitely impressed, though she thought that the Ministry had set up security disallowing Apparition in or out of the facility. Surely the Ministry would have strong enough defenses to keep out even Lord Voldemort.
Bellatrix cackled at the look of amazement on Stephanie’s face. “You underestimate the power of the Dark Lord, stupid girl. He will be most displeased with your lack of confidence in his abilities.”
Stephanie was silent. She hoped that she wouldn’t be punished for being surprised at the location of her mission. It was just that she was awestruck by where she had been taken. Stephanie had never imagined that Voldemort would be so daring as to send her inside the Ministry, even at night when no one was around. She just felt that she couldn’t do anything right lately.
Bellatrix pointed her wand at a door across the room. “That is where you will find the man you are to harm. You have a single choice to make. You may either beg this man, a complete stranger, to save your life or you may punish him for guarding that which the Dark Lord desires.”
Stephanie nodded and walked towards the door. She took a deep breath as she turned the knob, hoping that it was locked. It turned and she pulled the door open. Nagini slithered into the room ahead of her and they walked down a long corridor. She tried to walk as quietly as possible so as not to alert the man of her presence. It took her several minutes to walk the length of the hallway, and then she finally saw him. He was standing in front of another door, looking away from her.
He was a short, stout man with blazing red hair; he had not heard her approaching. For a moment she considered begging him to help her. Surely he would be able to summon assistance immediately. However, she realized that even if he helped her, Voldemort would still be able to hunt her down using the Malfoy Crest that was burned onto her arm. No, she decided. She had to do as she was ordered.
She silently raised her wand and sent the Cruciatus Curse at him. He screamed in surprise and collapsed to the floor, twitching from the pain. She walked up to him so she was standing over his body. Then she released the Curse and he stared up at her, gasping for breath.
Stephanie stepped back in surprise when he whispered, “Stephanie.” She eyed him curiously, wondering why he would say her name. He had a look of sadness in his eyes that she had not seen in a very long time. Stephanie was astonished because the look wasn’t sadness or terror for what would happen to him; it was pity for her. He wasn’t concerned for his own safety but he pitied her for what she was doing to him. This was a new experience for her and it shocked her quite a bit. She stood there for a moment just staring at him. His behavior really confused her and she didn’t know what she should do; whether she should continue or try to speak to him. He continued to lie there, saying nothing, just looking at her.
It brought her back to the reality of what she was doing. Suddenly, the emotions that had escaped her in the mall came rushing back to her. She didn’t want to continue, though she knew she must.
She raised her wand again and silently cast the spells that she had been taught throughout her months of training. She squeezed his insides so they crushed him; she slit several gashes along his legs, arms, and abdomen. Stephanie watched in horror as she twisted his limbs until she heard them crack. This entire time the man said nothing, he made no sound. There were tears running down his face, but he still allowed her to do as she was ordered. He had not tried to resist her attempts or to fight back.
Finally, she heard Bellatrix yelling for her to hurry up. Stephanie was so happy that it would soon be over. She knelt down to him and moved her mouth close to the man’s head. She kissed his forehead and then whispered quietly in his ear, “I’m so sorry. Thank you.”
She stood up and walked quickly out of the corridor. She paused at the door that would return her to Bellatrix’s side and thought for a moment about what had just happened. She couldn’t believe that she had thanked the man after she had injured him so severely. He must think she was such a horrible person, Stephanie thought sadly. Finally, she forced herself to turn the doorknob and walk through. Once again Bellatrix grabbed her arm and Disapparated them away.
When they arrived back at the manor, Bellatrix hissed at her. “It shouldn’t have taken that long to do as you were ordered. I am sure that you will be punished!”
Stephanie ignored this comment and calmly walked back inside the manor where she was met by Voldemort, Mr. Malfoy, and the two Lestrange brothers. They stood when she entered. At that moment, she didn’t really care what happened to her. The mission she had been sent on had had a great and profound effect on her that Stephanie could never have imagined. She didn’t even feel bad about what had just happened. In fact, she felt relieved.
“You did a very good job, Stephanie.” Voldemort praised her. She was surprised that he would already know whether or not the mission had gone well, though she had learned that she should never be surprised by anything Voldemort did or knew. “I am pleased that you did not beg this man to rescue you from my clutches.”
“Never, my Lord.” She answered her master. “I do not wish to be rescued; I am happy here. I only wish to serve you, my Lord.”
“Oh how you do please me.” He said, clasping his hands together in excitement. “And I shall overlook your surprise at what I am capable of. You are incredibly naive, and it amuses me greatly. You do not understand the greatness of my powers, but with time you will see exactly what I can and will do. But I must ask what you whispered to the man before you left him.”
Stephanie didn’t know what to say. She was shocked that he knew what she had done. There had been no one else in the room, how could he possibly know that? She answered with the first thing that came to her mind. “I kissed his forehead. I wanted him to remember my face; I wanted him to remember who had done that to him.”
“But what did you say to him?” Voldemort narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.
“I told him to look at me. And he did.” Stephanie hoped that Voldemort would believe her.
“I believe that Bella is truly having a greater impact on you than I ever could have imagined.” He turned to Bellatrix and bowed to her. “I thank you for your assistance, Bella.”
“It has been my pleasure, Master.” Bellatrix shrieked in delight at the praise she was receiving from her master. She had yearned for such praise for so long and it felt better than she ever could have imagined.
Voldemort turned back to Stephanie. “You will be rewarded for your loyal service. You may be allowed to miss breakfast in the morning if you wish to sleep in. Now, you may be excused.”
“But, my Lord!” Bellatrix objected loudly as Stephanie had begun to leave the room. “It took her too long to perform the task. Surely she must be punished; she needs to learn to do things like that much more quickly. We could have been seen!”
“I believe you are anticipating her unnecessary suffering, Bella.” Voldemort said quietly and shook his head. “This was her first mission on her own and I feel that she did beautifully. We must reward her for such acts of compliance and signs of loyalty if we wish her to continue to do so. Only providing the dear girl with punishments will not motivate her to work her hardest to serve me. I have my reasons for having her around Bella and I do not wish to explain myself to you.”
“I am sorry, my Lord.” Bellatrix apologized quietly.
However, Voldemort raised his wand at Bellatrix and Stephanie watched as he performed the Cruciatus Curse on her. Bellatrix collapsed to the ground and screamed in pain. Sweat began to pour from Bellatrix’s forehead and all Stephanie could do was watch.
“I will not accept my followers to question my judgments.” Voldemort hissed after he lifted the Curse. Bellatrix lay on the ground, gasping. “Stephanie, you may be excused.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie said quietly and then walked quickly to her room. She had to share the night’s events with the others. Once she was up in her room, she removed the diary from between the mattresses and wrote her next entry.
*~*~*~*
Harry woke up screaming and drenched in sweat. He looked around and was surprised to see that he was still in his dormitory in Gryffindor tower. Each of his roommates, Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were staring at him curiously. Neville got up and went to get Professor McGonagall.
Harry’s breathing was heavy as his dream played through his mind once again. He had just watched his sister torture Mr. Weasley. There was no way that he saw that actually happen; he couldn’t believe that Stephanie would willingly torture Ron and Ginny’s dad. Even worse, Mr. Weasley didn’t even try to defend himself. He let it happen to him. All Harry could do was stare at Ron, terrified that what he had just dreamed was true.
Professor McGonagall ran into the room and Harry noticed she was still dressed in her nightgown. It was weird to see a professor without his or her robes; it was almost like they were actual people. She asked Harry what had happened. He told her and then she quickly pulled him out of bed. They had to go tell the headmaster immediately what he had seen. She motioned for Ron to join them.
After they arrived in the headmaster’s office, Harry explained for the second time the dream he had just had. Then something suddenly occurred to him and he looked at Dumbledore disbelievingly. “You don’t think Stephanie was sending me that image, do you? Like she spoke to me in the graveyard?”
“I don’t know, Harry.” Dumbledore contemplated the idea. “Whose point of view did you witness the event from? Were you looking down on the dream or were you seeing it through her eyes?”
“Neither.” Harry said, trying to figure out how it was possible to view the dream as he had. “There was a snake; I saw its reflection in the glass. I was watching Stephanie hurt Mr. Weasley through the snake’s eyes.”
“The implication of this is not good.” Dumbledore admitted. “Harry, I cannot be positive, but I believe that you were seeing this from Voldemort’s point of view.”
Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Voldemort couldn’t be sending him images like this. Why would Voldemort want Harry to see his sister torturing his best friend’s father? He refused to believe it.
Dumbledore noticed Harry’s confusion and he explained. “Voldemort wanted you to see this, Harry. Though, I am unsure as to why. He may be toying with your mind; Voldemort wants you to know how he is developing your sister. You must realize that she had no choice.”
“Why would Stephanie want to hurt my dad?” Ron asked only now comprehending what Harry had been saying.
Professor Dumbledore looked at Ron with sadness. “I do not believe that she wanted to harm your father, Ron. She has been forced to do the most awful of things, many of which I doubt she has disclosed to you. This was a direct order from Lord Voldemort and any deviation from that command would have resulted in her death.”
Ron nodded, not saying a word but tears streaming down his face. Harry was terrified for Mr. Weasley and for Stephanie. He had seen the look on Stephanie’s face as she was attacking Ron’s father. Though, he himself was very shaken up, he tried to comfort his best friend. “Ron. You should have seen the look on her face. She was so miserable. I know that she feels horrible for what she has done; you cannot blame her for what she cannot control.”
Dumbledore turned to a few of the portraits and began issuing them orders. One by one, the previous headmasters left their portraits to perform their assigned tasks. Dumbledore then requested that Professor McGonagall gather the rest of the Weasley children and bring them to his office. She left the room and Professor Dumbledore spoke again to the two boys.
“I would prefer if you did not tell Ginny, Fred, and George of Stephanie’s involvement quite yet. I feel that they don’t need to have this additional burden while we wait to learn of your father’s condition.” He asked of them. Harry and Ron nodded their agreement and they waited in silence for Professor McGonagall to return with the rest of Ron’s family.
*~*~*~*
Ginny was sitting in Charms taking an exam when Harry came bursting through the doors. The other students suddenly vanished and they were alone in the large classroom. He swept her to her feet and wrapped her in a giant hug. He slowly lowered his head to hers and kissed her gently on the lips. She sighed in satisfaction because she had waited for this moment for what had seemed like an eternity. But, suddenly Harry disappeared and she reluctantly opened her eyes to see Professor McGonagall kneeling next to her bed.
“I’m sorry dear, but there is an emergency and you have to come with me.” McGonagall said gently. Ginny got up quickly and followed McGonagall down the stairs. Fred and George were already waiting for them in the common room.
“Where’s Ron?” She asked.
“He is already with the headmaster.” McGonagall answered. “Now, come quickly.”
They walked briskly up to the headmaster’s office. Ginny was so scared about what could have happened. Her mind was racing.
Once they were in the headmaster’s office and sitting down, Dumbledore explained the situation, purposefully neglecting the fact that Stephanie had been part of the attack. “Your father has been taken to St. Mungo’s and your mother is on her way to him. I have set up a portkey and you, and Harry, will be transported to the Black manor. Sirius has already been notified of your arrival and he will be waiting for you. Your things will be sent to you in the morning.”
They all nodded. Ginny was crying and she didn’t want to believe what she was hearing. Was her father going to die? Fred wrapped his arms around her and they walked to the portkey. She felt the familiar tugging at her naval and they suddenly appeared in the Black family living room.
Sirius came rushing over to them. Ginny sat down on the couch; she was in shock. She shook with worry for her father.
“Any word?” George asked Sirius.
“No.” Sirius answered solemnly, giving Ginny a blanket. “Your mother is with him at St. Mungos and has promised to send word as soon as she learns anything. I think you kids should try and get some sleep.”
The tears continued to run down her face. Ginny said quietly, “I can’t sleep. I want to be with my dad.”
They sat there with no one saying a word. Everyone was avoiding eye contact and they didn’t want to voice their concerns about the fate of their father. It was just too horrible to think about, and saying it might make it true. Ginny’s mind was racing with things that she should have done. She hadn’t said that she loved him before they left for Hogwarts that semester. Would she have a chance to say that ever again? She just wanted to be there for her dad.
A couple of times throughout the night, Ginny had looked up at Harry and noticed him watching her. There had been a few times she thought Harry had decided to come closer to her, but she was glad that he hadn’t. She didn’t want him touching her right now, not so soon after he had kissed Cho.
Finally, after waiting for hours, there was a knock on the door. Sirius got up and opened it for Bill, Ginny’s brother. They all stood up as Bill came in and told them that their father was going to be alright. Mr. Weasley was very weak and had been very close to death, but he would survive. Their mother would come to 12 Grimmauld Place later that afternoon and take them to St. Mungos to visit their father.
Ginny sighed in relief. Soon after, their things arrived from Hogwarts. She ran to her trunk and dug out her diary. Stephanie had helped Neville, Harry, and Ron so much when they were hurting, and she knew that Stephanie would be able to help her as well. Ginny needed to talk to someone so badly; she needed to tell someone how scared she was for her father. She felt like she needed to do something productive.
She took the diary up to the room she had shared with Hermione the previous summer. However, she was not prepared for what Stephanie had written the night before. It was Stephanie that had done this to her father? It was Stephanie that had caused her such suffering and pain? Ginny couldn’t control herself; she couldn’t control her anger. She grabbed her quill and penned the next response without pausing to think about the consequences of her actions.
Please leave feedback here! So I hope you liked it. I really enjoyed putting in Ginny's point of view, I think it really shows that she is vulnerable, like everyone else. Let me know what you guys think. The next chapter should be up Tuesday or Wednesday.
Hermione closed the diary and let out a sigh. She was happy that Stephanie appeared to be handling all of attacks pretty well, though she also had to admit that Stephanie was definitely withholding information from them. In September, Stephanie had been required to participate in an incident that resulted in the death of a young girl; however, Stephanie had only told them that the Imperius Curse was used and not that the girl had died. No one had asked Stephanie about the new information because they knew that she would have brought it up if she wanted to talk about it. Hermione had been afraid that Stephanie was trying to hold her emotions inside again. She had tried so many times over the past few months to get Stephanie to disclose how she was feeling, but Stephanie continued to evade these discussions.
Stephanie had told them that she was being sent on “training sessions” with Bellatrix about two times a week. There were other Death Eaters that had participated in a few of the attacks, watching and judging Stephanie’s every move. The most common ones were the Carrow siblings, who Stephanie had said truly loved watching muggles being tortured, Dolohov, and Travers. Stephanie, however, refused to divulge too much information about what she was being required to do. Hermione figured it was Stephanie’s way of coping with the events; maybe she was even blocking these things from her mind. Hermione didn’t know and she just hoped that Stephanie was not suffering too much.
Instead, they spent the majority of their time talking about what was going on at Hogwarts. They talked about their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, the detentions Harry was continuously subjected to, Dumbledore’s Army, and Harry’s love interest, Cho Chang. Stephanie had been most pleased with the formation of Dumbledore’s Army. Harry had been teaching other students how to protect themselves, and it showed his greatness and strength as a leader.
Neville had shown the most progress of all the students. Stephanie had enjoyed hearing stories of the spells Neville had performed, and she always complimented and encouraged him. Hermione had a feeling that Stephanie’s support had more than a little to do with his increased confidence and improvement in his magical abilities. He was becoming more comfortable in his own skin. Hermione was amazed at the transformation that Neville was experiencing.
Hermione and Stephanie had also been excited to see Harry so happy. He was getting closer to Cho, a fellow member of Dumbledore’s Army. The two had even kissed earlier that afternoon. It was really cute because it had been his first time and he hadn’t known how to react. Though, Hermione did feel bad for Ginny. Ginny had been devastated when she found out. But she had done very well at hiding her feelings from Harry since she had first met him; he didn’t know how much Ginny cared for him. Hermione hoped that Ginny would get over her love for Harry because Hermione didn’t see Harry falling for her anytime soon. It hurt to see Ginny in so much pain.
In addition to all of this, Ron had been chosen to play for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He was absolutely horrible, and the Slytherins did all they could to let him know it. Stephanie had enjoyed hearing about Harry and Ron’s matches, even though she knew very little about the sport. Hermione had not read these entries because she felt the game was absolutely dreadful and barbaric. But she knew that Stephanie had also helped Ron cope with the harassment he was receiving for his efforts on the team.
So much had been going on for Hermione that she barely got a moment to herself. She and Ron were also prefects this year, meaning that she had additional responsibilities. It was nice to be needed everywhere she went, but it was also exhausting. Hermione had been spending so much time already preparing for her O.W.L.s that would take place in June. She just wished that Harry and Ron would start to take the exams seriously. For goodness sake, Christmas was in a week and time for studying was running out!
Hermione laid her head down on her pillow and finally drifted off to sleep.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie was awakened by the sound of her bedroom door bursting open. She jumped out of bed in surprise and looked around. Voldemort and Bellatrix were standing in her room. Oh no, Stephanie thought in a panic. What could she have done now? Did someone say or do something at Hogwarts?
“Get dressed and come downstairs immediately.” Voldemort ordered. “You have a very important mission.”
Stephanie scrambled to get dressed quickly. As she got ready, she wondered what the mission could be. Voldemort usually had her preparing for weeks ahead of an important one. He had planned the breakout of Azkaban since the day he had returned to his body; he had had to have everything exactly right before he executed that mission. Stephanie had gotten no impression that there was going to be another operation coming so soon. About twelve of his Death Eaters were meeting regularly about something, but she had not been privy to that information. She doubted that those meetings were related to this. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and ran down the stairs. Voldemort must not be kept waiting too long.
When she got downstairs, she found Voldemort, Bellatrix, Rabastan, Rodolphus, and Mr. Malfoy in the living room. Voldemort gestured for her to sit in the chair opposite the fireplace and next to him, she obliged. Mr. Malfoy and Bellatrix had smirks on their faces; they obviously believed that Stephanie would fail at whatever she would soon be asked to do.
“Stephanie, your loyalty is about to be tested for the first time.” Voldemort told her. “I will know where your true allegiances lie after tonight. Will you disappoint me?”
Stephanie took a deep breath, and then answered. “No, my Lord. I only wish to please you, Master.”
“We shall see.” Voldemort eyed her suspiciously. “You will be accompanied by Bellatrix merely for the purpose of transportation.”
“But, my Lord.” Stephanie spoke up, looking at Lord Voldemort with anticipation. “If you allow me to learn Apparition, then I would better be able to prove myself to you.”
The others let out loud howls of laughter. Voldemort chuckled as well. “And provide you with the means of escape? I think not, my dear Stephanie. You truly are still unbelievably naive. I am disappointed.”
“I’m sorry, my Lord. I just thought-” She apologized for her moment of weakness. Stephanie had hoped that Voldemort would teach her Apparition, and then maybe she would have the opportunity to escape if Snape ever figured out the countercurse for the spell tracking her every move.
“You thought wrong.” Voldemort interrupted with a snide edge to his voice. “As I was saying, Bellatrix will transport you, and then she will leave you alone to perform your task. Only Nagini will accompany you.”
Stephanie had opened her mouth to ask why Nagini, the large snake that followed Voldemort wherever he went, was going to join in the mission but she thought better of it. He obviously wasn’t in a great mood and she didn’t want to question him. She couldn’t risk him getting angry at her.
“Once you are inside the room, there will be a man guarding a door.” Voldemort continued. “Your mission is to severely injure this man. Do not render him unconscious and do not allow him to die. I want him to be aware of what is happening; I want him to suffer greatly. You are to keep him an inch from death, and then you are to retreat. Do you understand your orders?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie nodded. “But what has he done?”
Again everyone laughed at her expense. Voldemort sat there quietly, eyeing her and examining her boldness. He leaned over to her and slapped her. She almost fell out of the chair at the force of the blow. “You are questioning me?”
“I apologize, my Lord.” Stephanie said, not daring to rub the cheek that had turned bright red and stung painfully.
“Your new burst of courage surprises me, and it must not continue. Another outburst from you will result in a severe punishment. Do you understand?” His eyes were narrowed as he hissed at her.
She looked down at the ground, ashamed of herself. “Yes, my Lord.”
“Very well.” Voldemort sat back in his chair and continued his orders. “It is not what this man has done; it is what he is guarding. This will also serve as a warning of sorts to your dear brother. Now it is time for you to depart.”
Stephanie stood up and followed Bellatrix outside the manor gates. Bellatrix grabbed her arm and they Disapparated. When they arrived at their destination, Stephanie looked around in shock. She had seen pictures of this place in Draco’s Hogwarts schoolbooks; there were several fireplaces along the wall, there were tall pillars, and the architecture was absolutely gorgeous. High in the air above her was a moving picture of the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge.
“The Ministry of Magic,” she whispered in admiration. This place was amazing and she had never been to a place like it. She was definitely impressed, though she thought that the Ministry had set up security disallowing Apparition in or out of the facility. Surely the Ministry would have strong enough defenses to keep out even Lord Voldemort.
Bellatrix cackled at the look of amazement on Stephanie’s face. “You underestimate the power of the Dark Lord, stupid girl. He will be most displeased with your lack of confidence in his abilities.”
Stephanie was silent. She hoped that she wouldn’t be punished for being surprised at the location of her mission. It was just that she was awestruck by where she had been taken. Stephanie had never imagined that Voldemort would be so daring as to send her inside the Ministry, even at night when no one was around. She just felt that she couldn’t do anything right lately.
Bellatrix pointed her wand at a door across the room. “That is where you will find the man you are to harm. You have a single choice to make. You may either beg this man, a complete stranger, to save your life or you may punish him for guarding that which the Dark Lord desires.”
Stephanie nodded and walked towards the door. She took a deep breath as she turned the knob, hoping that it was locked. It turned and she pulled the door open. Nagini slithered into the room ahead of her and they walked down a long corridor. She tried to walk as quietly as possible so as not to alert the man of her presence. It took her several minutes to walk the length of the hallway, and then she finally saw him. He was standing in front of another door, looking away from her.
He was a short, stout man with blazing red hair; he had not heard her approaching. For a moment she considered begging him to help her. Surely he would be able to summon assistance immediately. However, she realized that even if he helped her, Voldemort would still be able to hunt her down using the Malfoy Crest that was burned onto her arm. No, she decided. She had to do as she was ordered.
She silently raised her wand and sent the Cruciatus Curse at him. He screamed in surprise and collapsed to the floor, twitching from the pain. She walked up to him so she was standing over his body. Then she released the Curse and he stared up at her, gasping for breath.
Stephanie stepped back in surprise when he whispered, “Stephanie.” She eyed him curiously, wondering why he would say her name. He had a look of sadness in his eyes that she had not seen in a very long time. Stephanie was astonished because the look wasn’t sadness or terror for what would happen to him; it was pity for her. He wasn’t concerned for his own safety but he pitied her for what she was doing to him. This was a new experience for her and it shocked her quite a bit. She stood there for a moment just staring at him. His behavior really confused her and she didn’t know what she should do; whether she should continue or try to speak to him. He continued to lie there, saying nothing, just looking at her.
It brought her back to the reality of what she was doing. Suddenly, the emotions that had escaped her in the mall came rushing back to her. She didn’t want to continue, though she knew she must.
She raised her wand again and silently cast the spells that she had been taught throughout her months of training. She squeezed his insides so they crushed him; she slit several gashes along his legs, arms, and abdomen. Stephanie watched in horror as she twisted his limbs until she heard them crack. This entire time the man said nothing, he made no sound. There were tears running down his face, but he still allowed her to do as she was ordered. He had not tried to resist her attempts or to fight back.
Finally, she heard Bellatrix yelling for her to hurry up. Stephanie was so happy that it would soon be over. She knelt down to him and moved her mouth close to the man’s head. She kissed his forehead and then whispered quietly in his ear, “I’m so sorry. Thank you.”
She stood up and walked quickly out of the corridor. She paused at the door that would return her to Bellatrix’s side and thought for a moment about what had just happened. She couldn’t believe that she had thanked the man after she had injured him so severely. He must think she was such a horrible person, Stephanie thought sadly. Finally, she forced herself to turn the doorknob and walk through. Once again Bellatrix grabbed her arm and Disapparated them away.
When they arrived back at the manor, Bellatrix hissed at her. “It shouldn’t have taken that long to do as you were ordered. I am sure that you will be punished!”
Stephanie ignored this comment and calmly walked back inside the manor where she was met by Voldemort, Mr. Malfoy, and the two Lestrange brothers. They stood when she entered. At that moment, she didn’t really care what happened to her. The mission she had been sent on had had a great and profound effect on her that Stephanie could never have imagined. She didn’t even feel bad about what had just happened. In fact, she felt relieved.
“You did a very good job, Stephanie.” Voldemort praised her. She was surprised that he would already know whether or not the mission had gone well, though she had learned that she should never be surprised by anything Voldemort did or knew. “I am pleased that you did not beg this man to rescue you from my clutches.”
“Never, my Lord.” She answered her master. “I do not wish to be rescued; I am happy here. I only wish to serve you, my Lord.”
“Oh how you do please me.” He said, clasping his hands together in excitement. “And I shall overlook your surprise at what I am capable of. You are incredibly naive, and it amuses me greatly. You do not understand the greatness of my powers, but with time you will see exactly what I can and will do. But I must ask what you whispered to the man before you left him.”
Stephanie didn’t know what to say. She was shocked that he knew what she had done. There had been no one else in the room, how could he possibly know that? She answered with the first thing that came to her mind. “I kissed his forehead. I wanted him to remember my face; I wanted him to remember who had done that to him.”
“But what did you say to him?” Voldemort narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.
“I told him to look at me. And he did.” Stephanie hoped that Voldemort would believe her.
“I believe that Bella is truly having a greater impact on you than I ever could have imagined.” He turned to Bellatrix and bowed to her. “I thank you for your assistance, Bella.”
“It has been my pleasure, Master.” Bellatrix shrieked in delight at the praise she was receiving from her master. She had yearned for such praise for so long and it felt better than she ever could have imagined.
Voldemort turned back to Stephanie. “You will be rewarded for your loyal service. You may be allowed to miss breakfast in the morning if you wish to sleep in. Now, you may be excused.”
“But, my Lord!” Bellatrix objected loudly as Stephanie had begun to leave the room. “It took her too long to perform the task. Surely she must be punished; she needs to learn to do things like that much more quickly. We could have been seen!”
“I believe you are anticipating her unnecessary suffering, Bella.” Voldemort said quietly and shook his head. “This was her first mission on her own and I feel that she did beautifully. We must reward her for such acts of compliance and signs of loyalty if we wish her to continue to do so. Only providing the dear girl with punishments will not motivate her to work her hardest to serve me. I have my reasons for having her around Bella and I do not wish to explain myself to you.”
“I am sorry, my Lord.” Bellatrix apologized quietly.
However, Voldemort raised his wand at Bellatrix and Stephanie watched as he performed the Cruciatus Curse on her. Bellatrix collapsed to the ground and screamed in pain. Sweat began to pour from Bellatrix’s forehead and all Stephanie could do was watch.
“I will not accept my followers to question my judgments.” Voldemort hissed after he lifted the Curse. Bellatrix lay on the ground, gasping. “Stephanie, you may be excused.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie said quietly and then walked quickly to her room. She had to share the night’s events with the others. Once she was up in her room, she removed the diary from between the mattresses and wrote her next entry.
I almost killed a man in the Ministry tonight. But he should be okay. It was surprisingly therapeutic and gave me a lot of insight. In order to be able to perform the tasks Voldemort and Bellatrix were requiring of me, I forced all emotions from my body. But this man, the look he gave me, helped me to realize that I need to feel these things. I need to be able to feel sadness for those I hurt and mourn the people who die. These feelings are what is going to make it so that I don’t become the person Voldemort wants me to be. I am so relieved. Does that make any sense? ~Steph
P.S. Neville: Voldemort Cursed Bellatrix tonight!
P.S. Neville: Voldemort Cursed Bellatrix tonight!
*~*~*~*
Harry woke up screaming and drenched in sweat. He looked around and was surprised to see that he was still in his dormitory in Gryffindor tower. Each of his roommates, Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were staring at him curiously. Neville got up and went to get Professor McGonagall.
Harry’s breathing was heavy as his dream played through his mind once again. He had just watched his sister torture Mr. Weasley. There was no way that he saw that actually happen; he couldn’t believe that Stephanie would willingly torture Ron and Ginny’s dad. Even worse, Mr. Weasley didn’t even try to defend himself. He let it happen to him. All Harry could do was stare at Ron, terrified that what he had just dreamed was true.
Professor McGonagall ran into the room and Harry noticed she was still dressed in her nightgown. It was weird to see a professor without his or her robes; it was almost like they were actual people. She asked Harry what had happened. He told her and then she quickly pulled him out of bed. They had to go tell the headmaster immediately what he had seen. She motioned for Ron to join them.
After they arrived in the headmaster’s office, Harry explained for the second time the dream he had just had. Then something suddenly occurred to him and he looked at Dumbledore disbelievingly. “You don’t think Stephanie was sending me that image, do you? Like she spoke to me in the graveyard?”
“I don’t know, Harry.” Dumbledore contemplated the idea. “Whose point of view did you witness the event from? Were you looking down on the dream or were you seeing it through her eyes?”
“Neither.” Harry said, trying to figure out how it was possible to view the dream as he had. “There was a snake; I saw its reflection in the glass. I was watching Stephanie hurt Mr. Weasley through the snake’s eyes.”
“The implication of this is not good.” Dumbledore admitted. “Harry, I cannot be positive, but I believe that you were seeing this from Voldemort’s point of view.”
Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Voldemort couldn’t be sending him images like this. Why would Voldemort want Harry to see his sister torturing his best friend’s father? He refused to believe it.
Dumbledore noticed Harry’s confusion and he explained. “Voldemort wanted you to see this, Harry. Though, I am unsure as to why. He may be toying with your mind; Voldemort wants you to know how he is developing your sister. You must realize that she had no choice.”
“Why would Stephanie want to hurt my dad?” Ron asked only now comprehending what Harry had been saying.
Professor Dumbledore looked at Ron with sadness. “I do not believe that she wanted to harm your father, Ron. She has been forced to do the most awful of things, many of which I doubt she has disclosed to you. This was a direct order from Lord Voldemort and any deviation from that command would have resulted in her death.”
Ron nodded, not saying a word but tears streaming down his face. Harry was terrified for Mr. Weasley and for Stephanie. He had seen the look on Stephanie’s face as she was attacking Ron’s father. Though, he himself was very shaken up, he tried to comfort his best friend. “Ron. You should have seen the look on her face. She was so miserable. I know that she feels horrible for what she has done; you cannot blame her for what she cannot control.”
Dumbledore turned to a few of the portraits and began issuing them orders. One by one, the previous headmasters left their portraits to perform their assigned tasks. Dumbledore then requested that Professor McGonagall gather the rest of the Weasley children and bring them to his office. She left the room and Professor Dumbledore spoke again to the two boys.
“I would prefer if you did not tell Ginny, Fred, and George of Stephanie’s involvement quite yet. I feel that they don’t need to have this additional burden while we wait to learn of your father’s condition.” He asked of them. Harry and Ron nodded their agreement and they waited in silence for Professor McGonagall to return with the rest of Ron’s family.
*~*~*~*
Ginny was sitting in Charms taking an exam when Harry came bursting through the doors. The other students suddenly vanished and they were alone in the large classroom. He swept her to her feet and wrapped her in a giant hug. He slowly lowered his head to hers and kissed her gently on the lips. She sighed in satisfaction because she had waited for this moment for what had seemed like an eternity. But, suddenly Harry disappeared and she reluctantly opened her eyes to see Professor McGonagall kneeling next to her bed.
“I’m sorry dear, but there is an emergency and you have to come with me.” McGonagall said gently. Ginny got up quickly and followed McGonagall down the stairs. Fred and George were already waiting for them in the common room.
“Where’s Ron?” She asked.
“He is already with the headmaster.” McGonagall answered. “Now, come quickly.”
They walked briskly up to the headmaster’s office. Ginny was so scared about what could have happened. Her mind was racing.
Once they were in the headmaster’s office and sitting down, Dumbledore explained the situation, purposefully neglecting the fact that Stephanie had been part of the attack. “Your father has been taken to St. Mungo’s and your mother is on her way to him. I have set up a portkey and you, and Harry, will be transported to the Black manor. Sirius has already been notified of your arrival and he will be waiting for you. Your things will be sent to you in the morning.”
They all nodded. Ginny was crying and she didn’t want to believe what she was hearing. Was her father going to die? Fred wrapped his arms around her and they walked to the portkey. She felt the familiar tugging at her naval and they suddenly appeared in the Black family living room.
Sirius came rushing over to them. Ginny sat down on the couch; she was in shock. She shook with worry for her father.
“Any word?” George asked Sirius.
“No.” Sirius answered solemnly, giving Ginny a blanket. “Your mother is with him at St. Mungos and has promised to send word as soon as she learns anything. I think you kids should try and get some sleep.”
The tears continued to run down her face. Ginny said quietly, “I can’t sleep. I want to be with my dad.”
They sat there with no one saying a word. Everyone was avoiding eye contact and they didn’t want to voice their concerns about the fate of their father. It was just too horrible to think about, and saying it might make it true. Ginny’s mind was racing with things that she should have done. She hadn’t said that she loved him before they left for Hogwarts that semester. Would she have a chance to say that ever again? She just wanted to be there for her dad.
A couple of times throughout the night, Ginny had looked up at Harry and noticed him watching her. There had been a few times she thought Harry had decided to come closer to her, but she was glad that he hadn’t. She didn’t want him touching her right now, not so soon after he had kissed Cho.
Finally, after waiting for hours, there was a knock on the door. Sirius got up and opened it for Bill, Ginny’s brother. They all stood up as Bill came in and told them that their father was going to be alright. Mr. Weasley was very weak and had been very close to death, but he would survive. Their mother would come to 12 Grimmauld Place later that afternoon and take them to St. Mungos to visit their father.
Ginny sighed in relief. Soon after, their things arrived from Hogwarts. She ran to her trunk and dug out her diary. Stephanie had helped Neville, Harry, and Ron so much when they were hurting, and she knew that Stephanie would be able to help her as well. Ginny needed to talk to someone so badly; she needed to tell someone how scared she was for her father. She felt like she needed to do something productive.
She took the diary up to the room she had shared with Hermione the previous summer. However, she was not prepared for what Stephanie had written the night before. It was Stephanie that had done this to her father? It was Stephanie that had caused her such suffering and pain? Ginny couldn’t control herself; she couldn’t control her anger. She grabbed her quill and penned the next response without pausing to think about the consequences of her actions.
That was my father! And all you can say is that you are relieved?!? How dare you!
Please leave feedback here!
So I hope you liked it. I really enjoyed putting in Ginny's point of view, I think it really shows that she is vulnerable, like everyone else. Let me know what you guys think. The next chapter should be up Tuesday or Wednesday.
Chapter Nineteen: Don’t Place Blame
Harry sat with Sirius on the couch in the living room of 12 Grimmauld Place on Christmas Eve. Mr. Weasley had been discharged from St. Mungos and they were spending the holidays in London with the Weasleys and Hermione. Hermione had remained at Hogwarts until the end of the semester, but soon joined them in London for the Holidays. She had wanted to visit Mr. Weasley and spend some time with Ginny.
Very few discussions had taken place about the incident with Mr. Weasley, even between the four friends. No one wanted to bring up the entry that Ginny had written to Stephanie. Harry was concerned about Stephanie and what she had done, especially since she hadn’t written in the diary since right after she had attacked Mr. Weasley. He felt that he needed to talk about it and considered Sirius to be the best person to share his thoughts with.
“Stephanie has not shared everything with us. I know she’s my sister,” Harry began slowly, going over what had been playing in his mind for much longer than just the past week. “But, how do we know that she truly is still with us? How do we know that Voldemort hasn’t gotten to her?”
Harry was a little angry with her for not telling him about the Azkaban breakout or the attack on Mr. Weasley. He felt that it would have been very beneficial to know these things were coming; Mr. Weasley could have been protected.
“First, I have been in communication with Stephanie.” Sirius began, upset that Harry would question Stephanie’s loyalty. “I trust that she still knows who she is.”
“But what if she’s not?” Harry asked.
“Never question your sister’s loyalty.” Sirius commanded Harry. “She has done so much for you, and you must realize that she would never, ever harm you. Although she knows that Voldemort wants her to be the one to murder you, she has told me that she will never do such a thing. She would rather die than to harm you.”
“I’m sorry.” Harry said. He didn’t know what else to say in response to Sirius’ comments.
“What has she kept from you?” Sirius asked, moving on in the conversation.
Harry figured Sirius already knew, but he answered anyway. “First, she didn’t tell us about the plan for the breakout of Azkaban. We could have prepared and had security tightened. Someone could have prevented the escape!”
Sirius nodded in understanding of Harry’s frustration. “Harry, the Order knew of Voldemort’s plans much longer than I believe even Stephanie knew. I believe you assume her to be more informed than she actually is. Did she tell you that she had known beforehand?”
“She knew at least the day that it happened.” Harry answered his godfather. “Stephanie had written an apology to Neville for what she was about to do.”
“I understand your concern, Harry.” Sirius said. He truly could understand why Harry would be upset at the fact that he had not been told everything. “Were you aware that Stephanie was advised not to disclose that kind of information to you?”
Harry shook his head. “Why wouldn’t she be able to tell me what Voldemort was planning? I am her brother.”
“What else has she kept from you?” Sirius questioned, trying to avoid answering Harry’s last comment. It was a widely known fact that Harry was incredibly impulsive and always tried to do the right thing, no matter who was placed in danger; Sirius didn’t want to remind Harry of this and cause him to feel guilty about things that had happened long ago.
“She didn’t tell us the girl at the mall died. She hadn’t told us that she was going to be sent to harm Mr. Weasley. How could she hold that stuff in?” Harry was getting frustrated. Stephanie should know that she could talk to all of them about anything; they were there for her no matter what she did, no matter how she felt.
“I can only begin to speculate as to why she did not tell you about the girl.” Sirius said slowly, trying to think of the best way to approach the topic. “But I believe it may be similar to how the aftermath of what happened the night in the graveyard was for you. You had witnessed Cedric Diggory being murdered, and you didn’t want to talk about that for a long time. In fact, you still don’t. Harry, this is the first person she has seen die. To make it worse, this was an innocent five-year-old little girl. Stephanie was forced to watch as the mother screamed in terror and then as Bellatrix nonchalantly threw the girl to her death. Would you want to tell people about that?”
Harry realized that Sirius made a lot of sense. At least he had friends that could be there for him; they couldn’t be there to comfort and hug Stephanie. He felt a sudden rush of sympathy for his sister and he felt horrible for not believing in her.
Sirius continued talking Harry through everything that he was going through. “And about Mr. Weasley. Our source tells us that she literally did not know until the very last minute. She was woken up in the middle of the night and given her orders. It was more of a test to prove her loyalty to Voldemort than it was about attacking Arthur.”
“What do you mean?” Harry asked, confused as to why this would be a test. She had been required to harm people before, this wasn’t any different. “She didn’t know that it was Ron and Ginny’s father beforehand, did she?”
“No, I don’t think she did. And Voldemort would not have thought it important enough to tell her, considering he does not know about her communication with them.” Sirius said. “She would have had no idea what the significance would be. Stephanie had been given the option to ask Arthur to save her, to protect her from Voldemort, or to attack him as she did. By choosing the latter option, she proved to Voldemort that she is working beside him, that she will do what he asks of her.”
“But why didn’t she ask Mr. Weasley for help? It would have been the perfect way to get her out of there!” Harry said, surprised that Sirius wasn’t at all upset by Stephanie’s lack in judgment. It was obviously the clear choice. “He could have summoned help immediately; Stephanie would have been rescued!”
“There are many things that we are unaware of, Harry.” Sirius said solemnly. “Professor Dumbledore refuses to tell me exactly what has been done to Stephanie, and you would do well not to ask her about it, but there are extraneous circumstances that force her to remain where she is for the time being. She made the right choice, and Voldemort would have known immediately if she had chosen differently. It would have had disastrous consequences for both her and Arthur. Though she was unaware, this is the reason Nagini accompanied her. Voldemort is able to see through the snake’s eyes. I do not understand it, but that is what I have been told and I trust Albus’ judgment.”
“I’m her brother!” Harry exclaimed once again. “I just want her to be able to tell me things. There is more that she’s not telling me and I hate that I can’t do anything to help her. I know how difficult it is for her!”
“Let me ask you this, then. Have you been completely honest with her?” Sirius asked, knowing what Harry’s response would be. “Have you told your sister about the dreams you have been having?”
Harry thought about that for a moment. He hadn’t told Stephanie about the dreams, the messages Voldemort was sending him. He didn’t want to worry her any more than he had to. Stephanie had so much to think about to begin with and he didn’t want to add this burden to everything that was already on her mind. He answered, “No.”
Harry had also neglected to tell his sister about the scar of I must not tell lies engraved onto his hand. He figured that Stephanie had suffered through so much more than what he was being forced to do by his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, that he didn’t need to tell her. He felt so weak compared to her.
“I believe it may be difficult for you to understand this, but you are withholding that information in order to protect her. She is probably doing the same thing for you.” Sirius said.
Again, Harry thought that his godfather made sense. “Can you tell me what she meant when she wrote about what she had done to Mr. Weasley?”
Harry read the response to Sirius, and then waited while Sirius contemplated the writings of a fifteen-year-old girl. “I cannot be completely sure but maybe Arthur could provide you with some better insight into this. What I do know is that she is probably feeling something similar to what she did after the Quidditch World Cup. At that time, she shut down emotionally; she went numb. The only way she had known how to react was to feel nothing. However, this is curiously different. It appears that she can turn her emotions on and off at will. I believe it hurts her so much to do what she was being forced to do, that she just decided it would be better to not feel anything. That alone shows that she is not the person you fear her to be. She continues to amaze me at the insight she has shown. Stephanie is completely right when she says that she needs to feel these emotions to remain free from the influence of Voldemort. She will never allow herself to become the person he wants her to be. I am quite proud of her strength, wisdom, and resiliency.”
Harry looked at Sirius with interest when he noticed Sirius’ eyes had begun to water. Each day he learned something new about his sister, and each day he grew even fonder of her. Sirius was right when he said that she was very bright; Stephanie was much smarter than anyone gave her credit for. Harry wondered why Voldemort couldn’t see that and he asked his godfather why that was.
“That is a very good question, Harry.” Sirius said with a sly smile. “Voldemort has many weaknesses, though he is too ignorant to realize them as such. The first is that he does not believe in the power of love. This led to his downfall fourteen years ago, and he still has not learned the tremendous power it can hold.
“Second, he continues to underestimate those around him. For example, even though Stephanie helped you in the graveyard, you still showed your own strength. Voldemort could never have imagined how strong you two would be together. As far as Voldemort knows, Stephanie has had no contact with the outside world besides your short meeting in the graveyard. He believes that he is the only influence she has, and he continues to believe he can mold her into the person he wants her to become.
“He thinks it will be ironic for her to murder you; that is what he is training her for. However, the true irony lies in the fact that you are the one influencing her, and that is happening right under his watchful eye. I would like to be there when he realizes what has been happening.” Sirius had a twinkle of amusement in his eye.
However, Sirius’ comment about his influencing Stephanie made him remember that she had not written in the diary since her last entry. He had to hope that she was okay. “Sirius, if I tell you something, will you promise not to get angry?”
“I’ll try.” Sirius said, looking at Harry suspiciously.
“Hypothetically, how do you think Stephanie would react if someone blamed her for what happened to Mr. Weasley?” Harry asked cautiously, afraid to tell Sirius that Ginny had done that very thing. Although everyone wrote in the diary telling her that she was not to blame, they were all afraid that Stephanie was isolating herself from them. Ginny refused to apologize for what she had written because, though she knew it to be untrue, she still could not get over what had happened to her father.
Sirius eyed Harry, trying to get information from Harry’s nonverbal communication. He asked, “Did someone tell her that it was her fault?”
“They might have said something like that…” Harry said, trailing off. He looked away from his godfather.
“It wasn’t you, was it?” Sirius asked, sure that Harry wouldn’t have done something like that after what had happened the last time he opened his mouth without thinking.
“No.” Harry said shaking his head. “But Stephanie hasn’t written in the diary since then. And we are afraid that she is taking this too hard, that she may be blaming herself.”
“I do not know how Stephanie could be taking this.” Sirius said sadly, wondering what was going through his goddaughter’s mind. “Sometimes she takes things harder than others; sometimes things don’t affect her at all. But I do think that Arthur needs to have a discussion with you all before the holidays are over.”
And with that, their conversation was over. Mrs. Weasley called everyone into the kitchen for dinner.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions since the night she had been awakened by Lord Voldemort. First she had felt nothing at what she was doing to the poor man, and then she was pounded with a tidal wave of emotions. Though she didn’t let it show, Stephanie had felt a sudden rush of sadness, guilt, remorse, and grief. Oddly enough, she also felt a sense of happiness and relief.
It had surprised her how much one look of pity could influence how she saw her situation. Sirius had been right, she was a captive here. She was being forced to do such horrible things and none of them were her fault. After the situation at the mall, she had decided that to feel such emotions would only cause her to feel sorry for herself. And she couldn’t feel sorry for herself because she did technically have a choice about what she was doing. She could refuse, though it would mean her own endless suffering and ultimate death.
She didn’t understand why this came to her so suddenly, but she was extremely thankful that it had. Because it was at that moment in the Ministry that she realized she didn’t really have a choice. Voldemort was doing horrendous things whether or not she was in his home; and he would continue such acts long after she was gone. The only way she could do anything to stop him was to endure this experience until the moment came that she could finally fight back.
Denying her feelings of sadness and guilt for what was happening would have irreversible consequences that she couldn’t afford to let happen. She needed to have a sense of herself in order to remain the person she was; to fight off the temptation to become like Bellatrix. It was such an amazing epiphany to know that this was the only way she could fight back. Resisting Voldemort’s attempts would provide such sweet benefits in the end, she knew that. Knowing that this was something she could control made her happy. She hadn’t felt this way since that day she had been introduced to Professor Dumbledore. This thought made her smile because it reminded her that there was something worth fighting for.
It was weird because every time that she was losing sense of who she was and what she was fighting against, something out of the blue knocked her back into place. Most of the time it was one of the people who cared about her: Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Kingsley, and Hermione had saved her from herself after the Quidditch World cup; Neville had helped her after she learned how to perform the Cruciatus Curse; Ron had been upfront with her after he had attacked Draco. This time it was a stranger who probably didn’t even realize he had done anything that important.
She later found out that the man she had been forced to attack was Ron and Ginny’s father. It had horrified her that she had caused such great harm to her closest friends’ father, but she also knew that she had no choice. The diary entry written by Ginny hadn’t affected her as it would have before she had received her epiphany at the Ministry of Magic.
Stephanie knew that Ginny was just upset at what had happened and she completely understood Ginny’s pain. It couldn’t be easy knowing that someone you called a friend, someone you cared about, could almost kill your father. Ginny hadn’t written anything in the diary since that entry, but the others had begged Stephanie to write back, including Ron. They repeatedly told her that it wasn’t her fault; though Stephanie really didn’t need to hear that. She now had full understanding and she knew that the others couldn’t begin to comprehend even half of it.
The reason Stephanie decided not to respond in the diary was out of respect for Ginny and Ron. She wanted to give them some time to heal from the pain she had caused them before she wrote to any of them. As much as she wanted to be there to provide them with the support she knew they needed, she also knew that it would be highly inappropriate to be the one to offer that to them. They were suffering because of her, and for her to try and interfere would cause them much more harm than anyone could realize. She had to give them time, and then she would write back in the diary.
Not much had happened at the Lestrange manor since the attack on Mr. Weasley. Stephanie had decided to take Voldemort up on his offer to let her sleep in and miss the morning meal. She despised each meal she had to endure, and regretted the fact that she normally had to sit at the dinner table three times a day. This short reprieve refreshed her greatly; it was like a very short vacation.
At the noontime meal, Voldemort had again praised her efforts. She figured that he was doing so to reinforce her confidence in torturing innocent people. This was a tactic for Voldemort to convince her that this was the life that she should want. She should enjoy causing such pain because she had endured so much more than any of these people were suffering. According to Voldemort, all of these people deserved what they got for being muggle lovers and blood traitors. The only way to ensure wizard survival was to fight for a pureblood rule.
Stephanie realized that this was all a way for Voldemort to rationalize his need for power. Wizards had survived living alongside the muggles for centuries and it appeared that the muggles did not need to be ruled over. Voldemort just wanted to be the emperor and have people serve him for eternity. He was a typical dictator that didn’t care about who or what got in his way; in time he would destroy all, even his closest allies.
She hadn’t been required to attend a training lesson slash Death Eater attack since the night at the Ministry, so she figured there was going to be another one soon. She lay on her bed staring at the entries in the diary, wishing she could be with her brother on Christmas Eve. It was yet another year that she was unable to know what it truly meant to celebrate with loved ones. The thought made her feel so alone, but she soon had another one that lifted her spirits. For the first moment in a long time, Stephanie dared to hope that maybe one day she would be able to spend Christmas with people who cared about her. She thought about Harry and the others at Sirius’ place enjoying a hot holiday meal. Finally, she thought about the day she, Harry, and Sirius could be reunited once again and be a real family. Stephanie closed her eyes and fell asleep.
*~*~*~*
Two days later everyone sat at the kitchen table at the Black family manor. Mr. Weasley sat at the head of the table; to his right were Fred, George, and Harry while on his left sat Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Sirius sat in the corner to listen but not partake in the conversation. Bill had taken Mrs. Weasley to Diagon Alley shopping. Since the attack on her husband, she hadn’t wanted to go out alone.
“I wanted to speak with you all about your relationship with Stephanie.” Mr. Weasley looked at each of them solemnly. “Fred and George, I understand that you do not have any contact with her, but I feel that it is necessary for you to understand what happened at the Ministry.”
Fred and George nodded. Nobody said anything; they were all worried that they were in trouble for something. Harry had known since his conversation with Sirius two days before that this moment would be coming, although he didn’t regret telling his godfather about the message written to Stephanie.
Mr. Weasley continued his lecture. “Now, it has come to my attention that someone has told Stephanie that she is to blame for what happened that night. I do not know who has done so, nor do I wish to find out. It is not important and I do not fault that person for feeling this way. You all are young and cannot comprehend the seriousness of the situation that Stephanie is in.
“Harry is the only person besides me, Stephanie, and Voldemort, who has seen what happened that night. Stephanie did not want to cause harm to me; the look of desperation in her eyes saddened me beyond words. It is torturing her to do these things.” Mr. Weasley looked at Harry. “But she also understands that there is no other choice.
“I did not scream and I did not beg for her to spare my life because I knew that she would do what she was sent to accomplish. There is no feeling you should have towards this girl besides complete awe and admiration. There is not a day that she doesn’t suffer for what she has seen, for what she has done. And yet she can still get up in the morning and do it all over again.” Mr. Weasley paused to let the children think about what he was saying.
Ron opened his mouth to say something, but his father stopped him. Mr. Weasley continued. “What I tried to do was let her know that I understood why she was attacking me, that I did not fault her for doing so. And it appears that she knew what I was trying to convey through my facial expressions.
“I have heard the entry Stephanie wrote in the diary that night, and she has realized that she needs to allow herself to experience feelings of sadness and pain in order to survive her time with the Death Eaters. She continues to prove herself to others and it is absolutely incredible.” Mr. Weasley finished and the others sat in silence for a moment.
“But dad,” Ginny spoke quietly, looking at her father with sadness and guilt. “Why did Stephanie hurt you? Why didn’t she go to you for help? To save her? And why didn’t you fight back?”
Mr. Weasley shook his head. “I believe, Ginny, that you overestimate my magical abilities. Stephanie did not appear to realize that Voldemort was watching her every move, but let’s say that she did ask me to save her. Voldemort would have notified Bellatrix who was standing right outside the door, and then he would have Apparated himself into the Ministry. Stephanie would have been killed for betraying Lord Voldemort and I probably would not have survived either. Stephanie realized that she had no choice but to do as she was told.
“And I did not want to fight back. I didn’t want to defend myself against her because I didn’t want to hurt her, not that I am positive I even could have. We all know some of what she has gone through, and I didn’t want to cause her any more pain. I did not know what the consequences of her failure would have been.” Mr. Weasley looked at Sirius with a hint of amusement. “It surprised me to learn that Voldemort had expected her to fail. Not only did he expect her to ask me to save her, he also expected me to kill her.
“He now looks at her more favorably than ever before because she demonstrated such loyalty to him. Everything turned out great, even though I was gravely injured. I know that it would have been difficult for you all if I had died, but I would have been pleased to help Stephanie take such a large step in a positive direction. To be honest, I was disappointed to hear that you blamed her for what happened to me.” He finished with tears in his eyes.
Ginny and Hermione were also actively crying, and Harry was close to tears. Ginny was the first to speak, “I’m sorry dad. I just was so scared for you and I had to blame someone. It was just so hard.”
“I understand, Ginny. But you must realize that she is a prisoner of Lord Voldemort. She has no choice but to continue as she is told.” Mr. Weasley looked at Harry and asked him seriously, “Did you see what she did right before she left me on the floor?”
Harry nodded and Mr. Weasley asked, “Could you tell the others?”
“She knelt down on the floor and kissed your forehead. Then she whispered something in your ear, though I couldn’t hear what it was.” Harry said, wondering where Mr. Weasley was taking this.
“She told me how sorry she was.” Mr. Weasley said slowly. “As much as it pained her to do what she did, it hurt her more to think about me. She needed me to know that she didn’t want to do it. I believe it may have hurt her more emotionally than it hurt me physically.”
“But, dad.” George asked his father. “Why doesn’t she leave? Why doesn’t she try to escape?”
Sirius spoke for the first time since this meeting began. “The night Stephanie was taken from the graveyard, there were some spells cast upon her. Though none of us knows exactly what they do, we do know that they prevent her from leaving Voldemort’s side unnoticed.”
“Why didn’t she tell us that?” Ron exclaimed.
“We have been told that Stephanie has been informed of the full impact of these curses. My impression is that she does not wish you to know about them.” Mr. Weasley explained to the children. “And you would do very well not to ask her about them. I am sure she will bring them up when she is ready.”
Mr. Weasley stood up and continued, “I believe that we are done here. Please take what I have said seriously and realize that Stephanie is not to blame for anything she is being forced to do while she resides with Voldemort.”
Sirius and Mr. Weasley left the room, leaving the six teenagers in the kitchen.
“Wow,” Fred whispered. “What do you think the curses are?”
“No idea,” Harry answered. This concerned him greatly, though he had known something prevented his sister’s escape since Sirius told him on Christmas Eve. He just hoped that they weren’t deadly.
All eyes turned to Hermione, expecting her to voice an opinion about the curses. She responded indignantly, “I have no idea. She never mentioned this to me and I don’t know where to begin looking. There are so many things that could have been placed upon her. Poor Stephanie.”
They all shook their heads in agreement. Ginny pulled out her diary and wrote an apology to Stephanie.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie had been really happy to see that Ginny had come to terms with what she had done to Ginny’s father shortly before Christmas. Once she saw Ginny’s apology, she had explained to the others why she had stopped writing in the diary and they seemed to understand.
Stephanie understood why Ginny had written what she had and Stephanie couldn’t say that she wouldn’t have done the same thing. She harbored no negative feelings against Ginny, but she did understand that their friendship had definitely been damaged. It was Ginny’s guilt that would hinder the level of trust they once shared, but Stephanie hoped that their friendship could be repaired in time. They were all back on speaking terms and Stephanie was optimistic that things would get better, they had to.
However, she had realized that she could no longer inform the others exactly what she was being asked to do. After Harry’s slip about her Cursing Draco and Ginny’s diary entry, there was no way she could risk another similar situation. They would never understand the complexity of what was going on in her mind and why she told them only portions of the actual events or plans. Stephanie knew that there were ways they could be supportive of her without her having to disclose exact details. She only hoped they would understand.
She had been forced to participate in only a few more attacks since Christmas. The most disturbing one had been the day of Christmas where she, Bellatrix, and Yaxley, another Death Eater, had been to visit a family of four muggles. Stephanie had been forced to practice levitating objects and then throwing them at the inhabitants of the home. It hadn’t been too difficult for her, but it had saddened her to watch Yaxley blow up the house afterwards. He had said that it had to look like there had been a gas leak. Stephanie had mourned the loss of this family.
Something happened that surprised Stephanie greatly a few weeks following Draco’s return to Hogwarts after the holidays. One day after she returned home from one of her lessons with Bellatrix she noticed a letter sticking out of her diary. She had opened it expecting to see Sirius’ handwriting, but it was not his. Stephanie read the letter in great anticipation.
Stephanie smiled as she read this letter. This was completely unexpected and Fred appeared to be nothing like Ron had described his older brother. She took out her diary and wrote a short note.
Sorry it's a day late! Chapter twenty is finished and just needs to be edited. I will try to get it posted by Saturday, but I won't promise anything. I am also out of town next week, but I will try to get at least one chapter posted. Again, I can't promise anything.
Harry sat with Sirius on the couch in the living room of 12 Grimmauld Place on Christmas Eve. Mr. Weasley had been discharged from St. Mungos and they were spending the holidays in London with the Weasleys and Hermione. Hermione had remained at Hogwarts until the end of the semester, but soon joined them in London for the Holidays. She had wanted to visit Mr. Weasley and spend some time with Ginny.
Very few discussions had taken place about the incident with Mr. Weasley, even between the four friends. No one wanted to bring up the entry that Ginny had written to Stephanie. Harry was concerned about Stephanie and what she had done, especially since she hadn’t written in the diary since right after she had attacked Mr. Weasley. He felt that he needed to talk about it and considered Sirius to be the best person to share his thoughts with.
“Stephanie has not shared everything with us. I know she’s my sister,” Harry began slowly, going over what had been playing in his mind for much longer than just the past week. “But, how do we know that she truly is still with us? How do we know that Voldemort hasn’t gotten to her?”
Harry was a little angry with her for not telling him about the Azkaban breakout or the attack on Mr. Weasley. He felt that it would have been very beneficial to know these things were coming; Mr. Weasley could have been protected.
“First, I have been in communication with Stephanie.” Sirius began, upset that Harry would question Stephanie’s loyalty. “I trust that she still knows who she is.”
“But what if she’s not?” Harry asked.
“Never question your sister’s loyalty.” Sirius commanded Harry. “She has done so much for you, and you must realize that she would never, ever harm you. Although she knows that Voldemort wants her to be the one to murder you, she has told me that she will never do such a thing. She would rather die than to harm you.”
“I’m sorry.” Harry said. He didn’t know what else to say in response to Sirius’ comments.
“What has she kept from you?” Sirius asked, moving on in the conversation.
Harry figured Sirius already knew, but he answered anyway. “First, she didn’t tell us about the plan for the breakout of Azkaban. We could have prepared and had security tightened. Someone could have prevented the escape!”
Sirius nodded in understanding of Harry’s frustration. “Harry, the Order knew of Voldemort’s plans much longer than I believe even Stephanie knew. I believe you assume her to be more informed than she actually is. Did she tell you that she had known beforehand?”
“She knew at least the day that it happened.” Harry answered his godfather. “Stephanie had written an apology to Neville for what she was about to do.”
“I understand your concern, Harry.” Sirius said. He truly could understand why Harry would be upset at the fact that he had not been told everything. “Were you aware that Stephanie was advised not to disclose that kind of information to you?”
Harry shook his head. “Why wouldn’t she be able to tell me what Voldemort was planning? I am her brother.”
“What else has she kept from you?” Sirius questioned, trying to avoid answering Harry’s last comment. It was a widely known fact that Harry was incredibly impulsive and always tried to do the right thing, no matter who was placed in danger; Sirius didn’t want to remind Harry of this and cause him to feel guilty about things that had happened long ago.
“She didn’t tell us the girl at the mall died. She hadn’t told us that she was going to be sent to harm Mr. Weasley. How could she hold that stuff in?” Harry was getting frustrated. Stephanie should know that she could talk to all of them about anything; they were there for her no matter what she did, no matter how she felt.
“I can only begin to speculate as to why she did not tell you about the girl.” Sirius said slowly, trying to think of the best way to approach the topic. “But I believe it may be similar to how the aftermath of what happened the night in the graveyard was for you. You had witnessed Cedric Diggory being murdered, and you didn’t want to talk about that for a long time. In fact, you still don’t. Harry, this is the first person she has seen die. To make it worse, this was an innocent five-year-old little girl. Stephanie was forced to watch as the mother screamed in terror and then as Bellatrix nonchalantly threw the girl to her death. Would you want to tell people about that?”
Harry realized that Sirius made a lot of sense. At least he had friends that could be there for him; they couldn’t be there to comfort and hug Stephanie. He felt a sudden rush of sympathy for his sister and he felt horrible for not believing in her.
Sirius continued talking Harry through everything that he was going through. “And about Mr. Weasley. Our source tells us that she literally did not know until the very last minute. She was woken up in the middle of the night and given her orders. It was more of a test to prove her loyalty to Voldemort than it was about attacking Arthur.”
“What do you mean?” Harry asked, confused as to why this would be a test. She had been required to harm people before, this wasn’t any different. “She didn’t know that it was Ron and Ginny’s father beforehand, did she?”
“No, I don’t think she did. And Voldemort would not have thought it important enough to tell her, considering he does not know about her communication with them.” Sirius said. “She would have had no idea what the significance would be. Stephanie had been given the option to ask Arthur to save her, to protect her from Voldemort, or to attack him as she did. By choosing the latter option, she proved to Voldemort that she is working beside him, that she will do what he asks of her.”
“But why didn’t she ask Mr. Weasley for help? It would have been the perfect way to get her out of there!” Harry said, surprised that Sirius wasn’t at all upset by Stephanie’s lack in judgment. It was obviously the clear choice. “He could have summoned help immediately; Stephanie would have been rescued!”
“There are many things that we are unaware of, Harry.” Sirius said solemnly. “Professor Dumbledore refuses to tell me exactly what has been done to Stephanie, and you would do well not to ask her about it, but there are extraneous circumstances that force her to remain where she is for the time being. She made the right choice, and Voldemort would have known immediately if she had chosen differently. It would have had disastrous consequences for both her and Arthur. Though she was unaware, this is the reason Nagini accompanied her. Voldemort is able to see through the snake’s eyes. I do not understand it, but that is what I have been told and I trust Albus’ judgment.”
“I’m her brother!” Harry exclaimed once again. “I just want her to be able to tell me things. There is more that she’s not telling me and I hate that I can’t do anything to help her. I know how difficult it is for her!”
“Let me ask you this, then. Have you been completely honest with her?” Sirius asked, knowing what Harry’s response would be. “Have you told your sister about the dreams you have been having?”
Harry thought about that for a moment. He hadn’t told Stephanie about the dreams, the messages Voldemort was sending him. He didn’t want to worry her any more than he had to. Stephanie had so much to think about to begin with and he didn’t want to add this burden to everything that was already on her mind. He answered, “No.”
Harry had also neglected to tell his sister about the scar of I must not tell lies engraved onto his hand. He figured that Stephanie had suffered through so much more than what he was being forced to do by his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, that he didn’t need to tell her. He felt so weak compared to her.
“I believe it may be difficult for you to understand this, but you are withholding that information in order to protect her. She is probably doing the same thing for you.” Sirius said.
Again, Harry thought that his godfather made sense. “Can you tell me what she meant when she wrote about what she had done to Mr. Weasley?”
Harry read the response to Sirius, and then waited while Sirius contemplated the writings of a fifteen-year-old girl. “I cannot be completely sure but maybe Arthur could provide you with some better insight into this. What I do know is that she is probably feeling something similar to what she did after the Quidditch World Cup. At that time, she shut down emotionally; she went numb. The only way she had known how to react was to feel nothing. However, this is curiously different. It appears that she can turn her emotions on and off at will. I believe it hurts her so much to do what she was being forced to do, that she just decided it would be better to not feel anything. That alone shows that she is not the person you fear her to be. She continues to amaze me at the insight she has shown. Stephanie is completely right when she says that she needs to feel these emotions to remain free from the influence of Voldemort. She will never allow herself to become the person he wants her to be. I am quite proud of her strength, wisdom, and resiliency.”
Harry looked at Sirius with interest when he noticed Sirius’ eyes had begun to water. Each day he learned something new about his sister, and each day he grew even fonder of her. Sirius was right when he said that she was very bright; Stephanie was much smarter than anyone gave her credit for. Harry wondered why Voldemort couldn’t see that and he asked his godfather why that was.
“That is a very good question, Harry.” Sirius said with a sly smile. “Voldemort has many weaknesses, though he is too ignorant to realize them as such. The first is that he does not believe in the power of love. This led to his downfall fourteen years ago, and he still has not learned the tremendous power it can hold.
“Second, he continues to underestimate those around him. For example, even though Stephanie helped you in the graveyard, you still showed your own strength. Voldemort could never have imagined how strong you two would be together. As far as Voldemort knows, Stephanie has had no contact with the outside world besides your short meeting in the graveyard. He believes that he is the only influence she has, and he continues to believe he can mold her into the person he wants her to become.
“He thinks it will be ironic for her to murder you; that is what he is training her for. However, the true irony lies in the fact that you are the one influencing her, and that is happening right under his watchful eye. I would like to be there when he realizes what has been happening.” Sirius had a twinkle of amusement in his eye.
However, Sirius’ comment about his influencing Stephanie made him remember that she had not written in the diary since her last entry. He had to hope that she was okay. “Sirius, if I tell you something, will you promise not to get angry?”
“I’ll try.” Sirius said, looking at Harry suspiciously.
“Hypothetically, how do you think Stephanie would react if someone blamed her for what happened to Mr. Weasley?” Harry asked cautiously, afraid to tell Sirius that Ginny had done that very thing. Although everyone wrote in the diary telling her that she was not to blame, they were all afraid that Stephanie was isolating herself from them. Ginny refused to apologize for what she had written because, though she knew it to be untrue, she still could not get over what had happened to her father.
Sirius eyed Harry, trying to get information from Harry’s nonverbal communication. He asked, “Did someone tell her that it was her fault?”
“They might have said something like that…” Harry said, trailing off. He looked away from his godfather.
“It wasn’t you, was it?” Sirius asked, sure that Harry wouldn’t have done something like that after what had happened the last time he opened his mouth without thinking.
“No.” Harry said shaking his head. “But Stephanie hasn’t written in the diary since then. And we are afraid that she is taking this too hard, that she may be blaming herself.”
“I do not know how Stephanie could be taking this.” Sirius said sadly, wondering what was going through his goddaughter’s mind. “Sometimes she takes things harder than others; sometimes things don’t affect her at all. But I do think that Arthur needs to have a discussion with you all before the holidays are over.”
And with that, their conversation was over. Mrs. Weasley called everyone into the kitchen for dinner.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions since the night she had been awakened by Lord Voldemort. First she had felt nothing at what she was doing to the poor man, and then she was pounded with a tidal wave of emotions. Though she didn’t let it show, Stephanie had felt a sudden rush of sadness, guilt, remorse, and grief. Oddly enough, she also felt a sense of happiness and relief.
It had surprised her how much one look of pity could influence how she saw her situation. Sirius had been right, she was a captive here. She was being forced to do such horrible things and none of them were her fault. After the situation at the mall, she had decided that to feel such emotions would only cause her to feel sorry for herself. And she couldn’t feel sorry for herself because she did technically have a choice about what she was doing. She could refuse, though it would mean her own endless suffering and ultimate death.
She didn’t understand why this came to her so suddenly, but she was extremely thankful that it had. Because it was at that moment in the Ministry that she realized she didn’t really have a choice. Voldemort was doing horrendous things whether or not she was in his home; and he would continue such acts long after she was gone. The only way she could do anything to stop him was to endure this experience until the moment came that she could finally fight back.
Denying her feelings of sadness and guilt for what was happening would have irreversible consequences that she couldn’t afford to let happen. She needed to have a sense of herself in order to remain the person she was; to fight off the temptation to become like Bellatrix. It was such an amazing epiphany to know that this was the only way she could fight back. Resisting Voldemort’s attempts would provide such sweet benefits in the end, she knew that. Knowing that this was something she could control made her happy. She hadn’t felt this way since that day she had been introduced to Professor Dumbledore. This thought made her smile because it reminded her that there was something worth fighting for.
It was weird because every time that she was losing sense of who she was and what she was fighting against, something out of the blue knocked her back into place. Most of the time it was one of the people who cared about her: Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Kingsley, and Hermione had saved her from herself after the Quidditch World cup; Neville had helped her after she learned how to perform the Cruciatus Curse; Ron had been upfront with her after he had attacked Draco. This time it was a stranger who probably didn’t even realize he had done anything that important.
She later found out that the man she had been forced to attack was Ron and Ginny’s father. It had horrified her that she had caused such great harm to her closest friends’ father, but she also knew that she had no choice. The diary entry written by Ginny hadn’t affected her as it would have before she had received her epiphany at the Ministry of Magic.
Stephanie knew that Ginny was just upset at what had happened and she completely understood Ginny’s pain. It couldn’t be easy knowing that someone you called a friend, someone you cared about, could almost kill your father. Ginny hadn’t written anything in the diary since that entry, but the others had begged Stephanie to write back, including Ron. They repeatedly told her that it wasn’t her fault; though Stephanie really didn’t need to hear that. She now had full understanding and she knew that the others couldn’t begin to comprehend even half of it.
The reason Stephanie decided not to respond in the diary was out of respect for Ginny and Ron. She wanted to give them some time to heal from the pain she had caused them before she wrote to any of them. As much as she wanted to be there to provide them with the support she knew they needed, she also knew that it would be highly inappropriate to be the one to offer that to them. They were suffering because of her, and for her to try and interfere would cause them much more harm than anyone could realize. She had to give them time, and then she would write back in the diary.
Not much had happened at the Lestrange manor since the attack on Mr. Weasley. Stephanie had decided to take Voldemort up on his offer to let her sleep in and miss the morning meal. She despised each meal she had to endure, and regretted the fact that she normally had to sit at the dinner table three times a day. This short reprieve refreshed her greatly; it was like a very short vacation.
At the noontime meal, Voldemort had again praised her efforts. She figured that he was doing so to reinforce her confidence in torturing innocent people. This was a tactic for Voldemort to convince her that this was the life that she should want. She should enjoy causing such pain because she had endured so much more than any of these people were suffering. According to Voldemort, all of these people deserved what they got for being muggle lovers and blood traitors. The only way to ensure wizard survival was to fight for a pureblood rule.
Stephanie realized that this was all a way for Voldemort to rationalize his need for power. Wizards had survived living alongside the muggles for centuries and it appeared that the muggles did not need to be ruled over. Voldemort just wanted to be the emperor and have people serve him for eternity. He was a typical dictator that didn’t care about who or what got in his way; in time he would destroy all, even his closest allies.
She hadn’t been required to attend a training lesson slash Death Eater attack since the night at the Ministry, so she figured there was going to be another one soon. She lay on her bed staring at the entries in the diary, wishing she could be with her brother on Christmas Eve. It was yet another year that she was unable to know what it truly meant to celebrate with loved ones. The thought made her feel so alone, but she soon had another one that lifted her spirits. For the first moment in a long time, Stephanie dared to hope that maybe one day she would be able to spend Christmas with people who cared about her. She thought about Harry and the others at Sirius’ place enjoying a hot holiday meal. Finally, she thought about the day she, Harry, and Sirius could be reunited once again and be a real family. Stephanie closed her eyes and fell asleep.
*~*~*~*
Two days later everyone sat at the kitchen table at the Black family manor. Mr. Weasley sat at the head of the table; to his right were Fred, George, and Harry while on his left sat Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Sirius sat in the corner to listen but not partake in the conversation. Bill had taken Mrs. Weasley to Diagon Alley shopping. Since the attack on her husband, she hadn’t wanted to go out alone.
“I wanted to speak with you all about your relationship with Stephanie.” Mr. Weasley looked at each of them solemnly. “Fred and George, I understand that you do not have any contact with her, but I feel that it is necessary for you to understand what happened at the Ministry.”
Fred and George nodded. Nobody said anything; they were all worried that they were in trouble for something. Harry had known since his conversation with Sirius two days before that this moment would be coming, although he didn’t regret telling his godfather about the message written to Stephanie.
Mr. Weasley continued his lecture. “Now, it has come to my attention that someone has told Stephanie that she is to blame for what happened that night. I do not know who has done so, nor do I wish to find out. It is not important and I do not fault that person for feeling this way. You all are young and cannot comprehend the seriousness of the situation that Stephanie is in.
“Harry is the only person besides me, Stephanie, and Voldemort, who has seen what happened that night. Stephanie did not want to cause harm to me; the look of desperation in her eyes saddened me beyond words. It is torturing her to do these things.” Mr. Weasley looked at Harry. “But she also understands that there is no other choice.
“I did not scream and I did not beg for her to spare my life because I knew that she would do what she was sent to accomplish. There is no feeling you should have towards this girl besides complete awe and admiration. There is not a day that she doesn’t suffer for what she has seen, for what she has done. And yet she can still get up in the morning and do it all over again.” Mr. Weasley paused to let the children think about what he was saying.
Ron opened his mouth to say something, but his father stopped him. Mr. Weasley continued. “What I tried to do was let her know that I understood why she was attacking me, that I did not fault her for doing so. And it appears that she knew what I was trying to convey through my facial expressions.
“I have heard the entry Stephanie wrote in the diary that night, and she has realized that she needs to allow herself to experience feelings of sadness and pain in order to survive her time with the Death Eaters. She continues to prove herself to others and it is absolutely incredible.” Mr. Weasley finished and the others sat in silence for a moment.
“But dad,” Ginny spoke quietly, looking at her father with sadness and guilt. “Why did Stephanie hurt you? Why didn’t she go to you for help? To save her? And why didn’t you fight back?”
Mr. Weasley shook his head. “I believe, Ginny, that you overestimate my magical abilities. Stephanie did not appear to realize that Voldemort was watching her every move, but let’s say that she did ask me to save her. Voldemort would have notified Bellatrix who was standing right outside the door, and then he would have Apparated himself into the Ministry. Stephanie would have been killed for betraying Lord Voldemort and I probably would not have survived either. Stephanie realized that she had no choice but to do as she was told.
“And I did not want to fight back. I didn’t want to defend myself against her because I didn’t want to hurt her, not that I am positive I even could have. We all know some of what she has gone through, and I didn’t want to cause her any more pain. I did not know what the consequences of her failure would have been.” Mr. Weasley looked at Sirius with a hint of amusement. “It surprised me to learn that Voldemort had expected her to fail. Not only did he expect her to ask me to save her, he also expected me to kill her.
“He now looks at her more favorably than ever before because she demonstrated such loyalty to him. Everything turned out great, even though I was gravely injured. I know that it would have been difficult for you all if I had died, but I would have been pleased to help Stephanie take such a large step in a positive direction. To be honest, I was disappointed to hear that you blamed her for what happened to me.” He finished with tears in his eyes.
Ginny and Hermione were also actively crying, and Harry was close to tears. Ginny was the first to speak, “I’m sorry dad. I just was so scared for you and I had to blame someone. It was just so hard.”
“I understand, Ginny. But you must realize that she is a prisoner of Lord Voldemort. She has no choice but to continue as she is told.” Mr. Weasley looked at Harry and asked him seriously, “Did you see what she did right before she left me on the floor?”
Harry nodded and Mr. Weasley asked, “Could you tell the others?”
“She knelt down on the floor and kissed your forehead. Then she whispered something in your ear, though I couldn’t hear what it was.” Harry said, wondering where Mr. Weasley was taking this.
“She told me how sorry she was.” Mr. Weasley said slowly. “As much as it pained her to do what she did, it hurt her more to think about me. She needed me to know that she didn’t want to do it. I believe it may have hurt her more emotionally than it hurt me physically.”
“But, dad.” George asked his father. “Why doesn’t she leave? Why doesn’t she try to escape?”
Sirius spoke for the first time since this meeting began. “The night Stephanie was taken from the graveyard, there were some spells cast upon her. Though none of us knows exactly what they do, we do know that they prevent her from leaving Voldemort’s side unnoticed.”
“Why didn’t she tell us that?” Ron exclaimed.
“We have been told that Stephanie has been informed of the full impact of these curses. My impression is that she does not wish you to know about them.” Mr. Weasley explained to the children. “And you would do very well not to ask her about them. I am sure she will bring them up when she is ready.”
Mr. Weasley stood up and continued, “I believe that we are done here. Please take what I have said seriously and realize that Stephanie is not to blame for anything she is being forced to do while she resides with Voldemort.”
Sirius and Mr. Weasley left the room, leaving the six teenagers in the kitchen.
“Wow,” Fred whispered. “What do you think the curses are?”
“No idea,” Harry answered. This concerned him greatly, though he had known something prevented his sister’s escape since Sirius told him on Christmas Eve. He just hoped that they weren’t deadly.
All eyes turned to Hermione, expecting her to voice an opinion about the curses. She responded indignantly, “I have no idea. She never mentioned this to me and I don’t know where to begin looking. There are so many things that could have been placed upon her. Poor Stephanie.”
They all shook their heads in agreement. Ginny pulled out her diary and wrote an apology to Stephanie.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie had been really happy to see that Ginny had come to terms with what she had done to Ginny’s father shortly before Christmas. Once she saw Ginny’s apology, she had explained to the others why she had stopped writing in the diary and they seemed to understand.
Stephanie understood why Ginny had written what she had and Stephanie couldn’t say that she wouldn’t have done the same thing. She harbored no negative feelings against Ginny, but she did understand that their friendship had definitely been damaged. It was Ginny’s guilt that would hinder the level of trust they once shared, but Stephanie hoped that their friendship could be repaired in time. They were all back on speaking terms and Stephanie was optimistic that things would get better, they had to.
However, she had realized that she could no longer inform the others exactly what she was being asked to do. After Harry’s slip about her Cursing Draco and Ginny’s diary entry, there was no way she could risk another similar situation. They would never understand the complexity of what was going on in her mind and why she told them only portions of the actual events or plans. Stephanie knew that there were ways they could be supportive of her without her having to disclose exact details. She only hoped they would understand.
She had been forced to participate in only a few more attacks since Christmas. The most disturbing one had been the day of Christmas where she, Bellatrix, and Yaxley, another Death Eater, had been to visit a family of four muggles. Stephanie had been forced to practice levitating objects and then throwing them at the inhabitants of the home. It hadn’t been too difficult for her, but it had saddened her to watch Yaxley blow up the house afterwards. He had said that it had to look like there had been a gas leak. Stephanie had mourned the loss of this family.
Something happened that surprised Stephanie greatly a few weeks following Draco’s return to Hogwarts after the holidays. One day after she returned home from one of her lessons with Bellatrix she noticed a letter sticking out of her diary. She had opened it expecting to see Sirius’ handwriting, but it was not his. Stephanie read the letter in great anticipation.
Dear Stephanie,
I know that you don’t know who I am and I am not sure that you have even heard of me. But I just needed to speak with you. As much as I despise the man, I approached Professor Snape to see if he would be willing to give you this letter, and he reluctantly agreed. I know how much he really enjoys being an owl for your godfather! However, he did say that he would not be a messenger for me again, so this is the only note that I can send to you.
Anyway, my name is Fred Weasley and I am one of Ron’s brothers. I wanted to let you know how horrible Ginny felt after she had written that entry to you in the diaries. She felt, and continues to feel, guilty for blaming you. She knew that it wasn’t your fault, she just needed an outlet for her anger. I just wish that we, her brothers, would have taken more notice to how much she was hurting.
The others say that you are not taking her accusations too hard at all. But I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and I want you to know that none of the Weasleys harbor any negative feelings for you. My dad is so proud of you for what you did to him, as strange as that may sound. Though I don’t know you personally, nor have I spoken to you previously, I just wanted to let you know that if you ever escaped from that horrible place, the Weasleys would all be there for you.
Dad explained why he didn’t fight back and your reaction to his behavior that night. He doesn’t know how you came to the understanding that you did, but he is highly impressed. As are the other members of the Order of the Phoenix. You are making quite a name for yourself in your courage and your actions. That is very impressive for such a young witch.
You are not alone in your suffering. Remember that. Even George and I care about you tremendously. We owe you our father’s life, and we will do what we can whenever you need us. Just give us a yell and we’ll come running!
Fred Weasley
I know that you don’t know who I am and I am not sure that you have even heard of me. But I just needed to speak with you. As much as I despise the man, I approached Professor Snape to see if he would be willing to give you this letter, and he reluctantly agreed. I know how much he really enjoys being an owl for your godfather! However, he did say that he would not be a messenger for me again, so this is the only note that I can send to you.
Anyway, my name is Fred Weasley and I am one of Ron’s brothers. I wanted to let you know how horrible Ginny felt after she had written that entry to you in the diaries. She felt, and continues to feel, guilty for blaming you. She knew that it wasn’t your fault, she just needed an outlet for her anger. I just wish that we, her brothers, would have taken more notice to how much she was hurting.
The others say that you are not taking her accusations too hard at all. But I’ve been thinking a lot about this, and I want you to know that none of the Weasleys harbor any negative feelings for you. My dad is so proud of you for what you did to him, as strange as that may sound. Though I don’t know you personally, nor have I spoken to you previously, I just wanted to let you know that if you ever escaped from that horrible place, the Weasleys would all be there for you.
Dad explained why he didn’t fight back and your reaction to his behavior that night. He doesn’t know how you came to the understanding that you did, but he is highly impressed. As are the other members of the Order of the Phoenix. You are making quite a name for yourself in your courage and your actions. That is very impressive for such a young witch.
You are not alone in your suffering. Remember that. Even George and I care about you tremendously. We owe you our father’s life, and we will do what we can whenever you need us. Just give us a yell and we’ll come running!
Fred Weasley
Stephanie smiled as she read this letter. This was completely unexpected and Fred appeared to be nothing like Ron had described his older brother. She took out her diary and wrote a short note.
Ron and Ginny, Please thank your brother for me. I really appreciate what he said ~Steph
Sorry it's a day late! Chapter twenty is finished and just needs to be edited. I will try to get it posted by Saturday, but I won't promise anything. I am also out of town next week, but I will try to get at least one chapter posted. Again, I can't promise anything.
Chapter Twenty: Betrayer of Lord Voldemort
Ron read the latest diary entry from Stephanie for the third time and wondered which brother she could be talking about and why. If she had wanted to tell his brother thank you for her, she should have told him which brother would know what he was talking about. Though it could have been Charlie or Bill, he highly doubted that they would have contacted Stephanie in some way. Percy would most definitely never contact her. That left Fred or George. Why and how would one of those two do something for Stephanie? They had never spoken to her before.
He sat there for awhile and wondered what they could have done for her, and why Stephanie wouldn’t tell him what it was. He had written asking her about it and she had ignored his comment, just moving onto something that Hermione had said. After it was written, he had asked Ginny about it but she didn’t seem to think it was all that important. In fact, she had asked Ron why he was obsessing over it so much. And truth be told, he didn’t know why he cared to that extent. Maybe he thought that if Fred or George had figured out a way to communicate with her, that there would soon be a way to free her. He didn’t know why he wanted to know so badly.
In search of his older brothers, he took a walk on the Hogwarts grounds. He found his brothers sitting in the stands of the Quidditch pitch, deep in conversation. They noticed him and waved him over.
“What’s up?” Ron asked as he got closer.
“Just brainstorming.” George answered. They had started a business selling joke supplies, and they had actually been getting quite successful. Ron figured that they probably had a bright future ahead of them, even though their mother didn’t want to accept that fact.
“Here, try this.” Fred said as he handed Ron a little yellow piece of candy.
“No, I don’t think so.” Ron laughed. He knew his brothers had a track record of inventing new things that ended up getting him injured in some way. They had been testing on first years all year long. He wasn’t in the mood to be their guinea pig today.
“Come on!” George egged his brother on, nudging him with an arm. “It’ll just turn your body a bright blue, no harm.”
“Maybe later.” Ron eyed his brothers suspiciously. They also had a tendency to lie to him, but he figured that it was all in fun. “Can I ask you guys a question?”
“Sure.” Fred said, nodding. “What’s up?”
“You guys know Stephanie, right?” Ron asked.
“Well, we don’t know her.” George answered. “But, yeah, we’ve heard of her.”
“Have either of you spoken to her?” Ron asked, watching his brothers’ reactions.
Fred remained silent, but George answered. “How would we do that? We can’t read your diaries, let alone write in them.”
Ron looked at Fred. He was sure that Fred had just silently answered his question. The only thing he needed to know now was how Fred had done so. “She told me to thank my brother for her. I figure it wouldn’t have been Charlie, Bill, or Percy…so it has to be one of you.”
“Wasn’t me.” George answered, shaking his head.
Fred had let out a little smile while Ron was explaining what had happened. Ron decided to call his brother on this. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Might have been.” Fred answered mischievously.
“How did you get in contact with her? Like George said, you can’t use the diaries.” Ron asked his brother.
“I found a way.” Fred said, not wanting to let anyone know how he had begged Snape to deliver the letter. It was highly embarrassing. He couldn’t even tell anyone why he had felt the need to send the letter to Stephanie. It was weird, but he had a strong attraction towards her, even though he had never even spoken to her.
“Can we use that way to get her out of there? To get her away from Voldemort?” Ron was hopeful that the answer would be yes.
“I’m afraid not, Ron.” Fred smiled at his brother’s optimism. “You are too nosy. There’s no way I’m telling you how I wrote to her.”
“But, why?” Ron asked. “Why did you write to her?”
“Why do you need to know?” Fred was getting a little impatient with his younger brother. Ron didn’t need to know what he had said, not that it was anything too personal.
“I’m just curious.” Ron said while George looked at his brothers in surprise. He hadn’t known that Fred had written to Harry’s sister.
“If you must know,” Fred began, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to tell his brother what he had told Stephanie. “I wanted her to know that no one in our family blames her for what she did to dad. I wanted her to know that all of the Weasleys would do anything for her.”
“Wow, that was incredibly nice of you.” And not at all like you, Ron finished in his head. He was wondering why Fred would take such measures for a girl that he didn’t know. Ron just figured that there were things he would never understand about his brothers.
*~*~*~*
“We found him, my Lord!” The Death Eater named Mulciber came running into the dining room. “He’s in France, hiding out in some cottage. Dolohov stayed behind to keep an eye on him, to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere.”
Voldemort looked up happily. “Very well done. We shall leave immediately.”
The others that were at the table stood up and followed Voldemort towards the door. Stephanie wasn’t sure if she was supposed to follow, so she remained in her seat until told otherwise.
“Stephanie, come.” Voldemort ordered, gesturing for her to follow. “I believe that you may wish to see your master in action. You may be of some use to us and I want you to see this.”
Stephanie got up and followed the Death Eaters out the door. None of them even bothered to dress in their robes or put masks on; Stephanie realized that wherever they were going, they did not expect to leave behind any witnesses. Outside, Rodolphus grabbed her arm and Apparated the two of them to a heavily wooded area.
“Put up an anti-Disapparition field, Stephanie.” Voldemort ordered Stephanie, waving his wand at the little cottage they were standing in front of.
Stephanie had never done one of these before and hoped that she would be able to do it well enough. She began to walk around the perimeter of the home, waving her wand up and down in the air. She saw a light colored mist coming from her wand, so she figured that it must be working. When she returned to Lord Voldemort’s side, he asked her if she had succeeded.
“I think so.” Stephanie answered, nodding her head.
“You had better hope so. Stephanie, dear, you know how much I despise failure. And I will not tolerate this man to escape me again.” Voldemort hissed at her. “You are about to see what happens to those that betray Lord Voldemort.”
He turned to his followers and motioned that it was time to enter. Some of the men went to the rear of the cabin to guard the exits in case the man inside decided to run for it. Voldemort pointed his wand at the door and it suddenly burst open. Then he walked into the cabin, calmly. Stephanie followed and the other Death Eaters entered behind her.
The man had been taken by surprise. Stephanie took a moment to look at him and was a little disgusted by his appearance. He was a short, skinny man with long greasy brown hair. He was caked in dirt and the smell was almost unbearable. This man had definitely been in seclusion for a very long time. He was suddenly hit by a body bind curse, and he fell to the ground.
“Well, well, well.” Voldemort said coolly. “If it isn’t Max Brownwell. How is the Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt these days?”
The man tried to fight the bonds holding him, but it was no use. He tried to speak, but someone had cast a silencing spell on him, so nothing came out. The others laughed, but Stephanie just stared.
“Max, here,” Voldemort was talking to no one in particular, telling a story that everyone except Stephanie already knew, “had come to me long before my downfall fourteen years ago begging to become a Death Eater. I had figured that it was a plan for the Order to infiltrate my organization; it was so obvious because I knew this man to be an Auror. I was actually disappointed in Albus Dumbledore’s meager attempt.
“But, he passed my tests and I allowed him to have small luxuries of being a Death Eater. He was given little bit of knowledge including my location. It was also to test this man’s loyalties, because I did not fully trust him. Then, mysteriously, Kingsley Shacklebolt learns of where I am hiding. How in the world would he find that out? He is much too incompetent for his position as Head Auror. Of course it was Max Brownwell. There are no others that would betray me in such a way.” Voldemort lifted the silencing spell with a lazy flick of his wand. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I didn’t, my Lord.” The man pleaded. “There is a spy within your Death Eaters, but it isn’t me. I would never betray you, my Lord.”
A few of the Death Eaters in the room looked at Stephanie accusingly. She looked away from them even though she knew they couldn’t blame her for this, considering she had just been a baby or not even born yet.
“You betray me.” Voldemort said slowly, raising his wand at the man. “And you lie to me. I am going to repay you for how you have treated the one you call your master.”
He began the Cruciatus Curse on the pitiful man lying on the ground, bound by invisible ropes. Max Brownwell screamed in more agony than Stephanie had ever heard. But suddenly, something also happened to her.
Her legs gave out and she slammed into the counter for support. It took all of her energy to hold herself up. Voldemort ended the Curse on the man and then turned to her.
“What is wrong with you?” He snarled irritably at her. “Stand up!”
She tried to stand up, but she couldn’t. Voldemort eyed her suspiciously for a few moments. Then, the feeling subsided and she was able to stand again. “I’m sorry, my Lord. I got dizzy and lost my balance.”
“Do not let it happen again.” Voldemort turned back to the man on the ground.
Stephanie turned and looked behind her to see Dolohov, Rabastan, and Bellatrix laughing at her silently. Dolohov had his wand pointed at her and gestured towards her legs. He had cast the Jelly Legs jinx on her. Great, she thought. Stephanie turned back towards the man on the floor.
A little while later, Stephanie could tell that Voldemort was getting antsy. This meant that he was finishing the torture of his follower and they would be leaving shortly. Soon she wouldn’t have to face the stares of hatred from the Death Eaters standing behind her.
“Avad-” Voldemort began but stopped when he heard the pounding noise for the second time. Stephanie’s legs gave out again and she gasped in surprise, landing on the counter. She was utilizing the counter for support, once again unable to stand. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, my Lord.” Stephanie panted, fighting to stay upright.
“Outside. Now!” Voldemort ordered her.
Stephanie couldn’t move because she had no control over her legs. Voldemort ordered her outside again and she still couldn’t move. She knew that he wouldn’t believe her if she told him what was happening, so she remained silent. As Voldemort stared at her in shock of her outright disobedience, Stephanie was terrified about what was going to happen to her.
At long last, the jinx was lifted and Stephanie pulled herself into a standing position. She turned and walked towards the door. As Stephanie walked by Bellatrix, she heard a snide whisper in her ear. “Oops.”
Stephanie ignored the comment and walked outside. She sat on the steps and waited anxiously. She hadn’t been waiting long when she felt a jolt of electricity run through her back.
“Up!” Voldemort commanded. She stood and the Death Eaters walked out of the cabin.
Dolohov walked over to her and grabbed her arm. Stephanie waited for the Disapparition, but it didn’t come. Everyone else had gone and only they remained behind. Her stomach turned over. What was he going to do to her? He didn’t dare hurt her with Voldemort knowing where they were and expecting them to arrive shortly. She was sure of it; at least she tried to convince herself of that.
He pointed his wand at her when he was sure they were alone. “Not a word.”
Stephanie just stared at him; she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her scared. She refused to acknowledge his threat.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me.” Dolohov almost yelled at her. “One word of this to the Dark Lord and you will suffer the most pain you have ever experienced. Do you understand?”
Again she refused to acknowledge him speaking to her. She knew the longer she held out, the more suspicious Voldemort would get. He scoffed in frustration at her insolence, put his arm around her neck, and Disapparated them.
They appeared back on the Lestrange grounds. Voldemort immediately ran to them as Dolohov began to struggle with Stephanie.
“Where have you been?” He asked, scolding Dolohov for not returning immediately.
“I am sorry, my Lord.” Dolohov said, looking at his master. “But she tried to run!”
“I didn’t!” Stephanie gasped in surprise. She realized she should have just reassured Dolohov that she wouldn’t say anything to Voldemort. There was no way that she would have anyway; she didn’t want Voldemort’s protection. Stephanie knew she could take care of herself.
Voldemort eyed her furiously, breathing in her face. “What would Dolohov’s motivation be to lie to me? I truly thought you would not be stupid enough to try and escape. I believed you to be much better trained than that.
“But if you want to get some exercise, who am I to deprive you of that?” Voldemort waved his wand at her and her legs began to move quickly. She couldn’t stop her legs; she was running in place at a sprinter’s pace. “I may come back to get you later, I may not. We’ll see if you can learn not to try and escape from me.”
Everyone returned to the manor and Stephanie was left alone in the yard. She was locked in place, running for twelve hours before Rabastan finally came into the yard and removed the spell. She collapsed to the ground, weak, in pain, and out of breath. Stephanie forced herself to stand and she slowly made her way to the manor for breakfast.
*~*~*~*
Severus reluctantly sat in his office awaiting Potter’s arrival. He hated these sessions that the headmaster had requested him to conduct with the boy. Harry was spoiled and arrogant and refused to take these lessons seriously. Ever since the Dark Lord had sent Harry the dream of Stephanie attacking Arthur Weasley, he had been required to provide Occlumency lessons to the boy.
It hadn’t been too exciting for him to teach Stephanie Occlumency, but at least she was willing and determined to learn. Harry had never wanted to attend these lessons and Severus expected that Harry never practiced as he had promised he would. Stephanie had never fully mastered the art but he was sure that she would have eventually learned to alter her memories had they had more time. However, they didn’t have the time and he hoped when the Dark Lord finally decided to use Legilimens on her that she would be able to hold him at bay, though he doubted her abilities to do so.
He also had learned to despise the rest of the students who knew about Stephanie, even more than he had before this past Christmas. Severus had learned that the young Weasley girl had irresponsibly blamed Stephanie for the task she had been ordered to perform against Arthur. It was Stephanie’s fault no more than it was his own. Severus was afraid that these children would do more harm than good the farther into this war they went.
Severus had also been incredibly concerned about Stephanie’s safety lately. Although she had not come to him, nor told anyone that he was aware of, he was sure that some of the Death Eaters had done more than threaten her recently. The Dark Lord had told him of Stephanie’s escape attempt and her punishment afterwards. Severus knew full well that Stephanie would never attempt such a thing. She was not a complete idiot; that was her brother’s role.
Severus looked up as Harry knocked on the door. He answered with his slow, monotone voice. “Come in.”
He got up and placed his memories in the pensieve he had borrowed from the headmaster. Severus had removed these memories before each lesson because he had not wanted Harry to see what lay in his past. He had not taken such measures with Stephanie because he felt that she had earned the right to see what he had been through. Harry was nothing but a whiny, know-it-all brat that didn’t deserve the respect that viewing his memories would offer.
Harry sat down in the chair across from Severus and he raised his wand. As he was about to cast the Legilimens spell, the door burst open. Draco Malfoy came running in out of breath.
“Yes, Mr. Malfoy.” Severus rolled his eyes at the young boy. “How may I help you?”
Draco looked between his professor and Harry with confusion, but continued anyway. “Professor Umbridge requests to speak with you immediately.”
“Very well.” Severus said. He stood up to leave and turned to Harry. “Remain seated, Potter. We shall resume your remedial potions lessons when I return.”
Severus had been summoned to assist Delores Umbridge in removing a student that was trapped in a mirror. The boy had been missing for quite some time and they had finally found him. Severus didn’t care either way, but succumbed to the fact that he had to assist this foul woman.
When he was finished, he slowly walked back to his office in the dungeons in order to resume the Occlumency lesson with Harry. Severus was disgusted at the thought. Harry’s memories were all pathetic and he felt that his experiences were the worst things in the world. If Harry would see some of the things Severus had done, or if he knew about a fraction of the things Stephanie had experienced, Harry would realize that he had it very good. Severus thought how pathetic Harry Potter truly was and wondered why he was the only person besides the Dark Lord to think so.
Severus was horrified at what he saw when he entered the dungeons. He walked briskly over to the pensieve and forcefully pulled Harry out of it. He was seething, “How dare you, Potter!”
“I’m sorry, professor.” Harry exclaimed.
“Our lessons are over.” Severus pointed towards the door. “Get out!”
Harry slowly walked out of the dungeons and Severus sat at the teacher’s desk. He put his head in his hands and couldn’t believe what had just happened. Harry was strikingly similar to his father in that he thought he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it. Harry had witnessed one of his most private memories, if not all of the ones he had placed in the pensieve. Severus wondered if Harry now knew of the love he had had for Lily Evans.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie had been nervous all week because she knew that Neville, Ron, Hermione, and Harry were stuck taking their O.W.L.s. They hadn’t had time to write to her in the diary for a couple of weeks because of their studying; Stephanie knew how important these exams were.
This was one of the few moments that she allowed herself to feel jealous of her brother and friends. She had never wondered why she was never jealous of the freedom her friends experienced; she just figured it was because her life of captivity was the only one she had ever known.
However, the significance of these exams was very high. As she had confessed to Hermione before any of the others had learned of her existence, she had always dreamed of being an Auror. With the others being able to take their O.W.L.s, she was constantly reminded that she would never be able to become an Auror without passing these exams. And she could never pass her O.W.L.s because she had never been given a formal education.
Stephanie knew that she didn’t have any skills that she could offer. So if she did make it out of this situation alive, she had no idea how she was going to support herself. There was absolutely no job she was qualified to do except clean. She knew that she didn’t want to do that for the rest of her life; she had already had her fair share of cleaning other people’s things. Stephanie had been a servant in the Malfoy home for almost fourteen years and, she couldn’t believe it, Voldemort’s follower for a year already. There was absolutely nothing she could offer any potential employer. Maybe they had planned it that way, in case she was to survive.
At lunch that afternoon, Stephanie was given some information that she hoped wasn’t too late to relay to Professor Snape. She was absolutely sure that he didn’t know what was about to happen.
“Lucius, the most important thing for you to accomplish during this mission is to retrieve the prophecy.” Voldemort was instructing Mr. Malfoy. Including Mr. Malfoy, there were eleven other Death Eaters listening for their final instructions before the mission commenced.
“Of course, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy responded.
“Harry is not to be touched unless you have the prophecy. And even then, I would like to be the one to kill him myself.” Voldemort said.
Stephanie didn’t know what was happening, but she realized that Harry was in danger. She had to try and do something to save him; she was sure that Harry didn’t know what Voldemort was planning. She had to ask to go along, but she knew that if she showed any disrespect to Voldemort or interest in Harry that she would be in trouble.
She quietly asked permission to speak, “Master, may I ask a question?”
“Of course, Stephanie.” Voldemort nodded to her with a smirk of satisfaction.
“May I join you?” She asked, hoping that he would allow her to come along.
“Why would you want to do a thing like that?” Voldemort asked her. He was clearly amused at her sudden interest for joining in Death Eater activities.
“It may be a good lesson.” Again she spoke quietly. She paused and then spoke with a tone of anger and pure hatred. “Please allow me this chance to get to my brother. I have so much I would like to say to him.”
“I believe that the time has not yet come for you to confront him.” Voldemort laughed. The other Death Eaters sat around the table quietly. “I do not believe that you are ready for such a mission quite yet. To be honest, I don’t trust you to be so close to your brother and continue to serve me properly. You may be tempted”
“But, master!” Stephanie exclaimed. She just had to be allowed to come. She had to be allowed to know what was going on! “Please.”
“I do not know why you are being so persistent, but I will not allow you to join us this evening.” Voldemort hissed at her. “There will be time in the future for you to do as you are asking. For now, I need that prophecy and I do not dare make the mistake of bringing you with us.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said, defeated. She looked down at her food and wished that there was something she could do.
“Now I must make a request of you, Stephanie.” Voldemort looked at her.
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie answered, looking up at him.
“We will be leaving immediately following this meal. I must insist that you remain in your room until we return. Can you do that?” Voldemort asked.
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie replied. She wasn’t sure why he was asking this of her, but she knew she would have stayed in her room regardless of his order.
“Good girl. Wormtail will inform me if you attempt to leave.” Voldemort said. “Now, you may be excused while we continue to discuss our plans.”
Stephanie got up slowly and walked to her room. Once she was in her room, she immediately pulled out the diary and wrote an entry to her friends at Hogwarts. However, everyone was in exams except Ginny, and she doubted any of them would read the diary before it was too late. She tried anyway.
There was nothing Stephanie could do now except wait for a response from someone at Hogwarts or for the return of Voldemort and his followers.
Stephanie kept the diary open on her bed while she paced the length of her room. She just wished there was more she could do; she definitely would have preferred to go along because at least then she would know what was happening.
Shortly after Stephanie had been dismissed, she heard the voices downstairs fade. She walked over to her window and looked out to see the Death Eaters, masked and robed, Disapparating away from the manor. It was just Stephanie and Wormtail left in the Lestrange manor.
There was nothing Stephanie could do but wonder what was going on. Voldemort had mentioned a prophecy, but this was the first time she had heard of it. She wondered if it had anything to do with the prophecy foretold to her, but doubted it because that one hadn’t been all that important. It just told how she would save her brother’s life and then how Voldemort would use her to frighten people. No, there had to be another prophecy out there.
A few hours after the Death Eaters had left her alone in the manor, Stephanie got a tremendous feeling of fear. The only explanation was that Harry was in trouble. She knew that Voldemort had somehow gotten to him and there was nothing she could do. No one had responded in the diary, and she had a feeling that no one would. Stephanie began to panic; what if something happened to one of them? Could she live with the fact that she didn’t do anything to prevent it? There had to be something she could do!
She desperately tried the pendant that remained around her neck, though she knew it was pointless. Stephanie had kept the pendant to remind her of those at Hogwarts. Eventually the pendant would be of use again, at least she hoped so. All hope couldn’t be lost.
Then, as suddenly as the feeling of terror had entered her body, she got hit by an overpowering wave of grief. Something had gone wrong wherever Harry and Voldemort were. Stephanie started to dread the return of Voldemort. She knew that Harry had to still be alive because he continued to send her these feelings, but she also knew that he had these feelings for a reason. She just hoped that someone hadn’t been seriously hurt. She continued to pace around her bedroom, unwilling to accept the fact that there was nothing she could do.
What seemed like days later, and after hours of anticipatory waiting, she heard loud voices downstairs. It sounded like Voldemort was screaming at Bellatrix. Stephanie couldn’t sit there any longer and not know what was going on. She silently opened her door and crept to the top of the stairs to listen to the two arguing downstairs.
Stephanie heard Bellatrix screaming in pain; Voldemort was Cursing her. She knew that something horrible must have happened. Something must have gone wrong. Stephanie heard Voldemort yelling at Bellatrix once the Curse had been lifted and Bellatrix stopped screaming.
“Your job was to secure the prophecy.” Voldemort hissed. “But instead, you failed me. Instead of attempting to retrieve the prophecy, you murdered your cousin. In addition to your failure, eleven of my followers have been arrested. You will pay for your foolishness, Bella. I am truly disappointed.”
Bellatrix screamed again. Voldemort’s words had hit Stephanie like a train. Bellatrix had killed her cousin. Sirius had been Bellatrix’s cousin. Sirius couldn’t be dead. It couldn’t be. No. Stephanie refused to believe it. She didn’t even get to say goodbye.
The screaming stopped and she heard Voldemort’s voice again. “I will come back to deal with you. The girl has left her room.”
Stephanie quickly scrambled to stand up and run into her room. She silently shut her door and jumped onto her bed. She picked up the diary and pushed it between the mattresses. The door burst open and Voldemort was breathing heavily, staring at her with his bright red eyes. Stephanie had never seen him this mad; she knew she was in a lot more trouble than she had ever been in before.
Please leave me some feedback and tell me what you think! I really enjoyed this chapter and I hope you did too. So I posted this one a day earlier than promised since I will be leaving very early tomorrow morning. The next chapter is almost done, though I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to post it. Have a great weekend!
Ron read the latest diary entry from Stephanie for the third time and wondered which brother she could be talking about and why. If she had wanted to tell his brother thank you for her, she should have told him which brother would know what he was talking about. Though it could have been Charlie or Bill, he highly doubted that they would have contacted Stephanie in some way. Percy would most definitely never contact her. That left Fred or George. Why and how would one of those two do something for Stephanie? They had never spoken to her before.
He sat there for awhile and wondered what they could have done for her, and why Stephanie wouldn’t tell him what it was. He had written asking her about it and she had ignored his comment, just moving onto something that Hermione had said. After it was written, he had asked Ginny about it but she didn’t seem to think it was all that important. In fact, she had asked Ron why he was obsessing over it so much. And truth be told, he didn’t know why he cared to that extent. Maybe he thought that if Fred or George had figured out a way to communicate with her, that there would soon be a way to free her. He didn’t know why he wanted to know so badly.
In search of his older brothers, he took a walk on the Hogwarts grounds. He found his brothers sitting in the stands of the Quidditch pitch, deep in conversation. They noticed him and waved him over.
“What’s up?” Ron asked as he got closer.
“Just brainstorming.” George answered. They had started a business selling joke supplies, and they had actually been getting quite successful. Ron figured that they probably had a bright future ahead of them, even though their mother didn’t want to accept that fact.
“Here, try this.” Fred said as he handed Ron a little yellow piece of candy.
“No, I don’t think so.” Ron laughed. He knew his brothers had a track record of inventing new things that ended up getting him injured in some way. They had been testing on first years all year long. He wasn’t in the mood to be their guinea pig today.
“Come on!” George egged his brother on, nudging him with an arm. “It’ll just turn your body a bright blue, no harm.”
“Maybe later.” Ron eyed his brothers suspiciously. They also had a tendency to lie to him, but he figured that it was all in fun. “Can I ask you guys a question?”
“Sure.” Fred said, nodding. “What’s up?”
“You guys know Stephanie, right?” Ron asked.
“Well, we don’t know her.” George answered. “But, yeah, we’ve heard of her.”
“Have either of you spoken to her?” Ron asked, watching his brothers’ reactions.
Fred remained silent, but George answered. “How would we do that? We can’t read your diaries, let alone write in them.”
Ron looked at Fred. He was sure that Fred had just silently answered his question. The only thing he needed to know now was how Fred had done so. “She told me to thank my brother for her. I figure it wouldn’t have been Charlie, Bill, or Percy…so it has to be one of you.”
“Wasn’t me.” George answered, shaking his head.
Fred had let out a little smile while Ron was explaining what had happened. Ron decided to call his brother on this. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
“Might have been.” Fred answered mischievously.
“How did you get in contact with her? Like George said, you can’t use the diaries.” Ron asked his brother.
“I found a way.” Fred said, not wanting to let anyone know how he had begged Snape to deliver the letter. It was highly embarrassing. He couldn’t even tell anyone why he had felt the need to send the letter to Stephanie. It was weird, but he had a strong attraction towards her, even though he had never even spoken to her.
“Can we use that way to get her out of there? To get her away from Voldemort?” Ron was hopeful that the answer would be yes.
“I’m afraid not, Ron.” Fred smiled at his brother’s optimism. “You are too nosy. There’s no way I’m telling you how I wrote to her.”
“But, why?” Ron asked. “Why did you write to her?”
“Why do you need to know?” Fred was getting a little impatient with his younger brother. Ron didn’t need to know what he had said, not that it was anything too personal.
“I’m just curious.” Ron said while George looked at his brothers in surprise. He hadn’t known that Fred had written to Harry’s sister.
“If you must know,” Fred began, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to tell his brother what he had told Stephanie. “I wanted her to know that no one in our family blames her for what she did to dad. I wanted her to know that all of the Weasleys would do anything for her.”
“Wow, that was incredibly nice of you.” And not at all like you, Ron finished in his head. He was wondering why Fred would take such measures for a girl that he didn’t know. Ron just figured that there were things he would never understand about his brothers.
*~*~*~*
“We found him, my Lord!” The Death Eater named Mulciber came running into the dining room. “He’s in France, hiding out in some cottage. Dolohov stayed behind to keep an eye on him, to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere.”
Voldemort looked up happily. “Very well done. We shall leave immediately.”
The others that were at the table stood up and followed Voldemort towards the door. Stephanie wasn’t sure if she was supposed to follow, so she remained in her seat until told otherwise.
“Stephanie, come.” Voldemort ordered, gesturing for her to follow. “I believe that you may wish to see your master in action. You may be of some use to us and I want you to see this.”
Stephanie got up and followed the Death Eaters out the door. None of them even bothered to dress in their robes or put masks on; Stephanie realized that wherever they were going, they did not expect to leave behind any witnesses. Outside, Rodolphus grabbed her arm and Apparated the two of them to a heavily wooded area.
“Put up an anti-Disapparition field, Stephanie.” Voldemort ordered Stephanie, waving his wand at the little cottage they were standing in front of.
Stephanie had never done one of these before and hoped that she would be able to do it well enough. She began to walk around the perimeter of the home, waving her wand up and down in the air. She saw a light colored mist coming from her wand, so she figured that it must be working. When she returned to Lord Voldemort’s side, he asked her if she had succeeded.
“I think so.” Stephanie answered, nodding her head.
“You had better hope so. Stephanie, dear, you know how much I despise failure. And I will not tolerate this man to escape me again.” Voldemort hissed at her. “You are about to see what happens to those that betray Lord Voldemort.”
He turned to his followers and motioned that it was time to enter. Some of the men went to the rear of the cabin to guard the exits in case the man inside decided to run for it. Voldemort pointed his wand at the door and it suddenly burst open. Then he walked into the cabin, calmly. Stephanie followed and the other Death Eaters entered behind her.
The man had been taken by surprise. Stephanie took a moment to look at him and was a little disgusted by his appearance. He was a short, skinny man with long greasy brown hair. He was caked in dirt and the smell was almost unbearable. This man had definitely been in seclusion for a very long time. He was suddenly hit by a body bind curse, and he fell to the ground.
“Well, well, well.” Voldemort said coolly. “If it isn’t Max Brownwell. How is the Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt these days?”
The man tried to fight the bonds holding him, but it was no use. He tried to speak, but someone had cast a silencing spell on him, so nothing came out. The others laughed, but Stephanie just stared.
“Max, here,” Voldemort was talking to no one in particular, telling a story that everyone except Stephanie already knew, “had come to me long before my downfall fourteen years ago begging to become a Death Eater. I had figured that it was a plan for the Order to infiltrate my organization; it was so obvious because I knew this man to be an Auror. I was actually disappointed in Albus Dumbledore’s meager attempt.
“But, he passed my tests and I allowed him to have small luxuries of being a Death Eater. He was given little bit of knowledge including my location. It was also to test this man’s loyalties, because I did not fully trust him. Then, mysteriously, Kingsley Shacklebolt learns of where I am hiding. How in the world would he find that out? He is much too incompetent for his position as Head Auror. Of course it was Max Brownwell. There are no others that would betray me in such a way.” Voldemort lifted the silencing spell with a lazy flick of his wand. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
“I didn’t, my Lord.” The man pleaded. “There is a spy within your Death Eaters, but it isn’t me. I would never betray you, my Lord.”
A few of the Death Eaters in the room looked at Stephanie accusingly. She looked away from them even though she knew they couldn’t blame her for this, considering she had just been a baby or not even born yet.
“You betray me.” Voldemort said slowly, raising his wand at the man. “And you lie to me. I am going to repay you for how you have treated the one you call your master.”
He began the Cruciatus Curse on the pitiful man lying on the ground, bound by invisible ropes. Max Brownwell screamed in more agony than Stephanie had ever heard. But suddenly, something also happened to her.
Her legs gave out and she slammed into the counter for support. It took all of her energy to hold herself up. Voldemort ended the Curse on the man and then turned to her.
“What is wrong with you?” He snarled irritably at her. “Stand up!”
She tried to stand up, but she couldn’t. Voldemort eyed her suspiciously for a few moments. Then, the feeling subsided and she was able to stand again. “I’m sorry, my Lord. I got dizzy and lost my balance.”
“Do not let it happen again.” Voldemort turned back to the man on the ground.
Stephanie turned and looked behind her to see Dolohov, Rabastan, and Bellatrix laughing at her silently. Dolohov had his wand pointed at her and gestured towards her legs. He had cast the Jelly Legs jinx on her. Great, she thought. Stephanie turned back towards the man on the floor.
A little while later, Stephanie could tell that Voldemort was getting antsy. This meant that he was finishing the torture of his follower and they would be leaving shortly. Soon she wouldn’t have to face the stares of hatred from the Death Eaters standing behind her.
“Avad-” Voldemort began but stopped when he heard the pounding noise for the second time. Stephanie’s legs gave out again and she gasped in surprise, landing on the counter. She was utilizing the counter for support, once again unable to stand. “What are you doing?”
“I’m sorry, my Lord.” Stephanie panted, fighting to stay upright.
“Outside. Now!” Voldemort ordered her.
Stephanie couldn’t move because she had no control over her legs. Voldemort ordered her outside again and she still couldn’t move. She knew that he wouldn’t believe her if she told him what was happening, so she remained silent. As Voldemort stared at her in shock of her outright disobedience, Stephanie was terrified about what was going to happen to her.
At long last, the jinx was lifted and Stephanie pulled herself into a standing position. She turned and walked towards the door. As Stephanie walked by Bellatrix, she heard a snide whisper in her ear. “Oops.”
Stephanie ignored the comment and walked outside. She sat on the steps and waited anxiously. She hadn’t been waiting long when she felt a jolt of electricity run through her back.
“Up!” Voldemort commanded. She stood and the Death Eaters walked out of the cabin.
Dolohov walked over to her and grabbed her arm. Stephanie waited for the Disapparition, but it didn’t come. Everyone else had gone and only they remained behind. Her stomach turned over. What was he going to do to her? He didn’t dare hurt her with Voldemort knowing where they were and expecting them to arrive shortly. She was sure of it; at least she tried to convince herself of that.
He pointed his wand at her when he was sure they were alone. “Not a word.”
Stephanie just stared at him; she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her scared. She refused to acknowledge his threat.
“Maybe you didn’t hear me.” Dolohov almost yelled at her. “One word of this to the Dark Lord and you will suffer the most pain you have ever experienced. Do you understand?”
Again she refused to acknowledge him speaking to her. She knew the longer she held out, the more suspicious Voldemort would get. He scoffed in frustration at her insolence, put his arm around her neck, and Disapparated them.
They appeared back on the Lestrange grounds. Voldemort immediately ran to them as Dolohov began to struggle with Stephanie.
“Where have you been?” He asked, scolding Dolohov for not returning immediately.
“I am sorry, my Lord.” Dolohov said, looking at his master. “But she tried to run!”
“I didn’t!” Stephanie gasped in surprise. She realized she should have just reassured Dolohov that she wouldn’t say anything to Voldemort. There was no way that she would have anyway; she didn’t want Voldemort’s protection. Stephanie knew she could take care of herself.
Voldemort eyed her furiously, breathing in her face. “What would Dolohov’s motivation be to lie to me? I truly thought you would not be stupid enough to try and escape. I believed you to be much better trained than that.
“But if you want to get some exercise, who am I to deprive you of that?” Voldemort waved his wand at her and her legs began to move quickly. She couldn’t stop her legs; she was running in place at a sprinter’s pace. “I may come back to get you later, I may not. We’ll see if you can learn not to try and escape from me.”
Everyone returned to the manor and Stephanie was left alone in the yard. She was locked in place, running for twelve hours before Rabastan finally came into the yard and removed the spell. She collapsed to the ground, weak, in pain, and out of breath. Stephanie forced herself to stand and she slowly made her way to the manor for breakfast.
*~*~*~*
Severus reluctantly sat in his office awaiting Potter’s arrival. He hated these sessions that the headmaster had requested him to conduct with the boy. Harry was spoiled and arrogant and refused to take these lessons seriously. Ever since the Dark Lord had sent Harry the dream of Stephanie attacking Arthur Weasley, he had been required to provide Occlumency lessons to the boy.
It hadn’t been too exciting for him to teach Stephanie Occlumency, but at least she was willing and determined to learn. Harry had never wanted to attend these lessons and Severus expected that Harry never practiced as he had promised he would. Stephanie had never fully mastered the art but he was sure that she would have eventually learned to alter her memories had they had more time. However, they didn’t have the time and he hoped when the Dark Lord finally decided to use Legilimens on her that she would be able to hold him at bay, though he doubted her abilities to do so.
He also had learned to despise the rest of the students who knew about Stephanie, even more than he had before this past Christmas. Severus had learned that the young Weasley girl had irresponsibly blamed Stephanie for the task she had been ordered to perform against Arthur. It was Stephanie’s fault no more than it was his own. Severus was afraid that these children would do more harm than good the farther into this war they went.
Severus had also been incredibly concerned about Stephanie’s safety lately. Although she had not come to him, nor told anyone that he was aware of, he was sure that some of the Death Eaters had done more than threaten her recently. The Dark Lord had told him of Stephanie’s escape attempt and her punishment afterwards. Severus knew full well that Stephanie would never attempt such a thing. She was not a complete idiot; that was her brother’s role.
Severus looked up as Harry knocked on the door. He answered with his slow, monotone voice. “Come in.”
He got up and placed his memories in the pensieve he had borrowed from the headmaster. Severus had removed these memories before each lesson because he had not wanted Harry to see what lay in his past. He had not taken such measures with Stephanie because he felt that she had earned the right to see what he had been through. Harry was nothing but a whiny, know-it-all brat that didn’t deserve the respect that viewing his memories would offer.
Harry sat down in the chair across from Severus and he raised his wand. As he was about to cast the Legilimens spell, the door burst open. Draco Malfoy came running in out of breath.
“Yes, Mr. Malfoy.” Severus rolled his eyes at the young boy. “How may I help you?”
Draco looked between his professor and Harry with confusion, but continued anyway. “Professor Umbridge requests to speak with you immediately.”
“Very well.” Severus said. He stood up to leave and turned to Harry. “Remain seated, Potter. We shall resume your remedial potions lessons when I return.”
Severus had been summoned to assist Delores Umbridge in removing a student that was trapped in a mirror. The boy had been missing for quite some time and they had finally found him. Severus didn’t care either way, but succumbed to the fact that he had to assist this foul woman.
When he was finished, he slowly walked back to his office in the dungeons in order to resume the Occlumency lesson with Harry. Severus was disgusted at the thought. Harry’s memories were all pathetic and he felt that his experiences were the worst things in the world. If Harry would see some of the things Severus had done, or if he knew about a fraction of the things Stephanie had experienced, Harry would realize that he had it very good. Severus thought how pathetic Harry Potter truly was and wondered why he was the only person besides the Dark Lord to think so.
Severus was horrified at what he saw when he entered the dungeons. He walked briskly over to the pensieve and forcefully pulled Harry out of it. He was seething, “How dare you, Potter!”
“I’m sorry, professor.” Harry exclaimed.
“Our lessons are over.” Severus pointed towards the door. “Get out!”
Harry slowly walked out of the dungeons and Severus sat at the teacher’s desk. He put his head in his hands and couldn’t believe what had just happened. Harry was strikingly similar to his father in that he thought he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it. Harry had witnessed one of his most private memories, if not all of the ones he had placed in the pensieve. Severus wondered if Harry now knew of the love he had had for Lily Evans.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie had been nervous all week because she knew that Neville, Ron, Hermione, and Harry were stuck taking their O.W.L.s. They hadn’t had time to write to her in the diary for a couple of weeks because of their studying; Stephanie knew how important these exams were.
This was one of the few moments that she allowed herself to feel jealous of her brother and friends. She had never wondered why she was never jealous of the freedom her friends experienced; she just figured it was because her life of captivity was the only one she had ever known.
However, the significance of these exams was very high. As she had confessed to Hermione before any of the others had learned of her existence, she had always dreamed of being an Auror. With the others being able to take their O.W.L.s, she was constantly reminded that she would never be able to become an Auror without passing these exams. And she could never pass her O.W.L.s because she had never been given a formal education.
Stephanie knew that she didn’t have any skills that she could offer. So if she did make it out of this situation alive, she had no idea how she was going to support herself. There was absolutely no job she was qualified to do except clean. She knew that she didn’t want to do that for the rest of her life; she had already had her fair share of cleaning other people’s things. Stephanie had been a servant in the Malfoy home for almost fourteen years and, she couldn’t believe it, Voldemort’s follower for a year already. There was absolutely nothing she could offer any potential employer. Maybe they had planned it that way, in case she was to survive.
At lunch that afternoon, Stephanie was given some information that she hoped wasn’t too late to relay to Professor Snape. She was absolutely sure that he didn’t know what was about to happen.
“Lucius, the most important thing for you to accomplish during this mission is to retrieve the prophecy.” Voldemort was instructing Mr. Malfoy. Including Mr. Malfoy, there were eleven other Death Eaters listening for their final instructions before the mission commenced.
“Of course, my Lord.” Mr. Malfoy responded.
“Harry is not to be touched unless you have the prophecy. And even then, I would like to be the one to kill him myself.” Voldemort said.
Stephanie didn’t know what was happening, but she realized that Harry was in danger. She had to try and do something to save him; she was sure that Harry didn’t know what Voldemort was planning. She had to ask to go along, but she knew that if she showed any disrespect to Voldemort or interest in Harry that she would be in trouble.
She quietly asked permission to speak, “Master, may I ask a question?”
“Of course, Stephanie.” Voldemort nodded to her with a smirk of satisfaction.
“May I join you?” She asked, hoping that he would allow her to come along.
“Why would you want to do a thing like that?” Voldemort asked her. He was clearly amused at her sudden interest for joining in Death Eater activities.
“It may be a good lesson.” Again she spoke quietly. She paused and then spoke with a tone of anger and pure hatred. “Please allow me this chance to get to my brother. I have so much I would like to say to him.”
“I believe that the time has not yet come for you to confront him.” Voldemort laughed. The other Death Eaters sat around the table quietly. “I do not believe that you are ready for such a mission quite yet. To be honest, I don’t trust you to be so close to your brother and continue to serve me properly. You may be tempted”
“But, master!” Stephanie exclaimed. She just had to be allowed to come. She had to be allowed to know what was going on! “Please.”
“I do not know why you are being so persistent, but I will not allow you to join us this evening.” Voldemort hissed at her. “There will be time in the future for you to do as you are asking. For now, I need that prophecy and I do not dare make the mistake of bringing you with us.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said, defeated. She looked down at her food and wished that there was something she could do.
“Now I must make a request of you, Stephanie.” Voldemort looked at her.
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie answered, looking up at him.
“We will be leaving immediately following this meal. I must insist that you remain in your room until we return. Can you do that?” Voldemort asked.
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie replied. She wasn’t sure why he was asking this of her, but she knew she would have stayed in her room regardless of his order.
“Good girl. Wormtail will inform me if you attempt to leave.” Voldemort said. “Now, you may be excused while we continue to discuss our plans.”
Stephanie got up slowly and walked to her room. Once she was in her room, she immediately pulled out the diary and wrote an entry to her friends at Hogwarts. However, everyone was in exams except Ginny, and she doubted any of them would read the diary before it was too late. She tried anyway.
You guys need to find Professor Snape and tell him I need to speak with him immediately. Voldemort is planning an attack and I need to inform the Order. Please respond to this, it’s an emergency! ~Steph
There was nothing Stephanie could do now except wait for a response from someone at Hogwarts or for the return of Voldemort and his followers.
Stephanie kept the diary open on her bed while she paced the length of her room. She just wished there was more she could do; she definitely would have preferred to go along because at least then she would know what was happening.
Shortly after Stephanie had been dismissed, she heard the voices downstairs fade. She walked over to her window and looked out to see the Death Eaters, masked and robed, Disapparating away from the manor. It was just Stephanie and Wormtail left in the Lestrange manor.
There was nothing Stephanie could do but wonder what was going on. Voldemort had mentioned a prophecy, but this was the first time she had heard of it. She wondered if it had anything to do with the prophecy foretold to her, but doubted it because that one hadn’t been all that important. It just told how she would save her brother’s life and then how Voldemort would use her to frighten people. No, there had to be another prophecy out there.
A few hours after the Death Eaters had left her alone in the manor, Stephanie got a tremendous feeling of fear. The only explanation was that Harry was in trouble. She knew that Voldemort had somehow gotten to him and there was nothing she could do. No one had responded in the diary, and she had a feeling that no one would. Stephanie began to panic; what if something happened to one of them? Could she live with the fact that she didn’t do anything to prevent it? There had to be something she could do!
She desperately tried the pendant that remained around her neck, though she knew it was pointless. Stephanie had kept the pendant to remind her of those at Hogwarts. Eventually the pendant would be of use again, at least she hoped so. All hope couldn’t be lost.
Then, as suddenly as the feeling of terror had entered her body, she got hit by an overpowering wave of grief. Something had gone wrong wherever Harry and Voldemort were. Stephanie started to dread the return of Voldemort. She knew that Harry had to still be alive because he continued to send her these feelings, but she also knew that he had these feelings for a reason. She just hoped that someone hadn’t been seriously hurt. She continued to pace around her bedroom, unwilling to accept the fact that there was nothing she could do.
What seemed like days later, and after hours of anticipatory waiting, she heard loud voices downstairs. It sounded like Voldemort was screaming at Bellatrix. Stephanie couldn’t sit there any longer and not know what was going on. She silently opened her door and crept to the top of the stairs to listen to the two arguing downstairs.
Stephanie heard Bellatrix screaming in pain; Voldemort was Cursing her. She knew that something horrible must have happened. Something must have gone wrong. Stephanie heard Voldemort yelling at Bellatrix once the Curse had been lifted and Bellatrix stopped screaming.
“Your job was to secure the prophecy.” Voldemort hissed. “But instead, you failed me. Instead of attempting to retrieve the prophecy, you murdered your cousin. In addition to your failure, eleven of my followers have been arrested. You will pay for your foolishness, Bella. I am truly disappointed.”
Bellatrix screamed again. Voldemort’s words had hit Stephanie like a train. Bellatrix had killed her cousin. Sirius had been Bellatrix’s cousin. Sirius couldn’t be dead. It couldn’t be. No. Stephanie refused to believe it. She didn’t even get to say goodbye.
The screaming stopped and she heard Voldemort’s voice again. “I will come back to deal with you. The girl has left her room.”
Stephanie quickly scrambled to stand up and run into her room. She silently shut her door and jumped onto her bed. She picked up the diary and pushed it between the mattresses. The door burst open and Voldemort was breathing heavily, staring at her with his bright red eyes. Stephanie had never seen him this mad; she knew she was in a lot more trouble than she had ever been in before.
Please leave me some feedback and tell me what you think! I really enjoyed this chapter and I hope you did too. So I posted this one a day earlier than promised since I will be leaving very early tomorrow morning. The next chapter is almost done, though I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to post it. Have a great weekend!
Chapter Twenty-One: Stephanie’s Worst Fears
“I believe that I have been too easy on you, dear Stephanie.” Voldemort eyed her venomously. She hugged her pillow, terrified at what this man was going to do to her. “You have gotten too comfortable and relaxed in our current setting. Although your skills and abilities have shown tremendous power, your respect has demonstrated a great need for improvement.”
“Please. I’ll do better, my Lord. I promise.” She whispered. Stephanie didn’t know what else to say.
“First,” Voldemort continued, ignoring her pleas. “You question your orders. Then, you try to escape after I have sheltered, clothed, and protected you. Tonight, you directly disobey my order for you to remain in your room. You have shown me nothing but disrespect. Why should I spare you?”
“I am sorry, my Lord.” Stephanie begged. “I just needed to know what was going on.”
A look of understanding suddenly appeared on Voldemort’s face. Stephanie knew that she had said too much and there was no way to take it back. “You mean you wanted to know what had happened to your brother. Now I understand why you wanted to come along this evening. How disappointing; I had really thought that you were making excellent progress.”
“No!” Stephanie exclaimed. “My Lord, I was scared. I was worried for you.”
“Do not lie to me!” Voldemort hissed at her. “You do not care for me. I am afraid that I must double my efforts to make you realize that there is only one side you can participate on in this war. Give me your wand.”
Stephanie reluctantly pulled out her wand and handed it to the fuming man standing before her. He took hold of it and placed it inside his robes. Voldemort continued to stare at her silently while Stephanie wondered what he was going to do to her.
“Harry has thwarted my plans yet again this evening. I have failed to retrieve the prophecy and he has escaped me a second time. Since you have shown such concern for him, I will pay him back by punishing you.” Voldemort said to her calmly. “After I am done with you, there will be no independent thought left inside your small little head. Stephanie, you must learn that I am your master. Now, you are to go down to your cell and remain there until someone summons you. We shall see if this teaches you a thing or two about disobeying me.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said quietly. She got up and slowly made her way down the stairs to the basement. Her solitary confinement had been one of the worst times she had experienced while under Voldemort’s care, and she couldn’t believe she had been foolish enough to get sent back there. At least she wasn’t dead, Stephanie thought. She didn’t realize that at the end of her seven days in solitary confinement, she would wish that Voldemort had decided to kill her.
*~*~*~*
Hermione continued to stare at the diary, hoping that Stephanie would write something. It had been four days since the incident at the Ministry and Stephanie had not written to any of them. She wished that she and Harry had thought to try to contact Stephanie to see if Stephanie knew whether or not Voldemort had captured Sirius. They had all been too concerned about the vision Voldemort had sent Harry during his History of Magic O.W.L.
Harry had seen Voldemort torturing his godfather, and they had immediately attempted to contact Sirius through the fireplace in Professor Umbridge’s office. Of course, they got caught and Harry had almost gotten tortured by the professor. Harry had been quick enough to warn Professor Snape that Voldemort had Sirius, thus alerting the Order.
Hermione had convinced Umbridge to follow her into the Forbidden Forest where Umbridge was taken captive by the centaurs. It had been a beautiful sight to see the professor being carried away into the darkness. Soon, Harry and Hermione had met up with Neville, Ron, Ginny, and Luna Lovegood, a fellow Dumbledore’s Army member. Then they flew thestrals to the Ministry of Magic where they were attacked by several Death Eaters.
Hermione had been gravely injured by the Death Eater Dolohov. Stephanie had warned them all about the specifics of each Death Eater, but no one knew exactly what kind of spell he had used on Hermione. She had to drink about ten potions a day to repair the damage caused by the spell. Very few of them had left the Ministry unscathed.
Harry had been affected worst of all, and Hermione wished there was something that she could do for him. Bellatrix Lestrange had murdered Harry’s godfather, and Harry was blaming himself. His rationalization was that he ran to the Ministry even though he knew that Voldemort was probably baiting him. The only good thing that had come out of it was that eleven Death Eaters had been arrested, including Lucius Malfoy.
“Do you think something’s wrong?” Neville asked. They were sitting in the Gryffindor common room enjoying their last few days at Hogwarts for the school year.
“Maybe she’s just taking Sirius’ death really hard and doesn’t want to talk to anyone.” Ginny offered, rubbing Harry’s arm.
“Something just doesn’t feel right.” Harry said. “I’m pretty sure she would respond if she was able, even if it was to just say that she was okay. I don’t want to believe that she would ignore me like this.”
“Harry, I think you need to go talk to Professor Snape.” Hermione told him. “I don’t think she’s okay, either. Stephanie knows how close you were to Sirius and she would want to say something to comfort you. Something definitely isn’t right.”
Harry nodded. He pulled out the Maurader’s Map and found Snape’s dot in the dungeons: Snape was alone. “Hermione, come with me.”
Hermione agreed and they got up to walk to the dungeons. Hermione knocked on the door and Snape called for them to enter.
“Yes, Potter.” Snape eyed Harry suspiciously as they walked into the room. “What have you done now?”
“Nothing, sir.” Harry breathed. He despised this man with all of his heart. Maybe if this man hadn’t taunted Sirius so severely, Sirius wouldn’t have left 12 Grimmauld Place to save Harry at the Ministry. Maybe Sirius would still be alive.
“Professor, it’s Stephanie.” Hermione spoke up nervously. “Have you spoken with her since the attack at the Ministry?”
“No.” Snape said simply. “Why?”
“She hasn’t written in the diary and we’re concerned that something has happened to her.” Hermione explained.
“Can you find out if she is alright?” Harry begged his professor. He didn’t know how he could survive if his sister was dead. He had already lost Sirius and he couldn’t bear to lose his sister too.
“I have a meeting with the Dark Lord tomorrow evening, I will find out then.” Snape said. “I am sure that she is fine. The Dark Lord would have informed me if harm had come to Stephanie. I will let you know.”
“Thank you, professor.” Harry sighed in relief, though he wasn’t sure if he could wait until tomorrow night to find out if his sister was alright. They walked back up to Gryffindor tower and Harry wrote another pleading note to Stephanie in the diary.
*~*~*~*
The next evening, Severus sat in his office thinking about how ridiculous it was that Harry and Miss Granger were so worried about Stephanie. She was a big girl and had proven many times that she could take care of herself. He was almost positive that nothing would happen to her since she had not been allowed to accompany the Death Eaters to the Ministry. There had been absolutely no opportunity for her get into any trouble. Still, he found it difficult to believe that she wouldn’t write in the diary.
If the Dark Lord had decided to punish her for Harry’s actions, he was sure that someone would have informed him. Gossip like that didn’t usually stay in whispers too long, especially since his fellow Death Eaters had been longing to watch her suffer for a very long time. No, someone would have told him.
He put his belongings away and got up from his desk. Slowly, he walked up the stairs and out the large wooden doors leading away from the school. He made his way to the gates and Disapparated once he was past them. He Apparated to the Lestrange grounds and walked inside the manor. He found the Dark Lord and Bellatrix in the dining room.
“Ahh, yes.” The Dark Lord said when he saw Severus walk through the dining room doors. “Thank you for coming, Severus. Business will have to wait because we were just sitting down for dinner.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus said, nodding. He sat down in the chair next to his master, across from the one Stephanie would normally occupy. This can’t be good, Severus thought. He debated in his mind whether he should ask the Dark Lord about the girl, but decided against it. If the Dark Lord didn’t bring it up during dinner, Severus would ask afterwards. He couldn’t appear too interested.
“Are we planning another Azkaban breakout?” Severus asked, looking directly at the Dark Lord. He expected that this was the reason for their meeting that evening.
The Dark Lord smiled at Severus. “In good time, my faithful servant. However, I would prefer that those incompetent fools suffer in Azkaban for awhile. We will allow them the privilege of freedom soon enough.”
Wormtail emerged from the kitchen with their food and then he carried a plate downstairs. He soon returned with an empty tray and went back into the kitchen, busily attending to the chores that the Dark Lord had required of him. Severus ate in silence.
Finally, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He had to ask the Dark Lord. “My Lord. Pardon me, but what has happened to the girl?”
“She has both defied and betrayed me.” The Dark Lord said with an evil smile. “Stephanie is being punished for both her actions and the actions of the brother that she cares so much about.”
“May I have your permission to catch a glimpse of this?” Severus asked with a laugh. “It would please me greatly to see the punishment you have given her.”
“Of course.” The Dark Lord granted Severus his wish, gesturing towards the basement. “I shall not deny my most faithful servant the pleasure of seeing the young Potter suffer. Today is the best so far to witness her punishment, I believe. She is in her cell in the basement. Let it play all the way through and then come back upstairs because we do have a lot to discuss tonight.”
Severus got up from the table and made his way across the room to the basement door. As soon as he opened the door he realized that something was wrong. He could hear Stephanie’s loud screams coming from the basement. He rapidly, but silently, walked down the stairs because he didn’t want Stephanie to know that he was there. Just outside her cell, he leaned against the wall and sat on the floor while he listened to Stephanie’s yells and pleading cries.
“Harry! RUN!” Stephanie was screaming. Suddenly her voice became quiet and she began to beg with someone who wasn’t there, “you have to believe me. I didn’t mean to! I didn’t want to kill him. He was my brother. You have to believe me!”
Stephanie became silent though Severus knew that it wasn’t over. He realized that she had just seen herself murdering her brother, but he didn’t know who she was begging forgiveness from. While he waited for her to continue, Severus doubted that Stephanie would ever share this information with anyone.
A few moments later Stephanie began again. She wasn’t yelling this time; it was more like she was insisting that someone to listen to her. Severus snuck a glance at her and noticed that she was soaking wet. Stephanie was shivering uncontrollably as she attempted to stroke someone’s arm.
“Neville,” Stephanie began. “Don’t do it! It’s not worth it.”
She stopped and Severus imagined that she was seeing Neville Longbottom standing next to her and talking to her. Her facial expression was one of concern, not of fear.
“It will change you. Let someone else do it. Let me do it for you.” Stephanie pleaded; her eyes were very large with anxiety. “Remember how it affected me with Draco, and soon after that I was able to attack him without remorse. Please don’t Curse Bellatrix.”
Stephanie was silent again for a few moments and she dropped her arms to her side. “Please trust me, Neville. It will hurt you much more than it will hurt her. I don’t want to see you suffer like I did. I love you too much to want to see that, Neville. Please, don’t.”
Severus listened as Stephanie let out a loud scream, “NOOOOOOOOOO!” Stephanie sank to the floor and stared at the invisible Neville as he cast the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix until there was nothing left of her mind.
Again Stephanie was silent for a few moments and Severus sat there and waited. He couldn’t believe what he was listening to. Though he realized what the Dark Lord had done to her, he couldn’t believe that these visions were the ones she was seeing. Finally, Stephanie spoke again.
Stephanie stood and she slowly backed towards the wall. Once there, she tightened her body and Severus assumed he was about to see a vision that he had expected Stephanie to view, one of her being tortured and possibly murdered. But he was wrong again.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered, looking around frantically. “Voldemort made me do it. I didn’t want to do it. Please don’t!”
She paused listening to the invisible group of people. Severus silently wondered who she was talking to and what she was apologizing for. He soon had his answer as Stephanie spoke again.
“Ginny, you told me that you didn’t blame me!” She pleaded with the invisible Weasley. Stephanie turned to speak to another person that Severus couldn’t see. “Ron. Please believe me. It wasn’t my fault. I had no choice!”
Again Stephanie was silent as she listened to the responses of the people in her head. She sank to the floor again and placed her head in her knees. Severus was surprised to see that, even though Stephanie was clearly very distressed, she was not crying. In fact, he realized that he hadn’t seen her cry in close to a year.
“Fred, I know you understand!” Stephanie said, frantically. “You told me that none of your family blamed me. That you would do anything for me! Please forgive me.”
There was silence for a few seconds and then Stephanie yelled, “I am not that person! You have to believe me!”
There was silence as the vision ended and Severus heard Stephanie whisper, “I am so sorry.”
He had just witnessed her pleading with the Weasleys to forgive her for what she had done to Arthur Weasley. Severus knew that these visions were false implantations and had not actually happened to her; the Dark Lord was only using them to torture Stephanie. The next vision was the one that affected Severus the most.
“You promised me.” Stephanie whispered. “You can’t leave me here! I didn’t know, I swear! Harry, Bellatrix was the one that killed Sirius, not you or me. I didn’t know that they were planning on luring you to the Ministry, I swear.”
There was silence for a few minutes as the invisible Harry responded to Stephanie’s pleas. She spoke again. “I didn’t, I swear. I loved him and I love you. I would never do that! Please, you have to believe me.”
Stephanie sat silently for another few moments listening to those that only she could see. Severus wondered who else she was seeing in this vision.
“You can’t leave me alone here!” Stephanie exclaimed. “I’m afraid of who I’ll become. Please.”
Stephanie looked around the room. “Hermione, Ginny, you wouldn’t leave me here. You can’t! Neville, Ron…I care about you all so much, please! Harry, you’re my brother. Please. You said that you would never leave me, no matter what I’ve done.”
There was silence again. Stephanie looked frantically around the room. “Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall, Kingsley…you said that…” And Stephanie trailed off, her voice becoming hoarse. Stephanie looked up into the air with surprise at someone Severus couldn’t see.
Severus watched in horror as Stephanie’s face twisted into a look of agony and she began screaming and writhing in pain. Someone she cared about was casting the Cruciatus Curse on her; he realized who it was that she feared would do something like that.
When the Curse was lifted, the last thing Stephanie said was in a very quiet, but obviously pleading whisper. “Please. I don’t deserve this.”
Severus sat there in the silence and contemplated what he had just witnessed. These visions weren’t just images implanted by the Dark Lord. He knew this because the Dark Lord had not known of Stephanie’s communication with these people. No, these visions were Stephanie’s worst fears.
Stephanie was terrified that she would have to murder her brother; she was worried that Neville would Curse Bellatrix; she was scared that the Weasleys would blame her for what she had done to Arthur; and worst of all, she was petrified that everyone would abandon her when she needed them most.
Something else concerned Severus. The Dark Lord must now know that she had been in communication with Harry and the others. Was he going to murder her for her betrayal and her lies? Severus wasn’t sure that he could protect her from that.
He jumped when he heard Stephanie’s screams again. “Harry! RUN!” She was witnessing these visions again. How many times would she be forced to see these? Watching them repeatedly couldn’t be good for her mind. Severus just wondered what else she had been subjected to while she was locked in that cellar.
Severus got up and walked quickly up the stairs. He had caused many people to suffer during his years as a Death Eater; he had even enjoyed watching the people beg for their lives. This was different. It felt like he was just watching Lily suffer. He wished there was something he could do to help Stephanie. She was absolutely correct in her last comment. There was nothing that she could have done that had allowed her to deserve this kind of treatment.
Upstairs, he changed his expression to one of utter delight. “That is just genius, my Lord.”
“Thank you, Severus.” The Dark Lord smiled at him.
“But she has obviously been in communication with her brother, why have you allowed her to survive?” Severus asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“Yes, it is astonishing the things you will discover when you delve deep into someone’s mind.” Voldemort said very slowly, considering the question Severus had asked him. “Surprisingly, it does not bother me. It serves as another reminder to Potter that I have his sister and will harm her as I see fit.
“She will still be of use to me; however, her training will have to increase greatly. We shall condition her and I am confident that she will be able to follow me faithfully. It will only take more time and energy than I originally planned. She will also become too afraid to call me by name.
“Now, let’s discuss my plans for the young Malfoy.” The Dark Lord changed the subject.
A short while later, the Dark Lord finished by telling Severus, “and I want you to be here for the ceremony.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus nodded and left to return to Hogwarts. He immediately went to the headmaster’s office to inform Professor Dumbledore about these new developments.
*~*~*~*
“Ahh, yes. Severus, how did the meeting go?” Albus asked Severus when he came into the headmaster’s office.
“Things are not going well, headmaster.” Severus said somberly.
Albus looked at Severus with a feeling that things were about to change for the worse. He waited for Severus to begin the story.
“First, Miss Granger and Mr. Potter came to me last night concerned that Stephanie had not written to them in the diary since the night of the attack at the Ministry. I thought nothing of it because I could not imagine her being in any serious danger. However, I saw her tonight and things are not good at all, headmaster.” Severus said, trying not to show any emotion.
“Please go on.” Albus encouraged Severus. He knew that this was extremely difficult for his close friend to relay because Severus did not like to admit his concern for a Potter. Albus also knew how fond of Stephanie Severus had become.
“That night, she learned of the plan at the Ministry and begged the Dark Lord to take her along. He refused and then told her to stay in her room. She was so worried about her brother that she disobeyed his orders and sat at the top of the stairs when he and Bella returned to the manor.” Snape began. He had thought that Stephanie had been foolish to disobey her orders in such a way, but he also had to admit that she had gone almost a whole year without one major slip-up. “Stephanie made the mistake of showing her concern for Harry, and she is being punished for both her disobedience and his actions that night.”
Albus saw that Severus was reliving what he had seen during his visit with Voldemort. He was saddened that Stephanie was alone and that there was nothing he could do to protect her. “How bad is it, Severus?”
“I’m afraid that she has been locked in solitary confinement once again. However, the Dark Lord has made a few adjustments. I am not sure of anything else she has endured, but today she has been required to repeatedly view her deepest and worst fears.” Severus said quietly. “She continues to surprise me. What terrifies her the most has nothing to do with any punishment she is going to receive or the fate that the Dark Lord has given her. Her fears consist more of the actions of others.”
Albus smiled sadly. “That does not surprise me. She is the most unselfish person I have ever encountered, and it should be expected that she does not fear what happens to her. She cares too much about everyone else; that is why she is in the situation she is in.”
“There’s more, Professor.” Severus added. Albus nodded for him to continue. “I’m afraid that the Dark Lord is going to take more drastic steps to ensure Stephanie’s compliance with his requests. He has begun to call it her ‘conditioning.’”
“What does this mean for her?” Albus asked.
“He is going to make her incapable of feeling anything positive towards another living being.” Severus said. “I am afraid that if we do not get her out of there, and very soon, she will no longer be the Stephanie we know now. The damages may even be irreparable.”
“We will have to see what we can arrange. It may be incredibly dangerous to remove her from the situation, but it may be necessary. We cannot risk what Voldemort is planning.” Albus sighed. He knew there was no way to get to her without compromising Severus’ position. He may have to make the difficult decision about whose life was more important. This thought saddened him incredibly.
“In addition to this, Stephanie and Draco will take the Dark Mark in two weeks’ time.” Severus continued. “The Dark Lord is punishing Lucius by requiring Draco to murder you, headmaster.”
“I had a feeling that he was planning something like that.” Albus said. “As you know, I am dying. So this plan must be carried out. However, I do not wish Mr. Malfoy to be put in such a position at his young age; he may yet be spared from such a wicked lifestyle. It is horrible enough that Stephanie will be required to commit murder so soon and I will not allow Voldemort to corrupt another of my students. You must promise me that it is you that kills me.”
“I cannot, headmaster.” Severus admitted. “I will not.”
“You will.” Albus commanded. Though Albus knew that Severus did not want to kill him, he also knew that Severus would do what needed to be done. He always came through in the end and that is why Albus trusted him so deeply. “For you to keep face with Voldemort, no one else must know that we have this planned. However, because of Stephanie’s involvement with the Death Eaters, I believe we do need to inform Minerva. That way if we haven’t found a way to remove her from Voldemort by then and you do find the countercurse for the trace implanted in her, the Order may be told and can plan her rescue.”
“Let me think about this.” Severus said.
“Fine,” Albus said, defeated. “But you will. Now, I believe we should summon Harry and let him know that Stephanie is going to be alright for the time being.”
The two waited for Harry to come to the headmaster’s office to give news of his sister. Albus yelled at himself for not removing Stephanie from Voldemort’s clutches when he had the chance. He never should have allowed such a young girl to talk him into letting her stay in such a dangerous situation. Albus felt responsible for everything that she was going through. He just hoped that she could forgive him.
Here it is. Feedback PLEASE I hope you continue to enjoy my story and I would love to hear any feedback that you can spare. Chapter Twenty-Two will be up on Saturday. I hope that your next few days are wonderful!
“I believe that I have been too easy on you, dear Stephanie.” Voldemort eyed her venomously. She hugged her pillow, terrified at what this man was going to do to her. “You have gotten too comfortable and relaxed in our current setting. Although your skills and abilities have shown tremendous power, your respect has demonstrated a great need for improvement.”
“Please. I’ll do better, my Lord. I promise.” She whispered. Stephanie didn’t know what else to say.
“First,” Voldemort continued, ignoring her pleas. “You question your orders. Then, you try to escape after I have sheltered, clothed, and protected you. Tonight, you directly disobey my order for you to remain in your room. You have shown me nothing but disrespect. Why should I spare you?”
“I am sorry, my Lord.” Stephanie begged. “I just needed to know what was going on.”
A look of understanding suddenly appeared on Voldemort’s face. Stephanie knew that she had said too much and there was no way to take it back. “You mean you wanted to know what had happened to your brother. Now I understand why you wanted to come along this evening. How disappointing; I had really thought that you were making excellent progress.”
“No!” Stephanie exclaimed. “My Lord, I was scared. I was worried for you.”
“Do not lie to me!” Voldemort hissed at her. “You do not care for me. I am afraid that I must double my efforts to make you realize that there is only one side you can participate on in this war. Give me your wand.”
Stephanie reluctantly pulled out her wand and handed it to the fuming man standing before her. He took hold of it and placed it inside his robes. Voldemort continued to stare at her silently while Stephanie wondered what he was going to do to her.
“Harry has thwarted my plans yet again this evening. I have failed to retrieve the prophecy and he has escaped me a second time. Since you have shown such concern for him, I will pay him back by punishing you.” Voldemort said to her calmly. “After I am done with you, there will be no independent thought left inside your small little head. Stephanie, you must learn that I am your master. Now, you are to go down to your cell and remain there until someone summons you. We shall see if this teaches you a thing or two about disobeying me.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said quietly. She got up and slowly made her way down the stairs to the basement. Her solitary confinement had been one of the worst times she had experienced while under Voldemort’s care, and she couldn’t believe she had been foolish enough to get sent back there. At least she wasn’t dead, Stephanie thought. She didn’t realize that at the end of her seven days in solitary confinement, she would wish that Voldemort had decided to kill her.
*~*~*~*
Hermione continued to stare at the diary, hoping that Stephanie would write something. It had been four days since the incident at the Ministry and Stephanie had not written to any of them. She wished that she and Harry had thought to try to contact Stephanie to see if Stephanie knew whether or not Voldemort had captured Sirius. They had all been too concerned about the vision Voldemort had sent Harry during his History of Magic O.W.L.
Harry had seen Voldemort torturing his godfather, and they had immediately attempted to contact Sirius through the fireplace in Professor Umbridge’s office. Of course, they got caught and Harry had almost gotten tortured by the professor. Harry had been quick enough to warn Professor Snape that Voldemort had Sirius, thus alerting the Order.
Hermione had convinced Umbridge to follow her into the Forbidden Forest where Umbridge was taken captive by the centaurs. It had been a beautiful sight to see the professor being carried away into the darkness. Soon, Harry and Hermione had met up with Neville, Ron, Ginny, and Luna Lovegood, a fellow Dumbledore’s Army member. Then they flew thestrals to the Ministry of Magic where they were attacked by several Death Eaters.
Hermione had been gravely injured by the Death Eater Dolohov. Stephanie had warned them all about the specifics of each Death Eater, but no one knew exactly what kind of spell he had used on Hermione. She had to drink about ten potions a day to repair the damage caused by the spell. Very few of them had left the Ministry unscathed.
Harry had been affected worst of all, and Hermione wished there was something that she could do for him. Bellatrix Lestrange had murdered Harry’s godfather, and Harry was blaming himself. His rationalization was that he ran to the Ministry even though he knew that Voldemort was probably baiting him. The only good thing that had come out of it was that eleven Death Eaters had been arrested, including Lucius Malfoy.
“Do you think something’s wrong?” Neville asked. They were sitting in the Gryffindor common room enjoying their last few days at Hogwarts for the school year.
“Maybe she’s just taking Sirius’ death really hard and doesn’t want to talk to anyone.” Ginny offered, rubbing Harry’s arm.
“Something just doesn’t feel right.” Harry said. “I’m pretty sure she would respond if she was able, even if it was to just say that she was okay. I don’t want to believe that she would ignore me like this.”
“Harry, I think you need to go talk to Professor Snape.” Hermione told him. “I don’t think she’s okay, either. Stephanie knows how close you were to Sirius and she would want to say something to comfort you. Something definitely isn’t right.”
Harry nodded. He pulled out the Maurader’s Map and found Snape’s dot in the dungeons: Snape was alone. “Hermione, come with me.”
Hermione agreed and they got up to walk to the dungeons. Hermione knocked on the door and Snape called for them to enter.
“Yes, Potter.” Snape eyed Harry suspiciously as they walked into the room. “What have you done now?”
“Nothing, sir.” Harry breathed. He despised this man with all of his heart. Maybe if this man hadn’t taunted Sirius so severely, Sirius wouldn’t have left 12 Grimmauld Place to save Harry at the Ministry. Maybe Sirius would still be alive.
“Professor, it’s Stephanie.” Hermione spoke up nervously. “Have you spoken with her since the attack at the Ministry?”
“No.” Snape said simply. “Why?”
“She hasn’t written in the diary and we’re concerned that something has happened to her.” Hermione explained.
“Can you find out if she is alright?” Harry begged his professor. He didn’t know how he could survive if his sister was dead. He had already lost Sirius and he couldn’t bear to lose his sister too.
“I have a meeting with the Dark Lord tomorrow evening, I will find out then.” Snape said. “I am sure that she is fine. The Dark Lord would have informed me if harm had come to Stephanie. I will let you know.”
“Thank you, professor.” Harry sighed in relief, though he wasn’t sure if he could wait until tomorrow night to find out if his sister was alright. They walked back up to Gryffindor tower and Harry wrote another pleading note to Stephanie in the diary.
Stephanie, I just need to know you are alright. With Sirius gone, I need to protect you more than ever. Please write back, I am begging you. Please. Love, Harry.
*~*~*~*
The next evening, Severus sat in his office thinking about how ridiculous it was that Harry and Miss Granger were so worried about Stephanie. She was a big girl and had proven many times that she could take care of herself. He was almost positive that nothing would happen to her since she had not been allowed to accompany the Death Eaters to the Ministry. There had been absolutely no opportunity for her get into any trouble. Still, he found it difficult to believe that she wouldn’t write in the diary.
If the Dark Lord had decided to punish her for Harry’s actions, he was sure that someone would have informed him. Gossip like that didn’t usually stay in whispers too long, especially since his fellow Death Eaters had been longing to watch her suffer for a very long time. No, someone would have told him.
He put his belongings away and got up from his desk. Slowly, he walked up the stairs and out the large wooden doors leading away from the school. He made his way to the gates and Disapparated once he was past them. He Apparated to the Lestrange grounds and walked inside the manor. He found the Dark Lord and Bellatrix in the dining room.
“Ahh, yes.” The Dark Lord said when he saw Severus walk through the dining room doors. “Thank you for coming, Severus. Business will have to wait because we were just sitting down for dinner.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus said, nodding. He sat down in the chair next to his master, across from the one Stephanie would normally occupy. This can’t be good, Severus thought. He debated in his mind whether he should ask the Dark Lord about the girl, but decided against it. If the Dark Lord didn’t bring it up during dinner, Severus would ask afterwards. He couldn’t appear too interested.
“Are we planning another Azkaban breakout?” Severus asked, looking directly at the Dark Lord. He expected that this was the reason for their meeting that evening.
The Dark Lord smiled at Severus. “In good time, my faithful servant. However, I would prefer that those incompetent fools suffer in Azkaban for awhile. We will allow them the privilege of freedom soon enough.”
Wormtail emerged from the kitchen with their food and then he carried a plate downstairs. He soon returned with an empty tray and went back into the kitchen, busily attending to the chores that the Dark Lord had required of him. Severus ate in silence.
Finally, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. He had to ask the Dark Lord. “My Lord. Pardon me, but what has happened to the girl?”
“She has both defied and betrayed me.” The Dark Lord said with an evil smile. “Stephanie is being punished for both her actions and the actions of the brother that she cares so much about.”
“May I have your permission to catch a glimpse of this?” Severus asked with a laugh. “It would please me greatly to see the punishment you have given her.”
“Of course.” The Dark Lord granted Severus his wish, gesturing towards the basement. “I shall not deny my most faithful servant the pleasure of seeing the young Potter suffer. Today is the best so far to witness her punishment, I believe. She is in her cell in the basement. Let it play all the way through and then come back upstairs because we do have a lot to discuss tonight.”
Severus got up from the table and made his way across the room to the basement door. As soon as he opened the door he realized that something was wrong. He could hear Stephanie’s loud screams coming from the basement. He rapidly, but silently, walked down the stairs because he didn’t want Stephanie to know that he was there. Just outside her cell, he leaned against the wall and sat on the floor while he listened to Stephanie’s yells and pleading cries.
“Harry! RUN!” Stephanie was screaming. Suddenly her voice became quiet and she began to beg with someone who wasn’t there, “you have to believe me. I didn’t mean to! I didn’t want to kill him. He was my brother. You have to believe me!”
Stephanie became silent though Severus knew that it wasn’t over. He realized that she had just seen herself murdering her brother, but he didn’t know who she was begging forgiveness from. While he waited for her to continue, Severus doubted that Stephanie would ever share this information with anyone.
A few moments later Stephanie began again. She wasn’t yelling this time; it was more like she was insisting that someone to listen to her. Severus snuck a glance at her and noticed that she was soaking wet. Stephanie was shivering uncontrollably as she attempted to stroke someone’s arm.
“Neville,” Stephanie began. “Don’t do it! It’s not worth it.”
She stopped and Severus imagined that she was seeing Neville Longbottom standing next to her and talking to her. Her facial expression was one of concern, not of fear.
“It will change you. Let someone else do it. Let me do it for you.” Stephanie pleaded; her eyes were very large with anxiety. “Remember how it affected me with Draco, and soon after that I was able to attack him without remorse. Please don’t Curse Bellatrix.”
Stephanie was silent again for a few moments and she dropped her arms to her side. “Please trust me, Neville. It will hurt you much more than it will hurt her. I don’t want to see you suffer like I did. I love you too much to want to see that, Neville. Please, don’t.”
Severus listened as Stephanie let out a loud scream, “NOOOOOOOOOO!” Stephanie sank to the floor and stared at the invisible Neville as he cast the Cruciatus Curse on Bellatrix until there was nothing left of her mind.
Again Stephanie was silent for a few moments and Severus sat there and waited. He couldn’t believe what he was listening to. Though he realized what the Dark Lord had done to her, he couldn’t believe that these visions were the ones she was seeing. Finally, Stephanie spoke again.
Stephanie stood and she slowly backed towards the wall. Once there, she tightened her body and Severus assumed he was about to see a vision that he had expected Stephanie to view, one of her being tortured and possibly murdered. But he was wrong again.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered, looking around frantically. “Voldemort made me do it. I didn’t want to do it. Please don’t!”
She paused listening to the invisible group of people. Severus silently wondered who she was talking to and what she was apologizing for. He soon had his answer as Stephanie spoke again.
“Ginny, you told me that you didn’t blame me!” She pleaded with the invisible Weasley. Stephanie turned to speak to another person that Severus couldn’t see. “Ron. Please believe me. It wasn’t my fault. I had no choice!”
Again Stephanie was silent as she listened to the responses of the people in her head. She sank to the floor again and placed her head in her knees. Severus was surprised to see that, even though Stephanie was clearly very distressed, she was not crying. In fact, he realized that he hadn’t seen her cry in close to a year.
“Fred, I know you understand!” Stephanie said, frantically. “You told me that none of your family blamed me. That you would do anything for me! Please forgive me.”
There was silence for a few seconds and then Stephanie yelled, “I am not that person! You have to believe me!”
There was silence as the vision ended and Severus heard Stephanie whisper, “I am so sorry.”
He had just witnessed her pleading with the Weasleys to forgive her for what she had done to Arthur Weasley. Severus knew that these visions were false implantations and had not actually happened to her; the Dark Lord was only using them to torture Stephanie. The next vision was the one that affected Severus the most.
“You promised me.” Stephanie whispered. “You can’t leave me here! I didn’t know, I swear! Harry, Bellatrix was the one that killed Sirius, not you or me. I didn’t know that they were planning on luring you to the Ministry, I swear.”
There was silence for a few minutes as the invisible Harry responded to Stephanie’s pleas. She spoke again. “I didn’t, I swear. I loved him and I love you. I would never do that! Please, you have to believe me.”
Stephanie sat silently for another few moments listening to those that only she could see. Severus wondered who else she was seeing in this vision.
“You can’t leave me alone here!” Stephanie exclaimed. “I’m afraid of who I’ll become. Please.”
Stephanie looked around the room. “Hermione, Ginny, you wouldn’t leave me here. You can’t! Neville, Ron…I care about you all so much, please! Harry, you’re my brother. Please. You said that you would never leave me, no matter what I’ve done.”
There was silence again. Stephanie looked frantically around the room. “Professor Dumbledore, McGonagall, Kingsley…you said that…” And Stephanie trailed off, her voice becoming hoarse. Stephanie looked up into the air with surprise at someone Severus couldn’t see.
Severus watched in horror as Stephanie’s face twisted into a look of agony and she began screaming and writhing in pain. Someone she cared about was casting the Cruciatus Curse on her; he realized who it was that she feared would do something like that.
When the Curse was lifted, the last thing Stephanie said was in a very quiet, but obviously pleading whisper. “Please. I don’t deserve this.”
Severus sat there in the silence and contemplated what he had just witnessed. These visions weren’t just images implanted by the Dark Lord. He knew this because the Dark Lord had not known of Stephanie’s communication with these people. No, these visions were Stephanie’s worst fears.
Stephanie was terrified that she would have to murder her brother; she was worried that Neville would Curse Bellatrix; she was scared that the Weasleys would blame her for what she had done to Arthur; and worst of all, she was petrified that everyone would abandon her when she needed them most.
Something else concerned Severus. The Dark Lord must now know that she had been in communication with Harry and the others. Was he going to murder her for her betrayal and her lies? Severus wasn’t sure that he could protect her from that.
He jumped when he heard Stephanie’s screams again. “Harry! RUN!” She was witnessing these visions again. How many times would she be forced to see these? Watching them repeatedly couldn’t be good for her mind. Severus just wondered what else she had been subjected to while she was locked in that cellar.
Severus got up and walked quickly up the stairs. He had caused many people to suffer during his years as a Death Eater; he had even enjoyed watching the people beg for their lives. This was different. It felt like he was just watching Lily suffer. He wished there was something he could do to help Stephanie. She was absolutely correct in her last comment. There was nothing that she could have done that had allowed her to deserve this kind of treatment.
Upstairs, he changed his expression to one of utter delight. “That is just genius, my Lord.”
“Thank you, Severus.” The Dark Lord smiled at him.
“But she has obviously been in communication with her brother, why have you allowed her to survive?” Severus asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.
“Yes, it is astonishing the things you will discover when you delve deep into someone’s mind.” Voldemort said very slowly, considering the question Severus had asked him. “Surprisingly, it does not bother me. It serves as another reminder to Potter that I have his sister and will harm her as I see fit.
“She will still be of use to me; however, her training will have to increase greatly. We shall condition her and I am confident that she will be able to follow me faithfully. It will only take more time and energy than I originally planned. She will also become too afraid to call me by name.
“Now, let’s discuss my plans for the young Malfoy.” The Dark Lord changed the subject.
A short while later, the Dark Lord finished by telling Severus, “and I want you to be here for the ceremony.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus nodded and left to return to Hogwarts. He immediately went to the headmaster’s office to inform Professor Dumbledore about these new developments.
*~*~*~*
“Ahh, yes. Severus, how did the meeting go?” Albus asked Severus when he came into the headmaster’s office.
“Things are not going well, headmaster.” Severus said somberly.
Albus looked at Severus with a feeling that things were about to change for the worse. He waited for Severus to begin the story.
“First, Miss Granger and Mr. Potter came to me last night concerned that Stephanie had not written to them in the diary since the night of the attack at the Ministry. I thought nothing of it because I could not imagine her being in any serious danger. However, I saw her tonight and things are not good at all, headmaster.” Severus said, trying not to show any emotion.
“Please go on.” Albus encouraged Severus. He knew that this was extremely difficult for his close friend to relay because Severus did not like to admit his concern for a Potter. Albus also knew how fond of Stephanie Severus had become.
“That night, she learned of the plan at the Ministry and begged the Dark Lord to take her along. He refused and then told her to stay in her room. She was so worried about her brother that she disobeyed his orders and sat at the top of the stairs when he and Bella returned to the manor.” Snape began. He had thought that Stephanie had been foolish to disobey her orders in such a way, but he also had to admit that she had gone almost a whole year without one major slip-up. “Stephanie made the mistake of showing her concern for Harry, and she is being punished for both her disobedience and his actions that night.”
Albus saw that Severus was reliving what he had seen during his visit with Voldemort. He was saddened that Stephanie was alone and that there was nothing he could do to protect her. “How bad is it, Severus?”
“I’m afraid that she has been locked in solitary confinement once again. However, the Dark Lord has made a few adjustments. I am not sure of anything else she has endured, but today she has been required to repeatedly view her deepest and worst fears.” Severus said quietly. “She continues to surprise me. What terrifies her the most has nothing to do with any punishment she is going to receive or the fate that the Dark Lord has given her. Her fears consist more of the actions of others.”
Albus smiled sadly. “That does not surprise me. She is the most unselfish person I have ever encountered, and it should be expected that she does not fear what happens to her. She cares too much about everyone else; that is why she is in the situation she is in.”
“There’s more, Professor.” Severus added. Albus nodded for him to continue. “I’m afraid that the Dark Lord is going to take more drastic steps to ensure Stephanie’s compliance with his requests. He has begun to call it her ‘conditioning.’”
“What does this mean for her?” Albus asked.
“He is going to make her incapable of feeling anything positive towards another living being.” Severus said. “I am afraid that if we do not get her out of there, and very soon, she will no longer be the Stephanie we know now. The damages may even be irreparable.”
“We will have to see what we can arrange. It may be incredibly dangerous to remove her from the situation, but it may be necessary. We cannot risk what Voldemort is planning.” Albus sighed. He knew there was no way to get to her without compromising Severus’ position. He may have to make the difficult decision about whose life was more important. This thought saddened him incredibly.
“In addition to this, Stephanie and Draco will take the Dark Mark in two weeks’ time.” Severus continued. “The Dark Lord is punishing Lucius by requiring Draco to murder you, headmaster.”
“I had a feeling that he was planning something like that.” Albus said. “As you know, I am dying. So this plan must be carried out. However, I do not wish Mr. Malfoy to be put in such a position at his young age; he may yet be spared from such a wicked lifestyle. It is horrible enough that Stephanie will be required to commit murder so soon and I will not allow Voldemort to corrupt another of my students. You must promise me that it is you that kills me.”
“I cannot, headmaster.” Severus admitted. “I will not.”
“You will.” Albus commanded. Though Albus knew that Severus did not want to kill him, he also knew that Severus would do what needed to be done. He always came through in the end and that is why Albus trusted him so deeply. “For you to keep face with Voldemort, no one else must know that we have this planned. However, because of Stephanie’s involvement with the Death Eaters, I believe we do need to inform Minerva. That way if we haven’t found a way to remove her from Voldemort by then and you do find the countercurse for the trace implanted in her, the Order may be told and can plan her rescue.”
“Let me think about this.” Severus said.
“Fine,” Albus said, defeated. “But you will. Now, I believe we should summon Harry and let him know that Stephanie is going to be alright for the time being.”
The two waited for Harry to come to the headmaster’s office to give news of his sister. Albus yelled at himself for not removing Stephanie from Voldemort’s clutches when he had the chance. He never should have allowed such a young girl to talk him into letting her stay in such a dangerous situation. Albus felt responsible for everything that she was going through. He just hoped that she could forgive him.
Here it is. Feedback PLEASE I hope you continue to enjoy my story and I would love to hear any feedback that you can spare. Chapter Twenty-Two will be up on Saturday. I hope that your next few days are wonderful!
Chapter Twenty-Two: Ambushed in the Dark
Stephanie couldn’t take it anymore. She pounded on the bars of her cell and screamed in frustration. Stephanie didn’t know how long she had been in her cell, but it had been the worst experience of her life. There hadn’t been a single moment to think about anything else than what was happening to her in that cell. The small window had been magically boarded up and so she had had a difficult time keeping track of the days. She figured that she had been in there for at least a week.
During the first three days she wasn’t provided any food, not that she could have eaten anything anyway. Finally on what Stephanie had assumed was the fourth day, based on the different punishments placed on her, she was finally given meals. She had to force herself to eat because she knew that it would only make things worse if she didn’t take the food being offered to her. And each time Wormtail had brought a tray, she begged him to let her out; he never said a word to her.
Since the fourth day, she had been soaking wet. That day had been the worst by far because she was continuously pounded with water that wouldn’t dry. The cell had been so cold and, mixed with the wetness, she was getting sick. She was constantly shivering and coughing; she wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to survive.
Stephanie couldn’t believe that she had finally resorted to begging. That was something she had never been proud of doing. It really destroyed her to have to beg these people for help. When she was in the Malfoy home, she rarely asked them for help. In fact, she could count on one hand the amount of times she had asked them to spare her life. But she was completely miserable and getting weaker by the day. Stephanie desperately needed to speak with her brother because she needed him to tell her that he loved her.
“Please!” She yelled, hoping that someone would hear her. “I am so sorry. Please let me out.”
“Oh, shut up.” Stephanie heard a voice coming towards her. “Begging only makes you look weaker than you are.”
It was Professor Snape. Maybe he would get her out of there, Stephanie hoped. She couldn’t imagine having to stay there for another minute.
“Help me.” Stephanie whispered, and then let out a long, loud barking cough.
“Your presence is requested upstairs.” Snape said, unlocking the door with his wand.
Stephanie stepped out of the cell and her clothes immediately dried themselves. It felt so nice to be warm again. She had thought that she would never feel like that again. Stephanie followed Snape up the stairs and found only Voldemort and Bellatrix in the living room.
“Stephanie, welcome back. I have heard you yelling down there and I trust that it was not a vacation like the last time.” Voldemort laughed at her. Stephanie covered her mouth and had another coughing fit. “That doesn’t sound too good. Do you feel that you learned your lesson properly?”
“Yes, Master.” Stephanie said quietly. She made sure to look directly at him, optimistic that he would give her no more punishments.
“Remind me of what that lesson was supposed to be.” Voldemort asked sweetly.
“I shall not disobey you, my Lord.” Stephanie said. “I am your servant and shall serve only you.”
“And showing concern for your brother is disobeying my orders.” Voldemort hissed. “However, I shall make sure that you are no longer capable of such feelings. We will discuss this in more detail at a later time. You have a training session with Bella now.”
Voldemort threw her wand at her and it landed on the floor nearby. She bent down to pick it up and Bellatrix grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the manor immediately after she touched the wand. Once outside, Stephanie noticed it was very dark because there was no moon. She coughed as Bellatrix Disapparated them from the grounds.
But as soon as they Apparated, Stephanie realized that she could no longer feel Bellatrix’s grasp on her arm. Something was definitely wrong, she could feel it. It was so dark that she couldn’t see anything. She wasn’t sure if she should whisper for Bellatrix, but she decided against it. She lifted her wand and looked around in the darkness, preparing herself for whatever was to come.
After five minutes of trying to figure out what was happening, Stephanie saw three bright lights shooting towards her. There was no time to think. She quickly dove to the ground, missing the spells by inches. She stood up and immediately cast the protection charm in front of her, shielding her from any more spells that may come her way.
Stephanie waved her wand around in front of her, looking for the source of the spells. She coughed again and someone spoke to her from nearby.
“Aww, is the poor baby sick?” Came Bellatrix’s high pitched mocking voice. “Put away your wand and sit in the chair that is in front of you.”
“No!” Stephanie yelled forcefully. She wasn’t going to make herself defenseless against Bellatrix, even though she knew she couldn’t cast any magic at any of the Death Eaters.
“Wow.” A second voice breathed. Stephanie recognized it as Selwyn, another Death Eater. “She shows so much courage, even though she knows she is surrounded.”
“Stupidity is more like it. Exactly like her brother.” Came a voice to her right, it was Yaxley. They were getting closer to her.
“Sit down!” Alecto Carrow commanded her from behind. Stephanie turned around, waving her wand in Alecto’s direction. They were almost to her and Stephanie’s mind was racing. She didn’t know what she could do against these Death Eaters. Stephanie knew that she was outnumbered but she didn’t know exactly how many there were. “We only wish to have a nice conversation with you.”
“I am not afraid of you.” Stephanie said, trying to remain calm. She continued to move her wand in front of her, aiming at the people she could not see. Suddenly, she was hit by a spell from behind and she gasped in surprise. It felt like a rock had been thrown at her, but it hurt much worse than that. Her protection shield disappeared as her concentration shifted and she felt her wand fly out of her hand. Stephanie heard it land in the grass nearby.
Stephanie was lifted into the air and roughly placed in the chair. Her hands were forced behind her back and ropes tied her in place. She struggled trying to get free. Although she knew it was useless, she tried to rationalize with them. “You aren’t going to get away with this. The Dark Lord has ordered you not to touch me!”
She heard laughter as the Death Eaters got closer to her. Someone lit their wand and Stephanie could now see who all was there. Six Death Eaters surrounded her and they all had delight on their faces. Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Bellatrix, Selwyn, Travers, and Yaxley were all laughing at her as she fought against the ropes. Bellatrix bent down and picked up Stephanie’s wand.
“Of course we are.” Bellatrix shrieked, playing with Stephanie’s wand. “You do not know what the Dark Lord has or has not ordered. He is not very pleased with you at the moment, Stephanie. There is no way you would risk telling him about this. He would never believe you and then you would be punished for lying to him yet again.”
“From what I heard, he’s not too happy with you either.” Stephanie spat at Bellatrix. She wasn’t going to let them see her scared. She was going to do what she could to stand up for herself, even if it meant she would be tortured.
Stephanie was hit by another spell that felt like she was being stoned. She held in a flinch and heard Bellatrix yell at her in frustration, “How dare you!”
“We know that you have been in contact with your brother. Though that doesn’t matter much, what does is the fact that we can pay Harry back for what he has done by punishing you. He wouldn’t dare to defy the Death Eaters if he knew what we were doing to his precious sister!” Travers laughed maniacally.
“You forget that he left me to die in the graveyard when the Dark Lord returned.” Stephanie tried to convince them that Harry did not care for her. “I despise my brother, the great Harry Potter.”
“She thinks that we believe her stupid lies!” Amycus said, laughing with the other Death Eaters. He turned to her and continued. “Your brother cares about you. In fact, he may even love you, though none of us can figure out why someone would care about you so much. You are absolutely worthless.”
“However,” Travers spoke next. “We will give you plenty of things to tell your brother. Every time that he challenges the Dark Lord or the Death Eaters you will be punished severely. And it will feel so good.”
“For us, you mean!” Alecto laughed.
“You can’t blame me for what my brother has done!” Stephanie said. She didn’t really care about what they would do to her, but she was trying to keep them talking. She figured that the longer they talked to her, the less time they would have to actually do to her what they were planning. Silently, she praised her brother for making these people so angry. It was a great feeling to know that someone was fighting these evil forces, even if she couldn’t do anything. Harry’s continuous struggle against Voldemort made her feel better, even though she knew that soon she would be as bad as any of these Death Eaters in front of her.
“Of course we can.” Bellatrix said in her sweetly falsetto voice. “He has caused my dear husband and brothers-in-law to be put back in Azkaban. The prophecy was destroyed and we were unable to retrieve its contents for the Dark Lord. Your brother and his foolish friends have caused us tremendous losses. Now, you are going to pay for that.”
She was bombarded with more spells similar to the ones she had endured a few minutes ago. Suddenly one hit her in the face and she gasped both in shock and pain. She hadn’t wanted to show any signs of pain, but this was too much. It just surprised her incredibly when someone else objected.
“Not her face!” Alecto shrieked.
Stephanie couldn’t take it anymore. She had to fight back, and the only way she knew how was to use her words. It may be stupid, but she had to do something. “Pretty pathetic of you, you know.”
Yaxley laughed hysterically. “No, I’d say you’re the pathetic one right now.”
Stephanie forced herself to laugh at his feeble attempt at a retort. “No, I’d say you are the pathetic ones. All of you. I know how much you despise me. It’s not like I am enjoying spending so much intimate time with you either. But, you decide to do this now. Only after I have suffered seven days of torture and I am deathly ill. I am wandless, weak, tied up, and outnumbered six to one. It almost appears as if you are afraid or intimidated of me.”
“Afraid of you?” Alecto laughed. “I don’t think so.”
Amycus pointed his wand at her, and the ropes released. The chair disappeared and Stephanie fell to the ground with an “oomf.” She coughed uncontrollably as someone thrust her wand into her hand.
“Let’s see how tough you are now.” Amycus said as he shot a Cruciatus Curse at her. She was too quick for him and cast the protection shield in front of her. The Curse bounced off the shield and disappeared.
Her thoughts immediately went to the first night of Voldemort’s return. She knew that one of the Curses placed upon her prevented her from performing magic on any of Voldemort’s Death Eaters. She had to find a way to get out of this without casting an offensive spell because she knew that the protection shield wouldn’t guard her from everything they could throw at her.
“Look at her.” Bellatrix laughed. “All talk and no action. Just like her wretched godfather.”
Stephanie fought the urge to attack Bellatrix, though she knew that Voldemort now had knowledge that she had had contact with the outside world. She couldn’t let them see her react because that would allow them to know how much it had affected her.
“Nothing, eh?” Bellatrix asked, pointing her wand at Stephanie who was still lying on the ground.
“Why should I care what you say about him?” Stephanie glared at Bellatrix, not giving her the satisfaction of seeing Stephanie angry. “It’s not like I ever met him.”
“That’s enough.” Alecto ordered. “Bella, you’d better take the girl back. Yaxley and Travers, go deal with the family they were ordered to take care of.”
Bellatrix stomped over to Stephanie angrily and grabbed her arm. She was yanked to a standing position and then Apparated to the Lestrange manor. Stephanie coughed again and she was pulled inside the home by Bellatrix.
They found Voldemort in the dining room meeting with Professor Snape. Voldemort eyed her up and down when he saw her.
“What happened to you?” He asked.
Stephanie’s cheek still stung from the spell that had hit her face so she figured that there must be a bruise visible. She stared at Bellatrix when she answered Voldemort, “I didn’t expect them to fight back, my Lord. I guess my magic is a little rusty.”
Voldemort turned to Bellatrix, “Were they taken care of?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Bellatrix smiled at Stephanie.
Stephanie could see Snape eyeing her suspiciously. She could tell that he didn’t believe her story; she just hoped that Voldemort did. Another coughing fit came about and Voldemort dismissed her. She walked up to her bedroom and pulled out the diary.
She wasn’t in the mood to respond anymore, but she figured everyone was worried about her. There were a ton of messages begging her to respond and a few telling her of what had happened at the Ministry. She penned a short reply and then lay down to get some sleep.
Just as she was nodding off, there was a quiet knock on her door. Stephanie sat up and called for the person to come in. Stephanie coughed as Professor Snape walked into her bedroom.
“First of all, take this. It’ll make your cough go away.” He said handing her a small vial filled with a dark purple potion. She drank it and choked on its foul taste.
“Thanks.” She said.
“Now, what happened tonight?” Snape gazed at her questioningly.
“Exactly what I told Voldemort.” She said, staring back at Snape. There was no way she was going to tell him what happened. She could take care of herself and she didn’t need him to protect her.
“How many times have I told you not to lie to me?” Snape asked her unperturbedly. “How do you expect me to do anything if you don’t tell me what happened? Did they attack you?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Stephanie lied. “And I don’t need you taking care of me. I am a big girl and I can defend myself.”
“Is this about Sirius?” Snape asked her. He knew that she hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about the loss of her godfather. Even though he had despised the man that made his childhood so miserable, he could see how the loss could be devastating for Stephanie.
“Why does everyone keep bringing him up tonight?” Stephanie was losing her temper. She had not slept in a week, she was tired, and she just wanted to rest. She wanted to curl up in her bed and sleep forever. There hadn’t been time to even think about Sirius since the moment she found out that he had died, let alone time for her to grieve. She decided that it just wasn’t worth it to attempt to do so now; there was no point and she didn’t want to risk getting caught doing so. She couldn’t go back to that cellar; she would do anything to prevent that. She would rather die than go back.
“You are avoiding the question.” Snape told her.
“Yes, alright?” She yelled at him, happy that he had cast the Muffliato spell on the door when he had entered. “Is that what you want to hear? For years I had nothing to care about, nothing to live for. My only purpose in life was to serve the Malfoy family. Now that I do, I constantly get punished for my brother’s actions. It’s not that I blame him, but it is so hard. Everything I care about is being taken away one by one.”
Stephanie paused to take a deep breath and then she continued yelling at Snape, one of the few people who had always been there for her. “Voldemort is going to take away the one thing that I have left and can control. I am not stupid, I know that he is. Though I don’t know how, I do know that he is going to rip away my ability to care, to feel. If I can’t be who I am, what is there to live for?”
“You need to suck it up and take care of yourself for once.” Snape scolded her. He didn’t know how to relate to a teenage girl and it disgusted him that she was sharing her feelings with him this way. “We will get you out of here as soon as possible, but until then you need to deal with it. It is of the utmost importance that you never give up hope. If you do that, the Dark Lord wins.”
“Go away, please.” Stephanie ordered. She just wanted to curl up in bed and not think about anything. Snape was just making her angrier than she already was. How dare he try to talk to her like that? Stephanie wasn’t sure that she had ever been this angry.
Snape left her alone without another word and she curled up in bed and fell asleep. It felt amazing to finally get a good night’s sleep in a nice warm bed.
*~*~*~*
Harry had just returned to Privet Drive for another summer with the Dursleys. It was late at night and all he wanted to do was talk to his sister. Sirius had been murdered what had seemed like months ago and Harry felt so alone. Stephanie hadn’t written much in the diary since she returned from wherever she had been afterwards.
He opened the diary and re-read the entries Stephanie had written about where she had been the seven days after he had been tricked by Lord Voldemort into going to the Ministry of Magic. Neither Harry nor the others believed Stephanie, but they didn’t say anything to her about it.
None of them believed that Stephanie had been on vacation. Harry wished that Stephanie would stop withholding things from them and tell them what was actually going on. The reason that they had the diaries was so that they could provide her the support that she needed. How could they do that if she wouldn’t tell them what was happening to her?
He picked up his quill, dipped it in the ink next to the diary, and wrote an entry while he hoped that Stephanie was near her diary. All he wanted to do was spend some time talking through what had happened to Sirius with her, no one else could truly understood how he felt.
And with that, their conversation was over. Harry couldn’t believe how open Stephanie had been with him. This was one of the most intimate conversations they had ever had. He just wished that she would open up and talk about the horrible things that were happening to her. She shouldn’t have to go through that alone. What especially worried him was the fact that she was in for more difficult times than ever before. What was she going to be subjected to?
Harry pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote a quick note to Hermione. If anyone had answers, she would. When he was done, he gave the letter to Hedwig to deliver to his friend. After Hedwig had flown out the window, he put out the light at the end of his wand and he went to sleep.
So I posted this sooner than I originally planned. I have had a lot of time to sit down and write while I've been at home, so I thought I'd put up the next chapter. Chapter Twenty-Three: The Ceremony will be posted on Saturday. Have a great day and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave any thoughts or comments you may have!
Stephanie couldn’t take it anymore. She pounded on the bars of her cell and screamed in frustration. Stephanie didn’t know how long she had been in her cell, but it had been the worst experience of her life. There hadn’t been a single moment to think about anything else than what was happening to her in that cell. The small window had been magically boarded up and so she had had a difficult time keeping track of the days. She figured that she had been in there for at least a week.
During the first three days she wasn’t provided any food, not that she could have eaten anything anyway. Finally on what Stephanie had assumed was the fourth day, based on the different punishments placed on her, she was finally given meals. She had to force herself to eat because she knew that it would only make things worse if she didn’t take the food being offered to her. And each time Wormtail had brought a tray, she begged him to let her out; he never said a word to her.
Since the fourth day, she had been soaking wet. That day had been the worst by far because she was continuously pounded with water that wouldn’t dry. The cell had been so cold and, mixed with the wetness, she was getting sick. She was constantly shivering and coughing; she wasn’t sure how much longer she would be able to survive.
Stephanie couldn’t believe that she had finally resorted to begging. That was something she had never been proud of doing. It really destroyed her to have to beg these people for help. When she was in the Malfoy home, she rarely asked them for help. In fact, she could count on one hand the amount of times she had asked them to spare her life. But she was completely miserable and getting weaker by the day. Stephanie desperately needed to speak with her brother because she needed him to tell her that he loved her.
“Please!” She yelled, hoping that someone would hear her. “I am so sorry. Please let me out.”
“Oh, shut up.” Stephanie heard a voice coming towards her. “Begging only makes you look weaker than you are.”
It was Professor Snape. Maybe he would get her out of there, Stephanie hoped. She couldn’t imagine having to stay there for another minute.
“Help me.” Stephanie whispered, and then let out a long, loud barking cough.
“Your presence is requested upstairs.” Snape said, unlocking the door with his wand.
Stephanie stepped out of the cell and her clothes immediately dried themselves. It felt so nice to be warm again. She had thought that she would never feel like that again. Stephanie followed Snape up the stairs and found only Voldemort and Bellatrix in the living room.
“Stephanie, welcome back. I have heard you yelling down there and I trust that it was not a vacation like the last time.” Voldemort laughed at her. Stephanie covered her mouth and had another coughing fit. “That doesn’t sound too good. Do you feel that you learned your lesson properly?”
“Yes, Master.” Stephanie said quietly. She made sure to look directly at him, optimistic that he would give her no more punishments.
“Remind me of what that lesson was supposed to be.” Voldemort asked sweetly.
“I shall not disobey you, my Lord.” Stephanie said. “I am your servant and shall serve only you.”
“And showing concern for your brother is disobeying my orders.” Voldemort hissed. “However, I shall make sure that you are no longer capable of such feelings. We will discuss this in more detail at a later time. You have a training session with Bella now.”
Voldemort threw her wand at her and it landed on the floor nearby. She bent down to pick it up and Bellatrix grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the manor immediately after she touched the wand. Once outside, Stephanie noticed it was very dark because there was no moon. She coughed as Bellatrix Disapparated them from the grounds.
But as soon as they Apparated, Stephanie realized that she could no longer feel Bellatrix’s grasp on her arm. Something was definitely wrong, she could feel it. It was so dark that she couldn’t see anything. She wasn’t sure if she should whisper for Bellatrix, but she decided against it. She lifted her wand and looked around in the darkness, preparing herself for whatever was to come.
After five minutes of trying to figure out what was happening, Stephanie saw three bright lights shooting towards her. There was no time to think. She quickly dove to the ground, missing the spells by inches. She stood up and immediately cast the protection charm in front of her, shielding her from any more spells that may come her way.
Stephanie waved her wand around in front of her, looking for the source of the spells. She coughed again and someone spoke to her from nearby.
“Aww, is the poor baby sick?” Came Bellatrix’s high pitched mocking voice. “Put away your wand and sit in the chair that is in front of you.”
“No!” Stephanie yelled forcefully. She wasn’t going to make herself defenseless against Bellatrix, even though she knew she couldn’t cast any magic at any of the Death Eaters.
“Wow.” A second voice breathed. Stephanie recognized it as Selwyn, another Death Eater. “She shows so much courage, even though she knows she is surrounded.”
“Stupidity is more like it. Exactly like her brother.” Came a voice to her right, it was Yaxley. They were getting closer to her.
“Sit down!” Alecto Carrow commanded her from behind. Stephanie turned around, waving her wand in Alecto’s direction. They were almost to her and Stephanie’s mind was racing. She didn’t know what she could do against these Death Eaters. Stephanie knew that she was outnumbered but she didn’t know exactly how many there were. “We only wish to have a nice conversation with you.”
“I am not afraid of you.” Stephanie said, trying to remain calm. She continued to move her wand in front of her, aiming at the people she could not see. Suddenly, she was hit by a spell from behind and she gasped in surprise. It felt like a rock had been thrown at her, but it hurt much worse than that. Her protection shield disappeared as her concentration shifted and she felt her wand fly out of her hand. Stephanie heard it land in the grass nearby.
Stephanie was lifted into the air and roughly placed in the chair. Her hands were forced behind her back and ropes tied her in place. She struggled trying to get free. Although she knew it was useless, she tried to rationalize with them. “You aren’t going to get away with this. The Dark Lord has ordered you not to touch me!”
She heard laughter as the Death Eaters got closer to her. Someone lit their wand and Stephanie could now see who all was there. Six Death Eaters surrounded her and they all had delight on their faces. Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Bellatrix, Selwyn, Travers, and Yaxley were all laughing at her as she fought against the ropes. Bellatrix bent down and picked up Stephanie’s wand.
“Of course we are.” Bellatrix shrieked, playing with Stephanie’s wand. “You do not know what the Dark Lord has or has not ordered. He is not very pleased with you at the moment, Stephanie. There is no way you would risk telling him about this. He would never believe you and then you would be punished for lying to him yet again.”
“From what I heard, he’s not too happy with you either.” Stephanie spat at Bellatrix. She wasn’t going to let them see her scared. She was going to do what she could to stand up for herself, even if it meant she would be tortured.
Stephanie was hit by another spell that felt like she was being stoned. She held in a flinch and heard Bellatrix yell at her in frustration, “How dare you!”
“We know that you have been in contact with your brother. Though that doesn’t matter much, what does is the fact that we can pay Harry back for what he has done by punishing you. He wouldn’t dare to defy the Death Eaters if he knew what we were doing to his precious sister!” Travers laughed maniacally.
“You forget that he left me to die in the graveyard when the Dark Lord returned.” Stephanie tried to convince them that Harry did not care for her. “I despise my brother, the great Harry Potter.”
“She thinks that we believe her stupid lies!” Amycus said, laughing with the other Death Eaters. He turned to her and continued. “Your brother cares about you. In fact, he may even love you, though none of us can figure out why someone would care about you so much. You are absolutely worthless.”
“However,” Travers spoke next. “We will give you plenty of things to tell your brother. Every time that he challenges the Dark Lord or the Death Eaters you will be punished severely. And it will feel so good.”
“For us, you mean!” Alecto laughed.
“You can’t blame me for what my brother has done!” Stephanie said. She didn’t really care about what they would do to her, but she was trying to keep them talking. She figured that the longer they talked to her, the less time they would have to actually do to her what they were planning. Silently, she praised her brother for making these people so angry. It was a great feeling to know that someone was fighting these evil forces, even if she couldn’t do anything. Harry’s continuous struggle against Voldemort made her feel better, even though she knew that soon she would be as bad as any of these Death Eaters in front of her.
“Of course we can.” Bellatrix said in her sweetly falsetto voice. “He has caused my dear husband and brothers-in-law to be put back in Azkaban. The prophecy was destroyed and we were unable to retrieve its contents for the Dark Lord. Your brother and his foolish friends have caused us tremendous losses. Now, you are going to pay for that.”
She was bombarded with more spells similar to the ones she had endured a few minutes ago. Suddenly one hit her in the face and she gasped both in shock and pain. She hadn’t wanted to show any signs of pain, but this was too much. It just surprised her incredibly when someone else objected.
“Not her face!” Alecto shrieked.
Stephanie couldn’t take it anymore. She had to fight back, and the only way she knew how was to use her words. It may be stupid, but she had to do something. “Pretty pathetic of you, you know.”
Yaxley laughed hysterically. “No, I’d say you’re the pathetic one right now.”
Stephanie forced herself to laugh at his feeble attempt at a retort. “No, I’d say you are the pathetic ones. All of you. I know how much you despise me. It’s not like I am enjoying spending so much intimate time with you either. But, you decide to do this now. Only after I have suffered seven days of torture and I am deathly ill. I am wandless, weak, tied up, and outnumbered six to one. It almost appears as if you are afraid or intimidated of me.”
“Afraid of you?” Alecto laughed. “I don’t think so.”
Amycus pointed his wand at her, and the ropes released. The chair disappeared and Stephanie fell to the ground with an “oomf.” She coughed uncontrollably as someone thrust her wand into her hand.
“Let’s see how tough you are now.” Amycus said as he shot a Cruciatus Curse at her. She was too quick for him and cast the protection shield in front of her. The Curse bounced off the shield and disappeared.
Her thoughts immediately went to the first night of Voldemort’s return. She knew that one of the Curses placed upon her prevented her from performing magic on any of Voldemort’s Death Eaters. She had to find a way to get out of this without casting an offensive spell because she knew that the protection shield wouldn’t guard her from everything they could throw at her.
“Look at her.” Bellatrix laughed. “All talk and no action. Just like her wretched godfather.”
Stephanie fought the urge to attack Bellatrix, though she knew that Voldemort now had knowledge that she had had contact with the outside world. She couldn’t let them see her react because that would allow them to know how much it had affected her.
“Nothing, eh?” Bellatrix asked, pointing her wand at Stephanie who was still lying on the ground.
“Why should I care what you say about him?” Stephanie glared at Bellatrix, not giving her the satisfaction of seeing Stephanie angry. “It’s not like I ever met him.”
“That’s enough.” Alecto ordered. “Bella, you’d better take the girl back. Yaxley and Travers, go deal with the family they were ordered to take care of.”
Bellatrix stomped over to Stephanie angrily and grabbed her arm. She was yanked to a standing position and then Apparated to the Lestrange manor. Stephanie coughed again and she was pulled inside the home by Bellatrix.
They found Voldemort in the dining room meeting with Professor Snape. Voldemort eyed her up and down when he saw her.
“What happened to you?” He asked.
Stephanie’s cheek still stung from the spell that had hit her face so she figured that there must be a bruise visible. She stared at Bellatrix when she answered Voldemort, “I didn’t expect them to fight back, my Lord. I guess my magic is a little rusty.”
Voldemort turned to Bellatrix, “Were they taken care of?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Bellatrix smiled at Stephanie.
Stephanie could see Snape eyeing her suspiciously. She could tell that he didn’t believe her story; she just hoped that Voldemort did. Another coughing fit came about and Voldemort dismissed her. She walked up to her bedroom and pulled out the diary.
She wasn’t in the mood to respond anymore, but she figured everyone was worried about her. There were a ton of messages begging her to respond and a few telling her of what had happened at the Ministry. She penned a short reply and then lay down to get some sleep.
I’m fine. I’ll write more later. ~Steph
Just as she was nodding off, there was a quiet knock on her door. Stephanie sat up and called for the person to come in. Stephanie coughed as Professor Snape walked into her bedroom.
“First of all, take this. It’ll make your cough go away.” He said handing her a small vial filled with a dark purple potion. She drank it and choked on its foul taste.
“Thanks.” She said.
“Now, what happened tonight?” Snape gazed at her questioningly.
“Exactly what I told Voldemort.” She said, staring back at Snape. There was no way she was going to tell him what happened. She could take care of herself and she didn’t need him to protect her.
“How many times have I told you not to lie to me?” Snape asked her unperturbedly. “How do you expect me to do anything if you don’t tell me what happened? Did they attack you?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Stephanie lied. “And I don’t need you taking care of me. I am a big girl and I can defend myself.”
“Is this about Sirius?” Snape asked her. He knew that she hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about the loss of her godfather. Even though he had despised the man that made his childhood so miserable, he could see how the loss could be devastating for Stephanie.
“Why does everyone keep bringing him up tonight?” Stephanie was losing her temper. She had not slept in a week, she was tired, and she just wanted to rest. She wanted to curl up in her bed and sleep forever. There hadn’t been time to even think about Sirius since the moment she found out that he had died, let alone time for her to grieve. She decided that it just wasn’t worth it to attempt to do so now; there was no point and she didn’t want to risk getting caught doing so. She couldn’t go back to that cellar; she would do anything to prevent that. She would rather die than go back.
“You are avoiding the question.” Snape told her.
“Yes, alright?” She yelled at him, happy that he had cast the Muffliato spell on the door when he had entered. “Is that what you want to hear? For years I had nothing to care about, nothing to live for. My only purpose in life was to serve the Malfoy family. Now that I do, I constantly get punished for my brother’s actions. It’s not that I blame him, but it is so hard. Everything I care about is being taken away one by one.”
Stephanie paused to take a deep breath and then she continued yelling at Snape, one of the few people who had always been there for her. “Voldemort is going to take away the one thing that I have left and can control. I am not stupid, I know that he is. Though I don’t know how, I do know that he is going to rip away my ability to care, to feel. If I can’t be who I am, what is there to live for?”
“You need to suck it up and take care of yourself for once.” Snape scolded her. He didn’t know how to relate to a teenage girl and it disgusted him that she was sharing her feelings with him this way. “We will get you out of here as soon as possible, but until then you need to deal with it. It is of the utmost importance that you never give up hope. If you do that, the Dark Lord wins.”
“Go away, please.” Stephanie ordered. She just wanted to curl up in bed and not think about anything. Snape was just making her angrier than she already was. How dare he try to talk to her like that? Stephanie wasn’t sure that she had ever been this angry.
Snape left her alone without another word and she curled up in bed and fell asleep. It felt amazing to finally get a good night’s sleep in a nice warm bed.
*~*~*~*
Harry had just returned to Privet Drive for another summer with the Dursleys. It was late at night and all he wanted to do was talk to his sister. Sirius had been murdered what had seemed like months ago and Harry felt so alone. Stephanie hadn’t written much in the diary since she returned from wherever she had been afterwards.
He opened the diary and re-read the entries Stephanie had written about where she had been the seven days after he had been tricked by Lord Voldemort into going to the Ministry of Magic. Neither Harry nor the others believed Stephanie, but they didn’t say anything to her about it.
I’m sorry that I haven’t written. Things have been hectic around here since the happenings of the other night. I only know the details that you all have written. Thank you for keeping me so informed!
I apologize for not writing sooner. However, I didn’t have access to the diary. Voldemort was really upset that he didn’t get the prophecy and that eleven of his followers (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) were arrested.
He decided a nice vacation would be a great way for him to calm down and plan his next move. We spent the week in Spain on the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous; I wish you could have been there.
Harry, don’t blame yourself for Sirius’ death. It was Bellatrix’s fault, not yours. Remember that and I am here for you if you need me!
~Steph
I apologize for not writing sooner. However, I didn’t have access to the diary. Voldemort was really upset that he didn’t get the prophecy and that eleven of his followers (THANK YOU SO MUCH!) were arrested.
He decided a nice vacation would be a great way for him to calm down and plan his next move. We spent the week in Spain on the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous; I wish you could have been there.
Harry, don’t blame yourself for Sirius’ death. It was Bellatrix’s fault, not yours. Remember that and I am here for you if you need me!
~Steph
None of them believed that Stephanie had been on vacation. Harry wished that Stephanie would stop withholding things from them and tell them what was actually going on. The reason that they had the diaries was so that they could provide her the support that she needed. How could they do that if she wouldn’t tell them what was happening to her?
He picked up his quill, dipped it in the ink next to the diary, and wrote an entry while he hoped that Stephanie was near her diary. All he wanted to do was spend some time talking through what had happened to Sirius with her, no one else could truly understood how he felt.
Steph, are you around? –Harry
~
Yeah. What’s up? ~Steph
~
How are you doing with the whole Sirius thing? –Harry
~
I try not to think about it. There really wasn’t any time for that the week after it happened, and now it is so hard to comprehend that he is actually gone. How about you? I hear you are taking it pretty hard. ~Steph
~
I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault. Hermione and Ron keep trying to tell me that it’s not… but if I hadn’t dragged them all to the Ministry, this wouldn’t have happened. –Harry
~
Harry, this is not your fault. I know how close you were to him, much closer to him than I was. You even got to spend a little bit of time with him. Voldemort would have found another way to get you to the Ministry, and Sirius would still have come along with the Order to save you. This is not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it is me. ~Steph
~
What?!? You have got to be kidding. You weren’t even at the Ministry that night. How could it be your fault? –Harry
~
I tried to convince them to take me along that night. Had I been successful I would have been able to do something to stop it. Or, had I been able to alert someone, they would have known what was going on. I didn’t try hard enough and because of that, Sirius was killed. ~Steph
~
That is ridiculous. You did all you could. Anything more and they probably would have realized why you wanted to go so badly. There was no way you could have known what was going to happen. You cannot blame yourself. –Harry
~
And neither can you. Sirius would not want you to blame yourself. He would be proud of you for resisting Voldemort’s attempts and making sure that Voldemort did not obtain the prophecy. You did all you could. ~Steph
~
I don’t know if I can argue with that, but I am just so angry all the time. I feel so alone. –Harry
~
You may be surprised that soon after Sirius was killed, I blew up at Professor Snape. I yelled at him and told him to leave me alone. Though I’m sure you and the others are happy that I did that, because you would never be able to get away with it, I still felt horrible. He has done so much for me and I lost it with him. There are times when I am incredibly angry, but you just have to express it sometimes.
And I know how you feel about being alone. You are so lucky that you have your friends that are always there for you. Though you may be stuck at the Dursleys for a short amount of time, you will see them shortly. I am just sad that I can’t be there for you. Just remember that someday we will be able to be reunited and I can give you the hug that I’ve been longing to give.
When I was living with the Malfoys and before I was introduced to Professor Dumbledore, I never dared to hope for anything better. Everyone has taught me that I do not deserve the treatment I have been given. Lately I have also been allowing myself to hope for a time when we can be together freely. I am positive that day will come. Just remember that you are never alone. Even if I am not close to you, I am always with you. ~Steph
~
But now that Sirius is gone, all I want to do is protect you and make sure that I don’t lose you. Tell me how I can do that. –Harry
~
The only thing you can do for me is to keep fighting Voldemort as you have been doing. Remember that I stayed in this situation because I wanted to help you, to save you. Because of that, I was forced into the current situation that makes it impossible for me to be rescued. I am still doing this for you, and I am doing it proudly. No matter what happens to me, I want you to know that I am doing this because I love you. This is the only way that Voldemort may be defeated one day. It doesn’t matter how much I suffer, as long as that happens.
I debated whether or not I wanted to tell you this, but I think you need to know. In order to protect you, I will never tell you or the others the full details of what is happening to me. You do not need to know such horrible details, and I do not want you guys to feel sorry for me because I chose to be in this situation long ago. There is nothing you can do and so there is no point in making you worry.
However, I am going to be in for very difficult times. My personality may change and you may not recognize me as the person I am now. I will try my hardest to resist these changes, but you must be warned. The diaries will be even more important during this time and I will need you all to be there for me. ~Steph
~
Stephanie, you should be able to tell me anything. I don’t want you to hold anything in; I can handle whatever you tell me. We all want to know what is going on, no matter how horrible it is. And of COURSE we will be there for you. No matter what you do or who you become, we will always be there for you. We will never leave you. –Harry
~
I’m sorry, Harry. I just can’t tell you. But thank you. You do not even realize the impact that all of you have had on me. It has allowed me to keep track of the person I am and I greatly appreciate all you have done for me. ~Steph
~
We do it because we care about you. –Harry
~
Now, I hear that you tried to Curse Bellatrix. Tell me about that! ~Steph
~
After she killed Sirius, I followed her and tried to Curse her. It didn’t work. She only felt a tickle and then she told me that I needed to mean it. Even though I wanted to hurt her so bad, I wasn’t able to Curse her. –Harry
~
That is a good thing, Harry. Being able to Curse someone is a very difficult thing to do. It is great that you aren’t able to do it and I never want you to be able to do it. Cursing people changes you, and you are perfect the way you are. I am not sure that you will be strong enough to defeat Voldemort if you are capable of performing an Unforgivable Curse on anyone. ~Steph
~
But you are able to use those Curses and you are perfectly fine. I wouldn’t admit this to anyone else except you, but I felt so guilty afterwards. Though I knew that she deserved to suffer, I just felt horrible trying to cause that much pain. –Harry
~
Harry, I am not perfectly fine. I changed after I learned how to Curse Draco. It just made me numb to his pain. The fact that you felt bad afterwards shows me that you are a much better person than me. I felt horrible afterwards, but I continued to do such things. Soon after that, I also attacked Draco. It changes you. ~Steph
~
Don’t say that! You are being forced to do these things; you do not want to do them. That is completely different than doing those things because you get enjoyment out of it. -Harry
~
Just promise me that you won’t try to do another Unforgiveable Curse again. ~Steph
~
I promise. –Harry
~
Thank you. ~Steph
~
Yeah. What’s up? ~Steph
~
How are you doing with the whole Sirius thing? –Harry
~
I try not to think about it. There really wasn’t any time for that the week after it happened, and now it is so hard to comprehend that he is actually gone. How about you? I hear you are taking it pretty hard. ~Steph
~
I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault. Hermione and Ron keep trying to tell me that it’s not… but if I hadn’t dragged them all to the Ministry, this wouldn’t have happened. –Harry
~
Harry, this is not your fault. I know how close you were to him, much closer to him than I was. You even got to spend a little bit of time with him. Voldemort would have found another way to get you to the Ministry, and Sirius would still have come along with the Order to save you. This is not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it is me. ~Steph
~
What?!? You have got to be kidding. You weren’t even at the Ministry that night. How could it be your fault? –Harry
~
I tried to convince them to take me along that night. Had I been successful I would have been able to do something to stop it. Or, had I been able to alert someone, they would have known what was going on. I didn’t try hard enough and because of that, Sirius was killed. ~Steph
~
That is ridiculous. You did all you could. Anything more and they probably would have realized why you wanted to go so badly. There was no way you could have known what was going to happen. You cannot blame yourself. –Harry
~
And neither can you. Sirius would not want you to blame yourself. He would be proud of you for resisting Voldemort’s attempts and making sure that Voldemort did not obtain the prophecy. You did all you could. ~Steph
~
I don’t know if I can argue with that, but I am just so angry all the time. I feel so alone. –Harry
~
You may be surprised that soon after Sirius was killed, I blew up at Professor Snape. I yelled at him and told him to leave me alone. Though I’m sure you and the others are happy that I did that, because you would never be able to get away with it, I still felt horrible. He has done so much for me and I lost it with him. There are times when I am incredibly angry, but you just have to express it sometimes.
And I know how you feel about being alone. You are so lucky that you have your friends that are always there for you. Though you may be stuck at the Dursleys for a short amount of time, you will see them shortly. I am just sad that I can’t be there for you. Just remember that someday we will be able to be reunited and I can give you the hug that I’ve been longing to give.
When I was living with the Malfoys and before I was introduced to Professor Dumbledore, I never dared to hope for anything better. Everyone has taught me that I do not deserve the treatment I have been given. Lately I have also been allowing myself to hope for a time when we can be together freely. I am positive that day will come. Just remember that you are never alone. Even if I am not close to you, I am always with you. ~Steph
~
But now that Sirius is gone, all I want to do is protect you and make sure that I don’t lose you. Tell me how I can do that. –Harry
~
The only thing you can do for me is to keep fighting Voldemort as you have been doing. Remember that I stayed in this situation because I wanted to help you, to save you. Because of that, I was forced into the current situation that makes it impossible for me to be rescued. I am still doing this for you, and I am doing it proudly. No matter what happens to me, I want you to know that I am doing this because I love you. This is the only way that Voldemort may be defeated one day. It doesn’t matter how much I suffer, as long as that happens.
I debated whether or not I wanted to tell you this, but I think you need to know. In order to protect you, I will never tell you or the others the full details of what is happening to me. You do not need to know such horrible details, and I do not want you guys to feel sorry for me because I chose to be in this situation long ago. There is nothing you can do and so there is no point in making you worry.
However, I am going to be in for very difficult times. My personality may change and you may not recognize me as the person I am now. I will try my hardest to resist these changes, but you must be warned. The diaries will be even more important during this time and I will need you all to be there for me. ~Steph
~
Stephanie, you should be able to tell me anything. I don’t want you to hold anything in; I can handle whatever you tell me. We all want to know what is going on, no matter how horrible it is. And of COURSE we will be there for you. No matter what you do or who you become, we will always be there for you. We will never leave you. –Harry
~
I’m sorry, Harry. I just can’t tell you. But thank you. You do not even realize the impact that all of you have had on me. It has allowed me to keep track of the person I am and I greatly appreciate all you have done for me. ~Steph
~
We do it because we care about you. –Harry
~
Now, I hear that you tried to Curse Bellatrix. Tell me about that! ~Steph
~
After she killed Sirius, I followed her and tried to Curse her. It didn’t work. She only felt a tickle and then she told me that I needed to mean it. Even though I wanted to hurt her so bad, I wasn’t able to Curse her. –Harry
~
That is a good thing, Harry. Being able to Curse someone is a very difficult thing to do. It is great that you aren’t able to do it and I never want you to be able to do it. Cursing people changes you, and you are perfect the way you are. I am not sure that you will be strong enough to defeat Voldemort if you are capable of performing an Unforgivable Curse on anyone. ~Steph
~
But you are able to use those Curses and you are perfectly fine. I wouldn’t admit this to anyone else except you, but I felt so guilty afterwards. Though I knew that she deserved to suffer, I just felt horrible trying to cause that much pain. –Harry
~
Harry, I am not perfectly fine. I changed after I learned how to Curse Draco. It just made me numb to his pain. The fact that you felt bad afterwards shows me that you are a much better person than me. I felt horrible afterwards, but I continued to do such things. Soon after that, I also attacked Draco. It changes you. ~Steph
~
Don’t say that! You are being forced to do these things; you do not want to do them. That is completely different than doing those things because you get enjoyment out of it. -Harry
~
Just promise me that you won’t try to do another Unforgiveable Curse again. ~Steph
~
I promise. –Harry
~
Thank you. ~Steph
And with that, their conversation was over. Harry couldn’t believe how open Stephanie had been with him. This was one of the most intimate conversations they had ever had. He just wished that she would open up and talk about the horrible things that were happening to her. She shouldn’t have to go through that alone. What especially worried him was the fact that she was in for more difficult times than ever before. What was she going to be subjected to?
Harry pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote a quick note to Hermione. If anyone had answers, she would. When he was done, he gave the letter to Hedwig to deliver to his friend. After Hedwig had flown out the window, he put out the light at the end of his wand and he went to sleep.
So I posted this sooner than I originally planned. I have had a lot of time to sit down and write while I've been at home, so I thought I'd put up the next chapter. Chapter Twenty-Three: The Ceremony will be posted on Saturday. Have a great day and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave any thoughts or comments you may have!
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Induction Ceremony
Hermione woke up to Harry’s owl tapping on her window. She had been watching the diary when Harry and Stephanie were having their conversation, but she hadn’t wanted to write anything. The two rarely got a private moment to talk to each other as it was, and Hermione knew that they desperately needed it.
She hadn’t been sure if Stephanie was really blaming herself for what had happened to Sirius or if Stephanie had just said that to prove a point to Harry. She was concerned that Stephanie actually blamed herself. Of course there was nothing that Stephanie could have done; there was nothing that any of them could have done. Bellatrix had been the one to cast the Killing Curse and Bellatrix was the one that was going to pay for it in the end. It pained Hermione to see the two Potters suffer through their loss. It hurt Hermione even more knowing that Stephanie hadn’t even gotten to meet her godfather. Harry and Stephanie were now the only family they had. Hermione just hoped that they wouldn’t lose each other.
She got up and opened her window to let the owl in. Hermione took the letter from Hedwig and gave the bird a treat. Then, she opened the letter and read what Harry had written her.
Hermione had read that entry in the diary and knew exactly what it had meant. Stephanie knew of a plan by Voldemort to attempt to change her. What was going to happen or why Voldemort had suddenly changed his plans towards Stephanie were questions that Hermione could not answer.
Although Stephanie was worried about turning into something other than the person she was, Hermione found it difficult to believe that Stephanie would really change. She had been through so much already and had only become stronger with each passing day. Hermione knew that Stephanie had only shared a small portion of the things she had been subjected to and witnessed, but Hermione still knew that Stephanie had experienced very horrible things. Hermione was confident that Stephanie was strong enough to resist whatever Voldemort could throw at her.
Hermione took out her own piece of parchment and began to write a response.
Hermione rolled up the parchment and gave it to Hedwig. Then she made a request of the owl. “Hedwig, please nuzzle Harry a little for me. I’m sure that he needs it.”
The owl looked at Hermione for a few seconds and then flew out of Hermione’s open window.
*~*~*~*
It was strange because prior to her being sent to the cellar, Voldemort had told her that the level of her training would increase greatly. However, she had only been required to attend one session and that was the one immediately following her release from the cellar almost two weeks ago. Stephanie had been expecting to go out every day, but she soon realized that Voldemort probably wanted to wait until after the ceremony. He pulled her aside the day before she would take the Dark Mark and told her something that was truly concerning. He finally explained what her “conditioning” would consist of.
“Let’s take a walk, Stephanie.” Voldemort said to her at the breakfast table. “We need to have a little chat.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said. She hadn’t been scared by this because she had been expecting it. The night that she had been released from the cellar, he told her that he would explain what was going to happen. She knew exactly what he was going to say, she just didn’t know the details. She had definitely reached the point where she didn’t really care about the how; she only cared about the end result. Stephanie got up and followed Voldemort out the back door.
They walked in silence for a few moments. She had to almost jog to keep up with his pace as his robes swished in the wind. Stephanie had rarely been outside and had never been in the back part of the Lestrange manor. It was strikingly similar to the Malfoy manor with a little forested area and it was definitely very secluded from the outside world.
When he was sure that they were alone, he conjured a blanket and placed it on the ground. He gestured for her to sit, and she obliged. Voldemort sat across from her and stared in silence for awhile. Stephanie didn’t know whether she was supposed to look at him or look away. It really made her uncomfortable when people stared at her, so she looked at the ground hoping that he would say something.
Voldemort knew that this made her uncomfortable, so that was probably one reason he let the silence run on for as long as he did. She was getting really nervous by the silence and so she began fidgeting with the grass on the outside of the blanket. Finally, he spoke.
“Stephanie, you have been very insolent towards me and my followers, lately. I have been highly disappointed. You have disobeyed me, called me by name, lied to me, spoken to your brother despite my orders not to, and tried to escape.” Voldemort began slowly. Stephanie looked up at him expectantly. “Do you know what happens to those who disrespect the great Lord Voldemort?”
“Yes, master.” Stephanie said quietly. She knew exactly what happened to people who crossed this man; not only has she been present when they were approached, she had also been forced to participate in these attacks. Stephanie immediately thought of Max Brownwell…
“Please enlighten me.” Voldemort said to her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with hatred.
Stephanie did all that she could. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and answered as calmly as possible. “You torture them until they are an inch from death. They must suffer for their behavior. When they finally beg for death, you allow them that luxury, even though they may not deserve it. Sometimes you murder their entire families for their actions.”
“I do so because I am merciful.” Voldemort said, eyeing her for a reaction. Stephanie said nothing, so he continued. “Am I not?”
“You are very merciful, my Lord.” Stephanie said and she continued to look at him. He smiled at her response.
“The only family that you have left, your brother, has already been given a death sentence.” Voldemort breathed, leaning closer to her. He ran his finger down her cheek and gently moved her loose hair behind her ear. Stephanie looked at the ground, not knowing what else to do. “Can you tell me why I have spared your life, despite your continuous misbehavior?”
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie said, looking back up to him.
“It is because I believe in you.” Voldemort stated. “I know that you are capable of such wonderful things, Stephanie. You will prove to be an invaluable asset to my organization. That is why I have decided to make you an official Death Eater. However, because you continue to show hesitation when you are given orders, I have decided that your training needs to move to the next level. I am afraid that there is only one way that I can be sure that you will follow me faithfully and blindly. We must make sure that you are incapable of disobeying my orders.”
Stephanie thought for a moment. There had been a question running through her mind since the night that Voldemort returned in the graveyard. She had never had the courage to ask this man, but right now she needed an answer. During his pause, she quietly looked into his eyes and spoke the question that had been burning in her for so long.
“My Lord.” She paused to take a deep breath. Stephanie gathered up all the courage she could muster and then continued. “Why am I so important to you? You have extended a lot of time and energy for my training and I continue to mess up. Why don’t you just dispose of me?”
Voldemort laughed at her question. This made Stephanie a little nervous, but she soon realized that she wasn’t going to be punished for asking the question. She had amused Voldemort by asking it.
“That is a very good question, Stephanie. I admit that I have contemplated the idea, especially since I have been so kind to you and you have been so ungrateful.” Voldemort told her. “However, when the citizens of Britain learn that it was I who corrupted such a sweet and innocent girl into the person that you will become, they will learn exactly what I am capable of.
“You will murder your brother. When the day comes that the Boy-Who-Lived is finally brought down, and by his own sister, the struggle for my reign of power will be complete. They will fear me even more and my followers will be greatly rewarded. This includes you, my dear.”
Stephanie sat in silence. She still didn’t understand but she figured that she would never understand why Voldemort did what he did.
“You do not understand.” Voldemort said with enjoyment. Stephanie still hated that he did this. “Let me spell it out for you in very simple terms. At this moment, you care about what you are doing. In a few days time you will not. Your conscience will be completely destroyed by me, Lord Voldemort. You will be trained to despise your brother. When the time comes, you will murder him. The world will be distraught at the downfall of the hero they have worshipped for so long and I will officially be Lord of all. They will no longer have the will to fight back and all of this will have been brought on by you: Harry Potter’s twin sister. Do you understand now?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said. She also knew that she would never, ever be able to kill her brother. This thought made her smile inwardly because Voldemort would never suspect that she would resist his attempts to corrupt her conscience at all costs.
“Very good.” Voldemort smiled at her obedience. “Now, I need to discuss with you the details of your conditioning. Though I will leave some for the element of surprise, it pleases me to tell you that you will soon be incapable of feeling any concern, care, or love for another human being. Disallowing you to feel these things will ensure your maximum compliance with my orders.
“I have given my followers strict orders to punish you whenever they observe any amount of positive feelings or hesitation.” Stephanie opened her mouth to say something, but Voldemort must have known what she was about to say because he held up his hand to quiet her. He continued. “I have been informed that you have shown quite a bit of courage by keeping something from me, Stephanie. I do know that some of my followers have approached and taken advantage of their time alone with you. They have been punished accordingly and will not take advantage of this new opportunity I have given them. Lord Voldemort knows all, Stephanie.
“There is something else I must request of you.” He said and Stephanie nodded. “Through your punishment in the cellar, it has come to my attention that you do not show enough fear of my name. Calling me by name is inappropriate and will not be tolerated. If I ever catch you calling me Lord Voldemort again, you will be punished severely. Do you understand?”
“Yes, master.” Stephanie said quietly.
“Now, I believe that is all I needed to share with you.” Voldemort said, standing up. “There are a lot of preparations to be dealt with for the ceremony tomorrow.”
Stephanie followed Voldemort back to the manor in silence while she thought about what he had told her. It was Snape that had told Voldemort about the others threatening her, she was sure of it. Usually it would have angered her that he would disclose such information, but today she was happy that he had done it. Who knows how horrible her conditioning would have become if Voldemort didn’t know the Death Eaters would have taken advantage at every opportunity. She knew that she had to resist all that he challenged her with because there was no way that she was going to allow herself to murder her brother.
*~*~*~*
The next evening, Stephanie and Draco sat in the living room awaiting the Dark Mark ceremony that was going to take place very soon. Maybe a half hour ago, Stephanie had been summoned downstairs and instructed to wait silently for further instructions. She didn’t want to take on the Dark Mark, but she also knew that there was absolutely no choice in the matter. Voldemort wanted her to show her loyalty, so she must do all she could to make him believe that she was on his side.
While she watched Draco pace the room nervously, Stephanie sat on the couch with a strange sense of peace running through her body. She had thought that Draco would be excited to take the Mark, especially since he always did all he could to make his father proud. It surprised her that she was much calmer than he was.
Finally, a masked Death Eater came into the room and motioned for Stephanie and Draco to follow her; though she couldn’t see the person’s face, Stephanie could tell that it was Alecto Carrow. She got up and walked towards the rear of the manor, Draco followed close behind her.
Outside, Stephanie looked around into the darkness. There was a large bonfire in the middle of a circle of Death Eaters. She did a quick count and realized there must have been about fifteen or twenty people there besides Voldemort, Draco, and herself. They were all dressed in their Death Eater robes and masks, so Stephanie couldn’t tell who all was there.
The Death Eaters closest to them moved aside to make an opening and the two teenagers walked into the middle of the circle where they met Voldemort. Stephanie looked around and noticed that the firelight, in combination with the moonlight, made an eerie scene. She shivered at the sight.
“Welcome, children.” Voldemort spoke to them. Stephanie looked towards him, seeing the fire dance in his already bright red eyes. “Only my closest and most trusted followers ever gain the privilege of receiving the Dark Mark. It is the highest honor you will ever be given.”
He paused and looked over the two individuals in front of him. Stephanie and Draco remained silent. She moved only her eyes to look at Draco standing next to her and Stephanie almost laughed at what she saw. He was trembling. At that moment she felt horrible for finding amusement in Draco’s suffering. He had always been so cruel to her and she had often found it enjoyable to watch him in pain, but she knew that was not who she truly was. He may deserve what he was getting, but she still hated to see it happen to him.
Stephanie had been prepared to inform Harry and the others about the ceremony. But at that moment, she realized that she would never tell them about the ceremony or the Dark Mark. Draco had made fun of her to Harry about the branding she had received from Mr. Malfoy. He was now being branded by Lord Voldemort and she could taunt him in the same way if she wanted to. But she would not because she knew that he was a much better person than Draco Malfoy. As she watched him, she realized that Draco was just a scared little boy. She could not exploit that fact, even if he had never shown her any mercy in their years together.
“Never before,” Voldemort began speaking to them again, “have such young children been allowed to bear the Mark. You both should be very proud of yourselves for this accomplishment.
“Now, I want to let you know that this is completely voluntary. I would never allow anyone into my organization if they were unwilling to sacrifice themselves for me. Do you both accept these terms?” Voldemort finished.
Stephanie realized that this was not a voluntary option for either of them. If she were to refuse to bear the Mark of her master, she would be sentenced to certain death. She knew that Draco was also being forced to bear the Mark. He would rather not make such a drastic decision at his young age, but he knew that he must do as Voldemort asked in order to save his father. Voldemort was just toying with the both of them.
“Yes, my Lord.” They said in unison.
“Very well.” Voldemort smiled at the two teenagers in front of him. “Usually when we have multiple inductions at one ceremony, I only perform one at a time and request the others wait inside so they may not be prepared for what is to come. However, given your…history, I believe it would be beneficial for you to watch each other’s induction. You are officially working on the same side now and must behave in that manner.”
He was referring to the obvious hatred they showed for each other. During Stephanie’s initial training sessions, she had been forced to practice on Draco. At the end of last summer, she had attacked and almost killed him. Since then, they hadn’t spent too much time together because he had been at school. But the animosity was still there and Stephanie could tell that Draco wanted to pay her back for what she had done. The only thing stopping him had been his fear of Voldemort.
“Before I place the Mark on your forearm, there is an initiation that you must pass. This will prove to me that you are serious about your desire to join the Death Eaters. For this ritual I have chosen the best fitted person to perform the task.” Voldemort said as he continued to look at them. “Each person inducted into the Death Eaters must endure the Cruciatus Curse for a total of five minutes. Draco, I wish you to go first. Since your father is currently incapacitated and unavailable, I have chosen your Aunt, Bellatrix. Are you prepared to do this for me?”
“Of course, m-m-master.” Draco stuttered.
“Very well.” Voldemort said. “Bella, you may begin.”
A Death Eater stepped out of the circle and slowly made her way towards Draco. Stephanie forced herself to watch as Bellatrix raised her wand and cast the Cruciatus Curse upon Draco. He fell to the ground and screamed in pain. There was no sound throughout the circle; all of the Death Eaters remained silent. Stephanie watched as the light from the bonfire danced on Draco’s writhing body. After an excruciatingly long five minutes, Voldemort motioned for Bellatrix to release the spell.
Draco went limp. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t move. Voldemort gave him a few moments to recover and then knelt down in front of him.
“Do you still wish to bear the Dark Mark?” Voldemort asked.
“Yes, my Lord.” Draco whispered.
“Do you promise to serve me faithfully and unquestioningly?” Voldemort interrogated the young man lying on the ground, gasping for breath.
“Yes, my Lord.” Draco again whispered. It appeared that it was taking all of his strength to mutter those few words.
“Would you sacrifice yourself for me? Would you be willing to die for me?” Voldemort asked.
“Yes, my Lord.” Draco answered Voldemort’s final question with relief.
Voldemort stood and then snapped his fingers. Two Death Eaters lifted Draco into a standing position and held him up as Voldemort grabbed his left arm. Stephanie watched as Voldemort tapped Draco’s arm and the hideous image of the skull with a snake coming out of its mouth appeared on Draco’s skin. He screamed in pain again as the Mark burned itself onto his arm.
When the pain subsided and Draco silenced, the Death Eaters released him and he collapsed to the ground. His eyes remained open as he continued to gasped for breath. Draco remained still.
Stephanie became a little scared after watching what had happened to Draco, but it helped that she had endured many things similar to this before. Though she had never experienced five minutes of the Cruciatus Curse, she had suffered worse things throughout her life. She knew that it would be alright.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort said, turning to her. Stephanie could feel everyone’s eyes on her and she resisted the urge to shrink back. “Choosing the person to perform the Cruciatus Curse on you proved to be most difficult for me. I am positive that each person in this circle tonight would have been highly honored to have been the one chosen to perform the task. However, I decided to go with one of my closest and most trusted of followers.”
While she had witnessed Draco’s induction, Stephanie had wondered who would be chosen to perform the Curse on her. However, now that the time had come she found that she already knew who it would be. This was the person who had repeatedly cast the Curse upon her during her visions in the cellar. Stephanie hadn’t been afraid that he would harm her, she had been fearful of the impact it would have on this man. She knew that it would hurt him greatly to do this task, and she felt for him. Her heart went out to him at this moment.
“Severus, you may begin.” Voldemort motioned towards the man who had risked so much to protect her. Professor Snape walked away from his spot in the circle and made his way slowly towards Stephanie. He raised his wand.
Stephanie couldn’t see his face because of the mask, but she knew that he was suffering for this. She didn’t look at him with pleading eyes; she didn’t look up at him in sadness. Stephanie looked at him with acceptance and gratitude that if she had to endure five minutes of the Cruciatus Curse, at least Snape would be the one performing it.
She screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground near the fire when the Curse finally made contact with her skin. Stephanie couldn’t hear anything other than her own screams, but she figured that the circle remained as silent as when Draco had been Cursed. The pain was almost unbearable and lasted longer than she had ever experienced it. It was horrible, but it was also easier knowing that the Curse was not being cast in malice or hatred. Finally, it ended and she lay on the ground gasping for breath. The stabbing pain of the Curse lingered.
A few moments later, she watched Voldemort kneel in front of her and she heard him speak to her. “Do you still wish to bear the Dark Mark?”
“Yes, my Lord.” She whispered. It hurt her entire body to say the words, but she knew that she had to answer.
“Do you promise to serve me faithfully and unquestioningly?” Voldemort questioned her.
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie again whispered. She knew that there would only be one more question for her to answer. Then she would receive the Mark and the ceremony would be over.
“Would you sacrifice yourself for me? Would you be willing to die for me?” Voldemort asked.
Stephanie took a deep breath and felt more stabbing pain throughout her body. She still answered, “yes, my Lord”.
Voldemort snapped his fingers as he stood and two Death Eaters that had been nearby lifted her into a standing position. She didn’t know who they were and she didn’t care. All she wanted was for the ceremony to be over. They held her up as Voldemort grabbed her left arm.
“This is a little more difficult with you.” Voldemort was saying. She barely heard him as she continued focusing her attention on taking each breath. “The incompetent Malfoy placed his crest on the exact spot that I place the Dark Mark. I think he did not believe that I would return. So, your Mark will be lower on your arm than the others.”
Stephanie watched as Voldemort tapped her arm and the same hideous image of the skull with a snake protruding out of its mouth appeared on her skin, directly below the Malfoy family crest. She tried not to scream out in pain, but it was much more excruciating than when the crest had been burned onto her arm.
When the pain subsided and she became quiet, the Death Eaters released her and she collapsed to the ground. Both Stephanie and Draco remained on the ground, in too much pain to move.
“Welcome to the newest members of my Death Eaters!” Voldemort voiced in excitement. Stephanie heard a few cheers and a little applause, which she expected was just a show for Voldemort. Maybe they were happy for Draco, she didn’t know nor did she care. He dropped a set of robes and one mask each at the feet of each of the teenagers. “Now we move inside for the feast.”
Stephanie heard the others move inside, leaving Stephanie and Draco on the ground recovering from their induction ceremony. It was official, they were both Death Eaters. Stephanie just hoped that Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Ron would understand why she had taken the Mark.
Okay, so here is that chapter. I'd appreciate any feedback you may have! I had an unexpected emergency yesterday, but I promised this chapter so I quickly got it posted. I appologize if there are a ton of mistakes, I will try to go back an edit it again if there are. The next chapter will not be up for a few days, since I've only just begun writing the outline for it...not sure when and I'm not going to promise anything. I don't think I left it in too much of a cliffhanger! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Hermione woke up to Harry’s owl tapping on her window. She had been watching the diary when Harry and Stephanie were having their conversation, but she hadn’t wanted to write anything. The two rarely got a private moment to talk to each other as it was, and Hermione knew that they desperately needed it.
She hadn’t been sure if Stephanie was really blaming herself for what had happened to Sirius or if Stephanie had just said that to prove a point to Harry. She was concerned that Stephanie actually blamed herself. Of course there was nothing that Stephanie could have done; there was nothing that any of them could have done. Bellatrix had been the one to cast the Killing Curse and Bellatrix was the one that was going to pay for it in the end. It pained Hermione to see the two Potters suffer through their loss. It hurt Hermione even more knowing that Stephanie hadn’t even gotten to meet her godfather. Harry and Stephanie were now the only family they had. Hermione just hoped that they wouldn’t lose each other.
She got up and opened her window to let the owl in. Hermione took the letter from Hedwig and gave the bird a treat. Then, she opened the letter and read what Harry had written her.
Dear Hermione,
I know that you probably read the diary already and you know Stephanie better than all of us. What do you think she meant when she said that she is in for difficult times and she knew that she was going to change? That we weren’t going to recognize her? Is there anything we can do for her?
Harry
I know that you probably read the diary already and you know Stephanie better than all of us. What do you think she meant when she said that she is in for difficult times and she knew that she was going to change? That we weren’t going to recognize her? Is there anything we can do for her?
Harry
Hermione had read that entry in the diary and knew exactly what it had meant. Stephanie knew of a plan by Voldemort to attempt to change her. What was going to happen or why Voldemort had suddenly changed his plans towards Stephanie were questions that Hermione could not answer.
Although Stephanie was worried about turning into something other than the person she was, Hermione found it difficult to believe that Stephanie would really change. She had been through so much already and had only become stronger with each passing day. Hermione knew that Stephanie had only shared a small portion of the things she had been subjected to and witnessed, but Hermione still knew that Stephanie had experienced very horrible things. Hermione was confident that Stephanie was strong enough to resist whatever Voldemort could throw at her.
Hermione took out her own piece of parchment and began to write a response.
Dear Harry,
Stephanie is a very strong individual. She doesn’t like to share too much information with us for several reasons. Just look at what happens to her when she does share with us. First, you accidentally tell Draco that you are in contact with Stephanie, and then Ginny blames Stephanie for what she was forced to do to Mr. Weasley. She is constantly being punished for things she cannot control. It can’t be easy for her, especially withholding such information from people she really cares about. You must realize that she would do anything she could to protect you. And I know that is difficult for you because you want to be the one protecting her; you feel like it’s your responsibility since you are her brother. But she is doing what she can, and the best thing you can do is to just give her the space she needs. I’d say she deserves it.
She has changed so much since Voldemort came back, but it has been a change for the better. Stephanie has become much stronger than the person she was when I was first introduced to her through the diaries. Voldemort may have a plan to change her, but I am confident that she will overcome whatever is thrown at her. She is so tough and I am positive that she will surpass anyone’s expectations. I don’t believe there is too much to worry about at this point.
How are you doing? I know it’s been tough on you, losing Sirius and everything. But Stephanie was right when she said that it isn’t your fault. The only person you can blame is Bellatrix; from what Stephanie has said, even Voldemort was pretty upset that Bellatrix strayed from his plans.
Let me know if you need anything from me. I’m sure that we will be seeing each other soon!
Hermione
Stephanie is a very strong individual. She doesn’t like to share too much information with us for several reasons. Just look at what happens to her when she does share with us. First, you accidentally tell Draco that you are in contact with Stephanie, and then Ginny blames Stephanie for what she was forced to do to Mr. Weasley. She is constantly being punished for things she cannot control. It can’t be easy for her, especially withholding such information from people she really cares about. You must realize that she would do anything she could to protect you. And I know that is difficult for you because you want to be the one protecting her; you feel like it’s your responsibility since you are her brother. But she is doing what she can, and the best thing you can do is to just give her the space she needs. I’d say she deserves it.
She has changed so much since Voldemort came back, but it has been a change for the better. Stephanie has become much stronger than the person she was when I was first introduced to her through the diaries. Voldemort may have a plan to change her, but I am confident that she will overcome whatever is thrown at her. She is so tough and I am positive that she will surpass anyone’s expectations. I don’t believe there is too much to worry about at this point.
How are you doing? I know it’s been tough on you, losing Sirius and everything. But Stephanie was right when she said that it isn’t your fault. The only person you can blame is Bellatrix; from what Stephanie has said, even Voldemort was pretty upset that Bellatrix strayed from his plans.
Let me know if you need anything from me. I’m sure that we will be seeing each other soon!
Hermione
Hermione rolled up the parchment and gave it to Hedwig. Then she made a request of the owl. “Hedwig, please nuzzle Harry a little for me. I’m sure that he needs it.”
The owl looked at Hermione for a few seconds and then flew out of Hermione’s open window.
*~*~*~*
It was strange because prior to her being sent to the cellar, Voldemort had told her that the level of her training would increase greatly. However, she had only been required to attend one session and that was the one immediately following her release from the cellar almost two weeks ago. Stephanie had been expecting to go out every day, but she soon realized that Voldemort probably wanted to wait until after the ceremony. He pulled her aside the day before she would take the Dark Mark and told her something that was truly concerning. He finally explained what her “conditioning” would consist of.
“Let’s take a walk, Stephanie.” Voldemort said to her at the breakfast table. “We need to have a little chat.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said. She hadn’t been scared by this because she had been expecting it. The night that she had been released from the cellar, he told her that he would explain what was going to happen. She knew exactly what he was going to say, she just didn’t know the details. She had definitely reached the point where she didn’t really care about the how; she only cared about the end result. Stephanie got up and followed Voldemort out the back door.
They walked in silence for a few moments. She had to almost jog to keep up with his pace as his robes swished in the wind. Stephanie had rarely been outside and had never been in the back part of the Lestrange manor. It was strikingly similar to the Malfoy manor with a little forested area and it was definitely very secluded from the outside world.
When he was sure that they were alone, he conjured a blanket and placed it on the ground. He gestured for her to sit, and she obliged. Voldemort sat across from her and stared in silence for awhile. Stephanie didn’t know whether she was supposed to look at him or look away. It really made her uncomfortable when people stared at her, so she looked at the ground hoping that he would say something.
Voldemort knew that this made her uncomfortable, so that was probably one reason he let the silence run on for as long as he did. She was getting really nervous by the silence and so she began fidgeting with the grass on the outside of the blanket. Finally, he spoke.
“Stephanie, you have been very insolent towards me and my followers, lately. I have been highly disappointed. You have disobeyed me, called me by name, lied to me, spoken to your brother despite my orders not to, and tried to escape.” Voldemort began slowly. Stephanie looked up at him expectantly. “Do you know what happens to those who disrespect the great Lord Voldemort?”
“Yes, master.” Stephanie said quietly. She knew exactly what happened to people who crossed this man; not only has she been present when they were approached, she had also been forced to participate in these attacks. Stephanie immediately thought of Max Brownwell…
“Please enlighten me.” Voldemort said to her. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were filled with hatred.
Stephanie did all that she could. She swallowed, took a deep breath, and answered as calmly as possible. “You torture them until they are an inch from death. They must suffer for their behavior. When they finally beg for death, you allow them that luxury, even though they may not deserve it. Sometimes you murder their entire families for their actions.”
“I do so because I am merciful.” Voldemort said, eyeing her for a reaction. Stephanie said nothing, so he continued. “Am I not?”
“You are very merciful, my Lord.” Stephanie said and she continued to look at him. He smiled at her response.
“The only family that you have left, your brother, has already been given a death sentence.” Voldemort breathed, leaning closer to her. He ran his finger down her cheek and gently moved her loose hair behind her ear. Stephanie looked at the ground, not knowing what else to do. “Can you tell me why I have spared your life, despite your continuous misbehavior?”
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie said, looking back up to him.
“It is because I believe in you.” Voldemort stated. “I know that you are capable of such wonderful things, Stephanie. You will prove to be an invaluable asset to my organization. That is why I have decided to make you an official Death Eater. However, because you continue to show hesitation when you are given orders, I have decided that your training needs to move to the next level. I am afraid that there is only one way that I can be sure that you will follow me faithfully and blindly. We must make sure that you are incapable of disobeying my orders.”
Stephanie thought for a moment. There had been a question running through her mind since the night that Voldemort returned in the graveyard. She had never had the courage to ask this man, but right now she needed an answer. During his pause, she quietly looked into his eyes and spoke the question that had been burning in her for so long.
“My Lord.” She paused to take a deep breath. Stephanie gathered up all the courage she could muster and then continued. “Why am I so important to you? You have extended a lot of time and energy for my training and I continue to mess up. Why don’t you just dispose of me?”
Voldemort laughed at her question. This made Stephanie a little nervous, but she soon realized that she wasn’t going to be punished for asking the question. She had amused Voldemort by asking it.
“That is a very good question, Stephanie. I admit that I have contemplated the idea, especially since I have been so kind to you and you have been so ungrateful.” Voldemort told her. “However, when the citizens of Britain learn that it was I who corrupted such a sweet and innocent girl into the person that you will become, they will learn exactly what I am capable of.
“You will murder your brother. When the day comes that the Boy-Who-Lived is finally brought down, and by his own sister, the struggle for my reign of power will be complete. They will fear me even more and my followers will be greatly rewarded. This includes you, my dear.”
Stephanie sat in silence. She still didn’t understand but she figured that she would never understand why Voldemort did what he did.
“You do not understand.” Voldemort said with enjoyment. Stephanie still hated that he did this. “Let me spell it out for you in very simple terms. At this moment, you care about what you are doing. In a few days time you will not. Your conscience will be completely destroyed by me, Lord Voldemort. You will be trained to despise your brother. When the time comes, you will murder him. The world will be distraught at the downfall of the hero they have worshipped for so long and I will officially be Lord of all. They will no longer have the will to fight back and all of this will have been brought on by you: Harry Potter’s twin sister. Do you understand now?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said. She also knew that she would never, ever be able to kill her brother. This thought made her smile inwardly because Voldemort would never suspect that she would resist his attempts to corrupt her conscience at all costs.
“Very good.” Voldemort smiled at her obedience. “Now, I need to discuss with you the details of your conditioning. Though I will leave some for the element of surprise, it pleases me to tell you that you will soon be incapable of feeling any concern, care, or love for another human being. Disallowing you to feel these things will ensure your maximum compliance with my orders.
“I have given my followers strict orders to punish you whenever they observe any amount of positive feelings or hesitation.” Stephanie opened her mouth to say something, but Voldemort must have known what she was about to say because he held up his hand to quiet her. He continued. “I have been informed that you have shown quite a bit of courage by keeping something from me, Stephanie. I do know that some of my followers have approached and taken advantage of their time alone with you. They have been punished accordingly and will not take advantage of this new opportunity I have given them. Lord Voldemort knows all, Stephanie.
“There is something else I must request of you.” He said and Stephanie nodded. “Through your punishment in the cellar, it has come to my attention that you do not show enough fear of my name. Calling me by name is inappropriate and will not be tolerated. If I ever catch you calling me Lord Voldemort again, you will be punished severely. Do you understand?”
“Yes, master.” Stephanie said quietly.
“Now, I believe that is all I needed to share with you.” Voldemort said, standing up. “There are a lot of preparations to be dealt with for the ceremony tomorrow.”
Stephanie followed Voldemort back to the manor in silence while she thought about what he had told her. It was Snape that had told Voldemort about the others threatening her, she was sure of it. Usually it would have angered her that he would disclose such information, but today she was happy that he had done it. Who knows how horrible her conditioning would have become if Voldemort didn’t know the Death Eaters would have taken advantage at every opportunity. She knew that she had to resist all that he challenged her with because there was no way that she was going to allow herself to murder her brother.
*~*~*~*
The next evening, Stephanie and Draco sat in the living room awaiting the Dark Mark ceremony that was going to take place very soon. Maybe a half hour ago, Stephanie had been summoned downstairs and instructed to wait silently for further instructions. She didn’t want to take on the Dark Mark, but she also knew that there was absolutely no choice in the matter. Voldemort wanted her to show her loyalty, so she must do all she could to make him believe that she was on his side.
While she watched Draco pace the room nervously, Stephanie sat on the couch with a strange sense of peace running through her body. She had thought that Draco would be excited to take the Mark, especially since he always did all he could to make his father proud. It surprised her that she was much calmer than he was.
Finally, a masked Death Eater came into the room and motioned for Stephanie and Draco to follow her; though she couldn’t see the person’s face, Stephanie could tell that it was Alecto Carrow. She got up and walked towards the rear of the manor, Draco followed close behind her.
Outside, Stephanie looked around into the darkness. There was a large bonfire in the middle of a circle of Death Eaters. She did a quick count and realized there must have been about fifteen or twenty people there besides Voldemort, Draco, and herself. They were all dressed in their Death Eater robes and masks, so Stephanie couldn’t tell who all was there.
The Death Eaters closest to them moved aside to make an opening and the two teenagers walked into the middle of the circle where they met Voldemort. Stephanie looked around and noticed that the firelight, in combination with the moonlight, made an eerie scene. She shivered at the sight.
“Welcome, children.” Voldemort spoke to them. Stephanie looked towards him, seeing the fire dance in his already bright red eyes. “Only my closest and most trusted followers ever gain the privilege of receiving the Dark Mark. It is the highest honor you will ever be given.”
He paused and looked over the two individuals in front of him. Stephanie and Draco remained silent. She moved only her eyes to look at Draco standing next to her and Stephanie almost laughed at what she saw. He was trembling. At that moment she felt horrible for finding amusement in Draco’s suffering. He had always been so cruel to her and she had often found it enjoyable to watch him in pain, but she knew that was not who she truly was. He may deserve what he was getting, but she still hated to see it happen to him.
Stephanie had been prepared to inform Harry and the others about the ceremony. But at that moment, she realized that she would never tell them about the ceremony or the Dark Mark. Draco had made fun of her to Harry about the branding she had received from Mr. Malfoy. He was now being branded by Lord Voldemort and she could taunt him in the same way if she wanted to. But she would not because she knew that he was a much better person than Draco Malfoy. As she watched him, she realized that Draco was just a scared little boy. She could not exploit that fact, even if he had never shown her any mercy in their years together.
“Never before,” Voldemort began speaking to them again, “have such young children been allowed to bear the Mark. You both should be very proud of yourselves for this accomplishment.
“Now, I want to let you know that this is completely voluntary. I would never allow anyone into my organization if they were unwilling to sacrifice themselves for me. Do you both accept these terms?” Voldemort finished.
Stephanie realized that this was not a voluntary option for either of them. If she were to refuse to bear the Mark of her master, she would be sentenced to certain death. She knew that Draco was also being forced to bear the Mark. He would rather not make such a drastic decision at his young age, but he knew that he must do as Voldemort asked in order to save his father. Voldemort was just toying with the both of them.
“Yes, my Lord.” They said in unison.
“Very well.” Voldemort smiled at the two teenagers in front of him. “Usually when we have multiple inductions at one ceremony, I only perform one at a time and request the others wait inside so they may not be prepared for what is to come. However, given your…history, I believe it would be beneficial for you to watch each other’s induction. You are officially working on the same side now and must behave in that manner.”
He was referring to the obvious hatred they showed for each other. During Stephanie’s initial training sessions, she had been forced to practice on Draco. At the end of last summer, she had attacked and almost killed him. Since then, they hadn’t spent too much time together because he had been at school. But the animosity was still there and Stephanie could tell that Draco wanted to pay her back for what she had done. The only thing stopping him had been his fear of Voldemort.
“Before I place the Mark on your forearm, there is an initiation that you must pass. This will prove to me that you are serious about your desire to join the Death Eaters. For this ritual I have chosen the best fitted person to perform the task.” Voldemort said as he continued to look at them. “Each person inducted into the Death Eaters must endure the Cruciatus Curse for a total of five minutes. Draco, I wish you to go first. Since your father is currently incapacitated and unavailable, I have chosen your Aunt, Bellatrix. Are you prepared to do this for me?”
“Of course, m-m-master.” Draco stuttered.
“Very well.” Voldemort said. “Bella, you may begin.”
A Death Eater stepped out of the circle and slowly made her way towards Draco. Stephanie forced herself to watch as Bellatrix raised her wand and cast the Cruciatus Curse upon Draco. He fell to the ground and screamed in pain. There was no sound throughout the circle; all of the Death Eaters remained silent. Stephanie watched as the light from the bonfire danced on Draco’s writhing body. After an excruciatingly long five minutes, Voldemort motioned for Bellatrix to release the spell.
Draco went limp. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t move. Voldemort gave him a few moments to recover and then knelt down in front of him.
“Do you still wish to bear the Dark Mark?” Voldemort asked.
“Yes, my Lord.” Draco whispered.
“Do you promise to serve me faithfully and unquestioningly?” Voldemort interrogated the young man lying on the ground, gasping for breath.
“Yes, my Lord.” Draco again whispered. It appeared that it was taking all of his strength to mutter those few words.
“Would you sacrifice yourself for me? Would you be willing to die for me?” Voldemort asked.
“Yes, my Lord.” Draco answered Voldemort’s final question with relief.
Voldemort stood and then snapped his fingers. Two Death Eaters lifted Draco into a standing position and held him up as Voldemort grabbed his left arm. Stephanie watched as Voldemort tapped Draco’s arm and the hideous image of the skull with a snake coming out of its mouth appeared on Draco’s skin. He screamed in pain again as the Mark burned itself onto his arm.
When the pain subsided and Draco silenced, the Death Eaters released him and he collapsed to the ground. His eyes remained open as he continued to gasped for breath. Draco remained still.
Stephanie became a little scared after watching what had happened to Draco, but it helped that she had endured many things similar to this before. Though she had never experienced five minutes of the Cruciatus Curse, she had suffered worse things throughout her life. She knew that it would be alright.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort said, turning to her. Stephanie could feel everyone’s eyes on her and she resisted the urge to shrink back. “Choosing the person to perform the Cruciatus Curse on you proved to be most difficult for me. I am positive that each person in this circle tonight would have been highly honored to have been the one chosen to perform the task. However, I decided to go with one of my closest and most trusted of followers.”
While she had witnessed Draco’s induction, Stephanie had wondered who would be chosen to perform the Curse on her. However, now that the time had come she found that she already knew who it would be. This was the person who had repeatedly cast the Curse upon her during her visions in the cellar. Stephanie hadn’t been afraid that he would harm her, she had been fearful of the impact it would have on this man. She knew that it would hurt him greatly to do this task, and she felt for him. Her heart went out to him at this moment.
“Severus, you may begin.” Voldemort motioned towards the man who had risked so much to protect her. Professor Snape walked away from his spot in the circle and made his way slowly towards Stephanie. He raised his wand.
Stephanie couldn’t see his face because of the mask, but she knew that he was suffering for this. She didn’t look at him with pleading eyes; she didn’t look up at him in sadness. Stephanie looked at him with acceptance and gratitude that if she had to endure five minutes of the Cruciatus Curse, at least Snape would be the one performing it.
She screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground near the fire when the Curse finally made contact with her skin. Stephanie couldn’t hear anything other than her own screams, but she figured that the circle remained as silent as when Draco had been Cursed. The pain was almost unbearable and lasted longer than she had ever experienced it. It was horrible, but it was also easier knowing that the Curse was not being cast in malice or hatred. Finally, it ended and she lay on the ground gasping for breath. The stabbing pain of the Curse lingered.
A few moments later, she watched Voldemort kneel in front of her and she heard him speak to her. “Do you still wish to bear the Dark Mark?”
“Yes, my Lord.” She whispered. It hurt her entire body to say the words, but she knew that she had to answer.
“Do you promise to serve me faithfully and unquestioningly?” Voldemort questioned her.
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie again whispered. She knew that there would only be one more question for her to answer. Then she would receive the Mark and the ceremony would be over.
“Would you sacrifice yourself for me? Would you be willing to die for me?” Voldemort asked.
Stephanie took a deep breath and felt more stabbing pain throughout her body. She still answered, “yes, my Lord”.
Voldemort snapped his fingers as he stood and two Death Eaters that had been nearby lifted her into a standing position. She didn’t know who they were and she didn’t care. All she wanted was for the ceremony to be over. They held her up as Voldemort grabbed her left arm.
“This is a little more difficult with you.” Voldemort was saying. She barely heard him as she continued focusing her attention on taking each breath. “The incompetent Malfoy placed his crest on the exact spot that I place the Dark Mark. I think he did not believe that I would return. So, your Mark will be lower on your arm than the others.”
Stephanie watched as Voldemort tapped her arm and the same hideous image of the skull with a snake protruding out of its mouth appeared on her skin, directly below the Malfoy family crest. She tried not to scream out in pain, but it was much more excruciating than when the crest had been burned onto her arm.
When the pain subsided and she became quiet, the Death Eaters released her and she collapsed to the ground. Both Stephanie and Draco remained on the ground, in too much pain to move.
“Welcome to the newest members of my Death Eaters!” Voldemort voiced in excitement. Stephanie heard a few cheers and a little applause, which she expected was just a show for Voldemort. Maybe they were happy for Draco, she didn’t know nor did she care. He dropped a set of robes and one mask each at the feet of each of the teenagers. “Now we move inside for the feast.”
Stephanie heard the others move inside, leaving Stephanie and Draco on the ground recovering from their induction ceremony. It was official, they were both Death Eaters. Stephanie just hoped that Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Ron would understand why she had taken the Mark.
Okay, so here is that chapter. I'd appreciate any feedback you may have!
I had an unexpected emergency yesterday, but I promised this chapter so I quickly got it posted. I appologize if there are a ton of mistakes, I will try to go back an edit it again if there are. The next chapter will not be up for a few days, since I've only just begun writing the outline for it...not sure when and I'm not going to promise anything. I don't think I left it in too much of a cliffhanger! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Chapter Twenty-Four: A Difficult Decision
A week after the ceremony where Stephanie had taken the Dark Mark, Severus sat in the headmaster’s office meeting with Professor Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. They began the meeting by discussing the imminent increase in violence. The Dark Lord had made it clear that now the Ministry has officially accepted his return, it was time to put his plan for domination into full swing. Attacks were going to be more frequent and it was important that the Aurors be prepared for what was to come.
“Both Stephanie and Draco Malfoy have taken the Dark Mark.” Severus was telling them. He had decided to tell only the headmaster the details about the ceremony. The others had no need to know what he had endured when he had taken the Mark nor did they need to worry about how much Stephanie had suffered during the ceremony.
Severus had been chosen by the Dark Lord to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Stephanie for the length of five minutes. He had been surprised and a little concerned when the Dark Lord had chosen him. Severus had suspected that the Dark Lord had discovered the foundation of his relationship with Stephanie and was testing him on his loyalty. However, the Dark Lord had merely wanted to reward him for his services with the privilege of inducting Stephanie into the Death Eaters.
Once again, he was amazed at the tremendous strength the teenage girl had shown under pressure. She had just witnessed the induction of Mr. Malfoy and yet she still had not been afraid of what was to come. Though Severus could not identify the emotion he had seen on Stephanie’s face, he did know that she was not afraid. This puzzled him greatly because even the most notorious Death Eaters had been a little worried before they took the Mark.
Telling the headmaster the details of the ceremony had been most difficult for him. He had even shed a small tear while remembering what had happened to Stephanie that night. It embarrassed him that he would show that much emotion in front of the man that he had such a high degree of respect for. No one must ever know that he had been pained so much by Cursing James Potter’s daughter.
“We cannot allow him to return to the school.” Minerva demanded after Severus had finished explaining about the Dark Mark. “The other children will most certainly be in danger!”
“He has not broken any school rules.” Albus said, shaking his head at his deputy headmistress. “We cannot expel students merely on actions they were coerced into. I doubt that anyone except Mr. Malfoy will be in any increased danger because of these events.”
“The Dark Lord does not care about the fate of the students of this school.” Severus told her. “He will not issue any order to harm the students and Mr. Malfoy would not dare to perform such an act without the Dark Lord’s consent.”
“We must continue to keep a close eye on him, then.” Minerva said. Severus watched as his fellow professor struggled with the knowledge that one of the school’s students was now an official follower of the Dark Lord.
She had been told of the plan for Severus to murder the headmaster, but she still found it difficult to comprehend. Professor Dumbledore and Severus had allowed her several minutes to argue the fact, but she had finally succumbed to the realization that it was inevitable. She had understood that there was no other choice and that she would not be able to change their minds.
“The Dark Lord has given Mr. Malfoy a very difficult task that will take much of his time this year.” Severus said without disclosing the exact details, since Kingsley was not privy to plans made by the Dark Lord. “I have been asked to keep an eye on and mentor him. It is my guarantee that he does not put one toe across the line. He will behave himself extremely well this coming year.”
“How did Stephanie handle receiving the Dark Mark?” Kingsley spoke in his deep voice, changing the subject.
“She did very well and much better than expected. Stephanie knows what she must do to survive.” Severus spoke slowly of the girl. “Her conditioning will begin tonight, which is something else that I wanted to discuss with you.”
“What will her conditioning entail?” Kingsley asked. It was important for him to know the details since he was in charge of the Aurors. They must be prepared for what kind of tasks Stephanie would most likely be sent on. It had been decided that Stephanie would probably be sent on the most horrific attacks, since Voldemort wanted to train her and destroy her conscience. In addition, all members of the Order of the Phoenix had been given orders not to injure Stephanie if they saw her. They were told to just try and escape if they were confronted by the girl.
“She will be punished for showing any sign of compassion or empathy and hesitating on performing a spell after being given an order from any of the Death Eaters.” Severus began to explain. “The point of this will be to train her mind against feeling these things. I also have a feeling this change in her will occur quite rapidly since she tends to conform to new situations fairly quickly.”
“Do you think that the effects of this will be reversible once we are able to remove her from the situation?” Kingsley asked, concerned for the repercussions of such actions on the mind of a developing teenager.
“Most likely not.” Minerva spoke up with tears in her eyes. She was the most qualified person to provide such an analysis, seeing as she was the only woman in the room. “Being held captive by Lord Voldemort has been difficult enough on her development, but if you also add the fact that she will no longer be able to feel…the results are sure to be disastrous. It is possible that when she is removed from her captivity, she will be unable to reconnect with the feelings and personality that was stolen from her.”
“I am afraid that Minerva is right. However, we are fortunate that this also depends on a multitude of variables.” Albus said sadly, looking at each of the Order members slowly. “First, the recovery of Stephanie’s personality will depend on how long she is forced to repress it. A few days, weeks, or months should allow her the ability to recover. If she remains with Voldemort for more than a year, I am afraid that it may prove to be more difficult to change her thought patterns. However, she has surprised us repeatedly by what she has overcome. The amount of strength and resiliency she has shown has been tremendous and I believe that we cannot accurately predict the effect this will have on her until we have the opportunity to remove her from the situation.”
He turned to Severus and asked the question that everyone was thinking. “Severus, is there any way we can get to her and remove her from Voldemort immediately? I understand that you have not found a countercurse for the tracking spell on her arm, but I feel that it is necessary to remove her regardless of Voldemort’s ability to learn her location. I will authorize any security measures necessary to keep her safe and I am positive that many Order members will agree and volunteer to keep guard.”
“I apologize headmaster, but there is absolutely no opportunity at the current time to remove her from the Lestrange manor undetected.” Severus admitted. He had not yet disclosed the following information even to the headmaster, though he knew that he should have. “Even if we were to identify a countercurse for the trace, it would be impossible to get her alone. As a part of her conditioning, she is spending all of her waking hours in the presence of one or more Death Eaters. The Dark Lord is hoping that they will influence her while providing an opportunity for them to continuously keep an eye on her for signs of what the Dark Lord calls weakness.
“There are many Death Eaters in the home on a constant basis. Even if we were to attempt a rescue in the evening, it would prove to be most difficult to do so undetected.” Severus then answered the question he knew the others would have asked. “I also feel that it would be irresponsible to remove her without identifying a countercurse. The Dark Lord would not stop until he retrieved her, and then he would kill her.”
“So, what do we do now?” Albus asked Severus, concerned for the safety of the young Potter.
“There is nothing that we can do.” Severus confessed. “We can only hope that I identify a countercurse soon, and then we can attempt to get her out of there. But I do need to stress the importance of what happens when we do eventually remove her from this home.
“She will no longer be the person we once knew. I imagine that she may even become more sinister than Bellatrix because at least Bellatrix still has the opportunity to feel, even if she chooses not to.” He paused. “As I know how stubborn Stephanie can be, I am sure that she will refuse to tell the others about what is going on inside of her. She will lose sight of who she is and what she is fighting for.”
When Severus paused a second time, Albus continued with the instructions. “It is important that she be surrounded by people who are caring and supportive of her. Arrangements have already been made for her safe placement, but it will prove to be an incredibly difficult time for Stephanie. She will not know who she is and will want to return to Lord Voldemort’s side at all costs.”
“She believes that she is strong enough to resist the Dark Lord’s attempts to erase her conscience, but this is different from anything she has ever encountered and challenged with. She will most definitely lose herself, and I assure you that it will happen very quickly.” Severus said. “She will fight against those she once cared about, so it will be very important that these individuals show her nothing but love. It will be unacceptable for anyone to get angry with her because she will need all the support she can get.”
“I will be meeting with all of the students involved next week when I pick up Harry and take him to the Burrow.” Albus told the others. “They need to be informed of the importance of this issue and what they should and should not say in the diaries during their communication with her.”
“And there is nothing we can do?” Minerva asked, hoping that they had missed something. Kingsley, too, looked at Albus and Severus hopefully.
“No.” Severus answered.
“The best thing we can do for her now is to be prepared for what is to come.” Albus said. “We should be happy with the fact that she is still alive. Each day that passes and she survives is a success.”
With that, Severus got up and returned to his quarters. He only wished that someone would send word with how Stephanie’s first mission during the Dark Lord’s conditioning had gone.
*~*~*~*
The week following Stephanie’s Dark Mark ceremony had been a hectic one. Voldemort had decided that it was important for Stephanie to be observed at all times, so she had spent every waking moment in the presence of several Death Eaters. They had been doing a lot of reconnaissance in the last few days; watching different houses in London. She had spent too much time with the same Death Eaters and she was getting quite tired of the same conversations. They all despised her but at least they were unable to do anything to her. Stephanie had been happy that they had pretty much ignored her the entire week, but it had been overwhelmingly boring.
Stephanie had followed around the Carrow siblings and Yaxley pretty much the whole time. She would rather follow these Death Eaters than Bellatrix, but it still wasn’t too much fun. They did a lot of trash talking and planning things they would like to do to muggles and they never talked about anything of importance.
They had had no opportunity to punish her for anything and she could tell that they were getting antsy. She felt their eyes constantly watching her, making sure that she didn’t appear as she shouldn’t.
This constant babysitting also meant that she hadn’t had time to write in the diary at all. The Death Eaters were always out into the early hours of the morning, so she was too exhausted to even open it by the time she had returned to her room at night. There had only been a short moment when she had the opportunity to write in the diary. She had informed the others that she didn’t know when she would be able to write to them and that she wouldn’t have access to the diary for quite some time. She also told them not to worry about her. Stephanie just hoped they didn’t waste too much time staring at the diary, waiting for her to write a response.
This day, she had spent all day working another reconnaissance mission with Bellatrix, Yaxley, and Selwyn. She was sitting against a tree near the three Death Eaters trying to tune out their conversation. They were talking about an attack that Bellatrix had performed on a couple of members of the Order of the Phoenix a few days ago. Stephanie knew that the fewer stories she heard, the easier it would be to resist Voldemort’s conditioning.
Stephanie figured that her conditioning was going to begin that night, since Bellatrix was present. She hadn’t been sent along with Bellatrix since before she had taken the Dark Mark. She still felt that she could resist any attempts made by these individuals to change her personality. With the help of her brother and friends, she knew that there was no way that she would be the person they wanted her to be.
She closed her eyes for a few moments while the others kept watch on the house across the street. Her purpose on these missions was just to be surrounded by Voldemort’s followers. As a part of her conditioning, she knew that Voldemort wanted her to be influenced by his followers. They had been there all day and nothing had happened; no one had come from or gone inside the home. Shortly after she closed her eyes, Stephanie felt a jolt of electricity run through her body. She quickly opened her eyes and looked at the Death Eaters.
“Are we boring you?” Selwyn called to Stephanie.
“I was just resting.” Stephanie answered. It was true, though they were also boring her to an exhausting level.
“Come over here and sit with us.” Bellatrix ordered. Stephanie got up and walked over to the three Death Eaters. They were sitting behind some bushes shielding them from view of anyone across the street. She sat down across Selwyn and next to Bellatrix and Yaxley. “Tell them the story of your first lesson with me.”
At first Stephanie wondered why Bellatrix would want her to tell the story of what happened to the little girl at the mall. She began to tell the story with as little emotion as she could muster. This was the first time that she had ever spoken about what had happened out loud and it made it seem more real somehow. Stephanie felt a lump form in her throat when she got to the part about Bellatrix throwing the girl to the ground. She paused to take a deep breath and she suddenly realized why Bellatrix had wanted her to tell the story.
Stephanie quickly got hit by two spells. Yaxley cast a Silencing spell on her so she wouldn’t make a sound and Bellatrix cast the Cruciatus Curse happily. She fell to the ground and began writhing in pain. Stephanie screamed even though no one could hear her. When the Curse was lifted thirty seconds later, Stephanie shook her head in disgust. Even though Voldemort had ordered them not to take advantage of their orders, they had found a way around it. Stephanie had to make sure she was stronger than that the next time. She couldn’t allow herself to fall into their traps.
She slowly sat up and remained in that position in silence until darkness fell. Finally, the person whose home they had under surveillance returned and it was time for the mission to begin. Stephanie was finally given her orders from Bellatrix and she slowly made her way across the street. The three Death Eaters followed close behind her, ready to punish her for the smallest mistake.
Stephanie silently cast a spell at the front door and it blasted open. She had almost called out “Reducto!” but remembered that Voldemort had wanted her to cast only silent spells. She walked inside the home and found the living room empty. Stephanie raised her wand in front of her and slowly made her way to the open door across the room. As she reached the hallway, a spell shot out at her. She quickly conjured a protection shield and the spell only just missed her. It rebounded and landed across the room, shattering a vase holding some beautiful yellow and pink flowers.
Stephanie continued walking, wondering if the Death Eaters would try to protect her if she were to get into trouble. She doubted it and didn’t know what Voldemort’s orders had been in that situation; but she also didn’t want them to have to rescue her. She didn’t want their help and she knew that if they did have to intervene she would never hear the end of it.
As another spell flew at her, Stephanie decided to utilize one of the earlier techniques Professor Snape had taught her back at Hogwarts. She silently cast the Stupefy spell at the woman and then immediately put up her protection shield just as the woman’s spell reached her. Stephanie watched as the woman fell unconsciously to the ground and she put down her protection shield. She walked over and stared down at the woman on the floor.
“Do it.” Selwyn said from behind her.
Stephanie kicked away the woman’s wand so it couldn’t be used on her and she woke the woman from unconsciousness. The woman opened her eyes groggily and stared at Stephanie. This was the first time that Stephanie had ever used this spell and she was so nervous she thought she was going to be sick. Stephanie concentrated hard on what she was about to do because she knew that she couldn’t let her emotions show. It devastated her to know that she would be the person to end this woman’s life, but she also knew that she had no other choice.
Stephanie raised her wand at the woman, who had begun to cry and plead for her life. Stephanie took a deep breath and began the spell in her mind: Ava-.
Before she could finish the spell, Stephanie fell to the floor in excruciating pain. This was the worst pain she had ever endured, even worse than the five minutes of the Curse she had been subjected to at the Dark Mark ceremony. Stephanie realized that she had been hit by three Cruciatus Curses at once. When the spells finally lifted, she lay on the floor gasping for breath. Her wand had fallen out of her hand and rolled away from her.
“Do it!” Bellatrix shrieked.
Stephanie tried to get up but she couldn’t move. There was just too much pain from the three Curses hitting her in separate locations of her body. Stephanie tried to ask for a few moments to recover, but she was hit with another wave of agony. Three more Curses were expelled from the Death Eaters’ wands and caused Stephanie a tremendous amount of pain. She shook with agony when it was over.
“Kill her!” Bellatrix ordered again, not lowering her wand.
Again Stephanie tried to get off the ground but her limbs wouldn’t listen to the orders her brain was sending them. They were too weak to move and she couldn’t do as she was told. For a third time she was hit with three Curses. Stephanie didn’t know what else to do except lie there, even though she knew that she would be punished severely for failing to follow her orders.
She watched as Selwyn walked closer to them. He raised his wand at Stephanie and smiled with a sinister grin. Stephanie closed her eyes, preparing herself for another round of Curses that was sure to be heading her way. When nothing came, she opened her eyes again and heard the Death Eaters as they began laughing. Selwyn had moved away from her and gone towards the woman lying on the floor. Stephanie couldn’t watch as he cast several spells at the woman.
Finally, He raised his wand towards the woman on the floor and he cast the Killing Curse. Stephanie remained silent, not daring to make a sound. She couldn’t be hit by another Curse; even if it was horribly weak of her, she just couldn’t do it.
Selwyn then walked back towards Stephanie and didn’t even bother to pull her to a standing position. He knelt beside her and grabbed her arm, then Disapparated them to the front gate of the Lestrange grounds. She was hoisted into the air and transported into the manor with the help of a spell cast by Yaxley. The others followed and then looked for Voldemort inside. The Death Eaters found him in the living room and she was dropped to the floor, landing with an “oomf.”
“How did it go?” Voldemort asked his Death Eaters while he eyed Stephanie lying on the floor, motionless.
“She failed, my Lord.” Bellatrix said with a huge grin. “Selwyn had to complete the task.”
“Disappointing.” Voldemort hissed. “Yes, but expected.”
Stephanie gathered all her strength and without moving she whispered, “I can do it, my Lord.”
Voldemort walked to her and hovered over her; he didn’t kneel to her level. Stephanie didn’t have the energy to lift her head, so she stared at his feet. “I know you can, Stephanie. That is why I am so disappointed. I am confident that you will do it the next time.”
“I only wish to please you, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered.
“Very well.” Voldemort said. “Go up to your room now.”
All of her muscles ached, but she forced herself get up. She slowly made her way up the stairs, walked into her bedroom, and collapsed on the bed. After a few minutes of replaying the events of that evening over in her mind, she suddenly realized what she had to do.
She gradually pulled the diary out from between her mattresses and read the latest entries. There were a few entries after the one where she had told the others it may be awhile before she responded again. They were all telling her how much they cared about her. It was so nice to read these entries, but she also knew what she had to do. Stephanie closed the diary and hugged it against her chest. Then, without writing anything, she placed it back in its spot between the mattresses. She knew that this would be the last time she would ever bring herself to look at it.
Stephanie thought long and hard about the difficult decision she had just made. After she had experienced the full extent of Voldemort’s conditioning, she realized that it would take all of her concentration and energy just to survive. And she knew that it was important that she survive her time with the Death Eaters. Fighting would only cause her more pain than even she thought she could endure. It may seem as if she was giving up, but Snape had been right the other night. She had done so much for everyone she cared about; it was about time she finally did something to care for herself. This was just something that she had to do to ensure her survival.
Similar to what happened after the little girl at the mall had died, Stephanie realized that she had to shut off her feelings for good. It scared her because she was afraid that she would forget how to feel the things that were important to being the person she was. But she also knew that it was a necessary step if she were to ever have any chance at recovering the ability to feel emotions again.
The diaries would only be a distraction. In order to survive this conditioning, she understood that she had to make sure she never felt anything that would give Voldemort cause to harm her. The diaries would only remind her of the feelings that she would desire to experience and give her reason to resist Voldemort’s attempts. Although she would finally be completely alone, she also knew that this was the most important aspect for her survival. She would have to say goodbye to those that she loved so dearly. Stephanie didn’t want to do that impersonally through the diaries, so she quietly pulled out some parchment and her quill and wrote a letter to each of her close friends.
When she was finally done with the letters, she placed them in between her mattresses and made a mental note to ask Professor Snape to deliver them at his earliest convenience. She knew that classes were no longer in session, so it may take awhile before he could deliver them. She sighed in sadness and lay down to try and rest. This was the turning point for Stephanie and she was ashamed for the person she knew she would soon become. Through all of her strength and resistance, Voldemort would still win. He would turn her into a monster.
Stephanie sat up quickly when a sudden thought crossed her mind. She reached into her pocket searching for the item she knew would not be there. It was gone. Stephanie tossed and turned all night, trying to figure out how she was going to tell Voldemort. She had lost her wand.
*~*~*~*
“I despise the Daily Prophet,” Albus said after he read the article. He sighed as he put down the newspaper. “How is she doing?”
“I only spoke with the Dark Lord briefly afterwards.” Severus said. “She failed the task given to her. Because of her hesitation, she was hit by the three simultaneous Cruciatus Curses three times in quick succession.”
“She is such a strong young woman.” He said sadly. “How did she handle that?”
“Selwyn had to complete the task and Stephanie needed physical assistance to be transported back the manor.” Severus explained.
“So, she was set up to fail.” Albus commented. “That is always comforting.”
“The good news is that she was not punished for her failure.” Severus admitted to the headmaster. “The Dark Lord had in fact expected it and was not surprised.”
“That surprises me.” He said. “However, your tone tells me that there is also bad news. Be honest with me, Severus. What is on your mind?”
“The bad news is that when I spoke with the Dark Lord last evening, he had not yet realized that she had left her wand behind.” Severus noted. “I can only speculate to how he will react to this news.”
“Please, indulge me.” Albus motioned for Severus to continue.
“He will be disappointed in Stephanie for letting go of her wand. The Dark Lord will not take into account the fact that she was being Cursed; he will think of it as her being punished. She may or may not be penalized for losing her wand.” Severus contemplated whether or not the Dark Lord would punish Stephanie. This was one of the few times that he could not speculate on the actions of the Dark Lord. “The three responsible for watching her will most definitely be punished and will also be required to retrieve the wand from the Ministry.”
“Well, at least she has not had to murder quite yet.” Albus tried to find something positive about this situation.
“That is true.” Severus said. “But it is imminent…she may even be required to perform such an act within days.”
“Well, then. At least she is still alive.” Albus said, hanging his head. Severus got up and left the headmaster’s office.
Please leave me your thoughts and comments! So, here it is! I think it's a good chapter and I hope you think so as well! The next chapter was a long one, so I had to split it in two...meaning I have to add to it. So I'm pretty sure it won't be up until Friday...but we'll see what I can do! Have a great day!
A week after the ceremony where Stephanie had taken the Dark Mark, Severus sat in the headmaster’s office meeting with Professor Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. They began the meeting by discussing the imminent increase in violence. The Dark Lord had made it clear that now the Ministry has officially accepted his return, it was time to put his plan for domination into full swing. Attacks were going to be more frequent and it was important that the Aurors be prepared for what was to come.
“Both Stephanie and Draco Malfoy have taken the Dark Mark.” Severus was telling them. He had decided to tell only the headmaster the details about the ceremony. The others had no need to know what he had endured when he had taken the Mark nor did they need to worry about how much Stephanie had suffered during the ceremony.
Severus had been chosen by the Dark Lord to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Stephanie for the length of five minutes. He had been surprised and a little concerned when the Dark Lord had chosen him. Severus had suspected that the Dark Lord had discovered the foundation of his relationship with Stephanie and was testing him on his loyalty. However, the Dark Lord had merely wanted to reward him for his services with the privilege of inducting Stephanie into the Death Eaters.
Once again, he was amazed at the tremendous strength the teenage girl had shown under pressure. She had just witnessed the induction of Mr. Malfoy and yet she still had not been afraid of what was to come. Though Severus could not identify the emotion he had seen on Stephanie’s face, he did know that she was not afraid. This puzzled him greatly because even the most notorious Death Eaters had been a little worried before they took the Mark.
Telling the headmaster the details of the ceremony had been most difficult for him. He had even shed a small tear while remembering what had happened to Stephanie that night. It embarrassed him that he would show that much emotion in front of the man that he had such a high degree of respect for. No one must ever know that he had been pained so much by Cursing James Potter’s daughter.
“We cannot allow him to return to the school.” Minerva demanded after Severus had finished explaining about the Dark Mark. “The other children will most certainly be in danger!”
“He has not broken any school rules.” Albus said, shaking his head at his deputy headmistress. “We cannot expel students merely on actions they were coerced into. I doubt that anyone except Mr. Malfoy will be in any increased danger because of these events.”
“The Dark Lord does not care about the fate of the students of this school.” Severus told her. “He will not issue any order to harm the students and Mr. Malfoy would not dare to perform such an act without the Dark Lord’s consent.”
“We must continue to keep a close eye on him, then.” Minerva said. Severus watched as his fellow professor struggled with the knowledge that one of the school’s students was now an official follower of the Dark Lord.
She had been told of the plan for Severus to murder the headmaster, but she still found it difficult to comprehend. Professor Dumbledore and Severus had allowed her several minutes to argue the fact, but she had finally succumbed to the realization that it was inevitable. She had understood that there was no other choice and that she would not be able to change their minds.
“The Dark Lord has given Mr. Malfoy a very difficult task that will take much of his time this year.” Severus said without disclosing the exact details, since Kingsley was not privy to plans made by the Dark Lord. “I have been asked to keep an eye on and mentor him. It is my guarantee that he does not put one toe across the line. He will behave himself extremely well this coming year.”
“How did Stephanie handle receiving the Dark Mark?” Kingsley spoke in his deep voice, changing the subject.
“She did very well and much better than expected. Stephanie knows what she must do to survive.” Severus spoke slowly of the girl. “Her conditioning will begin tonight, which is something else that I wanted to discuss with you.”
“What will her conditioning entail?” Kingsley asked. It was important for him to know the details since he was in charge of the Aurors. They must be prepared for what kind of tasks Stephanie would most likely be sent on. It had been decided that Stephanie would probably be sent on the most horrific attacks, since Voldemort wanted to train her and destroy her conscience. In addition, all members of the Order of the Phoenix had been given orders not to injure Stephanie if they saw her. They were told to just try and escape if they were confronted by the girl.
“She will be punished for showing any sign of compassion or empathy and hesitating on performing a spell after being given an order from any of the Death Eaters.” Severus began to explain. “The point of this will be to train her mind against feeling these things. I also have a feeling this change in her will occur quite rapidly since she tends to conform to new situations fairly quickly.”
“Do you think that the effects of this will be reversible once we are able to remove her from the situation?” Kingsley asked, concerned for the repercussions of such actions on the mind of a developing teenager.
“Most likely not.” Minerva spoke up with tears in her eyes. She was the most qualified person to provide such an analysis, seeing as she was the only woman in the room. “Being held captive by Lord Voldemort has been difficult enough on her development, but if you also add the fact that she will no longer be able to feel…the results are sure to be disastrous. It is possible that when she is removed from her captivity, she will be unable to reconnect with the feelings and personality that was stolen from her.”
“I am afraid that Minerva is right. However, we are fortunate that this also depends on a multitude of variables.” Albus said sadly, looking at each of the Order members slowly. “First, the recovery of Stephanie’s personality will depend on how long she is forced to repress it. A few days, weeks, or months should allow her the ability to recover. If she remains with Voldemort for more than a year, I am afraid that it may prove to be more difficult to change her thought patterns. However, she has surprised us repeatedly by what she has overcome. The amount of strength and resiliency she has shown has been tremendous and I believe that we cannot accurately predict the effect this will have on her until we have the opportunity to remove her from the situation.”
He turned to Severus and asked the question that everyone was thinking. “Severus, is there any way we can get to her and remove her from Voldemort immediately? I understand that you have not found a countercurse for the tracking spell on her arm, but I feel that it is necessary to remove her regardless of Voldemort’s ability to learn her location. I will authorize any security measures necessary to keep her safe and I am positive that many Order members will agree and volunteer to keep guard.”
“I apologize headmaster, but there is absolutely no opportunity at the current time to remove her from the Lestrange manor undetected.” Severus admitted. He had not yet disclosed the following information even to the headmaster, though he knew that he should have. “Even if we were to identify a countercurse for the trace, it would be impossible to get her alone. As a part of her conditioning, she is spending all of her waking hours in the presence of one or more Death Eaters. The Dark Lord is hoping that they will influence her while providing an opportunity for them to continuously keep an eye on her for signs of what the Dark Lord calls weakness.
“There are many Death Eaters in the home on a constant basis. Even if we were to attempt a rescue in the evening, it would prove to be most difficult to do so undetected.” Severus then answered the question he knew the others would have asked. “I also feel that it would be irresponsible to remove her without identifying a countercurse. The Dark Lord would not stop until he retrieved her, and then he would kill her.”
“So, what do we do now?” Albus asked Severus, concerned for the safety of the young Potter.
“There is nothing that we can do.” Severus confessed. “We can only hope that I identify a countercurse soon, and then we can attempt to get her out of there. But I do need to stress the importance of what happens when we do eventually remove her from this home.
“She will no longer be the person we once knew. I imagine that she may even become more sinister than Bellatrix because at least Bellatrix still has the opportunity to feel, even if she chooses not to.” He paused. “As I know how stubborn Stephanie can be, I am sure that she will refuse to tell the others about what is going on inside of her. She will lose sight of who she is and what she is fighting for.”
When Severus paused a second time, Albus continued with the instructions. “It is important that she be surrounded by people who are caring and supportive of her. Arrangements have already been made for her safe placement, but it will prove to be an incredibly difficult time for Stephanie. She will not know who she is and will want to return to Lord Voldemort’s side at all costs.”
“She believes that she is strong enough to resist the Dark Lord’s attempts to erase her conscience, but this is different from anything she has ever encountered and challenged with. She will most definitely lose herself, and I assure you that it will happen very quickly.” Severus said. “She will fight against those she once cared about, so it will be very important that these individuals show her nothing but love. It will be unacceptable for anyone to get angry with her because she will need all the support she can get.”
“I will be meeting with all of the students involved next week when I pick up Harry and take him to the Burrow.” Albus told the others. “They need to be informed of the importance of this issue and what they should and should not say in the diaries during their communication with her.”
“And there is nothing we can do?” Minerva asked, hoping that they had missed something. Kingsley, too, looked at Albus and Severus hopefully.
“No.” Severus answered.
“The best thing we can do for her now is to be prepared for what is to come.” Albus said. “We should be happy with the fact that she is still alive. Each day that passes and she survives is a success.”
With that, Severus got up and returned to his quarters. He only wished that someone would send word with how Stephanie’s first mission during the Dark Lord’s conditioning had gone.
*~*~*~*
The week following Stephanie’s Dark Mark ceremony had been a hectic one. Voldemort had decided that it was important for Stephanie to be observed at all times, so she had spent every waking moment in the presence of several Death Eaters. They had been doing a lot of reconnaissance in the last few days; watching different houses in London. She had spent too much time with the same Death Eaters and she was getting quite tired of the same conversations. They all despised her but at least they were unable to do anything to her. Stephanie had been happy that they had pretty much ignored her the entire week, but it had been overwhelmingly boring.
Stephanie had followed around the Carrow siblings and Yaxley pretty much the whole time. She would rather follow these Death Eaters than Bellatrix, but it still wasn’t too much fun. They did a lot of trash talking and planning things they would like to do to muggles and they never talked about anything of importance.
They had had no opportunity to punish her for anything and she could tell that they were getting antsy. She felt their eyes constantly watching her, making sure that she didn’t appear as she shouldn’t.
This constant babysitting also meant that she hadn’t had time to write in the diary at all. The Death Eaters were always out into the early hours of the morning, so she was too exhausted to even open it by the time she had returned to her room at night. There had only been a short moment when she had the opportunity to write in the diary. She had informed the others that she didn’t know when she would be able to write to them and that she wouldn’t have access to the diary for quite some time. She also told them not to worry about her. Stephanie just hoped they didn’t waste too much time staring at the diary, waiting for her to write a response.
This day, she had spent all day working another reconnaissance mission with Bellatrix, Yaxley, and Selwyn. She was sitting against a tree near the three Death Eaters trying to tune out their conversation. They were talking about an attack that Bellatrix had performed on a couple of members of the Order of the Phoenix a few days ago. Stephanie knew that the fewer stories she heard, the easier it would be to resist Voldemort’s conditioning.
Stephanie figured that her conditioning was going to begin that night, since Bellatrix was present. She hadn’t been sent along with Bellatrix since before she had taken the Dark Mark. She still felt that she could resist any attempts made by these individuals to change her personality. With the help of her brother and friends, she knew that there was no way that she would be the person they wanted her to be.
She closed her eyes for a few moments while the others kept watch on the house across the street. Her purpose on these missions was just to be surrounded by Voldemort’s followers. As a part of her conditioning, she knew that Voldemort wanted her to be influenced by his followers. They had been there all day and nothing had happened; no one had come from or gone inside the home. Shortly after she closed her eyes, Stephanie felt a jolt of electricity run through her body. She quickly opened her eyes and looked at the Death Eaters.
“Are we boring you?” Selwyn called to Stephanie.
“I was just resting.” Stephanie answered. It was true, though they were also boring her to an exhausting level.
“Come over here and sit with us.” Bellatrix ordered. Stephanie got up and walked over to the three Death Eaters. They were sitting behind some bushes shielding them from view of anyone across the street. She sat down across Selwyn and next to Bellatrix and Yaxley. “Tell them the story of your first lesson with me.”
At first Stephanie wondered why Bellatrix would want her to tell the story of what happened to the little girl at the mall. She began to tell the story with as little emotion as she could muster. This was the first time that she had ever spoken about what had happened out loud and it made it seem more real somehow. Stephanie felt a lump form in her throat when she got to the part about Bellatrix throwing the girl to the ground. She paused to take a deep breath and she suddenly realized why Bellatrix had wanted her to tell the story.
Stephanie quickly got hit by two spells. Yaxley cast a Silencing spell on her so she wouldn’t make a sound and Bellatrix cast the Cruciatus Curse happily. She fell to the ground and began writhing in pain. Stephanie screamed even though no one could hear her. When the Curse was lifted thirty seconds later, Stephanie shook her head in disgust. Even though Voldemort had ordered them not to take advantage of their orders, they had found a way around it. Stephanie had to make sure she was stronger than that the next time. She couldn’t allow herself to fall into their traps.
She slowly sat up and remained in that position in silence until darkness fell. Finally, the person whose home they had under surveillance returned and it was time for the mission to begin. Stephanie was finally given her orders from Bellatrix and she slowly made her way across the street. The three Death Eaters followed close behind her, ready to punish her for the smallest mistake.
Stephanie silently cast a spell at the front door and it blasted open. She had almost called out “Reducto!” but remembered that Voldemort had wanted her to cast only silent spells. She walked inside the home and found the living room empty. Stephanie raised her wand in front of her and slowly made her way to the open door across the room. As she reached the hallway, a spell shot out at her. She quickly conjured a protection shield and the spell only just missed her. It rebounded and landed across the room, shattering a vase holding some beautiful yellow and pink flowers.
Stephanie continued walking, wondering if the Death Eaters would try to protect her if she were to get into trouble. She doubted it and didn’t know what Voldemort’s orders had been in that situation; but she also didn’t want them to have to rescue her. She didn’t want their help and she knew that if they did have to intervene she would never hear the end of it.
As another spell flew at her, Stephanie decided to utilize one of the earlier techniques Professor Snape had taught her back at Hogwarts. She silently cast the Stupefy spell at the woman and then immediately put up her protection shield just as the woman’s spell reached her. Stephanie watched as the woman fell unconsciously to the ground and she put down her protection shield. She walked over and stared down at the woman on the floor.
“Do it.” Selwyn said from behind her.
Stephanie kicked away the woman’s wand so it couldn’t be used on her and she woke the woman from unconsciousness. The woman opened her eyes groggily and stared at Stephanie. This was the first time that Stephanie had ever used this spell and she was so nervous she thought she was going to be sick. Stephanie concentrated hard on what she was about to do because she knew that she couldn’t let her emotions show. It devastated her to know that she would be the person to end this woman’s life, but she also knew that she had no other choice.
Stephanie raised her wand at the woman, who had begun to cry and plead for her life. Stephanie took a deep breath and began the spell in her mind: Ava-.
Before she could finish the spell, Stephanie fell to the floor in excruciating pain. This was the worst pain she had ever endured, even worse than the five minutes of the Curse she had been subjected to at the Dark Mark ceremony. Stephanie realized that she had been hit by three Cruciatus Curses at once. When the spells finally lifted, she lay on the floor gasping for breath. Her wand had fallen out of her hand and rolled away from her.
“Do it!” Bellatrix shrieked.
Stephanie tried to get up but she couldn’t move. There was just too much pain from the three Curses hitting her in separate locations of her body. Stephanie tried to ask for a few moments to recover, but she was hit with another wave of agony. Three more Curses were expelled from the Death Eaters’ wands and caused Stephanie a tremendous amount of pain. She shook with agony when it was over.
“Kill her!” Bellatrix ordered again, not lowering her wand.
Again Stephanie tried to get off the ground but her limbs wouldn’t listen to the orders her brain was sending them. They were too weak to move and she couldn’t do as she was told. For a third time she was hit with three Curses. Stephanie didn’t know what else to do except lie there, even though she knew that she would be punished severely for failing to follow her orders.
She watched as Selwyn walked closer to them. He raised his wand at Stephanie and smiled with a sinister grin. Stephanie closed her eyes, preparing herself for another round of Curses that was sure to be heading her way. When nothing came, she opened her eyes again and heard the Death Eaters as they began laughing. Selwyn had moved away from her and gone towards the woman lying on the floor. Stephanie couldn’t watch as he cast several spells at the woman.
Finally, He raised his wand towards the woman on the floor and he cast the Killing Curse. Stephanie remained silent, not daring to make a sound. She couldn’t be hit by another Curse; even if it was horribly weak of her, she just couldn’t do it.
Selwyn then walked back towards Stephanie and didn’t even bother to pull her to a standing position. He knelt beside her and grabbed her arm, then Disapparated them to the front gate of the Lestrange grounds. She was hoisted into the air and transported into the manor with the help of a spell cast by Yaxley. The others followed and then looked for Voldemort inside. The Death Eaters found him in the living room and she was dropped to the floor, landing with an “oomf.”
“How did it go?” Voldemort asked his Death Eaters while he eyed Stephanie lying on the floor, motionless.
“She failed, my Lord.” Bellatrix said with a huge grin. “Selwyn had to complete the task.”
“Disappointing.” Voldemort hissed. “Yes, but expected.”
Stephanie gathered all her strength and without moving she whispered, “I can do it, my Lord.”
Voldemort walked to her and hovered over her; he didn’t kneel to her level. Stephanie didn’t have the energy to lift her head, so she stared at his feet. “I know you can, Stephanie. That is why I am so disappointed. I am confident that you will do it the next time.”
“I only wish to please you, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered.
“Very well.” Voldemort said. “Go up to your room now.”
All of her muscles ached, but she forced herself get up. She slowly made her way up the stairs, walked into her bedroom, and collapsed on the bed. After a few minutes of replaying the events of that evening over in her mind, she suddenly realized what she had to do.
She gradually pulled the diary out from between her mattresses and read the latest entries. There were a few entries after the one where she had told the others it may be awhile before she responded again. They were all telling her how much they cared about her. It was so nice to read these entries, but she also knew what she had to do. Stephanie closed the diary and hugged it against her chest. Then, without writing anything, she placed it back in its spot between the mattresses. She knew that this would be the last time she would ever bring herself to look at it.
Stephanie thought long and hard about the difficult decision she had just made. After she had experienced the full extent of Voldemort’s conditioning, she realized that it would take all of her concentration and energy just to survive. And she knew that it was important that she survive her time with the Death Eaters. Fighting would only cause her more pain than even she thought she could endure. It may seem as if she was giving up, but Snape had been right the other night. She had done so much for everyone she cared about; it was about time she finally did something to care for herself. This was just something that she had to do to ensure her survival.
Similar to what happened after the little girl at the mall had died, Stephanie realized that she had to shut off her feelings for good. It scared her because she was afraid that she would forget how to feel the things that were important to being the person she was. But she also knew that it was a necessary step if she were to ever have any chance at recovering the ability to feel emotions again.
The diaries would only be a distraction. In order to survive this conditioning, she understood that she had to make sure she never felt anything that would give Voldemort cause to harm her. The diaries would only remind her of the feelings that she would desire to experience and give her reason to resist Voldemort’s attempts. Although she would finally be completely alone, she also knew that this was the most important aspect for her survival. She would have to say goodbye to those that she loved so dearly. Stephanie didn’t want to do that impersonally through the diaries, so she quietly pulled out some parchment and her quill and wrote a letter to each of her close friends.
When she was finally done with the letters, she placed them in between her mattresses and made a mental note to ask Professor Snape to deliver them at his earliest convenience. She knew that classes were no longer in session, so it may take awhile before he could deliver them. She sighed in sadness and lay down to try and rest. This was the turning point for Stephanie and she was ashamed for the person she knew she would soon become. Through all of her strength and resistance, Voldemort would still win. He would turn her into a monster.
Stephanie sat up quickly when a sudden thought crossed her mind. She reached into her pocket searching for the item she knew would not be there. It was gone. Stephanie tossed and turned all night, trying to figure out how she was going to tell Voldemort. She had lost her wand.
*~*~*~*
Senior Ministry Official Murdered
Last night the body of Senior Ministry Official, Amelia Bones, was found in her kitchen. She had been the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Office at the Ministry of Magic. There was evidence of a struggle in her home, with broken dishes strewn about. It is obvious that Ms. Bones fought her attackers during the attack.
It is unknown who exactly is responsible for this horrendous act, but witnesses claim to have seen the Dark Mark above the home shortly before her body was discovered. According to Ministry officials, no witnesses have come forward with any information regarding this very disturbing murder.
Though the Ministry has disclosed very little about what is known, the person who discovered the body was available for comment. This individual wishes to remain anonymous, but has agreed to be interviewed for this article.
According to the source, this was a very nasty scene. Ms. Bones’ blood was spattered on the walls and there were large puddles on the floor near her body. She obviously did not go quietly.
The most interesting information this person was able to provide, however, was that of evidence left behind and the Ministry denies having possession of. One of the perpetrators of this attack left his or her wand on the floor near Ms. Bones’ body. If this is true, the Ministry will be able to track which spells it has recently performed and possibly identify the person responsible.
Why would someone so irresponsibly leave behind such an incriminating piece of evidence? Are they just toying with the Ministry? Tell us your thoughts!
Last night the body of Senior Ministry Official, Amelia Bones, was found in her kitchen. She had been the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Office at the Ministry of Magic. There was evidence of a struggle in her home, with broken dishes strewn about. It is obvious that Ms. Bones fought her attackers during the attack.
It is unknown who exactly is responsible for this horrendous act, but witnesses claim to have seen the Dark Mark above the home shortly before her body was discovered. According to Ministry officials, no witnesses have come forward with any information regarding this very disturbing murder.
Though the Ministry has disclosed very little about what is known, the person who discovered the body was available for comment. This individual wishes to remain anonymous, but has agreed to be interviewed for this article.
According to the source, this was a very nasty scene. Ms. Bones’ blood was spattered on the walls and there were large puddles on the floor near her body. She obviously did not go quietly.
The most interesting information this person was able to provide, however, was that of evidence left behind and the Ministry denies having possession of. One of the perpetrators of this attack left his or her wand on the floor near Ms. Bones’ body. If this is true, the Ministry will be able to track which spells it has recently performed and possibly identify the person responsible.
Why would someone so irresponsibly leave behind such an incriminating piece of evidence? Are they just toying with the Ministry? Tell us your thoughts!
“I despise the Daily Prophet,” Albus said after he read the article. He sighed as he put down the newspaper. “How is she doing?”
“I only spoke with the Dark Lord briefly afterwards.” Severus said. “She failed the task given to her. Because of her hesitation, she was hit by the three simultaneous Cruciatus Curses three times in quick succession.”
“She is such a strong young woman.” He said sadly. “How did she handle that?”
“Selwyn had to complete the task and Stephanie needed physical assistance to be transported back the manor.” Severus explained.
“So, she was set up to fail.” Albus commented. “That is always comforting.”
“The good news is that she was not punished for her failure.” Severus admitted to the headmaster. “The Dark Lord had in fact expected it and was not surprised.”
“That surprises me.” He said. “However, your tone tells me that there is also bad news. Be honest with me, Severus. What is on your mind?”
“The bad news is that when I spoke with the Dark Lord last evening, he had not yet realized that she had left her wand behind.” Severus noted. “I can only speculate to how he will react to this news.”
“Please, indulge me.” Albus motioned for Severus to continue.
“He will be disappointed in Stephanie for letting go of her wand. The Dark Lord will not take into account the fact that she was being Cursed; he will think of it as her being punished. She may or may not be penalized for losing her wand.” Severus contemplated whether or not the Dark Lord would punish Stephanie. This was one of the few times that he could not speculate on the actions of the Dark Lord. “The three responsible for watching her will most definitely be punished and will also be required to retrieve the wand from the Ministry.”
“Well, at least she has not had to murder quite yet.” Albus tried to find something positive about this situation.
“That is true.” Severus said. “But it is imminent…she may even be required to perform such an act within days.”
“Well, then. At least she is still alive.” Albus said, hanging his head. Severus got up and left the headmaster’s office.
Please leave me your thoughts and comments!
So, here it is! I think it's a good chapter and I hope you think so as well! The next chapter was a long one, so I had to split it in two...meaning I have to add to it. So I'm pretty sure it won't be up until Friday...but we'll see what I can do! Have a great day!
Chapter Twenty-Five: Changes
The next morning Stephanie got up and went down to the breakfast table, nervous because she had left her wand at the home of the woman she had been ordered to attack the night before. She had no idea how Voldemort would react and she just hoped that she wouldn’t be forced to return to the cellar. It wasn’t like it was her fault, but she doubted Voldemort would see it that way.
“How are you feeling this morning, Stephanie?” Voldemort asked in a falsely concerned voice after she sat down at the table in her usual spot next to the Dark Lord.
“Sore, my Lord. But I deserved it.” Stephanie answered. She didn’t want Voldemort to see how nervous she was, so she looked down at the table while she waited for Wormtail to bring out the food.
“Yes, you did. Hopefully you will learn that you must not hesitate when given orders. That is the first step in allowing yourself the pleasures and rewards of what your devotion to my service may provide.” Voldemort smiled at her. “I am positive that you will realize this very soon.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Since Stephanie hadn’t gotten any sleep the previous night because she was too worried about losing her wand, she had thought a lot about how to ask Voldemort her next question. She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to voice her concerns like this, but she figured that she had to at least try. If it would ease her suffering even a little, then it would be worth it. “May I ask a question?”
Voldemort looked at her suspiciously. Stephanie recognized the look he gave her: it told her that he knew something that she didn’t realize he knew. He allowed her to ask the question while Wormtail came out of the kitchen with the morning’s breakfast.
“I understand how important the ability to cast silent spells truly is, master. However, I am not sure how it is possible for the other Death Eaters to know when I begin to cast a spell.” Stephanie spoke very slowly, making sure not to say anything that could be considered offensive or disrespectful.
Voldemort eyed her with amusement, but he remained silent. Stephanie paused, unsure of whether she should continue. She decided that she had to. “I was wondering, my Lord, if I could possibly begin to verbalize spells again.”
“Stephanie, I can assure you that all of my followers know when you begin to conjure a spell in your mind.” Voldemort laughed at her naivety. “You have a very obvious tell.”
Stephanie looked at Voldemort questioningly. They could tell when she cast a spell? How come she never knew this before? She dared to ask another question. “How can they tell?”
“That wouldn’t be any fun now would it?” Voldemort asked as he continued to smile at her. He took a bite of his food and continued. “No, it wouldn’t be to my advantage for you to know what your sign is. But I can guarantee that they do know when you are conjuring a spell.”
“But I had already begun when they Cursed me last night!” Stephanie exclaimed quietly. She continued to be careful not to offend her master because she knew that she would be in more than enough trouble very soon.
“They still knew that you had begun your spell.” Voldemort stopped smiling and Stephanie knew she was getting close to crossing the line. “You took the time to prepare yourself by taking a deep breath before you started your spell. That was more than enough reason for you to be punished.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered, defeated, as she looked down at her food. She picked up her fork and began playing with the eggs on her plate, not hungry but forcing herself to eat. Stephanie could no longer put off telling Voldemort what she knew she must. Failing to do so was only delaying the inevitable. She looked up at him and she spoke as confidently as she could. “I have a confession to make, my Lord.”
Voldemort looked up from his plate of food and stared directly at her. Stephanie felt his eyes boring into her skull and she took a deep breath to prepare herself for what was to come. He spoke calmly to her. “I am interested to hear what that could be, Stephanie.”
“Last night, at that woman’s home,” Stephanie began, unsure of how she should tell Voldemort what she had done. She fidgeted with her fingers nervously. “I dropped my wand and left it there.”
“I know, my dear.” Voldemort said to her forcefully. “You should not be surprised that Lord Voldemort knows all. And I am truly disappointed it has taken so long to admit your mistake; though I am pleased that you decided to do so. You will get your wand back soon, but in the mean time you will be staying inside this home. I will not punish you for this, but be warned that if you lose your wand again I will make sure you do not survive the night.
“It is a necessary tool and I cannot be responsible for replacing it every few days. You must learn to hold onto it tightly, though I do place some blame on those that accompanied you last night.” He looked at her dangerously. She understood that he was deadly serious and she knew that she would glue her wand to her hand if she had to.
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie said with gratitude, finally letting out her breath. “You are so merciful and I do not deserve your kindness.”
“Enough with the sucking up.” Voldemort laughed. “Though I do appreciate your efforts.”
Stephanie nodded and tried to finish her breakfast. She sighed in relief that she wasn’t going to be punished for losing her wand. She was even going to get it back! Stephanie wondered how they were going to get it back from the Ministry.
When she was almost finished eating, Voldemort spoke to her again. “I will be leaving after breakfast and you will be left alone in the manor with Wormtail. Can I trust that you will behave?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie said after she swallowed her bite of food.
“You must remain in your room while I am away, with the exception of meals and trips to the bathroom. Do you understand this?” Voldemort asked her critically. “This means no sneaking around the house and sitting on the stairs eavesdropping to any conversations that may be going on.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie answered.
“Tomorrow morning, you will be joined by two of your fellow Death Eaters.” Voldemort explained to her. “They will take you out with them and will report back to me on your progress. I expect to hear good news.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie said. “I want to please you. I will do as ordered with pride that I can serve you.”
“Let us hope so, Stephanie.” Voldemort said. “Let me make a deal with you. If you do well on this next task, you may be allowed to verbalize your spells once again.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie responded. “I will make you proud.”
“Very well.” Voldemort nodded and waved her off. “You are excused.”
Stephanie got up and climbed the stairs to her bedroom, grateful that she wasn’t returning to the cellar for a third time. It was better than spending the time with Death Eaters, but now that she decided not to use the diaries, she had absolutely nothing to do. So she opened up one of the books Voldemort had given her shortly after his return and she began to read.
*~*~*~*
It had been a long day, so Stephanie had quite a bit of time to think about everything that was going on. She had decided not to use the diaries because she couldn’t pretend anymore. Voldemort had found a way to break her and she had to allow him to succeed in changing her. All she wanted was to be free and reunited with her brother so they could get to know each other better and finally become a family. She wanted this to be over.
It was weird for her, but she also had a strange feeling in her gut. It was similar to when she had volunteered to stay at the Malfoy home; she had a feeling that there was still more she could do to help Harry defeat Voldemort, even if she changed for the worse. Stephanie felt like it was giving up and that she was being selfish, but she also knew that it was something she had to do. She had to take care of herself because at that moment in time, Harry was safe.
Stephanie had also decided that there was no point to even fight the conditioning that Voldemort was giving her. Even if she was not there, the tasks would still be getting done. He would have other people commit these horrible deeds, and so it wasn’t really her fault that people were going to die. She had to follow her orders and she had to do them as well as she could. There was no room for mistakes because she knew that she was very close to making Voldemort give up on her. If he decided it was too much work to make her feel a certain way, she was sure that he would kill her. She could not allow that to happen. She was fighting for her life by doing these things. She had to make herself numb to what she was doing because it was the only way to try and keep a part of herself.
She had also wondered who was going to be taking her out the next day. Voldemort was going away and she had figured he was taking some people with him, though she wasn’t sure. Stephanie hoped that it wasn’t going to be Bellatrix again. She felt that she could deal with the others, even the Carrow siblings, but she didn’t want to go out with Bellatrix again.
Stephanie got dressed when it was close to breakfast time the next day. Her routine since she had moved into the room at the Lestrange manor had been the same every morning and she followed it strictly. She got up and dressed rather quickly, and then she made her bed. Next, she folded her night clothes and placed them on her bed. After that, she put away any books she had used the night before. Finally, she usually picked her wand up off the nightstand next to her bed and placed it inside her pocket, but this day she didn’t have her wand.
Not having her only means for protection made her feel very vulnerable. Stephanie shivered at the thought of being defenseless. She walked towards the door and made her way down for breakfast to meet up with the Death Eaters who would take her out on another mission.
When she got downstairs though, Stephanie was surprised at who she found sitting at the table. There were two Death Eaters sitting there that she had never been sent on a mission with before. They had rarely even visited the manor. Stephanie wondered why Voldemort wanted her to go with such newly recruited members since she had always gone out with much more experienced individuals. She knew that the twins sitting at the table had joined the Death Eaters shortly after their graduation from Hogwarts last year. They had heard of his return while they were at school and wanted to become Death Eaters. Voldemort had been a little weary at recruiting such young members, but they had proven themselves very quickly.
Dedrick and Kieran Hargrave were identical twins and had gone to school with Harry, though they were three years older. After they had been initiated into the Death Eaters, Stephanie had asked Harry and the others about them. They had been Slytherins along with Draco, but they had not been in Draco’s crowd. Ron had stated that the twins liked to pick on Neville pretty cruelly, though Neville would never admit to this. The others had also said that they were never seen apart from each other, even though they had two completely different personalities.
The twins were pretty tall and lanky and they both had very fair skin. They wore their black hair long and tied it back with leather bands. If they hadn’t been so cruel, she thought they would have been very attractive. Stephanie thought that they had been named perfectly to fit their personalities.
Though Kieran means black or a dark skinned child, this name described his personality completely. Kieran was also the more reserved of the twins but Stephanie knew better than to judge this twin based on how he came across. Even though he spoke much less than his brother and appeared to be shy at times, he enjoyed pain and tormenting others much more than most of the Death Eaters in Voldemort’s service. Kieran even enjoyed injuring himself and Stephanie had been disgusted by this. She had once heard him say that it made him feel alive. Why anyone would cause themselves pain, Stephanie would never understand.
Stephanie knew him to be very cruel and his specialty was torturing young children. He spent a lot of his free time experimenting with new spells that he was creating. Before Voldemort allowed him to join the Death Eaters, he was required to prove his abilities and loyalties; his task had been to bomb an elementary school. Kieran had killed twenty-four children and three teachers and injured another forty-seven people. It had been one of the largest mass-killings the country had ever seen. And it had been conducted by an eighteen year old.
Dedrick on the other hand was definitely the ruler of the people. He had a personality that even Stephanie had difficulty refusing to listen to. Hermione had described Dedrick as very charismatic and she had said that the younger children had flocked to him during his time at Hogwarts. They would follow his every order without questioning his morals and ethics. That had disturbed Hermione greatly because it meant that Dedrick would be great at recruiting followers for Lord Voldemort.
And he had been. Dedrick was amazing at finding people who were easily persuaded to do horrible things. He did so by promising them many things, including freedom once Voldemort had risen to power. None of these recruits had been allowed to obtain the Dark Mark, but they were still useful to Voldemort. Dedrick was also assisting Voldemort in gaining the support of magical creatures including the giants and dementors. There had been some success in this area.
The task he had to perform before he had been allowed to take the Dark Mark was also a gruesome one. Dedrick had been required to murder the family of a prominent Order of the Phoenix member. It surprised Stephanie that Voldemort hadn’t ordered the killing of the Order member, but she also realized that to the Order member, it was probably as if he had been killed.
Stephanie sat down at the table in her usual chair and waited for Wormtail to bring out breakfast. Dedrick and Kieran looked up at her and immediately stopped their conversation. Kieran smiled when he saw her and Dedrick remained deadpan. Stephanie watched as Kieran reached into his robes and pulled something out.
It was her wand. He placed it on the table and rolled it to her. She picked it up and placed it in her pocket.
“You might want to keep that today.” Dedrick sneered at her. “We don’t want to have to rescue you.”
Stephanie stared at him unscathed. She spoke quietly, though more forcefully than she would have dared to speak to Bellatrix. “Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be just fine.”
“We’ll see about that.” Dedrick laughed. “We heard about your last task and I must say that we are looking forward to seeing you attempt today’s missions. It should be fun.”
Stephanie didn’t respond because she didn’t want to provide any hints about what was to come. She knew that she would do whatever she was ordered to do and she would do them to the best of her abilities. There would be no opportunity for them to “condition” her any longer; she knew that she could not allow that to happen.
Once her breakfast was brought to the table, Stephanie ate in silence while the twins talked animatedly. She went over the many spells she had learned over the years in her mind, trying to commit those she should use to the forefront of her memory. It was important that spells came to her immediately while she was out in the field because even if she took the time to think of something to do she was sure to be punished severely. Again she thought about how she couldn’t let that happen.
After the twins had finished eating their breakfast, they began to stand up and Stephanie knew that it was time to leave. She followed them out the door and off the Lestrange grounds. Once they had passed the anti-Disapparition field, Kieran touched Stephanie’s shoulder and they soon Apparated into a forest.
Stephanie looked around and noticed that there was nothing in the area except a bunch of trees. She was confused why they would bring her there and her mind immediately thought about the last time she had been brought to a forest by a Death Eater. Stephanie pulled out her wand and raised it in front of her.
She heard laughter behind her and she looked at the twins. “What are we doing here?”
“Just wanted to have a little laugh before we began.” Dedrick commented, laughing hysterically. “The look on your face was classic!”
“You’ve had your fun.” Stephanie said, lowering her wand. “Let’s get started. What am I supposed to do?”
“What’s your hurry?” Kieran asked her, having stopped laughing.
“The Dark Lord didn’t send you out here to make fun and I am positive he would not be amused.” Stephanie said threateningly to the two Death Eaters in front of her. The smiles immediately disappeared from their faces. “That’s what I thought. Now, what am I supposed to do?’
“Come on.” Dedrick gestured into the woods. “It’s not far from here.”
The twins began walking and Stephanie followed close behind. They walked for about five minutes before they came to a clearing and Stephanie noticed that there was a bridge up ahead. Stephanie looked in awe at the muggle cars that were packed onto the bridge, probably on their way to London for another day of work. She quickly realized what she was going to have to do, but it didn’t faze her because she had been expecting something like this.
She looked at the twins and asked one more time, “What am I supposed to do?”
Dedrick looked at her solemnly, but Stephanie noticed some amusement in his eyes. “Your choice.”
Stephanie was again confused because she was normally given explicit instructions on what she was required to do. She knew that this had to be some sort of test because she had quite a few options. She could cause widespread destruction or she could just attempt to do something on a small scale. After looking at the bridge for a few moments, Stephanie realized what Voldemort had wanted her to do.
She nodded at the twins and walked closer to the bridge. The twins stayed behind her, but she knew that they were watching her closely with their wands raised and ready to cast a spell if she hesitated or failed on this task. She quickly raised her own wand and began the first spell that came to her mind.
They all watched as the spell hit one column on the bridge and Stephanie quickly conjured the same explosion-causing spell at a column on the other side of the bridge. The bridge crumbled immediately after the spells hit the two columns and Stephanie watched as cars plummeted into the water below. Stephanie heard tires screeching and people screaming.
She turned back to the twins, feeling absolutely nothing about what she had just done. Stephanie knew that she should feel sad about what happened, but these feelings didn’t come to her. To be honest, she was relieved not to feel anything. She found it to be far less exhausting. “Is that it?”
Kieran and Dedrick nodded and were shocked that Stephanie had followed orders so compliantly. They were also surprised that Stephanie was showing such defiance towards them; Stephanie was sure that they had never expected her to behave this way.
Stephanie was surprised with her own behavior as well. She knew that she probably shouldn’t be speaking to the Death Eaters this way, but she decided that it was important to exert all of her energies into surviving. The Dark Lord wanted her to become like Bellatrix, and so she would have to do what he wanted. Bellatrix would never have allowed the others to speak to her as she was being spoken to, so she had to behave this way to please Voldemort.
Kieran walked to her and grabbed her shoulder. Stephanie prepared to be Apparated back to the Lestrange manor, but when they arrived it wasn't where she had expected. They were in front of a two story home that Stephanie had never seen before. Dedrick lifted his wand and cast a spell at the door.
“Alohomora.” He said quietly. The lock clicked and Dedrick opened the door. The twins walked inside and sat on the couch in the living room. Stephanie followed behind slowly and stood in the same room.
She looked around and walked over to the fireplace. There were pictures on the mantle of a middle-aged man and woman. They looked like they were in love, it was sweet. She fingered the picture and then turned to the twins.
“Where are we?” Stephanie asked.
“The home of Emmaline Vance.” Dedrick began. “Snape told us that she will be home this afternoon from whatever she is doing for the Order. So, we wait.”
“The Dark Lord wants her dead, I assume.” Stephanie asked, though she knew what the answer would be.
“Yes.” Kieran answered.
Stephanie sat down on a chair in the corner, across the room from the other two on the couch. They all sat in silence while they waited for Emmaline Vance to return home. Stephanie was a little anxious because she did not want to do it, but she knew she had to. Even though she had most likely killed people on the bridge that morning, this would be the first time she looked directly at someone and killed them. She forced herself not to think about it because the longer she dwelled on it, the more difficult it would be.
Instead, she focused on everything that had frustrated and angered her over the years. She hoped that this would help her perform the task easier. It would at least be a way for her to release everything she had bottled up inside.
Stephanie replayed many experiences over in her mind: being punished for when Harry had told Draco about the Curses, Sirius’ death, her punishment after Sirius’ death, her captivity while her friends ran around free. It just wasn’t fair.
After several hours of sitting in silence, Stephanie felt she was sufficiently angry enough to be able to perform the Killing Curse without hesitation. She removed herself from her thoughts and looked at the identical Death Eaters across the room. They were still staring at her with their wands at the ready and they looked angry.
“What?” She asked them.
“Do you know who this woman is?” Dedrick asked her with a smirk forming on his face.
“You told me she was an Order member.” She answered, unsure what he was trying to get at.
“And why would the Dark Lord want you to be the person to murder this Order member?” Kieran asked her.
“For training.” Stephanie said. She was completely confused because it seemed as if it was an obvious answer. “He has sent me on missions before; I don’t understand what you are trying to say.”
The twins rolled their eyes at each other. Dedrick responded. “You really are disgustingly slow. Get there faster.”
“I don’t know.” Stephanie said quietly. She tried to think why Voldemort would want her to be the one to kill this woman and figured it had something to do with a lesson. Maybe? “To pay her back for something she has done?”
Dedrick laughed at her. He got up from the couch and walked across the room towards her. When he was upon her, he knelt on the floor in front of her.
Meanwhile, Kieran spoke to her from his spot on the couch. “This woman helped take your brother from his sanctuary of your aunt and uncle’s house to the Order headquarters last summer. This caused the Dark Lord to be infuriated and unable to get to him. She protected your brother from harm.”
“Killing Mrs. Vance is a small step in your conditioning. She has risked her life for your brother, and she will die at the hand of his sister.” Dedrick had a sinister grin as he thought about what was going to happen. “The Dark Lord truly loves his irony.”
“We have met your brother.” Kieran spoke up.
“And he is insufferable. Thinks he is a saint; tries to be the hero at every turn.” Dedrick said with disgust, watching Stephanie closely for a reaction. “It is going to be so amazing watching him die at your hand.”
Stephanie didn’t react; she remained silent and still.
“He despises you,” Dedrick whispered in her ear, breaking the silence. “He doesn’t care about anyone except himself and those foolish friends of his. I am positive he would surely kill you if given the chance and it meant saving himself from harm. You have become famous in the past couple of years because of your work with the Dark Lord. He is jealous that you have stolen his spotlight.”
Again, Stephanie remained silent. Even though she had forced herself to feel nothing, she still knew how much Harry and the others cared about her. What he was saying was completely untrue. However, she couldn’t let them know how angry his statements had made her.
“And he will die.” Stephanie glared at Dedrick. “I will make sure that happens. He does not deserve to walk free after I have been a captive for so long.”
“You have shown nothing but weakness.” Kieran almost yelled to her. “How do you expect to be able to murder your own brother, especially after you saved him the graveyard?”
“The Dark Lord wants him dead.” Stephanie breathed, she was seething. “I will make that happen.”
The two scoffed at her. She knew that they didn’t believe her. It angered her that she was eventually going to be ordered to murder her brother, but she knew that she could never allow herself to do it. Even if she was conditioned to do it, she knew it would never happen.
Dedrick got up and walked back to the couch. They sat in silence until the door opened and Emmaline Vance returned home, not expecting to have three Death Eaters waiting for her in the living room. She screamed when she saw Stephanie and lost consciousness when a spell hit her square in the chest.
So here is the latest chapter. I invite you to leave FEEDBACK! It is greatly appreciated. This was a difficult chapter for me to write, though I'm not sure why. That's why it's a little later than I promised. But, I have learned not to promise a chapter until I'm sure that it will be finished. So, all I can promise is that the next one will be up in a few days. Enjoy!
The next morning Stephanie got up and went down to the breakfast table, nervous because she had left her wand at the home of the woman she had been ordered to attack the night before. She had no idea how Voldemort would react and she just hoped that she wouldn’t be forced to return to the cellar. It wasn’t like it was her fault, but she doubted Voldemort would see it that way.
“How are you feeling this morning, Stephanie?” Voldemort asked in a falsely concerned voice after she sat down at the table in her usual spot next to the Dark Lord.
“Sore, my Lord. But I deserved it.” Stephanie answered. She didn’t want Voldemort to see how nervous she was, so she looked down at the table while she waited for Wormtail to bring out the food.
“Yes, you did. Hopefully you will learn that you must not hesitate when given orders. That is the first step in allowing yourself the pleasures and rewards of what your devotion to my service may provide.” Voldemort smiled at her. “I am positive that you will realize this very soon.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Since Stephanie hadn’t gotten any sleep the previous night because she was too worried about losing her wand, she had thought a lot about how to ask Voldemort her next question. She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to voice her concerns like this, but she figured that she had to at least try. If it would ease her suffering even a little, then it would be worth it. “May I ask a question?”
Voldemort looked at her suspiciously. Stephanie recognized the look he gave her: it told her that he knew something that she didn’t realize he knew. He allowed her to ask the question while Wormtail came out of the kitchen with the morning’s breakfast.
“I understand how important the ability to cast silent spells truly is, master. However, I am not sure how it is possible for the other Death Eaters to know when I begin to cast a spell.” Stephanie spoke very slowly, making sure not to say anything that could be considered offensive or disrespectful.
Voldemort eyed her with amusement, but he remained silent. Stephanie paused, unsure of whether she should continue. She decided that she had to. “I was wondering, my Lord, if I could possibly begin to verbalize spells again.”
“Stephanie, I can assure you that all of my followers know when you begin to conjure a spell in your mind.” Voldemort laughed at her naivety. “You have a very obvious tell.”
Stephanie looked at Voldemort questioningly. They could tell when she cast a spell? How come she never knew this before? She dared to ask another question. “How can they tell?”
“That wouldn’t be any fun now would it?” Voldemort asked as he continued to smile at her. He took a bite of his food and continued. “No, it wouldn’t be to my advantage for you to know what your sign is. But I can guarantee that they do know when you are conjuring a spell.”
“But I had already begun when they Cursed me last night!” Stephanie exclaimed quietly. She continued to be careful not to offend her master because she knew that she would be in more than enough trouble very soon.
“They still knew that you had begun your spell.” Voldemort stopped smiling and Stephanie knew she was getting close to crossing the line. “You took the time to prepare yourself by taking a deep breath before you started your spell. That was more than enough reason for you to be punished.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered, defeated, as she looked down at her food. She picked up her fork and began playing with the eggs on her plate, not hungry but forcing herself to eat. Stephanie could no longer put off telling Voldemort what she knew she must. Failing to do so was only delaying the inevitable. She looked up at him and she spoke as confidently as she could. “I have a confession to make, my Lord.”
Voldemort looked up from his plate of food and stared directly at her. Stephanie felt his eyes boring into her skull and she took a deep breath to prepare herself for what was to come. He spoke calmly to her. “I am interested to hear what that could be, Stephanie.”
“Last night, at that woman’s home,” Stephanie began, unsure of how she should tell Voldemort what she had done. She fidgeted with her fingers nervously. “I dropped my wand and left it there.”
“I know, my dear.” Voldemort said to her forcefully. “You should not be surprised that Lord Voldemort knows all. And I am truly disappointed it has taken so long to admit your mistake; though I am pleased that you decided to do so. You will get your wand back soon, but in the mean time you will be staying inside this home. I will not punish you for this, but be warned that if you lose your wand again I will make sure you do not survive the night.
“It is a necessary tool and I cannot be responsible for replacing it every few days. You must learn to hold onto it tightly, though I do place some blame on those that accompanied you last night.” He looked at her dangerously. She understood that he was deadly serious and she knew that she would glue her wand to her hand if she had to.
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie said with gratitude, finally letting out her breath. “You are so merciful and I do not deserve your kindness.”
“Enough with the sucking up.” Voldemort laughed. “Though I do appreciate your efforts.”
Stephanie nodded and tried to finish her breakfast. She sighed in relief that she wasn’t going to be punished for losing her wand. She was even going to get it back! Stephanie wondered how they were going to get it back from the Ministry.
When she was almost finished eating, Voldemort spoke to her again. “I will be leaving after breakfast and you will be left alone in the manor with Wormtail. Can I trust that you will behave?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie said after she swallowed her bite of food.
“You must remain in your room while I am away, with the exception of meals and trips to the bathroom. Do you understand this?” Voldemort asked her critically. “This means no sneaking around the house and sitting on the stairs eavesdropping to any conversations that may be going on.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie answered.
“Tomorrow morning, you will be joined by two of your fellow Death Eaters.” Voldemort explained to her. “They will take you out with them and will report back to me on your progress. I expect to hear good news.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie said. “I want to please you. I will do as ordered with pride that I can serve you.”
“Let us hope so, Stephanie.” Voldemort said. “Let me make a deal with you. If you do well on this next task, you may be allowed to verbalize your spells once again.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie responded. “I will make you proud.”
“Very well.” Voldemort nodded and waved her off. “You are excused.”
Stephanie got up and climbed the stairs to her bedroom, grateful that she wasn’t returning to the cellar for a third time. It was better than spending the time with Death Eaters, but now that she decided not to use the diaries, she had absolutely nothing to do. So she opened up one of the books Voldemort had given her shortly after his return and she began to read.
*~*~*~*
It had been a long day, so Stephanie had quite a bit of time to think about everything that was going on. She had decided not to use the diaries because she couldn’t pretend anymore. Voldemort had found a way to break her and she had to allow him to succeed in changing her. All she wanted was to be free and reunited with her brother so they could get to know each other better and finally become a family. She wanted this to be over.
It was weird for her, but she also had a strange feeling in her gut. It was similar to when she had volunteered to stay at the Malfoy home; she had a feeling that there was still more she could do to help Harry defeat Voldemort, even if she changed for the worse. Stephanie felt like it was giving up and that she was being selfish, but she also knew that it was something she had to do. She had to take care of herself because at that moment in time, Harry was safe.
Stephanie had also decided that there was no point to even fight the conditioning that Voldemort was giving her. Even if she was not there, the tasks would still be getting done. He would have other people commit these horrible deeds, and so it wasn’t really her fault that people were going to die. She had to follow her orders and she had to do them as well as she could. There was no room for mistakes because she knew that she was very close to making Voldemort give up on her. If he decided it was too much work to make her feel a certain way, she was sure that he would kill her. She could not allow that to happen. She was fighting for her life by doing these things. She had to make herself numb to what she was doing because it was the only way to try and keep a part of herself.
She had also wondered who was going to be taking her out the next day. Voldemort was going away and she had figured he was taking some people with him, though she wasn’t sure. Stephanie hoped that it wasn’t going to be Bellatrix again. She felt that she could deal with the others, even the Carrow siblings, but she didn’t want to go out with Bellatrix again.
Stephanie got dressed when it was close to breakfast time the next day. Her routine since she had moved into the room at the Lestrange manor had been the same every morning and she followed it strictly. She got up and dressed rather quickly, and then she made her bed. Next, she folded her night clothes and placed them on her bed. After that, she put away any books she had used the night before. Finally, she usually picked her wand up off the nightstand next to her bed and placed it inside her pocket, but this day she didn’t have her wand.
Not having her only means for protection made her feel very vulnerable. Stephanie shivered at the thought of being defenseless. She walked towards the door and made her way down for breakfast to meet up with the Death Eaters who would take her out on another mission.
When she got downstairs though, Stephanie was surprised at who she found sitting at the table. There were two Death Eaters sitting there that she had never been sent on a mission with before. They had rarely even visited the manor. Stephanie wondered why Voldemort wanted her to go with such newly recruited members since she had always gone out with much more experienced individuals. She knew that the twins sitting at the table had joined the Death Eaters shortly after their graduation from Hogwarts last year. They had heard of his return while they were at school and wanted to become Death Eaters. Voldemort had been a little weary at recruiting such young members, but they had proven themselves very quickly.
Dedrick and Kieran Hargrave were identical twins and had gone to school with Harry, though they were three years older. After they had been initiated into the Death Eaters, Stephanie had asked Harry and the others about them. They had been Slytherins along with Draco, but they had not been in Draco’s crowd. Ron had stated that the twins liked to pick on Neville pretty cruelly, though Neville would never admit to this. The others had also said that they were never seen apart from each other, even though they had two completely different personalities.
The twins were pretty tall and lanky and they both had very fair skin. They wore their black hair long and tied it back with leather bands. If they hadn’t been so cruel, she thought they would have been very attractive. Stephanie thought that they had been named perfectly to fit their personalities.
Though Kieran means black or a dark skinned child, this name described his personality completely. Kieran was also the more reserved of the twins but Stephanie knew better than to judge this twin based on how he came across. Even though he spoke much less than his brother and appeared to be shy at times, he enjoyed pain and tormenting others much more than most of the Death Eaters in Voldemort’s service. Kieran even enjoyed injuring himself and Stephanie had been disgusted by this. She had once heard him say that it made him feel alive. Why anyone would cause themselves pain, Stephanie would never understand.
Stephanie knew him to be very cruel and his specialty was torturing young children. He spent a lot of his free time experimenting with new spells that he was creating. Before Voldemort allowed him to join the Death Eaters, he was required to prove his abilities and loyalties; his task had been to bomb an elementary school. Kieran had killed twenty-four children and three teachers and injured another forty-seven people. It had been one of the largest mass-killings the country had ever seen. And it had been conducted by an eighteen year old.
Dedrick on the other hand was definitely the ruler of the people. He had a personality that even Stephanie had difficulty refusing to listen to. Hermione had described Dedrick as very charismatic and she had said that the younger children had flocked to him during his time at Hogwarts. They would follow his every order without questioning his morals and ethics. That had disturbed Hermione greatly because it meant that Dedrick would be great at recruiting followers for Lord Voldemort.
And he had been. Dedrick was amazing at finding people who were easily persuaded to do horrible things. He did so by promising them many things, including freedom once Voldemort had risen to power. None of these recruits had been allowed to obtain the Dark Mark, but they were still useful to Voldemort. Dedrick was also assisting Voldemort in gaining the support of magical creatures including the giants and dementors. There had been some success in this area.
The task he had to perform before he had been allowed to take the Dark Mark was also a gruesome one. Dedrick had been required to murder the family of a prominent Order of the Phoenix member. It surprised Stephanie that Voldemort hadn’t ordered the killing of the Order member, but she also realized that to the Order member, it was probably as if he had been killed.
Stephanie sat down at the table in her usual chair and waited for Wormtail to bring out breakfast. Dedrick and Kieran looked up at her and immediately stopped their conversation. Kieran smiled when he saw her and Dedrick remained deadpan. Stephanie watched as Kieran reached into his robes and pulled something out.
It was her wand. He placed it on the table and rolled it to her. She picked it up and placed it in her pocket.
“You might want to keep that today.” Dedrick sneered at her. “We don’t want to have to rescue you.”
Stephanie stared at him unscathed. She spoke quietly, though more forcefully than she would have dared to speak to Bellatrix. “Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be just fine.”
“We’ll see about that.” Dedrick laughed. “We heard about your last task and I must say that we are looking forward to seeing you attempt today’s missions. It should be fun.”
Stephanie didn’t respond because she didn’t want to provide any hints about what was to come. She knew that she would do whatever she was ordered to do and she would do them to the best of her abilities. There would be no opportunity for them to “condition” her any longer; she knew that she could not allow that to happen.
Once her breakfast was brought to the table, Stephanie ate in silence while the twins talked animatedly. She went over the many spells she had learned over the years in her mind, trying to commit those she should use to the forefront of her memory. It was important that spells came to her immediately while she was out in the field because even if she took the time to think of something to do she was sure to be punished severely. Again she thought about how she couldn’t let that happen.
After the twins had finished eating their breakfast, they began to stand up and Stephanie knew that it was time to leave. She followed them out the door and off the Lestrange grounds. Once they had passed the anti-Disapparition field, Kieran touched Stephanie’s shoulder and they soon Apparated into a forest.
Stephanie looked around and noticed that there was nothing in the area except a bunch of trees. She was confused why they would bring her there and her mind immediately thought about the last time she had been brought to a forest by a Death Eater. Stephanie pulled out her wand and raised it in front of her.
She heard laughter behind her and she looked at the twins. “What are we doing here?”
“Just wanted to have a little laugh before we began.” Dedrick commented, laughing hysterically. “The look on your face was classic!”
“You’ve had your fun.” Stephanie said, lowering her wand. “Let’s get started. What am I supposed to do?”
“What’s your hurry?” Kieran asked her, having stopped laughing.
“The Dark Lord didn’t send you out here to make fun and I am positive he would not be amused.” Stephanie said threateningly to the two Death Eaters in front of her. The smiles immediately disappeared from their faces. “That’s what I thought. Now, what am I supposed to do?’
“Come on.” Dedrick gestured into the woods. “It’s not far from here.”
The twins began walking and Stephanie followed close behind. They walked for about five minutes before they came to a clearing and Stephanie noticed that there was a bridge up ahead. Stephanie looked in awe at the muggle cars that were packed onto the bridge, probably on their way to London for another day of work. She quickly realized what she was going to have to do, but it didn’t faze her because she had been expecting something like this.
She looked at the twins and asked one more time, “What am I supposed to do?”
Dedrick looked at her solemnly, but Stephanie noticed some amusement in his eyes. “Your choice.”
Stephanie was again confused because she was normally given explicit instructions on what she was required to do. She knew that this had to be some sort of test because she had quite a few options. She could cause widespread destruction or she could just attempt to do something on a small scale. After looking at the bridge for a few moments, Stephanie realized what Voldemort had wanted her to do.
She nodded at the twins and walked closer to the bridge. The twins stayed behind her, but she knew that they were watching her closely with their wands raised and ready to cast a spell if she hesitated or failed on this task. She quickly raised her own wand and began the first spell that came to her mind.
They all watched as the spell hit one column on the bridge and Stephanie quickly conjured the same explosion-causing spell at a column on the other side of the bridge. The bridge crumbled immediately after the spells hit the two columns and Stephanie watched as cars plummeted into the water below. Stephanie heard tires screeching and people screaming.
She turned back to the twins, feeling absolutely nothing about what she had just done. Stephanie knew that she should feel sad about what happened, but these feelings didn’t come to her. To be honest, she was relieved not to feel anything. She found it to be far less exhausting. “Is that it?”
Kieran and Dedrick nodded and were shocked that Stephanie had followed orders so compliantly. They were also surprised that Stephanie was showing such defiance towards them; Stephanie was sure that they had never expected her to behave this way.
Stephanie was surprised with her own behavior as well. She knew that she probably shouldn’t be speaking to the Death Eaters this way, but she decided that it was important to exert all of her energies into surviving. The Dark Lord wanted her to become like Bellatrix, and so she would have to do what he wanted. Bellatrix would never have allowed the others to speak to her as she was being spoken to, so she had to behave this way to please Voldemort.
Kieran walked to her and grabbed her shoulder. Stephanie prepared to be Apparated back to the Lestrange manor, but when they arrived it wasn't where she had expected. They were in front of a two story home that Stephanie had never seen before. Dedrick lifted his wand and cast a spell at the door.
“Alohomora.” He said quietly. The lock clicked and Dedrick opened the door. The twins walked inside and sat on the couch in the living room. Stephanie followed behind slowly and stood in the same room.
She looked around and walked over to the fireplace. There were pictures on the mantle of a middle-aged man and woman. They looked like they were in love, it was sweet. She fingered the picture and then turned to the twins.
“Where are we?” Stephanie asked.
“The home of Emmaline Vance.” Dedrick began. “Snape told us that she will be home this afternoon from whatever she is doing for the Order. So, we wait.”
“The Dark Lord wants her dead, I assume.” Stephanie asked, though she knew what the answer would be.
“Yes.” Kieran answered.
Stephanie sat down on a chair in the corner, across the room from the other two on the couch. They all sat in silence while they waited for Emmaline Vance to return home. Stephanie was a little anxious because she did not want to do it, but she knew she had to. Even though she had most likely killed people on the bridge that morning, this would be the first time she looked directly at someone and killed them. She forced herself not to think about it because the longer she dwelled on it, the more difficult it would be.
Instead, she focused on everything that had frustrated and angered her over the years. She hoped that this would help her perform the task easier. It would at least be a way for her to release everything she had bottled up inside.
Stephanie replayed many experiences over in her mind: being punished for when Harry had told Draco about the Curses, Sirius’ death, her punishment after Sirius’ death, her captivity while her friends ran around free. It just wasn’t fair.
After several hours of sitting in silence, Stephanie felt she was sufficiently angry enough to be able to perform the Killing Curse without hesitation. She removed herself from her thoughts and looked at the identical Death Eaters across the room. They were still staring at her with their wands at the ready and they looked angry.
“What?” She asked them.
“Do you know who this woman is?” Dedrick asked her with a smirk forming on his face.
“You told me she was an Order member.” She answered, unsure what he was trying to get at.
“And why would the Dark Lord want you to be the person to murder this Order member?” Kieran asked her.
“For training.” Stephanie said. She was completely confused because it seemed as if it was an obvious answer. “He has sent me on missions before; I don’t understand what you are trying to say.”
The twins rolled their eyes at each other. Dedrick responded. “You really are disgustingly slow. Get there faster.”
“I don’t know.” Stephanie said quietly. She tried to think why Voldemort would want her to be the one to kill this woman and figured it had something to do with a lesson. Maybe? “To pay her back for something she has done?”
Dedrick laughed at her. He got up from the couch and walked across the room towards her. When he was upon her, he knelt on the floor in front of her.
Meanwhile, Kieran spoke to her from his spot on the couch. “This woman helped take your brother from his sanctuary of your aunt and uncle’s house to the Order headquarters last summer. This caused the Dark Lord to be infuriated and unable to get to him. She protected your brother from harm.”
“Killing Mrs. Vance is a small step in your conditioning. She has risked her life for your brother, and she will die at the hand of his sister.” Dedrick had a sinister grin as he thought about what was going to happen. “The Dark Lord truly loves his irony.”
“We have met your brother.” Kieran spoke up.
“And he is insufferable. Thinks he is a saint; tries to be the hero at every turn.” Dedrick said with disgust, watching Stephanie closely for a reaction. “It is going to be so amazing watching him die at your hand.”
Stephanie didn’t react; she remained silent and still.
“He despises you,” Dedrick whispered in her ear, breaking the silence. “He doesn’t care about anyone except himself and those foolish friends of his. I am positive he would surely kill you if given the chance and it meant saving himself from harm. You have become famous in the past couple of years because of your work with the Dark Lord. He is jealous that you have stolen his spotlight.”
Again, Stephanie remained silent. Even though she had forced herself to feel nothing, she still knew how much Harry and the others cared about her. What he was saying was completely untrue. However, she couldn’t let them know how angry his statements had made her.
“And he will die.” Stephanie glared at Dedrick. “I will make sure that happens. He does not deserve to walk free after I have been a captive for so long.”
“You have shown nothing but weakness.” Kieran almost yelled to her. “How do you expect to be able to murder your own brother, especially after you saved him the graveyard?”
“The Dark Lord wants him dead.” Stephanie breathed, she was seething. “I will make that happen.”
The two scoffed at her. She knew that they didn’t believe her. It angered her that she was eventually going to be ordered to murder her brother, but she knew that she could never allow herself to do it. Even if she was conditioned to do it, she knew it would never happen.
Dedrick got up and walked back to the couch. They sat in silence until the door opened and Emmaline Vance returned home, not expecting to have three Death Eaters waiting for her in the living room. She screamed when she saw Stephanie and lost consciousness when a spell hit her square in the chest.
So here is the latest chapter. I invite you to leave FEEDBACK! It is greatly appreciated. This was a difficult chapter for me to write, though I'm not sure why. That's why it's a little later than I promised. But, I have learned not to promise a chapter until I'm sure that it will be finished. So, all I can promise is that the next one will be up in a few days. Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty-Six: A False Memory
Severus was sitting at the dinner table in the Lestrange manor, across from two of his former students and next to the Dark Lord. The Hargrave twins were there to provide a progress report of how Stephanie had performed earlier that evening. Upon their return a short while ago, Stephanie had been ordered to her room while the men discussed the day’s events.
“I have heard that the bridge collapse was a success,” The Dark Lord began slowly, staring at the twins across the table. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at them. “What about the woman?”
“Dead.” Kieran said matter-of-factly. “Stephanie did surprisingly well and made sure that her muggle neighbors would find the body, so her death will be made public.”
“Very well done.” Severus watched as the Dark Lord raised his wand towards the twins, and Severus did the same. “We shall see how the girl performed.”
Severus pointed his wand at Kieran and the Dark Lord at Dedrick. He cast Legilimens on the teenager and was immediately thrust into Kieran’s mind. It didn’t take him long to find the memory he was looking for and he was soon standing in the middle of a secluded forest.
He watched as his fellow Death Eaters were making fun of the young woman in front of him. It truly surprised him that Stephanie would speak to anyone this way. She was being so forceful, opposite from her usually withdrawn and quiet demeanor. Stephanie had only spoken to him like that once in the time that he had known her: the night she had been released from her cellar after seven days of endless torture. And he was positive that she had only spoken to him that way because she knew him so well. Severus contemplated the new Stephanie he was seeing before him. He knew that she would experience changes in her personality, but he was still shocked at how quickly it had happened. It was almost as if she had purposely allowed it to happen.
He continued to watch as Stephanie was led to the bridge. Because he had already heard about what had happened, Severus knew what Stephanie had decided to do. The Dark Lord had instructed the twins to be vague in their orders so he could see what she would choose to do. Severus knew that Stephanie was a very intelligent girl, and she had chosen the correct way to destroy the bridge. The Dark Lord would be most pleased.
Instead of watching what Stephanie was doing, he kept a close eye on her for any response she may have while completing her task. Her face remained blank and unfeeling; it was as if she was numb to what was going on in front of her. This was different than when he had watched other Death Eaters attack people or memories of himself. They usually got excitement and thrill out of what they were doing. Stephanie was feeling absolutely nothing about what she was being forced to do. This was horrible for Stephanie, but he knew that it might actually save her life. Severus was happy that Stephanie was no longer suffering for what the Dark Lord was doing to the poor girl.
After the twins and Stephanie Disapparated from the scene, the memory fizzled into blackness. Severus withdrew from Kieran’s mind and waited for the Dark Lord to speak about what he had just witnessed.
“Stephanie really is smarter than we give her credit for.” The Dark Lord began, staring angrily at Dedrick. “She was correct; I am not amused.”
“I apologize, my Lord.” Dedrick responded in a loud whisper.
The Dark Lord remained silent for a moment, and then Severus watched as he raised his wand. He pointed it between the twins and Severus saw a bright light come out from the wand. The spell split in two, making a V shape appear outside the wand. The one spell hit both twins and they collapsed to the floor and began screaming in pain. After a few seconds, the Dark Lord lifted the spell.
Dedrick and Kieran remained on the floor for a few minutes and then slowly got up and returned to their seats. They were sweating from the Curse and breathing heavily from the pain. Severus watched the events unperturbed and unconcerned. He felt no sympathy for them. They had been two of his best students in the Slytherin house; the twins should have been smarter than that.
“Was that funny?” Voldemort hissed at his followers.
“No, my Lord.” The twins said in unison.
“When I give you an order, I do not expect you to improvise.” Voldemort said angrily. “Do nothing additional to what I command you unless it benefits me in some way. Did making fun of Stephanie benefit me?”
“No, my Lord.” They responded, again in unison.
The twins remained silent and appeared to be very nervous about their mistake. The Dark Lord didn’t allow the silence to remain very long, however. Severus knew he was a busy man and needed to get down to the matter at hand.
The Dark Lord turned to Severus and spoke. “I am interested to hear what you think of her performance, Severus. However, I believe we should first witness the second mission she was asked to perform.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus said and he once again penetrated Kieran Hargrave’s mind.
Severus was taken into a living room and he noticed Stephanie sitting on a chair in the corner with Dedrick kneeling at her feet. Kieran was stretched out on the couch across the room, listening to their conversation. Severus walked closer to Dedrick to hear what he was saying to the young Potter.
He listened as Stephanie told the Death Eaters that she was going to murder her brother to make the Dark Lord proud. He could tell only because he knew her so well that she was lying, but he was still surprised to hear her speak the words. Severus knew that she was changing and it saddened him that she would never be the same again. The qualities that Stephanie had possessed and which made him fall so deeply in love with Lily Potter would be gone forever. The Dark Lord had succeeded in conditioning Stephanie, though he also knew that Stephanie had to have succumbed to the fact because the change had happened so quickly.
He knew that it was important that Stephanie not fight the conditioning because she had to finally look out for herself. Even though he had predicted the change, it still troubled him to see Stephanie so ruthless. She had been an innocent little girl when they first met her and now she would only get more evil. Severus swallowed heavily as the door opened and Emmaline Vance returned home to her death.
Stephanie raised her wand and silently cast a spell at Emmaline, who screamed in surprise at seeing the three Death Eaters in her living room. The spell hit Emmaline in the chest and she collapsed on the ground. Stephanie walked over to the woman and picked up Emmaline’s wand, putting it in her own robes.
Ropes flew from Stephanie’s wand and bound themselves around Emmaline, restraining her so tightly that Severus saw blood oozing from the wounds. She was awakened only when Stephanie silently cast the countercurse to the Stupefy spell she had conjured to knock the woman unconscious.
Severus watched as Emmaline’s eyes opened and she looked at Stephanie in terror. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. Severus figured that Stephanie had sent a silencing spell at his fellow Order member. Then, Emmaline was lifted into the air and Stephanie moved the woman with a flick of her wand. They walked outside and Severus observed Emmaline’s execution.
Emmaline was taken to a tree outside the home as she continued to fight against the ropes. It was no use because Stephanie had ensured that the ropes continued to tightly bind her. More ropes appeared on a tree branch high in the air and Severus understood how Stephanie had decided to murder Emmaline Vance. He continued watching as Emmaline was lifted into the air and hung from a tree, her neck breaking as she fell. And like that, Stephanie had committed her first direct murder.
He looked at Stephanie before withdrawing from Kieran’s mind. She looked cold and filled with hatred; he almost didn’t recognize her. And with that, Stephanie was no longer the person any of them had known. She was gone; Stephanie had been broken.
Back at the table in the dining room, the Dark Lord had a smile on his face. He clapped his hands in excitement. Severus had rarely seen this man happy and he knew that Stephanie had pleased the Dark Lord to a high degree.
The Dark Lord dismissed the twins and they left the manor quickly and silently. They did not need to be present for the analysis of Stephanie’s behavior. He spoke, still smiling at the events he had just witnessed. “I admit to be surprised this happened so rapidly. What are your thoughts, Severus?”
Severus thought for a moment and then spoke to the Dark Lord. “She did very well. I believe you have succeeded in conditioning her as a Death Eater, my Lord.”
“We shall see if it lasts.” Voldemort responded. “I will continue to test her.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus said. “We must continue to keep an eye on her. She has attempted to fool us before, she could have been faking.”
He knew that Stephanie had been genuine in her experiences that afternoon. But he couldn’t let the Dark Lord know this. Severus must continue to appear suspicious and cautious of the girl.
“I will continue to have her spend time with my followers.” Voldemort said slowly, contemplating his plans for the teenager. “But, I would also like to witness firsthand this change in her personality. When we find the traitor we are seeking, I shall send you and Stephanie to finish him off. She will not know that I am watching her every move.”
“As you wish, my Lord.” Severus answered. “How did your scouting go?”
“It will take more effort than I originally planned.” The Dark Lord again spoke slowly. “Since the dementors abandoned Azkaban, the Aurors have had to guard the prisoners themselves. To make a breakout more difficult, they have separated the high security prisoners in at least four different locations.”
“When were you planning to rescue them?” Severus asked, wondering when the others would be released from their prisons.
“I want them to be imprisoned for awhile before I release them.” Voldemort said with a scowl. “They were incompetent and deserve to be punished more severely than they currently are. However, I was only able to locate two of the facilities and it will take some time to locate the others. It will take some planning, but I am confident it will be much easier than the Azkaban breakout.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus said. “Shall we speak to Stephanie now?”
The Dark Lord nodded and gestured for Severus to summon Stephanie downstairs.
*~*~*~*
Neville Longbottom sat at the dining room table with his Gran that evening for dinner. He loved his Gran but hated spending so much time around her during the summers. She was constantly criticizing him and telling him how disappointed his parents would be of him. Because of this, he had always been so nervous around her.
But she had praised him for his efforts at the Ministry of Magic a few weeks ago. She had told him that he was finally starting to make his parents proud and living up to the Longbottom name. His courage had made her proud and he truly enjoyed making someone feel this way about him. Neville had Stephanie to thank for his newfound bravery and confidence. She had done nothing but encourage him and he was certain that is why he progressed more than the others in Dumbledore’s Army. Stephanie was the only person who had ever believed in him.
Neville and his grandmother were talking about the bridge collapse that had occurred that morning. Gran didn’t believe what the muggles were saying, that it had been “unstable and cracked.” She believed that it was Lord Voldemort launching another attack. Neville didn’t know what to believe. He hoped that it wasn’t the Death Eaters, but there was no telling. Something like this could happen naturally, but the circumstances surrounding it were just too suspicious. People who were there swore that they saw explosions at the base of the bridge immediately before it collapsed, but no explosive materials had been found. If that were true, Lord Voldemort would be the only explanation. And if Lord Voldemort was responsible, that meant that Stephanie was probably involved in some way.
Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a clicking sound at the window. Neville looked up and saw a brown owl pecking at the window with an envelope tied to its foot. His Gran motioned for him to retrieve the letter and he stood to do so. Neville walked over to the window, opened it, and took the parchment from the owl. He reached over to the sink and grabbed a treat for the bird and she took it eagerly. Then she flew out of the window and Neville closed it behind her.
He looked down at the envelope and saw his name scrawled on the front. It surprised him because he never got any mail, except from his grandmother. He wasn’t at Hogwarts, so he doubted that she would send him anything, especially since she was sitting with him in the dining room. He ripped it open eagerly after he returned to his seat at the table, excited that someone was finally writing to him.
Neville knew that he wasn’t the smartest person in Gryffindor, but he quickly realized that being asked to meet with the headmaster during the summer holidays could not be a good thing. The only reason he could think of for his presence being requested at the Burrow was that something was wrong with Stephanie. Something had happened that they couldn’t say in a letter.
Stephanie hadn’t written in the diary for a couple of weeks now and none of his friends had thought anything of it. She had promised them that she was going to be alright, that she just didn’t have time to write to them. Even though she had said this, he carried his copy of the diary with him wherever he went. And it was always open in front of him. He missed seeing her handwriting and he would frequently look back at previous entries just to look at her words.
“Who is it from?” Gran asked Neville after he finished reading the letter.
“Professor Dumbledore.” He responded. “He wants to meet with me and the others at Ron Weasley’s house on August 2. Can I go?”
“Of course, Neville.” Gran answered, smiling at her grandson. “What does he want to speak with you about?”
Neville was happy that his grandmother was allowing him to go. He didn’t know what he would have done if she said no. He hadn’t told Gran about his communication with Stephanie Potter. Though he knew that she could be trusted with the information and would most likely be proud of him for doing this, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her. He needed the others to know that he could be trusted to keep this information a secret. So he lied to his grandmother.
“He probably wants to talk to us about what happened at the Ministry.” He said, knowing that was not what the headmaster wanted to speak with him about.
“Oh, alright.” Gran smiled at him. “What time are they expecting you?”
“They want me over for dinner around 5 p.m.” Neville responded, happy that his grandmother didn’t question him any further. “And they want me to spend the night since Professor Dumbledore won’t arrive until late.”
“How are you getting there?” She asked.
“Floo Network.” Neville answered. “May I be excused, Gran?”
“Sure, hon.” Gran smiled at Neville. He was sure that she was happy that he was finally going over to a friend’s house.
He had never been invited anywhere outside of Hogwarts before. To tell the truth, he was excited as well, even if the reason was so serious. He got up from the table and walked to his room.
Once in his room, his thoughts returned to Stephanie. He was so worried about her now that Dumbledore wanted to talk with them all. What could have happened? Was she okay? He quickly wrote down a response to Professor Dumbledore and sent the family owl to deliver the letter to Hogwarts.
He sat at his window and looked out of it longingly. The more he thought about Stephanie, the more upset he became. It was sad, really. But Stephanie was his best friend and he felt completely lost without having her to talk to. It was sad that he had never met the person he considered his closest friend, the person who knew him best. And it frightened him that he might never get to see her, talk to her, or hug her. It terrified him that she could die without ever getting to meet him.
Neville let the tears stream down his face as he continued looking out his window, wondering where Stephanie was and what she was doing. He hoped that she was doing alright.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie was sitting on her bed while Kieran and Dedrick were downstairs telling the Dark Lord about what had happened that day. The reason she had taken the woman’s wand hadn’t occurred to her, but she placed it in between her mattresses and next to the diary anyway. She figured that it may come in handy some day.
She didn’t feel bad about what had happened because she kept telling herself that Voldemort would have had someone else kill the woman anyway. It wasn’t her that committed the act, it was Voldemort. She couldn’t feel bad about that because she was still a prisoner; Sirius had once told her that and she couldn’t let herself forget it.
There was a knock on the door and Stephanie called for the person to enter. She sat up when Professor Snape walked through her door. Before she could say anything, he waved his wand at her and a small flicker of light hit her skin.
“What was that?” She asked him.
“Nothing.” Snape said, looking her up and down. “The Dark Lord wishes that you accompany us downstairs.”
Stephanie got up and walked down the stairs ahead of Professor Snape. This time she wasn’t nervous about what was going to happen to her because she knew that she had done well. She lifted her chin and walked down the stairs confidently.
Once she was downstairs, Stephanie sat in her usual chair at the dinner table. Voldemort was across from her this time, so she could see his face. Snape sat down next to him. Stephanie was surprised to see a look of delight on the Dark Lord’s face, but it meant that she was not going to be punished. That was a good thing.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort began speaking to her gently. “Do you remember the first time we spoke face to face a little over a year ago?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said.
“I had been amused at how scared you were to be in my presence.” Voldemort smiled and Stephanie remained silent, listening intently to her master. “You were trembling at the sight of me. That is the reaction I expect others to have when they are in the presence of the Dark Lord.
“Since then, you have both pleased and disappointed me. I have gone to great lengths to ensure your unfailing loyalty to me and my followers.” Voldemort paused and he took his eyes off her for a moment. He stared up into the air above her, thinking about what he was going to say next. “There were times when I was very close to killing you for your disobedience, Stephanie.”
She took a deep breath and swallowed hard, though she continued to look at the Dark Lord unwaveringly. The silence was almost deafening though it lasted for only a few moments. Finally, Voldemort looked back at her and continued.
“But I am a merciful Lord. And tonight, Stephanie,” Voldemort again spoke gently. “You have proven that you are capable of being an invaluable asset to my organization. I am proud of what you have accomplished today and the strides you have made.”
“I live only to serve you, master.” Stephanie said quietly.
“And I am beginning to believe that.” Voldemort said with a smile. “But, tell me something. Where did this newfound courage and confidence come from? Two days ago you were unable to murder Amelia Bones and today, not only did you kill many people, you stood up for yourself against Death Eaters more experienced than yourself.”
Stephanie didn’t have to think about how she would respond to this question. “If you remember, my Lord, what I had told you the other night. I said that I could do it and I meant it. They just didn’t give me a chance to perform the task. I wanted to prove myself to you; I wanted to make you proud.”
“And the behavior towards Dedrick and Kieran?” Snape spoke for the first time in an accusatory tone. Stephanie looked over to him as she responded to his question, speaking only to him and almost forgetting that Voldemort was sitting across from her.
“That first morning at the breakfast table, my master had told me that he wished me to become his most feared and admired servant.” Stephanie answered honestly. “He wanted me to become like Bellatrix, and I figured that to do so I couldn’t allow them to speak to me as they were. Bellatrix would never have tolerated that kind of behavior.”
She turned back to Voldemort and looked up at him expectantly. Stephanie was positive that he would have a response for what she had just disclosed to them.
“I am pleased with your revelation, Stephanie.” The Dark Lord said to her tenderly. “You have learned several lessons that I had not expected. You must demand respect to get it. I believe that the time is close when people will both fear and respect you, my dear.”
“May I remind you of our deal, my Lord?” Stephanie asked. She saw Snape look at her curiously with a raised eyebrow.
“Ahh.” Voldemort said, nodding his head. “Of course. You have my permission to verbalize your spells once again. I believe that you deserve the privilege. It is time that you are finally rewarded for your service to me. The more that you accomplish, the more rewards you will reap. Remember that I treat my servants very well, Stephanie, while those that oppose me will suffer greatly.”
“I will always serve you, my Lord.” Stephanie told him and the Dark Lord nodded, smiling at her once again.
“At the Ministry of Magic a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with your brother.” Voldemort said, looking at her for a response. Stephanie remained deadpan, not allowing the Dark Lord to see anything she may be feeling towards her brother. “We had a nice little chat about you. Do you know what he told me?”
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie responded.
“Let me show you.” Stephanie watched as Voldemort got up from his chair and walked to a round object at the far end of the table. He pulled something shiny and stringy from his forehead with his wand and placed it inside the object. “I have been waiting to show this to you, but I feel that the time has come for you to see what your brother truly thinks about you. Please join me, dear.”
Stephanie got up from her seat and walked closer to Lord Voldemort. She looked into his eyes as he encouraged her to continue forward. He instructed her how to use the pensieve in front of her and she followed his lead. Stephanie stuck her finger into the liquid and she was immediately transported to a place she had only been once before.
She landed in the Ministry of Magic with Voldemort at her side. Bellatrix came running into the room and was being chased by Stephanie’s brother, Harry. She didn’t allow any recognition to form on her face as she watched the scene unfold. Harry had told her what had happened when he caught up with Bellatrix and Stephanie watched as her brother cast a Cruciatus Curse at the Death Eater. Bellatrix began laughing hysterically.
“You have to mean it, Potter.” She shrieked in delight. “You don’t have the guts to actually do it!”
Stephanie watched as Harry raised his wand to cast the spell at Bellatrix for a second time. However, he was surprised when his wand flew out of his hand and landed across the room. The memory of Voldemort came into view and walked quickly towards Harry; Stephanie looked at the real Voldemort and he was smiling as he watched the vision.
“We meet once again, Harry Potter.” The memory Voldemort spoke to her brother. “You are too easily fooled. It is amusing how gullible you are.”
Harry just glared at the Dark Lord. He was breathing heavily, but Stephanie could see that he was calm. Similar to the graveyard, Harry refused to show Voldemort how scared he truly was. Stephanie was surprised that she felt nothing for her brother.
“Nothing to say?” Voldemort teased. “Really?”
Harry continued to stare at Voldemort. He finally spoke to the man who was going to kill him. “Do it while you have the chance. I am not afraid of you, Voldemort.”
Stephanie watched and remained calm when the memory of the Dark Lord cast a Cruciatus Curse at her twin brother.
Voldemort hissed at Harry once the Curse was lifted. “How dare you call me by name!”
Harry had collapsed on the floor and was now panting, recovering from the pain of the Curse. Voldemort spoke to him quietly. “Honestly, after she saved you in the graveyard I cannot believe you have not asked about her. Your own flesh and blood. Your own sister.”
Stephanie watched as Harry looked up at the Dark Lord. She was surprised at what came out of his mouth next. “The only thing that unites us is our blood. That is all.”
“You lie.” Voldemort laughed. “I know that you do not mean this.”
“Sirius and Bellatrix are cousins, related by blood.” Harry spat at the Dark Lord. “They are no more alike than Stephanie and me. I despise that traitor.”
“Oh come now, Potter.” The memory of Voldemort was clearly amused at what he was hearing. Stephanie looked over at the real Dark Lord and saw that he was no longer watching the memory. He was staring at her, observing her for some sort of reaction. “Even after she saved your life?”
“She has done nothing but cause fear and destruction.” Harry spoke and Stephanie realized that he had a look of hatred on his face. “If I get the chance, she will pay for what she has done. She will pay for everything, including almost killing my best friend’s father.”
“For that, she was greatly rewarded.” Voldemort spoke highly of Stephanie, as if he cared about her more than Harry did. “She is a faithful servant of mine and I doubt that you would be able to touch her. Stephanie is much more skilled than you could ever dream of being.”
“She will pay.” Harry repeated.
“The foolish girl has clung to the idea that you love her. Is this also not true?” The Dark Lord questioned the teenage boy.
“Love her?” Harry spat. “How could anyone love her?”
Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore came running into the room and the real Voldemort pulled her from the memory.
Stephanie didn’t know what to think about what she had just seen. It couldn’t be real, could it? During her Occlumency lessons, Professor Snape had tried to teach her how to alter her memories. So, she knew that it was possible. Is that what Voldemort had done? Had he altered this memory to convince her that Harry despised her? But it seemed so realistic! And why would her master do something like that? For the first time in her life, Stephanie doubted her brother’s loyalty.
Please leave feedback HERE! So, I really, really, really enjoyed this chapter. My favorite scene to read/write was the one with Neville. I am truly loving developing Neville's character! I would like to thank Ginny.Weasley for her continued insight. She is the reason several things have been added into the story in this and previous chapters! (For example, Voldemort's mission to Azkaban...I was just going to leave that statement and not go into great detail about it). So, thank you!
Also, the next chapter has proven to be very long and emotional for me to write. So, I am not sure when it will be posted. I believe it's almost done, but as I have learned with these last few chapters, I can never tell. I just keep adding more detail to it...but I will try to get it posted sometime this weekend! In the meantime, I hope you continue to read and enjoy my story! Feel free to leave feedback and tell me what you like or even what you don't like!
Severus was sitting at the dinner table in the Lestrange manor, across from two of his former students and next to the Dark Lord. The Hargrave twins were there to provide a progress report of how Stephanie had performed earlier that evening. Upon their return a short while ago, Stephanie had been ordered to her room while the men discussed the day’s events.
“I have heard that the bridge collapse was a success,” The Dark Lord began slowly, staring at the twins across the table. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at them. “What about the woman?”
“Dead.” Kieran said matter-of-factly. “Stephanie did surprisingly well and made sure that her muggle neighbors would find the body, so her death will be made public.”
“Very well done.” Severus watched as the Dark Lord raised his wand towards the twins, and Severus did the same. “We shall see how the girl performed.”
Severus pointed his wand at Kieran and the Dark Lord at Dedrick. He cast Legilimens on the teenager and was immediately thrust into Kieran’s mind. It didn’t take him long to find the memory he was looking for and he was soon standing in the middle of a secluded forest.
He watched as his fellow Death Eaters were making fun of the young woman in front of him. It truly surprised him that Stephanie would speak to anyone this way. She was being so forceful, opposite from her usually withdrawn and quiet demeanor. Stephanie had only spoken to him like that once in the time that he had known her: the night she had been released from her cellar after seven days of endless torture. And he was positive that she had only spoken to him that way because she knew him so well. Severus contemplated the new Stephanie he was seeing before him. He knew that she would experience changes in her personality, but he was still shocked at how quickly it had happened. It was almost as if she had purposely allowed it to happen.
He continued to watch as Stephanie was led to the bridge. Because he had already heard about what had happened, Severus knew what Stephanie had decided to do. The Dark Lord had instructed the twins to be vague in their orders so he could see what she would choose to do. Severus knew that Stephanie was a very intelligent girl, and she had chosen the correct way to destroy the bridge. The Dark Lord would be most pleased.
Instead of watching what Stephanie was doing, he kept a close eye on her for any response she may have while completing her task. Her face remained blank and unfeeling; it was as if she was numb to what was going on in front of her. This was different than when he had watched other Death Eaters attack people or memories of himself. They usually got excitement and thrill out of what they were doing. Stephanie was feeling absolutely nothing about what she was being forced to do. This was horrible for Stephanie, but he knew that it might actually save her life. Severus was happy that Stephanie was no longer suffering for what the Dark Lord was doing to the poor girl.
After the twins and Stephanie Disapparated from the scene, the memory fizzled into blackness. Severus withdrew from Kieran’s mind and waited for the Dark Lord to speak about what he had just witnessed.
“Stephanie really is smarter than we give her credit for.” The Dark Lord began, staring angrily at Dedrick. “She was correct; I am not amused.”
“I apologize, my Lord.” Dedrick responded in a loud whisper.
The Dark Lord remained silent for a moment, and then Severus watched as he raised his wand. He pointed it between the twins and Severus saw a bright light come out from the wand. The spell split in two, making a V shape appear outside the wand. The one spell hit both twins and they collapsed to the floor and began screaming in pain. After a few seconds, the Dark Lord lifted the spell.
Dedrick and Kieran remained on the floor for a few minutes and then slowly got up and returned to their seats. They were sweating from the Curse and breathing heavily from the pain. Severus watched the events unperturbed and unconcerned. He felt no sympathy for them. They had been two of his best students in the Slytherin house; the twins should have been smarter than that.
“Was that funny?” Voldemort hissed at his followers.
“No, my Lord.” The twins said in unison.
“When I give you an order, I do not expect you to improvise.” Voldemort said angrily. “Do nothing additional to what I command you unless it benefits me in some way. Did making fun of Stephanie benefit me?”
“No, my Lord.” They responded, again in unison.
The twins remained silent and appeared to be very nervous about their mistake. The Dark Lord didn’t allow the silence to remain very long, however. Severus knew he was a busy man and needed to get down to the matter at hand.
The Dark Lord turned to Severus and spoke. “I am interested to hear what you think of her performance, Severus. However, I believe we should first witness the second mission she was asked to perform.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus said and he once again penetrated Kieran Hargrave’s mind.
Severus was taken into a living room and he noticed Stephanie sitting on a chair in the corner with Dedrick kneeling at her feet. Kieran was stretched out on the couch across the room, listening to their conversation. Severus walked closer to Dedrick to hear what he was saying to the young Potter.
He listened as Stephanie told the Death Eaters that she was going to murder her brother to make the Dark Lord proud. He could tell only because he knew her so well that she was lying, but he was still surprised to hear her speak the words. Severus knew that she was changing and it saddened him that she would never be the same again. The qualities that Stephanie had possessed and which made him fall so deeply in love with Lily Potter would be gone forever. The Dark Lord had succeeded in conditioning Stephanie, though he also knew that Stephanie had to have succumbed to the fact because the change had happened so quickly.
He knew that it was important that Stephanie not fight the conditioning because she had to finally look out for herself. Even though he had predicted the change, it still troubled him to see Stephanie so ruthless. She had been an innocent little girl when they first met her and now she would only get more evil. Severus swallowed heavily as the door opened and Emmaline Vance returned home to her death.
Stephanie raised her wand and silently cast a spell at Emmaline, who screamed in surprise at seeing the three Death Eaters in her living room. The spell hit Emmaline in the chest and she collapsed on the ground. Stephanie walked over to the woman and picked up Emmaline’s wand, putting it in her own robes.
Ropes flew from Stephanie’s wand and bound themselves around Emmaline, restraining her so tightly that Severus saw blood oozing from the wounds. She was awakened only when Stephanie silently cast the countercurse to the Stupefy spell she had conjured to knock the woman unconscious.
Severus watched as Emmaline’s eyes opened and she looked at Stephanie in terror. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. Severus figured that Stephanie had sent a silencing spell at his fellow Order member. Then, Emmaline was lifted into the air and Stephanie moved the woman with a flick of her wand. They walked outside and Severus observed Emmaline’s execution.
Emmaline was taken to a tree outside the home as she continued to fight against the ropes. It was no use because Stephanie had ensured that the ropes continued to tightly bind her. More ropes appeared on a tree branch high in the air and Severus understood how Stephanie had decided to murder Emmaline Vance. He continued watching as Emmaline was lifted into the air and hung from a tree, her neck breaking as she fell. And like that, Stephanie had committed her first direct murder.
He looked at Stephanie before withdrawing from Kieran’s mind. She looked cold and filled with hatred; he almost didn’t recognize her. And with that, Stephanie was no longer the person any of them had known. She was gone; Stephanie had been broken.
Back at the table in the dining room, the Dark Lord had a smile on his face. He clapped his hands in excitement. Severus had rarely seen this man happy and he knew that Stephanie had pleased the Dark Lord to a high degree.
The Dark Lord dismissed the twins and they left the manor quickly and silently. They did not need to be present for the analysis of Stephanie’s behavior. He spoke, still smiling at the events he had just witnessed. “I admit to be surprised this happened so rapidly. What are your thoughts, Severus?”
Severus thought for a moment and then spoke to the Dark Lord. “She did very well. I believe you have succeeded in conditioning her as a Death Eater, my Lord.”
“We shall see if it lasts.” Voldemort responded. “I will continue to test her.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus said. “We must continue to keep an eye on her. She has attempted to fool us before, she could have been faking.”
He knew that Stephanie had been genuine in her experiences that afternoon. But he couldn’t let the Dark Lord know this. Severus must continue to appear suspicious and cautious of the girl.
“I will continue to have her spend time with my followers.” Voldemort said slowly, contemplating his plans for the teenager. “But, I would also like to witness firsthand this change in her personality. When we find the traitor we are seeking, I shall send you and Stephanie to finish him off. She will not know that I am watching her every move.”
“As you wish, my Lord.” Severus answered. “How did your scouting go?”
“It will take more effort than I originally planned.” The Dark Lord again spoke slowly. “Since the dementors abandoned Azkaban, the Aurors have had to guard the prisoners themselves. To make a breakout more difficult, they have separated the high security prisoners in at least four different locations.”
“When were you planning to rescue them?” Severus asked, wondering when the others would be released from their prisons.
“I want them to be imprisoned for awhile before I release them.” Voldemort said with a scowl. “They were incompetent and deserve to be punished more severely than they currently are. However, I was only able to locate two of the facilities and it will take some time to locate the others. It will take some planning, but I am confident it will be much easier than the Azkaban breakout.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Severus said. “Shall we speak to Stephanie now?”
The Dark Lord nodded and gestured for Severus to summon Stephanie downstairs.
*~*~*~*
Neville Longbottom sat at the dining room table with his Gran that evening for dinner. He loved his Gran but hated spending so much time around her during the summers. She was constantly criticizing him and telling him how disappointed his parents would be of him. Because of this, he had always been so nervous around her.
But she had praised him for his efforts at the Ministry of Magic a few weeks ago. She had told him that he was finally starting to make his parents proud and living up to the Longbottom name. His courage had made her proud and he truly enjoyed making someone feel this way about him. Neville had Stephanie to thank for his newfound bravery and confidence. She had done nothing but encourage him and he was certain that is why he progressed more than the others in Dumbledore’s Army. Stephanie was the only person who had ever believed in him.
Neville and his grandmother were talking about the bridge collapse that had occurred that morning. Gran didn’t believe what the muggles were saying, that it had been “unstable and cracked.” She believed that it was Lord Voldemort launching another attack. Neville didn’t know what to believe. He hoped that it wasn’t the Death Eaters, but there was no telling. Something like this could happen naturally, but the circumstances surrounding it were just too suspicious. People who were there swore that they saw explosions at the base of the bridge immediately before it collapsed, but no explosive materials had been found. If that were true, Lord Voldemort would be the only explanation. And if Lord Voldemort was responsible, that meant that Stephanie was probably involved in some way.
Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a clicking sound at the window. Neville looked up and saw a brown owl pecking at the window with an envelope tied to its foot. His Gran motioned for him to retrieve the letter and he stood to do so. Neville walked over to the window, opened it, and took the parchment from the owl. He reached over to the sink and grabbed a treat for the bird and she took it eagerly. Then she flew out of the window and Neville closed it behind her.
He looked down at the envelope and saw his name scrawled on the front. It surprised him because he never got any mail, except from his grandmother. He wasn’t at Hogwarts, so he doubted that she would send him anything, especially since she was sitting with him in the dining room. He ripped it open eagerly after he returned to his seat at the table, excited that someone was finally writing to him.
Dear Mr. Longbottom,
It is of great importance that you join me at the Burrow on August 2, if you receive permission from your grandmother. Mrs. Weasley will be expecting you through the Floo Network and has invited you for dinner if you wish. Please arrive promptly at 5 p.m.
Please respond to this letter and inform me that you will be coming to the Burrow. Our meeting will occur rather late, so it is expected that you will be spending the night.
I look forward to seeing you on the second.
Professor Dumbledore
It is of great importance that you join me at the Burrow on August 2, if you receive permission from your grandmother. Mrs. Weasley will be expecting you through the Floo Network and has invited you for dinner if you wish. Please arrive promptly at 5 p.m.
Please respond to this letter and inform me that you will be coming to the Burrow. Our meeting will occur rather late, so it is expected that you will be spending the night.
I look forward to seeing you on the second.
Professor Dumbledore
Neville knew that he wasn’t the smartest person in Gryffindor, but he quickly realized that being asked to meet with the headmaster during the summer holidays could not be a good thing. The only reason he could think of for his presence being requested at the Burrow was that something was wrong with Stephanie. Something had happened that they couldn’t say in a letter.
Stephanie hadn’t written in the diary for a couple of weeks now and none of his friends had thought anything of it. She had promised them that she was going to be alright, that she just didn’t have time to write to them. Even though she had said this, he carried his copy of the diary with him wherever he went. And it was always open in front of him. He missed seeing her handwriting and he would frequently look back at previous entries just to look at her words.
“Who is it from?” Gran asked Neville after he finished reading the letter.
“Professor Dumbledore.” He responded. “He wants to meet with me and the others at Ron Weasley’s house on August 2. Can I go?”
“Of course, Neville.” Gran answered, smiling at her grandson. “What does he want to speak with you about?”
Neville was happy that his grandmother was allowing him to go. He didn’t know what he would have done if she said no. He hadn’t told Gran about his communication with Stephanie Potter. Though he knew that she could be trusted with the information and would most likely be proud of him for doing this, he couldn’t bring himself to tell her. He needed the others to know that he could be trusted to keep this information a secret. So he lied to his grandmother.
“He probably wants to talk to us about what happened at the Ministry.” He said, knowing that was not what the headmaster wanted to speak with him about.
“Oh, alright.” Gran smiled at him. “What time are they expecting you?”
“They want me over for dinner around 5 p.m.” Neville responded, happy that his grandmother didn’t question him any further. “And they want me to spend the night since Professor Dumbledore won’t arrive until late.”
“How are you getting there?” She asked.
“Floo Network.” Neville answered. “May I be excused, Gran?”
“Sure, hon.” Gran smiled at Neville. He was sure that she was happy that he was finally going over to a friend’s house.
He had never been invited anywhere outside of Hogwarts before. To tell the truth, he was excited as well, even if the reason was so serious. He got up from the table and walked to his room.
Once in his room, his thoughts returned to Stephanie. He was so worried about her now that Dumbledore wanted to talk with them all. What could have happened? Was she okay? He quickly wrote down a response to Professor Dumbledore and sent the family owl to deliver the letter to Hogwarts.
He sat at his window and looked out of it longingly. The more he thought about Stephanie, the more upset he became. It was sad, really. But Stephanie was his best friend and he felt completely lost without having her to talk to. It was sad that he had never met the person he considered his closest friend, the person who knew him best. And it frightened him that he might never get to see her, talk to her, or hug her. It terrified him that she could die without ever getting to meet him.
Neville let the tears stream down his face as he continued looking out his window, wondering where Stephanie was and what she was doing. He hoped that she was doing alright.
*~*~*~*
Stephanie was sitting on her bed while Kieran and Dedrick were downstairs telling the Dark Lord about what had happened that day. The reason she had taken the woman’s wand hadn’t occurred to her, but she placed it in between her mattresses and next to the diary anyway. She figured that it may come in handy some day.
She didn’t feel bad about what had happened because she kept telling herself that Voldemort would have had someone else kill the woman anyway. It wasn’t her that committed the act, it was Voldemort. She couldn’t feel bad about that because she was still a prisoner; Sirius had once told her that and she couldn’t let herself forget it.
There was a knock on the door and Stephanie called for the person to enter. She sat up when Professor Snape walked through her door. Before she could say anything, he waved his wand at her and a small flicker of light hit her skin.
“What was that?” She asked him.
“Nothing.” Snape said, looking her up and down. “The Dark Lord wishes that you accompany us downstairs.”
Stephanie got up and walked down the stairs ahead of Professor Snape. This time she wasn’t nervous about what was going to happen to her because she knew that she had done well. She lifted her chin and walked down the stairs confidently.
Once she was downstairs, Stephanie sat in her usual chair at the dinner table. Voldemort was across from her this time, so she could see his face. Snape sat down next to him. Stephanie was surprised to see a look of delight on the Dark Lord’s face, but it meant that she was not going to be punished. That was a good thing.
“Stephanie,” Voldemort began speaking to her gently. “Do you remember the first time we spoke face to face a little over a year ago?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie said.
“I had been amused at how scared you were to be in my presence.” Voldemort smiled and Stephanie remained silent, listening intently to her master. “You were trembling at the sight of me. That is the reaction I expect others to have when they are in the presence of the Dark Lord.
“Since then, you have both pleased and disappointed me. I have gone to great lengths to ensure your unfailing loyalty to me and my followers.” Voldemort paused and he took his eyes off her for a moment. He stared up into the air above her, thinking about what he was going to say next. “There were times when I was very close to killing you for your disobedience, Stephanie.”
She took a deep breath and swallowed hard, though she continued to look at the Dark Lord unwaveringly. The silence was almost deafening though it lasted for only a few moments. Finally, Voldemort looked back at her and continued.
“But I am a merciful Lord. And tonight, Stephanie,” Voldemort again spoke gently. “You have proven that you are capable of being an invaluable asset to my organization. I am proud of what you have accomplished today and the strides you have made.”
“I live only to serve you, master.” Stephanie said quietly.
“And I am beginning to believe that.” Voldemort said with a smile. “But, tell me something. Where did this newfound courage and confidence come from? Two days ago you were unable to murder Amelia Bones and today, not only did you kill many people, you stood up for yourself against Death Eaters more experienced than yourself.”
Stephanie didn’t have to think about how she would respond to this question. “If you remember, my Lord, what I had told you the other night. I said that I could do it and I meant it. They just didn’t give me a chance to perform the task. I wanted to prove myself to you; I wanted to make you proud.”
“And the behavior towards Dedrick and Kieran?” Snape spoke for the first time in an accusatory tone. Stephanie looked over to him as she responded to his question, speaking only to him and almost forgetting that Voldemort was sitting across from her.
“That first morning at the breakfast table, my master had told me that he wished me to become his most feared and admired servant.” Stephanie answered honestly. “He wanted me to become like Bellatrix, and I figured that to do so I couldn’t allow them to speak to me as they were. Bellatrix would never have tolerated that kind of behavior.”
She turned back to Voldemort and looked up at him expectantly. Stephanie was positive that he would have a response for what she had just disclosed to them.
“I am pleased with your revelation, Stephanie.” The Dark Lord said to her tenderly. “You have learned several lessons that I had not expected. You must demand respect to get it. I believe that the time is close when people will both fear and respect you, my dear.”
“May I remind you of our deal, my Lord?” Stephanie asked. She saw Snape look at her curiously with a raised eyebrow.
“Ahh.” Voldemort said, nodding his head. “Of course. You have my permission to verbalize your spells once again. I believe that you deserve the privilege. It is time that you are finally rewarded for your service to me. The more that you accomplish, the more rewards you will reap. Remember that I treat my servants very well, Stephanie, while those that oppose me will suffer greatly.”
“I will always serve you, my Lord.” Stephanie told him and the Dark Lord nodded, smiling at her once again.
“At the Ministry of Magic a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to speak with your brother.” Voldemort said, looking at her for a response. Stephanie remained deadpan, not allowing the Dark Lord to see anything she may be feeling towards her brother. “We had a nice little chat about you. Do you know what he told me?”
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie responded.
“Let me show you.” Stephanie watched as Voldemort got up from his chair and walked to a round object at the far end of the table. He pulled something shiny and stringy from his forehead with his wand and placed it inside the object. “I have been waiting to show this to you, but I feel that the time has come for you to see what your brother truly thinks about you. Please join me, dear.”
Stephanie got up from her seat and walked closer to Lord Voldemort. She looked into his eyes as he encouraged her to continue forward. He instructed her how to use the pensieve in front of her and she followed his lead. Stephanie stuck her finger into the liquid and she was immediately transported to a place she had only been once before.
She landed in the Ministry of Magic with Voldemort at her side. Bellatrix came running into the room and was being chased by Stephanie’s brother, Harry. She didn’t allow any recognition to form on her face as she watched the scene unfold. Harry had told her what had happened when he caught up with Bellatrix and Stephanie watched as her brother cast a Cruciatus Curse at the Death Eater. Bellatrix began laughing hysterically.
“You have to mean it, Potter.” She shrieked in delight. “You don’t have the guts to actually do it!”
Stephanie watched as Harry raised his wand to cast the spell at Bellatrix for a second time. However, he was surprised when his wand flew out of his hand and landed across the room. The memory of Voldemort came into view and walked quickly towards Harry; Stephanie looked at the real Voldemort and he was smiling as he watched the vision.
“We meet once again, Harry Potter.” The memory Voldemort spoke to her brother. “You are too easily fooled. It is amusing how gullible you are.”
Harry just glared at the Dark Lord. He was breathing heavily, but Stephanie could see that he was calm. Similar to the graveyard, Harry refused to show Voldemort how scared he truly was. Stephanie was surprised that she felt nothing for her brother.
“Nothing to say?” Voldemort teased. “Really?”
Harry continued to stare at Voldemort. He finally spoke to the man who was going to kill him. “Do it while you have the chance. I am not afraid of you, Voldemort.”
Stephanie watched and remained calm when the memory of the Dark Lord cast a Cruciatus Curse at her twin brother.
Voldemort hissed at Harry once the Curse was lifted. “How dare you call me by name!”
Harry had collapsed on the floor and was now panting, recovering from the pain of the Curse. Voldemort spoke to him quietly. “Honestly, after she saved you in the graveyard I cannot believe you have not asked about her. Your own flesh and blood. Your own sister.”
Stephanie watched as Harry looked up at the Dark Lord. She was surprised at what came out of his mouth next. “The only thing that unites us is our blood. That is all.”
“You lie.” Voldemort laughed. “I know that you do not mean this.”
“Sirius and Bellatrix are cousins, related by blood.” Harry spat at the Dark Lord. “They are no more alike than Stephanie and me. I despise that traitor.”
“Oh come now, Potter.” The memory of Voldemort was clearly amused at what he was hearing. Stephanie looked over at the real Dark Lord and saw that he was no longer watching the memory. He was staring at her, observing her for some sort of reaction. “Even after she saved your life?”
“She has done nothing but cause fear and destruction.” Harry spoke and Stephanie realized that he had a look of hatred on his face. “If I get the chance, she will pay for what she has done. She will pay for everything, including almost killing my best friend’s father.”
“For that, she was greatly rewarded.” Voldemort spoke highly of Stephanie, as if he cared about her more than Harry did. “She is a faithful servant of mine and I doubt that you would be able to touch her. Stephanie is much more skilled than you could ever dream of being.”
“She will pay.” Harry repeated.
“The foolish girl has clung to the idea that you love her. Is this also not true?” The Dark Lord questioned the teenage boy.
“Love her?” Harry spat. “How could anyone love her?”
Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore came running into the room and the real Voldemort pulled her from the memory.
Stephanie didn’t know what to think about what she had just seen. It couldn’t be real, could it? During her Occlumency lessons, Professor Snape had tried to teach her how to alter her memories. So, she knew that it was possible. Is that what Voldemort had done? Had he altered this memory to convince her that Harry despised her? But it seemed so realistic! And why would her master do something like that? For the first time in her life, Stephanie doubted her brother’s loyalty.
*****
Please leave feedback HERE!
So, I really, really, really enjoyed this chapter. My favorite scene to read/write was the one with Neville. I am truly loving developing Neville's character! I would like to thank Ginny.Weasley for her continued insight. She is the reason several things have been added into the story in this and previous chapters! (For example, Voldemort's mission to Azkaban...I was just going to leave that statement and not go into great detail about it). So, thank you!Also, the next chapter has proven to be very long and emotional for me to write. So, I am not sure when it will be posted. I believe it's almost done, but as I have learned with these last few chapters, I can never tell. I just keep adding more detail to it...but I will try to get it posted sometime this weekend! In the meantime, I hope you continue to read and enjoy my story! Feel free to leave feedback and tell me what you like or even what you don't like!
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Saying Goodbye
Harry walked up to the Burrow in anticipation with Professor Dumbledore at his side. He had just been removed from his aunt and uncle’s home on Privet Drive and would be spending the rest of the summer with his friends. Harry yawned because it was extremely late at night and he was very tired; he had spent the last couple of hours trying to convince an old friend of Dumbledore’s to return to Hogwarts as a professor.
Dumbledore knocked on the door and Mrs. Weasley answered excitedly. She looked Harry over with concern. “You look so thin! Oh my, come in, come in!”
Harry walked inside, looked around, and dropped his trunk next to the door. It felt so good to finally return to his best friend’s home.
“Has he arrived?” Dumbledore asked quietly, looking at Mrs. Weasley.
“Yes, only a few moments ago.” Mrs. Weasley nodded. “He is waiting in the kitchen and the children are sleeping upstairs.”
“I apologize, Molly, but I’m afraid that this cannot wait until morning since I have pressing matters to attend to and this is very important. Could you please wake and bring them all downstairs?” He asked the excited redheaded mother.
“Of course, Albus.” She said and quickly ran up the stairs to gather the children.
Harry looked at the headmaster with worry. What could this be about and why couldn’t it wait until morning? And who was in the kitchen?
“We will tell you shortly, Harry.” Professor Dumbledore said to him, patting him on the shoulder. “I promise you.”
Soon after, Harry watched as five people came down the stairs, four of them rubbing their eyes groggily. He wasn’t surprised to see Hermione, Ron, and Ginny but he hadn’t expected to see Neville at the Burrow. This had something to do with Stephanie, he realized immediately.
“What’s wrong?” Harry asked hurriedly of his professor, his eyes open wide. He was no longer tired. Mrs. Weasley silently went and retrieved the man in the kitchen.
“Oh, Harry. It is so great to see you!” Hermione said, rushing to give Harry a hug. He didn’t feel like hugging anyone at that moment, but he allowed his friend to do so. All he cared about was his sister. “We’ve been so worried about you!”
Harry glared at the man who walked into the living room. He had to restrain himself from leaping up and attacking the man. He bellowed at him instead. “Snape! What happened to Stephanie?”
“Professor Snape.” Snape emphasized the word professor and gave Harry a menacing glare.
“Please, children.” Dumbledore spoke gently, gesturing to the couch in front of him while Mrs. Weasley went upstairs. “Have a seat. We have some things to discuss with you this evening. Professor Snape is here to provide much more detailed information than I can give you.”
Harry sat on the couch in between Hermione and Ron, with Ginny on the floor at his feet. Neville sat on the arm of the couch next to Ron. Snape and Dumbledore sat in two chairs opposite the five students.
“First, I need to inform you that Stephanie has taken the Dark Mark upon her left forearm.” Snape began cautiously, planning every word very carefully.
“What?!?” Harry and Neville exclaimed in unison. Harry leaned forward to listen more intently.
“Shortly after the Ministry attack, the Dark Lord decided it was important to make Stephanie an official Death Eater.” Professor Snape told them.
“She didn’t want to do it, did she?” Ginny asked hopefully, squeezing Harry’s leg.
“Of course not.” Snape answered as if the question had been a stupid and thoughtless one. “But she knew that she had to, so she did not resist when the Dark Lord told her of his plans.”
“Is it permanent?” Harry asked, concerned that his sister had received a second brand that she did not want nor deserve to have.
“Yes, it is.” Hermione spoke up knowingly and Harry looked at his friend. “Even if Voldemort were to be defeated, there is no way to remove the Mark once it is burned onto the skin.”
Harry closed his eyes and shook his head. He couldn’t believe that Stephanie had been forced to take the Mark. He understood that she had no choice and did not blame her for what she had allowed to happen. All he cared about was that she was safe.
“I believe she would not wish for you to know this information.” Snape looked at Harry directly. “But it is important for you to know, since it will be common knowledge eventually anyway.”
“You must understand that she did not want this to happen and it does not change who she is or what she is doing.” Professor Dumbledore spoke to his students.
“Of course we would never blame her!” Neville responded and the others nodded in agreement.
“Good. Now, I need to know what Stephanie has told you about the recent events she has participated in, witnessed, and heard about.” Snape commanded of the students.
“Nothing.” Hermione said. “She told us that she would be too busy to write in the diary and she hasn’t written anything for a couple of weeks now.”
“She hasn’t told you anything?” Dumbledore asked, surprised to hear that Stephanie had stopped utilizing the diaries for support.
“Not a thing.” Neville answered slowly. He shook his head. “We have been a little concerned, but she told us that she would be fine.”
“What is going on?” Harry asked looking from Snape to Dumbledore. He was getting really worried about what was happening to his sister. “Why are you asking this?”
Dumbledore and Snape looked at each other for a moment and Dumbledore finally spoke to Harry directly. The headmaster’s bright blue eyes were piercing him. “I am sorry to have to say this, Harry. But your sister is in a little bit of trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” He asked his headmaster. “Worse than taking the Dark Mark? How bad is it?”
“The night of Sirius’ death, she mistakenly showed the Dark Lord how much she cares for you.” Professor Snape told Harry in a voice that displayed a rather large amount of disgust. “When she heard the Dark Lord and Bellatrix return to the manor, she slipped out of her room and sat on the top of the stairs to learn of your fate. When he confronted her, the Dark Lord realized her purpose for disobeying his orders to remain in her room and she was punished severely for the next seven days.
“When her punishment was finally over, the Dark Lord explained to her that she was going to be trained to follow his orders obediently.” Snape paused, awaiting Harry’s angered response. “He is conditioning her to think and act a certain way.”
Harry was shocked that his sister would do something like that. It didn’t seem like her; he had always thought of her as the sensible one. But, he could certainly understand why she had done what she did; he probably would have done the same thing. “How was she punished?”
“I am afraid we cannot disclose that information if she has not told you herself.” Dumbledore told him.
“But, I have to know!” He said, raising his voice and standing up. How could they not tell him what his sister was going through? He needed to do something to help her.
“You have no right to know.” Snape reprimanded him. “These are her experiences and she will share what she wishes you to know. It is reactions like these that cannot happen around your sister.”
“You said something about conditioning…?” Ginny asked, trying to change the subject. She was rubbing Harry’s leg from her position on the floor and Harry sat back on the couch as Snape answered Ginny’s question.
“The Dark Lord is punishing her for displaying emotions such as empathy and concern for anyone. She is also being punished for hesitating to cast a spell after being given an order to do so.” Snape continued in his signature monotone voice. “The Dark Lord has ordered that she be surrounded by Death Eaters at all times so they may monitor her for these symptoms of weakness.”
“But she will not allow them to change her!” Hermione cried out. “I know her and she is so strong. She will never let that happen.”
“You are very naïve, Miss Granger.” Snape almost chuckled. “A few days ago she was sent on her first mission during this conditioning and she realized that she could no longer resist. I am happy to report that Ms. Potter has finally decided to take care of herself for once, instead of focus all of her energy on Mr. Potter. She will do what she can to survive, and she knows that she must follow this regimen.
“Mr. Potter, do you remember Emmaline Vance? She was a woman who had helped to take you to headquarters last summer.” Snape looked at Harry expectantly.
Harry nodded and Hermione let out a little cry.
“I believe you are unaware that she has been murdered. This occurred a few days after Stephanie’s first conditioning mission. She has realized that she can no longer resist the attempts of the Dark Lord and the change has occurred almost overnight.” Snape was saying, but Harry could no longer hear him. He couldn’t understand what was going on.
“Change. What do you mean? Change?” Harry asked slowly. He didn’t want to hear the answer to his question. Ginny gently took his hand and squeezed it, while Neville patted his shoulder in a supportive gesture.
“Harry, your sister murdered Emmaline Vance.” Professor Dumbledore told him softly, eyeing him with concern. “Because it has been on the muggle news almost nonstop for the last few days, I am sure that you are aware that a bridge collapsed just north of London as well. Stephanie is responsible for this, too.”
“I am sure that she didn’t want to do this.” Harry couldn’t believe what they were saying. He refused to believe that his sister was capable of something like this.
“She may not have wanted to do it, but she realized that she has to.” Snape began to explain the process that Stephanie was likely to have experienced. “Stephanie was not given any direction with the bridge; she was only ordered to cause some sort of destruction. She chose to collapse it and, instead of harming only a few individuals, she caused the death of seventeen people.
“With Emmaline, she was only ordered to murder her. Stephanie did much more than just kill her. We have already seen the change that has begun to form in her personality. The Dark Lord was most surprised that it happened so quickly and he is utilizing it to its fullest potential.” Harry eyed Snape to look for some sort of emotion. His professor’s expression was completely blank and Harry couldn’t tell whether Snape had been happy to see this change in Stephanie or not. Snape obviously didn’t care that his sister was turning into a monster!
“We are hoping the damages are reparable, but you must be prepared for the possibility that she may never again be the person you once knew.” Professor Dumbledore told the students.
Harry sat in silence for a moment as he contemplated what he was being told. He was so angry that no one was doing anything to protect her. How could they leave her in that situation? She must be so miserable! He was so angry with himself for not doing anything to help her. There must be something he could do. He knew that he had to try and rescue her from that situation.
Hermione asked the question that Harry was already thinking. “Why can’t we just get her out of there? Wouldn’t that solve the problem? I know there are circumstances we all don’t understand, but there must be some way around that.”
“We have talked about this in great depth and I regret to say that she must stay put for the time being.” Dumbledore said sadly. “There are many more lives at risk than just Stephanie’s if we remove her at the present time. We will get to her as soon as we can, but until that time comes we can only hope that the damage is not too extensive.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Ron asked.
“You must be prepared for what will happen.” Snape said. “If she were to make contact in the diaries, you all must remain supportive. In the near future, she may even have contact with you in person. You may feel the same towards her as you do now, but you must realize that she will not be the same person you once knew. She will attempt to hurt you and she may even attempt to kill you. It is very important that you understand it is the conditioning she has received and it is not her doing these things.”
“We would never blame her for things she is being forced to do!” Neville exclaimed once again and several eyes turned to Ginny. She looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact.
“That may be true,” Dumbledore began, ignoring the stares at Ginny. “But, even though she has been conditioned to behave and think in such a way, there may come a time that she is not given an order to perform a task she chooses to do. This may even include attempting to assassinate her own brother.”
“She would never do such a thing!” Harry almost shouted, refusing to believe what they were telling him.
“She will.” Snape said. “And when we finally remove her from the situation, you must all continue to be supportive. Stephanie will be angry and aggressive, but you must continue to show her the love and care that you feel for her now. It will be an essential component of her healing. No matter how angry you may be with her, you must not allow her see it.”
“That is very important to remember, do you think you can all attempt to do this?” Professor Dumbledore asked of the students and each nodded in response.
“If this change is so extreme,” Ginny began her question slowly. She looked directly at Professor Snape with concern in her eyes. “Are you worried that Stephanie will tell Voldemort about your connections with the Order?”
“How dare you!” Harry bellowed angrily, standing up forcefully and startling Ginny who was at his feet. “How could you even think that Stephanie would do that? I thought you cared about her.”
The others stood to restrain him as Harry lost control. Ginny scrambled to her feet and backed away from her irate friend.
“I’m sorry, Harry. I do care about her!” Ginny said, looking at Harry apologetically. “I didn’t mean anything by the question.”
“Sit down, Potter!” Snape roared at him. He just breathed heavily and remained where he was. “All of you!”
The others let Harry go and returned to their seats, but Harry continued to stand and he glared at Ginny angrily. How could she question Stephanie’s loyalties like that? He trusted Ginny and she had thought of Stephanie only as a traitor. He was fuming.
“I said SIT, Potter!” Snape commanded again through clenched teeth, pointing his wand at Harry. Harry could tell that his professor was getting furious as well.
Harry complied hesitantly with the orders, sitting in his previous spot on the couch. Ginny had moved and stood next to Neville, who was holding her hand supportively. Harry couldn’t look at Ginny anymore.
“To answer your question, Miss Weasley.” Snape began in an irritated voice while continuing to stare at Harry. “Yes, I have thought of that and I am positive that she will eventually feel the need to do so. And I have taken the liberties to make sure that this does not happen.”
“She would never do something like that!” Harry continued to argue with this idea. He could never believe that his sister would allow such a drastic change to occur where she would betray them like that.
Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed it. She looked into his eyes and spoke to him gently. “Harry, we have to remember that she does not want to become this person. It is what Voldemort is doing to her. To best protect her and then to rescue her, we must be as supportive as we can. Even if she does things that we do not agree with, we must understand that it isn’t her. So, she may do horrible things like that and you have to be prepared for this. But never forget how much you love her and I am positive that she will be all right.”
The others nodded to show their support and Harry understood what she was trying to say. He turned to Ginny who looked absolutely frightened and he apologized. Harry got up from his seat and wrapped her in a hug.
“I’m sorry, Ginny.” He apologized again. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything.”
“It’s alright.” Ginny said, smiling, though Harry could see that he had really hurt her. It seemed like he couldn’t do anything right.
“Now,” Snape said, reaching into his robes. “Stephanie has written each of you a letter that I wish to give you this evening. I can only assume what this means and I will verify with you once you have read them.”
Harry waited in anticipation as Professor Snape handed out the envelopes with each of his friends’ names printed neatly on the outside. Finally, Snape handed him his and he ripped open the envelope and read the letter his sister had written him. He didn’t care who saw him, he couldn’t help himself. The tears streamed from his eyes at his sister’s handwriting as he read her goodbye.
When they had all read their letters, it was decided that they would read them aloud. Neville volunteered to go first.
But before Neville could begin reading, Professor Dumbledore stood. “I believe we should leave them alone, Severus. This information is likely to be very personal as was the information written in the diaries.”
“That’s alright, professor.” Harry told the headmaster. “Stephanie wants you to hear these too.”
Snape and Dumbledore looked at Harry questioningly, but he said nothing else. Dumbledore sat down in his chair and Neville began to read.
Neville wiped the tears from his eyes and Harry could tell that he was having a difficult time finishing the letter. Neville looked at the others and asked a question. “What did I do for her? All I did was tell her some stories about my past.”
“She knew that it was very difficult for you to do that.” Hermione said, wiping the tears from her own eyes. Dumbledore got up and grabbed a box of tissues and handed it to the students in front of him. Harry noticed that even Dumbledore’s eyes were watery.
“Your strength gave her hope that she could overcome this.” Ginny said, looking at Neville with support. “Actually, you inspired all of us to share more openly with Stephanie.”
“I didn’t mean to.” Neville muttered and everyone laughed.
Ron opened his letter again and read his to the crowd.
Ron barely ever showed emotion, but Harry noticed that he had also begun to cry. Hermione and Ginny were crying almost uncontrollably and he had even shed some tears of his own during the reading of this last letter. Stephanie truly had a lot to say in these personalized letters.
“She admitted that she’s scared, Ron.” Hermione said, smiling through her tears.
“I know, I read it.” Ron said and Harry could tell that he wasn’t sure why Hermione had brought that up.
“She never admits how scared she is.” Harry told his best friend. “Just like she never says that she loves someone.”
“It shows how much she cares for you, Ron.” Hermione said with a smile. “I doubt she mentioned her fears to anyone else and she chose you.”
“Why me?” Ron asked.
“Because she knows you need to hear it more than anyone else.” Neville said, understanding Stephanie completely. “You two haven’t shared as much as the rest of us. She hopes that this will help you understand her a little better.”
“I believe that you are quite right, Mr. Longbottom.” Professor Dumbledore said, smiling at Neville. Harry was also impressed with the insight Neville had shown. He hadn’t realized until that moment how much Neville really cared about his sister. It was comforting to be with these people who loved his sister and who would do almost anything for her.
Neville blushed and Ginny broke the silence by offering to go next. Everyone was waiting for Harry and Hermione to go last, since theirs would be the most personal and were likely to be the longest.
Ginny finished reading her letter and wiped her eyes with a tissue. It had taken her twice as long as the others to read it aloud because she frequently had to stop and take a deep breath.
“She doesn’t owe any of us anything.” Ginny said, sadly. “I did that because I wanted to.”
“When she finally gets out of there, you can tell her that.” Ron said, understanding that Stephanie would truly do what she could to protect his sister, to protect any of them. He admired Stephanie for her bravery.
To break the serious tone of the conversation, Neville looked at Ginny teasingly and asked what was on the minds of the three boys. “So, Ginny. Who do you have a crush on?”
She threw a pillow at Neville’s head and he ducked, barely avoiding the object. They all laughed as Ginny stated firmly, “none of your business!”
“It has to be one of you two.” Ron said, pointing to Harry and Neville. “Since Stephanie doesn’t know anyone else.”
Ginny blushed and Hermione came to her rescue. “Stephanie has heard quite a bit about the students at Hogwarts from Malfoy. Let it be.”
“Oh, yeah.” Ron admitted. No one said anything and Harry silently wondered who Ginny could have a crush on. He hadn’t seen her act shyly around anyone in particular, but she was definitely good at hiding things. They all looked at Hermione expectantly.
Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and looked down at her letter for a few moments. Harry reached over and squeezed her hand. He understood how difficult it was to read these letters, but it also felt good sharing them. She sniffled and began to read the letter from Stephanie.
Hermione stopped reading and continued staring at her letter. Everyone sat in silence for a few moments as they thought about what Stephanie must be going through. Harry couldn’t believe that his sister was saying so much. He knew how much pain his sister must be in to be saying goodbye to her only means of support.
“She knows we would never blame her, doesn’t she?” Ron asked.
“Of course she does.” Hermione said, wiping more tears from her face. “But she is struggling with everything that she is being forced to do. It hurts her so much that I am afraid she is blaming herself for allowing this to happen.”
“I believe that I have the answer to that.” Harry said slowly, lifting his letter in the air so the others could see.
He looked at Dumbledore who was staring at him with deep concern. The others remained silent, waiting for him to begin reading the letter. He took a deep breath and prepared himself because he knew that it would be very difficult to make it all the way through the letter without crying.
Harry finished his letter and they all sat in silence for a long time. Everyone was in shock after listening to what Stephanie had had to say. He looked around the room and noticed Hermione’s attention had turned back to her letter. She was just staring at the end of her letter, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Harry realized that Hermione hadn’t read her entire letter. Stephanie had written something to Hermione that she didn’t want to share with the rest of them. He wondered what that could be and made a mental note to ask her about it later.
His eyes turned to Professor Snape and he realized that Snape was the only person who had not been crying. In fact, he was not showing any emotion at all. Did he really not care about Stephanie? After all that Snape had done for his sister and the amount of time he had spent with her. How could Snape be so cold?
Here is this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Honestly, I almost cried every time I read through it, especially the letter to Harry. There was so much emotion put into this chapter and I have to say it's one of my favorites so far! I'd be interested to hear what you think!
I apologize that the next one won't be posted for at least a week, probably longer. Next week is very hectic for me with my last week at work, finals, job interviews, graduation, and moving. Then it's almost Christmas (and hopefully moving again). I'll try to get the next chapter posted before the holiday, but I don't know how realistic that is since I haven't even started it. Sorry to keep you waiting.
Harry walked up to the Burrow in anticipation with Professor Dumbledore at his side. He had just been removed from his aunt and uncle’s home on Privet Drive and would be spending the rest of the summer with his friends. Harry yawned because it was extremely late at night and he was very tired; he had spent the last couple of hours trying to convince an old friend of Dumbledore’s to return to Hogwarts as a professor.
Dumbledore knocked on the door and Mrs. Weasley answered excitedly. She looked Harry over with concern. “You look so thin! Oh my, come in, come in!”
Harry walked inside, looked around, and dropped his trunk next to the door. It felt so good to finally return to his best friend’s home.
“Has he arrived?” Dumbledore asked quietly, looking at Mrs. Weasley.
“Yes, only a few moments ago.” Mrs. Weasley nodded. “He is waiting in the kitchen and the children are sleeping upstairs.”
“I apologize, Molly, but I’m afraid that this cannot wait until morning since I have pressing matters to attend to and this is very important. Could you please wake and bring them all downstairs?” He asked the excited redheaded mother.
“Of course, Albus.” She said and quickly ran up the stairs to gather the children.
Harry looked at the headmaster with worry. What could this be about and why couldn’t it wait until morning? And who was in the kitchen?
“We will tell you shortly, Harry.” Professor Dumbledore said to him, patting him on the shoulder. “I promise you.”
Soon after, Harry watched as five people came down the stairs, four of them rubbing their eyes groggily. He wasn’t surprised to see Hermione, Ron, and Ginny but he hadn’t expected to see Neville at the Burrow. This had something to do with Stephanie, he realized immediately.
“What’s wrong?” Harry asked hurriedly of his professor, his eyes open wide. He was no longer tired. Mrs. Weasley silently went and retrieved the man in the kitchen.
“Oh, Harry. It is so great to see you!” Hermione said, rushing to give Harry a hug. He didn’t feel like hugging anyone at that moment, but he allowed his friend to do so. All he cared about was his sister. “We’ve been so worried about you!”
Harry glared at the man who walked into the living room. He had to restrain himself from leaping up and attacking the man. He bellowed at him instead. “Snape! What happened to Stephanie?”
“Professor Snape.” Snape emphasized the word professor and gave Harry a menacing glare.
“Please, children.” Dumbledore spoke gently, gesturing to the couch in front of him while Mrs. Weasley went upstairs. “Have a seat. We have some things to discuss with you this evening. Professor Snape is here to provide much more detailed information than I can give you.”
Harry sat on the couch in between Hermione and Ron, with Ginny on the floor at his feet. Neville sat on the arm of the couch next to Ron. Snape and Dumbledore sat in two chairs opposite the five students.
“First, I need to inform you that Stephanie has taken the Dark Mark upon her left forearm.” Snape began cautiously, planning every word very carefully.
“What?!?” Harry and Neville exclaimed in unison. Harry leaned forward to listen more intently.
“Shortly after the Ministry attack, the Dark Lord decided it was important to make Stephanie an official Death Eater.” Professor Snape told them.
“She didn’t want to do it, did she?” Ginny asked hopefully, squeezing Harry’s leg.
“Of course not.” Snape answered as if the question had been a stupid and thoughtless one. “But she knew that she had to, so she did not resist when the Dark Lord told her of his plans.”
“Is it permanent?” Harry asked, concerned that his sister had received a second brand that she did not want nor deserve to have.
“Yes, it is.” Hermione spoke up knowingly and Harry looked at his friend. “Even if Voldemort were to be defeated, there is no way to remove the Mark once it is burned onto the skin.”
Harry closed his eyes and shook his head. He couldn’t believe that Stephanie had been forced to take the Mark. He understood that she had no choice and did not blame her for what she had allowed to happen. All he cared about was that she was safe.
“I believe she would not wish for you to know this information.” Snape looked at Harry directly. “But it is important for you to know, since it will be common knowledge eventually anyway.”
“You must understand that she did not want this to happen and it does not change who she is or what she is doing.” Professor Dumbledore spoke to his students.
“Of course we would never blame her!” Neville responded and the others nodded in agreement.
“Good. Now, I need to know what Stephanie has told you about the recent events she has participated in, witnessed, and heard about.” Snape commanded of the students.
“Nothing.” Hermione said. “She told us that she would be too busy to write in the diary and she hasn’t written anything for a couple of weeks now.”
“She hasn’t told you anything?” Dumbledore asked, surprised to hear that Stephanie had stopped utilizing the diaries for support.
“Not a thing.” Neville answered slowly. He shook his head. “We have been a little concerned, but she told us that she would be fine.”
“What is going on?” Harry asked looking from Snape to Dumbledore. He was getting really worried about what was happening to his sister. “Why are you asking this?”
Dumbledore and Snape looked at each other for a moment and Dumbledore finally spoke to Harry directly. The headmaster’s bright blue eyes were piercing him. “I am sorry to have to say this, Harry. But your sister is in a little bit of trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” He asked his headmaster. “Worse than taking the Dark Mark? How bad is it?”
“The night of Sirius’ death, she mistakenly showed the Dark Lord how much she cares for you.” Professor Snape told Harry in a voice that displayed a rather large amount of disgust. “When she heard the Dark Lord and Bellatrix return to the manor, she slipped out of her room and sat on the top of the stairs to learn of your fate. When he confronted her, the Dark Lord realized her purpose for disobeying his orders to remain in her room and she was punished severely for the next seven days.
“When her punishment was finally over, the Dark Lord explained to her that she was going to be trained to follow his orders obediently.” Snape paused, awaiting Harry’s angered response. “He is conditioning her to think and act a certain way.”
Harry was shocked that his sister would do something like that. It didn’t seem like her; he had always thought of her as the sensible one. But, he could certainly understand why she had done what she did; he probably would have done the same thing. “How was she punished?”
“I am afraid we cannot disclose that information if she has not told you herself.” Dumbledore told him.
“But, I have to know!” He said, raising his voice and standing up. How could they not tell him what his sister was going through? He needed to do something to help her.
“You have no right to know.” Snape reprimanded him. “These are her experiences and she will share what she wishes you to know. It is reactions like these that cannot happen around your sister.”
“You said something about conditioning…?” Ginny asked, trying to change the subject. She was rubbing Harry’s leg from her position on the floor and Harry sat back on the couch as Snape answered Ginny’s question.
“The Dark Lord is punishing her for displaying emotions such as empathy and concern for anyone. She is also being punished for hesitating to cast a spell after being given an order to do so.” Snape continued in his signature monotone voice. “The Dark Lord has ordered that she be surrounded by Death Eaters at all times so they may monitor her for these symptoms of weakness.”
“But she will not allow them to change her!” Hermione cried out. “I know her and she is so strong. She will never let that happen.”
“You are very naïve, Miss Granger.” Snape almost chuckled. “A few days ago she was sent on her first mission during this conditioning and she realized that she could no longer resist. I am happy to report that Ms. Potter has finally decided to take care of herself for once, instead of focus all of her energy on Mr. Potter. She will do what she can to survive, and she knows that she must follow this regimen.
“Mr. Potter, do you remember Emmaline Vance? She was a woman who had helped to take you to headquarters last summer.” Snape looked at Harry expectantly.
Harry nodded and Hermione let out a little cry.
“I believe you are unaware that she has been murdered. This occurred a few days after Stephanie’s first conditioning mission. She has realized that she can no longer resist the attempts of the Dark Lord and the change has occurred almost overnight.” Snape was saying, but Harry could no longer hear him. He couldn’t understand what was going on.
“Change. What do you mean? Change?” Harry asked slowly. He didn’t want to hear the answer to his question. Ginny gently took his hand and squeezed it, while Neville patted his shoulder in a supportive gesture.
“Harry, your sister murdered Emmaline Vance.” Professor Dumbledore told him softly, eyeing him with concern. “Because it has been on the muggle news almost nonstop for the last few days, I am sure that you are aware that a bridge collapsed just north of London as well. Stephanie is responsible for this, too.”
“I am sure that she didn’t want to do this.” Harry couldn’t believe what they were saying. He refused to believe that his sister was capable of something like this.
“She may not have wanted to do it, but she realized that she has to.” Snape began to explain the process that Stephanie was likely to have experienced. “Stephanie was not given any direction with the bridge; she was only ordered to cause some sort of destruction. She chose to collapse it and, instead of harming only a few individuals, she caused the death of seventeen people.
“With Emmaline, she was only ordered to murder her. Stephanie did much more than just kill her. We have already seen the change that has begun to form in her personality. The Dark Lord was most surprised that it happened so quickly and he is utilizing it to its fullest potential.” Harry eyed Snape to look for some sort of emotion. His professor’s expression was completely blank and Harry couldn’t tell whether Snape had been happy to see this change in Stephanie or not. Snape obviously didn’t care that his sister was turning into a monster!
“We are hoping the damages are reparable, but you must be prepared for the possibility that she may never again be the person you once knew.” Professor Dumbledore told the students.
Harry sat in silence for a moment as he contemplated what he was being told. He was so angry that no one was doing anything to protect her. How could they leave her in that situation? She must be so miserable! He was so angry with himself for not doing anything to help her. There must be something he could do. He knew that he had to try and rescue her from that situation.
Hermione asked the question that Harry was already thinking. “Why can’t we just get her out of there? Wouldn’t that solve the problem? I know there are circumstances we all don’t understand, but there must be some way around that.”
“We have talked about this in great depth and I regret to say that she must stay put for the time being.” Dumbledore said sadly. “There are many more lives at risk than just Stephanie’s if we remove her at the present time. We will get to her as soon as we can, but until that time comes we can only hope that the damage is not too extensive.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Ron asked.
“You must be prepared for what will happen.” Snape said. “If she were to make contact in the diaries, you all must remain supportive. In the near future, she may even have contact with you in person. You may feel the same towards her as you do now, but you must realize that she will not be the same person you once knew. She will attempt to hurt you and she may even attempt to kill you. It is very important that you understand it is the conditioning she has received and it is not her doing these things.”
“We would never blame her for things she is being forced to do!” Neville exclaimed once again and several eyes turned to Ginny. She looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact.
“That may be true,” Dumbledore began, ignoring the stares at Ginny. “But, even though she has been conditioned to behave and think in such a way, there may come a time that she is not given an order to perform a task she chooses to do. This may even include attempting to assassinate her own brother.”
“She would never do such a thing!” Harry almost shouted, refusing to believe what they were telling him.
“She will.” Snape said. “And when we finally remove her from the situation, you must all continue to be supportive. Stephanie will be angry and aggressive, but you must continue to show her the love and care that you feel for her now. It will be an essential component of her healing. No matter how angry you may be with her, you must not allow her see it.”
“That is very important to remember, do you think you can all attempt to do this?” Professor Dumbledore asked of the students and each nodded in response.
“If this change is so extreme,” Ginny began her question slowly. She looked directly at Professor Snape with concern in her eyes. “Are you worried that Stephanie will tell Voldemort about your connections with the Order?”
“How dare you!” Harry bellowed angrily, standing up forcefully and startling Ginny who was at his feet. “How could you even think that Stephanie would do that? I thought you cared about her.”
The others stood to restrain him as Harry lost control. Ginny scrambled to her feet and backed away from her irate friend.
“I’m sorry, Harry. I do care about her!” Ginny said, looking at Harry apologetically. “I didn’t mean anything by the question.”
“Sit down, Potter!” Snape roared at him. He just breathed heavily and remained where he was. “All of you!”
The others let Harry go and returned to their seats, but Harry continued to stand and he glared at Ginny angrily. How could she question Stephanie’s loyalties like that? He trusted Ginny and she had thought of Stephanie only as a traitor. He was fuming.
“I said SIT, Potter!” Snape commanded again through clenched teeth, pointing his wand at Harry. Harry could tell that his professor was getting furious as well.
Harry complied hesitantly with the orders, sitting in his previous spot on the couch. Ginny had moved and stood next to Neville, who was holding her hand supportively. Harry couldn’t look at Ginny anymore.
“To answer your question, Miss Weasley.” Snape began in an irritated voice while continuing to stare at Harry. “Yes, I have thought of that and I am positive that she will eventually feel the need to do so. And I have taken the liberties to make sure that this does not happen.”
“She would never do something like that!” Harry continued to argue with this idea. He could never believe that his sister would allow such a drastic change to occur where she would betray them like that.
Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed it. She looked into his eyes and spoke to him gently. “Harry, we have to remember that she does not want to become this person. It is what Voldemort is doing to her. To best protect her and then to rescue her, we must be as supportive as we can. Even if she does things that we do not agree with, we must understand that it isn’t her. So, she may do horrible things like that and you have to be prepared for this. But never forget how much you love her and I am positive that she will be all right.”
The others nodded to show their support and Harry understood what she was trying to say. He turned to Ginny who looked absolutely frightened and he apologized. Harry got up from his seat and wrapped her in a hug.
“I’m sorry, Ginny.” He apologized again. “I didn’t mean to accuse you of anything.”
“It’s alright.” Ginny said, smiling, though Harry could see that he had really hurt her. It seemed like he couldn’t do anything right.
“Now,” Snape said, reaching into his robes. “Stephanie has written each of you a letter that I wish to give you this evening. I can only assume what this means and I will verify with you once you have read them.”
Harry waited in anticipation as Professor Snape handed out the envelopes with each of his friends’ names printed neatly on the outside. Finally, Snape handed him his and he ripped open the envelope and read the letter his sister had written him. He didn’t care who saw him, he couldn’t help himself. The tears streamed from his eyes at his sister’s handwriting as he read her goodbye.
When they had all read their letters, it was decided that they would read them aloud. Neville volunteered to go first.
But before Neville could begin reading, Professor Dumbledore stood. “I believe we should leave them alone, Severus. This information is likely to be very personal as was the information written in the diaries.”
“That’s alright, professor.” Harry told the headmaster. “Stephanie wants you to hear these too.”
Snape and Dumbledore looked at Harry questioningly, but he said nothing else. Dumbledore sat down in his chair and Neville began to read.
Dear Neville,
You are such an amazing and strong person. It has been so great getting to know you over the past year and you do not realize how much I appreciate the way you opened up to me over and over again. I know that you weren’t too close to the other four when this began and it didn’t bother you to provide such details about your life. That sacrifice means a great deal to me.
I was so proud of you when I heard the stories of Dumbledore’s Army. You made such progress and showed so much courage at the Ministry of Magic. From what I have been told about your parents (both from you and multiple Death Eaters), they would be so proud of you!
I want you to remember that you are a great person and I know that you will find someone who sees that. She will be an extremely lucky woman to catch such a generous and caring individual.
Now I have something important to request of you. Please remember me for the person I am now, not the person I am sure to become. Just know that I would do anything for you because you have sacrificed so much for me. You have been such an amazing friend to me. Take care of yourself and keep studying that Herbology! I know you will do great things in the future; I just hope that I will be around to see them!
Neville, I also wanted to say that I love you. I will miss talking to you so much! Thank you for being such a good friend, I definitely don’t deserve all that you have done for me. And I apologize for the things I will do in the future. Goodbye, Neville.
Stephanie
You are such an amazing and strong person. It has been so great getting to know you over the past year and you do not realize how much I appreciate the way you opened up to me over and over again. I know that you weren’t too close to the other four when this began and it didn’t bother you to provide such details about your life. That sacrifice means a great deal to me.
I was so proud of you when I heard the stories of Dumbledore’s Army. You made such progress and showed so much courage at the Ministry of Magic. From what I have been told about your parents (both from you and multiple Death Eaters), they would be so proud of you!
I want you to remember that you are a great person and I know that you will find someone who sees that. She will be an extremely lucky woman to catch such a generous and caring individual.
Now I have something important to request of you. Please remember me for the person I am now, not the person I am sure to become. Just know that I would do anything for you because you have sacrificed so much for me. You have been such an amazing friend to me. Take care of yourself and keep studying that Herbology! I know you will do great things in the future; I just hope that I will be around to see them!
Neville, I also wanted to say that I love you. I will miss talking to you so much! Thank you for being such a good friend, I definitely don’t deserve all that you have done for me. And I apologize for the things I will do in the future. Goodbye, Neville.
Stephanie
Neville wiped the tears from his eyes and Harry could tell that he was having a difficult time finishing the letter. Neville looked at the others and asked a question. “What did I do for her? All I did was tell her some stories about my past.”
“She knew that it was very difficult for you to do that.” Hermione said, wiping the tears from her own eyes. Dumbledore got up and grabbed a box of tissues and handed it to the students in front of him. Harry noticed that even Dumbledore’s eyes were watery.
“Your strength gave her hope that she could overcome this.” Ginny said, looking at Neville with support. “Actually, you inspired all of us to share more openly with Stephanie.”
“I didn’t mean to.” Neville muttered and everyone laughed.
Ron opened his letter again and read his to the crowd.
Dear Ron,
I apologize if this letter is shorter than the others. You were usually so quiet, but I knew that you were reading the diaries. It made me feel better just knowing that, though I cannot explain why. That advice you gave me after I attacked Draco was really helpful.
It really hurt me so much when you were struggling with Quidditch. Those Slytherins were absolutely horrible towards you and I wish I could have been there to say a few choice words to some of them! Especially Draco, though we know that I can’t risk saying anything to him. It was awesome the way you kicked butt at the end of the year! I always knew that you had it in you; all you needed was a little confidence. Now that you have that, you guys will be unbeatable next year! I know that you will do absolutely great.
Though I may have said this before, thank you so much for forgiving me for what I did to your father. It hurt me so much to attack him, and I hadn’t even known who he was. It truly broke my heart to hear that it was your dad. I just hope that I don’t cause more harm to any other member of your family in the future. Please know that if I do, it is not who I am. They are changing me, Ron, and I’m scared. I am terrified of the person I am going to become and I don’t want to change, but I have no other choice. Thank you so much for being there for me. It helped much more than you can even realize.
I may not know you as well as the others, but it is important to me that you know how much I care about you. I love you and you are such a great friend. Keep an eye on Harry for me! Goodbye, Ron.
Stephanie
I apologize if this letter is shorter than the others. You were usually so quiet, but I knew that you were reading the diaries. It made me feel better just knowing that, though I cannot explain why. That advice you gave me after I attacked Draco was really helpful.
It really hurt me so much when you were struggling with Quidditch. Those Slytherins were absolutely horrible towards you and I wish I could have been there to say a few choice words to some of them! Especially Draco, though we know that I can’t risk saying anything to him. It was awesome the way you kicked butt at the end of the year! I always knew that you had it in you; all you needed was a little confidence. Now that you have that, you guys will be unbeatable next year! I know that you will do absolutely great.
Though I may have said this before, thank you so much for forgiving me for what I did to your father. It hurt me so much to attack him, and I hadn’t even known who he was. It truly broke my heart to hear that it was your dad. I just hope that I don’t cause more harm to any other member of your family in the future. Please know that if I do, it is not who I am. They are changing me, Ron, and I’m scared. I am terrified of the person I am going to become and I don’t want to change, but I have no other choice. Thank you so much for being there for me. It helped much more than you can even realize.
I may not know you as well as the others, but it is important to me that you know how much I care about you. I love you and you are such a great friend. Keep an eye on Harry for me! Goodbye, Ron.
Stephanie
Ron barely ever showed emotion, but Harry noticed that he had also begun to cry. Hermione and Ginny were crying almost uncontrollably and he had even shed some tears of his own during the reading of this last letter. Stephanie truly had a lot to say in these personalized letters.
“She admitted that she’s scared, Ron.” Hermione said, smiling through her tears.
“I know, I read it.” Ron said and Harry could tell that he wasn’t sure why Hermione had brought that up.
“She never admits how scared she is.” Harry told his best friend. “Just like she never says that she loves someone.”
“It shows how much she cares for you, Ron.” Hermione said with a smile. “I doubt she mentioned her fears to anyone else and she chose you.”
“Why me?” Ron asked.
“Because she knows you need to hear it more than anyone else.” Neville said, understanding Stephanie completely. “You two haven’t shared as much as the rest of us. She hopes that this will help you understand her a little better.”
“I believe that you are quite right, Mr. Longbottom.” Professor Dumbledore said, smiling at Neville. Harry was also impressed with the insight Neville had shown. He hadn’t realized until that moment how much Neville really cared about his sister. It was comforting to be with these people who loved his sister and who would do almost anything for her.
Neville blushed and Ginny broke the silence by offering to go next. Everyone was waiting for Harry and Hermione to go last, since theirs would be the most personal and were likely to be the longest.
Dear Ginny,
First of all, I want to thank you so much for all you have done for me. I know that you are still struggling with what happened last Christmas with your father, but know that I do not blame you for what you said to me. That first night you stayed up with me was so nice of you and I never told you how much I appreciated it. That had been one of the worst nights of my life, and to be honest, I didn’t think I was going to survive it. I know I did only because of you and Hermione. And for that, I owe you my life. I just hope that some day I can repay you!
Those nights we stayed up and talked about everything from family to relationships were so meaningful. I want you to know that I am positive that the boy you want will realize how special you are. Though you never told me exactly who it is, I have a sneaking suspicion of who it could be! He will come around eventually. You are such a feisty and spirited individual and any guy would be lucky to have you. All you need to do is be patient and it will happen for you.
Keep up the amazing work on the Quidditch team! Someone has to keep an eye on Harry and Ron, since they are such big trouble makers. Don’t be afraid to smack Harry in the back of the head if he steps out of line once in awhile. We all know how he needs that!
Please do not forget who I am. I don’t want to be remembered as someone who enjoys causing others pain. It is important for me to know that your entire family understands that I am not that person, even if it is something I turn into.
I just wanted to say goodbye, Ginny. Even though we have had our differences, you are so very special to me and I wanted to make sure you knew that I love you.
Stephanie
First of all, I want to thank you so much for all you have done for me. I know that you are still struggling with what happened last Christmas with your father, but know that I do not blame you for what you said to me. That first night you stayed up with me was so nice of you and I never told you how much I appreciated it. That had been one of the worst nights of my life, and to be honest, I didn’t think I was going to survive it. I know I did only because of you and Hermione. And for that, I owe you my life. I just hope that some day I can repay you!
Those nights we stayed up and talked about everything from family to relationships were so meaningful. I want you to know that I am positive that the boy you want will realize how special you are. Though you never told me exactly who it is, I have a sneaking suspicion of who it could be! He will come around eventually. You are such a feisty and spirited individual and any guy would be lucky to have you. All you need to do is be patient and it will happen for you.
Keep up the amazing work on the Quidditch team! Someone has to keep an eye on Harry and Ron, since they are such big trouble makers. Don’t be afraid to smack Harry in the back of the head if he steps out of line once in awhile. We all know how he needs that!
Please do not forget who I am. I don’t want to be remembered as someone who enjoys causing others pain. It is important for me to know that your entire family understands that I am not that person, even if it is something I turn into.
I just wanted to say goodbye, Ginny. Even though we have had our differences, you are so very special to me and I wanted to make sure you knew that I love you.
Stephanie
Ginny finished reading her letter and wiped her eyes with a tissue. It had taken her twice as long as the others to read it aloud because she frequently had to stop and take a deep breath.
“She doesn’t owe any of us anything.” Ginny said, sadly. “I did that because I wanted to.”
“When she finally gets out of there, you can tell her that.” Ron said, understanding that Stephanie would truly do what she could to protect his sister, to protect any of them. He admired Stephanie for her bravery.
To break the serious tone of the conversation, Neville looked at Ginny teasingly and asked what was on the minds of the three boys. “So, Ginny. Who do you have a crush on?”
She threw a pillow at Neville’s head and he ducked, barely avoiding the object. They all laughed as Ginny stated firmly, “none of your business!”
“It has to be one of you two.” Ron said, pointing to Harry and Neville. “Since Stephanie doesn’t know anyone else.”
Ginny blushed and Hermione came to her rescue. “Stephanie has heard quite a bit about the students at Hogwarts from Malfoy. Let it be.”
“Oh, yeah.” Ron admitted. No one said anything and Harry silently wondered who Ginny could have a crush on. He hadn’t seen her act shyly around anyone in particular, but she was definitely good at hiding things. They all looked at Hermione expectantly.
Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and looked down at her letter for a few moments. Harry reached over and squeezed her hand. He understood how difficult it was to read these letters, but it also felt good sharing them. She sniffled and began to read the letter from Stephanie.
Dear Hermione,
First of all, I’d like to say thank you for everything you have done for me. I know that you have sacrificed so much more than anyone else and I owe you greatly. Though you never complained about the amount of time you focused on me, I did know that you were suffering.
Your third year at Hogwarts and our first year of using the diaries were very trying for you. I knew that you were using a time-turner to take an additional course load. And fourth year with everything going on between Harry and Ron and the TriWizard Tournament. I know that you had so much on your mind and being the only one to know about me just made everything that much harder on you.
That is why the night that Draco practiced on me so severely I asked you to tell Ginny about me. I really hope that having her to talk to made things easier on you, that you didn’t feel so alone in the burden you had to bear. It was so much to expect of you and you did it without question. Thank you.
The night at the Quidditch World Cup, I saw you while you were talking to Draco. You waved to me. I don’t think I ever told you this, but your recognition of me made me feel like I wasn’t so alone. It was refreshing to have someone behave so kindly towards me, even if it was just a wave from afar. You are such a kind hearted person, Hermione. And I truly appreciate all you have done for me.
This last year must have been even more difficult for you, even though you could now talk freely about me with your friends. You were pulled in every direction and I know that it exhausted you to such a high degree. Please focus on yourself now. Do not worry about me. Though it is difficult for me to comprehend, I do understand that whatever is destined to happen will happen. We cannot stop it.
You have done all that you could for me. All that is left is for you to remember who I was. I have decided that I cannot fight any longer, so I know that Voldemort will succeed in changing me. There is no more that I can do now except do as he wants. Please don’t blame me for what I will do. Because I doubt that I will survive this, I do not want to be remembered as a murderer.
Hermione, I love you. You have been a far greater friend than I have ever deserved. You have sacrificed so much and spent endless hours staying up at night talking me through everything and treating me like a human. For more than what you did the night Draco almost killed me, I owe you my life. I just hope that I can repay you someday. Please don’t forget me. Goodbye.
Stephanie
First of all, I’d like to say thank you for everything you have done for me. I know that you have sacrificed so much more than anyone else and I owe you greatly. Though you never complained about the amount of time you focused on me, I did know that you were suffering.
Your third year at Hogwarts and our first year of using the diaries were very trying for you. I knew that you were using a time-turner to take an additional course load. And fourth year with everything going on between Harry and Ron and the TriWizard Tournament. I know that you had so much on your mind and being the only one to know about me just made everything that much harder on you.
That is why the night that Draco practiced on me so severely I asked you to tell Ginny about me. I really hope that having her to talk to made things easier on you, that you didn’t feel so alone in the burden you had to bear. It was so much to expect of you and you did it without question. Thank you.
The night at the Quidditch World Cup, I saw you while you were talking to Draco. You waved to me. I don’t think I ever told you this, but your recognition of me made me feel like I wasn’t so alone. It was refreshing to have someone behave so kindly towards me, even if it was just a wave from afar. You are such a kind hearted person, Hermione. And I truly appreciate all you have done for me.
This last year must have been even more difficult for you, even though you could now talk freely about me with your friends. You were pulled in every direction and I know that it exhausted you to such a high degree. Please focus on yourself now. Do not worry about me. Though it is difficult for me to comprehend, I do understand that whatever is destined to happen will happen. We cannot stop it.
You have done all that you could for me. All that is left is for you to remember who I was. I have decided that I cannot fight any longer, so I know that Voldemort will succeed in changing me. There is no more that I can do now except do as he wants. Please don’t blame me for what I will do. Because I doubt that I will survive this, I do not want to be remembered as a murderer.
Hermione, I love you. You have been a far greater friend than I have ever deserved. You have sacrificed so much and spent endless hours staying up at night talking me through everything and treating me like a human. For more than what you did the night Draco almost killed me, I owe you my life. I just hope that I can repay you someday. Please don’t forget me. Goodbye.
Stephanie
Hermione stopped reading and continued staring at her letter. Everyone sat in silence for a few moments as they thought about what Stephanie must be going through. Harry couldn’t believe that his sister was saying so much. He knew how much pain his sister must be in to be saying goodbye to her only means of support.
“She knows we would never blame her, doesn’t she?” Ron asked.
“Of course she does.” Hermione said, wiping more tears from her face. “But she is struggling with everything that she is being forced to do. It hurts her so much that I am afraid she is blaming herself for allowing this to happen.”
“I believe that I have the answer to that.” Harry said slowly, lifting his letter in the air so the others could see.
He looked at Dumbledore who was staring at him with deep concern. The others remained silent, waiting for him to begin reading the letter. He took a deep breath and prepared himself because he knew that it would be very difficult to make it all the way through the letter without crying.
Dear Harry,
You are probably reading these letters to each other, and I am alright with that. I just wanted the opportunity to say goodbye individually and more personally than the diaries could allow. I also figure that you will read yours last since I would naturally have more to say to my brother. If I am right, so be it. If I’m wrong, that’s alright too. But I would prefer you read this last so the others may have time to think about my previous letters and then be more fully capable of understanding what I am about to tell you.
This is very difficult for me to share, but it must be so if you are to truly understand the decision I have made. I never wanted you to know the horrible things that have happened to me or what I have witnessed. It is a tremendous miracle that I am who I am because of these experiences, and I understand that. But I also need you to understand something about me that will help you to realize why I am saying goodbye and not allowing the help you all may provide.
My whole life I have been told how weak, useless, and stupid I am. There is much more than that, but I only want you to know the least of it. I never felt that I deserved to be rescued from the Malfoy manor, but then I was given the opportunity to do good while staying in the only home I have ever known. I was able to help my brother by staying behind. After the incident in the graveyard, I was punished. Don’t worry, it wasn’t the worst thing I have endured, but it was pretty horrible.
After you let it slip to Draco that I had talked to you about the Curse, my punishment was painful. But, again, I survived. After Sirius was murdered at the Ministry of Magic, I did not go on vacation with Voldemort. However, I suspect that you never believed that story anyway. I only told you that because I wanted to protect you from as much as I could. My punishment was extreme and it hurt me more than anything had ever before. It wasn’t physical pain, it was emotional. And it stung horribly. For twenty-four hours I was forced to replay my worst fears over and over again. One included you, one included the Weasleys, one included Neville, and one included all of those who know me. I will not go into specifics, but it was absolutely heartbreaking. And I didn’t think that any of them would ever truly happen. Then, one did happen. I know that Professor Snape was there when I was replaying these visions, and he knows what I am talking about, though I do not wish him to disclose these fears to you. I don’t blame him because it was what he had to do, but I realized that if one of my fears could happen with Voldemort’s influence, any one of them were possible. And there is nothing I can do to stop it.
Then, the last two days of my punishment after Sirius was killed were even more unbearable. I heard only voices…voices of you and a few others. Saying nothing but horrible things about me. I know that they were not true, that you have never said these things. But I realized that Voldemort was using this kind of treatment to get me to go against you. He will stop at nothing until he changes me or kills me.
Then he began what he is calling my “conditioning.” I thought I was strong enough to resist it. But I can’t. I am too weak and it was just too painful. I didn’t want to kill the woman, but I knew that I had to. I took a breath and began the Killing Curse, but before I could finish the spell I was hit by three Cruciatus Curses simultaneously. I can’t go through that again. Please forgive me for all of my weaknesses, but I can’t. It is just too painful and exhausting and I want to survive this. I have come to the understanding that I may not survive my time here, but I am not yet ready to die. Please forgive me.
I feel like I am surrendering, like I am giving up. But it’s the only option I have if I want to survive. Though, I know what kind of person I will become if I allow this to happen. Just look at Bellatrix, Antonin Dolohov, the Carrow siblings, and Mr. Malfoy. I don’t want to become like that, but I know that I have to. And it makes me miserable knowing that this decision may mean that I will never get to spend any time with you, to get to know you. Any of you. But if it eases my suffering only a little, I have to do it. For so long I have done nothing but fight, but now I have nothing left. Please forgive me.
And I know that Professor Dumbledore will blame himself for my fate, but please let him know that it is not his fault. I know that I am very stubborn, and you are as well, because we are Potters. Even though I don’t have any comparison and have not been told too much about him, I would imagine our father was the same way. It is incredibly important for Professor Dumbledore to not feel bad about what has happened to me. This was my choice and I do not regret making it because my staying behind saved your life in that graveyard, Harry. I wouldn’t change that for the world or for my freedom. But now, I have to look out for myself. That is not his fault and it’s not anyone else’s fault. The only people to blame for my sufferings are Mr. Malfoy and Lord Voldemort. Please let him know how strongly I feel about this. It is extremely important to me.
So, all I can say now is goodbye, Harry. I love you more than you will ever know. Even though I have only met you twice, once when I was a lonely thirteen year old girl in Diagon Alley and then in the graveyard, I still love you unconditionally. Please do not risk your life to save me because I understand that I am no longer savable. Just do what you can to make sure that Voldemort is brought down and then live your life happily. We will be reunited in the end. Thank you for all you have done or tried to do for me. I appreciate everything to the highest degree. And I hope that this letter has allowed you to understand me just a little better. Please don’t forget who I was. Goodbye, Harry. Goodbye to all of you.
Your sister,
Stephanie
You are probably reading these letters to each other, and I am alright with that. I just wanted the opportunity to say goodbye individually and more personally than the diaries could allow. I also figure that you will read yours last since I would naturally have more to say to my brother. If I am right, so be it. If I’m wrong, that’s alright too. But I would prefer you read this last so the others may have time to think about my previous letters and then be more fully capable of understanding what I am about to tell you.
This is very difficult for me to share, but it must be so if you are to truly understand the decision I have made. I never wanted you to know the horrible things that have happened to me or what I have witnessed. It is a tremendous miracle that I am who I am because of these experiences, and I understand that. But I also need you to understand something about me that will help you to realize why I am saying goodbye and not allowing the help you all may provide.
My whole life I have been told how weak, useless, and stupid I am. There is much more than that, but I only want you to know the least of it. I never felt that I deserved to be rescued from the Malfoy manor, but then I was given the opportunity to do good while staying in the only home I have ever known. I was able to help my brother by staying behind. After the incident in the graveyard, I was punished. Don’t worry, it wasn’t the worst thing I have endured, but it was pretty horrible.
After you let it slip to Draco that I had talked to you about the Curse, my punishment was painful. But, again, I survived. After Sirius was murdered at the Ministry of Magic, I did not go on vacation with Voldemort. However, I suspect that you never believed that story anyway. I only told you that because I wanted to protect you from as much as I could. My punishment was extreme and it hurt me more than anything had ever before. It wasn’t physical pain, it was emotional. And it stung horribly. For twenty-four hours I was forced to replay my worst fears over and over again. One included you, one included the Weasleys, one included Neville, and one included all of those who know me. I will not go into specifics, but it was absolutely heartbreaking. And I didn’t think that any of them would ever truly happen. Then, one did happen. I know that Professor Snape was there when I was replaying these visions, and he knows what I am talking about, though I do not wish him to disclose these fears to you. I don’t blame him because it was what he had to do, but I realized that if one of my fears could happen with Voldemort’s influence, any one of them were possible. And there is nothing I can do to stop it.
Then, the last two days of my punishment after Sirius was killed were even more unbearable. I heard only voices…voices of you and a few others. Saying nothing but horrible things about me. I know that they were not true, that you have never said these things. But I realized that Voldemort was using this kind of treatment to get me to go against you. He will stop at nothing until he changes me or kills me.
Then he began what he is calling my “conditioning.” I thought I was strong enough to resist it. But I can’t. I am too weak and it was just too painful. I didn’t want to kill the woman, but I knew that I had to. I took a breath and began the Killing Curse, but before I could finish the spell I was hit by three Cruciatus Curses simultaneously. I can’t go through that again. Please forgive me for all of my weaknesses, but I can’t. It is just too painful and exhausting and I want to survive this. I have come to the understanding that I may not survive my time here, but I am not yet ready to die. Please forgive me.
I feel like I am surrendering, like I am giving up. But it’s the only option I have if I want to survive. Though, I know what kind of person I will become if I allow this to happen. Just look at Bellatrix, Antonin Dolohov, the Carrow siblings, and Mr. Malfoy. I don’t want to become like that, but I know that I have to. And it makes me miserable knowing that this decision may mean that I will never get to spend any time with you, to get to know you. Any of you. But if it eases my suffering only a little, I have to do it. For so long I have done nothing but fight, but now I have nothing left. Please forgive me.
And I know that Professor Dumbledore will blame himself for my fate, but please let him know that it is not his fault. I know that I am very stubborn, and you are as well, because we are Potters. Even though I don’t have any comparison and have not been told too much about him, I would imagine our father was the same way. It is incredibly important for Professor Dumbledore to not feel bad about what has happened to me. This was my choice and I do not regret making it because my staying behind saved your life in that graveyard, Harry. I wouldn’t change that for the world or for my freedom. But now, I have to look out for myself. That is not his fault and it’s not anyone else’s fault. The only people to blame for my sufferings are Mr. Malfoy and Lord Voldemort. Please let him know how strongly I feel about this. It is extremely important to me.
So, all I can say now is goodbye, Harry. I love you more than you will ever know. Even though I have only met you twice, once when I was a lonely thirteen year old girl in Diagon Alley and then in the graveyard, I still love you unconditionally. Please do not risk your life to save me because I understand that I am no longer savable. Just do what you can to make sure that Voldemort is brought down and then live your life happily. We will be reunited in the end. Thank you for all you have done or tried to do for me. I appreciate everything to the highest degree. And I hope that this letter has allowed you to understand me just a little better. Please don’t forget who I was. Goodbye, Harry. Goodbye to all of you.
Your sister,
Stephanie
Harry finished his letter and they all sat in silence for a long time. Everyone was in shock after listening to what Stephanie had had to say. He looked around the room and noticed Hermione’s attention had turned back to her letter. She was just staring at the end of her letter, tears flowing freely from her eyes. Harry realized that Hermione hadn’t read her entire letter. Stephanie had written something to Hermione that she didn’t want to share with the rest of them. He wondered what that could be and made a mental note to ask her about it later.
His eyes turned to Professor Snape and he realized that Snape was the only person who had not been crying. In fact, he was not showing any emotion at all. Did he really not care about Stephanie? After all that Snape had done for his sister and the amount of time he had spent with her. How could Snape be so cold?
Here is this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Honestly, I almost cried every time I read through it, especially the letter to Harry. There was so much emotion put into this chapter and I have to say it's one of my favorites so far! I'd be interested to hear what you think!
I apologize that the next one won't be posted for at least a week, probably longer. Next week is very hectic for me with my last week at work, finals, job interviews, graduation, and moving. Then it's almost Christmas (and hopefully moving again). I'll try to get the next chapter posted before the holiday, but I don't know how realistic that is since I haven't even started it. Sorry to keep you waiting.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: An Unthinkable Request
“I think the best way to begin is for you to see what happened last week.” The headmaster began speaking to them. He turned to Severus. “I saw something important and I believe you did as well, but we shall discuss this after the memory has been viewed. It will be interesting to hear what you all think about these new developments.”
Severus nodded. He stood and walked with Minerva and Kingsley towards the pensieve where Albus was standing. They watched as the headmaster pulled a memory out of his temple and placed it into the pensieve. Then they placed their fingers into the cool liquid and they were all taken to the small living room at the Burrow.
Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore were waiting there for the other students and Severus to be ushered into the room. Severus watched the scene that he remembered in great detail unfold before him. Minerva and Kingsley were standing next to him as they listened to Severus’ explanations and then to the students reading Stephanie’s letters; Minerva stared wide-eyed while Kingsley watched in calm understanding.
While the students were reading their letters, Severus watched them carefully for the same reaction he had witnessed from Miss Granger. None of the other three had this reaction. It puzzled him but he had known since that night that Stephanie must have written something additional to Miss Granger.
He was bored during the reading of the letters. Severus didn’t care about the workings of the clumsy idiot that was Neville Longbottom. He had no concern about what Mr. Weasley was struggling with, especially Quidditch. And he most certainly had no interest in who Miss Weasley may or may not have a crush on. It disgusted him that Stephanie took the time to mention these meaningless details. He held in a scoff as he listened.
When the memory got to Miss Granger’s letter, he watched her intently. Instead of placing the letter in her lap when she was finished as the others had done, she continued to look at the piece of parchment. The only emotion that was displayed on her face was horror, not sadness or fear. There was more that she was reading, but because none of them had known what it was, he could not walk over to the memory and read it. Severus knew that the rest of the parchment would be blank to him.
The letter reading soon turned to Harry’s. Severus had been most interested in this letter while Stephanie’s maturity and insight impressed him highly. She had disclosed some of the things that had happened to her, including the punishment she received after showing her concern for Mr. Potter. He was surprised to find out that Stephanie had known he was there. Severus had taken great care to be silent because he had not wanted her to know. He realized how perceptive and intuitive Stephanie truly was. It was almost impossible to keep anything from her. He nodded at the thought, impressed with the girl.
When Stephanie had told Mr. Potter that it wasn’t Severus’ fault for what he had done, he immediately realized who had cast the Cruciatus Curse on her in her worst fears vision. It puzzled him that this would be one of her worst fears. Why would she not want him, and only him, to cast the Curse upon her? Why didn’t she fear Albus or Minerva to cast the Curse? It didn’t make any sense because he had been the one person to cast it many times before. And she knew that.
Then she brought up Albus Dumbledore and his possible thoughts. Severus looked at the headmaster and saw the sadness in his eyes. There was something else shimmering there and it took a moment for him to realize what it was: appreciation. There was also a little bit of humor flickering in the headmaster’s eyes.
He turned his attention back to the memory. Mr. Potter had just finished reading his letter and the room was silent for a few minutes. Though Severus wasn’t, the students were all shocked at what they had just heard. He knew that Stephanie had endured all this, but he was surprised she had disclosed such a great deal of information. It was amazing that even she realized how much she was going to change. However, Severus knew that Stephanie had changed much more than even she could have predicted. What made the situation worse was the fact that the change was not complete; things were going to get much worse and possibly never better for the young girl.
“Wow.” Ron whispered, breaking the silence. “She just brushes off everything like it’s no big deal.”
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked incredulously. “She knows how serious this is, she keeps asking for forgiveness and that we don’t forget who she is. Stephanie is pleading with us desperately.”
Ron asked Harry if he could borrow the letter. Harry handed it to Ron and he skimmed the letter with his finger, looking for the passage he was referring to. When he found it, he read it aloud. “After the incident in the graveyard, I was punished. Don’t worry, it wasn’t the worst thing I have endured, but it was pretty horrible. After you let it slip to Draco that I had talked to you about the Curse, my punishment was painful. But, again, I survived.
“She plays it off as if we wouldn’t freak out about this.” Ron finished with a look of amazement.
“Stephanie is not doing this on purpose.” Severus watched himself tell the young Weasley with frustration. “These things are a normal occurrence for her and she is stating them matter-of-factly because that is how she sees them.”
“Why isn’t she going to use the diaries anymore?” Harry asked, looking at Professor Dumbledore. “We can help her through this.”
But instead of allowing the headmaster to respond, Severus spoke. He felt he was more able to answer this question, though it was irritating that he had to spell everything out for these students. Severus was glad that these were Gryffindor students and not Slytherin, because he would have given them a very stern lecture about thinking before asking stupid questions.
“I assumed the moment I saw the change in her that she had stopped utilizing the diaries.” He answered. “She doesn’t want your help nor should she ask for it. The time has come where your communication with her would greatly endanger her life. Speaking to any of you would keep her grounded and allow her to realize who she is. This is inappropriate at the present time because the Dark Lord has reached his wits end with the girl. If she fights this conditioning, he will kill her. She must not fail.
“How she knows this, being that she is a Potter, I cannot comprehend.” Severus added with a smirk. The real Severus watched as Harry lost his temper again. But he was distracted from enjoying the memory as he felt as if he was being watched.
Severus turned and noticed Minerva giving him a menacing glare. He nodded to her with a blank expression. There was no way he was going to apologize for his comment, though he knew that she was going to mention it later. He rolled his eyes. Of course she was going to interfere in things that were not her business.
The memory continued as the students unrelentingly asked dim-witted and unimportant questions about the things Stephanie had written about and what she was being required to do with the Death Eaters. It was quite revolting, really. Though, he continued observing the scene, watching for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing came to him, but he still watched intently. Finally, the students were instructed to go to bed and the memory faded. The four Order members were removed from the memory and brought back to the headmaster’s office. Severus sat down in a chair across from the desk, along with the others.
“Severus!” Minerva began to scold him, shaking her finger at him. “How could you say that to Mr. Potter? After all he is going through! How dare you criticize a student in that manner?”
“I do not wish to explain myself to you, Minerva.” Severus said calmly to his colleague. “I have my teaching methods and you have yours.”
“You called a student stupid!” She argued.
“He very well may be.” Severus retorted back.
“Enough!” Albus demanded. “Minerva, I have already spoken to Severus about his comment. Severus, I expect you will not speak to students like that in the future.”
They both nodded angrily, but they knew better than to argue with the headmaster.
“Now, what did Stephanie say to Miss Granger that was not read aloud to the others?” Albus asked the people sitting in front of him.
“I have no idea, headmaster.” Severus admitted. It frustrated him because he should know this. He should have read the letters before he delivered them. “It could be anything. We should ask her.”
“She will not tell us.” Minerva spoke up. “If she would not read it aloud to Harry, she would not tell us. Stephanie must have instructed her not to inform anyone about the rest of the letter.”
“There are ways around that.” Severus offered. He could use Legilimens or veritaserum, even though it was forbidden.
“We will not use illegal measures to break Stephanie’s trust in Miss Granger, Severus.” Albus reprimanded.
“Not on Miss Granger.” He added, though he knew the headmaster would not appreciate the offer.
“No.” Albus commanded. “We will not use such drastic measures to gain information.”
“The Dark Lord would do it.” Severus said. “This information may be necessary for the Order.”
“That is precisely why I must not allow it. We have our principles, Severus.” Albus said, looking at him with sadness. “I will not allow the trust between Stephanie and us to be broken to gain a little piece of information. We do not know what it was, anyway. It could be nothing.”
Kingsley spoke for the first time. “Hermione looked horrified at what was written in the letter. I doubt that it is nothing, but I agree with you, Professor. We must find out the information another way.”
Albus nodded at Kingsley and then gestured for Severus to move the topic of conversation along. He thought for a moment while deciding how to word his piece of information.
“Stephanie’s transformation is complete.” He began. Severus explained the memory that he had witnessed of the day Stephanie had committed her first murder. “She has begun to look to the Dark Lord admiringly for guidance and support. He is most pleased but I am disturbed by this behavior, especially since it happened so quickly.”
“What do you mean she is looking to Voldemort for support?” Minerva asked with concern blatantly showing on her face. Severus always had to hold in his disgust at people’s outright show of emotion. He cared about people, but he would never let others know about it. How could people do it so publicly?
“Everything she does now is for the purpose of gaining the Dark Lord’s praise, which he has given quite freely to her recently.” He explained. “He is doing this to encourage her transformation, making it as drastic as possible. Stephanie is being sent out with other Death Eaters and is being asked to play larger roles more frequently. She is even being allowed to accompany the Dark Lord on a couple of missions. I suspect that the Dark Lord will even allow her to venture out on her own soon.”
“That is good news!” Minerva exclaimed. “Then we can get her.”
Albus raised his hand as Severus was about to speak. “I believe it would be counterproductive to be hasty in our plans to remove her.”
“I agree, headmaster.” Severus said. “The time has passed where we could remove her with no repercussions to Stephanie’s development, even if we could have done it successfully.”
“Explain.” Kingsley added, looking at Severus questioningly.
“She is clinging to the Dark Lord’s side. I can guarantee that if we remove her, she will do all she can to return to his service.” He explained. “This will only get worse in time.”
“Then, shouldn’t we grab her while she is alone?” Minerva was exasperated.
“We could protect her. The most skilled Aurors would be assigned to protect her with extreme security in place. Several Order members have also expressed interest in providing security, including Remus. Being James and Sirius’ best friend, he feels obligated to help in some way.” Kingsley asked, confused why it wouldn’t be possible to rescue the teenager. “She would be safe from Voldemort.”
“For several reasons.” Severus stated, frustrated that he had to continuously explain such obvious things to people. “One, the Dark Lord knows that her pendant no longer works. That means that someone would know where she was because he knows that she would not try to escape since the changes went into effect. If she were to disappear, it would tell him that someone close to him was sharing secrets with the Order. That would risk my life and I will not allow that to happen.
“Two, she may still be useful to the Order. Her life is not yet in danger if she continues to perform as the Dark Lord expects of her. There are still things, though I do not wish to disclose anything at this time since the Dark Lord’s plans may change, that she can and will do for us.
“And three, you forget that the Dark Lord has placed a tracking device upon Stephanie. This curse allows him to know where she is at all times, even if she is in an unplottable location. He would know exactly where she was if she stepped foot in this school. Placing her in protective custody premature to finding a countercurse would be unacceptable. Stephanie’s life would be in danger in addition to any Aurors or other Order members providing security. She. Must. Stay. Put.” Severus reiterated the last comment. He hoped that they wouldn’t be foolish enough to attempt a rescue before he found a countercurse to the tracking spell.
It frustrated him to an endless degree that he was still unable to find a countercurse. Though, he knew that he was getting close. He must continue to work tirelessly at finding the spell so Stephanie may be rescued from the situation. Each day she was growing to look more like Lily and with the conditioning she was becoming much less like her mother. To make up for what he had allowed to happen to Lily Evans, he had to protect her daughter at all costs.
“Then could you answer something for me, Severus?” Minerva asked. Severus nodded and she continued. “During the letters, she was talking as if she wasn’t going to survive in the end. Does she really believe this?”
“There are very small odds that she is going to survive.” Severus admitted and went to continue, but he was interrupted by the thoughts of Albus Dumbledore.
“On an unconscious level, Stephanie understands the gravity of the situation she is in.” Albus began slowly, contemplating his every word. He looked at the three Order members and then continued. “But on a conscious level, she does not want to die. What person does, really? Especially a teenager?”
“If she isn’t going to survive, why are we wasting time and sitting here?” Kingsley asked.
“Because we don’t know when she is going to die.” Severus said. “She could die in our custody, even if we are protecting her. Stephanie is stubborn and will attempt to join in the fight, though for which side is yet undecided. She may even survive, though it is highly unlikely.”
“Why do you say that?” Minerva asked with tears in her eyes. Severus knew that she was upset with the knowledge that Stephanie was going to die, despite all of their efforts to protect her.
He knew that she was likely to die, but he also understood that there were steps that could be taken to protect her. She may very well survive if he did all he could to ensure her safety. But he could not disclose this to the others, not even the headmaster.
“It is connected with a Curse placed upon her immediately following the Dark Lord’s return.” Severus told them. “Though I am unable to say more.”
The others understood his discretion and the discussion moved to the Order of the Phoenix meeting that was scheduled for early the following week. Severus added his input when it was needed, but remained deep in his own thoughts. He needed to return to his dungeons and continue work on finding the countercurse. The summer holiday was the best time to work on it since he was not required to attend to any professor duties. And summer was almost over; soon the students would return and he would once again have the unpleasant task of providing supervision to the insufferable young ones. However, he was pleased that for the first time the headmaster was going to allow him to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Finally he would be able to use his true talents.
*~*~*~*
“What do you think you are doing?” Hermione yelled as she walked into her room. Harry was on her bed, digging through her things. She knew that he was impulsive, but she couldn’t believe that he would break her trust like that.
“You may not care, but I need to know what she said to you!” Harry bellowed back to his friend. “She is my sister and I know she told you something important.”
“It doesn’t matter what she did or did not tell me.” Hermione glared at him. She stormed over to Harry and slammed the lid of her trunk down. It landed on Harry’s fingers and he yelped in pain.
“Hermione, please.” Harry said in a more quiet voice now, realizing that yelling at Hermione wouldn’t convince her to tell him what he desperately wanted to know. “Whatever she said upset you so much, I could tell after we finished talking with Dumbledore and Snape.”
Hermione just continued to stare at him, breathing heavily through her nose. Her lips were shut tightly and her teeth were clenched. She raised her finger and pointed towards the door. “Get out of my room!”
“Please, Hermione.” Harry said to her. “I just want to help you.”
He paused for a short moment and looked at her pleadingly. “I want to help her.”
Hermione’s tension released somewhat and she allowed her shoulders to relax. Though she was still upset that he had gone into her room and began digging in her things to see what Stephanie had said to her in the letter, she could understand his concern.
Over a week ago, he had been hit with a bombshell that his sister had taken the Dark Mark of Lord Voldemort and had subsequently committed her first murder. She knew that Harry had been devastated by the information that had been given to them and by the letters of goodbye that Stephanie had written to each of her friends. She also knew that he had suffered greatly by reading the information Stephanie had finally disclosed to him, to them all, about some of the things she has experienced while in the presence of Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Immediately after Dumbledore and Snape left the Burrow, Harry had pulled Hermione aside and confronted her about what she had not read from the letter. Hermione had been impressed that Harry realized she had kept something from them, but she also knew how important it was that she not tell Harry about what Stephanie had asked of her. She wasn’t even sure if she could go through with the request, but Stephanie had explicitly asked Hermione not to share this with Harry. She had to respect Stephanie’s wishes as she contemplated the request.
Hermione had been avoiding Harry throughout the last two days because she didn’t want to talk about it and she knew that he wouldn’t let it go until he had his answer. It was exhausting but the time alone was allowing her a great deal of time to contemplate everything that was going on. She spent a lot of this time in the secluded wooded area outside the Burrow, just looking at nature. This was something she had always enjoyed doing, but rarely took a break from studying long enough to do so. After her hard work with the O.W.L.S. and the stress of everything else, it was nice to get away.
She had repeatedly taken out the letter to reread Stephanie’s words. And she always hoped that the writing would change, that Stephanie hadn’t really asked her to do what she had, but it was always the same. Each time she read the post script, Hermione cried because she didn’t think that she was strong enough to go through with the task requested of her. She also realized how painful it must be for Stephanie to even think the idea, let alone bring herself to ask a close friend to do this.
And each time she finished reading this part of the letter, Hermione let out her breath. She could definitely understand why Stephanie had requested this, but she wasn’t sure she could choose between Stephanie and Harry. Even though Stephanie was probably going to be killing many innocent people, she was still Stephanie Potter. Hermione had spent endless hours talking with Stephanie and she felt as if they were as close as sisters. No one else, not even Harry or Ron, knew her like Stephanie did. No one else understood her like Stephanie had. How could she kill her?
It frustrated and angered her that Stephanie would ask her this. HER. After all she had done for Stephanie. And it infuriated her that Harry wouldn’t leave her alone about it. But she also realized that Stephanie had no one else to ask this of. It would have been inappropriate to ask her own brother to do it. She wasn’t close enough for Ron to do it, and Stephanie and Ginny’s friendship was still a little awkward after Ginny’s father had been attacked. That left Neville, and Hermione doubted that Stephanie wanted to corrupt him that way. Hermione knew that Stephanie left a special place for Neville in her heart. But how could she do that? Hermione was her friend too! Didn’t Stephanie understand that Hermione couldn’t kill anyone either?
AHHH. Hermione spent a lot of alone time contemplating everything that was running through her mind. But back in her room, Harry had pushed her over the line. She was infuriated, even though she could understand why he was breaking her trust.
“You are so selfish!” She spoke in a high pitched voice to Harry. “You are not the only person who is suffering, can’t you see that?”
“I didn’t mean to imply tha-“ Harry began, but Hermione interrupted him.
“You never mean it, Harry.” Hermione breathed heavily. “She asked me not to tell you and you have to respect that.”
“I’m sorry.” Harry said. “I just want to help her. She doesn’t deserve this!”
“I know, Harry.” Hermione sighed and sat next to Harry on the bed. “But you forget that in addition to your suffering, she is also in a tremendous amount of pain. And your friends are hurting too. We all care about her and want to do anything we can to help her.
“The fact is there just isn’t anything we can do right now. It showed a great deal of strength for Stephanie to write those letters, let alone disclose the information she did. Even I had no idea that those things had happened to her and my respect for her courage increased tenfold. What you can do is be strong for her. Look at all she has overcome and think about what she will be able to do. Changes or not, she will overcome this if she sets her mind to it. And it appears that she has chosen to survive, meaning that she will.
“Knowing what Stephanie wrote to me in the letter doesn’t change the situation any. It is something that I need to work through and you do not need to worry yourself about it. Stephanie has taken steps to protect you and I admire that about her. You should as well, even if you don’t want to accept that she is the one protecting you and not the other way around.” Hermione finished and felt a lot better after she got that off her chest. She had wanted to say this to Harry for a long time.
Harry just stared at her sadly. She knew that he was struggling with what she had just told him and he didn’t know what to do. Hermione let him think about it for awhile and then he finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, Hermione.” He said again. “I didn’t realize that you were hurting too. It is just so unfair that she has to go through all of that alone while I have so much support around me.”
“I know, Harry.” She responded, patting the back of his hand with her own. “But life isn’t fair. Stephanie has taken everything given to her with her head held high. We just need to make sure that she gets out of there alive and then we can provide her with everything that she has been deprived of for so long. But for that to happen, you have to be strong.”
Harry sighed heavily and nodded his understanding. Hermione knew at that moment that if Harry could be strong enough to be patient, she could be strong enough to do as Stephanie had requested. She just hoped that she wouldn’t be forced to make that choice.
So I haven't gotten a lot of feedback lately and I don't know if people are liking this story. But I would definitely appreciate any comments. So, you can leave FEEDBACK HERE and tell me what you like and don't like. I am open to any comments you may have!
This is also much earlier than I promised. Thank goodness for snow days, eh? It was definitely a surprise to wake up and find school canceled on my very last day EVER! Bitter sweet. But anyway, I was able to get some writing done and was able to post this today. The next chapter has been started, but my week is just getting busier as it goes on. I'll try to get a chapter posted by Friday or Sunday, but I won't guarantee anything. The next chapter will definitely be up by Tuesday at the latest! So, have a great few days and PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK! I'd love to hear it!
“I think the best way to begin is for you to see what happened last week.” The headmaster began speaking to them. He turned to Severus. “I saw something important and I believe you did as well, but we shall discuss this after the memory has been viewed. It will be interesting to hear what you all think about these new developments.”
Severus nodded. He stood and walked with Minerva and Kingsley towards the pensieve where Albus was standing. They watched as the headmaster pulled a memory out of his temple and placed it into the pensieve. Then they placed their fingers into the cool liquid and they were all taken to the small living room at the Burrow.
Harry Potter and Professor Dumbledore were waiting there for the other students and Severus to be ushered into the room. Severus watched the scene that he remembered in great detail unfold before him. Minerva and Kingsley were standing next to him as they listened to Severus’ explanations and then to the students reading Stephanie’s letters; Minerva stared wide-eyed while Kingsley watched in calm understanding.
While the students were reading their letters, Severus watched them carefully for the same reaction he had witnessed from Miss Granger. None of the other three had this reaction. It puzzled him but he had known since that night that Stephanie must have written something additional to Miss Granger.
He was bored during the reading of the letters. Severus didn’t care about the workings of the clumsy idiot that was Neville Longbottom. He had no concern about what Mr. Weasley was struggling with, especially Quidditch. And he most certainly had no interest in who Miss Weasley may or may not have a crush on. It disgusted him that Stephanie took the time to mention these meaningless details. He held in a scoff as he listened.
When the memory got to Miss Granger’s letter, he watched her intently. Instead of placing the letter in her lap when she was finished as the others had done, she continued to look at the piece of parchment. The only emotion that was displayed on her face was horror, not sadness or fear. There was more that she was reading, but because none of them had known what it was, he could not walk over to the memory and read it. Severus knew that the rest of the parchment would be blank to him.
The letter reading soon turned to Harry’s. Severus had been most interested in this letter while Stephanie’s maturity and insight impressed him highly. She had disclosed some of the things that had happened to her, including the punishment she received after showing her concern for Mr. Potter. He was surprised to find out that Stephanie had known he was there. Severus had taken great care to be silent because he had not wanted her to know. He realized how perceptive and intuitive Stephanie truly was. It was almost impossible to keep anything from her. He nodded at the thought, impressed with the girl.
When Stephanie had told Mr. Potter that it wasn’t Severus’ fault for what he had done, he immediately realized who had cast the Cruciatus Curse on her in her worst fears vision. It puzzled him that this would be one of her worst fears. Why would she not want him, and only him, to cast the Curse upon her? Why didn’t she fear Albus or Minerva to cast the Curse? It didn’t make any sense because he had been the one person to cast it many times before. And she knew that.
Then she brought up Albus Dumbledore and his possible thoughts. Severus looked at the headmaster and saw the sadness in his eyes. There was something else shimmering there and it took a moment for him to realize what it was: appreciation. There was also a little bit of humor flickering in the headmaster’s eyes.
He turned his attention back to the memory. Mr. Potter had just finished reading his letter and the room was silent for a few minutes. Though Severus wasn’t, the students were all shocked at what they had just heard. He knew that Stephanie had endured all this, but he was surprised she had disclosed such a great deal of information. It was amazing that even she realized how much she was going to change. However, Severus knew that Stephanie had changed much more than even she could have predicted. What made the situation worse was the fact that the change was not complete; things were going to get much worse and possibly never better for the young girl.
“Wow.” Ron whispered, breaking the silence. “She just brushes off everything like it’s no big deal.”
“What do you mean?” Hermione asked incredulously. “She knows how serious this is, she keeps asking for forgiveness and that we don’t forget who she is. Stephanie is pleading with us desperately.”
Ron asked Harry if he could borrow the letter. Harry handed it to Ron and he skimmed the letter with his finger, looking for the passage he was referring to. When he found it, he read it aloud. “After the incident in the graveyard, I was punished. Don’t worry, it wasn’t the worst thing I have endured, but it was pretty horrible. After you let it slip to Draco that I had talked to you about the Curse, my punishment was painful. But, again, I survived.
“She plays it off as if we wouldn’t freak out about this.” Ron finished with a look of amazement.
“Stephanie is not doing this on purpose.” Severus watched himself tell the young Weasley with frustration. “These things are a normal occurrence for her and she is stating them matter-of-factly because that is how she sees them.”
“Why isn’t she going to use the diaries anymore?” Harry asked, looking at Professor Dumbledore. “We can help her through this.”
But instead of allowing the headmaster to respond, Severus spoke. He felt he was more able to answer this question, though it was irritating that he had to spell everything out for these students. Severus was glad that these were Gryffindor students and not Slytherin, because he would have given them a very stern lecture about thinking before asking stupid questions.
“I assumed the moment I saw the change in her that she had stopped utilizing the diaries.” He answered. “She doesn’t want your help nor should she ask for it. The time has come where your communication with her would greatly endanger her life. Speaking to any of you would keep her grounded and allow her to realize who she is. This is inappropriate at the present time because the Dark Lord has reached his wits end with the girl. If she fights this conditioning, he will kill her. She must not fail.
“How she knows this, being that she is a Potter, I cannot comprehend.” Severus added with a smirk. The real Severus watched as Harry lost his temper again. But he was distracted from enjoying the memory as he felt as if he was being watched.
Severus turned and noticed Minerva giving him a menacing glare. He nodded to her with a blank expression. There was no way he was going to apologize for his comment, though he knew that she was going to mention it later. He rolled his eyes. Of course she was going to interfere in things that were not her business.
The memory continued as the students unrelentingly asked dim-witted and unimportant questions about the things Stephanie had written about and what she was being required to do with the Death Eaters. It was quite revolting, really. Though, he continued observing the scene, watching for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing came to him, but he still watched intently. Finally, the students were instructed to go to bed and the memory faded. The four Order members were removed from the memory and brought back to the headmaster’s office. Severus sat down in a chair across from the desk, along with the others.
“Severus!” Minerva began to scold him, shaking her finger at him. “How could you say that to Mr. Potter? After all he is going through! How dare you criticize a student in that manner?”
“I do not wish to explain myself to you, Minerva.” Severus said calmly to his colleague. “I have my teaching methods and you have yours.”
“You called a student stupid!” She argued.
“He very well may be.” Severus retorted back.
“Enough!” Albus demanded. “Minerva, I have already spoken to Severus about his comment. Severus, I expect you will not speak to students like that in the future.”
They both nodded angrily, but they knew better than to argue with the headmaster.
“Now, what did Stephanie say to Miss Granger that was not read aloud to the others?” Albus asked the people sitting in front of him.
“I have no idea, headmaster.” Severus admitted. It frustrated him because he should know this. He should have read the letters before he delivered them. “It could be anything. We should ask her.”
“She will not tell us.” Minerva spoke up. “If she would not read it aloud to Harry, she would not tell us. Stephanie must have instructed her not to inform anyone about the rest of the letter.”
“There are ways around that.” Severus offered. He could use Legilimens or veritaserum, even though it was forbidden.
“We will not use illegal measures to break Stephanie’s trust in Miss Granger, Severus.” Albus reprimanded.
“Not on Miss Granger.” He added, though he knew the headmaster would not appreciate the offer.
“No.” Albus commanded. “We will not use such drastic measures to gain information.”
“The Dark Lord would do it.” Severus said. “This information may be necessary for the Order.”
“That is precisely why I must not allow it. We have our principles, Severus.” Albus said, looking at him with sadness. “I will not allow the trust between Stephanie and us to be broken to gain a little piece of information. We do not know what it was, anyway. It could be nothing.”
Kingsley spoke for the first time. “Hermione looked horrified at what was written in the letter. I doubt that it is nothing, but I agree with you, Professor. We must find out the information another way.”
Albus nodded at Kingsley and then gestured for Severus to move the topic of conversation along. He thought for a moment while deciding how to word his piece of information.
“Stephanie’s transformation is complete.” He began. Severus explained the memory that he had witnessed of the day Stephanie had committed her first murder. “She has begun to look to the Dark Lord admiringly for guidance and support. He is most pleased but I am disturbed by this behavior, especially since it happened so quickly.”
“What do you mean she is looking to Voldemort for support?” Minerva asked with concern blatantly showing on her face. Severus always had to hold in his disgust at people’s outright show of emotion. He cared about people, but he would never let others know about it. How could people do it so publicly?
“Everything she does now is for the purpose of gaining the Dark Lord’s praise, which he has given quite freely to her recently.” He explained. “He is doing this to encourage her transformation, making it as drastic as possible. Stephanie is being sent out with other Death Eaters and is being asked to play larger roles more frequently. She is even being allowed to accompany the Dark Lord on a couple of missions. I suspect that the Dark Lord will even allow her to venture out on her own soon.”
“That is good news!” Minerva exclaimed. “Then we can get her.”
Albus raised his hand as Severus was about to speak. “I believe it would be counterproductive to be hasty in our plans to remove her.”
“I agree, headmaster.” Severus said. “The time has passed where we could remove her with no repercussions to Stephanie’s development, even if we could have done it successfully.”
“Explain.” Kingsley added, looking at Severus questioningly.
“She is clinging to the Dark Lord’s side. I can guarantee that if we remove her, she will do all she can to return to his service.” He explained. “This will only get worse in time.”
“Then, shouldn’t we grab her while she is alone?” Minerva was exasperated.
“We could protect her. The most skilled Aurors would be assigned to protect her with extreme security in place. Several Order members have also expressed interest in providing security, including Remus. Being James and Sirius’ best friend, he feels obligated to help in some way.” Kingsley asked, confused why it wouldn’t be possible to rescue the teenager. “She would be safe from Voldemort.”
“For several reasons.” Severus stated, frustrated that he had to continuously explain such obvious things to people. “One, the Dark Lord knows that her pendant no longer works. That means that someone would know where she was because he knows that she would not try to escape since the changes went into effect. If she were to disappear, it would tell him that someone close to him was sharing secrets with the Order. That would risk my life and I will not allow that to happen.
“Two, she may still be useful to the Order. Her life is not yet in danger if she continues to perform as the Dark Lord expects of her. There are still things, though I do not wish to disclose anything at this time since the Dark Lord’s plans may change, that she can and will do for us.
“And three, you forget that the Dark Lord has placed a tracking device upon Stephanie. This curse allows him to know where she is at all times, even if she is in an unplottable location. He would know exactly where she was if she stepped foot in this school. Placing her in protective custody premature to finding a countercurse would be unacceptable. Stephanie’s life would be in danger in addition to any Aurors or other Order members providing security. She. Must. Stay. Put.” Severus reiterated the last comment. He hoped that they wouldn’t be foolish enough to attempt a rescue before he found a countercurse to the tracking spell.
It frustrated him to an endless degree that he was still unable to find a countercurse. Though, he knew that he was getting close. He must continue to work tirelessly at finding the spell so Stephanie may be rescued from the situation. Each day she was growing to look more like Lily and with the conditioning she was becoming much less like her mother. To make up for what he had allowed to happen to Lily Evans, he had to protect her daughter at all costs.
“Then could you answer something for me, Severus?” Minerva asked. Severus nodded and she continued. “During the letters, she was talking as if she wasn’t going to survive in the end. Does she really believe this?”
“There are very small odds that she is going to survive.” Severus admitted and went to continue, but he was interrupted by the thoughts of Albus Dumbledore.
“On an unconscious level, Stephanie understands the gravity of the situation she is in.” Albus began slowly, contemplating his every word. He looked at the three Order members and then continued. “But on a conscious level, she does not want to die. What person does, really? Especially a teenager?”
“If she isn’t going to survive, why are we wasting time and sitting here?” Kingsley asked.
“Because we don’t know when she is going to die.” Severus said. “She could die in our custody, even if we are protecting her. Stephanie is stubborn and will attempt to join in the fight, though for which side is yet undecided. She may even survive, though it is highly unlikely.”
“Why do you say that?” Minerva asked with tears in her eyes. Severus knew that she was upset with the knowledge that Stephanie was going to die, despite all of their efforts to protect her.
He knew that she was likely to die, but he also understood that there were steps that could be taken to protect her. She may very well survive if he did all he could to ensure her safety. But he could not disclose this to the others, not even the headmaster.
“It is connected with a Curse placed upon her immediately following the Dark Lord’s return.” Severus told them. “Though I am unable to say more.”
The others understood his discretion and the discussion moved to the Order of the Phoenix meeting that was scheduled for early the following week. Severus added his input when it was needed, but remained deep in his own thoughts. He needed to return to his dungeons and continue work on finding the countercurse. The summer holiday was the best time to work on it since he was not required to attend to any professor duties. And summer was almost over; soon the students would return and he would once again have the unpleasant task of providing supervision to the insufferable young ones. However, he was pleased that for the first time the headmaster was going to allow him to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Finally he would be able to use his true talents.
*~*~*~*
“What do you think you are doing?” Hermione yelled as she walked into her room. Harry was on her bed, digging through her things. She knew that he was impulsive, but she couldn’t believe that he would break her trust like that.
“You may not care, but I need to know what she said to you!” Harry bellowed back to his friend. “She is my sister and I know she told you something important.”
“It doesn’t matter what she did or did not tell me.” Hermione glared at him. She stormed over to Harry and slammed the lid of her trunk down. It landed on Harry’s fingers and he yelped in pain.
“Hermione, please.” Harry said in a more quiet voice now, realizing that yelling at Hermione wouldn’t convince her to tell him what he desperately wanted to know. “Whatever she said upset you so much, I could tell after we finished talking with Dumbledore and Snape.”
Hermione just continued to stare at him, breathing heavily through her nose. Her lips were shut tightly and her teeth were clenched. She raised her finger and pointed towards the door. “Get out of my room!”
“Please, Hermione.” Harry said to her. “I just want to help you.”
He paused for a short moment and looked at her pleadingly. “I want to help her.”
Hermione’s tension released somewhat and she allowed her shoulders to relax. Though she was still upset that he had gone into her room and began digging in her things to see what Stephanie had said to her in the letter, she could understand his concern.
Over a week ago, he had been hit with a bombshell that his sister had taken the Dark Mark of Lord Voldemort and had subsequently committed her first murder. She knew that Harry had been devastated by the information that had been given to them and by the letters of goodbye that Stephanie had written to each of her friends. She also knew that he had suffered greatly by reading the information Stephanie had finally disclosed to him, to them all, about some of the things she has experienced while in the presence of Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Immediately after Dumbledore and Snape left the Burrow, Harry had pulled Hermione aside and confronted her about what she had not read from the letter. Hermione had been impressed that Harry realized she had kept something from them, but she also knew how important it was that she not tell Harry about what Stephanie had asked of her. She wasn’t even sure if she could go through with the request, but Stephanie had explicitly asked Hermione not to share this with Harry. She had to respect Stephanie’s wishes as she contemplated the request.
Hermione had been avoiding Harry throughout the last two days because she didn’t want to talk about it and she knew that he wouldn’t let it go until he had his answer. It was exhausting but the time alone was allowing her a great deal of time to contemplate everything that was going on. She spent a lot of this time in the secluded wooded area outside the Burrow, just looking at nature. This was something she had always enjoyed doing, but rarely took a break from studying long enough to do so. After her hard work with the O.W.L.S. and the stress of everything else, it was nice to get away.
She had repeatedly taken out the letter to reread Stephanie’s words. And she always hoped that the writing would change, that Stephanie hadn’t really asked her to do what she had, but it was always the same. Each time she read the post script, Hermione cried because she didn’t think that she was strong enough to go through with the task requested of her. She also realized how painful it must be for Stephanie to even think the idea, let alone bring herself to ask a close friend to do this.
P.S. Please do not share what I am about to ask you with anyone else. I don’t want them to know about this, especially Harry. And I know that it is horrible for me to ask you this, but I feel that you are the only person that will completely understand why I am requesting it. Voldemort is going to make me a very dangerous person; I know that, even though I don’t want to believe it. Many lives are going to be at risk because of me, including yours and Harry’s, Ron’s and Ginny’s, and Neville’s. So, if a time comes when I am fighting Harry, you must choose to kill me if you have the opportunity. He is the only person who will be able to defeat Voldemort and he must be protected at all costs. We cannot risk my killing him. You will truly be saving me, not killing me. I know it will be difficult for you, but please at least think about it. It is not something that I would be requesting if it wasn’t very important.
And each time she finished reading this part of the letter, Hermione let out her breath. She could definitely understand why Stephanie had requested this, but she wasn’t sure she could choose between Stephanie and Harry. Even though Stephanie was probably going to be killing many innocent people, she was still Stephanie Potter. Hermione had spent endless hours talking with Stephanie and she felt as if they were as close as sisters. No one else, not even Harry or Ron, knew her like Stephanie did. No one else understood her like Stephanie had. How could she kill her?
It frustrated and angered her that Stephanie would ask her this. HER. After all she had done for Stephanie. And it infuriated her that Harry wouldn’t leave her alone about it. But she also realized that Stephanie had no one else to ask this of. It would have been inappropriate to ask her own brother to do it. She wasn’t close enough for Ron to do it, and Stephanie and Ginny’s friendship was still a little awkward after Ginny’s father had been attacked. That left Neville, and Hermione doubted that Stephanie wanted to corrupt him that way. Hermione knew that Stephanie left a special place for Neville in her heart. But how could she do that? Hermione was her friend too! Didn’t Stephanie understand that Hermione couldn’t kill anyone either?
AHHH. Hermione spent a lot of alone time contemplating everything that was running through her mind. But back in her room, Harry had pushed her over the line. She was infuriated, even though she could understand why he was breaking her trust.
“You are so selfish!” She spoke in a high pitched voice to Harry. “You are not the only person who is suffering, can’t you see that?”
“I didn’t mean to imply tha-“ Harry began, but Hermione interrupted him.
“You never mean it, Harry.” Hermione breathed heavily. “She asked me not to tell you and you have to respect that.”
“I’m sorry.” Harry said. “I just want to help her. She doesn’t deserve this!”
“I know, Harry.” Hermione sighed and sat next to Harry on the bed. “But you forget that in addition to your suffering, she is also in a tremendous amount of pain. And your friends are hurting too. We all care about her and want to do anything we can to help her.
“The fact is there just isn’t anything we can do right now. It showed a great deal of strength for Stephanie to write those letters, let alone disclose the information she did. Even I had no idea that those things had happened to her and my respect for her courage increased tenfold. What you can do is be strong for her. Look at all she has overcome and think about what she will be able to do. Changes or not, she will overcome this if she sets her mind to it. And it appears that she has chosen to survive, meaning that she will.
“Knowing what Stephanie wrote to me in the letter doesn’t change the situation any. It is something that I need to work through and you do not need to worry yourself about it. Stephanie has taken steps to protect you and I admire that about her. You should as well, even if you don’t want to accept that she is the one protecting you and not the other way around.” Hermione finished and felt a lot better after she got that off her chest. She had wanted to say this to Harry for a long time.
Harry just stared at her sadly. She knew that he was struggling with what she had just told him and he didn’t know what to do. Hermione let him think about it for awhile and then he finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, Hermione.” He said again. “I didn’t realize that you were hurting too. It is just so unfair that she has to go through all of that alone while I have so much support around me.”
“I know, Harry.” She responded, patting the back of his hand with her own. “But life isn’t fair. Stephanie has taken everything given to her with her head held high. We just need to make sure that she gets out of there alive and then we can provide her with everything that she has been deprived of for so long. But for that to happen, you have to be strong.”
Harry sighed heavily and nodded his understanding. Hermione knew at that moment that if Harry could be strong enough to be patient, she could be strong enough to do as Stephanie had requested. She just hoped that she wouldn’t be forced to make that choice.
*
So I haven't gotten a lot of feedback lately and I don't know if people are liking this story. But I would definitely appreciate any comments. So, you can leave FEEDBACK HERE and tell me what you like and don't like. I am open to any comments you may have!
This is also much earlier than I promised. Thank goodness for snow days, eh? It was definitely a surprise to wake up and find school canceled on my very last day EVER! Bitter sweet. But anyway, I was able to get some writing done and was able to post this today. The next chapter has been started, but my week is just getting busier as it goes on. I'll try to get a chapter posted by Friday or Sunday, but I won't guarantee anything. The next chapter will definitely be up by Tuesday at the latest! So, have a great few days and PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK! I'd love to hear it!
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Diagon Alley
Harry, Hermione, and Ron had just left the Weasley twins’ new shop. They were in Diagon Alley that day shopping for the upcoming school year. Harry saw Draco Malfoy sneaking away into a dark alley and he had suggested that they follow him. Who knew what he was up to? But, suddenly as they began to move towards him, they realized that Malfoy was not alone. There was a cloaked figure hurrying quickly behind him.
Harry gave Hermione and Ron a suspicious glance. Who in the world could that be?
“Did you see that?” He asked his friends.
“Yeah.” Ron answered, following Harry’s gaze.
“That wasn’t his mother following him, was it?” Hermione whispered, not wanting anyone to overhear them.
“No, too short.” Harry responded; though he couldn’t see the person’s face, he had a good idea who it might be and he hoped he was wrong. “Let’s go.”
He pulled out his invisibility cloak and gestured for his friends to join him. Hermione gave him a look of hesitation but decided it was better not to fight with the boys. They wrapped the cloak around them so only their feet were visible. Harry figured no one would be looking at the ground to see their feet. The trio had grown so much since first year when he was given the cloak for Christmas and it was getting even more difficult for all three to fit under it.
They hurried to catch up with Malfoy and they found him as he was turning down Knockturn Alley. Harry knew this was where witches and wizards went if they wanted to purchase Dark Arts artifacts and realized that Malfoy must be up to no good. He watched as the hooded figure went into the store Borgin and Burkes behind the unsuspecting Malfoy.
The three teenagers snuck closer to the store and decided to use the extendable ears they had gotten from Ron’s brothers, allowing them to hear what was going on inside the store. They watched as the hooded figure pretended to look at objects inside the store while Malfoy spoke to Mr. Borgin at the counter. Harry was surprised that Malfoy didn’t notice that he was being followed.
“I need you to tell me how to fix it.” Malfoy was demanding of Borgin, who looked nervous with the boy’s presence.
“It will be very difficult, maybe even impossible, without having it here.” Borgin was saying to Malfoy. Harry wondered what they could be talking about and was annoyed that he couldn’t see what they were looking at.
“Well, it must be your first priority.” Malfoy hissed at the shopkeeper. “Fenrir Greyback is a family friend and will be dropping in on you to make sure you are giving this your full attention.”
Malfoy’s paused and then added, almost as if it was an afterthought. “There’s something else.”
Malfoy’s back was to Harry, but he could tell that his classmate was showing something to Borgin. Although he couldn’t see what was going on, he knew that it must be something important because Borgin’s eyes went wide at what he was seeing.
Harry jumped when he heard the hooded figure laughing. The person walked up to the counter and Malfoy looked at them in surprise.
“Draco, Draco, Draco.” The hooded figure taunted Malfoy. Harry couldn’t help but smile at this. “You are even more pathetic than your father, though I’ve known that for some time now.”
Harry recognized the voice immediately. It was Stephanie! Harry couldn’t believe that he was so close to his sister. He stood up quickly and the invisibility cloak fell off of him and his friends, making them visible to any passerby on the street. As he tried to run into the shop and confront his sister, he heard Hermione mutter an incantation under her breath.
“Impedimenta.” Harry went rigid and couldn’t move, though he was still aware of his surroundings.
Ron quickly grabbed the cloak and replaced it upon the three, hiding them from view. They were lucky that no one had noticed the friends, but Harry was angry that Hermione had done that. He could have gone to his sister! Instead, he listened to the rest of the conversation inside the store.
“How dare you speak to me like that?” Harry watched as Draco lowered his eyes in a look of utter hatred towards Harry’s sister.
Stephanie let out a low giggle. “You have to show the man your Mark to incite fear and obedience. To make it worse, you drop names of family friends to get others to do as you wish. It is a feeble attempt on your part, especially since Greyback hasn’t even been allowed into the Dark Lord’s circle.”
Harry had a mixed emotional reaction to what he was hearing. He was appalled that his sister had a large grin on her face while talking about causing fear in other people, though he was happy that she was finally able to stand up to Malfoy. She continued berating his enemy as she lowered the hood of her robe, allowing the shopkeeper to see her face. “When your very presence should be sufficient enough to do so. See, just look at Mr. Borgin.”
Harry’s eyes moved to the shopkeeper who looked absolutely terrified at having Stephanie Potter in his store. He knew that Borgin understood the implications of her presence; Lord Voldemort had sent her.
“Ms. Potter.” Borgin began with a quavering voice while bowing to the teenager to show his respect. “What do I owe this pleasure?”
“I am here to speak with Draco.” Stephanie told the shopkeeper matter-of-factly. “And to keep him out of trouble.”
“Why would you need to keep watch over me?” Draco asked her in surprise with an edge to his voice.
“The Dark Lord has given you a task that he believes you will be unsuccessful at completing.” Stephanie was positively gleeful. “He has asked me to assist you. And though it disgusts me to help such a pitiful boy, I must do as the Dark Lord requests.”
“He wants you, A SERVANT, to follow me?” Draco asked incredulously. Harry knew that he must be infuriated at the idea.
“The difference between you and me, Draco, is that I have already proven myself to the Dark Lord.” Stephanie smirked. “You and your family have done nothing but disappoint the Dark Lord repeatedly. Things are changing, Draco. And you better get used to it.”
“I don’t have to get used to anything.” Draco spat. “You have always been a screw-up and soon you will end up where you belong, dead; while I will prove to the Dark Lord that the Malfoys are worthy of his glory.”
“Your father has lost all credibility with the Dark Lord after his little…mishap at the Ministry. Though he has given you this task, he does not believe you are capable and he wishes me to keep an eye on you.” Stephanie taunted Malfoy. “However, I feel that this is not the place to discuss this. We shall continue later if you wish.”
Draco slapped Stephanie hard across the face. As if on instinct, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at Draco’s throat. He let out a little laugh and Stephanie just stared at him, obviously not amused.
“You cannot touch me.” He laughed at her. Harry wanted to do something but he could not move; he was still bound by Hermione’s spell. “Father told me what the Dark Lord has done to you. You may have this newfound courage, but remember that you will always be the lowest ranking follower of the Dark Lord. You will always be a filthy half-blood.”
Instead of getting angry at the insult, Harry noticed that Stephanie was smiling at the boy who had tormented her for so long. She spoke in a quiet and calm voice. “There are ways to harm someone without using magic, Draco. You really are too pompous to realize that. I could kill you right now without using an ounce of magic and believe me it wouldn’t put me out any. In fact it would allow me the opportunity to repay you for everything you have done to me over the years. But that was not the task given to me and so I cannot yet fulfill my greatest desire. Maybe after you fail in your task, and believe me when I say that you will fail, and I succeed in mine, the Dark Lord will allow me this reward.”
Draco just stared angrily at Stephanie, the girl who had been nothing more than a servant to him for many years. She had been target practice and someone to taunt when he was bored. And today, she was finally standing up to him. Harry should have been impressed, but he wasn’t. He also should have been prepared to hear Stephanie speak this way, since Snape had informed him of the changes Stephanie had made because of her conditioning. He just hadn’t wanted to believe that it was true. It was hard to listen and watch his sister act like a monster when he knew that she wasn’t normally like this. She didn’t want to be like this, and yet, Voldemort had done this to her. Harry had to defeat Voldemort so that she could return to those who love her.
After looking like he had a retort to Stephanie’s comment, Draco must have decided not to pursue the issue any further. He turned to Borgin and hissed an order at the shopkeeper. “Make sure you don’t tell anyone about this, not even my mother.”
“Of course, sir.” Borgin muttered to Malfoy, refusing to look the boy directly in the eyes.
“Good.” Malfoy said and turned towards Stephanie. He didn’t say a word as he gestured that she should follow him. They walked in silence towards the door and Harry, Hermione, and Ron remained still. They heard Draco continue to argue with Stephanie. Harry figured that he was probably taken aback by Stephanie’s sudden onset of courage. “I still don’t understand how he can trust you. You are a Potter for cry-”
Stephanie stopped him with a raised hand. She slowly began to raise the wand she hadn’t put away since her threat on Draco.
“We have observers.” She said with a smile and Harry swallowed hard. Stephanie flicked her wand and the invisibility cloak fell to the ground, revealing the three friends for all to see.
“Potter!” Draco snarled in surprise.
Harry could move once again and each of the students pulled out their wands. Stephanie stared directly at him as he raised his own wand. What should he do? He couldn’t cast a spell at his sister! But the look on her face told him that she was about to cast one on him. How could he respond to that? Before any of them could cast a spell or say a word, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were thrown back against the wall.
Harry had the wind knocked out of him from the force of the blow and he gasped for breath. His eyesight was getting blurry as he looked over to his twin sister. Stephanie’s eyes went to the source of the spell and then she attempted to move towards Harry. But Malfoy grabbed her arm and pulled her in the opposite direction. They disappeared out of sight.
“Stephanie!” Harry tried to call after her, but only a raspy sound came out. Who had cast the spell? There hadn’t been any light coming from either Stephanie or Malfoy’s wands. It couldn’t have been them; they must have had someone following them. He heard his friends reacting the same way.
“Oh, Harry. Are you all right?” He heard a familiar voice ask him. The form of Tonks, the Auror and an Order member that he had befriended last year, soon came into focus in front of him. “I’m so sorry! I had to do that.”
“What’s going on?” Harry whispered, still trying to catch his breath. “Why did you do that?”
“Not here, Harry. Let’s get you back to the Burrow and we will explain everything.” It was Kingsley this time.
He was lifted into a standing position with the help of Kingsley. Ron was on the other side of the Auror. Tonks was helping Hermione through Knockturn Alley and back towards Diagon Alley.
“Ronald Weasley!” Harry heard Mrs. Weasley yell across the way while running towards them. He felt the eyes of passerby watch the scene interestedly. “You are in so much trouble.”
“Of course it’s only me that’s in trouble.” Ron muttered under his breath. If Harry hadn’t been in so much pain and still gasping for breath, he would have laughed at his friend’s response.
After Mrs. and Mr. Weasley and Ginny caught up to them, they readied for Apparition back to the Burrow. A crowd was already beginning to gather around Harry and his friends. The last thing he heard before the pop signaling their successful Disapparition was the murmuring of the crowd:
*~*~*~*
Harry was transported back to the Burrow with the assistance of Kingsley. Hermione with Tonks; Ron with Mr. Weasley; and Ginny with Mrs. Weasley. They walked inside the small home and found seats in the living room.
“What on earth were you thinking?” Mrs. Weasley scolded in a high pitch voice. Harry knew she only spoke like this when she was upset. “Going into Knockturn Alley on your own. You could have been killed!”
“We were following Malfoy.” Ron offered his mother, though Harry knew that this explanation would be pointless.
“That is no excuse!” Mrs. Weasley retorted. She was breathing heavily from her anger.
“What were you doing there?” Harry asked, turning to Kingsley and Tonks. He was trying to change the subject and lessen the reprimanding of Mrs. Weasley.
“You are lucky we were.” Kingsley said.
“Dumbledore asked us to keep an eye on you while you three were visiting Diagon Alley, Harry.” Tonks offered. “But when you slipped under the invisibility cloak we lost you.”
“But we got word of underage magic being used in Knockturn Alley and we went to investigate.” Kingsley explained. “And you are lucky we found you when we did. Stephanie could have killed you.”
“Why did you hit us with spells instead of Malfoy and Stephanie?” Ron asked while rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the wall. Harry had been wondering the same thing, though he would rather receive any spell than have his sister suffer unnecessarily.
“Because we didn’t want to harm Stephanie.” Kingsley stated. “We also didn’t want to capture her quite yet. I am sure that this has all been explained to you.”
The three nodded. Harry was still in disbelief at what had just happened.
“Am I going to be expelled for using magic outside of Hogwarts?” Hermione asked the Aurors. Harry knew that she must be full of anticipation. It would kill her to be expelled from Hogwarts. School was her life.
Kingsley laughed at Hermione’s concern. He shook his head and then explained. “No. To be honest, I never understood the underage law. It’s more of a guideline and a tactic for parents to scare their children. The Ministry can only detect that underage magic has been performed, it cannot tell who performed such magic. There were five teenagers at the scene and we cannot prove who cast the spell.”
Hermione let out a breath, but two questions burned inside Harry. He asked them. “But the Ministry always seems to know when I perform magic outside of school. How can that be?”
“Because, Harry.” Mr. Weasley began slowly. “You are the only wizard in Little Whinging, therefore you are the only person who can perform magic.”
“But,” Harry understood that, but he had another question. “Why don’t they catch Stephanie as she performs magic? She is underage too, and has been doing magic for a couple of years now.”
“When a child dies, the Ministry removes the charm detecting underage magic.” Kingsley explained. “Everyone thought your sister died along with your parents and so the Ministry removed the charm detecting her magic. That is why she is able to use magic freely.”
Harry nodded.
“We have to get back to the Ministry.” Kingsley stated. “Can we trust that you will stay put?”
Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded again. Mrs. Weasley got up and walked the Aurors to the door. Mr. Weasley nodded to the children and left the room. Hermione offered for them to go up to their room and talk. Harry thought that would be a good idea and contemplated whether or not Ginny should be involved. He figured that she should come along since they needed to talk about Stephanie.
Upstairs, they sat in Ron’s bedroom and explained to Ginny what had happened. She didn’t look as shocked to hear about Stephanie’s behavior as Harry felt when he was observing it.
“Thank you for stopping me, Hermione.” Harry said to his friend. As mad as he was at the time, he knew that it would have been horrible if he had gone into the store. “You could have been expelled.”
“I did what I had to.” Hermione looked at Harry with pity. “She wants me to protect you when I can, and you were going to go to her. We must keep our distance right now.”
“I know,” Harry said. “But it’s hard to do that.”
“Did you see the look on Malfoy’s face when she said she could kill him without magic?” Ron asked with a huge grin. “It was classic. He believed her.”
“He was terrified.” Harry answered without a smile. He wrinkled his forehead in concern for Stephanie. “But I couldn’t believe she talked to him like that. After all she told us about having to be careful around him. She could get punished for that!”
“I don’t think so, Harry.” Hermione said to him with understanding on her face. “Did you hear what she said about his family? I think our defeating Lucius Malfoy discredited his entire family.”
“You said something about Stephanie following Draco to assist him with a task.” Ginny jumped into the conversation. “Do you know what he is up to?”
They all looked to Hermione because Harry didn’t know what it could be. She was always the one to see things the others couldn’t. Maybe she knew what was going on.
“I don’t know.” Hermione said slowly, contemplating what Draco could have been ordered to do. “But Voldemort doesn’t think he can or will do it. It must be something big.”
“We’ll just have to keep an eye on him at school.” Harry conceded. “Maybe then we’ll be able to figure it out and stop him if we can.”
“Harry,” Hermione said to him, eyeing him with concern. “Are you alright?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He asked.
“It must have been difficult for you to see her behave like that.” Hermione admitted to the others what was on her mind. “I know I had trouble keeping myself together.”
“You know it was, but after you froze me in place I was able to think more clearly about what was happening.” He told them. Harry had surprised himself at how easily his understanding of his sister’s comments came. “Snape said that we have to understand her changes. Though it definitely came as a shock and I wasn’t prepared to see it firsthand, I can understand why she allowed it to happen. She is doing this to survive and we cannot fault her, even if she is changing. No matter what she does, I will still love her. And I will do whatever I can to protect her.”
The others looked at him in surprise and wonderment. This was not like him, to remain so calm when his sister was involved. But it was also a relief to understand why Stephanie was doing what she was. It would have hurt him much more to watch her behavior earlier that day if he hadn’t been told about Stephanie’s forced changes ahead of time.
They decided that it would be nice to do some stress relieving activities. Ron, Harry, and Ginny grabbed their brooms to play a game of Quidditch while Hermione sat on the sidelines and watched. Harry was happy that he had such good friends that would help him and his sister overcome this.
*~*~*~*
He sat in his office reading the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet. Kingsley had informed him about the happenings in Diagon Alley immediately after Kingsley left the Burrow the day before. Albus knew something like that would happen soon, thanks to Severus’ warning about Voldemort’s newfound trust in Stephanie. He was just happy that he had decided to ask Kingsley and Tonks to keep an eye on Harry for him.
That was the headline on the front page of the newspaper. Beneath it was a picture of Stephanie pointing her wand at Harry. There was a look on her face that saddened Albus; it wasn’t hatred, really. It was more like lack of recognition. He believed that Stephanie was forcing memories of her brother out of her mind, allowing her to make the changes much easier.
Forgetting the love you have for your family must be a difficult task. Albus thought about how hollow Stephanie must feel inside. There was a knock on the door and he put down the paper, placing his moon-shaped spectacles on top of the newspaper.
“Come in.” He said in a weak voice. Albus was starting to get very tired and it was caused by more than Voldemort’s return. He was dying and there was still so much he had to do to ensure Voldemort’s downfall. Harry had to be prepared for what was to come; it was his destiny.
“You called for us, Professor?” Minerva walked into the office with Severus.
“Of course. Please have a seat.” He answered, happy to see his old friends. They sat down in the chairs across from the headmaster’s desk. “I have invited Kingsley here as well. We shouldn’t have to wait long.”
A few minutes later, Kingsley knocked on the professor’s door and he was called inside. Kingsley sat next to Severus and across from Albus.
He took a deep breath and asked the Auror to tell Minerva and Severus what happened in Diagon Alley the day before. Kingsley explained the situation and Albus kept an eye on Severus, who didn’t appear surprised. But it was in the Daily Prophet, so he shouldn’t expect that neither Minerva nor Severus should be stunned about what they were being told.
“Though we told Harry differently, Tonks and I were there the entire time. We watched the entire scene unfold, but didn’t make our presence known until moments before Stephanie was able to cast a spell.” Kingsley explained and he turned to Severus. “Thank you so much for telling us about her eyes. If we hadn’t known that she was about to cast a spell, we wouldn’t have thought it possible. But she was most certainly going to curse, or worse, her brother.”
“The Dark Lord has not told her what she does because he believes it is helpful for him to know when she is planning on beginning a spell.” Severus said and then turned to explain to Minerva. “Stephanie squints as she begins a nonverbal spell. I believe it to be her form of concentration, but it is obvious nonetheless.”
“And this allowed you to save Mr. Potter from the spell?” Minerva asked.
“Yes.” Kingsley answered and then described the rest of the incident in the alley. Then he turned the topic to the discussion held at the Burrow. “Hermione thought that she was going to be expelled, but I reassured her that all was okay. She cast Impedimenta on Harry after they realized that it was Stephanie who accompanied Draco into Borgin and Burkes.
“They were listening to the conversation using the extendable ears the Weasley twins have invented, and I believe that they heard some important details of Voldemort’s plans because they did not ask very many questions about why Stephanie was in Knockturn Alley with Draco. After they left the store, Draco looked infuriated. I suspect that he had not been expecting Stephanie to join him in Knockturn or Diagon Alleys.”
“He wasn’t.” Severus admitted. “The Dark Lord has given him a mission and does not expect that Mr. Malfoy will succeed. He is punishing Lucius for his failure at the Ministry by requiring Mr. Malfoy to perform this task. It is still unclear why he asked Stephanie to assist Mr. Malfoy, though I suspect that it is another test for her as well.”
Albus looked at Kingsley and knew that the head Auror was interested in what the young Malfoy was being requested to do, but he also knew that Kingsley would not ask. Minerva and Severus knew Voldemort had ordered Draco to murder Albus, but it was important that no other Order members be privy to this information. Reactions to his death must be natural because he knew Voldemort would see through false responses.
“Tonks and I couldn’t hear what they were talking about.” Kingsley added. “But we could see what was going on. You were right, Severus. Stephanie has changed drastically and to be honest, I am quite impressed.”
“What do you mean?” Minerva asked, turning to Kingsley.
“She said something that upset Draco, who subsequently slapped her in response. Instead of cowering like she would have done a few months ago, she stood up to him.” Kingsley smiled. “Stephanie drew her wand and threatened him. It appeared to amuse Draco, but she didn’t back down. They continued arguing and then Draco stormed out of the store, obviously infuriated at what Stephanie said to him.”
“That is not like her at all.” Minerva commented. Albus had to agree, but he was glad that she was no longer terrified of the young Malfoy. The situation was dire, because Stephanie’s changes were so horrible, but he had to look at something positive.
Even though Draco Malfoy had been a bully in the school and was now working for Lord Voldemort, Albus still cared about him dearly. He didn’t want anything to happen to the boy, especially since Draco had never had a chance in life with his father being Lucius Malfoy and a prominent Death Eater.
“Severus.” He began, turning to his friend. “Do you think that Stephanie will attempt to harm Draco?”
“Of course not.” Severus said, showing no emotion as usual. “Even with her change in personality, she knows that she cannot harm one of the Dark Lord’s Death Eaters.”
“Very well.” Albus said. “I am afraid that Harry may now be suspicious that Draco is planning something if he does not know what those exact details are. We must keep an eye on him and his friends to make sure that they don’t find out what is going on. It is important they remain uninformed until the right moment.”
“We will do what we can, professor.” Minerva said. He was sure that they would do all they could, but Albus also knew how good Harry was at getting into trouble. Even when he wasn’t trying to, Harry always ran into some sort of drama. Albus smiled at the thought because Harry was so much like his father.
With that, the meeting was over. The others filed out of Albus’ office and he began to clean his desk. The students were set to arrive the following week and there were many preparations to take care of. He was increasing security measures around the castle since he was going to be spending so much time away this year and he had to prepare his welcome to the new professors. Yes, there was a lot to do. He started his work.
So here is that chapter. I truly had a lot of fun writing the Steph/Draco scene, since she can now stand up to him. And it infuriated him so much for Stephanie to do that! Please leave your COMMENTS and FEEDBACK here! I love hearing what people have to say.
Lauren: I apologize that Stephanie's POV wasn't in this chapter, I lied about that, but at least Stephanie WAS in the chapter! I PROMISE Stephanie's viewpoint will be a good chunk of the next chapter.
So, I've said this before and we all know how well I am at keeping my promises, so I won't do that today. But it's going to be a few days before I can post again. Graduation is on Sunday and I'm moving on Monday. I haven't even started the next chapter, so I don't expect it to be up until at least Wednesday, but we'll see. I may get some unexpected time to write. Thanks for keeping up with my story and feel free to leave feedback. I don't bite, really!
Harry, Hermione, and Ron had just left the Weasley twins’ new shop. They were in Diagon Alley that day shopping for the upcoming school year. Harry saw Draco Malfoy sneaking away into a dark alley and he had suggested that they follow him. Who knew what he was up to? But, suddenly as they began to move towards him, they realized that Malfoy was not alone. There was a cloaked figure hurrying quickly behind him.
Harry gave Hermione and Ron a suspicious glance. Who in the world could that be?
“Did you see that?” He asked his friends.
“Yeah.” Ron answered, following Harry’s gaze.
“That wasn’t his mother following him, was it?” Hermione whispered, not wanting anyone to overhear them.
“No, too short.” Harry responded; though he couldn’t see the person’s face, he had a good idea who it might be and he hoped he was wrong. “Let’s go.”
He pulled out his invisibility cloak and gestured for his friends to join him. Hermione gave him a look of hesitation but decided it was better not to fight with the boys. They wrapped the cloak around them so only their feet were visible. Harry figured no one would be looking at the ground to see their feet. The trio had grown so much since first year when he was given the cloak for Christmas and it was getting even more difficult for all three to fit under it.
They hurried to catch up with Malfoy and they found him as he was turning down Knockturn Alley. Harry knew this was where witches and wizards went if they wanted to purchase Dark Arts artifacts and realized that Malfoy must be up to no good. He watched as the hooded figure went into the store Borgin and Burkes behind the unsuspecting Malfoy.
The three teenagers snuck closer to the store and decided to use the extendable ears they had gotten from Ron’s brothers, allowing them to hear what was going on inside the store. They watched as the hooded figure pretended to look at objects inside the store while Malfoy spoke to Mr. Borgin at the counter. Harry was surprised that Malfoy didn’t notice that he was being followed.
“I need you to tell me how to fix it.” Malfoy was demanding of Borgin, who looked nervous with the boy’s presence.
“It will be very difficult, maybe even impossible, without having it here.” Borgin was saying to Malfoy. Harry wondered what they could be talking about and was annoyed that he couldn’t see what they were looking at.
“Well, it must be your first priority.” Malfoy hissed at the shopkeeper. “Fenrir Greyback is a family friend and will be dropping in on you to make sure you are giving this your full attention.”
Malfoy’s paused and then added, almost as if it was an afterthought. “There’s something else.”
Malfoy’s back was to Harry, but he could tell that his classmate was showing something to Borgin. Although he couldn’t see what was going on, he knew that it must be something important because Borgin’s eyes went wide at what he was seeing.
Harry jumped when he heard the hooded figure laughing. The person walked up to the counter and Malfoy looked at them in surprise.
“Draco, Draco, Draco.” The hooded figure taunted Malfoy. Harry couldn’t help but smile at this. “You are even more pathetic than your father, though I’ve known that for some time now.”
Harry recognized the voice immediately. It was Stephanie! Harry couldn’t believe that he was so close to his sister. He stood up quickly and the invisibility cloak fell off of him and his friends, making them visible to any passerby on the street. As he tried to run into the shop and confront his sister, he heard Hermione mutter an incantation under her breath.
“Impedimenta.” Harry went rigid and couldn’t move, though he was still aware of his surroundings.
Ron quickly grabbed the cloak and replaced it upon the three, hiding them from view. They were lucky that no one had noticed the friends, but Harry was angry that Hermione had done that. He could have gone to his sister! Instead, he listened to the rest of the conversation inside the store.
“How dare you speak to me like that?” Harry watched as Draco lowered his eyes in a look of utter hatred towards Harry’s sister.
Stephanie let out a low giggle. “You have to show the man your Mark to incite fear and obedience. To make it worse, you drop names of family friends to get others to do as you wish. It is a feeble attempt on your part, especially since Greyback hasn’t even been allowed into the Dark Lord’s circle.”
Harry had a mixed emotional reaction to what he was hearing. He was appalled that his sister had a large grin on her face while talking about causing fear in other people, though he was happy that she was finally able to stand up to Malfoy. She continued berating his enemy as she lowered the hood of her robe, allowing the shopkeeper to see her face. “When your very presence should be sufficient enough to do so. See, just look at Mr. Borgin.”
Harry’s eyes moved to the shopkeeper who looked absolutely terrified at having Stephanie Potter in his store. He knew that Borgin understood the implications of her presence; Lord Voldemort had sent her.
“Ms. Potter.” Borgin began with a quavering voice while bowing to the teenager to show his respect. “What do I owe this pleasure?”
“I am here to speak with Draco.” Stephanie told the shopkeeper matter-of-factly. “And to keep him out of trouble.”
“Why would you need to keep watch over me?” Draco asked her in surprise with an edge to his voice.
“The Dark Lord has given you a task that he believes you will be unsuccessful at completing.” Stephanie was positively gleeful. “He has asked me to assist you. And though it disgusts me to help such a pitiful boy, I must do as the Dark Lord requests.”
“He wants you, A SERVANT, to follow me?” Draco asked incredulously. Harry knew that he must be infuriated at the idea.
“The difference between you and me, Draco, is that I have already proven myself to the Dark Lord.” Stephanie smirked. “You and your family have done nothing but disappoint the Dark Lord repeatedly. Things are changing, Draco. And you better get used to it.”
“I don’t have to get used to anything.” Draco spat. “You have always been a screw-up and soon you will end up where you belong, dead; while I will prove to the Dark Lord that the Malfoys are worthy of his glory.”
“Your father has lost all credibility with the Dark Lord after his little…mishap at the Ministry. Though he has given you this task, he does not believe you are capable and he wishes me to keep an eye on you.” Stephanie taunted Malfoy. “However, I feel that this is not the place to discuss this. We shall continue later if you wish.”
Draco slapped Stephanie hard across the face. As if on instinct, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at Draco’s throat. He let out a little laugh and Stephanie just stared at him, obviously not amused.
“You cannot touch me.” He laughed at her. Harry wanted to do something but he could not move; he was still bound by Hermione’s spell. “Father told me what the Dark Lord has done to you. You may have this newfound courage, but remember that you will always be the lowest ranking follower of the Dark Lord. You will always be a filthy half-blood.”
Instead of getting angry at the insult, Harry noticed that Stephanie was smiling at the boy who had tormented her for so long. She spoke in a quiet and calm voice. “There are ways to harm someone without using magic, Draco. You really are too pompous to realize that. I could kill you right now without using an ounce of magic and believe me it wouldn’t put me out any. In fact it would allow me the opportunity to repay you for everything you have done to me over the years. But that was not the task given to me and so I cannot yet fulfill my greatest desire. Maybe after you fail in your task, and believe me when I say that you will fail, and I succeed in mine, the Dark Lord will allow me this reward.”
Draco just stared angrily at Stephanie, the girl who had been nothing more than a servant to him for many years. She had been target practice and someone to taunt when he was bored. And today, she was finally standing up to him. Harry should have been impressed, but he wasn’t. He also should have been prepared to hear Stephanie speak this way, since Snape had informed him of the changes Stephanie had made because of her conditioning. He just hadn’t wanted to believe that it was true. It was hard to listen and watch his sister act like a monster when he knew that she wasn’t normally like this. She didn’t want to be like this, and yet, Voldemort had done this to her. Harry had to defeat Voldemort so that she could return to those who love her.
After looking like he had a retort to Stephanie’s comment, Draco must have decided not to pursue the issue any further. He turned to Borgin and hissed an order at the shopkeeper. “Make sure you don’t tell anyone about this, not even my mother.”
“Of course, sir.” Borgin muttered to Malfoy, refusing to look the boy directly in the eyes.
“Good.” Malfoy said and turned towards Stephanie. He didn’t say a word as he gestured that she should follow him. They walked in silence towards the door and Harry, Hermione, and Ron remained still. They heard Draco continue to argue with Stephanie. Harry figured that he was probably taken aback by Stephanie’s sudden onset of courage. “I still don’t understand how he can trust you. You are a Potter for cry-”
Stephanie stopped him with a raised hand. She slowly began to raise the wand she hadn’t put away since her threat on Draco.
“We have observers.” She said with a smile and Harry swallowed hard. Stephanie flicked her wand and the invisibility cloak fell to the ground, revealing the three friends for all to see.
“Potter!” Draco snarled in surprise.
Harry could move once again and each of the students pulled out their wands. Stephanie stared directly at him as he raised his own wand. What should he do? He couldn’t cast a spell at his sister! But the look on her face told him that she was about to cast one on him. How could he respond to that? Before any of them could cast a spell or say a word, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were thrown back against the wall.
Harry had the wind knocked out of him from the force of the blow and he gasped for breath. His eyesight was getting blurry as he looked over to his twin sister. Stephanie’s eyes went to the source of the spell and then she attempted to move towards Harry. But Malfoy grabbed her arm and pulled her in the opposite direction. They disappeared out of sight.
“Stephanie!” Harry tried to call after her, but only a raspy sound came out. Who had cast the spell? There hadn’t been any light coming from either Stephanie or Malfoy’s wands. It couldn’t have been them; they must have had someone following them. He heard his friends reacting the same way.
“Oh, Harry. Are you all right?” He heard a familiar voice ask him. The form of Tonks, the Auror and an Order member that he had befriended last year, soon came into focus in front of him. “I’m so sorry! I had to do that.”
“What’s going on?” Harry whispered, still trying to catch his breath. “Why did you do that?”
“Not here, Harry. Let’s get you back to the Burrow and we will explain everything.” It was Kingsley this time.
He was lifted into a standing position with the help of Kingsley. Ron was on the other side of the Auror. Tonks was helping Hermione through Knockturn Alley and back towards Diagon Alley.
“Ronald Weasley!” Harry heard Mrs. Weasley yell across the way while running towards them. He felt the eyes of passerby watch the scene interestedly. “You are in so much trouble.”
“Of course it’s only me that’s in trouble.” Ron muttered under his breath. If Harry hadn’t been in so much pain and still gasping for breath, he would have laughed at his friend’s response.
After Mrs. and Mr. Weasley and Ginny caught up to them, they readied for Apparition back to the Burrow. A crowd was already beginning to gather around Harry and his friends. The last thing he heard before the pop signaling their successful Disapparition was the murmuring of the crowd:
“Stephanie Potter! I saw her!”
“Death Eaters in Diagon Alley?!?”
“It was Harry’s sister! She tried to kill him!”
“Draco Malfoy was with her!”
“Death Eaters in Diagon Alley?!?”
“It was Harry’s sister! She tried to kill him!”
“Draco Malfoy was with her!”
*~*~*~*
Harry was transported back to the Burrow with the assistance of Kingsley. Hermione with Tonks; Ron with Mr. Weasley; and Ginny with Mrs. Weasley. They walked inside the small home and found seats in the living room.
“What on earth were you thinking?” Mrs. Weasley scolded in a high pitch voice. Harry knew she only spoke like this when she was upset. “Going into Knockturn Alley on your own. You could have been killed!”
“We were following Malfoy.” Ron offered his mother, though Harry knew that this explanation would be pointless.
“That is no excuse!” Mrs. Weasley retorted. She was breathing heavily from her anger.
“What were you doing there?” Harry asked, turning to Kingsley and Tonks. He was trying to change the subject and lessen the reprimanding of Mrs. Weasley.
“You are lucky we were.” Kingsley said.
“Dumbledore asked us to keep an eye on you while you three were visiting Diagon Alley, Harry.” Tonks offered. “But when you slipped under the invisibility cloak we lost you.”
“But we got word of underage magic being used in Knockturn Alley and we went to investigate.” Kingsley explained. “And you are lucky we found you when we did. Stephanie could have killed you.”
“Why did you hit us with spells instead of Malfoy and Stephanie?” Ron asked while rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the wall. Harry had been wondering the same thing, though he would rather receive any spell than have his sister suffer unnecessarily.
“Because we didn’t want to harm Stephanie.” Kingsley stated. “We also didn’t want to capture her quite yet. I am sure that this has all been explained to you.”
The three nodded. Harry was still in disbelief at what had just happened.
“Am I going to be expelled for using magic outside of Hogwarts?” Hermione asked the Aurors. Harry knew that she must be full of anticipation. It would kill her to be expelled from Hogwarts. School was her life.
Kingsley laughed at Hermione’s concern. He shook his head and then explained. “No. To be honest, I never understood the underage law. It’s more of a guideline and a tactic for parents to scare their children. The Ministry can only detect that underage magic has been performed, it cannot tell who performed such magic. There were five teenagers at the scene and we cannot prove who cast the spell.”
Hermione let out a breath, but two questions burned inside Harry. He asked them. “But the Ministry always seems to know when I perform magic outside of school. How can that be?”
“Because, Harry.” Mr. Weasley began slowly. “You are the only wizard in Little Whinging, therefore you are the only person who can perform magic.”
“But,” Harry understood that, but he had another question. “Why don’t they catch Stephanie as she performs magic? She is underage too, and has been doing magic for a couple of years now.”
“When a child dies, the Ministry removes the charm detecting underage magic.” Kingsley explained. “Everyone thought your sister died along with your parents and so the Ministry removed the charm detecting her magic. That is why she is able to use magic freely.”
Harry nodded.
“We have to get back to the Ministry.” Kingsley stated. “Can we trust that you will stay put?”
Harry, Ron, and Hermione nodded again. Mrs. Weasley got up and walked the Aurors to the door. Mr. Weasley nodded to the children and left the room. Hermione offered for them to go up to their room and talk. Harry thought that would be a good idea and contemplated whether or not Ginny should be involved. He figured that she should come along since they needed to talk about Stephanie.
Upstairs, they sat in Ron’s bedroom and explained to Ginny what had happened. She didn’t look as shocked to hear about Stephanie’s behavior as Harry felt when he was observing it.
“Thank you for stopping me, Hermione.” Harry said to his friend. As mad as he was at the time, he knew that it would have been horrible if he had gone into the store. “You could have been expelled.”
“I did what I had to.” Hermione looked at Harry with pity. “She wants me to protect you when I can, and you were going to go to her. We must keep our distance right now.”
“I know,” Harry said. “But it’s hard to do that.”
“Did you see the look on Malfoy’s face when she said she could kill him without magic?” Ron asked with a huge grin. “It was classic. He believed her.”
“He was terrified.” Harry answered without a smile. He wrinkled his forehead in concern for Stephanie. “But I couldn’t believe she talked to him like that. After all she told us about having to be careful around him. She could get punished for that!”
“I don’t think so, Harry.” Hermione said to him with understanding on her face. “Did you hear what she said about his family? I think our defeating Lucius Malfoy discredited his entire family.”
“You said something about Stephanie following Draco to assist him with a task.” Ginny jumped into the conversation. “Do you know what he is up to?”
They all looked to Hermione because Harry didn’t know what it could be. She was always the one to see things the others couldn’t. Maybe she knew what was going on.
“I don’t know.” Hermione said slowly, contemplating what Draco could have been ordered to do. “But Voldemort doesn’t think he can or will do it. It must be something big.”
“We’ll just have to keep an eye on him at school.” Harry conceded. “Maybe then we’ll be able to figure it out and stop him if we can.”
“Harry,” Hermione said to him, eyeing him with concern. “Are you alright?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He asked.
“It must have been difficult for you to see her behave like that.” Hermione admitted to the others what was on her mind. “I know I had trouble keeping myself together.”
“You know it was, but after you froze me in place I was able to think more clearly about what was happening.” He told them. Harry had surprised himself at how easily his understanding of his sister’s comments came. “Snape said that we have to understand her changes. Though it definitely came as a shock and I wasn’t prepared to see it firsthand, I can understand why she allowed it to happen. She is doing this to survive and we cannot fault her, even if she is changing. No matter what she does, I will still love her. And I will do whatever I can to protect her.”
The others looked at him in surprise and wonderment. This was not like him, to remain so calm when his sister was involved. But it was also a relief to understand why Stephanie was doing what she was. It would have hurt him much more to watch her behavior earlier that day if he hadn’t been told about Stephanie’s forced changes ahead of time.
They decided that it would be nice to do some stress relieving activities. Ron, Harry, and Ginny grabbed their brooms to play a game of Quidditch while Hermione sat on the sidelines and watched. Harry was happy that he had such good friends that would help him and his sister overcome this.
*~*~*~*
He sat in his office reading the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet. Kingsley had informed him about the happenings in Diagon Alley immediately after Kingsley left the Burrow the day before. Albus knew something like that would happen soon, thanks to Severus’ warning about Voldemort’s newfound trust in Stephanie. He was just happy that he had decided to ask Kingsley and Tonks to keep an eye on Harry for him.
Stephanie Potter Confronts Brother
In Knockturn Alley
In Knockturn Alley
That was the headline on the front page of the newspaper. Beneath it was a picture of Stephanie pointing her wand at Harry. There was a look on her face that saddened Albus; it wasn’t hatred, really. It was more like lack of recognition. He believed that Stephanie was forcing memories of her brother out of her mind, allowing her to make the changes much easier.
Forgetting the love you have for your family must be a difficult task. Albus thought about how hollow Stephanie must feel inside. There was a knock on the door and he put down the paper, placing his moon-shaped spectacles on top of the newspaper.
“Come in.” He said in a weak voice. Albus was starting to get very tired and it was caused by more than Voldemort’s return. He was dying and there was still so much he had to do to ensure Voldemort’s downfall. Harry had to be prepared for what was to come; it was his destiny.
“You called for us, Professor?” Minerva walked into the office with Severus.
“Of course. Please have a seat.” He answered, happy to see his old friends. They sat down in the chairs across from the headmaster’s desk. “I have invited Kingsley here as well. We shouldn’t have to wait long.”
A few minutes later, Kingsley knocked on the professor’s door and he was called inside. Kingsley sat next to Severus and across from Albus.
He took a deep breath and asked the Auror to tell Minerva and Severus what happened in Diagon Alley the day before. Kingsley explained the situation and Albus kept an eye on Severus, who didn’t appear surprised. But it was in the Daily Prophet, so he shouldn’t expect that neither Minerva nor Severus should be stunned about what they were being told.
“Though we told Harry differently, Tonks and I were there the entire time. We watched the entire scene unfold, but didn’t make our presence known until moments before Stephanie was able to cast a spell.” Kingsley explained and he turned to Severus. “Thank you so much for telling us about her eyes. If we hadn’t known that she was about to cast a spell, we wouldn’t have thought it possible. But she was most certainly going to curse, or worse, her brother.”
“The Dark Lord has not told her what she does because he believes it is helpful for him to know when she is planning on beginning a spell.” Severus said and then turned to explain to Minerva. “Stephanie squints as she begins a nonverbal spell. I believe it to be her form of concentration, but it is obvious nonetheless.”
“And this allowed you to save Mr. Potter from the spell?” Minerva asked.
“Yes.” Kingsley answered and then described the rest of the incident in the alley. Then he turned the topic to the discussion held at the Burrow. “Hermione thought that she was going to be expelled, but I reassured her that all was okay. She cast Impedimenta on Harry after they realized that it was Stephanie who accompanied Draco into Borgin and Burkes.
“They were listening to the conversation using the extendable ears the Weasley twins have invented, and I believe that they heard some important details of Voldemort’s plans because they did not ask very many questions about why Stephanie was in Knockturn Alley with Draco. After they left the store, Draco looked infuriated. I suspect that he had not been expecting Stephanie to join him in Knockturn or Diagon Alleys.”
“He wasn’t.” Severus admitted. “The Dark Lord has given him a mission and does not expect that Mr. Malfoy will succeed. He is punishing Lucius for his failure at the Ministry by requiring Mr. Malfoy to perform this task. It is still unclear why he asked Stephanie to assist Mr. Malfoy, though I suspect that it is another test for her as well.”
Albus looked at Kingsley and knew that the head Auror was interested in what the young Malfoy was being requested to do, but he also knew that Kingsley would not ask. Minerva and Severus knew Voldemort had ordered Draco to murder Albus, but it was important that no other Order members be privy to this information. Reactions to his death must be natural because he knew Voldemort would see through false responses.
“Tonks and I couldn’t hear what they were talking about.” Kingsley added. “But we could see what was going on. You were right, Severus. Stephanie has changed drastically and to be honest, I am quite impressed.”
“What do you mean?” Minerva asked, turning to Kingsley.
“She said something that upset Draco, who subsequently slapped her in response. Instead of cowering like she would have done a few months ago, she stood up to him.” Kingsley smiled. “Stephanie drew her wand and threatened him. It appeared to amuse Draco, but she didn’t back down. They continued arguing and then Draco stormed out of the store, obviously infuriated at what Stephanie said to him.”
“That is not like her at all.” Minerva commented. Albus had to agree, but he was glad that she was no longer terrified of the young Malfoy. The situation was dire, because Stephanie’s changes were so horrible, but he had to look at something positive.
Even though Draco Malfoy had been a bully in the school and was now working for Lord Voldemort, Albus still cared about him dearly. He didn’t want anything to happen to the boy, especially since Draco had never had a chance in life with his father being Lucius Malfoy and a prominent Death Eater.
“Severus.” He began, turning to his friend. “Do you think that Stephanie will attempt to harm Draco?”
“Of course not.” Severus said, showing no emotion as usual. “Even with her change in personality, she knows that she cannot harm one of the Dark Lord’s Death Eaters.”
“Very well.” Albus said. “I am afraid that Harry may now be suspicious that Draco is planning something if he does not know what those exact details are. We must keep an eye on him and his friends to make sure that they don’t find out what is going on. It is important they remain uninformed until the right moment.”
“We will do what we can, professor.” Minerva said. He was sure that they would do all they could, but Albus also knew how good Harry was at getting into trouble. Even when he wasn’t trying to, Harry always ran into some sort of drama. Albus smiled at the thought because Harry was so much like his father.
With that, the meeting was over. The others filed out of Albus’ office and he began to clean his desk. The students were set to arrive the following week and there were many preparations to take care of. He was increasing security measures around the castle since he was going to be spending so much time away this year and he had to prepare his welcome to the new professors. Yes, there was a lot to do. He started his work.
*
So here is that chapter. I truly had a lot of fun writing the Steph/Draco scene, since she can now stand up to him. And it infuriated him so much for Stephanie to do that! Please leave your COMMENTS and FEEDBACK here!
I love hearing what people have to say.Lauren: I apologize that Stephanie's POV wasn't in this chapter, I lied about that, but at least Stephanie WAS in the chapter! I PROMISE Stephanie's viewpoint will be a good chunk of the next chapter.
So, I've said this before and we all know how well I am at keeping my promises, so I won't do that today. But it's going to be a few days before I can post again. Graduation is on Sunday and I'm moving on Monday. I haven't even started the next chapter, so I don't expect it to be up until at least Wednesday, but we'll see. I may get some unexpected time to write. Thanks for keeping up with my story and feel free to leave feedback. I don't bite, really!
Chapter Thirty: The Killing Curse
Stephanie remained in her room waiting for the arrival of Severus Snape and to be summoned downstairs. At dinner she had been informed that there was a very important task that needed to be performed that evening and Snape would be the Death Eater accompanying her. This seemed a little strange since she had rarely gone on missions with him; he usually stayed at Hogwarts and did what he could for the Dark Lord there.
The last few months had been a whirlwind for her and she took a few moments to think about what had happened and the drastic changes that had taken place in the Dark Lord’s organization. Through it all, she was still the same person she had been before the Dark Lord attempted his conditioning of her personality, which surprised her greatly. When she accepted that she had to allow the Dark Lord’s conditioning, Stephanie had imagined that she would change at least a little, but she felt completely normal. She was pleased with her resistance and the fact that the Dark Lord had not noticed how little she had truly changed.
It had been difficult for her to commit her first murder, but she knew that it was something that she had to do. Since then, she had been required to do many things that she never thought she would ever be capable of doing. She was proud at what she had accomplished; Stephanie was helping the Dark Lord make the world a much better place for witches and wizards. Muggles and muggle-loving blood traitors were paying for making purebloods suffer for so long.
Stephanie knew that she would never be treated as an equal amongst the Death Eaters and they repeatedly told her how she didn’t deserve the rewards and compliments the Dark Lord had given her. She was not a pureblood and they, especially Bellatrix Lestrange, constantly reminded her of this. The Dark Lord had heard about what they were saying to her, though she never understood how he knew these things, and had a nice chat with her. He knew that she was not a pureblood but he often reassured her that if she served him loyally, she would be treated as one. This motivated her to do her best to please the Dark Lord and she had succeeded multiple times lately.
Shortly after she had completed her task with the Hargrave twins, she had been allowed to participate more actively in missions. This hadn’t pleased the Death Eaters too much, but she really didn’t care anymore. She was doing what the Dark Lord wanted her to do and she was working very hard to follow her orders exactly.
The missions had included murdering many muggle families, and she had completed some of the most heinous acts. It felt good to be able to commit these deeds and it had surprised her that even some of the Death Eaters had complimented her on the techniques she had used. Her magical ability was definitely increasing with the things she was doing. The twins had been astounded with many of the things she had done, and even Alecto Carrow had complimented her once. Though, Stephanie had been instructed to never tell anyone about the compliment she had received.
In addition to accompanying the Death Eaters on missions almost every day, if not multiple times per day, she was also requested to join the Dark Lord on his most important missions.
She had been terrified when the Dark Lord had taken her to meet with the giants. It was the first time she had been so close to them, and they were very aggressive. But the Dark Lord had brought along Dedrick Hargrave and things went smoothly. The Dark Lord had laughed at her because she was trembling almost as severely as the first time he had spoken to her in her bedroom at Malfoy manor, despite her efforts to show no fear. He had requested that the giants go into a village nearby and “have some fun.” Shortly after that meeting, Stephanie had heard through talk of other Death Eaters that a muggle village had been completely demolished. The muggles were saying that a tornado had destroyed the town, but Stephanie knew differently. She figured they got what they deserved for forcing wizards into hiding for so many years.
Other missions the Dark Lord asked her to accompany him on included meeting with Ministry officials who had joined his forces and writers for the Daily Prophet. Though she had not joined the Death Eaters, an undersecretary to the Ministry, Delores Umbridge, had met with the Dark Lord to express her interest in his aspirations. Stephanie had heard a little about this woman from the diaries, but she really liked the woman. Stephanie couldn’t figure out why the others had continuously talked horribly about the professor, since she seemed so pleasant. Ms. Umbridge’s values aligned perfectly with the Dark Lord’s and Stephanie couldn’t see what was wrong with that.
The Dark Lord had also met with the editor of the Daily Prophet to convince him that only pre-approved articles should be printed. The man hadn’t been open to this at first, but Stephanie watched as the Dark Lord attempted to change his mind. He had never agreed, believing that press should be open to write what it wanted to present. So, the Dark Lord had the Death Eater Travers perform the Imperius curse and assigned him to make sure it continued to be effective.
The Dark Lord used the Daily Prophet to incite fear and doubt in the minds of its readers. He had subtly placed information there about Harry. The Dark Lord made sure she continued to read the newspaper every morning, and he always pointed out the articles about her brother. She was beginning to see why the Dark Lord despised him so much; according to the articles, he was an attention-seeking nitwit that only looked out for himself while forgetting about those that were close to him. The Dark Lord never missed an opportunity to remind her of how Harry had abandoned her and left her to suffer and die in his care. But the Dark Lord had not allowed this to happen; he took her under his wing and protected her from harm. Stephanie owed the Dark Lord her life and she knew she would do anything to repay him for his kindness.
Stephanie had also been allowed out on her own for the first time. Though she knew that she was being followed, Kieran Hargrave had not hidden himself too well, it excited her that the Dark Lord was beginning to trust her more with each day. She was definitely moving up in his organization. The day before her trip to Diagon Alley, the Dark Lord had pulled her aside and explained the plans he had for Draco Malfoy.
“I want you to do something for me, Stephanie.” He had said once they were alone.
“Of course, my Lord.” She responded and looked at her master with anticipation. “I would do anything for you.”
“I am pleased to hear that.” The Dark Lord smiled at her. “It is about the young Malfoy. As you know, his father has greatly disappointed me in his failure to secure the prophecy and with his being taken captive by a group of teenagers. To repay him for his stupidity and incompetence, in addition to allowing him to redeem himself, I have decided to give the young Malfoy a most important task.”
The Dark Lord stopped talking and thought for a moment. Stephanie boldly decided to break the silence. “What have you asked him to do, my Lord?”
“I want the headmaster of Draco’s school dead.” He said longingly. “Albus Dumbledore has been nothing but an annoyance and he must be dealt with accordingly. I have ordered the young Malfoy to complete the task.”
He paused again and looked at Stephanie expectantly. She didn’t know what he was anticipating her to say or do and she wondered what this had to do with her. Stephanie allowed the silence to continue until he spoke to her again.
“What do you think about this task, Stephanie? I am interested to hear your honest opinion. You have spent many years with the family; do you believe that he can complete this assignment?” He almost looked amused, but Stephanie wasn’t sure if he was toying with her or if he was making fun of Draco’s abilities.
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie offered quietly. She knew that Draco may talk a tough game and perform horrendous spells on her, but there was no possibility that he would ever be capable of murdering Albus Dumbledore. Through her experiences with him, she understood what a skilled wizard the headmaster truly was. She also doubted Draco’s ability to actually murder someone who wasn’t his servant. Because he hated her so much, she was confident he would be able to kill her if given the opportunity, but she didn’t believe him able to murder anyone else.
“I am interested to hear your reasons for doubting a fellow Death Eater.” The Dark Lord responded reproachfully.
This is it, she thought. She had disappointed the Dark Lord by not agreeing with his decision to assign Draco to the task. Stephanie thought for a moment about how she was going to respond, and she knew that she had to answer, took a deep breath, and then offered her explanation.
“He is a Malfoy.” Was the only answer she could think of that didn’t make it sound like she truly disagreed with the Dark Lord’s trust in Draco. She prepared herself for what was sure to come. “Of course he is going to fail.”
However, instead of being punished, the Dark Lord began to laugh. His laugh was a high pitched one and it used to annoy her. Now she loved hearing the sound because it meant that she had not disappointed him; she would not be punished for doubting him. Stephanie looked at him quizzically.
“Yes, you are correct.” He told her, patting the back of her hand. She smiled at him for the gesture. “Lucius has been nothing but a disappointment since my return. I do not expect the young Malfoy to perform the task either. That is why I need you.”
“But what can I do?” Stephanie asked. She wondered what she could do to assist Draco, who would never allow her to do so.
“If he is unable to perform the task, I believe you to be highly capable.” The Dark Lord smiled at her once again. “Would you do this for me, Stephanie?”
“Of course, master.” Stephanie responded, unaffected by the idea of assisting to murder the man who had provided her so much care and support over the years. If it was what the Dark Lord wanted, then she must do as he was told. She could no longer think about herself, but must look at how her master would benefit from such things. He was much more important than she was. She would die for the Dark Lord.
“In the meantime, I must request that you keep an eye on Draco.” He said seriously. “You have shown me great loyalty in the past few months and if you continue to do so I will make sure that you continue to be greatly rewarded. You must assist the boy and if he fails, you must complete the task. Can you do that for your master?”
“With pride, my Lord.” Stephanie smiled with excitement of being given such an important task. She was surprised that another Death Eater wasn’t given this mission, as backup to Draco, and relished in the fact that the Dark Lord had trusted her enough to do this. She had been positively beaming.
The day after her talk with the Dark Lord, she had been told that Draco was planning to meet with a storeowner in Knockturn Alley about an artifact that would assist in his mission. Her master had requested that she follow the boy. At first, she had been surprised that he had not assigned another Death Eater to follow her; in fact, it was the first time she had ever been allowed out of sight of any of his followers. However, she soon realized that this had been a test to see if she would try to escape given her new freedoms. Kieran had not hidden himself well and she had known she was being followed since the moment she left the manor.
Stephanie had walked to the Leaky Cauldron, a short distance from the Lestrange manor. She remembered how to enter the wizarding shopping center from the time Draco had made her accompany him when she was almost thirteen. It surprised her how well she remembered the entrance, but she didn’t think about this very long. She soon spotted her target and followed him.
Draco and his mother went into a store that sold robes; she stood outside and watched the door, waiting for them to exit. Soon after Draco entered the store, she recognized a couple of other people who went in. It was Harry Potter and his friends. She rolled her eyes at the sight of her brother and debated whether she should try to complete the most important task the Dark Lord had given her. Stephanie decided that it wasn’t the right moment, since she was currently on a separate mission. They didn’t stay in the store too long and she watched in disgust as they walked down the street. She wasn’t jealous of their freedom because she was exactly where she wanted to be—in a setting where she was cared about. They could never care about her as much as the Dark Lord cared about her; her master had told her this many times.
Later, Draco left the store and she watched as he snuck away from his mother. This wasn’t an easy task for him, since Mrs. Malfoy always had a watchful eye on her precious baby. Stephanie followed close behind as Draco walked quickly down a dark street labeled Knockturn Alley. Stephanie knew that he must be on his way to meet with the man at Borgin and Burkes.
She walked into the store behind Draco, who was so deep in his own thoughts that he didn’t realize he was being followed. What an idiot, she laughed in her head. Always assume that you are being followed. That was the first thing she had learned since she began working with the Dark Lord and it was reiterated this afternoon when she left the manor. Draco had obviously never learned this lesson.
It disgusted her that he was threatening the shopkeeper with his Mark and mentioning the werewolf that had been a friend to the Malfoy family for years. Actually, concerning Greyback had been the only time in her life when she had been grateful for the supervision of Mr. Malfoy. The werewolf had constantly asked to be alone with her, and constantly flirted with her, but Mr. Malfoy had never allowed it. He hadn’t wanted the risk of contaminating his servant, though he knew that Greyback had more on his mind than biting her. She sighed at the memory.
She decided it had been time to make her presence known. Stephanie walked up to the counter and taunted the boy who had been her superior for so many years. Her talk with the Dark Lord the previous evening had reinforced her belief that the Malfoys no longer had credibility with her master. This allowed her to muster up the courage to finally stand up to the spoiled teenager after so many years of torment. It felt amazing to finally be able to do so. She hadn’t even gotten upset when he slapped her; Stephanie knew that he would soon be suffering enough that she didn’t need to cause any harm quite yet.
When she was finally able to get Draco out of the store without disclosing too much information about their missions, the two walked through the front door together. She paused and couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Kieran was following them, but it definitely wasn’t him that caused the feeling. It suddenly hit her who was watching them.
Stephanie raised her wand and flicked it just to her right. Suddenly her brother and his friends came into view as a cloak fell to the ground.
“Potter!” She heard Draco gasp. Her wand was already pointed towards her brother and she watched Draco and her brother, Hermione, and Ron raise their own.
Stephanie knew that she had to attempt to complete her mission. If the Dark Lord found out she had confronted her brother without an attempt on his life, she would most certainly be punished for failing in her assignment. But as she walked closer to her brother, the trio was thrown backwards. Stephanie looked at the source of the spell and prepared to defend herself. Kingsley and a woman she had never seen before were running towards Harry. Stephanie wanted to stay and fight, to prove to the Dark Lord she was willing to fight in his name, but Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
Back at the Lestrange manor, her master had not said a word about her encounter with Harry Potter. She wondered why he would not mention her failure and his silence kept her in suspense. Was he just waiting to punish her or was his silence the punishment she was being given? It was tormenting her greatly about what was going to happen to her. She wished he would get it over with. But he never mentioned it and Stephanie worked even harder to prove herself to the Dark Lord.
That had been a long time ago. It was now the end of October and Draco had been at school for almost two months. Having Draco gone after such a long summer was refreshing, but she had been sent out on missions every day so it didn’t feel like two months. She no longer dreaded his return as much as she used to, but it was still an annoyance to have him around. It would only be a few short weeks before he returned once again, and then she would be required to assist him any way she could in completing his assignment.
Stephanie returned her thoughts to the task that she was going to perform that evening. She didn’t know what it could be but she realized that it was one the Dark Lord had been looking forward to for a very long time. It must be important if Snape was going to accompany her. Finally there was a knock on the door.
“Coming.” Stephanie called out. She got up off her bed, grabbed her wand, and walked towards the door.
The door opened and Wormtail poked his head inside. “He is here, miss. You are asked to come downstairs.”
Stephanie just nodded and then left her room. She walked quickly down the stairs, motivated to do well and make her master proud. Standing in the living room was Snape and her master; they were waiting for her.
“Ahh, Stephanie.” The Dark Lord smiled at her. “We have finally found the man who turned on his friends many years ago. He caused a multitude of my followers to be captured and sentenced to long terms in Azkaban. Though they should have been there already, showing their never-ending support for me, I do not take lightly to such betrayal. Severus will accompany you only to make sure that you succeed in what I know you understand you must do.
“This is a very important task and any of my followers would sacrifice many things to be the ones assigned to repay this man for his kindness. But I have chosen you; do you know why I would do that?”
Stephanie shook her head. “No, my Lord.”
“Completing this assignment will increase the trust I have placed in you.” There was no emotion on her master’s face as he said this. “If you do an excellent job with this, I may allow you to begin venturing out on your own.”
She allowed a smile on her face. Though she wasn’t sure she would ever be truly alone, it was a step in the right direction. She knew that having her master even contemplate the idea was a big leap, and she knew that she couldn’t let him down. Stephanie admired him for his mercy.
“Thank you, my Lord.” She breathed blissfully. “I will not disappoint you.”
“Very well.” The Dark Lord dismissed her and she followed Snape outside the manor gates.
He held onto her arm surprisingly more gentle than the others did and Disapparated them from the grounds. They appeared outside a small house in the countryside. She knew that they weren’t in Britain anymore but she didn’t know where they were. Their location wasn’t as important as her succeeding in this task. She took a breath and silently smashed the door with a spell. It crumbled and she slowly walked through the rubble.
Stephanie found the man trying to climb out the window in the next room of the cabin. She raised her wand to bring him back inside, but Snape pushed her out of the way. He raised his wand and muttered an incantation that caused the man to fly through the air and land at Snape’s feet.
“What was that for?” Stephanie glared at Snape. It was typical that he wouldn’t let her do this; he was always trying to stop her from doing what she needed to do.
Snape said nothing but returned his attention back to the man lying on the ground. He was begging for his life, saying something about how he didn’t mean it. Stephanie wasn’t really paying attention since she was used to people begging for their lives. Instead, she thought only about how angry Snape had made her. He was going to cause her to fail this task. She was angry that she was going to be punished because of him and she couldn’t do anything about it.
A spell hit the man that forced him to remain on the ground. He could move his limbs freely, but he couldn’t run away. After this occurred, Snape looked off into the corner. He stared at the wall for a few moments and Stephanie wondered what he could be looking at. There was nothing there. She decided that Snape must be losing his mind.
Suddenly, the man on the ground began screaming in pain. She looked at Snape questioningly because it didn’t appear that he had caused the man’s suffering. Stephanie watched as the man grabbed his left arm as he continued to scream. When the man became silent, Snape spoke to her.
“You may proceed.” He said slowly, gesturing towards her.
She walked forward and spoke to the traitor in front of her. “Igor Karkaroff. We finally meet.”
“Please, spare me.” Karkaroff pleaded. There was fear in his eyes and Stephanie smiled at the sight. She had heard a little about this man from Hermione Granger during Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts, but she really didn’t know too much about him. But she didn’t care whether she knew him or not. There was no possibility this man would ever be spared. She had to make the Dark Lord proud; that was her only purpose for living now.
Karkaroff looked over to Snape and spoke to him. “Severus, please help me.”
Stephanie kicked the man on the floor with all her strength in the stomach. He let out a low pitched gasp. Next she bound him with ropes and lowered her wand as she looked the man directly in the eyes. “Do not look to him. He cannot help you today.”
Stephanie raised her wand and immediately cast the Cruciatus Curse upon the man. He writhed in tremendous pain and screamed for her to stop it. She let it continue for a few seconds and then released it. Stephanie laughed as the man gasped for breath afterwards, recovering from the Curse.
“You betrayed the Dark Lord.” Stephanie spoke quietly, but loud enough for Karkaroff to hear her. She cast another Curse upon him and let it last longer than the first time. The ropes binding him tightened as she focused on the Curse, which appeared to increase in intensity. After she ended the Curse, she spoke again. “You betrayed his followers.”
She flicked her wand again, though nothing came out of it. Karkaroff squinted, preparing himself for another round of the Curse. Stephanie let out another laugh as the man showed great weakness. It disgusted Stephanie that he could be so fearful of what was to come. She would proudly die for her master and she would never think of complaining about what kind of torture his opponents, or followers, could place upon her. But, she told herself, this man betrayed her master and thus was a cowardly individual.
The man was exhausted from the Curses he had endured and remained silent. She stared at him for a few moments, deciding what she should do next. She took a glance at Snape, who had moved to the same corner he had been staring at earlier. He looked impatient and she decided to hurry things along.
“For this, you must pay with your life.” Stephanie said, smiling again. This was the first time that she was going to use this specific Curse. Instead of being terrified, as she had been with the Cruciatus Curse, she was ecstatic. There were times when she had seen other Death Eaters perform this spell, so she knew what it looked like when someone died from it. But this time, she would finally be able to look at someone in the eye and watch as the light faded away. The Dark Lord would reward her greatly for her success.
“No,” the man pleaded with her. But she ignored his comments; she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by anything. It was highly important that she didn’t appear to hesitate with the casting of this Curse.
Stephanie lifted her head with confidence and pride, and then raised her wand. She didn’t need to take a breath to prepare herself this time. This was something she had been looking forward to since the Dark Lord told her what she would be required to do. She spoke the words loudly so the man on the floor could hear the fate that was ahead of him. “Avada Kedavra!”
A green light flew from her wand and connected with the man’s chest. He was dead instantly. That was much easier than she had imagined it to be, and it didn’t provide her nearly as much gratification as she thought it would. She sighed in disappointment and then walked out the front door, leaving Snape inside the manor.
She raised her wand into the air and cast the Dark Mark over the cabin. As disappointed as she had been in using the Killing Curse, the Dark Mark brightened her spirits. Recently, seeing the Dark Mark had begun to calm her down. When she was anxious at the manor or on a mission, she would kiss the Mark upon her left forearm and her feelings would immediately subside. She smiled at the sight in front of her as Snape walked out of the cabin and towards her.
“Let’s go.” She said and he grabbed her arm and Apparated them back to the Lestrange manor.
“The Dark Lord was called away from the manor.” Snape told her. She looked at him quietly, already knowing what he was about to say. “He will want to speak with you when he returns. Go up to your room and remain there until he summons you. I must return to Hogwarts.”
Stephanie nodded and walked inside the empty manor. She knew the only person there was Wormtail, though it was as good as being empty. Stephanie despised Wormtail because he was such a cowardly little man. He was always dropping dishes and spilling things, though it was easier for him than it had been for her. She reminisced on a time when she had been a servant for the Malfoy family. When she had broken something, she had been punished. Worse, she had been required to clean the mess up by hand. Stephanie despised the weak person she used to be and was happy that the Dark Lord had helped her see the way she ought to behave. Again, she thought about how she owed the Dark Lord her life.
Once she was in her room, something strange occurred to her. It surprised her that she hadn’t thought about this before. She should have been smart enough to realize this prior to killing Igor Karkaroff. The man had been a Death Eater. That was why the Dark Lord wanted him dead, because he had betrayed his fellow Death Eaters. Shortly after her first night with the Dark Lord, Snape had informed her that if she used magic against a Death Eater that she would die a most excruciatingly painful death. Why wasn’t she dead yet? Was she going to die for murdering this man? Did the Dark Lord want her dead? And if he did want her dead, why didn’t he just kill her himself? She thought about these questions and waited anxiously for her master to return to the manor.
*~*~*~*
Hermione sat at the breakfast table at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with her friends. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were talking about Quidditch as normal, and Neville was listening intently. She tried to pay attention, but she always got very bored listening to Quidditch talk. Hermione still could never understand how people could enjoy the sport so much.
Instead, she looked over at Draco Malfoy, who was sitting at the Slytherin table. He was chatting excitedly with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. It almost appeared as if he was bragging about something. Hermione figured it had to be about the task Voldemort had given him, since he had yet to play a Quidditch match. Hermione had overheard him boasting repeatedly how Voldemort gave him an important task, though she and Harry had yet to figure out what that was.
It surprised Hermione because he had spent a great deal of time secluded from his friends, but she realized that he had to complete this task on his own. His friends probably didn’t even know what he was planning. Hermione knew that this had upset Pansy greatly, because the Slytherin had always had feelings for Draco. Hermione shuddered at the idea of anyone having positive feelings towards Draco Malfoy.
She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t realize the post had arrived. She jumped when the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet landed in her bowl of cereal. After giving the owl its payment, she unrolled the paper and read the headline. There was a picture of a cottage somewhere in the countryside with a Dark Mark hovering overhead. She gasped and muttered, “oh no.”
Her friends’ conversation immediately came to a halt. Harry looked at her and asked her what was wrong.
“Stephanie made the front page again.” Hermione answered, shaking her head. Harry grabbed the paper to read the article.
“Read it aloud.” Ginny said and Harry began to read the article to his friends sitting at the Gryffindor table.
Harry put down the paper and sighed. Hermione reached over and patted his hand. She noticed that Ginny had grabbed hold of Harry’s other hand while he had been reading the article and she was squeezing it gently. Hermione was happy that the two were finally realizing that they were meant for each other, but she was saddened by Stephanie’s newest task.
“This isn’t the first time she has murdered.” Ron pointed out. “This shouldn’t affect us so much anymore.”
Harry opened his mouth, but Neville spoke first. “Stephanie needs someone to be affected by this. She may not be able to mourn each of these deaths, so we have to. It’s how we can support her during this difficult time.”
“You’re right, Neville.” Harry responded. “It sucks that she has to do this, but she has to do this.”
“Stephanie understood what would happen when she accepted to allow the conditioning to change her.” Hermione added.
“Though it’s hard to understand the position she is in, I don’t blame her. It doesn’t even bother me anymore that she has to continue to kill people.” Harry continued. “It doesn’t even affect me about the changes she has encountered. I am angry that…”
Hermione saw the look on her friend’s face. She knew what he was trying to say and that these things actually did bother him. He just didn’t want his friends to worry about him too much, but she did anyway. It hurt her to see Harry in so much pain almost as much as it hurt her to see Stephanie commit these horrible acts.
“She doesn’t have us to talk to.” Ginny finished for Harry, knowing exactly what he was trying to say. Harry nodded and the others voiced their agreement.
Harry pointed his wand at the newspaper and it erupted in flames. Hermione heard snickering and she looked over to the Slytherin table. Draco was looking directly at them and laughing hysterically, making an invisible line across his neck with his finger. He mouthed the words, “mudbloods are next.”
She was angry that he said that, but she knew she couldn’t do anything about it. Even though Draco couldn’t harm Stephanie anymore, they had all decided it would be inappropriate to risk Stephanie’s life on that. She did nothing, but Ron stood up quickly and made a move to walk towards Draco. Neville and Harry stood and restrained Ron, who gave up quickly after Harry reminded him that he couldn’t do anything. Instead, he sat back down next to Hermione and whispered in her ear, “Malfoy will get what’s coming to him. He will not get away with speaking to you like that.”
She didn’t say anything, though she desperately wanted to beg him not to do anything rash. Hermione knew that Ron cared about her deeply and would risk his life to protect her. She just hoped that he wouldn’t risk Stephanie’s life to get back at Draco for such a stupid comment. They all got up from their seats and headed to their first class of the day.
Please leave feedback and tell me what you think! So there's the next chapter. I wanted to get this one up because I knew I won't have a lot of time in the next few days, but I'll try to get one more up before Christmas, but I have so much to do! Leave some comments and tell me what you think! Have a Happy Christmas!
Stephanie remained in her room waiting for the arrival of Severus Snape and to be summoned downstairs. At dinner she had been informed that there was a very important task that needed to be performed that evening and Snape would be the Death Eater accompanying her. This seemed a little strange since she had rarely gone on missions with him; he usually stayed at Hogwarts and did what he could for the Dark Lord there.
The last few months had been a whirlwind for her and she took a few moments to think about what had happened and the drastic changes that had taken place in the Dark Lord’s organization. Through it all, she was still the same person she had been before the Dark Lord attempted his conditioning of her personality, which surprised her greatly. When she accepted that she had to allow the Dark Lord’s conditioning, Stephanie had imagined that she would change at least a little, but she felt completely normal. She was pleased with her resistance and the fact that the Dark Lord had not noticed how little she had truly changed.
It had been difficult for her to commit her first murder, but she knew that it was something that she had to do. Since then, she had been required to do many things that she never thought she would ever be capable of doing. She was proud at what she had accomplished; Stephanie was helping the Dark Lord make the world a much better place for witches and wizards. Muggles and muggle-loving blood traitors were paying for making purebloods suffer for so long.
Stephanie knew that she would never be treated as an equal amongst the Death Eaters and they repeatedly told her how she didn’t deserve the rewards and compliments the Dark Lord had given her. She was not a pureblood and they, especially Bellatrix Lestrange, constantly reminded her of this. The Dark Lord had heard about what they were saying to her, though she never understood how he knew these things, and had a nice chat with her. He knew that she was not a pureblood but he often reassured her that if she served him loyally, she would be treated as one. This motivated her to do her best to please the Dark Lord and she had succeeded multiple times lately.
Shortly after she had completed her task with the Hargrave twins, she had been allowed to participate more actively in missions. This hadn’t pleased the Death Eaters too much, but she really didn’t care anymore. She was doing what the Dark Lord wanted her to do and she was working very hard to follow her orders exactly.
The missions had included murdering many muggle families, and she had completed some of the most heinous acts. It felt good to be able to commit these deeds and it had surprised her that even some of the Death Eaters had complimented her on the techniques she had used. Her magical ability was definitely increasing with the things she was doing. The twins had been astounded with many of the things she had done, and even Alecto Carrow had complimented her once. Though, Stephanie had been instructed to never tell anyone about the compliment she had received.
In addition to accompanying the Death Eaters on missions almost every day, if not multiple times per day, she was also requested to join the Dark Lord on his most important missions.
She had been terrified when the Dark Lord had taken her to meet with the giants. It was the first time she had been so close to them, and they were very aggressive. But the Dark Lord had brought along Dedrick Hargrave and things went smoothly. The Dark Lord had laughed at her because she was trembling almost as severely as the first time he had spoken to her in her bedroom at Malfoy manor, despite her efforts to show no fear. He had requested that the giants go into a village nearby and “have some fun.” Shortly after that meeting, Stephanie had heard through talk of other Death Eaters that a muggle village had been completely demolished. The muggles were saying that a tornado had destroyed the town, but Stephanie knew differently. She figured they got what they deserved for forcing wizards into hiding for so many years.
Other missions the Dark Lord asked her to accompany him on included meeting with Ministry officials who had joined his forces and writers for the Daily Prophet. Though she had not joined the Death Eaters, an undersecretary to the Ministry, Delores Umbridge, had met with the Dark Lord to express her interest in his aspirations. Stephanie had heard a little about this woman from the diaries, but she really liked the woman. Stephanie couldn’t figure out why the others had continuously talked horribly about the professor, since she seemed so pleasant. Ms. Umbridge’s values aligned perfectly with the Dark Lord’s and Stephanie couldn’t see what was wrong with that.
The Dark Lord had also met with the editor of the Daily Prophet to convince him that only pre-approved articles should be printed. The man hadn’t been open to this at first, but Stephanie watched as the Dark Lord attempted to change his mind. He had never agreed, believing that press should be open to write what it wanted to present. So, the Dark Lord had the Death Eater Travers perform the Imperius curse and assigned him to make sure it continued to be effective.
The Dark Lord used the Daily Prophet to incite fear and doubt in the minds of its readers. He had subtly placed information there about Harry. The Dark Lord made sure she continued to read the newspaper every morning, and he always pointed out the articles about her brother. She was beginning to see why the Dark Lord despised him so much; according to the articles, he was an attention-seeking nitwit that only looked out for himself while forgetting about those that were close to him. The Dark Lord never missed an opportunity to remind her of how Harry had abandoned her and left her to suffer and die in his care. But the Dark Lord had not allowed this to happen; he took her under his wing and protected her from harm. Stephanie owed the Dark Lord her life and she knew she would do anything to repay him for his kindness.
Stephanie had also been allowed out on her own for the first time. Though she knew that she was being followed, Kieran Hargrave had not hidden himself too well, it excited her that the Dark Lord was beginning to trust her more with each day. She was definitely moving up in his organization. The day before her trip to Diagon Alley, the Dark Lord had pulled her aside and explained the plans he had for Draco Malfoy.
“I want you to do something for me, Stephanie.” He had said once they were alone.
“Of course, my Lord.” She responded and looked at her master with anticipation. “I would do anything for you.”
“I am pleased to hear that.” The Dark Lord smiled at her. “It is about the young Malfoy. As you know, his father has greatly disappointed me in his failure to secure the prophecy and with his being taken captive by a group of teenagers. To repay him for his stupidity and incompetence, in addition to allowing him to redeem himself, I have decided to give the young Malfoy a most important task.”
The Dark Lord stopped talking and thought for a moment. Stephanie boldly decided to break the silence. “What have you asked him to do, my Lord?”
“I want the headmaster of Draco’s school dead.” He said longingly. “Albus Dumbledore has been nothing but an annoyance and he must be dealt with accordingly. I have ordered the young Malfoy to complete the task.”
He paused again and looked at Stephanie expectantly. She didn’t know what he was anticipating her to say or do and she wondered what this had to do with her. Stephanie allowed the silence to continue until he spoke to her again.
“What do you think about this task, Stephanie? I am interested to hear your honest opinion. You have spent many years with the family; do you believe that he can complete this assignment?” He almost looked amused, but Stephanie wasn’t sure if he was toying with her or if he was making fun of Draco’s abilities.
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie offered quietly. She knew that Draco may talk a tough game and perform horrendous spells on her, but there was no possibility that he would ever be capable of murdering Albus Dumbledore. Through her experiences with him, she understood what a skilled wizard the headmaster truly was. She also doubted Draco’s ability to actually murder someone who wasn’t his servant. Because he hated her so much, she was confident he would be able to kill her if given the opportunity, but she didn’t believe him able to murder anyone else.
“I am interested to hear your reasons for doubting a fellow Death Eater.” The Dark Lord responded reproachfully.
This is it, she thought. She had disappointed the Dark Lord by not agreeing with his decision to assign Draco to the task. Stephanie thought for a moment about how she was going to respond, and she knew that she had to answer, took a deep breath, and then offered her explanation.
“He is a Malfoy.” Was the only answer she could think of that didn’t make it sound like she truly disagreed with the Dark Lord’s trust in Draco. She prepared herself for what was sure to come. “Of course he is going to fail.”
However, instead of being punished, the Dark Lord began to laugh. His laugh was a high pitched one and it used to annoy her. Now she loved hearing the sound because it meant that she had not disappointed him; she would not be punished for doubting him. Stephanie looked at him quizzically.
“Yes, you are correct.” He told her, patting the back of her hand. She smiled at him for the gesture. “Lucius has been nothing but a disappointment since my return. I do not expect the young Malfoy to perform the task either. That is why I need you.”
“But what can I do?” Stephanie asked. She wondered what she could do to assist Draco, who would never allow her to do so.
“If he is unable to perform the task, I believe you to be highly capable.” The Dark Lord smiled at her once again. “Would you do this for me, Stephanie?”
“Of course, master.” Stephanie responded, unaffected by the idea of assisting to murder the man who had provided her so much care and support over the years. If it was what the Dark Lord wanted, then she must do as he was told. She could no longer think about herself, but must look at how her master would benefit from such things. He was much more important than she was. She would die for the Dark Lord.
“In the meantime, I must request that you keep an eye on Draco.” He said seriously. “You have shown me great loyalty in the past few months and if you continue to do so I will make sure that you continue to be greatly rewarded. You must assist the boy and if he fails, you must complete the task. Can you do that for your master?”
“With pride, my Lord.” Stephanie smiled with excitement of being given such an important task. She was surprised that another Death Eater wasn’t given this mission, as backup to Draco, and relished in the fact that the Dark Lord had trusted her enough to do this. She had been positively beaming.
The day after her talk with the Dark Lord, she had been told that Draco was planning to meet with a storeowner in Knockturn Alley about an artifact that would assist in his mission. Her master had requested that she follow the boy. At first, she had been surprised that he had not assigned another Death Eater to follow her; in fact, it was the first time she had ever been allowed out of sight of any of his followers. However, she soon realized that this had been a test to see if she would try to escape given her new freedoms. Kieran had not hidden himself well and she had known she was being followed since the moment she left the manor.
Stephanie had walked to the Leaky Cauldron, a short distance from the Lestrange manor. She remembered how to enter the wizarding shopping center from the time Draco had made her accompany him when she was almost thirteen. It surprised her how well she remembered the entrance, but she didn’t think about this very long. She soon spotted her target and followed him.
Draco and his mother went into a store that sold robes; she stood outside and watched the door, waiting for them to exit. Soon after Draco entered the store, she recognized a couple of other people who went in. It was Harry Potter and his friends. She rolled her eyes at the sight of her brother and debated whether she should try to complete the most important task the Dark Lord had given her. Stephanie decided that it wasn’t the right moment, since she was currently on a separate mission. They didn’t stay in the store too long and she watched in disgust as they walked down the street. She wasn’t jealous of their freedom because she was exactly where she wanted to be—in a setting where she was cared about. They could never care about her as much as the Dark Lord cared about her; her master had told her this many times.
Later, Draco left the store and she watched as he snuck away from his mother. This wasn’t an easy task for him, since Mrs. Malfoy always had a watchful eye on her precious baby. Stephanie followed close behind as Draco walked quickly down a dark street labeled Knockturn Alley. Stephanie knew that he must be on his way to meet with the man at Borgin and Burkes.
She walked into the store behind Draco, who was so deep in his own thoughts that he didn’t realize he was being followed. What an idiot, she laughed in her head. Always assume that you are being followed. That was the first thing she had learned since she began working with the Dark Lord and it was reiterated this afternoon when she left the manor. Draco had obviously never learned this lesson.
It disgusted her that he was threatening the shopkeeper with his Mark and mentioning the werewolf that had been a friend to the Malfoy family for years. Actually, concerning Greyback had been the only time in her life when she had been grateful for the supervision of Mr. Malfoy. The werewolf had constantly asked to be alone with her, and constantly flirted with her, but Mr. Malfoy had never allowed it. He hadn’t wanted the risk of contaminating his servant, though he knew that Greyback had more on his mind than biting her. She sighed at the memory.
She decided it had been time to make her presence known. Stephanie walked up to the counter and taunted the boy who had been her superior for so many years. Her talk with the Dark Lord the previous evening had reinforced her belief that the Malfoys no longer had credibility with her master. This allowed her to muster up the courage to finally stand up to the spoiled teenager after so many years of torment. It felt amazing to finally be able to do so. She hadn’t even gotten upset when he slapped her; Stephanie knew that he would soon be suffering enough that she didn’t need to cause any harm quite yet.
When she was finally able to get Draco out of the store without disclosing too much information about their missions, the two walked through the front door together. She paused and couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Kieran was following them, but it definitely wasn’t him that caused the feeling. It suddenly hit her who was watching them.
Stephanie raised her wand and flicked it just to her right. Suddenly her brother and his friends came into view as a cloak fell to the ground.
“Potter!” She heard Draco gasp. Her wand was already pointed towards her brother and she watched Draco and her brother, Hermione, and Ron raise their own.
Stephanie knew that she had to attempt to complete her mission. If the Dark Lord found out she had confronted her brother without an attempt on his life, she would most certainly be punished for failing in her assignment. But as she walked closer to her brother, the trio was thrown backwards. Stephanie looked at the source of the spell and prepared to defend herself. Kingsley and a woman she had never seen before were running towards Harry. Stephanie wanted to stay and fight, to prove to the Dark Lord she was willing to fight in his name, but Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
Back at the Lestrange manor, her master had not said a word about her encounter with Harry Potter. She wondered why he would not mention her failure and his silence kept her in suspense. Was he just waiting to punish her or was his silence the punishment she was being given? It was tormenting her greatly about what was going to happen to her. She wished he would get it over with. But he never mentioned it and Stephanie worked even harder to prove herself to the Dark Lord.
That had been a long time ago. It was now the end of October and Draco had been at school for almost two months. Having Draco gone after such a long summer was refreshing, but she had been sent out on missions every day so it didn’t feel like two months. She no longer dreaded his return as much as she used to, but it was still an annoyance to have him around. It would only be a few short weeks before he returned once again, and then she would be required to assist him any way she could in completing his assignment.
Stephanie returned her thoughts to the task that she was going to perform that evening. She didn’t know what it could be but she realized that it was one the Dark Lord had been looking forward to for a very long time. It must be important if Snape was going to accompany her. Finally there was a knock on the door.
“Coming.” Stephanie called out. She got up off her bed, grabbed her wand, and walked towards the door.
The door opened and Wormtail poked his head inside. “He is here, miss. You are asked to come downstairs.”
Stephanie just nodded and then left her room. She walked quickly down the stairs, motivated to do well and make her master proud. Standing in the living room was Snape and her master; they were waiting for her.
“Ahh, Stephanie.” The Dark Lord smiled at her. “We have finally found the man who turned on his friends many years ago. He caused a multitude of my followers to be captured and sentenced to long terms in Azkaban. Though they should have been there already, showing their never-ending support for me, I do not take lightly to such betrayal. Severus will accompany you only to make sure that you succeed in what I know you understand you must do.
“This is a very important task and any of my followers would sacrifice many things to be the ones assigned to repay this man for his kindness. But I have chosen you; do you know why I would do that?”
Stephanie shook her head. “No, my Lord.”
“Completing this assignment will increase the trust I have placed in you.” There was no emotion on her master’s face as he said this. “If you do an excellent job with this, I may allow you to begin venturing out on your own.”
She allowed a smile on her face. Though she wasn’t sure she would ever be truly alone, it was a step in the right direction. She knew that having her master even contemplate the idea was a big leap, and she knew that she couldn’t let him down. Stephanie admired him for his mercy.
“Thank you, my Lord.” She breathed blissfully. “I will not disappoint you.”
“Very well.” The Dark Lord dismissed her and she followed Snape outside the manor gates.
He held onto her arm surprisingly more gentle than the others did and Disapparated them from the grounds. They appeared outside a small house in the countryside. She knew that they weren’t in Britain anymore but she didn’t know where they were. Their location wasn’t as important as her succeeding in this task. She took a breath and silently smashed the door with a spell. It crumbled and she slowly walked through the rubble.
Stephanie found the man trying to climb out the window in the next room of the cabin. She raised her wand to bring him back inside, but Snape pushed her out of the way. He raised his wand and muttered an incantation that caused the man to fly through the air and land at Snape’s feet.
“What was that for?” Stephanie glared at Snape. It was typical that he wouldn’t let her do this; he was always trying to stop her from doing what she needed to do.
Snape said nothing but returned his attention back to the man lying on the ground. He was begging for his life, saying something about how he didn’t mean it. Stephanie wasn’t really paying attention since she was used to people begging for their lives. Instead, she thought only about how angry Snape had made her. He was going to cause her to fail this task. She was angry that she was going to be punished because of him and she couldn’t do anything about it.
A spell hit the man that forced him to remain on the ground. He could move his limbs freely, but he couldn’t run away. After this occurred, Snape looked off into the corner. He stared at the wall for a few moments and Stephanie wondered what he could be looking at. There was nothing there. She decided that Snape must be losing his mind.
Suddenly, the man on the ground began screaming in pain. She looked at Snape questioningly because it didn’t appear that he had caused the man’s suffering. Stephanie watched as the man grabbed his left arm as he continued to scream. When the man became silent, Snape spoke to her.
“You may proceed.” He said slowly, gesturing towards her.
She walked forward and spoke to the traitor in front of her. “Igor Karkaroff. We finally meet.”
“Please, spare me.” Karkaroff pleaded. There was fear in his eyes and Stephanie smiled at the sight. She had heard a little about this man from Hermione Granger during Harry’s fourth year at Hogwarts, but she really didn’t know too much about him. But she didn’t care whether she knew him or not. There was no possibility this man would ever be spared. She had to make the Dark Lord proud; that was her only purpose for living now.
Karkaroff looked over to Snape and spoke to him. “Severus, please help me.”
Stephanie kicked the man on the floor with all her strength in the stomach. He let out a low pitched gasp. Next she bound him with ropes and lowered her wand as she looked the man directly in the eyes. “Do not look to him. He cannot help you today.”
Stephanie raised her wand and immediately cast the Cruciatus Curse upon the man. He writhed in tremendous pain and screamed for her to stop it. She let it continue for a few seconds and then released it. Stephanie laughed as the man gasped for breath afterwards, recovering from the Curse.
“You betrayed the Dark Lord.” Stephanie spoke quietly, but loud enough for Karkaroff to hear her. She cast another Curse upon him and let it last longer than the first time. The ropes binding him tightened as she focused on the Curse, which appeared to increase in intensity. After she ended the Curse, she spoke again. “You betrayed his followers.”
She flicked her wand again, though nothing came out of it. Karkaroff squinted, preparing himself for another round of the Curse. Stephanie let out another laugh as the man showed great weakness. It disgusted Stephanie that he could be so fearful of what was to come. She would proudly die for her master and she would never think of complaining about what kind of torture his opponents, or followers, could place upon her. But, she told herself, this man betrayed her master and thus was a cowardly individual.
The man was exhausted from the Curses he had endured and remained silent. She stared at him for a few moments, deciding what she should do next. She took a glance at Snape, who had moved to the same corner he had been staring at earlier. He looked impatient and she decided to hurry things along.
“For this, you must pay with your life.” Stephanie said, smiling again. This was the first time that she was going to use this specific Curse. Instead of being terrified, as she had been with the Cruciatus Curse, she was ecstatic. There were times when she had seen other Death Eaters perform this spell, so she knew what it looked like when someone died from it. But this time, she would finally be able to look at someone in the eye and watch as the light faded away. The Dark Lord would reward her greatly for her success.
“No,” the man pleaded with her. But she ignored his comments; she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by anything. It was highly important that she didn’t appear to hesitate with the casting of this Curse.
Stephanie lifted her head with confidence and pride, and then raised her wand. She didn’t need to take a breath to prepare herself this time. This was something she had been looking forward to since the Dark Lord told her what she would be required to do. She spoke the words loudly so the man on the floor could hear the fate that was ahead of him. “Avada Kedavra!”
A green light flew from her wand and connected with the man’s chest. He was dead instantly. That was much easier than she had imagined it to be, and it didn’t provide her nearly as much gratification as she thought it would. She sighed in disappointment and then walked out the front door, leaving Snape inside the manor.
She raised her wand into the air and cast the Dark Mark over the cabin. As disappointed as she had been in using the Killing Curse, the Dark Mark brightened her spirits. Recently, seeing the Dark Mark had begun to calm her down. When she was anxious at the manor or on a mission, she would kiss the Mark upon her left forearm and her feelings would immediately subside. She smiled at the sight in front of her as Snape walked out of the cabin and towards her.
“Let’s go.” She said and he grabbed her arm and Apparated them back to the Lestrange manor.
“The Dark Lord was called away from the manor.” Snape told her. She looked at him quietly, already knowing what he was about to say. “He will want to speak with you when he returns. Go up to your room and remain there until he summons you. I must return to Hogwarts.”
Stephanie nodded and walked inside the empty manor. She knew the only person there was Wormtail, though it was as good as being empty. Stephanie despised Wormtail because he was such a cowardly little man. He was always dropping dishes and spilling things, though it was easier for him than it had been for her. She reminisced on a time when she had been a servant for the Malfoy family. When she had broken something, she had been punished. Worse, she had been required to clean the mess up by hand. Stephanie despised the weak person she used to be and was happy that the Dark Lord had helped her see the way she ought to behave. Again, she thought about how she owed the Dark Lord her life.
Once she was in her room, something strange occurred to her. It surprised her that she hadn’t thought about this before. She should have been smart enough to realize this prior to killing Igor Karkaroff. The man had been a Death Eater. That was why the Dark Lord wanted him dead, because he had betrayed his fellow Death Eaters. Shortly after her first night with the Dark Lord, Snape had informed her that if she used magic against a Death Eater that she would die a most excruciatingly painful death. Why wasn’t she dead yet? Was she going to die for murdering this man? Did the Dark Lord want her dead? And if he did want her dead, why didn’t he just kill her himself? She thought about these questions and waited anxiously for her master to return to the manor.
*~*~*~*
Hermione sat at the breakfast table at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with her friends. Harry, Ron, and Ginny were talking about Quidditch as normal, and Neville was listening intently. She tried to pay attention, but she always got very bored listening to Quidditch talk. Hermione still could never understand how people could enjoy the sport so much.
Instead, she looked over at Draco Malfoy, who was sitting at the Slytherin table. He was chatting excitedly with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. It almost appeared as if he was bragging about something. Hermione figured it had to be about the task Voldemort had given him, since he had yet to play a Quidditch match. Hermione had overheard him boasting repeatedly how Voldemort gave him an important task, though she and Harry had yet to figure out what that was.
It surprised Hermione because he had spent a great deal of time secluded from his friends, but she realized that he had to complete this task on his own. His friends probably didn’t even know what he was planning. Hermione knew that this had upset Pansy greatly, because the Slytherin had always had feelings for Draco. Hermione shuddered at the idea of anyone having positive feelings towards Draco Malfoy.
She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t realize the post had arrived. She jumped when the morning’s edition of the Daily Prophet landed in her bowl of cereal. After giving the owl its payment, she unrolled the paper and read the headline. There was a picture of a cottage somewhere in the countryside with a Dark Mark hovering overhead. She gasped and muttered, “oh no.”
Her friends’ conversation immediately came to a halt. Harry looked at her and asked her what was wrong.
“Stephanie made the front page again.” Hermione answered, shaking her head. Harry grabbed the paper to read the article.
“Read it aloud.” Ginny said and Harry began to read the article to his friends sitting at the Gryffindor table.
Former Headmaster of Durmstrang Found Dead
Late last night a muggle hiker found the Dark Mark hovering over Igor Karkaroff’s, former headmaster of Durmstrang Academy, cabin. This muggle went inside to investigate where he found Karkaroff’s body. The man immediately notified muggle authorities and Ministry officials were called to the scene.
Those present at the cabin and watching the events unfold tell this reporter that Karkaroff had been living at this location since his disappearance shortly after the Triwizard Tournament almost a year and a half ago. It was rumored that he believed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned and fled to escape persecution for his disloyalties.
These observers also have their own theories as to who could have performed this murder. Each person interviewed, who all wish to remain anonymous, believe Stephanie Potter is to blame for this crime. One person commented in detail about how more vicious her crimes have become in recent months and stated how certain he was that this was the work of her wand. Britain may never be fully aware of all the things she has done, but it is certain that she must be stopped before more people get murdered.
Minister Rufus Scrimgeour declined to comment for the Daily Prophet, but Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt assures this writer that everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this crime.
However, Stephanie Potter has evaded the Ministry for two and a half years. How can officials continue to state the citizens of Britain are safe? What are your thoughts on the capabilities of the Ministry of Magic? Do you think Minister Scrimgeour is hiding something? Should Kingsley Shacklebolt be removed from position as Head Auror?
Late last night a muggle hiker found the Dark Mark hovering over Igor Karkaroff’s, former headmaster of Durmstrang Academy, cabin. This muggle went inside to investigate where he found Karkaroff’s body. The man immediately notified muggle authorities and Ministry officials were called to the scene.
Those present at the cabin and watching the events unfold tell this reporter that Karkaroff had been living at this location since his disappearance shortly after the Triwizard Tournament almost a year and a half ago. It was rumored that he believed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned and fled to escape persecution for his disloyalties.
These observers also have their own theories as to who could have performed this murder. Each person interviewed, who all wish to remain anonymous, believe Stephanie Potter is to blame for this crime. One person commented in detail about how more vicious her crimes have become in recent months and stated how certain he was that this was the work of her wand. Britain may never be fully aware of all the things she has done, but it is certain that she must be stopped before more people get murdered.
Minister Rufus Scrimgeour declined to comment for the Daily Prophet, but Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt assures this writer that everything is being done to find the perpetrator of this crime.
However, Stephanie Potter has evaded the Ministry for two and a half years. How can officials continue to state the citizens of Britain are safe? What are your thoughts on the capabilities of the Ministry of Magic? Do you think Minister Scrimgeour is hiding something? Should Kingsley Shacklebolt be removed from position as Head Auror?
Harry put down the paper and sighed. Hermione reached over and patted his hand. She noticed that Ginny had grabbed hold of Harry’s other hand while he had been reading the article and she was squeezing it gently. Hermione was happy that the two were finally realizing that they were meant for each other, but she was saddened by Stephanie’s newest task.
“This isn’t the first time she has murdered.” Ron pointed out. “This shouldn’t affect us so much anymore.”
Harry opened his mouth, but Neville spoke first. “Stephanie needs someone to be affected by this. She may not be able to mourn each of these deaths, so we have to. It’s how we can support her during this difficult time.”
“You’re right, Neville.” Harry responded. “It sucks that she has to do this, but she has to do this.”
“Stephanie understood what would happen when she accepted to allow the conditioning to change her.” Hermione added.
“Though it’s hard to understand the position she is in, I don’t blame her. It doesn’t even bother me anymore that she has to continue to kill people.” Harry continued. “It doesn’t even affect me about the changes she has encountered. I am angry that…”
Hermione saw the look on her friend’s face. She knew what he was trying to say and that these things actually did bother him. He just didn’t want his friends to worry about him too much, but she did anyway. It hurt her to see Harry in so much pain almost as much as it hurt her to see Stephanie commit these horrible acts.
“She doesn’t have us to talk to.” Ginny finished for Harry, knowing exactly what he was trying to say. Harry nodded and the others voiced their agreement.
Harry pointed his wand at the newspaper and it erupted in flames. Hermione heard snickering and she looked over to the Slytherin table. Draco was looking directly at them and laughing hysterically, making an invisible line across his neck with his finger. He mouthed the words, “mudbloods are next.”
She was angry that he said that, but she knew she couldn’t do anything about it. Even though Draco couldn’t harm Stephanie anymore, they had all decided it would be inappropriate to risk Stephanie’s life on that. She did nothing, but Ron stood up quickly and made a move to walk towards Draco. Neville and Harry stood and restrained Ron, who gave up quickly after Harry reminded him that he couldn’t do anything. Instead, he sat back down next to Hermione and whispered in her ear, “Malfoy will get what’s coming to him. He will not get away with speaking to you like that.”
She didn’t say anything, though she desperately wanted to beg him not to do anything rash. Hermione knew that Ron cared about her deeply and would risk his life to protect her. She just hoped that he wouldn’t risk Stephanie’s life to get back at Draco for such a stupid comment. They all got up from their seats and headed to their first class of the day.
*
Please leave feedback and tell me what you think!
So there's the next chapter. I wanted to get this one up because I knew I won't have a lot of time in the next few days, but I'll try to get one more up before Christmas, but I have so much to do! Leave some comments and tell me what you think! Have a Happy Christmas!
Chapter Thirty-One: Little Hangleton
Stephanie couldn’t shake the idea that something horrible was going to happen to her. She had done as the Dark Lord had wanted; she murdered the traitor Igor Karkaroff. But he was a Death Eater and she knew that it was impossible for her to cast any type of spell, even a harmless hex or a defensive spell, on any of her master’s followers. The thought crossed her mind that the curse placed upon her had failed and she was no longer bound by its effects, but she knew that the Dark Lord never failed. Even if she wanted to conjure a spell against a fellow Death Eater, she would not dare do so because he would have immediately made sure the curse began to work properly. Making an attempt would certainly kill her, but it would also cause the Dark Lord to be disappointed in her and she wanted to make him proud. She decided that her master had a reason for asking her to perform magic against a man he knew she could not; it must have been another way to test her loyalties. Stephanie was still alive and she was not yet in any pain, so she knew she would be alright. She had always imagined the curse would have immediate effects.
She was once again waiting in her room for the Dark Lord to summon her. Snape had ordered her there when they returned to the manor twenty-four hours ago, and her master had yet to return. Though she wasn’t worried about his reaction to the outcome of the mission, since she had succeeded quite well, she was anxious about why she was not yet dead. She hoped her master would explain, though she knew that she couldn’t ask. He would not be pleased to know that she had learned of the three curses placed upon her so long ago.
During this twenty-four hours she realized that she had thought of her brother very little since their encounter in Diagon Alley. This hadn’t surprised her because he betrayed her. His friends were included in this; they left her alone. Though, she was also grateful for their betrayal because she wouldn’t have been able to help the Dark Lord so passionately if they had attempted a rescue. Stephanie realized that if they attempted to rescue her now, it would be considered kidnapping because she would never go with them willingly. She would probably even fight to the death to keep them from taking her. The Dark Lord would be so pleased with her commitment to him.
Finally she was called downstairs and Stephanie quickly made her way towards her master. Instead of sitting at the dining room table waiting for her, she found him standing in the living room. He bowed to her when she entered and she smiled in response.
“You requested to speak with me, master?” She asked confidently. Stephanie knew that she was going to be greatly rewarded for her performance the day before.
“Yes, my dear.” The Dark Lord smiled at her. “Please come closer so I may take a better look at you.”
She happily made her way closer to her master. He reached out and stroked her hair, placing the loose strands behind her ear. Then he ran his finger down her cheek and she continued to smile at his gesture, looking directly into his eyes. He only did this when he was happy, so she knew she had done perfectly. Thoughts of her impending death floated from her mind.
“You have pleased your master, Stephanie.” He spoke to her gently. “The change you have experienced is most exciting and I am happy to say that you will be allowed out on your own from now on. There may be some missions that I believe you to be capable of completing without supervision or asssistance. You have done well.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie responded airily. She was ecstatic that she had finally proven herself worthy of her master’s adoration.
“Now, I wish to show you something.” Her master said as he reached out his hand. “Won’t you come with me?”
She grabbed hold of his hand; it was extremely cold. She shivered at the temperature and her master laughed, but did not comment. The pop sounded signaling their Disapparition. When they got to their location, Stephanie looked around in surprise. Though she did not know where he was taking her, she had not expected to appear in such a disheveled building. They were standing in front of a manor that looked like it used to be beautiful and well-kept. Now, however, it was in very bad shape. Tiles were missing from the roof, the windows were boarded up and broken, and ivy was spreading over the foundation. She looked at the Dark Lord questioningly.
Still holding her hand, he began to walk inside the manor. She followed alongside him as he looked around the decaying manor. Steps were missing from the staircase, there was glass on the floor where, directly above, Stephanie assumed a chandelier once used to hang, and there were papers strewn about. She heard rats rummaging nearby and took a step backwards. Even though she had no problem ending someone’s life, rodents still terrified her. She even kept her distance from Nagini, the Dark Lord’s snake.
“What I am about to share with you is to be kept confidential.” The Dark Lord spoke to her slowly, watching her closely. He released her hand and she allowed it to fall to her side. “Not even my closest and most trusted followers have been told this information. Can I trust you, Stephanie?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie breathed in excitement. This was the greatest reward she could ever have gotten. He trusted her enough to share such private information with her! But suddenly a question came to her mind, though she remained silent.
“I sense that you are questioning my motives.” He said, clearly amused by her silence. “You are wondering why I have chosen you, of all people, to share this with.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie answered, nodding her head. She was still amazed by how easily he was able to tell exactly what she was thinking and how she was feeling. It surprised her greatly that he wouldn’t share this information with Snape, since Snape was closer to the Dark Lord.
“You continue to question your worthiness of such things.” The Dark Lord responded, still smiling at her. “This pleases me greatly because it will allow you to continue working very hard to prove yourself. But, I have chosen to share this story with you for several reasons. First, you have performed excellently and above any of my expectations in recent months. You deserve a reward worthy of your dedicated service. The second reason is one that no one except Albus Dumbledore knows. As you are an orphan, so was I.”
Stephanie gasped unconsciously. She had not known this about her master, and he chuckled at her response.
“You will find that we are very similar, you and I.” His tone turned serious as he explained their connection. He never once took his eyes off Stephanie. “We were both orphaned at a young age. Your parents died trying to protect your brother while my mother died giving birth to me. We both had family members that despised us. My father, a muggle, ran away from my mother when he found out what she was. She lost the will to live when he left her, and so she allowed herself to die. She was weak. By retreating into herself, she proved that she hadn’t loved me, her unborn child. The moment I learned of this story was the exact moment I realized love does not exist.”
“You are a half-blood.” She whispered softly, the realization hitting her. They were much more alike than she had ever imagined.
He spoke to her harshly. “And this information must be kept quiet. If this gets repeated, you will be dead quicker than you can say ‘Help me.’ Do you understand?”
“Of course, master.” Stephanie exhaled quietly. She believed that he would have her killed before she could even get the words out and she knew that she would never betray his trust. This was big; the Dark Lord had never disclosed this information to anyone. She was special.
He nodded at her and continued his story calmly, as if she had never mentioned his blood status. “However, I was raised in that dreadful orphanage until I received my Hogwarts letter. That was the most exciting day of my life. I had always known that I was special; that I was destined to do great things.
“Your case is much more saddening, Stephanie.” He continued. She began to pity him for what he had gone through; the Dark Lord did not deserve to be abandoned by his despicable father in that way. “Not only did your parents dispose of you at the slightest hint of danger to their son, Harry, your brother ran from you the first chance he got. Not only did he not try to rescue you from my service, your godfather, Sirius Black, refused to show enough concern and attempt to save you. In addition, you were raised by an incompetent household and neglected the sanctuary Hogwarts can offer a young orphan such as yourself. No one ever cared about you before I came along. No one will ever care about you more than I have.”
Stephanie continued to look him in the eye. She knew that he was telling the truth; there was not one person in this world that cared about her except the man kneeling in front of her who had shown her such patience and mercy. Her feelings of unworthiness and disgust in herself came rushing back. She sunk to her knees and breathed heavily in realization about what he was telling her.
He walked over to her and knelt in front of her. He spoke softly, attempting to gain her trust. The Dark Lord lifted her chin with his forefinger and she looked deeply into his blazing red, snake-like eyes. He reassured her that everything was going to be alright.
“The purpose of our little field trip is so that I can show you how to make things right.” He said softly. “I am going to show you how to repay those for their abandonment and betrayal.”
She nodded and hoped that he would continue. Stephanie so desperately wanted to repay Harry for everything he had done to her. Because her parents and Sirius were already dead, she may have to focus her attention on her brother’s friends as well. That was what the Dark Lord wanted and she was happy to oblige. They must pay for both supporting Harry and for abandoning her.
“We are standing in the home of my late father, Tom Riddle, Senior.” He said, standing up and walking around the room. He found the old and dusty dining room table and moved his finger across the surface, leaving a trail of clean wood behind it. Stephanie watched as her master looked into the air, obviously visualizing something in his mind with delight. “This is the location of my first murder. I was seventeen years old.
“I remember the day perfectly. It was evening and very dark outside, there was no moon; my father and his parents had just sat down for dinner. They weren’t expecting company, and were even more surprised to see me walking through that door.” Stephanie was a little frightened by her master’s display. He was talking rapidly, clearly excited by what he was telling her. But he was also speaking with hatred, a look of anger emblazoned on his face. It seemed that he might have forgotten that she was there. She continued to listen intently.
“Without saying a word, I raised my wand and performed the Killing Curse one at a time. First, I murdered my grandmother. I wanted my father to watch his parents die individually so he could suffer before he took his last breath.” The Dark Lord continued speaking as if she weren’t there. It was as if he was replaying the scenario in his mind. “Then I took his father, my grandfather, quickly. They didn’t know what hit them. It was rather calming and it surprised me how easy it was to kill someone. To end their pathetic, miserable lives.
“But I didn’t allow my muggle father, the man I had learned to despise greatly, to die so easily. Though I may be merciful, he deserved to suffer more than I had over the years. He was tortured for hours before I finally lost interest. I had even created some new spells while punishing him for the years of loneliness I had endured. It was such an exhilarating experience. Finally, I ended his life the same as his parents.” He finished, and then surprised her by addressing her by name. Maybe he had realized she was there the whole time, she thought. “Stephanie, this shows that there is only one repayment deserving enough for the way your family has treated you.”
“Of course, my Lord.” She responded quickly. “But more than pay for what he has done to me, he must suffer greatly for what he has cost you, my Lord.”
“I enjoy your thinking, Stephanie.” He responded to her comment. “You continue to amaze me.”
“But I am disappointed in my performance with the traitor, my Lord.” Stephanie had to get this off her chest. She had been thinking about this and she hoped that there was nothing wrong with her. Casting the Killing Curse should have been enjoyable, but it hadn’t been.
“What do you mean, my dear?” He asked, looking surprised.
“Since before your return, my Lord, I have been told how exhilarating it is to perform the Killing Curse,” she spoke slowly, deciding on how to word her next statement. “But it was not nearly as gratifying as I had expected.”
The Dark Lord once again laughed at her expense, though she had long ago gotten used to being teased. Her master constantly made fun of her naivety and surprise at new experiences.
“Ah, yes. This is very common.” He reassured her once he stopped laughing. “That man did nothing to you personally, so you had no resentment towards him. Believe me when I say that when you murder your brother and his friends, the feeling will be better than you could ever have imagined.”
Stephanie nodded, not believing him. But he knew what he was talking about, so she trusted that this had to be true. She also wanted to ask him why she was still alive after performing magic against a Death Eater, but she knew better than to ask him about it. They remained in the Riddle home for a while longer as the Dark Lord reminisced about his first murder and then others that soon followed. Finally, he returned them to the Lestrange manor and Stephanie went up to her room to think about what he had just told her.
*~*~*~*
“Welcome.” The headmaster greeted everyone at headquarters. “I believe we have quite a large agenda this evening, so we should begin.”
The rest of the people at the table began to quiet down. Severus looked around at the attendees if the Order of the Phoenix meeting that was taking place in front of him. Molly and Arthur Weasley sat at the far end of the table, close to Professor Dumbledore. Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, Bill Weasley, and a few others also lined the table. Severus remained silent as he was never comfortable being surrounded by these people. He had always felt more at ease in the Dark Lord’s presence because he could understand him better than these Order members. Many of them were so happy. He shuddered at the thought of the emotion he never felt.
“The first order of business is that of new members.” Albus explained. “Before we bring them in, does anyone have any objections?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Molly Weasley, who looked absolutely terrified. She spoke to the headmaster. “I believe they are too young. But they are of age and if this is what they want to do, I cannot stop them.”
“Are they capable of taking anything seriously?” Severus commented, while leaning forward in his chair. He had never liked these boys and they constantly played pranks on other students and teachers while attending Hogwarts. It was pathetic the people the headmaster was now accepting into the Order. “They may prove detrimental to our mission.”
Severus eyed Lupin with hatred when the werewolf spoke up in defense of the twins. “I had the opportunity to teach these children during their fifth year of Hogwarts, and I believe them to be highly skilled wizards. Many of their products are created with very advanced magic and I believe they may be helpful.”
“I agree, Remus.” The headmaster acknowledged. Severus sat back in his chair with disappointment. “Let us bring them in.”
Soon after, Fred and George Weasley walked into the kitchen at 12 Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Severus stared at the twins blankly, though he strongly despised them. In fact, there were very few students he actually had a liking for, though those that he did always resided in the Slytherin house.
“Gentlemen, would you please have a seat?” Minerva said to them gently. They looked nervous and Severus smiled inwardly. This was nothing compared to the initiation to the Death Eaters.
The headmaster explained as much to the no longer-students in front of him. “Lord Voldemort causes severe pain while inducting his followers into the Death Eater organization. To him, this proves their unfailing loyalty to his service. We, however, do not believe in such rituals. You will be asked a series of questions and then you will be considered a member of the Order of the Phoenix if you so wish. Shall we begin?”
The twins nodded and responded in unison, “yes, sir.”
“It is important that you realize this is not a game. You should not join this organization to receive glory or recognition. There are serious dangers involved and it is highly probable that you will die working for the Order.” Albus explained with consternation. Severus looked at the twins’ faces which had changed from anxiety to a serious tone.
“Are you prepared to sacrifice yourself to help stop Lord Voldemort from rising to power?” The headmaster asked.
“Yes, sir.” They again replied in unison. Severus doubted they understood the severity of the situation they were getting themselves into. He shook his head in disbelief.
“Rarely do we allow such youngsters into the Order.” Minerva began to explain, concerned for the safety of her former students. “You have only left school a few months ago, and you did not even graduate. Why would you want to join the Order?”
The twins looked at each other in silence for a moment. Then Fred spoke for the both of them. “For years now we have been friends with Harry Potter. We have even been guilty of helping him get into trouble here and there. But we see where his heart is. George and I have witnessed his strength and resilience while he is constantly being challenged.”
“Because he has been our brother’s best friends since their first year at Hogwarts, we have gotten to know Harry quite well.” George added. “He has inspired us to use our talents for better purposes. And even though we have never met her, nor have we spoken to her as the others have, we have grown quite fond of Stephanie Potter. Harry has told us what she has gone through and what she is being required to endure.”
“We want to help resist Voldemort. We want to do what we can to help Harry and to help Stephanie.” Fred continued. “And we would be willing to die to do that.”
The twins looked over at their mother and George apologized. “We’re sorry, mom. We know how upsetting this is for you, but this is something we have to do.”
“You’re right, George.” Molly responded with tears in her eyes. “This may terrify me, but you have made your father and me proud today.”
“You were in danger anyway, with your mother, me, and your two older brothers participating in the Order.” Arthur added, looking appreciatively at his sons. “We are glad you want to do this.”
The twins nodded, though they remained deadpan. Severus realized they knew what the consequences of taking this situation lightly could be. He was surprised at their level of maturity and insight; he had not seen anything close to this while he had been their professor. Though, he would never admit these thoughts to anyone.
“Would anyone object to the induction of these two into the Order?” Albus asked the table, though he knew there would be none. The room remained silent, including Severus. The headmaster continued. “Very well. I accept you, Fred Weasley, and you, George Weasley, as members of the Order of the Phoenix. What is said here must remain confidential. Do you understand this?”
“Yes, sir.” The twins said.
“Thank you, sir.” Fred responded.
“You are welcome.” The headmaster nodded at the Weasley. “Now, onto other business. We have suffered heavy losses in the past few months and recruiting new members will be more important than ever. I request that we have a moment of silence to remember each of those who have fallen in service to the Order.”
He looked at Minerva who began reading from a list, following each name with a pause of silence. “Sirius Black. Tina Hollander. Jason Stocker. Emmaline Vance. Brock Cane. Kevin Minsk. Joe Freedo. Amelia Bones. Sarah Ringer. And Tanya White.”
The table remained silent for a few moments. Most of the members hung their heads in sadness. Severus remained still, disappointed that they would take a moment to mourn these members. He would be angry if they did the same for him one day, though he hoped that day would never come. But he did understand it was a possibility.
“These people died trying to protect future generations. May they rest in peace.” Molly said quietly. The others nodded in agreement.
“Now.” The headmaster said more cheerfully. “I believe we shall move onto updates. Kingsley, would you tell us what is going on with the Aurors?”
“We are actively trying to capture known Death Eaters, but it is proving to be quite difficult.” Kingsley began. “However, sources tell us that Voldemort is beginning to penetrate top levels of certain organizations. The Daily Prophet and shopkeepers in Diagon Alley are the few that we know about.”
“That is correct.” Severus explained. “The editor of the Daily Prophet is under the Imperius Curse to control what information is placed in the newspaper. This is the reason there continues to be attacks written about the headmaster and Mr. Potter. There have been several articles favoring things that Stephanie has been doing, and he is including these to incite fear. She has not been seen in public since the incident with Mr. Malfoy and her brother, and he wants to keep her name and face in the forefront of the public’s mind. He wants them to fear her, and I believe he is succeeding.”
“How is the girl doing, Severus?” Alastor asked from nearby. Severus looked to him and answered the question.
“She is alive. That is all we can be thankful for at this point.” He began; Severus had known he was going to be asked about Stephanie and he had been dreading sharing the information with his colleagues. Before the meeting, he had spoken with the headmaster to determine what information to disclose to the members and they decided it was pertinent to allude to the curses placed upon her.
“She has experienced severe changes within the last few months that no longer make her who she used to be. Stephanie admires the Dark Lord and seeks out ways to earn his admiration. She will do anything to protect him, even fight to the death.
“Shortly after the Dark Lord returned to his body, he placed several spells upon Stephanie to protect himself and his followers from her betrayal. One of these curses makes it impossible for Stephanie to perform any spell on an individual who bears the Dark Mark. When I learned of these spells, I informed her immediately. She had done a good job at hiding her knowledge of these spells from the Dark Lord. But there were also occurrences where she was surrounded, taunted, and tormented by some of those fellow Death Eaters. She never once tried to protect herself and the Dark Lord had become suspicious that she was aware of the existence of these spells.
“Instead of using Legilimens to penetrate her mind, he continues to test her.” Severus paused, when he saw someone move out of the corner of his eye.
“Why doesn’t he use Legilimens to learn what she knows?” Remus asked. “We know he has done so many times before, and even enjoys altering people’s memories before he kills them.”
“This is not too clear to me. But, he has used Legilimens on her, mostly without her knowledge.” Severus continued to explain. “It annoys her that he always knows how she is feeling and what she is thinking, so he uses this to play with her mind. When he is speaking with her, he knows what else she may be thinking, whether she is scared, arrogant, or disagrees with what he is saying.”
“He does not believe her to know too much information, though he suspects she may know more than she is telling him.” Albus clarified for the Order members. Severus knew that the headmaster understood the Dark Lord much better than he ever could. “He needs Stephanie and so he continues to test her loyalty, which is much more subtle and manipulative. If she were to know that he was suspicious of her, the changes she has endured would not have occurred, and she would have been useless to him. That is why he refuses to perform Legilimens on the teenager.”
There was silence around the table as they contemplated what had just been said. Severus nodded because it seemed to make sense. Then he continued detailing what Stephanie had experienced in recent months.
“As I previously said, the Dark Lord had grown suspicious that Stephanie knew about the spells. In addition to testing her, he disclosed to me that he wanted to see her changes in person. Therefore, he accompanied me and Stephanie, though he was disillusioned and she was not aware of his presence, to meet with Igor Karkaroff. Once inside the cabin, I had to prevent Stephanie from performing magic while the Dark Lord cast a spell upon the man.
“I am not sure whether he removed the Dark Mark or if he cast a spell hiding the Mark’s effects upon Karkaroff, but something was done to him that allowed Stephanie to perform magic on him. He grabbed his arm and screamed in tremendous pain.” He paused when he was interrupted with a question.
“I thought the Dark Mark was permanent?” Molly asked Severus.
“It is, but the Dark Lord is capable of more than we are aware of. He created the spell and may know of a way to remove it, though it is doubtful since he would never allow someone to leave his service alive. There would be no purpose for such a spell.” He finished and Molly nodded.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I understand how this could be considered a test for her. She has killed before, right?” George spoke up and Fred also nodded his confusion.
Severus sighed in frustration at the stupidity of the young twins in front of him. “Stephanie knew that this man was a Death Eater and yet she performed the Killing Curse and other spells against him. The Dark Lord believes that if she had known about the curses upon her, she would have at least hesitated in casting these spells. Through all of the changes she has undergone, it escaped her mind that she would not be able to do this unharmed. However, it was good that she did not realize this until it was too late because it saved her life.”
“It is not surprising that Voldemort’s mistaking Stephanie’s courage for ignorance saved her life.” Albus smiled at the Order members. “I believe we shall witness other moments in time where his mistakes or failure to acknowledge the powers of those around him, leading to his downfall. Thank you for your input Kingsley and Severus.
“Now, it is months away, but we must begin to prepare how we are going to retrieve Harry from Privet Drive this summer. Please take some time to think of plausible ideas. Does anyone else have anything to add?”
No one spoke and Albus adjourned the meeting. Severus immediately removed himself from headquarters and returned to his quarters at Hogwarts, his robes floating in the breeze behind him.
*~*~*~*
Harry was sitting at breakfast the day before he was to leave for the Christmas holiday. This year he was invited to the Burrow to spend the holiday with Ron and his family. He was always excited to spend time at the Burrow because it meant that he didn’t need to return to Privet Drive and the Dursleys. This Christmas, he wouldn’t have to spend it wandering the empty corridors of his school.
This semester had gone by very quickly and he couldn’t believe it was already Christmastime. It had been a very long semester, though. Ron had spent a good majority of his time with his new girlfriend, Lavender Brown. They snogged almost nonstop and this had greatly impacted Ron’s friendship with Hermione. It felt as if the three had grown apart because Ron continuously tried to rub his relationship with Lavender in Hermione’s face. Harry knew this hurt Hermione more than anything had before. He just wished they would both get over themselves and realize how much they cared for each other.
He had also been thinking a lot about Ron’s sister, Ginny. Because of Stephanie, they had spent much more time together in the last couple of years than they would have without Stephanie. He was thankful that Stephanie brought them together, though he wasn’t sure how to tell Ginny about his feelings for her.
What if she didn’t feel the same way? She had been dating Dean Thomas, his roommate, and he was concerned that telling Ginny how he felt might ruin his friendship with his roommate. Everything was so complicated! He wished he could talk things through with his sister, but he knew that this was impossible. Once in awhile he continued to write in the diary, as did the other four, in case Stephanie were still looking at hers, but he knew that she no longer remembered what they had once shared. Stephanie had changed and probably despised him and his friends; his heart went out for the loneliness she must be feeling.
In spite of his desperate attempts, he had also failed at finding out what Draco was planning. Hermione and Ron, even Neville, had often accused him of being obsessed. There were times that he got so caught up in following around Malfoy that he forgot about Quidditch practice and skipped his classes. He spent hours looking for Malfoy on the Marauder’s Map and following him to strange hiding places. It had been useless and Harry was completely frustrated.
He was returned from his thoughts by a letter landing on his plate. This surprised him because since his godfather died, he hadn’t received too much mail. He turned the envelope over in his hands but didn’t recognize the handwriting across the front bearing his name. Hermione and Ron had noticed this and stopped arguing long enough to watch him open the letter. He read it and sighed as he placed it on the table. Hermione picked up the letter and read it aloud, with Harry’s permission.
Hermione put down the letter and spoke before anyone else could. “Why wouldn’t Ollivander’s disappearance appear in the paper? This should be headline news!”
“Voldemort needs him for something.” Ginny said, walking up to the breakfast table. She had obviously been listening close by.
“That makes sense,” Harry began to reason out loud. “But that would mean that he controlled what went into the Daily Prophet.”
“He has control over much more than we could imagine.” Ron stated. “He must be stopped.”
“Soon.” Neville chimed in from across the table. “And we will get to Stephanie too. We have to before things get even worse for her.”
Harry sat quietly, wondering what he could do for Stephanie. He knew time was running out for her and there must be something he could do to protect her, to save her. He left his plate of food and walked towards the front door. He was no longer hungry and needed to take a walk and think about what he was going to do.
Please leave feedback here! It is greatly appreciated.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really enjoyed the scene between Voldemort and Stephanie; I think it really truly shows Stephanie's transformation. The next chapter is almost done, but I am debating how I want things to go. I'll try to get it posted before Wednesday, but it's a busy time of year and I'm not sure how much free time I'll have. I will say that the next chapter is full of twists and turns, along with the chapters to come! Please tell me what you think!
Stephanie couldn’t shake the idea that something horrible was going to happen to her. She had done as the Dark Lord had wanted; she murdered the traitor Igor Karkaroff. But he was a Death Eater and she knew that it was impossible for her to cast any type of spell, even a harmless hex or a defensive spell, on any of her master’s followers. The thought crossed her mind that the curse placed upon her had failed and she was no longer bound by its effects, but she knew that the Dark Lord never failed. Even if she wanted to conjure a spell against a fellow Death Eater, she would not dare do so because he would have immediately made sure the curse began to work properly. Making an attempt would certainly kill her, but it would also cause the Dark Lord to be disappointed in her and she wanted to make him proud. She decided that her master had a reason for asking her to perform magic against a man he knew she could not; it must have been another way to test her loyalties. Stephanie was still alive and she was not yet in any pain, so she knew she would be alright. She had always imagined the curse would have immediate effects.
She was once again waiting in her room for the Dark Lord to summon her. Snape had ordered her there when they returned to the manor twenty-four hours ago, and her master had yet to return. Though she wasn’t worried about his reaction to the outcome of the mission, since she had succeeded quite well, she was anxious about why she was not yet dead. She hoped her master would explain, though she knew that she couldn’t ask. He would not be pleased to know that she had learned of the three curses placed upon her so long ago.
During this twenty-four hours she realized that she had thought of her brother very little since their encounter in Diagon Alley. This hadn’t surprised her because he betrayed her. His friends were included in this; they left her alone. Though, she was also grateful for their betrayal because she wouldn’t have been able to help the Dark Lord so passionately if they had attempted a rescue. Stephanie realized that if they attempted to rescue her now, it would be considered kidnapping because she would never go with them willingly. She would probably even fight to the death to keep them from taking her. The Dark Lord would be so pleased with her commitment to him.
Finally she was called downstairs and Stephanie quickly made her way towards her master. Instead of sitting at the dining room table waiting for her, she found him standing in the living room. He bowed to her when she entered and she smiled in response.
“You requested to speak with me, master?” She asked confidently. Stephanie knew that she was going to be greatly rewarded for her performance the day before.
“Yes, my dear.” The Dark Lord smiled at her. “Please come closer so I may take a better look at you.”
She happily made her way closer to her master. He reached out and stroked her hair, placing the loose strands behind her ear. Then he ran his finger down her cheek and she continued to smile at his gesture, looking directly into his eyes. He only did this when he was happy, so she knew she had done perfectly. Thoughts of her impending death floated from her mind.
“You have pleased your master, Stephanie.” He spoke to her gently. “The change you have experienced is most exciting and I am happy to say that you will be allowed out on your own from now on. There may be some missions that I believe you to be capable of completing without supervision or asssistance. You have done well.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie responded airily. She was ecstatic that she had finally proven herself worthy of her master’s adoration.
“Now, I wish to show you something.” Her master said as he reached out his hand. “Won’t you come with me?”
She grabbed hold of his hand; it was extremely cold. She shivered at the temperature and her master laughed, but did not comment. The pop sounded signaling their Disapparition. When they got to their location, Stephanie looked around in surprise. Though she did not know where he was taking her, she had not expected to appear in such a disheveled building. They were standing in front of a manor that looked like it used to be beautiful and well-kept. Now, however, it was in very bad shape. Tiles were missing from the roof, the windows were boarded up and broken, and ivy was spreading over the foundation. She looked at the Dark Lord questioningly.
Still holding her hand, he began to walk inside the manor. She followed alongside him as he looked around the decaying manor. Steps were missing from the staircase, there was glass on the floor where, directly above, Stephanie assumed a chandelier once used to hang, and there were papers strewn about. She heard rats rummaging nearby and took a step backwards. Even though she had no problem ending someone’s life, rodents still terrified her. She even kept her distance from Nagini, the Dark Lord’s snake.
“What I am about to share with you is to be kept confidential.” The Dark Lord spoke to her slowly, watching her closely. He released her hand and she allowed it to fall to her side. “Not even my closest and most trusted followers have been told this information. Can I trust you, Stephanie?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie breathed in excitement. This was the greatest reward she could ever have gotten. He trusted her enough to share such private information with her! But suddenly a question came to her mind, though she remained silent.
“I sense that you are questioning my motives.” He said, clearly amused by her silence. “You are wondering why I have chosen you, of all people, to share this with.”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie answered, nodding her head. She was still amazed by how easily he was able to tell exactly what she was thinking and how she was feeling. It surprised her greatly that he wouldn’t share this information with Snape, since Snape was closer to the Dark Lord.
“You continue to question your worthiness of such things.” The Dark Lord responded, still smiling at her. “This pleases me greatly because it will allow you to continue working very hard to prove yourself. But, I have chosen to share this story with you for several reasons. First, you have performed excellently and above any of my expectations in recent months. You deserve a reward worthy of your dedicated service. The second reason is one that no one except Albus Dumbledore knows. As you are an orphan, so was I.”
Stephanie gasped unconsciously. She had not known this about her master, and he chuckled at her response.
“You will find that we are very similar, you and I.” His tone turned serious as he explained their connection. He never once took his eyes off Stephanie. “We were both orphaned at a young age. Your parents died trying to protect your brother while my mother died giving birth to me. We both had family members that despised us. My father, a muggle, ran away from my mother when he found out what she was. She lost the will to live when he left her, and so she allowed herself to die. She was weak. By retreating into herself, she proved that she hadn’t loved me, her unborn child. The moment I learned of this story was the exact moment I realized love does not exist.”
“You are a half-blood.” She whispered softly, the realization hitting her. They were much more alike than she had ever imagined.
He spoke to her harshly. “And this information must be kept quiet. If this gets repeated, you will be dead quicker than you can say ‘Help me.’ Do you understand?”
“Of course, master.” Stephanie exhaled quietly. She believed that he would have her killed before she could even get the words out and she knew that she would never betray his trust. This was big; the Dark Lord had never disclosed this information to anyone. She was special.
He nodded at her and continued his story calmly, as if she had never mentioned his blood status. “However, I was raised in that dreadful orphanage until I received my Hogwarts letter. That was the most exciting day of my life. I had always known that I was special; that I was destined to do great things.
“Your case is much more saddening, Stephanie.” He continued. She began to pity him for what he had gone through; the Dark Lord did not deserve to be abandoned by his despicable father in that way. “Not only did your parents dispose of you at the slightest hint of danger to their son, Harry, your brother ran from you the first chance he got. Not only did he not try to rescue you from my service, your godfather, Sirius Black, refused to show enough concern and attempt to save you. In addition, you were raised by an incompetent household and neglected the sanctuary Hogwarts can offer a young orphan such as yourself. No one ever cared about you before I came along. No one will ever care about you more than I have.”
Stephanie continued to look him in the eye. She knew that he was telling the truth; there was not one person in this world that cared about her except the man kneeling in front of her who had shown her such patience and mercy. Her feelings of unworthiness and disgust in herself came rushing back. She sunk to her knees and breathed heavily in realization about what he was telling her.
He walked over to her and knelt in front of her. He spoke softly, attempting to gain her trust. The Dark Lord lifted her chin with his forefinger and she looked deeply into his blazing red, snake-like eyes. He reassured her that everything was going to be alright.
“The purpose of our little field trip is so that I can show you how to make things right.” He said softly. “I am going to show you how to repay those for their abandonment and betrayal.”
She nodded and hoped that he would continue. Stephanie so desperately wanted to repay Harry for everything he had done to her. Because her parents and Sirius were already dead, she may have to focus her attention on her brother’s friends as well. That was what the Dark Lord wanted and she was happy to oblige. They must pay for both supporting Harry and for abandoning her.
“We are standing in the home of my late father, Tom Riddle, Senior.” He said, standing up and walking around the room. He found the old and dusty dining room table and moved his finger across the surface, leaving a trail of clean wood behind it. Stephanie watched as her master looked into the air, obviously visualizing something in his mind with delight. “This is the location of my first murder. I was seventeen years old.
“I remember the day perfectly. It was evening and very dark outside, there was no moon; my father and his parents had just sat down for dinner. They weren’t expecting company, and were even more surprised to see me walking through that door.” Stephanie was a little frightened by her master’s display. He was talking rapidly, clearly excited by what he was telling her. But he was also speaking with hatred, a look of anger emblazoned on his face. It seemed that he might have forgotten that she was there. She continued to listen intently.
“Without saying a word, I raised my wand and performed the Killing Curse one at a time. First, I murdered my grandmother. I wanted my father to watch his parents die individually so he could suffer before he took his last breath.” The Dark Lord continued speaking as if she weren’t there. It was as if he was replaying the scenario in his mind. “Then I took his father, my grandfather, quickly. They didn’t know what hit them. It was rather calming and it surprised me how easy it was to kill someone. To end their pathetic, miserable lives.
“But I didn’t allow my muggle father, the man I had learned to despise greatly, to die so easily. Though I may be merciful, he deserved to suffer more than I had over the years. He was tortured for hours before I finally lost interest. I had even created some new spells while punishing him for the years of loneliness I had endured. It was such an exhilarating experience. Finally, I ended his life the same as his parents.” He finished, and then surprised her by addressing her by name. Maybe he had realized she was there the whole time, she thought. “Stephanie, this shows that there is only one repayment deserving enough for the way your family has treated you.”
“Of course, my Lord.” She responded quickly. “But more than pay for what he has done to me, he must suffer greatly for what he has cost you, my Lord.”
“I enjoy your thinking, Stephanie.” He responded to her comment. “You continue to amaze me.”
“But I am disappointed in my performance with the traitor, my Lord.” Stephanie had to get this off her chest. She had been thinking about this and she hoped that there was nothing wrong with her. Casting the Killing Curse should have been enjoyable, but it hadn’t been.
“What do you mean, my dear?” He asked, looking surprised.
“Since before your return, my Lord, I have been told how exhilarating it is to perform the Killing Curse,” she spoke slowly, deciding on how to word her next statement. “But it was not nearly as gratifying as I had expected.”
The Dark Lord once again laughed at her expense, though she had long ago gotten used to being teased. Her master constantly made fun of her naivety and surprise at new experiences.
“Ah, yes. This is very common.” He reassured her once he stopped laughing. “That man did nothing to you personally, so you had no resentment towards him. Believe me when I say that when you murder your brother and his friends, the feeling will be better than you could ever have imagined.”
Stephanie nodded, not believing him. But he knew what he was talking about, so she trusted that this had to be true. She also wanted to ask him why she was still alive after performing magic against a Death Eater, but she knew better than to ask him about it. They remained in the Riddle home for a while longer as the Dark Lord reminisced about his first murder and then others that soon followed. Finally, he returned them to the Lestrange manor and Stephanie went up to her room to think about what he had just told her.
*~*~*~*
“Welcome.” The headmaster greeted everyone at headquarters. “I believe we have quite a large agenda this evening, so we should begin.”
The rest of the people at the table began to quiet down. Severus looked around at the attendees if the Order of the Phoenix meeting that was taking place in front of him. Molly and Arthur Weasley sat at the far end of the table, close to Professor Dumbledore. Minerva McGonagall, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Alastor Moody, Bill Weasley, and a few others also lined the table. Severus remained silent as he was never comfortable being surrounded by these people. He had always felt more at ease in the Dark Lord’s presence because he could understand him better than these Order members. Many of them were so happy. He shuddered at the thought of the emotion he never felt.
“The first order of business is that of new members.” Albus explained. “Before we bring them in, does anyone have any objections?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Molly Weasley, who looked absolutely terrified. She spoke to the headmaster. “I believe they are too young. But they are of age and if this is what they want to do, I cannot stop them.”
“Are they capable of taking anything seriously?” Severus commented, while leaning forward in his chair. He had never liked these boys and they constantly played pranks on other students and teachers while attending Hogwarts. It was pathetic the people the headmaster was now accepting into the Order. “They may prove detrimental to our mission.”
Severus eyed Lupin with hatred when the werewolf spoke up in defense of the twins. “I had the opportunity to teach these children during their fifth year of Hogwarts, and I believe them to be highly skilled wizards. Many of their products are created with very advanced magic and I believe they may be helpful.”
“I agree, Remus.” The headmaster acknowledged. Severus sat back in his chair with disappointment. “Let us bring them in.”
Soon after, Fred and George Weasley walked into the kitchen at 12 Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Severus stared at the twins blankly, though he strongly despised them. In fact, there were very few students he actually had a liking for, though those that he did always resided in the Slytherin house.
“Gentlemen, would you please have a seat?” Minerva said to them gently. They looked nervous and Severus smiled inwardly. This was nothing compared to the initiation to the Death Eaters.
The headmaster explained as much to the no longer-students in front of him. “Lord Voldemort causes severe pain while inducting his followers into the Death Eater organization. To him, this proves their unfailing loyalty to his service. We, however, do not believe in such rituals. You will be asked a series of questions and then you will be considered a member of the Order of the Phoenix if you so wish. Shall we begin?”
The twins nodded and responded in unison, “yes, sir.”
“It is important that you realize this is not a game. You should not join this organization to receive glory or recognition. There are serious dangers involved and it is highly probable that you will die working for the Order.” Albus explained with consternation. Severus looked at the twins’ faces which had changed from anxiety to a serious tone.
“Are you prepared to sacrifice yourself to help stop Lord Voldemort from rising to power?” The headmaster asked.
“Yes, sir.” They again replied in unison. Severus doubted they understood the severity of the situation they were getting themselves into. He shook his head in disbelief.
“Rarely do we allow such youngsters into the Order.” Minerva began to explain, concerned for the safety of her former students. “You have only left school a few months ago, and you did not even graduate. Why would you want to join the Order?”
The twins looked at each other in silence for a moment. Then Fred spoke for the both of them. “For years now we have been friends with Harry Potter. We have even been guilty of helping him get into trouble here and there. But we see where his heart is. George and I have witnessed his strength and resilience while he is constantly being challenged.”
“Because he has been our brother’s best friends since their first year at Hogwarts, we have gotten to know Harry quite well.” George added. “He has inspired us to use our talents for better purposes. And even though we have never met her, nor have we spoken to her as the others have, we have grown quite fond of Stephanie Potter. Harry has told us what she has gone through and what she is being required to endure.”
“We want to help resist Voldemort. We want to do what we can to help Harry and to help Stephanie.” Fred continued. “And we would be willing to die to do that.”
The twins looked over at their mother and George apologized. “We’re sorry, mom. We know how upsetting this is for you, but this is something we have to do.”
“You’re right, George.” Molly responded with tears in her eyes. “This may terrify me, but you have made your father and me proud today.”
“You were in danger anyway, with your mother, me, and your two older brothers participating in the Order.” Arthur added, looking appreciatively at his sons. “We are glad you want to do this.”
The twins nodded, though they remained deadpan. Severus realized they knew what the consequences of taking this situation lightly could be. He was surprised at their level of maturity and insight; he had not seen anything close to this while he had been their professor. Though, he would never admit these thoughts to anyone.
“Would anyone object to the induction of these two into the Order?” Albus asked the table, though he knew there would be none. The room remained silent, including Severus. The headmaster continued. “Very well. I accept you, Fred Weasley, and you, George Weasley, as members of the Order of the Phoenix. What is said here must remain confidential. Do you understand this?”
“Yes, sir.” The twins said.
“Thank you, sir.” Fred responded.
“You are welcome.” The headmaster nodded at the Weasley. “Now, onto other business. We have suffered heavy losses in the past few months and recruiting new members will be more important than ever. I request that we have a moment of silence to remember each of those who have fallen in service to the Order.”
He looked at Minerva who began reading from a list, following each name with a pause of silence. “Sirius Black. Tina Hollander. Jason Stocker. Emmaline Vance. Brock Cane. Kevin Minsk. Joe Freedo. Amelia Bones. Sarah Ringer. And Tanya White.”
The table remained silent for a few moments. Most of the members hung their heads in sadness. Severus remained still, disappointed that they would take a moment to mourn these members. He would be angry if they did the same for him one day, though he hoped that day would never come. But he did understand it was a possibility.
“These people died trying to protect future generations. May they rest in peace.” Molly said quietly. The others nodded in agreement.
“Now.” The headmaster said more cheerfully. “I believe we shall move onto updates. Kingsley, would you tell us what is going on with the Aurors?”
“We are actively trying to capture known Death Eaters, but it is proving to be quite difficult.” Kingsley began. “However, sources tell us that Voldemort is beginning to penetrate top levels of certain organizations. The Daily Prophet and shopkeepers in Diagon Alley are the few that we know about.”
“That is correct.” Severus explained. “The editor of the Daily Prophet is under the Imperius Curse to control what information is placed in the newspaper. This is the reason there continues to be attacks written about the headmaster and Mr. Potter. There have been several articles favoring things that Stephanie has been doing, and he is including these to incite fear. She has not been seen in public since the incident with Mr. Malfoy and her brother, and he wants to keep her name and face in the forefront of the public’s mind. He wants them to fear her, and I believe he is succeeding.”
“How is the girl doing, Severus?” Alastor asked from nearby. Severus looked to him and answered the question.
“She is alive. That is all we can be thankful for at this point.” He began; Severus had known he was going to be asked about Stephanie and he had been dreading sharing the information with his colleagues. Before the meeting, he had spoken with the headmaster to determine what information to disclose to the members and they decided it was pertinent to allude to the curses placed upon her.
“She has experienced severe changes within the last few months that no longer make her who she used to be. Stephanie admires the Dark Lord and seeks out ways to earn his admiration. She will do anything to protect him, even fight to the death.
“Shortly after the Dark Lord returned to his body, he placed several spells upon Stephanie to protect himself and his followers from her betrayal. One of these curses makes it impossible for Stephanie to perform any spell on an individual who bears the Dark Mark. When I learned of these spells, I informed her immediately. She had done a good job at hiding her knowledge of these spells from the Dark Lord. But there were also occurrences where she was surrounded, taunted, and tormented by some of those fellow Death Eaters. She never once tried to protect herself and the Dark Lord had become suspicious that she was aware of the existence of these spells.
“Instead of using Legilimens to penetrate her mind, he continues to test her.” Severus paused, when he saw someone move out of the corner of his eye.
“Why doesn’t he use Legilimens to learn what she knows?” Remus asked. “We know he has done so many times before, and even enjoys altering people’s memories before he kills them.”
“This is not too clear to me. But, he has used Legilimens on her, mostly without her knowledge.” Severus continued to explain. “It annoys her that he always knows how she is feeling and what she is thinking, so he uses this to play with her mind. When he is speaking with her, he knows what else she may be thinking, whether she is scared, arrogant, or disagrees with what he is saying.”
“He does not believe her to know too much information, though he suspects she may know more than she is telling him.” Albus clarified for the Order members. Severus knew that the headmaster understood the Dark Lord much better than he ever could. “He needs Stephanie and so he continues to test her loyalty, which is much more subtle and manipulative. If she were to know that he was suspicious of her, the changes she has endured would not have occurred, and she would have been useless to him. That is why he refuses to perform Legilimens on the teenager.”
There was silence around the table as they contemplated what had just been said. Severus nodded because it seemed to make sense. Then he continued detailing what Stephanie had experienced in recent months.
“As I previously said, the Dark Lord had grown suspicious that Stephanie knew about the spells. In addition to testing her, he disclosed to me that he wanted to see her changes in person. Therefore, he accompanied me and Stephanie, though he was disillusioned and she was not aware of his presence, to meet with Igor Karkaroff. Once inside the cabin, I had to prevent Stephanie from performing magic while the Dark Lord cast a spell upon the man.
“I am not sure whether he removed the Dark Mark or if he cast a spell hiding the Mark’s effects upon Karkaroff, but something was done to him that allowed Stephanie to perform magic on him. He grabbed his arm and screamed in tremendous pain.” He paused when he was interrupted with a question.
“I thought the Dark Mark was permanent?” Molly asked Severus.
“It is, but the Dark Lord is capable of more than we are aware of. He created the spell and may know of a way to remove it, though it is doubtful since he would never allow someone to leave his service alive. There would be no purpose for such a spell.” He finished and Molly nodded.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I understand how this could be considered a test for her. She has killed before, right?” George spoke up and Fred also nodded his confusion.
Severus sighed in frustration at the stupidity of the young twins in front of him. “Stephanie knew that this man was a Death Eater and yet she performed the Killing Curse and other spells against him. The Dark Lord believes that if she had known about the curses upon her, she would have at least hesitated in casting these spells. Through all of the changes she has undergone, it escaped her mind that she would not be able to do this unharmed. However, it was good that she did not realize this until it was too late because it saved her life.”
“It is not surprising that Voldemort’s mistaking Stephanie’s courage for ignorance saved her life.” Albus smiled at the Order members. “I believe we shall witness other moments in time where his mistakes or failure to acknowledge the powers of those around him, leading to his downfall. Thank you for your input Kingsley and Severus.
“Now, it is months away, but we must begin to prepare how we are going to retrieve Harry from Privet Drive this summer. Please take some time to think of plausible ideas. Does anyone else have anything to add?”
No one spoke and Albus adjourned the meeting. Severus immediately removed himself from headquarters and returned to his quarters at Hogwarts, his robes floating in the breeze behind him.
*~*~*~*
Harry was sitting at breakfast the day before he was to leave for the Christmas holiday. This year he was invited to the Burrow to spend the holiday with Ron and his family. He was always excited to spend time at the Burrow because it meant that he didn’t need to return to Privet Drive and the Dursleys. This Christmas, he wouldn’t have to spend it wandering the empty corridors of his school.
This semester had gone by very quickly and he couldn’t believe it was already Christmastime. It had been a very long semester, though. Ron had spent a good majority of his time with his new girlfriend, Lavender Brown. They snogged almost nonstop and this had greatly impacted Ron’s friendship with Hermione. It felt as if the three had grown apart because Ron continuously tried to rub his relationship with Lavender in Hermione’s face. Harry knew this hurt Hermione more than anything had before. He just wished they would both get over themselves and realize how much they cared for each other.
He had also been thinking a lot about Ron’s sister, Ginny. Because of Stephanie, they had spent much more time together in the last couple of years than they would have without Stephanie. He was thankful that Stephanie brought them together, though he wasn’t sure how to tell Ginny about his feelings for her.
What if she didn’t feel the same way? She had been dating Dean Thomas, his roommate, and he was concerned that telling Ginny how he felt might ruin his friendship with his roommate. Everything was so complicated! He wished he could talk things through with his sister, but he knew that this was impossible. Once in awhile he continued to write in the diary, as did the other four, in case Stephanie were still looking at hers, but he knew that she no longer remembered what they had once shared. Stephanie had changed and probably despised him and his friends; his heart went out for the loneliness she must be feeling.
In spite of his desperate attempts, he had also failed at finding out what Draco was planning. Hermione and Ron, even Neville, had often accused him of being obsessed. There were times that he got so caught up in following around Malfoy that he forgot about Quidditch practice and skipped his classes. He spent hours looking for Malfoy on the Marauder’s Map and following him to strange hiding places. It had been useless and Harry was completely frustrated.
He was returned from his thoughts by a letter landing on his plate. This surprised him because since his godfather died, he hadn’t received too much mail. He turned the envelope over in his hands but didn’t recognize the handwriting across the front bearing his name. Hermione and Ron had noticed this and stopped arguing long enough to watch him open the letter. He read it and sighed as he placed it on the table. Hermione picked up the letter and read it aloud, with Harry’s permission.
Dear Harry,
I just wanted to let you know that things are busy here. Our shop is doing amazingly well, thank you for all that you did for us. George and I owe you so much; remember that anything you want is free of charge!
Because you have done so much for my family, I wanted to let you know that George and I are keeping watch for things pertaining to Stephanie. It hasn’t been in the papers for reasons that I can’t disclose in a letter, but I thought you needed to know about this. I trust that you won’t tell anyone where you received this information.
A few days ago, I went into Diagon Alley early in the morning to do some inventory before we opened the shop. I heard some yelling and banging and went to investigate. Ollivander’s shop was locked tight and boarded up, but I heard voices inside. I waited around outside, since nothing I tried to open the door worked, to see if there was something I could do to help. But he left the shop of his own accord, though I could tell something was wrong. Stephanie appeared shortly behind Ollivander, she must have placed the Imperius Curse upon him, coaxing him out of Diagon Alley. She saw me and attempted to send a curse my way, but it deflected and I ran away. I didn’t want to try and hurt her, though she probably would have killed me long before I could cast a spell upon her.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. We will see you at Christmas!
Fred Weasley
I just wanted to let you know that things are busy here. Our shop is doing amazingly well, thank you for all that you did for us. George and I owe you so much; remember that anything you want is free of charge!
Because you have done so much for my family, I wanted to let you know that George and I are keeping watch for things pertaining to Stephanie. It hasn’t been in the papers for reasons that I can’t disclose in a letter, but I thought you needed to know about this. I trust that you won’t tell anyone where you received this information.
A few days ago, I went into Diagon Alley early in the morning to do some inventory before we opened the shop. I heard some yelling and banging and went to investigate. Ollivander’s shop was locked tight and boarded up, but I heard voices inside. I waited around outside, since nothing I tried to open the door worked, to see if there was something I could do to help. But he left the shop of his own accord, though I could tell something was wrong. Stephanie appeared shortly behind Ollivander, she must have placed the Imperius Curse upon him, coaxing him out of Diagon Alley. She saw me and attempted to send a curse my way, but it deflected and I ran away. I didn’t want to try and hurt her, though she probably would have killed me long before I could cast a spell upon her.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. We will see you at Christmas!
Fred Weasley
Hermione put down the letter and spoke before anyone else could. “Why wouldn’t Ollivander’s disappearance appear in the paper? This should be headline news!”
“Voldemort needs him for something.” Ginny said, walking up to the breakfast table. She had obviously been listening close by.
“That makes sense,” Harry began to reason out loud. “But that would mean that he controlled what went into the Daily Prophet.”
“He has control over much more than we could imagine.” Ron stated. “He must be stopped.”
“Soon.” Neville chimed in from across the table. “And we will get to Stephanie too. We have to before things get even worse for her.”
Harry sat quietly, wondering what he could do for Stephanie. He knew time was running out for her and there must be something he could do to protect her, to save her. He left his plate of food and walked towards the front door. He was no longer hungry and needed to take a walk and think about what he was going to do.
*
Please leave feedback here! It is greatly appreciated.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really enjoyed the scene between Voldemort and Stephanie; I think it really truly shows Stephanie's transformation. The next chapter is almost done, but I am debating how I want things to go. I'll try to get it posted before Wednesday, but it's a busy time of year and I'm not sure how much free time I'll have. I will say that the next chapter is full of twists and turns, along with the chapters to come! Please tell me what you think!
Chapter Thirty-Two: The Minister of Magic
A few days later, Harry was at the dinner table with the rest of the Weasley family, Professor Lupin, and Fleur Delacour, Bill Weasley’s fiancé. Hermione was on holiday with her parents in Europe. Harry had just asked Lupin about why Tonks’ patronus had changed its form when Mrs. Weasley quickly rose from her chair, startling those around the table.
“Arthur! It’s Percy!” She exclaimed disbelievingly while all eyes shot towards the window. Harry saw that it was indeed Percy Weasley and he was accompanied by the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. They were walking towards the front door of the Burrow in a brisk walk. Percy had left the family a year and a half ago when he refused to believe that Voldemort had returned. He had been pretentious, self-involved, and he had declared that he loved his job at the Ministry more than his own family. Harry felt horrible for the pain Percy had caused Mrs. Weasley.
The others had accepted the fact that Percy disowned the family and had stated many times that they would speak to him again only after he apologized. Mrs. Weasley, however, had continued to hope that her son would return to her. She would send Christmas and birthday cards, presents, and letters in anticipation that Percy would return her communication. He never did. Now he was walking into their home on Christmas, and by the look on Percy’s face it wasn’t by choice.
“Excuse me for the intrusion, Mrs. Weasley.” Scrimgeour apologized to the very excited woman in front of him. The moment they walked in the door, she had rushed up to Percy and wrapped him in a firm hug. He stood rigid, refusing to acknowledge his mother’s embrace. The Minister continued as though this display had not occurred. “But we were in the area on business and Percy begged me to stop and say hello.”
Harry knew that this was a lie. Percy allowed a look of mixed disgust and hatred to show on his face as he listened to the Minister speaking to his parents. Harry knew there was only one reason the Minister would visit the Burrow on Christmas, and that was to talk to him.
“Oh, it looks like this young man has finished with his meal.” Scrimgeour said nonchalantly, pointing towards Harry and pretending he didn’t recognize the boy. “I wouldn’t mind taking a walk in the garden as Percy gets reacquainted with his family. Would you care to join me?”
Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Lupin stood up in protest, but Harry motioned for them to return to their seats. He rose from the table to leave the room with the Minister of Magic. “I’ll be fine, but thank you.” The men returned to their seats but refused to take their eyes off of the Minister until he was out of sight.
“Harry, I have wanted to meet you since I came into office. You are the hope of the citizens of Britain and I have an important request to make of you.” Scrimgeour said once they were safely out of earshot of the Weasleys inside the home.
“What would that be?” Harry asked cautiously. He wondered how this man could muster the nerve to ask him for a favor after how horribly the Ministry slandered him last year. There was nothing this man could offer that he would agree to do for the Ministry.
“There is talk of a prophecy, that you are the Chosen One to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” The Minister began guardedly. “I don’t care whether or not this is true, but I am concerned that the public believes you to be the Chosen One. And the public is terrified of You-Know-Who.”
“So?” Harry asked.
“I would like you to show your support of what the Ministry is doing to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. We are only requesting that you just step foot in the Ministry once in awhile and maybe attend a press conference here and there.” Scrimgeour concluded. Harry realized what the Minister was requesting of him, and he was absolutely livid.
“You want me to endorse the Ministry.” He clarified through gritted teeth while trying to control his temper; he wanted to make sure that he wasn’t making assumptions. “You want me to give the impression that I am working with the Ministry?”
“We are hoping that you would stand alongside the Ministry and show your support.” Scrimgeour explained. “It would give everyone the spiritual lift they need.”
“No thank you, Minister.” Harry said matter-of-factly. He was angry that the Minister had the courage to request this, though he could understand that the Minister had to be desperate to do so. He refused to help the Ministry this way.
“I wish that you would reconsider.” The Minister pleaded with Harry and he could tell that Scrimgeour was trying very hard not to sound desperate. “Would you please at least take a few days to think about it?”
“Why would I help the Ministry after all it has done to me?” Harry was beginning to lose his temper and he spoke in a raised voice towards the Minister, who refused to react. He lifted his hand with the scar tissue I must not tell lies still clearly visible and asked the Minister, “Have you forgotten Professor Umbridge?”
“We apologize for the mistakes we have made in recent months.” Harry could tell that Scrimgeour was also beginning to lose his temper. This calmed Harry a little because at least he was able to get under the skin of the man who used to be Head Auror. “But may I also remind you that we have overlooked your repeated acts of treason, which is punishable by incarceration.”
Harry didn’t know what Scrimgeour was trying to say. When had he ever committed treason? In fact, the situation had been the other way around. His country, and the Ministry of Magic, had betrayed him with their behavior last year. He looked at the Minister questioningly and asked his next question sincerely. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t give me that.” The Minister lectured sternly, narrowing his eyes at Harry. “You know exactly what I am talking about. You have purposefully and deceitfully concealed information that could lead to the arrest of a fugitive. And if it wasn’t for the Ministry’s understanding that Stephanie is your, the Boy-Who-Lived’s, sister, you would be sitting in a cell at Azkaban right now.”
Harry was completely irate. It was bad enough that this man had come to him during his vacation from Hogwarts to request that he assist the Ministry to calm the fears of the public, but then he was also threatened with prison time for associating with his own sister? Where did this man get his nerve?
“HOW DARE YOU?” Harry bellowed at the Minister, removing his wand from his pocket and aiming it at Scrimgeour. “You have no right to come in here and accuse me of things you know nothing about!”
The Burrow door flew open and everyone ran out into the garden. Percy immediately pulled his wand and pointed it at Harry while Fred and George raised theirs in Percy’s direction.
“Harry, NO!” Mrs. Weasley pleaded with Harry, running towards him. She tried to coax his arm down, but he refused to oblige.
“Give us a reason, Perce.” George glared at his brother.
“That is enough!” Mr. Weasley ordered authoritatively, walking between Harry and Scrimgeour. “Minister Scrimgeour, your presence is no longer welcome in our home. I must request that you leave.”
Harry stepped around Mr. Weasley and looked the Minister of Magic directly in the eye. He spoke calmer than he felt, trying to get the seriousness of the situation across in his voice. He took a deep breath to calm himself and then he began. “I do not know where Stephanie is, though I would not tell you if I did. If you took one moment to listen to Professor Dumbledore, you would realize that she is not the one you should be after. Voldemort made her who she has become. If the Ministry had not failed her to begin with sixteen years ago, then she would not be in this position. Your priorities should be in FINDING VOLDEMORT!”
“I do not need a lecture from a sixteen year old!” Scrimgeour reprimanded Harry for his outburst, but Harry didn’t back down. “The public is afraid of Stephanie because she has done horrible things. Some are calling her more sinister than Bellatrix Lestrange, and several are even comparing her to You-Know-Who himself. She must be captured and punished for her crimes, regardless of the fact that she is the Chosen One’s twin sister.”
Harry was about to curse the Minister when he heard someone yell, “Expelliarmus!”
His wand flew out of his hand and his head shot towards Ginny, who had disarmed him; he gave her an angry glare, but turned back to the Minister. He was annoyed at Ginny for disarming him, but he knew that he had to focus his rage at the Minister of Magic, not at her.
“YOU ARE WRONG!” Harry bellowed at the Minister again. Ginny walked over to him and grabbed his hand, though he didn’t want to take it right then. He allowed her to perform the gesture anyway only because he needed the support and restraint. “HOW DARE YOU COME IN HERE AND SPEAK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT?”
“I know you are aware of the killings and the tortures she has performed.” Scrimgeour stated, eyeing Harry with frustration. Harry knew this man was not used to being disrespected in this manner, especially by a sixteen year old. He also knew that if he hadn’t been the Chosen One, he wouldn’t have been able to get away with his behavior. “Not to mention almost killing your best friend’s father.”
Scrimgeour looked towards Mr. Weasley who was still nearby, having given up trying to separate the two. Harry couldn’t believe that he was bringing this up; it had happened a whole year ago, and everyone had obviously forgiven Stephanie for her actions. He gritted his teeth and turned to leave. “I don’t want to hear this anymore. I can’t stand here and let you talk about my sister that way.”
“But maybe you would be interested to hear of her latest mission. One where a man was kidnapped in broad daylight, in front of witnesses, and probably tortured to death.” Scrimgeour was reaching for something, anything, that would change Harry’s mind about assisting the Ministry.
Harry turned around and spoke in a shaky voice because he was so angry he could barely think clearly. “If you are talking about Ollivander, I already know what she has done. And I repeat the fact that she is being forced to do these things against her will.”
Mrs. Weasley looked at him with shock. She had worked very hard to keep the knowledge of Ollivander’s kidnap a secret from the young ones. Understanding suddenly came to her face and she glared at the twins, who had a look of innocence on theirs. Harry couldn’t worry about getting them in trouble at that moment; all he could do was focus his energy on not attacking the Minister of Magic.
“Harry, Stephanie walked boldly into Diagon Alley and calmly into the store knowing exactly what she was going to do.” Scrimgeour began in an almost whisper. “She locked the door behind her, boarded up the windows, and cast the Imperius Curse upon Mr. Ollivander. She walked out of the store serenely behind him with a look of delight on her face. Stephanie then shot a spell at an innocent bystander, missing him only by inches. Then she continued on her way. It was so nonchalantly executed that we have difficulty believing the argument that she is being forced to perform these tasks. In fact, she was completely alone and had every opportunity to ask for help.”
“You are completely ignorant! She couldn’t ask for help because of what Voldemort has done to her!” Harry knew he was getting close to his exploding point and he wouldn’t be able to hold in his anger too much longer. He squeezed Ginny’s hand and finished arguing with the Minister. “If you think I will change my mind after how you have accused my sister this afternoon, you are sadly mistaken. Have a Happy Christmas, Minister.”
With that, Harry turned and walked away. He heard the Minister calling for Percy to follow him. As Harry got to the front door of the Burrow, he heard the Minister yelling one last comment.
“Oh, and Harry.” Scrimgeour called. Harry paused and turned around to look at the fuming man. “If I find out you have been helping to hide your sister from capture and prosecution, you will be arrested and given a lifetime sentence in Azkaban, regardless of the prophecy.”
Harry stormed inside and ran up to his bedroom. He hoped that no one would follow him; he needed some time alone. The more he thought about what the Minister had said, the angrier he became. He stood next to the wall and punched a hole clean through it. That action had been a mistake because it didn’t make him feel any better and it was incredibly painful. He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, wrapped his arms around his legs, and he allowed the tears to flow freely down his cheeks. Would his sister have to face such persecution once she was freed from Voldemort’s captivity? He had to do all he could to prevent that from happening.
There was a soft knock on the door, but he ignored it. The door slowly opened and Harry heard footsteps enter, though he refused to look up. He heard someone gently walk across the floor and kneel next to him. Ginny wrapped her arms around him and she held him until he was ready to look up and talk to her.
*~*~*~*
It was finally June and Stephanie was excited about what was going to happen that night. For the first time since her own, she was going to participate in the induction ceremony of a Death Eater. A few days ago the Dark Lord approached her with news that she would be performing the Cruciatus Curse on the new individual. Stephanie immediately accepted the offer, knowing exactly what this gesture meant. She was ecstatic that she would no longer be the newest Death Eater, though she was still the youngest. This task would show the others that the Dark Lord had confidence in her abilities and it could be the opportunity she had been waiting for to earn the respect of her fellow Death Eaters. Maybe, she thought.
While waiting to attend the ceremony, she reminisced about previous missions she had been sent on. The first time she had been allowed on her own occurred shortly before Christmas. She had easily captured the wand maker, Mr. Ollivander, though she suspected the Dark Lord had someone following her. If he did, they hid very well because she had not been able to identify their location.
She walked into the store as calmly as she could and made sure that the doors were locked and windows boarded up so no one could see inside. Once she did this, she quietly made her way up to the man who had been had been taken by surprise to see someone in his store so early in the morning. When she raised her wand, Ollivander astonished her by speaking about her wand rather than begging for his life.
“8 ¾ inches, eagle feather, evergreen.” He said without fear. Stephanie realized he knew and understood why she had been sent, and for some strange reason he wasn’t afraid of what was to come. “I made this wand for an acquaintance of the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At the time, I had suspected it to be the sister of Harry Potter, though I did not realize it would be used against me in the future.”
Stephanie stood there for a moment, shocked at his behavior. She had never encountered someone this calm before. Those that she usually confronted always begged for their lives and shook with fear at the mere sight of her. But it seemed that this man would walk away with her willingly if she asked him to. She dared not attempt that because she could not risk an escape, so she cast the Imperius Curse on him instead; Stephanie had to be inconspicuous walking down the streets of London since she could not Apparate and it was too dangerous to use the Floo Network. She was too easily recognized.
When they were outside the store, a teenage boy had yelled to Ollivander and she had turned to him. The hood of her robes fell off in the wind and the teenager yelled her name as if he knew her. The bright red hair seemed slightly familiar, but she did not recognize his face. She quickly raised her wand and shot a spell in his direction. It nearly missed and he turned and ran away. Stephanie turned back to Ollivander and continued on her way. There was no need to pursue the boy; she had to return to her master quickly so the interrogation could begin.
That had been months ago and her master had been happy with her success. She hadn’t heard more about the man’s fate, though she knew that he was still alive. Ollivander remained in the cell across from the one she had been sentenced to several times; Stephanie knew it was not a pleasant place to reside. The Dark Lord met with him several times a day to obtain information, though he would not allow her or anyone else to be present. He was working on something secret and Stephanie had respected his privacy. She now focused on the induction ceremony ahead of her.
Stephanie had heard Draco talk about this person many times before and thought that he would be better suited to perform the Curse, though she was happy that she would be able to do it. The man was four years older than her and he had been Draco’s Quidditch captain for a few years. From what she heard, Marcus Flint was a complete nitwit but he had somehow passed the tests the Dark Lord had given him. The Dark Lord had never taken Marcus’ request to join the Death Eater’s seriously, but Marcus had performed his mission with discretion and creativity. Her master had been greatly surprised and had agreed to allow Marcus to join as one of his followers.
It was time for the ceremony to begin. She placed her robes gently above her clothes and grabbed her Death Eater mask and placed it upon her face. Her reflection caught her eye as she passed the mirror in the hallway and she stopped to admire what she saw. It was such an exhilarating feeling to be allowed to wear these robes because they signified power and control. She smiled at her accomplishments which had earned her this great reward and then she continued down the stairs and out the back door. As before, there was a bonfire encircled by a large number of the Dark Lord’s followers. She walked up to join them and the Dark Lord spoke to her.
“There you are!” He smiled. The Dark Lord was dressed in his fancy black robes and she recognized them as the same he had worn to her own induction ceremony. “Are you ready?”
“Of course, my Lord!” She said, looking at him with anticipation though her face could not be seen through the mask and in the darkness.
The Dark Lord turned to a shorter Death Eater who Stephanie recognized immediately as Draco Malfoy. He must have been brought from Hogwarts specifically for this ceremony. “Young Malfoy, please summon the recruit.”
Draco nodded towards his master, bowed, and walked into the manor. A few moments later, Marcus Flint walked through the doors and into the middle of the circle. He looked absolutely terrified and Stephanie laughed quietly at the sight. She wondered if she had looked the same way on the night of her induction.
“Before I place the Mark on your forearm, there is an initiation that you must pass. This will prove to me that you are serious about your desire to join the Death Eaters. For this ritual I have chosen the best fitted person to perform the task.” The Dark Lord explained to Marcus Flint. “Each person inducted into the Death Eaters must endure the Cruciatus Curse for a total of five minutes. Draco was the obvious choice to cast the spell because, as I have been informed, he knows you very well from Hogwarts, but I decided to allow someone else the privilege. Are you alright with this decision, Marcus?”
“Of course, master.” Marcus answered, obviously taken aback by the question.
“Very well.” Voldemort said. “I have chosen an individual who has risen very quickly in my organization. She has proven herself worthy of my praise and, besides Severus and Bella, is considered the highest ranking Death Eater in my presence tonight.”
A few eyes turned to her, though most of the Death Eaters in the circle didn’t dare to move. They knew that such behavior during an induction ceremony would not be tolerated.
“Stephanie, you may begin.” He said gesturing towards her.
Stephanie stepped out of the circle and slowly made her way towards Marcus with her confidence at its peak. The Dark Lord had called her a high ranking member and she knew that signified her importance to him. She raised her wand and silently began to Curse the recruit. He fell to the ground and screamed in pain. She didn’t realize that this man was experiencing pain far greater than anyone who had ever received the Cruciatus Curse before. She just focused all of her energy in proving that she could do this task well, wishing only to make her master proud.
Stephanie watched as the light from the bonfire danced on Marcus’ writhing body, but something suddenly went wrong. He stopped screaming but continued twitching from the effects of the Curse. She didn’t know what to do, so she kept the Curse active. Finally, the Dark Lord motioned for Stephanie to release the spell.
Marcus became still and his limbs went limp. This was different than when Draco had gone motionless during his induction. Marcus didn’t move and it didn’t look like he was breathing. Stephanie immediately knew what had happened because she recognized the motionless form from those she had killed in the past. Everyone in the circle remained still and she didn’t know what to do except stand there, waiting to receive further instruction.
The Dark Lord walked towards Marcus’ body and cast a spell upon it, raising it from the ground. He looked it over from head to toe, poking and prodding the body vigorously. He turned to her and she backed up instinctively, walking directly into two Death Eaters behind her. They pushed her to the ground and she knew she was in trouble because the Dark Lord said nothing. She had killed the new Death Eater even though she didn’t understand how.
“What spell did you use?” The Dark Lord glared at her. He waved his wand and suddenly her robes and mask were removed; she knew he was both attempting to see her face and removing her status by taking away her robes. She felt bare and exposed in front of the Death Eaters surrounding her. Stephanie had worked so hard to redeem and prove herself worthy and it was all ruined because she had killed someone. And she didn’t even know how she had done it.
“The Cruciatus, my Lord!” She breathed, panicking about what had happened. She didn’t understand what was going on.
He raised his wand and cast a spell upon her. She screamed in incredible agony. It had been so long since she had felt the effects of the Cruciatus Curse that she had forgotten how painful it truly was. This was horrible pain, with pins and needles stabbing her entire body. PLEASE STOP! she screamed in her mind. She hadn’t done anything wrong!
When it was over, she heard the Dark Lord hiss in anger at her still form. “This is what the Cruciatus looks like! It. Does. Not. Kill.”
Stephanie was in too much pain to move so she whispered her next comment. She couldn’t allow this mistake to destroy the pride her master had developed in her. “Please, master. I used the Cruciatus.”
There was more pain as he cast the Curse again. Though she knew this was impossible, it seemed to grow stronger the angrier he became. She writhed for an intense period of time and it finally released her from its grip of torture. Stephanie couldn’t move because she was so exhausted and the pain continued to linger. She couldn’t even speak; she could barely breathe. All she could do was stare at her master’s feet ahead of her.
“Draco!” She heard her master call.
“Yes, my Lord.” Draco answered and she saw a pair of legs enter the circle. He was obviously pleased with what he had just witnessed. Stephanie knew that Draco had waited for this moment for a very long time.
“Take Stephanie down to her cellar and lock her there. She is not to leave until someone summons her to me. Then return to this bonfire.” The Dark Lord ordered the young Malfoy.
She felt herself hoisted into the air with a spell cast by Draco and she braced herself for the dreaded return to her cellar. Stephanie had worked so hard to leave that prison forever and she was returning for something she hadn’t even done. What was going on, she implored in her mind.
As she was being carried inside, she heard the familiar drawl of Severus Snape speaking behind her.
“Master, if I may speak with you privately.” Snape addressed the Dark Lord calmly. “I believe I understand what we have just witnessed.”
“Of course, Severus.” Her master responded.
Draco took her inside and down the stairs into the cellar. Her energy began to return to her body as Draco slammed her onto the cement floor. She landed on the floor with an “oomf.” Draco kneeled in front of her so she could see the joy in his face.
“I knew that you would screw up eventually. Maybe, after you have died, your brother will cease his attempts at following me around obsessively.” He laughed and then stood up to return to his master’s side by the bonfire. The cell door locked behind him.
The words left her lips before she could even stop herself. She didn’t know what had come over her. “Please, Draco.”
“Are you begging me?” Draco was in utter delight.
Stephanie remained silent. She didn’t know why she had said it; she didn’t even know what she was begging him for. All she knew was that this was going to be her last night alive and she needed to make an impact on something.
He pointed his wand at her and she was raised to a standing position. She was forced into the bars of the cell so she was closer to him. He looked at her with the same menacing grin he had had while hunting her down at his home. “You will not survive the night, stupid girl, and I will be pleased to give your brother the wonderful news personally!”
Again she didn’t understand why the words escaped her mouth. But she let them flow freely once she began to speak. “You are going to fail, Draco. You and your father are catastrophes in the eyes of the Dark Lord and he expects nothing more of you than to fail. Then, you will die. Your whole family will pay for your mistakes.”
Draco hissed in response to her statements. “Father and I will always be superior to you, no matter how much the Dark Lord admires your abilities. You are merely the child of a mediocre wizard and a mudblood mother. But it doesn’t matter because the Dark Lord is going to kill you tonight anyway, and your brother will soon follow you to the afterworld.
“And I have longed for this moment to come since the day you were brought into my home. It just saddens me that I will be unable to witness your demise. Although I can promise that your brother’s death will be rather quick and painless, I cannot guarantee that yours will be the same.”
With that, Draco walked away, whistling in excitement as he returned to his master’s side. Stephanie sat on the cold floor, hugging her knees, and knowing that this would probably be her last night alive. She sighed and laid her head down on her knees, wondering what she had done to deserve such a horrible fate. She didn’t even see Ollivander watching her closely from his cell.
Please leave FEEDBACK and tell me what you think! So, I had to split this chapter into two because it had gotten so long and there was more at the end of the next chapter that I wanted to add. That's how things go, I suppose. So please leave your thoughts and comments because I would love to hear what you are thinking. The next chapter should be up on Friday (Saturday at the very latest) because, due to a recent snowstorm and loss of internet connection, I have written a few chapters ahead. Though I still need to add to it and edit it, it should be finished by Friday. Have a great rest of the week!
A few days later, Harry was at the dinner table with the rest of the Weasley family, Professor Lupin, and Fleur Delacour, Bill Weasley’s fiancé. Hermione was on holiday with her parents in Europe. Harry had just asked Lupin about why Tonks’ patronus had changed its form when Mrs. Weasley quickly rose from her chair, startling those around the table.
“Arthur! It’s Percy!” She exclaimed disbelievingly while all eyes shot towards the window. Harry saw that it was indeed Percy Weasley and he was accompanied by the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. They were walking towards the front door of the Burrow in a brisk walk. Percy had left the family a year and a half ago when he refused to believe that Voldemort had returned. He had been pretentious, self-involved, and he had declared that he loved his job at the Ministry more than his own family. Harry felt horrible for the pain Percy had caused Mrs. Weasley.
The others had accepted the fact that Percy disowned the family and had stated many times that they would speak to him again only after he apologized. Mrs. Weasley, however, had continued to hope that her son would return to her. She would send Christmas and birthday cards, presents, and letters in anticipation that Percy would return her communication. He never did. Now he was walking into their home on Christmas, and by the look on Percy’s face it wasn’t by choice.
“Excuse me for the intrusion, Mrs. Weasley.” Scrimgeour apologized to the very excited woman in front of him. The moment they walked in the door, she had rushed up to Percy and wrapped him in a firm hug. He stood rigid, refusing to acknowledge his mother’s embrace. The Minister continued as though this display had not occurred. “But we were in the area on business and Percy begged me to stop and say hello.”
Harry knew that this was a lie. Percy allowed a look of mixed disgust and hatred to show on his face as he listened to the Minister speaking to his parents. Harry knew there was only one reason the Minister would visit the Burrow on Christmas, and that was to talk to him.
“Oh, it looks like this young man has finished with his meal.” Scrimgeour said nonchalantly, pointing towards Harry and pretending he didn’t recognize the boy. “I wouldn’t mind taking a walk in the garden as Percy gets reacquainted with his family. Would you care to join me?”
Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Lupin stood up in protest, but Harry motioned for them to return to their seats. He rose from the table to leave the room with the Minister of Magic. “I’ll be fine, but thank you.” The men returned to their seats but refused to take their eyes off of the Minister until he was out of sight.
“Harry, I have wanted to meet you since I came into office. You are the hope of the citizens of Britain and I have an important request to make of you.” Scrimgeour said once they were safely out of earshot of the Weasleys inside the home.
“What would that be?” Harry asked cautiously. He wondered how this man could muster the nerve to ask him for a favor after how horribly the Ministry slandered him last year. There was nothing this man could offer that he would agree to do for the Ministry.
“There is talk of a prophecy, that you are the Chosen One to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” The Minister began guardedly. “I don’t care whether or not this is true, but I am concerned that the public believes you to be the Chosen One. And the public is terrified of You-Know-Who.”
“So?” Harry asked.
“I would like you to show your support of what the Ministry is doing to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. We are only requesting that you just step foot in the Ministry once in awhile and maybe attend a press conference here and there.” Scrimgeour concluded. Harry realized what the Minister was requesting of him, and he was absolutely livid.
“You want me to endorse the Ministry.” He clarified through gritted teeth while trying to control his temper; he wanted to make sure that he wasn’t making assumptions. “You want me to give the impression that I am working with the Ministry?”
“We are hoping that you would stand alongside the Ministry and show your support.” Scrimgeour explained. “It would give everyone the spiritual lift they need.”
“No thank you, Minister.” Harry said matter-of-factly. He was angry that the Minister had the courage to request this, though he could understand that the Minister had to be desperate to do so. He refused to help the Ministry this way.
“I wish that you would reconsider.” The Minister pleaded with Harry and he could tell that Scrimgeour was trying very hard not to sound desperate. “Would you please at least take a few days to think about it?”
“Why would I help the Ministry after all it has done to me?” Harry was beginning to lose his temper and he spoke in a raised voice towards the Minister, who refused to react. He lifted his hand with the scar tissue I must not tell lies still clearly visible and asked the Minister, “Have you forgotten Professor Umbridge?”
“We apologize for the mistakes we have made in recent months.” Harry could tell that Scrimgeour was also beginning to lose his temper. This calmed Harry a little because at least he was able to get under the skin of the man who used to be Head Auror. “But may I also remind you that we have overlooked your repeated acts of treason, which is punishable by incarceration.”
Harry didn’t know what Scrimgeour was trying to say. When had he ever committed treason? In fact, the situation had been the other way around. His country, and the Ministry of Magic, had betrayed him with their behavior last year. He looked at the Minister questioningly and asked his next question sincerely. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t give me that.” The Minister lectured sternly, narrowing his eyes at Harry. “You know exactly what I am talking about. You have purposefully and deceitfully concealed information that could lead to the arrest of a fugitive. And if it wasn’t for the Ministry’s understanding that Stephanie is your, the Boy-Who-Lived’s, sister, you would be sitting in a cell at Azkaban right now.”
Harry was completely irate. It was bad enough that this man had come to him during his vacation from Hogwarts to request that he assist the Ministry to calm the fears of the public, but then he was also threatened with prison time for associating with his own sister? Where did this man get his nerve?
“HOW DARE YOU?” Harry bellowed at the Minister, removing his wand from his pocket and aiming it at Scrimgeour. “You have no right to come in here and accuse me of things you know nothing about!”
The Burrow door flew open and everyone ran out into the garden. Percy immediately pulled his wand and pointed it at Harry while Fred and George raised theirs in Percy’s direction.
“Harry, NO!” Mrs. Weasley pleaded with Harry, running towards him. She tried to coax his arm down, but he refused to oblige.
“Give us a reason, Perce.” George glared at his brother.
“That is enough!” Mr. Weasley ordered authoritatively, walking between Harry and Scrimgeour. “Minister Scrimgeour, your presence is no longer welcome in our home. I must request that you leave.”
Harry stepped around Mr. Weasley and looked the Minister of Magic directly in the eye. He spoke calmer than he felt, trying to get the seriousness of the situation across in his voice. He took a deep breath to calm himself and then he began. “I do not know where Stephanie is, though I would not tell you if I did. If you took one moment to listen to Professor Dumbledore, you would realize that she is not the one you should be after. Voldemort made her who she has become. If the Ministry had not failed her to begin with sixteen years ago, then she would not be in this position. Your priorities should be in FINDING VOLDEMORT!”
“I do not need a lecture from a sixteen year old!” Scrimgeour reprimanded Harry for his outburst, but Harry didn’t back down. “The public is afraid of Stephanie because she has done horrible things. Some are calling her more sinister than Bellatrix Lestrange, and several are even comparing her to You-Know-Who himself. She must be captured and punished for her crimes, regardless of the fact that she is the Chosen One’s twin sister.”
Harry was about to curse the Minister when he heard someone yell, “Expelliarmus!”
His wand flew out of his hand and his head shot towards Ginny, who had disarmed him; he gave her an angry glare, but turned back to the Minister. He was annoyed at Ginny for disarming him, but he knew that he had to focus his rage at the Minister of Magic, not at her.
“YOU ARE WRONG!” Harry bellowed at the Minister again. Ginny walked over to him and grabbed his hand, though he didn’t want to take it right then. He allowed her to perform the gesture anyway only because he needed the support and restraint. “HOW DARE YOU COME IN HERE AND SPEAK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT?”
“I know you are aware of the killings and the tortures she has performed.” Scrimgeour stated, eyeing Harry with frustration. Harry knew this man was not used to being disrespected in this manner, especially by a sixteen year old. He also knew that if he hadn’t been the Chosen One, he wouldn’t have been able to get away with his behavior. “Not to mention almost killing your best friend’s father.”
Scrimgeour looked towards Mr. Weasley who was still nearby, having given up trying to separate the two. Harry couldn’t believe that he was bringing this up; it had happened a whole year ago, and everyone had obviously forgiven Stephanie for her actions. He gritted his teeth and turned to leave. “I don’t want to hear this anymore. I can’t stand here and let you talk about my sister that way.”
“But maybe you would be interested to hear of her latest mission. One where a man was kidnapped in broad daylight, in front of witnesses, and probably tortured to death.” Scrimgeour was reaching for something, anything, that would change Harry’s mind about assisting the Ministry.
Harry turned around and spoke in a shaky voice because he was so angry he could barely think clearly. “If you are talking about Ollivander, I already know what she has done. And I repeat the fact that she is being forced to do these things against her will.”
Mrs. Weasley looked at him with shock. She had worked very hard to keep the knowledge of Ollivander’s kidnap a secret from the young ones. Understanding suddenly came to her face and she glared at the twins, who had a look of innocence on theirs. Harry couldn’t worry about getting them in trouble at that moment; all he could do was focus his energy on not attacking the Minister of Magic.
“Harry, Stephanie walked boldly into Diagon Alley and calmly into the store knowing exactly what she was going to do.” Scrimgeour began in an almost whisper. “She locked the door behind her, boarded up the windows, and cast the Imperius Curse upon Mr. Ollivander. She walked out of the store serenely behind him with a look of delight on her face. Stephanie then shot a spell at an innocent bystander, missing him only by inches. Then she continued on her way. It was so nonchalantly executed that we have difficulty believing the argument that she is being forced to perform these tasks. In fact, she was completely alone and had every opportunity to ask for help.”
“You are completely ignorant! She couldn’t ask for help because of what Voldemort has done to her!” Harry knew he was getting close to his exploding point and he wouldn’t be able to hold in his anger too much longer. He squeezed Ginny’s hand and finished arguing with the Minister. “If you think I will change my mind after how you have accused my sister this afternoon, you are sadly mistaken. Have a Happy Christmas, Minister.”
With that, Harry turned and walked away. He heard the Minister calling for Percy to follow him. As Harry got to the front door of the Burrow, he heard the Minister yelling one last comment.
“Oh, and Harry.” Scrimgeour called. Harry paused and turned around to look at the fuming man. “If I find out you have been helping to hide your sister from capture and prosecution, you will be arrested and given a lifetime sentence in Azkaban, regardless of the prophecy.”
Harry stormed inside and ran up to his bedroom. He hoped that no one would follow him; he needed some time alone. The more he thought about what the Minister had said, the angrier he became. He stood next to the wall and punched a hole clean through it. That action had been a mistake because it didn’t make him feel any better and it was incredibly painful. He leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, wrapped his arms around his legs, and he allowed the tears to flow freely down his cheeks. Would his sister have to face such persecution once she was freed from Voldemort’s captivity? He had to do all he could to prevent that from happening.
There was a soft knock on the door, but he ignored it. The door slowly opened and Harry heard footsteps enter, though he refused to look up. He heard someone gently walk across the floor and kneel next to him. Ginny wrapped her arms around him and she held him until he was ready to look up and talk to her.
*~*~*~*
It was finally June and Stephanie was excited about what was going to happen that night. For the first time since her own, she was going to participate in the induction ceremony of a Death Eater. A few days ago the Dark Lord approached her with news that she would be performing the Cruciatus Curse on the new individual. Stephanie immediately accepted the offer, knowing exactly what this gesture meant. She was ecstatic that she would no longer be the newest Death Eater, though she was still the youngest. This task would show the others that the Dark Lord had confidence in her abilities and it could be the opportunity she had been waiting for to earn the respect of her fellow Death Eaters. Maybe, she thought.
While waiting to attend the ceremony, she reminisced about previous missions she had been sent on. The first time she had been allowed on her own occurred shortly before Christmas. She had easily captured the wand maker, Mr. Ollivander, though she suspected the Dark Lord had someone following her. If he did, they hid very well because she had not been able to identify their location.
She walked into the store as calmly as she could and made sure that the doors were locked and windows boarded up so no one could see inside. Once she did this, she quietly made her way up to the man who had been had been taken by surprise to see someone in his store so early in the morning. When she raised her wand, Ollivander astonished her by speaking about her wand rather than begging for his life.
“8 ¾ inches, eagle feather, evergreen.” He said without fear. Stephanie realized he knew and understood why she had been sent, and for some strange reason he wasn’t afraid of what was to come. “I made this wand for an acquaintance of the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At the time, I had suspected it to be the sister of Harry Potter, though I did not realize it would be used against me in the future.”
Stephanie stood there for a moment, shocked at his behavior. She had never encountered someone this calm before. Those that she usually confronted always begged for their lives and shook with fear at the mere sight of her. But it seemed that this man would walk away with her willingly if she asked him to. She dared not attempt that because she could not risk an escape, so she cast the Imperius Curse on him instead; Stephanie had to be inconspicuous walking down the streets of London since she could not Apparate and it was too dangerous to use the Floo Network. She was too easily recognized.
When they were outside the store, a teenage boy had yelled to Ollivander and she had turned to him. The hood of her robes fell off in the wind and the teenager yelled her name as if he knew her. The bright red hair seemed slightly familiar, but she did not recognize his face. She quickly raised her wand and shot a spell in his direction. It nearly missed and he turned and ran away. Stephanie turned back to Ollivander and continued on her way. There was no need to pursue the boy; she had to return to her master quickly so the interrogation could begin.
That had been months ago and her master had been happy with her success. She hadn’t heard more about the man’s fate, though she knew that he was still alive. Ollivander remained in the cell across from the one she had been sentenced to several times; Stephanie knew it was not a pleasant place to reside. The Dark Lord met with him several times a day to obtain information, though he would not allow her or anyone else to be present. He was working on something secret and Stephanie had respected his privacy. She now focused on the induction ceremony ahead of her.
Stephanie had heard Draco talk about this person many times before and thought that he would be better suited to perform the Curse, though she was happy that she would be able to do it. The man was four years older than her and he had been Draco’s Quidditch captain for a few years. From what she heard, Marcus Flint was a complete nitwit but he had somehow passed the tests the Dark Lord had given him. The Dark Lord had never taken Marcus’ request to join the Death Eater’s seriously, but Marcus had performed his mission with discretion and creativity. Her master had been greatly surprised and had agreed to allow Marcus to join as one of his followers.
It was time for the ceremony to begin. She placed her robes gently above her clothes and grabbed her Death Eater mask and placed it upon her face. Her reflection caught her eye as she passed the mirror in the hallway and she stopped to admire what she saw. It was such an exhilarating feeling to be allowed to wear these robes because they signified power and control. She smiled at her accomplishments which had earned her this great reward and then she continued down the stairs and out the back door. As before, there was a bonfire encircled by a large number of the Dark Lord’s followers. She walked up to join them and the Dark Lord spoke to her.
“There you are!” He smiled. The Dark Lord was dressed in his fancy black robes and she recognized them as the same he had worn to her own induction ceremony. “Are you ready?”
“Of course, my Lord!” She said, looking at him with anticipation though her face could not be seen through the mask and in the darkness.
The Dark Lord turned to a shorter Death Eater who Stephanie recognized immediately as Draco Malfoy. He must have been brought from Hogwarts specifically for this ceremony. “Young Malfoy, please summon the recruit.”
Draco nodded towards his master, bowed, and walked into the manor. A few moments later, Marcus Flint walked through the doors and into the middle of the circle. He looked absolutely terrified and Stephanie laughed quietly at the sight. She wondered if she had looked the same way on the night of her induction.
“Before I place the Mark on your forearm, there is an initiation that you must pass. This will prove to me that you are serious about your desire to join the Death Eaters. For this ritual I have chosen the best fitted person to perform the task.” The Dark Lord explained to Marcus Flint. “Each person inducted into the Death Eaters must endure the Cruciatus Curse for a total of five minutes. Draco was the obvious choice to cast the spell because, as I have been informed, he knows you very well from Hogwarts, but I decided to allow someone else the privilege. Are you alright with this decision, Marcus?”
“Of course, master.” Marcus answered, obviously taken aback by the question.
“Very well.” Voldemort said. “I have chosen an individual who has risen very quickly in my organization. She has proven herself worthy of my praise and, besides Severus and Bella, is considered the highest ranking Death Eater in my presence tonight.”
A few eyes turned to her, though most of the Death Eaters in the circle didn’t dare to move. They knew that such behavior during an induction ceremony would not be tolerated.
“Stephanie, you may begin.” He said gesturing towards her.
Stephanie stepped out of the circle and slowly made her way towards Marcus with her confidence at its peak. The Dark Lord had called her a high ranking member and she knew that signified her importance to him. She raised her wand and silently began to Curse the recruit. He fell to the ground and screamed in pain. She didn’t realize that this man was experiencing pain far greater than anyone who had ever received the Cruciatus Curse before. She just focused all of her energy in proving that she could do this task well, wishing only to make her master proud.
Stephanie watched as the light from the bonfire danced on Marcus’ writhing body, but something suddenly went wrong. He stopped screaming but continued twitching from the effects of the Curse. She didn’t know what to do, so she kept the Curse active. Finally, the Dark Lord motioned for Stephanie to release the spell.
Marcus became still and his limbs went limp. This was different than when Draco had gone motionless during his induction. Marcus didn’t move and it didn’t look like he was breathing. Stephanie immediately knew what had happened because she recognized the motionless form from those she had killed in the past. Everyone in the circle remained still and she didn’t know what to do except stand there, waiting to receive further instruction.
The Dark Lord walked towards Marcus’ body and cast a spell upon it, raising it from the ground. He looked it over from head to toe, poking and prodding the body vigorously. He turned to her and she backed up instinctively, walking directly into two Death Eaters behind her. They pushed her to the ground and she knew she was in trouble because the Dark Lord said nothing. She had killed the new Death Eater even though she didn’t understand how.
“What spell did you use?” The Dark Lord glared at her. He waved his wand and suddenly her robes and mask were removed; she knew he was both attempting to see her face and removing her status by taking away her robes. She felt bare and exposed in front of the Death Eaters surrounding her. Stephanie had worked so hard to redeem and prove herself worthy and it was all ruined because she had killed someone. And she didn’t even know how she had done it.
“The Cruciatus, my Lord!” She breathed, panicking about what had happened. She didn’t understand what was going on.
He raised his wand and cast a spell upon her. She screamed in incredible agony. It had been so long since she had felt the effects of the Cruciatus Curse that she had forgotten how painful it truly was. This was horrible pain, with pins and needles stabbing her entire body. PLEASE STOP! she screamed in her mind. She hadn’t done anything wrong!
When it was over, she heard the Dark Lord hiss in anger at her still form. “This is what the Cruciatus looks like! It. Does. Not. Kill.”
Stephanie was in too much pain to move so she whispered her next comment. She couldn’t allow this mistake to destroy the pride her master had developed in her. “Please, master. I used the Cruciatus.”
There was more pain as he cast the Curse again. Though she knew this was impossible, it seemed to grow stronger the angrier he became. She writhed for an intense period of time and it finally released her from its grip of torture. Stephanie couldn’t move because she was so exhausted and the pain continued to linger. She couldn’t even speak; she could barely breathe. All she could do was stare at her master’s feet ahead of her.
“Draco!” She heard her master call.
“Yes, my Lord.” Draco answered and she saw a pair of legs enter the circle. He was obviously pleased with what he had just witnessed. Stephanie knew that Draco had waited for this moment for a very long time.
“Take Stephanie down to her cellar and lock her there. She is not to leave until someone summons her to me. Then return to this bonfire.” The Dark Lord ordered the young Malfoy.
She felt herself hoisted into the air with a spell cast by Draco and she braced herself for the dreaded return to her cellar. Stephanie had worked so hard to leave that prison forever and she was returning for something she hadn’t even done. What was going on, she implored in her mind.
As she was being carried inside, she heard the familiar drawl of Severus Snape speaking behind her.
“Master, if I may speak with you privately.” Snape addressed the Dark Lord calmly. “I believe I understand what we have just witnessed.”
“Of course, Severus.” Her master responded.
Draco took her inside and down the stairs into the cellar. Her energy began to return to her body as Draco slammed her onto the cement floor. She landed on the floor with an “oomf.” Draco kneeled in front of her so she could see the joy in his face.
“I knew that you would screw up eventually. Maybe, after you have died, your brother will cease his attempts at following me around obsessively.” He laughed and then stood up to return to his master’s side by the bonfire. The cell door locked behind him.
The words left her lips before she could even stop herself. She didn’t know what had come over her. “Please, Draco.”
“Are you begging me?” Draco was in utter delight.
Stephanie remained silent. She didn’t know why she had said it; she didn’t even know what she was begging him for. All she knew was that this was going to be her last night alive and she needed to make an impact on something.
He pointed his wand at her and she was raised to a standing position. She was forced into the bars of the cell so she was closer to him. He looked at her with the same menacing grin he had had while hunting her down at his home. “You will not survive the night, stupid girl, and I will be pleased to give your brother the wonderful news personally!”
Again she didn’t understand why the words escaped her mouth. But she let them flow freely once she began to speak. “You are going to fail, Draco. You and your father are catastrophes in the eyes of the Dark Lord and he expects nothing more of you than to fail. Then, you will die. Your whole family will pay for your mistakes.”
Draco hissed in response to her statements. “Father and I will always be superior to you, no matter how much the Dark Lord admires your abilities. You are merely the child of a mediocre wizard and a mudblood mother. But it doesn’t matter because the Dark Lord is going to kill you tonight anyway, and your brother will soon follow you to the afterworld.
“And I have longed for this moment to come since the day you were brought into my home. It just saddens me that I will be unable to witness your demise. Although I can promise that your brother’s death will be rather quick and painless, I cannot guarantee that yours will be the same.”
With that, Draco walked away, whistling in excitement as he returned to his master’s side. Stephanie sat on the cold floor, hugging her knees, and knowing that this would probably be her last night alive. She sighed and laid her head down on her knees, wondering what she had done to deserve such a horrible fate. She didn’t even see Ollivander watching her closely from his cell.
*
Please leave FEEDBACK and tell me what you think!
So, I had to split this chapter into two because it had gotten so long and there was more at the end of the next chapter that I wanted to add. That's how things go, I suppose. So please leave your thoughts and comments because I would love to hear what you are thinking. The next chapter should be up on Friday (Saturday at the very latest) because, due to a recent snowstorm and loss of internet connection, I have written a few chapters ahead. Though I still need to add to it and edit it, it should be finished by Friday. Have a great rest of the week!
Chapter Thirty-Three: A Curse Revealed
Neville looked around his dorm room and saw Dean and Seamus talking quietly. Harry was studying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts test that was scheduled for the next day, something Neville should have been doing as well. Ron was reading the diaries with his quill in hand. Neville realized that Ron missed Stephanie just as much as the rest of them and he still looked at the diary every night before he went to bed. Neville had stopped forcing himself to look at the diary because it only reminded him of the pain that Stephanie had to be going through.
For a very long time, Neville had written in the diary every day in an attempt to convince her that she needed to continue using them. But after about eight months of worrying, he could no longer look at the diaries. He figured that someone else would tell him if she wrote something, though he did sneak a glance every once in awhile. He just cared about her too much and the diaries just reminded him of who Stephanie used to be. He missed her. Instead, he climbed under his bed sheets and pulled out an old and torn piece of parchment. He lit the end of his wand as quietly as he could and he began to read the letter again.
Since the night at the Burrow in August when he had received his goodbye letter from Stephanie, he had carried it around in his pocket. Before he had even heard of Stephanie, Neville hadn’t had any close friends at Hogwarts. Sure, his roommates had always been kind to him. And Hermione and Ginny had always said nice things to him. But he hadn’t had any real friends. Stephanie brought them all together. Stephanie was the reason he now had friends and was invited to their houses. Stephanie was the reason that he now had the confidence to cast difficult spells and to stand up to Death Eaters and Slytherins alike; Stephanie was the reason Gran was finally proud of him.
Neville had been invited to Ron’s house for Christmas, but his Gran wanted him to be with her. He wished he had been there because he heard that Harry had yelled at the Minister of Magic. Neville hoped that if he had been there, he would have helped Harry stick up for Stephanie. Scrimgeour had no right to go there and threaten Harry with prison time for speaking to his sister. The Minister didn’t understand the situation because he was not willing and did not care enough to take a moment and think about what he was saying. Hearing about the encounter made him fear that Stephanie would be sent to Azkaban if she were to be arrested. He didn’t want Stephanie to be a prisoner of Azkaban, even though the dementors were no longer guarding the prison, and it saddened him that he couldn’t do anything to help her. She was his best friend, and he doubted she felt the same way, and he couldn’t do anything to help her. What a lousy friend I am, he thought miserably.
He heard a loud crash and he threw his covers on the floor, looking for the source of the noise. Harry was on the floor, sweating profusely. He looked at Ron and immediately asked, “Should we get McGonagall.”
“Not yet.” Ron said and Neville nodded. “Seamus, Dean, could you excuse us?”
Seamus and Dean nodded in concern and quietly left the room. Both Ron and Neville knew what was going on because for the most of last school year, Harry had been getting visions from Lord Voldemort. Neville understood that Ron didn’t want McGonagall summoned because Harry might not want the Order to know. They had thought that these visions had stopped; it had almost been an entire year since Voldemort had last penetrated Harry’s mind. Both boys knelt beside Harry to make sure he was alright, and they just watched as his head turned from side to side.
“Stephanie!” Harry yelled, startling Neville. “Please don’t do it!”
Neville watched as Harry thrashed about uncontrollably. He ran over to his trunk that was next to his bed and pulled out a clean towel. When he returned to his friend’s side, Neville dabbed Harry’s forehead as Harry cried out in a quiet whisper, “No.”
Harry screamed and wrapped his arms around his chest. Ron shook Harry, trying to wake him from the nightmare. It didn’t work. Neville wondered what Harry could be seeing, but he knew it had to be pretty horrible since Stephanie was involved.
“The Cruciatus, my Lord!” Harry spoke in a whisper but Neville heard it clear as day. His head snapped back towards Ron, who had the same look of puzzlement on his face as Neville must have had.
“Is he-” Ron began, but Neville finished the question.
“Speaking as Stephanie?” This couldn’t be right. Harry couldn’t be seeing the vision through Stephanie’s eyes. Neville knew that they had a special connection; Harry had explained how she had spoken to him in the graveyard. But he had never had visions from her point of view, and she was most certainly not sending them willingly.
But before they could say anything more, Harry began writhing and screaming in pain. His body curled into a ball, trying to protect itself from the Curse being cast upon it in his mind. Neville was torn. He wanted to get McGonagall, but he also knew that Harry would be very angry if they did that. Harry wasn’t supposed to allow these visions to occur. Why was he letting this continue? He should know better than that, Neville wondered.
The spell must have been lifted, because Harry became still. He continued to pant while trying to catch his breath, but at least the Curse had stopped. His eyes fluttered open and Neville jumped in surprise. Harry had a look of confusion on his face, as if he didn’t understand what he was seeing.
“Harry?” Ron whispered. Harry said nothing, but Neville noticed there was something different about his eyes. They weren’t Harry’s eyes; there was so much pain and hatred in them. Neville realized that he was looking at Stephanie through Harry. Poor Stephanie, Neville thought while feeling his eyes begin to moisten.
Harry stared straight ahead and he finally spoke again. This time there was a hint of fear and pleading present in his voice. “Please, master. I used the Cruciatus.”
“NO! Stephanie!” Harry bellowed as he continued to lay on the floor motionless. “Don’t touch her!”
Instead of waking up, Harry began to scream again. His body started twitching again and Neville knew that Harry was being Cursed again. He couldn’t tell who was receiving it in his vision, whose point of view Harry was watching, because Harry had just yelled for someone not to touch her. This had to be a vision sent by Voldemort, not Stephanie.
“Get. Away. From. Her. Malfoy!” Harry spoke angrily and very slowly, enunciating his words. He was silent for a very long time and Neville began to get worried. Harry’s eyes were still open, but he didn’t move at all.
Finally, Harry sat up. He was breathing heavily and looked absolutely terrified. Neville handed him the towel so Harry could wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“What was it, Harry?” He asked, concerned for what he was about to hear.
“Was it You-Know-Who?” Ron questioned.
Harry shook his head. He looked away, obviously reliving what he had just witnessed. Neville noticed that Harry was shaking, and he used his wand to summon the blanket that was on Harry’s bed. “I-I-I think they were both sending me the vision.”
Neville was shocked. How was that even possible? “What?”
“They were at a ceremony with a bonfire and a lot of Death Eaters.” He paused and looked around. “Malfoy was there. And Snape too.”
“Malfoy?” Ron asked loudly and Neville shushed him. Harry nodded.
“I was seeing the ceremony through Voldemort’s eyes.” Harry told them sadly. Neville noticed there were tears in Harry’s eyes. “Voldemort told Stephanie to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Marcus Flint. But something went wrong and she failed. She killed him. And he cast the Cruciatus Curse on her trying to get her to confess what she had done. He didn’t believe she used the Curse on Marcus.”
“But, how do you know that Stephanie sent you the vision too, if it was from Voldemort’s point of view?” Neville asked, completely confused.
“Because I felt what she was feeling.” Harry whispered. “He took her robes and she was embarrassed. He cast the Curse upon her and I felt it. She was terrified for her life because she didn’t understand what had gone wrong. I think he is going to kill her.”
“What are we going to do?” Ron asked with panic in his voice. “We can’t let him kill her!”
“We have to go to her.” Harry said in surprising calm. His demeanor was making Neville nervous; it was so calm and collected, whereas Harry should have been frustrated and irate. “Tonight.”
“Harry, what if you are wrong.” Neville asked, thinking about the repercussions of possible failure. “What if he isn’t going to kill her?”
“I can’t risk it.” Harry looked at him with emotion, now he was angry. “For years now, I have done nothing but sit around and wait for someone else to help her. I can’t wait any longer.”
“What if it’s a trap?” Neville asked, knowing that this was probably the wrong time to mention this. “Like with Sirius?”
Harry stopped dead in his tracks, realizing that Neville was probably right. Neville didn’t want Harry to think that he was trying to stop Stephanie from being rescued, so he continued to explain. “We need to tell Professor Dumbledore so he can decide if this is real or not.”
Harry nodded. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
Harry got up and ran out of the dormitory. Ron and Neville followed close behind and moments later they were at the door of the headmaster. Harry had called the password to the gargoyle as he passed it, not slowing his pace for a moment. Neville had to run quickly to catch up to his friend. Harry knocked loudly and Professor Dumbledore answered.
“Come in.” He heard Dumbledore call. Harry opened the door and the three friends walked in. “Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley. Mr. Longbottom. What do I owe this pleasure?”
Neville followed Harry inside the office and the three friends sat down on the couch opposite Professor Dumbledore’s desk. Neville listened as Harry explained the vision that he had just seen. Dumbledore nodded silently as Harry told him what had happened and what he thought the vision meant.
*~*~*~*
A few hours later, the door of her cell clicked open. She looked around and there was no one around. Should she leave? Was this a test to see if she would disobey her master’s orders to remain in the cellar until told otherwise? Stephanie decided it would be best to remain in her cell until someone came down and verbally allowed her to leave. She couldn’t risk making another mistake that evening.
“Get upstairs.” Professor Snape came downstairs and only spoke these two words to her. Ever since her she had murdered Emmaline Vance, Snape hadn’t spoke to her very much and Stephanie figured he must be jealous of how fast she was gaining the Dark Lord’s approval. She knew something about him that would most certainly get him killed, but she had been merciful enough to keep the information to herself. For awhile she had contemplated telling the Dark Lord about Snape’s betrayal, but she soon realized that this information could be used to her benefit down the road. There may be a time when she would need Snape’s assistance, and this information was the best way to guarantee that he cooperated fully.
But after he ordered her upstairs, Stephanie realized she should have immediately gone when the door had unlocked itself. What was going on with her? Why in the world couldn’t she do anything right when all she wanted to do was please her master? She wanted to make him happy and proud. She walked up the stairs and followed Snape into the living room where the Dark Lord was standing near the fireplace, looking at the flames. Bellatrix was at the rear of the room, watching her in excitement. All of the other Death Eaters had long since left.
“Master.” Snape said, notifying the Dark Lord of their presence.
“Sit.” The Dark Lord turned to them and spoke directly to Stephanie. “When I summon you, you come immediately. It is important that I am not kept waiting. I cannot believe that you have not learned this by now.”
“I’m sorry, my Lord.” Stephanie began pleading with her master. He must understand what had happened. “I did not reali-”
“Silence!” He interrupted her and she closed her mouth. Stephanie had not been spoken to like this since before her conditioning had begun. She knew that she was in trouble but she just didn’t know how much. Was she going to be punished by being returned to the cellar? Or worse, was she going to be killed?
The Dark Lord walked towards her, as did Snape and Bellatrix. They stood side by side, hovering over her as she sat in the chair. Stephanie felt so small in their presence and she sank as far back into the chair as she could, clutching the armrests tightly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked her angrily. “How dare you keep this from me!”
“Tell you what?” She asked. She was frustrated because she didn’t know what he was talking about and scared because she knew that if she didn’t tell him what he wanted to know he would certainly kill her. “I swear! I don’t know what you are talk-”
“Do not lie to me!” The Dark Lord hissed at her. “The strength of your powers is incredible. You wish me to believe that you did not know about this?”
“Please, master!” Stephanie begged, looking only at him. She forgot that Bellatrix and Snape were there; the only person she needed to convince was her master. She loved her master and she couldn’t live with having him doubt her like this. “I didn’t know!”
“Your Cruciatus Curse killed him!” Bellatrix yelled at her. “Barty, Rabastan, Rodolphus, and I performed the Curse for four hours before we broke Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity. Four hours and it didn’t kill them. You perform the Curse for four minutes and it killed him.”
“You cannot expect us to believe that you did not know.” The Dark Lord spoke slowly. Stephanie looked at his eyes, which were blazing with fury. They were brighter red than she had ever remembered seeing them.
“If you please, my Lord.” Snape spoke for the first time, turning to his master. “I believe that she was unaware of her strength.”
“Enlighten me, Severus.” The Dark Lord responded, looking away from Stephanie for the first time.
“Stephanie has not performed the Curse for an extended amount of time recently.” Snape explained and Stephanie looked between him and her master, nodding her head in agreement. “Her specialty is to cast it for a short period, multiple times. I believe she was unaware that her Curse could kill. As I mentioned to you earlier, her strength may have just increased this evening.”
“It is difficult to believe that she would not know of her increased magical abilities.” The Dark Lord responded to this explanation thoughtfully. They were now speaking as if she wasn’t in the room. Stephanie continued to listen intently, hoping that she would be spared. Stephanie wanted to die for her master, not by her master.
“Of course she knew!” Bellatrix shrieked. “Look at her. She was hiding it and planning on using it against you.”
Stephanie remained silent, knowing that was better than anything she could say at that moment. The Dark Lord was upset with her and Bellatrix was going to do anything she could to get her in trouble. She pleaded with the Dark Lord with her eyes to believe her.
Instead of speaking to her, she watched as the Dark Lord raised his wand towards her. It was a natural reaction that she shouldn’t have allowed, but she closed her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the Killing Curse or the Torture Curse that was bound to erupt from the wand. But she felt no pain. Instead, she saw her memory of the induction ceremony that had occurred only hours before.
Stephanie saw herself silently cast the Cruciatus Curse and then watch in confusion as Marcus Flint writhed to his agonizingly painful death. Then her master penetrated her thoughts immediately after Marcus’ death as she lay on the ground wondering what had happened. She watched herself being taken to the basement and dropped onto the cellar floor. Finally, the Dark Lord retreated from her mind.
“She tells the truth.” The Dark Lord conceded. He turned towards Snape and Bellatrix. “Leave me alone with the girl. We need to discuss her future.”
“Are you going to kill her, my Lord?” Snape asked the Dark Lord. Stephanie was anxious to hear the answer to this question and she looked at her master with anticipation and fear.
“Not tonight.” The Dark Lord responded casually. Stephanie sighed in relief. “But I will allow you to be present, Severus, when that time comes if you wish.”
Snape bowed to his master. “Thank you, my Lord. I would be honored.” Then he and Bellatrix slowly walked towards the door, leaving her alone with the Dark Lord.
When the two Death Eaters left the room, the Dark Lord hovered over her once again. “Stephanie, it appears that your magical abilities have increased in power beyond what I could have expected. Severus has explained a theory that I believe to be credible and these new developments will be highly useful to me in the future. It will also prove to be important in the near future when the deadline I have given the young Malfoy lapses. You will accompany the Carrow siblings and a few others to Hogwarts soon to assist in his task. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered, still recovering from the change of events that had occurred within the last few minutes.
“When that time comes and if Draco fails, you will murder Albus Dumbledore.” The Dark Lord ordered. “Your magical abilities will make the assignment possible. And if you have the opportunity, you will make an attempt on your brother’s life as well.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie responded, still in whispers. She knew she would do what she could to redeem herself after what had just happened. It was the only way to get back in the Dark Lord’s good graces. She had to remain his third most important and trusted follower. Eventually, she would be his first.
He appeared to be contemplating something as he pulled out his wand and began playing with it between his long, white fingers. Stephanie remained still, terrified at what he would want to discuss with her. He began speaking slowly, enunciating every word perfectly. “However, my patience with you has come to its end, Stephanie.”
“I’m sorry, my Lord!” Stephanie begged her master to reconsider. “I have worked very hard to please you.”
“You have done well in recent months, but you continue to prove how hopeless and weak you truly are.” He scolded her, frowning at his own disappointment. She knew that he was upset with her moment of weakness shortly before he cast Legilimens, in addition to other times she had failed him over the years. “Tonight you have cost me a servant. If you let me down one more time I will dispose of you.”
“Please, master.” Stephanie whispered, sinking farther into the chair. He took his left hand, with his wand still in his right, and traced an invisible line on her bare arm. She shivered in fear.
“Even with all of your changes over the years, you are still the pathetic form of the Malfoy servant you used to be.” His eyes glowed at her brightly. “If you disappoint me, I may have to let some of my followers have their greatest desire: precious moments alone with you where they are free to do as they wish. I know that Fenrir Greyback has had his eye on you for some time.”
“I won’t disappoint you.” Stephanie barely got the words out. She was shaking from the amount of fear she was feeling. Fenrir Greyback couldn’t get what he wanted most; she couldn’t allow that to happen. Why was the Dark Lord behaving this way after he had admitted that the night’s events hadn’t been her fault? What could she do to make it up to the Dark Lord, her precious master?
“I hope not, Stephanie.” He lunged at her and hissed in her ear. She jumped in surprise. “There have been many things I have overlooked lately because of your recent successes. Did I say anything when you failed to kill your brother in Knockturn Alley last September?”
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie mouthed the words and held back a whimper. She hadn’t been this scared in a very long time and this feeling and moment of weakness horrified her even more. His lack of response at that time had terrified her then and it petrified her now.
“I ignored the fact that your brother made an attempt on the life of one of my Death Eaters.” He glared deeply into her eyes and Stephanie tightened her muscles towards her body, hugging her arms firmly around her chest. “A few weeks ago, your brother mercilessly cornered Draco Malfoy in a bathroom at Hogwarts and left him to die on the floor. And still I said nothing.”
Stephanie remained silent. She hadn’t heard about this, though it wasn’t uncommon for her to be uninformed of such details. Again he looked directly into her eyes, his face inches from her own. She could feel the heat of his breath on her cheek. Stephanie wanted desperately to look away, but she knew that a punishment would come if she were to do so. He stroked her cheek as he continued speaking to her.
“And let me warn you that your death will not be a pleasant and pain-free one. Even if you are hit with a Killing Curse, it will take you an extremely long time to die. And I wait in anticipation to witness the entire process. Many secrets will be revealed. Let me prepare you for what is to come if you fail me again.”
She watched in horror as he touched his wand to her forehead, and she was immediately removed from her body. Stephanie was once again in the kitchen in Malfoy Manor, a place she hadn’t seen for almost two years and somewhere she had hoped to never return. She had just finished cooking Mr. Malfoy’s breakfast as she carried it out to the dining room. Mr. Malfoy grabbed her left arm and pulled up her sleeve, stroking her arm gently.
“I have an important meeting this morning with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. How do you imagine I give my presentation effectively with a grumbling stomach?” He said in a calm, soothing voice while continuing to stare at her arm.
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s my fault. I promise it won’t happen again.” She told him. He was still stroking her arm.
“You’re right. It will not.” He said, pulling out his wand. He tapped the inside of her forearm and it began to burn intensely. A rather large circle in what appeared to be dark black ink began to appear where he had touched her arm. She gasped in pain and held her breath. It burned so bad.
The sensation was felt all the way through her entire arm. She wanted to rub it, to try and ease the pain, but Mr. Malfoy was still holding her arm. The burning reached its peak, though the pain did not decrease. She looked at the image that had been burned onto her skin. It was something she had seen many times before. The image consisted of a circle with two snakes entwined inside, making a capital M.
“The Malfoy family crest” said Mr. Malfoy coolly. “As I am sure you recognize it. This is similar to the Dark Mark that I, myself, so proudly bear. The Dark Lord uses the Dark Mark to call his followers. When it burns, we must Apparate immediately to his location. You have not yet earned the right to learn Apparition, but when this mark burns, you are to come immediately. Failure to do so will result in a very severe punishment. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Good. You are dismissed.” She bowed and then went back into the kitchen to begin washing the dishes. When Stephanie collected Mr. Malfoy’s dishes after he was finished with his breakfast, she couldn’t help but think it looked as if he had more that he wanted to say. It made her a little nervous because he didn’t usually hold back when he wanted to berate or criticize her.
As she was drying the dishes, she felt her body slam into the wall next to the sink and she crumpled to the floor with pain from the impact. The plate she was holding smashed into pieces on the floor.
“You have disappointed me yet again, little girl. Though, I should not expect any better from you, since you are incapable of following such a simple order.” She could see that he was getting enjoyment from her reaction.
“Sir?” She whimpered. She had no idea what he could be talking about.
“You have eaten something. You directly disobeyed my orders, yet again.” She realized that he had known since the moment he woke her up and had just needed some time to figure out her next punishment.
“No, I swear!” she cried, though she knew it was no use. He walked up to her and slapped her in the face.
“Do not lie to me.” He said in his cunningly slow voice.
“I had to. I’m sorry, sir.” She looked at him with pleading hope in her eyes. “I fainted and needed something to give me a little strength. It was just a small cracker.”
“You have no willpower. How terribly weak of you!” He was so close to her face that she could feel his breath on her cheek. “However, being the merciful man that I am, I will allow you to eat.”
“Thank you, sir.” She whispered, looking at the ground. “I do not deserve your kindness.”
“You are right, you don’t.” He hissed. “You may eat only after you drink this.”
He handed her a small vial with dark, green liquid. “Drink up.” She drank the potion and Mr. Malfoy smiled. “Have a nice day!” He said and then Disapparated to the Ministry.
She still couldn’t believe that Mr. Malfoy had branded her. Stephanie rubbed her arm, as it still burned intensely. While she went to get the broom and dustpan to clean up the broken plate, she thought that this wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. She had imagined he would do more than make her drink some silly potion. The next moment, though, she found out what the potion’s effect was supposed to be. She suddenly had a gut-wrenching pain in her stomach and she ran to the sink. Her stomach was trying to get rid of the potion, but all that came out was a little clear liquid.
She collapsed on the floor in front of the sink while clutching her stomach. Her body continued to try to rid itself of the substance that was no longer there. Finally she was returned back to her body in the Lestrange living room. She had fallen from her seat and she lay on the floor, drenched in sweat, her left arm throbbed, and her stomach ached. The Dark Lord poked her with his bare foot and his long nail cut her skin open. Blood began to seep from her cheek. She heaved again, her body trying to rid itself of the substance that had long since been dispelled and digested.
“Get up!” He ordered her. She tried to move but couldn’t. It had been far worse reliving this memory than she remembered it and she realized that she couldn’t endure any more of these reminiscent events. It was far more painful than the original scenario had been. Because of what Snape had told her, she knew that when she was finally sentenced to death, this would go on indefinitely. Before the Dark Lord could comment again, she forced herself up, though it took all of her strength. She fell into the chair she had slipped out of only moments ago. “Now, will you disappoint me again?”
She couldn’t speak, so she shook her head. The memory of Snape’s warning so long ago floated into her mind as he ordered her to always answer her master. Stephanie was too frustrated, exhausted, and terrified to respond.
“Then you are excused.” He ignored her failure to speak and motioned for her to leave the room; she obliged. It took all of her concentration, but she slowly made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom. Stephanie collapsed onto her bed, trying to recover from the curses she had endured and her stomach was still heaving painfully from the memory.
It was still worth being his follower, she tried to convince herself. The Dark Lord was the only one who cared about her; if she lost that she might as well die. Suffering a painful fate would be better than having no one love her. Stephanie lifted her sleeve to kiss her Dark Mark and then she fell asleep. Soon, she would be able to prove to everyone that she was worthy of the Dark Lord’s adoration.
*~*~*~*
Harry had just finished explaining to Professor Dumbledore what he had just witnessed. Dumbledore had asked him why he didn’t eject Voldemort from his mind and Harry had to think about it for a moment. During the vision he had thought about how it could have been a false image as the one involving Sirius had been. But he had to watch because it felt so real; he felt Stephanie’s terror so realistically. Even though she probably didn’t know he was witnessing the scene, he couldn’t leave her alone there.
When he finished, Dumbledore lifted his wand and pointed it towards the door. A light flew through the door and out of the room. He didn’t ask what the headmaster had just done, but he was a little curious.
They sat in silence while Dumbledore appeared to be contemplating what he had just heard. A few moments later, there was a knock on the door and Professor McGonagall entered.
“You summoned me, Albus?” McGonagall asked. She was obviously surprised to see three students sitting in the headmaster’s office so late at night.
“Yes, Minerva.” Dumbledore answered, looking at her through his moon-shaped spectacles. “Has Severus returned yet?”
“No.” McGonagall answered while shaking her head. “I expect that he will be returning shortly.”
“Very well.” The headmaster spoke softly. “We shall wait. Minerva, will you please wake Miss Granger and Miss Weasley and bring them to this office?”
McGonagall nodded and left the room. Harry looked straight at the headmaster and spoke again.
“You know something.” Harry accused Dumbledore. He stood and threatened to leave; he couldn’t just sit there and wait for Snape to return. Who knew how long it would take and it would probably be too late. His sister could be dead long before Snape returned to Hogwarts. Snape could even be the one killing her! “You believe this is real. We can’t just sit here! We have to do something!”
“Harry, please sit down.” Dumbledore responded calmly. “As these events have occurred this evening, I know very little more than you do. I assume that Severus will be able to provide us with more insight. Professor McGonagall is bringing in the girls so that all may be informed of the recent events. There is nothing we can do for your sister at this moment.”
“But-” Harry began to argue, but Neville interrupted him.
“Harry, please calm down.” Neville said gently. “None of us want anything to happen to her, but we know that we can’t go running to her. It is too dangerous for us all, including her.”
Harry sat down in silence and they waited for McGonagall to return with Ginny and Hermione. He realized how much he needed Ginny at that moment. They had been dating for awhile now and she had helped him go through so much. Over Christmas, she had helped him recover after Scrimgeour’s slanderous statements. It had been that moment, when she held him, that he realized how much he loved her. He never wanted to look at another girl. Moments later, they walked through the headmaster’s door and Ginny ran and gave him a large hug. It felt good to be with her again.
Dumbledore explained the situation to the new arrivals, including Professor McGonagall. While Dumbledore was giving Hermione and Ginny a moment to process what they had just heard, Harry suddenly got a feeling of terror through his body. He tensed his muscles and began breathing heavily. He squeezed Ginny’s hand and looked away from the others. There was a mirror on the wall across form him and he noticed he looked more terrified than he felt.
“She’s afraid.” He whispered. The others turned to him questioningly. “Stephanie is terrified for her life.”
“Are you seeing something, Harry?” McGonagall asked him.
Harry shook his head. “I only know what she is feeling. She is pleading with Voldemort for something. She needs him to believe her.”
“Harry,” Dumbledore began, looking concerned. “Has this happened before?”
“Not like this.” Harry answered. “It has never been so obvious and clear. There is no question in my mind what she is feeling.”
Dumbledore nodded. Harry knew that Dumbledore was completely puzzled by these turn of events. Harry was frustrated that he couldn’t do anything. After a few minutes of silence while Harry tried to sort out what he was feeling, he began screaming in pain. He let go of Ginny’s hand and clutched his left arm. The pain didn’t subside, but it did reach its peak. It was as if something was being burned onto his arm. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control what he was feeling.
Suddenly, he fell out of his chair and began throwing up. He couldn’t help himself, his half-digested dinner ended up on the floor. Dumbledore waved his wand and the mess disappeared, but Harry continued to heave. In the middle of all this, Professor Snape walked in. Harry wasn’t paying attention; he was utilizing all of his energy trying to stop the heaving and the pain in his left arm.
“You called me, headmaster?” Harry heard Snape address Dumbledore, but he couldn’t say anything to the man he hated so much.
Dumbledore explained the situation to Snape and after Harry’s spell had finished, Snape turned to him. It was amazing because Snape seemed to know what Harry was going to say.
“She is alive.” Snape said coolly. “And she will remain that way for the time being.”
“How do we help her?” Harry looked at Snape with determination.
“Nothing.” Snape responded matter-of-factly. “For now she is safe and so it is important for her to remain where she is.”
“Severus,” Dumbledore spoke up. “Can you explain what happened this evening?”
Snape thought for a moment and looked at Harry as he explained what happened. “Stephanie has experienced an…unexpected increase in her magical abilities this evening.”
“Unexpected?” Hermione asked. “What does that mean?”
“We cannot know for sure, but her magical abilities are stronger than ever.” Snape began slowly. “I suspect this is the reason you have received her emotions this evening, Mr. Potter. Prior to the Dark Lord’s return, Stephanie had done very well during Occlumency lessons. There had been moments that she sent her feelings to you unintentionally, but she was able to control these once her lessons began. This increase in magic has led her to once again send you her emotions unintentionally and it also explains the reason you are receiving them so strongly.”
“If this is true,” Dumbledore began to explain with a look of concentration and concern on his face, “then it is more important than ever to keep your distance if you are confronted by her. This increase in abilities concerns me and I fear for Harry’s safety more than ever.”
“She wouldn’t hurt me.” Harry answered before he could think about what he was saying.
“That’s not true…” Hermione said quietly. All eyes turned towards her with questioning looks. Harry looked at her expectantly, hoping that Hermione would explain further. She hesitated and then continued. “Stephanie knows that she will eventually try to hurt you, Harry.”
“How do you know this, dear?” McGonagall asked with wrinkled eyebrows, showing her concern about the issue.
“In the letter she wrote, Stephanie made a…a request of me. She knew that Voldemort would train her to murder her brother, and she knew that she would eventually make an attempt.” Harry noticed that Hermione went around the topic at hand.
“What request?” He asked almost demandingly. “What did she ask you to do?”
Hermione looked at him as if she was going to cry. He felt bad for asking, but he had to know the entire story. It was his sister for crying out loud! “Please don’t make me say. She asked me not to tell you and I just can’t.”
He glared at her. Harry had gone through so much that night, his arm was still sore and his stomach felt like it would never feel normal again. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and go to sleep and Hermione wasn’t telling him what he needed to know. It was so frustrating! But he also knew that he had to respect Stephanie’s wishes so he accepted Hermione’s silence.
“Why would Voldemort want Harry to see the ceremony this evening?” McGonagall turned to Snape and asked the question Harry had been wondering as well.
Voldemort had shown him what an induction into the Death Eaters actually entailed. Snape was glaring at Harry expectantly and he understood completely about what his professor was trying to convey; and Harry would oblige. He understood a little better about what Snape and Stephanie had gone through, though Snape had done so willingly. Harry knew that he would never tell the others what it cost his sister and Professor Snape to become a Death Eater.
“The Dark Lord is gloating.” Snape responded, turning to McGonagall. “He wishes Mr. Potter to understand how greatly he has changed Stephanie. The Dark Lord is conveying the message that he can do anything, showing that he is Lord of all. He is telling Mr. Potter that Mr. Potter will fail in any attempt to defeat him.”
Harry swallowed. The others remained silent and Professor Dumbledore broke the silence. Dumbledore surprised him by admitting something he never thought he would hear. He spoke in his normally calm voice and Harry was relaxed immediately. “I will admit to you that we are close to identifying a countercurse to the spell placed upon Stephanie, so we should be able to rescue her soon. There are some tests that I need to perform first, and when it is proven to be effective we will take her to a secret location as soon as possible.”
“How long?” Harry asked. This was great news! And it made up for the fact that he wouldn’t be allowed to attempt a rescue himself. Things were starting to look up.
“It is unclear at this moment.” Dumbledore responded. “But it will be done.”
With that, the meeting was over. McGonagall told the students to return to bed and Snape made a point to mention that they would not be excused from their exam the next day. The students made their way up to their dormitories without a word, but Harry knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He was too worried about his sister and excited that she would soon be free from Voldemort and the Death Eaters. That was great news.
This was one of my favorite chapters by far. There was so much revealed in this chapter and I just loved Stephanie's reaction. Harry is definitely maturing too, which is both difficult and exciting to develop. So, please Leave FEEDBACK and tell me what you think! The next chapter will be posted by Monday at the latest!
Neville looked around his dorm room and saw Dean and Seamus talking quietly. Harry was studying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts test that was scheduled for the next day, something Neville should have been doing as well. Ron was reading the diaries with his quill in hand. Neville realized that Ron missed Stephanie just as much as the rest of them and he still looked at the diary every night before he went to bed. Neville had stopped forcing himself to look at the diary because it only reminded him of the pain that Stephanie had to be going through.
For a very long time, Neville had written in the diary every day in an attempt to convince her that she needed to continue using them. But after about eight months of worrying, he could no longer look at the diaries. He figured that someone else would tell him if she wrote something, though he did sneak a glance every once in awhile. He just cared about her too much and the diaries just reminded him of who Stephanie used to be. He missed her. Instead, he climbed under his bed sheets and pulled out an old and torn piece of parchment. He lit the end of his wand as quietly as he could and he began to read the letter again.
Since the night at the Burrow in August when he had received his goodbye letter from Stephanie, he had carried it around in his pocket. Before he had even heard of Stephanie, Neville hadn’t had any close friends at Hogwarts. Sure, his roommates had always been kind to him. And Hermione and Ginny had always said nice things to him. But he hadn’t had any real friends. Stephanie brought them all together. Stephanie was the reason he now had friends and was invited to their houses. Stephanie was the reason that he now had the confidence to cast difficult spells and to stand up to Death Eaters and Slytherins alike; Stephanie was the reason Gran was finally proud of him.
Neville had been invited to Ron’s house for Christmas, but his Gran wanted him to be with her. He wished he had been there because he heard that Harry had yelled at the Minister of Magic. Neville hoped that if he had been there, he would have helped Harry stick up for Stephanie. Scrimgeour had no right to go there and threaten Harry with prison time for speaking to his sister. The Minister didn’t understand the situation because he was not willing and did not care enough to take a moment and think about what he was saying. Hearing about the encounter made him fear that Stephanie would be sent to Azkaban if she were to be arrested. He didn’t want Stephanie to be a prisoner of Azkaban, even though the dementors were no longer guarding the prison, and it saddened him that he couldn’t do anything to help her. She was his best friend, and he doubted she felt the same way, and he couldn’t do anything to help her. What a lousy friend I am, he thought miserably.
He heard a loud crash and he threw his covers on the floor, looking for the source of the noise. Harry was on the floor, sweating profusely. He looked at Ron and immediately asked, “Should we get McGonagall.”
“Not yet.” Ron said and Neville nodded. “Seamus, Dean, could you excuse us?”
Seamus and Dean nodded in concern and quietly left the room. Both Ron and Neville knew what was going on because for the most of last school year, Harry had been getting visions from Lord Voldemort. Neville understood that Ron didn’t want McGonagall summoned because Harry might not want the Order to know. They had thought that these visions had stopped; it had almost been an entire year since Voldemort had last penetrated Harry’s mind. Both boys knelt beside Harry to make sure he was alright, and they just watched as his head turned from side to side.
“Stephanie!” Harry yelled, startling Neville. “Please don’t do it!”
Neville watched as Harry thrashed about uncontrollably. He ran over to his trunk that was next to his bed and pulled out a clean towel. When he returned to his friend’s side, Neville dabbed Harry’s forehead as Harry cried out in a quiet whisper, “No.”
Harry screamed and wrapped his arms around his chest. Ron shook Harry, trying to wake him from the nightmare. It didn’t work. Neville wondered what Harry could be seeing, but he knew it had to be pretty horrible since Stephanie was involved.
“The Cruciatus, my Lord!” Harry spoke in a whisper but Neville heard it clear as day. His head snapped back towards Ron, who had the same look of puzzlement on his face as Neville must have had.
“Is he-” Ron began, but Neville finished the question.
“Speaking as Stephanie?” This couldn’t be right. Harry couldn’t be seeing the vision through Stephanie’s eyes. Neville knew that they had a special connection; Harry had explained how she had spoken to him in the graveyard. But he had never had visions from her point of view, and she was most certainly not sending them willingly.
But before they could say anything more, Harry began writhing and screaming in pain. His body curled into a ball, trying to protect itself from the Curse being cast upon it in his mind. Neville was torn. He wanted to get McGonagall, but he also knew that Harry would be very angry if they did that. Harry wasn’t supposed to allow these visions to occur. Why was he letting this continue? He should know better than that, Neville wondered.
The spell must have been lifted, because Harry became still. He continued to pant while trying to catch his breath, but at least the Curse had stopped. His eyes fluttered open and Neville jumped in surprise. Harry had a look of confusion on his face, as if he didn’t understand what he was seeing.
“Harry?” Ron whispered. Harry said nothing, but Neville noticed there was something different about his eyes. They weren’t Harry’s eyes; there was so much pain and hatred in them. Neville realized that he was looking at Stephanie through Harry. Poor Stephanie, Neville thought while feeling his eyes begin to moisten.
Harry stared straight ahead and he finally spoke again. This time there was a hint of fear and pleading present in his voice. “Please, master. I used the Cruciatus.”
“NO! Stephanie!” Harry bellowed as he continued to lay on the floor motionless. “Don’t touch her!”
Instead of waking up, Harry began to scream again. His body started twitching again and Neville knew that Harry was being Cursed again. He couldn’t tell who was receiving it in his vision, whose point of view Harry was watching, because Harry had just yelled for someone not to touch her. This had to be a vision sent by Voldemort, not Stephanie.
“Get. Away. From. Her. Malfoy!” Harry spoke angrily and very slowly, enunciating his words. He was silent for a very long time and Neville began to get worried. Harry’s eyes were still open, but he didn’t move at all.
Finally, Harry sat up. He was breathing heavily and looked absolutely terrified. Neville handed him the towel so Harry could wipe the sweat from his forehead.
“What was it, Harry?” He asked, concerned for what he was about to hear.
“Was it You-Know-Who?” Ron questioned.
Harry shook his head. He looked away, obviously reliving what he had just witnessed. Neville noticed that Harry was shaking, and he used his wand to summon the blanket that was on Harry’s bed. “I-I-I think they were both sending me the vision.”
Neville was shocked. How was that even possible? “What?”
“They were at a ceremony with a bonfire and a lot of Death Eaters.” He paused and looked around. “Malfoy was there. And Snape too.”
“Malfoy?” Ron asked loudly and Neville shushed him. Harry nodded.
“I was seeing the ceremony through Voldemort’s eyes.” Harry told them sadly. Neville noticed there were tears in Harry’s eyes. “Voldemort told Stephanie to perform the Cruciatus Curse on Marcus Flint. But something went wrong and she failed. She killed him. And he cast the Cruciatus Curse on her trying to get her to confess what she had done. He didn’t believe she used the Curse on Marcus.”
“But, how do you know that Stephanie sent you the vision too, if it was from Voldemort’s point of view?” Neville asked, completely confused.
“Because I felt what she was feeling.” Harry whispered. “He took her robes and she was embarrassed. He cast the Curse upon her and I felt it. She was terrified for her life because she didn’t understand what had gone wrong. I think he is going to kill her.”
“What are we going to do?” Ron asked with panic in his voice. “We can’t let him kill her!”
“We have to go to her.” Harry said in surprising calm. His demeanor was making Neville nervous; it was so calm and collected, whereas Harry should have been frustrated and irate. “Tonight.”
“Harry, what if you are wrong.” Neville asked, thinking about the repercussions of possible failure. “What if he isn’t going to kill her?”
“I can’t risk it.” Harry looked at him with emotion, now he was angry. “For years now, I have done nothing but sit around and wait for someone else to help her. I can’t wait any longer.”
“What if it’s a trap?” Neville asked, knowing that this was probably the wrong time to mention this. “Like with Sirius?”
Harry stopped dead in his tracks, realizing that Neville was probably right. Neville didn’t want Harry to think that he was trying to stop Stephanie from being rescued, so he continued to explain. “We need to tell Professor Dumbledore so he can decide if this is real or not.”
Harry nodded. “You’re right. Let’s go.”
Harry got up and ran out of the dormitory. Ron and Neville followed close behind and moments later they were at the door of the headmaster. Harry had called the password to the gargoyle as he passed it, not slowing his pace for a moment. Neville had to run quickly to catch up to his friend. Harry knocked loudly and Professor Dumbledore answered.
“Come in.” He heard Dumbledore call. Harry opened the door and the three friends walked in. “Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley. Mr. Longbottom. What do I owe this pleasure?”
Neville followed Harry inside the office and the three friends sat down on the couch opposite Professor Dumbledore’s desk. Neville listened as Harry explained the vision that he had just seen. Dumbledore nodded silently as Harry told him what had happened and what he thought the vision meant.
*~*~*~*
A few hours later, the door of her cell clicked open. She looked around and there was no one around. Should she leave? Was this a test to see if she would disobey her master’s orders to remain in the cellar until told otherwise? Stephanie decided it would be best to remain in her cell until someone came down and verbally allowed her to leave. She couldn’t risk making another mistake that evening.
“Get upstairs.” Professor Snape came downstairs and only spoke these two words to her. Ever since her she had murdered Emmaline Vance, Snape hadn’t spoke to her very much and Stephanie figured he must be jealous of how fast she was gaining the Dark Lord’s approval. She knew something about him that would most certainly get him killed, but she had been merciful enough to keep the information to herself. For awhile she had contemplated telling the Dark Lord about Snape’s betrayal, but she soon realized that this information could be used to her benefit down the road. There may be a time when she would need Snape’s assistance, and this information was the best way to guarantee that he cooperated fully.
But after he ordered her upstairs, Stephanie realized she should have immediately gone when the door had unlocked itself. What was going on with her? Why in the world couldn’t she do anything right when all she wanted to do was please her master? She wanted to make him happy and proud. She walked up the stairs and followed Snape into the living room where the Dark Lord was standing near the fireplace, looking at the flames. Bellatrix was at the rear of the room, watching her in excitement. All of the other Death Eaters had long since left.
“Master.” Snape said, notifying the Dark Lord of their presence.
“Sit.” The Dark Lord turned to them and spoke directly to Stephanie. “When I summon you, you come immediately. It is important that I am not kept waiting. I cannot believe that you have not learned this by now.”
“I’m sorry, my Lord.” Stephanie began pleading with her master. He must understand what had happened. “I did not reali-”
“Silence!” He interrupted her and she closed her mouth. Stephanie had not been spoken to like this since before her conditioning had begun. She knew that she was in trouble but she just didn’t know how much. Was she going to be punished by being returned to the cellar? Or worse, was she going to be killed?
The Dark Lord walked towards her, as did Snape and Bellatrix. They stood side by side, hovering over her as she sat in the chair. Stephanie felt so small in their presence and she sank as far back into the chair as she could, clutching the armrests tightly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked her angrily. “How dare you keep this from me!”
“Tell you what?” She asked. She was frustrated because she didn’t know what he was talking about and scared because she knew that if she didn’t tell him what he wanted to know he would certainly kill her. “I swear! I don’t know what you are talk-”
“Do not lie to me!” The Dark Lord hissed at her. “The strength of your powers is incredible. You wish me to believe that you did not know about this?”
“Please, master!” Stephanie begged, looking only at him. She forgot that Bellatrix and Snape were there; the only person she needed to convince was her master. She loved her master and she couldn’t live with having him doubt her like this. “I didn’t know!”
“Your Cruciatus Curse killed him!” Bellatrix yelled at her. “Barty, Rabastan, Rodolphus, and I performed the Curse for four hours before we broke Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity. Four hours and it didn’t kill them. You perform the Curse for four minutes and it killed him.”
“You cannot expect us to believe that you did not know.” The Dark Lord spoke slowly. Stephanie looked at his eyes, which were blazing with fury. They were brighter red than she had ever remembered seeing them.
“If you please, my Lord.” Snape spoke for the first time, turning to his master. “I believe that she was unaware of her strength.”
“Enlighten me, Severus.” The Dark Lord responded, looking away from Stephanie for the first time.
“Stephanie has not performed the Curse for an extended amount of time recently.” Snape explained and Stephanie looked between him and her master, nodding her head in agreement. “Her specialty is to cast it for a short period, multiple times. I believe she was unaware that her Curse could kill. As I mentioned to you earlier, her strength may have just increased this evening.”
“It is difficult to believe that she would not know of her increased magical abilities.” The Dark Lord responded to this explanation thoughtfully. They were now speaking as if she wasn’t in the room. Stephanie continued to listen intently, hoping that she would be spared. Stephanie wanted to die for her master, not by her master.
“Of course she knew!” Bellatrix shrieked. “Look at her. She was hiding it and planning on using it against you.”
Stephanie remained silent, knowing that was better than anything she could say at that moment. The Dark Lord was upset with her and Bellatrix was going to do anything she could to get her in trouble. She pleaded with the Dark Lord with her eyes to believe her.
Instead of speaking to her, she watched as the Dark Lord raised his wand towards her. It was a natural reaction that she shouldn’t have allowed, but she closed her eyes tightly, preparing herself for the Killing Curse or the Torture Curse that was bound to erupt from the wand. But she felt no pain. Instead, she saw her memory of the induction ceremony that had occurred only hours before.
Stephanie saw herself silently cast the Cruciatus Curse and then watch in confusion as Marcus Flint writhed to his agonizingly painful death. Then her master penetrated her thoughts immediately after Marcus’ death as she lay on the ground wondering what had happened. She watched herself being taken to the basement and dropped onto the cellar floor. Finally, the Dark Lord retreated from her mind.
“She tells the truth.” The Dark Lord conceded. He turned towards Snape and Bellatrix. “Leave me alone with the girl. We need to discuss her future.”
“Are you going to kill her, my Lord?” Snape asked the Dark Lord. Stephanie was anxious to hear the answer to this question and she looked at her master with anticipation and fear.
“Not tonight.” The Dark Lord responded casually. Stephanie sighed in relief. “But I will allow you to be present, Severus, when that time comes if you wish.”
Snape bowed to his master. “Thank you, my Lord. I would be honored.” Then he and Bellatrix slowly walked towards the door, leaving her alone with the Dark Lord.
When the two Death Eaters left the room, the Dark Lord hovered over her once again. “Stephanie, it appears that your magical abilities have increased in power beyond what I could have expected. Severus has explained a theory that I believe to be credible and these new developments will be highly useful to me in the future. It will also prove to be important in the near future when the deadline I have given the young Malfoy lapses. You will accompany the Carrow siblings and a few others to Hogwarts soon to assist in his task. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered, still recovering from the change of events that had occurred within the last few minutes.
“When that time comes and if Draco fails, you will murder Albus Dumbledore.” The Dark Lord ordered. “Your magical abilities will make the assignment possible. And if you have the opportunity, you will make an attempt on your brother’s life as well.”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie responded, still in whispers. She knew she would do what she could to redeem herself after what had just happened. It was the only way to get back in the Dark Lord’s good graces. She had to remain his third most important and trusted follower. Eventually, she would be his first.
He appeared to be contemplating something as he pulled out his wand and began playing with it between his long, white fingers. Stephanie remained still, terrified at what he would want to discuss with her. He began speaking slowly, enunciating every word perfectly. “However, my patience with you has come to its end, Stephanie.”
“I’m sorry, my Lord!” Stephanie begged her master to reconsider. “I have worked very hard to please you.”
“You have done well in recent months, but you continue to prove how hopeless and weak you truly are.” He scolded her, frowning at his own disappointment. She knew that he was upset with her moment of weakness shortly before he cast Legilimens, in addition to other times she had failed him over the years. “Tonight you have cost me a servant. If you let me down one more time I will dispose of you.”
“Please, master.” Stephanie whispered, sinking farther into the chair. He took his left hand, with his wand still in his right, and traced an invisible line on her bare arm. She shivered in fear.
“Even with all of your changes over the years, you are still the pathetic form of the Malfoy servant you used to be.” His eyes glowed at her brightly. “If you disappoint me, I may have to let some of my followers have their greatest desire: precious moments alone with you where they are free to do as they wish. I know that Fenrir Greyback has had his eye on you for some time.”
“I won’t disappoint you.” Stephanie barely got the words out. She was shaking from the amount of fear she was feeling. Fenrir Greyback couldn’t get what he wanted most; she couldn’t allow that to happen. Why was the Dark Lord behaving this way after he had admitted that the night’s events hadn’t been her fault? What could she do to make it up to the Dark Lord, her precious master?
“I hope not, Stephanie.” He lunged at her and hissed in her ear. She jumped in surprise. “There have been many things I have overlooked lately because of your recent successes. Did I say anything when you failed to kill your brother in Knockturn Alley last September?”
“No, my Lord.” Stephanie mouthed the words and held back a whimper. She hadn’t been this scared in a very long time and this feeling and moment of weakness horrified her even more. His lack of response at that time had terrified her then and it petrified her now.
“I ignored the fact that your brother made an attempt on the life of one of my Death Eaters.” He glared deeply into her eyes and Stephanie tightened her muscles towards her body, hugging her arms firmly around her chest. “A few weeks ago, your brother mercilessly cornered Draco Malfoy in a bathroom at Hogwarts and left him to die on the floor. And still I said nothing.”
Stephanie remained silent. She hadn’t heard about this, though it wasn’t uncommon for her to be uninformed of such details. Again he looked directly into her eyes, his face inches from her own. She could feel the heat of his breath on her cheek. Stephanie wanted desperately to look away, but she knew that a punishment would come if she were to do so. He stroked her cheek as he continued speaking to her.
“And let me warn you that your death will not be a pleasant and pain-free one. Even if you are hit with a Killing Curse, it will take you an extremely long time to die. And I wait in anticipation to witness the entire process. Many secrets will be revealed. Let me prepare you for what is to come if you fail me again.”
She watched in horror as he touched his wand to her forehead, and she was immediately removed from her body. Stephanie was once again in the kitchen in Malfoy Manor, a place she hadn’t seen for almost two years and somewhere she had hoped to never return. She had just finished cooking Mr. Malfoy’s breakfast as she carried it out to the dining room. Mr. Malfoy grabbed her left arm and pulled up her sleeve, stroking her arm gently.
“I have an important meeting this morning with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. How do you imagine I give my presentation effectively with a grumbling stomach?” He said in a calm, soothing voice while continuing to stare at her arm.
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s my fault. I promise it won’t happen again.” She told him. He was still stroking her arm.
“You’re right. It will not.” He said, pulling out his wand. He tapped the inside of her forearm and it began to burn intensely. A rather large circle in what appeared to be dark black ink began to appear where he had touched her arm. She gasped in pain and held her breath. It burned so bad.
The sensation was felt all the way through her entire arm. She wanted to rub it, to try and ease the pain, but Mr. Malfoy was still holding her arm. The burning reached its peak, though the pain did not decrease. She looked at the image that had been burned onto her skin. It was something she had seen many times before. The image consisted of a circle with two snakes entwined inside, making a capital M.
“The Malfoy family crest” said Mr. Malfoy coolly. “As I am sure you recognize it. This is similar to the Dark Mark that I, myself, so proudly bear. The Dark Lord uses the Dark Mark to call his followers. When it burns, we must Apparate immediately to his location. You have not yet earned the right to learn Apparition, but when this mark burns, you are to come immediately. Failure to do so will result in a very severe punishment. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Good. You are dismissed.” She bowed and then went back into the kitchen to begin washing the dishes. When Stephanie collected Mr. Malfoy’s dishes after he was finished with his breakfast, she couldn’t help but think it looked as if he had more that he wanted to say. It made her a little nervous because he didn’t usually hold back when he wanted to berate or criticize her.
As she was drying the dishes, she felt her body slam into the wall next to the sink and she crumpled to the floor with pain from the impact. The plate she was holding smashed into pieces on the floor.
“You have disappointed me yet again, little girl. Though, I should not expect any better from you, since you are incapable of following such a simple order.” She could see that he was getting enjoyment from her reaction.
“Sir?” She whimpered. She had no idea what he could be talking about.
“You have eaten something. You directly disobeyed my orders, yet again.” She realized that he had known since the moment he woke her up and had just needed some time to figure out her next punishment.
“No, I swear!” she cried, though she knew it was no use. He walked up to her and slapped her in the face.
“Do not lie to me.” He said in his cunningly slow voice.
“I had to. I’m sorry, sir.” She looked at him with pleading hope in her eyes. “I fainted and needed something to give me a little strength. It was just a small cracker.”
“You have no willpower. How terribly weak of you!” He was so close to her face that she could feel his breath on her cheek. “However, being the merciful man that I am, I will allow you to eat.”
“Thank you, sir.” She whispered, looking at the ground. “I do not deserve your kindness.”
“You are right, you don’t.” He hissed. “You may eat only after you drink this.”
He handed her a small vial with dark, green liquid. “Drink up.” She drank the potion and Mr. Malfoy smiled. “Have a nice day!” He said and then Disapparated to the Ministry.
She still couldn’t believe that Mr. Malfoy had branded her. Stephanie rubbed her arm, as it still burned intensely. While she went to get the broom and dustpan to clean up the broken plate, she thought that this wasn’t nearly as bad as it could have been. She had imagined he would do more than make her drink some silly potion. The next moment, though, she found out what the potion’s effect was supposed to be. She suddenly had a gut-wrenching pain in her stomach and she ran to the sink. Her stomach was trying to get rid of the potion, but all that came out was a little clear liquid.
She collapsed on the floor in front of the sink while clutching her stomach. Her body continued to try to rid itself of the substance that was no longer there. Finally she was returned back to her body in the Lestrange living room. She had fallen from her seat and she lay on the floor, drenched in sweat, her left arm throbbed, and her stomach ached. The Dark Lord poked her with his bare foot and his long nail cut her skin open. Blood began to seep from her cheek. She heaved again, her body trying to rid itself of the substance that had long since been dispelled and digested.
“Get up!” He ordered her. She tried to move but couldn’t. It had been far worse reliving this memory than she remembered it and she realized that she couldn’t endure any more of these reminiscent events. It was far more painful than the original scenario had been. Because of what Snape had told her, she knew that when she was finally sentenced to death, this would go on indefinitely. Before the Dark Lord could comment again, she forced herself up, though it took all of her strength. She fell into the chair she had slipped out of only moments ago. “Now, will you disappoint me again?”
She couldn’t speak, so she shook her head. The memory of Snape’s warning so long ago floated into her mind as he ordered her to always answer her master. Stephanie was too frustrated, exhausted, and terrified to respond.
“Then you are excused.” He ignored her failure to speak and motioned for her to leave the room; she obliged. It took all of her concentration, but she slowly made her way up the stairs and into her bedroom. Stephanie collapsed onto her bed, trying to recover from the curses she had endured and her stomach was still heaving painfully from the memory.
It was still worth being his follower, she tried to convince herself. The Dark Lord was the only one who cared about her; if she lost that she might as well die. Suffering a painful fate would be better than having no one love her. Stephanie lifted her sleeve to kiss her Dark Mark and then she fell asleep. Soon, she would be able to prove to everyone that she was worthy of the Dark Lord’s adoration.
*~*~*~*
Harry had just finished explaining to Professor Dumbledore what he had just witnessed. Dumbledore had asked him why he didn’t eject Voldemort from his mind and Harry had to think about it for a moment. During the vision he had thought about how it could have been a false image as the one involving Sirius had been. But he had to watch because it felt so real; he felt Stephanie’s terror so realistically. Even though she probably didn’t know he was witnessing the scene, he couldn’t leave her alone there.
When he finished, Dumbledore lifted his wand and pointed it towards the door. A light flew through the door and out of the room. He didn’t ask what the headmaster had just done, but he was a little curious.
They sat in silence while Dumbledore appeared to be contemplating what he had just heard. A few moments later, there was a knock on the door and Professor McGonagall entered.
“You summoned me, Albus?” McGonagall asked. She was obviously surprised to see three students sitting in the headmaster’s office so late at night.
“Yes, Minerva.” Dumbledore answered, looking at her through his moon-shaped spectacles. “Has Severus returned yet?”
“No.” McGonagall answered while shaking her head. “I expect that he will be returning shortly.”
“Very well.” The headmaster spoke softly. “We shall wait. Minerva, will you please wake Miss Granger and Miss Weasley and bring them to this office?”
McGonagall nodded and left the room. Harry looked straight at the headmaster and spoke again.
“You know something.” Harry accused Dumbledore. He stood and threatened to leave; he couldn’t just sit there and wait for Snape to return. Who knew how long it would take and it would probably be too late. His sister could be dead long before Snape returned to Hogwarts. Snape could even be the one killing her! “You believe this is real. We can’t just sit here! We have to do something!”
“Harry, please sit down.” Dumbledore responded calmly. “As these events have occurred this evening, I know very little more than you do. I assume that Severus will be able to provide us with more insight. Professor McGonagall is bringing in the girls so that all may be informed of the recent events. There is nothing we can do for your sister at this moment.”
“But-” Harry began to argue, but Neville interrupted him.
“Harry, please calm down.” Neville said gently. “None of us want anything to happen to her, but we know that we can’t go running to her. It is too dangerous for us all, including her.”
Harry sat down in silence and they waited for McGonagall to return with Ginny and Hermione. He realized how much he needed Ginny at that moment. They had been dating for awhile now and she had helped him go through so much. Over Christmas, she had helped him recover after Scrimgeour’s slanderous statements. It had been that moment, when she held him, that he realized how much he loved her. He never wanted to look at another girl. Moments later, they walked through the headmaster’s door and Ginny ran and gave him a large hug. It felt good to be with her again.
Dumbledore explained the situation to the new arrivals, including Professor McGonagall. While Dumbledore was giving Hermione and Ginny a moment to process what they had just heard, Harry suddenly got a feeling of terror through his body. He tensed his muscles and began breathing heavily. He squeezed Ginny’s hand and looked away from the others. There was a mirror on the wall across form him and he noticed he looked more terrified than he felt.
“She’s afraid.” He whispered. The others turned to him questioningly. “Stephanie is terrified for her life.”
“Are you seeing something, Harry?” McGonagall asked him.
Harry shook his head. “I only know what she is feeling. She is pleading with Voldemort for something. She needs him to believe her.”
“Harry,” Dumbledore began, looking concerned. “Has this happened before?”
“Not like this.” Harry answered. “It has never been so obvious and clear. There is no question in my mind what she is feeling.”
Dumbledore nodded. Harry knew that Dumbledore was completely puzzled by these turn of events. Harry was frustrated that he couldn’t do anything. After a few minutes of silence while Harry tried to sort out what he was feeling, he began screaming in pain. He let go of Ginny’s hand and clutched his left arm. The pain didn’t subside, but it did reach its peak. It was as if something was being burned onto his arm. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control what he was feeling.
Suddenly, he fell out of his chair and began throwing up. He couldn’t help himself, his half-digested dinner ended up on the floor. Dumbledore waved his wand and the mess disappeared, but Harry continued to heave. In the middle of all this, Professor Snape walked in. Harry wasn’t paying attention; he was utilizing all of his energy trying to stop the heaving and the pain in his left arm.
“You called me, headmaster?” Harry heard Snape address Dumbledore, but he couldn’t say anything to the man he hated so much.
Dumbledore explained the situation to Snape and after Harry’s spell had finished, Snape turned to him. It was amazing because Snape seemed to know what Harry was going to say.
“She is alive.” Snape said coolly. “And she will remain that way for the time being.”
“How do we help her?” Harry looked at Snape with determination.
“Nothing.” Snape responded matter-of-factly. “For now she is safe and so it is important for her to remain where she is.”
“Severus,” Dumbledore spoke up. “Can you explain what happened this evening?”
Snape thought for a moment and looked at Harry as he explained what happened. “Stephanie has experienced an…unexpected increase in her magical abilities this evening.”
“Unexpected?” Hermione asked. “What does that mean?”
“We cannot know for sure, but her magical abilities are stronger than ever.” Snape began slowly. “I suspect this is the reason you have received her emotions this evening, Mr. Potter. Prior to the Dark Lord’s return, Stephanie had done very well during Occlumency lessons. There had been moments that she sent her feelings to you unintentionally, but she was able to control these once her lessons began. This increase in magic has led her to once again send you her emotions unintentionally and it also explains the reason you are receiving them so strongly.”
“If this is true,” Dumbledore began to explain with a look of concentration and concern on his face, “then it is more important than ever to keep your distance if you are confronted by her. This increase in abilities concerns me and I fear for Harry’s safety more than ever.”
“She wouldn’t hurt me.” Harry answered before he could think about what he was saying.
“That’s not true…” Hermione said quietly. All eyes turned towards her with questioning looks. Harry looked at her expectantly, hoping that Hermione would explain further. She hesitated and then continued. “Stephanie knows that she will eventually try to hurt you, Harry.”
“How do you know this, dear?” McGonagall asked with wrinkled eyebrows, showing her concern about the issue.
“In the letter she wrote, Stephanie made a…a request of me. She knew that Voldemort would train her to murder her brother, and she knew that she would eventually make an attempt.” Harry noticed that Hermione went around the topic at hand.
“What request?” He asked almost demandingly. “What did she ask you to do?”
Hermione looked at him as if she was going to cry. He felt bad for asking, but he had to know the entire story. It was his sister for crying out loud! “Please don’t make me say. She asked me not to tell you and I just can’t.”
He glared at her. Harry had gone through so much that night, his arm was still sore and his stomach felt like it would never feel normal again. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and go to sleep and Hermione wasn’t telling him what he needed to know. It was so frustrating! But he also knew that he had to respect Stephanie’s wishes so he accepted Hermione’s silence.
“Why would Voldemort want Harry to see the ceremony this evening?” McGonagall turned to Snape and asked the question Harry had been wondering as well.
Voldemort had shown him what an induction into the Death Eaters actually entailed. Snape was glaring at Harry expectantly and he understood completely about what his professor was trying to convey; and Harry would oblige. He understood a little better about what Snape and Stephanie had gone through, though Snape had done so willingly. Harry knew that he would never tell the others what it cost his sister and Professor Snape to become a Death Eater.
“The Dark Lord is gloating.” Snape responded, turning to McGonagall. “He wishes Mr. Potter to understand how greatly he has changed Stephanie. The Dark Lord is conveying the message that he can do anything, showing that he is Lord of all. He is telling Mr. Potter that Mr. Potter will fail in any attempt to defeat him.”
Harry swallowed. The others remained silent and Professor Dumbledore broke the silence. Dumbledore surprised him by admitting something he never thought he would hear. He spoke in his normally calm voice and Harry was relaxed immediately. “I will admit to you that we are close to identifying a countercurse to the spell placed upon Stephanie, so we should be able to rescue her soon. There are some tests that I need to perform first, and when it is proven to be effective we will take her to a secret location as soon as possible.”
“How long?” Harry asked. This was great news! And it made up for the fact that he wouldn’t be allowed to attempt a rescue himself. Things were starting to look up.
“It is unclear at this moment.” Dumbledore responded. “But it will be done.”
With that, the meeting was over. McGonagall told the students to return to bed and Snape made a point to mention that they would not be excused from their exam the next day. The students made their way up to their dormitories without a word, but Harry knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He was too worried about his sister and excited that she would soon be free from Voldemort and the Death Eaters. That was great news.
*
This was one of my favorite chapters by far. There was so much revealed in this chapter and I just loved Stephanie's reaction. Harry is definitely maturing too, which is both difficult and exciting to develop. So, please Leave FEEDBACK and tell me what you think!
The next chapter will be posted by Monday at the latest!
Chapter Thirty-Four: The Astronomy Tower, Part I
Hermione watched as Harry rushed out of the portrait of the fat lady with his invisibility cloak in hand. He had just told her and Ron that he and Professor Dumbledore were departing the school grounds and leaving Hogwarts unprotected. She stared down at the Marauder’s Map that Harry had placed in her hands and she looked for Malfoy. He was in the Slytherin common room with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. Everything was alright for the time being, but who knew how long it would be before Malfoy decided to make his move.
Harry had figured that since Dumbledore was leaving the grounds, that evening would be the best time for Malfoy to do whatever he had been planning. Hermione, Ron, and Harry had not been able to figure out what he was doing, but they did know he was spending a lot of time in the Room of Requirement. They had tried to open the room a few times to see what Malfoy needed it for, but it hadn’t worked. All they got was an empty room, though Hermione didn’t figure that it would work and had told them several times.
She quickly looked for Snape’s dot and found him pacing in his quarters. Good, the two were exactly where they should be. Hermione sighed and pointed them out to Ron. Then she pulled out her Dumbledore’s Army galleon and activated it to let the others know that they were needed. She wondered how many people would come, though she doubted too many still carried their coins since the DA no longer needed to meet to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Ron pulled his out and Hermione knew that it had worked. He looked at her, “What did you tell them?”
“Just to meet us in the library in five minutes.” Hermione explained. “We can’t meet here in case there are students from other houses who want to help. Let’s go.”
Ron nodded and he followed Hermione out of the common room. They walked silently but quickly towards the library and Hermione took a quick glance at Ron. Things had gotten better between them recently, especially after Ron decided to break things off with Lavender. Their friendship had been on rocky ground while Ron was dating Lavender and Hermione had felt horrible because Harry had been caught in the middle. Ron was starting to come around and, though she still found it difficult to hide her feelings from him, it had made her feel better to have his friendship back.
A few minutes later, they were outside the library and she was keeping watch for Filch on the Marauder’s Map. They didn’t want to get caught out of bed this late at night because the consequences would be severe. It was important that they continue watching Professor Snape and Malfoy; Harry was counting on Hermione and Ron to make sure the castle was safe. Not even a few minutes later, Ginny and Neville jogged up to them.
“We got your message.” Neville said, out of breath. “What’s up?”
“Where’s Harry?” Ginny placed her hands on her knees and breathed heavily. She noticed that Harry wasn’t with Hermione and Ron.
“I’ll explain everything, but let’s wait and see who else is going to show up.” Hermione answered.
After about five more minutes, they decided that no one else was going to come. Hermione was disappointed in her fellow Dumbledore’s Army members, but there wasn’t much she could do about it and there really wasn’t a lot for them to do at the moment anyway. She began to explain the situation to Ginny and Neville.
“Harry and Professor Dumbledore had to leave the castle.” She began. “Dumbledore assured Harry that he had special security measures in place, but we thought it would be a good idea to patrol the halls anyway.”
“I’m sorry I’m late.” A very faint voice said from behind them. “The foobles needed me to feed them in the garden.”
“Luna!” exclaimed Neville. “You made it!”
“Of course I did.” Luna responded airily. “I missed Dumbledore’s Army and was highly pleased to feel the coin’s warmth against my clothes once again.”
“Thank you, Luna.” Hermione said. She never knew exactly how to speak to this very odd girl, though she knew that Luna was a very nice individual and had proven to be helpful at the Department of Mysteries last year. She continued explaining the situation to the others, glad that they had another set of eyes and ears. “As I was saying, Harry feels that since Dumbledore is not in the castle this evening that Malfoy is going to make his move. We need to keep an eye on Snape and Malfoy, so I think we should split up.”
“That is a good idea. How should we do it?” Ginny responded.
“Ronald and I will go to the entrance to the Slytherin common room and wait for Malfoy to leave.” Hermione offered. She wanted to be alone with Ron for a few minutes and she hoped that they could have a talk while they waited. They desperately needed some time alone to repair the damages to their friendship. “Ginny, Luna, and Neville, you should keep an eye on Snape.”
“Sounds good to me.” Neville answered, smiling at Ginny and Luna. “I can’t turn down the opportunity to hang out with two pretty girls.”
Ginny play slapped Neville on the shoulder and pretended to be offended. Hermione let out a laugh as she realized how confident Neville was. It impressed her that he was able to flirt and joke around with them like that.
“I’ll keep the Marauder’s Map and notify you through the coins if someone is coming in your direction. You should separate quickly if you would like to signal us or need us to come to you.” Hermione instructed. “Are we all set?”
“Oh, wait!” Ron exclaimed, digging in his robes and pulling out a small bottle. “Felix Felicis.”
“That’s right.” Hermione said, grabbing the bottle and opening it. “Thanks Ron.”
“What’s this?” Ginny asked. Hermione forgot that Luna and Ginny hadn’t been in Slughorn’s class the day Harry had won the potion that gave any who drank it an incredible amount of luck, so she explained it to the girls. Each person took a drink and they were ready to go.
After each student drank their portion, each group began to walk in their separate directions. Neville, Ginny, and Luna walked towards the dungeons and Ron and Hermione made their way towards the Entrance Hall. It was common knowledge that the Slytherin dormitories were located in the dungeons under the lake.
When they made it down to the dormitory entrance so they could keep an eye on Draco, Hermione sat on the floor behind a statue. She hoped that this would obscure her from view if someone were to come out of the entrance, though she knew that she wouldn’t be surprised because of the map in her lap. Ron sat down beside her and there was silence for a very long time.
She kept thinking of things that she wanted to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak them. Hermione knew that Ron was experiencing the same thing because he would open his mouth and take a breath, as if he was going to speak, and then close his mouth again. How could she ever tell him how she felt if they couldn’t even talk to each other?
Just as she was about to force herself to say something to Ron, she noticed Draco’s dot beginning to separate from his friends on the map. She motioned for Ron to hide and they both crept lower to the ground just as Malfoy came through the entrance. They stayed a good distance behind him, making sure not to be heard. Malfoy walked up the stairs to the Room of Requirement and entered through the large door that appeared in front of him. The door immediately closed behind him as Ron tried to enter through it.
“Great.” Ron said as he wiggled the handle on the door. It appeared to be locked. “What now?”
“We wait.” Hermione responded. She quickly sent a note through the galleon to the others, telling them that they were outside the Room of Requirement. She also ordered them to stay put; she would notify them if she needed them.
Hermione sat on the floor in front of the entrance to the Room of Requirement for what seemed like hours. Ron was pacing up and down the hallway. She realized that he must be really uncomfortable. They still said nothing. Draco was also spending his time pacing in the Room of Requirement; that was all he was doing. Hermione figured he was waiting for something. But what could it be? What would appear to him there?
While she was looking at the map, she noticed some familiar names of Order members scattered throughout the castle. Bill Weasley and Kingsley were stationed at the front door of the castle. Professor Lupin and Tonks were roaming the halls near the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall was remaining still in her office. She sighed in relief that at least they would have help if something happened.
“Oh no!” She gasped a little louder than she had intended when she noticed some new names appear on the map. Hermione immediately pulled out her galleon and sent a message to the others. Death Eaters in the castle! Go get McGonagall!
Ron rushed over when he heard her shriek and then felt his galleon burn. “What is it?”
“Stephanie’s here!” Hermione shrieked. “How did they get in the castle?”
He looked at the map and saw the names. In addition to Malfoy and Stephanie, Amycus Carrow, Alecto Carrow, Fenrir Greyback, Rowle, Yaxley, and Gibbon’s names appeared on the map. “What do we do?”
“Follow them until help gets here.” Hermione whispered. They ran down the hall and watched as Draco led the Death Eaters through the castle. She caught a glimpse of Stephanie in the darkness and felt a sudden need to rush up to her friend, though she controlled herself. They followed the Death Eaters to a staircase at the far end of the hallway when spells suddenly flew in all directions. Lupin and Tonks were running through the hall yelling at Hermione and Ron to get out of the way.
Hermione ducked as a spell flew in her direction. She pulled out her wand and sent one away from her.
“Hermione! Be careful!” Ron yelled as he was caught in a duel with Yaxley. She looked around for Draco, but he was nowhere in sight. He must have gone up the stairs to the Astronomy tower. She began to run towards it to follow him, but she was thrown backwards into the wall.
Stephanie walked up to her with an evil grin on her face. Professor Dumbledore had warned them to keep their distance from Stephanie because she was so dangerous. Hermione’s stomach turned over in anticipation for what was to come. It horrified her that Stephanie was going to do this, and she wondered if she would be able to harm Stephanie if she had the opportunity. She realized that she might have to make a decision about the request Stephanie had once asked of her.
Hermione raised her wand again and pointed it as Stephanie walked closer. She tried to reason with her friend, though Hermione knew the attempt would be pointless. “Stephanie, don’t do this! We can help you.”
“I don’t associate with mudbloods!” Stephanie yelled at her. The comment stung and Hermione forced herself to remember that Stephanie wasn’t actually saying these things. It was what Voldemort had done to her; it was Voldemort that was forcing Stephanie to act this way.
Hermione prepared herself to curse Stephanie, though she would try not to harm her. Stephanie had to be rendered defenseless because she was so dangerous. There was just no way around it. She yelled the spell reluctantly at her friend. “Stupefy!”
Stephanie lazily blocked the spell and it rebounded off the wall. Hermione watched as Stephanie just laughed. “Such a feeble attempt. You have to do better than that.”
Before Hermione could respond, she heard yells from all around her.
“There she is!”
“Remember what Dumbledore said.”
“On three!”
Stephanie heard them too and she looked around suspiciously. Before Hermione or Stephanie could do anything, five bright white lights flew towards Stephanie. Hermione saw that she tried to block the spells, but she couldn’t stop them all at once. Hermione was amazed as Stephanie was quickly encompassed in a shield of light. Stephanie looked scared as she tried to escape, but nothing she tried worked to help her escape. Hermione watched as Stephanie cast spell after spell against the shield, and still nothing released her from her prison.
Hermione turned and ran away, realizing that this shield was being used to rescue Stephanie from the clutches of Voldemort. Finally Stephanie would be free. She turned and saw several Death Eaters staring at Stephanie in shock. They watched as Stephanie tried to scream, but nothing was heard through the thickness of the shield. The Death Eaters returned to their battles without giving Stephanie a second thought.
A few minutes later, Hermione heard a muffled scream and a loud explosion, she turned immediately towards the source of the noise. The shield shattered in front of her. Then Stephanie ran past her and up the stairs towards the Astronomy tower. The other Death Eaters, surprised at Stephanie’s escape, quickly followed her up the stairs.
“How did she do that?” Hermione heard Lupin ask no one in particular.
“That’s not possible!” Kingsley commented in awe. “Let’s go!”
Hermione followed the Order members as they ran up the stairs behind the Death Eaters. But they found a surprise when they reached the door leading to the outside of the castle: it wouldn’t open. Lupin and Kingsley tried spell after spell and nothing worked. The Death Eaters must have cast a spell upon the door.
“Has someone summoned Severus?” Kingsley asked, looking at the others.
“Yes,” replied Professor McGonagall. “I sent Professor Flitwick to him awhile ago. They should be here soon.”
They all walked down the stairs and waited for the Death Eaters to return inside the castle. There wasn’t anything else they could do except that. Hermione gathered with her friends to regroup.
“Are you alright?” Ron asked everyone. He was closest to Hermione and rubbed his arm on the back of her shoulders. Hermione closed her eyes with excitement at Ron’s gesture.
They all nodded in response; they were pretty shaken up but at least they were alive.
“I thought she was going to kill you.” Ginny told Hermione, giving her a hug and Hermione returned the gesture.
“So did I.” Hermione answered honestly. They had to be more careful because Stephanie didn’t know what she was doing. Maybe she did, but she couldn’t control it. Hermione was also surprised at how powerful and skillful Stephanie had become; they definitely had to be more cautious around her.
Suddenly Professor Snape rushed down the hall. He stopped for a moment to talk with the Order members and then ran up the stairs to the Astronomy tower and he walked easily through the door. It must only allow Death Eaters through, Hermione realized.
A short while later, Malfoy ran down the stairs and through the hall. He was gone before anyone could catch him; Snape was running quickly after him. They all figured that Snape was chasing Draco for what he had done on the tower. Suddenly the remaining Death Eaters came running down the stairs and returned to the battle. Hermione was stuck battling Amycus Carrow.
She saw Harry run down the stairs and Ginny told him that Snape and Draco had run down the hall. He told them that Snape killed Professor Dumbledore. Hermione stood still. She couldn’t believe it! Professor Dumbledore couldn’t be dead! And Snape wouldn’t have killed him! Dumbledore trusted Snape! She was brought back to reality after being hit with a stinging jinx. Hermione quickly returned to dueling Amycus.
Hermione heard Stephanie arguing with Neville, but she couldn’t take her concentration off Amycus long enough to pay attention. But suddenly she heard another explosion and saw Neville fly across the hallway and land in a crumpled heap on the floor.
“Neville!” She screamed and left her duel to chase after Neville. Amycus fled in the other direction.
“Help her.” Neville whispered when she got to him. He lost consciousness and Hermione knew what she had to do. She called to Ginny who ran over to keep an eye on Neville. Hermione hurried to Ron and told him to follow her. They ran down the stairs and out the front door. There, she saw Stephanie hovering over Harry with Snape standing a short distance behind her.
Hermione ran towards her friends and called out to Stephanie. “Stephanie! Please, don’t!”
She knew that she wouldn’t make it all the way to them in time, so she stopped and hoped that her spell would make it the distance. The problem was that she didn’t know which spell to use that would be most effective against Stephanie’s increase in magical abilities. She only had one opportunity to surprise Stephanie and she couldn’t fail in disarming her friend. It was the first time in her life that she froze under pressure; this was usually when she thrived. What was she going to do?
As she continued to think about what she could do, she didn’t even see the figure dressed in black robes raise his wand towards her and Ron from the distance. Her mind was suddenly cleared of all thought and a spell she had never heard of came to her mind. A voice told her to cast the spell upon Stephanie. Hermione raised her wand and yelled with all her might, “IMPEDOMAGUS!”
*~*~*~*
Harry hadn’t wanted to leave the castle that night, because he knew that Malfoy was close to completing his task, though Harry didn’t know what it was that Malfoy was supposed to do. At Professor Slughorn’s Christmas party, Harry had overheard Snape offering to help Malfoy with his mission. Malfoy had nastily declined the offer, but that was the moment Harry realized that Snape was not working for the Order. He couldn’t understand how Dumbledore could trust Snape so unconditionally, but he wasn’t going to take chances and allow Snape to get away with it. He couldn’t allow it, especially since Snape had such a large impact on what happened to Stephanie. Snape had abandoned Stephanie after she had killed Marcus Flint; there was no way he could trust Snape after that. So, ever since the Christmas party he had kept a closer watch on Snape as well as Malfoy.
He also knew that Malfoy was close to being ready to completing his task. Harry had spent endless hours watching Malfoy on the Marauder’s Map and following him around the castle. One day a few weeks ago he had heard Malfoy celebrating in the Room of Requirement. Harry knew this meant that something had gone well for Malfoy and that couldn’t be good for Harry. With Dumbledore leaving Hogwarts for the evening, he knew that this was the night that Malfoy was going to make his move. He couldn’t leave the castle unprotected, so he asked Hermione and Ron to call Dumbledore’s Army into action. He just hoped that the others were still carrying their coins.
That was a few hours ago, and now he was helping an ailing Dumbledore through the streets of Hogsmeade. They had gone into a cave to retrieve one of Voldemort’s horcruxes, or pieces of Voldemort’s soul, and Dumbledore was very weak from drinking the horrible potion. Harry just hoped that they could get back to Hogwarts in time to save his beloved headmaster and friend. Just as they got to the Three Broomsticks, Madam Rosmerta came running out of the pub.
“Have you seen it?” She asked hurriedly when she saw the professor.
“Seen what?” Harry asked. “It’s Dumbledore, he’s sick.”
Madam Rosmerta ran to Dumbledore and helped Harry carry him closer to the pub. She ignored his question and directly addressed the headmaster. “It’s the Dark Mark, Albus.”
Professor Dumbledore looked up anxiously. “Where?”
“Above the school.” Madam Rosmerta pointed towards Hogwarts. Harry looked into the sky and saw the Dark Mark cleanly floating above one of the towers.
He took a deep breath as he realized what that meant. “Is someone…?”
Harry trailed off because he couldn’t finish the question. His thoughts immediately turned to his friends. Was Ginny alright? What about Ron and Hermione? Or Neville? He knew what he had to do before even thinking about it. He pointed his wand towards the Three Broomsticks and summoned some brooms, “Accio Rosmerta’s Brooms!”
“You can’t go!” Madam Rosmerta argued. “Not by yourself.”
“It’ll be too late by the time Ministry officials get there.” Dumbledore said weakly. “I must return to the castle.”
Harry helped Dumbledore onto his broom and then mounted his own. He pulled the invisibility cloak over himself and then kicked off from the ground. They both flew quickly through the air towards the school and landed cleanly on top of the Astronomy tower. Harry removed his cloak and looked at the headmaster.
“Go get Severus.” Dumbledore ordered. Harry just stared disbelievingly at his headmaster. After all this, how could he still trust Professor Snape? “I need Severus.”
“But-” Harry began to argue, but Dumbledore interrupted him.
“Go!” Dumbledore ordered once again.
Harry slipped the cloak back on himself and made his way towards the door. As he was about to open it, the door slammed open and Harry heard someone yell, “Expelliarmus!”
He was surprised that his wand didn’t leave his hand. Harry tried to turn and walk towards the door, but he couldn’t move. Someone had cast a freezing charm on him. He was utterly confused.
He watched the scene unfold before him as he stood immobilized near the door, invisible to the world. Malfoy was talking to the wandless professor and Harry was frustrated that he couldn’t help. He struggled against the spell, but knew that he was powerless to overcome its effects.
“Don’t do this, Draco.” The headmaster pleaded with Malfoy. Harry noticed that Draco was shaking slightly from what appeared to be fear, though it wouldn’t have been obvious if he had looked just at Malfoy’s face. Malfoy looked absolutely determined to complete his task. “We can help you.”
“I don’t need your help.” Draco said coolly while pointing his wand rigidly at the headmaster. “You should be pleading for your own life instead of trying to save mine.”
“You aren’t a killer Draco.” Dumbledore said to the teenager kindly. “You don’t have to do this. We can help you.”
“How do you know?” Draco spat at Dumbledore. It looked like Malfoy was going to throw up, but he continued to fight the urge. Harry struggled to watch, knowing what was inevitable. And there was nothing he could do.
“You have been attempting to kill me all year.” Dumbledore responded calmly, seemingly unaffected by being defenseless while a Death Eater, who was determined to prove himself, kept a wand aimed at him. “In the process you almost killed two students. You don’t have it in you.”
Draco narrowed his eyes in anger at the accusation made by the headmaster. “How dare you assume that I am unable to murder? You know that if I had been given the opportunity, Stephanie would have been dead a long time ago.”
Harry struggled against the freezing charm once again. Malfoy didn’t know that he was there, and had he been free Malfoy would have been dead. Dumbledore looked sympathetically in his direction for a moment and then turned back to Malfoy. Draco turned around quickly, looking for what Dumbledore had looked at, but he saw nothing.
“How did you do it?” Dumbledore asked, obviously stalling for time and changing the subject. “How did you get them into the castle?”
“The Vanishing Cabinet that has been in the Room of Requirement for years.” Draco smiled at his ingenuity. “When that student vanished last year, I discovered that it was connected to the one at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. It has just taken me all year to fix it. And finally a few weeks ago I was successful.”
“Ah,” Dumbledore nodded. “I see.”
Suddenly the door burst open again and several people ran through it, knocking Harry over. He landed against the wall, standing upright but only just barely. He tried to gasp in surprise as Stephanie ran past him and towards Draco. Several other Death Eaters followed her.
“Come on, Draco.” The woman closest to Draco and Stephanie ordered. “Do it already. We have to get out of here!”
Stephanie pushed Draco aside and raised her wand at Dumbledore. Harry was shocked that Stephanie had a look of anger on her face; he knew that Dumbledore had done so much for her. He had protected her and brought them all together. Again he fought hopelessly against his immobilization. He couldn’t bring himself to watch his sister murder the headmaster.
“If you aren’t going to do it, I will.” Stephanie almost laughed at Draco. She muttered something under her breath that Harry couldn’t hear. Stephanie opened her mouth to speak again, but the door to the tower slammed open once more and Stephanie was thrown to the side.
“Severus!” Dumbledore called. “Please, Severus.”
Harry watched in horror as Snape pointed his wand at Professor Dumbledore and yelled the words Harry had not wanted to hear ever again. “Avada Kedavra!”
Dumbledore smiled as the curse hit him square in the chest. The light left Dumbledore’s eyes and Harry tried to scream, but nothing came out. All he could do was watch as Snape ran towards Malfoy and Stephanie; he ordered them out of the castle. “Get out of here quickly!”
Draco turned and ran out the door and Stephanie followed at a much slower pace. She obviously wasn’t as terrified as Draco had been. Snape hurried out the door and was followed by the remaining Death Eaters. He heard spells resuming down the stairs and he attempted to move once more. His arm twitched and he realized that he was able to run. Harry forced the cloak off himself and he ran down the stairs and after Malfoy and Snape. He had to get them before they left the grounds.
Down the stairs, he paused long enough to update Ginny. “Snape killed Dumbledore!”
She gasped in surprise and told him that Snape had just run past them towards the front door. He took a moment to look at Stephanie who was dueling Neville, but he realized he couldn’t stop for her. He had to go after Snape.
Once he was outside, Malfoy was nowhere to be seen, but Harry saw Snape running towards the gates. Harry picked up his pace and quickly ran after his professor. As he got closer to Snape, Harry called out a spell. “Stupefy!”
The spell just missed Snape’s head and Harry heard Snape yell to Draco, who Harry could not see. “Run, Draco.”
Harry couldn’t control himself. He couldn’t let the man who had killed the headmaster get away. He would never be able to live with himself if he let him go. “Cruc-”
He couldn’t get the spell out before Snape knocked him to the ground. Snape shook his head in amusement, and Harry tried again. “Cruc-”
But again Snape just deflected the curse. He taunted Harry, “No Unforgiveable Curses for you, Potter.”
He couldn’t believe Snape. Why wouldn’t Snape allow him to cast any Unforgiveable Curses while his sister was throwing them around aimlessly? Just then he felt himself get pounded, like a giant had stepped on him. He screamed in surprise and pain as Stephanie came into his vision. She was smiling in glee. By instinct, he raised his wand.
Stephanie simply flicked her wand and his own flew out of his hand, leaving him defenseless. He looked at Snape who was busy looking behind Stephanie and Harry, though he knew that Snape would never protect him. He would rather let Stephanie kill him than try to cast a spell against her anyway; he could never do that to his sister.
“You are going to die tonight, Harry Potter.” Stephanie said quietly, but with a sinister tone. “The Dark Lord has allowed me to see that it is what you deserve.”
Harry remained quiet because he didn’t want to say anything that could upset his sister. He knew what she must do and he had to allow it. This was finally the opportunity he had so desperately needed to help his sister. By her killing him, she would be protected; Stephanie would be allowed to live. He didn’t even want imagine what the penalty would be if she were to fail at this task.
“I have suffered so much.” She continued and Harry just wanted to listen. He wanted to know what Stephanie had been through. “It has been painful and lonely. But it has also been rewarding and inspiring.
“The Dark Lord has taken me in. He has cared for me, taught me how to demand respect, and inspired me to do great things. You have done nothing but rub your freedom in my face and abandon me at every turn.” She finished and Harry began to let the tears fall down his face.
“Is that what you think?” He asked her. Harry couldn’t remain silent any longer. She had to know that he loved her; that he wanted to help her, but just had not been allowed to.
“It is what I know.” Stephanie glared at him. The look she gave him terrified him; there was so much pain in her eyes that he almost didn’t recognize her. He cried at this new Stephanie he was seeing.
“Stephanie, please.” Harry begged her, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture. “I would do anything for you. You are my sister, my family. I love you.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Stephanie yelled and waved her wand at Harry. He began to writhe in pain and scream loudly as she cast the Cruciatus Curse upon him. It only lasted about two seconds, but the pain lingered. That had been the most painful Curse he had ever endured, he thought. How did she get so powerful?
She continued to yell at him. “The Dark Lord showed me what you said to him at the Ministry of Magic the night Sirius died. You don’t love me and you never have. All you care about is yourself and I can’t believe I ever trusted you! You hurt me.”
Harry didn’t know what she was talking about. He had never said that to Voldemort. In fact, he had told Voldemort how much he loved his sister and that he would stop at nothing to rescue her, to protect her. Where was she getting this?
“I didn’t say that!” Harry responded, though he doubted there was much he could do to make her realize that it was Voldemort that had been deceitful with her. “He is lying to you. You have to believe me. I love you more than anything in this world. All I have wanted to do since that night in the graveyard is protect you!”
“I don’t believe you, Harry. The Dark Lord would never lie to me.” Stephanie seethed through gritted teeth. She relaxed her muscles a little and smiled at a thought that crossed her mind.
“Goodbye, Harry.” Stephanie shrieked with glee. They were both concentrating so deeply on each other that neither one of them heard Hermione screaming from the distance. He realized the moment had come. He couldn’t watch his sister kill him; he didn’t want that to be the last thing he would ever see. Harry squeezed his eyes shut as Stephanie began casting the last spell he would ever hear.
“Avada Kedavra!”
We have finally gotten to the part in the story that I have been planning in my mind (and on paper) for awhile now. I honestly almost cry every time I read the ending of this chapter with the scene between Harry/Stephanie. Please tell me what you are thinking about the chapter/story!
I haven't started the next chapter, though I know what it entails. So it shouldn't take me too long to write it. So, I'm hoping to have the next chapter posted on Tuesday. We'll see what happens! Have a great New Years everyone!
Hermione watched as Harry rushed out of the portrait of the fat lady with his invisibility cloak in hand. He had just told her and Ron that he and Professor Dumbledore were departing the school grounds and leaving Hogwarts unprotected. She stared down at the Marauder’s Map that Harry had placed in her hands and she looked for Malfoy. He was in the Slytherin common room with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. Everything was alright for the time being, but who knew how long it would be before Malfoy decided to make his move.
Harry had figured that since Dumbledore was leaving the grounds, that evening would be the best time for Malfoy to do whatever he had been planning. Hermione, Ron, and Harry had not been able to figure out what he was doing, but they did know he was spending a lot of time in the Room of Requirement. They had tried to open the room a few times to see what Malfoy needed it for, but it hadn’t worked. All they got was an empty room, though Hermione didn’t figure that it would work and had told them several times.
She quickly looked for Snape’s dot and found him pacing in his quarters. Good, the two were exactly where they should be. Hermione sighed and pointed them out to Ron. Then she pulled out her Dumbledore’s Army galleon and activated it to let the others know that they were needed. She wondered how many people would come, though she doubted too many still carried their coins since the DA no longer needed to meet to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Ron pulled his out and Hermione knew that it had worked. He looked at her, “What did you tell them?”
“Just to meet us in the library in five minutes.” Hermione explained. “We can’t meet here in case there are students from other houses who want to help. Let’s go.”
Ron nodded and he followed Hermione out of the common room. They walked silently but quickly towards the library and Hermione took a quick glance at Ron. Things had gotten better between them recently, especially after Ron decided to break things off with Lavender. Their friendship had been on rocky ground while Ron was dating Lavender and Hermione had felt horrible because Harry had been caught in the middle. Ron was starting to come around and, though she still found it difficult to hide her feelings from him, it had made her feel better to have his friendship back.
A few minutes later, they were outside the library and she was keeping watch for Filch on the Marauder’s Map. They didn’t want to get caught out of bed this late at night because the consequences would be severe. It was important that they continue watching Professor Snape and Malfoy; Harry was counting on Hermione and Ron to make sure the castle was safe. Not even a few minutes later, Ginny and Neville jogged up to them.
“We got your message.” Neville said, out of breath. “What’s up?”
“Where’s Harry?” Ginny placed her hands on her knees and breathed heavily. She noticed that Harry wasn’t with Hermione and Ron.
“I’ll explain everything, but let’s wait and see who else is going to show up.” Hermione answered.
After about five more minutes, they decided that no one else was going to come. Hermione was disappointed in her fellow Dumbledore’s Army members, but there wasn’t much she could do about it and there really wasn’t a lot for them to do at the moment anyway. She began to explain the situation to Ginny and Neville.
“Harry and Professor Dumbledore had to leave the castle.” She began. “Dumbledore assured Harry that he had special security measures in place, but we thought it would be a good idea to patrol the halls anyway.”
“I’m sorry I’m late.” A very faint voice said from behind them. “The foobles needed me to feed them in the garden.”
“Luna!” exclaimed Neville. “You made it!”
“Of course I did.” Luna responded airily. “I missed Dumbledore’s Army and was highly pleased to feel the coin’s warmth against my clothes once again.”
“Thank you, Luna.” Hermione said. She never knew exactly how to speak to this very odd girl, though she knew that Luna was a very nice individual and had proven to be helpful at the Department of Mysteries last year. She continued explaining the situation to the others, glad that they had another set of eyes and ears. “As I was saying, Harry feels that since Dumbledore is not in the castle this evening that Malfoy is going to make his move. We need to keep an eye on Snape and Malfoy, so I think we should split up.”
“That is a good idea. How should we do it?” Ginny responded.
“Ronald and I will go to the entrance to the Slytherin common room and wait for Malfoy to leave.” Hermione offered. She wanted to be alone with Ron for a few minutes and she hoped that they could have a talk while they waited. They desperately needed some time alone to repair the damages to their friendship. “Ginny, Luna, and Neville, you should keep an eye on Snape.”
“Sounds good to me.” Neville answered, smiling at Ginny and Luna. “I can’t turn down the opportunity to hang out with two pretty girls.”
Ginny play slapped Neville on the shoulder and pretended to be offended. Hermione let out a laugh as she realized how confident Neville was. It impressed her that he was able to flirt and joke around with them like that.
“I’ll keep the Marauder’s Map and notify you through the coins if someone is coming in your direction. You should separate quickly if you would like to signal us or need us to come to you.” Hermione instructed. “Are we all set?”
“Oh, wait!” Ron exclaimed, digging in his robes and pulling out a small bottle. “Felix Felicis.”
“That’s right.” Hermione said, grabbing the bottle and opening it. “Thanks Ron.”
“What’s this?” Ginny asked. Hermione forgot that Luna and Ginny hadn’t been in Slughorn’s class the day Harry had won the potion that gave any who drank it an incredible amount of luck, so she explained it to the girls. Each person took a drink and they were ready to go.
After each student drank their portion, each group began to walk in their separate directions. Neville, Ginny, and Luna walked towards the dungeons and Ron and Hermione made their way towards the Entrance Hall. It was common knowledge that the Slytherin dormitories were located in the dungeons under the lake.
When they made it down to the dormitory entrance so they could keep an eye on Draco, Hermione sat on the floor behind a statue. She hoped that this would obscure her from view if someone were to come out of the entrance, though she knew that she wouldn’t be surprised because of the map in her lap. Ron sat down beside her and there was silence for a very long time.
She kept thinking of things that she wanted to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak them. Hermione knew that Ron was experiencing the same thing because he would open his mouth and take a breath, as if he was going to speak, and then close his mouth again. How could she ever tell him how she felt if they couldn’t even talk to each other?
Just as she was about to force herself to say something to Ron, she noticed Draco’s dot beginning to separate from his friends on the map. She motioned for Ron to hide and they both crept lower to the ground just as Malfoy came through the entrance. They stayed a good distance behind him, making sure not to be heard. Malfoy walked up the stairs to the Room of Requirement and entered through the large door that appeared in front of him. The door immediately closed behind him as Ron tried to enter through it.
“Great.” Ron said as he wiggled the handle on the door. It appeared to be locked. “What now?”
“We wait.” Hermione responded. She quickly sent a note through the galleon to the others, telling them that they were outside the Room of Requirement. She also ordered them to stay put; she would notify them if she needed them.
Hermione sat on the floor in front of the entrance to the Room of Requirement for what seemed like hours. Ron was pacing up and down the hallway. She realized that he must be really uncomfortable. They still said nothing. Draco was also spending his time pacing in the Room of Requirement; that was all he was doing. Hermione figured he was waiting for something. But what could it be? What would appear to him there?
While she was looking at the map, she noticed some familiar names of Order members scattered throughout the castle. Bill Weasley and Kingsley were stationed at the front door of the castle. Professor Lupin and Tonks were roaming the halls near the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall was remaining still in her office. She sighed in relief that at least they would have help if something happened.
“Oh no!” She gasped a little louder than she had intended when she noticed some new names appear on the map. Hermione immediately pulled out her galleon and sent a message to the others. Death Eaters in the castle! Go get McGonagall!
Ron rushed over when he heard her shriek and then felt his galleon burn. “What is it?”
“Stephanie’s here!” Hermione shrieked. “How did they get in the castle?”
He looked at the map and saw the names. In addition to Malfoy and Stephanie, Amycus Carrow, Alecto Carrow, Fenrir Greyback, Rowle, Yaxley, and Gibbon’s names appeared on the map. “What do we do?”
“Follow them until help gets here.” Hermione whispered. They ran down the hall and watched as Draco led the Death Eaters through the castle. She caught a glimpse of Stephanie in the darkness and felt a sudden need to rush up to her friend, though she controlled herself. They followed the Death Eaters to a staircase at the far end of the hallway when spells suddenly flew in all directions. Lupin and Tonks were running through the hall yelling at Hermione and Ron to get out of the way.
Hermione ducked as a spell flew in her direction. She pulled out her wand and sent one away from her.
“Hermione! Be careful!” Ron yelled as he was caught in a duel with Yaxley. She looked around for Draco, but he was nowhere in sight. He must have gone up the stairs to the Astronomy tower. She began to run towards it to follow him, but she was thrown backwards into the wall.
Stephanie walked up to her with an evil grin on her face. Professor Dumbledore had warned them to keep their distance from Stephanie because she was so dangerous. Hermione’s stomach turned over in anticipation for what was to come. It horrified her that Stephanie was going to do this, and she wondered if she would be able to harm Stephanie if she had the opportunity. She realized that she might have to make a decision about the request Stephanie had once asked of her.
Hermione raised her wand again and pointed it as Stephanie walked closer. She tried to reason with her friend, though Hermione knew the attempt would be pointless. “Stephanie, don’t do this! We can help you.”
“I don’t associate with mudbloods!” Stephanie yelled at her. The comment stung and Hermione forced herself to remember that Stephanie wasn’t actually saying these things. It was what Voldemort had done to her; it was Voldemort that was forcing Stephanie to act this way.
Hermione prepared herself to curse Stephanie, though she would try not to harm her. Stephanie had to be rendered defenseless because she was so dangerous. There was just no way around it. She yelled the spell reluctantly at her friend. “Stupefy!”
Stephanie lazily blocked the spell and it rebounded off the wall. Hermione watched as Stephanie just laughed. “Such a feeble attempt. You have to do better than that.”
Before Hermione could respond, she heard yells from all around her.
“There she is!”
“Remember what Dumbledore said.”
“On three!”
Stephanie heard them too and she looked around suspiciously. Before Hermione or Stephanie could do anything, five bright white lights flew towards Stephanie. Hermione saw that she tried to block the spells, but she couldn’t stop them all at once. Hermione was amazed as Stephanie was quickly encompassed in a shield of light. Stephanie looked scared as she tried to escape, but nothing she tried worked to help her escape. Hermione watched as Stephanie cast spell after spell against the shield, and still nothing released her from her prison.
Hermione turned and ran away, realizing that this shield was being used to rescue Stephanie from the clutches of Voldemort. Finally Stephanie would be free. She turned and saw several Death Eaters staring at Stephanie in shock. They watched as Stephanie tried to scream, but nothing was heard through the thickness of the shield. The Death Eaters returned to their battles without giving Stephanie a second thought.
A few minutes later, Hermione heard a muffled scream and a loud explosion, she turned immediately towards the source of the noise. The shield shattered in front of her. Then Stephanie ran past her and up the stairs towards the Astronomy tower. The other Death Eaters, surprised at Stephanie’s escape, quickly followed her up the stairs.
“How did she do that?” Hermione heard Lupin ask no one in particular.
“That’s not possible!” Kingsley commented in awe. “Let’s go!”
Hermione followed the Order members as they ran up the stairs behind the Death Eaters. But they found a surprise when they reached the door leading to the outside of the castle: it wouldn’t open. Lupin and Kingsley tried spell after spell and nothing worked. The Death Eaters must have cast a spell upon the door.
“Has someone summoned Severus?” Kingsley asked, looking at the others.
“Yes,” replied Professor McGonagall. “I sent Professor Flitwick to him awhile ago. They should be here soon.”
They all walked down the stairs and waited for the Death Eaters to return inside the castle. There wasn’t anything else they could do except that. Hermione gathered with her friends to regroup.
“Are you alright?” Ron asked everyone. He was closest to Hermione and rubbed his arm on the back of her shoulders. Hermione closed her eyes with excitement at Ron’s gesture.
They all nodded in response; they were pretty shaken up but at least they were alive.
“I thought she was going to kill you.” Ginny told Hermione, giving her a hug and Hermione returned the gesture.
“So did I.” Hermione answered honestly. They had to be more careful because Stephanie didn’t know what she was doing. Maybe she did, but she couldn’t control it. Hermione was also surprised at how powerful and skillful Stephanie had become; they definitely had to be more cautious around her.
Suddenly Professor Snape rushed down the hall. He stopped for a moment to talk with the Order members and then ran up the stairs to the Astronomy tower and he walked easily through the door. It must only allow Death Eaters through, Hermione realized.
A short while later, Malfoy ran down the stairs and through the hall. He was gone before anyone could catch him; Snape was running quickly after him. They all figured that Snape was chasing Draco for what he had done on the tower. Suddenly the remaining Death Eaters came running down the stairs and returned to the battle. Hermione was stuck battling Amycus Carrow.
She saw Harry run down the stairs and Ginny told him that Snape and Draco had run down the hall. He told them that Snape killed Professor Dumbledore. Hermione stood still. She couldn’t believe it! Professor Dumbledore couldn’t be dead! And Snape wouldn’t have killed him! Dumbledore trusted Snape! She was brought back to reality after being hit with a stinging jinx. Hermione quickly returned to dueling Amycus.
Hermione heard Stephanie arguing with Neville, but she couldn’t take her concentration off Amycus long enough to pay attention. But suddenly she heard another explosion and saw Neville fly across the hallway and land in a crumpled heap on the floor.
“Neville!” She screamed and left her duel to chase after Neville. Amycus fled in the other direction.
“Help her.” Neville whispered when she got to him. He lost consciousness and Hermione knew what she had to do. She called to Ginny who ran over to keep an eye on Neville. Hermione hurried to Ron and told him to follow her. They ran down the stairs and out the front door. There, she saw Stephanie hovering over Harry with Snape standing a short distance behind her.
Hermione ran towards her friends and called out to Stephanie. “Stephanie! Please, don’t!”
She knew that she wouldn’t make it all the way to them in time, so she stopped and hoped that her spell would make it the distance. The problem was that she didn’t know which spell to use that would be most effective against Stephanie’s increase in magical abilities. She only had one opportunity to surprise Stephanie and she couldn’t fail in disarming her friend. It was the first time in her life that she froze under pressure; this was usually when she thrived. What was she going to do?
As she continued to think about what she could do, she didn’t even see the figure dressed in black robes raise his wand towards her and Ron from the distance. Her mind was suddenly cleared of all thought and a spell she had never heard of came to her mind. A voice told her to cast the spell upon Stephanie. Hermione raised her wand and yelled with all her might, “IMPEDOMAGUS!”
*~*~*~*
Harry hadn’t wanted to leave the castle that night, because he knew that Malfoy was close to completing his task, though Harry didn’t know what it was that Malfoy was supposed to do. At Professor Slughorn’s Christmas party, Harry had overheard Snape offering to help Malfoy with his mission. Malfoy had nastily declined the offer, but that was the moment Harry realized that Snape was not working for the Order. He couldn’t understand how Dumbledore could trust Snape so unconditionally, but he wasn’t going to take chances and allow Snape to get away with it. He couldn’t allow it, especially since Snape had such a large impact on what happened to Stephanie. Snape had abandoned Stephanie after she had killed Marcus Flint; there was no way he could trust Snape after that. So, ever since the Christmas party he had kept a closer watch on Snape as well as Malfoy.
He also knew that Malfoy was close to being ready to completing his task. Harry had spent endless hours watching Malfoy on the Marauder’s Map and following him around the castle. One day a few weeks ago he had heard Malfoy celebrating in the Room of Requirement. Harry knew this meant that something had gone well for Malfoy and that couldn’t be good for Harry. With Dumbledore leaving Hogwarts for the evening, he knew that this was the night that Malfoy was going to make his move. He couldn’t leave the castle unprotected, so he asked Hermione and Ron to call Dumbledore’s Army into action. He just hoped that the others were still carrying their coins.
That was a few hours ago, and now he was helping an ailing Dumbledore through the streets of Hogsmeade. They had gone into a cave to retrieve one of Voldemort’s horcruxes, or pieces of Voldemort’s soul, and Dumbledore was very weak from drinking the horrible potion. Harry just hoped that they could get back to Hogwarts in time to save his beloved headmaster and friend. Just as they got to the Three Broomsticks, Madam Rosmerta came running out of the pub.
“Have you seen it?” She asked hurriedly when she saw the professor.
“Seen what?” Harry asked. “It’s Dumbledore, he’s sick.”
Madam Rosmerta ran to Dumbledore and helped Harry carry him closer to the pub. She ignored his question and directly addressed the headmaster. “It’s the Dark Mark, Albus.”
Professor Dumbledore looked up anxiously. “Where?”
“Above the school.” Madam Rosmerta pointed towards Hogwarts. Harry looked into the sky and saw the Dark Mark cleanly floating above one of the towers.
He took a deep breath as he realized what that meant. “Is someone…?”
Harry trailed off because he couldn’t finish the question. His thoughts immediately turned to his friends. Was Ginny alright? What about Ron and Hermione? Or Neville? He knew what he had to do before even thinking about it. He pointed his wand towards the Three Broomsticks and summoned some brooms, “Accio Rosmerta’s Brooms!”
“You can’t go!” Madam Rosmerta argued. “Not by yourself.”
“It’ll be too late by the time Ministry officials get there.” Dumbledore said weakly. “I must return to the castle.”
Harry helped Dumbledore onto his broom and then mounted his own. He pulled the invisibility cloak over himself and then kicked off from the ground. They both flew quickly through the air towards the school and landed cleanly on top of the Astronomy tower. Harry removed his cloak and looked at the headmaster.
“Go get Severus.” Dumbledore ordered. Harry just stared disbelievingly at his headmaster. After all this, how could he still trust Professor Snape? “I need Severus.”
“But-” Harry began to argue, but Dumbledore interrupted him.
“Go!” Dumbledore ordered once again.
Harry slipped the cloak back on himself and made his way towards the door. As he was about to open it, the door slammed open and Harry heard someone yell, “Expelliarmus!”
He was surprised that his wand didn’t leave his hand. Harry tried to turn and walk towards the door, but he couldn’t move. Someone had cast a freezing charm on him. He was utterly confused.
He watched the scene unfold before him as he stood immobilized near the door, invisible to the world. Malfoy was talking to the wandless professor and Harry was frustrated that he couldn’t help. He struggled against the spell, but knew that he was powerless to overcome its effects.
“Don’t do this, Draco.” The headmaster pleaded with Malfoy. Harry noticed that Draco was shaking slightly from what appeared to be fear, though it wouldn’t have been obvious if he had looked just at Malfoy’s face. Malfoy looked absolutely determined to complete his task. “We can help you.”
“I don’t need your help.” Draco said coolly while pointing his wand rigidly at the headmaster. “You should be pleading for your own life instead of trying to save mine.”
“You aren’t a killer Draco.” Dumbledore said to the teenager kindly. “You don’t have to do this. We can help you.”
“How do you know?” Draco spat at Dumbledore. It looked like Malfoy was going to throw up, but he continued to fight the urge. Harry struggled to watch, knowing what was inevitable. And there was nothing he could do.
“You have been attempting to kill me all year.” Dumbledore responded calmly, seemingly unaffected by being defenseless while a Death Eater, who was determined to prove himself, kept a wand aimed at him. “In the process you almost killed two students. You don’t have it in you.”
Draco narrowed his eyes in anger at the accusation made by the headmaster. “How dare you assume that I am unable to murder? You know that if I had been given the opportunity, Stephanie would have been dead a long time ago.”
Harry struggled against the freezing charm once again. Malfoy didn’t know that he was there, and had he been free Malfoy would have been dead. Dumbledore looked sympathetically in his direction for a moment and then turned back to Malfoy. Draco turned around quickly, looking for what Dumbledore had looked at, but he saw nothing.
“How did you do it?” Dumbledore asked, obviously stalling for time and changing the subject. “How did you get them into the castle?”
“The Vanishing Cabinet that has been in the Room of Requirement for years.” Draco smiled at his ingenuity. “When that student vanished last year, I discovered that it was connected to the one at Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. It has just taken me all year to fix it. And finally a few weeks ago I was successful.”
“Ah,” Dumbledore nodded. “I see.”
Suddenly the door burst open again and several people ran through it, knocking Harry over. He landed against the wall, standing upright but only just barely. He tried to gasp in surprise as Stephanie ran past him and towards Draco. Several other Death Eaters followed her.
“Come on, Draco.” The woman closest to Draco and Stephanie ordered. “Do it already. We have to get out of here!”
Stephanie pushed Draco aside and raised her wand at Dumbledore. Harry was shocked that Stephanie had a look of anger on her face; he knew that Dumbledore had done so much for her. He had protected her and brought them all together. Again he fought hopelessly against his immobilization. He couldn’t bring himself to watch his sister murder the headmaster.
“If you aren’t going to do it, I will.” Stephanie almost laughed at Draco. She muttered something under her breath that Harry couldn’t hear. Stephanie opened her mouth to speak again, but the door to the tower slammed open once more and Stephanie was thrown to the side.
“Severus!” Dumbledore called. “Please, Severus.”
Harry watched in horror as Snape pointed his wand at Professor Dumbledore and yelled the words Harry had not wanted to hear ever again. “Avada Kedavra!”
Dumbledore smiled as the curse hit him square in the chest. The light left Dumbledore’s eyes and Harry tried to scream, but nothing came out. All he could do was watch as Snape ran towards Malfoy and Stephanie; he ordered them out of the castle. “Get out of here quickly!”
Draco turned and ran out the door and Stephanie followed at a much slower pace. She obviously wasn’t as terrified as Draco had been. Snape hurried out the door and was followed by the remaining Death Eaters. He heard spells resuming down the stairs and he attempted to move once more. His arm twitched and he realized that he was able to run. Harry forced the cloak off himself and he ran down the stairs and after Malfoy and Snape. He had to get them before they left the grounds.
Down the stairs, he paused long enough to update Ginny. “Snape killed Dumbledore!”
She gasped in surprise and told him that Snape had just run past them towards the front door. He took a moment to look at Stephanie who was dueling Neville, but he realized he couldn’t stop for her. He had to go after Snape.
Once he was outside, Malfoy was nowhere to be seen, but Harry saw Snape running towards the gates. Harry picked up his pace and quickly ran after his professor. As he got closer to Snape, Harry called out a spell. “Stupefy!”
The spell just missed Snape’s head and Harry heard Snape yell to Draco, who Harry could not see. “Run, Draco.”
Harry couldn’t control himself. He couldn’t let the man who had killed the headmaster get away. He would never be able to live with himself if he let him go. “Cruc-”
He couldn’t get the spell out before Snape knocked him to the ground. Snape shook his head in amusement, and Harry tried again. “Cruc-”
But again Snape just deflected the curse. He taunted Harry, “No Unforgiveable Curses for you, Potter.”
He couldn’t believe Snape. Why wouldn’t Snape allow him to cast any Unforgiveable Curses while his sister was throwing them around aimlessly? Just then he felt himself get pounded, like a giant had stepped on him. He screamed in surprise and pain as Stephanie came into his vision. She was smiling in glee. By instinct, he raised his wand.
Stephanie simply flicked her wand and his own flew out of his hand, leaving him defenseless. He looked at Snape who was busy looking behind Stephanie and Harry, though he knew that Snape would never protect him. He would rather let Stephanie kill him than try to cast a spell against her anyway; he could never do that to his sister.
“You are going to die tonight, Harry Potter.” Stephanie said quietly, but with a sinister tone. “The Dark Lord has allowed me to see that it is what you deserve.”
Harry remained quiet because he didn’t want to say anything that could upset his sister. He knew what she must do and he had to allow it. This was finally the opportunity he had so desperately needed to help his sister. By her killing him, she would be protected; Stephanie would be allowed to live. He didn’t even want imagine what the penalty would be if she were to fail at this task.
“I have suffered so much.” She continued and Harry just wanted to listen. He wanted to know what Stephanie had been through. “It has been painful and lonely. But it has also been rewarding and inspiring.
“The Dark Lord has taken me in. He has cared for me, taught me how to demand respect, and inspired me to do great things. You have done nothing but rub your freedom in my face and abandon me at every turn.” She finished and Harry began to let the tears fall down his face.
“Is that what you think?” He asked her. Harry couldn’t remain silent any longer. She had to know that he loved her; that he wanted to help her, but just had not been allowed to.
“It is what I know.” Stephanie glared at him. The look she gave him terrified him; there was so much pain in her eyes that he almost didn’t recognize her. He cried at this new Stephanie he was seeing.
“Stephanie, please.” Harry begged her, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture. “I would do anything for you. You are my sister, my family. I love you.”
“Don’t lie to me!” Stephanie yelled and waved her wand at Harry. He began to writhe in pain and scream loudly as she cast the Cruciatus Curse upon him. It only lasted about two seconds, but the pain lingered. That had been the most painful Curse he had ever endured, he thought. How did she get so powerful?
She continued to yell at him. “The Dark Lord showed me what you said to him at the Ministry of Magic the night Sirius died. You don’t love me and you never have. All you care about is yourself and I can’t believe I ever trusted you! You hurt me.”
Harry didn’t know what she was talking about. He had never said that to Voldemort. In fact, he had told Voldemort how much he loved his sister and that he would stop at nothing to rescue her, to protect her. Where was she getting this?
“I didn’t say that!” Harry responded, though he doubted there was much he could do to make her realize that it was Voldemort that had been deceitful with her. “He is lying to you. You have to believe me. I love you more than anything in this world. All I have wanted to do since that night in the graveyard is protect you!”
“I don’t believe you, Harry. The Dark Lord would never lie to me.” Stephanie seethed through gritted teeth. She relaxed her muscles a little and smiled at a thought that crossed her mind.
“Goodbye, Harry.” Stephanie shrieked with glee. They were both concentrating so deeply on each other that neither one of them heard Hermione screaming from the distance. He realized the moment had come. He couldn’t watch his sister kill him; he didn’t want that to be the last thing he would ever see. Harry squeezed his eyes shut as Stephanie began casting the last spell he would ever hear.
“Avada Kedavra!”
We have finally gotten to the part in the story that I have been planning in my mind (and on paper) for awhile now. I honestly almost cry every time I read the ending of this chapter with the scene between Harry/Stephanie. Please tell me what you are thinking about the chapter/story!
I haven't started the next chapter, though I know what it entails. So it shouldn't take me too long to write it. So, I'm hoping to have the next chapter posted on Tuesday. We'll see what happens! Have a great New Years everyone!
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Astronomy Tower, Part II
Stephanie waited anxiously in the living room. She was sitting in the same chair that she was in a few days earlier when the Dark Lord had threatened to end her life if she failed him again, which she had just done only moments ago. Draco was pacing across the room.
It had been a few days since the induction ceremony and the death of Marcus Flint. Stephanie still didn’t understand how her powers had increased so quickly and it pained her that her master blamed her for the loss of his newest follower. Since then, she had done nothing but sit in her room and stare out the window, with the exception of attending meals; there had been no missions assigned to her. The manor had been completely empty for the past few days except the Dark Lord, herself, and Wormtail.
At each meal, she silently begged the Dark Lord to talk to her. She didn’t dare speak to him unless she was spoken to because of his recent threats, but she secretly needed him to say something. She needed him to acknowledge her. He had not spoken one word to her and he barely even looked at her since the night of the ceremony. Prior to this increase in her magical abilities, Stephanie had finally gained a sense of control in her life. She had never been allowed to freely express emotions, have friends, or live a normal life. The Malfoy family had made sure that she had a solitary and painful life.
After the return of the Dark Lord, she still had no control over what had happened to her. She was forced repeatedly to hurt and murder people, watch muggles and wizards alike get maimed and tortured, and worship the Dark Lord endlessly. But, unknowingly to the Dark Lord, she was given an opportunity to control what she was doing and how she was feeling. The conditioning she experienced gave her the ability to make an important decision. She decided to become who the Dark Lord wanted her to become because it meant she no longer had to suffer. And the decision had been a good one. She hadn’t been Cursed or punished in almost a year. But the night of the induction ceremony made her realize that she still had no control; the Dark Lord was just using her. He had known what decision she was going to make before she had known herself; the Dark Lord had known about her desire for control. And he took it away the moment she had failed. Now, she had no other choice but do as he wanted.
Stephanie was baffled that this realization had made her feel so much emptier inside; for a very long time she felt nothing: no emotions, no caring, no love. And now that the Dark Lord had been so incredibly disappointed in her, she was completely alone. But still, she couldn’t bring herself to cry. Stephanie wanted so desperately to shed at least one tear, to feel something, but her eyes wouldn’t even moisten.
Her recent thoughts confused her greatly. The Dark Lord had threatened her and caused her tremendous pain, and she knew that she shouldn’t want to please him. But his approval was something that she still greatly needed and wished to strive for. Stephanie knew she should be punished for her thoughts and doubt in her master, similar to how Dobby would punish himself for betraying Mr. Malfoy, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She knew that the only way to get the Dark Lord to look at her again and provide her praise was to murder her brother, and she had failed. She had tried, she really had. Stephanie couldn’t understand why the spell hadn’t worked since it had always been successful in the past. Finally, Snape called Draco and Stephanie to join him and the Dark Lord in the dining room.
As she walked into the dining room, Stephanie looked at Draco who looked so nervous, though Stephanie knew that she probably had the same look of terror on her face. They had both failed their master; would he kill them? For the first time in their lives, they sat sitting next to each other. Snape and the Dark Lord sat across from them at the long table. The Dark Lord said nothing; he just stared at them for a very long time, pondering what he was going to do.
“Albus Dumbledore is dead.” He said coolly and unblinkingly. Stephanie looked down at the table. She had tried, she really had. Was he disappointed that she had failed?
“Draco.” The Dark Lord breathed and turned to face the young Malfoy sitting next to her. “You have failed in your mission.”
“I was going to, my Lord!” Draco spoke quietly, not daring to look his master in the eye. Stephanie knew that this had been a mistake. One must always look the Dark Lord in the eyes when speaking with him.
Stephanie covered her mouth when Draco fell to the floor, blood spattering on her face. The Dark Lord had cut a deep gash into Draco’s left arm and Draco lay on the floor, holding the injury. Stephanie began to shake with realization that she was going to be punished much worse than Draco. For she had failed in two missions that night.
“I do not have time for excuses.” The Dark Lord continued speaking to Draco, although he was on the floor whimpering. “You have failed me. We shall discuss your fate in more detail later. Return to your quarters immediately.”
Stephanie watched as Draco, still holding his bleeding arm, slowly made his way towards the stairs. Because he had attacked the headmaster of Hogwarts, Draco was unable to return to the school. The Dark Lord had ordered Draco to reside at the Lestrange Manor until further arrangements could be made; Stephanie knew the Dark Lord just wanted to keep an eye on the teenager.
The Dark Lord turned to her and she forced herself to look him in the eye. She hugged her chest while trying to regain her courage. He didn’t say a word; he just raised his wand and penetrated her memories.
Stephanie was returned to Knockturn Alley, where she had been earlier that evening; she was wearing her Death Eater robes. She remembered how excited she had been when Alecto had returned these to her. The Dark Lord had obviously wanted her to have the robes back! Stephanie felt that all hope wasn’t lost, maybe she could redeem herself.
Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Yaxley, Rowle, and Gibbon had taken her to Knockturn Alley. She had recognized the shop immediately as Borgin and Burkes; she had been there the day the Dark Lord had requested she follow Draco.
“A few short hours and you will be mine.” A husky voice whispered in her ear. Stephanie cringed but said nothing. She continued to stare straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge the man standing directly behind her. A shiver went through her body as she felt his long, dirty fingers creeping up the outside of her arm. Stephanie closed her eyes and tightened her body as his hot breath touched her neck and she looked away as he kissed her cheek. “And it will be so good.”
“That’s enough, Greyback.” Yaxley commanded. “You will have time for that when she fails.”
Fenrir let out a low grunt in disappointment but followed his orders. Stephanie was grateful, though she knew that Yaxley had not called off Fenrir to protect her. They had to get going to the castle. Stephanie knew she had to do all she could to prevent the werewolf from getting to spend time alone with her. She hated Harry even more for doing this to her.
As she was about to follow the others into the store, Alecto pulled her to the side forcefully.
“This is your last chance, little girl.” Alecto threatened quietly, not taking her eyes away from Stephanie. “Remember that we will not help if you get into trouble. We are not your babysitters.”
Stephanie refused to back down. The Dark Lord had ignited fear in her, which had made her even more determined to prove herself. She was fighting for her life that night; failure was not an option. “I can take care of myself.”
Alecto laughed loudly and then walked closer to the shop. Amycus cast a destruction spell at the store, and the door blasted open. Shards of glass and wood landed in the street and Stephanie had to shield her eyes to protect them from the shrapnel. The others walked through the door and Stephanie didn’t hesitate to follow. This night was one of the most important in her life and the sooner it began, the sooner it would end.
She was a little taken aback when Yaxley climbed into a cabinet behind the counter, but she realized that this must be how they were going to get inside Hogwarts. Stephanie saw that she, Fenrir, and Alecto were the only ones remaining in the store. She quickly entered the cabinet, not allowing Fenrir any opportunity to be alone with her. If he were to decide to attack her, the others would not stop him.
Once she left the other side of the cabinet, she noticed they were gathered in a large room. She looked around and noticed Draco looking relieved to see them. He gave her a quick glare of hatred and she returned the gesture. There was too much animosity for them to be able to stand the sight of each other, and they were both in desperate need to prove themselves.
Stephanie knew that Draco had been assigned this task as payback for Mr. Malfoy’s failure at the Ministry of Magic last year. The Dark Lord told Draco that if he failed in murdering Albus Dumbledore, that his entire family would be killed. But Stephanie was also fighting for her life that night. Would either one of them survive the night? Stephanie wasn’t sure of that, though she knew that they both had to try.
“The mudblood and her boyfriend are outside the room guarding the door.” Draco was explaining to the others. “Who knows where the Weasley girl is.”
“We will keep them away while you do what you have to.” Rowle looked at Draco with determination. “But make it quick, we don’t have all night.”
“Remember that if you fail-” Amycus began, placing his hand on Draco’s shoulder. Stephanie silently wished they would show such concern for her. It would be so much easier to do what she was being forced to do if they showed her the same support. They only did so for Draco because he was Lucius Malfoy’s son, but she still longed for some positive gesture.
“I know.” Draco took a deep breath. Stephanie had to let out a little laugh because he was so nervous. She was too, but at least she didn’t let anyone see. “He’ll kill me. Don’t worry, it will get done.
“Now, Professor Dumbledore is gone, but he will return when he sees the Dark Mark above the school.” Draco continued, explaining how he planned on killing the headmaster. “Rowle, get to the Astronomy tower and cast the Mark. I will meet Dumbledore there.”
Rowle nodded.
“Then, let’s go.” Yaxley stated. They all walked towards the door. Draco opened it and looked out into the hallway. He motioned that the coast was clear and he led the way.
Stephanie trailed behind, amazed at the sights. This was her first time roaming the hallways of this ancient school and she was mesmerized. The hallway was huge with stone statues lining the walls and portraits hanging high above her. She wished she would have the time to explore more fully in the future.
Suddenly, a spell smashed a statue next to her head. She quickly ducked to avoid any other spells that may be coming and then she turned around. There were several people running towards them, so she raised her wand to prepare for battle.
There she was, standing right in front of Stephanie. She looked around the hallway and noticed Hermione Granger, the filthy mudblood who had befriended her brother. It was going to be too easy, Stephanie laughed. Hermione made a move towards the stairs, but Stephanie couldn’t let her get away. Harry wasn’t the only one who had left her alone; they were all going to pay that night.
Stephanie raised her wand and silently sent Hermione crashing into the wall behind them. She laughed at the pain she had obviously caused the mudblood. Instead of raising her wand in defense, Hermione pleaded with her. Stephanie enjoyed when people did this because she knew they could never do anything for her to spare them.
“Stephanie, don’t do this! We can help you.” Hermione begged.
“I don’t associate with mudbloods!” Stephanie yelled, knowing that this comment would hurt Hermione. Hermione had a look of shock on her face and Stephanie smiled at the sight.
Stephanie flicked her wand as Hermione tried to stupefy her. The attempt had been a feeble one and Hermione had to do much better than that. Was this girl really that horrible at magic? How could Mr. Malfoy have lost a battle to these teenagers? They were absolutely dreadful! She could beat each one of them with her eyes closed and with one spell. But suddenly, Stephanie heard shouts all around her.
Before she had time to react, there were spells being shot at her from all directions. She tried to block them, but there were too many and she didn’t see them all. A bright white shield encircled. What was going on? Stephanie pounded on the wall of the shield, but she couldn’t get out. She raised her wand and cast several spells at the wall. Still nothing. She was trapped!
Stephanie took a moment to look around. There were a few people staring at her, but none of them were Death Eaters. They really weren’t going to help her, Stephanie realized. Stephanie had to get out of there! She knew that if she didn’t escape, she was going to die. A memory of a moment with the Dark Lord came to her mind. The night of the escape from Azkaban, she had been amazed by his power. Stephanie wondered if she would have similar effects with this prison.
She raised her wand, took a deep breath, and gathered all of her strength. She bellowed the spell she hoped would release her from her prison as it had released her peers from theirs. “Expulso!”
The wall of the shield shattered and she was freed. She had done it! She laughed in excitement. The Death Eaters around her just stared for a moment. They were shocked that she had escaped. Stephanie didn’t waste any time, she ran in the direction Draco had gone. If it wasn’t too late, she was going to finish the task. She was going to kill Albus Dumbledore.
On the Astronomy tower, Draco was pointing his wand at the headmaster. She noticed that Dumbledore gave her a sympathetic look, but she didn’t think twice about what she had to do. For years, Dumbledore had not wanted anything but her safety, and if he was dead, she would be safe.
“Come on, Draco.” Alecto ordered. Stephanie hadn’t realized that the others had followed her up the stairs. “Do it already. We have to get out of here!”
She needed to be the one to do this; she needed her master to look at her again, to care for her. Getting closer to Draco, she pushed him to the side. “If you aren’t going to do it, I will.”
Draco glared at her. She knew that he was angry that she would speak like that to him. She didn’t care, she needed to be the one to do this. Stephanie stared directly at Draco and spoke so only he could hear, “you don’t have the guts.”
Draco spat at her, but Stephanie ignored it. She raised her wand and prepared to cast the Killing Curse. But before she could, she was thrown to the side and Severus Snape walked through the door. Of course, Stephanie seethed, Snape would stop her once again. He always tried to stop her from completing tasks because he was jealous of her success. Now, he just didn’t want her to redeem herself with the Dark Lord. Snape wanted to remain her master’s most trusted follower.
She watched in frustration as Snape raised his wand and cast the Killing Curse upon the headmaster. Dumbledore smiled as he fell to the ground below. Stephanie wasn’t listening when Snape told her to leave the grounds quickly; she didn’t want to take orders from this man any longer. She turned and slowly made her way down the stairs towards the battle below. Since she hadn’t been allowed to cast the Killing Curse upon the headmaster, she now had only one other option in redeeming herself. She needed to speak with her brother in order to save her life.
Down the stairs, she looked around for Harry. He was nowhere to be seen, but she did notice a teenage boy standing all alone.
“Where is he?” Stephanie demanded after she approached him.
“Who?” The boy asked, looking frightened. “Stephanie, don’t do this?”
“Do I know you?” She responded, though she didn’t really care whether she knew him or not. This boy was standing between her and her brother; she was positive he knew where Harry was.
“It’s me.” He spoke quietly, but determinedly. Surprisingly, she watched as he drew out his wand and tossed it to the floor. She didn’t know what he was planning, but she didn’t buy it. “Neville.”
Stephanie couldn’t help herself. She let out a loud laugh as she remembered this boy. “Neville Longbottom.”
She watched as the boy relaxed and smiled in response. “Stephanie, we can help you. Please let us help you.”
“It’s a little too late for that, isn’t it?” She giggled. Stephanie pointed her wand and cast the Cruciatus Curse upon the boy. He collapsed to the ground, his smile fading from his face. She laughed as he screamed in agony, though she knew better than to let the Curse linger. He didn’t deserve to die at that moment. She needed him first. “I imagine this to be similar to how your parents suffered before they lost their minds.”
“Stephanie, I know this isn’t you doing this.” Neville whispered. Stephanie wasn’t affected by his pleading. She just stared at him.
“The difference between Bellatrix and myself,” Stephanie spoke cunningly slow, “is that my Curse can kill.”
With that, Stephanie cast the Curse upon Neville again. She watched happily as he writhed on the floor, screaming in pain. The others were so engrossed in their own battles that no one noticed the young Neville in peril. She lifted the curse and yelled at him again. “Where is Harry?”
“You don’t have to do this, Stephanie.” Neville spoke again. “Why are you doing this?”
Stephanie was surprised by his determination and his courage. He was clearly going to die while protecting his friend. Fine, she thought. Let him die, it didn’t bother her any. She decided to play along.
“I don’t have any choice.” Stephanie admitted honestly, unsure why she opened up to this boy. He was one of her brother’s friends and he had also left her to suffer in the Dark Lord’s care. They all had betrayed her.
“We all have choices.” Neville spoke quietly. “It’s how we handle those choices that define who we are.”
Stephanie stopped in her tracks. Where did this come from? Why was he giving her advice while she was threatening to kill him? We all have choices, what stupidity. She didn’t have a choice in the matter. It was either her, who she had neglected her entire life, or her brother, who had left her to die. There was no choice to make. She had no control.
Suddenly, she saw Harry run past her. Neville no longer mattered to her, but she still had to get rid of him. She pointed her wand at the crumpled pile of Neville Longbottom and yelled, “Confringo!” The spell should have caused the boy to explode, but it didn’t. Instead, he flew into the wall behind him and he fell to the floor intact. Stephanie didn’t have time to worry about why her spell hadn’t worked. She followed the path her brother had taken.
Quickly, she ran outside and noticed Harry had stopped to talk to Snape. She didn’t see Draco anywhere. As she got closer, Stephanie raised her wand and silently cast a curse, crushing her brother. She laughed as he screamed in pain.
Stephanie was amused when he raised his wand to protect himself. Surely he would try to do something stupid. She flicked her wand and his flew away from them. He was defenseless. Stephanie had failed at murdering the headmaster, but she wasn’t going to fail at killing her brother. This was her chance to redeem herself.
“You are going to die tonight, Harry Potter.” Stephanie taunted her brother. “The Dark Lord has allowed me to see that it is what you deserve.”
Stephanie laughed when Harry remained silent. He was too scared to say anything; finally the great Harry Potter was cornered and showing his true colors: cowardice. Instead of killing him immediately, she needed him to know why she was doing such a horrible act. He needed to know what he had done to her. Harry needed to suffer as she had suffered for almost seventeen years.
“I have suffered so much.” She continued, speaking slowly to allow her words to have a greater impact on Harry. “It has been painful and lonely. But it has also been rewarding and inspiring.
“The Dark Lord has taken me in. He has cared for me, taught me how to demand respect, and inspired me to do great things. You have done nothing but rub your freedom in my face and abandon me at every turn.” She finished and she watched in excitement as Harry began to cry. He was so terrified for his life that he was showing his weaknesses to her. How pathetic, Stephanie thought. This was going to be so easy and the Dark Lord was going to be so proud of her.
“Is that what you think?” He asked her.
“It is what I know.” Stephanie couldn’t help but glare at him. He made her so incredibly angry that she couldn’t contain herself.
“Stephanie, please.” Harry begged. This was more like what she had expected. Finally he was begging her to spare his life. She was going to have so much fun watching the light leave his eyes. “I would do anything for you. You are my sister, my family. I love you.”
“Don’t lie to me!” She yelled, waving her wand at Harry. How could he even say a thing like that? He was just trying to save his own life. He didn’t care about her and he never had. To punish him for his betrayal, Stephanie cast the Cruciatus Curse at him. Though she only let it linger for a couple of seconds, Stephanie didn’t get any gratification from it. She would have thought that Cursing her brother, the boy she had grown to despise so much, would cause her to feel something. But there was nothing.
“The Dark Lord showed me what you said to him at the Ministry of Magic the night Sirius died. You don’t love me and you never have. All you care about is yourself and I can’t believe I ever trusted you! You hurt me.” She continued to yell at him. Although she knew she shouldn’t be wasting this precious time, she had this overpowering need to convince him why he deserved to die.
“I didn’t say that!” Harry said quietly. Stephanie refused to believe him as he spoke negatively about her master. “He is lying to you. You have to believe me. I love you more than anything in this world. All I have wanted to do since that night in the graveyard is protect you!”
“I don’t believe you, Harry. The Dark Lord would never lie to me.” Stephanie was seething. If Harry really wanted to protect her, why would he leave her alone with the Death Eaters? Why didn’t he come after her? She would have gone to him if he had been in danger, even if he told her not to.
“Goodbye, Harry.” Stephanie shrieked excitedly. This was it; she was finally going to show her master that she would do anything for him. She raised her wand and said the curse she had been longing to perform for a very long time. However, she was so engrossed in her conversation with Harry that she hadn’t heard Hermione Granger bellow from across the grounds. She hadn’t even felt the curse make contact with her chest. Harry closed his eyes. “Avada Kedavra!”
Nothing happened. No light erupted from her wand and Harry was still alive. She shook her wand vigorously and cast the spell again, this time bellowing it with all of her strength. “AVADA KEDAVRA!”
She couldn’t figure out what was going on. Her magic wasn’t working! Suddenly she felt an arm across her chest and pulling her away from her brother. She cried out. “NOOOO! I can do it! He’s going to kill me! Let go of me!”
And she was suddenly returned to the dining room in the Lestrange Manor, where she was sitting across the table from Snape and the Dark Lord. Snape was staring at her with no expression and the Dark Lord cocked his head while looking at her curiously.
“I never imagined you would actually attempt to murder your brother.” He said slowly. “I had assumed that you would fail. You have impressed me.”
“I’m sorry I failed you, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered.
“You have not failed me, my dear.” The Dark Lord responded, still looking at her with interest. “Quite reverse of that, really. First, your thoughts have changed from wondering how you can perform a task to how you can please me the most. That is your greatest desire at this moment, and I believe that if I were to look at your fears again there would be new ones in place.
“Second, when you were trapped in that sphere, you did not give up hope. Even though my followers abandoned you, your thoughts turned to me. You were able to summon your strength and break free of the shield so that you could complete your task and succeed in serving me.
“Third, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me. Killing your brother meant that you would most likely be captured and sentenced to death. In your little discussion, however unnecessary, with Harry, you showed where your true loyalties lie. You have impressed me beyond what I could have ever predicted.” He finished and Stephanie was so confused.
“But I didn’t kill him, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered again, afraid that if she were to say the words out loud that he would change his mind.
“No, but you showed me that you can and that you will. Eventually, you will.” The Dark Lord smiled at her. He placed a marble on the table in front of her. “Now, please enlarge this marble.”
Stephanie wondered why the Dark Lord would request this of her, but she didn’t hesitate. She raised her wand and silently cast, “Engorgio.” Nothing happened. She tried speaking the spell out loud, “Engorgio.” Still, nothing happened.
The Dark Lord waved his wand at her and he nodded for her to try again. She repeated the spell and the marble increased in size. Her magic had returned!
“Thank you, master!” She said excitedly.
“You could not have expected the mudblood girl to perform a spell far beyond her skill level. I have just taken precautions to make it more difficult for this spell to be cast upon you again.” Stephanie nodded and he continued. “Now, there will be one more test of your loyalty that must be completed before I fully trust you once again. This will occur in a few days time, and once you have passed this, you will have reached the highest rank in my organization. Are you prepared for this responsibility?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie responded. She started breathing excitedly. The Dark Lord was going to make her his most trusted follower. She had finally done it! He really did care about her.
Stephanie knew what she had to do. She had to tell him that there was a traitor within the Death Eaters. Stephanie didn’t have proof, but she knew it hadn’t been the mudblood that had cast the spell. Hermione didn’t have the skill to perform that kind of magic. There was only one person there who could have done it and who had wanted her to fail so desperately.
She looked directly at the Dark Lord and spoke to him. “There is something I must tell you.”
He gestured for her to continue. Stephanie opened her mouth to speak the words, but suddenly her mind went blank. She couldn’t remember what she was going to say to him. What was it? The Dark Lord was waiting for her to say something, so she said the only think that came to her mind.
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie said and the Dark Lord smiled. “I want to die for you.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that, my dear.” He responded. “You are excused.”
With that, Stephanie walked up the stairs and lay on her bed. She suddenly remembered what she was going to tell her master. Snape was a traitor! He was working for the Order of the Phoenix, not for the Death Eaters. Snape was the one who had taught her magic before the Dark Lord had even returned. Snape was the one who had cast the spell turning off her magic.
And with that, Stephanie realized that Snape must have cast a forgetfulness charm on her. That day he flicked his wand at her and light had left his wand. She would forget what she was going to say each time she would try to tell her master about Severus Snape. The realization frustrated her, but she also had to admit that she was in awe of the bravery of this man. Stephanie lay her head on the pillow and wondered about what this final test would be.
First, I apologize if I didn't provide all the answers to your questions in this chapter. I was planning to have Stephanie AND Snape's POV, but Stephanie had so much going on that I couldn't cut anything out. I really tried to cut parts of this out, but I felt it was all necessary to understand what is going on in her mind. She is so confused, realizing that she shouldn't trust Voldemort but unable to think differently. And I apologize if this chapter was long and repetitive, but I just couldn't take anything out. Maybe it was more for me that I added Steph's POV, but I really liked it. So please leave me feedback and tell me what you think. The next chapter may not be up for a few days, seeing as I am going to take a few days to myself and relax (and a nice HP movie marathon with friends...WOOHOO!). I hope to have the next chapter posted sometime this weekend, but that's the best I can do. I'm really sorry! Have a great New Years everyone!
Stephanie waited anxiously in the living room. She was sitting in the same chair that she was in a few days earlier when the Dark Lord had threatened to end her life if she failed him again, which she had just done only moments ago. Draco was pacing across the room.
It had been a few days since the induction ceremony and the death of Marcus Flint. Stephanie still didn’t understand how her powers had increased so quickly and it pained her that her master blamed her for the loss of his newest follower. Since then, she had done nothing but sit in her room and stare out the window, with the exception of attending meals; there had been no missions assigned to her. The manor had been completely empty for the past few days except the Dark Lord, herself, and Wormtail.
At each meal, she silently begged the Dark Lord to talk to her. She didn’t dare speak to him unless she was spoken to because of his recent threats, but she secretly needed him to say something. She needed him to acknowledge her. He had not spoken one word to her and he barely even looked at her since the night of the ceremony. Prior to this increase in her magical abilities, Stephanie had finally gained a sense of control in her life. She had never been allowed to freely express emotions, have friends, or live a normal life. The Malfoy family had made sure that she had a solitary and painful life.
After the return of the Dark Lord, she still had no control over what had happened to her. She was forced repeatedly to hurt and murder people, watch muggles and wizards alike get maimed and tortured, and worship the Dark Lord endlessly. But, unknowingly to the Dark Lord, she was given an opportunity to control what she was doing and how she was feeling. The conditioning she experienced gave her the ability to make an important decision. She decided to become who the Dark Lord wanted her to become because it meant she no longer had to suffer. And the decision had been a good one. She hadn’t been Cursed or punished in almost a year. But the night of the induction ceremony made her realize that she still had no control; the Dark Lord was just using her. He had known what decision she was going to make before she had known herself; the Dark Lord had known about her desire for control. And he took it away the moment she had failed. Now, she had no other choice but do as he wanted.
Stephanie was baffled that this realization had made her feel so much emptier inside; for a very long time she felt nothing: no emotions, no caring, no love. And now that the Dark Lord had been so incredibly disappointed in her, she was completely alone. But still, she couldn’t bring herself to cry. Stephanie wanted so desperately to shed at least one tear, to feel something, but her eyes wouldn’t even moisten.
Her recent thoughts confused her greatly. The Dark Lord had threatened her and caused her tremendous pain, and she knew that she shouldn’t want to please him. But his approval was something that she still greatly needed and wished to strive for. Stephanie knew she should be punished for her thoughts and doubt in her master, similar to how Dobby would punish himself for betraying Mr. Malfoy, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She knew that the only way to get the Dark Lord to look at her again and provide her praise was to murder her brother, and she had failed. She had tried, she really had. Stephanie couldn’t understand why the spell hadn’t worked since it had always been successful in the past. Finally, Snape called Draco and Stephanie to join him and the Dark Lord in the dining room.
As she walked into the dining room, Stephanie looked at Draco who looked so nervous, though Stephanie knew that she probably had the same look of terror on her face. They had both failed their master; would he kill them? For the first time in their lives, they sat sitting next to each other. Snape and the Dark Lord sat across from them at the long table. The Dark Lord said nothing; he just stared at them for a very long time, pondering what he was going to do.
“Albus Dumbledore is dead.” He said coolly and unblinkingly. Stephanie looked down at the table. She had tried, she really had. Was he disappointed that she had failed?
“Draco.” The Dark Lord breathed and turned to face the young Malfoy sitting next to her. “You have failed in your mission.”
“I was going to, my Lord!” Draco spoke quietly, not daring to look his master in the eye. Stephanie knew that this had been a mistake. One must always look the Dark Lord in the eyes when speaking with him.
Stephanie covered her mouth when Draco fell to the floor, blood spattering on her face. The Dark Lord had cut a deep gash into Draco’s left arm and Draco lay on the floor, holding the injury. Stephanie began to shake with realization that she was going to be punished much worse than Draco. For she had failed in two missions that night.
“I do not have time for excuses.” The Dark Lord continued speaking to Draco, although he was on the floor whimpering. “You have failed me. We shall discuss your fate in more detail later. Return to your quarters immediately.”
Stephanie watched as Draco, still holding his bleeding arm, slowly made his way towards the stairs. Because he had attacked the headmaster of Hogwarts, Draco was unable to return to the school. The Dark Lord had ordered Draco to reside at the Lestrange Manor until further arrangements could be made; Stephanie knew the Dark Lord just wanted to keep an eye on the teenager.
The Dark Lord turned to her and she forced herself to look him in the eye. She hugged her chest while trying to regain her courage. He didn’t say a word; he just raised his wand and penetrated her memories.
Stephanie was returned to Knockturn Alley, where she had been earlier that evening; she was wearing her Death Eater robes. She remembered how excited she had been when Alecto had returned these to her. The Dark Lord had obviously wanted her to have the robes back! Stephanie felt that all hope wasn’t lost, maybe she could redeem herself.
Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Yaxley, Rowle, and Gibbon had taken her to Knockturn Alley. She had recognized the shop immediately as Borgin and Burkes; she had been there the day the Dark Lord had requested she follow Draco.
“A few short hours and you will be mine.” A husky voice whispered in her ear. Stephanie cringed but said nothing. She continued to stare straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge the man standing directly behind her. A shiver went through her body as she felt his long, dirty fingers creeping up the outside of her arm. Stephanie closed her eyes and tightened her body as his hot breath touched her neck and she looked away as he kissed her cheek. “And it will be so good.”
“That’s enough, Greyback.” Yaxley commanded. “You will have time for that when she fails.”
Fenrir let out a low grunt in disappointment but followed his orders. Stephanie was grateful, though she knew that Yaxley had not called off Fenrir to protect her. They had to get going to the castle. Stephanie knew she had to do all she could to prevent the werewolf from getting to spend time alone with her. She hated Harry even more for doing this to her.
As she was about to follow the others into the store, Alecto pulled her to the side forcefully.
“This is your last chance, little girl.” Alecto threatened quietly, not taking her eyes away from Stephanie. “Remember that we will not help if you get into trouble. We are not your babysitters.”
Stephanie refused to back down. The Dark Lord had ignited fear in her, which had made her even more determined to prove herself. She was fighting for her life that night; failure was not an option. “I can take care of myself.”
Alecto laughed loudly and then walked closer to the shop. Amycus cast a destruction spell at the store, and the door blasted open. Shards of glass and wood landed in the street and Stephanie had to shield her eyes to protect them from the shrapnel. The others walked through the door and Stephanie didn’t hesitate to follow. This night was one of the most important in her life and the sooner it began, the sooner it would end.
She was a little taken aback when Yaxley climbed into a cabinet behind the counter, but she realized that this must be how they were going to get inside Hogwarts. Stephanie saw that she, Fenrir, and Alecto were the only ones remaining in the store. She quickly entered the cabinet, not allowing Fenrir any opportunity to be alone with her. If he were to decide to attack her, the others would not stop him.
Once she left the other side of the cabinet, she noticed they were gathered in a large room. She looked around and noticed Draco looking relieved to see them. He gave her a quick glare of hatred and she returned the gesture. There was too much animosity for them to be able to stand the sight of each other, and they were both in desperate need to prove themselves.
Stephanie knew that Draco had been assigned this task as payback for Mr. Malfoy’s failure at the Ministry of Magic last year. The Dark Lord told Draco that if he failed in murdering Albus Dumbledore, that his entire family would be killed. But Stephanie was also fighting for her life that night. Would either one of them survive the night? Stephanie wasn’t sure of that, though she knew that they both had to try.
“The mudblood and her boyfriend are outside the room guarding the door.” Draco was explaining to the others. “Who knows where the Weasley girl is.”
“We will keep them away while you do what you have to.” Rowle looked at Draco with determination. “But make it quick, we don’t have all night.”
“Remember that if you fail-” Amycus began, placing his hand on Draco’s shoulder. Stephanie silently wished they would show such concern for her. It would be so much easier to do what she was being forced to do if they showed her the same support. They only did so for Draco because he was Lucius Malfoy’s son, but she still longed for some positive gesture.
“I know.” Draco took a deep breath. Stephanie had to let out a little laugh because he was so nervous. She was too, but at least she didn’t let anyone see. “He’ll kill me. Don’t worry, it will get done.
“Now, Professor Dumbledore is gone, but he will return when he sees the Dark Mark above the school.” Draco continued, explaining how he planned on killing the headmaster. “Rowle, get to the Astronomy tower and cast the Mark. I will meet Dumbledore there.”
Rowle nodded.
“Then, let’s go.” Yaxley stated. They all walked towards the door. Draco opened it and looked out into the hallway. He motioned that the coast was clear and he led the way.
Stephanie trailed behind, amazed at the sights. This was her first time roaming the hallways of this ancient school and she was mesmerized. The hallway was huge with stone statues lining the walls and portraits hanging high above her. She wished she would have the time to explore more fully in the future.
Suddenly, a spell smashed a statue next to her head. She quickly ducked to avoid any other spells that may be coming and then she turned around. There were several people running towards them, so she raised her wand to prepare for battle.
There she was, standing right in front of Stephanie. She looked around the hallway and noticed Hermione Granger, the filthy mudblood who had befriended her brother. It was going to be too easy, Stephanie laughed. Hermione made a move towards the stairs, but Stephanie couldn’t let her get away. Harry wasn’t the only one who had left her alone; they were all going to pay that night.
Stephanie raised her wand and silently sent Hermione crashing into the wall behind them. She laughed at the pain she had obviously caused the mudblood. Instead of raising her wand in defense, Hermione pleaded with her. Stephanie enjoyed when people did this because she knew they could never do anything for her to spare them.
“Stephanie, don’t do this! We can help you.” Hermione begged.
“I don’t associate with mudbloods!” Stephanie yelled, knowing that this comment would hurt Hermione. Hermione had a look of shock on her face and Stephanie smiled at the sight.
Stephanie flicked her wand as Hermione tried to stupefy her. The attempt had been a feeble one and Hermione had to do much better than that. Was this girl really that horrible at magic? How could Mr. Malfoy have lost a battle to these teenagers? They were absolutely dreadful! She could beat each one of them with her eyes closed and with one spell. But suddenly, Stephanie heard shouts all around her.
Before she had time to react, there were spells being shot at her from all directions. She tried to block them, but there were too many and she didn’t see them all. A bright white shield encircled. What was going on? Stephanie pounded on the wall of the shield, but she couldn’t get out. She raised her wand and cast several spells at the wall. Still nothing. She was trapped!
Stephanie took a moment to look around. There were a few people staring at her, but none of them were Death Eaters. They really weren’t going to help her, Stephanie realized. Stephanie had to get out of there! She knew that if she didn’t escape, she was going to die. A memory of a moment with the Dark Lord came to her mind. The night of the escape from Azkaban, she had been amazed by his power. Stephanie wondered if she would have similar effects with this prison.
She raised her wand, took a deep breath, and gathered all of her strength. She bellowed the spell she hoped would release her from her prison as it had released her peers from theirs. “Expulso!”
The wall of the shield shattered and she was freed. She had done it! She laughed in excitement. The Death Eaters around her just stared for a moment. They were shocked that she had escaped. Stephanie didn’t waste any time, she ran in the direction Draco had gone. If it wasn’t too late, she was going to finish the task. She was going to kill Albus Dumbledore.
On the Astronomy tower, Draco was pointing his wand at the headmaster. She noticed that Dumbledore gave her a sympathetic look, but she didn’t think twice about what she had to do. For years, Dumbledore had not wanted anything but her safety, and if he was dead, she would be safe.
“Come on, Draco.” Alecto ordered. Stephanie hadn’t realized that the others had followed her up the stairs. “Do it already. We have to get out of here!”
She needed to be the one to do this; she needed her master to look at her again, to care for her. Getting closer to Draco, she pushed him to the side. “If you aren’t going to do it, I will.”
Draco glared at her. She knew that he was angry that she would speak like that to him. She didn’t care, she needed to be the one to do this. Stephanie stared directly at Draco and spoke so only he could hear, “you don’t have the guts.”
Draco spat at her, but Stephanie ignored it. She raised her wand and prepared to cast the Killing Curse. But before she could, she was thrown to the side and Severus Snape walked through the door. Of course, Stephanie seethed, Snape would stop her once again. He always tried to stop her from completing tasks because he was jealous of her success. Now, he just didn’t want her to redeem herself with the Dark Lord. Snape wanted to remain her master’s most trusted follower.
She watched in frustration as Snape raised his wand and cast the Killing Curse upon the headmaster. Dumbledore smiled as he fell to the ground below. Stephanie wasn’t listening when Snape told her to leave the grounds quickly; she didn’t want to take orders from this man any longer. She turned and slowly made her way down the stairs towards the battle below. Since she hadn’t been allowed to cast the Killing Curse upon the headmaster, she now had only one other option in redeeming herself. She needed to speak with her brother in order to save her life.
Down the stairs, she looked around for Harry. He was nowhere to be seen, but she did notice a teenage boy standing all alone.
“Where is he?” Stephanie demanded after she approached him.
“Who?” The boy asked, looking frightened. “Stephanie, don’t do this?”
“Do I know you?” She responded, though she didn’t really care whether she knew him or not. This boy was standing between her and her brother; she was positive he knew where Harry was.
“It’s me.” He spoke quietly, but determinedly. Surprisingly, she watched as he drew out his wand and tossed it to the floor. She didn’t know what he was planning, but she didn’t buy it. “Neville.”
Stephanie couldn’t help herself. She let out a loud laugh as she remembered this boy. “Neville Longbottom.”
She watched as the boy relaxed and smiled in response. “Stephanie, we can help you. Please let us help you.”
“It’s a little too late for that, isn’t it?” She giggled. Stephanie pointed her wand and cast the Cruciatus Curse upon the boy. He collapsed to the ground, his smile fading from his face. She laughed as he screamed in agony, though she knew better than to let the Curse linger. He didn’t deserve to die at that moment. She needed him first. “I imagine this to be similar to how your parents suffered before they lost their minds.”
“Stephanie, I know this isn’t you doing this.” Neville whispered. Stephanie wasn’t affected by his pleading. She just stared at him.
“The difference between Bellatrix and myself,” Stephanie spoke cunningly slow, “is that my Curse can kill.”
With that, Stephanie cast the Curse upon Neville again. She watched happily as he writhed on the floor, screaming in pain. The others were so engrossed in their own battles that no one noticed the young Neville in peril. She lifted the curse and yelled at him again. “Where is Harry?”
“You don’t have to do this, Stephanie.” Neville spoke again. “Why are you doing this?”
Stephanie was surprised by his determination and his courage. He was clearly going to die while protecting his friend. Fine, she thought. Let him die, it didn’t bother her any. She decided to play along.
“I don’t have any choice.” Stephanie admitted honestly, unsure why she opened up to this boy. He was one of her brother’s friends and he had also left her to suffer in the Dark Lord’s care. They all had betrayed her.
“We all have choices.” Neville spoke quietly. “It’s how we handle those choices that define who we are.”
Stephanie stopped in her tracks. Where did this come from? Why was he giving her advice while she was threatening to kill him? We all have choices, what stupidity. She didn’t have a choice in the matter. It was either her, who she had neglected her entire life, or her brother, who had left her to die. There was no choice to make. She had no control.
Suddenly, she saw Harry run past her. Neville no longer mattered to her, but she still had to get rid of him. She pointed her wand at the crumpled pile of Neville Longbottom and yelled, “Confringo!” The spell should have caused the boy to explode, but it didn’t. Instead, he flew into the wall behind him and he fell to the floor intact. Stephanie didn’t have time to worry about why her spell hadn’t worked. She followed the path her brother had taken.
Quickly, she ran outside and noticed Harry had stopped to talk to Snape. She didn’t see Draco anywhere. As she got closer, Stephanie raised her wand and silently cast a curse, crushing her brother. She laughed as he screamed in pain.
Stephanie was amused when he raised his wand to protect himself. Surely he would try to do something stupid. She flicked her wand and his flew away from them. He was defenseless. Stephanie had failed at murdering the headmaster, but she wasn’t going to fail at killing her brother. This was her chance to redeem herself.
“You are going to die tonight, Harry Potter.” Stephanie taunted her brother. “The Dark Lord has allowed me to see that it is what you deserve.”
Stephanie laughed when Harry remained silent. He was too scared to say anything; finally the great Harry Potter was cornered and showing his true colors: cowardice. Instead of killing him immediately, she needed him to know why she was doing such a horrible act. He needed to know what he had done to her. Harry needed to suffer as she had suffered for almost seventeen years.
“I have suffered so much.” She continued, speaking slowly to allow her words to have a greater impact on Harry. “It has been painful and lonely. But it has also been rewarding and inspiring.
“The Dark Lord has taken me in. He has cared for me, taught me how to demand respect, and inspired me to do great things. You have done nothing but rub your freedom in my face and abandon me at every turn.” She finished and she watched in excitement as Harry began to cry. He was so terrified for his life that he was showing his weaknesses to her. How pathetic, Stephanie thought. This was going to be so easy and the Dark Lord was going to be so proud of her.
“Is that what you think?” He asked her.
“It is what I know.” Stephanie couldn’t help but glare at him. He made her so incredibly angry that she couldn’t contain herself.
“Stephanie, please.” Harry begged. This was more like what she had expected. Finally he was begging her to spare his life. She was going to have so much fun watching the light leave his eyes. “I would do anything for you. You are my sister, my family. I love you.”
“Don’t lie to me!” She yelled, waving her wand at Harry. How could he even say a thing like that? He was just trying to save his own life. He didn’t care about her and he never had. To punish him for his betrayal, Stephanie cast the Cruciatus Curse at him. Though she only let it linger for a couple of seconds, Stephanie didn’t get any gratification from it. She would have thought that Cursing her brother, the boy she had grown to despise so much, would cause her to feel something. But there was nothing.
“The Dark Lord showed me what you said to him at the Ministry of Magic the night Sirius died. You don’t love me and you never have. All you care about is yourself and I can’t believe I ever trusted you! You hurt me.” She continued to yell at him. Although she knew she shouldn’t be wasting this precious time, she had this overpowering need to convince him why he deserved to die.
“I didn’t say that!” Harry said quietly. Stephanie refused to believe him as he spoke negatively about her master. “He is lying to you. You have to believe me. I love you more than anything in this world. All I have wanted to do since that night in the graveyard is protect you!”
“I don’t believe you, Harry. The Dark Lord would never lie to me.” Stephanie was seething. If Harry really wanted to protect her, why would he leave her alone with the Death Eaters? Why didn’t he come after her? She would have gone to him if he had been in danger, even if he told her not to.
“Goodbye, Harry.” Stephanie shrieked excitedly. This was it; she was finally going to show her master that she would do anything for him. She raised her wand and said the curse she had been longing to perform for a very long time. However, she was so engrossed in her conversation with Harry that she hadn’t heard Hermione Granger bellow from across the grounds. She hadn’t even felt the curse make contact with her chest. Harry closed his eyes. “Avada Kedavra!”
Nothing happened. No light erupted from her wand and Harry was still alive. She shook her wand vigorously and cast the spell again, this time bellowing it with all of her strength. “AVADA KEDAVRA!”
She couldn’t figure out what was going on. Her magic wasn’t working! Suddenly she felt an arm across her chest and pulling her away from her brother. She cried out. “NOOOO! I can do it! He’s going to kill me! Let go of me!”
And she was suddenly returned to the dining room in the Lestrange Manor, where she was sitting across the table from Snape and the Dark Lord. Snape was staring at her with no expression and the Dark Lord cocked his head while looking at her curiously.
“I never imagined you would actually attempt to murder your brother.” He said slowly. “I had assumed that you would fail. You have impressed me.”
“I’m sorry I failed you, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered.
“You have not failed me, my dear.” The Dark Lord responded, still looking at her with interest. “Quite reverse of that, really. First, your thoughts have changed from wondering how you can perform a task to how you can please me the most. That is your greatest desire at this moment, and I believe that if I were to look at your fears again there would be new ones in place.
“Second, when you were trapped in that sphere, you did not give up hope. Even though my followers abandoned you, your thoughts turned to me. You were able to summon your strength and break free of the shield so that you could complete your task and succeed in serving me.
“Third, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me. Killing your brother meant that you would most likely be captured and sentenced to death. In your little discussion, however unnecessary, with Harry, you showed where your true loyalties lie. You have impressed me beyond what I could have ever predicted.” He finished and Stephanie was so confused.
“But I didn’t kill him, my Lord.” Stephanie whispered again, afraid that if she were to say the words out loud that he would change his mind.
“No, but you showed me that you can and that you will. Eventually, you will.” The Dark Lord smiled at her. He placed a marble on the table in front of her. “Now, please enlarge this marble.”
Stephanie wondered why the Dark Lord would request this of her, but she didn’t hesitate. She raised her wand and silently cast, “Engorgio.” Nothing happened. She tried speaking the spell out loud, “Engorgio.” Still, nothing happened.
The Dark Lord waved his wand at her and he nodded for her to try again. She repeated the spell and the marble increased in size. Her magic had returned!
“Thank you, master!” She said excitedly.
“You could not have expected the mudblood girl to perform a spell far beyond her skill level. I have just taken precautions to make it more difficult for this spell to be cast upon you again.” Stephanie nodded and he continued. “Now, there will be one more test of your loyalty that must be completed before I fully trust you once again. This will occur in a few days time, and once you have passed this, you will have reached the highest rank in my organization. Are you prepared for this responsibility?”
“Of course, my Lord.” Stephanie responded. She started breathing excitedly. The Dark Lord was going to make her his most trusted follower. She had finally done it! He really did care about her.
Stephanie knew what she had to do. She had to tell him that there was a traitor within the Death Eaters. Stephanie didn’t have proof, but she knew it hadn’t been the mudblood that had cast the spell. Hermione didn’t have the skill to perform that kind of magic. There was only one person there who could have done it and who had wanted her to fail so desperately.
She looked directly at the Dark Lord and spoke to him. “There is something I must tell you.”
He gestured for her to continue. Stephanie opened her mouth to speak the words, but suddenly her mind went blank. She couldn’t remember what she was going to say to him. What was it? The Dark Lord was waiting for her to say something, so she said the only think that came to her mind.
“Thank you, my Lord.” Stephanie said and the Dark Lord smiled. “I want to die for you.”
“Hopefully it won’t come to that, my dear.” He responded. “You are excused.”
With that, Stephanie walked up the stairs and lay on her bed. She suddenly remembered what she was going to tell her master. Snape was a traitor! He was working for the Order of the Phoenix, not for the Death Eaters. Snape was the one who had taught her magic before the Dark Lord had even returned. Snape was the one who had cast the spell turning off her magic.
And with that, Stephanie realized that Snape must have cast a forgetfulness charm on her. That day he flicked his wand at her and light had left his wand. She would forget what she was going to say each time she would try to tell her master about Severus Snape. The realization frustrated her, but she also had to admit that she was in awe of the bravery of this man. Stephanie lay her head on the pillow and wondered about what this final test would be.
First, I apologize if I didn't provide all the answers to your questions in this chapter. I was planning to have Stephanie AND Snape's POV, but Stephanie had so much going on that I couldn't cut anything out. I really tried to cut parts of this out, but I felt it was all necessary to understand what is going on in her mind. She is so confused, realizing that she shouldn't trust Voldemort but unable to think differently. And I apologize if this chapter was long and repetitive, but I just couldn't take anything out. Maybe it was more for me that I added Steph's POV, but I really liked it. So please leave me feedback and tell me what you think. The next chapter may not be up for a few days, seeing as I am going to take a few days to myself and relax (and a nice HP movie marathon with friends...WOOHOO!). I hope to have the next chapter posted sometime this weekend, but that's the best I can do. I'm really sorry! Have a great New Years everyone!