After Hogwarts: A New Evil Emerges

Nighttime
Potter's Home

***FLASHBACK****

Footsteps. She could hear them. They were soft. So it wouldn't be Angel. Angel really liked to make her presence known. Liked to let people hear she was coming. People still didn't pay attention to her though. Which made it easier for her to do what she did.

The door opened. She heard whispers.

"She didn't eat her food."

"She'll eat it when she can't take the hunger anymore. Go join the others MacNair. They're having fun with a Muggle. Make sure the body is disposed of when they're done."

More whispers. Someone leaves. And another door opens. A chair scrapes on the floor. A sigh. Fingers tap on the table near her bed. She lays still, tries to breaht normally. Tries not to show anything out of the ordinary. Hopes he changes his mind and leaves.


"Awake Mali?"

So it was him. Again. Always him. Even with her back turned to him she knew it was him. She didn't want it to be. With her his voice was soft and psuedo soothing. Around others it was cold and hurtful. But around her... he played nice, slowly crawling through every barrier her mother had taught her to create, eroding the walls and invading her head. She knew what he was. A monster. Barely even human. He was a coldhearted, evil murderer that did whatever he could to accomplish his goals.

And his goal at the moment? Her. He stopped focusing on blasted Harry Potter. He apparently decided to wait for Potter to make his move. So while he waited....she was his newest target.

He laughed softly and she stiffened in her bed. "Come now little Mali, no need for these games."

At the moment though, she was faking sleep. Or was trying to. He knew she was awake, but she wasn't going to prove it to him. When she was brought here, he had barricaded her in a small room down in the dungeon of his home. This small bedroom became home. A small bed with a heavy blanket...at least she had warmth when she could sleep, an old battered desk with a wooden brush that she used on her hair...when she felt the energy to brush it, and of course the meal that was brought to her an hour ago. Cold. In one small corner, a chest sat with a few changes of clothes that were washed every few days.

She found it odd that he would give her some comforts. When she woke up after her very first day imprisoned, all she felt was fear. For the first time in her life she felt fear. Didn't like it either. Hated it. Hated him for making her feel this way. At first, she didn't know why he was letting her live. Why he was giving her a room to sleep and eat in, occasionally a book to read.

By the tenth day it hit her. By the tenth day he had come in. For the first time since her kidnapping, he spoke to her. That was it. He spoke to her. He said that she was prisoner. And until her mother gave him what he wanted, she was going to stay that way. But he was going to prove that he could be considerate, kind even if he wanted to. And her imprisonment was going to be proof of that.

"Come now Mali. You aren't 11 years old and I'm not your mother. The silent treatment is for children."

Every day after that he would come down to her little prison, and talk to her. Just talk. Odd really. That a man as evil as him would be simply satisfied just talking. Or ranting. He ranted a lot about Dumbledore...even though he was dead. He ranted even more about Harry Potter.
And he would always end up drawing her into the conversation. She knew what he was trying to break her, get her used to him, get her to see his views...get her on his side. Betray her mother. That was most important part.

"Malicia? I wrote to your mother."

Forgetting her plan to feign sleep(she knew it wasn't working but was stupidly hoping he give up and go away)she turned on her other side to face him. Wary purple eyes met slits of red.

"Oh really?"She drawled, ignoring his smile. "I bet she sent it back ripped to pieces didn't she?"

"I wouldn't know. She hasn't sent an answer back. It's been a week."

"What did you write to her?"

"An oppurtunity to get you back. After all, I think after two months of keeping someone captive, it's rather...polite to send a note don't you?"

"Why shoulder a bastard like you bother with polite?"She snapped. She paused. "Two months? That's how long I've been here?"

"Let's not degrade this chat with insults my dear. Don't you want to know what my letter detailed? What I requested your mother give in order for your safe return?"

She couldn't help herself. "What?"

"The Amulet."

Malicia's insides froze. The back of her mind was screaming NO! This was not a good thing. The Amulet is what kept her mother alive. The Amulet is the one thing her mother would do anything to keep. She would never give it up.

"She'll never give it to you." Mali said, desolate.

"And then she has lost you."

~~~~~~

He was back again. It had been two days since he told her about his ultimatum.

"Still no answer Mali."

"Don't call me that."

"What? Mali? That is your name isn't it? Or a shortened version of Malicia? Interesting name really. A name that is a play upon words. Malice."

"What about your's? Lord Voldemort. Tom Marvolo Riddle." She saw him grimace. "You moved letters around in your birth name to make the name you go by now."

"Well I wanted my old name to be useful somehow. And that was basically it. But as I said earlier your mother still hasn't answered."

"She won't."

~~~~~~~

This time he didn't come back for a week. Angel stopped by twice. Taunted. Said a random thing. Left. Angel made her shake her head in wonder. One minute she seemed normal... that is until she opened her mouth. And then you knew it. She was nuts. Then again... she didn't grow up normal. But now he was back.

"Two weeks Malicia. She hasn't answered. I know she got my letter. You'd think even if she reufsed she would send an answer."

"Fuck you."

"Watch the language."

"You're a bastard."

"Now Malicia. If you continue with the insults, I'm afraid I'll take this chessboard away." He set a wizard's chess set down on the table he had moved between them and sat. "Feel up to a game?"

She couldn't help herself. She played.

"Pay attention to what you're doing girl,"he snapped ten minutes later after he took her knight.

"I am."She whined. She was losing. Badly. Most of her pawns were gone. Her bishops were gone. Two rooks, three pawns, her king and queen, one rook and one knight remained. While he, the fucking bastard of the wizarding world, had both rooks, both bishops and both knights. No pawns though. He got rid of those quick. Voldemort didn't see much use for his pawns after he was done with them. Rather telling that was.

Ten minutes later.

"Fuck."

"Language."

"Two out of three?"

A laugh. Voldemort could actually laugh. It was odd seeing him like this.

Twenty minutes later.

"Doing better my girl. Sill lost though."

"I said two out of three you bastard. "

"Why bother? You'll lose."

An hour later.

"Fuck!"

Voldemort laughed again. Laughed. Really unsettling. "I told you that you'd lose."

"Took you longer this time."

"True. But you still lost."

"One day I'll beat you."

He just smiled. "I'll be looking forward to it."

***END OF FLASHBACK****

"Mom? Mom? Mom!"

Malicia blinked and looked away from the chessboard that her husband and son were battling over. Raven was looking at her, concern evident in her eyes...her father's eyes. Looking down at her right arm, she caught site of the scar, and before Raven could follow her mother's gaze, she draped a towel over it. She would get her bracer in a minute.

"Yes Raven?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just remembering."

"Okay. I was just worried you know."

"It's the parents job to worry about their kids. Not the other way around."

"Fuck!" James swore. He lost. Badly.

"Language."

"Best two out of three?"

Harry laughed.

Twenty minutes later.

"Doing better my boy. Still lost though."

"I said two out of three."

"Why bother? You'll lose."

An hour later.

"Bloody hell!"

Harry laughed. "I told you that you'd lose."

"Took you longer this time."

"True. But you still lost."

"One day I'll beat you."

Harry just smiled. "I'll be looking forward to it."

Malicia just stared at the two of them. Odd really. The past can really recreate itself. Truly unsettling.