Fallen from grace

Chapter Two



As the four young adults stepped out of the Gryffindor entrance they saw professor McGonagall talking to Kingsely Shakbolt and Mad-eye Moody. They were obviously here to question them about the murder of Dumbledore. A little unsure of whether they were expected to wait and be called or to walk up to the three adults that were talking quickly in hushed voices. Instead they seemed to just hover in uncertainty around the Fat Lady’s Portrait who was crying with her friend Violet; they were both trying to console one another while ‘saying what a tragedy it was to loose a great man such as Dumbledore and how they couldn’t believe he had been murdered here at Hogwarts’.



Professor McGonagall turned and looked at the four of them with red-rimmed eyes and beckoned them towards the awaiting order. Both the experienced aurors seemed to be in as much shock as everybody else that Dumbledore was dead. Mad-eye looked at Harry and the others with his one good eye while his magical eye seemed to be constantly looking for a danger that might still be present in the castle after the death eater invasion. Kingsley looked at the four tired and shocked students in front of him and said “I am sorry to have to call out of your dorms so late on this night but we need to talk to the four of you on your whereabouts tonight during the time of the incident for the ministries report on the matter”. Harry was just about to say where the ministry could shove the report, when Hermione coolly stated, “Of course, although perhaps we should go somewhere privet just so younger students don’t hear and become upset further.”



“What a good idea Miss Granger” came the gruff response from Mad-eye. Harry and Ginny seemed to have got hold of the idea that although they were talking to them as though they were questioning them about this evenings events it was only a cover so that could talk about the order. Ron however who was usually a little slow on the uptake of certain things balked at this and went red in the face, the rage that had obviously been building in the common room came to the front and he shouted



“If you think I am going to help the Ministry, then you are sorely mistaken” while he started to pace and point at the two aurors and the professor. Harry, Ginny and Hermione all groaned at Ron’s behaviour, while the three adults all tried at the same time and rather unsuccessfully calm Ron down. “I mean after all they put Dumbledore and Harry through last year and lets not forget the impromptu drop in at Christmas Dinner by the Minister of Magic Himself and my stuck up …”



At this point it was Hermione who tried to calm Ron down by grabbing has arm mid-wave and said “ Ron I know that you’ve been through a lot tonight and I can perfectly understand that you would be upset, but it would be best if we discussed this in private rather than walking up our whole house.”



Ron looked at Hermione as if she had suddenly grown two heads and started to bluster again “Have you lost your mind Hermione.. I… I’m… they.”



Hermione gently interrupted with “I know your very upset with what has happened recently, but in order” at which point she gave Ron’s arm a gentle squeeze and him meaningful look “for us to get any sleep at all tonight I think it would be best to talk to the aurors now rather than wake up any one else with the conversation.”



“I guess your right Hermione,” he said while giving everyone the adults in his presence a rather sheepish look.



“Right everyone single file behind Kingsley and Professor McGonagall, we will head to somewhere a little less open to talk about this evening’s event.” Was the short response of Mad-eye.



When the four students and three adults reached the gargoyle statue for the headmaster’s office they slowed and almost became uncertain as whether they should proceed or try to find somewhere else in the castle that would be more secure. Eventually McGonagall voiced up the password “Sugar-quills” with a watery smile and they all proceeded up to the office.







Meanwhile back at Riddle Manor a large number of death eaters had gathered to hear if the rumour that was slowly building in the magical community of Albus Dumbledore’s death at Hogwarts by a small group of death eaters was true. There was an air of excitement in the large room where everybody had gathered with lots of mummers running through the crowd of “is it true” and, “no one can stand in our way now”.



The fell silently in a wave starting from a side entrance where Lord Voldemort entered followed by Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy, Nagini and finally Wormtail. All Voldemort’s followers seemed to have maniac looks of happiness on their faces apart from Narcissa who held a look of emotionless composure.



“Welcome my loyal followers to a happy event in our plans for setting order in our world,” came the almost hissed statement. All the death eaters looked to their Lord’s face with happiness while one of the new and young members shouted out “It’s true then Dumbledore is dead!”



Voldemort spun around to the direction where the shout had come from “Yes the muggle loving fool is gone. Which one of you am I speaking to?” The crowd parted to a young man probably no older than 23 who looked immensely pleased, due to the fact Voldemort wanted to speak to him directly. Voldemort who seemed to look content and happy with the news of this evening curved his mouth upwards which was thought by all to be a smile “Ahh and what is your name my young friend?”



“George Smith my Lord,” said the youth with a small bow of respect to the man looking at him.



“Of course it is how could I forget?” Voldemort’s smile seemed to widen as he drew closer to the young man, “even on such a happy and monumental day let us not forget our manners of not speaking to our betters unless spoken to. Crucio!”



The young man instantly fell to his knees with an expression of unbelievable pain across his face, a few seconds later he fell completely to the floor shaking slightly; he had blood pouring from his mouth where he had bitten his lip and tongue trying to keep the pained screams from rising out of his mouth. He of course failed to keep from making a sound under the Dark Lord’s curse; almost as soon as he fell to the floor a terrible pained scream ripped through the room of onlookers.



The Dark Lord seemingly in a good mood only kept the curse for 20 seconds or so and then continued to lecture Smith as he tried to pick himself up off the floor as quickly and gracefully as he could; “remember the rules at events such as these, as these rules are the ones we wish to put in place in today’s magical society to show are superiority over common muggles and mudbloods who pollute our world. Don’t you all agree?”



A mummer of agreement and head nodding seemed to go around the room. “Good now on with tonight’s meeting. We shall celebrate our victory over one of the greatest objects that was in the way of us succeeding in our plans, Albus Dumbledore is dead and one of the greatest pillars of the magical community who stood for mudblood and pureblood unity is gone.”



A cheer went up in the room all except for Draco who was shocked at the Dark Lord’s treatment over George Smith who was a pureblood; his family although not of a particular high standing but a pureblood all the same suffering the Cruciatis curse. This treatment was the same he received from his father when he failed his duties as a Malfoy and Lucius own son, he had truly believed that once he had entered the death eater ranks he would be free from corporal punishments. He thought he would be recognized as a man and his father would be proud of him, he even thought he could protect his Mother afterwards. Even last summer when he was summoned to the Dark Lord and his family was in trouble over his Father’s failure at the Ministry he didn’t ever believe death eater meetings’ could be like this. Punished over the slightest step out of line even on a night that every one should be happy and celebrating he was now starting to wonder what the Dark Lord was like when there was bad news.



The Dark Lord waited a few moments in the centre of the circle and then lifted his hand and the whole room went deathly silent and everyone’s complete focus was on what was going to happen next. “I have entertainment arranged for later this evening but first I think we should congratulate those who went out to do this task tonight.”



“Would the Carrows, Snape, Greyback and the Young Malfoy all step forward please?” As the five all stepped forward in to the centre of the circle Voldemort looked at them and smiled, “tonight you shall be rewarded for your achievements of tonight’s events. First Snape and Young Malfoy, congratulations to Draco on the plan to allow Death Eaters entrance to the grounds of Hogwarts, a truly Slytherin plot if I ever did see one right under the mudblood loving fools nose.” A sly smile spreading across his face as he looked at Malfoy who was looking slightly nervous and preoccupied with his internal thoughts, “however you were not able to fully complete your task as you were not the one who actually killed the old-man were you?”



Draco drew in a deep shaky breath and tried to steady himself and stand up a little straighter for the reply he had to give. “No my Lord it was Severus Snape who finally killed him after I disarmed at the top of the tower”.



“I see so it is to Snape the greatest reward shall go, while you and I re-talk over the mission and consequences of your failure.” Quite taken aback Draco’s head shot up with wide and fearful eyes and looked to Voldemort and in to his unforgiving eyes and then to his Mother off to one side off the room. She seemed to give him a look of complete calm, which Draco had seen at times when he was in trouble with his father. It was a look that told him to be as emotionless and calm as possible he could only make the situation worse by speaking up.



Voldemort seemed pleased with the reaction he had drawn from the boy but soon turned his attention back to Snape. “Severus my loyal companion well done” and then addressing the room and looking at certain people “I hope that has proven your loyalty to those who have doubted your true intentions once and for all.”



Walking forward and placing an arm around Severus he said in a lower tone to the man “and what would you wish for as a prize for your loyalty?”



“I do not wish to ask for too much but I would like my current houseguest to perhaps have different quarters if it would suit my Lord.” The Dark Lord chuckled darkly while looking over to Peter Pettigrew the man Snape had talked about and watched as a shiver of fear ran down the man’s body.



“Of course that would not be too much trouble, but I believe you deserve more of a reward than that as I was also planning on re-assigning Wormtail’s location. What more would you wish for the man who my sources tell me made Albus beg for his worthless life?”



Snape seemed to think it over for a few seconds and then in hushed tones whispered to the creature standing next to him, “if the Dark Lord would be kind and be lenient in his punishment on Draco, my Godson as he had been pampered by his parents and was not fully ready for the task laid out for him, even though Lucius often boasted about the boy.”



The Dark Lord looked upon Snape and smiled “you are a simple man to please and you have been my most loyal of subjects all these long years since you joined when you were not much older than Draco is now, and I believe you are right in the assessment of the boy perhaps under your care he will do better.”



“Very well then young Malfoy will receive his Lord’s mark and be welcomed as a full member of our group and will have his loyalties tested again at another time after some tutelage from Severus.”



The Dark Lord then beckoned Draco forwards, while the room watched on all knowing what was going to happen next to the Malfoy heir, as they had all been through the experience themselves.



Draco tried to make sure that all of his mental defences were up in place before he was directly under his Lord’s gaze and was commanded to “kneel” before the snake like monster. The red eyes immediately seemed to see in to his very soul and Draco felt as if the thing standing before him wished to rip apart him and devour what it could find within the young man.



Draco presented his left forearm bare to the Dark Lord and gracefully bowed his head. Voldemort drew his wand and with several flicks drew a complicated set of runes on the floor around Draco, he then proceeded to start a chant in an archaic language and cut his own hand. The blood then fell onto Draco’s forearm, where it touched it felt dark and slick and seemed to burn to Draco’s own skin. He tried to move his arm so he could cradle it against his body away from the blood that continued to drip on to his skin but found he was held in place completely all he could do was let out a howl of pain.



The ceremony to place the dark mark onto Draco’s arm took several minutes while his voice became horse and broken from all the screaming. Narccissa looked to her son who was kneeling on the floor and started to take steps towards him with tears gathering in her eyes, to try and stop what was happening and help him in anyway she could but was held back by her sister Bella.



As the Dark Lord finished the spell he healed the wound he had created after which he cleared the floor of the runes and watched as Draco slumped to the ground with a groan. “Now if Draco would be kind enough to take his place back in the circle we can all continue.”



Draco hurried as fast as he could to his feet and with a fleeting bow to his now Lord and Master took his place next to Snape. “To Greyback who was there tonight at Hogwarts and fought the Order which tried to stop Dumbledore’s killing I present you with a young female muggle to be your toy for the night or however long you manage to make her last.” At this comment a quiet snicker ran through the crowded room all knowing Fennir’s bedroom and eating habits. “Thank you my most gracious Lord” was the reply from a manically grinning werewolf.



“Now to the Carrows who went on the mission tonight I grant the two of you the running of the entertainment tonight. I hope you have fun and allow everyone else here tonight a little play with what I am providing.” The Brother and Sister looked to one another and seemed to give a knowing-smile to one another as if they already knew how to kick this evening’s festivity off already.



Voldemort clapped his hands and tables and chairs appeared around the room with a wide selection of food and drinks on them, he then turned to Wormtail “Bring out the entertainment and don’t forget the girl that is for Greyback”.



Draco was completely unaware of what the entertainment would be having not been told of this by his family and was shocked when the doors which Wormtail had just gone through showed a large crowd of muggles of all ages bound and being forced in to the room.