Thank you so much for your reviews those who did review anyway, it's becoming so disheartening that I don't get so many but never mind! I know my updates are fairly slow and I am really sorry but I am juggling so many things at the moment. Mainly I am doing a lot of travelling, I'm shooting off to Italy in two weeks and Stratford next week, work is draining - basically the whole nine yards of chaos. I'm really happy that my reviewers express that they like my story.
Behold the Dark Phantom
For a long time Ginny had wished for her seventh year to arrive. Mainly because she wished she wasn't always in the shadow of her brothers; but partly it was also because she envied Harry, Ron and Hermione always being together and leaving her alone on the sidelines.
She knew her brothers loved and cherished her. They had been nothing less than the best, but sometimes she hated being the only girl - and most of all she despised being the youngest.
So now that she was finally in her seventh year, Ginny craved for those years when Fred, George and Ron, especially Ron, were with her. The loneliness was excruciating. She'd been made Head Girl, much to her family's pride and joy (but to her dismay). A Ravenclaw was Head Boy, Duncan Lewis, who was quiet but extremely smart.
Only now did Ginny realise what Ron, Harry and Hermione had to go through. School work alone was draining, but she also had to prepare for the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes as part of Dumbledore's Army (which had ten members so far), and of course, Head Girl duties. She was also taking Occlumency classes from Snape, and Auror training from Remus and Tonks on the side.
Half way through her seventh year, Ginevra was ready to give it all up, but determination and ambition burned in her with great intensity. She'd never fail again; she wouldn't be able to stand the shame of failing when all her brothers had succeeded.
Fred and George had just opened their second joke shop and were now expanding to Hogsmeade. Ginny was ecstatic and hoped to see them at every given opportunity. Ron was doing amazingly well in the Auror Guild and would graduate from the academy along with Harry around the same time she graduated from Hogwarts. A Hogsmeade weekend was coming up in a few weeks time and Ron had owled promising he would come and visit her.
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Draco strode down the dark lanes that wound off from Diagon Alley. It was almost dawn and he needed sleep. It had been seven months since he had graduated from Hogwarts and Draco had taken the family home in Knockturn Alley, London. It was mid-winter and cold, but Draco was never physically cold, in a sense he preferred the cold weather as it seemed to lessen the coldness he felt within.
For the first time since he had graduated, he allowed his mind to wander. During the months that he had been at Morsmordre Castle, he had locked her in the deepest folds of his mind, forced himself to forget her because remembering her for even a brief moment could've cost him his life.
He had barely seen the other Death Eaters during his training and he himself had always worn his mask, it had almost always been just the Dark Lord, himself and the prisoners - witches, wizards and Muggles alike who had been kidnapped over the last two years. The prisoners Draco had tortured and killed with ease; these prisoners whose purpose was merely to train new Death Eaters. New recruits trained in the courtyard of the Dark Fortress. Draco attended a few sessions in order to avoid suspicion. No one knew of Draco's private training, Lucius had been put under strict instruction from the Dark Lord to keep silent and even Lucius knew little about his son's accomplishments.
In front of their peers, the younger and new Death Eaters tortured their victims endlessly, raped the young females and slaughtered them as the elders laughed and jeered. It was their sport, their amusement, their idea of fun. Voldemort had trained Draco personally, and in that evil twisted way Draco found that his own ways were much more gracious and refined - he killed swiftly and heartlessly, tortured endlessly and relentlessly but still with sophistication. He killed without remorse, taking neither pleasure nor pride; he killed to kill, to end life and he did it with precision, and without feeling. Voldemort had taken this for pure evilness and had praised him for it.
Two months ago Voldemort had presented him with a mask for his "Graduation", a beautiful and terrifying mask that was nothing like the masks the other Death Eaters wore. His mask was crafted from rare Pearl-Dragon scales which possessed the magical properties of concealing any recognition from its viewers and making the wearer a mere figment of imagination to the viewers' minds. The scales had been molten in the hottest flames conjured from the earth's core. The silver mask covered his whole face except his eyes, lips and chin. The almond shaped eyeholes were covered with an almost see-through silvery sheen when it wasn't worn, so pure it was almost white. Only when he wore it did the mask reveal his eyes, though his pupils took the form of silvery-grey skulls. It was charmed to mould with his face and could not be removed by anyone but the wearer.
Unlocking the door to his house, Draco immediately made for his bedroom and sunk heavily on his bed, not bothering to remove his clothes. It was easy enough to manipulate, to torture and to kill. He had mastered full control over his mind and emotions, but her, Merlin, she plagued his mind to no end. But it wasn't so much when he was torturing and killing, it was afterwards, when he was in solitude. Her beautiful innocent brown eyes stared hatefully and accusingly at him constantly.
Sighing, Draco closed his eyes. She was only a memory - at least that was what he had been telling himself, and for too long he had been trying to believe it. Tomorrow the Dark Lord was sending him to the cold lands of the Far North of Finland to work on the resurrection of the Ancient Ice Lords. At least, that was what the inner circle was to believe. Tomorrow morning, Draco Malfoy would be gone and nightfall would bring their second master. Tomorrow all death eaters would behold The Dark Phantom.
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"Do you know why I chose you, Drakkus?" Voldemort wheezed softly, "Over all others do you know why Voldemort chose you?"
Draco's face remained impassive. "No, my Lord, but it is indeed the greatest honour bestowed upon me."
Voldemort laughed gleefully. "Aah yes, you are fearless, Drakkus, and you are faithless but faithful to Darkness. The Dark Lord sees this; Voldemort knows the darkness of evil. For I spent years in solitude studying it, Drakkus, immortality is the darkest form of Dark Magic, " Vodemort cackled, "Aah and Voldemort defied death. Now come, Voldemort never chooses without care, bear your arm to me and wear your mask, Dark Phantom. Take your position by my side."
Draco obeyed feeling the cool suction of the mask as he raised it to his face and stepping forward Draco stood before Voldemort and pulled back his sleeve to reveal the dark mark that marred his once perfect skin. Draco clenched his jaw as he felt Voldemort's bony fingers clasp his wrist and the flesh on his forearm burn. Almost immediately Death Eaters flowed through the doors. One by one they lifted their hoods back, unmasked their faces and bowed low in front of Voldemort. Draco smirked when he saw his father. The pathetic fool had no idea who stood beside the Dark Lord for only Draco wore a mask, only he was honoured and trusted by the Dark Lord. Only this morning had Lucius bid him farewell and told him that he was to do exceedingly well and not to fail on his quest in the far north. What a pathetic fool!
Lucius had trained him his whole life to become everything that was expected of a Pure Blood and a Malfoy, reared him to be obedient, cold, cruel and calculating. Draco didn't doubt that his father had shaped him to become his own slave and to do his bidding; he almost laughed out loud at how the tables had turned. Lucius was to be completely and utterly at his disposal, at the beck and call of his own son though it was ironic how he'd never know. Draco smirked to himself, oh Lucius would know soon enough, Draco would make certain of it even if it was the last thing his father would ever know.
No less than 25 Death Eaters had gathered in the Throne Room. Only the inner-circle had been summoned, and they were apprehensive. Among them Draco saw his old mentor Snape who looked darker and sterner than ever. Aunt Bellatrix stood regally and looked extremely excited. Draco sneered, his aunt was infatuated with the Dark Lord and would go to any extreme to please her master. No doubt if Voldemort was still able to perform Bellatrix would have also offered her body out of loyalty. Draco smirked to himself, it was common knowledge that Voldemort has sacrificed too much of his humanity, his soul mind and body was consumed with darkness and it had overruled his primal needs as a man - after all Voldemort was barely human let alone a man.
No one flinched; no one met each others' eyes but Draco could smell their fear and anticipation as they waited patiently for the Dark Lord to address them. Finally Voldemort spoke, his voice raspy but full of power and dominance, "My faithful Death Eaters, tonight I give you my most trusted Dark Servant of all. Tonight you shall pledge yourselves to him as you have vowed yourselves to me." Voldemort stood and thrust his wand towards Draco who bore his forearm and knelt before the Dark Lord, doe-brown eyes flashed through his mind glaring at him accusingly. Draco groaned inwardly as he fought for control over himself, Not now my innocent Ginevra, he hissed at himself mentally, don't torment me now sweet Weaslette.
Pain surged through his arm almost making him scream out loud as Voldemort muttered a long ancient spell. It felt like his skin was being ripped apart and stitched back together with a burning needle. Realisation dawned on Draco, Voldemort was completing his mark. When he finished, Draco stood and stepped forward, his bare arm raised in the air for them to see. Warm blood flowed freely down his arm.
"Behold your second Master! Behold the Dark Phantom!" Voldemort's voice was almost thunderous.
All the Death Eaters sunk to their knees, their heads bowed low. "We pledge ourselves unquestionably to thee, Dark Phantom." They uttered loudly in unison. These were more or less the same words Draco himself had vowed to Voldemort during his initiation.
Voldemort cackled, "He will lead you to greatness by my command. The time has now come for Lord Voldemort to unleash terror!"
"May Darkness guide us!" The Death Eaters shouted together as they stood, "Hail the Dark Lord and his Dark Phantom!"
"Those who defy the Dark Phantom also defy Lord Voldemort! Let it be known among your children and the lower ranks of the power that I have invested in my son of Darkness!" Voldemort screeched, "Now go! Let the world behold the Dark Phantom!"
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