Chapter 8
Nellie followed Voldemort out of the palace. What had she just done? She asked herself. She could not come up with an acceptable reason. They were walking up a path in the dark. It was lit by the glowing moon. Nellie remembered what Voldemort had said in her house about the moon. She didn't know what it meant, but it chilled her to the bone. The dirt path curved up the hill and there was a rocky but stable cliff where the Death Eaters were gathered. The talking ceased as Voldemort approached. The Death Eaters sat in silence. Draco beckoned Nellie to sit next to him. Shaking like mad, Nellie sat down, feeling awfully dumb or out of place in Pansy's robe.
"Now. For entertainment tonight," Voldemort said, pressing his hands together and grinning around at his supporters, "Let's play charades!" The death Eaters rejoiced.
"Me first!" cried a skinny man. Voldemort didn't care that he hadn't asked politely. He just waved his hand and the Death Eater leapt up. He did some gestures and began to run around the fire.
"Unicorn." Crabbe grunted.
"Aw man! Everyone gets it on the first try!" the Death Eater whined and sat back down. Crabbed got up and twisted his face as he thought of something to do.
"Okay." He said. He pretended to act all cool and like he was the hottest guy in the world. He strutted around the fire and smoothed his hair. Suddenly as he reached Voldemort, his eyes popped and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Crabbe fell backwards and lay still.
"Ooo! Ooo!" Draco said, jumping up laughing. "The Death of Cedric Diggory!" he cried. Everyone around the fire began to laugh, except Nellie who had no clue who Cedric Diggory was.
"You quite stumped me on that one, Young Crabbe." Voldemort said, nodding. "One of my favorite deaths." He said. Malfoy rushed up so he could take a turn at Charades.
"Okay." He told everyone. "Everyone will get this." He paused and turned to Voldemort.
"Can I use words, Master? PLEASE?" He grinned evilly at his master.
"All right, go on then." Voldemort said, smiling just as wicked. Malfoy strutted around the fire.
"Oh! Ouchies! My scar hurts!" he whined. Everyone burst out laughing.
"I don't think I can play Quidditch today! I think I ought to just polish my Firebolt instead. That can make up for Quidditch. I'll be doing something with a broom!" Everyone laughed still harder. He strutted some more. Then gasped in surprise.
"Hermione!" he cried and fell to his knees in the dirt. "My love!" Tears were pouring down faces the Death Eaters were laughing so hard. "Run away with me and we can live together and attend Quidditch matches! I love you SO much!" he then pretended to kiss someone. Apparently, by the reactions of everybody, Malfoy had told them about Harry 'kissing' Hermione on the train before Voldemort and Nellie arrived.
"Harry Potter." Voldemort said. Draco sat down, looking very pleased as his funny imitation. Voldemort stood up and smiled down at everyone.
"I think that's enough fun. The little ones have to go to back to school soon." He said. "I will tell a story of my greatness. Which one shall I tell?" he asked.
"Tell us about the moon, my Lord. Tell us how you've destroyed many with its powers."
"Ah. The moon." He paused and sat back down. He gazed up at the moon, winking down at them. "Once every so years, the moon gets full. Fuller than before. It also appears closer to earth every night within the coming year." Everyone stared up at the sky. "There is always a Blue Moon, when the moon looks a ghastly blue. Muggles think this has to do with particles in the atmosphere. But it does not. It means the moon is halfway to its final peak of innocence, when evil will only come where evil is. When the moon has reached its final peak, evil can swallow up the world." Voldemort sighed.
"Many times, I have tried to conceal the world with my grace. But they all have failed. But this coming year. I will succeed. With the help of my old Death Eaters, my young ones, and my new one." He gazed at Nellie and she looked at her hands.
"When the moon is at the end of its innocence, it will be at its highest peak in darkness. Whenever the moon has been full of evil, many of my great destructions have occurred. But this, will be the greatest." There was silence except for the lonely cicadas in the bushes nearby.
"Before the young ones go, Nellie, please step up here please." Nellie got to her unsteady feet and walked past the Death Eaters. When Nellie was in front of Voldemort, he reached up and took a hold of her right sleeve. He gently turned her arm so her forearm was showing.
"I," he said, bringing out his wand "Lord Voldemort, greatest Lord ever to have lived, gather my powers to be able to summon you when council shall be held." He twirled his wand and it began to glow. "I!" he yelled to the night. "Bring you within my powers of EVILL!!!!!!!!!!" he directed his wand at Nellie's arm. The Death Eater's flinched and clutched their left forearms. Draco and his friends whimpered and clutched their right forearms. Nellie screamed as a sharp pain filled her arm. It felt numb. Nellie opened her eyes and stared at her arm. There is was. The Dark Mark. Just like Professor Snape had on his own arm. It glowed a fiery white until fading to blue to green. Yellow to orange. Red to pitch black. Voldemort pulled her robe sleeve back down. He took her chin in his hands and brought it down. He yet again kissed the same spot on her head.
"Welcome." He said. "My pet." The Death Eaters stood in their approval of the new member of the Death Eaters.
"Off you trot now!" Voldemort said. He turned to the remaining Death Eaters as Draco, Nellie, Crabbe, and Goyle left.
"Let's sing a song." He said. He began to swish his wand around.
"Kumbaya. My Lord. Kumbaya..."
"How many times have I told you about singing with your hoods on. It muffles your voices!" Voldemort said, still flicking his wand.
"Kumbaya. My Lord. Kumbaya..."
"Louder!" Voldemort yelled as Nellie and the other walked father away . "I can't HEAR you!" Voldemort sang. Tears were in Nellie eyes as the mark still numbed her arm.
"It's okay." Goyle said, patting her shoulder. "It will stop hurting." Nellie sniffed. So many things had gone totally wrong this night. And there was no delete or undo button.
In the morning, Nellie looked very tired at the Slytherin table. Harry felt sorry for her. He thought Nellie was nice and would have liked it to have her on the good side of Hogwarts, rather than the bad. Someone walked in with too much strong perfume on and sat next to Ron. It was Neville.
"Aw man!" Ron said, pinching his nose. "Did you think you put enough on?" he asked.
"Hmm?" Neville said, seeing Nellie at the Slytherin table buttering toast.
"And why are you wearing your dress robes?" Harry asked.
"Oh. No reason. Hi Aunt Midrigge!" Neville said to Professor Midrigge who walked past the Gryffindor table on the way to the teachers table.
"My Neville!" Midrigge said. "You put on way to much cologne. This will do the trick." She brought out her wand, said a couple of well chosen words, and the stench of Neville's cologne dropped considerably.
"Thanks." Said Neville breathlessly and sat down to eat.
"Aunt?" Ron asked, looking at Neville.
"Yeah. Uh, she brought me into her office a bit after dinner to tell me that she was my mothers sister."
"Cool." Harry said. Hermione walked in, looking very flustered. Harry blushed.
"Good morning everyone. Good morning Neville. Morning Ron, Morning Harry." She said. As she reached for the orange juice, her eyes landed on Nellie. She had a white bandage wrapped around her right arm.
"I wonder what's wrong with Nellie?" she asked.
"What?" Neville jumped up and spoons clattered to the floor. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Geez man." Ron said. "It's only a gauze wrap."
"What if she got attacked?" He glared at the Slytherins. "By one of THEM."
"Grow a brain Neville." Harry said. "They wouldn't do that do their own kind." Or would they? He thought,
"He's been trying to grow a brain for years." Ron whispered to Harry who sniggered.
"I am going to see what is wrong." Neville pronounced boldly and walked over to the Slytherin table.
"He won't come back alive." Dean Thomas muttered, who had been sitting across from Ron. The Gryffindors watched fearfully as Neville made his way to the Slytherin table.
"Hi." Neville said to Nellie. She looked up at him.
"Oh hi Neville. Did you get your homework done?" she asked. Neville melted.
"Yeah..." he said.
"You um. Wanna sit down? You look like you could get off your feet." Neville sat down.
"I can't wait for today's lesson in Transfiguration. It should be cool."
"Transfiguration is neat." He said. "What did you do to your arm?"
"Oh." Nellie said, touching the bandage. "You know those, uh, thingies in the bathrooms that hold candles?"
"Yeah." Neville said.
"Well. It sounds dumb, but I was reaching up to the shelf in the Slytherin bathroom to get a towel and one of the candle holders cut me."
"Ouch. You should have gone to Madam Pomfrey."
"No!" Nellie said. "It's okay! I'll be fine." She said quickly.
"Hey!" Malfoy shouted, drawing near. "Clear off, Longpantbottoms!" he laughed at his new joke. Neville blanched.
"He can sit here." Nellie said to Malfoy. "Any time he feels like it." She glared at him, her eyes flashing. Malfoy looked startled. He didn't want to be challenged by his Master's new 'pet'.
"Okay. Chill. Longbottom can sit here." He said and sat, though quite far from Neville.
"Wow. You sure made him listen." Neville said awed.
"Well. I have a way with men." She said, shrugging.
"You sure do." He muttered going red.
"What?" Nellie asked.
"Nothing!" It was Neville's turn to go red. "Uh. See you in class."
"Bye." Nellie said. Neville got up and went back to the Gryffindor table.
"Oh my god." Hermione said. "Hes alive. He made it!" Neville came back to the table.
"Dude! You must have been FREAKED when Malfoy came up to you like that!" Ron said, punching him on the arm.
"Nellie told him off for telling me to go away." Neville said proudly.
"I'm going to get to class." Harry said, standing up. "Want to come Ron?"
"Nah. There's a fresh plated of bacon." He said and magicked the plate away from several second years who shouted in protest.
"I'll come!" Hermione said and grabbed her bag. Harry knew why she was coming. Once in the hall, Hermione broke the silence.
"You know Harry." She said. "I have a feeling Ron will find out about. Us, really soon." She said. Harry didn't say anything.
"Harry?"
"I heard you." Harry told Hermione. "I just don't know what we should do. I don't think we can go along the rest of the school year meeting in your bedroom. We'll be found out! And then Ron will find out and if Ron finds out the whole SCHOOL will!"
"You're right. We can't keep having midnight meetings. And if Ron found out, he would feel betrayed that we didn't tell him." They were almost at the classroom now.
"Hermione." Harry said stopping to turn and look at her. "I'm sure one of us will think of something. Until then, we'll meet in the common room. 1:00 tonight." He said. Hermione blushed.
"All right." She said, and took his arm and dragged him off to class.
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