The wind bellowed against the large brick manor, snow covering every inch of the ground. The sky is dark and the air is frigid.
Any passerby would stare at the manor in awe. They would notice the large steel gate shaped like an 'M' and the lights lining the pathway up to the front entrance. They might see the large Christmas tree shining through the windows or how the snow looks piled on the roof and they may even think a lovely family is living there.
What they don't see are all the people killed inside. They don't see the basement where prisoners are kept, walls and floors of concrete and no windows. Chains and metal bars line the walls. They don't see the monster who holds his meetings within those brick walls.
I was fooled too when I first came here. I didn't think it would be this bad, one or two meetings a month.
It is.
I haven't even taken the mark yet and it is worse than I could have ever imagined.
The snow crunches beneath my feet as I make my way through the gate and up the stairs. As I amble through the first set of double doors I imagine how I would redesign Malfoy Manor. If it weren't for the impending war.
The front foyer can stay as is, it is a mere pawn for guests; a room staged to look nice. A tall roof with a coat of white paint lining the walls. They are littered with an array of family portraits. The Christmas tree is decorated nicely with ornaments, many made from Draco's childhood. A luxurious white couch set with a larger-than-average coffee table is in the middle. This is where Narcissa has tea with her guests.
When you pass the foyer, you are met with darkness. That is the only way you can describe it. Dark and cold. You can feel his presence even when he is not here.
"There you are, Halley. I was worried you weren't going to make it. apperating in this weather is just horrid." I almost jump when I hear Narcissa's voice. She kisses my cheek and wraps her arms around my body, I muster a tight, closed-lip smile.
Narcissa Malfoy, where do I start?
An angel walking, beauty and elegance if it were a person. For having a cockroach of a son, she is one amazing human. Growing up without a mother is hard. Narcissa has always made it her responsibility to help me with everything my mother couldn't.
"Your father and everyone else are in the dining room. Better run along before he arrives." I see her shudder lightly. Narcissa isn't marked either.
I nod my head and head through the archway to the grand dining room. The black table is littered with candles, plates and cutlery. The end of the table is empty, the dark lord sits there. To the right of where he will be is Severus Snape, and next to him is Narcissa's empty seat. To Narcissa's right is her husband, Lucius. Exactly across from Lucius is my father, Mr. Thurmond Selwyn.
I make my way through all the other Death eaters. Yaxley, Rowle, the Carrows, and a few others. As I walk past each one, I bow my head; a sign of respect to those of higher seniority. When I reach my father, I go to kiss his cheek. He pulls me close when I reach eye level and whispers.
"Nice to see you've made it, Halley. I thought we were going to have to punish you due to your tardiness." He looks at me with darkened eyes, no life behind them.
I tightly smile. "As you can see, Father, I am on time. I have never once been late for a meeting. Thank you for your concern though." I finish and his scowl deepens and I make my way to my chair.
And the room goes cold. He is here.
"Ah! Glad we are all here. We have quite important matters to discuss." The slits in his eyes shine red as he looks every one of us over. "I have been... hard at work with the Dementors of Azkaban, planning an escape for a few of my highest ranks." His voice sounds almost snakelike, the way his words slither out.
"As I'm sure you can all guess, the escapees will not be able to return to their own homes. I expect the Malfoy’s and the Selwyn’s to open up their homes to our new guests." He makes his way to his seat at the end of the mahogany wood table, Narcissa trailing behind and stopping at her chair. She looks terrified.
"Of course, my lord." My father and Mr. Malfoy say in unison. I glance to my right at my father and for once in his life, his hard exterior looks cracked. He almost looks scared.
"Not only that, but I would like to ask Miss Halley to keep an eye on Harry Potter when he returns to Hogwarts from break. Do whatever you need to do to stay close to him and alert me if you hear or see anything... suspicious." He looks at me with a serious expression while I nod my head.
"Absolutely, My Lord." He smiles at this and turns his head to Lucius and Narcissa.
"I expect Draco to start attending meetings. There is no reason not to be, I estimate within the next few years he will have taken the mark." The Dark Lord says with a giggle.
Draco Malfoy and I are anything but friends. We run in the same social circles but have never found anything in common and argue more often than not.
I couldn’t care less if he received his mark. What I care about is how crushed Narcissa will be.
Lucius is a less-than-ideal father, worse than my own. He would offer Draco up as bait if he could. But Draco is Narcissa's pride and joy. When we were children her study would be covered in pictures her son had drawn for her. They still have tea together every Saturday morning. Cissy’s world revolves around her son.
And I can't let her hurt like that.
Once the meeting is finished and everyone has left, my father and Lucius included, I stalk up to her study and lightly knock on the door.
"Come in!" Her shaky voice yells from the inside.
I open the large wooden door and am met with red-rimmed eyes.
"Narcissa, I want to help," I say. "I want to take my mark when Draco does." She looks up at me with furrowed brows and her voice breaks.
"Halley, I am already losing one child to him, I don't need both to have the mark." She wipes her eyes with a tissue and takes a deep breath in. "It is no surprise that the dark lord has a sort of soft spot for you. If you don't want the mark, he won't give it to you. But my Draco- Lucius has messed up too many times. Draco won't get a choice." She finishes a lone tear streaming down her face.
"You are right, he does have a soft spot for me. If I take the mark and help Draco with whatever task the Dark Lord gives him, it will soften the blow. I can do no wrong in his eyes. Draco messes up? Blame it on me." I say as I walk behind her desk and take her hands.
"Narcissa I have a get-out-of-jail-free card and I am asking you to use it. Please."
"I- I could not ask that of you." She stands up and leads me to the door. "I want you to think about what you told me you wanted to do- really think about it. This will mean no freedom. It means that your side in this is set in stone." She looks down. "Thank you, darling."
-
In my five years of being a Slytherin, I have realized the odds are not in our favour.
During the sorting ceremony in first year, I overheard Weaselbee saying that there wasn't a witch or wizard who went bad that wasn't from Slytherin, which is only slightly true. We are children of broken families. We are moulded and groomed to become who our parents are before we can even walk. When you are told to act a certain way or think a certain thing by the people you look up to most- it sticks.
We are destined for failure right from the start