secret

Everyone has a goal they want to accomplish before they die, whether it be to own the biggest house or to have children, but to Vanessa, her one and only goal is to make her father proud.

She's spent her whole life doing everything he told her, listening to every word, and yet, to her, he stills seems...unsatisfied.

Vanessa Snape walks slowly throughout the house her father has kept her in, stowing her away so no one knows she exists. She's lived practically on her own for her whole life, seeing as her father works at Hogwarts, he stays there most of the time. And her mother, she's never heard of, the doings of her father erasing her from Vanessa's memory. Vanessa doesn't mind it, it's what her father sees is best for her. And obviously, it has been for the best.

Vanessa is one of the most powerful witches alive, her father has trained her ever since she could walk, teaching her every spell, every potion, everything she would ever need to know. She's learned about the Dark Lord, she envies him, envies his power. Just like her father does.

Today is the big day for Vanessa, she makes history today, as the youngest death eater alive, or soon to be. This is what she's been training for, every second of pain she's endured has been for this moment. The scars on her back and stomach, from spells her father has demonstrated on her, have all been for this. Once her father comes from Hogwarts, the meeting will begin, and she'll get the mark she's drawn oh so many times.

Vanessa can remember walking around when she was younger, black marker staining her arm where she had drawn this mark over and over. Every notebook she owns has this mark, the dark mark, doodled on almost every page. Some might say she's obsessed with evil, but can you blame her? You can't change the things you were taught, and she was taught to worship the darkness, to embrace what most are scared of.

She sets the table, precisely how her father taught her; fork on the right, knife to the left, spoon beside the knife. She's lost count of how many times she's set this table for just her and her father, but now she has guests. Only a few though, seeing as most don't even know of her existence.

The food she's prepared fills the room with a mouth-watering smell as she sets it in the middle of the table, ready for everybody to eat. Vanessa walks over to the body-length mirror she's set up in the hallway and smiles as she looks at herself. She's always been good at dressing up, even if she doesn't get to go anywhere. Her black hair makes waves down her shoulders, falling evenly just at her shoulder blades. Her grey eyes shine back at her, she's
always loved them. Her father calls the color 'unique' and she agrees. The medium, black, dress flows down her body, giving her an elegant look. She likes to think her father would be proud of the way she displays herself.

"Vanessa, are you ready? The guests will be here soon" Severus's voice booms throughout the large rooms in the house, startling Vanessa.

"Yes, father, I'm in the kitchen setting up" Vanessa calls back, she can hear her father's footsteps getting closer so she throws a smile onto her face. A rush of excitement sparks in her body, she's finally getting what she's always wanted, what she's worked so hard for.

Severus walks into the kitchen, inspecting the work of his daughter.

"Does it look alright?" Vanessa practically begs for his approval, for him to tell her she did perfectly. But she's quickly disappointed when he looks at her with his narrow eyes and sighs, "Haven't I told you to set the napkins on the plates, the guests will take them off when they get here, you don't do it for them."

Vanessa nods, now disappointed in herself, "Yes, sir. I'll fix it" she sighs, doing exactly as she said she would.

"I'll be down in a moment, please make sure everything is clean" he orders, Vanessa nods, obeying as always. She watches her father's long strides up the stairs, radiating power.

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Severus sits down at the table, leaving the head of the table for the Dark Lord. A knock on the door causes Vanessa's eyes to light up with excitement. "I'll get it" she nods as she stands up, adjusting her dress and hair.

The door swings open and she's met with the Dark Lord staring down at her. She doesn't know what to say, does she thank him for coming? Or does she simply move out of his way?

"Vanessa Snape" Voldemort seethes out, Vanessa nods, "Welcome-um-come in" she fails at her attempt to act calm. Voldemort steps inside, his eyes scanning the home, beside him enters Peter Pettigrew in all of his filth. Vanessa almost pushes him away, but stops herself, knowing she would be looked down on.

"Nice home you have, miss Vanessa" the Dark Lord compliments, Vanessa fights the smile back, her whole life she's fought for praise from her father and now she's getting it from the Dark Lord.

"Thank you" she nods as she leads them towards the dining room. "Ahh, Severus, so nice to see you" Vanessa's pushed to the side as her father steps up, her proud look fades away. "The same to you, my Lord" her father practically bows at Voldemort's feet.

"Shall we sit? I prepared dinner" Vanessa interrupts their reunion, her father glares at her and she quickly backs down. "I didn't come here for dinner, did I?" Voldemort looks down at her and she shakes her head.

"Very well, give it here" Vanessa can feel the excitement flowing through her rapidly as she raises her left arm. Her father watches as Voldemort presses his wand to her skin. "You will be a witch that goes down in history, Vanessa" he seethes out.

A sudden sting in her arm lets her know it's finally happening, the shooting pain running up to her shoulder makes her want to pull away, she fights the urge. The mark slowly starts to appear on her arm as Vanessa holds in the painful scream that threatens to escape.

Finally, Voldemort pulls his wand away, the dark mark now visible on Vanessa's arm. She almost wants to wipe at it, to make sure it doesn't come off, to make sure it's not just black marker, she stops herself though as she looks up at Voldemort.

"Have you ever met Lucius Malfoy?" Voldemort asks, Vanessa shakes her head, "I've kept her hidden, Lord" her father answers before she can. "Well, his son, Draco Malfoy, I need him killed" Voldemort spits out, Vanessa freezes.

Yes, she's always dreamed of this moment but she never thought she would have to kill anybody, how could she do that? Of course, she knows HOW to do it, but mentally, HOW will she do that?

"Why, my Lord" Severus asks, Vanessa mentally thanks him as she was wondering the same thing.

"Well, not that it's any of your business, but he's weak. He'll never be able to do what I would need him to. And his father is set on him getting a mark, but he's not worthy of it. So, he must be killed. Vanessa, you don't do it immediately, that would give your father away, give it time, plan your attack, but get it done. Or I’ll have to kill you" Voldemort's words ring in Vanessa's ears but still, she nods.

"Yes, sir" she answers, her father nods at her, approving her answer. "We should go, Wormtail." Voldemort says and Pettigrew whimpers like a child as Voldemort pushes him out.

"See you later, my Lord" Severus says as they walk out, the door shutting behind them.

Vanessa looks down at her arm, admiring the new mark. The dark black fades just a little so it's not so vibrant.

"Go pack your things, Vanessa" her father looks down at her, though her stomach is begging for food, Vanessa nods.

"Where am I going? I thought I couldn't go anywhere" she asks and Severus sighs, "Hogwarts. It's time for everyone to meet you, Vanessa"

It's as if hundreds of emotions all collide at once, anxiety, excitement, happiness, fear. She's finally going to get to go out, to meet people.

"You'll leave tomorrow. You'll be sorted into your house, probably Slytherin. You'll meet the boy, learn what he does every day, plan how you'll complete your task. But remember to be careful, nobody can know about this, Vanessa. Nobody can know about your mark, or about how powerful you really are. Do you understand?" her father's serious tone makes the anxiety overpower every other emotion.

"I said, do you understand?" Severus repeats himself, Vanessa nods "Yes, sir."

She turns to walk up the stairs, her heels clicking on the cold, hard, floor. Vanessa hears her father walk off into another room, most likely into his office. She lets out a breath as she steps into her room, the dark green and black theme making her feel more at home.

This is where she spends all of her time, even with an entire house to herself, this is her home. Full of her memories with her father, notebooks filled with knowledge, a wardrobe of clothes, a trunk of shoes, blankets, candles, everything that makes her Vanessa.

She pulls out a large trunk and sets it on top of her bed, opening it up. Dust flies from the lid as it plops onto her bed, she lets out a cough.

"Shit, I need to clean this" she cusses herself for letting something in her room get so dirty. She walks into her bathroom and wets a rag to wipe the trunk off with.

Afterwards, she packs her clothes, for warm weather, cold weather, to sleep in, to train in, anything she thinks she might do, she has clothes for. She then takes the fifteen years worth of notebooks and stacks them inside too, sure she'll want to look over them from time to time.

After everything else is packed she grabs the notebook she keeps by her bed, never going out can get lonely so she started journaling when she was younger. Of course, she could never speak to her father about things, so she 'spoke' to the book, writing every feeling, every event, every anything, down. And starting a new school, meeting new people, and the thought of having to kill someone is surely going to bring a shit ton of feelings.

Once she's done packing, Vanessa shuts the trunk and sets it in the corner of her room, placing her wand on top of it. She lets out a breath, the anxiety from earlier calming down. Looking at herself in the mirror, Vanessa smiles looking down at the dark mark on her arm. It's like the burning sensation it creates doesn't even exist. But now she has to keep her greatest achievement a secret.