See the prologue for the disclaimer.
Afraid of the Dark
Written by LJP
Chapter 1
She materialized in the middle of a dark forest. After a quick glance about her surroundings, she discovered a small patch of light emitted just to her right. She heard a humming, almost a monotonic whisper fleeting through the air. She headed toward both the light and the sound.
The girl emerged from the trees into a small clearing, where she found herself surrounded by others in hooded cloaks. The space was lit only by the light of the moon and a few candelabras scattered amidst the field.
She recognized no one.
No one recognized her.
A pair of hooded figures appeared out of nowhere right behind her. They swept past her, the latter elbowing her in the side. The figure reached out to steady her, and she caught a brief glance of starkingly blond hair before his companion turned back to them. She didn’t see his face, but the person next to her must have. He continued on without so much as an apology. Then again, she hadn’t expected one.
There was a murmur amidst those gathered as a soft green glow flowed down from the dark sky. Some of the assembled dropped to their knees, bowing their head. The girl did the same, and she noticed, with relief, that several others seemed unsure, also, of what to do.
She knelt on the ground, feeling the soft earth sink beneath her knees. She bowed her head, her chin resting on her chest, and closed her eyes.
The Dark Lord swept across the clearing, glancing down at each of his loyal followers and at each of those he hoped would not let him down after this evening. When he came across the young girl, he stopped. Reaching out with one long, bony finger, he tipped her chin up to him. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring into the dark, lifeless eyes of Voldemort himself.
"I have great things in store for you, child." He hissed, his breath cold against her face. She took a deep breath and made an attempt to nod, but found herself frozen, unable to manage even the smallest movement. The Dark Lord didn’t seem to take any notice of her inability to move, or if he did, did not care.
He moved on, away from her.
After finishing his rounds among his followers, Lord Voldemort took his place at the center. "My friends," He greeted, though for some reason, the word didn’t seem to fit. It didn’t seem appropriate coming out of such a wizard’s mouth. "We gather here this night, as we do often enough, to initiate the next wave of followers. Tonight, we welcome six individuals into our ranks. These six...children...yes, they are yet but children to this world...have been carefully observed these last few years, and I have taken the liberty of hand-picking each and every one of them."
The girl sucked in a breath at the thought of someone having been watching her these past years. There had been no evidence of it.
"Yes," Voldemort continued, hissing. "I have watched each of you. Each of you show the skills and promise of one day joining me and fighting side by side with me in my quest to rid this world of Muggles and tainted blood. Each of them has been given the choice to join us this evening, though they must all remember that the choice has been made. Tonight they will receive the Mark and pledge their loyalty."
There was silence.
"Lucius." He beckoned, an arm stretching out to summon him.
Lucius Malfoy stepped forward, head bowed, refusing to look at his master in the eye. "My lord, I am at your service as always."
"Of course you are." There was a hint of amusement in the quivering, fragile voice that spoke. "Is the cauldron prepared?"
"It is, my lord."
Voldemort nodded approvingly. "Let the initiation begin."
There was a soft muttering amongst the Death Eaters.
"Gregory Goyle, please come forward." A large boy, one that she recognized from school, took a step forward. He seemed to whimper as he approached the pedestal on which the Dark Lord sat.
The girl looked around briefly, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. A part of her had no desire to discover who was surrounding her. She was alone here, in this place. She had no one. No one was aware she had been considered for this. Merlin, she hadn’t even been aware she had been considered for this.
He took a moment to scan the crowd. The usual faces. Those he had expected to see. His father had briefed him beforehand, telling him who was considered for this "esteemed honor." Not everyone he had been so adamant about was present.
As he watched first Goyle and then Crabbe step forward and take the Mark (they screamed like witches when the boiling blood touched their skin), he shuddered. He would never, of course, admit that he was scared. But he was.
He had never wanted to do this. He had never wanted to have the Mark burned into his flesh, swearing his allegiance to a man who took pleasure in the killing and raping of Muggles and magical-folk alike. But he had no choice. He had already committed to it. He was here, waiting for his name to be called.
Blaise Zabini stepped back into the circle, and Viktor Krum went forward to receive the Mark and swear. Four down, two to go. But who was left besides him?
He scanned the area once again, his gaze finally resting on a lone figure standing just on the outskirts of the forest. Everyone else had come with someone; everyone else already had a father in the circle, but this person didn’t. In fact, the figure looked remarkably womanly, and his father had made it perfectly clear that women do not become Death Eaters.
She felt someone staring at her. Her eyes shot up. He was standing near the center, next to Lucius Malfoy and Gregory Goyle. She had no doubts as to who it was; she would have guessed he’d be in attendance. But she looked away quickly. He probably hadn’t even had time to recognize her.
"Ah, what do we have here?" Voldemort hissed. "I have made it a point to refrain from allowing witches to join our ranks. They are known to be weak, disagreeable, and whiny. However, I have made a very interesting discovery, and a particular witch has caught my eye. She is here tonight, ready to pledge herself to me. And I have great things in store for her."
Everyone seemed to turn to stare at her at the same time. He was about to call her forward, and she had never been more nervous in her entire life.
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