The half-blood princess

Chapter 14/The Hunt

Today is the first meeting.

We're all already sitting in a room at Malfoy Manor. For meetings with many Death Eaters, we always meet there and not at the Riddle's house. My father is still missing but then the door opens.

"Good to see you, Severus, we have saved a seat for you." says the Dark Lord.

"It happens next Saturday my Lord." says my father.

"No, it happens on the thirtieth." Yaxley disagrees.

My father says "They're trying to set up a false trail, Yaxley."

"Well, I'm relying on you, Severus. We'll split up, as they'll split up. Whoever finds Potter, the real Harry Potter, will let me know immediately. I want everyone sitting in this room to take part in this hunt or this fight." the Dark Lord hisses.

We also have to take part. We are already seventeen and therefore of legal age in the wizarding world, but I think we have to fight to often in the last time. And that won't change soon.

"Well," the Dark Lord continues, "You make teams of three. Mattheo, Rose, Theodore, Blaise, Draco and Pansy, each with an older one."

We nod silently and dejectedly. 

The Dark Lord has many other followers but we must fight now. Not the others, the more experienced ones.

We hear a scream from a back room."Wormtail! You should stop our guest from screaming!" hisses the Dark Lord.

A cold shiver runs down my spine. The scream sounded agonizing.

The Dark Lord continues "I will have to borrow a wand from one of you. Harry Potter and I share the same core. Our wands are brothers, so to speak."

He walks slowly along the chairs. When he passes my chair I get even more scared. I don't want the Dark Lord to take my wand. I don't have anything else to do magic with. I've grown quite fond of my wand over the last few years of school. Even if that sounds kind of strange.

"No volunteers?" asks the Dark Lord.

He then goes to Lucius Draco's father and asks him about his wand. I know he'll take his. Then he does that too. I notice how Lucius looks even more dejected. But I understand him. He just lost his wand.

Then Voldemort raises Lucius' wand and points at the prisoner. He moves his wand briefly and then the prisoner floats over the table. She regains consciousness with another movement.

"Do you recognize our guest Severus?" asks the Dark Lord.

"Ah yes." my father answers.

"And you?" the Dark Lord asks as he looks at us.

I look at her briefly. Then I immediately look away again. I think it's a teacher at our school. I think the one for muggle studies.

The Dark Lord continues: "Well, certainly not. You didn't take any lessons from her. For those who don't know. That's Charity Burbage. The Muggle Studies teacher at Hogwarts. She teaches all the little wizards and witches about Muggles they're not that different from us. She teaches them that they're not enemies."

The prisoner turns and looks at my father and says pleadingly "Severus...please...please...we are...friends."

"Shut up!" says the Dark Lord.

He then points his wand at her again and hisses "Avada Kedavra!"

The teacher falls on the table with a dull thud. I stare at her in horror.

"Dinner, Nagini." says the Dark Lord to his snake. She then snakes across the table to Burbarge. The snakes past me and I quickly pull my arms away that were previously on the table. I see that most others do that too.

The Dark Lord concludes by saying, "I end the meeting here. This Saturday, you will all be on the hunt. There are no excuses."

We get up and walk out of the room, still shaking. I've seen too many times now how the Dark Lord kills someone without hesitation.

The rest of the week goes by quickly and we train a bit more and then the day comes. The day of the hunt.

In the evening we go back to the meeting room together. Groups have already formed there. We also divide up quickly. Draco, Pansy and Blaise and Mattheo, Theodore and I. To Draco and the others goes Bellatrix and to me, Mattheo and Theodore goes Draco's mother, Narcissa. Even if she's not a real Death Eater, she goes along with it.

Then we apparate to a small village from where we get on our brooms and start chasing someone. We're chasing someone who looks like Potter and Professor Lupine. However, we quickly realize that they have taken Polyjuice Potion and we have to find out who the real Potter is. 

The hunt begins and we fire spells at each other. 

Then I shout "Sectumsempra!"

I actually just want to cut the wand of the Potter sitting there but then I accidentally cut off his ear. I can't believe what I just did. I hurt someone badly. Without me wanting it. And then I fly into an invisible wall. I look up and see the Burrow. The Weasley's house. We do not get any further. 

Of course, protective spells were recited.

Then we go back to the ground there and go to Malfoy Manor. We won't be meeting with the Dark Lord today. He doesn't punish any of us. He is glad that the auror Alastor Moody was killed and Potter's owl Hedwig. And I also think he's happy that I cut off one of the fake Potter's ears. 

A few more days pass and we meet for the next Death Eater meeting.

"Well, you should all come here today because tomorrow we are going to overthrow the Ministry of Magic. After that we are going to the wedding of one of the Weasley sons. Potter will also be there with his friends. At the Ministry you try to kill as few people as possible. As many enemies as possible at the wedding. Especially Potter's friends." hisses the Dark Lord.

The meeting will be over quicker than the last one but we should fight again now. In the Ministry we are supposed to kill as few people as possible. This will be easy. I'll just defend myself there. But at the wedding as many as possible. No, I can't do that.

Mattheo comes into my room.

I ask "What's up?"

"My father...The Dark Lord wants to speak to you tomorrow evening after everything. I can accompany you too." he says.

"Do you know why?"

"No, he doesn't want to tell me yet."

"What do you mean with not yet?" I ask.

"Well, I hope you take me with you tomorrow or at least tell me."

"I will." I say.

"Good. Then goodnight Rose."

"Goodnight Mattheo."