The Half-Blood Princess

Chapter 28

Draco's POV

                      "Have a seat, Draco."

        The Dark Lord smiles my way as I enter the drawing room and immediately there's chills down my spine. My mother takes a seat beside my father and I do the same. I try to avoid eye contact with everyone like always but Snape starts a staring contest with me the second I look up. I didn't think it was possible for him to look more terrifying until now.

                   "Is the task complete?" The Dark Lord asks.

      I wait for anyone else to respond for me but my father kicks my shin under the table and I speak up.

                                     "It's done, sir."

     The Dark Lord bows his head in a nodding motion, then continues with the meeting.

                  "Severus, what are your thoughts on what Draco should do next?"

        I swallow hard. Normally, Snape is always willing to help me out like he did with Dumbeldore. But now that I've done the one thing he asked me not to do, get his daughter involved, I fear he'll do anything to make my life hell.

         Snape glares at me for a long moment, then responds. "I think it would be wise for him to stay away from Hogwarts for now."

      Honestly as much as I hate being home, I'd rather be here than Hogwarts right now. Who knows what Potter and his friends are saying.

      I wait patiently for The Dark Lord to agree with what Snape said but he thinks long and hard. And just as he's about to speak, something catches his eye.

                                Someone.

            "It looks like we have a visitor."

      Before I look I already know who he's talking about and start to feel uneasy. How stupid of me to think she'd actually stay upstairs.

      Me and the rest of the death eaters turn slowly in our chairs to the doorway and stare at Alexis standing alone. Surprisingly, she doesn't look scared or nervous. I'm a death eater and I still shake when he looks at me. Right now, he's staring into her soul and she doesn't even look phased.

       In my peripheral vision I see the expression on Snape's face; His eyes are wide and the muscles in his jaw are clenched aggressively. At first I assume he's angry but I recognize the emotion too well, he's scared.

                "Alexis, go back upstairs." He growls under his breath.

            The Dark Lord raises a hand signaling Snape to stay quiet.

          "You must be the daughter I've heard hardly anything about."

      Alexis looks over at her father subtly, then back to The Dark Lord. He's not wrong, Snape doesn't talk about her much, at least around us. I didn't even know he had a daughter until the first day of sixth year.

                  "Why don't you have a seat, dear."

       The Dark Lord points to a chair beside her father. Alexis nods, then walks to the end of the table and sits down.

Alexis' POV

        "Have you and Draco met? We were just discussing his plans for school in the upcoming year."