Secret Behind The Mask

Chapter Nine: The Truth About Melly

Wisps of hair fell out of her bun and into her face as she ran to where Snape told her to meet him.

She found him, trying to keep a low profile under the trees.

He looked at her up and down, and then smirked. "You ran in that?" he asked out loud.

Melly sighed heavily, placing a hand on her hip in an annoyed way. "What was I supposed to do? Change into my school robes? That would've taken too long."

"At least you're presentable to Him," Snape said as he grabbed her arm. He stepped forward, going to take her to gate of Hogwarts, but he saw someone walk out of the Entrance Hall. He quickly turned around and dragged her into the forest. "You have your Apparation License, right? I don't have to apparate you anywhere?" he asked, as they got deeper into the forest.

Shakily, Melly answered yes. She's never been in the Dark Forest before; well, not this far anyway.

"We'll have to find a good spot to apparate, then."

"No need, Severus," said a snake like voice that startled Melly.

She shrieked and whirled around as Snape shot his head to look at the Dark Lord.

"I have already found a suitable place here in the forest," Voldemort said, walking past them.

Snape let go of Melly and followed him. "But, Master," Snape objected, walking beside him. "Aren't you afraid you'll get caught?"

Melly strode behind them, listening intently to their conversation.

"Nonsense, Severus!" Voldemort bellowed. "Besides, everyone is already waiting."

He stopped and turned to look at Melly. She stopped abruptly, looking wide eyed at the two. Voldemort smiled at her, and continued walking.

"Happy anniversary, Melly," he said.

Melly looked at Snape, her eyebrows coming close together in puzzlement. Snape shrugged his shoulders.

Anniversary?

I have no idea.

Snape turned around and followed Voldemort, with Melly right on his heels.

---

Ron followed Melly out into the Entrance Hall, but was stopped by Pansy, Sherry, Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco. Ron followed Melly out into the Entrance Hall, but was stopped by Pansy, Sherry, Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco.

"Get out of my way, Malfoy," Ron ordered.

"Like I'm going to listen to you, Weasel?" Draco smirked.

Ron noticed Sherry smile at Draco when he said that.

"What happened?" Pansy teased in her usual high-pitched voice. "Did you two get in a fight? Did she run out on you?"

"Ron!" Harry and Hermione ran up to him, not noticing the gang of Slytherins in front of them. "What happened?"

Ron looked at Harry, then back at the Slytherins. He looked at each and every one of them, thinking it strange that all of them had smiles on their faces.

"You know," Ron said to them.

Harry's eyebrows went up. "No we don't."

"No!" Ron snapped. "They do!" He sneered at Draco, who continued to smirk.

"And, so what if we do?" he asked Ron.

Ron noticed Draco swallow uncomfortably. He looked at Crabbe and Goyle, and notice that they were looking at each other, and at Draco. But Pansy and Sherry continued to smile and keep their chins high.

"You don't know," Ron said to Draco, whose smirk wiped off. Ron looked at Pansy and Sherry. "You do!"

"Yeah, we do," Sherry remarked. "What are you going to do about it? We're not going to tell you. May we be forced to drink Veritaserum!"

Ron glared at them. Then, without warning, he dashed to the Entrance Hall doors that led onto the grounds of Hogwarts, the group of Slytherins and Harry and Hermione at his heels.

Just as he got out of the doors, he saw two figures dash into the forest. He jumped down the stairs, and ran to where he saw the two disappear, with only Harry and Hermione behind him. The group of Slytherins stood, watching the three run right into death itself.

"They're crazy," Draco whispered.

---

"Yes, happy anniversary, Melly," Voldemort chimed, leading a shivering Melly into a circle surrounded by Death Eaters.

Snape placed himself in an empty spot in the circle.

Voldemort led Melly to the middle of the circle.

"You know, Melly," he began, "we live in dark times. And that isn't a bad thing, but for beings other than myself and my followers, it is." He faced her, his face grim. "There's something I want you to know." Without looking away from Melly, Voldemort called on Snape. "Tell her everything I told you to tell her one year ago..."

Snape nodded.

What is he talking about? Melly asked.

Your dream, Snape answered. He wants me to explain your dream.

Melly looked at Snape, confused beyond all reason. Voldemort smirked.

What? Melly demanded. You told me you didn't know anything about that!

Like the Dark Lord said, assured Snape. We are living in dark times. Do you know what he means by Dark Times?

Melly shook her head.

Lies, deceit, betrayal, murder, torture...now do you understand?

Sadly enough, yes, I do.

Well, your dream is a good example of that. Especially lies and deceit.

Lies? What kind of lies?

The kind of lies that stat that I have told you I know nothing about it! The kind of lies that led you to believe that none of us, not even our Dark Lord himself, knew about! What else kind of lies is there?

Melly shot her head to Lord Voldemort.

---

"Ron! Listen to me!" Hermione harshly whispered, pulling Ron's arm. "You don't know where you're going!"

Ron kept walking feeling that fate... and something else...was pulling him towards Melly.

Hermione growled in frustration. "Harry! Help me!"

Harry shrugged. "What do you want me to do?"

Something!" Hermione snapped.

"Ssh!" Ron said suddenly. He immediately stopped walking. He looked around him, sensing something was wrong.

"Ron, what-" Hermione began, but Harry shushed her. Harry, too, could sense something was wrong.

The forest was quiet, too quiet, even for this forest.

Ron slowly began walking forward, Harry and Hermione at his sides. He stopped behind a huge bush, which had a tall tree on either side. He peered on the other side of the bush, and what he saw startled him. He heard Hermione gasp next to him, and felt Harry tense up.

The moonlight, thankfully, cast a glow on everything on the clearing in front of them.

Ron felt like rushing out there, and saving the girl that he saw, and grown to have affection for.

He knew it was Melly standing in the middle of the circle of Death Eaters, standing next to Voldemort (Ron shivered at the mere sight of him).

He, and the other two, thought it strange that everything was so silent. Even the slightest move could be heard in the silence.

Ron's breathing started to speed up as even more hate for Voldemort (Ron shivered) grew inside him.

He felt a slight nudge in the gut from Hermione. He looked at her, and saw her pointing at an uncloaked figure that Melly was looking at. Snape.

---

The truth about your dream is that, it happened when you were seventeen. Last year, two days ago.

What do you mean it happened last year, two days ago?

Remember waking up in the hospital wing last year, not knowing how you got there? You had a bandage on you left upper arm. Remember?

Now I do, Melly thought, sounding more annoyed than ever. What does that have to do with anything?

Two days before that, the Dark Lord called upon you, and me, among with all the other Death Eaters, that could be here, he added as soon as he remembered Lucius. Melly, two days ago, last year, you were admitted as a Death Eater.

"I WHAT?" Melly shrieked out loud, causing Ron, Hermione, and Harry to all jump, and Voldemort to smirk at her sudden blow and the sudden change in volume.

As soon as I got you back to Hogwarts, you fully passed out. I took you to the infirmary; cast a one-year memory charm on you, and you didn't wake up until two days later.

Why did you put a memory charm on me? And why a one year memory charm?

The Dark Lord ordered me to when we were planning you initiation. We were going to do it with Lucius and the summer after at Malfoy Manor, but then he got put in Azkaban the year before, so we had to alternate the plan a little.

Didn't Madam Pomfrey ask about the shape?

No, I don't think she noticed the gash had a shape. I put a memory charm on her, nonetheless, and told her that you fell and hurt yourself. She was successful in not erasing your scar fully. It was triggered to start hurting one year from then, which enables the Dark Lord to start calling you.

Melly swallowed hard. This was all confusing to her.

So, you all lied to me? She asked Snape, who nodded in return.

Melly then looked at Voldemort. "You lied also?"

He nodded in return.

Melly felt like blowing a fuse. Never had she been so...how should she put it? Angry! Why did he have to make everything so difficult to understand? Melly sighed. That was Voldemort. Always making your life as miserable and as confusing as can be.

She almost felt a tear run down, but quickly recovered herself. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked Voldemort.

"Now, dearest," Voldemort said, "don't think that I did this to confuse you or hurt you at all..."

"BUT YOU DID! YOU CONFUSED ME SO MUCH!" She held her head in her hands like it was going to explode.

Ron could feel his temperature going through the roof.

"Don't you talk that way to me, Melly," Voldemort hissed.

"I CAN TALK TO YOU HOWEVER I DAMN WELL PLEASE!" she yelled. "JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE MY FATHER, DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN RULE MY LIFE JUST LIKE THAT!" She snapped her fingers.

She could see a little tint of reddish pink come to his cheeks, even in the moonlight.

"I would not say such things as I were you," he said, trying to sound remotely calm.

The three spies were speechless. Melly was Voldemort's daughter? Voldemort's daughter? That was just sickening! Who would be crazy enough to fall in love with him? Let alone, have...intercourse...with him. Harry turned pale, Hermione felt faint, and Ron felt like he was going to throw up.

"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KEEP MY INITIATION A SECRET?" Melly continued.

Voldemort's anger was growing. He didn't approve of people yelling at him, unless it was of pain, or of pleas to stop him from torturing him. He enjoyed begging. It eased his anger to see someone screaming in pain, begging him to stop the torture. For the sake of Melly's mother (he sneered when he remembered his damn vow he had taken), he would not kill Melly, no matter how much she bugged him. He did, however, need an heir for when he dies, and either continue in taking over the world, or continue ruling.

"ANSWER ME!"

"I thought you were too young to make that decision yet-"

Melly looked at him like the village idiot. "You know I would've joined you with or without thinking on it. I was born and raised a dark witch. Why I got sorted into Gryffindor, I have no clue. Maybe it was the way I was back then, at the age of eleven. Who knows? All I know is that you, or anyone else here, didn't have to lie to me about getting permitted in."

Voldemort looked at her, amused. He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "I see," was all he could say.

Ron felt like fainting, crying, or ripping Voldemort's head off. Surely, Melly couldn't be serious! She had to have been under a spell or something. Yes, that was it...a spell.

He looked at Harry, who seemed to be thinking the same thing he was and wincing in pain from his scar, then looked at Hermione, seeing that she was clearly angry and tears were running down her cheeks. He then looked back at the scene in front of him.

Melly shot her head to Snape, then, slowly, began looking at each and every single Death Eater that was present, hesitating only for a second at Ron, Harry, and Hermione, and pain overtook her facial expression. She continued looking at the rest of the Death Eaters until she came upon Snape again.

I told you, Snape thought. Why are they here? Shouldn't they know that the Dark Lord will surely kill the two Granger and Weasley, and try to kill Potter himself.

I can't cry...don't cry, Melly, don't cry...I'm thinking the same thing you are, Professor Snape.

"Melly," Voldemort interrupted. "I am appointing you your first task. If you fail this, you will be tortured so harshly, that you'll be begging to be with your mother once again."

Melly shot a dangerous look at him. "And, of course, you won't, because you loved, and still love, her!"

Voldemort lost all control of his senses. He backslapped her, causing her to stumble sideways and fall. He then picked up his wand, and pointed it to her.

"Don't ever say that again!" he screamed. Even Ron, Harry, and Hermione could see him trembling from anger. "Crucio!"

The night was pierced by Melly's high-pitched scream. Every part of her body hurt, like a thousand knives were digging into her, tearing her limb from limb. She cringed on the ground, causing pine needles and fallen leaves to cling to her hair and clothes.

Ron wanted to run out there and hex that snake-man to oblivion, but Harry and Hermione both placed a hand on his chest, keeping him away. They didn't want him to get killed, or killed themselves.

Snape watched in horror as Melly's screams, not only pierced his ears, but his mind as well. She seemed to be screaming on the outside, but crying and screaming and begging in his mind.

MAKE HIM STOP! IT HURTS SO BAD! PLEASE! HELP ME!

But all Snape could do was watch. If he interfered, he knew that would mean "Crucio" for him as well.

"THAT DAMN MUGGLE BRACELET ISN'T PROTECTING YOU FROM HARM THIS TIME, IS IT?" Voldemort cried. "YOUR MOTHER WAS A FOOL! I HAD NO LOVE FOR HER IN MY HEART, AND I STILL DON'T!" His yells were almost droned out by Melly's screams. "SHE WAS A FOOLED DARK WITCH, AND A BEAUTIFUL ONE AT THAT..." He yelled into the night air, "DAMN YOU FAITH!"

He lifted the curse, and Melly lay motionless on the ground, crying silently, her body tired from screaming and cringing under the Cruciatus Curse. Her muscles ached, her head ached, and everything else in her body ached.

Voldemort kneeled down next to her. "Now," he whispered, "your new assignment is to somehow get Potter alone, and place him under the Imperious. Do you know how to cast that curse?"

Melly remained silent.

"Severus shall teach you," he continued. "You will bring Potter here, and I will finish him off. If you do this, I will hold you in high respect. If you fail, I will have to be forced to kill you, and then I'll get someone else, someone more worthy, to carry out the task. Do I make myself clear?"

Melly stayed silent, but nodded, regretting it, for it hurt her so much. She couldn't cry out, though, for fear that she will hurt even more.

Voldemort stood up, and turned to the rest of the Death Eaters. "Bella!" he called.

A tall Death Eater stepped forward and bowed. "Yes, Master?"

"You know your duty, right? I think Lucius is getting restless in Azkaban." With that, he disappeared.

One by one, the Death Eaters began disapparating as well. Within five minutes, all who remained were Ron, Harry, Hermione, Melly, Snape, and Bellatrix.

Bellatrix knelt down beside Melly, and stroked her hair. She removed her hood to reveal a pale, wrinkled skin. Her lips have lost color, and her hair was ragged and knotty.

"Poor, poor Melly Avalon," she said in a singsong voice. "You should know that there is only room for one woman in this inner circle. Your mother was a fool not to believe that. She died a sad, and painful death." She grabbed a bunch of Melly's hair, and held onto it, tight. "If you get in my way, like your sorry ass mother, then you will meet the same fate."

Before anyone could react, she disappeared, leaving Melly gasping in pain.