Secret Behind The Mask

Chapter Sixteen- Ghostly Guardian Angel

Snape walked up to the motionless Death Eater, and slightly nudges the Death Eater with his foot. The Death Eater groaned, and opened his eyes.

"Ow," he groaned.

Snape put on his hood. "Are you all right?" Snape asked.

The Death Eater sat up, and rubbed his head. "I think so," he replied, in a manly voice.

Snape nodded. "Good." He picked up the Death Eater, and held up against the tree. "Where is the girl?" he demanded.

The Death Eater shouted in pain. "She's in the clearing!" he shouted.

"Which clearing?" Snape hissed. "There are over a million clearings in this forest. You expect me to check them all?" He banged the Death Eater on the tree again. "Which clearing!"

The Death Eater shouted again. "Not far from here!" he cried. "Just head that way, and you'll find them!" He pointed towards the left, where Snape assumed to be where Melly was.

Snape nodded. "What's your name?" he asked.

The Death Eater grunted. "I'm not permitted to give out my name, sir," he said.

Snape nodded. "Good."

He let go of the Death Eater, and walked in the direction that the Death Eater pointed. The Death Eater fell to the ground in a big "THUD" and passed out again.

Snape walked for about a half a mile until he finally heard voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying, so he crept closer to where they were coming from. He came up to a big tree, and looked around it.

There was a clearing, and Snape saw a circle of Death Eaters, surrounding a motionless body that lay on the ground. A tall figure stood next to the body, looking down.

"What shall I do with her?" the middle Death Eater shouted to everyone. Snape knew that voice anywhere: it was Bellatrix.

He watched Bellatrix walk slowly around Melly, looking down at her. "Shall I Crucio?" She got out her wand. "No, she's been through that already."

Snape thought to Melly.

Get up, get up, come on Melly, get up! Melly! Do you hear me young lady! Get up!

It was no use, she unconscious. Snape inwardly groaned. He needed to get to her, to get her away from Bellatrix, but how?

Bellatrix knew that Melly was Voldemort's daughter. Why did she want to hurt Melly? What was the point if she knew that she would get in trouble if she so much as laid a finger on Melly?

Snape's eyes brightened.

---

"What to do, what to do?" Bellatrix pondered. She looked at one of the Death Eaters, and motioned him to come forward. "What's a suitable punishment for this girl?" she asked him.

The Death Eater smiled, although no one could see it. "I say strangle her until she's just on the verge of death. Let her rest, catch her breath, and then Crucio full throttle!" he exclaimed.

Bellatrix smiled. "That's a very considerable idea," she said. She waved her hand, dismissing the Death Eater, and turned back to Melly with her wand pointed right at her.

---

"You called Severus?" a cool snake-like voice hissed in the shadows.

Snape turned to where he heard the voice, and bowed. "My Lord, I think you might want to see what is happening," he said as he and Lord Voldemort looked at the circle of Death Eaters.

Snape gasped, and saw Lord Voldemort's eyes widen as dinner plates.

Bellatrix dropped her wand. Never has anyone been able to stop her, with or without magic. She would yell for help, but something had a hold on her neck, preventing her from doing anything, especially breathing.

The woman who stood before Bellatrix was a tall, skinny woman. Her dark black hair cascaded down her back. Her hand trembled as she held it in position in front of Bellatrix's forehead.

Bellatrix grabbed her throat, gasping for breath.

Voldemort took a step forward, only so slightly and quietly that not even a werewolf could have heard him. Bellatrix gasped for breath as she collapsed on the ground, coughing with lack of oxygen. The woman, without moving her hand, turned her head and looked at Voldemort and Snape. With a small smile and a lift of her chin, she vanished in a puff of smoke.

The moment that the woman vanished, Melly's eyes burst open, and she sat up quickly like she just got out of a bad dream. She looked around, frightened showing on her every cell of her body. She jumped up and shrieked once she saw Bellatrix gasping for breath right next to her.

Voldemort stormed into the circle of Death Eaters, followed closely by Snape. The Death Eaters all dropped to their knees as they laid eyes on their master. Melly just looked at him, horrified.

It's all right, Melly, Snape assured her.

"Bella," Voldemort said, walking up to her heavily breathing body that lay on the ground. "Bella. What is the meaning of this?"

Bellatrix looked up at Lord Voldemort, fear coursing through her. She hoped that he wouldn't find out about this! So far, she was successful in him not knowing about her murdering Faith, with a slow, painful killer. She wanted so much to smile as she remembered her murder.

But then, if Faith was dead, then who was that strangling her? The woman wasn't strangling her; she was using some sort of dark wandless magic.

"Bellatrix," Voldemort boomed. "What were you planning to do?"

"I-I wasn't planning to do anything, Master," Bellatrix spat. "I-I found Melly in the forest. I was attacked by someone who looked a lot like Faith, Master."

Voldemort looked from Bellatrix-who he knew was lying about her not planning to do anything; to Melly-who looked like a nervous bag of jumping beans; to Snape- who wouldn't take his eyes off Melly, probably talking to her; and then back to Bellatrix.

He decided that he wouldn't let Bellatrix know that he knew that she was lying. She should know by now that he would figure her lies out, but she was probably just trying to change the subject; Voldemort went along with it.

"That is impossible," Voldemort said, walking to Melly. "Faith has been dead almost ten years."

"It's true, Master!" Bellatrix cried, finding the strength to stand up and face him, but she fell to her hands and knees. "I saw her with my own eyes. She was trying to strangle me."

Melly shook her head. "She's lying!" she yelled, looking at Bellatrix, but speaking to Voldemort. "My mother has been dead! There is no way that she could rise from the dead. It is mortally and immortally impossible." She turned to look at her father, who was now so close, that he had to look down upon her. "Bella kidnapped me! She stupefied me, and now she's lying about it! She's a spy!"

Voldemort's eyes grew wide as he turned to Bellatrix. Bellatrix opened her mouth in surprise. She was the most loyal servant to Voldemort! Why would she betray him?

"How dare you!" Bellatrix shrieked.

"Stand up, Bella," Voldemort ordered. Bellatrix did as she was told. "Is this true? Did you kidnap her? Are you a spy?"

"No!" Bellatrix shrieked. She wasn't the one who kidnapped her; it was one of the rookie Death Eaters who thought that Lord Voldemort wanted her dead. She most definitely wasn't a spy!

Slowly, she stood up, and faced her master. "My Lord, I am all but a spy to you. My loyalties lie only where you lie. I am your most loyal servant, am I not?"

"Any one here can be loyal, and still be a spy," Melly pointed out.

Melly, stop, you don't know what you are doing!

Yes, I do! She is a spy! And her being such, she should be punished!

Lord Voldemort started advancing slowly towards Bellatrix.

"My Lord, please. If I'm a spy, then why would I kill Sirius Black?"

Lord Voldemort stopped in his tracks. She had a point there. The light side care so much about their own and innocents, that they wouldn't dare kill their own and innocents.

"Don't be fooled!" Melly shouted behind him. "Sirius Black was a dark wizard!"

I wouldn't be too sure about that.

Melly turned and faced Snape. What do you mean?

He only looked at her through the hood, and couldn't see his guilty eyes.

"You're the one who shouldn't be fooled, Miss Avalon," Bellatrix said. "Sirius Black wouldn't even dream of joining mine and your master. He was as good as Potter himself."

"But he told you where the Potters were hiding, didn't he?" Melly asked Voldemort.

Voldemort shook his head. "Well, since that big oaf is dead, he is now cleared of all charges. He was as innocent as Harry was with Cedric Digory's death. Only, Harry wasn't put in Azkaban for thirteen years."

Melly couldn't believe her ears. Sirius Black was innocent? "But then, who? Who told you where the Potters were hiding?"

"Now isn't the time to get into that, my dear," Voldemort said. "You obviously guessed wrong about Bella. Do you know what happens when you guess my followers are spies only because you want to get rid of them in the only way you know how?"

Snape gasped, only so quietly. Melly! I told you that you shouldn't be so sure about her!

I'm sorry? What happens?

Snape bowed his head. Be prepared to spend another hurtful night in my chambers.

Voldemort raised his wand at Melly. "Just because you are my daughter doesn't mean you shouldn't be punished. That also doesn't meant you can get rid of any of my followers anytime you like."

Melly eyed his wand nervously. What's he going to do to her? Another Crucio?

He opened his mouth as he was about to say the word, but something caught his eye on Melly. The clearing started to become brighter as everyone marveled at Melly.

What's going on? Melly and Snape both asked each other at the same time.

Relax, Melly Fate Avalon, the same voice from earlier cooed. You will be all right. Nothing shall harm you.

With a large flash of light emitting from Melly's body, a person emerged, like Melly's soul just flew out of her body. Melly, at having so much energy loss, collapsed behind the woman.

Voldemort looked at her, his eyes wide. He was staring into the eyes of a ghost, he was sure of it. Her long white night dress flowed down her body to the ground. Her pale arms hung limply at her sides. Her dark hair blew past her as she walked out of Melly's body. Her gray eyes scanned everyone who was present in the circle. She turned and looked down upon Melly's body. She smiled, and knelt down. She grabbed Melly's body, and held her close.

"Here I am, my darling," the ghost woman cooed. "Do you understand who I am? Why I am here?"

Melly could hardly keep her eyes open. "M-m-mum?"

"It is I," she said, smiling. "Nothing shall harm you. Not while I'm here," she said, looking at Voldemort, who was too stunned to move.

"Faith?" Snape whispered. Faith looked at him.

"I still remember this morning," she said. She looked at Voldemort, who clenched his jaw. Melly grabbed her sleeve. Faith quickly looked back down to Melly. "What is it?"

"What are you doing here?" Melly whispered.

Faith smiled, and picked up Melly's arm. She ran her fingers over Melly's scars, and sighed. "You broke my bracelets," she commented.

"On accident," Melly assured. She could feel her body failing her. Was she dying?

"I am now free in your body. That was I talking to you earlier about that young man. That was I taking control of the situation with him last night. I am here, to save you from harm. The bracelet of love, and the bracelet of protection."

Melly sighed, and fainted once again.

"But I'm afraid I need some of your energy to help you," Faith said, laying Melly back on the ground.

"Impossible!" Voldemort boomed. "You're dead! Those bracelets are muggle bracelets!"

"You think I wouldn't know that?" Faith shouted, standing up. "Why do you think I placed my spirit in the bracelets when I was dying?" She glared at Bellatrix. "If I could kill, I would have you six feet under right now. I paid the price of not being able to kill for having my spirit placed in those bracelets you gave to me, Tom," she said.

Voldemort lowered his wand. No one has called him Tom since two years ago when he faced Dumbledore in the Ministry of Magic.

"I promise," Faith said, "that if you hurt, or come close to hurting Melly, I will be there."

She vanished, and Melly's eyes burst open. She looked around frantically. All she could see was many dark figures surrounding her. "Mum!" she called. She stood up, and Snape rushed to her. Melly started to tear up as she clung onto Snape's robes. "Where is she? Where did she go?" she demanded, tears running down her cheeks.

Snape shushed her, and was stunned when Melly burst into tears and cried into his robe. He looked at Voldemort, who glared at Snape and Melly, and disapparated. Snape then watched as the Death Eaters all started to disappear one by one. He wrapped his arms around Melly as he glared at Bellatrix.

"I never meant to harm her," Bellatrix said as soon as they were alone.

Snape sneered. "Of course not," he said in his most mocking voice. "You also never meant to kill your cousin."

Melly wiped her eyes, and looked at Bellatrix, who sneered at them.

"One happy family," Bellatrix whispered before she disappeared.

Melly looked up at Snape.

We should be going back to the castle, Snape thought, still looking at the spot where Bellatrix once stood.

Melly nodded, and accepted help from Snape in walking back to the castle.