Destiny

Initiations

Chapter 16

"Destiny?" The voice came through to her as if through a cloud. "Are you alright?"

In shock, she looked up to where Hermione was standing over her. Seeing the frown on her friends face, she realized her mouth was hanging open and quickly snapped it shut. Shaking herself out of her trance, Destiny jumped to her feet and ran out of the room towards the boys' dorm as fast as her legs would carry her. Not bothering to knock, she barged right in.

"Harry!"

"Ah!" Ron yelped, diving under his covers.

Giggling, Destiny smirked. "Nice boxers!"

Raising his eyebrows, Harry just rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Ron shouted, embarrassed. "This is the BOYS' dorm!"

"And your point is... what?" Not waiting for an answer, she shoved her book into Harry's face. "Look what I got!" Seeing Harry's eyes widen in shock, she couldn't help grinning like a lunatic. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Where did you get that?" he whispered in awe.

Thinking of how to say who'd given it to her, without telling his roommates she was in contact with her father, she finally settled on the answer of, "Someone who would know."

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, joining them on Harry's bed, as he finished pulling on a t-shirt.

"Snuffles," Harry replied without thinking.

"Oh."

"Snuffles!" Destiny tried to hide her laughter but it became impossible and she soon gave up. Leaning back, she fell to the floor on her back and lay there, laughing helplessly.

*****

"Where are we going?" Destiny asked for the tenth time in five minutes.

"Shh!"

All four friends had been squeezed beneath Harry's invisibility cloak and it was quickly becoming an unpleasant experience.

"We're too big to be doing this!" she whispered, fanning herself with her hand before accidentally smacking Hermione in the face.

"Ow!"

"Sorry!"

"Just shut up! You're going to get us caught!" Ron snapped.

Pouting silently, they moved as swiftly as possible. When then they reached the picture of the unicorn they had been searching for, Harry muttered the password and- after checking to be sure that there was no one around- they all scrambled inside.

The room was unremarkable with chairs and desks covered in sheets. There were several dented cauldrons and so much dust, it was becoming difficult to breath.

"Well, here we are!" Harry said happily.

"This?" Destiny asked. Suddenly angry, she shouted, "You dragged me out of bed at six in the morning on a weekend, so I could see this! This is the only day we don't get up early to run! Now, I'm all sweaty and it's all your fault! I'm going back!"

Spinning around, Destiny stalked off towards the picture frame.

"Wait!"

Pausing for a second, she glared at him. "What?"

"I brought us here so we could talk in privacy about the book... You did bring the book right?"

Scowling at him in disgust, she snapped at him, "Of course I brought it. Do you think I'm stupid enough to leave it alone with those idiots I room with? Don't answer that."

Cautiously, Ron asked, "What's so great about a book?"

"It's not just any book. It's a book on Animagi!" Harry exclaimed excitedly.

With wide eyes, Ron could only whisper with amazement, "Whoa..."

"It also has all of the Marauder's notes, a step by step guide, courtesy of my father, on how to become one, and the color the potion should turn and everything. We won't have to do any work at all really. Just make the potion and say the spell exactly how the notes say to," Destiny said, putting her hands on her hips, doing a dead on impersonation of Hermione. "So, are we going to get started or not?" Walking to one of the couches, she grabbed a sheet, pulled it off and promptly started coughing. "Does anyone know that dust-removal spell?" she wheezed.

*****

As the days passed, the four friends put the room in order and began to collect the necessary items for the potion. Hauling a dented cauldron to the center of the room, Destiny couldn't help but feel dread creep over her. The days were slipping away, leading her to the moment she never wanted to deal with: January 1^st.

Feeling a comforting hand on her shoulder, she smiled stiffly at Lily.

"Everything will be fine in the end," the ghost whispered soothingly. "If it's not alright, it's not the end."

Nodding, Destiny turned away. 'No it won't be,' she thought glumly. 'This year's going to end in tears.'

*****

January 1^st dawned cold and gray; as if the very earth felt the dread that lay within two of the students.

As Draco, Harry and Destiny made their daily run around the lake they could all see that their hearts weren't into it. Heading back to the school, Harry gave them a curious look. Shaking her head at him, Destiny motioned for him to go back to the common room without her.

"Draco?"

Shaking his head mutely, he shushed her.

"I guess I'll see you tonight sometime." Turning on his heel, he walked confidently away.

"Bye," she whispered.

*****

As soon as he was out of sight, Draco allowed his shoulders to sag in defeat. As much as he wanted to appear to be in control, he knew he wasn't. Sighing, Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out the quill that would become a portkey in a matter of minutes. Feeling a sharp tug at his navel, he watched as the world around him spun nauseatingly. Landing with a groan, Draco looked around in horror.

The room was made entirely of stone. The stone seemed to have something green and slimy growing on it. He was near one of the walls and the only escape was through the ring of Death Eaters surrounding him. In the center of the room sat a throne, and on it sat the one person he had never wanted to meet- Lord Voldemort.

Climbing slowly to his feet, Draco let a mask of careful blankness wash over his features. Though he was terrified, he wasn't going to let anyone know it... If he was going to die, he wasn't going to live his last moments as a coward.

"Draco Malfoy," Voldemort hissed.

Bowing his head, Draco lowered himself to his knees.

"Master..."

"Little Draco, do you have what it takes to be a part of my family?"

'Why would anyone want to be a part of anything to do with you?' Clearing his throat, he spoke in his most submissive voice. "My Lord, I want nothing more than to serve you. I am your most loyal servant."

Looking at him through narrowed red eyes, Voldemort whispered evilly, "We shall see. Crucio!"

As pain flared through him, Draco ground his teeth together and fought the urge to scream.

'No...' he thought desperately, 'I scream; I die.'

When the curse was finally lifted, he found himself on his knees, on the damp floor, gasping in pain.

"Draco, hold out your left arm."

Closing his eyes, Draco climbed shakily to his feet, and raised his arm helplessly. 'This is it... Oh, God! Somebody help me!' Feeling two invisible arms wrap around his waist from behind, he immediately felt better. Squeezing the hand that had just slipped into his; he let out a bloodcurdling scream as he felt the Dark Mark being burned into his flesh- right down to the bone.

The pain was blinding, agonizing. If it had hurt when the Cruciatus Curse had been used, it was nothing compared to the pain that coursed through him at the moment. As the agony began to ease, Draco found himself once again on the floor. This time though, he could only lay on the floor and cry, cradling his arm protectively.

"Draco," Voldemort gave him an evil smile, "Remember this pain should you ever be tempted to betray me. Know that this was NOTHING compared to what you will feel, what I will do to you."

Turning to his other Death Eaters, Draco heard Voldemort ask about Destiny.

"My Lord," Lucius Malfoy responded, bowing, "the Necromancer is no closer to coming to our side."

Growling angrily, the snake like man snapped, "Take your brat back to the school."

Bowing once more, Lucius grabbed Draco and dragged him towards the door roughly.

*****

In the Gryffindor common room, Destiny couldn't help but pace.

"Destiny, SIT DOWN!" Hermione snapped, "You're irritating me!"

"No."

"Des honey, what's wrong?" Harry asked soothingly.

"Nothing."

"Well, obviously something is!" Hermoine stated.

"Look, if I'm annoying you that much, I'll leave!" Turning on her heel, she stormed off through the portrait hole. With a sigh, Harry rose to follow her.

"Hey Harry!" Ron called, bounding down the stairs from the boys' dormitory. "I just got the newest Quidditch magazine!"

"Alright!"

Plopping down on the couch next to his friend, Harry completely forgot about his girlfriend as all thoughts were turned towards Quidditch.

*****

Storming angrily down the hallway, Destiny muttered, "They just don't get it and they aren't even trying!"

"Yeah, humans!" a voice replied from behind her.

Spinning around, she smiled.

"Hey Cedric. How's it going?"

"Pretty good all things considering. How are you doing? Truthfully."

"Not so great," she replied, running her hands through her thick curls. "Between Draco, Voldemort, and my visions, I don't think I can take much more!"

"Visions? Lily and James haven't mentioned anything about any visions," he replied with a frown.

Sighing, Destiny continued walking as she talked. "That would be because I haven't told them." Turning down a random corridor, she finally let go and started to say some of the things that had been bottled up inside of her for months. "I haven't told anybody. How could I? I mean, I know things that nobody should have to know; I see things that nobody should have to see. In my head, I've watched thousands of innocent people be executed for no reason at all... Dark times are coming and I'm not even allowed to try and stop it. I'm supposed to just sit by and watch..."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

Shaking her head, she replied with a sad smile. "How can you help me if I can't even help myself?"

Cedric was opening his mouth to reply when James suddenly burst through the wall.

"The Entrance Hall; come quick!"

Running as quickly as her legs would carry her, Destiny came to a stop at Hogwarts front doors.

"Oh, God!" Hurrying to Draco's still form, she rolled him onto his back.

"Relax," he murmured, letting his eyes drift open. "I'm fine."

"Like hell you are!" Lily snapped, even though she couldn't be heard by the boy.

"Lily! You're not helping! Go get Madame Pomfrey-"

"NO!"

Turning back to her injured friend, she couldn't help but humor him.

"Why's that?"

"It just an after effect of the Cruciatus Curse. I'll be fine by morning."

"Draco? You are such a guy!" Bending over, she helped him lift himself off the floor and walked him down to the Slytherin common room. "You think you can make it to your room?"

"Yes!" he snapped. "I'm fine!"

"Sure you are. I'll see you tomorrow."

*****

As the days passed, things steadily grew worse for Destiny. The visions were becoming more frequent and the line between dream and reality was beginning to fade. At Quidditch practice, she had nearly fallen off her broom. In potions class, she hadn't been aware enough of her surroundings and the glowing potion had exploded, causing the class to glow for several days. By February, Destiny Black was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

In the designated 'animagus room', Destiny stood pacing.

'What to do... Something has got to give before I go insane!' Rubbing her eyes, she exhaled loudly. 'Five more months and it'll all be over.' Biting her lip, she grimaced.

By June, it really would be over. All of the visions would have come to pass, causing the army of Voldemort's victims to grow. Hopefully by then though, she would be an animagus and would be ready for that end.

Turning to where the potion was simmering, Destiny went to accomplish the task she had come to do. Adding the thorns of a rose, she watched the potion turn pink.

'If we follow the book and all of the notes that Dad gave us, we should be finished in plenty of time.'

Glancing out the small window on the towers rounded roof, she knew the truth: no time was soon enough. Leisure time was coming to an end. The sooner everything was in place, the better.

Marking the time she had made the addition to the potion, she left to continue the job she had started at the mausoleum. She was off to become the person she was born to be.

*****

When Destiny had gotten up and volunteered to go add the next ingredient, Harry offered to go with her. She had turned him down instantly.

'Something's going on,' he thought suspiciously.

Getting up, he decided to follow her at a safe distance. She entered the unicorn portrait and didn't return for twenty minutes, even though it should have only taken her five at most. When she returned, instead of heading back to the common room, she turned and made her way to the front doors and headed into the Forbidden Forest. Making a split second decision, he decided to follow her.

Walking through the forest was a creepy sensation. No light showed through the canopy and it was difficult to walk without tripping. The only reassurance he had was the fact that he could plainly see the back of Destiny's silver- white cloak. They walked for close to twenty minutes before coming to a clearing. Finding a nearby tree, he quickly climbed up it so he could have a better view of what was going to happen. Almost immediately, people began to appear from the surrounding trees or apparated into the clearing. The people made a semicircle around Destiny and, even though most were more than twenty years older than her, stood respectfully and waited for the others.

'What in the world,' Harry thought as he watched a group of people bow to his girlfriend. Leaning forwards and squinting to get a better look at the assembled people, Harry felt shock course through him. 'Oh my God!'

Standing before him, in a semicircle around his girlfriend, was some of the most famous types of Dark Creatures ever to walk the earth.

As one of the creatures approached Destiny, all fear for himself melted away and was replaced by pure terror for his friend.

'That's a vampire!'