The Raven Mage

Chapter Two: Intentions and Loyalties

There was the smallest of knocks to the door. It opened only slightly when the Dark Lord responded with a sharp, "Yes?" Raven stuck her head in, looking very small. "My lord?"

Voldemort turned his gaze from the fire, the only source of light in the room, to see her. She'd freed her hair of the braid and the black locks now framed her thin face. The effect was quite flattering, but it accentuated her near gauntness. The Dark Lord blinked several times and then gestured for her to enter. "What is it?"

"Forgive the intrusion, my lord," Raven spoke softly, "but I've found a way to wear your mark."

"Have you?"

She held up something on a silver chain. The charm was small, but Voldemort made out the shape of his Dark Mark. "I made it this afternoon when we arrived," she explained. "Will it do, at least for now, my lord?"

Voldemort took the chain and charm into his hand. "Simple, easily hidden. You made it?"

"Yes, my lord," she said. "It will burn just like a regular mark, but not on my skin."

"Hm. It will do." He stood and put the necklace on her himself. He noticed that her skin was still terribly cold. It was a shock, considering the comfortable warmth of the room. "Do you feel cold, Raven?"

She shrugged and tucked the charm under her robes. "I'm always cold, my lord."

"Ah." He considered a moment and had the feeling she was doing the same to him. Her eyes had a sharp glint to them. "If that is all..."

"Yes, my lord." Raven bowed her head and departed from the room. Voldemort stared at the door long after she was gone.

The next morning found Raven alone in one of the sitting rooms. Though she did not remain that way. Her face was turned to the window she was sitting near when the door opened almost silently to admit someone else. The intruder saw this and locked the door behind her.

Raven heard the bolt slide home and turned. Bellatrix Lestrange glared at her and took a single step closer. Raven leapt to her feet and darted behind a large chair, putting something between the two of them.

"What do you want here?" Bella demanded. "What ill will do you mean to my lord?"

Raven frowned. "I mean no ill to our lord at all."

"What do you mean to gain here?" she then asked. "No one becomes a Death Eater without a reason of their own."

The girl's face was mask-like. "...I've been in Azkaban for most of my life. He offered me freedom. What else is there?"

Bellatrix made an invisible connection with her wand to the vase behind Raven and pulled. The vase shattered against the back of her head. Raven screamed in shock and then dove behind a coffee table. Bella uttered a curse and the glass of the table few everywhere. Several shards grazed Raven's face. She moved yet again, trying to reach the door. Bella blocked her and hit her across the face. She fell back, but kept her balance. She ran for the window, but Bella boarded it up with a flick of her wand. Using the same charm as before, she threw another vase at Raven. This time she dodged it and it crashed into the wall. Again, Raven tried for the door. Bella grabbed her arm and threw her back. Raven screamed and landed on what remained of the table. She sat up in the wreckage and glared at Bella. The older woman felt a twinge of apprehension...

It was then that the door flew open. Voldemort pointed his wand at the startled Bellatrix and practically screamed the curse. "Crucio!" Bella fell to the floor, writhing and screaming in pain. Voldemort released the spell and looked at Raven, who was climbing to her feet. He noted the deep slashes on her face and the heavy amount of blood and bruising as well. "What is going on here?"

Raven didn't seem inclined to answer. Bella slowly got to her feet. "My lord," she said, "I was merely trying to discover the girl's true intentions. I..."

"Perhaps you should leave that to me from now on," Voldemort snapped. "Raven." The girl bowed her head to him. "Come here." She did so. The Dark Lord touched her face and took in what damage had been done. He wiped blood away from the slash on her cheek. She remained stoic and still. Voldemort turned to Bellatrix, who looked absolutely terrified. Voldemort ran his hand over Raven's dark hair as he spoke. "Bella...this girl is valuable. She has abilities that the rest of you could not dream to possess. Touch her again and you will pay. If I discover that you've been hurting her again, I shall inflict whatever damage you've cause her onto you a thousand fold. Is this understood?"

Bella was white as a sheet as she nodded. "Yes, my lord."

"Leave us," Voldemort ordered sharply. Bella rushed from the room. Raven had not moved an inch from where Voldemort had called her to. He looked down at her curiously. "Are you seriously injured in any way?" he asked.

Raven's crystal eyes were narrowed dangerously. She took a step back from him and crossed her arms around her chest. "I didn't need your help." Her voice was sharp and clipped.

Voldemort tensed at this unexpected attack. "Oh? You are displeased that I stepped in, then?"

"If you hadn't, I would have handled Bella on my own," Raven told him. "And she would never make this mistake again. Besides," she said, turning away, "I don't need anyone watching over me. I can take care of myself."

"Enough." The single word silenced Raven's temper. She opened her mouth once to speak again, and then shut it. Though her eyes were still narrowed, she uncrossed her arms and bowed to him. Voldemort walked to stand behind her and placed firm hands on her shoulders, making her stand straight. "Do. Not. Push. Me." He spoke as sharply as she had to him, if not more so. "I protect you because I can use you to my advantage. I do not need your permission to keep you safe."

"My lord," she interrupted him quickly. "I understand that I hold value to you, but you cannot watch me all the time. There will times when not even you can protect me from your followers. If you allow me to handle them on my own, they will learn not to provoke me."

Voldemort tightened his grip on her shoulders. He saw her fists clench, but she did not move other than that. "...Very well, then." He let her go and stood before her. "Take care of yourself." He started for the door. "But Raven," he called, looking over his shoulder, "I'd keep that attitude in check from now on." He smiled maliciously. "I could begin to like you, little bird, but my patience has its limits."

An expression of shock washed over Raven's face. "What did you just call me?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow. He didn't answer her for he was already out the door. She stared after him a moment before shaking her head. She pulled out a handkerchief from her robes and gently wiped the blood from her face and neck. As she did so, the slashes and cuts slowly closed until it was as if they were never there. She flicked her hand at the window and the boards on it disappeared. With a glance, the table repaired itself, glass and all. The two vases fused back together and set themselves in their original positions. Raven moved back to the window and sat down in the chair nearest it, staring out across the morning sky.

Bellatrix knelt before her lord, her head nearly touching the ground. "Please," she begged weakly. "Please do not punish me further. I suspected the girl's intentions, my lord. She was acquainted with the Animagus Black and he was our enemy."

"She is also young," the Dark Lord reminded his servant. "Her mind is still susceptible, eager to learn. She can be manipulated if need be. But she may not need it. She seems perfectly willing to follow me. Perhaps not with the same adoration that you show, but she is here nonetheless."

"My lord," another Death Eater began, "she is a very strange child. She could become a threat to you."

"Where is she now?" Voldemort asked.

"She remained in the sitting room for a small while after...the commotion this morning," the Death Eater said, "but I believe she wandered outside about an hour ago. She was last seen in the rose gardens around the manor."

Voldemort read more into the Death Eater's tone. "Is there something amiss with that?" he asked, acidly.

"Those gardens are long dead, my lord."

But Voldemort just smiled. "Such an intriguing little child," he murmured. He stood and waved a dismissal to his followers.