The Distraction

"Hello dear," said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Narcissa Malfoy coming down the steps into the courtyard to stand in front of me. I had seen her several times before, and thought she would be pretty if she didn't look so stressed out all the time.

*"Do come in," she said, taking my arm. "We'll have a spot of tea, then I'll take you on a tour of the Manor, and you can choose your room."

*Narcissa led me up a short set of stone steps into an elegant room painted a deep red. Several black velvet chairs were grouped around a low table, set upon a dark hardwood floor. "This is the South tea room," she said, gesturing for me to take a seat. "There's also one in the East wing on the third floor, but I much prefer this one."

*"It's lovely," I said, looking around appreciatively. Then my eyes fell upon another person in the room: Bellatrix LeStrange. I fought down the overwhelming urge to hex her right out of the country. We were friends by no means, but I had the irrational idea that she had sold me out, as a fellow woman. It had been her charm that had condemned me more quickly than I would have like.

*"Hello, Bellatrix," I said cooly, sitting down in the chair across from her.

*"Hello, Tamerlane," she said coldly. I saw a mixture of disgust and jealously on her haunted face.

*"Problem?" I asked cheerfully, knowing it would annoy her.

*"The Dark Lord has sent me here with a message for you," she hissed, glaring at me. How I would have loved to snap at her that it was all her bloody fault, if she hadn't preformed that stupid little charm of her's, we wouldn't be in this mess just yet.

*"Oh, did he?" I asked, smirking in a self-satified sort of way. "What does my Lord have to say?"

*"He will be here, tonight, at eleven to discuss some... business with you," she hissed so that I could hardly hear her. We sat like that for a few moments, Bellatrix glaring at me, her hatred intensifying with every second, me smiling back at her, one eyebrow raised in polite curiosity. I had just decided to ask what sharp object she had shoved up her ass before coming here when Narcissa broke out staring duel.

*"Tea's ready!" she said, handing us our cups.

*We passed a rather pleasant half hour, in which Narcissa asked questions about my childhood in Russia and Bellatrix sneered at me from over rim of her mug.

*"Now," said Narcissa, putting her empty cup down, "we don't have any bedrooms on the ground floor, so would you rather be on the second or third?"

*"Third would be fine," I said, standing up. "I'm rather fond of heights."

*"Third it is, then! What wing?"

*"North? The view of the lake is beautiful," I smile while Bellatrix snorted.

*"Hmmm... third floor, North wing...yes! I know just the one. Follow me," Narcissa said happily, linking her slender arm through mine.

*"If you don't mind, Narcissa, I'll stay here and have something a bit stronger than tea," Bellatrix said with great disdain.

*"Of course. Make yourself at home. We'll join you after I've shown Tamerlane her new rooms."

*"Looking forward to it," she growled as we left the tea room.

*Narcissa led me up two flights of stairs and through several dark corridors before we came to a pair of ebony door with enterwined serpents carved into the wood. "Here we are," she said, inserting a small emerald into an indention between the serpent's tounges.

*I let out a soft cry of surprise when the doors swung open. The quarters berfore me were almost as large as the house I had grown up in.

*"Now," said Narcissa, strolling into the room and lighting the fire place with a flick of her hand, "you have a fire place in here and in your bedroom, but only this one is connected to the Floo network."

*She led me through the den, pat the dark blue furniture and full bookshelves, into a high ceiling bedroom. There was an enormous canopy bed in the middle of the room, facing a wall that was completely glass. "You're bathroom is through the door and the right," Narcissa said, snapping me out of my uncouth staring. "The door on the left in a private study, incase you have any work to do and do not with to be interrpted."

*I inspected the rooms while my host pointed out various features, then we made our way back down stairs to join Bellatrix for a night cap. It was already half past nine, and I wanted to take a relaxing bath before facing Voldemort.

*"What would you like, Miss Jacek?" Bellatrix asked as we sat down.

*"Oh, Bella, you're both guests, I'll get it," said Narcissa, starting to rise from her chair.

*"Don't be ridiculous," Bellatrix said sweetly, turning back to the liquor cabinet. "I'm already up."

*She poured us all small glasses of brandy and as she handed me mine, I could have sworn I saw her smirk in a fashion that clearly stated, "I know something you don't know." I was momentarily alarmed by this, wondering if she had slipped something into my drink. Then I remembered that I wasn't supposed to know Volemorts's purpose in coming here tonight. I snatched the glass from her hand and downed it, glaring at her.

*Bellatrix fed me several drinks over the next half hour and by the time I made my way back to my rooms I was feeling quite unstable. I stumbled into the bathroom, again wondering if she had slipped something into the brandy. I had only been drunk once before, at my graduation party, and this felt nothing like it.

*I collapsed against the side of the tub, muttering a spell to fill it. I had really lost my head by this point and climbed in to the warm water with my robes still on. My last waking thought, that I remember anyway, was that nothing would feel better than to die right now.

*An hour later, I woke up shaking. I couldn't feel the water around me and I was freezing. I opend my eyes to the dim candle light and found that the bathtub was indeed empty and I was covered in wet, cold clothing. I groaned and tried to pull myself up.

*"This wasn't exactly how I expected to find my bride," said a high, cold voice from the corner of the room.

*I froze on the spot. Voldemort was here, in my bathroom. The cold was replaced by the heat of fear. "I -- I'm sorry, my Lord!" I choked out.

*"It doesn't matter," he said, moving foward. He threw a set of plain black robes down in front of me. "Get out and get dressed, girl. I'll be waiting... in the bedroom..."

*He swept out of the room as I stared blankly at the robes.