Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Practice to Deceive	By : SailorSol Category: Harry Potter > General > General Views: 12424 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Disclaimer: Any characters & situations you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Any characters you don�t recognize belong to me. You can borrow them, but email me first and check on the characters.

Author�s Note: This story is AU after book 5. It contains NO REFERENCES to book 6 in any way, shape or form.

CHAPTER 10: FAMILY HISTORY

Saturday morning, after breakfast, Astrid waited in the entry of the castle until Lilith met her.

�I�m going into London,� Astrid said. �I realized that there is one subject we have no books on, and no practical knowledge. You need to go see the Mayor of Hogsmeade. If the Headmaster won�t let you go, send the Mayor an owl, and he�ll come down to see you. I�ll be back as soon as I can.�

�What subject are you studying now?� Lilith asked, wondering what they could have forgotten to get books on.

�Sex,� Astrid said as she pulled a ribbon out of her pocket. She made the ribbon into a Portkey, and as Lilith watched, Astrid disappeared.

***** *****

Lilith checked with McGonagall and found out that she had the freedom to go into Hogsmeade. She walked over to the village, gazing occasionally at the huge tree-shrouded house on the hillside. She wondered how many Hogwarts students had even noticed the house, much less wondered who lived there.

Once she made it into the village proper, she asked for directions to the mayor�s house. The woman she asked gazed at her in surprise when she first approached her, and then scurried towards the Three Broomsticks.

Lilith knocked on the door to the house marked �Mayor� and waited while movement inside indicated that someone was listening.

The middle-aged wizard who opened the door stared at Lilith in shock, and then his mouth worked for a moment before he found his voice.

�Elizabeth?� he asked hoarsely, and then he blinked his eyes again. �No, you�re not Elizabeth. You�re much too young to be her.�

�Elizabeth Evans was my mother,� Lilith said. �It was suggested that I come to see you. I don�t know why.�

�Perhaps we should talk inside,� he said, stepping aside. Lilith nodded and entered the house.

Inside, the man offered her tea, which was served by a house elf. After the elf left, he sat back, looking at her.

�I cannot stop thinking about how much you look like your mother,� he said. �I am William Drake, by the way. I moved to Hogsmeade after I married, and I have been the Mayor for about twenty years.�

�Why did I need to come see you?� Lilith asked. �Does it have anything to do with the way I have been feeling since I arrived? I�ve been feeling all stretched out and old.�

�Perhaps,� Mayor Drake said. �Your mother was the last of her family. They have kept the pact with faerie and the land for centuries. The day your mother was married, her entire family was murdered. The only reason that Elizabeth survived is because she and her American husband had already left for their honeymoon in France.�

�How did the family feel about her marrying Simon Tyler?� Lilith asked, sipping her tea.

�Lord Harold was disappointed,� he responded. �She had been spending some time seeing Lucius Malfoy, and he seemed to be serious. Her attachment to the Quidditch player was sudden, and absolute. I heard that Malfoy was absolutely crushed, and that he picked up Narcissa Black on the rebound from Elizabeth�s rejection.�

�What is this pact with faerie?� Lilith wanted to know.

�It�s a joining with the land,� he told her. �On a high holy day, you take a ritual bath and enter the grove at dawn. You spend all day in faerie, joining with the Lord of the Forest and the land. After that, you and the land are connected. You know when someone does something to the land, the land will rise at your command and to your defense.�

�Do you mean �joining� the way I think you do?� Lilith asked. �Is this a Great Rite?�

�Yes,� Drake said. �That�s why it takes a day.�

�How do you know if I am acceptable to the Lord of the Forest?� Lilith asked.

�Do you have a mole next to your birthmark?� Drake asked. Lilith�s hand went up to her right ear, to touch at the magical birthmark there, and the small, flesh colored mole next to it.

�That mole tells us that you are the firstborn,� Drake told her. �That makes you the heir unless something drastic happens. If you were a squib, or insane, then you would be unacceptable. The mole would disappear and appear on the next eldest child.�

�What do I have to do?� Lilith asked.

�I should take you to see the Lord,� he said, rising from his seat. �He will answer any other questions you may have.�

Mayor Drake led Lilith out the back door of his house and immediately into the dense woods that seemed to surround Hogsmeade. To Lilith�s surprise, the way was clear of underbrush and low-hanging branches. She saw some small, fall flowers blooming in spots of sunlight. To her absolute astonishment, motes of light seemed to fly out of the trees to hover in the air. When she got closer to one of the motes, she saw why. The motes of light were glowing fairies.

While she watched in fascination, four fairies each took hold of a handful (for them) of her long chestnut hair and began braiding it. Others came flying by to insert minuscule flowers into the braid as it formed. She saw others copy what the first four had started, intricately weaving her hair into tiny braids, decorated with even tinier flowers.

Eventually, she found herself at the boundary of a small glade, thick with ferns. As she looked around the lovely place, movement at the far side caught her eye.

A male figure of heroic proportions stepped out of the trees and into the open. At first, Lilith thought he was a wizard, but the leaves covering his face, the antlers crowning his head, and his complete lack of clothing told her differently. The being before her was the Lord of the Forest, one of the oldest residents of any wooded area.

�My Lady,� he called out to her. The resonant tones of his voice seemed to pluck at her nerves like they were harp strings. She felt her body respond to him as though she had taken a dose of Casidor.

�Will you truly make the pact with me?� he asked. As he walked closer, she could see that the edges of his leaves were discolored, like leaves in the middle of autumn.

�What has happened to you?� she asked, stepping closer to him.

�I am aging and withering,� he said. �If the pact is not renewed, I will die.�

�The Lord of the Forest is immortal!� Lilith protested. �How can you wither and die?�

�I am immortal until I tie myself to a mortal and a mortal family,� he said. �After that, I am immortal so long as there is an active bond with a witch or wizard. When the pact is broken, I begin to age.�

�You perform the Great Rite with a man?� Lilith asked.

He smiled gently.

�I appear to you as Lord because you are female,� he said. �The Rite needs that balance of male and female, as does the land. If you were male, I would appear as Lady.�

�I see,� Lilith said. �You know, I�ve never done this before. I have a basic knowledge of what happens between a man and a woman, but I guess I�m a little afraid of the unknown.�

�Let me set your mind at ease, Lady,� he said, holding out his hand.

Feeling as though she were under a spell, Lilith put her hand in the slightly green-tinged one of the Lord of the Forest. He smiled at her gently, and then led her down a path she had not noticed before.

After a bit of walking, he led her up to a fallen tree. It was a massive thing, easily half again her height, lying on its side. He led her to one end of it, and she found that the tree was hollow. The bottom of the inside was lined with a heavy growth of moss.

The Lord picked up Lilith and carried her into the hollow log. He laid her down in the spongy moss and then lay down beside her. He drew her into his arms and started kissing her neck. Lilith�s senses swam as his soft, warm lips ran up and down the sensitive skin, stopping every so often to nibble. As his lips found the hollow behind her ear, she felt a hand begin stroking her bare skin. It never occurred to her to wonder where her clothing was, or how it had been removed. She had always known faeries were capable of many amazing things.

A firm, silken hand caressed her abdomen and sides, before moving up to cup and caress one breast, teasing the responsive nipple into a hard peak. She moaned in pleasure, and gasped as his mouth left the ear it had been attending to trail down to her chest. She gasped when she felt her other nipple caught between two moist, warm lips and firmly suckled on. Of their own volition, her hands found his broad shoulders and clutched spasmodically.

She felt a low chuckle against her breast, and then the amazing lips moved lower still, followed by the nimble hand that had started it all, reminding her of the fumbling and experimentation that she and Astrid had engaged in, learning how to please one another and to satisfy the cravings of their maturing bodies. The shoulders moved out of her reach and she found herself cupping her own breasts, her fingers finding her nipples with practiced ease.

These lips did not belong to an inexperienced teenager. These lips knew where they were going and what they were going to do when they got there. She moaned in absolute mindlessness when she felt his unbelievably warm breath ghost over her belly before it stirred the auburn hairs between her legs.

The first touch of his tongue on her nether lips wrung a gasp from Lilith. When his tongue burrowed between the lips and began to map out the hidden folds, the gasp became a wordless wail of hunger.

She reached down to touch him and her hands found his antlers, further back on his skull than she had thought. She gripped them, needing desperately to hold onto something while he continued his cataloging of her most intimate parts.

His tongue seemed to find every nerve between her legs, and to stimulate it in just the way that would maximize her pleasure. She obediently moved her legs in the way that he urged her, increasing his access to her.

She cried out the loudest when his questing tongue probed at the entrance to her vagina, and then entered it. The agile muscle found a spot on the top of the vaginal canal and stroked it firmly, driving Lilith to her first orgasm from someone other than herself or her sister. Her hips heaved and bucked, first pushing herself into his face, and then seeking to escape as the sensation became too much.

He stopped, in answer to her wordless plea. While she was recovering, he carefully crawled up until he was braced over her prone body, his throbbing shaft pressing lightly at her entrance. He lowered his head so that his lips could capture hers. He caught her in mid-gasp and slipped his tongue into her mouth so that he could plunder it the way he had plundered her womanhood. When he felt her respond to his kiss, he thrust forward, sheathing himself in one full thrust and tearing through her maidenhead as though it were tissue paper.

He caught her wail of pain and smothered it with his mouth as he stilled himself, waiting for her to become accustomed to the invasion.

When the tension left her body, he moved his lips from hers, and then almost completely withdrew before thrusting into her again. This time the sound that escaped her was a gasp, and with more thrusts, the gasps turned to moans as, for the first time, she experienced lovemaking with a man.

With a knowledge that came from many human partners, he rode her slowly and steadily until he felt her contract around him. He felt her firm legs close around his body, encouraging him onward. Her hands settled on his upper back, clutching at him.

Responding to her reactions, he started moving faster, making certain that she felt the full length of his shaft. If her moans and little cries were any indication, she was in absolute ecstasy.

Finally, he was energetically pumping into her, driving himself and her towards the ultimate pinnacle. Her legs and inner muscles tightened spasmodically and she screamed as she climaxed, the sound ringing through the quiet forest and startling nearby birds into fluttering away madly.

Her orgasm pushed him over the edge and he climaxed, pumping his seed deep into her with thrusts that were almost savage.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and rolled to one side, still inside her. He watched the flush fade from her face and her breathing calm while the sweat of her exertions dried on her.

�Now, My Lady,� he murmured. �Was there aught to worry about?�

�No,� she said, smiling at him. �That was amazing. Now I know why the girls at school would not stop talking about sex, once they discovered it. I don�t know if I want to stop talking about it, either. There�s just one problem, though. Don�t I have to be a maiden for the Rite?�

He chuckled gently as he withdrew from her. He gently placed a hand over her belly, just above her mound. She felt magic flow within her, and all of the sensations that were the aftermath of their lovemaking disappeared.

She looked up at him questioningly as he rolled over onto her again, and in one fluid motion, penetrated her, once again tearing the maidenhead he had just used magic to repair.

�There are nine days of Rite, My Lady,� he murmured into her ear as he began thrusting again. �You must be a maiden for each of them. Blood must be spilled. T�will hurt less, for you are already stretched. You will be suitable for the Rites, and then you will be able to give your chosen spouse the gift that wizards seem to prize so when you marry him.�

�Oh,� was all Lilith could say as she once again she began to ride the spiral of sensation that led to the most amazing feeling she had ever had in her life.

***** *****

Max found Hermione and Ginny studying in the library, accompanied by Harry, Draco, Neville, and Luna. He nodded at his nephew, and then walked over to the two Gryffindor girls.

�I understand that you two young ladies have some important shopping to do in Hogsmeade,� he said, smiling at them.

Both girls looked at him blankly, and then looked over at Draco. He had a puzzled expression on his face.

�Harry told me,� Max said. �He said that there was something very particular that you needed to buy. I am not on the extra duties list this weekend. I thought that I could set yet another example for the Slytherins and offer to chaperone you two young ladies into the village and assist you in your shopping.�

�That would be very kind of you, Sir,� Hermione said, packing away her parchment, quills, ink, and books.

�Yes,� Ginny said. �We thought we were going to have to wait until a Hogsmeade weekend.�

�Not at all,� Max said. He glanced at Luna and Neville, and said nothing more.

�It�s alright, Uncle,� Draco said. �These two are in on everything. They�re going out as well, and they�re thinking of making it official.�

�That�s already done,� Luna said. She pulled a silver chain out of her jumper to display a boys Gryffindor ring dangling from it.

Neville reached down his jumper and pulled out a gold chain with a girls Ravenclaw ring on it.

�Good for you,� Max praised them both. �I think your grandmother will be very pleased. And Miss Lovegood, I think your father will be so pleased, he�ll be beside himself.�

�I hope not,� Luna said very seriously. �He can be annoying enough with only one of him. If he�s beside himself, then there�s two of him.�

�I meant that figuratively,� Max said. �Your point is well taken. I wouldn�t have wanted two of my father, either.�

�When can we go?� Ginny asked. �Harry and Draco already gave us money for the rings. There�s nothing special about where the money comes from, just who buys the ring.�

�You are quite right, Miss Weasley,� Max said. �If the boys didn�t give you two girls enough money, I�ll make up the difference.�

�I�m ready,� Hermione said, standing up with her bag over her shoulder. �Just let us put our bags in our dorms, Professor.�

�Nonsense,� he said. He whistled softly and a house elf appeared at his side. Unlike the rest of the Hogwarts elves, this one was in a tea towel with an unknown insignia on it.

�Please take these students bags to their rooms,� Max said. The elf bowed to him.

�Yes, Master Max,� it said, smiling. �It is good to see you again, Master Draco. Is these the young women that you were talking about last time you visited Brittany, Master Draco?�

�Yes, they are,� Draco said. �This is Hermione, and this is Ginny.�

�I am pleased to meet you, finally,� the elf gushed. �I am called Socrates. I am Master Max�s house elf. I will be pleased to help you with anything you require while Master Max is teaching here.�

�Why is that?� Hermione asked. The elf beamed at her.

�You is going to be Master Draco�s wife, is you not?� Socrates asked. �Then you is to be family. I am always happy to do things for family.�

�But don�t you want to be free?� This happy being baffled Hermione.

The elf looked horrified.

�Free?� he asked. �I was born at the Chateau. I have seen how other house elves is treated. I am well treated by my Master; I have companionship with others of my kind, including a mate and children. I can see that a mistreated elf would want to be free, or one that has never seen how masterless elves are treated. If you have seen such elves, then I can only say that you have only seen the bad side of house elf treatment.�

�I have heard about your Society, Miss Granger,� Max said. �Let me offer you a bit of advice: if you want to change the world, the only way is to change the way that people perceive the world. Not everything is as it appears. I know you have found that out fairly recently.� He tapped his left forearm as he spoke.

Hermione nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on her face. He had reminded her of Dumbledore�s duplicity and manipulation.

�Now,� Max said. �Give your bags to Socrates, and he will take them to your dorm rooms. The three of us have an appointment in Hogsmeade.�

***** *****

Astrid�s portkey deposited her in front of Gringotts. She was ready for the drop, so she did little more than stumble as her feet hit the cobbles.

After leaving Gringotts, her first stop was Flourish & Blotts. When she had shopped there earlier, she had noticed a red velvet curtain in the rear of the store. It had several ward-off spells on it, so she surmised that it led to an area that some people were not allowed in.

She made her way back to the red velvet curtain, and was about to pull it aside when it was opened from the other side. An attractive older witch smiled at her connivingly and held the curtain for her after exiting.

Inside, Astrid found a small room crammed with books that her mother would have called �dirty.�

She perused the shelves for a moment, to familiarize herself with the stock, and then began pulling down books, sometimes two copies.

She brought one pile to the front desk, with two other piles floating behind her.

The clerk looked at the titles with a raised eyebrow, but he said nothing. He totaled up her purchases, and then asked her if she wanted the books delivered.

�Don�t be ridiculous,� she said, pulling a shrunken trunk out of her pocket and reversing the spell. �I am a professor at Hogwarts. I am not about to corrupt children, or upset the Headmaster. I have a trunk here, and I will be taking them with me.�

�Of course, Professor,� the man said, bowing his head to her. �You must be Professor Tyler. I know all of the other Professors. I hope that your teaching career is long and satisfying.�

�It will be,� she said. �I intend to teach even after my marriage.�

�Who will you be marrying?� the man asked as he helped her pack the books into the trunk.

Astrid smiled at him as she re-shrank the trunk and tucked it into her pocket.

�You�ll just have to read about it in the Daily Prophet,� she said. She exited the store, feeling more than a little smug. Now, she looked around, wondering what to do next. She had the entire day at her disposal, but she had no idea what else to do.

A twinge in her head made up her mind for her, and she moved toward an open area. As she did so, she saw a signpost, directing shoppers to other Alleys. One of them was Baccan Alley, promising that any kind of potent potable known to the Wizarding world could be found.

Astrid remembered her father�s fondness for fine brandy, and that of Maximillian and Severus as well. Also, there were a few Muggle liquors that she wanted to try, not to mention introduce Minerva to the next time she felt like sharing a confidence.

With a bold stride, Astrid followed the signs to Baccan Alley.

Once there, she saw that each shop sold a particular type of liquor: whiskey, scotch, rye, white wine, red wine, blush, champagne, brandy, custom liquers, wine from Italy, wine from France, wine from Hungary, vodka, flavored liquors, and different magical brews that Astrid had never heard of. Nearest to her was a shop that promised any Muggle spirit in existence, and a few that no longer existed in the Muggle world. Smiling, now, she moved further in, to make several purchases.

***** *****

When Astrid finally Apparated into her father�s current headquarters, she found him seated in his favorite chair with Severus seated across from him on a sofa. Lucius, Bellatrix, and both Lestrange brothers were also part of the group, and they all looked up as she popped in silently.

�Was it something I said?� she asked, smiling at the startled expressions on their faces. �If I�m not welcome, I suppose that I could just take my presents and go.�

�Of course you are welcome, my dear,� Rabistan was quick to rise and offer her his chair. �Severus was informing us of what he has discovered in the last week. Please, sit here.�

�Get over it, uncle,� she told him. �You will have to learn to live with disappointment.� She moved over to where Severus was and sat next to him. She ignored Rudolphus� sour expression as she settled herself with her legs on the rest of the couch and her upper body in Severus� lap. Her head ended up on the arm of the sofa, up against Severus� left hand.

�Don�t mind me,� Astrid said. �I�m comfortable.�

�So I see,� Rudolphus said. �Have you even thought about whether I would approve or not?�

�No,� Astrid said honestly. �I thought you would be more than pleased if my choice was pureblood and powerful. The fact that he�s one of father�s supporters should be even better.�

�Severus and Rudolphus do not get along,� Voldemort said. �It carries over even now, and I am sure Rudolphus� objections are based on that.�

�It is not Severus that I object to,� Rudolphus said. �It�s the bastard he keeps company with.�

�He�s not that bad,� Astrid objected. She removed several shrunken bottles from her pocket and began sorting through them.

�That�s not what he means,� Severus said. His long fingers had slipped into her silver-gilt locks and were stroking the silken strands without his conscious volition.

�He means that Maximillian�s parents were not married,� Severus supplied.

�Was his mother a muggleborn?� Astrid asked. �I already know that he�s Lucius� half-brother. Is that what the problem is?�

�No,� Rudolphus said, shifting uncomfortably. �His mother was a pureblood.�

�Then what�s the problem?� Astrid asked. �Illegitimacy is hardly fatal. It�s not even a pecadillo in America.�

�I�ll spare Rudolphus the embarrassment,� Bellatrix said. �Maximillian�s parents were not married because they were brother and sister. They could not marry. While it is possible for siblings to marry one another as part of a multiple marriage, Maximillian�s stepmother did not consent, and neither did the Ministry.�

�Funny,� Astrid said, enlarging two bottles of Napoleon Brandy and floating them over to Voldemort.

�Nobody that breeds animals thinks twice about breeding siblings to one another, or parent to offspring to fix a trait,� she commented. �They call it �line breeding.� It�s only when it�s people that it�s sick, or perverted, or just plain wrong. I have yet to see a flaw in Maximillian, and if you don�t stop being a prat, Rudolphus, I�m going to stop talking to you.�

�So my opinion means nothing?� he asked.

�Against mine, Rudolphus, no,� Voldemort responded, glaring at his vassal. Rudolphus immediately bowed his head in contrition.

�Forgive me, My Lord,� he said. �I just know that she could do much better, especially with her ancestry.�

�What do you mean?� Astrid asked, her interest piqued.

�You are the descendent of three of the four founders,� Bellatrix said. �Through your mother, Elizabeth Evans, you are descended from Godric Gryffindor. She must have lain with the Lord of the Forest, for you to have more than two parents. Through Rudolphus, you are descended from Rowena Ravenclaw. The Lestranges have always been proud of that lineage. Through our Lord, of course, you are descended from Salazar Slytherin.�

�I presume you can tell this from my birthmarks,� Astrid said. When Bellatrix nodded, she looked pensive for a few moments.

�What about a white spear or arrow?� she asked. �I have one birthmark that none of you has ever seen. It�s under my hair.�

�A white spear?� Bellatrix asked. She rose from her seat and walked over to the sofa. She carefully parted the hair on the crown of Astrid�s head. She examined the birthmark carefully, and then she straightened and looked at Voldemort.

�She has the spear, My Lord,� Bellatrix said. �Somehow, she is descended from Helga Hufflepuff, as well.�

�Possibly through the husband�s family,� Voldemort said. �Tyler is an old English name. If he were descended, he might not know it.�

�That would give Dumbledore even more reason to keep Elizabeth away from you, My Lord,� Rudolphus said. �Everyone knew Elizabeth�s lineage, and mine, and your own. He may have feared just such a thing.�

�Why?� Astrid asked.

�There is a legend,� Rudolphus said. He leaned over and picked up a glass of brandy that Astrid had not noticed before.

�The legend states that Merlin had four children,� Rudolphus said. �These four became heir to his powers after his disappearance, so that magic could be kept in balance. The legend also says that one will once again hold Merlin�s power, when our very existence is threatened. Legend also says that the descendents of these four children were the four founders of Hogwarts.�

�You mean that Dumbledore was trying to prevent the legend from coming true when he threw her at Simon Tyler,� Astrid said, returning several bottles to her pocket. �You are also saying that, if Simon Tyler is the source of the fourth birthmark, that he may have unwittingly actually brought it about. Realizing that it was close, he tried to circumvent my becoming a witch by making Mother afraid of me.�

�Except for one small detail,� Bellatrix said. �You were not a single birth. Even Dumbledore would not have known if she went to him very soon after the conception.�

�For magical purposes,� Lucius said from his seat. �Twins are considered to be one individual, since they are of one birth, and if complimentary, one power.�

�So, according to the legend, Lilith and I hold the power of Merlin?� Astrid asked, incredulous. �That�s absurd.�

�Not entirely,� Voldemort said, sitting forward to speak to his daughter. He could see for himself that Severus were completely besotted with her, and he was certain that she was just as taken with him, given that she had placed herself in his hands. Severus� right hand had moved up to caress her forearm, lying across her body. Astrid was nearly purring with contentment.

�Look at all that you and your sister have done in your short lives,� he continued. �You were taken for instruction two years early. You have invented items since your fourth year. You have invented spells and potions, both of which are only supposed to be possible after you have attained Mastery level. Your spells are strong and sure. I wonder what would happen if Merlin�s staff were found, or if the two of you made your own.�

�That has possibilities,� Astrid said. �I�ve heard that all of the founders of Hogwarts had weapons, but only Gryffindor�s sword has been seen since they died. I wonder where they went, and what the weapons could do.�

�No one knows,� Bellatrix said. �None of us could ever find anything.�

�None of you had access to the Professor�s Library,� Astrid said. �I do as a staff member, and Lilith does as a WARTs student. I can have her research the weapons, under the guise of DADA assignments.�

�Very well,� Voldemort said, sitting back once again. �Possession of the Sword of Slytherin would certainly add to my power.�

�Is there anything else I should know, Father,� Astrid said, turning her head towards him. He smiled a bit as he saw Severus� hand slip down a bit towards the back of her neck.

�It might be on Slytherin�s estate,� he said. �It is south of Hogwarts by several miles. It is called Darkshire. I meant to go there and make a Pact with the Lady of the Forest, but Dumbledore has foiled me every time I have attempted it.�

�Dumbledore won�t be able to thwart me,� Astrid said. �He�s going to be a bit occupied after today. You see, Hogsmeade is going to start preparing for something that hasn�t happened in nearly seventy years.�

�What is that?� Rudolphus asked. �We might want to crash the party.�

�Don�t you dare,� Astrid said. �His Lordship, here, won�t have a choice, unfortunately. Because he used Harry�s blood, he�ll have to go to Hogsmeade.�

�Whatever for?� Bellatrix asked. �That�s much too close to Dumbledore. Besides, if this is as important an event as you say, there will be Aurors everywhere. Are you trying to make trouble?�

�Not at all,� Astrid said. �It�s just that when a new Lord or Lady makes a pact with faerie, everyone in the bloodline is compelled to gather. Lily Evans was a true Evans, even though she was born of a squib. Her mother, by the way, Bella, was a Black squib. Lily was as pure blooded as you. Her son is an Evans. He has the birthmark. Because his blood was used, Father will have to attend, even if it is from the shadows.�

�When are you going to Darkshire?� Voldemort asked.

�Probably during Lilith�s party,� Astrid said. �Dumbledore will have to be there, as headmaster of the school. While he�s distracted, I can get down to Darkshire and see if I can find the sword.�

�Take Severus and Maximillian with you,� Voldemort ordered. �I trust them to make sure that you are safe.�

�Yes, Father,� Astrid said. She looked up at Severus and smiled at him, and then pulled a watch out of her pocket and looked at it.

�Damn!� she exploded, sitting up and swinging her legs down. �I�m due at Hogwarts in twenty minutes to supervise lunch!� She went to Voldemort and kissed him, and then kissed Bellatrix, and then Rudolphus.

�I�ll see you later,� she said. �I�ll make certain that you have advance warning of the date of the ritual and party, Father, so you know when you�ll be summoned.�

�Very considerate of you,� he said, smiling at her. �Keep me apprised of your progress.�

�Of course, Father,� she said. She stepped away from him and Apparated away without a sound.

TBC
- 9
- 10
- 11
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Practice to Deceive