49: A Keeper

                                    

                                          
[author's pov]
The Malfoy Manor wasn't always murky, but with Lord Voldemort at large once again, it had become a depressing place to be. Especially because it is the home to Bellatrix Lestrange and where the Dark Lords reside with nowhere to go, along with the Malfoy family.
On one particular Sunday evening, the Dark Lord requested a meeting with his loyal followers. With a single touch on Bellatrix Lestrange's wrist, they were all summoned. Draco Malfoy watched afar, his mother beside him, as the strangers entered their home.
In no time, everyone sat quietly around a rectangular table, waiting for permission to speak. Lord Voldemort sat on his throne, staring down at all of them. Severus Snape who was among them was one of the very few who feared the Dark Lord. There was a tense silence until the Dark Lord finally spoke.
"Disappointing," he whispered, his voice ringing in everyone's ear.
Nagini slithered on Voldemort's shoulder, adding to their fear.
"It was simple. A very simple task," Voldemort's voice said softly then loudly, "A very simple task! All you had to do was take the prophecy from Potter and his pathetic crew!"
Many of them flinched, including Bellatrix herself. Her legs were shaking and she feared what would happen.
"Give me a reason you couldn't defeat a pack of children, Lestrange. You, Greyback, give me a reason you couldn't even get your hands on any of the little girls. They are mere children and none of you couldn't take a single pint of blood from any of them!" he roared. "What happened to the prophecy?!"
Bellatrix Lestrange was the first to answer meekly.
"It was a girl, my Lord," she said sourly. "She threatened to destroy the prophecy if Greyback wouldn't back away from her friends-"
"A girl?" Voldemort said with a quiet tone.
"Yes, my Lord," a new voice said. "She found the duel amusing. A silly little smile on her face, reminiscent of Sirius Black himself."
Voldemort became quiet.
"Why didn't you kill her?" he asked. "A little Avada Kedavra and she would've dropped dead."
"We tried, my Lord," Bellatrix said. "She dodged every spell. But Matt managed to get to her in the end, though."
Voldemort turned to his side, looking at the brown-haired man. His handsome features looked at Voldemort with a respected look of bravery and he said, "I didn't kill her though."
"Why?" Voldemort demanded poisonously.
"Because," Matt said. "She's rather interesting. She's a keeper."
Voldemort scowled and said, "Your son, Bellatrix, is interested in a filthy girl who can cause my downfall? I see no worse act of betrayal."
"But I can change her, my Lord," Matt said. "She can also be the cause of your higher sucess. She just needs to feel hate, spite, pain, and greed. Then, for sure she will turn to us and become your loyal servant. It'll be a shame to waste such skills."
The Dark Lord thought to himself and looked at his failed servants. With Lucius Malfoy and his bests in Azkaban, it wouldn't hurt to gain himself a powerful weapon. And even better, a skilled weapon with a damaged heart. They watched as the disgusted look on Lord Voldemort's face slowly changed into an amused, mischievous look with laughter which was joined by his followers that echoed in the Malfoy Manor.