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Eyes, examining it closely.

“What is it?”

“Elm, my Lord,” whispered Malfoy.

“And the core?”

“Dragon – dragon heartstring.”

“Good,” said Voldemort. He drew out his wand and compared the lengths. Lucius

Malfoy made an involuntary movement; for a fraction of a second, it seemed he expected

to receive Voldemort’s wand in exchange for his own. The gesture was not missed by

Voldemort, whose eyes widened maliciously.

“Give you my wand, Lucius? My wand?”

Some of the throng sniggered.

“I have given you your liberty, Lucius, is that not enough for you? But I have

noticed that you and your family seem less than happy of late … What is it about my

presence in your home that displaces you, Lucius?”

“Nothing – nothing, my Lord!”

“Such lies Lucius … “

The soft voice seemed to hiss on even after the cruel mouth had stopped moving.

One or two of the wizards barely repressed a shudder as the hissing grew louder;

Something heavy could be heard sliding across the floor beneath the table.

The huge snake emerged to climb slowly up Voldemort’s chair. It rose, seemingly

endlessly, and came to rest across Voldemort’s shoulders: its neck the thickness of a

man’s thigh; its eyes, with their vertical slits for pupils, unblinking. Voldemort stroked

The creature absently with long thin fingers, still looking at Lucius Malfoy.

“Why do the Malfoys look so unhappy with their lot? Is my return, my rise to

power, not the very thing they professed to desire for so many years?”

“Of course, my Lord,” said Lucius Malfoy. His hand shook as he wiped sweat

from his upper lip. “We did desire it – we do.”

To Malfoy’s left, his wife made an odd, stiff nod, her eyes averted from

Voldemort and the snake. To his right, his son, Draco, who had been gazing up at the

Inert body overhead, glanced quickly at Voldemort and away again, terrified to make eye

Contact.

“My Lord,” said a dark woman halfway down the table, her voice constricted with

emotion, “it is an honor to have you here, in our family’s house. There can be no higher

pleasure.”

She sat beside her sister, as unlike her in looks, with her dark hair and heavily

Lidded eyes, as she was in bearing and demeanor; where Narcissa sat rigid and impassive,

Bellatrix leaned toward Voldemort, for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for

Closeness.

“No higher pleasure,” repeated Voldemort, his head tilted a little to one side as he

considered Bellatrix. “That means a great deal, Bellatrix, from you.”

Her face flooded with color; her eyes welled with tears of delight.

“My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!”

“No higher pleasure … even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has

taken place in your family this week?”

She stared at him, her lips parted, evidently confused.

“I don’t know what you mean, my Lord.”

“I’m talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa. She has



just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud.”

There was an eruption of jeering laughter from around the table. Many leaned

Forward to exchange gleeful looks; a few thumped the table with their fists. The giant


Date: 2015-12-11; view: 632


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Before next Saturday. If we cannot touch the boy at his destination, then it must be done | Snake, disliking the disturbance, opened its mouth wide and hissed angrily, but the Death
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