1975
The figure of a tall woman wearing flowing robes crossed across the darkened hall of the fourth floor.
She did not bother to pull out a wand to light her way or light one of the torches that lined the corridor, but simply continued on as swift as possible.
She was late and she would probably be screamed at for that transgression. She had an excuse though. It had been in an effort to maintain the pretence under which she was able to stay at Hogwarts… and stay trusted.
She finally reached the door to which she had been directed.
Approaching, and checking to make sure she was not being watched, she pulled out her wand and tapped on the door.
A crude apparition of a misty green snake slithered through midair towards her. It hovered around her torso and then crawled up her left arm so as to shroud the entire limb in green.
It hissed and disappeared. The door swung open.
“Are you sure you were not followed?’ a dark voice asked from within the room, its speaker undetectable.
“Of course.” The woman shut the door.
“It has been a long time since I was here last,” The voice said. “It does not bring back particularly good memories.”
The woman was silent.
“You have a good explanation for your tardiness, I take it.” The voice continued.
“I was giving a detention, an essential aspect of my guise.”
“Fine. How are you doing?”
“I have worked here for a while already. There is no need to worry, my Lord.” The woman responded.
“There is plenty of reason to worry, but I trust you. What has he been doing with his time?”
“The usual. Reading and… reading.”
“And the Order?” the cool voice asked.
“Yes. I was getting to that. He is working to recruit students who will be graduating soon.”
The voice was still dark and intimidating but showed a hint of confusion. “He is recruiting students?”
“The Order has been suffering. They put up a good image of a successful underground, but they have lost some of their dearest members. We caught him off guard, my Lord.”
“Good. Good. Who is he recruiting?”
The woman though f a moment trying to remember. “The Potter boy. Regulus Black’s older brother and a few other Gryffindor students.”
“But those are the significant ones?”
“Yes. They and a few of their close friends.”
The voice paused a long moment. For a second, the witch thought her master had gone but it spoke again soon. “You are adjusting to your new career very well. I would like to give you warning that the following years, many years, before you receive the gift which I have sworn to you, you will find difficult. The job of an active spy is a very difficult one, but remember, I, and only I, can protect you. If you do this well, when Dumbledore dies, Nicholas Flamel will become your intimate friend and with him, his precious stone. Remain patient and you will become immortal.”
The woman hesitated a moment and shuffled her feet. “My Lord, please do not think I doubt you, but I get uncomfortable sometimes. I am in a castle with people who despise you and I must tell them I do too. If only you could send another emissary, one who I might not even talk to but simply so I wouldn’t feel alone-“ She stopped there, having finished her request. No more words were necessary.
There was yet another long silence. “Now is not the time. You must first build your status and then in a few years I will send another.”
“You have one in mind?”
“He is young now. Still in school.”
“A Gryffindor?”
“Slytherin.”
There was silence while the woman’s breath quickened uncomfortably.
“Were we not friends in our days at Hogwarts?” The voice asked.
The woman remained silent.
“I have not made a decision yet. We still have time. For now, return. Your presence will be missed.”
The woman nodded although the speaker probably could not see her and turned around.
“Goodbye, my Lord.” She said.
She opened the door a crack and slipped through.
Shutting the door behind her, she retraced her footsteps through the shadowed hall to the staircase and descended. At the second staircase, she came into contact with a bright sun light from the window above. Shielding he eyes, she proceeded.
When she reached her destination, the Headmaster’s office, she muttered “Tic tacs,” and went passed the gargoyles, and up the staircase.
She knocked.
“Enter.” Said the kind voice which so contrasted with the whisper she had just spoken to.
She opened the door, creating a smile on her face and closed the door behind her.
“Hello, Albus.”
The headmaster sat behind his desk, his silver beard knocking over a quill and his silvery hair falling behind him.
“Biscuit?” he asked.
The woman smiled again. “No thanks.”
“Pity,” he said, taking one of his own. “You are missing out on the fun of life.”
The woman was silent.
“Well, I simply wanted to remind you that the Order will convene tomorrow night.”
The woman put on a slightly offended look. “You thought I would forget?”
“No. No. I wanted to ask you to ensure that Mr. Potter and his friends be at the meeting.”
The woman changed her expression to one of a stern teacher. “But they’re children.”
“Not any longer.”
“And you trust the Black child?”
“With my life.” Dumbledore said, smiling.
He got up and began pacing behind his desk. The conversation was over.
The woman got up and walked to the door.
“I will take care of it, Albus.”
“Thank you, Minerva.”
The woman stepped through his door and into the next segment of wizarding history.
The Woman of Shadowed Truth by the fischer king
Chapter Notes: Let me know whether you want me to continue with this story line or simply write a similar fic to mkae a series of one shots showing a scene with well known death eaters (see "Marked") Please comment.