Who knew Remus would return? After giving him a piece of my mind, Dora had silenced me and demanded Remus tell us how he had managed to get into the house. He told us that Kingsley had told him about it, but only after he proved he wasn't an imposter and that he wanted to return to Dora.

He had apologized over and over again, and Dora had forgiven him far too quickly for my liking. I was still fuming, especially since Remus had taken Dora back to their flat just like that as if nothing had ever happened. To top it off, they were no longer protected by the Fidelius Charm.

It was a typical day, I supposed. The day after Remus's departure I was in the garden alone. I had gone as far as the Fidelius Charm allowed me to go without being seen. I was picking at my fingers and doing nothing else. I hated the way the sun beat down on the earth with such intense luminosity. It was too happy, too positive for my liking.

I had felt angry, lost, miserable, and helpless since Kingsley had arrived with the news. I felt like a complete failure because now it was Andromeda's turn to mourn heavily, and I knew I should be comforting her. But it wasn't that easy - I missed him a lot too, and knew I wouldn't be any good at consoling. I also hated to see her break down like that because she was one of the few figures that kept me strong, but now with Ted gone, Dora pregnant and away, Remus out being the world's biggest idiot, and Andromeda in constant emotional breakdowns, I felt like there was no one there to protect me. And that was when I finally realized that I had to stand on my own from now on.

I flicked a rock across the yard angrily as I thought, it's all his fault! Everything that's happening is Voldemort's fault! Why do things have to be this way?

Fury was taking control again and I lost all sense of self-control as I began to talk out loud. "I hate him! If Voldemort thinks he's doing - "

I stopped immediately and gasped. I had said his name! The one piece of useful information Remus had shared with us was that Voldemort's name was now tabooed. Anyone who said it was immediately tracked down and captured.

And so, a second later, a circle of wizards had surrounded me with their wands pointed. My heart drummed in my chest as I took deep breaths. Snatchers!

"Who we catch now?" one of them asked.

"A girl! ‘Oo is she? Check the list, ya brainless lump! We may've caught someone impor'ant!"

"Na way ... she can' be ... can she?"

I refused to look at them. One of the men approached me with a packet of parchment, and through the hair curtained over my face I could see that my face was printed on the showing page. I used all my willpower trying not to gasp again.

"Look at me!" the Snatcher exclaimed. "Look ‘ere!"

Unwillingly I did, and his eyes widened in extreme delight upon seeing my face. He smiled broadly, showing yellowed teeth, and said, "We caught ‘er! We caught the Lestrange girl!"

How was I going to escape? These men didn't look very smart or talented, but I was outnumbered. As soon as I attacked one, the rest would shoot spells at me. Then again, maybe it was my only hope. Though I hated to think about it, let alone use it, the Cruciatus Curse could cause one enough pain to the point the others would flee out of fear.

It was my only hope.

"Crucio!"

The Snatcher closest to me fell over and squirmed in pain. I removed the curse and looked at the others, hoping they would Apparate away, but it was wishful thinking. I saw a few of them laugh, which made me burn with anger and embarrassment.

"She thinks she can play wit us, does she?" one of them roared. "The Dark Lord knew she would do exactly that!"

Glaring, I pointed my wand at him and got ready to cast the spell again, but I stopped when I heard someone call my name.

"Lyra? Lyra! What's going on out here? Who are these people?" It was Andromeda's panicked voice. She was running across the yard toward us, eyes huge with terror. "Who are they, and how did they find you?"

"Andromeda - "

"Stupefy!"

One of the wizards had shot her to the ground. She fell and tried to get up, but the wizard made his wand bind her with ropes. He laughed and said, "Finding you was easy! We found that werewolf guy - Lupin, I think - and managed to torture your location out of him! The Fidelius Charm is broken, sweetie. You're no longer protected."

Though I was infuriated at Lupin for foolishly getting caught, there were more important things to think about. Andromeda was struggling on the ground, and there was no telling what the Death Eaters might do to her.

"Don't hurt her!" I exclaimed.

"This is perfect!" said a wizard. "Listen, little Lyra Lestrange, we won' hurt your auntie if you come wit us. The Dark Lord wants you alive, but we don' care ‘bout anyone else. Let us take you, an' we'll let your auntie go."

I ran to Andromeda and the wizard who had her tied up. The fear and alarm in her eyes made my guilt double.

Everything was my fault.

"Andromeda ... I'm sorry, I said his name! I didn't mean to, and now I guess I have to ... pay the price."

"Lyra, no! You don't have to go! We can fight them off!"

"We're desperately outnumbered! I'll go wherever they're taking me, and ... you just ... find some place safe to hide!"

"Lyra, no! I lost Ted already; I can't lose you too!"

"I know Ted's gone, which is why I have to leave to save you! I can't let both of you die if I can help it!"

Afraid though she was, understanding appeared in her eyes.

"V - very well ... go ahead ... and be sure to protect yourself ... "

"I'll try," I said tearfully. What if this was the last goodbye? I had no idea where I was going, other than it involved Voldemort. The Snatchers did say he wanted me alive, but what if that only meant for the time being? Was I walking straight into Voldemort's clutches - or in other words, walking straight to my death?

"Come on, missy. We're taking you to the Malfoy Manor."

Malfoy Manor! Maybe, if I were tremendously lucky, Narcissa would allow me to be spared! It was my only hope, microscopic and unlikely as it was.

"Goodbye, Andromeda. I'll ... take care ... "

And then I felt someone yank my arm and pull me into pressure and darkness. When we emerged, I was only with two Snatchers ...

... And we were in front of the gates leading to the manor. I stepped forward with them as the gates admitted us. When we reached the door, one of the Snatchers knocked on it and yelled, "We got someone!"

The door swung open, revealing a zealous-looking Lucius Malfoy. Excitedly he said, "Who? Who did you get? Is it Potter?"

"No, but it's almos' as good as! We got the Lestrange girl!"

Malfoy's eyes enlarged when he gazed upon me. "You're right! It is Lyra! Bring her in while I call the others! Narcissa! Bella! Come and see who the Snatchers caught!"

Two women that I recognized far too well rushed out of a room and over to Lucius. When Narcissa saw me, her face widened in shock, but when Bellatrix saw me, she looked genuinely pleased as she smiled that evil, wicked smile.

I glared at her while struggling to break free of the Snatchers. Bellatrix began to laugh and said, "This is great. I'll call him myself. He shall be pleased to see who the Snatchers dragged in!"

"Let go of me!" I bellowed. "Crucio!"

The Snatchers let go, one from being tortured, the other out of fear of being cursed next. For once I didn't feel bad about attacking them with the illegal spell - it was self-defense, right?

"You may leave now," Lucius told the Snatchers. "Thank you for bringing her, but we no longer have use for you."

The Snatchers nodded their heads and left the manor. I glared into the faces of Bellatrix, Lucius, and Narcissa and snarled, "What do you want from me?"

"It's not us who wants you," Narcissa explained. "It's the Dark Lord. He's been after you for a long time."

"What does he want me for? I'm only - "

"Seventeen, yes," Bellatrix said, smirking. With a jolt, I noticed she was pulling the sleeve of her robe over her wrist. Had she really just summoned Voldemort? "And for someone your age, you have far more magical talent than you should. He knows all about you, and - "

CRACK. The unmistakable sound of someone Apparating into a distant room was heard.

I jumped as Bellatrix smiled evilly. "That must be him. Follow me, Lyra."

I followed grudgingly, but I was more panicky and fearful than I had ever been in my entire life, however short it was going to end up being. Lucius and Narcissa trailed behind me. Bellatrix opened a door, not bothering to conceal her enthusiasm. I wasn't sure why she was so excited, though. All I knew was that I was scared beyond anything imaginable, mainly because Voldemort was in the next room.

When the four of us entered the room - a kitchen - it took every fiber of my being not to gasp out loud. My heart missed a beat when I saw the red-eyed snakelike man sitting in one of the chairs, eyes glaring venomously. I felt faint and vaguely noticed anyone at the table of Death Eaters except for the one man I glimpsed clearly from the corner of my eye: Rodolphus.

"Yes, Bella? I thought I told you not to call me for anyone except Potter!"

It was the first time I had ever heard Voldemort's voice, and it was surprisingly high-pitched.

Bellatrix took no notice of his snappish tone and said as she beamed, "My Lord, we have Lyra! We have my daughter; she's right here! You said you wanted her?"

"Yes, Bella, I did ... but I was on an important mission abroad ... surely this could have waited until I got back here?"

Bellatrix was lost for words. Someone took advantage of the silence to speak, and when I heard that all-too-familiar voice, my astonishment doubled and I nearly passed out again.

"Lyra?"

I gasped; Voldemort hissed, "Silence!"

I snuck the tiniest of glances to my right and saw him. He was standing up and staring at me with round, wide eyes, afraid for me. For a moment, it was as if everything else in the room paled and he was the only image I could see.

"Theodore?"

"I said, silence!"

Voldemort was glaring at me through red slits, and I was brought back to reality.

"Miss Lestrange," he began, "do you know why you are here?"

"N - no, sir."

"Do not address me as sir. You refer to me as the Dark Lord and address me as 'my lord.'"

"Y - yes, m - my lord."

"Now, your mother here tells me that her daughter has extraordinary magical talent."

I snuck a furtive look at Bellatrix. She was beaming with tears of joy and pride in her eyes.

"But she doesn't - "

"You don't think she knows you," Voldemort said, and I felt like he could read my thoughts. "But you would be surprised. She knows you can cast a Cruciatus Curse better than most - if not all - seventeen year olds. I had the Snatchers bring you here so that I could see this so-called talent. That is what I want you to show me right now."

"Yes, m - my Lord. But who should I - ?"

"Wormtail!" Voldemort barked, and a tiny, dirty man stood up. I recognized the rat-like features that belonged to Peter Pettigrew. "Stand up and allow this girl to show us what she can do."

Wormtail stood up, trembling with terror. I pulled out my wand and pointed it at him, hating that I had to cause pain on such a pathetic, helpless little man.

Then I remembered who he was. Peter Pettigrew, the one who had been Sirius's best friend! He had betrayed the Potters, leaving them to be killed and Sirius to be mistakenly blamed! He was, in many ways, responsible for everything. My fury grew with each second I stared at him. Showing no mercy, I cried, "Crucio!"

Wormtail fell to the floor with a high-pitched squeal, and the memories of Sirius that poured into my head intensified the pain I inflicted. This curse was for my cousin to the very end.

"That's enough," Voldemort said, and I ended the spell. "You definitely have talent. Now let's see what you know. You are just the person I need to find out secrets about the Order of the Phoenix. You haven't been trained to know Occlumency, have you?"

"Occ - Occlu what?" I attempted to say, though not much sound came out.

"That's all I needed to hear. Obviously they didn't feel the need to teach you that, now did they? I guess they didn't think someone like you would be a threat to their side. It appears they were wrong. Now, Lyra ... you're just the person I need to find out every secret about that Order. Severus could only find out so much, you see? Once he killed Dumbledore, he could no longer find out what the Order was up to. But you ... you, on the other hand ... "

"I would die before giving you the Order's secrets! But I don't know any because I've been locked up in my house for three months. If you thought making me an Undesirable was smart because you could get to the Order, you messed up big time!"

Voldemort glared at me as Bellatrix yelled, "How dare you talk to him like that!"

"Now, now, Bella," Voldemort said calmly, "she is new to this, remember? But Lyra, I have no intention of killing you. You could be very useful to us, yes ... "

"I would never betray the Order!" I was breathing heavily. Beside me, I could tell Bellatrix was getting wound up again. I didn't care; I would fight if I had to and die if it came to that. It would be better for me to die, I realized, and have my secrets die with me than to let Voldemort get hold of them and possibly use them against the Order. The outcome of the war ... did it currently rest with me? If I had to die, it would be for a good cause, and I could go nobly.

"The Order hasn't been up to anything," I lied. "They think they're fighting a losing battle. Most have given up already."

"Such lies!" Voldemort hissed. "Legilimens!"

I didn't recognize the spell he had cast, but it only took me a second to realize that he was seeing into my mind. Visions of the Order were forcing their way through my head, but something at the back of my mind was saying, block it out ... block it out ...

Voldemort ended the spell. He was livid, fuming with anger because he couldn't get to my visions. If Occlumency meant blocking out your thoughts, I was a natural at it.

"Fine!" he snapped. "Perhaps I'll just dispose of you myself! It appears that you won't be any use to us."

"No!" I yelled, but no sound came out. However, I still heard someone shout. My heart skipped another beat when I saw that it was Bellatrix.

"Yes, Bella?" Voldemort asked, still flaming.

"You saw her curse. She could be of great use to us!"

Voldemort fumbled with his wand in his fingers thoughtfully. I knew there was no way out. Why would he possibly spare me? For Bellatrix? He didn't care about her. There was no other way to prove myself, though. I had done all that I could.

"Very well," he grumbled, making me nearly pass out from alarm again. "You may stay here with us and I will initiate you into the Death Eaters. If you refuse, your other choice is death. You may never go back to where you came from. Once you are a Death Eater, you serve me for life."

It was right to refuse and die boldly, but I was afraid of dying. I knew it would be easier to die painlessly than to go through the torment of being a Death Eater. However, I felt that dying was the easy way out, and something else overpowered that: the people I would hurt, however few there were. I knew Dora and Andromeda would miss me terribly. On the other hand, if I allowed Voldemort to kill me, I would get to see Ted and Sirius again.

But how could I let Voldemort get the better of me? There was still another person worth living for, one who was right in this very kitchen. His words-the ones he had spoken in the hospital wing last year-came back to me: "Don't worry. This war will be over someday, and we'll be together."

If I stayed, we would be together again, even before the war was over.

It took all my spirit to say straight to Voldemort, "Okay. I'll join you."

Several Death Eaters gasped and I saw Theodore's expression turn to one of complete astonishment. I only caught a glimpse, though, because a second later I was smothered by Bellatrix. She had drawn me into a massive hug and was squeezing the air out of me.

"Lyra, I knew you would make the right choice!" she exclaimed, and I could tell she was crying with delight again. "I'm so proud of you! Do you realize that - ?"

I pushed her away with as much force as possible. "Get off me."

She looked appalled, but I didn't care. Ignoring her, I turned to Voldemort and said, "What do you want me to do?"

"A ceremony is in order. Come."

I didn't have to do anything; with a lazy flick of his wand I was being forced to follow. He led me to another room in the house. Though I had been here once before, this room was very different from the one I had previously visited. Instead of being decorated in warm brown colors, this one was completely silver and green with green candles held in serpent-shaped holders. The room was also drafty and cold. I shivered as Voldemort released the spell that had forced me to trail him and I crumpled to the ground.

He sat down in an old green chair and said, "Kneel in front of me."

I did as I was told. While he was only a few feet above me, he seemed to be much, much higher. He lifted his wand and pointed it at my head.

"Miss Lestrange, do you promise to do your duty as a Death Eater, even if it costs you your life?"

"Y - yes, my lord."

"Then now, I shall brand you with the Dark Mark."

I tried not to gasp, but I was extremely close to hyperventilating. My heart was racing faster than it had ever before, and I felt like I would faint again. I had entirely forgotten about the Dark Mark! How bad would it hurt? After all, he was burning it into my skin!

"Give me your wrist."

I gave him my right wrist, the one that always hurt when Death Eater activity was going on. He took it in his spidery, white fingers that were as cold as ice. I shuddered unthinkingly. He raised his wand and touched it to my skin, and I expected the pain to come, but nothing happened. He released the wand where it balanced upward. Then, with just the movement of his hand and fingers, he directed the wand to draw the shape into my arm.

Then the pain came, millions of times worse than a typical burn because of the Dark Magic he was using to inflict it. It took everything I had not to flinch or cry out. It was pain beyond belief, but if I showed any sign of weakness, I knew he would kill me in an instant. This was far worse than the occasional twinge in my wrist that indicated the Mark had been touched. I then realized that I would never feel that again; I would feel the real thing.

It took me more than a few seconds to realize his wand had retreated from my wrist. I looked at the new Mark, shining red against my inflamed skin. My wrist was on fire; I felt as if the pain would never subside.

"Now come! Follow me!"

He led me once again with his wand and took me to the kitchen. Once we opened the door, he announced to the Death Eaters, "The rest of you will watch over our newest member. I must leave now."

He released the spell and I fell to the ground once more. Then he Disapparated, and I was left lying on the floor, clutching the sleeve of my robe as tightly as I could.

"Lyra, stand up."

It was Bellatrix's voice, but she wasn't being harsh. Glaring at her, I pulled myself to my feet. She motioned for me to follow. I didn't want to obey, but the last thing I wanted was for the other Death Eaters to see me struggle with the pain. Mostly I didn't want Theodore to see me like this.

"How does it hurt?"

"How do you think it hurts?" I snarled, still gripping my wrist.

"You'll get over it," she told me coldly. "Eventually you won't regret this decision."

I said nothing.

"Here's where you'll be staying."

She thrust a bedroom door open. Inside there was a single bed, mirror, and dresser. Though there were a few eerie green serpent candles, the rest of the room was decorated in golden-brown.

Bellatrix left without any other words. I was glad to see her leave. I pulled back my sleeve to observe my wrist. It was still swollen, but at least some of the pain was leaving.

Across the room was a mirror. I glimpsed at it and caught the sight of my reflection.

My heart skipped a beat.

I walked over to the mirror to take a closer look. It had been so long since I had seen my reflection. I didn't recognize the girl staring back at me.

My hair had grown longer and was fragmented at the ends. My skin, which was naturally pale, had become even whiter from being out of the sunshine for months. I had always been skinny, but now I was unhealthily thin. Like all Death Eaters, my face was gaunt and sunken. How would I look after serving the Death Eaters? How could I look any worse than I already did?

I was brought back to reality when someone knocked softly on my door. Without waiting for a reply, the person opened it and walked in.

It was Theodore.

He didn't say a word, just drew nearer and pulled me close to him. For what seemed like several minutes, we simply stood there. Finally he released me, and I felt my eyes overflowing with tears.

"I never should have left you," he whispered.

"It's not your fault," I whispered back.

"But if I had stayed - "

"Don't blame yourself; it's not your fault!"

He stopped talking. We stared at each other for a minute or so. Then he said, "Did he really do it?"

I held up my wrist, pulled back my sleeve, and revealed the blazing Mark that had been etched into my flesh. His face filled with rage as he gently took my wrist and examined it, but not even his soft touch made it feel better.

"I can't believe this. How - how did they find you?"

"I said his name," I told him quietly, ashamed of my own stupidity.

He shook his head and pulled out his wand. "Here. This will help." He muttered a charm under his breath, one I didn't recognize, and I felt something invisible but icy cool touch the burn mark. It pain began to ease.

"Thanks," I said softly.

"It's the least I could do after everything you've been through. You know, I never forgave myself for leaving you. I wanted to send you an owl or ... give you some sort of sign that I was okay and that I still ... love you ... "

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Another thought struck me, so I asked, "I take it that you are a Death Eater now? Do you have the Mark too?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. I'm not an official Death Eater. I'm like Narcissa in the sense that I just tag along. The Dark Lord doesn't think I have what it takes to be one. I don't mind, really, but it's no fun being stuck here all the time. I don't have anywhere else to go, though. All the Death Eaters relocated here, and my father made me stay. I told him I could leave and live on my own but he gave me a flat-out no."

I didn't say anything, just nodded my head. I was faintly aware of the tears that were now cascading down my cheeks. As I stared out the window at the starry sky, I felt him pull me close again. I accepted it gratefully; it was almost worth everything I had just experienced to be back in his arms once again.

"You know," I said through my tears, "we never really broke up. You just said you had to leave."

"You're right," he murmured quietly. Then he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to mine. Everything that came next was a blur. I temporarily forgot where I was; all I knew was the warmth of his body close to mine, his soft lips against my mouth, his love for me that obviously had never died in our months apart. Maybe everything was worth it. I couldn't feel any pain in my wrist anymore. Maybe as long as I was close to him, nothing would hurt.

When the door was thrust open with a bang, we separated instantly and released each other. I felt all warmth vanish and all agonizing pain return. I was incased in malignant shadows that I would never be able to break away from, now that my one means of escape had been snatched. I didn't want to see who had entered without knocking, but I saw a flash of black and blonde from my peripheral vision - Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Theodore?" Narcissa asked timidly, as if she was trying to ignore the scene she had intruded upon. "We're going to eat now."

He gave a single nod and walked out without looking at me. Narcissa closed the door and left me with Bellatrix. I did my best to disregard her as I took a seat on the bed. I wasn't going to say a word. I would let her speak first.

"What was that about?" her tone was plain, not accusatory or snappish.

"We went out," I answered flatly. "Last year. He's the only reason I stayed here instead of letting Voldemort kill me."

"The only reason? What about your father and me? And the rest of your family? They're all here."

I snorted. "Some family. And why would I stay here to be with you? You never cared about me and you know it. From the moment you tortured the Longbottoms, your path was set. That's final. Now I'm stuck here with this stupid scar imbedded into my wrist for the rest of my life. There's no going back, just like you can't go take back those fourteen years in Azkaban."

"You ungrateful little - "

"Yeah, that would be me."

"Your father and I - "

"Why even speak of him? Do you even care about him anymore? Do you even love him anymore?"

"Of course I love him, he's my - "

"But you love someone else now, don't you? Why do you want to be so close to Voldemort?"

"Don't you dare call him that! From now on you shall refer to him as the Dark Lord, your master! If he finds out you're saying his name like that - "

"Well, tell him! Press your precious little Mark and call him to tell him that I disgraced his name! Then allow yourself to suffer his wrath, because he said he was completing some sort of task abroad, and when he comes and finds out that the only reason you called was to tell him that, you may as well consider yourself dead!"

"Lyra Columba, I will not tolerate this! How dare you talk to your mother like that?"

I gave an angry laugh. "And since when do I have a mother?"

She glared at me with all hatred and walked out, slamming the door so hard it rattled the candles in their serpent holders.

There was only one plus to becoming a Death Eater, though it was a definite plus: being with Theodore again. We spent whatever time we could together, often in the Malfoy's library, reading about defensive magic and spells in books that would have never appeared at Hogwarts.

Yet some of them were so gruesome that I eventually just had to put them down. The worst time was when I found a book on nothing but snakes, snakes, and more snakes, explaining how they were used in the Dark Arts. The pictures made me feel like serpents were crawling all over me, which brought me back to the memories of my recurring nightmare.

I slammed this book shut and squeezed my eyes shut, attempting to block out the visions of my dream. But the glowing green snakes brought a new sight to my head: the Dark Mark in the sky, glowing emerald just like the snakes.

With a gasp, I opened my eyes. Theodore looked up from the book he was intensely wrapped up in and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I get it now!" I exclaimed. "The snakes - my dream - my boggart! They're green like the Dark Mark, and they trapped me, held me down like the Snatchers and Death Eaters did when I was caught! And the giant snake - that must have been Voldemort! He 'ate' me by taking me in as a Death Eater! The snakes were only a metaphor - they represented the Dark Side and how I would be pulled into it! It wasn't just a dream, it was a prophecy!"

Theodore looked at me thoughtfully. "You have to be right," he said. "It does make sense. You're not a seer, are you? Because most people's dreams don't come true."

"No," I said darkly, all enthusiasm for cracking the code gone as a shadow of realization hit. "My dream didn't come true. My nightmare came true."