Disclaimer: As we all know, Harry Potter and all characters and everything belong to J.K. Rowling

Chapter One

The room where they sat was cold and dimly lit. Silence was hanging in the air while the Dark Lord stared hard into the eyes of Severus Snape.

"Tonight. At nightfall." He hissed the words slowly in a calculating manner. "Why am I hearing of this just now?"

"My Lord, had I come by this information sooner I would have brought it to you. As it stands, we are lucky to have any notice of the boy's removal at all." Snape replied in a measured voice, maintaining his eye contact with the snake-like man across the table.

"Very well." Voldemort replied. He reached down to stroke Nagini with his long, skeletal fingers. "Let us prepare."

OooOooO

"I am disappointed." Voldemort said softly to the room. His cold gaze scanned the room, but no eyes rose to meet his. "Yet again, Harry Potter, a mere boy, eludes me. However, safe as he may be at the moment, he has nowhere else to go. If he attempts to leave that Burrow we will undoubtedly know it. Still, I have no intention of simply waiting for him to leave." He turned to his right. "Severus, when will the wedding be?"

Severus Snape yet again looked into the eyes of the Dark Lord and replied in his signature monotone, "My Lord, I believe the wedding will take place in 3 weeks' time. They are sure to take precautions against the possibility of an attack. However, with the proper planning, we will surely be able to break through them."

Voldemort looked mildly pleased at his words. "Thank you, Severus, you are a faithful servant."

Snape bowed his head in reply to the words of the Dark Lord. All eyes in the room watched this exchange, apprehensive at what was to come next. They had failed in their previous mission, and they knew failure equated punishment.

"My friends." Voldemort said, "Do not look so disheartened. I, too, was unsuccessful in capturing the boy."

The tension in the room ebbed slightly, but no one dared say a word. Voldemort turned slowly and walked towards the entrance of the room. At the door, a woman was floating on her back in the air. Her hands and feet were bound with ropes, and a cloth was tied tightly over her mouth. She gazed out at the room with wide eyes. Beside her, Wormtail's wand was held out, keeping her suspended in the air. He glanced up at his master's approach, but quickly returned his eyes to the floor.

"Severus, I believe you know our guest tonight. And, ah yes, Draco, perhaps you do as well. But of course, you never would have lowered yourself to the study of muggles" Voldemort jeered. All eyes in the room turned to Draco who fought the urge to shrink in his chair. He sat up and looked at the woman, flicked his eyes to the Dark Lord, and returned them to the table.

"No, My Lord."

The woman started moving towards the table, and soon was hovering above the center. Her body flipped, and now she was hanging upside down, looking straight at Draco Malfoy. Her eyes pleaded for him to say something, anything, to intervene on her behalf. Draco could not meet her eyes.

Ever since his mission had failed, and Voldemort had learned how Draco had acted as such a coward, he had been tormenting Draco relentlessly as punishment. Initially, it was the cruciatus curse, but Voldemort had soon decided psychological torment was more fitting.

"Yes, my friends, here we have the Muggle Studies professor from Hogwarts. She claims muggles to be much the same as you and me, poisoning the minds of the young students." Snickers ran across the table, along with whispered insults and glares. Voldemort continued, "Such crimes against our magical prowess cannot go unpunished. Draco, tonight, I would like you to do us the honor of punishing our dear guest." The mirth in Voldemort's voice at these words was unmistakable and laughter rang out in the room at his words. Draco blanched.

"What would you like for tonight's punishment, my Lord?" Draco's voice came out strangled, causing more laughter throughout the room. His mother put her hand over his and squeezed lightly, but too soon she let go. Despite his efforts to control his thoughts, he couldn't suppress them. 'Please, don't make me kill her.' As soon as the words ran through his head, he looked up into the gleaming red eyes of the Dark Lord. Voldemort's sinister smile stretched slightly further across his face, and Draco felt a dead weight settle in his stomach.

"Poisoning the minds of young children is a most serious offense. I see no reason she should be spared any mercy." Voldemort's eyes continued to bore into Draco's, until the grey eyes finally broke the connection.

Draco was shaking. The implications behind the Dark Lord's words were clear. Kill her. Draco knew he couldn't do it, and Voldemort knew it as well. But, what would be his punishment for neglecting to fulfill his task yet again? He glanced over to Snape, pleading with his eyes, but Snape's black eyes were completely empty. Whispers ran through the room. He looked at his father, who was staring hard at the table, hands gripped tightly on his lap. He couldn't bring himself to look at his mother. Slowly, he stood up and raised his wand to the hovering woman, determined not to look in her eyes.

"Come now, Draco. Surely you understand why she deserves this punishment." Voldemort said. His real message rang in Draco's head. You are the one being punished. You know you deserve this. And I am waiting for you to fail.

Draco tightened his grip on his wand. He could feel the entire room looking at him. From the corner of his eye, he saw his Aunt Bellatrix sitting on the edge of her seat, a smirk on her face, in anticipation. Draco could also feel the eyes of the woman, but he knew if he looked back, he would fail. Long seconds passed; the air thick was anticipation. The pull of the woman's eyes grew stronger, and Draco's resolution dissolved as he met her gaze. For another second, the world stopped, his breath caught, and before he realized what he was doing, he lowered his wand.

The room was silent.

"Foolish boy." Voldemort's hiss broke the silence. "You think your compassion will save her? Avada Kedavra!" The woman's body fell on the table. Voldemort hissed to his snake, which proceeded to slither up to the body. "You are a coward, Draco, and a fool. Crucio!"

Draco's body seized up, it was pain beyond pain, and his scream filled the room. It could have been seconds that his body was under the curse. It could have been hours. He didn't know.

"If you cannot be of use to me, then tell me, why should I keep you? Crucio!"

Draco had not recovered from his first attack, when once again his body was pushed past the limits of pain. His vision was fading, and blood rushed in his ears. He thought he heard someone screaming, a woman, but he wasn't sure. The attack continued, and Draco's vision started fading. Then, suddenly, it stopped. He lay still on the floor. Someone was talking, but the words were jumbled, like a pillow had been placed over his ears. Draco began to push his body up, but as soon as he moved the curse hit him again. He heard another scream, it seemed far away. It didn't matter anyway, everything was pain, and nothing would stop it. In the pain, his thoughts faded, and the world became black.

Voldemort stared at the still form of Draco Malfoy laying on the floor. "How utterly useless." He whispered. "I believe…we are finished with him." He raised his wand one final time, but before the spell could leave his lips, a disturbance broke the silence in the room.

Narcissa Malfoy screamed, her face shining with tears, as she lunged toward Voldemort. Her husband tried, unsuccessfully, to stop her. Bellatrix hissed "Cissy, stop." but her sister took no heed. She fired a spell, but it was easily deflected. Voldemort's eyes narrowed as he turned his wand on the woman. With this action, Lucius Malfoy, too, stood and raised his wand to defend his wife.

"CISSY! How dare you-" Bellatrix cried, but she was cut short when the Dark Lord turned his icy stare on her.

"Now, now, Bella. While their actions may be undesirable, they are certainly understandable." Voldemort took a step closer to the Malfoys, wand held almost lazily in his hand, when he heard the sound of Draco stirring feebly on the floor behind him.

"Crucio!" Voldemort cried once more. Draco's body twisted horribly in the air before falling down limp once more. Narcissa gave a dry sob, and fell back in her chair. "Ah yes, our dearest Draco. I had almost forgotten. It almost seems a pity, and a waste. But I have no use for such cowardice."

Severus Snape's eyes flickered between the lifeless form of the youngest Malfoy, the faint, desperate eyes of Narcissa, and the cold red eyes of the Dark Lord who had lifted his wand to Draco yet again. "My Lord." He all but whispered the words. Before Voldemort had a chance to respond, Snape continued, "Perhaps it would be wise to remove this…boy…from the room. You can deal with his parents accordingly, while I attend to him. You see, I too am tired of tolerating his shortcomings. It would be no burden, I assure you."

Voldemort seemed to consider this option. He stared hard into the eyes of Severus Snape, while Snape stared back unblinking and seemingly emotionless. "Very well," Voldemort conceded. "Remove him from my presence. I am sick of looking at his disgrace." He turned to face the rest of the room, and gestured out his arm. "The remainder of you are dismissed. I wish to speak with our…hosts." The room quickly emptied, and Voldemort turned slowly to look at the Malfoys with murder in his eyes. Snape lifted Draco up with his wand and quickly exited the room without looking back.

When he was safely out of the room he took Draco's wand from his robes and cast a silencing charm. He grabbed an object from the nearest table, and murmured "Portus." He slipped Draco's wand back in his robes, and began to count down from 10…9…8…

Where he goes, I hope he will be safe. But anywhere this boy goes is safer than here.

3…2…

He shoved the portkey into Draco's hands, and watched as he disappeared from the room.

AN - I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Please review and let me know what you think!