sekkoon

CHAPTER 1

The Army and The Ceremony

The bleak and gray summer French surrounded Desiree as she stood in the center of the field outside her mansion. Her arms were outspread her head tilted back and her eyes closed. Her red hair whipped at her back. She listened for the whisper of the wind.

Deeeesireeeee, Desireeeeee.....

She smiled and opened her eyes. She put her arms down and walked forward a few steps. Then she heard fluttering wings and a mockingbird call. A rather large, gray, black, and white mocking bird landed on her shoulder.

"Hi dad, here let me do it." She put the mockingbird in the grass, took her wand out and waved it in a tight circle. The mockingbird transformed into her father.

"How did you get all the way out here without going through the doors?"

"My window is very handy for escapes," she said while giggling. He just smiled and offered her his arm. His blond hair shined in the haze. Her red hair cut through it like a flash of light. Her piercing green eyes shone in happiness. Her father was much more happy and like his old self than before she went to Hogwarts. But under that, both Malfoys felt scared. Scared about Voldemort coming back and more evil and demented than ever before. Both worried more about the other than themselves. Desiree worried than her father might be punished by Voldemort from not showing up in the Graveyard. Aldaric was worried about his daughter because she looked so much like her mother. His wife and her mother had a fling for Voldemort long, long ago right after she got out school. They walked back to the manor and when they got there, a familiar black owl was waiting for them.

Aldaric,

The Dark Lord is calling upon his army. Old and new, i would advise you for your sake to come. You and Desiree come and Desiree can stay with Draco and Narcissia. Draco and Desiree and other youngers are going to a positioning ceremony.

Your Brother, Lucious Malfoy

He looked at Desiree who was standing right next to him, her hand on his shoulder.
"A Positioning Ceremony...One hasn't taken place since I first came in. I was a official Death Eater back then. Those poor kids, so scared. You have to go, or you will lose greatly for it. But NEVER laugh or even talk period. One kid lost his life laughing at his friend who was sitting next to him. I was standing near them. It was gruesome, but I will be there with you, so you can't be afraid or harmed." On the verge of tears, Desiree managed a small smile, and hugged him. He put the letter on his desk and wrote a small note back.

Lucious,

We shall be there before Thursday. Expect us on Tuesday, or early Wednesday. I can’t apparate at the moment, and I don’t know what all we must bring, write me back on what we need for the ceremony.

Your Brother, Aldaric Malfoy

Desiree ran upstairs and with a wave of her hand, her suitcase came out of her closet. Her wand flicked again and clothes rose up in the air. She picked out a dress that was green silk with a black ribbon empire waist with a black lace under petticoat, it was not thick, so it wouldn’t do anything but show a little lace at the bottom. She put them in her suitcase along with 2 pairs of black pants, 3 skirts, a few shirts, and a 2 other dresses, she had no idea how long they were going to be there. She ruffled through her jewelry box and found a black choker with the Malfoy crest slide-piece on it. She would wear that to the ceremony, along with her black Greek-styled hair set. She also grabbed her school suitcase, jut in case, it was very close to school time. Just 2 weeks until she had to ride the Hogwarts express.

Then there was a tap on the window. Desiree turned around to see Odelette, her owl. She opened up her window and took the letters and the daily prophet from her owl.

“Poor Odelette, running all over England and France. Here you’ll rest now.” She put her arm next to the sill and Odelette inched over to her arm. Desiree put Odelette on her little house and perch. The headline on the prophet read, BOY WHO LIES? FUDGE, “ALL IS WELL.” She made a disgusted sound and threw the paper on her bed. She looked at her letters.

“One, two, three from Pierre, of course. One from Apolla, one from Louise, one from…, and even one from the Weasly twins. Hmm, I want to read Fred and George’s first. Then I’ll read Apolla’s, it will take me forever to read Pierre’s.” Desiree held up the twins’ letter and Apolla’s letter next to each other. “Maybe I will read Apolla’s first….yeah, I will. Hers is probably more urgent.”

Dear Desiree,

Hello, I am missing you so. I am bringing a relative or two to Hogwarts. A couple cousins on my dad’s side. Are you going to be at the ceremony? I am, I hope you are as well. I hear that Voldemort’s army is going to be bigger and stronger. I hope I don’t get a doxy black. I would hate that, but Dad says I am a fighter and good Death Eater material. He says is I am lucky, Bellatrix Lestrange will train me. He says at the last meeting, Voldemort was planning to get them out of Azkaban. I am not really sure yet, but I think this is rather exciting.

Yours, Apolla

Desiree just stared at Apolla’s last sentence. Then she pulled back her sleeve and saw the black outline of her dark mark.