I was headed to my next lesson with Severus Snape, which unfortunately enough for me, was my first period. Whether he'd seen my timetable or read my mind again, I was unsure, but surely he had to check he didn't have classes before waiting for me?

I sighed. I got there quickly, but Snape was nowhere to be seen.

"Professor?" I called out. I checked in his storage cupboards, everything. He wasn't here.

I frowned, groaning. He wouldn't be in his quarters now, and this was basically his office.

"Well, what do we have here?"

The voice, followed by a cackle, came from the door. There stood a figure with crazy, bulbous hair that was pretty much the frizziest I thought hair could get, arms resting against the frames of the DADA professor's door.

I spoke with confidence, "And who might you be, trespassing in Professor Snape's classroom?"

"Me, trespassing? Oh!" She laughed manically again, "Professor Snape himself let me in, of course."

I growled at her, "And why would he do that, huh?"

"Because he's one of us," she hissed back, voice becoming deeper as it darkened. She pulled up her sleeve and cackled again.

There, resting against her skin was the Dark Mark.

"Professor Snape can't-"

"Professor Snape is," she chuckled, "How cute. You're trying to defend him."

She suddenly moved closer to me, long fingernails scratching against my jaw as she touched me.

"Don't bother. You'll see for yourself soon enough."

And with that, she'd grabbed my arm and apparated.

We were at the Malfoy Manor, or so this mad woman was mumbling in my ear.

"You better behave!" She yelled, "Or else our Lord is going to have something to say about it."

I shook her odd words off as she threw me into the doorway. I wasn't stupid, I knew what this was. And I'd prepared myself for it.

I did the best I could to learn Occlumency by myself alongside my wandless magic lessons with Snape, also known as basically trapping people out of your mind.

I think I'd shut Severus off a couple times, because he'd occasionally give me a surprised glance as I protected myself. I did that whenever he was around - there was no need for him to pry into my mind.

"Hello, Verita."

I looked up in shock to see none other than Voldemort himself at the end of a table in the room that the crazy woman led me into. I knew it'd happen, but I thought he'd have been a coward and speak to me behind a wall or something.

"Hello," I replied. My confidence was showing again.

I looked at those on the table, seeing none other than Draco Malfoy with Severus Snape on one side of him and a woman that I assumed to be Draco's mother on his other side.

"I want you to join me, Verita," Voldemort's snake-like voice rang throughout my ears, "Your abilities in nonverbal and wandless magic would be a treasure to us."

I shook my head, "I don't think-"

Snape was giving me a warning glance, but I ignored it.

"The power to kill in silence is just so... intriguing, do you not think? You would be valuable to us, Verita. You would be safe," Voldemort said in attempt to sway me.

"I am not interested."

His eyes shot up to meet mine, non-existent eyebrows furrowing at me as he launched himself across the table and held his hands to my throat,

"You dare to defy me!" He screamed.

"Yes!" I choked back.

"HOW DARE-"

"Stop."

I gave Snape a look of pure disappointment. He surely wasn't going to risk his life like that, was he?

"What was that, Severus?"

The tone that Voldemort spoke in was venomous and deadly. If Snape knew what he was doing, he'd sit back down and shut up, apologising for his ridiculous and out of order behaviour. But he didn't.

He stood in front of the Dark Lord himself, face to face.

And he looked straight into his eyes as he said, "You can't kill her."

"And why is that, Severus?"

Snape stumbled on his words at first, but managed to say, "S-she is my lover."

I felt myself gasp even though I knew what he was doing. He was trying to protect me like Dumbledore had probably ordered him to.

"Severus, you realise she is a student..." Voldemort hissed, anger apparent in his voice.

"Yes, my Lord," Snape replied shakily.

"You could get fired from your job. You need to keep gathering information!" Voldemort shouted.

"I know, my Lord. I shall be careful," Severus Snape told him, a look of determination in his eyes. I shook my head as he stared at me, "She will join us."