299A/N: Hey Everyone, Thank You All So Much For Your Patience. I know it has been a while since I've posted anything, and honesty, it's because I don't have much to post. Between moving across the country for school, work, and just getting use to my new home, time to write has been pretty sparse. However, I have been squeezing in time when I can, so I'm pleased to introduce my first to entries into the final Harry Black Book, enjoy!
Chapter I: The Undead Queen
The golden glow of the large G that hung over the marble bank faded into the distance as the woman chuckled to herself. It was hard for her to imagine that lies of freedom could so easily deceive a race that had once been so feared by wizarding kind. How naive they were. Goblins were not known for being idiots, but the witch supposed that their greed and pride weighed heavier than their minds. I suppose it doesn't matter, the witch thought to herself, one simply cannot resist the temptation of the great Carmilla Sanguina.
A camp of bats swarmed her before vanishing in a red mist trail, her location set. For a man who possessed the title of The Dark Lord, the woman found his residence quite- unremarkable. Compared to the castle she once lived in, the 'Riddle Manor' was a tremendous downgrade- though, she'd done what she could to make it more like home.
The doors opened at her presence as two men cowered before her, lowering their heads. His quality of servants is so poor, it's no wonder he failed in the past. Blood red stains now coated the walls as her servants stood at attention with her passing. "My Lady," Herbert said with a bow. "I hope your outing was successful."
"Quite successful, Herbert." Carmilla said as the servant took her cloak from her shoulders. "Dominance of this pathetic group is firmly in our hands now, whether they are aware of it or not."
"Excellent," Herbert whispered "What a relief that is to hear, My Lady. The insolent remarks of these wizards have been difficult to stomach these past few months."
"I can only imagine, Herbert." Carmilla said, her yellow eyes locked upon her humble servant's bowed head. "After all, we swear only to follow our own. But worry not, by the end of tonight, that stupid bitch will yield her falsely placed authority. This, I promise, as your queen."
"Thank you, My Lady." Herbert whispered, "May I accompany you to the hall?"
"I'm afraid not." Carmilla said. "Go find Severus, I want an update on Voldemort's condition. He seems to be one of the few who understands his place in the hierarchy. I think I'll spare him from the consequences of disobedience."
"Yes, My Lady. As you wish." Carmilla grinned, her fangs pressing against her bottom lip as her humble servant turned towards the darkened hall. It was only once Herbert had vanished that Carmilla had continued her stroll, the aroma of blood from the dining room causing her mouth to water.
The large gilded doors of the dining hall opened at her approach. Red stained the carpeted ground as her servants feasted upon captured muggles and aurors that had failed in their pursuits, their minds rotted from the torture. Figures cloaked in black robes stood along the sides of the room, gazing upon her kind with disgust. Despite their names, the Death Eaters seemed unable to stomach their literal title.
A cold fire burned in her chest as she felt a set of beady eyes glaring at her in the distance. Her porcelain face was one of beauty, but her soul was foul. Jealousy coursed through the woman's veins. Carmilla knew that from the moment she'd revealed she had the Dark Lord's child.
Regardless, the woman was ruthless, an asset on the battlefield. But her insubordination to Carmilla's commands had left an awful taste in the woman's mouth. Now, she'd end it for good.
Carmilla climbed the platform she'd built. The idea of sitting at the same level as those who served her made her nauseous. She took a seat she had conjured beside the Dark Lord's throne. It was an action that lit a fire behind the eyes of the most devout of the Death Eaters, but it solidified the fact of the matter. She stood above all except the Dark Lord himself, and she would be treated as such.
"My Lady," A tall, pale man, one of her most recently-turned recruits, Cassius, whispered, bowing before her. "Please tell us it was an agreement met with those... Creatures."
"But, of course." Carmilla said, her grin wide. "Had you any doubt, Cassius?" Her servant shook his head as she released a soft laugh. "We came to a rather uncomplicated agreement; the Goblins will refuse to allow anyone access to Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. In turn, they will be offered the equality they've always sought under Voldemort's reign."
"Impossible!" The woman shouted, Carmilla's jaw clamping at the arrogant witch's interruption. "The goblins are beasts! Not fit to sit with us as equals! To offer them equality is a slap in the face to everything the Dark Lord-"
"Silence Bellatrix," Carmilla whispered, a cold chill flowing across the room. "I've heard stories from Severus of how the Dark Lord ran things here. I consider my treatment of your burst of defiance rather tame. But make no mistake, I am at the end of my patience with you, interrupt me again, and I will take great pleasure in killing you."
"You- You wouldn't! I'm the Dark Lord's favorite. He'd never forgive you if-"
"Then why was it not you that he selected to bear his child?" Ice flowed from Carmilla's lips as Bellatrix gritted her teeth, words seeming unable to fall. "By all metrics, by bearing the Dark Lord's child, I have been named his equal, his Queen if that clears things up for your simple mind. Your value to him pales in comparison to mine. If I told him once he awakens that I had to eliminate you to preserve our alliance, I promise you that he'd understand."
Carmilla laced her fingers as she glanced down upon the raven-haired woman, "Make no mistake, you are an asset to this cause, Bellatrix. But I will not tolerate any more disobedience. Understand me clearly when I say this- you are in no way irreplaceable."
Bellatrix stepped back, her frame shaking, but her mouth sealed. "If you want to be useful, Bellatrix. How about you try to understand the terms of our new working relationship." Carmilla smiled. "As I said, the Goblins and I have made an agreement. The cup you seek that resides in your vault will not be touched by that Potter boy and his followers. However, it will also be impossible for you to retrieve it without my permission."
The Death Eater's eyes widened at her words, but Carmilla continued. "The Dark Lord and I have already come to terms with the fact that I am to be his second in regards to you wizards. Yet, you all seem to be quite against that notion. I will not stand for such a lack of structure in an organization I head. If you wish to revive your lord, you will bow your heads before me, and swear allegiance to me as your second in command."
Carmilla's fingertips tapped along the wooden handle of her throne as the Death Eaters below glanced at one another. A heavy silence filled the air, broken only by low growls of frustration as the cloaked members of the Dark Lord's legion stood unmoving. Carmilla sighed, "Well, I must admit, I am disappoint-"
Her words were drowned out quickly as the doors to the hall flung open. A rather tall and thin man raced into the room. Sweat beads ran rampantly down his dust-caked face, his blue eyes trembling within their sockets. "What is the meaning of this intrusion, Karkaroff?" Carmilla hissed.
"Apologies, my lady. I- I just managed to escape-" His body shook like a leaf in the wind as he continued. "I, Potter, he-"
"Collect your thoughts, Karkaroff, and speak." Carmilla growled. "What happened to your post in Leeds?"
The man gasped for air. "It was Potter, My Lady." His hands running through his goatee as he talked. "He and Black, they appeared from nowhere, with a small team of aurors. They pushed us back. Your thralls managed to facilitate our escape, but- we've lost control of our stronghold there." Karkaroff's fingers curled against the red-stained carpet. "Mulciber, he tried to fight the boy, but-" Karkaroff's head fell to the ground. "Potter annihilated him. I couldn't even find a body before I fled."
"What of my kin?" Carmilla asked "What happened to them?"
"Black, he killed Aamon, but the rest withdrew when they saw the battle was lost. But Mulciber was only but one of our men that fell in-"
"I don't particularly care," Carmilla said, silencing the quivering man. "If all we lost is some turned thralls and Death Eaters, it wasn't as devastating as it could have been. Losing our stronghold in Leeds is unfortunate, it's proximity to the border between Scotland and England was of great help to us, but it's no matter for now." Her hands folded upon her lap as she continued, "Even with the auror corps backing the Order, they don't have the manpower to hold any area for long. We'll allow them this small victory and reclaim the territory later once my kind has feasted enough to recover."
"For now, I want you to find whatever men, women, or beast you can muster and lead a frontal attack on Manchester; we need to twist the muggle leadership's arm into seeing that there is no other way to protect their citizens than to give in to our demands. Once the divide between Minister Bones and the Muggle Minister is forged, the Ministry of Magic will crumble, and after that, the muggles will prove easy pickings."
"But My Lady, even with the Werewolves' help, Manchester is a metropolitan area. It'll be a heavily guarded area by the Auror Corps. Even if we can take it with Fenrir's forces' help, we'll lose hundreds of lives. We'll need you to contribute your kin to the-"
"My kin will be assigned to a far more pressing matter, I assure you." Carmilla said, silencing the man once more. "Now go muster your forces and do as you're told. And I suggest you hurry; I will not tolerate a second failure, Igor."
The pitiful servant of the Dark Lord had no sooner risen to his feet before a knock from the entranceway refocused her eyes. Yet, unlike before, Carmilla smiled at the sight of the blonde, well-built, pale man before her, his eyes matching the yellowness of her own. "My lady, may I enter?"
"Yes Darian," She said, allowing a commander of her ranks entrance to the hall. "Report upon our siege on Plymouth, if you'd be so kind."
"At once, My Lady." The man said with a deep bow. "Regrettably, I must inform you that we were unable to capture the land with our small numbers successfully. However, for every member of our kind we lost, I assure you, we doubled it on our opponent's side. I've also gathered intel regarding the morale of the auror corps from a few of the aurors I captured and 'persuaded'."
"With Dumbledore dead, much of the public is losing hope." Darian whispered "The Daily Prophet has been working on rallying the public behind Potter, but his inability to protect either his sister or one of his fellow students during the attack on Azkaban has left many silently whispering about whether the boy is ready to take up the responsibility of leadership." Her servant smiled, "When paired with the seemingly endless amount of troops we have thanks to our thrall reserves and the alliance with the giants and werewolves, some of the public is even demanding that Bones sue for peace."
"To make matters even worse, according to the corps, support in other nations is wavering as well." Darian said "It seems that much like what happened before, other nations are hoping to stay out of your path as well. Soon, all resistance will crumble." Carmilla purred happily as Darian grinned, "But as atonement for my failure, I've brought you a present."
Darian snapped as Rookwood emerged from the hall, a chained man at his side. The man was rather large and round, with a thick mustache. Black bruises coated his body, and red leaked from his pores, a hatred trapped behind his glare. "I wasn't quite sure who he was, but the werewolf was quite against letting him go. I imagine he holds importance to the Order. Shall I execute him and send his remains to the ministry?"
"Wait," Carmilla said as she lifted her hand, the sharpened nails of her servant retracting from the man's neck. Her eyes scanned the hall of Death Eaters. "As I am still rather new to this operation, are any of you capable of identifying this man? I promise to reward any of those who step forward."
"That's Edward Tonks, My Lady." A man whispered, entering from the left-side door, with Herbert at his side. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a large, hooked nose, and yellow, uneven teeth. Carmilla knew the man well by now. Severus Snape, the only competent Death Eater within the entire manor by Carmilla's estimation. Had he continued to prove himself, she'd even consider turning him to serve her permanently. "Though he goes by Ted, he is someone Potter sees as an uncle."
"Ah, Severus, glad you could join us. I take it that means the Dark Lord's condition has remained stable?" Severus bowed his head deeply with a nod before Carmilla turned her attention back to the man before her. "So this man has value to our enemy, does he?" Carmilla asked, "Excellent- then I'd like you to refrain from killing him; I have plans for him in mind."
"You might as well just kill me," The large man barked, "I wouldn't work for you even under the Imperius Curse. I'd never bow to you!"
"Never is quite a strong word." Carmilla said as she descended her throne, wrapping her fingers around the man's chin. "You've yet to discover just how persuasive I can be."
She pulled away from the man, her eyes circling the room of spectators. "I hope that this interruption has given you time to think about your options. Or rather, your lack of them." Carmilla whispered. "You clearly don't have what it takes to finish off this Potter boy. The only one that may have it is currently in a stasis which he can only be awoken from should you submit to me. However, if you fail to do so, my troops will pull out, and this Potter boy will eventually arrive; and from the sound of it, slaughter you all." She smiled as she watched the Death Eaters quiver, "So what shall it be my friends? Bow to me, or die to him?"
A low growl filled the air as she watched the Death Eaters turn to one another, their fists tightly clenched before they nodded, falling to their knees. Her fangs rubbed against her bottom lips as she grinned, watching the black-cloaked wizards bow their heads one after the other and murmuring "I submit to your command, Lady Carmilla."
"Fantastic!" Carmilla said, licking her lips as she turned to the one figure, head unbowed. "And what of you, Bellatrix? Do you intend to have me walk away and leave your master in agony for all eternity? I was under the impression that you loved your master?"
Her body quaked as she cursed silently beneath her breath. The woman looked about ready to vomit as she fell to her knees, her head bowed before her. "I submit to your command, Lady Carmilla."
"Good," Carmilla said, lowering herself to the woman's level. She grabbed the woman's hair, pulled her face from the ground to see her eyes, and grinned, "Now, was that so hard, you stupid bitch?" She dropped the dark witch's hair once more, turning towards the rows of Death Eaters. "Now all of you rise. I have some missions for you to conduct for me before we retrieve your master's cup. Pledging your allegiance is easy, making me believe it is another thing entirely. In particular, I have a very special job in mind for you, Bellatrix."
A mindless howl erupted from the basement below as Carmilla sneered, the boy's scent putrid to her nose. "Severus, do me a favor, won't you?" The Death Eater stood at attention as Carmilla hissed "That boy, Draco, is it? When he reverts to his human form, dispose of him. His mind is beyond repair, and he is far too loud for my taste."
"As you wish, My Lady." Severus said as Carmilla walked from the dining hall.
"Come along now, my brothers and sisters," She called out, "We have much work to be done."
A/N: I hope that Prologue was enticing. Please be sure to Follow, Favorite, and while there is a second chapter after this, I'd appreciate a review for this one as well!