trigger warning: violence, death

It will take a person approximately one minute to lose consciousness after their air supply gets cut off. The person will then lose control of their body, and feel like their head is going to explode. They will survive five minutes with no air before they fall into an everlasting sleep. For Louis Thomas Allen, however, it only took four.

The Dark Lord had continued the Death Eater meeting like nothing had happened. Wormtail had carried the boy out of the room after Marina had begun shaking violently.

Tears were falling down Draco's cheeks. He tried to hide it by keeping his head down, but Marina could tell that none of them were going to sleep that night.

"As I said," the Dark Lord smiled, "a new year is to begin at Hogwarts. And this will be a quite exciting year for you, Draco."

"What will happen, My Lord?" asked Draco, coughing to stop his voice from shaking.

"You will finally get to experience the pleasure of taking a life," Voldemort answered. "If you are wondering how it feels, you may ask my daughter."

And so, the blond let go of Marina's hand in an instant. The little warmth she had left in her disappeared. A wide smile appeared on Bellatrix's face, and Narcissa, who was sitting two seats away from her, let out a sharp gasp.

"Why are you so surprised?" Voldemort looked around the room before his eyes landed upon Draco again. "Didn't she tell you about Isak?"

Draco slowly shook his head. "My Lord, she had nothing to do with the death of him; she was only the one who found the body."

Voldemort laughed loudly, and Marina's heart sunk.

"Is that what she told you? I guess she is a better liar than I thought. On the night of the Yule Ball, Marina brutally murdered an innocent boy for her own pleasure!"

"I did not! He was threatening me!"

"Silence-"

"Draco!" Marina cried out, and the boy turned to her in shock. "I was going to tell you, trust me, but I didn't know when... He was threatening me, saying he would kill me, I didn't know what came over me-"

The Dark Lord flickered his wand, and she lost her voice. Or rather, her lips became sealed tight, and Draco turned back to the evil wizard.

"Wormtail, bring her to her room."

The short man approached the table once again, this time wrapping his small hands around Marina's waist, his right encased in a bright silver glove. The last thing she could see before exiting the room was Draco rolling up his sleeve, ready to receive the Dark Mark.

Wormtail ended up dragging her up the stairs. She wanted to scream. Coward, she thought, cried in her head, hoping that some magic would make him hear it, though she knew he wouldn't. You're nothing but a coward. She was able to kick him in the knee as they stopped in front of the black door to her bedroom. The man let out a groan and fell to the floor, which Marina could only find herself amused by. She reached into his pocket in search for a wand, but found none, and turned to enter her bedroom once again.

"There you are," spoke a grumpy, hoarse voice.

He was standing in the middle of the room, his large nose pointing toward the ceiling. His presence had replaced the two lifeless bodies that had lay on her floor one hour ago; now, there were only drops of blood where the Death Eater had been bitten. The house-elf turned to Marina, snapped his fingers, and her lips parted.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"You must come with Kreacher," he said and reached out a hand. "The half-blood sent Kreacher to get you. He won't leave Kreacher alone until you're home."

Marina quickly took a step back, only making a horrible grimace to the creature. Nagini came slithering from under her bed, hissing violently.

"I don't know who you think I am. You have come to the wrong house." Marina spoke steadily as Nagini began circling him. "Go back to your master, and never come back."

The house-elf nodded. He snapped his fingers once again, and was gone in a second. Marina thanked Nagini, locked the door, got to her knees, and reached under her bed. The bodies were gone, but the bag the snowy white owl had come with was not. She pulled out R.A.B.'s diary and plopped down on her bed. She pricked her finger and let her blood fill its lock. When the diary opened, she turned to page 53: VOLDEMORT'S HORCRUXES.

One thing was sure: Marina Black was a good actress.

July passed by awfully slowly. Though it was summer, the youngest Black did not see sunny days at all. Instead, she counted days of darkness.

July 17: The Dark Lord banned Marina from stepping a foot outside of Malfoy Manor unless she was by his side for the rest of the summer. She spent the day in her bedroom, watching her window turn into a wall, unsure if she was crying because of him or Louis Allen.

July 25: Bellatrix began training Marina to torture and kill. When she refused to obey orders, Bella would practice curses on her until she passed out.

July 27: Two owls arrived in the Malfoy's kitchen. They were carrying a letter each; one addressed to Marina, one to Draco. Marina read hers as fast as she could:

Ordinary Wizarding Level Results
Pass Grades: Outstanding (O), Exceeds Expectations (E), Acceptable (A).
Fail Grades: Poor (P), Dreadful (D), Troll (T).

Marina Black has achieved:
Astronomy: A
Care of Magical Creatures: O
Charms: E
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O
Divination: A
Herbology: A
History of Magic: A
Potions: O
Transfiguration: E

Over the summer, she had come to realize that there were more important things than grades, so she ended up throwing the letter away before anyone else could see it. But nothing could stop her from smiling because of the fact that she had become one of the best students in her Defense Against the Dark Arts class - she could thank Dumbledore's Army for that.

Draco had gotten an O for Outstanding in every class except Defense Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures. Narcissa had been incredibly proud of him, but he had brushed it off like it was nothing.

August 3: Narcissa and Draco had traveled to Diagon Alley to buy books for the school year. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had approached them, and Harry had ended up threatening both of the Malfoys in an attempt to press out information about Marina from them. When he had drawn his wand, Narcissa had left; Draco had stayed behind to visit Borgin and Burke's. Ron had asked him where Hedwig was. Draco had responded by punching him.

August 20: Marina read the last page of Regulus' diary with tears in her eyes:

Today's date is July 1, 1980. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. Darya has left, our daughter with her. She has told no one of her hiding place.

Today, I face death in the hope that when the Dark Lord meets his match, he will be mortal once more.

I leave everything I own to my daughter. May Darya raise her to be strong. I apologize for being there only a month of her life. I will see her one day, and I will be proud to call her my daughter.

This is my last goodbye.

The Noble House of Black admired and valued many traits. Growing up, Narcissa had been taught how to look pretty and listen. Bellatrix had been taught to be strong and obey. Together, they were teaching Marina it all in the span of a month.

Stay silent when those with power speak to you. Battle your eyes and purse your lips and the world will be at your feet. Find someone you want to spend the rest of your life with before you turn 18, and marry as soon as possible - but make sure they are of pure-blood. Straighten your back. If you disagree with someone, keep it inside. Don't curse. Don't get attached to somebody you could lose. Don't wear your heart on your sleeve, unless you want to taste defeat.

Never defy your master. Never show fear. Always be the most cunning in the room. Know exactly who you are and who you want to be. If you feel like you are the worst, act like you are the best. If somebody ever questions your name, make them regret it. When you are done, be the first to run. Feelings are for the weak - cut them off, clean.

Bellatrix lay her chin on Marina's shoulder. She helped the young girl aim at the rat in front of them with her wand.

"Do you think you've got it, baby?" asked Bella.

"Yes, Mother," answered Marina hastily. She straightened her arm, focused on the rat and imagined that it was Peter Pettigrew. "Crucio!"

The light that shot out of her wand hit the rat within a second. It fell on its back squealing.

Narcissa sat beside them, watching the scene in silence. In a few minutes, she was to Apparate Marina and Draco to King's Cross so they could take the train to Hogwarts and begin their sixth year of learning magic. Their mission this year was everything but simple: they were going to repair the Vanishing Cabinet so that the Death Eaters could get into the school. Then, Draco was going to kill Dumbledore, and the Dark Lord had made it very clear what would happen if he failed to do so.

Marina couldn't even imagine that failing the mission was an option. After nearly two months of torture and killings, she was sure she needed to obey the Dark Lord. She had realized that the only way to gain back his trust was to listen to every word he spoke and be the perfect little doll he wanted her to be. If not, she would end up like Louis.

"I think it's time," said Bellatrix suddenly, letting her chin slip off Marina's shoulder. Marina lifted the curse from the shaking rat, and turned to the door behind them, where Draco had appeared, wearing his black suit. He locked eyes with her, looking more exhausted than ever. "You know what to do. And if you see the boy, curse him!"

"But, Mum," whispered Marina and turned to Bellatrix. "The Ministry will know if I curse him - I will be expelled from school."

Bella chuckled lightly and stroked her cheek. "No, you won't, baby. You should've known by now, that the Dark Lord has made sure that they will never know what spells and curses you use. Do whatever you want to him; make me proud. I will be visiting you at school before you know it."

She fell into a fit of laughter, her whole body bouncing, and exited the room quickly. Draco walked to the long table by the fireplace and found their suitcases, then smiled weakly to his mother to show that he was ready to leave. Marina glanced around the Drawing Room, having no idea what to expect of the year. Was this the last time she saw the Drawing Room? Would she be back in it within a week? She couldn't know.

They arrived at King's Cross half-an-hour before the train left. Narcissa kissed Draco good-bye and held Marina in her arms for what seemed like an eternity. When the other students arrived, she let her go, and Marina and Draco found their seats in the Slytherin section of the Express.

Blaise was the first member of their house to join them; he greeted them and plopped down on the seat across them. Pansy was second; she sat down next to Blaise, huffing about the fact that the seat beside Draco had been taken.

Luna Lovegood came running through the compartment a minute before the train left, clutching a magazine to her chest, her long blonde hair dancing behind her. "Hello, Marina Black," she had hummed, but Marina did not answer, for Draco was looking at her with his lips in a straight line.

A part of Marina was waiting for Louis Allen to enter the compartment, wide-eyed and excited, but he never did. The train rounded a corner, and so, her sixth year begun without him. She leaned her head on Draco's shoulder and closed her eyes, and finally let her eyes rest.

"Love?"

After what seemed like only seconds, Draco's gentle voice woke her up. She straightened her back, red-cheeked. Blaise was looking at her with a sweet smile.

"I see Hogwarts. We should put on our robes."

Gazing out of the window, Marina noticed the sun had already gone down. The shadow of Hogwarts was slowly coming into view. She got to her feet, and reached for her trunk; to her surprise, hitting something on the rack hard.

She pulled on her robes just as the train came to a complete halt. Pansy opened the door for their compartment, revealing an already packed corridor.

"You go on," said Draco as Marina and the others exited the compartment. "I just want to check something."

Malfoy watched Marina step onto the platform outside, rubbing her eyes. The train had become dead silent - he stood up, moved to the door and let down the blinds.

"You expected to hear something interesting from Marina, didn't you, Potter?" he spat, drew his wand and pointed it at where Marina's luggage had laid moments ago. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Harry toppled out of the luggage rack and fell to the floor, the Invisibility Cloak underneath him. Draco smirked proudly and stamped hard on Harry's face - a crack was heard and blood began pouring from his nose.

"I was about to tell you to stay away from her this year, but I'm not even sure you will be able to attend school after I'm done with you!"

"Welcome to our new students, and welcome back to our old students," said Dumbledore cheerfully, and looked around the Great Hall. "Another year full of magical education awaits you!"

"Merlin," whispered Blaise, crinkling his nose. "What happened to his hand? It's all... black."

Marina looked up from her plate, squinting her eyes - the Headmaster's hand was, in fact, black as night.

"Who cares?" pouted Pansy. "We should worry about Draco."

They were halfway through their opening feast, and Draco had still not entered the Great Hall. Marina was anxiously bouncing her leg under the table - had the Death Eaters managed to get into the train?

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year," continued Dumbledore, "Professor Slughorn." A round and short man stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight. "He will resume his old post of Potions master. Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

The whole Slytherin table burst out in applause; Marina could hear Ron scream "no" from the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore waited several minutes before continuing his speech.

"Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once again at large and gaining in strength," he put out, and the room turned dead silent. Marina could feel eyes on her; she wished to disappear into thin air. "I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. Should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside of the castle, report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety. But now, your beds await. Let us, therefore, say goodnight. Pip pip!"

Benches were moved back with deafening scraping noises and hundreds of students stood up and broke into chatter.

"That was comforting," said Blaise and rolled his eyes.

"Extremely comforting," answered Marina. She got out of her seat, but as she was to turn and walk away, someone pricked her shoulder.

"Do you have time for a little talk, Miss Black?" asked Dumbledore, looking at her through his half-moon glasses.

Dumbledore's office was everything Marina had imagined it to be and more. It was large and circular, full of weird and small instruments placed on old tables. The walls were covered with portraits of sleeping witches and wizards, whom Marina assumed were old headmasters and headmistresses. She stood in silent admiration, watching them.

"It's a wonderful night, is it not?" said Dumbledore, staring at her with a big smile. He reached out to stroke his phoenix. "How has your summer been?"

"I do not intend to be rude, Headmaster, but I must ask: why do you care about my summer?"

Dumbledore smiled, put his hands together, and walked to sit by his desk.

"Please, sit down, Miss Black," he said. Marina crossed her arms and walked to sit on the opposite side of his desk. "A little birdie told me about what happened to you this summer."

Marina couldn't take his small talk. She had things to do, she didn't want to sit there and listen to him. "If you don't have anything important to say, I will happily find my way out of-"

"My, my... Let me cut straight to it then," Dumbledore leaned forward, "I know you can remember."

Marina could only press out a small shriek. "How?"

Dumbledore smiled shyly and looked toward the door. Marina turned. Behind them stood Severus Snape, looking at them with his lips pursed.

"It was rather easy to penetrate your mind," said the dark man with a low tone. "You should work on that."

Marina Black felt absolutely clueless. She turned back to Dumbledore, who was still grinning, and furrowed her brows.

"I don't understand."

"Well, then, let me explain it to you," the Headmaster began. "Professor Snape do help the Order of the Phoenix, though he is a Death Eater. The night Bellatrix Apparated you from the Burrow to the Malfoy Manor, a meeting of the Order was held. We agreed upon sending Kreacher to help you - though I now understand that he was too late for that. Severus took it in his own hands to help you. When Lord Voldemort was to delete your memory, Severus simply entered your mind to block out the curse. Thus, you still remember everything."

Marina had so many questions, she didn't know where to begin. All she could do was turn her head back to Snape and mutter a "why?", to which the Professor only responded to by tilting his head upward before turning around and exiting the room.

"Does Harry know?" Marina asked next, looking at Dumbledore and trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"No, he does not, but I can promise you he has not spent his summer playing around," Dumbledore said, and pointed toward a gigantic box filled with envelopes. She could recognize the handwriting on it in an instant and ended up covering her face with her hands to hide her now pink cheeks.

"He can't know. No one can know."

"Your secret is safe with me," Albus answered, pressed a finger against his lips and winked at her. "But I do hope you are aware that Sirius left you both Kreacher and number twelve, Grimmauld Place."

"I don't want the house. I can live with Kreacher, but I do not want the house; give it to Harry, he deserves it more than I do."

"I cannot do that, Miss Black. Walburga made sure only those of pure-blood can own Grimmauld Place. And if you don't take ownership of it, it will be Bellatrix's."

Marina didn't have much of a choice now. There was no way she was letting the mad woman destroy the house that meant so much to Harry.

"If you bring Kreacher to me, I will free him. He can work in the Hogwarts kitchen with the rest of the house-elves. But the house - I don't know how I will take care of it. I will need some time to think about it."

"Come to speak to me whenever you want, Marina."

"I will."

Marina got out of her seat and smiled sweetly to the old man, ready to leave. But right as she turned, he spoke again.

"Marina, I do advise you to greet the new Potions Professor with open arms. I do believe he was close to your Father."

"Well, as long as he's better than the toad you hired last year... Wait-"

Marina froze for a second: was he referring to the Dark Lord? She turned back to him.

"Well, of course, I knew Regulus well," said Dumbledore after a moment of silence. "But I believe that is a story for another time."