The Minotaur was a mythological creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man. The creature was so vicious that craftsman Daedalus built an elaborate maze called the Labyrinth, where the Minotaur resided until he was finally killed by Theseus.

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h a n n a h

Malfoy Manor was dark, foreboding, and exactly the kind of dreary place one would imagine Draco and his family to live in.

Even so, it struck me with nostalgic familiarity. I had walked up this very path many times with my father as a child; played in the sprawling gardens with the other pureblood children while our parents remained indoors, chatting about Merlin-knew-what.

I linked arms with Susan, and she with Lorcan. Next to them, Draco walked alone, hands stuffed in his pockets. Together, we formed a human wall as we strode up to the towering black gates. Serena went ahead of us, her bright purple robes darkened by the shadows of the hedge-lined walkway.

I did not like this. Not one bit. My dress felt too heavy for me to keep nimble and agile should something go awry. My wand was too far from easy reach. Susan and I had tucked them into garters around our thighs, and to retrieve them would require us to lift our long skirts. I knew the speed at which we could do so could determine whether we lived or died. 

It was too late to do anything about it now. This dress was the first one I grabbed off the rack in my mad rush to go back to Lorcan's. I barely even had time to explain to Neville, only remembering to shout at him not to tell anyone before Disapparating back to London.

"Now remember, we have about an hour before the potion starts to wear off," Lorcan mumbled to us as inconspicuously as he could. "Draco, you find Angel. The rest of us will keep watch. Get in, get out."

"I know what to do, Atwood," sniffed Draco, rolling his shoulders in his black jacket.

"How does this potion work again, exactly?" Susan's voice wobbled with anxiety. "'Cause the last time I looked in the mirror, I still look like me."

"You look twice your age to all of us, Suze," I reminded her. "Lorcan looks like a sixty-year-old drunkard at the Hogshead, and Draco looks like he got beat up by the Whomping Willow."

"I swear, Bones, if you blow this, I'll kill you myself," Draco muttered under his breath.

"Shut up, you're scaring her. And if anyone's going to blow this, it's you and your impetuous arse," I hissed back at him. "Look, Susan, you aced Charms. Keep your wits about you and you'll be fine." I had said this, but my heartbeat began to accelerate as we approached the gates.

Two men squinted at us from behind the iron bars, one dark and hulking, the other short and stubby with a beard. "Password," the latter demanded.

"Snakefangs," Serena spoke calmly.

"Name?"

"Serena Cheng."

"I know you. I don't know them," he poked his finger at us through the gate.

"This here is Douglas Macnair, Liam Shunpike, Saffron Parkinson, and Harriette Rakepick," Serena gestured to each of us. "They are distant relatives of your friends inside, they are! You see, they want in on this world domination thing, they do. I thought I could introduce them around."

"I didn't know Macnair had family," the bigger one said, peering at Draco suspiciously. The short one cocked his head and ruffled his beard. "I s'pose they do look alike. Same long face and everyfin'!"

I could feel Draco's silent simmering from where I stood.

"I don't see it," his friend grunted stubbornly. My hand instinctively went to the side of my leg, feeling the solid wood of my wand pressed against my thigh.

"Distant relatives, I said!" Serena chirped. "Now, Abigor, why would old Serena bring imposters to a house full of Death Eaters?"

Abigor. I clenched my jaw, praying my face did not betray my emotions. The two men considered us carefully for a long time, and for a moment, I thought they would not let us in. After all, we were complete strangers to them.

But whether it was thanks to the Great Merlin or their puny brains, they unlocked the gates to let us through.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

My throat clamped at the sheer number of Death Eaters in the foyer. Their hardened and scarred faces flashed rotten smiles, dark robes sweeping like blankets of death with each movement. They spoke loudly, roaring with confident laughter. Glasses clinked and teeth munched. No one seemed to notice us coming in.

"Go," I told Draco. But before he could make a move, a figure swept grandly towards us. His silver-blond hair was no longer stringy like how I had remembered, his features no longer pallid with exhaustion.

"Ah, Serena! So glad you could join us," Lucius slurred in his indolent manner. Draco stiffened at the sight of his father.

"Lucius! So glad to see you, I am!" Serena gushed. "Serena has some youngin's for you. They're interested in the cause, they are."

"Ah." Lucius eyeballed us. "I'm sure we can find some place for you amongst our ranks," he spoke the same words Voldemort had said to Neville in the courtyard. I wanted to punch him in between his grey eyes.

Instead, I smiled sweetly. "We've heard a lot about you, Mr. Malfoy. Word travels fast amongst our families."

"So it does. Come, come! Help yourselves to food and drink," he gestured around. "Tonight is a night of celebration!"

We thanked him politely, and he left us. I let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, Malfoy, I think you can-" But he was already gone, weaving through the crowd towards the back of the house.

The three of us loitered around, forcing smiles at random Death Eaters who greeted us curiously. Some of them were young. Too young, nothing but children on the cusp of teenagehood. However did Lucius convince them to join him?

Elves scurried about carrying elf wine and hors d'oeuvres. "You know," said Lorcan as he picked a wine glass off a silver tray. "For a bunch of murderers, they're a rather refined lot."

"Lucius spared no Galleon," I agreed, scanning the room. Despite their mangy faces, they all donned expensive robes and carried themselves with more poise than I recalled. The women wore gowns like mine and Susan's, glittering with jewels and sequins.

They seemed different now. Calmer, smarter, better-prepared. They no longer had to scour Britain for a boy on the run. The only person they needed was right here, somewhere in this house.

"Evening."

A large, portly man stood before us, arm in arm with a lady of similar stature. I recognised him immediately. It was that traitor Ministry wizard sent to protect Angel and Draco. "Haven't seen you three around before. Nice to have fresh faces eh?" He stuck out a pudgy hand. "Benjamin Rutherford. This here's my wife, Pandora."

"R- Rutherford?" Susan could scarcely contain her horror. I dove to shake his hand before he noticed. "Harriette Rakepick," I said. Susan and Lorcan followed my lead, greeting him with their false names.

"Shunpike? I knew Stan!" said Rutherford enthusiastically to Lorcan. "Clever young man indeed! Claimed he was under the Imperius Curse, but he wasn't, really. How are you related?"

Lorcan's fib was interrupted by a loud voice.

"Attention everyone!"

Lucius stood on the staircase, wand tip to his throat. "My fiendish brothers and sisters, I want to thank you all for coming tonight," his voice boomed with the Sonorus charm. "It has been our greatest honour to serve The Dark Lord. And while it was a most... unfortunate fate that befell our master, we shall have a new leader to carry on his noble work. Me."

They cheered, and so did we.

"Those scum want to exterminate us for doing what is right. Blood traitors! And to that I say, no more. It is time for us to rise up! Stick with me, and I promise you, by next winter, we shall rule the world."

The crowd burst into unanimous whooping, and as if on cue, orchestral music swelled. We followed the throng as they adjourned to the ballroom, finding a place at the back of the room. They began to fill the floor, swirling to the music. Death Eaters, dancing to music. It was completely ridiculous, and we balked at the ridiculous display.

A boy came up to me, tall and statuesque. "Care to dance?" he asked. I dared a look at Lorcan, who shot me a warning stare. Do it.

I was tempted to refer the boy to Susan, but poor little Suze would absolutely have a mental breakdown. "Sure," I accepted his arm and allowed him to lead me to the dance floor. I held my breath as he placed a hand under my shoulder. What would Neville think? This does not count as cheating, does it? Besides, it was for a bigger cause. He would understand.

"What's your name?" asked the boy as we twirled.

"Harriette. And yours?"

"Erebus," he smiled. "Erebus Rowle."

Joy. I was dancing with the abhorrent Thorfinn Rowle's son. I wanted to spit in his face.

As the song carried on, something caught my eye. Two girls stood by the doors. One was slim and tall, with raven hair and green eyes. The other had the same dark hair, but her eyes were pools of black tar. They watched intently as Erebus spun me around.

The shorter girl leaned in to whisper to the green-eyed one, and whatever she said made her friend's expression change. The other girl's lips trembled, and she turned and left the room quickly, disappearing from sight.

The song ended, and I fought the urge to run back to Lorcan and Susan. "What's taking Draco so long?" I fretted.

"Lorcan, how long has it been?" Susan asked with a start. He looked at his watch "'Bout fifty minutes. There's no more time, the potion's about to wear off. We have to find him."

We inched our way towards the exit, making sure staying close to the wall. The Death Eaters were too preoccupied with their merriment to notice, and we slipped out without being seen.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

The corridors of the Manor seemed to stretch for miles as we headed towards the direction Draco had gone. We arrived at the back hall, the last room in this part of the house. Still no sign of Draco.

A mild hysteria swept over me. "Where the hell has that idiot gone?"

"Upstairs," said Lorcan. We raced back to the foyer stairs, only to see Draco thudding down to us at the same time, his face wrought with worry. "I can't find her. I thought she'd be in the cellar but she wasn't."

"Have you checked the other parts of the house yet?" Lorcan asked, and Draco shook his head. "Well, what're you waiting for, you fucking idiot!" I cried, dashing past him up the stairs.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I thundered by each room, flinging open the doors one by one. No Angel.

We finally came to the last drawing room. It was a dead end. "This is only the East wing," Draco pointed out. "There's still the West wing and the kitchens."

Frustration gnawed at my insides, picking at my bones. What did his house have to be so bloody big for?

"Hannah..." Susan whispered.

"What?"

She lifted a shaky finger to me. "Your face. It's changed back."

She was right. So had everyone else's. The spell had worn off. "We are not leaving this Merlin-forsaken house without Angel!" I insisted.

"You won't find her here," came a voice from behind us.

Narcissa stood at the doorway, just a shadowy figure against the light that came from behind her.

"Mother..." Draco bristled like a dog that had spotted an intruder. "Where is she?"

Mrs. Malfoy looked just the same since the last time I saw her - in the courtyard when she had beckoned Draco to come. Her eyes were cold and blank, her red mouth set into a grim line. "I cant say."

A mad rage seemed to consume Draco. Never in my life had I heard him shout so loudly. "SHE IS MY WIFE!" he exploded. "GIVE HER BACK OR I SWEAR TO GODRIC I WILL BLOW THIS HOUSE TO KINGDOM COME, AND YOU ALONG WITH IT!"

Narcissa's expression faltered. Her tone softened as she spoke again. "I do not wish for her to die, but it is what has to be done. For your father. For us."

"Why do you follow him, mother?" he cried in exasperation. "Why do you follow him like a pet on the leash?"

She inclined her head slightly. "He is my husband, just as Angel is your wife. And as you would never abandon her, I cannot abandon him. What would that make me if I did?"

Her question rendered Draco speechless. My fingers pulled the skirt of my dress up, inch by inch. So it has come to this, I thought resignedly. Well, I would not back down. Angel was my best friend, and I was prepared to fight to the death.