Lucius Malfoy smiled slightly as he looked down at the girl sitting on his floor, handcuffed but still looking calm. The woman looked too calm about her predicament for Lucius' liking. There was something disturbing about a twenty-year-old not screaming or fighting back, especially with this twenty-year-old. Even yards away from her, he could feel her magic wrapping around him, even without a spell; he could feel her presence in his house. He would have known she was there, even without seeing her. Nodding slightly, he reached down and pulled her to her feet, smiling slightly as she stumbled.
"Come, girl," he said, pleased as her eyes flickered with fear. "You have someone to meet."
Dancia Veko shuddered a little as she looked around the house as they headed for the entrance hall. Wondering how in the world she'd gotten into this mess. She hadn't meant to run into the Death Eater, nor had she expected the blond to be able to sense her from just walking into her. She'd managed to avoid capture for twelve years, but how could she know that Lucius had been the one Death Eater she'd never want to get near? Because he was intelligent enough to find her. Stumbling more as he jerked on her hands, off balance, she sent herself to her knees as he apparated them both into the meeting hall, staying where she was on the floor when she realized they were no longer alone.
Lucius bowed slightly, smiling as he looked up at his lord, who sat at the table, holding the girl's hands to keep her where she was.
"My lord, I have present for you," he said straightening.<|im_end|>
Voldemort was well aware that the woman was now in the house. He could taste her magic, it was floating in the air like a delicate breeze. The others in the house were singularly unaware that there was something special in the house, unaware that the Dark Lord was about to be a very, very happy man. He simply sat there, listening to Pettigrew, sniveling slime that he was, whimper out his report. His deep crimson eyes flicked to the doorway as Lucius and the woman entered, and suddenly everyone was silent in shock. Most of them didn't understand what they were seeing; they simply thought that Lucius had brought a girl for their master to enjoy, they were jealous about it too because Lucius was the only one who could do such...personal things and get away with it, save for Severus Snape. Voldemort stood, as graceful as Malfoy was, though he was starting to look pale and sickly, he was still as handsome as he had been as a child, and just as eloquent.
"Leave us," it wasn't a suggestion; the room emptied in an instant, several people shooting Lucius glares or glowers for being the Dark Lord's favorite. It was all they dared to do. The last person who had tried to curse Lucius had found himself tortured to death - and that was without the Dark Lord being there to see it happen. He'd just heard that Lucius had been attacked by one of his men, had torn through the minds of his followers to find out who, and then crucio'd him until he choked on his own screams and died. No one would dare attack Lucius, physically, verbally, or mentally. He stared at the woman for a long moment and then his long fingers stroked her cheek, as if touching a child, gentle, careful as if afraid he might break her. "So this is her. The Child of Magic that I have hunted for, for so long." Voldemort murmured, examining the handcuffs. "Muggle contraptions, Lucius?" Voldemort asked, sounding amused as he stroked the metal around her wrist, changing them into leather so they wouldn't cut into her flesh if she chose to struggle. And these way she couldn't pick the locks, many Muggles were capable of picking the locks.
"Leave us, Lucius," Voldemort purred, cupping the woman's chin and forcing her to look up, to meet his crimson eyes. But he didn't try to probe her mind; no, he would use coercion and bribery. He wanted her with him willingly... or mostly willingly anyway. She would turn the tides of the war even more in his favor. "Come, child." He whispered, delight in every word. "You must be hungry, thirsty, tired, and sore. I will have food and drink brought up to your room, and a warm bath drawn for you." The Leather cuffs could not be removed, but with a twitch of his fingers, the chain connecting them broke, and long lines of Runes wrote themselves into the Leather. She was bound to the house, she couldn't leave, and she was incapable of harming Tom, Lucius, or Severus. Voldemort didn't bother protecting anyone else. He took her hands in his and gently helped her to her feet and led her to her room. The massive place was almost more of a hotel room - a fancy one. There was a small sitting area like a living room, a massive bed made of the softest downy feathers, and a deep elegant bathtub in the bathroom that would make soaking every inch of her body easy. There was even a seat in it, so if she fell asleep in the bath, she wouldn't slip down and drown. "These will be your rooms during your stay here. You may do whatever you like to them."<|im_end|>