Sage is running as fast as she can towards the screams.

She has cuts all over her face and body from the tree branches she’s running through but she only has one thought in her mind. 

Salem. 

The screams are coming from her supposedly deceased brother. 

All of a sudden, Sage comes across a white marble mansion. She hears another shout and runs inside. 

As she enters what seems to be the foyer of the mansion she shouts, “I’m coming, Salem!”

Sage runs to the source of the screams and stops, all of the color draining from her face. 

Instead of Salem, she sees Mattheo writhing on the ground in pain. Looking next to him, she notices Voldemort with his wand pointed at Mattheo. 

He smiles evilly at her. Voldemort raises his wand and shouts the dreaded curse. 

“Avada Kedavra!”

And in a blinding flash of green light, Mattheo was dead. 

 Sage wakes up from the nightmare screaming and crying. Mattheo, alive and next to her, tries to calm her down. 

“Sage, it’s ok, it’s ok! I’m here. Don’t worry it was just a nightmare,” he says grabbing her face and making her look at him

She immediately calms down and hugs him. 

“What was it about this time,” he asks moving her hair out of her face. 

“Your death.”

He stops and looks at her pityingly. “I’m ok. Everything’s going to be ok.”

Ever since Voldemort found out about her and summoned her to the Manor for winter break, she had been having nightmares the closer the time got. 

It was finally the day they had to go. 

“Today is going to go ok. I won’t let him hurt you. And he won’t hurt me. If we need to, we can sneak out,” Mattheo said calming her down a little. 

“Ok,” she said sniffling. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you ok, Sage,” Pansy asked as they sat in a cart on the Hogwarts Express. 

“Mhm,” she nodded. “Just nervous, I guess.”

Everyone knew about the predicament Sage and Mattheo were in. 

Tom and Draco, who were going to be at the Manor with them, give them looks of pity. 

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Lorenzo hesitates. “Thanks Enzo,” Sage says with a small smile. 

“You all are going to be driving with my family,” Draco says to Mattheo, Tom, and Sage as the Gang gets off of the train. 

They say bye to their friends and walk towards the Malfoys. “Hello Draco,” his father says. He bows down to Tom and Mattheo. 

“This must be that Vespertine girl,” Lucius says with a sneer. Narcissa gives her a small smile. 

“Yes, her name is Sage and she better be shown the respect she deserves as she will be my guest,” Mattheo says glaring at Lucius. 

Lucius gulps and nods. “We will be apparating. But because everyone except Tom is under age, you will have to do it with us,” he says. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sage’s heart beat quickens as they apparate in front of the marble white Manor surrounded by white peacocks. 

She grabs Mattheo’s hand and he squeezes hers in reassurance. 

They walk into the house and Draco’s usually cool front is instantly replaced with fear. 

“Right this way,” Narcissa says giving Sage a look that says, ‘I’m so sorry for you.’

They walk into a very dim lit room filled with a long table with many people sitting around it. 

Sage notices Snape just before her attention is grasped by a voice that made her shiver. 

“Ah, finally. Hello, children. Glad that you could make it,” says Voldemort looking dead at Sage. “This must be our famous Miss Vespertine.”

She bows slightly and says, “thank you for inviting me, my Lord.” Mattheo had practiced with her what to say in his father’s presence. 

Voldemort, looking satisfied with the reply, gestures to three empty chairs next to him. 

“Sit down, sit down. We have plenty to discuss.”

Mattheo, Tom, and Sage sat in the chairs and Mattheo puts his hand on her thigh. 

“Father, may I just say, Sage would never sell us out to Dumbledore. She is a proud Slytherin and hates Hogwarts and all of its Mudbloods,” Tom says. 

“Is that so? And what is your blood status, Sage,” Voldemort asks tilting his head. She slightly panics but comes up with an idea. 

“My mother is a pure blood witch, but I’ve never met my father and my mother says he was pure blood,” she lies. Her father was a muggle but he needn’t know that. 

“Very well. And you are from New York? I wonder, were any of your relatives followers of Grindlewald,” he asks. 

How would she know that? She isn’t close with her family. Her mother was surely evil but she didn’t think her ancestors would follow one of the most evil wizards known to man. 

“I do not know, my lord. I have never formally met my extended family. I apologize,” she says. 

“Ah, I see. Now surely we can not let you leave this meeting, as you know about our headquarters, so I think it best we exterminate you,” he says raising his wand then pausing. 

Voldemort smiles evilly as he sees the look of terror on Mattheo, Tom, and Draco’s faces. 

“The children, it seems have grown a liking to our visitor here. I believe that as the duty of the host, we should give them a show.”

“Crucio!”

Sage falls out of the chair, screaming in pain. Mattheo immediately goes to her side and holds her hand as tears stain her cheeks. 

“Stop it, father! She’s done nothing! Stop it,” Mattheo exclaims as tears fill his eyes. 

Voldemort lowers his wand and Sage stops screaming. She’s left there sobbing as Mattheo holds her. 

“I’ll become a Death Eater,” Sage whispers trying to get over the pain. “What was that,” Voldemort says standing up. 

“I’ll become a Death Eater. I will join your side and be one of your Death Eaters. I could be a spy inside of Hogwarts.”

Mattheo looks at her, worry enveloping his face. “Sage you can’t,” he whispers. 

Voldemort smiles and says, “Bellatrix, go give our new member her Dark Mark.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Get up, child! Up, up, up! Time for branding,” Bellatrix exclaims pulling Sage away from Mattheo. 

“Oh, don’t look so upset, Mattheo. Now your little girlfriend won’t have to die,” Voldemort says sitting down. 

“Severus,” he asks looking at the teacher. 

“Yes, my lord?” “Keep an eye on our new spy. Make sure she doesn’t switch sides.”

“Of course,” Snape says. 

Mattheo, Tom, and Draco share a look. One that says ‘this is not supposed to happen.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Merlin, Sage are you ok? Why would you do something like that,” Mattheo exclaims as Tom, Draco, and him walk into Sage’s temporary room. 

“Oh I don’t know, Mattheo. Maybe so I could live,” she snaps at him. 

Her face softens and she apologizes. 

“No, don’t be sorry. I understand why you did it,” he says. “But this is kind of a good thing,” Tom starts, checking the hall for anyone and locking the door.

“You’re friends with that Granger girl, right? And you are acquainted with Potter, so this means you could help him defeat our father,” Tom exclaims. 

Sage says, “I don’t understand. He’s your father and yet you still want to defeat him?”

The brothers look at her sternly. “He’s done terrible things to people. We don’t want war anymore. I mean, he almost killed you, Sage. I don’t think I could be on his side now anyways,” Mattheo said. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll try and do as much as I can to be a double agent. I’ll even try and become close to Dumbledore if I have to.”

“No, that won’t work. Snape already is acting on Dumbledore’s orders. It’s quite obvious actually. But you need to become friends with Potter so he can learn to trust you and we can help,” Tom says.

“Draco, are you ok? You’ve been awfully quiet,” Sage asks looking worried. “I just don’t like being here when he is,” Draco explains. 

“We should probably go to sleep. That way we can find the quickest way to get out of here tomorrow,” Mattheo says. 

Tom and Draco nod and they leave the room. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through that,” Mattheo apologizes, laying in the bed next to Sage. 

“It’s not your fault. If you had rebelled against him then he would have just killed you too.”

Sage absentmindedly traced her new Dark Mark. “Did it hurt,” he asks. 

She nods and whispers, “a little. Bellatrix made sure of that.” Mattheo stops her tracing by holding her hand. 

“What did the Cruciatis curse feel like? I’ve seen it done on so many people but I don’t know what it feels like,” he asks her. 

She doesn’t hesitate before speaking. “It feels like a million burning hot knives are stabbing every inch of your body. Like every scar you’ve ever had is being cut open again.”

“I’m so sorry,” Mattheo starts but is cut off by Sage. “Stop apologizing. None of this is your fault, ok? Let’s just get some sleep, you look really tired.”

And with that, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.