Bellatrix Lestrange's mouth fell slightly open as she stared in shock at the young man standing in the doorway. For a moment, she even forgot the searing pain burning from the scar on her right arm.
The other Death Eaters were equally transfixed, their eyes locked on the entrance, disbelief written across their faces.
Draco Malfoy's youthful features were drained of color, as though fear had swallowed him whole. Yet he still stepped into the room, trembling with each measured pace.
An eerie silence settled over the chamber.
No one among the Death Eaters dared to speak—or perhaps they simply didn't know how to.
From the shadows, Severus Snape seemed to lift his head as if by chance, studying Draco's face with quiet curiosity.
Draco's already pale skin looked waxy in the firelight, shadows pooling beneath his sunken eyes. He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse:
"Master… I have answered your summons."
...
"Draco!" After a brief pause, Voldemort's voice carried a trace of satisfaction. "I am pleased that you have come when called."
As he spoke, he walked to Draco Malfoy's side, taking his hand with deceptive warmth and guiding him further into the room.
Draco moved stiffly, like a puppet on invisible strings, allowing himself to be led step by step to the innermost part of the chamber.
"I had thought the Malfoy family had betrayed me," Voldemort said with a faint smile after returning to his seat and arranging for Draco to sit beside him. "But it seems… Draco, you have made a different choice from your parents."
"Y-yes…" Draco Malfoy drew in a deep breath and spoke loudly, "Master, you granted me this honor. I will offer you my loyalty in return!"
His voice no longer trembled; instead, it steadied. In one swift motion, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the gleaming "Dark Mark"!
The dark green mark shimmered, radiating a faint black glow.
Whispers broke out among the Death Eaters.
Clearly, Draco Malfoy's status as a full-fledged Death Eater had been a closely guarded secret.
"Well done, Draco!" Bellatrix Lestrange exclaimed, snapping back to herself, her voice feverish with zeal. "I had thought… you would follow your traitorous parents… and leave with them!"
"Of course not!" Draco Malfoy replied, just as fervently. "The Dark Lord entrusted me with a task. I have not yet completed it!"
"That will be enough, Draco." Voldemort smiled and shook his head. "You have already proven your loyalty… and loyalty deserves its reward. I promise you, once you complete your mission, you shall inherit your father's former position, and the Malfoy family will reclaim its former glory."
A fresh wave of murmurs rippled through the Death Eaters, some of them even pointing at Draco Malfoy as they whispered.
"It is my honor, Master," Draco said in a low voice.
"Now… all of you, leave." Voldemort raised his head and glanced toward the doorway, then shifted his gaze away with faint displeasure. "Draco, tell me—what exactly happened at Hogwarts?"
The Death Eaters filed out one by one.
Severus Snape was the last to leave. As he passed, he shot Draco Malfoy an encouraging look, but Draco deliberately avoided his eyes.
Bellatrix Lestrange tried to remain.
"You as well, Bellatrix. Leave," Voldemort said brusquely.
Only when the vast room was left with just Draco Malfoy and Voldemort did Draco begin to recount, slowly and in detail, everything that had happened at Hogwarts.
...
"Dumbledore left the school before the attack?" Voldemort asked, his expression dark.
"Yes. About an hour earlier. He seemed to be in a hurry," Draco nodded. "He had been at Professor Horace Slughorn's Christmas dinner."
"That matches the timing of the attack on the Order of the Phoenix headquarters," Voldemort said thoughtfully, then continued, "What happened next? The specifics."
"First, the castle gates were attacked, drawing the Aurors' and professors' attention," Draco replied evenly. "Then Professor Slughorn's guest—the Headmaster of Durmstrang, Winston Vance—suddenly turned on him…"
"Slughorn?" Voldemort's expression shifted sharply. "Is he dead?"
"No… but he appears to have been injured," Draco said quickly, shaking his head. "That wizard named Vance was clearly far more skilled. However, he either didn't intend to kill him or didn't have the time. His true aim seemed to be releasing that dreadful flame—he meant to use it to burn down the entire Hogwarts castle…"
"What dreadful flame?"
"A strange fire that takes the form of various beasts. It cannot be extinguished—only allowed to spread wider and wider. The professors were powerless against it. If Dumbledore hadn't returned at the last moment…" Draco hurried to explain.
"So, Fiendfyre," Voldemort snorted coldly. "Very much in Gellert Grindelwald's style."
"Did Dumbledore extinguish the Fiendfyre inside Hogwarts Castle?" Voldemort asked, sounding unconcerned.
"I don't know. When I received your summons, he was attempting to do just that. Afterward, I took advantage of the chaos and left the school immediately," Malfoy replied.
"Very good… You did well, Draco." Voldemort patted Draco Malfoy on the shoulder. "Now tell me everything about that wizard—the one from Durmstrang Wizarding School, Winston Vance."
"He seemed unremarkable… kept to himself throughout the banquet, then suddenly launched his attack," Draco Malfoy said, hesitating slightly. "Also… he brought a student with him to Hogwarts."
"A student?" Voldemort looked up.
"Yes… a student named Christopher Patrick," Draco answered blankly.
"Christopher Patrick?"
Voldemort murmured the unfamiliar name under his breath.