Author's Note:
Finals Round 1: Knockturn Alley
Team: Pride of Portree
Position: Beater 2
Prompt: Horizont Alley
Prompts used:
3. (quote) Now that was an awfully big threat. — Once Upon A Time
14. (quote) 'Money is the root of all money.' — Unknown
Word Count: _2997_ excluding Author's Note
Tracey Davis is the daughter of a Pureblood wizard called Nero Burke and a muggle woman called Elizabeth Davies for the purposes of this story.
Much-much love to all my teammates for their help with the beta!
The Court of Miracles
In Tracey's personal opinion, the sorting system was a load of rubbish. She found little merit in splitting people up at the age of eleven based on abilities determined by a talking hat. But apparently, in this case at least, the hat in question had pretty accurately sorted them by how they'd die.
Percy Weasley was in this mess because he was too brave for his own good and hence came up with this hare-brained plan to aid the war effort. Cho Chang was here because she could not resist the intellectual challenge the planning of all of it posed. Ernie Macmillan had not wanted to come but he reasoned that they were all going to get themselves killed without him; wanting to protect his friends, albeit in a roundabout way. And as much as Tracey longed for a nobler motive, deep down inside she knew she was here because had they succeeded, their names would have been burned into the pages of history forever.
Instead, bravery, thirst for knowledge, loyalty, and ambition were about to get them all killed in a painful manner.
With a small clink, a delicate pink and gold teacup was placed on its saucer, bringing Tracey Davis out of her thoughts. She glanced at the desk in front of which they were all lined up and saw the woman behind it clicking her perfectly manicured fingernails on the table. Her blue eyes focused on Tracey and she seemed to consider something before opening her mouth to speak. Unfortunately, someone beat her to it.
"If we don't walk out of here in fifteen minutes, you'll live long enough to regret you were ever born!" Tracey could have slapped Percy for that; if only her hands were not bound behind her back. The woman turned her eyes to the boy and clicked her tongue, the corners of her mouth twitching ever so slightly.
"Now that, my dear, was an awfully big threat. Are you sure you can make good on it?" Percy's resolve seemed to waiver and he didn't reply. The woman arched an eyebrow.
"Well?"
Tracey swallowed and took a breath: "He said nothing."
"Oh? Because I could have sworn he just made a threat towards my person. Does he feel like he is in the position to be doing that?"
"He does not!"
"Good. So now we've got that out of the way, Miss, I'd like to know how we ended up here. Would you care to explain it to me?"
Horizont Alley was a street that existed somewhere between the darkness of Knockturn Alley and the respectable Diagon Alley. The various stores were generally more or less legal unless you knew who and what to ask for and didn't desire something too dark. In many ways it was a bridge between the Dark and the Light.
The building at Horizont Alley 25 was the prime representation of these values. It was a most ugly building— far too tall, wide, and painted in an unignorable shade of pink. Large gold ornaments outlined the windows and the main door was behind huge, white, plaster Roman columns. The way to the door was marked by a long red carpet with rows of torches on either side.
Madeline DeVry had established The Court of Miracles, the British Wizarding World's first casino, quite shortly after the First War. Her family had fought on the side of Voldemort and as a result their fortunes were confiscated. The young heiress had been left penniless and mostly friendless; it also left her without much interest from any reputable families when it came to marriage. So she started her own business, and because being a wizard didn't cure one from all vices that came from being a human, it soon began to thrive.
It was in fact one of the few establishments that continued to do so even as Voldemort rose to power once more. Sin and gambling never went out of fashion, no matter who was sitting in the Ministry. Madeline DeVry had obtained a rather large part of the whole of Horizont Alley and her casino was frequented by quite a few Death Eaters.
Which was probably why Percy Weasley had been so hell bent on robbing that particular establishment.
For Tracey it all began one afternoon at a private booth at The Fountain of Fair Fortune. She had sat quietly, nursing her Gillywater, and waited for the other three conspirators to start talking, but the atmosphere was chilly. It was clear Percy Weasley didn't like her being there and, as for her part, she couldn't really say she cared for any plan that he played a considerable role in.
The boy had been a few years ahead of her at Hogwarts and yet stood out as a notorious stickler. He'd been the one to make sure everyone followed every single rule and was, all in all, a general nuisance. Then she'd heard of him becoming a Ministry lackey and even though he was a Gryffindor and a Weasley, Tracey could not help entertaining the thought that this was all a set-up.
If only it weren't for the fact that he kept staring at her like he expected her to turn into Bellatrix Lestrange and start murdering people right in front of him.
Nice little bit of Slytherin prejudice, that, she mused. Oddly, however she could not find it in her heart to really blame him.
Finally Percy sighed. "So, Ernie told you what we plan to do?"
Ernie Macmillan had been an unlikely friend of Tracey's since fifth year. He was good and kind, if a bit pompous, and during a time that Tracey had most wanted to stay out of the Slytherin common room, he was a most welcome distraction. He'd also been the boy who had approached her a week prior and said that his friends were mounting some sort of a resistance effort. He'd asked if she could help and now, somehow, here she was.
"You want to use my father's name to get into a Wizarding casino and rob it," she replied with as little emotion as she could.
"Yes. We do."
Tracey held back a laugh. Of course they did. Out of all of them, only the heir to the honourable Nero Burke could get an invitation to play at The Court of Miracles. And though she might hide behind her mother's name, she was still his daughter too.
"Just because my father happens to be of one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, doesn't mean they'll let me just walk in there. Anyway, you're a Weasley, why can't you do it?"
Percy frowned, as if Tracey had accused him of something. "It's not about being of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and you know that. We need someone who—"
"Hangs with that circle. Is a death muncher." She sipped the Gillyweed.
Ernie let out a slightly nervous laugh. "Not only that. We also hope you can provide us some capital!"
Tracey snorted. "You need money from me to convert it into more money?"
"Of course. Haven't you heard? Money is the root of all money."
"No, I haven't heard that actually. I think you just made that up. But at least this confirms that you only ever loved me for my assets!"
Ernie grinned and Tracey rolled her eyes, not really being able to get mad at the boy. Then she turned towards Percy again.
"For the record he's not one of them. He just doesn't have much of a taste in friends." She twirled the straw between her fingers and sighed. "That's why you picked that casino, isn't it? To steal from the Death Eaters and fund the war effort?"
"And because we have the plans for the building." Cho chimed in from the corner she'd been quietly occupying.
Tracey raised an eyebrow at her before sighing and folding her hands in her lap.
"Alright. It's a hare-brained plan that will get us all killed—" she said. What she meant was NO. Why didn't she say no? No one had ever stolen from Madame DeVry and lived.
"—So sure, count me in." Because wouldn't that be a great thing to be remembered for?
"Are you sure this is going to work?"
Tracey fixed the heavy Burke family signet ring on her finger. "Oh, this'll get us into the casino, little weasel, but from then on it'll all be in the hands of the gods." She glanced at Percy stuffing his wand into the holster on his hand and shook her head.
"This won't, however," she noted, tugging at his sleeve. "They confiscate all weapons at the door."
"So your idea is to go in without any?" snapped the boy.
"It was your idea to do this in the first place!" replied Tracey. "Are Ernie and Cho in position?" She and Percy were just the distraction. It was the other two who had to do the real job.
"Cho checked in a few minutes ago. She said she's ready. Ernie…" he glanced at his wristwatch, "should be ready, too."
Tracey nodded and turned her eyes to the window, looking at the big, ugly and yet oddly alluring building across the street.
"Well, if you have any gods that you pray to, call on them now. Otherwise we must go." She smiled at the boy in his black formal robes and then ran her hands down her silver-sequin gown, making sure it sat right. "The doors are open, and it's showtime!"
They left the small hotel and crossed the street, Percy holding Tracey's hand, as they approached the casino. A bouncer stopped them and Tracey smiled up at him, speaking as if she were a regular guest to the establishment. "Miss Burke. My father has an open invitation to the Court of Miracles."
The man glanced down at this list and then allowed them to pass into the small foyer where another bouncer checked them quickly for weapons, confiscating Percy's wand as Tracey had predicted. He seemed a bit put out by that, but Tracey smiled at him warningly and the boy didn't argue.
Neither of them had ever been inside and, quite curiously, not one of them had found any actual pictures of the place. Now standing there and taking in the sight, it took their breath away and nearly made them forget why they were there.
It was a ballroom that seemed to have a ceiling stretching to the night sky filled with a thousand stars that lit the entire room. The decorations were white and gold, with vines and leaves crawling all over the walls. A huge marble staircase with a red carpet led up to the second level where they could see tables with every kind of game of luck imaginable.
They moved up the stairs, in between the tables and the cocktail waitresses in short black dresses carrying trays of intoxicating beverages for all tastes. Tracey snatched two glasses of champagne and handed one to Percy. The boy began to object, but she just shook her head.
"Take it! Any date of mine would in such a situation!" She pressed the glass into his hand.
Tracey's eyes scanned the room until her eyes fell on the table at the far back where a group of people played bridge. One pair had just stood up and left while the other stayed. A pair of Death Eaters.
"That's the one we want, darling!"
Percy frowned: "Are you sure?"
"You said our job was to create a distraction! And I'm afraid it's a bit too late to call this thing off!" She downed her champagne in one hungry gulp and put on her most confident face.
"Gentlemen, would you mind if we joined you?" she exclaimed as she strode over then ostentatiously lifted a bag of galleons she'd borrowed from her father's vault from her purse.
Thorfinn Rowle stood up and to Percy's complete surprise, mingled with a bit of disgust, kissed Tracey's outstretched hand. "Miss Burke, what a lovely surprise. Please!" he pulled out a chair for her and Tracey threw a smile over her shoulder to the Gryffindor boy who took his seat with a little less enthusiasm. The dealer laid out the cards and Tracey picked them up, holding them close to her chest.
"Pass!" she declared after a moment, opening the bidding. They played a few rounds, with Tracey trying to get a feel of the game before she set their plan in motion. The two Death Eaters were cheating. They were sending signals on good hands by either touching their ear or taking breaks. That at least made it simpler. Cheaters were always more suspicious of others too.
Tracey also took the opportunity to drink another glass of champagne. Percy was giving her a few concerned looks, but she chose to ignore them. Instead, she delved into her cards and paused before bidding. Percy took the signal and made his higher bid. Next to her, Rowle frowned and was about to say something, but paused.
They won the round in play even though Percy nearly made a mistake and cost them an overtrick. Tracey tried not to hold it against him and glancing at her less-than-stellar hand made a significant pause before passing. Rowle's partner, Rookwood, scowled. They ended up below game and won with overtricks, but should have been able to make a game. Rookwood glared at Tracey and the girl put on her best innocent look.
Only once they caught what they thought was an outright signal did Rowle leap out of his chair to wrap a hand around Percy Weasley's throat. Tracey shrieked and stumbled away from the table, sending cards and her empty champagne glasses flying.
"You dirty, cheating bastard!" exclaimed the Death Eater and Percy let out a stifled protest.
"Let him go!" Rookwood slapped Tracey across the face, sending her stumbling backwards and she gasped in protest.
"Enough!" As Tracey had predicted, two bouncers intervened almost instantly and pulled the Death Eaters away. "Have you not heard of the no violence rule?" demanded a tall dark-haired man with a scar splitting his face, "What is going on?"
Rookwood composed himself the quickest. "These two cheated us at cards. They signalled each other!"
The man's cold sharp eyes turned to Tracey. "Did you cheat?"
Tracey felt a shiver of something go through her, but still shook her head: "No, we did not. I do not know what these people are imagining!"
The man nodded, "Do you have any proof of cheating, sir? Our anti-cheating wards picked up nothing!" Which to be fair they wouldn't have in the case of mere signalling.
Rookwood glared at Tracey and Percy, but shook his head. "It was just a feeling!"
"Well, we can't take action just because of a feeling." He hesitated. "Maybe it would be better if you left?"
Tracey shook her head: "Really! I am shocked! I didn't expect this kind of treatment!" her eyes wandered up to the clock and then back to the man.
He shook his head. "If you'd like to speak to the manager about it, I can arrange that!"
Tracey saw Percy shaking his head slightly. He was probably right, this was too risky. But they needed to stall for some more time or Cho and Ernie would never make it out. "Yes, I would actually!" she replied, feeling a bit uneasy about it.
She didn't realize her mistake until they entered the office up the stairs and her eyes landed on the figures of Ernie and Cho, their hands neatly bound behind their back. Thus Tracey didn't even fight back when a rope coiled around her wrists and the woman behind the table, Madeline DeVry herself turned around.
"Ah, so while your…partners…were trying to break into my safe, you caused the distraction to draw away my security team. Full marks for cleverness." The woman's nails tapped the table and she leaned back in the chair. "As for your extraction team, I am unimpressed. Your safe cracking skills are…shall we say sub-par? And of all the scenes to cause, cheating at cards with two death eaters takes guts but could also be called extremely stupid."
She stood up and smiled at Percy. "Now, what about that threat you made? I still really would like to hear you elaborate!"
Tracey glared at the boy but Percy wasn't getting the message: "You'll regret not letting us go!"
"Why? Because you're a Weasley, he's a Macmillan, and this lovely lady is a Burke?" she smiled at Cho. "No offence, darling. I am sure that short of a famous family, you're still a wonderful witch!"
"No, because if you don't let us go, your safe is good as gone!" He made an explosive noise and smirked. Tracey could have kicked the smug bastard. "Can you afford to lose all those galleons? I know our break-in skills might be sub-par, but we do have a penchant for destruction!"
Madeline DeVry studied them. "I could just have my men run a sweep and remove the explosives."
"If you're fast enough. The countdown is already close to done. Can you afford not paying out winnings to your Death Eater guests tonight?"
The woman's eyes turned cold. "What do you want?"
"Let's say…twenty thousand galleons and our lives?"
"You son of a b—" Tracey stopped herself as an angry older woman glared at her. The four of them were walking away from The Court of Miracles as fast as they could. "Why didn't you tell me that you had a backup plan?"
Percy smirked. "I couldn't trust a Death Eater with everything, could I?"
Tracey pursed her lips and pouted. "You better hope this war ends soon because Madeline DeVry is not going to be happy!"
"No I suppose not. Especially once she finds out I was bluffing!"
Tracey stopped and stared at Percy feigning shock. "Blimey, I didn't even know Gryffs could do that!"