Brief History as it isn't explained in first chapter to avoid information overload!
- Voldemort won the battle of Hogwarts ten years prior to this story.
- A select number of wizards and witches now go through training in order to become a Death Eater. One of these centres is based around Malfoy Manor.
- Voldemort is in full power and the Order of the Phoenix exists but doesn't appear to be anywhere near ready for another war.
- All characters who died before Harry went into the forest in the battle are still dead, all who died afterwards survived.

*Cole's POV*

I'd grown a little too used to the sound of a body hitting the ground.

It wasn't a horrible sound nor was it a soothing sound. It was more of a satisfying sound, one that meant my opponent was down and it was the perfect time to strike. It was a sound that meant victory and there was no sweeter tune than winning.

The harsh thud drew my attention across the training zone to where two of the new recruits were dueling with their wands. This had to be the fifth or sixth batch of newbies Draco had brought in within the past year, myself included although I was one of the first. It happened every couple of months, a group of about twenty or thirty would filter in like a flock of birds and just as quickly, we'd weed out the weakest links.

I watched the newbies closely, taking a break from my defensive tactics lesson to observe what this new lot was bringing to the table. The duelers were both male, one stocky with long, jet black hair that he tied into a bun on the back of his head and the other tall with blonde hair that was currently covered with dirt from the ground. Neither of them were any older than I was but only one of them looked as if he belonged there.

Something hard nudged my arm and I looked over at Garrett beside me. "My moneys on the Ponytail lad, he's got that look in his eye."

I snorted. "Which look is that, the same that you've got in yours?"

Garrett grinned wickedly and I knew that was exactly what he meant. The brute had arrived in my group of recruits and I'd quickly befriended him when I realized he wasn't the kind of person I wanted as an enemy. He was top of our initiation group, along with myself and very few others and we'd climbed the ranks together from the very first day we'd arrived.

And he was right, this newbie with the ponytail had that look in his eye. Most new people would have given their opponent the chance to get up again, to redeem himself but this one did no such thing as the taller one attempted to get to his feet, Ponytail hit him with another curse that successfully disabled him, temporarily, of course, but long enough for him to declare himself the winner.

"Told you," Garrett muttered and I nodded in agreement.

The crowd that had gathered to watch was made up of mostly new recruits who clapped for the newbie with the ponytail. His smile was loaded with arrogance as he paraded around in front of his audience, ignoring his opponent who was still lying unconscious on the ground. I rolled my eyes and smirked to myself. If only the rest of training was as easy as throwing out a curse to merely knock out your opponent. Ponytail was in for a rough awakening if he believed that was all this was.

"Very impressive, Connors," a familiar voice chided although it lacked any enthusiasm whatsoever. Draco Malfoy proceeded to make his way through the crowd, commending the kid with a nod of his head before looking at the blonde on the ground. "Take him to the sleeping quarters," he ordered to his guards, who made quick work of using magic to move the kid back to the compounds. "The rest of the new arrivals are to report to their first training lesson inside."

As the group dispersed, Draco's gaze caught mine and he made his way over, his hands shoved into the pockets of his expensive trousers. Neither Garrett or I greeted him because we both knew better. Draco wouldn't have been approaching us if he didn't want something and that was that.

A nod was all we received as a greeting before he met my gaze again. "Cole, a word." It wasn't a request and I immediately obeyed, stepping away from Garrett to give us more privacy. Draco kept his voice low as he spoke, looking around the training zone as he did so. "I have certain duties for you today in order to help the transitioning of the new recruits go smoothly."

I smiled to myself as a wave of satisfaction rolled through me. "Whatever you need, I'm up for it."

Draco nodded again. "Good. You're to report down to the arrival gate and gather the rest of the new recruits that haven't arrived yet. I've been told the rest of them are accounted for and I need you to show them around the training zone and explain to them what is to be expected."

"Yes, sir," I said without hesitation.

"Very good," Draco approved again and then patted my shoulder. "It's good to know you're reliable, Cole. That sort of dependability will serve you well."

I nodded and felt my head swell with pride. It wasn't every day that Draco Malfoy gave out compliments and I definitely wasn't taking it lightly. If I had any doubts about being one of his favorites before, they were gone now and I hastily made my way down to the area where the new arrivals were gathered like a herd of cattle, waiting to be to led the slaughter house.

*June*

The twins had been arguing for the last forty five minutes, their thunder and lightning voices maddening enough to make me want to jump from the moving vehicle. They were sat behind me in the sleek seven seater my uncle had bought solely for this occasion. We'd never needed to travel like muggles before, not together anyway. Flora had flown into a fit when her father – my dear Uncle Amycus – had broken the news. Her screechy complaints had continued well into the night, mainly aimed at Hestia who was an expert at ignoring her sister's breakdowns. If she wasn't such a sour specimen of a witch I might have admired her for it. "A car. Are we going to start using their banks too? Or we could just throw our money into the street, it'd be just as safe. A car…How humiliating."

How I hated Flora's voice. It was easily one of my least favourite sounds in the world. Amycus had drowned a cat in the back yard once and I'd thought it was Flora having a tantrum, that's how appalling it was. At least Hestia's grumbling was gentle on the ears. I'd choose her moaning any day.

To give them both credit – which is rare on my part – I could understand why they were particularly awful that day. We were headed to a Death Eater training centre designed to push us to our limits both as witches and humans. I'd heard stories about how it had expanded over the last few years, ever since Draco Malfoy had taken over. The training was supposed to be as close to torture as you could get without actually dying. Saying that, rumours had spread about trainees getting their mark and being sent straight out on hunts, only to die. A lot of people alleged that it was a cover-up and they actually died in training. I'd never given much thought on whether or not I believed it. It wouldn't change the outcome. I'd still have to go.

"We're going through the last muggle town so put your wands away." Alecto said from the passenger seat.

Houses rolled past the window, swiftly turning into shops as we neared the centre. There were plenty of muggles about, all with their heads lowered. The weather was dismal but even if it hadn't been I had a feeling they'd keep their gazes down. I think muggles can feel when dark magic is near, even if they don't know what it is. The town must be drowning in it.

A stream of green sparks erupted from the back of the car and hit the front window. Amycus jerked the wheel and Alecto twisted round to face us. "Juniper!" When my mother was angry I could have sworn her eyes turned red.

"I didn't do it," I snapped, and displayed my empty hands to her. "It was one of those idiots."

"What did she just call us?" Hestia leaned forwards, but I didn't bother looking at her.

"Put your wand away, unless you want the scum outside to see. I'm sure Draco would love to send a team down to clear up your mess before you've even got there."

Hestia's seat groaned as she slumped back, and the corner of my mouth upturned. If Flora's voice was the worst sound, Hestia's silent seething when she lost was my favourite.

Alecto faced the front once more, just as we reached the edge of town. Amycus was going fast now, showing off his driving skills. He was the only member of our family who could use a muggle car. They were slow but something about the smooth movement and sudden acceleration made my heart race. Not that I'd ever admit it. The twins would call me a muggle lover for the rest of my life, until I ended up murdering one of them. Or both.

It took us ten minutes to reach the manor and the training centre surrounding it. It didn't make a great first impression. I tried to take it all in, the block buildings, the numbered posts, the foreboding structures, but it all blurred together into one grey line. I could hear Flora fidgeting behind me, but Hestia was a statue – if I didn't know better I'd think she'd bolted.

"Girls," Amycus spat like it was a dirty word, "embarrass us and the Dark Lord will be the last of your worries. You'll spend the rest of your lives in the dungeon as rat food. Understood?"

The twins mumbled in recognition of his threat, but I didn't make a sound. It didn't go unnoticed.

"Juniper," he growled, "do you understand?"

They knew I loathed being called by my full name. Everyone who cared about what I wanted called me June. The list of people wasn't long.

Amycus opened his mouth, hands tightening on the steering wheel as he stared me down through the rear-view mirror. "I asked you a-"

My door swung open before he could finish his sentence, and a chiselled face glared in at me. "What are you waiting for, a welcome party? Get out of the car newbies or I'll we'll drag you out."