A/N I wanted to thank those who are taking the time to review, it really means a lot! Also, I am planning on updating every other day from here on out. Hopefully, I can stick to that!

~Dot

CW: mentions of torture and death

Ainsley and his dad had been on the run for days. He had already grown tired of eating scraps and stale bread found in rubbish bins. He longed for the warmth and real food of Hogwarts. They had traversed throughout Europe, camping in woods. Ainsley's dad hadn't brought anything with them, assuming that Harry Potter would be no match for Voldemort. He had been very wrong.

As each day passed, Ainsley felt more and more disdain towards his father. After all, Ainsley hadn't done anything wrong. When he told his father as much, he broke out laughing.

"He hadn't done anything wrong?", his father asked maniacally. "What about the entire muggle village that you killed?"

Ainsley stared at his father as he retold the story; his dad had used his wand to kill the muggles. The deaths had been blamed on a gas leak explosion, but his dad could always tell the Wizamagot the truth. That Ainsley, in a fit of accidental magic, had destroyed the muggles. Accidental or not, the death toll would no doubt lead to the revoking of Ainsley's wand and perhaps time in Azkaban.

Ainsley was stuck. He couldn't leave, and he was afraid he would never be free. He couldn't help but relate to Harry Potter and his friends, having had lived in such a similar situation for so long. He thought of them often. After all, they got out. They survived. Why couldn't he?

One night, Ainsley's dad woke him in a hurry, Ainsley had just fallen asleep on the cold dirt floor. His dad was raving about his dark mark being activated. He dragged Ainsley up and apparated them to a dark, dungeon-like place.

Ainsley could barely see in the dimly-lit dungeon, but he could make out four figures in the darkness, each wearing a mask. He looked over to his father, noticing that he, too, had donned a death eater mask. Apparently, Ainsley was not important enough to need the safety of anonymity.

"Selwyn," one of the death eaters greeted his dad, figuring who he must be with Ainsley at his side.

The death eaters validated their identities by grilling one another. After being satisfied with their interrogations, they took off their masks.

Ainsley recognised the other men from secret meetings at the Selwyn estate and Daily Prophet articles. There was Rabastan Lestrange, who had called the death eaters together. Around him was Crabbe Sr., Rookwood, and Jugson, waiting for Lestrange's instructions, apparently eager to have someone to follow again.

Lestrange went through his plan in hushed tones, so much so, that Ainsley could barely make out what he was saying. He could make out that Lestrange and the others believed that The Dark Lord was the most powerful wizard when he was alive. They thought that he had powers that others had not, and for weeks Lestrange could not figure how such a wimpy, miserable child could have killed him.

It was no secret that Voldemort had been concerned about Potter's powers. Lestrange had figured that when The Dark Lord had tried to kill Harry the first time, he had transferred some of his powers to him. The second time, he did so as well, which is how Harry overtook him and took over the rest of his power.

The fact of the matter was that Harry Potter was now the most powerful wizard alive (this statement was met with disgruntled jeers, but Lestrange quickly rallied his fellow death eaters again). They couldn't stand for this! He had shouted. They had to kill Potter. And the one who killed him would take his powers, becoming the most powerful wizard alive and restoring dignity to the Wizarding World.

Lestrange would take on this role, of course. When asked how he would kill Potter, especially since he seemed immune to death, Lestrange laughed. Everyone knew the rule of threes; Harry would not be able to survive another killing curse; he was sure of it. The only thing he was not sure of was how to lure Potter to his death.

Luring Harry Potter would prove difficult. He tended to stay in the blood-traitor Weasley's home, and when he was not, he was flanked by aurors. They decided to turn their pursuits towards Harry's friends instead. It was widely known that his weakness was his compulsion to do anything for his friends. Even, the death eaters hoped; lay down his life for them.

Jugson had volunteered to sneak into the Ministry, taking the place of a worker, and trying to figure more about the trio. He kidnapped Alan Atkinson, and Ainsley had gotten his first glimpse of how brutal the death eaters were. They had tortured Atkinson with no remorse. His father made him perform the cruciatus curse on Atkinson. When it was not powerful enough, his father turned to perform the curse on Ainsley instead, for his weakness.

They had surmised that Potter's best friends would be travelling to Australia soon, to rescue Granger's parents. It was the perfect time to strike as aurors would not accompany them. They planned to wait until the pair arrived and snatch them. Jugson had been able to acquire their address, and the plan was set in motion.

Rowle and Macnair had joined their ranks, equally desperate for revenge as they were for unlimited power. Macnair had travelled to Australia, killing the Grangers early, making the argument that a little decomposition would only add to the terror they were planning to impose. At the same time, Crabbe Sr. had gone too far with his interrogation of Atkinson, killing him.

This meant that Jugsons polyjuice potion would only last the rest of the day, and he would be found out. They had to act immediately. Using Jugsons stolen Ministry parchment, they hurriedly wrote a letter to Granger, urging her to go to Australia immediately with Weasley. When Ainsley had asked if they were planning on rescuing Jugson, he was scoffed at. Jugson was as good as dead. Plus, they no longer needed him.

So here he was, in the shadows of the Grangers home, trying desperately to avoid looking at their corpses, which seemed to be staring at him. Waiting.

The first thing that hit Ainsley was how scared Hermione and Ron seemed. They were war heroes, and he was expecting them to be strong and stoic. But instead, they clutched each other in fear. Their terror seemed to invigorate the death eaters, but it only made Ainsley feel shame. He knew what it was like to be afraid for one's life.

He waited until the death eaters had left and turned to them.

"Don't scream," he cautioned, not wanting them to be found out, and endure much worse than they just had.

He magicked their ties away, trying to avoid their frightened stares. They were afraid of him, as well. Why wouldn't they be? He now donned a mask. For all intents and purposes, he was a death eater.