September

Annie,
You only left a few days ago but I miss you so much already.
I miss seeing you every day, I miss the feeling of you in my arms,
I miss the sound of your laugh, I miss the taste of your lips as they touch mine,
I miss the profound happiness and joy that I feel every time I am with you.
I never thought it was possible to love someone the way that I love you.
You are my best friend and soulmate.
I am counting down the days until I will see you again
(92, in case you aren't keeping track).
I look forward to hearing from you. Please write soon.
All my love,
Rab

Rabastan, along with half a dozen others, knelt on the hard, concrete floor. Each of them hooded and masked, so to conceal their identities. Around the room, Death Eaters stood in silence, watching as the Dark Lord paced up and down before the new recruits.

"You have all done well," the Dark Lord said. "Lord Voldemort is pleased. You have worked hard and proven your loyalty to me and to the Dark Order. I will now allow you to take your place among our ranks as we continue our ascent to power."

Rabastan could feel his body trembling, in a mixture of anticipation and nervousness, from what he was about to do.

"The day is coming," the Dark Lord continued, "when we will overthrow the corrupt establishment that had silenced us for so long and those with the purest of blood will rise above those parasites who are unworthy to practice magic. Together we will right the wrongs of the past and build a better world for everyone."

The Dark Lord stopped pacing and stood directly in front of where Rabastan knelt.

"I will now place my mark upon each of you and, in accepting this honour, you are forevermore offering your mind, body and soul to me and to our noble cause. If anyone has any doubts before this happens, I urge you to leave now, before it's too late."

The was a moment of deafening silence, where no one dared make a sound.

"Very well," the Dark Lord said. He gestured to Rabastan. "Present your left arm to me."

Rabastan eagerly held out his arm and pulled back his sleeve, allowing the Dark Lord to press his wand to the unblemished skin on his forearm. With a sudden shock of excruciating pain, Rabastan forced himself not to cry out as he watched the snake and skull begin to form on his arm.

*.*.*

October

Rabastan,
I apologize for not writing sooner, but I've been very busy here.
As I'm sure you remember from last year,
the teachers are all piling on the extra assignments
as we prepare for the N.E.W.T. exams at year-end.
I've been here five weeks and feel like the only thing I've been doing is studying!
Hoping you are well,
Andromeda

Andromeda sat in Charms class, watching as Professor Flitwick instructed them on how to produce a Protean Charm.

"I will divide you into pairs, and you can practice sending messages to each other," Professor Flitwick said, as he finished his demonstration. "Remember, Protean Charms will show up on your exams at the end of the year!"

Andromeda silently groaned to herself. She hated working in pairs, especially since none of her friends were pursuing a N.E.W.T. in Charms. Even though all the other students in the class were here last year (or so she assumed), she hadn't made an effort to get to know any of them. Like most Slytherins, Andromeda preferred to keep to her own, and rarely paid attention to anyone outside of her circle.

"Miss Black, you can work with Mr. Tonks," Professor Flitwick said as he walked up to her and beckoned to a boy sitting a few seats away.

Great, Andromeda thought, he stuck me with a Hufflepuff.

She eyed the blond-haired, jovial-looking boy as he took the seat next to her. Flashing her a bright smile, the Hufflepuff held out his hand.

"Hi," he said pleasantly. "I'm Ted Tonks."

*.*.*

November

My Dear Andromeda,
I am so, so sorry for not writing more. I too have been quite busy of late.
I won't get into details, of course, but please know that I miss you so very much.
Christmas break will soon be here, and I cannot wait to see your beautiful face again.
(37 more days!)
I am, forever yours,
Rab

"Down!"

Rabastan heard Evan Rosier's shout and ducked behind a low brick wall just in time; a Stunning Spell flew right over his head, just missing him.

What had started out as a simple surveillance mission had turned into a fierce battle with two well-trained Aurors. While Rosier was an excellent dueller and quick on his feet, Rabastan was still learning and much slower to respond to the onslaught.

Crouching low enough to avoid getting hit, Rabastan peered around the corner of the wall. He saw that Rosier had taken one Auror out but was still duelling the remaining man.

Jumping up from his hiding spot, Rabastan ran forward to help his comrade. He shot a Tripping Jinx at the Auror and watched him crash to the ground, with his wand flying out of his hand.

"Good work, Rab," Rosier remarked, as he reached down and grabbed the Auror's wand. The man tried to stand up, but Rosier shot a spell to knock him back down again. "But, I find it's better to just take them out. One less Auror in the world isn't a bad thing."

Rabastan didn't reply. He had performed a lot of Dark Magic over the past few weeks, but so far, he had been able to avoid killing anyone.

"Go on," Rosier urged, seeing his hesitation. "Once you get the first out of your way, it gets easier."

Rabastan nodded to him and pointed his wand at the Auror on the ground.

"Avada Kedavra!"