Calliope woke with a scream. She automatically tried reaching for her wand-
"Petrificus Totalus."
Calliope froze. Travers stood in front of her bed, bucket in hand, and he levitated her off the mattress.
"Morning," he chuckled.
Calliope mentally groaned as Travers levitated her down the hall in front of the Death Eaters, Narcissa, and Ted. This was far from embarrassing. Once they were outside, she found that Neville, Daphne, and Luna were already waiting. Draco already warned her he would be with his father that morning. Fred and George were with their family, and Blaise was with Astoria getting school supplies for Daphne. Travers released the spell, and Calliope hit the ground on her knees. Her wand landed in the dirt by her hand.
"Your Mum woke me with hot water. Consider yourself lucky I used ice," Travers said.
"I thought we said six," she huffed, getting to her feet.
"Must not know what time it is."
Calliope felt the air shift, and she twisted, batting away the stunner sent by Mulciber. Another came from Rookwood. Then Travers. Then Narcissa. Then Travers and Mulciber together. She finally got hit with a hex from Ted. Calliope rubbed her thigh, knowing there would be a bruise there in the morning. Ted was many things, but a weak wizard was not one of them. The Death Eaters circled her. Ted and Narcissa remained with the Nacht Hexen. Travers put his wand in his back pocket and removed his cloak, leaving him in a ratty tank top.
"Alright, young one. You hit me twice; you get a lunch break. I hit you twice; you run a lap around the manor," he said.
"Are you mad?" she exclaimed. "This place is almost twenty acres!"
"I know. I ran it a few times myself. Definitely closer to twenty-one."
Travers moved. Calliope ducked a punch and barely avoided a fist to the stomach. She tried to remember what her father taught her, what Dan taught her, and she moved her feet. She feigned a hit to the left and caught Travers in the jaw. He shook off the hit and got her in the side. They blocked and dodged, trying to catch the person off guard, and Calliope made the mistake of getting frustrated. She swung high, leaving her chest free, and Travers gut-checked her so hard she felt it rattle her ribs. She wheezed and fell to the ground.
"Laps, ladies and gents," Travers shouted.
"Wait, what?" Neville asked.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that if she runs, you run?" he laughed. "My bad."
Calliope was lifted from the ground and pushed into her friends.
"One lap. And when you get back, we'll start the warm-ups," Rookwood ordered.
"Is this really how my Mum taught you?" Calliope panted.
"No," Mulciber said. He shot a weak Reducto at her feet. "She wouldn't have missed," he added.
Bellatrix tugged at the muggle leggings Tom got her. She trudged out to the Quidditch field and stopped short. Andy, Tom, Lucius, and Draco stood in front of her. Draco seemed just as annoyed as her.
"Got dragged into this?" Bellatrix asked.
"I thought I was going to the broom shop," Draco muttered.
"You are," Lucius said. "After you and Bella run some laps."
"Are you insane?" Bellatrix huffed. "This place is twenty-three acres!"
"Run," Tom ordered.
Bellatrix bowed her head and started jogging. Draco followed behind her at a steady pace while Lucius, Andy, and Tom got comfortable on the grass.
"Do you think they'll make it?" Lucius asked.
"They don't have a choice."
By the end of the day, Neville's shirt was soaked, Daphne's hair was beyond saving, and Luna could barely walk. Calliope had gotten the worst of it, of course, and she was lying down on the floor of the study with her back exposed. The others had gotten healed after a hit, but they refused to heal Calliope. She had lashes on her back, bruising on her shoulders, and a burn at the base of her spine. Draco returned a few minutes after they finished and immediately went to find some salve. Once he found the correct jar, Draco rubbed it carefully over Calliope's back. Calliope screamed out as Draco hit a particularly deep gash.
"Sorry, sorry. Almost done," Draco muttered.
Daphne and Neville shared a look, one that said they knew they got it easy, and Luna held Calliope's hand. They were alone, away from the others, and there was no need for her to pretend. Draco finished and sat back.
"Done."
Calli turned her head to Daphne and Neville. "You two are better than I gave you credit," she said hoarsely.
"Thanks," Neville said. "You lasted a lot longer than I thought. No offense."
"Dan used to drive me out to the forest. He would set up obstacles, blindfold me, and really test my awareness," she said. "The only difference being he had no magic, and I was usually ducking paintballs."
"Sounds fun, actually," Draco joked.
Calli pushed herself into an upright position, Neville and Draco looking away as her bare chest was exposed. She wrapped a towel around her chest and groaned.
"Fuck," she sighed. "This is going to hurt worse in the morning."
"What do you think we'll learn tomorrow?" Neville asked wearily.
"Today was physical and testing our limits. I get a feeling tomorrow will be mental and emotional," she said. "And they will not be nice about it."
Bellatrix limped her way into her bedroom. She hated Tom. She hated the war. She hated Dumbledore. She hated Andy. She hated Lucius.
"Fuck," she growled, forcing her body to move the way she wanted.
Everything hurt. Her arms. Her legs. Her thighs. Her feet. Her head. Once she finished her laps, Tom tied weights around her ankles and made her dodge spells from Andy and Lucius. Draco had the same task. Then, just for the hell of it, Tom created a muggle gym and locked them both inside, saying if neither of them wasn't crawling out by the end of the day, they would do it all again. The worst part about it was Bellatrix, and Draco actually crawled out of there. Bellatrix flopped on the bed and exhaled.
"Calliope," she whispered. "I hope you're having a better night than me."
Laying on her stomach, Calliope pulled Bellatrix's pillow close and breathed in her lover's scent.
"See you soon, Bella," she whispered.
The next morning, Calliope wore a loose shirt and a pair of short shorts as she exited the bedroom. She glared at Lucius as he escorted her down.
"You will hate us by the end of the day," he said.
"I know."
Calliope knew there were limits her mother would push way past, but it wasn't her mother. It was her father.
"Did my father plan today?" she asked.
"Yes."
A rock settled in her chest. Lucius led her outside, where she found only Travers and some of her Nacht Hexen. Luna was missing, Astoria was missing, and George was missing.
"Nice of you to join us, Sleeping Beauty," Travers greeted. "No wands. We're going on a little field trip."
"Dare I ask?" she sighed.
Travers grinned widely and threw a broom on the ground in front of everyone.
"Nacht Hexen, grab hold," he ordered.
Those who were there did as they were told, and that bad feeling in Calliope's chest intensified as Travers wiggled his fingers in a sarcastic wave.
Bellatrix woke up to Narcissa standing over her. She had no chance to get her bearings before the portkey activated.
Calliope gasped as she and the others landed on a wooden platform in the middle of the ocean. She glanced around, and her heart stopped as she saw Bellatrix on the opposite platform. What made things worse was that it wasn't just Bellatrix. Luna, Augusta, George, Astoria, and Tonks were beside her, tied together. Calliope turned. The rest of her family and the Death Eaters were on the beach, comfortable like it was a family picnic. Tom was the most comfortable, stretched out on a towel as he tanned. She wanted to hate him, but some part of her knew she needed to learn these lessons. No matter how fucked up they might be.
"Your jobs are simple!" Rookwood shouted. "Save one, go home. Lose one, well, you've just killed someone."
"Wait!" Neville shouted. "You're joking, right? No one's actually going to die if we fail?"
"That's up to you, mate," Rookwood laughed.
"Oh fuck. We're in the Death Eater games," Draco whispered.
"What?" Luna asked.
Calliope groaned. She remembered the stories from Lucius and Andy. The Death Eater games were bloody, ruthless, and cold-hearted. If you weren't careful, you truly would die.
"Rookwood is not kidding," Calliope said. "You die out here, you die. My mother was a sadist."
"We have no wands," Daphne reminded them.
"Then I hope you guys can swim," Fred muttered. "Because I have a feeling that we'll be in the water sooner rather than later."
"We need a plan," Blaise said. "Pick someone and go from there."
"Bella," Calli said.
"Luna," Draco added.
"Astoria's mine," Daphne huffed.
"George," Fred sighed.
"No one else touches my grandmother," Neville said.
"That leaves Tonks for me," Blaise said.
"We have our persons, but if you see one of us struggling, we help. No one dies out here," Calliope said.
"Agreed," Draco huffed.
"You ready?" Luna asked Calliope.
"I have no choice, do I?" she sighed.
Rookwood shot a spell into the air that sounded more like a bomb.
"Go!"
Calliope knew better. She instinctively knew better, and yet-
"Fuck!" she shouted, spitting out another lungful of water.
She pulled herself back on the platform and helped Draco out of the ocean. He collapsed on his stomach and caught his breath. Fred and Daphne were upright, barely, and Neville had already abandoned his shirt. Calliope took in the situation. The group huddled close. No matter how far, how hard, or how deep they swam, they got nowhere near the other platform. Whether magical or otherwise, a storm had picked up in intensity, and Calliope was wary of the lightning.
"Next plan?" Daphne panted.
They'd gone through three plans, all of which ended in disaster one way or another. Blaise had a burn mark on the side of his neck from something in the water. No one could catch a glimpse of it after pulling him out of the waves. Draco had claw marks covering half his back, and Fred had so much water in his left ear he'd gone deaf. They were coming up short on time and energy.
"Every time we get in the water, it pushes the platform back," Daphne said.
"There's a stasis spell on the water," Calliope corrected.
"But how is that possible?" Fred shouted.
Neville turned Fred to the side to prevent any more screaming directly into his ear, and he said, "I have to ask the same. Even with their combined magic, I doubt that group can't spell an entire body of water."
"That's because we aren't on the ocean," Draco said suddenly.
"How? I see the ocean, I feel the ocean," Blaise paused and spit something over the side, "and I most definitely taste it."
"Death Eater Games," Draco repeated to Calli.
"I know that," she exasperated. "But-
"Core Training," he interrupted.
Calliope stiffened. She looked around, getting a better look at the environment, and narrowed her eyes on the beach. Calliope flicked her wrist, casting a harmless spell in the direction, and she huffed when the people on the beach shimmered like they were holograms. Calliope laid down on the platform and covered her face with her arms.
"Uh, what's going on? What's Core Training?" Neville asked.
"We never left the manor," Draco sighed. "We're in a magical simulation, for lack of a better description."
That got their attention.
"So, the ocean isn't real?" Blaise asked.
"And our family isn't captured?" Fred added.
"Blaise, in theory, the ocean is real. And no, Fred, I doubt our family is in true danger. It's a motivation to force us to move through this quickly. However, I must point out that the injuries we sustain here are the injuries we sustain out there."
"So, we can die in here," Neville guessed.
"They would never let it get that far, but had it been anyone else, say the Dark Lord of Old, then yes, you can die in this simulation."
"When you say the Dark Lord of Old," Fred began.
"I mean Rayna, not Tom."
Calliope dropped her arm and said, "From what I was told, my mother wanted the strongest, fastest, and smartest at her side. So, naturally, she created one final game that would weed out those who did not meet the criteria. She named it Core Training because it focused on the three main qualities of being a Death Eater, the Core of their brotherhood, so to speak."
"Which are?"
"Unity, Sacrifice, and Courage," she said.
"My Dad said there is always a clue in each game," Draco added. "If this platform is the only consistent thing here, then the-
"-platform has to be our clue," Daphne finished.
Everyone stared at her, and she rolled her eyes.
"Calli might be the brightest witch of her age, but I'm damn sure the smartest witch in Slytherin. But we've been on this platform multiple times. So, if it isn't on top, then it has to be under."
"I'll go," Calliope said, getting to her feet.
"No. I'm the better swimmer," Draco said, pulling off the remnants of his shirt.
"You're also-
Draco dived into the water without listening.
"-injured," she huffed, preparing herself to jump in after if need be.
After a few minutes, Draco reappeared and pulled himself out of the water.
"There's an inscription on the bottom. Compass reveals Unity," he said.
"What kind of clue is that?" Fred shouted.
"I have no idea."
"Okay, now it's your turn to shine, Calli," Daphne joked.
"It means for us to move forward, we have to swim in the Cardinal directions to succeed. Like a compass, but it will only work if we swim at the exact same time and in the right directions."
"How do you figure this shit out so fast?" Neville huffed.
"I work through a long list of options and come up with the best solution for the situation," she said off-handedly.
"But why put a compass with unity?" Blaise asked.
"In Unity, you must trust the others to guide you in the right direction," Draco recited flatly.
"Oh."
There were no more questions after that.
Calliope tied her hair into a French braid and said, "Neville, Fred, you two swim East. Daphne, Blaise, you two swim West. Draco is North, and I will swim South. Remember, we have to do this at the same time," she said.
"What if this doesn't work?" Daphne blurted.
"Then we start over and try again." Her friends seemed unhappy with that answer, so she exhaled and added, "Guys, this is only the first step. If we cannot get past this, how can we go to war with the Headmaster and the Order? As incompetent as they can be, they are formidable in their own way. As for the Headmaster, he will not treat us like our predecessors. We will have to prove we can go toe to toe with the great Leader of the Light. And his followers. So, if we fail again, we start over. We keep trying."
Her Nacht Hexen gave her short nods and took up their positions on the platform. She made sure everyone was facing the direction they needed to be. They looked awful. Blaise had his shirt wrapped around his neck, Draco and Neville were shirtless, Fred was missing the bottom half of his pants, and Daphne had long given up on modesty with her very wet, very see-through white shirt. Calliope smiled to herself and turned back around.
"On my count!" she shouted. "One, two, three!"
Even without seeing them, Calliope felt them all hit the water at the same time. They swam as hard as they could. Soon, her ears started to ring, and a bright light nearly blinded her under the water, but she kept going. Eventually, the ringing grew louder, and the light was so blinding Calliope had no chance before it swallowed her whole. Suddenly, she was yanked out of the water by Neville. She coughed up water and laid flat on the hard surface. Neville rubbed his ears and gave her a wry smile.
"You were right, though I wish you weren't," he said.
Calliope grunted as Daphne, Blaise, Draco, and finally, Fred made their appearance. The six said nothing, just took in the small victory they made it to the second round. Unfortunately, they knew it would only get harder from there. They rose to their feet. They were still on the ocean but on a concrete platform with six pillars smack dab in the middle. There was a blade on each.
"Dare I ask what this one wants us to do?" Blaise sighed.
Neville pointed to an inscription at the base of the pillars. "It says the truth can always be found in sacrifice. When the time comes, you must tell the truth. For the truth is your way out."
"I shouldn't have asked," Blaise muttered.
"Wait, is this place sentient?" Daphne asked.
"Probably," Calliope muttered, staring at the pillars. "Come on, we need to get through this."
The six walked to the pillars and stood side by side. They picked up the blade and placed them on their skin. In unison, they sliced open their palms. The blood seeped into the pillar, and their skin healed automatically. For a moment, nothing happened.
"Are you sure we-
Fred's question was lost as the six teens collapsed into unconsciousness.
