Written for the Quidditch League Season 9, on the team Caerphilly Catapults.
Round 9: Oh, That's Such Bad Luck
Thanks to my stupendous betas: CupCakeyyy, charlotteredmond99, ThouShaltNottPass
Using prompts:
Chaser 2: The number 9
(word) Initiative
(word) Essential
(setting) Malfoy Manor
Word count: 1989
Day 1
I'm in. Today was my first day as an official Death Eater; it has been oddly focused on the mundane, the rules they have in place and protocol if they get caught. I've attached a complete set of those with this message but the general rundown is that you're supposed to stay quiet and await a breakout.
I've been stationed at Malfoy Manor for the time being which seems to be a hotspot for Death Eater activity. Lots of people coming and going, plans left out and discussed in the open, but it does mean that it is busy enough that I doubt I will have much free time or space to document my findings. I've had to write this well after the others have gone to bed by wandlight in a closet.
Day 2
I took part in the raid today. I wish I could have warned you but it was sprung on me only minutes before it happened. The final part of my initiation.
It was certainly planned ahead of time: they had layouts of the station and the expected arrival time of the Hogwarts Express. They even had information that there weren't going to be more than a few aurors present either — it confirms that they have someone spying in our own ranks. I'm grateful my name isn't attached to these missives now, otherwise I'm sure I will soon be uncovered. Still, better safe than sorry — be careful how many eyes get on this intelligence.
It was a much more organised attack than ones I'd attend before being granted full membership. They have formations, squads of three that work together so one can provide cover while the other two go on the attack, trading places to recover as needed. There were seven squads in the attack today, something that You-Know-Who apparently tends to prefer. It's a strong strategy, allowing a squad to have eyes in all directions when on the move without being so large a group as to be challenging to maneuver.
I will say, I think their squad layout leaves them susceptible to attacks from above or below. The defensive capabilities of the average Death Eater seems unimpressive; I doubt they get much experience when attacking the innocent and unprepared.
It was a sickening experience. I had to levy a few nastier curses at Muggles and parents to maintain my cover. I couldn't bear to fire on the children. I hope that it went unnoticed.
Day 3
This morning I was branded by the Dark Lord himself. The mark is still stinging all these hours later.
He-Who-Must-Be-Named is a cold, ruthless man in person. I cannot fathom why these people follow him. He cast the Cruciatus Curse on his own scouts for failing to provide useful intelligence, turning his wand on anyone who dared to look him in the eye without being explicitly ordered to.
I'm keeping my head down, which seems to be expected. Most of the other newly branded Death Eaters seem as afraid of him as I am. He barely acknowledged me as he cast the charm that burned the ink onto my skin, but I was so tempted to pull my wand free and end all of this madness. One spell, one unforgivable act and we might be free of this tyrant.
I stopped myself from trying. We know the other spies have never made it back. They may have felt the same as me and acted on that impulse. No matter how many awful things I could say about You-Know-Who, I cannot deny his skill with a wand. It would not be a sure thing if I tried to finish him off. I doubt I'd even see it coming.
Day 4
Lord Greengrass is being blackmailed. I visited him today with a few other Death Eaters, broke in, roughed up the rest of his family. Lady Greengrass was force-fed a poison that only the Death Eaters have an antidote for.
The whole thing escalated too fast for me to intervene or send out a message for help. They're still keeping me mostly in the dark about our day to day movements and it's hard to gauge what is bad enough to call in the Aurors without blowing my cover.
I'm making excuses. Everything is bad enough it makes me want to break cover, to turn on these lunatics.
I understand this job is important, essential even. We need to know how they operate. Find ways to undermine them. We can't do that without me being here.
The thought doesn't comfort me while watching Lord Greengrass weep at our feet, begging for his wife's life.
They want him to cast a vote in favour of a Muggle-born registration act later this week. That's what all that torment is worth.
This assignment has already gone on far too long.
Day 5
They ran drills today. Half of it is stolen right out of the auror handbook. The other half is so dark I doubt the stain of it will ever leave me.
It's a full moon in three nights time, so they had us training with werewolves. I'm almost certain there will be a large raid somewhere important. Diagon Alley? The Ministry? I've heard a fair few places being suggested by the others around me but none of them seem certain. It honestly seems like they haven't picked yet, which somehow seems worse — they're not doing it for a tactical advantage, it's being done entirely to stir up fear and chaos.
How do you fight back against that? How do you defeat an enemy who achieves their objective just by showing up?
I recommend training with shields over the next few days and form squads of more than three. Going head to head with a Death Eater squad, you're likely to win by numbers. They're not going to go down easy though: don't pull any punches. Aim to permanently disable or they will keep coming back.
I know that's obvious. I think I'm writing it down for my own sake of mind. There isn't any confirmation you're getting any of these. I could be writing straight into a void; I'd have no way of knowing.
Day 6
I've been assigned to Malfoy as a bodyguard, another grunt to help him look intimidating. I can't believe this guy still gets to walk around free. I could detail a dozen places around his house he keeps dark artifacts and if someone is able to breach the wards, you'll undoubtedly find half a dozen Death Eaters here at any given time. It can't be that hard to get probable cause, no matter how rich the guy is.
Today we were mostly attending regular business, visiting stores and politicians. I listened to cryptic exchanges whose meaning I'm still not remotely sure of. I've attached a brief summary of the places he visited today and the people he talked to — maybe one of them will be able to provide information that could get you a warrant?
The end of the day saw us visit a manor I hadn't seen before. It seems to be He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's headquarters, although, I'm afraid it seems to be Unplottable — it was the first thing I tried (discreetly, of course) when I arrived.
You-Know-Who was interrogating a man, someone who had apparently tried to flee the ranks of the Death Eaters and been captured. Malfoy and the rest of his bodyguards watched on impassively as the Dark Lord tortured the man for what must have been half an hour, waiting for a chance to speak. I hope my face stayed as still as theirs, my stomach turned at the sight of it.
Eventually, You-Know-Who granted Malfoy his attention, leaving the man shuddering on the ground for the entire discussion. I'll admit I failed to pick up any useful information from the discussion and I make no apologies for that fact — I was far more focused on trying to figure out a way out for the poor man. I thought maybe I could offer to the Dark Lord to take him away and finish him off myself, turn him loose out of sight of the others, but I had no such luck.
You-Know-Who gave Malfoy a small book and dismissed him, turning his wand on the man and casting the Killing Curse. I've never seen something so awful, how absently he cast the darkest of spells.
Day 7
I may have made a mistake. It was another day 'protecting' Malfoy, the same as before pretty much. He's been keeping that book close and I acted, maybe spitefully, but I think it's a necessary rebellion if I'm going to keep my mind in this place. I've taken it while he's sleeping and now have to figure out what to do with it. I know whoever is reading this would scold my initiative but after a whole week with this company, I felt I had to do something.
The book itself is odd. It seems to be a diary, blank on every single page except for a name identifying the owner, a 'Tom M. Riddle'. It's magical, absorbing any ink that falls on a page, but apart from that I am not sure what it is capable of. It is clearly important to You-Know-Who if how Malfoy is treating it is any indication but I cannot fathom its purpose.
I will need to find a way to get it out of this house and to you, see if the Unspeakables can figure it out.
Day 8
You already know what happened.
I'm sorry.
I saw Aurors Fleecewood, Briers and Coppersalt fall. I'm sure they weren't the only ones.
I should have known Azkaban was a possible target. It was the first thing they talked about when I was made a full Death Eater, breaking out anyone captured. I hope our losses weren't too heavy.
A headcount seems to suggest around fifty Death Eaters have been freed tonight. A lot of them are stationed in Malfoy Manor with me, most too emaciated from Azkaban to be much use but they're being fed and given potions, so I doubt we have more than a fortnight before they are back to a full fighting force.
There is only one upside to all of this activity. My taking of the diary seems to have gone unmentioned, though I did notice Malfoy searching the manor with an air of panic before the assault.
The diary itself is tucked away in cell 415, under the pillow. The cell was empty and I only had a moment so it wasn't well hidden, but it was easy to tuck it away in the fighting. I hope that you can figure out what it does.
Day 9
You-Know-Who is on the warpath. He found out about the missing diary and whatever it is, it's more important than I realised. I've kept my head down today in particular, but the manor is on lockdown. The influx of broken-out Death Eaters has helped diffuse the attention from me, at least.
Whatever is in that diary is important. The other Death Eaters say they've never seen him so furious. He's been blasting around the place, laying the Cruciatus on anyone unlucky enough to cross his sightline.
I was caught with one as he passed by a hallway I was guarding, just for a moment. It felt like my blood was on fire, exploding against my blood vessels, ready to burst out of my skin in a million pinpricks. I shook on the floor for a full ten minutes after he'd gone, all from a moment of that spell, of an infliction of his fury.
If I'm never subjected to that again, it will still be too soon.
I'm trying to pick up any information about what the book is — I'll send whatever I find out tomorrow.
Day 10