Rabastan woke hours later in the darkness of his dreary cell, face down with a fine trail of drool on his chin, with something poking him insistently in his ribs. His dark mark was burning like mad and what the fuck was that green light? He sat up abruptly, head swooning and looked around slowly as his eyes adjusted. To his right the pale, almost luminescent, face of Draco was very close to the bars and he was using a hardcover book to jab Rabastan in the side.
"Get up, quickly." he hissed and jerked his chin towards the other end of the aisle.
Rab jumped up and pressed himself to the front of the cell, same as the others to stare wide eyed at the glowing green form of Nagini. The breath hitched in his chest as the snake slithered her way from one end of the aisle to the other, tongue darting in and out, red eyes appraising them every inch of the way. On the floor behind the serpent lay the crumpled body of a hopefully just unconscious Longbottom. Gods the snake had never failed to scare the fuck out of him and a chill teased his spine as he watched it. The snake meant two things to him now, where it previously would only have meant one; freedom and danger.
Dolohov crossed himself as the snake slithered by, if he was evil that thing was the devil incarnate. As relieved as he was to see the dark lord's messenger and have proof that they weren't forgotten he had never felt comfortable around Nagini. Perhaps he was imagining it but the creature always seemed to be looking at him like a scrumptious meal. Across the way he could see Fenrir, dark and looming like the predator he was. His dark eyes seemed to absorb the green glow of the serpent and flashed with a predatory gleam. Lucius exchanged a look with his son as the serpent slowly passed them by and nodded, lips pursed. This was the sign they'd been waiting for, confirmation that the dark lord was coming and soon. He was back and they weren't being left to rot in this hell hole! Draco nodded back, a half smile quirking his pale lips. The significance of this visit wasn't lost on any of the men, they were still in favor and by his will they'd be set free.
Anxious to curry favor with the dark lord Lucius bid the snake closer, "Mistress Nagini, if you please." uncaring of the suspicious eyes around him.
"Pet?" she hissed, slithering closer.
Unlike the others the elder Malfoy had no fear or disgust of the unearthly large snake. Even shrunken as it was by spell it still stood taller than Fenrir. Nagini listened raptly and if such a thing could smile she did.
"His grace will be mosssst pleasssssed."
It's no secret then what the smug bastard told that soulless serpent, Fenrir thought to himself. He just gave my mate up before I had a chance to get her out, bloody hell. He bit down on his lip to keep from cursing aloud and lowered his gaze to the ground, certain that the others would be able to read it.
With one final hiss, Nagini moved on, taking her time traveling to the very last cells and back. She halted between Dolohov and Greyback's cells looking smug and haunty, red eyes studying the wolf and for a moment he feared she could read minds. After a long period of silence the snake turned back towards the others, raised herself to her full height and spoke.
"Two weekssssss DeathEaterssss." she hissed, swaying from side to side as if she were charmed by some unheard song. "Two weekssss and all levelsss will turn into one and you will walk free. You will hear the ssssssignal and know it'ssss time."
With one final hiss the snake disapparated.
"Did you mother fucking hear that?" Rodolphus demanded. "We're free!"
"Quiet yourself." Antonin snapped, eyes studying the unmoving guard. "He'll come back to himself very soon."
Rod grunted in dismay and turned his attention to the younger Lestrange.
"What happened with the witch?" his eyes caught Rabastan's from across the way and held them as if he was expecting a lie and waiting to counter it immediately.
Fenrir laid down on his cot to make it appear as if he didn't care what had happened but inside his wolf was growling and snapping in dismay. They both wanted to know what Rab had tried with their mate. His keen hearing allowed him to hear every syllable easily from where he lay though, nothing would get past him.
"Nothing." Rab muttered, looking down at his feet.
He was distinctly aware of how guilty it made him look but couldn't stand to hold his brothers gaze any longer. You didn't have to be a good liar to be a DeathEater.
"Longbottom said you attacked her." Rod pressed.
"And what did Lilith say?" he demanded much too quickly and loudly.
Fenrir's body was tense, ready to attack this new rival. Would that he could though, even his wolf couldn't get through the bars.
"Said it was a 'misunderstanding'." Rod used air quotes to accompany his disdainful words.
His heart thumped excitedly at his brothers words, his witch had protected him! Not that it would do him much good. It was quite clear to all that Malfoy had told Nagini of their new recruit, regardless of how unknowing and unwilling she was. Lilith would hate them all when she found out, not that they'd given her much to like in the first place.
"Well?" Rodolphus prodded when his brother's mind just wandered off with him.
Did he have something for the bloody witch? He groaned internally, gods that would be nothing less than a nightmare. His little brother had never been good with women to begin with, always choosing a gold digger or a self serving bitch. This one would be worse though because Rab seemed to believe that she actually cared a wit about them. It was an act, clearly she'd been hired to try and get them to trust her, probably in the hopes of spilling secrets.
Rabastan looked around and sighed, all of the men were now staring raptly at him, except for Fenrir who had retreated. Now he had to say something or they would know that he was holding back.
"I un-incarcerous'd myself and gave her a little scare, it was stupid." he muttered and shrugged.
Rod immediately opened his mouth for another question but Dolohov beat him to it.
"Why would you be so bloody stupid when we're so close to getting out?" he hissed.
Without even looking up Rabastan could feel Antonin's burning eyes on him. Beside him Thorfinn broke out into a huge grin.
"Fancied a go at her eh?" he wagged his blonde brows suggestively. "What I wouldn't give..." his eyes rolled back in his head at the thought.
Suddenly it was like being back at Hogwarts again, bombarded with questions and teasing about women, sex and wanking. He had been wrong Azkaban itself wasn't hell, this was hell.
"It's not…" his voice cracked just like it had in sixth or seventh year and Rab broke off, ears burning.
"Is it so?" Dolohov asked, brow quirked, unable to hold back a chuckle.
The man was far ballsier than anyone gave him credit for. Even he wouldn't have tried that, as starved as they were for "affection". That sort of move would land you in the hole and if rumors were to be believed that was worse than anything the dementors would have done to you in their time.
"Did you get anywhere?" Rowle badly wanted to know.
"ENOUGH!" Fenrir lunging at the bars and snarling like his werewolf counterpart took everyone of them by surprise and silence ensued. No one jumped or retreated, they were as hardened as men come, but they were intimidated to be sure. He stood by the cell door, fists wrapped around the bars, knuckles white, his countenance just daring any of them to defy him. His chest was heaving, fangs far longer than they should have been and his lip was pulled back to make sure that all saw. Fenrir's fierce eyes landed on Rabastan causing him to squirm, which would have been satisfying if he weren't ready to sever the man's head. "Not another word about Lilith."
The medi-witch flipped over for about the millionth time, unable to fall asleep or even get comfortable. She didn't know what to think after the nights' events and her mind was dead set that there would be no rest until it figured everything out. Was she insane, completely fucking insane? Lilith had to be if she was even entertaining the notion that some of these men were more than just violent, unpredictable criminals. Auror Granger had told her that some of the men might not have had a fair trial but she never claimed that they were completely innocent. Some were worse than others of course but could any of them really be trusted? Her gut instinct told her that no, that wasn't possible but on the other, more demented, hand a few of the men really seemed to be responding to her kindness. Oh, like the two DeathEaters that offered to protect you?
Lilith kicked the covers off with an angry growl and flipped over yet again, eyes combing the ceiling as if it would provide some sort of answer. She needed to separate herself from the overwhelming urge she had to find the good in everyone. Sometimes people were just inherently evil period. And no one changed that dramatically, let alone that it was not one but two men. No, something was definitely not right and she needed to accept that. If Rabastan asked her to leave or not come to work Lilith would do the opposite.