What Cannot Be Purchased
Chapter Three: Une Réunion de Mal
(A Gathering of Evil)
Draco entered the Seven Snakes Tavern a few moments late.
He walked to the bar and ordered a drink. While sipping it he was really scanning the room.
She was there - in the back, in the shadows.
How appropriate.
He made his way to the table and casually pulled up a chair.
"Get tired of standing on your street corner, Demona?"
The attractive young woman smiled up at him.
"Draco, darling. I hear we have a mission." She ignored his comment.
"Yes, in Ireland" He nodded, serious.
"This is the fourth time you've put me on your team. Trying to get to know me better?" She smirked.
"Every man in Salazar Hills knows you very well" He raised his eyebrow suggestively.
"Oh, ever the charmer! Draco, give up this facade and just ask me to marry you already!" She said sarcastically.
He placed his hand on hers, looking at her with false concern.
"No, no Demona. We can't. I just couldn't be the one to take your innocence.
We all know how you're saving yourself for that one special man" She laughed at him. A smile tugged at his lips.
"Oh, Draco that was low." She pouted.
Low but not far from the truth. Demona was anything but innocent. Her long black hair contrasted with her vampiristic pallor. Her green eyes always held him whole, but he preferred to focus on her plump lips which could entrance any man and leave a priest aroused.
Despite what her robe did not show, Draco knew she had a full figure with a slim waist. She was beautiful, breathtaking, which was exactly why he had chosen her, aside from her cunning. He needed her qualities for the task ahead of them.
"When are the others combing?" She switched to her business mode; the bantering was over, for now.
"Before eight"
"So, who am I working with this time?" She asked, tossing her hair back in a lazy gesture.
"Crabbe, for brute strength. Zach Preston, you remember him, the young one. And myself to maneuver the whole thing." He yawned.
"What about me?" She pouted at him.
"You get to be my love slave" He grinned wickedly.
"Draco!" she fluttered her eyelashes."I'm not that sort of girl!"
"Of course you aren't, and the Dark Lord loves little furry animals." came a voice behind her.
Zach Preston stepped into the dim light of the corner. True, Draco and Demona were young, but he was younger still. Just 17 with freckles and auburn hair, looking quite innocent, when he wanted to. He bowed in respect to Draco and sat down.
"Hello Preston", said Demona, casually.
He nodded to her.
"Not to sound over anxious, but when do we leave and what exactly are we doing?" He asked Draco.
Demona laughed. "So eager. Relax. You'll learn something about Draco: he won't give a scrap of information until the last moment. He loves his power, don't you Draco?"
"That, plus precautions. Not to mention I don't want to repeat myself four times." He eyed them lazily, but really he was looking for Crabbe.
"I will say this", he continued. "We are going to Ireland".
Preston's eyes went wide. "Ireland? Is the Dark Lord finally taking Ireland?" He asked, eager.
Draco shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know all of it, just my part" He said.
Demona rolled her eyes. She knew Draco knew everything the Dark Lord was planning, he just refused to share. It was pointless to call him on it.
"And how is The Dark Lord?" she asked with mock sweetness.
Draco frowned. "He's getting more irritable. The other day he used the Avada on a slave in the middle of Salazar's Street."
"The cheeky bit of muggle-born filth probably deserved it." She quipped.
"Perhaps. But that shows he's loosing his temper, which could be a weakness." Draco said with logic.
Demona threw her hands up. "He's the DARK LORD! Let him loose his bloody temper; he owns everything!"
Draco shook his head.
"There's Crabbe", said Preston. "I can smell him" He wrinkled his nose.
Crabbe blundered over and sat down, looking to Draco for instructions.
"Alright men" Said Draco, leaning forward.
"And women", Demona hissed.
"And women - as you all know, for the past three years Ireland has remained just out of the Dark Lord's reach. Now, however, there is chance of an agreement between the Chancellor and the Dark Lord. An agreement that can only come to pass if Michael O'Henry isn't breathing."
"So we're gonna kill him!" Said Crabbe, proud of his deduction.
Everyone looked at him, exasperated.
"Yes, Crabbe, very good." Said Draco, dryly.
"We've got a lot to contend with. A manor full of charms, a host of spells and curses set against anyone with the dark mark, a dozen body guards and a few Spirits of Godric. Now, the dark mark I can mask, the body guards can be sidetracked, the curses can be dealt with, but it's the Godric group i'm concerned about." He confided.
"Excuse me, but the WHAT? The Godric who?" asked Zach.
Draco sighed. "No, of course you wouldn't know, you're two young to remember. When the Dark Lord seized Hogwarts and Drumstrang in my 6th year, all the students who apposed the Dark Lord were enslaved, banished or executed. Ravenclaws preferred death. Some Hufflepuffs fought it out, some fled. The Griffindors though, they went underground. They migrated to Ireland and America, even as far as China. Different clans came together. They are rebels. Rebels who continued their magical education, and still appose the Dark Lord. The rebels in Ireland are the Spirits of Godric."
He turned to the rest of them. "I'm sure they suspect an attack. As O'Henry is one of their last hopes of keeping Ireland unclaimed, they most likely have several guards on him. Smart ones, powerful witches and wizards. I'd say anywhere from three to five, if i had to guess."
"So, we Avada them, whoosh, their dead, then we Avada O'Henry. It doesn't sound hard." Said Demona, seeming board.
"Demona," said Draco through clenched teeth, "What part of SECRET mission don't you get?"
She glared at him.
"And what do you propose, oh Glory of the World?" she spat.
"We're sedating the guards, then giving a memory charm. The curses and spells leave to me and Zach. All we can do about the Godric clan is try to avoid them. One of us will be inside, stun O'Henry, levitate him out the window, down to us. We put him in a cage. We bring him back here, Avada him and we're done."
"And what exactly do we do if we run into the Spirits of Godric? Run away? Beg for mercy?"
"No, we kill 'em!" Said Crabbe. Everyone ignored him.
"It's likely they'll be top-wizards. You can't Avada them in the house, it will set off alarms. Best to stun them and bring them along for the ride. Then we hand them over to the Dark Lord, he loves to play with them" said Draco.
"Wait, you said something about the dark mark setting off alarms. That means none of us can get in." Zach Preston pointed out.
"There are ways." He said cryptically.
"You also said we needed someone inside. How do you propose we do that?", asked Demona airily.
Draco smiled wickedly. "That's where you come in."
"So i'm going to be the one to stun him?"
"Yes, if you make it that far." he teased. Then he became serious.
"Anyone, who cripples or ruins or hinders this mission in any way will answer to me. And rest assured you won't make it to see another sunrise. Understood?" He barked.
This was working Draco, the ambitious Draco Voldermort favored. He was cold, calculated, and accepted no screw ups. Demona had seen him finish off Goyle in a fit of rage. Goyle had screwed up; no one made the mistake of faltering when working with Draco, or The Dark Prince, as some had nicknamed him.
"Any questions?. I don't mean about your roles, I mean about what we're up against."
There was silence. Crabbe raised his hand.
"Why do we need-" Crabbe stopped to count everyone at the table "-*Four* people to kill *one* person?"
"Crabbe, you just stay quiet and don't do anything. When I tell you to hit someone you knock them out, alright?" Said Draco.
"Okay..." Crabbe was still clearly confused. But he spent 90% of his life that way, so no one was concerned.
"Alright. Meeting is over. Grab a flask and get ready to travel. We can't appreciate in the particular place we're headed, but we can get pretty close." He informed them.
"You can't appreciatein any modernized place in Ireland. How about Galway Bay?" Asked Demona.
"Fine" Draco said.
"See you there, dear". Demona took one last sip of her drink and vanished.
Draco waited until the other two were gone and then, followed in suit. His blood was racing, his mind was clear, his senses alert: He was ready for the hunt.
Chapter Three: Une Réunion de Mal
(A Gathering of Evil)
Draco entered the Seven Snakes Tavern a few moments late.
He walked to the bar and ordered a drink. While sipping it he was really scanning the room.
She was there - in the back, in the shadows.
How appropriate.
He made his way to the table and casually pulled up a chair.
"Get tired of standing on your street corner, Demona?"
The attractive young woman smiled up at him.
"Draco, darling. I hear we have a mission." She ignored his comment.
"Yes, in Ireland" He nodded, serious.
"This is the fourth time you've put me on your team. Trying to get to know me better?" She smirked.
"Every man in Salazar Hills knows you very well" He raised his eyebrow suggestively.
"Oh, ever the charmer! Draco, give up this facade and just ask me to marry you already!" She said sarcastically.
He placed his hand on hers, looking at her with false concern.
"No, no Demona. We can't. I just couldn't be the one to take your innocence.
We all know how you're saving yourself for that one special man" She laughed at him. A smile tugged at his lips.
"Oh, Draco that was low." She pouted.
Low but not far from the truth. Demona was anything but innocent. Her long black hair contrasted with her vampiristic pallor. Her green eyes always held him whole, but he preferred to focus on her plump lips which could entrance any man and leave a priest aroused.
Despite what her robe did not show, Draco knew she had a full figure with a slim waist. She was beautiful, breathtaking, which was exactly why he had chosen her, aside from her cunning. He needed her qualities for the task ahead of them.
"When are the others combing?" She switched to her business mode; the bantering was over, for now.
"Before eight"
"So, who am I working with this time?" She asked, tossing her hair back in a lazy gesture.
"Crabbe, for brute strength. Zach Preston, you remember him, the young one. And myself to maneuver the whole thing." He yawned.
"What about me?" She pouted at him.
"You get to be my love slave" He grinned wickedly.
"Draco!" she fluttered her eyelashes."I'm not that sort of girl!"
"Of course you aren't, and the Dark Lord loves little furry animals." came a voice behind her.
Zach Preston stepped into the dim light of the corner. True, Draco and Demona were young, but he was younger still. Just 17 with freckles and auburn hair, looking quite innocent, when he wanted to. He bowed in respect to Draco and sat down.
"Hello Preston", said Demona, casually.
He nodded to her.
"Not to sound over anxious, but when do we leave and what exactly are we doing?" He asked Draco.
Demona laughed. "So eager. Relax. You'll learn something about Draco: he won't give a scrap of information until the last moment. He loves his power, don't you Draco?"
"That, plus precautions. Not to mention I don't want to repeat myself four times." He eyed them lazily, but really he was looking for Crabbe.
"I will say this", he continued. "We are going to Ireland".
Preston's eyes went wide. "Ireland? Is the Dark Lord finally taking Ireland?" He asked, eager.
Draco shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know all of it, just my part" He said.
Demona rolled her eyes. She knew Draco knew everything the Dark Lord was planning, he just refused to share. It was pointless to call him on it.
"And how is The Dark Lord?" she asked with mock sweetness.
Draco frowned. "He's getting more irritable. The other day he used the Avada on a slave in the middle of Salazar's Street."
"The cheeky bit of muggle-born filth probably deserved it." She quipped.
"Perhaps. But that shows he's loosing his temper, which could be a weakness." Draco said with logic.
Demona threw her hands up. "He's the DARK LORD! Let him loose his bloody temper; he owns everything!"
Draco shook his head.
"There's Crabbe", said Preston. "I can smell him" He wrinkled his nose.
Crabbe blundered over and sat down, looking to Draco for instructions.
"Alright men" Said Draco, leaning forward.
"And women", Demona hissed.
"And women - as you all know, for the past three years Ireland has remained just out of the Dark Lord's reach. Now, however, there is chance of an agreement between the Chancellor and the Dark Lord. An agreement that can only come to pass if Michael O'Henry isn't breathing."
"So we're gonna kill him!" Said Crabbe, proud of his deduction.
Everyone looked at him, exasperated.
"Yes, Crabbe, very good." Said Draco, dryly.
"We've got a lot to contend with. A manor full of charms, a host of spells and curses set against anyone with the dark mark, a dozen body guards and a few Spirits of Godric. Now, the dark mark I can mask, the body guards can be sidetracked, the curses can be dealt with, but it's the Godric group i'm concerned about." He confided.
"Excuse me, but the WHAT? The Godric who?" asked Zach.
Draco sighed. "No, of course you wouldn't know, you're two young to remember. When the Dark Lord seized Hogwarts and Drumstrang in my 6th year, all the students who apposed the Dark Lord were enslaved, banished or executed. Ravenclaws preferred death. Some Hufflepuffs fought it out, some fled. The Griffindors though, they went underground. They migrated to Ireland and America, even as far as China. Different clans came together. They are rebels. Rebels who continued their magical education, and still appose the Dark Lord. The rebels in Ireland are the Spirits of Godric."
He turned to the rest of them. "I'm sure they suspect an attack. As O'Henry is one of their last hopes of keeping Ireland unclaimed, they most likely have several guards on him. Smart ones, powerful witches and wizards. I'd say anywhere from three to five, if i had to guess."
"So, we Avada them, whoosh, their dead, then we Avada O'Henry. It doesn't sound hard." Said Demona, seeming board.
"Demona," said Draco through clenched teeth, "What part of SECRET mission don't you get?"
She glared at him.
"And what do you propose, oh Glory of the World?" she spat.
"We're sedating the guards, then giving a memory charm. The curses and spells leave to me and Zach. All we can do about the Godric clan is try to avoid them. One of us will be inside, stun O'Henry, levitate him out the window, down to us. We put him in a cage. We bring him back here, Avada him and we're done."
"And what exactly do we do if we run into the Spirits of Godric? Run away? Beg for mercy?"
"No, we kill 'em!" Said Crabbe. Everyone ignored him.
"It's likely they'll be top-wizards. You can't Avada them in the house, it will set off alarms. Best to stun them and bring them along for the ride. Then we hand them over to the Dark Lord, he loves to play with them" said Draco.
"Wait, you said something about the dark mark setting off alarms. That means none of us can get in." Zach Preston pointed out.
"There are ways." He said cryptically.
"You also said we needed someone inside. How do you propose we do that?", asked Demona airily.
Draco smiled wickedly. "That's where you come in."
"So i'm going to be the one to stun him?"
"Yes, if you make it that far." he teased. Then he became serious.
"Anyone, who cripples or ruins or hinders this mission in any way will answer to me. And rest assured you won't make it to see another sunrise. Understood?" He barked.
This was working Draco, the ambitious Draco Voldermort favored. He was cold, calculated, and accepted no screw ups. Demona had seen him finish off Goyle in a fit of rage. Goyle had screwed up; no one made the mistake of faltering when working with Draco, or The Dark Prince, as some had nicknamed him.
"Any questions?. I don't mean about your roles, I mean about what we're up against."
There was silence. Crabbe raised his hand.
"Why do we need-" Crabbe stopped to count everyone at the table "-*Four* people to kill *one* person?"
"Crabbe, you just stay quiet and don't do anything. When I tell you to hit someone you knock them out, alright?" Said Draco.
"Okay..." Crabbe was still clearly confused. But he spent 90% of his life that way, so no one was concerned.
"Alright. Meeting is over. Grab a flask and get ready to travel. We can't appreciate in the particular place we're headed, but we can get pretty close." He informed them.
"You can't appreciatein any modernized place in Ireland. How about Galway Bay?" Asked Demona.
"Fine" Draco said.
"See you there, dear". Demona took one last sip of her drink and vanished.
Draco waited until the other two were gone and then, followed in suit. His blood was racing, his mind was clear, his senses alert: He was ready for the hunt.