Chapter Five - The Official Propagandists

Chapter Five - The Official Propagandists

"Gentlemen," Tom addressed the two. "This shall be our first mission."

Tom pushed open a rickety old door to reveal their new living quarters. The room was a nasty shade of gray and very dusty. Cobwebs hung in every corner and an odd musty smell lingered from the apartments lack of use.

"Some mission," Severus snarled, analyzing the room. "I was hoping you could do a little better than this, Riddle." As of now, they were to live on the third floor of a white apartment building in the heart of London. The outside appearance wasn't impressive, either. The paint was chipping and a cheesy yellow could be seen where the white was gone. None of the trees had leaves, the place was covered with garbage, and everything had graffiti all over it.

Lucius, on the contrary, was thrilled.

"This place has such possibilities!" he said. He skipped to the window, avoiding some old issues of SheMale and a couple moldy muffins. He swung open the shutters and began to sing. "'Don't cry for me, Argentina!--'" A speeding bullet nicked the side of the window and Lucius ducked.

"My goodness," he said, closing the window and dusting off his hands. "People here sure aren't friendly."

Tom emerged from a room he claimed for his own. "That is unfortunate for you," he said, "for you are to get acquainted with this town."

"And what do you mean by that?" Severus inquired. He began dusting off his back, for he had accidentally leaned against one of the dirty walls.

"I mean that you two shall go out into town and spread word of our organization to the other members of the wizarding community."

Lucius crossed his arms. "That doesn't sound like a very official job to me."

"A club requires affiliates, does it not?" Tom tapped his fingers together. "You two will be the Official Propagandists and lure people into a celebration we are having tonight."

While Lucius became giddy at the thought of the party, Severus pondered.

"Oh, and one more thing," Tom exclaimed, a little glint of cunning in his eyes. "Give me your wands."

"Our wands?!" Severus bellowed. "Why?!"

"Why, Severus, my boy, to prove your undying faith in this cause. I wouldn't want you two to just disappear when the times get rough. You do trust me, do you not, boys?"

They handed over their wands. Lucius cowered and Severus glared at Tom.

"How are we to go about doing this?" he asked Tom, who whisked around, still wearing his month-old dress robes. "We are not equipped by any means to handle ourselves out in the muggle world--"

"We could be killed--"

"Or worse--"

"That, gentlemen, is for you to figure out." With that, Tom left to his room and shut the door.

"Oh my," Lucius said. "What are we going to do?"

"Hell, Lucius, I don't have any idea."

"I bet I know who would." Lucius smiled uncertainly. "James' father worked for the Ministry before he died, I'll bet you anything he knows all about the--"

"We are NOT bringing Potter into this operation, I don't care how desperate we are."

"Fine then, we better get started."

In about two hours or so, the boys were standing outside a wizard pub. They were dressed in red-orange suits and Uncle Sam hats, shouting at the people who entered the pub.

"Come one, come all!" Lucius shouted, his arms raised. "To the greatest party on Earth! There will be food, alcohol, and girls, girls, girls!"

Lucius went on and on as Severus grumbled and waved a little flag with an angry face on it. Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence.

"Narcissa!" he screamed. "Narcissa! Narcissa, over here!" He jumped up and down and waved his arms all around, knocking the hat off Severus' head and attracting the attention of too many muggles.

Narcissa covered her face and tried to turn away, but the swirling crowd of people forced her in the direction of the pub.

"Lucius," she greeted, as monotone as possible. Her girlfriends giggled.

"Narcissa! Oh, it's been ages!" He jumped up and squeezed her. "You just have to come to our party tonight! It'll be so much fun!"

"I'll try, Lucius," she choked.

"Oh, excellent!" He squeezed her one more time, harder than before. "See you there, dear!" She quickly squirmed out of his arms and dragged her friends along, ducking into the nearest department store.

"Can we take a break?" Severus questioned, rather disturbed by the previous incident. "Let's go inside and get a drink." Lucius beamed and nodded.

The bar was dark and crowded. A little weary-looking man was filling up some mugs and passing them around the bar. Severus and Lucius wormed their way to two empty seats.

"Samuel Adams," Severus said, eating some nuts and raising his hand. The publican nodded and looked at Lucius.

"Well, I," Lucius squinted around the room, looking for a menu and finding none. "I guess I'll just have a Shirley Temple." He smiled and the stout man looked at him oddly. Lucius then began laughing, butting into the conversation two wizards with long beards were having. As he started telling them about a "super party" they were having, Severus pulled him away.

"God, Lucius, you embarrass the hell out of me."

His eyes teared up. "You don't have to be so mean to me, Severus."

Severus sent an angry look at Lucius and seemed like he was about to say something, when suddenly he felt a rather large thump on his back. He cursed and turned around.

His eyes narrowed maliciously as he was face to face with two of the most revolting people he had ever had the displeasure of meeting.

"Lupin. Black. What a pleasure."

"Certainly, 'theverus, the pleasure is all ours," Sirius sneered, rolling out his arm like a pompous butler while Remus laughed stupidly.

Lucius turned around and gaped. "Hey guys! We're having a neato party and maybe you guys would like to come! It'll be so much fun, you do--"

Severus slammed his fist on the table. "Like hell we're having a party, Lucius. Excuse him, gentlemen, Malfoy here is a compulsive liar."

Remus looked at Severus. "And it looks like you're a compulsive bad dresser person, dude. What are you wearing?"

"Dude, that was so funny!"

*thump*

They bumped chests and chuckled their infamous chuckles whilst Severus repeatedly bashed his head against the table. Lucius looked around happily, getting a little wired from the Shirley Temple. Sirius came back to his senses.

"What were you sayin' about a par-tay, 'wucius? Hey, where's that goon, Riddle?"

"Oh, Tom's fine, he's up in our ne--"

Severus quickly clapped his hand over Lucius' gabbing mouth.

"Tom is dead," he covered.

"Dead?" Remus said, a little unable to believe this. "How?"

"Silly, Tom isn't--"

"We killed him," Severus said with a grin.

"Sure ya did," Sirius said, adjusting his shades. "Hey, pubby, I'll have a Bud."

"With nothing but our snarling teeth and bare hands!!" Severus stood up on his stool. "We crept into his room and ransacked the place!!" He stepped onto the bar, kicking over a few drinks, enwrapped in his performance. "We tore open his chest with our ungodly fingers and slurped his flesh with our hungry mouths! AHAHAHA! Rapture, I tell you! PURE ECSTASY!" Severus broke down in a fit of mad laughter and Remus and Sirius backed up to the door.

When they had left, Severus stopped abruptly and ignored the odd stares from the men around the room.

"Why, Severus, not a word of that was true! I think it is you who are the compulsive liar."

Ignoring Lucius, he picked up his empty mug and peered in. Sirius' drink arrived next to him and Severus downed it.

"I think I'll have another, Mr. Bartender."

Lucius shook his head and began poking at a cherry in his cup with a straw.