Black Night Part Sixteen Rated R Narcissa/Lucius, Bellatrix/Severus, Bellatrix/Remus

The Ministry was dark, but Lucius seemed to know exactly where he was going. The rest of them followed, like ragtag children following a teenager, trembling still and uncertain. Sirius conjured a stretcher and lay Andry on it, tears starting to flow down his cheeks again. It followed him closely, and he turned back every few seconds to check on it, laying a hand occasionally on it as if to see if it was still solid, still real.

Snape seemed to be there only quite reluctantly. He dragged on behind the rest, his eyes on Remus, who had a hand on Bella's shoulder and was whispering in her ear as she cried.

Sirius was also watching the two of them now, his blue eyes dark and still full of tears. Once or twice he seemed to be on the verge of making some comment, doubtless a scathing or angry one, but greif seemed to consume his fury and he never spoke.

It was Narcissa who first broke the silence, asking Lucius where they were going, but before she could finish the question Lucius put a finger across her lips to silence her, and her eyes filled with tears. He drew his hand away, his silver eyes wide in the moonlight that filtered through the enchanted windows.

Everything was silent and empty, and their footsteps seemed to echo unnaturally loudly. Narcissa repeated her question, and this time Lucius let her finish, and just stared at her through the darkness until she shivered and broke her gaze away. Seemingly satisfied, he turned again and continued on, down through dark passageways.

They stopped before a closed door on which faded letters read DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES.

Snape took in a sharp breath - "Surely you don't plan on us going in there!" - but Lucius didn't acknowledge his protest, merely reached for his wand and silently tapped the doorknob.

It swung open, and he moved along the row, turning after five or six steps and motioning for them to follow.

Sirius and Narcissa moved in together with the stretcher between them, and then Remus and Bella, and after several seconds, Snape. He shut the door behind them with a bang, and Lucius jumped.

The lights went on.

A man appeared immediately in front of them, but there had been no pop of Apparition. His eyes fell on Andry and he drew in a sharp breath, and let it shuddering out. "Oh, no. . ." he whispered. There was a long silence, and then he looked up at Lucius. "Follow me," he said, and they did, along several cubicles and then into one of them, tight-fitting. Sirius let the stretcher hover at the enterance of the cubicle and moved in, staring around with his mouth half-open.

Pictures of Ted and Nymphadora, of Bella and Narcissa and their parents, some of Sirius, some of Regulus and his parents, were hung all over the cubicle, and then some of other, peculiar things. The pictures were all staring sadly at the newcomers, except Ted, who merely blinked and stared worridly, and Nymphadora, who did nothing.

"This is Andry's cubicle," the man said unnecessarily, and a bit helplessly.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked softly. "She works for the Deparment for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"No," the man answered quietly. "She's a high-ranking official here, and since they killed our supervisor Josephina Midgen, we've been keeping it secret. Andry's been working here for almost four years. Even her husband doesn't know. My name is Spirit Finnegan, but everyone calls me Spikey. I'm. . ." He took a deep breath. "I - was - Andry's field partner. We were afraid that she had -" Another breath. "I'm so sorry. You must be Sirius," he added, looking directly at him. "Andry told me so much about you. Are you all - related to her?"

Sirius didn't answer, but Bella said quietly, "Narcissa and I are her sisters. Lucius and Severus and Remus are - are family friends, I guess you'd say."

"Yes," Spikey said vaguely, glancing over at Andry's body. "Would you - like to - see her private casefiles? They'll tell you everything you need to know about what she's been doing - and what happened before she -" Tears welled up in his eyes, and he shook his head. "I'm so sorry. Andry and I - were investigating a criminal organization, the Khastis. The Khasti Revolution, they call themselves. They've discovered a way to prolong life - some new way - and we think they're planning to join You- Know-Who." He looked nervous. "Voldemort. Andry volunteered to try to infiltrate them. Rookwood - our new supervisor - protested, said it was too dangerous, but she was determined. He agreed very reluctantly, and I being her field partner I of course offered to do the same. Andry refused to let me, said it would make it more suspicious. Rookwood agreed.

"This was about eight months ago." There was a pause, and this sunk in. Sirius was staring at Spikey in disbelief. "But Andry - I don't know if you can understand what it was like. She got in, but she was always independent-like. She kept doing things she wasn't supposed to - she rose in the Khasti, got more respect among them. She was a - a strategic leader, and she was always planning things to find out more information, and secretly making sure people didn't get killed. I don't even know what- all she did without permission. She would meet members outside of work to talk to them, pump information out of them. But then I guess they got suspicious. Their respect for her fell, and they told her to prove her loyalty - to take a prisoner for them, someone important. There were two people they wanted that she had access to. She thought that they would probably give them to Him - Voldemort. When she refused, I guess they took her. We searched and searched, but - I guess we were too late."

"Who did they want?" Lucius asked swiftly.

"From what I can determine, although I'm not sure," Spikey said, "her daughter Nymphadora, for her Metamorphmagus possibilities - they could brainwash her, you know - or - or -"

He was trembling head to foot now, looking more helpless than ever. They all stared at him a moment, and then, in a soft, wavering voice, Sirius said, "Me."

Spikey nodded, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, "and I might be wrong, it might not be at all, but everyone's saying how good you could be -"

"They are?" Sirius looked genuinely surprised, but his voice was uncaring. "They're always telling me I'm not worth shit."

"Mad-Eye himself came down here a few days ago to talk to Rookwood, said you could be the best but he wanted them to keep an eye on you in case you turned out to be a spy. Paranoid old bat." Spikey was clearly trying to smile with the memory but his eyes were still full of tears. "Andry started to yell at him."

He glanced at her body again. "Where -" he tried to say, but his voice broke, and Sirius looked back at him.

"Don't know," he answered to Spikey's unfinished question. Spikey nodded, wiping his face on a sleeve, and pointed at a neatly filed group of what looked like inch-thick black ashtrays. On further examination, however, a small button and a dip behind it could be seen.

"Press the button," the man said. Lucius reached forward and did so.

Nothing happened. But Spikey had moved forwards.

"Display casefiles beginning March sixteenth of the year nineteen seventy- seven," Spikey said clearly to the apparatus. "Authorization Spirit Nine- Two-Six."

"Second authorization required," a female voice said cooly.

"Override Alpha Four-Ten. Second authorization no longer required. End override."

"Second authorization no longer required," the voice said. "Begin casefiles?"

Spikey turned to them all. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "She had to file at least once a month, although once every two weeks was preferred. The first one you see ought to be the first after she'd joined the Khastis. When you're finished, I'll be back." He turned to the small device. Lifting it out of the file, he set it on the floor in front of them. "Yes," he said to it loudly, and then he vanished.

Sirius and Narcissa both gasped. From out of the small dip in the contraption had risen Andromeda, life-sized and wearing black robes. Her face was pale and she kept glancing over her shoulder. "March sixteenth," Andry said quietly. Sirius moaned softly, staring at the projection. It looked real. Very real.

"I've successfully infiltrated the Khasti Revolution. I have learned very little so far, but we were certainly right about their aims. They appear to be trying some sort of life-prolonging steps, or perhaps I should say death-preventing. I don't know anything about what they are, and I expect what with having to lie about where I work," her mouth twisted, "that I won't be able to do much extra detective work yet. Spikey's worried stiff about me doing this, but I think I'm fine. If I'm careful, they'll never catch me, although he keeps reminding me that one slip could be my life.

"It's hard to think about my new situation at home, as well. I hate lying to Ted, and Sirius and the rest, and working out problems at home makes it feel worse. Sirius always asks what I'm thinking - it's hard to lie to him especially. I've known him so long, and I know I can trust him, but Rookwood said I couldn't tell anyone." Sirius had buried his face in his hands. "The initiation was nothing like what we know of Death Eater initiations - they have no symbol to burn into my skin or the like, since I believe they're planning to eventually join Voldemort. Perhaps I'm wrong.

"I met them at night - told Ted I was working with a mooncalf. I can understand how much less intimidating it would have been in broad daylight, but I'm reluctant to leave Ted to put Nymphadora to bed. She's always so figity. We met inside the curve of a large river, I don't know where it was. I'd been given a Portkey for it - the standard marble kind. They must have a spy within the Ministry high-up enough to authorize all they need. Or perhaps they just obtained a lot of them. There were maybe thirty people, and I only heard the two leaders' names used. Both men, about the same age, and brothers. Perhaps even twins, but not identical. Foreign, but I've always been dreadful at placing accents. Or perhaps theirs were faked. In any case, the names they gave were Vladimir and Igor Karkaroff. What a mouthful. I gave my false name, Joline Tandrie. I told them I worked in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, of course - next thing I know, I'll have to be trying to get them something from that line of work. The DRCMC has been very secretive about this, especially the young woman who's supposed to be my field partner. She just joined the department, her name is Lily Evans, but I don't know her that well. Anyway, they redirect any memos and cover for me.

"They took my name, my occupation, and any other information they thought necessary - the fact that I was a Gryffindor was a bit of a problem for them. I didn't think I'd better say I was anything else - they scorn Hufflepuff almost as much or more and it doesn't fit my personality as well, I don't want to have to pretend about too much. And I would never be a convincing Ravenclaw or a Slytherin. I've seen enough of Slytherin behavior - Bella and Narcissa have seen to that, God help them - and I think I'd die pretending. I'd have to try to damn hard.

"I'm going to try to make connections with a few of them. It actually didn't seem as - well, IevilI as I thought it would. They were talking and planning, but not for Muggle-killings or anything. I did hear someone mention kidnapping, though, and I swear I almost had a heart attack. I couldn't help imagining Nymphadora -" Her voice wavered, and she glanced over her shoulder and jumped. "I've got to go!" she hissed, and the image flickered and changed.