EYES OF THE EVERGREEN - quantum witch © 2001

see Prologue for warnings, rating, and summary

5 : Dilabi

After installing a Portkey in his own humble apartments, this being a an old shoe in the bottom of his closet, they sneakily met whenever they could. Each time was passionate, burning them both with a brand deeper than the Dark Mark on his arm. They coupled and snuggled and laughed and talked as if they possessed all the time in the world. Each second stolen together was precious beyond all the gold in Gringotts, and they both knew it and therefore never spoke of it.

Meanwhile, she had apparently 'moved on'. The next gathering of dark magical folk in Knockturn Alley was a mere three weeks later, and though she showed up on Snape's arm - much to the surprise of his Death Eater companions - she left in the company of another - much to their sniggering and malicious glee. They'd all known it wouldn't last, of course, but it just made them all the happier to watch Snape glare daggers at the new 'couple' as they stalked from the room for a tryst.

Of course it had been planned between she and Snape, and he knew she would be as cautious as she'd ever been. But still, it hurt. It stung to his very soul. She was his. And if his so-called friends saw so much as a glint that looked like a tear, he'd never be able to live it down. So he shrugged it off when they teased him, and agreed that she was exactly what they'd called her all along. A slut. A cheap tawdry whore. His turn with the town's bike had come and gone.

But only in public.

One hellish week later, she was cozying up to Rosier, who was a bit bolder in his exploits than Snape. He was also a little closer to Voldemort, having done more actual work in the field. Snape himself had only actually been sent out to kill or torture a handful of times. Rosier seemed to delight in it. He bragged about it. He gathered his buddies for extended gaming and drinking parties at his flat, and crowed 'til dawn about this or that group of poor Muggles that they planned to destroy. He even declared his intention to attack several important wizarding families. Though it seemed the decisions were still coming down from Voldemort himself, you'd have thought Rosier himself was in charge.

So Juniper hung on Rosier's arm, carefully casting spells to prevent him from knowing he hadn't gotten any farther than slobbery snogging and graceless groping. He seemed to be so damned sure of his own success at everything else, he couldn't let himself conceive of failing to get in her knickers, so it was easy to fool him. He was already a fool.

No one thought of her as anything other than what she let them. The mask firmly in place, she simpered at their lamest jokes. She had of course let everyone know her abridged history, how Muggles had killed her family with their stupidity and incompetence. So naturally they sympathised and swore that she wouldn't have to worry about that much longer. Voldemort, it seemed, would make the world pure for Magical Folk. In the long run, he hoped to kill all Muggles, and those that supported them.

It was worse than Nazi Germany, she thought. Worse yet that none of them seemed to have heard of it.

While they talked and drank, she gathered names and dates and places. She couldn't save everyone, or the jig would be up too soon. But still she had to help those she could. And so she passed information, and let the ones who could do so take care of the rest of the details. She prayed that things would come to a head soon, and that she could be free to leave this assignment and maybe get to a normal life. It was beginning to strain on her badly, now that she was so much closer to the source.

Or maybe, a small voice said inside, it's because you have someone else that you want to save as badly as yourself. She had chosen this life, hoping to help in a silent way… and now she too was enslaved by it. She too wanted out.

The nightly gaming and drinking was growing fevered. Rosier and Wilkes, one called Avery, and the detestably smarmy Malfoy, were all jesting about their latest kill. It hadn't been as great as they'd anticipated, since most of the family they'd aimed for had already been gone when they'd arrived.

"I swear, it's almost like someone told them we were coming," Malfoy sneered. "The only one left was the old grandpa and he was hardly a challenge."

"Shtill… a blow shtruck in the Dark Lord'sh name's a blow well shtruck indeed," Wilkes slurred his words a bit, as he sloshed his drink. "A dead goody-goody wizhard's better'n a live one any day, tha's wha' I shay."

Rosier and Avery chuckled and saluted him with their glasses. "Bring us another round, would you luv? There's a good pet," Rosier said to Juniper, patting her on the bum as she walked by with the pitcher of ale. Not one of them had a head for strong drink, yet they persisted in it. They seemed to think themselves utterly invincible in every way.

"Well, word has it that the Dark Lord is becoming suspicious. We've failed to get too many targets lately," Malfoy said, taking a smaller sip than the others. He was obviously still mostly sober, and this worried Juniper slightly. "He thinks we have a spy amongst us."

There was dead silence from the group for half a second. Then snorts of derision. And then busy debating whom it could possibly be.

Juniper forced herself to stay calm. She hadn't given them much reason to suspect her, but…

"Wonder if it's a Death Eater?" Avery said suddenly. "Nobody is above suspicion, are they?"

Dear gods, don't let them suspect Severus, she thought wildly. Flitting back over to Rosier's side, she hung over his shoulder and pretended to play with his spread of cards. "Well that'd be just plain barmy, wouldn't it? When everyone has so much power and glory working for him, who could be so daft?"

"Well ducks," Rosier said indulgently, winking at the others at how silly the little tart was, "no one's accusing anyone just yet. But I wouldn't be all that surprised at it."

"Nor would I," Malfoy intoned, staring a little hard at her over his glass. "Perhaps it's Snape. He's always been a bit… removed from the rest of us. Almost seems like he doesn't want to join in the fun sometimes." He sighed, as if regretting. "I mean we even invited him round for our little sessions here, but he doesn't seem to want any part of us. Sure, he does his 'duty' by the Dark Lord, but doesn't seem to take as much pleasure from it as the rest of us." Then he caught her eyes and held them. "Doesn't take much pleasure from anything, really. Even you."

Juniper was frozen inside now, but held her mask firmly on. Her apparently guileless green eyes met Malfoy's icy gray ones, then she winked. "Well, sure he did. And it was giggle for as long as it lasted. But it was time to move on," and she turned thankfully from his gaze to nibble Rosier's ear, "to bigger and better things…"

Rosier grinned broadly and pulled her into his lap, as she giggled even more girlishly. "Ah, get it off it Malfoy. You know Snape. Always been a sulky git, since school days. Nothing new there." He put his nose against Juniper's cheek and licked it, and she obediently giggled again. "Hey sweets, you've been working your way through us all here, moving up the ranks so to speak… What would you do if you met Lord Voldemort face to face?"

Run screaming, she thought blindly. But she laughed at the idea and announced, "What else, silly boy. Snog him good and proper!" Rosier tickled her and smooched her loudly. She pretended to swoon and said, "Oooh Voldy, luv, you are the best!"

The others laughed heartily at the jest. And then Malfoy said, with an evil glint in his eye, "Why don't you then?"

Laughter died away, a few nervous glances were exchanged. "Come on, Malfoy, that's not funny," Rosier said sternly.

"What, you think our Dark Lord wouldn't appreciate a kiss from a pretty bird?"

"Well, he's never seemed…you know… interested in that sort of thing…"

"Saying he's not manly? Saying he's not worthy of showing our appreciation for what he's done for us?" Malfoy's eyes were gleaming madly now. "Are you saying we shouldn't give him a token of our gratitude, throw him a tasty bone to chew on?"

They were silent now. They dared not speak against the Dark Lord, but what Malfoy suggested was short of insanity. Still, Juniper was hardly likely to be of a great concern to anyone, let alone Voldemort. What harm could there be in a little joke. Tossing her inside Voldemort's private chambers and then running away, like a schoolboy prank. They were all still drunk enough that it sounded not only plausible but downright humourous. Surely he'd get a right larf out of being included in the bunch, if they showed him what a swell guy they thought he was. Surely…

Not one of them was thinking clearly by the time they had made the decision, and not one of them was smart enough to question it and back down. Juniper was terrified beyond words now. She had protested feebly as they took her arms and Disapparated to a location in the midst of a dark wooded area she'd never seen before. There was a house, darker still, and darkest inside. Snickering and making vile comments about what they wondered Voldemort might do to her body, they strode toward the door, gained entrance with magic phrases, and tossed her inside without further ceremony. Only Malfoy seemed to be grinning to his depths. The others were pretending to themselves that it was all just in fun. And praying that Voldemort got the joke.

Instantly, Juniper regained her footing and bolted for the door, but it had disappeared. She uttered words at it, wishing desperately for her wand, but in the somewhat revealing outfit she'd chosen for the evening of 'fun' there wasn't much room to keep one. Banging on the bare wall would have been undignified and useless, so she turned away from the entrance again. Somehow, she would figure things out.

And suddenly she was facing Lord Voldemort himself. He stood a few yards away, cold and menacing. Pale skin drawn tight as a corpse, eyes like flickering embers of hatred, narrow mouth, flattened nose, long black robes fluttering around him. He smiled, and the smile was utter evil.

She had figured things out.

She was going to die.

NOTES:
· TITLE. The Latin title "Dilabi" means "to fall apart", because things do, rather suddenly.
· BAD REPUTATION. The phrase "town bike" is kind of tacky. It refers to a toy that everyone shares. Think of a small neighborhood where only one kid's family can afford something cool like a bike, and how greedy the other kids are to borrow it every chance they get. See how mean-spirited the phrase is when applied to a person? (Borrowed this one from Red Dwarf, btw.)
· OTHER DEATH EATERS. I have no clue yet whether Wilkes was male or female. But it's a fair bet he's male, since only one female Death Eater was firmly identified in GoF, that being Mrs LeStrange. If I'm wrong about the gender, I'll just happily pretend he got a sex change!