The journey started out heading west across open lands. They avoided major cities and muggle communities. They traveled at a swift jog, and for a few of the older men this was difficult. After about an hour the party split into two groups; one heading north to Northborough, and the other heading south towards the Siege.

Draco jogged next to Blaise and Geoffrey Nott as the company split. Goyle was going to Northborough.

"Where are we going anyway?" He whispered to no one in particular.

"No one knows. The rumor is that we're going to Savenright camp, outside of Hogwarts." Blaise answered quietly from beside him.

"Well," Geoffrey said from his other side, "I'd prefer Savenright, personally."

"Let's just hope it isn't NightNim." Draco picked up his pace slightly, but the company came to an abrupt halt. All was quiet, and Draco drew his wand.

They waited, stiff and still under the concealment spell surrounding them. Then a single beam of green light shot unto them, and a man several feet above fell over dead.

They scattered in an effort to fight off the oncoming attack. Some dropped to the ground, others behind rocks, and several brave ones ran off into the nearby forest. Draco and Nott began to run to the forest as a beam of red light whizzed past his head, swirling up his shoulder length hair. They made it in and began positioning themselves for the trap when the Aurors came into the forest.

It wasn't long before a few Aurors were entering the forest cautiously. Draco waited until the last one was within reach. When he was, Draco reached out and grabbed him from behind, putting his wand to his throat.

"Don't move Auror." Draco whispered. He waited until the others were out of sight before spinning the man around with full intent of questioning and killing him. But he saw the face and hair, and he froze.

"You." Charlie spoke slowly, astonished. Draco still had his wand to his throat, but he couldn't decide what to do. "They said you were good, but I never believed it."

"Good." Draco said decisively. "Can't trust anyone these days. Petrificus Totalus!" He shouted. Charlie dropped to the ground and Draco turned away from him, knowing he could never take his life. He stopped when he bumped into Nott, who was staring at him as thought he couldn't be happier.

"Traitor." He whispered.

"You keep my secrets Nott, just as I've kept yours." Draco warned. Nott's face contorted for a moment and then he nodded. Nott was married secretly to a healer working with the Aurors by the name of Anna Deyeti, and there had been only two witnesses at the ceremony; Draco Malfoy, and Vincent Crabbe.

They began to head cautiously back out of the forest with their other companions to see the other Death Eaters surrounding the few remaining Aurors. There hadn't been many to begin with, and there were barely 4 left.

Draco's father had just disarmed them all of their wands, and he was beginning to ask questions, though none would answer. Frustrated, Lucius pulled a dagger from his side and slit their throats, one by one.

"Leave the dead. Let's go." Lucius took off at a run in the direction they had originally been marching and everyone soon followed suit. Draco looked around him at the fallen Aurors, and the few dead Death Eaters. He saw only one face he recognized; the grim face of a Ravenclaw seeker he had once known. Cho Chang.

He dismissed it and kept moving, only once glancing back into the forest behind him where one living person remained.

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They walked without rest for 4 more days before they reached their destinations, which against their hopes had turned out to be NightNim. NightNim was the basis for experimental torture. This was where they brought all of the captured Aurors who could provide them with information. They brought the abducted muggles here as well. No one that entered the camp ever left it in one piece.

The camp itself was complex. There were high walls surrounding a large castle, which was where they kept prisoners. It was a gruesome place; screams could be heard at all times throughout the day and night, and when the Death Eaters stationed there weren't working, they were drinking.

What was worse, this was where the Dark Lord himself was said to stay. Up in the high towers, alone.

Draco, Nott, Blaise and the others headed inside the gates and waited for instructions.

"So this is NightNim…" Nott mused. "Hardly impressive." He scoffed, looking at the shabby housing and tents around them.

"Someone ought to teach you to respect your superiors, boy." A deep, husky voice off to their side caught their attention. It sounded mocking, and Draco had readied his wand before he recognized the bearded face.

Standing there with a shaggy beard and a few extra pounds was none other than Marcus Flint. Draco smirked back at him as friendly as he could manage. Flint held out a hand. "Bout time you boys showed up here. Come on, your units with me."

Draco shook his hand and then followed him to the eastern side of the camp.

"It's a bit grimy, but it does suffice. We watch that road there, the one leading into the forest." He pointed to a gate which at the moment stood open, with several guards at it. "Feel free to make yourselves at home boys! And of course, ladies." He caught sight of Blaise and winked. Blaise gave him a blank stare.

Marcus turned and appeared to be going about his business. The 20 or so new comers set up their part of camp and began to settle in, but Draco walked cautiously up to Flint, studying the castle.

"Where is he?" He asked his old friend. Marcus turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" He asked slowly. They exchanged looks, and Marcus grinned. "Don't really know. They say he hides out at the top towers, in the only room without an apparition ward. Don't ask me why. Perhaps he thinks it's a quick getaway, if we're discovered."

Draco yawned.

"Long journey? Too bad you won't be getting much sleep tonight either." He commented, but Draco raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? What's going on tonight?"

"New initiations. They've had the young ones in the castle preparing all day." Marcus appeared to be washing something, though Draco couldn't figure out what.

"And does everyone have to attend?" He asked sarcastically. Marcus eyed him suspiciously.

"Usually yes. But you'll have to, you being practically royalty and all." He grinned widely, but Draco only looked at him curiously. "You don't know? Strange, I thought your father would have told you. The Dark Lord has taken your mothers sister, Bellatrix, to be his bride. They're getting married in December."

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Later that night, once the sun had gone down and the moon had fully risen, every Death Eater in the camp was gathered inside the castle walls to witness the initiation of 8 new Death Eaters, by the Dark Lord himself.

Draco could recall pieces of his own initiation, but it had been private, with family members only, and it hadn't been done by the Dark Lord. It had been done by his father, those few years ago. These few students must have been privately trained by their Death Eater parents, because the school year was not over. Although these children didn't look old enough to have graduated.

Sitting at the front of the hall was Lord Voldemort himself, wrapped tightly in his black clothing. Next to him, looking particularly amused was Bellatrix Lestrange, soon to be Lady Voldemort. She was dressed in dark red ceremonial robes, but the hollowness he had sensed in her after Azkaban was still there. Bellatrix had found at last her own path to power, straight through the Dark Lord. Draco wondered what she had done to get there.

Slowly, the 8 children marched through the ranks of Death Eaters, all masked. The children were dressed in black ceremonial robes and each carried a candle in their two hands. The boy in the lead was large and well built; he looked strong. The two boys after him looked fragile, almost scared, though they tried to hide it. The girl after them had blond hair, and her eyes were wide; she was the one wishing she wasn't there. The next three were boys, all with brave faces, and one with extremely long black hair, and had Draco not known who he was he would have assumed it was another girl. The girl after them had long black hair, and she walked proudly and sure of herself. Finally, there was a fat pudgy boy at the end of the line. All of them looked much too young for this.

They lined up at the front of the hall before the Dark Lord, who looked pleased.

"Take a knee." He ordered. They did as they were told. "You have pledged your lives to me. You have given your soul to the darkness to serve me. You fight for me and the ways of the Death Eaters. Are there any here who would stop this commencement?" He paused only a second. "Then bare your left arm." The 8 did as they were told. Voldemort raised his wand, and Draco turned his head away.

"Morsmordre Madem!" He shouted. There were several bright flashes of light. Draco turned his head back to see the burning scars of the Dark Mark engraving themselves into the initiates flesh. Several of them, like the black haired girl and a few of the boys took it without faze. Their faces remained perfectly calm. But the others… the blond girl's eyes were wider then before, and they were tearing up. The fat boy at the end began to whimper, and one of the scrawny boys collapsed.

Voldemort was not pleased. He kicked the collapsed boy so that he sat upright again, and he smacked the whimpering one several times across the face. He ignored the girl.

"Now rise Death Eaters!" They did as they were told and one by one, they walked out of the castle and back to their tent.

Voldemort dismissed the rest of the Death Eaters and they were soon heading out the doors. Draco tore off with Blaise close behind him. He knew she was watching him curiously.

"They were much too young." He said, coming to a stop and taking off his mask.

"They aren't much younger than we were." She pointed out. She kept walking, but she took off her mask. He walked beside her for a moment more, before scowling at his mask and quickening his pace.

"We were too young."