hey, reading-peoples!iwould've introduced my story last week, but i wasn't sure how to, so i guess i'll do it now! this story is basically how i think Barty Crouchbecamea DeathEater and ended up in Azkaban. um, guess that's all so, enjoy!

Chapter 2

Tests of Loyalty

"No," I said firmly to myself. "Don't think about her." I'd been saying these same words to myself for a week, but still, my mind often drifted off to dwell on those dark eyes... I clenched my hand, digging my fingernails into my palm. Focus on the pain, I thought to myself. Think about something else, anything else... The meeting! Yes, the meeting. This could be the most important night of my life, and I had to stay on track.

Pushing all thoughts of her from my mind, I glanced around the small, darkened room I was in and sat down in the nearest vacant seat. All around me the room was slowly filling with people, wearing dark cloaks like mine, so you could only make out the vague shapes of their body. The room filled with whispers as more and more cloaked figures entered. Eventually, every seat was filled and the whispering slowly died down until a deathly silence claimed the room. In front of the rows of chairs were five wooden armchairs, placed in a semicircle. From out of the shadows, five cloaked figures emerged and sat in the chairs. The seat in the middle held a tall, imposing looking man, who everybody immediately turned their heads toward.

"This meeting of The Faithful," he proclaimed, "Is now in order." Still silence prevailed, though the excitement in the room seemed to heighten a level.

"We are The Faithful," he cried, to the crowd's excitement. "We are those who remain faithful to the Dark Lord and will find him, even if it costs us our lives! For we do not fear for our lives! We do not fear, we do not love! We live to serve the Dark Lord as we once did! We are his most faithful servants! We alone are the Death-Eaters who have never, and will never, desert him!" He continued to speak in a voice that was softer, but no less commanding .

"In this meeting we will decide whether to initiate a new member. Bartimeus Crouch, stand," he ordered. Trembling from head to toe, I obeyed him. Every thought I had, even those of Bella were pushed from my mind in the face of the moment I had been waiting a lifetime for. This is it, was the only thought I could conjure. This is finally it...

"This man," the cloaked figure continued. "Has learned our ways and practiced them. We have come to the decision that he is ready to become a full member of The Faithful. All that remains is his test, his test of loyalty." I held my breath; the test of the faithful was always the same. Please don't let it be someone I know, I begged.

"We have come to a decision," the man stated. "To prove his loyalty, Bartimeus Crouch Jr. must kill for his cause." Let it be a stranger, I repeated silently. No one I know, just a complete stranger...

"To pass the test, Bartimeus Crouch Junior, must kill," he said, his voice rising. "Bartimeus Crouch Senior!"

Time seemed to freeze. All around me their were sudden mutters, but I stood stock still,staring at the man who had just told me to kill my father.

"No," I said softly. "No, I won't." I heard gasps from the seats around me and I spoke louder.

"I won't do it," I shouted angrily. The choking silence spread all around me and the man in the center chair swung around to face me.

"You refuse," he said, his voice a white-hot whisper. "You refuse to do the council's bidding?"

"Ye...no...I mean...," I stammered, realizing what I had just done. Think, Barty! I yelled at myself furiously. Do you realize what you just did? You refused to follow the council's decision! No one refuses the council's decision! Or maybe... maybe they're just not left alive to tell the tale. Think Barty! It's your father or you! Is the man who's made most of your life a misery really worth throwing your own life away for? No... this is the way it has to be... the only way it can be...

"No," I said clearly. "No, I will do whatever the council asks of me." the five figures in front of me whispered to each other for a moment, then sat back in their chairs.

"We will forgive your outburst," the same man said. "But only this once. Go now, and do not fail."

I spun around and headed for the exit, only glancing back as I opened the door to leave. All the Death Eaters in the room still looked to the figures in front of them. All except one; Bella's face was turned toward me. I paused to give her a look mean enough to match the one I was sure she was wearing, but as I met her eyes, they held not loathing, but a strange expression, one I had never seen her wear before... but before I could figure out what strange emotion had flickered in Bella's eyes, she turned her head back around. My thoughts in turmoil, I turned my back on those behind me and slammed the door shut.

sorry this chapter's so short, thenext one's nice and long (and even more depressing!). just to let anyone who's reading this know, i'm going to try to post a chapter every other day, but i'm a kinda slow writer, so there might be longer gaps than that.

toodles!

P.S. howwould some of you nice people like to review?