OLD MAGIC

Chapter 62: To Fight or Flee

"I got nothing! No one is willing to talk about anything!" Bellatrix snarled at her fellow Death Eaters at the beginning of the unplanned emergency meeting the group held Monday in the late afternoon.

The night before had been bone chillingly cold and despite her warming spell, her face still felt chapped and dry. She sat next to the fire nursing a hot toddy against an insipid cold that was trying to take over her head.

She had spent all day Sunday and into the late hours of the night chasing down her contacts that were supposed to have some of the information she required. But they were so paranoid about being spotted by the Aurors they led her into less than ideal locations that were definitely uncomfortable. Unless one considered hiding behind dumpsters that smelled horrendous, or crumbling, abandoned buildings, dark, dirty areas of the rail lines and even in one case, under a bridge in London, as safe meeting places ... which she certainly didn't.

All of that effort and she had come away with nothing to show for it. Hampered just as her compatriots were, she had to be very circumspect when meeting her contacts who were too afraid to do much more than listen to gossip and do no real spying as that was held as being far too dangerous with so many eyes watching. The bits of information they did manage to glean weren't helpful at all. And none of them could obtain the most important info they needed right now ... whether Madame Bones and the Aurors had any warrants out for their arrests. Nothing! It was beyond frustrating.

The chill she felt as she slipped away from London and apparated back to their hideaway wasn't from the physical cold but the very real fear that their time was running out and the strong possibility the danger of capture was closer than they knew.

Malfoy scowled at her but had nothing to counter her rant since he too hadn't had any good news. He had already did sweeps in all his normal haunts (while maintaining a careful disguise): Knockturn Alley, Hog's Head Pub, Hogsmead, Little Hangleton in Yorkshire, the Gaunt Manor, even the Wiltshire neighborhood surrounding his own manor. He searched hard for any of his usual contacts but could find no one. It seemed as if they had either vanished to parts unknown, were hiding out with relatives in distant places, or, worse, having been caught by the Aurors.

"Something is definitely going on when no one can locate any reliable contacts. I found Borgin and Burkes store deserted and closed up tight which it never is since that is Borgin's main livelihood. Discreet questioning of neighbors gained me mostly useless and unsubstantiated guesses … one said they thought they saw Borgin leave town but couldn't be certain, another thought he had mentioned going to see an ailing sister …. he doesn't have one, he's an only child, and others who simply shrugged their shoulders and wouldn't say anything," Nott said unhappily, anger and fear lacing his voice.

"My few contacts at the Ministry of Magic's Planet, Brain, and Time rooms were close mouthed and refused to speak with me or even meet in a more protected place. I was actually warned to leave before I gave them away," Barty Crouch, Jr. reported, furious at his treatment by former allies.

"My son isn't saying much either despite my demands sent three times," Goyle put in.

When the man didn't say anything more, Malfoy snapped, "Well what did he say?"

Goyle shrugged, frustration clear on his face. "He said something ridiculous …. something about Snape instituting new rules within Slytherin House, restricting anyone from spying on each other and reporting anything to their parents meaning us! He then told me that those four that drew down on Draco were punished then returned to the house with strict orders for the rest not to speak to the four unless they wanted to talk. Which Greg apparently didn't want to do much less say anything about it to me. He did say punishment would be swift if they did say anything and that he and the others were forbidden to play Quidditch the rest of the school year. My boy is spooked and has clammed up. I don't like it. As a parent I should be able to demand what is going on but..." He flung his hands up in helpless frustration.

"You can't because of Snape's defection which means the possibility of being compromised is fact not fiction any longer. So those with children at Hogwarts have no chance to speak with them or they'll be arrested and no chance of gaining any new intel from that direction either," Bellatrix summed up for him. "Added to those facts is if any parent of those kids don't show up, it's a definite sign of guilt so screwed both ways. My main concern though is why, if Snape has passed on intel to the Aurors, they haven't already been on the hunt for us with warrants in hand?"

Mulciber scowled and clenched his fists in frustration. "Good points all, Bellatrix especially the lack of response by the Aurors or even that thrice-damned Order. Something is just not adding up. But damn it, we have no other ways of finding out the truth! All we have is suspicions, rumors, and guesses."

"Then they are waiting! Why else clamping down on anything getting out in the news or even being whispered about?" Avery demanded, fear making him want to apparate far away now.

Malfoy scowled at the fire and didn't respond. He felt the trap closing in on them and couldn't see any plan that would get them out this mess nor help them actually push an attack. What didn't help was being distracted as he was at the moment by what was going on with Draco and, especially, what could have possessed Goyle's son to draw a wand on him. Just the thought of what Greg had dared with three others made him see red.

Abruptly interrupting the arguing going on, he snarled at Goyle, teeth gritted. "Ignoring the fact your son drew down on mine … which by the way I want that boy punished for daring such a thing … did he at least tell you where Draco is now?"

"Huh..?" Goyle was still trying to process what Bellatrix and everyone else was saying that he failed to realize his earlier statement had made Malfoy furious.

He stared at the man in question, rearing back at the flash of fury in those cold blue eyes. "Uh … uhmm … easy Lucius. I'm sure Greg had a good reason but he did get punished for his and the others actions. That's what I just told you. And no, unfortunately, he didn't say what became of Draco after the uh altercation."

"Well that was one thing my son did tell me at least," Crabbe interjected before Malfoy could throttle Goyle in thwarted frustration. "Said Draco was in Ravenclaw." His expression was one of shocked confusion. "I thought no one could change houses? And why on earth would he want to anyway?"

"It's permitted, it just isn't normally done," Bellatrix said offhandedly, her mind on other matters under discussion. But she was a bit disturbed that a person of Malfoy House would ever do such a thing in the first place. The fact Draco not only left Slytherin house but that he changed houses entirely rather than just leave Hogwarts, boggled her mind. "That's a question I would like the answer to. Did Draco ask to be moved or did Snape do it for some unknown reason?"

Crabbe shrugged. "Don't know, Vincent didn't say. But then he was no more forthcoming than Greg was," he grumbled.

"I don't like this! I don't like any of this!" Malfoy growled, leaping from his seat to pace angrily around in a circle.

"None of us do, Lucius so settle yourself. That's why we be sitting here trying to figure out what we can do about the situation now, especially without any current intel to guide us with," Mulciber snapped irritably.

"What is Snape doing to his house? How dare he change the rules in that manner. It doesn't make sense," Avery spoke up in the momentary silence, speaking to no one in particular.

Bellatrix gave the man a look of disgust. "I just said it was because he's a traitor to the cause, you berk! Which is why he's ensuring none of Slytherin can tell us what is going on."

Avery leaned back and glared at her. "But there surely must be more than that going on?" He insisted.

"But we will never find out will we?" Bellatrix hissed at him, tired of his denseness on the subject.

"I can tell you there hasn't been much activity by the Aurors beyond their endless search for us," Alecto Carrow suddenly interrupted, tired of the fruitless bickering and speculation. "And they haven't expanded their search pattern much from months ago."

"Which is suspicious in and of itself. Are they trying to make us think they have been bottled up by Fudge because that's stupid. We know they haven't quit looking nor have those fools in the benighted Order either," Amycus snorted in disgust. "So what are they waiting for?"

"They already know who we are and are setting a trap, I'm certain of it!" Bellatrix declared. "I can feel the noose tightening as we sit here on our asses stewing!"

"By the by where is that furry excuse for a werewolf got to? Shouldn't he have been here too?" Crouch suddenly demanded.

Mulciber sighed in annoyance at the interruption but answered since only he knew the answer.. "He owled to me last night that he intended to physically check on the army and his pack. He wanted to see for himself how many are there and ask what problems Yaxley might be having."

Avery frowned then turned to Malfoy and Mulciber. "Didn't Yaxley answer the message that was sent asking for that information? About the mood of the army on continuing this war and if there have been any deserters?"

Mulciber raised his eyebrows. "A message was sent but I didn't get an answer," Turning to Malfoy, he asked, "Did you hear from Yaxley, Lucius?"

Malfoy wasn't paying attention, still pacing and too wound up about the news on his son to hear what the others were discussing.

"Malfoy!" Mulciber barked.

The man startled and stopped in his tracks to glare at Mulciber angrily. "What?"

Mulciber snorted irritably. "Your son is not what's important right now. He's safe at Hogwarts but we aren't sitting around here so pay attention. You are co-leader after all," he added in thinly disguised disgust.

"The question was did you get an answer from Yaxley about the mood of the army or anything else about what is going on out there where they are bivouac. Did you even ask about deserters in that message you sent?"

Malfoy had begun to bristle at Mulciber's callousness about Draco but blinked in concern at the question, pausing to think rather than snap at his co-leader. Frowning he could not remember getting an answer from Yaxley and there had been ample time for one to have appeared but no owls had come from Switzerland that he could recall.

"No, I haven't."

"Oh brilliant. And you didn't get suspicious?" Karkaroff snapped, speaking for the first time since they all arrived. "Then it is a good thing Fenrir is out there but we should send an owl to demand a response. He should have at least had time to get a preliminary idea of how things are there. Send an owl now!"

Much as Malfoy didn't appreciate Karkaroff's pushiness, he couldn't argue the man was right.

"Fine," he snarled, making quill and parchment appear. While everyone else continued their useless discussions, he quickly wrote a note demanding a response immediately, then lunged to his feet, stomping into the other office to summon an owl. A blast of frigid air told of an open window. A few minutes later Malfoy returned and retook his seat, making a small glass of whiskey appear then downing it.

"All this speculating is getting us no where. Meanwhile, I feel like we're rats on a sinking ship with the enemy closing in. The only good thing at the moment is the fact they have no clue where we are. Bellatrix is right though, this is feeling more and more like a trap with our options getting smaller and smaller as time goes on and we don't move against our enemies. As we delay, the enemy has more time to prepare for us and win," Mulciber grumbled, his eyes dark with worry and anger.

"Then we should take action … now before anymore time is lost," Alecto shouted.

Her brother slammed a fist on the arm of his chair as he also shouted, "She's right. We should be taking action...now! Launch an attack."

"At what target? We had planned on taking down the ministry first but we haven't been able to make arrangements with our contacts for the best day, time, and location to strike. We dare not strike blind and dumb or we might as well turn ourselves in now," Karkaroff shouted back.

"And the reason we haven't heard from them to make our attack plans means they know or suspect they are being targeted. I strongly suspect the Aurors know most of their identities and are planning to make their move soon. Add to that, there is no way to know if we too haven't also been identified and the only reason we are still free is what Karkaroff said, they have no idea where we are. But that doesn't help our cause as we can't step foot from here without risking being arrested," Malfoy snarled, disgusted. "We are just as trapped as they are."

"No, we do have somewhere else to go," Mulciber said slowly, rubbing his chin, his eyes thoughtful.

"Where?" Malfoy hissed, annoyed.

"Where the army is of course," Mulciber stated as if it should have been obvious.

"Oh sure, but there is no indication they too haven't been found and are right now being watched by the Light," Malfoy said sarcastically.

Everyone went silent at that cold realization.

"And we are back to our main problem … no reliable intelligence to let us know where the enemy is," Mulciber said flatly.

"Then why are we doing this at all?" Avery suddenly shouted. They stared at him in surprise. "Well? If we can't connect with our own people and the army could already be compromised and let's face it, they just aren't large enough to do the damage we need to take down the ministry let alone the rest of the Light, why are we still thinking we can win?"

"Our lord would not want us to show our bellies and simply give in," Bellatrix spit at him, jumping to her feet.

"But he's dead and we are just the dregs of what's left. There aren't enough of us, Bellatrix. I'm not into suicide are you?" Avery snapped back.

"He would want us to lay our lives down for him and for the cause," she snarled, furious at his cowardice.

"Oh, that's just ducky, Bell. And once we're dead from the odds facing us then where is the cause after that?" Crouch snorted. "Personally, I feel we have gone as far as we can to do our former lord's bidding but I for one think we should bail out for now and fight another day. We've done it before. Getting arrested and jailed for life isn't how I want to end my life."

She wanted to rail at him and everyone in the room but even as insane as she was, she knew they were not in a good place to win anything no matter how badly she needed to keep fighting.

Silence fell as each thought about what to do now as outside the wind screamed a mournful sound that matched the emotions within the room.

Malfoy leaned back in his seat and stared into the fire. Crouch was right, the situation was dire and there didn't seem to be anything they could do to stop the inevitable. For a brief time since their lord had died, he had dared hope they might have a chance to succeed but after so much time had been lost in fruitless searches for information to proceed forward and give their army a reason to continue, he could no longer see any future in trying to win the unwinnable.

"Then, that's it, eh," Avery nearly whispered. "We run and hope to keep our freedom and perhaps try to build our forces anew?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I'm not sure that will work either. Remember that new prophecy by those forest creatures? That sounded like we have lost any chances and a different future is dawning."

"We never really translated the damnable thing," Mulciber grunted. "It's pointless thinking or worrying about what those beasts were trying to tell us anyway. All that matters is what are we going to do next. For me, I'm not ready to throw in the towel as yet. Why don't we wait and see what Fenrir finds out what's going on with the army? How say you all?"

Malfoy glared at Mulciber for taking over the meeting and pushing for a vote, but had no other suggestion to counter it. After a long pause, one by one each of the members raised a hand.

"Then we wait," Mulciber said flatly. He snapped a drink into being, settled back in his chair and prepared to wait it out. There wasn't anywhere any of them could go now anyway.

As they settled into uneasy silence, drinking their preferred beverages and saying nothing more to each other, Bellatrix continued to try and see a way out of their current dilemma.

What other way was there to get the information they needed on the whereabouts of the enemy and if they were indeed already moving against them. Suddenly she jerked her head up, eyes wide. Those that noticed her sudden jerk of movement, eyed her warily.

"Listen everyone! I get that we need to wait to hear from the werewolf but there might still be another way to find out what our enemies are up to rather than sit here waiting and fretting."

"What method could be left that hasn't been tried?" Alecto growled, her tone sarcastic and annoyed.

"Kreacher!"

"What?! That's not new and besides we assume he's been captured since we haven't seen nor heard from the blighter since that fiasco at Hogwarts," Amycus said acidly.

"We only assume he was captured but again we don't know. As everyone knows, house elves move fast and vanish quicker than we apparate so who's to say he didn't' escape but was too afraid to return to us. That is likely and because it is, I believe we should try to reach out to him again. There's every chance he's simply hiding somewhere. Also, don't forget house elves don't do well on their own. They are driven to serve."

"Alright, say that's true and that the ugly thing is simply hiding. How does that help us now?" Alecto demanded, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes glaring at Bellatrix.

"Think! I can attempt to summon him. If I'm successful, I can order him to visit our contacts at the ministry insuring he keeps himself hidden and appears to those we want him to speak to in absolute secrecy. If those fools don't want to speak to us in person, Kreacher can bring them here for us to get the information out of them," Bellatrix insisted.

The others faces perked up at that possibility.

"Hmm, you may have something there, Belle," Malfoy said slowly, "Nothing's lost in giving it another try." He turned to Mulciber to see if he agreed, though it chaffed him to have to ask at all.

Mulciber frowned and said nothing for some minutes before finally, reluctantly nodding agreement. "I have some misgivings about it but we do need information and I can't see any other way to get it." He shrugged fatalistically. "However, I feel we should wait until we receive an answer from Greyback."

"What for?" Bellatrix spat, surprised and angry at yet another delay.

"Because, my dear, if there be no army to fight with then we be wasting out time trying to get information, wouldn't we," Mulciber said acidly.

"Oh come on, except for perhaps some of them desertin' there should be enough to attack the Ministry at least," Nott loudly objected.

Mulciber simply gave the man an icy glare. But Nott wasn't having it. It was wearing on all of them to sit around with nothing to do but hide in fear. He refused to live this way.

"We need to do something!" He snarled, shaking his fist at Mulciber. "Bellatrix at least can find out something …."

"And it could get us caught that much faster," Mulciber snapped.

Malfoy felt a chill as he realized the man could be right. They had no way to know if the house elf would even be willing to help them any further. After all it had been reluctant in the first place. Perhaps, they should get more information from a more reliable source first.

"I'm forced to agree with Mulciber. We should try a known source, Yaxley and Greyback first before going back to a house elf who wasn't all that happy to aid us in the first place," He said carefully.

Nott glared at Malfoy but huffed and dropped in his seat again. "Fine but I'm not willing to wait for long."

Bellatrix didn't look happy either but had to concede this made more sense and was much safer under the circumstances.

The wait continued with no one happy about it.

Malfoy sighed, rose to his feet and left the room. He was tired of the arguing and wanted to rest while they were all forced to remain here hoping for an answer that still might not help them.

Seeing Lucius leave, a few others decided getting some sleep might not be a bad idea and would make the time pass faster.