Tony opened the door without knocking – and without thinking. "Gah, my eyes! I'm blind!" he exclaimed, turning around quickly when he realised that they were...underdressed. He heard Evey laugh and Walden grumble inarticulately. "Sorry! I forgot." He closed the door and waited impatiently in the hall until Evey let him in. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything important?" he asked her wryly.

Evey shrugged carelessly. "We weren't doing anything. Just couldn't be bothered to put on clothes," she replied with a grin. Walden was clearly a bad influence on her. "What was the rush?"

Oh, right. He'd almost forgotten. "There's been a mass breakout at Azkaban. Nine Death Eaters escaped…including Bellatrix," Tony announced, glancing at Walden.

"And so it begins," his brother said glumly, rubbing his eyes one at a time. "Who else got out?"

"Rodolphus and Rabastan, Augustus, Mulciber, Selwyn, Travers, Jugson and Gibbon."

"All the Lestranges are out," Walden muttered. "And that piece of shit, Travers… Bloody hell. Does the Ministry know how they escaped?"

Tony shook his head. "No, they're clueless, as usual. I'm guessing that the Dementors have gone rogue, at least some of them. Dementors attacked Potter last summer, right?" Evey nodded slowly.

"Possibly, but…" Walden began hesitantly. "Did Jeanne… Do you reckon that's why she was in Azkaban, when she met you?"

Tony had considered that already, but how would he know? He hadn't seen or heard from his maker since she'd abandoned him at the manor, about a year ago. "I don't know." Gods, he certainly hoped not. "I'll be sure to enquire when I next see her, but it seems contradictory, don't you think? I mean, one of the reasons she allowed me to return home was that I could help fight Voldemort."

"Right. Well, no matter how they managed it, they're out now. That's pretty terrible news for the Order."

"What kind of relationship did you have with the other Death Eaters?" Evey asked out of the blue. "Did you see them often? Did you all live together at the Evil Incorporated Headquarters? Did you throw wild parties, organise gin rummy tournaments, and-"

Tony cut her off with a shaky laugh, though she'd hit close to the mark. Wild parties, indeed. Tony had truly wished he were blind on several occasions – he'd witnessed things he would never dare tell Evey about. She had enough nightmares as it was. Tony remembered Selwyn and Jugson and their...unhealthy fetish for demons. Yikes. Bleach for the mind, that's what he needed. "We lived there, alright. We didn't have much choice. Voldemort put a binding spell on us both, when we became reticent to help and showed signs of defection. If we'd tried to leave the place without his permission, we would have died. At least that's what he told us."

"The others came and went as they pleased," Walden went on. "Voldemort himself rarely made an appearance. We didn't have much contact with the rest of them, except for a few. Augustus was usually there in the morning, because he was the go-between who relayed Voldemort's orders." He paused. "He's not so bad, I guess."

"At least not compared to Bellatrix," Tony put in. "That one is bat-shit crazy, and Azkaban didn't have a positive influence on her mental health, as you can imagine. Her husband is only slightly better, because he's more or less sane, but he's a first-class arsehole, if you'll pardon my French. And Rabastan…" He trailed off, trying to think of a word to describe the younger Lestrange sibling.

"He's like Bellatrix. He enjoys hurting people. Rodolphus is a twat, but he doesn't care about anything. He won't go out of his way to cause trouble. He's dispassionate, but lucid, rational," Walden said. "Rabastan is a rabid dog. He's paranoid, and he cares only about himself. Bellatrix is different, because Voldemort is top-priority to her. She would do anything to see him triumph, no matter the cost to her person, and she'll bulldoze any obstacle with never a care for the consequences of her actions."

"Augustus has never killed anyone, at least. That I know of," Tony amended. "He was just a spy, and a recruiter." He'd recruited Tony himself. Augustus Rookwood was incredibly charismatic; he had a way with words and an uncanny ability to make people like him and adhere to his opinions - without the Imperius Curse. Needless to say, Voldemort knew that very well and used it to his advantage.

"And the others?" Evey asked. "I don't think I've even heard of them. Who's Travers, and why is he a piece of shit?"

Tony snorted. 'Piece of shit' was putting it mildly.

"He must have killed more people than all the rest of them combined, except possibly..." Walden trailed off. Except possibly Greyback, he must have been about to say. He cleared his throat roughly. "Travers wiped out entire families during the War. And he fucking liked it, the bastard. He was so proud of himself, always bragging about it."

"Oh, who are we kidding," Tony said grimly. "A spy can do as much damage as a cold-blooded murderer, if he's any good. If not for Augustus, they would never have located Fabian and Gideon."

"Did you…" Evey began timidly. "You knew Mr and Mrs Weasley before the War, right?" She looked as though she'd wanted to ask that for a while. She must have held back before because it was edging close to a much more sensitive matter. "I mean, I know that you k…that you were involved in the deaths of Mrs Weasley's brothers, but you already knew her before that." It wasn't a question, this time.

"Yes, we knew the Weasleys prior to joining Voldemort," Tony admitted, guilt twisting at his gut, as usual when the topic was brought on. Not that he blamed Evey for asking; it was a perfectly legitimate question. "After I graduated from Hogwarts, I studied for two years at the Wizarding University of Edinburgh, and then I was hired at the Ministry, to work in the Department of Magical Equipment Control as an engineer. Molly used to work as a cleaner, back then – that was when she only had three kids. We would take our breaks together, have some tea and chat for a while. I met Arthur a few weeks later, when he was transferred to another department. We got along great, and for Christmas that year they invited me over to the Burrow. I told her that I had to decline, because Walden's dad had just passed away and my mum was alone at home. But you know Molly – she insisted that we all joined them. And we did, too."

"I'd never seen anything quite like it," Walden said. "I'd only met Arthur and Molly once or twice before, briefly. When we got to the Burrow, there were so many people that I suspected they'd used an Extension Charm on the house. There was more food on the table than I eat in a year." He smiled in remembrance. "Even your mum was stunned," he said to Tony.

"And Ma usually cooked for an army herself, so that speaks volumes. We had a great time that day. I played with the kids for over two hours – they were as insistent as their mother can be – and Walden spent the day talking cars with Arthur."

"You have a car?" Evey asked Walden with some surprise.

"I've got three. And two motorbikes. I don't actually use them, though. It's just… My dad was a bit like Arthur, fascinated by Muggles and non-magical technology. He was one of the first wizards – Pure-blood wizards, anyway – to own a television. We kept most of his stuff after he died." He shrugged. "He used to let us help him work repairs on the cars, and he taught us both how to drive."

"He always said it might come in handy," Tony said. "Well, I guess it did, since Arthur insisted that we teach him. I've never used a car anywhere else that on the estate, though."

"Estate?" Evey repeated, obviously confused.

"The domain. The property. Where we used to live, before we got here?" Tony explained. Did she not know about this? What was pillow talk for, if not mentioning that you owned one of the largest estates in Scotland, and were filthy rich besides? Tony usually led with that relevant piece of information when he was chatting up girls, even though, technically, everything belonged to Walden. "You know, that ridiculously large manor house with thousands of acres where Walden illegally stores the magical creatures he rescues," he went on with a grin. Walden glared at him.

Evey gaped in surprise. "Your garden is a reservation?" 'Garden' was a cute euphemism. There was a park, a forest, a lake…

Walden rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I just keep a few beasts there, is all. A hippogriff. A poffle of puffskeins. A few pxies and fairies. Some thestrals. There's a kelpie in the pond, and a tiny dragon in one of the caverns," he muttered.

Tony sniggered. A pond? Blimey, it was larger than the Great Lake at Hogwarts!

Evey was laughing now, and she clapped her hands in delight. "You have a dragon at home. A bloody dragon!" She shook her head in wonder, her hazel eyes bright. "This is amazing! I can't wait to visit."

"And I can't wait to show you around," Walden told her earnestly.

Dawww. Tony held back a smirk. "His dad would have liked you, you know," he said more seriously. "He would have pestered you with questions about Muggle life, and he would have told everyone he met that his daughter-in-law was Muggle-born as if you were a treasured prize." He chuckled. "Come to think of it, Ma would have liked you, too. You're practical and sensible, just like her. She couldn't abide foolish people."

Evey was blushing slightly. "I wish I could have met them." She looked up at Tony. "Your mum… Was she Russian? I mean, were you born there? You don't have an accent at all."

"I don't even speak Russian," Tony admitted. "Ma immigrated to Edinburgh before I was born, in 1957. I never knew my father. Dolohov was her name, not his. I don't know what happened to him. She told me that he walked out on her when he found out that she was pregnant. All I know is that he was a wizard, so I'm not Muggle-born. Not that it matters," he added hastily when Evey frowned. "Walden's father hired my mother as a governess when I was five, to take care of Walden and help his wife, because she was ill. Walden's mum died two years later, but we never left. Walden's dad and Ma only got married when we were in our fourth year at Hogwarts, but they must have been together for a while. I'm not sure how long, though." He glanced at Walden, but his brother simply shook his head. He didn't know, either. They'd come back to the manor for the summer holidays and Fergus had quietly announced that they were going to be married in August, with just the four of them to attend the simple ceremony.

"And your mother died while you were in Azkaban?" Evey asked gently.

"Four years ago, yes. They never told me, though. I only found out when I returned home. High-security prisoners are completely cut off from the outside world. We're not allowed visitors, although there are exceptional cases, I suppose," Tony said bitterly. Bartemius Crouch Sr. and his wife had been granted visits with their son, after all, but the old man was a prominent Ministry official. That must have helped.

They fell silent for a moment. "Which House were you in, at Hogwarts?" Evey went on in an obvious attempt at a lighter topic of conversation. "I can't believe I never asked before."

Tony grinned at her. "You'll never guess," he said with a hint of challenge in his voice.

"Let's see. You're an opportunist, that's certain, and you're ambitious, so you might qualify for Slytherin, but that's not quite right, is it?" Tony shrugged, still smiling. There was no way she would get the correct House on the first try. He was a Death Eater. It was almost expected of him to be in the least popular House – least popular since the War, anyway. He seriously pitied the current Slytherin kids.

"It must be Hufflepuff, then," Evey declared. Tony stared at her in astonishment. "Ha!" she said triumphantly. "It makes sense, you know. You're sociable, outgoing and hard-working. Dedicated to your work, given the time you spend tinkering in the living room, and fair-play, when we play board games. Even when I cheat," she added mischievously.

"I bloody knew it!" Tony exclaimed.

Evey chuckled softly. "You're not exactly patient, though," she went on with a smirk. "The Sorting Hat must have at least hesitated when he realised how excitable you were."

Tony shook his head. "I don't know. It didn't ask for my opinion. It did take a while before announcing Hufflepuff, though." He grinned again. "And Walden?"

"I'm torn between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw," Evey admitted, glancing at Walden.

"The Hat was torn, too," Wal said with a small smile, though the Sorting Ceremony had been anything but pleasant, for him. Being separated from Antonin had almost caused him to have a meltdown and return home. He'd harassed Professor Sprout for days afterward, demanding to be accepted into Hufflepuff. "But it settled for Ravenclaw, eventually."

"A good decision, I'd say." Evey nodded approvingly. "Now," she went on, "what about me?"

"Slytherin," Tony and Walden said almost at the same time.

Evey laughed. "Aw, thank you. I'm glad it's obvious. It must be Merlin's blood flowing in my veins," she said delightedly.

"Well, talk about opportunistic. You're worse than I am," Tony remarked slyly. "No, really, it couldn't have been anything else."

"You're Slytherin House personified," Walden said earnestly, "and I mean that in the best possible way. I've never seen anyone display so many of its inherent qualities without showing sign of the nastier traits."

Evey's cheeks flushed at the compliment. That had to be the first time Tony had ever seen Walden complimenting someone out loud. Evey certainly had a positive influence on him. Bloody hell, he's actually falling in love with her, he realised with a start. Falling in love was something Walden rarely allowed himself to do. When Tony looked back on the girls his brother used to date, it wasn't surprising. Often as not, it had been the Macnairs' renowned wealth that attracted their attention, when it wasn't Walden's Pure-blood status. No wonder he had trust issues.

"Hey," Evey said suddenly, "do you think they'll allow me to get in touch with the rest of my family, when Voldemort has been dealt with?"

"The rest of your family?" Tony repeated with a frown.

"My aunt and uncles, my little cousins… I mean, they live in Ireland, and we rarely saw each other, even before…you know, before. But still," she went on, "they're the only relatives I have left. The last of my kin."

"Do they think you're dead?" Tony asked. He hadn't considered that. He'd simply assumed that Evey was here because she had no living family.

"Well, I guess so. The whole world thinks I'm dead, right? I mean, the Ministry people probably made up some cover-up story, since they're Muggles, something other than 'they were massacred by a rabid werewolf', but the result is the same." Walden put his good arm around her.

"Damn, V, I had no idea. I'm sorry," Tony whispered.

"They're alive, that's what matters," she said resolutely. "They wouldn't understand, anyway. Besides, I'm not alone. I have you."

Tony nodded solemnly. "And we have you."

"We're here for you, V. Always," Walden said quietly. "But maybe they'll allow you to return to your family when it's all over," Walden said, though they all knew it was unlikely. The Statute of Secrecy was very strict, no matter the circumstances, and Evey had already been officially declared dead. Had Dumbledore even thought about that? Probably. Hopefully he had a plan to resolve the situation once Voldemort was dealt with. "This is just a precaution, after all. We don't know whether Greyback was after you for a specific reason, or if you were just a random target."

"I know," Evey said with a sigh, "but you heard Remus. He doesn't even know if Greyback is still in England. I'm seriously beginning to doubt that we'll ever find out why he attacked us."

"Wouldn't be so bad," Tony muttered, "if it means that we'll never encounter him again." Evey's eyes flashed with anger, her lips tightening, but she didn't say anything.

Tony suspected that her plans for the werewolf didn't involve staying clear of him. He hoped that her thirst for revenge didn't lead her to take inconsiderate risks, to put herself in danger unnecessarily. He hoped Greyback was captured or died before Evey ever got to face him again. It would be in everyone's best interest - including Greyback's, judging by Evey's reaction whenever he was mentioned.