Chapter Twenty: Afterlife

Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The underlined portions are taken directly from the novel; I do not own those parts. They belong to J.K. Rowling.

Author's Note: This fanfiction is going to be different from my other stories. This picks up where "The Heart of Everything" and "The Heart of Everything: Shallow Bay" left off. The time in the books also changes. So, pay attention the time, so you don't get confused. Some of the chapters are other Marcus Flint/Katie Bell stories, just with more changes and deleted scenes added.

Time: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Genre: Romance, Drama, and Friendship

Rating: PG-13

Marcus closed his eyes. All around him the Death Eaters were talking about one thing or another. The meeting hadn't been called to order yet, so he didn't feel the need to pay attention to whatever they were talking about.

Adrian pulled out the seat next to Marcus and sat down. "So, how's married life treating you?"

"Nothing's changed really," Marcus said.

"Expect for the fact that you are officially off the market."

"What's that supposed to mean?"
"While you were dating, someone could hope that you and your girlfriend would break up, but, now, they don't have that option."

Marcus stared at Adrian. He just wasn't making sense.

Adrian hid his face from Marcus. "Don't look at me, you're creeping me out."

Marcus rolled his eyes. He knew that Adrian was just trying to make him smile.

Adrian uncovered his face. "Really, how is it going?"

"Good."
"Just good?"

Bellatrix entered the room and ended any chance that Marcus had of answering Adrian.

Bellatrix gave one look around the room and everyone fell silent. "The rounding up of Mudbloods has taken its toll on our numbers. We have other projects to accomplish and we all can't be on just one."

Marcus never realized that the Death Eaters were losing numbers. He looked around the table and noticed that there were more empty seats than normal. He needed to make sure that he told the Order this.

Bellatrix looked around the table. Her eyes stopped on Marcus and Adrian. "You two would be perfect for this job. It will give you the chance to will the Dark Lord's favour."

Marcus felt his heart skip a beat. What had he gotten himself into now?
"The Mudbloods seem have a problem with tight tongues," Bellatrix stated. "It is up to you to loosen those tongues up."
Marcus stared ahead. She wanted him to torture Muggles, something that he knew he couldn't do. The thought of torturing another human just made him feel sick. A quick look at Adrian confirmed that his friend was feeling the same way.

Bellatrix smiled at them. "This is the perfect chance to prove where your loyalties are." Marcus noticed that she shot him a look.

A couple of the other Death Eaters were giving them jealous looks. Marcus wanted to tell them that if they wanted his job, then they could have it, but he knew better.

Bellatrix stared Marcus and Adrian down. "Is that a problem for you two?"

Marcus and Adrian shook their heads.

Bellatrix nodded. "You start tomorrow."

After the meeting, Adrian caught up with Marcus. "So, what do you think?"

Marcus eyed his friend. "About what?"

"All of this." Adrian slid his hand into his pocket. "I thought I wanted to do this, but, now, I'm not so sure."

Marcus nodded. He wanted to say that he wasn't an actual Death Eater; he didn't even have the Mark, but that would be a long and complicated story.

Adrian cracked a small smile. "I suppose it's too late to get out now."

Marcus looked ahead. "I think it's too late for a lot of things."

Adrian nodded. "But what can we do?"

"Yeah, what can we?" Marcus echoed.

Adrian put his arm on Marcus's shoulder. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah."

Marcus watched as Adrian disappeared.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do about this. The thought of torturing Muggles caused bile to build up in the back of his throat. This was a test and there was no way around it. Sighing Marcus put his hands in his pockets and started home. He wasn't sure how he was going to get out of this one.

Katie looked up as Marcus entered the living room. Marcus knew that she had been waiting for him.

"Don't ask," Marcus muttered as he sat down next to her on the couch.

"What happened?" Katie's voice was filled with concern.

"I pretty much got ordered to torture Muggles." Marcus pinched his temples. "I don't think I can do this."

Katie put her hand on his shoulder. "But, they will kill you if they don't."

Marcus nodded. That much was true, but it still didn't help him with his problem. "But, how do I get out of it?"

Katie thought about it for a minute. "Could you fake it?"

Marcus looked at her. "Fake what?"

"Torturing them. Is anyone else going to be in the room?"

"Adrian."

"All the time?"

"I don't know."

"If he's not around that's what you can do."

Marcus sighed. "But, what if he is?"

Katie's face paled. "I hate to think about it."

Marcus nodded. He did too, but it was going to happen. He only hoped that he wouldn't know anyone who came through. A nameless face would be a little easier than a familiar one.

Katie put her hand on his leg. "It will be okay."

"How can you promise that?" Marcus whispered.

Katie kissed his lips. "I just can. You need to have a little faith."

Even though Katie was speaking the right words, Marcus could tell that she didn't believe them. He did have to give her credit for trying to make him feel better; it did work, even if it was only just a little.

Katie pulled him to his feet. "Come on, sleep always makes me feel better."

Well, Katie was wrong. Marcus did not feel any better the next morning. Sleeping on what he had to do only made him feel worse. Having a hot breakfast didn't help matters either. In a few short hours, he would be a Muggle torturer.

Maybe this was his destiny. Marcus didn't see how this was his destiny.

"I believe in you," Katie whispered as he prepared to step out the door.

Marcus gave her a small smile. He didn't know why she believed in him when he didn't even believe in himself.

A few minutes later, Marcus stood inside the Ministry. There was a reason he didn't take a Ministry job; he didn't like it here. Right now, the Ministry kind of reminded him of Diagon Alley. Everyone was walking with their heads down, just trying to safely get to where they were going. A few people shot him dirty looks.

Adrian joined Marcus a few seconds later. "Are you ready for this?"

Marcus watched as a couple of people walked around him, not getting more than three metres close to him.

Adrian sighed. "Me either."

Marcus started toward the lift. "Well, we don't have much of a choice in the matter."

Adrian frowned at Marcus. "What is your problem?"

"Nothing," Marcus muttered as he called up the lift.

The lift arrived a few minutes later. Marcus and Adrian rode it in silence. Marcus was rather relived that Adrian didn't talk. Silence made this task so much easier.

Yaxley looked up at them when they entered his office. "You're late. I do not tolerate lateness."

Marcus didn't blink. He didn't want to show weakness in front of Yaxley.

Yaxley handed Marcus and Adrian a thick packet of papers. "This is a list of all the Mudbloods. You start on the front page with those names highlighted in red. Don't stop with them until you get information out of them."

Marcus quickly scanned the list of names. There wasn't any that he recognized.

"Under any circumstance you don't stop. I don't care if they are close to dying. We'd be better off without them in our society anyway." Yaxley eyed them. "You two come from long lines of pureblood families, so you understand how important it is for us to cleanse the magical world."
Marcus and Adrian nodded slowly.

Yaxley got to his feet. "I'll show you where to go. I do like to watch Mudbloods suffer."

Marcus felt his face pale. He didn't like the idea of this. Yaxley going with them screamed Bellatrix.

Yaxley led them back to the lift and to a level that was below the courtrooms. Marcus had never been down here nor did he know it existed. The Muggleborns inside the cages were giving them dirty looks as they pasted, but not one of them said a word.

"As you can see, they have tight tongues," Yaxley informed them.

Adrian was looking at the Muggleborns. "I can see that."
Yaxley led them to a small room at the end of the hall. "This is where you will be."

The room was made of stone with shackles hanging from the top and bottom of the room. A small table on the front wall held various torture devices ranging from knifes to objects that Marcus had no idea what they were. A table, covered with chains, stood in the centre of the room. One thing that Marcus noticed was he couldn't hear anything from the outside. Was this room soundproof?

Yaxley ran his thumb over a knife's blade. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Marcus wasn't sure if beautiful was the right word for this.

Adrian looked at the torture devices. "What happened to just using wands?"
Yaxley smiled. "I find it more fun to torture Mudbloods with their devices. It allows them to see how awful their race really is."
Marcus frowned. That did not make any sense to him.

Yaxley opened the door and nodded to the guard.

Marcus and Adrian exchanged looks.

A few minutes later, the guard came back with a young Muggle man. The young man was shaking and muttering something under his breath. His pale was pale and his eyes were wide open. Marcus felt sorry for him.

The guard strapped the young man to the table.

Yaxley picked up a knife and took out his wand. "Now, I'm only going to show you this once." He smiled. "Besides, I don't want you to have all the fun."

The young man struggled as Yaxley approached him. "I will never tell you anything," the young man hissed.

Yaxley smiled. "Oh, I think you will."

The young man spat at Marcus. "You guys are fighting a losing fight!"
Yaxley stepped over the young man. "Oh, are we now? From my view, it looks like you are the one who is losing."
The young man started to say something, but ended up screaming as Yaxley stabbed him the stomach with a knife.

"I told you were losing," Yaxley said as the young man started to believe.

Even though the young man had a brave expression on his face, Marcus could see the fear in his eyes. The blood was starting to drip onto the floor with a sickening thud.

Yaxley was calmly cleaning off his off. "Now, we are going to try this again."

The young man was trying not to whimper. "I don't know anything."

"You are a Mudblood, so you must know how your kind snuck into our world," Yaxley said. "Now, how did you do it?"

The young man opened his mouth, then closed it. "I-I sw-swea-swear I-I d-did-didn't..."
Yaxley pulled his wand at the young man and a few seconds later the young man's screams filled the room. "Speak so I can understand you!"
Marcus couldn't stand this, but he wasn't sure what he should do. To intervene would cost them both of their lives.

Yaxley raised his knife and buried it in the young man's chest.

The young man glanced up at Yaxley. "I'll see you in the afterlife, then I'll kill you."

And he died.

With a smile on his face, Yaxley shook his head. "We'll see about that one."