Pieces of My Soul
Chapter 1
Voldemort called for them. They came, quickly, as usual. His Inner Circle gathered in the traditional circle around Voldemort. About 15 of them.
"Greetings, my friends. It has been many months since we have gathered together. And many years since we all gathered here. I can't help but feel sorrow for those who should be here as well, those that we have lost. Evan, Jasper, Travers and Wilkes. Faithful to the end." Voldemort eyed several of the Inner Circle as he said the last. They shivered as expected. "There are others missing, Macnair, Rodolphus, Malfoy, Nott. Those who were at Azkaban during Bella's ministry raid in October. Now." Voldemort took a deep breath, and looked around.
"You have all been away, doing as I bid you, Augustus, you have been off recruiting as well, I hear?" Voldemort turned to Rookwood, who nodded, barely holding his own shivers in.
"I have recruited 5 more to our cause, Milord. Three are most promising."
"Can you attest to their loyalty?"
"2 are uncertain. They fear Azkaban."
Voldemort is amused, but doesn't show it, instead he turns back to everyone and says mockingly, "Then they do not think to claim Imperius?"
Certain members shiver more violently at that. "Rabastan. You have been using the Imperius on ministry workers, getting information. What have you learned so far?"
Rabastan stepped forward and bowed. He was one of a few who did that, since most wore their masks. "The new Minister, Scrimgo-something," everyone, including Voldemort, chuckled a little at that jibe, "has been difficult to trick, but I have managed to learn his plans for the Aurors. I do not have the plans with me right now, I was not expecting the call so soon, but I can have the plans brought to you soon, my lord. They deal with many things, from how their squad operates and tactics, to who is on what detail."
Voldemort bows slightly, a silent dismissal. Rabastan retakes his place in the circle.
"Severus, Please, Step forward." Voldemort says to no one in particular. Severus Snape steps forward, and bows respectfully. "You are the only one who has not been given a task, Severus. Your place at Hogwarts after all is not useful for such things. However, I believe you still have to report something to us?"
Severus nodded, took his mask off and said clearly, "Dumbledore is getting suspicious. But not of me, but rather of my professionalism." Voldemort chuckles, but nods for him to continue. "He has taken it upon himself to teach Potter about you my lord. After what happened in the ministry and June, He believes it does not matter that the potter brat cannot learn simple Occlumency."
Voldemort nods, and dismisses Severus back to the circle. "Now we shall hear from one of the recent additions to our circle. Draco, what have you to say about Potter?"
Severus gasps slightly at this, which Voldemort expected. No one knew Draco had joined. Draco hesitantly steps forward and takes his mask off. "He continues to mourn the mangy mutt. No one sees him out of lessons, not even his friends, so my contact in Gryffindor house says. Hardly leaves his dormitory except for class, meals and what I now suspect to be his lessons with Dumbledore."
"Thank you Draco. Tell me, from what you have seen of him in your Defence lessons, how would you rate his skills?"
Draco froze, and looked to Snape. Snape interrupted, "Potter is useless at Defence. Can't learn to shut his mouth to cast spells-"he doesn't finish, as he's knelt down, shaking and almost screaming from the Cruciatus.
"Severus, you disappoint me. I thought I taught you to speak only when spoken too." He released the spell, impressed that Snape didn't scream in the 20 seconds he had been held under the spell. "Draco, please, speak."
Draco nodded, and said, "It is when Snape is not near or paying attention to him that he can, My Lord. It seems Professor Snape has the effect that students other then myself simply can't do things around him."
Voldemort raised an eyebrow, or he would have with his expression, if he had eyebrows. "Please explain to us, Draco."
"There is a boy in my year, Neville Longbottom."
"I know of him." Voldemort said, wondering where this was going.
"He used to be useless at potions. His potions exploded, a lot. Until Snape became Defence professor. Now, Neville is the only one who can get potions completely correct second attempt. No one else except a certain know-it-all can do that. And in defence, until Snape took that job, Neville was, average. And Harry was the top of the class. Now, Well Neville is better due to his own wand, but cracks under Snape's gaze."
"I see. And what of, Harry?" Voldemort didn't miss Draco's slip, referring to Harry, as Harry.
"Potter Isn't the quickest of us to learn now. But when Snape goes away, or I see him staying behind a few minutes to get practise alone, you wouldn't know it's the same person. Potter is by far the best in our year." Draco looked down, waiting for the crucio.
"Thank you Draco, for that, enlightening talk. You may return to your place in the circle." Draco stepped back, and Voldemort turned to the rest, hoping to be done soon.
Augustus sat in his small house in Manchester. The meeting had overrun, so he had missed a meeting, but no matter. He waited for his 5 trainees.
The Death Eaters structure is simple. Each Inner Circle member is responsible for those he or she recruits, he trains them, and he commands them on missions. They are to never go on operation without him, and as such, they are taught to operate individually for small 2-person operations, and taught to operate at the multiple squad level.
He had recruited these 5 since they all showed promise to be good individual and small-team operatives, but none of them could work with multiple teams, where chain of command was, blurry, at best. At 7pm on the dot, there were 5 pops of apparition, and a knock of the back door. Knowing only those and Voldemort could get through the wards, he opens the back door, but still with his wand out, to find the 5 trainee's, black hoods covering their faces.
"Get in." he orders, and they all enter, each on the lookout. Good, Security conscious. He thought.
They all carefully sat down in the living room. The one who had taken the leader role from the start spoke. "You called for us, Master?"
The term Master was coined quickly, since they couldn't call him lord, nor did they feel comfortable calling him 'sir' or by his name.
"I did. I have a plan for you. I shall be going with you but observational only. I'll give you the basic orders, and it's up to you to plan accordingly." Augustus pulled out a file from inside his robes, and handed it to the leader of the group. The leader read through, and nodded, looked up and waited for more. "Try and get away from Hogwarts when you can, all of you, but do not risk yourselves. Do not take unnecessary chances. We are uncertain of Snape's loyalties as it is, and if he finds out you lot, you'll be in a world of trouble, and not from fear of Azkaban either."
They all nodded. "Yes master." They intoned as one.
"Now, be off with you. That folder is charmed to be readable only by you 5 and myself. Once you have planned, burn it. And don't discuss it in the open. You know what to do. Now get off to it."
As one, the 5 dis-apparated with small pops. Augustus sat back, smiling for the first time that day.
A/N
This takes place after Order of the Phoenix. Snape is Defence teacher, but much of the HBP storyline is ignored, Chapter 1 takes place near the end of this story, all intervening chapters take place before chapter 1. It doesn't end how you think it ends. Each Chapter will be 2½-3 pages long in word. Please pm me for any spelling mistakes and they shall be corrected.