Whoa guys! Maybe I should complain more often ;) Thanks so much for the reviews!

There was a huge amount of applause as the covers on the fountain dropped. My hands froze, centimetres apart, after the first clap. I had not seen the plans beforehand, insisting that I would rather have a surprise.

Regarding the new monument atop the fountain, I thought I would rather have known before.
It was a huge black statue, showing a wizard and a witch sitting on a throne – but it was not just any throne. It consisted of hundreds and hundreds of naked bodies with ugly and plain faces.
I shivered and let my hands dropped to my sides. I would not applaud for this. Not even for appearance's sake.

"Lorraine!"

I set up the faked smile and played along with the pretentious pecks to my cheek.

"How do you like it?" Yaxley inquired merrily.

"Well, it's... certainly something."

He did not seem to notice that it was no compliment at all. "It's indeed quite stunning."

"Yes... what are our fellow citizens supposed to know about this?" I asked casually.

"That it's beautiful, symbolizes the rightful order and was a huge success."

I nodded slightly at him and then motioned for one of my reporters to join me.

"Andy, darling, get yourself a photographer, I want an article for the evening issue."

"Yes, Miss Riley."

"Short and positive, please, Andy?"

"Yes," the man said again before he hurried off to comply.

I turned my attention to Yaxley again, who grinned at me. "What?"

"You're in your element, aren't you?"

"This always was my dream job. It's come a bit late," I admitted. "But nonetheless-"

"Well, congratulations again. I observed the Prophet didn't mention the recent personnel changes," he added accusingly.

I sighed. "That's right. Look, I thought it better to just make these things public piece by piece. I don't think we should rush into this."

Even though it seemed unlikely to me that the people would actually revolt, I would rather ensure that we kept the peace. And dumping the news of a number of rumoured Death Eaters being appointed to important positions in the Ministry did not seem like a good idea.

Yaxley pulled a face, clearly put off. He turned his attention back to the fountain and I followed his gaze.

In a small group a few feet away from the monument, a red-haired man with a none-too-happy expression talked to a few equally solemn men.

"Who's that?" I inquired.

"Arthur Weasley," Yaxley sneered.

"Weasley? As in-"

"Well, yes, but we can't prove it," he informed. "He's a pureblood, too. We're having him observed. One day, he'll do something foolish and then we can get rid of him."

I swallowed hard, trying not to show my dislike for this suggestion. "Well, then," I said. "Keep up the good work."

Yaxley pulled a face and I walked away to make sure my reporters were doing their work properly.

As I made my way up the lawn to Malfoy Manor, I had to dodge rummaging peacocks twice. So, when I entered the main hall, I was more than ready to complain to the first Malfoy that crossed my way.

I never got around to it. A blood-curling screamed echoed through the building and I flinched violently, trying to detect where the sound had come from. Another scream rang through the halls and granted me the possibility to deduct that it originated from the basement. Swallowing hard, my hand curled around my wand as I made for the stairway.

I crept down the stairs as a cold voice ordered, "Again, Draco."

I closed my eyes as another scream sought to bust my eardrums. I pushed open the door.
Tom was observing as Draco pointed his wand at Rowle, shaking; the man panted heavily in pain.

"Again."

"Enough," I said loudly and three sets of eyes shot towards me.

"Lorraine, you're back."

"Yes," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "We wanted to discuss the publications, remember?"

"I'm not quite done here," he said.

"I think you are."

His eyes narrowed at me. Without looking away, he ordered, "Draco, leave us."

The boy practically fled the room and I observed until the door fell shut behind him.

"We still got an audience," I noted, motioning to Rowle, who obviously tried hard to not draw attention. On a man that big, it was a ridiculous look.

"Well, you just cost me my torturer. Maybe you want to finish the job."

"As much as I'd love to help," I sneered. "I have to decline. If you do want to talk about the Prophet, I'll be upstairs."

"Don't you dare walk out on me!"

I froze with my hand on the doorknob, locking eyes with him over my shoulder. "You sure you want to do this here?"

He walked towards me and stopped with his face centimetres from mine. "Make no mistake. I don't forgive and I don't forget."

"Are you threatening me now?" I asked, just as quietly. "Back to that, yes?"

His lip curled angrily. "Get out of here."

"Gladly."

I finally opened the door and slipped outside, trying to ignore the new, even more horrible screams echoing from behind me.

There is that one point in time when you have to decide. Everyone has to face that moment eventually. I was facing it now.
I had to choose between the unwavering loyalty I had always promised and doing what was right.

Torturing people was not right. Forcing someone else to do it was not right, either. It was not right to make wizards sit on a throne of Muggles. It was not right to claim Muggle-borns had stolen magic. It was not right to murder and capture and terrorize the innocent.

At this point in time, I for once wanted to do what was right.

"We can't keep that in."

"But-"

"We don't want gossip on our new Ministry officials in this newspaper," I said sharply. "Mr Runcorn's integrity is important to us."

Rita Skeeter reached up and adjusted her large and ugly glasses. As usual, she could not keep her sensational rumours to herself but I could not allow those on the Prophet right now.

"Barnabas has always let me-"

"Do I look like Mr Cuffe?" I asked tiredly. "I say you cut that out of the article."

Rita's lip curled in dismay, but before she could answer, the door opened and my secretary peeked inside.

"Mr Weasley is here now, Ma'am."

"Send him in, darling, please."

She hurried off and I turned to Rita again. "I like the rest," I told her. "Please review it and show me again, I'd like to put that in tomorrow."

She huffed, grabbed her papers and brushed past Arthur Weasley who had just stepped inside. I shook my head at her back as I got up to greet the man.

He was very tense, I noted as I shook his hand and then proceeded to close the door.

"I'm glad you could make it."

"I was surprised," he said stiffly. "I never knew the Prophet was interested in my work."

"I'm sorry to disappoint," I smiled. "I couldn't care less about your work."

"Then what-?"

"You know what I do the most part of the day?" I asked casually. "I get this whole lot of info that I have to filter through. Things that shouldn't be public, you see?"

He opened his mouth and closed it again without uttering a single sound.

"Example," I continued. "Today I got this most interesting list. People still missing and people who unfortunately died... of course, this is not to be published."

He cleared his throat. "Of course not."

"I could imagine, though, that you and your friends might have use for this."

I watched him swallowed hard before he answered, "I don't think I can follow you."

"Oh, please, don't play dumb," I said. "I know your son is a friend of Harry Potter's. I'm guessing you're a supporter of his case, too. In fact, I even think you're a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

Arthur Weasley paled visibly and then stiffly shook his head. "That is ridiculous, I-"

"This is soundproof," I informed him, gesturing around the office. "There's no need to be afraid. I won't rat you out."

"Dumbledore informed us you were very loyal," he said cautiously. "And not to us."

"So you'll refuse my help based on some cryptic statement by a dead man?" I inquired, waving the list in front of his face. "You sure you don't want this?"

"What would we even do with that?"

"It's just mere information. Certainty is what I'm offering you and your friends. Take it or don't take it, I'm not forcing you. I just want to help."

He looked at me warily. "Do you promise this is not some trap?"

"Well, you'll never know until you try," I told him.

I went to pull out a new stack of files from a cabinet, turning my back to him in the process. "You're excused, Mr Weasley."
When I turned to my desk again, Mr Weasley was gone. And the list as well.

I looked up from my work as the door burst open and Tom strode in, positively fuming.

"Tom," I said, getting up. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you really think that I would not find out?" he demanded, seething.

"I don't know what-"

"You thought you could betray me and get away with it, yes?"

"Tom, I-"

"Stop talking!" he yelled.

By now, Tom had reached me. With great force, added to by his magic practically overflowing due to his anger, he pushed me against the wall.

"Tom, please," I whispered.

Sneering, he pushed me back again, my head hitting the wall, before he wrapped his hand around my throat. I clutched at his arm, trying to stop him from choking me, but I was no match for his strength.

"You'll pay," he hissed dangerously. "You filthy-"

But what insult exactly he wanted to throw at me, I never learnt. For his words turned into actual hissing and my eyes widened in horror as I stared at the bared fangs of the huge snake in front of me.
I screamed.

I woke, tears of distress running down my cheeks as I stared up at the ceiling above my bed.
They got worse, I figured. Up to the transformation, the dream had seemed so real. If Tom ever found out... I shuddered at the thought. Should he ever learn, I would not live to see another day.
I had to find a way to end these nightmares once and for all, I decided. It just could not go on like this.