Part Two, Chapter Fifteen

Barty was nervous when Saturday morning came around. Even though he wanted to do what Bellatrix had asked him to he wasn't exactly calm and relaxed about it. This was probably the riskiest thing he'd ever had to do as a Death Eater: he'd have to keep Edmondson under the Imperius Curse all day while they were in separate rooms, at the same time as trying to pretend to be getting on with work and ensuring nobody noticed anything was wrong. And if his control did slip, even just for a minute…well, they'd be right in the middle of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement. The consequences of that didn't even bear thinking about.

He knew if he screwed this up then it'd be a life sentence for him in Azkaban, regardless of who his father was. (In fact, Barty thought that only made a life sentence more likely.) But he also knew Bellatrix wouldn't have taken the risk with him is she didn't think he was capable of, and he wasn't going to disappoint her. If he succeeded in this then he would have gone further than any other Death Eater in helping to find their master. The thought of that alone made the risk worth it.

Edmondson had been kept unconscious and tied up in one of the spare rooms overnight, and Barty had been given the task of waking her to start her day at the Ministry. Bellatrix and Rodolphus had chosen not to watch (although Bellatrix had seemed rather disappointed about it) and Barty knew they were testing him to see how he performed when he didn't have two other Death Eaters watching him. As Barty entered the room he first crossed to the curtains to pull them open and allow some light into the dark and dingy space, and then walked over to the small, battered and bruised figure lying in the corner. He knelt down next to her and began to untie the ropes binding her ankles so that she'd be able to walk. As he disturbed her she stirred and slowly began to regain consciousness. Barty glanced up at her face as she slowly eased her swollen eyelids open. She glanced around in fear at first, wondering where she was, and then as her gaze landed of Barty a look of hope came into her eyes. "Barty? Where are the aurors? Are they coming?"

Barty couldn't help but smirk as he realised she thought he was here to rescue her. He didn't answer her question, but instead raised his fist to punch her round the face. He knew that wasn't strictly necessary, but it felt good to finally take out all his frustration on something. "Shut up," he said coldly, and then went back to untying her.

She gave a small whimper as even more force was applied to her already beaten face, and looked at him in bewilderment. "Barty? What…"

"I said shut up." He didn't hit her again, but glared at her as if he might, and she went quiet.

After he was done untying her he roughly dragged her to her feet and gripped her upper arm as he pulled her over to the window. Still dazed, she stumbled slightly and fell against him, and he shoved her off so that she landed against the window frame. Now that they were standing in better lighting he had a better view of her face, and kept hold of arm tightly with his left hand as he raised his wand to her face to start working on her. She flinched away from him at first, but as she felt the tingling sensation of her skin beginning to heal a look of confusion spread across her features. Tentatively, she tried talking again. "Wha…what are you doing?"

He smirked at her. "Can't have you going to work looking like that now, can we?"

She went very still, sensing the underlying menace in his words.

After he was finished with her he roughly flung her back into the centre of the room. She tripped over her feet a little as her sore ankles struggled to support her, but as she regained her balance she turned round to look at him. Barty barely registered the look of fear on her face before it was wiped blank. "Imperio."

Her expression suddenly became vacant and she stood completely still. This was the first time Barty had used the curse, and he was surprised by just how powerful it felt. She was completely under his control. "Go through that door," he thought firmly, and grinned as she turned and walked towards the door. This was so easy.

Once she'd walked through it she stood still in the corridor, awaiting further instruction. It occurred to Barty he could make her do absolutely anything, if he wanted to. He could make her do something as bizarre as start dancing a jig, or he could make her throw herself down the stairs. It was tempting to try it out, and just see how far he could take things, but he had a job to be getting on with. "Turn left," he thought, "Go through the door at the end of the corridor into the bathroom. Get washed, and change into the clothes we've left out for you."

She did as he told her, and as he waited for her to finish he leaned against the wall outside the bathroom door, twirling his wand in his fingers and grinning to himself. Even with her in the next room and his wand not pointed at her, he could still sense the power he had over her. Maybe this wasn't going to be as difficult as he'd thought.

When she'd finished she came back out into the corridor and he looked at her, thinking she looked perfectly normal and ready for another day at work. He directed her down the stairs and into the kitchen where Bellatrix and Rodolphus were waiting. Rodolphus looked up from his breakfast as Barty entered the room, whereas Bellatrix seemed to have been watching the door the whole time, waiting for him to come in.

"How are you finding it?" Rodolphus asked.

"Piece of cake," Barty said with a shrug. It really was too easy.

He met Bellatrix's gaze and he noticed there was a glint in her eye that seemed both pleased and envious. "Feels good, doesn't it?"

Barty just grinned at her.

He turned his attention back to Laura. She was going to use the fireplace to get to work. There was no way for the Ministry to track transport via the Floo Network, so he knew it would be safe. Barty would have to go in behind her to keep the curse in tact, but it would look to anyone on the other side like they'd just happened to arrive at work within seconds of each other. Barty had put his wand away. He'd realised he didn't need it out constantly to get her to obey him. "Take some floo powder and walk into the fireplace," he instructed her. She did as she was asked. Barty took a pinch of floo powder from the pot on the mantelpiece, ready to follow her. "You are going to the Ministry of Magic," he thought to her, and she spoke out in a flat voice, "The Ministry of Magic," before dropping the powder into the fireplace and disappearing in a flash of green flame.

Barty turned to grin one last time at Bellatrix and Rodolphus before stepping into the fireplace after her. He continued to watch them with a satisfied smirk on his face as he said his destination, and then the room disappeared in a swirl of emerald fire.