Planning Vengeance
(_)(_)(_)
1974 April
It took Cedrella about a month to recover from the gut-punch that was Charis' horrifying demise. Oh, she wasn't over her grief, not by a long shot. The shock, though, and the accompanying difficulties in doing much of anything about it came to an end.
At that point, she pulled Callidora and Dorea into a meeting. It was a meeting that, if their enemy had known it was taking place, would have made them very nervous. Let their menfolk do battle in the Wizengamot and on the literal battlefield, when such arose. The Black women had their own battlefield to conquer.
"The first thing we must do is confirm our targets." Cedrella growled to her sister and cousin.
That would be ... easier for them than it would be for others. As Blacks, they had a damn good idea of who was a pureblood extremist, and who of that subset would be willing to do the sorts of things that Voldemort's group were doing. They also had a fair idea of those people who weren't extremists per se, but who liked doing those sorts of things and might join to be allowed to do them unopposed. The more difficult part of the list was figuring out those folks that, while not necessarily wanting to kill, torture, and so on, could be pressured by one means or another into joining Voldemort.
The list was shorter than it otherwise might have been, with the entirety of the Black family warned off. Oh, one or two of the family might be willing to go against Arcturus' decrees, but nowhere near the numbers that might have gone over to Voldemort if the decrees weren't a factor. Despite that break, the list was ... unfortunately long, as most purebloods were either elitists, deranged like Bellatrix or easily pressured into following someone else's lead.
From that list, Cedrella teased out the names of Heads of Families, and set that much-shortened list aside to give to Septimus, so he would know who to keep an eye on in the Wizengamot. The rest of the list, the three women kept for themselves with no intention of ever telling their husbands about it.
Not because they wanted Voldemort and his cohorts to win, but because their husbands were going to need plausible deniability when certain people started dropping like flies in winter. If the men didn't know who might be on Voldemort's side for sure, they would be as surprised as everyone else when someone ended up dead. They would suspect the who's, why's, and wherefore's of those deaths since none of them were stupid, but they wouldn't *know* and could therefore claim innocence and ignorance if anyone thought to question them.
Sadly, they couldn't kill everyone on the list. That would be too noticeable. At least, they couldn't kill them all at once, anyway. Spread out over a year or so, however, and it would be a bit more possible. They just had to figure out who to deal with first, and how.
They were strongly tempted to find out who had been behind Charis getting Kissed and start with them, but unfortunately doing so would involve questioning people. Potentially a lot of people before they found someone who knew the information they sought. The more people they had to question, the stronger the likelihood they would be discovered. They would therefore have to content themselves with the knowledge that sooner or later, their proposed program of annihilation would get the people responsible.
Those folks that would fold to pressure were put on a separate list. If they would fold to Voldemort, they would fold to pressure from other quarters as well. The women would just have to apply the right pressure - something that would make those folks less likely to fold to pressure from other quarters.
Cedrella knew that what they were planning was at best morally gray. That they would be 'stooping' to some of the selfsame tactics Voldemort had to be using. She didn't much care. Taking the moral high road only got you so far in a situation like this, facing an opponent like this. At some point, you were going to have to get your hands dirty if you were going to stand a chance of bringing such an enemy down.
Cedrella had absolutely no problem with getting her hands dirty. Actually, she preferred it compared to the alternative. Let Septimus fight this his way. He was well-suited to that venue after her tutelage in the early days of their marriage, and would see a remarkable degree of success. But Septimus was very, very ill suited to the darker, seedier underbelly of underhanded dealings. Blackmail, coercion, and a (past a certain point, anyway) flagrant disregard for the law were foreign to his makeup, and Cedrella honestly wouldn't have it any other way. If he ever became comfortable with such things, he would cease to be the man she'd fallen in love with.
In his own turn, Septimus was more or less giving Cedrella carte blanche by not saying anything. After being married for this long, Septimus had a very good idea of how Cedrella would respond to Charis' death. He could, as her husband and Head of Family, forbid her from seeking retribution. Septimus hadn't even brought the subject up in a roundabout way, never mind speaking of it directly, whether to forbid her or not. That was as good as telling her 'go for it'.
"I think it better if we strike at random." Dorea said as they contemplated where to start. "If we do this at all systematically, they might figure out the pattern and then we'd end up with a problem."
"Agreed." Callidora said. "Well, for the ones we plan on hurting, anyway. We're going to have to hit all the pressurable ones we can in one fell swoop, or they're going to end up forewarning someone we don't want to know we're coming."
"If we get Cassiopeia and Lucretia involved, we'd actually be able to hit everyone at once." Dorea offered. "Split among the five of us, the pressurable list won't be as unmanageable."
"A good point." Cedrella agreed. "And they both would be willing to help. Let me go see if they're available."
She headed for the floo. About ten minutes later, Lucretia Prewitt nee Black and Cassiopeia Black stepped through the flames and greeted their cousins, and in Cassiopeia's case, her sister.
"Please tell me this is a plan to make those bastards sorry they ever lifted a finger against a member of Family Black?" Lucretia asked.
"Of course it is. We've already got a list, but the two of you should look it over just in case you have any names you can add." Dorea said, then pushed the two lists over. "This is the list of folks that will follow whoever manages to bully them the best, and these are the ones we think might be following Voldemort for various reasons."
The two new arrivals took the lists and read them. "Hmmm, you did miss a name or three." Lucretia said. "There are a few members of cadet lines that might jump on Voldemort's bandwagon that you haven't listed." She put down a few names.
"Oh." Cedrella said after reading the names. "Yes, I had forgotten about them. But are you sure about this one?" She tapped one of the names. "I've never heard anything about their thoughts on blood purity."
"Oh, I'm quite sure." Lucretia said. "I overheard them ranting about muggleborns in the most appalling terms a few years back. I thought nothing of it at the time ... that sort of view is sadly fairly prevalent, but it has bearing now."
"Indeed. Anyone you know of that we missed, Cassiopeia?" Callidora asked.
Cassiopeia thought for a moment, then gave the list another read-through. "No, I've not heard anything definitive about anyone not already on one of these two lists. Oh, I've heard a few rumors, but nothing solid, and that's what we're looking for right now."
"So ... now we deal with this list." Lucretia waved the 'pressurable' list. "Many of the names on this list will fold just because it's a Black putting the pressure on. Either because they are newly married into the family and follow family dictates, or because of the family's reputation. That will make things much easier. I'll take the ones that won't respond to that pressure. The Prewitts are more tolerated in those circles. I'd have better luck getting in the door than any of the three of you would." Lucretia indicated the three other married women. "And they'd ignore an unmarried woman, as such carries no power or influence."
Lucretia didn't roll her eyes - a Black never did something so uncouth - but the eye roll definitely came through in her tone. Anyone that thought an unmarried woman powerless, Black or not, was a complete idiot. Sadly, there were a lot of those around. There would come a time to challenge such views, but now wasn't it, not if they wanted to achieve their goals.
"As for the others ... " Lucretia eyed the second list. "The idea of striking at random is a good one. But we're going to have to figure out a way that cannot be connected to us."
"There are potions ... " Cassiopeia offered. "And ways to expose people to them, especially in crowded public situations, that couldn't be traced."
"Crowded situations like when Hogwarts gear goes on sale in August." Cedrella said, nodding in agreement. "Dorea, Callidora and I even have viable excuses to be in the Alley during that time, since all three of us either have children attending, or are sponsors for a child attending. In the rush and crush, no one would ever be able to pinpoint when they'd been exposed, never mind by whom. If they could identify what they'd been exposed to in the first place. Which, if we choose well, they won't."
"I dislike being forced to wait so long." Cedrella admitted. "But it is for the best. After so long, they will have become complacent. They will assume that nothing will be done to them."
"Revenge *is* a dish best served cold." Callidora said, repeating a Black maxim. "I for one intend for them to suffer for what they have done."
The five women shared a grimly determined look. It was most unwise to cross a Black ... and it was high time people were reminded of that truth.
1974 August
The last four months had been, not to put too fine a point on it, hell. Their menfolk had been waging war in the Wizengamot, throwing their combined power against both Dumbledore and Voldemort, even if the latter was 'in absentitia' as it were. If it hadn't been for Arcturus throwing the weight of Family Black behind them, they may well have faltered a time or two. Fortunately, he had, and thus far the Alliance was managing to retain the high ground and keep their momentum going, which was no small feat in the current atmosphere of the Wizengamot. They were facing some stiff competition.
Dumbledore was a wily old bastard. He might not have the sort of political clout that came with an ancient, well-respected or feared family name like the Blacks, Potters, Weasleys and Longbottoms, but he made up for it in other ways. Primarily with a level of political acumen and oratorical skill that most Slytherins would envy. That got him followers from among other, stronger Families, and loyal followers to boot.
On the other side, Malfoy, the bastard, was every bit as dangerous as Dumbledore, though his methods differed greatly. Malfoy much preferred to grease palms or blackmail rather than weave clever word traps for people to fall into. The good news there was that people forced to follow out of fear could potentially be convinced to leave with the right bait. Unfortunately, Malfoy had the money to pull his method off with great success, even if he wasn't in the same league as the Blacks. Yet. Unfortunately, there were rumors in the family that Lucius Malfoy was pursuing Narcissa Black. Worse, from all appearances, Narcissa welcomed his attentions.
Worse even than that, Arcturus didn't really have a viable excuse to step in and forbid the match. Lucius was, by all appearances, an appropriate match for Narcissa. Pureblooded, influential, and while Cedrella was firmly of the opinion that he was a slimy bastard, she was woman enough to admit her perception of the boy was tainted by her distaste for the boy's father. Beyond that, Arcturus could really only step in if Narcissa appealed to him for some reason, as both her father and her grandfather were still alive and had more of a say in who she wed than Arcturus did unless it went against family rules or the like. That, she was unlikely to do if she approved of Lucius.
Cedrella supposed that there was no accounting for taste, sometimes. Personally, she'd never have been able to tolerate being married to that slimy git, or any of his get. Merlin alone knew what sort of things Abraxas had taught the boy.
Come to think of it, perhaps she should arrange to meet Narcissa somehow, and test the girl for potions residue. She wouldn't put such a thing past a Malfoy. Especially a Malfoy who had been thwarted in his pursuit of a Black bride in the past. Lucius himself, after all, could be wholly innocent of wrongdoing, but Abraxas might not. Hmm, or perhaps she should get Dorea to meet the girl? She was more closely related to Narcissa, being her great aunt. Yes, that might serve.
"Dorea dear." She murmured quietly as they made their way through Diagon Alley. "If you would be willing to find a way to meet with young Narcissa? That Malfoy boy has been sniffing around her. She seems amenable to it, but with Abraxas being the boy's father, I'd prefer to take no chances."
Dorea nodded. "I remember the tales you two told of him from your time in school. I'll try to get a visit with her. I assume you're wanting to check for interference?"
"Yes, both normal pressure being put on Cygnus, and potions or spells. Abraxas was relentless in his pursuit of a Black as a bride, and I wouldn't put it past him to employ nefarious means to get a Black as a bride for his son." Cedrella said. "I'd check it out myself, but it might look a bit strange, me seeking the girl out."
They broke apart then, and Cedrella turned her attention back to Remus and the acquisition of his yearly school supplies. All three of the women were keeping an eye out for potential targets of their scheme, all three of them armed with a potion they'd prepared in the interim months.
They'd chosen a potion that destabilized a person's magical core as their weapon of choice. The best part was that the potion mimicked a certain magical disease which included core destabilization as a symptom. No one would be the wiser as to the true source of the problem, and the person would be taken out of action for a while since the illness was communicable and the person so affected would be isolated as a matter of course until the symptoms went away. That would result in them being sidelined for as much as two or three months. Then, the women could choose new 'victims' at the Yule break shopping rush.
The potion wasn't technically lethal, though if someone decided to be an idiot and ignore the destabilization of their core and attempt to perform magic, it could end up that way. They had been badly tempted to use something lethal right off the bat, but had eventually decided on this approach so that 'deaths by disease' didn't seemingly come out of nowhere. They would hit the targeted purebloods again come next August with this potion ... then hit the worst of the lot with a lethal potion at the Yule break, when apparently getting hit with a nasty, eventually lethal illness like Dragon Pox or the like wouldn't raise eyebrows.
And all it would take was a bit of potion on their skin. Just a few drops would be enough - something that was eminently manageable in the August and Yule crushes. Sure enough, Cedrella found opportunities to dose two of their targets in the crush. She later found out that Dorea and Callidora managed to hit three others between them.