Chapter 2

Ginny had always wanted an intimate wedding, and Harry was only too happy to cater to her needs. He had vaults of gold, and contacts far and wide. When the Dark Lord Voldemort had lifted his wand and cursed him, the curse had rebounded, and a sliver of the Dark Lord's soul had grasped at his flailing body. Now, he knew all about the Dark Arts, and he was not hesitant to use the Unforgivable curses. The ministry called him a Dark Lord for that, but those closest to him knew him as the kindest man ever.

His wedding was held in an underground island, surrounded by an inferi infested lake. A small magical boat ferried the passengers back and forth, and the only invited guests were the Weasleys and their most trusted acquaintances.

As Harry looked deep into Ginny's sparkling eyes, a pair of red headed twins discretely fished out a camera and started taking photos. They had high hopes the papers would pay a handsome sum for that.

Unfortunately, they did not know that a certain elf was watching their every action, and as they pocketed their camera, he snapped his fingers and they collapsed soundlessly on the ground.

When they woke up, it was dark, and their friends and family were nowhere in sight.

"Fred," groaned George, "Where are we?"

A cackling filled the air, and Dark Lord Potter's voice rang out, sounding ominous and frightening, "Fred and George, you have broken the model code of conduct. Photography of the Dark Lord Potter is prohibited." A hiss filled the air, and the twins shivered.

"As punishment for your evil deeds, I have taken your wands, and turned the lights off. The lake surrounding you is infested with inferi, and if you step in it, they will attack you en masse. Your only way out is to locate the boat, and board it without touching the water."

Fred shook his head, muttering a few words of choice, then crossed his fingers and spoke out loud, "East or west, Katie's the best!" A giant ball of light materialised in front of him, and he grinned. George's pale face appeared on his left. His brows were drawn together, and he appeared to be concentrating hard. A few barks and whistles escaped his mouth. After a while, he raised his hand and groped for something in the air. Then he gave a gentle yank, and almost immediately, a sleek vanishing cabinet hefted itself out of the floor. They high fived each other and stepped into it, appearing in a lavish room.

"Where are we?" Fred asked. George shook his head, looking around.

"Must be Potter's secret hideout or something. Hey Fred, how about we nick a few of his wands? He must have some lying about."

"An excellent idea, George, but first..." He licked his lips, "Mom's blueberry pies!"

A pale iridescent glow spread out from him, and he relaxed his shoulders. The wandless Homenium Revelio had come back clean, and he was pretty sure that the house was deserted.

They stepped into the next room, and it turned out to be a potions lab. A cool golden cauldron sat simmering on a raised dais, and when they approached it, they were both rebuffed.

"Smells like polyjuice," George said, sniffing. "Though it's still in the beginning stages. I wonder what Potter is brewing it for."

"Something dastardly, for sure. Let's hijack it."

George tilted his head and thought for some time. Then he looked around the potions lab and went over each of the drawers. On the seventh one, he struck gold.

"Just the thing, Fred. Here's some thestral hair."

He plucked 3 strands of the dark shiny hair and floated it over to the cauldron. Nothing happened. Then he dropped it, and the potion turned a brilliant silver.

He grinned.

Then they moved to the next room. It turned out to be a ward room, filled with wardrobes and worktables.

"George, my dear!" Fred said, "I see something of huge potential here."

George too grinned, and they both went to work. It was a bit hard manipulating the wards wandlessly, but they were driven, and worked tirelessly for ten minutes. The wards pulsed twice, and the change was done. Potter had been booted out, and Fred and George had been keyed in.

They had one of the best strongholds in the world all to themselves, and it was stocked to the gills.

The other rooms revealed a veritable trove of treasures. Record books, enchanted knick knacks, gorgeous silk robes... the list went on and on. By the time they reached the kitchen, they were tired, and spotting a pizza stewing in the oven, they freed it and gobbled it up in a matter of minutes.

As they were washing their hands, a polite cough sounded behind them. They whirled around, and came face to face with Lord Potter.

Fred gave an unmanly yelp. "But... but, we locked you out." he said, stuttering.

"Fred, Fred, Fred! Did you think a couple of flimsy wards would prevent me from accessing my safehouse?"

George whistled, "Damn, it was the vanishing cabinet, right? We are such idiots!"

Harry grinned. Then he put his hands in his pocket and withdrew a couple of galleons.

"Here," he said, "Take these. Welcome to the Death Eaters, Fred and George!"

"Death Eaters?" Fred asked. "And why are you giving us these galleons?"

"They have a Protean charm cast on them. We share messages this way, and organise our meetings. Also, take these." he said, handing them a couple of dark robes, silver masks, two wands and a book titled 'Death Eaters, Who Are We and What Do We Do'.

"You'll be a great asset to our organisation."