DE meeting #3

Ne'Os appeared outside Malfoy manor with a sharp crack that was quickly followed with a long coughing fit. He was very sick and knew how destructive it could be if his followers found out. He knew he looked sick but that couldn't be prevented he had to hope he wouldn't be the only one.

He walked up the front walkway and entered the house. Finding his seat at the head of the table he rolled up his sleeve, took out his new black wand and pressed it into the dark mark. He smiled as it faded back into life and gave off the burning sensation that let him and his followers know that he required their presence. He hoped they would arrive quickly, he had much to talk about.

Malfoy Manor had been a place that the young Goyle girl had visited infrequently, her only trips having been made in her childhood with her father when he considered her far too young to remember. It was because of those visits that when the time came to join the Death Eaters at the manor house, Athena knew exactly where she needed to Apparate to and so upon leaving the Hogwarts grounds, she Apparated with a crack to a deserted old gravel road just outside of the warded perimeter of Malfoy Manor. The woman rose up from the slightly bowed position she’d appeared on the path in and turned, her gaze falling upon the large structure that she viewed between tall iron gates. With a flick of her wand, the gates groaned and gave way, recognising her magical signature and therefore allowing her to pass. It did not in that moment occur to her how the others would be leaving the grounds but she did not care for they were not her problem. A lowly lieutenant could deal with them. She, however, needed to make her presence known. She had high hopes for herself when it came to the Dark faction and she was not planning to make a poor impression of herself, even if their leader was far from the fearsome man her father had told her of when she was a wide-eyed child, in love with the tales of torturing Mudbloods and showing the Wizarding World exactly how those in it were going to conduct themselves.

A brisk walk took Athena to the front of the manor house and she paused, leaning momentarily against one of the columns as she found she was short of breath. The girl scowled and tugged at her hair, casting a look at herself and dangling her bare leg out before her to check if the glamours had worn off - and she was pleased to find they had not. Athena pushed herself off of the column and righted her dress before, with another flick of her wand, opening the grand double doors and stepping over the threshold into Malfoy Manor.

It was from there that she headed to the dining room and was dismayed to find that she was the first there. Athena quickly recovered from that though and swept into an exaggerated bow before rising, deciding against lingering there for too long. She was not about to present herself as a power-hungry nitwit, dazzled in the presence of her superiors. Power-hungry, she was though she was not unaware of her own worth. She was useful, she knew that. Ne’Os Emof, however, did not and she knew she needed to prove that. She was not going to go out of her way to do so, however.

Athena managed a tight smile and moved to stand behind the chair at the opposite end of the table. “And so we meet at last.” She spoke slowly, smoothly, her voice rather strong despite the slight mishap on the porch. She felt better now, she reconciled with herself. “Athena Goyle, Emof.” Athena introduced herself with a small gesture to her form.

Liesl was not cut out for flying. She was especially not cut out for it while feeling like someone had used the bat-bogie hex on her non-stop all day. She was not a particularly good flier in the first place, so her broom swerved and quivered across the sky as she tried to spot the tree-lined path that led towards Malfoy Manor.

Shortly, a rapidly descending shadow indicated that either she had found what she was looking for, or Liesl had fallen off her broom.

"Aaaaaaiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

There was a squeal as the dark-haired girl went head over heels, tumbling along the pathway while her broom scored a long, narrow channel in the path before coming to a halt.

She huffed angrily at it as she gathered herself up and checked for injury. Grazed knees, splinters in her hands, and she would most certainly have bruises later. Daddy probably never had to put up with anything like this.

However, up ahead was the gates of Malfoy Manor, just as she'd been promised. Liesl walked towards them and they vanished in a puff of black smoke to let her through. Obviously the Dolohov name still carried weight in these parts.


Inside the house, everything was still. Liesl had her wand out in a moment, she didn't like stillness. Too quiet, as they said.

Her senses reached out, trying to find something that would indicate other people. This wasn't just some cruel joke to test how loyal she was, was it? That would be too irritating. But where were all the people?

She sneezed.

Merlin, this cold just got worse. Tomorrow she would steal a bottle of pepperup from the Hospital Wing and drink the whole thing until it worked properly.

Kendall dusted off the bit of sand that had risen up to cling to the end of his robe. Beside him, Augustus Rookwood stood, with hands in his pocket, and surveyed the gloom of Malfoy Manor. An air of indifference marked the man who was once pivotal to Voldemort for the secrets he extracted from the Ministry for the Death Eaters. Some would remember him for his part in the critical battles that took place in the past. Few would remember him as the man who killed Fred Weasley. As for the man himself, he would never forget the three times that he was sent to Azkaban. However, he had never regretted his actions. In fact he wasn’t embittered. Instead, he had merely instilled bits of his brand of madness in the product of his son. The delight in misery, the joy at destruction, the desire for pain – all of which counted as entertainment to the duo. Father and son stood watching the stillness of Malfoy Manor, one reminiscing, one anticipating. Then, Augustus gave his son a firm pat on the shoulder, beaming with pride at Kendall, before turning to lead the way to the manor.

Accustomed to the actions of his father, Kendall made nothing of it and followed after his father. It had been years since Augustus was released from Azkaban for the third time; even more years since attending a Death Eaters meeting. Sure, he had retained the friendships of those who still fought for the cause. After all, the number of Pureblood families who were not Blood Traitors had become too slight for comfort; one had to ensure that the community would continue thriving and continue retaining a sense of power in the Wizarding World. Despite the fact that time always meant change, Augustus had insisted on attending the Death Eaters meeting with Kendall. He was extremely assured of his place, even as a guest. After all, unlike some, his loyalty had always been intact. Kendall had no objections. He was his father’s son, and extremely proud at that. Kendall was not new to the dealings of the Death Eaters. As a precious heir of the Rookwood family, he had been exposed to their atrocities and bred in the proper manner. Yet, like his father, he carried himself with an affable disposition. After all, Augustus had achieved that much success for Voldemort only because people actually liked him and believed him, only to find their faith in him being nothing but a trap set up by a sadomasochistic man. And Kendall, once again, was his father’s son.

Kendall shivered as the aches in his body began to sting again. It was supposed to be a cold, but it never really went away. He was getting impatient with it, but failed to mention it to anyone anyway. After all, who wanted to complain about a bad cold? He was never brought up to think it was acceptable to admit to trivial weaknesses like this. And so, Kendall merely followed his father’s lead where, soon enough, they were in the family house of the Malfoys. Accustomed to the grandeur and solemnity of a house belonging to the Wizarding elite, Kendall was too caught up in getting annoyed at his symptoms to pay attention to the intricacy of the inside of the manor. His attention, however, was quickly caught by a recognition of Athena’s voice. Before he could move, though, Augustus had reached the other end of the table, to offer a hand of greeting to Ne’Os Emof. With calculated detachment, the man maintained his stature despite that extent of civility. Kendall watched his father before turning to look at Athena again, only to smirk in amusement at the solemnity of the situation.

For all of their similarities, perhaps the biggest difference between father and son was the son’s inability to take anything seriously. He found amusement in every little thing that caught his attention. Augustus had recognised this from the get-go. Baby Kendall didn’t have much to cry about. Whenever he did, it was to manipulate the attentions of his parents, the nannies, and the House Elves. Then, as a toddler, he took great joy in cutting up the bodies of live insects, often throwing tantrums at his father when his playroom ran out of them. The House Elves had to ensure a constant supply of insects ready to be brutally killed by a four year old child. It was possible that having the toddler around when he had victims in his dungeons to torture had led to the steady growth of Kendall’s sadistic tendencies. He found amusement in them all. The more cruel the torture, the funnier it was to the boy. There might have been animals involved too. Merlin knows what goes on in the Rookwood Manor.

Augustus took delight in his son’s innate preferences, despite his wife’s constant voice of worry. She didn’t matter anyway. Augustus took care of his family, ensuring the upkeep of the Rookwood name. There was no need to consider the woman’s feelings in the whole scheme of things. The family was intact and preserved. That was what she should be satisfied with, and that was all he wanted her to have. Admittedly, there were times when Kendall’s inability to take anything seriously exasperated his father. But Augustus made excuses for his son anyway; and so, Kendall was allowed the freedom to be the way he was.

From the corner of his eye, Kendall spied his father carry out a subtle but firm gesture to him. Turning quickly, he walked to where his father stood, and offered a hand in greeting to the other man while remembering the farce required in the manners that he was taught. “Kendall Rookwood, sir.” Agreeable, he had picked, for the tone in his voice.

A blank expression laud itself upon Danielle Mulciber's face as she looked up at the gates of Malfoy Manor. The indifference the girl showed was that she usually showed to anyone who wasn't acquainted with her or .her family. She stood beside her father, Brandon, who observed his surroundings with the interest she failed to show. If he showed it, there was no need for her to bother with it. Brandon had been hoping to bring both his children with him, but of course the only one who had shown any real interest in the matter had been Danielle, Nathaniel was off doing Merlin knows what.

With a wave of a wand, the large heavy gates opened with a low screeching sound that Danielle found irritating. She scoffed and began to walk ahead of her father into the Manor. She had been there on many occasions, her father having taken her the times Nathaniel had refused to go because he had something 'better' to do. Drooling over girls was not something better to do.

The inside of the manor was still and quiet, that was something that made the girl uncomfortable. It was as if they were being watched by something. Danielle glanced around quickly her hand finding her wand in her robe. It was probably nothing that would harm them though, so she didn't pull it out, but her hand remained close to the wand. Her pace slowed to allow her father to lead her into the house, though she knew full were how to get there. It was best to keep her father's precious ego intact by letting him lead her there, that way her wouldn't be a miserable baby, to be seem being led inside by his fifteen year old daughter.

When they entered she immedately recognised the voices that spoke. Mostly the voice of the Leader of the Dark Followers and she smirked. Danielle didn't pay much mind to the others there, excluding Ne'Os Emof, whom it was important to acknowledge. Her father had already walked over to him and greeted him. Danielle looked blankly at her father, before she extended her hand to the man, as her father expected her to do. "Danielle Mulciber ... Sir." she delayed they ending of her sentence to glance at her father, who gave her an approving nod.

While she was looking for all the evil peeps, the door of the mansion opened twice more. Liesl hurried back to the foyer in time to follow the Mulcibers through to what turned out to be the dining room.

She shoved her broom in an umbrella stand then sidled down the room to stand near Athena. The others had their parents with them, but Liesl's father would only put Malfoy Manor in danger. She would take her cues from the older girl.

"I'm Liesl Dolohov," she added to the introductions. "My father sends his regards."

Naomi felt the burn and stopped, putting the knife down that she had been using to cut up strips of chicken to marinate for the next day. She dropped her head and cursed under her breath. She reached up and wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve and tossed her head back, staring up at the ceiling with the drowning feeling of exasperation. She was not in the mood for this- for all of the bickering and arguing and getting absolutely nowhere. She was not in the mood for a pissing contest. But she supposed she had better get herself there sooner rather than later.

First, however, she emptied her entire cabinet with beauty potions. Damn this illness. She had gone into a muggle clinic, still in the Ministry's bad books, and no help had come. So she talked to a friend of hers who had studied as a Healer, but he assured her they had no cure for whatever it was she and half the wizarding community seemed to have developed. However, Naomi did her best to hide it, and succeeded fairly well.

She apparated and strolled up to the manor, her heavily lidded eyes looking up at the large home, picking her way up. She entered the usual room they met in and one quick scan filled her bones with further exhaustion. "Oh, Merlin." Kids. Everywhere. Kids. "Career day, already?" She shrugged off her cloak, revealing her dark outfit as she strolled over to a chair and sank into it. She pulled out a cigarette and lit it, not looking at any of the young'uns. She just could not deal with them tonight.

Aaron adjusted his tie as he appeared before Malfoy Manor. His suit, which was usually the favorite thing about himself, seemed nothing more than an inconvenience. His skin itched terribly and the tight suit definitely did not make things any better, even after he found the biggest one in his closet. The illness was slowly beginning to take him over, and if he did not act quickly, he was going to be just like every other sap laying around at St. Mungos, and he was no sap.

He walked into the meeting like he walked in everywhere, like he owned the place. Even feeling the way that he did he made sure and mustered the air of confidence that always protruded off of him. If there was one thing people saw when they spotted Aaron it was the confidence that wavered all around him. He hid the feelings of weakness, his cough, and the green spots all over his body well and he damn sure was not going to show any weakness in front of the mindless drones that were all around him.

The Death Eaters were fools, all of them, and the only reason he came to the meetings was to keep his facade up. His plan to turn the Order and the Death Eaters against each other was coming along at a much slower rate than he anticipated, mostly because his interests had been in other places. He did not care about the petty dealings that the groups stood for anymore. What was their point? Every Death Eater was either in Jail, scared, or a child.

Not all of them were worthless though, a few of them showed promise, and Aaron had noticed them. While he thought it quite silly to invite the students to the Manor he understood why Neo's was doing it. They were weak and they had nothing else. All of their good soldiers were gone, MIA or in prison, and Neo's had no control over that.

"Such discontent from someone who could be viewed in the same as the rest of them." He said with a grin, motioning towards the rest of the students who were present. "Ambition is one of the many keys to success and they are willing to bring that. What about you?" He kept the smile on his face, not wanting to seem threatening, but at the same time wanting to establish his dominance early on.