A/N: As Harry85 pointed out, the last plot twist was ridiculous in its concept and implementation, and I had to agree... this chapter is an attempt to salvage the situation and get back on a more gradual course for the story's development...
Chapter XXVI: The Woes of a Deranged Mind
Affairs had become much more difficult for Bellatrix Lestrange. Among her followers, talk of her supposed insanity was circulating. Her more frequent violent outbursts, the accidental demise of a few unfortunate Death Eaters and her sustained efforts to isolate herself in her chambers were all causes of the murmurs going around. Avery and Nott were two of the keenest in following every development very closely. They were a few of the privileged to Bella's closer, if not inner circle, because of their previous allegiance and servitude to Voldemort.
Antonin Dolohov had been curiously missing, but he remained Lestrange's most trusted lieutenant. She wouldn't divulge any details of where he was going, or what he was doing, and another few unfortunate inquirers had met their end.
No hint had reached the Order's agents in Bella's circle that Remus had passed, or that the plans to restore him to the living were underway.
Avery was particularly nervous of what his leader's next actions might be - she knew him and Nott acted as a team, without significant support from other Death Eaters, and the missions they had undertaken in the past showed their effectiveness as a duo. This was the base of his worries, as Lestrange was quite possibly attracted to the idea of using them for missions aimed against the Order...
Those fears were well founded, as Bellatrix had indeed called them to a meeting and indicated her interest in engaging them precisely in that type of activity. She had scheduled a second one for both of them, giving the ultimatum of presence or death, should the instructions not be followed.
It was with genuine fear and the constant thought that Lestrange had completely lost her wits, with which Avery and Nott proceeded down the hall towards her chambers. A recent curiosity was the establishment of an armed Death Eater guard all along the length of the passageway, and it only succeeded in unnerving the two further.
After what seemed an eternity, they reached the massive doors, and they swung open of their own accord. Hoping they weren't walking in the dreaded room for the last time, Avery and Nott stepped through the threshold, and were quick to collapse on their knees and bow as close to the ground as possible. As part of the procedure, neither uttered a single word.
"You may rise," Bella's voice called from somewhere in front of them.
They did as instructed. After regaining his foothold, Avery saw his mistress facing the window with her back to him. She seemed surprisingly calm, staring off into the sunset. However, he knew very well that the fury was brewing a mere inch beneath the outward facade of complacency.
"I have a request to make of you," she continued in the same reserved tone.
In other words, thought Avery, do or die...he still did not speak.
"Are you willing to take it on, whatever it might be?" Lestrange asked of them.
In a single voice, both Avery and Nott emphasized their readiness. Not surprisingly, it disgusted them both to hear themselves utter the words...
"I have received intelligence of a secret plan that the Order of the Phoenix is concatenating, which may present us with a single, invaluable opportunity. Antonin here was decidedly helpful in coming across that knowledge," she proceeded, still with her back to her two servants.
Almost immediately following her words, the Death Eater in question materialized out of thin air. With a smooth turn on the spot, he bowed low to the ground, murmuring `My mistress' in the process. This time, Bella troubled herself to face her devoted servant.
"Stand up, Antonin," she directed him, and to Avery's very well concealed surprise, with a noticeable tenderness in her voice.
"Yes, mistress," Dolohov responded promptly, and as he arose, his air reflected little of the obedience he demonstrated for Lestrange.
"Antonin, why don't you tell these two of the intelligence you and I managed to find?" she said coldly.
"With pleasure," Dolohov stated, as a gruesome smirk curved his lips. "It was an old weakness that that Weasley girl has, but does not suspect."
Both Avery and Nott suddenly became tense at the introduction. In days gone by they might have been thrilled at the news, but not now.
"Ginevra, I think her name was," Dolohov continued. "One of the low-life purebloods. The Malfoy child is involved with her now, it seems. In any case, she was possessed by Voldemort in her first year, and she never managed to fully recover from the trauma that he inflicted on her mind. She wouldn't feel it consciously now, but it is there. So, under our Mistress' superior guidance, I infiltrated her mind, and found that the old werewolf, Remus Lupin, is dead."
At those words, an ugly leer blossomed on Lestrange's features. Avery and Nott were shocked to hear the unexpected information, but forced a smile anyway.
"As it happens, they are also planning to bring him back," Antonin went on, and a small glimmer of hope appeared in Avery, "which presents us with an unique opportunity."
By now, Bellatrix had a mad glint in her eye, and the leer had only managed to grow in its twisted pleasure.
"They will need to use the spell that the Order of Merlin protected for so long. The Weasley girl will be the prime caster, as she has supposedly done it once before. It is possible to infiltrate her mind, and have the spell delivered to us without the slightest effort. That can, of course, be only accomplished with our Mistress' approval. Your job, considering the expendables cadres you are, is to prevent the werewolf from coming back along with Harry Potter, as he will sacrifice himself to initiate the process."
Lestrange seemed to be internally overflowing with perverse happiness at the prospect. She flicked her gaze from Dolohov to Avery and Nott, then back again, before appearing to decide what she wanted to say.
"Dolohov is an example of the competence I expect from you, gits," she said calmly, but the fire was still burning in her eyes. "Your assignment is clear. The only result I expect is success, as failure to deliver will cost you your worthless lives."
"It isn't clear when their plan will be engaged, so I will monitor any new developments, Mistress," Dolohov bowed respectfully.
"Antonin," Bella turned to him, and he looked up. "Crucio!"
Dolohov `s body collapsed on the grounds in spasms of intense pain, as he screamed over and over when Lestrange applied the curse repeatedly. Ten full minutes passed, before she relieved her wand, and Antonin was able to quieten down, exhausted, and shakily stand up when the last pangs of pain had left him.
"You do not speak unless spoken to," she turned to him, deadly quiet. "Understood?"
Dolohov merely nodded as vigorously as he could, and voiced his agreement.
"Your assignment is clear," Lestrange told Avery and Nott. "I expect only success. You are relieved."
The two of them did not say a word, but only bowed deeply again, and turned to leave. Once out in the hallway, the eeriness of the silent guard forced them to hasten their step.
Avery knew the only place, where privacy could potentially be gained was a grove of trees just outside the manor, where Death Eaters were allowed to go without fear of being overheard. However, with the distrust that existed between the Death Eaters themselves, even that place was not a guaranteed heaven for private exchange. Still, Avery and Nott did not have much of a choice, and directed their steps in that direction.
Just as they were nearing the grove, the same sneaky Death Eater crossed their path, the one whom they had seen in the aftermath of their meeting with Remus a while back. He stopped right in front of them, and they nearly ran him over.
"What do you want?" Nott snapped at him impatiently.
"I saw you with the werewolf that night," the weasel snickered. "I know your memories were modified!"
"What are you talking about?" Avery asked him with even less patience.
"Bella knows, oh yes, she does," he continued in a wheezy, sing-song voice. "And I knows what you're going to be doing too!"
Avery and Nott shared a quick, uneasy glance, and nodding in agreement, they seized their oddball colleague in trade, and dragged him towards the clearing. Nott was quick to charm their captive's shouts completely silent.
"Let me go, let me go!" the unfortunate Death Eater kept mouthing to no avail. At the sight of him being dragged, Avery took note that other Death Eaters in the vicinity smartly chose to retreat in the direction of the mansion.
At last they reached a clearing within the grove, and threw down the third Death Eater violently on the ground. He slid several feet backward and then came to rest.
Avery unceremoniously bent down and grabbed him by the collar, before pulling him back up. Nott covered him from behind with his wand drawn. Avery did the same, pointing his own wand at the traitor's throat.
"What are you talking about?" he growled, pressing the wand tip deeper in the neck.
"I know nothing," the Death Eater squeaked for lack of air.
Avery was not having it, however. He held out the unfortunate man an arm's length out, and sheathing his wand in his sleeve quickly, threw a punch across his face. He whimpered, but Avery still kept a strong hold of his collar.
"Let me ask you again," he said, deadly quiet, "what do you know?"
"And...and if I don-n-n't tell you?" the helpless captive somehow found the bravery to question him.
"We'll just say you disappeared quite accidentally - nobody gives a hell about you as it is, so the news won't be surprising. If you want to save your pathetic life, you will speak."
"I was there!" the Death Eater whimpered, all fight leaving him suddenly. "I saw you!"
"What did you see!" Nott bellowed from the back. "Speak, or I'll kill you myself!"
Avery and Nott were both keenly aware of the necessity to silence him into keeping his knowledge to himself. The information he knew was enough to cost them their lives, should Lestrange ever find out...
"It - it was that night," the captive began shakily; Avery did not relieve his hold. "You were at a bridge with the Order of Merlin - Harry Potter, Remus Lupin, and the Malfoy kid...if you'll let me breathe!"
Slowly, Avery released his collar a bit, but still maintained a firm grip.
"So you won't, then," the spy pointed out dryly, but his captor wasn't having it.
"Speak!" he growled.
The meek Death Eater gulped audibly. "Well, the reason you don't know what I'm talking about is that your memories were modified to protect you."
"Did we agree to that?" Nott questioned him from behind.
"You did, yes. The Order has the real memories in a pensieve back to wherever their headquarters are," the spy answered him.
"How does Bellatrix know of this, then?" Avery remained edgy. "You told her, didn't you!"
The Death Eater smiled condescendingly. "Do you really think she can't distinguish between true and fabricated memories? After You-Know-Who, she was the best Legilimens, if unofficially better than the Dark Lord himself."
"Answer my question: did you tell her?"
"No, I did not," the spy snapped in return. "She saw it in your memories, idiots."
Nott looked at Avery. "How could she, if the memories were removed?"
"You know," the other said knowingly, "a memory can be removed, but not it's impression in the mind. The impression isn't vivid, but it's still sufficient to see what the memory was about."
A look of fear passed across Nott's face. "Do you think - "
The Death Eater still in Avery's grip completed the sentence for him. " - she suspects your change of loyalty? I would. Are you so foolish so as to consider that your current assignment is a mere coincidence?"
"What are you saying?" Avery questioned him suspiciously.
"Think about it, you dolt," the spy told him. "She sent you to prevent the werewolf from coming back as a test of your loyalty. You fail, you die. Simple as that."
"Why did he die in the first place?" Nott said from behind.
"Didn't I mention Lestrange was the best Legilimens?" he answered. "Will you at least let me stand up!"
Avery sighed, but finally released the Death Eater violently. He tumbled to the ground, and then stood up, coughing, and massaging his throat. "Brutes," he murmured under his breath.
However, Avery must have heard him, for the flash of spell fire ignited at his feet. "What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing," the spy waved a hand flamboyantly, "anyway, Lestrange infiltrated the werewolf's mind, and killed him from the inside, praying on his deepest desires. She ignored the fears. It is much easier to penetrate an exhausted mind, which can't muster the strength to defend itself; and the fact she was related to Sirius Black made the whole venture easier."
"Here's the better question - how do you know all this? About his death, our mission, and everything else!" Avery couldn't conceal his frustration.
"Didn't you know?" the spy smiled his condescending smile again. "I used to be a professor of Occlumency at Hogwarts many, many years ago, and I was the best at it - still am, as a matter of fact. Lestrange has tried to infiltrate my mind many times, but she has always failed."
"Then why are you a Death Eater?" Nott couldn't hide his amazement.
"That's an intriguing story, I promise you," he waved a hand dismissively. "involves Dumbledore, but I was compromised...Voldemort found out, bound me to his service, and I passed on to Lestrange after he died...my allegiance hasn't changed, and I'm not here by choice."
"What are you saying, then?" Avery kept his wand trained on him.
"I fight for the Light," the spy said simply, looking down to the ground. "Else you'd be dead by now."
His eccentricity frustrated Avery and Nott - here was an individual, who could have turned them in many times by now, and they were clueless. The bind they had worked themselves in was becoming clear. They had to delay the return of Remus Lupin and potentially, compromise their own lives to the cause.
"Would that mean that you're our ally, then?" Nott asked of the spy.
" Well, yes," he replied, as if speaking to a child. "And now that we're properly introduced, call me Longhorn. Not my real name, as it would be dangerous to divulge that..."
"Dangerous?"
"You would know all about it," he told them meaningfully. "On that note, I need to return to the mansion. Enjoy yourselves, mates."
With a wave of his hand, Longhorn departed, not even looking back toward Avery and Nott.
On their turn, they remained dismayed and confused. Avery turned over in his mind the lucky chance, on which they had relied upon the will of a single individual to maintain their secrecy. What intrigued him further was the fact that he mentioned he was a Hogwarts professor a long time ago. In his school days, he remembered Occlumency as a subject, but his professor was most certainly not this person...
Dumbledore had recruited him in the fight against Voldemort, so it was possible he was teaching at Hogwarts around the time Dumbledore had become a professor. The late headmaster had used the services of his staff in the campaign against the Dark Lord numerous times, and he wanted to find out how this one had been compromised.
Being bound to Voldemort meant that one was magically connected to the maniac, and any severance of the bond would be fatal to the servant. This Avery understood, when Longhorn mentioned he had been bonded to the Dark Lord, and thus, to his successor, Bellatrix Lestrange.
Both of them remained in the clearing, contemplating silently what they should do. Above them, clouds had gathered without their notice, and soon enough, heavy raindrops started hitting the dry ground. However, they were indifferent to that - the prospect of dying really caused a man to think about what his purpose in life was.
"Well, here's the way I see it," Nott began, taking a few steps towards Avery; he was drenched in the now violent downpour.
"Do tell," Avery responded, and almost casually, sat down on the muddy earth.
"Lestrange expects us to prevent the resurrection of Lupin, and along with that, she'll want us to tell her where the headquarters of the Order are - and we both know that'd be detrimental."
"Unless we convince them to carry it out elsewhere," Avery pointed out. "We have to play double agents here."
"Do you know anything about the magic that brings the dead back to life?" Nott asked.
Avery pondered the question for a minute. "I know Avada Kedavra is one of a set of curses, but that's about it...oh! and that you need to kill someone to bring another person back."
"Can't you bring both people back?"
"Sure," the other told him, "but the one who is killed needs to be sufficiently powerful to make the full circle."
As if an epiphany struck Nott, his eyes opened wide, and he nearly jumped.
"What's the matter?" Avery asked him.
"Potter - they might try to use him!"
"For what?"
"To kill him, then bring Lupin back, along with Potter," Nott said. "He's already been through it once, and it'll be his second time.
"Does that make him stronger, though?" Avery was sceptical.
"Possibly," Nott didn't know, "but what other option do you see?"
"His wife, or another member of the Order?" Avery tried.
"No, none of them are as powerful as he is - after all, he was the Chosen One, and you can't match that with skill alone."
Avery knew he was right, but whether the Order would use Harry - they needed to find out, as soon as possible.
A/N As updates for this story are rather irregular, I may lose a thread of the plot from previous chapters...if such be the case, please let me know...
-->