July 21: Young Blood, Came to Start a Riot: Belfast - Alecto

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

21 July 1972
Belfast, Ireland : Bloody Friday
plotting

Getting permission from Meadowes to bring Alecto along with her had been easy, her vocalizations about helping to test one of the newest of their ranks many during the last few weeks. After all, wasn’t she the one to thank that such a powerful witch was now working with them? Amycus hadn’t taught the girl she, but she’d long ago shown Alecto that a woman was not to be messed with. And since the girl had left school, Bella was enjoying their time together. It infuriated her husband to no end, which was certainly part of the fun of it all, and it kept her schedule much too busy for tea with her mother-in-law.

And today? Oh, while Bellatrix normally hated Ireland, there was nothing like causing a little trouble. In fact - The Troubles had been a great source for taking out excess irritation. No one really noticed who was the one doing the killing, not when the IRA was taking credit for everything they could. It did also help having inside knowledge, a group of Irish wizards willing to act as spies. “Tell me,” Bellatrix said with a smirk, turning to glance back to Alecto as she lead them to the York Road station. It was their first stop today, a series of tests and fun for them both. “What do you know of The Troubles?”

Normally this sort of thing would bore her, why should she care about what issues the muggles were facing? But research - knowing the kinds of places they would target, knowing when events were happening - was an important part of the job. Snatching was fun, but the real work was closer to Voldemort’s side. Being able to help pull this off? Maybe that would prove how far she was willing to go for her Dark Lords cause.

[Alecto Carrow]

"You mean this isn't to be our first holiday together?" Alecto shot her partner a grin at the tease, hurrying a few steps to loop her bare arm through the older woman's. "Good - we'll go to Greece, Ireland's a gorydamn bore compared to my family's winery on the coast." Yes, Bellatrix would look even more stunning in the Mediterranean sun than in dull Ireland's, but that vacation would not begin today. Today, they were working; she hadn't yet been told the explicits, but now…

"The Troubles," she began, keeping her recitation in undertone to not attract the attention of muggles at the station (as though two beautiful witches arm-in-arm were not already attention-grabbing), "are tearing the country apart. North versus south, Catholics and Protestants, brother against brother. One wants to remain with the UK, one wants its own nation." While the young Death Eater had no inkling of what differed a Catholic from a Protestant, or whether she and Bellatrix were in the north or south of the country, it was clear that they were there to meddle in muggle affairs. There had been enough chatter about this mess on the radio, and enough articles in the papers Amycus hoarded, for her to know enough to get by, she figured. "Let me guess - we're party to the IRA. Divide the UK, less interference on our turf?" With any luck, her assumption would be correct; since getting in league with the dark forces, Alecto had been dismissed as often as heard. Except when at the side of this woman. Bellatrix had garnered respect for herself within the ranks, giving the blonde hope that she too could one day command respect in a room full of old men. While she knew that there was benefit to listening to them at times, the wisdom of experience and all that shite, if there was a way for them to do it without condescension, she had yet to be there for them to show it.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Bellatrix couldn’t hide her the smile that slipped onto her face as Alecto mentioned a holiday for the two of them. This new relationship that had formed between them was reminding her of her own school days, the flurry of excitement when she and her husband had taken their friendship further. Rodolphus had once been the one to make her feel wanted, to want to spend time with her. But at some point, everything else had become more important. His work in the Department of Ministries, his work to the Dark Lord. While it was dreadful to have to live with the Lestranges - Bella was living for the day they disposed of his father - it was more dreadful to have to deal with it herself. She hadn’t forgotten the years of punishments Radulphus had dished on out his children, and she tried not to think about how Rabastan was still a target during his summers home from school. Her permanent residence at the Lestrange manor meant that the elder man had to deal with her if he chose to dish out punishments on his children, and things had gotten better.

But you’re allowed to have a life.

“Ireland is a bore compared to most places,” she teased her companion, “But Greece sounds like a good time.” Perhaps they could even make a stop in France, her family still had land there… but these were things to think about later. Today was about blowing off steam, for all of them. Although for whoever was stuck working with Lucius Malfoy, she did feel a little sorry for. The incompetent idiot was bound to screw up his assignment for today, and Bellatrix was bursting to see him be scolded for it. But as they walked arm-in-arm into the bus stop, her eyes flicked to the clock. 2:15, which meant that in one more minute the second bomb the IRA was responsible for would be going off.

There was a heavier police presence than she would have liked, but a muggle officer truly meant nothing when it came down to it. She listened carefully to Alecto’s explanation, her mouth curving into yet another smile. The younger woman was smart, which Bellatrix already knew, but it was good to see that Alecto wasn't blinded by pureblood idiocy. “You could even say the IRA appreciates our help,” she whispered back quietly, turning up her charm as she smiled at a muggle that was passing them by. “Now, we aren’t here to take credit for our actions - unfortunately - which means we should blend in. And their weapon of choice are bombs, meaning whatever you do needs to be similar. 2:23 is your time limit.”

[Alecto Carrow]

The confirmation that she hadn't mixed up the parties in the Troubles came, and bolstered the girl's confidence. Alecto took the smile and information with a grin of her own, although knowing that the credit for their work would be to the IRA instead of the Death Eaters was hardly the best news. At least today was providing her a chance to do something. She locked eyes with her mentor at the brief instruction, mind whirring with possibility.

"Right." Alecto’s eyes flickered to the railway station’s central analog clock to note the time, and decided to aim her attack there. In an undertone, she relayed, "Get clear of the central platform by then," before she slipped away into the bustle of muggles. Less than eight minutes. She had less than eight minutes to make a plan of attack that would do the most damage without rousing suspicion towards herself. As she walked briskly, thinking, her eyes were drawn to the police at their sudden attention to the personal radios strapped to their vests, the fear emanating from them as she changed her trajectory. Bombs. Their weapon of choice, she remembered. Approaching a group of them, Alecto mustered a confidence that belied her youth, and spoke in a sharp but low tone to draw them in, trusting her instinct and praying that she was right. And that Bellatrix wouldn't be too upset with her drawing...some attention.

"I work for the government. I’ve just received intel that there are IRA bombs planted at the exits of this station." Looks passed among the men, confirmation that their receivers had been buzzing about an attack elsewhere. Doubt was in their eyes, and if she had had the time to dress to fit in, or sort out an Irish accent, she would have. But seeing that all she had were her wits and her wand, she snapped, "Do you want to waste time arguing, or are you going to help me save lives? Get everyone to the center of the platform, and my team will handle the explosives." Fixing them with a hard stare as they questioned her instead of acted, she raised her voice. "Did I stutter? Get to it. Now." Alecto abruptly backed out of reach and ducked out of view behind a column, an expedient silent Disillusionment Charm cast to conceal her from the approaching member of the force. 2:19. Come on, boys. When the scout failed to find her and they began bickering, radioing out for confirmation, Alecto sighed and sent an Imperius to the sergeant. He was then happy to change his tune, belting orders at his fellows and directing the populace to stay calm and gather, while she slipped off to the far end of the platform. Can't rely on them for anything.

The second hand ticked achingly fast as the sheep lumbered into place. Time nearly up, she could wait no longer and fixed her sight on a large suitcase. Surely a bomb could’ve been hidden in there, right? "Bombarda Maxima," she spoke for full potency, a laugh escaping her as the charm did its magic. An explosion rocked through the station, and through the concrete and debris, the young Death Eater shot at the metal roof itself. The IRA should have good weaponry, no? Turning her back on the screams and the smoke, Alecto shook off the disillusionment and began to look for her partner.

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Oh, but this was going to be so fun. Alecto needed a real chance to prove herself, and Meadowes wasn’t going to give that to her. Today would certainly set in motion a partnership between the two of them just as exciting as the one they had recently begun to share in the bedroom. Bellatrix watched with amusement as Alecto walked away, eyes flicking back to the clock. She had no doubts that Alecto could pull this off, but she was curious to see exactly how the girl went about it. A quick step into the shadows was enough to draw eyes away from her, and one disillusionment charm later she found a spot to watch the younger woman work. It was bold to approach the officers on the station, and Bellatrix smirked as they seemed to be put-off by Alecto’s attempt. Nice try, little bird. The police weren’t buying whatever Alecto had told them, and were soon looking for her.

She smirked as she watched the one who appeared to be in charge start barking out orders, well aware that the sudden change in the man’s demeanor had to be Alecto’s doing. While she had lost sight of her partner, she had to laugh as the police began to gather everyone in the center of the platform. She made her way to the stairs that lead down to the platform, leaning back against the wall as she watched nervous muggles huddle together. The clock was ticking away, time nearly up. She watched the clock quietly, watching as the seconds hand ticked closer to the time - when an explosion rocked the station. Bellatrix diverted her eyes to the center of the platform, where pieces of the roof where now falling and muggles were screaming.

Shaking off her own disillusionment, Bella scanned the platform until she found Alecto, a laugh escaping her as she caught up her partner. “Oh, well done,” she whispered, linking their arms together as they merged into a group of muggles taking the stairs to escape the station. It didn’t take them long to break free of the crowd, Bella smirking the whole way as they walked opposite of those still fleeing the scene. “He’ll be pleased with you for this one,” she grinned to her partner, before pulling her into an alley, catching the other woman’s lips with her own.

[Alecto Carrow]

Men were useless, muggle ones even more so than the wizarding variety. As she directed the feeble minded "leader" to do her bidding under the curse, Alecto wondered just how far she'd be able to progress up the ladder she'd just begun climbing. The Dark Lord, Meadowes, Vanderhyde - their boys club was inane, really. Yeah, they went way back, but hadn't they been friends with the girls of their class too? Evidently not, or those they had been had had changes of heart. Arranged marriages and children getting in the way of their own dreams, destinies determined by the greed of their fathers instead of their own desires. At least that's not something you have to worry about, she thought, a slice of a grin slashing across her face as she set the station into destruction.

And maybe she was considering the wrong question, Alecto realized as she went to find Bellatrix. Maybe she shouldn't wonder how high they'd let her progress. Make your own damn ladder instead. Not that she wanted to be in charge of a following of her own - that would just be silly, to try and divide their force - but must she follow the same prescribed steps as her brother? Could they not just go out and use their talents as they saw fit?

Why would he let me waste away in Recruitment when I can pull this off with no planning at all? Imagine if I'd been able to prepare…

Nearly giddy off of the high of success, of chaos, of her own whirling mind, the new Death Eater was caught by surprise at the return of Bellatrix. But she beamed at the joyous laughter, the praise, and matched the other woman's long strides with her own as they sped away from the scene with others who still had their wits. But she didn't mimic the horror, the tears, she saw on their faces. Because Bellatrix was grinning in a way that showed her, beyond her own knowing, that she'd done well. The brunette diverted them from the swelling crowd, steering her into an alley to confirm her suspicions. Alecto kissed her back, pressing her to the brick, and smirked against her lips. While she would never protest a snog... "Tell me there's another mark for us."

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

Was Nicholas having this much fun? Bellatrix doubted it, considering he was stuck observing Lucius. Bellatrix had her doubts that the blond idiot would even be able to pull any of it off successfully. But her and Alecto? Their tasks would be completed and if they were lucky, they’d take a few lives along the way. She’d been given intructions that the only casualties the muggles could face needed to look like they were part of the bombings, however. Which meant no fun picking them off one by one, watching their faces twist as they realized there was no making it away from her alive. Her and Rodolphus had done their fair share of muggle hunting, her rare muggle connections occasionally mentioning events that seemed too good to just ignore. But orders were orders, and their Dark Lord was the only man she was willing to take orders from.

“Of course there’s another mark for us,” Bella said gleefully, “Another railway station, just a bit of a walk from here.” Taking her lover by the hand, Bella resigned herself to get more of what she wanted later and pulled them back out of the alley, looking back to the chaos they had left. People were still panicked, still rushing around. More muggles were arriving in uniform, police most likely, trying their best to calm those and direct people away from what remained of the York road railway station. It was hard to stop the smirk that seemed permant on her face, it was fun to watch people suffer.

Turning away from the scene, she started the walk towards the next station, content as could be. “Meadowes said he called you in for a meeting not long ago,” she said, looking over to her companion. Meadowes was one of the most trusted, a fact that would never cease to aggravate her. He was in the same league as her father, old men who had supported the Dark Lord in his activites at school. But could they really offer him something that she could not? She had been devoted from the first day he’d asked her to join him, it should have been enough. But training Alecto to be just as good as her, surely this would grant her more of his favor. “What insulting things did he say? And don’t say he didn’t, the man isn’t as tactful as he thinks.”

[Alecto Carrow]

Eager to get back into action, Alecto hurried alongside her partner, hand-in-hand as they exited the alley and rejoined the chaos she had created. For while she wanted to continue the kisses, escalate them, there was a new sort of fire in her veins. One that was rooted in the knowledge that she had performed well, that she was up to the challenge of working for the Dark Lord. There would be time later to enjoy Bellatrix's company privately - for now, Alecto needed to keep moving forward, propelled by her victory. However, the young Death Eater did not know the route, so there was to be no running ahead or anything of the like. Instead, she turned to Bellatrix in high amusement as she brought up Alecto's "tutor."

"He was infuriating!" Alecto said through her laughter, glad that Bellatrix saw through the man just as she had. "Kept trying to make me quake with fear at his connections and his history, was up in arms about my not having proven myself even though I've got a Mark, or that I'm a Carrow, that I'm not deserving of anything different than the other new recruits." This ending renewed her laughter, and she took a few moments to recover before going on. "As if the Head Boy will be able to stomach anything that's coming our way! When his wand gets in a knot if his hair isn't laying properly!" Imagining Lucius Malfoy, heir to the apothecary fortune, in the thick of battle was a proper treat. For while she hadn't been surprised at the power grab that his family took by making him join the service, Alecto doubted not only his loyalty but also his ability to execute messy plans like this one. "Meadowes did say that you thought highly of me," she added, flashing a smile towards Bellatrix, "but I swear, if I have to keep working under him, neither of us will last much longer. How do you manage it?" 

There were far too few women involved in the fighting, as far as Alecto's opinion was concerned. While it made her special, it came with its own set of struggles. She would go to her dying day with the notion that Amycus hadn't been challenged by Meadowes as she had. She would have to work twice as hard, be twice as vigilant, to be taken half as seriously as her male counterparts. Her kind was supposed to do their work at the salons, at the dinner parties, at the opera. Spread rumors and absorb them from others, determine through subtlety who among the pureblood families belonged to which side of this divide. They were supposed to stand behind the men in their lives and report to them, those who could have a chance at the Dark Lord's ear. And oh, how it was tiresome to not be taken seriously!

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

She wasn’t surprised to hear that Alecto’s meeting with Meadowes had been infuriating. It was always infuriating, dealing with incompetent men. Meadowes was on of the most incompetent men that she had ever had to deal with. It was the same with all the old men who served their Dark Lord - they thought they were somehow better than the new recruits due to the fact they’d gone to school with their Lord. She’d done more for the Dark Lord than any of his old school friends had, that much she knew to be true. And if they would let her take over Alecto’s training, the two of them would be unstoppable. Because Alecto was right - she had the Mark and she was a Carrow. She shouldn’t have to prove herself, not when the Carrow family had all been loyal thus far.

She had to laugh with Alecto as she brought up Lucius, and Bellatrix had to agree. The former Head Boy was just as useless as he looked, and she was almost positive that he’d fail the tasks assigned to him today. Even if he did have a good trainer, the man was too worried about his appearance to risk getting down and dirty. But, there was some good to her new lover’s meeting with Meadowes, it seemed. “Did he now?” she said with a smirk, pleased that the news had been passed along to Alecto as she had assumed it would. She hadn’t just mentioned Alecto’s name to Meadowes for the hell of it, she was trying to earn points with the younger woman. If she wanted her latest plaything to stick around, if she wanted to show Rodolphus exactly what he was missing by not being around, she needed to be the other woman’s good graces.

“Well,” she began slowly, giving Alecto’s hand a squeeze, “I show them that I’m not to be messed with. You see, I’m a snake - and not just because I was in Slytherin. You must be like a viper, always ready to striked when someone tries to pull something on you.” It was important to be ready to kill at any moment, if one wanted to stay in this line of work. “Maybe at the Ministry I’m playing the role of the perfect pureblood wife, but I’m so much more than that. And that? It scares weak men, like those higher up. I know - we shouldn’t doubt the Dark Lord and his choices, but you and I both know we are far better skilled to this work than someone like Dean Meadowes.”

[Alecto Carrow]

"He did," Alecto affirmed, smirking back at the woman whose hand she held so proudly. "Madame Lestrange, she said you showed promise," she quoted in a gruff representation of the elder Death Eater. While that meeting had been nigh unbearable, and she was surprised he hadn't acted out against her - had she been in his position with a charge so unruly, said charge would not have left unscathed, but what use was a long fuse in their line of work? - some good had come of it. Mainly, hearing the commendation from Bellatrix through Meadowes. The only thing better would have been to hear it from her first, but as a glutton for praise from those whose praise counted...she was happy to have it.

Praise from those whose praise counted, and advice from those whose advice mattered - that was what she wanted as she stepped out into the field. Alecto knew she was capable, and would never admit that there was yet learning to be done. But it wouldn't do to get in over her head all on her lonesome, would it? Bellatrix had never led her astray, never looked down on her, even if there were years between them. She had long earned Alecto's trust, so it was with rapt attention that the younger witch keyed in. Like a viper. I can do that. She smiled as Bellatrix described her inner workings, and those of their inferiors, and a fire lit within her clear eyes as she finished.

We are far better skilled. We.

Alecto wanted to run, to jump, to make the nearest shop window explode, causing beautiful shards to rain down on them all. Because here was someone, finally, who thought of her how she should be considered. Who considered her part of a we. And that it was a woman she'd admired for so long, who she'd been infatuated with for nearly as many years, was truly the icing on the cake. She felt as though she was vibrating from the thrill of it, and sparks flew unbidden from her wand to catch light to the weeds at the sidewalk's edge. "Yes! Yes, that we are," she exclaimed in excitement. "Although I do hope you're not suggesting that I marry," she laughed, the preposterous notion one she'd been on her worst behavior - whenever the opportunity presented herself - when need arose in order to avoid. Marriage, what was it for? In their society - procreation, furthering the family line, strengthening the family bonds to tighten and tighten and tighten the ever shrinking circle of purebloods. Children were not for her. She would lose her name only to take up another's that she didn't care about. And why would she want to spend eternity with an inbred cousin? Not when she could spend it in much more pleasurable company. Not when she could further her name herself...

[Bellatrix Lestrange]

It was amusing to Bella that Dean Meadowes thought using her name would somehow convince Alecto to listen to him, but she supposed it did matter that he thought so highly of her. He was in the Dark Lord’s ear, and if her name was one that was being said, well that only meant good things for her. There was no denying that Bella wanted to be favored by Voldemort - who wouldn’t want that? Getting on his good side was everything, and her loyalty to him thus far had been working in her favor. Allowing her to accompany Alecto on this event, her husband stuck with Lucius, well it meant everything. Bella was the perfect person to mold Alecto into the vicious and violent woman that she was meant to be. She felt bad, although only for a second, knowing that her reports to the Dark Lord about today would be of success, while her husband’s reports would be lacking. Lucius was not capable of the things that Alecto was, and that wasn’t Rodolphus fault. Bella would help him work out his irritation tonight, while basking in the knowledge that she was the one who earned the Dark Lords favor this day.

They’d left most of the chaos behind, and now wandered by shops with business owner standing outside looking concerned, sirens fading into the distance. Bella would have to find an Irish paper tomorrow, and see the death toll numbers. Surely they would be high, given the amount of muggles who had been under the roof in the train station. Perhaps she would get it framed, as a gift for Alecto. Something to remember their first mission together by. A laugh tumbled out of her, and Bella gave Alecto a smile. “Marriage is a contract, but not certainly one I’m suggesting you get into,” she teased. In Bella’s opinion, Alecto deserved better than the pureblood cousins her age, something she would find in an older man. But for now? For now Alecto was hers, and that was what mattered. “I was lucky in the match my parents made, but you - free to be yourself, away from the demands of your parents, well perhaps I’m a tad jealous.” Bellatrix loved Rodolphus, in her own way. But there was always the expectation of her to be a good wife, which she found to be so dull. “Are you ready for the next mark? We’re almost there, this time it’s a bus yard. Sadly, less people will be about, but it should still be fun.”

[Alecto Carrow]

Is this how they felt all the time? Amycus, Bellatrix? Free? Free from judgment and rancor from those who would never understand, free to let loose horrors on a deserving world instead of trap them inside. Free to be bold, powerful, terrible - and applauded for it. Not that the new graduate had ever done particularly well at containing impulses her parents demonized her for, whether it came to outbursts against her classmates or whose four-poster she was found in, but instead of knowing a letter detailing her misdeeds was on its way to that house, that they would be waiting for her with evidence of her most recent embarrassment-to-the-family in hand - she was hand-in-hand with Bellatrix, bold as brass in a city whose name didn't matter, the rending of metal and cries of muggles singing in her ears. Because of her spellwork. And there wasn't a thing her parents could do about it.

Her friends were more powerful than theirs. Vipers, all.

"Good," Alecto laughed, loud and bright, with her companion, "I'm not suited to it. My parents finally seem to clock that, at least - stopped putting dashing young men in front of me when their lips kept getting sewn shut. Was the strangest thing." The fury of her parents had been worth the looks on their faces. For why would she bind herself to someone they chose for her in their image of what she should be? While one or two might have held her attention for some time - they hadn't all been lost causes, the ones from Durmstrang were interesting enough on paper, with wits enough to try and defend themselves - it was the principle of the thing. Bellatrix spoke of her own lucky match to Rodolphus, the history of which she didn't know well, and before she could inquire -

Jealous?

Bellatrix Lestrange had reason to be jealous of her. 

Alecto preened, threading their fingers together, as the unfamiliar electric feeling spread through her. "At least they gave you someone who has a chance at keeping up with you," she taunted, wishing - only for a moment - that her lover's towering husband was within earshot to take part in the game himself. They made an imposing pair, Bellatrix and Rodolphus, and while she was proudly gaining ground in becoming the favorite of one...Rodolphus was a tall, dark and brooding mystery in his own way, and her brother's long-time obsession with the man was starting to make more sense to her.

Their next destination was nearly upon them, and Alecto turned to her in thrill, nodding as she took in the details. A bus station... "Petrol enough for a pretty blaze," she said with a grin. "What do I have for time?"