7 April ‘86: Unbreakable Vows: Alecto

[Fabian Prewett]

The response from Alecto was clenched tightly in his hand, his jaw locked as he walked through Knockturn Alley. Fabian Prewett had had a hell of a day, and this was the icing on the cake. In the past twelve hours he’d found Kyra (and found out he was a father), and then potentially lost her and Griffin forever. He’d had an unfortunate run in with Lucius Malfoy in Diagon Alley. He’d had it out with his brother-in-law, spilling secrets he had kept to himself for years. But the one secret he’d kept from everyone, even Gideon, was waiting for him behind the doors to the Wyvern.

There were plenty of Death Eaters behind bars because of him, but Alecto Carrow wasn’t one of them. Bellatrix Lestrange, however, was. And he should have known that night in August to go after Alecto, to get her before she had a chance to claim she had no idea about the ambush planned for him and his brother. Before she’d had the chance to figure out exactly what the ring on a chain around his neck was for. He’d never told anyone she had been there that night, because by letting her escaped it had but Kyra directly into her sights. And he knew first hand from Edgar and Phoebe that he wasn’t enough to keep her safe. And when the war had ended, and he’d let Alecto’s trial proceeded without interfering he had foolishly hoped it would be enough for her to leave Kyra alone.

It hadn’t been.

Pushing the door open, his entrance was met with curious stares. He wasn’t the type of wizard to linger in Knockturn Alley, to come to a place like this. He had, in the past, come to try and gather information when the war was still going strong. After all, alcohol often loosened lips. A quick scan of the room was enough to verify that Carrow hadn’t yet arrived, and he sunk into an empty table with his back to the wall quietly.

[Alecto Carrow]

Alecto Carrow was a survivor with leverage.

Life had thrown her many battles, and she'd thrust herself into more.

After Bellatrix and the Lestranges were sentenced to life in Azkaban, she'd known that she'd have to pull off something immense to keep Fabian Prewett off her arse. He knew she was party to the Bones' deaths, he knew she was a Death Eater, he knew too much…But she knew about his girl. That was the problem with people with loved ones - they had weaknesses that were so…weak. Muggles were fragile, breakable, brittle, more so than common household pets. Left alone in a room with the witch, the muggle girl wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell at leaving as herself.

So an arrangement was easily made - his silence and separation paid for the girl's life. If he spoke to authorities about Alecto's involvement in the war, the girl would perish for it. If he tried to find the girl, she would die an unfortunate death. For he had taken Bella from her, and if Alecto was doomed to be with another other than her…you don't get yours either.

It had been years, but the Death Eater still kept watch on Thatcher and the half-breed son that Prewett was ever so unaware of. It had pleased her greatly to see Prewett's wife grow, knowing that the man never would. But if Malfoy's information was correct, Prewett was in for a world of hurt. Her associate had seen him in Diagon Alley with a mouthy mudblood and a child. That's not allowed, you sneaky bastard. If you broke a deal with demons, you paid for them in blood. And it amused her so that he'd sent word to her instead of waiting for her to simply show up at his residence - or, depending on her mood, Thatcher's.

She entered the Wyvern in black, sharp shoulders and tight trousers, heeled boots and windswept hair. Prewett was obvious - his presence and his discomfort - and she let out a laugh as she joined him, sitting in the seat across with ease. "Same old Prewett," she mused. "Still won't have your back to the space, hmm? That paranoia's gonna do you in one day, not good for your heart." An anxious-to-please waitress scurried over to take their orders as Alecto mockingly tapped her chest. "Firewhisky, and whatever he wants." She could get him his last drink, eh? Once the girl left, Alecto grinned. "The boy takes after you, cute little thing. But I thought we had an agreement. What gives?"

[Fabian Prewett]

The second she walked into the bar, his eyes were on her. It didn’t matter how long ago the war had been, the evil that had existed with Voldemort hadn’t vanished just because he had. Too many Death Eaters has walked free, claimed innocence when it had been their hands that had brought death to good people. In his opinion, the fact that Alecto and Amycus has avoided Azkaban was unacceptable. But he couldn’t risk going after Amycus, because there was no way Alecto would have let that slide. And going after her meant that Kyra (and undoubtedly, Griffin) would have died. He’d never committed to the muggle girl out of fear that she would be a target, because she was his weakness. But losing Phoebe and Edgar had brought them together in a very big way, and maybe getting married had been foolish for them to do.

His jaw was still clenched tightly as she sat down, his hands crossed across his chest as he stared at her. He had never paid Alecto much attention in their younger years, she’d been in a different year and different house. She’d become a blip on his radar after she had finished school, her affair with Bellatrix Lestrange not a secret that was well kept. And everyone was quite aware of how deeply devoted to the Dark Lord that family had been. He was sure they’d fought more than once in battle, although the night he’d almost died was the only time in which he had seen her face to know for sure. Only cowards wear masks. If Sirius Black hadn’t arrived when he did that night, then he wouldn’t be sitting across from her at this disgusting bar.

But he was, and she had the upper hand. It was his fault (and his brothers) that Bellatrix had been taken away from her. He’d kept tabs on Alecto since, even if he could never act against her. The right drop of information to his brother-in-law, or someone else in the Ministry…it didn’t matter anymore. “I’ll have the same,” he said to the waitress, eyes never leaving the blonde across from him. Once the girl had scuttled off, he leaned forward, elbows resting on the table as he took in what Alecto had to say. It was clear she knew about Griffin, that he had expected. She had probably know the entire time, which made his blood boil.

“Does Vincent take after you?” he asked with a smile, hoping the mention of her son would get under her skin. “I didn’t go looking for her, as we agreed. But a nice stroll through London after work isn’t against the rules, and I can tell you quite certainly I wasn’t planning on finding her today. Or meeting my son.”

[Alecto Carrow]

Some people lived on love. Giving and taking, sentiments and promises, happy happy joy joy idealism. But Alecto thrived on what she saw from the disgraced Auror: hatred. It'd been much too long since she'd been fixed with a look that gave her so much purpose, and she relished in it. This was her turf, these were her people, this was her game; he was just along for the ride.

Oh, but he was trying ever so hard to play.

She cocked her head to the side as Prewett did what he could to mask his fear, even daring to bring up her own offspring. "You know better than to mention my boy," Alecto interrupted, tsking dispassionately as he went on. "I can believe you weren't planning on it. From the looks of things, you've never been much of a long-term planner. Tell me," she said with a leer, leaning right in, "did she at least slap you and sue for paternity? Oh, no, that's not right - the other one was in legal."

She laughed, tilting her chair back to get at her wand. Just in case he was still…touchy about the Bones'. "You fought back, didn't you? I hope so, she likes fighters. Those were the only men who came 'round more than once, the blokes who weren't afraid to argue with her. Not that you'll be going back." Her cold eyes met his as she dropped her voice, wand spinning languidly in her hand. "Unless that's why you wanted to meet? You have very little left to offer me, sweetheart, and a deal's a deal. You've kept your end, I've kept mine, and I'm not in the mood to renegotiate when everything's worked out so nicely."

[Fabian Prewett]

When it came down to it, Alecto was holding all the cards. Because she had known about Griffin for years now, and he had nothing new to hold over her. The only thing he did have was his brother, filled in about today’s events and stationed near Kyra’s flat in case things went south at this meeting. All it would take was his patronus and Gideon would be there to protect her - although Fabian had neglected to give a who when asked who he was meeting. Because in all these years it had been since that night, he’d never even told his twin why he never went back to Kyra. His twin who had been there as a witness a month before they almost died, and Fabian was sure that his brother had suspected there was a deeper reason behind it. What would Gideon have done if he’d known the reason was the blonde witch leering at him across the table?

At the mention of Phoebe, Fabian had to stop himself from strangling Alecto. He knew that she’d had a part in the Bones family death, but to taunt him with it? He’d be dead if he made a move in here, that much was clear. And Alecto was smart, putting more distance between them as she drew her wand. And while her words bothered him, it wasn’t his place to be upset by how Kyra had spent her years without him. He was the one who had left, set on revenge for the death of his family. He owed his life to Sirius Black’s timely appearance, because they’d gone off on their own. Hadn’t asked for backup. Walked right into a trap set them. “You know, before you ran with the wrong crowd you weren’t that bad,” he said with a smirk, “Those years with Bellatrix….no wonder you don’t have a heart.” He hadn’t a clue what the woman had seen in Madame Lestrange, as Bellatrix had never been nice person by any means.

“Her name was Phoebe. Her kids were named Grayson, Elle, and Cami. The youngest was only three years old, and their father Edgar was a better man than you could ever hope your son could be,” he hissed as he leaned forward, the anger he was trying to hold in bubbling over the surface. “You’ve taken enough Alecto, and I’m not letting you take more. I agreed to stay away from her, but you know damn well I didn’t know about my son. So yeah, I’m here to renegotiate.” The waitress was hovering awkwardly nearby, and he leaned back as she sat their drinks on the table.

Picking up his glass, he stared at the girl who was still hovering until she left, turning his eyes back to Alecto. “You want me to keep my mouth shut, and I’ve done that. And I will continue to keep my mouth shut about that night. But you know, no one was ever arrested for the murder of the Bones...”

[Alecto Carrow]

It was so easy to get under the skin of "decent" people. Decent - as if your body count's any less than mine. Everything she said was for a reaction, and Alecto was living for it. How the glint in his eye changed as she pushed him, how his entire body tensed as she brought up Bones' dead wife. Dead Bones' dead wife. But she wasn't worried. What could Prewett do to hurt her? She had Lucius and Aaron to back her, and while both had their defects, their agreements were solid. Vincent was safe. This man wouldn't "stoop" to "her" level and hurt a child, even if he'd had the boy's name in his mouth tonight. But they were hardly strangers, she and him, and Prewett knew her attachments just as well. Her mouth ticked at his casual mention of Bella, for however amusing it was for him to say she'd been different before falling in with the older woman, he had no right to speak of her. It was partly his fault that she was locked up - which had led to this very arrangement that he so abhorred. "Oh, sweetie - I've got a heart," she simpered, flicking back her hair and laying a hand to her chest. "I'm just not foolish enough to parade it around."

He shot the names at her as if she'd forgotten - I remember my victims, do you remember yours? - and she smirked across the table, confident in the face of his uncapped ire. Nothing but hot air, Prewett. You've got nothing on me. She gave a roll of the eyes as he again spoke of Vincent - Must work on that, manners. - and a laugh told her feelings on him connecting that she'd known about his son the whole damn time he'd been in the dark. "Don't mind him," she assured the nervy little waitress. "Just found out he's a father, you know how it is."

She took up her drink, sipping as she eyed him as he laid out his plan. While it was true that a certain potion could get the facts out of her...the memories could be gone far before she was in front of the Wizengamot again. Mind already ticking through a contingency plan for herself, she nodded. "Yes, I do know that," Alecto conceded evenly. "There was no evidence then, and - forgive me for saying so, but you're getting a bit desperate. I don't believe you've somehow managed to find anything to hold water now. But I can see why you'd try to threaten me - you don't have anything I want, having soiled your family name..." She sighed and shot back the drink, pushing herself away from the table. "The deal stands, Prewett. Keep your distance."

[Fabian Prewett]

You just need one thing to get to her.

        One really big thing.

This wasn’t their first face to face, not by any means. They’d clashed enough times on the battlefield during the war - this was a familiar dance. She taunted him, he taunted her. And hopefully they both walked away alive. She wouldn’t kill him here, Alecto was far smarter than that. She’d avoided Azkaban once before, and killing an Auror would certainly get her thrown in with the rest of her Death Eater friends. He also knew that as much as he wanted to hate the woman across from him for what she’d done, he hated himself more. Neither one of them was innocent of their crimes, his were simply applauded by their world because he’d been against Voldemort.

But - still a bit sour over Bella, are we? - perhaps he could find just one more thing to use to his advantage. He had never been to visit any of the Death Eaters in Azkaban, and he wasn’t exactly keen on the idea brewing in his mind. But surely the Lestrange woman who had so boldy admitted to the crimes she was charged with was feeling a bit sour herself. And who could blame her, when some of her known friends and family were walking free. He scowled as Alecto gave the waitress context, not pleased that this rumor about his child would now be roaming even further than he was sure it already had. Focus, Fabian. What can you use? 

His mind was turning as he spoke, not at all surprised when Alecto dismissed his words. “Maybe I don’t have anything yet,” he said with a smile as she pushed away from the table, “But you weren’t the only one there that day, were you?” It would have taken more than just one witch with a wand to take down Edgar, that much Fabian knew. And he’d gotten confirmation of that when he’d found Phoebe, his long time friend holding on to life just long enough to tell him what had happened, or rather, who had been there. “Tell me, do you think Bellatrix still cares enough about you to keep her mouth shut - or do you think she’d throw you to the wolves if I offered her the chance?”

He downed the whiskey quickly, eyes focused on Alecto as he let his words linger. “Or perhaps I’ll just give my own memories to the Auror’s office - after all, you didn’t make sure Phoebe was dead before you left.”

[Alecto Carrow]

She was wiping traces of whiskey away from her lips with the back of her hand, mind and body already on their way out the door, when Prewett took a risk she wasn’t prepared to counter. Well f*ck. Alecto slowly turned to him, gripping the back of her chair until her knuckles turned white as she stared him in the eye. Measuring him. His desperation. His drive. Did he really have what it took to go to Azkaban? To turn his memories over, after all this time of keeping them? He could've leveraged this before. The kid makes this much of a difference? Bella...you know she would tell. She hates that you’re out here. "Betraying" them all by daring to live… Bella would take the bait. Circe’s sake - Rodolphus would tell him everything he knew without needing any recompense. But in his eyes, Alecto knew. He’s just desperate enough to do it. To face them. To tell the truth, to hell with whatever blowback there is towards him. And if he did? Everything she'd worked for in these last years would be for naught. She'd be locked away, separated from her son, her life, a prisoner to the end of her days. Which would be decidedly numbered in a cellblock with those who hated her...

Always shitty when this sort of thing stops being fun, Alecto thought as she pointedly retook her seat, eyes never leaving his. "These are the lengths you'll go to? Not to even have a family, as I doubt she'll take you back - but for the chance at it?" she hissed between her teeth. "To continue covering up your best friend's murder? To let me keep his children's blood on my hands without paying for it?" Alecto gave a slow shake of her head, humor gone. I don't believe you. I don't trust you as far as I could throw you without magic. "How do I know you'll keep quiet if I consent to give you access to the Thatchers? For all I know, you'll go to the Ministry on your way out of here." She wouldn't put it past him to throw her in front of the proverbial Knight Bus; after all, it's what she would have done long ago had their arrangement ceased to be beneficial. You could kill him. Cover it up. Be done with the game. While the cold thought was a simple one to turn over in her mind, it was less appealing to Alecto than she would admit. Attachments to the war were few these days, but during that time she had been alive. Life without any risk was nearly as bad as a life with too much of it. But if he couldn't convince her, it would be in her best interest to take him out back...

[Fabian Prewett]

Gotcha.

Alecto turned back to him, and Fabian knew that he had struck a nerve. Was he willing to deal with dementors to bring her down? Absolutely. What happiness was there left to suck out him at this point? Kyra hated him, and there was a chance that even if this went well things wouldn’t work out between them. So he met her eyes as she gripped the back of the chair, staring steadily at her to see what she would do. If she called his bluff and walked out of here, Gideon would need to act fast to make sure that Kyra was safe. Because regardless of how this went down, he was not walking away from this. Not this time, not when he knew what he knew now. He should have fought five years ago, but there was a lot of things he should have done differently then. He should have reported what he knew to the Ministry, instead of chasing after them on his own. Even with his doubts about the Ministry - that would have been the better option.

But it was too late for that now.

Alecto returned to her chair, and he knew that he had won. Her words stung - I’m sorry Edgar, you deserve better than this. But I never was as good a man as you were - but he stared back at her, biting his tongue from everything he wanted to say. Maybe Alecto Carrow would never serve time for what she did to the Bones family, but the Lestranges had been involved. And they we’re going to rot away in Azkaban, that was at least a small victory. And Carrow? Oh, this wasn’t over. No matter what he did tonight, it wouldn’t be over. One day she would slip up, because she would slip up. She would get bored of her life and he would be there when it happened. “Yes, I would.”

Edgar, if you can’t forgive me for this I understand.

He removed his arms from across his chest, leaning forward on the table to give her a smile. “You don’t trust me, I don’t trust you. Seems we’re on the same page,” he said slowly. “You’re the traditional sort, so what do you say to an Unbreakable Vow?”

[Alecto Carrow]

Traditional. She scoffed at that, and the satisfied look he wore; nothing of her life had gone according to the proper sort of plan laid out by her parents in an age gone by. She'd run off with Amycus to fight in the war. Her most successful romantic relationship had been with a married woman. Even so, she'd had a child out of wedlock and, while she lived with the father, they'd never married. And now, as she and Amycus and Aaron entertained themselves with training youths on falconry, she knew they even that - a legitimate business - was "too much" for a woman to handle, in her parents' eyes.

But his actual idea was not half bad. It was the only way, really, that they could both walk away with security at receiving or maintaining what they wanted. For to go against an Unbreakable Vow brought death, something each had evaded with success despite the grasping hands of the other. Just that he was willing to bring it up gave her assurance. Surely there would be another way to take him down, when the time came. "I accept," Alecto agreed shortly. "Lucius can act as Bonder."

Feeling resistance pouring off him at that, she looked to him with brows raised in challenge. "No harm will come to you at the manor, you have my word. I know that means little to you, but I know him. We've kept each other's secrets with fidelity, discretion. At the end of things…he has only his reputation. If he does me a disservice here, in doing anything to damage the peace we broker, he will not exit the week with that. I can bring him down, and will." The truce that reminded between the un-incarcerated Death Eaters was tenuous, just a little more trust there than what was between Prewett and herself. For Lucius had never made her Vow to keep silent. The blonde smirked, considering the man. Prewett wouldn't be content with her taking down an old nemesis, even if she worked it into the Vow…

"Or…I can give you something on him," she offered, lips twisting into a smirk. "Something that happened after he plead insanity-by-Imperius. So if he ever breathes word of our agreement, or mistreats any of yours, you can have the pleasure of revealing him for the fraud that he is." Feeling some sort of bullsh*t no honor amongst thieves commentary coming, Alecto shrugged. "What? My son trails behind his when it should be the other way around. I'd love to see that smug little pixie knocked down a few pegs."

[Fabian Prewett]

He opened his mouth to protest as she agreed, but Lucius? He hated the man almost as much as he hated her, and he’d just dealt with the git earlier in the day. But she must had been expecting him not to agree with the plan, because she was trying to sell him on the idea. She was right - her word meant nothing to him, but a dead Auror at the Malfoy Manor would certainly tarnish the reputation they had built for themselves. This was the only way they could though, wasn’t it? Lucius already knew all of Alecto’s secrets, at least the ones that they would be making the bond over. It had to be someone she picked or there would be no deal, and he didn’t doubt she’d off Malfoy if she got the chance…

But he had to admit, he liked the sound of what else she had to offer. Something that had happened after Malfoy had gotten off clean, that would be useful information. After what he had done to Arthur…he smirked at her, shaking his head with a laugh. It was hard not to keep smirking though, because the thought of Carrows child trailing behind a Malfoy was amusing. “Like you trailed behind a Lestrange?” he jested, leaning back to pull money from his pockets. “The things we do for our kids, huh?”

He stood and placed the money on the table for their drinks, giving Alecto a nod. “Fine, but we’re going there now.”

[Alecto Carrow]

Watching Prewett's mind tick - happy for her acceptance, full of ire at her demands - was more amusement than she'd had in quite some time. For whatever hell the war had been, at least it'd given her power to wield. And the freedom now to start weaving a new web out of old tangles was proving delicious to the Death Eater. Alecto was appeased that her attempt at compromise sparked a glint in his eye she'd missed seeing in her own - having a leg up on competition was ever so fun - although she had to laugh as he tried to turn her words back on her. Bella had been worth following, thank you very much! Whereas Draco had the misfortune to be born with the Malfoy name. "Don't even try to compare the Malfoys and the Lestranges - Hungarian Horntails and salamanders are related if you go back far enough, but you'd never be caught mistaking one for the other. But you are right about one thing - if I'd known all it took was a child to get you to turn over your last shred of dignity, maybe I'd have just told you about young Griffin."

Alecto gave a wink and watched, entertained wholly, as Prewett paid for the drinks she'd promised to cover, and got to her feet smoothly. "You were so eager to make a deal, sure you don't want to stretch this out?" Out in the dark of the night, she held her hand out to her adversary, and in one of the odder apparations of her life, took the pair of them to the Malfoy's yawning drive. "Never understood the fascination with peacocks - white ones, no chance in the wild," she scoffed, kicking at one as it crossed her path. Before long Dobby was showing them to the parlor before scurrying off to fetch his master. Alecto walked around, sniffing a bowl of absurdly sweet potpourri that only Narcissa could've picked out, examining this trinket and that...

She smiled blandly as Lucius strode in, his idiotic wife frowning after him. "Why is it you never look glad to see me? I'll make a proper social call soon, I promise - but we've got a tiny bit of business to take care of tonight. You all know each other - " Alecto acknowledged with a wide wave of her arm. " - and we're not here for a fight. The opposite, actually. You're competent enough, Lucius. We need an Unbreakable Vow. Do the honors quickly, and we'll be out of your hair faster than you can say Sleekeazy's."

[Lucius Malfoy]

There were few things more annoying than being disturbed by Dobby - in fact, Lucius couldn’t think of one at the moment as the elf came knocking at their bedroom door. “What could you possibly need me for?” he snapped at the elf, glaring at the big eyes peering at him from the floor. If someone wasn’t dying, Lucius was going to kill the blasted elf. Climbing out the bed, he pulled his robe on as he grabbed his wand. “Why are you bothering us Dobby?”

“Madam Carrow is here with a visitor.”

“Of course she is,” he snapped to the elf, no longer bothering to control the volume of his voice. What could possibly have brought Alecto to his house as this hour? “Who is it?”

“He said his name was Prewett, sir.”

“What?” he said as he turned to look at the elf who was slowly backing away from him. Surely Alecto hadn’t brought Fabian Prewett to his house. He exchanged a glance with Narcissa, anger stirring. Of course she would have, he wouldn’t put it past her. Particularly given the arrangement that Prewett had broken earlier today, Lucius had been sure to write to her after he’d seen the Auror with a muggle woman and child in Diagon Alley. “I’m going to kill her…” he muttered, pushing the elf out of his way as he stormed downstairs.

As he strolled into the parlor, it turned out that Dobby was indeed correct in who Alecto had brought to his house. Before he could even say anything, she was giving him an explanation. A pathetic reason for them being here, because surely there were plenty of others who could be the bonder for the two of them. “I could have met you elsewhere, rather than you bring…” he gestured to Prewett, scowl on his face. “Is it really that important to be done now?”

[Narcissa Malfoy]

After settling in for the night, cozied into bed with her husband, a glass or two of chardonnay in her belly, Draco asleep, the last thing on Narcissa Malfoy's mind was their pitiful elf. And yet he had the audacity to enter their bedroom, rightfully receiving Lucius' ire at the interruption, and claim that none other than Madam Carrow was awaiting reception. She followed Lucius from bed, wrapping a lace-trimmed dressing gown around herself for decency's sake as she listened, growing more peeved by the moment. Who was Alecto Carrow to visit unannounced, in the middle of the night? And who was she to bring a bloody Auror to their home? They had enough trouble with Weasley and the lot raiding the place when they got bored, not that they ever found anything significant enough to justify the invasion of privacy.

And so she looked to her husband dispassionately, muttering an annoyed, "I won't stand in your way, my love," as he stalked out. Sighing heavily, she fluffed out her long hair and forced herself to not rush after him and disappear in his wake, but to temper herself and rather glide downstairs. Not that Lucius hadn't a right to be angry and show it, but one of them had to be civilized. However, she couldn't help the frown pulling her lips down at seeing Carrow toying with her things, and it only deepened as the other blonde sprang into a liquor-fueled tangential explanation of why she and Prewett were in her parlor. She turned her cold eyes to the Auror, unsure if this was the one who had hit upon her in another life or his twin, and nodded in support of her husband's words. "You cannot expect to just barge in here and demand things of him," she spat loftily, unamused at her eldest sister's prior plaything feeling so comfortable in her home. "Find someone else to do your bidding. Presently."

[Fabian Prewett]

The woman knew how to get under his skin, her comment about dignity a dig that he chose not to respond to. She could think what she wanted about his choice tonight, because for once, he was doing the right thing. It was a step he should have taken five years ago, instead of simply walking away from the woman he had loved. He could tell Kyra for days that if he had known about Griffin, things would have been different. But he also knew that it shouldn’t have taken a child for him to return, not when he had vowed to be by her side until death did them part. He could have fought for her five years ago, and he should have. But he’d taken the easy way out, the cowards way out. When faced with her death - the thing he had feared so much - he hadn’t done the noble thing. Maybe one day she could forgive him for changing her memories, but he couldn’t blame her if she never forgave him for not coming back.

So he kept his mouth shut, following Alecto outside silently. A quick and uncomfortable apparition later, he found himself chuckling as Alecto kicked at a peacock. He’d never understood the man’s fascination for the creatures, but it was amusing that he wasn’t the only one. They were greeted by an elf at the door, who was hurrying to let them in and show them to a parlor. “Oy, little elf. Tell Lucius my name is Prewett,” he called after the thing, smirking as he slowly wandered the large room. The Malfoy’s were so bloody rich, and if he remembered correctly, it was because of the connections they’d had with muggles before statute of wizarding secrecy. He studied the room carefully, hopeful that the idiot had left something illegal lying about - but the blonde man and his wife were strolling into the room sooner than he would have liked.

It was hard not to smile, when Lucius looked so angry. Both Alecto and Lucius were gesturing at him, which was also amusing, given that both of them knew his name. And Narcissa? Oh, he’d never had anything against the youngest Black sister, she was truly the most innocent in all of this. “If it wasn’t important, we wouldn’t be here. Trust me, Lucius, the last thing I want to do is spend time here,” he chimed in after Narcissa’s words, before shooting her a smile. “It’s a shame that Bellatrix couldn’t join us tonight - unfortunately she missed her chance to claim she wasn’t acting of her own will.”