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Format: Novel
Chapters: 23
Word Count: 65,469
Status: COMPLETED
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Strong Language, Strong Violence, Scenes of a Mild Sexual Nature, Substance Use or Abuse, Sensitive Topic/Issue/Theme
Genres: Drama, Horror/Dark, Action/Adventure
Characters: OC
Pairings: Other Pairing
First Published: 05/04/2009
Last Chapter: 05/04/2012
Last Updated: 05/04/2012
Summary:Lovely banner by Erminia! // Winner of 'Best Story Within Potential' @ TGS
Part one in the Malice series
The wizarding world is changed.
Chapter 10: Chapter X: Realisation
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For the third night in a row, Evie replayed the horrible events of three days ago in her sleep.
“Adam?”
Her gaze followed to a motionless hand, connected to an arm, to a shoulder, to a neck, to Adam. His mouth was agape in a twisted form of pure horror and his eyes were like a doll’s, unseeing and glassy. He looked terrified.
A single tear snaked its way down Evie’s face. She gasped as she turned the corner and saw the full extent of Adam’s lifeless body. His legs were splayed and one had a dark red patch on the trousers. The other was also bent unnaturally, still bleeding a little. But none of this mattered.
None of it compared to the words carved into Adam’s chest in jagged lettering, still fresh.
“You’re next.”
She awoke with a start, the image of Adam’s terrified face burned into her retinas.
*
Adam’s death had left three feelings: sadness, anger and most of all fear. There were too many unanswered questions: Who did this? How did they find us? Were they sent by someone? Are we safe? All answers were unknown except for the last, which was an unrelenting ‘no’.
As soon as Robbie saw what had happened to Adam, he cried. Evie always thought of him as a steadfast and strong character, but seeing him in floods of tears over the loss of his best friend made her heart break. Robbie fell to his knees and cradled Adam’s beaten form in his arms, shoulders shaking in grief. Evie could do nothing but stand there and stare at the message again and again; you’re next. You’re next.
The rest of the group arrived a couple of minutes later, causing a hubbub. Amidst Issy’s furious cries of “What the bloody hell was that? Or do I even need to ask?” Xavier strode into the room, stopping dead when he saw Adam. He froze, face unchanging for several moments, before pelting towards the computers, roaring for Noah to come over. As Noah ran in he nearly tripped over Robbie and took several steps back when he realised what had happened, the colour draining from his face. He began to move towards Adam but was stopped with calls from an enraged Xavier, and decided to help him with whatever needed doing. Evie found herself appalled at this – who chooses to walk away from a friend’s body?
Issy was next into the room, still shouting and swearing at the raid, at Evie, at life. She took in Robbie’s deflated position and quickly clicked what had happened. With this, she ran forwards and clutched Adam’s head, crying hysterically. It seems she too was disturbed by the chilling message, not taking her eyes off of it. At the sudden noise, Eden wandered in looking alert. She didn’t react how Evie expected; her jaw tensed as she took in the scene and her fists clenched in anger. Anger? Wouldn’t she feel sad at this? The thought flitted across the confusion of Evie’s brain as she processed what had happened. Eden stalked off to the sleeping quarters, slamming the door shut so hard behind her that the corrugated metal reverberated around the room. Evie subconsciously moved to a seat and collapsed onto it, still not taking her eyes off of Adam’s scarred body. She remembered how the two of them had vowed to make the world a better place, starting with improving the goddamned look of the warehouse. She remembered how he always said “Ciao” and “bella”, how his laugh was infectious, how he could capture the room’s attention within seconds and make everyone burst into peals of laughter. She remembered her friend, as she gazed at what was left of him: nothing but bones and memories.
Evie finally tore her eyes away to what Xavier and Noah were up to. She had never seen Xavier so angry; he furiously shouted instructions at Noah as he typed in a hurried frenzy, a frown filled with anguish on his face. After five minutes he finally relaxed, nodding to Xavier. With this, Xavier returned to Adam’s body and addressed the group.
“We all know what’s happened here, even if we don’t want to admit it. We’ve been discovered. It might have something to do with the raid, it might be something else, I don’t know, but Adam has paid his life towards a noble cause. We’ll keep fighting, more than ever, for our freedom. For Squibs alike. For Adam.” With this, Xavier exited the room.
The makeshift funeral was a heartbreaking experience – even though she had only known him for a few short months, Evie felt as if she had lost a piece of her. Adam acted as so many things within the group, and a shadow had now been left – it just wasn’t the same. She missed him.
Robbie painstakingly dug a grave to the exact size it should be within a few hours in the small field outside of the factory. Issy and Evie wrapped his body in some jute cloth, too stricken with grief to argue with one another. As the sun rose Adam’s body was lowered into the earth by Xavier, the new light pouring onto their faces.
A new day, a new death.
The group stared down at the hole, none wanting to say any words in case the moment was spoiled. They didn’t want to taint Adam’s death with words that felt so hollow and meaningless. Evie began to cry silently, and Noah put a tentative arm around her for a few seconds before changing his mind and hastily withdrawing, leaving Evie to cry on her own. Issy didn’t even notice the awkward exchange; she simply stared without seeing into another world, somewhere far away from her life as she knew it. By the time they had finished the sun had fully risen, throwing their exhausted faces into harsh sunlight. They filed back into the headquarters one by one, none speaking, and each going to their rooms. With a final glance back before she went inside, Evie took in the unmarked grave and realised what type of world she was now a part of: a world full of death and violence. She thought of her sealed file back at the Ministry; it all seemed so far away now.
Am I really that important?
*
British Ministry of Magic, Central London, Wizengamot Courts
4PM
A group of fifty or so people sat in a circular room with steep rows of benches looking down on a pit with only a chained chair in the middle. The room hadn’t been used in over fifty years, yet the Minister for Magic had called them all to his specific place at this specific time to discuss what he called a ‘grave and dire situation’. Of course everyone knew that he was only the puppet in which Hector Mutegi held the strings of; it is Hector who motioned for the meeting to be called, and who strode in first to the room. His presence immediately ensured any whispering immediately died down and all eyes were on him; after all, no one wanted to go home that day and find a family member had been announced as missing.
Hector stopped to observe the fearful crowd with glittering eyes. They were merely the workers, the bottom of the pile, but were necessary for things to run as smoothly as possible. With a situation involving Squibs, things could not afford to go wrong. He went to stand in front of the audience he commanded.
Following him in was Jeffrey Liggart, trying to hold a calm composure but failing miserably. He quickly took his place next to Hector, and lowered his gaze to the floor. It was a wonder he had managed to hold his position as Minister of Magic. It was a bigger wonder that Hector hadn’t taken it from him already. All the while, the audience stayed silent.
Once everyone was in place, Hector began. “Welcome all. Today we are gathered here to decide on a plan of action for the Vermin problem which has come to light in recent weeks. You have all been handpicked by the Ministry based on your ability and value to this very important and confidential project. I don’t want to create panic ladies and gentlemen, but I’m afraid that what we’re handling here are Squibs.”
A gasp fluttered round the room. Some held their hands over their mouths in shock, eyes wide open; others’ jaws were set tensely. All look worried. Instantly a murmur swelled before dying away. Hector let them worry, talk among themselves. We need panic. We need fear.
“Since the Great Uprising we have successfully suppressed the rebellious Vermin to secure the safety of the wizarding world. However, it grieves us to have had to respond to such violent tactics which they use to try to undermine us. We have never had reason to alert those but the people involved with the matter as it has never been a threat to our society – until now.”
He was expert at creating fear and panic. Frightened faces stared back at him, taking in every word he said. He thrived on terror; it was the food for his soul. His black eyes glistened.
“It has recently come to the Ministry’s knowledge that a small group of vermin have recently attempted to take down the Ministry in order to rule our society for their own gain. Some of their minor offences against humanity are organised infiltration of Ministry building and attacks on Aurors – most recently at a graveyard in Sevenoaks, Kent. It pains me to tell you of their major atrocities: masterminding the 2090 Gringotts Heist, abuse and torture of Muggles and perhaps the most shocking being the murder of three wizards and two witches for no apparent purpose. These vermin are terrorists, ladies and gentlemen.”
Jeffrey Liggart only raised his head when he heard of the ‘major atrocities’. He knew of the lies which Hector was so effortlessly fabricating from thin air, like magic. He knew of the propaganda posters which were being manufactured on the fourth floor right this very moment. He knew the Squibs would be annihilated within a matter of weeks. And yet, contrary to Hector’s belief, he was not stupid. He knew that his position no longer held any power in the corrupt government, and that if he said a word of the truth he and his family would be killed.
For this reason, he said nothing.
“If this didn’t convince you of their status, then perhaps some evidence will persuade you,” Hector continued. “A warning: some of these images are quite graphic.” He proceeded to flick his wand at the wall in the room and images poured from the tip, grotesque forms and violent scenes filling the room. Various images of five people floated through the midst of chaos, in particular a girl with blue eyes and brown hair. Another flick of the wand and the images dissipated like smoke. A stunned silence followed for several moments; one outcry of “They must be stopped!” started the rabble of distressed chatter. A glare from those glittering black eyes eventually drew the room to silence once more.
“I realise that your first instincts are to panic and be afraid,” Hector smiled slightly at the thought. “However, it is my duty to inform you that those who were previously involved in the investigation are working as hard as they can to stop these glorified rats who think they can get away with such horrendous crimes. It is to my understanding that one of the members has since been ... detained within the last two days. We even have-“
He was interrupted as a young woman burst through the doors with her wand raised high. She had fire in her eyes as she shot a red jet of light towards a shadow in the room, but seemed to miss her target as she bared her teeth angrily and prepared for another strike. Hector quickly intervened and cast a shield spell, deflecting the woman’s spell. She dodged out of the way and cast daggers at Hector. Some of the members of the crowd looked alarmed, but were quickly reassured by neighbouring members who said they knew who she was.
“There was absolutely NO need to kill him! NONE. I wasn’t even done yet – I hadn’t finished extracting information from him! Because of YOU,” pointing angrily back to the corner, “We won’t be able to find out their next plan. You’re a complete idiot!”
Hector sighed tiredly. “For those who don’t know, this is the auror Eden Mallaby. As I was saying before our interruption, she is working undercover as a Squib within the terrorist group.”
“Terrorist group? Is that what we’re calling them now?” Eden spat back, staring straight into Hector’s glittering eyes. He gave a curt nod. “Well, fuck. That isn’t why I’m here though. I’m here because of him.”
“Methinks the mamsell doth protest too much,” came a thick German accent from the accused shadows. “I am doing my job, Eden. Much like you.”
“I don’t give a bloody shit about your job. I was working on a very important case, and then you went and murdered Ad – one of my main sources of information!” she cried, fumbling over Adam’s name. She hadn’t meant to say that. Her cheeks reddened slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. “Stop hiding in the shadows and face me like a man.”
Emerson Lowe revealed himself, showing his scarred face accompanied with a smirk. He leapt down from his hiding place, landing with a loud thump on the stone floor, and made his way to Eden. She held her wand up warily, aiming for his heart. “for you, Liebling, I shall.” He chuckled darkly as Eden turned her head away in disgust, lowering her wand and stalking off to join Hector. He raised his eyebrows at the two of them and turned back to face the meeting.
“Aside from the lovely little distraction we just saw, there are other matters which need attending to. For a start, there are currently five members of the group alive. There were six, but as before mentioned, a male Squib was ... removed.” A few eyes flickered over to Emerson, who smirked again and flicked his penknife open and closed. They looked away, frightened. “A new member recently joined the group within the last few months. We are now aware of the fact that the newest member is Evangeline May Archambeau, daughter of Julianna Archambeau.”
A few surprised gasps echoed through the audience as an interested murmur rose once more; the Archambeaus were a name that had not been mentioned in a few years. People liked to avoid such a topic.
“As you know, the French pureblood family fell from grace a few years ago due to Pierre’s dealings in the French Ministry,” he began, referring to Julianna’s father. “They are currently in exile in Siberia for their family’s crimes in France. However, before such dealings the Archambeau family were very powerful and demonstrated perfect pureblood breeding. Julianna was thought to have been unmarried and childless, but it has recently come to our attention that she gave birth to a baby girl seventeen years ago out of wedlock. She was a Squib. Instead of reporting the Squib to the Ministry, as is law, the child was given to a childless couple who raised her as a Muggle. The child was declared as stillborn to the Ministry. Since this time, Julianna’s whereabouts are unknown after going into hiding for her crime against the Ministry.”
“Perhaps the most important aspect of Evangeline Archambeau is her father,” Hector continued to his enraptured audience. Everyone wanted to know the secrets of the Archambeau family. “Julianna Archambeau was known to have had an affair with Jeremy Whyte. You may not know this man, but he was considered to be a Muggle until he demonstrated magical abilities at the age of 27 – the latest recorded example of magical ability showing itself within a wizard.”
For the third time, a murmur swelled and died down. Everyone knew of Jeremy Whyte, the ‘magical Muggle’ as the Prophet nicknamed him. They also knew of his death a year later in a ‘boating accident’.
“You may have all been told about Whyte’s death in a terrible accident, as it was reported in the press,” Hector said. Eden was still glaring at Emerson, who continued to flick his penknife. “This was a cover up. The real reason behind Whyte’s death is because his body simply couldn’t take the sudden influx of magic. As a child, when most wizards and witches show their magic, they are still growing which therefore makes the body more malleable to magic – so as an adult, Whyte had no chance. It destroyed his immune system and he later died of a simple cold. Post-mortem examinations lead us to discover that his DNA was mutated in a way which caused his death.”
“I’m assuming this has something to do with Evie, right?” Eden interrupted. Hector responded with a nod. “Then can I interject here?”
“Of course.”
“Well, she definitely isn’t a normal Squib,” Eden began, rising to face the audience. Her face showed worry. “It’s almost as if there’s a different energy about her or something. One thing I’ve noticed is that she always gets headaches, but I don’t know if that means anything. And her reflexes are lightning fast – faster than anything I’ve ever seen before, actually. She always looks surprised when she uses them though, so it’s probably a new thing to her which developed recently.” Eden sighed. “I think her power may be growing.”
A few worried voices shouted out, but Hector held up his hand to silence them. “Thank you for your report Eden. Your information has been most enlightening.”
“Yeah well, it would have been more enlightening if dickhead over there hadn’t gone in all guns blazing,” she mumbled darkly. If looks could kill, Emerson would have been dead several times over.
“So why is this Squib so special? She’s got celebrity parents, I get that, but ... does it matter? Is she really so important?” a member of the audience cried. Some swivelled round to stare at his sheer audacity, but it seemed Hector didn’t mind this time.
“She is perhaps one of the most important people in the wizarding world, perhaps to have even existed. Her pureblood mother and Muggle-born father makes her a half-blood; as she’s still young and has a magical mother she is beginning to show some sort of reaction to her DNA, there is a high chance that she will survive her influx of magical powers. This means, ladies and gentlemen, that her blood is a potential cure for Squibs across the world.”
A second shocked silence came, followed by applause and calls of praise. Hector smiled. They were on his side.
At this point, Emerson frowned and stood up. He bellowed, “And why should we give the gift of magic to such ... Ungeziefer?” Hector snapped his head round and shot him a warning look, sliding his wand from his robes and silently casting a spell. Instantly, everyone in the room began to look round the room blindly, unseeing and deaf.
“We will discuss this later in private, Emerson. For now, we need them on our side.”
With this, Hector ended the spell and normality was regained. It seemed that no one remembered what had just happened to them as they continued to pay rapt attention to Hector. Eden saw him pocket his wand and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“This meeting was called in order to tell you the truth about this situation. As valued members of the Ministry, you will each have different roles in the expanding investigation. You will receive a memo concerning this meeting in the following week; please burn it as soon as you have read and understood. If I hear that anyone knows of this who shouldn’t, I will personally look into the matter myself.” The fear in the audience’s eyes showed that they would keep quiet. “Thank you all for attending. This meeting is now adjourned.”
After the hubbub of everyone leaving the room, only Eden and Emerson remained. Hector turned to face them.
“Thank you for your information, Eden. I trust that you will continue to do your job to the best of your ability, without letting any... attachments get in the way.”
Eden huffed. “Of course not – it’s only a matter of desensitisation.”
“Good. You know the consequences should you fail.” Hector said, smiling calmly. Eden said nothing reply and simply left the room.
“I will miss you, Liebling! “ Emerson called after her. In return he received a firm middle finger, and with this Eden was gone. Hector turned his attention to Emerson.
“You know what you have to do.“
Emerson smiled and Disapparated.
*
Evie was sitting on the couch reading a book when Eden came storming in through the front door. She had a look of fury adorning her features, her blonde hair tousled.
“Where’ve you been?“ Evie asked, chuckling slightly at the state of Eden.
“Oh, nowhere, just out getting some natural ingredients for stuff, “ Eden replied, not stopping to look at Evie. Within a matter of seconds, she was across the room and ripped open the door to their bedrooms, slamming it shut. Evie merely shrugged and continued reading.
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