ink - sirius black

unswallowed pills and hysteria

August 31, 1977
11:21 pm
Malfoy Manor

All of Regulus's relief that Anneliese and his brother had gotten away evaporated in a harsh snap as he apparated back into Malfoy Manor, the sudden weight of their failure hitting him in a heavy mental blow even though he had planned it.

All of the Death Eaters shed their masks the second that they were in the cover of the huge meeting room, giving them a chance to finally breathe after the exhausting night.

No matter how easy the dark witches and wizards made it look to fend them off, those little Gryffindors were fighters, and fierce ones at that.

The second that they all caught their breaths, accusations started flying back and forth.

"This is all your fault!" Bellatrix shouted to Yaxley, fingers twisting around the hilt of the dagger in her belt. "How the hell did you not notice the wand falling out of your hand? And how the hell did you let her get it again?"

"Maybe it was while he was busy feeling her up," Regulus spat, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "We all know good and well that you could have found that wand much more quickly if you needed to."

"But I didn't need to," Yaxley snapped back, seeming to enjoy the memory. "And I bet it was that blonde little Gryffindor boy who sold us out or got the mudblood her wand. I don't trust him, I'm telling you-"

"And apparently we can't trust you around girls anymore either," Regulus retorted, irritation only rising in his chest. "Really, what the hell is wrong with you-"

Yaxley made a sudden move towards Regulus, but what was about to have become a fight within ranks came to an abrupt halt as a form of smoke blossomed in the center of the room.

All of them instantly formed a tighter clump in some form of unity, the atmosphere of the room tensing as Voldemort himself finally emerged from the smoke.

He scanned their faces with very critical eyes, realizing from their expressions that things had not gone as planned.

"Well?" the Dark Lord asked, slowly walking towards his followers with raised, dark brows and wand in hand and not wasting any time of pleasantries. "Where is she?"

There was only silence, no one wanting to be the one to answer the question that would surely only just provoke rage from Voldemort.

"Don't tell me that little mudblood got away," he hissed after a few seconds, hand gripping tighter around his wand. "After a month of waiting, did you all really manage to let that one little girl escape?"

"That one little girl is strong," Dolhov said in a low tone, head slightly bowed. "And she herself.. the wand is very powerful, my lord. It also appears that she made her own spells.. she disarmed everyone in the room at once."

Voldemort's nose wrinkled slightly with this reveal, and Regulus could sense his annoyance rising at all of their profuse, constant excuses.

"And she has friends," Yaxley added on. "Very fierce, protective friends that were much stronger than we expected, even with our numbers."

"She also saw us," Dolhov said. "I don't know how, but we didn't get to surprise them-"

"So you're telling me that you never even got a hold of the wand this whole time?" he interrupted, holding his hand up for silence. "Not even so much as touched it?"

All heads turned to Yaxley, who just bowed his head further. This in itself was enough indication to Voldemort of what had happened.

"I-I had it, but it.. it somehow..," he stammered pathetically, far from the Death Eater who had been all bravado and loose hands while holding Anneliese "It slipped from my grasp in time for her to get it, my lord-"