Hallows Eve Ⅲ

In the darkest depths of a hidden dungeon lair, Lord Voldemort's crimson eyes snap open. One after the other, he had sensed the marks of six of his loyal followers go out. It could only mean one thing; they had failed to complete their task.

Lord Voldemort lets out a roar of anger and fury causing nearby Death Eaters to rush inside. At the helm is a tall, arrogant witch with long, thick shiny hair. Bellatrix Black is a beautiful witch with classic looks, a strong jaw, and a thin mouth. She had mesmerizing heavy-lidded dark eyes with long fluttering eyelashes.

Sincerely bowing before the Dark Lord, the enchanting Bellatrix Lestrange worriedly asks, "Milord, what is wrong?"

"Treachery! A traitor dared betray us!" Lord Voldemort howled in fury.

"Milord, no one would ever dare to," Bellatrix exclaimed in disbelief. Who would dare betray the Dark Lord?

"You dare question me?" Lord Voldemort dangerously asked with flashing crimson serpent eyes.

"No, Milord! I would never do so!" Bellatrix sincerely vowed and knelt down before the Dark Lord.

"Find the traitor," Lord Voldemort icily ordered leaving no room for error.

"Yes, Milord!" Bellatrix fervently vowed, before turning away with a chilling gaze filled with a fanatic devotion.

"Now leave!" Lord Voldemort demanded forcing the Death Eaters to depart.

Lord Voldemort closed his crimson eyes as the feeling of a night months ago appeared in his mind. He had felt something that night. A traitor or a spy? Regardless, they must be eliminated at all costs!

Lord Voldemort leaned back into his seat with half-closed crimson eyes. Yet his crimson serpent eyes eerily shine through the gloomy darkness. Watching and waiting for a single misstep before viciously striking.

*

After several times apparating, they arrive at one of the many safe houses of Alastor Moody. "Just how many safe houses do you even have, Moody?" Gideon Prewett muttered under his breath.

"Not enough," Moody grumbled unlocking the door. They all stepped inside with their bound prisoner before Moody firmly locked the door.

With a flick of her wand, Sara Vinovich lights the few candles in the room. The light at the end of Fabian Prewett goes out. Percius Clement carefully aids Alphard Black into a dusty velvet chair. Utterly exhausted, Alphard weakly slumps into the armchair. Beads of cold sweat dot his face while his limbs still visibly quiver.

The two red-head brothers, Fabian and Gideon Prewett exchange concerned glances. "Is Black going to be fine?" Gideon quietly asked.

"Black needs urgent treatment," Sara Vinovich grimly concluded. "However, we cannot risk taking him to St. Mungos. The mediwitches and mediwizards will easily detect the traces of the Cruciatus Curse on his body. They will want to learn why and by who. Even if the healers swear to keep tonight a secret sooner or later word will slip out. And Black will be as good as dead."

Rolling up her sleeves, the veteran Auror, Sara Vinovich says, "I am not a professional by any means, but I have picked up a handful of spells on the job. I can at least alleviate a good portion of the symptoms."

Percius Clements standing next to Alphard Black steps aside as the tip of Sara Vinovich's wand begins to glow. Warm glowing sparks sprout and shower Alphard with warmth. The glowing sparks ease the worst of the pain-causing Alphard to softly sigh in relief. The pallor from Alphard's face does not fade away, but the nerve-wracking pain fades away to a dull throbbing ache.

"Thank you, Vinovich," Alphard gratefully murmured.

Sara Vinovich briskly nods at the gaunt wizard, before turning to face the terrified Death Eater lying bound on top of a dusty old rug. "The sooner we get this over and done with, the sooner we can all get some shut eye. Dawn is not far off, and we all must be present at our usual posts as if nothing transpired."

With a steely expression, Alastor Moody ungags the sniveling Death Eater. "I'll tell you anything that you want to know just let me go!"

Turning towards Percius Clements, Alastor Moody steps back permitting the trained integrator to come forward. The jolly warmness of his round face is gone leaving behind a rather chilling impartial expression. Percius Clements had done this sufficiently enough to no longer be bothered.

Percius casually holds out his wand. "I am often underestimated and that serves me just fine. So, tells us who you are and who do you work for?"

"My name is Oswald Buford and I serve the Dark Lord," Oswald confessed as his dark eyes anxiously flicker right and left utterly terrified.

"I won't ask again, who do you serve?" Percius dangerously repeated as the tip of his wand began to glow ominously in emphasis.

"Lord Voldemort," Oswald trembling said.

Moody's eyes flash in memory and suddenly casts a deafening spell onto Oswald making him unable to hear and only see their lips moving. Fabian and Gideon Prewett uneasily shift at the name, while Vinovich, Clements, and Black intently gaze at Alastor Moody.

"We need to leave now," Moody roared sending a spark into the dry logs causing a roaring fire to blaze in the fireplace.

"Wait, we are just starting to get intelligence from him," Percius protested failing to understand the need for urgency.

Fabian Prewett bends down and rolls up Oswald's robe sleeve. A stark mark of a skull eating a snake or rather a snake emerging from the skull's mouth. The tattoo is dark and eerily shifts as if a creeping creature is withering underneath.

"It's a trap," Moody rasped. "The instant their leader's name is said, Oswald's colleagues can track him."

"The treacherous bastard!" Percius Clements cursed under his breath.

"Then what do we do know?" Sara Vinovich coldly inquired making a subtle killing gesture to Moody.

"We cast the killing curse," Alastor Moody agreed with Vinovich's suggestion.

The Auror's go silent at the suggestion. It is one thing to think it, but the curse in question is illegal. If they are caught, they will be directly sent to Azkaban without trial.

Stiffly swaying on his feet, Alphard weakly says, "As a valued member of the Department of Mystery, they won't touch me even if I'm discovered. I am the only one who can cast the curse without serious repercussion."

"Are you sure of this?" Percius Clements asked the Unspeakable.

"What is one more?" Alphard bitterly replied. "It is only fitting I finish off the last Death Eater."

They all step back as Alphard Black without any aid limps forward. Oswald inherently senses something is dreadfully wrong with the gaunt wizard. He desperately struggles to speak or move as the sickly wizard lifts his wand.

"Aveda Kedavra," Alphard whispered as green light shots out of the tip of his wand and strikes the bound Death Eater. And just like that, the light of his eyes is extinguished. Oswald the Death Eater is no more. A heavy silence falls over the room the very presence of Death is keenly felt in the room with them.

"We must depart now," Fabian urgently reminded them breaking the silence.

Tossing sparkling Floo powder into the flames, Fabian steps into the roaring emerald flames and vanishes after crying his destination. His brother, Gideon swiftly follows to their destination. Percius Clements and Sara Vinovich floo away with Alastor Moody aiding Alphard Black.

Moody is the last to floo but not before casting a spell as he passes through. The emerald flames extinguish as the fireplace crumbles leaving nothing but a broken chimney behind. A dangerous maneuver, but a useful spell to keep anyone from following through the floo network.

Seconds later the door is magically blasted open as a large group of Death Eaters arrive. Scores of jinxes and hexes fly, but they fall harmlessly onto the ground scorching the floor with deadly curses and hexes. The Death Eaters are astonished to find the chamber empty and dark.

Pushing her companions aside, Bellatrix steps forward to study the terrified corpse of Oswald Buford. She presses her hand against his face, before turning away in disgust. "The corpse is still warm. He is newly dead."

A thin Death Eater raises their wand high as a bright light emerges from the wand tip illuminating the room. Another more experienced Death Eater with a long nose leaned over and studies the body and says, "There are no signs of obvious torture."

Bellatrix purses her lips in anger. "Could Oswald be the traitor?"

"Possibly," the experienced Death Eater croaked. "But what puzzles me is that this wasn't done by the Ministry of Magic."

"Excuse me?" Bellatrix said as her eyes fluttered in surprise.

"Auror Corps are unable to use killing curse unless they are authorized to do so under a very specific set of circumstances. Our spies in the Ministry of Magic heard no word of a planned Ministry attack and the Auror Corps would never kill Oswald. If captured the Ministry of Magic would imprison Oswald and hold him for trial. No, this was done by another third party," The long-nosed Death Eater rasped.

Bellatrix bites her lips in concentration. "Nevertheless, could you say, that this was our traitor?"

"That is always a possibility," The long-nosed Death eater carefully answered. "But that still doesn't explain, who he was selling our Dark Lord out to."

"I believe it is another dark wizard," a burly figure Death Eater said. "Our Dark Lord has made quite a few enemies in his quest for power. And this kind of killing is in tune with them."

"Then that is what we shall report," Bellatrix said with satisfaction. "Bring the traitor's body back, we must let the Dark Lord see the traitor's body." The Death Eaters quickly depart with the body in tow as a fire is set behind them to burn the house down. By the time the ordinary muggle firemen arrive the majority of the house had burned down leaving nothing but smoky remnants behind.

Having returned to the dark lair of Lord Voldemort, the fervent Death Eaters gather before him. "Tell me, have you found the traitor?" Lord Voldemort crisply asked leaving no room for error.

"Yes, Dark Lord," Bellatrix fervently answered. "It was Oswaldo Buford. And he has already paid for his treacherous crimes with his death!"

"I want the treacherous traitor's accomplice found!" Lord Voldemort icily declared.

"Yes, Lord Voldemort," the Death Eaters said in unison. The Death Eaters depart in a fury of movements as they all swiftly apparate like winged bats from hell. An eerie silence once more reigns within the icy lair as Lord Voldemort thoughtfully ponders in silence dark malevolent plans.