This choice: Death Eaters to take the fight to them • Go Back...Chapter #4Behind the masks by: theskin   Even before the ministry fell, Portsmouth was a dump. It was where you apparated to meet with the people too shady even for Diagon Alley, and you brought your knife with you, or whatever you used instead of a knife when you already had a wand. The city was disreputable with a capital D. Harry and Hermione had learned over the years, from the half-truths and bragging of older students, that it was essentially "a hive of scum and villainy". Which was good for them because neither liked Muggle Portsmouth either.
Now, after the ministry's fall, there were rumours, things you'd hear from a mate's mate who'd heard it from his uncle's house elf. Death eaters roaming the streets at night, occasionally going after the odd Muggle. The death eaters in London were calculated and efficient, going after pillars of the community, Muggle officials who knew a tad too much, the people with money that could not be enticed to part with it. In Portsmouth they killed green grocers who caught them shoplifting potion ingredients, some of the homeless, whoever, really, when they were bored.
Thus, Hermione and Harry did not feel overly guilty going there to take the fight to the death eaters. Sure, they weren't going after their best and brightest, but it would be convenient not to have to play the role of the best and brightest. After his polyjuice experience in the ministry, Harry did not believe himself up to impersonating some bigwig bad guy.
"You're sure it's here ?" Asked Harry, impatiently. They'd been crouching under the invisibility cloak for an hour now, in some dank alley, and a slow rain had come with the night.
"According to Ye Olde Account of Houses of Disrepute" Hermione said with a barely noticeable blush "this is where the exit door for one of Portsmouth's more, ahem, discount establishments" At this, Harry stifled a laugh. "Anyway, sooner or later, they'll be coming" *snicker" "I mean coming out of here. Merlin, you can be such a teen sometimes"
Harry chose not to answer this. Some minutes later, as he was wondering whether to pop in the local Sainsbury's for a sandwich and a hot coffee, distorted voices were coming out of a nearby garbage bin. The bin suddenly seemed to hit a growth spurt, and five death eaters, in masks and cloaks came out.
"I still say her twin is the better-looking one" "Oh shut up Rupert" "Yeah shut up Rupert, her twin's a right wanker" "I don't mind a bit of wanking, gives spice to life it does" "Shut up Rupert!"
Hermione and Harry looked at each other under the Cape. They felt up to fighting two death eaters, three even, but five... This was yet another chance to get caught if they did this badly. For now, they remained silent under the cloak, watching the group bicker.
"Anyhow" said a gruff voice who seemed to be the leader "We had a good night, we drank our share of firewhishkey, we had a good time. Now I want you losers to get home and be up at 10 sharp tomorrow. They say Potter's been seen in the region, which means the higher-ups will be up our arses the whole week if we're not flailing about pretending to look for him, Comprende? Capisce?"
The assembled death eaters groaned in approval. Harry felt a pang of relief that those idiots were the best threat Hampshire had to offer. Hermione was trying to figure out what kind of spell "Capisce" was.
"Good, now scram" the gruff masked figure said. "Except you Saunders. We have to talk about your poor showing today, you didn't even—" The figure paused as the last of the other death eaters had left. They looked around, and their mask seemed to point for an extra millisecond longer on Harry & Hermione's hiding spot. Then they pressed "Saunders" against the wall and fumbled trying to remove their mask.
"I thought they'd never leave" said the gruff figure "I've been waiting for this all day" they continued, lowering a gloved hand near their fellow death eaters' crotch. "Saunders" was just giggling in delight.
"DEFLATUS OS CUTIS" Shouted Hermione, surprising everyone, and hitting the leader with a bolt of blue fire. "DEFLATUS OS CUTIS" she shouted again, hitting poor Saunders before they could react.
Harry stood in stunned silence as both cloaked and masked figures delated in front of his eyes, with a noise like a soufflé collapsing. "I wasn't going to watch that any more than I needed to" said Hermione, in an answer to a question Harry did not ask.
As they scurried off with the skin into a nearby empty apartment they'd scoped out earlier and untangled the skin from their articles of clothing, they figured out that the two death eaters were   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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