InsaneJournal

A mad mission; Cornwall [MY, BBL, RL, NA]
WHO: Morgandy, Bellatrix, Rodolphus, briefly Nicodemus
WHERE: Cornwall hideout
WHEN: Friday, 7 January, 2000; morning
SUMMARY: Mory's about to be given a mission that she thinks is nothing short of insane. COMPLETED LOG.
RATING: PG-13


Mory wasn't happy about being called out of her house at a ridiculous hour of the morning - and that was just to go in to the office early this morning, planned before her morning was completely ruined. Leaving Gideon sleeping in bed with her routine nuzzle and kiss, she had dressed for work as normal and then caught sight of her journal, sighing heavily at the indication there was a private message to her within it. So much for getting ahead of her mountainous pile of backlogged paperwork.

"I hope you know you're going to make me late to work," she announced as she walked into the room in the hideout in Cornwall, eyes narrowed and the normal gold hue of them now a stormy brown. Despite her small stature, despite the fact her reputation as a Death Eater had been, until this year, one of fabrication, she had no fear of these two. It helped her reputation, but she would not have pretended subservience even had that been the better choice.

Bellatrix tapped her fingers impatiently on her leg as she waited on the Yaxley woman to show up. Waiting patiently was not her strong suit and even though they had hardly given the girl much warning, let alone sufficient time to make her way to the hideout, she was swiftly running out of patience. She wanted to see what happened with this, whether Yaxley was willing (and she had better be!) to follow the plan set for her, and how she would react. If not some clever encouragement could always be exercised, such as asking Yaxley about her daughter. It was time, she reasoned, that Morgandy should either start pulling her weight or bring in some fresh blood on her side of the family who COULD.

"Easy now, petite terreur, we are not about to cost you your job," Rodolphus said with a chuckle, rising from his chair. "Come, sit, have some tea."

Eyeing his with no small amount of surliness, Mory sat and waved off the tea. "Just get to the point."

So Rodolphus did. "We want you to pose as Hestia Jones for the foreseeable future. Now that you have been watching her this long, you should easily pass as her, especially given," he sneered, "her hormonal state in which anything is possible. She will be here shortly for any information you need and, even now, your excuse is being prepared." Quickly he outlined the small international creature attack that would require her to leave the country for an undetermined amount of time, providing her with a legitimate excuse to be far away.

"And who's going to take care of this mess?" she questioned in disgust.

"Another Death Eater, Polyjuiced as you and following your instructions."

Mory shook her head, eyed the both of them and then laughed, the sound bitter and unamused. "This entire plan is insane, you know that, right? I don't even know this woman, how am I supposed to convince her family and friends I am her? Keeping an eye on someone for you doesn't make me a damned expert on being that person."

Bellatrix raised a single eyebrow. "We have thought long and hard about this plan, Morgandy, and it would be in your best interests to find ways to make it work as well. After all, if you fail we'll just have to find someone else to take your place." She paused, studying her hands for a moment before looking at Yaxley with a somewhat challenging look. "Your daughter, Morrisa is it? What are her plans? If you are so concerned about your job perhaps she would be more free to fill the position?"

"Stay away from my daughter, Bellatrix," Mory demanded almost immediately, stepping toward the chair Bellatrix sat in, fire in her eyes and murder in her expression.

"No one is involving your daughter," Rodolphus placated with a charming smile, taking her arm with a firmness that belief his congenial expression. "We chose you, after all, specifically for your personality. In a tight spot, no doubt you will still be able to pass acceptably. You are both Animagi, after all, you will be able to take on her role better than another." It was both lie and even unavoidable insult, as he had no idea what the Auror was really like, and to imply a pureblood could be an acceptable Mudblood... well.

Mory didn't have to pretend the indignation, though hers came from a very different source than insult. "So I'm dolled up as a Mudblood," she spat, the word effortless when she fell into her Death Eater role, "and what, expected to pretend to be pregnant? How long is this stupidity going to be ongoing? I hope not long because then we'll have some complications. You know, like giving birth? But why should I care if you ruin your hold on the Ministry by getting me fired or, worse, exposed and have Abbott cut himself off from you as well. It's your Cause to plan, after all, I'm just doing the grunt work."

Bellatrix was tempted to toy with Morgandy more, but something told her that such a thought was not necessarily wise. "We won't force you to endure the Mudblood lover for that long." Her face darkened at the very thought. "And spells that work in addition to the polyjuice will make you appear to be pregnant for so long as we need you to be. All you have to do is to not get caught, and given how busy both Jones and Abbott are, that shouldn't be too hard." It was also not optional. If Yaxley failed at this Bellatrix would need a target to take her anger out on, and whether it was Yaxley or her daughter, SOMEONE would pay.

At that point, Mory was nearly ready to tell them to 'fuck off' leave, collect Risa and Gideon and get far, far away as fast as possible, as sex hadn't even crossed her mind. She sure as hell wasn't about to sleep with Dominic Abbott! This whole plan of theirs was insane, but if she were honest with herself, she had been expecting something like this to be on the table at some point, even if she hadn't considered she'd become the impersonator and especially not after learning Jones was pregnant. They hadn't wanted her to watch Hestia Jones just for information.

For a short while, Rodolphus watched her quietly, then spoke in that same coaxing tone. "In this task, you would be free from participating in any of our future attacks, which I know has concerned you given your job. It has not concerned Bellatrix and I, you participating, as we know you are clever enough not to be caught, but think of the benefits now. Your job and your character stays safe, you still get to do that job, and you get to playact for amusement, toy with Abbott's sensibilities and, most of all, guide him to conform once more with the Cause he follows. You will be perfect for the persuasion."

Fool. Rodolphus Lestrange was a fool and Mory wanted nothing more than to hex him. Persuade, her ass. She wasn't about to make this personal, this was a job, a job she wanted the hell out of before even taking it on.

Rodolphus was no fool, he knew Mory was less than happy about being called on to be involved in attacks, but she was also valuable to him right now. None of the men would be able to convincingly do this, might even be led to kill Abbott just for the humiliation, and any other female candidate was too young, too uncontrollable or would also kill him while he slept. This one before him, however, known for her ability to inflict terror and respect without, he had often thought, any real action on those words, had once favored an Auror, an Order member even before he had been killed and she had joined their side buoyed by the fires of her own disgust. She would handle the task far better. And, in the end she had no choice.

Mory knew that. She knew, unless she could get her family out of the country now, which wasn't possible, that she had to go along with this for now, for the sake of Risa and for Gideon as well. But only for now. Once she had a way out, she was taking it. Resigning herself to remembering all the complaints of pregnancy in order to avoid most of what was to come, and to buy herself time to figure out how to get the hell out of this, she turned and growled at both of them.

"Fine. Now where the hell is she so we can get this started?"

Bellatrix was relieved that Morgandy had agreed, though there really was little choice for the woman. Either she wanted her daughter left alive or she didn't that was all there was to it. "Thank you for agreeing to help us." She said, eyeing Yaxley for a moment. "I don't think you'll regret doing this." After all, Rodolphus was being more than generous when you considered that this would get Yaxley out of attacks. "As for where the Mudblood is..." She let her eyes stray briefly to the clock on the wall, her mind doing the math quickly. "She should be on her way shortly. We've sent five of our finest to issue an invitation to her..." Her eyes took on a dark sort of glint, amused as the 'invitation' was hardly voluntary. "And barring any complications, she should be here quite shortly."

As Mory hadn't gotten to Cornwall until after Hestia had begun her day, the next sound in the hideout was the five arriving with their prisoner. Surprisingly unharmed, Hestia was clearly furious, though anyone who knew her would know it was a fury at the Death Eaters and at herself as well for being duped. She had thought nothing of letting a scared little boy into her flat, one just seeking help from an Auror, and it had been that move that sealed her fate, as shortly thereafter the boy had become a man and her flat had been besieged.

Hostilely, she surveyed the occupants of the room as she was brought in. "You," she spat at the Lestranges, struggling in their arms again, no real match for the brute force of the two biggest ones, bigger men than she had met in her life and obviously the grunt labor, but still mildly surprised she was only being held with the restraint necessary to keep her from escape, rather than being beaten unconscious and bound like an animal.

Then her gaze fell on Mory and her eyes widened impossibly large. The head of the magical creatures department was involved with the Death Eaters? Merlin's balls, Dominic had had her to dinner multiple times in the past two months on Ministry business! Hestia's normally friendly expression turned hateful as she glared at Mory and then back at the Lestranges.

"Whatever you want, I'm not going to tell you a damn thing," she hissed, struggling again and again to not avail. She might has well be clapped in irons for how little effect she had on the grip of these men.

Rodolphus came close as Hestia spoke, the smile on his face both seemingly congenial and yet revealing his clear disgust for being close to her. "You will, or there will be one less Mudblood in the world," he said softly, but his wand aimed not at Hestia's heart or head, but at her stomach. Any hope she had for escaping in a eight-to-one fight was crushed with the realization she couldn't take the risk.

Behind him, Mory's stomach rolled and she looked away. She had to clench her fists as she did so to keep from outwardly reacting more than she already had in averting her gaze.

The two men holding onto Hestia held tighter when Rodolphus came over, not wanting to have to suffer the punishment that would come if she got loose and kicked Rodolphus or Bella. However, the moment Rodolphus spoke they could tell that those measures would be unnecessary.

Bellatrix walked closer, eyeing Hestia Jones for a moment. Other than her rather unusual eyes there was nothing about her that was exceptional, Bella concluded. Obviously nothing worth Dominic Abbott throwing countless generations of tradition and risking his safety over. "Now that you understand the need to cooperate, Mudblood, I'll tell you a little bit about what we have planned for you. You're going to be staying with us for the time being, and if you cooperate, it does not have to be an all-together bad experience. Yaxley here is going to be filling in for you while you're with us, and if you wish to remain unharmed..."

She nodded at Hestia's stomach. "You'll do what she asks and answer any questions that she has. For the duration of your time here you will be cooperative and obedient and..." a dark smirk came to her face. "Pleasant. Perhaps this will be a mixed blessing of sorts for you and open your eyes to what you're doing wrong. In any case, do not take a word that we say lightly. We mean every word."

If, for one moment, Mory had thought there was something to be gained in switching sides, she would have done so and spoken of it to Hestia as soon as they were alone. This was madness and her disgust for these people was growing with every word they spoke referencing harming Hestia's baby. They needed Hestia, for as long as they intended to keep up this charade, as she needed the continued source of information. Her baby they might not necessarily need if they had other plans and Mory truly believed they would do as they said.

However, there was nothing to guarantee switching sides, or simply drawing Hestia into a plan with her, would help anyone, nor did she think Hestia would be receptive to the idea given the looks she was getting, and so there was nothing to do but go forward

Rodolphus smiled benevolently at Mory. "You two may retire to Hestia's new room that we set up especially for her," he said, for he had no intention of ever going in there or doing anything but burning the contents when they no longer had need of her. "And get to know each other better. Do it with all haste, though, as our new Hestia needs to be at work soon."

Mory turned and looked at him sharply. "What?" she began, but before she could voice any objection and, Rodolphus considered, possible influence who held what power in this room, he cut her off sharply.

"Make her journal into work about being sick, having to see to her family, something believable that Abbott won't go rushing off from work for. I do not care what you choose, just pick something. And then call Nico," he said, nodding to the creepily pale man lingering behind the group. "He can help you with anything she refuses to reveal, as well as help you overcome any barriers with using the journals under Polyjuice. He has some clever ideas."

"I can't keep coming back here every time I need the answer to questions," Mory said, then gave Nicodemus a furious look as he stepped forward.

"Easily solved. There is a new journal for the Mudblood in her room, one paired with this," Nicodemus said, holding up another, "hexed viewable only to you and her, which you two can communicate through. She has no wand now, so there is no danger in her altering the spell and using it for her own ends."

Though she showed no outward reaction, inside Hestia declared a small victory. They had no knowledge of the abilities to read strikeouts, perhaps she could use that to her advantage. Now she only had to find a way to make this work to her advantage, even if it meant stealing a wand a moment to hex something crossed out to Dominic. With that renewed hope, she knew she had what she needed to fight back.

Bellatrix was growing weary of spending time with the Mudblood. There was something about her that she just didn't like, and, in addition, and she was more than ready to have the woman safely locked in her room and out of her hair. She motioned dismissively to the men holding Hestia. "Take her up, and remember what Rodolphus said, Morgandy. You're due at work as Hestia shortly, so hurry." She turned her back to them, ignoring the commotion of the big Death Eaters, their prisoner, and tiny Morgandy leaving.

"Well," she said with a small laugh to Rodolphus. "That went well." In all seriousness though, she knew that the way this really 'went' would be determined afterward, when it was apparent whether Abbott had learned his lesson or not. She could only hope that Abbott learned quickly and let his lessons sink in deep enough to last.