WHO: Evelyn Mulciber and Bellatrix Lestrange WHAT: Inviting a special guest to DE training WHEN: 26 October, evening WHERE: Diagon Alley WARNINGS: Abduction, implied violence
"What about the one in the green?" Evelyn asked. Her soft, auburn hair and gentle librarian glasses did nothing to betray the harsh and particular woman who lived below the glamours. She took a sip of her coffee (one cream, no sugar) and watched the wandless crowd with a pity that couldn't be faked.
(It could, of course, be plastered on just like that auburn hair.)
"If that could even be called green. It's filthy. But he looks like a feisty one."
“Looks more like he’s trying to blend in with the grime on the walls,” Bellatrix said, sweeping a curtain of blond hair out of her eyes. Had she not taken care to change her features, she might’ve beared a passing resemblance to her sister. But her green eyes, tapered jaw and thin, pointed nose left her with little of the Black family’s severity. She looked as though she wanted to help. “He looks hungry enough to fight a man for his food.”
But beneath a carefully compassionate exterior, Bellatrix was still delighted by the destitution she saw. “Though there’s an idea,” she said, smirking at her fellow Death Eater. “Watch the Wandless fight for a loaf of bread — Britain’s latest spectator sport.”
"How barbaric," Evelyn murmured into her coffee. "Though a wonderfully creative way to deal with the excess. Do there have to be so many of them?"
“Once we’ve dealt with the problem and come up with a permanent solution, I doubt there will be many at all,” Bellatrix said, not needing to add that she thought they’d all be better dead than congesting one of Britain’s greatest wizarding hubs. Her thoughts on the matter had always been clear. “But for now, they’ll make for convenient target practice.”
"'Helping' them is illegal now, of course. We'll have to be careful not to be caught by some well-meaning Hitwizard." Evelyn smirked, almost laughing. As if anything a Hitwizard could do would interfere with the work of two witches of the Inner Circle.
“Maybe if we’re lucky we’ll stumble across Dearborn and give him something else to cry about,” Bellatrix said, returning Evelyn’s smirk. It looked almost out of place on her glamoured features, but she’d never been able to hide her amusement. “A run-in with any of them could only make this more interesting.”
Evelyn never shied from a fight when it presented itself, but she wasn't keen on the chaos a duel in the middle of Diagon Alley, still well populated by non-Wandless whom Evelyn was quite content to leave alone if they behaved themselves, would bring. Better done than interesting. "Well, let's get this over with, then. I've got the bait," she said, holding up a dejected-looking scone.
Bellatrix had given far less thought to potential collateral damage, so her enthusiasm remained undamped as she glanced at the scone. “That should do the trick,” she said with a nod in the direction of the hungry Wandless.
“Pardon me, sir,” she called to him, waving him over in Evelyn’s direction. “We couldn’t help noticing you look rather peckish.”
The man in question pulled his green jumper up around his neck and came closer, all the while looking warily over this shoulder for any sign of the DMLE. “We’re all rather peckish, ma’am.”
Evelyn followed his gaze, looking around as if she were also nervous. "We're rather … we'd like to help. We've got some food stored up," she said in hushed tones, "But if we get caught .... well, who knows? We could end up right here next to you, at best, and then no one's the better for it. Maybe if we could get everything to one of you, you'd have an easier time … distributing it? Amongst yourselves?"
“There’s no rule against you helping each other,” Bellatrix added, nodding along with Evelyn’s pitch.
The wandless man looked between the two women, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth as he considered what they were offering him. Another glance over his shoulder and he took a step closer, lowering his voice. “I could do it. As long as no one gets caught.”
"No one will get caught," said Evelyn, the truest words he would ever hear from here. She shoved a small bag into his hand. It contained the dejected pastry and a small piece of metal fencing. "That portkey'll go in about five minutes," she said. "And the pastry is for you. We'll see you soon."
Evelyn gave Bellatrix a quick nod, and the witches disapparated to the portkey location to set their trap.
*
Four minutes later, the green-coated man and another, smaller fellow, appeared, portkey in hand. Evelyn, glamour dropped and wand aimed, glanced again to Bellatrix. "Two for the price of one," she said. Then, to their new guests, "Didn't your muggle mothers ever tell you not to take candy from strangers?"