yaxley (yaxley) wrote in unforgivenrpg, @ 2010-09-20 17:03:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !complete, 2000-09, c: janus yaxley, c: veronica montgomery, type: log, type: thread |
Who: Janus Yaxley, Veronica Montgomery
When: Monday the 20th, evening
Where: Azkaban, then Yaxley’s home
Rating: Medium-High
Warnings: Language, fierceness
Summary: Picking up the trash servant.
Status: Complete.
It would have been an understatement to say Yaxley was less than pleased he had to pick some half-wit up from Azkaban. He had missed the original memo that he was being saddled with one of the criminals, since the patrol had consumed much of his time – and his journal. Owls had also been scarce during the previous week, cutting him off to any pertinent developments. His Monday back at work had been unpleasant, and he wisely chose to remain in his office and leave the Ministry for investigations. Coworkers were aware of what happened the previous week, for the most part. However, no one was prepared for Yaxley's reaction to his new patrol assignment. Even a few had been stupid enough to ask him what was wrong, only to receive tirades, insults, and overturned desks. A chair from his office was another casualty, having first been thrown through Janus' office window, then destroyed through physical and magical means.
By the end of the day, he had interrogated a few of those apprehended during their patrol and started a few Blood Status Investigations of various suspected rebels. Without a journal of his own, Janus managed, merely using a confiscated journal, Ministry owls, and Floos to send his messages. His daughter and in-laws were the first he contacted, considering he spoke or wrote to them weekly and in his daughter’s case – daily. He soon learned that Shaula had barely finished one of her Potions experiments during his week of patrol, further helping his disposition. Fucking Durmstrang, he thought darkly, remembering Dolohov’s apathy during the patrol. Still, he'd have repeated that patrol multiple times - his new one was a sign of sheer stupidity and someone's unfitness to make important decisions.
He’d have bought another journal after work at Obscurus Books, if he had the time. Unfortunately, he did not, since picking up the delinquent was yet another ridiculous requirement of his position.
Yaxley knew Azkaban’s halls well. During the nearly thirty years he had worked as a Hit-Wizard, he had transported – he called it “dumped” – at least hundreds of criminals within. He grimly considered it typical he’d now receive one to waste his time even more, as well as compromise security within his own damn home.
After briefly speaking with the head guard of the evening watch and finding out who he was receiving, he travelled with one of the guards to the cell block. The cell and block numbers were very familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he had seen them before. Instead of reading the file on the prisoner at that instant, he chose to forego the preparation. It didn’t matter to him -- any prisoner in his home was unwanted, especially some slattern who was barely an adult. How was he supposed to explain that to his daughter when she visited during the holidays? None of it was right, and he’d have preferred that all of the filth within the walls would have just been executed by now, rather than complicate his life even more.
While the guard kept his Patronus at the ready, Yaxley unlocked the cell himself, flinging the door open with a crash. He hated going inside those boxes. Only bitches like Bellatrix Lestrange and the resident filth should have had to make that walk. Still, this wasn’t new for him, and Yaxley swiftly stomped into the cell, scowling to the only being within. Without a greeting, he just started making demands. “Montgomery,” he began, opening the file for a first name. “Veronica,” he replied, as though he was disgusted with the word. Yaxley continued to stare at the file, reading some of the information, as well as file picture that was provided.
“Fucking hate Gingers,” he muttered, finally looking up from the file and comparing the picture and the occupant within.
“You do realize I am here to pick you up right now? Quickly, I haven’t got all day.”
There was only so much Veronica could do in her cell. That day (if it even was day, it was hard to tell with no windows) she’d done everything she could think of. She had done her usual pacing until she made herself dizzy, she was fairly certain there was a path now five feet from the door spanning the width of her cell. There was no way she was imagining that. She worked out, pretending to be fighting off Death Eaters. She had eaten the crap they gave her. She even sang, which promptly got her hit by one of the guards. And of course, she had stalked the journals like crazy, looking for information.
After talking with Oliver to find out who her new Master would be, she wasn’t sure how to feel. Of course, at the time she was feeling annoyed because he still hadn’t come pick her up. As much as she wasn’t looking forward to being a slave, she wanted out. Veronica knew she would probably wish to be back in Azkaban at some point, if Oliver proved correct about Yaxley, but currently, she just wanted out. She wanted to be able to see something beside gray walls and doors, the stupid guards. She wanted to smell fresh air, and the ocean she knew she was surrounded by.
A meal (Ha!) had been brought to her a little bit before Yaxley showed up. The Dementor took his sweet ass time leaving. She was sure it was getting a pretty good meal out of her, especially with the way she was just sitting there. She couldn’t stop staring at it as despair filled her, her worst memories flashing before her eyes. Her mother leaving. Jessica fighting with her. Urquhart. Her brother getting bitten by Greyback...
Her eyes followed the Dementor as it left, and as soon as it had disappeared from her sight, Veronica collapsed, gasping. Despite the fact that she had these panic attacks everytime a Dementor left, she always succumbed to the fear that gripped her. She couldn’t breathe! She laid in the middle of the floor, struggling to retain any oxygen.
By the time the door opened, Veronica was breathing slowly, feeling her heart rate slow down. As soon as she heard the door crash against the cell wall though, she immediately jumped up, glaring, her hands balling into fists, ready for whatever the guard was going to do. But it wasn’t a guard. It was an older man, who was barely looking at her. That had to be him then. Yaxley. By the time he finished speaking, her glare had melted down into her usual smart-ass smirk, despite how scared she was. That had always been a talent of hers: putting on a front.
“Alright, Sugarlips, I’m going. Can’t wait to get me home, huh?” she asked, her smirk growing with every word. Veronica kept her eyes on him as she reached over and picked up her journal. That was really the only thing she needed, that she had that she wanted to keep.
“You,” he hissed in realisation, upon hearing that inane word. Yaxley’s demeanor took a turn for the worse, if such a thing was even possible. The pathetic little thing was the one responsible for all of that backtalk on the journals. No wonder. It had always been the most pathetic ones who didn’t know when to still their tongue or put down their quills, in his experience. Someone must have been choosing the assignments gleefully, while reading the journals. He’d be surprised if she didn’t kill herself before the month was over.
He wasn’t one to forget a promise, though, and Janus stepped forward, towering over the girl by at least a foot. “I’ll only ask this once. Hand over the journal. Now,” he commanded, extending his left hand. Yaxley held his wand at his side with his other, just in case he had to force any actions.
Veronica’s smile grew as he realized who she was. Really, this was irony. Who knew that the Death Eater she had been tormenting over the journals would end up being her owner? The conversation with Oliver sprung to mind, but she knew trying to get a punch in now wouldn’t be wise. If he didn’t hit her back or curse her, the guard was right there. She may not have possessed extraordinary amounts of patience, but she could wait for the perfect moment.
Which might just be now, she thought to herself. When he got closer to her, she stayed still. She wouldn’t let him think that he could scare her. Sure, she may have been squeezing the journal more tightly than she had been a moment ago to keep her arms from shaking, but she wasn’t scared. Veronica glared up at him. As much as she wanted this to be her opportunity, she knew she would get cursed as soon as she tried to throw a punch.
Sighing, she put the journal in his hand, a sweet smile appearing on her face. “Whatever you want, Sugarlips.” Really, it was too much fun to call him that to pass up. Maybe if she semi-behaved long enough, he would let his guard down long enough for her to slip in and get a good right hook. That was all she was asking for. Just one shot, and she’d be happy.
Was she dense enough to think she’d get away with the same petty behavior in his home? His blue eyes glared right back into her green. The repeat of that pet name made him grimace a bit more, but it disappeared, the moment she handed him the journal. He gave a strained smile. “Well, you at least possess the ability to fetch. That’s a start.” Yaxley wasn’t taking this little monster anywhere yet, especially once he had discovered she was the one responsible for those journal writings.
Without looking, he aimed his wand behind him to the door and closed it. He then began fliping through the journal, searching for anything suspicious. Janus knew better, than to expect a wealth of anything useful. The books were utilized for much dissent and communication among those who opposed his Lord and they were using privacy charms and hexes like anyone else with a working wand. Once his initial look through was over, he placed the journal inside a concealed inner pocket of his robes.
“By the Servant Edict, you are assigned to me and will reside at my home. You will not leave my home at any time unless given explicit permission to do so. Don’t try it. What your mother so stupidly refused to assist with was provided by others who were prudently willing to comply with the Ministry’s request. You cannot apparate either. Feel free to attempt it, if you’d like to learn what the grizzly consequences are.” Yaxley could have recited the entire Edict, if he wanted, but he preferred his streamlined version that had less legal jargon and was more comprehensible. “You’ll also be put to work to rebuild what your kind have destroyed.” Now, for his favourite clause, the one that guaranteed obedience: “And any magic done against a servant of my Lord – that’s the Dark Lord to you – shall lead to imprisonment and usually death. Let me put it in simpler terms, so a Half-blood brat like you can understand,” Yaxley leaned in, his eyes narrowing, “don’t try anything stupid in my home or you’re dead. Last but not least, you will serve me as I wish, so I do hope you like cleaning.”
He stepped back from Veronica and straightened his blue Ministry robes some. “I am Janus Yaxley. You may call me only two things – sir and Mr. Yaxley. You are Veronica Montgomery, a Half-blood and have been held in Azkaban for crimes against the government. Be gracious to the Dark Lord and myself for giving you this second chance to add something to society.” He hadn’t looked further than the basic information about her, though had recalled the bit about her mother’s refusal to provide assistance. “It is the only one you’ll get. Now, walk to the door.”
Veronica rolled her eyes as he searched the journal. There were plenty of things in there she didn’t want him to read, like her conversations with Oliver, or especially with Millicent. But she knew there were privacy charms over those, and there was no way he could be able to see those. Right?
As he put her journal in his robes, she relaxed a bit. Not for long though, because as soon as he mentioned her mother, she started shaking with anger. Not at him, oddly enough, but at her mother. It was all her mother’s fault Veronica was in here. It was her mother’s fault Daniel had died. This had all happened because of someone Veronica hadn’t talked to in five years, because they thought it would hurt her mother. Veronica bit her lip to try to calm herself down, and wasn’t surprised when she tasted blood. She hastily licked her lip, getting rid of the blood while she listened to him go on.
Most of it she already knew, but his warning caught her attention, not that she showed it. Don’t try anything stupid in my home or you’re dead. Well, fuck. That didn’t give her a lot of time. When he finished, Veronica just nodded, seeming to accept her fate. When she was ordered to, she started walking to the door, choosing to go the route that would put her closest to him. As soon as she was even to him, she stopped, and before he could do anything, swung her arm at his face, smirking as she hit him right in the nose. She knew that had to hurt.
“You said not to try anything stupid in your home,” she pointed out. She knew that was going to cost her, but she had done what she had been planning on for a week. Nothing he could do could get rid of the proud and happy feeling inside her.
Yaxley silently stared, watching her react to the mention of her mother, and gave a smug little grin. He had a guess that would shut her mouth. Once she complied with his orders, he waited for her to pass, so he could reopen the door with another spell and follow her out. He didn’t anticipate that she would stop – he assumed she was going to comply by now – and he had already been turning back to the door when she passed by.
She took him by surprise with the punch, and he immediately could feel the sensation he knew well from his years working with criminals and fighting. This wasn’t the first time someone had broken Janus’ nose, and he doubted it would be the last. However, it was disgraceful that this girl had been the one to do it, right in front of a subordinate he had known for years. Criminal women, angry wives of those he arrested, and the occasional confused victim he could see, but a fucking servant who was shorter than him by a foot and weighed so little he could chuck her out of an open window with little effort?
No, that wasn’t going to fly. Yaxley’s reflexes were quick, honed by years of taking down criminals and responding to far less outstanding attacks, and he was upon Veronica in a split second, instinctively backhanding her across the face hard, and then pushing her all the way forward in the cell up against the metal cell door. Janus’ lips were set in a thin line, while he held her there, and he restricted her arms by holding them behind her back. He pressed an elbow into her back. “You’re even dumber than I thought,” he spat, digging it in more. “And that is precisely why you’re in prison.” Yaxley was quickly losing his patience now, and the guard on the other side of the cell door could notice the Elder Death Eater’s anger flaring, not that he would dare interfere. People who knew Janus wisely stayed out of his way when he was raging, unless they also wanted to face his wrath.
Because of Oliver’s warning, she had been ready for the backhand. She still tried to dodge it, but she hadn’t been expecting him to recover from surprise so quickly. Veronica stepped back from the force of the strike, and before her hand could go up to touch what she was sure would become a lovely shiner, it was behind her back and she was shoved against the door. She tried vainly to rip her hands out of his, but he was way too strong for her. After a moment, she stopped fighting, and let out a hiss at his elbow on her spine. “Fuck,” she hissed, squeezing her eyes shut. Merlin, that hurt worse than the backhand! As he kept putting pressure on his elbow, she repeated the curse word over and over in rapid succession. It was mainly to stop any tears from welling up, which she was glad they didn’t.
Despite the pain, she still caught his words, and anger flared up. She tried to pull away again, despite her face being pushed against the wall. “No, I am in here because you fuckers didn’t do your research! If it’s anyone’s stupidity that got me in here, it’s yours! If you had done any looking around, you would know--” Veronica struggled again, a growl slipping out. Fuck it, she thought. She wasn’t going to finish her thought. It wouldn’t have been hard to figure out that her mother didn’t give a shit about any of her children. That was just laziness on their part, and showed that they didn’t give a shit who they tossed in Azkaban.
Veronica breathed deeply, as deeply as she could with her face getting squashed and the ever constant pain on her spine, in an attempt to calm herself down. She felt the tension go out of her shoulders, and she stopped trying to escape. Being in that position for so long really fucking hurt, and she wanted him to stop. She hoped that, maybe, telling him what he wanted to hear (as much as her pride would let her say anyway) would get him to loosen his grip, at least. “Alright, alright. I get it. I’m scum. I won’t try to do it again,” for now. Hopefully that would be enough, but she wasn’t too hopeful. Veronica had a feeling she’d be in this position for a while longer, and repeatedly once they got out of there.
Blood had streamed from his swelling nose and down his chin, staining his robes, but he ignored it and the dull pain from his nose. He didn’t yet remove his elbow, despite her curses of pain. No, that would be too nice, and he had a point to make here. Janus held her in place with a hand, even though she continued to try pulling away sporadically. “Mine?” he said incredulously. “Even if you were innocent and from a decent bloodline, I’d have already thrown you in here for that shit you constantly write. You have no concept of respect. Didn’t anyone raise you with a scrap of respect for your elders, your betters?”
She finally admitted something right for once, yet he skeptically watched her, not believing a word she said. People would say the stupidest things when they were in pain, including outright lie. Of course, there were a number of those who would completely cave in, revealing their deepest secrets, but Janus didn’t peg Montgomery for one of those. He stopped pressing his elbow, but continued restraining her with both hands. Behind them, the contents of the folder had been strewn on the dirty floor, completely forgotten about. “Believe me. I don’t want you anywhere near my home or something that I see on a daily basis. You have two options. Comply, or you can continue to resist and suffer more.” He’d be most satisfied if she would just clean and stay the fuck out of his way - in the small bedroom he already had planned on giving her. “I don’t take pleasure in fighting brats, especially girls, but if you’re going to throw punches, expect to receive them back.”
“It’s a journal. It’s personal. You can write anything you want in there,” she pointed out. She should really shut up, but every time he spoke he gave her an opportunity to be a smart ass or defend herself. “Of course I was raised to expect my elders. I can’t exactly tell how old someone is through their writing, now can I?” Not that she was respectful to anyone in their journals, unless they were her friend. But he didn’t need to know that.
When the elbow was taken from her back, she let out a sigh. That made breathing much easier, and didn’t make her press the side of her head quite as much against the wall. She didn’t even care that he had yet to let her go. She listened quietly, taking deep breaths, and chewing on the inside of her cheek to resist say something sarcastic. But there. That was the perfect opportunity, and he had no way to know that she was going to say it knowing that it would piss him off more. Veronica couldn’t resist, “Yeah, that’s what Oliver told me. Don’t worry, I learned my lesson. I won’t hit you again.”
With her head turned to the side, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, keeping her face innocent. Maybe she would keep her word. It depended on how he was with her. Just because she was taking the smart route right now, didn’t mean it would stay that way.
He pulled Montgomery back, with the intention opening the cell door. However, before he could open it, the girl opened her mouth again. This time, Yaxley’s reaction was explosive. ‘Oliver’ was a name he didn’t like hearing. There were a number of names that he didn’t want to hear at the present – Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback – and Oliver Wood figured prominently.
Yaxley let go of Veronica’s shoulders and stared at her, his blue eyes wide in a ghastly glare that one could only guess was the result of the hearing that his new servant was in contact with Oliver Wood. He looked like he could possibly murder everyone nearby, if he really wanted to. One of Wood’s contacts, in his home? He might as well leave his doors unlocked and publish it in the Daily Prophet, if he was going to be that stupid. Still silent, Janus tried to reign in his anger, but miserably failed, grinding his teeth and continuing to glare, while mulling over the situation in his mind. “WOOD!?” he spat. The past week, his upcoming pile of work considered – this was the last thing he needed to worry about – a fucking intruder in his home of all places!
In a flat tone that was brimming with anger underneath the surface, he continued. “Did Oliver tell you that I put a stop to his operations and always made him look like a fool, whenever we met? He’s nothing now, because of my efforts. All of his friends are in the same situation, if they’re not dead already. You should really pick better friends,” he sneered. Yaxley looked past Veronica to the guard on the other side of the door, rapidly shaking his head. “I’m not taking her!” he replied obstinately. “There is nothing you can do to make me take her into my home. This is a ridiculous breach of security I don’t need.” Unfortunately, while the guard did not disagree with Yaxley, his orders were to assist with the release of the prisoner, and he opened the door.
“Janus, I’ve known you for a long time, and I don’t agree with this either, but that’s what the laws say,” the guard began, trying to reason. “She has been assigned to you.”
Yaxley crossed his arms and scowled. “Don’t try reasoning that it’s a wise decision to put a security liability in my home, of all places.” Pushing past Veronica, then the guard, he stepped out into the hall and gestured toward the cell, shouting. “I’m not lowering my standards for that little slag in my home!” Meanwhile, the guard noticed Montgomery’s file on the floor of the cell, and entered the cell, wand at the ready, and picked up the papers and file. “You better be smart, girl,” he muttered lowly. “Yaxley usually follows through with threats.”
All of sudden it was very, very quiet. Veronica raised her eyebrows, about to say something, but then Yaxley let her go. She turned around to look at him, and for a moment she understood what Oliver had been talking about when he said not to mention him. Whoops.
She bit her lip as she looked up at the angry face of her future owner as he yelled. No, Oliver hadn’t told her any of that, but really, she knew he had ended up in Azkaban somehow so it made sense. The thoughtful expression on her face changed though, when Yaxley said he wasn’t going to take her. He had to take her! She was tired of being in her cell! As much as she hated to admit it, she had been looking forward to being his slave if it meant that she got away from the Dementors.
Veronica’s head watched the two men as the talked, biting her lip gently. There was nothing she could say to help, not that either of them would believe her, without lying. She had already told Oliver that she would provide information about Yaxley, and she wasn’t going to go back on her word. Instead, she stayed silent until the guard came in. She nodded at his warning, and with her hands up, slowly bent down to pick up some of the papers near her and handed them to him. This man had never been horribly mean to her. Sure, he called her names, but he had never hit her and cursed her for no reason like the others.
Once she picked up the last piece of paper, she held it out to the guard, her eyes glancing down at it. It was just a bunch of words, but one of them made tears spring to her eyes. Daniel. Sighing, she stood up slowly and turned toward Yaxley. She had told Daniel that she would do anything possible to get to Greyback, and there was no way she could get to him from inside Azkaban. She had to lie, and hope that Yaxley believed her. Putting on her most sincere face, she said, “I’m not in contact with Wood. When I found out your name, I wrote in my journal asking if anyone knew you. He told me who you were. That’s it really. I’ve talked to him maybe twice about random things. I hardly know him.” She kept her eyes on him, knowing that very few people doubted someone who kept up eye contact.
Veronica crossed her arms over her chest, shaking slightly. She hated lying, even to this Death Eater, and she especially hated being so good at it. But she had to get at Greyback, and provide information about Yaxley. She took a tentative step closer to the door, looking back at the guard to make sure it was alright. Remembering what Oliver had written a few days ago, she said finally, “I’m Veronica Montgomery, a halfblood, and I’ve commited crimes against the government. For that I’m to be your slave.”
The guard snatched the papers from Veronica and placed them in the folder that had seen better days. Out in the hallway, Yaxley seethed, though did not leave as he had sought to do. He didn’t notice that the girl was speaking to him until she mentioned Wood again; then he quickly moved his attention to her. “You’ve written to him,” Yaxley started, walking toward Montgomery, “and that is all I need to know.”
Functioning as a sort of a mediator, the guard nodded to Veronica and then looked to Yaxley. “I’ve collected her file,” he said, coming up behind the redhead. Janus watched Montgomery with overt scepticism and rolled his eyes when she changed her tune so suddenly, agreeing to her arrangement. “Why didn’t you just comply like this in the first place?” he scoffed, turning his back and walking away from those inside the cell. The guard hastened Veronica to follow Yaxley and exit the cell. Janus didn’t look to see if they were following him. He would have preferred walking out on the whole situation and never seeing Montgomery again.
He arrived at a guard station and paused there, merely staring down to the guards who were sitting at a table and playing cards. The men quickly sat up and one ventured a “How’s it going, Yaxley?” only to receive a silent glare. Meanwhile, the guard rushed Veronica along by pulling her by the arm. His Patronus, a hare, hopped ahead of them. When they reached the checkpoint, they barely had a chance to take a breather. Janus turned a corner, continuing down a hall that was well-guarded. One could feel the difference in magic - there was a sensation of more ‘freedom.’ Yaxley had finally turned around and watched as the two entered the stretch. “Took you long enough,” he replied irritatedly.
The guard handed him the file and urged Veronica to walk toward her master. “Have a good night, sir,” he said. Janus grunted in acknowledgement and pulled Montgomery roughly beside him. Without any warning, the two Disapparated from Azkaban.
Just as quickly as her attitude appeared to change, her smirk appeared again as she shrugged. “If I agreed so easily, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.” Once he had turned his back on her, she scowled at his retreating back. And then she was being dragged along by the guard. She didn’t get to look at everything that she was passing. It was all blurs, and then when they finally stopped, she was pulled to Yaxley’s side.
Then she tried to pull away. She didn’t want to be touching him, not without a warning. She was still struggling a bit when suddenly she felt like she was being squeezed through a tube. When the feeling stopped, she quickly took a step away from him, taking deep breaths as she looked around. “Whoa,” was the only thing she could say as she looked around at what was going to be her new home. ’More like new prison,’ she thought as her eyes landed on Yaxley again.
“So.”