Secrets and Masks

44. A beautiful thing to see

TW; Graphic descriptions of torture

5th December

The new church the Dark Lord had sent Malfoy to investigate was the same as all the other's he'd searched in the past. Same huge wooden doors with religious inscriptions carved into the frame. Same broken stained glass windows. Same thick cobwebs draped over the pews and between the aisles. Same rubble from the collapsed roof and torn bibles covering the floor.

As Voldemort felt the strength of his army depleting - and as the Order started to claw back some of the power they'd lost at the start of the war - he'd begun to clutch at straws. Clinging to fools hopes and old prophecies, that Blaise's visions held the answers and that there might be something in the churches to swing the odds back in his favour.

Although Malfoy thought the idea was fucking ludicrous, the Order didn't think so. They wouldn't disclose who, but at the beginning of the year, one of their own Seers had seen a similar vision to Zabini's; a string of churches, a gun, a cluster of roses, a gravestone, and a heart that beat six times before it stilled for good.

That vision was what had prompted the Order to begin their own searches of churches across the country, and it was the very reason that when Malfoy, Theo and Blaise had searched the same places of worship later, they found them empty - or with terrified Priests hiding in the dark, men of the cloth who'd refused to leave their temples and had been given Deluminators to help hide when the opposition came searching.

Because the similarities in Blaise's vision and the Order's were so similar, both sides felt it beneficial to continue the searches through the churches, just in case there was any truth in the theory, and if they did find anything, Malfoy had agreed to turn it over to the Order and lie to Voldemort, further sealing their alliance while his master fell further into despair. Two birds, one stone and all that bollocks.

This particular church - that was somewhere near Nottingham City Centre - seemed to have been abandoned in much more of a hurry than the dozens of others Malfoy had been to. The priests had left crucifixes and crosses behind. Probably too scared running from whatever had driven them away to take them with them.

That, or they knew that they couldn't protect them against the dark wizards that came knocking on their doors.

"Oh for fucks sake!" Theo's voice snarled as he swung the doors open and entered the church. Late and stinking of whiskey. Again. "Why is she here?"

Out the corner of his eye, Malfoy saw Hermione's nose crinkle in anger. Her lip curled slightly and she clenched her hands into fists.

"The Dark Lord wants this church thoroughly searched," Malfoy said. "Just like he's wanted all the others searched, and four pairs of eyes are better than three."

Theo scoffed loudly, completely over the top, trying to get a reaction out of someone, probably Granger. "Oh, I am sorry, have we switched sides, again!? Are we back to serving Voldemort? There's that much espionage going on these days, it's hard to keep track of who's on what side."

Malfoy smirked and folded his hands elegantly behind his back. He looked down his nose at Theo as he spoke. He wasn't taking the bait. Knew it would just piss Theo off all the more if he simply didn't react in the way he wanted him to. Not playing his game.

"I know you have the brain size and attention span of a goldfish, but do try and think it through, Theodore."

Irritation flashed across Theo's face. He pressed his mouth into a hard line while his brows twisted into a scowl.

"If Voldemort is correct and there is something in these churches that could help him win the war, then we absolutely do not want him to find whatever he's looking for," Malfoy said slowly, softly, speaking to Theo as though he were a child. "Correct?"