Dabbling With The Dark

Chapter 15

He followed the man down the corridor, the stairs, and into the sitting room. Everyone in the room stared at them as they entered the room, all movement and talking stopping the instant they did. It was Lucius Malfoy who broke the silence.

"Well, well, Potter, gone beyond simply flirting with death now, have you?" Malfoy grinned.

"Nagini?" he called out and the snake slithered into the room. "Want some dinner? Here you go," he said, pointed his wand to Pettigrew, and cast the charm to force someone into his or her animagus form. Nagini lunged forward at Pettigrew and it was only Voldemort telling her to stop over the hilarious laughter in the room that caused her to. Nagini hissed in disappointment and he laughed before grabbing his bag of candy still sitting on the chair he'd been sitting on when Voldemort arrived and transfigured four ice mice into real rats. Nagini sprang into action after them and Voldemort looked at him in amusement.

"I am beginning to understand why that old fool would not include you in Order meetings," Voldemort said.

"All right, I'll behave," he sighed, "much as I can anyway," he added in a mumble setting everyone off again. He laughed, too, when he was lifted off the floor and tossed into the chair. After righting himself, he looked at the 'Dark Lord' in the room who still looked more amused than annoyed.

"He is rather entertaining to have around, isn't he?" a male Death Eater chuckled.

"Yes, though I shall be more pleased when his skill matches his youthful exuberance," Voldemort replied taking a seat.

"I'm working on it. I have a lot of time being taught nothing to make up for," he replied slouching in his spot. "You've got to admit that I almost knocked Snape on his arse just before Christmas, though."

"Did he really?" Bellatrix asked. Voldemort nodded and she clapped in excitement. "Then the rest of us are going to have to train him up a bit more, without hurting him too much, of course, so that next time he does put that traitor in his place."

"Not today, Bella," Voldemort said with an affectionate smile. "Your report takes precedence at the moment."

"Of course, my Lord," she replied and went right into it. He munched on candy listening to her and both the LeStrange brothers talk and then others as they gave opinions. He made sure to pay attention to names as Voldemort called each Death Eater in turn to speak until Rosier gave a report on the activities of the Order that they knew of. Sitting up straight, he leaned back in the chair running his index finger over his lower lip.

"You have something you wish to say, Harry?" Voldemort asked.

"Dumbledore won't send Tonks in on the lead team," he replied still rubbing his lower lip. "She's a good Auror from what I've heard, but she's clumsy and younger than the rest. If Bill Weasley is involved, he'll be on the lead team instead of her. He's a counter curse specialist and Dumbledore will want him scanning for traps before they move forward."

"What of this Dingle character?" Lucius asked.

"It's Diggle, not Dingle, and I don't know much," he frowned. "Only met him a few times, most recently the summer before my fifth year. He was one of the people who came to get me from my relatives' house. McGonagall says he hasn't got any sense, though, if that's worth anything," he replied.

"My question is how the Order discovered the Dark Lord had been in residence at Sheartower Castle at all for them to begin making plans to search it," Dolohov said.