Welcome to Until The End. We are a moderate Harry Potter role-playing site set in the Marauder's Era. Our plot is generally derived from details in the book, but as an AU site we do take liberties most anywhere we like. Those who died in the books can have a second chance at living, and those who lived are always at risk.
Tom Marvolo Riddle has long since disappeared and in his stead Lord Voldemort has risen, bringing a small army with him. The Ministry of Magic has thus far ignored the growing menace that is the Death Eaters and Albus Dumbledore has taken it upon himself to defend the wizarding community from an evil he knows is building. War is coming. Pick a side!
School's Out For Summer
The Hogwart's Express has pulled up to the station in King's Cross station and the summer holidays have officially begun. What mischeif will you get into in the warm summer sun?
*Coming Soon* - Summer Solstice Carnival
Travel by portkey to the biggest summer celebration in wizard society - The Summer Solstice Carnival! There will be food, games, prizes, fun and more!
Saw the Darkest Hearts of Men and I saw Myself Staring Back Again
I
t had been a week and a half since Christian regained his memories and they were no closer to finding Diana. Derek didn't have to be bonded to the dark-haired beauty to know that something was wrong - he could only imagine how Christian felt. Well he didn't need to imagine much, he could see that the man was a mess. He was also single handedly keeping the scotch business afloat.
Of all the times to have a meeting. Still Voldemort was a priority and the less the man knew about personal issues the better, besides they were professionals.
Christian's reputation hadn't been as damaged as he feared, and the extra damage control Christian did following Diana's impressive display was enough to appease their leader. It worked in his favor that Voldemort didn't press about Diana, as he had more important matters to discuss.
Voldemort wasn't planning a war, he was planning an annihilation. A swift and brutal end to the status quo, and an even swifter rise to power. His movements were covert, carefully staged, and always handled with the strictest of precision.
With exception to Dumbledore's allegations, he had the Ministry where he wanted them, everything was falling into place, but it was no time to be lazy.
He called the meeting to announce the next phase or focus of a grand scheme only few were privy to. As always the man was rousing, charismatic, inspiring.
Their newest phase of "world domination" as some jokingly referred to it and others understood the truth of it, was recruitment.
Tensions - created by Death Eaters - were high, now Voldemort wanted to exploit the fear and anger he had helped create. They were all to be on the lookout for new opportunities for expansion, as well as any talent that could be persuaded to join their cause.
After they were dismissed, Derek loitered behind with Christian and a few other Death eaters as a "follow up" to the orders that were issued. There were still missions going on that required focus, so it was better to discuss among themselves who wanted to run point on recruitment or at least decide who would spend their efforts where for the most impact.
Post by Christian Anthony Ward on Jul 7, 2018 22:41:42 GMT -8
Christian was typically a pretty put together bloke. He drank a bit too much, and had an affinity for a few choice four-letter words, but otherwise he was a fairly traditional businessman, if you could overlook that he was a killer for hire, of course. He generally kept a schedule, made it to all of his appointments in a timely manner, and managed his employees/thugs. There were always meetings to attend to. He needed to know who was doing what, when, where, and why. He listened to the intel that was gathered for one job and then turned around and assigned a new mission to another of his men. The “family business” was a well-oiled machine. It ran so well, in fact, that Christian’s absence from the day-to-day, while noticed, did nothing to hinder the goings on of the operation. But his absence had been noticed.
He had ordered a few of his best men to look into this Alessa person, but everything came up as a dead end. Alessa, Diana’s aunt, was dead – or at least everything they could find about the woman claimed she was. Every trail ran cold. Every lead hit a dead end. The only bit of comfort Christian could find in his wife’s disappearance was that he knew she was alive, because if she died then so would he. It wasn’t some overly romantic-nauseating confession of love which made him think this. He wasn’t using flowery language to describe how much he would miss her were she to be murdered by whatever evil bastard had kidnapped her. Christian’s life was quite literally bound to Diana’s by a strong spell, of which there was only one way out. Should one partner kill the other, it would be the only way for the bond to be broken and allow one of them to live while the other passed on. Christian had been willing to kill Diana only a few weeks ago (having had part of his memory stolen from him) but with his mind now set straight, murdering his wife was the last thing he could ever imagine doing. Considering the idea would be fruitless now, as Diana was in the clutches of a mad abductor and Christian was useless in locating her.
To make matters worse, the Dark Lord had summoned him and a handful of others to a meeting. The first few days after Derek’s torture session, Christian had been laid up in bed. He managed to drink some, to sooth his thoughts but there was no relief from his misery and he only ended up with a hangover some hours later. In the days following, he had determined the best way to avoid the throbbing headache of a hangover was to simply not stop drinking. This was a most unideal time to have to stand at Lord Voldemort’s feet, and knowing as much, he had managed to take a few potions to curb the side effects of his heavy drinking. His speech was clear, his posture sturdy, and his head was less clouded. He had to work exceptionally hard to keep his mind free of any thoughts of Diana or the trials in his personal life while in the presence of the Dark Lord. There had been no mention of his current predicament by their master this evening, and Christian sighed heavily with relief as they were dismissed. “I’m fucking glad that’s over,” he muttered to Derek as they milled about, waiting for the crowd to disperse. He needed another drink.
Post by Rodolphus Achille Lestrange on Jul 7, 2018 23:21:42 GMT -8
Talk of murder and mayhem were always a welcomed addition to Rodolphus’ day. The meeting had been a bit of a surprise, and he had had to rearrange some appointments at the Ministry in order to attend, but that was why he had a pretty young secretary. Delilah managed his schedule well enough, though it wasn’t her office experience that ended up getting her the job of Rodolphus’ secretary. She had a plump behind, perky breasts, and a willingness to be bent over her desk by her boss whenever he pleased. What more could a red-blooded wizard ask for in the way of a secretary?
Having moved his entire day around for this meeting, which took much less time than he had expected, Rodolphus was now free for the rest of the day and there was only one thing on his mind. Discussions of slaughtering mudbloods and muggle filth were enough to get Rodolphus in the mood and as their master exited the room, leaving the masked Death Eaters to their own devices, Rodolphus pulled his wife by the waist to meet him, pressing himself up against her and whispering into her dark locks which concealed her ear. “I’m free for the day, love. How about we slip off to a cloak closet somewhere and you show me what you’ve got underneath those robes.” He had had enough sense to wash away the smell of his secretary before leaving the office, so there was no hint of another woman on his breath as he made altogether inappropriate comments to her.
Perhaps his plans to defile his wife in a bedroom somewhere in this aging mansion would have to be placed on hold, as a few of the other Death Eaters had decided to hang around a bit longer, no doubt wanting to discuss their plans further. “Of course,” he mumbled just loud enough that only Bellatrix could hear him. Rodolphus sneered behind his mask, displeased that his favorite pastime was being delayed, but at least the discussion would lead to further excitement as they discussed the upcoming bloodshed. Removing his mask with his left hand, his right still around Bella’s waist, Rodolphus looked to his friend Derek. “Haven’t seen you around lately, Burke. Finally found someone willing to sit on your lap, keeping you distracted?” How Derek had managed to get this far in life without his parents forcing him into a marriage was beyond Rodolphus. He and Bella had been betrothed since they were young, and while the Burkes weren’t nearly as infamous as the Blacks or the Lestranges, they certainly weren’t a family you’d turn your nose up at. Derek should have been tied down by now, fucking women on the side like every other respectable pureblooded wizard.
[attr="class","box4"]Bellatrix did well to contain her trembling in the presence of the Dark Lord. His power was intoxicating. To look upon Him--to hear Him speak--to have His plans laid out before them: it had been utterly exhilarating for the witch. None in the room had been so delighted by the summoning as she. Admittedly, her obligations to purist society held little interest for her. But it was Him that caused her to be so eager. Bellatrix had given herself to the Dark Lord as soon as she graduated Hogwarts. For a decade, the woman had been faithful and devoted--to Him and to the purist cause. She was a true believer. Others undoubtedly had selfish motivations, but for Trix, this was just and right. She was prepared to do anything and everything in her power to secure the wizarding world. The mudblood filth were thieves. Their very existence posed legitimate threat and danger to the sanctity of the wizarding world--and muggles! Merlin, they were no more than animals shitting and eating it. They posed a threat to the entire planet with their disgusting attempts to recreate magic. She hated them all.
But her Lord she loved--fanatically. His speech today had seemingly brought her to life. Her magic hummed around her, contained--but only because she was practiced in its restraint. The Lord had been so very compelling today. His charm and charisma was never lost on Bellatrix. Each moment in His presence made the witch more enamoured with the god of a man. It was a fight against herself not to recoil from her husband when he pushed his body against her. Bellatrix was not repulsed by Rodolphus. She quite enjoyed bedding him, in fact, but she had never loved him as she loved the Dark Lord. She wore Rodolphus's ring, but she bore Voldemort's mark. The ring stood apart from her--it could be shed and forgotten...but the mark was part of her. Her heart was defined by it. The symbol denoted her willingly giving the Dark Lord all of her: her mind, her magic, her connections, and, of course, her body. There was nothing she would deny Him.
The witch did not have to make any coy or coquettish reply to Rod, though, because they were other men around to hold his attention. She was--of course--as always--the only woman in attendance. There were talks of the Carrows joining their collective, but as it was, she was the sole woman in the male dominated organization. That mattered little to her. Bellatrix had no issue finding favor from the Dark Lord. He taught her and encouraged her ambitions. She knew not of another He mentored so closely. Bellatrix believed her open mind and heart had secured her place at His side. She had no reservations. She opened herself to Him completely and utterly--hiding nothing. He knew all her secrets. He knew every failure she had experienced. He knew her--and knew she was devoted to Him fanatically and maniacally.
]She was most eager to begin her own recruitment endeavours--her position in society would afford her no shortage of opportunities to meet and mentor younger purebloods into the cause. She saw potential in cultivating a clan of like-minded women. Such witches were motivated to cull society of the undesirables and protect the future of wizarding culture. Bellatrix was already forming ideas in her mind of how to mold the Dark Lord's language into a message palettable to such a crowd.
The witch had spoken to Dark Lord on a number of occasions regarding how she could be useful to Him. Recruitment to the cause was always well agreed upon as a facet of her responsibilities--but of late, He had permitted her a bit of devious fun, as well. The rush of an Unforgivable was unmatched in all dark magic. While Trix did favor the Cruciatus, the Imperius held a very special place in her dark heart. A particularly lovely female muggle was currently under the effects of the curse and by extension Bellatrix's control. The witch had been making use of her little puppet to play out a number of unspeakably nasty fantasies. The woman was well on her way to becoming an infamous serial killer. It was the Death Eater's hope that she might reach forty kills by the end of the year. Each was being chosen specifically to further their agenda.
Pulling herself from her own thoughts and musings, Bellatrix allowed her husband to guide her a bit closer to one of their most handsome compatriots. Behind her mask, the witch rolled her eyes at Rodolphus's crude comment, before adding a more couth addendum to the conversation. "There are many women who would be eager to claim the title of Lady Burke--and you do have a duty to the bloodlines, of course." When the words had left her mouth, she was appalled at how much she sounded like Druella. Her mother had lectured her since birth about her responsibility to breed and produce pureblood witches and wizards. Those lectures had ceased when Druella found her with blood stains streaked down her white silk robes. Miscarriages were a curse shared by both Bellatrix and Narcissa. Despite her husband's beliefs on the matter, she had genuinely tried to give Rodolphus an heir. Fate would not allow it, though. So, she served the Sacred Twenty Eight as a soldier instead of a breeder--a role that suited her far better.
Saw the Darkest Hearts of Men and I saw Myself Staring Back Again
D
erek was glad the meeting was over as well. Not that he didn't enjoy dropping everything, wearing a bloody death mask, and feeling his own breath leave a coat of moisture on his face as he listened to their leader divulge his intentions for expansion, but sometimes these meetings were damn inconvenient.
He was impressed with Christian's ability to remain composed - and sober - but he knew this waiting game was killing his friend, at least their new mission could act as a diversion as all leads toward Diana had turned up as dead ends.
Derek didn't mind the social component either. He recognized his comrades, even though their faces were hidden. There was something in each posture or movement that gave them away, therefore it came as no surprise when Rodolphus and Bellatrix approached.
He rolled his eyes at Rodolphus comment, lifting his own mask and revealing said handsome features that were indeed sought after in their society. He was about to reply when Bellatrix chimed in with a far more political and flirtatious statement that still echoed the sentiment. Derek needed a wife.
His parents wanted it, his siblings wanted it, society wanted it, and now his friends had joined in, but he had never done what was expected of him and he wasn't about to start respectable wizarding with a "respectable" wife. Like all other facets of his life, he'd do it his own way, when and if it suited him. "We can't all be so fortunate in our life partners as you Rodolphus." he replied smoothly giving Bella a familiar charismatic half smile that bordered on the line of being "too" charming.
He would have mentioned Christian's life partner as well if it weren't an extremely sore subject at the moment.
Post by Christian Anthony Ward on Jul 24, 2018 15:43:28 GMT -8
From the corner of his eye, Christian watched as the Lestranges approached. He sneered behind his mask. They were a fine pair, dedicated and capable, he just didn’t want to engage with them. He didn’t want to engage with anyone. It was bad enough he’d been summoned to a meeting in the midst of his personal chaos – and fairly certain the Dark Lord could easily see into his thoughts, despite attempting to keep his mind clear throughout the duration of the gathering – but to have to socialize with a bunch of pompous socialites was a step too far. Thankfully, they only addressed Derek, and Christian merely loomed in the background of the conversation, not bothering to remove his mask and reveal his annoyance with the young couple.
