𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐎𝐮𝐭 {𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲}

| 𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐄𝐑 | 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴

According to Sebastian Michaelis, Rosier was a demon in the second in the order of Dominions. He tempts men against sexual purity. He is also known as the Demon of Love.

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a m o r a

It was a Wednesday evening, and the library was virtually empty except for a Gryffindor couple at the back. Snogging, probably.

The Wizards' Complete Guide to Galaxies, Constellations, and Moon Phases lay open on the desk. My head swivelled back and forth as I noted on my parchment the names of the stars in Ursa Minor.

It had been almost a month since our last meeting with Lucius Malfoy, and it was the furthest thing from my mind, lost amongst the constellations and nebulas. That was, until Erebus interrupted me.

"It's finally happening!" His voice was so loud it reverberated off the stone walls, startling me. "Shut up! They'll hear you!" I hissed, motioning to the back.

Erebus ignored me. "Did you hear what I said? It's happening, Morie! Tomorrow night." His fingers raked his blonde locks back, showing off sharp, pointed features. I felt almost embarrassed for noticing.

"I heard you," I said evenly, shifting my attention back to my book. He reached out and slammed it shut, the small gust of wind puffing onto my face. "I'm studying, Erebus," I sighed, opening the book again.

"Come on, Morie! Aren't you the least bit excited?" He was unrelenting, sliding into the seat next to me. "With the plan well underway, it won't be long before it's our time to shine. And, there's something I haven't told you. I'm going with them."

"What?" I turned to him in shock. He had a feral look in his eyes, and he might as well been frothing at the mouth like an overexcited dog. "You can't possibly!"

"Why ever not? Mr Malfoy asked, and I said yes."

"Erebus," I said slowly. "Don't you think this is all a little... too much?"

His face immediately hardened. "What do you mean too much?"

"Breaking out of Azkaban is a serious thing. If we get caught, we'd all be trialed and thrown into jail. Or worse."

I didn't have to look at his face to know he was already annoyed. He sat up, like a leopard ready to pounce. "This was the plan. We've known this from the start. We agreed - you agreed! And now all of a sudden you want to play Miss Goody Two Shoes? Seriously, Morie, what is up with you?"

"Something about it just doesn't feel right," I insisted. "Think, Erebus. They break Barnabas and the rest out of Azkaban, and we get those two out of there. Then what, we just wait for the baby to be born? It can't be that simple, surely! What if the something goes wrong? You, me, and Lilith; all of us will be there. All of us except Mr Malfoy. It all seems too convenient, doesn't it?"

Erebus jerked his knee up and down impatiently. "I don't get it, Morie. Don't you want revenge for what they've done to our parents? What the Ministry is doing - letting mudblood maggots run amok in our community. It's wrong! It weakens our blood and they don't fucking see it! It's up to us to stop them. We're the wizarding world's only hope! Why am I even bloody telling you this?"

"This isn't like when our parents did it! Times are different now. Do you really expect the Ministry to not catch on? You really think they're just going to sit at their desks swirling their bloody cuppa' joes and just let this... happen?"

Erebus scoffed loudly. "You're just jealous, aren't you! You're jealous that Mr Malfoy asked me along, and not you!"

"Jealous that I won't be able to tag along on a prison-break of a highly secure fortress on an island, surrounded by an ocean? Why on earth would I want that?"

"I don't know, because your dad is one of the prisoners we're breaking out?" he shot back.

I scoffed. I wanted to tell him that he wasn't thinking. If things went south, it would be so easy for the Ministry to blame it on us. Children of death eaters. If anyone were to start an uprising, it would be us. We'd be trialed. What then? Would we give up Lucius? I didn't think anyone would've dared.

And then we would be punished. Severely. It may have been two years ago, but the Ministry has been on high alert since. They would not let a third war happen.

But Erebus was wild, eager to please; and so incredibly impatient. His body moved faster than his mind could keep up. He would fall into a hole before his brain could even register it was even there.

I chose to remain silent.

Erebus stood angrily, his chair squeaking violently as he did. "I'm going to tell Lilith. Bet she would take this a lot better than you." As he walked away, he spun around suddenly, jabbing a finger at me. 

"You know what, Amora? I don't think you have what it takes at all. Mr Malfoy should've known better than to get a fucking Ravenclaw on our side."

"I'm sure Mr Malfoy would be pleased to hear that you think you know better than him."

The scowl on Erebus' face could have withered the plants in all of Hogwarts' seven greenhouses. He stormed off without another word.

He was upset that I didn't want to dash into the foray like a gladiator, shouting and wielding my sword; everyone seemed content enough to do that. But they weren't thinking. There were holes in this plot. The deeper I thought about it, the more questions seemed to spring up - and none of them were being answered.

As much as I wanted to see the world Mr Malfoy dreamed of come to fruition, I was finding it increasingly difficult to come up with excuses on why this plan was acceptable.

We were only students. We haven't even graduated, let alone sat for our NEWTs. What did we know of the world? Of eugenics and politics, uprooting entire families?

And murder? That of a baby, no less. Tearing it from its mothers arms wailing. How would we do it? Avada Kedavra? Or were we to stick a knife into its plump flesh, like a fruit? I felt queasy just thinking about it. Would Erebus do it? Would I?

As much as Mr Malfoy wishes us to be, we were not an army. We were children first. And that is what none of us seem to remember.