d e e p (open)

[izzie]

It is done, she thought as she stepped up the walkway back to the castle. Another successful hit. Yet, Ascella couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about this one. It hadn't been Ransom who had assigned her this mission, and she hadn't liked the feel of her new boss. He had some sort of hidden agenda, that was for sure. And Ascella was almost positive that he didn't like her. She shook the feelings aside as she entered the garden. It didn't matter anyway, she had completed her assignment.

Ascella glanced up at the old clock tower as she took a seat on one of her more frequented benches. Midnight was drawing closer, so she knew she would have to head back to the castle soon. She didn't want too many questions about where she had been, after all. Even a prefect couldn't get out of too much, especially considering that some of the professors didn't like her too well. It was sort of a Malfoy thing. Not that it mattered. Ascella figured she would be out of school soon enough, dealing with things on her own. And the first thing she would do was leave Malfoy Manor. It held very little for her, except her younger brother. But Amadeus would have to figure out things for himself; Ascella couldn't help him there.

Lately, though, she had gotten to thinking. Thinking about leaving her work at the Death Eaters. She knew it was risky, of course, what with all the deals she had made, but with each kill, Ascella felt more sick about herself. The one tonight, the head of the Department of Magical Law, had been her fifth hired kill. And it wasn't getting any easier. No, Ascella knew she had to leave. She just didn't quite know how or when. It was ripping her apart.

She stared out into the dark, watching as the low lightening glistened off the blanket of snow. It had already been a cold winter and there were no signs that it would let up anytime soon. Ascella was slightly annoyed with it; it seemed that the weather was getting more extreme. It was hard to go outside in both the summer and the winter. For now at least, things were peaceful. The snow had stopped falling for a little while, though it was still bitterly cold. But Ascella found that she almost enjoyed it.

All was silent for a long while and Ascella was starting to think about heading back to the castle when she heard a muffled sound behind her, like someone trying to walk softly. Standing up swiftly, she drew her wand to face the person, but there was no one behind her. Wary, Ascella looked around her, but there wasn't anyone in sight. She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she slowly backed out of the garden, back to the courtyard below the bell tower.

"Boo," said a voice from behind her, causing Ascella to scream and jump. The man, who Ascella saw was wearing a Death Eater mask, laughed and pointed his wand at her. In only a moment, then had begun to duel. Ascella had no idea who the man was or what he wanted from her, considering she should have been working with him. But she hardly had time to ponder it as he kept attacking her. She held her own for a few minutes as they danced around the courtyard, Ascella barely dodging most of his spells until finally a disarming charm sent her wand flying far away, no longer of any use.

For a moment, both were very still. Ascella made a quick move toward her wand and almost made it, but she was tackled to the ground feet away from the wand she was striving to reach. The man sat on top of her easily, though Ascella squirmed with all her might. "What do you want from me?!" she screamed before he was able to cover her mouth with a gloved hand. The man said nothing for a moment as he put his wand inside his cloak and pulled out a long knife.

"Don't you know, Ascella Malfoy?" he finally asked, his taunting tone annoying Ascella. She shook her head, unable to speak. "You've betrayed us, haven't you?" His eyes lit up in delight; Ascella was almost sure he was grinning beneath his mask. She shook her head fervently. It wasn't true, she hadn't done anything to hurt the Death Eaters, not that she even could. All she had done was what they had asked of her. And this was how she was repaid.

The man laughed again as he parted her coat and lifted her shirt to reveal her abdomen to the cold. He bound her arms and legs with magic and then pressed his knife to her belly, cutting a long slice on the right side. His hand, pressed firmly over her mouth, did little to muffle her scream. Undeterred, he continued to cut. T-R-A-I-T-O-R. At last, he sat back onto her knees, examining his work with a horrible glint in his eyes.

Tears poured down Ascella's face as she looked at the man in the mask. "Just kill me, please," she begged, her voice barely more than a whisper. She wanted nothing more than to die; she knew that some liked to make it long and painful for the victims. "Don't worry, dear, I will," the man said, standing for a moment. Ascella struggled slightly, but she was still bound by her arms and legs to the stone courtyard. He lifted his arm to the sky, releasing the Dark Mark. Then his wand pointed to Ascella. There was a bright flash of green light and then it was all over.

[* JAQI]

Persephone had been absently riffling through paperwork without really reading it. That evening she was burning the well-past-midnight oil owing mostly to insomnia. Ever since she had learned of her pregnancy she found it hard to sleep, she supposed that her son was active at night, though the baby was too small to feel at this point. Persephone could just sense when he was awake and moving, despite not being able to actually feel him. She and Gabriel still weren't sure what to name their son, though she supposed they would have until June to figure that out. She nearly tipped out of her chair, however, when a sudden green flash could be seen past her office window.

Taking several deep breaths to quell the shock Persephone strode quickly over to the window to peer out for an explanation. It was too dark to see what had happened below, but a glance upward made her stomach churn sickeningly. The Dark Mark. Her heart practically fell to the floor, not now, not here. The attack on the ministry had been bad enough, but for something to happen within the walls of Hogwarts itself... Without even thinking Persephone snatched up her wand from her desk and made her way quickly down to the gardens.

She didn't even bother to light her wand, her feet knew where she was going, her mind and heart, however, were racing. "Hello?" Persephone called out to the oddly still gardens, no response. She quickly wove a complex spell that would reveal if there was anyone else in the area, and the results came back negative, she was alone. Throat constricting, Persephone proceeded forward until she was directly under the Dark Mark and was unable to hold back a shriek. There was a girl who was quite obviously dead, the way her eyes were glazed over, "TRAITOR" carved into the flesh of her stomach.

It took a second for Persephone to register it was Ascella Malfoy, one of the more prominent students of Hogwarts. Coming to her senses she conjured a white sheet and spread it gingerly over the body. She was only vaguely aware of the tears pricking at her eyes, though one thing was for sure- Hogwarts was no longer safe.