The Future Will Be Better Tomorrow

The Future will be Better Tomorrow: Chapter Five

Training sessions with Nott became part of his schedule. Percy wrote it down in his organiser, but he put those under 'Private', where no one but him could see. Nott generally preferred to instruct him in the Dark Arts over a meal in Muggle restaurants. It prompted Percy to ask why the Death Eaters didn't seem to be against Muggles at all.

"The Muggle world, under current circumstances, provides a very good shelter for us to continue our lives in, because of the detachment of the magical one from the Muggle one. Survival is the most important of all, and you'll find the Muggle world extremely useful to a practising Death Eater," came the reply.

So far, Percy had been introduced to the Death Eater code of conduct, the general rules and the unwritten ones. Nott never hesitated to answer any of his enquiries on the Death Eaters, and Percy was grateful for this. He wouldn't be participating in any official missions yet, although he might be asked to do a little research or get some materials they needed.

One of the most interesting parts was when Nott took him to Knockturn Alley to be outfitted. It made Percy feel like one of the Death Eaters, and he felt quite proud indeed. Nott told him all about Knockturn Alley, and how to enter it from the Muggle side of the world. At Knockturn Alley, the only rule in place was not to question the purpose of anyone's actions, and so anything and everything could be done there. Although there was a very strict code of secrecy, because the Ministry has been known to send 'spies' in there to arrest a few people who weren't too law abiding. And near the Muggle entrance of Knockturn Alley, there was a most wonderful storage room, controlled by someone known as Mr. Toogood. You could leave any magical belongings in the in there, and go out into the Muggle world or the 'clean' version of the magical world, and when you came back you would find all your things intact and very well taken care of. It was mostly like a cloakroom really.

And they went into a shop, which didn't appear to be selling robes at all. But after Nott spoke with the shopkeeper, the shopkeeper took out some measuring tape and took Percy's measurements. Nott explained that the uniform robes and masks made them indistinguishable, and was a good way to hide their identities from the enemy. The robes had two layers, one inner layer and one cloak. They were made from the finest materials in existence, and the cloak was to be worn at every official DE meeting, with both layers worn for 'missions'. These robes had been charmed to be dirt-repellent, and could keep itself in top condition despite the missions the Death Eaters have.

After that, they went for some tea, then to Nott's home to start on practical lessons. Nott's home was as most rich pure-blood wizarding families' looked like: large, imposing, ornate and with house elves.

Percy found that there was more to Dark curses than the Unforgivables. Nott made him practice a few of the minor ones on the house elf that was dusting the bookshelves, then at the end of the day, gave the house elf to Percy.

Percy didn't have much to do with it, though. The house elf's name was Dippy, and she behaved as a usual house elf would. Percy's tiny apartment was too sparsely furnished for much cleaning, and the house elf began to meddle with his things out of boredom. Eventually, Percy got quite tired of her antics, and gave her his ratty old Weasley jumper. The house elf jumped in glee, and thanked him profusely. Percy hurriedly shoved it out of his door, then upon seeing it leave, suddenly felt an emotional attachment to it. Just before it disappeared from his sight, Dippy turned around and smiled at Percy, who spontaneously burst into tears. It was the most genuine smile anyone--anything ever gave him for as long as he could remember. He wanted to ask Dippy back, to regain the companionship he now sorely missed.

His robes arrived one evening, and Percy removed the wrapping. He tried them on, and he liked them. He was glad that he had joined the Death Eaters, if nothing else; it gave him somewhere to belong, and none of them rejected him. A big surprise to him, really.

So there he was, admiring his Death Eater robe-clad body in the mirror, when there was a series of hurried knocks on his door. Percy had tried on only the outer layer, so it might just look like some extravagant bathrobe, so he decided it would be safe to open the door without removing the robe.

Upon opening the door, he discovered Antonin Dolohov, Rabastan Lestrange and Marcus Flint, with wide grins on their faces. Actually, only on Dolohov's and Lestrange's. Marcus looked vaguely uncomfortable, and was just forcing a smile so as to not look out of place.

"Guess what? Guess what guess what guess what?" Rabastan asked, shaking him vigorously.

"What?" Percy replied in a noncommittal manner.

"Guess!"

"Uhh, really, I don't know. What? Tell me. I give up. Tell me."

"The Magical Trade Organisation summit! Don't tell me you haven't heard!"

Percy shook his head numbly.

"They are planning to standardise the thickness of cauldron bottoms!"

"So?"

"Your efforts paid off! You should be happy!"

At that moment, Antonin and Rabastan promptly attacked him with a hug, and Marcus forced an amused smile. Admittedly, Percy had completely forgotten about the matter. It seemed so trivial to him now. He'd been so used to having his efforts gone to waste that this came as a surprise. He even felt vaguely embarrassed; he used to think it was so important, having proper standards to ensure the quality of wizarding goods.

Rabastan and Antonin took an arm each, and dragged him out of his house. They somewhat reminded him of the twins really. Then he realised he was still wearing the outer layer of the Death Eater robes and he was in his pyjamas. No one seemed to care anyway. Black robes were really common too, so his Death Eater robes weren't too conspicuous. The best thing about the Death Eater robes, Percy felt, was the way it made one feel. The robes were classy and understated, and made one feel important. However, he was presently dressed in his pyjamas as well, and so it looked more like it was a Really Expensive Bathrobe. Or at least, that was what it felt like to him.

Meanwhile, Marcus was trailing behind them, nonchalant expression on his face. They dragged him to a Muggle restaurant, and treated him to an opulent supper, all while singing random songs and congratulating him incessantly. Percy was halfway between annoyed and flattered, but mostly he was embarrassed.

The next day, Nott appeared at his door and started to tell him off. Percy felt annoyed, not because Nott told him off, but because Nott Apparated into his apartment without permission. Percy didn't want anyone to find out his living conditions, and somehow, having Nott know how his poor excuse for a living quarters was like bothered him. He had managed to successfully prevent Antonin, Rabastan and Flint from peering into his apartment the previous night, but couldn't stop Nott. He couldn't blame himself really; he was still asleep when Nott barged in.

Percy apologised, and Nott stopped. Nott then began to stress on the importance of keeping a low profile, and to make him feel better, told him that the blame wasn't on him and the rest were scolded too.

Nott sat on the chair while Percy went about getting ready for the day. He had a minor hangover, but he had far more important things to do. Nott had made himself a cup of tea, and was sipping it, observing the room and Percy's actions. Percy felt that his privacy had been intruded upon, and hurried as much as possible to get Nott out of his apartment.

It was a weekend, and while walking along Knockturn Alley it suddenly struck Percy how Antonin and Rabastan came to know about the cauldron bottom business. Percy suddenly realised that the Death Eaters knew more about him than he was comfortable with, and was quite miffed at it.

They entered a shop. The thing about Knockturn Alley was that the shop signs were placed in really obscure corners with hard to read lettering, and one could barely tell one shop from another. Nott spoke with the shopkeeper, and the shopkeeper led them to a room, where he presented them with a few parcels and started some discussion. They ordered Percy to shut the door, which he promptly did.

The parcels contained some parts of rare and protected species, which seemed to be for a potion of some sort. Nott and the shopkeeper were discussing some matters, which were probably top-secret and important. Percy attempted to eavesdrop, but he couldn't make any sense out of the conversation.

All of a sudden, Nott got up and reached behind an empty cauldron, and pulled out this hooded creature. The shopkeeper went over to see what it was, and well, it was Adrian Pucey. Percy was panicking. Someone he knew had spotted him. Not that he knew Adrian really well, but still, what if Adrian reported him to the Ministry?

"And what business have you got here?" Nott asked in a cold and calculating voice.

Adrian appeared to be really scared, and was quaking in fear. He mumbled something, and Nott turned to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper apologised profusely, obviously very scared as well.

Apparently the shopkeeper was helping the Death Eaters get the materials they needed for their 'missions', and he was Adrian's father. Adrian wasn't supposed to know anything about it, nor was he even supposed to be in the shop. Percy momentarily wondered what Adrian's occupation was. Nott informed the shopkeeper that he would have to remove Adrian's memory, and he had to take him to the Dark Lord for further action. The shopkeeper became terrified and kept begging Nott to let Adrian go, but Nott simply stated that rules were rules.

Adrian was playing the role of the brave, caring son, and telling his father not to worry and other such phrases meant to comfort. Percy felt quite sad, really. It was like one of those scenes where the son was being dragged off to war to be killed and the parents were doing all they could to keep him from going.

Percy then thought about the how strict the Death Eaters were. He wondered if it was just Nott, because Antonin and Rabastan seemed nice. Nott said that he would have to take Adrian for the time being, and if he were lucky enough, Adrian would come back alive. Percy thought that the Death Eaters seemed too extreme at times, what with all the mindless killing of people. He didn't mention it out loud, of course. He might have landed himself into a fate worse than Adrian's.

Nott arranged for some other Death Eaters to pick Adrian up, and they hovered about Diagon Alley waiting for them to arrive. Not a word was exchanged between the three of them, and Adrian had this sad, pouty look on his face.

Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange came to take Adrian for 'further action', and Percy felt somewhat protective of Adrian. He wanted to go with them, to see what they would do to him. As far as Percy knew, Adrian was innocent and did not deserve any ill treatment from the Death Eaters.

Rodolphus told Nott that the Dark Lord wanted him to check up on Antonin and Marcus. Antonin didn't seem to be teaching Marcus anything important, and that was highly disapproved of.

Nott gave a scowl. He claimed that Rodolphus would do better to check up on Antonin himself, because of the whole age gap thing etc., etc., etc. It was rather out of character of Nott, Percy thought. Nott had always seemed like a responsible person. A horrified look flashed across Rodolphus' face, and Bellatrix laughed, telling Nott that there was no way any one of them was going to check up on Antonin, and they ran away with Adrian tagging along before Nott could do anything else.

Nott frowned, folded his arms, sighed, and unfolded his arms. Then he took out this old-fashioned hand-held watch and sighed again. He gave Percy this forced smile, and with a "here we go", set off to look for Antonin.

For inexplicable reasons, Antonin, Rabastan and Marcus were found in a boat in the River Thames. They were greeted with cheery smiles from Antonin and Rabastan, and Marcus had his usual indifferent expression.

"In case you didn't know, Dolohov, you were supposed to be instructing Master Flint here in the Dark Arts, not cavorting about with absolutely no regard to your duties."

An amused look flickered across Marcus's face.

"We're currently taking a break from our daily duties because we are suffering from every malady in the book except housemaid's knee, Mr Nott." Marcus informed.

"What book?" Nott said crassly. "I expect you haven't ordered your robes. And I don't think reading a Muggle book in the sunshine on a boat on the River Thames constitutes as part of the DE curriculum."

"There's a fucking curriculum?" Marcus exclaimed.

"I would appreciate it if you spoke in a more civilised manner, Master Flint."

"Oh, all right, I'll take him to Ragnarok's right after this" Antonin interrupted.

Percy actually felt amused by all this. Normally he would have acted exactly like Nott. But with Nott giving his lecture Percy was forced to step back, and this situation was uncannily familiar.

Rabastan handed them each a cocktail, and went back to the aimless flipping of glossy magazines. He had these sunglasses perched on his head, and occasionally took sips out of his own cocktail.

Percy was halfway between jealousy and scoffing at their behaviour. Eventually Nott relented and took a seat, and sighed again. Antonin laughed in this "ha ha, we've won" manner, then went off to snap a few pictures. Marcus then announced that Antonin's incessant photo taking annoyed him.

Marcus was reading a book, titled 'Three Men in a Boat'. Percy wondered if it had anything to do with having three men in a boat. There were the three of them in a boat, before the two of them joined them, and then he wondered what Muggle books were about anyway. He'd read a few, which his father had brought back one day, but Percy dismissed them for telling absurd stories.

Antonin was now flirting with the people on the boat next to them, and everyone was dressed in a very casual manner, except for Nott and Percy. Percy was in a long-sleeved button down shirt and slacks with loafers, which he found inappropriate for boating on a fine day like this.

Rabastan decided to play some music, with some Muggle device that played music when someone inserted a round disc into it. It baffled Percy how all these things worked. The outer casing concealed everything, and it used that electricity thing to work.

Antonin and Rabastan decided to do some dancing, which embarrassed Percy greatly. He looked over to Nott, who now was very displeased. Nott stood up, and declared that he was leaving, and he was taking Marcus with him to get his robes fitted.

Antonin and Rabastan both fluttered their fingers goodbye and they had these smug, flirtatious expressions. Somehow, Percy felt quite bothered by it. Marcus laughed and left reluctantly, to a "bye, Marcy!" from Antonin, which made Percy shudder.

Marcus grinned and told Percy about how it was like to be with them all day. Not that Percy wanted to hear it. Antonin and Rabastan were so flamboyantly gay, and somehow it bothered Percy. A lot. Percy winced at the thought.

Marcus didn't seem to mind, and he seemed to enjoy being around them. Marcus claimed to have learnt more from them than he had ever learnt in school, and was proudly advocating their unorthodox methods. Percy didn't want to know. He didn't need to know. He felt rather incredulous about it all, and when he thought about how Antonin and Rabastan might have influenced Marcus, he decided to distance himself from Marcus a little.

They went back to the robes store that didn't even remotely look like one, and Marcus got his robes fitted. Nott was asking him about what he had learnt, and was surprised to find out that Marcus was capable of some mind reading and was able to cast the Imperius Curse properly. Marcus was rather lacking in the theory work though. Nott immediately took out some parchment and wrote down the list of required reading, and told Marcus that since he liked to read so much, he should have no problem finishing the books. He also set Marcus an essay on the Death Eaters' strategy and philosophy.

When Nott finished all the administrative work for Marcus, he decided to let Marcus off on his own. Percy was starting on the more advanced spells, and he had a few hours' worth of lessons to endure.

Percy was to be officially enrolled the next day, that is, he would be getting the Dark Mark. It would also be the first time he would be wearing the robes officially, and he felt very excited about it. Nott explained that the Dark Lord would be present tomorrow, and it made Percy all the more jittery. There were only two new recruits, and they were the newest recruits for a long time.

The Death Eaters could be divided according to their age group, and occasionally, there would be recruitment drives to recruit some new blood. There was Karkaroff, who was no longer a Death Eater, but was the earliest Death Eater. He was what one might call a 'friend' of Voldemort while he was still learning the Dark Arts, who became his earliest supporter when he came to power. Then there was Crabbe, Goyle, Macnair, Malfoy, Nott, Mulciber, Jugson, Rookwood and Travers, the next group of Death Eaters. Following them were Avery, Dolohov, the Lestranges, Pettigrew, Regulus Black, Barty Crouch Jr., Evan Rosier, Snape and Wilkes. Then there was Percy and Marcus.

Percy wondered why the number of new recruits was suddenly so small. There was something ominous in it, as if they were going to lose or something. Percy then realised how impossible it seemed for them to even win the War. They were seriously outnumbered. Then he wondered why there was a need for Death Eaters at all. And wondered why the Death Eaters even supported the Dark Lord. Then he realised that being a Death Eater wasn't optional, and then he thought about all the people who were killed because they refused. How many were there? What was the Death Eaters' role anyway? But he didn't dare ask Nott. Nott might think he was starting to have second thoughts, and kill him. Percy wasn't all too familiar with the system. He realised that he might have just landed himself in the worst job ever possible, one where the only way out was Death. He started to feel panicky. He hadn't even gone on a proper 'mission', so he wouldn't know what to do. And what if he failed?

His thoughts were interrupted by Nott, who told him to prepare the answers to questions the Dark Lord was likely to ask him, namely, why he wanted to join, and what he could offer. Percy started to panic. Countless 'what ifs' floated about his mind, and this, he realised, was just as everything else went, more than he bargained for. Being a Death Eater was supposed to be exclusive, a privilege, like one of those private little clubs rich people belonged to. And there was the question of why he wanted to join. It wasn't as if he had a choice. It might have been a rash decision. He couldn't bear to face tomorrow, with the endless 'what ifs' it brought.