A Traitor In The Mist? (Aisling)

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Ever since the incident with McGonagall's rescue, the Black Army had suspected a traitor in their mist. How else would the foolish Ministry have found them? But who?

Dathan, one of the core members of the Army, felt most of the adults in their ranks were above suspicions because like him, they had too much to lose. Even if any of them had told, their crimes were far too many to avoid a long time in Azkaban. And the adults knew damn well that to betray the Dark Lady would mean certain death.

No, a traitor would have to be foolish, naive, and still have something of a conscience left to attempt to go back to the light and away from the darkness...

A youth, one of the Black Army's student members. Only one of them could have been stupid enough to attempt this. And Dathan would find him or her, and as unfortunate as it would seem to some, that person would experience death long before they should have.

Dathan sent secret owls to all of the Black Army's young members, warning them there would be severe consequences if they did not come at their scheduled time. In Burke's mind, to not show up would prove they sought to betray the Dark Lady... and that person would be hunted down.

Burke was just finishing up with Thaddeus Thorn, who made it quite clear he was not the traitor. Dathan saw far too much darkness in the boy for him to be suspected. Once Thorn was allowed to leave, Aisling Dolohov was next. Dathan was actually a bit fond of her and he himself recruited her. Somewhere inside his icy heart, he hoped she was not the one.

AISLING EUGENIE DOLOHOV

[AISLING EUGENIE DOLOHOV]

DON'T LET ME DISAPPEAR

Aisling did carefully made sure that no one had seen her when she arrived at Knockturn Alley. Squeezed, or crushed in her hand was the secret letter Dathan Burke's owl brought to her the other day. Every young member of the Army was summoned due to something very important – important as finding out the traitor among them and making sure that he or she would not have an easy life before a slow and painful death came. The rescue of Hogwart's headmistress was a huge humiliation for the Dark Lady. People said there was a calculator in her head, which could tell the results and foresee the endings of many stories.

The sixteen-year-old Ravenclaw bet that woman did not see it coming: a traitor right among her army. She would not say it was not worth taking pride in. As matter of fact, she was flattered that she somehow turned the dark world up side down. Waiting inside the Borgins and Burkes with the other kids, Aisling kept herself distracted by the structure of the room as well as the ceiling while the others seemed obviously concerned about what would happen to them behind the close door. She minded every single detail of the wooden floor and the carved wardrobes. The deem light of the room contributed greatly to making the shop a perfect place for exhibiting dark art things, not for dying. Not today.

The old wooden door opened again and Thaddeus Thorn walked out with the same arrogant look she usually saw when she passed him at school. Only a fool would say Thaddeus was the one to betray the Black Army. From her perspective, he was quite desperate to make contribution to the army. The next on the list was her. Rising to her feet, the raven-haired girl made her way inside the room where all the talking would be conducted. A faint smile grew on her face when her gaze fell upon a familiar face. Dathan Burke – the man who had given her a chance to be a part of something great. Strangely, Aisling felt uneasy when she thought of disappointing the man. After all, he was not one of those who hurt her or lied to her. “You want to see me, sir?” She asked as she sat down.

tag: @dathan

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Burke admired Aisling's respect in calling him "sir". There were actually those among the young members who didn't treat him with as much respect, despite his high rank. Aisling's politeness was refreshing... but at the same time, it was oddly suspicious. But Burke was trying to put this out of his mind as his hope was that Aisling would answer a few questions well, go on her way, and the search for the traitor would continue and hopefully end with one who Dathan would not rather see in the Army to begin with.

"Good evening, Aisling," said Dathan, dryly but not coldly. He did not want to intimidate her after all. "I believe you know why I called you and the others here tonight. It is believed that Minerva McGonagall's recent rescue was accomplished because one among our ranks supplied information to the Ministry. I personally believe this was done by one of our younger members." Dathan sat across from her. Eligos, his wolf, stepped over and eyed Aisling for a moment before lying by his master's chair.

"I need to ask you a few simple questions and then you can be on your way," he said. "To begin, where were you and what were you doing in the days prior to the rescue?"

AISLING EUGENIE DOLOHOV

[AISLING EUGENIE DOLOHOV]

DON'T LET ME DISAPPEAR

She was not at all nervous, as though nervousness had become some sort of luxury she could not afford after series of craziness had happened in her life. Sitting face to face with Dathan - the man who had recruited her in the Army - all she felt in her stained soul was guilt. The guilt for messing things up. The guilt for not knowing who she was. She should have known that she could never be one of them, she could never entirely belong to the dark. Not like she was any better than the Army members. It was just she had too many people to protect. One can only be truly heartless when they have no one else to love. She could not be heartless when her heart was bleeding. She could not pretend that it was not beating when she could hear so clearly its beats.  

And strangely enough, Dathan Burke was one of the people she wanted to protect so badly. Sure the man could be ruthless at times. And he did not talk sweet to anyone, due to his duties and ranking. But Aisling saw something in the man that was different from other adults in the Black Army. She was unable to name it, but it soothed her whenever she saw his face. It was not safety. Still, it comforted her somehow. Perhaps it was because she had just found out how her life was built upon lies and deception. The only man she ever loved and cared about, the man who she called her father, never looked on her as his child. His lust for power was too great that it blinded him. He loved no one but himself. And the Ravenclaw supposed she should have been like her father to be cut out for the Army. Sentiment is a dangerous thing. Had it not been for sentiment, she would not have been here, having this talk with Dathan.

"I have heard the story, Sir." She answered with politeness after hearing what he said about Hogwart's headmistress and her oh-so-unexpected rescue. Her gaze fell upon the wolf then the man. The traitor among the young members. Of course it had to be. Youth usually goes with stupidity and impulsiveness. But her decision had not been based upon either stupidity or impulsiveness. No Ravenclaw was an idiot. The decision was made because she just could not resist who she was.

"I'll cooperate happily." She said after a few seconds of silence. The question was spoken out. The days prior to the rescue? "I was in Ireland, visiting a friend." She did go to Ireland and visit a friend. That friend just happened to be an auror who was one year her senior and used to be her housemate. "We had a little chat, about the weather and school." And where the Ministry could find the headmistress. "And then we said goodbye. I wished him luck. He said the same to me." Her voice was flat, making her even more lifeless than she already was in the pale light of the room.

tag: @dathan

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Aisling looked confident as they spoke. There was no nervousness in her voice, no indication that she had any fear for her own life. No sign of lying. Just to be sure Dathan looked to his wolf, who's scent could detect things that humans couldn't. Eligos knew what Dathan wanted to know. He had been answering his master all night. The wolf shook his head, noting that so far he had not picked up anything odd about the girl. Dathan nodded and turned back to Aisling, not showing a shred of the relief he felt inside so far.

"Ah," he said. "Must be nice to still travel abroad this time of year. I did a bit of it in my youth." He then cleared his throat. "The second question will test my trust in your loyalty to the Army, so I want you to think a bit before you answer. Do you know of anyone in our ranks who has shown any desire to betray us and side with the Ministry? Know that should you mention someone, it will not be revealed to anyone aside from our Mistress that you relayed such information to me."

This question was one designed to potentially entrap whoever the traitor was. Should the person name another, the innocence or guilt of that other person would greatly determine the same of the one giving that person away.

AISLING EUGENIE DOLOHOV

[AISLING EUGENIE DOLOHOV]

DON'T LET ME DISAPPEAR

A faint smile grew on her face when Dathan commented on traveling abroad, and told her that he did it when he was young, too. It indeed helped brightened the conversation. If only she could tell him how much burden had been lifted off her shoulders when the tension eased. So was that it? She wanted to ask him if she could leave, because she showed no sign of guilt. And she had enough stories to tell him if he asked about the time around the rescue. She could always come up with a new one if the truth was too dangerous to be told. She was a good enough actress to fool some souls with her stories.

But Dathan cleared his throat. And the next thing he told her was not that she was allowed to go. It was another question. A question that she had not seen coming. He asked her to give him a name? It was not something she could make up out of nowhere. She remained quiet, making efforts to look as much unaffected as she managed to. It was not time to fall for sentiment. She was alone with someone who might as well take her life too easily without a second thought. There was no Drew Reinhardt to save her life, like he always did. No one was going to take the bullet for her. Now it was her choice whether to take it, or let another innocent soul take it for her. 

Drew would not mind if she blamed it on him. She could tell Dathan his name - Drew Reinhardt. Perhaps the reason why she could not kill Drew the night in the abandoned mansion was that she might need his assist in the future. He had been so willing to die for her. It would be stupid of her not to take advantage of it. Aisling shifted a little on her chair, making it look like she was comfortable. Her palms were sweating as she gripped the wooden seat slightly. "The traitor could be..." She said and took in a deep breath. "...someone who is very stupid. I think that should be someone who is too attached with those mudbloods and halfbloods to hurt them." Her voice was steady and chill. Sitting straight, she looked at the man in front of her, searching for an escape in his eyes. She probably would see what answer he wanted for the question. But she could not read anything on that face. Who was she kidding? He was far older and more experienced than any kids in the Army. "I'm sorry, I don't know anyone like that. I tend to stay away from idiots." 

Enough lives had been taken because of her. She had promised him, hadn't she? That she would save herself, and she would save him, too. Drew Reinhardt. If sacrificing him meant saving her, then she did not want to be saved. 

tag: @dathan

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Dathan admired Aisling's aggressiveness and disdain for any who would wish to aid mudbloods and half-bloods. That was certainly the girl he recruited. However, there was something off about her when she said it. In her voice? No. Her voice had seemed quite confident.

No... in her eyes. For the briefest of seconds, she seemed to be looking for something in his own eyes- mere acceptance of her answer for him... or something more? Interested... and it also made him a bit uneasy, enough to keep her there a bit longer than he planned.

"I'm glad you avoid the company of such... idiots," he said. "You seem to carry a deep hatred for them and those they would defend... as do I of course. Tell me, Aisling, should we find this traitor, what do you propose we do with him... or her? How horrific do you think the punishment should be?"

Dathan honestly wasn't sure himself what her answer would tell him, but he had a feeling it would tell him much.

AISLING EUGENIE DOLOHOV