Chapter 175 - – Hook, Line, and Sinker (1/2)

The evening was still warm as dusk was nearly upon them. The shadows were rather long as the sun steadily crept past the horizon to vanish taking all traces of light with it. Inside a rather seedy pub, a group of death eaters and other dubious characters gather together for a drink. The pub is dimly lit as shadows on the floor slither and crawl creeping forward to eat crumbs off of the grimy floor.

A rather loud wailing woman can be heard bemoaning the loss of her husband. ”My poor Snyde,” the red-eyed woman sniffed. ”He was so young!”

”Aye,” mumbled the nearby wheezy figure of a stocky young woman with sloping shoulders.

Waving her stubby fingers, she grabs her tankard and takes a sip grimacing at the taste. In a wheezy voice, Alecto Carrow says, ”Empusa, I do believe you've had enough to drink. Why that is your fourth tankard of ale!”

The long-nosed woman with shallow cheeks loudly wails again. ”My poor Snyde is gone and never coming back!”

Alecto with mixed feelings pats the woman on the back as she shares a glance with that of her brother, Amycus Carrow. With a pallid, doughy face and tiny eyes, the slightly hunched over figure lets out a wheezy breath. ”Empusa, why do not try doing something liberating?”

Sniffing loudly, the watery face looks up and says, ”My Snyde, would have loved to torment and torture some muggles!” Before bursting into loud sobs again and burying her face in her arms.

”Leave her be,” the quiet voice of Rabastan Lestrange said. Amycus glances over at the thin, dark haired young man that seems less agitated than usual. But not by very much as his lips were pressed together in a thin line as if in deep thought.

Amycus opens and closes his mouth and thinks better of it. For the time being, Rabastan had the dark lord's favor. Should he fail it would be best to distance themselves, but should he be triumphant than they two would arise for having been at his side. Taking a sip of his tankard, he winces at the piss tasting ale but that doesn't stop him as he takes another.

The door slamming open reveals three hooded figures as they remove their hoods to reveal three Death Eaters. Aeron a rather long-nosed man, Seth a rather burly man, and a rather thin, short spectacled wizard, Arty Clanx.

”Welcome!” Amycus cheerfully wheezed as he raised his tankard to them. ”Please sit!”

The three Death Eater's stride over as even the bemoaning widow, Empusa Snyde falls silent with a loud sniff. ”What have you found?” Alecto breathlessly asked as she eagerly leaned forward.

”The rumors seem to be true,” said, the rather burly, Seth.

”Of a dark artifact of untold power?!” Alecto eagerly asked.

”Untold power, no, but it does exist,” interjected the long-nosed, Aeron.

”Have you seen it?” Rabastan asked with a slight frown. ”Though uncommon it is quite easy to fake dark artifacts.”

”I saw it myself!” Protested the short, spectacled wizard, Arty Clanx. ”I saw the artifact being transported into Caithness by Sanderson's men!”

”Sanderson, the potentate of London's underworld?” Rabastan murmured with a deep furrow in his brow.