Lestrange growled.
"He's fighting a sixteen year old and the little bastard needs punishing" he roared. "He'll be fine" he finished dismissively.
"You had better hope he is you moron" Malfoy warned. "It will be on your head if it goes wrong".
Lestrange just shrugged and glared at the other two men unhappily.
"Get him in the damn barn and let's go, Potter will be here soon" Malfoy commanded, clearly still in a temper.
Lestrange led Dolohov into the barn and removed the chains before exiting quickly and locking the door with a flick of his wand, rolling the other man's to him under the gap after he had done so. Malfoy and Yaxley eyed the structure warily as it shook under the impact of Dolohov's spells.
"Let's go" the blonde sighed as Lestrange deposited the chains next to the discarded potion vials.
The three men then vanished, hoping and praying that things would go their way.
END FLASHBACK
The Dark Lord listened to the explanation that the men gave him and nodded stiffly, still seething, yet he had much more to think about now.
"Gentlemen" he began neutrally. "Your efforts were commendable".
The three men breathed a sigh of relief.
"However" he continued. "You should have consulted with myself before attempting such a thing and I find myself disappointed at the loss of Antonin, it should not have been done this way" he added casually. "Abraxus, Mercutio" he addressed the two. "Begin planning that of which we discussed, Randolph here will be leading" he instructed, fighting the urge to smile cruelly.
The two men nodded and left quickly, both beginning to feel uncomfortable in the presence of their leader.
Voldemort's expression darkened significantly after they had exited and he began pacing back and forth.
"I am most disappointed in you Randolph, I did not expect such an amateur error on your part" he sighed wistfully.
"Crucio" he roared as he drew his wand as quick as a flash.
Randolph immediately collapsed under the pain of the spell and screamed in agony as every nerve ending burned mercilessly. "You have much to atone for Randolph" the Dark Lord informed him after he had lifted the spell and glared distastefully at the now whimpering man. "Do not make such a mistake again or I will be much less merciful".
Randolph gasped deeply as he nodded his obedience, shocked at the amount of pain he was experiencing.
The Dark Lord smiled evilly and once again leveled his wand at the man.
"We can't have whispers about my treatment of you can we" he stated simply. "Obliviate" he mumbled casually.
Immediately Randolph appeared to be confused as to why he was in a heap on the floor and hissed in pain as he attempted to stand.
"Are you okay Randolph?" Voldemort asked in well practiced faux concern. He was still furious with the man but had vented some of it, though he was not keen for his subordinates to remember his punishments as yet. His position of power was not entirely secure after all and he needed their support for recruitment. He had long ago accepted that he could not create his new order without them, much to his annoyance.
"What happened?" Randolph gritted out.
"We were discussing our next plan and you took a rather nasty fall" Voldemort explained as he helped the man to his feet. "You had just agreed to lead the next attack, quite the honour to receive".
Randolph simply looked confused but shook his head and grinned maniacally.
"It will be my pleasure" he stated gleefully.
"Just as I thought" Voldemort intoned solemnly. "Now why don't you go and rest up, you look a little peaky and you must be at your best after all" he offered.
Randolph rubbed the back of his head and nodded, frowning while he did so.
"I do" he agreed. "Thank you" he finished as he exited the room leaving behind a very thoughtful Tom Riddle.
The Dark Lord spent much time contemplating the Potter boy.
"Even after their blunder the boy should have been no match for Antonin" he mused aloud. "He will be a strong ally" he surmised. "Or quite the thorn in my side should he choose to oppose me" he concluded gravely.
He shook his head dispassionately.
"I must be cautious with him".
(BREAK) Albus Dumbledore was pacing the breadth of his office contemplating the enigma that was Harry Potter.
He of course had been privy to a glimpse into the boy's mind but ever since that encounter, he had learnt very little about him with the exception of what the staff had shared with him.
Filius had nothing but praise for the teen and his abilities and the headmaster did not doubt the charms Professor's impression, but he could not rely on one man's observations where Tom Riddle was concerned. The man was dangerous and placing his faith in a sixteen year old, no matter how gifted, did not sit well with the aged Transfiguration master. At least, not without further proof of the Potter boy's potential.
From what he himself had seen he believed the potential did exist within Harry, but what he had witnessed was not complete and utter skill but more than a little luck was involved. "I must test him further" he sighed unhappily. "But how?".
He continued pacing back and forth while pondering his predicament. He knew that he could not outright put the boy in a dangerous position, he had the backing of Charlus, a man that Dumbledore was not keen on crossing.
He paused suddenly as an idea hit him.
"That's it" he whispered in realisation. "Not only will it test him, but it will show me just how good he is" he concluded, breathing a sigh of relief.
He pieced his idea together, putting all the factors in place and finally nodded his head, content with what he had come up with.
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