a teenage widow (in search of blood)
Silence reigned in Malfoy manor, despite the many people present. The Death Eaters have been gathered, late at night and right after a failed raid.
They were told that the Dark Lord wanted to make an announcement. And even though no one knew what this announcement was, they could guess. One failed raid - even with the deaths fallen - was not enough for the Dark Lord to summon all of them, so there must have been a spy or a defector the Dark Lord's planning to execute publicly.
Or perhaps this was just a general meeting to inform the members about future plans of action.
Although curious, no one dared to make even the slightest bit of sound for the fear that it might be seen as disrespectful by the Dark Lord.
But though their mouths may have made no sound, their eyes were looking about them, searching for the slightest clue as to what this meeting would be about. The Dark Lord sat on his throne at the end of the table - his expression unreadable, but there was something sinister glintering in those red eyes - which did not bode well.
And that's when the door slammed open, revealing one terrifying Bellatrix Lestrange. And when they saw her make her way to her seat right to the dark lord, while being all dressed in the same gothic black as the name she once bore, everyone present realized how serious this was going to be.
One does not simply summon a Black - even when she married into another name. And the Dark Lord knew this. It's been the reason why he never invites more Blacks than needed for the task. In a way, the Blacks were like the dark lords ultimate curse - one does not use that until there's no other choice and the situation really asks for it. The death eaters even made a mortality scale based on that; the more Blacks, the more likeliness to die.
And with the arrival of Bellatrix, there were more Blacks present than it was beneficial to one's blood pressure - four of them.
Which may not sound like a lot, but they were Blacks, which means that the Dark Lord was practically preparing for a nuclear war - and this while the Wizarding World doesn't even has nuclear weapons.
Then the door opened itself again, and no, no it can't be.
In the doorway stood the freshly widowed Asterope Vega Black. (When Blacks turn widow, they regain their name by their right as a Most Ancient and Noble House.)
(Five Blacks, one still mourning. We're going to die.)
"Voldemort," she said. Everybody gasped. (In silence of course, they were not suicidal.) "you've been killing those sanctimonious prigs way too inefficienty to my taste. I have a step-by-step plan of how to demolish those hypocritically pious bastards and I shall grant it to you when you give me a team of your most bloodthirsty Death Eaters."
Everyone was holding their breaths.
A second passed
and another
and the Dark Lord asked:
"How much?"
Asterope's grin could be described as terrific.
"I don't care, just give them quickly. Evan died this day and I want his murderer to die on the same."