z might not entirely buy what the death eaters are selling - and he might secretly harbor guilt and shame and terror over the things they do, the things he does - but he’s still one of them. their victories are still his victories. so he smiles away, glad if only for the fact that he didn’t have to commit the atrocities against the potter girl. he ignores the way that some younger, less involved kid scurries away at genie’s command, and turns to face her. if there’s one thing z isn’t, it’s intimidated by his peers. he knows his place. he knows his value, his strengths. he mightn’t be proud of them, but he’s as good a wizard as any of them. he’s as scary, he thinks, as the death eaters in the school can get.
“the whole family. too bad we won’t get to see it - a few of ‘em have the sense to lock away and despair alone. there’ll be waterworks in the open, but that won’t be all of it.” he shrugs, feels the material of his pajama shirt taut against his back. “don’t think it matters who’s more civilised. we’re ahead in this thing because we think and we act. they’re just reacting. all we need to do is maintain the lead. wait out the panic until one of them does something stupid, then we can use that. strike again. pick away, slowly and surely. this was a success. first of many more, i think we all hope.”
“Really, Z, I can’t believe you think any of them have sense,” she chided, though her tone was light. “Who, exactly, do you have pegged for private suffering? By and large, they’re pathetic and very... loud about it. So glad I don’t have to have classes with the twins—-can you imagine how loud they’ll cry in class? I’d have to silence them in minutes.” There were good things in what he was saying, Genie thought, things she could approve of. The first of many more successes, yes, that was the right thing to say. There was, however, a tone to the way he was speaking to her which she did not appreciate. All we need to do is maintain the lead. — then we can use that. It wasn’t the cautionary aspect, because that was built into her bones by Wes, a greater Death Eater than any of them; it wasn’t even the ‘we’, because although Z had not been personally involved in the execution, it was a success for the group. No, it was the way he was saying these things... or perhaps that he even said them at all, to her, as if she didn’t know all this —- as if he had anything he could possibly teach her, whose cousin had captured the brat once Gemma lured her away, whose uncle’s warehouse was being used as the storage facility —- her, Gemma’s partner in crime.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” she warned, flicking her eyes up and down, surveying him. “I’m not the one you should be trying to explain our victory to —- I was actually part of it. Perhaps keep these teaching qualities and moments to yourself, or until you’re talking to someone who actually needs a crash course in how this all works from a Diggory with a sister problem, because I certainly don’t need one from the likes of you.” Those kids who didn’t grow up with them, like them, they never seemed to get it, Genie thought imperiously. It was as if because life was easy for people like Genie and Gemma—-and why shouldn’t it be?—-they didn’t understand that they knew what they were doing. As if Genie could ever have made it to seventeen years old and been Wes Rowle’s cousin without being trained in the strategies of warfare and the nuances of power dynamics. Which was another reason to mention his precious Mai —- obviously (well, to her—-she thought Z would know, but perhaps little Mai had kept that she knew as well from her siblings, so as to not make them feel guilty for being part of Genie’s personal system for getting results from Mai... which, if that was the case, Genie might have to reevaluate her opinion on the littler Hufflepuff) she knew his sister was actually a double agent, but that was hardly something that Z could —- or would, she’d give him that credit, he was a lot more resolute in his actions towards protecting his siblings than he’d perhaps cop to verbally —- bring up in their specific setting.
Still, it wouldn’t do to have him —- brooding. Obviously, she didn’t need him, but there was something so utterly useful in someone who so dearly wanted to belong, as much as he also seemed to hate it, and while she would not take back what she said, because it needed to be clear that he was lesser than her—-it wasn’t even a blood status or surname thing, it was just... who they were as people—-she could still throw him a bone. “They’re constantly doing stupid things, so we’ll be able to use that in a heartbeat. Viv Chang tried to take on Odilia last night and demand where little Lily was —- obviously, that ended badly for her, but I imagine some of them won’t even learn from little Vivvy’s mistakes.” And if it wasn’t common knowledge around the school yet that Vivienne Chang was even hurt, let alone by Odilia, and the whole matter was a touch more insight than most of the others in the DE meeting would have, well —- like she said: throwing him a bone. “Perhaps next time, we’ll develop some options with you or have you deal with it —- as I recall, you’re quite skilled with offensive magics, and I think that lot would benefit from some... creativity to contend with. You know, for their own learning.”
