I am so sorry it took so long for this update. My muse has been uncooperative on this story and several others, instead bombarding me with ideas for several other stories. I hope this chpter makes up for the long wait.

Chapter Five

Even with hardly any sleep he still woke early and hurried to shower and dress for the day. Once he was ready he tore through the halls to the kitchen to finalize the plans for the food.

Unlike the other balls where it was dainty finger foods and fine china, this would be a training exercise and the men and women would be getting dirty and sweaty and hungry so he would be serving something a bit more filling than salmon fillets. The evening before he had ordered four suckling pigs to be roasted and a whole cow as well. When he made it to the out dated kitchen he was glad to see the elfs were already hard at work in preparing the freshly killed animals. He ordered a thick rich stew made and several barrels of cochen or french mead to be gathered as well.

Since the estate was so dreary and dark anyways he decided to play that up while decorating. There were rough wood carved tables like one might have imagined in a viking hall of long ago in one of the storage buildings. He had the delicate and expensive dining room table moved out of the great hall and had the old carved tables brought out and set up. The golden plates and goblets were replaced with some old authentic wooden ones and instead of the delicate tapestries and family portraits he called for some of the old tapestries that were of images of battles and wars.

He made sure there was a large area whereat least a hundred of the death eaters could stand in line and cast spells so that the Dark Lord could watch them easily to determine their strengths and weaknesses. He pulled out some old archery targets and had them cleaned and repaired and placed along one wall and he had the fires set up to be lit later when the death eaters started to arrive.

All to soon it was time for lunch and Voldemort and his generals began to arrive. He hurried to make sure the lunch was ready and then went to meet them. The Dark Lord had his top five generals with him including Lucius Malfoy and Rodulphous Lestrange. The other three were Antonin Dolohove and Thorfin Rowle and Augustis Rookwood. Dolohov, Lestrange and Rookwood had all been in Azkaban after the first war but had recently been broken out after Voldermort regained a body. They didn't look too bad having been cleaned up and been on steady streams of potions and food since their escape and apparently, like Sirius, their minds had not suffered too much and with the help of a mind healer were fine now. The same could not be said for Lestrange's wife Bellatrix.

The five of them and the Dark Lord were already in the same lounge as the night before along with Sirius and Remus when he arrived. He called for the elfs and they were all served a delicious ceasar salad and roasted chicken breast while they began making plans for the training and the troops. Sirius was the one to suggest making a set list of spells that would be necessary for each recruit to learn and they began coming up with a list. At first they were mainly battle spells but Rowle thought to add in a few simple spells like something to stop bleeding and one to splint a broken bone just in case. Lucius made sure to add in one or two shields while Lestrange made sure that they would know a few rapid casting fire spells and the more popular Bombarda to blow things up with.

Lord Voldermort wanted to make sure that each of them could duel at least two on one at a time just in case they needed to know. Hadrian was getting bored listening to them and decided to ask a question.

"What do the Death Eaters wear normally?" He got several odd looks before Lucius went ahead and pulled out his death eaters robes and got dressed.

Hadrian couldn't believe they had almost won the last war with such ridiculous robes. There was too much fabric to be able to move freely in battle and the weight of the fabric alone would slow them down making the likely hood of them getting hit higher than it would be otherwise. This just wouldn't do at all and at that moment he thanked Sirius mentally for ensuring he was taught those spells by the seamstress. Without speaking he stood and hurried from the room, calling for Dutchess as he went.

"Master Hadrian called?" the little elf questioned as she popped up next to him.

"Yes Dutch, I need you to go the the Villa and fetch me my fabrics and sewing supplies. I want everything I have in black, emerald green and grey. Once I have picked out what I want I will place orders for more of it." he spoke as he strode to his room.

"Yes Master Hadrian, is you wanting anything else before Dutchess goes?"

"No that is all Dutch, but go swiftly." with a low bow the little elf popped away.

He hurried to his room and to his closet which held all of his clothes and things. Swiftly he set about finding his favorite dueling outfit. Honestly, those robes would only get in the way they needed something easy to move in and with protective spells to block some of the damage of spells. It didn't take long to find the outfit and he pulled it out of the closet and got to work.

The outfit consisted of leather breeches and simple tight fitting cotton top but the main part of the outfit was a coat. It was thin, a single layer of thin soft leather lined on the inside with soft silk but the lining was covered in stitched on runes for protection and comfort which were invaluable in a fight or duel. The coat had a deep hood as well which with a few spells would help to hide someones identity. Victor and a few of their friends all had matching outfits and they used them when they went out to play pranks and get revenge for something. They would be perfect for the death eaters to wear he just needed to get the Dark Lord to agree.

He swiftly went to work changing the colors of the outfit and making sure all of the protection spells were still holding strong before conjuring a dummy and dressing it in the outfit. He changed the silk lining and the undershirt to a beautiful emerald green while the rest of the outfit was spelled solid black. On the right arm of the jacket he did a hard bit of magic by casting the dark mark and making it glow a sickly green. Once that was done he got a pair of flat black leather boots with comfort spells on them and floated the entire outfit down the stairs behind him.

The group in the parlor had obviously decided that he was of no importance and had gone back to their meeting so they were all a bit surprised when he came back with a dressing mannequin floating behind him. He noted the raised eyebrows as he set up his dummy and made sure the outfit was visible to everyone before going back to his seat. Obviously Remus had realized what he was up to as the man had humor in his eyes but the rest of them were obviously not catching on. Finally Voldemort decided to see just what he was up to.

"Hadrian, pet, why is their a mannequin in my meeting?" the man asked calmly.

"Oh, that is my idea for your new Death eaters outfits." he responded back as he took a sip of his tea.

"What is wrong with their old outfits?" the Dark Lord questioned, his tone biting.

"They are impractical and that makes them dangerous, plus they are ugly. This design is one I came up with myself a couple of years ago and I believe it will not only be much safer but it also looks better."

Remus lost his battle with his humor then and cracked up, his chuckles sounding through the room. Sirius however had gotten up and was looking over the outfit critically before a spark entered his eyes.

"Correct me if I am wrong, oh blooded son of mine, but I believe this is quite reminiscent of the outfits worn by the group that has been tormenting the villages with pranks over the last couple of years. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" the man asked as he turned his sharp grey eyes to Hadrian.

Hadrian had to force himself not to flinch at the look but he answered truthfully.

"It started because Richard Deschamps insulted Moony because of his lycanthropy. Victor promised to help me get him back if I could make sure we weren't caught. I made the outfits for us and the others and we are the ones who stripped him and hung him in the town square. He deserved everything we did to him." Hadrian finished while blushing.

"And the Mctavishes and the Reylands, why did your group prank them and their homes and businesses?"

"Because they spoke against our family, I would not allow the dishonor to stand. The Reyland boy attempted to force my attentions and Victor found out, that is why he was beaten first. I didn't tell you about it because you would have gone and demanded a duel and killed him, Victor demanded that if I wasn't going to tell you then I had to allow them to do what ever they wanted to the boy." Hadrian looked down at that.

"Do you mean to tell me that you were assaulted and almost raped and you didn't tell me." the mans grey eyes grew cold and harsh, but Hadrian quickly put an end to it.

"Yes, because I took care of it. I can fight my own battles milord, but that is not important now. The important thing is whether I will be working on making more of the outfits like that one for the death eater troops."

The Dark Lord and the others moved to look over the outfit and were surprised at the runes on the lining. Soon enough he had to try it on to show them how it fit but within half an hour they all agreed it would be much better than the original death eaters outfits. Voldemort even authorized for him to order the materials he would need and to pay for them out of the Dark Lords accounts. He left them to their meeting to finish the last minute preparations for the dinner and once Dutchess arrived with the fabrics he chose a good soft black leather and silk along with a good soft cotton for the undershirts.

The little elf was sent off with an order form for the fabrics requesting enough to make every one of the inner circle members an outfit to be delivered the next day and then requesting many times that amount to be delivered as soon as possible.

To make things easier on himself to make the clothes he set up a spell to automatically measure and record the findings of everyone who entered the great hall that evening. It would give their exact measurements and their name so that he could make sure the outfits were tailored specifically. Soon enough it was time to dress for the evening but he went ahead and remained in the outfit so that everyone would be able to see it first hand. He made sure the great hall was readied and then began waited for the first guests to arrive.

Not surprisingly Draco Malfoy was one of the first beside the generals. Soon after the dark wizards and a few of the dark witches began pouring in. He was excited to see Hermione there with Blaise but she informed him she was going to be a researcher for the dark side, rarely going on raids. He was thankful for that, knowing she would be safe and would enjoy being able to lock herself away in a library.

She asked what had happened the other night and he promised to tell her later before he was called away by the Dark Lord and his generals who were showing themselves now. The dinner was a big hit and one of the death eaters mentioned how it was nice to eat real food instead of that sissy woman crap they had been served so far at the balls. Several of the other men laughed and cheered at that while Hadrian smiled.

He played the perfect host and was at Voldemorts side when the man stood and began separating people up. The inner circle was each sent to oversee about twenty of the lower level death eaters as Voldemort ordered them to go through several basic spells. Hadrian had to cover his mouth to stop his snicker at some of their pitiful attempts. There were some who had already graduated and still couldn't cast a good shield and some who couldn't cast hexes and curses. But there were a few who stood out from the crowd with their skills, mostly those who had gone to school somewhere other than Hogwarts or whose family had hired a tutor to teach them during the summers.

He wandered off while Voldemort was berating a group of idiots and landed in a group of young recruits who were still in school. He decided to help them a little and possibly save them some humiliation when the death eaters came to test them. He showed them a few quick and easy combat spells that didn't take much focus and then began teaching them the protego shield.

"Now protego all depends on the caster. If you are weak and you don't focus then the shield will collapse after a simple jinx, but if you focus and put a lot of power into the spell you can hold off several high powered spells and sometimes even solid objects. It's not easy and requires sharp focus but it can work. Now watch me, just a swish and jab like your pointing with your wand."

He showed them the movement and then had them all try it as well. Three of the five got it right away and he only had to show the other two twice more before they got it.

"Wow, I had no idea it was this easy. All of our defense teachers were so useless we never learned anything from them." one girl said, casting the shield again.

"Well blame Dumbledore for that. Now I want you to keep casting the shield as many times as you can. That is one of the main failings of the school is they only make you cast it until you get it right, but I want you to cast it until you can do it in your sleep."

"But why, if we already know it why should we keep doing this, shouldn't we work on learning something else instead?" a boy who he thought might have been in Slytherin sneered.

"That might be true if you knew all of the basics but you don't so we are going to do it my way. You will practice this spell until I say stop or I will curse you until you practice the spell, your choice." he sneered back.

The group of five obviously decided it would be best to simply do what he said and they lined up and began casting. He went through them and gave them tips to make the spell stronger and by the tenth one each of them had a shield strong enough to hold off three fairly high level curses before breaking. He moved on to teaching them the disarming charm.

"Now if you under power this charm you can use it as a prank in class if you do it non-verbally, but in a real duel or fight you can power it strong enough to not only disarm your opponent but to blast them back several feet as well. It is basic but sometimes basic is best. The incantation is expellarmus."

One he was certain they had that spell down and that they could cast it quickly and strongly he set them up with one trying to disarm while the other tried to block it with a shield. It would help with their aim and their reflexes and it gave them a base to work from when the death eaters started training them in groups. He left them to their spell casting and headed off to make sure the clean up was going well. His new fiance found him speaking off in a corner with one of the house elfs.

"There you are pet, I have been looking for you." the seductive voice drawled as an arm snaked around his waist.

He jumped before recognizing the magic, then he leaned back into the broad muscled chest.

"I was working with a small group of your followers. The poor fools didn't even know how to cast a decent shield so I taught them protego and expelleriamus. They are both basic, but they are necessary for any duel." he explained softly, looking out over the hall.

The chest behind him moved as Voldemort chuckled.

"Yes, they are quite pitiful, but that was the point of this. With practice they will improve."

"As you say." He submitted, not wanting to argue with the man who could hurt him easily.

"Tomorrow there is no ball. I am going to order them all to practice a list of six spells and have them mastered before the end of the week. What will you be doing?"

He thought about it for a minute, wondering what he would do. There was so much that needed done he could hardly decide.

"Well I will get the outfits set up for your inner circle, or at least get started on them. I also need to practice my basic healing skills and potions. If you want me to tend to your troupes I need to know what I am doing."

"Very well. I will not see you then."

He tilted his head to the side, an unconscious gesture of his curiosity before speaking.

"When will I see you next?"

"I am not certain. I imagine it will be two days from now, but that might change." Voldemort informed him calmly.

"Very well." he murmured demurely.

"I have sent word to the bank to allow the purchase of the material and anything you might need from my vaults. I have also spoken with Lord Malfoy and Lord Nott who have promised to send their wives to help you with the uniforms. How long do you think it will take for the inner circles to be completed?"

He calculated it out swiftly before answering.

"I should have the inner circles outfits finished within two days with the extra help, but the main troups will take another couple of weeks. Do I need to have them done by a certain deadline?" he probed, wondering if he would get an answer.

"I want them finished as soon a possible." the Dark Lord looked around the hall then as someone called for him.

Hadrian watched him go before turning back to the house elf and making sure that the cleaning was being taken care of. By the time he crawled into bed that night he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week. He tiredly allowed morpheus to steal him away into the land of dreams, leaving his worry and apprehension behind.