Draco arrived in Switzerland two days after he'd told Hermione he would be leaving. He triple checked to make sure he'd stuffed his notebook in his robes before taking the portkey that dropped him on the doorstep of his aunt's current living quarters. It was several minutes after he knocked that the door opened and he was staring into the face of his Aunt Bellatrix for the first time in a week or two.

"Draco!" she cooed, opening her arms. He stepped forward and kissed her cheek, letting the door slam shut behind him. "How is England? Are you running your own base yet?" she prattled, turning her back to him and leading him inside.

"I've been planning attacks most recently," he explained, though he was certain she knew that already. "I'm not particularly fond of the logistics involved in running a base."

"Yes, yes, that's right," Aunt Bella said, waving her hand over her shoulder. "This will be your room," she exclaimed, throwing open the doors to a large room decorated in silver and black. "We leave in an hour."

Draco watched her leave, humming to herself, before the door shut behind her and he was alone. He levitated his trunk across the room and started unpacking his things into the dresser nearby. As his clothes folded and arranged themselves, he stepped over to one of the tall windows and looked out over the estate his aunt had somehow gotten her hands on. He supposed it shouldn't have been a surprise she'd taken over the Swiss Minister of Magic's home, but seeing as it had been opened to muggles before, he was shocked she'd actually decided to take up residence in it.

He took the short free time to check his notebook, making sure Hermione hadn't written to him in the time since he'd last checked. As expected, there was nothing there except her last notes on how she felt the solution to the wards at Newcastle was coming along.

The time seemed to escape all too quickly and soon he found himself taking the Floo to the Dark Lord's stronghold in Zurich. As they exited, his aunt hurried him through, hardly caring to introduce him or show him what they passed. Draco stayed quiet at her side, eyeing those around him in an attempt to recognise anyone. Very few faces were familiar and the only ones that were, were highly ranked Death Eaters that had come shortly before his aunt.

"Draco Malfoy has finally joined the fold," Alecto Carrow said as soon as he stepped into the room. His eyes narrowed minusculely at her as she grinned widely. "Come to learn how to big girls play?"

"He's come because unlike your blood traitor of a nephew, he's quickly rising through the Dark Lord's ranks," Aunt Bellatrix bragged, sneering at Alecto in reply. Draco slipped away, letting them bicker petulantly while he found himself something to drink. "Draco!" his aunt snapped, causing his head to turn quickly. "Come see what has been set up for you during your stay."

Draco left his search for a drink and rejoined his aunt and Alecto at the table. A parchment was unrolled and on it, he recognised the attack plan for later that week. Just like he'd been told, the north was left wide open though prepared for an invasion.

"We'll have the Order on us in a matter of days," Aunt Bella cackled. "Once we've captured them all, you'll have the honour of publicly executing them in Zurich. Merlin knows the Dark Lord needs more young soldiers in the reports." She wrinkled her nose and fell backward into a chair as she said, "I admire the Dark Lord for all he is, but he could certainly use less publicity of those old men we see so often."

"You're just jealous Antonin gets the credit for your idea with the acid," Alecto snickered. Faster than Draco could think, Aunt Bellatrix shot a curse at Alecto. Just as quickly, Alecto blocked the hit and sneered.

"Antonin Dolohov will get what he deserves in due time," Bellatrix snapped, twirling her wand beside her. "Draco here is a fresh start: brilliant in potions and humble to a fault, aren't you, Draco?"

Draco didn't answer.

"A perfect servant for our Dark Lord," Bellatrix cooed. Draco kept his face blank and returned his eyes to the strategy map in front of him. He could play the perfect pureblood nephew for now, but Merlin, would he live for his aunt's face on the day she found out it took more than blind devotion to turn him into the perfect servant.

* * * * *

Draco aided the bases in Zurich, Basel, and even one in Konstanz with planning for the attack on the remaining districts of Switzerland refusing to concede. While he knew the Order would not be attacking, he continued to allow for a group to remain in the north and be prepared. He kept his notebook with him at all times in case his aunt carelessly went through his things while he was gone, but he didn't dare take it out unless he was completely alone and certain no one could watch. While his work was tiring and not very fruitful, Hermione seemed to be having success with her research.

The days leading up to their attack on Switzerland, Draco got snappy and seemed to feed off the violent excitement that echoed through all the bases. Exactly a week after he arrived, the atmosphere changed and he knew the attack would be that night.

"Draco, darling," his aunt said at dinner, breaking the perpetual silence. "I want you to come with me to the front lines. You can see how a real battle is led."

"You're not fighting?" he asked. His aunt had always been one to jump into battle and stay away from command posts, so to hear her say she'd be leading a battle was nothing if not surprising.

"I don't take part in fighting battles as puny as this one will be," she said flippantly. "The Swiss are weak right now and I expect it will only be a few hours before they fall."

"And the northern ambush?" Draco asked. As expected, his aunt's eyes lit up. "Will I not be fighting there?"

"You'll have plenty of honour tomorrow when you kill them all in a public square," she told him. Draco held his tongue. "Tonight, you shall learn what true leadership looks like and tomorrow, under my counsel, you'll be the Dark Lord's youngest executioner."

"I look forward to it," Draco said, returning to his meal.

For what it was worth, Draco was interested in seeing how his aunt would command an army if only so he could prepare Hermione if Bellatrix ever led an attack on the Order. Aside from that, however, he would have much rather stayed in and written Hermione to ask after her work. He hadn't expected to miss their regular meetings and if she asked, he'd outright deny it. In an attempt to miss her less, he wrote a short message to her before meeting his aunt and apparating to where the battle would be taking place.

Even though Hermione had assured him Kingsley was not sending anyone to Switzerland that night, Draco found himself worrying about the possibility. She'd made it clear Kingsley was not her biggest fan so it seemed reasonable to think he'd lie to her. Knowing she was banned from the battlefield provided some comfort, however, and he managed to stay focused and present while his aunt gave out starting commands.

"You see, Draco," she mused, walking with him across the grounds. "It's about making them fear you. If your soldiers don't fear you, there's nothing keeping them from being a disappointment."

As if to prove her point, she turned and barked at a nearby Death Eater. His eyes widened and he jumped back, making Bellatrix cackle. She sent a curse at the boy and he scrambled out of the way. Draco just watched with a small smirk.

"You're the Dark Lord's second in command, Aunt Bella," Draco reminded her. She preened at the reminder, twirling her wand happily. "They'd be stupid not to concede to you."

"Be that as it may, they must still fear you yourself, not your position," she told him.

They must have reached the spot they were heading because before Draco could entertain that thought further, his aunt turned to face the ranks and sent the Mosmordre into the sky. All around them, Death Eaters apparated across the city and it wasn't long before Draco heard the first scream. Beside him, Bellatrix's eyes lit up as the city filled with the light of curses and Draco watched blankly.

Just like Bellatrix had told him, the city fell quickly and with it, the Swiss border. Even though the Swiss Minister of Magic had disappeared long ago and left the country to the uncoordinated defence of its magical population, his aunt thrived on the victory. Muggle governors were brought forward and Draco stood stoically at her side as she threatened them to concede or be executed. The ones that refused were hauled off screaming and Draco was promised the honour the following morning.

He wasn't even sure when morning came as it seemed to sneak up on him during the night. While Bellatrix judged what remained of the magical ministry, Draco was sent to the north to gather those that had been captured. He was relieved when the commander there reported no one had snuck through, but he knew it would guarantee the man's death.

"You had one job," he sneered, grabbing the man's collar. "Capture the Order members that passed by while Lestrange took Switzerland."

"No one came through! I swear it!" the man exclaimed, looking frightened. Draco sneered and apparated back to his aunt with the man in tow.

Upon his return, he shoved the commander to his knees and waited for his aunt to notice. It was seconds later that she turned around and her eyes narrowed at Draco first and then the man on the ground.

"Tell her," Draco ordered, pressing his heel to the man's back. "Tell her what you told me."

"No one—No one came," he stuttered, looking up at Bellatrix with wide, worried eyes. "We stayed alert all night and set unbreakable wards, but the Order never showed."

Bellatrix snarled and Draco barely managed to move his foot off the man's back before she killed him.

The man crumpled.

Draco looked away from the man's body and up to his aunt. She was shaking with barely controlled rage, her teeth barred as she sneered at the body in front of her.

Suddenly, she turned to the nearest person and shouted an angry curse. A Death Eater dropped to his knees, screaming in pain as his aunt focused all her fury on the one man. It wasn't long before his screams were cut short and he crumpled just like the commander before him. Bellatrix turned angrily to Draco and for a moment, Draco prepared to deflect a curse as well.

"Bring them all to me," she demanded, seething. "Every last one of them."

Draco bowed his head and apparated back to the northern base, ordering every Death Eater to return with him to Zurich. If they knew that they would be killed, they likely wouldn't have followed Draco's order as obediently. As it was, Draco apparated to his aunt's side and watched as she and several other Death Eaters immobilised each of them.

"Who is your spy?" Bellatrix shrieked. Draco's breath caught. "You report no Order members appeared and I demand to know who your spy is."

"A spy?" Draco asked, glancing at her. She didn't look away from the group even as she answered.

"The Order is predictable and that trap was like candy to a baby," she hissed. At her side, her wand sparked green and Draco eyed it warily. "There's no other explanation for such failure and if I have to curse them until I die to find out who it is, I will."

Draco watched as she stepped in front of each wizard and held her wand to their head. One after one, they shrieked at the sensation of her digging through their minds only to be killed shortly after. Around them, Death Eaters continued rounding up those that refused to accept the Dark Lord's power, but Draco didn't dare move. He stayed where he stood, watching his aunt use Legilimency on every last Death Eater from the north until they were all dead at her feet.

She screamed when the last one fell and Draco barely had time to react before she was firing angry curses at anyone that moved. He ducked behind a pillar of the muggle government building and waited until he heard her stop shouting before poking his head around. Her wand was pointed at the dead commander and if Draco hadn't known who it was before, he would have had no hope of seeing who it was now. His body had been destroyed in Bellatrix's bout of anger and was a clear sign to Draco it was not yet safe to approach.

"None of them," she snarled, not looking up at Draco. "Not a single spy, yet there is one."

"And the commander?" he asked. "Do you think it was him?"

As if the words had been triggering, Bellatrix sent the commander's body up in flames and turned her eyes on Draco.

"We'll find out," she replied and Draco did not like that sound of it. "Spread a rumour, something that will require the Order to act if they hear about it. If the Order doesn't act, we'll have the problem taken care of."

"And if the Order does?" Draco asked. His aunt looked away from him and Draco saw her eyeing the Death Eaters that still floated across the square, preparing for the executions he'd be making in just hours.

"Then we'll know there's another spy."