Muse - Chapter 1

I blame BookTok for this. I spend far too much time around Halloween watching Universal Studios Death Eater rizz videos in slow-mo, scored to Sleep Token songs. I thought of the conceit of what if one of them actually grew interested in a regular season passholder, and what it would look like to develop a relationship with somebody who did not speak or reveal their face? And what would happen when you eventually did have that reveal? I have to admit, Love is Blind is a guilty pleasure of mine, and that also fed into the curiosity around this. I do wanna qualify, JKR is a garbage person, and this is not a Harry Potter fanfic.

NOTE: Currently unfinished

Chapter 1

“So, how do the Malfoy’s enter a room?” Zoe asked Jennifer, grinning.

“Zoe, no, just… no.”

“They Slyther-in!” As her friend rolled her eyes, she heard a sudden huff of laughter in her ear. Zoe jerked to the side, startled, and Jennifer shrieked at the looming, robed figure standing just behind them.

“Oh holy–” Zoe bent down a little and gasped, clutching her chest. “You scared me! Freaking Death Eaters,” she was drawn up from her joking when the Death Eater in question circled her and moved forward. Startled, Zoe stumbled back at an angle that fetched her up against the wall of the building she and Jennifer had been standing near. 

The figure, body, and face of the man were all obscured by a mask and robes. He planted a hand on the wall next to her head and stared into her eyes. 

Zoe was, of course, well aware of the move. Her FYP on TikTok had been chock-a-block with Death Eater videos from last year, mostly scored to Sleep Token. She had to admit she found them titillating. She imagined the poor actors struggling since it went viral on BookTok, with all the bookish girlies pouring out during Halloween Horror Nights to get their forearms manhandled by mysterious masked figures. Zoe had even had the forethought of sketching on her arm a dark mark tattoo in fine-point Sharpie before this first evening at the park. 

She and Jennifer both had annual passes, and Universal was their happy place. They, in particular, loved Halloween Horror Nights and planned to attend every night they had free. She’d expected to see the Death Eaters, perhaps even hoped for an interaction, hence the tattoo. 

This though… It was a lot. His eyes looked greenish through the eyeholes of the mask. He cocked his head and leaned in a little. She felt a tapping and looked down to see the tip of his wand lightly rapping against her forearm. 

Zoe swallowed and met the Death Eater’s eyes again. He touched his own forearm briefly and again cocked his head. She felt he’d raised an eyebrow, but couldn’t tell behind his mask. She slowly eased up her sleeve and heard him inhale sharply when he saw the dark mark. He cupped her forearm and lightly dragged the tip of his wand down her skin, humming softly when he realized it wasn’t a temporary tattoo. He probably thought it was real. He looked up and met her eyes again. His expression seemed amused; the skin around his eyes, blackened with makeup, was crinkled slightly. He eased back from leaning in on her, removing the arm he’d fenced her in with from the building, and bent over her forearm instead. 

He thoughtfully touched the tattoo with one finger, his wand flipped back in his hand. She’d seen this behavior in many of the videos people had posted. She knew this was just an actor doing a job, but the visceral experience was intense. He tipped his head forward, nodded to her, and then stepped back. He watched her for a long moment.

“How do Dementors stay in shape?” she asked, a grin stretching her mouth. “They do soul cycle.” The Death Eater stared at her. She raised her eyebrows at him, grinning unrepentantly. 

“Oh Jesus,” Jennifer moaned from off to the side while filming the interaction. 

At first, the Death Eater seemed frozen; then he bent forward a bit, a low chuckle coming from under the mask. He shook his head and straightened. He brushed a knuckle gently under her chin and shifted towards her again, but stopped cold at the light press of Jennifer’s borrowed wand up under his chin. Zoe had drawn it quickly while his attention was on her face. He eased his hands up in capitulation, nodded at her arched brow, and stepped back carefully. Zoe slipped the wand back into her back pocket and smirked. 

The Death Eater sketched an elegant bow, sweeping his cloak out dramatically. His eyes stayed pinned on her the entire time. He backed away and slipped back through the crowd to seemingly confab with another of his cohorts. It involved a lot of broad gestures and wand waving.

“You are utterly ridiculous,” Jennifer said, her tone slightly exasperated but also a bit amused. Zoe shrugged and watched as her Death Eater (she probably shouldn’t identify him as such) worked his way through the crowd, alternately getting into wand battles with the kids or searching for the dark mark on people’s arms. She let Jennifer tug her into one of the shops, and they browsed for a while. When they left and came back outside, she noticed him scanning the crowd.

The moment his eyes found her, he cut across the alley, people practically scattering in his wake. Zoe tried not to hear Sleep Token music playing in her head as he approached and failed miserably. She plucked Jennifer’s wand from her friend’s hand and waved it at him in warning. He threw his hands out and bowed his head.

Wait a minute.

That… that wasn’t what they were supposed to do. 

She’d seen the videos, listened to the reports, and read about it on Reddit. You point a wand at them, and they get into a duel with you. So, was this guy improvising something or… what? She watched as he glanced up and slowly walked towards her. Before he got close enough to touch, one of the others stormed up and gesticulated dramatically. Her Death Eater shook his head and pointed at his forearm, then hers. The other one gestured imperiously at her to show him her forearm. She did. He leaned in close. At that point, her Death Eater shifted closer and fucking growled.

The other one paused, looking over, clearly surprised enough to sort of break character a little. He recovered quickly and nodded, gesticulating at her arm. He clearly felt that this was a bit that her Death Eater had come up with, that this girl with what seemed to be a real dark mark tattoo was nuts enough about the fandom to deserve a little extra play. He nodded and genuflected to her, stepping back and then wheeling away. She turned to look at her Death Eater. He leaned in and lifted her hand, then briefly dipped his face over the back of it, brushing the slotted scowling mouth of the mask over it for a moment, ‘kissing’ her hand before stepping back. 

“What the actual hell is going on right now?” Jennifer seemed to be asking the universe. 

"You know, Voldemort doesn’t wear glasses, because nobody nose where to put them,” Zoe told her Death Eater, touching the tip of her nose with one finger. He literally rested his masked face in his hands for a moment.

“He cannot with you either,” Jennifer said, laughing. 

Zoe grinned and tossed her dark hair back. He raised his head and looked at her for a long, laden moment, then sighed and, with another slight bow, drifted back and then strode off.

“Leave it to you to draw the attention of a freaking Death Eater.” Jennifer shook her head, looking at the figure as he strode off through the crowd.

“Eh, he’s literally doing this all day, every day. You’ve seen the videos; these actors are working the crowds. It’s just his job.

“I still laugh at that video I saw that guy do, where he was like, the entertainment managers are going to have to go to some old white guy in upper management and explain how the Death Eaters, just basically being a bunch Harry Potter nerds hired to do this, are frightened of all the agro BookTok girlies coming in here wanting to be pinned to a wall by a masked dude,” Jennifer chuckled.

“Not going to lie, that was fun,” Zoe said, shivering a bit. “He could do that again if he wanted.” 

“Well, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to, given we’ll be out here most nights.” Jennifer stated.

“Hmmm, true, I’m glad we got the Horror Nights pass. Hey, let’s go get some food, I’m starving!” Tucking her arm in Jennifer’s, Zoe wandered down Diagon Alley, unaware that the Death Eater’s eyes followed her as she left.

*****

“Here comes your dark romance boyfriend,” Jennifer muttered the next day. A little cold front and some rain had driven them from the park earlier than they’d planned the day prior, but they were back again. It was unusually chilly for October in Orlando. 

Zoe was snuggled down in her jacket. It was a light wool in a deep black with two rows of silver buttons that ran down the back. It sported lace-trimmed cuffs. Fitted and trim, it had a slightly gothic vibe. She wore it paired with some faux-leather leggings, tall combat-style boots, and a silver-gray velvet top. Her dark hair was piled up in a high ponytail, adorned with a black velvet bow. 

She didn’t want to admit that she’d maybe dressed the way she had in case she saw her Death Eater again. For all she knew, several different groups of actors were used, and it wouldn’t even be the same cohort. 

But she recognized him the minute he came into view. He was interacting with a small group of giggling girls. She watched him, fascinated. He was good, easily flaring his long, elegant fingers, dipping and weaving his wand dramatically. He exuded a kind of sexy menace. 

After the interactions with the group of girls, he gathered with the other actors and they went through a show with a couple of scripted behaviors, making a few things burst into flame, raising their wands at the exact moment to make it appear that trailing fireworks across the sky were their doing. They stood in a group and all turned their heads eerily at the same time. 

She knew when he’d seen her, because he froze for a long moment, and after that his head would keep turning to find her as they went through the rest of the brief show. 

As soon as it was over, he’d come bearing down on her.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Jennifer stepped away when Zoe tried to grab for her wand. “You are on your own with this!” Zoe found herself swallowing hard as he slowed and then carefully crowded her back. She stumbled at the curb, and suddenly he had his hands on her to keep her from falling. Zoe gasped and pulled away. He let her go quickly, but followed till she’d bumped up against the building behind her. He leaned in, cocking his head, then pointed at her.

“Yes, w–we are back,” she managed. He rolled his fingers, indicating she should continue speaking. “I, ah, we have an annual pass. So we come all the time.”

He made a low hum at this and leaned in, tapping a long finger along his wand. He was very close, but carefully not touching her body with his. Other than that moment when he’d reached out to briefly steady her, he was being careful.

Well, of course, he was; he’d get fired if he just went around getting overly familiar with the patrons. That having been said, his immediate attention the moment he’d spotted her again was… interesting. She reminded herself he was just an actor who knew what he looked like. 

The Death Eater costumes were beautifully made. It was clear under all of it that he was quite tall. His long hands and fingers were elegant as he moved them. She could see in the late afternoon light that his eyes were indeed a kind of hazel-green, with long, dark lashes. His gaze was intense.

He made her show him her dark mark again, making her glad she’d bothered to touch it up that morning. He ran his wand lightly down it, nodding thoughtfully. She got the feeling he was searching his mind for scripted interactions to do so; he could stay close to her. He looked down at her forearm, then up into her eyes a couple of times, thoughtful. She met his gaze and chewed on her lip a bit. He slipped the tip of his wand along the lapel of her jacket and took a deep breath.

“You like it?” she asked tentatively. He flicked his gaze to hers again and gave a short nod. “Thank you,” she murmured, pleased. He gave a short bow of his head in acknowledgement. Jennifer chuckled; she was again filming them. 

“You should tell dark romance boyfriend your name,” she said, making Zoe’s cheeks heat in embarrassment. He swiveled his head at that and eyed Jennifer thoughtfully, then returned his attention to Zoe and made that little ‘go on’ gesture with his fingers again.

“Jesus,” Zoe muttered. She knew she was fully blushing now. He huffed a little laugh and shook his head.

“Yeah, Jesus is not her name.” 

Jennifer was enjoying this way too much, Zoe decided. She tugged at her lapel and sucked in a short breath as he leaned in a little closer. It was both intimidating and hot as fuck.

“Fine! Um, I’m Zoe,” she muttered, wondering why they were even doing this. This guy was just doing his job. In a minute, he’d whirl off in a flash of black fabric and go make some other girl nervously excited with his slightly suggestive acting. She gasped when he pulled back swiftly and then swept into an elaborate, fluid bow.

“Now you guys should make out,” Jennifer opined, keeping her phone trained on them. Zoe shivered when he hummed at this suggestion and crowded her up against the wall again. 

He tilted his head and leaned in till his face was so close to hers, he could have easily dipped in and kissed her, but for the mask. He stayed still for a long moment, then sighed, and suddenly he was back a couple of paces. He nodded to Jennifer, then, turning, pointed his wand at Zoe for a long moment, then was gone in a swirl of black robes.

“Holy, fucking…” Jennifer stopped the recording and grinned, shaking her head. “This might be my Roman Empire, right here.”

“I don’t… you don’t think that’s unusual, do you? I mean, I’ve seen them get kind of flirty in videos.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I mean, you don’t know what all we don’t see that either doesn’t get recorded, or doesn’t get posted. Maybe they do sometimes single out certain guests more. Especially you saying we are passholders. He might figure it’s good to play it up for regulars or something.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Zoe felt a little stab of disappointment at the thought, but made herself bury it. Just an actor doing his job, she reminded herself. 

She and Jennifer wandered Diagon Alley for a while, poking in the shops and enjoying the chilly nip in the air. They ended up in Olivanders, looking over wands.

“Why don’t you get one? You’re always borrowing mine anyway to play with the interactions,” Jennifer asked. 

Zoe shrugged. “I just struggle with all this since J.K. turned out to be an absolute garbage person.”

“Look, I get it, and I get people’s choice to step away. But for me? The work transcends her. Your dark romance boyfriend? He’s got shit all to do with her stupidity. Guy’s just trying to make a living. Those stories got me through some of the toughest times in my life. I’m not abandoning what they mean to me because she turned out to be a waste of skin.”

“I get that, Jenn. But I’m also not fully into the whole ‘playtron’ thing, you know that.”

“Yeah, but who dressed up in some of her cute shit today? Hmmm? Was that for tall, dark and… well, dark?” They chuckled, and Zoe flushed a little.

“It’s a fun little fantasy,” she admitted. “But who knows what he looks like. He might be fugly as sin.”

“Oh, god,” Jennifer barked a laugh. “True, true. You could always just insist he keep the mask on though…”

“This conversation is growing problematic,” Zoe sighed. Jennifer shrugged as she squinted with one eye and sighted down the length of a wand she was holding, balancing it on her fingertips. 

“Whatever. Just enjoy the fantasy then, I guess. We’ve got a couple months of this… it’ll be interesting to see how things unfold.”

“Things aren’t going to ‘unfold!’” Zoe insisted. “He can’t talk to me or do anything overt. He’d get fired. There are people filming every little thing these guys do.”

“True, but just don’t be surprised if he slips a note with his phone number into your pocket eventually, you know?”

“Ugh,” Zoe frowned, hating the idea of this delightful little series of interactions turning into some pedantic attempt at a booty call. They eventually made their way back out. She saw out of the corner of her eye that he’d clocked her, and his mask turned to follow as she and Jennifer wandered off to go to other parts of the park.

“You going to come do some sketching tomorrow?” Jennifer asked. She had something that evening, so she would not be joining Zoe.

“Yeah, I was thinking I might,” Zoe said absently as she looked at storefronts, impressed, as always, by the level of detail and immersion.

“You could sketch some pics of ya boy,” Jennifer chuckled as Zoe shrugged.

“Maybe–” she jumped when Jennifer shrieked suddenly. Her Death Eater had slipped up behind them silently. He’d reached for the tail of her coat and was tugging on it, a bit insistently. 

“Jesus fucking CHRIST!” Jennifer yelled. “This Death Eater will be the fucking death of me!”

“Well, I mean, it’s in the name.” Zoe shrugged and watched him clutching at the edge of her coat, his body held tight. He drew himself up and pointed his wand down, like he was demanding she stay there. 

“Why does Neville need three seats on a bus?” she asked her Death Eater. He tilted his head expectantly. “He has a Longbottom.” He swayed into her space, chuckling softly.

“Okay, enough,” Jennifer pulled her wand out and waved him back with it. He retreated reluctantly, raising his own in a defensive posture. Stepping elegantly into a dueling stance, he flared the fingers of his other hand, raising it like a fencer. 

“Back off, you needy thing! She’ll be back later!” Jennifer barked. He growled a little at this and threw his wand out in a lunging movement. Jennifer expertly parried into the air, shouting Protego! 

“Don’t even try that shit with me, you hopped up Slytherin! Now go find something else to obsess over before I Expecto Patronum your ass!” He raged silently and finally, with another hot look in Zoe’s direction, spun off, robes flaring and swirling around him. 

“Tell me again that he’s just doing his job,” Jennifer said with an eyeroll and a grin as she tugged Zoe along with her. Zoe glanced over her shoulder, but he was already interacting with a family. She shrugged.

“I dunno, Jenn,” she murmured as her friend pulled her down the lane.

*****

Later that evening, they made their way back into The Wizarding World. The Death Eaters were not out when they came back. Zoe carefully hid her disappointment, not wanting to catch shit from Jennifer. They had just finished getting a bite for dinner and wanted to soak up the area at night. The crowds had gotten bigger. 

Zoe was a little people weary. She loved being in the parks, but by the end of the day, she could easily feel a little tired. They meandered around for a while until suddenly, there was a rustle of energy through the crowd, and the Death Eaters came surging out onto the steps of Gringotts. She immediately saw hers, his tall form stood out in the center of the group. 

She enjoyed watching the routines and how brilliantly he played the part. It seemed so natural, the elegant moves, the seething menace. It was intriguing, she had to admit.

He’s just some guy, probably ordinary looking, living in some apartment with his three roommates, and is an out of work actor when this seasonal stuff comes to an end. 

She imagined him, some doughy-faced guy who couldn’t grow a real beard and just sported a bunch of patchy scruff, flopped on a ratty sofa playing video games with an equally unappealing roommate, in a funky-smelling room, a haze of weed in the air. 

That was far more likely the reality. She watched him ease fluidly down the steps. He moved confidently through the crowd, fanning out with his cohort. He walked right past her, close enough that his robes brushed her coat. The back of his knuckles lightly stroked hers as he strode by.

They went on to work the crowd, and she observed how he turned both men and women into giggling, nervous messes as he searched for people to grant the dark mark to or reacted with glee or disappointment at those who did or did not sport something on their arms. 

He did some flirty moves with the women and some of the men, which she found rather hot. Still, none of his actions went to the level they had with her. At one point, he even backed a woman up on a wall and was examining her shaking forearm, when with eerie, liquid grace, the mask turned to Zoe. She couldn’t see his eyes from that distance, but she nevertheless felt pinned by his gaze.

I may be doing this to her, but in my mind, I am doing it to you.

He might as well have said it; his body language was so clearly telegraphing it as he locked in on her for two long breaths before returning his attention to the woman grinning nervously in front of him. 

He sort of danced around her through the time they were out, doing things with the crowd. He did not approach her, but he frequently would turn his mask to her for a couple of long beats before returning to what he was doing.

“He’s got to do what he’s got to do, but damn, girl, he is utterly focused on you,” Jennifer commented.

“He probably does this a couple of times during the event. He finds some girl he thinks is cute, plays things up with her for the day,” Zoe said noncommittally. 

“Yeah, maybe,” Jennifer’s voice grew neutral. “It’s pretty freaking fun, regardless.” 

Zoe agreed. It was a fun fantasy to let herself get a little carried away with. Just as long as she kept realistic about everything it wasn’t, why not indulge a bit in the pleasure of roleplaying? A terrifying, dark wizard was obsessed with her and could not keep from seeking her out, even as he went about his nefarious business. 

She smiled and shrugged. It just added to the magic and pleasure she felt when she was at the parks. It was her place to leave reality behind after all, so why not do it with this as well?

She watched as the Death Eaters gathered and then, turning as one, like a flock of birds, made their way into the food pavilion. She walked closer, Jennifer trailing after her, watching as they played a bit with some of the people sitting at the benches eating, then laughed as they suddenly, as one, pointed their wands at the ceiling and all the lights went out. Low green lights went on, a Slytherin sigil projected on the floor at their feet. They paced rhythmically around, wands flashing and pointing out at the gathering crowd, then suddenly they broke and fled, cloaks trailing in all directions. Zoe lost sight of him. When she and Jennifer finally gathered themselves to head out to the gates, done for the night, she assumed he was done with his shift. 

But she suddenly saw him, leaning against a light post, absently running his fingers up and down his wand in a manner that was pretty fucking provocative. It was near the end of the night. She noticed she did not see the usual security presence she usually did when the Death Eaters were out. He was clearly scanning the crowd as people left. He saw her and Jennifer and gently touched the tip of his wand to his forehead in greeting as they walked toward him. 

“So sus,” Jennifer laughed. He acknowledged her with a nod, then stepped up to Zoe. He slowly raised his hands. When she did not recoil, he lightly cupped her face. He stared into her eyes, then began gently rubbing his thumbs across her cheeks, back and forth, the move incredibly gentle and tender.

“Oh my god,” Jennifer sighed. “Yeah, this is definitely my Roman Empire.” 

Zoe’s Death Eater stared into her eyes intensely for a moment longer, then stepped back. He sketched another elaborate bow, then drifted away. 

“She’ll see you tomorrow!” Jennifer called merrily after him as he wheeled around to walk back. He turned and placed his long hand, wand held tightly, to the center of his chest, then bowed in acknowledgement. 

“Now that was dinner and a show,” Jennifer said, laughing. 

“It was certainly something,” Zoe agreed.