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Becoming a Death Eater was hard work.
Recruits needed to prove their dedication in a number of ways, beginning with the obvious skills (dueling, stealth, curses), all the way down to the not-so-obvious (endurance, lung capacity, core strength).
The artistic swimming lessons had come about as a way of testing the latter. Invitations had been sent to six of the most promising sixth and seventh year Slytherins and the first lesson set for April 8, to be taught at the Great Lake by Bellatrix Lestrange herself. Initially, the recruits had believed it was a joke. It wasn’t until Lucius Malfoy turned up in Hogsmeade and informed them that he’d taken part in the lessons during his own seventh year that any of them began taking it seriously. According to Malfoy, the Dark Lord rewarded those who impressed him with their routines. Supposedly, his Dark Mark had been bestowed after he’d performed a flawless Rio figure during a duet performance with Bellatrix.
So the recruits began preparing in earnest. Severus Snape, Joseph Mulciber, Marcus Avery, Tatiana Yaxley, Evan Rosier, and Regulus Black were determined to be the best damn artistic swimming team that Hogwarts had ever seen.
At least, Severus Snape was determined. On the morning of the first lesson, most of the others were still treating the whole thing like a joke. This didn’t particularly bother Severus; he may not have seen much use in artistic swimming, but if the Dark Lord said it was necessary, he certainly wasn’t about to question it. If the rest of his classmates were content to look foolish, well, that was no different from usual, really.
Besides, he couldn’t help but think of Lily’s apparent newfound fascination with swimmers. Of course, it likely had to do with James Potter’s frequent lake excursions more than the sport itself, but surely this - which required grace, stamina, mental ability - was far more impressive than that flailing Potter called skill. Yes, he thought, Lily would almost certainly be impressed when she heard about his new hobby.
Spirits flying high with this happy thought, he made his way down to the lake.
Bellatrix was already there when he arrived, standing on the edge of the dock, shrouded in early morning mist. Beyond her, the lake stretched out, dark and foreboding. She gave no sign of noticing his presence. Six green mats were lined up on the dock; presumably this was where they would begin their lessons. Choosing one of the mats closest to Bellatrix, Severus sat down to wait.
Soon enough, the rest of the group arrived, chatting amongst themselves as they settled on the rest of the mats. None of them seemed enthused about swimming in the freezing lake. Still, Bellatrix paid them no mind.
Severus glanced around, taking stock of his fellow recruits. To his right, Evan Rosier was busy stretching, grunting loudly as he attempted to touch his toes. On his other side sat Regulus Black, legs crossed and looking even paler than usual, eyeing the water with unease. Severus smirked. Nepotism may have gotten them this far, but he doubted that membership in the Sacred 28 would prove very useful when it came to artistic swimming ability.
He couldn’t help rubbing it in a bit. “Scared, Black?”
Regulus scoffed, lifting his chin. “As if.” Salazar, he was every bit as arrogant as his brother. Still, his eyes hadn’t left the water.
Finally, after all the recruits had settled on a mat, and the chatter had quieted, Bellatrix turned to face them. Her eyes swept over the group and a slow smile spread across her face. Severus leaned forward in anticipation as she opened her mouth to speak.
“You are all here because you have impressed the Dark Lord with your magical skill. You are well on your way to earning a place amongst his ranks. However, there is one last way you must prove yourselves worthy.” She paused, appraising them once more. “Serving the Dark Lord successfully requires more than raw magical talent. It requires dedication, artistry, and agility. This is what I am here to teach you today. Watch as I demonstrate.”
Bellatrix dove backwards off the dock, her spine curved in a perfect half-circle. She proceeded into a series of increasingly complex leg movements, twisting and flipping in the water until she surfaced again with a jubilant smile. There was a moment of silence and then the recruits burst into enthusiastic applause.
Bellatrix floated out of the lake, landing back on the dock with a small bow. “Let us begin.”
Regulus Black was a devoted recruit. He was. He kept all the newspaper clippings Bellatrix sent him, he followed her instructions even when he felt they were distasteful, he agreed to go to meetings with her and Lucius over his holidays. The only thing standing in his way of becoming a fully fledged Death Eater was these lessons. By all accounts, it was the simplest task he’d been given.
There was only one problem. Regulus Black, for all his dedication to the cause, was a shit swimmer.
So far, that had yet to become an issue. After her demonstration, Bellatrix had set them to work learning the movements on land, and Regulus, to his great surprise, found them fairly simple. Next to him, Snape seemed to be having more difficulty; Bellatrix stood behind him, commenting on his form.
“Fold forwards, Severus, and raise your hips.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Snape scowl as he attempted the movement again.
“Severus, for the love of Salazar, point your toes. Watch Regulus, he’s managed it perfectly.” Snape’s scowl deepened. Regulus raised his eyebrows and folded into a perfect lift, making sure to point his toes.
“Your turn,” he said. Snape, now wearing an expression bordering on murderous, performed the movement for a third time, but Bellatrix didn’t appear to have noticed. Her attention had caught on the other end of the dock, where Tatiana and Joseph were currently attempting to pull Marcus out of the lake.
“Circe’s sake,” she muttered, drawing her wand. “I told him not to put so much back into it.” A large fountain erupted underneath Marcus, lifting him out of the lake and dropping him onto the dock, dripping wet. Ignoring his coughing, she strode to the end of the dock, clapping her hands once. The recruits sat up straighter, waiting for her next instruction.
“I believe it is time to demonstrate what you have learned. The Dark Lord has graciously provided swimming costumes for each of you, along with nose clips and caps.” Regulus tuned out the rest of her words, dread curdling in his stomach. He may have been able to manage the movements on land, but he felt nowhere near prepared to attempt them in the lake. Around him, the others seemed to feel similarly. Snape had turned faintly green and Evan was making no attempt to hide his skepticism.
“She’s mad if she thinks this is going to end well.” Regulus didn’t bother responding. Bellatrix’s madness was currently on its way over to their corner of the dock, cradling a large pile of green fabric, and there was little to be gained by confirming the obvious. She stopped in front of them, smiling in a way that only served to increase the doubts cast on her sanity.
“I’m not wearing that,” Evan said flatly, eyeing the pile with great distaste. “That’s atrocious.” Regulus was inclined to agree. The suits Bellatrix held were a monstrosity. Green, silver, and sequined, they glittered menacingly in the morning sunlight.
Bellatrix pursed her lips. “The Dark Lord selected these costumes personally. Any complaints you have can be taken up with him.” Sighing, Evan reached out and grabbed one off the top of the pile.
“Did I say atrocious? I meant superb. Come on, Reg, let's get changed.”
An hour later, the recruits stood shivering in the lake decked out in their new swimming attire. Regulus’s fear of swimming had paled in comparison to the fear of someone coming across him dressed like this; at this point, he was almost looking forward to being completely submerged. That was, until Bellatrix began describing the move they were going to learn next.
“A lift involves one swimmer, a flyer, being raised above the surface of the water. I shall demonstrate the techniques behind the lift and then assist as you recreate it.” Her maniacal smile was back. Regulus had known his cousin took joy in many strange things, the Cruciatus curse being one, but artistic swimming seemed to bring her passion to an entirely new level. “To create a base, four swimmers will fold their arms into a step, like so.” Bellatrix folded her arms perpendicular to her chest. “The flyer steps into the base and then the four beneath push upwards. Simple, yes?” Regulus nodded with the rest, attempting to push back his panic. He’d hoped Bellatrix would start with something simple, perhaps an example of how to stay afloat. Considering Marcus had already nearly drowned, it seemed the logical thing to do.
But then, Bellatrix could hardly be described as logical. She swam out to deeper waters, gesturing for them to follow. Joseph, Snape, and Tatiana took the lead while Regulus, Evan, and Marcus followed more cautiously.
Once they all caught up, Bellatrix continued her instructions. Regulus kept behind Evan and Marcus, focusing entirely on treading water and praying to Merlin he wouldn’t be asked to participate.
Merlin, apparently, had better things to do than listen to him.
“Regulus, come over here, you’ll be the flyer. Tatiana, Marcus, Evan. You will provide the base with me. Lift Regulus the way I demonstrated. As soon as his ankles are above water, push upwards and let go. Regulus, simply twist and dive. Keep your head pointed down. After the lift, we all move into the figures you practised earlier.” Sharing a panicked look with Evan, he paddled over next to Bellatrix. The flyer. It was possible Merlin had it out for him. And Bellatrix really was mad. She proved it further with a wave of her wand. Music poured into the air, pounding along with his racing heartbeat. Bellatrix closed her eyes, euphoric, and tilted her head back to the sky.
“Ready swimmers? On my count.” Regulus was not in any way ready. A glance at the others confirmed his worst fears; they looked no more prepared than he felt. Bellatrix, floating serenely with her eyes still closed, didn’t bother waiting for a response before counting them off. “Five, six, seven, eight.”
Tatiana and Evan dove to his right, Marcus and Bellatrix to his left. Regulus waited three more beats before stepping into their hands, hoping beyond hope that he would manage the jump. The next beat hit and the swimmers underneath him lifted him up.
The music crescendoed as he rose out of the water. When it reached its peak, Regulus took a deep breath and leapt. Twisting in midair, he pointed his head down, exactly as Bellatrix had instructed. Sunlight danced off the sequins on his costume. For a moment, giddy with his success, he forgot what was coming next.
His head hit the water just before he remembered to close his mouth. Muddy lake water flooded into his throat, choking him. Gagging, he wheeled his arms, but it was no use; he continued to sink. Regulus flailed his legs, desperate to get back to the surface. The music faded away; all he could hear was his own beating heart and the faint splashing of his teammates above him as they continued the routine.
Merlin. He was going to drown in the Great Lake while doing artistic swimming for the Dark Lord. He choked again, inhaling even more water. His brother would have a field day if he died like this. That thought, more than any other, spurred him into action. He kicked out, hard, and felt his foot connect with something solid. Pushing against it, he managed to get his head above water again. Caught up as he was with the relief of oxygen, it took him a moment to realize the music had stopped. The rest of the recruits were still, staring in shock at something next to him. Heart sinking in his chest, he turned, gaze landing on Bellatrix, who wore an expression of fury, blood pouring from her nose.
He’d kicked Bellatrix in the face. Suddenly, drowning sounded a lot more appealing.
Severus returned to the castle that afternoon in significantly lower spirits than he had left it. Black’s mutilation of his cousin had resulted in an early end to the lesson - Bellatrix hadn’t punished him, an overt display of favouritism, but her patience had clearly reached its limits. There had been no guarantee of a follow up lesson either. Not that he particularly wanted one; team sports weren’t his forte and judging by the abysmal performance of the other recruits, they would only hold him back.
To add insult to injury, he’d overheard Potter talking to Lily in the Entrance Hall. He was going on about some seaside cottage his parents owned, clearly hoping that Lily would come to stay with him there over the Easter holidays. He had thought Lily far too clever to fall for such obvious bribery, and while at first she seemed hesitant, once Potter mentioned the idea of swimming lessons, she sounded far more amenable to the idea. No matter. With any luck, Potter would get lost at sea and Lily would have to turn elsewhere for her lessons.
Cheered by that thought, Severus decided to continue practising artistic swimming on his own. It was best to be prepared, after all. And it really was excellent for core strength.