Megalomania

"As I stand before you, I am no ordinary man. Right here, in front of your very own eyes, stands a God. My brothers, I am here to bring our world out of corruption and despair; out of this appalling era when heritage means nothing. To allow these trying times to continue would be a mistake on the part of everyone who sat back and did nothing whilst those of dirty blood are being propped up by the Ministry as the future of our people. The Ministry of Magic has been corrupted. They are no longer suitable to govern those who rightfully live in our world, having done so with their families for centuries. You are the wizards and witches that truly matter; you are the future. Unless, of course, you do not see it advantageous to help in this crusade against those of lesser worth. If you are the sort of person that feels that action is best left for those with less to lose, leave now. You are worthless to this world where there can only be two sides - right and wrong - and we are in the right. Never forget that.

"You are the men and women that will become heroes when all is said and done. Together, we will be legends among our people; the ones that stood up to the injustices committed by those in power. Not everyone will understand, at first, that what we say is what must be done. They will think us foolish, fighting a war against those that claim to be our own kind. You and I know better than to believe the lies fed to us every day by the Ministry. With our knowledge, our desires, our drive, we will triumph in this Great War of our time. But this is only if those of you here tonight are prepared to sacrifice for what you know deep down in your heart is right. We cannot allow this to continue any longer. I cannot complete this task alone, and so I call to you. I ask, I beg you, as my equals, to join in and shatter and destroy the delusional fools that govern your fellow Wizards. Join with me, and we shall set in motion such a flurry of events that none who oppose us shall live without fear."

The intent, eager silence that had hung like a dense cloud over the room suddenly dissipated, replaced with thunderous applause. Many of the younger men had gotten to their feet, giving their future Lord a perverse sort of ovation. Amidst the crowd was the same impressionable young boy who had doubted the abilities of Voldemort only minutes before he had entered the dingy, badly lit back room of a pub where the meeting was being held. He, too, stood. The moment the man had first spoken, Barty had become enraptured. The passionate rises and falls in Lord Voldemort's tone were hypnotic, stirring a zeal that rivaled his own in those that shared his ideas. From the looks on the faces of the people that surrounded him, Barty could tell that there wasn't a soul in the room that wouldn't pledge himself to Voldemort right then and there.

"Please, sit down," Voldermort said, his expression one of feigning modesty, "Please. I am merely the man with the ideas. Applaud yourselves, for it is you that will bring our great plans into fruition. It is good to see that there is some hope left for our world, represented by each and every one of you. So many reputable families are represented here; no longer can it be disputed that the old ways are dead. My conscience is reminding me that some of you may be unaware of the implications of joining with me. You will be the elite, my Death Eaters. Your names will be sworn to secrecy, but you will be sworn to me. As your fearless leader, I will guide you through many tasks that most would fear to do. If you are of the faint of heart or too cowardly to take risks, leave now and you will face no punishment. Join with me and then decide to back out and you will not enjoy the consequences. As a group acting against common belief, we must have complete secrecy. Now is the time for you to make your choice. Become a Death Eater, fight for what is right, or go crawl back into your holes, protected by the safety of society."

"How do we know if we can trust you?" a voice piped up, from deep within the crowd.

"Yeah! Who are you anyways?"

A murmur of consent traveled through the room. Some of the unquestioning devotion to the newly found cause had obviously begun to die down, allowing logic to take its course. What a dumb idea it had been, to even consider blindly following some mysterious man to certain death. Barty shook his head in an attempt to clear it of the nonsense he had just heard. How had he allowed himself to be so easily persuaded? He was known for his stubbornness among his peers; when it came down to one man who used a few convincing words, he completely let his guard down. Never before had he heard a speech so eloquently calculated; not a syllable was wasted. For someone he knew so little about, Barty was more than willing to sacrifice his life for his cause. He could destroy his father's work aiding the Mudbloods and set things back to how they should be. Was the amount of bloodshed that would inevitably be required worth the means? Any good prince familiar with Machiavelli's works would say that yes, indeed, it was. For the first time in a very long time, Barty found himself questioning whether or not he was making the right decision.

"To answer your question would be very generous of me, indeed," Voldemort spoke again, causing the murmur to immediately die down. "And, as my intentions are to create an army of my equals, I will indulge a bit of my past to you. I have witnessed first-hand the travesty that is the Muggle way of life. I was raised by Muggles, in an orphanage, after the loss of my mother. I never knew her, but once I was enlightened of my place in the world as a Wizard, I traced back her line that of Salazar Slytherin himself. My father, on the other hand, was a filthy Muggle after whom I was named. I have erased any trace of that man, though, and have risen above my less than noble heritage in order to achieve what great Slytherin himself had started, all those years ago.

"Now, it is my turn to ask the questions. Are you prepared to join with the man who represents everything your ancestors worked for as members of the Knights of Walpurgis? If the answer is yes, step forward and fulfill your destiny. Become a Death Eater."