Amycus and Alecto Carrow were a pair of Death Eater siblings from an "ancient and noble pure-blood house"—the Carrow family; though in recent years, the family had steadily declined.
Amycus, the older brother, was a stocky man with a crooked mouth, while his sister Alecto was a small woman with narrow shoulders. Both had a slight hunch, pale and unpleasant faces, and tiny, bead-like eyes.
During the First Wizarding War more than a decade ago, the Carrow siblings served the Dark Lord alongside their father, Acacius Carrow. But in October of 1981, the Dark Lord unexpectedly fell... Old Carrow was killed by an Auror during a chase, and the siblings spent every Galleon they had in Gringotts—and even fell into heavy debt with the goblins—just to avoid being sent to Azkaban.
After that, the siblings lived in harsh poverty for more than a decade.
They sold off their silver, dismissed their house-elf, and in the end even mortgaged their estate to the goblins... Hiding away in a small shop in Knockturn Alley, they worked just to survive, worn down day after day...
Until two months ago... Mr. Borgin of Borgin and Burkes quietly brought them some thrilling news: "The Dark Lord has returned!"
To be honest, the Carrow siblings had actually heard this rumor ten months earlier... but they dismissed it as a joke. How could the Dark Lord possibly return after disappearing for more than ten years?
But Borgin and Burkes' information was always reliable, and they never lied... Half doubtful, half hopeful, the Carrows followed Burke to Malfoy Manor.
There, at Malfoy Manor, they really did see the Dark Lord... He looked stronger than he had more than a decade ago. He praised the loyalty of the Carrow siblings (or more accurately, that of their father).
At the same time, the Dark Lord ordered the siblings to keep a low profile and wait for further commands. He promised that before long he would rule the wizarding world, and all noble pure-blood families would regain their former glory.
With dreams of a brighter future, the Carrow siblings returned to Knockturn Alley... until three days ago, when they received the Dark Lord's new orders.
This time, the meeting wasn't at Malfoy Manor, but in a remote Muggle house... The Dark Lord looked frail and refused to show himself fully to the siblings.
Still, he entrusted them with an important mission: travel to a village called Great Hangleton and locate a decrepit cottage... The place was overgrown with nettles, and a dead snake was nailed to the door.
The Dark Lord ordered them to find a ring inside the cottage, engraved with the "Peverell Crest" (though it was actually the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, something Voldemort did not know).
He assured them that once they returned with the ring... they would receive unmatched honor and countless rewards, and the Carrow family would be restored to glory.
...
To Amycus, the task seemed almost laughably simple.
Find the shack, take the ring... Although the ring was surrounded by several dangerous dark spells, the Dark Lord had already explained how to break them.
Alecto sensed something felt off, but she couldn't refuse the Dark Lord's gift either.
The siblings set off quickly...
Everything went smoothly. After a few hours of travel, they reached their destination just before nightfall.
It was a wooden shack even more dilapidated than they had expected, with missing roof tiles revealing the rafters beneath... A dead snake, twisted into an S-shape, was nailed to the door.
"Come on!" Amycus Carrow rushed forward, excitement all over his face.
"Careful, brother!" Alecto caught up to him, warning, "Don't forget the spells the Dark Lord mentioned... One mistake and we'll die here..."
"I know that!" Amycus replied impatiently. "Hurry! Once we get that ring... we'll be the Dark Lord's new favorites. Ever since the Malfoys were sent to Azkaban, he's been desperate for new loyal followers..."
As he spoke, he stretched his hand eagerly toward the door.
However, he never managed to touch it... When his hand was still a foot away from the knob, two golden ropes suddenly shot out from the bushes on both sides.
Before Amycus Carrow could react, the ropes had already coiled around him and began to tighten.
"Damn it, it's an Anti-unlocking Charm!" the Death Eater shouted in fright.
Once caught by one of these, an ordinary wizard had no chance of escape.
Alecto Carrow immediately sensed danger and turned to run—
But a battle-scarred Auror stepped into her path, leaning heavily on a thick cane, his deep blue magical eye sweeping the area.
"No one else!" Alastor Moody barked. "Take them!"
A dozen red beams shot in from all directions... Most struck Alecto, and she collapsed unconscious.
...
"Amycus and Alecto Carrow!" Mad-Eye Moody panted as he lifted the Death Eaters' masks. "I knew they had to be Death Eaters fifteen years ago... Damn Fudge for vouching for them!"
"You look like you need rest, Alastor," said an Auror standing behind Moody. "Leave the rest to us..."
"Yeah!" several Aurors chimed in.
Moody's magical eye kept sweeping the surroundings. Judging from his expression, he clearly didn't trust these Aurors, but he said nothing.
He sat down on a green stone slab, watching as the Aurors tied up the Carrow siblings, preparing to take them to the Ministry for interrogation.
"That makes the sixth and seventh this week!" said Gawain Robards, the Auror who had spoken earlier, shaking his head. "What is hidden in that shack... Every Death Eater charges in like an idiot, and we catch or stun them without any effort at all!"
"I don't know!" Moody replied. "But this is the first time in my life that capturing Death Eaters has been this easy... All we have to do is sit here and wait for them to walk right into our trap!"
"Should we go inside and take a look?" a young Auror asked curiously.
"If you want to die, go ahead," Mad-Eye said coldly. "Dumbledore warned us repeatedly—there's terrifying dark magic inside!"
"Then why do the Death Eaters keep rushing in?" the young Auror muttered, letting go of the idea.
"Dumbledore told me he'll arrive with a friend in a few hours," Moody said calmly.
"Then we should stay hidden..." Gawain Robards suggested. "We might catch another one or two before he gets here."
"Good idea!"
The Aurors hid themselves among the bushes or cast Disillusionment Charms...
The area around the Gaunt Shack returned to its usual silence.