“What were you doing with her?” Pansy asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I had sex with her,” Draco said, his gaze shifting to Ginny.
“Oh, that’s great.” Ginny shook her head, narrowing her eyes at him. “I tell you I don’t want to be with you, you shag the first girl you see, and she ends up dead. Do you know what this means?”
“Besides the fact that you’re jealous,” he snapped, “I know exactly what it means, Weasley.”
Ginny opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it. She sat down on the couch and waited as Pansy joined her momentarily. Both of them stared at Draco, who seemed rather calm about this whole situation.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Pansy said, glaring at him. “This is serious and you’re just standing around here like it’s nothing.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Draco asked, his voice low. “They’re going to think I killed her.” He slumped into the chair across the room and placed his head in his hands.
“Did you?”
He looked up, eyed Ginny, and shook his head.
“That’s a stupid question,” Draco snarled. “You’d only ask it if you thought I was guilty.”
Pansy stood and put her hand out. “Alright, stop it. Draco, you know she didn’t mean it that way, and Ginny, why would you even think that?”
“I only asked to make sure,” Ginny said.
Of course she thought he was a killer. Why wouldn’t she? Everyone had just assumed after he joined ranks with the Death Eaters in his last year at Hogwarts that he would be like his father – taking lives because it was fun.
“You’re being a really bitch, know that?” Draco glared at the redhead, stood, then looked at Pansy. “I need to get out of here. I’m sorry.”
He didn’t hear either of their replies as he Apparated from the flat.
____
He didn’t know anything about her except her name. He had seen her on the news. He vaguely wondered what others thought of the situation, or would when they found out he had been the last to see her alive. People could talk about him behind his back, it didn’t bother him.
The only thing that bothered him was that she thought enough about it to question him.
Draco was still angry half an hour later when he walked into a pub, only to find the TVs on. The broadcast seemed to be the only thing people showed today. He looked up at the screen to see her face flash across it and felt his stomach twist painfully.
He was completely transfixed on the screen before someone bumped into him and he shook his head. He turned to tell them to watch where they were going but stopped.
“What are you doing here?”
Blaise smiled and held up a mug full of beer.
“Drinking,” he said. “Care to join me?”
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He frowned.
“How come? Afraid you’re going to go screw some broad?” Blaise smirked and draped an arm across his friend’s shoulders.
“Have you been watching the news?” Draco asked offhandedly as they went to sit in a dark corner.
Blaise leaned back before answering. “Of course I have. Doesn’t it make you sick that some bastard is running around murdering redheads?”
“It was only one,” Draco pointed out.
“You think he’s going to stop at one?” Blaise asked. “How many redheads do you think are in this town alone? You’re worried about her.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Draco said.
“You don’t want to play dumb with me, Malfoy. I see right through you.”
Draco bit the inside of his cheek. “You don’t understand.”
Blaise laughed. “I don’t understand what you’re feeling? Remember Luna?”
Draco blinked at him. “What the hell are you on about?”
“You love her like I loved Luna.”
“I shagged her. That was it. What you had with Lovegood was unnatural.”
“It was just a shag?” Blaise leaned forward, holding his mug with both hands. “Well, if you don’t want her, I might take her for myself.”
“No.”
No?” Blaise’s lips stretched into a smirk. “You don’t sound too sure. I wonder why that is.”
“She was a good lay, that’s all.” Draco glared at him. “Satisfied?”
“Not nearly,” Blaise muttered and drained his mug.
“That woman who was killed – do they have suspects?”
Blaise looked at him and shook his head. “As far as I know, they don’t. All it is now is what you keep seeing.”
“I’m just worried—”
“He’s not going to get her, Draco. How about when you’re at work, I tail her? We can keep her safe then.”
Draco nodded.
That seemed like the best idea so far. He wondered if she ever found out how she would react. She would probably be angry at first.
It would be for her protection.
“I can go watch her flat now if you want,” Blaise offered.
“It’s late,” Draco replied. “She’s probably asleep.”
“Then she’ll never know I was there.”
____
My hands were warm as I placed them around her neck and squeezed. I watched her eyes widen in terror as she reached up to tug my fingers from her throat. I was leaning on her lower body so that she couldn’t move her legs. She thrashed under me, her face ashen as the light hit her.
I bent his head forward and touched my lips to her ear. “This is the only way,” I whispered.
All of her red hair fell in waves down to my elbows. I released one of my hands to stroke a strand. When her movements slowed, I looked down at her. At her lifeless body. At her big, green eyes staring up at me, unblinking.
I brushed my lips against hers as I stood, covered my tracks with a flick of my wrist, and left the alleyway.
She had been a good person once, I figured, but so had I.
This was my revenge.
They were all going to suffer and die by my hands and no one would be the wiser. No one would suspect me.
This was the only way to fix things.
“I had sex with her,” Draco said, his gaze shifting to Ginny.
“Oh, that’s great.” Ginny shook her head, narrowing her eyes at him. “I tell you I don’t want to be with you, you shag the first girl you see, and she ends up dead. Do you know what this means?”
“Besides the fact that you’re jealous,” he snapped, “I know exactly what it means, Weasley.”
Ginny opened her mouth to say something but quickly shut it. She sat down on the couch and waited as Pansy joined her momentarily. Both of them stared at Draco, who seemed rather calm about this whole situation.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Pansy said, glaring at him. “This is serious and you’re just standing around here like it’s nothing.”
“What am I supposed to do?” Draco asked, his voice low. “They’re going to think I killed her.” He slumped into the chair across the room and placed his head in his hands.
“Did you?”
He looked up, eyed Ginny, and shook his head.
“That’s a stupid question,” Draco snarled. “You’d only ask it if you thought I was guilty.”
Pansy stood and put her hand out. “Alright, stop it. Draco, you know she didn’t mean it that way, and Ginny, why would you even think that?”
“I only asked to make sure,” Ginny said.
Of course she thought he was a killer. Why wouldn’t she? Everyone had just assumed after he joined ranks with the Death Eaters in his last year at Hogwarts that he would be like his father – taking lives because it was fun.
“You’re being a really bitch, know that?” Draco glared at the redhead, stood, then looked at Pansy. “I need to get out of here. I’m sorry.”
He didn’t hear either of their replies as he Apparated from the flat.
He didn’t know anything about her except her name. He had seen her on the news. He vaguely wondered what others thought of the situation, or would when they found out he had been the last to see her alive. People could talk about him behind his back, it didn’t bother him.
The only thing that bothered him was that she thought enough about it to question him.
Draco was still angry half an hour later when he walked into a pub, only to find the TVs on. The broadcast seemed to be the only thing people showed today. He looked up at the screen to see her face flash across it and felt his stomach twist painfully.
He was completely transfixed on the screen before someone bumped into him and he shook his head. He turned to tell them to watch where they were going but stopped.
“What are you doing here?”
Blaise smiled and held up a mug full of beer.
“Drinking,” he said. “Care to join me?”
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He frowned.
“How come? Afraid you’re going to go screw some broad?” Blaise smirked and draped an arm across his friend’s shoulders.
“Have you been watching the news?” Draco asked offhandedly as they went to sit in a dark corner.
Blaise leaned back before answering. “Of course I have. Doesn’t it make you sick that some bastard is running around murdering redheads?”
“It was only one,” Draco pointed out.
“You think he’s going to stop at one?” Blaise asked. “How many redheads do you think are in this town alone? You’re worried about her.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Draco said.
“You don’t want to play dumb with me, Malfoy. I see right through you.”
Draco bit the inside of his cheek. “You don’t understand.”
Blaise laughed. “I don’t understand what you’re feeling? Remember Luna?”
Draco blinked at him. “What the hell are you on about?”
“You love her like I loved Luna.”
“I shagged her. That was it. What you had with Lovegood was unnatural.”
“It was just a shag?” Blaise leaned forward, holding his mug with both hands. “Well, if you don’t want her, I might take her for myself.”
“No.”
No?” Blaise’s lips stretched into a smirk. “You don’t sound too sure. I wonder why that is.”
“She was a good lay, that’s all.” Draco glared at him. “Satisfied?”
“Not nearly,” Blaise muttered and drained his mug.
“That woman who was killed – do they have suspects?”
Blaise looked at him and shook his head. “As far as I know, they don’t. All it is now is what you keep seeing.”
“I’m just worried—”
“He’s not going to get her, Draco. How about when you’re at work, I tail her? We can keep her safe then.”
Draco nodded.
That seemed like the best idea so far. He wondered if she ever found out how she would react. She would probably be angry at first.
It would be for her protection.
“I can go watch her flat now if you want,” Blaise offered.
“It’s late,” Draco replied. “She’s probably asleep.”
“Then she’ll never know I was there.”
My hands were warm as I placed them around her neck and squeezed. I watched her eyes widen in terror as she reached up to tug my fingers from her throat. I was leaning on her lower body so that she couldn’t move her legs. She thrashed under me, her face ashen as the light hit her.
I bent his head forward and touched my lips to her ear. “This is the only way,” I whispered.
All of her red hair fell in waves down to my elbows. I released one of my hands to stroke a strand. When her movements slowed, I looked down at her. At her lifeless body. At her big, green eyes staring up at me, unblinking.
I brushed my lips against hers as I stood, covered my tracks with a flick of my wrist, and left the alleyway.
She had been a good person once, I figured, but so had I.
This was my revenge.
They were all going to suffer and die by my hands and no one would be the wiser. No one would suspect me.
This was the only way to fix things.
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