Everything was Perfect
A/N: I do not own Benjy or anything else you may recognise—full credit to JK Rowling. This fic was written for the lovely Cara (Lenore483), featuring one of her favourite characters. I haven't had it beta'd yet with Quidditch League taking place, but hopefully you all enjoy it nonetheless :) As usual, any reviews are more than welcome and are highly appreciated!
Oh, and the weird sounds below, yeah, they're supposed to be rustling. Um, you'll see :p
"All I'm saying is that you need to be a little more careful."
Benjy rolled his eyes, having heard the same speech from his mother for the last twenty or so minutes. Looking into the large hall mirror, he finished smoothing down the collar of his robes and began patting down his sandy brown hair. It was important that he looked presentable, and it was becoming a little frustrating that the slick potion he had used earlier was not working like it should've. Tonight was the night—he had finally been given a night off from patrols and could spend it as he planned, everything was going to be perfect.
Pushing down a stubborn tuft of hair and sighing as it refused to stay, Benjy turned around. "Alright mum, alright," he said, a cheeky smile forming on his face. Stepping forward, he placed a kiss on his mother's cheek, before turning and opening the front door. "I'll be back in the morning, don't you worry. Now, wish me luck!"
Stepping outside, he gave his mother a wink and turned on his heel. His mother's face—her soft blue eyes watery, her lips mouthing 'make sure you do'—slipped out of view, and the scene changed into a quiet, suburban street.
Benjy took a moment to look around, holding his wand low. His eyes scanned the road before him, taking note of every shape and every shadow. The only sound he could hear over the scattering of leaves in the wind was the garish sound of laughter coming from a nearby open window, where the outline of several Muggles could be scene sitting around a flickering box. Still, he didn't rule them out as a possible threat until another minute of observing them silently, his breath coming out in clouds with the chill of the wind. Moody's voice echoed inside his head, warning him to keep 'constant vigilance.'
Finally, all appearing to be well, Benjy set off down the street at a quick pace, his navy cloak whipping at his heels. Vicki's house was at the end of the road on a cul-de-sac, the largest of the houses. Being surrounded by Muggle neighbours, he had not been able to Apparate directly to her front door, and now—thanks to his mother's constant worrying earlier—he risked being late. It was bad enough as it was that he had forgotten to buy something to present to Vicki's parents for their hospitality, the thought popping into his head as he strode past several well-kept gardens.
Stealing a look around him once more, Benjy walked closer to the right of the footpath, placed his wand in his pocket and casually reached out his hand. He allowed it to trace the length of the wooden fence he was passing for a moment, brushing against several flowers. Then, noting that the Muggles within the house behind it were absent, the cars in the driveway motionless grey mounds, he closed his fist and pulled. Withdrawing his hand, he continued walking, glancing down quickly to see several purple violets within it. Throwing the crushed ones to the ground, he smiled happily. Mission accomplished.
Shhhchhchh.
Or so he thought.
Slowing down slightly, Benjy thought he heard movement behind him, a low rustling of a bush. His heart began beating quickly, fast, unruly pumps. Straining his ears to catch the noise again, he transferred the flowers to his left hand, allowing his right to travel inconspicuously towards his cloak pocket.
Shhhchhchh.
There it was again. His heart still thudding painfully, Benjy swallowed nervously and paused. Then, his wand at the ready, he spun around, expecting to see someone—perhaps an irate Muggle—behind him. The footpath was clear, however, the road looking like a still, black river in the pale moonlight. Nobody was there; even the autumn leaves had settled, the wind no longer twirling them around. Squinting, he directed his gaze to the neat line of fencing he had just passed, noting that it would be a good place for somebody to hide.
Sure enough, a low hedge sticking out rustled again, dark green leaves falling to the ground. His heart gave a painful twinge and he hastily stepped back. Training his wand on the bush, his mind whirred with the possible spells he could use, his hand shaking ever-so-slightly. The leaves on the hedge rustled again, the sound growing louder as whatever—whoever—was inside tried to free itself of its hold.
"Riowww."
Despite himself, Benjy jumped as the eerie noise penetrated his ears and goose-bumps broke out over his skin. Quickly composing himself, he gripped his wand tighter, ready to fight.
The hedge shook again, the foliage trembling, before something heavy fell to the soil below with a loud 'thud'. Then, without warning, a small, black shape shot out between the fence railings, barely missing him as it tore off down the street.
Blinking from where he stood pressed against the fence, away from the hedge, Benjy placed a hand on his chest and willed his heart to slow down. He had dropped his wand as he leapt back in surprised. He was thankful that Moody had not been there, for he surely would've clobbered Benjy around the head for doing so. Finally, when he was sure that he wouldn't need a trip to St Mungo's for a heart attack, he stooped down to retrieve his wand, shaking his head. It had only been a cat; just an ordinary, every-day, house cat.
When had he gotten so panicky? So fearful? Laughing at himself, Benjy raked a hand through his hair and turned to look back at the beast that had caused him such trouble. Large, green, glowing eyes watched him curiously from further up the street, almost as though the cat was mocking him. Benjy wrinkled his nose at it, chuckling again as the cat disappeared into another property and his happiness returned. The truth was, he actually did know why he wasn't feeling so confident, and it had nothing to do with the war raging around him. No, it was Vicki—the only witch to ever make him question if he was truly good enough for her, the only witch to make him break out in a sweat, and the only witch he could ever want.
Taking a deep breath, Benjy marched on, a new determination in his step. He could see her house now, a warm, welcoming light coming from a window and encouraging him to continue. Patting the small box in his pocket, he swallowed. This was it.
Placing the last plate on the table, Vicki stood back and admired her work. Everything looked lovely and clean, from the crisp white tablecloth to the polished silverware neatly lining each plate. In the middle, the centrepiece of yellow roses brightened up the room, their smell not taking away from the delicious waft of meat filtering in from the kitchen next door. She smiled proudly; despite charring the beans and undercooking the potatoes, she had successfully made an entire dinner without her mother's guidance. Everything was perfect, and she was sure Benjy would be pleasantly surprised.
Looking up at the large clock on the wall, her heart jolted. 7.00: her boyfriend would be there at any minute. Hastily whipping off her apron, she made sure there was no more flour on her new, blue dress robes before heading into the living room.
"Mum, dad, are you ready? Benjy will be here soon," she said.
Her father glanced at his watch and shook his head. "At least Benjamin's not tardy," he grumbled, folding up his copy of the Daily Prophet and slowly standing up.
Vicki's mother rolled her eyes and smiled at Vicki reassuringly. "Don't mind him, we'll be there soon," she said.
Vicki smiled back, accustomed to her father's lack of enthusiasm. She knew he liked to pretend to be all tough when it came to her boyfriend—the first thing her father did when he met her boyfriend being holding up a wand to Benjy's face and making him promise to treat her well. Usually, most boys wouldn't have made a second date, much to her chagrin, but Benjy was persistent, and she could tell by the way her father didn't out rightly cringe at the mention of his Benjy's name that his determination impressed him. That, and the fact that her father was now dressed up in new robes with only minimal complaint, ready for a family meal, did Vicki know that Benjy was a keeper in her father's eyes.
Leaving her parents to get up, Vicki walked back into the dining room. Taking out her wand, she muttered a quick "Incendio," and lit the purple candles. Her heart began beating excitedly when she heard a 'pop' outside, followed by what sounded like a male voice—most likely Benjy was reprimanding himself for landing too close to the house again.
"He's here!" she called out.
Her smile growing wider, she snuck over to the window and peeled back the curtain, hoping he would not spot her. Peeking outside, she was somewhat surprised to see that the yard was devoid of anyone. Confused, she walked into the hallway and pulled open the front door cautiously, expecting Benjy, with all his humour, to jump out at her. Light spilled out onto the driveway, revealing nothing out of the ordinary, save perhaps for a few violets that must have been carried there by the wind.
With a frown, she closed the door. Benjy's absence meant that she probably had another minute or so to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, yet she couldn't help but feel that everything was no longer perfect.
'Pop!'
Benjy spun around, his heart leaping to his throat. Muttering "Lumos," he held his wand up high, illuminating the space in front of him. Just as before, no one was there, not even a cat. He was imagining things again. Letting out a sigh of relief and wiping his clammy hands on his robes, he turned back, eager to see Vicki. The sooner he got inside, the more relaxed he would be.
"Nox—" before he could extinguish the light, the spell died in his throat. Before him, a silver mask glinted menacingly in his wand light, another wand pointed directly at his chest.
"Well, well, well. About time you showed up, Fenwick," a raspy voice said gleefully from behind the mask.
The hairs on the back of Benjy's neck stood up, his legs turning to lead. A million spells came to his lips, yet no sound would come out of his mouth, his throat having dried up. His hand began to shake causing him to drop the flowers in his left hand, his heart promising to burst through his chest. His mind was numb, save for the one thought that continued flitting through it—Vicki.
The Death Eater before him tilted his head in amusement. "Come on, it's your lucky day," he said, striding forward.
Before Benjy could even jolt his mind into action, or force his body into performing anything he had learnt in the three years of training he had, the Death Eater linked arms with him and he was sent spinning into a world of darkness.
Tonight was most definitely not perfect.