Disclaimer: I by no means own any of these characters, the majority of them are J.K Rowling's.

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Chapter 1: Running into Trouble

Justine ran screaming like the howling wind. He was going to get her, she could feel it, because her heart was beating erratically and she could feel her breath catch in her throat as she continued to run. She had to keep running, because if she did then there was no way he would get her. It didn't matter that her lungs were screaming for mercy, or that her sides were burning like fire. It was if she stopped that she knew she would be captured. Captured, and then what? She didn't want to think about the consequences of her mistake. She should have never looked down that alleyway, never should have gasped when she saw a man standing there looking right at her, because now that she had there was only danger chasing behind her. And Justine knew that no matter who she was or where she came from, that man wasn't going to care.

As Justine ran, she thought about that man. In the little glimpse of him that she saw, she could tell that he had long blond hair, almost white, and while he resembled a street person in the way he was clothed, his figure was by no means unkempt. She had seen his lip curl into a sneer as he reached out for her from the alley, but she had moved out of his reach and had started to run.

The running was taking a toll on her now, she had to admit to herself, as she started to unintentionally slow down. She had run almost five kilometres and she still hadn't found a single store open, nor any safe-looking house to run up to. Justine had no clue where she was, and all she knew was that she would have to stop soon. She just hoped that when she stopped she wouldn't feel a grip on her arm, or see anyone chasing her. She was in relatively good shape, and the adrenaline rushing through her veins had given her the additional energy to make it this far at a considerably fast pace.

She cursed herself for having left the bar so late. She had thought that her day couldn't get any worse after she had realized she had been stood up by her current boyfriend, William Eckleburt III, who had an impressive name but lacked any charm to go with it. She was supposed to have met him at the bar, but he never showed up, so she had spent the night ordering glass after glass of something-or-the-other, until she had realized that it was three in the morning. When she had stumbled out of the bar, Justine had known that the bus terminal was to her right, but she had been uncertain as to its exact location.

She was uncertain as to her location now, as well. Up ahead, she could see a large park with tall dark trees. She shuddered and knew that she wanted to avoid it for sure. Going into the park would mean more danger, because there were no lamp posts inside, and Justine wanted to avoid bringing any more danger upon herself if she could. More darkness certainly would not help her situation.

To her left was an extremely tall mansion, although it was hardly impressive. There was an eerie mist surrounding it, and Justine could tell that it was deserted. The front drive was overgrown and the gate, which had once stood proud to keep out unwanted visitors, now had pieces broken off where the neighbourhood boys had vandalized it. It had been a beautiful house in its time, Justine could tell, but now it lay in shambles with shutters falling off and its royal blue paint faded and peeling.

To her right, Justine was relieved to see a building with lights on. She walked up to the apartment entrance, and opened the door into a stately room. At the far end was a large office, and Justine could see a man working behind the glassless window, his back turned to her. She was still trying to catch her breath after that horrifically long sprint, and so she took her time getting to the front desk. The man behind the desk didn't seem to hear her as she approached, so she pressed the service bell.

"Name?' the man inquired, his back still turned. His voice had a particular lazy drawl to it, but it was also a voice that Justine didn't trust. Still, he was an employee and this was her only chance at an escape from that man outside.

"J-j-justine McCarthy", she stammered unintentionally. She was both frightened and annoyed by her stuttering. She knew that she wouldn't be stuttering unless subconsciously she knew this man was evil, so she tried to tell herself that no matter how bad he might be, the man outside was worse.

"And what might a young lady such as yourself be doing so late at night on the street? That's certainly not a place for a beautiful girl like yourself."

"How…how do you know how old I am?" Justine was even more frightened now. "How do you know if I'm even beautiful? You haven't turned around yet!"

The man slowly pushed his chair backwards. As he did so, it made a terrible screeching sound that sent a shudder down Justine's spine. As the man came towards her, she could see that she had made a terrible mistake by coming into this apartment building. Because no matter how terrible the mansion had to be at night, this apartment building would be worse.

The man standing behind the counter had long blond hair, wore long robes, and had a cold lip-curling sneer. She was staring at the same man who she had seen in the alleyway, and even though she didn't understand how he had gotten to this apartment before she had, how he wasn't even out of breath, she could tell it was him.

Lucius Malfoy took one appreciative look at Justine before pulling out his wand and, as she opened her eyes wide and started to let out a blood-curdling scream, he sent a Stunning spell at her. She collapsed on the floor.

He stepped around the counter, and looked down at his victim. Damn, she was pretty.