Note: Mentions of murder, Modern/Muggle!AU

I would also like to say that I looked up some things about the events and what happens in the story, and I twisted it a bit for the story itself. I was going for a bit of a humorous Desperate Housewives vibe to the hint of murder so, hope it worked :P

My name's Tracey Davis Flint, and I was a housewife. My husband Marcus and I moved to Little Hangleton, one of the more prestige and elite neighbourhoods, a little over a year ago. Since then, we'd met some people of the peculiar sort, some we considered friends.

The first one I met was Pansy Parkinson. She was single, but it was clear she had eyes on our other neighbour Ginny Weasley. Ginny had branched away from her large family, saying she wanted to find herself as a professional athlete without her name being associated with her family. Given the many professions I'd heard from the name Weasley, I can understand her requests.

After those two, I met Luna Nott. She was married to Theodore, a broker in a firm. Luna was a bit peculiar; she liked to clip odd items in her hair. But she was sweet and very intelligent, never afraid to be blunt about something.

Millicent Goyle was the toughest out of the bunch of women I had met in the neighbourhood. She was strong, much like her husband Gregory—who preferred to be called Greg—and they owned a gym in town. Despite the tough demeanour, Millicent was very funny.

The last woman I became close to in Little Hangleton was Astoria Malfoy. Her husband Draco worked with Theodore at the broker firm. Astoria was the princess of the group. She was graceful and spoiled, getting whatever she wanted from Draco. At least the spoiled part of her nature didn't come with the nasty attitude—to the group anyway.

All my other neighbours were pretty quiet or pleasant. Though there's that creepy Umbridge lady with all the cats always smiling and waving from her porch. Something about she would talk to her cats was unsettling...anyway, I guess I could say that things in Little Hangleton have been nice and peaceful.

Yet there I was, lying on the ground lifeless in a not so nice and peaceful way. My arms were sprawled on either side of me while an empty cup laid next to my hand. At least someone had the decency to cover the lower half of my body with a blanket—I was wearing a scarlet sundress that stopped above the knee. No one should see beyond that.

Though…someone decided that they had the right to kill me today. It happened at a baby shower no less! The rotten bugger.

1 hour earlier…

I walked alongside Marcus down the stoned path to our friend's backyard. It was aligned perfectly with the trimmed hedges and tan painted the wall of the house. I held a basket of baby goodies in my arms.

The baby shower was meant to be for the women only, sipping tea and showering Astoria with gifts like the other mothers in the Greengrass line; however, Draco and Astoria both decided that 'defying tradition' would be fitting for the miracle of her having twins—Astoria's words, not mine. Also, according to Astoria, neither the Malfoys or Greengrass' were thrilled about the change, so they decided they would have a more private gathering after this one at Malfoy Manor.

I didn't mind defying the family traditions occasionally. The last time I did so was when I married Marcus—he wasn't to the Davis standards apparently—so I think I'm due for some defying. Call me immature, but you try being succumbed to privileged circles your whole life. Rules could and should be broken sometimes, you know.

I was so lost in my 'defying the parents' thoughts that I didn't realize Draco and Astoria had opened the gates to let us in. Hearing Draco greeting Marcus brought me back to reality and gave me the opportunity to see the decor.

The backyard was large, decorated in columns connected by pale green and silver ribbons with white balloons attached to them. The other neighbours in the neighbourhood were present for the occasion—Umbridge wasn't there, thank God—and I saw Astoria's sister talking to the Zabini man from the house at the end of the road. I'm a married woman, and that's all I needed to know.

Various tables were set up with white table sheets lined in green, multiple treats, drinks, and wrapped gifts filled up most of them. In the centre of the yard next to a rose garden was a table with the phrase 'The Babies Are Coming' written on a banner hanging on the front of it and a diaper cake set on top of it. Given the two chairs behind it, it wasn't hard to figure out that Draco and Astoria were sitting there.

"We're so happy you could make it," Astoria said to me, rubbing her stomach while Draco jerked his head in another direction.

"Marcus and I are going to have a little chat with the other guys while you ladies can go gossip about us behind our backs," Draco drawled. He kissed Astoria's hair and stepped away from Tracey and Astoria. "Let's go, mate."

Marcus kissed my cheek and walked off with Draco. Astoria snorted lightly when the men were a good distance away.

"As if we would have to gossip behind their backs," she said, "They have a bigger rumour mill than we do."

"Don't I know it," I remarked. "Let's get you seated and a nice drink, yeah?"

"I've been sitting all bloody day thanks to Draco's incessant nagging about the babies," Astoria cried. "Can you believe it? Draco Malfoy nagging to me about a baby? I'm ready to murder him with a wooden spoon."

I laughed and shook my head. "How about just the drink then?"

Astoria adjusted her dress and pointed at one of the tables. "If it's a good drink you want, someone sent us a congratulations basket this morning for the shower. It had a bottle of bubbly inside, though it's not Draco's favourite brand either. So you and the others are welcome to it."

I glanced over at the table Astoria had pointed to then back to the pregnant brunette. "Okay, I'll go grab a cup and be right back."

"Alright," Astoria said. "Though I see Pansy and the others. I'll be with them."

With a nod, we parted ways. I made it to my destination faster than Astoria did, obviously, and when I spotted the bottle mentioned, I noticed that the bottle mentioned hadn't been opened. Lucky me.

I picked it up and examined the label. Legacy was written on the label, and I furrowed my brows in thought. I didn't recognize the brand, but it wouldn't be the first time I was unfamiliar with a brand yet familiar with its taste.

I popped it open, pouring myself a cup and setting the rest back on the table. As I turned around, I spotted Pansy, Ginny, Luna, and Millicent forming a semicircle around Astoria. At the closeness between Pansy and Ginny, arms brushed up against one another, I already knew that someone must have made their move.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I saw someone in my peripherals moving closer to my person than I'd like. I knew it wasn't Marcus because he wouldn't have made me feel uneasy like this person did, and this person had blond hair, not black like Marcus.

His breath was practically on my shoulder, so I turned around to tell the guy to get lost. When I recognized him as Cormac McLaggen the newest addition to the neighbourhood, I really became irritated. This bloke knows who I am and who I'm married to.

"I have this medical condition call Personal Space," I said in a clipped tone. "Symptoms include becoming irritated and punching reflexes, so I'd step away before you're affected."

Cormac placed a hand on his chest, a mockingly hurtful expression. "Ouch," he said, "you wound me."

"Not yet," I replied. "Go find one of the other single women to stalk. I'm not interested."

"One day," Cormac said, starting to walk away slowly. He gave me a lopsided grin and wink as he went.

I gave him a disgusted look in return. "Pig," I muttered before I walked over to the group of ladies surrounding Astoria. I was going to tell Marcus to handle him later after the party was over. No need to ruin Draco and Astoria's happy moment.

I drank from the cup I had in my hand, squeezing into the space between Millicent and Luna.

"I haven't missed one of those baby games have I?" I asked, brow raised at the sight of Astoria wrapped in toilet paper.

Ginny smirked. "No, I just wanted to see Astoria be a mummy in both variations," she explained.

Astoria had a half-hearted scowl on her face. "I didn't have a choice in the matter. Not while this lot surrounded me."

"At least you didn't go through the ceremonies surrounding a mummification," Luna said. "That would have been ghastly for you and the children."

Pansy rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Everyone else would be dead if anyone touched a hair on Tori's head that way. We're only getting away with this because he's off with your husbands."

"Speak for yourself," Millicent gruffed with a sly grin as she cracked her knuckles playfully. "I think I could take Draco on."

I held up a finger before Pansy could retort. "She has a point," I said before pointing at Millicent. "Though, let's not test that theory at our friend's baby shower."

I drank from my cup again as the others laughed and chuckled at my statement. Then the conversation moved from fighting Draco and mummifications to plans about the babies. By the end of the baby conversation, I realized my cup was empty, so I was going to excuse myself to get another refill. I didn't make another step.

It happened so quickly, yet everything moved in slow motion for me. The world was spinning, and my heart was beating rapidly. I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead; my body felt like it was on fire. I tried opening my mouth, but nothing happened. I wasn't sure if I had even opened my mouth. It was like I was being choked from the inside.

Dark blurs that I assumed were the others started to surround me, but it was too late. My balance was gone; I was falling. My last conscious thought was trying to picture Marcus' face. I couldn't leave my love like this, yet I was.

Then the whole 'you're a ghost' thing became very real for me. I was looking at my dead body with others surrounding it.

I heard someone yell, "Grab a sheet!" and felt relieved when my body was covered by a blanket. Marcus hadn't left my side, and I felt my heart breaking at his normally composed expression broken by my sudden death. I'll miss my Mark, but it's not like there was a resurrection stone or necromancer just lying around. There's nothing that can be done about bringing me back.

Someone must have called the authorities because they barged into the backyard, heading in my direction with some crew behind them. A man knelt next to Marcus and me while others started asking the guests questions.

The man by Marcus identified himself as a medical examiner and ruled my death a homicide.

"From the colour of her skin changing, it's safe to say that Mrs. Flint has been poisoned. I don't know from what or how until I get her back to the lab," he said.

There was an uproar from Marcus, Pansy, and Ginny when the authorities started to move my body in a bag. It's not like I could really protest, could I? No, all I could do was watch this unfold with questions swarming in my mind. Who did this? How did they do this? Why did they do this?

I was perfectly fine arriving at the baby shower, so I had to have been poisoned during the party. I'd eaten beforehand to have enough energy for the games, but I did drink something. It had to be in the drink. That's the 'how'; I still needed to know the 'who' and 'why'.

Was it Luna? I always wondered about those radishes she kept in her hair. She said it was something about expression or whatever.

Though it's quite possible that Millicent decided to off me. She certainly has the strength for it; then again, it wasn't blunt force trauma to the head that killed me was it? Someone who knew their poisons did it.

I wouldn't put it past Pansy. She's what society would call a viper when she wanted to get things done; but Ginny would have to be in on the poisoning because when it came to Pansy's schemes, nothing got past the redhead. And she and I have a blast talking about football.

Then there's Astoria, the pregnant woman of the hour. If she killed me at her own baby shower, I'm haunting her and her children. No mercy.

No…none of it makes sense. Why would any of my friends kill me? I couldn't rule out the men either if they put something in my drink, especially Cormac. Truthfully, I'd rather one of them be my killer. I don't want to be the random victim who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Do you know how tragic my legacy would become?

Wait a second…Legacy…the odd label on the bottle of bubbly I poured into my cup. What if I wasn't supposed to be the target? What if someone else was after the legacy: Astoria's unborn children? After all, Astoria and Draco both admitted that it was a gift sent to them.

Obviously, I can't be too sure, but now that the thought's in my head, I'm pissed. I died because someone's an arsehole targeted a pregnant woman?! Idiot. You spiked the one thing a pregnant woman wasn't supposed to drink. And I just had to get a drink, didn't I?

I suppose that's what I get for not caring about unfamiliar alcohol labels. I died because of my own carelessness. I'm not pissed anymore, I'm sad. Damn you, killer!

God, if you're listening while I'm floating in Purgatory, could you let me come back for at least a day or two? Someone in the land of the living needs their arse handed to them before the cops figure it out. Better yet, Marcus should be avenging me, or I'll kill him next.

God, this was all real. Why couldn't I just sit up and laugh this off like the movies? Someone, if you could hear my spectral voice, could you make sure that Marcus puts me in the emerald dress?

And solving my murder would be great too.

A/N: I want to say, I do know who the murderer would be, and maybe you guys have an obvious hint to it ;)

Written for QLFC and HSWW (Challenges and Assignments)

(QLFC) Team: Wigtown Wanderers; Position: Chaser 1; Prompt: Write about a death at a wedding, birthday party or other similarly happy occasion.; Additional Prompts: (object) blanket, (quote) If he's dead I'll kill him. —Chas, Emmerdale. (song) 'Neighbours' - Neighbours theme song

(HSWW) Assignment #5 Healer Studies Task 3: write about someone using poison as a tool for murder

Word Count: 2,460