((A/N: Wow. My second Harry Potter fanfic. As usual, a Draco and Ginny fic. I was struck with the inspiration for this when I was getting dressed for skool this morning. O.o It's in the future when Voldemort is in power. Mwahahahhaha. Our favorite kiddies are young adults now. Like, in their late teens. This should be fun. Started: April 30th, 2003. Dur. Enjoy!))

..::My Atonement::..

.P.r.o.l.o.u.g.e

It was a dark night. Perfect. The fool had no idea what was going to happen.

When it did occur to him, however, it was far too late.

It was a cool summer night. That summer had been rather chilly. Justin Finch-Fletchley walked down a quiet street, lit with a blue hue from the moonlight. It had recently rained, and everything shone damply.   Justin felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he kept looking over his shoulder. "Bloody town. It's always so quiet this time of night," he muttered, drawing his cloak about himself tighter.

The clouds were moving swiftly, and they often covered the moon. Justin cursed again and took a turn down an alley.

He had spent the day trying to figure out what, or rather, who in bloody hell had caused the death of Cornelius Fudge. The Minister of Magic was found dead, murdered, in his office. His eyes were open and glossy. The expression on his face was that of madness. Blood soaked the plush floor rug, and it was splattered on the desk and walls. The fireplace looked as though it had been recently lit, but had been extinguished.  Justin shuddered as he remembered the scene. Obviously, Voldemort had found him.

But how had Voldemort gotten to him without being noticed? Surely someone or something else had done the dirty work for him. . There was no way, no bloody way, that someone like a stranger could just approach Cornelius Fudge when there was usually a bodyguard with him…And none of the bodyguards had seen anything.

Justin had been assigned the tedious task of investigating it. He had spent his past few days inspecting every single place that Fudge had been to within the past twenty-four hours before he died. The office, then to Hogwarts School once. He had gone to the School's library, down the left corridor…traveled around the next few hallways, and then he took a right and then a left to Professor McGonagall's office…she had gone with him to Professor Dumbledore's office…

"Then three paces forward, two to the right as he argued with Dumbledore…and eight paces back out the door…" mumbled Justin as he rubbed his forehead with a groan. He had searched everywhere after that, too. To Hogsmeade and in a small pub there, and then back to his home.

They had everything, every piece of information they could possibly want or need. Right down to how many steps Fudge took in which direction and in what place. They knew everything.  Everything except what happened. Which was a small problem.

So why couldn't he find it?? He had spent the past six days and three hours searching, searching, looking over and re-looking over clue after clue after clue. Justin was worn and his brain was befuddled. He rubbed his forehead again and ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back out of his face. He sighed and continued walking down the alley.

Then the clouds moved away from the moon, and it poured its blue light down on the wet cobblestone ground. Silhouetted in the light was the figure of a person. Justin stopped, startled. Then he heard soft laughter. He whipped around and looked up at the top of the building next to him.

"I'd have thought you'd have learned not to wander down dark alleyways by now, Finch-Fletchley."

Justin gasped as he looked at the figure, and he saw a familiar face. Steely grey eyes glittered malevolently from the fair-skinned face, and the platinum-blond hair was highlighted in the moonlight. He wore black robes trimmed with silver and green.

Justin narrowed his eyes and then he recognized him.

Draco Malfoy.

But he hadn't seen Malfoy since they left Hogwarts…

The boy smirked, and Justin gaped, backing up a few steps. Then Draco leaped from where he stood, and Justin hear his feet hit the stone as he landed in the black shadow of the building he had been perched upon. Justin gave a cry of surprise and he stumbled back. Then he slowly stepped forth from  the darkness, and the moonlight spilt over him, revealing to Justin his full image.

"What…what do you want with me?" Justin demanded.

Malfoy smirked again as he spoke, and it was so cruel, so cold, that Justin felt a shiver of fear creep down his spine.

"Simple, Finch-Fletchley," replied Malfoy. And with a movement so swift, Justin could not follow it, the wizard before him drew a sword. Its blade glinted for a split-second in the pale light before it was thrust into Justin's shoulder. The force of the attack drove him back until he was against the alley wall, and the blade sank into the brick.

"Blood."

Justin gasped with pain and shock. His eyes widened, and he felt something hot and wet begin to seep into his sleeve. Malfoy grinned. Then he violently ripped the sword from its victim. Blood drops splattered the street and Justin fell to his knees, clutching at the wound. The sword had gone completely through his shoulder, puncturing out the other side…

His head swooned for a second in pain, and he looked up at Malfoy, grinding his teeth. "You…!" he hissed. He drew his wand, ready to attack Malfoy in a rage.

But the wizard calmly held the sword out and said, "Expelliarmus!" At once, Justin was rendered defenseless. How had he used magic with a sword? Where was his wand? He cried out, and staggered to his feet. His eyes met Malfoy's and he could only think to run.

And he did.

Malfoy closed his eyes in a bored sort of way when his target fled in terror. Then he bolted after Justin.  Before the wizard knew it, Malfoy was in front of him. He yelped and stumbled to a halt.

Malfoy smirked and struck with the sword once more, cutting across Justin's chest. He staggered back, clutching at his wounds, and Malfoy's face remained expressionless. The boy fell back, staring wide-eyed at his attacker. Malfoy lifted his bloodstained sword once more, and Justin saw engraved on it the Dark Mark, and twisting from the hilt down to the blade was a snake, whose head made the tip of the sword. Justin cried out as Malfoy cut down, feeling the sword tear through his rib cage. Blood splattered, and a gurgling sound was emitted as the liquid began to trickle into his throat and ooze from his mouth. At last, he fell back, dead. A pool of crimson formed as Malfoy stood over the body impassively.

All was quiet now. The moon shone on the lifeless body on the cobblestone street, and reflected on the dark blood. Malfoy stood, crimson dripping down his face from his attack. He gazed at the body of Justin Finch-Fletchley for a while. Then at last, he calmly withdrew a cloth from his robes and wiped the blade of his sword clean. Then he wiped the blood from his face.

He clicked the sword back into its sheath. Then he closed his eyes and Apparated.

.