His feet struck the ground in synch with the hammering of his speeding heart. He was running out of places to hide. If only it were Muggle authorities, he thought bitterly to himself, daring a glance over his shoulder. No one was there and the world remained deathly silent, save for the sound of his shoes striking the asphalt road. Muggles wouldn't be able to find me in the dark.
The night air was cold and heavy with moisture, and the uncanny glow of the streetlamps made him feel exposed. He felt as though the world knew all of his secrets and fears as he ran, certain that every Muggle in the silent city would hear him and leave their beds just to peer through their doorways and windows to see what was going on. The very thought made his insides churn with dread; Muggles were so ignorant. Give them an excuse and they would do anything. They probably figured him for a criminal. They probably assumed that he was up to no good and deserved to be punished anyway. They didn't know the whole story.
But no Muggles could be seen anywhere, and the windows of the houses remained dark. By this time, Octavius's legs were beginning to feel like heavy loads of bricks. He slowed to a half-jog while his lungs fought to draw in a sufficient amount of oxygen to make up for all the work. His head was beginning to feel light and empty. He had never done so much running and so fast. It seemed as though the adrenaline explosion that had fueled him at the start of the chase had all but diminished entirely. Now, his body aching with the longing for a rest, he dragged himself into a shadowed section off the road and allowed himself a moment to relax, leaning up against a large tree.
Octavius wanted to be sick, and he wasn't sure if it was from running or from the terror and the guilt. He tried to put them out of his mind, but images from earlier that night continuously flashed before his eyes, taunting him with the reminder of his imminent fate. He would be caught. They would take him to Azkaban. The only thing that hurt him worse than knowing that was knowing how hurt Esther would be. He would gladly have stepped forth and surrendered if it would keep her from the truth. Imagining the look that would twist her perfect features when she heard the news was enough to make him double over and choke back a tortured cry.
"How can they do this to me!" he shouted to no one. He could not believe this was happening. It had all happened so quickly. The man had threatened to take away the one thing that he truly loved. He'd deserved what he got. He'd deserved every minute of suffering. He'd completely deserved it. Why couldn't they understand that? Octavius had done what was right and what was necessary. Yet somewhere inside, he thought perhaps he had taken it too far…
The millions of thoughts that swirled through his mind were too many to keep up with. He held his head in his hands, willing himself to disappear.
"You've brought this upon yourself."
He wasn't alone.
Octavius scrambled to his feet and desperately fumbled for his wand. He withdrew the flimsy piece of wood with a trembling hand and aimed it in the direction of the voice. A man stood silhouetted against a pool of light not ten feet away. It was impossible to distinguish this person's features, but he was positive that he recognized the deep, grating voice.
"You don't understand the circumstances!" he shouted. In one motion, the figure fluidly took out its wand and pointed it at him. Octavius feared that he may be dealing with a professional, someone who could easily take him down if they wanted to.
"I understand them enough to know that your actions cannot be justified." The figure took one step closer. Concealing his body was a thick, black cloak that hung heavy over his shoulders. It rippled in the chilling midnight wind.
"I wouldn't have done what I did without a good reason," Octavius said firmly.
"Regardless of your reason, you tortured and killed a man!"
Octavius steadied himself; his limbs were beginning to tremble uncontrollably. He considered his options and realized they were very few. It was either fight or surrender. He decided to stall a little while longer.
"He deserved it. He threatened to kill her, what else should I have done? He's a Death Eater, he deserved it!"
"We cannot prove that he was a Death Eater, and even if he was, that still doesn't excuse what you did to him. Couldn't you have reported him to the Ministry instead?"
"It's more complicated than that! I wouldn't have been able to. He would have killed her anyway!"
"Be that as it may, words cannot describe what you've done to that man. Tell me, why didn't you contact the Ministry?"
"I couldn't. He would have killed her."
"The Ministry would have kept both of you safe. I'm guessing the two of you used to be acquaintances. You were afraid to contact the Ministry because you knew they would find out about the things that you've done. Or better yet, your affiliation with Dark wizards."
"I would never serve He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"
The figure moved closer, approaching him with caution. "I never said you did. You seem awfully defensive; it's only natural that one might assume you're hiding something." Octavius saw that this was his last opportunity as the man moved toward him more swiftly, the hand in which he held his wand stiff and unwavering; the man could easily end his life with a flick of the wrist and a couple of words.
What Octavius planned to do would guarantee his dark fate. Struggling to hold his arm steady, he swallowed the thick lump in his throat.
The stranger didn't have a chance to defend himself.
"Avada Kedavra!"
His scream resonated through the darkness, shattering the silence like a delicate wall of thin glass. Even through closed eyes, he could see the brilliant green flash. There was the sound of something heavy thudding against the ground. Fear shot through his veins as he opened his eyes to see the damage he'd done. The figure lay motionless in the street.
"No…"
He dropped to his knees and half-crawled to the body. With sweaty hands, he grabbed hold of the man's broad shoulders, turning him onto his back. The stranger's eyes were still open, his flesh cold and white, his face drained of color… Octavius could no longer hold back the revulsion that shook his body. His insides heaved, and kneeling beside the sprawled corpse, he choked his revulsion onto the street. The world around him began to slowly turn in dizzying circles. What kind of punishment would three unforgivables in one night earn him? The realization that he was a murderer struck him with an impact that weighed his body down, nearly binding his hands to the earth as he fought to hold onto his consciousness. Finally after several moments of staring at the asphalt, he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve taking deep, ragged breaths to calm himself.
His heart seemed to stop beating all together at the sound of a shout in the distance.
Octavius leaped up from the ground, the adrenaline instantaneously returning to his body. "Should've known he'd have friends nearby," he muttered. The voice sounded again, louder, clearer.
"Where's Antigon?" someone called.
Without hesitation, Octavius bolted for the nearest Muggle house, daring a glance over his shoulder on his way. Like his past and now his future, the body faded into the shadows behind him.
So. This is a new fic. It's also my first HP fic, so mercy would be greatly appreciated. If you have suggestions for improvement, though, don't hesitate to let me know; I'd like to know what I can do to make this better. It feels like of--awkward, possibly because I'm new to writing HP stuff. Also, if you spot anything that's incorrect, please let me know so I can fix it. I haven't read the books in ages and I'm just now going over them again.
Now. About the fic. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with it. I've been considering having multiple chapters spread out over lengths of time designed to capture the scenes as the story progresses. I'd really rather not go over Octavius's past over and over again. In the next chapter, though, you can expect a continuation of the current scene and some insight into his past that will clear up some of the confusion. His life will be explained in later chapters. Canon characters will also be more involved in later chapters; you'll get to see Octavius at Hogwarts. Some of the main canon characters will become a major part of the second half of the story, which takes place after a POV switch.
Anyway. I'm kind of blathering now. I hope my piece of random, confusing midnight inspiration hasn't completely changed your mind about reading the story; it really is more developed than this. Oh, and to answer a potential question that I'm assuming most readers will have, this takes place before the first war.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please do leave your opinion, good or bad. If you have a question, go ahead and ask.