AN: Soooooo another chapter guys! I hope you missed a certain killer because he returns in this one! This chapter is a little darker than the others because I had a death in the family and wasn't feeling very happy. So I hope you enjoy the darker parts of my mind. I'd also really like to hear your thoughts on who the Witch Hunter might be :) As always, leave a review, or if there is anything you would want to see happen, then PM me! I would also like to thank my wonderful Beta for putting up with all of my mistakes!
SOOOO SHOUTOUTS! I probably didn't respond to all of you and for that I am sorry. But thank you all so much for taking the time to review!
CGinny
.Executioner
Grovek26
giada
Princess of Mirkwood2
LunarWerewolf
666-HyuugaNeji-999
Preciossa
Okay, I have taken enough time, on with the chapter!
Getting a Head of Department arrested is almost not worth the nightmare that follows. I was bombarded by the paparazzi everywhere I went, which wasn't many places because I didn't really go anywhere. However, they did follow me from my flat, to my job, to Malfoy Manor, to my favorite café, and back to my flat. It was getting a little irritating and I was this close to doing something drastic. As it was, I was on my way to meet Andra and Lyra for lunch at Malfoy Manor and these damn reporters would not leave me alone!
"Ms. Granger! Tell us about how you defeated the Wendigos single-handedly!"
"Hermione! Is it true that Mr. Morris tried to have you killed?!"
"Ms. Granger! Is it true that you set up Morris to take his job?"
"Granger! I heard that you were in league with the Wendigos and they are still at large!"
They just kept getting wilder with their stories that were honestly just ridiculous. I rolled my eyes and continued my walk out of the Ministry Atrium to the Floo services. Screw walking to the apparition point, I would Floo directly to the Manor.
"Expecto Patronum." My otter appeared and flitted around me, but it looked a little different. I didn't have time to fully look at the little guy because the reporters were closing in.
"Narcissa, please have the Floo open for me! The paparazzi are literally at my heel!" I gave the message to my otter to tell Narcissa and with that said it darted off. Ah, the Floos are fifty feet away! I started to pick up my pace and tried to run without looking like I was running. Which is as hard as it sounds. Cue the chorus of my name and the patter of feet that started running after me. Panicking, I am panicking! I was closing in on the Floo that was closest on the right when a silvery apparition of a sparrow appeared right beside my head and Narcissa Malfoy's voice spoke, "Okay, dear, it is all ready!" OH THANK MERLIN!
As soon as I had the go ahead, I dropped all pretenses and took off at a sprint towards the Floo. Of course, they ran after me and I could hear the flashes of a camera and shouts of more questions and accusations. Then just as I thought they were about to trap me, I reached the Floo I was eyeing from the beginning. I grabbed the floo powder, threw myself in, and shouted, "Malfoy Manor!" I saw more flashes before I was whisked away in a green fiery blur.
"Lyra, how are you in your love life? I was sad to hear that your relationship with Adrian Pucey did not pan out. He is a nice boy," Narcissa queried.
Lyra smiled at the older woman with a tightness to her mouth. "Yes, well, 'nice' is a relative term in regards to him. Relative to Voldemort, of course he is nice. Compared to Harry Potter, or any other decent guy in this world for that matter, then he is a downright bastard," Lyra replied in a somewhat heated voice.
Narcissa could tell that the witch was keeping her calm face by a thread. No matter what people say, pureblood training was good for something. "Watch your language, young lady."
"I'm sorry Cissa, but I did watch my language. I was quite tame in referencing that man. He cheated on me. He cheated on me with Astoria Flint! She is married, by the way. There are many other names that I want to call that man, but bastard seemed like the most 'tame' word," Lyra spoke with a hiss towards the end of her spiel. Astoria fucking Greengrass, she's a bimbo! Adrian had the gall to cheat on her with a tramp. He thinks he is safe, but that boy needs to realize one thing, I may be nice, but I was still placed in Slytherin.
Narcissa was shocked to say the least. Lyra was an absolute lovely girl with a bright future and a successful career, but that boy thought that he could throw it all away for some slut? Hah, he will learn. I think I will start with his mother, let's see how she will react.
"What a little bitch. I'll kill him!" Andra stated as she shot out of her chair. Lyra rolled her eyes at her friend's exuberance while Narcissa stifled a laugh.
"It's fine, he will get his. I'm waiting for Hermione to get here because she can be petty and vengeful and I love it."
Narcissa was waiting for Hermione as well, but for different reasons. In a way, she was glad that Lyra had provided the perfect guise for what she really had planned. The universe is giving me signs that my plan is the right path.
"Speaking of Hermione, where is she? It isn't like her to be late," Narcissa asked while looking at the Floo. Almost as if she summoned her, Hermione flew out of the fireplace head first. It was like the fireplace spat her out because she tumbled across the room before rolling to a stop a few feet away from Lyra's feet.
"Oomph!"
"Hermione! Are you okay?"
She smiled as Andra pulled her to her feet, "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just running from those bloody reporters, they don't give up!"
"Tut, Hermione, did you think that getting a Head arrested for attempted murder would go unnoticed? Especially, when you are up for the job. If anything, then this just made you even more in the spotlight. Just remember, there is no such thing as bad publicity," Narcissa smiled while pouring Hermione a cup of tea.
"And you would know, wouldn't you mother?" A familiar voice spoke from the doorway behind them.
"Malfoy," Andra spoke tersely.
"Ah, Alexandra, will you ever call me Draco? We've known each other all our lives, you know," Draco queried as he bent to kiss his mother on the cheek and the top of Lyra's head.
"The world may never know, Malfoy," Andra replied as she received her own peck on the cheek from the man. She smiled inwardly because their back and forth was just how they communicated. They liked each other and they knew it.
"How is Theo lately? He hasn't been to our usual Friday night poker games in a while. I assume that it was your doing. Been keeping him busy?"
"Draco Malfoy, you know better than to ask such personal questions to a lady! Apologize," Narcissa commanded with ladylike outrage. Andra just grinned like a cat that had caught the canary. Lyra was shaking her head and Narcissa was watching Hermione watch her son. She smiled inwardly, too.
"I apologize, Alexandra, for asking such scandalous questions. I will just ask Theo when I next see him."
Andra's smile turned into a glare before she harrumphed and took another sip of her drink.
"Good afternoon, Malfoy. Narcissa didn't mention that you would be joining us for lunch," Hermione greeted as Draco sat down at the empty seat beside her.
"That is odd. I made sure to let her know to expect me," he replied as they both shot Narcissa a quizzical look. Narcissa frowned at them.
"Are you sure I didn't tell you, dear? I was quite certain I had."
"I am quite certain, Cissa."
Mrs. Malfoy smiled, "It must have slipped my mind. My apologies. There isn't a problem with him here, is there? Because I was quite certain that you were mature enough to let go of school yard rivalries."
Hermione blushed and her eyes went wide. "No! That isn't what I meant, I have no problem with him being here. I was just caught a little by surprise because he hasn't been to one of our lunches before," Hermione rushed to explain. Draco was very amused by the whole conversation and watched the interaction closely, a fact which did not go unnoticed by the three Slytherin females in the room. They especially did not forget to notice just how raptly Draco was watching Hermione.
"Of course, dear. I was only teasing. Would everyone like lunch to be served now that you are all here?"
That was close. The cunning females thought simultaneously.
He had lost track of time. He didn't know how long it had been since He had last "played". He didn't know how long it had been since He had last eaten, showered, or anything mundanely routine.
And He still didn't know who He was. There was an empty space where He could feel where his memories should be, He just couldn't access it. He spent a lot of time doing nothing all day except for the rare times he visited. How He wishes that He could forget this instead of losing the memory of his life before this never ending darkness. He thought a lot. That was one thing that He could do, think. He rather liked thinking.
Sometimes the silence drove Him insane, He would scream. He would yell. He didn't always know what He was screaming and yelling, but it left His throat sore. Most of the time He would sob incoherently. His captor was always telling Him that when this was all over then He was going to die. The grinning Man always made a promise, though. That by the end of it, He would be begging for death. As the time went by, the more He believed that the Man would deliver on his promise.
This particular night, the silence was driving Him into anger again. Why was He here? What did this Man want from Him?
"Son of a bitch!"
"I want out of this bloody pit of darkness!"
There were more obscenities, but He wasn't sure if He screamed them all out loud. He had exhausted Himself again. Now He was huddled in the corner, or what He assumed was the corner, and cried to Himself.
"Now why are you crying again?"
The voice seemed to come from nowhere and He was scared again.
"I believe that I asked you a question. Answer me, filth."
"A madman kidnapped me, I can't remember anything before waking up to this, and said madman tortures me. Wouldn't you do something crazy?"
He didn't know how He knew, but He just knew that the Man was grinning again. That grin was never a good thing.
"Look who decided to be brave today. Bloody Gryffindors, but I heard that you were the coward out of the bunch. Or they mistook your bravery for stupidity. I'm going to go with the latter."
He didn't respond.
"Well, since you decided to open your mouth, then I think it is time we played again. Doesn't that sound like fun?"
He started to tremble.
"Do you like to count? After every Crucio I give you, then you are going to count it out loud. We'll stop when you pass out. I don't want you dying on me. Not when you can still be useful to me. Not just yet. Ready? Crucio!"
The pain. There was so much pain. Hot knives and pins and needles were piercing and slashing everywhere. Just as He was about to let out His first scream, the pain stopped. He caught his breath before remembering to count, He didn't want to think about what would happen if he forgot to count.
"One."
"Crucio."
There went His ability to think. The one thing that He was happy that He could still control, the Man took away with just one word that seemed vaguely familiar. The pain was all there was, there wasn't any more of Him. Just the pain. Tears started leaking out from His tightly shut eyes, and again before He had made a sound, the pain stopped.
"Two."
"Good boy, but now I think that we are going to spice it up a bit. After every one, you are still going to count, but I want you to thank me."
"No."
"What? Do you think that you are in any position to tell me no? You will say thank you, or the pain will get so much worse."
"Fuck you."
"Crucio!"
Now He was screaming from all the pain. He didn't know anything anymore but the pain. That was His one constant throughout all this. The pain was always there and He could always count on it. He could always count on His own screams. Then the pain stopped.
"T-three."
"What else? Don't you have something else to say?"
"Go to hell."
"Nope, I'm pretty sure that wasn't it. Oh well, Crucio!"
This time He was ready and when the pain hit, He enjoyed it. A blissful smile appeared on his face as he reveled in the glorious pain. This pain was life now and He didn't want it to stop. Then after a few moments, He passed out.
The Witch Hunter stared down at his prisoner and sighed. This one had learned to like it. Damn.
Narcissa Malfoy has never liked Aurors and just because there were a few more competent ones than when the Dark Lord first rose to power didn't mean she was going to start now. She rather liked being independent and she was meeting Hermione, so they could walk to the Orphanage together. The poor children; she hadn't seen them in a few weeks and was missing them terribly. She knew that Hermione was missing them, too. There was an adorable four year old girl that they were both especially attached to. The poor thing had been inconsolable when they had told her they weren't going to visit for a while.
As she was walking, she felt a creepy chill run down her back. Only this chill was familiar in a way that she couldn't put her finger on. Narcissa being the capable witch she was, she held her wand in her hand and cast a silent shield charm around herself. She looked up and saw Hermione. A feeling of relief washed over her.
"Hermione!" At the call of her name, said woman whipped around and smiled as she saw the older witch.
"Narcissa! Goodness woman, we're going to be late. They are expecting us! If we don't show in the next few minutes, then they are going to start to worry," Hermione said with a teasing tone.
The Malfoy matriarch laughed heartily," You're right. I'm sorry I'm running late. My alarm decided to go a little haywire on me."
Hermione kept on smiling, but inwardly she was panicking because Narcissa had just pulled their panic word. They had decided to install a system of code words for major occasions. Haywire meant a tail, or stalker.
When the woman reached her, Narcissa thought it best to Apparate there instead of walk to "save time". With that decided they were whisked away in the belly button, stomach wrenching sensation and hopefully away from danger.
The Witch Hunter cast a finite incantatem and was suddenly visible as he sneered. Oh, Hermione, why must you always interfere?
Harry was starting to get scared. This was the second crime scene with a note addressed to Hermione written in blood and a barely recognizable bloody witch. As it was, identifying this witch wasn't easy. Her hair was scattered everywhere like the murderer used a blunt knife to scalp her and then throw the hair around the room, some of it still attached to pieces of bloody scalp. Her once beautiful face was sliced too much for facial recognition. Her body was twisted in an unnatural position, her head was twisted almost one hundred and eighty degrees around, and her arms were clearly broken. However, the worst part was her legs. They were mangled and bent with her right foot almost touching her right hand and her left hand was missing with her left foot in the place her hand should be. This was just as bloody as the first victim, but it almost seemed more personal. Her skin was hanging by threads, her fingernails were missing, and her intestines were placed in the shape of a flower. Grossly intricate. One of her eyes was in her mouth and the other was planted on the wall to her left. All in all, this was gruesome and detection spells indicated that this poor woman was alive for all of it. More tests revealed that a curse had been in place, so that she couldn't even black out from the pain.
"Sir, we have identified the body. She was Astoria Flint nee Greengrass. Her husband, Marcus Flint, is out of town."
Harry frowned. "Check that and make sure. And contact him in some way to let him know of his wife's death and tell him we need him in for questioning."
"Yes, sir."
"And Neville? Make sure it is non-threatening."
"Of course, sir," Neville replied after a beat.
Now all Harry had to do was let Hermione know and write a preliminary report. We need higher classified Aurors for this case and we just don't have that. How are we going to investigate without them? So far we are nowhere on this case and with not a single suspect.
"Alright, get Dennis in here to photograph the scene."
'Dear little Mudblood,
What did I say about interfering? I said a witch would die every time Narcissa Malfoy gets away from me. I hope you didn't think I was bluffing. I don't bluff.
Astoria was a capable witch and put up a beautiful fight, but ultimately succumbed to my expertise like all the rest. One day soon, I will have you submit to me, little one. And oh how I will relish that. Maybe I won't kill you and will keep you after all. Be prepared, 'Mione. Narcissa and then you. And if I don't have you, then more witches will die for you both to live. Can you live with that?
Love,
Your Lover
P.S Haywire was not as subtle as you and Narcissa might have hoped for.'
