Confessions of a Villain

Chapter Two

Freebird

If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now,
'cause there's too many places I've got to see. Lynyrd Skynyrd

Once I was alone I felt my mind wander to more pleasant thoughts than the ones that were happening at the time. I thought of the first time in my life that I felt truly free, the first time that Draco and I…ahem, did private things.

But as I felt a smile come to my face I immediately stopped thinking and scolded myself. I hated thinking about 'happy' memories. It made me feel like one of those overemotional people that are just so damn happy all of the time that you want to kick them. You know, one of those woman who will cry when she sees a baby bunny frolicking along with it's mother because it's all just so beautiful. I do hope that someone will just put me out of my misery if I ever become on of those people.

Revenge and hate is much better to focus on, the things that will bring a scowl to your face. Yes, that is how I should be acting right now, angry and ready to kill. Not happy remembering tender moments and all that.

With a sigh of frustration I realized that I didn't want to be all cruel and cold, I was sad. And damn it, I was never sad.

He left me.

I asked him not to go and I never asked him for anything. He just said no without even considering me. Didn't he know how hard it was for me to swallow my pride and ask anyone for anything?

I sat down in front of the blazing fire and briefly recalled all of the nights at Hogwarts that we had spent in our chairs in front of the fire in the Slytherin common room. Finally fed up with being left and forgotten I got up and pulled my wand out of my robes, pointing it at the door.

They had put every charm imaginable on this house in attempts to keep me in it, but I knew there had to be something that was overlooked, there had to be someway out of this prison.

I shot a dozen spells in a dozen different directions and saw with contempt that they didn't even make a dent. I gave a groan and threw myself ungracefully onto a sofa, I wasn't Velena, I wasn't some criminal, so why was I being treated as such?

As I was taking a rare moment to wallow in self pity a sharp rapping came at the front door. I quickly sat up and felt my heartbeat begin to race, no one ever came here besides Draco and he would never knock. Images of Velena flew through my mind and the curse of being a poetry lover came back to haunt me.

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you"— here I opened wide the door;—
Darkness there, and nothing more

I closed my eyes and attempted to reason and rationalize my thoughts, it wasn't Velena and it wasn't some raven that was brought on by my own insanity and loneliness; it was just the wind.

I slowly made my way to the door, but not before picking my wand up on the way, when a loud knock came once again. Knowing that it was not the wind nor my imagination I hastened my pace to the door and bravely threw it wide open; Velena would never have bothered to knock anyway.

"Dumbledore," I asked incredulously, "what are you doing here?"

Without any greeting he stepped into the house and I unconsciously shut the door behind him, I hadn't seen Albus Dumbledore since he locked me in this house and I had serious reservations that he would just show up for a social call being that we didn't exactly see eye to eye on…anything.

So living up to the intelligence that had always been expected of me I quickly put two and two together. "What happened?"

"Would you care for something to drink Virginia," he asked in an obvious attempt to stall.

"This is my home," I said coldly, "if I wanted something to drink I would bloody well get it for myself. Now cut the bullshit Dumbledore and tell me what happened and where he is."

My former headmaster let out a sigh and looked distressed, "he's alive," he offered.

"Terrific, he was that when I saw him last. Do you know where he is?"

"Young Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said in a grave tone, "committed a courageous and wonderful act for the Wizarding world this evening and I would like to commend you on having such a fine young gentleman-"

"You have absolutely no clue as to where he is do you?" I interrupted venomously.

"He was called for a mission, he accepted it knowing full well the extent of the dangers involved. I'm deeply sorry that he did not make it back but I do know for sure that he is alive and he managed to secure the mission in his sacrifice."

He managed to secure the mission in his sacrifice. Reading between the lines I gathered that Lucius and Velena were still in Azkaban, thoughts of escape regrouping.

"Right then," I said slowly as I began to leave the room, "I'm going after him."

"You will do nothing of the sort," Dumbledore said sternly, "in case you have forgotten Virginia you are not able to leave this house; that is not going to change just because Mr. Malfoy is missing."

"Yes," I said while a malicious smile came to my face, "but you can let me out." Before my words could even process to Dumbledore I was on him like a cat would pounce on a mouse, my wand drawn against his throat in a threatening manner. "You will let me out of this prison," I said in a dangerously low voice, "or I swear that I will kill you. And don't think that I won't either, I've never been particularly fond of you, I daresay that I would even find some amount of pleasure in it."

"If you go after him," Dumbledore croaked out, "you would put yourself in danger. Your survival is essential to the light, I cannot in good conscience allow you to jeopardize the future of millions."

I raised my eyebrows in challenge and did nothing to release him from his present situation. "If you don't free me I'll find some way to join the dark, I'll help them instead of you. I'm sure that if I agreed to help Voldemort he would gladly hand over Draco."

As his face fell I knew that I had won and took my wand away from a threatening stance but never took it off of him; never give your opponents the opportunity to gain the upper hand in a situation.

He took out his own wand and to my questioning gaze said, "I must use my wand to take the charms off Virginia."

With one look I let him know that I did not trust him, but simply said, "proceed then."

Dumbledore took a second look at my wand before chanting various incantations and taking all the protective spells off of the residence, giving me the ability to leave. He gestured me to the door and I willed myself to show no emotion as I followed him.

This was it. After years trapped in here with no one but Draco I was being freed. I felt my heartbeat picking up as Dumbledore opened the door and I stepped through it with a strong sense of exhilaration racing through me.

I stepped out of the house and as soon as I breathed in the air I knew that there was no way that I would ever go back in.

It always confused me at just why Dumbledore let me out of the house if my survival was so essential. I wasn't ignorant to the fact that he could have easily overpowered me with his magic if he had wanted to. He could have forced me to stay there, I never really had complete control of the situation.

He had a very distinct choice that had to be made and in the end, he let me go.

Dumbledore offered me a small smile, "always remember Virginia that dark as it may be the past is what completes us. Search within history to find the answers you seek, for it is the mistakes of the past that you will find the hope for the future. I cannot help you in your quest, but I advise you to heed my words to you and never be completely sure of anything. Good luck to you Virginia."

And with that he left me alone and very confused.

I wandered around for a while just observing the wide open areas and appreciating the things that I had always taken for granted before

After having my fill of the luxury of being outside I took out my wand and prepared to apparate, except I had one problem. I had no clue where to go or how to even start my search.

The only thing that I knew was that sometime between Azkaban and getting out Draco was found by someone and captured. Dumbledore was at the best sense of the situation of little help; I quickly marked it off as he didn't know anything about the capture and didn't wish to make it obvious.

Finally with a click of my tongue I pointed my wand at myself and with a loud pop I was off to my determined destination; Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. If I was going to try and get information out of anyone I couldn't very well do it looking like myself, and if anyone could help me fool other people it was my…brothers.