chapter 15

draco's point of view:

I sat at the top of the stairs leaning against the wall, gazing into the dining room where Irulan sat. Papers and books littered both the table and the floor around her, as Irulan's eyes scanned the book infront of her. It's been nearly two weeks tht she's sat at that table, researching and occasionally taking notes. She's been practically living off coffee and soda that holds high levels of caffine. If anyone could find the reverse...I thought.Maybe she could. I hated having this enchantment on me, for some reason I hated not being able to tell Irulan what was really going on. That the person who placed this enchantment on me, was really after her.

Suddenly, Irulan gave an irriated groan, and chucked her pen across the dining room. She gathered some of her hair in a fist full on the top of her head and laughed, almost menically.

''Irulan, what are you doing?'' she said to herself, ''Malfoy's a death eater, you should have just sent him to Azkaban! That way, you wouldn't be keeping ungodly hours researching this damnable reverse!'' I'll admit, that comment hurt...a lot. Irulan heaved an annoyed sigh and smacked her head on the table, rather hard. Her reaction was a bit delayed, ''...ow...'' she sat back up rubbin her forhead. ''That smarts''. I couldn't help but smile some and shake my head. Yes, she is a bit odd, but she's highly entrancing and rather magnificent.

So give me all your poison and give me all your pills, and give me all your hopeless hearts and make me ill...

Irulan jolted when the ringtone of her cellphone sounded.

''Phone... phone'' she muttered, moving around papers and books until she found her phone on the other side of the table and was actually on the table when she answered it. ''Hello? ...What! When! ...What do you mean you need me, I've been desked by you coinsidentally!'' she said. ''...Alright, alright fine! I'll be there in a few minutes, don't have a cow!'' She hung up her phone and got off the table mumbling incoherently to herself. I couldn't make out what she was saying, but everything sounded backwards. With another distainful look at her research, she vanished with a loud Crack. Irulan probably thought that I was sleeping, because I don't think she would have left me in her house by myself.

There was something that I remembered from the two days when I wasn't myself, that I kind of wanted to check out. Descending the stairs, I walked to the secretary desk in the living room. I don't know why I remembered this, but I felt it was worth checking out. Opening the top drawer, I dug around until I felt what I had been looking for; a journal. Taking a deep breath, I opened the journal, seeing some articles she cut out of the Daily Prophet. As I turned the page, I found some of Irulan's poems, and I couldn't quite believe what I was reading myself...

She sits alone in the darkness,
With her solitary piece of mind,
A blade held limply in her hand,
As she drags it across her skin.

DEAD. She carves.
I WISH I WAS DEAD.
Deeper the blade went,
As blood hit the floor.

Truthfully, she's afraid of death.
But would never admit it.
Her muddied thoughts and shattered dreams...
Fuel her destructive nature.

ALONE. She carves.
I AM ALL ALONE.
Suddenly she stops,
And puts the blade down.

She went deeper than ever before,
And laid limply on the floor.
A small puddle forms,
As color leaves her face.

She sits alone in the darkness,
With her solitary piece of mind,
A blade held limply in her hand,
As she drags it across her skin.

... My breath caught in my chest. I never would have thought Irulan would write something like that, or even think something like that. There was hardly ever a time when I saw her unhappy. And also from what I saw, there were no signs indicating she self-mutilated. I flipped through a few more pages, and found one dated the same day she saw my forearm in sixth year, entitled ''Cutter''. It was short, merely four lines, but I felt I had to read it.

Knife upon his skin,
He is unafraid,
To live with scars,
His own hand made...

I collapsed into the couch. I closed Irulan's journal, and glanced at my right arm, rippled scars crossed in almost every direction on it. Then I drew my gaze to the mark permanently emblazoned on my forearm.

What I wouldn't give to get rid of it.

''Malfoy's a Death Eater, you should have just sent him to Azkaban!''Irulan's voice suddenlt filled my head, and I think for one of the first times, I was ashamed. I put the journal back in it's place, hoping it would give no evidence that I had been in it.

Chapter 16

''What the fuck is going on?'' I shouted arriving at the scene. Every member of CSU walked in and ot of a tent that had been ressurected in the small park about five miles from my house. At the time, I felt it appropriate that the F-bomb be dropped. Kingsley walked out of the tent, closely followed by Harry, Ron and Hermione.
''Irulan, why are -'' I cut Kinsley off.

''You call me a four in the morning, and you expcet me dressed?'' Oh man, I was not very happy, because this was riddiculous, either I'm on a desk or I'm not, I can't go back and forth! Forcing myself to take a deep, if shaky breath, I calmly asked ''what happened?''

''See for yourself'' Ron said holding the tent open for me. I ducked in, seeing the body of a young womanm a little older than myself, lying face down, spread eagled in the grass. There was white sheet that covered from her shoulders to her mid-thigh. However, there was a large blood spot, toward what would be the center of her back.

''Was she laft here nude?'' I asked.

''Yeah, perp prolly took the clothes with him'' Harry said.

''We did call you for a reason Irulan'' Kingsley said, kneeling down beside the body. He pulled the sheet back enough to reveal was was under the blood spot.

There was a symbol carved into her back, that looked much like a 'I' except it had arms that curled over the sides.

''We thought you might know what it is.'' Hermione said.

''I do.'' I said. ''It's the Zodiac symbol for Aries. Which I'm guessing the victim was'' I paused for a moment. ''This seems like a muggle murder, why are we involved?''

''Because she was killed with the killing curse, that symbol was carved into her flesh post-mordum'' Kingsley said.

''Ah,'' I said. Suddenly something sparked in my memory, and a wave of realization crashed over me.

It must've shown on my face too because Ron said, ''You know something''

''I'm not sure yet'' I said, turning and walking out of the tent.

''How comes the research?'' Harry asked.

''Ugh, don't remind me!'' I said.

''No luck?'' Hermione asked.

''None! You'd think that someone, somwhere would have written about a reversal to a freaking Secrecy Enchantment!'' I complained loudly.

''Maybe there isn't one'' Ron offered.

''I'm not giving up'' I said.

''Good luck with that one'' he said.

''Besides, if I can't find one, I'll invent one'' I said.

''How are you going to do that?'' Harry asked.

I glared at him, ''I don't know yet, but that's my contingency plan'' I said. Okay, so what I just said was a bit of a lie, I had managed to find one piece of information that might help me, but I thought it was rather useless. ''Hey, I've got to go check on something. I'll talk to you guys later'' I said, vanishing to Auror Headquarters.

Before anyone could get back, I grabbed a piece of parchment that had been jammed unceremoniously into a drawer. I quickly pocketed the parchment and apparated to my house. When I appeared in my kitchen, I immediately opened the parchment and read the message...

This is the Zodiac.
Twelve of the sign will die
When the belts in the Heavens are seen.

... Then in the bottom right hand corner there was a circle with a cross through it. This letter was specifically sent to me a few months ago, but I thought it was a joke and thought nothing of it. In another letter not long after this one, ''Zodiac'' sent me another letter in which he confessed to nine other murders, giving details only the perp or the people handling the case would know. Whenever I've been sleeping, I keep getting dreams in fragments, parts about Draco, a twisted jump rope song from my childhood, the circle with the cross, and the voice that I keep hearing call my name. After tonight, I half-hazardly put it all together.

''Malfoy!'' I shouted at the top of my lungs.

''In the living room'' came his drawling voice. I walked into the living room where Draco was indeed sitting on the couch. I walked up to him and grabbed his arm ''where are we going?''

''You'll see'' I replied, sharply. Suddenly, I wasn't really believing that there was an enchantment on him at all, but it had been an intricate and well played act.

We arrived at out destination which was on the dock of a very large lake. It was surrounded by lake-front property, but no one would see us because the houses are too far away.

''What are we doing here?'' Draco asked. I gave no reply, but merely knocked in the backs of his knees, causing him to tumble none too gracefully into the murky water. Before he surfaced, I laid on my stomach, and reached over the edge of the wooden dock, grabbing Draco by his hair. ''Irulan have you lost your mind!'' he shrieked.

''We're going to play truth or dare Draco,'' I said, a twisted smile on my face. ''And I dare you to lie to me''.

''Wha?''

''Who is Zodiac?'' I demanded.

''Who?''

''Wrong answer!'' I said forcing his head under the water. I held him there as he thrashed around, splashing my face. I pulled him up again, ''Who's Zodiac?''

''The same person who was with me at the Spevak's! But it's his nickname!'' he said desperately, spitting out water as he did.

''What does he want?'' I asked.

''I don't know'' he said.

''Have it your way then!'' I said, again pushing his head under the water. I held him ther longer this time, before letting him back up.

''Huew!'' he said, spitting out a mouthful of water as he did.

''I'm sorry?''

''cough He wants you!'' he said. ''cough He's obsessed with you for some reason. He always said that you were just like him''.

''Why's he want me?'' I asked. ''Keep in mind that next time you go under, you might not come back up'' ...