"'Ho! Get another one over here?"
"You've had enough." Damia said firmly as the old wizard was now using the bar to hold himself up and had been for some time now.
"Aw come on hen"
"No." She left the 'safety' of behind the bar and slipped her arm around his elbow guiding him to the door. Tom was too busy breaking up another fight to notice a mere noisy drunk. The man varied between muttering and screaming incoherently as she shoved him out of the door into the pouring rain outside. Damia sighed miserably, she loved the rain - the new smells it brought to the world, the way raindrops clung to spring flowers... Here in the city it just made the garbage smell funnier and appeared to cause mass misery. She turned to walk back into the bar and caught movement in the shadows. Her wand was in her hand before she could think and she sent her stinging hex flying towards the shape.
"Well you certainly have a different perspective of customer service than the rest of the world." growled the voice after the swearing stopped. She could hear another man chuckling behind him and reached into the cubbyhole behind the door to produce the Peacemaker; a club half her size with a large nail in the top. "And you're certainly not strong enough to swing THAT."
"Don't need to swing it high."
"And that Severus is our cue to admit defeat. I have no inclination to explain that particular injury to my wife." A blonde haired man stepped from the shadows with a 'lets be friends' expression that put Damia on instant alert. The pair of them obviously wanted something and she didn't play those games. She'd heard too many stories. Severus stepped out after him making sure that he remained slightly behind Lucius. If he wanted to play games with the pissed off girl holding a club then that was most certainly his perogative. Her eyes widened slightly when she saw him and she stashed the club away.
"Aw shit, I guess I owe YOU a favour. Come in, get a place by the bar and I'll be with you in five minutes." She dealt with the queue of leering men with the air of one who's heard the same lines night after night, had a quick glance over the room to check the horrifying bouncer in the corner was unoccupied and returned with two glasses of Firewhiskey. Standard Knockturn Alley style Firewhiskey - knock it back fast, hope your liver is still intact in a couple of hours time.
"So you guys are obviously looking for someone or you wouldn't have been skulking around outside the bar so often?" Lucius pushed over the picture of Kevin Darras, who had recently broken into the mansion and helped himself to some valuble family silver. Normally Lucius would just have him arrested and be done with it but the man had thrown a curse at Narcissa who had no chance to respond before he Apparated away. She wanted the man's head on a platter and wasn't going to leave Lucius alone until she had it.
"Oh. Him." Damia paused to consider this. The man lived on the next floor up from her and she was fairly certain he was responsible for robbing her of her savings, putting her back to square one on the savings plan. But did that warrant the death warrant she was certain would come with these two men?
"He attacked my wife." growled Lucius, taking advantage of her hesitation. She looked into his eyes and saw only the cold fury of someone whose privacy had been invaded without decent cause. Damia could relate to that. She glanced along the bar and saw a couple of customers waiting with increasing impatience. Her mind was made up before she'd served the first one and she was certain she was making the right decision upon returning.
"He lives upstairs from me, he's hardly ever in though." she said quietly, determined not to be overheard. "So you wanna take me up on that walk home offer"
"I'd certainly like to see where the building is - " Lucius reached into his pocket " - if you can guarantee discretion on future visits." Severus watched her carefully, she was in the same clothes as she had been last time and they were wearing down fast. She was obviously poor or she wouldn't be sharing a flat building with Darras, whom she obviously had her own issues with. He expected her to snatch the money and promise him the world.
"I said I owed you a favour. And if he's attacking women in mansions he's not gonna have any issues with going for the rest of us is he?" When Lucius looked suprised she knew where he lived she laughed. "Hey I do read you know! There was a big feature on your mansion the other week in Witch Weekly." Ah yes, that. Another thing Narcissa insisted upon on the basis that if they wanted to show they had nothing to hide, what better way to show in then invite the media into their home?
"What's your issue with Darras?" Severus asked, wanting to make sure they weren't in fact doing her a bigger favour than she was doing for them.
"He stole from me. I mean, he used to be alright, only went after you rich buggers. Then stories started circulating, that he was going for girls in the Alley and robbing them of more than their money... Then he started doing the building every night before going out, it's like he's desperate. Trying to pay someone off maybe?" Certainly not something Severus had heard about but then being in Hogwarts five days out of seven did keep one out of the gossip circles. In most circumstances it was a damned Godsend. "So what I'm getting at is; if he IS paying off someone more powerful than me - "
"You won't be implicated." Lucius said smoothly. She looked at him suspiciously, "Girl we don't even know your name. Even if you were implicated it would be simple enough for you to go into hiding." I'm already in hiding, Damia thought miserably.
"Fine I finish at two, meet me afterwards you can't be seen hanging around me all night."
They both appeared from the same set of shadows Damia had caught them in earlier. You'd think they'd go for SOME originality, she mentally griped at them and was rewarded with excited squeaks from above her head. Her bat familiar Gizmo had finally made an appearance after a three day absence and took his place hanging from her wrist as if he had never been away. "You're worse than a cat." Damia half-heartedly scolded him. "Go and make sure the way home's clear for me." He nuzzled her nose and took off enthusiastically.
"You really need to make some friends." Severus smirked at her foolishness.
"I have friends. Just because they can't speak to me the same way you can doesn't mean they aren't telling me things you'd rather I didn't know." She let her hair down, pulled her cloak around her against the cold and walked ahead. Refusing to be beaten by the girl he met her pace evenly, Lucius following behind. His friend's curiosity about the girl was obvious, to him at least, and there was no harm in the man indulging his curiosity. If the girl had the knowledge of local politics that she appeared to she could well prove to be an asset to his contacts list.
"Said with the knowledge of someone at least two years out of school?" Severus sniped back at her, eager to know why she appeared so young and yet had never been seen at Hogwarts.
"Ten years out of school actually. I'm twenty five, thank you very much." Damia fought to keep the amusement out of her voice, her druidic blood gave her her youthful appearance and her wizard father's blood the ability to use a wand. Unfortunately she had only received half of each gift from her parents but there was no need for these two to know about that. Severus merely thought she sounded snappish and inferred that she was probably telling the truth. She was amusing him, despite his best efforts to see her as only a means to an end, and he couldn't keep the smirk from his face. She glanced up at him and grinned at him, sensing his amusement. "How dare you find a soft spot within five minutes of starting a conversation?"
"It's a talent."
"More like a curse. I bet you've been slapped a few times for it?" A few, he thought, but not by who you think. She paused and looked at him again sensing a sudden coldness about him. "Sore spot?" He grunted a non commital reply. Fortunately Gizmo chose that awkward moment to return zooming about her head in his mad collision course flying style. Damia never failed to be amazed that he hadn't managed to knock the pair of them clean out by now. "I'll assume that means I'm clear then? I left the back alley light on for you, should get you your dinner." Another crazy loop around her head and he was gone, squeaking excited thanks.
"Of all the available familiars and you choose a bat?"
"I didn't choose him, he chose me." He was the only one who'd stood by her when the decision had been made, willing to follow her to this hellhole while she sorted that other mess out. Which, a month later, was still no further towards being solved. Damia told herself the pain of the decision had killed her edge temporarily but she knew she was lying to herself. Away from the forests so long, her source of life, it was like a drug and she had no way to get a fix... She inhaled the night air needing something, anything, to give her that boost. There was no wind and the air was ice cold, the stars obscured by cloud. An omen of death and suffering to a druid. She took heart in Gizmo's reassurances, if he thought these men were a danger to her he never would have left her alone.
"Did you attend Hogwarts?" he asked suddenly.
"Yeah, why?"
"We would have been there at the same time, I think, you would have started while I was sitting my NEWTs."
"I was in Ravenclaw, I wasn't around the castle much. I didn't do the whole people thing well." I can emphasise with that, thought Severus bitterly. "I was there to learn spells, not hang around catching boys."
"And did you?"
"What? Catch boys? One or two I have to admit. But less boys than OWL's so I'm happy I didn't sell out to the first Quidditch player that came my way."
"The second Quidditch player that came your way however - "
"Was a COMPLETELY different story." She grinned at him, happy to have a conversation with a sober person. And conversations with cats only had so much depth. "Anyway, we're here."
The door of the building she pointed out was lying propped up against the wall of the building, next to the doorway. The stairwell was narrow enough to only admit one person at a time and it broke off level occasionally to allow for doors to the flats. Most of the doors had at least one hole in them and the sound of scuttling rats was obvious even to the two wizards. Damia led them to the top floor and pointed out the door on the left. "That's where you want. But he's not in."
"How can you tell?" Lucius asked in a low voice.
"The door's on it's hinges. He's never back later than four if you wanted to wait for him in there?" They exchanged glances, Severus mindful of an eight o' clock start the following morning, Lucius mindful of the earful he would receive if he stayed out all night. Damia shrugged at them. "I'm heading anyway. I'll see you round maybe." She slid down the stairs quietly, not wanting to be caught hanging around flats that weren't hers. A deft jiggle of the door and it opened, bending slightly where it had been cracked virtually in half a few weeks previously. A candle shone from the living room, Katie must still be up, Damia thought sleepily. Well not for long, it may be her sofa but it's also my Goddamned bed at the moment.
She shoved the door open irritably and was greeted with the sight of her flatmate bound and gagged, Kevin Darras sitting calmly on the sofa next to her idily toying with one of their kitchen knives. "You know, you work with the most terrible gossips... Did you think the sight of Lucius Malfoy in a bar like yours would go unnoticed?" He said calmly, almost charismatically. Almost. He was horribly well built, a scar ridden face, bald with piercing blue eyes that seemed to read her like a book. Fear twisted her gut and Damia could do nothing but watch the tears roll silently down Katie's face. Time, she needed to stall for time while she figured out what he knew and what to do about it.
"Yeah so?" Her eyes fixed on a wet patch on the carpet and prayed it was wine.
"Don't be foolish Damia. He was seen talking to you."
"People generally have to speak to the barmaid if they'd like a drink Darras. It's called 'service'." He grabbed Katie's hair and twisted her head down onto his knee next to the knife. Time for a change of tact, Daria thought, wishing her heart wasn't hammering like a rabbit caught in a trap. "Darras don't hurt her! Please, I don't know anything, really I don't!" She had raised her voice enough for it to carry upstairs, now it was just a question of whether they would wait outside until he was finished before moving in on him.
"Calm down. Now I know that Daddy's looking for you Damia and I know how to get in touch with him. Your only chance of appealing to my better nature is now Damia. Please be sensible." So reasonable and yet so utterly looped... If she pretended to panic she would likely only anger him, if she attacked him he could cut Katie's throat before her wand left her pocket. All she could do was stand and shake helplessly, which wasn't helping matters either.
"Who have you pissed off Darras? Who's driven you to this?" she whispered desperately, appealing to his better nature appeared to be her only choice.
"Does it matter?"
"I think it does if it brings Lucius Malfoy down on all of our heads."
"It's none of your damn business Damia! Now where is he?" With every word in that last question he shook Katie violently with every word. She was sobbing and shaking but still held Damia's gaze, relying on her to get them out of this.
"Darras don't. Please... Please don't..." Damia heard the front door fly off the hinges, a sound you get very familiar with living in Knockturn Alley, and Darras froze for a second before pulling the knife across Katie's throat. He charged Damia but she ducked on time, intending to be noones hostage. He kicked her head as she fell and she lay dazed for a second, watching as he leapt from the window. Her mind was only on one thing though. Katie.
Damia's one shining skill had been in healing, if she could get to Katie before she choked she could heal the damage. Damia crawled forwards and turned her over, placing her hands over the wound. No power came. There was nothing left to save. She stared at her blood covered hands trying to comprehend... Katie who had taken her in, given her a roof over her head... Gone. Lost. And she had been too slow to stop it. She felt a hand pull her backwards roughly and let herself be placed on the sofa. She was aware of only one thing, her blood singing for vengance, urging her into the night after the one who had destroyed her home, would destroy so much more than that if he got away from her.
Severus had let go of her as soon as she was settled on the sofa. Both he and Lucius watched her for a minute or so, wanting to make sure she wasn't going to run to the authorities. If she did that could be a disaster for Lucius. Then she looked up at both of them, something feral deep in those blue eyes, oddly alluring, very dangerous.
"I want the kill."