I…I." Roxie didn't know what to say.
"Step aside!" Snape moved over to Neville. One of his pale hands snaked from his robes and grabbed Neville's wrist. "He's dead." Why didn't I think to do that? "You have a lot of explaining to do. For instance, why weren't you in class like your peers?"
"I…I…"
"That's not a very good excuse. I suggest you come up with a better one before you talk to the Headmaster." But just then a buzzing filled the corridor. Classes seemed to have ended. Not again. I don't want to be blamed for this.
"Professor Snape we missed you in class today," a Slytherin called.
Roxie stood up, attempting to block Neville from the view of the students. Snape sneered and then spoke. "Yes well, I had a misbehaving student to attend to. I was on my way back to class when…"
"Bloody hell!" The students had spotted Neville's lifeless figure. Many of them started to point at him and made comments. "Looks like he's dead."
"No stupid, he's been petrified, just like in our second year!"
"I wonder who did it. Was it Professor Snape?"
"No it was the new girl."
"That's probably why she came here. To kill us. Neville was only the first." The students started backing away from Roxie, fearful that they would be the next to receive her wrath. Then the crowd parted. They're all running from me. But then Roxie saw the gray robes of the Headmaster.
"Headmaster, I didn't…" Tears rolled down Roxie's cheek, down the front of her robes, and down onto Neville's dead body.
"Shhh. This is not where you want to be. Come with me to my office. Severus, please take this poor boy's body to the hospital wing, before he gets trampled." Then he turned to the crowd of students. "Go to your classes!" A withered hand grasped Roxie's upper arm, and he gently guided her through the students. Roxie heard the whispers, debating who would be her next victim. She saw the fingers point at her. At one point she even felt small droplets of water hit her face, as one student spit on her. Dumbledore didn't seem to notice, however, or if he did he probably thought they were tears. They moved through the castle, one sobbing girl and one old, wise man leading her.
She heard Dumbledore say something, but she didn't know what it was. I hope he didn't ask me something. Apparently, it was a password because the gargoyle they had stopped in front of sprang aside, revealing a staircase. The two of them stepped onto the bottom stair. The staircase began to spiral upwards; Roxie was too upset to be impressed. When the stairs stopped, Dumbledore lead her through a door. Roxie looked around. Paintings of past Heads of Hogwarts hung on the walls and in front of the desk, sat the most beautiful bird that she had ever seen. Dumbledore guided her to a chair right beside the bird and he sat down behind his desk. The bird fluttered over to perch atop the hand that Dumbledore held out for him. "Hello Fawkes," he whispered to the bird. I need to say something to defend myself. I can't be punished for something I didn't do.
"Headmaster, I didn't…"
"You didn't kill Neville," Dumbledore said simply, once again showing that he did indeed know more than she thought he did.
"If you know, then why am I here?" Surely she wasn't being punished if he knew.
"Because I need to explain to you who did." Roxie gave him a questioning expression. If he knows why am I here? Why isn't the culprit being expelled and sent to Azkaban right now? "My dear, the culprit does not attend this school. He did once, but not anymore and unfortunately I cannot expel him. Unfortunately, I can't do anything to punish him."
"You're a Legilimens?" Roxie finally understood.
"Yes."
"So that's how you figured out who…did this?" Roxie couldn't bring herself to say "murder".
"Not exactly, you see I noticed certain signs. The first being that this was a murder that used skills highly advanced for most students at this school. This murder also seems to be done without a purpose, or none more than simply to kill. The culprit loves to kill. Also, I believe that whoever did this has murdered before. Now do you know who did it and why I can't do anything about it?"
"Voldemort."
"I'm impressed. Few people speak his name. I find the whole 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' business very confusing. I'm glad that you don't resort to such foolishness."
"So Voldemort was here?"
"No. The castle is too highly guarded for that. When I say that Voldemort did it I do not mean that he personally killed Mr. Longbottom. I believe that he has someone inside the castle, someone who did it for him."
"Malfoy! His father is Death Eater, he's bound to be one too!"
"I do not believe that Mr. Malfoy could have done this. I don't think that he is old enough to be a Death Eater." Roxie shifted in her seat, she knew how untrue this was.
"Well then who was it?"
"Sadly, I have not yet discovered who did it. I will try my best though to make sure that they are punished properly." Dumbledore stared at Roxie, asking her with his eyes if she knew who did it. I have no idea who did it. "I believe you." The two of them sat in silence for a few moments before Roxie spoke again.
"Headmaster, when does Malfoy leave?"
"Leave?"
"Well yeah, I mean when you get expelled, you tend to leave."
"Mr. Malfoy was not expelled."
"Not expelled?!?!"
"He was given two months worth of detention and he was banned from Quidditch."
"That's all!?! After what he did to Harry, he deserves a cell in Azkaban, or at least to be expelled, but no you had to let Snape handle the punishment! He's not going to let his favorite student leave! I thought you cared more about your students, but I guess I was wrong!" Roxie stood up, pushing her chair back with such force, that it flew across the room and hit a bookshelf. Books screamed as they cascaded to the ground. Papers fluttered through the air. Fawkes screeched at the sudden commotion. The Heads in the portraits began to yell at Dumbledore for not being able to control his students. Roxie turned and stormed out of the office. She slammed the door and spiraled downward. The cacophony of sounds could still be heard as she reached the bottom of the staircase. Roxie was pleased with herself. At least he has to suffer some. I need to see Harry.
Halfway to the hospital wing, Roxie was still fuming. Can this day get any worse? Her answer was waiting for her in the next corridor. As she turned the corner, she ran smack into Draco Malfoy. "You bastard! Snape didn't punish you, but I will!" She reached in her robes to retrieve her wand, but she felt a hand close around her arm then pulled it, pinning it to her back. Another hand snaked its way around her body, pulling her other arm to join its twin behind her back. She tried to scream.
"Silencio!" Roxie was still forcing the air to the top of her lungs, but no sound was coming out. She kicked, attempted to scream, and mouthed a few curses as Malfoy dragged her to a deserted classroom. Ropes twisted around her hands, tying them behind her back. "Stop being so damn troublesome!" He threw her down on the ground. Roxie sprang to her feet and ran to the door. "Oh, feisty!" He flicked his wand and she was thrown backward. This gave her an idea. She attempted to twist her hands free and get to her wand. Malfoy however strode over and reached her wand first. He placed it in the pocket of his robe. Suddenly, Roxie threw her feet out, kicking him hard in the stomach. He fell down, clutching his stomach in pain. Once again, she ran for the door, but Malfoy said something that made her stop. "I know what you are."
Despite her better judgment, Roxie turned around and gave him a look that said "Oh really."
"You're a Death Eater." Malfoy had gotten to his feet and strutted to the door. He pulled Roxie back. She was too shocked to struggle. She started to mouth words. Malfoy casually flicked his wand.
"H…How did you find out?"
"Let's just say you aren't the only one." Roxie raised her eyebrows. Slowly, Malfoy raised his left sleeve, just enough to reveal a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. He shook his arm and the mark was concealed once more. "This time don't run." Another wave of his wand and Roxie was untied.
"So you kidnapped me to show me your tattoo?" Roxie sounded a lot braver than she felt. What does he want?
"Don't play dumb." He stomped over to her. He jerked her arm from her lap and pushed her sleeve up. There was a red stripe, where the rope had cut into her wrist, and a mark, identical to the one on Malfoy's arm. "That's what I thought."
"So what do you want?"
"I want you to date me."
"In case you haven't noticed I'm with Harry."
"Fine, but I wonder what he'll think about his girlfriend being a Death Eater."
"You wouldn't."
"Oh but I would. I will tell the whole school what you are, that is unless you agree to be my girlfriend."
"If you tell them, I'll just tell them that you're a Death Eater too."
"And we both go down together. Either way, everyone finds out about you. So what do you say?" I guess it's better to not have Harry, than have him hate me. But what if he hates me for dumping him? That's just a chance I'll have to take. Roxie feebly nodded her head. "Excellent! Now run along. Tonight, we start." Roxie traipsed to the door. "You'll need this, sweetheart." Roxie's wand came soaring at her. She caught it and placed it in the pocket of her robes. "Now go do what you need to do." Not again. But she had no choice.
She walked the way to the hospital wing, dragging her feet. The white of the hospital blinded her as she stepped in. She walked down the aisle of beds until she reached Harry's. He was sitting up, writing. "Hey. Hermione brought me my homework, said I should probably start it. What's wrong?" Roxie's eyes had overflowed with tears. But she had one last hope. Maybe he heard me when I was in here last. Then he already knows and he doesn't care.
"Do you remember when you were brought in here?"
"Not really." There goes my last hope. I've got to do this now.
"I…I don't think that we should see each other anymore."
"Ha ha…funny joke. I thought we just did this."
"I'm not joking. I can't do this anymore. Goodbye." She pecked him on the temple and then she exited. She willed her feet to go faster, she didn't want him to see her cry. But cry she did. Right outside of the hospital wing, she broke down. She slid to the ground, sobbing hysterically.
"Ready to go to dinner?" a voice above her drawled. She looked up and barely made out the pale, pointed face of Malfoy. She gulped and, without replying, followed him to the Great Hall.