A/N: It's Sundaaay! And I have a week off from school to celebrate Diwali- that's the festival of lights to all those who haven't been raised in the subcontinent. i.e.- All of you minus three. Still, I refuse to burst firecrackers because I don't want to live under a great huge gaping hole in the ozone layer and also because I have a terrible fear of being set on fire due to my clumsiness.
Anyway, moving on, WE REACHED 300! Hooh-haah! Bazinga! I am so proud- it's like watching my kid getting a high school diploma- disturbing analogy for a 17 year old girl to make. My love for you all is like, sniff, so great. I think Pal the bad ass and Egghead may just punch me in the face if I continue to bug them about this fic in school. (Nah, they lurve me/it!)
Thanks to my lovlaaaay reviewers: SaruDM, thestarlitrose, amy, x-rayLady, euphoenix, CrimsonBludger83, ainat92, lilbuddie715, scentasia, Missdagane, Tishica, ClimbingMonkey13, Love without expectation, Mrs. Theodore Nott, xiLynnx, Sundance1989, Rachel, Palak/Egghead and ohmygolly.
Dedication : This chapter is for ClimbingMonkey13, the 300th reviewer and also one of those who leaves absolutely brilliant reviews. You always notice the finer details of the chapter and not just the dramatic/end bits and that's really gratifying as I put in equal effort in all parts of a chapter. :) So thanks, for making me grin idiotically with each of your reviews!
Okay, last thing, this chapter is slightly dark-it's not the same upbeat tone as last chapter was with Won-Won(glad you all loved him so much!) but I hope you'll like it just as much. And the song choice is so bloody appropriate for this whole fic, don't you think?
Who is the betrayer?
Who's the killer in the crowd?
The one who creeps in corridors
And doesn't make a sound
Heavy in Your Arms- Florence & the Machine
Chapter 19:
"Pass me the dreamless sleep potion." Davies held a hand out to one of the healers, expecting a vial. Instead Scorpius stepped forward, pushing his hand down.
"No. Not yet."
The healer turned and raised a coppery eyebrow at him. "And who may I ask, are you?"
Scorpius' jaw tightened as he drew out his medallion with the ministry stamp on it. "Auror, first class. I need to ask the patient a few questions."
Davies' eyes flickered from the ministry stamp to Scorpius' face and back again. "Fine," he said disgustedly. "Do what you have to but make it quick."
He back away, disapproval etched clearly in his face as Scorpius approached the twitching figure.
Glancing around, he noticed the large crowd that had gathered around the bed. He waved his hand at them in a clear dismissal. "Get back to work!" He said sharply.
The crowd trickled away slowly with many a backward glance, until only Rose, Dominique and Lockhart remained, the last standing off to the side, confused as to why his fans were leaving without an autograph.
With a practiced sigh, Davies steered the hapless man towards Bagnold and sat him down on a stool. "Stay here." He said firmly. "Talk to Mr. Bagnold."
The old wizard grinned at him with toothless gums and chattered noisily to Lockhart who nodded along, mind elsewhere.
The young healer returned to where he'd left his most important patient, already sick and tired of his day.
The blond man was sitting on one side of the bed, his shoulders rigid with tension.
"Mr. Karkaroff, answer my questions in any way you can. Yes or No will suffice." He said, voice impersonal. "Are you acquainted with Rose Weasley?"
The victim's eyes flickered over to the redhead, pupils contracting with fear as he looked at her. With what looked like a stupendous effort, his head moved a fraction of an inch to the left.
"I'll take that as a No." Scorpius said, studying Ivan's reaction carefully. There was none, aside from a flicker of the eyes that could almost have been construed as sarcasm.
Rose made to approach the bedside but Davies' hand shot out, grasping her elbow. "Stay back," he cautioned. "I don't want him getting too excited."
She nodded, eyes already back on the scene in front of her.
Scorpius was silent for a while, phrasing his next question in his head.
"Do you have reason to believe that Rose Weasley may be in danger?"
Karkaroff inclined his head, chin dipping downwards sharply. One of his fingers twitched involuntarily.
Davies stepped forward again, resting a hand on Scorpius' shoulder.
"That's enough," he said firmly. "This can be permanently detrimental to his neural activity."
Scorpius fixed him with a glare and Davies removed his hand hastily. "One more question."
The healer shrugged. That was better than he'd hoped for.
Turning back to the paralyzed man, Scorpius knew he had to make his last question count.
"Do you know who the killer is?"
The audience of four watched with baited breath as Ivan's eyes flickered, drooping closed for a second as he fought to remain conscious.
Finally, with a dramatic gesture worthy of a standing ovation, he nodded once, eyes flickering back to Rose and staying there till his lids closed and he drifted off into a fitful sleep.
XXXXXX
Rose shut the door behind her, taking care to lock it. Her tiny apartment had an abandoned air to it though she had been gone only a few days. There was a thin film of dust over every surface and a great cloud of it rose up as she sat down heavily on the couch.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she gazed at the empty fireplace turning the day's events over in her head. They'd almost found out who the killer was. If only Ivan had been able to stay awake for a minute longer, maybe he'd have been able to reveal the identity of the mystery man. They could have used legilimency, or drawn out his memories and used them in a pensieve, maybe he would even have been able to say the name.
Rose shook the thoughts away, getting up to make herself a cup of tea. It was beginning to get chilly and after days of hanging out in the sun, England seemed gloomy and oppressive; especially with a crazed killer running around with bloodshed on his mind.
The doorbell rang, nearly scaring her out of her wits. She hurried over to the door at once, peering through the peephole to see Scorpius' silhouette, oddly twisted through the curved glass. She opened the door to let him in, stalking back towards the kitchen before he'd even entered, leaving him to lock up behind himself.
She started banging pots and pans about, searching for the gas lighter. She snatched her wand up frustrated, lighting the gas manually. She heard him enter the kitchen behind her and the scrape of a chair as he sat down on one of the tall stools at the island.
"The ministry's posting an auror outside the ward. He'll get the name of the killer as soon as Ivan wakes up. Your friend has a guard now, so you can stop abusing the crockery."
Rose nodded in acknowledgement, waiting impatiently for the water to boil. She could heat it up with magic of course, but then she'd have nothing to do and would have to turn around and face the elephant in the room.
"Cup of tea?" She asked, voice neutral.
"Wouldn't mind one, thanks."
There was an awkward break in conversation as Rose stared at the kettle and Scorpius stared at Rose.
She fetched two cups, making sure to give the island a wide berth. "Sugar?"
"Rose."
"And milk of course?" She babbled. "Unless you like it really sour. I find tea always tastes better with milk in it. Don't you agree? Or are you one of those black coffee, black tea types? Everything sour, doom and gloom la la la-"
"Rose."
His tone hadn't changed and neither had the volume but Rose shut up as quickly as if she'd been chastised.
She could hear him getting up, the chair legs scraping across the floor again as his weight shifted. The muscles in her back tensed and his approach seemed almost tangible as if the air between them was solid and getting compressed with each step he took towards her.
He laid one hand on her shoulder and even though she'd been expecting it, it came as a shock. She sprang away as if she'd been scalded. "Don't touch me!"
His eyes flashed and there was a dreadful silence as the two looked at each other over the merrily boiling water.
He raised his hand again and Rose flinched involuntarily. She didn't know what was wrong with her or why she was trying to push him away. All she knew was that it was working. His eyes had widened in actual shock when she'd cringed away from his touch and his hand dropped limply back to his side.
"Rose," he said, voice dead serious. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." She said, stirring her empty cup furiously with a metal spoon.
He reached out slowly, and took the cup and spoon from her, drawing them away as carefully as if they were explosive devices. With nothing else to hold on to, her fingers gripped the edge of the marble slab tightly, holding on as if she were about to face anti-gravity.
The silence drew out, impenetrable and unbearable. She could hear the clock in the hallway ticking loudly. The sound was enough to drive anyone round the bend.
"Rose-"
"I'M SCARED, OKAY? Happy? D'you find it funny? Brave little Gryffindor girl, little miss know-it-all is scared." Her voice dripped with disdain directed at herself.
Scorpius seemed to be about to reach out again but checked himself, drawing back slightly. "It's okay to be scared." He said instead, his words a poor substitute for a comforting touch.
"Look," Rose said, taking the kettle off the boil and tipping its contents into the two cups. "I am really freaked out right now, okay? This sort of thing- it's not real. It doesn't happen. You don't just get chosen to be killed- like, like a pig for slaughter. For being in the wrong place at the wrong time. How easy is it to die anyway? How many people die because they were just- just unlucky!"
She slid a cup over to Scorpius as he leaned against the counter, watching her carefully. "I mean, how insignificant is that? One second you're alive and have been for years and years and then the next- the next you're just dead or paralyzed or disfigured or mental or-" Tea tipped out of her cup as her hands shook and she grabbed a cloth wiping over it mechanically.
"Sit down."
She looked up, distracted, still scrubbing the same spot. "What?"
"Sit down."
He took her elbow gingerly, leading her to one of the dust covered couches. She was barely aware of sinking down onto it, her head lowering itself automatically to rest against her knees.
She wasn't sure where Scorpius was, but a moment later his hands were on her knees, twisting locks of her hair gently around his fingers. She could feel his body heat as he kneeled in front of her, silent for the moment.
When he spoke, his voice was deliberately measured and gentle. "Rose, nothing is going to happen to you. Not while I'm here. I promise you that at the very least."
Her response was lost in the mass of red hair as it tumbled past her shoulders. Her knees were pressing painfully into her forehead but it dulled the headache or made it worse- she wasn't sure which.
"Can you say that again?" He requested.
"What," she said clearly, "if I don't want you here?"
She felt the cool rush of air immediately as he removed his hands from her knees, her hair falling limply back towards the ground as it slipped out of his fingers.
"That, I'm afraid, changes things a little."
She cringed at his tone, cool and impersonal. But she'd asked for it, literally begged for it. So she was going to take his indifference.
"I can't deal with you right now." she whispered.
He laughed harshly, standing up till he towered over her slumped form. "Deal with me?"
"Us." She amended. "I can't deal with us right now."
"I see." He said coldly. "Are we really going to do this again, Rose?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." She said to her knees, voice very low.
"I'll take that as a yes, then." His voice was dry as he moved away from her, picking up the abandoned cup of tea.
Rose didn't know what to say to that. It was true and she wasn't about to refute it.
Her gaze was fixed firmly on her knees, the skin so close all she could see was shadows. There was no question of raising her head, she may as well try to lift a battleship.
"Nice tea." Scorpius commented lightly. "Could use a little milk though." He added, with perhaps a touch of mockery.
Rose didn't react to the jibe and there was silence for a long time. There was absolutely no sound, not even a rustle or a slight cough and she wondered vaguely how he could manage to keep so absolutely still. She recalled how she had never been able to sit quietly, constantly fidgeting, playing with stationery or her hair- and then realized with sinking dread that she hadn't moved for longer than him.
A rushing sound filled her ears, her head snapping up reflexively as unexpected heat flooded the room. The fireplace was green with dancing flames and she shielded her watering eyes half-heartedly. A man swathed in a billowing cloak stepped out and she raised her head, finally, to acknowledge her visitor.
The man raked a hand through his hair, picking up on the palpable tension immediately. "Am I interrupting something?"
"No." Scorpius said, standing up. "Is something wrong, Sir?"
Harry hesitated, looking towards Rose. "I thought I'd find you here. The thing is, Scorpius, something is wrong."
Rose glanced up, the conversation catching her attention. What else could possibly be wrong?
"What is it?" Scorpius asked immediately.
"Bad news or good news first?"
"Bad." Scorpius said mechanically, without pausing to think.
"It's your father, Draco. He's…he's been attacked. He's in bad shape but he's alive and in Mungo's."
Scorpius nodded, face stony. "It was expected."
Harry looked fraught with guilt as he turned back towards the fireplace. "I just wanted to let you know and…I'm really sorry we couldn't prevent it. I'll assign an auror to him as soon as we can get one. It would be best if you were free for it, of course, but…"
His gaze flickered to Rose and then back up to Scorpius.
Both men turned to look at Rose as she stood unsteadily, swaying slightly. She turned to Scorpius, leaning against the couch for support. "Go."
"What?"
It was Harry not Scorpius who this question came from.
"Go," she repeated urgently. "Family is more important than…than anything else." Than us. "I'll be fine, Uncle Harry can assign the other auror to me while your dad is…sick." dying. "And anyway, I don't need you anymore. We'll know who the killer is soon enough and then it'll be over."
She turned to look at Harry, eyebrows raised questioningly as if to say Right?
He looked uncertainly between the two younger wizards, sensing something that ran deeper than genuine concern for an injured man.
He nodded slowly. "I suppose. Once we get the name from Ivan, it'll be a matter of days before the thing comes to a head. One way or the other, he's not going to be out there much longer."
"See?" Rose said triumphantly. "You can leave now." She pointed to the fireplace. "Right now." Get out.
Scorpius looked at her and for a second his impassive mask faltered and beneath it he looked torn- with indecision, hurt and above all, worry.
"GO!"
He went.
XXXXXXXXX
The auror on duty shifted in the plastic seat, reaching back to scratch his behind. He'd been waiting for the old man to wake up for over twelve hours now and no amount of caffeine or energy potions were going to keep him up for much longer.
He snapped his fingers as a healer walked past and the man in lime-green robes turned around, affronted. "Yes?"
He scratched his cheek, stubble cutting into his fingers. "How much longer before the old coot wakes up?"
"I wouldn't know," the healer said stiffly. "I'll let you know the moment he regains consciousness."
With a dismissive flare of his robes, the healer stalked away, muttering angrily to himself.
Gallagher shrugged and resumed his silent vigil, his old bones creaking painfully. He'd been brought out of retirement and for what?- To wait for other old men to wake up and talk to him.
He snorted at that, unfolding the daily prophet. If he wanted to be bored half to death, he'd go play bridge with his daughter-in-law's muggle parents. At least they served brandy over there.
XXXXXXX
The old man was very much awake, his intestines liquefying with raw fear as he stared up at the face of his nightmares. The man above him, sat down to his left, just out of Ivan's view.
His hood was down as it usually was when he came to visit. How many times had it been now? He couldn't remember but it wasn't very important. He only knew that it would continue to happen until the day he died- and if he was lucky, that day was today.
"Now," the killer said, drawing off his gloves to reveal pale hands. "Where did I put that pesky knife?"
A spasm of fear jolted through Ivan. He had been threatening to use the knife for a while now, but had promised to use it only for the grand finale. He closed his eyes in brief acceptance, preparing himself for pain.
"I knew your brother." There was the metallic swishing sound of the flat side of a blade being dragged across the sheets. "Very charming man."
His sleeve was pushed back gently, his forearm cradled in a cold hand. "Igor, was it? Yes, I think it was." The tip of the blade pierced his skin, red beads of blood welling up like the tears of pain in his eyes.
The sharp blade made a neat incision across his left forearm and for almost ten seconds, there was no pain.
And then it hit him. Great rolling waves of it as the blade went over his skin again and again, forming crude curves and criss-crossing lines.
"Have you ever raped anyone?" He asked conversationally. "I know Igor did. Oh, we all knew he did. But did anyone care? Of course not."
Screams wanted to burst from his pipes but all he could manage were grunts of pain. His lungs seemed unable to fill themselves, to produce even the smallest of screams.
The blade left his skin after an eternity. Red droplets dripped onto the white sheets as the artist surveyed his handiwork. "Not bad," he commented lightly. "I'll get better with practice I suppose. What do you think?"
He held up Ivan's limp arm to his eyes, rivulets of blood running down his forearm, collecting in every ridge on his skin, trailing down to turn white to red. He was not surprised to see the crudely cut skull with its grinning mouth and the twisting serpent winding out of it.
"There!" The man said, sounding satisfied. "Brothers till the end, eh Ivan?"
He was not worthy of being called a man. He was- a monster, to put it simply. And in his weakened state that was the only way Ivan could put it. Given time and a limb that moved, he could have filled up rolls of parchment describing the man's atrocities, could have written his name over and over so even He could not erase them all before someone knew of his treachery.
"Now, now, Ivan. I don't like where your thoughts are going. I can see it in your face. You despise me. I disgust you. But I am better than you will ever be and I think that's good enough, don't you? I have an appointment to keep later today- After you're dead, of course. Odd to know life goes on whether you live or die, isn't it? I thought so too…" He paused, wiping the red blade on Ivan's hospital gown.
"It's with a pretty little redhead we both know. You saw her today, I think. Very naughty of you to almost give the game away. I'll do to her all those things I told you about- yes, Ivan, all of them. I think I'll have plenty of time on my hands.
"And then later, I can go finish daddy Draco and little Albus. And that fool Macmillan. Have I forgotten anyone? Never mind, I have all the time in the world." He carefully placed the blade in both of Ivan's hands, folding them over his chest in a gruesome parody of a dead body's posture in its final resting place.
"Poor Ivan. If only you could move your arms, you'd be able to take that knife and just stab me through the heart like I know you want to. If only."
He smiled down at him, patting his cheek softly.
Ivan watched as he rose to his feet, chair being pushed back. "Very well. I think our time is up. It was nice knowing you, friend."
It was with insurmountable relief that Ivan Karkaroff welcomed the hands that wrapped themselves around his throat, pressing firmly till his heart stopped beating.
A/N: We're almost at the last stretch! The killer revealed, yada yada.
What did you think of the killer in this chapter?
Does he give you the heebajeebies?
And what about Draco? Will he be okay? -dun dun dun dun!-
Find out the answers to these questions and more in chapter 20, Ghostbusters Come To Town (Nah, I'm just kidding, that's not what it's called...probably), on the 25th of October, 2011!
Now available on computers near you.
Cha-ching!