The room would never be the same. The laughter of evenings when the room was filled to the brim with people, champagne, and money flowing around was replaced with screams that echoed. The once rich wooden floor, with its intricate designs, was stained black with blood. The wood peeling up in places that had been saturated. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, the wood dug into his shoulder as he leaned against one of the beams. His arms crossed and eyes dry. The center came back into focus as he blinked rapidly. He could still hear the screams, but the blood was gone. He had replaced the floors and their black stains but his mind remembered, played games with him, dared him to forget or look away. He shook his hands to gain feeling back to them before rubbing his face.
The blood was gone, but the memories would never leave.
He reached for the flask and groaned to find it empty. He had lounged around the manor for two weeks now. Leaving wasn't an option. When he wasn't at St. Mungos he was here and without there, here was all he could be. The wizarding world would never accept him, no matter how many times he repented for his sins in the shadows.
The sound of pounding broke him from his thoughts and brought him further into reality. He threw open the door to the ballroom as the pounding continued. Cursing he increased his strides, his steps echoing through the empty halls. He growled throwing open the manor doors.
"Damn, you look rough" Nott smirked. The sun burned his eyes as he took in the man before him, debating if slamming the door would be appropriate and sighing before motioning for him to come in. "I would ask for a drink but you smell like it's all gone."
"What do you want Theo." He rolled his eyes, walking towards the sitting room, knowing the bastard would follow. He pointed to the serving cart as a bottle of fire whiskey filled itself. Theo chuckled and grabbed a glass. His hands shook slightly and he clasped them together.
"You've been missing." Nott poured the amber liquid into two glasses and passed one off to him.
"I was fired." He retorted, raising the glass and feeling the burning liquid fill his mouth. He could feel tension easing slightly from his shoulders, his hands steading.
"When has that ever stopped you?" Theo responded drinking from his glass.
"You know as well as I do, this isn't some small feat. They trusted me and then were quickly reminded that they shouldn't by a very influential member of society." He snarled "They didn't dare to do it in person. Sent a letter. They had no problems banging on my door in secret." He shrugged placing the glass down.
"She was fired too," Nott said sitting down in the armchair next to him.
"Excuse me" If the glass had been in his hand he would have dropped it.
"She was removed from the case, personal reasons were cited, seems someone personal has a reason. Hasn't been seen in a few days, outside of small coffee runs. If coffee was wine that is.."
"What is the point, Nott." He said cutting him off
"No one with a brain is working on this. That is the point Draco. We both know that this is bigger than any of them can understand. It has been silent, they haven't stopped, so where are the people"
"Maybe they have," Draco said slouching back in the chair slightly. "Maybe it was just a cruel trick and whoever it is has simply gone away."
" I take back my compliment on having a brain if you truly believe that to be the case," Theo said taking a sip from his glass and cringing slightly. "Do you remember before the war?"
He shot Theo a look, the blood turning hot in his veins "That was stupid," Theo swore "Of course you do, you might as well have started it." He growled and Theo held up his hands. "Another stupid one, but look, before the war. Before we all were let in on what was happening, the dreams you were having."
"Hurry up and get to your point on this." He quipped.
"Someone was digging into your mind, what if it wasn't who you thought it was."
"Do you know who it is?" He replied, reaching for his wand in his pocket.
"Don't be dense, if I knew who it was why wouldn't I just tell you? I've had dreams, recently, last night. That's why I care that you are missing. I've had dreams and ended with marks." Theo calmly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, a green bruise poked out being the collar. "We both know the first few that wandered through the door of St. Mungo were has-beens, potentials. We both know that there was a time that I could fall under that category." Nott's eyes met his and he could see the fear behind them, the paleness creeping onto the man's face. "I watched you hang in your sleep. Watched as you refused to close your eyes when we were boys, I won't live like this."
Draco clicked his tongue behind his teeth. Theo had come to him, about 6 months after he was released, and told him about what the Aurors had found. The youngest Carrow boy, a few years their senior had been found wandering the streets of England. None of the healers could find what was wrong with him other than his mind was gone.
"I can't get back in. They denied my appeal." He grunted standing and moving towards his desk. "I have notes, I can look back through but…"
"Could you get anything out of their minds anyway?" Theo asked buttoning his collar and straightening his tie. He bit his tongue, he had only seen one clip in the eight minds he had tried to pry into, the timing would have been too far back for it to even have mattered, he shook his head no and watched as Theo shook his in agreement. "When the next one comes in, Merlin's sake it's not me, I'll try my strings again. If not you then her, someone needs to stop this." Nott rose and saw himself out. He took a drink and pulled his notes out from the drawer.