T W E N T Y T H R E E

The silver haired wizard could feel the hair on his neck stand straight as soon as he stepped into the run down place mentioned in the letter. The sun had set and there wasn't a single street light that worked within a mile radius.

What a cliché. Draco thought as he strode into the ruin of a building confidently, wand in hand and his boots clicking with every step that he took was the only sound to be heard.

This is it. He thought as he finally stepped into what looked to be an under construction room where a lone figure stood. His steps ceased.

"Didn't think you'd actually show up, Malfoy." The silver haired wizard looked up as icy blues clashed with dirt brown.

"Creevey." The silver haired wizard said, his eyes zeroing in on the smirking face of Dennis Creevey.

"Expecting your girlfriend, were you? Too bad it's me instead."

Draco smirked, taking a step forward. "If you were trying to impersonate Eclaire, I'll tell you it was one sorry attempt."

"You mean to say you knew it wasn't her and still showed up alone? Don't take me for a fool, Malfoy!" Dennis grated out.

"First off, she never calls Yuko Kobayashi, they've known each other for over eight years— they're way past the last name basis." The blue eyed wizard said taking a step forward. "Second, she never commands people. She cannot go a sentence without saying please."

Draco said, now starting to walk forward. "And third," he said taking another step forward."My girlfriend does not own an owl." Draco smirked.

"You're smarter than I give you credit for." Dennis said, his beady eyes narrowing. "But apparently not smart enough. Nonetheless, you probably were not expecting me, or you'd have brought company." Dennis said, his grip on his wand tightening.

"You were exactly what I was expecting. A spineless serial killer." The silver-haired wizard said, his eyes hardening.

Dennis Creevey's face turned bright red, burning with anger. "I am not a serial killer!" He screamed as he chanted, "Avada Kedavra!"

The silver haired wizard swiftly blocked his spell with a flick of the wrist. Maybe I shouldn't be taunting a crazed killer. Maybe. He thought to himself.

"See? Turning to the dark arts and you deny being a muderer." Draco said clicking his tongue. Probably not. But since when did I ever care about doing the right thing?

"It was you and your friends, the lot of bloody criminals that were murderers! You took my mother—" Another spell. "Crippled my wife—" Another spell thrown with greater intensity, "and murdered my brother!" He said as the intensity and frequency of spells increased.

"And what does the Ministry do? It—" Spell, "Deems—" spell, "you—" spell, "Innocent! Murderers with blood on their hands—Innocent!"

"So you take it upon yourselves to avenge the fallen by killing more innocents? Tell me I'm not the only one seeing the glaring flaw with your plan." Draco said, blocking another spell.

"If not me, then who?! The wizarding world has conveniently forgiven the likes of you!" Dennis said, his eyes fervently appearing more crazed with each spell that he cast. "Letting you fall in love, get married, offering you jobs! Why do you get to live this life when my brother didn't?!"

Draco blocked yet another Killing Spell that reached far too close for his liking.

That's fucking enough. I'm not reasoning with a psychopath. That's midget's forte not mine. Draco thought as he swiftly sent a disarming spell his way. Dennis Creevey's wand flew out of his hand as he landed quite a few feet back.

Dennis made a scramble to retrieve his wand when he felt the tip of another on his throat.

"Do it." Dennis urged. "Kill me like the murderer you are. Atleast one of you will not be framed for a fake murder." He said laughing manically. Draco dig the tip of his wand into his throat more, drawing blood.

"Go on, do it." Dennis' red eyes looked at Draco expectantly. Draco's eyes turned an unbelievingly cold shade of blue, cold enough to freeze hell over.

"Do you feel that? The anger? Seeing your friends in Azkaban for crimes they did not commit? Innocent lives lost...feel that Malfoy— I am responsible for it, at your mercy...just two little words...this is your chance...if you don't take it, you know as well as I that no one will believe your word over mine...come on Malfoy..." Dennis soothed.

Draco's hands visibly shook as he glared at the crazy man lying on the ground, it would be so easy. If he let him go, the Ministry would never believe his words—poor old Dennis? A killer? Draco himself found it hard to believe yet there he was—the deranged man sprawled on the ground laughing maniacally.

It would be so easy. No one would trust my words over Dennis' anyway. No one would believe me. Draco's mouth opened to release the spell but no words came out. His throat constricted.

But Draco didn't care if the world did not believe him, he knew his midget would. He knew she would trust his words without a sliver of doubt and he realised that was all he wanted. That was all he desired.

Eclaire Adams ran as fast as her short legs could take her, which really shouldn't have been that fast but she'd always heard people gained superhuman energy during times of urgency. It would probably explain why she heard Yuko screaming at her to wait in the distance, which should have been an impossibility to have left him that far behind considering the fact that his legs were much longer than hers.

But all she could hear was the pounding in her head and her heart filled with dread. She had been to Hogwarts to tell Draco that they'd found the whereabouts of the murderer and had the stamp of approval from Hermione to take a team of aurors to the location only to find a letter on his desk signed by her name mentioning the exact location.

Eclaire Vanille Adams had always been okay with not having her favourite things. She had always been ready to give up whatever she held dear if the cause asked for it. But she would never forgive the Gods above if they took him from her. Draco bloody Malfoy was the only thing she was not going to give up on and those who dared to try to take him had hell coming for them.

She tightened her grip on her wand with that final thought till she saw two figures in a distant room.

"Draco!" Cried the the brown haired witch coming to a halt, her hair in a disarray and skin glistening with sweat. She found the silver haired wizard gripping Dennis Creevey's collar, his wand pointed at his throat. She saw the silver haired wizard look at her, surprised.

"It's okay, love. You've done great. I heard everything. The aurors are on their way and—" Eclaire breathed out, walking closer as Draco saw aurors fill the space.

"So it's the murderer's whore—"

"That's fucking it—"

And the next couple of events went by in a blur.

"Avada—"

Eclaire saw everything happen in slow motion as those words escaped her lover's mouth. She desperately tried to reach him before he got the words out completely.

"Draco no—"

"Bloody Kedavra!" Draco shouted as he threw his wand away and punched the guy square in the jaw. He saw Dennis' eyes roll back as blood sputtered out his mouth.

Eclaire stopped abruptly in her tracks. "Oh." She blinked.

Draco looked back at her. "Oh." He smirked.

"I thought your boyfriend was going to end up in Azkaban for a second, Vanilla." Said Yuko, running towards the duo, ordering the aurors behind him to constrain the bloody mess of a body on the ground.

Icy blue eyes found their solace in the depths of chocolate brown that welled up with tears.

"You absolute rotten piece of cookie dough!" Eclaire cried as she threw herself in his arms. She felt him heave a heavy breath out, feeling his arms encircling her waist and holding her snug against him.

"Why? Why would you come here alone? You knew the letter wasn't from me! Do you have any idea how worried I was? What if something had happened to you?! Why would you even be here without telling us?" The brown haired witch cried out in a jumble of sentences through her sobs.

"Love, I'm alright." Draco said caressing her face, wiping off her tears along with her runny nose. "I knew you would find me." No I didn't but if I said that, she was going to claw my eyes out.

She glared at him as if already knowing what he was thinking. Draco smiled sheepishly. "It was something I had to do on my own, midget. It was a ghost from my past and I had to face it myself."

"How many times do I have to tell you—" Eclaire began only for the blue eyes wizard to hold a finger to her mouth.

"That I am not alone. Believe me Claire, if there is something I believe more than my very existence, it is that." He said putting a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Then why—"

"I just had to do it alone, love. It was time I faced the skeleton in my closet. And I knew you would find me...eventually." Draco said as Eclaire smacked his chest.

"I am still mad at you." Eclaire pouted.

"Then I will just have to make it up to you." Draco said as placed a featherlike kiss on her cheek.

"Hey lovebirds! We need to head back to the Ministry!" Yuko called out as the aurors levitated a tied up Dennis out of the door, the mediwitches following suit.

The duo walked towards the exit, most of the aurors having already left when Eclaire stopped abruptly. In the chaos of all that had taken place she'd forgotten the most important part.

"Wait! According to my deductions, there were supposed to be two killers." Eclaire blurted out looking at the silver haired wizard.

"Two?" He asked.

She nodded. "There has to be two! It couldn't have been one alone. Remember when I was looking into those wheelchair prints? They belonged to—" Eclaire's voice stopped when she felt the tip of what was most assuredly a wand at her back.

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A/n: I'm sorry if this is a piece of shit I promise I'll edit it later 🥺