Project Doxycide: A Dramione story

20

THE HEADLINES WERE REALLY BAD TODAY. I folded the paper and put it on the dining table blinking back tears.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked, lacing his fingers through mine.

"Pseudo-you killed two people," I said and I quoted the headlines and a few lines from the article "The Notts got the worst wedding gift ever: Death! Newly married couple Theodore Nott and Pansy Nott née Parkinson got the worst present from their best friend Draco Malfoy."

"That's it!" said Draco, heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" I said, getting up to try and stop him from doing anything dumb.

"I've had enough Hermione," he complained "First Astoria dies, then Teddy gets imperio'd, then Pansy and Theodore die. I can't have anyone else get hurt because of me. I'm going to end this once and for all."

"I know," I said "But you can't just go charging-"

"Who's going to be next?" he yelled "Blaise? You? I would lose my mind if anything happened to you." 

"I get it," I said, placing my hand on his heart, which seemed to always calm him down "But you can't run out trying to catch a murderer. You don't know who it is." He was quiet for a while and then he sighed.

"Okay," he said softly "Any ideas?"

"I'm getting close," I said. I got out the list of people that I had it narrowed down to.

"Cross of Rita Prescot," Draco said.

"Who is she?" I asked. I only wrote her name because she was one of his old classmates.

"She was one of the very few Slytherin muggle-borns," he said "Naturally, she was isolated."

"How do you know her?"

"I don't," he said "She just used to do my homework for me." I raised an eyebrow. "What? It was only for my sixth year. I couldn't do it because I was busy with the vanishing cabinet," he defended "She had the same handwriting as me."

"Okay so she might hate you for that," I said "Constant bullying can lead to psychological damage. Plus, she was a muggle-born and I know how Slytherins left about those."

"Hurtful," he said and he kissed my cheek "Also, I paid her. And she definitely didn't kill Astoria."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Because she's dead," he said solemnly "Because of me. I killed her."

"No, you didn't," I said, shaking my head "I refuse to believe that."

"But I did," he said softly "I saw it with my own eyes."

"What happened?" I asked.

"It was my fault," he repeated "After I completed the vanishing cabinet, Death Eaters stormed the castle. Some went after Dumbledore and others terrorized the students. One of them killed a muggle-born."

"Rita Prescott," I said, finishing his sentence.

"I tried to consolidate her family and if you ask them they'll say that it wasn't my fault, but it was, and for some reason it's worse that they don't blame me. It's like I got away with murder. If I had just stayed away," he said and wiped a tear from his eye.

"Hey, look at me," I said. I cupped his face in my hands and continued, "This was not your fault. You didn't kill her. Some other Death Eater did and you went and made amends with her family. You are not a bad person."

"You have to say that," he said "But deep down you know I'm capable of some very dark things."

"I'm no angel either," I said "I've broken a few rules. I've erased memories, broken into Gringotts, impersonated Bellatrix Lestrange, broke into her vault, and that's all I remember. I probably broke a thousand more ministry rules when Harry, Ron and I were on the run. Point is we have changed. We're better."