Toujours Pur | Euphemia Black

Chapter 74 | The Photograph

"Alastor Moody, you will give me that camera back right now if you know what's good for you," Heather growled, lunging for the camera again but Alastor leaped aside, nearly dropping the camera in the process but narrowly gripping onto it with his calloused fingertips.

"No, I want some answers first," Alastor said and suddenly, it wasn't the sympathetic and caring boy that had listened to her story about Acacia with a grim expression that was in front of her...Alastor was truly intimidating now and Heather gulped.

She was so thankful to him that he had listened without judging or interrupting her, Heather had actually thought that perhaps Alastor Moody wasn't as bad of a blood traitor as she had always assumed and Heather had actually forgotten that she was technically 'fraternising with the enemy' whilst she had been confiding in him....but now her mood had changed.

"You know," Alastor dragged out his words slowly, "I have to congratulate you on finding out what we never did," he told her, tilting his blonde head to one side and Heather frowned in confusion, not understanding but, before she could open her mouth to question him, he continued talking and pressed the index finger of his free hand to her lips, shushing her.

"I never knew that two of my best mates were dating and I have to thank you for informing me in this....interesting....way," Alastor said, his voice lowering so that Heather had to lean in further in order to hear what he was saying.

Alastor had, in fact, been pleasantly shocked when he had discovered the photograph on Heather's camera, which she had dropped when she bumped into him and forgotten about until she finished her story about her twin. He had originally been planning to hand it back to her straightaway but his blue eyes had seen the incriminating photograph of Charlus and Mia kissing and a shock wave had radiated through his body.

As he had encouraged her to confide in him, Alastor had discreetly tried to delete the photograph on the camera with his hand behind his back but it only popped out of the slot at the top and stayed there, meaning that he would attract attention to himself if he tore it from the camera. Therefore, the quick-thinking boy now decided that he would simply negotiate with Heather instead of trying to sneakily dispose of the photograph.

Heather didn't reply to him, her glare still fixed on her face and Alastor reached forward and stroked her cheek softly, sending a strange feeling through Heather at his touch, "You know, if you keep glaring like this, the wind will change one day and your face will be stuck in an angry glare forever," he told her in a conversational tone, as if he were merely discussing the weather. Which he was, in a way.

"Shut up and give me my camera back, Moody," Heather growled at him, slapping his palm away from her cheek with a ferocious energy. Alastor glanced at the camera in mocking thought as if he was actually considering returning it back to her possession but shook his head, "Nah, I'd rather keep it for a little longer."

Before she could speak again, he cut her off, "So, tell me. What were you going to do with this photograph? Blackmail Mia?" Alastor asked and, when Heather didn't reply verbally but simply rolled her eyes and nodded, he added sarcastically, "That's so original, Rosier. The real question is..why?"

"She's a blood traitor," Heather managed to hiss out through her gritted teeth as her eyes continued to stare him down, not that Alastor was intimidated in the slightest. "So am I, but you're not snapping pictures of me when I'm snogging ladies," he shrugged.

Heather sighed - she had been planning to meet up with Walburga to show her best friend the photograph and then Walburga would decide how to craft their revenge. Walburga had found out about Euphemia and Charlus going on a date by talking to Eileen, who had confirmed that she was pretty sure that they were dating.