malice. |harry potter|

2.9

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"oh, for fuck's sake—"

♥

"Mali! Mali— please don't be dead— oh god— please don't be dead..."

The first thing Malice Fallon noticed as she regained consciousness was the fact that a single ringlet of her chestnut curls had made its way into the corner of her mouth. Even before she opened her eyes, she could feel the hair in her mouth, and promptly stuck out her tongue in order to rid herself of the scratchy hair.

The next thing was the soft groan from beside her, emitted from the small girl's mouth as Mali's eyes fluttered open. "Harry? Ginny?"

Both girls sat up, tracking their eyes from the dead form of the basilisk, to the back ink all over the floor, and finally to the blood that covered a certain raven-haired boy's arm. "Harry!" Mali gasped, dragging herself to the boy. "Has it bit you? We've got to get you out of here—"

Harry grabbed Mali by the wrist, smiling sweetly. "S'all right, Mali. Fawkes cried on me, and now I'm good as new," he explained, gesturing to the Phoenix who was tentatively coming towards Malice.

Malice Fallon had a way with animals. They just seemed to like her, and she couldn't recall ever having a bad experience with one. She thought, through her spinning mind, that perhaps Fawkes could feel that, could know that she was right. Perhaps that was the reason that the majestic bird dipped his head down in one graceful motion, mimicking a bow in her direction. "Phoenix tears," she mused. "That's the most sought-after potion ingredient in existence. There's a reason for it."

"Harry? Lissa!" Ginny gasped, tears streaming down her beautiful face, her chocolate eyes swimming with misery. "Lissa— oh, Harry— I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy— it was me— but I— I s-swear I didn't mean to— R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over— and— how did you kill that— that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I remember is him coming out of the diary—"

"Ginny, stop," Malice said sternly, placing both hands on either side of Ginny's face. "This? This was not your fault."

Ginny stopped for a moment, before bursting out crying. "I'm going to be expelled!" She wailed as Harry helped both girls to their feet. "I've been looking forward to Hogwarts since Bill told me and— oh, what will Mum and Dad say?"

Mali frowned, pulling Ginny back to attention. "I swear to you, love, I won't let you get expelled. This was weird, fit, baby-Voldemort's fault. He possessed you, Gin."

"How'd you know that?" asked Harry, still supporting the redhead as Mali was able to walk alone. "Did he tell you he was Voldemort?"

"Well— erm— not in so many words," Malice explained, the three of them walking towards the entrance to the chamber. "But Ginny managed to tell me his name, and— well— I have a bad habit of stealing Mum's ministry documents, and my memory is perfect."

For the first time that day, Harry Potter laughed, throwing his arms around Mali as soon as Ginny was able to support herself. The young Fallon was surprised, if only for a moment, before pulling him in tighter. The two children held onto each other as though their lives depended on it, Harry burying his face in her neck, inhaling the smell of dirt and smoke and blueberries. Harry had missed her.