Murder to Malfoy - D.MALFOY

[17]

Ivy's Maman tended to go a little too overboard for Christmas. A few years back they had gone back to France to spend it with the extended Cadieux family and Ivy had realised that the extravagant Christmases were something that was passed down through the Cadieux heirs. Her grand-père was ten times worse than her Maman.

The main family always decorated the huge tree in the sitting room, rather haphazardly while listening to music and drinking hot chocolates (this time infused with just a touch fire whisky in Ivy's case.) She had always loved the decorating of the tree but it felt odd to be doing it without Antony, that's why she needed the slight alcoholic buzz and her parents seemed to have the exact same thought. It made for an ever so interesting tree decorating evening. This year, Maman had gone to another extreme. She had decorated each and every guest room with a tree bought from a place that donated all the proceeds to different charities. The elves had had all the fun decorating those trees, Ivy constantly had a smile on her face while overhearing their happy chatter.

The only room that didn't have a tree was Antony's. No one but her father could bear to look in there, let alone decorate it for the first Christmas that he would not be present for.

Fin and Cedric arrived five days before Christmas and with them came tons of laughter that Ivy so needed. During the week, she caught up with Cedric mostly while Fin either talked to Maman about certain things they needed answering. Fin's mother had died when they were young so Maman had always considered Fin to be one of her children. In fact, Fin came out to Maman before Ivy.

Ivy, Cedric and Fin all walked outside on Christmas eve, enjoying the snow and the vague Christmassy joy that flooded through each of their veins. This year's Christmas was bittersweet for all three of them. For fin and Ced, the lacking of their father for the holiday and for Ivy, the severe longing for her brother. Ivy found it somewhat comforting, that they were all missing someone.

Suddenly, Ivy was pulled out of an utterly terrifying thought that she did not want to linger on or repeat ever again to anyone, by the sudden feeling of freezing cold melted ice trialling down her back. She turned, frowning as her gaze landed on Cedric who had clearly thrown said snowball. "Cedric Diggory!"

Fin just laughed, high-fiving their brother as they interrupted his reply, "Nice shot!"

While the two Diggorys were distracted, Ivy began balling up some snow with her gloved fingers. Then she threw the compacted ice into his face, landing directly onto his nose. "Bullseye," she smirked proudly.

"Now you've started it," Cedric laughed before throwing another snowball at his sibling this time, laughing harder as they wiped the ice from their jumper.

They sent him daggers with their eyes, "How am I involved in this?"

"You were just stood there," Cedric shrugged, still laughing but now clutching his side as pain had started to erupt there.

"This is war," Fin half seethed, looking to their brother.

"Uh oh, angry Fin. That's not something you see often," Ivy chuckled while she prepared multiple snowballs, creating a little pile at Fin's feet as she could easily see where this was going. Fin picked up three spheres and sent one forcefully into Ced's shoulder. Another flew against his torso, shattering into a flurry of snowflakes one again. The final one went directly into his face, splattering freezing water all over his face. Ivy and Fin laughed loudly as he flicked the wet snow from his eyes.

Ivy's father sat in his office, window open to get a fresh flow of air into the overly stuffy room that smelt strongly of pine due to the few Christmas trees within it. He read the second book of that day, eyes scanning the page quicker than most. Suddenly his progression in the story reached a complete still. He heard something he hadn't heard in years flowing in through the window. He closed the book without even marking the page then leapt up, "Aurelie!"

Seconds later Maman entered the study, walking quickly with eyes full of concern, "Oui?"

"Come look at this," he responded quickly lessening her concern as he gestured out of the window. She, with a tiny exhale of relief, walked over to the window and watched Ivy. She watched as her daughter laughed as Fin paused their brother into a pile of half-melted snow and leaves."She's laughing again."

Maman leaned her head against her husband's shoulder, exhaling softly, "You think she's finally learning to be okay with all that happened to Ant?"

"I hope so," Father sighed, still smiling softly as he watched his daughter finally enjoy life again.

-

On the very last day of the holidays, Ivy went up to her room to go and pack but she paused as she found her bedroom door wide open. She quickly walked through, hoping and praying that whoever was inside hadn't found the plans hidden on the back of her mirror or in the books that littered her nightstand. "What is this?" Cedric asked as soon as she stepped through the threshold. Her heart began to thud loudly and rapidly, mouth becoming dry due to the pure fear that rose up within her.

"What's what?" she asked, clearing her throat as she walked further into her bedroom and closed the door gently, so Fin didn't overhear anything.

He sighed, not turning around to face her, "Ivy..."

"Look Cedric just-"

"What let you explain?" he turned, annoyance clear in his eyes. "How long for?"

She still didn't know if he knew or didn't know. It could have been anything, she did have quite a few secrets hidden in that room. Her eyes trailed around the room, hoping to find some sort of significant hint as to what he was so outraged about. The mirror was still turned over, tape still in place. The book on her bed was untouched, heavyweight on top still at the perfect angle in which she had put it, to begin with. That's when it clicked.

That morning, Fin had walked into her room with a random problem that needed immediate sorting out. So, as any friend would, Ivy dropped what she was doing and went to their aid. Only she had been smoking. "Since Antony died," she sighed, relief sweeping through her very soul.

He held the near empty pack of cigarettes in his hand into her view, "So you're poisoning yourself now?"

"Why were you in my room anyway?" she asked, desperately trying to change the subject away from something that she truly hated about herself. She just couldn't stop. If she stopped, the anger and guilt would reach in proportionate levels and the picture of Anyonys dead body would make its way into her anger fulled dreams. She didn't understand how it worked at all but knew that it did.

"I've lost a jumper," he shrugged, gently placing the pack on her dresser. "I was going to knock but the door was open and I saw these on the windowsill."

"I am trying to quit," she replied, not telling the full truth. She had tried to quit and everyone thought she was, when in reality she had only managed to cut out two cigarettes a week. "Honest Ced."

He sighed softly, walking toward her, "You know I'm always here to talk to if you need it."

She wondered why everyone always thought she wanted or needed to talk about her feelings or the goings on in her mind. "I know," she muttered, trying not to bite at him for making such an assumption. Then, he did something she actually desperately needed in that situation. He hugged her, a lot tighter than anyone else had for a while. She felt somewhat comforted by being hugged by a different person than the normal people, it was odd really.

Surprisingly to Ivy, she actually managed to have a nice Christmas without her brother. That fact did bring her a ten-ton of guilt though, guilt that she only fueled into her want to avenge his death. She started to plan the third official attempt on his life. There had been quite a few little attempts that hadn't been planned, for example when she knocked over a killing plant in his direction during herbology and when she had tried to slit his throat while he slept on the sofa in the common room but someone stepped into the room before she could.

This third attempt, however, had no way of failing. 

Or so she thought.