Murder to Malfoy - D.MALFOY

[50]

Ivy leapt at the chance to go to Fin's when it arrived, politely of course. She loved spending time at her house and all but lately the looming sadness that enveloped the surrounding areas of her brother's room had begun to creep further into the corridor. Never before had she been so interested in what lay behind the doors, what dust-covered figures would spark such memory within her that it would be worth going through the pain of having to relive her worst nightmare of finding him after Lucius. She longed with her entire soul to have something form behind the chipped door, something other than a stupid potato plushie that could bring about a memory or two. Maybe a photograph or a jumper would finally bring that little shred of her heart that still hadn't quite come to terms with the grief that still followed her around like a pestering child.

She liked to get out of the house and the grounds around the house. To breathe a different kind of air and see different things. She especially loved the cottage that the Diggorys lived in, all surrounded by blooming colours and so many fragments of wildlife that it was hard to not feel at home the second she walked through the creaky gate. The feeling of home further increased when both Fina and Cedric came running out of the house, both enveloping her in the largest congratulatory hug she had ever experienced. She hadn't seen either of them face to face since the trial.

They mostly lounged around the living room for the day. Playing games, watching movies and drinking various plant-based concoctions from tall glasses that were misty with the slowly melting ice within them. She stirred the last remnants of her drink with a straw, watching the leaves of mint and lemon swirl between the remaining chips of ice and the sea of fizz. "So... Malfoy then?" Fin asked almost hesitantly, placing their glass down onto a coffee table already full of watermarks, so they didn't have to use a coaster.

"You don't have to say it like that," Ivy tutted, taking a long sip of her drink in order to avoid the question she knew they had been dying to ask the second she walked through the threshold and removed her shoes.

Fin almost looked as if they had been accused of the most heinous crime imaginable, "Like what!"

"Oh come off it Fin, even Ced knows what I'm talking about," Ivy laughed softly, feeling good to laugh at something other than the randomly decent jokes on the tv that had made up her entire yesterday. Everyone was busy the day before; Draco had a hospital appointment that dragged for hours, Blaise was seeing Luna off for her holiday and Fin was off camping with their family.

Cedric shrugged in Fin's view but looked to Ivy with eyes full of pure agreement, "She has a point, you did have a tone," he paused, slurping through his straw though minimal water remained within the glass he held."But Malfoy Iv? I thought you hated him?"

"Hated, past tense," she enthused, making sure that her point was loud and clear. "But anyway, let's not talk about him. I don't want to become one of those who doesn't care about friends anymore."

"That was so poorly worded it actually hurt my brain," Fin laughed, the very sound shooting daggers through Ivy's mind. She had a bit of a tension headache, mixed with stress and a wide range of other things also.

"Dude come on, I have a headache," she sighed deeply, pinching at the top of her nose to try and relieve some of the pressure felt there.

"Do you want drugs?" Cedric asked softly while placing his glass on the coffee table.

"Yes," Ivy nodded quickly. "Please."

"Excuses excuses," Fin tutted as Cedric walked out of the room, laughter still caught between their lips.

"Oh shush," Ivy brushed the comment off by throwing a pillow that had previously been behind her back at Fin as they gasped in absolute outrage.

A knock on the front door echoes through the living room and Ivy watched as Fin's face contorted into a grin, "Ced! Your girllllfriends here!"She heard the distant and slow thudding of Cedric walking up the stairs turn to quick running in the opposite direction. He came almost flying through the living room, hurrying to the door as quick as his legs could carry him. However, he stopped briefly at Fin and leaned over the back of the sofa.

"Fin I swear to merlin I'm going to kill you," he replied quickly and quietly, swiftly punching their arm before he ran back to catch the door before the second round of knocks came.

Ivy raised a brow, whispering to Fin as they both watched said Girlfriend walk through the threshold of the house, "Girlfriend?"

"Well apparently they're just close friends but I caught something that would say something completely different the other day. Piece of advice, knock on doors to bathrooms," they grimaced and shook their head at the thought, wanting to be rid of it forever.

"In a bathroom? Damn."

"Classy right."

Ivy chuckled shortly, "Incredibly, really knows how to woo a woman that one."

"I do wonder if that's the reason the last one dumped him."

"Ced! Treat your girlfriend better!" Ivy yelled as the two walked past them in the living room, heading toward the stairs. She distantly heard the girlfriend laugh as their footsteps quicked up the staircase and into an undoubtedly now locked room. Just as Ivy was about to ask where their dad was, to check that she hadn't disturbed him or given away a secret without knowing it when it was far too late anyhow, her phone buzzed on the coffee table and she quickly scooped it up.

"Hello, Gorgeous,"

"What do you want Zabini?" she sighed jokingly, though the grin that etched itself onto her lips as she pulled her legs up underneath herself conveyed the emotion she truly felt perfectly.

"Are you home? I have doughnuts."

"I'm at Fins."

"Ask them if I can join the party?"

"No, wanker," Fin yelled down the phone as they had moved closer to listen in to the call after hearing it was Blaise and not someone else that would require total privacy. They moved away as they laughed though, wanting to make sure that Ivy could hear everything necessary.

"That's a yes in Fin language."

"Is there a doughnut with chocolate icing and sprinkles?"

"You think I don't know what your favourite is by now? Come on Vee."

She grinned, "You're a beautiful human Blaise."

"I know babe, I know," he laughed softly, a distant shuffling could be heard and she could not figure out what it was."See you in a minute."

As she hung up the phone, laughter echoed down the hall from upstairs. Fin sighed and used their wand to flick the radio on, turning it up to a volume that would mask any sound from upstairs, while ivy la sighed dramatically and lay down on the sofa with a cushion covering her eyes. "Guess I won't be getting those drugs then."