The Killing Kind ~Lucius Malfoy~

The Hiding Spot

Demetri came home late that evening, throwing a take-away bag onto the coffee table. Alexis was pouring over his notebook. Suddenly realizing how hungry she was, she began unpacking the burgers and fries he got. He sat down next to her. 

"So?" she asked, licking the grease off her fingers. 

"It was pretty easy to figure out who's helping the Malfoys," Demetri answered, shoving fries into his mouth. 

"Oh?" 

"It's all he can think about. He's quite stressed. Seems like a nervous man." Demetri grabbed a burger, unwrapping it and placing it in front of him. "Donald Ruth is our guy." 

"What else did you find out?" Alexis turned to look at him, forgetting about the food in front of her and her growing hunger. 

Demetri swallowed his food before responding. "He's hiding the Malfoys in his own house. They should be arriving soon." Demetri pushed a burger closer to Alexis. "Eat, Lex." 

She grabbed the burger, deep in thought. "Do we know where Donald Ruth lives?" She took a small bite, chewing thoughtfully. 

"Doesn't matter," Demetri said through a mouthful of fries. "We can't just waltz into his house when we're trying to get Lucius Malfoy to fall in love with you. You need to meet him by "accident"." 

Alexis furrowed her brows. "How am I supposed to do that? He probably rarely leaves." 

"It's London, it's where he's lived his entire life. I'm sure he'll leave at some point." 

Alexis chewed her lip contemplatively. 

"Would you eat, Lex?" Demetri asked, annoyed. He didn't speak again until Alexis took a big bite of her burger. "This just means that your job will be to watch the house. Try to see if he has any kind of routine, figure out where you can meet him." 

"So it does matter where Donald lives," Alexis pointed out. 

"Yes, well I already have that information," Demetri said. "I'll show you tomorrow." 

"Why not tonight?" 

"Because I'm exhausted and the Malfoys aren't even there yet." 

They ate in silence for awhile, both deep in thought about executing their plan. 

"What do you know about the wife, Lex?" Demetri finally asked. 

"Not much." Alexis shrugged. 

"Draco didn't mention her?" 

Alexis tried thinking back to her conversation with Draco. "Barely." 

"Was she a Death Eater?" 

"I assume so," Alexis said. 

"I would find out from Lucius or Draco before you decide to kill her." 

"She's affiliated with Lucius, isn't that enough?" Alexis asked.

"If you look at it that way, you might as well kill Draco too." 

"He was just a kid. It's different." 

"If you say so." Demetri stood and began cleaning the discarded burger wrappers. 

Early the next morning, Alexis and Demetri found themselves walking through a neighbourhood. All the houses were identical from each other and a children's park sat in the centre.

The sun was barely in the sky, casting shadows all around them. 

Demetri stopped walking in front of one of the houses. "This one." 

Alexis looked at it. It was the same as every other house, nothing setting it apart. "Number 227?" 

"Yup," Demetri answered. 

"He lives in a Muggle neighbourhood?" 

"I guess," Demetri said, looking around. 

Alexis turned her head side-to-side. "Where am I meant to watch the house from? Everything's so open, there's nowhere to hide." 

"Maybe you can practice that invisibility charm you struggle with," Demetri suggested. 

"That'll last an hour, tops." Alexis frowned. "Maybe I can just blend in with-" 

"Shh," Demetri said suddenly, squinting in the distance. 

Alexis turned to look in the direction he was staring in. "What?" she asked. "I don't see-" 

"Lex, shut up." Demetri grabbed her arm, dragging her closer to the houses. 

They squeezed in between two houses, the space barely big enough for one person. They had to suck in their breath before squeezing in. 

"What is it?" Alexis asked. 

"There's people coming."

"So? People live here. Of course there's people around." 

"Their hair-" Demetri suddenly closed his mouth, turning his head to look outside the alleyway. 

"What about their hair?"

Demetri didn't answer. Alexis opened her mouth to speak again when she finally heard voices. 

"Right this way, my friend," a high-pitched, male voice spoke, his tone was uneven as if he was nervous. 

"This place is filled with muggles," another voice said, deep and confident. 

"Perhaps it is best to hide amongst the muggles, dear," a female voice answered. 

"It must be nice to be back in London after all this time," the nervous voice said. 

"Hardly," the other man answered. "This is your house? It's rather... small." 

"Are you sure you have room for us, Donald?" the woman asked. 

"I'm barely ever home," Donald answered. "The Ministry is my second home." He let out a high-pitch laugh, which died on his lips almost as soon as it started. 

"I assume it'll be only my wife and I then?" the other man asked. 

"That's right, Lucius." 

Suddenly, there was a loud bang and what sounded like a struggle. Donald whimpered slightly. 

"Do not use my name out here, Donald." Lucius said in a menacing tone. 

"S-so sorry," Donald cried. "It's w-won't happen a-again." It sounded like he struggled to breathe. 

"Let him go, dear, before he passes out," the woman, Alexis presumed to be Narcissa, said. Her voice was soft, clear and pleasant. 

There was a shuffle of footsteps and Donald began breathing rapidly, as if catching his breath. 

There were a few moments of silence, then the clinking of metal. 

"What's that?" Lucius asked. 

"A key, sir," Donald answered. "Muggles use them to unlock doors." 

"I know what a key is, Donald," Lucius said, annoyed. "Why do you use one?" 

"Just to blend in, I suppose." 

"Is that going to be secure enough?" Lucius asked. 

"You need not worry, nobody will know you're here. The neighbours mind their own business ever since I accidentally caved in my own roof. I was experimenting with a tricky potion, you see-" 

"I'm afraid you've lost my interest," Lucius said. 

"Right, let us go inside," Donald said. 

The click of a lock sounded, the door opening, the shuffle of footsteps, then the door closing. 

Demetri turned to look at Alexis. "Pleasant man, he seems."