The Killing Kind ~Lucius Malfoy~

Remember Me

When Alexis walked into her living room, Demetri looked up at her from the notes in his hand. A fire blazed from the fireplace, shedding the room in warm lighting. 

"I think I found something you might find useful," Demetri said without missing a beat. "How did it go with Vincent Marks?" 

"Demetri." It was all Alexis could say. She felt broken and tired. The reality of never seeing Lucius again tormenting her every step. 

"Lex," he stood suddenly, rushing to her. He put an arm around her shoulders and she collapsed into them, squeezing her eyes shut. "What's wrong?" 

Alexis tried to wrap her brain around everything that has happened and what no longer existed. Demetri most likely wouldn't know that her parents were Death Eaters, that all their work was for nothing, that Alexis knew love and lost love, that her and Demetri ever kissed. None of this ever happened. 

Alexis opened her eyes and found Demetri staring at her. He was concerned as he supported her weight.

She tried standing up on her own. "Can I see the list?" 

Demetri furrowed his brows slightly. "The list?" he asked uncertainly. "Yeah, okay." 

He grabbed the notebook from the table, already flipped open, and handed it to Alexis.

Alexis looked down at the names on the list. There were names she didn't recognize, some she did, all of them crossed out. She had killed so many others during the year. She flipped the page until she found Lucius's name, alongside Narcissa and Draco. A tear ran down her face when she saw that they weren't crossed out. Narcissa had listened to her. 

"Lex," Demetri said, his voice rang with deep worry. "Are you all right?" 

Alexis held onto the notebook tightly, afraid of dropping it, of losing this bit of evidence that he was still alive. She wiped her cheek with her sleeve. 

"I don't want to do this anymore," Alexis whispered. 

"Do what?" 

Alexis walked over to the fire and threw the notebook inside. The embers quickly grew as the papers fuelled its life. 

"Lex!" Demetri called out. "That has everything in it! Why did you do that?" 

Alexis stared into the flames, felt them burning her eyes. "I don't want to hurt anymore." 

"You don't want to hurt others?" 

Alexis shook her head slowly. "I don't want to hurt anymore." 

There was silence as Demetri processed this. "Why are you hurting?" 

Alexis bit her bottom lip, trying to choose the right words. "I thought killing Death Eaters would heal the grief I felt." She swallowed, then turned to look at Demetri. "I was wrong. Revenge doesn't make the grief go away." 

Demetri looked at Alexis for a long moment before speaking. "I'm so sorry, Lex." 

Alexis had to force herself to meet his gaze and when she did, the emotions she tried so hard to keep at bay broke free, as if the dam holding them back finally snapped. 

She crumbled to the floor, broken and in pieces. Demetri rushed to her, falling to his knees and wrapping her in his arms.

Alexis wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. But she wept until her eyes dried up and her voice went hoarse. 

Alexis walked down Diagon Alley, which was crowded with children doing their back-to-school shopping. She dodged a couple of younger kids chasing each other as she turned into a bookstore. The store was also filled with eager children and she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the crowds of kids. She loved coming here for some peace and quiet, but today she wouldn't get any. 

She browsed a shelf she rarely ventured to, as her usual section was blocked off by a group of students. She picked at the first interesting book she saw, glancing at its cover. It was a fiction about time-travel. Her mind easily flashed back to the time-turner she sent back to Theodore Nott. She wondered if he realized what it was, considering it was in a million pieces. 

She felt the comfort of her pendant on her chest. She found it in her room shortly after returning home, as in this timeline, she never gave it back to Demetri. She ran her thumb over its smooth surface as she tried to read the description of the book. However, her mind was elsewhere. She thought back to when she discovered the pendant in her bedroom and how she gave it to Demetri. 

"Get rid of tracking device inside," she recalled ordering him.

His features contorted into a confused expression. "What tracking device?"

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but when she looked at his perplexed expression, she had realized there was no tracking device. He had put one in there because of Lucius. Demetri never trusted him. 

The bell rang as the shop's door opened, bringing Alexis out of her stupor. She blinked the blurriness away, again trying to read the description of the book. Alexis made it to the second sentence when she heard a familiar voice. 

"Just pick something, Draco. I haven't got all day." 

Alexis looked up as her heart hammered through her chest. 

"It's for mother," another voice said. "Can you try to have patience?" 

She saw the young man first; his short, blonde hair sticking out like a sore thumb in the dimly-lit shop. 

Suddenly, Alexis felt her breath get stuck in her throat as her eyes traveled beyond Draco. Behind him, looking impatient and irritated, she met a pair of grey eyes. Their gazes lingered on each other, Alexis unable to process what she was feeling, and Lucius, peering at her as if trying to recall exactly where he had met her before.

Please remember me, thought Alexis as Lucius's eyes tore away from hers.