shattered | f.w, d.m

twenty

Keziah.

February, 1998.

—

Young adult Marcus Flint found dead in a classroom at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Flint's body was found at approximately six in the evening on February 16th by Hogwarts Professor Binns. "Found him in his own pool of blood. A wound right in his abdomen. Blood was everywhere. That's all I can see. His blood. It was all over him and the floor. Poor boy," Binns had said in his statement with the Ministry.

Authorities declare the death as a homicide. This is an official on-going investigation for Flint.

"Fucking idiot," Keziah swore under her breath. Her head shook at the Daily Prophet. "Fucking idiot. Holy fuck."

She irritably threw the paper right into the roaring fire and scoffed as she watched it burn while the browning edges caved inwards. "Fuck this shit."

She fought the urge to kick the table and flip it over. Fought the urge to slam her fist into the wall. She didn't even feel a twinge of fear or anything. Maybe a bit of anger and annoyance, but no fear or guilt or remorse.

Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

She should have gone to see Draco, but she didn't want to see him right now. If she saw him, she might actually kill him. Couldn't add another death on top of everything else.

Hell, she actually wanted to throw herself in the fire five feet away from her.

But she did not.

Instead, she needed a release. Something to take her mind away from reality for a good hour or two.

Rising from her seat on the couch, she brushed down her uniform skirt and grabbed her book bag. Classes were cancelled, announced moments before she got her hands on a copy of the paper.

Keziah went to go find Fred. She left Gryffindor Tower and walked down all of the moving steps.

There were a lot of important people at the castle now. Detectives and forensics and people from the Ministry. It was the first day they were here, as it was the day after Dumbledore spoke to his students the morning after he was found. Everything moved quite slowly for a homicide, Keziah thought.

Marcus was found in the evening of her birthday—February 16th. They were locked in their common rooms the night of and until the morning after. February 17th was when Dumbledore spoke upon the topic. Now, February 18th, detectives and forensics and people from the Ministry were here. That's nearly two days after Marcus was found.

Keziah's guess was that the Ministry themselves panicked and blanked. Murders never happened in the Wizarding World. Especially not at a safe place like Hogwarts. Perhaps not so safe anymore.

Detectives were taking a look at the scene—the scene where people were demanded not to go near until authorities came. Healers were examining the untouched body still. There was no autopsy report yet. Just a declaration of Marcus being murdered.

Dumbledore and a few other professors were standing by the scene. A male detective was talking to them. The Headmaster looked very serious. McGonagall looked concerned and mortified. Snape was just staring at the important people doing their thing at the scene of the crime.

Keziah sort of wanted to go up and see what was going on, and what they were talking about. She decided against it.

Since it was declared a homicide, she knew people were going to be questioned. McGonagall knew of the game that was played on February 16th. The game of Assassin.