𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧 - 𝑨 𝑺𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒖𝒔 𝑺𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - Cat

Lucius Malfoy stood at the barred doors, reluctant to step inside the dirty little cell and stain his favorite pair of shoes. The smell would have been worse if he were to approach the center of the cell where Crouch was found semi rotting - a pathetic display it was.

His Dolce & Gabbana was only so powerful after all.

Aurors stood around him, trying to figure out what exactly had happened here. Barty's corpse was taken away for testing and they have found an excessive amount of Dark Magic which was ruled to be the cause of death.

"The killing curse was used." One of them says, standing by the tall blonde. He was eyeing Lucius from the side, suspicion clear in his eyes.

"Oh please, you think I'd waste my precious time killing that good for nothing scoundrel?" The Malfoy felt annoyed, but he understood him. He was bound to end up a suspect as an ex-Death Eater involved in the murder of another.

There is a good chance they might bring in Severus as a suspect as well, and although he was proven a spy, the Ministry doesn't provide leeway for anyone who doesn't bend down to kiss their arse.

Severus, meanwhile, sat at the table by the window, an empty plate in front of him. He already finished his breakfast and was now reading the newspaper. After what he had heard about Barty Crouch he didn't want to miss anything.

As odd as it was, he was intrigued by this case. He knew it likely had nothing to do with him, yet he found himself searching the headlines for any clues, which there weren't.

It wasn't a problem though, as he could acquire whatever information he wanted from Lucius.
It was a habit now, he supposed, to end up suspicious about activities surrounding Death Eaters. Especially after the occurrences of Dark Magic he felt around him - although that hasn't happened for almost a month now.

He reminded himself that his days as a spy were over. There was no need for him to look out for such things anymore. If something were to come up however, he would be sure to deal with it accordingly. With a begrudging lament, he folded the Daily Prophet in half, his fingers flexing and unflexing around the rough, porous paper.

Only then did he spot Mia pad into the kitchen, her shoes clacking lazily against the wooden floor. She stopped right by him, presenting him with some letters. She avoided meeting his dark gaze with those timid eyes of hers.

He fixed his vision on her for a moment, the view lingering before he gently took the pile of letters from her hands, clearing his throat before methodically flipping through them one by one.

"Seems like you've been neglecting your duties lately, haven't you?" He spoke once he notices the dates on some of the letters, insisting they had been sent to him days prior but she only brought them to him today.

"Really?" Mia finally met his eyes, her brows raised in surprise. She could have been mistaken for genuinely being shocked if she didn't use such a sarcastic tone. She shrugged and turns her back to him and picked up his empty dishes before walking over to the sink to clean up. "I don't think so, in fact, I think I've been doing a terrific job."

"Oh, I'm absolutely certain of that." He quips with a roll of his eyes, slamming the newspaper down on the table, the force crumpling up the first few pages. He rose from his seat, sparing the maid who was busily scrubbing the dishes one more glance before leaving the kitchen to home himself on his couch to read all the letters.
Just as he gets done with the last one, a soft scratching sound echoing from the front door, prompting him to look up with a furrowed brow.

He listened intently, before he sighed in frustration With a swift motion of his wrist, Severus flung the door open to reveal that nuisance of a black cat perched on the mat, its paw suspended midair.