A Game of Cat and Mouse

T W E N T Y T H R E E

Elio had always thought that the scariest day of his life would be the one when he died. The one where that ticking time bomb that loomed over every living, breathing being finally came to an end and the veil of death would be placed over his eyes for eternity. Up until the ripe age of twenty-three, he never thought that there could be any day more terrifying than that.

Until tonight.

Things were going so well. As well as they could, at least. Yes, Annie was the sister of James Riddle (and therefore the daughter of the Dark Lord—a matter he wasn't even allowing himself to think about yet for the very real possibility that he would shit himself in the middle of a ball). But James hadn't killed him on the spot and Annie seemed to have the miraculous ability to reason with him so that seemed taken care of. Yes, Annie found out about the things he said in jest the night of the Malfoy Ball but he'd felt her enter his thoughts with the gift he hadn't even realized she had until he learned who her brother was—the second most skilled Legilimens in the world. She'd seen with her own eyes—well, mind—that he loved her and that he wasn't playing her. So while he would spend the rest of his life regretting those few words, at least he hadn't lost her over them.

He hadn't realized that he could lose her another way.

He was in the middle of allowing James to look in his mind. He hadn't realized that the sensation felt different depending on who was doing it. Whereas Annie's mind felt light and warm, James's felt like black tar cascading over his every thought. Elio wondered if the difference was his relationship with each person, especially since James did sort of feel an awful lot like tar. A dark, sticky substance he couldn't shake no matter how much he tried, fearing constantly that it would drown him.

Then, James had seen everything. He'd seen Elio's love, yes, but he'd also seen him making said love. With his baby sister.

Not Elio's brightest moment, he would admit.

He'd never wished he was an Occlumens more than in that moment as he watched James's face contort with rage like he'd never seen. "YOU FUCKED MY BABY SISTER!" He roared with newfound anger. "YOU TOOK MY SISTER'S VIRGINITY YOU FUCKHEAD! YOU'RE DEAD!"

And while he and James had always had somewhat of a joking rivalry, Elio didn't doubt it at that moment.

The moment had seemed so slow yet so fast at the same time. At the time, he'd almost felt like he was underwater. Watching the fish swim past him while helplessly drowning beside them.

James had reached into his trousers and taken out his wand, pointing it at Elio as he shouted, "Sectumsemptra!"

Elio prepared himself to be dead (at best), stiffening his body so he at least didn't look like a coward in his last moments.

But as the green light came toward him, he found himself being shoved out of the way. He fell onto the ground with an "oomph!"

And when he looked up, there was Annie. His angel. His saviour. His everything.

Covered in blood.

The wounds were small at first. Little patches of blood appeared all along her torso and he wondered if the curse was small yet annoying. The Paper Cut Curse or something like that.

But then the blood spread. Everywhere.

It covered her pale body, staining the light dress she'd looked so beautiful in moments ago. Annie fell to the ground before he could reach her. The resounding thud would haunt him for years to come.

Her frail body began to convulse on the ground, almost as if her heart were attempting to restart itself, to make enough blood to keep her alive. But there was too much. Elio knew there was too much.