Running With Wolves

Chapter 27: Interlude II

Chapter 27: Interlude II

The streetlamps were out. The empty street was silent and peaceful, blanketed in a layer of snow. All its inhabitants had closed their door against the frost and were too busy enjoying the fires inside and the Christmas atmosphere that had taken a hold on the surrounding village to notice anything that might have been amiss beyond the comfort of their homes.

Four figures slinked through the pooling darkness. They were difficult to make out, cloaked in black to match the night, but they made no effort to conceal their approach or to disguise themselves from anyone who might have been looking out on them. All four carried wands. The first, a stocky woman who seemed to be leading them, pointed out ahead of her at a house the same as any other on the street, but she smiled, her short hair swinging out from the confines of her hood as she turned to the others.

            "That's the one the dark lord wants dead," she told her companions. The younger woman next to her met her gaze, looking bored. She grated her teeth across her bottom lip, walking past the first woman and shoving open the gate of the first house on the block. The older woman rolled her eyes.

            "What are you doing, Lestrange?"

            "Aw, Judy, I'm just having a little bit of fun," Lestrange drawled.

            "Don't call me that. The Dark Lord gave us specific orders." Judy grabbed Lestrange by the hood, pulling her back. One of the men behind them gave a grunt.

            "Why not have some fun?" His voice was rough. "I'm with Bella... What's a few more muggle scum." He snarled, baring his teeth in what was supposed to be a smile. They were black and rotting, and sharpened into crude points. Judy curled her lip, and snorted.

            "Fine. Go and play, but do it quickly; we have a job to do."

Giggling, the pair turned back into the yard and slinked into the house, wands held aloft. Judy gestured to her final companion. He was even younger than Lestrange, barely out of Hogwarts. Judy sneered at him. His face was pale, lips pressed tight together. He flicked blond locks of hair from his face.

            "You come with me," she said, beckoning him forward with thin fingers. "Unless you'd rather join the monkeys." She cocked her head to the house beside them as though bored. A scream issued from inside the house. There was a burst of green light. Judy turned back to the boy. He looked ill. Judy flashed her teeth at him, huffing a breath through her nose. "Or are you too weak, Malfoy?"

            "The Dark—" he took a deep breath. "The Dark Lord trusts me."

            "Does he?" Judy laughed. "Prove your worth to me. Then we'll think about how the Dark Lord feels." She approached the house farther down the street, not looking back to see if Malfoy was keeping up.

            With a lazy flick of her wand she opened the gate, gliding up the path. Another wave and the front door clicked. Judy turned the handle open slowly. The door creaked open into a dark hallway. A strip of light fell from the doorway farthest down the hall. Laughter rang from the room. A perfect little family, ready to meet a perfect end. Beside her, Malfoy's breathing got heavier.

            "Shut it, or step outside, Malfoy," Judy snarled through her teeth. His breath caught.

            Judy stopped at the door.

            The room was flooded with colored light. A Christmas Tree sat in the corner, glittering with all its decorations, most hand-made. Some were beautifully crafted and painted, clearly created by an artist. Others looked thrown together, constructed hastily and messily by a child. Music played softly from a small radio perched on the window sill. The family was gathered around a table, all wearing flimsy paper hats and laughing with each other. There were six of them. The two parents, the targets, sat at either end of the table, both workers for the ministry in high enough positions to warrant their deaths. A strange pity curled in her chest. They had no idea what was coming. They hadn't even noticed her leaning in the doorway. There could be no witnesses of course. It would only take a few minutes, and they would all be dead. At least it would be quick.