Dark Angelus

Hermione stared out the window of her office, it was a beautiful day with white fluffy clouds floating by and a flock of birds soaring high among them. There was a knock on her door and she turned, calling for them to come in. Professor Shacklebolt walked in and sat down before her.

“Ms. Granger, I was hoping to talk to you about a case you were working on earlier. My brother mentioned that you were investigating the whereabouts of one Lucius Malfoy,” He explained, Hermione frowned, giving him an inquiring look.

“Well, yes, I was but I was pulled off that case when I got too close,” Hermione answered. Actually she had pulled herself off that case with little explanation but she had enough clout in order to get away with it.

“Yes, that’s what my brother said. I was hoping I could talk with you about Mr. Malfoy’s son, Draco,” he explained, Hermione felt a cold hand clench her heart. She had decided to leave in the end, she had a life and she couldn’t leave that, he had let her go, telling her that if she ever needed anything, just to call for him and he would help her.

“What about him?” Hermione asked stiffly, trying to cover up her true feelings.

“He’s been missing for a very long time. There are rumors that his father has finally murdered the young man,” Shacklebolt answered, Hermione looked down on the files scattered over her desk.

“I have no idea what happened to Draco Malfoy, I was only going after his dad,” Hermione shrugged, looking back up at the once professor, he had lasted a year like the rest appointed to the Hogwarts DADA position. He had gone on to fight in the war instead of stick around the school.

“I was hoping you knew something about him because I need to speak with him about his condition,” he explained.

“Condition?” Hermione leaned forward.

“Draco Malfoy was neutral during the war, his condition as a wanted man on both sides became apparent when he started killing off deatheaters and then disappearing without so much as a how do you do. He was brutal, you saw him as much as I did, targeting certain cloaked individuals and tearing them apart with his want. I could barely connect him with the boy I tutored during his final year,” Shacklebolt shook his head and looked up at Hermione who was patiently staring at him.

“And you came to me because?” Hermione leaned back.

“You were the Head of your class along with Draco. You would know where he would be better than any one and I need to talk to him,” he answered.

“And why do you need to talk to him?”

“I think you know why,” Shacklebolt pulled out a long black metal, medieval looking dagger and slammed it’s point into the wood of her desk. She jumped, eyeing it warily before she recognized exactly what was thoroughly stuck into her desk, then she jumped and moved back away from it.

“Where the fuck did you get that?” Hermione demanded, staring at the dark, blood red ruby glinting in the bright sunlight set at the end of the pummel.

“I take it you know what this is then,” Shacklebolt smirked, leaning forward next to it.

“I’m not some penny off the street, of course I know what that is,” she growled in return.

“So you also know why Draco would need it."

“He’s been doing fine with out that…that hell piece,” she shouted, pointing at it.

“It’s not going to suddenly jump forward and take a big ole’ bite out of you,” Shacklebolt couldn’t help the smile crawling over his face.

“It might, that’s the Knife of Hellbind. It can kill a Vampyr as easily as a slash across the throat,” Hermione growled, Shacklebolt nodded, grinning up at her.

“He’s also the next Dark Angelus,” Shacklebolt announced, she shook her head.

“Draco isn’t the type to go after the Blood Clan, he’s a little busy with his own life,” Hermione answered.

“You know he’s the only one who can wield this thing, it’s made with his grandfather’s blood,” Shacklebolt told her.

“So how did you come by it?” Hermione asked, shifting her eyes to him.

“I know a guy who knows a guy. Look, the main deal is, we have to get it to him before something bad happens to him. There’s a lot of vamps out there looking for him and so far he’s been lucky but pretty soon that luck’ll run out,” Shacklebolt growled.

“What about the other weapons Lucius Malfoy wielded at his height of vamp hunting? Would you know where those might be?” Hermione asked once the thought dawned on her.

“Ragnarok and Apocalypse? I might,” Shacklebolt shrugged. Hermione took a deep breathe and let it out slowly. Ragnarok was a large broadsword that had been handed down from one Malfoy to the next since way before the dark ages. It could kill anything, not just vampyrs. Apocalypse had been made during the Spanish Inquisition to fight against the angry mobs, it was a very mean looking cat o’ nine tails whip with magical barbs along the ends, very effective if you ever find yourself out numbered and the Blood Clan usually traveled in packs.

“Why didn’t Lucius Malfoy keep his most powerful family weapons?” Hermione asked.

“Voldemort knew that the Lord Malfoy would be too powerful with the weapons in hand, too hard to control so he made his right hand sell the relics off. I recently acquired this gem and I have a good lead on Apocalypse but Ragnarok is turning out to be the hardest to find. Of course it’s also the most magical out of the three,” Shacklebolt cast an admiring glance at Hellbind. It had been the only weapon out of the three specially designed to destroy vamps.

“Why? I thought Hellbind was the best,” Hermione didn’t even want to look at the dagger.

“Yeah, for the situation but Ragnarok is old, very old. Almost as old as the Hogwarts founders. It has more energy locked inside of it than any sword I have ever laid eyes on,” Shacklebolt explained, Hermione frowned.

“Wait, you’ve actually seen it?”

“I was Lord Malfoy’s squire once, back when I was a boy and Lucius was still fighting vamps. How I admired and loved the man, he was different then. Draco reminds me a lot of him but enough of days long gone. We have a lot to do,” Shacklebolt pulled the dagger out of Hermione’s desk and sheathed it into his robes, standing up.

“And what do I have to do with any of this?” Hermione growled.

“You my dear have no choice in the matter. He’s marked you and you are now linked to him. If he dies then you also die,” Shacklebolt explained.

“That’s vague, cryptic and ludicris! What do you mean exactly?”

“He took some your blood, correct?”

“Well, yes.”

“That means that your blood is running through his veins. Only Vampyrs have a special link to who they bite, that’s why they usually only pick one mortal to take blood from and keep them around. They use your magically infused blood to make their own magical powers stronger. If he kills you then he dies, if he gets killed then you die,” Shacklebolt heatedly answered.

“What if someone else kills me?” Hermione pointed out.

“Then he has around ten minutes to find who killed you to kill them but either way he dies to,” he fired back, annoyed as he turned to the door and opened it for her.

“What if nobody dies?” Hermione found herself walking out her door and following Shacklebolt out of the Ministry of Magic.

“Then we all live happily ever after. Look, I know you know where he is so we better get to him as quick as possible.”

“Do you know something that I don’t know?” Hermione asked.

“I’m alive aren’t I?” He growled, turning back to her, she looked puzzled.

“Lucius Malfoy is not dead, that’s what me being alive means,” he hissed into her face before turning and carrying on, she hurried to catch up.

“Why are you giving Draco the weapons to kill his father if it means you’ll die to?” Hermione exclaimed as they almost ran down the streets.

“Because I know what Lucius Malfoy is capable of and I also know that the man is now evil. I can’t let evil go on destroying because I’m too selfish,” he growled, stopping at an apparating point and grabbing onto Hermione before she could fire off another question.

TBC


Notes: I can't express to you how thankful I am of reviews...It gives me motivation through the huge block I'm in right now. And now I just need inspiration.