"So...how'd your visit with Mattheo go?" After quite a bit of time, I was finally able to stop by Tom's place and actually meet him in person. 

He paused for a second, collecting his words. "Fine."

"Just fine?" I inquired, examining his expressionless face. "I suppose Serena would be happy to learn about this...unexpected reunion."

"Serena was the spark in my life," Tom replied. "To keep a glimpse of that spark alive, I decided to meet Mattheo."

"I feel like, Mattheo has changed..." 

"And, why do you think that?" Tom questioned, his charcoal eyes on mine.

"I dunno...maybe he's become a lot more open to us now because we've...I've opened up to him...I can't describe it."

Tom and I exchanged a few more chats, here and there. I was about to exit his home when he congratulated me.

"Oh and," he said. "Happy early anniversary."

My one-year anniversary was just a day away. A year was about to pass by since Draco and I had been married. I flashed a small smile to Tom.

"Thanks."

                                                                    ---------------------

28 JUNE 2004.

"Serena, there is so much I want to tell you." I held Serena's soft hand as I spoke low. "I miss you so much." My eyes were threatened not to slip out tears.

Most of Serena's bruises had recovered, I could see the shape of her face; her eyes, her nose, her lips. She appeared like an angel but a living corpse at the same time. Most of the doctors had begun to lose hope in her recovery. 

I knew Lucius was behind this. He was going to pay and I was going to ensure it happened.

He was going to pay for the time he killed my parents all those years ago.

He was going to pay for hurting Serena.

He was going to pay for causing an injury to Draco.

He was going to pay for all.

And today I was going to face him once again. I had a plan prepared in mind, and I was sure he was too.

"Today's my anniversary." I began speaking to Serena as though she could hear me, I wanted to believe she could. I studied her body movement and her heart rate for signs to know she was there. I was only let down once again. "I wish..you could be there for me."

                                                                  ---------

"DRACO, DRACO, DRACO!" I grabbed anything that could reach my hand and violently launched things at the spider in the room. It created havoc with noises of objects being shattered.

"What is all that noise!" He spoke, his voice noticeably louder than the noise I had created. I pointed a glass vase at him.

"T-there's a spider..." The flashbacks of my time in the poverty-stricken orphanage would play in my mind anytime I spotted a spider. 

He sighed. "Of course, I should've known.." he began searching the room for the room, his hands wrapped around his brown, lanky wand. "I don't see it anywhere...you might've killed it."

I didn't. The spider must've sensed the thin chain sliver Draco was wearing and ran away itself. 

I stepped off the bed practically covered in fear, my hands warm and sweaty. 

"Emerlyn, I would be embarrassed if I were you," Draco said, looking over the mess I caused. "Scared of a tiny spider when you're an Auror?"

"Shut up.." I replied, examining the room with no sign of a spider. "I'm going to uhm..clean this all up and get ready..."

"Wait." I felt his right arm around my waist, all he pulled me back. "We probably won't get any time alone after the guests arrive, so I thought I'd give you a gift..since it's our anniversary."

"Hm?" I looked over at him as he took out a ring from a small velvet box. 

"Our wedding happened so quickly, we never had an engagement or..vows..or any ceremony.. just a wedding and a party to celebrate it." He discussed. "So, I thought I'd get you a ring."

He held my left hand slipping on the small ring on my ring finger, the head of the ring was circle shaped and a deep shade of emerald. 

"Well, this makes my gift less original as I also got you a ring," I answered. "It's beautiful by the way." I turned around to face him.  
            

                                                                                    --------------

"Yet again we see each other, dear daughter-in-law." Lucius greeted me, his voice dangerously close to my ear. 

I remained quiet. 

I continued greeting many other people but one person stuck in my mind Lucius. I had a plan, to lure him. 

Lure him somewhere with no people around. 

                                                                               --------------

Desert came around and I noticed Lucius wasn't with the crowd. I knew where he was. I wanted him there. 

"Emerlyn," Narcissa called out.

"Oh--yes?" 

"I have something you must know." I could tell from Narcissa's expression that she wanted to tell something urgently, however, my need to go after Lucius was more urgent. This time was precious and wouldn't repeat again in my favor.

"I have to do something..I'll be back."

"Stop making excuses." I was a bit surprised at the tone of her voice, she had never used this tone with me.

"Mum!" Draco called out from afar, and she diverted her attention toward his voice. 

"I'll deal with him right now, and return back. Stay here." She instructed and left. I wanted to listen to her,  but not right now. 

With new guilt forming in me, I got up and left the crowd following the stairs that led to the rooftop.

The environment around me was completely silent yet I felt an unsettling presence behind me. I kept turning my head behind me to spot a shadow, or someone--but there was nothing.  

Was it Draco? No, he would've made it apparent he was behind me, besides he was with Narcissa.

There was a dagger, a sharp-pointed dagger in my hand. It would be dangerous for Draco to spot me like this. 

 ----               

"You fell easier in my trap than I imagined, Malfoy." I made my presence known to Lucius, who was near the well-built fence. 

He turned around with a grin on his face. "I could say the same for you Malory."

Then began a battle, a duel specifically. Lucius used vicious spells on me and I defended myself with counter spells while attacking him back at the same time. No one downstairs could hear the sound of a battle due to the loud music.

"Expelliarmus!" I finished the battle by simply grabbing his wand and placing it in my pocket.  I could've continued the pointless battle but that wasn't the purpose tonight.

"Lucius, you have no weapon with you." I began walking toward him in a way where he was cornered. The dagger was visible to the two of us. For the first time, there was genuine fear on his face.

"Legimiens!"  I shouted and entered his mind, where there were memories, emotions, and thoughts. I wasn't here to kill Lucius on this day but to figure out the purpose behind the death of my parents.

I saw many, many, many victims. Some I could even recognize like Longbottom's parents, I saw the four killers I had previously killed, I saw my parents, I saw my own dead body which brought me back to reality.

The dead body of nine-year-old Emerlyn. I didn't have time to inquire any further.

"You won't kill me because you're so desperate to know why I killed your parents." He spoke, the same grin on his face. 

I was filled with shock, guilt, regret, and anger. 

He took advantage of my silence and turned me around grabbing a hold of his wand and my wand. Now, I was one being cornered. 

"Oh yes, I will!" I finally replied. My one hand attempted to seize the two wands, and the other slashed his lower abdomen.

I felt nauseous. 

He let out a groan in pain as he dropped the two wands, the two of us were close, close, close to the fence. 

I didn't want to kill Lucius tonight, I wanted answers, I wanted to know why it happened.

Then, unexpectedly someone shot an arrow directed at Lucius. 

The pitch-black arrow stabbed him right in the chest, he lost his balance. His back crashed with the glass fence, shattering the glass into thousands of fragmented pieces as he fell off the rooftop.

"NO!" 

There was a third person all along. 

I ran to the place where the arrow was shot from. There was no trace of the person as they had apparated but there was nothing but the bow.

I held the bow, as I studied the bowstring. I ran to the area where Lucius had fallen.

Was he dead? How did this happen? Who's behind this?

One wrong move changed my entire life.

The bow was visibly in my hand, my fingers were covered in blood, the sleeves off my red dress had been loosened, and my hair was everything but tidy and neat.

Everything made me point as the murderer.

There were many people surrounded by Lucius's dead body. 

One of them was Draco.

A/N: Thoughts...?😬