in the end ~ d. malfoy

Chapter Sixty-Five

October 2016

"DID YOU NOTICE SOMETHING ABOUT THE NECKLACE?" Harry questions her, as owls fly over the breakfast table.

"Huh?" Maya barely manages to get out, swallowing her mouthful of cornflakes.

"The one Katie touched." Ron sighs, exhausted, "He hasn't shut up about it."

"It's from Borgin and Burkes." Harry continues, ignoring his friend, "Don't you remember? The really expensive, cursed one that we saw that day?"

"Oh." A faint image of the opals set in silver comes to her memory, and the feeling of deja vu from before suddenly makes sense, "When we were—"

"Tailing Malfoy around Knockturn Alley, yes." Harry sighs.

Clary chokes on her juice, whirling around as she stares at Maya, "You were what?!"

"Long story." Maya sighs. There's a headache beginning to form in her temples, and she massages one, clearing her throat, "Your point being?"

"He thinks the ferret was the one who gave that necklace to Katie Bell." Hermione groans into her newspaper.

"What?!" Maya sputters, shocked, "Harry, where is this coming from?"

"Think about it." Harry presses on, and Ron and Hermione immediately shoot each other a knowing look, "Malfoy took something to Borgin and Burkes for repair, right? He bought something else that day, and I think it was that necklace—"

"Harry, just because someone visits a suspicious shop doesn't mean that they're a possible murderer." Ron sighs, exasperated.

"Besides, " Hermione interrupts, "Borgin asked him if he wanted to take it with him, and Malfoy said "no"—"

"Because he didn't want to touch it, obviously!" Harry pipes up, carrying on, "What he actually said was, 'How would I look carrying that down the street?' Of course he'd look like a prat carrying a necklace."

"That doesn't make any sense." Maya's brain swirls in confusion, "He could've just wrapped it up in a cover and put it in his bag. No one would have been the wiser."

"I think whatever he reserved at Borgin and Burkes was noisy or bulky; something he knew would draw attention to him if he carried it down the street – and in any case," Hermione glares at Harry before he can interrupt, "I asked Borgin about the necklace, don't you remember? When I went in to try and find out what Malfoy had asked him to keep, I saw it there. And Borgin just told me the price, he didn't say it was already sold or anything."

"He could have still sent off for it." Harry doesn't relent, defensively crossing his arms over his chest, "Had it delivered."

"How exactly would he have gotten it past the wards?" Clary questions, frowning, "Every incoming parcel's being checked right now. I doubt they would've missed a cursed necklace."

"Besides." Ron sighs, "He wasn't even in Hogsmeade that day, remember?"

"What?" Ron's words directly contradict the memory of that afternoon in Maya's head, "What do you mean?"

"McGonagall said that he had detention with her." Hermione continues, "He hasn't done his homework for the past two classes."

"No, that's not true." The words leave her mouth before she can stop herself, "I saw him."

"What do you mean?" Ron squints at her in confusion.

"Malfoy — um — " It's too late to backtrack now, she realizes, internally facepalming at her own stupidity, "He came to give Nott his Quidditch jersey back."