Envy (Sequel to Deceit)

Part II: Flawed

Part II: Flawed

As the warm glow of the setting sun sunk away behind the hills Antonius Drore emerged from the tavern. Unlike any other night when he resurfaced, he was completely sober. He had only indulged in a single glass of whisky that still sat half full on the table that he had sat at. Something was different that night, the feeling crept up upon him like a disease, constantly eating away in the back of his mind. All month he had been stuck in the drab little Muggle village and it was beginning to bore him; he hadn't seen anything out of place unless you counted a dog with three legs that he witnessed rolling down a hill last Tuesday but Antonius wasn't even sure if he had seen that either, after all he did recall having a terrible hangover the morning after. Sighing, Antonius made the long trek to the old house where he had been staying; the door hung off its hinges and the shutters were cracked and discoloured. The house had once been a place of grandeur and wonder but time had allowed it to fall into disrepair. Gnarled plants crawled up the greying walls, clinging so desperately that it seemed the walls would crumble in its grasp but remarkably the house remained standing. Lazily kicking the door open, Antonius crossed the threshhold and ascended the old marble staircase that dominated the hall.

The windows on the first floor overlooked the beach house that his sources informed him was where the boy used to live. The warm glow of lighting illuminated the area where the kitchen was as he stood at one of them, peering into the darkness. He watched the mother lift a young child in her arms, the child stared longingly out of the window undoubtably looking for someone who would never return. Watching her, he wondered if his own children felt that way but dismissed the thought immediately. His children despised him and dearest Annie, she hated him too. They could never understand how he had only done it to protect them, that their lives had been in danger and he could never tell them. He would die a coward and evil. His family would never accept him back, that's what He does, twists your weaknesses, uses them against you then in turn you turn it against yourself, becoming so lonely and so cut off from the world that you cannot possibly return. So you stay. You sell yourself into slavery to keep your own life. And theirs.

Giving a short laugh, Antonius drew away from the window. He had become cynical in his old age, despite being only forty he felt at least twice that age, he felt old and weary. A tiny thought in the back of his mind urged him to leave, abandon his mission and return to his family. Instinct told him he hadn't long left anyway but he stayed. Why? Curiosity.

Curiosity killed the cat.

Mere seconds after Antonius made this most damning decision two figures appeared in the distance, the dim lights of their wands like beacons against the inky sky. He noticed them immediately, they were not ordinary, not Muggles but of his own kind. His mind spun with thoughts: friend or foe? Most likely foe, there were very few people whom Antonius counted among his friends, everyone else was therefore untrustworthy.

Taking a deep breath he lept from the window, using a hover charm to aide his descent; despite his size, he landed relatively lightly and immediately slunk into the shadows. After a month in the village, Antonius knew it like the back of his hand, every short cut, every alleyway, every building. It was not difficult for him to navigate his way to where the pair had appeared and, sure enough, he spotted them enter the village through the west gate. They both wore Muggle clothes, the taller of the two sporting a hoodie which concealed his features from Antonius' suspicious gaze but his companion made no such effort; her long blonde hair flowed freely down her back and her green eyes focused only on him, she seemed oblivious that anyone in the village would take note of them. Ordinarily no one would have but it was not an ordinary night. Stealthily, Antonius crept close enough to catch wisps of their conversation; a faint reminiscense of the girl's voice echoed in his mind but it was not a voice he could place, it was familiar but foreign at the same time.It was not until the pair approached the old Muggle doctor's place that Antonius fully realised the significance of his quarry.

At the door Xander dropped his hood, looking at Amelia with a questioning glance before following her inside. He had no idea why she had lead him there and certainly was unaware of Antonius' watchful eye, after all who would expect a Death Eater to be in a village full of Muggles?

For his part, Antonius was dumbfounded. He had seen the head, that boy had been dead. Should have been dead. There was only one person who could have orchestrated his survival, the very person who vowed to have killed him; could it be possible that a girl of only sixteen had outwitted the Dark Lord? After all wasn't that what Potter had done only last year? The thought seemed ridiculous but still it tugged on his conscience. Even as he apparated away.

~

"You're sure it was him?" the Dark Lordd questioned.

"Completely sure, my Lord," Drore replied, not daring to look up.

"and he was alone?"

"No, my Lord,"

"No" the Drak Lord echoed, looking at Drore with such an intense stare that it would make even the toughest of men squirm, "who was with him then?"

"A girl, not someone I recongnised," Drore paused, remembering some significant detail then pausing to add, "she was blonde"

"Is anyone else in possession of this information?" Voldemort murmured, rising from the high backed chair in which he had been sitting and crossing the room to stand in front of the fire, directly opposite Drore. The embers hissed and cackled angrily, flames reaching out greedily as their harsh light cast his features into shadow.

"No, my Lord, I came directly,"



Those were the last words Antonius Drore ever spoke. They had barely left his lips before the curse hit him and he fell to the floor. Dead.

"What shall we do with her, Nagini?" the Dark Lord muttered, absentmindedly stroking the python who had suddenly materialised at the prospect of a fresh meal. The girl was a liability; of that much he was certain. She had fallen in love. The word disgusted him, why did people cling so desperatley to a bond so easily broken? What lured them so wilingly into its sticky trap? he, himself had never loved, people thought he loved Penelope but in the end she had been only a necessary piece in his master plan, after she provided him with an heir she was no longer useful. So he killed her. On reflection he wished he knew more about the ritual when he was younger, then he could have used Devin. Devin was certainly far easier to control than Amelia and less attached to things, even her sister would have been a better choice. But it was done, irreversible. Besides there was more than one way to deal with her, he already knew what she had done; one small flicker of emotion, a tiny window, her downfall. In that second her mind was open to him, what Drore told him only confirmed what he already knew to be true. She was cunning and sly as the embodiment of her house but he would play her game. He would play and win. He would allow her to think she had outwitted him, at least until she had released his people from Azkaban. Then he would deal with her and her little Mudblood. He too could be sly as a snake.

Revenge would never taste so sweet.



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A/N: It feels like forever since I last updated and yeah, this is kinda bad but oh well...

The second part of this book will be in third person mainly becausethe final book (if I get to it, I've already written the ending) will be in third person except for maybe the epilogue.

Thanks to everyone who is reading this still <3