For the Sins of the Father

The sun was high in the noon sky as the woman pushed the metal ladder up against the brick wall. She swiped the back of her hand across her brow to remove a layer of sweat and put her foot on the bottom rung. It creaked horribly, eliciting a groan from the woman. Super heroes and cool spies always had grappling hooks. Yet she was stuck with a rickety old ladder that looked like it would collapse if she blew on it.

Then again, super heroes and spies didn't normally break in with the intention of murder. Yes, murder was afoot. Murder most foul.

Anyway, the soon-to-be murderer slowly ascended the swaying ladder to the summit of the brick wall and clambered atop it. The second she stepped off the top rung of the ladder, it fell with a loud crash.

Bugger

.

This assassination thing was harder than it looked. But it would be worth it. Totally worth it. Just to see the look on his face when she raised her wand and-

"Caaaaaw!"

She nearly fell off the wall in surprise. In the tree she was planning to climb down, a nasty looking crow had made a nest. She glared at the black bird and it glared right back. It was going to peck her eyes out if she moved a muscle. She was sure of that.

It was just typical of her luck. She'd planned this murder for months. Drawn maps, planned curses, even performed a little reconnaissance. None of it mattered anymore, not now that the homicidal bird was staring her down.

Sweat trickled down her neck and she suddenly regretted wearing leather pants and a long sleeved black shirt. She'd wanted to get the cat burglar feel working. Now it seemed stupid. Sitting on a brick wall, in the middle of the day, wearing all black. If anything, it made her stand out even more. Ok, so maybe her choice of apparel wasn't well thought out.

Her plan was ingenious though. Climb over the wall, hide behind a bush, wait till the git comes out, and end it all with a well-aimed killing curse. Then run like hell, of course.

So she wasn't much of a criminal mastermind either. Truthfully, it just wasn't in her nature. But this was in the name of revenge. The Death Eater who killed her parents was long gone so she decided she'd kill his son. Quite logical, really.

Oh yes, payback's a bitch.

Don't take it the wrong way. She didn't want to murder anyone. It was just something she had to do. Her older brother seemed willing to let the bastard get away with it but she couldn't let it go. Hate is cancerous. It grows and takes over till it's too late. This hate had been festering for years. It was in her blood, the very marrow of her bones.

So the Death Eater responsible had been killed during the War. Small discrepancy. Revenge was within reach while his son lived.

Her heart thumped in her chest at the thought. No, a stupid bird would not foil her plan. She'd waited two years for this. Without taking her eyes off the bird, she pulled her wand from the waistband of her pants.

"Stupefy!"

The crow didn't even have time to blink before it seized up like a little statue and fell through the branches of the tree to land with a muffled thump. Poor thing.

"I'm sorry, birdie," the woman cooed, as she tucked her wand away again. Her brother would have laughed to see her apologising to a bird moments before she killed a man.

Careful to avoid the egg-laden nest, the remorseful murderer tentatively shimmied out onto a thick branch of the oak tree. Tree climbing was not her forte and she almost fell on more occasions than she'd care to recall. Fortunately, she didn't. If the traitorous ladder and the devil-bird hadn't already notified the occupant of the house to her intrusion, the sound of screaming definitely would.

She finally dropped the last few feet to the ground, but stumbled and fell to her knees. She swore silently and stood up, swiping dirt from her nice new leather.

Things weren't going precisely to plan but she hadn't hit rock bottom yet. Not while she still drew breath and was free to think for herself. She was still in control and that was all that mattered. Well, at least according to a book she'd read, How to Execute the Perfect Murder. It's quite amazing what one can find in the local library if one looks hard enough.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and surveyed her surroundings. The grounds were cluttered and somewhat intimidating. There was a certain wildness about the area that sent a shiver down her spine. The perimeter was unkempt and full of unknown creatures that scurried about in the undergrowth. As she walked closer to the house, the garden became a little more as she'd expected. Not many flowers, but lots of bushy hedges.

She tried to walk as quietly as possible but there was a considerable din as she walked up the gravel path that led to the house. She ducked under a vine-covered archway and there it was. Looming above her in all its glory.

Malfoy Manor.

The woman realised she might be spotted from one of the front windows so she fled to a hedge that was located in the middle of the circular driveway. She crouched but couldn't resist a peek up at the old house. She frowned. It was quite a lovely place actually. If you ignored the evil that dwelled within, of course.

She counted four floors. Quite different when compared to her flat. What she wouldn't give to have three floors. Even constant hot water would be welcomed. As far as she was concerned The Powers That Be had screwed up royally. Why should the son of a Death Eater live in such luxury while the families of his victims lived in poverty? Before she could curse the Fates any further, the front door opened slowly.

Draco Malfoy.

Platinum blonde hair shone in the sun like a beacon. Dressed in black robes, he sauntered down the steps and lazily turned his face to the sun. Basking momentarily, he put his hands in his pockets and allowed himself an indulgent smile.

The intruder remained hidden behind the hedge, no more than fifteen feet away from her victim. Malfoy always went for a walk around his estate after lunch. The smug piece of filth that he was. Well, he certainly wouldn't be able to ponce around like that in hell. Apparently they frowned upon that Down There.

Malfoy headed for the archway and unbeknownst to him, his attacker followed silently. Wait till he was under the arch then...

"Payback time, Malfoy," she snarled.

He whipped around at the sound of her voice. His steely grey eyes were wide with shock. After all, it wasn't particularly easy to catch him off guard. Making him jump was a feat in itself.

"You're going to get a taste of your own medicine." She reached for her wand. Her wand...

Oh, hell.

It had disappeared. It must have fallen out whilst she was skulking about. Talk about being up the proverbial creek. Righto. No need to panic. She'd just have to do it the old fashioned way.

Malfoy was searching his pockets for his own wand by now. While his concentration was elsewhere, the erstwhile murderer took the chance to charge at him. It was the adrenaline that made her do it. Tackling a man who is taller and heavier than you isn't exactly the most effective way to kill him. But it was really all she had.

Malfoy stumbled back in surprise and fell on his backside rather unceremoniously. The woman was straddling his stomach and punching, scratching, pinching and pulling everything she could get hold of.

"That's my hair!" he bellowed. He could have thrown her off but he was too busy protecting his face. His father always said his vanity would be his downfall.

"Stupefy!"

The crazy woman seized up suddenly then fell forward onto Malfoy. Groaning in relief, he spat her hair out of his mouth. Her raven locks were strewn across his face so he couldn't see much. Of course, he was used to women throwing themselves at him, but he preferred the sane ones.

The sound of crunching gravel was music to his ears.

"You took your sweet time," he complained. It really was hard finding good help these days. "Well, don't just stand there! Get her off me!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When the woman finally woke up, she could faintly smell lavender. She sighed and opened an eye. Then the other one immediately opened.

"Hello, Alicia," Draco Malfoy said. His captive gasped and he smiled devilishly. "That is your name, isn't it? Alicia Spinnet."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she croaked.

"Sure you do, Alicia. You played Chaser for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. You have an older brother named Ryan and your parents, Lisa and Daniel, were Aurors."

"How did you-"

"Malfoys make it their business to know."

"How typically cryptic of you," she rolled her dark eyes.

"Malfoys make it their business to be cryptic," Malfoy smirked.

Alicia ignored him. She'd come to the Manor with the intention of killing its owner and now she found herself in one of the lavish guest bedrooms. Brilliant.

"Why did you bring me up here, Malfoy? Aren't you afraid I'll contaminate the place with my Gryffindor morals?"

He eyed her intently then shrugged. "I'll burn the sheets."

"You didn't answer my first question. Why bother bringing me up here?"

Before Malfoy could reply, there was a loud knock at the door and an unusually large man entered. He was bald and missing a few front teeth. He glanced at Alicia then pulled out a familiar wand.

"That's mine!" She sat up in protest. "Hand it over, baldy!"

"Now, now," Malfoy admonished, taking the wand and slipping it into his pocket. "There's no need for name calling, no matter how appropriate, Ms Spinnet. This is Gustav, my bodyguard."

"Gustav?"

"Well, his real name is Frank but that doesn't exactly incite fear."

"And Gustav does?"

"I don't know. You tell me, Ms Spinnet."

Alicia shook her head. This wasn't going well. They hadn't mentioned anything like this happening in How to Execute the Perfect Murder. She was out of her league now.

"Ok, so you get your ape-man here to stun me then you bring me into your house. It doesn't make sense. Come on, what's going on? Are Death Eaters hiding under the bed?"

Malfoy scowled. "It's not bloody fair. Potter does a good deed and women throw their knickers at him. I do a good deed and get unfounded accusations and glares. Where's the justice?"

Alicia bit her tongue to keep herself from expressing her thoughts. The fact that she didn't tend to think before she spoke was one of her major failings. If she wasn't careful, her sharp tongue would get her killed.

"You're not one to talk about justice, Malfoy."

"Ah, I was wondering when we'd get around to that," he leant back in his armchair casually. "I must commend you on being the first to actually get inside the grounds."

"The first?"

"Really, Alicia, you don't think you're the first to come up with an ingenious plan to kill me, do you?"

She opened her mouth then quickly closed it. That was exactly what she thought. Well, so much for her revolutionary plan.

"Don't flatter yourself, Alicia. My father had more than his fair share of enemies and you're by no means the first person who's tried to kill me. I don't keep Gustav around for his conversational skills, you know."

"So you realised I was trying to kill you. Why not kill me then? After all, we both know Slytherins aren't averse to committing random acts of violence."

"Says the woman who tried to kill me? Well, I would have killed you," he answered simply. "If I'd had my wand that is. I prefer to curse first and ask questions later. Gustav, however, doesn't share my itchy trigger finger. Lucky for you."

The realisation that she could have died visibly rattled her. Alicia swallowed her panic and slid off the large bed. "All right, looks like I failed. Such is life." She forced a smile and looked up at Gustav. "Thanks for the whole not killing me thing. If it's all the same I think I'll just be leaving now."

"Not so fast, Spinnet," Malfoy drawled.

"Look, I'd really love to stay and reminisce about our Hogwarts days but I have places to be and people to see. You know what it's like," she waved her hand vaguely. "Busy, busy, busy!"

"Back on the bed, Alicia, I'm not finished with you yet," Malfoy snapped.

Alicia giggled and continued towards the door. "If I had a Sickle for every time I've heard that!"

Malfoy sighed in annoyance and snapped his fingers loudly. Nothing happened. He repeated the process with the same result. Alicia gave him an odd look as she clutched the door handle. Malfoy groaned and stood up and glared at his bodyguard

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Gustav! Do I have to go over the signs again? This," he snapped his fingers, "means you grab whoever is escaping. In this case that would be Spinnet over there."

"Er - right...Sorry, sir."

Alicia yelped when Gustav turned to her. She was halfway out the door but he was quick for such a big guy. He grabbed Alicia around the waist and threw her over his shoulder. She struggled and swore to no avail.

"Drop her on the bed," Malfoy ordered.

"You can't do this!" Alicia yelled, as she was dropped in an undignified heap.

"I can and I am," Malfoy stood over her calmly. "You and I are going to make a deal, Spinnet."

She glared, her large brown eyes smouldering. "In that case, I might as well sell my soul right now."

"You fancy going to Azkaban?" he demanded. "The Dementors might be gone but a pretty little thing like you won't last long amongst the hardened criminals."

"What are you on about?"

"Trespassing and attempted murder mean anything to you?"

"You're not exactly innocent, buddy. You're holding me against my will," Alicia pointed out smugly.

"That I am. Do you want to take the chance?"

Alicia thought about that for a second. No, she didn't want to take the chance. Malfoy could afford the best lawyers in the country. He'd managed to stay out of Azkaban so far, hadn't he?

"All right, tell me about this deal of yours," she relented. "But it better not involve me taking my clothes off."

"Not at all. That leather is rather becoming," his eyes skimmed over her appraisingly.

Alicia scowled. "I'm running out of patience..."

"All right, we'll talk business if that's what you want," he sat at one end of the bed while she sat at the other end. "I'll be willing to forget you were ever here if you help me out with something tonight."

"Excuse me?" Alicia gaped.

Draco ran his hands through his hair in a disgruntled way. "Are all Gryffindors sexually depraved or something? It's nothing like that. It just so happens that I have a function to attend tonight and I don't have a date."

Alicia began laughing hysterically at the thought of going out on a date with Draco Malfoy. Talk about an unholy union. But she soon stopped laughing when she realised Malfoy hadn't joined in. "Christ, you're serious! You actually want to go on a date with me?"

"It's not a date! I need a partner and you happen to be in the general vicinity. It's not as if I want to go with you."

"Of course," she nodded, clearly not convinced.

"The only reason you're not lying outside is because I recognised you and had Gustav bring you in. Show a little gratitude, woman!"

"Why, Draco, I didn't know you cared!" Alicia simpered.

"I don't care!" he insisted, quickly losing his temper. "That's it. The deal's off. I hope you enjoy Azkaban. Say hello to the Death Eaters for me."

"No! Wait! I'm sorry, no more teasing. Please, I don't want to go to Azkaban. Prison uniforms don't go well with my complexion," she clasped her hands together pleadingly. "I'll go to this thing with you."

Malfoy feigned contemplation. "Hmm. I'm not sure I can trust you. I mean, you're a Gryffindor and they're notoriously unreliable."

"I'm an ex-Gryffindor."

"Once a Gryffindor, always a Gryffindor."

"That your motto or something?"

"Something like that. Now, you have to promise you won't make a fool of me. These people are high-ranking Slytherins you're going to meet tonight."

"I thought they all died or ended up in Azkaban?" Alicia cocked her head curiously.

"Most of them are retired Death Eaters and Initiates. They're not dangerous," he assured her, "they just like to think they are. We make an entrance, mingle, smile and pretend we care then we're out in less than an hour. Simple enough?"

Alicia nodded hesitantly, against her better judgment. "If only my parents could see me now. Consorting with the enemy."

"You think I'm the enemy?" he snorted derisively.

"I was raised by Aurors," she offered by way of excuse. Ok, it was a poor excuse.

"Sirius Black and his band of Aurors killed my father but you don't see me trying to murder them."

"That's only because you've lost your touch. Daddy isn't around to help you anymore. No matter what you do, you'll never be as bad as him," she sneered, hitting a raw nerve.

Malfoy turned an unpleasant shade of crimson and leapt up to stand over her and regain some sort of control over the situation. "I am bad, Spinnet."

"Mmm. So is Michael Jackson."

"Who?"

"Never mind," Alicia rolled her eyes. She knew more about Muggle pop culture than was necessary. One of the pitfalls of living with a Muggle-born.

Malfoy just stared at her. "You irritate me, kid."

"Kid? I'm older than you by like two years, idiot."

"Listen, I don't like you and you don't like me," he jabbed his finger at her viciously. "We get tonight over with then we never see each other again. I'm going to get the maid to find something of my mother's for you to wear. You stay in this room and don't make trouble."

"Me?" she blinked innocently. "Make trouble? I'd never do such a thing!"

Malfoy raised his eyebrows sceptically. "Sure. How'd you get into the grounds anyway?"

"Used a ladder to get over the wall then climbed down a conveniently placed tree," she replied proudly.

"Right. Looks like you're going to be doing a bit of tree lopping, Gustav."

"Yes, sir."

"Let's leave Ms Spinnet to rest now. She's had a busy day," Malfoy nodded curtly towards his houseguest then led his bodyguard out of the room.

Alicia lay back on the bed and stared up at the canopy. Malfoy really was an incorrigible arse. Just to make matters worse, he oozed sexuality. She was sure he did it just to piss her off. Though she tried to ignore it, he was the sexiest guy she'd come across in months.

Sexy in an evil and morally corrupted way, mind you.

"Welcome to rock bottom," she sighed to herself.

All in all, it was surprisingly comfortable.