Fire red. Blazing flames that lick greedily in the soul. Vengeance is essential. Too young. Shock. Crumbling, wailing; no stop. Fire red; outside, in. Many questions but only one is asked, why. Wrenching realizations that too little had been done, many warnings had been given only to be brushed off as an impossibility.

*****

“You ok, mate?” I asked as I watched my friend storm around the dorm room. Growing alarmed as I observed his face darken a crimson red, I cautiously placed his hand upon my friend’s shoulder only to yank it back when he recoiled.

“I don’t want to talk about it, it wouldn’t help.” His sole answer as he stormed around the room. “I’m going out-“I moved to follow him. “No I’m going alone.”

“Ok, have it your way.” If only I had known, I would not have relented so easily.

******

Two shadows in the room, two beings circling each other like caged cats. Lightening is the sole light as the booms of thunder make for fitting accompaniment. Fierce rain blows through a recently broken window. One thought plays continuously in one lion’s thoughts. Does he have the guts?

******

AVADA KEDAVRA!

******

The dance cut premature, one body slumped to the floor. Another stands in shock. What has he done? Should he flee? Would they catch him? He begins to run. He doesn’t run far, his shock growing into paralyzing fear. He turns from the doors and as a man much older than he, staggers to the one place he can think of going.

******

Breakfast the next morning and my friend hasn’t returned. I’d tried to go searching for him but my head of house had caught me. Looking around the oddly subdued crowd I oddly notices another empty place at a table placed away from his own. I heard the casting of the Somerus charm as the headmaster stood up.

“Students, faculty and staff, it is my grave duty to inform you that last night a tragedy occurred. A student was killed by another. Draco Lucius William Malfoy was found dead in a classroom. The other student has turned himself in and is in custody.”

********

I snuck a look at Snape. He was the boy’s Godfather, how would he handle it? I felt horrible, not only because of my growing suspicion that I knew the killer well, but for the Slytherin himself. Sure, we were not friends and despite our daily barbs, we weren’t enemies either. How then would Snape, who cared for the boy a lot, fare?

It was obvious he had already learned the news, being the boy’s head of house and God father, it only stood to reason that he and the other heads had been informed. Snape’s face was twisted in a grimace, a casual observer would believe annoyed, but I could tell it was more. It was a face I’d often made growing up, needing to cry but not daring.

********

Classes had been canceled for the day. I found myself wandering the dungeons. I couldn’t face what was left of my friends. I would be expected to be the strong one and I couldn’t fill that role today.

“Sir?” I approached the man in his office. Broken phials lined the floor as if they had been thrown from a distance. The man looked up from studying something on his desk. He tries to mask it but I could see the raw emotion etched on his broken face. A scowl forms then, more dangerous than I had ever seen before.

“I just want to say, well, I want to say that I’m sorry about Draco. I’m sorry for how he died too, it was wrong of my mate and I hope that he gets all the system throws at him. Snape appeared not to hear me. I walked closer, toeing the harsh floor. I stood in front of his desk and could see the object of Snape’s attention. An old photograph that showed a white-haired toddler smiling toothily at a younger version of the man I stood across. The man in the photo smiled as he tossed the child lightly in the air, catching him easily.

I blinked back to the present when I heard the older man moan, a lone tear rolled down his pale cheek. I wasn’t supposed to witness his anguish so I turned to leave. Before I could clear the doorframe, I heard the wizard whisper in a voice filled with agony.

“Everyone I love is dead.”