Rosekiller

The first time Pandora was grateful for her poker face was today, she had turned off her phone since she was at work her and her fellow designers were planning for a fashion show they had coming up, it was a collaboration of some sort where designers from all over the world get together and collab with on another, they were split into teams of two she was partnered up with one of her idol’s;
Xenophilius Lovegood, they were a renowned designer from London and had moved to France two years ago, Pandora knew them from school vaguely, the two weren't friends but she would like them to be.

They would be given two models each, one of them was Dorcas -thank gods- and the other was her distant cousin Bellatrix, she liked Bella, the older woman could be a little chaotic sometimes but Pandora lived for it. Her and Xeno –they told her to call them that– were busy testing designs and colours when he walked in, Pandora hadn’t noticed him at first because she was having a very nice conversation with her new friend.

“Maybe we should go with emerald green and gold for Cas, and dark purple and silver for Bella?” she gasped.

“Xeno you are absolutely perfect! The theme is Mythical right?” they nodded, smiling. They were about to say something before a sadly familiar voice spoke up.

“Pandora” she froze, when she turned around sure enough Seph was standing there with his hands in his pockets and a worried look on his face.
The more she saw him the more she wanted to throw an axe at his head. Xeno seemed to sense her discomfort.

“Who are you?”
They said, looking Seph up and down.

“Seph Roland” he extended his hand in greeting but Xeno didn’t return the gesture. “Xenophilius Lovegood, may I ask what your business is with my friend?” her heart melted at the word friend, if this were a different situation she would have smiled, but she kept her face blank.

“It’s none of your concern, Pandora, can we talk privately”.

“Whatever you have to say I don’t want to hear it” she said definitely, looking back at the page in front of her.

“It’s about Evan and I don’t think you want him to hear about it do you?” she shot him a glare. “Them and don’t talk about my brother” she snapped, her face may be blank but her voice was maliceful.

“What’s going on here?” Pandora breathed a sigh of relief, she looked at her boss and [distent] cousin, Narcissa. She knew about what happened to Evan, Pandora may have missed her last job interview but Cissa saw her work and hired her on the spot.

“Hello there Narcissa” Xeno waved. She offered them a kind smile. “Xeno lovely to see you as always” she then turned to Pandora. “Can you tell me what’s happening here?”

“That’s Seph, Evan’s ex” Cissa looked at him with a cold stare, and narrowed her eyes.

“If you would be so kind as to remove yourself from my building that would be much appreciated” her voice held as much authority as her appearance.

“Or I could call security, your choice” she added.

“Hold on I’ll leave it’s just-”

“Security” Cissa called out. “Evan’s in trouble” that got both Cissa and Panda to stop, Xeno stared at him confused.

“My office now” The four of them made their way to Narcissa’s office. “You didn’t have to come Xeno” Pandora said worriedly, they shook their head with a soft smile.

“I might not know Evan but I do know that he’s in trouble and I’ll do whatever I can to help” she smiled.

Narcissa leaned against her desk with a raised eyebrow. “Well?”

“Some guy texted me a few weeks ago and told me where to find Evan, That’s when I ran into him and Pandora, then he randomly called me up last night and asked me where he lived, I told him I didn’t know and he hung up”

“Did he tell you his name?” Seph shook his head. “Nah he also wore a mask I’ve seen the inside of what looks like his house and everywhere you look there’s a picture of Evan, the worst part is that in some of them he’s a toddler” Pandora felt sick, Xeno had reached out and took her hand.

“I-” Cissa was cut off by her work phone ringing, she picked up. “Hello?” Pandora heard a muffled male voice on the other line.

“Slow down Regulus where did you say Evan was?--putain d'enfer, okay stay where you are we’ll be right there” she hung up and looked at Pandora with a panicked expression.
[Fucking hell]

“Evan’s downtown at the police station”

Fucking hell.

________________________________________________
Barty wanted to laugh, here he was a humble serial killer, surrounded by cops and the cherry on top is the guy he likes is being interrogated for his crimes, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, he stayed silent as Reg and James talked, Reg got out his phone and James sat down next to him.

“You okay?” he asked softly, Barty let out a breathy chuckle.

“Just worried about Evan, you know” James nodded, Barty caught sight of a silver ring on his finger and he felt himself smile.

“I expect an invite and if I don’t receive one I’ll sue” James looked down at his hand and beamed.

“Better yet, your gonna be one of my groomsman”

“I assume Sirius is gonna be your best man?” James nodded.

“If I want to keep my ‘baby makers’ in his words” Just then Reg got off the phone and sat down next to his fiance, with an exasperated huff.

“Cissa, and Pans are on their way plus someone else”

“Who?” asked James, playing with his hair.

“Xenopilus Lovegood”

“The fashion designer?” Reg nodded, a small smile making its way onto his face.

“Who?” James repeated, both Regulus and Barty looked at James like he had just said the earth is flat.

“You don’t know who they are?” he shakes his head. Barty then turned to Reg and asked.

“He has to be really hung, right? Otherwise why?” Reg sighs.

“I’m not really surprised, he uses three in one shampoo” Barty sat up straight[Ha] facing the both of them, he put his palms together and said.

“Tell me when to stop”

“Bee, I’m not gonna-”

“Here? Okay a little further then, uh here? God damn it can’t be here right? How can you still walk?! This can’t be real right?”

“Barty just stop” he looked at Regulus wide eyed. Then looked back at his hands that were a great distance away from each other.

“You guys know I’m right here right?” Barty looked at him. “Also a little further” said Reg looking down at his phone.

“God damn it”
Just then, Pandora, and who he guesses to be Cissa walks towards them followed by Xeno and another black haired dude.

“Who’s that?” Barty asks, pointing to the Black haired guy. “A fucking roach” before Regulus could get up James held him down.

“As much as I’d like to kill him myself, we are surrounded by police officers and I refuse to let you go to jail for murder before our wedding” at that Reg calmed down a bit.

“None of you answered my question”
Reg sighs.

“That’s Evan’s ex, Seph” Barty had vaguely heard about him through Evan, he hadn’t seen it but he knew Evan had a scar from him and he had ended up in hospital, It seems Barty found his next victim already.

When they got closer, James asked. “Why is this thing here”

“He gave us some useful information” answered Pandora.

“Frank!” Narcissa called and a few moments later, a brunette man walked up to them holding a file in one hand.

“Oh hey Cissa, whatcha need? Alice is busy if you were looking for her” she shakes her head. Then points to Seph.

“He has some information regarding a stalker that has been tormenting my cousin” Frank nods.

“Come with me sir” Seph looks back at Barty, and Barty just smiles. Once he was gone he turned back to the others.

“What’s this about a stalker?” Now he’s really concerned.

“Barty” Pandora walked over to him and gave him a hug. “What happened?” she asks, and he tells them about what happened before the date.

“I said have him home by ten not end up at a police station” Reg joked.

“You still didn’t answer my question, ‘What stalker?’”

He felt like he might have to fit in two murders on his schedule.
________________________________________________

Alice is confused, she brought Evan in for questioning but she's got nothing, he doesn’t know any of the victims, he doesn’t know anybody do something like this, he just doesn’t know, and all she has is that the killer uses his books as inspiration.

“There is something though” she looked up at him. “The victims, they look like the people I describe, the killer might be looking for people matching their descriptions” she nodded.

“Thank you Evan, I’m sorry I ruined your date” he shook his head. “No need to thank me I wasn’t much help, and thanks to you I get to go on another one” she smiled and nodded. She then got up and opened the door.

“Now that that’s all cleared up, your free to go, sorry again” he followed her out “it’s fine really”
As they walked further out of the station Alice saw something much worse than death herself; The angry face of her wife, she offered her a nervous smile, Alice knew a smile could only get her so far and as soon as she got close enough Cissa went off on her.

“What the hell were you thinking bringing him here?” The taller of the two looked down at the ground with the face of a kicked puppy.

“I just wanted to ask him a few questions about a case” she mumbled, Cissa pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Don’t you dare take the night shift today, or I swear to god I will drag your arse back home, I need to have a talk with you later”
At that she perked up.

“What kind of talk?” she asked slowly. “The kind that involves clothes, Alice” she deadpanned, *sigh* how Alice loved when her wife got so worked up and mean, a word of truth all members of the black family are mean in someway, so you have to either be meaner like Fleur, or you have to have a sirious degradation kink like James, Alice chose the latter and Remus is his own option.

“Are you even listening to me?” Cissa asked exasperatedly. “If I say no will you step on me?” Cissa threw her hands up in defeat.

“Be home before midnight” she started to walk away. “You still didn’t answer” Cissa flipped her off, that’s not very Noble, she thought smiling to herself.

“I think you're gonna get a scolding tonight” she turned her head, she gave James a cheeky grin, and shrugged.

“If I get lucky I’ll get more than a scolding” she winked, and he chuckled. Regulus scrunched up his face in disgust.

“Oh come on It’s not like you and Jamie are pure creatures of light, I remember hearing Sirius scream on christmas morning after walking in on you two” Regulus turned pink.

She then turned back to Evan with a soft smile. “I’m really sorry again, also regarding what you told me about the box that you received. It could very well be the same person” strange she thought, she couldn’t help feeling like someone was watching her she turned and saw the guy Evan was with, with a tiny glint of amusement in his eyes.

“We have the box if you want to search it” she nodded at Pandora. She left and a few moments later she returned with a medium sized box with a note attached to it.

“Who all knows about this?” she asked once she took it. Pandora thought for a moment. “Sirius and Remus were the first to know then Reggie and Jamie, then Me, Xeno, Cissa, Barty as of now, and you” Alice nodded, so that’s what his name is.

“Keep this on the downlow for now” all of them nodded and began to leave.

As per her beautiful heaven sent wife’s request Alice arrived back home at about eleven, when she entered the house Cissa was waiting for her in a red nightgown and one of Alice’s black bathrobes, she had the feeling that she wasn’t gonna get laid tonight, because stupid her brought the box home.
Cissa stared at the box she was holding with a concerned gaze.

“Do you think it might be the same person?” Alice shook her head, as she shrugged off her coat.

“I thought it might be but the handwriting doesn’t match” she sat down on the couch and placed the box on the table in front of her, she was surprised to find her laptop already there, she looked at her wife and she just shrugged.

“I know better than to believe you're going to leave work at work, plus I have some stuff to finish up” Alice beamed at her, and once Cissa sat down with her own laptop, Alice leaned in and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

“Well for starters you indured years of my parents' threats and you had to suffer through my emotional repression, and you just add onto the list with everyday you spend with me” Alice felt like crying.

“God, I’m so in love with you” Cissa let out a small giggle at that. “The feeling is mutual, now get to work so we can go cuddle already” She lifted hand in a mocking salute, opened her laptop and got to work.
After a few minutes she got bored and decided to look up stuff. By now Cissa had her reading glasses on and was drawing something on her Ipad, god she was such a distraction without even trying to be.

She then remembered her encounter with that guy Barty, she recognized that name from somewhere, she looked his name up and three articles popped up but the third one immediately got her attention.

[ Article by Rita Skeeter.

On july ninth of 2016, The body of Judge Bartemius Crouch Sr. was found in the river ‘Thames’, The judge's body was floating close to the city as a citizen by the name of Molly Weasley happened to be walking by, Mrs. Weasley immediately called the Yard and an investigation was conducted.

Lead detective Frank Longbottom, questioned the victim's son; Bartemius Crouch Jr. Mister Crouch Jr. had stated quote.

“My father and I had gotten into arguments regularly regarding my career choice, I will not deny that I said ‘I wished he were dead,
but if that statement leads you to believe I’m guilty, then you would have to arrest all of my father’s co workers and honestly all that knew of him and knew him as a whole, and after you still wouldn’t find the killer” end quote

After three years of investigation, In the summer of 2019 the case was labelled a cold one, with the only three suspects being, The wife Mrs. Maria Crouch, who had sadly passed away a few years back.
Crouch Sr.’s fellow judge Albus Dumbledore.

And the son Barty Crouch Jr.

Now I may just be a lonely journalist but in this case the culprit is obvious no? ]

She read through the last line of the article again, obvious? The longer she read through it the more she spiralled, so she closed the laptop and turned to Cissa, the blonde looked up from her Ipad with a raised eyebrow.

“Is something the matter, love?” she shook her head. “Do you know Rita Skeeter personally?” she thought for a moment.

“Yes and No” Alice tilted her head to the side. And Cissa put down the Ipad and stylus on the table.

“She’s Bella’s on again off again girlfriend, they broke up again three weeks ago” Alice gaped at her wife.

“Why do you ask?” Alice cleared her throat.

“I need to ask her something about an article she wrote a couple years back” Cissa nodded in thought.

“I can text Bella to see if she would be able to help”

“Would she still be awake this time of the night?” Cissa smiled as she got out her phone.

“She’s awake until at least three, plus she has to catch up on Agatha” She quickly typed something out, and a few minutes later she got a reply.

“She says she wants to get back together anyway, and asks if tomorrow is okay?”

“Yeah definitely, but how does it work between the two of them?”

“They’re both madly in love with each other, but are too stubborn to admit it so they have a little dance of trying to get the other to admit it first, and it leads them to break up and give them about a week or three then their back together” she sighs.

“Honestly, I’ve never seen Bella happier with anyone, if only we lived in a magical world with love potions and truth serums” Alice laughed.

“And what? Giant snakes and deadly tournaments, oh and a villain without a nose like in stranger things!” Cissa laughed and gave her arm a light slap.

“Alice?”

“Yes love?” she said in between laughs.

“I think I wanna discuss children” Alice looked at her wife and saw a look she only ever saw once on her.

Fear.

“Okay” she sat up and was now fully facing her.

“I want at least two kids one I can carry and one you can, if your willing too that is, I read about Girl on Girl couples giving each other their eggs so that the baby has a piece of both of them, but if your not willing too,
or if your not ready that’s fine, but if you are we can start looking for donors, Reggie mentioned this to me about a week ago he said he wanted to bring it up to James and I started thinking about what our babies would be like, and I-”

“Cissa, breathe for me love” she helped her take slow breaths, and once she calmed down Alice spoke.

“I’d love to have babies with you, but I do have a few conditions” Cissa nodded.

“First: they have to be at least a year or two apart, Second: If you carry one do not overwork or stress yourself out and I will do the same,
Third: We each get to have opinions on stuff like the names and the nursery decor and remember communication is key, and Fourth: We do this after this case”
After a few moments Cissa nodded.

“Okay?”

“Okay?” she pulled her into her arms. “I can just picture James’ face when Reg brings it up” Cissa giggled.

“He’d make a good dad, just like you’d make a good mom” and with that Cissa leaned in and gave her a kiss.

Okay maybe she was getting laid tonight.

_______________________________________

After they left the station, there was only one thing on Evan’s mind The date, but he was too scared to bring it up which was strange since he usually was very confident-ish when he wanted to be,
Barty had pulled him aside while everyone else got into their cars, the two were standing by Barty’s and Evan was in a good mood, but as Pandora always says ‘good things come to an end when people you don’t like show up’, and boy was that true.

“Evan?” he cursed internally, and turned around. “Did you get arrested or something?” this person thing, wasp didn’t deserve a greeting.

“No I came to hand in info on a case” Evan gave him a short nod and turned back to Barty who was looking confused.

“Is this your new boyfriend?” This time Evan wasn’t the one to speak up.

“So what if I am? From what I’ve heard you're his ex” Seph scoffed. “Does he not know about the scars? Or drugs?” you gave them to me you asshole, he thought. He saw Barty’s jaw clench.

“He doesn’t have to tell me anything if he doesn’t want to, and you and I know full damn well that was not his fault, the only person to blame here is you and I don’t give a fuck that you did one good thing,
It doesn’t make you a good person and it sure as hell doesn’t erase the shite that you put everyone around you through, so you can either leave us the hell alone or I can punch you until your teeth are on the pavement”

He finished with a smile then opened his car door for Evan, he got in the car, he couldn’t hear the rest of the words being said, soon Barty got in the car, and started driving.

“Music?” Evan nodded and the silence was soon filled with, Angeleyes by Abba, a wave of warmth overcame Evan he remembered Barty playing this on their first date and he soon felt himself singing along.
He was looking outside of the window by the time the song finished.

“Good looks, amazing voice, Evan Rosier, is there anything you don’t have?”

“Good taste in men, other than you that is” he looked at Barty and the man smiled but Evan saw something hidden behind his eyes.
Guilt.

But what reason does Barty have to feel guilty? Was this about what he said to Seph about being Evan’s boyfriend?

“You wanna watch a movie at my place?” that got his attention.

“Okay” Barty smiled and made a turn.

_________________________________

Once they arrived at his place Barty showed him to his bedroom, and got out his laptop he left a few minutes ago to get snacks and Evan quickly became friends with Rosie who was now curled up on his lap.

“I didn’t really know what you like so i got pretty much everything I had” Evan giggled, god he was gigging so much around this guy.

“I would help you but, I have a baby in my lap sorry” Barty put down the snacks on the bed, put a hand on his chest and gasped dramatically.

“Replacing me with my cat? You wound me Rosy”

“Did you just call me by the name of your cat?”
He shook his head.

“His name is spelled; R-O-S-I-E and I called you by; R-O-S-Y”

“It’s the same thing”

“So I’m thinking, Annabelle?” Evan huffed in disbelief but agreed.

Throughout the movie they had been holding hands, Rosie had jumped of his lap awhile ago, and he and Barty were practically cuddling, it came to the point where neither of them were watching the movie anymore, Evan was playing with Barty’s hair and then brunette leaned in to kiss him,
And soon a simple kiss became a snogging session. Then Barty’s hand slipped up his shirt, and Evan’s fight or flight kicked in.

Don’t get him wrong he trusts Barty and he has grown a really deep connection with him over the weeks they’ve spent together and he wants this he really does but he was also scared that Barty felt the scars, so he broke the kiss and blurted out.

“I’m Demisexual” now that was not a lie but like he said he feels that connection with him it’s just his stupid self dysmorphia,
and his dumb self esteem, and his dumb stupid ex that gave him PTSD, he wasn’t really conscious for it but he felt it and sometimes he can still feel it.

“And we’re not dating are we? I mean I want to date you, I really do and I want to do this so bad but I-” he cut himself off, he felt something underneath him, he moved a little and his heart sank, a bra, a fucking bra?
Barty wasn’t saying anything, why wasn’t he saying anything, Evan bit his lip, he held it up.

“What the fuck is this?” Evan couldn’t breathe, he felt like the walls were closing in on him.

“Ev I-Listen it was a mistake” he shook his head. “No this was a mistake, god I’m so stupid”

“I should leave” he said before Barty had the chance to protest he got his things and left, with tears in his eyes.

As he got to the front of Barty’s building he called Pandora.

{Go for Panda}

“Pans?”

{Ev? What’s wrong? Did something happen?}

“I messed up”

{Do you want me to come pick you up?}

“Yes please”

{Okay send me your location and I’ll be there soon}

“Okay”

{And Ev?}

“Yeah?”

{whatever happened, we’ll figure things out okay?}

“Okay”

{I love you Evan}

He knows that, but he wished Barty did…

“I love you too, Pans”.....