Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1: The Scarlett Locomotive

The lights in the corridor flickered softly as the powerful wizard passed by below, his indigo robes billowing behind him. The silver crescent moons stitched along the fabric mimicked the starry night sky. An infant's cry echoed through the hollow ward and Albus Dumbledore's hand glided over the smooth, velvet pocket of his robe where his wand lay hidden. He entered the nursery of St. Mungo's Hospital, his twinkling blue eyes scanning the row of white bassinets aligning the wall to his left side, all empty before more crying drew his attention over to the healer rocking near a large window. The brightness of the full moon shown through the glass, illuminating the space in a soft, white glow.

Upon his arrival she got up to greet him, casting him a warm smile, her blue eyes seemed to sparkle with hope and longing as she peered up at him."Albus, please tell me you've come with good news." The elderly witch whispered, rising from the rocker and clutching a tightly wrapped bundle to her chest as she soothed the discontent baby in her arms.

Albus peered over his half moon spectacles and caught a glance of the squirming infant before he looked back to the healer with sadness reflecting in his eyes. "I desperately wish I had, unfortunately I am forced to bear only misfortune this evening. Please Lottie, sit down." He said softly while gently ushering his dear friend back down into the rocking chair, still swaying.

Albus flicked his wand and a bottle of formula glided through the air across the nursery, stopping to hover over the hungry baby. The nipple tipped forward to the infant's mouth allowing the baby to suckle. The bottle hovered, as seemingly an invisible hand clutched it, a simple charm. Albus stowed away his wand and cast a glance back over at the healer. Worry was etched on her face as she patiently waited for Albus to explain why he was there.

"James and Lily Potter are dead." He said quietly as a soft gasp resounded from the old witch across from him.

"You don't mean the other-" She was interrupted by Albus.

"Little Harry is alive and well. I've just come back from Little Whinging where I've taken him to his new home." Dumbledore kindly reassured her.

"And as for this one?" Lottie inquired, nodding to the happily fed baby in her arms, who had now fallen asleep.

"Darcey will be placed in a loving home as soon as I make the necessary arrangements." Albus explained, preparing himself for the scandalized expression of the other witch, he was met with an angry hiss.

"_Albus, don't tell me you intend to separate them?_" Lottie scolded her friend, desperation laced in her raspy voice. "They're all the other has left, they are the only family they've got. Surely you have the heart to know how terrible it'd be to separate them now." She insisted, her heart wrenching at the prospect of Albus' words.

Lottie always did care too deeply for the children in her ward. She had a tendency to grow quite fond of the babies especially and suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to protect the fate of the baby girl now slumbering against her chest. _After all, the poor dear hadn't anyone else to speak for her right?_ Lottie thought to herself as she felt an obligated responsibility for the child falling on her shoulders. She must try her best to persuade Albus from separating the twin orphans for it would be a tragic fate.

"It is for the best and it is crucial that you find it in yourself to trust my judgment Lottie." Dumbledore explained calmly, reaching out to lay his wrinkled hand to rest on dear Lottie's shoulder.

"It's the only way for now to guarantee their safety. Voldemort has risen and I need to ensure that he cannot find them. Both of their lives depend on it." Said Albus gravely as he recalled the prophecy over the summer from Sybill Trelawny.

'_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies and he will share blood with another, born weaker of the two yet stronger… Neither will know of the other until after the mark of the sixteenth eve… and she will then mark him as her enemy gaining the Dark Lord's favor… She will choose between blood and power… The destiny is hers alone…'_

* * *

_Monday, September 2nd, 1996_

"Darcey are you nearly ready, it's half past eleven and the train leaves at noon!" Came a whining female voice from down the stairs. There stood a petite witch with straight, auburn hair parted down the middle. Her maple, brown eyes glanced down at her wristwatch as she waited anxiously for her sister.

Darcey flopped her dead weight on her school trunk rather roughly, willing the over stuffed lid to close shut. "_Coming!_" She shouted back, buying her a few spare moments before Tracey would pester her again. She was running horribly late as she had overslept and her sister wasn't helping her by rushing the tardy, young witch.

"_Blimey_ Darcey, what in Merlin's beard are you doing up there?" Called her elder brother Roger in an attempt to ruffle her further. '_He doesn't even go to Hogwarts.'_ Darcey mentally grumbled. If it weren't out of serious fear for missing the train she would have left them waiting a little longer just to twist their knickers.

She bound down the steps two at a time lugging her heavy trunk behind her and sounding like a herd of centaurs. Darcy nearly knocked over her petite sister waiting at the bottom, who cast her a furious scowl. "_Watch it!_" Tracey bellowed as Darcey trampled over her foot.

"You're lucky mum and dad aren't here or they'd have your arse for being so late." Said Roger from the front seat of the car once she had slipped into the back with Tracey. He cast a disillusionment charm on the vehicle making it invisible to muggles before taking flight.

Roger and Tracey were Darcey's adopted siblings. Roger had graduated Hogwarts from Ravenclaw house the previous year and was left in charge of seeing the girls off that morning while both their parents were busy at work. Of course, they could have perfectly well managed on their own, being at the age of sixteen, but Roger was very protective of his younger siblings especially in times like these and their parents would have thrown a right fit if they would have traveled alone, it was far too dangerous in times like these.

Darcey's father, Roger Davis Sr. was the Warden at Azkaban prison and her mother worked in the Department of International Magical Corporation at the Ministry of Magic meeting with diplomats from around the globe.

It felt strange not to have her parents see her off this year, since Voldemort's return both of her parents had been swamped at work, what with the mass break out from Azkaban last spring she had rarely seen her dad all holiday. He was getting hell for their release. Not just receiving pressure from the Aurors in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but also the media too, particularly the _unbearable_ Rita Skeeter of the Daily Prophet whom Darcey held a special hatred for in her heart after all the horrible lies she had printed of father over the summer.

"_Could_ _Roger Davis Sr. Warden of Azkaban be a secret supporter of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"_

_"Mass breakout at Azkaban leaves Davis under suspicion and scrutiny from the Ministry. Could Davis be secretly conspiring with the Dark Lord?'"_

Darcey's stomach lurched in anger as she recalled the article in her head, remembering it quite clearly even all these months later, it still got a rise out of her.

That gossip monger had nearly ruined her father's career, lucky for him just his reputation took the fall and not his job since the Aurors lacked the proof they needed to confirm their suspicions and all charges fortunately were dropped against him. Darcey was confident her father was innocent all along and the lack of proof only proved it further. Everyone was just looking for someone to blame and naturally that blame would fall on the warden's shoulders. Darcey understood this but that didn't mean she took kindly to anyone spreading false rumors about her dad. She wouldn't tolerate such disgusting gossip.

Darcey was broken from her thoughts as they arrived at the train station in the heart of muggle London. Darcey always secretly enjoyed seeing the way the _muggles_ lived, she found them both fascinating and pitiful and enjoyed the rush of not getting caught as she weaved through the muggle crowd.

'_Not a single one of them is bright enough to suspect that I'm a witch_.' She mentally mused, subconsciously pressing her hand over her cardigan pocket where her wand, _11 inch holly, unicorn hair and unyielding_ lay hidden.

* * *

Draco Malfoy stood alone with his mother as the bustling, chattering crowd of students and parents snaked themselves around them. Narcissa Malfoy embraced her son tightly, to which he hardly responded.

She pulled away and glided the palm of her hand gently down his cheek in a loving gesture.

"Draco darling, remember your task and keep in contact with me. I've asked Severus to look after you, keep close to him." Narcissa whispered careful to ensure that no one overheard them.

Draco nodded curtly, only briefly holding his mothers gaze before peering back blankly at the crowd buzzing excitedly around the crimson locomotive and preparing to board The Hogwarts Express.

"Draco, please grant me your attention." Narcissa hissed, pulling her sons cheek back to face her, his stormy gray eyes locked with her deep blue ones. "Stay safe and remain close to Severus, do you understand?" She repeated once more, clutching his shoulders tightly. Draco nodded, this time hissing back a cold '_Yes_.' That seemed to finally convince her as she suddenly released him, forcing a small smile in order to maintain appearances.

"Goodbye my love." She smiled sadly, unshed tears stinging at her eyes as she expertly held them back and waved him a final farewell, but he didn't notice for his back was already turned to her as he boarded the train for his sixth year at Hogwarts.

Draco glided down the narrow passage, bumping roughly into a few rowdy first years as he made his trek to the back of the train. He entered the Slytherin compartment where his peers awaited him, all chatting quietly amongst themselves while exchanging stories of their holiday.

Draco spotted his schoolmates Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson and decided to take a seat near them. He slid his bag into the overhead compartment before slipping into the booth.

Pansy immediately greeted him with her low, purring voice, a tone she had recently picked up whenever he was near. Draco was well aware that she had fancied him since their first year and they had been courting casually off and on since fourth year. Zabini on the other hand remained stoic and silent as usual, being a rather reserved boy.

"How was your summer, Draco?" Pansy asked, leaning in towards him and catching his pale, gray eyes with her hazel ones. She appeared extremely interested in whatever his response may be.

'_Wonderful_, my father got sent to Azkaban and I had a play date with the Dark Lord. I even got a new tattoo, _want to touch it_?' Draco seriously considered voicing this dry thought just to see the shocked look her face.

Instead he chose to go with the simpler, "Fair enough, how was yours?" He replied coolly as Pansy plunged into full detail of her holiday in Rome.

Draco rested his chin in the palm of his hand as he listened to his friend talk on and on, noticing how wide her nose was and how much it truly did resemble a pug like their peers had pointed out. He was broken by his observation as a slender figure sat down beside him.

* * *

Darcey nearly sprinted to the train as the final whistle blew and smoke rose from the crimson engine.

"That was way too close." Tracey panted from behind her as they easily made their way down the corridor, all the other students already seated in their compartments.

The train jerked forward, beginning its journey to Scotland causing both sisters to grab for the wall to prevent them from tumbling forward with the sudden movement.

They carefully continued on, once they had gained their sea legs, and arrived to a tightly packed train car.

"Where in Merlin's beard do you suppose we're sitting?" Tracey hissed in her sister's ear thoroughly annoyed with her tardiness by now and mentally cursing Darcey for making them so embarrassingly late.

"There's an open seat over there, by Daphne." Darcey gestured her hand over at her siblings best friend, hoping it would pacify her enough to get off her back.

Tracey marched forward and claimed the open spot, not bothering to help her sister look for an open seat, she was far too angry.

Darcey stood awkwardly at the threshold as some of her classmates glanced over at her with curious stares. She finally chose the closest seat a few feet away and quickly slid into the booth hoping her presence didn't draw anymore unwanted attention.

Draco Malfoy, a rather rude prick, Darcey had decided years ago glared up at her as she slipped in beside him forcing him to move over to the window.

"Hello, Darcey." Pansy greeted her dorm mate. "Davis." Blaise nodded smoothly his bright, golden orbs locking on the pretty blue ones across from him.

"Didn't mean to intrude." Darcey calmly replied taking note of Malfoy's unpleasant staring from beside her but she didn't turn to face him, instead addressing the less agitated Slytherins before her, "Everywhere else was full." She added to her defense. She had been glared at enough this morning by her sister and she didn't need it coming from her classmates too. Draco's typical rude behavior did nothing to uplift her already sour mood as she continued to ignore him as always.

"You could have at least had the decency to ask my permission first but no, go right along and make yourself comfortable." Draco replied dryly from beside her.

She finally turned to face him and was tempted to hex him but instead morphed her lips into a sweet and innocent smile. "_Aw Malfoy, who shoved a wand up your arse today_?" She smoothly countered, her smile turning into a haughty smirk as he glared furiously back at her with arctic, gray eyes. She offhandedly noticed how impossibly pale they were, never having seen another with a shade as light and icy as his and she had not yet decided in six years whether or not she liked them.

"_Watch yourself, Davis_." He warned. "_You're picking fights way out of your league_." Darcey had to stop from snorting back at him. _'Yes Draco, you're right. You're so scary the way you and those fat oafs of yours hex and tease the younger classmen. You're such an intimidating bully, I wouldn't dare curse you for surely your daddy in Azkaban would hear of it.' _

_"_Pfft as if!" She instead scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. Their bickering was suddenly interrupted by a smoke bomb going off, surely a gag from the Weasley twins store in Diagon Alley.

She pressed the knitted sleeve of her navy jumper to her nose, shielding her lungs from the cloud of black gas. She felt Draco's weight shift next to her and noticed he had now risen, looking around in suspicion for the source of the attack.

"_Relax boys_, it's just some prank." Pansy's low voice purred as the cloud slowly began to disperse.

Draco reluctantly sat back down and Darcey wondered what exactly he was planning to do, hex some kid for a silly prank? Surely, he must have some sense of humor, she had been at the tail end of his jokes enough to know that he did. Darcey honestly didn't understand why he looked so paranoid and couldn't help but cast him a questioning look.

Malfoy unlocked his eyes from her curious, penetrating gaze and instead looked up to the overhead compartment where his eyes lingered on their luggage.

Darcey remained silent for most of the train ride to Hogwarts, only talking when Pansy directly asked her questions. Zabini and Malfoy seemed to be in an equally reserved mood this year, but then again Blaise hardly ever socialized with anyone, always keeping to himself, he was very secretive that way.

Most girls found the air of mystery around him alluring and although Darcey must admit, the boy was quite handsome, being part veela and all but apart from his good looks his personality was severely lacking. She was never one of the girls to go drooling over him then again she never drooled over anyone.

Like Zabini, Darcey Davis wasn't much of a socialite at Hogwarts. She kept mostly to herself, keeping her nose hidden in books. Darcey was often lost in the shadows, not very noticeable just your average looking girl in her opinion, although Tracey was openly jealous of her '_natural beauty_', she couldn't really see it in herself.

Still Darcey didn't concern herself with appearances like most of her Slytherin peers. Often not bothering to do her makeup or hair unless for a special occasion and some days not even caring enough to brush through her untidy, brunette locks. She had more important things to accomplish than try and impress her snobbish peers. Darcey had a drive, a passion for learning all things magical. If it weren't for her ambitious nature and rigid determination, the sorting hat would have surely stuck her with Ravenclaw like her elder brother.

Darcey was broken from her gaze out the window as she looked on past Draco's head and watched the beautiful scenery pass by in blurs of pine green and grey, cloudy skies. It was a rainy autumn day and small droplets of rainwater begin to snake their way down the window as it began to lightly drizzle outside. Darcey was brought out from her trance as she realized once again that Pansy was addressing her.

"I've heard of the rumors going around about your father, are any of them true?" Pansy fished for gossip, but cloaked it in a way that sounded like she sincerely cared. Darcey had always disliked that about the girl, she was sly as a fox and very untrustworthy. She had learned this after confiding in her a secret in her second year and word spreading like wildfire. Within a few days the entire school knew that Darcey Davis had fancied Theodore Nott but was too shy to approach him. She had been mortified and learned her lesson the hard way that she couldn't trust anyone.

"_No_." Darcey replied firmly causing her dorm mate to appear a bit taken aback by the force behind her word.

Darcey turned back to gaze out the window as a long, intense silence hung over them. Pansy soon spoke up again, directing her next question to Draco instead she asked about his father, still fishing for more gossip and Darcey found herself truly disgusted by her blatant disregard for others privacy. She could hardly believe Pansy would just ask Malfoy about his father knowing he was currently sitting in a jail cell in Azkaban.

"_He's well_." Came Malfoy's curt reply. It was obvious he didn't want to talk about his father but Pansy either did not take the hint or did not care as she carried on anyway and for some reason that really irked Darcey.

"I've heard he's been locked up. I'm so very sorry Draco. If there's anything I can do to console you…" Pansy purred softly while reaching for his arm and squeezing it reassuringly. Merlin, she was so bloody _fake_ it reminded Darcey of that unbearable wench, Rita Skeeter.

"You could probably quit prying into people's personal lives, but that's just a suggestion._"_ Darcey couldn't restrain herself from blurting out helpfully. _'Couldn't the girl just shut the hell up already_?' Darcey seriously considered hexing the witch with a tongue-tying jinx but held herself back, unsure of whether or not Malfoy was still a prefect this year.

From the corner of her eye she could see Malfoy smirking at her snappy comment and somehow this caused her to smirk too, as she suppressed the urge to laugh at the scandalized look on Pansy's features with triumph sinking in.

"I'm not _prying_. I'm genuinely concerned about my _friend_." Pansy replied icily once she had recomposed herself, emphasizing the word friend as to hint to Darcey that unlike her she herself had_ friends._

Instead of giving into her bait and taking offense Darcey remained calm and collected, peering back at her with a blank mask. "_My sincere apologies_." She smoothly replied as her dorm mate nodded stiffly, granting her forgiveness.

Slowly the locomotive ground down to a halt, signaling their arrival to Hogwarts. As their schoolmates began to collect their luggage and make their way down the isle to exit the train, Draco stayed behind, eyeing the suspicious black bag above him with contempt. '_There's is something I have to take care of first...'_

When the other students had all filed out, including Darcey, Pansy and Blaise, he drew out his wand pointing it directly at the bag and casting a body binding spell on whoever had dared to spy on him. Whomever the fool was, they picked the wrong day to get on Draco's bad side. He was still annoyed with Pansy's inquiry about his father and knew it would not be the last he'd be hearing of it. He was sure the rumors of him being a Death Eater were already swirling around school.

On top of his status taking a blow due to Lucius' arrest, Draco too had become a Death Eater over the summer. At first it seemed like an honor to be considered worthy enough by the Dark Lord but soon he found that life as a Death Eater wasn't a glamorous one, it was a death sentence. The Dark Lord was ruthless; Draco had witnessed this for himself over the summer, seeing his cruelty first hand.

To make his summer worse the Dark Lord felt the need to punish Draco for his father's failure at the Department of Mysteries last spring and placed upon Draco the near impossible mission of murdering the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Draco was determined though. He would kill the mental, old fool and thus restore his family's honor, gaining back favor in the Dark Lord. Still, the importance of the mission put much stress upon him making him irritable, touchy, and reclusive. He was on edge this year and the insomnia of unrelenting night terrors didn't help.

Draco crouched down beside the invisible, paralyzed heap on the floor, blindly groping for the invisibility cloak as his hand glided over the smooth, velvety material. He tugged it off revealing Saint Potter gazing up at him with wide, green eyes behind a pair of askew glasses. He cast Potter a cruel smirk, his molten, gray eyes glinting with malice.

_"That was for spying on me_." Draco hissed darkly, still hunched over the notorious golden boy.

"_And this is for my father_." Draco added before kicking Potter's face in with the heel of his shoe. Bright, fresh blood poured from the Gryffindor's now severely crooked nose, surely broken.

Draco draped the cloak back over Harry's paralyzed form before regally straightening out his blazer and dusting off his trousers. He clutched his school bag firmly as he exited the train, but not before muttering in a low, glacial tone, "_Enjoy the ride back to London, Potter."_


	2. Chapter 2: The Choice, Water or Blood?

The Great Hall was alive with chattering voices and clanking cutlery as the students enjoyed the ceremonial welcome back feast. Darcey and Tracey Davis sat side by side near the far end of the Slytherin table, surrounded by their fellow sixth years. Daphne Greengrass sat on Tracy's other side and the two witches engaged in a hushed conversation regarding love potions accompanied by the occational giggle. Darcey did not eavesdrop on them, instead quietly picking away at her supper as her sapphire orbs scanned lazily over the Great Hall.

Her eyes finally landed on Harry Potter, Hogwart's own celebrity, as he entered the hall with Loony Lovegood.

Darcey shouldn't have referred to her as such, her real name being Luna, but the nickname seemed to come naturally since the entire school called her Loony. Darcey had personally never conversed with the witch, but had heard enough about her to decide that she was a peculiar girl, judging by her signature radish earrings.

She then took note of the blood-soaked handkerchief Potter held against his nose and she faintly wondered what mess Potter got himself into this time.

See, Harry Potter wasn't just famous at Hogwarts for being '_The-Boy-Who-Lived'_ for even if he wasn't the Chosen One, Darcey was still certain he'd be just as sickeningly notable as he was now. The golden boy was famous for nearly getting himself killed every single year. First there was, '_did you hear? Harry Potter fought off Quirrell who was really You-Know-Who in disguise!_' and then it was, '_Harry Potter is the heir of Slytherin! I heard he opened the Chamber of Secrets_!' the year after that it was, '_Harry Potter's uncle is Sirius Black, notorious escapee of Azkaban!_' During their fourth year she had heard how '_Harry Potter killed Cedric Diggory but he claims You-Know-Who done it!_' Last year sure enough Potter had managed to evade death once more at the Ministry of Magic where he supposedly fought off You-Know-Who in the flesh. She had also heard rumors of his godfather Sirius Black perishing that night.

Darcey wondered how The Chosen One managed to be so bloody _unlucky_. Potter seemed to be cursed with misfortune, bringing death to anyone who got near him. She was broken from her thoughts as she noticed Potter glaring darkly at her from the Gryffindor table across the room. Darcey narrowed her eyes back at him suspiciously, feeling confused and offended as to why he would be seeking her out, they hadn't had much interaction in the past five years, but then she noticed his eyes were not locked on her own, but instead on the lone figure perched two seats down from her at the very end. Draco Malfoy, who was utterly oblivious to the furious looks Potter cast him seemed to be staring off into space, deep in thought, and resting his pointed chin in his palm while looking thoroughly bored with the entire ceremony.

'_Could it be Malfoy who gave Potter a bloody nose_?' Darce wondered curiously as she recalled Malfoy lagging behind on the train. '_What a foul git!'_ She decided at once, it was one thing to hex someone but to actually draw blood was taking the whole house rivalry way too far.

'_On the other hand, if Potter can't even defend himself against an amateur bully like **Malfoy**, how the hell does he intend to defeat the Dark Lord?_'

* * *

Later that night Darcey flopped down rather ungracefully across her bed, the mattress springs protesting with her sudden movement. She let out a deep sigh, allowing her muscles to fully relax as she stared up at the sphere shaped lantern above her, the glass tinted green, casting an emerald glow across the rectangular dormitory. The bottom of the Great Lake could be seen from the nautical portholes aligning the wall giving the illusion that the walls were alive; slithering like a serpents as the light from the room reflected off the gloomy depths of the water.

Darcey was happy to be back at school and still after all these years she found she hadn't grown tired of it's raw, majestic beauty.

The cot groaned from beside her and she drew her eyes away from the ceiling to see that Tracey had sat down beside her and was now shoving a piece of crumpled parchment into her hands. She took it, reading the note from the Headmaster who said that he wished to see her that evening.

"What's this all about?" Darcey inquired, not moving from her lazy position sprawled out on her cot, her wavy, tousled hair still dangly over the edge like a waterfall.

"Rubbish from that nutter Dumbledore it seems." Tracey grumbled, clearly put off by the idea of being a messenger. _She wasn't a bloody owl. _

"_I very well see that." _Darcey replied pointedly._ "_But did he say as to_ why _he wished to see me?_"_ Darcey asked in a slightly annoyed tone, not much in the mood to journey halfway across the castle to the headmaster's office. She was about to curl up with a book and unwind from the long journey.

"Hell if I know." Her sister shrugged, rising from the cot as she resumed to unpack her neatly organized trunk.

Darcey let out a heavy sigh, reluctantly forcing herself to stand and go see what the mental old fool wanted with her. '_Maybe he's decided to make me a prefect this year!'_ She thought to herself excitedly. '_A prefect's badge would look fantastic on my resume.'_

* * *

"Pixie dust" Harry said the password to Dumbledore's office as the gargoyles shifted to reveal a marble, spiral staircase.

"Come in." Came Dumbledore's muffled voice from the other side of the door as Harry walked in, peering around the cluttered office filled with ancient magical artifacts and thick tomes of every subject. It hadn't changed at all since he first saw it half a decade ago.

On top of the nearest cabinet, by the door, sat the faded, worn sorting hat, created by Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts school.

Harry recalled how it had considered placing him into Slytherin and now that he's older he wondered if it had made the right decision in placing him in Gryffindor afterall. Harry frowned at the melancholy thought and broke his gaze away from the tattered hat, pulling his attention back to Dumbledore and why he wished to see him this evening. Rather than be alarmed, Harry had learned just to sort of 'go with it' after all these years of enduring the whimsical professor.

"Please, sit down Harry." Said Dumbledore, gesturing with his cursed, black hand to the two maroon chairs perched neatly in front of his desk. Harry immediately took one after he took a moment to affectionately stroke the feathers of Fawkes the phoenix perched beside him. He recalled how the bird had saved him back in the Chamber of Secrets, presenting him with the sword of Godric Gryffindor. He then remembered what the Headmaster had told Harry back then, '_The sword only presents itself to a true Gryffindor, Harry. It is of the highest honor that it chose to reveal itself to you._'

"You wished to see me, sir?" Harry asked warily, wondering what the elder sorcerer could possibly want with him this time. He had already whisked Harry away over the summer holiday to convince Professor Slughorn to return to his teaching post at Hogwarts but he still had yet to explain as to _why_ it was so important that he returned, only that he had wished to 'collect' Harry, which Harry found rather unpleasant.

"I must warn you, Harry that what I am about to tell you will change everything you have ever known." Dumbledore began vaguely, his voice taking on a grave tone as his blue eyes sparkled with sorrow. Harry remained silent and the Headmaster took this as a sign to continue.

"You have a sister, Harry." Dumbledore told him, getting straight to the point and leaving Harry to feel as if he'd simultaneously been knocked from his broomstick and hit with a bludger.

"_I have a_ _what?_" Harry gaped, utterly bewildered by the elder wizard's declaration.

"A sister, a twin to be more precise." Dumbledore calmly clarified. "She's alive and well, residing right here in the castle as we speak." Dumbledore reassured him, pausing to allow Harry a long moment to take in the new, utterly shocking information given to him.

'I have a sister. I have family and she's_ here_.' Harry thought, trying desperately to process the meaning of the words, as a giddy, hopeful sort of happiness swelled inside his chest, radiating warmth to each of his limbs. He had been devastated last spring when Sirius had died, he had been Harry's Godfather and the closest thing he had to a caring relative, so to hear now that he had a sibling was... well, completely _brilliant._ Yet, mixed in with the newfound hope and joy was deep confusion and anger.

"Why am I only now hearing of this, professor?" Harry wondered aloud, trying to hold back the irritated edge in his tone. He needed answers, loads of them, to all the burning questions on his mind, hitting him all at once like a freight train.

"How long have you been keeping this from me?" He added, rephrasing his previous question.

"Come Harry, I feel memory can help serve you better than words can." Dumbledore suggested serenely, guiding him over to the pensive perched in the center of the room filled with murky, gray water. Harry blindly followed, having no other choice as fierce curiosity overcome him. He leaned over the basin, watching as Dumbledore pressed the tip of his wand to his temple and seemed to extract from it a glowing string of magic so delicate that it appeared as if it would break away and vanish at any moment.

Dumbledore moved the glowing, wispy web of magic to drop into the basin where in the reflection of the gray water Harry could now make out faces and hear from it unidentifiably, hushed whispers.

Dumbledore clutched Harry's shoulder and pulled him gently forward, submerging his face into the water where suddenly Harry could see clearly the people, Albus Dumbledore and Professor Trelawny, the divination's teacher at Hogwarts, and he could make out crystal clear their voices as the Seer recited in a deep, raspy voice the siblings joint prophecy.

* * *

Darcey swiftly strutted down the corridor, her Slytherin cloak fluttering with each of her long strides. She was now very eager to see what Dumbledore wanted, hoping that he planned to offer her the prefect position he had declined her last year.

Resentment pierced through her at the thought of Pansy Parkinson being appointed the position instead of her, when Darcey had been so certain otherwise. She had remarkable, near perfect marks in all of her courses and considered herself to meet the standard criteria of being an overall honest and responsible student. So why the Headmaster had given the position to Parkinson instead of herself had both confounded and frustrated her to no end.

Darcey had _deserved_ that title, she had worked so hard for it and she was absolutely sure her marks were superior than that pug-faced prats. Since then Darcey had felt only sour resentment towards the Headmaster, feeling that somehow perhaps he held a personal vendetta against her, as barmy as that sounded it was the only reasonable explanation she could come up with. Dumbledore, for whatever reason unknown to her, disliked her.

Darcey realized just then that she was now standing outside of the Headmasters office and was broken from her sulking as she repeated clearly the password scrawled upon the crumpled piece of parchment in her robe.

"Come in." Dumbledore called as Darcey obediently entered the room, taking in its usual untidy state of disarray and scowling.

Her eyes then narrowed at the sight of Harry Potter looking pale and slouched in one of two chairs near the Headmaster's desk and suddenly she felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Sorry, didn't realize you had company. Do you want me to wait outside?" Darcey asked as a dull flush crossed her cheeks, feeling awkward suddenly as if she had intruded upon something.

"That won't be necessary, Miss Davis. I've asked Harry here to join us in our meeting this evending. Please, if you would take a seat." Dumbledore replied serenely, gesturing to the only other available seat in the office directly next to a peckish looking Potter.

Darcey reluctantly complied, sitting down beside him and casting him a sly glance from the corner of her eye while taking note of how ill he looked. '_Maybe Malfoy did more than break his nose_.' She attempted to piece together.

The majestic scarlet phoenix perched next to Dumbledore's desk drew away her attention from the golden boy as it emitted a soft, bird-like sound similar to an owl but more melodic.

Darcey felt the urge to stroke it and feel it's silk-like feathers but decided against it. Magical creatures skeeved her out a bit for some reason, she considered them all to be dangerous and unpredictable although she had read otherwise. Thus, even textbook facts couldn't bring her to overcome her caution as she gazed longingly at the pretty, red bird. It wasn't so much that she feared it, and more so that she'd just rather not risk catching herself on fire.

"I take it that you and Harry have met before?" The headmaster spoke up, pulling her attention away from the blazing, red reptile.

"_Erm- I suppose_. We've had a few classes together, yes." Darcey stammered, suddenly thrown off guard by the sorcerer's peculiar question. It wasn't as if they were in the same house but of course her and Potter had _met _before. Who in the entire school hadn't _met_ at least once the famous Boy-Who-Lived?

Dumbledore glanced between the two students, his blue eyes twinkling from beneath his half-moon spectacles. Darcey found the old man rather hard to read and wondered what he was thinking. It unnerved her that she could not tell, she was normally quite talented at deciphering people. Professor Trelawney had once told her in third year that she had a bit of _'the Sight'_ in her as well as possessing a strong intuition.

"If you don't mind, sir. I'd like to know exactly why I'm here?" Darcey asked politely, attempting to move along the senile, old man feeling slightly frustrated that he was now wasting her time. She should be relaxing back in her dorm right now, not having an awkward tea party with Potter and Dumbledore.

"I have a hunch you wouldn't believe what I'm about to tell you, and rather consider me a mad man." Dumbledore began with a kind smile, standing up to meet her on the other side of his ornate, oak desk. '_Well he hit the nail on the head with that one. Considering I already think he's mental.'_ Darcey inwardly mused as she allowed him to lead her over to the pensive in the center of the office.

Darcy knew exactly what this magical object was used for; she had read all about it over the summer when she delved into Occlumency, taking a keen interest in it. It was used as a medium to view memories, basically the magician casts his own memory into the pensive and from there you can view it clearly as if you were reliving it. A rather brilliant object, she decided.

"You're showing me a memory?" Darcey inquired looking weary.

Dumbledore's dark, blue eyes twinkled down at her from behind his half moon spectacles. "Yes, I had a feeling you would know exactly what this was, Miss Davis. You are indeed a very bright, young witch." He softly complimented.

"But, why me?" Darcey asked in a small voice, felling terribly confused. "I don't understand."

Anxiety churned within the pit of her stomach as Dumbledore busied himself with extracting a silvery memory from his temple and dropped it into the basin. Something about all of it did not settle right with Darcey. Perhaps because Potter was here, she knew nothing good could possibly come of this, the boy was a magnet for misfortune.

"Sir, answer me please." Darcey demanded once more, feeling frantic and before she could stop him Dumbledore had submerged her head into the murky water and she was witnessing a vivid memory that concerned both her and Harry.

Glimpses of different people and sceneries flashed before her eyes. First a mysterious conversation with a nurse named Lottie who was clutching an infant version of herself. Then a beautiful ginger haired woman giving birth to a set of twins, one healthy and one frail. Last her birth parents dying at the hands of Lord Voldemort and her mother's love for Harry, her brother, rebounding the curse and saving him. When Dumbledore had finished showing her exactly what he intended for her to see, she pulled back violently from the basin, looking wildly around the room with dilated blue eyes. Her heart thumped heavily within her chest as she locked eyes on _him_, her twin brother, the famous Harry Potter. _'I must be dreaming.'_

"Y-You." She stuttered out, feeling out of breath as if she were running, running as fast as she could and she suddenly struggled to catch her breathe. She could barely think. All she could do was try desperately to process what she had been shown. Finally discovering answers to her past, questions that had always plagued her since childhood, '_Who are my birth parents and why didn't they want me?' _Questions that were repeatedly, vaguely answered or avoided all together by her mum and dad.

_"You're my-" _Darcey began weakly, looking straight at Harry.

_"Brother." _He finished, casting her a warm smile but Darcey made no show to return his enthusiasm. Unlike her brother she wasn't happy to hear of the news. She could almost feel her entire life crumbling beneath her and everything she had ever known was now suddenly and terribly altered. She didn't want to accept this; it just couldn't be true. '_I can't be Harry Potter's sister. I'm Darcey- Darcey Arabella Davis. I'm not a Potter, I can't be a Potter_... _If I'm a Potter that means I will live a life from now on of having to endure one unfortunate event after another, unrelenting misfortune and tragedy before I surely die alongside my brother all the while watching the Dark Lord destroy everyone close to me. Everything I hold dear. No that cannot happen. I won't let it. ' _Darcey vowed.

_"_This doesn't change anything. I don't have to agree to this._" _Darcey argued weakly while inwardly struggling to come to grips with the discovery of who she truly was. She fought the tears stinging against her sapphire eyes, willing them to stop but her efforts were in vain for she had no control over the emotions flooding through her, they were far too powerful; too raw and so hot tears fell from her eyes and down her cheeks, turning them blotchy. Tears of dread and mourning. Tears of self pity.

"Indeed Darcey, you have the freedom to do with this information as you wish." Came the Headmasters low, gentle, reassuring tone but it wasn't reassuring at all. His words instead tore through her and she felt horribly divided. A very small part of her wanted to welcome Harry into her life and accept that they are family but a much larger part of her wanted nothing to do with him, knowing that he was a token of bad luck. She couldn't even begin to think about her birth parents who were _dead_. Darcey did not want the fame of being born to the Potters, invisible twin to the _Boy-Who-Lived_. She just wanted the life she had always known, her mundane life with her adoptive family, not being famous, not being cursed and sought after by the Dark Lord. Darcey was no hero. She was no solider.

"I'm not your family. We may be blood but that doesn't change anything. I'm not just going to suddenly prance around the castle proclaiming that I'm the sister of the Boy-Who-Lived, oh lucky me." Darcey hissed dryly. She felt furious at Dumbledore, angry at him for suddenly thrusting this misfortune upon her. How dare her ruin her life like this?

'_And if he's waited this long to tell me why not keep me in the dark for a few more years, tell me after the war? Does he really want me to help Harry now? Surely he can't expect me to just abandon my family, endanger them by drawing attention to myself and picking fights with the bloody Dark Lord for Merlin's sake! I don't stand a chance, even Dumbledore himself cannot defeat him. Harry cannot defeat him and even with my help, our efforts would be in vain. Voldemort is an unstoppable force.' _Darcey realized, her thoughts racing a mile a minute. There was just so much being thrown at her all at once and she could not focus. The fear, it blinded all hope of reasoning. She was terrified and truly sorry as she caught the anger and hurt reflecting in Harry's emerald eyes, but she just couldn't do this. She could not help him. He would have to find another...

"I don't know you." Darcey's voice was laced with sorrow and guilt as she tried to focus and push aside the fear that was causing her to say harsh things.

"I already have a family; I have a sister, a _brother_. I want nothing to do with you. Everyone who gets close to you dies. You can go off and be the hero, fight Voldemort and get yourself killed I don't give a damn but you're _not_ going to drag me along with you! Don't think that I support you. That I'll fight beside you simply because you're my blood. I'm not getting involved in this war and I want you to keep me and my family out of it! Just stay away from me!" Darcey was yelling now, the fear taking grip of her again.

The look Harry was giving her, it made her heart twist in shame. It made her loathe herself for being such a lousy sister to him, he deserved someone better, someone less selfish than her and before either of them could stop her she was running.

Darcey fled from the office and down the long, lonely corridor, feeling the overwhelming urge to keep running until she had fled the castle, and then Scotland, and she would just keep going until she was sure that she was far enough away, but nowhere would ever be quite far enough, she realized and she would surely spend her entire life running. '_Like a coward, run away little snake!_' A cruel voice, darker than her own echoed through her mind.

She felt the overwhelming need to protect her family. Darcey knew that if Voldemort discovered who she really was he would murder her and everyone she loved. '_Why me? Why was I cursed with being born into the most dangerous family on earth?_'

Darcey finally reached the safety of her common room, the only place in the world that could offer her a little bit of security in that moment. She would hide herself there in the dungeons and Voldemort would never find her. She would bring her family there too and together they would grow old here and stay alive while everyone around them perished, especially those mixed in with Harry Potter and Dumbledore. Let her brother fight the war; let him be foolish and brave while Darcey kept herself alive and unharmed.

Darcey was well aware that she was not thinking rationally at the moment. She knew the emotions had a terrifying grip of her and she was not making any sense, even inside her own head.

Flinging herself down roughly upon the sofa, she buried her face into the cool leather cushions and closed her burning, puffy, red eyes. The tears had finally stopped and there was nothing left but the numbness and shock. Darcey felt hollow and cold; she shivered, but at least now she was beginning to calm down, though she did not like the emptiness quickly consuming her. She faintly wondered if this was how it felt to snog a dementor, right before he ate your soul.

Darcey didn't know how long she had lied there sulking but it felt like eternity. She was stuck in a hollow abyss with no concept of time. She didn't want to get up because then she would have to face the fact that this had all been real and this wasn't some horrible nightmare that she could wake up from, this was now her life.

'_I'm a Potter_… _I'm cursed_.'

Finally she willed herself to stand, maybe some sleep would bring her comfort now, if not at least it would offer her an escape from the events of the evening. As Darcey made her way back to the dormitory she noticed a pale figure curled up in on of the tall chairs beside the fireplace. The flames were now smoldering, about to die out casting very little light upon the room, perhaps that was why Darcey hadn't noticed him before or maybe she was simply too distraught and caught up in her own self pity to notice.

The figure twitched and mumbled inaudible words laced with fear as Darcey stepped closer, recognizing the figure as Draco Malfoy, curled up asleep and having some sort of unpleasant dream. Before she could stop herself she reached out her hand to shake him, not liking the way his brows were furrowed together and he appeared to be in significant pain. Darcey gently shook his shoulder, stirring him from his night terror as he jolted violently awake, gripping tightly to her wrist with cobra-like strength. His pale gray eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the room, wide with sheer terror before realizing who she was and that she was not a threat to him. He roughly shoved her hand away, letting go of her thin wrist. She clutched it to her chest protectively, rubbing the now tender and possibly bruised flesh while staring with suspicious eyes down at him.

"You were dreaming." Darcey quietly explained, gazing at him with a look of mild concern despite feeling utterly offended with his unnecessary use of force. She couldn't help but wonder what he had been dreaming about but knew better than to ask, he'd just shut her down.

"What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be in bed?" Malfoy irritably snapped, his eyes narrowed up at the tousle haired girl before him.

Darcey felt a small smirk tug at the corners of her lips at the irony of his words. "I should be asking you the same." She slyly countered but did not stick around long enough for Malfoy to tell her, knowing that he wouldn't.

"_Goodnight, Malfoy_." She offered before turning her back to him and heading for the girl's dormitories. He didn't acknowledge her goodbye, remaining silent and still behind her retreating form.

* * *

Draco sat down in his favorite ebony armchair near the cold, stone fireplace. "_Incendio_" He said the spell aloud, pointing his wand, 10 inch Hawthorne and unicorn hair, at the pile of firewood. The fire roared to life, orange flames licking and crackling in the dark, marble hearth. Draco sunk back into the inviting chair, relaxing his tense muscles and worried mind with the warmth that overcame him in that rare moment of peace.

He gazed absently into the fire, letting it serve as a much needed distraction from his restless insomnia. Draco couldn't bring himself to fall asleep, knowing the night terrors that awaited him, he was in no hurry to go to bed.

The sixteen-year-old Death Eater had a lot on his mind, stressing over the fact that he hadn't made any progress with his task, since his mother helped him by suggesting he look into making use of the vanishing cabinet in Borgin and Burke's. He knew that its twin lie within the castle, hidden in the rubbish of the Room of Requirement on the seventh floor. Problem was the cabinet was wonky, it didn't work properly and it was up to him to repair it but the spell was extremely advanced and it would take him some time to master the complex charm.

Until then he had to work on thinking of other ways to kill off the Headmaster, just in case he couldn't succeed in fixing the cabinet in time. Draco needed to visit the library this week and get permission from Snape to have access to the restricted section; from there he could research dark magic and find some way to kill Dumbledore without him noticing. It was extremely important that Draco didn't get caught or else he would be expelled and his cover would be blown marking him useless to the Dark Lord. A cruel shiver snakes it's way down his spine at the thought of being murdered. Draco couldn't fail, his life and the life of his family depended on him completing this mission.

Before long Draco felt his eyelids grow heavier as his sleep deprivation caught up to him. He didn't even notice that he had dozed off until he was trapped in the horror of yet another nightmare.

_He was in a graveyard, a thick, suffocating smog clung to the air. Cold wind ripped through the night causing the dry, dead leaves on the boney trees to rustle loudly; like the hissing screams of a thousand insects, they cried out to him. The looming forest called to him, warning him to run for something wicked this way comes. _

_Draco could not move his legs as he willed them to go forward and run. He looked down with sinking dread to find the flesh eaten away from his feet and calves; all that remained was the luminescent white marrow with strings of bloody, rotten flesh dangly off the bone. _

_Wiggly, pearly white maggots feasted upon his skin. Draco tried to scream but no noise escaped his dry, cracked lips. He shuffled backward, filled with panic, using his hands as leverage to propel him. He dragged his mutilated corpse back, but soon connected with something icy cold and smooth. Craning his neck a fraction, he made out the sleek, ebony tombstone behind him. Shifting a little more he identified the letters etched into the hard surface of the rock, the name written was his. _

_Suddenly a dementor-like creature emerged from the mist, a dark phantom of the night. He came suddenly face to face with a fallen angel cloaked in death. Death was here to collect his soul. _

_Once more Draco attempted to cry out, protesting Death's wretched kiss as he scrambled backward but found that his torso was still pressed against the tomb of his grave and there was nowhere left to run. Nowhere left to hide. Death had finally found him. Draco had run out of time. _

_Death descended upon him, reaching out a skeletal hand and clung to the collar of his robe._

Draco's eyes snapped open and he was met with a dark figure hovering over him. He grabbed for the hand, locking tightly to the slender, pale wrist of the student who dared to touch him. Draco roughly pushed them away, pushing away the nightmare still vivid in his mind and not knowing what was real and what wasn't.

His vision cleared and he was able to focus in, taking in the features of the witch gazing down at him with faint concern sparkling in her piercing, blue eyes.

"You were dreaming." Darcey Davis informed him, still giving him that soft, worried look. He must have been thrashing about in his sleep again. Draco could only hope that he hadn't been screaming too, that would be embarrassing. Insecurity washed over him as he suddenly felt vulnerable and exposed under her gaze. Annoyance and anger rose into his throat and he couldn't help but lash out at her for catching him in such a vulnerable, raw state.

"What are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be in bed?" Draco hissed irritably, his eyes narrowed at the girl, casting her a chilling glare and silently daring her to tell anyone about what she had witnessed him doing. That was just what he needed, bookworm Davis blabbing to the whole school that Malfoy sobs in his sleep.

As if she were reading his thoughts, which he knew to be impossible since he was a young master at Occlumency, she smirked down upon him, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"I should be asking you the same." Davis cheekily replied in a light, teasing tone and before he could snap at her that it was none of her damn business she cast him a easy smile. "_Goodnight, Malfoy_." She said before turning around to leave him. He stared after her retreating figure sauntering up the stairs, her robes fluttering around her thin ankles.

Draco found the witch infuriating for not many girls had ever been immune to his charms and witty humor. He was a handsome lad, one whom Pansy openly doted over, yet Darcey Davis had never looked at him that way, she had only shown blatant dislike for him.

_'Who does she think she is?_' Draco wondered furiously.

The middle class pureblood wench had too much pride for her own good, he decided and deemed that she was nobody worthy of his time. It would be in Davis' best interest to get off his radar and go back to hiding in the shadows like the sewer rat she was.

His icy gray eyes darted over his left arm, envisioning the dark mark concealed beneath the fabric of his robe.

_'Yes, it'd be wise of Darcey Davis to steer clear of me.'_


	3. Chapter 3: Black Magic Duel

Sunlight filtered through the grimy windows of the Potions classroom, an oval shaped room located in the heart of the dungeons. This year Professor Slughorn had emerged from retirement, returning to teach at Hogwarts.

Darcey gazed back attentively at the new professor, a round-bellied, jolly old man with sparkling, inviting eyes, the polar opposite of Professor Snape, the previous Potions master.

Scrolled upon the outside edges of the dome shaped ceiling, and framing the door were words written in what Darcey believed to be latin. Along the curved walls stood floor-to-ceiling bookcases housing spare textbooks, common ingredients, glass phials, and scales. Five large wooden tables with stools occupied the room. On top of each workstation sat three cast iron cauldrons. The classroom held a total of fifteen students, making it one of the smallest in the castle.

Darcey stood near the rear of the group, her bulky leather satchel hanging off her shoulder and although she couldn't see past the two towering figures of Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle in front of her, she could still pick up the scent wafting over from the potion Professor Slughorn was hovered by.

A musky, spicy sort of scent tickled against Darcey's nostrils as her feet seemed to move on their own accord, pressing her closer to the two boys in front of her, as she tried to get a better glimpse of the euphoric liquid. When Goyle turned back to look at her funny she seemed to snap out of her trance and quickly shuffled away, muttering a sheepish apology as she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Who can identify this potion for me?" Slughorn began, clapping his chubby hands together.

A hand shot up from the front row. "_Yes, Miss Granger_?"

"That sir, is Amortentia or otherwise referred to as love potion. It can be identified by it's pearly sheen and unique scent for each individual drinker. For example, I smell fresh cut grass, new parchment, and spearmint." Hermione Granger, the brightest witch in Gryffindor, recited.

"That's correct Miss Granger, take 10 to Gryffindor!" Slughorn boomed pleased with the witch's enthusiasm. "Amortentia doesn't create actual love, of course. That's impossible. But it does cause a powerful infatuation or obsession. For that reason, it is probably the most dangerous potion in this room_." _Slughorn warned.

"Mmm that smells heavenly." Tracey whispered from beside her. "I can smell mums chocolate chip cookies, vanilla, and honey."

"_All sweets, not much of a shock there_." Darcey lightly taunted earning a deep scowl in return.

"_Go boil your head!_" Tracey hissed, playfully jabbing her sister in the ribs.

Darcey spent the remainder of the class brewing Amortentia but found it rather impossible to concentrate with Tracey's constant rabbiting in her ear. Darcey had looked forward to sharing a N.E.W.T class with her sister as Slughorn was open to Exceeds Expectations students giving Tracey an opportunity to join the class, but now Darcey was beginning to have second thoughts since she found it increasingly harder to concentrate in the presence of her chatty sibling.

By the end of the hour Darcey had only just managed to get her potion to have the pearly sheen needed to pass, but as she looked around the room only one student had managed to brew an utterly perfect batch, with the distinct, curly wisp of smoke rising from Harry Potter's cauldron. Darcey narrowed her eyes in the direction of her blood brother, suspicious of his new, emerging talent. She hadn't even noticed he was there and she was once again reminded that Slughorn accepts students with lower marks, explaining how he got in but not explaining how he managed to brew a flawless love potion of better quality than hers, her fellow bright housemates like Malfoy, Bullstrode and Zabini, and even Harry's best friend Granger who always excelled in her school work.

The class was soon dismissed, but not before Harry received countless words of praise from Slughorn for his remarkable talent in potion making and awarded a phial of liquid luck. The Slytherin's nearby grumbled at the attention the golden boy received, commenting on how Snape had always played favorites with students of his _own_ house and would have never been caught praising a Gryffindor, let alone Potter. It was decided then that most Slytherin's took a keen disliking to Professor Slughorn.

Darcey proceeded on to her next class, eager to escape the stuffy Potions classroom, feeling caustraphobic with her twin so close. Her thoughts broke away to the previous night when she had learned of her true identity. She was a Potter, making her closer to the war than she wished to be. Darcey just hoped if she continued to cut off her blood brother that maybe it would keep both herself and her family safe from the Dark Lord.

Darcey felt disgusted with herself for being so cowardly, but she justified it as being the only way to keep her family alive. Although they weren't her blood, they were her _family _and she loved them dearly. They _chose_ her, adopting her as their own and had always treated her exactly as they had treated their own two children.

As guilty as she felt for not choosing Harry's side, she knew she'd feel a million times worse if she had turned her back on them instead. Betraying them would make her a terrible person whereas turning against Harry only made her a selfish coward. She'd choose coward if that meant staying loyal to her family. _Harry didn't even have family_, therefore he couldn't possibly understand where Darcey was coming from and she was certain if the roles were reversed he would choose those he loved over her, a stranger to him, at least she kept telling herself that...

* * *

Later that evening Darcey had received a letter from Professor Slughorn expressing his interest in her to join him for tea that evening with a few other promising students. Darcey felt confused as to why he was reaching out to her, she had never heard of a teacher inviting their students to tea and wasn't sure what to make of it.

She read the letter again to confirm she had interpreted it right, then she set it down in between her legs on the bed and let out a frustrated sigh, not knowing what to do. A part of her was curious and wanted to attend but her antisocial side screamed against it. Coming from the witch who didn't attend the Yule Ball, she couldn't see herself going to the party knowing it'd be formal.

"What's that you've got there?" Pansy inquired, plucking the piece of parchment from her lap and scanning it over with her hazel eyes. The other dorm mates nearby turned to look at them, now interested in the two witches conversation. Tracey stood next to Pansy, reading the note from over her shoulder, standing on the tips of her toes as she was quite short and her brown eyes glinting with jealousy.

"_You've got an invitation to the Slug Club?_" Tracey wailed, openly upset that she hadn't received one herself. It was always Darcey who got all the attention, always in the spotlight and never her.

"I guess if that's what that rubbish is. I dunno if I'm going though." Darcey shrugged indifferently, not really seeing the big deal. It was just a supper party, and from the sounds of it a rather boring one.

"You have to go! You're lucky you got accepted, most of us would love to attend!" Daphne Greengrass voiced her two cents from across the dormitory, her soft, pretty face lighting up in enthusiasm and her pin-straight, blonde hair swishing over her shoulder with her excitement.

"You mean to say not a single one of you got invited?" Darcey asked, obviously bewilderment. What was so special about her that Slughorn had sought her out from her peers, perhaps her top marks had attracted his attention. Maybe the Slug Club was for bright students.

"Blaise Zabini got invited as well." Millicent Bullstrode, a thick boned girl with short, ebony hair and a round, severe face, interrupted adding a new piece of information to her dorm mates conversation.

"So that makes just us two then?" Darcey confirmed, peering around the room. That didn't make any sense, if Slughorn invited the brightest of students then surely Malfoy and Bullstrode should have been invited as well. Together, the four of them had the best marks in Slytherin. So what qualities _does_ Slughorn base his decision on if not intellect? Darcy wondered.

"He must think you're valuable." Pansy stated as if reading her mind. "He's looking to collect you."

"Collect me?" Darcey frowned in utter disgust. "I'm a person, not an object!" She retorted, feeling deeply offended.

Pansy smirked down upon her, leaning against the wall near her bed and handing her back the letter. "Well then, I suppose you're not going?" She asked smoothly, trying to disguise her relief. '_I'm no longer a threat to her, that's why she looks so pleased.'_ Darcey mentally pieced together, realizing how jealous she must feel for being a prefect and not being invited herself. The realization alone almost swayed her to go, but she really had zero desire to attend, or else she would go have gone just to toy with the unkind girl.

Having taken Darcey's silence as a yes, Tracey plopped down upon the bed in front of her sister, grabbing her roughly by the shoulders and giving her a gentle shake. "Are you barking mad? You have to go! Do you know how proud mum and dad will be to hear you've got accepted to the Slug Club? They were both members themselves." Tracey bellowed.

"_They were?_" Darcey asked, thoroughly surprised by the news.

"Yes, do you know nothing?_"_ Tracey demanded, despite casting her sister a cheeky grin.

"If I could, I'd go myself but it seems Slughorn fancies you so you have to go for the both of us, don't you?" Tracey commanded, all jealousy leaving her tone and instead replaced with excitement as she rushed over to the wardrobe looking for a spare dress for Darcey to wear.

"Oh! Let me charm your hair, will you?" Daphne rose, pulling out her wand and appearing ecstatic to have a new victim to test her vanity charms on.

"You keep that bloody thing away from me!" Darcey firmly countered, looking fearful. "My hair stays as is."

* * *

Evening fell over Hogwarts as deep pink and violet hues streaked the sky, casting an orange glow emitting from the sunset through its windows, blazing the corridors in fiery light.

The click-clacking of Blaise Zabini's dress shoes echoed loudly off the stone walls as Darcey walked alongside him to Slughorn's office.

Darcey was happy she chose to wear flats instead of heels, preferring her strides to remain undetected. She found the loud clacking of dress shoes to be annoying and impractical. _She'd rather not go prancing down the halls sounding like a Hippogriff. _

She glanced down, smoothing the invisible wrinkles from her dress, choosing an above the knee, satin, maroon number over the sparkly, silver dress Tracey had tried desperately to convince her to wear. It was far too flashy for Darcey's taste and she preferred to wear darker tones, so they came to a compromise with this one.

Her messy, untamed, hair clashed with the sophisticated, polished look of her attire but there was no way she was letting Greengrass come anywhere near her hair with her wand, the girl was terrible at charms, so it would just have to do.

Darcey felt a nervous aura settle over her as she began to dread her decision to attend the party. She hoped that it was an intimate group, feeling uncomfortable with large crowds and as if sensing her anxiety Blaise spoke up from beside her, catching her with his piercing amber eyes.

"Relax. There's nothing to be nervous about. They won't bite." The half veela stated smoothly, an amused smirk tugging at his dark lips.

Darcey looked over at him, biting the inside of her lip, a nervous habit. "Is it that obvious I'm freaking out?" Darcey wondered aloud.

"Dead obvious. You might want to stop fidgeting so much, it's driving me barmy." Blaise replied, watching as Darcey flattened out her dress for the hundredth time, she stopped when she noticied him looking at her, forcing her hands to remain still at her sides.

"_I don't like people_." Darcey stated as if that were a perfectly reasonable excuse.

"Neither do I but acting like a nutter will only draw more attention to yourself. Have a breath and calm your nerves, Davis." Said Blaise and Darcey listened, taking a deep breath and tilting her head up a little higher. '_You can do this, you are a Potter after all, where are those brave, bloody Gryffindor genes when I need them?_' Darcey mentally taunted herself, wondering if her birth parents were indeed placed in Gryffindor, she realized then that she did not know a thing about them. She decided to do some family research when she got the chance. She would like to know more about her roots, more about her heritage. '_Am I even pureblood?_' Darcey faintly wondered. Feeling as if her whole life had been turned upside down.

All Darcey knew about herself was what Dumbledore had shown her last night. She recalled the beautiful, ginger haired witch with stunning green eyes holding a pair of fresh, newborn twins, a baby tucked away in each crook of her arm. She lied in a hospital bed, a tired look in her eyes, the typical traces of exhaustion that come with giving birth but also smiling down at her beautiful babies with pure joy and admiration reflecting in her orbs.

Her birth mother had told Dumbledore that Darcey was ill, born more premature of the two, and that she needed to stay in St. Mungo's Neonatal Intensive Care Ward. Her mother had asked Dumbledore to look after the newborn and so he did, while Harry came home with the Potter's.

Darcey hadn't even caught a glimpse of her birth father in the memories and wondered what he looked like. Dumbledore had only shown her a few flashbacks, including that one along with a conversation held with a healer at St. Mungo's discussing her birth parents death and Dumbledore's plan to separate the twins, which made her dislike him more.

Darcey was interrupted from her recollection as she took note of Blaise politely holding the door open for her. They had arrived to their destination, Slughorn's supper party.

Darcey slipped in past him and into the office, happy to see that there was far less people here than she had anticipated, easing her social anxiety.

She took an open spot at the large round table in the center of the room, and ignored the eyes of the other students burning into her skin. At least a somewhat familiar face was present, Blaise was here with her and for that she was thankful.

"So happy you could make it, Miss Davis and Mr. Zabini too!" Professor Slughorn beamed at the pair of Slytherin's as they each took the only two open seats.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, sir." Blaise replied, his voice silky smooth as he brown-nosed the professor.

Darcey peered around the table, curious to see who else the teacher had 'collected.' Throughout the supper party she learned more about what inspired Slughorn to collect each student and what made them each valuable in his eyes.

Sitting next to her was Gryffindor Quidditch captain, Cormac McLaggen, a wealthy pureblood boy whose uncle Tiberius worked for the Ministry of Magic.

Next to him sat Ginny Weasley, a fifth year Gryffindor who seemed to have been chosen based solely on her popularity, she was also on the house Quidditch team and Slughorn especially enjoyed her Bat Bogey hex he had witnessed her casting on the train yesterday.

Hermione Granger was of course present, being chosen for her intellect and just as predictably her blood brother was there as well, everyone in the wizarding world knew why Slughorn would want to collect the famous Harry Potter.

Sat directly across from Darcey were the Carrow twins, Flora and Hestia, who shared her house a year beneath her. They were both dressed in matching jade dresses with pointed collars and deep pockets. They were a bit shy but had always seemed pleasant enough. Darcey learned that like other well known wizarding families like the Malfoy's, Parkinson's, Nott's, and Greengrass', the Carrow's were members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight and she assumed that was why Slughorn chose them. The Sacred Twenty-Eight were considered to be the purest of the all pureblood wizarding families, and although the Davis family was pureblood they hadn't made the list.

Between the twins and Professor Slughorn was Melinda Bobbin, a Hufflepuff fifth year whose family owned a chain of Apothecaries. On the other side of Slughorn was Blaise seated between the professor and Darcey.

Time seemed to go at an excruciatingly slow speed and it felt as if they had been eating supper for hours, as the conversation dragged on and on thanks to Slughorn's chatty nature and the booze he'd been slowly consuming all evening making him extra bubbly.

Finally the supper party came to a close at last and Darcey had to practically stop herself from _fleeing_ from the office, never having been more eager to get back to her dorm.

As she entered the deserted Slytherin common room she glanced over at the grandfather clock noticing that the dinner party had indeed lasted _hours_, being already ten o' clock.

Darcey slipped into her pajamas, parting ways with the Carrow twins and Blaise. Still feeling the buzzing effects of socializing, she was too awake to go straight to bed. She decided to unwind in the common room, bringing with her a book to help her relax.

When she came to the bottom of the steps she realized she was not alone. Draco Malfoy now sat in one of the leather armchairs near the fireplace, gazing into the crackling flames, appearing deep in thought.

Darcey tried not to disturb him, taking a seat on the couch behind him and keeping to herself, hidden in the shadows as always.

From the corner of her eye she noticed him glance over at her but he remained silent, not voicing whether or not he had a problem with her presence. Not that she gave a pile of dung what the prat thought of her, she could sit where ever she pleased. Therefore, both Slytherin's continued to ignore each other entirely and soon Darcey managed to almost completely forget that Malfoy was even there as she became so absorbed in her reading.

Darcey found Dark Magic fascinating but understood why it wasn't taught at Hogwarts, being very dangerous when placed into the wrong hands. Regardless, the branch of magic could be extremely useful if mastered and placed in a situation where you were forced to defend yourself from evil wizards. In fact, Darcey's father had been the one to give her the book, pulling her aside and encouraging her to read into the dark spells. She had been confused at the time as to why he chose to entrust in her with the old, leather tome. Back then she had assumed it was because she was the more responsible of the two sisters and he had perhaps felt that unlike Tracey, Darcey would take the book seriously, knowing the dark spells and curses inside weren't meant fool around with.

Now that Darcey knew who she is, she wondered if her father knew who she was all along and chose to entrust her with the book for an entirely different reason. _Was it possible he knew there was a chance she'd be thrust into the war and forced to fight? Had he known that she was Harry Potter's sister and that Voldemort would come after her at some point?_ She sincerely hoped she was wrong because if Darcey found out that her parents had kept such vital information from her all these years she'd be devastated, feeling as if they'd deeply betrayed her. _How could she trust anybody ever again then? If she discovered her own family had kept a dangerous secret from her, knowing that keeping her in the dark put her life at stake?_

Darcey pressed her book shut with a soft '_thunk'_. Rising from the couch, she made her way over to one of the cherry wood desks, grabbing a piece of spare parchment and dipping one of the old, frayed quills in a bottle of ink. She began to write her father a letter, aware that she had to choose her words carefully since communicating by post wasn't always secure, especially these days.

_'Hello Dad, _

_Hope everything's well at home, tell mum and Roger I said 'Hi.'_

_I'm writing you to ask if there's any way we could talk by fire this week, or as soon as possible. I know you're busy with work but it's very important. _

_Also I made the Slug Club, Tracey says you and mum were members, I hadn't known that. Wondering what else I don't know about you two. '_

Darcey decided against writing the last sentence and crumpled up the letter to start over again fresh, leaving that part out and replacing it with a gentler, '_Hope to hear from you soon. With love, Darcey'_' She scanned over the new letter and decided that she was satisfied. She stuck it inside the first page of her book as a reminder to herself to stop by the Owlery first thing in the morning.

* * *

The next day Darcey sent off her letter before making her way to Defense Against the Dark Arts with her Head of House, Professor Snape. It was strange to see her favorite teacher not teaching Potions this year. It seemed so out of place, yet as she enters the classroom, it seemed Snape had made himself right at home.

The DADA classroom was much gloomier than Darcey recalled it being the previous year. The curtains were drawn tight leaving the only source of light in the room being the bronze candle sconces aligning the walls. The flickering firelight cast eerie shadows upon the new gruesome pictures adorning the walls, which depicted witches and wizards looking in pain and severely injured. The picture closest to Darcey showed a wizard in what looked to be a rather agonizing position, his limbs severely contorted. It reminded her of the dead spider she had stomped on in her dormitory this morning, it's corpse shriveled and eight legs bent at harsh angles.

Snape strode into the classroom, his black cloak billowing behind him. His dark, narrowed eyes scanned over the group of sixth years, causing some, like Neville Longbottom, to fidget slightly under the Professor's intense gaze. Darcey like some of her peers pulled out her copy of '_Confronting the Faceless'_ and sat it eagerly on her desk, ready to begin the lesson.

"You won't be needing your books today." Said Snape, catching Darcey's movement. She nodded, hastily shoving the book back inside her satchel slung on the back of her chair.

Snape whipped around to face the chalkboard, writing sloppily the word '_Unforgivables_' and underlining it.

"The Dark Arts are many varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."

"Your defenses" Said Snape a little louder, speaking over the excited, hushed whispers resounding from his house. "Must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo." He explained, his black hair hanging like curtains framing his sallow face. His ebony eyes scanned over the group of students.

"Which one of you can tell me what the three Unforgivable Curses are?" Snape asked, ignoring Hermione Grangers hand shot up in the air, and instead choosing a member of his own house. "Yes, Mr. Nott?"

"Cruciatus, Imperius and Killing curses, sir." Theodore Nott recited, earning 10 points to Slytherin.

"_Correct_." Snape drawled.

"The three Unforgivable Curses were made illegal in 1717 and since then any use of the three curses will land you a permanent jail cell in Azkaban." Snape coldly warned.

"Did you know that it is possible to defend oneself from the Imperius curse?" Snape informed. The class seems to be extremely interest now, most of the students not knowing that, as far as they had always known the Unforgivable's were unforgivable because it was impossible to defend oneself against them.

Darcey belonged to the minority who possessed a basic knowledge of the Dark Arts and therefore she already knew where Professor Snape was going with it but didn't raise her hand, hating to answer questions in class because it drew too much attention to her. She was a rather reserved girl and didn't want to appear as a know-it-all.

"There is no one spell that can protect you from the Unforgivable curses, although, it is possible to resist the effects of the Imperius curse but doing so requires a great strength of will and character." Said Snape and Darcey noticed him cast Harry a piercing glare.

"What isn't taught your school books, is what it feels like to be under the influence of these dark curses. Look around the room." Snape gestured a pale hand to the shadowy, gruesome pictures around them. "And you can see the effects of the Cruciatus curse, a dementor's kiss, and an inferius. Yet, unlike its brothers, the Imperius curse isn't an unpleasant experience for the victim, in fact the exact opposite, for it is said that the victim succumbs to a trance-like state in which all feeling of responsibility and anxiety are washed from the mind. It is said to be a deeply relaxing and pleasant sensation." Snape stated moving down the middle of the isle and towering over Pansy Parkinson, who had her hand eagerly raised.

"Are we going to perform the Imperius curse today, sir?" Pansy asked excitedly, nearly bouncing out of her seat.

Professor Snape scowled down at her, revolted by her ignorance. "I should add, if cast poorly the Imperius curse has irreversible, damaging effects on the mind. Many have gone insane from being repeatedly placed under the curse, or by being placed under by an _incompetent_ wizard." Snape hissed, causing Parkinson to sink down back in her chair.

"Today we will be practicing nonverbal spells. You will now divide into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other_ without speaking_. The other will attempt to repel the jinx in _equal silence_. Carry on." Snape commanded, gliding back to the front of the classroom as excited chatter erupted from the students.

Darcey nearly groaned as she quickly realized she did not have a partner as Tracey and Daphne teamed up leaving her to be a third wheel. She peered around the room watching as the other students got into pairs, the last ones left on the Slytherin side of the room were none other than Draco Malfoy and herself.

Darcey reluctantly trudged over to him, silently claiming him to be her partner.

With the flick of Snape's wand the desks and chairs push neatly back against the walls, clearing a large area for the students to practice.

Darcey got into the correct dueling position, putting some distance between Malfoy and herself and bowing to show good sportsmanship before they began.

Darcey cleared her mind, knowing that performing a nonverbal spell required a great deal of concentration and mental discipline. She had only ever performed a nonverbal spell once before and it had taken her a lot of practice over the summer to do so.

On Snape's count they began, the only rule being that they weren't allowed to speak.

At first nothing happened as the room was deadly silent. It seems that for many of the students this was their first time performing a nonverbal spell.

Darcey refocused her mind, pulling away from the people around her and looking directly at her target. She felt the gentle, swirling sensation of her magic flowing through her and worked to channel it, redirecting the trickling, stream-like energy to flow forcefully through her wand. She thought of the spell in her head, '_Stupefy_' and with a burst of blue light, the simple stunner made it's way towards her opponent.

Malfoy successfully cast a nonverbal '_protego_' as the bright blue shield easily absorbed Darcey's spell. Malfoy fired a spell of his own and Darcey recognized the wand movement as '_Expelliarmus_', a simple disarming spell.

Darcey easily dodgds it, stepping aside and not even bothering to cast a proper shield.

Once again she concentrated solely on her magic, willing it to bend to her will. Now that she knew Malfoy was capable of defending himself, she tried her hand at a harder spell.

'_Depulso_', a red hex corkscrews through the air making contact with Malfoy's shield as he easily deflected it. Without warning Malfoy cast a silent, unfamiliar hex as a bright orange light coiled quickly towards her. It penetrated her shield, being a much stronger spell than Darcey had anticipated and made contact with her shoulder, searing her flesh.

Darcey cried out in pain, wincing as she covered her hand over the smoldering, raw, pink flesh. Anger swarmed inside her as she glared back at Malfoy, giving him her fiercest look of loathing. Her rage seemed to add power to her hex as her magic easily cooperated with her now, ready do her bidding. '_confringo_'

Malfoy barely dodged the attack as he lunged violently to his right causing the wicked spell to made contact with the bookshelf behind him as it explodes and catches fire, as if hit by a live grenade. Pieces of scorched parchment rain down upon the classroom, fluttering to the floor and collecting like dead, autumn leaves.

The entire class was now staring at the pair of Slytherin's, some looking rather amazed and others quite angry. Darcey purposely avoided glancing in Harry's direction, afraid to see the look on her blood brothers face, she assumed her wasn't impressed by her stunt.

Professor Snape parted through the crowd of students, looking utterly furious which was terrifying considering Darcey had never seen the man show any emotion other than cold indifference. His low, chilling voice penetrated the silence of the room as he dismissed the other students before yanking Draco and Darcey by the collar of their robes and dragging them into his office.

He cast a '_muffliato_' on the room to prevent any lingering eavesdroppers from listening in as he yelled at them.

"_How dare you use dark magic in my classroom. You could have killed each other._" Snape growled in outrage. The Head of House glanced furiously between the two Slytherin's for an explanation for their foolish and dangerous behavior.

"_I'm sorry sir. I wasn't thinking_." Darcey frowned, bowing her head down in shame. "_It got out of hand_." She agreed.

Malfoy on the other hand showed no remorse, staying silent and even having the audacity to glare back up defiantly at Snape. Darcey couldn't decide who looked more enraged and silently wished for Snape to put the prat in his place, but instead they managed to miraculously get off with just a simple, but serious warning. Although she knew full well that if there were a next time Snape would not be so lenient.

* * *

Draco didn't notice as his peers got up and moved about the classroom claiming partners to duel with, until he noticed Darcey Davis hovered over his desk waiting for him.

His mind was distracted as he robotically stood up, putting distance between him and his partner, giving them adequate room to practice the nonverbal spells.

Draco was deeply consumed with his failure to mend the vanishing cabinet. The spell he had been using to attempt to repair the magical cupboard was an advanced and complicated one, much too difficult for a sixth year student, added he was not even sure if the spell he had chosen was the correct one, which did not help his cause.

So far he hadn't seen any promising results, as his attempts to fix the damaged magical artifact had been all unsuccessful thus far. The Death Eater found it nearly impossible to focus on his schoolwork with his mind always obsessing over the progress of his mission, or lack there of.

Draco puled himself together, bringing his attention back to the witch standing across from him with a rats nest for hair._ 'Hadn't the girl ever heard of a comb?'_ Draco's light eyebrows furrowed in distaste.

On the count of three Snape instructed them to begin. Draco hesitated, although he already knew how to perform nonverbal spells. He did not want to expose his skill level, so he waited for Davis to make the first move, deciding that he did not need to draw more attention to himself by showing off. The whole school was already buzzing with news of his father being exposed as a Death Eater the previous spring and the last thing he needed was for them to suspect him too.

He could not blow his cover. It was crucial that Dumbledore did not catch onto his intentions to murder him or else he would be deemed useless to the Dark Lord and face death alongside his family.

No, he did not need any more attention, quite the opposite actually, he needed to stay under the radar and get the hell off the grid. He needed to quite literally _disappear_.

After a minute Davis managed to successfully cast a stunner, which Draco easily blocked despite only paying half attention to her. Still, he was mildly impressed by how quickly she had learned to cast it silently. It had taken Draco nearly two weeks to get it right.

Draco shot a disarming spell at her, which she easily dodged, lazily side-stepping the spell. After a moment she moved her wand in a jagged motion as a red hex spiraled towards him.

Once again he cast '_Protego_' and the bright blue shield turned to purple as it absorbed Davis' red hex.

It seemed his opponent was getting too confident and Draco decided that she needed to be put back in her place. '_I'll show her a proper hex_.' Mentally, he sneered.

The teenage Death Eater channeled his darkest magic, summoning a rather nasty hex, '_Ignis Flagello'_ he mentally bellowed as a blazing, orange fire whip snaked through the air towards the unsuspecting girl. The dark spell was no match for the flimsy shield Davis produced and as a result it easily penetrated her inferior barrier and lashed out at her, making contact with her shoulder.

She cried out in pain clutching her arm. Davis' sapphire eyes turn a dark, stormy blue as she glared back at up at him through tangled locks of chestnut hair.

Draco was surprised that Davis had the courage to cast her next spell and he was lucky to have recognized the complicated wand movement as '_Confringo_' a dark magic spell that used heat to cause an immediate explosion upon impact, or else he wouldn't have had enough time to throw himself out of the deadly spell's path. However, that did not stop a piece of debris from cutting into his back as the spell collided into the bookshelf behind him, causing a violent, deafening explosion. Draco's ears rung from the close proximity of the blast and he scowled at the foolish girl who was ignorant enough to use such a destructive spell in the confines of a classroom, in front of a teacher and students, no less. '_Davis is a reckless idiot. Surely, she belongs in Gryffindor.' _Draco seethed, feeling ashamed that he shared the same house with somebody so blatantly stupid._  
_

He was faintly aware of the burning eyes of his classmates regarding him, which was exactly what he had been trying to avoid, drawing more attention to himself. '_Curse that foul wench, Davis.' _

As a heavy silence and stillness hung over the room, rendering the students speechless, Draco pushed himself up off the floor, dusting the debris from his robes in the most regal way possible in that moment as Snape coldly dismissed the class. He roughly yanked Draco and Darcey by their robes and pulled them into his office and away from curious, nosy stares of their classmates.

"_How dare you use dark magic in my classroom. You could have killed each other_." Snape scolded, looking between Miss Davis and Mr. Malfoy.

Draco did not offer him an explanation, feeling he hadn't done anything wrong_. 'It was Davis after all who blew up half the classroom, not I.' _Draco mentally reasoned.

"_I'm sorry sir. I wasn't thinking_." Davis was now apologizing. "_It got out of hand_." - '_Understatement of the year.' _Draco thought dryly._ 'That stupid bitch nearly killed me!_ _Wait until my father hears about this-_' He automatically fumed before realizing that his father could no longer do anything, he held no more political power now that he was a filthy prisoner.

Snape gave Draco a long, scathing look, disappointment and anger reflecting in his ebony orbs. Draco glared evenly back at him, in no mood to deal with the elder Death Eater.

Since his mother had gone to Snape to convince him to help Draco with his mission, Draco had suddenly hated the man. In his mind he didn't need help from _anyone_. He was perfectly capable of completing his mission on his own. The Dark Lord had chose _him_ after all to kill Albus Dumbledore, and Draco felt that Snape was only interfering as an attempt to steal away the young Death Eater's glory and gain favor with the Dark Lord. After all, the other followers all suspected Snape to be a blood-traitor. It was only a matter of time before the Dark Lord began to question his loyalty too.

Snape let them off with a firm warning before sending them to the Hospital Wing, deciding that their painful injuries and wounded pride were, for now, punishment enough.

* * *

Darcey and Draco walked alongside each other in heavy silence. Darcey nursing her injured arm and Draco walking with a slight limp, it could have been worse, with the spells they had flung at each other, both students were lucky to have not been seriously injured, or worse, _killed_.

The stinging, searing pain radiating from Darcey's shoulder made the witch grind her teeth together in discomfort. By the time they reached the Hospital wing she was beginning to feel lightheaded, her jaw clenched tightly. Whatever that curse was that Malfoy had used against her, it was definitely black magic.

The school nurse, an elderly white haired witch with kind, crystal blue eyes, directed each of them to lie down on a cot, side-by-side.

Darcey did not look over at Malfoy, afraid she would murder him for putting her through this much agony. The healer helped her remove her school robe and cuts at the seam of her sleeve. The blouse was ruined anyway, with a large smoldering hole burned crisp into the fabric so cutting the sleeve off wasn't going to matter at that point therefore Darcey didn't object to the mutilation of her blouse.

She craned her neck to get a better view of her injury but the healer commanded her to stop moving and rest, pushing her to lie back down. Darcey obeyed, letting out a hiss as the healer poured a clear mystery liquid on the burn, causing the pain to flare up momentarily.

"Merlin, I hate you." Darcey huffed to the foul git beside her.

Draco was lying on his stomach as another healer worked on his exposed back, cleaning the wound. Darcey hadn't even realized he was injured, though the thought doesn't seem to bring her much relief.

"I warned you not to pick fights out of your league." Malfoy managed to smirk, so he must not be in enough pain, Darcey decided.

"Funny, you're also in the hospital with me, so apparently I can keep up." Darcey countered cheekily, allowing the furious look on the bully's face to bring her a little relief, distracting her from her shoulder.

"_You got lucky, that's all_." Malfoy argued sourly, wincing as the healer plucked a large splinter from his open wound.

"That's enough you too, less bickering and more resting." Darcey's nurse firmly scolded them from beside her, her tone maternal.

After roughly an hour, both students were cleaned up and permitted to go to the Great Hall for supper. Perfect timing too, as Darcey was beginning to feel peckish.

The burn in her shoulder didn't seem to be responding well to treatment, still stinging something fierce. Darcey assumed it was part of the curses nature to resist healing, and Darcey began to wonder where Draco had picked up on such dark magic.

Perhaps Lucius Malfoy wasn't the only Death Eater in the family. Perhaps Draco's open threat packed more meaning than Darcey had considered before, what if he really_ was _out of her league? _Could Draco Malfoy actually be a Death Eater? _And if he was, Darcey had to ensure her housemate never got word of her secret, for surely he'd take it directly to Voldemort.

Slytherin's were notorious for being power-hungry, they had a sort of ruthless determination about them and were types considered to be capable of doing just about anything to get what they desired.

So if Malfoy had become a Death Eater over the summer, and if he discovered that Darcey was Harry's sister, he would use the information to gain favor in the Dark Lord and rise in the ranks.

Darcey decided she couldn't risk making enemies with Draco, although, unfortunately for her it might have been too late…


	4. Chapter 4: Leo & Gemini

It was warm, breezy September day, perfect Quidditch weather and Darcey was happy it was Friday and the first week of school was finally coming to a close. The warm sunshine and cloudless blue skies seemed to greatly uplift her mood that morning as she ate her banana nut muffin by the Great Lake. A light breeze rolled by ruffling her curly hair and making it appear even more untidy than usual.

Tracey and Daphne were sprawled out beside her, discussing the upcoming first Quidditch game of the season.

"I heard Blaise is team captain this year. Merlin, he looks _gorgeous _riding a broomstick." Said Daphne dreamily, letting out a contented sigh.

"He's not much my type." Tracey shrugged, taking a bite out of her crunchy, green apple.

"Well who _is_ your type then?" Daphne countered, arching a thin brow.

"_I don't kiss and tell_." Tracey replied mysteriously, her small nose upturned towards the autumn sky.

"That's because she's never kissed a boy." Darcey chimed in, her tone matter of fact, earning a swift nudge in return from her virgin sister. "Sod off!" Tracey bellowed before her face morphed into a look of concern as Darcey flinched away from her touch, a pained look on her features.

"My shoulder is killing me." Darcey explained her odd actions, not failing to catch her sister's worried look.

"Didn't you go to the hospital wing?" Tracey asked confused.

"Yeah, but Malfoy's curse is- well, _cursed_. It doesn't seem to be responding to anything, and using magic just seems to make it worse. I guess I'll just have to let it heal the natural way." Darcey frowned, never having encountered such a dark spell. She didn't even know it was possible to _curse_ a curse.

She shuddered suddenly, just as another light breeze rolled by. Darcey had decided at the beginning of the week to stay away from Malfoy as much as possible. She was now convinced he was a Death Eater and she didn't need to go making enemies with him if she could help it. In fact maybe she should try to be more civil towards him, but before she could further entertain the idea of it she was ripped from her thoughts by her two friend's idle chatter.

"Who knew Draco knew how to use such dark magic." Daphne commented, her tone clearly intrigued, as if it were something to be impressed over.

"Speaking of dark magic, where did you learn that spell?" Tracey slyly diverted the conversation back to her sister, her syrupy brown eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I read it somewhere a while ago." Darcey replied casually. She decided against telling Tracey about the Dark Arts book their father had given her over the summer, knowing it would likely cause a rift between the father and daughter. Tracey would be insanely jealous and demand to see the book for herself, and Darcey couldn't risk her throwing around dark curses at anyone who got on her nerves. The girl was already very hotheaded and her friendship with Pansy Parkinson was beginning to have a negative impact on her. Darcey had seen them together just yesterday stealing chocolate frogs from a first year until she had gotten between them and made Tracey hand back the sweets, telling her not to be such a '_bloody_ _fat hag'_.

"Well I'd tone down on the black magic for a little while, the whole school now seems to think you're a Death Eater." Tracey smirked, chuckling as Darcey gagged on her muffin.

"_What!?_" Darcey bellowed, thoroughly shocked by the news. "Has everyone gone mad!? Me? A Death Eater? As if I'd ever!" She scoffed.

"You _did_ almost blow up Draco Malfoy. Lucky he got out of the way or bloody bits of flesh would have been raining down upon us instead of parchment." Tracey mused with a twisted grin.

"Okay, you do have a point I suppose…" Darcey reasoned. "But it doesn't matter. _I didn't kill him_. In fact, he did more damage to me. So, if anyone should be suspected of being a Death Eater it should be _Malfoy_, right?" Darcey argued feebly, feeling rage quickly bubbling up inside her. The new rumor only made her loathe the boy more so, if that was even possible. It was unfair that she was taking the heat for their duel. _He_ had been the one to use dark magic first, did that not account for anything? She wondered.

"It did look bad. You were pretty terrifying. I know I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of your anger." Daphne beamed, as if her statement was intended to be a compliment, but the other Slytherin didn't feel very flattered. "Try to look on the bright side, no one is ever going to mess with you now and fear _does_ come with some advantages." She proposed.

"I guess, I'd just rather not have people thinking that I'm evil..." Darcey replied with a frown. She was usually not the type to be bothered by what her peers thought of her, having not cared in a long time, but being called a Death Eater for some reason really didn't sit well with her. Maybe because she already felt lousy enough for turning her back on Harry, therefore she already felt like a bad person and now everyone else seemed to be convinced she was bad too.

The uplifting atmosphere seemed to suddenly shift darker as the nice weather lost its pleasant effect upon the witch.

"_I'm going to class_." Darcey muttered, scooping up her schoolbag and trudging back up to the castle. She was no longer in the mood to be around her dorm mates.

* * *

Each year students had to choose one elective course to take apart from their required courses. For the past three years Darcey had chosen Divination as her elective and found that she actually enjoyed the class that most her peers considered barmy.

Most students chose to take Divination because it was relatively easy to pass and had hardly any homework.

As Darcey walked into the heavily incensed and stuffy, hot classroom located in the North Tower, she scanned her eyes for an open seat but found little to none. The class was mixed, with students of each of the four houses coming together to unite over tea leaves. Slytherin's seemed to be in the minority this year as she noticed only a handful of her housemates seated in the back.

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle occupied one table, leaving Malfoy alone at the other behind them. Darcey was reluctant to sit with him but it appeared he was the only one partnerless leaving her no other choice unless she partnered up with somebody from another house, which wouldn't be happening. Slytherin's stuck together, no matter what.

She slung her satchel over the back of the chair and slid in beside him, casting him a small, very forced smile.

"Hi." She awkwardly greeted, pulling out her textbook, jar of ink, and quill.

A pair of icy, gray eyes scanned over at her form, before coming back to rest on her face.

"Hello." Malfoy greeted back coolly, not objecting to her partnering with him but not looking pleased about it.

The pair of Slytherin's spent the next few minutes in heavy silence as they waited for Professor Trelawney to emerge from her office.

Darcey was relieved when the lesson finally begun, eager to have something else to focus her attention on instead of feigning interest over her peers nearby conversations, purposely avoiding the eyes of the bully sitting beside her.

Professor Sybill Trelawney was a lanky, frail looking witch with long, frizzy, brown hair and large, round spectacles that dramatically magnified her cloudy, gray orbs. She was often adorned in eccentric, bohemian style robes with lots of beads and fringe. Although a bit _'out there'_, Darcey had always held a certain fondness for the professor and secretly admired her unique, open-minded nature and intuitiveness.

_"_So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have _the Sight_, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field…" Trelawney begun reciting the same introduction she used year after year.

"Today we will be focusing on Astrology. Can any of you tell me what Astrology is?" Trelawney asked, her magnified orbs peering around the smokey, dimly lit classroom.

A hand shot up from down near the front as Pavarti Patil answered enthusiastically. Like Darcey, the Gryffindor girl held an open fondness for the subject.

"Astrology consists of several systems of divination based on the premise that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and the events that occur in our lives. Astrology deals with horoscopes or predictions for each of the twelve signs of the zodiac, typically focusing on sun signs but also delving into moon and ascending signs, as well as natal charts." The attractive, mocha-skinned Gryffindor answered, her brown eyes glistening beneath long, full, black lashes.

"Very good, my dear!" Trelawney beamed, clapping her boney hands together with enthusiasm.

"As Miss Patil stated, there are twelve signs of the zodiac. The signs are represented by greek mythological beings and divided into four representing elements. Earth, Water, Fire, and Air." Trelawney explained, snaking her way between tables, and ascending the multiple levels of the vertical classroom.

"Turn to page one hundred sixty six in your textbooks to discover more about your astrological sign and discuss the information with your partner. Together you will write a two thousand word essay on the compatibility of your sun signs and gain a deeper perspective of one another." Trelawney instructed, stopping at Loony Lovegood and Terry Boot's table.

"Tell me, quickly! What are your signs?" Trelawney demanded in a dire tone, resting her hands upon each of the Ravenclaw's shoulders as she crouched in between them.

"Aquarius, ma'am." Lovegood proudly smiled, peering up at the Professor through a curtain of long, curly, white-blonde hair.

"Erm… I haven't the faintest idea." Boot sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarassment. It was a rare occasion that a Ravenclaw was stumped.

"I sense an earthy quality to you, definitely Taurus, perhaps even Virgo." Trelawney predicted before glancing between the two of them with a grave look on her features.

"A bad match, very bad match." Trelawney mumbled while frantically shaking her head.

Darcey turned to her Divination textbook, turning to the assigned page and looking up her zodiac sign, which she already knew.

"Well go on, what's yours?" Draco demanded from beside from her, elegant quill in hand. It was clear that he wanted to get this ridiculous assignment done and over with as quickly as possible.

"Leo." Darcey supplied, momentarily admiring his sharp, slanted penmanship "Want me to read it off and you can write it down?" Darcey offered, trying her hand at being civil with the boy.

"Whatever." Draco shrugged indifferently, pausing as he waited for her to continue.

"Okay. Defining characteristic of Leo, warm-hearted, action-oriented, driven by the desire to be loved and admired, ambitious, dignified, fearless and strong." Darcey paused to give Malfoy a moment to catch up.

"Leo's have and air of royalty about them and often find themselves in the limelight… Leo's can be overbearing, opinionated and stubborn. "

"Sounds spot on." Malfoy snickered. Darcey maturely chose to ignore his comment, tilting her chin up a bit higher as she continued.

"Leo's are self-confident, loyal and devoted, creative and idealistic, they make for excellent leaders." Darcey finished her signs summary, waiting again for him to write down her words. Despite writing so fast, Draco's handwriting somehow managed to stay neat and narrow. Darcey found this mildly impressive and was glad she wasn't chosen to write, now embarrassed by her large, loopy font.

"I think we should include the legend behind our Greek mythological creatures, it'll take up a good chunk of the essay." Darcey suggested as her eyes scanned over the next paragraph.

"_You're in charge, Davis_." Malfoy replied dryly. "_Let's have a look at these grand leadership abilities of yours, shall we?"_ He taunted challenging her to lose her cool with him. Surprisingly, the haughty Slytherin remained civil, her tone calm and demeanor regally collected as she carried on, once more ignoring his snide remarks.

"In ancient Greek mythology Leo was identified as the Nemean Lion killed by Hercules. According to legend the Lion would take women hostage to the lair in it's cave, luring local warriors to save the damsel in distress, to their misfortune the Lion was impervious to any weaponry; thus, the warriors clubs, swords, and spears were rendered useless against it."

"Daft muggles, using _clubs_ and _spears_." Draco wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Darcey couldn't help but smirk, finding his comment funny as she tried desperately not to grin. He'd give her hell for it.

"Realizing that he must defeat the Lion with his bare hands, Hercules slipped into the Lion's cave and engaged it at close quarters. When the Lion pounced, Hercules caught it in midair, one hand grasping the Lion's forelegs and the other its hind legs, and bent it backwards, breaking its back and freeing the trapped damsels. Zeus commemorated this labor by placing the Lion in the sky, hence the constellation of Leo." Darcey finished, finding the Greek legend to be rather fascinating.

"Okay, what's your sign?" Darcey asked once her partner was finished writing.

"Hell if I know." Malfoy scoffed. "I don't buy into this rubbish." He declared, leaning back in his chair and locking his arms over his chest.

Darcey couldn't help but roll her eyes, feeling thoroughly annoyed with him by now.

"_Well love, it's simple really. All you have to do is give me your birthday. Think you can manage that for me, princess?_" Darcey replied silkily, putting on her most innocent and charming smile for him. Malfoy narrowed his stormy, gray eyes into a slits as he scowled back at her.

"_Fifth of June_." He muttered in glacial tones.

"_Ah-Ha!_ Gemini. _See darling, was that so hard?_" Darcey grinned, giddy with herself for managing to thoroughly twist the boys knickers, judging by the look of loathing on Malfoy's face, if looks could kill she'd have been dead five minutes ago.

"Gemini, let's see…Conceited, arrogant, evil, immature bullies, cry babies who sulk when they don't get their way, socially inept and rude." Darcey couldn't stop herself from angering the boy further, her lips twitching into a satisfied smirk at his predictable reaction.

Draco looked as if he were about to hex her and Darcey noticed his knuckles turning white from the death grip he held on his quill.

"_Leo, let's see then._" Draco hissed venomously. "_Filthy, Unkept, reckless and stupid, irrational fear of combs, pretentious and cocky, antisocial losers who bury themselves in books because they don't have any friends." _Draco cruelly taunted, his icy, gray eyes piercing through her.

"_Spot on_." Darcey replied dryly. For some reason Malfoy's words really stung at her, leaving her feeling hollow and bitter. '_Maybe because he's right, at least the last part was true.' _Although, Darcey knew she was a bright witch and maintained proper hygiene, in fact, she was a very neat person for the exception of sporting a bit of a bed head look each day, but just because her hair was _untamed _didn't mean it was _unclean_. Regardless, most of what Malfoy had said had been true and it really hurt her pride to admit it.

Darcey's mood turned serious again, as she turned to her textbook and with no more goofing around, recited the true characteristics of Gemini.

"Characteristics of Gemini." She read. "Intelligent, quick-witted, quick-thinking, fast on their feet, curious, clever, charming, and skilled socializers, their minds are the driving force behind their conversations."

"Some tend to perceive their logical thought process as being _cold _and _unemotional_." The Leo paused, letting the information hang in the air before continuing.

"Gemini's can get bored easily, becoming restless and fidgety and are prone to being wishy-washy, changing their mood on a whim. Gemini's are flexible, go with the flow types, adaptable and dexterous, they can tackle many things at once. When in love Gemini's are playful, flirtatious and make for charming companions." Darcey had to will herself against making audible gagging noises as Malfoy wrote in silence, waiting for his partner to continue.

"In Greek mythology Gemini is represented by the twin brothers Castor and Pollux who were fraternal twins, born of the same mother, Leda, but having different fathers. Castor was the mortal son of Tyndareus, the king of Sparta, and Pollux the divine son of Zeus, who seduced Leda in the guise of a swan. They are said to have been born from an egg. In latin the twins are known as Gemini or Castores. When Castor was killed, Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together and they were transformed into the constellation Gemini. In alternate literature the two figures are interpreted as being Apollo and Hercules." Darcey read, pausing to thoughtfully absorb the legend.

"_Wasn't Hercules the bloak to kill the Lion_?" Draco inquired, following her train of thought. His gray eyes softening, crinkling slightly in amusement as a triumphant smirk formed on his lips.

"Yeah, the _muggle_ remember." Darcey replied pointedly, hoping to tone down his arrogance a little to no avail.

Draco's smirk wavered momentarily but he maintained it, deciding to remain unaffected by Davis' observation.

"My twins still killed your lousy kitten." Draco replied in an immensely smug tone that was laughable.

Before she could stop herself Darcey was chuckling along with him, both Slytherin's smiling together for the first time ever._ 'History has been made here.'_


	5. Chapter 5: Harmonia Nectere Passus

Darcey had always enjoyed the sport of Quidditch. Like most of her peers she found it to be an exciting, fast-paced, and dangerous sport, which made it all the more fun to watch.

Her father and elder brother Roger were die-hard Quidditch fans. Attending the World Cup was an annual tradition in the Davis household.

Darcey knew her way around on a broomstick, flying had come quite naturally to her, although she wasn't on her house team, since Slytherin was known for its all male team, being prejudice to female athletes.

So Darcey got her fix by playing the sport each summer in their backyard for fun, and that was honestly enough for her.

She had her fair share of fond memories of playing Quidditch with her siblings on those late summer evenings, when the fireflies would come out and the hot air from the day would finally cool down enough for them to play without getting drenched in sweat.

Today's match was Slytherin versus Gryffindor. Both sides of the stadium erupted in rowdy cheering as the players flew onto the pitch.

Darcey was mingled in with a crowd of fellow snakes; eating her no melt peppermint flavored ice cream she got from the concession stand.

Tracey and Daphne were standing beside her waving a large, emerald banner with the words '_Blaise is ablaze! Hotter than fiendfyre!_' in bold, silvery font. The sign required two people to hold up and Tracey had reluctantly agreed to help Daphne, only after incessant whining from her love struck friend. Millicent Bullstrode stood on the other side of Darcey, eating a no melt ice cream cone as well, hers being chocolate. The game began and Darcey watched excitedly as Slytherin went in for the first attempted goal only to be blocked at last second by Gryffindor Keeper, Ronald Weasley.

"_Boo!_" Darcey cried out animatedly along with her peers.

"Beat him with a bludger!" Vincent Crabbe, a stalky boy who was the shortest of Malfoy's two cronies, bellowed with his chubby fist raised in the air manacingly.

Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle, stood in the bleachers below Darcey and her dorm mates.

Darcey's eyes glanced over at Draco as she noticed he was being unnaturally quiet, having yet to shout out any insults to the rival team. His thoughts seemed to be elsewhere as he watched the game with a stiff demeanor and bored expression.

Halfway into the game, Slytherin still hadn't scored any points past Weasley to Darcey's and her housemates frustration. The Gryffindor keeper was on fire today, performing insanely well, the match would have been much more fun if Darcey wasn't rooting for the losing team. She had never seen Slytherin play so lousy. Normally they dominated the game...

Adrian Pucey, a clean-cut, seventh year boy with short, dark hair and chaser of Slytherin passed the quaffle to Zabini who went in for another attempted goal only to be blocked once more by Weasley.

The red and gold stands erupted in rowdy and obnoxious cheering as Weasley threw up his arms in a celebratory fashion, pumping his fists in the air. The cocky gesture caused the lions to go into a full-blown frenzy, chanting now in unison '_Weasley is our King!_' and waving their banners wildly. _'So obnoxious.' _She scowled.

By now the Slytherins were sulking, losing much of their previous enthusiasm displayed at the start of the match.

"Come on you lousy veela, quit prancing around and score already!" Goyle bellowed out in frustration. Like many of his peers, he too was growing annoyed with the outcome of the match.

Just then Darcey noticed Malfoy leaving the company of his friends as he carefully snaked his way down the bleachers, heading back to the castle rather early. Something about his behavior didn't settle right with Darcey so she decided to see what the bully was up to. Sneaking away from the match, she was careful to stay far enough away from Malfoy that he didn't catch her tailing him.

The clouds shifted overhead, blocking out the sunlight and casting shade upon the grass. A strong gust of wind rolled by causing the trees of the Forbidden Forest to rustle loudly. Delicate, crunchy, dead leaves scurried across the ground in front of her as she trudged up the hill. A chill trickled down her spine as the temperature shifted suddenly and Darcey drew up her hood, her dark, curly hair whipping at her cheeks as the wind gained momentum.

Finally she made it to the castle, happy to be out of the windy weather. She was sure her hair looked like a rat's nest as she ran her fingers through the knotted strands in an failed attempt to tame them. She could just make out the soft padding of Malfoy's footsteps in the deserted Entrance Hall and quickly followed the rhythmic sound, heading for the staircase which lead in the opposite direction of the dungeons. Darcey's curiosity peaked as she was now even more eager to discover where Malfoy was running off to, clearly not heading back to the common room...

* * *

Draco entered the empty corridor on the seventh floor, pacing the length of the hallway as he shut his eyes and focused his mind on the vanishing cabinet he so desperately needed to mend. When he opened his eyes again a set of ornate double doors appeared, the entrance to the Room of Requirement.

Draco glanced quickly behind him to be certain that no one had followed him before slipping into the room. He peered up at the mountains of lost and broken artifacts that had been collecting in the room for years. He snaked along the pathway, through the towers of rubbish until her found the magical object he was in search of, a wooden, charcoal gray cabinet with steel hinges.

A white dove sung from a cage nearby and Draco moved over to the ashen bird, lifting up the cage door and offering to it his finger. The dove hopped onto his hand and allowed him to guide it out of the cage and over to the wooden cabinet where Draco opened the door and placed the bird inside.

He drew out his wand, hidden in the pocket of his blazer and pointed it at the vanishing cabinet. "_Harmonia Nectere Passus" _Draco spoke the incantation out loud, giving it a moment to work before he opened the cabinet door to check if the spell was successful.

To his dismay he had failed once again as his stormy gray eyes looked down upon the white dove, lying stiff and dead on the cabinet floor.

One of the towers of rubbish behind him suddenly shifted causing various artifacts to clank loudly against the floor as the structure gave way. Draco pointed his wand in the direction of the avalanche, casting '_Homenum Revelio'_, a spell used to reveal human presence.

A girl wearing dark jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt was suddenly thrown forward, landing in a heap upon the ground in front of him, her face hidden beneath a mane of dark, wavy hair.

"What are you doing here?" Draco demanded, scanning over the spy in surprise. He was certain that no one had been following him, though it appeared she had managed to slip past him somehow.

Sure enough a familiar face peered sheepishly up at him, her cheeks blotchy and scarlet. He looked down into the piercing, sapphire eyes of Darcey Davis, fellow Slytherin.

"Following you." Davis answered bluntly, pushing herself up from the floor and dusting off her jeans.

"Why were you following me?" Draco asked, narrowing his eyes angrily at the stupid, annoying girl.

"That there's a vanishing cabinet." Davis observed, ignoring Draco's question altogether and stepping past him in order to get a closer look at the mysterious object. "Why are you trying to fix it?" Darcey wondered, raising her brow as she turned back to look at him.

"_None of your damn business_." Draco snapped, pressing his wand to her throat.

Darcey's crystal blue eyes widen momentarily in surprise before narrowing into dark slits. "_Lower your wand, Malfoy_." Davis firmly commanded, her tone dripping with venom.

Draco pressed his wand harder against her, leaning in closer and towering a few inches above her. He looked down at her, his features hardening as cold hatred flooded through him for the girl who dared to speak to him so boldly.

"I've warned you plenty of times, but my threats don't seem to be getting through to you." Draco hissed, leaning in closer. He pressed his mouth next to her ear to make certain she heard him clearly.

"_Perhaps you need to be punished_." Draco whispered, a wicked smile forming on his lips. "_Cruc-" "Stupefy!" _Darcey cut him off, having stealthily drawn her wand and aiming it at his stomach. Draco flew backwards, crashing into a pile of rubbish.

"You filthy Death Eater!_" _Darcey shrieked, enraged that Malfoy was really going to use the torture curse on her. She stormed swiftly over to him.

_"Expelliarmus!" _She easily disarmed him as he struggled to free himself from the pile of debris. His wand soared through the air landing a few yards away and becoming lost amongst the chaos of the room.

"Stand up!" Darcey commanded, feeling her body literally vibrating with rage.

Malfoy slowly got to his feet, all while giving her the most intense look of loathing she had ever seen from him, but she was too upset to give it second thought. She was sure if she wasn't so furious she'd be cowering with the look he was giving her. He truly looked menacing.

"_Incarcerous_" Darcey cast another spell, this time thick ropes flew out of her wand to bind to Malfoy, snaking around him tightly.

"_You'll regret this_." Malfoy vowed.

"Shut up!" Darcey shouted, pressing her holly wand to Malfoy's lips. "_Or I'll make you_." She threatened icily.

Malfoy didn't test if she was bluffing or not and kept quiet, his lips forming a hard, thin line and his arctic gray eyes glaring down at her.

Their eyes stayed locked for a moment longer, as if each one was challenging the other to back down and look away first.

Even as Darcey reached down to grope for his sleeve, she didn't move her gaze from his. She could feel him flinch as her fingertips ghosted against the bare skin of his wrist before yanking up his sleeve, exposing what she already had guessed was there, but could now confirm.

Darcey peered down at the dark mark, the ebony skull and serpent looking severe against Draco's pale skin. For a long moment she couldn't pull her eyes from it, feeling sickened by the sight of it but also a deep, suppressed part of her itched to glide her fingertips across it, a morbid curiosity or sorts. Before she realized it her fingers had indeed brushed over the cursed tattoo and the serpent slithered, responding to her touch. Malfoy's arm twitched beneath her hand and she finally withdrew from him, looking back up to meet his gaze and surprised to see a pair of wide, fearful gray eyes looking back at her, losing all traces of their previous coldness and fury.

Darcey pulled back down his leave, as if that would help him from feeling so exposed and vulnerable, almost wishing she didn't expose it in the first place. At least then she had only guessed what he was, but now she was absolutely certain. Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater, and she had no idea where to go from there.

Darcey sighed, running her hand through her hair as she paced in front of him, wondering what her next move was, what was her plan?

"Why do you need the vanishing cabinet fixed? Does it have to do with this?" She asked, gesturing to his dark mark.

Draco didn't move or say a word, his face now morphed into a cold, unreadable mask.

"I'm not going to tell anyone." Darcey continued, her voice much softer now as she looked over at him with a look of pity and guilt, guilt for exposing his secret in such a violating way, but at least now she knew for certain what he was. She couldn't imagine what he could possibly be going through being mixed up with the Dark Lord so young, for Merlin's sake he was only sixteen!

"_I promise_." Darcey pressed quietly, noticing the look of distrust radiating from the boy and she truly meant it, she wasn't going to tell his secret, not to anybody unless he gave her a reason to. It was no use though, it was clear Malfoy didn't believe her, and why would he after he'd nearly tortured her she should despise him, she should go running to Dumbledore right now. '_But I'm not going to go running to Dumbledore, I'm not like my brother, I'm not like Harry.' _

Darcey thought of a way to show him. Convince Draco that she was on his side, not Voldemort's side, but _his_ side. As in, she didn't want to see her classmate die, therefore she wasn't going to expose his secret. There might come a time when Darcey needed a Death Eater on her side and had she not just decided that very morning not to go making enemies with him?

No, she did not want him as her enemy. There were much greater enemies to be worried about. This wasn't about them, this entire war was between Voldemort, Dumbledore and Harry. Draco was just a pawn who got thrown into the game, and perhaps Darcey would soon find herself forced to play too. After all she was Harry Potter's sister, as much as it scared her to be mixed up with him she could not hide from who she was forever, she would have to face her fate eventually. It was only a matter of time before the war caught up to her and she found herself thrown into battle no matter how hard she tried to resist it, and maybe one day she would desperately need an ally, somebody on her side. So she thought, how can I show him I'm not the enemy here? How can we be allies?

Just then it hit her as she looked back at the vanishing cabinet. For whatever reason it was important for Malfoy to fix it, so perhaps she could try and help him there.

"As a peace offering." Darcey stated calmly, casting Malfoy one last meaningful look.

"_Harmonia Nectere Passus_" She attempted the advanced spell for herself, before realizing that they had no way to tell whether or not it had worked.

"I'm going to untie you now and you're not going to murder me, okay?" Darcey smiled nervously, still unsure of where she stood with the boy who had just tried to torture her. Hopefully her peace offering had worked, feeling she made a clever choice in choosing to _show _him rather than just _telling_ him that she was not his enemy.

Darcey performed the counter curse to her spell, the ropes catching fire and disintegrating into ashes and the black soot pooling at Draco's feet.

"Accio wand." Darcey stated as Malfoy's sleek, black wand came zooming across the room. She reached out to catch it, handing the wand back to its rightful owner.

"_Hawthorne, interesting wood. What's your core?_" Darcey pondered lightly, having a keen interest in wandlore.

"_Unicorn hair_." Malfoy muttered, rubbing his arm where the ropes had once constricted him.

"Me too. " Darcey softly mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck as she suddenly became aware of how awkward things were between the two of them.

After a long moment Darcey spoke up again, refocusing on the task at hand. "I'll go to the library and do more research on that spell then we'll meet back here tomorrow and try to fix it together. No questions asked, I promise." Said Darcey, doing her best attempt at a friendly smile, but feeling as if she hadn't quite nailed it.

Malfoy nodded curtly, staying silent as his gray eyes pierced through her, as if attempting to read her.

"I'm going to go back to the common room, see you in the morning." Darcey awkwardly dismissed herself, feeling uncomfortable under the blonde's intense gaze.

* * *

When she entered her dormitory she found a letter waiting for her in the middle of her bed, the ivory envelope glowing in the darkness of the room. Darcey noticed her dorm mates were all asleep and she faintly wondered what time it was and how long she had spent in the Room of Requirement.

Casting a '_muffliato'_ as not to wake her slumbering peers, she plopped down upon her bed and plucked the envelope, eagerly ripping it open.

She pulled out a short letter, recognizing her father's sloppy, slanted handwriting. His letters always looked as though he were in a rush but Darcey knew that was just the way he wrote.

_Darcey, So happy to hear of you joining the Slug Club! That's how you're mother and I met back when we attended Hogwarts. As you know, I was a Slytherin like you and Tracey, and your mum was a beautiful, bright Ravenclaw. To this day, I doubt we would have ever courted if it weren't for us getting the opportunity to know each other through Slughorn's supper parties. Anyway, I won't bore you any longer with the details. You asked to speak with me by fire, I'm sorry to say that won't possible. The floo networks are under strict supervision of the Ministry and it's extremely difficult to get permission to communicate by fire these days. They've even cracked down on the post, thoroughly inspecting every letter. I'm certain due to these regulations my letter to you has probably been delayed and won't reach you until Saturday or Monday. It seems for now we can only talk by post. You should write to your mother and Roger also, they both miss you dearly. I know you're busy with your schoolwork. I hope to see all O and E's this year again! You're mum and I are so very proud of you, Darcey. We love you very much and cannot wait for our girls to return home to us this Christmas. Look forward to seeing you soon, darling. _

_Love, Dad_

Darcey found herself struggling to be upset with her father after reading his sweet letter. She had to remind herself that it was very possible that her parents had been lying to her for her entire life and she should be furious with them. Unfortunately it seemed for now she wouldn't be getting any answers to her burning questions since it was too risky to ask her father through the post. She would just have to wait until she visited home for the holiday's to talk with them about her prophecy.

Darcey slipped the letter into her trunk before moving to the ornate cherry wood wardrobe next to her cot and pulling out a pair of plaid, flannel pajama pants and a loose fitting t-shirt and crawling into bed. The cool, crisp sheets felt refreshing against her warm skin and the heavy emerald quilt overtop provided Darcey with the pleasant feeling of security, like an infant being swaddled.

Staring up above her, she could faintly make out the water lines dancing across the ceiling from the eerie, green glow of the Black Lake.

Darcey let her body fall into a state of rest, welcoming the relief sleep brought her from her troubles, an eager escape from her reality.

She had a long weekend ahead of her...


	6. Chapter 6: Truce

Darcey rose earlier than usual, despite being in no hurry to begin the day.

It was a Sunday, so most of her dorm mates were still asleep as she made her way to the washroom to shower and get dressed. She threw on a comfortable, black, v-neck, t-shirt that made her milky skin appear even paler than usual. She slipped on a pair of jeans before sitting on the edge of her bed and retrieving a pair of black, leather boots from beneath her cot. She pulled them up over her calves and zipped them. Just as she was leaving the dormitory she grabbed a knitted cardigan at last minute, aware of how chilly the castle could get in the Fall.

As she journeyed to the library she notice of the dreary, overcast weather outside. The clear, blue skies from the previous day were long gone, now covered in dark storm clouds that masked the sunrise and cast a dark shadow over the land. Specks of rain rapped upon the windows as it began to drizzle. The soft roar of thunder could be heard echoing in the distance, foretelling a nasty storm.

On her way to the library she ran into her Head of House, whom she had made a conscious effort to shy away from ever since her duel with Malfoy, knowing that Snape had been quite angry with them.

"Good morning, professor." Darcey greeted in a small voice, trying her best to sound friendly.

"Morning, Miss Davis." Snape drawled in his usual monotones, leaving her unable to access his mood with her.

"May I ask as to where you are headed this early in the day?" Snape inquired, stopping to loom beside her. His lightless black eyes glistened down at her as he eyed her curiously.

"Library. Erm- sir." Darcey cleared her throat that was still scratchy from sleep. "Still have loads of homework that isn't going to complete itself." Darcey chuckled nervously.

Snape's eyes narrowed suddenly in suspicion as he scanned over her form. "It appears you won't be completing any homework. Seeing as you've forgotten your text books." Snape coolly observed, watching as the Slytherin frantically groped the air where her satchel should be, letting out a squeaky, nervous laugh.

"Yes, it seems I'm missing my brain this morning. Lucky I ran into you, sir!" Darcey beamed up at her Head of House.

"Enjoy your Sunday." Snape replied slowly, still scanning her with a piercing, suspicious gaze, silently warning her not to do anything foolish. "Don't work too hard." It was a command not a suggestion.

"I'll try." Darcey managed, still doing her best to cast him her most innocent smile. The professor finally parted from her, disappearing around the corner as Darcey let out the breath she had been holding in, mentally slapping herself for putting on such a lousy performance. It was clear Snape saw straight through her lie and now he was even more weary of her. That was just what she needed to draw even more attention to herself. '_As if it isn't enough that the entire school thinks you're a Death Eater, let's go and get the teachers suspicious too_.'

At that thought her mind turned suddenly to a certain Death Eater and she frowned, remembering the encounter they had together yesterday.

She hoped Malfoy would hold back on attempting to use any Unforgivable's on her today, shuddering at how close she had come to experiencing the torture curse.

Anger seeped into her chest at the memory but she willed herself to push the hatred aside and try her best to be civil with the boy. '_It's not his fault'_ She tried to convince herself. '_What more do you expect really from someone whose father is a Death Eater?' _and once again her anger was replaced with pity, for she truly did feel sorry for him.

After all, she understood what it was like to have no control over what others had thrust upon you. She hadn't chosen to be born to the Potter's, she hadn't chosen to be left in the dark for her entire life and then ripped away from her false sense of reality and left to question her identity. She hadn't chosen to be a part of this war and she just hoped that she could continue to stay out of it for as long as possible.

Darcey was suddenly aware of how selfish and whiney she sounded, even in her mind, and was absolutely disgusted with herself.

She should be happy she wasn't _the_ _chosen one_, no, that was _Harry_.

She should be happy she had a _family_, wasn't her brother an orphan or something? No, he didn't live in an orphanage did he? That's right, Darcey remembered now, he lived with _muggles_. She frowned at the thought as she could not imagine being forced to live with _muggles_, no matter how fascinating she found their inventions to be.

She should be happy she had a brother, a _blood brother_ and she now knew who her birth family had been. She had wondered who she was for her entire life and now she finally had her answers.

She should be happy but no, here she were acting like a whiny, spoilt brat. '_Poor me, woe is me- Rubbish! Poor Harry! He's the ones who has it rough, not me!'_ What did she have going on in her life that was so bad? Nothing! Darcey was now mortified by her actions and the way she had handled being told she was a Potter. She had thrown a fit, letting her fear of the Dark Lord overpower her logic, and she had ran away like a selfish, spoilt, coward. _What was wrong with her?_ _When had she become like this? Like this she was no better than Parkinson._

Darcey entered the deserted library apart from a trio of Ravenclaws and a pair of Hufflepuffs. As she peered down the isle of rows upon rows of infinite books, she realized she didnt have the slightest idea of where to begin. She pushed aside her self-loathing and focused on the task at hand, finding out how she could help Malfoy fix the vanishing cabinet.

As she passed the first isle something shiny caught her eye, a trophy case. Something inside her, an urge of sorts, guided her over to the glass cupboard. She peered inside and caught the familiar surname etched in gold, '_James Potter - Gryffindor Seeker - 1970' _beneath a golden snitch, her birth father's name.

With renewed direction she wondered over to the Hogwarts yearbooks, in search of more information about her father. _What did he look like? Was her birth mother in here too? _She wondered with excitement.

Darcey found the 1970-1971 yearbook and flipped through the pages until she came across the Gryffindor graduating class but did not find her father's name there so she checked the next year and the next year until she found him at last in the 1977-1978 graduating class. '_That means James Potter was a seeker in his first year! Impressive!_' Darcey thought to herself in awe. '_Hadn't Harry been a Seeker in his first year as well?' _Yes, she recalled hearing of that…

Turning back to the yearbook, she looked upon the smiling, black and white photos of the graduating class waving cheerfully at her.

She found the name she was looking for, printed beneath the photo of a handsome, dark haired boy with wavy, tousled locks and a boyish grin plastered to his face. He was wearing round spectacles like Harry's; behind them his eyes seemed to glisten with mischief. He was waving happily up at her and she found herself smiling, wanting to wave back too. A warm, giddy feeling radiated from her heart to her limbs, the feeling of happiness. The joyous feeling she had gotten when she was around her family, when they all came together for the holidays and her parents were not working.

Darcey noticed the uncanny resemblance she bore to her father and it seemed to only confirm for her more who she truly was, who she belonged to. '_I'm the daughter of James Potter.' _She was now sure of it and instead of feeling sorry for herself and being ashamed of her heritage, she found her emotions morphing into fierce pride. '_This is who I am_.' She mentally declared.

Darcey caught a familiar face in the row above her father, the face of her birth mother that she remembered clearly from Dumbledore's memory.

The beautiful witch with long, silky, red hair and bright emerald eyes, and a warm, loving smile waved back up at her from the glossy page. Except here her hair was a light gray and her eyes still seemed to sparkle except they were dulled to a medium charcoal shade, but Darcey was still sure that the black and white photograph was that of her birth mother. Beneath the picture read the name_, 'Lily Evans'_.

Darcey lost track of time scanning through the yearbook. She discovered more about her birth parents, like that Lily belonged to the Slug Club and James seemed to be always pictured with his friends, Remus Lupin, her old Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Sirius Black, Harry's deceased godfather who escaped from Azkaban, and a name she didn't recognize at all, Peter Pettigrew.

Lily seemed to be a lot like Darcey, top of her class and studious, where as James reminded her of Harry and seemed like the type to attract trouble. Darcey shared her mother's oval face and button nose and had her father's almond shaped eyes and dark, wavy hair, except his was neater. Harry had green eyes like their mother if she recalled correctly, but besides that, looked identical to their father. In fact Darcey was certain that they could pass as twins.

Glancing at the clock she realized it was nearly noon, she had spent the entire morning looking through the yearbook and had completely forgotten about Malfoy and the vanishing cabinet. Deciding that it was too late to research she headed for the Room of Requirement, hoping that the spell she cast yesterday had worked and it was now repaired, or else Malfoy was going to give her hell for dropping the ball.

* * *

Harry laid on his bed in the Gryffindor dormitories clutching the Marauders Map and following two sets of black footprints. Next to the feet were the names, '_Draco Abraxus Malfoy'_ and '_Darcey Petunia Potter'_, each at different ends of the castle. Malfoy appeared to be in the dungeons and Darcey was currently in the library.

Harry was surprised he had failed to notice another student who shared his last name until now, lost among the sea of hundreds of names floating across the map of Hogwarts. Yet now his twin stood out clearly, the magical map revealing the name given to her at birth, the true name of his sister, Darcey Petunia Potter. It seemed she was rightfully named after his aunt, they were a lot alike, both unpleasant and foul, and they shared the same cold, glinting, blue eyes.

Harry struggled to come to grips with the fact that he had a sibling, but now he understood why Dumbledore had wanted to keep him in the dark for so long. '_She's a real prat_.'

Harry glared down at the moving footprints of his sister. She had wanted nothing to do with him, practically disowning him. She didn't want to accept that she was related to Harry, as if it were something to be deeply ashamed of.

Darcey's behavior that night had revealed to him her true colors, and although they were blood, he was certain that they shared nothing in common. Being brought up by the pureblood Davis family had really turned his sister rotten, and from what Harry could tell she was just like the rest of her housemates, a stereotypical Slytherin, cowardly, rude, selfish and self-preserving. She only cared about herself.

Although she had made it crystal clear that she wanted nothing to do with him, Harry still felt drawn to her, interested in her, despite himself. A part of him longed to get know his sister, to sit down and talk with her, share a laugh together like Ron and his siblings. He wanted to experience what it was like to have a family and had at first been elated to hear that he had a twin. So as much as he hated to admit it, wounding his pride, it had hurt him a lot when she so openly rejected him.

Still, he felt protective over her, knowing she was the only living relative he had left, even if she were lousy, and he wanted to keep her alive. She was still his sister and it wasn't her fault that she had been raised by the Davis'. Surely she wasn't born so foul, she had to have been raised that way. If their parents were still alive, he was certain she'd be an entirely different girl, and maybe that part of her still existed, buried deep within her.

Maybe one day, Harry hoped, they could act like a real family, but for now he had to accept her for what she was and follow Dumbledore's advice to stay away from her.

Dumbledore had shown Harry the prophecy and it foretold the twins as fated enemies. After Darcey had stormed out of the Headmasters office Dumbledore had an important conversation with Harry. He warned him to not to trust her with any information regarding Lord Voldemort, not to tell her anything of Dumbledore's private lessons with him, and if he could manage to just stay away from her completely altogether. The Headmaster had also told Harry that Darcey did not know the entire prophecy. Dumbledore had only shown her half of it, knowing that revealing the part about her would only reinforce her destiny, at least that way she didn't know and couldn't be swayed.

If she turned down a dark path it would be of entirely her own choice and not because she had been told that was what she was going to do from the very start. Dumbledore was giving her a chance to redeem herself. Harry understood and he would follow Dumbledore's orders to stay away from his sister, but that didn't mean he couldn't still look out for her without her noticing.

So as Harry was spying on Malfoy since their encounter on the train he was convinced Malfoy was a Death Eater and he had found Darcey's name appearing oddly near Malfoy's on the map more and more often and noticed their names disappear and reappear off the map two times since yesterday.

He had watched last night, after the Quidditch match when he went to bed, first Darcey's, then Draco's name appear out of thin air on the map. Their names had appeared in a deserted, seventh floor corridor and right now he watched in fascination as Malfoy walked from the dungeons to said floor only to disappear again.

Darcey's footsteps were currently leaving the library and slowly but surely they took the same path as Malfoy's, vanishing off the map at the very same spot.

_'So what was his sister doing with Malfoy alone in there?' _Harry wondered with frustration, feeling the bile rise up into his throat at the thought of them snogging. He knew perfectly well _where_ they kept disappearing to, the Room of Requirement. He had discovered the hidden, useful room last year when he founded Dumbledore's Army. So, his sister and Draco were either dating and sneaking off to the Room of Requirement to snog, _or _the rumors spreading around school were true, Darcey Davis was a Death Eater and Harry knew that Malfoy had to be one too, in fact he was certain, although he still hadn't managed to thoroughly convince Hermione and Ron.

_'So what were two Death Eaters doing together sneaking off together into the Room of Requirement? What were they plotting?'_ Harry vowed to find out what Malfoy was up to and why his sister was involved but first he needed to run his theory by Hermione. Maybe she could help him make sense of it, though he was seriously dreading telling his friends about Darcey for Harry was admittedly embarrassed of his twin.

'_Hey Hermione, Ron, I have a sister, she's a Death Eater and in Slytherin. She might be evil and she might be dating Malfoy and I don't know which news is worse. Oh, forgot to mention she hates me and there's this prophecy that says we're sworn enemies_. _How's that for a dysfunctional family?_' Harry mentally mused, although the situation was far from comical. He could practically see their shocked and scandalized expressions clearly in his head and could hear them both bombarding him with questions.

'_Right. This should go over well...'_ Thought Harry.

* * *

Darcey entered the Room of Requirement, knowing she was tardy. Although they hadn't confirmed a set time she had told Malfoy tomorrow _morning _and it was now well past noon.

"Sorry I'm late, slept in." Darcey quickly offered, not wanting to tell him that she had gotten distracted in the library. No, it might spawn too many questions that she would just have to lie through; so lying straight off the bat was much easier.

"I didn't expect you to come." Malfoy admitted coolly, his blank mask in place successfully hiding any emotions from her, making it difficult to tell what the bully was thinking.

Darcey didn't respond, instead walking past him to grab a set of bronze measuring scales from a pile of nearby rubbish. She used transformation to turn them into a cardinal, the first bird that came to mind.

"I have a theory." Darcey began, walking over to Malfoy and placing the scarlet bird inside the vanishing cabinet. "I don't know for certain that it'll work but it's worth a shot." Darcey continued, shutting the cabinet door.

"It came to me yesterday when I discovered that our wands shared the same core." She explained. "I read somewhere that when casting a dual spell, the outcome is more likely to be favorable if the wands of the two wizards share the same core. Basically, the more compatible the wands are, the more powerful the magic is."

"See where I'm going with this?" Darcey inquired, raising a dark brow. Draco seemed to be following. She could see his mind churning behind his wintery eyes, he was thinking.

"Yes, you're saying that we should cast the spell together?" Draco replied slowly, thinking he had missed something. "That's you're brilliant plan?" He criticized, his tone harshly skeptical.

"Yes and I think it'll work. So let's just try it and go from there." Darcey irritably snapped, frustrated with herself for slacking off in the library and not coming up with something better, Draco was right to be skeptical. She just hoped it would work because it was all she had to go off of for now.

"On the count of three. One, two, three-" Said Darcey.

"_Harmonia Nectere Passus_" The Slytherin's chanted together, pointing their wands at the vanishing cabinet.

Draco was the first to step forward, reaching for the cabinet door. He pulled it open and to both of their elated surprise the cardinal had successfully vanished from the cabinet.

"_It worked_." Said Draco, his tone giving away his astonishment.

"_It worked_." Darcey agreed, turning to cast him an excited smile.

Draco grinned back at her, genuinely giddy and Darcey realized she had not seen him this happy in a very long time.

It reminded her of her old classmate, the Draco Malfoy she had seen before around school strutting the corridors with his friends, lounging in the common room telling funny jokes and coming up with witty insults, flying on his broomstick, going after the golden snitch and catching it, winning the game for Slytherin. For a moment Malfoy looked like his old self, but as quickly as it came, it went and once again was replaced with a cool, aloof mask.

"Good luck with the cabinet." Darcey awkwardly offered after a long, heavy silence clung between them. She wasn't sure what else to say since she hadn't a clue why they needed to fix it in the first place. She promised not to ask any questions and she didn't, keeping true to her word.

"I'll see you around then." Darcey supplied, stowing away her wand in the pocket of her cardigan.

Malfoy nodded curtly back at her making it clear that he wasn't going to thank her or bid her any sort of proper farewell, so Darcey left, accepting his cold behavior for what it was and not over thinking it. '_That's just how Malfoy is. He will always be a prick_.' In all honesty Darcey was happy to be done with him. Starting now she vowed to stay away from him, she succeeded in what she had set out to do and they were now on neutral ground. That was the end of it. No more war, at least not between the two of them. They had made their peace finally after six long years.

_'Maybe one day I can make my peace with Harry.' _Thought Darcey with a pang of sadness.


	7. Chapter 7: Resisting Possession

It was the last Friday of September and Darcey found herself hibernating indoors as it seemed to rain nearly every single day.

Not that she minded the peculiar weather. Darcey found the low roaring of the thunder and rhythmic pattering of raindrops upon the windowpanes to be quite soothing.

Ironically, the dungeons were the only part of the castle where it was impossible to see or hear the weather, being it underground.

Right now Darcey had a free period and used it wisely. Free period was a time to keep up with the vast amount of homework that came with being a N.E.W.T student. The lessons had become increasingly more demanding and for the first time ever she was now struggling to remain caught up on her schoolwork.

She needed to obtain an _Outstanding_ in Charms, Transfiguration and History of Magic in order to even be considered for an internship with the famous Wand Maker, Garrick Ollivander after she graduated Hogwarts.

Darcey found Charms and Transfiguration to come naturally to her, but had struggled to get her _Exceeds Expectations_ in History of Magic last year. The class was horribly boring and most of the tests consisted of memorizing dates of past goblin wars, something she took zero interest upon.

Darcey now sat in the middle of her cot, lost in a sea of textbooks and parchment. Her area of the dorm was currently in a state of disarray looking as if a herd of centaurs had passed through the room.

Unlike most of her peers, Darcey's favorite place to study was inside her dormitory. It was the only place she could almost always be alone, and she valued her solitude, especially when her brain was working in overdrive. She performed best by herself.

Suddenly a distraction came in the form of Pansy Parkinson barging into the room.

"_That's a load of old bollocks!_" The wide nosed, amber eyed girl shrieked, plopping herself down violently upon her cot with Tracey and Daphne at her heel. They all gathered around the distressed Slytherin.

"_It's completely unfair!_ _That wicked old hag has always had it out for him!"_ Pansy cried, grabbing her pillow and burying her face in it. She let out an enraged snarl.

"It'll be okay, you can always come to Hogsmede with _us._" Daphne offered kindly, patting Pansy's back in a consoling but clearly awkward gesture. It seemed all Slytherins shared one key quality, none of them being the nurturing sort, explaining why most Slytherin's performed poorly in Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, though Tracey wanted to become a Herbologist. Still, she wasn't nurturing at all and tended to the plants in a cold, logical manner, completely detached.

_"I'm not going to be third wheel, Merlin, Daphne could you be anymore thick?"_ Pansy sneered casting the pretty blonde a look of loathing for even insisting such a ridiculous proposal.

Darcey ignored the lot, not taking her eyes off her schoolwork. She nibbled on the quill between her lips, unable to take in the words she was reading. Her dorm mates were talking too loudly for her to concentrate.

"What did he get a detention for anyway?" Tracy spoke up curiously.

Pansy lifted her face from her pillow with a hard look on her features. Something seemed off about her, troubled.

"He hasn't completed a single class assignment all _month_." Pansy muttered, looking down at the pillow she was now hugging against her.

"_I'm worried about him_." She whispered, so quietly Darcey almost thought she'd imagined it.

"He's been acting strange lately. Always disappearing, running off, hardly speaking to me. I don't even know where we stand anymore. He's pushing me away and I don't know what I've done to upset him…" Pansy's jaw trembled as she held back her sobs, refusing to cry in front of her friends. Darcey felt her mouth gape at the uncharacteristic vulnerability radiating from the bully. She looked so broken and fragile, Darcey had never once seen Pansy appear so _human_.

Parkinson's eyes suddenly shifted to Darcey as they caught each other's gazes. "_What are you staring at?"_ Pansy demanded moodily.

Darcey remained silent, watching as the girl abruptly rose and stormed across the dormitory and into an adjacent washroom, slamming the door forcefully behind her and causing a nearby portrait to fall off the wall. Daphne moved quickly to grab it.

The portrait was that of a naked woman with long, wavy hair covering her breasts standing in a lush garden paradise. A long snake coiled itself up and around her curvy figure, its chin resting near the nape of her neck. Darcey had always found the painting to be quite beautiful.

As Daphne carefully hung the painting back up, the woman in the painting clutched the apple tree behind her to keep from toppling over while cursing at the girls. Darcey caught something like, '_Disrespectful brats_.' And ' _No appreciation for the arts_.'

"_Oi! Shut it! I set you right didn't I? Could have left you down there!_" Daphne shouted back.

"You think she's alright?" The blonde whispered a moment later, coming to sit closer with her friends and silently pointing to the bathroom door.

"My guess is she's sobbing." Darcey stated bluntly, not bothering to keep her voice down, not caring if Parkinson heard her or not.

"_Shh! Don't be cruel."_ Daphne scolded. "She seemed really distraught. Should I go check on her?" Daphne wondered, turning her attention to Tracey now, upset with Darcey's lack of empathy.

"I would let her sort it out for herself. She might hex us." Tracey frowned.

"Who was she on about anyway?" Darcey couldn't help but wonder, having a hunch who but wanting to confirm it.

"_Draco Malfoy of course, didn't you know they were courting?_" Tracey replied, still keeping her tone hushed. She came to sit next to her sister now, eager to fill her in on the juicy gossip.

"No, hadn't noticed." Darcey replied coolly, feigning disinterest and looking back down at her textbook. A pang of jealousy tore through her suddenly and she had to hide the new possessive emotion from surfacing in her tone. The jealousy she felt unnerved her, she didn't understand it and therefore she didn't like it. '_Since when do I care whom Malfoy snogs?_' Darcey wondered incredibly, shocked by what she was feeling and loathing it. _'I hardly know him.'_

"Well it seems they may no longer be an item, seeing as Draco's giving her the cold shoulder and all. Maybe he's afraid to break things off with her and is resorting to avoidance." Tracey theorized, leaning in closer to her sister. "_Perhaps he's found a new play thing_." Tracey winked.

Darcey narrowed her eyes at her sibling, not sure what she was getting at but deciding already that she didn't like the knowing look she gave her.

After Darcey didn't respond, still giving her sister a dumb struck, confused look. Tracey elaborated. "_He's a handsome lad. Any girl would be happy to hear he's single_."

"You fancy him?" Darcey asked bewildered.

"Of course, don't you?" Tracey raised a slender brow.

"NO! WHY WOULD YOU ASSUME SOMETHING SO RIDICULOUS?" Darcey blurted out, masking her nervous unease with outrage.

"_A lot of girls fancy him_." Tracey replied coolly with a light shrug, unfazed by her sister's outburst as she glanced down at her fingernails, picking at her cuticles.

"_So, you have eyes just for Teddy then, eh?"_ Tracey mused a moment later with a haughty smirk, bringing up her sisters childhood crush.

"_No, I don't fancy him either!"_ Darcey grumbled, collecting her things and shoving them haphazardly into her satchel.

"Where are you going?" Tracey asked, surprised by her sisters sudden move to leave.

"_To the library, to be alone_." Darcey answered firmly, no longer in the mood to gossip with her sister, feeling irritated at herself, confused and frustrated with her emotions. For some odd reason hearing that Draco and Pansy were still an item really dampened the Slytherin's mood.

* * *

"_I'm telling you Hermione, they're both Death Eaters_." Harry insisted for the hundredth time. To his dismay, his two friends did not seem nearly as convinced.

The trio were gathered at a secluded table in the library, hunched over and talking in hushed tones. Hermione glanced up from her Charms essay, casting Harry a concerned look. She was beginning to worry about him. He was becoming obsessed with this ridiculous theory that Draco Malfoy and Darcey Davis were Death Eaters.

It had been three weeks since Harry told Hermione and Ron of his sister. Ron had been bewildered, trying to recall a mental image of whom this Davis witch was, but couldn't ever recall seeing her. Although Ron had said the name sounded familiar. Hermione on the other hand had known exactly who Darcey Davis was and this hadn't surprised Harry at all, seeing as she had a keen talent for observation. Picking up what others seemed to overlooked. Of course she'd recall his sister.

"_I don't know, Harry_." Hermione frowned over at him from across the table, her tone taking on a pleading quality.

"_Maybe Malfoy_, _but even that is highly unlikely. He's far too young. As for Darcey, she doesn't strike me as evil. She loaned me a quill once in third year..._" Hermione reasoned.

"_So, she lends you a quill three years ago and that makes her trustworthy?"_ Harry asked haughtily.

"_Not trustworthy exactly_." Hermione defended. "_Just, I don't think she's like them_." Hermione softly explained, keeping her voice low despite the '_Muffliato_' Harry had placed around their table. It came as habit for the trio to whisper, always discussing Voldemort.

"_Trust me Hermione, she's just like them. You should have seen the way she acted_-" Harry was cut short by the topic of their conversation entering the library, her eyes found her brother's gaze as she walked over towards them.

Davis stopped in front of their table, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing around the room nervously before locking her gaze back on Harry's. Her blue eyes looked softly down upon him as she offered a sheepish smile and an awkward, '_Hey_."

Harry's eyes couldn't help but widen in surprise, he had no idea what she was doing there. Hadn't she made it quite clear she wanted nothing to do with him?

"_Hey_." Harry parroted back after a small moment, closing his half opened mouth and recollecting himself, knowing he probably looked like a gaping idiot.

Darcey chanced a look at Hermione and Ron, looking uncomfortable under their scrutiny. Although Hermione had an indifferent face and appeared friendly, Ron had his eyes narrowed suspiciously at the Slytherin, his mouth forming a hard, thin line and his muscles in his neck stiffened at the sight of her.

"Can I talk with you?" She inquired quietly, looking back at Harry, not liking the way the Weasley boy was glaring at her.

"Sure." Harry shrugged though still thoroughly confused with her presence. He tried to will himself to hate her but he couldn't, not when she was acting so mouse-like and timid. She was nothing now like the arrogant, spoilt witch he had met on the first night.

Darcey pulled over a nearby chair to their table, setting her satchel down against her leg. She fumbled with her fingers looking for the right words to say. The trio watched her intently.

"I wanted to apologize for the way I acted when-" Darcey stopped; side glancing at Granger and Weasley, unsure of whether or not they knew the twins secret. "_When I last saw you._" She chose her words carefully, turning back to meet her brothers piercing emerald eyes behind a pair of round spectacles.

"They know who you are." Said Harry, noticing her apprehension.

"Right." Darcey mumbled, feeling slightly foolish. Of course he would tell his friends, they were inseparable.

"Well I'm sorry. I acted like a prat. It's not true what I said. _I mean_-" Darcey paused, unsure of how she wanted to go about this. "_I didn't mean it when I said I wanted nothing to do with you. You're my brother… I was just afraid, you know? And in shock I suppose. It was a lot to take in all at once_." Darcey sighed, running her fingers through her hair and diverting her gaze to the windowpane, watching as an eerie mist pressed against the glass.

"I don't want to get involved in this war if I can help it, but that doesn't mean I want nothing to do with _you_. I'd like to get to know you, Harry. I want to know more about our family. I found this yearbook with photos of our parents. It really hit me then, who I am. Although I have an adoptive family, there's always room for more. I want to get to know this part of myself. I know we have years of catching up to do and it's awkward, but maybe we can take baby steps. That's what they'd want right? For us to be friends…" Darcey managed with a small, sincere smile, looking hopefully at her brother.

Harry glanced over at his friends and Darcey followed his gaze hesitantly. Granger's eyes were a bit watery and she was smiling warmly at Harry. Ron looked much less affected, but still not as cold as before. He looked uneasy, not sure what to make of the situation.

"Thanks for the apology, it means a lot..." Harry paused, casting his twin a pained expression.

"I just think it might be too late. Maybe we're too different…" Harry explained slowly, as if that would help ease the blow.

_'So he's rejecting me?_' Darcey realized suddenly with a pang of anger lurching in her chest. She really hadn't anticipated this sort of reaction from Harry. Weren't Gryffindor's supposed to be nice and all for forgiveness and seeing the good in people?

"_We're too different…?"_ Darcey parroted back flatly, still taking in the meaning of his words.

"I understand that you have a family and you don't want to get involved in the war, but I'm _the Chosen One_. I have to focus on defeating Lord Voldemort and I have a family also, my friends _are_ my family." Said Harry, casting Ron and Hermione with a meaningful look.

"They're risking their lives for me every second they are with me and although I hate knowing that I'm putting them in danger, they've made the choice to stand by me." Harry stated proudly, not with arrogant pride, but with pure, loving admiration.

"After this is over with, we can try to get to know each other. I'll tell you everything I know about our mum and dad. I would love that, but for now… I think it's best if we continue on with our lives, do what we each have to do in order to get through this._"_

"_Right_." Darcey deadpanned, feeling an emptiness settling over her. Putting her cold mask in place, she closed off her heart. "_See you around, Potter_." She replied icily, abruptly standing from her seat and violently snatching up her satchel. She fled from the library, not sure of where she was headed to next. The emotions flooded her now that she was out of her brother's sight and alone. She felt the tears stinging at her eyes, begging for release. She locked her jaw in place, focusing straight ahead of her with blurry vision. '_Don't cry, don't cry, don't you **dare** cry._' She mentally scolded as the tears began sliding down her cheeks against her will. She quickly darted into the nearest bathroom, knowing she couldn't risk anyone seeing her like this. She'd be mortified. Slytherin's don't cry, at least not in public.

She threw her bag on the grimy, tiled floor, falling to the ground next to it. She leaned her head against the sink. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breathe in order to steady herself. She allowed the last of the tears to fall before swatting them away. She didn't sob, just allowed herself the release and that was enough, she began to feel better just letting herself cry.

"He-he what have we got here? A slimy snake sobbing on the floor like some creature of filth." A mocking female voice cooed, and for and moment she thought it might be Parkinson, but instead peered up at a gray, misty phantom hovering above her. 'Of course I would pick _this_ bathroom.' Darcey mentally groaned.

"What's it like being dead, Myrtle? Specifically, dying in a pool of your own piss." Darcey sneered, in no mood to be tested.

The ghost of Moaning Myrtle glared down upon her before rushing forward and soaring straight through the Slytherin girl's body, causing an unpleasant jolt in Darcey's stomach similar to being knocked off a broomstick.

"_You Slytherin's are foul, rotten rodents! You belong in the sewers with the rats!_" Myrtle wailed, floating back to her place above the toilet stall she haunted.

"Sod off!" Darcey growled angrily, drawing her wand.

"Plan on hexing a ghost, Davis?" A familiar male voice chided, stepping out from the farthest toilet stall. Darcey was met with a head of sleek white-blond hair and piercing gray eyes. "I'd pay a few galleons to see how you'd manage that." Draco taunted, amusement tugging at his tone as his pale, chapped lips morphed into an arrogant smirk.

"Malfoy? What are you doing in here?" Darcey demanded, rising to her feet to greet the possible pervert hiding out in the girl's lavatory.

"Waiting for an unsuspecting girl to swing by, seems you will do." Draco's face darkened, the smirk slipping from his lips and all amusement vanishing from his stormy, gray eyes. Before Darcey could react his wand was pointed directly at her chest.

"_Imperio_" Draco hissed.

A pleasant, tingling sensation like that of a thousand goose bumps, settled over Darcey. She felt hot and flushed, but good. _It felt really, really good_, like a soft caress snaking its way over her skin. Her mind turned to mush, as all her worries and fears vanished. Nothing troubled her anymore. She felt suddenly calm and content.

Darcey stared blankly at the handsome boy in front of her. Her eyes glassy, as if she were intoxicated, and she _was_. The beautiful, wintry, gray of Draco's irises intoxicated her as he moved closer, eyeing her for a change in behavior, some small indication that the Unforgivable spell had been successfully cast.

Darcey smiled softly up at him. He stood a few inches above her. Lacking hesitation she extended her hand, brushing lightly against Draco's cheek, still grinning. "_Soft... smooth..."_ She mumbled breathlessly. "_You have such nice skin, Draco. Did you ever notice?_" Darcey wondered, lips parted in fascination as she absorbed the attractive being in front of her.

Malfoy eyed her as if she had gone mad, but a satisfied smirk surfaced on his lips, pleased that the spell was indeed successful. He was worried it might not work properly on her. Snape had said that it was possible to resist the effects of the spell. Darcey seemed like a girl capable of resisting him.

"Darcey, I need you to do for me a favor." Draco began smoothly, laying his hand over the small, feminine hand still clutching his cheek and gently bringing it back down to the girl's side, where it hung loosely.

"_Anything, Draco_." The girl submitted breathlessly, her eyes peering up at him with eagerness, fully ready to do his bidding.

Something twitched in Draco's abdomen at the lusty quality of her words, although not intending to sound that way, Darcey's tone was so soft and airy that it came out sounding like a plea, begging him to do whatever he wanted with her. It churned something within Draco that he had to push aside, focusing on the mission instead of the effect Darcey's words had upon him.

"I want you to take this package, do not open it." Draco instructed, pulling out a brown paper parcel from his bag and placing it in her outstretched, eager hands.

"Go to Hogsmede with your friends, act normally. Go to the Three Broomsticks and order a drink. Go to the loo and wait, wait for however long it takes for another student to come into the bathroom. Make sure the girl is alone. Use the Imperius curse on the girl and order her to give this package to Professor Dumbledore. The girl cannot be a Slytherin and cannot be Granger or Weasley. Do this for me. Come find me when you've done this. I'll meet you here in this bathroom after my detention. If I'm not here, wait for me to come to you." Draco instructed clearly, taking care to be precise.

Darcey nodded her head up and down obediently, her large, sapphire orbs misty and clouded.

"_Good girl_." Draco whispered, stroking her cheek gently, she leaned into his touch letting a contented sigh escape her lips. "_Anything for you, Draco_." Darcey breathed, finding the boy dreamy.

* * *

The wind whipped violently, lashing out at the students as they descended the cobblestone path from Hogwarts to the tiny village of Hogsmede. Darcey pulled the gray knitted beanie she was wearing down over her ears and shoved her freezing cold hands into the pockets of her navy, wool pea coat. Blaise Zabini wrapped his arm around his date, Daphne Greengrass, pulling her closer to him for warmth. Tracy hid her face in her Slytherin house scarf, protecting her raw, chapped cheeks from the blistering wind. The four Slytherin's darted into the first cottage they came by, a small rustic tavern with a swaying wooden sign out front that read '_The Three Broomsticks_.'

Darcey was the last one to enter, politely holding the door open for her friends while eyeing a rickety, wooden cart beside the door, pushed by a hunchbacked, old hag with waist length, frizzy, gray hair and an unsightly, green boil on her nose. "Amulet my pretty? Protection from creatures of the night." The raspy-voiced woman stepped closer, clutching Darcey by her boney shoulder and leading her away from the door and over towards the booth. Darcey looked blankly upon the leather necklaces with a raw, maroon gemstone the color of blood. The necklaces held a mysterious quality about them that Darcey found intriguing.

"I'd love one." Said Darcey finally, beaming at the hag and rummaging in her pea coat for a small sack of gold coins. Darcey offered the entire bag to the hag who eyed it greedily, exposing a crooked, rotten smile. "Wise choice indeed, you're a pretty, young lass and we must protect that smooth neck of yours from werewolves. Wouldn't want one to take a bite out of you!" The hag cackled, laughing wickedly but Darcey didn't seem the slightest bit affected, still smiling sweetly and waiting patiently for the hag to return her sack coins.

The hag plucked two galleons before handing the money back to student. "Thank you very much." Darcey beamed, slipping the amulet over her head and stuffing it beneath her many layers of shirts, the garnet gemstone cool against her skin.

Darcey decided that she was thirsty and headed into the tavern for a drink with her schoolmates. When she crossed over the threshold she was bombarded with a blast of hot air, radiating off the three fireplaces lit within the room. She found an empty chair at the bar, slipping in next to Tracey and a blonde Hufflepuff boy named Zacharias Smith who cast her a funny glance as she sat next to him.

"Hello." Darcey greeted the boy with a friendly smile. "Horrid weather we're having today. It's awfully foul." Darcey stated in a light, conversational tone, before catching the barmaid's attention and ordering a butterbeer.

"Yeah, the wind's killer today." The boy agreed, his tone warm but his eyes still narrowed slightly on the Slytherin in suspicion. Darcey wondered if this were the first time he ever had a girl from her house speak to him without flinging insults or hexes. Darcey decided then that her behavior was indeed a bit odd, and she had the overwhelming urge to appear ordinary today, so she decided not to talk anymore. Silently sipping her butterbeer, she peered around the tavern, taking interest in random people and objects, not questioning as to why she was in such a pleasant mood. She just rolled with it.

She was staring a the Hippogriff head hung above the fireplace to her right when she realized she had to use the bathroom and quietly slipped away from her friends unnoticed as they were gripped by whatever conversation they were having. Darcey hadn't been paying attention to what they were saying, zoning off into her own world.

After using the loo she moved to the sink and washed her hands, glancing up at her reflection, she took in how dull and faded her blue eyes look. They reminded her of the pale, misty eyes of the blind beggar she saw in London over the summer. Her own eyes held the same clouded quality.

Suddenly the wooden door to the bathroom swung open and Darcey's eyes locked in the mirror with a pair of brown ones. The girl, who Darcey faintly recognized as Gryffindor chaser and seventh year Katie Bell, darted into the first toilet stall to relieve herself.

Darcey moved to the corner of the lavitory, her hand silently drawing her wand from her pocket as she waited patiently for a few moments, staring at the closed stall door.

After what felt like a very slow minute, Katie Bell emerged with the flush of the toilet echoing through the small chamber. Her almond, brown eyes widened in surprise at the wand pointed directly at her chest and before the Gryffindor could reach for her own wand the words were already slipping from the Slytherin's lips. "_Imperio_." Darcey hissed.

Katie Bell's honey brown eyes now appeared murky, like the dark water of the Great Lake. The hand reaching for her coat pocket dangled limply at her side, having abandoned its previous mission.

"I need you to do me a favor, Katie." Darcey smiled wickedly, stepping forward and out from the shadows. "I need you to take this parcel directly to Albus Dumbledore. Do not do anything else. Head straight back to the castle and find the Headmaster." Darcey instructed, only half aware she was cursing the girl. The whole encounter felt surreal as if she had stepped outside of her body and was watching the entire show with indifference, not recognizing that it were herself whom she was watching.

"_Go,_ _now_." Darcey commanded firmly, shoving the paper package into the girl's outstretched hands. The brunette nodded eagerly before leaving the chamber. Darcey decided she'd had enough of Hogsmede for one day and moved to head back up to the castles, having an overwhelming desire to seek out Draco Malfoy. She didn't question it, as she succumbed to her instincts, letting the warm, euphoric sensation coursing through her body guide her to the young Death Eater.

As she ascended the cobblestone pathway, a piercing scream jolted Darcey, causing her to sprint around the bend towards the source of the cry.

Katie Bell was hovering in the air, limbs outstretched and her long, dark hair whipping around her. Her ebony eyes were huge and her mouths hung open as she screamed bloody murder. The sight was supernatural.

Darcey fought against the pleasant sensation urging her to calm down, to relax, but as she stared up at the possessed girl she was broken from her spell, forcing the pleasant sensation aside and no longer succumbing to the pleasure.

Everything hit her at once, as if she were submerged in freezing cold water. The wind whipped at her, she was now aware of the brutal weather around her, the sleet piercing through the air and stinging against her skin. She was awakened, recalling her last memory of her encounter with Malfoy in the bathroom and then of her reflection in the tavern lavatory mirror. Her eyes, glassy and clouded like the crystal balls used in her Divination's class. Darcey was aware of being placed under the Imperius curse, but the memory was still foggy. She remembered those pale, blue eyes staring back at her in the mirror, and then cursing Katie Bell and giving her something, but she had no idea what. '_What was I giving her and who was she to give it to?' _Darcey desperately tried to recall.

She was stirred from her revelation by another eerie shriek resounding from the cursed girl as she fell limp to the snowy earth. Darcey came a bit closer and to her horror recognized three of the four students huddled around the unconscious figure. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, the golden trio.

Before Darcey could run away, back towards the direction from which she came, Harry's green eyes locked on her wide, clear, blue ones. She approached them, peering over Hermione's shoulder and catching a glimpse of the ghostly pale and possibly dead student lying in the snow.

"We need to get help!" Harry shouted at the group, pulling his gaze away from his shocked sister's.

Darcey did not move, her feet feeling as if they were suddenly made of lead. She stared blankly with wide, fearful eyes at Katie Bell before her eyes wondered over to the brown, paper parcel ripped open and lying a few feet away. A triangular, aquamarine topaz necklace glimmered in the snow and Darcey found herself moving towards it, drawn to the dark magic radiating from it. She could hear the piece of jewelry whispering to her, hissing like a serpent.

A pair of huge, glove-like hands gripped onto her shoulders, guiding her away from the dark artifact. "Don't yer touch it!" Hagrid the half giant bellowed. "All of yer stay away from it!" Hagrid commanded, moving from Harry and Darcey, both hovered over the haunted necklace and picking up the unmoving Katie Bell, who looked tiny in his humongous arms.

Darcey followed Hagrid, the trio, and a Hufflepuff girl who said she was Katie's friend back up to the castle, darting in the opposite direction from them once they had all entered the Great Hall and sneaking off towards the dungeons.

Darcey hid herself in her dormitory, wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets and willing the warmth to re-enter her freezing, numb extremities.

She gripped tightly to her holly wand, not moving her gaze from the door, fully ready to curse the blonde Death Eater if he somehow managed to enter.

She was shaking and shivering. Her cheeks were flushed and chapped from the relentless, arctic wind. She felt empty apart from an overwhelming sense of terror. "_What have I done?" _Darcey whispered to herself in sheer horror. The memory of the possessed Gryffindor replaying over and over in her head, she was sure the image would haunt her forever.


	8. Chapter 8: Slaughterhouse

Professor Albus Dumbledore peered down at the dark magical artifact lying on his desk, a cursed, turquoise necklace.

Professor Snape stood behind him, near the threshold of the Headmaster's oval office. His face appeared sullen and somber.

"You wished to see me, sir?" Snape greeted him in monotones, gazing at the elder sorcerer through a curtain of coal-black hair.

"Come Severus, have a look at this. I must warn you though not to touch it, I believe it to be cursed. Yet, I wanted to seek out your professional opinion." Dumbledore softly explained, watching as his colleague strode through the room, his long, black robes billowing behind him.

He stopped on the opposite side of the Headmaster, glancing down at the aquamarine necklace radiating with black magic and muttered an incantation that revealed any deviant properties residing in the object.

"Yes, it is indeed cursed." Severus determined, levitating the necklace before him while picking up on the whispering, wicked voices that seemed to be resounding from the ominous piece of jewelry.

"Katie Bell was found nearly dead this afternoon. Her friend Luanne Smith says she was acting unusual when she returned from the lavatory of The Three Broomsticks pub with a wrapped package that she found suddenly very important to give to me." Dumbledore began, clutching his hands together atop his bright, electric blue robes.

"The girls struggled over the package, Luanne says she tried to stop Katie from delivering it and in their skirmish the package was ripped open and this necklace fell out." Dumbledore gestured with his good hand to the cursed artifact.

"Luanne warned Katie not to touch the necklace but Katie was dead set on delivering it to me and grabbed for it. As her fingers made contact she become suddenly possessed by some unseen, malevolent force and hovered in the air, screaming before falling unconscious to the ground. The only witnesses to the attack were Luanne Smith, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and a student of your house, Darcey Davis, whom you know to be Harry's twin sister."

"Peculiar." Snape slowly replied, his eyes glistening with curiosity. "What was Miss Davis doing amongst four Gryffindors and a Hufflepuff? Was she with Potter?" Snape asked, arching an inky brow.

"No, Harry tells me they hadn't even noticed Davis was standing there until after the attack. So it seems she had arrived moments after they'd stumbled upon the cursed girl themselves." Said Dumbledore.

"I might add, Harry Potter is convinced that it was Draco Malfoy whom is responsible for cursing Katie Bell." Albus added, his voice soft, holding no detectible judgment towards Draco.

Snape stiffened at the mention of Draco Malfoy, the young Death Eater he had vowed to look after. Dumbledore had been made aware of the boys mission and of the Unbreakable Vow Severus made with Narcissa Malfoy over the summer. Severus vowed to help see the boy through his mission and to complete it for him shall he find himself unable to murder the Headmaster.

Dumbledore had decided that Snape would have to follow through with killing him. The elder sorcerer was dying a slow, painful death due to a curse he had sustained to his right hand, and the dark magic was slowly spreading and would continue to spread until it eventually reached his heart, thus killing him. Snape predicted Dumbledore only had another few years at most to live. So rather than spare an innocent youth, Snape was to murder him.

"It seems it's impossible that Draco Malfoy cursed Katie Bell seeing as he was serving a detention with Professor McGonagall during the attack." Dumbledore continued, eyeing the other wizard closely for a reaction, his blue eyes glistening with curiosity.

"Luanne mentioned seeing Darcey Davis enter the lavatory shortly before Katie. Is it possible Darcey has involvement in the attack?" Dumbledore wondered.

"It's possible." Snape admitted flatly. "Although, I haven't a doubt in my mind that Draco Malfoy is the one truly behind the attack. Though, I can't say whether or not Darcey Davis participated willingly." He added, his expression blank and unreadable.

Dumbledore moved behind his mahogany desk, taking a seat on the velvet, cushioned chair and resting both his cursed, black veined hand and his healthy one on top of his desk. He peered down at the wicked necklace deep in thought.

"It seems what I've feared has come. Darcey Potter is headed down a dark path, just as the prophecy predicts of her. I had hoped that by me sparing her the details of her destiny, she would be given the chance to redeem herself." Dumbledore sighed, a grave look on his normally airy features. "Tell me Severus, has Darcey befriended Draco Malfoy?" He asked seriously.

"Not that I'm aware." Snape replied honestly, his tone indifferent.

"I ask of you a favor, Severus." Dumbledore began; his twinkling blue eyes meeting Snape's black lightless ones. "Watch over Darcey Potter. Do your best to guide her as she fulfills her destiny."

"_I will. Always_."

* * *

Darcey hid out in the dormitory for the entire weekend, requesting that Tracey bring leftovers to her room. She was terrified of risking another encounter with Malfoy, knowing for certain now that he would not hold back from using Unforgivable's on her, who was to say he would not kill her?

Darcey was certain that Draco was furious that she had been able to break free of the Imperius curse, but to her despair that didn't matter, it had been too late and she'd already done the deed.

Now Katie Bell was in St. Mungo's and Darcey was growing increasingly more worried that the teachers would find out it was she behind the gruesome attack.

_'Would they believe me if I claimed to be under the Imperius curse?'_ She wondered, hoping desperately that they would. Although, using dark magic against Malfoy had most likely wounded her cause.

Wasn't it ironic that she was the villain here? When it was Malfoy who was a Death Eater, Malfoy who had nearly tortured her, Malfoy who had forced her to cast and Unforgivable curse on a student, and Malfoy who had first used dark magic against her in their duel a month ago.

Yes, Darcey decided. It was terrible luck that she might get blamed for all his heinous wrongdoings.

Hiding her wand in her robe, she was forced to leave the sanctuary of her dormitory. It was Monday and she had to attend her lessons, regardless of whether or not she felt her life was at stake.

Luckily she did not have to wander far, her first period being Potions just around the corner.

As she entered Slughorn's classroom she was pulled aside by the jolly, old professor cloaked in olive robes. "Good to see you Miss Davis, I was just telling Zabini, Granger, and Potter here about my Christmas party next month. I do hope that you can attend." He said, smiling warmly at her.

"But of course, Professor." Darcey managed, forcing a polite smile.

"Wonderful!" Slughorn beamed, clapping her on the back before dismissing his Slug Club students, who all walked back to their seats.

Darcey was thankful she didn't share a table with Malfoy, as she felt his piercing gaze burning into her back. She didn't dare look over at him.

"Alright, alright. Settle down Mr. Finnagan, Mr. Dean." Slughorn instructed calmly to the two Gryffindors who looked to be playing a heated game of exploding snap with many of their housemates gathered around them. "Today I'll be placing you into teams to complete your assignment, the first team to brew a successful batch of Polyjuice Potion will be rewarded 20 house points each." Slughorn stated excitedly and with the flick of his wand, small pieces of parchment with scribbled names land in front of them. Darcey picked up her paper, the size of a fortune and read the sloppy, slanted name, '_Harry Potter_.'

'_Just bloody fantastic!_' Darcey mentally groaned. Scooping up her satchel and textbook and heading over to Potter's table. Continuing her good luck, she spotted the two other partners she was sharing a table with, Parkinson and Weasley, and Malfoy and Granger, all looking equally as miserable as her. It seemed this was Slughorn's sly attempt at promoting inter-house unity, though laughably obvious in Darcey's opinion and completely unnecessary.

Darcey did her best to ignore Malfoy, opening her book to the correct page number and reading over the list of ingredients.

"I'll get the stuff." Darcey offered to Harry, eager to get away. He nodded stiffly, getting the fire under the cauldron started.

Darcey scanned the cupboard and begian collecting the things that she needed when she felt a looming presence beside her. Looking up, her cerulean eyes met Malfoy's and she took note that he didn't look enraged, like she'd predicted. Instead he looked dejected and sickly, his face appearing pallid and washed-out as if he was under a vast amount of stress. His pale gray eyes lock with hers for a brief moment, and neither of them said anything as Parkinson pressed herself between them, grabbing the leeches and fluxweed from off the shelf.

Darcey returned to their table with their needed ingredients and scanned her textbook for the first step.

_'Add 3 measures of fluxweed to the cauldron. (Must be picked on a full moon)'_

Only to discover Harry had beaten her to it, she then proceeded on to the next two steps.

_'Add 2 bundles of knotgrass to the cauldron.'_

_'Stir 3 times clockwise.'_

When Harry added in the knotgrass Darcey made a hasty grab for the ladle, stirring three times clockwise and casting him a scowl. "We're supposed to be working together." Darcey hissed beneath her breath, low enough so just her brother could hear.

Harry's bright, green eyes looked back at her, narrowed slightly in challenge. "_Fine, you can add the leeches, if it will make you happy."_ Harry replied, thinking that the Slytherin was being petty.

"How about you read the instructions to _me _and_ I'll_ add the ingredients." Darcey proposed matter of fact as if expecting to get her way.

"Fair chance." Harry scoffed, grabbing the spoon from her as she began barbarically crushing the lacewing flies to a pulp.

"Give me that!" Harry intervened, grabbing her arm and attempting to snatch away the spoon. Darcey held it out of his reach on the other side of her defiantly.

"No! It's my turn to do something." Darcey demanded.

"Give me it, Davis." Harry growled, still clawing for the spoon on the other side of her.

"Back off Potter!" Darcey shouted as Harry finally pulled her into him and reached across her, snatching the spoon from her grip triumphantly.

"_You're supposed to press it."_ Harry explained, much calmer now that he held possession of the spoon, but still slightly out of breath from their mild altercation.

"_No, it says here to crush it. That's what I was doing."_ Darcey argued stubbornly, jabbing a pale finger into her textbook.

By now Darcey began taking notice of the other eyes at their table fixated on them. Hermione appeared fearful as if she were worried that the twins might hex each other on the spot. Malfoy appeared indifferent, though visibly miserable, standing aside and letting bookworm Granger do all the work for him as he watched the altercation between Potter and Davis with mild to zero interest. Ron looked terrified of his assigned partner, the intimidating Pansy Parkinson who completely most of the work, barking orders at Weaslebee to hand her certain ingredients and oblivious to the twins arguing.

"You have no idea what you're doing, just let me do it." Darcey sighed in exasperation a few moments later, peering on her tiptoes over her brother's shoulder as he measured the lacewings flies, adding them to the bubbling cauldron and ignoring her.

"It says _low_ heat! That's _medium-low_." Darcey cried out, reaching to adjust the heat of the cauldron.

"No, I have it on _low_." Harry argued, grabbing her wrist to prevent her from tampering with the temperature.

"Potter, you're going to get us failed." Darcey whined, prying at the claw-like grip on her wrist. "I got an O last year, I know bloody well what I'm doing." Darcey added arrogantly.

"_Just trust me!"_ Harry pleaded letting go of her wrist as she stubbornly lowered the heat.

"_I'm not trusting you with my grade! You're an 'E' student!"_ Darcey replied as if that was an insult before suddenly noticing the textbook clutched in his hand had been written upon.

"What's that you've got there?" Darcey inquired curiously, snatching the book from Harry before he had the chance to stop her.

"_Nothing, give it back, Davis!"_ Harry bellowed, lunging for the book. Darcey turned away from him so that he was met with the back of her robes as her eyes scanned over the doodles on the page with keen interest.

"_Did you write this?"_ She asked, finally handing Harry his book back after much protest from the rowdy Gryffindor.

"_No. Erm- Yes_." Harry hastily lied.

"_Well which is it then?"_ Darcey demanded in an annoyed tone.

"_None of your business_." Harry countered pointedly, stowing away the worn, leather Potions book inside of his bag and out of her view.

"Have it your way then. Go on, finish it." Harry grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and stepping aside, letting his persistent sister take over.

Darcey finished brewing their potion successfully, but due to their almost constant bickering Granger and Malfoy finished first, correction, _Granger _finished first, earning her and her partner 20 house points each.

After class Malfoy approached her, pulling her off to the side of the corridor in a secluded spot.

Darcey's heart raced in fear as she yanked her wrist from his grip and brandished her holly wand, pressing it firmly into his chest. Her sapphire eyes glared up at him, silently daring him to try something again.

"How dare you use me as a pawn to do your bidding." Darcey seethed, careful to keep her tone hushed to prevent any passerby's from listening. "What's wrong with you?" Darcey asked her tone utterly disgusted. "The Imperius curse, seriously Draco?"

"I did what I had to." Draco hissed darkly, his gray eyes piercing through her and his pale lips forming a thin, straight line as his jaw clenched in anger.

"_Take this as a warning, Davis. If you tell anyone that it was I who cursed you. I promise that you'll be next_." He warned, pressing his own wand against Darcey's neck. She flinched away at the contact but Draco grabbed onto her roughly by the arm, holding her in place.

"_You don't want me as an enemy_." Draco threatened icily before releasing his grip on her. Darcey looked up at him in bewilderment, genuinely shocked by how thick he was being.

"I'm not trying to be enemies! I want us to be allies. I told you before I'm not going to tell anyone, but I will not accept having dark magic used against me. If you need my help ask for it!" Darcey nearly shouted, struggling to keep her voice low as the anger flooded her. '_Merlin, he can be an idiot sometimes!' _

With that said she stormed off to her next class, leaving Malfoy behind in the corridor and hoping soon they could get on neutral ground._ 'I've never found it so difficult to befriend someone! Why is this so bloody difficult?_' Darcey wondered, seriously questioning if the galaxy had it out for her_. 'Or maybe you're just terrible at making friends. That would explain why you don't have any.' _The cynical part of her chimed in, and Darcey had to agree for once, it seemed she possessed the social skills of a werewolf during full moon.

* * *

The classroom was dimly lit, the sconces on the walls illuminating the grizzly, gruesome paintings hung around the DADA classroom depicting bloody, mangled and deformed witches and wizards as well as creatures of the night such as werewolves, vampires, inferi, and dementors.

Draco was pressed against the stone wall, the light of the waning moon glowed faintly through the grimy window beside him, casting harsh shadows on the professors severe face in front of him. Severus Snape gripped tightly to the boy's collar, having just thrust him against the wall. The professor towered above him, looming like a dementor with his long black robes and equally black hair framing his sallow, pale face. His glacial ebony eyes narrowed down at the young Death Eater, meeting a pair of furious, silver orbs that glared harshly up at him.

"You are getting careless." The elder wizard hissed, abruptly letting go of Draco's collar and shoving him roughly aside as if disgusted by the mere sight of him. The student stumbled, tripping over himself but grabbed a nearby desk to break the fall.

"I can do this! I don't need your help. The Dark Lord chose me!" Draco shouted back, still clutching the desk with both hands behind him for support as his body began to tremble against his will.

"How is it you managed to get a cursed necklace into the castle? It is impossible." Snape asked coldly, eyeing the young Death Eater with suspicion.

_"_Seems I'm more capable than you thought." Draco smirked smugly, feeling a burst of self-confidence at the professor's words.

Snape lunged at the boy again and Draco flinched away, pushing the desk behind him back with a loud screech. Snape didn't grab for the boy, just towered over him, his black eyes glistening with fury.

"Who helped you mend the vanishing cabinet?" Snape demanded.

"I did it on my own. I told you, I'm more capable-"

_"Liar!"_ Snape seethed, drawing his wand and pointing it at the young Death Eater.

_"Legilimens"_

Draco felt the elder Death Eater attempting to penetrate his mind and read his thoughts. Remembering what his aunt Bella had taught him, he focused on controlling his emotions and emptying his mind, staring blankly back at the professor. Draco felt his Occlumency shield fall into place, an impenetrable force repelling Snape's intrusion and successfully dispelling him from his head.

Snape stumbled back, looking over at Draco with an unreadable expression as he clutched his throbbing temple. He straightened himself with dignity, smoothing his robes and flicking the curtain of greasy black hair out from his eyes.

"Who taught you to discipline your mind?" Snape asked calmly, his voice low and cold.

"Bellatrix." Draco answered smugly, tightening his grip on his own Hawthorne wand that he had drawn while Snape was momentarily caught off guard. Draco pointed the wand directly at the professor's chest, as a silent warning.

"Who helped you mend the vanishing cabinet, Draco?" _S_nape continued in the same eerily calm voice.

"There's nothing left to discuss here, professor." Draco spat, backing up slowly to the door, his wand still pointed at Snape's chest. Snape lowered his own wand, staring blankly back at him but Draco did not move to disengage.

_"_Leave me alone or I'll tell the Dark Lord you're hindering my mission. I don't think he'd like that very well." Draco warned.

When his hand clutched the cool, brass doorknob Snape finally spoke up once more.

"Was it Darcey Davis whom assisted you?"

Draco's eyes widened momentarily, his gray eyes flashing up at the professor but his mouth remaining firmly closed. He did not respond just stared back at him with wide, fearful eyes.

'_How could he possibly know that? Unless Davis snitched…"_ Draco realized, vowing to curse the girl.

Draco pushed open the door behind him, quickly exiting the classroom, eager to get far away from Snape.

He fled to the Great Hall; aware he had missed most of supper, but wanting to be somewhere much more public. He did not want Snape catching him alone again. His mind began to race, swirling around thoughts of Darcey Davis. If she had gone blabbing her mouth to Snape, whom else had she told his secret to? Had she gone to Dumbledore? Had she blown his cover? He was aware that his time to kill Dumbledore may have just expired. If that wench told Dumbledore than she had just sealed the fate of Draco and his family. She had just sentenced them all to an execution.

As he walked into the Great Hall, intent on finding Davis, his gray eyes instead fell upon the two Gryffindor's in front of him in the isle. It seemed Katie Bell had just been released from her two-day stay at St. Mungo's and was talking to a heated looking Harry Potter.

Potter's eyes caught the young Death Eater's, narrowing in suspicion as Malfoy turned abruptly around and fled from the Great Hall.

"Sorry Harry, it's a bit foggy." Katie frowned, peering down at her hands and feeling disappointed with herself for being unable to recall the events of the previous Saturday afternoon.

"It's okay, I'm glad you are feeling better, Katie." Harry kindly reassured her, offering his teammate a warm smile before excusing himself and heading for the direction in which Malfoy had run off to.

Harry had known all along that Malfoy was a Death Eater ever since the day he spied on him on the Hogwart's Express. He had been watching him for weeks disappear on and off the Marauders Map. He was certain he had been the one to curse Katie Bell and now his suspicious behavior only proved for Harry further that he had been right all along. Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater.

Harry slipped behind a knight of armor in the corridor off the Entrance Hall, camouflaging himself in the shadows as he pulled from his robe the Marauders Map and found Malfoy's set of black footprints in the bathroom near the dungeons.

* * *

Draco stood hunched over the porcelain sink of the boy's bathroom, his pale knuckles turning even whiter as he gripped tightly to the sink. He was swaying back and forth, feeling the urge to do something, anything. He was losing it.

His thoughts turned darker as he began panicking. '_Potter knows_.' Katie must have told him that it had been Darcey Davis who had cursed her and it was only a matter of time before the trail lead straight back to him. Even if Davis hadn't yet told Dumbledore what he was, a Death Eater, it didn't matter because _Potter knows_ and he would stop at nothing to expose Draco to the entire school. _'Time's up, I'm going to die...'_

Draco reached out, turning on the faucet as a jet of cold water poured forcefully from it. He cupped his hands under the flow catching some before bringing it back up to his face where he splashed the freezing, cold water on himself, trying to wake up from this nightmare.

His gray eyes darted back up into the mirror, his pale, hollow reflection staring back at him, eyes dark and murky in the fading light as dusk descended over the land seeping in through the high, rectangular windows in the otherwise lightless bathroom.

Dark circled framed his eyes, and he had lost a significant amount of weight, mostly in muscle. His face looked thin and sallow , a sickly gray in hue. His milky, blond hair only made him look fairer, bloodless even.

Draco already looked ghostly, and his haunted reflection did nothing to ease his panic. 'I look like a dead man. I_ am _a dead man_.' _He realized and unable to bear looking at himself any longer, his fist jolted impulsively forward making contact with the mirror. Shards of broken glass rained down upon the grimy, tiled floor where they shattered further into jagged, uneven pieces.

He glanced down at his fist, still clenched tightly in a ball as crimson blood oozed from the cuts on his knuckles, slowly sliding down his fingers where the blood fell, landing in small droplets on his shiny shoes.

Draco's stormy, gray eyes flickered back up to the broken mirror, there was still one shard left in tact, reflecting in it the upper right side of his face. Something suddenly caught his attention, a dark shadow looming behind him. He whipped around, brandishing his wand and pointing it at Potter. '_How long had he been there?' _Malfoy wondered in panic.

"I know what you did, Malfoy." Declared Potter, pointing his wand back at him. They were at a stand off and it was about to turn nasty as the two boys prepared to release years of pent up fury.

"Get away from him." Interrupted suddenly a female voice.

* * *

Darcey sat in the Great Hall, eating her supper. Her goblet of pumpkin juice was pressed to her lips when Tracey suddenly spoke up from beside her.

"Have you heard? Katie Bell just got released from St. Mungo's. I hear she was petrified." Tracey said in a conversational tone, not looking up from the Daily Prophet clutched in her hands.

Darcey nearly spat out her pumpkin juice as she clamped a pale hand over her mouth to contain the liquid. She swallowed thickly, looking over at her sister with wide eyes.

"No." Daphne interrupted pointedly from across the table. "Not petrified, _cursed_. I hear she bought an antique necklace from an old hag in Hogsmeade and when she went to put it on she fell into a coma." She clarified matter of fact.

Darcey glanced up at the doors as the topic of their conversation entered the hall greeted by a sea of fellow Gryffindors who swarmed to hug her and welcome her back to school.

Darcey felt her stomach lurch in fear, '_What if she remembers it was I who cursed her?'_

"I'm going back to the dormitory..." Darcey abruptly announced, rising suddenly from the end of the Slytherin table.

"Why so soon?" Tracey inquired, arching a brow as her dark, brown eyes caught her sister's alarmed, blue ones.

"Tired. Need to lie down." Darcey supplied shortly, flinging her bag hastily over her shoulder and guiding her right leg up over the bench. Her sapphire eyes caught her brother's shock of messy, black hair in the sea of Gryffindors. He was now pulling Katie Bell aside and they were talking. Darcey stiffened, her body frozen in place as she watched them with wide, terrified eyes.

_'Bloody hell. It's over. I'm getting expelled. There's no way that anyone will believe me if I tell them...' _Darcey realized.

As if on cue, her thoughts seemed to draw the Death Eater responsible for her terror to her as Draco Malfoy strode into the Great Hall, stopping dead in his tracks when his pale eyes locked upon Harry Potter and Katie Bell interacting.

After a moment Harry excused himself from Katie and followed after Malfoy who had retreated back into the corridor. '_This isn't good_.' Darcey mentally panicked, quickly running after the two boys knowing an altercation was to come.

_"_Darcey, wait!" Tracey called out after her but Darcey ignored her sister entirely, instead increasing her pace to catch up with her blood brother and Draco.

She spotted Harry slipping inside the boy's bathroom at the end of the corridor just as Tracey latched onto her wrist, jerking her backwards.

"_What?_" Darcey bellowed out angrily, highly annoyed with Tracey's untimely interference.

"What's going on? You're acting odd…" Tracey asked, her normally cold, brown eyes glistening with concern. Darcey's face softened, her annoyance fading at her sister's worried look.

"There's going to be a fight, come on." Darcey supplied eagerly. Tricking her sister into thinking that she was just hoping to see a showdown between Malfoy and Potter. After all, the whole school knew they were sworn enemies, so it wasn't at all unbelievable.

Tracey followed closely behind her sister as they rushed into the bathroom, with both wands drawn. Darcey was met by the sight of Harry a few feet in front of her, his eyes locked on somebody else whom Darcey could not see from around the bend, but knew to be Draco.

"I know what you did, Malfoy." Harry declared, oblivious to their entrance.

"Get away from him." Tracey bellowed from beside her, stepping around the corner, her wand inches away from Harry's temple. Slytherins were very tight knit, even if she wasn't close with Malfoy she would side with her housmate in a duel any day.

Darcey pointed her wand cautiously at her sister's back, following her out from the shadows. She noticed the pale blond near the sinks from the corner of her eye but did not meet his eye, keeping her eyes trained on her brother and sister instead.

"Tracey, don't get involved. We're just here to watch..." Darcey softly reminded her, careful to choose her words wisely, not wanting the other two Slytherins to be suspicious of her.

Harry didn't move, his wand still pointed at Malfoy as his green eyes flickered over at the new threat beside him. He seemed to know that he was now outnumbered and in a bad position in a room full of snakes. He had no choice but to do as the short but intimidating Slytherin girl said.

"Lower your wand, Scarhead." Tracey sneered.

Harry hesitated before doing as she said, slowly lowering his wand arm. Just then Malfoy attacked, sending a nonverbal hex spiraling through the air straight for her brother's chest. "_Protego!_" Darcey shouted, placing a shield between the two boys before it could collide with Harry.

Tracey looked back to her sister, shock written upon her face. "Why'd you do that for?" Tracey demanded in outrage. "I thought we wanted to see them fight!"

Using Darcey and Tracey's distraction Malfoy shot another hex at Harry, forcing him to lunge to his left behind the row of toilet stalls in order to dodge the attack.

The hex blasted a hole in the wall next to the sister's where Harry had once stood. Large chunks of debris rained down upon them. One large hunk of stone hit Tracey in the back of the skull with a dull _'thunk'_, sending her sprawled out on the floor unconscious.

Darcey peered down in horror at her sibling, removing her hands from the top of her head, where they had attempted to shield her from the blow and rushing forward to crouch down beside Tracey.

"What have you done, Draco?" Darcey shouted, tenderly cupping her sister's limp head in her palms and when she lifted it up off the floor she noticed a small pool of blood. Suddenly the bathroom door behind Darcey swung open, revealing two surprised students.

"What's going on in here?" Katie Bell asked, scanning the loo, first noticing the unconscious Slytherin girl lying on on the ground, Darcey knelt beside her, Malfoy standing near the sinks looking horrified, Harry cowering under a toilet and at last Katie's brown eyes came to rest on the large crater etched into the wall behind to her.

"I'll go get a professor." Luanne Smith, a responsible, seventh year Hufflepuff said, running from the bathroom to fetch help. Nobody moved as Darcey's blue eyes peered up at Katie's, her brown eyes widening in horror as sudden recognition dawned on her. Katie took a hasty step backwards, her body pressed flush up against the wall, putting as much distance between the two girls as possible.

"_It was you!"_ She shrieked, pointing her finger at Darcey and before the girl could utter another word Darcey pointing her wand at Katie and quickly bellowed, "_Obliviate!"_

Just as Katie's eyes widened, then dull, another spell hit her. "_Petrificus Totalus"_

Darcey's head spun around to face Malfoy, who had been the one to immobilize Katie. He shot another spell, aiming this one for Darcey. She closed her eyes and braced herself to be hit but nothing came.

Draco cast a shield in front of her, blocking Harry's hex that had barreled towards her and she hadn't seen coming.

"What did she mean it was you?" Harry demanded furiously, his wand still drawn on his sister as he glared down upon her. "You were the one to curse her?" He asked in outrage.

A pair of wide, blue eyes peered up at him as Darcey gently placed her sister's head back down on the ground and very slowly rose to her feet to stand fully upright before her brother.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Potter._"_ Darcey spat in cold tone, looking Harry straight in the eye as she lied to his face.

Harry felt the anger blazing inside him. So it had been true, Darcey and Draco were both Death Eater's. She only apologized to him in an attempt to fool him into getting close to her. Dumbledore was right in telling him to stay away from Darcey, she was one of _them_.

"So all that rubbish about wanting to know more about our parents. That was all a lie?" Harry angrily confirmed, feeling downright ill.

"What does he mean _'our parents_'_?_" Draco interrupted, looking between the two siblings in confusion.

"Oi, didn't your girlfriend tell you Malfoy?_"_ Harry asked, emerald eyes narrowed between Draco and Darcey.

"Harry, don't!" Darcey pleaded but Harry looked as if he were about to continue, his mouth opening to speak again.

"_Langlock!_" Darcey shouted as she panicked and glued Harry's tongue to the roof of his mouth, preventing him from spilling their secret.

"What did he mean_ 'our parents'?"_ Malfoy asked again in a glacial tone while quickly turning on Darcey, his wand now pointed at her instead of Potter.

Harry took the chance to hex Malfoy using a nonverbal spell. The Slytherin was hit with a silent '_Stupefy' _as his body was suddenly thrown back into the row of porcelain sinks.

Draco groaned, struggling to get back on his feet. The force of Potter's spell had clearly knocked the wind out of him. Harry cast a nonverbal disarming spell but Darcey placed a shield between them, giving Draco enough time to get back up.

The two boys began flinging hexes back and forth at one another, Malfoy quickly resorting to dark spells that Darcey had to block with increasingly more powerful shields.

"Protego Maxima!" Darcey shouted again, barely summoning the golden shield in time as Malfoy's dark purple curse hit it, turning the barrier dark green. Darcey could feel the dark magic in the room prickling at her skin like an invisible, electrical current lashing out at her.

"_Stop!_" Darcey cried out, once again throwing up a shield to protect her brother.

"So you're related to him? How's that even possible?" Draco demanded in between flinging and dodging curses.

Harry made a loud groaning noise as he attempted to speak out but only grunts resounded.

"We're twins." Darcey finally admitted in defeat, seeing no other reasonable explanation as to why her and Harry would share the same parents.

"Now will you please stop trying to murder each other!" Darcey begged, growing quickly annoyed at having to throw up shields every two seconds. "Let's all talk maturely as proper adults." She squeaked.

Harry grunted obnoxiously in protest, probably saying that he would like to talk, but couldn't, seeing as his sister so rudely glued his mouth shut.

Harry shielded himself behind the bathroom stall as Malfoy sent another onslaught of dark curses his way. When Darcey had once again shielded Harry from his spells, Malfoy finally turned on her like a cobra, using her distraction against her. As she focused on trying to protect Harry, Draco easily disarmed her. Her holly wand soared across the bathroom in a high arc, landing with a clatter under the row of urinals.

Just then Harry emerged from behind the far end of the stalls, taking the opportunity to curse his enemy while Malfoy was momentarily distracted with disarming his sister.

Draco was hit and suddenly large gashes appeared across his skin, shredding straight through his uniform as if he were being attacked with an invisible sword. He fell to the ground in a puddle of cold water, bleeding from the cuts raked across his body. The water turned scarlet as his blood mixed in with it, making it appear that he was bleeding much worse than he actually was as half the bathroom floor turned bright scarlet. It looked like a slaughterhouse.

Darcey ran over to Malfoy, crouching down beside him, not caring that she was getting soaked as water sprayed magnificently from a burst pipe in front of her. She ripped off her cloak and pressed the heavy fabric to the wounds littering his chest, trying to clot the blood flow.

"_Help! Do something!"_ She cried out desperately to Harry. "_He's going to die!"_

Tears leaked from her eyes as she began to sob, feeling helpless and terrified, not knowing what to do to save him. She was panicking and could not think clearly, if she would just calm down she would know to fetch her wand from under the toilets and she would recall the powerful healing charm she had once read about in an old healers book.

Luckily, just then Professor Snape burst through the threshold with Luanne Smith standing meekly behind him, gazing around the room at all the fallen bodies she turned pale as the Fat Friar.

Snape knelt down next to Darcey, who was still sobbing and going completely mental.

"_Help him please! He's dying! He's dying!"_ Darcey pleaded hysterically, still pressing her now blood stained, sodden robe against his wounds, but there were too many cuts, she could not clot them all.

"_Vulnera Sanentur_" Snape calmly cast the healing spell that Darcey was too distraught to think of. He moved his wand over each wound muttering the spell again and again beneath his breath. Darcey watched with watery eyes as the cuts began to heal themselves. She was instantly flooded with relief and felt like a fool for crumbling under pressure.

She turned back to look at her sister, rushing over to her side again. Darcey had nearly forgotten all about Tracey in the chaos. "She's bleeding from her head." Darcey told Snape, cupping her sister's limp head in her lap.

Professor McGonagall burst through the door next, gazing in horror at the grizzly scene before her. It looked as if a proper battle had been fought in the small lavatory. There were stiff bodies on the ground, a crater in the wall, rubble on the floor, the bathroom was flooded with crimson water. It was something straight out of a nightmare.

"_What in Godric's name happened in here?"_ McGonagall demanded with wide, moss green eyes and gaping lips, still scanning the bathroom and absorbing all the destruction.

Luanne diverted the professor's attention, tugging her sleeve to pull her over to her friend who was lying stiff as a board on the ground. With the simple swish of her wand MacGonagall performed the counter curse and Katie sat upright as Luanne wrapped her arms tightly around her friend, thankful that she was alright.

"Minerva, if you will can you escort Miss Tracey Davis to the hospital wing, while I take these five to Professor Dumbledore." Snape spoke up in low monotones, yanking Malfoy up roughly off the ground by his crook of his arm.

Draco looked ghostly white from loss of blood and seemed to sway at the sudden movement. As McGonagall levitated Tracey, Darcey moved to stand by Malfoy, grabbing hold of him just as he were about to fall.

"Sir, he's really in no state-" Darcey began to weakly protest but was cut short by her Head of House.

"Then you will assist him to the Headmaster's office." Snape stated coldly.

The two Slytherin's and their Head of House glanced over at the uncharacteristically quiet Harry Potter.

"I jinxed him. He cannot talk." Darcey explained, as Snape's lips curled into a cruel, mocking smile.

"We'll leave it to Professor Dumbledore to fix him." Snape decided, enjoying the furious look Potter was now casting him and the muffled grunts resounding from the haughty Gryffindor as he tried so desperately to speak. A trail of drool slid down Harry's chin before he quickly swatted away at it with the sleeve of his robe, watching as first Snape passed by him and then Darcey and Draco, to which he glared furiously at each of them. Luanne and Katie made up the tail as the group headed to the Headmaster's office and harry followed behind.

The journey across the castle was slow and exhausting, at least for Darcey as she struggled to support Draco's weight against her. Neither of them made eye contact but Darcey could have sworn she felt him staring at her at least twice, but she had been too embarrassed about openly crying in front of him to meet his piercing gaze.

As they entered Dumbledore's office, she wondered what Draco was thinking and if he was equally as nervous to face Dumbledore as Darcey. _'What will we tell him?'_ She wondered, trying to come up with a game plan.

Snape explained the state of disarray of the bathroom when he had discovered them and then the students were all given the chance to speak one by one. As Darcey had predicted the Gryffindors were the first to give their side of the tale, specifically Harry, as Dumbledore performed the counter curse to his sister's jinx, enabling the mute boy to finally regain his voice.

"When I was talking to Katie in the Great Hall I saw Malfoy enter. He spotted Katie and I and ran. I followed him to the bathroom to confront him. I knew Malfoy had been the one to curse Katie-" Harry was saying but was interrupted by Snape's cold voice.

"_To which you have no proof, Mr. Potter."_ Snape pointed out.

"I believe Dumbledore gave me permission to speak, _sir_. It's rude to interrupt." Harry replied coolly, glaring back at the professor.

"If you will, please continue Harry." Dumbledore replied serenely, his blue eyes twinkling from behind his half mooned spectacles.

"As I was saying, I confronted Malfoy. I told him I knew it was him who cursed Katie and when I'd arrived he'd already punched one of the mirrors. His knuckles were bleeding and it looked as if he'd been crying."

As Harry said this Darcey noticed Malfoy's fist clenching from beside her hand. It must be killing his pride to have Harry tell everyone that he'd been crying. Slytherin's never cried and Darcey couldn't help but wonder what had upset him so bad to begin with.

"The Davis sister's arrived and Malfoy hexed me. It missed me and blew a hole in the wall. Tracey Davis got injured from flying debris. Luanne and Katie came in and Luanne went to get a teacher while Katie said it had been Darcey Davis who cursed her in Hogsmeade. Davis used Obliviate on her and Malfoy stunned her-" Once more Harry was interrupted, this time by Dumbledore who held up his hand to Harry in a gesture of silence.

The Headmaster's moved to stand in front of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff girls, his powder blue robes flaring around his ankles causing the silver crescent moons stitched along the hem to twinkle as it reflected the low light. It was then that Darcey took note of his mangled, black hand, clashing harshly against the pastel fabric of his attire and winced. Merlin, it looked painful.

Katie Bell's eyebrows furrowed together as she struggled to recall the details of the fight. "All I remember is hearing an explosion and going into the bathroom. Then I think Malfoy hexed me, but it all seems a bit blurry. I can't really remember much, sir." Katie admitted, unable to vouch for Harry.

"Sir, if I may." Darcey found an opportunity to speak up. She felt all eyes turn to her as Dumbledore focused his attention on the quiet girl in the corner of the room.

"It's just that, hadn't Katie just been released from St. Mungo's earlier today? Wouldn't it make sense that her bodies still recovering and that's why she's unable to recall much of what happened. Aren't dizzy spells a common side effect of recovering from a serious head injury?" Darcey politely suggested.

"She hadn't been to St. Mungo's for a head injury, she was in the hospital because she nearly died touching a cursed necklace that _you_ gave her!" Harry argued heatedly from the other end of the office.

"I was there Harry, _if you recall_. I watched her fall from fifteen feet in the air and she fell unconscious to the ground. A fall that high would result in a nasty head injury. Isn't that right Katie? Wasn't that why they kept you in St. Mungo's all weekend, to make sure you hadn't sustained serious injury to your head?" Darcey asked calmly, trying to keep the smugness from seeping into her tone.

The straight haired brunette looked over at Darcey, clearly unsure of how to respond before finally nodding. "_Yes, I suppose."_

"Sir, I'd like to tell my side of the story." Draco spoke up next from beside Darcey.

After Dumbledore acknowledged him he continued.

"I had just entered the Great Hall when I spotted my ex girlfriend cozying up to Blaise Zabini. We had just broken things off last Friday after I suspected her of having feelings for another. At the site of her and Blaise, I fled the hall. I was in the bathroom angry and distraught when Potter came in. He accused me of cursing Katie Bell, which is a false accusation. I assumed he was prejudice towards me because of my father being sentenced to Azkaban over the summer. The Davis sisters arrived and saw Potter attack me. I acted in self-defense, missing him, my spell hit into the wall beside him. Tracey Davis was injured after being hit with debris." Draco paused in his story as Harry made a grunt of protest, but Dumbledore held up his hand to him, signaling for him to let Draco continue speaking.

"Smith and Bell entered the bathroom, Smith went to get a teacher and Bell complained of feeling dizzy and passed out just as Potter attacked me again. Davis here, came to my defense, casting shields in between us and trying to break up the fight." Draco explained and Darcey must admit his story was quite believable. He was a brilliant liar.

Dumbledore looked now to Darcey for confirmation and she hesitated, unsure of what to say. Should she take her brother's side, who was now convinced that she was a Death Eater and loathed her, or should she take Draco's side, the Death Eater she was trying to ally herself with and the boy who had nearly died this evening.

"I can't really recall who provoked the attack, I was preoccupied with my sister, who like they said, sustained an injury to the head and was lying unconscious on the floor. They were fighting and yes, I attempted to break up the fight by throwing shields between them." Darcey chose her words carefully, attempting to stay as neutral as possible.

"If I may add, I found Mr. Malfoy nearly bleeding to death. It seems Mr. Potter had used extremely dark magic against him." Snape chimed in his voice monotonous and his face appearing indifferent, despite sticking up for Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter, and Miss Davis, I think I'll leave it to each of your Head of House to decide a fair punishment for your actions tonight. May you each take with you a lesson from all of this, _no fighting in school_." Dumbledore said softly, his eyes twinkling as he bid them all farewell.

"Mr. Malfoy, if you will come to my office. It seems you're in serious need of a blood replenishing elixir." Snape offered flatly once they were near the dungeons.

Draco had stopped walking, using the support of the stone wall behind him to keep from passing out. He blinked back the dizziness threatening to consume him and carried on stubbornly.

"I don't need your stupid potions. I'm perfectly capable." Draco sneered, reaching his hand out to Darcey and pulling her towards him. "Davis here will see to it I make it to my dorm in one piece." Malfoy added smugly.

"Yes, I'll help him." Darcey offered when Professor Snape's ebony eyes fell on her.

"Don't get into anymore trouble." Snape replied firmly, looking between the two students.

"You have our word, professor." Darcey supplied, forcing a small, polite smile.

"I'll be seeing you both next Friday evening for a detention in the Forbidden Forest." Snape said coldly before leaving them.

Darcey kept to her word, letting Malfoy lean on her for support as she guided them both back into the common room.

Once inside she eased Draco down gently onto one of the black, leather couches. Pointing her wand at the fireplace, she muttered "_Incendio" _bathing the common room in a glowing yellow light.

Darcey used transformation to turn a nearby decorative vase into a plain, silver goblet before using magic to fill it with water. She silently offered Draco the drink and he took it, quenching his thirst.

Sitting down across from him she watched him closely, eyeing his tattered robes and uniform and wondering if Harry's curse would leave him with scars. Her mind zoned out as she turned her attention back to the fireplace, allowing the flickering orange flames to engulf her. Darcey pondered over everything that had happened in the past few hours, and wondered where she should go from here.

After a few minutes a small clank pierced her thoughts, pulling her attention away from the fire as she peered over at Draco, noticing he had finished drinking and had placed the goblet on the coffee table between them.

His stormy gray eyes locked with her crystal blue ones and neither of them spoke, waiting for the other to begin.

Finally after a very slow minute of Draco looking at the curly haired girl before him with blood stained clothes, he spoke up, his expression unreadable.

"_Why?_" Draco asked, elaborating when Darcey continued to stare blankly back at him in confusion. "If Potter's your brother, why didn't you take his side in front of Dumbledore?"

Darcey was surprised he had chosen that as his first inquiry She had assumed he would surely bombard her with questions about Harry, trying to pry secret information from her for him to report back to the Dark Lord.

Darcey glanced down at her intertwined fingers, fiddling with them as she calculated her answer.

"Believe it or not, I know you better than I know my own brother." Darcey explained sadly, taking a deep breath.

"I just found out a month ago that Harry and I are twins. So he's still a stranger to me. Plus he was already convinced I'm a Death Eater, every since our duel. So there's nothing I could gain by taking his side at this point…" Darcey shrugged feeling guilty with herself at how selfish that sounded, but as bad as it was to think that way, she couldn't deny that it was true.

Befriending Draco over her brother held its advantages. Befriending Harry, and going against Voldemort would only setve to get her family killed. Befriending Draco, who was a Death Eater, could only help her at this point.

Draco's gray eyes scanned over her, glistening slightly. His expression was still unreadable and Darcey faintly wondered what he was thinking.

"You mean to say, you had no idea until a month ago, that you were The Chosen One's sister? You're parents never told you who you were born to? You've spent your whole life not knowing who you were?" Draco asked, his tone carrying with itsurprise, and for a brief second Darcey could see the pity reflecting back at her in his gray eyes and they seem to soften slightly, no longer an harsh, arctic tundra.

"_No idea_." Darcey replied softly, looking away from his sympathetic gaze not wanting to feel sorry for herself. The conversation was starting to make her depressed.

Draco could sense her discomfort and decided to drop it, letting a comfortable silence linger over them before voicing his next question.

"If you know you're a Potter, why do you still want me as an ally. Why haven't you told Dumbledore what I am? Shouldn't you be terrified of me? Aren't you afraid I'll tell the Dark Lord?" Draco bombarded her with new questions, feeling genuinely confused by Darcey's intentions with him. It didn't make sense, they should be sworn enemies.

"I was born to the Potter's, but I was raised a Davis. That is who I am. I'm staying true to myself in wanting to have nothing to do with the war, but it seems I have no choice. I know my secret will catch up to me, the Dark Lord will find out who I am, he may kill me. He may kill my family. He may try to use me to get to Harry." Darcey admitted, her tone cold and blunt.

"Regardless, I have no say in the matter. There's not much I can do if the Dark Lord marks me as his enemy. So my logic is, rather than piss him off and go against him, surely getting my family and myself killed. Why not try to show him that I'm not fighting against him, that I have no loyalty to Harry Potter. I'm hoping when he discovers who I am he'll spare me once he sees that I'm not a threat. I'm just trying to increase my chances of survival. I don't want to see everyone around me that I love die. So I'm willing to do whatever it takes to live." Darcey confided, being completely honest with Draco about her intentions.

At least with Draco she didn't have to feel guilty for who she was, for the way she thought. If anyone would understand her reasoning it would be him, a fellow snake. Both sorted to Slytherin for sharing the same key qualities, their minds ticked alike.

_'Or perhaps in Slytherin you'll make your real friends. Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends.'_

Draco absorbed Darcey's words, clearly understanding now what she was playing at. She was doing essentially the same thing Draco was doing by becoming a Death Eater, by fulfilling his mission to kill Albus Dumbledore. He was doing whatever it took to keep his family and himself alive.

Both of them were fueled by self-preservation. Draco could relate to what Darcey was going through, perhaps they were more alike than he ever imagined, which was completely mental considering she was Scarhead's sister. Yet she was nothing like Potter and exactly like him, at least in their goals. Their ends were the same.

"_I can understand that_." Draco finally managed to vocalize some of his thoughts and he noticed that Darcey appeared a bit relieved, as if his approval seemed to soothe something inside her, perhaps an inner turmoil.

"It's nearly midnight." The brunette observed, glancing over at the grandfather clock. "Do you need help getting up the stairs?" Darcey asked kindly, her cerulean eyes scanning over him in concern.

"No, I'll manage fine on my own." Draco declined stubbornly, rising from the couch and gripping the sofa arm as he became light headed from the sudden movement.

"_Here, let me help you."_ Darcey insisted, moving to stand in front of him.

"Davis, I can't help but get the feeling you're trying to take advantage of my injured state. You seem rather keen on taking me upstairs." Draco smirked smugly causing Darcey to let out a soft chuckle in appreciation of his witty humor.

"You caught me Malfoy, just trying to slither into bed with you." Darcey admitted dryly, playing along. She positioned herself beside him, snaking Draco's arm up over her shoulder as she helped him walk over to the base of the steps.

When she attempted to unlatch herself from under him, Draco tightened his arm around her, peering down at her in amusement as her blue eyes widened slightly in surprise and her cheeks flushed red at their close proximity.

"_Sure you don't want to take advantage of me, Potter? Final offer."_ Draco teased seductively, whispering in her ear for desired effect and enjoying the way she squirmed uncomfortably against him.

Darcey pried herself away from him, punching him lightly in the arm. _"Don't you dare call me that!"_ She protested.

"_So is that a yes?"_ Draco smoothly countered, arching a light brow.

"_Goodnight Malfoy!_" Darcey rolled her eyes in exasperation, brushing briskly past him while making her way up the stairs. She'd had enough of Draco Malfoy for one day, make that eternity!


	9. Chapter 9: Gaining a Friend

It was a mid October Friday and while most students spent their weekend discussing the next trip to Hogsmeade on Hallow's Eve, Darcey and Draco found themselves heading for detention with their Head of House, Professor Snape.

Darcey changed out of her uniform and into something more comfortable for their trek in the woods.

She grabbed a plaid flannel shirt with a black jumper layered overtop for warmth. She slid on her favorite, worn jeans and black leather boots.

Striding the length of the room to her sister's cot, she quickly gathered up her wild, untamed hair into a ponytail to keep her neck from sweating.

"Remind me again why you're being punished when you were a _good girl_ and tried to break up the fight?" Tracey taunted from her spot on the bed. She was lying with her head propped up on a stack of fluffy, white, pillows. Her entire head was wrapped in a thick, cotton bandage to conceal the gash.

"I dunno, ask Snape." Darcey shrugged indifferently, not really bothered by the punishment and feeling she somewhat deserved it, but she wouldn't tell Tracey that, knowing her sister would tease her for being so _saint-like._

"How are you feeling?" Darcey asked softly, peering down at the pathetic sight of her injured sister. "Do you need anything before I go?" She kindly offered, feeling quite guilty. It had been, after all, Darcey's idea to drag Tracey along with her to the bathroom when she had went after Harry and Draco. So in a way she at fault for Tracey getting hurt.

"Fetch me another blanket will you? It's freezing in here." Tracey demanded, immediately taking her sister up on the offer as she shivered, rubbing her arms up and down for warmth.

Darcey covered her with the heavy quilt from her own cot before leaning down to hug her awkwardly, due to the angle.

"_Aw, such a softie you are. You'd make a wonderful healer."_ Tracey lightly teased, reaching up to pat Darcey awkwardly on the shoulder, attempting a semi-hug.

"_Wand Maker._" Darcey corrected once they parted. "And, you'd make a fantastic Pro Quidditch Player, considering you've already got a concussion to match." Darcey smiled in good nature.

"_Herbologist._" Tracey corrected with a teasing grin. "If I can ever get Professor Sprout to give me a high recommendation, it'd look fantastic on my resume…"

"Maybe you ought to not to let her overhear you making fun of her patchwork hat and filthy robes, also not pointing out her resemblance to the Fat Friar may help to woo her." Darcey supplied, suppressing a cheeky grin.

_"Watch it!"_ She bellowed a moment later, ducking from the pillow being flung at her.

"Don't you have a detention to go to?" Tracey countered, catching the pillow her sister easily returned to her.

"What would I do without you always nagging me to be punctual?_" _Darcey asked dramatically, glancing at the clock.

"You'd be constantly tardy, that's what. Now get a move on before you land yourself _another_ detention." Tracey scolded matter of fact, pointing a slender finger to the dormitory door.

"_Going mum."_ Darcey quipped with the roll of her eyes before rushing out.

* * *

Darcey arrived at Snape's office with a minute to spare.

Draco was lazily leaning against the doorframe and straightened up when Snape wordlessly brushed past them both. The two Slytherin's followed reluctantly behind him, neither too thrilled about hiking through the Forbidden Forest at nightfall, knowing how dangerous it was.

Outside Darcey was met with a chilling mist that pressed against her skin, turning it dewy. The full moon was invisible behind the thick clouds looming above them and Darcey wondered if another storm was approaching, judging by the damp night air.

The wind picked up, shifting the trees of the Forbidden Forest, creating a symphony of roaring leaves that echoed though the darkness like the growl of a mighty, hungry lion.

Darcey followed the light of Snape's patronus, a glowing, wispy female deer encircling them.

Darcey chanced a look at Draco beside her. Both his hair and skin seem to glow in the night, giving him a haunted, ghostly appearance. He had on an expensive black cloak overtop his school uniform, it seemed he didn't bother to change for the occasion.

_'Perhaps he was too busy with whatever it is that Death Eater's occupy their precious time with_.' Darcey mentally sneered.

A chill radiated down her spine at the dark thoughts that came to mind when she remembered _what_ Draco was and _who_ he worked for. The illuminated doe circled beside Darcey just in time, helping her to push away her morbid thoughts and focus on the task at hand.

"What exactly are we going to be doing in the Forbidden Forest, sir?" Darcey finally broke the silence once they were near the neck of the woods.

Snape didn't turn back to face her as he replied, "Collecting wolf hair, Miss Davis."

Darcey and Draco halted in their tracks, as the two exchanged a look between them of utter disbelief.

"You can't be serious, sir? Wolves are extremely dangerous animals." Darcey retorted fearfully feeling a knot form in her throat as she swallowed thickly.

Professor Snape stopped a few feet in front of them, turning back to cast his two students a look of mild annoyance, a small mocking smile appearing on his lips when his ebony eyes landed on Darcey's.

"_Indeed_." Snape drawled. "Though, perhaps I should have made myself clearer, we are in search of beasts tonight not _animals_. These wolves are different than wild wolves, Professor Dumbledore himself released these cubs into the forest many years ago."

"_What makes these wolves so special?"_ Draco sneered, clearly skeptically.

Professor Snape's eyes darted to Malfoy's, his face darkening as he responded. "These are the cubs produced from mated werewolves. Therefore, although canine in appearance, on an intellectual level they are equally as bright as human beings."

"Fascinating!" Darcey couldn't help but blurt out. "I had no idea such a creature even existed." She admitted with a grin.

"The wolves are not dangerous unless provoked, so I warn each of you not to say anything _stupid_." Snape hissed, his eyes lingering on Malfoy's much longer than hers.

"_Yes, sir."_ The students chimed together in unison. Darcey's voice sounded eager and excited while Draco's sounded disinterested and laced with boredom.

"Cast your patronus, there has been a rise in the dementor population this year." Snape instructed, leading them into the forest.

"_Expecto Patronum_" Darcey clearly stated, following second behind Snape, not wanting to bring up the rear.

Draco cast his patronus silently, reminding Darcey that she should be practicing nonverbal spells as well. She mentally scoldded herself for being so forgetful, it was an important skill and she should have put more effort into mastering it.

Darcey's illuminated fox slyly encircled her as they ventured deeper and deeper into the dark forest. Darcey watched in amusement as her patronus occasionally mingled with Draco's majestic steed or Snape's alert doe, randomly darting beneath the legs of the two larger mammals.

The air in the forest was damp and suffocating, the rise in the humidity level making it harder to breathe and the icy night air stinging against her lungs.

Humongous, shadowy tree trunks encompassed them and the canopy of rustling, dry leaves above blocked out any moonlight or sound from coming in. The forest was eerily silent apart from the crunch of dead leaves beneath their feet and the occasional howling of the wind.

The trio had journeyed into the depths of the forest for a good twenty minutes before Snape stopped at a small clearing, where the exposed roots of a fallen Sitka Spruce had formed a sort of cavern.

The patronus still encircling their masters were their only source of light, casting an eerie, blue glow upon the clearing, but not close enough to illuminate the shadowy den.

"Acerbus" Professor Snape greeted as a pair of bright yellow eyes appeared from within the web of tangled roots.

Stepping closer, a large, intimidating wolf stalked menacingly towards them, its black fur matted and sticking out at odd angles, giving the beast a rabid sort of appearance.

The piercing yellow eyes of the wolf landed upon the two students, inspecting them closely for any sign of them being a threat.

"Thank you Acerbus for your generosity, as always." Snape inclinded his head, a curtain of greasy black hair momentarily shielding his face, before stepping forward to pluck a few hairs from the wolf's back.

The wolf, Acerbus stood calmly allowing the wizard to pluck however much he needed. Acerbus' eyes remained locked on Darcey and Draco, who each looked extremely weary to approach the wolf.

"I've brought friends to join me this evening." Snape spoke up, acknowledging the discomfort of the two Slytherin's at having the wolf stare at them so hungrily.

Feeling as if she should say or do something Darcey leaned forward to bow, mimicking what Professor Snape had just done moments ago. "It's an honor to meet you." Said Darcey, her tone polite and sincere.

Draco lifted his chin in arrogance, refusing to bow before the beast. He stayed silent, staring back at the wolf with narrowed gray eyes.

Suddenly three small pups darted from the den, one stopping to sniff Snape's pant leg and the other two jumping excitedly against Darcey and Draco's legs. Draco stiffened, gazing down at the wolf cub and choosing to ignore it.

Without hesitation Darcey knelt down to pet the pup, it's two front paws resting on her knee as it gazed up at her with the same bright, yellow eyes as the elder wolf.

"_Hello there._" Darcey smiled softly, scratching between the pups ears.

Suddenly Acerbus lunged forward with a feral growl.

"_Get away from the cubs!"_ Snape bellowed, having just realized what Darcey was done.

Before Darcey had time to react she was brutally tackled to the ground with a pair of sharp claws digging into her collarbone and a set of exposed canine teeth inches away from piercing her neck.

"Acerbus she didn't know any better, she's just a child." Darcey could hear her Head of House speaking from somewhere to her right but couldn't see him over the snarling beast hovered over her.

"_I'm sorry."_ Darcey pleaded, her eyes moving slowly from the wolf's sharp teeth to its glowing, amber eyes.

"She meant no disrespect." Snape spoke up again, his tone calm and rational.

"I will deal with her." He promised.

Closing her eyes, Darcey braced herself for the bite, convinced she was doomed. After the longest minute of her life she finally felt as the wolf stepped over her and the weight of its body was lifted from her. She remained stiff as a board her eyes shut tight, terrified to open them in case the beast suddenly changed its mind and returned to kill her.

"You're bleeding." Draco observed indifferently, kneeling down beside her.

Darcey opened her eyes and was met with a pair of piercing gray ones gazing down upon her.

"I'm alive." Darcey muttered, more to herself than to her class mate. She allowed Draco to slip his arm up under her neck and help lift her upper body from the cold, wet ground.

She sat up, reaching out and clutching Draco's arm in an attempt to feel more secured.

"Where'd it go?_"_ Darcey wondered, glancing wildly around the clearing but Malfoy's body blocked out most of her view.

Just then Snape appeared, pulling her gently from the ground and gripping onto her shoulders tightly. "What were you thinking?" He demanded peering down at her, his normally cold, hard eyes glistening with concern.

"_I just- I petted it_." Darcey stuttered out, still confused as to what she did to provoke the attack.

"I told you they were equal to humans, would you reach out and touch someone's infant without permission from the mother?" Snape demanded sternly.

"No, I guess not…" Darcey supplied, feeling incredibly foolish. _'How could I have been so daft?'_

"Let's return to the castle, we've collected what we've come for." Snape said, gripping the two students firmly by the back of their necks and leading them in the direction from which they came.

The rhythmic crunching of their footsteps were suddenly masked by loud, galloping, heavy hooves.

"Just a centaur herd passing through, remain calm." Snape firmly reassured the two frightened students as he noticed that Darcey was shivering slightly, still thoroughly shaken from her near death experience.

A stampede of centaurs, that had the body of horse and the torso of a man, galloped past them. The group wove around them, encircling them from all sides as they passed by without so much as a glimpse towards the humans. Their heads held proud, they looked ahead, except one, Darcey noticed. One of the centaurs, with a mane of untamed, curly red hair stopped in front of her. He gazed down at the witch with sapphire eyes, so bright and vivid, that they made Darcey's eyes look dull and murky in comparison. She had never seen such beautiful orbs in her life.

"You- you're the witch from my visions." The low, handsome voice of the centaur whispered, his voiced laced with sorrow.

"Pardon?" Darcey replied quietly, feeling dumbstruck.

"The one with the power to vanquish the most feared will be born as the seventh month dies and he will share blood with another, opening in weakness and closing in strength... and they will know naught of the other until after the sixteenth eve of the blood sacrifice... and she will betray him gaining her master's favor. Her decision will end the life of a man." The centaur recited the prophecy that he had held with him for sixteen years.

"I've waited a very long time for fate to intertwine our paths. It seems destiny has brought us together tonight." The centaur bowed respectfully, despite accusing the witch in front of him of murder.

Darcey felt her lungs constrict and could hardly breath. The weight of the centaur's words hit her fully, having just heard for the first time a prophecy meant solely for her.

_Was that? Was that a prophecy?"_ Draco asked from beside her, his voice laced with disbelief, hardly believing what he had just bore witnessed to.

Snape stood stiffly frozen, staring with an unreadable expression between Darcey and the centaur. Finally snapping out of his shock once Darcey took off, bolting through the woods. He commanded Draco to stay with the centaur as he went off after her.

She ran as fast as her long legs would carry her, weaving between trees, her heavy breathing echoing through her ear drums. She had no idea where she was going, having no real sense of direction as she ran through the lightless forest.

She could hear Professor Snape calling out to her, penetrating the heavy stillness of the night. His voice sounded desperate and worried, it reminded her of her father's voice calling out for her that one time, long ago that she managed to get separated from her parents at the Quidditch World Cup.

A pang of guilt knotted in her chest and she almost faltered, nearly turning back to the professor whom she had always held a particular fondness for.

Professor Snape had been a sort of father figure to her in the absence of her parents at Hogwarts. He looked after her in school, comforting her when she was a child and her classmates made fun of her, particularly Draco's gang.

She had gone crying to Snape numerous times in her first three years of school, until he taught her to grow some back bone and quit caring so much what others thought of her. He'd convinced her somehow that she was a brilliant, bright witch, although she had no confidence in herself, and that her peers were envious of her remarkable talent. He pushed her to keep working hard at school, focus on her studies, and lose herself in books to escape from the classmates whom mocked her. He even confided once that he too was bullied in school. '_How could such a great, talented wizard such as Professor Snape be the victim of bullies?'_ She had thought back then, and assumed he had simply made it up so that she wouldn't feel so alone.

Those first few years entering puberty were tough. Darcey was a lanky girl with an untamed mane of hair unlike the neat, sculpted hair of her peers. She was too timid, too reclusive, and too smart. At first she resented the sorting hat placing her in Slytherin, she felt like an outsider and was convinced she should have been placed in Ravenclaw instead, but she had wanted to be with her sister.

Darcey was a shy, reserved girl and had once been inseparable from Tracey. So when Tracey was sorted to Slytherin, Darcey followed her companion.

'_Now look at me. I belong here. I betray Harry Potter, my brother, the only one capable of stopping the Dark Lord. I betray him and I might be the death of him, if not the death of someone else. All this time I've looked down upon Draco for being a Death Eater. What a hypocrite I was, for I'm no better than him, in fact I'm worse.' _

Darcey kept blindly running through the darkness and it was a miracle she hadn't tripped over herself yet. Her breathing was ragged and her lungs felt as if they were on fire, the icy air tearing through her body.

'_Did Dumbledore know about the prophecy? Has he been keeping it from me? Is that why I've always sensed he disliked me, because he knew what I was destined to become, a monster?'_

Darcey's legs pounded against the ground, her muscles burning, screaming at her to stop and take a break but she did not slow down. She needed to keep running. Fleeing from the centaur and his prophecy, fleeing from the Death Eater she might turn out to be, fleeing from Professor Snape shouting out for her to come back to him, fleeing from her parents and how disappointed they will be, fleeing from Harry and how much more he will despise her now than he already does, and finally fleeing from _herself. _Wanting never again to look in the mirror, knowing what she was destined to become and loathing herself for it.

What would her dead birth parents say if they could only see her now? James and Lily, they'd be devastated. They'd hate her, wish she'd never been born. She was an abomination.

_'I'm the bad seed, the evil twin.' _Darcey sobbed, her heart clenched tightly within her chest. Darcey let out a dry heave finally stopping, unable to run any longer. She was exhausted, her entire body was on fire and she felt dizzy as if everything around her was spinning out of control.

She was hunched over, hands on her knees letting out choked sobs, not giving a damn who saw her. She cried, hot tears streaming down her face and mixing in with the dirt and sweat. She collapsed, falling to the ground, the earth freezing cold beneath her knees.

Footsteps approached her for someone had been running after her, chasing her.

A pair of strong arms snake themselves around her from behind her, the illuminated doe encircling them, it's light penetrating the barrier of darkness around them both physically and mentally.

Snape held onto Darcey as she sobbed in his arms, rocking with her. He hugged her tightly, protectively like a parent would when comforting a child who just woke up from a nightmare. Except Darcey was entering a nightmare, not waking from it.

"_Shh it's okay…"_ Snape whispered from behind her, his chin resting on her shoulder. His low voice was comforting to Darcey, it was something familiar in this sea of chaos.

_"Do you hate me?" _Darcey sobbed, craning her neck to look up at him with wide, watery eyes.

"_No. I could never hate you, child. You're like my own." _Snape confessed.

"Then what's wrong with me?" Darcey asked, wiping away her tears and trying desperately to regain control of her emotions.

She pivoted to face him, both kneeling in front of the other with the patronus still radiating light and warmth upon them.

_"_Nothing's wrong with you, Darcey. You're just trying to survive, like I."Snape said in an uncharacteristically tender voice, brushing back a lose stand of hair from her cerulean eyes.

"What do you mean?" Darcey asked confused.

"You'll understand one day, just as you'll understand and accept yourself and what you've done to protect those you love. No matter what happens from here on out, do not forget to love. Love will keep you from losing sight of yourself. Love is the only thing separating man from monster." Snape told her, glancing over at the illuminated doe protecting them.

"I share a patronus with someone I love dearly. Everything I have ever done has been either for her or for her memory now, for she is gone." Snape looked back at Darcey, her blue eyes meeting his coal black ones, glistening with sorrow and pain.

"I still think of her every single day." Snape admitted, reaching out his arm as he spoke as the white doe stepped closer, brushing against the palm of his pale hand.

"It serves as a reminder not to lose myself in the darkness, for she is my light and as for I, love will guide you down the right path if you let it..."

* * *

Darcey stirred waking from her restless slumber. She took in her surroundings remembering the events of the previous night and Snape dropping her off at the Hospital Wing.

She sat up cautiously, her chest aching from the movement.

"Careful now, don't want to re-open the wounds, took me half the night to mend them." The nurse, whom Darcey had last time, appears beside her setting on her lap a tray of hot breakfast and a goblet of pumpkin juice. The elderly nurse with kind blue eyes smiled warmly down at her, offering her a vile of mystery elixir.

"Drink up, it'll help fight off infection. Word is, you've been scratched by a wolf and Merlin only knows what those filthy claws have dug into." The healer crinkled her nose in disgust as Darcey obediently downed the liquid, nearly gagging at the foul taste.

"Have I had any visitors?" Darcey asked, her voice still raspy from sleep.

"Mr. Malfoy wanted to stay the night with you but I insisted he return to the dungeons and get a proper nights rest. I assured him he could come by to visit you in the morning."

Just then the entrance to the infirmary, a set of ornate double doors, swung open revealing Draco and a still recovering Tracey entering the room. Tracey still sported her wrappings, now with a black rose pinned to the cloth to make it look a little less ugly.

"_Darcey!_" Tracey shrieked, clamping a small hand over her mouth.

"_Merlin you look awful! You're pale as the Bloody Baron."_ Tracey helpfully observed, setting down a vase filled with lavender, daisies and petunias. "Brought you flowers, I know you like the scent of lavender. Charmed them myself this morning." Tracey proudly boasted, sitting down upon the space on the bed near her sister's feet.

_"_Thank you, they are lovely."Darcey croaked, coughing into her sleeve before taking a sip of pumpkin juice to ease the dryness in her throat.

_"_Hello, Draco._" _Darcey greeted when she was finished, her tone much less froggy.

Malfoy stood a few feet behind Tracey, looking stiff and uncomfortable. "Come here." Darcey playfully demanded, gesturing to the chair next to her.

Draco sat down, his face stony and serious, the prophecy from the night before still repeating in his head. He had so much he wished to talk to her about but couldn't with Darcey's sister still present, since she had no clue what was going on between them.

"I caught this one outside the door." Tracey nodded at Malfoy.

"Hadn't realized you two were such close friends." Tracey slyly winked from an angle that Draco couldn't catch her, a smirk forming on her lips.

"Yeah I suppose a near death encounter with a wolf is one way to bond." Darcey replied dryly, glancing over at Draco from the corner of her eye.

The blonde looked just as ill as Darcey, dark circles enhancing the grayness of his eyes and his face looking haunted, aged with stress.

"Do you mind if Draco and I have a word alone?" Darcey suggested softly, hoping her sister did not assume the wrong idea.

"But of course." Tracey beamed, looking extremely happy for her sister and at the possibility of Draco being her first mate. "I'll stop back during lunch."

Darcey's eyes trailed her sister's tiny figure until she left the ward and then returned her gaze back on the boy seated across from her.

"You look troubled." Darcey observed with a frown, sincerely worried for him. She wonders what Voldemort had him doing.

"I am." Draco admitted, leaning in closer to ensure that nobody would overhear them. "_The prophecy, I've been trying to decipher it all night_." Said Draco.

"I honestly don't want to think about that right now. I just woke up." Darcey admitted, looking down at her pale, clasped hands and trying to stop her mind from turning dark.

"_Well you have to think about it soon, you can't avoid it forever. Do you even know what it all means?"_ Draco asked gravely.

"I have an idea." Darcey sighed, running her fingers through her knotted hair. "I think I eventually join him, You-Know-Who._"_

"Is that what you're going to do then?" Draco confirmed looking surprised that Darcey would willingly choose to do what he'd done over the summer.

"It seems I have to, right? It's a prophecy. It predicts that-" Darcey began only to be interrupted by her class mate.

_"_I told you before, I don't believe in that rubbish." Said Draco firmly, his mouth forming a thin, hard line. "I believe we control our own destinies. So if you don't want to do this-"

"_I have to do this."_ Darcey hissed, her tone pleading. "I'm _meant _to do this."

"Trust me, Davis, It's not all it's cracked up to be. It's not as glorious-" Draco was interrupted again by Darcey nearly shouting at him.

"GLORIOUS? IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK-"

_"Keep your voice down."_ Draco hissed, reaching out to cup his hand over her loud mouth. He pulled away once she had calmed down.

"I'm not an idiot like you wealthy, pureblood prats. I know exactly what it is to be a Death Eater, my Father is the warden of Azkaban, might I remind you." Darcey replied arrogantly.

"Still, you don't know what you're getting into." Draco warned her, his pale eyes glistening with concern.

"Since when do you give a damn anyway? Like I'm suppose to believe that after the fight last week and everything that's happened last night that we're suddenly the best of friends?" Darcey hissed with narrowed, angry blue eyes.

A thick silence hung over them as their eyes locked in a steely, hard stare. After a long moment Draco finally responded.

"_Yes."_ He hissed.

"Yes what?" Darcey demanded haughtily.

_"Yes Darcey, I consider you my friend..." _


	10. Chapter 10: Slug Club Christmas Party

_Wednesday, December 22nd 1996_

It had been over two months since Darcey was told of her prophecy by a centaur in the Forbidden Forest. Today was the last day of classes before the students five day holiday break. Scotland faced one of the most ruthless winters in history. Since November snow and blistering, cold winds were a daily occurrence. With the temperature descending to tundra levels, Hogwarts felt as if were facing an ice age. The oddest thing about the weather was that the normally dry winter air hadn't lost its summer humidity, causing icy sleet to rain down upon the castle, melting against the warm windowpanes. Though brutal, from the inside looking out it appeared to be a scenic winter wonderland. The grounds were covered in deep, fluffy, white snow that sparkled like diamonds in the sunset.

Darcey packed away the last of her belongings inside her trunk, preparing for her journey back home the next morning. Glancing at the clock she remember that the Slug Club Christmas party was in two hours and she still had one more thing left to do before she got ready. She needed to find Draco.

Her friendship with Draco had thus far has been a shallow one, barely deeper than the friendships she had formed with her dorm mates, the only difference being that he knew more about her. Yet she knew hardly anything about him.

Since he declared them friends after the wolf attack, to which she had a faint set of claw-like scars, Draco and Darcey began spending more and more time together. Draco chose to spend his time with her because she was the only student in Hogwarts who knew for certain his secret of being a Death Eater and didn't constantly nag him if he was ill, like Pansy did. Even Zabini had pestered him a few times about his lack of color and the dark rings encircling his eyes, suggesting that he seek Professor Snape out for a sleeping draught to help.

Darcey on the other hand, simply chose to hang out with Draco because she honestly enjoyed his company over that of her chatty dorm mates, whom she found she could only tolerate a set amount of time with. Draco was mostly quiet like herself, at least while they did their school work together, which was the only time they spent in each other's company outside of classes. She was pleased with herself for persuading Draco to complete his schoolwork, convincing him that it was easier to just do it than spending every single weekend in detention.

Darcey searched the common room for her friend to no avail, feeling irritated at the thought of wondering aimlessly around the castle looking for him. There must be an easier way. Perhaps somebody had seen him and knew where he was. She approached the two burly boys lounging on a set of black leather couches near the fireplace. Vincent Crabbe, a boy as round as he was tall chuckled loudly at something amusing the other boy had just said. Gregory Goyle, the taller of the two lads with baby fat still clinging to his cheeks glanced up at the girl approaching them, his eyes still squinted in the corners from laughter.

"_Hey_." Darcey greeted, standing between them. Her blue eyes locked with Goyle's brown ones from below her. "Have either of you seen Draco? I really need to speak to him." Darcey asked nicely, hoping that if she was charming enough they'd tell her where he is.

"He's around." Crabbe supplied vaguely, with a bored shrug.

"Should be back soon." Goyle finished, his eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion. It was clear that neither of the trolls were prepared to tell her anything they knew about Draco's whereabouts.

"_Thanks guys._" Darcey replied flatly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at how extremely _helpful _they had been.

Just then the boy she was in search of briskly strutted through the common room, gliding across the space without so much as a glance around him, as if he were too superior to grant any of them his gaze. Darcey rushed over to catch him at the base of the dormitory staircase.

"I've been looking for you, do you have a moment? It's really important." She pleaded, looking up at him.

Draco hesitated briefly looking between Darcey and the top of the steps, making it clear that he had something else he was going to do and she hoped that it wasn't too important.

"_I suppose I have a while."_ Draco finally replied coolly, granting her his precious time.

"_Wonderful! Let's go."_ Darcey stated cheerfully, yanking his arm for him to follow her. She lead him from the common room and to the stony, windowless corridor outside.

Darcey pulled him into a secluded alcove near a statue of an unfriendly looking Salazar Slytherin scowling down at them and cupped her palm around Draco's ear as she leaned up on tip toes to whisper to him, not taking the chance of anyone overhearing what they were up to. When she pulled away he seemed reluctant to assist her, showing no signs of compliance.

"Please Draco, this is really important to me. I wouldn't ask you for your help if it wasn't." Darcey added quietly, putting all her hope in the boy, because if he refused to help her she had nobody else to go to.

* * *

Darcey peered around the potions cupboard no bigger than a broom closet, it's top to bottom shelves cluttered with dusty phials of various potions. She scanned the nametags tied around the neck of each colorless bottle she saw but so far to no avail. The mission had been taking longer than anticipated and she was sure that Slughorn would return at any second, Draco's distraction only bought her a small amount of time to get what she needed.

Finally she came across a clear phial behind a blood replenishing elixir in a bottle marked '_Veritaserum_'. She greedily snatched it, pulling out her wand and touching the tip to the glass bottle. '_Geminio_' She performed the spell silently, copying an exact replica of the potion and placing it back upon the shelf. Of course, the twin serum was just a visual replica and wouldn't actually work if Slughorn used it, but Darcey doubted the old professor would need a truth serum highly regulated by the Ministry of Magic anytime soon and she was certain she could return it before it'd be missed.

Darcey poked her head around the door to check that the coast was clear and to her horror spotted Slughorn wobbling down the corridor towards his classroom, his round belly causing him to bear an uncanny resemblance to a waddling penguin.

Darcey moved aside, pressing herself back against the bookcase near the door. Maybe if she tried hard enough to blend in he wouldn't notice her presence. Slughorn crossed the threshold, whistling an upbeat tune when his blue eyes suddenly caught her slender figure trying to slip out the door.

"Miss Davis, what are you doing in here?" Slughorn asked in confusion, tilting his head to the side.

"_Erm-_" Darcey stuttered, her mind frantically searching for a reasonable excuse.

"_Thank you again for your help, sir_." Draco interrupted, appearing in the threshold with a charming smile igniting up his features, making him look much healthier without his constant scowl.

"No problem at all dear boy." Slughorn grinned, waving him away with his chubby hand. "Now if you'll excuse me, I was just about to hear what Miss Davis was doing in my office." Slughorn said curiously, still not sounding at all the least bit angry with her.

"I heard a vampire would be here- erm, at the party tonight, _a vampire_." Darcey blurted out the only thing she could think of, thankful that she paid attention to Daphne and Tracey's gossip at breakfast this morning.

"_Ah, yes. Worple and Sanguini will be attending. From whom did you hear that, Miss Davis?_" Slughorn asked, his tone merry.

"_Some of the girls, sir. We've all been a little star-struck honestly. I hear he's quite handsome..."_ Darcey replied sheepishly, her face heating up in embarrassment. Darcey was mortified the she had chosen such a ridiculous lie. She'd never in her right mind be foolish enough to go drooling over a _vampire_. They were terrifying and highly dangerous creatures, you couldn't even pay her to be within a 50-foot radius of one and to her horror, the rumors were true, there would be a vampire attending the Christmas Party tonight.

'_Is Slughorn out of his mind bringing a vampire into the school around a bunch of love struck, horny teenage girls? Surely someone will get bitten.' _Darcey seriously questioned the old professor's judgment.

"You see," Darcey continued. "I was hoping I could get a look at him before the party, maybe talk to him. I find vampires to be extremely fascinating beings." She lied, feeling the urge to projectile vomit as she did so.

"No, sorry dear you'll have to wait until this evening to see him. I'll be sure to introduce you though." Slughorn beamed. "Now if you don't mind, there's a lot of work to be done here, I'll see you tonight Miss Davis." Slughorn lead the pair of Slytherins out the door. "_Mr. Malfoy_." He nodded in acknowledgement to the blond before he dismissed them. Once they were out of earshot Draco erupted in a fit of laughter, his gray eyes squinting in amusement as he peered over at the still blushing girl.

"_For Merlin's sake, please tell me that was a lie. You're not really gushing over a vampire are you, Davis?"_ Draco snickered, holding up both his pointer fingers to his mouth like a set of vampire teeth and lunging playfully at her neck, pretending to take a bite.

Darcey lightly swatted him away, laughing along with him. When she finally caught her breath she responded. "_No, of course not. I'm not an idiot."_

"_I don't know_." Draco began cheekily, sobering up a little. "_You do seem to fancy tall, pale, men with shadowy eyes. I mean, that would explain why you're so taken with me…_" Said Draco smugly, with an arrogant smirk.

Darcey shoved him again in the arm, looking appalled. "_Are you barking mad? What gave you the impression that I'm taken with you, Malfoy?"_ She demanded, feigning insult.

"You're always following me around like a lost puppy. We can't go a few hours without seeing each other before you frantically go in search of me." Draco teased, still smirking down at her.

Darcey's mouth hung open, she was truly shocked by his words and wondered if he really felt that way. Had she been giving off the impression that she was lost without him? That he was her _only _friend. She thought back to the past couple of months and realized she _had_ been a bit clingy, but only because he was currently the only person she could tolerate being around all day. Perhaps she should put some distance between them, before he got the wrong idea.

'_Too late, he already thinks you have a silly school girl crush on him._' Darcey mentally groaned.

'Maybe because you _do_ have a silly school girl crush on him…' Another voice in her mind observed, the voice reminded her of Tracey and she could practically see her winking at her from inside her head.

Darcey remembered suddenly reading somewhere that the first sign of insanity is talking to yourself, and although not out loud, Darcey's pretty certain conversations in your head weren't very promising.

"I suppose I've been up your arse a lot lately. Sorry about that." Darcey sheepishly apologized.

"_I'm not objecting. I've had worse company_." Draco shrugged, as Darcey hit him lightly in the arm for the third time.

"Stop saying rude things." She scolded, casting him a half-hearted glare.

"_Calm yourself, Davis. I'm only getting your knickers in a twist."_ He smoothly reassured her, wrapping a strong arm around her boney shoulders and pulling her into his side as they walked.

Darcey didn't want to admit to herself how good Draco's embrace felt. It felt oddly natural being this close to him, which was a bit frightening for Darcey considering she had zero experience in the boyfriend department, not that Draco's was her boyfriend, it's just that, well shouldn't it feel more foreign and awkward being this close to him? She wondered, and before she could over think it, like she did _everything,_ Draco pulled back his arm and she realized that they had already made it back to the dungeons.

"In case I don't see you later, have a good holiday." Darcey bid him farewell, smiling warmly at her friend.

"_You too_." Draco replied stiffly, his carefree mood from moments prior suddenly vanishing and a somber one masking it.

Darcey cast him one last look, her blue eyes glistening with concern as she gazed softly up at him. She realized she hardly remembered what his normal complexion looked like, having become so used to seeing him like this, stressed out and ill. She wondered if it weren't for the morbid circumstances drawing them together, would they have ever became friends to begin with?

Probably not, Darcey decided, remember what a prick use to be to her. The old Draco Malfoy was an arrogant, immature, bully, someone Darcey honestly couldn't ever see herself befriending unless he matured. Becoming a Death Eater had aged Draco, he was still that arrogant, stuck-up prick beneath the surface, but that side of him emerged now in much more tolerable doses than before.

He seemed more down to earth too; capable of having an actual meaningful conversation with, where as before he was superficial and only capable of witty banter. Everything in life had been a joke to him, something to poke fun at and laugh about. He put on a mask of arrogant superiority that prevented anyone from ever getting to know Draco beneath the surface.

Although, Darcey still knew hardly anything about him, finding it difficult to break through his cold, aloof shell. She knew him well enough to decide that she had liked him. He was now somebody with whom she would call a friend. Which spoke volumes, as she was extremely selective with the friends she kept, hence why she hadn't any.

Darcey glanced over at the clock, realizing that her mission with Draco had taken much longer than planned and Slughorn's party was in half an hour. Bounding up the steps two at a time, Darcey rushed to take a shower and change into her dress.

* * *

Crimson, emerald, and gold sheer curtains adorned Slughorn's office, giving it a tent-like quality, except much more sophisticated than camping outdoors. It seemed that he used an Undetectable Extension Charm to make the room appear larger, it was now half the size of the Great Hall, which was impressive.

The party was packed to the brim with witches and wizards, mostly older, notable folks whom Professor Slughorn had invited to come, some of which were previous students of his. Mixed in with the adults are the most modern collection of students to join the Slug Club and their dates.

Bringing a date was required of them, something that mortified Darcey. It had been so embarrassing when she had to approach some random boy and ask them to be her date. She wasn't going to ask Draco; afraid it would be too obvious and assuming he'd decline the invitation anyway, being too occupied with Death Eater activities and all.

The next obvious choice would have been Blaise Zabini, but being a handsome and popular lad he of course already had a date, his new girlfriend Daphne Greengrass.

Her third choice would have been Theodore Nott but Tracey would never let her live it down if she had brought him, convinced she was still madly in love with him.

The rest of the Slytherin male population were intimidating fellows, and Darcey was a quiet girl who'd rather not be humiliated when they rudely rejected her, so she decided to go with an easier target.

To her dorm mates horror, Darcey had asked Hufflepuff sixth year, Zacharius Smith to accompany her this evening, after having talked to the boy once at The Three Broomstick's pub while under Draco's Imperius curse. Not the most thought out option, but indeed an easy one. She had gotten hell from her classmates for the entire week leading up to the party but she felt confident with her decision. Zach was a nice guy, _he was_ _Hufflepuff_, and had been either too scared or hadn't the heart to reject her.

"Thanks again for coming." Darcey offered, awkwardly rubbing her arm and feeling extremely uncomfortable. They were strangers and not even in the same house, what was she thinking? What could they possibly have to talk about?

Zach was dressed in a set of handsome, black dress robes, with a silver vest and bow tie beneath it. His fluffy, golden hair, that usually hung in his eyes had been neatly slicked back for the occasion, showing off his best features like his prominent, square jaw line and dark, blue eyes that reminded Darcey of the sea.

She had decided to go with a silver strapless gown that clung to her in just the right places, accentuating her figure without revealing too much. The dress showed a modest amount of cleavage and was ankle length. The only skin exposed was her back where the gown dipped into a low V, exposing her shoulder blades and the small of her back.

Darcey had allowed Tracey to assist her with her hair, without using magic of course. Her hair was still curly, only now it was pulled into an almost elegant updo with a few loose, stubborn curls framing her face. Tracey did her makeup, giving her a smoky eye look that made her eyes appear stormy blue, much darker than usual.

For the first time in a while Darcey actually felt confident in her own skin, when she put this much effort into her appearance she was quite stunning, but it wasn't something she was willing to put time into everyday, it just seemed like such a waste of time.

A house elf scurried past her, carrying slender glasses of champagne. Darcey grabbed two, offering one to her date as well, who she was sure was feeling equally as out of place as she was at the party. Both students took a long sip, but as Zach pulled away from his glass, Darcey continued, quickly chugging hers.

When she finished the entire glass she wiped the corner of her mouth clean before she cast her date a cheeky grin, having noticed him watching her in amusement.

"I like a woman who can handle her liquor." Zach smiled back at her. "Seems I have some serious competition tonight." He said, turning the glass to his lips as he easily chugged the rest of his not wanting to look like a lightweight.

"I'm not normally much of a drinker, I just need a bit of help tonight. I'm a nervous wreck. I'm hoping a few drinks will help me to relax." Darcey explained, glancing around with her stomach in anxious knots at the crowded room.

"Not much of a socialite then?" Zach asked lightly, doing his best to make his date feel at home. Zacharius Smith was raised to be a gentleman, and what sort of gentleman would he be if he allowed his date to have a lousy time tonight.

"Not at all." Darcey laughed. "Seriously, I'll be the crazy gnome lady who everyone will keep assuming dead because nobodies ever seen her leave her house." Darcey joked, half-truthfully.

Zach gave a warm, hearty laugh. "Come on, Davis. You can't possibly be that reclusive."

"Oh, but I am." Darcey admitted gleefully. "What's your weakness?" She wondered when their laughter had died down, already feeling the effects of one drink, it was suddenly much easier for her to have a proper conversation as her anxiety melted away.

"I suppose I'm a tad bit competitive." Zach offered up.

"That's not so bad." Darcey shrugged, unimpressed.

"Okay, I bluffed, I'm _really c_ompetitive, as in I go mad when I lose at something. You should see me throw a fit when we blow a Quidditch match. It's quite scary." Zach admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Let's have ourselves a competition then!" Darcey suggested excitedly, having a competitive streak herself, though all Slytherins were competitive by nature, it came hand in hand with being ambitious.

"What did you have in mind, love?" Zach flirted. Obviously the champagne had had some effect on the boy as he quickly gained confidence.

"Let's see who can have the most fun tonight. Let's make the most of this awful party." Darcey suggested, swapping another set of champagne glasses with their two empty ones off the tray of a nearby house elf.

"To lame supper parties." Darcey rose her glass to Zach's.

"To lame supper parties." He agreed as they clunk their glasses together in toast. Once more they chugged the clear, bubbly liquid, this time Zach winning.

Just then a pair of chubby arms scooped them up, snaking around each of the student's shoulders and leading them deeper within the crowd. "Glad you could make it, Miss Davis, and Mr. Smith, I know your mother, she's tailored all my robes." Professor Slughorn beamed.

"As promised, I'd like to introduce you to Sanguini." Said Slughorm, stopping in front of a tall, lanky, emaciated man with coal black hair and dark rings around his eyes. He was wearing a black and white, striped tuxedo, with a chain linking the two breast pockets together.

He glanced down at Darcey behind a large, hooked nose and she noticed that although his skin was colorless and gray his lips appeared rosy, as if stained from all the blood he had consumed over the years.

Darcey visibly shivered, her stomach clenching in a mix of revulsion and fear. She had been frightened of vampires since she was a small child and felt faint being this close to one.

"This lovely young lady is Darcey Davis, an exceptional student of mine." Professor Slughorn introduced the two to each other, Sanguini eyes locked hungrily on her exposed neck as his tongue darted out to flick against his pale lips.

"Here, m'boy, have a pasty." Slughorn offered merrily with a nervous chuckle, catching the look he had been giving his student and handing him something much less human to keep him occupied for the time being.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Darcey forced her very best polite smile as she felt Zacharius stiffen beside her. Sensing he was just as terrified as she was, she made up an excuse to get them both far away from Sanguini.

"Sorry to greet and run but I saw my friend Daphne over there." Darcey pointed to a random spot in the crowd of dancing couples. "And I'd like to introduce her to my date." She politely dismissed herself from her teacher, leading Zach away deeper into the party.

"I've never met a vampire before." Zach informed her once they were out of earshot and Darcey noticed just then how suddenly pale he had become.

"Disgusting creatures." Darcey muttered, crinkling her nose in disgust as if she'd just encountered a foul smell.

"I whole-heartedly agree." Zach said glancing over his shoulder to ensure the vampire hadn't been following them.

Three drinks and an hour later, Darcey and Zacharius found themselves heavily intoxicated. The pair of teenagers were sprawled out on the floor in a secluded corner behind the buffet table, a layer of sheer crimson curtains concealing them from view.

Darcey was currently giggling at something hilarious Zach had just said about Slughorn resembling a giant olive in his green dress robes. Darcey took a bite out of her vanilla cupcake that she'd snatched from the nearby desert table.

"_Mmm this is wicked. Taste some."_ Darcey demanded, shoving the half eaten cupcake into her dates face. He opened his mouth enthusiastically like a baby bird being fed a worm and Darcey pressed the entire cupcake into his mouth, laughing as she did so.

"That _is_ delicious. Let's get more." Zach happily suggested, rising up to stand but feeling suddenly dizzy with the sudden movement. He fell back ungracefully on his arse causing both teenagers to erupt in a fit of giggles.

"_Merlin you're drunk_." Darcey observed with an amused grin.

"_Merlin I'm drunk_." Zach full-heartedly agreed.

"_You've got a little-"_ Zach began, pointing to the corner of Darcey's mouth.

"_Hmph?_" Darcey asked, slapping at her face in an attempt to wipe the food away.

"You got it." Said Zach, moving his oceanic gaze from her blue eyes to her full lips.

"Would you slap me if I kissed you?" Zach mumbled in a husky tone that made Darcey's stomach twitch in excitement. She had never had a boy talk to her in such a needy way, like they found her utterly irresistible.

"Depends if you're any good at snogging." Darcey teased with a sly grin that Zach returned.

Leaning in, he closed the gap between them, his warm lips pressing gently against hers. She moved her hand to rest on the nape of his neck as she timidly deepened the kiss. The handsome Hufflepuff boy tasted of butter cream frosting and this caused Darcey to smirk against his lips.

When they broke apart for air, Darcey noticed how dark his eyes has suddenly become, glistening with lust. "_You taste good_." Zach slurred before diving in for another kiss. The kisses were messy and wet, both teens too drunk to control themselves, but Darcey wasn't complaining. It was a good enough first kiss and she was having loads of fun, so she didn't care if it was sloppy. Zach groaned into the kiss, clutching her closer to him and Darcey felt a warm hand slowly slipping up her gown and stopping at her upper thigh where it gave a light squeeze. Darcey seemed to come to her senses, a rational part of her screaming at her to stop before this became a night she would regret. She pushed Zach gently away, casting him an apologetic look.

"_Sorry, I'm not that easy."_ Darcey supplied flatly, fumbling to stand. She gripped the wall for support as she swayed. Zacharius stood up too, looking horrified and worried that he had upset her with the bold move.

"_I didn't mean to push you. Things just got carried away. I hope I didn't offend you..."_ The blond apologized sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Not offended. Just have to pee. Excuse me." Darcey managed shortly, brushing past him and out into the lively party. Suddenly Filch, the Squib caretaker, burst through the door clutching Malfoy by his collar. All eyes of the party fell on him as Filch's lips curled up into a mocking sneer.

"_Caught this one lurking about in the upstairs corridor, says he was invited to your Christmas party. Is this true?"_ Filch asked, his eyes glistening with delight at the idea of catching a student out of bed past curfew.

"Okay, I was gate crashing, happy?" Draco sneered, struggling against the ugly man. "_Let go of me you filthy Squib!_" He growled, finally tearing himself from the Squib's hands.

"_He's my date!"_ Darcey blurted out from somewhere within the crowd, pushing her way up front to get closer to Draco.

"I thought you arrived with Mr. Smith, Miss Davis?" Slughorn asked with a loud hiccup making it apparent that he too had had a little too much to drink.

_"I did, after Draco and I had a row earlier today, but Draco was my original date and I told him if he changed his mind and realized he was being a wanker to come and find me here."_ Darcey lied easily, stepping forward and hooking her arm with Draco's.

"Perfect timing, Malfoy. I was just leaving, wonderful party, sir. Happy Christmas!_"_ Darcey bid her professor a hasty farewell before leading Draco from the office and into the deserted corridor. Together they walked the short distance to the common room.

"_Are you drunk?"_ Draco inquired once they were in the deserted, dimly lit common room, having smelt liquor on her breath.

"_Yes._" Darcey answered bluntly with a girly giggle.

Darcey collapsed in an ungraceful heap near the hearth, fumbling for her wand that was holstered to her leg, not realizing that she was exposing a lot of skin in the process as she hiked up her gown. Draco reached out to stop her, snatching the wand easily from her loose grip. "_Hey! Give it back!_" Darcey wailed, reaching up to try to grab it back from him.

"You're not using magic in the pathetic state you're in." Draco replied firmly, sounding very parental. He safely stowed away her wand in the pocket of his blazer before lighting the fire himself. He then came to sit above her on the end of one of the black, leather sofas, watching closely as Darcey gazed intently into the fire, a giddy smile plastered to her face.

"What's got you in such a pleasant mood?" Draco demanded with the incline of his light brow.

"I had my first kiss tonight." Said Darcey dreamily, shifting herself so that she was kneeling in front of him.

"_Is that so?_" Draco sneered. "_By whom?"_

"I can't remember." Darcey admitted with surprise, her eyebrows furrowed together as she tried desperately to remember. She'd remember in the morning.

Draco leaned back, looking satisfied. "_Must have been a lousy kiss then_." He remarked.

"_Yeah it kind of was…" _Darceyfrowned, all previous excitement vanishing from her tone, now she just looked exhausted.

Darcey stifled a yawn before curling up on the couch beside Draco, leaning into him and resting her head on his firm shoulder. He did not object to being used as a human pillow, as they both silently gazed into the fire, enjoying the warmth radiating from their shared body heat.

Darcey's eyelids felt heavy and droopy and she finally gave in and closed them, feeling so comfortable that she began to doze off. Draco glanced at the clock as it struck midnight and a series of low chimes echoed through the common room. He peered down at the arm that Darcey clutched lightly with both of her slender hands, noticing that one of them sat directly over his dark mark.

His mind turned morbid, his lips formed hard, thin line as he recalled the excruciating ritual. Feeling exhausted, Draco rested his head atop of Darcey's mane of unruly hair and shut his eyes, letting out a deep, contented sigh. He knew that he shouldn't be getting so cozy with Potter's sister. The girl was doomed to die at any moment, as soon as the Dark Lord discovered who she was so it would be foolish of him to get close to her. Even befriending her was a foolish risk. She was a ticking bomb with a short amount of time to live before she self-destructed.

_Draco knew this, so why couldn't he untangle himself from the warm girl beside him? Why did she feel so bloody good?_


	11. Chapter 11: Avada Kedavra

_December, 24th 1996_

Albus Dumbledore gazed out the window of his oval office. His blue eyes following the fluffy, white snowflakes melting against the windowpane. The elderly wizard subconsciously stroked with his good hand his cursed one, his injury a constant reminder that he was mortal and hadn't much longer to live, yet there was still so much to do, plans to set into motion.

"I'm afraid the time has come, Severus." The Headmaster said gravely, still gazing out at the beautiful landscape as he serenely accepts that these are the final days of his life.

"On Christmas Eve, sir? Surely it can wait..." Snape's cold voice pointed out from somewhere off behind him as he turned to face his college, whose ebony eyes reflect in them pain and sorrow.

"We've hesitated long enough already, like you say, the Dark Lord has grown weary of you, uncertain of where your loyalty lies." Dumbledore replied, his tone somber. "It must be today, Severus. I haven't much longer and neither do you if you lose Voldemort's trust. Harry needs you."

Snape remained silent, suppressing his raging, turbulent emotions. Darcey would be devastated, but he would be there, watching over her and doing his best to ensure that no harm came of her. Though, it was a promise he could not guarantee, he was prepared to die trying. To Dumbledore sacrificing Darcey and her family was for the greater good, in his eyes it was crucial that Snape stay alive long enough to go through with killing him and doing this would prolong Snape's life. If Voldemort began to doubt Snape's allegiance to him, he would kill him. Giving him this information would seal his trust. The prophecy states that Harry Potter is the only one who can defeat Lord Voldemort, which leaves his twin a much less valuable role to play in the war, but to Snape Darcey is not disposable. A part of him despised Dumbledore for cruelly keeping the Potter twins alive so long just to slaughter them like swine when the timing was right. For Lily, he would do his very best to ensure that Darcey remained alive. He vowed to protect her, and Harry too, though he was much less fond of the chosen twin.

"If you are sure of it._"_ Snape reluctantly complied after a long, drawn out pause, his expression unreadable as he puts forth a cool mask of indifference.

"I am positive." Said Dumbledore, his blue eyes twinkling with despair. It had to be done, yet he wish it were not so. _"_The Order needs you, as does Harry and myself, I'm afraid you are simply too valuable to risk losing, Severus."

* * *

The English countryside was cloaked in a fresh layer of snow. Icy sleet fell from the overcast, gray December sky making it a dreary morning.

The Davis home was a large, two-story, colonial, brick house with four white roman pillars that aligned the front porch, framing the entryway. Perched high atop a snowy hill, the winding cobblestone driveway covered in slush was aligned with perfectly trimmed hedges leading up to the cozy and inviting home. A live Christmas tree adorned with a string of white lights, ornate bulbs and golden tinsel could be seen glimmering through the window.

Tracey and Darcey used the floo network to travel home for the holidays, dragging with them their bulky trunks as they emerged from a sleek, marble fireplace in the living room and were met with festive Christmas décor all around them. The atmosphere was merry and bright.

From the moment Darcey stepped out of the fireplace she was met with her mother pulling her in for a tight, long embrace. Darcey could smell the floral perfume she wore clinging faintly to her turtleneck sweater, a familiar and comforting scent that she associated with home.

"_Merry Christmas, mum_." Darcey smiled over her mother's shoulder as she spotted Roger in doorway, clutching a tray of fresh baked sugar cookies. The house smelled heavenly.

Darcey's mother finally ended the embrace, holding her out at shoulder length to inspect her for good health.

"I think you've grown taller." She playfully observed, stroking the back of Darcey's head in a loving gesture, pushing down her unruly hair.

"Hey, dad._"_ Darcey greeted her father next, pulling him in for a hug too. _"Happy Christmas, darling."_ His low voice greeted from high above her and Darcey had to tilt her chin up in order to see him. He was a rather tall wizard, being six foot three to Darcey's five foot seven. Growing up their mother would always tease that he was part troll, to which he would reply that she was part pixie.

"Just in time for cookies." Roger declared as Tracey skipped forward to eagerly snatch one up. "_Ouch!_ _Hot, hot, hot!" _She muttered, fanning off her tongue with a flailing hand.

"You see what mum has me doing." Roger whined as Darcey made a move to join her siblings. "Slaving away in the kitchen all morning like some common house elf." He grumbled in good nature.

"You poor dear._" _Darcey mocked. "Here, your master presents you with an article of clothing, you're a free elf now." She grinned, placing her knitted hat atop her brother's mop of curly, dark hair.

"Hear that mum?" Roger yelled from the kitchen. "I'm a free elf now!"

"I hear you!" Their mother called back from the living room. "Now be a dear and fetch your father and I some eggnog will you, please?" She added sweetly.

"Make the girls do something, they're home now. Besides isn't it a bit early for eggnog?" Roger moaned, setting down the tray of cookies and disappearing upstairs.

_"_Where are you off to in such a rush, son?" Their father called after him to which he received no answer.

"_He's probably off owling his girlfriend, word is he bought her jewelry, expensive too and goblin made."_ Supplied Tracey. The girl had a knack for knowing everybody's business that Darcey found both annoying and impressive.

"Do you girls want some eggnog?" Their mother interrupted, appearing beside them. "I could go for some eggnog with a sprinkle of nutmeg." She decided, pulling the holiday drink from the fridge along with some vodka meant only for the adults.

"Sit down and rest, you've just come home for Merlin's sake!" She scolded, shooing Darcey away after seeing her fetch the crystal mugs from the cupboard.

"I'm going upstairs to unpack." Tracey dismissed herself, leaving their parents and Darcey alone together, perfect.

"_Sit down mum, I've got it. Let me help_." Darcey replied smoothly, prying the carton of eggnog from her mother's hand and persuading her to rejoin their father in the living room.

Once she was certain that she was alone, Darcey slipped the small phial of Veritaserum from her coat pocket, carefully tipping three droplets into the two mugs intended for her parents. The potion gave her ten minutes of honesty per dose so she had to hurry.

Placing the tray of drinks on the coffee table between them, Darcey took a sip of her eggnog, cupping the crystal mug with both hands while slyly peering over at her parents cuddled on the couch across from her. The old record player hummed cheerful, holiday music in the background, interrupted occasionally by a loud pop of static.

Dacery scanned the room admiring the festive décor. Garland hung on the fireplace mantle, sparkling with hints of gold fairy dust. The pine Christmas tree stood tall in front of the window behind her parents, glowing with soft lights and decorated in elegant scarlet and gold bulbs. A silver star tops off the tree enchanted to twinkle and dim just like the stars littering the night sky. When Darcey was a little girl the star was her favorite decoration, mesmerizing her for hours as she stared up at it in wonder. Her parents never told her it was charmed, instead telling the children that they had plucked it straight from the sky. '_What happens after Christmas? Does it die?'_ Darcey had asked once. '_No darling, it goes back up to live in the sky until next year and then it returns to us for Christmas.' _Her mother had said.

Darcey smiled to herself at the fond memory, gazing back over at her adoptive parents. Her sister Tracey resembled their mother, Amelia, a petite woman with curled auburn hair that falls over her shoulders, her square face framed with wispy bangs that contrast against her steely, gray-blue eyes. Roger on the other hand was the spitting image of their father, Roger Sr., a tall, muscular man with curly brown hair that reached his shoulders and a scruffy face. He shared Tracey's eyes, a syrupy brown in hue.

Darcey watched as they both sipped unknowingly from their mugs, a comfortable silence lingered over them as they enjoyed the merry atmosphere and listened to the voice of Celestina Warbeck echoing through the room.

Darcey hesitated, almost not wanting to disrubt the peaceful moment with the drama that may ensue. She planned now to extract the truth from them about her adoption and how much they had known and kept from her all these years.

She felt the only way to ensure that they were one hundred percent truthful was to spike their drinks with Veritaserum, a powerful truth potion. She was sick of being lied to and kept hidden in the dark. It was time she took control over her life, therefore she needed to find out who could and could not be trusted, starting with her family. She'd weed out the liars.

* * *

Draco Malfoy sat at the long, dark wood dining table meant to seat twelve but currently only seating two lonely figures. The mother and son peered across the length of the table at one another over a long line of steaming hot entrees and a bowl of tossed salad with a tangy vinaigrette dressing. The expensive silver utensils and crystal glasses sparkled in the low light. The curtains in the room were drawn letting no natural sunlight filter in. The only source of light came from the grand, marble fireplace where a cozy fire crackled, making the cold room appear a little more inviting. There weren't any Christmas decorations out that year, for the exception of the holly centerpiece on the dining table. Narcissa felt too depressed to decorate for there was nothing to celebrate, really. Timid, skittish house elves silently served them their meal, starting off with a salad and pouring each of them a goblet of wine.

"It has been terribly lonely here without you and your father around for company. I've nearly driven myself mad trying to discover new ways to occupy my time." Narcissa confessed to her son, whom she had missed so much. "I've even taken up knitting, though I'm quite awful at it."

The corner of Draco's mouth twitched into a smirk at his mother's remark. He could not for the life of him picture his mother knitting and found the idea quite ludicrous. He stifled the urge to laugh, not wanting to dampen her enthusiasm.

_"_How is the mission coming along, Draco?" She asked after a small silence fell between them, her blue eyes glistened with concern, her baby boy looked so pallid and washed out. She was worried about him, fearing for his health. It wasn't normal for a boy his age to be put under such a vast amount of stress, Narcissa decided and she deeply resented that the Dark Lord had taken vengeance upon her family.

"Quite well I suppose" Draco answered curtly, picking at the purple and green romaine lettuce on his plate with disinterest, having no appetite. He was consumed with his obsession to kill Albus Dumbledore. The clock was ticking and he was running out of time, heightening his level of stress.

"Severus has told me that you have finally managed to mend the vanishing cabinet. Your father and I are so very proud of you darling." Narcissa smiled, her misty eyes glistening with pride.

"I had assistance." Draco admitted. "A friend of mine, Darcey Davis." He said coolly, watching her closely for a reaction, wondering if she knew anything of the girl.

"Davis you say?" Narcissa knitted her light brows together in thought. "Surely she is not related to the Warden Roger Davis of Azkaban?" She asked with a scowl, hating everyone responsible for her husband's imprisonment, though Lucius was solely to blame.

"Yes" Confirmed Draco calmly. "That is her father."

"Is she a new friend of yours? Pureblood I assume?_" _Narcissa demanded pointedly._ "_Yes, I believe the Davis name to be pure..." She muttered quietly to herself while waiting for Draco to answer the beginning of her inquiry.

"Yes mother, I'm quite taken with her." Draco replied, taking note of the displeased look on his mother's sallow face.

"Stay away from her, Draco." Narcissa warned. "Her father is the Warden overseeing your father and we don't need to draw anymore attention to him and have Mr. Davis singling him out."

"I won't do that, haven't you heard me? I said she is my friend." Draco replied coldly. Draco Malfoy did not take orders from anyone except the Dark Lord, therefore his mother's opinion meant nothing to him.

Just then a heavy thump followed by a cry for Narcissa could be heard resounding from the entrance hall. With the squeal of her chair being thrust back, Narcissa leapt to her feet, fleeing from the room and toward the voice of her husband, Lucius.

Draco pivoted around in his chair with wide, surprised eyes as his father entered the room, wearing a filthy, tattered, striped jumpsuit with an inmate number stitched above the breast pocket. His face was dirt stained and gleamed with sweat and his normally elegant, long hair appeared greasy, curling at the ends in natural waves.

A pair of narrowed, furious gray eyes landed on Draco as Lucius rushed forward gripping his son tightly by the shoulders and shaking him roughly as he spoke.

"The girl, Davis. Do you know a Davis?" He frantically demanded.

"Yes, why what's happened, Father?" Draco asks startled. '_Does the Dark Lord know of Darcey? Is he planning to go after her?_' Draco's wondered, knowing that she would not stand a chance. _'Lucky I didn't get close to her.' _He thought morbidly.

"Do you know who she is? Who she _really_ is?" Lucius asked, still raging like a mad man and shaking Draco.

"No." Said Draco firmly. "I mean she's just Darcey Davis, a reclusive bookworm._"_ He told his father simply, morphing his face into a look of stunned confusion in order to convince his father that he knew of nothing. It was easy to pull off since it was partly true; he _was_ utterly confused and wondering what had happened to stir up his father in such a way.

"Have you ever spoken with her? Did you know that she is Potter's sister?"

"No_._" Draco lied, staring up at his father, meeting his blazing eyes. Inside his stomach lurched in fear.

Narcissa stepped forward from the threshold, her blue eyes darting between her husband and son. "Darling, had you not just told me a moment prior that you've befriended a witch by the name of Davis..." Narcissa replied pointedly.

_"Do not lie to me boy! It is crucial that you know of nothing!"_ Lucius bellowed, his hand colliding with Draco's cheek as he hit him with full force, sending the teenager sprawled out upon the ground. Draco peered up at his father with wide, fearful eyes, clutching his jaw tenderly with one hand while propelling himself backwards with the other, attempting to put as much distance between himself and his deranged father as possible.

_"Now, the truth Draco_..." said Lucius recomposing himself and calming. _"What do you know of the girl and why did she have your wand?"_ He asked, pulling from his pocket his son's hawthorn and unicorn hair wand.

Draco's light eyebrows furrowed as he subconsciously groped the back pocket of his trousers, feeling the long, hard wand concealed beneath the fabric. It was then he remembered taking Darcey's wand from her the previous night when she had been intoxicated and when he returned it to her this morning he must have given her his wand by mistake. So how had his father managed to get _his_ wand if it was on Darcey? Draco realized in horror, his stomach sinking in despair.

* * *

"So you knew all along that I was the daughter of James and Lily Potter and you didn't tell me?"Darcey demanded, utterly enraged._ "_All these years you've lied to me. Fooled me into believing that you knew nothing of my birth parents. That I was just some undesired orphan, leaving me to come up with my own demented theories of my roots."

Darcey paced near the fireplace, her piercing blue eyes glaring down at her mother sitting on the couch, her face buried in her manicured hands as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Her father stood behind her, resting a large hand upon each of her quaking shoulders, his brown eyes locked upon Darcey's in anger.

"_Stop shouting, can't you see that you're making your mother cry_." He demanded firmly, his voice authoritative.

"_Oh!"_ Darcey scoffed, throwing up her hands dramatically. "_God forbid if mummy cries!" _She sneered._ "What about me, your daughter! What about how I feel?" _

"Let's discuss this calmly, shall we?_" _Her father suggested, lowering and softening his tone and hoping that his daughter would follow suit.

"I_ am _calm!_" _Darcey growled with narrowed eyes. _"_Now tell me why you've kept this from me all these years? Why lie to me? I don't get it._"_

"Because Dumbledore forbade it. He told your mother and I of a prophecy that said we had to wait until you were older to tell you and that he would be the one to do it once you had become of legal age." Her father replied truthfully, his dark eyes glistening with sorrow.

"Tell me now, everything you know about me, and Harry too. What do you know about him?" Darcey demanded, unfazed by her father's act of compassion though she finally managed to lower her tone and spoke now civilly.

"What's going on?" Interrupted a concerned, male voice.

Darcey and her parents whipped around in alarm to face Roger and Tracey standing at the base of the staircase, taking in with wide eyes the scene before them.

"Why are you fighting? It's Christmas Eve." Tracey asked sadly, looking between her father and sister.

After a moment their father recited almost robotically under effect of the potion, "Children, your sister's birth parents are James and Lily Potter who sacrificed themselves in order to save her twin brother, Harry Potter, as you know to be the famed Boy-Who Lived."

"_What?_" Came instantly Tracey's bewildered and skeptical tone.

"_What are you talking about, dad? Are you drunk?_" Came softly Roger's next, thinking that perhaps their dad had indulged in a little too much brandy.

"_Look at me."_ Darcey demanded coldly, drawing her father's attention back to her and away from her curious sibling. "Ignore them and tell me everything you know about Harry Potter and I." She said knowing that she was running out of time. The Veritaserum would wear off any minute now and she needed desperately these answers, she needed to know everything they've kept hidden from her for all these years. She didn't know who she could trust anymore and all she could feel was rage and a stabbing pain in her chest when she looked at the people who were supposed to love her unconditionally.

Roger Sr. gazed down at his adopted daughter with sadness reflecting in his heavy-lidded, brown eyes. "Potter was sent to live with your uncle and aunt, a pair of muggles from Little Whinging if I recall. You were born premature and still recovering in St. Mungo's Hospital when your parents died sixteen years ago at the hands of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named..."

"...Albus Dumbledore separated you two, knowing that when the Dark Lord rose to power he would act again on the prophecy concerning Harry and him and try to murder your brother while finding you with him, thus most likely killing you. You see, we were told that the blood sacrifice Lily Potter made to protect Harry still only protects just him, leaving you vulnerable. Dumbledore had reason to believe that the Dark Lord had not been made aware of your existence; therefore it was in your best safety that you were removed from Potter entirely, as if you had never existed. You were then renamed and adopted by us unofficially, off the Ministry records to keep you further protected." Her father explained, his eyes reflecting pity for his daughter. He felt sorry for her. It was a curse being born to the Potters and that had been why they chose to adopt her, she didn't deserve such a fate and they had wanted to give her a better life with them.

"_Darcey…_" Tracey whispered, looking with sorrow filled eyes at her sister. She clutched her hand to her mouth in horror, taking in their father's confession. Her sister was doomed. The Dark Lord would surely find her and murder her and then he'd murder anyone else who go in his way.

"_How many people know of this?"_ Roger asked calmly though looking just as fearful, knowing like Tracey, that Darcey's life was at risk.

"As far as I am aware this knowledge is just between your mother, I and Albus Dumbledore." Their father replied honestly

"_Darcey._" Their mother spoke up from the sofa, peering with misty eyes at the adoptive daughter whom she had always loved just as much as her own two children, as far as she was concerned Darcey was her child. "_I'm so sorry dear, your father and I were just doing our best to protect you. We love you so very much. You need to know that._"

* * *

Lucius stepped through the crater in the crumbling, block prison wall, peering down at the roaring sea below him. The icy, dark waves crashed violently against the jagged rocks surrounding Azkaban prison, located in the middle of the North Sea.

Dementors, skeletal like creatures of the night who feast upon the positive energy from those around them, encircled the three-sided prison, flying like condors in the sky in search of dead meat. They normally acted as guards to the inmates but today they did not interfere with the mass breakout, switching their loyalty from the Ministry of Magic to the dark Lord Voldemort.

"Come Lucius, I have a task for you to redeem yourself." Said his Master from the corridor. Inmates rushed past him, howling wickedly in glee as they fled from the infiltrated prison.

"I'm free again! The Dark Lord has brought me salvation!" Bellatrix Lestrange proclaimed to the other inmates scurrying around her like startled sewer rats.

"_For a price, Bellatrix."_ Voldemort reminded her, his voice raspy and low, sounding like the hissing of a serpent.

Stepping out from the shadowy corridor and into the filthy chamber stood the glorious Dark Lord. Faithfully behind him stood another Death Eater, Severus Snape.

"Severus has informed me of a prophecy, told to him by Albus Dumbledore himself._"_ Voldemort said, glancing back with prideful eyes at his most loyal follower, dear Severus.

"It seems Harry Potter has a twin sister and Severus knows where they have hidden her. Come, join me as I capture the girl who has managed to evade death for sixteen years._"_ Voldemort commanded, his crimson eyes glistening with blood lust.

The three Death Eaters and their Master apparated together in unison under the direction of Severus Snape to the Davis home secluded on a hill top deep within the English countryside. There were no wards protecting the home from invaders, allowing them to freely apparate wherever they wished. Not familiar with the layout, Snape ended up in the living room and was the first to arrive on scene only a split second ahead of the others.

His ebony eyes scanned the space, finding Darcey on the other side of the room near the fireplace looking stunned. He cast a nonverbal hex at her that knocked her to the ground, concealing her behind the couch as he had intended just as the others appeared in tendrils of thick, black smoke.

Darcey remained flat on her stomach, silently fumbling with the back pocket of her jeans where she normally kept her wand and to her horror found it empty. '_It must have fallen out when Snape stunned me.'_ She realized, glancing around her for any sign of the weapon while listening to the voices above her, the screaming of her sister, her father shouting at the intruders, her mother sobbing. _'What is Snape doing here and who else is here?'_ Darcey wondered, though she already knew the answer but did not want to believe it.

"Where is she? The little girl?" An unfamiliar, female voice demanded and Darcey prayed the Veritaserum had worn off her parents or else...

"What do you want with my family?" Her father asked, his voice firm and steady with courage and Darcey nearly sighed with relief.

"The itty, bitty Potter girl!" Spat the female voice. "Little Darcey," She called. "Come out, come out wherever you are!" She cackled madly.

"She's upstairs in her bedroom." Her brother lied, his voice just as calm and brave as their father's and Darcey was so proud of him not sure if she could have shown the same noble courage.

Darcey army crawled forward a few inches, very cautiously peering out from around the corner of the couch. From her vantage point she could see almost everyone. Roger and Tracey were still frozen at base of the steps with a man she knew from his mugshot in the Daily Prophet as Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father and a high ranking Death Eater.

He had his wand extended at Tracey's chest while the female Death Eater stalked Roger, gazing down at him with dark, hungry eyes. She looked vaguely familiar and Darcey was certain that she had seen her picture somewhere many times but could not place a name to the face. The deranged woman wore the same dingy prison jumpsuit as Lucius, her long, curly black hair appearing frizzy and matted with knots.

Snape was farthest from her standing in the corner near the Christmas tree, his wand pointed at her father's back who was standing above her between the two couches and beside the coffee table where their mugs of eggnog still sat hardly drunk. Darcey couldn't see her mother from her angle, including whoever was left to guard her, though she had a sinking feeling who...

"_The boy's lying. Kill him."_ Commanded a serpentine voice.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_ The female Death Eater shrieked without an ounce hesitation, clearly eager to attack her prey.

There was a blinding flash of green light as the curse struck down her brother. Roger turned instantly stiff and gray, his lifeless, steely blue eyes still open, wide with fear and gazing up at the ceiling. Tracey let out a shrill scream, crying out for their brother as she collapsed to her knees before him, desperately shaking him. "_Wake up! Roger, wake up!"_ She shouted, tears streaming down her face. Their mother was sobbing hysterically now, wailing "_No! Not my baby! Not my baby boy!"_

Darcey clamped her hand tightly over her mouth to keep herself from loudly crying out as tears spilled freely from her eyes, trailing down her blotchy, red cheeks. She stared silently at Roger's corpse a few feet away from her, her heart wrenching in pain and drumming with fierce adrenaline. Terror like she'd never felt before consumed her and the urge to flee became almost unbearable as her instincts went into the fight or flight mode, begging her to flee.

"Where is Darcey Potter?" The reptilian voice demanded again, causing their mother to sob even louder.

"We made a deal. You swore not to hurt my family if I cooperated with your men. I helped them infiltrate the prison. I gave you many of your followers back. We made a deal!" Her father protested causing the female witch to howl with laughter.

"I've done what you've asked of me under the agreement that no harm comes to my family. _Darcey is my daughter and you will stay the hell away from her_." Roger Davis Sr. warned, his body quivering with rage.

"_The girl does not share your blood. Give her to me and your wife and daughter will be spared. Keep her from me and watch as I destroy everything you've ever loved. You will perish along with your family Davis, unless you tell me where Darcey Potter lay hidden._" Voldemort threatened sending a shiver of fear down her spine, and although Darcey could not see the Dark Lord, she was certain that it was him who was holding her mother hostage. If she weren't so terrified she would have realized how disgustingly ironic it was that he faced her mother, Lily Potter sixteen years ago and now here he was facing her mother again in a new life.

Amelia Davis' sobs of despair were drowned out by the still humming Christmas carols playing in the background; otherwise the room was eerily quiet as her parents considered the Dark Lord's threat.

'_Would my family really betray me?' _Darcey began to panic but decided not to stick around long enough to find out. It was unfair of her to let them sacrifice themselves. She was just one life, and not worth the lives of four and besides it seemed they were on the verge of giving her away anyway. Her life, her mortal fate were now in their hands and the outcome was looking grimmer with each passing second as they considered their options. It was time for her to make a bold move, she needed to flee _now._

"Let my daughter and wife apparate and I'll tell you where Darcey is..." Her father reluctantly agreed, negotiating his terms with defeat laced in his normally strong voice.

There was another heavy silence as Voldmort absorbed her father's offer, his words left hanging in the air momentarily. There was a loud pop of static before the grossly cheerful and heavily out of place high note of Celestina Warbeck peaked through the room, singing their death anthem.

Darcey slowly and silently reached out her hand to the ceramic bowl of floo powder at the base of the fireplace, the loose, gray sand sifting between her fingers and onto the floor as she took a handful, preparing to leave.

Amelia finally appeared in her line of vision, walking slowly across the living room to meet Tracey at the base of the staircase, hugging her daughter tightly and pushing back a strand of her hair. Amelia looked at her husband for possibly the very last time and didn't dare risk a glance over in Darcey's direction.

"_I love you. I'm so sorry_..." Her mother sobbed, tears running down her beautiful face and the way she had said it lead Darcey to believe that she was not only addressing her husband, she was talking to her as well.

Amelia removed her wand from her scarlet and green apron, the apron she wore every year when she baked her homemade Christmas cookies. Darcey's heart clenched at the memory and all the other memories that followed, as her childhood seemed to flash instantly before her eyes. The pain she felt was unbearable, like nothing she have ever felt before and she never wanted to experience it again, the pain of losing those you love.

Darcey realized with dread in that moment that she would never see her home again. She would never see her family again and Roger was dead, long gone. It was all over now, the life she had known up to that point had ended and she would be reborn from the tragedy. From that day forward she would live a solitary life with nothing but the clothes on her back, for she could never come back here, it would be too obvious and Voldemort's men would already be here waiting for her return. In that moment everything she had ever loved and everything she had ever cherished had been ripped away from her. _She had_ _nothing to live for and nothing to lose and she vowed to destroy the man who took it all away from her. _

Just as she heard the soft pop of apparition that indicated her mother and sister were safely gone, Darcey rose to her feet and in one swift motion, with the floo powder in hand, she lunged for hearth.

"_Hogwarts!"_ She bellowed the name of her destination, the safest place she could think of. It was the only place Voldemort, for now, could not get a hold of her with the powerful wards Dumbledore had placed over the school.

A curtain of emerald flames consumed her just as a lethal, green curse barreled towards her and for a briefest of moments their eyes locked, her sapphire orbs meeting Voldemort's scarlet ones. She had never seen such terrifying eyes, everything about the man- _no not man, for the creature she saw was not human-_ was the embodiment of evil. A creature created from the darkest depths of hell. She would never forget those haunting, crimson eyes. The eyes of the man who destroyed her, took from her a past life as the daughter of James and Lily Potter and sister of Harry, and now took away her present life, killing her brother and forcing her family into a gut-wrenching position that they had no other choice than to betray her if they wanted to survive.

Darcey stumbled roughly from the Headmaster's fireplace, falling on her hands and knees and covered in soot. She was drenched in a cold sweat and her arms and legs shook violently in fear.

Gazing surreally ahead at the powder blue robes gliding towards her, she did not have the strength or the courage to move; therefore she didn't look up at him.

"_They're dead_." She stated numbly, her voice sounding foreign to her ears, it was oddly hollow.

Hot, salty tears spilt from her eyes as a pair of boney arms engulfed her, guiding her a nearby chair to sit.

"Harry, I want to see him, please." Darcey pleaded. Harry was the only family she had left apart from her adoptive mother and sister who had betrayed her, fled to Merlin onlt knows where knowing that she would die. So it was Harry now whom she needed to see. '_It had always been Harry…' _Darcey realized with guilt, regretting more than ever now her choice to turn her back on him.

* * *

"Now the truth, Draco." Said Lucius calmly, flicking a lock of ashen hair from his line of vision. "What do you know of the girl and why did she have your wand?"

"You've seen Darcey?_"_ Draco inquired quietly. "Is she dead?" He asked, his stomach lurching in fear.

"_No_." Lucius replied grudgingly just as two more figures entered the room, his aunt Bella and Snape dragging the pale, unconscious body of a man across the glossy, hardwood floor. His head lulled forward and long, shaggy hair concealed his face from them. They carried him downstairs to the cellar without a single word said and Draco was certain the man had to have been Darcey's father but he wasn't entirely sure.

"You're lucky I spotted your wand before the Dark Lord did, or else you'd be dead._"_ Lucius seethed from above him. "I pray you knew nothing of that girl's identity, Draco. Or else the Dark Lord will kill us all."

_"_I didn't know anything, I swear." Draco vowed with a visible shudder.

"You know that if you bring her here, you will be greatly rewarded by the Dark Lord..._" _Lucius hissed, bribing his son, his voice laced with desperation. Once more he had failed the Dark Lord, putting his family at risk but perhaps Draco could redeem them.

"It's crucial now that you complete your mission, Draco. You must kill Albus Dumbledore, and if you can, bring your friend over for supper." He stated cruelly.


	12. Chapter 12: The Burrow

Darcey peered up at the strangest house she'd ever seen. The house looked as if it had been pieced together from salvaged rubbish, leaning crooked and five stories tall. Multiply chimneys stuck out at odd angles, a wispy trail of gray smoke rising from each one.

Darcey paused to admire the deep orange and pink sunset. The skies had cleared, revealing the descending golden ball of light kissing the horizon where the sky and snow met. The beauty of the moment spoke deeply to Darcey, filling her soul momentarily with blissful peace. She longed to escape from reality and she was certain that if given the choice she could spend forever right there, gazing at the sunset, pretending nothing else existed. If only it were that easy to run away from everything she had faced that day.

A comforting arm wrapped around her shoulder, guiding her to the wonky house. On her way inside she read a sign sticking out of the snow marked '_The Burrow'._

Dumbledore rapped upon the door and after a small moment a ginger haired woman greeted them, smiling warmly at the pair and welcoming them out of the cold, bitter evening and into her home.

Dumbledore must have spoken to her before hand, informing her of the tragic circumstances that had brought them there and explaining who Darcey was and why she needed to see Harry, because the woman did not question their unannounced arrival.

Darcey was led inside as she peered around the cluttered kitchen. There was rubbish everywhere, the most random collection of artifacts Darcey had ever seen. She caught herself scowling when her eyes landed on the table with eight mismatched chairs, not a single one resembling the other in any way, shape or form. It looked like a junkyard rather than a home and Darcey wondered how anyone could stand to live like this.

"Hello, I'm Molly Weasley dear." The kind lady greeted, enthusiastically shaking Darcey's hand. She managed a small smile to be polite. "Darcey Dav-" Darcey stopped, suddenly remembering what her father had said about her adoption being unofficial and off record, therefore Davis wasn't really her last name. Darcey was never truly part of their family, just an orphan pretending to fit in. It was all pretend, her entire life.

"_Darcey, just Darcey._" She mumbled instead, releasing her warm hand.

Molly cast her a sympathetic look and already it seemed she knew far too much about her. She wondered how much Dumbledore told her and suddenly she was uncomfortable, disliking that she had been left in the dark.

"Harry's in the living room, I'll give you two some privacy." Molly offered as Darcey walked around the bend and into the equally mismatched living space. A cozy fire crackled in a small, iron hearth, bathing the space in warmth and light. Harry was seated on a hideous, saggy, olive-colored armchair and rose when he saw her, looking laughably stiff.

Both twins stood before each other awkwardly, Harry looking uncomfortable and Darcey looking oddly blank and sluggish.

She thought she'd feel relief upon seeing her twin, since he was now the only family she had left but she instead felt only hollow numbness, unable to decipher any emotion at all from within her. That couldn't be normal, she decided, there was surely something wrong with her. Perhaps she was just in shock.

Darcey invited herself to sit upon the mustard yellow, 1970's era couch, not caring anymore about anything at all and submitting in defeat to the numbing effects of desolate depression.

Death crossed her mind, whispering sweet nothings in her ear and trying to persuade her to give into the darkness she felt quickly consuming her. It engulfed her, leaving her empty and despondent. '_What is even left, really?'_ She wondered,_ 'What is left for me to live for?_ _Why am I still here? What's my purpose?'_

"Dumbledore said you wanted to see me..." Harry began after a moment when it was clear Darcey had no intention of speaking first.

"_I don't know why I'm here, Harry."_ Darcey admitted sadly, looking broken and forlorn.

A heavy silence clung between them as Harry's green eyes scanned over his sister's slumped form melting into the couch. She didn't meet his gaze, staring blankly at a spot on the opposite wall.

Finally she reached for the pocket of her pea coat, pulling out a small phial of clear liquid. She tipped the bottle to her chapped lips, swallowing some of the potion before stowing it away.

"_Veritaserum_." Darcey explained, still gazing at something she must have found incredibly interesting on the wall. "I was under the Imperius curse when I cursed Katie Bell." She added truthfully, finally peering over at her brother with dark, stormy eyes.

Harry stepped forward, meeting her on the couch and sitting cautiously beside her, his eyes narrowed firmly on her own. "Are you a Death Eater?" Harry asked.

"_No."_

"Is Malfoy a Death Eater?" He demanded next, his voice softening slightly now that he knew for certain that she wasn't a Death Eater also.

"_Yes._" Darcey answered honestly, feeling a twinge of guilt for betraying Draco's secret but she figured he had already known anyway and she couldn't lie under the effects of the truth serum, it was impossible to resist.

"Why did Dumbledore bring you here?" Harry finally asked, satisfied that the heaviest questions on his mind had been answered. He felt a bit more at ease around his sister now, not that this new information suddenly mended their dysfunctional relationship, but it was a start. He was still weary of her, remembering their prophecy and Dumbledore's grave warning at the beginning of the term not to get close to her. He knew he couldn't trust Darcey as far as he could throw her, but at least for now she seemed relatively harmless. Harry saw no reason why they couldn't talk, knowing Dumbledore wouldn't have brought her to him if he had felt it placed Harry in danger...

"Somebody told Voldemort who I am, that I'm your sister." Darcey replied, diverting her eyes to her hands, not wanting Harry to see her get choked up. She felt the hot tears stinging at her eyes, willing her to let go, but she valiantly fought against it. The numbness overcame her once more as she focused solely on her pale, slender fingers, examining the lines of her fingerprint, distracting her mind from the pain associated with the memory.

"They came to my house. Killed my brother, probably my father too. My mother and sister left me there to die. My father betrayed me. He was going to tell You-Know-Who where I was. I was hiding on the floor behind the couch, wandless. I don't know how I managed but I made it out alive. Took the floo network back to Hogwarts and Dumbledore found me. Brought me here to see you. _I wanted to see you_." Darcey clarified, getting straight to the point, not giving her mind a chance to linger. She didn't want to relive it. She didn't want to retell it. She just wanted desperately to forget it, but she knew that was impossible. The events of that tragic Christmas Eve would haunt her forever; already it had changed her. Darcey would never be the same, what was left of her innocence gone and now replaced with cold, unforgiving hatred. 'Voldemort_ will_ pay_.'_ She vowed, wanting to avenge herself and take back what was rightfully hers, her happiness, the happiness that he stole away from her. The only relief from the pain was vengeance, that was all that mattered now. She had nothing left to live for. Her anger drove her, pushing her to carry on and not give into the despair. The hope of living long enough to see that fucker die was her only life's ambition. She vowed to destroy him or destroy herself trying.

"_I want him dead."_ Darcey seethed, her lightless eyes gazing up at Harry, piercing through him.

"It has to be me." Said Harry. "Neither of us can live while the other survives and I have to be the one to do it. I have to kill him."

Darcey paused, reciting their prophecy in her head to be sure she understood it correctly. "It says I gain his favor, right? So I join him at some point, but what if I didn't _really_ join him, just pretended to like Snape. He's a Death Eater, but he's _good_. That could be me. I could fool him-" Darcey eagerly proposed, feeling reinvigorated, as if she suddenly had a purpose. She had been devastated when she first heard of her prophecy, she thought that she was destined to be evil but maybe Draco was right in that they really control their own fate. So, was it possible to rewrite hers?

"You would never fool Voldemort." Harry stated seriously, his face conveying his skepticism. "Snape's had years of experience playing both sides and still he doubts him. He'd see right through you and what would be the point in it anyway? If Snape's truly good, which I still have my doubts, then the Order already has him as a spy, why would they need another?" Harry gently pointed out.

"_Look._" He sighed, noticing the glare she was now giving him. He cast her a sympathetic look in return. He hadn't meant to offend her or crush her enthusiasm. "You've been through a lot today and you're coping. You're angry and you want revenge, but a week, a month, a year from now you may no longer feel that way. I think you should take some time and heal first before you go jumping into deciding which side to fight for." Harry advised, sounding much too wise for a sixteen-year-old boy. Darcey decided that he had been spending too much time under the wing of Albus Dumbledore, for he sounded just like him and she did not appreciate being talked to like she was some naïve little girl who didn't know what she was getting herself into. Darcey knew now what side she wanted to fight for, it was crystal clear who her enemy was and she wanted nothing more than to see him lose.

"You don't trust me." Darcey replied flatly, her cold eyes narrowing in anger. "That's why you don't want my help. You have this preconceived opinion of me, you and Dumbledore have interpreted the prophecy in only one way and you're being close-minded. You don't want to believe I'm capable of good, that maybe you both were wrong about me. You're letting your prejudice blind you."

"And quite honestly, I don't give a rats arse what you think of me. Whether or not you accept it we're fighting against Voldemort together, meaning we're _allies_." Darcey declared, rising from her seat. She had said what she needed to say to him but it seemed she was still alone in this war, a lone rebel. Harry and the Order wanted nothing to do with her, _fine_. She didn't need their approval to help destroy Voldemort anyway. Darcey was a clever and talented young witch, she would figure it out on her own what her role was. '_And I will have a role.' _She vowed.

Darcey returned to the kitchen, certain that Dumbledore and Mrs. Weasley had both overheard everything she had said and she was glad, the old fool needed to hear it. Someone had to knock him off his high horse. Darcey was determined to control her own destiny from now on and not let their opinions of her dictate who she would become in the future.

"I'm ready to leave whenever you are, sir." Darcey stated curtly, brushing past the Headmaster and waiting for him outside. It was nightfall and heavy darkness cloaked the land. A frosty gush of wind lashed out at her, whipping her hair around like tentacles. She shivered, clutching her wool coat tighter to her body for warmth as she glanced up at the twinkling, silver stars faintly visible above her. With a pang of comfort and sadness she remembered the story her mother had told her as a small child about the Christmas star atop their tree, allowing herself to believe it to be true for a moment. She imagined that star looking down upon her, pretending she was a carefree child again and wondering if Roger had become a star too, one of the billions of tiny, white dots littering the sky, all gazing down at her like celestial guardians.

'_Maybe our souls live on in the stars once our bodies fail us. Maybe Lily's up there, and James too.'_ Darcey allowed herself to indulge in the fantasy, and for a small moment she was no longer alone..

* * *

Only a handful of students remained at the castle during the holiday break, making the corridors eerily quiet. Darcey had never seen Hogwarts so deserted. Without the body heat of the hundreds of students living inside, the castle was extremely cold and uninviting.

Darcey curled up on one of the smooth, leather sofa's in the Slytherin common room. Wrapped in a thick, emerald quilt, she strained her eyes to read the words of the ancient tome her father had given her in the lightless, underground room.

The Bloody Baron, a medieval ghost that haunted the dungeon corridors, glided gracefully through the room. His wispy, white form stopping beside her as he silently peered over her shoulder and into the book she was reading.

"Careful child." A low, hoarse voice whispered near her ear. "It's near impossible to resist the pull of dark magic. Once it draws you in, you're a prisoner to it. You'll fall further and further drowning in its depths until it succeeds in destroying all that is pure within you."

Darcey shuddered, both from the icy air radiating from the phantom and his grave warning. She tilted her head up to look up at him, watching as his semi- transparent form glided straight through her. Her arms erupted in goose bumps at the unpleasant, chilling sensation of the ghost momentarily consuming her. She peered up into the gaunt, blank face, staring into a pair of silvery orbs belonging to the melancholy phantom. Her eyes trailed his robes, covered in silver blood.

As if reading her mind, picking up on her wicked intentions, he gestured to his blood stained robes. "_Murder rips the soul apart."_ The Baron hissed.

"What if the person you murdered deserved to die?" Darcey inquired with morbid curiosity.

"Such judgment isn't yours to make, child." The Bloody Baron seethed, angrily glaring down upon her.

Darcey deciphered the hidden message in his words, gathering from his appearance that he had committed an act of murder in his past life that he now deeply regretted. She glanced at the thick, pearly white chains shackled to his ankles. '_Perhaps he bears the chains as a symbol for his penitence._'

Still who was he but an undead, shadow of a man? Who was he to pass judgment onto her for the mistakes he had made many centuries ago?

"Neither is it your duty to pass judgment upon me for sins entirely your own." Darcey defended in an equally glacial tone.

The spirit and mortal glared daggers at each other, neither one intending to back down. Just then a shadowy figure approached them cloaked in the dim, greenish light of the room. The Bloody Baron finally departed, gliding away from the two students and disappearing through the thick dungeon wall.

"_Darcey, is that you?_" The figure inquired, stepping out from the shadows.

"_Theo? What are you doing here?_" Darcey asked in astonishment, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she finally recognized the figure as fellow sixth year, Theodore Nott.

Theo, as most everybody called him, moved to face the fireplace muttering "_Incendio"_ as fire shot from his wand, igniting the stack of dry logs. Instantly both light and heat engulfed the room, to which Darcey was grateful.

"Thank you. I haven't my wand." She supplied, closing her book shut and placing it on the couch cushion beside her.

Theo still didn't answer her, keeping to himself why he was there at the castle for the holiday break. Darcey assumed it had something to do with his elderly father, whom everyone knew was a high ranking Death Eater, and the absence of his mother, who most Slytherin's had also known passed away when Theo was a young boy.

Thoedore Nott, like Blaise Zabini was often an easy target for gossip. Zabini's widowed, veela mother being well known for the mysterious deaths of her husbands and inheriting their wealth once they died. Darcey supposed that now she would join the boys in the center of the rumor mill, she was sure word would travel quickly of the events that transpired that morning. She realized then that her classmates would know her true identity now, as Darcey…_Petunia was it?_ _What an ugly middle name_…Potter, twin to the Boy-Who-Lived.

"_'Secrets of the Darkest Art.'_ _That there's illegal_." Theodore said matter of fact his voice deeply intrigued as he eyed the front cover of the book lying beside her.

"_Is it?"_ Darcey wondered, raising her brow as she looked down upon the old, leather tome. "I hadn't known that._" _She admitted with peaked curiosity, clutching the book closer to her possessively.

"You hadn't known?" Theo parroted skeptically, casting her a look that said he thought she was barking mad. "How is it you managed to acquire such a rare and dangerous book?"

"My father." Darcey supplied honestly. "He gifted it to me._"_

"Lucky you then, that's an extremely valuable book amongst dark wizards. I wouldn't leave it lying around." He warned, hinting that it might get stolen.

A comfortable silence hung over them as Theo pulled from his robes a small, worn paperback book. It appeared to be an autobiography of Walterus White, a renowned Potion's Master of the nineteenth century and predecessor to Horace Slughorn who began teaching at Hogwarts in the late 1920's.

Darcey eyed the weedy boy across from her, deciding that he had been much cuter as a child, when she once had a school girl crush on him long ago, back when they were twelve. Puberty had done nothing good for him, leaving him lanky and weakly built, shooting up in height but not gaining any weight in muscle or fat. A few small blemishes littered his face but looking past all that he was still not an _unattractive _bloke. There were some handsome aspects to him like his intelligence, being known as a genius at Potions. His hair was easy to look at, dark and wavy, curling attractively at the ends, but his eyes, Darcey had loved his eyes from the moment she first saw them. The prettiest and lightest shade of green Darcey had ever seen, the color of spring.

She recalled his reaction when Pansy Parkinson had told him that she fancied him all those years ago. Theo had acted indifferent, not really caring one way or another if Darcey had liked him, but he made it quite clear he did not return the feelings.

Darcey had been mortified and a bit devastated, thinking there must have been something wrong with her until the same encounter happened to another girl the following year, and then the year after that and by their fifth year it was common knowledge that Theodore Nott, for whatever reason, didn't care for girls. He only held room in his heart for his studies.

Darcey reopened her book, deciding to stay and read for a while, enjoying Theo's silent company. In a way it reminded her of her study sessions with Draco. She realized then that she missed him, probably much more than she should have. Perhaps she was growing too attached to him. The longing she felt when he was gone was too strong. She shouldn't miss him this much… It wasn't healthy.


	13. Chapter 13: Apparition Lessons

_Monday, January 2nd 1997 _

The students of Hogwarts returned from their five day holiday break.

The first batch of Slytherins stepped out from the fireplace, one by one with a burst of emerald flames. Darcey decided against sticking around, not wanting to see Draco or her peers just yet. She was anxious to face him after his father showed up at her house to kill her, it made for an awkward conversation that Darcey was not eager to have. Not that she held his father's behavior against Draco, after all she had known both he and his father were Death Eaters, so it shouldn't have come as a shock to her to see Lucius Malfoy there…

No, if she were honest with herself that wasn't the real reason behind her avoidance of him. She was _scared_. Not of Draco's father, but of what his father had _told_ him. Had he turned Draco against her? Forbade him from being her friend? The thought saddened her for he was the only companion she had left with Tracey now gone.

Adding to the obstacles now coming between their friendship was the social peer pressure Draco was now bound to face as their pureblood classmates slowly became aware of Darcey's blood status as a half-blood. She had figured this much out when her father told her of her muggle uncle and aunt whom Harry lived with. So would he treat her differently, letting the prejudice instilled in him drive them apart? Would he hate her and find her disgusting to be around? She wasn't ready to find out just yet. She felt weak and vulnerable emotionally, still battling the effects of deep depression and she wasn't sure she could handle the loss of her only friend.

So instead, she headed to the seventh floor summoning the Room of Requirement with no real need, except to be alone, the room presented itself as it naturally appears with stacks of rubbish and lost magical artifacts filling it.

Darcey roamed the winding pathway, snaking through the mountains of clutter and examining random objects every now and then, looking for anything to distract herself with.

After some time she stumbled across a lone, bronze, ornate mirror. Shifting to stand before it she met a pair of murky, blue eyes staring blankly back at her. Her face looked even paler than usual, giving her a severe appearance as it clashed harshly against the darkness of her hair and robes. Her chestnut hair appeared lackluster and dull, hanging in tousled, dank waves cascading down to her breastbone. In short, she looked like hell.

Her reflection smiled wickedly back at her, having a sinister quality to it as she radiated an air of arrogant pride and a grandiose sense of power.

Darcey brushed her fingertips gently against her lips, feeling that her mouth was indeed still closed and noticed that her reflection did not move to mimic her actions, explaining why they shared different facial expressions and physical qualities.

Darcey's eyes slowly trailed down the clone of herself in the mirror, noticing the sticky, fresh bloodstains on her robes, splattered in dots upon the exposed part of her chest, neck and face. Her hand were covered in bright, gooey blood and clutched either side of a severed human head.

She gazed fearlessly at the decapitated, hairless head of a man, his skin gray with decay and crimson eyes shut peacefully. Dangling from his neck were gruesome severed veins and stringy bits of tissue dripping with wet blood. The decapitated head belonged to none other than Lord Voldemort.

Darcey did not scream or run away as any normal person would after seeing such a horrific image of themselves and instead stayed frozen, oddly calm as she stared blankly back at her reflection, memorizing every detail. Excitement bubbled within her, a sort of blood lust that she should have found disturbing, but didn't. Instead she felt utterly giddy with happiness, for this was her deepest, darkest desire.

* * *

"Have you seen the front page of the Prophet?" Inquired Blaise Zabini standing beside Draco Malfoy. The two boys were gathered in their dormitory, unloading their trunks.

"No I haven't." Replied Draco, craning his head to get a closer look, mildly curious.

"Murder on Christmas Eve, Roger Davis Jr. found dead at the scene of the crime in the living room of the Davis home. The mortician confirmed Friday that the killing curse had been used against the young victim. Surviving family members have mysteriously gone missing, for the exception of adopted daughter, Darcey Davis, who currently resides at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizard as confirmed on Friday by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Darcey Davis awaits further questioning by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic for any knowledge she may have in regard to the murder of her brother... " Blaise trailed off as Draco peered down at the moving photograph of two Aurors carrying on a stretcher the dead body of a boy, cloaked in a white sheet, out from Darcey's home.

"Seems a bit strange doesn't it?" Proposed Blaise, implying that it looked suspicious that her brother was dead and her entire adoptive family missing, yet here she was at school unharmed.

Draco decided that he'd heard enough, refusing to entertain the idea that Zabini was implying. He left to seek out Darcey feeling the overwhelming urge to speak with her. There was so much he needed to discuss with her and he was sure she was really missing her wand.

Draco didn't find her in the common room and after inquiring with her dorm mates her whereabouts, Daphne Greengrass confirmed that she was not in the girl's dormitory. There could only be one other place she would go, knowing her need to be alone, she wouldn't go to the library, she never did. No, she would go someplace she'd be promised solitude, the place Draco often disappeared to for the very same reason.

He summoned the Room of Requirement and eventually discovered Darcey sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of a full-length mirror.

"_Darcey_." Draco hissed, slicing through the silence and gaining the attention of his friend. She quickly rose to greet him, looking a bit awkward and stiff. She didn't look too thrilled to see him, Draco noticed, and couldn't help but sense that he'd just intruded upon something sacred.

"_Hi_." She quietly replied. Draco examined her terrible appearance, not that she looked unattractive, just ill. She was ghostly pale, her hair looked as if it hadn't been combed in days, worse than its usual state of disarray. Her robes were severely wrinkled and her eyes stared blankly back at him, almost glazed and darker than usual, a deep, stormy blue.

"I believe I have something of yours, figured you'd be eager to get it back. " Draco made an attempt at breaking the ice and pulled from his cloak her sleek, holly wand.

She took it gratefully, admiring it for a small moment before she stowed it wordlessly away. The air was still thick between them and Draco made the decision to just get on with it, not caring much for small talk anyway.

"My father found my wand at your home, but wouldn't tell me much of what happened other than you escaped… Feel up to talking about it?" Draco inquired, inwardly dying to know in her words what had happened on Christmas Eve.

Darcey let out a melancholy sigh, plopping herself down ungracefully in a nearby armchair, the paisley fabric infested with moth holes. A small cloud of dust rose into the air with her movement, which caused her to violently sneeze.

When she recovered control of her sinuses she confided, with an impressively steady voice, everything that transpired that day.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Draco supplied a bit disingenuously. Draco was notably horrible at open displays of comfort, not having the delicacy for it, but Darcey didn't seem at all bothered by this, and if she were she didn't voice it.

"Thanks." She replied flatly, staring blankly down at her pale, entwined hands.

"I went to the Burrow." She stated after a long moment. "Ron Weasley's house, to see my brother." She explained after Draco gave her a questioning look.

Draco scowled at the mention of both Potter and Weasley but remained silent, deciding now was not the time to insult them.

As if sensing this she added, "They live in a hog pen. Literally, a_ hog pen_ built upwards four or five stories tall and leaning dangerously. I'm certain it was held together by magic. Don't get me wrong, Weasley's mum seemed nice and all but their home…" Darcey shuddered at the memory. "It was filled to the brim with rubbish, like nothing I've ever seen before."

"Doesn't surprise me at all." Draco scowled. "What with how disgustingly poor Weasley is. He can hardly afford a pot to piss in, let alone a decent home."

"Anyway." Darcey refocused them, realizing that she'd diverted off topic. "I spoke to Harry. Told him everything that happened. Seems Dumbledore's brainwashed him into distrusting me. Apparently I'm an evil Death Eater. I even took the Veristaserum for good measure, to make a point. _By the way he knows you're a Death Eater, sorry about that._" Darcey confessed sheepishly.

"Great." Draco groaned. "Just what I need Potter up my arse more than usual."

"I said I'm sorry." Darcey replied pointedly.

"Back to point." She continued. "I even offered to join him. Help him fight against Voldemort-"

"_Don't say his name_." Draco shuddered.

"Fine you pansy, _the Dark Lord_" She rolled her eyes in annoyance at him. "I offered to help him but he wasn't interested. Basically said I was rushing into it and that I would change my mind down the line."

"Don't do that." Draco commanded. "Those brave-happy fools will only manage to get themselves killed. There's no way Potter can beat him, I've seen first hand what the Dark Lord is capable of. He's powerful, like nothing you could ever imagine. He's practically immortal. Potter doesn't stand a chance. _Stay with me."_ Draco said seriously.

_"I am_. I've decided to fight against my brother as revenge for his rejection." Darcey lied, knowing that it was in both their best interest if Draco was kept in the dark about Darcey's desire for vengeance against Voldemort. This way he could help her get close to her enemy without risking his life or being tempted to betray her and if the Dark Lord probed his mind he wouldn't find anything if Draco believed fully that Darcey fostered no malicious intent. Darcey felt a bit guilty using him to get her foot in the door but found it impossible to fully trust anyone after her parent's stunt last week, she was sure she'd never make the same mistake again of believing that anyone was capable of truly loving her.

"The Dark Lord won't believe you, he'll think your fighting for the Order no matter what you say. You'd have to do something drastic to convince him that you're loyal to him." Draco pointed out.

"Like what exactly?"

"Something impressive. To prove you're valuable. _Like killing an Auror_." Draco suggested.

"Maybe. I'll worry about that part later, for now I don't want to think about this war any longer. I have enough on my plate already." Darcey frowned with a soft sigh, pushing a tangled lock of hair from her eyes.

Draco tinkered with a nearby set of brass scales, comparing the weight of random things, such as a tarnished, gold locket and broken wristwatch, the wristwatch won.

"Care to share?" Draco asked, still tinkering.

"Well for starters I haven't any clothes. My trunk is at home and my only possessions are the things I've kept here at school, my uniform, robes and books. Besides that I have one outfit, my coat and a few galleons left over from Hogsmeade. I also have no idea where I'll be staying when school lets out over the summer and I'm sure the Ministry is going to question me about what happened and I'm not sure what I'm going to tell them yet. It would be unwise to tell the truth, right? I mean wouldn't that piss off Voldemort if I rat him out?" Darcey confided.

"_Quit saying that_." Draco growled, turning around to ensure Darcey saw him glaring.

"Oi! Shut it, will you? Just answer the bloody question_."_ Darcey snapped back irritably.

"I don't know, honestly. " Draco admitted, his mouth forming a hard, thin line as he pondered the possible outcomes. "If it were I, I'd just let them read my mind like they're bound to do. It's standard procedure and the Dark Lord couldn't blame you if they forced the truth from you." Draco reasoned.

"Okay, I suppose I'll just do that then." She decided.

Draco quickly grew bored with the scales and moved on to the mirror instead, wondering what Darcey had found so intriguing about it. Unless she was just vain, but Draco had never once gotten that sort of impression from her. She seemed down to earth, unlike her superficial peers.

Draco caught a glimpse of his reflection, gasping in surprise and staggering back a few feet, nearly toppling over a nearby pile of rubbish in the process of regaining his footing. He was at first caught off guard by the reflection of himself, standing before the stiff, lifeless corpse of the Headmaster, looking proud and smug with success. It was his deepest desire, to complete his mission and gain the Dark Lord's favor.

"I don't know for certain, but I believe it depicts our deepest longings." Darcey quietly supplied from beside him, watching intently as Draco gazed into the mirror.

"Come on, you'll never look away unless I make you." Said Darcey, gently leading him away. "I was looking at myself all morning, lucky you arrived." She added lightly, though there was nothing light hearted about her deepest longing. It was completely demented.

* * *

**NOTICE APPARITION LESSONS:**

_If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen in or before the 31__st__ of August next, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate. Cost 12 Galleons._

The Slytheryn sixth years gathered around the notice board posted in the common room, pushing and shoving their way up front to be the first to sign. Darcey waited patiently in the very rear of the crowd near Theodore Nott and most of the girl's who could not compete with the rough housing of the boys.

After waiting a max of fifteen seconds, Draco grew inpatient. Lacing his fingers with Darcey's, he lead them through the crowd, shoving people roughly aside. "Out of my way you filthy wankers!_"_ He barked.

"Excuse me. Pardon. _Erm_\- Sorry._"_ Darcey blushed, muttering sheepish apologies to the boys whom they nearly trampled over.

Once up front Darcey quickly signed her name in wide, loopy letters. Draco signed beneath her name, after she passes him the quill, signing neatly his narrow signature.

Draco intertwined their hands once more as they backtracked through the parted crowd and Darcey relished the warmth of their hands together, enjoying the tingling sensation radiating up her arm at the small contact.

A few days later they assembled in the Great Hall for their first lesson in Apparition. Turbulent, dark, purple storm clouds rolled in above them through the bewitched ceiling. Rain lashed violently against the windows of the Great Hall as low thundered roared in the distance and flashes of lightning briefly illuminated the sky.

A semi-transparent man stood at the front of the Hall with the four Heads of Houses, looking paper-like as if he were to blow away at any second. Darcey assumed he was semi-transparent from all the disappearing and reappearing he'd done as an Apparition instructor over the years. Professor McGonagall called for quiet as the chatter in the Great Hall lowered to a less obnoxious level.

"What happened to your sister, Davis?" hissed Pansy from behind her. Darcey pivoted around to face the witch.

"It's awfully odd that you're here after your entire family goes off missing and your brother dies. Yet, you don't look the least bit distraught." Pansy rudely observed.

"Pathetic you have nothing better to do than to gage how distraught I am." Darcey countered with narrowed, blue eyes. Not in the mood to deal with the bully.

"I wouldn't pick fights with this one." Stepped in Draco with a wicked grin plastered to his face. "Or you might be next to turn up missing." He said darkly.

"Malfoy, be quiet and pay attention!" McGonagall barked from the front of the room as Darcey, Draco and Pansy became aware that the lesson had started. All of year six peered back at the group of Slytherins being scolded, specifically Draco Malfoy whose face flushed a dull pink with embarrassment. Draco sulked, silently seething as the instructor continued.

"I would like each of you to place yourselves now so that you have a clear five feet of space in front of you."

The students scrambled into position, bumping and shoving into one another as they separated. Pansy purposely smacked hard into her shoulder, casting her a deep scowl that made her look extremely unattractive.

The teachers moved along the crooked row of students, marshaling them into proper lines and checking to ensure that there was adequate space between them. Darcey spotted easily Harry's shock of black hair as he slyly snuck behind Draco who was standing to her right having a hushed argument with Crabbe who was directly in front of him.

"I don't know how much longer, all right?" Malfoy shot at him, looking mutinous. "It's taking longer than I thought."

Vincent opened his mouth to speak but Draco interrupted him, ignoring Darcey who had reached out a hand to nudge him, attempting to get him to shut up.

"Look, it's none of your business what I'm doing, Crabbe, you and Goyle just do as you're told and keep a lookout!"

"I tell my friends what I'm up to, if I want them to keep a lookout for me." Spoke up Harry slyly from five feet behind them.

Draco spun around, drawing his wand just as the four Heads of Houses called out for everyone to be quiet. Silence fell over the room as Draco reluctantly turned back around to face the front, casting Darcey a glare as if she was to blame for being unable to control her brother.

"Thank you, now then…" Began the instructor, whom Darcey still hadn't caught his name. He waved his short wand and old-fashioned, wooden hoops instantly appeared on the ground in front of each student.

"The important things to remember when Apparating are the three D's! _Destination, Determination, and Deliberation!_" Declared the instructor.

"He forgot _Dick Eating_." Draco sneered beneath his breath, causing Darcey to snort out obnoxiously in laughter. The two exchanged an amused grin of appreciation as the instructor continued.

"Step one: Fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination, in this case, the interior of your hoop. Kindly concentrate upon that destination now."

Darcey observed the students around her, including her brother, to be sure that she wasn't the only one gazing stupidly into her hoop. Harry's bright green eyes locked with her blue ones from behind a pair of round spectacles. Darcey stared blankly back at him, her expression unreadable before turning back around.

She peered down into her hoop but found it difficult to concentrate with Draco's snide remark still echoing through her head, causing her to smirk as she suppressed the urge to grin.

'_Destination, Determination… what was the last D?'_ Darcey faintly wondered, mentally scolding herself for not paying closer attention.

_"Step two: focus your determination to occupy the visualized space! Let your yearning to enter it-"_ At that Draco and Crabbe sniggered, their minds still in the gutter. Darcey rolled her eyes at them, still smirking in amusement. "-_Flood from your mind to every particle of your body!" _

Darcey noticed Pansy a few rows over, concentrating so hard on her hoop that her face had flushed a fierce scarlet and her body was literally quivering as if she were a volcano on the verge of erupting.

Darcey refocused once again, staring back down into her hoop and attempting to take the lesson seriously. So far she'd been goofing off and paying zero attention to the task at hand. She cleared her mind to the best of her abilities as she exhaled a deep, calming breath, envisioning herself standing in the centre of the hoop.

"Step three!" The instructor called. "And only when I give the command… Turn on the spot, feeling your way into nothingness, moving with _deliberation!_"

_'That was the third D, Deliberation!'_ Darcey mentally exclaimed.

"On my command, now… One-two-three!"

Darcey focused hard, closing her eyes shut tight and imagining herself reappearing five feet away inside her hoop, but to her disappointment nothing occurred.

Daphne Greengrass who stood directly in front of Darcey, did a sort of a graceful ballerina leap into the center of her hoop, boasting happily '_Look I've done it!'_ Before realizing her mistake. She sulked as Pansy and Millicent shared a hearty laugh at her expense. _"Sod off!"_ The pretty blonde growled, failing miserably at her attempt to appear intimidating like her friends.

Crabbe staggered like a drunkard. Malfoy, like Darcey remained frozen still standing where he started. Neville Longbottom, a few rows to the right was lying flat on his arse. Ernie McMillan, a snobbish Hufflepuff boy with a permanently upturned nose, did the same sort of ballet leap as Daphne, looking thrilled at his apparent success until he caught sight of Gryffindor Dean Thomas and his friend Seamus roaring together in laughter at him. He hastily straightened his robes, brushing off the invisible lint as he regained himself, trying quite hard to appear buff and masculine which only made him look more ridiculous.

"Never mind, never mind." Came the instructor's dry voice. "Adjust your hoops, please, and back to your original positions…"

The second, third, and fourth attempts weren't any better. Darcey still stood frozen five feet away from her hoop, growing frustrated with her lack of success. She was normally quite gifted, so her failure threw her through a loop, no pun intended.

It wasn't until the fifth try that something exciting happened. Across the room a redheaded Hufflepuff girl, Susan Bones stood shrieking on one foot, wobbling in her hoop with her bloody, severed leg lying five feet away where she had originally started. Frightened gasps and cries for help resounded from nearby onlookers as Professor Sprout and Professor Snape quickly gathered up the wailing girl and reunited her with her leg. Professor Snape poured a clear potion on the wound that hissed and smoked like acid before rejoining the leg bone with her hip socket and healing the sliced skin. They then proceeded to escort Bones from the Great Hall and to the Hospital Wing to be looked over further by proper healers.

With the flick of his wand Professor Flitwick vanished the pool of her bright red blood.

"Splinching, or the separation of random limbs occurs when the mind is insufficiently _determined_. You must concentrate continuously upon your _destination_, and move, without haste, but with _deliberation_…" Calmly explained the instructor, as if a scene so horrifying was a daily occurrence in his field of work. Most of the students looked ghastly pale, obviously terrified and not eager to continue on with the Apparition lessons after seeing their classmate splinched.

"Thus remember the three D's." Said the Instructor. "Until next Saturday, everybody, and do not forget: _Destination. Determination. Deliberation_." He dismissed them and with the flick of his wand the hoops vanished as he walked out of the Great Hall accompanied by Professor McGonagall.

The students erupted in noisy chatter as they made their way to the Entrance Hall and back to their designated common rooms.

"Well, that was entertaining." Declared Draco, once they were in the dungeons.

"Hardly." Darcey frowned. "I'm sure that must have been horribly unpleasant._"_

"_Eh._" Draco shrugged indifferently. "Maybe, but it was still a decent show." He smirked.

"You have a morbid sense of humor." Darcey deadpanned before stating the password. "_Dragon Heartstring_"

The seemingly ordinary stone wall shifted to reveal a hidden iron door as the Slytherins entered their common room.

As soon as Darcey stepped inside she was approached by a snotty little first year that looked irritated at being used as a messenger.

"Dumbledore wants to see you in his office." Relayed the boy, leaving her alone once he had delivered the message and trotting back over to his group of friends.

"It's probably the Aurors here to interrogate me." Darcey whined, not feeling in the mood to deal with them just yet. "Come with me, please." She begged, clutching Draco's arm as if she was prepared to drag him along with her regardless of what he answered.

"You know I can't go in there." Draco replied obviously, as if she was stupid for thinking otherwise.

"I know that." Darcey snapped irritably. "Just wait outside. It will help knowing that you're out there." Darcey explained in a kinder tone.

Draco's gray eyes softened as he peered blankly down at her, his expression difficult to read. After a moment he stiffly nodded, allowing Darcey to whisk him away.

* * *

Darcey stood before Dumbledore and two Ministry officials, who looked nothing like Aurors in her opinion. One being a tall, sallow faced man, with a grayish complexion and shoulder-length wavy brown hair. He reminded her of Sanguini, the vampire she met a few weeks ago at Slughorn's Christmas party.

The other was a short, plump woman adorned in cotton candy pink robes with a disgustingly sweet smile plastered to her face. Her dark, brown eyes glistened wickedly at the sight of Darcey and she finally recognized her as Dolores Umbridge, the previous Co-Headmistress from the year prior, sent by the Ministry of Magic to keep an eye on Dumbledore. She was a foul woman whom Darcey was thankful she hadn't spent much time with other than her overseeing their classes and patrolling the corridors, enforcing strict new rules that Darcey found to be utterly ridiculous. Such as, students were forbidden to stand no closer than 24 inches from one another at all times.

"What's going on?" Darcey asked calmly, making an effort to mask the anxiety she was feeling.

"Darcey, may I introduce to you the new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour and his secretary, whom you may recognize from last year as Dolores Umbridge. They are here to discuss with you the specifics of your adoption." Dumbledore explained gently, attempting to reassure her that she had nothing to fear. Everything would be alright.

Darcey took a seat in an empty chair near his desk, peering up at the Minister of Magic who proceeded to tell her, much less gently, that her adoption records were absent from the Ministry archives and that Albus Dumbledore had taken full responsibility and blame for her illegal adoption.

"So what does this mean exactly?" Darcey replied slowly, trying to follow him.

"Your birth certificate identifies you as Darcey Petunia Potter. Your birth mother and father, Lilly and James Potter are deceased, placing you under the guardianship of your surviving uncle and aunt, Vernon and Petunia Dursley residing at Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, England. You will be staying with them during the summer until you become of legal age on your seventeenth birthday. After which, you are no longer a minor, therefore are not required to have guardianship."

"_You're sending me to live with muggles!"_ Darcey wailed in objection, clearly horrified by her future living arrangements.

"Yes, just over the summer. After your birthday you're free to live wherever you please." The Minister restated coldly, appearing indifferent to Darcey's protest. It was clear he didn't care at all about how she felt. She had zero say in the matter.

Darcey clenched her fists into balls beside her, silently seething as she glared up at Scrimgeour.

"Also there's the matter over Christmas…" Scrimgeour continued as a shadowy figure emerged from the doorway. Darcey hadn't even realized the burly man was there.

Auror Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody darted in front of her, his wand drawn to press against her temple. Darcey stiffened in her chair; visibly resisting the urge to reach for her wand, knowing it'd be unwise to fight him.

He performed Legilimency on her, easily invading her mind and retrieving from it the raw memory. He then guided the wispy, pearly-white strand of memory from her temple, trapping it in a clear, glass phial that he stowed away in his pocket.

"That'll do then." Announced the strawberry-blond haired Auror, his mad eye rotating violently, whirling in every direction simultaneously.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Potter. You are now free to go." Scrimgeour curtly dismissed.

Darcey didn't hesitate to bolt from the room, eager to get as far away from the lot of them as possible.

With the shock of what had happened, Darcey had almost completely forgotten that Draco was still waiting for her in the corridor. Relief soon flooded her upon seeing him and she wad glad in that moment that she wasn't alone.

Darcey wordlessly engulfed him in a tight, long hug, burying her face into the crook where his shoulder and neck met. He staggered back slightly at the force of her embrace before snaking his arms around her waist once he was steadied and hugged her back.

"Is everything alright?" He asked in alarm from above her, though inwardly enjoyed the warmth of her body pressed so tightly against his.

A familiar scent, spicy, slightly musky and masculine filled her nostrils as she caught whiff of Draco's cologne. She tried desperately to recall where she had smelled the cologne before, knowing she had never been close enough to him to smell it until now. It was then she remembered the love potion in Slughorn's classroom during their first week of term. She hadn't known it back then, but the spicy, musky aroma she had smelled was Draco. Darcey felt herself blushing at the sudden realization, before pulling herself gently away from him.

Draco smirked when he caught sight of her rosy cheeks, feeling pleased with the effect he had upon her.

As they walked down into the dungeons Darcey told him of her meeting with the Headmaster, Rufus Scrimgeour, Dolores Umbridge and Alastor Moody. Draco scowled when she reached to the part about being forced to live amongst _muggles, _agreeing that it was entirely unfair.

* * *

Later in her dorm, Darcey held a hushed conversation with Daphne Greengrass, her sister's best friend. The blonde had timidly approached Darcey, finally mustering the courage to ask her meekly if the things printed in the Daily Prophet were true.

The two girls sat cross-legged facing each other, dressed in their pajamas on Darcey's cot beneath one of the gloomy portholes.

Darcey told her everything, knowing she was bound to find out sooner or later when the press released the details of her memory under the investigation of the Ministry. The whole school would soon be buzzing with news of the Dark Lord coming after Harry Potter's twin sister and they'd say _'who knew Potter's twin was Slytherin's very own reclusive bookworm, Darcey Davis, now Darcey Potter, because in other news- her family had never adopted her and blimey! Who knew she'd been a half-blood orphan all this time?'_

Darcey wasn't sure what kind of reaction to anticipate from Daphne, but genuine kindness and concern wasn't what she had expected. Daphne's powder blue eyes glistened with sadness upon hearing her housemate's news.

"Blimey… That must have been a lot to take in. How are you holding up?" Daphne inquired quietly, resting her hand on Darcey's knee in a comforting gesture.

Darcey shrugged, putting on a mask of indifference, hiding her emotions and refusing to open herself up so vulnerably and risk crying in front of her dorm mate. "I'm hanging in there." Darcey managed, looking down at her pale hands. "I just really miss them… It's especially strange not seeing Tracey here anymore… It's difficult, like a constant reminder that she's gone and they've abandoned me..."

"They were scared is all, they weren't thinking clearly. I'm sure they'll come back for you once they realize their mistake. Tracey loved you, I'm certain she's missing you terribly." Daphne did her best to console her.

"I honestly dunno that I could forgive them for it even if they did return." Darcey admitted darkly.

"Just like them, you'll come around eventually." The girl reassured her with a rare, warm smile.

"Maybe." Darcey offered in order to make Daphne feel better, knowing that deep down she would forever hold a grudge against her adoptive family, one that was impossible to mend even with time.

"Also try not to let Pansy get under your skin, she's devastated; she was Tracey's friend too, as you know. She's feeling bitter that it was you who returned to Hogwarts and not your sister. She's unfairly lashing out at you as her way of grieving. So don't take it too hard. She'll come around after she's done sulking." Daphne supplied. Her words doing nothing to make Darcey feel compassion for the pug-faced prat; in fact the explanation only succeeding in angering her more so. '_Who the hell is Parkinson to make my life miserable because she's bloody 'grieving'? Doesn't she know I'm grieving too and it's much harder for me than it is for her, being Tracey was my sister! For Merlin's sake could the wench be anymore narcissistic?_' Darcey mentally seethed.

"Well goodnight, Darcey." Daphne bid her farewell with a small smile before padding quietly back over to her cot on the other side of the dormitory. Darcey slid beneath the cool, crisp sheets of her bed, pulling the thick, emerald quilt up to her neck as she turned on her side. She allowed a restless sleep to overcome her, submerging her into a chain of gruesome nightmares.


	14. Chapter 14: Occlumency & Snogging

Darcey sat in the library at a lone table near the window. Sleet melted against the glass, sliding down in condensation. The wintry, gray skies were overcast and the frigid, February wind howled ominously.

Surrounded by multiple opened tomes sat one lonely Slytherin. Dark, purple circles rings encircled her eyes, giving her the appearance of having not slept in days. Her chestnut hair curled out at every which angle, making her look like the witches locked away in Azkaban, gone mad with insanity.

Darcey brushed back the messy locks of hair that keep falling into her line of vision, sighing in deep frustration while closing the sixth book she had skimmed through, still not able to find what she had been looking for.

"What are you doing here?" Asked a familiar male voice from above her.

Darcey glanced up at the handsome blond with pointed features and stunning, pale, gray eyes. Slung over his shoulder was his dragon-hide satchel and standing meekly behind him were two nervous looking girls dressed in Slytherin robes though Darcey didn't recall their names.

"Who are they?" Darcey rudely inquired, not even making an attempt to sound friendly.

"Who?" Draco asked in clear confusion, raising a light brow while pivoting to have a look over his shoulder.

"Oh, don't worry about these two." He gestured casually. "Friends of mine, helping me with a small project." He explained offhandedly as if he had forgotten the girls were even there before turning back to face Darcey and once more ignoring their looming presence.

Darcey eyed them suspiciously, taking note that one of them appeared to be blushing at her. Her gaze narrowed slightly before returning to Draco who was now nosily scanning one of her books.

"Occlumency?" He asked curiously. "What about it?"

"What do you mean '_What about it?'_ I want to learn it, of course." Darcey irritably snapped. Gathering up the useless books and returning them by hand to the bookshelf behind her.

"Why not just use your wand?" Draco didn't fail to criticize, scrunching up his nose in disgust as if he were far too superior to participate in such menial labor.

"It's only _right there_." Darcey replied as if he were being an idiot. Feeling that it'd be stupid to waste her valuable magic on such a mundane task.

"So, you're interested in learning Occlumency?" He redirected their conversation after a moment as Darcey finished putting away the books and slung her worn, leather satchel over her boney shoulder.

"Haven't I already answered that?_"_ Darcey snapped again, still in a foul mood from her lack of successful research on the subject. What she wanted to know seemed impossible to find in books, she wanted step-by-step instructions on how she could teach herself Occlumency but in everything she had read thus far it said the learner needed an _instructor _to teach them.

Draco and his two female puppets trailed wordlessly behind her as she left the library. Her free period had ended and her next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Snape, whom she'd been meaning to talk to about the incident on Christmas Eve but had yet to muster up the courage to confront him, afraid to bring up the tender subject for fear of the negative emotions that would surely stir within her.

So far Darcey had been winning the battle against her almost debilitating depression. Forcing it down deep inside her in that dark, reclusive place that she avoided ever revisiting. Instead of moping around and feeling sorry for herself, she decided to take control of her life, using the emotional pain to her advantage, letting it fuel her towards her greatest ambition to vanquish the Dark Lord. A tragedy intended to destroy her had instead strengthened her, giving her life a sense of real purpose and direction. Ironically, she should be thanking Voldemort for making her a more powerful threat.

Darcey took her assigned seat next to Blaise Zabini in DADA, noticing the absence of the two burly Slytherins normally sitting in front of her, obscuring her view of the chalkboard.

Snape glided majestically into class, his ebony robes billowing behind him. "Before we start, I want your dementor essays." He lazily drawled.

Just then a sweating and panting out of breath Crabbe and Goyle duo burst through the door. Snape ignored them completely as he wordlessly continued to collect their essays with the flick of his wand. A moment later Harry Potter came through the door.

"Late again, Potter." Observed Professor Snape coldly. "Ten points from Gryffindor."

Crabbe and Goyle shared a smug chuckle from in front of her.

Harry scowled at Professor Snape, before roughly flinging himself down into his seat on the Gryffindor side of the room next to Ronald Weasley.

Snape resumed addressing the classroom as a whole, "And I hope for your sakes they are better than the tripe I had to endure on resisting the Imperius Curse. Now, if you will all open your books to page- _what is it, Mr. Finnigan?" _He asked in annoyance.

"Sir," Said Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan. "I've been wondering, how do you tell the difference between an Inferius and a ghost? Because there was something in the paper about an Inferius-"

"No, there wasn't." Interrupted Snape flatly. Darcey's interest peaked as she wondered what they were discussing, having stopped reading the paper after Rita Skeeter's articles printed about her Father over the previous summer.

"But sir, I heard people talking-"

"If you had actually read the article in question, Mr. Finnigan, you would have known that the so-called Inferius was nothing but a smelly sneak thief by the name of Mundungus Fletcher." Snape explained coldly.

"But Potter seems to have a lot to say on the subject." said Snape pointing suddenly towards the back of the room, his dark eyes fixated on Harry who seemed to have been muttering something beneath his breath to Weasley. "Let us ask Potter how we would tell the difference between an Inferius and ghost."

"_Er- _well, ghosts are transparent._"_ Said Harry.

"_Oh, very good."_ Came Snape, his lip curling into a mocking smile. "Yes, it is easy to see that nearly six years of magical education have not been wasted on you, Potter. '_Ghosts are transparent._'" He scoffed.

Pansy Parkinson let out an obnoxious giggle and Darcey noticed Blaise Zabini next to her smirking along with several other Slytherins including Malfoy.

"Yeah, ghosts are transparent, but Inferi are dead bodies, aren't they? So they'd be solid-" Harry calmly clarified but Darcey could see his emerald eyes flashing with anger.

"A five-year-old could have told us as much," Snape sneered. "The Inferius is a corpse that has been reanimated by a Dark wizard's spells. It is not alive; it is merely used like a puppet to do the wizard's bidding. A ghost, as I trust that you are all aware by now, is the imprint of a departed soul left upon the earth… and of course, as Potter so wisely tells us, _transparent_."

"Well, what Harry said is the most useful if we're trying to tell them apart!" Defended Ronald Weasley. "When we come face-to-face with one down a dark alley, we're not going to be asking, '_Excuse me, are you the imprint of a departed soul?'_"

There was a ripple of laughter from the Gryffindor side of the classroom and Darcey smirked along with them, suppressing the urge to grin at the Gryffindor's funny comment. Her sense of humor held no prejudice. Their laughter quickly faltered at the death glare Professor Snape's cast the lot of them.

"Another ten points from Gryffindor." Snape snarled. "I would expect nothing more sophisticated from you, Ronald Weasley, the boy so solid he cannot Apparate half an inch across a room." Once more Darcey chuckled, this time with her housemates.

Harry opened his mouth in protest but Granger seemed to stop him, reaching for his arm and muttering something beneath her breath that seemed to hold him back from arguing with Snape.

"Now open your books to page two hundred and thirteen and read the first two paragraphs on the Cruciatus Curse…"

Darcey rummaged in her bag for her textbook. When she turned back up she noticed an elegant origami swan perched in the center of her desk. She peered around the room to ensure that Snape was thoroughly distracted before carefully unfolding the parchment. She realized that it was a note from Draco.

_'Meet me in the Room of Requirement after supper. _

_–DM ' _

Darcey stared down blankly at his signature, noticing with amusement, that there was a doodled snake sprouting off the 'M'. She wondered if he always signed his initials so artistically before crumpling up the note up and stowing it away in her robes.

An hour later Darcey silently bolted from the classroom, making it a habit as of late, to be one of the very first to leave that particular class, not wanting to take the risk of catching Snape alone incase he decided on approaching her before she felt ready to talk to him.

After supper Darcey headed straight for the Room of Requirement to meet up with her friend. As she round the bend, turning into the normally deserted corridor, she noticed a small girl clutching a set of brass scales.

Darcey scowled, knowing she could not open the room with a student standing right beside her. She was placed in a predicament as she awkwardly stood before the tapestry of two hippos in pink tutu's dancing ballet, pretending to admire it until the girl left.

Just then the girl dropped the scales, causing them to clatter loudly against the stone floor. Darcey peered over at her, casting her a look that was meant to say '_What the hell's wrong with you, have you washed your hands in butter lately?' _

"Isn't there homework or something you should be doing?" Darcy sneered instead, annoyed with the girl's lingering presence that prevented her from meeting up with Draco.

Just then a set of ornate, golden doors revealed themselves as if waiting to hear her voice and Draco poked his shock of blond hair through the slit of the cracked door, carefully peaking out at her.

"I told you she was coming, you ruddy idiot. You didn't have to drop the scales." Draco scolded the nervous looking first year while Darcey looked stupidly between them in utter confusion before he reached out a hand to grasp her arm, pulling her roughly inside.

"_What in the bloody hell_-" She began.

"It's Crabbe." Draco quickly spoke over her, disappearing around a mountain of rubbish and forcing Darcey to jog in order to catch up with him.

"_Wait, what?"_ She demanded in confusion, coming to a brisk walk beside him. It seemed Draco knew precisely where they were going, confidently snaking through the maze-like pathways.

"I just told you, it's Crabbe. The girl is Crabbe." Draco snapped, irritated at having to repeat himself.

"What do you mean it's Crabbe?" Darcey demanded from beside him. "_How?_"

"Polyjuice Potion. Remember we made some at the beginning of term?" Said Draco. "Crabbe and Goyle have been transforming into students to keep an eye out for me when I'm in here. Since you told your nosy brother I'm a Death Eater, a second hasn't gone by that he isn't stalking me. I figured, he knew to look out for Crabbe and Goyle, but Potter isn't smart enough to suspect an innocent first year of keeping watch for me." Draco explained with a conceited smirk, clearly amazed at his own brilliance.

"That's actually quite clever, Draco." Darcey admitted in mild astonishment.

Draco looked over at her from the corner of his eye, raising a light brow. "You sound surprised? Haven't you realized by now that I'm a pure genius?" He boasted.

"I wouldn't go _that_ far." Darcey countered, casting him a cheeky grin while attempting to bring his ego down a notch. "So what is it you wished to see me for?" She wondered.

Just then they rounded the last bend around a tall mountain of clutter. Darcey scanned the small clearing set up to resemble a sitting area with a pair of moth eaten armchairs and two dusty, Victorian-era couches to form a square.

"What is this?" She inquired, halting beside him.

"Just some place to hang out. I've been spending a lot of time here and needed a place to sit so I threw this together. _Lovely _isn't it?" Draco replied sarcastically, carelessly kicking one of the armchairs for entertainment and then sneezing into his sleeve when a thick cloud of dust rose from the blow.

Darcey pulled out her wand pointing it at each piece of dusty, antique furniture while nonverbally casting '_Scourgify_', a simple cleaning charm. The dust and thick scent of musk seemed to have been lifted from the furniture, but the moth holes stubbornly remained.

Darcey took a seat on one of the nearby couches, flinging herself down rather ungracefully before letting out a sigh of contentment. She had a long day.

"Don't get too comfortable just yet." Said Draco from somewhere off behind her. Darcey craned her neck to get a better glimpse of him.

"_Why not?_"

"Because I'm going to teach you Occlumency and I must warn you, it's rather unpleasant."

"You know Occlumency? You can instruct me?" Darcey confirmed sounding utterly awestruck, springing up from the couch.

"Yeah well, you helped me mend the vanishing cabinet with no questions asked. So I thought it was about time I replay you." Draco replied coolly, smirking as he noticed Darcey nearly bouncing off the edge of her seat in sheer excitement.

"Thank you!" She beamed, leaping up from the couch. "Really Draco, this is wicked…" She added genuinely, engulfing him in a tight hug. She caught whiff of his cologne and nearly melted beneath him, infatuated with the delicious scent. Darcey untangled herself from him before she started blushing like an idiot again.

For the next two hours Draco attempted to instruct her on how to shield off her mind. He was aware of the fact that he wasn't anywhere near as good of a teacher as his Aunt Bellatrix had been, but it seemed that he wasn't half bad, as his student finally managed to put up a flimsy barrier around her thoughts.

Darcey was breathing heavily, covered in a cold, clammy sweat. By now she had shed her heavy Slytherin robe and vest. Wearing just the constricting black tights, pleated, gray skirt and half unbuttoned, wrinkled, white blouse, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

She clutched the fabric of the armchair, bracing herself for the next attack.

"Can we take a break, we've been at this for hours." Darcey complained, as she began to feel light headed and nauseous.

"Not until you manage a decent shield." Draco replied firmly from above her, staring down at his pupil with rigid determination. He knew she was capable of doing this. Bellatrix had pushed him half the night and it wasn't until she had finally intruded upon some extremely personal memories that Draco had found the strength to finally block her out.

So far Draco had only penetrated the shallow layers of Darcey's mind, the part housing the pleasant, easier memories and emotions. Maybe he had to dig deeper, invade those deeper, hidden memories.

Darcey scowled up at Draco, who seemed to be abusing his position of power over her as her instructor. '_Is he mad? It's just not possible to learn this sort of skill over night. I need to rest, regroup and then perhaps we can try this again tomorrow.' _She mentally reasoned.

It had been hours that they had been at this and Darcey was certain Draco had relived nearly her entire childhood. He saw her older brother Roger first teaching her to ride a broomstick. Darcey and Tracey as little girls, dressed up in their mother's dress robes and drinking invisible tea from their porcelain tea set, pretending to be sophisticated, prim, wealthy witches of society. Darcey and her siblings running around like wild banshees in their back garden, armed with twigs and pretending to hex each other with obnoxious sound effects, while shrieking with laughter. He saw all those merry Christmas days of past, where Darcey helped bake sugar cookies with her mum, opened her stacks of presents, and admired that enchanted, twinkling star atop their Christmas tree, her innocent blue eyes glistening with wonder. He saw her cheering with her family at the Quidditch World Cup and staying up half those summer nights, curled up on her bed, reading and studying magic with such passion. She had an ambition early on for greatness and an impressive thirst for knowledge.

He had seen nearly everything, at least all the pleasant memories Darcey revisited when she often recounted her childhood.

Without warning Draco invaded her mind once more, penetrating through the thick layers of her consciousness. There was something different about his invasion this time though, his magic was suddenly much more powerful, tearing through her memories and digging deeper to parts Darcey herself had completely forgotten, memories and emotions subconsciously buried away deep within her.

Her teeth gnawed together as her jaw clenched tight, she groaned in pain. It felt as if a sharp blade was slicing through her head, repeatedly cutting through her temple.

"_Stop it!"_ Darcey pleaded through clenched teeth, but Draco didn't stop, instead revisiting a few of those dark memories against her will.

A younger version of Darcey, around nine years old, clutches tightly to a red railing overlooking a magnificent, roaring waterfall. Her light brown hair whips wildly in the wind emitting from the force of the cascading body of water.

Her eyes squint in the summer sunlight, tan freckles bridge across her nose. Draco can feel as vividly as he feels his own emotions; the emptiness the tiny girl feels as she stares sadly ahead of her.

Her head turns to the side, gazing over at her adopted family taking a picture together in front of a blue sign that says '_Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada' _

'_I don't belong. I'm not really their daughter, not by blood. They love Tracey and Roger more than me. They'd be happier without me.'_ A dark part of her whispers to her that the water looks tempting. Darcey's bright blue eyes follow the tail of the dark, rushing water. She takes a step closer to it, clutching the railing so tightly that her small, slender fingers turn white.

Darcey's father catches sight of his daughter, excluding herself from the family portrait. "Dar, get over here!" He calls, casting her a warm smile. Darcey reluctantly joins them, aware that she's just pretending to be a part of their family. They can't really love her. At least not the way they love their _real_ children. Darcey's just a spare. She realizes with deep resentment.

"_Stop!_" Darcey yells out again, feeling the burning tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she relives the melancholy memory, feeling that it's private and she doesn't want Draco to see it.

Draco grips tighter to his wand as he's submerged in Darcey's raging memories once again. He's drowning in the sorrow, the emptiness, the bitter jealousy, and rage. He feels vividly all the negative emotions she's kept bottled away all these years.

As if watching a roll of film, another scene unfolds.

Darcey's older now, age twelve or thirteen. She's gathered at a slumber party with a handful of other girls in a lilac painted bedroom. The dark purple butterflies painted on the wall above a set of twin bunk beds are bewitched to flutter gracefully. Sitting in a circle are pre-teen versions of Daphne Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson, Millicent Bullstrode, Tracey and Darcey Davis, and Daphne's younger sister by two years, Astoria.

The room is cloaked in darkness for the exception of a lit lantern, which Pansy holds up in such a way that harsh shadows cross her face as she tells a scary tale about a vampire who feasts upon the blood of little girls.

"Legend has it he comes out of the bathroom mirror and takes a bite out of your neck. _Argh!_" Pansy chomps into the air for dramatic effect. "He drains your blood until your veins shrivel up and your heart stops beating, having no longer any blood to pump."

"_That's not true_." One of the girls skeptically argues. The gaggle of girls all turn to Darcey, her hands crossed stubbornly over her flat chest. Her curly hair is pulled up in a ponytail with a few stubborn strands framing her face. She wears a set of light blue pajamas with puffy white clouds on them and little yellow stars.

Pansy rises from her spot on the floor, her satin pink nightgown fanning around her ankles. "_Oh yeah?"_ She sneers. "_If you're so sure why don't you try it then, go on!"_

"What?" Darcey deadpans. "Just go stand in the bathroom and wait for a vampire to come out of the mirror?" Darcey confirms, bravely standing up, ready to step up to the so-called challenge.

"You have to do it in total darkness and you have to say his name seven times." Pansy clarifies, her lips curling into a wicked grin.

"_Fine."_ Says Darcey firmly, trudging through a connected white door that leads into a small washroom.

The girls close the door behind her and shut off the light switch so that she's cloaked in a thick blanket of darkness. Draco can feel for himself as her heartbeat rises in anxiety. She begins to chant the name.

"_Sitis Sanguis…"_ Darcey hisses, testing the name out on her tongue. She slowly repeats it, hesitating on the seventh turn but following through with it.

For a moment nothing happens and then there's a brief flash of light as the light bulb overhead illuminates and then shatters, engulfing the bathroom in pitch black. Darcey screams as shards of glass rain down upon her.

She gropes for the handle of the door, tugging and pulling but it's locked. Terror floods her as a demonic, low voice fills the small, confined space.

"_I've been waiting for you, Darcey."_ Growls the deep, frightening male voice.

Adrenaline pumps through her as her fists pound against the door. She can hear the girls giggling from the other side. "_Let me out! There's someone in here!"_ Darcey shouts, still banging violently against the door. "_This isn't funny! Let me out!"_

Darcey shudders as the temperature suddenly shifts in the bathroom, it's freezing cold. She shrivels into a ball on the cool tiled floor, pressing her back against the tub. She buries her head into her knees, wrapping her arms tightly around herself for comfort and warmth. Tears streak down her face as she sobs in fear, whimpering as something cold prickles against the exposed skin of her neck.

Finally the door opens and the bathroom is flooded with the warm, yellow light radiating from Daphne and Astoria's bedroom.

"_She's crying! She's actually crying!"_ Shrieks Pansy from the threshold.

Darcey stays huddle, frozen in a ball on the floor, too terrified to move.

"_Darcey, it's okay. It was just a stupid prank_." Comes Tracey's voice from beside her as she kneels down next to her frightened sister.

Darcey finally lifts her head up slowly. Her eyes take a moment to adjust to the sudden bright light.

"It was just a poltergeist. Our house is haunted." Says Daphne with a giggle. "_Were you seriously scared?" _She frowns, feeling a bit worried that the prank had gone too far.

Darcey doesn't answer, her wide, fearful blue eyes narrowing into a hard glare. She slowly stands up on wobbly knees, her body still shaking from fear.

"Merlin Darcey, you're bleeding. Somebody fetch a towel." Tracey frowns, examining the small, seeping cuts on Darcey's exposed arms from the shattered light bulb.

Black smoke fills the memory as the scene shifts once more to the Quidditch World Cup. Draco remembers this match; he had attended it with his father the summer before his fourth year at Hogwarts.

There's fire blazing everywhere, people shrieking as their tents go up in flames. A group of Death Eaters march through the hillside, torturing and killing anyone in their path, whether it be man, woman or child.

Darcey and Roger have been separated from their parents in the chaos. Roger grips tightly to Darcey's wrist as they weave through the screaming crowd. Fire shoots from above them, barely missing their heads and green curses hit the people around them, turning them to dust as they disintegrate into ash.

Roger leads them into the woods, letting go of his sister's wrist as they sprint through the forest brush, dodging vines and jumping over fallen logs, sharp thorny tree limbs whip at them as they pass, slicing into their skin but they don't stop running.

Darcey finally stops, folding in half to rest her hands on her knees as she catches her breath. She's panting and sweating, her hair clinging to her neck and face.

"Get out your wand." Roger commands, his voice dry and raspy from running.

Darcey obeys her wise older brother, drawing her wand from the back pocket of her jeans as she glances around them at the shadowy trees for any signs of being followed.

After a moment a twig snaps, just as a tall, lanky, dark haired man jumps through the bushes and into the clearing. He points his wand at them, his lips curling into a smile. Darcey will remember this man forever, as he was later identified as Barty Crouch Jr., a Death Eater struck with insanity.

"_Well, well, what do we have here?" _The man taunts, encircling them like a vulture to road kill.

"Stay away from her!" Roger bellows, noticing the perverted glint in his eyes as he stares hungrily at Darcey. His tongue flicks against his lips like a lizard, it appears to be some sort of nervous twitch.

_"Stupefy!"_ Roger shouts.

The Death Eater easily blocks the stunner, casting a nonverbal hex that throws Roger hard against a nearby tree. He crumples to the ground unconscious, bright, fresh blood oozing from the back of his skull.

Darcey let's out a cry as she makes a run for her brother, feeling overwhelmed with panic. She needs to make sure that he's alright.

She does the stupidest thing she could possibly do when put in a dangerous situation, she turns her back on her predator.

A pair of strong arms snake around her waist, tackling her roughly to the forest floor. Dry leaves crunch beneath them as they roll around in the dirt with Darcey struggling against him with all her might. Draco observes that for a fourteen-year-old girl she puts up a good fight.

Darcey let's out a feral scream before biting hard into his hand, drawing blood. He let's out a low growl as he slaps her, sending her head back into the dirt.

He straddles her, his bleeding hand cupping her mouth to muffle her screams.

"_I'm going to shove my dick inside you_." The man whispers huskily into her ear. She struggles against him, her screaming muffled by his hand.

"_And you're going to scream and thrash but it won't matter, sweetheart, I'll have my way with you."_ He hisses stroking her cheek tenderly with his free hand, wiping away the sweat and tears sliding down her face.

Darcey's wide, watery blue eyes peer up at him, silently pleading for him to stop. '_Please! Please don't do this! You can't do this!'_ She mentally begs. '_Not like this, it can't happen like this.'_

"_I bet you're a virgin._" Purrs the disgusting man above her. "_Yes, they get wet so easily..."_

His free hand moves to grope the outside of her jeans between her thighs. She sobs louder, but his hand muffles the noise.

She clenches her eyes shut tight. She can no longer stand to look at the monster above her.

She feels him fumbling with a shaky hand to unbutton her jeans. Tears streak down her face and her body trembles in rage and fear.

_'I'll fucking kill you!'_ Darcey mentally screams, her eyes still shut tight as he painfully grips her chin.

"_Look at me!"_ The Death Eater bellows angrily. Darcey's eyes snap open, staring up into a pair of murky, hazel ones. "_I want to see the look on your face when I cum inside you."_

"_Shhh…"_ The man hisses, pressing his weight against her. His cold tongue glides up the side of her face, as he tastes her salty skin.

Darcey mumbles inaudible words into the palm of his hand, glaring with furious blue eyes up at him.

He releases his hand from her mouth just long enough for her to growl, "_You rape me you filthy bastard, and I'll chop off your fucking dick!"_

Rage flashes in his eyes as he fumbles with his trousers, pulling out his dick but Darcey doesn't see it. She doesn't look down, just stares straight above her at the green, forest canopy. She catches sight of the blue summer sky in between the rustling, green leaves. She focuses on those leaves dancing in the wind… On the pretty blue sky and puffy white clouds and not on the disgusting piece of shit who's seconds away from raping her.

Darcey accepts her fate, feeling oddly empty and detached. Her mind zones out as a way of coping with the stress of what is about to happen, but then a flash of light and the man is thrown off of her. She sits up, shuffling backwards using her feet and hands to propel her, putting as much distance between herself and the pervert as she can.

A group of Aurors, she later learns their names as Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks and Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody, burst into the clearing. They easily disarm the man and descend upon him. The only female Auror, a woman with bright pink hair rushes over to Darcey, her eyes glistening with concern. "_Are you alright?"_

Black fog engulfed the memory as Draco was violently thrown from Darcey's mind. He stumbled back clutching the arm of the couch to prevent him from falling.

Darcey did it. She successfully expelled him from her mind. She performed Occlumency.

Draco gazed with wide eyes at the raging girl before him, who rose to stand on shaking knees. She gripped tightly to her wand, pointing it directly at him. Her face was ghostly pale and beads of sweat had collected on her clammy forehead. Her eyes pierced through him, dark and stormy, swirling with rage.

"_How dare you!"_ Darcey seethed. Draco shuddered, never having heard her sound so venomous. She actually looked murderous and eerily similar to his deranged Aunt Bellatrix.

_"I-I'm sorry. I was just trying to-" _

"_Stay away from me!"_ Darcey yelled, sending a blue hex spiraling towards him. He was instantly propelled backwards a good twenty feet and landed with a loud groan on his back, the force of the fall having knocked the wind straight out of him.

He managed to sit up, clutching his wand and pointing it at her, now prepared to defend himself.

"I don't want to fight you._"_ Said Draco firmly.

_"Reducto!" _

Draco rolled to his left side, barely missing the attack as the powerful spell blast straight through the pile of rubbish behind him sending random junk soaring across the room and clattering to the floor.

Draco quickly got back on his feet, knowing now that Darcey was seriously enraged and intent on hurting him.

"Calm down." Draco soothed, holding up his arms in surrender. He really had no desire to fight her.

"_Those memories were private."_ She growled, lowering her wand by a fraction as she realized she was quickly spiraling out of control and could have seriously harmed Draco. Her magic crackled through the air, lashing out at him.

"_I know, I'm sorry_." Draco agreed sincerely.

Darcey finally lowerd her wand completely, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

_"I just don't understand why you would do that… I asked you to stop. Why didn't you stop?"_ She whimpered, now clutching her face in her hands as she felt herself crying against her will. It was obvious she was still shaken from the painful memories she had been forced to revisit. Memories she had spent years trying to forget.

"It was selfish. I got carried away, I know." Draco frowned, his chest constricting painfully at seeing Darcey so broken and knowing that he was what caused the strong witch to fall apart.

Draco cautiously approached her, reaching out to lightly brush his hand against her shoulder to test the waters. She didn't shrink back from him or lash out in anger. She lifted her head slowly to peer up at him with watery, blue eyes that swirled with unreadable emotions.

Draco pulled her tightly into him, pressing her against his chest as he embraced her. She buries her head into the crook of his neck and he could feel her hot, steady breaths against him. A pleasant shiver snaked down his spine as he ran his hands through her tangled, messy hair. He inhaled her scent, she smelled faintly of lavender.

A warm feeling swelled inside his chest, a longing to be closer to her. He couldn't hold back any longer.

Draco tilted up her head, gently tugging a fistful of her hair so she was forced to look at him. His eyes darkened with desire.

Feeling the same longing, Darcey hesitantly pressed her lips against his.

Time seemed to slow down. Everything negative vanished from Darcey's mind as she focused solely on Draco's warm, inviting lips moving against hers. She felt herself flushing, not with embarrassment but with desire. She felt heat radiating through her body and engulfing her with raw, burning passion.

Both of them are in sync, feeling the same desperate need. Neither has to initiate as their lips move together in unison, both deepening the kiss.

They stand there snogging for what felt like eternity but was probably only a few simple yet amazing minutes. Finally they parted for air, gazing at each other with equally, dark, lust filled eyes.

Darcey moved her gaze over his now slightly swollen lips. Her hand snaking up to the nape of his neck where his hairline and collar met. His hands had moved down to rest lightly against her hips, holding her firmly in place against him.

"I'm sorry._"_ He offered. "I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay._"_ Darcey quietly interrupted. "Thank you for teaching me. You did what you had to and it _worked._ I did it_."_ She managed a small smile, truly happy with what a successful evening it had turned out to be, and not just the in regard to the Occlumeny lessons…

"That filthy piece of dung is lucky he's safe in Azkaban or else he'd be dead by tomorrow morning." Draco seethed, referring to her last painful memory.

Darcey smiled, broader this time. _"Wow, that's the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me..." _Darcey admitted sadly with a soft, melodic laugh.

Draco's lip twitched up into a smirk, unable to stay angry with Darcey standing right there beaming up at him with that gorgeous, contagious smile of hers. She was beautiful when she smiled.

_"Just wait." _Draco whispered, his lips brushing against her earlobe as he placed a trail of sensual kisses down her neck, sending pleasant shivers down her spine. "_There's more to come."_


	15. Chapter 15: Realizations

It was a chilly day in March and for the first time it wasn't snowing, raining or sleeting. The grounds were still damp from the melted snow but the students didn't get drenched in any form of water for the first time in a long while.

It was an overcast, gloomy day and some lucky students with spring birthdays prepared to take their Apparition exams today at Hogsmeade.

The twelve week Apparition lessons had nearly come to a close and both Darcey and Draco felt confident that they would pass the exams when their time came to take their exams at the end of May. That was the very last exam date intended for all students who would be turning seventeen over the summer holiday break.

Darcey had finally managed to apparate for the first time nearly a month ago. She was among some of the more naturally gifted students who managed it early on, including Draco and some others. The rest of the student body still struggled and there were extra lessons being held in Hogsmeade that day for those who needed the extra help. Not being one of the students going for extra lessons nor to take the Apparition exam Darcey and Draco went to Hogsmeade that day purely looking for something fun to do.

The gaggle of Slytherins walked down the cobblestone pathway to the small Scottish village, alongside them stood Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Greengrass with a sulking Parkinson bringing up the rear.

"_Oh, look it's the filthy mud-blood Granger and pitifully poor Weaselbee. "_ Draco sneered, speeding up to a brisk strut as he approached them.

Darcey frowned, her face forming a hard, thin line, not in the least bit entertained by Draco's shenanigans. He was being immature, picking fights for no good reason.

Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger glanced up from their place in line outside the Three Broomsticks pub where the exams and spare lessons were being held to look at the approaching snakes.

"Sod off Malfoy._"_ Weasley grumbled, attempting to ignore the Slytherin. Darcey had heard rumors of him being poisoned by a bottle of mead last week and wondered if he was still recovering.

"_Watch your mouth blood-traitor."_ Malfoy spat, roughly shoving Weasley in the shoulder, causing the burly, ginger haired boy to stumble back slightly. His pale, blue eyes narrowed at Draco before he brandished his wand, pointing it at the Slytherins threateningly.

"It's not worth it, Ronald. He's pathetic." Granger pleaded from beside him, catching the boy's arm.

"What was that _mud-blood?_ Didn't catch that?" Draco taunted with a smirk. "Could you speak up a little so the blokes in the back can here your brilliant and original comeback?"

Granger straightened up taller, tilting her chin a little higher, as if to give off an air of superiority. Her brown eyes glistened with anger. _"I said you're pathetic!"_ She bravely repeated.

Just then there was a flash of red light that soared from Draco's wand and towards the mud-blood as he hexed her.

"_Protego!_" Granger countered in the blink of an eye, casting a blue shield in front of her.

_"Stupefy!"_ Ron bellowed from beside her. His hex soaring over Malfoy's left shoulder and crashing into an unsuspecting Goyle who was knocked to the ground unconscious.

"_Reducto!"_ Pansy emerged from somewhere in the back. Her spell hit Weasley sending him crashing against the thick, wooden door of the pub. It splintered into sharp pieces as his body broke through it and he was flung backwards with through the threshold with a loud groan of pain. Hermione Granger looked furious, literally vibrating with rage, her dainty fist clutched tightly around her wand. She cast a silent jinx that hit Pansy square in the chest and instantly the bully was turned upside down, suspended in mid air by her ankles. Pansy wailed, thrashing and struggling as she punched the air around her trying to break free of the bind.

"_Incarcerous!"_ Blaise Zabini's low voice hissed from somewhere over Darcey's shoulder and thick ropes shot out from his wand, constricting around a distracted Granger who was too busy shielding herself from an onslaught of hexes from Malfoy and Nott to notice.

_'Fumos'_ Darcey quickly cast a non-verbal spell, noticing that Granger was vastly outnumbered and it would be unfair, dishonorable even to let them attack her. Thick, black smog cloaked the air around them destructing their view of her. Darcey stepped forward a few paces, groping through the air for the Gryffindor girl. She grabbed onto her arm and Granger shrieked in surprise, not expecting someone to touch her and unnerved at being unable to see them.

"_Leave now_." Darcey commanded in a low whisper, performing the counter-curse to the binding spell and setting Granger free. Darcey retreated back to her peers, bumping into a solid, muscled mass. As the smoke dispersed she craned her neck up to see that she was pressed flush against Zabini's tall, stoic figure. She hastily moved away from him with an embarrassed flush, muttering a sheepish apology to the handsome veela.

_"Where'd she run off to?"_ Daphne demanded in confusion, looking around the cobblestone village square.

"Back into the pub and by the looks of it she's fetching help." Blaise observed, his amber eyes fixated on a group of Gryffindors, including Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas and Ginny Weasley, along with a barmaid now angrily rushing towards them.

_"_Come on!" Draco shouted, not wanting to get in trouble. He lead the gang of Slytherins down a nearby dark, narrow alley. "_Come back!"_ Pansy wailed, still dangling helplessly in the air as her classmates abandoned her.

_"This is all your fault. Why you had to be so bloody stupid-"_ Darcey began laying into him but was quickly cut off by Draco roughly yanking her inside the back entrance of a random shop. The other Slytherins followed at their heel, all squeezing through the small door. Darcey glanced around and noticed they were in a dress shop.

"Romilda's Robe Emporium." Daphne observed. "I bought my Yule Ball gown here." She smiled at the distant, fond memory.

Darcey eyed a nearby rack of casual dresses, all a bit medieval looking with leather corsets and long, full skirts. She had seen wealthy, pureblood witches dressed in gowns like these for everyday wear but they never seemed practical to her. The rest of the gang, for the exception of Draco, moved to the front shop window, peering outside as they waited for the coast to clear. Daphne lagged behind, disappearing behind another rack of garments.

"See something you like?" Draco asked smoothly from behind her. He was leaning regally against the wall, his hands hidden deep within the pockets of his trousers.

"Not really my style but then again, I haven't any clothes..." Darcey frowned.

"Well go on." Draco encouraged. "pick out a few that you fancy."

Darcey cast him a sheepish look. "I haven't any money, I used my last Galleons to pay for Apparition lessons..."

_"I figured that much."_ Draco sneered in mild irritation at how thick she was being. As if he'd ever let her pay for herself even if she _had_ the money. He was a gentleman and the Malfoy's were raised to flaunt their wealth, so it was taken as an insult that she thought him cheap enough to not pay for her. She was, after all, his date.

"I'll pay _obviously._" Draco rolled his eyes at her.

A shadow crossed over Darcey's features, her pride suddenly wounded. "_I can't let you do that." _She replied in a low tone. She would rather go without clothes than resort to begging and borrowing money. It was demeaning to suddenly find herself so poverty stricken.

"Fine, then I'll pick some out myself and gift them to you." Draco growled, brushing past her and yanking a few random dresses violently off the rack, not bothering to check their sizes, not that he knew her size.

"Fine, give me that you're making a mess." Darcey scolded, taking the dresses off of him. "I'll try on these two." She decided, picking out a pair of the plainest cotton dresses she could find, most of the others made of heavy, stifling fabrics like velvet and wool. Darcey met Daphne over near one of the changing stalls and claimed one.

"You'll have to show me yours and I'll show you mine. You have to be completely honest and tell me if they look hideous." Daphne called out from over the dressing wall dividing them.

"Yeah, sure." Darcey muttered, quickly shedding her clothes and slipping the soft, light gray dress over her head. It was surprisingly comfortably and breathable despite how it clung to her. It's was an ankle length dress with a black leather corset and a plunging neckline that bordered on revealing a tad too much cleavage for Darcey's liking but she decided that the modest length made up for it. She was never the type of girl to flaunt her curves and sexualize her body. She preferred comfort and practicality of an outfit, and having her breasts exposed during a duel wasn't very practical...

She emerged from the stall remembering that Daphne had asked to see her. She leaned against the doorframe as she waited for her housemate to emerge and she noticed openly Draco eyeing her from the corner of her vision and turned to meet his piercing gaze.

"Do I look ridiculous?" Darcey wondered flatly.

"Not at all." Draco countered in mild surprise. "_It looks good on you."_ He admitted, his gray eyes lingering on her exposed cleavage. She reached out to playfully swat at him, "_Keep staring long enough and it might turn see through_."

A dull flush fell over his cheeks at being caught so blatantly checking her out. He hadn't even attempted to mask it, caught so off guard by the sudden dirty images of Darcey the dress provoked within him. Daphne then emerged from the fitting room dressed in a tulle-lined, puffy, black gown that was beautiful but extremely formal.

"Lovely." Darcey deadpanned.

"That's a wonderful everyday dress, but why not try on some more formal ones for fun?" Daphne suggested with a grin, twirling around in front of a full-length mirror while admiring the pretty gown.

"No offense, but trying on dresses all morning isn't really my idea of fun." Darcey replied truthfully, trying to keep her tone as gentle as possible as to not offend her.

_"_Merlin, you're such a man." Daphne teased, rolling her blue eyes at her. "Where's Pansy when I need her-" She stopped suddenly, a look of sheer horror crossing her aristocratic features. "_Blimey! We left her back there didn't we?"_ She wailed, rushing out of the front door of the dress shop and trying not to trip and step all over her gown as she ran up the lane back up towards the pub.

_"Oi!"_ The owner of the shop called after her, "You have to pay for that!"

"She'll be back." Darcey reassured the merchant calmly, before disappearing into a nearby changing stall to change back into her normal attire.

* * *

An hour later Draco and Darcey sat alone on a bench outside of Honeyduke's, with Draco licking a lollipop that turned his tongue blue and Darcey picking at a box of chocolate frogs, her two new dresses in a shopping bag beside her, one gray, one emerald.

"So I've been thinking a lot about what happened on Christmas Eve." Darcey began in hushed tones, careful that passerby's didn't eavesdrop on their conversation. Draco glanced over at her, his face unreadable as he silently listened and she continued confiding in him.

"I don't think I told you but Snape was there. The first to arrive and he hexed me, forcing me to fall down behind the couch hidden. Weird right?" Darcey whispered, noticing Draco's light brows knitted with curiosity.

"He was obviously protecting me which is odd. If any of the others- your father- _Voldemort_ had seen him-"

_"Don't say-"_ Draco began to scold her but Darcey spoke over him.

"-He would be dead. So why risk his life to protect me? Who am I to him other than his student?" Darcey wondered with a frown, her eyes glistening with deep suspicion.

"So, I kept thinking for months now, why would he do that? Why would he protect me and how did they find me? How did they know who I was and where I lived?" Darcey continued her voice taking on an angry tone as a dark shadow crossed over her face. "Unless you told Vol-"

_"I didn't."_ Draco promised firmly.

"Exactly, so if it wasn't you then who else is there left that knows? My parents? Harry? Dumbledore? Snape? That's all right. That's everybody who knew at the time… So, what if Snape felt guilty. What if he had been the one to rat me out to Vol-"

"_The Dark Lord-"_ Darcey corrected in a hiss, noticing Draco's mouth beginning to open in protest.

"What if he was the one who told the Dark Lord of the prophecy as a way to gain his Master's favor and then-" Darcey's voice rose a pitch with both excitement and rage at her discovery. _"_-Then what if he felt bad about it and tried to make up for what he did by hiding me. He tried to save me in order to quell his own remorse_."_

"It's possible, I suppose." Draco shrugged, his face looking stony and serious. "But I wouldn't go picking a fight with Snape based solely on this theory, I'd make certain first that-"

_"_Who says I'm going to pick a fight with him?_"_ Darcey demanded.

"You're hot-headed and reckless. You don't think through the consequences of your actions you just… _act_." Draco replied, his face scrunching up into a disapproving look of disgust as if those were Gryffindor qualities and a Slytherins shouldn't possess them.

"Maybe, you have a point." She admitted, swallowing her pride. "But don't you agree that I have a right to be angry?"

"Of course you do." Draco instantly agreed without hesitation. "But if it's revenge you're seeking you have to be clever to go about it the _right way_." Draco explained wisely, as if he had years of experience in the art of plotting.

Darcey frowned, feeling an inner turmoil of conflicting emotions towards her professor. "I'm not sure I want revenge..." Darcey admitted quietly. "I just… I guess I just want to know _why_. Why did he do it? I want to hear it straight from him. I want him to look me in the eye and tell me why he betrayed me and then I suppose I'll go from there and decide how to handle it." She reasoned.

"So, you just want to have a nice, little chat with him, eh?" Draco scoffed in disbelief. "Maybe cozy up with him next to the fire and pour yourselves a nice cup of tea while you're at it." He sneered.

Darcey had to resist the urge to grin, when he said it like that it _did _sound utterly ridiculous. Her smile faded into a deep scowl as Draco continued on furiously.

"Aren't you angry? He may be the reason your brother's dead. He may be the reason your family abandoned you and left you there to _die_."

_"You think I'm not angry? You think I don't know that?_ Of course I'm angry and would gladly seek revenge upon him if my theory turns out to be true, but he was my friend, Draco. I thought he cared about me. He was something like a second father figure to me. So before I seek vengeance upon him doesn't he at least owe me an explanation? Don't I deserve to have him look me in the eye and tell me the truth?" Said Darcey as bitter tears of resentment threatened to spill from her eyes. It deeply hurt her that Snape would betray her. Why did it seem everyone who was supposed to care about her ended up stabbing her in the back? Was she not worthy of their love? Was she just some pathetic, disposable orphan whom nobody cared about?

Darcey rose suddenly from the bench, tossing her half-eaten chocolate frogs violently into a nearby trashcan before storming back up to the castle. Draco knew better than to follow her when she got into these sort of moods. She was dangerous and reckless when she was angry, he had said so himself and if he dared to come between her and her sudden determination to confront Snape, she would surely hex him.

As she ascended the stone steps of the castle a familiar voice called out to her, "What are you doing?"

"_Merlin, not now, Harry."_ Darcey growled through gritted teeth. Where had he even come from? Had he been following her all along? Malfoy had said that her brother had been stalking him for weeks now, had Harry been listening in on their conversation somehow? Darcey wondered, the thought adding fuel to her fiery rage.

"I won't let you go storming in there alone." Said Harry still following her and suddenly feeling oddly protective of his sister. Darcey finally stopped, whirling around to face him. She peered down at him with narrowed, stormy, blue eyes. He was clutching the marble banister a few steps below her, looking up at her with rigid determination glinting behind his eyes and she could tell he wasn't going to let this go.

"You were spying on me." She said simply and she hoped for Harry's sake that he was bright enough not to lie to her when she was this riled up.

"I was spying on _Malfoy._" Harry clarified, not looking the least bit intimidated by the death glare Darcey gave him.

"You're obsessed with him. You seriously need help. _Are you in love with him?_" Darcey demanded haughtily.

"_No!"_ Harry retorted in disgust. "I just want to know what he's up to. I know you've seen him disappear into the Room of Requirement. You've even gone in with him a few times-"

"_To snog!_" Darcey wailed, cutting him off. Harry's bright, green eyes widened in clear surprise. He definitely hadn't expected to hear _that_ from her.

"_What?_" He demanded icily, a dark shadow crossing over his face.

"You heard me, Potter." Darcey sneered. "We sneak off into the Room of Requirement to _snog!_" Darcey repeated to him slowly, deliberately toying with him. "And, I think it's none of your damn business what we do together, so if you would so kindly leave my friend alone or else I might suspect you're after him, _and I don't like sharing my toys, Harry."_ Darcey hissed, knowing the idea of her and Draco together as an item would really eat away at him. He was still her brother soof course it came naturally to him to despise any boy she was snogging, even if they were hardly considered siblings, at least they didn't feel like siblings...

"That-" Harry visibly shuddered. "That's disgusting." He managed._  
_

Darcey turned away, quite pleased to be done with him. Just then a warm hand clasped tightly to her wrist, pulling her back. Harry let go of her when she turned around and met his gaze. "Tell me what he's really up to." He demanded, still extremely determined to get answers from her.

"Honestly Harry, I dunno." Darcey sighed in exasperation, growing thoroughly annoyed with his persistence.

_"You really don't know?"_ Harry raised a dark brow from under his disheveled bangs, his tone clearly skeptical.

_"_I _really _don't know." Darcey repeated softly yet firmly, hoping he caught the honesty in her voice.

"Aren't you curious as to what he's doing in there all day?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

Darcey sighed once more in frustration, while running her fingers through her untidy hair. "I've got other things I'm busy with right now. I don't have the time or the energy to obsess over Draco Malfoy like you do_. Sorry, I have a life."_

Harry snorted out in laughter, "_A life? Really? Says the girl lost behind a pile of books all week long in the library." _Harry gently mocked her, grinning in good nature.

"_Shut up."_ Darcey grumbled moodily, slightly wounded by his observation. Apparently to her peers she was nothing but a loser. _'I'll show them.'_ Darcey thought, one day people will be lining up to follow me on the road to greatness.

_"Look_," Harry sighed, sobering up. "Snape's a Death Eater. You'd be stupid to face him alone; especially if you go storming in there accusing him of something that could get him landed in Azkaban or sacked. _Let me come with you_." He insisted.

_"No."_ Darcey repeated stubbornly as she briskly jogged up the rest of the stairs and into the Entrance Hall, deviating towards the dungeons where Snape's old office remained as Professor Slughorn took the more spacious one near the DADA room.

"Well I'm coming with you anyways." Harry stubbornly declared. A few minutes later Darcey rapped upon Snape's office door.

"_Enter._" Drawled the dry tone of their professor. His ebony eyes softened at the sight of Darcey, but then visibly hardened as Harry slipped through door behind her. The office was small and damp. Water dripped steadily from a pipe somewhere and the room smelled faintly of mildew. The space was illuminated with dim, flickering candles held in waxy sconces. Professor Snape set down his quill, taking a break from grading a large stack of essays.

"The Potter twins, what an honor." Said Snape wryly. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Darcey felt the rage boiling inside her, bubbling up into her throat. She hated that he was suddenly speaking to her as if she meant nothing to him, as if she were a mere creature of filth and not one of his favorite students.

"I think you know exactly why I'm here." Darcey answered in a low growl, her fists clenched at her sides. Snape's expression remained coolly unreadable. Never before had she spoken to him with such hatred and contempt in her words but he still appeared completely unfazed which only infuriated her further.

"Indeed, I can imagine why you're here, but as to why _Mr. Potter's _here-"

Before Harry could supply an answer Darcey spoke up proudly from beside him, "He's my brother, sir. Why wouldn't he be here?" She coolly pointed out.

"He never seemed to care much for you before, if I recall correctly._"_ Said Snape flatly, his lightless eyes fixated on Darcey's dark, murky blue ones. "It's surprising to see him supporting you now. Tell me Potter, why the sudden change of heart?_"_ He addressed Harry now who seemed to be doing an equally as well job as his sister at keeping himself collected.

"She's my sister, sir and although we share our differences. _I would never betray her."_

_"_Is there something more you wish to say to me, Mr. Potter?" Challenged Snape, his ebony eyes blazing though his expression remained bored and aloof.

_"_Yes, Professor. There indeed is something more I'd like to say." Darcey spoke up this time taking ownership of their shared last name, showing that she was proud to be a Potter. Snape's ebony eyes landed on her as he slowly rose from his desk, towering above them both in height. His chair screeched unpleasantly against the stone floor causing Darcey's jaw to tighten as she shuddered in discomfort.

_"_Why?" Darcey demanded shortly after a long moment of heavy silence had passed between them and she felt suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. '_I trusted him.' __"_Why did you betray me to the Dark Lord?" She clarified, willing her voice to remain even despite the sorrow and rage tearing through her, ripping her apart. Snape moved to the front of his oak desk, stepping out from beneath the shadows as the warm light of the burning sconces illuminated his pale, sallow face, making his features appear even more severe.

Darcey peered up at the washed-out man before her, almost feeling traces of pity for him. It was clear the heavy burdens of life had taken a toll on him. Snape looked older, tired even. His eyes glistened with hints of deep, repressed sadness, barely visible unless you stood this close, inches away from him...

"I did what had to be done and I tried my best to protect you." Snape replied in a hollow tone, that Darcey misinterpreted as being insincere.

_"Rubbish!"_ Darcey suddenly shouted, his empty words having sent her tipping over the edge as she let go of all traces of self-control. "_You pathetic coward!"_ She seethed, drawing her holly wand and pressing it firmly against his chest.

Harry gazed between them in sheer horror. Even he held enough restraint to know better than to assault a teacher. Darcey could be expelled or worse if Snape decided to fight back.

Snape stepped back as Darcey stepped forward, his lightless, black eyes momentarily widened by a fraction in surprise. He hadn't expected Darcey to react with such raw fury, clearly outraged. It came on so strongly and suddenly, completely unpredictable. His large, pale hands gripped either edge of his desk as he was willingly backed against it with Darcey's wand still jabbing into him.

_"_You liar!_"_ She continued to shout, her dark magic crackling around her, lashing out at both Snape and Harry. Harry shrunk back a little, taking a few steps away from the deranged girl and towards the open door. Snape blindly groped for the wand stowed away in the deep pocket of his long, black cloak but wasn't quick enough, still caught momentarily off guard.

'_Legilimens.'_ Darcey performed the spell nonverbally to ensure that he hadn't expected it. She successfully breached the barriers shielding the professor's mind that had temporarily weakened along with his shock. Sifting through the memories quickly and with rigid purpose, with her intent guiding her magic, it brought to the surface the memory she was look for, the truth.

She delved into it witnessing first hand the private conversation that took place between Snape and Dumbledore a few months ago on that dreary Christmas Eve morning and she saw enough in that small glimpse to understand fully now the truth, just as Snape regained control over himself and violently expelled her from his thoughts. She staggered backwards, roughly clutching a nearby desk for support as she nearly fell due to his force.

Snape's eyes were wide with shock and beads of sweat had gathered on his brow as he flicked away the curtain of greasy, black hair that had fallen into his face. He glared over at his student, his blazing gaze penetrating straight into her very core. Darcey had never seen him so visibly enraged.

"_Get out." He_ commanded in a murderous tone. Still, Darcey hesitated, rooted to her spot in fear.

"_GET OUT!" _Snape bellowed as she made now sign of leaving and just then Harry grabbed onto Darcey's arm, yanking her away from the irate professor and leading her out the door and into the deserted, dungeon corridor.

"What were you thinking attacking him?" Harry demanded, his emerald eyes glistening with concern. Darcey could have been killed! She provoked a known Death Eater who was also a teacher on school grounds. She could easily be also expelled.

"It was Dumbledore." Darcey replied in a hollow tone, pressing herself against the cool, stone wall. She tilted her head back and closed her heavy, bloodshot eyes, letting herself absorb the information she'd just obtained from him.

_"_What do you mean it was Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore told Snape to do it, he told him to tell Voldemort about the prophecy and how to find me, knowing I'd most likely be killed. He's been raising us like pigs, Harry. Fattening us up just to be slaughtered at the proper time." Said Darcey, her face strangely blank though her tone was venomous.

"Rubbish. He's tampered with it. Memories can be tampered with-"

_"He didn't tamper with it, Harry."_ Darcey firmly growled, her dark, turbulent, blue eyes slowly moving to land on him. The murderous glint reflecting in them sent an unpleasant shiver down Harry's spine. '_Her eyes look like Voldemort's.'_ He noticed, his stomach lurching in fear.

"It's always been Dumbledore. He's the puppeteer... " Whispered Darcey beneath her breath and just like that her clever mind began plotting its vengeance.


	16. Chapter 16: Twice Defied

It was a late night in May, two weeks before school let out for the summer holiday. Darcey curled herself up in one of the cool, leather armchairs in the common room, it was too hot to have the fireplace lit and she was lucky to be in the dungeons, the coolest part of the castle, as a heat wave fell over Hogwarts.

The common room was slightly stuffy and humid. It was nights like these that Darcey wished she could open up a window and let in some of the cool, crisp, night air. The water of the Black Lake cast murky, green water lines along the walls, making Darcey more aware of being underground. The result is being locked in a stuffy, hot coffin layered in six feet of dirt and worms. Lucky she didn't suffer from claustrophobia otherwise she could never tolerate the dungeons.

The light radiating from her wand reflected eerily off the still space, illuminating in the glass of the ticking grandfather clock and reflecting off the sleek, marble fireplace mantle, absorbing her in a small radius of pulsing, white light in the otherwise lightless common room.

A chill snaked its way down Darcey's spine as she delved deeper into the Dark Arts book, _'Secrets of the Darkest Art'_ than she ever had before. The more she read the more curious and equally horrified she became. Some things were so wicked, so completely sinister in nature that Darcey had never before realized it was possible to push the boundaries of magic that far.

Over the past year she learned of necromancy, a branch of dark magic dealing with summoning the undead to do your bidding. The process was extremely disgusting, as one had to dig up or otherwise obtain a deceased and most likely decaying corpse. Like many of the branches of the Dark Arts, it required a ritual and a blood sacrifice in the form of self-mutilation.

Darcey had also read of wicked potions, designed to kill, seriously harm and sometimes take advantage of the victim, such as an elixir that caused the victim to succumb to a twenty-four-hour comatose state, invoking grim, muggle fairy tales such as Sleeping Beauty where the slumbering damsel is then left defenseless and compliant to any man's dark desires.

Darcey had learned over the year of dark spells that were extremely powerful and dangerous, able to cause vast amounts of destruction and destroy your opponent in the most brutal and barbaric of ways.

Though, the last section of the book seemed to put all the others to shame, making them seem much milder and even harmless in comparison.

The last chapter of the book held detailed instruction on how to create a horcrux, which was an object that contains a fragment of a witch or wizards soul, used to gain immortality. Although immortality was impossible it made one as close to immortal as you could get, but for a heavy price. In order to create a horcrux it required a true blood sacrifice, the highest of all sins. It required one to murder.

Murder ripped the soul apart. It was an act against nature, pure evil. A horcrux made use of this heinous act for ones own gain. You're soul rips and you contain this fragment of your being into an object of your choosing in which a part of your soul resides, so if your body is attacked and killed your soul lives on in the object. In short you cannot die unless both the horcrux and your body are destroyed.

Darcey found horcruxes to be quite fascinating and a deep part of her, perhaps her conscience, warned her that it was purely evil, utterly disgusting magic, but yet… Darcey couldn't pull her eyes away from the page, mesmerized by the allure the Dark Arts offered to her. It sung to her a promise of power and control, two things she seemed to be severely lacking in as of late.

* * *

Draco lie in bed gazing up at the ceiling, entranced by the water lines reflecting through the port holes of the Slytherin dormitory. He sensed that it was getting late, well past midnight, yet he hadn't slept at all. His gray eyes burned with sleep deprivation, the dark rings around them making him resemble an owl, and so true a night owl he was.

Yet that night was different than the other restless, sleepless nights Draco's body had learned to endure over the months. That May night was _the night _above all nights. That night was the reason behind his frequent disappearances into the Room of Requirement to guard his most valuable treasure, the mended Vanishing Cabinet, that he would use on this night to transport Death Eaters into the castle.

Above all that night was the night he'd been waiting months for, the night to prove himself truly capable as a young man and to redeem his family and bring to them safety and security under renewed favor of the Dark Lord, all thanks to him.

That night Draco Malfoy would murder the Headmaster of Hogwarts, the greatest wizard of the century, next to Voldemort himself, Albus Dumbledore. Soon he'd finally complete his mission.

Suddenly, without warning the dark mark on his left arm began to burn as if he were being branded by searing, scalding, hot iron. Draco winced, making a low hiss-like noise as he glanced down at his covered arm and yanked up the silk sleeve of his pajama shirt to see the inked serpent slithering in and out of the ebony, human skull, signaling that it was time...

Pressing his two bare feet to the cold, stone floor as he rose from the cot as he quickly dressed himself before silently bolting from the dormitory, a nervous sweat gleaming on his brow.

Draco suddenly halted at the base of the staircase, a pang of terror gripping him as he noticed a dark figure perched near the fireplace, clutching a lit wand. Thoughts raced through Draco's head a mile a minute as he wondered who would be up that late into the night and mulled over what his odds were of evading them.

He decided he'd have to obliviate their memory and then Imperio them to go to bed so that he could sneak out unnoticed and unremembered.

As he drew his own wand, clutching it with a trembling hand, the light of the illuminated wand suddenly shown brightly in his face as the student pointed it directly at him, having somehow sensed his presence.

"_Draco?_" He recognized the familiar, female voice and suddenly relief flooded him as he lowered his wand and squinted down at Darcey, shielding his eyes with his arm from the bright beam.

_"Get that ruddy thing out of my face."_ Draco hissed as Darcey obediently lowered her wand so that the glowing, pulsing, blue light cast on both of them without blinding them.

_"What are you doing down here?_" Darcey immediately asked, looking over him in concern before placing the book she had been reading back on couch beside her.

Draco paused, failing to come up with a reasonable explanation. He was normally an excellent liar, being naturally quick-witted and clever but it was usually Crabbe, Goyle, or Pansy he was deceiving, all quite thick mentally. Darcey was different. She was rather harder to fool especially since she knew of his secret. It would be tough, if not impossible, to get anything past the equally bright girl.

"_Couldn't sleep… I've been thinking of you."_ Draco finally supplied foolishly, brushing softly a lock of unruly hair from Darcey's cerulean eyes and pushing it back behind her ear in a tender gesture.

Her piercing blue orbs narrowed up at him, a deep scowl etched upon her face as she roughly swatted his hand away.

"_Don't you dare lie to me!"_ She hissed angrily, careful to keep her voice low as to not wake up their sleeping housemates.

"What's going on, seriously, Draco?" Darcey added, the concern reflecting once more in her eyes as she peered softly up at him.

Draco remained silent, subconsciously rubbing his forearm in an attempt to ease the discomfort of the searing, dark mark, reminding him that he should be leaving and not standing her making excuses to his friend. Darcey's eyes followed his subtle movement before her eyes flickered back up at him with a look of horror on her face.

"Something's happening isn't it? It's a Death Eater thing- _oomph_" Draco clamped a large hand roughly against her mouth, glaring down at her. "_Tell the whole school why don't you!"_ He hissed. If someone were to eavesdrop on the pair of them right then they would have known his secret.

"_Listen to me, Darcey."_ Draco said a bit more gently but still sounding firm, removing his hand away from her lips and leaning in towards her ear. His breathe tingled against the exposed skin of Darcey's neck causing her to shiver. "_You will stay here. Do not follow me. Do you understand?"_ Draco commanded, leaving no room for argument.

Darcey hesitated before nodding her head up and down slowly in agreement. Draco smirked, feeling relieved at how cooperative the normally haughty girl was being. She typically fought him tooth and nail on everything, purposely choosing to be difficult. It was as if she got some sort of twisted amusement out of being an utter pain in his arse, seemed she and her glorious brother had something in common after all.

Gripping gently to either side of her oval face, Draco guided her lips to his. The kiss was soft, slow and tender as if he were afraid of breaking her and if he kissed too hard like he normally did that she would change her mind and defy him.

He also wanted Darcey to know how grateful he truly was that she was willing to stay and let him do what he had to do without stopping him. Draco didn't need the added stress of worrying about her that night. He shuddered to think of what the Death Eaters would do to her if they discovered her tailing him and he also shuddered to think of Darcey watching him murder the Headmaster. He didn't want her to see him as a monster. Although she knew he was a Death Eater, she had never been let in as to what he was up to. Draco had kept Darcey hidden in the dark, successfully shielding his mission from her. It wasn't hard to do since she had kept true to her word in never asking him questions, something that he truly liked about her.

"Get some rest, it's late. I'll be back soon." Draco lied softly once they broke apart.

Darcey wordlessly nodded, offering him a small smile as she stroked the blond hair at the nape of his neck, her arms dangling over his shoulders. "_Be careful…"_ She whispered, kissing him one final time before allowing him to brush past her and through the common room doors.

Darcey watched him leave before quickly running back to the armchair to fetch her almost forgotten book. She shrunk it to fit into her pocket before casting a disillusionment charm on herself as she followed stealthily behind him. She had played the part of obedient, trusting crony well and was surprised that Draco bought into her lie so easily. She thought he had come to know her better than that, therefore he should have easily known that she would never just let him go like that, in the middle of the night and knowing from his searing dark mark that Voldemort was summoning him. '_Had he really thought me to be so cold that I wouldn't care? That I'd just let him walk away without ensuring that my only friend wouldn't come to harm?' _She wondered and felt deeply disappointed.

Darcey felt foolish now for ever thinking that their relationship was beginning to delve deeper than friendship, but perhaps their relationship was cursed by the lies they kept from each another. Darcey had never told Draco of her true intentions to defeat the Dark Lord and she had never questioned him about his shady activities as a Death Eater. '_So how close could we have become really with the foundation of our friendship built upon lies? Besides, do I really want to press him to be my boyfriend right now with everything going on in their lives and the looming war approaching, things were already highly complicated and becoming anything more than friends at this point would be dangerous for both parties involved.'_

Darcey was pulled away from her thoughts as she ascended the staircase leading off the Entrance Hall and headed blindly in the direction of the Room of Requirement where she assumed Draco would be but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard multiple footsteps approaching from around the bend.

Pressing herself flush against the wall, despite being temporarily granted invisibility, Darcey hid listening as a familiar, cackling voice ripped through the night air.

"_What an honor it is, Draco, that the Dark Lord chose you…" _The voice belonged to the female Death Eater who had murdered her brother, who she later identified as Bellatrix Lestrange, who was also Draco's aunt. How twisted it seemed that her best friend's entire family had tried to murder her at least once some point. Together they took star-crossed lovers to a whole new level which was precisely why the couldn't ever fall in love, it would be demented.

The corridor was lightless for the exception of the bright, full moon glowing in the clear night sky through the castle windows. A blast of cool air hit her as the group of Death Eaters trudged past her, lead by Bellatrix and Draco, their robes billowing with the speed of their brisk strides and headed in the direction of the Astronomy tower.

Darcey watched in numbing shock, frozen in fear as Professor Snape brought up the tail end of the group. '_Something big is happening.' _She realized and finally gaining the courage needed once they were out of sight, Darcey removed herself from the stone wall and silently tip toed after them.

A huge part of her, the coward in her, screamed for her to just go back and hide in the dungeons but the other side of her, the angry, vengeance seeking side tempted her with promise of sneaking up on an unsuspecting Bellatrix Lestrange and perhaps getting an opportunity to avenge her brother; but as quickly as the thought came, it went as Darcey realized that attacking Lestrange would be counter-productive.

Darcey needed to keep a level head and think clearly and logically. She mustn't let her temper get the best of her tonight. She needed to convince Voldemort the she wasn't a threat and killing off one of his most loyal servants was a foolish way of going about it.

No, she couldn't extract revenge just yet and so, something else motivated her to follow them, her genuine concern for Draco's well being. She needed to make sure no harm came to him. He was not just her best friend and snogging partner, he was everything to her at that moment, he was all she had left. As pathetic as it sounded, and though she'd never admit it openly, Draco was the only human companionship that she had and he truly meant a lot to her, more than he should. She had grown quite fond of him…

* * *

"Give me a moment alone to do this." Said Draco at the base of the Astronomy Tower. His Aunt Bella nodded. "_Hurry_." She hissed.

Draco slipped silently up the spiral, iron staircase, unaware of another set of unseen footsteps following closley behind him. For a fraction of a second he was sure he had felt a hot breathe prickle against his neck as he glanced back down in paranoia but could only see the empty shaft of the staircase below him. Draco was indeed alone.

As he neared the top of the tower he pointed his quivering wand at Albus Dumbledore, who was standing near one of the Astronomy Tower windows gazing out upon the clear, night sky. The last iron step groaned loudly under his weight causing Dumbledore shift his attention, looking for the source of the noise; he spotted instantly an armed student.

"Good evening, Draco." Dumbledore greeted calmly, making no move to draw the wand that lay hidden in his periwinkle robes. "What brings you here on this fine spring evening?"

Draco swallowed thickly, attempting to steady his nerves. He noticed with displeasure that his pale, white hand clutching tightly to his wand was now visibly shaking, giving away his inner anxiety.

"Who else is here?" Demanded Draco, glancing around the space in suspicion, he could have sworn her heard multiple voices... "I heard you talking."

"I often talk quietly to myself. I find it extraordinarily useful." The barmy, old bat replied serenely.

Darcey stayed pressed against the wall behind Draco near the window, occasionally glancing down at her body to ensure that she was still invisible. Her heart raced with adrenaline, she was both excited and fearful. A part of her, the dark part of her, was truly rooting for Draco to attack Dumbledore. He was, after all, the real reason she had lost everyone close to her that year. He took everything from her and nearly destroyed her. It was his fault Voldemort and the Death Eater came to her home, it was all because Dumbledore had told Snape to use Darcey in order to gain the Dark Lords favor and he had, under Dumbledore's orders, betrayed her.

Darcey felt the fury churning within her at the sight of the old man. '_I hate him._' She realized. _'I really, truly hate him...__I despise him just as much as I despise Lord Voldemort… Perhaps even more so. At least Voldemort is upfront with his intentions. He kills anyone whom he marks an enemy, along with desiring a mass genocide of Muggles and Muggleborns. Voldemort is clearly evil, he doesn't hide behind a false mask, pretending to be something that he's not. No, Voldemort shows the world what a monster he truly is and in Darcey's mind that's applaudable. He's not phony like Dumbledore, who pretends to be so good, so noble and heroic, but deep down he's flawed just like everyone else. He's willing to sacrifice innocent lives for the 'greater good', manipulating his soldiers like pawns. Dumbledore has Harry and Snape scooped up right under his angelic wing. They'd do anything for him, believing that he's so wise that he must surely know what's best for the wizarding world and what people are disposable and what people are not. Everyone allows him to play God, pulling the strings of his puppets like some grand puppeteer. Well who the hell is he but a ruddy, old fool? Who is he to decide that I'm worthless? That I can be sacrificed so that someone like Snape lives?' _Darcey thought bitterly, feeling her emotions quickly overpowering her reason, clouding her judgment and pushing aside her rational state of mind. The fury begged at her to be unleashed, whispering at her to just let go and attack the man standing before her who was responsible for it all._ 'Do it. He'd never see it coming.'_

"Draco you are no assassin." Said Dumbledore calmly.

"How do you know what I am?" Draco demanded, his voice cracking in fear as he choked back sobs. "I've done things that would shock you!"

"Like cursing Darcey Davis to curse Katie Bell and hoping in return she'd bare a deadly necklace to me and replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison, hoping Professor Slughorn would gift it to me." Dumbledore pointed out, his blue eyes twinkling with sorrow and pity for the boy, who in his mind, made all the wrong choices.

"Forgive me, Draco but I cannot help but feel that these actions are so weak that you can't really be intent on killing me..." Dumbledore frowned.

"Trust me." Draco hissed, thrusting up his right sleeve, exposing his dark mark for the Headmaster to see clearly. "_I was chosen."_

Dumbledore held his hands up in surrender, "Then I shall make it easy for you-"

"_Expelliarmus!_" Draco instantly disarmed him as the Headmaster's wand soared in a high arc through the air before landing off somewhere in the tower with an audible _'clank'._

Suddenly a chill ripped down Darcey's spine, a sort of cool, trickling feeling. She gazed down at her torse, still slightly shocked by Draco's impressive courage to disarm the Headmaster, and realized with dread that the vanishing spell was beginning to wear off as random parts of her body begin to appear and reappearing like the flickering of a wonky light bulb, gaining Dumbledore's attention.

Draco whipped his head around, wanting to see what his opponent was looking at and suspecting the Order might have arrived but instead found Darcey standing directly behind him peering over at Dumbledore with a look of pure loathing. Her eyes darkened to near black in the dim light of the Astronomy Tower and her wild, curly hair whipped out around her like tentacles as the wind picked up speed and blew through the open window nearest them.

She was clutching tightly to her wand, so tight that her pale, slender fingers had turned a ghostly white and seem to glow slightly in the dark. She stepped forward, out from the shadows, so that she now stood shoulder to shoulder with Draco, making it clear to him that she was on his side, she was here to assist him not to stop him.

Draco quickly glanced between her and the Headmaster, his gray eyes wide with surprise. He couldn't find the words to say to her so instead he refocused on his previous mission, gazing back at Dumbledore with an unsteady, quivering hand. He braced himself to kill the old fool, doing his best to muster every ounce of courage that he ever possessed but still found himself feeling utterly terrified, unable to mutter the killing curse, two simple words and he'd gain power and glory from his master.

'_I can't do this._' Draco realized in horror. '_He is right, I'm no assassin...'_

Suddenly the heavy, wooden door at the base of the tower clicked open. The Death Eaters had given Draco plenty of time to do the job and were beginning to grow restless and impatient, wondering what was taking the boy so long.

Darcey began speaking from beside him, her words coming out steady, cold and rushed. She knew she hadn't much time before the Death Eaters discovered her and there was still so much that she wished to say.

"I know what you did." Accused Darcey, stepping closer to Dumbledore and past Draco, her wand still pointed at his chest.

"It was you who told Professor Snape to tell Voldemort of the prophecy, making him aware of my existence and location. You thought I was disposable, just some worthless, little orphan who, unlike her brother, was not the Chosen One, therefore I am not special like him. I serve no purpose in your war..."

"But you're wrong, _Headmaster._" Darcey hissed, her dark eyes narrowing in rage.

"Harry may be the Chosen One but it is I who is more powerful. I am not so easy to kill, you see, here I am. I _survived._"

"I never once had doubt in your abilities as a talented and capable young witch, Darcey. It was never my intention to kill you-"

"No, Headmaster. _You _are mistaken. You should have made certain that I died that day. Because that tragedy you created gave birth to a stronger, more powerful and lethal enemy than either you or Voldemort could have ever predicted. It changed me, you see. Unlike your intentions it didn't destroy me, it _empowered _me. I am more _alive _than I have ever been, I feel it in my magic, I am an force to be reckoned with."

It was then that Darcey's time had run out as the Death Eaters stumbled upon the scene, taking in something they hadn't expected to see, Darcey Potter twin to the Chosen One, drawing her wand on Albus Dumbledore and not Draco Malfoy.

"I had thought at first that Voldemort was the true enemy here, but I was mistaken. You were just as much an enemy as he is." Continued Darcey and all eyes in the tower were fixated on her as she took one final stride towards the Headmaster, closing the gap between them.

"_You're a fool, Dumbledore…"_ Darcey breathed, her chest heaving with rage. "_And I hope you rot in hell."_

"_Avada Kedavra!" _She bellowed and with a blinding flash of green light the killing curse hit Dumbledore square in the chest, knocking him violently backwards with the sheer force of the spell. Like all the Unforgivable curses, the castor has to truly mean it in order for it to be cast successfully and the more you wish harm upon someone the more strength the curse holds once summoned.

Dumbledore flew backwards, his stiff, lifeless, gray body making contact with the window as he crashed clean through it with a deafening shatter of broken glass before plummeting from the top of the Astronomy tower.

The room was deadly silent for a long moment, apart from the howling wind still blowing through the open window. Darcey's breathing turned shaky and as if suddenly realizing what she had done, her body began to tremble in shock. '_I killed Albus Dumbledore.' _

Just then a pair of firm hands clasped onto her boney shoulders, guiding her around and towards the metal staircase.

"What shall we do with her then, Severus?" Bellatrix demanded in gleeful excitement, following closely after Snape as he guided his student down the steps. As if at last thought Bellatrix pulled Draco along after them, yanking his limp arm roughly. He too was in shock.

"We will bring her to the Dark Lord." Snape answered calmly with an unreadable expression, his words sounding indifferent and cold to Darcey's ringing ears. She wondered if he were still angry at her and if this was his somehow his sick, demented punishment for using legilimency on him.

Darcey did not even bother to struggle against him, a part of her knowing her efforts would be in vain, considering she was vastly outnumbered, but a larger part of her feeling too numbed at the moment to care where her professor was leading her off to.

'_I killed Albus Dumbledore...'_

They were now crossing the dewy grounds. Darcey could feel the soft, damp earth beneath her leather boots. She was still wearing her clothes from yesterday, her dark jeans and wrinkled t-shirt.

It wasn't until she heard Harry's voice calling out to them that she finally broke free of her spell. Her feet dug firmly into the ground as Snape's body behind her collided roughly into her back, having not anticipated the sudden struggle from the otherwise complient witch. Darcey turned around to face her brother, who was running after them, his wand drawn.

"_You killed him!"_ Harry shouted his voice raw with sorrow and rage. He brandished his wand at Darcey and he was panting, drenched in cold sweat from running after them. His normally bright emerald eyes glistened with sorrow and pain. Harry was deeply grieving, mourning the death of his mentor who died tonight at the hands of his own sister.

Darcey had no idea how Harry had discovered so quickly what had happened, unless he was somehow there and witnessed the whole encounter, to which he would now hate her.

Darcey remained speechless, peering back over at him with wide, dilated eyes. Her emotions felt numbed and her mind hazy making it difficult to process what exactly was happening around her. She felt almost drunk, intoxicated by the trauma of witnessing a murder and also being the murderer.

Snape stepped protectively in front of her, shielding Darcey's sluggish form from her seething brother's view.

"Snape, he trusted you and you didn't stop her!" Harry yelled again, directing his rage now upon the loathed professor.

"_Sectumsempra!"_ Harry bellowed, attempting to hit Snape with a dark curse that he easily blocked with the lazy flick of his wrist.

"_Fight back you coward, fight back!_" Harry screamed, stumbling closer to the two of them wanting desperately to get a hold of his sister and possibly strangle her. '_How could she? She killed the only man capable of protecting them both. A man that had done everything in his power to keep them both safe up until now. Dumbledore had looked after the twins and this is how his deranged, foul sister repaid him? By killing him in cold blooded murder? Where had their parent's genes gone wrong in creating her? Darcey had the DNA of a monster, he was almost certain that there was no possible way they were born of the same womb. They were night and day._'

Snape cast a nonverbal hex that knocked Harry down onto his knees as he sat panting on all fours, enraged. Harry glared up at them, weakly, in a final attempt he summoned all his strength to cast another spell, this time nonverbal.

Snape predictably blocked it, sending a hex of his own that sent Harry sprawled out flat upon his back. He was frozen to the ground, immobile and staring up at the starry, night sky as he struggled to move, his fingers twitching with the valiant effort that he made.

"_You dare use my own spells against me, Potter?_" Snape's low voice came icily, his ebony eyes fixated ruthlessly down upon Harry as he stalked closer, towering above him with Darcey still a few paces behind him gazing upon the scene in horror.

From somewhere off behind them Bellatrix Lestrange cackled loudly in glee as she set Hagrid's hut on fire and watched with pleasure as it burned.

Harry gazed up at the professor with wide, emerald eyes, filled with disbelief. His glasses were slightly askew and one of the lenses had a crooked crack running along the middle. Beads of sweat formed on Harry's forehead, his pale, shiny, white scar in the shape of a lightning bolt glimmered in the orange light of the explosion happening behind them. His fingers twitched again as he struggled with all his might to move to no avail.

"_Yes_." Declared Snape to Harry. "_I'm the Half-Blood Prince."_

Darcey and Harry exchanged a final glance, Harry looking defeated on the ground as he craned his neck to see her and Darcey still looking utterly horrified by what she had done. She wanted to say something, anything, but she couldn't find the strength to speak to him. She remained speechless, her lips agape as if she were about to tell him something, her eyes still burning into Harry's as Snape returned to her side, gripping tightly to her shoulders and lead her away from her brother into the Forbidden Forest with the others where they apparated together from Hogwarts. _'I'm sorry.' _That's what she had wanted to say to Harry, _'I'm sorry I let you down.'_

Darcey blinked back the blurry spots in her vision, feeling dizzy from apparition. She took in their new location inside a large and elegant room. Dark, brown, shiny, leather couches were placed around a grand, marble fireplace. A deep maroon rug with navy and dark green vines took up half the room's floor. The rest of the uncovered floor was made of glossy, dark wood. The walls were adorned in deep, emerald wallpaper with a subtle pattern and the lower half of the walls were made out of the same polished wooden panels as the floor. Expensive crystal lamps and mahogany end tables littered the room, along with a floor-to-ceiling bookcase along the opposite wall from which they stood that housed thick tomes and a few random dark artifacts such as a human skull, a Hand of Glory and a crystal orb used in many necromancy rituals. Above them a humungous, iron chandelier cast warm light upon them.

Darcey glanced around the room, taking in the familiar faces. Her eyes instinctively sought out Draco's, his pale, gray eyes glistened with fear and he looked ghostly pale as he peered back over at her and Darcey couldn't tell whether he was terrified _of _her or _for_ her and decided to look away from him, feeling suddenly ashamed with herself under his piercing gaze.

Darcey glanced next at Snape standing closely beside her with a protective air about him but as Darcey scanned his face her faith in him faltered for if he were at all concerned for her life he did not show it, his face remained coldly indifferent as he ignored her presence entirely, refusing to meet her gaze.

Darcey's eyes then traveled over to Bellatrix Lestrange as she spoke up from beside Draco. "_Well done half-blood_." Her lips curled into a wicked grin, exposing her sharp, white teeth and a pink tongue flicking between her lips.

Darcey looked last at a tall, hairy, intimidating bloke whom she faintly recognized from the Daily Prophet as the vicious and notorious werewolf Fenir Greyback.

Just then Draco's parents, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy appeared in the doorway, glancing around at all of the new visitors inside their home. Both their light eyes widened in shock when they spotted none other than Darcey Potter standing in their drawing room.

"_Hurry Cissy, call the Dark Lord."_ Bellatrix hissed, still grinning wickedly as if gleefully amused by Darcey's doomed fate.

Narcissa stood frozen, her eyes still locked on the Potter twin as if she couldn't believe what she were seeing. "_What is the girl doing here?"_ She asked quietly. Lucius yanked up the sleeve of his black, velvet evening robe as he pressed his wand to his dark mark, summoning their Master.

"What is the girl doing here?" Narcissa demanded to know once more, her voice gaining in volume as well as confidence.

"_Wee little Darcey Potter here murdered Albus Dumbledore."_ Bellatrix cackled before turning to Darcey and scolding her. "_You naughty, foolish girl. He was the only one left that could save you…"_ Said Bellatrix. "_Now you're dead_. _The Dark Lord will be here at any second and you've led yourself straight to the butcher for slaughter little piggy. _"

Greyback emitted a low chuckle from beside her, flashing his sharp, canine teeth. Darcey pulled her gaze from the deranged Death Eaters and back to Draco, who was glancing nervously between them. When his gray eyes landed on hers she saw pain and sorrow reflected in them. Darcey's fate was crystal clear to everyone in the room. She was about to die and these were the very last moments that she would ever spend with Draco or anyone for that matter.

"_I'm sorry."_ Darcey whispered faintly, finally finding her voice.

As if broken from the trance of fear that clung to him, Draco stepped forward to engulfed his friend in a tight, near constricting embrace. She eagerly hugged him back, burying her head into his neck, inhaling his intoxicating scent one final time.

"_You've made this past year bearable. You've given me so much strength. You're the only one who didn't abandon me and for that I can't express how grateful I am. If it weren't for you, losing my family would have destroyed me and I would have never found the courage to kill him. You gave me that pleasure. You're companionship changed me for the better, Draco. I'm lucky to have gotten to know you..."_ Darcey hissed into the crook of his neck, her breath hot against his cool skin that was damp with sweat.

Draco inhaled the faint, familiar scent of lavender in her unruly hair, burying his fingers through her tangled locks one last time and savoring the feel of her pressed against him.

"_I'm lucky to have known you too._" Draco managed quietly, his tone somber. They both remained strong, holding back their choked sobs and offering to one another silent support. _Slytherin's do not cry and so they wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of seeing them break._

Darcey finally pulled away from him, aware of the multiple eyes still burning into her back but she didn't care at that moment. Pretending in her final seconds that they were completely alone again in the Room of Requirement back at school, she allowed herself to get lost in those beautiful, silvery eyes that had grown to captivated her over time.

She smiled at the memories they had made together over the past year, those heated snogging sessions filled with burning passion and desire. She was certain that if they were granted more time and under less morbid circumstances they could have fallen in love… Yes, in an alternate reality a lot less grim, Draco Malfoy could have been the one for her...

Wanting the taste of him to be her final memory, she boldly pressed her lips to his engaging him in a deep and passionate kiss. Draco kissed her back, his pain and desperation seeping into it. He pulled her flush against him, leaving no space between them, while running his fingers through her hair and down her soft cheek as they broke apart, standing mere inches from each other and gazing into equally glassy eyes.

There was an audible pop from just outside the door that was unbearably loud against the stillness of the room. Draco and Darcey stepped completely apart, untangling themselves from one another just as Voldemort glided slowly through the threshold, looking like the phantom of death.

Darcey stared resolutely straight ahead of her, directly at Draco while mustering every once of courage within her before she was able to bring herself to face the man who ripped everything from her.

Darcey's blue eyes locked with a pair of bloodshot, red ones. A cruel smirk curled upon his pale, cracked lips at the sight of her, as if he was a young boy unwrapping a present on Christmas morning. She was his prize.

"_Hello, Darcey Potter, what a pleasure it is that we meet again..."_ Spoke Voldemort in a smooth hiss striding towards her. His strong, pale hand gripped tightly to her cheek as his long, yellow fingernails dug painfully into her skin. She winced slightly at the sudden contact, unprepared for it.

His eyes were mere inches away from hers and now that he was standing this close she could make out the small flecks of hazel mixed in with the red of his iris. Traces of his old eye color that lay hidden in a sea of fire.

Her heartbeat rose, beating violently against her chest; she was sure he could sense her fear like a hungry lion about to devour the tender meat of a gazelle in those final moments before the lion takes that first bite, ripping into the jugular and killing its prey.

Like the Dart Arts, Darcey was both entranced and terrified of those scarlet eyes piercing into her murky, blue ones. She found the creature before her both fascinating and revolting.

_"Hello, my lord."_ Darcey removed her eyes from his as she bowed her head deeply in respect. Months of planning and preparation had gone into this moment. This was her final attempt at survival, her only shot at persuading Lord Voldemort that she was not a threat, but an ally. She stared at the dark floorboards beneath her as her head remained bowed in an act of humility.

"Why such a sudden change in loyalty? I'd be interested in hearing any last words you wish to say." Voldemort hissed, gently lifting up her chin in an effort to toy with her. She nearly flinched at his softness, having expected him to handle her more roughly.

"I've spent months planning my revenge…" Darcey began quietly, still playing the role of humble servant.

Voldemort's crimson eyes darkened at her words, his lips forming a cruel, mocking smile.

"_And it seems you have lost, Darcey Potter. Just like you, your brother will follow in your footsteps and die at my hands. For you see, I am invincible_." He declared.

"My lord, there seems to have been a misunderstanding in my words. You see, I wasn't referring to you but instead to Albus Dumbledore…" Darcey explained quietly meeting his gaze as his cold hand still cupping tightly to her chin, forcing her to look up at him.

His eyes widened by a fraction, momentarily caught off guard by her words before narrowing in suspicion and brutal rage.

"_You dare lie to me?"_ Voldemort demanded, his nails digging into her cheek so hard that it began drawing blood.

Darcey winced as a low, steady voice spoke up from beside her. "My lord, if I may add." Snape inclined his head in respect before continuing. "The girl has succeeded tonight in killing Albus Dumbledore. We all bore witness to it."

"Is that correct?" Voldemort asked the group as a whole, receiving nervous nods in reply.

"_But the girl is surely a spy for the Order, my lord. She's Harry Potter's twin. She cannot be trusted."_ Bellatrix pointed out, her dark eyes fixated on Darcey's, glistening with contempt.

"If I may point out Bellatrix, Darcey Potter has displayed the highest act of loyalty in killing Dumbledore. If that alone doesn't show where her loyalty lies then I suppose nothing will please you." Snape replied coldly.

"What do you have to say to all this?" Voldemort asked, turning his attention back on the girl trembling beneath him.

Darcey used every ounce of willpower to calm herself enough to reply steadily, only flinching occasionally under his grip.

"I sought revenge upon Albus Dumbledore and took the opportunity as it presented itself to me this evening to murder him." Darcey replied evenly.

"But why? Why have you marked the man who spent years protecting you and your brother from me as your enemy?" Voldemort's voice took on a morbid curiosity, suddenly taking a keen interest in the otherwise useless girl.

Here was where it got tricky. Darcey could easily tell him the truth but that would reveal that Snape was a spy for the Order and would instantly get him killed. No, Darcey had known for a while now that the truth was not an option, although he had betrayed her she couldn't find it in herself to betray him. Still knowing it would be best to stick as close to the truth as possible, as to not to get herself spun up in a web of lies, Darcey had planned a different and hopefully equally believable reason for her vengeance.

"Dumbledore separated Harry and I shortly after birth, preventing me from ever truly getting to know my brother. I spent my entire life questioning who I was, thinking I was just some pathetic, abandoned orphan until the start of this year when he told me who I really was."

"I naturally wanted to form some sort of relationship with Harry since he was the only family I had left I felt a kinship towards him but Dumbledore turned Harry against me, telling him of a prophecy that said I would betray him for you. He succeeded in making Harry and I enemies and refused me in joining the Order of the Phoenix to fight alongside my brother against you. I was angry at you at first naturally, I blamed you for all the misfortune that had occurred in our lives but then I began to see clearly the type of man Albus Dumbledore was and my hatred turned towards him instead. For he's the one who drove Harry and I apart and he rejected my offer in joining the Order, making it clear that he, like many others, thought I was worthless. I vowed to prove him wrong, to prove them all wrong, including my foolish, saint of a brother." Darcey sneered in disgust. "Who also rejected me, proving to be Dumbledore's man through and through."

"So I gave into the destiny that the prophecy foretold of, knowing that I belonged instead in the company of those who could offer me what I truly wanted, _power_. I had planned on approaching you and offering to join your ranks, problem was, you like all the others failed to see my brother and I as different persons. You see, I am nothing like him. We were raised by entirely different families with different morals and values, the fact that he was sorted to Gryffindor like our filthy parents and I in Slytherin should be proof enough of this… "

"So I planned on perhaps killing an Auror to gain your attention and prove myself loyal to you. Then tonight, when I discovered Draco sneaking out of the common room I followed him and watched as he disarmed Dumbledore. The rage I held for the man overcame me at the sight of him and I saw suddenly an opportunity to fulfill my own selfish desire for vengeance as well as prove to you my loyalty in murdering such a great, sought after man." Darcey explained, surprising herself by how easily the words had slipped from her lips, probably because they were already, in part, true.

Voldemort took a moment to access her, as if suddenly seeing her as a real person for the first time and not some pathetic, teenage girl. He saw ambition in her, an impressive thirst for power and a hunger for vengeance against Harry Potter and all others whom rejected her and thought her to be the weaker of the two twins. She had indeed proven her loyalty to him in the highest act possible by murdering the man he'd spent decades trying to kill.

Perhaps Darcey Potter wasn't a threat or deemed as useless as he had originally thought. Perhaps there was some hidden value in her and he could appeal to the dark nature within her, granting her what she truly desired, _power_, and thus in return she would give him her devoted loyalty.

Voldemort teetered back and forth on the idea of whether or not she was worth sparing, still not completely convinced. She needed to offer something more, something that set her apart from the other loyal servants. She was a risk, a wild card that could easily turn on him. He had plenty of loyal followers, it wasn't worth sparing her to gain one more.

As if sensing his inner turmoil Darcey spoke up, offering him the very last thing she could give him.

"I know my loyalty isn't enough. You need something more than just that." Darcey reasoned softly. "With the disappearance of my adoptive parents over Christmas the Ministry of Magic looked closer into my adoption and discovered that it was unrecorded, therefore unofficial."

"_So?"_ Bellatrix interrupted furiously, clearly outraged that the Dark Lord was even considering her as a new recruit and giving her this much time. '_Had he gone mad? She was Harry Potter's twin sister! Kill her! Kill her!_" Bellatrix mentally screamed, his wand hand twitching as she itched to kill the girl herself.

"_So,"_ Darcey emphasized, glancing between Lestrange and Voldemort. "The Minister of Magic spoke to me himself and told me that I am to live with my _real_ guardians over the summer, a pair of muggles with whom Harry Potter also lives with…"

Darcey could see Voldemort's intelligent mind ticking, churning with the new information she had given him. Unlike his followers, unlike himself who couldn't get within a foot of Harry Potter when he was under the protection of his muggle Aunt and Uncle's house, Darcey could get near him and not only that, she'd be living with him under the same roof. The Order couldn't throw her out since the Minister himself had ordered it and Darcey could act as a spy and possibly even bring Harry Potter straight to him.

Voldemort was truly mistaken when he deemed the girl worthless for she was extraordinarily valuable, the most sacred treasure he had at the moment. She was his way of breaking through the bubble of protection the Order of the Phoenix had placed upon Harry since the night his parents died. Darcey was his ticket in.

"_So, you wish to join me?"_ Voldemort confirmed, brushing a stray lock of frizzy hair from her eyes, suddenly treating his prize with delicacy, like an expensive, fine jewel.

"_Yes_." Darcey breathed, an eager smile tugging at her lips. "_I'd love nothing more than to serve you, my lord."_ She bowed.

"Then you will act as a spy, staying with your muggle relatives over the summer and keep me informed on every plan being made to protect Harry Potter from me." Voldemort hissed, his voice laced with a greedy sort of excitement similar to Bellatrix's blood lust.

"_Yes, my lord."_ Darcey obediently replied as relief flooded her.

'I survived the Dark Lord twice._' _She realized with swelling pride though her features remained impassive._'_Correction, I_ defied _the Dark Lord twice...'


	17. Chapter 17: Claimed

_Saturday May 31, 1997_

It was a bright May morning. Birds chirped merrily outside the windows of the Malfoy Manor, nesting in many of the lush, green trees looming within the outside garden. Draco and Darcey sat before a large, marble water fountain with lily pads floating in the crystal, clear water. Darcey glanced up from her conversation with Draco to see a large, white bird strutting proudly along the high, stone garden wall.

"What is that?" She inquired, pointing over Draco's shoulder to the snowy white bird with beady crimson eyes peering down at them.

"An albino peacock, Father fancies them. We've bred a whole lot of them that live here inside the garden." Draco replied casually as if it were common knowledge.

"That's rather odd." Said Darcey.

"His patronus is a peacock. I suppose that's why he likes them so much..." Draco elaborated, not wanting Darcey to think that his family was anything other than ordinary.

Darcey allowed herself to snort out in laughter, unable to contain herself.

"And what may I ask is so funny?" Draco demanded pointedly.

"A peacock, _really?_ That explains loads. He does seem rather _peacocky_ now that you mention it." Darcey mused.

"Yeah? Well what birds do _you _have nesting in _your_ garden?" Draco asked rather childishly.

"I dunno, robins? Blue jays? I saw a Cardinal once. Those are my favorite." Darcey quipped with a smile.

"What a common flock." Draco sneered. "Haven't you bred any wild animals?" He inquired as if it were odd that she hadn't her own private species.

"_Erm-_ No. My family didn't own a _zoo _we owned a _house_." Darcey replied. "We were upper middle class remember, not filthy stinking rich like you Malfoy's."

"That's unfortunate… Speaking of home Father says I can escort you to your home if you wish to collect your belongings now that it's safe. I figured you'd be eager to get your things."

Suddenly there was a loud '_crack_' as a timid house elf appeared in front of them, startling Darcey nearly half to death as she leapt a good two feet in the air.

"Didn't mean to startle Master Draco's guest, sir. Binx has come to inform Master Draco that brunch is being served in the dining hall at eleven o' clock." The elf informed before disappearing once more with another '_crack_'.

Forty-eight hours ago Darcey was spared by the Dark Lord and told she'd be staying at the Malfoy Manor until the end of term where she would then go to live with her muggle relatives and brother in Little Whinging.

Draco's parents made it quite clear that Darcey was not welcomed in their home as a half-blood and Harry Potter's sister, they wanted nothing to do with her and were anything but 'honored' to have her as their guest. They grudgingly fed her and allowed her access to their home and she was offered one of their multiple, luxurious guest bedrooms, the one farthest from their sons, of course, but declined when Draco intervened and demanded that she room with him. Darcey was a mess two nights ago, greatly shook up by her near death encounter with Lord Voldemort and Draco thought it best not to leave her alone, less they risk discovering her dangled corpse hanging from the rafters.

* * *

_ Thursday, May 29, 1997_

Draco had guided Darcey straight to his room to get cleaned off. She was covered in dirt, sweat and tears from the rough night she endured and was hardly speaking, too absorbed in her thoughts as she recounted the events of the evening.

_'I survived.'_

"Take off your shirt." Came Draco's voice from behind her, he had led her to a luxurious, pristine bathroom with granite countertops and a large, ornate mirror above the sink that reflected in its glass the two disheveled teenagers.

Darcey lifted her hands above her head allowing Draco to pull off her damp t-shirt, and then her layered tank top. He unbuttoned her jeans from behind and tugged them off over her hips to pool around her feet where she robotically stepped out of them.

Darcey stood in her undergarments, rubbing her arms for warm as an unpleasant chill trickled down her spine. She felt vulnerable and exposed, not from being half-naked in the presence of Draco but from being under the intense gaze of Lord Voldemort just moments ago. Those cruel, crimson eyes kept swimming in her mind, burned forever in her memory.

Draco ran the bath with no less than twenty golden faucets spurting out hot water that emitted a fragrant, soapy scent. Draco set a stack of fluffy, black towels on the marble countertop that were charmed to stay warm.

"I'll be just outside the door, in my bedroom if you need me. The taps shut off themselves when the tub is filled." He supplied, lingering in the threshold as his pale eyes glistened with concern.

Darcey silently nodded, still standing stiffly and clutching her arms, facing the way he had left her, peering blankly at the tub. Draco must have seen her weak nod because after a moment he finally left her, closing the door with a soft click behind him.

Darcey stared for a moment at the frothy, bubbly water, listening the white noise of the running taps. She exhaled a shaky breath to calm her nerves, the adrenaline still pumping through her. She turned to the mirror to examine her reflection head on.

Her breast-length hair lay in lank, stringy, waves framing her face, some strands clinging to the sweat still glistening on her forehead and neck. Dark rings encircle her murky, blue eyes giving her face a shadowed effect. Her skin was ghostly pale giving her an overall harsh appearance as it clashed against her dark hair and black, lacy undergarments. She looked despondent and worn out as if fighting off some life threatening, chronic illness.

Darcey shed the last of her clothes, taking in her naked form before stepping into the tub and sinking down into the water until it touched her chin, engulfing her in warmth. The bubbles popped, tickling against her face and sounding loud against her ear drums. The faucets soon shut off as the tub filled to the brim and a washcloth and bar of soap magically appeared out of thin air, resting on the ledge of the tub.

Darcey lay against the curved, smooth back of the tub, allowing her tense, contracted muscles to relax as her heart tried to regains its normal pace. She began to scrub herself off after a long moment, trying desperately to rid her body of the dirt and sweat and overall feeling of shame. She felt more filthy on the inside than the outside, but sadly a hot bath wouldn't cleanse her tarnished soul.

_'Killing is an act against nature' _Darcey was reminded.

* * *

Darcey and Draco headed back inside at eleven o' clock for brunch, seating themselves at the far end of a long, mahogany table set with crystal cups, a pitcher of elf-squeezed orange juice and a platter of steaming hot pancakes, sunny side up eggs, smoked sausages and bacon, a lavish meal. At the opposite end of the table sat Draco's parents and his Aunt Bellatrix who all seemed to be expertly ignoring their presence entirely, as they eat their morning meal in a thick, awkward silence. Halfway through the meal Narcissa suddenly spoke up, gaining both teens attention.

"I'd just like to say something." She declared, setting down her pristine silverware as her bright, blue eyes fixated on Darcey's with anger reflected in them.

"Mind your tongue, Narcissa. Now is not the time._"_ Lucius Malfoy warned from his spot at the head of the table, casting his wife a threatening glance that seemed to have zero impact on her.

"I refuse to remain silent any longer, Lucius. I need to express what's heavy on my mind." Narcissa replied firmly, tilting her chin up in an act of superiority.

Lucius made a move to stop her, opening his mouth to protest but Darcey disrupted him. "_No, please continue. I'm dying to hear whatever it is you have to say to me."_ She replied curtly, ignoring Draco's gaze burning into her. His words from yesterday echoed through her head '_Do not engage them, just pretend they don't exist_.' But she couldn't hold back any longer, fed up with his parent's blatant display of rudeness. They had done nothing to welcome her as a guest in their home nor to accept her as an ally, refusing to acknowledge that she was now a valuable member of the Dark Lord's army. She was one of them.

"You had no right." Narcissa accused, struggling to maintain her collected appearance.

"_Pardon?_" Darcey quipped, setting down her own utensils and pushing aside her meal, finding that her appetite had diminished along with her patience.

"_You had no right to steal away Draco's glory. It was his mission to kill Albus Dumbledore and you selfishly took that away from him._"

Bellatrix glanced up from her meal through a curtain of untamed, curly, black hair dangling in her eyes as she peered up in wicked excitement between the two witches, inwardly hoping for a brawl and the opportunity to hex Darcey in the argument of 'self defense.' She had been dying to use the Crutiatus curse on the Half-Blood from the moment she got there.

"_Excuse me?"_ Darcey growled in outrage. "_Your son failed to kill Dumbledore and I stepped in to save him. If it weren't for me Draco would be dead, the Dark Lord would have killed him for his failure-"_

"Plans had been made that if Draco should get cold feet Severus Snape would be the one to finish off Dumbledore. We made an unbreakable vow last July and he promised to assist Draco in fulfilling his mission, but my son was hardly given the chance as you so selfishly stepped in to steal his glory. You've planned this all along haven't you? Purposely befriending my son in order to use him to meet your own ends-"

"I did no such thing!" Darcey furiously protested rising to stand as her hand subconsciously reached down for her wand. In an instant Bellatrix had risen and was pointing her crooked, ebony wand directly at Darcey, her cruel eyes glinting with blood lust. Draco quickly intervened not wanting to see his friend get tortured.

"Excuse me, Mother. I'd like to return to my bedroom now. Darcey, if you will join me, please?" Draco smoothly inquired, presenting her with his pale, outstretched hand.

"_It would be my pleasure, Draco."_ Darcey replied, trying with all her might to control her anger and remain calm. Darcey gently placed her hand in his and allowed him to whisk her away from his unbearable family. They ascended a stone staircase before wondering down a long, dimly lit corridor with the curtains drawn closed upon every window, giving it the depressing, familiar feel of Professor Snape's classroom.

Darcey glanced at the pale portraits aligning the walls, depicting the Malfoy lineage. She couldn't help but notice that most of the men and women looked eerily alike, with the same pale eyes, pointed features and white-blond hair. Darcey could not help but wonder if they had inbred in order to maintain their pureblood status. She wouldn't put it past them to resort to incest rather than risk 'contamination' of their pristine blood.

Draco's room was the last in the hall on the far right, behind an ornate oak door. Darcey slipped in past him as he politely held open the door for her to enter, plopping down ungracefully upon his handsome, four-post bed adorned in a heavy emerald quilt and crisp white sheets similar to those back in their Slytherin dormitories, except with a higher thread count.

Darcey gazed around the room, admiring the Vratsa Vultures Romanian Quidditch team posters framed upon his walls and the Slytherin pendent pinned above his desk. An expensive looking fine art painting of a knight in black armor slaying a rather nasty looking dragon took up the majority of space on the wall above his bed. A crystal chandelier hung above them and an ornate, glossy wood wardrobe stood on the opposite wall from the bed. Deep, forest green wallpaper with a subtle, victorian pattern made the bedroom, like the rest of the manor, appear dark and dreary.

Darcey fell back, lying down sprawled out on his bed and peering up at the chandelier, noticing how it glistened as some of the crystals caught the small trail of sunlight filtering in through the curtained window. It was quite beautiful, a simple kind of beauty that Darcey took a moment to appreciate.

"Make yourself at home then." Draco teased from somewhere above her.

"Already have." Darcey replied, unsure of whether of not he could see her grinning as she obnoxiously kicked off her leather boots. They fell to the hard wood beneath her with two distinctive, loud 'thunks'.

"I have to ask." Darcey blurted out, penetrating the comfortable silence that lingered over them and propping herself up on her elbows in order to get a better view of him. Draco was standing near his desk eyeing a golden snitch whizzing around his head and with cat like reflexes made a grab for it, successfully gripping it in his enclosed fist. He released it once more only to catch it again as the two engaged in idle chatter.

"Why don't you have any siblings?" She wondered, still watching him play with the snitch.

"What do you ask?" Draco answered her question with a question, one of Darcey's pet peeves, while pocketing the small ball and coming to lay beside her. Darcey turned her head to face him, meeting his silvery orbs.

"I just thought that it was an ancient pureblood family tradition to spawn as many children as possible…"

"_Merlin, do we look like the Weasley's? This isn't a barn, we don't reproduce like mice._" Draco sneered, obviously offended and not seeing the point she was trying to make.

"_I just mean, how else do you intend to keep the bloodline pure if you haven't a sister to marry..._"

"That is disgusting." Draco replied flatly.

"_Well it's true!"_ Darcey shrieked in defense. "Don't act as if- I saw the portraits. I'm not a bloody idiot-" Darcey argued, fumbling slightly over her words in mild embarrassment.

"Yes we've inbred but it stopped at my father who married out of the family, my mother's is a Black, you know, and I intend to do the same." Draco informed her matter of fact.

"_Obviously_, it isn't as if you exactly have a choice- _oomph_" Darcey grinned cheekily, earning a swift nudge in the arm from her companion.

"_Just saying!"_ She protested with a small chuckle.

"_Close your mouth, Potter. You're digging yourself a deeper grave_." Draco lightly taunted, rolling over so that he was now hovering over her. They were very close.

Their eyes met, steely gray against stormy blue, before Draco leaned down, closing the gap between them. Darcey's eyes fluttered shut as she focused on his warm lips moving against hers, reaching up to cup the nape of his neck, pulling him closer to her. She felt a prickling sensation wash over her as her mind began to feel fuzzy with lust. Although they had snogged like this before, she still found herself each time just as pathetically affected by his lips as the first time they had kissed in the room of requirement. She never seemed get tired of it.

Draco pulled back so that their faces were now inches apart as he gazed intensely into Darcey's eyes as if searching for something buried deep within them. His expression was mixed and unreadable as if regarding her with some sort of inner turmoil

_"Is something wrong?"_ Darcey inquired softly, sounding more than a little defensive. Perhaps he was just now begun to realize his mistake in snogging a half-blood like herself. Maybe being back home with his prejudice family had caused him to regret ever becoming involved with a girl as complicated and 'inferior' as her although Darcey was intelligent and confident enough to know otherwise, that they were equals.

Draco stared down at her, his breathe tickling against her chapped lips. He realized suddenly that something had changed in the atmosphere between them ever since two nights ago when Darcey had nearly died. Before then they had been friends, allies and simply somebody to snog. Their relationship was shallow and light, which was a refreshing change from Pansy. Draco was still attracted to Darcey, she was more than pretty, especially now that she had grown on him and he had felt an undeniable spark when they first kissed that left him craving more. He lusted after her, that much hadn't changed at all, but now there was something more to it, as if their relationship had turned into something a little more complicated and Draco didn't need any more complications in his already hectic life.

He felt oddly _attached_ to the girl now, possessive even, he realized and suddenly he dreaded the idea of them spending an entire summer apart. It was a pathetic move on his part, a show of weakness that he'd never admit to out loud and he wouldn't necessarily go as far as to say that he was _in love_ with Darcey, that would be completely mental, but he was becoming too fond of her for his own liking. Perhaps the distance would be good for them, for they were becoming too dependent on each other for companionship.

Yet, Darcey had never once questioned their relationship or pushed him to be more committed to her. She was different than most girls, more independent and less needy. She had never seemed bothered in the least by the fact that Draco hadn't ever once showered her with expensive gifts or taken her out on a proper date like he had his previous girlfriend, Parkinson. So, if she wasn't bothered by the way he treated her why was he? '_Maybe because Darcey's an intelligent girl and soon enough she'll realize that she deserves better and she'll find it elsewhere.'_

"What are we? I mean- what do you want us to be?" Draco suddenly inquired as he struggled to construct his racing thoughts into a proper sentence. It was time they put some solid boundaries on their 'relationship'. Were they courting? Were they merely friends with benefits? Draco needed to know what she expected of him and he needed to be clear with her, because he wasn't ready to delve into another serious relationship and she needed to know that before he led her on and she got hurt. '_Why do I care if she gets hurt?'_ Draco instantly thought in spite, disgusted by his weakness. The girl was growing on him like moss.

Darcey's eyes widened by a fraction, barely noticeable unless he were this close to her as she contemplated his words.

"_I suppose we're just- I dunno- us- together?_" Darcey stuttered, feeling equally as confused at putting a solid label on them. She grimaced.

"And you haven't a problem with that? That what we have here isn't proper?_"_ Draco clarified in mild disbelief, raising a light brow while inwardly feeling once more a tad bit guilty. Darcey deserved more than this, she was a brilliant girl and she should have been smart enough to know better than get involved with a heartbreaker like him. She was going to get hurt, but Draco felt the guilt subside and replace itself with indignant cockiness. _'I gave her a fair warning, I've been kind. From this point on she has no one to blame but herself for being so foolish.'_

"No, not at all." Darcey replied without an ounce of hesitation."And I don't think we should over complicate this. We're both obviously fond of one another and we have loads on our plate right now. This is pretty much our only escape from the darkness surrounding our lives. Let's just continue to find release in each other. I feel happy when I'm with you and that's all that matters, right? So I'd love to continue being _this, _whatever the bloody hell _this _is." Darcey replied softly, casting him a genuine smile before inclining her head just a fraction to close the gap between them, already missing the feel of Draco's lips against her. She was falling too deep, but she reassured herself that she remained in control. No boy was going to turn her to mush. Darcey Davis- erm _Potter, _right_._ _Darcey Potter_ was not the type of lass to go drooling over anyone, especially a prick like Draco Malfoy, but even as she thought it, she thought it tenderly. Yes, Draco Malfoy was a prick, but he was an exception because for whatever strange, illogical reason, Darcey just didn't mind him anymore, in face she adored him.

* * *

Later that evening Darcey lay awake on the handsome, leather sofa in Draco's bedroom placed in front of his window. She felt uncomfortable sharing Draco's bed with him, knowing how much of a bed hog she tended to be and feeling it would be awkward to act so intimately after their casual set boundaries earlier. So, Darcey happily took up residence on the couch.

The light of the moon shone through the dark, curtained window bathing the bedroom in a soft, dim, white glow. Darcey was gripped with restless insomnia, every time she closes her eyes her thoughts began to race. She had tried roaming the corridors, to walk it off and tire her body and mind but that hadn't gone over well. So she came back to the bedroom and now lie awake, engulfed in her turbulent thoughts.

Anxiety filled her at the idea of revisiting her childhood home that weekend to collect her belongings; it was something she had to do but found herself dreading immensely. She was also dreading the summer she would be spending with her brother and the _muggles_ worried that he might try to murder her in her sleep.

'_Harry hates me, he'll probably strangle me the moment I walk through the door he wouldn't bother waiting 'til I slept...' _Darcey darkly mudes with a morbid sense of humor. Although, she didn't really know her brother well enough to accurately predict his reaction to her, and that unsettled her more, not knowing what to expect.

Above all else, Darcey felt disturbed by her lack of remorse towards murdering a man in coldhearted vengeance. Shouldn't she be distraught and torn up inside, doesn't the act of murder shred the soul? She murdered a man, Albus Dumbledore no less, shouldn't she be experiencing some sort of killers guilt or regret? Shouldn't she be having night terrors where she's forced to relive the traumatic memory, forever haunted by the look of death crossing his face as he fell from the Astronomy tower window seven-stories high?

Yet, Darcey felt completely empty, void of any emotion regarding the murder except for perhaps a small sense of satisfaction that she tried to bury deep within her, feeling ashamed by it.

_Was it wrong that she truly believed Dumbledore deserved to die and she had no regret of killing him? _Yes, it was wrong! Or at least Darcey was almost certain it _should_ be wrong and once more she's reminded that she's isn't normal, maybe she was a Sociopath.

_'Have I lost my mind? Am I completely deranged?' _She faintly wondered, her stomach knotting in fear. She felt as if she were slipping away, further and further from sanity, like a sailor lost at sea.

'_Have I really gone mad? Why don't I feel anything?' _She desperately tried to awaken herself from this cold state of mind. Trying to get a grip.

Desperate to feel something, _anything_, more than the dark, creeping abyss slowly consuming her, Darcey rose with a sudden jolt, straining her eyes to make out Draco's sleeping form on the bed beside her. She felt something stir within her abdomen as she approached him, watching him sleep so innocently, so peacefully, an urge to disturb him.

She padded silently over to him in bare feet, gazing down at his fair, handsome face that seemed to glow supernaturally in the moonlight filtering through the window. He shifted in his sleep, mumbling something inaudible as he rolled over on his back, sprawled out in the center of his large bed. His left arm lay bent at an angle above his head, resting on his pillowcase while his other arm remained near his side under the covers draped around his waist.

Half of his dark mark was visible from his sleeve riding up with the movement and Darcey felt suddenly the overwhelming urge to touch it in order to satisfy a sick sense of lust inside her. Gently and carefully she pulled up his sleeve an inch more before softly tracing her fingertips over the smooth, inked skin, feeling the tattoo made him even more attractive and shouldn't that be wrong too?

Draco shifted slightly at her contact, his arm twitching beneath her. She quickly drew back her hand as her pulse increased rapidly with her adrenaline, enjoying the thrill of not getting caught.

Gaining courage and allowing her desire to fuel her, Darcey lightly straddled Draco's waist and bent down in half, pressing her body to him so that their chests met as she placed a soft kiss upon his cheek. She guided her lips to his jaw line, kissing him again. He did not stir which gave her further incentive to move her lips to his exposed, pale neck where her tongue glided across his cool skin as she moved her lips against the tender flesh, lightly nibbling and sucking with careful seduction.

This seemed to arouse Draco from his slumber, as his body stiffened momentarily not knowing what was happening and why he couldn't move with the weight of Darcey pinning him to the bed, leaving him immobile. His silvery eyes landed on the beautiful girl above him, kissing and sucking sensually at his neck, her panting breaths hot against his earlobe.

"Darcey…" Draco groaned huskily as a jolt of arousal twitched in his abdomen, his dick stiffening beneath her. He allowed himself to relax fully, taking in the burning, tingling sensation radiating through him and enjoying Darcey's hot mouth against him.

His hand reached up from beneath the blankets to grip her hair, entangling his fingers in the soft, tousled locks. Darcey moved to kiss his lips, moving her tongue in unison against his, as their kisses grow more needy and desperate.

Darcey hooked the bottom of her nightshirt; one of Draco's old button downs that was too small for him and swiftly lifted the shirt up over her head, abandoning it on the floor below her and exposing her pale, perky breasts.

Draco leaned up to grope them before his hot lips glided sensually over her nipple, kissing and sucking at her breasts with intense ferocity. Darcey buried her fingertips in his disheveled, blonde hair, arcing her back as an internal heat coursed through her body at the contact. She wanted to feel him inside her, the urge was so intense that it was almost unbearable. She needed him, all of him.

With the swiftness of a cobra, Draco gripped tightly to her hips and flung her roughly down upon the bed. He leaned back on his knees, tearing off his silk pajama shirt and letting it fall to the floor behind him.

He pressed himself fully against her, kissing her passionately. Darcey ran her hand along his toned chest, from years of playing Quidditch, feeling the rise and fall of his muscles as his heartbeat raced and his breathing became ragged. He let out a frustrated groan, unable to control himself any longer. He need to have her, claim her.

"_I want you_." Draco's voice was low and husky, coming out as a growl.

"_Then have me."_ Darcey quipped breathlessly, drawing him in for another deep, passionate kiss.

Draco's hands forcefully grappled for her underwear before yanking them swiftly off her hips, leaving her completely exposed beneath him. He took a moment to admire her slender curves as another jolt of arousal ignited him.

Darcey reached out to hook her fingers on the hem of his pants, feeling eager to get him naked. She wanted to explore him, touch him, and taste him.

Draco slithered away from her, repositioning his body below her, lying flat on the bed between her parted legs. His hot breath tickled against her most sensitive area.

"_W-what are you doing?"_ Darcey squeaked, suddenly caught off guard by his detour, not expecting him to kiss her _there._

"_Shhh_." He cooed, reaching his left hand up to cup her breast, his thumb stroking her erect nipple while his other hand dug tightly into her upper thigh. He brought his lips down between her parted legs as his wet lips made contact with her most forbidden region.

Something between a gasp and a moan escaped Darcey's lips as his tongue glided between her folds, kissing and lapping at her in a rhythmic motion, devouring her.

"_F-fuck Draco_." Darcey cursed while fisting the sheets and arching her hips against him, letting the pleasure of his tongue lapping at her engulf her. Her eyes snapped shut as she bit down hard on her lip, doing her best to suppress another load moan while entangling her fingers in his messy hair, tugging him back towards her.

Draco resurfaced from between her milky legs, his lips slick with saliva and evidence of her arousal, before latching onto her neck and sucking so hard she was sure it would leave a mark, showing the world that Darcey belongs to him. Draco had claimed her as his possession.

He roughly kicked off his silk pants, positioning himself carefully above her. Darcey was soaking wet and it was such a turn on as he tried to restrain himself from pounding into her. Instead he entered her as slowly as he could manage, giving her time to adjust to the sheer size of him.

Darcey gasped, wincing as her nails dug into his shoulder blades nearly drawing blood. Draco moved his lips to hers, engulfing her in a deep, desperate kiss in order to distract her from the discomfort of losing her virginity to him.

After a moment Darcey gently thrusts her hips against him, signaling that the pain has subsided enough for him to continue. Draco slowly moved himself in and out of her a few times, testing the waters. She groaned but didn't wince so he took that as a promising sign.

Unable to restrain himself any longer if he tried, Draco roughly thrusted against her and then repeated the jerking motion again and again until their bodies become in sync and Darcey was soon moving with him as he pounded ruthlessly against her.

The bedsprings squeaked loudly in protest, creating a symphony and likely drawing the attention of anyone on the second floor but Draco didn't care as he drilled into her harder and harder with all his might, shagging her senseless.

Darcey become increasingly more vocal, allowing herself to moan out his name.

_"Draco! Ugh- please."_ Her tone was breathless and pleading like the time he had used the Imperius curse on her and once again her voice excited something dark and deep within him.

"Please what? Say it. Beg me." Draco commanded huskily from above her through panted breaths, his blonde hair damp with sweat and hanging in his eyes as he stared intensely down at her.

"Don't stop." Darcey managed, equally as out of breathe and overwhelmed with the pleasure of him fucking her. "Please, don't stop." She begged shamelessly.

Gripping tightly to her wrists, Draco threw her arms roughly back above her head, thrusting savagely against her while pinning her down.

Turned on by Draco's sudden act of dominance, Darcey submitted to him letting him fuck her with all his might as they both lost control. The passion consumed them, a raw, animalistic lust. "Draco!" She cried out at last as a nearly intolerable heat radiated through her core, numbing her mind and body with euphoric pleasure. Her muscles tightened and contracted as she let out a low moan, throwing her head back and riding out the last few heavenly moments of her first orgasm.

Draco released his seed inside her, his body jerking with pleasure as his nails dug deeper into Darcey's wrists nearly drawing blood and surely leaving a bruise.

_"Fuck, Darcey." _Draco growled out baring his clenched teeth. His disheveled, now wavy, blond hair clung to his clammy forehead. His prick twitched as it pumped out every last drop of his seed. Darcey's body was how, tight and wet against him, the sensation consumed him as a chill trickled down his spine and as quickly as it came it soon faded, leaving them both panting out of breath and feeling high as a kite.

Draco released her, falling ungracefully back upon the bed beside her, his breathing ragged as if he had just ran a mile.

They both stared up at the crystal chandelier, glistening in the reflected moonlight like expensive diamonds.

"_Blimey._" Draco muttered, barely more than an exhale of breath.

"_That was… amazing"_ Darcey breathed, curling up beside him.

Draco extended his arm giving her access to lay her head on his chest before wrapping it lazily around her shoulder.

After a few long moments of cuddling and catching their breath, they gently untangled themselves from one another as Draco got up to use the loo and Darcey began getting redressed, searching through the many articles of clothing strewn about the bedroom. After a minute of searching she located her undergarments and slipped them back on before returning to the warmth of Draco's bed and sliding beneath the heavy, quilted covers.

Draco returned from the bathroom, lacking all modesty as he strutted about the bedroom stark naked and radiating confidence as he lazily kicked through the piles of clothing in search of his boxers.

Darcey silently admired him, having never seen Draco look more handsome than he did now, she couldn't help but grin. _'This gorgeous lad is all mine.' _She realized, feeling rather possessive of him.

Draco pulled on his boxers before sliding into bed beside her. He offered her a soft kiss before nudging her to roll over.

"_Turn over_." He demanded his voice laced with exhaustion.

"But I want to face this. I'm so comfortable." Darcey protested. She didn't feel like moving as her limbs felt heavy as lead.

'_Of course she'd choose now to be difficult_.' Draco mentally grumbled, recalling how submissive the haughty girl had been just a few minutes prior.

"_My bed, my rules. Turn over, Potter."_ Draco demanded, as Darcey finally obeyed him with an annoyed huff.

Draco draped his arm around her waist, pulling her back flush against him as they spooned.

Darcey was glad that she had listened to him because this position was definitely more comfortable.

The intimate acts of the night left them both feeling immensely satisfied and equally tired, it was nearly four o' clock in the morning and sleep engulfed them easily now, submerging them in a peaceful slumber.


	18. Chapter 18: Run-in with a Vamp

Wondering about the Malfoy Manor at night was similar to Darcey's first days at Hogwarts as a clueless eleven-year-old girl, back when those endless corridors seemed so maze like. She found herself constantly getting lost.

It was midnight and being the insomniac that she was Darcey could not sleep. Carefully tiptoeing out of Draco's bedroom, she decided to roam the mansion out of nosy curiosity.

She held her wand and could have cast '_Lumos'_ to light her path but the Ministry seemed to have cracked down a lot on _everything_ including detection of underage magic so Darcey would rather not take the risk.

The portraits hissed insults at her as she passed by beneath them, aware that they were in the presence of a woman with tarnished blood.

"_Rotting, stinking, dirty blood._" Seethed a particularly unpleasant portrait of a man by the name of Abraxus. "A Half-blood under my roof! I've gone straight to hell, I have!" He moaned.

"Go screw your sister you nasty inbred." Darcey sneered. "I think I saw her a few paintings back."

"Your grandfather was an obnoxious swine." He countered.

"And you're an obnoxious painting. Go bury your head in some pastels will you? A bit more color would do wonders for your appearance, cover up all that ugly."

"Why you little- come back here! Face me like a true Gryffindor you lousy coward!" The portrait called after her as she descended the staircase to the main level of the home.

Padding towards the kitchen she decided to brew herself a cup of tea in the hopes that some warm chamomile would help to make her drowsy.

Darcey blindly groped the wall for a light switch as a male's despondent cries penetrated through the lightless room. Darcey's body became stiff with fear as her muscles contracted in apprehension. She stood frozen, palm still brushing against the wallpaper, feeling the ridges beneath her hand but failing to find a light switch. Another low groan echoed through the otherwise silent space and Darcey noticed that the air became thicker, cold and constricting as if it were lashing out at her.

She stepped forward, not out of bravery but morbid curiosity. She wanted to know who or _what_ was making such a hopeless sound.

Darcey could barely see where she was going with only the moon lighting filtering through the windowpanes in the kitchen illuminating her path. She wondered aimlessly through the dark room and to a short, narrow corridor that joined the drawing room and kitchen. The hallway was lightless, lacking of even a single window and the air felt severely frigid, burning Darcey's lungs and making it nearly unbearable to breathe. She groped the wall in front of her, discovering a solid steel door that reminded her of some sort of freezer. She inhaled a sharp, painful breath, her body trembling as she grasped the cold, metal doorknob and gave it a twist.

The heavy metal door groaned eerily open and a helpless moan could be heard again, much closer now. Darcy had nearly found him...

Just then something glided towards her, emerging from the darkness with a burst of glacial wind and misty frost that instantly froze over the wall that Darcey now pressed herself against.

She drew her wand; thoughts of the Ministry wiped clean from her mind as she found herself in the face of danger. There was a hollow, wheezing breath from directly in front of her and then a sucking feeling as if the creature were draining the life from her, extinguishing that flickering flame inside her where her emotions, morals, thoughts, and conscience lived, devouring her very soul, her entire being.

There was a flash of blinding white light, followed by warmth that seemed to expel both the creature and the chill it brought with it, pushing it backwards and trapping it once more behind the confines of the door.

Darcey caught a shimmer of fair hair and at first she believed her savior to be Draco but as her eyes adjusted to the new light and the wispy, white peacock strutting around her, she realized she was now in the presence of the elder Malfoy, Lucius.

Darcey lowered the arm that had been shielding her eyes from the light, enough to make out the sallow, pointed face and curtain of blond hair framing it. A pair of eyes the same shade as Draco's but somehow much colder and merciless locked with her own.

"Curiosity killed the cat, Miss Potter." Lucius taunted, his voice low. "What a shame it would be to lose the mighty Darcey Potter to a mere dementor. Surely you could spawn enough magic to defeat just one? Yet, it seems I've over estimated your talent. You are nothing more than a whimpering, pathetic, child."

_"_I wasn't whimpering nor am I pathetic. My apologies in assuming that I wouldn't come face to face with a dementor while fetching a cup of tea from your kitchen." Darcey replied icily, her blue eyes narrowed in anger. "Speaking of which, why do you have a dementor in your kitchen? Do you enjoy the depressing aura of your home? Or maybe you're too cheap to install a proper air conditioning unit and use dementors to keep cool?" Darcey theorized smoothly with a wicked grin tugging at her lips before she lowers her voice to barely more than a whisper, "Or perhaps the dementors guard someone while also torturing them. You strike me as the type to try and kill two birds with one stone, clever man you are, Malfoy. So tell me who's your latest victim you deluded psychopath?"

Lucius towers slightly over her, bending down to whisper in her ear, his breath hot against her bruised skin_. _"You're next Darcey, you'll be down there joining him as soon as the Dark Lord realizes you're useless and I'll find vast amounts of pleasure in torturing you. The young ones break so easily. Ah yes, the young ones are _loads_ of fun."

Mr. Malfoy stood tall and proud once more, glaring down at his '_guest of honor'._

"Get out of my sight." He commanded firmly and without further word Darcey quickly scampered away.

* * *

_June 4th 1997_

That Sunday Draco and Darcey used the floo network to travel to her childhood home that had stood abandoned for half a year.

Darcey had been dreading the trip home for an entire week before Draco finally convinced her to go and 'get it done with', in his words.

So here they stood in her living room ready to get it done with.

The large, colonial house was eerily still with a certain level of unpleasant thickness in the air, the remnants of dark magic.

Draco was the first to step forward, forcefully brushing the soot from his robes as he scanned the festive living room, decorated in gold and crimson complete with a mistletoe and decaying, dead Christmas tree rotting in the corner. Brown and yellow pine needles littered the floor around it and the once tasteful, modern furniture in the room had been broken, shattered, ripped or tossed aside depicting a great struggle that had taken place.

After gazing around the depressing, filthy room Darcey stepped forward past Tracey and hers abandoned school trunks and up the stairs with Draco silently at her heel. The mood between them was somber as Draco absorbed the bedroom they had now entered, painted an attractive light, aqua blue with sleek white, modern furniture. The feel was minimal yet feminine. The small desk beside him caught his attention as he gently traced his fingertips along the stack of literature piled neatly between a vase filled with wilted lavender and a small jar of quills. He recognized the tomes instantly, having the same Legilimency and Occlumency books in his own library at home except these ones appeared much less ancient, their hard covers still shiny and new.

Draco's gaze shifted upwards at an ethnic, woven, dream catcher hung upon the wall and beneath it a triangular Slytherin pendent and a framed astronomy quilt depicting the many constellations of their galaxy.

His eyes moved to the window adorned in airy, sheer curtains with a double sized bed perched in front of it. The blankets appeared to be made of satin and gave off an attractive sheen. The bed had been neatly made and remained undisturbed. On either side of it were two white, boxy end tables one with a digital alarm clock and the other with a curving, steel lamp and a jar with raw, yellow quartz.

On the opposite wall of the desk, near the bed, stood a tall, modern dresser with knick-knacks scattered on top, including a small, silver jewelry box with sapphire gemstones that clashed with the modern feel of the room, looking antique and ornate. Next to it were small phials of expensive perfume that appeared mostly full, and another jar filled with lacewing flies.

Opposite of the bed was a double closet with sliding oak doors, a poster of the Wicked Sisters and a band called the Pixies were taped crooked on it's doors along with a '_Guide to Palm Reading'_ poster depicting significant creases of the palm and poster depicting a diagram of a human head with different areas of the brain highlighted in a different, bright color, some sort of Psychology or Anatomy poster, Draco was not entirely sure.

Not in the mood to hang around and watch as Darcey sorted through her closet of clothes, deciding what to take and what to leave, Draco silently dismissed himself to wander around the rest of the home, curious to see how the majority of Hogwarts middle class population lived.

It was not until Draco was nosily looking through the vanity drawers of the bathroom when he feels the urge to use the loo. He closed the drawer, an empty, yellow medication bottle rolling noisily in the process and moved to stand over the toilet.

Suddenly a low creak echoed through the empty upper level of the home, sounding as if it came from somewhere upstairs, possibly the next room over, that must have belonged to either Darcey's parents or one of her siblings.

In her bedroom Darcey froze, a pair of trainers dangling in her hands. From different rooms, both Draco and Darcey's eyes darted out into the empty, eerily silent hallway.

"_Did you hear that?"_ Darcey whispered, turning back around to face Draco and only then realizing that he had disappeared. Her pounding heart steadied by a fraction as she assumed it were him behind the source of the noise, probably probing around the other bedrooms out of boredom. Luckily she had finished packing and they could finally leave.

From the bathroom Draco drew his hawthorne wand, pointing it at the threshold as if expecting a sudden ambush.

Darcey quietly abandoned her closet, moving to poke her head out into the corridor. "Draco, let's go!" She called out, pulling a wheeled suitcase behind her.

Another floorboard groaned from next door and Darcey rolled her eyes, sensing that he was now trying to scare her in an attempt to lighten the somber atmosphere. She was both annoyed and appreciative of his effort.

"Draco, we're leaving _now_. Quit pissing around." Darcey commanded, her voice clear and firm and sounding just like her mother's as she quickly grew fed up with his foolery.

She was met with heavy silence and then another low creak, signaling that whoever was in the next bedroom was now moving towards her. _Finally._

Just then with lightning speed a dark figure lunged out from her parents master bedroom, tackling Darcey to the ground with a loud '_thunk' _as_ s_he let out a high pitched scream, caught completely off guard by the unseen attack.

She groped for her dropped wand while struggling beneath the weight of an emaciated looking man in his late twenties with a gaunt, pale face, shaggy, unwashed hair and pitch-black, demonic eyes. A set of sharp, yellow fangs glistening with saliva were exposed to her as the man let out a low, primal growl.

Darcey fumbled for her wand, locating it just as a bright blue light knocked the man off her, sending him over her head and crashing into the mirror at the end of the corridor before he tumbled loudly down the staircase.

In an instant Darcey was back on her feet, standing beside Draco with their wands drawn to the stairs as they waited for the man to get up.

"What was that?_"_ Draco asked in bewilderment, having only caught the back of the creature and heard its fierce growl.

"A vampire, I think." Darcey replied, her body trembling with pent up adrenaline.

"A vampire? A vampire?_" _Draco squawked_. "_Merlin, Darcey, what's a _vampire_ doing in your home?" He demanded, turning briefly to look at her with wide, gray eyes as if he honestly thought she kept a vampire in her home as a pet or something equally as outrageous.

"Don't look at me!" Darcey defended. "The bloody hell if I know!"

There was a low groan of pain resounding from the lower level of the home as the Squatter struggled to get back up.

"We need to get out of here." Said Draco, stating the obvious as Darcey tugged him back inside her bedroom, shutting and locking the door behind them.

_"_Help me move this! Quickly!" Demanded Darcey, pushing with her hip against her desk, attempting to slide it in front of the door.

"You're a witch, stupid. Use your magic." Draco scolded, raising his wand and levitating multiple pieces of furniture to blockade the door. Darcey moved aside to watch him work, silently cursing herself for becoming a blithering idiot in the face of danger.

"_Ah, come on!"_ The man whined, his voice coming closer, '_thump, thump, thump_' he slowly trudged back up the steps.

"_I ain't gonna bite yer. Just got a nice whiff of your lass there and lost my cool is all."_ He cackled darkly from just outside the bedroom door. "You're a type O arn't yer girlie? Them types are the most delicious, yet hardest to come by. The universal blood type, the prime rib of the stock."

Draco and Darcey exchanged horrified looks. Until then Darcey hadn't even bothered knowing her blood type, a small part of her was now thankful for the new information. If she were ever to give blood it was something worth knowing, what your blood type was and now Darcey could say with confidence that her blood type was O-

"The stinking B blood in there with yer smells down right awful. Rancid, that be. _Filthy B bloods_." The vampire sneered.

Draco squared his shoulders with an air of dignity as if insulted by this creature daring to call his legendary, pure blood _rancid_. How dare he? Draco's blood was surely the best blood, if they were to rank blood on quality. He was certain despite the vampires proclamation that his blood would taste richer than a mud-blood or half-blood's blood. The insult went against everything he was raised to believe and it was the worst insult the vampire could have given him. It literally made Draco's blood boil with rage, no pun intended.

With a loud bang and the splintering of the wooden door, both teens were pulled from their thoughts as the vampire punched his fist through the door, and then again and again, peeling back the wood until there was a wide enough gap for him to crawl through. He easily knocked the flimsy, swedish furniture aside and stalked towards them like a hungry wolf.

Both Draco and Darcey backed away to opposite corners of the bedroom, with Draco near her closet and Darcey near her bed. Both their wands were drawn, ready for an impending brawl and feeling confident in their odds. Two against one. They had a fighting chance.

"You're making a huge mistake, half-breed." Draco declared, thrusting his sleeve up to expose his dark mark. "We're high ranking Death Eaters. The Dark Lord will kill you if we're harmed. We're very valuable soldiers." He threatened, his voice wavering slightly to give way to his fear.

"_The Dark Lord isn't here now, is he?"_ The vampire taunted dramatically looking around the room while slowly creeping towards Darcey, though his eyes remained trained on Draco. "_Who's going to help you little boy? Where's your glorious Master?"_ He cruelly mocked.

Darcey glanced around frantically, her mind whirling as she analyzed their situation, thinking of a way out of this. '_Work, brain, work!_'

"_Reducto!_" Draco shouted out angrily, completely missing the vampire who easily dodged the spell with lightning fast reflux, as half of Darcey's bedroom was blown to smithereens. Thick dust momentarily clouded their vision and Draco could be heard coughing from somewhere to her left.

"_Deprimo!_" Darcey pointed her wand at the floor beneath her, knowing they had no chance of hitting the vampire with a spell, he was too wicked quick.

The entire floor collapsed beneath them with all three of them screaming while they plummeted to the first floor and landed in the living room filled with the debris of the demolished bedroom.

Feeling only semi-confident with her new apparating abilities and lacking her legal license, Darcey clawed her way to the fireplace, stumbling like a drunkard to use the floo network.

"_Draco!"_ She called out frantically, ignoring the throbbing in her head, most likely a concussion and scanning the rubbish for any sign of him. She found his ashen hair, caked with dust near the fireplace. He was groaning loudly in pain, a sharp piece of splintered wood protruding from his blood soaked trousers. The pile of rubble shifted from behind them as the vampire tried to claw himself free, causing a wave of panic to wash over Darcey, knowing full well that they were running out of time. She wrapped Draco's arm around her neck and lifted him up to stand as they limped a few more steps to the fireplace. She grabbed a handful of floo powder as Draco clutched shakily his wand, his gray eyes fixated on the vampire as he struggled beneath a wooden beam, finally giving them the opportunity to hit him with a hex now that he was pinned down.

"_Oi! Not so quick now are you, filthy half-breed!"_ Draco sneered, fury flashing through his wintry eyes.

"_Crucio!" _

The half-breed writhed upon the ground, the lower half of his body still buried beneath the rubble. He emitted a piercing scream of anguish, digging his sharp, yellow nails into the floorboards so hard that it left behind a mark.

Darcey's eyes widened in shock, having never witnessed the Cruciatus curse before. She was both horrified and equally fascinated, feeling oddly detached.

Draco lifted the curse from him just enough for the sweating, panting creature to catch his breathe. He peered up at them with watery, amber eyes that silently begged for mercy and if it were Darcey inflicting the pain she would have given in and left, feeling as if they were equal now for him squatting in her house and attacking her. Justice had been served, but it was Draco, not Darcey, who was left to decide the creature's fate and Draco was much less concerned with justice and much more concerned with vengeance and obnoxious displays of power in which he could make his superiority known, in this case that he were a wizard and wizard trumps vampire.

"_Avada Kedavra!"_ Said Draco, sending the bright, green killing curse directly at the vampire as Darcey gripped the brass handle of her school trunk and cried out, "Malfoy Manor!"

They stumbled out of a much roomier fireplace as Darcey hastily abandoned her trunk and focused solely on tending to Draco who was bleeding rather badly.

"Help!" Darcey croaked out, her throat raspy and dry. "Help us!" She called out desperately again, guiding Draco to one of the twelve chairs at the dining table.

A house elf appeared with a loud '_crack', _gazing with huge, concerned eyes at its injured master.

_"Is Master Draco hurt?"_

"Get Narcissa!" Darcey demanded, cutting off the elf that instantly vanished.

Darcey shed her dusty, sodden t-shirt, leaving her in a white tank top as she pressed the shirt against Draco's wound, careful not to disturb the protruding wood as she attempted to clot the blood.

"You're going to be alright, okay? Draco- _look at me._ Draco!" Darcey's voice grew louder and more frantic as her companion's eyelids grew heavier and his gaze on her become unfocused. He swayed slightly in his chair, causing Darcey to grip tightly to his shoulders in order to prevent him from toppling over.

"HELP US! SOMEBODY HELP US! _NOW!_" Darcey screamed out to the empty room, wondering what the hell was taking that damned elf so long.

With another '_crack_' Narcissa appeared, her worried, blue eyes peering down at her unresponsive son as she hastily rushed over to him.

"Draco darling? What's wrong?" Narcissa asked frantically, screaming and jumping back a foot when her eyes landed on the hunk of wood lodged in her son's thigh.

"_What have you done to him? What have you done to my boy?" _She cried out in despair, taking her panic out on Darcey.

"_I've done nothing, there was a vampire-"_

"_A vampire? _Narcissa shrieked._ "What in Merlin's beard was a vampire doing-"_

"What's going on in here?_"_ Came the low, smooth voice of Lucius, striding across the threshold.

"He needs to be taken to the hospital, he's losing too much blood." Pleaded Darcey.

Lucius moved between his wife and son clutching their arms and preparing for Apparition.

"Stay here, Potter." Lucius commanded, his gray eyes burning into Darcey's.

"_Rubbish! I'm coming with you!"_ She protested, reaching out and grasping his arm with leech-like strength.

The four of them apparated outside of St. Mungo's hospital, a tall, looming, cement building with white paint flaking from its many dark windowpanes. Darcey followed the Malfoy's inside, passing under an emerald canopy with the word "_EMERGENCY WARD_" flickering in bold, florescent letters.

The double front doors vanished into smoke as they approached it, granting them access into the hospital. Inside they stood in a large, packed waiting room. Darcey fetched a nearby wheelchair and Narcissa assisted her son into it, who at that point kept fading in and out of consciousness, mumbling inaudible words.

Lucius checked in with the receptionist, a bored looking witch with lilac hair and more than a few facial piercings, with henna tattoos on her hands, who kept popping her bubblegum rather obnoxiously.

Darcey took a seat on one of the few empty chairs only to be greeting with a sling of profanities as she sat on an invisible person.

"My apologies, you should hold a book or something to warn people." Darcey snapped, instead moving to occupy the space on the floor near Draco's wheelchair as Narcissa took the last available seat near a wizard with painful looking, shiny, red boils littering his body to the point that you could barely make out his facial features.

Narcissa kept casting him disgusted glances from the corner of her eye, sitting as far away from him as possible, which was merely a few inches.

Darcey felt a small weight against her shoulder as she glanced up to see Draco's hand reaching out for her, his eyelids fighting to stay open. She shifted her weight so she was sitting cross-legged in front of him, taking gently his hand in hers and resting their clasped hands atop his lap, mindful of the splinter.

Narcissa reached out to stroke his cheek, whispering that he would be getting help soon.

After half an hour, Draco fell once more into an unconscious slumber, still gripping loosely to Darcey's warm hand.

Finally a healer approached them, carting Draco off to a private room. While they waited Darcey explained to his parents the dangerous situation they had ran into when they had went to fetch her belongings at her house.

"Are you sure he killed him?" Narcissa asked, looking horrified as if she couldn't place a mental image of her son murdering anyone, despite the fact that he had been instructed to murder Dumbledore, he hadn't done it.

Darcey nodded her head in confirmation, wondering if she should add that he used the Cruciatus curse. Since his parents were Death Eaters she decided upon telling them the truth, just in case her lying would somehow backfire and hurt them both.

Lucius seemed to be reading Darcey's thoughts after she told them everything, knowing that it wouldn't look good for Draco if the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement got involved in the case. Using underage magic in self-defense was one thing, even killing in true self-defense was explainable but torturing was in no way accepted and if caught Draco could face a lifelong sentence in Azkaban for using an illegal Unforgivable.

Lucius Malfoy slipped out of the hospital, most likely to get in touch with business connections that could help him cover up Draco's murder, leaving Narcissa and Darcey alone in the waiting room.

"I should be proud of him for acting so courageously, killing a vampire is a difficult and dangerous task, especially for a boy of sixteen." Narcissa whispered, with misty blue eyes. "But I can't help but feel such a heinous act will only serve to corrupt him, rob him of his innocence." Narcissa confided and it took a lot of willpower on Darcey's part not to snort out in laughter. '_Please, Draco is **far** from innocent it is as if you don't know him at all.'_ Darcey mentally scoffed as steamy recollections of their amazing sex together a few nights prior flashed inside her mind causing a sudden heat to course through her.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat to release some of the tension she felt at the lusty memory of him, feeling extremely awkward with having such dirty thoughts in the presence of his mother. It was insanely wrong.

"Not to come off as rude, but isn't it a bit late to be contemplating Draco's morals? I mean, he has a set of Death Eaters for parents and has been branded with the dark mark at the age of sixteen, how much innocence is there left really? What had you thought he'd be getting himself into? Having tea and pasties with the Dark Lord while practicing the tickling jinx?" Darcey replied dryly unable to hold back her cynicism. Honestly, what a terrible mother Narcissa was to thrust such a gruesome lifestyle upon her son. It made Darcey ill as she seethed with judgment upon the witch.

Narcissa looked outraged as she replied, "I've done the best I can to protect him, following the Dark Lord has given us power others can only dream of acquiring. He is safe because we chosoe to give him a life of security through serving the Dark Lord. Our Master's power encompasses us, protects us from harm and who are you but a mere half-blooded orphan to pass judgment upon me, as if you're any better, turning your back on your own blood brother. What an abomination your parents must regard you as, looking down upon you and turning in their graves. You've disgraced them and you're a disgrace to yourself."

"You're a foul bitch." Darcey seethed, rising abruptly from her chair and trudging outside to get some fresh air, unable to tolerate Narcissa's unbearable presence a moment longer. On the way out she collided with an elderly woman entering the hospital for her shift as Darcey observed she was dressed in a lime green healers robe.

"Sorry." Darcey muttered quickly, moving to pass her but stopped when a frail, wrinkled hand grasped gently to her shoulder.

Darcey glanced at the name tag pinned to her breast, '_Lottie',_ before peering into a saggy, aged but still feminine face. The elderly woman looked immensely kind in nature, her blue eyes twinkling with joy and warmth.

"_Pardon dear but you look awfully familiar, I can't help but feel I've met you before somewhere. Tell me, what is your name?"_ The healer, Lottie inquired in a sweet, raspy voice.

"Darcey, Darcey _erm_\- Potter, ma'am." She fumbled slightly, still not quite used to using her legal name and finding herself wanting to say 'Davis' out of pure instinct.

The healer's eyes widened by a fraction in surprise and Darcey braced herself. '_Yes you old hag I'm related to the famous Harry Potter and no I won't be answering any questions regarding him so if you would kindly sod off_.' Darcey mentally grumbled, knowing the barrage of questions to come but was pleasantly surprised by the unpredicted response she had received instead.

"Darcey Potter! I knew I recognized you, you look just like your father you do! Oh Merlin, I tended to you years ago, in this very hospital. Right up there-" Lottie pointed to one of the many floors of St. Mungo's.

_"_-In the Neonatal Intensive Care ward. You were such a sweet baby, tiny, but beautiful and those blue eyes." Lottie gasped, clutching her chest and letting out a contented sigh as if revisiting an old, cherished memory. "The prettiest blue I'd ever seen. You were a bit colicky, but of course that's to be expected, as your mother was unable to nurse you. She was busy with your brother and recovering from a c-section, of course… Such a beautiful, kindhearted woman your mother was. She had that sort of raw beauty on the inside that seemed to radiate ten fold on the outside. Your father was a cheeky bloke, had a way of bringing a smile out of just about anyone. He was a funny one, that one."

Darcey felt a warmth spread through her, swelling with excitement and pride at Lottie's kind words regarding her birth parents.

"I wish I could remember them, they sound like wonderful people." Darcey replied softly, casting the elderly witch a genuine smile laced with sincerity that not many others had gotten to see.

"_Oh but they were, dear. They were…"_ Lottie replied enthusiastically, sharing in her smile.

"It was a pleasure running into you Darcey. Stay well and take care of yourself."

"Will do, ma'am."

"_And never forget your roots. Good seeds bear good fruit, remember that." _Lottie spoke wisely, as if sensing an inner turmoil within the young witch and attempting to soothe her. It was as if she were really saying '_you're not a monster, dear. Remember that.'_

"I'll try." Darcey admitted honestly, she'd be lying if she said anything otherwise because despite what this woman or anyone else may have said, deep down Darcey couldn't ignore the beast that lived within her, feeding off her darkness and slowly consuming her. Her body was a vessel that she shared with a monster and rather than fight to overcome her demons Darcey had decided to use them to meet her own ends.

_'It takes a beast to slay a beast.'_

She was fighting against evil, vowing to destroy Voldemort but for her own selfish gain, to quench her own thirst for vengeance rather than to fight to rid the world of an evil dictator and in most ways that made Darcey evil herself.

_'You're wrong Lottie, some seeds bear rotten fruit. It's all in how they grow, the environment around them that determines whether or not they flourish and I'm bruised fruit.'_


	19. Chapter 19: Surrender to Dark Lust

_June 5th 1997_

I guess you could say Darcey's always had a '_thing_' against St. Mungo's hospital ever since Tracey and Roger came down with the Vanishing Disease as kids, a contagious illness which caused parts of the infected persons body to disappear at random. It took nearly a week to heal and while Roger found his unfortunate situation amusing, Tracey had whined and moaned for days, terrified that the effects would cause permanent damage although Darcey had assured her sibling otherwise. She had hated the hospital then and she still hated it now.

St. Mungo's was an old, cement building last reconstructed in the early 1940's with grimy tiled floors and cold, bare walls. Many melancholy souls of past patients departed roamed its cold corridors thanks to the Janus Thickey ward, an insane asylum that was kept locked from the outside, imprisoning its patients within. Only in death were they finally freed and often the lost, despondent, and tortured souls remained trapped in a sort of limbo, hopelessly roaming the empty halls and lacking purpose and direction.

A group of healers rushed past Darcey in a blur of lime green robes pushing a man on a stretcher howling in misery. Darcey moved aside to avoid being trampled upon before continuing her journey to Draco's private room, 313 on the second floor marked '_Creature Induced Injuries'._

"Happy Birthday!" Darcey happily announced, struggling to squeeze through the door while carrying four bags and a handful of bright neon balloons. Draco pulled his gaze away from idly staring out the window, while his eyebrows inclined in surprise.

"What's all this rubbish?" He asked, grinning in amusement as Darcey set down the bags beside his bed and began tying the balloons to the end of his cot.

"_Rubbish?"_ Darcey demanded as if he'd gone mad. "I'm trying to cheer you up you foul git! I've carried this so-called _rubbish _all the way down from the fifth floor gift shop, you could at least show some appreciation for my strenuous effort." She huffed.

"Thanks, love._" _Draco replied smoothly, his voice taking on a charming tone_._ "Just what I wanted some obnoxious balloons. You know me better than anyone, dear." He lightly taunted, still grinning in amusement at how disheveled Darcey appeared.

Darcey finished up tying the third and last balloon, an electric blue one, before moving to kneel before the bags, rustling through them loudly and placing their contents one by one upon Draco's lap.

"Chocolate frogs, of course, although they're not nearly as good as the ones at Honeydukes..."

_"_Stealing my sweets are you?" Draco protested.

"I got hungry. Consider it compensation for my labor." Darcey replied snidely.

"_Ah_, here we are, fire whiskey. You know, to take the edge off." Said Darcey while placing a square, glass bottle on Draco's lap filled with rich, amber liquid.

"I got you a cake." She added, placing a round chocolate cake with green butter cream icing beside him. Draco leaned forward to get a closer look at it, eager to have some. He was starving with the disgusting food the staff had been offering him. He'd rather eat dung.

"They spelled my name wrong." Draco observed flatly.

"_What?"_ Darcey squealed, looking up from one of the bags. "Let me see that." She demanded, stealing back the cake.

"Who in Merlin's beard would spell '_Draco_' with a k?" Darcey cried out in outrage, peering down at the frosted light blue letters that read '_Happy Birthday Drako'_

"Blithering idiots_, _the lot of them_."_ Darcey sneered, handing him back the ruined cake.

Draco cut himself a slice using the plastic silverware Darcey brought with her. He took a large bite, deciding that regardless of the spelling error the cake was delicious.

"Last but not least, I got you a present… Just something small." Darcey flushed in embarrassment.

Draco unwrapped the palm-sized, rectangular, black box pulling out a long silver chain with a green glass phial on the end, a necklace of some sorts.

"_It has garlic in it."_ Darcey explained, noticing his confused look. "_You know, to ward off vampires."_

"_Oh_, I was wondering- Does it work?" Draco asked, bringing the necklace up to eye level in order to examine it more closely.

"_It should_. A shady looking bloke was selling them in the waiting room amongst other things, I know it's a little late to be- well" Darcey stuttered, feeling awkward. "-Considering you already had a run in with one, but at least now- if you carry that with you-"

"I love it." Draco interrupted firmly, stowing away the garlic necklace.

Darcey smiled warmly in return, still looking sheepish. "_Sorry I couldn't get you more…" _

"No need to be sorry. I told you I love it." Draco replied matter of fact, setting aside his sweets, alcohol and gift so that Darcey could come lay beside him.

"How's your leg?" Darcey inquired while cautiously curling up next to him, mindful of his wound.

"Better. The mediwizard said I'll be released by tomorrow morning."

"Well, that's good." Darcey replied, feeling relieved. "Will it scar?"

"They didn't say. I forgot to ask." Draco shrugged, looking indifferent.

"I like a man with scars." Darcey smirked, tilting her chin up to face him.

"_Well then, I'm a lucky man."_ Draco whispered arrogantly, carefully shifting himself so that he was now lying on his side, face-to-face with the pretty girl next to him. He cupped the nape of her neck, pulling her into him. Their lips touched and a jolt of electricity coursed through him. It was as if their magic was magnetic, drawing them together and crackling with pleasure around them. The attraction between them was undeniably powerful.

* * *

The next morning Draco was released from St. Mungo's and they return to the manor.

Darcey was in dire need of a hot bath, having spent two days straight in the hospital while Narcissa returned home to eat and sleep. There was no way Darcey would willingly choose to be alone with his mother, especially after their row, if things were bad before they were terrible now.

Narcissa fluffed Draco's pillows before easing him into bed.

"I'm not a cripple mother-"

"I know you're not but I'm your mummy, let me fuss over you a little, it gives me something to do." Narcissa cooed.

"Yeah Draco, let _mummy_ help you." Darcey teased while stifling a laugh into the fabric of her sleeve, earning a death glare from the two of them.

"Go bathe, you smell like dung." Draco countered, smirking at the offended look on Darcey's face.

"I do not!" She whined childishly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Do to, _now go_." Draco demanded, pointing at the door.

Darcey bowed her head in a mock sulking gesture while trudging into the bathroom, slamming the door with a little more force than necessary behind her.

* * *

Draco and Darcey sat in the drawing room for the second time, the first being the night she killed Albus Dumbledore.

The room was a crossbreed of a library, office, and living room, with a large, hand carved, polished, oak desk with serpentine legs and a collection of shiny, leather armchairs near the grand, stone fireplace. Beautiful oil paintings like the ones at Hogwarts adorned the dark papered walls, moving and going about their own business as if oblivious to the family's presence. Nearby bookshelves housed impressive, worn tomes, a hand of glory, and a necromancy orb used to channel energy from the living to the deceased.

Draco and Darcey perched themselves together on the couch against the wall, peering up at the familiar Ministry official who was in charge of Apparition Lessons.

"Good morning, Mr. Malfoy." The man nodded in acknowledgment. "Miss Davis-"

"Potter." Darcey corrected.

"Come again?" The half transparent man squeaked.

"You meant to say _Miss. Potter. _You see there's been a misunderstanding regarding my name. My legal name is Darcey _Potter_. It was never legally Davis. Funny I'd expect the _Ministry_ to know that considering they're the ones who looked into it." Darcey frowned in contempt.

"My sincere apologies, _Miss Potter_. No matter, let me just correct that…" The instructor hastily replied, drawing out his wand and pointing it at the parchment, erasing the name and scribbling over it with the magnificent yet obnoxiously large quill he had borrowed from the Malfoy's.

"My name is Wilkie Twycross and I will be conducting your Apparition Exams this morning. Lucius has informed the Ministry of certain- _erm-" _The instructor cleared his throat looking extremely ill at ease._ "-Events_ that have taken place that has caused you to miss your exams in May. So here we are, if you will both rise." Twycross gestured for them to stand, to which they did with Draco wincing in the process, his leg still sore.

"_Remember the three D's: Destination, Determination and Deliberation and you'll do fine."_ Twycross smiled in reassurance. "Mr. Malfoy, if you will you may go first."

Draco limped very cautiously over to stand before him. Darcey frowned, feeling worried for his health. "Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" She inquired for the hundredth time that morning.

"_Yes, Darcey._" Draco growled stubbornly, his eyes fixated on the nearly invisible man before him while awaiting further instruction.

Twycross flicked his wand producing a wooden hoop that he placed on the ground a few feet away from his student. "If you will, please apparate into the center of this hoop. Take your time. You may begin when you're ready. No rush." Twycross smiled warmly, pity reflecting in his eyes as he absorbed the injured boy.

Draco resolutely ignored him, staring intensely at the circle for a few moments before suddenly turning on his heel in a blur of dark, swirling colors. He vanished, reappearing in the blink of an eye and standing stiffly in the middle of the hoop. He successfully apparated, he passed the exam.

"Well done Mr. Malfoy!" Twycross beamed, clapping his thin hands together and looking thoroughly impressed. Darcey felt rather impressed as well, having expected Draco's injured leg to give him some trouble but it seemed he had still managed to apparate effortlessly, she only hoped now that she could do the same.

It was Darcey's turn now and she rose from her seat. She stood where Draco had just been, clearing her mind and focusing solely on her destination. Staring at the space inside the hoop, she willed with all her might to occupy that space. Then she twisted abruptly but instead of apparating she tripped over her own two feet, stumbling a few steps violently to her left and steadying herself at last second by clutching the arm of the couch.

"No worries, Miss Potter that is to be expected. You're just a little rusty. Go again, you get three tries." Twycross kindly reassured her.

Darcey nodded stiffly, not meeting either the instructor or Draco's gaze, not wanting to lose her concentration. She resumed her previous spot and refocused her mind on occupying the center of the hoop. Once more she twisted her body feeling more determined than ever and this time she vanished. For a split second everything was black as she ascended into nothingness, there was an immense pressure pressing into every inch of her body and she felt as if she were about to crumple into a ball of flesh and bones. She panicked and just as she was about to scream, the pressure having become unbearable, it suddenly lifted from her as she crashed back down to earth.

She stumbled slightly but regained her balance, gazing down she noticed that she was now teetering inside the hoop. She successfully apparated.

"Well done, Miss Potter!" Squeaked the Instructor.

Fifteen minutes later they were all gathered around the desk with Draco's parents as Twycross documented their names and date of testing on the two slips of parchment before stamping each page with a seal of approval and handing to them their licenses.

He congratulated them once more before Narcissa escorted him to the door, leaving the teens alone with Lucius to celebrate.

Lucius told his son how he had succeeded on his first try as well, back when he was a boy and the two moved into the dining room to pop a bottle of champagne. Darcey took one of the slender glasses filled with clear, bubbly liquid and tipped the alcoholic drink into her mouth, despite it only being a little past noon. She could really use a drink after the week she's had.

Narcissa returned to them and they took their drinks back into the drawing room where Lucius began his discussion with them regarding the consequences of Draco torturing and killing a vampire.

"_You told them?"_ Draco growled, turning his frustration upon Darcey as soon as Lucius brought up the topic.

Darcey frowned, not liking how quickly he had turned on her, it reminded her of a viper.

"What choice did I have?" Darcey asked. "The Aurors would have found his body eventually and then what? What would we have said then, Draco?" She snapped, putting up her defenses.

"_She's right."_ Lucius grudgingly admitted, staring sternly into the eyes of his son. _"You're lucky she possessed enough sense to tell me or else I wouldn't have been able to clean up your mess."_ He scolded.

"So I'm not going to Azkaban?" Draco gulped thickly, looking thoroughly relieved.

"No. Fortunately the Dark Lord has acquired control over the Ministry through a well-known and powerful politician, therefore allowing leniency to his followers. We are on the verge of becoming unstoppable. Soon the law will no longer apply to us, but for now it's still important that we exercise caution. The last thing we need is to draw more attention to ourselves, at least not until the Ministry takeover is complete." Lucius stressed.

"Who is it?_"_ Darcey spoke up, gaining their attention. "Who's the politician?"

_"I don't believe that's any of your business, Potter."_ Lucius sneered, turning hostile once more.

"I beg to differ." Darcey replied calmly, struggling to hold back her anger. "I'm a member of the Dark Lords army, I deserve to know-"

"You are _not_ a member, careful not to let your overconfidence blind you. You bear no mark, you are not one of _us_." Lucius retorted in glacial tones.

"I will be." Proclaimed Darcey arrogantly. _'And when I help defeat the Dark Lord we'll see who's still sneering. You'll be groveling at my feet, begging me not to let the Aurors take you back to Azkaban.' _Darcey mentally mused darkly.

"And until then you are just some foolish girl who's being used by the Dark Lord and is too thick to see it." Lucius seethed.

"_Rubbish!_" Darcey blurted out angrily. "_I know exactly what my position in this war is. I know exactly what I've gotten myself into."_

"_Have you?"_ Lucius countered smoothly, clearly mocking her while setting down his glass of champagne and lounging back in his chair, his gray eyes glistening cruelly.

"_You've seen nothing yet, Potter, I assure you. Have you ever been under the influence of the Imperius curse? Or the Cruciatus curse? Tortured senseless? If not then you have no idea what evil awaits you."_ Lucius hissed.

"Yes." Darcey snapped firmly. _"_I've been cast under one of the Unforgivables thanks to your son_."_

Lucius' eyes gleamed in curiosity as he turned to face Draco, his look questioning.

"I used the Imperius curse on Darcey once at school." Draco explained quietly looking a tad bit guilty. His father on the other hand looked immensely proud.

"If you can't resist a weak Imperius curse cast by a seventeen year old boy-" Lucius began to taunt.

"I didn't _want _to resist him." Darcey cut through him. "I fancied Draco even back then, I just didn't know it. I let him do it to me because I liked it. It felt good_."_ Darcey admitted coldly.

Draco turned to look upon Darcey in astonishment, having not known she thought of him as anything more than an enemy back then. Had they always secretly lusted for each other? Had there always been an intense, undeniable attraction between them but they were too thick to see it? Something within Darcey's confession stroked a dark part of him and he found himself suddenly aroused by her words. '"_I liked it."_' He mentally repeated, her voice echoing over and over in his head. '_She liked submitting to me in the most vulnerable way possible, she even enjoyed it.' _Draco could not believe it.

The room fell silent as her words hung over the air and then his Aunt Bellatrix sauntered in, an amused smirk tugging at her lips.

_"You liked it?"_ She repeated with a dark cackle, her tone mocking. "_Lucky you nephew, you've got yourself an obedient little pet here. Maybe next you can teach her to do a few tricks. Although from what I heard the other night, you've already got the bitch trained."_

_"Shut your mouth, you filthy old wench!" _Darcey shouted, abruptly rising from her chair and flinging her champagne glass directly at Bellatrix. It soared over her left shoulder barely missing her face.

_"How dare you assault me you little half-blood whore! I'm a pureblood, I'm your superior!" _Bellatrix wailed, a deranged glint to her cruel, lightless eyes.

Both women had drawn their wands in an instant and if Darcey was going to follow through with hexing one of the most intimidating Death Eaters in existence Draco would never know because she wasn't given the chance. Darcey was unfairly outnumbered three to one as Lucius swiftly disarmed her, catching her holly wand as it arched through the air and then Bellatrix attacked the wandless girl in the cruelest way possible while Draco cried out, "_No!_"

"_Crucio!"_

Darcey crumpled to the floor, her knees giving way beneath her. A feral scream ripped through the air as she thrashed upon the ground, fists clenched, teeth grinding together in agony. Hot tears rolling down her cheeks against her will. She had no control over her body including its reaction to the pain. It was the most unbearable pain Darcey had ever experienced, something she could never have fathomed how it felt unless she experienced it for herself.

It was a searing, overwhelming pain that made her want to crawl out of her skin. Her reaction to it was pure instinct, as if she'd touched a hot cookie sheet fresh out of the oven and drawn back her throbbing, red hand, except she couldn't pull away from it, she couldn't escape it. She screamed so hard and loud that it burned her throat and sounded foreign to her ears, as if the cries didn't belong to her. She hadn't even known she was capable of producing such a disturbing, feral noise. She was sobbing, tears trailing down her blotchy cheeks in an instant and just like the screams she had no control over the tears, it was the way her body reacted to the pain. Just when she was beginning to go mad, literally wishing death upon herself, anything to stop the torture, the curse was lifted for a moment giving her an opportunity to regain her breath.

She was curled up in the fetal position, nails digging into the carpet beneath her. Cold sweat coated her entire body, sticking her clothes uncomfortably to her. Her hair covered her face, shielding her from the people looming above her. She couldn't even muster the strength to move, terrified that so much as a flinch on her part would bring back the agony.

_"Draco."_ Darcey whimpered so quietly she wasn't even certain if she had said it out loud, maybe she'd only thought it.

Draco made a sudden movement towards her, breaking free from the terror and shock gripping him but his Aunt's cruel voice cut through him once more stopping him dead in his tracks.

_"Imperio." _

On quivering legs Darcey slowly rose to all fours, still panting before pulling herself up to stand completely. Her body trembled violently, her nerves still shocked by the unbearable pain that had moments ago coursed through her body.

"You're a whore aren't you, Darcey?" Bellatrix purred, stepping closer to the teenager and brushing the tangled, sweat soaked hair out from the girl's eyes. "Say you're a whore." She commanded.

_"I'm a whore."_ Darcey answered robotically, causing everyone in the room to emit a low chuckle except for Draco who remained horrified, frozen stiff.

"Show us that you're nothing but a dirty whore, Darcey." Bellatrix hissed, her voice as cold as her hair black. Darcey obediently stepped towards her; cupping her cheek tenderly while her other hand groped the outside of the elder witches dress, squeezing her right breast. Darcey brought her lips to Bellatrix's neck, pushing back the mane of dark curls and kissing and nipping at the exposed, milky flesh.

Bellatrix smiled wickedly, roughly shoving the girl away with a heartless laugh. _"You silly girl, I didn't mean come onto me. I'm not a dyke." _

Darcey stumbled back sluggishly, as if intoxicated before twirling around to face the closest being near her, Lucius Malfoy.

She sauntered over to him, pushing him gently back onto the couch where he obediently sat down allowing her to guide him, his icy gray eyes glistened with amusement. He found the entire situation hilarious, knowing the girl was too weak to resist the Imperius curse. This would surely prove it. How far would she go?

Darcey fought with all her might to resist the effects of the curse and finally felt the warm, pleasant, tingling sensation abandoning her as she regained control over her actions, no longer a pathetic puppet.

Straddling the hips of Lucius she slyly ran her hand along his leg, beginning at his knee and ending an inch away from his member, which gave a small twitch, sensing the warmth radiating from her hand so near him. He couldn't help the way his body reacted to the forbidden encounter, stiffening against his will and betraying him. Just when he thought she was going to grope him and just as his wife had stepped towards them, giving a silent look of warning that she was about to intervene, Darcey made a detour and slipped her wand from the pocket of his trousers pressing it to his neck and casting a nonverbal '_stupefy'_ that knocked him out cold.

Darcey rolled to the side just as Narcissa's hex was about to hit her, crashing into the couch cushion instead. Darcey disarmed the witch, her wand falling with a clatter before Draco's feet but the boy made no move to fetch it.

His fists were balled at his sides, his gray eyes wide with fear and glinting with jealousy and rage. He looked ghostly pale and utterly revolted by what he'd nearly just witnessed Darcey doing to his father. _Nearly_, thank God, though her interaction with his Aunt had left an awful taste in his mouth as bile has risen to his throat.

"Enough!" Narcissa bellowed, holding up her hands in surrender as Darcey and Bellatrix pointed their wands at each other, both their chests heaving with outrage.

"Darcey and Draco, go upstairs. Bellatrix, leave her alone. She's learned her lesson and I won't allow you to curse her again. She belongs to the Dark Lord not us." Narcissa reasons, her cold eyes showing no sympathy for the girl. It was clear she felt Darcey had been out of line and deserved to be punished by her deranged sister.

"_But Cissy, the fun has just begun."_ Bellatrix whined. "_Couldn't I just torture her once more? She did assault your husband after all. She obviously hasn't learned her lesson in respecting her superiors."_ Bellatrix spat, her eyes narrowing upon the insolent brat.

"No." Narcissa replied as sternly as ever. "Now both of you lower your wands and act like respectable ladies."

Only when Draco finally moved to step between them did Bellatrix reluctantly lower her wand, sulking slightly while pouting out her lower lip. Darcey held her death grip on her wand, her knuckles turning white and her hand trembling as she glared at the witch before her with raw hatred wanting nothing more than to kill her on the spot.

'_I killed Albus Dumbledore. I can take her, she's nothing compared to him.' _The dark voice in Darcey's mind continued to egg her on.

"Darcey let's go. It's over." Draco hissed, cautiously gliding his long, pale fingers over her own and lowering her hand. He gently guided her back to his bedroom where they retired for the rest of the evening.

Draco ran the bath, allowing the tub to fill with hot, bubbly water while he helped a silent and stiff Darcey undress. She didn't resist him, staring back at him with black eyes and an unreadable expression. He wonder what she was thinking, already sensing what she was feeling. '_She's angry. Of course she's angry. She's just been tortured and she's shocked. Yeah, she's still in shock. She'll come around. She'll come out of it."_ Draco mentally persuades himself, though a small part of him doubted his words, but he didn't want to think about that now. He didn't want to even entertain the notion that perhaps what Darcey had just been through had thoroughly damaged her, what if it had driven her mad? _No, he couldn't think like that. She was strong; she'd pull through. _

Draco unclasped her bra with delicacy; afraid of hurting her further and then slipped her lacey underwear down over her hips.

He guided her down into the tub where she brought her knees to her chest and hugged herself, resting her chin on top of her knees and shivering despite the hot water engulfing her. She stared ahead of her at the dripping golden faucets, staring off into space, still consumed with her dark, turbulent thoughts.

Draco sat beside her, leaning back against the tub and letting himself sigh as he closed his eyes, trying to will his own body to relax a bit more.

"Talk to me, please." Draco's low voice penetrated the silent, hollow bathroom, echoing off the walls and causing Darcey to jerk at the sudden sound.

Her dark, blue eyes fell upon him, though she still stared at him rather blankly.

"_What do you want me to say?"_ Darcey hissed quietly, her voice icy cold. Draco shivered involuntarily at its intensity.

"_Anything._" He managed softly, shifting to face her.

"I'm tired." Darcy finally said flatly, sighing as she let go of herself and stretched out her legs, leaning back into the tub and resting her neck on the ledge. Her eyes fluttered shut as she willed her stiff, trembling body to finally relax and unwind.

"_You can't fall asleep in the tub." _Said Draco when he noticed her nodding off._ "Come on, let's go."_ Draco added while gently nudging her to stand. He offered her an outstretched towel as she climbed back out. He wrapped it around her while using another towel to pat dry her dripping wet hair that fell in tangled, dark curls between her shoulder blades.

Draco slipped beneath the cool covers, noticing Darcey lingering at the edge of his bed staring at him intensely.

Before he could ask what she was doing she let go of her towel, standing stark naked and beautiful before him as if fell to the ground, her dark, piercing eyes locked on his, glistening with longing.

Draco uncovered himself, sitting back up as Darcey approached him. When she was close enough for him to reach her, he grabbed onto her wrist and swiftly pulled her into bed with him.

Their lips locked in a passionate kiss, filled with desperation as Darcey silently beghed him to offer her some form of release from the pain, both physical and emotional, she needed a distraction from the darkness or else she might go mad with hatred.

Darcey moved her lips below him, hovering over his waistline as she fumbled to slide down his silk pajamas. His dick stiffened and grew as her pale, slender fingers wrapped around it, stroking it to life.

Mindful not to disturb his wound, Darcey positioned herself so that she was on all fours below him, one hand working to stroke him while the other held her weight.

Draco groaned in pleasure, reaching down to tangle his fingers in her damp hair as she pressed her soft lips to the tip of him. He let out a sigh of pleasure as her hot tongue moved to taste him as Darcey's mouth took in his entire length until he was pressed against the back of her throat. She slowly guided her head up and down while moving her tongue against him as if she were snogging him.

"_Darcey._" Draco hissed between clenched teeth, tightening his grip on her hair, grabbing a fist full of it and pulling her closer to him. She choked slightly as he hit her gag reflux but easily recovered as she continued to bob up and down below him, sucking him off.

Draco didn't have to guide her, as she seemed to know the perfect pace. She moved her hot, wet mouth against him with passion.

Draco faintly wondered if this were her first time sucking someone off, thoroughly impressed with her emerging new skill while feeling a pang of fierce jealousy tearing through him.

"Is this your first time doing this?" Draco couldn't help himself from asking, as the jealousy threatened to ruin his pleasure. He needed to know that she belonged to him entirely and hadn't pleasured anyone other guys this way.

She pulled away from him momentarily, her lips slick with saliva. He decided she'd never looked more alluring. He'd give anything to shag her, although his injury prevented him from doing so.

Her blue eyes widened a fraction at his inquiry as a scarlet blush crossed face. She now exuded innocence. "_Erm_\- yes. Why is it_ that _bad?" She asked with a frown, feeling suddenly self-conscious and mortified.

"_No!"_ Draco hastily reassured her. "_No, I just wanted to be sure I was your first. You're doing amazing, love._" He breathed, his dick jerking in eagerness beneath her, missing the heat of her lips.

Her eyes darkened as lust reflected in them once more, and fueled with renewed confidence and courage she engulfed him, sucking him even more sensually and carefully than before as if teasing him as cruel punishment for his interruption.

"_Darcey."_ Draco groaned, thrusting his hips against her, unable to tolerate the teasing any longer. He needed to release himself, he felt the pressure building and it was nearly intolerable.

Darcey increased her pace at his request, her head bobbing up and down as his hands laced in her damp hair once more, guiding her towards him.

"_Yeah. Just like that_." He panted, his tone husky as his gray eyes fluttered shut and his lips parted as his head lulled back against the pillow. He let go of her hair allowing his hand to fall limply beside him as he surrendered himself to her. Darcey sucked him off at the perfect rhythm and soon… "_Fuck, Darcey_." He moaned, his hips thrashing against her.

"_Mmm."_ She hummed against him, her voice muffled. She suddenly felt extremely turned on by the dominance she held over Draco, knowing that she was capable of causing him to lose this much control just by using her mouth. It was enlightening, a sort of raw power that she had never felt before.

His hips jerked wildly against her, his dick twitching against her lips as his salty seed filled her mouth. She slowed her pace, pulling every last drop from him before carefully removing her mouth and forcing herself to swallow his seed.

She wiped her mouth clean with the back of her hand, before moving to lie beside him, watching with swelling pride as he slowly came down from the high, panting and face flushed a dull pink. '_I had this effect on him. I did this.' _She realized in astonishment, feeling her own sense of euphoria merely through the sheer power she felt coursing through her. She felt on top of the world as if she were a goddess.


	20. Chapter 20: The Forbidden Encounter

**_A/N: Fair warning to all of consensual incest, proceed to next chapter if that is not your cup of tea. _**

* * *

_Friday, June 9th 1997_

Darcey embraced Draco in a long hug, dreading that she'd be leaving him. What would she do without his company for three whole months? Surely go mad.

"Will you write to me?" Darcey inquires, mentally slapping herself for sounding so uncharacteristically needy.

"Something like that." Draco replies vaguely with a small smirk.

Darcey smiles back at him, kissing him one last time before she goes, procrastinating for as long as possible, taking any spare second she can get. '_Merlin, I'm pathetic.' _She scolds herself in disgust. When had Draco and her become the main lovers in a cheesy romance novel?

On that note she left before embarrassing herself any further, apparating to her new home on Privet Drive, Little Whinging. She walked down the lane, aligned with neat, boxy, town houses and well-maintained hedges. By the time she made it halfway down the road to replica house number 4, a thin layer of sweat coated her face and collarbone as she panted against the summer heat. She realized then that she shouldn't have worn the long-sleeved dress Draco bought her in Hogsmeade, Darcey had been stuck in the Malfoy Manor for two weeks and the mansion was so cold that she had forgotten the unbearably muggy summers of England that wait for her outside.

Dropping her trunk beside her with an ungraceful 'thunk', Darcey knocked upon a plain, ordinary door while glancing around her for any sign of wild muggles approaching. Her blue eyes met an elderly neighbor lady's who had been watering the garden around her identical porch. She offered Darcey a friendly, frail wave that Darcey returned with a grimace and stiffening of her regal posture. Two weeks with the Malfoy's seemed to have an affect on her, giving her the illusion of royalty.

Pulling her from the uncomfortable social situation she had placed herself in with the neighbor, the front door swung open to reveal a beefy boy her age peering down at her while holding a half eaten carrot in his hand. She faintly wondered if all muggles ate rabbit food or just him and found it rather odd.

"Hello." He greeted thickly, taking another bite of his carrot and crunching it loudly between his teeth. "Can I 'elp you?" He asked rudely with his mouth full.

"Dungby is it? I'm your cousin Darcey, I will be staying with you for the summer as I'm sure the Ministry has informed you." Darcey clearly stated, loudly and carefully as if her cousin were both deaf and stupid.

"Oi! Don't have to shout, I'm right in front of you, n' my names Dudley not Dungby! Dudley!" Her cousin, _Dudley_ emphasized loudly before pressing himself back against the wall and allowing the witch to pass by him and into the small entryway. Darcey heaved her trunk onto the landing of the narrow staircase to her right and stood awkwardly in the hallway next to Dudley, afraid to venture any further into the seemingly ordinary muggle home. Merlin knew what sort of dangerous, electrical contraptions they had. For all she knew the home could be booby-trapped to kill wizards.

"Well don't just stand there like a statue. Come in. Dad is still at work but Mum's in the kitchen tossing a salad. I'm on a strict diet. I'm a boxer, you see. I've won loads of metals at school and I'm the best in my year. So don't think of using your ruddy magic to play tricks on me. I'll bash your head in if you try." Dudley warned with the pounding of his fist into the palm of his hand, to give an intimidating effect that in Darcey's opinion was laughable.

"_Right. I'm_ _quivering._" Darcey replied lamely, pushing past the oaf and into the kitchen, eager for a meal.

"Hello, Aunt Petunia." Said Darcey in her best attempt at a light and friendly tone. She's willing to at least try to give these people a chance before marking them off as wankers.

"Shoes off at the door." Her Aunt scolded, crossing a pair of weedy arms against her flat chest and pursing her lips together in a way that makes her resemble a perturbed McGonagall. Darcey makes quick work of kicking off her boots.

"My apologies. Aunt Petunia." Darcey replied politely as her aunt continued to regard her with a stern look of dislike.

"You have your pick of rooms." She proceeded to get down to business. "You can stay upstairs with your brother in Ickle Diddykin's spare bedroom-"

"_Mum don't call me that!"_ Dudley whined, his cheeks flushing at the mortifying nickname.

Petunia continued as if she hadn't heard her son. "Or you can stay in the cupboard under the stairs, Harry's old bed is still in there in case he'd ever change his mind…"

Darcey peered over her shoulder at the small, white door beneath the steps, to assure she had indeed heard her aunt correctly.

"_Do all muggles call that a room or just you lot?"_ Darcey demanded, looking at the woman as if she sprouted two dragon heads from her boney neck.

Petunia let out an annoyed huff. "You and your brother are wearing thin on our generosity and I must remind you that we don't _have_ to let you stay here, it's best you both do well to remember that." Petunia pointed out.

"_Oh, but you do_." Darcey grinned in delight.

"Or else the wizards will come _magic _you and turn you into cockroaches to squish beneath their soles. That's the standard procedure with uncooperative _muggles _now a' days." Darcey pointed out matter of fact, feeling deeply satisfied at the look of fear that crossed her burly cousins face as his hand subconsciously reached to cover his arse for some strange, unknown reason. She thought perhaps that maybe he was on drugs. She had heard drugs do that, make muggles paranoid and act all wonky.

"_Oh, you think you're clever now do you?_" Her aunt seethed, her cheeks and neck flushing blotchy red in anger. "Rest assured we know full well what our rights are. My sister was magical, I know all about your laws and I know for a fact that you are not to use that bloody _thing_-" Petunia gestured to the holly wand protruding from the bodice of her nieces dress. "-Outside of school or else you will be in serious trouble. You don't scare me, little girl." Said Petunia bravely, peering into a pair of equally icy blue eyes as her own and feeling her stomach lurch at the genetic resemblance that she shared with her freak of a niece.

"That may have been the case _before_ but we're in the midst of a war and lucky for I I've chosen to ally myself with the _winning _side. In fact, we've almost succeeded in the Ministry takeover and soon we will have the freedom to use magic anywhere, including in front of and directed upon muggles like you." Darcey sung.

"In fact, if I so wished." She continued on, now twiddling her wand idly between her thin fingers. "I'm confident I could expel your guts from both your cavities without any legal repercussions _and_ even receive praise for ridding the world of yet another, worthless, pathetic _muggle_." Darcey carefully sounded out each word of her insult, her tone so cruel and venomous it sounded almost foreign to her ears. Since when did she sound like Bellatrix Lestrange, and since when did she gain amusement in seeing a muggle squirm uncomfortably in her presence. Sure she never _fancied_ muggles but she never _despised_ them either. At least up until now, standing before such a vile woman as her Aunt Petunia and knowing that she made Harry sleep in a cupboard under the stairs like a spider and not a boy, it made her blood boil. How dare they treat a wizard as such? Wizards were above them, yet they remained ignorant to their blatant superiority. Maybe Voldemort was right, muggles needed to be taught a lesson, at least if _all _muggles were as wretched as her guardians. Yet, she still felt conflicted with her pureblood upbringing and wasn't sure they deserved to _die _for their ignorance.

In the blink of an eye before Darcey could cast a spell to defend herself Dudley had thrown her roughly against the kitchen counter, causing her head to hit painfully against the cupboard as he held her by the neck of her dress.

"Don't you_ ever_ insult my mum again or I'll give you a black eye to match that black heart of yours. Don't think I'm above hitting a girl. You're not a girl, you're a _freak_ and you're lucky I don't strangle you for speaking of my mum that way." Dudley threatened angrily his face beat red with fury. He panted above her and he was so close that she could feel his chest heaving against hers as he physically struggled with himself to hold back from swinging at her. It was obvious it took a lot of willpower on his part, just as it took a lot of willpower on Darcey's part not to hex him for daring to lay his sausage hands on her and handle her so roughly, but he wasn't worth the waste of valuable magic unless he truly posed a threat. She was hesitant to use illegal magic unless absolutely necessary and right now it wasn't necessary, she could hold her own against her cousin.

"Let go of me _Dungby_." Darcey sneered, tilting her chin up to look at him better and show him that she didn't fear him in the slightest.

"Apologize to my mother, now." Her cousin commanded through crooked, gritted teeth, the fabric of her dress still fisted between his fingers as he pressed her against the countertop.

"_My apologies Aunt Petunia_." Darcey obediently replied, seeing no other way out of her predicament than to comply.

Just then Dudley released her as the front door swung open to reveal a fat, mustached man she assumed to be her uncle Vernon arriving home from work.

"Let's go pick up the ungrateful boy then. Off we go." He demanded, ignoring his niece's presence entirely and gesturing for his family to follow him outside. Darcey hesitantly slid into a small, suburban car that appeared safe enough, and she was grateful at the moment that muggle cars couldn't fly.

She sat as far away from her fat cousin as possible, staring out the window as they drove to King's Cross Station. She felt her nerves get the best of her as she began chewing on her fingernail to release some of the nervous tension.

When Harry's emerald eyes landed on Darcey it was clear that he hadn't been informed that she would be living with him. She watched stiffly beside Dudley as his face quickly morphed from dread to spending yet another summer with the Dursley's, to sheer shock upon seeing her beside his cousin, to burning rage as he lunged forward towards her, pressing his own holly wand to her neck and debating on killing her right there on the spot.

"You traitorous bitch!" He thundered, his eyes blazing.

"Hello, Harry." She sung, nearly laughing at the ridiculous look upon his face.

"What is she doing here? Has she cursed you?" Said Harry, suddenly rounding on the Dursley's and scanning them for any indication of being cast under the Imperius curse.

"Have you gone mad?" Dudley bellowed looking between the twins in sheer confusion. "She's your sister, aren't you happy your freak of a Minister ordered her to stay with you?"

"Sorry, I didn't catch that Dudley. What the hell are you on about?" Harry demanded, still poking his wand into Darcey's throat rather painfully and it seemed he wouldn't be letting up anytime soon. She continued to meet his burning gaze evenly, even as he looked away from her to address their relatives. She was momentarily relieved that his anger was diverted at them instead.

"Your Minister, some bloke-er- Dad, what did he say his name was?" Dudley asked turning to look at his father.

"Scrimmage of something or rather. Something funny sounding, none of your lot ever has easy to pronounce names." Vernon grumbled.

"Scrimgeour? Minister Rufus Scrimgeour came to talk to you and told you what exactly?" Harry inquired in astonishment looking horror-struck.

"That your sister, who obviously isn't dead as we were lead to believe, is coming to stay with us under the same threats in which we allow you to return each summer to our home, but he assured us that this would be the last time, as you will both be turning of legal age and we can finally get rid of you for good." Aunt Petunia supplied, causing Darcey to swell with anger at they way she spoke of her and Harry and Harry, quite accustomed to the Dursleys verbal abuse and unfazed by it, left to absorb the meaning of her words and then direct more anger upon them.

"Wait a minute." He said. "You both knew all along and you didn't tell me that I had a sister?" Harry clarified in outrage.

"Mind your tone, boy. We're in public. People are beginning to look at us funny." Vernon warned.

"I don't care!" Harry shouted and Darcey smirked, pleased that her brother was both standing up for himself and becoming more and more angry with them and less angry with her. She found it a good time as any to add fuel to the fire.

"You lot are vile, little cockroaches, you know that? Where do you get off not telling him about his family and how exactly had you thought I died?" Darcey spoke up causing Harry's head to snap back at her as if he had almost forgotten she was there.

"In the car crash, of course." Petunia said quietly.

"That's a lie." Harry said firmly.

"We were told she was a weakling at birth and died at the hospital from pneumonia." Vernon answered truthfully.

"Still, you never thought I ought to know I had a sister?"

"Enough blubbering, both of you. Get in the car, we will discuss this later." Vernon ruled with an iron fist, leaving no room for arguments.

Dudley slid in first, leaving Darcey squished between the two boys who loathed her. She stared straight ahead not meeting either of their gazes and doing her best to ensure he shoulder knocked with Dudley's and not Harry's when they rode over bumps in the road. She was afraid any slight provoke on her part would cause him to hex her and she really didn't feel like dueling her brother in the confines of a motor vehicle.

* * *

Darcey was tempted to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs if she weren't so damn claustrophobic, she actually might have. Merlin knew she wouldn't be getting a wink of sleep with Harry around, she couldn't risk letting her guard down and have him killing her. It was clear he felt as equally in danger of his life for he lay on his bed staring up at the dark ceiling, wand clutched tightly in his hand waiting for her attack.

Darcey held tight to her wand as well, resting her back against the opposite wall from him, where she made a makeshift bed on the floor in front of his cluttered desk. She stared straight ahead at him with heavy-lidded, bloodshot eyes, waiting for him to initiate the duel that was bound to happen sooner or later.

So it seemed the twins were at a grueling stand off and Darcey wondered how long a human was physically able to go without sleep before their body and mind shut down and forced them into a comatose state. A week? A month? Yes, maybe a month, on very limited sleep but certainly not without a _wink_ of sleep, so it seemed they were putting themselves through unnecessary torture here. They were magical beings, which meant that they were an advanced species of human, superior to the muggles so why were they acting like savages when there was a much more logical way to settle their dilemma...

"I would like to propose an idea." Darcey finally spoke, breaking the heavy silence that engulfed them as they focused on the grasshoppers chirping in the summer night.

"Sod off." Harry snapped moodily, his tone laced with exhaustion. It was clear he was on the verge of nodding off but was struggling quite valiantly to remain alert.

Darcey moved forward, sitting on her knees so that she was kneeling beside his bed. The sudden movement caused Harry to bolt up from his lying position and press his wand into her chest. She stared up at him, unfazed as she continued speaking, ignoring his objection and threat.

"An unbreakable vow." Darcey whispered, as if it was a taboo secret that she doesn't want any prying ears to hear. An unbreakable vow is a sacred and ancient wizarding promise performed between three wizards, the two making the pact along with one witness who performs the bind. Sensing their dilemma, an obvious one that Darcey had already contemplated, Harry predictably points out that there are just the two of them and they haven't the needed witness to perform it.

"I thought of that and too dismissed it, until I remembered reading of the death of your Godfather Sirius Black-"

"Don't you dare say his name. Not you-" Harry threatened angrily, probing his wand harder against her collarbone.

Darcey ignored his outburst, patience, on occasion, being one of her many virtues and continued speaking calmly.

"He was the last male heir to the House of Black, therefore if you were his godson and he hadn't a wife or children to leave his assets, his will would likely be made out to you, Harry. Am I correct?" Darcey asked, noticing the brief fear that flashed through Harry's eyes, dilating his pupils. He didn't like his evil sister knowing so much about him while he knew so little of her. It unnerved him and he wondered what exactly she was getting at, or better yet, plotting.

"What are you playing at, Davis?" Harry demanded.

"Not playing at all, simply brainstorming, bear with me." Darcey replied evenly, giving him a moment to settle down and untwist his knickers.

"So, the Blacks are an ancient pureblood family, and what do all pureblood families own, Harry?" Darcey asks cleverly, a small smirk tugging at her lips as recognition slowly crosses her brother's features.

"House elves." Harry finally whispers, looking thoroughly impressed with his sister's moment of brilliance. She was still an evil git, but a brilliant one when she put that dark mind of hers to good use.

"Precisely, and house elves can-"

"Perform magic."

"Exactly, so tell me Harry. Do you own a house elf?"

Harry didn't hesitate a moment further as he spoke the elf's name aloud, summoning him instantly. "Kreacher, come here."

With a loud pop that startled both teens, despite them both expecting it, a hooked nosed, hunched back house elf stood before them mumbling profanities at both its young master and his masters equally unworthy 'friend'.

"Isn't this one a charmer." Darcey replied dryly.

"Always, he's a joy to be around, not in the least bit unpleasant." Harry bantered back with her, momentarily forgetting whom he was talking to and that they were sworn enemies.

Upon realizing his mistake he cleared his throat awkwardly, redirecting his attention to Kreacher in order to distract himself from his slip up with Darcey who hadn't seemed to have given it much thought.

"Kreacher, can you perform an unbreakable vow for me?"

"If Kreacher must, I will serve the noble Master of Plaque." The elf grimaced.

"Excellent." Harry replied enthusiastically, switching his holly wand to his left hand and holding out his right for Darcey to take. Darcey did the same, switch wand hands while cautiously clasping her pale, clammy hand into Harry's dry, warm one. An electric sensation could be felt shooting up her arm at the skin-to-skin contact with her brother. A sort of magnetic attraction of their magic that felt oddly harmonious and pleasant despite their dysfunctional hatred for each other. Darcey felt recharged, almost euphoric, and significantly stronger as her magic intertwined itself with Harry's. It was a shame, she thought, that their circumstances had turned them against one another in that way for they could have been great together, if their magic were directed in unison against a shared enemy. They could've be an unstoppable force.

As if sharing in the same thoughts and feelings as his sister, Harry lifted his gaze from their held hands to meet his sister's dark eyes, glistening like onyxes in the moon light of his bedroom. He gave her a meaningful look, for the first time void of all hatred and rage and filled instead with sorrow, sorrow that their lives had to be this way, that they could never be a normal family, that they were never given the chance to love and be loved with their parents ripped away from them and then them being separated and later reunited as not only strangers, but fated enemies. Theirs was a sad, sad tale and in that small moment Darcey too shared in his sorrow, faintly wondering what their lives would have been like if things had happened much differently. Would they be close and inseparable friends? Would they be working together to defeat Lord Voldemort, and in an alternate universe where James and Lily had lived instead, could they have been a normal, happy family? Probably.

Darcey couldn't stand the regret and sorrow that washed over her causing her to pull back her hand to escape the connection, but Harry only squeezed it tighter when he felt her slipping away. His stunning, emerald eyes remained locked upon hers. His eyes, bright and beautiful like their mother's and hers dark and cold like their aunt's. Harry silently wished her to say something, anything in an attempt to salvage the last traces of the family loyalty lingering between them. As the muggle saying goes, "_Blood is thicker than water."_ Could this be true? Could Darcey change and redeem herself, saving them both? It was her choice.

As if contemplating their relationship deeper and taking a moment to try her best to mend things between them, though she knew it would likely be impossible, Darcey spoke up, "This vow will destroy every last once of the trust between us, Harry. Once we make this vow not to kill each other, we are sealing us at eternal enemies. We will never know if the other was capable of being trusted because we never gave them the chance. Do you really want this, brother?" Darcey asked softly, her voice wavering slightly.

"Why?" Harry croaked, his green eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Why did you murder him, Darcey? Dumbledore." He choked on sorcerer's name and it was clear that he was still grieving terribly for the loss of his mentor and it was entirely her fault, she had caused him this misery, out of her own selfish greed.

"Because I'm a monster." Darcey admitted with bitterness. "I'm not like you, Harry. I got all the rotten genes."

"You're not rotten and that's no excuse-"

"I get these urges and I get _so_ angry, you can't even begin to imagine how angry I feel and I just _act _on it. I can't help it. I don't know what's wrong with me, Harry. I'm just _bad_…"

"Let me help you, Darcey." Said Harry, gripping her hand tighter. "There's people out there that can help you if you just give them the chance."

"You can't help me." Decided Darcey coldly, morphing her face into an unreadable mask of indifference, shielding off her heart from him and pushing him away out of instinct. It was in her nature to push people away out of fear, she was afraid of being cared for, of being loved and she was afraid she didn't know how to love, or worse, she wasn't capable of it and that possibility scared her more than anything.

"Who do you suppose can help me? Healers?" Darcey scoffed. "I'm not allowing you to get me sent away to rot in St. Mungo's. I'm not mad."

"Well you're either mad or evil, pick one, but if you're mad at least you can get help and recover. That is only if you're willing to help yourself. I can't force you to change."

"Maybe I'm simply evil. Have you ever thought of that?" Darcey demanded coldly, looking away from him and glaring at the floor.

"Look at me." Commanded Harry gripping her chin. "Quit being a coward and shutting yourself off. What are you so afraid of? Why do you Slytherin's always have to act all tough, like you're made of stone, like nothing ever bothers you?" Harry asked, looking at her fiercely.

"I can't speak for all of Slytherin, sorry-" Darcey sneered, rising suddenly to stand so that he was looking up at her towering, slender figure. "-But as for me, well let's just say much doesn't bother me anymore. I've lost my family along with my identity, so what more is there really for me to lose? For me to care about? Nothing. I have nothing." Darcey spat.

"There's me remember." Harry reminded her heatedly, rising to stand as well so that they were now on an equal visual plane, standing eye-to-eye. "You're brother."

"Who I hardly know!" Darcey countered, throwing up her hands in anger.

"Who doesn't love me, who hates me actually, and who's a complete stranger to me. You're not my family, Potter. The only thing I share with you is a last name, otherwise we're night and day."

"Well get to know me, make an effort!" Harry argued. "Since the moment you found out we were related you've done nothing but reject me. You're hot and cold, Darcey. First you tell me to stay away from you, and I do. Then you come crawling back to me when the family you chose over me leaves you to die at the hands of Voldemort-"

"_Shut up!" _Darcey bellowed furiously but Harry continued, ignoring her request.

"-And then you go off and murder the man who was like a father to me and was our only hope at defeating Voldemort."

"He didn't give a damn about you, Harry! He is the reason my father got killed and he raised you as his obedient little pet, Dumbledore's bitch through and through-" Darcey sneered.

"Shut up!" It was Harry this time who had shouted out as he held his wand with trembling fingers, itching to curse Darcey almost as badly as he had wanted to curse Bellatrix Lestrange the night she killed Sirius.

Both teens panted in anger, standing inches away from each other and clutching their wands, ready more so than ever before to engage in a nasty duel.

"I hate you." Harry finally growled, breaking the heavy silence as their magic cackled wildly around them. Harry saw clearly now that there was no way of getting through to her, she was too delusional, too stubborn and it hurt. It hurt him that he had been so close to discovering that good, pure part of her that he knew lay hidden deep beneath that frigid surface and that he still knew existed somewhere deep beneath her. They had been so close to actually making progress but she denied him once more and he despised her for it, for always making everything between them so bloody difficult.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Darcey. You're choosing to make us miserable." Said Harry, digging his nails so hard into her hand that it began to draw blood.

"You're hurting me. _Let go_." Darcey demanded, pressing her wand against him in warning.

He peered down with wide eyes at the small beads of blood on her hand and immediately released her; clearly he hadn't intended to harm her on purpose even if he did claim to hate her.

"Feel something besides that pain, feel all the emotions you're trying so hard to push away and hide from. Quit being a coward and face them! Sometimes being brave means being vulnerable." Harry had forgotten where he had heard that before but it seemed like something Dumbledore would say and this caused his chest to contract in grief at the melancholy reminder.

"You want me to feel something?" Darcey's voice rose to an almost maniacal level as she shook with the raw, turbulent emotions swirling inside her that she'd been struggling so hard to keep hidden and continue to appear strong. "You want me to face what I'm feeling, are you sure you want me to be brave? That's what you want? For me to let go?" Darcey confirmed and she was shouting now with a wild glint in her eye as she let go of all her inhibitions.

"Yes! Just let go!" Harry replied desperately, his voice laced with hope. Maybe she was not completely lost, and with that last thought Darcey pressed her lips firmly against his while cupping gently to his cheek, feeling the rough stubble along his jawline, he needed to shave.

Harry's emerald eyes widen, staring at the blue ones staring back at him, so close that their eyelashes touched. That one shared look between them seemed to convey perfectly all the emotions his sister was feeling beneath the surface, anger, guilt, sorrow, and regret along with a desperate yearning for her brothers love and acceptance.

Darcey's soft lips lingered a long, drawn out moment before pulling back slightly so that they were still standing pressed together, gasping for air as if they'd both been submerged in icy, cold water. They were both drowning in the forbidden pleasure of that one simple kiss.

"Stop." Harry protested huskily as her lips plunged forward once more to reconnected with his though this time more confident and sure as she kissed him with all the passion of a lover. Despite knowing how disturbingly wrong it was, neither of them wanted to stop and Harry found himself only half aware of deepening the kiss as he moved his tongue between her lips to slowly and passionately taste her. Her hand moved down his neck to grip it with light, ghostly touch as if her mind were telling her to strangle him and her heart were telling her not to, but rather than feel threatened Harry instead felt exhilarated with lust, which was wrong, so very wrong. He was attracted to his sister.

They snogged for what seemed like an eternity, though probably only a few minutes, with Harry snaking his arms around her waist to rest on the small of her lower back and Darcey to press one hand against his firm chest while the other still clung to his neck. Their tongues danced in a way that could only be described as natural, so harmonious that it seemed almost unreal, as if they were both blanketed by a hazy, wet dream.

"Leave, Kreacher." Harry managed to croak out at some point as he had remembered that the elf was still standing there, waiting to be dismissed. It wasn't until he heard the loud _'crack_' of the house elf's disappearance that he instructed Darcey to turn around, his tone low and etched with lust. She complied, pressing her back against him as his rough hands traced over her bare neck and shoulders as he lowered her dress by a fraction, slipping it down her arms.

She tilted her head to the side in order to give him better access as he placed a trail of soft, wet kisses down her neck, sucking on a spot at the bottom that caused her to gasp. One warm hand remained at her shoulder as the other moved sensually down between her shoulder blades and over her curving hips before breaking contact with her body and slipping into the back pocket of Harry's jeans where he silently brought out his wand, preparing to end what was happening between them that was surely a mistake and to obliviate her mind. Then he would go to bed, knowing now how she truly felt about him and feeling that he could trust her now not to go killing him in his sleep. Their dilemma had been solve, though in a much more unexpected way than he was sure either of them had originally intended.

"Please, Harry." She whispered.

Two breathless words that caused him to falter as he kept his wand limply at his side, watching in a dazed trance as the dress slipped down Darcey's arms and over her hips left to pool around her ankles before she stepped out and turned to face him, wearing only her underwear and no bra. At the sight of her small but somehow perfect, perky breasts Harry nearly forgot why he had unsheathed his wand in the first place.

"I want to make it up to you, I've been such a terrible sister... You deserve so much better." Darcey hissed, bringing her lips to brush against Harry's earlobe before moving to suck almost painfully on his neck causing Harry to groan and lull his head back in submission. Darcey moved her pale, thin fingers to grip the hem of his t-shirt before pulling it swiftly over his head, with Harry's assistance as he lifted his arms in compliance.

"This is wrong, Darcey. We can't-" He whispered weakly.

"You're going to have to try harder than that." Darcey smirked. "If you want to convince me..." She whispered, gently pressing her cool hands against her brother's toned, hairy chest, pushing him back down upon the bed where he leaned back, propped up on his elbows and looking at her with both expectancy and fear. It was obvious he was struggling with an internal battle with himself and his noble, Gryffindor side was losing out to the dark, forbidden lust he felt for his sister, who didn't _feel_ like his sister.

Darcey straddled his hips, moving forward so that her breasts brushed against the side of his rough, stubbly face. Warm hands glided up her body to rest on her hips as Harry's head dipped forward brushing his tongue against one of her hard, pink nipples and sucking on it while the other hand moved to cup the neglected breast, giving it a firm squeeze that caused her to gasp in both pain and pleasure. She watched with dark eyes as he lavished her chest with his hot, wet mouth while she ran her fingers through his disheveled hair.

Suddenly there was a noise from outside the bedroom door that startled both teens, as they froze and peered over at the yellow light filtering in from beneath the threshold.

"Just someone using the loo." Whispered Harry in reassurance as Darcey continued to make quick work of unbuttoning his jeans, not caring in that moment whether or not they were about to get caught, she wanted him so badly.

"What are you doing?" Harry hissed, distress evident in his low tone. "What if someone comes in here?" He asks, shifting in alarm.

"Then we'll give them a good show." Darcey replied, moving to shut him up by pressing her lips to his and engaging him in another passionate, open-mouthed kiss.

By the time Darcey had shed Harry's jeans and she had gotten him aroused again the light in the hallway had shut off and they were alone once more in the darkness of Harry's bedroom. Still kissing her, Harry adjusted himself so that she was lying flat on the bed and he was hovering above her. They shed the last barrier between them and lie completely naked ready to fall over the edge together, to the point of no return.

"Last chance to stop-" Harry attempted to convince her once last time, his noble side showing and when she didn't falter he did. "I can't do this" He said firmly, as if suddenly awakening from the dreamlike state they had worked each other into and giving into reason, but whether or not he was going to truly pull away from her and reject her like she had him so many times she'd never know because at that moment Darcey gripped tightly to Harry's hips to keep him in place and thrust her hips up to meet his, causing his rock hard prick to slide easily inside her without any warning. Harry's green eyes widened and he let out a low gasp as his head hung forward. He was clearly unable to resist the pleasure that had flooded him and it was in that moment that he made up his mind, his eyes taking on a darker glint as a shadow crossed over his face. Harry stared with devouring, glistening eyes at his sister below him as he grabbed tightly, almost painfully to her upper thighs, forcing her legs back towards her so that her ankles were on either side of her head and he held them there as he pulled back and thrust once more fully into her, causing her to moan.

"Is this what you want? To have your own brother shag you senseless like some whore?" Harry demanded angrily through gritted teeth as he continued to thrust deep inside of her.

When Darcey remained silent, staring up at him with challenging, icy eyes Harry let go of one of her legs to grip tightly to her cheek. "Answer me! Is this what you really want?" He asked, causing her to grin, knowing what he really wished to hear from her.

"Yes, god Harry fuck me!" She pleaded breathlessly, in her most seductive moan causing a wild look to flash before his emerald eyes as he began thrusting into her almost savagely with all his might, now thoroughly turned on. This time Darcey didn't have to pretend as she let out a real moan, throwing her head back against the pillow and moving her hips to meet his deep thrusts.

"Let go, Harry." Darcey commanded, staring back at him intensely.

"You let go." He growled back, breathing heavily as a thin layer of sweat began to coat his forehead, causing his pale scar to glisten in the low light of the bedroom. Darcey reached her hand up to touch it lightly, wiping the hair from his eyes so she could see it fully.

Just then Harry reached down between his sister's pale, parted legs and rubbed in fierce, quick circles against her as he slowed his penetration slightly to a steadier, more controlled pace so that he could focus solely on pleasuring her, holding off on his own orgasm to ensure she reached hers first. Harry was a generous lover and that made him excellent in bed.

Darcey moaned, her hips moving against his fingers as her muscles tightened and contracted and her head was thrown back against the pillows. Her eyes shut tight momentarily as she neared her peak before Harry commanded her to look back up at him and she obeyed, looking into his intense, gorgeous, emerald eyes as she lost all self-control and finally just let go. She cried out for him, moaning her brother's name while fisting the sheets between her fingers as her body shook with raw, euphoric pleasure, riding out the last few heavenly moments of her orgasm.

Darcey pushed her brother off of her violently, and before he could protest and throw a right fit, thinking she was done with him and selfishly chose to only get herself off, she flipped over so that she was now leaning over the bed with her arse in the air, giving him better access to penetrate her and reach his orgasm. Harry gripped her thighs, thrusting himself against her so hard that the bed frame hit against the wall and continued to with each jerky jolt of his hips, but neither of them cared, despite knowing that the noise might wake up their sleeping guardians or cousin. All they could focus on, all that consumed them was pure, numbing lust, intoxicating them like firewhiskey.

Harry continued to shag Darcey senseless with all his might as sweat coated each of their bodies making them so slick that with each thrust made an audible slapping sound occurred. This was rough, dirty, hot sex that Harry could have only imagined in his most intimate fantasies. With a low groan Harry finally released himself into his twin, his body jerking as his seed spilled inside her.

"Bloody hell, Darcey." Harry panted, resting inside her for a moment while they each tried to catch their breathe. He still felt his prick pulsing every so often inside of her tight, wet womanhood. He pulled out, noticing that Darcey's thighs were slick with his cum and sweat.

Harry was certain he had just experienced the best shag of his life and it was completely insane to think that merely an hour ago they had been at a stand off, waiting for the opportunity to kill one another and it had ended with them moaning each others names in adoring affection.

They were left now with the unspoken question,_ 'Where do we go from here?'_

* * *

_**A/N:**_I'd like to thank FOREVERMORE for the wonderful review! It inspired me to continue writing this fanfiction after the long break I took away from it to work on a novel I'm attempting to write. I really love hearing all of your feedback on my stories so thank you all for the continuous reviews, follows and favorites. It keeps me highly motivated and excited to post more!__


	21. Chapter 21: The Keepsake

Sun filtered in through the steel bars of the window, making the view to freedom outside look grim. A young, weedy boy with round spectacles stroked the feathers of his snowy owl, who appeared restless as she plucked at her feathers.

"I know you're itching to spread your wings, Hedwig. We haven't much longer until we're back at school and we'll both be freed from here." Said Harry.

Darcey awoke with a jolt, still drenched in the melancholy aura of the dream of her brother. She wasn't sure what had caused her to dream something so random, perhaps the bars upon his bedroom window were some psychological metaphor for how helpless she had felt lately, since she began regaining control of her life. Ever since she was told she was a Potter and then the death of her brother, Roger and at last, her family abandoning her, she had felt completely and utterly helpless in being unable to prevent the spiraling downfall of her once mundane life. So she had vowed to take back that control and do whatever it took to destroy the people who had destroyed her.

Darcey rose slowly from Harry's tangled sheets, careful not to wake her brother and padded over to the caged owl whom she had dreamt about, cautiously slipping her index finger between the bars to stroke her wings to which she gave a grateful hoot.

Moving to the window, Darcey opened it and leaned her upper body through to get a whiff of the fresh, dewy morning air. It couldn't be past seven, she was up early despite having a long night.

"Are you planning an escape or contemplating suicide?" Came suddenly Harry's voice from beside her as he peered up at her through with groggy eyes before wiping the evidence of sleep away and groping for his glasses perched on the nightstand. He was still shirtless, evidence of their intimate encounter hours earlier and his black hair looked, if possible, even more disheveled than usual.

"Neither." Darcey replied softly, watching the suns ascent into the clear blue sky. "It's a lovely morning. I think I'll go for a walk." She decided, moving over to her trunk near Harry's wardrobe. She shed his t-shirt that she had slept in, standing half naked before him, in just her knickers while rummaging for some clean clothes to wear.

"I'll go with you." Replied Harry unexpectedly, causing Darcey's blue eyes to dart towards her brother in suspicion. 'So did this mean they were alright now?' She faintly wondered, if so she'd retain it to her memory to shag all her enemies, if it'd save her life. Though, she was only kidding.

"That is, if you want the company?" Harry asked unsure, mistaking the narrowed look she was giving him as a glare and not one of puzzlement.

"I wouldn't mind." Darcey shrugged coolly, finally retrieving a pair of cut offs and a t-shirt before heading down the hall and into the bathroom to get dressed and freshen up.

* * *

Darcey followed Harry down the street and into an amber field filled with tall, yellow grass that blew in the summer breeze and itched against her knees. Harry took a seat a rusty swing while Darcey lounged on a round, spinning contraption, pushing off the ground with one foot to spin her around in lazy, slow circles.

They weren't alone, near the opposite end of the small park were a mother and toddler playing in the sandbox, but they were far enough away to give the siblings privacy to talk if they so wished, though it seemed they were both too absorbed in their own racing thoughts to engage in conversation.

Until suddenly a familiar, female voice rang through Harry's head, speaking to him telepathically.

"I need to talk to you." She thought, using legilimency. Harry could block her from communicating with him if he so desired, Snape had given him lesson in Occlumency the previous year, but he was eager to hear what the mysterious girl had to say.

"Go on then." Harry thought back after a long moment, wondering if they were about to discuss their forbidden encounter the night before.

He looked over at Darcey who was watching her boot kick up dirt as she spun herself around but her voice continued to speak through his head even though it appeared she wasn't paying him any attention. It was strange hearing her talk without her lips moving or her so much as looking at him.

"Voldemort has ordered me to spy on you. Though, I'm sure you already figured that much out."

"You're not much of a spy then are you? If you're telling me." Harry thought lightly.

"No, I'm not." Darcey agreed, her thoughts taking on a much more serious tone. "He's going to kill me when he discovers I'm no use to him, when the summer is over-"

"Unless you give him something." Harry finishes.

"Which I'll leave up to you." Says Darcey out loud this time, looking over at him to finally meet his gaze.

"I should let you die, seeing as you killed a man who meant a lot to me and I'm still furious at you over it, don't think that just because we-" Harry stopped, lowing his voice to a whisper. "-_You know_, that you're forgiven and all."

"Snape was going to kill him if I didn't, did you know that?" Darcey asked, diverting the subject slightly in a sly attempt to redirect his anger off of her. "Narcissa Malfoy told me that they had made an unbreakable vow for him to assist Draco and complete the task if he found that he couldn't. I always wondered why Dumbledore was foolish enough to put his trust in him, it's clear where his loyalty was all along."

"Did you know?" Harry asked curiously. "That Draco's mission was to assassinate Dumbledore."

"No." Darcey answered honestly. "I hadn't a clue until that night, when I found them. Draco had disarmed him and it was clear then what Voldemort had ordered him to do and it was also clear he wasn't capable of doing it, despite knowing that he'd die if he didn't kill him…"

"So that's why you did it then? To save Draco, you loved him?" Harry asked, clearly struggling to use the word 'love' and 'Draco' in the same sentence, it left a foul taste in his mouth.

"No." Darcey admitted, deciding to be truthful and at this Harry's eyebrow quirked from beneath his ebony bangs.

"Honestly, and I'm not proud of it." Darcey reminded him. "I murdered Dumbledore out of cold-hearted rage. Knowing he was the reason Roger died and I lost my family, knowing that, it made me hate him and wish him dead. So when I was given the opportunity for vengeance, I selfishly took it, not thinking of the consequences my actions would have." Darcey recited almost robotically, her tone extremely detached as she gazed out upon the horizon. It was getting warming now that the sun had moved higher into the sky and both teens were beginning to sweat.

"Do you regret it?" Harry finally asked after a long, thick silence hung between them. Darcey knew, at least at the moment she did not regret the death of Dumbledore, but she did regret the effect it had upon her and Harry's relationship. It had sealed their fate as enemies, as well as causing more despair to be shed upon her brother's already unfortunate life and for that she did regret it.

"Yes." She answered simply, quietly.

If Harry was pleased with her answer he didn't show it, instead looking at her with a blank, unreadable mask. It unnerved her seeing the Gryffindor act so cold.

"I'm thirsty, let's head back." Said Harry, rising from the swing suddenly and causing the chains to rustle.

Darcey followed wordlessly behind him, wiping the sweat from her brow and pulling up her hair into a ponytail to cool off her hot neck.

* * *

Darcey eyed the delicate, gold necklace strung around Aunt Petunia's tanned, boney neck as she fanned herself off with a muggle newspaper. It was unbearably hot and stuffy in the house, as her uncle insisted upon only running the AC at night to cut back on the 'electricity bill'.

"Is that some sort of flower? It looks like a rose." Darcey pointed out, no longer able to contain her curiosity as she stared at the pretty pendant. Petunia stopped her fanning, a distressed look crossing over her features at her niece's unknown personal inquiry.

"A lily pad." Her aunt corrected her in a barely audible hiss before suddenly disappearing off into the kitchen. A moment later Darcey met Harry outside where he was lounging beneath the shade of an english oak tree in the Dursley's garden.

"Have you even noticed that Aunt Petunia's necklace depicts a lily pad?" Darcy asked in excitement, moving to sit Indian-style beside him.

"No. Never paid it much attention really." Harry admitted. "Why?"

"Don't tell me you haven't made the obvious connection, Harry." Darcey gaped at him, her tone scolded. "A lily pad, really, our mother, _Lily._ The necklace was obviously hers." She decided.

"How can you be certain?" Asked Harry, although he did appear rather interested now.

"I can't, but I am." She replied hastily, explaining further when Harry cast her an odd look. "I just _know_ it was Lily's and so it's only right that as her daughter it should belong to me..."

"Maybe our mother gave her the necklace, as a keepsake or something." Harry suggested.

"No way. You honestly think they were that close? I call rubbish. That necklace belonged to Lily and it was given to Petunia once she died. Our mother never intended _her_ to wear it." She said in disgust.

"Still, the necklace belongs to Petunia now..." Harry replied carefully, as if he were trying to talk a little girl out of nicking cookies from the cookie jar.

"I don't care." Declared Darcey in a huff. "It should belong to me. It's disgusting that such a vile muggle like her is wearing it. I'm going to ask for it back, right now." She decided, rising impulsively and trudging with rigid determination back into the house with Harry right at her heel.

* * *

Draco watched alongside his parents as a pair of snatchers dragged into the entryway a muggleborn by the name of Marcus Belby. Belby attended school with Draco sorted into Ravenclaw house if he recalled.

The stalky, dark haired boy had been given a painful looking stinging jinx to the eye causing the skin around it to swell and appear shiny pink and blood trickled at a steady pace from his crooked, broken nose. He groaned softly, his good eye half opened to a slit as if struggling to remain conscious.

"Captured this mud-blood." Announced the lead snatcher smugly, a longhaired man with a charming smile. "I'm here for my payment."

Lucius stepped forward, his steel cane echoing off the elegant, marble floor as he moved. His piercing, pale, gray eyes framed with dark circles burnt into the lead snatcher as if he were trying to light him on fire.

"I'm afraid I don't see the logic behind you bringing a _mud-blood _into my home and then demanding I pay you for the obnoxious intrusion." Spoke Lucius in a glacial tone. "For your sake, I pray to Merlin, you have a good excuse."

The second Snatcher gulped as the leader spoke once more, "The Dark Lord told Greyback who then told to us that this particular manor would be the new headquarters for the Dark Lord's army and to bring all blood traitors and mud-bloods we snatch to this location. It seems you've been left out of the loop." Explained the snatcher, his brown eyes sparkling as he suppressed a sly grin. "So I'll ask once more, where are my galleons, Malfoy? You wouldn't like to see me get upset, I go ugly when I get upset. "

* * *

All that asking for her mother's necklace back had done was get Darcey thrown out of the house for the night after her guardians and her had engaged in a rather nasty row with her aunt refusing to give up the cherished keepsake. Darcey strolled the lane as dusk began to descend upon Privet Drive. It was growing dark and just when Darcey considered casting a_ 'Lumos' _to light her path the street lamps sprang to life, igniting the street in patches of yellow light.

Darcey lie in the grassy meadow near the park, the only place she was familiar to other than than her aunt and uncle's house. The stars twinkled dimly above her, though much duller here being closer to the city. Back home, in the English country, the stars were so crystal clear and bright that Darcey could easily spot over a dozen constellations, but here the sky was too hazy with smog to see hardly anything but their faint, dim glows.

"Lilly…" Whispered Darcey, still staring up into the heavens, as she lied sprawled out, spread eagle on her back. The dark grass blew gently in the cool night breeze all around her, encompassing her.

"Mother… I promise I'll reclaim your necklace. I'm sorry that filthy muggle is wearing it, defiling your memory…" Darcey trailed, anger piercing through her chest.

"Oi! Did you hear that mate? Sounded like a girl." Came suddenly an unfamiliar male voice.

Darcey sprung up from the ground, crouching in the grassy null as she clutched her holly wand tightly. Her blue orbs locked on three shadowed male figures staggering towards her. One of them dropped the glass bottle he had been clutching and kicked it obnoxiously out of boredom. It rattled with a clank beside her.

"Ay! I see her there. In the grass, see?" Called another.

Darcey rose, stowing away her wand as she realized they weren't wizards, merely harmless, pathetic muggles.

"You've spotted me. I was under the impression that I was alone." Darcey replied coolly as they neared, now standing in a small semi circle around her. It was difficult to make out their faces in the darkness, but Darcey was certain they were all male and at least one of them were intoxicated, the smell of alcohol rancid on their breath.

"A fit girl like yourself shouldn't ever be left to feel lonely. Where's your boyfriend at, eh love? Is he around?" Asked the boy who had kicked the empty bottle, he was thin as a stick but towered over her in height and his short, light hair glistened in the moonlight. From what she could tell he wasn't very attractive, though that didn't matter, just an objective observation.

"He's left to piss, went off that way." Darcey pointed to the tunnel behind her. "I'd leave before he sees you flirting with me, he's the jealous sort." Darcey warned despite casting the boy a small, charming smile. "Perhaps we could meet up later, in an hour? In the tunnel, just you and I." She added softly.

The boy smirked at her as a symphony of whistles filled the air, coming from the two blokes who stood beside him. They wore cheeky, immature smiles.

"My names Piers, I don't think I caught yours?" He asked, closing the gap between them so that he was now standing right before her.

"Pansy." Darcey lied. "So I'll catch you later, Piers?" She added smoothly.

"Looking forward to it." He assured, moving in to kiss her. Darcey turned her cheek at last minute so that the filthy muggle was met with the corner of her lips. She seethed inwardly with rage at him for daring to be so bold with her and would have loved to curse him, but she shouldn't and she needed to leave. She had been smart to use flattery to appeal to the boys, allowing her to safely evade them.

"You're lucky your fit." Breathed Piers, rage flashing before his eyes, their color undetectable. "I don't normally handle rejection so well."

"Not rejection, simply a bit of teasing." Darcey sung. "Wouldn't want you to lose your appetite. You'll need it later." She seductively assured him, moving to brush between him and his two cronies.

"Sixty minutes, Pansy." He called after her retreating form, the flirty quality of his tone failing to mask the firm threat beneath it. Wouldn't he be raging as a madman when he realized she had stood him up, she thought with a wicked smirk. Honestly, these muggles were so daft...

* * *

Darcey's name being whispered against her earlobe broke her from her hazy dreams. Her eyes snapped open, looking wildly around the bedroom once she realized no one was there.

Harry lie asleep in his bed, they had yet to discuss their steamy encounter as they seemed to have mutually and silently agreed upon proceeding as if nothing had happened, for now at least.

'_Darcey, wake up.'_ The voice echoed again inside her sleepy mind.

_'Draco?'_ Darcey thought in alarm. It hadn't been more than forty-eight hours and she had already forgotten of him. Though, she knew she had no reason to feel guilty, still she did even though he had made it quite clear that there was nothing serious going on between them, they were simply a friend to shag when feeling blue, but somehow he had become more to her than that, he was her best friend and she had felt that she had betrayed him somehow by sleeping with her brother.

Merlin, that sounding so revolting, though she didn't see Harry at all in a brotherly light, he had always been the glorious Chosen One, a boy who had no connection to her at all and it was still hard to wrap her mind around the fact that they were siblings when they had been raised as strangers. In her mind she had shagged Harry Potter and not her brother.

Suddenly foreign images that didn't belong to her began to invade Darcey's mind. She was lying in Draco's bed, gazing down at her pale body in the low light, though the body wasn't hers it was his, half naked wearing his satin boxers and he was clearly aroused.

_'What are you doing?_' Darcey wondered, though she couldn't ignore the fact that she was becoming turned on at the sight of him. She remembered with fondness their intimacy and supposed she would always feel this sort of tenderness in regard to him, being the one she had lost her innocence to and it had been amazing, _he _had been amazing.

_'Help me, I need a distraction.' _He thought huskily, his hand moving to stroke the outline of his hard prick tenting in his boxers.

'_Why? What has happened?'_ Darcey couldn't help but feel alarmed and she could hear, even in his thoughts, that he was quickly growing annoyed.

_'Merlin, Darcey why are you always so bloody difficult? I thought you'd be pleased to hear from me so soon...' _He grumbled.

_'I am.'_ Darcey thought weakly, though it was only in part true. Instead it left her feeling oddly hollow knowing that Draco existed so far away, it didn't seemed real and this sort of teasing only made the distance between them worse. She was happy to forget him for the summer. It was easier that way and Darcey vowed she wouldn't go longing for him like some pathetic, clingy lover. She was stronger than that.

_'I really am.'_ Darcey thought once more, though she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince more, herself of Draco. _'I just wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon…and besides, I was sleeping.'_

The connection between them shifted suddenly negative as Draco's mixed emotions seeped through the line. '_Well then, I won't make the mistake of bothering you again. Have a nice holiday.' _He thought curtly, violently severing the mental connection between them.

Draco wasn't about to let some worthless half-blood string him along like a pathetic, love struck puppy. He had dignity and pride, often too much for his own good, and wouldn't tolerate being rejected when he had needed her and risked vulnerability by reaching out to her. Wasn't that the point of their relationship, to distract the other through sexual release? It seemed, Draco realized with spite, that Darcey only wanted him when she saw fit and that wasn't acceptable. Draco mentally cursed her as a selfish, lousy bitch before grabbing his flaccid prick and stroking it back to life to images left solely and frustratingly to his own imagination. A piercing, agonizing moan echoed through the manor interrupting and killing the mood. It was that lousy Belby bloke, he'd been howling all evening after Greyback had paid him a visit and bitten him in light of the full moon...


	22. Chapter 22: Ashes to Ashes

_Friday, July 25th, 1997_

"He's going to kill me! I need to give him something, Harry." Darcey pleaded as she paced the length of the narrow bedroom.

She had lived with Harry for over a month and they had formed a relationship akin to friendship, though a complicated one. They often had deep discussions about their childhood, since it seemed the only subject they could agree upon. Darcey knew better than to discuss her ambitions with him, for that would lead to a debate of morals in which they shared conflicting views.

She had learned a lot about Harry, that he had been bullied in school like her, though not in Hogwarts. Harry had attended a muggle primary school in which he had trouble fitting in with Dudley and his gang often seeking him out. He was an easy target, small and weedy and when they snatched his glasses he was blind as a bat making it even more impossible for him to retaliate.

She had also learned that Harry had been raised without the love and affection of his guardians and as a small child often sought desperately their approval and acceptance. As he matured, he turned into a sad, despondent child who had simply given up, not knowing what was wrong with him and why he was mistreated and abused, just knowing that it was somehow his fault.

Then he discovered the truth about who he was and who his parents were and how they had died and Hogwarts saved him. He found in it a place to truly call home where he was surrounded by loving friends, people who admired him for simply existing, as well as people who despised him for it, but those people didn't matter. He was valued.

He grew close to a series of parental figures who helped guide him, like Molly Weasley, the only mother figure Harry had ever known, Albus Dumbledore, who had mentored him and seemed to truly understand him without pitying him, his godfather Sirius Black whom he had hopes of moving in with and one day living happily ever after, and Remus Lupin, another paternal figure in Harry's life who had taught him how to cast a patronus and shared with him stories of his mum and dad.

At Hogwarts he felt loved for the first time and it seemed that his depressing, tragic childhood of both physical and mental abuse laced with neglect had ended happily after all with Hogwarts triumphing over the darkness that had been Harry's life and giving him a future to look forward to. Though, he had lost both Sirius and Dumbledore and had the incredible responsibility of saving the entire wizarding world from a madman thrust upon his shoulders at a young age, Harry still held hope for the future, after he could bury Voldemort and the Dursley's in his past forever and finally move on.

Darcey had in return confided in him, her much less tragic childhood filled with much more happy memories, though hollow. What separated the twins upbringing was that while Harry's guardians had shown him no love at all, Darcey's parents had showered her with it but Darcey never truly believe their sincerity for there was always a flicker of doubt that plagued her and created mistrust between herself and her family, making her feel like the black sheep.

She had always known her parents were not being honest with her in regards to the details of her mysterious adoption and who her birth parents had been, leading her to come up with her own inventive possibilities, often bad. For instance she had thought for the majority of her life that perhaps her parents were violent criminals who had committed unspeakable acts that landed them in Azkaban, thought now she knew that wasn't the case.

Whatever their story, one thing was certain, that her birth patents had not wanted her and had abandoned her, leaving her to question all her life 'What's wrong with me? Why didn't they want me?' until she had discovered recently the truth that they had been murdered. Yet that wasn't enough, the damage was done and left a huge psychological impact upon the girl leading her to believe that there was indeed something wrong with her, that no one was capable of loving her, and mistrusting those that claimed to. It resulted in a lonely, bitter soul filled with sorrow, rage and self-loathing.

"We have time. Trust me." Harry reassured her as he watched her pace nervously around the small, dingy bedroom.

"I can't bear it any longer, the not knowing for certain whether or not I am going to live or die. So if you have a plan you need to tell me now, Harry. I need to know, do you trust me?" Darcey asked, her tone serious.

A heavy silence clung between them as Harry contemplated his answer, still not knowing for certain how to feel about her. Had he really grown to trust her despite everyone's caution not to?

"Yes." Harry finally breathed.

"Then give me something to tell Voldemort, something that will betray you. If you care about me at all then you'll save me-"

"I can't. You're just going to have to trust me, Darcey, and trust that everything will work out."

Darcey let out a roar of anger, literally growling as she threw Harry's desk chair directly at him. He ducked with nimble reflexes to the ground, barely avoiding the collision as it crashed into the wall behind him as Darcey summoned a book from her school trunk and stormed out of the bedroom and down the hall shouting, _"Wake up! All of you, wake up!"_

* * *

Gathered in the living room sat their sleepy looking guardians. Dudley was currently in London for a comic convention, leaving his parents alone with the twins.

"What do you think you're doing waking us up at this hour in the night?" Uncle Vernon demanded, standing in the threshold between the living area and kitchen.

"I'm giving your wife a final opportunity to hand over my mother's necklace willingly before I pry it from her cold, dead neck." Darcey threatened, a severe look upon her features.

Petunia's eyes widened in fear as she clasped a hand protectively over her chest, covering the pendant while Uncle Vernon began to throw a fit, spit flying from his mouth and his pudgy face turning scarlet.

"How dare you threaten my wife, after all we've done for you lot, after giving you a home!" Vernon bellowed, looking angrily between his niece and nephew.

"Don't look at me, I have nothing to do with this." Harry admitted, casting Darcey a concerned look. "All I know is she's been going on and on about that necklace all summer and she's convinced it belonged to our mum-"

"I told you countless times I bought it for myself, I'm a gardener so it's not odd that I'd get a flower-" Petunia defended.

"But not just a flower a _lily pad!_ You're a liar!" Darcey growled, this time pulling her wand out and pointing it in warning at her aunt. Petunia let out a mouse-like sort of noise that conveyed her fear as Vernon stiffened, his red face paling slightly to pink.

"You can't use magic-" He began to protest.

"Outside of school, yes but I wouldn't test her. Just give her the necklace if she's that set on having it." Harry finished calmly, clutching his own wand and pointing it at his sister just in case she did something impulsive. He understood that she was angry at him for not including her in his plans and it seemed she was taking out her rage on their relatives, desperate for something to control, she wanted to obtain the necklace she'd desired all summer.

"I can't give it to you." Petunia replied, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she clung tightly to the necklace. "You're right, it belonged to my sister and it's the only keepsake I have to remember her by. It means a lot to me and I can't bear to part from it." Petunia confessed quietly. "If she had wanted you to have it she would have left it to you."

"Rubbish!" Darcey shouted as Harry stepped forward, a meaningful look on his features as he peered over at his aunt sitting on their floral couch.

"You cared for her, even though you claimed she was a freak, you still loved her." Harry's tone was questioning and curiosity shone in his emerald eyes. He didn't understand the complex relationship his mother and his aunt had shared but he wanted to, he wanted to know more.

"Of course I cared for her. You didn't just lose your mother the night she died. I lost a sister too…" Petunia replied, as a tear slipped down her cheek.

"You didn't love her." Darcey interjected bitterly. "If you did you wouldn't have treated her son like he was nothing, completely worthless to you. You wouldn't have hated him, if you had loved her. You would have loved Harry too, and showed it." Darcey argued angrily, her blue eyes narrowed into slits as she glared down at her aunt whom she despised. Guilt flashed in Petunia's cerulean eyes and she had to literally look away from Harry, for when she gazed up at him she felt as if she were in the presence of Lily, with those same familiar green eyes.

"I fed you, clothed you, and put a roof over your head. I did what was asked of me. How could I love you when I knew you were what killed her. You were the reason my sister was gone!" Petunia wept, pulling out a delicate handkerchief from the pocket of her pink nightgown and dabbing at her eyes.

"What do you mean I was the reason? I was an infant!" Harry objected, truly offended now as his wand shifted without conscious intent towards his aunt.

"You were what he wanted, weren't you, boy? He came for you, yet here you live while your parents died." Vernon spoke up gruffly.

"How dare you imply such an asinine- how dare you?" Darcey stuttered, clearly outraged and unable to form a sentence. "Crucio!" She shouted, cursing the vile, fat muggle for his ignorance.

"Stop it, Darcey, stop!" Harry shouted while lunging towards her. He gripped her by the shoulders and yanked her away from Vernon, physically breaking the curse. The large man was left panting on the ground, as he collapsed from the sheer strength of the spell; he was moaning in pain, his eyes shut tight.

Darcey drew her wand at Harry, her eyes blazing with rage. She looked feral and wild, completely savage and in that moment she reminded him of another dark haired witch, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Going to curse your own brother, Darcey?" Harry asked evenly, bravely holding his ground. He held his wand tightly ready for a duel as she seemed to consider it, before she lowered her wand by a fraction.

"He deserved it." Darcey hissed, her eyes softening as she stared back at him.

"Nobody deserves that and you know it." Harry countered firmly, momentarily silencing her.

"Aurors will be here at any second, you knew this house was under strict watch by the Order, you're going to get penalized for using an Unforgivable and probably sent to Azkaban." Harry stated, not feeling at all sorry for her, not after she just tortured an innocent man, even if it was in his defense. There were better ways of going about protecting your honor and they did not include injuring a defenseless muggle.

"You have five seconds to tell me what I want to hear, or else I murder them both. I'd just be doing the world a favor, ridding it of such vile vermin." Darcey sneered, the fire igniting once more in her murky, blue eyes. Harry didn't doubt her threat, not after seeing what she was capable of when provoked.

"Two days." He answered. "They move me to the Burrow in two days, once I'm there it will be impossible for them to get to me." Harry admitted, betraying the Order's wishes by confiding the plans to his sister, they had all warned him against it in his letters to Ron and Hermione but he had no choice but to tell her now.

"I'm touched, Harry..." Darcey deadpanned, twiddling with her wand. "...that it only took this much work to pry it from you. I feel flattered that you care enough to save me after all." She spat.

"_Avada Kedavra!" _

* * *

Draco awoke in the middle of the night by the low murmur of hushed voices speaking.

In the drawing room stood both his parents, along with a light haired figure whose back was turned to him as she spoke, though he instantly recognized the low, melodic voice. It was strange seeing her back here, though it had only been two months it felt longer, so much had changed since his birthday.

"Summon him." She demanded firmly. Draco stepped forward, catching her reflection in the gilded mirror above the fireplace mantle where orange flames flickered to life.

"You do realize if I call him at this hour without Potter he will kill us all." Lucius spat, growing angry at her endless persistence.

"I have good reason. Therefore I won't ask you again." She replied and as if finally sensing his presence, Darcey shifted suddenly to face Draco causing him to gasp.

"Darcey?" He asked in surprise, thoroughly shocked by the drastic change in his friends appearance. Her hair was lighter, though much duller, a tarnished blonde and her eyes, once blue as the turbulent sea now stared back at him completely lightless. The orange light of the fire reflected in each of her ebony orbs, giving them a hell-like quality as she peered blankly back at him. The last thing he noticed was her skin, even paler if possible than before and tinged gray as if she were terribly ill and dying a slow, chronic death.

"What happened to you?" Draco asked unable to mask his concern as he approached her despite the harsh chill that shot down his spine at the sight of her. As he drew closer his ears began to ring like the hissing of a serpent.

"Nothing." Darcey lied, her tone turning soft at the sight of him. She hadn't known how much she had missed him until just now, being thrust back into his presence and she suddenly longed to kiss him, though she restrained herself.

"Rubbish, you look like death. What did those muggles do to you? Were you mistreated?" Draco inquired once more, feeling concerned for her health, yet unable to fathom what they could have done to cause her to look this way, unless given some sort of terminal disease. He had heard the muggles had those, diseases. They were like animals. He mentally scoffed.

"No, I'm fine..." She answered distantly.

"Not to interrupt your sentimental reunion, but unless you have excellent reason for showing up upon my doorstep, uninvited at this hour-" Lucius drawled as Narcissa suppressed another yawn.

"I told you to summon him. We're all waiting on you." Darcey replied pointedly, her tone returning to its usual dryness as she removed her gaze from Draco's.

"Just do it, Lucius. It will be her death if he's displeased and hopefully not ours." Narcissa interjected, her tone laced with exhaustion.

"What's going on?" Came another voice from behind them, as the group turned to face the new arrival.

"Oh, goodie the un-chosen one has returned." Sung Bellatrix as her dark eyes landed on Darcey. "You're not looking so pretty, Potter. Who cursed you? I'd like to thank them." She rose a brow.

"Not now, Bella." Narcissa sighed heavily, looking more tired than ever. Now that Darcey paid closer attention, it looked as if none of the Malfoy clan had slept right in ages, as they all wore dark circles beneath their eyes. What had she missed?

Lucius pressed the tip of his wand to the dark mark on his forearm, finally summoning their master so that Darcey could tell him the good news.

* * *

Harry watched, stunned frozen in shock as the familiar green curse collided with the chest of his aunt.

Petunia fell limp, her skin tinged gray with death. The light of her soul instantly left her wide-open orbs, still staring unseeing up at the witch who cursed her.

_"NO!"_ Harry cried out, despite the Dursley's abuse they were still his family and he hadn't ever wished death upon them.

"Thanks for the helpful information, Harry. I'm sure it will save my life. Not that I'm not appreciative and all. It's just something I had to do and I don't expect you to understand." Darcey spoke eerily calm as if discussing the weather or Quidditch.

"Petunia!" Vernon sobbed, throwing himself against his wife's lap as he clung to her lifeless body. "My dear Petunia, what have you done?" He cried, his voice wavering as his body shook with grief.

"I've given her a most noble death, death with a purpose and at the hands of a witch. You should be thanking me, she went out with a bang." Darcey sung.

"Shut up!" Harry shouted out in rage, thrusting his wand towards her as he bellowed, _"Stupefy!"_

"_Protego"_ She lazily replied, putting up a shield.

"Do you really want to do this? Fight and risk injuring your uncle." Darcey scolded. "Not very considerate of you, Harry."

Harry knew she was right; Vernon could be hit from a ricocheting hex, especially if Darcey decided to use dark magic in a duel against him, which wouldn't surprise him in the slightest. It wasn't that he was afraid of her, he knew he could hold his own in a duel against her, but he was afraid of Vernon being killed. He vowed in that moment that no one else would die for him, if he could help it. So Harry made the noble choice, which also happened to be the hardest and reluctantly abandoned the duel with his sister, instead grabbing roughly onto Vernon's beefy arm and telling him they had to go, they had to go now.

"What's the rush, Harry? We were just getting started." Darcey pouted, a mad glint in her eye. Harry was certain in that moment that she had finally snapped and gone off the deep end but he couldn't help her, only Darcey could help herself.

"You're a lunatic. You're completely mental and I feel sorry for you." Harry stated firmly, and in a blur he and Vernon were gone as he apparated to London.

Darcey felt herself shaking with rage, and despite knowing that her brother couldn't hear her she called out anyway, "You did this! It didn't have to be this way, I earned your trust but clearly that wasn't enough! I'm not worth it in your eyes to spare; you were willing to let him kill me! You fucking bastard!" She wailed, her screams echoing through the empty townhouse. She wanted to sit there and cry for her loss, but she couldn't for the Aurors would be there any minute and she still had much work to do. She wasn't about to give it all up for nothing, she had meant it that Petunia had died for a purpose, a noble cause. In that moment Darcey wondered how she was any different than Albus Dumbledore, who had also spared innocent lives for what he claimed to be the greater good? If he could be a puppeteer why couldn't she? What made them so different that Harry could blindly accept him but not her?

* * *

Darcey stood in a small clearing in the woods behind her home. Even in the darkness she wasn't afraid, she grew up in this forest, playing with Roger and Tracey. This land was hers. Therefore she was at an advantage if anyone decided to sneak up on her. She wouldn't get lost running through these woods, she knew them by heart.

Lit were seven candles, six white and one black, symbolic of the forces of life and death. She would draw life from the death of her aunt, and so in Darcey's opinion, she had been sacrificed for the greater good.

It seemed she had learned once again not to put her faith and trust in others. After Harry's betrayal she had decided to take control of the pain like before and use it to her advantage. She would use what was intended to hurt her to make her stronger.

What Darcey hadn't known then was that Harry had truly trusted her and had made plans with the Order to take Darcey with him to the Burrow, to offer her protection there from the Dark Lord. So he hadn't betrayed her at all, in fact he had chosen weeks ago to save her because he had cared for her.

Darcey of course, didn't know this and thus in her eyes it seemed she had spent all summer working hard for Harry's trust and acceptance but in the end hadn't earned it, despite that he had earned hers and she still found herself immensely loyal to him. She knew that things had changed between them and that even now they were no longer enemies, so his betrayal in her eyes had hurt all the more. She felt as if it were Christmas Eve all over again, her family leaving her.

With steely determination she focused on the task at hand, needing both a clear mind and steady emotions to conduct this level of advanced, dark magic.

She opened to the page she had marked off long ago in '_Secrets of the Darkest Art'_ that explained the creation of horcruxes and doubled checked the list of items to ensure she had all that she needed before she began.

She followed on to the next step that she had practically memorized, and bent down to slice open the neck of her aunt with a silver, goblin-made dagger that had belonged to her father.

She watched the dark, crimson fluid pour steadily from the deep gash before reaching down to contain some of it inside a glass phial.

Her hands became bloodstained at the contact but she wasn't bothered, as she was too eager to proceed and finish the ritual, knowing this was the best choice she had in protecting her own life. If she made a horcrux she'd be impossible to slay, even by a wizard as powerful as Lord Voldemort, unless he discovered and destroyed her hidden horcrux, which would be a waste of time and effort when he had Harry to focus on. Therefore, all in all Darcey felt confident that her plan would work and was quite proud of herself for taking the initiative to save her own life rather than let a man protect her. She didn't need Harry, or any one. She was in control of her own destiny.

Darcey moved away from the mutilated corpse and over to the circle of flickering candles. In the center lie glimmering the golden pendant that once belonged to her mother Lily and would now contain a small piece of her eternal soul.

She tipped the small phial so that her aunt's blood poured over the necklace in seven precise droplets. Then Darcey unsheathed the silver dagger once more and held out her left palm, slicing her her hand and spilling seven droplets of her own blood to mix in with her deceased relative's.

She spoke the enchantment, _'I nunc immortale'_ aloud into the night and drew in every once of courage that dwelled inside her to proceed with the final sacrifice, her flesh.

Stepping into the center of the seven candles, Darcey retrieved both the pendant and the black candle from the cool, wet earth. She clasped the bloody necklace around her neck, already feeling the pulse of dark magic radiating from it, as if it now harnessed an energy entirely of its own, before bringing the candle to the tip of her chestnut hair and setting it aflame.

She blew out the black candle that symbolized the death of her mortal body and waited a few moments, smelling the foul stench of her hair singeing until it reached her scalp and scorched her skin. She cried out in agony, falling to the earth and clutching her head with her hands, but the fire burnt her arms and quickly a supernatural inferno consumed her body.

Her ashes scattered gracefully in the wind, blowing as dust, as all six, white candles blew out at once, cloaking the clearing in a blanket of darkness. All was silent and all was still. The only items that remain were the necklace, still glimmering in the moonlight, and a holly, unicorn hair wand.

Then gloriously, like a phoenix she was reborn from her pile of ashes and began to magically take form. She bridged the gap from death to earth, with a small piece of her past self living now in Lily's necklace.

* * *

Darcey clutched with clammy, white fingers the cool, marble countertop of Draco's private bathroom.

She stared at her reflection as if for the first time, while wearing the fresh, new horcrux. She looked washed out, the effects of her severed soul evident in her physical features.

Darcey had lost some of her beauty, including her best physical feature, her beautiful blue eyes. They were now the color of onyxes, pitch black with a gray ring separating the iris from the pupil.

Her hair lay in lank waves, the pigment stripped from it so that it now appeared a dull, dark blonde, the color of wheat. Her skin looked ghostly pale and paired with her new features gave her an overall ill appearance.

If Darcey had been like most girls her age, consumed with vanity, she would have sobbed instantly at the sight of her, but Darcey wasn't like most girls. She smiled, allowing a wicked cackle to escape her lips as her dark eyes caught Draco's in the large ornate mirror. He stood behind her, staring at her reflection with mixed emotions swirling in his light eyes yet his expression remained unreadable.

All she could do was continue to laugh in glee as her eyes darted back to the beautiful, delicate necklace that lay against her chest, beating with life in rhythm with her heart. Ecstatic that it had worked, she succeed, and although she had died to achieve immortality she felt more alive than ever before, she felt intoxicated with the sheer power the horcrux granted her. Knowing now that she was invincible and in turn had nothing to fear.

Neither man nor best could slay her.


	23. Chapter 23: Let's Run Away

_Sunday, July 27th, 1997_

Harry didn't have much of a choice, though if he did he still would have chosen to save his sister's life. Therefore, despite knowing that Death Eater's would swarm them, Harry and the Order carried out their original plan of transporting him to the Burrow on the 27th of July. Except they had an elaborate idea to throw them off, they would be drinking polyjuice potion so that there were seven identical versions of Harry. It was brilliant, although he was originally against the idea not wanting his friends to endanger themselves by posing as him. He didn't want anyone else to die, though he hadn't much control over their fate as they insisted on putting their lives on the line for him.

"This is greater than just you, mate. You think we're doing this for you? Sure we care about you, but it's much bigger than that. We're fighting a war." Said Ron, after Hermione had plucked without his permission a strand of his hair and dropped it into Mad Eye Moody's flask.

"Drink up. Tastes like dung, fair warning." The burly, blonde-haired Auror said, passing the flask around the group of wizards gathered in the Dursley's empty living room.

Uncle Vernon's mind had been erased under strict orders of the Ministry and both he and Dudley had been relocated by the Order to a safe, undisclosed location. Dudley had been told his mum had perished in a house burglary, in which thieves ransacked their home for money and jewelry while Vernon was at work. Both the father and son grieved for the loss of Petunia, though Dudley seemed to sense something was off with the story and he had a feeling that Harry's kind had something to do with it.

"Bloody hell, we're identical." Chimed the twins as they morphed into a set of Harry's wearing shabby, hand-me-down robes.

"Don't look at me darling, I'm hideous." Declared a mortified Fleur, who covered her satin bra, shielding her flat chest from her fiancé's view.

They each partnered up, Hagrid offering to escort the real Harry, feeling sentimental. "I was the one ter bring you here all dem years ago, seems only righ' I be the one ta' take yer now." He said gruffly, wiping a small tear from his rosy cheek.

* * *

Darcey and Draco sat in the manor garden, the fountain playing in the background. The sky had turned gray and overcast and foretold an approaching storm. A strong breeze rolled by ruffling their hair and scattering the dead, fallen leaves across the stone clearing.

"What happened to you?" Draco asked for the hundredth time, still adjusting to her new features, particularly the ashen hair.

"I made a horcrux." Darcey answered quietly, her gaze still fixated on the turbulent, dark clouds rolling in above them. Her hair whipped against her cheek like tentacles, giving her an almost villainous appearance.

"You're joking. That's impossible." Draco hissed, his expression both equally impressed, as it was skeptical.

"Not impossible if I've already done it." Darcey countered coldly.

"You're lying. Where is it then?" He continued, his tone extremely curious as his eyes trailed over her body, as if it would jump out at him if he looked hard enough. He wasn't even sure it was on her for it could be anywhere.

"Hidden." Darcey lied, resisting the urge to protectively clutch her mother's necklace, knowing that the small gesture would surely give her away. Draco was a clever boy.

"That's brilliant. Terrifying, but brilliant. Who'd you off? Potter?" Draco asked lightly, as if they weren't discussing a brutal sacrifice.

"My aunt, the muggle." Darcey replied simply. "I figured she'd be the best option, being a blood relative of mine, I had hoped that with that taken into account it would make the magic stronger for it would be a more meaningful death than the death of a mere stranger." Darcey relayed to Draco her theory. She had spent the past year debating on going through with the creation of the horcrux, ever since she had first read about it. Though she hadn't decided until recently whom her victim would be. Until a few days ago it had all been a demented fantasy. She never fully imagined going through with it, but the threat of death had caused her to finally act upon it.

"I 'spose that makes sense. Seems logical, though a sacrifice is a sacrifice all the same. So I doubt it would have made a significant difference, like you had intended." Draco pointed out.

Darcey shrugged once more. "Either way it worked. I've gained immortality."

"What's it like? Murdering someone? They say killing splits the soul." He asked, eyeing her.

"I felt numb, still feel numb. It doesn't feel like anything really, just…numb." Darcey tried her best to articulate the experience to her best ability, but found she couldn't quite place the complex act of killing into a proper description. It felt like fog, a dark, hazy abyss slowly creeping over you and consuming you, leaving you to feel nothing, to see nothing but the fog itself. She supposed that was what it was like, if she were to be morbidly poetic.

"Do you regret it?" Draco wondered, his tone casual and carrying with it no obvious traces of judgment. It was nice being back in the presence of someone who could understand her, whom she could be honest with.

"No." Darcey replied bluntly. "It's something I had to do to ensure my safety. It was only a matter of time before Voldemort deemed me useless and cast me aside, now I've significantly increased my chance at survival. I'm just doing whatever it takes to live now."

"Using any means to achieve your end." Draco quoted slyly their house motto. "How very Slytherin of you." He smirked causing Darcey to grin. It felt good to smile, even for just a moment, she appreciated the escape.

"I suppose the sorting hat had me spot on then. Not a trace of Gryffindor in this blood, it seems. I still don't know how my brother and I came from the same womb..." Darcey admitted, feeling oddly hollow as she spoke the words aloud.

"Though, it must have taken a vast amount of courage to undergo the ritual. I'm not familiar with the details but I know it involves burning at the stake, does it not?" Draco inquired, raising a light brow. His gray eyes locked with hers, dark as night, glimmering with intensity. She was no longer beautiful in the traditional sense, but Draco still found himself attracted to her. The power she emitted, along with the sheer strength of her gaze, it pulled in the beholder, entrancing them with its dark allure.

Darcey unintentionally twiddled with a lock of her fair hair as she spoke, the memory of her death still fresh in her mind. She shuddered inwardly, recalling the excruciating pain she had endured while being burned alive. It was an experience that plagued her nightmares and haunted her nerves; even now she could almost feel the prickle of the flames devouring her tender flesh as she began to hallucinate.

"Suicide by fire." She clarified in a detached voice as she watched an albino peacock prune its feathers in the courtyard.

"Would you do it again? If you had to." Draco wondered with a scowl, unable to even imagine setting himself willingly on fire.

"No, I couldn't." Darcey admitted, not caring if that made her weak in Draco's eyes. She knew she'd rather die than experience that sort of agony again. She'd choose death by any other means and gladly give up immortality if it meant she'd be spared from going through that again. She almost went mad at the mere thought of it.

"So, what's your take on sacrificing your home for the Dark Lord, honestly?" Darcey quickly changed the subject, for sanities sake, recalling everything that Draco had told her the previous night. The Malfoy Manor had become the official headquarters for the Dark Lord's army and that meant none of the Malfoy's had slept well since their home had been converted into a torture chamber for prisoners of war. Darcey couldn't blame them, she wouldn't be sleeping well either if she knew Voldemort had unlimited access to her home.

"I should be honored, I know." Draco admitted in a hushed tone, his gray eyes darting nervously around them for any indication of eavesdroppers. "But it's completely terrifying, not to mention the constant moaning from the cellar. Just last month Greyback turned a mudblood into a werewolf. You try sleeping soundly knowing there's a bloody werewolf beneath you." Draco frowned, disgust evident in his tone. "It's a nightmare, really, but Father doesn't have much of a say in the matter, does he?"

"No, he doesn't." Darcey agreed, knowing full well what Voldemort was capable of and the power that came along with being so feared by so many. He was like a god, able to do whatever he pleased and nobody had the courage to stop him unless they wished to die a most painful death.

"He's getting desperate for recruits. He wants the manpower but he doesn't have a large enough following compared to the other side. So word is he's been off recruiting trolls, vampires, and centaurs while Greyback turns as many blokes into werewolves as he can, and gives them promise of a better life, with more rights under the Dark Lord's reign."

"Who would be thick enough to buy into that rubbish. If somebody turned me, I'd be dead set on killing them. I'd want my revenge." Darcey replied with a scowl.

"You'd be surprised what fear can do to these people. I suppose some of them truly do have hope for a better future, but most are simply too cowardly to defy the man that bit them. Greyback is an intimidating bloke." Draco reasoned.

"I can see that." Darcey agreed. "Still, if it were I it would be war." She declared, her own anger boiling for them.

"Not everyone is as hell-bent on revenge as you, Potter." Draco lightly teased, "and not as stupid. I swear that temper is bound to get you into a tight spot one of these days. You're far too reckless." At that he gained another smile out of the girl as she swatted him playfully in the arm.

"Watch it, Malfoy." She warned half-heartedly. "I don't take kindly to insults."

"I see immortality has done nothing to tame that inflated ego of yours. So prideful." He carried on with a sly smirk while dodging another attack.

"You're one to talk, calling the kettle black." Darcey scoffed, getting up to chase him as he retreated deeper into the exotic, lush garden. The canopy of leaves enveloping them in a refreshing shade, though the July humidity lingered.

"Catch me if you can." He challenged, snaking away from her and vanishing from sight. Like the forest of her home, Draco knew the vast garden by heart and therefore he held an unfair advantage over her as she quickly became lost in the foliage.

"Alright, truce." Darcey called while panting, quickly giving up. Suddenly a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against him as he reappeared, his hot breathe prickling against her skin as he spoke.

"So, that's what you've been so busy with all summer. Murdering muggles and creating horcruxes?" Draco hissed against her earlobe, moving his lips to graze sensually down her neck, kissing her just long enough to leave her wanting more before he pulled away.

"I had a lot on my mind and I could hardly play with you with my brother around me at all times, surely you understand." Darcey replied calmly, not showing any indication that she had missed his lips, though she inwardly craved him.

"Oh, I understand." Draco darkly sung, his tone frigid cold. "You were too busy reuniting with your brother, I'm sure it was utterly adorable. Did you both share your feelings?" He cooed. "Did you guys kiss and make up? I assume all is well in the Potter household." Draco sneered while Darcey blushed, remembering their intimate encounter.

"It wasn't like that." She argued weakly, crossing her arms against her chest as she continued to stare straight ahead of her, trying to ignore his breathe against her earlobe.

"Then enlighten me as to how it was, Darcey. Because it seems to me you chose to spend your precious time with Potter instead of I, the bloke you'd only been shagging for a month and whom you begged to write to you.-"

"I didn't beg!" Darcey sneered, utterly revolted. "Look, I missed you, I truly did."

"Could have fooled me." Draco swiftly countered.

"-But yes, I was off killing my aunt and making a horcrux. I had a lot of dark stuff on my mind and I couldn't spend my time dwelling on your sudden absence in my life, I was already miserable enough." She admitted, though it was half honest. She had enjoyed her summer with Harry, getting to know him.

"I get it. I see it crystal clear. You only want me when it's convenient for you. I'm not your toy, Darcey. You can't just play with me when you feel like it and then toss me aside. It doesn't work that way, love." Draco breathed icily, sending a shiver down her spine.

"I'm sorry." She sighed, seeing his point of view and how it had seemed that way, she hadn't meant to hurt him, though he'd never admit it and she wasn't sure she could tolerate his pouting much longer. He was utterly unbearable.

Darcey turned around to face him, wanting to see his face as she spoke. She wanted to look him in the eye. "Seriously, Draco. I'm sorry." She apologized once more, her voice sincere as her dark eyes absorbed him. He seemed to consider her words, analyzing them for sincerity while staring at her with a cold, unreadable expression.

"Let's go wait for the others to get back, I'm sure you're eager to hear news on Saint Potter's state of health."

* * *

Clouds of black vapor poured in around them as the Death Eaters apparated into the manor.

First came Bellatrix, followed by Lucius who had sustained a jinx to the arm and nursed a nasty looking burn, still smoldering. Bellatrix wore blood, though not her own it seemed, as she appeared in perfect condition. Her brown eyes fixated instantly on Darcey, who sat across from her nephew as they played a game of wizards chess in the living room.

"You traitorous wench! What have you done?" Bellatrix screeched causing Darcey to jolt up from her lazy, reclined position on the couch, as the elder witch fisted a large chunk of her hair and yanked her down onto the cold, stone floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" Darcey shouted, struggling in the Death Eater's grasp as she tried to free her hair, though she was placed in a vulnerable position and unable to fetch her wand in the back pocket of her jeans due to the awkward angle.

"What's going on?" Draco demanded from above her, rising to his feet.

"You're little girlfriend is a blood-traitor, Draco! She told them we were coming, they expected us!" Bellatrix shouted, pressing her wand into the center of the struggling girl's back.

_"Crucio!"_

Darcey cried out in agony, writhing on the ground as Bellatrix let go of her hair.

Another cloud of smoke appeared, signaling the arrival of their master and Bellatrix immediately dropped the curse, quickly stepping back away from the girl while bowing her head down deep in respect as Voldemort glided past her.

The Dark Lord stood over the girl, his bare feet inches away from her cheek as she lie curled up on the ground.

Darcey sensed immediately who was near and knowing the fate that awaited her if he were as angry as his most loyal follower had been. She was in for it.

"Darcey." Voldemort hissed, speaking to her as if she were a small child who had misbehaved. His tone sent an involuntary chill down Draco's spine and he could only imagine the terror gripping Darcey, as she lay vulnerable at his feet, trying to regulate her breathing. Her chest rose and fell but he couldn't see her face, hidden behind a mop of tangled, ashen hair.

"Darcey, you foolish, foolish girl." Voldemort spoke again, his eyes blazing as he stared down absorbing the pathetic, crumpled sight of her. "You will pay for your treachery, and you're brother isn't coming to save you. Nobody is coming to save you, because you're completely worthless, Darcey and not a single soul cares whether or not you live. Who are you in comparison to your infamous brother but an irrelevant, little girl?"

Darcey shifted, rising on her hands and knees, though her face still remain hidden beneath her mane of tawny hair.

"Who are you, my lord, but a pathetic old man who allowed himself to be beaten on more than one occasion by a group of mere school children." Darcey hissed, daring to defy him. "I take it Harry managed to evaded you once again, how laughable, and you call yourself a _lord_." She sneered.

_"Crucio." _

Another wave of excruciating, searing pain flooded her, though this was the worst she had ever felt in her entire life, equal to the pain of being burned alive. Darcey thrashed beneath him, her nails tearing into the ground as surreal screams spilled from her dry, burning throat. It seemed to last forever, and just as she clutched her temples, her nails piercing into her skin as she tried to rip out her hair from the madness that consumed her, the curse lifted and she was left still clutching her aching head and rocking back and force, hot tears trailing down her sallow face.

A moment of heavy silence consumed the room as everyone stood by and did nothing, not daring to interfere with the Dark Lord's plans for her, his latest victim. Even Draco stood back, stunned into submission and gripped with sheer terror, not wanting to suffer the same fate as his friend.

"Look at me, child." Voldemort commanded as Darcey showed no signs of hearing him, still rocking steadily back and fourth, muttering inaudible words.

"What is she saying, my lord?" Bellatrix spoke up in a small voice, looking uncharacteristically timid in her master's presence.

Lucius pointed silently at his son, casting him a stern look while indicating that he should be the one to find out. Draco unfroze himself from his stiff position near the end of the couch and crouched down beside her, bringing his face inches beside her own as he gently pushed back her hair so that he could see her face. She was staring at her knees, though she seemed to look past them, as if staring off into a distant horizon. Her lips were dry and cracked and her face blotchy with sweat and tears. She was quite the sight.

"Horcrux, horcrux, horcrux." She chanted softly.

"She's saying…" Draco paused, not wanting to give Darcey away but he hadn't any other option but to obey for the sake of his life and his families. They were already on thin ice with the Dark Lord and any slight provocation at this point could surely send him into a fit of rage causing him to ruthlessly murder them all.

"… She's saying horcruxes…" Draco replied in a small tone, his voice cracking with fear as those familiar ghoulish eyes landed on him. He felt as if he were gazing into the depths of hell itself.

Voldemort visibly stiffened at his proclamation, his scarlet eyes widening as he gazed back down upon the girl as if suddenly seeing her for the first time and not recognizing the creature before him.

"Impossible." He hissed more to himself than anyone, before he completely lost it.

He suddenly let out a savage, terrifying noise that could best be described as a roar, sending a hex at Draco that knocked him violently back against the bookcase, rendering him unconscious and causing Narcissa to cry out for her son. Voldemort then turned his fury upon the rest of them, cursing his mother with the cruciatus curse for merely having him and sending thick ropes to wrap and constrict tightly around his father so that he couldn't move to defend his family.

"Kill her." He instructed to them all, though the only one left unharmed remained Bellatrix who made no move to help her family as fear gripped her, she would never defy her lord. She was a most useful servant.

"Kill her or else I kill your son, come Nagini, it isn't safe here." He hissed to the serpent that lingered always at his side before apparating out of the manor.

Bellatrix turned her attention to Darcey; clutching her wand even as Narcissa begged her sister to help Draco, help her poor boy.

"Not now Cissy, the Dark Lord gave us direct order to destroy her and so we must." Bellatrix eyed her victim with determination, a wicked grin slowly spreading across her lips as she encircled her prey like a condor.

Darcey continued to mumble, "Horcux, horcrux, horcrux." While ever so slowly reaching for her wand that had fallen beneath the couch, she rocked back and fourth each time moving a little closer to the elegant piece of furniture. It was a clever move on her part to feign madness in order to throw them off, but what she hadn't expected and couldn't explain was Voldemort's sudden unease and disappearance at the mention of horcruxes.

"Bella please, my baby boy. You must help Draco." Narcissa sobbed, struggling to rise to her feet as pain continued to tear through her; she was much older than Darcey and much frailer making recovering from the torture curse much more difficult.

Suddenly Darcey made the commitment to lunge for it, rocking violently forward and snatching her holly wand as she pointed it at Bellatrix and both witches threw a silent hex at each other at the same exact time. Brilliant emerald and crimson sparks erupted as their spells collided before they rebounded, shooting back to their original casters and causing Bellatrix to stagger backwards as she barely dodged her own killing curse and Darcey to dive out of the way to avoid her own nasty hex.

Draco began to stir, causing the items that had fallen around and on top of him to clatter loudly against the floor. A necromancy orb rolled lazily across the room as Bellatrix and Darcey continued to duel, though it seemed Darcey was more preoccupied with dodging at the moment rather than fighting.

_"Confringo!"_ Bellatrix bellowed, causing the chair Darcey was currently hiding behind to violently explode as if hit with a live grenade. Darcey was thrown roughly back against the stone wall with a grunt and barely had time to cast a shield in order to block the witches next hex.

_"Reducto!"_ The deranged Death Eater cackled, blasting a hole in the wall where Darcey had stood just seconds ago. The teenager was now running across the space, trying to put as much distance between herself and the lunatic as possible as she made a break for the exit.

_"Depulso!"_ Draco finally came to her rescue, banishing his aunt backwards where she fell roughly upon the ground.

"How dare you curse your own family you traitorous git!" Bellatrix wailed, quickly getting back on her feet and gaping at her nephew in outrage.

"Don't even think about cursing my son." Narcissa firmly interjected, as she seemed to finally recover, her wand now pointed in warning at her sister.

"You always baby the boy, Cissy. He must be taught respect-"

_"Expelliarmus!"_ Draco interrupted, using his aunt's distraction to his advantage as he successfully disarmed her.

_"Fumos!"_ Darcey shouted in quick succession as a thick cloud of smoke engulfed the entire lower level, buying her just enough time to flee.

_"Reducto!"_ She pointed her wand blindly in the direction of the front doors, blowing them clean off their hinges and giving her view of her destination. She ran down the seemingly endless gravel pathway aligned with looming, cement walls. Darcey could see it in distance, the iron gates, her salvation, and she ran with all her might towards them.

Darcey heard footsteps echoing behind her and quickly looked back to see Draco chasing after her, though she wasn't relieved. He had stood by and allowed her to be mercilessly tortured, leading her to believe that perhaps they weren't as close as allies as she had thought. Darcey didn't put it past him to capture her for his own personal gain in a desperate attempt to please his master. She knew better than to let her guard down now._ 'Trust no one.'_, she mentally chanted as she ran.

Darcey somehow managed to cast a stunner at him without slowing down in the hopes of tripping him up but he dodged it while still maintaining his impressive speed. He was faster, for his legs were longer giving him a significant advantage over Darcey even though she herself was quite tall. She was certain that he would catch her by the time she made it to the fence.

Despite knowing the odds were against her she carried on in fierce determination, willing with all her might for her legs to carry her faster and faster as her heart threatened to leap through her chest. The gravel crunched loudly beneath her boots and the wind she had created whipped back her hair and pressed her damp t-shirt against her sweaty skin.

A red hex corkscrewed past her, but she didn't have time to look back as she heard the manic shouts of Bellatrix echoing off the stone pathway.

"Come back here you filthy half-blood! Get her, Draco!" She cried out from somewhere far behind them, leaving the chase up to her nephew now as it was clear there was no way she'd catch up to them. Draco sped up, his breath coming out in shallow pants as his muscles burned from the strenuous effort of pursuing the girl, who was quicker than he'd ever given her credit for.

Black smoke evaporated around her as she leapt gracefully through the iron fence, followed directly by Draco hot on her trail. He reached out, gripping her around the waist with one arm while pivoting them both so that they stumbled together turning like a tornado, and in an instant both teens vanished from sight as Draco apparated them from the manor.

* * *

Draco and Darcey fell in a tangled heap of limbs against the dry, yellow grass. Letting out a low moan, Darcey lifted her head up just enough to get a glimpse at their surroundings.

It seemed they had apparated to a mountain, a cliff to be exact, overlooking a small village. The sun made its descent below the horizon as dusk settled upon the land.

Draco rose first, dusting off his trousers as he offered to Darcey his pale outstretched hand to which she took it, allowing him to assist her.

"Where are we?" She asked, moving her gaze from the purple skyline to peer over the edge of the steep, jagged cliff and down at the tiny village.

"Little Hangleton." Draco replied, busying himself with rummaging through his empty pockets, in search of something. Darcey eyed him suspiciously, contemplating his actions. She decided that he had proven his loyalty to her by taking her here and for now he could be trusted.

"Looking for spare change?" She finally asked just as Draco pulled out a miniature chest and placed it carefully upon the ground.

_"Engorgio."_ He cast the enlargement enchantment, causing his school trunk to return to its normal size.

"Do you always go around carrying your school trunk in your trousers?" Darcey asked cheekily, though she was inwardly impressed with his thoughtful preparation and now wished she'd done the same.

As if reading her mind he opened the lid of his trunk and summoned, "_Accio trunk_." Causing a miniature version of her own trunk to shoot up into his hands.

"You didn't." Darcey gaped, grinning in astonishment before taking her school trunk from him.

"I planned ahead, had a feeling things would go south, Potter's always been blessed with the gift of sheer luck and I figured it would back fire on you."

"So where do we go from here?" Darcey wondered aloud, glancing down the hillside at the tiny, distant town and finding it strange that Draco would randomly choose to apparate here. What was significant about this place? Why here? She made a mental note to ask him later.

"We set up the tent, of course." Draco answered as if it were obvious, summoning from his trunk a vibrant emerald and navy colored, velvet, patchwork tent with small, silver tassels adorning the entrance flaps. It looked an odd mix between gypsy and royalty, straight out of a medieval portrait like the ones hung at Hogwarts..

"You've got to be kidding me." Said Darcey flatly.

"What's wrong with my tent?" Draco demanded as if she had insulted him personally. "Father bought it at a Romanian market. It was very expensive, handmade by hags." He defended.

"It's lovely, just not very practical." Darcey shrugged.

"It's plenty practical." Draco passionately argued. "It's comes enchanted to repel water and it's fire resistant as well as having an undetectable extension charm placed upon it…"

Draco lost enthusiasm as it became obvious that he had lost the witch's attention as she began casting complex wards upon the camp site, making them invisible to the naked eye.

"Are you coming inside?" Draco inquired once she had finished, poking his shock of blonde hair out between the tassel-adorned flaps of the gypsy tent.

"In a minute. I want to see the stars." She spoke in a airy tone.

Her companion cast her an odd look that then morphed to one of concern as he let out an audible huff.

"Are you okay?" Came his low voice a moment later from beside her. He was actually sitting on the ground, an aristocrat such as himself, and it was almost amusing enough to lift her from her somber mood.

"I guess, in the most generic form of the word." Darcey shrugged, wrapping her slender arms around her knees as she drew them up to her chest, hugging herself. "It's just been a long week and I'm drained."

"Suicide, murder, torture. I'm sure it's been quite the picnic." Draco mused in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Indeed." She replied dryly.

"So tell me, is this the extent of your deluded plans?" Draco inquired while wrapping his arm lazily around her and pulling her close as they gazed out into the vast universe together, feeling momentarily small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

"Not even close." Darcey breathed, tilting her chin up as she pressed her warm lips against his. Bloody hell she had missed him.


	24. Chapter 24: The Iceberg Metaphor

Darcey arose the next morning, the cool morning air nipping at her skin as she stood just outside the tent gazing up at the yellow sunrise. She took a moment to cherish the serenity that fell upon her as she escaped for a small moment from the clutches of the looming war.

If someone where to tell her a year ago while she was getting ready to board the Hogwart's Express for the start of an exciting new year, that this is where she'd be a year later she wouldn't have ever believed it. She had changed so much in just one year and sadly for the worst. Even without the horcrux her soul had been deteriorating from the effects of life, but it wasn't just her, everyone had been decaying as dark times gripped the nation.

For a brief moment Dumbledore crossed her mind as she recalled the memory of his death. Petunia had been a different death entirely, calculated and done so without malice, and in Darcey's mind that made it somehow justifiable because she had died with an important purpose, making her death just. Dumbledore however… his death was a truly selfish and impulsive act not matter how Darcey looked at it and it seemed she was beginning to question herself more and more on whether or not she had done the right thing. She had hated that he had been willing to spare the lives of herself and her family, innocent lives for what he deemed the greater good, yet she found herself doing the exact same thing she despised him for by killing her aunt. She was a hypocrite, she suddenly realized. She was no better than him.

"Morning."

Darcey turned her head to catch Draco coming up beside her, his hair untidy and wavy, as it lay pressed against his forehead.

"Good morning." Darcey returned the greeting, casting him a small smile. "What's on our agenda today?"

"I was thinking we could both use a holiday." Draco began dryly. "There's this festival not far from here, a celebration of magical heritage."

Darcey audibly groaned. There was only one such festival that came to mind. "Don't tell me it's that boring, pureblood fair. The one in Great Hangleton."

Darcey's eyes widened by a fraction as she slapped her hand to her face in realization, "Of course! How hadn't I noticed it before, when you said where we were. We're in _Little Hangleton_, you brought us here thinking of the festival."

"You've been to it then I assume?" Draco asked in mild amusement, having not anticipated such a dramatic reaction from her. It wasn't so bad, at least better than hanging off a cliff all day.

"Just once when I was about seven."

Draco chuckled, "Well of course you'd find it boring then, it's only fun if you're an adult." He stated matter of fact, gesturing with his hand as if he were drinking something Darcey assumed to be booze.

"Fine, let's go. It might be fun." Darcey submitted at the promise of booze, as she went back inside the tent to get changed and freshen up.

"That's the spirit, love." Draco smirked, following right behind her.

* * *

The amber field was filled with cozy, colorful booths selling food, refreshments, and little trinkets. Folk music with what Darcey could make out distinctly as a fiddle played in the background. There were hundreds of people there allowing them to blend in with the crowd. Therefore, it felt safe enough.

Draco looked a bit overdressed for the occasion, sporting a crisp pair of neatly ironed trousers and a black, button down shirt. Darcey on the other hand wore her hair pulled back into a lose ponytail to keep cool and had on a pair of worn jeans and a breezy tank top that showed off her pale, freckled arms.

"Good afternoon, lass." The barman greeted with a thick Irish accent. "What can I do yer for?"

"Just a butterbeer, please." Darcey ordered politely.

"Firewhiskey on the rocks." Draco nodded curtly, leaning against the booth's countertop as Darcey perched herself on an empty stool near the end. The teens gazed around them, on high alert for any Death Eaters while also enjoying the merry atmosphere. Darcey caught the eye of a group of gentlemen passing by her, dressed rather nicely as her eyes latched on to more than one familiar face.

"Zabini." Draco greeted his mate in mild surprise, as the group strutted towards them.

"Hello, Draco." Blaise returned the cool greeting before his amber eyes flickered to Darcey's. Standing around him were the lanky and dark-haired Theodore Nott, another dark-skinned, handsome lad who shared striking similarities with Blaise, though looked much older, and Terence Higgs once the seeker for Slytherin who was replaced by Draco during their second year and reclaimed the position during their fifth year as Draco quit the team, Terence was a year above them and had graduated. She didn't know him very well only that he was quiet and studious and his best mate, Adrian Pucey, was much more outgoing and flirtatious being quite the charmer with good looks to match.

"The prophet has been buzzing with articles printed of you all summer. Are any of them true?" Blaise inquired, his expression unreadable making it impossible to decipher what he truly thought of her.

"I don't read the Prophet anymore so I haven't a clue what you're on about, care to enlighten me?" Darcey answered, unable to mask the defensive edge in her tone.

Blaise and Theodore exchanged a look of skepticism before Blaise continued to fill her in.

"Says you're Potter's sister, they call you the un-chosen one and that you're courting Draco. As for you, mate-" Blaise turned his attention upon the blond-haired lad. "There's been quite a few stories printed of you as well, seems you and your girlfriend have a knack for making the front page. Was it really you who killed Dumbledore last spring?" Blaise asked, his dark eyes flashing with excitement. "If so, that's mighty impressive." He continued when Draco made no move to give him a solid answer.

"It was Snape." Draco finally lied when the silence became almost unbearable, glancing at Darcey whose eyes narrowed up at him in suspicion, he continued, "It was supposed to be me but I lost my nerve so it was Snape who stepped in for me. He was ultimately the one to kill Dumbledore."

"Interesting that they'd appoint him as Headmaster then, although the whole Ministry is corrupt now, I hear your lot has taken over." Blaise replied casually, his expression indifferent.

"Yes, we have. Pureblood enthusiasts finally hold the power, you'll be seeing a lot of changes this year, particularly concerning mud-bloods." Draco stated proudly, though Darcey had a feeling he was feigning it, for appearance sake. He had a reputation to uphold.

"Wonderful." Blaise replied dryly, his tone making it impossible to tell whether or not he meant it. "Well, we're off to grab a bite to eat. See you in school." Blaise dismissed himself, leading the pack of guys away from them while Theordore lingered, wanting to take a minute to talk to them alone.

"Watch yourself, you've become the number one public enemy next to your brother. Slytherin is calling you blood-traitor; Gryffindor's convinced you were involved in Dumbledore's murder. There's a lot of hatred being directed at you two, so keep your guard up." Theo kindly warned.

"Acknowledged. I'll keep an eye on her." Draco replied, resting his arm protectively around the girl's shoulder.

"I can handle my own." Darcey hissed, glaring at Nott's retreating figure.

"It doesn't hurt to have friends." Draco pointed out, sipping slowly at his firewhiskey.

"Come on, I want to check out more booths." Darcey decided, leading him away as they took their drinks with them. The bartender was too busy with other rowdy customers to notice his missing crystal mugs.

It wasn't long before they stumbled upon a shady looking station. Sat upon a wicker thrown was a beautiful, dark-skinned woman adorned in expensive, vibrant robes and wearing a cluster of thin, gold bangles on her wrist. She had high cheekbones and plump, full lips, but her most striking features were her hair and eyes. Long, tight braids cascaded down her back; woven with shimmering gold thread and her eyes were hauntingly gorgeous, as silver and pale as the moon.

Darcey was almost too entranced by her attributes to notice what the woman was selling and quickly looked down to see. Neatly organized where an assortment of items typically used in most Dark Arts rituals. There were goblin-crafted daggers, made of the purest silver, phoenix and hippogriff feathers, necromancy orbs, phials of human blood, elf ears, and a few other curious items. Darcey's fingers brushed against an ornate hand mirror that appeared rather ordinary but upon further inspection it seemed to be cursed to make the beholder appear ugly.

"Is this a gag gift?" Darcey asked while examining her slightly altered reflection, she had a few blemishes and boils and her hair appeared greasy and dull.

"It projects the inner beauty of the beholder, or in some cases the inner wickedness making the beholder appear as ugly on the outside as they are on the inside." The merchant replied in a low, alluring voice.

"Interesting." Darcey deadpanned, handing the mirror over to Draco who was eager to inspect it.

"Apparently I don't possess an ounce of inner charm." Said Draco with a scowl.

"Don't sulk, it's wonky for me too." Darcey reassured him, moving closer so that their heads pressed together and they gazed at their joint reflections, both equally hideous and shared a good laugh.

"Oh darling, only a mother could love a face as wretched as yours." Darcey teased dramatically.

"We were made for each other. Two creatures as hideous as us must belong together." Draco played along. "Though we'll hold off on children, spare them the humiliation of inheriting our poor looks."

"Agreed, and when we do make love I'll be considerate enough to wear a mask for I could not bear to have you look at me." Darcey cried, hiding her face in her hands.

"That won't be necessary, darling. I'll just shut off the lights."

At that they both shared another round of laughter, finally setting down the cursed mirror and sobering up.

"In all seriousness, I'll take one of these." Darcey told the merchant, reaching for one of the necromancy orbs and as she did so a few went rolling off of the table. While the merchant bent down to retrieve them Darcey nicked one of them without paying for it, slyly reaching around Draco's back to slip it into his pocket. His gray eyes widened as she pulled him quickly away from the stand.

"So sorry, I've just remembered I left my purse back at the bar. If you'll excuse me." She called out over her shoulder as they swiftly walked away.

"Funny, I labeled you as the sort above stealing." Draco sneered, thrusting the orb back into her hands, not wanting anything to do with it.

"I assure you it was an act of sheer desperation." Darcey replied distractedly as she pulled out her wand to shrink it so that it would fit in the much less roomier pocket of her snug jeans.

"I could have paid for it, you have only asked."

"Will you quit moaning, it's done with now, no use crying over spilt potion." Darcey snapped before absorbing where exactly she had dragged them off to. They were standing at the edge of a gathered crowd, clapping in unison to the beat of a traditional folk song played by a band on stage. Men and woman danced beneath them, twirling and laughing.

"May I?" Draco asked beside her, extending his pale hand while casting her his famous, charming Malfoy smirk.

"No way, I don't dance." Darcey firmly objected, crossing her arms over her chest and digging her heels into the ground.

"You do now." Draco commanded. "Come on, don't make me drag you." He warned, pulling one of her thin wrists as he led her through the dense crowd.

She spotted a few familiar faces on the dance floor, Hufflepuff's Hannah Abbott dancing with her father and laughing as he engaged her in a goofy spin and Ernie Macmillan who looked laughably stiff compared to the pretty girl he danced with, and Slytherin graduate Marcus Flint looking miserable as he danced with and unattractive girl who looked to be related to him judging by her severely crooked teeth.

Draco held her hands in each of his as he took the lead, spinning them smoothly around the dance floor to the fast pace of the song while Darcey tried her best to appear graceful, though she tripped over herself a few times when Draco had switched directions without warning.

"I see why you don't dance." Draco teased her.

"Let's just stop before I further embarrass myself." Darcey sulked, trying to pry her hands out from his grip but he continued to lead against her, forcing her to carry on in their ridiculous waltz.

"Relax, I'm only kidding. Seriously though, relax_._ You're trying too hard to take control, just let me lead."

Darcey huffed in annoyance, rolling her eyes at him as she did her best to loosen her tense muscles and focus solely on their joined hands and the feel of Draco's body moving against her. She took his advice and willed herself to trust him, letting herself go.

"There, that's better." Draco encouraged, flashing her one of his rare smiles. "You almost look like you're having fun."

"I'm beginning to." Darcey admitted, smiling back at him. She let out a girlish squeal as he suddenly threw her backwards in a low dip.

They continued to dance, laughing occasionally as Draco threw out a bold move, dipping her and twirling her and at one point lifting her up over his head and spinning her around, to which she stretched out her arms and pretending to soar like an eagle.

By the time a few songs had passed and they were both beginning to sweat they decided to call it a night, apparating back to their tent in Little Hangleton, perched high atop the jagged cliff overlooking the small, unimpressive village.

"That was fun. I needed that." Darcey admitted as they entered the roomy tent, decorated with matching suede furniture, hand-carved end tables, beautiful, patterned rugs and a rustic, stone fireplace.

Darcey perched herself on one end of the couch, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin against them as she watched Draco ignite the fire, bathing the room in warm light.

He reclined on the other end of the couch, his arm dangling over the edge, leaving his fingers to brush against the floor.

"Let's get piss drunk and share sentimental stories." Darcey proclaimed, still feeling giddy with excitement and not wanting the night to end.

"Alright." Draco agreed. "But no chickening out, nothing is off limits and no crying."

"Deal." Darcey challenged, readjusting herself to face him as she summoned their first round of firewhiskey. It tastes like dragon piss but served its purpose if one wanted to get intoxicated quickly.

"Let's use legilimency to make things more interesting." Draco proposed, sitting up from his reclined position in order to pour himself a drink.

"Eh, I dunno if I trust you invading my mind while drunk. Sounds like a bad idea." Darcey frowned, not liking it at all.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco taunted, a smug smirk tugging at his lips.

"A little." Darcey admitted with a grin. "But fuck it, let's do it."

"Language, Darcey." Draco scolded. "It's not very attractive for a lady to curse like a Dragon Breeder."

"Fuck off." She countered gruffly, causing them both to laugh.

"Ladies first." Draco offered.

"Go on then, love." Darcey taunted earning a half-hearted glare. "Okay then, let's see." She pondered. "First kiss."

"Oi! You're ruthless." Draco moaned, not liking at all the idea of her witnessing the embarrassing prepubescent memory. "Go on then, before I change my mind." He grumbled as Darcey held up her wand.

Familiar scenery filled Darcey's vision as she was engulfed in Draco's memory. They were standing on a hillside cloaked in shimmering, fresh snow overlooking the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. Snowflakes fell gracefully all around them as Darcey watched a thirteen-year-old version of Draco standing beside a tall, fair-haired girl who wore a chunky Slytherin scarf and a deep, purple beret. There were only a small handful of blonde Slytherin's she could think of, Daphne Greengrass being one of them but the mystery girl remained just that, a mystery, facing away from her and admiring the historical landmark.

Draco clutched the rickety, old railing with his dragon-hide gloved hands and nervously teetered back and forth on his heels as if debating something.

"What do you think of it?" The girl asked, pivoting to face him and just as Darcey had expected it was indeed Daphne Greengrass who stood beside him.

Both their cheeks had turned rosy from the frigid cold, though Darcey sensed that Draco may have been blushing and did her best not to laugh.

"Wicked." He answered stupidly, at a lack for better words. The girl was beautiful and he found himself captivated by a pair blue eyes staring up at him beneath long, thick eyelashes.

"Thank you, Draco. For inviting me to come with you, I've had a wonderful time." Daphne spoke softly, her voice melodic.

"Me too." He stated lamely, watching her leave and having not the courage to kiss her. Feeling a rush of steely determination he called out after her retreating figure, "Daphne, wait!"

She turned around to face him, "Yes?" She asked, her voice hopeful.

"You've forgotten something." Draco told her slyly, stepping forward so that they were now inches apart. He finally made the commitment to press his lips against hers while snaking his arms around her waist. Hers moved up to wrap around his neck as they pressed their bodies flush together and snogged.

Suddenly from the surrounding forest came a snowball, arcing high up in the air before crashing straight into their joined faces, hitting them both in the cheek and jolting them apart as they looked around the empty clearing.

"Who's there?" Draco demanded firmly, as they both drew out their wands. Another wave of snowballs plummeted towards them causing them to stagger back in retreat as Marcus flint, Adrian Pucey and Terence Higgs emerged from the tree line howling with laughter at the young lovers expense.

"Charming." Darcey stated dryly. "You're up, do your worst." She challenged.

Draco took a shot, demanding to see her most embarrassing memory to which she showed him the one where she was singing in the Hogwarts Christmas choir in second year and she went to sing her solo part in front of the whole school but Pansy had slyly jinxed her tongue to swell twice its size and she ended up gagging and then vomiting in the Great Hall.

"I remember that one!" Draco laughed, just as hard as he had back then.

"Something you regret?" Darcey asked, delving into Draco's mind.

It was Hallows Eve, fourth year and Darcey sat alone studying in the library, burying her nose in books to compensate for her lack of friends. As the library reached its closing hour Darcey packed up her school books and began the long journey back to the dungeons. As she walked the hairs on her back stood up on end and she sensed that she wasn't alone. Just as she drew her wand a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist, dragging her backwards towards an empty classroom.

Darcey hadn't known for sure until now that Draco had been the boy to grab her. He along with three others were wearing heavy, black cloaks with the hoods drawn up and plain white masks that hid their identities. They had just returned from the Halloween Feast when Draco noticed that the bookworm hadn't been to dinner and decided to gather up Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint for a late night prank.

"Stupefy!" Darcey cast the first spell and was met with a string of hexes coming from all directions. She was surrounded and unfairly outnumbered but she fought on valiantly until they disarmed her.

Her chest heaved as she panted trying to catch her breath. A thin sheen of sweat coated her brow from the duel and physical exertion of dodging their relentless attacks.

"You're cowards, all of you, show yourselves." Darcey demanded, choosing now to fight verbally. It was all she had left.

Flint stepped forward, eyeing the girl in lust. She was pretty enough and he wondered why he hadn't ever noticed her before assuming it was because she was two years his prior.

"Let's play a game." He announced, gaining a round of low chuckles from his companions. "I hear from your dorm mates that you're a bit of a prude. Is that true, Daphne?"

"Darcey." Draco cleared his throat from behind the upperclassman.

"My apologies, _Darcey_. So are you a prude? Are you modest?"

Darcey remained silent, glaring at him with narrowed, icy, blue orbs. She looked disheveled with her shock of messy, dark hair, wrinkled blouse and loosened tie.

"Too good to grant me an answer, I see. No matter, I can be very persuasive." He smirked, moving towards a medium-sized box that lay hidden beneath a black sheet in the corner of the room. It began to rattle, sensing the presence of a human nearby. He placed the quivering box on the ground in front of her and then unlocked it.

Silence engulfed the room as they waited and then after a long moment a Death Eater appeared to walk out from the shallow depths of the chest wearing a hooded cloak similar to her captors and a shiny, titanium mask. He clutched a lit torch in one hand and a crooked wand in the other. Staring with lightless, empty, black pits for eyes he approached the frightened girl who hastily began backing away until her back pressed against one of the nearby desks. She shook, engulfed in fear as she gazed up at the Death Eater, just as real as the ones she had seen over the summer burning people alive at the Quidditch World Cup.

"It's just a boggart." She told herself quietly, though she hadn't her wand to banish it.

Just as the Death Eater reached out a skeletal hand to grip tightly to her throat and began choking her did Flint finally transform the boggart into a clown and banish it back into the wooden box.

"A Death Eater, what's so scary about a Death Eater?" Crabbe spoke up, enjoying a hearty laugh.

"Take off your skirt." Flint commanded, ignoring the oaf. In that moment he only had eyes for Darcey as he greedily eyed her slender figure that hinted at small curves beneath her modest school uniform but he needed to see for himself.

"W-what? Darcey stuttered gaping at him, her eyes widening in astonishment. He had to be joking. It was simply a joke, a cruel joke. They were only trying to get a rise out of her.

"You heard me, or else I bring my little friend back out to play." He threatened.

"What are you doing? This wasn't part of the plan." Draco spoke up from beside him as he eyed the older boy with equal surprise. "The prank was just the boggart-"

"And we've done your pathetic prank, now it's time for my fun." Flint sneered. "Now strip." He commanded, moving back towards the box for intimidating effect.

With shaky hands Darcey slowly unzipped her gray, wool skirt allowing it to fall in a pool around her ankles.

"Now the tights."

She slowly removed those too before stepping out of them. She now stood in her lacey, red knickers and wrinkled blouse.

"You know what's next. You're a clever girl." Flint taunted, watching with hungry eyes as she ripped the blouse up over her head and shed her Slytherin tie. She stared back at him with a cold, piercing glare, her jaw clenched tight in anger. She willed with all her might to perform wandless magic and set the prick on fire.

All that remained were her plain, black, satin bra and scarlet underwear that clashed against her pale, milky skin dotted with freckles.

"Since she's your girl I'll let you do the honors." Declared Flint, turning to face Draco. "Tell us, is her chest really as flat as it looks? Can you find her tits?"

Draco, consumed with peer pressure by his older teammate, stepped forward until he stood inches away from his classmate. His silvery orbs met her sapphire ones and for a moment he was taken aback by their blazing intensity. She was enraged.

Slowly and reluctantly he reached out to her, brushing his cool fingers against her bare abdomen. The muscles twitched in rejection beneath his touch and goose bumps erupted across her skin as his hands traveled higher, up the sides of her stomach until they rested just beneath her bra. Their eyes never left each other's, their gaze locked in an intense battle of wills, both daring the other to look away in shame.

When she felt his cool fingers begin to slip beneath the bra she finally clenched her eyes shut tightly in humiliation, unable to look at him any longer as he gently groped her breasts, the pads of his thumbs running over her erect nipples and causing her to gasp, struck suddenly with a jolt of pleasure as her body betrayed her. She'd never been touched this way before.

Her eyes snapped open as Draco's body pressed fully against her and she could feel against her thigh that he was just as turned on as she was. He continued to caress her breasts with a strangely delicate touch that didn't make her feel as if she were being violated.

Her heartbeat raced and a heated flush broke out across her neck and chest as he groped her chest more roughly, kneading her soft mounds between his fingers as his hard prick rubbed against her leg from beneath the fabric of his trousers.

"Save me dessert. You're hogging her, mate." Flint interrupted them, feeling he gave Malfoy more than enough time alone with the girl and now it was his turn to play.

Draco quickly pulled away from her as if he were burned as Darcey hastily fumbled to readjust her bra to be sure that her breasts were still covered.

"Get dressed, let's go." Draco coldly commanded her as she eagerly obliged and made impressively quick work of getting dressed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Flint demanded in outrage, drawing his wand and preparing to hex them.

"We're leaving. We're done." Draco replied firmly, gesturing for his two cronies to follow him as he escorted Darcey back to the dungeons. The boys followed his command, remaining loyal to their friend.

"It's four to one." Said Draco, as Flint looked ready to curse them, gripping his wand. "You'll lose."

"Getting soft, Malfoy? Or do you just fancy her?" Flint sneered.

"Neither. I've grown bored." Draco said flatly, leaving his teammate alone in the empty classroom.

"I'm touched." Darcey stated dryly as she pulled away from the memory.

"Don't be a prude." Draco countered. "I mean it, I regret doing that to you. I hadn't meant for it to be taken that far, I had no idea-"

"Save it." Darcey interrupted, holding up her hand. "It happened ages ago, I've let go of the grudge but I appreciate the sincerity, I suppose."

"My turn." She added deviously, preparing to get him back for making her relive that mortifying memory. She took a shot of firewhiskey as her mind began buzzing. "Scariest moment of your life?"

It was winter of third year and the Great Lake had frozen over. The students outside had transformed their shoes into ice skates, and those not old enough to perform the spell paid upperclassmen to do it as they gathered around the snowy shores of the Black Lake.

The Slytherins had claim over the rink, being closest to their side of the castle so the rest of the school knew better than to tread on their turf unless they wished to receive a nasty stinging jinx to the face. Besides, the Weasley twins had turned the courtyard into a makeshift ice rink earlier that week, leaving the Slytherins to their solitude.

Most of their house was gathered at the lake on that cold, wintry day, including the reclusive Darcey Davis who glided gracefully across the ice. Draco had been certain that the bookworm didn't possess a single athletic bone in her body, though she had just proved him wrong.

Draco pushed Pansy down upon the ice with a roar of laughter as they made their way off shore as his cronies slid and staggered comically behind him trying to get use to the odd sensation of walking on ice.

Daphne, Millicent, and Tracey locked arms and skated around like a serpent, chained together in a row.

"Come join us, Darcey!" Tracey called out to her sister, who was attempting to lift her leg up behind her and skate on one foot. Upon Tracey distracting her she lost her balance and fell with a frustrated groan.

"No, I want to skate alone!" Darcey yelled, for the hundredth time. She hated when Tracey pestered her to be more social. She was perfectly happy alone; in fact she preferred it that way.

From across the lake Draco skated closer and closer to the center that the ice was known to be thinnest and therefore weakest, making it dangerous to venture out too far into the middle. Pansy had dared him that he wouldn't do it and he was determined to prove her wrong and show off in front of his peers.

"See!" He called out from the center. "Not so scary at all."

Blaise slowed down to scold his stupid friend, "Alright, Malfoy you've done your fair share of showing off, leave some room for the rest of us!"

"What a fool, he's going to get himself killed." Said Theodore from beside him, shaking his head in deep disapproval.

"Come out here, Pansy!" Draco taunted. "Unless you're scared."

"No way, you're barking mad!" She declined. "Come on, Theo's right you're going to fall through."

Draco moved to skate back to them but stopped as the ice began to crack, standing frozen still. "Help! It's breaking!" He cried out in panic as the thin ice gave way to his weight and he fell straight through and into the murky, freezing water below him.

"Somebody help him!" Pansy shrieked, standing uselessly by the shore, gloved hands covering her mouth.

"I'll fetch a teacher!" Daphne yelled, running back towards the castle with her friends.

Darcey skated towards the crater in the ice, stopping at the edge to peer down into the dark, rippling water. Bubbles began popping against the surface and she realized with panic that he was actually drowning. Without second guessing it she dove straight into the freezing, cold water, her muscles contracting as her entire body stiffened in shock, struggling to adjust to the frigid temperature.

Her eyes burned fiercely as she opened them trying to catch a glimpse of her housemate, she spotted his fair hair at the bottom, reflecting the light from the surface. She jerkily swam towards him as her body convulsed against the cold. Snaking one arm around his waist she pointed her wand at the gritty lake floor and muttered a muffled spell that sent them both propelling back up towards the surface.

Darcey gasped for air, her lungs burning and skin prickling as if probed by a thousand needles. A strong hand reached out to grip her, helping her up out of the water and onto the cracked ice. She looked up to see Professor Snape, his eyes blazing with concern before he focused his attention upon Malfoy who lie sopping wet, unconscious and tinted blue.

"Is he going to be alright?" Darcey asked as her housemate coughed up a good amount of water and flipped over on his side, clutching his aching ribs and groaned.

"Yes, he'll be fine. Taken from Slytherin fifty points from each of you for your lack of good judgment and ten points awarded to you, Davis for sheer luck."

"I almost died that day, it was the most scared I've ever been in my entire life." Said Draco, severing their mental connection.

"What was it like drowning?" Darcey asked out of morbid curiosity with an involuntary shiver as her body seemed to remember vividly the coldness of the water.

"Peaceful." He answered quietly, staring at a spot on the ground, deep in thought. "But terrifying, like you realize all at once that there's still so much left to do, to accomplish but you'll never get the chance and you wonder what's left once your gone for the world to remember you by? Nobody wants to be forgotten."

Darcey took a moment to consider his words and appreciate the vulnerability of them. She took another shot and asked him another personal question, feeling eager to know more about him. She felt as if he were completely undiscovered like no one else had ever delved beneath the surface that was Draco Malfoy to this extent. He was her conquest and it excited her.

"What would you have liked to leave behind? What sort of legacy?" She asked thoughtfully.

"I dunno yet. I'm still sorting that part out..."


	25. Chapter 25: The Breakable Vow

Darcey and Draco lay side by side, their bodies in opposite directions so that only their heads met as they stared up with glassy, half-lidded eyes at the many twinkling stars stretched out endlessly above them. They were both highly intoxicated, their heads spinning as the world seemed to rotate on an axel beneath them. Wait, it did, but surely they shouldn't be able to feel it?

"My brother, Roger and I used to do this." Slurred Darcey. "Gaze up at the stars while we had deep, philo-so-phi-cal discussions." She couldn't say the long word fast or else it would jumble. "He wanted to be an astronomer." Darcey stated randomly, which at this point in the night all conversation between them had become increasingly more random.

"Like what? What kind of philo-so-phies?" Draco asked slowly from beside her, turning to glance at her upside down face, her eyes still locked upon the heavens. She wasn't looking at him.

"Rubbish ones, it was all rubbish but it got your mind ticking. For instance, one time I proposed to him the notion that time did not exist, we just simply 'were'. " Darcey threw up air quotations lazily above her. "We existed on an endless, infinite loop even after our bodies died, our souls would live on searching the universe for another shell. I said…" She slurred, closing her eyes to focus. " I said, we all have these past lives we've lived but cannot remember, our souls, they always stay the same, never changing unlike our outward appearances…which do…do change." Darcey trailed, feeling as if she had lost her companion somewhere in her nonsense and also her train of thought as her mind grew hazy.

"That's… interesting." Draco replied. "Were you drunk when you proposed this?" He chuckled from beside her, staring up at the twinkling stars, some bright, some dim like people he supposed.

"No, I was twelve. "

"Really?" Draco sat up suddenly causing his vision to violently swim. He groaned, clutching his forehead as he gently fell back down to earth. "Why such deep thoughts at twelve?"

"I've always felt as if I were different. Not just because I'm a witch, but like much deeper than that, you know? Like down to the depths of my soul. I wasn't just this small, ignorant child. I felt older, wiser… Not to mention I've always had a vivid imagination but one day…" Darcey trailed, sighing before she shut her eyes, mentally laughing at how foolish she must sound. "Never mind it's barmy." She dismissed it.

"I don't care if it's barmy, tell it." Draco encouraged, closing his eyes as he listened to her low, melodic voice speak to him like a lullaby.

"One day I was looking in the mirror and I mean _really_ looking, like full on gazing into my own eyes, staring at the blackness of my pupil when suddenly an odd feeling overcame me and I got scared, so scared that I had to look away."

"Why? What happened?" Draco asked becoming slightly more alert.

"Nothing happened, I just got this odd sense of detachment from myself, as if whatever I was staring at, deep within those pools was disconnected from my conscious identity." Said Darcey.

"So you felt as if you were somebody else. Staring at a reflection you didn't recognize." Draco questioned, trying to follow her.

"Exactly, like my soul didn't recognize the person that was staring back at it and it became suddenly terrifying, not knowing who I was, not recognizing myself. Then I got to thinking like I said before, what if we're always the same soul but we manifest ourselves in different bodies. So it would only make sense as a soul I wouldn't recognize my own outward appearance, since I'd possessed so many shells before this one. I dunno, just stupid theories. Letting my imagination run wild, I suppose." Darcey smiled shyly, feeling foolish.

"Great now you got me thinking all fuzzy." Draco groaned.

"That's what we found so much fun about it. Blowing our minds, stretching our knowledge of reality its limits. Seeing how many loony theories we could come up with until we simply couldn't fathom." Said Darcey with a smile as she recalled the pleasant memory.

"One time," Draco began rather seriously as if he were about to tell her something very important. "I was looking into the mirror, all done up for the Yule Ball and I thought to myself, Merlin Draco, could you be anymore gorgeous? It almost blew my mind how dashingly good I looked."

Darcey snorted out in laughter, unable to help herself and soon Draco joined in, both of them laughing heartily on the ground.

"Not going to lie, that was good." Darcey admitted gleefully, trying to catch her breath as she clutched her aching ribs.

"Seems you've finally developed an appreciation for my humor." Draco gloated.

"Yes, when it isn't directed at me with witty insults and clever nicknames, you can be rather funny." Darcey admitted. "Though some of your jokes were highly unoriginal, like the time Goyle let one rip in Charms and you blamed it on me and insisted upon calling me Darcey Fartsy for an entire month. That was lame."

"Or how I'd call you Double-D because you were so flat chested. Though that was low." Draco admitted, the sincerity of it taken away by the fact that he was smirking.

"I'll have you know my breasts were perfectly ordinary, I just wore loose fitting blouses is all." Darcey defended with a frown.

"Oh, you're breasts are above ordinary. They're _extraordinary_." He purred, sliding closer to her while reaching out to gently grope one of said breasts through the thin fabric of her breezy tank top.

"That was terribly cheesy." Darcey replied with a smirk, shaking her head in disapproval before coming to lean above him, inwardly hoping that her upset stomach wouldn't choose right then to project its contents.

"Who would have guessed I'd eventually grow so fond of you, my biggest, baddest bully." She breathed, brushing her warm lips just barely against his in a teasing manner before he took hold of her lip between his teeth and nibbled on it.

Her hair hung in a long, messy curtain, blocking the view of their now sloppy, wet snogging to the outside world.

"We should go." Declared Darcey, breaking away from his slightly swollen lips. "Back inside."

Draco grinned devilishly beneath her as she got up off him, thinking he'd be getting lucky. However when they both got back inside and fell across the soft, warm, and inviting bed they instantly passed out in a deep drunken slumber filled with obnoxious snoring and dreamless sleep.

* * *

The pair stood in a morgue back in Surrey. It had been exactly three days since Petunia Dursley's death and the autopsies had confirmed that she had died from a severed jugular vein during a home invasion and the muggle media had warned that the killer's were still on the loose and to lock all doors and windows.

Draco waited, leaning just outside the door, keeping watch for any approaching guardsmen to stun. He was growing rather bored and jittered his knee restlessly while tapping his wand, waiting for something useful to do.

Darcey gazed down upon the gray, lifeless corpse of her aunt. Her neck had been stitched neatly back up and would later be covered with a vibrant, floral scarf during the wake.

Darcey slowly reached around to unclasp the delicate, golden necklace strung around her neck and bent forward to place it back around the neck of its original owner to be buried in the coffin with her.

She had told Draco she felt conflicted concerning the murder of the muggle and needed to find some closer in the form of seeing the body one final time and saying a proper farewell. Draco, at least to her knowledge, hadn't any idea of her real intentions coming here solely to hide her horcrux. Though she did feel a small sense of closure in the meaningful act that could be largely contributed to the enhanced security she now felt in finally hiding her horcrux. She had felt vulnerable wearing it out in plain view for the world to see and for anyone to take or destroy. Now it would be safe, at least she hoped.

"You're necklace." Said Draco, being annoyingly observant. He had a keen eye for everything, which granted him his cleverness and wit, he could point out physical flaws in anyone, tearing them apart.

"I gave it to her as a peace offering. It felt like the right thing to do considering I murdered her." Said Darcey flatly, her eyes darting around the corner as they made their way back up from the tunnels of the eerily quiet morgue.

"I take it you didn't run into any trouble?" Darcey inquired as they began to ascend a cement staircase leading out from the gloomy basement of the building where they kept the dead bodies to be drained of blood, removed of organs, stitched and stuffed, then made to look pretty like slumbering dolls.

"Just a fat one eating a pasty. I used the imperius curse on him, told him to go screw himself." Draco sneered.

Darcey's eyes widened in surprise as an amused grin tugged upon her lips. "But Draco that would mean that he actually…"

Draco shrugged indifferently, not really seeming that bothered by it. "Hadn't thought of that. Oh well, I did the bloke a favor. It was obvious he wasn't getting any."

Darcey couldn't help but laugh, the noise drawing the attention of the funeral home director as he spotted them near the bathroom in the back of the building conveniently right next to a steel door marked 'Exit'.

"What are you lousy kids doing in here? You're not allowed back there!" He bellowed out angrily, chasing after them. Once outside in the back alley they apparated back to Little Hangleton prepared to pack up their makeshift home and move on for fear of being followed. They couldn't stay in one place for more than a few days or risk Snatchers discovering them.

"Did you know this village was home to the very last bloodline of Salazar Slytherin? Here, in this pathetic, dingy town lived the most pureblooded family on earth." Said Draco with a scowl as he collapsed the tent and shrunk it to fit back into his school trunk.

"Really?" Said Darcey in mild surprise. She hadn't known that.

"They were filthy, stinking poor. Worse off than Weaslebee, or so Father tells me. The Gaunts, they were called, right over there's where he lived, in that small shack atop the hill." Said Draco pointing off into the distance across the valley and indeed there sat perched atop the hill sat a small shack with a winding dirt road leading up to it.

"Who did you say lived there?" Darcey asked again wanting to know the name.

"You-Know-Who's uncle, Morfin Gaunt, the last of them."

Darcey gaped in astonishment. "You're telling me that the mighty heirs of Slytherin lived just over there." Darcey pointed. "In that _shack_."

"Crazy isn't it?" Draco agreed, his silver eyes glistening as he told the tale. "Legend has it they strictly inbred to maintain the utmost purity. It isn't unusual for pureblood families to have some cases of incest but to have _every single generation_ be a product of inbreeding is simply unheard of." Said Draco in disgust.

"That's…unhealthy." Replied Darcey flatly, too many other adjectives coming to mind.

"Extremely_._" Agreed Draco, now working on shrinking his school trunk and placing it back into his pocket. They were now ready to go onto their next destination with still three weeks left to kill until the start of term.

"So by the time Morfin and his sister Merope were born the Gaunts had become an extreme example to learn from the effects of such long term inbreeding. They were both hideously disfigured and just plain stupid so it makes sense where You-Know-Who got his dashing good looks from." Draco smirked at his own joke.

"But _why_ were they so poor?" Darcey asked, still talking seriously about the subject despite her companion's lightheartedness. He immediately sobered up, granting her more answers, filling her in with as much as he knew, which was only what his Father had told him quite some time ago.

"Well it's simple to figure out really." Draco said in his usual pompous tone, a tone that Darcey become accustomed to and was no longer offended by.

"Pureblood families marry off, usually to other purebloods in order to transfer the wealth and obtain higher social ranking-"

"I know that but-" Darcy interrupted, having been raised pureblood like him.

"Let me finish." He scolded her firmly like a small child. "So without ever forging any sort of alliance with another family they quickly lost both their social status within the community as well as their wealth as their offspring became thicker and thicker with each generation until they were truly incapable of providing let alone caring for themselves."

"That's sad, though pathetic really since they brought it upon themselves for being so choosey and believing they were too good to mingle their blood with any outsiders." Darcey decided.

"Well are you ready to go?" Draco broke their conversation, eager to leave. This village gave him the creeps.

"You're turn to choose. I figured we can keep switching off, you know, to keep our trail random." Said Draco.

Darcey pondered for a moment, trying to think of where on earth they could flee to next. She decided upon the first memory that came to mind, grabbing Draco's hand and apparating them.

They now stood in front of a magnificent waterfall with tourists all around them snapping photos and flocking to view the natural landmark.

"Where are we?" Asked Draco, as they had appeared conveniently behind view of a large, red double trolley.

"Canada." Darcey answered simply, leading him around the humming vehicle and onto the pristine sidewalk. "I came here with my family once as a kid a long time ago. Mother had a business meeting with the Prime Minister."

"You brought us to another continent!" Hissed Draco, trying to keep his voice down despite wanting to yell at her. He didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to them so he held back as best he could. "Blimey, Darcey." He cursed.

"Well at least it's far away and someplace they won't suspect." Darcey defended. Come on, let's go grab a bite to eat. I can't take another day of shady fair food and I'm not letting you transfigure one of the carpets into bread again, it tasted like shite."

"Yeah," Draco agreed. "I lacked a bit of hindsight with that one."

Together they walked along the sidewalk, careful not to bump into any of the wild muggles before they entered a tall building and took a glass lift up to what Darcey said was a very popular restaurant overlooking the falls. The restaurant spun at a comfortable, drowsy speed, something Draco found to be rather impressive though he would never admit to fancying muggle architecture.

They began eating their food, having ordered the most expensive entrees on the menu, lobster bake with fresh, fluffy bread rolls on the side and a glass of expensive red wine.

"I had wanted to become a wand maker but I'm no longer as enthusiastic about it as I used to be… I think I just want to settle down and relax for a few years after graduation. Figure out what to do with the rest of my life." Answered Darcey after Draco had asked her during their pleasant dinner chatter what field of work she was going into after Hogwarts. Before she had the opportunity to ask him the very same thing, truly interested, she noticed Draco looking at something funny from over her shoulder before suddenly grabbing her arm and shouting, "_Duck!_"

A green curse whizzed over her head, barely missing her as she dove beneath the booth for shelter while Draco fought the multiple attackers.

Looking out from beneath the table she could make out two burly men who looked to be Death Eaters, though she couldn't place names to the faces. Draco however, seemed to recognize them as he continued to fight quite skillfully against men twice his age.

Thinking fast Darcey pointed her wand at a booth sat just beneath a sprinkler and cast, "_Incedio!_" Catching the tablecloth on fire and signaling the smoke detector to sound as the sprinklers sprang to life, drenching the room in artificial rain.

As she had hoped the distraction bought her a small window of time to get out from beneath the table and grab Draco and make a dash for the lift but it was too far away, they'd never make it.

"_Imperio!"_

She saw it before she had heard it, a flash of blinding yellow light that collided with Draco's chest. He staggered backwards, gripping the edge of the table as a shadow crossed his face and he turned to look at Darcey, snarling like a rabid wolf.

He lunged for her but she had anticipated the attack and slyly jolted back, jumping up onto the table. Dishware filled with expensive and delicious lobster clattered to the floor and their perfectly aged wine spilt over, staining the white tablecloth red beneath Darcey's boots.

She ducked just as another hex zoomed over her, almost grazing her shoulder and crashing into the glass window behind her with a loud shatter.

Draco clawed his way up onto the table, wrapping his soft, pale hands around her throat, smooth from having everything handed to him on a silver platter his entire life, and began strangling her.

Moving backwards towards the ledge, Darcey made a bold move that she prayed would work, going against her calculating nature she did something completely unexpected and rash. Gripping the strong arms that squeezed relentlessly at her windpipe she took the last step backwards, stepping off over the ledge of the skyscraper and pulling Draco down with her as two jets of green curses met the air where they had just been standing a second prior.

They spiraled weightlessly through the air together, the wind roaring deafeningly in Darcey's ears as the sudden shift in altitude caused them to painfully pop. Darcey could only make out blurs of steely gray, the building they fell from, the overcast sky, Draco's eyes, and then just as she sensed she was running out of time, about to implode upon the cement in a magnificent spray of blood, intestine and bones she turned them, trying to spin as best she could and focused through the terror gripping her and instead on the only destination that came to mind.

They vanished moments before impact and apparated, landing ungracefully in a heap of tangled limbs upon the cool, damp earth. Darcey had only a moment to absorb the looming, dark trees above her before Draco was at her throat again, dead set on killing her.

"Stop it!" Darcey cried out, her voice cracking from use. She hadn't even realized she'd been screaming, the wind having muted it. "Fight it, Draco! Fight it!" She pleaded, struggling beneath him as they rolled over around in the dirt like swine.

Draco pinned her down, he was easily much stronger than she. "You can't kill me. You can try but you can't." Darcey choked out, sputtering for air as his knees locked on either side of her torso and his grip on her throat tightened. Her head was beginning to feel light as her brain was deprived of vital oxygen and her vision became spotted. Knowing the worst that could happen would be her passing out she finally gave in, submitting to the savage boy trying to kill her with his bare hands and relaxing beneath him, gently holding onto his wrists as he continued to choke her.

She closed her eyes, giving into the pain as she hissed out his name one final time, "_Draco_."

Suddenly he let go, ripping himself violently away from her as he successfully broke the curse. Coughs wracked her body as she rolled over to the side, gasping for air, which burned against her empty lungs. Tears fell from her eyes, soaking her blotchy, red face.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Said Draco from somewhere behind her as she willed herself to get up and move.

Shaking and coughing she rose to all fours, her hair shielding her face from view as red saliva dripped from her mouth and onto the dirt beneath her. She was covered in mud, they both were, and she was bleeding, they both were. She had bitten her tongue and lip at some point and she could taste the iron blood as she gazed up at Draco, noticing the deep, claw marks her nails had made into his arms, evidence of their struggle.

"Where are we? Can you stand?" He asked, crouching down beside her and gently helping her back up on her feet. She felt lightheaded and nauseous from both the choking and the free fall and suddenly the contents of her stomach leapt back up into her throat and out her mouth.

Draco held back her filthy hair, caked in sweat and mud as she wiped gruffly at her mouth, cleaning it off with her shirt before she stood fully up, trying to get away from the disgusting mess she had made.

Draco seemed entirely unfazed, as though he had seen much worse, which she was sure he had in his torture house and helped lead her over to a moss covered log to sit and rest.

"Scourgify." He cast the cleaning enchantment to make them both presentable, though her hair still felt a bit greasy and knotted, her teeth and clothes were clean. _'Beggars can't be choosers'_, she thought wryly.

"Darcey, where are we?" He inquired once more, his voice gentle as his silvery orbs absorbed her. She supposed he was still feeling immensely guilty for strangling her.

"Forbidden Forest." She croaked, her voice raspy. She needed a drink, her throat was so dry she was sure it would crack.

"Water?" She managed, as Draco busied himself with transfiguring a stone into a goblet, which he did so impressively well, and then filling it with a simple water charm they'd learned in second year.

"Hogwarts?" Draco wailed, looking utterly furious and terrified all at once. "What in the _fuck _would compel you to bring us here, to the most obvious place they'd go looking for us, knowing if we were fools that we'd come here!"

"I dunno, it just happened. It was all I could think of in such short amount of time. We were falling and I bloody hate heights and you were strangling me, not to mention we were seconds away from falling _splat_ on the ground. You're telling me you could have done better? Give me a break!" Darcey growled, finishing her water and flinging the empty, ornate cup back at him.

He ducked as it nearly hit his face and scowled at her in fury, his face turning pink and the veins in his neck showing.

"Yes! For now on I'll be in charge of apparition. _You're bloody useless!_" He snarled, casting an incendio on the goblet out of anger and melting it to the dirt.

"Impressive." Darcey said flatly. "Such a pompous show off as usual." She sneered, encircling him like prey.

"You really have the nerve to say I'm _useless_?" Darcey scoffed. "That's rich coming from the boy who didn't have the bollocks to kill Dumbledore and had to have this _useless _girl do it for him. Stood back _useless_ and watch as I was tortured on more than one occasion like a _useless _coward, and who could hardly resist the imperius curse in time to not kill me. _You're_ _useless, Draco_. What the hell are you even good for you lousy Death Eater? You couldn't even get _that _right because here you are with the chosen one's sister! Betraying your lord for some _useless _girl!" Darcey shouted, her voice rising with her level of anger.

_"Fuck you_." She hissed in a much more controlled voice, so frigid that it sent a chill down his spine as her lightless eyes absorbed him, draining him, before she shoved roughly past him, stomping through the clearing and sloshing mud on her jeans and boots as she journeyed through the woods back towards the castle.

Draco was fuming. Never before had a fight left him feeling so horribly hollow. His chest was aching as her words stung him. Why did he care what she thought of him? He thought bitterly. Who was she but a filthy half-blood, someone beneath him and not at all worthy of him. What was he even doing with her here? He realized with numbness. They were only meant to be allies and then they had somehow befriended one another and then…

And then they had fallen…hard.

He cared for her. He realized with dread. Even as he willed himself to stubbornly deny it, his legs followed her retreating figure. He could see her still up ahead, trudging through the dark forest, hexing vines and tree limbs out of her way to clear her path.

"Darcey!" He called out to her, quickening his pace as he hastily slapped away thorns that clung to his clothes.

"Don't go!" He pleaded, something he had never done before and despised himself now for doing so. Why did she of all people affect him this way? Why did she make him so bloody weak.

Darcey stopped, her back to him as she continued to stare off ahead of her, frozen in shock at his words. She finally willed herself to bravely turn around, most of the anger she had held for him diminishing at the sound of desperation behind those two words. No one had ever _wanted _her before and of all people in the universe how could it be him? She thought in astonishment.

His eyes, as light as hers were black, stared back at her, swirling with a mix of intense, turbulent emotions. It was hard to read him, but she sensed he was feeling a lot like her.

"I won't." She finally breathed, stepping closer to him as his strong, familiar arms snaked around her and held her flush against him. She rested her cheek against his shoulder, in the crook where his neck and collarbone met, as she allowed time to cease existing in that small moment where they stood embracing one another with such tender longing that it breached the cool layers of their egos and reached down to touch them on a much more intimate level than neither of them was used to. It was a sensation entirely foreign, warm, comforting, secure, and good. Simply… _good._

_"I won't go."_ She repeated softly against his chest, smelling the faint hint of his spicy cologne that still clung to the fibers of his shirt. She remembered smelling it last year, in the amortentia, not knowing at the time that what she had been smelling was he, Draco Malfoy.

His chin nuzzled against the top of her frizzy head as he ran his fingers through her wavy hair, enjoying the feel of it beneath him. Warmth radiated from their connected bodies, never before having held each other this way and they both wondered _why not_ when it felt so _lovely_?

"I'm sorry for the cruel things I said to you. I say things when I'm angry, I push those I care for away with my venom." She admitted sadly.

"We're serpents. It's in our nature to bite. There's no harm in who we are, so long as we forgive." Draco hissed softly from above her, his chin moving against her hair as he spoke and his low voice reverberating through his chest and against her cheek. For a moment she was struck by the wisdom in his words as she silently contemplated them.

"So I take it you forgive me then?" Darcey asked, tilting her head up a fraction so that he could now see her small, cheeky smile.

"I dunno." He shrugged but she could tell he was only teasing. "I might need some incentive, make it up to me." He commanded in a silky tone that send a pleasant jolt through her abdomen.

"_How can I please you, Draco?"_ Darcey breathed, sensually trailing her fingertips down his chest and feeling his tense muscles twitch beneath her delicate touch.

"Get down." Said Draco firmly, her submission boosting his already inflated ego as she got down on her knees so that she was eye level with his waist, gazing intensely up at him as she reached out to unzip him, knowing exactly what he wanted.

She stroked his hard prick in her hand while slowly bringing her lips to brush against the tip as she spoke.

"What now, love? Do you want me to suck it?" She asked, her tone innocent, although her dark eyes glistened devilishly. Before he could answer she engulfed him entirely with her mouth until his length pressed against the back of her throat, her tongue wrapping around him and tasting him. He was salty with sweat from their altercation, but she didn't mind, given that it was subtle.

A hand tangled itself in her messy hair, guiding her to move rhythmically against him as she sucked on his hard prick. He groaned from above her, rocking back slightly on his heels as his legs began to tingle with weakness from the pleasure quickly consuming him.

Just when he couldn't take it and felt his legs would buckle Darcey withdrew away from him, rising back up slowly to face him as he pressed his body against hers, craving the friction.

"I want you to fuck me." She breathed naughtily into his earlobe, kissing sensually down the length of his neck to where the collar of his shirt forbade her from going any further. She began to unbutton it, looking him in the eye as she did so, his eyes were glazed with lust and half-lidded. She was sure she looked the same, completely dazed.

She then removed her own shirt after his, with his help, lifting up her arms to assist him and watching as he hastily unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them roughly down over her hips. He then guided her around, pushing her to bend forward so that she braced herself with her hands on the log. He pulled down his trousers to pool around his ankles as he plunged himself without warning inside her hot, wet folds.

Darcey gasped in pleasure at the sensation of suddenly being filled and both their breathing hitched as he sped up his pace to drill her harder.

His smooth hand reached around to rub her sensitive bud, quickly bringing her pleasure to an ascending peak.

"Beg for me." He hissed into her ear from just over her shoulder, his smooth fingers working her closer and closer to orgasm as he continued to shag her from behind. The stimulation of being simultaneously penetrated by him and touched became almost unbearable as pleasure wracked her body, crashing down upon her wave after wave.

"Please, Draco- _ah!_" She cried out, moaning in pleasure as she reached her height of orgasm just as his body jerked roughly against hers and he spilled his hot seed inside her causing euphoric bliss to simultaneously engulf them.

"_Fuck_." He cursed, sagging against her in exhaustion while resting his head on her shoulder and kissing softly her neck.

"Mmm." Darcey hummed in contentment, not bothering to move just yet as she came down from the high that came with good sex. "That was amazing." She admitted, feeling he deserved to have his ego stroked a bit with the praise after making her feel so bloody good. Despite it being a quick shag it was more than satisfying considering it had been a while for both of them.

"What can I say, I'm a man of many talents." He arrogantly boasted, pulling out from inside her and wiping off his prick.

_"Is that my t-shirt?"_ Darcey demanded, snatching what looked now to be a soiled rag off him. "You fucking prat." She cursed, grabbing for her wand that lay discarded on the ground and casting a cleaning charm before slipping it back on over her head.

"I was thinking-" Draco began, while buttoning up his shirt, slowly shielding his pale, toned chest. Darcey admired him as she playful sneered, "Don't strain yourself." To which she received a half-hearted glare in return.

"Funny. You're a witty one." He countered dryly, now smoothing out the few wrinkles in his normally pristine shirt. "I was thinking since we're here we might as well go inside-"

"And do what exactly? Ask Snape if he can open us up a bed and breakfast?" Darcey asked sarcastically, hopping up and down a few times as she pulled up her jeans.

"I have a strong feeling he'd let us stay. It'd be safer than camping out in the wilderness waiting for Snatchers to get to us. I just thought that after today, with our run in with Mulciber and Travers…" Draco reasoned.

"We've barely given it a try. There are loads of refugees hiding just like us and what? We can't even last a few measly days? I'm not asking for help." Darcey declared stubbornly, feeling that going to Snape and asking for shelter would be a weak move on their part and downright pathetic.

"Can you stop being so damn _prideful_ for a moment and actually _think_, use that gifted brain of yours. You're a clever girl." Draco sneered and she couldn't decide if he was complimenting or insulting her. She decided he'd managed both somehow.

"I _am_ thinking." She argued. "I am thinking that Snape is a known Death Eater and he could take us back to the Dark Lord in order to gain his favor. _I don't trust anyone_. Besides, we don't need help. We're perfectly capable-"

"We're not capable." Draco argued, cutting over her words. "_I'm_ not capable. I've never done this before, camping outside, having to transfigure my own food and live in constant fear _every single moment_. I'm not sure I'm cut out for this sort of living-" Draco bitterly admitted.

"What were you expecting?" Darcey scoffed. "Tea and pasties? A nice, hot bath with a dozen golden faucets just like home? This is what life is now, surviving, doing whatever it takes to live. If you can't handle this, how are you going to handle being thrust into battle?" She wondered in astonishment.

Draco appeared equally as taken aback by her statement, clearly they had developed some sort of miscommunication here…

"What do you mean '_thrust into battle'_? You honestly hadn't thought that I'd be fighting- against my own family and friends. I'm _not_ on Potter's side, I'm on _your _side. I want nothing to do with the war, I want to remain as neutral as possible. There will be no fighting on my part, especially against my own people." Said Draco firmly as Darcey's ebony eyes blazed with fury.

"How could you possibly think choosing to grant me your loyalty would be under the definition of '_remaining neutral'_? I am Harry Potter's sister for Merlin's sake! Choosing me means choosing to defy Lord Vol-"

"Don't say his name." Draco interrupted with a scowl.

"I am going to destroy him, Draco. I vow to it. That's what this is all about. Everything I've done has been carefully calculated in order to seek out my revenge. If you think it's rough now, wait until he's unstoppable with my brother dead. See what kind of horror show we live in then. He'll eradicate all of us through his ignorance. It will start with the mud-bloods, then the half-blood won't be worthy enough and he will kill me if he hadn't already and finally the purebloods won't be pure enough compared to his superior Slytherin bloodline and he will be the only wizard left standing when it's all said and done. Is that the kind of filthy world you want to live in?" Darcey demanded passionately.

"How long have you planned this and when did you decided to join Potter?" He asked quietly, his voice oddly hollow as if it hurt him to say the words.

"Since he took away everything I loved."

"I can't do this, Darcey." Said Draco, letting out a deep sigh before he turned to leave in direction of the castle. "I'm no noble soldier." He muttered.

Instead of insulting him out of anger, like she so wished to, wanting to tell him that he was being a coward, acting like a spoilt prat, Darcey decided instead to try a less hurtful approach and attempt to appeal to his pureblooded need to maintain his honor.

"You told me that when you were drowning you were afraid, afraid of parting from this earth without leaving behind a legacy. You want to be remembered but the question is how? How will you be remembered if you do nothing memorable with your life? Sometimes, in order to reach a goal you have to take a risk, a leap of faith. Question is how badly do you want it?" Darcey asked, her tone thoughtful as she tried her best to soften it.

"I'm not asking for you to answer it now, just think it through. All I'm asking is that until then, stay with me. Stand by my side."

Draco stopped, having turned around to listen to her and now contemplating her inspirational words while feeling deeply conflicted. Struggling with who he was and who he wanted to become.

"Say it then." He commanded, wanting her to sound just as vulnerable as he had earlier, so that they stood on even ground. He needed to hear her admit out loud to him that she needed him, plea with him like he had her in his moment of weakness.

"Please, Draco.. don't go." She said quietly, meeting his beautiful pale, gray orbs with her black ones.

"I need you." She admitted. It was barely audible but he had heard it none-the-less and it was suddenly enough as strange warmth spread through him. It was that peculiar sensation again, creeping up on him like an internal fire, burning down the cold barriers he had placed around his heart.

_"I won't."_


	26. Chapter 26: Welcome to Hufflepuff

The Headmaster's office had not changed at all since the last time Darcey had stood in it on the night she discovered that she was a Potter, though the man sitting before them had. Severus Snape peered back at them with anger blazing in his ebony eyes, his sallow face absorbing the wanted fugitive to his right and young Death Eater to his left.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded in his usual low, chilling voice as he rose from his desk and brandished his wand. "You are deceased, yet here you stand in the flesh. _Remarkable._"

"Give us five minutes and then we'll be gone. Just hear us out." Proposed Draco as Darcey and Snape engaged in a heated glaring contest.

"You owe me." Spoke Darcey firmly from beside him, her own wand clutched tightly and pointed at the new Headmaster.

_"I owe you nothing_." Snape sneered, taking a brisk step forward.

"You betrayed me. You told Vol-"

"Do not say his name unless you wish to summon him, you daft girl." Snape scolded, pressing his wand to her throat as if he were on the verge of hexing out her vocal cords to physically silence her.

"What?" Draco asked a bit stunned. When had this happened?

"It has been cursed, the name, so that all those who speak it unknowingly summon Death Eater's directly to them." Snape's eyes flickered briefly to the young Malfoy before landing back on Darcey.

"Look, I didn't come here to fight you. If you possess any heart at all in that cold shell you call a body than you already know that what you did to me was wrong. Still, I am not here for an apology and I am not here to extract revenge, professor, so you can stow away your wand." Darcey replied icily.

"Then what might I ask has possessed you to come here, knowing that you are just as sought after by the Dark Lord as your witless brother?"

"I need a favor." Admitted Darcey. "I came here because as delusional as it may sound some part of me still trusts you, or at least _wants_ to trust you-"

"Coming here was nothing short of foolish and incautious-" Snape sneered. "I thought you'd at least possess enough sense-"

"I agree entirely." Darcey firmly cut through him. "But at the moment you're the only chance I've got. I need your help, professor."

Snape paused, momentarily at a loss as he lowered his wand by a fraction and began pacing the office, no longer able to meet her piercing gaze but Darcey continued to speak, she would give it her all in trying to persuade him. He had to have still cared about her somewhere deep within him.

"You mentioned that you believed me to be dead?" Darcey asked softly after a long moment, still watching the Death Eater's uneasy strides and unable to maintain her curiosity.

"Yes, considering Bellatrix Lestrange has been gloating ceaselessly about it, though I had my doubts."

"My aunt? What does my aunt have to do with it?" Draco inquired from beside her, his gray eyes meeting the elder Death Eater's.

"Your aunt vowed to the Dark Lord that Darcey Potter was pronounced dead at her hands and wracked with grief you fled. Yet she and your mother assured us all that you had not abandoned your responsibilities as a Death Eater, simply succumbed to a moment of sheer madness." Snape explained coolly.

"So everyone believes me to be dead despite lacking any proper evidence?" Darcey clarified in astonishment. Surely it could not have been so easy.

"So it seems." Replied Snape.

"Well, that's good then." Said Darcey with a small smile of relief. "Right?"

"So it seems." Snape drawled once more. "Though I still haven't the faintest idea what you intend for me to do to assist you. If I were placed in your shoes I would be fleeing, hiding in every dark crevice of this globe until the war was over."

"I do intend to hide, with your help, sir." Darcey proposed. "I want to hide here."

"What, you mean like in the Room of Requirement?" Draco inquired, having not been included in this part of Darcey's plan and feeling very confused. He looked at her as if she were barking mad.

"No. I think it would be best if I were to hide in plain sight. I already look different, with a few glamours-"

"Speaking of which." Snape sliced coldly through her, his dark eyes narrowing into slits. "What have you done to yourself? You've deteriorated, I suspect due to diving in over your naïve head into dark magic that is far too powerful for you-"

"I haven't delved into anything-" Darcey argued crossly, letting out an audible huff.

"_Do. Not. Lie. To. Me."_ Snape seethed, gripping her roughly by the collar of her t-shirt and thrusting her back against the closed door. She grunted in pain, wincing at the forceful contact. "The Dark Lord is the wiser and any one with the most basic knowledge in the arts could have known from merely glancing at you-"

"I made a horcrux." Darcey hissed, taking a leap of faith in telling him. What more had she to lose really?

Snape's dark eye's widened by a fraction, barely noticeable unless she were this close to him, their noses nearly touching as he loomed above her. Darcey's eyes narrowed.

"Do not look so surprised, professor. I've always been one of your brightest students, surely you haven't any doubts of my greatness." She spat.

_"Greatness_?" Snape seethed furiously, gripping her tighter. "_You're a fool._ You haven't the faintest idea what you've done, Darcey. You've split your soul, you've cursed yourself to live eternally on this earth, you've _murdered._ _Who have you murdered?_" He demanded.

"Nobody of significant importance." Darcey shrugged, glaring at him defiantly having not appreciated being spoken to as if she were a small child and not the brilliant, young sorceress that she was.

"A muggle I presume then. How cowardly, yet befitting. So it seems I was wrong in my previous assumption. You are nothing like your brave, self-righteous brother who relies solely on sheer luck and the intelligence of his friends- "

"Indeed. I do not need luck; I create my own fortune. I am solely in control-" Darcey stated firmly.

"How _laughable_. You are spiraling out of control can you not see that?" Snape demanded, his eyes glinting with concern though he spoke to her so harshly. He still cared deep down, it was obvious. He held a soft spot for the female Potter twin.

"Might I remind you that I have not come here to have a debate of morals, Severus." Darcey replied pointedly. "_Can you help me or not?"_

* * *

Darcey couldn't return to Slytherin where she'd be most noticed by her peers. No, if she were to hide in plain sight she would need to blend in. Same went for Gryffindor, she'd stick out like a sore thumb there. Ravenclaw's were intelligent and more likely to catch onto her use of glamours and more than a few of them were also close with Harry and members of the Dumbledore's Army. So that left Hufflepuff as the best option to blend in and go unnoticed. Though many people did not take the students of Hufflepuff seriously Darcey was never one to doubt them. She held admiration for the house qualities the badgers prided themselves one, mainly loyalty and justice. So if Darcey were to choose a house to be reborn into it would be Hufflepuff, for they would make the most loyal followers if she could convince them to join her cause and hopefully prove most useful.

Her hair, now dull and ashen, not a vibrant or striking hue was perfect for blending in. Though her eyes, black as onyxes would surely draw some negative attention. They were too mysterious, too alluring, and posed too many questions, luckily a simply glamour would fix that and she would easily change her eye color to a much more ordinary green. Paired with her hair it was just enough to throw people off, they'd have to have known her personally to be able to recognize her now and fortunately for her she hadn't made many friends during her lifetime at Hogwarts. Overall Darcey felt optimistic and looked forward to meeting her housemates in two weeks time.

"Honestly I don't know if I'd have it in me to even put on those wretched uniforms let alone set foot in their common room." Draco admitted, crinkling his pointed nose in distaste. He was talking about Hufflepuff again, he'd gone on and on about her new house since they'd left Snape's office and set off towards the dungeons.

"I find yellow and black a far less obnoxious color scheme than red and yellow. I'm just happy to not be sorted into Gryffindor." Darcey replied coolly. Honestly feeling indifferent towards her new living arrangements, yes she would have picked Ravenclaw if she could have only because the sorting hat had once considered it, but Hufflepuff was a more reasonable option and held the allure of security. She was certain she'd have no trouble at all going about unnoticed. Draco obviously felt much more passionate regarding the matter and hadn't held back voicing his opinions of the 'unworthy, joke of a house filled with a lot of tosspots', as he so poetically put it.

"I suppose, though now I cannot risk being seen in public with you. Zabini would have my arse for it if it were discovered that I was keeping company with a '_Puffer_. So we need to come up with a way for us to communicate in absolute secrecy." Proposed Draco as Darcey walked with him towards the Slytherin prefect's dormitories where he would be staying.

"Is that all you're worried about?" Darcey demanded haughtily. "_You're gleaming reputation." _She mocked, thinking of the dark mark on his arm and his scandal in the Astronomy Tower.

"You know how relentless they can be. I don't feel like dealing with their shite, especially if I don't have to." Draco defended, casting her a side-glance.

"_Of course,_ _anything to make the Prince of Slytherin more comfortable." _Darcey sneered, performing a royal curtsy.

"Sod off." Draco grumbled once they'd entered the gloomy prefect's chamber.

Darcey absorbed the much smaller common area, it looked similar to the main house common room with stone walls, a view of the Great Lake through its few portholes, though the color scheme was much more silver and much less green, giving it a royal and pristine sort of look. It looked tidy and clean, down to the glimmering silver threads in the carpet and the glossy, mahogany desks and end tables, along with the white gold sconces filled with dancing, emerald flames and shiny, black leather couches that appeared much less sat upon than those back in the main common room. It was glorious and Darcey wished more than anything that she could live here, if she had been made a prefect like she'd always desired she would have, but Dumbledore never granted her that wish.

"It's amazing." Darcey breathed, trailing her fingertips along the handsome mantle of the white marble fireplace. "So elegant."

"It is quite pleasing to the eye. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay here back in fifth year. Especially the bathrooms on the fifth floor." Draco admitted with a small smirk, glancing around the room before disappearing off behind a tapestry of a notable Slytherin on some grand adventure, in this one, a bearded wizard clutched a wand and pointing it to the heavens while perched on a large boulder, with a roaring, black sea behind him, lapping against the rock.

Darcey followed him into the dormitory, noticing that it looked similar to the common room in décor and architectural sense but held a double sized bed that took up the majority of the small room. Judging by the size of the dormitory Darcey wondered if they had once been dungeon cells back in the castles prime and scanned the exposed stone walls and floors for any traces of grime or blood but found none. The room was pristine.

Flinging herself back upon the bed Darcey let out an audible sigh as she momentarily shut her eyes and basked in the cool air of the room compared to the stifling, humid heat outside that they'd spent days enduring while one the run as refugees.

"Don't get too cozy. There's still much to discuss. What's the next plan?" Draco inquired, perching on the edge of the bed beside her and staring down at her relaxed, sprawled out form.

"Merlin, Draco. Can I not rest for one bloody second?" Darcey snapped, one of her charmed emerald eyes poking open to look at him. Darcey knew his need for control was just as powerful as hers and so she confided in him her plans in order to ease his nerves.

"I want to build an army. Literally." Said Darcey, staring up at the ceiling as she spoke. She just now took notice of the crystal chandelier above her. It was absolutely radiant.

"What do you mean '_build an army'_?" Draco parroted skeptically, arching a light brow while his piercing, gray eyes bore into her.

"Did I stutter? I'm going to gather some students and build an army." Darcey replied matter of fact, as if it were obvious and hardly a big deal.

"You're brother has already done such, there's not many left. He's recruited all the brave and reckless gits." Draco reminded her pointedly.

"Who says my soldiers need to be _brave_? No. You're right in that they are all taken and loyal to Harry. I'm looking for the cowards, those with calculating, intelligent minds who want to put their talents to good use against the Dark Lord but do not want to outright fight a battle against him. I'm looking for those wishing to work behind the scenes, in a much safer and smarter environment." Darcey explained, her eyes glistening with excitement.

"Sound appealing?" She asked after her companion was silent for a moment, contemplating her words.

"Very." Draco admitted. "Slytherin's might even consider joining such an organization, though like you said it would have to be safe, above all else. These people will need to feel a strong sense of security in following you."

"Precisely," Darcey agreed. "So we offer them instruction in the Dark Arts, teach them to fight against enemies who are equipped with powerful, deadly spells. They will feel safer in knowing that they can defend themselves just as equally as their enemies can. Next, we will promise them anonymity, nobody will speak word of who's joined, that's the most important rule and we'll swear by an oath. Last we give them an opportunity to make a difference, to do something great in sharing a part in the Dark Lord's downfall without risking getting themselves and their families killed. It's an entirely secret rebellion. A rebellion for those good-hearted folk who lack the courage needed to fight and those intelligent and sly enough to survive. "

"Once again we're struck with the issue of communication. How did Potter's army communicate with each other? I never quite figured that out when I was on the Inquisitorial Squad." Draco remarked with a scowl, not liking the idea at all of that mud-blood Granger having the upper hand on him intellectually.

"We will figure that part out later. For now we relax. Tomorrow we'll research."

* * *

Darcey swung off the thick rope hanging from a sturdy branch of the ancient, willow tree looming over the dark, sparkling waters of the Black Lake. Holding on tightly she swung with a loud roar of excitement, letting go when she was hovering over the lake and falling with an impressive splash into the cool, murky water.

Bubbles clouded her vision as she opened her eyes beneath the water and allowed her body to relax as she slowly sunk to the bottom of the lake. Dark seaweed swayed in the current and silvery fish scurried past her. Glancing upward, her lungs burning, she spotted the crystal-like surface of the water reflecting rays of summer sunlight and pushing with her heels against the sandy, gritty lake floor and swam back up for air.

Gasping and flinging her sopping, wet mane of hair back she breathed in the oxygen she had been momentarily deprived of and wiped the water from her stinging eyes, focusing with slightly obscured vision on the dark figure that was Draco, lounging up in the tree and watching her swim with amusement.

She swam back towards him, calling out for him to join her.

"I don't swim." He replied, shaking his ashen head. His legs dangled beneath him. He was wearing his black undershirt, having shed his button down, paired with crisped, ironed gray trousers and shiny, black shoes.

"You don't swim or you _can't _swim?" Darcey inquired curiously, no traces of judgment or taunting evident in her tone as her emerald eyes peered up at him beneath water dotted lashes.

"_What's the difference?" _Draco snapped_._ "Either way I still don't swim, so just drop it, Darcey."

"Come on, I'll teach you." Darcey proposed enthusiastically with a sincere smile while waving for him to come towards her.

"Don't be ridiculous." Draco sneered.

"You're the one being ridiculous. What's wrong, are you scared, Malfoy?" She taunted cheekily as she waded backwards lazily in the water.

Before he could answer her remark they were suddenly interrupted by the Headmaster approaching them, cloaked in heavy, ebony robes that billowed around his ankles with each of his long strides.

"Good evening, Severus." Darcey greeted cheerfully once the professor was at the shoreline. "Care for a swim?" She called.

"Get out of there this instant. The Carrow's will be arriving any day now and you are to remain hidden in the castle, not frolicking around like some damned mermaid." Snape demanded.

"Just five more minutes, professor. I haven't felt this light-hearted in ages and I was just about to teach Draco here how to doggy paddle." Darcey replied, gesturing to her companion up in the tree.

Snape's head whipped wildly around, obviously not having noticed the young Malfoy and unaware that he had joined her in her foolish shenanigans. He glared furiously up at him as if he were responsible for her brainless behavior and in charge of keeping her in line.

"Escort Miss Potter back to the castle now." Snape commanded Draco, his tone leaving no room for argument as he turned swiftly on his heel and stormed away from them, looking like a man dead set on murder.

"Seems we've been caught by the bloody fun police." Darcey grumbled, swimming slowly back to shore as Draco hopped down from the willow tree and met her in the grass, handing her a towel to dry off.

She dried herself off of excess water before she slipped back on her jeans over her sodden underwear and threw on her t-shirt that immediately displayed two darkened areas where her breasts were thanks to her wet bra soaking through the thin material.

"That can't be good, the Carrow's teaching this year." Remarked Draco as they trudged back up to the castle and Darcey began patting dry her tangled hair with the towel.

"Who are the Carrow's?" Darcey asked, wondering if they were related to Flora and Hestia Carrow, the shy twins a year below her who had attended the Slug Club with her last year.

"A brother and sister duo who are infamous for their gruesome torturing methods and expertise at prying information from their victims as well as being two high-ranking Death Eaters. In short, it's unfortunate that you'll no longer be under the protection of Slytherin house this year. I'd be careful not to draw their attention. It would result in pain." Draco warned.

"I won't be drawing anyone's attention this year. I'll bee keeping to the shadows and plotting. There will be no outward displays of rebellion, so I see no reason for them to take notice of me-" Darcey protested.

"You're a _mud-blood_, that's your guise. Haven't you chosen the surname Evans? They will be targeting mud-blood's ruthlessly while here, so keep your eyes and ears open and head down." Said Draco, looking mildly concerned for his companion already.

"I'll be a most humble muggleborn. I'll grovel at their feet if I must." Darcey replied dryly, hanging her head down in a mock sulking gesture so that her curly, wet hair fell forward to shield her face from him.

"That's the spirit. Fantastic." Said Draco flatly, choosing to ignore her sarcasm as they entered the much cooler and shaded Entrance Hall. Darcey shivered lightly, wrapping the damp towel over her shoulders as she made her way to the Hufflepuff prefect's dormitories where she would be staying until the start of term to shower off before dinner.

As she arrived in the dark corridor beneath the kitchens she darted behind a tapestry of Helga Hufflepuff. The female founder was smiling proudly down at her from her ornate, golden thrown embedded with onyxes, clutching a glimmering, golden goblet of wine in one hand and grains of wheat in the other.

"A new arrival, I see. Not to worry, Hufflepuff house will always be here to welcome those who wander in search of a home."

"I am not lost." Darcey corrected pointedly, peering up at the tapestry.

"Indeed, not all those who wander are lost." Helga Hufflepuff replied kindly and for a small moment Darcey was struck by the wisdom of the founder's words, left to ponder them as she entered a round, oak door that led to a lightless, narrow corridor aligned with proud portraits of notable Hufflepuff's.

Searching for a door Darcey found none and cursed loudly beneath her breathe in frustration.

"I sense you are lost and in need of a sanctuary." Stated a portrait of a blonde man beside her, clutching a sword and encompassed by goblins that seemed to idolize him as if he were their leader.

"Yes, I'm looking for the prefect's dormitories." Darcey stated clearly. "and I wasn't provided with a password."

"That is reasonable considering passwords are not required to acquire security here. We help all those in need of a home." Proclaimed the portrait.

"Then if you would so kindly-" Darcey replied through gritted teeth, shivering and highly annoyed.

Before she had finished asking the question the portrait swung open to reveal a narrow, claustrophobic crawl space that led to a small, round door.

"You've got to be kidding me." Darcey said flatly, glancing around the corridor for any sign of Peeves. This must be a joke.

"If you think I'm going to crawl through there." Darcey protested, peering around at the other portraits of past Hufflepuff's who all seemed to be smirking in smug amusement at her behavior and remained unhelpfully silent as she brooded.

"You're a bunch of nutters you know that. _Bloody badgers_." Darcey sneered, finally giving up and crawling on her hands and knees through the stone tunnel and through the laughably small door that looked crafted for the body of house elves and not human beings.

She tumbled forward ungracefully into a cozy common room, landing on a brown leather couch. She peered around the prefect's common room taking in the wide, rectangular windows near the ceiling that showed a pleasant view of swaying green, grass and bright, yellow dandelions. Next she absorbed the elegant, black, marble fireplace that was quite striking against the black and amber patterned rugs and ebony bookcases. Thriving, exotic plants hung around the room with lush vines cascading down to brush against the stone floor. Round, oak doors, normal size compared to the one she had just crawled through, led to what she assumed to be the prefect's dormitories.

The common area was much less vibrant than she had imagined and to her relief wasn't painted an obnoxious, cheerful yellow. The walls were made of gray stone like the rest of the castle and although much sunnier than the dungeons it still felt secluded and buried, below ground level like Slytherin. She could even come to appreciate the warm, earth toned color scheme, with bronze, flickering sconces and attractive, subtle hints of yellow and black. It was a pleasant surprise and she supposed that just like the students of its house, the living quarters had been unfairly misjudged. Left solely the imagination did not do it adequate justice.

Darcey took out her miniature school trunk from her pocket and placed it at the foot of her bed, four-poster and double-sized, adorned in a heavy black and yellow patchwork quilt with crisp, clean linens that smelled faintly of lemongrass.

She charmed it back to normal size and sifted through the haphazard pile of severely wrinkled clothing to fetch something drier to wear.

She found herself grateful suddenly to be so close to the school kitchen as her stomach gave a low, hearty grumble. Perhaps she would eat first and shower later. It had been days since she devoured a hot, decent meal.


	27. Chapter 27: Loyalty & Trust

_Monday, September 1st, 1997_

Zacharius Smith peered down at the newest member of his house, a familiar face, and one that he easily recognized even with her altered appearance. Seated before him was Darcey Davis, the Slytherin girl who had asked him to Slughorn's Christmas party the previous year and whom he had snogged. Like many other's he had read the articles printed about her in the Daily Prophet. Word was Darcey was Potter's long lost sister, coined _the_ _un-chosen_ _one_. It was also rumored that she had perished at the hands of notorious Death Eater and escapee of Azkaban, Bellatrix Lestrange. Yet there she was seated before him, he was sure of it, at the far end of his table dressed in uniform, the yellow house crest bright against her dark robes and black and yellow striped tie done up loosely at her collar sat Darcey Potter in the flesh.

Their eyes met momentarily for a fraction of a second before she disappeared behind a curtain of tawny, messy locks, peering down at her pudding but not moving to take a bite. She stared, head down into her food as if she were trying to disappear into the table, to remain unnoticed and insignificant but to Zacharius Darcey stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Have you seen the new girl?" He overheard his dorm mate seated next to him. "Transfer from Beaxbatons Academy of Magic, I heard. Such a shame she'd pick this year to arrive, considering all the changes-" Ernie McMillan commented in hushed tones to Susan Bones sitting beside him. Both Hufflepuffs were pulled away from their conversation as their new Headmaster, Severus Snape spoke up at the front of the gloomy Great Hall.

Snape was introducing their new Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow, a hooked nose witch with her ginger hair pulled into a low, tight, painful looking bun. She wore heavy eye makeup that made her already harsh facial features stand out even more, including her dark, beady eyes that reminded Zacharius of a bird, paired with her beak-like nose.

Standing beside her on the podium was her brother, a man who shared the same beady, narrowed gaze as his sister and looked just as menacing in appearance with a tall, looming figure, long nose and thin lips. He scowled at them cruelly as if he were a condor gazing upon an audience of dead, roadside meat.

"Students who misbehave will be overseen by professor Amycus Carrow in detention and will be punished _accordingly_. I insist all of you be on your best behavior." Said Snape, his gaze lingering on the Gryffindor table significantly longer than the others.

Upon explanation that there would no longer be Defense Against the Dark Arts class and it would instead be the Dark Arts and mandatory alongside muggle studies there was an immediate uproar at said table, a sea of crimson jeering, hissing and booing.

_"Silence!"_ Snape called in a booming voice that seemed to easily penetrate the rowdy commotion at the Gryffindor table.

"One more word, Mr. Longbottom and you will be serving detention this Saturday." Snape warned severely, ebony eyes narrowed at Neville who remained risen defiantly with the rest of his courageous housemates.

"You cannot silence us! This is a load of bollocks! We will not participate, you cannot force us to use dark magic unless you plan on using the Imperius curse on us all, professor! You are outnumbered!" Neville declared haughtily.

"Such insolence will not be tolerated. Detention effective immediately for any one of you who remains risen against my orders." Snape commanded icily, brandishing his wand. "_Sit."_ He commanded.

The majority of Gryffindor gave in, reluctantly sitting down except for the members of Dumbledore's Army who were determined to send a message to their new Headmaster that they would not obey him.

Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Ginny Weasley remained standing with fire in their eyes, a fire that could not be snuffed out by Severus Snape or anyone who challenged them. They were determined and fiercely loyal to Harry Potter. They would not back down.

Snape's penetrating gaze bore into them for a long, heavy moment and the Great Hall was utterly silent as slowly more and more people began to stand. First it was Pavarti Patil who had sat back down but then seemed to change her mind and had risen, then Lavender Brown, Romilda Vane, Colin and Dennis Creevey, and Nigel Wolpert. Then Padma Patil from Ravenclaw showing silent support for her twin sister, Cho Chang had risen simultaneously beside Michael Corner and Luna Lovegood, then Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein followed. At last Ernie McMillan stood up on shaky legs from Hufflepuff's table followed by his close friends Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley.

There were now exactly twenty students standing solidly in rebellion, surely far too many of them for them all to be punished, but Zacharius was wrong. Stepping forward Amycus Carrow swished and flicked his wand in jerky movements with a wicked sneer on his face as one by one they were placed under the Cruciatus curse in front of the whole school.

The younger ones screamed upon hearing the older student's anguished cries and seeing their shriveled, writhing bodies fall hard against the stone floor and crumple. A Hufflepuff girl beside Ernie covered her hands over her ears and closed her eyes, unable to watch as he fell under the ruthless torture curse.

Zacharius, the only previous Dumbledore's Army member who had not risen, looked on in sheer horror as his classmates were struck down, feeling as if he had deeply betrayed them by being a coward and remaining stiffly seated on the bench.

His stormy, blue eyes found Darcey's at the end of the table, being a Slytherin he assumed she would have enjoyed such a gruesome show but she was instead glaring over the moaning victims and directly at the Headmaster, Severus Snape whose lightless eyes seemed to be staring right back at her, his expression unreadable and indifferent as he made no move to stop the abuse of his students.

Finally the screaming ceased when the last of them, Hannah Abbott was released of the curse and left panting, drenched in a cold sweat upon the ground, clutching her knees to her chest in the fetal position and sobbing.

Snape excused them all; commanding the house Prefect's to lead the younger students back to their dormitories.

Darcey rose instantly from the end of the bench, disappearing in the dense crowd of shuffling students, pushing and shoving their way into the Entrance Hall, eager to get as far away from the deranged teachers as possible.

Zacharius lost sight of Darcey and for a moment he wondered if she had be an apparition, perhaps he had seen the ghost of Darcey Potter as she mysteriously vanished and he was left with an uneasy feeling of dread.

He was headed towards the dungeons in curious pursuit of her, just to be sure he hadn't gone mad when suddenly he was hit with the Imperius curse, muttered by a low female voice hissed against the exposed skin of his neck. He stopped suddenly rigid as pleasure consumed him, a warm, tingling sensation. He felt like dripping, hot wax, melting against the effects of the dark magic. She had full control over him. He was her puppet.

"That a boy." The melodic voice encouraged from behind him, jabbing her wand between his shoulder blades.

"Into the broom closet, love." She commanded in a low whisper and he obeyed without hesitation, deviating into the broom closet directly to his right with Darcey following closely at his heel.

"_Lumos."_ She cast the illuminating spell, the tip of her holly wand glowing a bright, pulsating blue. She released the curse and Zacharius was once again in full control over his body and mind and shuffled back away from her in fear, knocking over a mop and stepping into an empty bucket in his haste. He cursed loudly, shaking and kicking the bucket from his ankle before glaring back at his captor.

_"You used an Unforgiveable_." Was the first sentence uttered from his frightened mouth as he dumbly gaped at her as if she had sprouted two heads.

"Very observant, Smith." Darcey sneered, rolling her eyes at him. "Ten points to Hufflepuff."

"What are you doing here? You should be dead- I mean you _are_ dead- The Prophet said-" Zach stuttered like a blithering idiot and mentally scolded himself for sounding so damn stupid, clamping his mouth shut tightly as Darcey's wand pressed against his neck. He gulped thickly both at how intimidating the witch was and at their close proximity, she was nearly pressed against him and he could feel her breathe against his lips as she spoke.

"Seems you do possess a keen talent for observation. Sadly this puts me in an unfortunate dilemma." Darcey frowned, tapping her wand lightly against his neck and causing him to shudder slightly, afraid she would hex him, or worse.

"What to do with you…" She pondered out loud, still tapping her wand against him. "Obliviate your mind? Torture you senseless, or perhaps I should simply kill you, to ensure those loose lips of yours do not slip." Darcey hissed, her emerald eyes piercing into his blue ones with such intensity that Zacharius found himself momentarily speechless and utterly entranced as her wand moved to press threateningly against his lips.

"N-no, please." He pleaded weakly, finally finding his voice though it was raspy and dry. "I won't tell anyone." He vowed.

Darcey examined him silently, her eyes flicking to each part of his face, his lips, his nose, and his eyes as if attempting to look within his very soul to read his motives.

"I trust you." She finally stated, causing Zacharius to exhale in relief. "Do you trust me?" She inquired, arcing a dark brow.

"Sure." Zach nodded hastily.

_"Sure?"_ Darcey parroted skeptically, looking displeased with his response and this sent another ripple of fear through him.

"Yes." He confirmed firmly.

"As of now I consider you my friend, Zacharius. I treat my friends very well, seeing as I am extremely selective." Said Darcey, moving her wand away from his face so that it instead pressed against his chest.

"I'm honored." He managed stiffly, still highly uncomfortable at their close proximity and her wand probing into his tense muscles.

"As I'm sure." Darcey stated flatly. "I trust you know better than to utter a word of this to anyone, in case you couldn't already tell I am trying to go unnoticed, having you blab to people that I am here would be counter productive and would come with dire consequences. _Understood?_" She threatened in a low voice.

Zach nodded resolutely. "Crystal clear. I understand." He agreed.

"Excellent. Come on my dearest friend, I am in need of an escort to the common room. Be a gentleman will you?" She asked sweetly, opening the broom closet for him to brush past her. She followed him down the corridor and in the direction from which they came from back towards the deserted Entrance Hall.

"I was never told the password, enlighten me, mate?" She asked lightly from beside him, stowing away her wand in her cloak. Suddenly Zach was much more at ease now that her wand was out of sight and no longer drawn at him. He steadied his nerves, determined not to show so much as another ounce of weakness in front of her, he was already mortified by his actions.

"Mandrake root." He offered her, casting her an uneasy side-glance.

Darcey thanked him, casting him a small smile as if nothing had happened between them, as if she hadn't just threatened him with his life. Zacharius was suddenly furious and needed answers to the burning questions on the tip of his tongue, summoning every ounce of courage within him, which wasn't much, to ask her.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded to know.

"Hiding from You-Know-Who." She replied without hesitation, not bothering to look over at him, her gaze fixed resolutely ahead of them.

"I didn't mean in the castle, I meant in Hufflepuff. What are you doing in Hufflepuff?" He quickly restated his question, growing inpatient.

"I _chose_ to hide here." Darcey declared. "Fancy loyalty and fair-play and all that jazz." She added dryly.

_"Rubbish_." He countered firmly, gaining more confidence with each answer she granted him.

"Suit yourself." She shrugged, unfazed by his skepticism.

"How are you even alive? How did you escape?" He inquired after a long moment of silence had fallen between them, apart from the soft echoing of their footsteps in the empty, stone corridor.

_"Magic."_ She grinned cheekily at him, moving her fingers in front of her face in a twinkling manner.

_"Funny. You're hilarious_." He retorted wryly, feeling put-off.

"Seriously." Darcey sobered up, letting her hands fall to her sides. "I fought my way out."

Zach looked at her skeptically, eyeing the slender girl up and down and looking unconvinced. "I don't buy it." He admitted truthfully.

"Didn't expect you to. I'll show you if you're interested. I know some wicked spells. I could teach them to you." She offered casually, looking totally serious though he didn't believe it.

"You're barking." He remarked, arching a sandy brow.

"Suit yourself. If you're interested take me up on the offer." Darcey winked at him before stepping past Smith and over to the stack of barrels, stating the password he had given her.

When nothing happened he chuckled softly from behind her, suppressing his laughter as an obnoxious coughing spell as she glared daggers at him.

"What's so funny? Why isn't it opening?" She demanded impatiently.

"There isn't a password. I was only kidding." Zacharius mused, gesturing to the barrels. "You've got to tap them to the rhythm of Hel-ga-Huff-le-puff." He annunciated, stepping back a few paces as she began violently tapping the barrels. Suddenly the cap on the middle one popped open and doused her in a spectacular spray of vinegar.

Her smelly, soaked robes clung to her as she froze, gaping down at her drenched body before slowly turning to glare with seething rage upon her dorm mate.

"_You fucking wanker!"_ She cried out, drawing her wand and casting a silent _'Reducto'_ successfully blasting a hole in the stone wall behind him where he had once stood. Smith dove onto the ground, drawing his own wand and pointing it up at her.

_"Stupefy!_" He bellowed to which she easily blocked with a nonverbal shield.

"Get up you tosser. You're lucky, you're so bloody lucky you are my friend and I take friendship quite seriously or else you would be _dead_, _deceased, buried six feet beneath the ground-"_

"Alright, I get it." Zach threw up his hands in surrender, rising back up and grinning at her vinegar soaked form. She looked utterly pathetic but he harbored not even a single ounce of guilt. The Slytherin had deserved it for scaring the piss out of him and using an Unforgivable.

"I dare you to fucking laugh, Smith." Darcey growled, still clutching her wand tightly and shaking it in warning at him. She reminded him in that moment of his mother and the sight only made him laugh harder.

_"Scourgify_." Zacharius assisted her once he'd recomposed himself, still clutching his aching ribs while successfully cleaning her off but the faint, pungent odor still lingered, embedded into her skin, hair and robes.

_"You're so lucky."_ She seethed once more, as if he had forgotten and needed yet another reminder before storming into the common room past him once he had successfully tapped the correct barrels.

Darcey ignored the curious gazes of her dorm mates as she headed straight for the dormitory washroom to shower off for all of eternity, terrified that the smell may never come out of her hair.

"See you in the morning, mate." Smith called out cheekily behind her to which she flung him a rude hand gesture in response.

* * *

"How was your first night with the tosspots?" Draco inquired the next day in the Room of Requirement. They were lounging lazily in the sitting area he had thrown together last year, the moth hole infested one.

"Bloody fantastic." Darcey replied dryly. "Got doused in vinegar thanks to that bastard, Smith."

"Smith?" Draco inquired looking suddenly more alert as he propped up on his elbows. "That lousy wanker you took to Slughorn's party last Christmas? The one you snogged?"

"Aw, Draco you sound a tad bit jealous." Darcey frowned, getting a rise out of him as he sat up fully and cast her a furious scowl.

"Yes him, know any other Smith's?" She inquired with a smile that told him she was only kidding.

"A few." Draco admitted. "Didn't expect you to be rekindling _that_ romance."

_"I'm not rekindling anything._" Darcey protested crossly. _"I'm gaining allies."_

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" Draco sneered looking revolted.

"Shut up you git!" Darcey roared, laughing as she propelled a hideous tasseled pillow at him that he smoothly dodged.

"Seriously, I don't fancy the idea of you cozying up to him. Besides, he's useless anyway, I've seen him play chaser, he has the refluxes of a drunken troll I'm telling you." Said Draco matter of fact.

"I believe you but he's my only option for now. MacMillan, Bones, and Abbott all stood up in protest at the welcoming ceremony. They're all wrapped around my brother's finger. Seems Smith is the only one not brainwashed by either Harry or Dumbledore, he's neutral which means he can be persuaded-"

"And how exactly do you intend to persuade him?" Draco demanded, obviously having his mind in the gutter.

"By flashing him my vagina, of course." Darcey countered sarcastically, unable to help herself from taking the bait presented to her.

Draco leaped up swiftly from his chair looking absolutely hell-bent as he stormed over to her and yanked her up off the couch, clutching her by the collar of her wrinkled blouse.

"_I swear to Merlin, Darcey."_ He warned. "_I mean it, stay away from him." _

"Quit being so unnecessarily jealous, Draco. You're acting ridiculous, do you actually hear yourself?" She demanded nearly laughing at his foolish behavior. _Such a typical man_, she mentally scoffed.

"I care about you, you idiot." Darcey silenced him as soon as he opened his mouth to argue. "_I'm fucking fond of you so drop it already, eh?" _

"Is that you're idea of professing your love for me? _How romantic_." Draco replied dryly, smirking as he released her and she fell ungracefully back down upon the dusty couch.

"I do my best." Darcey managed cheekily, earning a swift slap on the arse from her irritated companion. She cast him a playful look of utter outrage before lunging at him and attempting to hit him back in the exact same location.

"Bloody hell! Get away from me you lunatic!" Draco wailed, running away from her and shielding his behind as she chassed after him.

"Come back here you pansy! It's only right I get to slap you back!" Darcey laughed, diving behind a pile of rubbish in search of him. She ran halfway down the isle before she stopped to catch her breath, bent over and panting.

"Truce!" She called out just as he spanked her playfully again, having appeared out of nowhere from behind her. She gave a violent jolt and a loud squeal of surprise at his contact, whipping around to face him while clutching her stinging bottom.

A smile illuminated both of their faces as they shared a hearty laugh and Darcey embraced him, burying her head in the crook of his neck and inhaling his spicy cologne as she collapsed in his arms.

"That was fun. Almost like we'd escaped from our miserable lives if only for a second." She confessed quietly into his shirt, feeling her body relax as she melted fully into his strong, protective embrace.

"It'll be over soon enough, the war can't last forever." Draco soothed her, brushing back her messy hair.

"It can if Vol-"

"Careful, remember what Snape said." Draco warned from above her, his jaw moving against her temple.

"It can if You-Know-Who wins..." She muttered quietly, ashamed to even be doubting herself. It was a show of weakness.

"Hey, look at me." He demanded softly, gripping her chin with an uncharacteristically delicate touch. Darcey became instantly lost in two beautiful pools of steely gray and could not for the life of her look away.

"I'll stand by your side. Whatever you need me to do. I'll try, alright?" He offered, stroking her cheek in a tender show of affection. She felt an internal heat radiate through her at the small contact, never had she been caressed so gently before as if she were fragile, some priceless jewel.

"That means a lot. More than you know, really. That means a lot coming from you." She whispered gratefully for it appeared she had finally earned his loyalty after all these months and he was slowly earning her trust. Darcey was opening her heart up to him.


	28. Chapter 28: Invisible Solidiers

Darcey sat in the previous Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom for the new mandatory Dark Arts course. Not much had changed since the last time she had been in here. Snape's gruesome pictures of deformed, pain-stricken witches and wizards experiencing various levels of agony still gazed down with wide, teary eyes upon them, aligning the stone walls. The shades were drawn up, giving a depressing view of the thunderstorm outside as raindrops slid down the windowpanes. Amycus Carrow's low, raspy voice echoed through the room and Darcey found the noise almost intolerable, being the most unpleasant voice she had ever heard and tried to focus on the soft pattering of the rain instead but to no avail.

"Enchanted circles are used in many dark rituals, can any of you brainless mongrels tell me what an enchanted circle is?" Inquired the new professor, slowly gliding in between the isle of desks dividing the Hufflepuff students from the Slytherins.

"No one?" Carrow sneered, arching a brow while his shiny, blue eyes swept over them in a carnivorous fashion. A pale hand slowly rose from the sea of snakes.

"An enchanted circle is a protective barrier placed between the magician and what they have summoned, a sacred space marked physically, usually drawn in salt or chalk and in most rituals thrice marked." Theodore Nott offered from beside Draco Malfoy who had been carefully avoiding Darcey's gaze the entire morning. They both knew that they had no choice but to ignore each another out in the open, in here Darcey did not exist.

"Well put, you're Nott's boy, yes?" Carrow praised, receiving a curt nod in confirmation from the teenager. "Thirty points awarded to Slytherin." He commended, flashing a crooked, sharp-toothed grin that made him look, if possible, even more menacing.

Darcey sunk a bit lower in her chair beside Smith as the lanky Death Eater approached them, coming to a lazy halt at the end of the isle directly beside her. She did not dare risk a glance up at him. Her glamored murky, green eyes, the color of moss, stared resolutely ahead, fixated on the blackboard. From the opposite side of her Smith visibly stiffened and from beside him Wayne Hopkins nervously adjusted his spectacles while looking a bit green as if he were on the verge of projectile vomiting.

"Can you explain to the class what the term _Maleficium _means, Smith you're a pureblood, surely your parents have instilled upon you something worthwhile?" Carrow taunted, smirking as the badger began hastily leafing through his textbook, clearly not having the slightest clue what he was on about, though Darcey did.

"What about you, Miss-?"

"Evans." Darcey recited once it was clear the looming Death Eater was addressing her, her tone hollow while gazing straight ahead at the back of Susan Bone's sleek, red hair.

"_Evans?" _The Death Eater scrunched up his nose in disgust as if he'd encountered a foul smell, probably his own body odor that she caught whiff of as well.

_"Are we in the presence of a mud-blood?"_ Carrow spat cruelly, looking wildly around the room and summoning with one sweeping look instantaneous hissing from the Slytherin section, for the exception of a reluctant Draco who gave a small, half-hearted noise of protest but masked it in a way that simply looked as if he were bored senseless. Gregory Goyle made an effort to spit at her, the hunk of phlegm landing somewhere near her foot and luckily did not hit its desired target or else he might have been dead, Darcey wasn't sure she could restrain herself from reacting violently to such revolting behavior. _Honestly, hadn't the oaf any manners?_

"Yes, I am muggleborn, professor." Darcey replied evenly, her soft voice barely audible above her classmates aggressive, loud jeering. She broke away from Draco's unreadable gaze and stared instead in front of her where next to Susan Bones, muggleborn Justin Flinch-Fletchley sunk even lower in his chair, his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment, afraid he'd be targeted next and openly humiliated.

"Stand up." Carrow commanded as the Slytherins settled back into place and the classroom became quiet once more. She immediately rose in silent compliance.

"Maleficium is a particularly _fascinating_ branch of the dark magic devoted purely to causing death. Can you, mud-blood, imagine how one might go about killing a witch or wizard?" Carrow leered down at her, his shiny eyes gleaming with blood lust as if he were contemplating murdering her right there in front of the class as an educational demonstration.

"The possibilities are endless sir, but I suppose the killing curse is one way." Darcey replied flatly, doing her best not to sound cross.

"Yes, daft girl the killing curse is the most obvious way. Can your inferior mud-blood mind come up with anything more inventive?" He sneered, glaring down at her as if she were a creature of filth.

Darcey held back the urge to draw her wand as the Death Eater beside her twitched his hairy hand and pointed his dark wand directly at her. She remained frozen stiff as fear knotted in her stomach threateningly to expel her breakfast. What was he planning to do to her? She wondered with morbid curiosity, her demented mind coming up with much more _inventive _means of torture than just the Cruciatus curse.

"No." Darcey lied. "I honestly dunno, sir." She croaked, bowing her head lower in mock shame.

"As punishment for your stupidity you have earned a detention, _mud-blood_." Carrow spat, pushing her forcefully back down into her chair where she landed ungracefully half sprawled upon Smith's lap. "Fifty points from Hufflepuff for wasting my valuable time." Said his retreating form.

Darcey righted herself up, angrily smoothing out her wrinkled blouse and adjusting her crooked, gold tie once Carrow had moved past her and back towards the front of the classroom to seek out yet another target to humiliate_, the sick bastard. _

"Are you alright?" Zacharius hissed, his blue eyes watching her pale hands as they fumbled with her tie.

"_Bloody peachy, Smith._" Darcey replied dryly in low undertones before leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest as she glared daggers at the ignorant Death Eater's back feeling rage rising in her throat like bile. She truly hated the man. He made that hag Umbridge look mild in comparison, like a tame, cuddly kitten.

In that moment Darcey wished more than ever for her ordinary, plain-Jane, Slytherin life back but she knew that it were not possible for she had changed too much since then. How she had gone from being a pureblood Davis to a half-blood Potter and then now a mud-blood Evans was beyond her. Darcey had lost her identity a year ago and had been struggling ever since to reinvent herself and discover her true purpose.

'_Who am I anymore?'_ She wondered to herself as a hollow sense of melancholy filled her, feeling in that moment more than ever that she had ceased to exist.

* * *

Draco sat in a secluded corner of the Slytherin common room perched in one of the handsome leather armchairs. Crowded closely around him were Zabini, Nott, and Greengrass.

Daphne cast a silent '_muffliato_' charm around them to deflect any eavesdroppers and just like that they were absorbed in a bubble of privacy.

"Why have you gathered us here, Draco?" Daphne spoke up quietly, her sleek, golden hair glistening in the low light of the dungeon as she moved to stow away her wand in the pocket of her robe.

"I approached you lot a few days ago and you all expressed interest in joining a discrete, rebel club. I've called you here to further discuss that in more detail." Draco replied in low tones, glancing between each of their faces.

"Well on with it, mate." Blaise encouraged impatiently, he had more pressing matters to address at the moment like snogging his girlfriend Daphne, who was curled up beside him looking intently upon Malfoy. Theodore sat in the armchair to the right of them, looking stiff and apprehensive.

"Last chance to get out of this, I'm not forcing any of you-" Began Draco gravely.

"_Like you could_." Theodore scoffed, speaking up for the first time. "You really ought to get that inflated ego of yours in check, mate." He joked, though his tone and features remained severe causing one to question whether or not her were truly kidding. He was a hard to read character, dripping with sarcasm more often than not.

"_Don't be sensitive, Teddy._" Draco cooed, receiving a round of sniggers from the other two Slytherins, knowing how much the boy hated the soft-sounding nickname and smirking when his blemished cheeks flushed lightly in anger.

"Just get on with it, eh?" Theo snapped, crossing his long, weedy arms over his chest and looking to him expectantly.

"As I'm sure you've all read in the Daily Prophet by now, Slytherin's own bookworm Darcey Davis has been discovered to be Saint Potter's twin sister. The media claims she died at the hands of my aunt, _this is false."_ Said Draco firmly, to which he received a soft gasp from the only female among them as she clamped a delicate hand over her agape mouth.

"And what might I ask would compel any of us to believe you?" Blaise inquired flatly, fixing him with a bored, half-lidded gaze. Honestly he couldn't care less whether or not Darcey Potter was alive, he found the information irrelevant and doubted it. Anyone who stood off against Bellatrix Lestrange was as dead as anyone could get.

"She is right here in the castle as we speak doing what she does best, blending in with the shadows, going about unnoticed like a snake in tall grass." Draco hissed, leaning forward and propping his elbows on his knees with his clasped hands supporting his pointy chin as he slowly gauged each of their reactions. Blaise seemed to become slightly more alert, his amber eyes widening with intrigue, Daphne look elated, glad to hear that her dorm mate had survived, it gave her a small sense of hope, and Theodore remained stoic though his emerald eyes now glistened with intense curiosity.

"_Prove it_." Blaise arrogantly challenged, his dark eyes narrowing upon the pale aristocrat.

"Tonight." Said Draco smugly. "Shrieking Shack at midnight, don't be late. " He commanded with a victorious smirk, knowing he had won.

* * *

Darcey leaned against one of the misty windows of the greenhouses, gazing upon the small cluster of classmates standing before her. She had told Zacharius of her ambitions to form a secret society of young rebels to fight behind the scenes against _You-Know-Who_ and the boy seemed quite eager to assist her as she appealed to the coward in him, promising that her group would be much less flamboyant than her brother's had been. Hers was a group for anyone turned off by the bluntness of Dumbledore's Army, now led by Neville Longbottom, and for people who did not want to be punished for retaliating against the Dark Lord. Hers shared similarities with Dumbledore's Army solely in cause but Darcey's group gave up the glory in exchange for their ensured safety. No one would give them notable applaud for doing the right thing and fighting for the right side when this was done and over, but that did not matter as they did not seek fame, they just wanted to see Voldemort destroyed and were willing to do their part in order to help defeat him so long as their lives and the lives of their loved ones remained not at risk.

"Thank you all for taking the time to assemble here this evening." Darcey began, speaking clearly like a leader should and doing her best to radiate an air of confidence without seeming too smug.

All eyes bore into hers as she pushed off against the moldy wall and sauntered through a curtain of lush, long vines to meet them where they sat at one of the long greenhouse tables covered with various plants and similar specimens with the occasional pair of worn gloves and rusty shears scattered about.

"Let's start by going around the room and introducing ourselves and if you'd like tell us why you have chosen to come here." Darcey suggested with a small smile in order to appear friendly and lighten the somber atmosphere.

Rain pelted lightly against the windowpanes surrounding them and occasional bright flashes of lightning penetrated the gloomy, gray sky.

"Well I'll start us off then, yeah?" Zacharius suggested after an awkward silence had fallen over them and it seemed no one else was eager to speak up.

"The names Zacharius Smith, I'm a pureblood who doesn't believe in pureblood supremacy. I'd like to live in a world where we're all treated as equals. I joined Dumbledore's Army in my fifth year though I eventually fell out from it, didn't quite share the same values as most of Potter's friends and I lacked the reckless courage they all seemed to possess. I'd still like to make a difference in the war, I'd just rather work in the shadows, behind the scenes where I'm not going to get myself killed..."

"What values are you speaking of exactly, if you don't mind me asking?" Darcey inquired politely from the head of the table where she stood, her green eyes peering down at him intently.

"They kept things very hush-hush between them, I felt I wasn't treated as an equal, like the Gryffindors saw themselves as above the rest of us. They'd never answer my questions and were sometimes quite rude about it." Zacharius sulked.

"I heard you received a bat bogey hex last year from Ginny Weasley for pestering her about what went on at the Ministry when You-Know-Who had returned, is that what you mean by rudeness, Smith?" Megan Jones, a haughty Hufflepuff snickered, casting him a cheeky grin.

"Sod off, Jones. You can go next, you git." Zacharius grumbled moodily, crossing his exposed, toned arms over his chest as his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

"I'd love to." Megan countered, tilting her chin up a little higher in confidence. "Megan Jones, half-blood who's rubbish at dueling, hence why I didn't join the D.A. I'm wicked at Potions, though. I'm hoping I can put it to good use here."

"Of course, I'm grateful to have you." Darcey replied honestly, knowing she could indeed find use for her.

"Might as well go down the line then." She suggested pointing to the burly bloke beside Jones with a slightly pudgy face, flushed cheeks and curly, chestnut, brown hair that was elegantly sculpted away from his face. Dark rings encircled his amber eyes and he looked like he could use a great deal of rest as he reclined back, teetering on his chair and looked on the verge of nodding off at any moment.

"The names Marcus, Marcus Belby. Of Ravenclaw, obviously." He gestured lazily to the royal blue crest depicting a bronze eagle on his robe. "I'm a half-blood who got mistaken as a mud-blood over the holiday. I was abducted by filthy Snatchers while shopping in Diagon Alley. They took me…" He paused, his gaze moving to the floor and he suddenly looked as if it were almost too painful for him to carry on as he shuddered.

"They hexed me." He continued. "Roughed me up pretty badly. I was practically blind, couldn't see much of where they took me except I remember the driveway. Tall cement walls aligned it and the ground was paved with gravel, I could hear our footsteps crunching loudly as they pushed me along like some sort of death anthem. It seemed endless as if we'd walked an entire mile until we'd finally reached the door and they locked me away like some sort of criminal in the cold, dingy cellar. There were others kept prisoner, too, though we mostly kept to ourselves, didn't talk much out of fear. No one wanted to be punished."

"That's awful." Megan spoke up softly from beside him while Marietta Edgecomb rubbed soothing circles over his shoulder, giving him the courage to continue.

"I dunno how long they kept me there. It was completely lightless and freezing cold. I didn't sleep much and time seemed to go at an excruciatingly slow pace. One day somebody came down, it was that notorious werewolf scum, Greyback, who I recognized from the Daily Prophet. I was completely terrified, thought for sure I was dead but he didn't kill me…"

"It's okay." Marietta whispered, still rubbing his back.

"What happened?" Zacharius asked, needing to know more.

"He bit me." Marcus finally answered once he'd willed the strength within him to speak.

"No way. _Blimey._ I hadn't known that." Wayne Hopkins spoke from the other side of the table, peering at him from behind his round spectacles.

"The bastard plagued me with lycanthropy. That's right." He nodded at Megan beside him who had let out a loud gasp

"I'm a bloody werewolf now. That's why I've joined. I want to see Greyback dead, along with his deranged master." Marcus vowed, his jaw set hard and fist clenched on either side of his lap. He was deadest on seeking revenge.

"I can help you obtain your rightful vengeance." Said Darcey, staring at him intensely. He looked back up at her, meeting her piercing gaze while swallowing thickly as he struggled to steady his raging, turbulent emotions of grief, resentment and bitter anger.

"That would be great." He gruffly replied, his lips morphing into a deeper frown as he continued to regard her. "But how do you intend to take down the most powerful dark wizard of the century? What makes _you _so special?"

"I agree with Belby." Spoke Isobel MacDougal, a skeptical Ravenclaw. "You show up here from out of nowhere, an exchange student from Beaxbaton and already you think you run this place." She observed coldly.

"I'm glad you've said that, MacDougal. You've given me the perfect opportunity to introduce myself." Darcey grinned in amusement, anticipating the shock and disbelief that was to come as she pulled out her wand and pointed it at her temple and spoke the counter charm to her glamor. "_Aperio Larva_"

Her eyes turned from spring green to ebony, darkening her features and giving her face a severe effect.

"My hair and eyes have permanently changed from the use of extremely potent and powerful dark magic, but can any of you recognize me?" She wondered, casting a new temporary glamour to convert her eyes to blue and darken her hair so that she resembled her old self. "I'll give you all a hint, I've made the front cover of the Daily Prophet but before that I was a nobody, an invisible, mundane Slytherin."

A table full of eyes narrowed up at her, taking in her appearance carefully and trying to process whom they were supposed to be looking at. Most came up empty apart from the bright and observant Ravenclaw, Marietta Edgecomb.

"You're Darcey Davis. We were partners a few times in Potions." She replied, her tone awestruck. "You've been in the Daily Prophet all summer, is it true then what they are saying?" She inquired, her brown eyes glimmering with excitement as she realized she was now practically in the presence of a celebrity if she was indeed related to _The-Boy-Who-Lived_

"Yes." Darcey answered with pride. "I am the sister of Harry Potter, the chosen one."

"You're the _un-chosen_ one." Said Marcus Belby, paling white as if he had just seen a gruesome ghoul. "_But you're supposed to be dead, you are. How is it that you're standing here before us, all alive and well?"_

"I escaped with my most trusted friend, Draco Malfoy from his home over the summer. With his help I fled from Bellatrix Lestange." Said Darcey, granting them the truth.

"Impossible, she's highly lethal." Belby argued in utter disbelief.

"I'm here aren't I?" Darcey snapped, gesturing with her hands to her body. _"I lived."_

"But how did you manage that? Even with Malfoy's help, two students, there's just no way-" Megan Jones protested.

"Malfoy betrayed his family to save me. We escaped partly because of sheer luck, I'll admit but also because we were skilled duelists. We both have prior knowledge in the Dark Arts and have successfully used it to our advantage. I can teach all of you how to defend yourselves with equal magic that your opponents are likely to use. It isn't fair that you each have an unfair disadvantage and I firmly believe that dark magic can be used for good, if used in defense against evil." Darcey proclaimed passionately, gazing around the room at her peers who to her relief seemed mostly motivated and moved by her speech.

"Now, who's in?" Zacharius asked from beside her, flashing a charming smile to his classmates as if this would further persuade them just because a handsome boy had said so.

"I am in." Said Marcus Belby instantly, looking extremely determined, his amber eyes met her coal-black ones without any trace of doubt, hesitation or fear.

"Anyone else?" Zacharius inquired, looking slightly nervous at the silence they were receiving from the others as they pondered their decision.

"This isn't a cult. Just because I'm a Slytherin doesn't mean I'm trying to be some Dark Lord want to-be. I am Potter's sister, we share the same noble genes I just like to think that I'm cleverer at going about victory." Darcey mused before her expression sobered up.

"So this isn't about joining _me_ it's about making the choice to fight alongside the good ones and destroy this evil bastard once and for all. We do it safely, intelligently, and slyly. We fight from the shadows and arm ourselves with spells, that if necessary, will save our lives if we are ever forced to duel against Death Eaters." Said Darcey."We aren't going to be known as war heroes, we will be in the shadows but that is alright. So long as we make a difference, we ourselves know what we've done and that should be enough. We don't need the fame and glory those prideful, self-righteous Gryffindors seek out. We don't want to die a martyr. We'd much rather _survive_ through the battle. Who wants to fight with me _wisely _rather than fight with Harry Potter and Neville Longbotoom_ recklessly_?" Darcey asked them all, surveying the small group.

"I do." Declared Marietta Edgecomb after a moment, now swayed by Darcey's motivational words and beaming with excitement.

"I'm in." Said next Megan Jones.

"Me too." Said Isobel MacDougal, and finally the group turned to face the remaining unspoken member, Wayne Hopkins nervously twiddling his thumbs and looking down at his scuffed trainers.

"Hopkins, you in love?" Darcey asked with a charming smile as Wayne slowly glanced up at her, then around at his peers, pushing up his glasses that had slid down the bridge of his long, beak-like nose.

"I'm in." He smiled sheepishly, blushing at the unexpected attention of the four pretty females whose piercing eyes fell upon him at once.

"Wonderful." Clapped Darcey. "Now we make the unbreakable vow." She announced, her tone chipper.

_"What?"_ Choked Hopkins, his widened orbs magnified almost comically by his glasses.

_"An unbreakable vow?"_ Megan inquired, looking to the Slytherin disguised in Hufflepuff robes as if she'd gone mad.

"You've got to be joking, that's dangerous life and death magic. Nothing to play around with." Said Isobel with a deep look of disapproval.

"Think about it, what other way do we have to ensure that everyone keeps their mouths shut? If I'm being tortured for information by the Carrows, or any other Death Eater about our club would you trust me otherwise not to snitch? No. I know I wouldn't, these people are ruthless at prying the truth from their victims and knowing that I will die if I tell them any of your names will keep my mouth clamped firmly closed." Darcey explained intelligently.

"It's the only way to guarantee each of your safety. No one snitches or they die. You can bail out at any time if you don't want to do this, you don't have to fight and participate but you cannot under any circumstance rat out your peers. That is all we are vowing to, total ensured anonymity to each of us."

"I can't. I'm sorry. I don't possess the guts to swear an oath on my life." Admitted Hopkins, turning green.

"Neither can I. It's far too severe. Not an unbreakable vow, anything but _that_." Isobel added, looking extremely pale too with fear.

"Anyone else want to bail out now?" Darcey demanded from the rest of them and it seemed the other four remaining were still with her.

"Good. Now obliviate them." Darcey ordered, stepping in front of the doorway and blocking the quivering Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff from exiting the greenhouse.

"Obliviation is highly advanced magic, if done improperly-" Marietta began to recite textbook facts, being the reasonable one.

"Merlin, save me. Zacharius?" Darcey whined, looking to her new housemate for assistance. He eagerly stepped up to the plate, taking on the first noble task of wiping clean their memories of the meeting.

Darcey's retreating form thanked him as she carefully stepped over the two unconscious bodies at the threshold and left the greenhouse followed by Smith, Jones, Belby, and at last Edgecomb.

"Where are we going now? It's almost past curfew-" Marietta fretted once again, her auburn curls bouncing as she anxiously glanced frantically between the castle and Darcey.

"Trust is prime. Have some faith in me will you? I will do my best to ensure that none of us gets caught by the Carrows, relax, Edgecomb. As to where we are going, we are headed to the Shrieking Shack to meet up with Malfoy and his recruits and have our first _real_ meeting."

"_Slytherins?"_ Marcus cried out, looking utterly distressed, very similar to a ruffled, agitated owl. "_You invited bloody Slytherins!"_

_"I'm_ a bloody Slytherin." Darcey pointedly reminded him, casting him an annoyed glare for his sudden moment of immense stupidity. '_And he calls himself a Ravenclaw.' _she mentally scoffed.

"Right." He muttered, his already rosy cheeks flushing scarlet as he eyed the golden crest on her robes conveying that he had clearly forgotten that she was a snake in disguise as a lamb, or in this case a badger.

"They're not all bad and I'm about to prove it. We'll see which of my dorm mates possesses a noble heart." Darcey declared, having faith in her house, knowing that most Slytherin's were simply misunderstood.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Zacharius grumbled skeptically beneath his breath.

"Up for a bet, Smith?" Darcey arrogantly proposed with a sly grin.

"Hell I am." He enthusiastically agreed. "I bet none other than that pompous prat of a boyfriend of yours shows up."

"Fair enough. I say he brings two." Darcey wagered, extending her hand to shake on it. "And I wouldn't let him hear you referring to him as such, unless you want your arse handed to you in a duel. I'm quite certain he could wipe the floor clean with you." Darcey lightly taunted.

"Rubbish, I could take that wanker any day, any time!" Zacharius protested in outrage.

"Put me in with Smith." Said Marcus from behind her.

"Five galleons to the winner then?" Zacharius proposed, glancing over his shoulder at their newest gambler and casting him a smile of approval for making, in his opinion, the _right b_et.

"Make it ten and you're on." Said Darcey with a determined smirk, putting all her faith in her housemates.

* * *

**A/N:**_ I vow that there will be much more Draco / Darcey interaction in the next chapter. See what I did there? Unbreakable vow, pun, pun, pun. (:_


	29. Chapter 29: Love is Madness

Darcey lead her small group up the creaking, decayed staircase of the Shrieking Shack and was pleased to discover that Draco was indeed not alone, with him were Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini and to her surprise, even Daphne Greengrass.

'_Blimey, Darcey! Look at you!_' Her old dorm mate instantly greeted her, beaming with surprise. 'You really are here.' She said in awe.

'Of course I'm here.' Darcey replied with a small smile, finding Daphne's grin contagious. She then looked over at the other two housemates that had accompanied Draco, her chest swelling with pride. Darcey was pleased with the turn out from Slytherin.

'Hello, Blaise.' Darcey greeted curtly with a nod, acknowledging the veela. 'Theodore, I must admit I hadn't anticipated you coming...'

Theo shrugged. 'Yeah well, this one made it all sound quite appealing.' He said nudging Draco in the shoulder. 'He should be a politician with the way he speaks of things, especially _you_.'

A dull blush swept over her cheeks, barely noticeable as her eyes finally landed upon Draco's form and struggled with the overwhelming urge to embrace him. She knew that doing so would likely embarrass him in front of their peers. Slytherin's were very subtle on the PDA and were the sort to keep their personal affairs private. She couldn't deny she had missed him since the start of term. She felt as if she barely saw him anymore and longed for his company.

'Yes, he's a smooth talker.' Darcey agreed with a cheeky smile, still looking at him as she spoke. 'Very _persuasive_.'

Draco's gray eyes glistened with amusement at the double meaning behind her words and gave her a look and a smirk that said _'Just wait until later when you're mine.'_

An awkward cough interrupted their casual reunion as suddenly Darcey became aware of her classmates still standing behind her on the stairs, patiently waiting to enter the room.

'Well then, since we're all here, first things first, Smith and Belby owe me ten galleons each for losing a prior bet.' Darcey said seriously, moving to stand in the center of the small, dusty and dilapidated bedroom they appeared to be occupying while the rest of the group filed out to sit and stand near the walls.

Zacharius audibly cursed at having lost the hefty gamble and promised to pay her when they returned to the common room. At this Draco cast him an icy glare, silently warning the bloke not to try anything with Darcey. It was bad enough that she had invited the incompetent wanker in the first place without them both acting so bloody cozy, as if they were best mates.

Darcey nodded, accepting his promise as she pocketed the gold coins Belby had given her wordlessly before beginning their meeting.

'Right. Really though, first things first.' Said Darcey sobering up and delving into leader mode. 'The blood oath...'

'_Blood oath?' _Asked Jones.' I thought we were performing an unbreakable vow, Potter?' She protested, not liking anything involving the spill of her own precious bodily fluid, especially shady rituals conducted by equally shady Slytherins.

'I couldn't scare you away right at the start, now could I?' Darcey replied slyly. 'It's all the same really-'

'_It is not at_ _all the same!_' Megan argued, her voice squeaking in fear. 'One involves blood and the other does not.'

'She's right. I too am a bit weary...' Spoke up Marietta Edgecomb softly, looking anxiously between Darcey and Draco.

'Will you lot quit your damn, forsaken _moaning_?' Draco wailed fiercely in agitation, literally rolling his eyes at them as he mentally questioned as to how he would manage to last the rest of the year in the presence of such spineless whiners. 'It's only just a small slice, nothing more than a paper cut. If you can't handle that then get the hell out now, you're utterly useless.' He demanded harshly to which Darcey cast him a disapproving glance that told the others to ignore him.

'_Well, that was endearing_. _Thank you, Draco._' She said flatly, before turning to the address the rest of the group. 'Seriously though, if any of you have a problem with this, now would be a good time to bail out. There's the door.' Darcey gestured with the lazy flick of her pale wrist behind her to the open threshold.

'_No?_ We're all good then?' Darcey confirmed when nobody made any attempt at leaving. 'Okay. Zabini get the chalk. Who has the dagger?' Darcey asked, surveying them.

Draco wordlessly produced a glistening, silver, finely crafted dagger from his cloak. 'Excellent.' Said Darcey, as she watched with excitement as Blaise carefully drew upon the floor a slightly lopsided circle, with the estimated circumference of roughly six feet.

'Now we all stand inside, it'll be a tight fit but I'm sure we can all manage.'

Darcey, Draco, Zabini and Daphne were the first to gather in the center, tightly packed in with the rest of the group looming over their shoulders as they followed suit. She could feel Zacharius' hot breathe against her neck and it unnerved her slightly as she tried to concentrate on what she was doing and not on how claustrophobic she suddenly felt.

'Someone on the outside edge has to seal it.' Ordered Draco loudly, calling over the group while glancing behind him at Marietta Edgecomb who had paled noticeably since arriving. 'I'll do it.' She offered hesitantly.

'Do you know the incantation?' Draco asked, making an effort to sound civil. 'Vinculum' He supplied, annunciating clearly when she had shook her ginger head negative.

'_Vinculum_.' Edgecomb spoke clearly, brandishing her pale, ashen wand towards the floor. The circle around them erupted in flames causing those closest to the back to shriek out in fear and press closer to the bodies in front of them, getting as close as they could to the centre of the sphere.

When they were all awkwardly huddled together Draco held up the dagger for all to see and it glinted in the low light as dusk set upon the land, filtering in through the grimy windows. The room was eerily silent.

'I vow not to speak word to anyone of the identities of the members gathered inside this circle. I will not rat them out, unless I wish to greet death as a consequence. To this I swear.' Draco stated, bringing down the dagger in one swift motion to slice against his pale, outstretched palm. Bright, crimson blood poured from the gash and trailed between his fingers, gathering in small droplets on the floor.

Darcey took the dagger next, now that Draco had stated the vow all the rest of them had to do was say, 'To this I swear.' And then proceed to cut themselves in order to make the blood sacrifice required to honor the vow.

'_To this I swear_.' Darcey breathed, her moss, green eyes locked with Draco's steely, gray orbs as she pressed the blade against her palm, just as he had done and sliced her hand quickly without hesitation. She shook and overturned her hand, sprinkling her blood droplets to mix in the center with his before passing off the dagger to the next person clockwise, Blaise Zabini. When they had gone one by one around the group and everybody had made the blood offering and recited the vow, Darcey spoke the final incantation to seal the oath. '_Aeternus Fidem'_ which meant 'eternal loyalty'. The fire roared to life, the flames licking higher than ever and transformed to a bright, smoldering, blue inferno before quickly dying down and vanishing along with their small puddle of blood. The only traces of a dark ritual having taken place was the white, chalk outline surrounding them that Daphne wordlessly disappeared with a silent 'Scourgify'. The oath had been made and now they were each left feeling significantly more unified. They were really in this together, a brotherhood of sorts.

'That was bloody intense.' Said Jones beneath her breath, gazing around the now seemingly innocent and ordinary room with deep, brown eyes.

'Let's get everyone cleaned up and healed, who else is good at charms?' Darcey ordered, scanning the pale group. Daphne, Marietta and Marcus offered their assistance and claimed members to work on while she turned to Draco who had retreated to a cob-webbed corner of the bedroom, holding his bleeding hand and taken caution not to drip blood on his robes.

'Here, give it.' Said Darcey gently, cupping his large, outstretched hand with uncharacteristic delicacy. She pulled out her wand, pointing it at the wound and muttered _'Vulnera Sanentur_.' a powerful healing charm, the only one she knew of that was often used by Medi-witches in St. Mungo's. Both watched in silence as the cut neatly closed itself before Draco signaled for Darcey to give him her hand. She complied, watching closely as he cast the same charm before stowing away his wand in the deep pocket of his Slytherin robe.

'Thank you.' Said Darcey, examining her healed hand with satisfaction. He wasn't half bad, though she was sure it would leave a faint, silvery scar, the spell was made to heal and erase magical wounds not self-inflicted ones.

'I wanted to talk to you.' Draco began in low tones, his gray eyes peering over her shoulder to ensure that they were still alone and secluded from the others. 'About the detention…'

Darcey noticed the concern glistening in his eyes and did her best to reassure him, not wanting Draco to be in distress worrying about her all night. 'I'll be alright.' She replied evenly with a small shrug, knowing that whatever the Carrows had in store for her was bound to be unpleasant. She could not die, at least she had that going for her, so what was the worst they could do to her honestly? What did she have to fear if not death itself?

'I don't know what they are going to do to you but I know it will be painful. No matter what do not get angry at them and do not resist it, just do as they say and play the part of obedient, little mud-blood. Do you understand?' He asked gravely and at some point during his words he had reached down to slyly grip her hand, intertwining his pale, slender fingers with hers and giving her hand a gentle but firm squeeze. His hand was warm compared to her cool one, her skin was always cold for some reason, she had always had wonky circulation. She relished in the small, comforting contact, appreciating the affectionate gesture. Darcey felt her mood uplift instantly just by having Draco so near and she wanted so badly to kiss him. Instead she squeezed his hand back, casting him a small, reassuring smile and hoped that it would convey the words left unspoken.

'Yes. I understand. Everything will be fine, I promise.' She whispered, though her stomach felt uneasy.

'Stay strong.' Were the last words Draco said to her before releasing her hand once he spotted the group approaching them for instruction on what to do next. They reluctantly backed away from each other putting an unsuspicious amount of distance between them before they glanced over at the group.

'I think that's been enough for one day, what do you say?' Blaise inquired casually, burying his dark hands in the pockets of his trousers.

'Yeah.' Darcey nodded. 'I agree. Let's go back to the castle. We'll meet again next Thursday in the greenhouses. Until then I would like each of you to research a way for us to communicate with each other in secrecy. Of course I don't need to tell you to be careful, be aware of your surroundings and do not make it obvious what you are looking into.'

Already it appeared that the Ravenclaws, Marcus and Marietta's minds were reeling with ideas though nothing instantly came to mind indicated by their silence and puzzled expressions.

'Okay then, until next week and remember no talking to me unless we are completely alone. I cannot draw attention to myself, I need to be as unnoticeable as possible and ceasing to interact all together is the best way for me to do so. Except for Zacharius and Megan, of course, since you two are my housemates it wouldn't be odd at all for people to see us conversing but still, make it subtle, yeah?'

Her peers nodded in understanding before following her back up to the castle. When they were finally out of Hogsmeade and had passed through the slight tingling sensation of the heavy wards placed upon Hogwarts they cast disillusionment charms on themselves to grant them temporary invisibility as they snuck back inside.

They had steered clear of the Entrance Hall, knowing that it would be far too risky and instead entered back inside through the courtyard near the west side of the school. They were just about to split up and return to their designated areas of the castle when footsteps approached them and judging by the sound whoever it was was walking briskly. Neville Longbottom and Ginny Weasley rounded the bend, heading most likely back to Gryffindor tower. The group halted and Darcey pressed herself back against the wall to get out of their way, assuming the others had followed suit when they successfully passed by.

'…Totally barbaric.' Weasley was muttering, nursing her painful and disfigured hands, the thumbs protruding out at odd angles and bruised so severely that it looked as if she were wearing purple gloves. Her face was still blotchy red and eyes puffy from crying and Darcey noticed as she spoke her voice was terribly raspy as if she had just spent hours screaming in agony, which she was certain she had.

'I thought it was only rumored that they were hanging kids from the rafters by their thumbs, now at least we know it is true and can report them to MacGonagall. She'll know what to do.' Said Longbottom, his sleeves rolled up to reveal a series of cuts that looked as if he had been scratched repeatedly by razor, sharp claws.

'She can't do anything, Neville. None of them can.' Replied Ginny, her tone forlorn. 'We just have to endure it until Harry comes back to save us-'

'Shh!' Neville scolded, 'They might hear you.'

'Nobodies around.' She replied softly, casting him a concerned side-glance, clearly unnerved by her friend's sudden paranoia. It seemed the detentions with the Carrows were getting to him, putting him on edge. Of course she didn't blame him, everyone was walking on eggshells these days.

The pair rounded the corner and vanished from view leaving the invisible group alone once more, many of them let out an audible sigh of relief, having held their breath.

'That was close.' A male voice whispered just as another figure rounded the bend and demanded to know who was there, having heard them speak. The group was frozen stiff and the corridor was so eerily silent in that moment that Darcey was sure if she had dropped a pin right then she would be able to hear it drop. Panic rose from her abdomen to her throat, constricting her so tightly that she lost her voice and found herself unable to think let alone speak. Before she could respond, knowing it was her duty as their leader to handle the unfavorable situation and planning to either stun and obliviate Alecto Carrow or Imperio her to return from which she came, Draco's voice bounced off the stone walls as he spoke up suddenly, releasing himself from the charm so that Alecto Carrow now held full view of him.

'My apologies, professor.' Said Draco smoothly. 'I was just heading back to the dungeons.'

'What were you doing out in the first place, boy?' The stout and menacing witch demanded, brandishing her dark, crooked wand.

'I snuck out.' Draco admitted truthfully when nothing else logical came to mind. 'I went to the Hog's Head, needed a breath of fresh air, if you know what I mean. '

'No I do not.' Carrow snapped crossly, examining him with beady, narrowed eyes.

'I just thought that it would be alright, considering what house I belong to...' Draco continued arrogantly, gesturing to the emerald crest on his school robe.

Alecto followed his hand before her gaze darted back up to his pale, pointed face and her scowl deepened, clearly infuriated with his smug display of entitlement.

'I'm afraid you were severely mistaken, Mr. Malfoy. I do not tolerate any misbehavior, including from Slytherins. You will get no special treatment here, unlike at home.' The Death Eater replied icily, referring to him being, in her opinion, a spoilt, little brat whose parents handed him everything on a silver platter, she despised his family's wealth and rank in the Dark Lord's army, though with Lucius Malfoy's failure at the Ministry and Draco's failure to murder the late headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, last spring she, like so many, were outwardly pleased with the families demotion and downfall.

'Detention tomorrow at six in my classroom. Do not be late.' She barked. 'Now get back to bed.'

Darcey watched Draco and Alecto's retreating figures, headed in opposite directions and waited until the vile woman was completely gone before hissing for Smith and Jones to come with her back to the Hufflepuff basement. She was both grateful and furious that Draco had nobly decided to handle things on his own and 'take one for the team', mainly because now she felt the same fear and concern he had felt earlier towards her. Darcey did not want him to have to endure a detention with the Carrows, even if that meant that he had in turn saved the entire fate of the group. It would only make it that much more difficult for her to remain in character as a fearful, docile muggleborn if she were now forced to watch her lover being senselessly tortured. She wasn't sure she had it in her to remain silent and stand by and do nothing to save him. In this way they were extremely different, Draco had watched her undergo torture on two separate occasions and had been utterly useless but Darcey was fiercely loyal when someone gained her trust and affection and she knew it would literally tear through her to see him undergo such excruciating pain.

The three Hufflepuff's lifted their charms when they entered the lightless common room and Darcey had been paying close attention all week to exactly which barrels her housemates had been tapping to avoid another vinegar fiasco.

'I know you are worried.' Said Jones, quickly discovering that the shorter, more healthy looking brunette lacked a filter and was extremely outspoken.

Darcey arched a brow, feigning confusion and doing her best to appear indifferent. Zacharius sat on the arm of the couch beside them, watching their interaction with mild interest.

'Don't act daft. I know you fancy him; it's terribly obvious, the way you two gaze at each other like distant, star-crossed lovers reuniting after decades apart. You're in _love_.' Megan observed, waggling her eyebrows in a cheeky fashion.

'We are not.' Darcey objected much too soon, looking suspicious but she meant it. She honestly wasn't sure what they were but she was almost certain that love wasn't it. There had to have been another term for their relationship but nothing but complicated came to mind, causing her to frown.

'Aw, Smith look at that the snakey wakey's in denial.' Megan teased in good nature, grinning at the taller girl.

'Seriously, we're not. I dunno what we are exactly. Friends I suppose, just close friends is all.' Darcey argued, her brow furrowing as she began doubting herself. The notion Jones was proposing was utterly ridiculous, Draco Malfoy was not capable of love and if he were it certainly wasn't for her. She was Darcey, just Darcey, plain and ordinary, someone for him to shag to cope with the stress of the war bearing down on their teenage shoulders. They were too young for this kind of lifestyle, living in such dangerous and dark times were bound to put years of maturity on just about anyone. Without each other as a release they'd surely go mad. That was all they were, complicated, just as complicated, in fact, as their lives at the moment. They didn't have time for love and even if they did, loving in the midst of a ruthless war was far more dangerous than fighting in it. A battle scar would mend but never a broken heart if they were to ever lose each other. No, they were not in love. That was foolish and mental. Darcey and Draco were both smarter than that, they had even been mindful to set clear and firm boundaries as to prevent something like this from ever happening...

Besides, Darcey was not even sure she was capable of such a warm, radiant emotion. She had never experienced love, never truly. She had spent her whole life searching for it, at first looking for it in her birth parents whose identities had been for years a mystery to her, but she quickly gave up on them when she realized that they had not wanted her and therefore did not love her, so it was foolish to look for love there. Even now she couldn't receive love from them though she discovered they would have wanted her, because Lily and James Potter were both dead and had been for over a decade. Then Darcey sought out love from her adoptive family, forming close relationships to them and even showing affection but it felt hollow somehow and she could never truly find unyielding acceptance there. So searching for love within Draco Malfoy would be fruitless, a disappointment just like the others and Darcey wasn't sure her tattered soul could handle any more rejection. He did not love her, he would never love her and so it was best if she let go of the ludicrous hope now before she got hurt.

'It will be alright. Just keep telling yourself it will be over soon, for the both of you. You're a strong girl, you will manage.' Megan was talking again, breaking her from her dizzying and racing thoughts. Why was it that everyone kept assuming her to be so strong? Couldn't they see behind the cold, self-assured mask that it was all a laughable illusion? Darcey was damaged and that made her emotionally fragile.

'Yeah, I'll manage.' Darcey agreed, her tone hollow. 'I'm going to bed, I'll see you both tomorrow morning.' She eagerly dismissed herself, wanting to be alone and escape into her nightmares. Anything was better than this, facing the pain of the truth and before she could over-analyze what she felt for Draco and what he felt for her she decided to shut off her brain and go to sleep.


	30. Chapter 30: We're Chained

Time was at a stand still and everything went black, feelings and thoughts, that was all that was left and she was sure if it weren't for that blasted horcrux keeping her alive she would have been dead by now.

Gladly, she thought, she would have gladly been dead but she wasn't. No, she was still here, lying in the fetal position on the cold, stone floor. So bone chillingly cold, she had never felt anything like it and the stone seemed to consume her, numbing her with ice and she was falling weightlessly through the floor and through the dirt, down to the center of the earth where molten, hot lava devoured her skin and then her muscles and at last her bones until she was only the fire, no longer a human, just the element of fury.

The torture ceased, though only for a moment and her vision was still lightless, her eyes clamped firmly shut and face screwed up in agony as hot tears cascaded down her cheeks. Darcey was breathing, panting, so hard that it was the only sound that echoed through her ears, panting and beating, the steady drum of her heart. It was her anthem of sorrow, reminding her that she could never escape from the pain for she was immortal now. Wasn't this what she had wanted? How foolish she was, she was still in so many ways a naïve child and her impulsivity in striking a deal with the devil only proved so. Darcey had thought she was so mighty, so grand, a powerful, youthful sorceress who would be unstoppable. Voldemort could kill her parents, her brother, and all those she loved but he would never take her. He would never defeat her, she would be his unyielding, brick wall, the girl who was different from the rest, _the girl who lived_ and not just on account of sheer luck. No, Darcey had lived because she had chose to, she had controlled her own destiny and nobody could destroy her now.

_'Wasn't this what I wanted?'_ She thought yet again, her ears still ringing as pain engulfed her once more, this time tearing through her skull. Carrow was attacking her mind now and that was just about the worst torture one could endure.

_'But I'm already mad aren't I? How much more damage can she possibly do?'_ Darcey thought bitterly, clenching her jaw tight and grinding her teeth together as she clutched her searing temples and fought the urge to cry out.

First it was her parents, both sets of them gathered around her hissing at her insults, her worst insecurities, things she secretly thought of herself as.

'You're worthless.' Said her father, Roger first, spitting phlegm at her.

'You're weak.' Said next her mother, Amelia, her eyes glistening with severe disapproval. Darcey wasn't strong like her other children, she was damaged goods.

'You're foolish.' Said her birth father, James. He looked deeply disappointed to have assisted in the creation of such an idiotic girl.

'You're evil.' Said last her birth mother, Lily. Silver tears streaking down her almost transparent face, they were all in phantom form haunting her now, returning from death just to tell her how disgusted they were by her existence.

'I'm not evil.' Darcey whispered. 'I'm not….' She said weakly, doubting herself more than ever.

'I wish you never to have been born. You're an abomination to our memory. You defiled my necklace; you killed my sister, all for power, all for selfish gain. You are not my daughter. You are not my blood. We are so proud of Harry; he's a good boy. He's going to be a hero; he will defeat the Dark Lord and save the world. You are irrelevant.'

'Useless.' Came finally Draco's cold voice and he was now standing before her with them looking very much alive, his silver orbs glaring down harshly at her. 'She's useless.' He said again to the ghosts of her family, gazing around at them all one by one before his eyes fell upon her pathetic heap on the ground once more. 'I could never love you.' He said in disgust.

'Stop!' Darcey shouted, her voice raw from screaming. 'Stop it, please!' She begged.

'I could never love you.' Draco's voice echoed again in her head but the images were gone now and she was pulled back to reality, back to the cold, stone floor of Alecto Carrow's new Muggle Studies classroom.

'Please…' Darcey sobbed, rolling over on her back and finally opening her blurry eyes to peer up at her torturer, hoping that the foul woman would take mercy on her.

'That's quite enough, mud-blood.' Alecto sneered, her dark, beady eyes glaring down at her crumpled form. 'I'm not sure I feel you've adequately learned your lesson yet, what say you, Mr. Malfoy? Has the filthy mud-blood learned her lesson?'

Darcey's eyes very slowly came to rest on Draco's limp form lying a few feet beside her on his stomach, his cheek resting against the grimy ground. Darcey's heart wrenched at seeing him look so belittled, as if he belonged in the dirt and not on a throne in his lovely manor. He was submissive now, broken, his eyes puffy and bloodshot and sweat and dirt streaked across his handsome, sallow face. His hair had curled with dampness and clung to his clammy forehead, his pale, gray orbs glanced over at her with defeat. In that one brief look she saw the sorrow and pain reflecting in Draco's eyes and knew that something was horribly wrong. Draco Malfoy never appeared this exposed, this vulnerable, showing what he felt in his eyes, on his face, in his actions. The mask was destroyed and all that remained was a broken seventeen-year-old boy who loathed himself for making all the wrong choices because he lacked the courage needed to make the right ones.

'No.' Draco hissed, his voice raspy and hoarse from strain. He had been screaming too, Darecy now realized, though she hadn't taken notice before so consumed in her own pain. She wondered what images had flooded his mind, what berating insecurities plagued him. Then she had registered what he had said, _'No.'_ His whisper resounding in her head much louder than before and her bloodshot, emerald eyes widened in fear as she felt an unbearable pang of agony pierce through her chest that wasn't caused by the torture curse. She felt utterly betrayed and her face had to have shown it because Draco couldn't bear to look at her any longer and turned away like a coward in guilt just as the curse consumed her once again and her haunting screams echoed through the empty classroom.

* * *

Darcey wasn't sure how long she had been lying there but it felt like an eternity. The sky was black, which meant that it was nighttime, she only knew this from the absence of light in the deserted classroom. Alecto Carrow had left them, alone, cold, and broken on the floor like they were scum and not people. Draco hadn't moved beside her and she faintly wondered if he was even conscious. Anger pierced through her, burning in her chest as she finally managed to croak, _'You bloody coward!'_

A cool hand reached out to tenderly stroke her arm and she shied violently away from it, revolted by the contact. It seemed him touching her finally gave her the strength needed to get up as Darcey sprang from the ground and gripped a nearby desk to steady herself as her vision and body both swayed. When she reopened her eyes to face him, still battling the intense dizziness which was lessening more and more with each passing second Draco was standing in front of her, his face screwed up in a heavy frown and bright eyes glistening with immense guilt.

'_I'm sorry. Darcey, it would have looked suspicious had I not-'_

_'Shut up!'_ She roared, reaching with shaking hands into the deep pocket of her Hufflepuff cloak and brandishing her wand at him, pointing it at the center of his heaving chest. 'I don't want to hear it. We're through, over.' She snapped. 'Whatever demented friendship's formed between us is meaningless. I never want to see you again, Malfoy. I have no further use for you.' Darcey growled, her words poisoning him like the venom of a basilisk. Draco looked both enraged and deeply hurt, her words had clearly struck him hard as he seemed to take a long moment to recover from the blow, enough time for Darcey to make it to the door and thrust it violently open, disappearing into the empty corridor.

'Don't you dare come after me you useless git!' She shouted in disgust as she saw Draco rushing towards her, having now recovered from the sting of her declaration. He looked only enraged now, his silvery orbs glinting like steely, hot magma. Draco had drawn his wand also and both lovers pointed it threateningly at the other, waiting to see who would attack first. They were at a standoff; two poised vipers ready to strike, both equally lethal.

_'You have no further use for me, eh?' _Draco repeated her words, spitting them back at her. _'Explain yourself, Potter, before I hex you._'

'Are you really that daft?' Darcey sneered with a dark chuckle. 'I've been using you, Draco. Since the moment I discovered that you were a Death Eater. I've been playing you like a pawn and you made it so bloody easy!'

'How? How do you figure you've played me?' Draco demanded angrily, his pale eyes nearly glowing in the dark, reflecting in them the orange glow of the flickering sconces, tinting his eyes a scary red.

'You were my ticket in, to gain the Dark Lord's loyalty, to show him I was nothing like my brother. Having a Death Eater ally held its advantages. Surely a Death Eater wouldn't befriend the Chosen One's sister unless she was on his side of the war. I fooled you just as I fooled your master. I've never been on You-Know-Who's side; it's always been Harry whom I've been loyal to, even now. I'd still choose to save my brother over you in a heartbeat. You mean nothing to me. You've played your role well and have helped me succeed to where I am today_. Immortal, powerful, strong_, all these things you helped me become. The Dark Lord now conveniently thinks I'm dead thanks to you, _love_ and your pathetic family remaining loyal to you. I have followers now, other people beside you to help me on my road to vengeance. I've even made a horcrux, sealing my protection. All this has fallen into place so very nicely and all the while I got a decent shag out of it.' Darcey smirked, feeling smug as if she had finally triumphed over her childhood bully, over the boy she had once despised and in that moment still despised as the hatred reemerged.

Her anger tainted her reasoning and she wasn't sure what was truth and what was lie anymore, it was all too tangled, a complicated web. Perhaps what she had just told him had been all a lie created out of bitter rage or perhaps it was true and she had merely forgotten it somewhere along the way as she grew closer to him, closer than she should have and her feelings distracted her from the truth, that she was just supposed to be using Draco Malfoy and not falling in love with him. Or perhaps it was both, an exaggerated lie that was partly true, at least in the beginning, that it had been Darcey's intention to use the bully for her own security and personal gain but had she really been using him consciously all along?

No. The answer was no, she knew what she had said was all a lie and she wasn't sure when exactly she had stopped using Draco Malfoy and started developing genuine feelings towards him but it had happened sometime a while ago and she was only lying to him now in a successful attempt at hurting him. She wanted revenge, to hurt him in an equal way that his actions back in the classroom had hurt her.

'Your lying.' Draco challenged firmly, his fists clenching to grip tighter to his wand, his pale knuckles turning ghostly white.

'Don't act as if you know me.' Darcey spat.

'And who's to say I haven't been using you as well while shagging Pansy on the side? It's been fun fucking the glorious Saint Potter's sister, I can't wait to tell him all about how you moaned for me, ate my prick like an obedient, little whore.' Draco sneered, wearing his own look of triumph though his eyes still blazed with anger, sorrow, and pain at all she had said to him.

_'Reducto!'_ Darcey bellowed, finally being the first to lash out as rage and hurt consumed her. Draco easily blocked the powerful curse, though it pierced through his shield being fueled by the witch's fury and caused him to stagger back slightly when he was hit with the force.

_'Is that all you've got? Pathetic, Potter!'_ Draco taunted, still locked in a defensive dueling stance and waiting for her next move, though it never came.

'You know what.' Darcey said calmly, lowering her wand by a fraction while glaring at him. _'You're not even worth it, Malfoy. You're not even worth my time. '_ And with that Darcey pivoted briskly around, turning her back to her opponent and began to walk away, confident that he wouldn't dare curse her. His feelings were obviously genuine and not even for a moment had she ever considered his words to be true. Draco wouldn't have risked so much for her if he hadn't cared for her, he wouldn't have betrayed his own family…

Darcey nearly gasped, the truth just then colliding with her like a ton of bricks and she stopped dead in her tracks, frozen in fear, her heart still racing with adrenaline as realization dawned on her. _'Draco loves me, how couldn't I have seen it before? How could I have been so utterly blind?'_ She thought.

Darcey very slowly twirled back to face him, her cloak swinging around her. Draco still stood in the spot she had left him clutching his wand drawn at her just in case she changed her mind and came back for more, he had too much pride not to protect himself but he had made it clear that he wasn't going to initiate the duel, he didn't want to fight her. '_Because he loves me.' _Darcey thought in awe, the shadow of warmth spreading through her aching chest.

For a long moment they simply stared at each other, neither one making a move to speak. Draco now looking a bit apprehensive and confused while still visibly fuming and Darcey's features mysteriously softening, putting Draco much more on edge in the presence of the moody witch. He wondered if it were her time of the month, perhaps that would explain her sudden shift in demeanor. Women were bloody mental when menstruating.

'Do you love me?' Darcey asked curiously, her green eyes glistening with mixed emotions, one of them being eager anticipation.

Draco's gray eyes widened by a fraction and his mouth parted slightly as his tongue darted out to flick against his dry, chapped lips. _'What?'_ He asked, his tone hollow and laced with unease.

'Do you love me?' Darcey repeated calmly, her tone neutral, trying to sound as aloof as possible.

Draco seemed to not know what to say and in turn remained silent for a long time as they each absorbed one another. Finally Darcey spoke up, breaking the intense stillness that had fallen over them.

'I didn't mean it, what I said before… at least it only started out that way and then… something changed.' She said carefully, not wanting to confess her own feelings for him unless he did so first, it was a stubborn Slytherin pride thing. She did not want to appear weak and wouldn't be the first to cave in.

'I get why you did what you did.' Darcey admitted, though her tone remained bitter. 'I'm supposed to be some mud-blood stranger to you, someone whom you don't give a damn about and you were just playing your part, though in my opinion too well…'

'I had to. She would have done it regardless of what I had said; I was only making it easier for the both of us. It would have went on until we broke, you know how ruthless they are-'

'I think you _were_ broken.' Darcey said boldly, matter of fact, though she didn't sound smug, instead disappointed. 'I think you gave in and did what was expected of you because you couldn't take anymore pain, even if it was at my expense, which confuses me… You're so hard to read, Draco. Most of the time you act as if you don't care about me, or at least not any more than you would any random, old girl you were shagging, but then at other times… I am left to question, perhaps you feel more for me and you're just rubbish at showing it because we're both horrible at these kind of things, at emotions and feelings and putting ourselves out there only to risk being vulnerable...It goes against our nature to love...'

'Do you love me, Darcey?' Draco asked quietly, looking fearful and Darcey wasn't sure which answer he was more terrified of and once more left to question their complicated relationship and where they stood, it was impossible to know for certain unless one of them mustered up the immense courage needed to be honest and confess their true feelings. A bravery neither of them posessed at that moment, two retracting snakes curled up in a tightly wound ball, hiding from the dangerous threat placed before them.

'I dunno.' Darcey replied with a noncommittal shrug of indifference. 'I'm going to bed, I'm getting a headache.' She grumbled, turning again to leave.

'Let me walk with you.' Draco suggested, moving to follow her. It wasn't a question; she was aware of it being a command and still didn't resist him although the shadow of anger and sorrow still gripped her.

The pair walked in silence back towards the Great Hall, both lost in their own thoughts and battling with their own deep insecurities, wondering how things had gotten this out of control. When had they fallen in love? How? They had taken all the necessary precautions to prevent this from ever happening…and yet it had.

"Would you really choose your brother over me if both of our lives were at stake?' Draco finally inquired coolly when they neared the oak barrels. Darcey turned to look at him and they both stopped walking to face each other.

'Probably not, can't say for certain though.' Darcey shrugged, her tone aloof in an attempt to toy with him. She was still hurt by his actions and his words as she finally had to ask him the question on her mind, 'Are you really shagging Parkinson?'

Draco paused as if to ponder her question before shrugging just as she had. 'Probably not, can't say for certain though.' He mocked, smirking as Darcey punched him lightly in the shoulder.

'Wanker.' She muttered with a small smile.

Suddenly he leaned in closer, trapping Darcey against the stone wall as he pinned both his strong arms on either side of her shoulders. His lips brushed softly against her neck as he hissed against her, 'Though, she's nothing compared to you. Let's just say you've managed to keep me satisfied enough not to go looking elsewhere…'

Darcey quirked a dark brow, smirking up at him, not at all threatened by his close proximity and the idea of behind trapped beneath him.

'Oh?' She hummed. 'Blimey, Draco, I feel absolutely honored.' She playfully sung, tilting her chin up to better look at him and show him that she remained unaffected by his advances. _He was going to have to try much harder than that to sway her…_

'You should.' Draco replied firmly, matter of fact. 'No one has ever managed to maintain my interest for this long. It seems you're one of a kind.' He breathed, nuzzling deeper into her unruly, blonde hair, pushing back the mane of curls in order to place a trail of sensual, hot kisses down to her collarbone, her blouse stopping his advancements from going any further.

She reached up to cup his cheek, feeling his jawbone twitch beneath her slender fingers. 'Prove it.' She demanded breathlessly though her tone was still firm. 'Make it up to me.'

Draco's intense silver orbs darkened with lust as a devilish smirk spread across his lips and he slid his arms down off the wall and up under her blouse, massaging and groping her perky breasts. Each of his smooth thumbs glided over her nipples simultaneously, causing a sudden spike in her arousal as she tilted her head back to rest against the wall, no longer having the strength to hold it up.

She closed her green eyes and her lips parted to gasp as she felt his hands slither down back over her ribs to grip tightly to her hip bones as his head slipped beneath her skirt and she felt his hot breathe against her most sensitive region, the only barrier between her and his heavenly mouth being her lace knickers.

'Draco, what are you doing?' Darcey asked breathlessly, though she made no attempt to protest. 'We're in the bloody corridor.' She pointed out, a reasonable part of her brain seemed to have reminded her of their exposed location though her companion seemed entirely unfazed as he slipped her underwear down to pool around her pale ankles and pushed outwardly against her upper thighs, signaling for her to part her legs wider to which she complied.

His mouth was instantly against her, at first teasing and almost excruciating as his tongue glided slowly over her folds. She bucked her hips gently against him, hoping to convey her need for more but it seemed he was purposely toying with her as he continued to kiss and lick slowly without rhythm and without hitting that certain sweet spot that sent her reeling.

_'Draco, please.'_ Darcey panted from above him, her head still reclined as her fingers blindly reached down to sift between his silky hair and she gave the blond locks a firm tug, pulling him closer against her.

Finally Draco seemed to have had enough fooling around and granted her the pleasure she had truly deserved, lapping his smooth, wet tongue against her clit while two long fingers thrust slowly inside her, twisting with each pump of increased speed and sending intense ripples of pleasure through her core.

'_Mmm._' She murmured, closing her eyes and relaxing her tense muscles. She clutched the barrel directly behind her to help steady her weakening body, which seemed to melt with the affection he was lavishing upon her, her legs trembled and threatened to give way but she held on not wanting the pleasure to end.

'Merlin, you're amazing.' Darcey breathed out, finally glancing down to see him and the sight of her lover sent another jolt of lust through her abdomen. One large, pale hand held up her wool skirt while the other worked two fingers roughly into her at the perfect pace. Draco's soft lips were pressed against her womanhood as his tongue worked its magic on her, lapping and licking with steady determination and Draco seemed to enjoy devouring her, judging by the groans he emitted every time she spoke or unconsciously thrust her hips against his face with aching desire, finally the sight of him on his knees working so selflessly to please her, as if she were a goddess, sent her spiraling over the edge.

'_Merlin,_ _Draco please-'_ Darcey pleaded as orgasm tempted her, so close, she was so frustratingly close yet it seemed just beyond reach.

Complying with her needy request as if he knew exactly what she was begging for he broke away from her body and stood up, quickly unbuttoning his trousers to free his rock hard prick.

Wordlessly he cupped her hips, lifting her in one swift motion up onto one of the barrels while his lips latched on hungrily to hers and they snogged with longing passion as her knickers fell to the floor and she parted her legs further, wrapping them around his torso as he pressed his half-naked body against her. His prick rubbed into her sensitive folds and seemed to set her skin aflame wherever their bare bodies made contact. Darcey snaked her arms around his neck and tilted her hips up to give Draco better leverage as he easily slid fully inside of her, gripping her arse and pulling her roughly closer to him so that there was no more room left between them. Their lips met once more and their tongues battled for dominance, both just as eager to taste the other as Draco continued to thrust firmly into her, increasing his speed which caused a soft moan to escape Darcey's throat and seep into the kiss as another jolt of pleasure washed over her, making her toes tingle as she flexed them and locked her legs more firmly around his waist. Her sharp nails dug into his now wrinkled shirt and soon she was begging for him, calling out his name in desperate longing, pleading for him not to stop for she needed him so badly.

_'Don't stop.'_ She breathed, burying her faced into the crook of his neck and inhaling the subtle scent of spicy cologne and salty sweat. Showing that he had no intention of doing so Draco only sped up his thrusts, pounding into her with every last ounce of strength he possessed, still aching and tired from the detention but the lust seemed to numb the pain and gave him the energy to carry on shagging her. Their bodies audibly slapped together, echoing through the empty, dark corridor as Darcey became more wet for him and evidence of her arousal gleamed on both of their skin.

_'Darcey!'_ Was all Draco managed, a hiss like plea accompanied by a heady groan as his hips bucked wildly against hers and his thrusts became more jerky and sporadic, signaling his orgasm as he released himself into her tight, hot body.

Being the prideful lover that he was Draco refused to pull away until Darcey was just as equally satisfied and despite the nearly excruciating sensitivity of his tingling prick he continued to shag her, regaining his previous rhythm while ripping her shirt up and latching his mouth onto one of her beautiful breasts, biting gently the nipple before lavishing the soft mound with his tongue while his other hand explored her, groping and kneading her other breast with just enough firmness to send her tipping over the edge at last as euphoric, mind-numbing bliss washed over her, cascading down upon her like searing, hot waves. Darcey flung her head back, her tangled locks brushing against her lower back as a low moan escaped her parted lips as she clung to Draco's disheveled, slightly damp hair and rode out the long, heavenly seconds of her own deeply satisfying orgasm.

Panting, every muscle in her body seemed to unclench and she melted against him, resting her head on his shoulder as his arms snaked around her lower back to hold himself upright as he sagged into her, it seemed they were both equally exhausted and the previous events of the evening had finally caught up to them. Without the distraction of desire Darcey's body burned in all the wrong ways, aching and throbbing in pain.

Suddenly realizing where she was, as her mind cleared and her reasoning returned Darcey pushed Draco gently back so as to give her enough room to hop down off of the barrel and retrieve her discarded underwear lying in the middle of the corridor. Draco seemed to come to his senses as well, quickly yanking up his pants and buttoning them before he worked on flattening the wrinkles in his shirt and readjusting his crooked and loose, emerald tie.

Darcey didn't bother, leaving her tie as is, knowing she wouldn't likely run into any professors since they were already standing outside of her new common room.

'That was fun, as always.' Darcey smirked, watching intently as he finished recomposing himself and came closer to her, wrapping his arms loosely around her waist and giving her one final kiss, softer than the others, giving away just how tired he truly was, his exhaustion seemed to pour into her and she lazily kissed him back, wishing they could both sleep there, summon a bed or something.

'Get some rest.' He instructed quietly, finally pulling away from her.

'Will do. You've adequately sedated me.' She replied cheekily with a tired, half-hearted smirk. Draco seemed pleased with her compliment and smirked too, his eyes glistening with warmth, no longer cold and angry, now soft as snow.

'I do my best.' Draco replied with a yawn, muffled by the sleeve of his cloak.

'Goodnight.' Said Darcey, freeing him. She took a few steps backwards so that the small of her back pressed against the oak barrels and tapped the memorized pattern easily with her wand. The entrance to the common room revealed itself behind her as the barrels parted and with one last look of longing, she slipped inside, leaving her glorious lover.

'Night.' Returned Draco's cool voice, watching her safely go inside before shoving his hands deep into his trouser pockets and strutting towards the direction of the dungeons, his prick still pulsating every so often, reminding him of his encounter with the girl he wasn't sure how he felt about anymore. This was all new to him, feeling this dull ache when they were apart and warmness in his chest when they were. It was strangely foreign to him and unnerved him slightly; unable to understand why he felt this way for Potter's sister and when he'd lost control over his emotions to her. His mask was slipping and she held full view of him, yet she hadn't fled away from the sight. Darcey seemed to accept him for the spineless git that he was and that, above all else, scared him the most. She wasn't afraid of him, which meant she held all the power and what odd things this deranged, lovely witch was doing to him…

* * *

**_A/N:_ **My apologies for keeping you all waiting for so long, I've been extremely addicted to HP role playing (check out my profile for the link to my site) but I have not abandoned this story. I will try to update sooner as nearly two weeks between updates is far too long of a wait. I hope you all are enjoying the story thus far and look forward to more!

\- With love, yours truly, Rachaelewe. (:


	31. Chapter 31: Lion Heart

**A/N: This is it my amazing readers, we are in the final countdown. The end is drawing near.**

_Darcey and Severus Godric's Hollow scene written to the song, 'Digging Shelters' by Neil Halstead. I highly recommend you listen to it, it is quite beautiful._

* * *

It was a dreary Tuesday morning with dark, gray, overcast, December skies looming over Hogwarts castle. Darcey was shuffling out of her Potions class when a firm, pudgy hand latched onto her shoulder and lead her away from the crowd of forlorn students and towards the direction of the library, opposite of where she had originally been headed, to find solitude in her dormitory during her free period.

"Marcus, what are you doing?" Darcey hissed, her tone low in warning. He knew better than to approach her in public so it ought to be good...

"You'll see, be patient. I promise it's of utmost importance that I sought you." The auburn haired boy vowed quietly from beside her, his pudgy hand still clamped securely to her boney shoulder as they wove through the densely crowded corridor. It was in between classes so at least the boy had enough sense to choose that time to openly approach with her, they were now easily concealed, lost in a sea of people and therefore could go about likely unnoticed by the Carrows.

Darcey blindly trusted in her follower, allowing the Ravenclaw to whisk her away. When they passed the Charms classroom she spotted Draco's shock of white-blond hair near the threshold and yanked his arm wordlessly for him to follow with them as she shook her shoulder out of Belby's loose grip.

The dark trio walked in silence, their gaze fixed resolutely ahead of them and not acknowledging each other in any way until they had safely made it to the library and disappeared in a secluded, dark corner near the muggle literature section that nobody visited unless for a forbidden snogging session. Luckily they didn't intrude upon any raunchy couples and were entirely alone.

_"Muffliato."_ Cast Belby in a hoarse whisper, securing even further their privacy before he flung his ebony, leather satchel onto the floor and bent down to rummage noisily through it. Draco and Darcey exchanged a silent glance, conveying their curiosity and skepticism before Belby reemerged between them clutching a large, thick, ancient looking tome with an ornate, brass spine.

"What's this?" Darcey demanded, taking the heavy book from Marcus as he thrust it into her pale, outstretched hands without any sort of proper explanation.

"I marked the page, there it is, right in there." He pointed to the velvet bookmark while craning his neck to watch beside her as she opened the tome to the page marked by a scarlet string and scanned over the paragraph, visibly straining her eyes to make out the small, narrow text. It appeared to be a book of outdated charms from the late 1600s.

"The protean charm. That's our answer." Said Belby, his tone immensely proud. He was obviously pleased with himself and as Darcey read on, with Draco reading closely over her shoulder she became pleased with him as well.

_"Bloody hell."_ Darcey murmured in delight. "This really is it, look Draco." She said happily, pointing to a spot in the middle of the paragraph. "It's a charm that will enable us to communicate in-"

"-Total secrecy." Finished Marcus.

"Where did you retrieve such a useful book?" Draco wondered sounding just as impressed, though his voice held suspicion.

"Nicked it from Flitwick's office. He has loads of ancient spellbooks, ones that haven't been published in centuries. It's old magic, magic that modern society has little to no use for, except us that is." Marcus announced. "The Salem witch trials weren't just in America, they happened here in England too, you know. Muggles hunted our kind and burned them barbarically at the stake, lit 'em on fire like Christmas ham. Witches and Wizards needed a way to communicate in secrecy and so they created this charm to place upon ordinary object, with the flick of a wand scroll text would appear engraved upon the object, displaying the location where they were to meet next and the object would alert them in a subtle way, of course, usually by heating up since it was typical back then to use a small object, easy to conceal, such as an old coin or a pocket watch."

"Or necklace." Darcey proposed, peering between the two boys. Draco cast her a curious look conveying his confusion.

"I have this amulet." Darcey began. "In my trunk. I got it off this hag last year in Hogsmede. We could get more of them and charm them with this spell. They're the perfect guise as they have the added use of protection from creatures of the night. So it wouldn't be strange to be seen wearing one and since they are also sold so close to school, it would make sense that more than one student had purchased one at some point." She devised, feeling genuinely giddy for the first time in a long while. It seemed things were finally looking brighter and everything was falling so smoothly into place.

"That's wicked!" Declared Belbly enthusiastically. "You're right, it's the perfect guise. They'd never suspect it."

"Question is how do we get them?" Draco spoke up softly from beside her, being the voice of reason raining down on their parade. Darcey met his pale, gray orbs with her moss, green ones, a devious smirk spreading over her lips as Belby continued to speak up but she only held eyes for Draco.

"They've banned Hogsmede trips until further notice. We may not go at all this year." He was saying.

"So, we sneak out." Said Darcey simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and not completely mental.

"That's near impossible, not to mention dangerous. If caught there would be severe consequences-" Marcus began to lecture but Darcey quickly cut through him coldly.

"Everything has a severe consequence these days, simply breathe and we're taking a risk. Any of us could die at any moment." She declared passionately, though she knew she herself could not die, but they sure as hell could. "What's a bit more added danger if we're already walking through hell, what's a little more fire?" She pointed out.

"She's right." Came Draco's low tone from beside her, casting her a serious glance. "We'll go. The two of us, tonight." He decided.

_"Tonight? Are you mad? It's not even the weekend-" _Belby wailed.

"Let's do it." Darcey grinned manically, looking a tad bit deranged as the thrill of danger coursed through her. She felt invigorated, more alive than ever just thinking about the prospect of sneaking out of the castle after curfew with her partner in crime.

"It's settled then." Draco replied with a firm nod, casting Belby one last look as if daring him to object. Smartly, he remained quiet until suddenly a bright idea came to mind.

"Wait!" He said just as they had turned to leave. "the Geminio charm, why didn't I think of it before?"

"What about it- _oh!" _Darcey gasped loudly. "_Of course, Merlin, where is my mind?_

"We can just make copies of yours." Draco followed their train of thought and would never admit it but he was now thankful the Ravenclaw had spoken up or else he'd have embarked on a risky trip to Hogsmede for nothing and they hadn't even thought of the possibility of the hag not being there.

"Thank you, Marcus. You have been extraordinarily useful today." Darcey decided, patting the lad awkwardly on the back, meant to be a friendly gesture though coming from a girl so intimidating it only managed to make him flinch.

"It's nothing really." Marcus replied sheepishly, taking back the book Darcey had handed him. "I could even charm the amulets if you'd like, the spellwork's a bit complicated- not to say that you couldn't manage-" He stammered, fearful that he had offended her with his offer.

"That would be wonderful." said Darcey calmly. "I'll drop them in your bag tomorrow afternoon during Potions, then you'll return it to me the same way and if you could, I'd like you to divvy them out to the others, I'll of course pass along Draco's, Zacharius's and Megan's." She proposed, feeling that Draco had put himself in enough danger this term and had proven his loyalty. She didn't want him getting caught handing off Daphne and Blaise their amulets, Marcus could be the one to risk that.

The werewolf merely nodded in agreement, swallowing thickly as Darcey and Draco left him behind.

As they made their way to their next class, one of the few they shared together, Dark Arts with Amycus Carrow, the pair ran into quite literally a cool, misty phantom occupying a deserted second floor corridor.

"The Bloody Baron." Greeted Darcey, peering up at the desolate, Slytherin house ghost that she had not seen since around this time last year when he warned her of delving into the Dark Arts. She realized that he had been right in all that he had wisely told her but she had been too ignorant back then to appreciate all that he had said, though she certainly did now.

"May I have a moment to speak to you?" Darcey inquired softly as the silvery, medieval ghost passed by without acknowledging the students, he was used to seeing people roam the corridors, it was nothing out of the ordinary. His hollow eyes landed on Darcey's as she spoke up, bringing him out of whatever thoughts plagued him eternally.

_"Hmph_, It's you, I see. The girl who believes that she knows it all. Meddling into the Dark Arts, contemplating murder and ignoring the wisdom of her elders. I have no desire to waste my time in the presence of _fools_." He spat cruelly, gliding past her.

"You're right. I was a fool. Everything you told me I should have listened to. I offer to you my sincerest apologies. Please, grant me a small moment of your time." Darcey pleaded, her green eyes laced with deep regret as she watch the Baron halt in front of the stone wall he was about to pass through. He turned to face them, his silvery shackles rattling noisily as he did so, a symbol of his penitence.

_"Speak._" He ordered coldly and she knew she only had a few short moments before he'd lose patience and leave.

"We're plotting the Dark Lord's downfall." She confided in him truthfully and Draco made a hiss-like sound of objection beside her, probably seeing it as unwise to tell the ghost something that could surely get them both killed should the Bloody Baron decide to repeat the information directly to the Carrows, but Darcey trusted him, acting solely on her intuition to help guide her in that moment of opportunity.

"We need a place to train up a small army, to practice defensive spells. Do you know of any such place?" She inquired hopefully.

"There's a mysterious chamber high up on the seventh floor-"

"Besides the Room of Requirement, We've witnessed Gryffindors occupying it and I don't think they're open to sharing it." Draco scowled darkly and at the mention of despised Gryffindors, the Bloody Baron seemed even more resolute on helping them.

"There is one other such place that comes to mind. Another chamber, hidden deep beneath the castle, constructed by Salazar Slytherin himself many centuries ago..." Said the Bloody Baron in a hushed, conspiratorial tone.

"The Chamber of Secrets, but hasn't it been closed off since Harry Potter reopened it a few years ago? I was certain that Dumbledore-" Darcey argued but was cut off by the hot-tempered ghost.

"Dumbledore cannot close off such a chamber, for it is not his to destroy, though I'm certain that he had tried. It is leaden with impenetrable, substantial, powerful magic by Slytherin so that it cannot be access by anyone other than his heir, in other words, a parseltongue." Said the Baron.

"Do you know any parseltongues?" Darcey asked, turning to address her blond haired companion who's face was scrunched up in heavy thought.

"No." He admitted with a huff of disappointment.

"You're in the presence of one now, daft children." The Baron sneered, lifting his chin up higher in pride while straightening out his soiled, blood-stained robes.

_"Brilliant! Can you get us in then?"_ Darcey beamed.

"I can do much better than that, lass. I can teach it to you, the language of my ancestors." The Baron hissed, leering down at her. "But for a hefty price… I want you to vow to me that your intentions are pure. That what you lot are doing is all in a noble effort to destroy whom those frighteningly refer to as the _Lord of Darkness_'"

"Yes." Darcey breathed firmly. "I can assure you that we seek to destroy him."

"Prove it." The phantom challenged with narrowed, silver orbs. _"Vow to it." _He hissed.

And with that Darcey bravely stepped up to the plate to do whatever was required of her to grant them his devoted allegiance and thrust out her cool, pale hand to clasp around his transparent one. Glancing around to ensure they were sill alone in the corridor, Draco brandished his wand, prepared to be the witness required to perform the Unbreakable Vow between the two parties feeling a mix of anxiety and dread, knowing that is was not only dangerous but completely mental to make more than one Unbreakable Vow and Darcey had as of now made two, one with her followers and one with the sly ghost. Though she radiated an impressive air of confidence that Draco both admired and scorned. She was foolish, impulsive and reckless, more so than anybody he had ever met in his entire life and her courage in that moment could have rivaled that of her glorious brother's Saint Potter. Perhaps those Gryffindor genes truly did exist somewhere deep within her, repressed and finally budding. Or maybe each of them possessed deeply hidden, inner bravery that only emerged in the most desperate times of need. Though, Draco had yet to discover the powerful trait residing within himself.

* * *

The next morning Darcey watched from her position curled up in an ebony armchair near the crackling hearth as slowly and steadily the Hufflepuff common room emptied as the students returned eagerly home for the holiday. Darcey, of course, would be amongst the very few remaining inside the castle, along with students like Marcus Belby, who like her, hadn't a family to go home to anymore. She had been almost posititve that Draco would be lagging behind as well, until he received an out of the blue, unexpected letter from his mother, Narcissa the previous week practically begging him to come back home. Draco hadn't confided in her the specific details of the letter and she was thankful, not wanting to listen through Narcissa's intolerable moaning of how her sweet, baby boy had abandoned her and betrayed his own flesh and blood and how worried she was for his safety and also most likely cursing him for ever having gotten mixed up with that_ 'wretched half-blood, Darcey Potter in the first place.'_ or something similarly degrading for Draco's mother had made it known how much she despised the young witch, but what Darcey hadn't figured was that Draco would give into his mother's request and venture home that Christmas holiday.

_"Are you completely mental? It's far too dangerous, Draco and what if she doesn't allow you to return back to Hogwarts? I need you here. There is still so much to do."_ Darcey had told him. She had enough to worry about on her plate as it was and did not need to be fretting over him too, not knowing if his aunt Bellatrix was currently torturing him for his betrayal or if his parents were starving him, or worse, if Voldemort changed his mind and doubted their word that Darcey was dead and came back to murder Draco as revenge.

"She'll send me back, I know she will." Draco had seemed unfazed, completely certain otherwise. "It would be the safest place for me to be in the midst of the war, even with the Carrows, and she only wants what's best for me so if she's wise then she will see that returning to Hogwarts is the ideal option." He told her and that was enough to silence her, surely she wouldn't go _begging_ him… Darcey had thought bitterly, if he wanted to go home to his _precious__ mummy_ than so be it.

"It is only a fortnight, it will go by fast enough." He reassured her, brushing back a lock of her unruly hair that stubbornly fell back into her eyes as she refused to meet his pale, wintry orbs, just as turbulent and gray as the cirrus clouds above them as she crossed her weedy arms lightly over her chest, making it clear that she was displeased with him.

His warm lips ghosted over her temple before he told her goodbye once more and gripping the brass handle of his school trunk made his way over to one of the grand, limestone fireplaces aligning the Great Hall and took the floo network back home. Darcey watched with a dull aching in her chest as the familiar, emerald flames devoured him and at last moment, not wanting them to part on bad terms in case it was the last she saw of him, she raised her pale hand and waved farewell, calling out, "_Please, be safe!_" Just as he vanished from sight and she was left alone in the deserted dining room.

That lonely night Darcey lie awake tossing and turning with restless unease, knowing that within moments it would be the one year anniversary of the day that changed her life forever and had defined her as a person, making her the witch she was today, the betrayal and abandonment of her family and the death of her brother, Roger.

A pang of immense sorrow gripped her, clutching her cold heart with a firm, unyielding, iron grip as the low, reverberating chimes of the grandfather clock echoed into the hollow dormitory, signally the arrival of midnight. As of then officially one year had passed commemorating her rebirth of sorts, and in those long, dreadful moments as the ancient clock struck precisely twelve times in a row, Darcey recalled the previous year and all that had happened, the fortunate and the unfortunate.

Darcey exhaled a heavy sigh, feeling more depressed than ever as she allowed herself to feel the emotions that she had been repressing for twelve whole months as the first of many tears rolled slowly down her cheek as she turned over, clutching her pillow firmly against her aching chest and wishing it were someone, anyone real, to offer her support in those desolate moments of agonizing guilt and harrowing regret. Darcey let out a barrage of muffled and choked sobs and couldn't remember the last time she had truly allowed herself to cry while burying her damp face deeper into the heavy quilt and smelling the faint aroma of lemongrass… _'Where did I go wrong?' _She faintly wondered with another fierce pang of sorrow constricting her, making it difficult to even breathe. That night Darcey dreamt of Harry, sitting in a forest clearing with bare trees cloaked in snow looming around him, casting harsh, wicked shadows upon the ground. In the palm of his hand sat a tarnished, green locket. The ominous piece of jewelry seemed to hiss, sensing his presence and calling out to the darkness in him, like a constant, low ringing in his eardrums. His rough fingers enclosed around the gemstone tightly, almost possessively. Clasped in his hand was Lord Voldemort's horcrux and Dumbledore had given Harry the task of destroying it, though he hadn't any idea how...

* * *

_December 24th, 1997_

_Christmas Eve - __Godric's Hollow_

A fresh layer of snow cloaked the land, glimmering like polished diamonds in the rare morning sun. The amber glow of the ascending sunrise cast a hazy, golden halo around Severus Snape's head as his greasy, ebony hair fluttered in the gentle but cold breeze. His face, normally pale and sallow, appeared a tad bit softer that morning, tinted warm, yellow hues instead of pallid gray. His dark orbs reflected the magnificent, fiery ball of radiant sunlight appearing far off in the distant horizon, just as the snow also reflected in it the smoldering star.

Darcey was always the type of person to see beauty in both lightness and darkness. She saw the world in hues of gray, nothing was ever entirely black or white. Nothing was ever as it seemed, always with unseen, variations of depth just below the surface.

Pain and sorrow, that's what she saw glistening in Snape's glassy eyes, watering in the frigid December wind. They stood side by side with him looming like a dark angel above her, her grim guardian, as her own lightless eyes stared down at the tombstone of her deceased parents, Lily and James Potter, who she held no vivid memory of except the faint shadow of love, traces of distant warm caresses and whispers of _'I love you, my darling...'_ She had come there that early morning without the usual glamour charms cast to alter her appearance, wanting to visit them as she truly existed, not as something artificial.

Perched in the snow, propped against the sleek, gray tombstone was a wreath of white roses, alive and thriving despite the freezing, unfavorable conditions surrounding them. Someone had already been there, to the small, humble cemetery in Godric's Hollow and Darcey was completely certain that it had been Harry who had transfigured the flowers. She was also sure that Snape had known it too but neither of them openly acknowledged it, drenched in heavy melancholy and left with no words that could be said to vanquish it. Darcey wasn't sure at first that she wanted to come there that morning when Snape had asked her, she was still plagued with terrible insecurity concerning her birth parents. Darcey couldn't rid the feeling that they would have been deeply disappointed with her and ashamed by her if they were still alive.

_"You're evil."_

_"You're foolish."_

Their words, the mad hallucination spawned from her first detention with Alecto Carrow still replayed daily in her head, their voices, it had all seemed so real that it was hard to distinguish between what was reality and what was madness. Even Draco's voice was still branded into the back of her memory, _"You're useless. I could never love you."_

"You were right." Said Darcey, finally lifting her chin to meet her mentor's gaze, her ashen, blonde hair blowing into her ebony eyes. Snape glanced down to peer back at her, his expression unreadable as always though somehow containing a rare, subtle softness to it that had never been there before. "I was foolish." She said quietly, her eyes flicking back down to her parents eternal resting place.

"Nothing is ever permanent, especially ourselves. People are constantly growing, ever changing both inwardly and outwardly. The damage may be irreversible but the outcome is not. What you've done can, in fact, be reversed to an extent, if only you so as wish it." Snape remarked wisely, sounding in that moment eerily similar to the previous headmaster, Albus Dumbledore and Darcey's heart suddenly grew as icy numb as her extremities, exposed to the relentless, bitter cold.

"Remember what I've told you, let _this_ guide you to your destiny or else you will live a life of unrelenting hardship and desolate solitude." Said Snape, pointing a rough, pale finger to brush against Darcey's chest just over where her heart lay hidden beneath it steadily drumming. "Humans were not designed to live in solus, this I have learned the hard way and I can only desire that you will not make the same mistakes as I, Darcey. It is foremost important that you learn from those who have already traveled down the road you are headed on."

Darcey nodded wordlessly, not sure of what to say but wanting him to know that she had acknowledged him and took what he said into account for Snape had always been someone whom she sincerely idolized and respected.

_"You mean, love…"_ Darcey whispered after a few long, somber moments had passed by comfortably between them, with both the teacher and the pupil silently mourning the death of unremembered parents and a very dear friend. _"Human beings were designed to love…"_

"Indeed." Said Snape, resting his large palm gently on her cloaked shoulder as Darcey slowly brought her head to rest lightly against his stoic arm. They remained like that, leaning into one another for the longest time, both consumed with their own unique guilt and regret, chains they would carry with them for all of eternity and finding a small moment of solace in allowing themselves to be in the presence of a friend.

_"Merry Christmas, Severus..."_ Darcey breathed and Snape gave her shoulder a barely detectable squeeze as his low voice drawled back familiar above her, _"Merry Christmas, Darcey…"_

"Sir..." Darcey began as they apparated back onto the perimeter of the school grounds near the Forbidden Forest and Hagrid's abandoned, burned down hut, the charred remnants of it looked eerily haunting against the death of the surrounding wintry landscape. Snape's eyes had resumed their previous coldness as they returned to Hogwarts and he prepared himself to resume his dismal duty as headmaster and loyal servant to the Dark Lord.

"I feel I must tell you, I had the most peculiar dream about my brother last night... It was so real, so unmistakably vivid that it appeared less like a dream and more like a vision of sorts... Professor Trelawny once remarked that I possessed a bit of 'The Sight'..." Darcey sheepishly confided, feeling rather foolish in telling him something that might not have even been real.

The headmaster remained silent and she took this as his wordless inclination for her to continue as he appeared to be listening intently with dark curiosity reflected in his tired, ebony orbs.

"He had a locket, and I seemed to get the overwhelming sense that it wasn't just a necklace he was holding but a horcrux. A horcrux belonging to none other that You-Know-Who and I can't explain it but it felt as if I were inside Harry's mind, as if I'd performed legilimency and our minds shared a connection and I could just feel that he was completely lost as to how he could destroy it... Professor, I haven't any idea as to what my brother is up to but I'm certain that Dumbledore left him with some sort of mission before he died and Harry is now dead set on completing it. If it is true and You-Know-Who has made a horcrux then you and I both know that it is vital for my brother to destroy it..." Said Darcey as they trudged back up together through the deep snow and towards the majestic, Scottish castle looming on the horizon, many of its windows illuminated with warm, yellow light.

Darcey left Snape with the information she had given him and it was solely up to him now what he decided to do with it, though Darcey held a glimmer of hope that he would somehow come up with a clever, sly, subtle way to assist him...

* * *

_December 31st, 1997_

_New Years Eve - Malfoy Manor_

_"Tell me goblin, who has gone into my vault? Who's done it?_" Demanded Bellatrix Lestrange encircling the imprisoned goblin like a stalking lioness, clutching a glinting, silver dagger still dripping with fresh blood, evidence of it having been carved into Hermione Granger's arm just a few moments prior. _'Mudblood'_ She had written, etched into the girl's skin as an eternal reminder of her inferiority but in Hermione's eyes it would later come to symbolize unwavering courage and strength for she had looked evil straight in the eye and gazed into the abyss and it hadn't devoured her like it had so many others before her. Hermione had resisted it.

"It's still in your vault. The real sword is there." Replied evenly the goblin and he too hadn't wavered in the face of sinister evil. "There is no place safer than Gringotts." He assured her.

_"Liar!"_ Bellatrix roared, slashing the blade across the filthy creature's cheek, though he barely so much as flinched. "Consider yourself lucky goblin." She spat, rising to loom over the fallen mudblood once more, "_Though, the same won't be said for this one…"_ She hissed just as Ron came charging into the dimly lit drawing room bellowing_, "Expelliarmus!"_ and successfully disarming the demented Death Eater.

Lucius, Narcissa and Draco all brandished their wands simultaneously at the unexpected, new threat. Weasley and Potter were supposed to be locked away securely in the cellar, adequately confined until the damage wore off Potter's face and they could be completely certain, without a doubt, that they were in possession of Harry Potter before summoning the Dark Lord. Draco had gazed into Harry's emerald eyes, swollen almost entirely shut, shiny and red. It appeared as if Potter had sustained a nasty stinging jinx to the face, clever thinking on Granger's part, Draco was sure of it and although he was also sure that he was indeed staring into the face of the glorious Saint Potter, he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. _"What happened to his face?"_ Was all that Draco could manage then, staring into those familiar pools of green and hoping to Merlin that it was not true, that Potter hadn't been caught by Snatchers on that fateful December night and brought to the manor for execution.

_"Stupefy!"_ Came Harry next, his face all shiny and new again as the stinging jinx had finally worn off. Lucius was knocked unconscious to the dark, glossy floor leaving Narcissa and Draco to fend off Potter and Weasley alone. Draco could only bring himself to put in half the effort he normally would in engaging in a heated duel with Scarhead, a repressed, noble part of him desiring for Potter to come out on top as miraculously as always and escape from his home unharmed.

_"Stop!"_ Came Granger's croak from behind them and all at once the light of the spells diminished and the room was cloaked in nearly impenetrable darkness, the only source of light coming from the faint glow of the waning moon filtering in through the tall, curtained, diamond windowpanes.

Draco glanced over his shoulder along with his mother to see that Aunt Bella now held possession of Granger, pressing the blade of the ornate, jewel encrusted dagger to her pale, exposed throat. The Gryffindor's warm, honey, brown eyes peered directly upwards at the black, iron chandelier, as if gazing into the heavens and meeting at last the angel of death. Her tired, bloodshot eyes held traces of hope and perhaps his aunt's torture had successfully driven the girl mad and she was now left pleading for death to encompass her.

"Drop them!" Ordered Bellatrix and without hesitation both Potter and Weasley released the tight grip on their wands, causing them to clatter noisily against the floor below them. "Pick them up, Draco." Commanded his aunt and the young Death Eater faltered, struggling with his own inner turmoil to do what was expected of him and do what was right. Reluctantly he made the easy choice, as always, never possessing the courage to act otherwise and snatched up the fallen weapons off the ground while training his hawthorn wand on them obediently.

"_Look what we have here. It's Harry Potter, he's all bright and shiny and new again just in time for the Dark Lord."_ Bellatrix hissed, pressing harder the blade into Granger's throat and causing her to gasp aloud in both fear and pain. "Call him." She said, a wicked grin tugging at the corners of her lips and bloodlust gleaming in her malevolent eyes.

Draco peered nervously over at his father who had began to stir on the ground, unable to bring himself to summon their master and it seemed for a moment that the elder Malfoy was too engulfed with a moment of doubt. Harry's eyes flickered between them as Lucius finally recomposed himself and rose up from the shadows, yanking up the sleeve of his cloak to expose the severe, dark mark gleaming against his ghostly, pale arm while the tip of his wand hovered mere centimeters over the skull and serpent which slithered ominously in response, as if anticipating it. Hesitation gripped Lucius a moment longer as he made no move to decidedly press his wand against it and just then a grating, squeaking, metal noise interrupted the intense stillness of the room and all eyes were transfixed on the house elf dangling on top of the chandelier and unscrewing the bolts necessary to keep it in tact. Everyone lunged backwards just in time as the elegant light fixture gave way and crashed down deafeningly to the floor, shattering magnificently upon impact.

Bellatrix released her hold on the mudblood, pushing her roughly into the path of the falling fixture but luckily Granger somehow managed to escape without injury, graced with sheer luck as usual, and threw herself safely into Weasley's arms.

Potter acted on the fortunate distraction and wrestled Draco's wand from him. Their eyes met once more, steely gray against blazing green and Draco made the right choice then, that the weight of the fate of the entire wizarding world seemed to fall upon his quaking shoulders and he did the noble thing and let go, giving Potter his most prized possession of all, his wand.

_"You stupid elf! You could have killed me!"_ Bellatrix shrieked, her chest heaving with rage.

"Dobby never meant to kill. Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure…" Squeaked the Malfoy's previous house elf, the one set free by Potter at the end of Draco's second year.

Narcissa drew her wand back in a complex motion, intent on casting a silent hex when the elf snapped his fingers and with a golden spark his mother's wand soared in a high arc across the room and into Dobby's open hand as the tiny creature successfully disarmed her.

_"HOW DARE YOU TAKE A WITCH'S WAND? HOW DARE YOU DEFY YOUR MASTERS?"_ Bellatrix roared, nearly convulsing with fury.

The large, moss green orbs of the house elf narrowed in challenge up at her as his oversized head quirked up in dignity, _"Dobby has no masters. Dobby is a free elf and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!"_ He professed proudly, taking hold of Potter and Weasley's hands as they vanished in apparition but not before Aunt Bella chucked the dagger, a Black family heirloom, straight at them and with a cackle of mad glee she watched with held breath as it disappeared with them, hopefully landing in one of her desired targets.

Numbing relief swelled inside Draco, the war wasn't over yet, Potter still had a fighting chance, in part, thanks to none other than Draco Malfoy who struggled with his conscience and for once in his grim life had made the _right_ choice. The spirit of the brave had finally emerged and he wasn't sure whether or not to embrace it.


	32. Chapter 32: Love will Always Persevere

**_A/N:_** _ATTENTION:_ I know I said in the previous chapter that there were only 10 chapters left, well it looks like I lied. As I'm concluding the story I'm realizing that I am unable to fit as many events in a chapter as I would have liked, it would simply be too much to reach so I am making each chapter under 6,000 words and in that case there will be more than 10 chapters left. My original estimate was 40 chapters in total but it seems now _Geminio_ is going to go at least to 45 chapters, perhaps even 50. However long it takes for me to write out all the events to come without cramming too much information in each chapter. I like the break between chapters, that small pause of clicking to the next one, so instead of having a 10,000 word chapter that takes an hour to read I will divide it into two chapters with 5,000 words. Look at me, I know how to do maths, tehe. :P So, sorry for the scare my lovely readers, carry on and enjoy. ;) This chapter is solely Draco and Darcey interaction, as I am trying to do my best to progress both the plotline and their relationship steadily at a realistic pace. I hope I've done an acceptable job thus far. My goal from the very beginning was realism and has been my number one goal throughout. I appreciate reviews, as I love to hear your feedback. Thank you to those that have took the time to tell me what you think, your opinions have meant so very much to me and inspire me to keep writing. I'm proud to say this looks to be the first story I've ever finished, like ever! Wow! Therefore, _Geminio_ is my literary newborn and I'm quite proud of my work thus far. It's been a hard labor but so vastly rewarding. Thank you for joining me on this grand adventure many years in the making, previously written solely in my imagination. -With love, yours truly, RachaelEwe.

* * *

_"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. _

_It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. _

_Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. _

_It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. _

_ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; _

_where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."_

-Corinthians 13:4-8

* * *

"Father hesitated too. I think even You-Know-Who's most loyal followers are having their doubts. We've all seen what he's capable of and I can't speak for the others but I at least don't want to live in a world where he's in charge, even if it does mean getting rid of mud-bloods. It's not worth the misery and fear." Said Draco matter of fact, his face screwed up in a heavy scowl. Darcey and Draco were skipping class, for Darcey it was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall and for Draco it was Charms with Professor Flitwick. Marcus and Zacharius were both to skip one lesson each today too, though not for any real reason except to make it appear as if other students were skipping classes as well so that Draco and Darcey would not be singled out from their peers. To further divert the Carrows attention they picked a time in which they did not share a class together so that they both would hopefully go about relatively unnoticed since it would be far more obvious if two students had gone missing from the same exact class.

The Slytherin and the Slytherin in disguise as a badger walked down the deserted second floor corridor, their footfalls echoing softly against the stone walls around them. Darcey had charmed herself invisible temporarily to further take caution since it was decided that Draco had a better way of weaseling himself out of trouble if he were to get caught. Though, Darcey felt a tad bit guilty hiding like a coward while Draco took all the risk, but he had convinced her that she needed to take every measure imaginable not to draw attention to herself. If the Carrows ever discovered that Darcey Evans was the infamous Undesirable number 2, Darcey Potter, all hell would break loose as she was supposed to be deceased.

"It's reassuring I suppose to know that my brother is still alive and well." Darcey replied, though still hurt by Harry's refusal to save her from the Dark Lord, never trusting her fully and in the end it was left up to Darcey to save herself, prying the information from him unwillingly by killing their aunt, though she had intended on killing Petunia Dursley no matter how the events had played out.

"He's the only one who can defeat him." Said Darcey, aware to keep her tone hushed as she spoke, although so far they hadn't run into anyone else. It was in the middle of lessons so both students and teachers were unlikely to be roaming the castle and if caught the plan was to go that Draco would claim to be on his way to use the loo since they were indeed headed for the second floor girl's lavatory typically haunted by Moaning Myrtle and therefore hardly used.

"Yes, I'm sure you're overjoyed with relief." Draco said dryly, still sour when the topic of Harry came up between them, which wasn't often as Darcey made her best efforts to avoid ever speaking of him, but still it was obvious Draco was still bent out of shape about her not giving him the proper time over the summer and choosing instead to bask in the company of her brother. _'If he only knew that Harry shagged me, he'd probably kill us both.'_ Thought Darcey morbidly, knowing that she should feel sick with guilt but somehow she couldn't bring herself to regret the intimate act she had shared with Harry. It was wrong, yes, tremendously wrong, utterly demented even what they had done. No matter how much they didn't _feel_ like they were siblings the truth would always remain the same that they were and incest was revolting.

Still, Darcey did not regret it and would keep it her dying, dirty, little secret, carrying it with her to the grave. It had been immensely enjoyable in a different way than with Draco was, neither of them better than the other, just different in equally satisfying ways but Darcey did know one thing was certain even if given the chance she would never, ever do it over again. It had been a once in a lifetime thing, an impulsive, steamy, forbidden act that both Harry and Darcey had sense enough never to repeat and honestly neither of them desired to. It seemed to diminish the majority of the tension between them and bonded them in an unpredictable way, Darcey felt closer to him having been briefly his lover, when you give yourself to someone in such a deep, intimate way it bonds you forever whether or not you intend it. You will never forget that person and the way they felt inside of you, as two became one in flesh. Darcey would forever look back with fondness on the night that they shared together, as if recounting a pleasant dream, but that did not mean that she wanted to experience that with Harry ever again. No, she could honestly say that she did not, for her heart was beginning to belong to someone, a certain charming blond who had become in the past year not only her most trusted friend but also something more, something far deeper… Draco Malfoy and Darcey Potter were bonded in an intense, powerful way. She had never felt so devoted to anyone before in her life, Darcey felt a strong urge to protect him, a tug to remain loyal to him, to continue giving herself to him. Their souls, it seemed, were bonded now and each day that bond grew more impenetrable, holding up against the few nasty fights they had had, the looming war around them, and the darkness encompassing them, the bond resisted it all and continued to persevere.

The pair had reached their destination and soundlessly entered the practically abandoned bathroom, immediately hearing the rhythmic, steady tapping of a leaky faucet but other than that the lavatory was eerily silent. Darcey broke the concealment charm rendering her visible once more and made quick work of darting straight for the sinks, which were constructed in such a way that they formed a sphere in the centre of the lavatory. She walked in a semi circle before coming to the sink with a tarnished, serpent head engraved upon the tap and gripped it tightly before yanking up.

Darcey hastily retreated backwards as a loud, unpleasant, grating metal sound pierced through the air, pressing her back against Draco, he subconsciously gripped both of her arms to steady her and hold her to him protectively as they both watched in awe as all the sinks moved forward then shifted downward, except the one that Darcey had touched, which disappeared straight into the ground and was covered by an aluminum grate leaving them a space to walk through.

Draco and Darcey stood there for a long moment, absorbing what had just occurred before their stunned eyes and as they did so the bathroom grew still and silent once more allowing them to hear only their labored breaths of fear and the trickling of water.

_"Bloody hell, Draco… We've really opened it."_ Darcey breathed, her tone laced with awe and wonder, causing her to sound as if she possessed the innocence of a small child witnessing something absolutely marvelous.

"I always wondered," Draco began quietly from over her shoulder, his arms slowly moving to slide down her arms as he gently released her and his arms hung limply at his sides, his piercing, gray eyes glistened with dark excitement as he peered over their handiwork. "Where the entrance to the chamber lay hidden but I never suspected…"

"That it'd be in some grimy, old bathroom." Darcey supplied, turning her head to smile cheekily up at him. "Yeah, me either."

After another long moment Draco inquired, "Well, this is it then. What happens now?" he asked as Darcey cautiously inched slowly forward and peered over and into the abysmal, black hole that lead into the ground, a large pipe it seemed.

_"Lumos_" She cast but even an illumination spell seemed to have no effect upon the darkness, unable to penetrate further than ten feet below them. So how long was it?

"It's deep." Darcey told her companion, her tone grave as she swallowed thickly. Darcey despised heights and falling through a never-ending, black hole wasn't exactly how she had pictured this playing out in her head.

Draco craned his neck over the ledge from just over her shoulder and as he do so she could hear him audibly gulp. "So what, we're just supposed to jump? Having no idea how deep it goes or what awaits us at the bottom? That's completely mental, seems like something Godric Gryffindor would create not Slytherin for Merlin's sake. There has to be another way, I'm not going in there." Draco firmly refused, his voice carrying with it his open fear.

"I'm not too keen on the idea either but it seems we have to trust in the founder of our house and just do what's required of us. He was clever; I'll give him that. This is not for the faint of heart, it was foolish on our part to expect this to be easy…" Said Darcey, stepping closer to the ledge and bracing herself with her arms on the porcelain sinks beside her. She stared into the lightless abyss looming below her, gathering her nerves and pushing the fear aside while clearing her mind. Darcey lifted her chin up slowly to gaze up at the ceiling above her as a much-needed distraction from her racing heart, noticing the spots of black mold that clung to it and how dusty and filthy the iron lanterns were, blanketed with silver cobwebs.

"Merlin, this bathroom is ghastly." Darcey remarked with a scowl before boldly stepping off of the ledge and falling weightlessly with a shrill scream through the large, gaping pipe.

It seemed to take an eternity until she landed upon a bed of something relatively soft, though the texture was absolutely repulsive, scratchy and dry. Grappling for her wand she clutched it tightly, casting once again a _'Lumos'_ as Draco's voice rang out from above her, _"Darcey! Are you alright?"_

_"I'm fine, get down here you pansy!"_ She called back, struggling against whatever she had fallen into, it was scaly and paper like and with skittish movements she managed to move a few feet away from her originally spot just as Draco wailed and fell right where she had previously been. His blond hair was laughably disheveled and his gray eyes were practically bulging from his head as he fought against the parchment-like substance.

_"What the bloody hell is this stuff?"_ Draco cursed loudly, violently swatting the substance away as he moved to stand up and dust off his uniform, recomposing himself. Darcey was reminded of jumping into a pile of dead, crispy, autumn leaves when she was younger. She moved her wand towards where they had ungracefully landed and her eyes narrowed in thought as she reached out a pale hand to glide gently over the strange material.

"It looks like skin." Said Darcey thoughtfully. "Like snake skin."

"You don't suppose the basilisk is still down here do you?" Draco wondered, his eyes darting around the chamber in fear.

"Harry slayed it, or at least rumor would have it so." Darcey recalled. "So no, it's probably just left over from when it _was_ here. Though, it's rather cruel isn't it? To keep a living creature imprisoned in here for centuries, left to feast upon sewer rats. I'm sure the poor thing was positively starved..." Darcey frowned in compassion, feeling pity for the monster.

Draco cast her a look that said she was odd before brandishing his own wand and casting another _'Lumos'_ to illuminate the lightless, damp, stone chamber they were standing in further. Around the room was rubble as if a small battle had taken place but that wasn't what interested the two students, it was the ornate, limestone carving in the opposite wall from them depicting serpents facing outward in a sphere. It appeared to be a door of sorts, an entrance.

"You speak it." Darcey commanded, stepping aside to let Draco pass by her. "You caught on better than I did." She admitted, finding the serpentine language highly frustrating, it all sounded the same, like vague hissing but Draco seemed to take a keen interest in it and was able to decipher the different variations within the low pitch. He was a born natural at it and from the way he spoke he sounded believably like a true parseltongue.

_"Ossstende te" _Draco hissed as the snakes one at a time began to recoil and another serpent slithered around them, traveling the entire length of the sphere before the door groaned loudly and swung open ominously. Darcey and Draco hastily moved back to give the stone door room, before peering cautiously into another chamber, vastly larger and longer, dimly lit with a greenish gloom engulfing it. There were stone pillars with snakes coiled around them that led up into the darkness and at the far end of the chamber was a magnificent, white, marble carving depicting the face of their house founder, Salazar Slytherin.

"What does that mean?" Darcey inquired, wondering what he had chosen to say to get the door to open.

"Reveal yourself." Draco told her, reaching out to protectively intertwine his fingers with hers, holding firmly to her cool hand as he now lead the way and they each stepped into the eerie chamber of secrets.

Their footfalls echoed softly against the patchwork of murky puddles on the ground, splashing with each alternating step as they walked slowly the length of the room, aligned with marble serpents gazing down at them with lifeless, stone eyes. At the end of the chamber sat the humungous, skeletal remains of the slayed basilisk. It seemed the rumors had been true, Harry slayed the beast.

"This is it then." Said Draco flatly, his head turning as he continued to absorb the hidden, underground room.

"This will be perfect, it will mask the noise of the spells, it's hidden so only we can access it, and it's large enough to cast just about anything we desired." Darcey smiled, feeling triumphant once more as things continued to keep looking brighter, it seemed as if Hogwarts was on their side, encouraging them to fight.

After a few moments of comfortable silence lingered between them with both teens still taking in the glory of Slytherin's chamber, Draco finally turned to face his companion, a devilish glint in his eyes as he pushed her gently backwards so that she had no choice but to stagger into one of the marble serpent heads as she was trapped against the cool stone with Draco's warm body pressed against her front.

_"We're all alone down here."_ The young Death Eater purred, his voice low and husky and his piercing, gray eyes glinting with lust. "_We could do whatever we pleased and nobody could hear us…" _

"Draco, it's spooky as hell down here. How you could manage to get a hard-on in this place is beyond me." Darcey scowled, glancing around the eerie room, her ears ringing from the overwhelming stillness.

_"It's you I want, Darcey. I could claim you anywhere. It's not the location I'm shagging, it's you."_ Draco growled out sinisterly, bringing his lips to graze against her neck as he placed a trail of slow, hot kisses against the tender flesh of her exposed neck, igniting a jolt of arousal to burn through her as she quickly became turned on with her lover's kinky ministrations.

With one hand Draco trapped both her thin wrists behind her back, pressing her more roughly against the looming statue and enjoying the raw power he felt when he held dominance over the haughty girl.

"What are you doing?" Darcey snapped firmly, a bit put off by his sudden forcefulness as she struggled against his tight grip but to no avail. She didn't like feeling powerless and out of control, it sent a jolt of panic coursing through her, though she'd never admit that he'd scared her. _"Let go of me_." She ground out through gritted teeth, becoming increasingly more aggravated with her lack of control over the situation. She only liked submission if _she_ had agreed to it first or initiated it, not when it was forced upon her.

_"Don't lie, Darcey, you like it."_ Draco whispered smoothly, reaching with his free hand up under her gray, wool skit and firmly tugging down the constricting tights just low enough to allow him access to her womanhood as his pale, slender fingers slipped gracefully beneath her knickers and rubbed in a circular, tantalizing motion against her sweet spot sending electric-like currents of pleasure rippling through her. She gasp just as his warm lips connected with hers and he kissed her with intense, devouring passion that made her lightheaded as her mind became hazy with lust and she kissed back just as heatedly.

Darcey struggled half-heartedly against him, trying to free her trapped hands but he only held on tighter, enough so that it began to hurt and she moaned softly in pain, bucking her hips against him in an attempt to push him off balance and away from her but his stoic body barely gave way to her feeble attempts at protest.

Two smooth digits began sliding in between her slick folds, rubbing smoothly over her entrance that was soaking wet despite her open resistance, her body had betrayed her and Draco easily slid those two fingers slowly inside of her, pumping them in and out at a comfortable speed while his fingers curled inside of her in a 'come hither' motion that hit another sweet spot and sent Darcey's ashen head dangling backwards as she groaned out in pleasure beneath his touch.

"_Told you, you like it, you devilish, little slut, you."_ Draco's low voice met her ears, dripping with smugness causing her head to whip forward as she fixed him with a piercing glare that quickly lost sincerity as his brilliant fingers continued to pleasure her.

_"Sod off._" She retorted weakly, once again bucking her hips hard against him in an attempt to put distance between them. Draco finally slid his fingers out from inside her and she immediately felt their loss, almost regretting her actions before he also let go of his aching grip on his wrists. Freed at last, the furious, wet witch brandished her wand and instantly hexed him so that he was now sprawled out upon the cold, damp ground, clothes sodden with murky puddle water.

_'Incarcerous' _

Suddenly thick ropes shot out from her holly wand tying Draco firmly in place and leaving him immobile on the ground.

_"What the hell do you think you are you doing?"_ The aristocrat demanded in outrage, his ashen hair disheveled from the fall and gray eyes blazing like molten, hot steel as he glared up at his captive.

"_Don't lie, Draco, you like it."_ Darcey hissed cruelly, repeating his declaration as she made quick work of shimmying out of her school uniform so that she stood naked before him. At the new, pleasant sight of her alluring, feminine curves Draco stopped struggling momentarily and his eyes softened significantly as he gazed up at her body with what could only be described as raw hunger. His aroused prick tented in his trousers as Darcey moved over him and began roughly unbuckling his belt, freeing his hard member from the confines of the material as she tugged down roughly upon his trousers, yanking them down to his knees and exposing the lower half of his pale, body that gleamed with perfection. _'Melin, he's well endowed._' Darcey thought and it was now her turn to eye him up hungrily as her tongue darted out to flick against her chapped lips.

Darcey moved down to straddle him, bringing her lips to his as she kissed him with intense, needy, longing while simultaneously lowering herself onto him fully so that he was now snugly inside of her. Draco groaned, the husky noise reverberating into her throat as they continued to kiss passionately while Darcey moved away from him again so that his prick fell out from her. This action received another throaty groan from her lover, this time in frustration as his hips bucked gently beneath her, conveying that he wanted the heat of her back and was highly displeased with her teasing.

_"Next time when I say let go, you will listen to me. Understood, love?"_ Her cold voice purred, her lips brushing against his sensitive earlobe as she spoke. "_This is payback you git." _She gently teased, her voice still no more than a cruel whisper as his hard prick twitched in protest against her bare thigh.

Darcey drew back, so that she sat straddled over his thighs instead of his waist as she ignored his prick now aching for attention and instead moved her pale fingers sensually down her abdomen until they reached her bud and she began rubbing in smooth circles against her most sensitive region, pleasuring herself shamelessly in front of him. His gray eyes bore into her, blazing with both anger and lust as he watched Darcey hotly work herself closer to the peak of orgasm above him, the peak that Draco so badly wished to ascend himself.

_"Come on, Darcey. You know you'd have a far better time riding me." _He croaked slyly, his prick twitching against her leg once more as he tried to persuade her to come back to him. The teasing was becoming excruciating, he craved more than anything his own release and the feel of her wet folds encompassing him.

_"Hmm."_ She hummed as if considering his remark_. "I'm not sure that I'm so convinced..."_ She admitted with an arrogant smirk, obviously quite pleased with being in charge and regaining control of the volatile situation. Now it was Draco who was squirming against her in protest. His intense, gray eyes narrowed up at her as his trademark smirk tugged against the corners of his lips. _"Be a good girl and sit on my cock. I'll show you how much fun you'll have, if only you untie me. I'll bring you to orgasm myself, I'll make you so wet, Darcey…"_ He purred huskily, and his dirty talk sent a jolt of raw, consuming lust through her once more, this time the urge for his body and touch becoming practically unbearable and she immediately abandoned her efforts for vengeance and returned to him, doing just as he commanded and sitting on his prick.

Draco's eyes closed and he bit his lip to suppress a low groan as Darcey's euphoric heat and tightness engulfed him once more and he was once again inside of her. Every nerve in his body seemed to be on high alert, standing on end as tingling pleasure radiated from their connected bodies and their magic crackled delightfully around them, responding to their lust.

Darcey began, slowly and unsurely at first as she had never done this before, to ride him, moving her body against him in such a way so that he was moving steadily in and out of her folds as if he were shagging her but instead she was left doing all the work while he watched with heavy lidded eyes and lightly flushed cheeks the goddess riding him, using him like a toy. No girl had ever took control over him like this, not that he would have let them, but surprisingly Draco found himself heavily intoxicated by the view he had of the fair haired witch grinding her hips against him, working up a thin layer of sweat on her chest, neck and brow while he was left to reap all the benefits of her hard labor. Her small, perky breasts jiggled each time she brought down her hips to swallow his prick and the muscles in her abdomen visibly tightened and contracted with her fluid movements. His intense, gray orbs trailed down further to her defined, protruding hip bones, and milky white, slender legs straddling him firmly, and at last his gaze came to rest directly below him on the view of her slick, pink folds devouring his stiff member and his lips parted in awe, as if mesmerized by what he was witnessing and the sight alone nearly sent him tipping over the edge of ecstasy. It was hot, the hottest thing he had ever seen and it was real, this was really happening. He was the luckiest bloke in the world, still even tied up and lying in a cold puddle, he was lucky.

As Darcey grew more confident, encouraged by Draco's piercing, gray eyes that seemed to devour her naked form above him and the soft gasps and groans escaping from his parted lips Darcey repositioned herself, gripping to his thighs behind her as she let herself succumb to the blissful dancing, rhythm of their sleek bodies and she stopped calculating her actions and instead did whatever felt natural, moving sensually against him, riding him and gyrating her hips against him, focusing on the different sensations each variation brought her as his prick became angled in different ways or penetrated her at different depths. Soon both of them built themselves up to the peak of orgasm, as Darcey moved gracefully in such a way that allowed him the deepest and most satisfying penetration and soon his hips jerked against her, his prick twitching as her hot, wet walls clamped tightly around his hard shaft and her own body shook with jolts of carnal pleasure, crashing down upon her like waves and she moaned his name desperately, pleading as release hit her, "_Draco!" _She cried out breathlessly, still rocking her hips against him, though she lost significant momentum as she succumbed to the pleasure, just as Draco groaned loudly, begging her for his own release as primal desire flooded his senses, _"Darcey, please!"_ He growled out through clenched teeth as his body tensed and pleasure consumed him to the core, finally reaching the peak of orgasm as he released the very last drops of his seed. She slowed down her pace until she was resting perfectly still on top of him, limply bent over so that they were still connected at the hips while she rest her sweaty head against the crook of his neck and shoulder. His strong, slender arms came up to wrap around her, etched with irritated, red lines from where the ropes pressed into his tender flesh, and held her to him protectively. They each listened to the soft, panting breathes that fell steadily between them and Darcey focused solely on the low, comforting drum of Draco's heartbeat reverberating into her ear as his chest rose and fell with labored breaths. In that moment neither Slytherin had ever felt more complete, lying vulnerable and exposed completely naked against each other and forgetting in that small, blissful moment all the darkness that surrounded each of their lives and instead focusing on the other's very essence and molding into one breathing, resting heap.

Draco stared up blankly at the dark ceiling of the chamber of secrets, feeling undiminishable warmth spread through him, beginning at his chest as he clung to her. His fingers, seemingly on their own accord, moved to brush against her unruly hair, flattening the frizzy waves and gliding between her soft tresses, untangling them. A pleasant, faint, floral aroma, most likely her shampoo, wafted into his nose from their close proximity and he realized that Darcey smelled like the vast garden of his manor in the springtime when the flowers were in full bloom and blossoming. He had smelled this light, airy scent in the amortentia last year, thinking then that it had simply been Draco's home that he had been smelling but no, they were somehow different, what he had truly been smelling was _Darcey_, the subtle, natural aroma of the girl clinging limply to him, the girl who had managed to penetrate the cold barriers built up around his heart and now held possession over it.

It was in that moment; lying there in the aftermath of blissful lovemaking that Draco realized he had fallen in love with her somehow along the way. _'I'm in love with you, Darcey. I don't know how, but I am. You've weaseled your way into my heart and I want you to stay, though I can't bring myself to admit it to you just yet. You'd give me hell for it."_ He thought lightly to himself with a small smirk pulling at his lips as he turned his head to the side so that his warm lips ghosted over her temple tenderly as his fingers continued to stroke absentmindedly through her hair. Words he hadn't the courage yet to say but soon would, he would muster the bravery needed to tell her one day. For Darcey was his, he had claimed her and her him; they belonged to one another, as fate would have it. Even this, this _cuddling_, Draco thought with a small jolt of disgust for allowing himself to be so weak, turned him to mush in her presence. This was a huge step between them, being vulnerable by openly embracing one other for so long after their intimate encounter, turning a shag into something far deeper, an act of love. Showing this sort of vulnerable affection made them both weak, but neither of them seemed to resist it any longer, embracing the vulnerability and submitting to the warmth that burned like an internal flame in the close proximity of one another, succumbing to the beautiful feeling of a budding romance between them and not wanting to move for fear that that feeling would diminish. It felt too good, so unbelievably lovely, a refreshing change from the heartache and stress of the dark events playing out around them. This brought to each of them a source of light that illuminated the gloomy abyss of their grim lives, threatening to break them but they would not fall. So long as they were united their love was capable of withstanding the darkness. Love will always persevere...


End file.
