From the Dark Into the Light

kumydabookworm

Rating: PG13
Genres: Angst, Romance
Relationships: Draco & Ginny
Book: Draco & Ginny, Books 1 - 6
Published: 07/08/2005
Last Updated: 01/06/2006
Status: paused

Ginevra gave everything up to serve the Light, but she is drowning in her own darkness. The Prince of Darkness himself will do anything to save her, no matter the price to himself...or to the Dark Lord. Author's Note Added!

Chapters

1. Chapter 1

2. Chapter 2

3. Chapter 3

4. Chapter 4

5. Chapter 5

6. Chapter 6

7. Chapter 7

8. Chapter 8

9. Chapter 9

10. Chapter 10

11. Chapter 11

12. Chapter 12

13. Chapter 13

14. Chapter 14

15. Chapter 15

16. Chapter 16

17. Chappter 17 and 18

18. Chapter 19

19. Chapter 20

20. Author's Note

1. Chapter 1

July 16, 2005 Inserted A/N - I just finished reading HPHBP and in order for the story to still fit with the circumstances created by JKR in the Harry Potter series, there will need to be some understanding on part of the readers (which means you!). As you all probably know, the students that fought at the Department of Mysteries do not become adults or receive any money. Please bear with this alteration from the story line…it was published way before the sixth book. The reason I have this alteration in the first place is to allow some post Hogwarts time essentially before the end of Voldemort…the seventh year of Harry’s schooling in the books, the second year of his adulthood in my head. My theory is that Draco and Ginny would have no chance to meet at Hogwarts because of the vast divide between the two Houses and the Heads, as well (Snape and McGonagall). So, in order to allow them some “post-Hogwarts” time while still remaining within the timeline provided by JKR (seven years)…they get their adulthood early.

Draco, meanwhile was removed from the school and granted his adulthood by his family, namely his father. Thanks for bearing with this OOPness (out of plot line-ness). Enjoy!

The Day Of Reckoning: Prologue

As I stand here looking out at the fate that could have been mine, I remember the pain that coursed through my soul only months ago, the anguish that I felt because of the betrayal that was then expected from the people who had the misgiven right to call themselves my family.

You changed all of that. You made me see something in myself that no one else could; you made me different. You took away the dark so that all that was left was the light, the light which was you. But then the light was taken away from me, snatched away when I needed it most. So now I stand here in the same spot in which you found me all those months ago, pondering the same thing now as I was back then. Do I give it all up and throw my body to the angry waves below me, or do I keep on fighting, living, the way you showed me how? I look back to the day you saved me from myself.

“What are you doing? ”

“Thinking.”

“About what?”

“What it would be like to feel those waves pounding my body into the floor of the ocean.”

“And what answer have you come up with?”

“Peaceful.”

” Pardon?”

“It would be peaceful.”

That what the first exchange of words that we ever had. It’s funny how I still remember them as if it was yesterday. It was the first time that I ever caught a glimpse of your face, a face that I would come to depend on, as those months went by. You were everything to me, you still are.

So I give this to you, this is our story…the story of how you changed my life. The way you brought me from the dark into the light, your light.

No One To Stop Her

It had started directly after the fight in the Department of Mysteries. All the other Hogwarts students (including Ginny) who had fought were awarded 50,000 galleons each and granted their adulthood so that they could pursue the livelihood of their choice. It was a known fact that the Ministry hoped that they would help recruit young wizards and witches for the Order…that was made up of mainly magical people over thirty years of age. That was when the fighting had begun…

Ginny’s family was, like most other pureblood families, slightly chauvinistic, although it had never occurred to her before, because such a crucial situation had never arisen. While Ron and Harry had been free to fight in the War, the Weasley family thought their baby, their little girl should not be involved in the crossfire. “Become a Healer like Hermione, or recruit wizards for our side,” Molly Weasley had urged her.

However, they did not want Ginny to become an Auror or an active fighter in the Order of the Phoenix. Only Dumbledore and Minister Fudge had been on my side. Even now, she still talks to them occasionally because of that.

Therefore, when she had become an undercover spy for the Order by getting her Dark Mark under the pretenses of “getting revenge on the Dream Team for being neglectful,” they had turned their backs on her. Even after Dumbledore had risked the status of the mission to explain it to them. (Percy had been accepted back into the family 2 weeks after she had been legally disowned…ironic.)

She moved out of the Burrow into my own apartment, cut off all communication with anyone associated with the Weasley family (Potter and Granger included) and got a job as the Hogwarts Healer…Madam Pomfrey had retired a few years before. She immersed herself even deeper into the farce of being a Death Eater, finding out as much information as she could about the workings of Tom Riddle and his dunces.

She quickly rose through the ranks of young Death Eaters and became second only to Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy…The Dark Trio, as they were called by their followers. They were the leaders of the group of Slytherins that fought for Voldemort in Hogwarts and Malfoy was Voldemort’s surrogate son. She was called Nevra by my fellow Death Eaters, and was second only to their command. Now, she had found out the most crucial information of all.

The Death Eaters were planning to attack Hogwarts…and even more important, Dumbledore was going to let them. Because the deaths of students was the only way to insure that Potter had an open shot on Voldemort’s mind. That was the day that Ginny had gone to the cliff. Watched the waves. She felt like it was her fault that Hogwarts students would die. She could have stopped the attack without telling Dumbledore with the few words needed to kill the Dark Trio.

But Ginny was too scared. And a little voice in the back of her mind said to me that she was beginning to become attached to these ambitious, kick-ass, independent, bold people…she genuinely liked them. They had just made the wrong choice about whom to side with in the War…they actually thought Voldemort could win. So she had run off to Dumbledore like a good little spy. Now children were going to die because of her. There was no one to turn to now. No family, no friends, no Order member…no one. She was all alone. There was no one to stop her from drowning herself in those waves. Until he came along.

Dangerous Conversation

Ginny was standing on the rocky edge of the cliff, just thinking. Listening to the roar of the waves and the call of the seagulls and trying to figure out how she felt, what she was going to do. She was so hurt, and guilty, and angry, and just plain tired of acting…of doing things she did not want to do to maintain this farce.

If she backed out now, Voldemort would kill me. Wouldn’t it be easier just to gently fall into the swirling currents below? No troubles, no worries anymore, just the murky light that gently fades from view and the warm water surrounding her.

She was so lost in my thoughts that she did not hear the crunch of broken shells as he approached. His touch on her arm quickly became a hold as she stumbled in shock and nearly fell over the edge.

“Nevra?” She tensed at the sound of his silky deep voice. It was the Dark Prince himself - the one that I hated most of all - yet admired all the same. “I did not know anyone else came here but me. What are you doing?”

“Thinking.” She could feel his frown upon me as she gazed out into the distant horizon.

“About what?” He asked, his scrutiny apparent.

“What it would be like to feel those waves pounding my body into the floor of the ocean.” The widening of his eyes was the only sign to his surprise.

“And what answer have you come up with?” he asked calmly.

Ginny thought for a moment and knew her answer. “Peaceful.”

” Pardon?” His voice was amused, unbelieving. It made Ginny angry that he could be like that about a thing that would have made all her friends gasp in horror. Then again, she supposed different wasn’t such a bad thing…after all, those friends had all deserted her. Yes, maybe different wasn’t such a bad thing.

“It would be peaceful.”

“Ah…I have thought the same on several occasions.” At this, she turned to him. His silver eyes were nearly as stormy as the waters below. He was serious.

“What pulled you back from the edge?” Her voice broke at this, to her shame. He shrugged nonchalantly.

“I don’t know…I just could not fall. I tried…guess my Slytherin mind just wouldn’t let me.” He smirked. Ginny sighed.

“That’s not much help, you know. I don’t have a Slytherin mind.” He grabbed Ginny’s arm and pulled her closer to him, farther away from the edge.

“Yes, you do. The Sorting Hat would have put you in Slytherin after the Dark Lord possessed you in my second year…that would be your first. And I won’t let you fall, anyways. Nevra.” He added her name as an afterthought. Proof of how low below him she was, even as second-in-command. Ginny stiffened in his grasp and yanked her arm away.

“It was your father that gave the Dark Lord access to me. Your father effectively ruined my life that year.” The Prince turned away, his eyes suddenly silver.

“I know…I hate him nearly as much as you do.” His eyes smoldered, and his hands turned into fists. Suddenly his mask came on. It had been off for all of this conversation, but it appeared and it was like a wall between us. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

She shrugged. “All right. You know what I was really thinking? I was wondering how it was going to feel, killing children I grew up with. Children I was friends with.”

He laughed bitterly. “You have killed children before, Nevra. Knowing them shouldn’t make a difference.”

Suddenly Ginny was angry at him. Angry for revealing to her what her heart was denying. Angry that he was telling the truth. Angry at herself for becoming such a bad person. “You don’t know shit, Malfoy.” She turned to walk away.

He grabbed her wrist, bent her hand back to the breaking point, and twisted her arm behind her back. “Don’t test me, Nevra. Respect for your Prince is always necessary. I don’t appreciate rudeness. And I am above you. I could kill you in an instant and it would be like crushing an insect beneath my foot.” His voice was smooth, his body tense like a coiled spring ready to break. And as ashamed as Ginny was of it, she was scared. He would kill her if he thought it necessary. And she would not be able to defend herself…she would be killed on the spot by the Dark Side if she touched a hair on the Prince’s head.

“Let go of me, Prince. I forgot myself for a moment.” The fire in her voice could not be dampened. But at least she was polite. He smirked at her as he released her arm.

“You would do well to remember better next time, Nevra.” Ginny backed away and spat at his feet. Suddenly, she was ready to risk it all, throw everything away, to prove that this infuriating man had no power over her.

“My loyalty is not to the Dark Lord. Kill me for it if you will …but it never has been. I would kill myself now if I could make my mind follow my heart…Do you know what it is like to hate who you have become?” Malfoy’s face darkened, and his body grew tense.

“I should kill you for it…butmost Death Eaters are not loyal to the Dark Lord…to Ambition, to Greed, to Lust…yes, but not to the Dark Lord. You are no threat to me regardless of where your loyalties lie." He paused, as if pondering whether to reveal a secret or not.

"I know what it is to hate who you have become…I do it every second of my life.” He turned away from me, the tears building in his voice. Suddenly he looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes cold as steel. “But Nevra, if you ever betray me, I will kill you. I don't give a damn about Voldemort's agenda...but if your actions in any way bring harm to me, you are a walking corpse, do you understand?”

She nodded curtly and walked away, leaving him to his thoughts at the shoreline.

That was the end of my first conversation with the mystery that was Draco Malfoy, the Prince of Darkness. He fascinated me, scared me, and disgusted me all at once. He made me pity him, admire him and hate him. In fact, there was virtually no emotion that he did not make me feel at one time or the other. That was what drew me in to this man. That is what drew us together, I think. That is what saved both of us from ourselves.

2. Chapter 2

July 16, 2005 Inserted A/N – Yes, I can hear you! Dumbledore, obviously, should not be alive in this story, right? Well, yeah, you are right. A note in my favor: this chapter was posted nearly a year before book six came out.

However, I am trying to integrate this story in with the new circumstances of book six…so you will find out how and why Dumbledore has managed to reappear in my imagination after Chapter 46 (the last chapter written before book six came out). Quell your cries of indignation and annoyance, readers! Your questions will soon be answered! How soon? Well that depends upon how fast you read.

P.S. Remember Snape…he shouldn’t be valued by Ginny as someone who sacrificed with the Light…well, keep reading (after Chapter 46) and you will understand that as well. Yes, in the books, I believe Snape may NOT be a traitor…after all he was sworn by the Unbreakable Vow to kill “that person” (you know who, but can’t ruin it for people who aren’t finished)…so he may not have wanted to. Then again, the evidence points against him…but JKR is full of surprises. Anyway, read on!

The Turning Point

The week after her conversation with Malfoy, Dumbledore approached Ginny in her office next to the Infirmary. Her position as Hogwarts Healer was merely a cover job she kept as she worked for…no, spied on…the Dark Side. Dumbledore looked worried, older than ever. The Death Eaters had recently attacked Hogsmeade, and the tension was getting to us all. “Has Voldemort revealed his plans for Hogwarts?” Ginny grimaced. The bad news had to be told.

“He has used work with Dark Magic to remove nearly all of the protections on Hogwarts, but the one that uses the Sorting Hat as a Talisman. My initiation to the Inner Circle will come when I bring him the Sorting Hat…which means I effectively bring him Hogwarts…to prove my loyalty, he says.” Ginny laughed bitterly.

“I know you want him to attack Hogwarts so that Potter can destroy him. But I won't do it. I have betrayed nearly everything I believe in to spy on him…I will not give him Hogwarts. The farce is over.” She was afraid, too. That was something Ginny would not admit to herself. She was afraid of losing herself to the intoxicating Darkness.

“We will find a way to give him what he wants, because we need a spy in the Inner Circle, now that Snape is…incapable of returning. We also need to give Harry an opening. We will do what has to be done.” Dumbledore was the embodiment of quiet determination. A mind and soul of steel. But Ginny remembered Snape, his mind destroyed by the Cruciatus Curse, and I trembled. Fury overpowered the fear, though.

"So you will throw it all away for one chance? Hogwarts is...Hogwarts. It cannot be sacrificed." The one refuge she had from the person she had become. It just couldn't.

"Anything can be sacrificed for the survival of the Light. Anything." His voice brought her back from memories of the times that Hogwarts had made Ginny feel safe midst inner turmoil. “Have you found anything else on members of the Dark Side…we need to know, Ginny.” She struggled…she couldn’t put up her mind shields or he would get suspicious…but try to lie and he could read the lie as a Legilimens…she depended on his trust in her and his reluctance to read minds of spies (the more a mind was opened the easier it was to open it, even by the enemy).

Somehow he had a hunch that she was hiding something…which she was. “No, Dumbledore. I know of all the ones the Order knows of. Oh, and Zabini, and Parkinson. But you have a watch on them already. That is all. The rest are below me.”

Ginny was protecting Malfoy. She had to find out what he was hiding from the Dark Lord…no, Voldemort, before she turned him in. There was something in him, something that she needed to know. That day on the beach had burned into her mind. There was something he was hiding from the rest of the Dark Side. A weakness, a desire, something that would help her use him. But she needed him more than the Light did now. And she would have him...for as long as she needed.

Although I didn’t know it then, that was the turning point. The day I started protecting Draco from the eyes of the Light was the day that I turned to the Dark. That was the day I first hid something from Dumbledore that was important. That was the day I chose Dark over Light.

Protecting Him

The day after Dumbledore spoke to her, her Dark Mark burned black. Voldemort was calling her to him. “Regresa Maestro,” she whispered to her wand, and she was instantaneously Apparated to Voldemort. This time she apparated to a room in a English Manor from the Dark Ages by the looks of it.

“You seem distant. Have you doubts to your loyalty, Nevra.” Voldemort said, his voice like the feel of bare steel against her skin. She forgot about her surrounding as other Death Eaters appeared, their faces masked like hers. Her fear was reduced to glowing embers within her mind as she remembered her litany. Hardness cannot be bent, but is simple to break. Iron can not be bent, but is simple to break.

“We will attack St. Mungo’s on the sixteenth of October.” Voldemort began.

“No.” Malfoy’s voice cut in, his voice smooth as velvet. She nearly gasped. The Trio never appeared at a simple Death Eater meeting. And no one ever defied the Dark Lord so openly. Then again, she had never heard a conversation between the Dark Lord and his adopted son.

“Yes, Draco?” Voldemort’s hiss held a hint of warning for his unruly heir.

“We cannot. Not until I can manage to remove Narcissa from her ward…please, my Lord.” Draco, when announced Voldemort’s heir at the Coronation Ceremony, had discovered that his real mother was Bellatrix Lestrange…a much more suitable mother, according to his adopted father. Which meant harder and crueler, of course.

Voldemort sneered. “That soft pansy. She would not kill for me, so why should I refrain from killing her?” Draco visibly tensed. His mother was his mother…Bellatrix had never been the maternal sort and she had never been a mother to him. Not even after the Coronation Ceremony.

“Because I will not join you. Not to kill her. Never. You already destroyed her mind…isn’t that enough? She is destined to live a futile life. That is enough punishment for anyone.” Voldemort’s snake eyes turned scarlet…the only other time they did that was when he thought of the Boy Who Lived. He was furious.

“Even you cannot be excused for some things. Betrayal is your answer? You will not follow your Father into battle? To save a woman who is not even your mother? Crucio.” Voldemort said quietly, his voice iron.

The Dark Lord let it go on and on, but no sound slipped from the Prince’s lips. Tears ran down his face like liquid fire, but not a word sounded. His eyes became gray steel as his vision grayed at the edges. Finally the pain stopped, and his eyes shut of their own accord.

Nevra watched the Dark Lord and his son as the Prince jerked with the pain of the curse. The Dark Lord was killing him as surely as he was waiting for Draco to surrender to him. It never happened. Not a sound escaped from Draco’s lips. When the Dark Lord finally let him go, he began to fall.

Not realizing what she was doing or what the consequences would be…not even what this meant for who she was becoming, Ginny rushed forward, catching him before he even fell and cushioning his fall as she cradled his torso in her arms.

She could not conduct a healing spell, because it may anger the Dark Lord to have his work undone, but she could help Draco while he was hurt…and vulnerable. The Dark Side held no loyalty, and the strong were taken down when possible. She would protect him. No matter what.

Pansy's Boys

Voldemort was surprised and perplexed when he saw Nevra protect his son as she did today. To be honest, Nevra was smarter than Pansy Parkinson. The only reason Nevra had not taken Pansy’s place was that the two boys would not trust anyone else…they had grown up with Pansy, and therefore she was part of the Dark Trio. Now…Nevra and Draco…maybe Pansy would be pushed out...only time would tell.

Nevra, still on the cold stone floor with Draco, was anxiously peeling back his eyelid. “Circulation is good, and pulse seems normal. Effendivo,” she muttered to herself. The spell showed internal bleeding and general trauma. Since the Dark Lord had left, she supposed it would be okay to use a Healing Spell. “Curaro Infinite.” Now he would sleep naturally until his body replenished its strength…a Healing Spell took the strength to heal from the patient’s body.

Blaise Zabini walked in while she was still intent on the man lying within her arms. “What the hell is going on? Nevra, isn’t it?” She looked up startled, and then recognized one of the counterparts of the Dark Trio.

“Yes, it’s Nevra. The Dark Lord called us in to discuss an attack on St. Mungo’s. Draco and he had a bit of a...disagreement…and Draco has been Healed of all effects.”

Blaise shook his head wearily. “About Narcissa, I assume?” Ginny nodded. Blaise sighed. “So why are you taking care of him?”

“I-I don’t really know. He just fell, and I caught him…I don’t even remember thinking about it, really. But I am a Healer by profession, so it was probably instinct.” Ginny paused. She couldn’t believe she was revealing her uncertainty. Any information that slipped involuntarily from your mouth usually stabbed you in the back eventually. But she was so far below the Dark Trio, even as second-in-command, she was so insignificant that she didn’t think twice about what she said. She had been caught off-guard and said things she hadn’t meant to. But the words could not be unsaid. Best to try and brush by it, and hopefully Zabini wouldn’t remember.

“Don’t…Don’t fall in love with him, okay?” She gaped at him. Then shut her mouth remembering exactly who she was speaking with.

“Why the hell would I do that?”

“You already half-way have. But don’t. He has pain inside, a sort of darkness all of his own. It can reach out and swallow you if you get too close.” Blaise was saying things that confused and yet intrigued her.

“I haven’t said more than a few sentences to him in my entire life, and yet I am half-way in love with him? What the hell are you on about?”

Blaise grimaced. “I can’t tell you why, just that you are. It’s a sort of gift I have.” Unbeknownst to both of them, Draco had awoken, just in time to hear Blaise’s last sentence.

“Whatever he is talking about, he’s right. He’s an Empath.” Draco drawled out to the hazy face above him.

“You’re awake. That’s good,” a warm feminine voice said. Definitely not Pansy…she was more of a whine. It was…Nevra. That conversation they had had the night before intrigued him. There was more to her than met the surface. Kind of like himself in that aspect, he supposed. Maybe that was why he was so intrigued with what she was hiding. Maybe that is why he trusted her.

“No one is supposed to know that, Malfoy.” Blaise’s voice was a snarl.

“What? That you are an Empath? It’s all right. I trust her.” Draco said nonchalantly.

“Why?” This time Nevra asked.

“A gut feeling. But I have learned to trust those. My instincts are pretty good.” Draco said wryly.

Blaise snorted. “You mean practically inhuman. He has saved his own life…and mine with his instincts a couple of times. It is eerie how well they work. So I trust you too…all because of a gut feeling. Wow, I am getting superstitious.” He laughed at that.

Pansy sauntered in the door at that point. “How are my boys?” Draco and Blaise rolled their eyes. Suddenly she saw the redhead on the floor…with Draco cradled in her lap…Nevra. The second-in-command. “Why are you in her lap, Draco?” He was hers. He was supposed to be hers. The Dark Lord had all but promised him to her. He actually blushed. Draco never blushed. That was when she knew he felt something for this girl. Whatever that something was.

Then the redhead spoke. “I just Healed him, that’s all. We were talking, and he didn’t get a chance to pick himself up.” She smiled invitingly at Pansy as Draco scrambled up from her arms. “I must be intruding. I need to take care of some things. Might as well be now.” She waved at Pansy’s boys like they were hers and strode out the door.

Time to get business taken care of. No one ever would take her boys away from her. Not even the redhead. “So what exactly is going on with that girl and you guys?”

3. Chapter 3

Summons From Malfoy

They stumbled over themselves trying to explain. “Well, you see,” Draco started. Blaise cut in with, “I saw that she was –” It was too much. Pansy was having trouble sorting out the jumble.

“STOP!” She screamed. They both stared at her in shock. Well, just because she was feminine doesn’t mean that she couldn’t yell when she had to. “So Blaise, how about you go first?”

“I dunno. I found her with Draco in her arms and she had healed him. I guess, well, she could have killed him, and everyone would have thought it was the effects of the Cruciatus that Voldemort laid on him. Draco argued with him over Narcissa again. You know how that always goes.” Pansy rolled her eyes.

“And you, Draco? What’s up with you so far?”

Draco was not about to give up all of his information. He noticed Blaise hadn’t revealed what he had observed as an Empath. He supposed even Blaise had a right to hide things. But still, it intrigued him. Too many things related to Nevra intrigued him. He couldn’t have any weaknesses. The way the Dark Side worked in itself forbade it…Survival of the fittest was something they lived and died by. “A gut feeling. I’ve learned to trust those.” Pansy scrutinized him, but even she knew better than to challenge him openly. No one stood above him except the Dark Lord. And he made everyone remember that. Harshly, if necessary.

“All right, then.” Pansy was a possessive girl, but not the smartest one. He was glad that he didn’t have to talk to her all the time…Wait, where did that come from? Pansy was his confidante, his best friend. Not as good as Nevra. He barely knew Nevra.

“Um, Draco, you okay? You look a little tense.” Blaise broke his line of thought. Something he would rather forget about. It complicated his plans way too much.

“Nah, I am fine. Just thinking about how I am going to get Mom out of St. Mungo’s before Voldie has a heart attack.” Draco had never really believed that Voldemort was his father, and he actually secretly hated him. Ever since he had destroyed Narcissa because she had enough heart to not want to kill a child! And Narcissa was his mother. No matter what anyone else said.

“All right. Let’s go figure out a way.” Pansy grinned at him reassuringly. “She’ll be fine.”

“I hope so. I really do. Because if she isn’t, someone is going to pay.” Draco pushed away the possible consequences of revenge grimly. There was work to do. His mother wasn’t dead yet. And there was his plans to consider.

Considering His Plans

As she walked out of the room to Apparate, Nevra wondered what was going on behind those closed doors. Pansy Parkinson still remained a threat to her. She wasn’t as smart but she was in the advantage because of her standing within the Death Eaters. She was still in shock from the sight of Draco Malfoy blushing. The concept of facial expression in itself was foreign to him…or so she had thought.

The only window to his mind was through his eyes…and those were barely readable at best. He truly had learned how to shield himself from everyone. Even when he was lying on the ground, Nevra could feel the magical shields on his mind. They never wavered, not even as Healing drained life energy out of his body. She had never seen anyone with training so strong. But he had to be, she supposed. He had to be strong in order to survive at the top of the pecking order for so long.

A few days later…

Nevra couldn’t get him out of her head. Pure and simple. Every time her mind was not occupied, it turned toward the enigma that was the Dark Prince. What was he hiding? What did he hold dearer to his heart than the Dark Side to which he had dedicated his life? His soul.

This was another weakness she had to hide. The Dark Lord would be the first to exploit any feelings she felt for his son and Heir. The people below her would not be far behind. She was feeling increasing pressure from Voldemort to get the Sorting Hat from Hogwarts. But Potter was still not strong enough to face Voldemort even when the Dark Lord was distracted. The weakling. People were going to die for him – mere children – and he could not find it in him to be ready. To give the Light the best chance for survival it had.

She felt the Dark Mark burn, and stifled a groan. She rang the bell that let Dumbledore know she had been called by the Dark Lord and then apparated away. She arrived at the same shore where the Dark Prince had first intrigued her. And the Dark Lord was nowhere in sight!

Draco Malfoy was standing in front of her. Even his casual stance had the essence of a crouching tiger and the intensity of a taut wire in it. His grey eyes bore into hers, and she involuntarily stepped back. He let out a grim chuckle. She decided to go on the offensive before he could overpower her.

"I thought only the Dark Lord could summon Death Eaters." He smirked.

"He thinks he's the only one who can. Remember what I said? Most Death Eaters do not have loyalty towards the Dark Lord." He left it at that, mysterious as always. "Blaise is arriving soon."

"Only two-thirds of the famous Dark Trio? I'm shocked." Nevra joked.

Draco's face suddenly had a blank look to it. "Pansy's dead." He said in a harsh biting voice. Nevra gaped for a second, quickly bringing her expressions under control. Tears actually came to Draco's eyes. "She was caught with our plans to rescue my mother from St. Mungo's. The Dark Lord wanted names, but she wouldn't give them. He tortured her until she died. She was protecting us. Protecting me." He laughed bitterly. "I destroy everything I touch. Always. My mother, Pansy. Everyone."

She winced at the rawness in his voice. "Why is Blaise showing up?" Better to distract him from it for now. She had no idea how to respond. Unfortunately he saw right through it.

"You don't know what to say to me, do you? Cause you know I'm right." She broke in at that.

"No! Never! You don't destroy everything you touch. In fact, you've saved lives in nearly every attack that we have implemented. Yours, Blaise's, mine, people you don't even know. And it is not your fault. Pansy was your friend, and she did what any of the three of you would have done in her place. She did what was right! And you had nothing to do with it. To say that it's your fault demeans the nobility of the choice she made. Demeans the fact that she decided that you all were important enough to sacrifice for. So don't you dare blame it all on yourself, because you have no right!

That was when Blaise showed up. His eyes widened in shock as he heard the raised voice in which Nevra was addressing the Dark Prince. And the guilty look on Draco's face that he had never seen before.

"So, Draco, want to discuss why we summoned her?" Blaise said in a false hearty voice.

The Reasons Why

Draco’s eyes refocused. “Yeah. You see, the Trio…isn’t a Trio anymore obviously. And Voldemort is getting suspicious of us…he thinks we are too powerful. When you’ve risen by stealing power away from other people you have a tendency to become paranoid. You are Miss Loyal of the young Death Eaters…always following orders, blah, blah, blah. Since you’ve shown you’re smart, we could use you as an ally and you’ve shown you have other loyalties than to the Dark Side. We could use you as a shield from Voldemort. He won’t suspect us if we’re with you. He trusts you, you’re still innocent in his eyes. SO we want you to be a part of the Dark Trio.”

Ginny’s jaw dropped. “Me in the Dark Trio? I’m not in the Inner Circle yet!”

Blaise grinned. “Exactly. The common Death Eaters trust you like they do no one in the Inner Circle. So we have everyone’s loyalty, the commoners and the nobility of the Dark Side.”

Nevra smiled. “You have it all figured out, don’t you? Answers for everything. But I am sorry, I can’t.”

Draco’s eyes grew hard as steel. “Why not?”

“Because I am not loyal to the Dark Side. Ad I am not willing to become enmeshed in it more than I have to. Because I am losing myself to the mask that I hold. Because I can’t be in the Dark Trio.”

Blaise wasn’t grinning anymore. “Then you’re dead,” he said. “We can’t let you live to tell our secrets.”

Nevra sighed. “Then I’m in. What do I have to do?”

Draco pulled her sleeve up as Blaise and he did the same to their own. He pulled out a dagger and placed it against her skin. She pulled away hastily.

“No way. Let me see it first.”

Draco chuckled. “You really are a Death Eater. Here,” he said as he handed it to her. She snatched it, eyes blazing.

“Don’t you ever say that. I don’t give a damn who you are. You don’t ever tell me who I am.” Draco looked taken aback.

“Chill, Nevra. He won’t say it again. Just relax. You done with the dagger?” Blaise said hastily before Draco could grow angry.

Nevra looked over the dagger. She tested it with a Searching Spell…one that she had created herself. “Yeah, it’s fine. It’s just a Binding Spell. But you could have told me before and saved us the drama.”

“And now you’re just creating more. Let’s get this over with, Draco.” Blaise said.

Draco took the knife from Nevra and made a cut on their arm splitting the Dark Mark in half. Nevra looked on in surprise.

“So that’s how Voldemort can’t read your thoughts. Do you glamour these so he can’t tell you’ve fiddled with them?” Draco nodded, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“We’re not done yet. We have to read this chant together.” Nevra looked at the text.

Bound we are till Life’s last breath
While our brethren live no barrier is death
And our binds do defy every promise and lie
That we have made before this day

4. Chapter 4

The Binding

“That’s the Innocuroso Binding!” Nevra exclaimed. Her voice sharpened. “How did you find it…that hasn’t been used since Slytherin’s doom!”

Blaise and Draco nodded grimly. Draco said, “Voldemort is the Heir to Slytherin…the family kept the Binding Charm for safekeeping. A charm so powerful it could break up the Hogwarts Four…well, it could wreak havoc on the world. Slytherin wasn’t so evil as the stories make him out to be…it was his descendants that gave his family a bad name. They kept the charm in hopes that they would be the ones to destroy the world and remake it to their own will.”

Nevra nodded impatiently. They all knew the story. “Slytherin joined Mysticus, a secret occult of wizards trying to purify the wizarding race. The group used a Binding Charm as part of the Initiation of new members. The Innocuroso Binding was unique to that group…it is believed it was created by Merlin, the purest of wizarding blood, to bind a dragon for a century to use its blood in his experiments. So Slytherin was bound and ordered to turn against Hogwarts because it allowed Muggleborns admission. He couldn’t refuse to betray Hogwarts, but he warned the other three of what was happening…Mysticus forgot to bind his silence. Even the Hogwarts Four together could not find a way to break the charm, so Slytherin was forced to leave the school forever. But the bind overpowered his self-will at the last moment and made him create the Chamber of Secrets before he left…the ultimate tool to purify the halls of Hogwarts. All the Dark Side knows the story…after all, Voldemort was originally a member of Mysticus before he became even more radical than they and broke free of the Bind. Do you know how he did it, since you managed to get your hands on the Charm itself?”

Blaise and Draco were gaping at her. She scowled impatiently. “Well, do you?”

Blaise spoke with a slight smile on his face, “Quite the historian, aren’t you?”

“Well, how did Voldemort break free?” The two men looked at each other. Blaise shrugged.

Draco said hesitantly, “Well…the thing is…we don’t really know. But this Bind…it breaks your allegiance to the Dark Side…or rather puts it second to the bond the Trio shares. That’s why Pansy was able to resist Voldemort when he searched her mind for the names of her accomplices. We cannot force people to actions as was done to Slytherin, nor coerce them to secrecy. But if willing given, this bond will make you one of ours…you will not want to hurt us or our cause. Only if willing given.”

Nevra said, “So we will be killed if Voldemort finds out.” It wasn’t really a question. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to make sure they realized it as well. Both the men nodded. “All right. Let’s do what we have to do. According to legend, it must be repeated thrice over…once for heartbeat, once for breath, once for mind and soul. Is that right?” Draco nodded and held out the paper in front of them. Together they began to recite.

Bound we are till Life’s last breath
While our brethren live no barrier is death
And our binds do defy every promise and lie
That we have made before this day

Draco said, "For as long as our hearts beat."

Bound we are till Life’s last breath
While our brethren live no barrier is death
And our binds do defy every promise and lie
That we have made before this day

Draco said, "For as long as thoughts are ours."

Bound we are till Life’s last breath
While our brethren live no barrier is death
And our binds do defy every promise and lie
That we have made before this day

Draco said, "For as long as our souls are whole."

And together they recited the binding sentence.

And so are we bound to each other...forever.

Thus, a new Dark Trio formed. Thus, a new Alliance began. Thus, the struggle of Dark and Light started within me. Thus began the path that led to today. The day I stand again on the shore and ponder whether life is worth the price of love.

Divided Loyalties

A jet-black eagle owl streaked into Nevra’s office, causing her to jerk with surprise and splatter her letter to Dumbledore with ink. It held out its leg imperiously and she could see the thick waxen parchment with the black-green seal. She opened it to reveal a flowing cursive script in green ink.

Miss Ginevra Weasley,

You are cordially invited to the funeral of Pansy Morgana Parkinson. This letter will transport you to the place of the ceremony at the appointed time. Your arrival is scheduled for Sunday, April 23 at 10 a.m.

It was a standard invitation issued to all Death Eaters…it would be a Dark Funeral. Her family would not allow the death of its sole heiress to go unremarked upon…even though she had died in disgrace of the Dark Lord, even he could not risk offending one of the oldest Dark Families in England…only the Malfoys ranked higher. However, the seal and the handwritten invitation meant that she had moved up in the eyes of her peers. Only members of the Inner Circle and favored Death Eaters would receive a personal invitation.

She could not begin to imagine why anyone would think that she had moved up in the ranks. In fact, it would make more sense that she would have moved down…Dumbledore as of yet had not given her the signal to take the Sorting Hat and the delay in her initiation to the Inner Circle was beginning to irritate the Dark Lord. No one knew of her initiation into the Dark Trio…it was to be kept secret until they could find a way to hide that Draco summoned her through the Dark Mark.

As she folded up the note, a small scrap of paper slipped out with writing on it. It looked as though it was written by the same person in a more hurried, ragged fashion.

I risk everything in writing this to you. I do not know if I can trust you…do not even know whether you will exploit a mother’s grief, but I have no other choice. Forgive me for imposing on you like this…even receipt of this note could mark you for treason. I dare not trust any within the Inner Circle any longer…not even my husband.

I blindly followed in our Lord’s steps for many years without thinking of the harm we inflicted upon innocents. But now, now my daughter has been killed by one she claimed her master. One who promised to protect her…but never from himself. Now I question whether it is truly safe amongst people who I named my friends. Even Pansy’s father will not question his daughter’s death because it was his Lord who killed her.

I know that Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini are two untouched by the fanaticism that infects all the Elders within our Heirarchy. But I dare not speak with them. They are too high up and have too many plans hidden from my eyes. They would exploit my doubts to their own agenda. And I have seen a look in your eyes of pure torment when you kill…one that gives me hope some humanity remains in you…something that will save me.

I can not live like this any longer. I pray that you will be of some help to me before Death’s temptation becomes too great. I cannot live knowing that I killed my daughter when I promised her to the Dark Lord’s service when she was an innocent babe. I cannot live knowing I condemned her to a life that left her with no choice but her own destruction. I leave myself In your hands, to condemn or to forgive as you will.

Elena Zabini Parkinson

It seemed as though the cracks within the loyal of the Dark Side were deeper than she thought. Unless it was a trap. She would wait until the funeral. Until she could talk to Draco – and Blaise – alone. Maybe this would be of help. But she could not tell Dumbledore yet. Not until she was sure of what this meant…to everyone.

Expendable

Dumbledore came into Nevra’s office mere hours before the Parkinson funeral. “Harry is ready. I have him living in a concealed apartment in the school. You need to see him soon to plan for the attack.”

“Let’s make this quick…you know I have that Parkinson funeral to attend soon. You remember that I have no power over the time of the attack, Dumbledore?”

“Yes. But he – and I – will be ready.”

“And the students?”

Dumbledore sighed. “We can’t save them without letting the Dark Side know that we are using this attack to our advantage. Without risking your cover.” Fury rose within Nevra.

“Damn it, Albus! I am not doing this if children die!” He looked at her with eyes hard as steel.

“We all do what we must. For the Light.”

“I HAVE DONE EVERYTHING FOR THE LIGHT! I GAVE UP MY FAMILY, MY FRIENDS, MY INNOCENCE. I HAVE KILLED FOR THE LIGHT!” Suddenly her voice became poisonously soft. “I will not be responsible for the destruction of the one place that is home for me.”

“Hogwarts will not fall. As long as I live.” Dumbledore said, full of reassurance. His eyes widened with surprise when Nevra laughed in his face.

“As long as you live, Dumbledore? And tell me, when did you become immortal? Or invincible? If the attack fails, and Hogwarts falls, do you have a backup plan?”

Dumbledore was silent. She smiled grimly. “The Light will not always prevail if we become arrogant in victory. The Dark Side is becoming more powerful…not in numbers but in magical strength. We cannot afford to be careless or throw away our defenses for sloppy attacks.”

He nodded grimly. “That is why I need you and Harry to meet.”

She grimaced. “All right. But Potter and I are not on friendly terms.”

He sighed wearily. “No one knows that better than I. But we must stand together for the greater cause.”

She bent her head in assent. “How do I get into his apartment?”

He smiled. “Thank you…for making the effort to come face to face with him. It is the picture of Boderick the Bold…the password is Raspartan.”

“I have to prepare for the funeral. I will see him soon. He will be there until the attack?”

“Yes. I will need the both of you to come to my office after you converse to share with me your thoughts. And Ginny –” he said, pausing. She nearly forgot to turn to face him because she was so used to being called Nevra.

“Yes, Dumbledore?”

“Don’t let bad blood come in the way of the work of the Light…please.”

“I will do my best. But teamwork isn’t a one-person job. Be sure to tell your beloved Potter the same thing. Good day, Albus.” She said bitterly, offended that he thought he had to tell her to forget everything but the Light in her work.

“Good day, Ginny.” He didn’t even realize he had offended her. Typical of her life with the Light. They always used her without appreciation on this side of the War.

She was just another tool that could be thrown away when the time came. Everything changed perspective beneath the eyes of the Light.

5. Chapter 5

Arriving At The Funeral

Nevra glanced up from Dumbledore’s retreating back to the clock hanging above her door. It was nearly time. She quickly changed into appropriate attire and donned the Death Eater mask. She would remove it after the formalities of the funeral ceremony…but since this was a Dark Funeral, formal attire was required during the actual ceremony. She stepped away from her desk holding the invitation and stood in the center of the room.

At the appointed time, she was whisked away in a flash of dark-green smoke…trademark color of the Parkinson family, just as silver was the Malfoy’s and sapphire the Zabini’s. Every pureblood family had a color – the Weasleys were a most atrocious shade of magenta, that clashed terribly with their (also trademark) red hair.

She arrived at a large banquet hall where the entire family was arranged to greet the guests. Slowly she went down the line from Mr. Parkinson Sr. to all the men in the family down to the smallest boy. Then she came face-to-face with Mrs. Elenia Parkinson pale-blue eyes…Pansy’s mother. There was no flash of recognition so Nevra could only presume that her mask hid her identity…or that Mrs. Parkinson was drugged or spelled into submission. It was not unheard of, and quite accepted if done in a private manner among the Dark Side. One could not have one’s family members endangering position in the Hierarchy…all the more important when your family was part of the Inner Circle.

After she got through the line and the silent bows of the family, she turned to the front of the banquet table. The coffin’s heavy satin cover was black and across it were slashes of the family color (in this case dark green)…the more slashes, the higher the rank of the family member within. Even in death, ranks were important. As sole heir to the original bloodline of an ancient, pure (and very rich) family, Pansy Parkinson had slashes from top to bottom…something in which she would have taken pride.

Even above the pedestal upon which the coffin lay was a dark throne made of mahogany. The Dark Lord had already taken his place above his followers…even the Dead did not break bonds with the Dark Side, and still were below their Lord. The irony was vivid in Nevra’s mind. Death was supposed to be the final Freedom yet even it did not break the bond of the Dark Side. Would she, as well, carry this burden, even though her pledges had never meant a thing to her? Did it really make a difference?

While she was observing the room, Death Eaters came into the hall in a controlled stream. So lost in her thoughts was she that she did not notice the many whispers beginning as she walked by, the half-hidden glances turned her way. And in the Dark Side, unawareness is a mistake that can not be made.

When everyone had arrived the Dark Lord clapped once. All noise stopped and the eerie silence broke through Nevra’s thought as the muted whispers never had. She bowed low with everyone else as the Dark Lord stood.

“Rise, followers.” The rustle of robes was the only response as Death Eaters stood en masse.

“We gather here today to mourn the passing of Pansy Parkinson, sole heir of the Parkinson family, for whom I have the utmost respect. I pass on my regrets and my trust that their sorrow will not intrude upon their loyalty to the Cause.” The obvious threat in his voice brought shivers to some in the family, but Parkinson Sr. nodded firmly, his eyes alight with the slight sheen of madness.

“Not even Death can separate the bond between us, Master.” Voldemort nodded briskly, the concern quickly brushed away…like the murder of the woman now lying before him.

The thought quickly brushed through the blank void in Nevra’s mind, like water trickling down glass. I wonder whether he is even a bit human anymore. What word will they invent to describe this…thing? Who has no conscious, feels no remorse? Who drowned so deeply in the Dark Side that he lost himself, his soul? Is he Lucifer reincarnate? He could have been a great wizard, had he not turned away from the Light. Now he is just a monster.

”I call Nevra to give Pansy’s address.” Nevra gave a slight start at the Dark Lord’s words, cloaked by her robes. Inside she was full of turmoil, but one learned to control emotions in this world. She was a powerful Occlumens, as required to be a spy in front of the Dark Lord, but she had the sudden fear that he had broken into her thoughts as she walked through the crowd of masked faces. They parted for her, backing away as if she was dangerous. Only one remained her path, silver eyes sharp as steel. She knew who he was and held her head up, challenging him. Draco stood firm, still blocking her path. She stared him in the eyes, willing him to let her pass. To keep himself out of the Dark Lord’s bad favor. Out of danger.

Suddenly his mask broke and worry flashed in his eyes, turning them stormy for an instant. He parted his lips as if to say something, then took a deep breath and stepped back, leaving the way clear to the pedestal on which the Dark Lord stood.

She slowly calmed her mind and straightened her stance, then walked to the pedestal, knowing not what came next. But whether it be ruin or victory, she would face them with a steady hand and iron confidence.

A Failed Attack

Dumbledore headed straight to the portrait of Broderick the Bold after he left Ginny’s office. He needed to talk to the man this war depended upon…Harry Potter. The portrait said jauntily, “Good Morning, Headmaster!” as it swung open, its merry manner contrasting greatly with his regret and despair.

Harry Potter was sprawled across a cozy red leather loveseat across from a crackling fireplace, reading a book. He glanced up when Dumbledore strode into the room and looked at the old man’s tired face.

“Tea, Albus? You look like you need a cup.”

“Yes, thank you, Harry. I do.”

They sat in silence for a while, the comfortable silence of two men who know more about one another than any other person in the world. Two destined to stand alone for a cause that they know is right. Two whose destinies are all that matter…not feelings, not thoughts…just the purpose they are meant to fulfill. Two men, upon whose shoulders, the world rests.

Dumbledore sighed. “Well, I did come here for a purpose besides your company, much as I regret it. You and Ginny Weasley must meet soon.”

Harry grimaced. “Does Molly know? I am afraid she may never let me back in the Burrow again.” He said half-jokingly.

Dumbledore looked at him seriously. “It truly doesn’t matter, and you know it. Molly will do what she wants, but this meeting needs to happen. If this attack – if it fails – the Light will, well, it will never recover. The Dark Side will then have the advantage. And if they are so close to beating us even at a point of disadvantage, I shudder to think what they will be capable of at a point of advantage.”

Harry looked taken aback. “What’s all this, Dumbledore? Suddenly negative? Suddenly doubting? Our plan will work. We’ve been over it a hundred times. There is no way it can fail.”

Dumbledore sighed. “And that’s our problem. Ginny herself pointed it out to me. We are getting overconfident. We can not afford stupid mistakes. The Dark Side is gaining power magically, even if they are losing numbers. They may equal us within a year. We must beat them soon. We must make the defining stroke that will stop them where they stand. Or we will not win.”

Harry asked hesitantly, “But isn’t that what this is all about? The final destruction of Voldemort?”

Dumbledore said, “Yes. But it can fail, like all attacks can fail. Did I ever tell you about the Innocuroso Charm?”

Harry said interestedly, “No. Why?”

“It’s an interesting spell. When Salazar Slytherin was placed beneath it, it broke the Hogwarts Four. There is no Binding Spell that can defeat it. Voldemort was bound with it as well, to the same organization as Slytherin, but he broke the Binding. But anyways, the Dark Side only has the words to the spell and the basic meaning of what it does to the bound wizards and witches. We, however, have the full text in a secret vault that no one has privy to anymore…it’s just too dangerous of a spell. But there is something hidden in that spell that no one knows about anymore…except maybe Voldemort himself…something that could destroy magic itself, or could make it strong enough to overcome anything.”

“And your point is…” Harry said exasperatedly.

“Well, there was once a battle plan that involved the Innocuroso Charm. Infallible really. We used Tom Riddle before he became Voldemort as a spy on the Mysticus organization…before he became Voldemort. He was bound to them with it, but then was rebound to us with it as well. Meaning he was loyal to our Cause before theirs, so he could spy on them for us and they would trust him because he was also bound to them. Only that Binding was secondary to the Binding to the Light. Turns out, that the double Binding didn’t work. Instead it made him immune to the Spell forever. That is how he broke his binding to Mysticus. In addition to breaking the Bind, it turned him against the causes he was bound to as well. A failed attack plan of the Light resulted in the creation of Voldemort, the greatest threat to the survival of Light since Morgana and Merlin battled.”

“And now it’s me and Voldemort.”

“And we cannot fail this time. We can not fail…or we are doomed to the Dark.”

6. Chapter 6

Funeral Address

Voldemort watched with interest as his Heir stood in Nevra’s way. Draco was showing weaknesses….weaknesses he could use to keep his unruly son in check. Maybe Nevra would be worth more than Narcissa in Draco’s mind. Maybe he could get rid of Narcissa and create the partnership of two of his best Death Eaters…only time would tell. Finally his Heir stepped out of the regal redhead’s way and he watched her move towards him.

Nevra conjured a pedestal a foot below the Dark Lord and elevated herself onto it.

He spoke addressing himself to the entire crowd, “Well, Nevra?”

She took a deep breath and began slowly, thinking about every word she spoke before she uttered it. A mistake would be deadly here. Especially with Draco’s strange behavior. Something was at stake here, something was wrong…something that she just couldn’t place her finger on. Caution was best in this case.

“I did not know Pansy Parkinson very well. But from what I have heard of her, she had her good traits and her faults, like any other human being. She was a powerful witch and honest, although sometimes harshly so. She had a sense of humor, and she was courageous. In fact, she saved my life upon occasion and that of several others within this gathering. She was a shrewd manipulator and did what she had to do in order to survive. She made it to the top of the young Death Eaters on her own talents. And for those things, I respect her.”

She paused to take a breath and whispers filled the air. The Dark Lord looked at her with carefully blank eyes through his formidable mask. Tread carefully, for you know not where you step was the only thought running through her head. She could not think…her mind in a numb void. She merely spoke, letting the words run in a smooth flow, and hope she was saying the right things.

“She was loyal, but her loyalties misplaced. She placed herself above our Master. She betrayed the Cause for which we all live. She deemed another Cause greater. And for that, I condemn her.” She paused again, letting the words sink in to the minds of the audience.

“This aberration could erase all the deeds she did for the Cause in her life. But she paid the price for it. She paid, and now the debt no longer remains. Because she killed for us, would have died for us, I deem her worthy.” The whispers became a roar, until Voldemort gazed around with eyes that promised death.

“I deem her worthy of a warrior’s burial. Not of a traitor, in an unmarked grave. But not of royalty, either, in a regal coffin with elaborate ceremony. I deem her worthy of a warrior’s passage, because she fought for something to the very end. Because she fought for us with her life.” Nevra raised her wand, and elevated Pansy’s body out of the coffin. “Incendio,” she whispered under her breath, and the body turned to ashes in the air and fell to the ground. Then Nevra transfigured the coffin to a black gourd with green slashes across it and swept the ashes into it. The gourd full of ashes now flew to Nevra’s outstretched hand and she held it high in the light of the hall.

Her voice clear and steady, she said the final words. “To a warrior. May she be given the fate she deserves.”

The hall murmured behind her, “To a warrior,” raised their glasses and drank. She turned towards the Dark Lord and held the gourd up to him.

He looked down in amusement. “I said address, Nevra, not ceremony.”

She looked down respectfully. “My Lord, I should not have done that.”

“Notice you never apologized.” He said.

“Because it would be a lie. I am not sorry for what I did. I only know I shouldn’t have done it.”

“Careful, Nevra. Your voice borders on impertinence.” He looked out at her upturned face and lifted her mask, trying to read her facial expressions and covering it with an excuse. “The ceremonies are done. You don’t need to wear this anymore.” Her eyes were full of fire, her features taut with feeling. But he couldn’t tell what…she was as skilled as his own Heir as hiding her emotions.

Without a reply, she bowed and floated off the platform onto the ground. The platform disappeared when she reached the ground. When she got there, Nevra looked back up at the Dark Lord and made the salute of the Dark Side (a fist to the chest) as she lowered her mask back over her face. Then she turned and disappeared in the crowd milling about aimlessly, her stride purposeful.

Hmm, he could find a use for this fiery follower of his…he appreciated her courage – as long as it didn’t get out of hand.

Hidden Powers

Draco inwardly breathed a sigh of relief when Nevra finished her address. She was taking all sorts of risks…but you could never advance without risks. What scared him was she was seemingly taking them without calculation or forethought. She had been lucky so far, but when would her luck fail? And her mistake could affect all of the Trio.

The Dark Side had been whispering about this redhead, suddenly coming into the spotlight from the shadows. No one knew anything about her, except that she had (and maybe still was, it wasn’t known) the leader of the student Death Eaters – merely a step below the famous Dark Trio. Turns out that no one but the Dark Lord, the Inner Circle, Blaise, and Draco knew her real name. Draco secretly thanked the gods that he had never casually mentioned her name to someone else. It could doom her now. After all, even the Dark Trio wasn’t immune to assassination attempts.

He could see her striding towards him, her red hair standing out like a beacon. Really, the girl should dye it if she wants to remain inconspicuous, his mind thought. But red looks so good on her, a voice replied. He was startled by the thought. Since when had he looked at fellow Death Eaters as attractive? That could kill him if he started thinking like that! So many females used their bodies to get up into the higher ranks…yet he had never been taken advantage of like that. He quickly shoved the stray thought to the back of his mind as she approached.

As she brushed by him, almost roughly, her hand slipped into his, squeezing for an instant than pulling away. He knew better than to stop her, or to even show the fact that he knew her. Instead he looked away at a Death Eater (Millicent Bulstrode, maybe) that was calling for him and began to walk to her, slipping the scrap of paper Nevra gave him into a hidden pocket in his robes.

After he got away from the funeral and the many females who wished to be noticed by the Heir, he Apparated to a flat he owned in Bahrain (one of the more rugged places in the world, and therefore a place no one expected a “pampered prince” to be) and pulled out the note. It said cryptically:

We and B need to talk. Safe place. Find me. G

Virtually incomprehensible to anyone else but him. Nevra knew how to guard her back. He smiled briefly. She must have something good to risk contacting him in a place full of Death Eaters. He picked up a pendant (gift from Blaise) that moved him directly to Blaise’s location on command and looked at it. It was green, meaning that Blaise was okay with visits. They had programmed that into the pendant after several embarrassing incidents on both sides. “Regresa,” he commanded the pendant and Blaise appeared in front of him in pajamas making tea at his Bristol mansion.

“What’s up, Draco?”

“Ginevra needs to see us.” Draco replied as he handed Blaise the note. Blaise’s sapphire eyes quickly scanned it.

“How’d you get it?” Blaise asked.

“Must be important because she slipped it to me right at Pansy’s funeral.” Draco said with a chuckle.

“Good thing she pulled off there. Smart girl. Any idea on how to find her?”

Draco shrugged. “Well, the Binding, I guess.”

“It didn’t work with Pansy.”

Draco nodded impatiently. “And Nevra isn’t Pansy.”

“Got that right. Totally in a different ballpark.” Blaise said bluntly.

Draco’s jaw tensed. “Pansy is – was – our best friend. Don’t be comparing this girl to her.” Blaise sighed.

“I wasn’t…not emotionally at least. But you have to admit, Nevra is better than Pansy mentally…quicker, smarter, that sort of stuff.”

Draco nodded, and his mask cracked. Tears came to his eyes. “God, Blaise, I miss her. Her dying…it’s my fault. I should have gone after Mum alone. I hate him. I really do. How could he kill a girl that pledged her life to him?” There was no need to specify which “he” Draco was talking about.

Blaise placed a hand on Draco’s shoulder…briefly. Any show of pity or sympathy would break him. Draco was never as strong as he looked…but his mask was made of iron in public. He would only let it slip in front of Blaise and Pansy – and Narcissa Malfoy.

“Draco, I miss her too. It’s like a constant pain in my chest. But it wasn’t your fault. And the Trio was a Trio for a reason…we shared our problems. And now Nevra’s part of the Trio. Our problems are hers as well…and vice versa.”

Draco nodded heavily. “Let’s see if we can find her, then.” They turned and walked to Blaise’s workroom and conducted the spell. A glowing magenta marker raised above a place in – of all places – Denmark.

Blaise gasped. “It worked! Nevra’s a heck of a lot more powerful than Nevra. Definitely more powerful than me. Maybe even as powerful as you.”

Draco nodded, then laughed. “Did you know the Weasley’s family color was magenta?”

Blaise shook his head. “Draco! There are only four people currently alive that have that kind of power: you, Dumbledore, Potter, and the Dark Lord! If Nevra’s that powerful…the Trio is more powerful than the Light…and the Dark!”

Feeling Safe In Denmark

Nevra waited anxiously for the rest of the Trio in a cottage deep in the countryside of Denmark…one of the most non-magical places in the world since the Extermination in World War Two. Few people knew that Hitler had once been a Mysticus extremist…and since Jewish wizards had a tendency to marry Muggles…well, the Aryan concept came about. Purification of the wizarding world was the real reason Hitler killed Jews, and in Denmark he had succeeded, even though his feat was not publicized in the Muggle world. There were very few Danish Jews – so there was none of the mass murders of Poland and Germany – but the few killed here in Denmark were among the most powerful of their race (the Jews). Since the Extermination, there was very little magical blood in Denmark…which made it safe for the kind of conversation about to occur…as soon as the boys got here.

Finally they appeared. “It can’t have taken that long to use the Binding Spell to locate me!” Nevra snapped, her voice curt.

Draco scowled. “No…it took us that long to cover our tracks so no Death Eaters would walk in on this lovely conversation. Let’s get down to business. The longer we stay, the easier we make it for Voldemort and the others to find us. What do you need to talk about?”

Nevra hesitated. “The Bind…of the Trio…comes first to any other – even family?”

Draco and Blaise both nodded hurriedly. Nevra took a deep breath, steeling herself to take a risk that could kill her – literally. She slipped the letter from Elenia Parkinson out of her robe. “Revalo Secreto.” She spoke. A light flashed from the letter (magenta of course) and Elenia’s flowing script appeared on the blank paper.

“You charmed it so it would only reveal its contents to you? Wow, this must be big,” said Blaise sarcastically. There was no need for a reply. The letter would show them. Ginny handed it to Draco.

Draco and Blaise (reading over his shoulder) quickly scanned the letter. Draco’s eyes turned stormy grey, and Blaise’s sapphire eyes widened as his brow furrowed.

“When did you get this, Nevra?” Draco asked, his voice low and husky with some emotion.

“It was enclosed in the funeral invitation. I didn’t know whether it was a trap – I tested it with the Verdena Spell (truth-seeking spell) and it says it’s genuine. But the Verdena Spell can be fooled.”

“You are right. We can’t trust this…not fully, not yet. It would risk too much. But how to figure out whether it is true?” Blaise said worriedly.

Draco said quietly, “A word of power?”

Nevra shook her head. “Every time you use one, there is an equal reaction in another place. We will be forcing someone to lie about something important, which could ruin their life.”

Blaise said, “But with the Power of Three…which we could implement as the Dark Trio…doesn’t that neutralize the reaction?”

Draco broke in, “No. We can only force the reaction to come to one of us. But we have no control over where or when or how.”

Nevra’s eyes filled with fire. “I will do it. I can’t let someone else take the fall for something I need to do.”

Blaise shook his head. “No, I will. Listen, Nevra, we couldn’t find Pansy using the Locator in the Innocuroso Spell. She wasn’t powerful enough. In fact there were only four people powerful enough to be located in the world: Dumbledore, Potter, Voldemort…and Draco. But now, you can be. You are more powerful than I am by far – even though I am probably the second most powerful wizard behind you two and the Dark Lord in the Dark Side. Anyways, you are more powerful than me. Maybe even more powerful than Draco.”

Draco made a noise of disdain here. Blaise ignored him. “Therefore, your life is more important – you can influence more change than I can. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. I will take the reaction, because I am more expendable than you are.”

Nevra grabbed Blaise by the shoulders hard, her fingers digging into his flesh. “NO! You are not going to risk your life because of me.”

Draco’s eyes, for once, were unmasked. They were filled with empathy. He reached out and pulled her away from Blaise. “Yes, he is. We are a Trio. We share our problems. And in this problem –that is all of ours – what is best for the group is that Blaise take the reaction…however it comes.” Nevra turned in his grasp to look up into his eyes…for once soft with emotion.

“No. NO! Draco, please. I can handle it.” Draco stared at her, then past her at Blaise.

“Maybe you can. But we won’t let you.” Nevra’s eyes pleaded with him.

“Draco…”

“No.” She went limp in his arms, and her shoulders shook with sobs. Tears ran down her face. Not being able to bear her brokenness, he crushed her to him, trying to ease her pain.

She mumbled into his chest, her tears soaking through his satin shirt. “He may die for me, Draco. I can’t let that happen.”

He whispered in her ear the same words she had spoken to him a few days ago. “Don’t you dare take the blame for it. He made the choice and he deserves the honor of the choice.”

The fight went out of her and her tenuous grip on her emotions disappeared. She sobbed into his chest as he held her against him (her knees were too weak to hold her). Blaise was long gone, but neither one noticed his leaving. The last thought she remembered thinking before the grief and pain she had pushed away for so long overtook her was, I feel safe with his arms around me. No one has ever given me that.

7. Chapter 7

Not Just That

She cried herself out of tears. Why not? An accepting shoulder and no one to watch. She may not get a chance like this for a long, long time. And then it occurred to her, that she didn’t consider Draco someone “watching.” Meaning she trusted him to not exploit her vulnerability. Interesting turn of events. He trusted her on “instinct” and for some reason, she returned the feeling.

When she was done, she rested in his arms a moment longer than needed. It felt nice to feel safe, feel taken care of, and be wrapped in someone’s arms. He let her stay, but when she pulled away, he didn’t try to pull her back. She found herself wishing he had. Sometimes reality was just too hard to face. But she would do what she must, just as she had always.

She began to speak, but Draco pressed his fingers against her mouth, stopped her, then whispered in her ear. “Listen to the things you can hear in the silence. The silence will let your thoughts run and you will think things that you could have never thought of anywhere else. It can help you in times like this.”

So they stood together, yet in their own worlds, listening to the silence. Nevra’s thoughts slowly ran in a clear stream. Draco is crazy…listen to the silence? What is he talking about? I wonder why he let me cry on his shoulder. Pansy was definitely in love with him. Blaise warned me not to fall in love with him. Is that what this is? Am I falling in love with the Heir to the Dark Lord? With Draco Malfoy?

Draco broke the silence at last. “Harder than it looks, to let a person die for you, eh, Nevra?” Draco asked, his eyes dry as ever but still soft with emotion. She looked into them, searching. This was the first time he seemed to have truly given up his guard, let her in to his feelings. But she wasn’t fooled. He would be ready to attack as ever, his magical barriers strong as ever.

She stepped away from him in order to talk without thinking of his hot breath against her ear, of the muscles in his arms gripping her round the waist firmly. “Yes. I shouldn’t have yelled at you about Pansy. I had no idea what it was like.”

He smiled. “No, I deserved it. I needed it.” He glanced down at his feet, and voice slightly shaking, said, “I think that it’s the kind of thing Pansy would have done.”

“You know I am not trying to take her place. She – she seemed like a sister to you. I don’t need that. I don’t want that kind of closeness.”

“You’re going to have to get used to it. Because the Trio is bound by something stronger than just pure spell work. It’s bound by the fact that we share our problems, our enemies, nearly everything in our lives.”

She smiled. “I am not the same person as Pansy. Nevertheless, I have my strengths and my weaknesses just as she did. And I will be loyal to our cause. I will do my share as part of the Trio.”

He smiled back…the first time she had ever seen him smile…really, smile, with true emotion. “I know. And you know, the hurt isn’t just fading, it seems to be growing less. Over Pansy.”

“She died for a cause. That in itself makes it easier. She loved you…you and Blaise both. That makes it bearable. The hurt does grow less, but that doesn’t mean the memories do. You will always have those…and they will make life worth living.”

Draco looked at her carefully. “How do you know all this? I don’t remember any Weasleys dying recently. No offense meant. There’s just so many of you.” He said half-teasing.

She smiled, acknowledging the jibe as what it was…not the insult it would have been when they were kids at Hogwarts. “You know Voldemort was inside my head my first year.” She didn’t wait for an answer…it wasn’t a question. “In truth, he was closer to me than my own blood, because he knew what I thought every second of the day. He knew my every feeling, emotion, longing, desire. I hated him for being able to control me, but I loved him deeper than I’ve ever loved anyone. I know that all he did was manipulate me. But when he was gone – the diary destroyed – I missed him. Like someone had taken my heart away. That’s how I know how it feels to lose someone.”

Draco looked at her with horror. “Nevra, he can’t feel anything. He doesn’t care about anything anymore. Sometimes I don’t even think his own life. He just cares about changing the world to fit his vision. His awful, evil vision. One that would destroy anything good in magic. One that would bring magic to destroy itself eventually.”

She looked at him helplessly. “I know. It’s hard to understand. When someone gets that close to you, you can’t help but get attached if you’re human. I am…Voldemort isn’t. But when he was just Tom Riddle, he was. He was just a boy who shared my dreams and my thoughts. Even helped me in little ways. He got me through my first year…even if it was only to use me for his plans.”

“Does he know about this bond?”

Ginny smiled wryly. “He’d use it to use me. And I can’t let that happen. Because even though my memories of that time weren’t bad…were good, even, I know that he is evil. That he can’t feel…maybe even that he isn’t human anymore. No, I’d be giving my own death sentence if he ever found out. And now you, his Heir, know. Kind of ironic.”

He reached out and touched her hand – only for an instant – as if scared to hold on any longer. “Nevra, our bond binds my loyalty to you and Blaise above any other.”

“But it isn’t just that.” He glanced at her in surprise when she said this.

Denying Love

“It’s more than that. I trust you more than I trust Blaise. And you haven’t given me reason to do that. I just do.” She hesitated…looked up again at his still-soft eyes and took a deep breath. “Remember Blaise told me something and you woke up and told me he was right because he was an Empath?” Draco nodded. “He warned me not to fall in love with you. He said that I was already half-way in love, but that I shouldn’t let myself fall farther. Because you have a darkness within you that no love can heal.”

Draco was strangely hesitant. “Are you saying you love me?” Nevra took a deep breath.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so.” Draco looked strangely downcast. “But I would trust you with everything and anything. You infuriate me, intrigue me, and make me feel just about everything except dislike. You just confuse me, plainly put. But I think that I would fall in love with you if I let myself. But I am not going to.”

Draco’s eyes turned stormy with pain and then steely with anger. His mask slammed into place, locking his emotions out.

Nevra cried, “No! Draco, you cannot run away from this!”

“What?”

“You can’t shut me out and you can’t shut your emotions out! This is how relationships work! They are a two-way street!”

“Am I not worth your precious love?”

Nevra sighed exasperatedly. “Draco! The world does NOT revolve around you! This isn’t about you anymore! You don’t love me, anyway, so what does it matter? Do you just like having women drooling after you?”

He looked strange, tormented almost. “They already do that. But why stop yourself?”

Nevra smiled wistfully. “Because Blaise is right. You do have a darkness within you. I am already struggling with my own Darkness. Yours would swallow me completely. Besides that, me loving you – that would either kill me or kill you. The Dark Side is a dangerous place…one that does not accommodate Love, only Greed and Lust and Ambition. You know that as well as I.

He turned away, his face grim. “I know.” There was nothing left to talk about between them. Nevra, to her own horror, began to cry. He turned at the sound of her stifled sobs.

“Oh, Nevra. Don’t cry because of me, please. I am not worth that.” He said sadly, taking her into his arms.

She growled through her tears, punching him in the chest. “Yes, you are! You are worth it!” She pushed him away before she could feel the longing that said she wanted to stay there forever, wiping hastily at the tears that could seem to stop.

So distracted by that was she, that she didn’t look up at Draco’s face. If she had, she would have seen the mask gone and seen a broken face, twisted by pain and hurt and sorrow and guilt. She would have seen the tears in those grey eyes as well, finally wetting the eyes that never seemed to cry. Tears that slowly trickled down his cheeks, burning his soul, once she ran into the cottage and slammed the door shut behind her.

Had he not turned away, convinced that he was to be denied everything good in his life, he would have seen Nevra rush out of the cottage, ready to pull him into her arms and beg forgiveness. Ready to give it all away for the love she had always longed for. But he had already gone, and she was left standing outside. Wondering how she could have denied the love that was making her heart pulse with pain…that was ripping her apart inside. The love she would dream of for the rest of her life…the denial she would regret until the day she died.

Obviously, this isn’t the end. It was our love that led me to this shoreline. It was the fact that we risked everything for our love. But sometimes I wonder, if I had accepted it on that day, instead of denying it at first, whether we would have been ready. Whether our love would have survived. Whether I would still be standing here thinking about the peace of Death, instead of wrapped up inside the caress of your arms. The only place I truly belong. In Life or Death.

A Slippery Path

Ginny Apparated to her Hogwarts Office, hoping that Draco would come after her, but not catch her. She wished she knew he cared – but it didn’t seem like he could. His Darkness truly did separate him from the rest of the Death Eaters, even Voldemort himself.

She bumped straight into a tall man. Only his quick reflexes kept her from tumbling to the ground herself. Finding her balance, she stepped away from the circle of his arms. Then took another step away when she found out who it was. Harry Potter.

“Potter, what are you doing here?” she asked scornfully. “Dumbledore said I was to meet you at the place where you were staying…have the plans changed?”

Harry blushed. “Ginny, I’m sorry. I needed a bandage – I thought you’d be gone for a while longer.” Ginny glanced at her desk – the letter to Dumbledore was gone.

“So you decided you would rip up my letter and use it to staunch your wound? I’m sure it’s spectacular. Harry, you need lessons in lying – you’ve never been able to do it well.”

“I’m not sure that is a bad thing, you know.”

“Oh, it is. I know firsthand. People would have an easier time of it if you lied with a straight face. If they could believe you when you lied. Trust me, I know.” He winced at the memories of the time they had lost it all.

“Ginny, you know that –“ She cut him off.

“Potter, I am very, very sorry. Dumbledore warned me not to let ‘bad blood’ in the way of business. And I still brought it up. Well, let’s start over. Back to business, right?”

Harry sighed. They would never bridge the rift if they didn’t talk. But it didn’t look like Ginny was interested anymore. She had changed. She didn’t need his approval, or Hermione’s or even her own family’s. In fact, he didn’t think she cared what Dumbledore thought anymore either. To whom her loyalties and affection were, he didn’t know. But he would have to find out. “Right. Back to business.”

“Oh and don’t call me Ginny. Ginevra or anything formal will do.”

“Nevra?” She winced.

“NO. That is my…other name.” Oh, her Dark name. He understood.

“Ginevra, then. Call me Harry.”

“Can’t do that, Potter.”

“Why not?”

“Makes me want to cry. Old memories, you know.” Her eyes dared him to bring up the subject again.

He sighed. It seemed like she would never let him answer for his mistakes. That she had shut him off. “Fine, call me Potter.”

“Will do…Potter.” Ginny Summoned the Hogwarts floor plans with the attack plan on it from her room. “Accio!”

They sat down across from each other and began to discuss the plan over a table. Yet you could clearly see the space they gave each other. The carefulness of their conversation. Her greatest connection with the side of the Light had truly been broken long ago. But it was now that she accepted it. Accepted that she had no bond to the Light anymore – that she had loyalties for no one except the Trio.

She was treading a slippery path. But it was one she must walk. To save the Light. But for some reason, the Light didn’t seem so important anymore. All she could see in her mind was the intent on Draco’s – and Blaise’s – faces when they conducted the Binding. All she knew was that now, her loyalties came first – to the Dark Trio.

8. Chapter 8

Trying To Forget

When Harry finally left, the attack plan had been totally modified. Originally, it would have been a slaughter ground, with a head on charge upon the Death Eater force. Now the losses were smaller, and the effect much greater.

Only the Light had the power of flight so far. That was ancient magic kept preserved in the hidden library of the Hogwarts Headmaster (or Mistress, of course). Harry and Nevra worked together to devise a cunning solution.

First, the attack would come from the air. Owls could carry exploding grenades – which they would drop in a set pattern. However, once dropped they would do nothing – until Harry would say the ‘magic words’, per se, and they would all explode in unison.

After the force was considerably ravaged, the attack would move on to real people. Broom sticks and magic carpets (legalized by Arthur Weasley 2 years ago) would both be used to get witches and wizards in the air. After that, the attack would come from below – but that was easy to fix.

Hogwarts, long ago, used to play games in the Great Hall. Because of the multitude of students – two games would be played at once. So the Four had created a magical barrier in mid-air that served as a floor for the upper half and a ceiling for the lower half of the Hall. Now, they could use the barrier, because it was impermeable. The shots any Death Eater fired would reflect back at their own people once it bounced off the barrier “ceiling.”

Dumbledore had found a way to make the barrier work only one-way…from the lower half (Death Eaters) to the upper half (Light Side). So, the Light could destroy the Dark Force without ever incurring a casualty. It was brilliant!

The students would still be killed, because there was not room for all of them in the safe places of the castle – the Headmaster’s office and the kitchens. The rest of them would stay in the Ravenclaw Dormitory (because Ravenclaw was the only House that had no student Death Eaters according to Ginevra – leader of student Death Eaters). There, they would be vulnerable. But at least it would not be a straight out slaughter as children got caught in the crossfire.

There was the attack plan. Dumbledore had given her the Sorting Hat at last. She would be Summoned to the Dark Lord soon with her prize. Her Initiation was imminent – she would be an even more valued informer when she joined the upper ranks of the Dark Side. She would be the youngest Death Eater ever to attain such a rank.

She needed to keep her position as leader of the student Death Eaters – Draco had lost it when he had become Heir. But becoming Heir was a very different thing than becoming a member of the Inner Circle. Perhaps…hopefully, she would be able to keep her spot. She needed to keep tabs on all Hogwarts Death Eaters at the time of attack. Make sure they did not find a way to foil the attack plan.

The scar (from the Binding) burned for an instant and she could see the thin line turned black against the iridescent green of the Dark Mark. She was being called. Probably by Blaise, considering her spat with Draco. She really did not think she could deal with Draco right now. Better that she avoid him.

She was called, and she must go. But she would be careful to avoid his eyes. It was his eyes that made her feel torn inside. Like when she denied her love, she denied him. And his eyes made her imagine that “he” could really feel – that he felt for her. She shoved away the feelings roughly as she readied herself for the jolt that came when you return to your partners in a Binding Spell.

The things the mind imagines when desperate for someone’s love. But Draco Malfoy was not capable of love. Not now, and perhaps not ever. She would have to remember that. No matter how tortured his eyes looked, no matter how she felt within his arms. Draco Malfoy did not love her, and probably never would. She pushed the regret to a tiny corner in her mind and tried to forget.

What she didn’t know then was that Draco Malfoy would never let her forget. Ever.

Opinions Of An Empath

Nevra appeared in front of Blaise. She breathed a sigh of relief. Draco was nowhere to be seen. But Blaise appeared upset.

“I need to talk to you. Something’s wrong.”

“What are you talking about, Blaise?”

“I’m an Empath. I feel others’ emotions especially when I am close to them myself. That means I read you and Draco the best of all.”

“Your point is…”

“Something happened after I left that cottage. Both of you are struggling with new emotions. And the Trio is divided. What is going on with you two?”

She sighed. “You warned me not to fall in love with him.” He nodded impatiently, searching her face. “I already have. But since I can’t afford to love him…I, well, I pushed him away. Told him I wouldn’t let myself love him. Because his Darkness would swallow me.”

He shook his head slightly. “It will. But something worse will happen if you deny it. You know, I don’t think he knows it himself yet, but you need to be told. He cares about you. Maybe not quite love yet, but definitely the closest Draco’s ever gotten to the feeling in his entire life. I used to think Draco wasn’t capable of love. That his circumstances – growing up under the shadow of the Dark Side and the pressures of his father – had left him so numb to emotion that he couldn’t love. But I am beginning to rethink that…Nevra, honest to Merlin, you have the greatest chance to make him human that anyone has ever had. To make him feel…break past the barriers, the shields he holds.”

“Blaise…”

“No, listen, Nevra. He lets down his exterior guard in front of me and Pansy, and his mom. Bu the interior ones – the guards on his thoughts – those he never ever ever lets down. No one ever knows what he’s considering, what he’s thinking about, until a plan is fully formed in his head. Until the risks and benefits of speaking have been calculated. Until he’s sure of everything.”

“That’s the only way he would have survived at the top of the Dark Side for so long. You know the Heir must be like that, Blaise.”

“I know, but I don’t agree. All this subterfuge has left very little feeling in Draco. I doubt he remembers what it means to laugh anymore. As the subject to the Heir to the Dark Lord” I know these changes are for the better. But as the friend to Draco Malfoy…it’s killing him inside.”

“So I am supposed to sacrifice myself to save Mr. Emotionless?” Nevra stated poisonously.

Blaise’s face grew wiser than his years. (On anyone but him, it would have been smug) “Denying love is a dangerous thing to all involved. Especially the love of your magnitude. I have no idea when or why, but the ties of love connecting you two are stronger than any other couple I have seen, stronger than the ties of the Innocuroso Binding of the Trio. Denying those ties is already splitting apart the Trio…it will eventually lead you both to desperate measures to find a way back to Happiness. Breaking the ties…well, it probably would kill you both.”

“He won’t let me forget about him, will he?”

“It’s not just him, Nevra. You confuse him and throw him off balance. Careful you two figure each other out before this confusion of emotion gets you both killed. You know how mistakes can come back to haunt you in the Dark Side.

A/N – I think that JKR said that Neville/Luna will never happen. There is a brief mention of Neville/Luna in this chapter. I know what JKR says, and that can happen in her books. Her genius is acknowledged. However in this story, my imagination creates the rules. Enjoy! – Kumy

The Reaction

She turned to leave, and Blaise grabbed her arm, stopped her. His eyes were glazed over and the words came out in a rush. “Draco has been lying to you…or at least not telling you. He killed Bill and Fleur Weasley over a year ago on their two year wedding anniversary. He tortured them into giving information about the whereabouts of Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood as well. The Dark Lord wanted Longbottom dead because he was the second boy that could have been involved in the prophecy. Luna was carrying his child out of wedlock at the time. Draco killed them both a week later when he found them in the Forbidden Forest looking for a wild ‘gobbledygook’, whose sightings had just been published in the Quibbler.”

Blaise’s eyes refocused suddenly and he released his grip on her arm. “Weren’t you leaving, Nevra?”

She looked at him hard. “Did you conduct the Word of Power spell to see if Elenia Parkinson was lying?”

He nodded. “Oh, yeah. That’s what I forgot to tell you about. Since we are bound with the Innocuroso Binding, any one of us can wield the Power of the Trio. So, I did it last night. Draco knows already. She was telling the truth. We have a deserter in hand. By the way, we need to meet after you and Draco figure your…disagreement…out. To see what we are going to do with Elenia Parkinson.”

She smiled grimly. “The Reaction came already, Blaise. You just told me how my brother and his wife, my best friend and her husband died…and you said Draco might be able to love. How? When he could kill two pregnant women and two good men in cold blood? Without evidence of a threat…just speculation. Killed them…Blaise, that means the thousand tears I cried for them all, I can lay at the feet of a man you say loves me. If he can hurt someone he loves like this, I dread to get on his bad side!” She laughed, her laughter bordering on the edge of tears.

Blaise winced. “Well, to state the obvious, Draco didn’t love you then. We are lucky that the Reaction came with the Trio…or maybe not. This could destroy us.”

Her eyes were pure fire. “God, you know, I still can’t put the feeling of his arms wrapped around me out of my head. He killed people I love, and I can’t forget one minute of memories.” She reached out blindly for comfort, for something to hold on to.

Blaise sighed and stroked her hair as she sobbed on his shoulder. “That’s love for you, Nevra. It hurts, but eventually, believe it or not, it’s worth it.”

She gently removed herself from his embrace. “I think that this Binding weakened me more than it helped.” She joked weakly. “I haven’t cried this much in years.”

He looked at her seriously. “It did in a way. It opened your mind to me and Draco…so I guess it’s normal to feel a bit more emotional.”

“So why aren’t you both breaking down constantly?”

“Because you have been holding emotion inside since you came to the Dark Side. Draco and I have shown it with each other and Pansy. We have less emotion pent up inside us to explode out like yours does. It will get better though.”

She sighed. “People seem to be saying that a lot to me these days. I just hope it can’t get any worse.”

She never should have said that. Because as always, things could get worse. And they did.

9. Chapter 9

A/N – Edward Parkinson is Pansy’s father and Elenia’s husband. Enjoy! – Kumy

Doubts

Draco popped into sight, his back towards Nevra. She held in a gasp at the sound of his voice. She couldn’t face him now. Not after this! She would say something that she would regret later. No…no regrets, not for this man. She stifled a sob at the thought of Bill and Fleur lying in their coffins, their faces masks in Death. Sort of like the mask Draco wore in front of others.

He began talking to Blaise immediately, not noticing Blaise’s frantic glances towards an area behind his back in his rush to tell him the information he had found out about today. “Nevra’s going to be Initiated. We have got to tell the Dark Side she is part of the Trio…without the protection of our alliance, she will be eaten alive by our fathers…oh and Edward Parkinson, as well. Especially since she is so young to become one of the Inner Circle. We were an exception…I mean, we had been training for this since we got out of the cradle, but she, she is an outsider. And they will not take her in easily. Even with the protection of the Alliance. We must tell…no matter the effect on our plans. Nevra is too valuable to lose because of a bunch of hard-headed…not to mention chauvinistic…old Dark fanatics like our parents and their like.”

“Get it right, Draco. I am the youngest Death Eater ever to be Initiated. That is only because I am bringing the Dark Lord the Sorting Hat – in essence giving him Hogwarts. The ultimate proof of Dedication…the Betrayal of a place I consider my home.” She laughed bitterly. “Anyways, because I am as young as I am, the Inner Circle members have the right to Test me. Not even the Dark Lord can stop them. So they will eat me alive…it’s their duty to make sure I am ready for the job. I don’t need the protection of the Trio. I survived without it long enough to become second-in-command. Don’t feel obliged to help me, Malfoy.”

He spun around in a flash. The only sign of his surprise was a slight widening of his eyes. Before he could say anything, Blaise cut in.

“Don’t be stupid, Nevra. The Inner Circle is a entirely different ball game from the rabble you dealt with as student leader…actually, you still deal with them, don’t you? Anyways, they are pretty straightforward in their politics.”

Nevra remembered all the lies she had caught Death Eaters in, the subterfuge surrounding her. The constant battle to keep her position in the Heirarchy. Blaise called that simple…if that were true, and the Inner Circle politics were “complicated,” Blaise was right. She would be in way over her head. She nodded reluctantly.

“You’re right. I guess we will have to make a formal announcement…but I want to talk to my followers first. That way they won’t think I was keeping secrets from them, and our trust and bonds will remain just as tight…my connection with common Death Eaters is important to the Trio, you know.”

She didn’t like being defensive. After what Blaise said, she felt like they looked down on “commoners” as if they were inferior. That bothered her. It was a side they had never shown her. She was a commoner herself…only wits and skill and lots of luck had gotten her this far. She didn’t like not knowing everything (or at least nearly everything, this was the Dark Side after all) about people she needed to trust…was putting her life in danger for. The doubts that she had pushed to the back of her mind, the risks she was taking, came into vivid focus.

Oblivious to her turn of thoughts, Draco nodded in relief. She had accepted the need. Nevra could be stubborn at times. He didn’t understand the feelings he had for her…so he didn’t consider them at all. She had made it clear it didn’t matter. Strangely, for the first time in years, he had felt like he had lost something then. He can’t believe he had actually cried in front of that cottage. Even thinking back, he could feel a prickle behind his eyes…distant memories told him that was a signal of imminent tears. He hastily pushed those thoughts away and resumed his mask. He had made a mistake he would never make again…opening himself up entirely to another human being…letting down all of his guard. He had no idea why he did it, only that he had wanted to stop her tears…heal her pain so badly, that he would have done anything.

That was weakness. And weakness scared him. If these…emotions…became a factor in his plans…everything could fall apart. Because the expendability of people was something he had depended upon to work in his favor. But if people weren’t expendable anymore…if Nevra wasn’t expendable…his plans would fail. He couldn’t allow that to happen. That was the bottom line. With that, he stopped the internal struggle – at least until the doubts began gnawing at him again.

He turned to ask Nevra how she was going to get the Sorting Hat from Dumbledore. What he saw shocked him to his core…their relationship seemed to have taken a 180 degree turn. There was barely controlled fury raging in her fiery eyes…her stance was tense as if instead of a trusted ally, he was an enemy.

What had happened since the cottage? Since she told him that she could have fallen in love with him?

If her eyes were really showing hate rather than anger, then it was all over. Because what he had found out in the past few days, is that he desperately wanted her to fall in love with him…that he was beginning to love her. His love couldn’t seem to be restrained, and if her hate for him was true, she would use his love to hurt him.

What a horrible mess…he supposed he deserved it for letting down his guard at last. Something he would never do again.

Pretending

Nevra abruptly spoke when Draco’s eyes met hers. “I’ve got to go. See you guys later.” She left before she could do or say something she would regret.

Draco turned to Blaise. “She’s furious…at me. What is going on? What happened?”

Blaise grimaced. “I don’t think you want to know.” At a glare from Draco, he hurried on. “Okay, okay! The Reaction to the Word of Power I used to test Elenia’s letter – by the way, it was true, did I tell you? It came today. I…I told Nevra about you killing Bill and Fleur Weasley – and Longbottom and Lovegood.”

Draco groaned. “We were going to tell her that after she realized that the Dark Lord can use Compulsion to make people do things…that after he spelled me into doing that, I couldn’t sleep for a week.”

Blaise sighed. “I sensed as an Empath that it would be better if the “explanation” came from you…she would think it was fake consolation coming from me. I know the Reaction came at an inappropriate time…but that is what it is supposed to do. We’re lucky it happened within the Trio, and not in front of the Dark Lord. Now that would have gotten us killed.”

Draco said scornfully, “Lucky? This could break up the Trio…yet the problem is we would still be bound under the spell even if we never spoke again. One of the disadvantages of the Innocuroso…there’s no release until Death. Or until Voldemort magically reveals how he broke free.”

Blaise sighed. “I had hoped that Nevra would have known enough about you to understand that it wasn’t something that you would do voluntarily…I mean, kill unborn children.” Draco looked away in disgust. “But I guess she either hasn’t seen enough of you.” Draco laughed in disbelief. “Or she doesn’t believe fully what she sees…and I suspect it’s the latter.”

Draco looked at Blaise with tortured eyes. “Kind of ironic. The first person I open up to totally believes I am not what I “seem to be.” Believes I am a man who could kill unborn children against whom I have no grudge.”

Blaise looked at him earnestly. “Don’t be bitter. She is lost and confused right now. She has no friends, no family, standing behind her…there is only the Dark Side. This Alliance and the bond to the Dark Lord have to be the only commitments she has in her life right now. She is betraying Hogwarts, her strongest connection of all. To find out that a person she is trusting her life with killed people she loved…no matter why or how…has to be scary.”

Draco scowled. “You can be too fair, sometimes, Empath.”

Blaise smiled, acknowledging the jest. “She loves you, Draco. She is denying it, pushing it as far away as she can, but the love is there. “

Unconscious of the hope flooding his eyes, Draco stood. “She won’t ever let herself love me…she told me that herself in Denmark.”

Blaise hesitated. This could break Draco Malfoy…but if he wasn’t told, Blaise was afraid that he would cease to feel. And that by far would be the worse fate. So he spoke the truth he had been hiding for so long. “You’re scared, Draco. Scared that she won’t love you. Denying the possibility. And do you know why? Because you love her as much as she loves you. The irony is, as perfect as your love could be, you both are denying it…out of fear.”

Draco’s eyes filled with a rage unparalleled by anything Blaise had ever seen. “I DO NOT LOVE HER!” But the light of realization shone in his eyes before he Apparated away.

Blaise smiled inside. He did love her. The darkness in him…the inner torment between what was right and what was his duty was fading away within Draco.

What scared Blaise was that the darkness Nevra held was growing ever greater. And what Blaise knew was that, at this moment, only Draco had a bond deep enough with her to save her from herself. He hoped they would realize their feelings in time to save one another. This was something they had to find out for themselves.

Sometimes it was frustrating knowing other people’s emotions. Humans were so stupid and stubborn about these things sometimes. They couldn’t even see something if it was shoved in front of their eyes. They tried to pretend it wasn’t there.

10. Chapter 10

Blood On Her Hands

Two days later, Dumbledore knocked at Nevra’s door. The Sorting Hat was in his hands.

“Come in, Headmaster. Would you like some tea?” She asked politely.

“No, thank you, Ginny. Well, here is the final key to the plan.” He held the Sorting Hat out to her.

She reached to take it, then hesitated. He watched her carefully with those keen eyes of his. Taking a deep breath, she took it in her hands. The thing that would Betray her home…the place that had sheltered her for so many years. The thing that would kill innocent children. Just for a chance to destroy Voldemort.

She supposed many would consider it a fair bargain. But to her, the deaths of children held an immeasurable price. Even the destruction of the Dark Side didn’t seem worth it. But she would follow orders. Dumbledore rattled off some final instructions and she nodded briskly.

“It will be done, Dumbledore.”

“The Light willing, we shall prevail.”

“The Light willing.” She prayed it would be so. Children would die for this.

She scrawled out a quick message to Blaise and Draco, and copied a second time to mail to the Dark Lord.

I have the Sorting Hat. When should we reveal my part in the Dark Trio. - N

By nightfall she had received three different replies.

Your Test will begin tomorrow at dusk with the presentation of the Sorting Hat. The Alliance will be announced to the Inner Circle 3 days after you pass the Test presented by the Inner Circle. If you pass the test, your initiation will be 12 days after the Test date at dusk. I leave it to your discretion when to announce it to your followers. Be wise in your decision. – Lord

Follow what the Dark Lord says…if you don’t you will not be Initiated. It is the only option left to us. – B

Announce the Alliance to the commoners alone a few hours before you announce it to the Inner Circle. No chance for gossip to get around, yet enough time to prove you trust them and to strengthen their trust in you. I will announce it to the Circle and you and B will accompany me, because I am the highest rank (as Heir). - D

She took a deep breath. So began the betrayal of Hogwarts. So she would enter the highest ranks of the Death Eaters. She supposed Blaise had not told Draco about the reaction…unless Draco simply did not care what Nevra thought of him.

She pushed away hurt. She had no right. She didn’t mean anything to him. Yet she couldn’t help remembering how Harry had treated her so long ago. How the Light treated her as a tool. She couldn’t help comparing that to the way Draco had held her as she cried in Denmark. To the way she had felt in his arms…protected.

If that time in Denmark was the true face of the Dark Side, and Harry the true face of the LIght…than what was to prove that the Light was the right side? If she was a person on the Dark Side, and merely a tool to be used until she was dead on the Light…was she a fool to align her loyalties the way she had?

No. Never. She knew the Dark was wrong. But damn it! She still couldn’t forget the vulnerability of Draco’s eyes when she said she could love him …she couldn’t forget his arms wrapped around her…she couldn’t forget the feelings she tried to deny.

But she could ignore. And ignore she would. Because the Light was the Light…and the Dark was the Dark. Was wrong…was evil…

She hoped the belief she had held all her life were truly right. If it weren’t…she would have the blood of the only friends she had really had all her life on her hands without the water of righteousness to cleanse them. She would be a murderer…plain and simple.

She laughed to herself. Who was she kidding? She already was a murderer. The blood of countless numbers of Dark spies (on the Light), and nameless Muggles were on her hands…in the name of duty. In the name of Duty, she could pretend that it was alright. But deep inside, she would always know… she was a murderer.

Early Morning Conversation

The next morning, Nevra opened her eyes to knocking on the door. Wrapping a robe around herself, she hurried to the door, opening it a crack.

“Potter? What are you doing here? It’s just past dawn.”

“I am hoping I can shock you into talking through our problems while you’re still too tired to really think about it.” Nevra smiled bitterly.

“There’s nothing to talk about. It’s old history.”

“Ginny, we need to work together as a team. The only way we will be able to do that is if we become comfortable with each other. Which means we need to “make up” as your mother would put it.”

Nevra said bluntly. “She isn’t my mother. She stopped being that when she filed the papers of disownment at the Ministry. In fact, she told me I should consider myself privileged that she let me keep the family name. The only reason she didn’t take that away from me was because Bill stopped her. Said I was still the baby of the family and I needed something to hold on to.”

He sighed. “Where did we go wrong, Nevra?”

“When you decided your love for my family was more important than your love for me. When you turned my back on me because I wanted to work for the Cause that you would have died for.” He winced.

“Touché. I get the point. Your mo – Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley are like parents to me. Your brother is my best friend…what did you expect me to do?” He looked at her with the killer smile and the look that seemed to say “Nothing is ever my fault.”

“Potter, we were going to get married! You picked your would-be in-laws over your fiancée of three years! The woman you said you wanted to spend the rest of your life with!”

He looked at her stubbornly. “That’s the point. They weren’t just my in-laws. They were the only family I had. I couldn’t give up family…not even for you.”

She smiled wistfully. “And that, Potter, is where we went wrong. Is where every friendship or relationship I ever had went wrong. People picked my family over me, pure and simple. I don’t really care anymore. It used to hurt, but it doesn’t anymore. The fact of the matter is I will never trust a single one of you lot again. You betrayed my trust, my love for my family when you said you would love me forever. I can’t trust a man who breaks a promise like that. Who breaks my heart. I’m not angry…I just can’t trust you anymore.”

“Ginny…I still love you…I will love you forever.” She cut in. She was tired of this conversation. Nothing was going to make this okay. Potter was too used to having his way. But unlike everyone else with the Light, she didn’t give a damn that he was the Boy Who Lived.

“The bottom line is, you loved my family more. And for that…for taking my heart and making me believe you, and then betraying it…throwing it all away – for that I will never trust you. Don’t worry, you’re quite forgiven. I think you’re fake, but I have forgiven you. The only thing I will never give you again is my trust. I will give my life to save you, the Hope of the Light…I will give you my blood…anything really. But you will never ever again have my trust or my love.”

The look on Potter’s face was quite satisfying. This was probably the first time he had been so thoroughly verbally dressed down without a hint of anger. Civilized, vicious conversation…what a great way to start the day. She felt much better after letting out all those feelings. And even better that he had practically asked for it.

“And now, I feel like getting the rest of my beauty sleep, Potter.” She briskly shut the door in his face with a satisfying thud, and proceeded to get back into bed. There were still a couple more hours that she could sleep before breakfast began in the Great Hall.

Skillful Deflections

Nevra returned from the Great Hall to the sanctuary of her own room. She sighed. All the teachers had been told of Potter’s presence. Nevra had long since weeded out the Dark spies from the teachers – there was no danger of Harry being discovered by the Dark Side through Hogwarts.

Potter, being the man he was, had told everyone about their early morning conversation…conveniently leaving out that he was to blame for their rift in the first place. All she had gotten at the breakfast tables were glances of disapproval. No one had said a word to her about it, though, she thought in satisfaction. They had gotten a taste of her temper all too often to risk an argument in front of the students.

The comments would come in a few days when she was forced to go to meet to “discuss curriculum” with the Hogwarts Professors. Abington professed he wanted to send his students to the Infirmary for a few months to get some “practical experience” for their Healing Exams at the end of the year. She suspected that would not be the focal point of the conversation, however.

She sighed and donned her robes for the upcoming Test.

Dumbledore knew about it already…he didn’t seem concerned. As if he was confident she would make it. Overconfidence seemed to be a weakness for him. She herself wasn’t half as sure. The Dark Side could be ruthless in culling out cowardice and incompetence…it was necessary to be the best of the best in order to pull off the complex maneuvers used in battle and even in practice.

The compromise was that she would reveal the Alliance to her followers just hours before the Initiation…after she passed the Test. The Alliance would be revealed to the Inner Circle at the reception following the Initiation…then after the closing ceremonies, Nevra would Summon her followers to announce the Initiation to the Inner Circle and to introduce Blaise and Malfoy to the group. Then, they would “mingle” until the time came to leave. They would Apparate together to Malfoy’s residence because it was the most protected against “surprises” like assassins. The newest addition to the powerful in the Hierarchy would be a target until the Dark Side discovered she was not easy prey…not vulnerable. But first, she had to pass the Test.

The time came. She Apparated to the place of the Test with the Sorting Hat in her hands…the Malfoy Manor in Tuscany was beautiful. She arrived in the center of a ring of masked faces. She found Blaise’s sapphire eyes, Malfoy’s silver ones…for some reason, it didn’t make her feel any better to see them. The Dark Lord was standing beside her…actually slightly above her on a platform.

“Nevra, do you stand ready to be Tested?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

“This is your Test. Bind yourself to me with the most powerful Binding Spell ever possessed by the Dark…the Innocuroso Charm.”

She hesitated. It was rumored terrible things could happen when the Binding occurred twice to two different loyalties. Malfoy’s mouth opened and she held up a finger to stop him.

“That could destroy us.”

“Pray tell, Nevra, how could it do that?”

“It will not bind to the Freed. And you are one of them.” Voldemort’s eyes glowed with a reddish tint of annoyance.

“And how do you know that which the Dark Lord knows not?” Blaise’s eyes pleaded with her to be careful. She suddenly heard Blaise’s voice in her head.

Another gift I have of which you knew nothing about. Mind Speaking is a special talent that Empaths have. Be steady…think about what you say and do now. The situation is critical. Although, your maneuvering is excellent, I must say.

She was lucky her mask hid her expressions. Blaise could talk with her in her own head! The secrets even the Bound kept from one another…she reined in her reeling mind. Now was not the time.

“Read the spell, my Lord. It says, ‘Our bonds do defy every promise and lie, that we have made before this day.’ When you have been freed of the bond once…the spell can no longer apply to you because the bond had already been made…it was just broken…somehow.” There was a slight question in the last word…a last hope to discovering the secrets of the Innocuroso. Dashing her hopes, the Dark Lord ignored it.

“Skillfully deflected, Nevra.” There was a slight smile on his face, and his eyes glowed ever hotter with anger.

11. Chapter 11

Oblivion

Nevra smiled on the surface, while inside her mind was in turmoil. She spoke, praying the Dark Lord didn’t know the truth. “Of course, I don’t want to be bound eternally to you…you could make me do anything…even make me take my own life. I don’t like the idea of anyone having that much power over me…even you , My Lord.”

The bluff worked. The Dark Lord smiled, the anger in his eyes fading. “I thought it was cowardice that inspired you to reject the Binding…only you, Nevra, would have the courage to tell me expressly that you did not want to follow an order.”

The smile disappeared…but no anger showed in his eyes. “I will let you slip, Nevra. You do not have to be Bound. Your loyalty to me is in your hands…you have given me a precious gift…given the Dark a precious gift. With the Sorting Hat, we will take Hogwarts!” Nevra took care to conceal the hurt behind her emotional mask…made sure her face was controlled, blank.

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward. “My Lord, I hesitate to interrupt.” That was merely a formality. Malfoy knew that he was powerful enough that even the Dark Lord would not offend him without just reason. “This girl has not proven herself to the members of the Inner Circle. I, personally, would not accept her.” His glance around him proved that he knew, as well as the rest of them, that whatever Lucius decided would be what the Inner Circle did. He held them in the palm of his hand. He was the ultimate power here.

Voldemort’s eyes blazed in open fury. “You dare, Lucius? You dare question my authority? This girl has done what you and 20 others could not. She has given me the key to Hogwarts. She has followed more faithfully than my son the Heir.” Lucius barely held back a contrite reply. Everyone here knew that Draco was biologically his. The adoption was only held because Lucius had permitted it. Not that he wasn’t glad to be rid of the responsibility of the boy.

“You are glad to be rid of Draco, Lucius. Don’t pretend to be the father you never were. But since you are so eager to use him as leverage...keep a closer eye on him. He just removed your wife from Saint Mungo’s a few weeks ago against my express orders merely because we were considering attacking the hospital. Her location is currently concealed. Since you can not keep tabs on your “biological son,” maybe you should clean up the mess. Find her and report to me on your findings.”

Lucius cursed inwardly. He had forgotten how adept the Dark Lord was at Legilimency…lowered his shields just a fraction in order to spare some power for some Potions he had in the works, and the Lord was in his mind. He stepped back into ranks hastily before the Dark Lord could come up with a harsher punishment. “I hear and obey, my Lord.”

Voldemort turned his attention back on Nevra. His gaze was calm, but hard. “No matter how loyal you are to me, Nevra, I cannot allow open defiance to go unpunished. It would be a bad example, one others would want to follow. I admire your courage…but obedience is by far the greater trait, Nevra. I hope you learn the lesson of today. Crucio!”

Suddenly, her mind and body were both engulfed by pain so enormous that she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her face, burning acid tracks down her cheeks. There was no way to deal with Unforgivables except through sheer will power. The important part was keeping her mouth shut. Under this sort of pain, she could reveal anything by accident. Thankfully, Darkness invaded her mind, and the pain abruptly stopped.

Be strong, Nevra. We’re waiting for you. Blaise’s voice was the last thing she heard before slipping over the brink of Oblivion.

She never felt Draco’s arms around her, catching her before she hit the ground. Never saw the look of astonishment in the Dark Lord’s and Lucius Malfoy’s eyes. Or the triumph that blazed in sapphire eyes meeting silver over her body. The protectiveness of the silver eyes as his arms tightened their grip on her.

She was his…to hold, and protect for as long as she needed. That’s all Draco could think of as he held her. That he would do anything for her. Not because of the Alliance, not because of the Dark Side. Things that were so important before, now seemed trivial. Because of the way she made him feel, as complicated as it was.

He would protect her. No matter what.

Waiting For Her

Ginny had still not arrived back at Hogwarts by the next morning, and Dumbledore was beginning to get nervous. He went down to see if Harry could assuage his fears.

“She’s not back, yet? But why?” Harry’s emerald eyes filled with worry. “She could be hurt, she could be in danger, she could – they could have found her out! We have to do something!”

Dumbledore sighed. Silly mistake to tell Harry about her. He would only complicate things. He seemed to be making a lot of silly mistakes recently.

“I’m afraid, Harry, that all we can do is wait…going after her would only endanger the mission.”

“Screw the mission! Dumbledore, that’s Ginny Weasley out there! The girl who risked everything to fight for the Light! And we can’t risk everything to save her? Is that what you are saying?”

“Yes, Harry. Because on her shoulders rests the fate of one mission. On our shoulders rests the fate of the world. We all do what we must.”

He laughed bitterly. “Duty binds me tighter than love ever did. Dumbledore, I love her…I know she doesn’t believe it. Hell, she has reason to…she thinks I picked our – I mean, her – family over her. But I do love her…more than I have right. We aren’t friends, aren’t even on good terms, but I love her still.”

Dumbledore sighed in regret. He hoped he would not have to tell Harry this. He had enough burdens to bear. But what must be done, must be done. “She does not love you, Harry. Her heart belongs to another.”

Harry started in surprise. “How do you know that?”

“Because I tried to use the Felis Semper spell to bind her to the Light. She is slipping away from us, Harry. I thought she still loved you, that the love was buried beneath anger and bitter frustration, but I was wrong. I tried to use her love for you to bind her to you…and therefore to the Light. But I couldn’t because there is no love there to bind. I am sorry, Harry.”

His eyes, brimmed with tears, looked up at him. “Do you know who it is?”

Dumbledore sighed. “If I did, I wouldn’t tell you…but I can’t find that out. All I know is that she is meant to be with him…their destinies are bound. And that their love could decide this War…which is why she needs to remain sided with the Light.”

“I shouldn’t have hoped. Time and time again, my fate, my destiny has taken away things from me…my parents, my family, my loved ones…Ginny, too. There doesn’t seem to be anything left to lose.”

Dumbledore sighed. “The Weasley family magic was too strong. Your magic was too strong, Harry. Your love – and their love - shined like a beacon within Ginny. A beacon that Voldemort would have surely seen. You and the Weasleys had to break away from her, or she would have been discovered. Would have been killed.…I had hoped that after the War, you and her family could explain to her why you all pushed her away, but now, that isn’t possible.”

“Wait, I thought the Weasleys were against her becoming a spy…”

“The Weasleys had to push her away for the same reason you did. The problem is, that she has stopped loving all of you. Her bonds to the Light are truly broken. There are only three people she is bound to…her love, a Ally bound to her by a spell, and Tom Riddle.”

“She is bound to the Dark Lord?”

“No, to Tom Riddle. The seventeen year old boy who she opened her heart to so long ago. The one she still cries over deep inside. That is a bond she has told no one about, because Voldemort would surely exploit it.”

“Dumbledore, Voldemort is Tom Riddle…isn’t he?”

“Tom Riddle was still a boy when he left this school. Voldemort isn’t human anymore…he’s become a sort of monster.”

“What are we going to do…she must be brought back to the Light…right?”

“Yes, Harry. We will see...we may not need to do anything. She is still bound somehow to the Light…because she is still making her reports and missing no information except about the Dark Trio. However, they are above her, so she may very well not know the information we are given.”

“How do you know that?” Harry’s eyes were full of suspicion.

Dumbledore chuckled. “Do you think we would depend on only one spy in the Dark Side to get information, Harry? Be realistic. There are casualties, there are betrayals…the Light protects itself against that sort of thing.”

“So now we wait for her?”

“Hopefully she will return soon…but yes, we wait.”

The two men sat down, minds in different places. But both were hoping for one thing...albeit for different reasons. One praying she would return for the hope of the Light and one praying she would return because he loved her. Even if he had no hope of having her.

In The Hospital

Draco paced back and forth in front of the bed that held Nevra’s prone form. The Dark Lord had made him wait with her head cradled in his lap and her heart beat growing ever slower as he announced that she had passed the Test…and then made them stay to discuss plans to attack Hogwarts. Draco could barely listen to anything but the slowing of Nevra’s breath.

He had brought Nevra to a hospital recommended by the facility that now housed Narcissa Malfoy. He would have brought her to the same hospital, but now that his father had placed a Tracking spell on him, he couldn’t very well lead him right to her. (His shields didn’t prevent spells only alerted him of their presences because the enemy could always be fed wrong information.)

Now all he could do was wait and see whether she would wake up. Blaise had gone home to try to see if there was any way the Innocuroso Binding could speed the healing process.

The hum of machines and the beep of a heart monitor filled her ears. She opened her eyes slowly, the black fading away from the edges of her vision. She could see Draco’s blonde head pacing in front of her. Her voice came out in a bare whisper, to her horror.

“Draco?” He looked up, and she could see his mask was down entirely. His eyes were full with mind-shattering relief.

“Nevra! I – I mean, we – thought we had lost you! Thank Merlin!” His hands unconsciously smoothed her hair away from her face and stroked the top of her hand, clasping it gently.

She removed her hand from his grasp hastily. She couldn’t, couldn’t, couldn’t love him. Not now or ever. “You know Merlin is a wizard of the Light,” she said with laughter in her voice. “Kind of ironic…why am I in a Muggle hospital?”

“Because the Dark Lord doesn’t like his work being undone…but you would be dead without help. So I had to take you to a place where he would never follow.”

“Why would you help me?”

He hesitated. “Consider it a debt repaid…you healed me once from the Dark Lord’s Cruciatus Curse…now I healed you. I don’t like owing anyone anything. And some selfishness. The success of our plans depend on you in part.”

“You’re hiding something...you hesitated.” He laughed bitterly.

“Trust me; you don’t want to hear it.” His eyes told her what he said was true. She let it be.

“How long have I been out?” She had a meeting to get to.

“A day and a half or so.” He looked tired to her…like he hadn’t slept in a while. But if she asked him whether he had stayed with her the whole time and found out she had…it would raise a temptation to test whether she had a chance with him…even though she knew she didn’t.

She couldn’t. Couldn’t love him…She seemed to be saying that a lot recently. Suddenly she remembered the meeting with Abington and the other professors.

“Dumbledore will be looking for me. A Healer can’t be gone for too long.” He looked like he wanted to stop her…frankly, if he had tried, she wouldn’t have been able to resist him. She still felt weak. But he stopped himself and she was free to stand of her own accord.

Her knees gave out and she fell into his arms. He took a deep breath and helped her get her balance. “What excuse are you using?”

“Um, I don’t know yet…I’ve been having some problems dealing with nosy teachers lately,” she lied, thinking about her spat with Potter. “How about taking time to figure out my problems?”

“Will Dumbledore buy it?”

“I think so.”

“Then it works. You should get on your way if you think they might try to track you down.”

“Um, yeah…as soon as you let go of my arm.” He looked down in surprise and released his grasp on her elbow.

She looked at him for a second, then Apparated away. He stared at the spot she was at seconds before, his eyes full of what he had wanted to say…but she had said she didn’t want to love him.

12. Chapter 12

Upon Return

Potter and Dumbledore were waiting for her when she popped into her office. Potter immediately stood up and took a step towards her…Dumbledore merely watched with those smug, all-knowing eyes.

“Ginny! You’re back. Are you okay? What happened?” He held out a hand to her, as if to help her. She took a step back.

“None of your business, Potter. I needed your care then…I don’t need it now.” He winced, looked at her as if she was in the wrong, and sat back down.

“I’m sorry. I was just worried.”

“You don’t need to be. Not anymore.”

At this, Dumbledore broke in. “Ginny, what did I tell you about letting bad blood sit so we can win against the Dark?”

She whirled on him. “Me? Albus, all I want is to be left alone…no one can seem to do even that for me! I will work, I will fight, and I will die for the Light…as long as I don’t have to associate with the followers of the Light. Is that too much to ask?”

Harry sighed. “We all care about you, Ginny…and we are worried about you. We don’t want to leave you alone.”

She laughed in his face...and he looked at her, surprised. “Worry about me? All of you worry about me? Potter, you are sadly mistaken. Neither of you have ever worried about me…you worry about how you feel, the Light, my family…but not me. Something is always more important to everyone on this side than me.”

Dumbledore looked at her carefully. “Is that really what you think, Ginny?”

Nevra turned her back on them both. “I will fight for you, Dumbledore. I will even die for you. But do not ask me to like you. Yes, I believe that. I am just a tool in the War…someone to be used and then thrown away. I know that and you know that as well.”

Harry took a step towards her. “We are all tools, Ginny. My death would be worth little besides the victory of the Light. What makes the difference is that you are an indispensable tool…we can’t lose you. Just like we can’t lose me, or Dumbledore…or your family. Every single one of them is fighting for us, you know. We can’t lose them all.”

Nevra turned to face him and smiled, then slapped him and stepped away. “Don’t lie to me, Potter. I have grown so accustomed to it now that I don’t even have to look at you to tell you are lying. I am just as dispensable as Snape was…and he’s as good as dead. You can lose me…you lost me when you betrayed every trust I had ever had in the Light. The only reason I fight for you is because I remember that the world would be worse with the Dark Lord in it. Sometimes, now , even that is in question.”

Harry recoiled from her, and tears trickled down the creases of Dumbledore’s face. Harry asked pleadingly, “How can you say that, Ginny? The world will be worse with Voldemort in it. You know that. Don’t you? Ginny?”

She laughed bitterly. “It will be for the Weasleys, for you, for Dumbledore. But you forget, I stand in the Dark Trio…I am an Ally of the Heir to the Dark Throne. The world would be very, very sweet for me if Voldemort wins the War.”

Dumbledore withdrew his wand as did Harry. They were looking at an enemy now. She held up a hand. “Don’t worry, sirs. I have not and will not turn to the Dark Side. I pledge my allegiance to the Light…because the Dark does not believe in Love. My loyalties are to Love…and since the Dark does not believe, I can not support it.”

Dumbledore smiled and put his wand back in his robes. “If you believe in Love, Ginny, you will never turn to the Dark. You are safe.”

Ginny smiled. “Let us hope so, Dumbledore…you really don’t know everything, do you? I used to be so innocent and sweet, but you all seem so – human – now. So tainted. So imperfect. Potter, who betrays Love…and Dumbledore, who is so confident of his All-Knowing that he makes mistakes that kill thousands.”

Both the men looked away from her. Potter discreetly rubbed his cheek. She smiled inside her head. She had wanted to do that for so long. “Anyways, I have a meeting with Abington to go to. Was there anything you wished to say?”

“Did you pass the Test?”

“I am just a tool, aren’t I?” She laughed. “Yes, I passed the bloody Test…nearly killed myself doing it, but no one cares about that. Good day, Dumbledore. Potter, exercise some self-restraint and don’t search my desk. Thank you both.”

She flew out the door, slamming it behind her. The men looked at each other.

“I did ask her how she was…she told me it was none of my business.” Harry said in self-defense.

Dumbledore sighed. “She is scared…she knows she is losing a battle. She does not know what she battles for. But it scares her. She is tearing herself apart.”

“What is she battling for, Dumbledore?”

“Why, her soul, Harry. You should know that. She is struggling to stay in the Light. The Dark can be intoxicating, tempt you in. She is fighting to keep her soul to herself. We cannot help. It is a battle only she can fight.”

“Will she win?”

“Only time can tell. But Victory of the Light depends on it. That much I have learned.”

Apprenticeship

Nevra approached McGonagall’s office just across from the Gryffindor Dormitories. “Nevra – I mean Ginny Weasley…McGonagall is expecting me.” She said to the portrait of the dragon…it breathed fire in response and slowly let her in.

She walked in to see McGonagall and Abington sitting around the table – but no Dumbledore. She took a seat in a hardback chair – McGonagall’s office was all hardwood, no cushions or rounded edges, all angles…representing her rigidity to the rules in a way. Her office was carefully decorated in all lavender… purposefully not a House or school color.

“Aren’t we discussing curriculum…shouldn’t Dumbledore be here?” McGonagall looked at her sharply.

“Albus has already approved the plan that Rose (Professor Abington) created…since it requires your cooperation, we needed to review it with you.”

Nevra smiled at the two women apologetically. “I should have known that you would take care of everything. I apologize if I seemed…curt.”

Rose Abington smiled quickly. She was a rather timid lady except when she needed to make a point, but she still liked to avoid fights. “It’s quite alright, Ginny. I’m sure you were just making sure our time wouldn’t go to waste.” McGonagall nodded reluctantly in agreement.

Nevra wanted to hurry with this business. “So what’s up? What’s the plan?”

Professor Abington began. “Well, you see, my Healing class has basically finished the textbook…they pick up quite quickly as a class. The War has practically come to our doorsteps. I think that they should be trained as apprentices to the school Healer – you – so that we will be prepared to handle a crisis…if it comes.”

“Sounds reasonable. How many students?” Nevra asked. More than reasonable…this would enable them to handle the chaos of war and keep the number of fighters up while the Dark would have to leave the wounded on the ground, unable to fight. This may swing the battle in their favor. And no one could deny that this battle was crucial to the War.

“Well, that’s the issue we would like to discuss. There are 10…and we know there is no way you can handle that many at one time.” Nevra nodded in agreement.

McGonagall broke in at this point. “We were thinking we would rotate them through two at a time…that way each student could get one day a week in the Infirmary. The rest of the days they would have a open period with Rose in Healing and they would make up the work they missed in their other classes while they were in the Infirmary.”

Nevra smiled. “Well, ladies, you’ve covered all the bases. I can accept your plan. When would this begin?”

“Next week if you are amenable,” said McGonagall.

“No problem…just one issue.”

“Yes?” asked Abington.

“McGonagall has told you that I may have to take leave some days due to other obligations previously discussed with the Headmaster.” Ginny stated.

“Yes, Albus and Minerva have both told me they will inform me if you leave suddenly. If you are absent they will stay with Hermione Granger in her job at Saint Mungo’s.” Abington said earnestly.

Nevra’s smile disappeared. Granger would be taking the students in her absence? “Does she know she will be taking them from me?”

“No…I just said they were doing internships with a Healer.”

“Keep it that way, and we should be fine.”

“Why can’t we tell Hermione? I am sure she would be able to show them more appropriate cases if she knew they were training with the school.”

Nevra grew irate. “I am the Healer…and I say that I don’t want Granger knowing who she is taking over for if I am absent. Personal matters should not interfere with a student’s education, don’t you think?” She said bitingly.

Abington said hastily, “Certainly. I didn’t mean to question your judgment, Ginny.”

“Quite alright, Rose. I am sorry for losing my temper. I can’t seem to stay in a good mood recently.” Nevra sighed. “I must leave…I have obligations I must meet. Good day, Professors.”

Nevra strode out the door. She needed to get back to Malfoy’s flat. Before the overprotective boys came after her thinking she couldn’t take care of herself.

Trust Her

Draco had met with Blaise after he left the hospital where Nevra had been staying. Blaise was now staying at Draco’s house waiting for Nevra to return there after her Test…as had been planned.

“Where could she be, Blaise? She knows that she needs to come here.” Draco was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace.

“She said she had business at Hogwarts, right? You need to calm down…spending a couple of hours at work is not abnormal. Moreover, she can take care of herself, Draco. She’s a very capable witch.”

“I KNOW THAT, BLAISE! BUT SHE’S BEEN GONE –“

At that point, Nevra Apparated in…right in front of Draco. Literally. They were mere inches apart. Pretending she wasn’t concerned about the distance between them, Nevra smiled.

“Worried about me, Draco? I’m shocked.”

“Of course I’m bloody worried about you, witch. You could have been killed. Where the hell were you? It’s been hours since I last saw you at the hospital.” Draco murmured angrily.

Nevra’s grin grew wider. “Can’t live without me, Malfoy?”

Draco was livid. “THIS IS NOT A GAME, NEVRA!”

Nevra’s smile disappeared and her eyes burned with fury. “I know that, Draco. You don’t need to remind me. I am not a child, nor a defenseless female that you are used to carrying about on your arm.”

He looked down...she was different. She deserved better. “I know. I am sorry.”

Blaise gaped at Draco in shock. Nevra’s eyes widened for an instant and she quickly stepped away from him. She couldn’t say a word. Suddenly she Apparated away. She couldn’t fall in love with him…she couldn’t.

Draco looked up to see why she wasn’t saying anything and she was gone. HE turned to ask Blaise to see Blaise gaping at him.

“What are you looking like that for? You look like a suffocating frog.”

Blaise sounded like one as well. “You – you apologized! You have never done that before in your life to anyone…well, but Narcissa, but she’s the exception to every rule with you. You love her.”

Draco smiled sadly. “Maybe I love Nevra as well. Maybe she’s the exception to every rule. But it’s hopeless. She can’t even accept an apology from me.”

Blaise laughed and Draco looked at him questioningly. “Oh Draco, you fool. You blind fool! She’s scared as hell that she is going to accept the apology. That’s why she ran away from you!”

Draco said, “Well, we aren’t all Empaths…I’m not getting it. Explain.”

Blaise groaned in frustration. “Argh! She doesn’t want to feel anything good around you…when you apologized you were looking down at your feet. You missed the joy in her eyes. That scares her like hell…she doesn’t like feeling, when all she is trying to do is stop herself from falling in love. She doesn’t want to open herself to get hurt.”

Draco said fervently. “I would never hurt her.”

Blaise looked at him. “She’s heard that before, and someone broke that promise. She doesn’t want to fall again.”

Draco turned to go use a Locator spell. “Hey, Draco.”

“Yeah, Blaise?”

“Don’t go after her. She needs time…time to think. She can’t deal with you right now.”

“She could be in danger.” Draco said urgently.

“She’s not.”

“How do you know?”

“Trust me.” Blaise said quietly.

“I don’t trust anyone.” Draco said in a serious voice.

“Then trust her.” Blaise said, staring at Draco’s back.

Draco turned back to Blaise. “Her?”

“She won’t die with your love waiting for her. She knows you love her…she just can’t admit it to herself.”

Draco smiled at Blaise. “Alright.” Blaise clapped him on the shoulder. The men both turned their backs on the fireplace and separated to go to their own rooms for the night.

13. Chapter 13

Hadn't Couldn't Wouldn't

She appeared in front of the cottage in Denmark…she hadn’t thought about where to Apparate, just wanted to get away. So this, of all places, was where she came to.

She walked inside and checked all the security spells. Each was attuned specifically to her, so in this place, she was practically invincible. She turned and locked the heavy oaken door behind her, then leaned against it, welcoming its strength as she slid down to the floor. Tears ran down her face as she listened to the silence...Draco’s words whispered hot in her ear in her memories. Try as she might, she still wanted his arms around her. More than anything.

He could be a good man…he was a good man. But he chose the wrong side to fight for. Was that really a crime? People picked the wrong side for family, for blood, even for love in smaller matters. Why was it a crime if you picked the wrong side in a war? He had said - so long ago it seemed, when she drowned thinking she was alone rather than seeing the faces around her, struggling - that his loyalties did not belong to the Dark Lord or the Dark Side, but to something else.

Was it Narcissa? Was it Pride? Was it Family? What pushed him to side with the Dark, when it forced him to kill. Forced him to kill? How did she know he wasn’t a killer…hard and cold and brutal? She just knew…or didn’t want to know. She denied it…denied that a man she lov – cared about – was as bad as the rest.

Blaise Zabini wasn’t a bad person. Neither was Pansy Parkinson…or her mother. Did all the people who fought for the Dark become bad people…or were they just mistaken? Was Draco evil…or mistaken? Questions tumbled through her head as she struggled to figure out her thoughts.

All through this she saw the bloody pictures of Neville lying on the floor, beautiful sensitive brown eyes unseeing. The pictures of Luna and Fleur, their eerily blonde hair spread across the floor, matted and stained with rust-colored blood…the stab wounds in their stomachs…the lives within them dead. The pictures of Bill, long lanky frame bent and folded, eyes bleak, dragon fang earring stained red, hair ragged. All she could see was her family crowded around the bodies, looking at dreams lying shattered on the floor. And all she could remember was Draco had done it…killed the dreams, the hopes, the lives.

All she could hope was that he wasn’t as bad as he seemed. Wasn’t the man she knew he could be. Not yet. But she didn’t know…and for that, she didn’t know him. It pained her to know that the man that her heart reached out to…she didn’t know at all. But the heart has a will of its own.

She couldn’t fall in love with him. She wouldn’t fall in love with him. She pushed away the nagging feeling that said that she already had. She hadn’t, she couldn’t, she wouldn’t.

Making Up Over Breakfast

Draco opened his eyes slowly, looking at the light filtering in through the window shades. He got up, stretched a bit, and walked to the kitchen. The smell of eggs wafted through the corridor.

Nevra was in the kitchen, cooking. “Good morning. Glad to see you are back.” Nevra turned at the sound of his voice. She looked at him, unfazed by his degree of undress.

“Glad to be here. Had to think some things through.” She smiled, then turned back to the stove.

“So Blaise said.” She stiffened.

“He knows not to look inside my head and then tell other people what I am thinking.” Her voice was angry.

“I am the exception to every rule.” Draco said smugly. Nevra laughed.

“You bet you are… Boxers aren’t exactly appropriate attire in mixed company, you know.” She said with laughter in her voice. He shrugged. As he moved to get milk out of the fridge, she said, “Don’t bother making breakfast…I’ll cook for all of us.”

Blaise joined them a few minutes later to find the table set and the two people eating together and talking as if nothing had happened the night before. They were both characters.

“Morning, all.”

“Morning, Blaise.” They chorused then glanced at each other. To Blaise’s utter shock, they both began giggling to no end.

“Did you drug this food, Nevra? I have never seen Draco giggle in my life!” Blaise said teasingly.

Draco glared at him affronted. “I was not giggling.”

Nevra laughed. “Yes, you were. But Blaise and I pinky-swear not to tell.” She cracked up all over again.

Breakfast at the Malfoy Flat had never been so relaxed. The Darkness that she fought against faded just a little…and she hadn’t been as hopeful for the future as she was today for a long time.

Revealing The Alliance

“Well, are you two ready?” Nevra called up the staircase. These boys took longer to get ready than even she did! “You know you don’t have to do your makeup…you’ll be wearing a mask.” She yelled sarcastically.

Draco called down. “We’re ready, mother! And just because you are wearing makeup doesn’t mean you can make us wear it as well. Keep your cosmetics to yourself…we’re pretty enough without them.”

She laughed. “Pretty enough to scare away the Death Eaters even before I get to talk to them?”

Draco and Blaise ran down the staircase. Worry shone through the eye slits of Blaise’s mask. “Are we late?”

“Fashionably, as always. Plus, it’s good to exercise your superiority once in a while, reminds the Death Eaters who’s boss around here.” Nevra said soothingly.

Draco interjected at this point. “That would be me.”

“Not in this crowd, Draco. Don’t get overconfident.” Blaise said tensely.

“Relax, Blaise. They are on our side, after all. They won’t attack you or anything. Besides, Draco was only joking…I hope.” Nevra said.

“Well, let’s go,” Draco said, holding up a Portkey.

“Remember you two stay out of sight until I say your names. Got it?” Both men nodded. They each touched the Portkey.

“On three,” Draco said, “one, two, three.” A tug behind their navels suggested the Portkey worked.

They appeared amidst the crowd of Death Eaters. Draco and Blaise quickly Apparated to behind the stage while Nevra prepared her grand entrance. She Conjured a platform above the crowd, floating in midair. She created the shields that would protect her as she stood on it – no need to provide a still target for an assassin. Then she Apparated onto the platform and magnified her voice.

“Greetings, my fellow Death Eaters.” The crowd quieted. “I have an announcement to make, as you all know. Let me be to the point. In a few hours, I am to be Initiated…into the Inner Circle. I will remain leader of the Student Death Eaters. My Initiation will merely mean that we will get more information faster and more accurately. I will be a representative of our group in the Inner Circle. My allegiance lies with the Dark Side, and as long as yours does, we work together. As always. I also bring to the group an Alliance. A few weeks ago I was Initiated into the Dark Trio following the unfortunate death of one of its members, Pansy Parkinson. I present to you my Allies. They are a part of us now…and you will suffer my wrath if you do not give them due welcome.”

The threat was blunt, out for everyone to see. In fact, the entire speech had been blunt. But in this group, any flowery speech, saying things indirectly, would be viewed as conspiracy, as deceit. That had the same punishment anywhere in the Dark Side. Death.

“Draco Malfoy. Blaise Zabini.” As she said their names, she Conjured two more floating platforms slightly below her. Since she was the leader in this group, she would be superior among the Trio in this setting. Both the men appeared on their platforms. “Welcome them as your own.” The crowd let out a cheer.

They all knew this would make the Student Death Eaters a known and respected force within the Dark Side. Allied with both the Dark Trio and the Inner Circle, Nevra now became one of the most powerful of the Dark Side in a moment. Since she remained connected with the Student Death Eaters, she would bring them up the power ladder with her. For that, they cheered with all their might.

She undid the Magnification Spell and spoke to the two men beside her in a lowered voice. “We pulled that off quite nicely. Let’s hope the Inner Circle goes half as well.”

Draco smiled through his eyes as he looked up at her. “With me presenting? It will go twice as well.”

They stopped talking to look at the roaring masses. To look at the loyalty they had inspired with one Alliance. An Alliance that would change the world.

14. Chapter 14

The Revelation

After they were done talking with the Death Eaters, they moved away from the group. “Ready for your Initiation, Nevra?”

“Depends. Is it as bad as the Test?”

“Just a formal ceremony.” Draco said casually.

“Oh my god.” Nevra realized something.

“What?” Blaise tensed at the sound of panic in Nevra’s voice.

“Will this bond – to the Inner Circle – come before the Dark Trio…I take it after I took the Innocuroso.”

Draco sighed in relief. “No. Anything connected to the Dark Mark or the Dark Side…including the Initiation will be second to it. Because we cut over the Dark Mark…you know.”

Together they Apparated to the site of Initiation. The Inner Circle formed a ring around them. Voldemort approached.

“Do you stand ready to accept the responsibility of Initiation?”

“I do.”

“Are you loyal in every way to the Cause we serve?”

“I am.”

“Who here will welcome her to our Circle?”

Draco and Blaise stepped forward…two were required, and the Initiated would ask two members before her Initiation to stand for her. That had been easy for her…the Dark Trio was loyal to each other first, which meant they would stand for her whether she asked or not.

“Who here will deny her entrance?”

No one came forward, although Lucius Malfoy made a start. No one would anger the Dark Lord by rejecting his selection.

“So are you bound,” the Dark Lord said as he pulled up her sleeve and made a long cut down her inner arm, spilling her blood onto the ground. He did the same for his arm. Then he pressed them together, mixing their blood, binding them.

She tensed at the pain. Pure Dark magic flowed into her, making her stifle the screams that rose. Blood was always the best conduit of magic. Magic thrived in the life blood. It seemed appropriate that the Dark Lord’s blood held pure Dark Magic. Even the worst of humans held a mix of good and bad. Her suspicions were true – the Dark Lord wasn’t even human anymore. He couldn’t be.

Suddenly, the pain disappeared. He had pulled away his arm. She looked down at the thin scar covering the pale skin of her arm. How had it healed? She forgot what she was thinking when he removed his mask. His eyes glowed in the darkness as he smiled.

“You are strong, Nevra. You will do well. Welcome to the Circle.”

The Inner Circle stepped back a pace, leaving a spot open for her. She stepped back into it. Voldemort spoke.

“The Dark Trio lost a member recently. Pansy Parkinson has been replaced. The Alliance is once again complete.”

Draco stepped forward. “We welcome a newcomer to our Alliance. She stands under our protection…and has the gift of our guidance. She brings her own strength to the Alliance. A strength that you can be sure we will use.” His voice carried hidden threats that did not go unnoticed by the Circle. Everyone was tense.

Blaise now stepped forward. “She brings her wit, her strength, and her cunning. Her independence and all the traits that the Dark Lord values in his followers. Above all, she binds us to the common Death Eater.”

Finally Nevra stepped forward. “I am an Ally. The Dark Trio is complete.” At that, all three took off their masks, revealing their faces to the Circle. Draco’s father took a step forward, his mouth open and wand unsheathed.

Draco said nothing, merely stepped up to meet his father. A solid magenta shield went up around him. Everyone looked at Nevra, but her wand was not out. Draco smirked. “We have gifts that are rare and precious. Ones that people know not.”

Lucius sputtered futilely. Finally, he backed down. The shield, however, remained. Sneak attacks were common in the Dark Side. No need to invite them. Draco stepped back to Blaise and Nevra as well. “Thanks.” He whispered in the redhead’s ear. She nodded in reply, not looking at him, but instead at the Circle surrounding them.

The Revelation was complete. The Dark Side knew of the Dark Trio and of the Inner Circle. The path she traveled grew ever more dangerous…but it was one she must travel.

The Breakdown

Voldemort stepped forward. “Now that our newest member has been Bound, we must get back to business.”

They all turned to face him. He looked at each pair of eyes through their masks before speaking. “We attack Hogwarts in 3 days. Be ready. This meeting is done. I will call you at the time of the attack.”

Nevra, Draco, and Blaise all Apparated to Draco’s flat. Tears were running down her face as she turned her back to the boys.

Draco and Blaise looked on in shock as she ran to a room and shut the door, blinded by her tears.

“She went into my bedroom!” Draco said indignantly.

Blaise smirked. “So go get her.” Draco hesitated.

“Blaise…is she ready?”

“I don’t know.”

“Am I ready?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know or you won’t tell me?” Draco asked suspiciously.

“You know the answer to that.” Blaise said smugly. He smirked as Draco walked over to the door and opened it, shutting it behind him.

Blaise smiled to himself. He loved it when people were forced to grow up. Stop pretending. Stop being stupid.

Maybe he would read that book about Felis Semper bonds that he had wanted to look through since a few months ago. They would probably be closeted in there for a long time.

Tears In The Bedroom

Draco slowly eased the door open. Nevra, with her face buried in one of his silk pillows (those were expensive!), didn’t hear him over her sobbing. He sighed, then sat down on the other side of the bed next to her.

At this, she turned to lie on her back, eyes bloodshot, cheeks red…still crying.

“What are you going on about, Nevra,” said Draco resignedly.

She stiffened. “Go away. It’s none of your business.” He smiled, trying to hide his annoyance.

“Well, considering you are on my bed, ruining my bed sheets and my pillows, you made it my business.”

She sat up. “You know what? You are a jerk, Draco Malfoy. I’m surprised I ever thought you could be anything else.”

He hid the hurt behind eyes of steel. “Of course, Nevra. I never claimed to be anything other.” She laughed bitterly, and covered her face with her hands.

“No, you didn’t. I just thought…Forget it, Malfoy.” She swung her legs onto the ground and stood up.

“Wait, Nevra. What is bothering you? I really want to know.”

“Right now? You. What I was crying about? We’ve already discussed.”

He reached out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her back on the bed. “Screw the bed…you‘re hurting. What’s going on with you?”

She looked at him…his mask was down, eyes soft as ever. She resisted the urge to hold onto his hand (on her wrist) and the urge to curl up under his chin and cry into his shirt…he’d probably complain about the shirt next!

“Everything. Attacking Hogwarts, you, the Inner Circle. Just about everything.”

“Why is the attack on Hogwarts bothering you?”

“Because I will be killing people I know. Because I will be destroying a place that has been a refuge to me for so long. After my family and friends turned me out, that was the only place I could go that didn’t care about my past, just about who I was at that time, at the present. The one place I didn’t feel out of place, or ostracized, or a failure.”

Draco slipped his hand down from her wrist and held her hand, squeezing for an instant. He said gently, “Nevra, why’d they turn their backs on you?”

She spoke the lie that Dumbledore had prepared long ago for her. “Potter wanted to marry me, and I turned him down. I was in love with him, but I wasn’t ready for that. My family and friends valued him more than me, I guess.” She looked down, but she couldn’t stop the single tear that fell onto her hand.

“Hogwarts really shouldn’t bother you...Nevra, you’ve killed people you know before.” Fury burned in her eyes, hot and sudden. What had he said?

“Damn it, Draco! It is not the same! These people are people who never did a thing to me…never hurt me! I have to kill them because they live in the wrong place!”

“You do what you must do, Nevra. That’s the way the world works.” Draco said harshly.

She jerked her hand away from his hold. “You bastard! You must kill two innocent children…two women who did nothing to you…two men who were on their honeymoons!”

Draco’s eyes widened. “What the hell?”

She spat out poisonously. “Luna Lovegood. Fleur Delacour. Neville Longbottom. Bill Weasley.” She let out a desperate sob. “Anastasia Longbottom. Elizabeth Weasley. They never even had a chance to live at all before you killed them, too.”

His eyes burned with hurt, stormy grey with pain. “I did what I had to do.”

“They never did anything to you.”

“They worked for the Light. That was enough.”

“The babies…they worked for the Light?”

“I didn’t know they were pregnant.”

“Liar. They both were stabbed through the stomach…you wanted to kill their babies, didn’t you?”

Draco looked away from her disbelieving eyes. “I had orders.” She threw herself at him in rage, hitting anything she could reach. He let her. She had the right.

“Draco, I loved them! You killed people I loved! How could you…How could you do that?” She said when she finally stopped hitting them.

Suddenly he was angry. He fought for the Dark Side and so did she. That did not make him a bad person. “I didn’t love them. I didn’t know you. And I had orders.”

“You had orders? You had orders to keep loyalty to the Dark Lord first…it’s not your first priority. You had orders to spy on me…you didn’t.”

“Wait, what?”

“Two years ago, when we were students at Hogwarts. Dumbledore knew about it, and told me when I went ranting about how you couldn’t possibly be Head Boy. He told me you had refused, for reasons unknown to me.”

“You never did anything to me. And spying on you would have betrayed my position…although it seems like the Headmaster already knew my position. Why didn’t he eliminate me when he had the chance?”

“Those children you killed never did anything to you. The Headmaster is a good man…he believes people can change.”

“Can they?”

“I pray they can. But then again, you proved me wrong on that point. But as you said, you are the exception to every rule. I’m just not sure that is a good thing anymore.”

She turned to walk away. She had thought there was good somewhere in him. Prayed there was humanity left. But he was pure Dark Side…through and through.

“Nevra?” She turned to face him. To her utter surprise, tears filled his eyes.

“I am sorry…so sorry. About everything.”

Impulsively, she turned back and sat next to him on the bed, wrapped her arms around him and let him cry into her shoulder as she held him. She had never noticed with her pain, that he was hurting too.

15. Chapter 15

Anticlimatic

Draco made no sound, but Nevra could feel the tears soaking through the cotton of her robes, and then through her shirt, wetting her skin with their saltiness. There was nothing she could say. She could merely hold him, and wait for him to cry himself out.

Finally he pulled away, his blonde lashes wet, his eyes unusually clear. “Thank you.”

“No problem. This never happened…I assume you want it that way.”

“Of course.” He seemed to pull back even further.

She looked at him steadily. “Draco, what’s going on with you? You never let anyone in…never let anyone see what you are thinking…and that is hurting you. Let me help you...let someone help you.”

Draco looked at her strangely. “Why do you care?”

“You dolt! Of course I care! You…I…I care, okay?” Confusion dominated her face, then calm strength.

He smiled. “Okay.”

“So what’s bothering you?”

“The Dark Lord doesn’t trust me anymore…I can feel it. I feel a change in the Hierarchy coming, and that scares me. I don’t know if I am ready to bow down to someone else…My mother – well, Narcissa – I don’t know how long I can hide her from Him. I need to protect her, though…need to keep her safe. Then, there’s you.”

“Me?”

“You confuse me. You – I don’t know – I guess you make me feel things. I haven’t let myself feel in a long time. I wouldn’t be able to survive if I did. The guilt, the anger, the fear would overtake me and at the top of the Hierarchy, you just can’t allow that to happen. There’s no one to cover for you. You make me vulnerable, and I can’t afford that. The scary part is that you don’t try to do it. You aren’t looking to move up in the Hierarchy, aren’t looking to take me down, you just take my shields and rip them apart. Like now – you could use this information for anything.” He laughed, desperation filling him.

“I won’t, Draco. Promise.”

He smiled at her. “That’s where I got lucky. Out of all the people who could have been able to do this to me, I got you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You have morals, values. You are so much…better than the rest of us. You believe in something higher than the Dark Lord – some greater Cause or something. I don’t know. You just are…you. That’s special.”

Her eyes filled with fear. What had he said? “Draco, I have secrets that I can never tell you. I have secrets I can’t let be found by others – including you. I have secrets you would have to kill me for. Please, please, please, don’t go searching.”

“I came close to the truth there, didn’t I, Nevra? You serve another Cause, don’t you?” She looked away. He cupped his hand under her chin and made her look at him. He said softly, “Nevra, remember the shore that first day we talked? As long as your loyalties don’t lie in the way of my agenda, you aren’t a threat. As long as you aren’t a threat, I won’t hurt you.”

“You are loyal to the Dark Side, though. And for my secrets…you would have to kill me. Even if you were only loyal to the Dark Side in a tiny part of you…this is so bad, you would kill me. I would bet my life on it…in fact, I already am, aren’t I?” For some reason, she wanted so bad to tell him the truth. She nearly had already. But she couldn’t. Not now or ever.

He looked at her hard. “My loyalty comes first to the Dark Trio – to you – and then the Dark Side.”

“The Dark Trio…that is part of the Dark Side. Just leave it, Draco.”

“Alright, then. Whatever you say.”

“Why did you tell me all this, Draco? Why me?” Nevra asked softly.

“Because I trust you.”

“You trust Blaise as well.” Nevra said, protesting.

Draco took a deep breath, and said the words that had never touched his mouth before. Opened himself completely…made him complete. “Because I love you.”

Nevra pulled away, shaking her head…her eyes filled with longing. “No, you don’t.”

Draco said patiently, “I do.”

“You can’t love.”

“Do you really believe that?”

She got up quickly and walked out the door.

Draco smiled. Finally he had brought himself to saying the thing he had felt for such a long time. After all the drama, the conversation had been anticlimactic, in his opinion.

Irritating Empath

Nevra leaned against the shut bedroom door in the hallway, her hand pressed against her mouth to stifle her breathing. Damn it! His eyes when he had said that…that was another memory that would never go away ever again. But he couldn’t love…if there was any capacity to love within him, he could never have killed.

He can love…and dream as well. It was a shock to hear Blaise’s voice in her head. She walked over to him. He turned towards her…of course he already knew she was there…he could feel her. Suddenly it occurred to her how careful he had to be to hide his Gift, and what Death Eaters would do to someone who had it. After all, it gave you superhuman senses in a way…people with strong advantages were always eliminated in this game by lower levels. She pushed away these thoughts to come back to them later.

“Didn’t I tell you that telepathy is “not the answer”? It freaks me out.”

Blaise smiled. “It also gets through to you better than words. You needed to know what I told you.”

“It doesn’t matter what you say if I don’t believe it.”

“Number one, you do, I can feel it and I know. Number two, you’ve killed people and I’m sure there are people you love in this world.”

Nevra thought, then laughed bitterly. “Actually, I am not sure whether I love anyone anymore. There isn’t enough feeling left in me for that. Amazing that you are an Empath and can’t realize that.”

“You love someone…you just can’t admit it.”

“Blaise! The trying to pair up me and Draco is getting really tiring…and it isn’t working!”

“How do you know?”

She sighed. “Because my dislike for him is staying the same.”

“Better than increasing. Besides, your other feelings are increasing.”

“Why, I love having someone else here to explain myself to me.” She said sarcastically. “Tell me the rest, please.”

“Admiration, Sympathy, Care, want to name some more?”

“No. Blaise, this conversation never happened. And, you can’t convince me so don’t try.”

“I am not trying to convince you. I am trying to get you ready for the day everything you’ve been denying finally hits you. So you won’t fall apart.”

“Thanks, Blaise. Much appreciated.” Nevra said bitingly.

Blaise ignored the insincerity and smiled. “Any time.”

Intervention

Nevra paused. “Why hasn’t Draco come out of his room yet?”

“Maybe he knows we’re talking.”

“His hearing isn’t that good.” She walked to the door and opened it quietly. Shut it just as quietly and twice as fast. She turned to Blaise in a near panic.

“Lucius Malfoy is in there! How did he get past the wards? They have their wands out…but they didn’t notice me.” Blaise merely nodded. Nevra looked at him strangely, then spoke. “Do they do this often?”

“Yeah…about once a month or so. We’ll step in if it comes to spell work. I will shield Mr. Malfoy, you do Draco.”

“Why? They are father and son.”

“You must have noticed things aren’t the best between them.”

“So? They are still family.”

“Blood only counts for so much with Lucius Malfoy. In fact, if Draco wasn’t his only heir and the Heir to Voldemort, I’m sure Lucius would have killed him – or tried to – by now. The harsh truth is, though, that Draco is more powerful than Lucius within the Dark Side, and that killing him would give Lucius a much worse fate.”

“Than Death itself?”

“The Dark Lord has his ways…what are they arguing about, by the way?”

“Um…I think…me. And the Dark Trio and Inner Circle…and me.”

“Well, if they are talking about that…I should be included. After all we pick the Dark Trio together…Draco may be the leader by name, but he is an equal in this group.” Blaise actually sounded irritated.

“Um…does it annoy you that people automatically think he’s in charge.”

“I’m used to it.” Blaise avoided answering the question as he strode into Draco’s bedroom and shut the door behind him firmly. For extra insurance he locked it with an unbreakable spell. Well not quite, but the standard “Alohomora” wouldn’t do, either. He was sure Nevra could find a way round it, but it would take time, and he would know when she did. Just in case she decided they had been in here too long. Intervention between Malfoys was deadly when you didn’t know them well. He doubted Lucius Malfoy would hesitate at killing a Weasley who stood beneath him in the Inner Circle.

16. Chapter 16

Back To Hogwarts

Well, they would be in that bedroom for a while. She had to speak to Dumbledore anyway, about the upcoming attack. She disappeared with a pop landing just outside the door of Dumbledore’s office and knocked briskly twice.

“Come in,” said Dumbledore.

She walked in to see nearly the entire Order there. She hadn’t been to an Order meeting in months…she couldn’t afford to be seen by the Dark. Snape had never been as high in the Hierarchy as she was now. To be seen would be a fate worse than Death…as Blaise said, the Dark Lord had his ways.

She looked around quickly. Saw the red hair that betrayed her, the pity in the eyes of others. She didn’t want it, didn’t need it. In fact, it infuriated her. To think they thought she was pitiful. But it didn’t affect her the way it would have a month ago, before this maelstrom of changes spun its course. Before she was part of the Dark Trio. Part of a higher cause.

She didn’t want to waste time in the company of people who didn’t know her. She merely looked at Dumbledore, who watched her with guarded eyes. She nearly laughed. He looked at her as though she needed to be watched. She wasn’t weak, she wouldn’t break or turn traitor. In fact, the greatest danger lay within the loyal themselves. They were weak enough to jeopardize the victory of the Light for their feelings.

“The Death Eaters will attack in three days. I have matters to speak of with you, Dumbledore. At your convenience, please come to my office. I will be waiting.” She swept out, robe billowing behind her in a flurry of black as the door shut with a heavy thud.

The Order murmured and whispers began. Meanwhile, a redhead slipped out of the room unnoticed.

For The Light

A/N – Ok, some of you are going to laugh. Ron called his little sister “Gin-Gin” when they were kids (at least in my imagination). He mentions the nickname in here, and it’s cheesy (it’s meant to be). Just so you all don’t get confused, he began calling her Ginny (upon her insistence) in public and all the time as soon as they came back from the Chamber.

The door to Ginny’s office opened. She stood up, thinking it was Dumbledore. “Albus, I –“

“I’m not half as old as Dumbledore.” Ron Weasley stepped into the doorway. Ginny abruptly sat back down.

“Get out.” Her eyes were burning into his. “Get out before I hurt you.”

His eyes pleaded with her. “You wouldn’t do that.” She laughed in his face.

“You don’t know me at all if you really think I wouldn’t. You don’t mean anything to me anymore, Mr. Weasley. God, if any of you did, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. I’d be back at home cooking and cleaning for you.”

“Everything isn’t as it seems, Nevra. We did want you to fight for the Light.”

“Yet you pushed me away because I couldn’t be a Healer…I had to be on the front line…just like you, and Bill, and Charlie and Percy, and George and Fred – notice none of you were turned out of the family.”

“It really isn’t like that. I can’t tell you more, but –“

“Shut up, Weasley. I can lie to the Dark Side, say that it was because I rejected Harry’s proposal…one which he betrayed, not me…so that they don’t realize that Harry Potter is not valued higher than everything but life on the Light’s side. But I don’t lie when I don’t have to…and I don’t have to now. I think each and every one of you are pathetic.”

Ron recoiled. “You - you aren’t my sister. You can’t be. Damn it, Ginny, we’re family.”

She said bluntly. “No we aren’t. Not anymore. And you have no one to blame but yourself.”

“Mom was the one who –‘

“That’s just like you – to blame it on someone else. Like when we were little and we did pranks together, you always ran away and left me with the punishment. Whatever, it’s long past. But it is your fault…the whole family’s. Because everyone stepped back and let Molly Weasley do it. No one said a word in my favor.”

He just stood there, looking at her. He had been about to reveal it all, say that Molly Weasley had been the one who made the decision to push her away to save her from the scrutiny of the Dark Side. But there was no response he could make to her. He hadn’t said a word against her disownment…to protect her. To save her. He couldn’t tell her that it had hurt them just as much as it had hurt her. That Molly Weasley had cried for a month…that she still cried every night when she looked at the clock, now missing Ginny’s name. He couldn’t. They still had to protect her, even if she didn’t realize that they were doing it for her.

“Get out, Weasley.” He looked and wished he could say something. Since he couldn’t, he merely walked away.

On the way back to Dumbledore’s office, he walked by Dumbledore himself. Suddenly fury filled him. He stepped in front of the old man, who stopped and said, “Yes, Ron?”

His words were poison. “You killed our family. I don’t have a sister anymore. She – she’s let us go. This isn’t protecting her – this – this – it’s killing who she used to be. And I don’t like who she’s becoming!”

Dumbledore looked at him sadly. “It is protecting her from being found out as a spy. And you do believe that, or you would have told her the truth. We all do what we must for the Light – even sacrifice our loved ones. But just because you don’t know the person she is becoming, doesn’t mean she’s becoming a bad person.”

“She isn’t feeling anything anymore! You call that not bad?”

“She isn’t feeling anything for you. That doesn’t mean she isn’t feeling.”

“Who, then? Who does she feel for?”

“That is her business. Not that I have any idea. All I know is that she told me that her loyalties are to Love itself…and as long as that remains she will be loyal to the Light, because the Dark never has believed in Love. Ever.”

Ron turned his face away from Dumbledore’s gaze. “The “higher good” doesn’t seem to matter. All I can see is my baby sister, my Gin-Gin, is changing into this jaded, hateful thing. And I could make it better if I just told her. I could bring her back to us.”

Dumbledore sighed. “We all do what we must. For the Light.”

Ron nodded. “For the Light.”

Dangerous Thoughts

July 16, 2005 – Hi guys! I’m speechless (not wordless, note the chapter below!). The sixth book…well, my predictions were right about who dies…but the Half Blood Prince…I could have never guessed. Anyway, I am attempting to integrate this story into the new circumstances of book six, so please go back and read the A/N edits of chapters 2 and 4 to get more information. Also, to adjust…Draco freed Lucius after he attained the Dark Mark as his Initiation to the Inner Circle. More details about that in this chapters. Details about Snape being loyal to the Light and Dumbledore being alive will come in later chapters. Now…on to the story! Enjoy!

Blaise turned from the doorknob. Neither of the men before him glanced in his direction, their focus fully upon each other. He casually gestured with a hand, raising a wall of sapphire between the two. Draco started in surprise, Lucius whirled to face him.

Blaise smiled. “Well, I can’t have you two throwing spells at each other when I’m in the room, can I? Might destroy my pretty face if you miss.” Neither showed signs of amusement. Lucius actually sneered at him.

Blaise addressed Draco. “I am assuming this is about that lovely redhead just outside your door? If it is, shouldn’t I be included…considering I was the one who suggested her?” Blaise asked as he walked over to stand beside Draco.

Lucius took an involuntary step toward him behind the sapphire wall, his wand out. “You? You suggested that – that whore – for your Trio. You?”

Draco’s jaw clenched and Blaise’s hold on his arm tightened as he smiled at the old fanatic through the blue haze. “Hmm, yes. Although I must say, insulting powerful females’ virtue is the oldest slander in the books…and nearly always wrong. Nevra could have never gotten where she’s at if she bedded every man she saw.”

“No, she just beds the ones that count. Even a Zabini should exercise some self-restraint.” Blaise ignored the innuendo involved with that statement. It didn’t matter.

Finally Draco spoke, his voice ice. “Nevra has been Initiated into the Inner Circle and Allied with the Dark Trio. You have no say in the matter and never did. This talk is over.” Lucius sneered.

“Going to turn out your own father for the girl. She must be something wild. Don’t even think you’ll get your inheritance after this.” Draco tensed again then relaxed.

“My father is Tom Riddle now. I have no need of the Malfoy inheritance when I can have the world from my father.” Lucius’s eyes widened and Draco smirked. “You never really are truly loyal to anyone, are you, Lucius? Not even the Lord that has ruled your life…not even the Lord that freed you from Azkaban.”

“The Dark Lord didn’t do that, you did.”

“But I never would have unless He had made it a requirement for my Initiation into the Inner Circle. Things are so much easier when you are locked away so you can’t hurt yourself. But the Dark Lord rewards his followers…loyal or not.”

Lucius’s eyes were filled with an unknown emotion as he stepped into the green fire and spun away on the Floo network.

Draco smiled. “I have never seen that look on his face before…but I think it’s a good thing for me that he looks that way.”

Blaise knew instinctively what Lucius Malfoy had felt. “He’s scared.”

He grinned at Draco…who grinned back, the reckless smile lighting his grim features for an instant, the reminder of youth and innocence poignant. The memories of countless pranks at Hogwarts and merry laughter. Blaise sighed in regret. What he wouldn’t do for another year of that…of innocence and childhood.

Draco sighed as well. “He’s scared of me…kind of ironic. Remember I used to hide in the Room of Requirement whenever he used to come to school…he never did find me…but I don’t admire him anymore. I’m not scared of him. He’s not the idol he used to be. He’s just a weak, old, Dark fanatic…Is that what will happen to all of us as time passes? Will we fall from being the best of the best, to someone disdained as old and past our time? When Voldemort is gone –“

“Don’t Draco. Lucius, and you and me…we may come and go…maybe even Him someday. Not that it’s likely – I don’t think he’s human anymore. But don’t hasten your fall from glory by thinking thoughts like that. As skilled an Occlumens as you are, you can’t hide thoughts like that from the Dark Lord. Better not to have them at all.”

17. Chappter 17 and 18

Nevra stayed seated when Dumbledore came in. “Have a seat, Headmaster.”

Dumbledore looked at her carefully. “You wished to tell me more about the attack?”

“Yes…several things. First, Rose Abington’s students are to be used as Healers…I will have to fight on the other side, you know.”

“Yes…we will miss your expertise.”

“I’m sure Granger will be ecstatic to fill in.” Nevra said tartly. “Anyway, I wanted to make sure that you knew who I will be fighting for in the Battle. Oh, and to ask you how exactly Potter is going to manage to get inside Voldemort’s head. And where you will be during all this chaos?

“You will be fighting for the Light, I am sure…wearing a mask will never change that, I hope. Harry…no one knows that but him. And I…why I will be wherever I am needed most at the time.”

“Harry wouldn’t have been able to cope without you. But…you shouldn’t be on the front line in two days.”

“Just because I was brought back from the Afterworld doesn’t mean I am any weaker than before.”

Nevra reached over her desk to pull back his robe, exposing a well-scarred hand. “But it doesn’t mean that you are any younger or any faster…or any better. Plus, you do have added weaknesses…if someone were to hurt Fawkes in any way during this battle…you would – well, I don’t really know what would happen…but something would – something definitely not good.”

“Fawkes will be kept safe during the battle. He is very intelligent. I do not trust just anyone to carry my soul within them.”

“What I don’t understand is how he managed it…first finding your soul in the Afterworld…swallowing it….carrying it back to the Living World…and then keeping it within him until we used the Rejuvenation Spell to bring back your body.”

“As I said, he is an amazing animal. Phoenixes have remarkable powers over someone they love. What I could never understand is why the Rejuvenation Spell works on the physical body…but can’t bring back the soul.”

“Once long ago, certain wizards could go to the Afterworld traveling in their minds and bring back a soul through the Rejuvenation Spell. The skill was lost to us before Gryffindor died. He was the last of the Soul-Searchers. But why Fawkes couldn’t feed all of your soul into your body…why he had to keep the essence of it within him…that is a mystery.” Nevra looked at him searchingly.

“No…it isn’t. Part of me wanted to stay within him – where only noble thoughts were thought – where I was safe and loved. Try as he might, he couldn’t force all of me to leave him…so part of me stays within him, where it is happiest. Simple, really.” Dumbledore smiled wistfully at her.

“All right. Well, that’s all I needed to say. Right now, I have obligations to fulfill. Death Eaters will begin to be suspicious.”

“Yes…Ginny, do you know anything about the attack?”

She smiled at him. “No…Dumbledore, I’m sorry. But Voldemort never reveals his plan until hours before the attack. And if I were to go missing then, to tell you, upon return I would be killed. He doesn’t take the possibility of spies lightly after Snape’s great Deception…that’s another thing that would have been worthless had you not come back to prove his innocence.”

Dumbledore smiled. “Voldemort fears betrayal because he is a traitor himself. He betrayed the Light long ago when a plan of ours failed. But…but Snape…I believe he would have found a way to give the Light his crucial information even without my help. I always told you I had a piece of proof that bound him to us forever.”

“To think that Voldemort raped his mother…that just that incident was enough to turn him against the Dark…none of us would have guessed. But without him, we would have never known that the Dark Lord possesses the leaders of any of his attacks because he does not trust them to do well. We would not have known that he is his most vulnerable during battle when his concentration and mental power are focused within the commanders of his forces. We just would have killed the commanders thinking to cut the head off the snake, only strengthening Voldemort to his full mental capacity even as he continued to order his forces in attack.”

“Yes. A bond between a parent and child can be one of the strongest ever made between two people even husband and wife. In fact there is only one stronger…Felis Semper…True Love.”

Nevra laughed. “True Love? Do you really believe there is such a thing?”

“Magic has proved it. In times of great trouble, those bound by this bond can combine their hearts, spirits, magics, and minds to save their love…save what they believe in…to do a task they both want desperately to do. They can save each other from death, feel each other’s presence…even half of the powers that result from this bonding have not been discovered. Only one thing is known…that they are bound from birth and their lives will always, always, eventually meet. And from that point on, they cannot walk away. Whether they know it or not, deny it or embrace it, they will never completely leave their partner’s side…they can’t, it would kill them. Much more powerful than love created…this is love destined…thousands of times more powerful than any other bond in the universe.”

“How many pairs have there been?”

“In the past 3,000 years…one. Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw… they used their power to combine together to create magic to protect Hogwarts for the rest of time. Although the Four together created it…the pair alone created the shields and barriers that would protect the students that walk through these hallways for the rest of their lifetime…and many more.”

“It’s scary.”

“What?”

“That you could leave the world behind for that partner if you were Bound like that. That you couldn’t walk away.”

“Who would want to? Love is a wonderful thing.”

“Reality doesn’t always accommodate love.”

Dumbledore smiled at her. “Ah, but Ginny, destiny and reality don’t often clash…when they do, destiny tends to win. Because reality is just what happens, while destiny is meant to be.”

Dumbledore walked out the door. Nevra Apparated as soon as he left. Blaise should have broken the two Malfoys up by now. She had a sinking feeling that this was about her. If it was…well…she should be there.

Unexpected Visitor

Nevra appeared in front of Blaise and Draco. They both had grim looks on their faces. “What’s wrong, you two? Where’s Lucius?...I wanted to have a talk with him anyways.”

Draco actually laughed. “You won’t have to. He’s scared of me.” Nevra’s eyes widened.

“That’s funny?”

“It’s hilarious.” Draco said cryptically.

Nevra looked at Blaise for an answer. He shrugged at her. “It’s Draco’s business, not mine.”

“But you know.” Nevra wasn’t asking.

Blaise’s tan cheeks turned pinkish. “Yeah.” Nevra sighed.

“Boys will be boys.” They both glared at her. She grinned.

Draco changed the subject. “What took you so long?”

“Ran into my brother. Had a talk.” Blaise and Draco looked at each other quickly.

Draco smirked. “I think it was probably similar to the conversation we had with my father.”

“I agree.” Nevra smirked right back at him.

The fireplace suddenly turned green and the three turned to greet the person spinning in the flames.

Nevra was the first to speak. “Elenia Parkinson?” The lady, regal in her lavender silk robes smiled nervously.

“Yes…you must be Nevra. I corresponded with you, I recall?”

The three looked at each other and Nevra nodded firmly. Draco spoke. “When you correspond with her, you correspond with the Trio.” Elenia looked shaken, but quickly regained her composure.

“I see. Well, I’m afraid that my husband has guessed about my doubts. He threatened to kill my – well, someone close to me – if I left the house.”

Blaise gave a bored sigh. “Draco, Nevra, she isn’t telling the whole truth. She’s guilty about something. I can’t be sure…but maybe it’s something she’s hiding.” Elenia looked shocked.

Nevra smiled at her. “Everyone has tricks up their sleeves, Madam Parkinson. Does your husband know where you are at?”

Elenia looked relieved to hear a friendlier voice. “No. I placed an illusion on him.”

Draco interjected. “One that will deceive touch.”

Elenia smiled. “Yes. It’s the one art I have perfected…I do not have much interest in magic, but this was necessary, otherwise I would get nothing done at all. My husband tends to be…a little jealous.” Nevra, who noticed the bruises on Elenia’s wrist when she arrived, looked at Draco sharply. He took the hint to move on. Nevra would talk to Elenia later about that.

Draco smiled superficially and made a wide sweeping gesture with his arm. “Well then, do sit down, Madam. We have much to talk about.”

The Secret Narcissa Knew

They all sat down. Blaise began, “There’s no need to feel tense or insecure, Mrs. Parkinson. You trusted Nevra enough to tell her your doubts. Trust her to pick the right people to trust as well.”

Draco smirked. “We read the whole letter. Including the part about you saying that we two had too much of our own agenda to follow to help you. That would be true if your doubts didn’t fit in with our agenda.” He stopped talking abruptly. He was revealing too much. Blaise was glaring at him, and Mrs. Parkinson was looking at him in shock. Nevra was tight-lipped, her eyes full of worry.

Nevra said quietly. “But since you approached us, we have the advantage. You have to trust us fully for us to even consider helping you. Again, Blaise said you were hiding something. What is it?”

Elenia hesitated. Nevra merely sat back and waited. The ball was in her court now. “My husband threatened to kill my son.”

Blaise leaned in and looked hard at Draco. “She’s telling the truth, Draco, I can feel it.”

Draco’s eyes sharpened. “I wasn’t aware the Parkinsons had a son.”

Elenia said miserably, “They don’t. He isn’t Edward’s…only mine.”

Nevra’s eyes widened. “A bastard heir? Not to be harsh, but why hasn’t Mr. Parkinson killed him before now…as soon as he found out?”

Elenia’s eyes hardened. “Because I have ways to protect him. Marcus is my son. “

Draco’s eyes had softened. He remembered his sister, killed at birth. “It is your right to protect him. But why didn’t Edward kill you? Infidelity is a crime on the Dark Side. And why isn’t that protection enough anymore?”

Elenia smiled bitterly. “Yes, I remember your sister well. Ophelia was a beautiful baby. Narcissa loved her to death.” Draco flinched. Elenia continued hurriedly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize your feelings were so strong…after all you didn’t know her at all.”

Draco growled, “You didn’t answer my questions.”

“Edward didn’t kill me because I was the perfect wife. I didn’t ask any questions. He could do whatever he wanted. Half the time, he forgot I was there. I was suitable for his needs…and besides…I got pregnant because of rape. The only reason I was allowed to have the baby is because it got Edward favors with the rapist.”

Nevra looked at her and said bluntly, “Why didn’t you mention your son in your letter.”

“Because I guessed you would tell someone…and I didn’t want to reveal it to anyone other than people I knew I could trust.”

Draco interrupted. “Who was it?”

Elenia feigned confusion. “What do you mean?”

Draco snapped, “Your rapist…who was it?”

Elenia looked away. “You don’t want to know, Draco. Please don’t ask.”

Draco moved to kneel in front of her. “Who was it, Elenia?” His voice was low and hard.

Sobs caught in Madam Parkinson’s throat. Blaise’s eyes widened then filled with sadness. “Trust me, Draco, you do not want to know.” Nevra looked at the three, her eyes confused.

Finally a whisper broke the silence. “Lucius Malfoy.” Draco stiffened, then strode to the opposite corner of the room, his back towards them.

”I have a brother.” It wasn’t a question.

“A half-brother,” Elenia amended. Then, as if on an impulse she added, “I’m sorry, Draco…Your mother knew about Marcus. She was – my best friend. I couldn’t keep it from her. Lucius thought he was the only one besides me and Edward who knew, but Narcissa knew.”

Draco broke down at last, leaning against the wall with his face in his hands as he fought the emotions raging. Nevra walked up behind him and guided him by his shoulders to his bedroom. She pushed him in and shut the door behind him. Then she walked back to the sitting room.

“Blaise, go talk to him. You will handle this the best. Besides, Elenia and I have things to talk about.” Blaise nodded briskly.

Talking Woman to Woman

Nevra turned to Elenia as Blaise turned away. She decided it was best to act like she already knew, rather than guessed. “Edward will kill you someday if you don’t get out.”

Elenia stiffened. “What? What do you mean? Edward would never hurt me.”

Nevra frowned. “Do not lie to me, Elenia…even if you lie to yourself.” She pulled back the lavender sleeve revealing five small bruises like fingerprints. “It’ll get worse. Trust me I know.”

Elenia looked at her strangely. “You…know?”

Nevra scrutinized Elenia’s face. “Well, since I could kill you and no one would care, I guess I can tell you.” Elenia flinched.

“You need to face the truth…your husband doesn’t love you if he does this.” Elenia shook her head quickly.

Nevra sighed. “Before I came to the Dark, I was involved with Harry Potter.” Elenia gasped.

“The Boy Who Lived?” She said incredulously.

Nevra smiled tightly. “Yes. Please don’t interrupt, or I’ll never get through this. He used to be an alcoholic…he was trying to dull his pain…he lost so many people he loved. At first it was just light pushes, as if jokingly. Then it went to grabbing my wrists hard enough to bruise.” She gestured at Elenia’s wrist as the lady recoiled.

“One day, he slammed me into the wall so hard I had a concussion when my head hit the wall. It was then that I realized that, even if this wasn’t really him…that the sober him could be sweet, caring, kind…loving…that these drunken rages were real. I could be killed next time he did this. So I walked out…and my family and friends took his side. So I came to the Dark, where I could start over.”

Elenia shook her head. “Edward isn’t a drunk.”

Nevra laughed. “That’s even worse. He hurts you to make himself feel powerful. He is in control of his thoughts…he does it purposefully. It doesn’t matter why…just that it can and will eventually intensify to a point where he will kill you. You need to leave…there are places that can help you.”

Elenia looked away. “Not on the Dark Side.”

Nevra looked at her hard. “Maybe not. But if you leave, I will lend you my protection. I stand above your husband in the Dark Lord’s favor, I believe.”

“And if you fall out of favor, what will become of me?”

“Trust me. I will take care of you. Believe me…you’ll be safe with or without me. I’ll make sure of that. In memory of your daughter…in memory of my mistakes…I will make sure that you can live free. But you have to take the first step.”

“Well, I’ll take it now. If I wait, I’ll start to hesitate.”

Nevra smiled at the older woman. “Great. I’ll talk to the Dark Lord about this.”

At this, Draco and Blaise walked into the room.

18. Chapter 19

Telling Him The Truth

Nevra’s eyes held a silent question for Draco as he walked in beside Blaise. He nodded in answer; he was alright. Abruptly turning to address Elenia, he spoke, “I was Bellatrix’s child, Marcus was yours…did my mother ever have a child of her own?”

“Ophelia…Ophelia was her baby. She loved her so much.” Elenia paused then added as if on an impulse. “But Draco…you were her son…she loved you that much. She didn’t care whose blood ran in your veins…and neither did you. That’s all that mattered.” Draco’s eyes held a slight sheen. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“So where can we find Marcus now?” he said, changing the subject.

Elenia eagerly went along with the question, “We put him up for adoption to a pureblood Slytherin family. The Flints adopted him several years ago. They nor Marcus know of his real parentage.”

Draco and Blaise looked at one another. Blaise spoke, “Marcus…Flint? The boy who – “

“Who was the Slytherin Quidditch Captain before me. We never got along. He thought Malfoys were weak pansies who used money to get their way in everything. He prided himself on working to get what he wanted…very Hufflepuff-ish of him. Ironic that he will now inherit the money.”

Nevra spoke in surprise, “He’s an illegitimate heir, Draco! You inherit, not him!”

Draco smiled grimly. “We forgot to tell you. Lucius came here to disown me. I am no longer the Malfoy Heir. Marcus will get the money…and consequentially, a significant amount of power as well.”

The three looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Blaise spoke this time. “So we will tell him about his real parents. It will get him on our side…and with the power he stands to inherit…our plans can benefit greatly.”

Tears ran down Elenia’s face. “You will ruin his life.”

Draco spoke, “Not ruin, necessarily…more like upset. But Elenia, trust me, he’ll find out eventually. And it’s better someone tell him than he find out by default. I know what it’s like, remember? If someone had given me a choice, I would have liked to know as soon as possible.”

Elenia sighed, then spoke to Nevra. “I never thought you could get enmeshed in the Dark so early in power, Nevra. I thought that maybe you would help me out of the goodness of your heart rather than advantages and agendas.”

The sadness in her voice hurt. Nevra explained. “We are helping you both. You are under my protection now. Your son will never be hurt when he is allied with the Dark Trio. Alone, we may not be powerful but together we stand high in the Dark Lord’s favor. It’s just that helping you will also help us.”

Elenia sighed and shook her head. “You are using this to your advantage…I don’t know. I thought you were different.”

Nevra smiled sadly. “We are using you like any other Dark member would do…but we consider what’s best for you as well, which is more than any other would. They would use it however they wanted…we could blackmail your husband or Lucius…but we aren’t. Telling Marcus the truth will help you as well, and we can incorporate it into our plans as well.”

Elenia asked, “What plans? Whose side are you really on?”

The three looked at each other. Blaise shrugged. “Not the Light, not the Dark…the Trio’s. Whatever holds our best interests is what we will do…that means the Dark and it always has. But we don’t follow blindly and we do what we please.”

Nevra spoke. “Let’s go to Denmark. We have things to discuss. Elenia, stay here. You will be safe.”

Draco asked, “Her? Safe from what?”

Nevra eyed him icily. “None of your business. Just know she is under my protection now. And that she is not going back to Edward Parkinson.”

Draco hesitated. “Not that I don’t trust your judgment…but letting a stranger in the house –“

“In Denmark, Draco,” said Blaise quickly, glancing at Elenia.

Draco nodded. “In Denmark.”

Evil Traditions

They appeared in front of the familiar stone cottage surrounded by thick green forest. Draco pushed away memories of the last time he had been here…that could never become real…Nevra wouldn’t let it.

Nevra immediately turned. “We used a Word of Power…stranger or not, she is telling the truth. The truth allies her to us whether she likes it or not…she knows that as much as we do. She can’t live there anymore…it’s too dangerous.” Nevra snapped.

Draco was taken aback. “Okay, okay! Nevra, relax! Sorry I asked!”

She looked abashed. “Sorry I overreacted. My problem, not yours.” She muttered.

Draco looked at her strangely. “It’s all right.”

Blaise looked at them both, checked their emotions, and decided it was time to change the subject. “So when and how are we going to tell Flint?”

Draco nodded briskly. “I know where he is…he is an assistant at Borgin’s and Burke’s.”

Nevra interjected. “I think we should wait until after the attack on Hogwarts…we don’t have enough time to convince him…only a few hours until he calls us, I think.”

Draco and Blaise nodded in assent. Draco spoke, “Should we approach him together, or just me?”

Nevra considered. “Just you. We don’t want to reveal our closeness…and it would be logical that you find out considering he took your inheritance. No one really knows how little you care about it and you can use that to your advantage.”

Blaise nodded at Draco, and Draco shrugged. “Sounds good. So Nevra, you seemed pretty agitated…was there anything besides this you wanted to discuss?”

Nevra hesitated. “Edward Parkinson hurts his wife.” Blaise and Draco both looked at each other.

Blaise added, “Yeah. What’s your point?”

Nevra looked at him in shock. “What’s my point? What, is domestic abuse common around here.”

Draco looked at her curiously. “Yeah. Nearly every pureblood Slytherin girl is trained to handle it, and boys are taught to show aggression. Not all men are like that…but it isn’t something we consider out of place.”

Nevra looked disgusted. “That kind of abuse can kill. Does kill. You just let people do that? Don’t speak up or protest? Or even help the victims?”

Draco and Blaise looked at each other, then shrugged. Nevra walked into the cottage and slammed the door behind her. Both the men followed her.

Nevra was standing in a corner, back to them, shaking with fury. Draco said softly, “Nevra, not all men here are like that. Most of the younger generation won’t accept it anymore. But the old-school purebloods…it’s kind of – well – expected.”

Nevra’s words were poisonous. “Expected? What – you aren’t a man if you can’t hurt a woman half your size and totally under your domination? You have to prove that you have power over a person who is supposed to be your partner in life? A person you love?”

Draco looked at her questioningly. “Love? Marriages were arranged for power and reputation, Nevra. Most of the older generation never loved their spouses. Liked, maybe, cared for, less likely, but loved? No, not then. Now, yes…because people aren’t forced into their vows any longer…but then?”

Nevra bit back a fierce retort. They wouldn’t understand. After all, this was why she was not loyal to the Dark Side. It’s just that she had never expected her friends – no, her allies – to support something like domestic abuse.

Blaise interjected. “Nevra don’t think that. We don’t support it. It’s dying out with this last generation. But…they’ve done it like this for centuries.”

Fury seeped into her voice. ”Don’t look inside my head, Blaise! And tradition doesn’t make it right!”

Draco went up and gripped her arms gently as he spoke. “We would never do it…and most of our peers wouldn’t. But we accepted it among our parents, because they have never known any other way.”

Nevra shrunk into the corner even further. “Don’t touch me! Don’t – just don’t…” Sobs built up in her voice. Draco backed away and looked at Blaise, signaling him to come outside.

The Summons

They walked out of the cottage. “What’s going on with her?” Draco asked Blaise.

Blaise shook his head. “She asked me not to get inside her head.”

“That’s never stopped you before.” Blaise sighed.

“It’s not in her best interests this time.”

“Blaise, I need to know. I need to know the secrets she’s hiding. Not for a plan or security…but just because I need to know about her. Because she’s her.”

Blaise sighed again. “She dated Potter before she came to the Dark Side.”

“She told me.”

“Yeah, well she didn’t tell you why they broke up…they were engaged, you know. He was an alcoholic…the pressure got to him, so he drank. He ended up hurting her in one of his drunken rages and she realized that this would kill him…and it could kill her…if he didn’t stop. So she left. I think he’s stopped drinking now, her memories weren’t clear on that part, but anyways…she hates domestic abuse with a passion, because she walked away on a relationship because of it.”

Draco held back a gasp. “My god, why didn’t you look before? We must have alienated her so much…”

“We would have alienated her more if she knew I could look not just for her thoughts but through her memories as well. Besides, there’s one secret that she is hiding even against Empaths.”

“I thought that was impossible.”

“So did I…but it has barriers that I can’t cross. So she is hiding something. Something important.”

“Not that important. The Innocuroso binds her to us now. We are her first priority. If the secret was something that would harm us, she would tell us. She would be magically forced to…right?”

“I hope so.” At that point, they both stopped talked. Heat blazed up their arm in a blinding flash and their Dark Marks seared black.

Nevra joined them. “It’s time to go.” Draco, still holding his arm gingerly began to speak.

“Yeah, I think we figured that one out.” He said drily. Then more seriously, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Sorry. I will even if I try not to. Are you sure you’re okay?” Nevra looked at both of them.

“You know, don’t you? About Harry and me. Blaise looked, didn’t he?” Their silence was enough of an answer for her. Her eyes hardened and she looked at Blaise. “Do it again, and I swear you will find a nasty surprise waiting. Empaths aren’t affected by mind shields…but there are other ways to shield your mind. I’m tired of you searching through my head.”

Blaise looked taken aback at this sudden hostility. “You never minded before.” Nevra laughed.

“That was before I realized that Draco already had Empath shields…if he doesn’t have to put up with it, neither do I.”

Blaise looked at Draco sharply and Draco said sheepishly, “Blaise actually didn’t know I had them…I never used them, just made them. Just in case I didn’t want anyone knowing what I was thinking.”

Nevra looked at Draco in shock. “Oh my god!...I’m sorry. I should’ve known you two wouldn’t put me on an unequal footing. I’ve just been so – tense – lately. I really don’t want to attack Hogwarts. It’s starting to bother me more and more.”

Blaise grasped her shoulder in sympathy. “We all do what we must. Speaking of that, we must go now, or the Dark Lord will have a fit.” Nevra held back a giggle at the image of the Dark Lord turning red and jumping up and down, screaming at the three of them as they said the spell.

“Regresa Maestro.”

19. Chapter 20

Revealing the Plan

They appeared in the midst of a crowd of Death Eaters packed tightly. Draco nudged the two people at his side. “The signal. The Inner Circle is over there.” He gestured over at a spot where a snake with red eyes slithered around a crumbling brick.

“Is – is that the Dark Lord?” Nevra asked. Both men shook their heads as they began wandering casually towards the brick. “Is the brick a Portkey?” Blaise nodded curtly and held her arm tightly as Draco touched the brick.

They appeared, this time, on the perimeter of the forces. Lord Voldemort looked at them tapping his long fingers together rhythmically. “Nevra, go organize the forces. I want three divisions…one special attacks, one strongmen, and the rest in the last. Special Attacks is our main force, strongmen clear the way…the rest are decoys. You know the drill – everyone thinks they’re the main force.” Nevra nodded, then hesitated.

“Shouldn’t I be here to listen to the attack plan? My Lord.” She added quickly. Voldemort laughed his eerie laugh.

“I see the boys have been teaching you their bad habits. Follow orders as always.” Nevra nodded again, bowed deeply, and disappeared. Voldemort turned to the rest of the Inner Circle. He spoke to Lucius, who groveled unashamedly. “Lucius, come. You are to command. Let me inside your head.”

Draco tensed in disgust. To let someone – even the Dark Lord – possess you, let you into every hidden thought and feeling was worthless. Even if it made you Voldemort’s favorite for the day. There were other ways to move up besides acting like a dog.

Together, they listened to Lucius speak the Dark Lord’s words. The plan for attack was remarkably simple. But after all, the magic barriers had been the hardest part. No one would expect them to get through that at all. The attack would be like shooting at sitting ducks. Draco pushed away feelings of guilt…he could never back out now. He had chosen his side, and he didn’t have time to regret it. Period.

Back in the hall with the masses of Death Eaters, Nevra waved her wand in a sweeping gestures. Torches magically lit, and Nevra’s banner, the Fire Salamander, fell from every wall. Silence suddenly reigned over the masked faces. She took off her mask to reveal her face and spoke. “Three groups. Divide yourselves into special attacks and strongmen…the rest go in the third group.” Then she went to each group and told them how the attack wouldn’t work if they didn’t do their part.

She had to be especially careful what she told the special attack group. They would be the ones whose spells reflected off the magical barrier between the top and bottom of the Great Hall. “They need to be annihilated. Can you do that?” She didn’t specify which they…the Light would be protected, but these spells would rebound and destroy the Death Eaters. Their fierce nods and revealed wands made her smile. She let the expression show. Let them think that she was excited to destroy her old school. Hogwarts would survive. It had to. It – just – It just had to.

The rest of the Inner Circle magically appeared just behind Nevra. Draco stepped up. “Are you men ready to fight for the Dark? Fight for immortality?” The deafening roar that was the reply made Nevra’s heart sink. They were going to do it. They were going to attack Hogwarts. And she gave them the key to the door.

Mindlessly she walked, Draco and Blaise at her side keeping time. The mask over her face felt hot and uncomfortable, but she was glad of it. No one could see the tears rolling down her cheeks. All they saw was burning hatred in her eyes…it never occurred to them that it was for herself.

A Thousand Deaths

Dumbledore nodded at Harry, who was sitting with his head in his hands. “I can see them coming.”

“Where’s Fawkes?”

“Safe…I don’t want Voldemort to find out where he is if he is too powerful and possesses you.”

Harry laughed grimly. “I wish he would try. It would kill him at the very least.”

Dumbledore shook his head. “You don’t know that. What you do know is that it would kill you. And we can’t have that, now can we?”

Harry looked at Dumbledore. “You said…you told me that it would kill him. Back in the Department of Mysteries.”

“A lot of things have changed since then. Are you ready, Harry? Ready for the fight of your life?”

“Of my life…more like for my life. But yes, ready as I’ll ever be. Ready as I can be.” Dumbledore sighed.

“Then it has begun. Send the students to their dormitories. Send the teachers to protect the Great Hall. If their way is open, they will begin to suspect false play.” A smoky phoenix flew out the window into the starry sky. “The Order should arrive after hearing my message. Go to your place, Harry. Be ready. This is all for your chance. Make the best of it.”

Harry stood up and walked to the door. He turned to face the man he now called friend. “Albus…if I don’t see you…thank you. Thank you for all the years of being here even when I didn’t deserve it. For guiding me. For giving up your life for me…for risking it even now. I mean, even for Albus Dumbledore, you can only come back from Death once. Thank you for everything.” Before the old man could respond, Harry Potter was gone. Dumbledore stifled the tears for running down his wrinkled cheeks.

They all did what they must for the Light. Silently he thought about Ginevra Weasley, marching out there with a mask on her face and ice in her heart. Yes, even destroy a innocent girl…they all did what they must. It was that or Darkness. And Albus Dumbledore would die a thousand deaths or kill a thousand people before he let Darkness envelop the magical world.

The Hierarchy Upset

The Death Eater approached the door and Voldemort swept his hand to the left. They silently turned and walked around the walls surrounding this ancient school. Voldemort’s red eyes glowed scarlet with the closest thing to love that he could ever feel. Hogwarts would finally be his. His to cherish, to teach. His Hogwarts.

His eyes found his Heir…yes, Draco was becoming too dangerous. But he had so much potential. He called for him under his breath, “Llamada Draconis.”

Draco jerked when he felt his Dark Mark burn. With a whisper to Nevra he silently made his way to the Dark Lord. “Yes, Master?” Voldemort turned to him and smiled.

“You grow rebellious, Draco. I will not have my Heir working against me. And I will not have my Heir crossing lines that are not crossed.” Draco bowed his head, the perfect act of remorse. The problem was, Tom Riddle had acted that act before, and knew every line of the script.

“Sorry, my Lord. I grow forgetful that you see all.”

“Ridiculous. You are lying to the best deceiver of all. Heir you are no longer.” Then he spoke the formal words to break the bond. It was too bad. Draco really did have so much potential. But Voldemort refused to have a unruly Heir. “Renunciada Finite.” Draco stumbled in shock. He was no longer Heir…he no longer was second in command. He – everything had changed.

He walked back to the Trio, his gait unsteady. Nevra didn’t turn to look at him, but felt his uneasiness. “What’s wrong, Draco?”

His voice came out shakily. “Nevra…I – I am no longer Heir. After three years, he decides I am too disobedient…he severed the bond in front of me. I felt a piece of me rip out…like ripping a piece of paper away from a whole sheet. He…I feel incomplete…like I’m missing an eye or something. I am not Heir.” Nevra and Blaise both walked on in stunned silence.

Everything had changed. Their worlds were turned upside down in an instant. Draco Malfoy was no longer Heir to the Malfoy fortune. Draco Malfoy was no longer Heir to the Dark Lord.

At the back of the masses, Voldemort had already moved on to calculate who would be the next Heir. Someone young, healthy, powerful and loyal. He was stuck in his thoughts when suddenly a wraith swept across his path and barred his way. “Let me through, ghost.” He said to the weeping ragamuffin.

She looked up at him. “Oh, what has become of you, son? My Tom…my little baby. Why are you doing this to me? This is Hogwarts, the best place in the world. You will taint it with blood and gore and death. Why?”

Voldemort stared, stunned. “Merope…Slytherin?”

The witch-ghost smiled. “Merope Riddle. Even though he didn’t really love me. He married me and had my child. We had you. How could you do this? How could you become this? From my son…to a monster? I can’t see my baby in you. I cherished the memory of your sweet face… the last emotion I felt before becoming this shadow was overpowering love. But I can’t love you. Not the thing you’ve become.”

Voldemort merely stood there. A distance part of him felt pain…but he had been split for so long from his humanity that it was a mere pinch. His mother didn’t love him. That was all right. Hogwarts was going to be his at last. He was going to rule the world.

She flew past him and he quickly gave the order to follow the plan. The strongmen led the way up the Whomping Willow. Slowly he smiled. The attack was going to work. He thought about the last Horcrux…not one wizard ever suspected that Voldemort had created one before he left Hogwarts…that the Horcrux was inside Hogwarts itself. And now that he would take over Hogwarts…no one would be able to touch the last Horcrux. And he would be immortal.

20. Author's Note

Author's Note:

To All Readers,

I'm currently rewriting all my older one-shots and this could take up to a year. Once I'm done with my 30 or so D/G one-shots, I'm going to come back to this story and finish it. I've currently hit a sort of road block with this story, and I've felt sort of rushed through it.

So I'm going to take a long break (I realized it's been a long time since my last update). I'm going to fix all my older pieces, and add some more detail and development to this story. I know this will disappoint many of you, but I feel it's necessary in order to write this piece well. I hope you can be understanding of the situation.

Thank you. Your reader-ship means so much to me, and I hope y'all will return when I continue this story. I promise to never give up on this fiction, no matter how long it takes me. I hope you will not give up on it either.

Sincerely,

Kumy

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