Living in Darkness

Special thanks to ichi.riki, angelnomiko and Kittu_Paladin for reviewing!! I really appreciate it!


Chapter 10: Shrouded in Darkness

"Bill... Bill can you hear me... I love you... I want you to get better. I want everything to get better..." Fleur sat alone crying silently by Bill's bedside. The windows were steamed from the rain outside misting them, blurring any vision from onlookers. It was dark and the hospital staff was on night shift and Fleur was getting ready to retire. She looked at Bill not understanding why he wasn't making a full recovery as promised. Her sad eyes reflected pain that was indescribable. A crystal tear streaked her porcelain skin.

XXX

Harry stood outside the door, listening and waiting. He was so angry with her, for everything she had done. It was now time to put an end to her madness. Once she had finished speaking, he opened the door and walked inside with a glass of water.

"Here you go Fleur, some water," Harry said, handing the glass to her.

"Thank you , 'Arry, I could use eet," she said, smiling briefly at him.

XXX

Hermione stood on the balcony, looking out at the stars. If only she could be a star she thought and be able to see the world from there, maybe she could find a solution to the horrors she had witnessed. She heard Draco open the door and felt his presence next to her.

"I'm sorry I took you," he said quietly, looking out into the night.

"Don't be, it opened my eyes," she said, sadly. She looked over at Malfoy.

"Don't you want it to end?" she asked him. Draco looked into her eyes.

"It will never end," he said, "The world is full of hate and violence. Nothing we can do will stop it."

"But your wrong," she replied sternly, "We can do something about it and you could help me... Please Malfoy, we could help put an end to all of this; stop living in a world dominated by evil. We could live in a free world." She turned to face him.

"We could be together in that world," she said softly, looking into his eyes, "No more hiding, no more suicide missions and no more hate. And no more pretending we don't care about each other..." Draco's heart was beating painfully in his chest.

He looked away.

"We could never be together," he said, quietly.

That was not what she wanted to hear. She jerked on his arm pulling him to face her again.

"Why? Why can't we? Because you have the dark mark and I am your enemy. That would normally be a good reason, but not after everything you've told me. You can't just stay here and continue this life... so why, why can't we be together?" she half shouted and half cried, severely upset, but her tears unshed.

Draco jerked his arm out of her grasp harshly and turned his back to her.

"Because you don't know who I am," he said, leaving her crying as the cold wind picked up behind him.

Hermione leaned her elbows on the balcony putting her head in her hands. How ironic, she thought, her soft curls blowing around her.

XXX

Harry walked to the other side of the room, across form Fleur.

"So, Fleur, how many times had you met with Malfoy," he asked, a slight edge to his tone. She looked up at him strangely.

"Malfoy, what are you talking about 'Arry," she asked, confused.

"Don't give me that shit, Fleur," Harry said, slamming his hand down on the table, "I know what you've been doing. I followed you one night. I saw Malfoy give you the potion vial. Do not lie to me!" Harry said beginning to pace the room, glancing at her menacingly.

Fleur looked at Harry fearfully, " 'Arry, I do not know what you are talking about!"

"Stop lying!" Harry shouted. At this point Harry had a slightly mad glint in his eyes.

"Do you want to know what the truly ridiculous part is? The potion... the potion that was supposed to make Bill get better... I tested it," Harry said pulling a small vial out of his cloak pocket.

"I tested it and it's not making Bill better... it's what is keeping him sick!" Harry continued, thrusting the vial into the wall where it shattered. Fleur's eyes reflected true horror as she looked at Bill.

"You made a deal with the Death Eater's to exchange information for dark magic that you believed would keep him alive, didn't you?" Harry asked in a deadly manner, staring coldly into her fear lit eyes. Fleur shook her head desperately.

"Admit it," Harry shouted, pulling her out of the chair and shoving her into the wall.

"Admit that you gave Ginny to the Death Eater's in order to get poison for Bill... ADMIT IT!" Harry shouted inches from her face, "You are the reason Ginny is dead Fleur, she's DEAD." Harry gripped her wrists tighter. Fleur started to choke slightly and cough.

"I trusted you Fleur, I trusted you. You were like a sister to me and you betrayed us... You betrayed your family. Ginny loved you, she hated you at first, but she came to love you and accept you into her heart... and you had her murdered...my wife... You were our secret keeper, Fleur... we trusted you..." Fleur looked up at Harry in pure horror as he released her hands and she immediately grasped her throat and glanced at the glass on the table.

" 'Arry..." she gasped throatily, "I swear, it wasn't me..." Harry looked at her surprised she was willing to speak. He knew it would cause her much pain, her lungs were failing.

And then Harry heard it, words that truly scared him.

"I wasn't your secret...keeper, 'Arry."

XXX

Draco paced his room in silent fury as felt the mark burn on his arm.

"Fuck," he swore again, glancing out at her on the balcony. He was almost getting ready to go back and talk to her, but now....ugh damn!

Draco threw open the door and slammed it as he walked briskly down the corridor.

XXX

Hermione leaned her head back against the wall and breathed in the cool fresh air.

How could I make him listen? she thought. She needed to get out of here, she had to go back to help Harry and to warn the Order about the other organizations. Their governments had to be warned.

She blinked back tears as she saw Draco's face in her mind's eye. He wasn't completely evil and she had desperately fallen for that part of him that was good. Why won't he listen? Why does he just have to be difficult?

Some things never change, she realized bitterly.

XXX

"Yes my Lord," Draco said, sternly as he faced the Dark Lord.

"Draco, any word on this...pest," he hissed, referring to Hermione. He paced the empty meeting room irritated at the lack of results on all ends of the spectrum.

"No, my lord, it is as if she can't tell me, nothing I do gets even a minor slip," Draco lied. The Dark Lord lifted his gaze to Draco's. He knew what was coming and he was ready. He didn't study Occlumency for years for nothing.

The Dark Lord looked enraged.

"Fine," he shouted causing Draco to jump slightly, "tell her she has three hours to confess, or bring me her body."

XXX

Harry stared at Fleur's cold, still face...

What have I done?

Her body slid slowly to the floor and Harry took a step back. His hands were shaking...

"She wasn't the secret keeper? What had she meant... how could that be true... and if she was lying, why would she have caused herself so much pain just to tell him that..."

Harry sucked in his breath as he realized what he had just done... he had murdered an innocent person...but how could it have not been her? He felt the darkness seep into his veins and strip him of oxygen... he was going to suffocate... he was going to suffocate from the darkness...the way he had made Fleur suffocate....

Harry fled the room, a shroud of darkness enclosing around him.

XXX

Draco paced his parlor. His mind was numb, his hands shook, and he couldn't see straight. This was not good. He glanced out onto the balcony where she was sitting.

Damn it! he thought. There was no good solution. He glanced at the keys on his piano where the dried blood still rested... His mind clouded with the memory. He closed his eyes and twisted his hands in his hair. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.

He put the now lit death stick in his mouth and inhaled deeply. His hands stopped shaking. He sat on his piano bench and picked one knee up to rest his forehead on as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and released the smoke from his blackening lungs.

"We could have a life together in that world," she had told him. He closed his eyes.

It would never work, he thought, she would hate him when she found out what a monster he was.

XXX

Draco stood in front of his balcony door and braced himself for what he was about to do. He knew he was making a mistake, but he didn't have any other choice. He had to do it. He didn't have a choice; he had to. He swallowed deeply and gripped the door handle and twisted.

XXX

AN/ PLEASE REVIEW!!! So what is Draco going to do? Was Fleur lying to freak Harry out or was it really not her? When does Draco realize it's Hermione? When do we know whether or not they will fall in love or hate each other? What the hell is going on with the horcrux?

ALL that coming in Chapters 11-14. Story will probably be done by chapter 17 or so.

Tell me what you think and what you want to happen!!

PS/ I am NOT a smoker, I do NOT like smoking, I hate it in fact, but damn does Draco seem like he'd be a hot smoker, so I had to do it. He is stressed out, :) and not a regular, if it makes anyone feel better!