Living in Darkness

Chapter 4: When Death Approaches


The night was cold, yet Harry's face blazed like a flame. His steps were steady and silent. His invisibility cloak shielded him from his subject, however, it did not stop the cold wind from piercing him like knifes. Harry did not feel it though. His mind was as clouded as the darkened skies above him, shifting eerily, threatening him with every move. He was in a world where he was severely unwelcome in and was strangely unaware. Harry made a sharp turn to the left as he followed the traitor he so desperately wanted to expose.

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The girl turned to see Malfoy glance at her before leaving the room. She stood and left the parlor. As she pushed open the door she noticed the storm brewing outside. She closed the windows. She didn't know what to make of her encounter with Malfoy earlier. It was as if he didn't choose this life for himself...as if he wished he could be someone else. The way he played and the way he lowered his head as if he were ashamed that she were frightened of him. In her wildest dreams she had not expected her mission to bring this to light. She looked around the room, noticing for the first time its lack of anything sentimental. She laughed hollowly to herself as she realized everything was black. The carpet, the sheets, the bed curtains, the paintings were even had a dark theme. One was of a black dragon cowering to a dark wizard who held the dragon's heart in his hand. She had heard this tale before. The dragon was perceived to be evil when truly it was only doing the dark wizard's bidding to survive. The dragon died in the end along with the dark wizard. It wasn't even given a chance.

Something's are born with a darker nature than others are. Something's develop the dark side due to their surroundings. She wondered which Malfoy was. Maybe neither, maybe both. But it didn't really matter. Malfoy's life was a mystery to her. All she knew was that he was trapped and as long as he was, so was she.

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Rain began to fall as Draco shifted uncomfortably. Something was amiss. He waited impatiently for his confidante to arrive. He noticed the locals begin to look at him as if they were afraid. They were not stupid, they knew who he was. Draco looked at his watch. It so clearly read 'Late'. Soft footsteps soon fell behind him as he turned to see whom he awaited.

"About bloody time," Draco said irritated, "What is it."

"I need more..."

"Here," Draco said, as he thrust something at the other person, "Now what do you have?"

"Hermione is missing, the Order believes it to be foul play."

Draco looked at the person curiously.

"Good, now get out of here," he said, turning his back and walking away. Lighting flashed in the sky soon followed by a booming crack of thunder. Draco quickened his pace as he turned down a dark alley. Icy daggers soaked him to the bone as he hurried away from prying eyes of the locals. As he slowed a flash of green light suddenly grazed his ear. Draco immediately pulled out his wand. He searched the deserted alleyway and found nothing. The wind picked up and let out a deafening howl as Draco yelled out over the wind. There was no way he could just leave and allow a follower back to the hideout.

"Stop hiding in the shadows and show yourself," Draco shouted angrily. Suddenly, without warning, Draco's wand flew out of his hand. Lighting flashed again as Draco felt a fist contact his jaw and knock him off balance. As the thunder boomed and the rain poured selfishly, Harry stepped out from beneath his invisibility cloak.

Draco stared at Potter with contempt and shock. He wasn't shocked that he had followed him, but shocked at the way he looked. His hair was drenched and streams of water were running down his face. His eyes were shadowed as if to mask his demeanor simply to stop Draco from approaching an idea to escape the situation. His wand was held steady and straight at Draco's heart.

Harry was having a hard time believing how easy that was. His heart was pounding in his chest as he saw that Malfoy looked rather downcast. His pale skin was tinged with a gray color perhaps due to lack of sleep. His eyes were heavy and colder than he remembered. And the worst part was, he didn't seem scared or nervous at all that his worst enemy held him at wandpoint while he was defenseless.

"So, Potter, why don't you just do it a get it over with."

"You have no idea the satisfaction it would bring me to rid the world of you Malfoy," Harry spat, "However, I need information."

"Of what, your precious mudblood? Sorry to disappoint Potter, but we don't have her. Or is it the Weasley girl you're looking for?" Draco shouted over the torrential rain now coming down in wild gusts like whips. Harry seemed to stiffen at the mention of Ginny.

"Where are they, Malfoy? Tell me, or I swear I'll send your body back in pieces," Harry whispered in a deadly voice that was unnaturally solid for him. Malfoy looked at Harry and saw the pain in his eyes at the thought of what he may hear. His mind suddenly raced as he realized what Potter would do to him if he knew the truth. Her lifeless body...Her blood dripping from his hands onto the keys...Draco's breath caught in his throat at the images coming back to him. He looked at Potter and felt a wave of sadness wash over him like an ocean that he would surly drown in. Draco looked to the ground and spoke, nearly certain the words would be his last.

"Don't expect to find the Weasley girl Potter," Draco said quietly wishing he could feel anger and hate Potter and tell him how he brutally murdered his wife... but he couldn't do it, not when the look of pain on Potter's face could have easily been a reflection of Draco's life. For the first time in his life, Draco could understand Potter. He understood his reasoning this time when he shouted the blood curse.

Harry felt his body seep in Malfoy's words like poison. It turned his heart black as dark magic escaped his lips, for it was the only release for the pain he could imagine.

"Sectumsempra," Harry shouted, causing a jet of red light to hit Malfoy in the chest. Draco felt the searing pain as the curse sliced three deep slashes into his chest. This time it wasn't just some blood, Harry had become more powerful as had the curse. Draco's organs were cut, and the blood soaked his shirt and robes within seconds. He could feel the pain numbing his mind as blood continues to rush out of him. The cold water splashed around him as he hit the ground with the sound of water being hit.

Harry watched as if from a third viewpoint what he had just done and the way Malfoy fell gracefully to the water flooded street. In moments the water around him was crimson and rushed around Harry's feet. Harry looked into the sky and could have sworn the rain had turned red. He could feel the blood now falling from the sky soak him in the bitter substance. He looked down towards Malfoy again and as the lightning flashed, he saw Malfoy reach into his cloak and retrieve a skeleton key and as the thunder boomed for the last time, he was gone.

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Draco clutched the portkey in his hand as he pulled himself up to his door and clutched the handle. The warmth of it stung his hand almost making him let go. As the heat rushed into him, he felt the door swing open and his head sway dangerously close to darkness.

The girl sat inside on the bed looking through one of the books she had retrieved from the bookshelf. She was alarmed when she heard a thud against the door as if someone had fell into it. She watched nervously as the handle turned and Malfoy stumbled through. She let out a sigh of relief only to feel her blood freeze in the veins as she saw Malfoy in the firelight.

His hands were clutching his blood-covered chest. He was breathing frantically as if he were trying to catch his breath and couldn't. She rushed over to grab his as he began to collapse. She put his arm around her shoulder but only got him next to the bed before he fell. His dark, gray eyes looked distant as she knelt beside him and began to unbutton his shirt and pull his open. The wounds were nearly hidden due to the blood that was gushing from them.

"What curse was used," she breathed frantically, grabbing Malfoy's face and looking directly at him, "Malfoy, I need to know what curse was used."

"The Blood Curse," he replied in a tone that so clearly told her he was fading and fast.

The Blood Curse, she thought darkly. It had gained its nickname when the Death Eater's massacred an entire village with that one curse. The river ran red for a week.

Malfoy could see her above him and he wished in his final seconds of life that things were different. That this girl was in love with him and she was sad that he was dying. That he wasn't a murderer and dark wizard and that he didn't shatter the innocent's lives. As Death approached, he wanted to tell her he was sorry... tell her this wasn't who he was... even though it truly was. Our actions are what define us whether we want them to or not.

She took a deep breath as she realized she had to save him. There was no way she could just watch him die, not now. Not after...after she realized he wasn't just a hollow, evil Death eater.

She rested her hands in the blood above his chest and looked at him momentarily. She saw the way he looked at her. He looked at her longingly, like it was the last time he would ever see her.

"Malfoy, wait, I can save you, hang on." She closed her eyes began a long ancient charm that soon created a heat so strong over Malfoy's body that it almost burned. But that was how she knew it was working. After several long seconds she opened her eyes and looked at the wounds. All that was left were three long scars. She breathed hard, having exhausted herself.

Draco looked up at her in shock. He met her eyes and saw that she had drained herself. He could breath again properly, the blood was no longer draining out of him, and he was fully conscious, not dead. He sat up and leaned against the bed behind him and looked at her.

"Why did you save me?" She looked at him, her mouth slightly agape. Draco watched as she bit her lower lip as she tried to come up with an answer. At that moment he just wanted to taste her, to feel her body against his, but restraint was needed.

"How long have you been able to do wandless magic? Advanced healing magic at that?" he asked, "And why haven't you used it to escape?" He looked at her imploringly. She stared back at him consciously aware that she had some things to explain.

"I can only use healing powers wandlessly. I was going to be a healer, I studied the art extensively." Draco looked at her unnerved.

"I was bleeding internally, I should have died. That's not just advanced healing powers, it's unheard of healing powers that you performed wandlessly," Draco said incredulously. He stared at her as if seeing her for the first time. It was like she had healed something other than the physical. She had done something he never expected in her and knew that she was different. Different than him, and she was better. She was what he wanted to be, someone he could never have under any normal circumstances.

"Tell me who you are," he demanded. She stared at him and wished she could just close her eyes and none of this would have happened.

"I can't," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. Draco stood and walked away from her towards his balcony. He vaguely wondered why his curtains were closed. He looked down at his bare chest and saw the scars beneath the blood.

"I've kept you locked here, I've degraded you, I've hurt you and yet you saved my life," he said quietly, walking back towards her as she clumsily got up from the ground, her curls falling in her face. She reached her hand up to push them out of the way and Draco caught it before she put it back by her said.

"I want to know who you are," he breathed in a calm and icy manner. His bangs fell gently in his eyes, but it didn't take away from the cold stare he fixed on her that made her shudder. If anything, it added to the affect. A tear gently rolled down her cheek as she stepped back from him, hitting the bed. She looked at him, her eyes sparkling, brimmed with unshed tears.

"I would tell you, but I don't want you to know," she whispered, the tears falling freely down her skin. Draco could feel his heart pounding within his chest. She was biting her lip again. He could tell she was nervous he was going to get angry. So he did the only thing he could to prove she was wrong and the only thing he could to satisfy his craving. He kissed her. Because this was his only chance. His only chance to experience something real. Death may not pass him by next time.

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Thanks for the reviews!! You guys are awesome, I love the real feedback I'm getting. I appreciate that you took the time to write them!
Thanks to
ichi.ruki, I hope it get's more interesting!
Bekkah J, I'm glad you kept reading!
angelnomiko, I hope you continue to like the story!
Kayy Enn, I feel sorry for Ginny too, but in my mind, she's one of the only characters that would mean something to hurt, mainly because of Harry, and the only one I can do it to. :) Thank you for your input so much. I looked at your profile and realized you've done a lot of good work! It means a lot that you reviewed my story! :)
Lux, thanks to giving the awesome feedback. The piano scene is my favorite so far, it's so intense. I'm so glad you liked it! It makes me very happy! I think it says a lot about Draco's character.