PESTILENCE THAT WALKETH IN DARKNESS
PART I: SCHISM
CHAPTER I: A NEW FRIEND
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STORY NOTES:
Disclaimer: All publicall recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are my property. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
The 'Pestilence That Walketh In Darkness' Trilogy
Part One: Schism
Part Two: Havenless
Part Three: Equilibrium
Full Summary: Change and turmoil often occur because of the Dark Lord Voldemort and his followers. However, that will not ring fully true this time. Draco Malfoy finally decides to end a year-long silence between himself and an old friend and, in effect, sends them both on a difficult journey to find their place within the chaotic Wizarding World.
Rating: 18+; includes sensitive topics: arranged/forced marriages, drug and alcohol use/abuse, murder/manslaughter, rape
Characters: Albus Dumbledore, Bellatrix Lestrange, Blaise Zabini, Draco Malfoy, Fenrir Greyback, Ginny Weasley, Gregory Goyle, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, Nymphadora Tonks, Original Characters (listed below), Pansy Parkinson, Remus Lupin, Rodolphus Lestrange, Ron Weasley, Severus Snape, Vincent Crabbe, Voldemort
Original Characters: Christina Murray, Claudia Parasca, Cynthia Murray, Eric Murray, Kayden Schwarz, Maya Wellington, Nicholaus Bochner, Sophia Parasca
Era: Hogwarts, Post-Hogwarts
Genres: Action/Adventure, Alternative Universe, Angst, Drama, Horror/Dark, Mystery, Romance, Tragedy
Shippings: Blaise/OC, Draco/OC, Harry/Ginny, Harry/OC, Ron/Hermione
Estimated Final Word Count: 350,000 - 500,000
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He that dwells in the darkness shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say this of the Lord: He is my refuge and my fortress.
In him, I will trust.
Surely, he will deliver me from the hunter's grasp,
And from the noisome pestilence.
He will cover me with his feathers,
And under his wings I trust that his Truth will become my shield.
I will no longer be afraid of the night's terror,
The arrow that flies by day,
The Pestilence that Walketh in Darkness,
Or of the destruction that consumes each day,
For I will become it.
A thousand shall fall at my side,
And ten thousand at my right hand,
But It shall not come to me.
Only with your eyes will you see the reward of the wicked,
Because you too have made the Lord, which is my refuge, your habitation.
No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come upon you,
For he shall give his Angels charge over us, to keep us in our learned ways.
They will bear us in their midst, unless we should wander.
His enemies would tread upon the Snake,
and upon the young Lion and the Dragon will they try to trample under feet.
Because He alone has set his love upon us, therefore we will deliver him.
We will set him high, because he knows our names.
He will call upon us, and we will answer.
We will be with him in trouble - We will deliver him, and we will honour him.
With long life will we satisfy him, and shew him as our eternal salvation to Purity.
-- -- --
The Entrance Hall at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stood silent, illuminated by the searing rays of the late June sun. An odd hush had befallen the castle for the past five days, and only now was the general mood beginning to return to one of exhilaration and happiness. Exam week was, arguably, the tensest period of the entire school year.
The disposition of the student body steadily improved as Friday afternoon came to an end, along with the last of the school examinations. Fourth years dribbled constantly from Snape's dungeon, and seventh years throughout the hallways were anxiously comparing how they thought they had done on their NEWT exam for Transfiguration. Those who weren't as concerned about their marks, the youngest students, only celebrated the fact that they had completed their first, successful year at the Wizarding School.
In the Entrance Hall, the first student from the class writing an exam in the Great Hall emerged. Trying to be as quiet as she could, she shut the colossal door carefully behind her. As a click confirmed its closure, she let out a long sigh and moved towards the marble staircase.
History of Magic had been the last exam in Christina Murray's sixth year at Hogwarts. Desperately needing to clear her cluttered mind, she sat down on the bottom step of the staircase and plunged the palms of her hands into her eyes, causing stars to erupt behind her eyelids. Sighing deeply, she considered moving on to the Gryffindor common room, but with another sigh, that decision was self-refuted.
Her time alone was golden. She would take her time in returning to her friends, and especially her boyfriend. The situation with Harry was no longer what it used to be, and as of late she had found herself making excuses to get away from him. Their entire relationship was built on stilts, and had been rocky ever since this time last year, when they had officially started dating. With the Dark Lord Voldemort and the loss of his godfather constantly on Harry's mind, there did not seem to be too much time left for her.
Initially, she had been disappointed when her parents told her that they had planned her summer, but now it was a welcome relief. Two months away from Harry would not be fun, paradoxically, but it would give her time to think about their future together.
Ron had asked her earlier that week about possibly coming to the Burrow with he, Harry, and Hermione, but Chris had had to decline his offer. She would have turned down his offer even if she did not have plans that summer. She could never convince her parents to let her visit her friends. Her parents didn't even know who her school friends were. Or, Chris concluded so, anyway. She suspected that if they did know, she would have been dead by now.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the Great Hall's door opened once again. Chris looked up, curious as to who had finished the History of Magic exam second. When she saw who it was, however, she averted her gaze back to the floor, mentally cursing as she felt her cheeks flush. The boy that had emerged from the Great Hall did the same, and hurriedly walked past her spot on the staircase down towards the dungeons; towards his common room.
Chris listened to his footsteps, glad that he had not stopped to compare answers on the exam. She didn't think he would have, anyway. She had not talked to Draco Malfoy for over a year; ever since their falling out.
She furrowed her brows, listening evermore raptly. Was it just her imagination, or had he stopped?
She chanced a glance over her shoulder, down in the direction he had gone in. She was right. He was standing there with his head bowed, as though in thought.
She looked back to the floor as he turned around, returning to the Entrance Hall. Behind her rib cage, Chris could feel her heart begin to pound. What could he possibly want to say to her, after a year of silence?
He stopped in front of her, and Chris could no longer ignore his presence. After an awkward smile was exchanged between them, he finally addressed her. "Hi, Chris."
"You know that you're not supposed to call me that," Chris replied, forcing herself to look at him.
He chuckled nervously in remembrance. That had always been the first thing she would say to him when they met each other privately outside of their individual circles of friends. "I know, but I still don't care. Listen - can I talk to you?"
Chris considered him. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Do I have to have a reason?"
"After a year of not doing so, yes."
His cheeks flushed a light pink, and he shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "To be fair, it was you that-"
Chris stood from the stairs, glancing around anxiously for eavesdroppers. "All right, but make it quick, Draco."
Draco smiled weakly at her. It was the first smile that Chris had seen on his face since last year. "You're not supposed to call me that, either."
Chris returned his smile. "Whatever. Where are we going?"
Draco looked down towards the dungeons. "There aren't any Potions exams today. It'd be safe to wander this way."
Chris nodded in agreement. "All right, then. Lead the way."
They walked side by side, the atmosphere growing more and more awkward between them as time passed. Chris' mind raced for something with which to break the silence. "So, how are your mom and dad doing?"
Draco shrugged. "They're alive."
"And mine?"
He paused. "Keeping their noses clean."
Chris nodded, mulling that over in her head. She couldn't believe that her parents had gone this far without ever being suspected by the Ministry for Dark activity.
"You worry about them?"
Chris looked up at him. "Sometimes."
"They're good at what they do," Draco hurriedly told her, attempting to ease her troubled mind. "I don't think that you'll have to worry about the Ministry catching up to them."
"I still do, though," Chris replied, rubbing her arms as they moved further into the chilly dungeons. "I know that they'll never go to Azkaban, but I worry about what would happen if-"
She stopped abruptly.
"You still haven't told your friends that your parents are Death Eaters?"
She shook her head. "I can't. Not now, with Harry, and all."
Draco subtly bit his bottom lip. "So you two are still together?"
Chris sighed heavily. "Yes."
Draco studied her as they walked. "Why do you say it like that?"
Chris flushed under his stare. "I don't know."
"Is everything all right between you two?"
"Why would you care?" Chris asked, but then fell silent again. She knew why he asked, or, she thought that she knew why he would ask, anyways.
Draco didn't answer her question, but stopped walking. "This should be good enough, here."
Chris stopped walking as well, turned to face him, and crossed her arms. "So, what do you want? What could you possibly want, after a year?"
"Nothing from you personally, I assure you," he shook his head, reaching into his pants' pocket. "I just got this letter from my parents, and I'm supposed to pass a message on to you."
Chris stared at him, then uncrossed her arms. "What message?"
He unfolded the letter, then quickly read it over again before speaking. "Tomorrow, when we get off the train at King's Cross, my parents will be there to meet us. Together, we will travel to my family's manor, where your parents will be waiting."
"Is that so," Chris thought about what he had just told her. "Can I see that?"
He obliged, handing the piece of parchment over to her. She read it over, her brows furrowing together when she was done. "Strange. You'd think they'd just meet me at the train station themselves."
"Why?"
Chris glanced up at Draco before returning to the letter, written in Narcissa's cursive. "We're going on vacation, as I've been told."
Draco was silent for a moment. "That's a little odd, I guess."
Chris raised an eyebrow at Draco, for he seemed to be hiding something from her. "What is it?"
Draco averted his gaze, and ran a hand through his hair. "It's, er - nothing. You'll probably be told when we get there-"
"What do you know?" Chris asked more forcefully this time. "Tell me, Draco."
He hesitated, but then nodded. "Fine. But, when your parents tell you about it, you can't let them know that I told you, Ok? I'm not supposed to know, either."
"Right," Chris nodded, bracing herself for what was to come.
Draco sighed, staring at the floor. "The Ministry raided your manor."
Chris felt her stomach drop unpleasantly. "What did they find?"
"They found evidence that the Dark Lord had been there," Draco continued, still not meeting her eyes. "Very literal evidence."
"What do you mean by that?" Chris clapped a hand to her mouth, and her eyes grew wide.
"Well..." Draco paused. "They ran into him there. None survived from the Ministry, I heard, and neither did Wormtail. Your parents are most likely under investigation."
Chris stared at him. "You told me that they were keeping their noses clean!"
"I didn't want you to find out this way," Draco shook his head. "I didn't want to be the one to tell you-"
"Where is the Dark Lord, now?" Chris asked, cutting him off. "Don't tell me that he's at your house! Your house will be the next one searched, for sure!"
"No, he's not there," Draco refuted her statement, leaning in a little closer, and dropping his voice. "Dad tells me that he's staying at my aunt Bella's house in Norway until things blow over-"
"Shit," Chris swore under her breath, and turned away from him. "This is just what I need. I'm going to be coming back to Hogwarts with my family name tarnished, my parents in Azkaban, and everybody knowing who my mom and dad are-"
"Not if they stay under the radar," Draco shook his head. "They had to meet with some Aurors about the Ministry people going missing at their home, but they managed to convince them that they had never been to their home, insinuating that they had probably gone missing before actually reaching it. They aren't being incarcerated, but they are probably on high alert."
Chris sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Damn it. I guess that's that for our vacation, then."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, mom and dad are going to be doing damage control, aren't they?" Chris asked him.
Draco nodded slowly. "Yeah, they are. Or, well, our dads will probably be doing most of it. I think that your mom and my mom are staying at the manor with us."
Chris stared at him. "What do you mean by that? 'Staying at the manor with us'?"
Draco blushed again. "Oh, well, um, your family is staying at my home, where they'll be safe, should the Ministry decide to try and arrest them. The Dark Lord cast a Fidelus Charm over the place, and-"
"I thought that you said he was in Norway."
"He is," Draco confirmed. "But he wanted to have a safe haven in Britain, where he could meet the Death Eaters, if he needed to."
"So the Dark Lord is going to be there?" Chris asked, her voice trembling from her annoyance with Draco for not telling her a straight story.
"Sometimes, yes," Draco nodded again. "But, you know, if you don't want to see him, it's not hard. My manor is pretty big. It's easy to avoid him."
"Unless he wants to see you."
Draco furrowed his brows. "Why would he want to-?"
"You know why," Chris replied, lowering her voice. "You know that he wants us."
Draco did not reply. He did know that. He had known it ever since the Dark Lord had returned two years ago.
Chris sighed, backing away from him. "Listen, Draco. I have to go. I promised my friends that I would meet them in the common room."
Draco nodded, then looked in the other direction as he heard approaching voices. "Yeah, you might want to go. I think that that's Blaise and his girlfriend coming right now."
Without further ado, Chris moved down the hallway away from Draco. Before they were from each other's sight, though, Chris turned back around. "Draco?"
He stopped abruptly, turning to face her. "What?"
She gave him a small wave and smile before continuing on her way. "It was good to talk to you again."
He returned her wave, smiled, and then disappeared.