Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor do I own the world they live in.  J.K. Rowling owns them.  The lyrics are from David Sylvain's song "Midnight Sun".


They've stolen the moon
The magic has gone
And there in this place
A black midnight sun
The darkness is frightening
And love is denied
They've stolen the moon
God only knows why

The stars have lost their daughter
The devil's thieves have won
And there in her place

A black Midnight Sun


            She hated the sun. It made her all itchy and turned her hair to a nasty shade of brown. Some took it upon themselves to call her a vampire and added a loud "Ha!" at the end as if that would make the fact that they insulted her all right or cause her to spontaneously combust and turn into wisps of smoke. She bid her time. One day she would have them; they would be lucky to survive past twenty-five. One day… One day, a snake exploded out of a wand and slinked towards the laughing Ravensods. A hand on the small of her back, he led her back towards the castle, delivering icy stares to those who regarded him with inquiring looks. They walked through the corridors and into the dungeons.

            "We are kindred spirits. We are in this together."

            "How chivalrous."

            "Tease. You are better than that."

            "Look, I like being alone-"

            "That is perfectly fine. We can be alone together."

            Their first kiss was on the train after Christmas vacation. By then, rumours flew around the school that he successfully pulled off a prank on that Gryffinarse, Sirius"-ly an utter prat" Black. However, there was no consensus as to what the prank was. Some believed he was one of the most intelligent and creative students of their year. Some said he was a brooder, being tall, dark and handsome. Some admitted he was witty and suave. That didn't stop her from feeling greatly surprised when he pulled her out of the crowded compartment and began crumpling and uncrumpling a box of Every Flavour Beans as they stood silently. He took several deep breaths before he walked three steps towards her, planting both warm hands on her cold face before their noses smashed together as he tried to kiss her.

            "Tuum est."

            "It always is."

            An ear-piercing shriek, a bloody nose, a well-aimed kick, a crowd of students hovering around the doors of their compartments to see the gasping boy on floor, an unhelpful intervention, an unwanted lecture, and a yelped out apology later, he tried again as they made their way across the snow-covered ground to the carriages. She waited for an opportune time to hex him, then spent the week in the Hospital Wing cleaning bedpans as he sat watching from his bed.

            "You missed a spot… Right there. See?"

            "Thank you."

            "Look at him, flapping his arms like that; he runs like a girl. Good thing Quidditch is not a running sport. I almost feel embarrassed for him."

            "Trying to make me jealous, are you? Staring at a rival chaser like that."

            After a long day, he gave her a kiss on the cheek as he sat down on the bench. She picked off the crust and the top layer before handing a pumpkin tart over to him; while she despised the taste and smell of pumpkins, he self-proclaimed his worship of the ground they grew on. At least the smart boy had a better sense than to kiss her on the mouth while reeking of pumpkins. He was certainly better than Evan, who delighted in engaging people in conversations after shoving fistfuls of garlic into his mouth. She received another kiss on the nose as he scooped the offending mushrooms from her soup into his overflowing bowl.

            "We should make lists."

            "Lists?"

            "Of what we should change about one another."

            "Beg your pardon?"

            "For example, you should wash your hair more often."

            "I wash it every day."

            "Mmm. How about not-"

            "What is the point of this?"

            "I heard all that 'love 'em for who they are' going around. We are Slytherins. We do not settle."

            "We are Slytherins. We have more class than to go around making ridiculous lists."

            She needed space; everywhere she went he was unfortunately there. One day, she pulled him into an empty classroom to calmly tell him so, which resulted in her screaming at him and him angrily informing her as to what he "really thought" of her and stalking out. She was attempting to decipher something written in ancient Troll when a shower of pebbles rattled against the window by her desk. Despite the professor's protests and threats of detention, she marched over to the windowpane with a scowl fixed on her face and pushed the glass away to lean out. Standing as close as he could to the bushes below without actually touching them, he smiled warily up at her, a potted cactus in his hand. "I remember you telling me once that you did not like dead things, and you also said that you are 'completely, utterly hopeless with plants'. It is strong. It is a survivor," was his explanation as the rest of the class looked on. No, it was a pathetic, manipulative trick and judging by the looks on their pale faces, they both knew that. "It likes the sunlight, so it would not flourish in the dark," she said coldly before a tome flew out the window, heading straight towards him.

            "We are a dying breed."

            "You make us sound like animals."

            "Even animals are more proud of their heritage than we are. They know who they are and they move on. They never deny it."

            Their splinter on the broomstick of life was kept inside the Slytherin house. It didn't stop the casual name droppings of "Bete", "Wanker", "Bint" and "Arse", but both of them seemed rather impressed over how civil they managed to act to one another… Not counting that one incident in Defense Against the Dark Arts, since it was the professor's fault that he left out that kappa he was using a teaching aid. Instead of going to detention with that inept professor, they agreed to take a long detour and made their way towards the lake. Folded in his arms, she sat on the grass subdued, listening to his heart beat as they watched the sky change colours. The sallow moon turned to a brilliant yellow while moving behind the mountains. Drawing her even close, his breath tickled her ear as he whispered that one summer, they were going to go to his grandparents' house in Théoule and sit on the beach to watch the moon set.

            "You know I like you, right?"

            "I know."

            "Does it bother you that I-"

            "I know you like me, and I like you too. It is all that matters. You do not have to hold my hand everywhere to show it."

            "How do you know, pray tell?"

            "Know what?"

            "That I like you."

            "Frankly, it was rather messy."

            "Uh oh."

            "Do not be so dull. Remember that Divination-loving Hufflepuff that was bothering you earlier?"

            "You should not be so mean to someone who is 'trapped in the future'."

            "Very funny."

            "Well, what did you do?"

            "I went to the Owlery, found said Hufflepuff's darling little snow owl and…"

            They met everywhere: the lakeside, the Quidditch stands, the broom closets, the common room, the courtyard in the rain. Their hands met and they would stroll outside just as the musty smell of the oncoming shower made its way through the air. She would charm her hair into elaborate styles just so that they could lie together, her smiling at him from above as he pointed his wand to her hair. She closed her eyes and he murmured, "Finite Incantatem," causing the dark tresses to fall around them. That was enough to enclose them in their tiny, perfect world.

            "Who needs them when I have you?"

            "Stop being silly. We need them. They are our friends for a reason."

            "But it is you who makes me stronger."

            "You make everything right and safe. This is making me nauseous."

            Bored and hungry, he kept his face as impassive as hers while casting dark glances around the classroom. The Potions professor continued to snarl at him and Severus after their cauldron exploded upon the contact of something a Gryffindor threw in. Being their typical, unendurable selves, the Gryffindors snickered behind their hands. He turned his attention to her, holding her cold gaze for a slight moment, quirking the slightest smile and winking. That night, they sat at dinner with their friends, many people staring in wonder. It wasn't supposed to rain in the Great Hall; perhaps that was why shrieks erupted as debris collected from the bathrooms snowed down on the table at the other side of the room.

            "What did he say?"

            "There was one of the Muggles… They always pray when we come, do they not? Constantly asking for someone to give them mercy. For someone to stop us and save them. This time…he said that the Muggle was praying for him…"

            "That is ridiculous. He obviously did not kill the Muggle fast enough if he was able to take the time and form up that theory."

            "Well, sometimes, we have to believe in something more than we believe in ourselves."

            "Do you believe in him?"

            "I do."

            His eyes were filled with mirth as he presented her a silver and peridot ring, sliding it down one of her long, slender fingers. His lips touched hers briefly before they headed out, the identical marks on their left arms beginning to turn colour and burn. They spent much of their honeymoon apart in a dirty little Muggle town with melodic music that she never thought Muggles could make. For the rest of their lives, all they had to do was close their eyes and dance, and the heavenly screams would come back to them.

            "How about a child?"

            "A child? Why would we do something as stupid as that?"

            "Why not? Can you imagine little Danielle and Dayton running around?"

            "Are you naming our non-existent children?"

            "No 'D' names? How about H?"

            "What? Are you not worried that a child might take my attention away from you?"

            "You are worried that you would turn into one of your parents."

            "No, I do not want a child who would turn into me." A beat. "And if you name a child 'Dayton', those little brats known as 'schoolmates' will go around calling him 'wanton'."

            It became a habit: every evening before they left the house, he leaned over, threw a lazy arm around her shoulders, and gave her a light kiss. Gathering their murmuring black robes, they donned their masks and disappeared from sight, only to reappear near an expanding circle. They each watched as those around them knelt down and moved towards the Dark Lord, breathing in the death from his robes, then slithering back for their assignments. Though every person had similar reactions when they arrive, the reactions always differed by the time they left the residences. The ones whose screams pierced the begging before the Cruciatus curse hit them were the most fascinating, and those who had their eyes closed before the blinding green light and the loud roar flew from the wand seemed…almost peaceful.

            "Because they know they are dying."

            "But they do not fight. That goes against nature."

            "They are afraid."

            "Yet they accept it."

            "We all die. It seems to be a concept that they do not understand. We merely exist for death."

            He used one hand to grip her pale hand to keep her from sending green lights at the multitudes of owls streaming past, the other to frantically gesture while he thought, as if he would summon the Dark Lord out of hiding by simply waving his wand arm. During the trials, they sat side by side, blankly watching the people protest their innocence by finger pointing and selling one another for themselves. She gritted her teeth, feeling him involuntarily shudder as dementors led former Death Eater after former Death Eater into the room. Occasionally, one or two caught their eyes and balked. Their expressions ceased to change once they arrived home.

            "We should have expected that snivelling worm to go and send the Dark Lord to his downfall."

            "Unfortunately for us, we no longer have the opportunity to kill him ourselves."

            "But I thought the rest of them were better. This is something we have to do."

            "What about the child? We cannot leave her alone."

            "We can leave her with…someone, and go get her in the evening."

            "This is-You need to listen. No. Sit back down. Listen. You need to listen to me. This is a bad idea."

            "The plan is perfectly fine."

            "We are of no use on the floors of Azkaban, with our souls sucked out!"

            "If we choose not to do anything when we know he has the information, then our souls are sucked out!"

            Throughout the cold night, they kept on the move. When the aurors finally discovered them, the fight turned out to be short; the group of them knew that they were of no use to the Dark Lord if they were dead. Before the dementors took them before the jury, before they made their way through the jeering crowd gathered outside the Ministry, before the doors of the house became splinters, before they set out for the building in the middle of the fields with their friends, she leaned in to kiss him, her face positively glowing with excitement and pride.

            "It will be all right again. We live in an age of immortals."