Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters, they belong to J.K. Rowling. This fic is based on 'The Darkness Within' by Kurinoone, Harry's background story as well as Damien belong to her.
A/N: Whoa, it's been a long time since I last updated. I won't make excuses, I've been lazy. Don't worry though, I've got most of the fic planed in my head. I'm currently stuck in Cleveland, having a really white Christmas (full of never-ending snow!). Anyway, back to the fic. I've been thinking about following the DW timeline, at least until Harry gets out of Hogwarts, what do you guys think? Also, I'm in desperate need of a Beta reader, so please PM me if you're interested. As always, enjoy and don't forget to review. P.S I'm learning the correct use of dashes to implement them in my writing, please bear with me. :)
I say I wanna be healthy, but I turn up the noise
The IV drips a steady stream of poison
I think I'm just in love with the feeling
Break my bones so I can feel them healing
"Crazy" is, I believe, the medical term
When we wanna recover, but we don't wanna learn
Keep breaking what's been fixed a thousand times
And gimme some more of that iodine
Iodine - Icon For Hire
"Are you just gonna stay there forever and wait for it to arrive?" Asked Draco. He had listen to his parents fight all day and had decided to head out to the three broomsticks, only to come back home and find Daphne lying on the couch near the unlit fireplace. He understood her anxiety, but that didn't mean he wished for her to become obsessed.
"Maybe, It's not like I have anything better to do. Harry is away on some assignment and school doesn't start for another month" replied Daphne. She brought her hands behind her head as she shifted her gaze from the ceiling to Draco.
He sighed, taking a sit on the elegant armchair next to the couch. His usual smirk was replaced by a serious face "We've got a problem Daph, father canceled his meeting today; he and mother were fighting all morning" finished Draco, looking down at the dark carpet. His face held an emotion that many people believed he had long lost; worry.
"Why are you so upset, you know they-
"Mother mentioned a divorce—I don't think they'll go through with it—but she said it would be better for the whole family if we took a vacation somewhere; at least until Hogwarts starts, just you, me and mother" Interrupted Draco.
Daphne's eyes widen, shocked by the suggestion. Lucius and Narcissa fought all the time, it was nothing new, but they made up after every fight to portray the image of the perfect pureblood family.
"Narcissa can't possibly expect me to leave with you, she knows I'll never do it" argued Daphne, annoyed at the though of leaving Lucius. The man had taken her when she was only ten, he had given her a home when she had lost everything. She didn't see him as a father figure, or love him for that matter, but the man had her respect. She owed him. A dept she knew she would never be able to repay.
"It's just for a few weeks at most Daph. I think, we should give it a try, let things cool down between them" said Draco, in a resign tone. It was clear that hearing his parents fight had taken a lot out of him, Daphne could see the hurt in his eyes. The usual cocky 'I am better the everyone else' attitude he had, was nowhere to be found.
She didn't speak for a whole minute, her gaze lingered on the unlit fireplace. "We'll see"
Draco snorted, having known her for years he should have expected her response on the matter. He thought it was time to change the subject, they will have to deal with things as they came along.
"How did yesterday go by the way, had any fun training with your boyfriend?"
Daphne smirked, it was always fun to mess with Draco. "Not enough, we will probably continue later. Why, do you wanna watch?"
"Urghh... I did not need that mental image of my best friend, or my little sister for that matter" commented Draco, making gagging noises in the process.
"Little, I think you've got me confused with someone else Draco, I'm no one's little sister. You're more like... the annoying little brother I never wanted" finished Daphne smiling. "And anyway, what about you—had any fun with your boyfriends? What were their names again... Crap and Soil?"
"Shut it, those bloody idiots are only good for scaring first years. Maybe I'll call Pansy later, see if she wants to have another meeting" He smiled suggestively, raising his blonde eyebrows.
Draco's face turned serious after a moment. He was gathering the courage to ask something he'd been meaning to ask for some time. His eyes dropped to the ground as he spoke, his voice completely changing from the previous teasing. Daphne somehow knew his question, before he voiced the thought out loud.
"What was it like?" the words were spoken softly, however she could still hear them from her spot on the couch.
She sighed, understanding immediately what Draco was talking about.
"Haven't you asked Harry already?" she said, her face remained expressionless. "It felt... satisfying, to see the life leave his eyes. It's hard to explain. I felt like I was finally starting to live; but a the same time—it felt like I had lost a part of myself, as if a part of me had died along with him. Don't get me wrong though, It's not a part I'll miss. I made my choice six years ago" The words were true, she had felt as if a little part of herself was lost while casting the unforgivable. However, they joy and satisfaction she had felt were out of this world, she had never felt anything quite like it.
She wasn't about to explain every detail to Draco though. Truthfully, Daphne was a little scared by her reaction. She was sure it wasn't considered normal to feel such ecstasy and delight while taking a life, even if it was justified. That's why she had chosen to put it in the back of her mind, at least for the time being.
Draco got up without a word and made his way over to the door, the sound of his shoes resounding through the room.
"It's been 6 years Daph, It wouldn't kill you to light up the fireplace" He said mid-step, without looking back at her.
Daphne didn't reply to his comment, choosing to remain silent instead. The idea of going away with Narcissa for some time was still in her mind. She still rejected the idea, but if even Draco thought it was a good thing, she would give it a shot. She wondered how bad things could be between Draco's parents for Narcissa to suggest some time off; clearly things were worst than anytime before.
It hadn't always been like that, she remembered a time when Lucius and Narcissa didn't fight. It felt like a lifetime ago, when the perfect family they liked to portray was actually true. However, things had changed some years ago, Lucius had began involving himself more in both his work for the Dark Lord and his status as head of the family. As a result, Narcissa now held a grudge towards her husband.
Daphne had never been involved in their fights, choosing to stay in the shadows instead; like a true Slytherin some would say. Knowledge was power, and knowing the truth about her adoptive family gave her an edge. Whether she would need that edge or not, was another matter altogether.
She felt sad for Draco, the annoying kid Daphne remembered had now grown up. She couldn't remember when exactly she had started having feelings of friendship and even sibling-like rivalry towards the boy who had complained about her constantly for years, only because he was 'losing' the attention of his parents.
That extremely obnoxious brat she had loved to tease had become almost like her brother. His personality had changed so much in recent years—yet there was still times where she wanted nothing more than to kill him in the most painful ways. Like two weeks ago, when she had come home exhausted after a whole day of training, only to find Draco and Pansy Parkinson of all people sucking face in her bedroom.
Needless to say, Daphne was going to make this year hell for Parkinson after that stunt.
But back to the problem at hand. She was bored and wanted to do something, anything. But her position on the couch was way too comfortable to move.
In the end, boredom beat laziness and she got up. The thought of finishing her defense against the dark arts essay crossed her mind, before she deciding against it. Snape could wait; besides, Harry was doing some last minute assignment, so she might as well do some training of her own. It had been so long since her last sparing session with Bella, Daphne was sure she could beat her this time.
She closed her eyes, running a hand through her silky blonde hair. A smile adorning her face at the thought of finally beating Bellatrix.
You-know-who's only female death eater had taken a liking to Daphne after she had realized her potential. She had spent a lot of time with her since then, the devoted follower of the Dark Lord had been a constant maternal figure in Daphne's and Harry's early teenage years. So much, that some traits of her personality had passed on to both.
Bella had been teaching her fighting techniques as well as dark curses since she was twelve, it had all started when she had gotten in a fight with Draco. A fight which led to the Malfoy heir having a sprained ankle as well as a broken nose. Bellatrix had laughed at the scene, only helping Draco once he had stopped crying. The very next day she had gone to the Dark Lord, to ask for permission to train her. It was only because of her training that Daphne could now keep up with Harry—sometimes.
"Wooky!" Daphne called, her smile turning into a smirk.
A loud 'pop' was heard and in that instant a small creature appeared near the now vacant couch. It's pointy ears were turned upwards, a sign of a young house-elf. The creature kept her eyes on the ground as it spoke in a high pitched voice.
"Mistress called Wooky?"
"Yes, please inform Mr. Malfoy that I have stepped out" responded Daphne, not even sparring a glance to the tiny creature. She reached for the green hair-pin on her hair before saying the words that would activate the magic in the hair-pin.
"Serpent's Nest!"
Everything went black.
She felt the familiar sickness as her body was whirled around at a very high speed before finally arriving at the destination. It took decades to get completely used to the feeling of traveling by portkey. It was her least favorite form of transportation. She felt a stomach-ache every time she did it, which was saying a lot since the only times she didn't use the portkey was when Harry apparated her inside.
She looked up after a few seconds. The sight of Riddle Manor greeted her. She had landed on Harry's private training grounds as it was not possible for anyone but Voldemort or Harry to portkey or apparate inside the main manor.
She removed the dust of her robes and brought her hood up before walking through the small road towards the gates. As soon as she was within visual distance, the two death eater guards pushed the gates open, giving her a small bow in recognition.
How they knew it was her was still a mystery to Daphne.
The first time she had been to Riddle Manor Bella had used the Cruciatus curse on one of them for not letting her inside. The memory was still vivid in Daphne's mind. That was the first time she had seen one of the unforgivables used in a person.
The inside of You-Know-Who's manor was not as scary as many would believe. It was actually quite nice if you overlooked the lack of lighting in several rooms.
As soon as the doors close behind her Daphne made her way towards a large portrait of a serpent. The huge snake inside the painting hissed before it swung open. There was only a limited number of people that had ever been to this part of the castle, as it was Harry's.
Her eyes quickly adjusted to the new light.
Daphne strode through the new corridor before freezing mid-step. A horrible chill went down her spine when she noticed the new presence. Her eyes went wide as the temperature in the room dropped considerably.
"Miss Greengrass, It has been a long time since we last saw each other"
'Where the bloody hell did he come from?! he wasn't there a second ago!' Daphne thought.
She quickly turned around before bowing.
"My Lord" She said, in a flat, emotionless voice.
It was a survival skill, to hide one's feelings. A skill most, if not all pureblood children developed at some point in their lives.
Daphne was nothing but loyal to Harry's father. Even so, it would be a lie to say she wasn't affected by his scary entrances. She knew the man held no anger towards her. A fact she could understand to some extent, giving her romantic relationship with his son. Still, if Voldemort thought she was a distraction to his heir he would have killed her long ago.
Why the Dark Lord considered Draco more of a distraction to Harry than her was a mystery.
Voldemort stood tall, his eyes narrowed regarding the blonde haired girl in silence. Nagini hissed as she slithered at her master's feet.
"You've proven to be more useful that I could have ever hoped for" He admitted.
She didn't need to look up to know that the Dark Lord was smirking. The meaning behind his words was unclear to her. She was sure that by the tone of his voice he wasn't talking about Sturgis. In any case, she would be suicidal to question him.
"It won't be long before I send you out in assignments with my son. I trust that you'll be ready" He whispered the last part, before turning around; walking through the corridor at a calm pace.
Daphne let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She finally looked up to find an empty hall.
'Draco was right, facing the Dark Lord was a million times harder without Harry' was the only thought that crossed her mind.
She shook her head to regain control of her emotions.
Deciding to head towards Harry's room, she made her way over to the end of the corridor. At least she could wait for him there, since she hadn't come across Bella.
There was complete silence as she entered the familiar room. It was broken by the small 'whoosh' sound the air made when she threw herself onto the bed.
The cold feeling she had endured while being in the presence of Harry's father had finally subsided.
Why had the Dark Lord decided to talk to her? His appearance had been so sudden and so short, that when he was gone she almost felt inclined to think she had imagined the whole thing. However, the brief memory of his red eyes analyzing her was too vivid for it to not be real.
Voldemort's words lingered in her mind.
'You've proven to be more useful that I could have ever hoped for'
What did that mean? Was he talking about killing Sturgis?
She was so caught up in her internal musings that she nearly missed the sight of a very familiar booklet sitting in Harry's nightstand.
It was a list. It contained the names of the known members of the Order, as well as some other important figures connected to the current Ministry of Magic.
The name Lily Potter stared back at her as she picked up the charmed booklet. Some names—like Harry biological mother—were written in bright silver ink. Others, such as Edgar Bones and Fabian Prewett seemed to be slowly fading away, the brightness of the silver tone gone; replace by a faint red.
Red meant dead.
Before she could turn the page Daphne's head suddenly snapped to the side, frantic footsteps could be heard. She bolted up to her feet and dropped the list on the bed.
A few moments later a figure broke into the room, running at full speed.
Daphne threw an angry glare at the newcomer, before she realized who it was.
"Bella? Bella whats wrong?"
Bellatrix eyes moved towards her at an impossibly fast speed. "D-Daphne?..." she muttered, still out of breath. She had appeared to be looking for something before realizing she wasn't alone in the room.
Bellatrix took one step towards her before finally speaking.
"It's Harry, he's hurt"