A Touch of Evil

DaggersBloodPain

A/N there is new information, as well as a new poll in my profile if you have a few minutes please check it out, thank you.

Chapter Thirty-Six

I Like Crazy, Foolish, Stupid

(Flo Rida ft Sia-Wild Ones)

Harry stepped into Hell's Paradise and for the first time in weeks he could draw a full breath as he gratefully released his hold on his shield. His Essence sprang free from him, flooding the building, causing several sets of cautious eyes to lift and see who was entering. At the sight of the now familiar Mirage, and not his older more terrifying partner, the glances turned back to their partner and Harry advanced into the crowd without fuss.

"Harry if you were a cat, you'd be purring," Draco teased as the blonde Slytherin flanked him, copying his move in releasing his own shield.

Harry sent a withering glare at Draco, "You can't tell me it doesn't feel good to not have to hold your shield any more, none of you have any idea what its like to only tease your magic and not really use it like I do in classes." It was here amongst friends and comrades that Harry became Mirage and his confidence grew exponentially.

Neville bumped into his shoulder on Harry's other side, "It's not our fault you're like the second coming of Merlin."

"I'm not! That's the Dark Lord." Harry protested.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Oh please, we all know the truth here, if he is than so are you." Mirage and Lord Voldemort were partners, equals on the battlefield, and every Death Eater marked or not had better know that.

Hermione spoke up from where she was sandwiched between Pansy and Draco, "Harry are you really that strong?"

Pansy answered her, "Don't ask, feel, you know both Harry and Draco enough to tell their Essence apart. How much of it is coming from him?"

It wasn't easy. Draco and Harry were standing closely together, and the sheer amount of Essence made the task difficult, but there were subtle differences between the two. Draco's was colder and smooth, like ice, it flowed and rippled around him, brushing against her senses with every pulse of his heart. Harry's was harder to pin down just because there was so much of it she had mistaken most of it for the general atmosphere of the club, but his was deeper and richer than Draco's, and it didn't pulse, instead it was a smooth wave, caressing the skin and enticing the senses.

"Bloody Hell Harry," That was the first time most of them had ever heard Hermione swear, it caused a predatory grin to form on Pansy's face.

"Hermione, we are all strong capable fighters, the Dark forces are numerous and well trained, but they follow Mirage's commands when he gives them. The only person that outranks him is the Dark Lord. You didn't think we would all do that for a boy whose only claim to power was that he got lucky as baby did you?" Pansy explained, seeing the look of slight embarrassment cross Harry's face as she spoke of the loyalty he commanded.

Draco picked up where Pansy trailed off, "The two of them have dueled you know, Mirage and the Dark Lord, no one else can last more than ten minutes with the Dark Lord, Mirage can go hours."

Harry himself spoke up, now that Hermione looked shell shocked and unsure whether or not she should bolt, "You've seen me work Hermione, I haven't shown you everything, but I thought you would have seen enough to know I am not just grandstanding about the goals I have. The Dark side is going to win Hermione, we are going to crush the Light, and we can't afford to be gentle, Merlin knows they won't be. You knew I was powerful, now would be a good time to work on understanding what that truly means." Harry made himself walk away from her then, he knew it would be taken as cruel by her, but she had to learn to stand on her own. She was powerful and smart, but spent far too much time in books, she needed to apply her knowledge to the real world or it wasn't going to help her one little bit.

Pansy put her hand on Hermione's shoulder, "He really is the second most powerful person on our side Hermione. He still has confidence issues, it wasn't too horribly long ago that he was afraid of his own shadow, but if he really wanted to, he could level this club and everyone in it without breaking a sweat. The fact that he chooses not to should tell you the Dark side is both more and less than what you have been told and taught. We are more powerful and better positioned than the Light wants you to know, and less bloodthirsty and vicious than they want you to believe. Mirage is the perfect example of that."

Hermione paled slightly, but took a deep breath to steady herself, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I just, well, we've known each other so long. It's hard to believe the shy little first year that saved me from a troll is really this dark and terrifying person."

"Stop that right now," Pansy reprimanded, watching Draco and Neville melt into the crowd around them, letting the two girls talk. "This is still Harry, he is the same boy, this is just what he should have been all along. He is only terrifying to his enemies, to his friends he will protect us with everything he has. He isn't a person you need to fear, but a little respect would be a good thing, I will tell you one thing I would rather back him up and be on this side of his wand, rather than against him and face his wrath. Quit living in a memory and get to know the man he is becoming, you will be rewarded. Now can I ask you something?"

Hermione was shocked into a short laugh, "After everything you just said, did you really have to ask permission, go ahead and ask."

"What are you hiding under that cloak?" She asked with a teasing grin, "We have said all the serious things we can take for one evening, let's have some fun."

Hermione blushed at the tease, readily agreeing to leave the serious discussion behind for now. Slowly she reached up and started undoing the buttons on her cloak. More than a few people glanced her way as the black fabric came off revealing tan skin and royal blue. What Hermione was wearing barely qualified as a shirt, the material was slinky and damn near see through, and only the front of her was covered, it was held on with a halter strap going around her neck and a few ties at her back. With her hair pulled back into a pony tail and light make-up Hermione looked good, really, really good.

Pansy felt her mouth go dry, Hermione had interested her before, but damn did that bookworm hide a body under her uniform. "It's a crime we have to wear uniforms at Hogwarts," She recovered, replacing the grin on her face. "You were certainly holding out on us," Pansy looked down at her own pink tank top, and realized the muggleborn looked better tonight.

"You don't look too bad yourself," Hermione responded, flushing at Pansy's words. "You want to go dance now?" She asked shyly.

"Of course," Pansy responded brightly, turning towards the dance floor, only to pause and give a light giggle, "Ah Hermione, look out on the dance floor, to the left and in the back, what do you see?"

Hermione looked where Pansy had pointed out and found her eyes widening and she laughed along with Pansy. Neville and Draco weren't dancing, they had forgotten there was even music playing at all. Instead the blonde haired Slytherin had his arms wrapped possessively around the brunette Gryffindor, mouths locked in a heated kiss. "Looks like Neville is a true Gryffindor after all, he has liked Draco for a long time now, but didn't want to say anything in case he upset Harry."

"Well looks like they have everything worked out now." Pansy assessed, "That is a good match up, a bit surprising, but it will be good for them."

"Neville needs the confidence boost, Draco needs someone he can take care of," Hermione agreed. "Now let's get to that dance, I managed enough courage to get here, might as well have fun."

"Let's go," Pansy agreed, dragging her in to the crowd, leaving Hermione's cloak with the others in the designated area by the door. This was the kind of place if you were dumb enough to steal a clock or anything inside, you could deal with the various wards and traps laid around them yourself, and they wouldn't be pleasant.

Across the room from the girls, and not too far from Draco and Neville, Harry had finally tracked down their extra bodyguard for the evening. "I knew you enjoyed danger, but isn't this pushing it a little?" He asked the tall Death Eater, as they leaned against the bar, the elder nursing a small glass of Firewhiskey.

Harry was treated to a smirking grin, "What danger am I in? If something goes wrong I have the second in command right here to save my neck." The overly happy Death Eater drained a little more of his glass after he spoke, it felt good to get out in public every once in awhile, his brother and sister-in-law were still stuck at the manor he had a little more freedom. In addition, his face had been splashed in a few less newspapers than his more famous brother that made him a little safer.

Mirage huffed, "Right, I thought you were my backup not the other way around Rabastan."

"I am, but that doesn't mean I am unaware that if things go south I am to follow you." Rabastan replied with a shrug, finishing off the glass, now feeling nicely warm, but not even close to drunk. There wasn't much to do at the manor other than training during the day and drinking in the evenings. "So how goes training the mini-soldiers?" He teased.

"Cedric has most of Hufflepuff listening to him, they are starting to show some back-bone in class, even with Umbridge. Terry has the Ravenclaws thinking about the war, not the old history, but what's happening right now. They are tracking down every news article and book written in the last five years to try and understand what is going on politically and educationally. Draco, Blaise, Theodore, and Pansy have always had the Slytherins under control, most of them have the Essence by now, we are preparing them to fight their way out if Dumbledore finds a way to harass those that carry the Dark Essence. Which as it stand he can't even detect a fully trained and Marked Death Eater, how is he going to pin down the Essence? Neville, Hermione, and I are keeping the Gryffindors from exploding like a powder keg. Ron Weasley caused a lot of damage before I grew up enough to rein him in. We are working to fix the damage but it is slow going." Harry began his explanation with his Generals, he was proud of their progress, that was a lot to have covered in the two months they had been back at Hogwarts.

"Do those students know who their orders are coming from?" Rabastan asked interestedly, Mirage was truly remarkable when he set his mind to something.

A dark grin spread across Mirage's face, giving Rabastan a glimpse of the allure the young man held over their Lord. "If they are smart enough to put it together, than yes they know, but have I told them outright? No. Terry and Cedric are new to my group of Generals, I am still testing their loyalties. If they do go running to the Light all they will have is suspicion and heresy, and with the Dark resources that is easy to quash, they caught Lucius red-handed and he is still free. Plus they proved their youth, if they are spies, they should have noticed something about the wording in their oaths, there was no time limit, so if they knowingly spill my secrets to the Light, they forfeit their magic whether its tomorrow or fifty years from now."

"You make our Lord very proud," Rabastan replied after hearing his explanation.

Harry by now was bored of business, the release of his shield had calmed him a bit, but he was still feeling highly strung, he needed a nice release, but if his lover was on a raid that option was out. He sent a speculative glance at the youngest Lestrange, he was attractive physically and had a Dark enough Essence to intrigue him, what could it hurt? "So are you here merely on business, or do I need to start feeding you more liquor to get you on the dance floor."

Rabastan found himself slightly shocked at the blatant offer, "I won't end up dead at the end of our Lord's wand?"

Mirage's gaze hardened at the thought, "He better not even think about it, I have it on good authority he has Lucius and Severus warm his bed when I am not there, we have an agreement as far as it goes. We don't control the other, we do what we please with who we chose, and as long as nobody starts lying about it we are fine."

"You really don't have a problem with him seeing others, or him with you doing the same?" Rabastan found that odd for how powerful the two men were, usually power and possessiveness came hand in hand.

Mirage's smile grew more genuine and less frightening, "Maybe in a decade or two when the wildfire burns out of our veins, but you have to understand something about the two of us. We need a release, our magic runs too strongly to keep chained for long, dueling helps, but so does pleasurable release. I love him, and I think he loves me, but I am fifteen, and he is newly young again, we are going to need to seek release elsewhere every once and awhile or we with snuff each other out, and that isn't what we want. The fire needs to settle not go out completely." He explained, figuring the only chance he had at release this evening would only go along with it if he knew he wouldn't be barbequed slowly over an open flame by a jealous Dark Lord.

"In that case, lead the way Mirage," Rabastan accepted, following the lithe young man with killing curse green eyes onto the dark and smoky dance floor.

Harry clung to the taller form, feeling he was taller than their Lord, but slimmer with a tad less muscle. He wasn't in the mood to lead, so he gave that right over to Rabastan. The beat was pounding and deep, the singer's voice combining with the melody in a deeply throbbing harmony. Mirage sank into the music and the feel of the body pressed against him, missing the spark of Parseltongue, but Rabastan wasn't a bad dancer so he let himself relax into the hold.

It started with a languid kiss, a simple joining of lips. They progressed rapidly from there, combining tongue and teeth with strong holds on shoulders and backs. Mirage was looking for something harsher and Darker after so long pressed into the Light, and Rabastan was more than willing to follow along with that desire. Rabastan might be leading the dance, but Mirage was leading the pleasure, it felt amazing after so long tucked away in the manor with little company.

Harry fisted his hands in the shoulder length brown hair pulling him deeper into their kiss. Hazel eyes closed in pleasure a few moments before green followed suit. Mirage wanted more, so much more, a thought occurred to him that would have made the old Harry blush like a virgin, but Mirage was practically purring at the thought. As carefully as he could he started steering them towards the restrooms at the back of the bar. They only broke their kiss to breath, and take an occasional glance around to make sure they weren't about to knock anyone over.

Harry's trusted ones could keep watch for a while, he thought as he locked the door behind them and pressed the elder man against the wall. Attacking his mouth viciously. No one could break through his locking charms, with one exception, and seeing as how he was busy right now, they wouldn't be interrupted until they were good and ready to come out.

Buttons and fasteners didn't last long under the onslaught, as all discretion left Mirage, and any fear of being brutally murdered left Rabastan. Preparation was quickly taken care of, as a whispered spell took care of the need for lube. "Ready?" Mirage asked, waiting long enough for the affirmative nod before claiming the elder man.

It was fast, it was hard, and it was just what Mirage needed. Twenty minutes after entering the pair excited the bathroom after refreshing and cleaning charms had been applied, both powerful wizards looked thoroughly satisfied.

Draco caught sight of Harry leaving with his Uncles brother, and a sly smirk crossed his face, Neville catching sight of the expression, "What caught your eye?" The Gryffindor asked his dance partner and new boyfriend.

"Well, I can tell you Harry will be in a good mood for awhile anyway." Draco responded drily, "He looked a little too happy just now."

Neville looked towards where Draco was gesturing too and saw Harry dancing provocatively with a tall brown haired man, "Who is that, I take it he's one of our side?"

Draco nodded, pulling Neville tighter, in a way Harry hadn't let him, "Yes he's one of ours, he's um well, you may not like this." Draco had realized just who he was talking to, and what his crazy aunt had done to his family.

Neville felt Draco's body tense with worry, and the uncharacteristic stumble in his words. After seeing Voldemort in person there were only a handful of others Draco would be scared to tell Neville about, and seeing how he could never forget Bellatrix or Rodolphus, that left very little. "Is he a Lestrange? Rabastan probably, I would know Rodolphus." Neville asked quietly.

"That is Rabastan, you are right, are you going to be all right?" Draco asked the shy boy worriedly, wishing the bodyguard for the night had been anyone else.

Neville took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "I can never forgive Bellatrix, she taunted as she cursed my parents, but I knew when I chose Harry over the Light that I would be running into the Lestranges at some point. If Harry can fall in love with the person who killed his parents, I can handle the ones who hurt mine. Harry told me once I don't have to like everyone on the Dark side, as he doesn't, so I am still with Harry, just don't ask me to be all friendly with them."

Draco was so proud he could burst, "I can't pretend to know what it is like to make that kind of choice, I have always been on this side and they have treated me well, but thank you for choosing Harry over the past. He appreciates it, and so do I," Draco sealed his speech with an affectionate kiss to Neville's temple.

Theo and Blaise watched the exchange between Draco and Neville happily as they danced informally together. The two quiet males had taken to watching over the various budding relationships going on in their tight circle of friends, a glance to their right gave them an interesting sight. Pansy and Hermione dancing closely together, the shy bookworm and the vain Slytherin complimented each other well as they moved together.

"Well Blaise, seems everyone around us has spring fever and its only the end of October," Theo commented.

Blaise nodded, his hair bouncing on his shoulders, "War is coming, we all know the battles will be hard, I think people are enjoying each other while they can, even if they don't completely realize why they are doing it."

Theo contemplated that for a few moments, "What happens when the battles are over? We might lose people yes, but some of us will make it. Do you think they might regret it later?"

Blaise looked at the various couples dancing around them, landing once more on Pansy and Hermione, who were both smiling and laughing as they danced, "No, there might be a few tears and a broken heart or two later, but they are happy and excited for once while enjoying each other. Happiness is not something that should be regretted, even if it doesn't last forever."

Theodore looked around and saw what Blaise had pointed out, nodding in agreement, "You're right, I shouldn't have been worried about it."

"It's okay to be worried, just don't let that stop you from having fun while you can," Blaise responded, shrugging off his apology.

"All right, that makes sense," Theo replied with a slight smile. Blaise and him had been friends for a long time, but nothing had happened beyond casual flirting ,they both had their eye on someone and were waiting for the right time to say something.

So what could have been a lead on just became a night of dancing and laughter, the groups occasionally meeting up and having fun together. All in all it was a good night, and when everyone managed to return to Hogwarts all in one piece, smiles and random laughter was running rampant.

They could all agree. They really needed the night out.