Draco shot forwards in his bed, and he felt a sharp burn course its way where his father's fingers had pressed onto his forearm in the graveyard, and anger replaced the emotion where fear should have been as it surged through his body at the mere memory of the horrific gesture. His eyes went a deep shade of red in their sockets, and this new source of energy easily eradicated his own protective 'blue' magic, and the action was unstoppable once it had reached into his bloodstream. Hermione shivered out of cold until she woke up, and she saw her lover sitting forward with his knees concealing his face from her view, and he was shuddering so violently that she didn't know what was happening to him—was he by chance epileptic? She ran her cool hand along his clammy exposed back and said his name a few times before he responded by breaking away from her in the bed to run out into the Common Room as he tried to remove the sickening grip that some unknown being held over him. Whereas Draco wasn't bothered by his nudity due to his present turmoil, Hermione clearly was self-conscious about her body and she slid her robes on quickly to make sure that Draco was the only Hogwart's student to see her naked. But what she saw didn't resemble the student that captured her heart in the slightest; in fact the sight of the figure before her made her feel isolated from the school and afraid for her life. He was squatting at the foot of the couch and he looked ready to sprint towards her, with a hunter's gaze in his now blood-red eyes, and she somehow knew that her wand wouldn't serve her any purpose now. The room was in total darkness with the exception of his eyes and the shimmering glow around his form, and Hermione whispered 'Lumos' quietly to try and relieve herself of the claustrophobic atmosphere. He temporarily killed the light in the room whilst he struggled with the foreign power in his body, and he choked out a "RUN!!!" as the parasitic being annihilated the last of his self-control with a miniature explosion that spread throughout the Castle. They were both extremely grateful as she took his advice since it was mere moments later that he charged at her ferociously and the light from her wand was destroyed. She didn't know where she could hide, and she saw no logic in her hoping that she could flee safely; Gryffindor Tower was sealed from the outside in lieu of the curfew as undoubtedly would the Slytherin dungeon…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Harry shook in disbelief and he released another scream of anguish at what had occurred outside his window, and the entire body of fellow Gryffindors woke up sharply when they heard the youth crying out. As surreal and horrific as it appeared, there was no option of disbelief for Harry Potter: right in front of his very eyes, as she had been flying back towards him, Hedwig had blown up and her singeing feathers were floating in the air where she had been. Once the flames had disappeared, there was a choking darkness that cut everyone's vision; even by staring out of the window as intently as they could, neither Harry nor Ron could see a light from Hagrid's hut, or from the staff room either for that matter. They instinctively attempted to light up the room with their wands, but no matter how hard they tried, it looked as if every one of them were using one of Fred and George's fake wands, without the bonus of holding a strange creature after a failed spell. A clear voice called out for all Gryffindor students to assemble in the Common Room, which was harder than it sounded due to the almost noxious shadows concealing the steps that they required to use. Dumbledore stood before them (he was easily identifiable with his silvery-grey beard glistening in the dark), and he made a brief announcement before cautioning them about their best actions.
"This attack on the castle appears to be originating from an internal source, so it has been decided that it will be safest if all students assemble swiftly and silently in the Great Hall. We have yet to identify the source of this unnatural darkness, and why all magic is presently failing to work for anyone. Follow Professor McGonagall and your Prefects towards the Great Hall, and I shall inform the rest of the students of this. This force is far greater than any of us can assume, so act as wisely as you possibly can, and don't forget to watch out for others as well as yourself"
There was a stench of fear in the air in the Great Hall as members of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff Houses entered the room, filled with its panic-stricken body of students, and fear didn't go near describing the general emotion of the students when the Slytherin portrait was opened. A girl's shrill scream echoed out through the mainly empty hallways of the castle, and Harry felt even shakier when he realised that it was Hermione's voice. The sound of her repeated reverberating footsteps had an effect on Ron as if it were a nail being hammered into his spine violently, and he frantically searched his mind for a solution to his nightmare. The only light in the room was coming from the centre, where the ghosts had realised that by staying as near to each other as possible, their forms produced light that was similar in effect as a snatch of moonlight. Even those closest to the open doorway couldn't see her frightened form as she sped past them, but not one person failed to miss her pursuer; he showed up as no more than a crimson red blur, and he didn't even look human, never mind identifiable as a student.
Hermione's heart pounded in her chest whilst her body fatigued, and her lungs felt like she could never inhale enough oxygen to soothe the unbearable ache they suffered from. Her shoulders had hit off many obstructions in the corridors she fled through, which also left her with a desire to give up to face whatever she needed to end her pain. She banged her forehead sharply against a wall that made her feel light-headed and strange, and she knew that she no longer had the choice of escaping as Draco closed in around her. The light being emitted from his lissom body illuminated her surroundings, and she quickly learned that she was in the grand Entrance Hall, with no escape route available to her. She couldn't see even a faint resemblance between the creature that stood before her with the boy she had readily given her heart to, and he was succeeding in frightening her to the point of her not being able to move even an inch away from him. Her vision was blurred enough as it was without not being able to see any point of his body at all, due to the glow that was now cutting through her from its sharp contrast with the otherwise pitch black world. He summoned her next to his body by moving slightly, and she felt unnaturally hot against his body, but even at this proximity she could hardly see his face through the blinding sheet of light. Every bit of her body that had ever made contact with him suddenly erupted in a searing sense of pain, including the areas where they had become intimate with one-another, and she heard an aberrant voice coming from him, making a rasping remark at how weak the Muggle-born was. The heat subsided with a positive effect; her stamina sources had been refilled and her injuries were no longer even remotely tender to her. He sharply drew her into a harsh kiss whilst his glow had somehow disappeared momentarily, and he left her with something else in her system when he drew back from her with his malevolent form once more. He blinked once and she was propelled into far wall behind them, but she didn't slump to the ground; she remained on the stone as if she were manacled there, and this action horrified the students in the Great Hall, who now had clear vision of everything that was happening in the main foyer. Peeves recalled how he had stopped people in the past by charging through them, and he decided that this tactic of nausea might work on stopping this unknown being if he was successful in an ambush from behind. He swooped away from the other ghosts and a wave of new panic swept over the students as the room went fractionally dimmer, and he silently aimed for Draco's back as he approached Hermione again with pitiless intent. He stopped in his tracks as Peeves swept through him like a sheet of ice, but it was neither successful or a failure; the glow dimmed from his body, Hermione slid to the ground and the Castle managed to lighten perfunctorily as the struggle between the two forces combated.
"That…that's DRACO MALFOY!"
"I'll kill you Malfoy, if it's the last thing I do"
"What's he doing this for?"
"HERMIONE!!!"
"He's naked!"
"What's happening???"
The last comment was made in response to Peeves thrashing about to get away from the youth, but it came to no real avail; Draco released another bout of raw energy away from him and something unimaginable happened: Peeves screeched out in anguish before being torn into shreds and littered about the room, and when the remnants of his spectral skin touched the ground, they melted…