Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot, the owl, the dagger, and some spells towards the end of the chapter. I took a quote from the movie "Night at the Roxbury." This time, I was inspired by Slipknot lyrics. I give props to all of the kick ass metal bands I listen to, and I thank them all for inspiring me.

A/N: Please read and review! Thanks!

Chapter 4: A Journey Through the Darkness

Harry saw the distorted form come closer to him while holding the dagger that was dripping fresh blood. Lucius still looked like a madman, with his eyes rolled in the back of his head and his mouth ajar. He staggered towards Harry slowly and ominously. Now Harry was aware of what Bellatrix felt. He knew that the dagger would be painful, but not as painful as the emotional stab of betrayal that he already felt. When he could find his voice, he said, "Draco, how could you? We were supposed to save the world together!"

            Draco laughed loudly and said, "Why in the world would I want to kill you? Oh wait. I can think of some reasons. You're annoying, you always want to be a hero, you're famous for doing nothing, and most importantly, you saw me naked without my permission." When Harry gave Draco a cold stare, he continued, "Potter, I was just kidding you know."

            "Tell him to stop it then!" Harry exclaimed.

            "Oh yes, I almost forgot. Dad, do us all a favor and get lost."

            Lucius did exactly what Draco told him to. He wandered into the woods with a strange expression on his face that seemed to say, "Help me, for I am lost."

            "Well, today has been an amusing day, hasn't it, Potter?"

            "Your sense of humor sucks, Malfoy. Where is Ginny?"

            "I'm over here!" Ginny yelled. She was hiding in a bush nearby. She hopped out of it and marched over towards Harry and Draco with leaves stuck in her hair. "Draco was so nice. He saved me," she told Harry when she reached them. "And you were brave, too, Harry."

            "Thanks, Ginny."

            Ginny ignored Harry and gave Draco a kiss on the cheek. "That's for saving me and making me laugh."

            Draco looked half annoyed, and half content with the attention he was getting. "Just because I saved your life, it doesn't mean that you have to be all over me little weasel." Ginny replied with a frown.

            "How did you make her laugh?" Harry asked curiously as they started walking down the sirt trail in the woods.

            "I threw apples at my dad while she hid in the bushes."

            "Oh. What was with your dad anyway? He seemed even more evil than he usually does."

            "My dad is a total weirdo. He disowned me after I refused to become a Death Eater. Tonight was my way at getting back at him."

            "Oh I see. Just out of curiosity, why didn't you become a Death Eater? Of all people, I thought you were the most likely to become one."

            Draco didn't look insulted, as Harry thought he would look. Instead, he smiled when he said, "Potter, I'm evil, not stupid."

So he does have a good side after all, Harry thought.

"I don't think you're evil," Ginny said sweetly. "After all, you rescued me."

"Yes, I am aware of that. I am beginning to regret it because you're ruining my reputation," Draco joked.

Ginny responded by laughing.

"Finally someone with a sense of humor around here!" Draco said sarcastically.

"Ginny, how did you get into this situation anyway?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well one day I got into a fight with my family. It was over such a stupid thing. I can't even remember it that well. Then I left the safe house we were staying at because I wanted to go for a walk to clear my head. My family told me not to leave the house alone, but I deliberately disobeyed them because I was so angry. I was the only one out on the street that day. Now, hardly anyone leaves the safe houses unless it's really important. I was an easy target. Then Lucius Malfoy kidnapped me while I wasn't looking. He covered his hand over my mouth and told me I would make the perfect sacrifice to the Dark Lord because I am young and healthy."

"That git!" Draco interrupted. "I hate him even more now. I should have killed him when I had the chance…"

"No, it was best to let him go, Draco. It's wrong to kill the person that raised you. It's kind of ironic as well. Please continue, Ginny," Harry said.

"Well, he kidnapped me while he was on a broom. I fought as best as I could, but it didn't do any good. I couldn't reach my wand. He put a few jinxes on me, so I wasn't able to move my hands well, but I could still kick. I kicked him in his happy place a few times and he almost fell off the broom!" Ginny exclaimed while giggling. Both boys joined in to laugh. When the moment faded, Ginny continued. "It turned out that they were looking for me anyway, because they knew that I was the one who thought of the idea for safe houses. They were angry at me for keeping their potential victims out of harm."

"You thought of that idea, little weasel? I didn't think you were smart enough," Draco said with a laugh.

"That was a brilliant idea, Ginny!" Harry said enthusiastically.

"Thanks," Ginny said quietly while blushing.

"Do you know what happened to the rest of the students at 'Ogwats?" Harry asked. "Are they still at school?"

"I doubt it if they are. Since Dumbledore has left, I think everyone went to the safe houses. No one smart would stick around school when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has this much power."

"Well then Crabbe and Goyle must still be there," Draco said with annoyance. "Those idiots…"

Ginny laughed and then said matter-of-factly, "Oh yes, I do recall them being there when everyone else started leaving."

"Oh gods," Draco muttered. "Even if no one is left at 'Ogwats, I have to go there too see if they're alright. Plus I gotta get my wand back."

"Okay," Harry said.

"After we go to 'Ogwats, then I'll lead you to the safe houses where Ron and Hermione are."

"That sounds good. I was wondering what happened to them. They're absolutely safe in there, right?" Harry asked.

"Well," Ginny paused. "They used to be safe, but now, I'm not so sure anymore," Ginny said sadly.

"Why not?" Harry and Draco asked at the same time.

"Because more and more safe houses are being discovered as the days pass by. The magic isn't fading on them, but the Death Eaters are gaining knowledge on how to break all of the spells. I don't know how they're getting the knowledge, but it's starting to scare me," she explained with fear in her voice.

"Don't worry, Ginny. Soon we'll be able to stop him so people won't have to live like this anymore," Harry said while comforting her.

"I guess.,.." Ginny's voice trailed off.

"Did either of you happen to see the other identities of the Death Eaters?" Harry asked. "I knew Lucius, Rookwood, and Bellatrix. But who were the other two?"

"One of them was Bode," Draco said reassuringly. "As for the silent one, I am clueless. What about you, Ginny?"

"I didn't recognize the silent one, either. I saw that one run away while Harry was fighting the Death Eaters. I would have told you, but I was in the bushes."

"That's okay," Harry said. The trail they were walking on in the woods suddenly ended and they came into another clearing. They were taking this path to avoid any further conflict with dementors or Death Eaters. "How about we have lunch?" Harry asked the duo.

"That sounds good," Ginny replied.

"Ascendio sandwiches!" Harry said, while summoning their lunch.

"So how far away from here is 'Ogwats?" Draco asked after chewing his sandwich.

"Its not that far. I think we can make it there by tomorrow night if we keep walking today and stop to eat and sleep," Ginny said. Draco nodded his head in approval.

"Do you think anyone will find us in this clearing? After all, it is pretty big," Draco said with concern.

At the words "pretty big," Harry thought of the little incident at the lake earlier with Draco. AAH! No! Make it stop! He thought while violently shaking his head.

"Harry? Are you okay?"

"Uh…yeah," he lied.

"Wow, Potter. You truly are a spazz," Draco commented.

"Like I was saying," Ginny stated. "I think we'll be perfectly fine out here. The Death Eaters are too busy looking for the safe houses to bother with us at the moment. And besides, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is too busy killing the ones he finds and gaining more power."

"True," Draco said.

When the trio were finished eating lunch, they proceeded down the clearing. It lead them to another wooded area, only this time, it was much darker than before with taller and shadier trees. Lucky enough for them, there was another dirt trail to follow. Once they entered the woods, darkness settled over them. It was extremely difficult to see and only patches of light were visible every now and then. It didn't help that the sun was setting slowly.

"Isn't there any other way we can go to 'Ogwats?"

"No. I'm afraid that this is the only trail," Ginny said with regret.

"Where are you people?" Draco asked, obviously annoyed.

"Over here!" Ginny called to him.

"I can't see anything," he replied angrily. Harry imagined that Draco had a scowl on his face, just like he always does when he's angry or annoyed.

"Harry, did you just grab my ass?" Draco asked him while furious.

Harry laughed and then said, "No, from where I am standing, that is a physical impossibility."

"That was me," Ginny stated calmly. Harry knew that she did it on purpose though.

"You little weasel! I would strangle you right now, but fortunately enough for you, I can't see."

"You know you liked it."  Then Harry heard a loud spanking sound.

"ARGH! WILL YOU STOP TOUCHING MY BUM?!"

Ginny giggled and said, "Okay fine. Hold my hand now. It will be easier for us to find each other that way."

"Weasley, I don't want to make any physical contact with you ever unless it's my fist meeting your face!"

"Well too bad for you!" Ginny said as she grabbed his hand and tugged him along the path. Meanwhile, Harry was very amused by the whole thing and he was laughing in the background. It pleased him to know that someone could boss Draco around.

"Shut up, Potter," was all Malfoy could think of to say.

Harry didn't reply to Draco. He didn't want to anger him even more than he already was. Harry was surprised that he knew his way around the forest without ever being here. At least I don't think I was ever here. He knew every twist and turn like it was his own home he was walking through. This is creepy, he thought. Ginny and Draco were closely behind him, occasionally missing turns and bumping into each other. Harry didn't tell him that he knew the way around the woods, mainly because he wanted to keep the moment to himself for fear of how they would react, and partially because he thought they were a great source of entertainment while bumping into each other.

"You watch where you're going!" Draco exclaimed.

"I can't see anything, you moron!" Ginny replied.

"And will you stop holding my hand? I feel like I'm your slave."

"If you want, we can arrange that," she said furtively.

"Don't mess with me, Weasley. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I think I do. I've got you all figured out, Malfoy. You're the sweet, sensitive type that tried to hide his true feelings behind sarcasm."

"That's a lie!" he yelled.

"Is not."

"Is too."

Harry shook his head at the both of them. When will they ever learn to stop acting like children? Just then, Harry's straight path was disrupted when he walked into something in front of him. He fell down at the surprise of hitting something unexpected. That's not right. This isn't part of the trail. It's not supposed to be here. It's not supposed to be…

He stood up and felt the thing in front of him. He felt it moving. It was breathing. Harry looked up as if to see the face of whatever it was, but he couldn't because of the darkness. The thing picked him up and brought him to its face as if responding to Harry's previous action. He felt its strong grip and its talons. It was holding Harry by its foot. Harry's curiosity overcame his fear, so he didn't try to escape the thing's grasp. As he moved upwards towards the thing, he gasped when he saw its identity. He remembered seeing a few of these before, but it was a vague memory that didn't seem accurate.

Yes, he thought this is definitely a dragon. Harry could see it clearly now. Its body was scaly with massive black wings that matched its strong body. But its most remarkable feature was its eyes. They peered at him through the darkness, while watching him intently. They seemed to gaze into Harry's soul. The red eyes were so demonic looking and Harry couldn't help but admire the creature's beauty. After what seemed like an eternity of staring at the amazing beast, it roared and fire emerged from the mouth, catching some nearby trees on fire.

Harry heard Ginny shriek. "Harry, Where are you? We have to get out of here! There's a fire!"

            The dragon's grasp on Harry tightened so he could just barely make out the words, "It's a dragon! It's got me!"

The dragon dropped Harry accidentally because it was startled by Harry's voice. Harry fell a few feet to the ground and hit the ground with a loud thud. Pain coursed through his body rapidly. He was wondering if the creature broke his spine or paralyzed him because of the intense agony. He willed himself to stand up to defend himself and his friends against the dragon. But when he stood up, the creature was nowhere that Harry could see. The darkness spread after the beast dropped him. He couldn't find his friends, either. Right after he wondered where they were, he heard Draco's voice.

"No! Don't hurt her!" Harry followed the direction of his voice. Then he heard an agonizing scream that belonged to Draco. Harry never heard a scream that intense before. It sounded like his blood was spilling all over the cursed land and like his life was being taken away from him. No he can't die! Harry thought with rage. He ran over to Draco, who was on the ground and silent with a deep crimson gash across his stomach.

"Draco! Draco!" Harry chanted, trying to get him up. Ginny was by his side, trying to awaken him as well. It was no use. Draco was gone. Ginny started sobbing and she sank to the floor in misery to touch his face.

"Ginny, worry about him later. We got ourselves a dragon to battle!" he said eagerly.

"Oh…right," she replied with sadness in her voice.

"Peef!" Harry shouted while aiming at the dragon. His spell missed and shot through the trees. The dragon attacked with its fire and Harry was lucky enough to duck and pull Ginny out of the way.

"Rictusempra!" Ginny said while forcing herself to forget about Draco. The animal tripped and wheezed loudly, which made it hard to get its large body afoot again.

"Takuro!" Harry yelled while making the dragon scream. The spell that he used caused major amounts of internal pain, although none was visible on the outside. After it finished screaming, it used its only weapon again to burn Ginny's left hand. She screamed as well.

"Stupefy" Ginny said while still in pain and stunning the dark dragon. The dragon's body was partially frozen, but it still glared at her with those mischievous red eyes. Because it was so strong, it could still fight back, but barely.

"Tarantallegra!" Harry said. The dragon's legs kept jerking out of control. It was impossible to stop it, without a counter jinx. This wore out the animal's last ounces of energy, and after a few minutes, it lay there unconscious.

"Good work, Ginny!" Harry said nicely. However, Ginny seemed to be ignoring him. As soon as the dragon was defeated, she ran over to Draco's side. He still wasn't moving and his wound was still pouring out his blood.

"Draco please speak to me," she pleaded eagerly. No sound emerged from his thin lips.

            "Ginny, forget it. He's gone," Harry said unemotionally.

            "I refuse to believe that!" She gently picked him up and tried carrying him out of the forest as fast as she could. He was too heavy for her to lift alone. By now, it would be difficult to escape, because the fire has grown so large. Harry should have realized that sooner, but he was too caught up in the battle to notice.

            "Let me help you, then."  Harry knew that Ginny was too stubborn to move without Draco, so he reluctantly gave in. He knew it was hopeless. He knew Draco had died already, but he grabbed Draco's feet as Ginny took his head anyway. Together, they moved swiftly out of the forest and into another clearing, while dodging the fire and relying on Harry's instincts to overcome the darkness.