Singing to the Darkness

Asher Nemesis

I own the darkness

And I own the light

But yet I am trapped here

Between the day and the night.

I am willing to lose myself

But have nothing to gain

The darkness flows through me

And so dies the pain.

Now no more tears fall

I am under the night's control

I am nothing to anyone

I gave away my soul.

Chapter One-Defenders

She had that feeling again. All her senses were going crazy, and her body and mind were tuned in to the darkness, watching for it, waiting for it. She could sense things other people couldn't. She seemed to have a connection with Dark Magic, and she knew when it was around. The feeling she got was like someone dropping a lead weight down into the pit of her stomach, and all happy thoughts she might've been having were suddenly erased, but Ginny Weasley had learned to fight it and win.

Her most unlikely friend taught how she fought to her; a Slytherin 6th year named Draco Malfoy, Prince of Purebloods, as he was called by most of his house. He had taught her the fine art of the mental Patronus Charm. He had honed her mental skills and awareness, producing a Patronus Charm Ginny could conjure up mentally.

A mental Patronus Charm works just like a regular one, except nobody can see it unless they've learned how to do one themselves. It is summoned the same way as well, thinking of the happiest memory possible and then saying the incantation, Expecto Patronum.

Everyone had a unique Patronus, suited only to him or her. Ginny's was a red fox, while Draco's was, obviously, a dragon, a Hebridean Black, to be exact. A very pretty 7th year named Cho Chang had a Patronus that was a swan. Hermione's was an otter, while Harry's was a stag.

The entire Gryffindor common room was asleep, except for her older brother Ron, his best friend Harry Potter and his girlfriend Hermione Granger.

Ginny Weasley never felt like she belonged. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had this close knit circle of friendship, and it seemed to Ginny that no one else could enter no matter what. She felt lonely, although even her older brother didn't realise it. She was very good at acting happy. And, she probably would've become depressed if it weren't for Draco and his mental DADA lessons.

Everyone who had ever felt Dark Magic was a part of it. It bound itself to the person the moment it touched them, changing them forever. People this happened to gained extraordinary mental powers, usually extrasensory perception, telepathy, or telekinesis. Ginny and Draco suspected that telepathy was the most common, and everyone gained the ability of ESP. According to them, that explained the weird feelings.

Ginny's encounter with the Dark Arts happened when she was eleven. Now, four years later, she was all the better for it and gained much from the experience, including a friend.

Slytherins and Gryffindors were usually mortal enemies, but ever since Draco and Ginny became friends and started visiting each other's common rooms for lessons, the tension between the two houses seemed to ease a little.

Not that Ginny had enjoyed spending an hour with Draco in a cold, damp, dungeon that served as the Slytherin common room. It was miserable down there, and one was likely to catch a chill, despite the fire in the fireplace. Ginny often wondered why someone as vain as Draco actually wanted to be put in Slytherin when the dungeons seemed to be hell on a person's complexion. Not that Draco had even been affected by that. His complexion was perfect.

But then Ginny noticed how enthusiastic he was when she invited him to her common room for lessons. It was no wonder, as the Gryffindor common room was the exact opposite of Draco's, with its large comfy chairs, fireplace that actually gave off warmth, and all around friendly atmosphere.

Well, friendly to everyone but Slytherins. Draco was greeted with a collective glare from the entire house, excluding Ginny. Even Ron, Harry and Hermione all disliked Draco, and refused to see his less evil attitude. Well, he was only a barely noticeable amount less evil. He still snapped, insulted and was an utter prat and a racist git to everyone but Ginny. But he was a totally wicked hot utter prat and racist git…not that Ginny had ever actually thought that…much.

Ginny looked over to Harry Potter, with his jet-black untidy hair, deep emerald eyes, and the lightning bolt scar that graced the forehead of The Boy Who Lived, and realised Hermione's attraction. Ginny had just recently gotten over her 'little' crush on Harry. It wasn't just his boyish looks that made him attractive; it was his entire personality. He was caring, giving, brave, and self-sacrificing. He put his own feelings aside for the greater good. Deep down Ginny knew that he would sacrifice even her for that supposed 'greater good'.

But Harry wasn't exactly: The Boy Who Was Utterly Smooth With The Ladies. That was Draco's job. Harry and Hermione somehow endured five whole years of activities that included mistletoe events that were sworn secrets, flowers being conjured that the receiver was allergic to, and love notes carelessly placed, discovered by the wrong person, and read aloud to the entire house.

Harry and Hermione had finally gotten together with the (secret) influences of Draco Malfoy, matchmaker extraordinaire. He told Ginny it was making him sick to watch Harry and Hermione make googly eyes at each other in all the classes they had together and not do anything about it. So, Draco sped things up a bit and conjured some well-placed tokens of affection and put them in plain sight of the two lovebirds.

At first Hermione and Harry had gone through the 'I didn't give you those flowers. I swear!' *Hug* 'Okay, I did. You caught me' stage. And then after many long hours of chipping away at their Anti-Hermione's-love/Anti-Harry's-affection barriers, Draco finally got them to admit their true feelings, which he knew they had all along, and things went uphill from there. Draco's reward was not getting nauseous every Potions class from all the eyelash batting and secret glances that weren't directed at him.

With all the commotion over Harry and Hermione, everyone but Ginny failed to notice Ron's lack of a love life. And she told Draco, who, to Ron's horror, decided to give him a "How to be the object of at least fifty girls' fantasies" lesson. Draco doubted Ron could ever be the object of even one girl's fantasy, the big red-haired lummox. But he agreed to do it to help Ginny.

Ron's horror increased when he found out what the lessons included: Put a bottle of 'Gel for the Dangerously Suave Wizard' in his hair all at one time and dressing in Slytherin colours, green and silver. Ron had commented on how green and silver didn't suit him at all, and Draco replied "Then wear black."

Ron was forced to borrow some of Draco's clothes, which were too small for him, screamed when he saw his reflection, and tried to rip the clothes off him. Draco had tackled him to the ground screaming "Be careful you ungrateful git! It's Armani!" along with a steady stream of curses.

Ginny herself was perfectly content with being single. Not that she didn't want a boyfriend or that she was jealous of those who weren't single, it was just that not having someone didn't bother her too much, although she would've liked to date someone.

When she got back from her classes, she would spend the time drawing. She had already made a wonderful portrait of Hermione and Harry exhausted from studying, asleep on some books. She had painted a portrait of Harry kissing Hermione as Harry's Christmas gift.

Ginny knew very well what Draco's love life was like. Very busy, It was probably hard work being that gorgeous, but Ginny didn't fancy Draco. Sure, she would admit that he was very attractive, with his silvery blond hair, steel coloured eyes that looked like shards of the Mirror of Erised, and a body that was only given to supposed demigods.

But he probably had a girlfriend, and if he didn't (which was about as likely as Hermione dropping out of school), he certainly wouldn't go for someone like Ginny. For one, she was a Gryffindor, not that that had put any block in the way for friendship, but any more than that would cause mass hysteria among the houses, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff included. Another thing was the fact that every time Draco had even considered winding Ginny up, Ron showed up playing the protective older brother.

As much as Ginny enjoyed being friends with Draco, a further relationship was strictly forbidden.

***

Draco was practicing his seducing techniques in the mirror, which was giving him very rude comments in return, when Blaise Zabini, another fellow Slytherin and molester of small animals everywhere, came up behind him and locked her arms around his neck. The mirror threw a fit.

"Draco, were you seducing the mirror again?" Blaise asked. I think her new hobby is to stalk me relentlessly. But who can blame her? Draco thought, and smiled.

"No." he said bluntly. His smile faded. "Now go away. You're unattractive." He continued. Blaise pretended not to hear.

"I didn't know mirrors could be seduced." She said, batting her long eyelashes. Draco rolled his steel coloured eyes, and then proceeded to give Blaise a look of utter disgust…and she sighed! She just didn't get it.

"Yes, if you're a Malfoy, anything can be seduced. Now run along and rape some bunnies."

Draco could tell he hit a nerve. Hitting nerves was his specialty. Blaise hated having her fluffy animal fetish mentioned, even though most of what everyone heard ended up being true.

"Now Draco, I would really love you if you never mention that again." She said, running her blood red fingernails up his cheek. She probably sacrificed some small furry defenceless animal to get that colour. He thought. Draco looked bored with the entire situation. He tended to grow tired of things fairly quickly.

"One: You already do love me, or lust after me beyond all normal reasoning, two: I would really love for you to sod off and leave me alone, and three: Is that rabbit blood or chipmunk blood? It really could be either." He said.

Blaise's dark eyes flashed with malice, but even she knew better than to hurt Draco. So she made a sound that was halfway between a shriek of rage and 'humph!' and stormed out of Draco's dormitory.

"Women." Draco said to himself, shrugged, and continued flirting with the mirror.

***

"Women…" Ron muttered, the confusion in his slightly muffled voice very prominent.

He had his head in his hands, and every now and then he would sigh. "I just don't get it, Gin. Am I really that unattractive? How come Malfoy has girls fawning all over him and I don't? He's an ugly git." He stated. Ginny repressed back a biting comment on how Draco wasn't an ugly git. She inwardly scolded herself for thinking that and for defending Draco in the first place.

Now, there were two ways Ginny could reply to Ron's comments and questions. One was to actually tell her brother that he was attractive, stunningly hot, and otherwise nearly commit verbal incest.

Two was to defend Draco in front of Ron, the person that despised him the most. She shuddered at the thought. Even though Draco was her friend, she could never let it slip to Ron that she thought him attractive. He'd probably lock her in a wardrobe or something, completely cut off from Draco. Or she could just tell him…

"I don't know, Ron. Maybe you just haven't found the right girl yet. Besides, all the girls that fawn over Draco are only after one thing. They're not interested in love." Ginny said.

Ron looked his sister in the eyes, and, with complete sincerity, asked her the one question she was dreading most.

"Are you interested in love…with Malfoy, I mean."

Ginny blushed scarlet. The truth was, she didn't know. It wasn't exactly prohibited. People had done it before. It just wasn't…accepted. And to fall for the one person you were supposed to hate more than anyone else.

"I have a lot of homework to do, Ron. I hope you sort things out." She said, gathered up her books, and stood to leave. But Ron grabbed her gently by the arm.

"I hope you do too."

***

Hermione and Harry were just enjoying each other's company, not at all bothered by everyday worries. Hermione was floating on air. She relived the moment again and again, drilling the wonderful sensation of relief and completion into her memory, silently telling herself to never forget that moment. She relived it again.

She was lying in Harry's arms, relishing in the comfort that he brought, while he was preoccupied running his fingers through her hair.

She looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back. It was her smile. She owned it, and he never, ever gave it to anyone else. It was the 'There's nothing wrong in the world all because I'm with you' smile. At least, that's what she thought.

"Hermione?" Harry whispered silkily into his girlfriend's ear.

"Yes, love?" she replied. His face showed no trace of nervousness, just pure confidence.

"I just wanted you to know that I love you. I will always love you." He said simply, as if he already knew she felt the exact same way.

Hermione was overwhelmed with emotions. She felt completion, relief, nervousness, flattered, but the greatest of all, love. Her love for him was like being in love with an angel, awe-inspiring, wonderful, yet painful at the same time, because that angel could never be whole, always part of something greater than them both. Kissing Harry was like kissing life in itself, and touching him was like touching a soul.

Through all of that and in spite of it, she said, looking into Harry's eyes,

"I love you too."

But the part that Hermione didn't try to remember was Draco Malfoy, walking in right after she had confessed her undying love to Harry.

***

"Well," Draco said in a very unconcerned tone, "I was just coming to see Ginny to work with her. Carry on." He said, waving a hand in a manner of someone far superior. He started up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

"Wait." Hermione called. Draco turned, giving her an impatient look.

"Yes, Mudblood. What do you want now? To confess your love for me too?" he asked. Hermione's expression was of pure repulsion.

"You really don't care about going into the girl's dormitories, do you?" she asked.

"Of course not." Draco replied, looking as if he'd just been asked if he minded being on the cover of Witch Weekly's Sexiest Wizards under 18 issue. "It's not like I haven't been in the Gryffindor girl's dormitories, or any of the other houses', for that matter, before."

Harry looked disgusted, while Hermione looked faintly amused.

"Who have you been with in Gryffindor, Malfoy? The best you could do would probably be Lavender." Harry asked.

Draco stiffened.

"Actually, Potter, I have been with Lavender. I did it as a favor." He said.

Harry looked nauseous.

"Oh, so now you're giving out sexual favors?" he managed to ask through waves of nausea.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"How else do you think we Malfoy's got so rich. Honestly, Potter. Are you doomed to stay a virgin your entire life? Although, I would want to as well if I had that-" he motioned towards Hermione with contempt. She glared back at him. "As a girlfriend. But my standards are far too high for me to actually sink to the level of dating a Mudblood."

Harry rose, his cheeks flushed with anger, and his green eyes flashed with the same intense hatred he had for Voldemort.

"Don't…ever…insult Hermione…in front of me." He ordered through clenched teeth.

Draco looked both bored and impatient. He checked his watch.

"Oh, you must have missed the countless times I've done it before. You really need your hearing checked. Now, I have somewhere to be, so I'll make this quick. Why should I listen to you? The only reason anyone cares about you is because you have a scar, and-" Hermione cut him off.

"You're wrong! Lots of people care about him because he's kind, caring, smart, okay, well, he gets some answers from me, but that's not the point. The point is he cares for people, and he is a better person than you could ever hope to be! All you do is strut around thinking you're better than everyone else! You don't even have the capacity to love, do you Malfoy? And another thing, Harry would sacrifice himself to save you, and he has, many times. You wouldn't even consider doing that. You'd just find some way to profit from the pain of others, and you do, every day."

Hermione was shaking with anger, and the only thing stopping her from murdering Draco right then and there was Harry's hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

Draco's expression gave away nothing.

"Got that out? Good. I can tell you've been holding that in for some time. Ever look into therapy? You need it. Hmm…repressed anger, open hostility, obsessive compulsive disorder…the list goes on and on. Have a happy snog-fest Potter, and be sure to brush your teeth thoroughly afterward. Don't want Mudblood germs, now do we?"

He unknowingly walked up the stairs to the girl's dormitories, about to be confronted by the sight of Ginny, crying uncontrollably.

***

"Ginny, buck up." Draco said. "I don't have time for this. We're already running late for the lesson because Granger decided to rant on and on about how I'm a bad person and Harry's so much better than me and so on and so forth."

Ginny wiped her eyes.

"Don't you care the slightest bit when you see someone in pain?" she asked.

Draco answered immediately.

"Not really. I decided at a very young age not to get overly attached to people." He stated.

"But then why do you like to spend all this time with me?" Ginny inquired, confused. Draco shrugged.

"Probably because if I do I get to spend less time freezing in a dungeon." He replied.

"So you don't visit me because we're friends, only because it's warm up here?" Ginny asked, the tears welling up again.

"Basically. Remember when I told you I don't have friends? Well, I want to keep it that way. Friends only get in the way."

Ginny's gaze turned to pure ice.

"Fine then. From now on, I'm not your friend. I tried to be your friend, but you've just proven that you don't want me to be. Our relationship is strictly professional." She said.

Draco reclined on Ginny's bed nonchalantly.

"Fine with me. Oh, I'm so heartbroken. I just couldn't go on without you as a friend!" Draco said, his voice dripping with sarcasm that was practically tangible.

Inside, Ginny's heart and mind were waging war against one another. Even though she didn't love Draco, she still didn't want to lose his "friendship", despite the fact that she fabricated it entirely and it was one big lie. That was her hearts argument. Her mind was telling her that Draco had no interest in being friends with anyone and to just give up right then and there.

"Well, Malfoy," Ginny finally said with hatred after a long pause. "Let's get to work then."

Draco glared right back at her in a very Malfoyesque way. A way that made enemies cringe, slaves cower, and girls sigh with infatuation, but not this girl; She looked at him as if he were pure poison.

"Right Weasley, whatever you say."