Title: Lady of the Night

Author Name: Saerry Snape

Rating: PG-13, may be R in later chapters

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  Inspired by Lady Erised's wonderful Snapefics (specifically The Prince Returns, When the Past Comes Back, and Betrayal), Constantine1453's Harry Potter and the Trials and of His Life, and my Snapefic Nothing But the Rain.  The Dark Prince officially belongs to Lady Erised; I use him with her permission.  Lady of the Night is the sequel to my fic The Dark Prince.

Summary: Sixteen years after Hermione Granger gave birth to a dark-haired, green-eyed little girl, the past has returned to haunt the victims of a time in September of 2002.  The year is 2019 and The Dark Prince has been released…

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I am lost in the see-thru

I think you lost yourself too

Throughout all of this confusion

I hope I somehow get to you

Good Charlotte – Change

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Chapter 7

…lost in the see-thru…

"So, what's the plan this year, Hel?  More mischief?  I got your letter at you getting your granddad's invisibility cloak.  And how could Professor Snape take up the Dungbombs I sent!  As if we'd use them!"

Helena laughed and said, "He knows we'd give them to Peeves."

"Well, of course!"

"But," said the girl suddenly, her eyes shining, "I do have a bunch of Weasley Wizard Wheezes to use.  Aunt Tasha is so good with Illusion Charms…"

"Half of those are ours!" exclaimed Cole, suddenly appearing in the door of the two sixth years compartment.

"Heck they are!" growled Helena.  "You should have remembered to ask Uncle Fred for some."

"But I forgot!"

"That's why you have me, bro," quipped Caleb, shoving his twin into the room.  Unlike their uncles, neither of the second set of Weasley twins looked alike except for their freckles.  Cole was the shorter of the two, built stocky like his twin uncles and Percy.  He had the flaming hair customary of the Weasley family along with blue eyes and had a personality rather like his father's.  Caleb, on the other hand, had their father's lanky build (though he had yet to truly hit his growth spurt) and blue eyes but their mother's dark hair and pale complexion.  Both had equal footing in the mischievous category.

"See," said Helena to Cole, "you don't have to get any of mine.  Plus, as if I'd give them to you when they were my birthday present."

"She's right, you dunce," snapped Caleb, frowning at his twin.  "Sheesh.  Sometimes I can't believe you're my brother."

"Oy!"

Caleb smirked and said, "Well I can't."  He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arm across his chest as he blew a lock of black hair off his face.  After a moment he looked at Helena and asked, "Have you seen Tara?"

Helena shook her head and looked at Evan, who shrugged.

"Well, that's strange," muttered Caleb.  "She said she was going to find us.  Oh well.  C'mon, Cole, let's go find her."

"But…"

"Now!"

"Fine," grumbled Cole and trailed after his twin.  Evan looked after them then chuckled.

"Well," he said, "that always proves to be interesting."

Helena looked at him for a long moment then burst out laughing.  Evan frowned at her and leaned back in his seat, looking perturbed.

"It wasn't that funny, Hel."

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I'm not a spaceman

But on the other hand

I never really did fit in this world

Heads up to misfits

The one's that don't fit

I know that you know who you are

Powerman 5000 – Theme to a Fake Revolution

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Chapter 8

…know who you are…

The first half of the 2019-year at Hogwarts went splendidly well.  Helena managed to avoid detentions throughout the entirety of it.  Evan, however, managed to get three in one day: one from Professor Snape, one from Professor McGonagall, and one from Sirius Black – the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.  And that was in the first week.

But as December approached, several people in the castle began to get rather nervous.  Most of them were the professors but one student was worried.

Helena was deeply dreading the 25th of December.  Not only would she be practically alone in the castle as Evan, the twins, and Tara (George and Angelina's daughter) would be returning to their respective homes for Christmas holidays but also that dream would reoccur that night.

Not to mention the fact that her father, Harold James Potter, the Dark Prince, would be released form Azkaban.

She knew that her godfather, Dumbledore, Sirius, McGonagall, the Weasley's, Remus, and Hagrid were all worried as well.  Not only for her but for the wizarding world.  Voldemort was still at large but waiting…waiting for his Prince to return.  Then he might very well come for her, his so-called Heir.

Helena rolled over in her bed and snorted into her pillow.

Damned if she let them take her without a fight!  She would never serve Voldemort – NEVER!  She was not her father.

What Helena could not understand was what had driven her father to Voldemort's side.  He had murdered her grandparents for Slytherin's sake!  Certainly her father had never known them – much as she had never known him – but that was no reason to just up and turn friendly towards the snake.  Since she had been told about her father's treachery (as she thought of it), she had wondered what had made him turn.  For all the stories she had heard from the Weasley's, he had been happy.  Then why?  Why?

Helena's punched the emerald pillow and turned onto her side, bright green eyes almost glowing in the dark of her dormitory.  She could hear the easy breathing of the other girl's.  They had fallen asleep ages ago.  Usually Helena would have already joined them.  But every time the 25th of December began to roll around, she found herself sleepless.

The 25th was coming even closer now.  Tomorrow everyone who was not staying over hols was packing up and leaving.  Helena would also be packing, but not to leave.  She would be moving down the hall to her godfather's quarters.

That's it, thought the dark-haired girl suddenly, sitting up.  She threw her blankets off, disrupting Hekate's sleep at the end of the bed.  The snake hissed in annoyance and slithered out from under her blankets, muttering.

"What are you doing awake at this time of morning, mageling?"

"Going to the common room," spat Helena in response.  She reached out a hand and Summoned the topmost blanket from her bed, which was the thickest and warmest.  It pulled itself off the mattress and flew to her hand.  Hekate came with it, cursing with the same vigor as a Muggle sailor.  Helena let the asp curl about her neck as she left her dorm and descended the stairs into the common room.

The room had been vastly remodeled since Helena's arrival at the school.  As soon as she had seen it, she had thought it look unwelcoming and cold.  And it had been.  Upon being dragged up to Gryffindor Tower by Evan, she had quickly become attached to the warmth of their common room.  After second year, she took matters into her own hands, rearranging the Slytherin common room over the Christmas holidays with the help of a few of Evan's friends who were staying.  Since then a few Slytherins had become friendlier with the more welcoming decor but it had changed very few others views.  It had also made Helena a few enemies but the girl only scoffed at them.  She had worse enemies than a few pissed off Housemates.

After all, which was worse: Voldemort or a third year Slytherin?

Helena trounced into the room and curled up on a Muggle beanbag.  One of Evan's friends had suggested them as she was Muggleborn and Helena had relented.  And had not once regretted it.

Pulling the thick, Slytherin green comforter over herself, Helena propped her chin in her palm and stared into the fire.  She sat like this for a long time before Hekate's voice broke into her thoughts.

"What are you thinking about?"

"My father," replied Helena, her eyes still on the fire.  "Though really you couldn't call him that."

"Why?"

"Because he's never been around for me.  He turned to the Dark, Hek.  Y'know, that's really the only reason I was ever born.  I was to be his master's Heir."

"Things did not obviously turn out that way," said Hekate, tickling her arm with his tail.

"Stop that," hissed Helena in English, batting at the tail.

"Hey…"

"Don't tickle me, silly one.  Or I shall tickle you."  Helena reached up and scratched the snake's chin as she said this, causing him to jerk away violently.  "I told you."

"Fine," said Hekate in a surly tone.  "What happened to your sire, mageling?"

"He's been in Azkaban prison since before I was born.  Uncle Sev thinks he should have been thrown in there for the rest of his life.  But that foolish Minister let him off."

"So he shall be released?"

Helena only nodded in response.  Hekate flicked out his tongue and hissed softly.

"What will that mean for you, mageling?"

"Nothing," replied Helena.  "Uncle Sev would kill him before he'd allow my father to get near me.  Really, he's more of a father to me than my real one."

"He has a dark soul, that one," said Hekate.

"He was the original Dark Prince."

"Ah."

Helena looked down at the asp for the first time and asked, "Do I have a dark soul, Hek?"

"No, mageling. It is there, aye, but your soul is not dark.  It is the brightest I have ever seen.  I marvel at its brightness.  You are not a dark creature.  And perhaps your father is not."

Helena forced a smile and said, "You may be right, Hek.  But I doubt it."

"Why?" asked Hekate.

"Why else would he have turned against those he loved?"  Her voice was rising in anger.  "Why else would be have tricked my mother into believing he had changed so she would sleep with him and produce me?  What else but a dark soul could do something like that?"

"One who feared for the safety of those he loved?"

Helena was struck by the words.  She had once thought that same thing of her father, that he had been protecting his loved one's from Voldemort when he had joined him.  But she had thrown that dream away years ago.

"I doubt it, Hek."

"Why, mageling?  He is your father."

"I know," whispered Helena.

"Why not believe in him?"

There was a long silence after this question.  Hekate was put off by it.  And frightened.

"Mageling?"

Helena looked into the fire and whispered in a voice that was almost not a voice, "I'm not sure if even believe in myself, Hek."