Life in the Darkness

Chapter 1

Karen Shan sat in the corner of the Slytherin Common room by herself. Her long black hair was pulled back into a bun and the dim room made her pale skin look ghost-like. The dungeons smelled of some sort of cleaning detergent. She couldn't stand it anymore. She had to get fresh air.

Draco Malfoy smirked and stood up, walking over to her, Crabbe and Goyle behind him. "Need a little air, Shan?" Malfoy asked. Goyle chuckled stupidly.

"Yeah, but why is it your business?" She snapped back, closing her book.

He shrugged. "Just being friendly. If you want, go ahead. The Prefects are taunting the first years. They'll never notice you gone."

Karen stared at him, knowing he was up to something. She shook her head slightly. "Fine, whatever." She stood up, giving Malfoy one more distrustful glance.

She stepped out through the portrait hole. The hallway was dark. Only a few torches gave it enough light for her to see by. She was quiet going up the stairs, still aware that Filch could be lurking around. It didn't take her long to get outside. She breathed in the cool fall air.

She was just about to turn around and go inside when she saw someone walking into the Forbidden Forest. She squinted, trying to make out who it was, but they had already disappeared into the darkness. She took off after them at a run. She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing except following her instincts. She slowed down when she got to the trees. She walked in much slower. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.

She had only taken a few steps when she ran into somebody. They both grabbed for their wands.

"Who's there?" a male voice asked. "Are you a student from the castle?"

"Yeah, I'm a sixth year Slytherin. Who wants to know? Lumos!"

Light spread across the face of none other than Harry Potter. Karen had never talked to Potter before. They were in the same year, but rival houses. The enemy of all Slytherins. "Potter, what are you doing out here?"

"Maybe I should ask you the same question." He stared at her, distrust practically written all over his face.

"I was getting fresh air. What about you?"

"Fresh air. Right."

"No, I'm serious. Now, tell me what you were doing out here and I won't report you."

He glared at her for a moment before mumbling, "I got a note."

"A note?"

"Yeah a note!" He snapped.

"What does that have to do with being out in a forest that's forbidden?"

"It was from Cho Chang, alright! Or at least I thought so. It said that she wanted to talk to me but it had to be here. I wasn't going to go because I thought it was stupid but Ron practically forced me so here I am! You happy now!"

"Completely." She said with a smug smile.

"What?" He asked, noticing the look on her face.

"You've been played!" she laughed.

"Shut up." He leered at her for a moment but the expression on his face suddenly turned to fear. That was when she noticed them too. On all sides of them, figures clad in black robes and wearing white masks on their faces, surrounded them.

She didn't even have time to react. Spells showered on them from all sides and they didn't have a chance. Everything went black...

Karen opened her eyes and wished she hadn't. She shut them quickly. The room she was dim, but the light penetrated her eyes and pain shot into her head. She put a hand to her head, wishing she had something to relieve it and several hours of sleep.

She rubbed her eyes then slowly opened them again. Fear struck her heart when she realized she wasn't in her four-poster bed. She was lying on a cement floor. Next to her, a boy was waking up as well. When she realized who he was, everything came flooding back.

She sat up quickly, causing a wave of nausea. Where was she? The ceiling was so high up that is was swallowed in darkness. Her eyes widened when the same masked figures entered the room, encircling them. Opposite the door they came in from was a large chair that she hadn't noticed before. She could only guess that the thing seated in it was Voldemort.

When she saw him her heart seemed to stop beating. This was it. This would be the end. She wondered what death was like and if she'd feel a lot of pain before she died.

Voldemort stood up. "Mr. Potter! Welcome! And who is our unexpected guest?"

Karen's eyes widened when he looked to her. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She seemed to be paralyzed with fright. She took a deep breath and managed to choke out, "Karen...Shan."

"Ah, yes! I knew your parents quite well. Darius and Lucia?" Karen managed a nod. "Yes, terrible what happened to them." he added with a knowing smile.

Karen closed her eyes. She could still remember the day she had found her parents dead on the floor. She had slept in that day, so it wasn't until about twelve o'clock that she had found them. Finally after shedding all the tears she possibly could, she finally wrote to her Uncle who informed the Ministry. The Ministry had questioned her endlessly, finding her story almost unbelievable. There were many Aurors who blamed her for their death. She had after all had not heard any disturbances the night before or that morning. But, they had no proof, no evidence to lead them to who had killed her parents. Karen had to move in with her Uncle and had barely spoken to anyone since.

She opened her eyes again. "What are you going to do with us?"

Voldemort's smile widened. "Karen, I'd like to offer you freedom."

"What do you mean . . . freedom?"

"You see Karen, there is no way I could let you leave this place alive. That is, unless you join me and my cause."

There were immediate outbursts from the surrounding Death Eaters.

"Master! She is only a useless child!"

"There's too much risk!"

"She'll name us for sure!"

"SILENCE!" Voldemort yelled. They immediately fell silent. "Children can be the best promise keepers, and sometimes the cleverest. I need a spy in Hogwarts. It's been too risky to put another teacher there, so a student will work perfectly."

He laid his eyes on Karen. Karen tried to look away but found she couldn't. "Will you join me Karen?" A small voice in her mind whispered "Join me...there is no other choice...you must..."

"Join me Karen, and you and Potter will go free."

She had no other choice but to accept. She knew if she refused, she would die. But would death be better than servitude for the Dark Lord? She could just go back to Hogwarts and never come back. Pretend she never went there. She bit her lip hard as she thought.

"I...I will join you." She said quietly.

"What? Don't join him Karen! He's manipulating you!" Harry yelled at her from her side.

Voldemort pointed his wand at Harry and shouted, "Crucio!"

Harry fell backwards, screaming. He writhed in pain, thrashing on the ground. Karen's eyes grew wide as she watched him. It scared her to watch, but she couldn't look away as she tried to will it to stop.

Finally Voldemort released him. Karen could feel herself shaking. "Karen, come here." She was too afraid to move. "Now!" She slowly pulled herself to her feet and hesitantly walked toward the pale, hideous figure.

When she was close enough, he stood up and encircled her once. "Roll up your left sleeve." She reluctantly did so until her left forearm was exposed. Voldemort grasped it, his cold fingers touching her skin. She couldn't help but shudder.

Voldemort pointed his wand at her arm and muttered something. She let out a gasp of pain as the Dark Mark was burned into her flesh. Voldemort let go of her and she dropped to her knees. He laughed. Cold, shrill, and malevolent.

He turned and faced the Death Eaters and addressed them. "You may use which ever spells you please, but don't kill Potter! He's mine!"

"What!" She yelled. "You said that we would both go free!"

"Quiet! As soon as he is dead you will go free. If you do not obey you will suffer the same fate!"

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Severus Snape had worked as a spy for many years. The information he received had helped prevent many deaths. Why Albus trusted him, he still didn't know. He had been puzzled when the Dark Lord had summoned his servants to him. Why now? Had someone been captured? Someone important? He couldn't imagine what it was. During the last meeting he has not been needed so he had spent an hour in the small room in the old abandoned mansion Voldemort called meetings at.

It wasn't always at the same place. Snape never knew where he would Apparate to. This method was very useful to Voldemort. It kept traitors from revealing his location. Anti-Apparation wards surrounded every area though. Voldemort may be evil, but he was also very pre-cautious.

Snape had a way around that though. Dumbledore had made a Port-Key for him. It was very small and should only be used in case of an emergency. Once he used it, his role as spy would be over.

Snape knew his role as spy would be over as soon as he entered Voldemort's torture Hall. Two children lay on the stone floor, still unconscious. They had no idea what would be coming to them once they awoke.

Snape recognized them both immediately. Potter, the stupid prat he had tried to expel at least once every year since he showed up at Hogwarts. The second was one from his own House. He saw a lot of himself in her. His parents had been Death Eaters as well. Like her, he had been a loner and kept to himself his entire childhood. She wasn't excellent at Potions, but he still always gave her good marks.

How had they both ended up here though? His only guess was that they had both been tricked to go out to the Forbidden Forest where an ambush party was waiting for them. No doubt Lucius had put Draco up to it.

Snape knew that his chance to save them would be when he forced Potions down their throats. Or, so he thought. He hadn't been counted on Karen joining the Dark Lord. Bloody hell! He was manipulative! Persuading an innocent sixteen-year old girl to join him. How the bloody hell was he supposed to get them both to touch the Port-key?

He contemplated this while he waited. He grew anxious as his turn fast approached. When the Death Eater to his right finally released Harry from his curse, he stepped forward. "My Lord, if you do not mind, I would like the assistance of the girl in this."

Voldemort contemplated him with suspicious eyes for a moment before finally nodding. "But Severus, it better be good. For your sake."

He nodded. He had to keep his calm for it to work. He summoned Karen to him. He pulled the ring off his finger. Karen would be coming, whether she liked it or not. He pulled out a vile full of a sickly blue potion and gave it to her. He pulled Potter to his knees. The activation code for the Port-key was Muggle-related. Dumbledore assured him that it would be safest. He searched his mind quickly for the strange word.

He took Karen's hand and placed it on the ring and quickly pulled Potter's hand to it so just his finger was touching it. He muttered, "CD." Dumbledore had assured him it was some strange device that Muggles listened to music with. Snape felt the familiar tug of the Port-key. Suddenly they found themselves standing in the courtyard of Hogwarts.

Shan and Potter looked around amazed by the courtyard of stone and the stars above as though they had never seen anything like it. Suddenly Snape's anger exploded, "What the hell were you doing out in the Forbidden Forest? Both of you!"

Potter made no comment. He was on the brink of losing consciousness and Shan looked as though she were in shock, totally oblivious to him. "Potter, I'll take you to the Hospital Wing and Shan," he turned his gaze to the stunned girl, "you're going to the Headmaster's office to explain yourself."

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, places, or any such affiliated with Harry Potter for they belong to J.K. Rowling...yada yada you've heard it a million times before...