AN: Regular warnings.

Also want to thank my reviewers:
HecateDeMort
Shea Loner
Keeper Darius
Allyanna
crazy-lil-nae-nae
Raven-eyes2 ( I am glad you took the chance to read this story)
artax
Winnie2
JE aka Yessina
anon
searanger
Chompekitas
term
DaughterofDeath
agge
Bleudiablo
Dark Miroku.

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews and support.

I hope you enjoy this latest enstallement.

Sand.

Chapter Four: Decorative Magic

The morning of the first day of classes brought rain and excitement. The younger years chatted excitedly about new classes and professors while the upper years ran though essays and accomplished last minute homework. The school year had officially begun.

Harry and Hermione were quietly discussing the difference between Durmstrang and Hogworts when Draco Malfoy took a seat across from the duo.

"Granger. Evans," he nodded at each.

"Mister Malfoy, good morning," Hermione smiled while Harry gave a curt nod.

"Draco, please. Mister Malfoy reminds me of my father and the professors."

"Draco it is then. Call me Hermione and my git of a brother, Harry," Hermione laughed, sipping pumpkin juice.

As his sister and Draco continued small talk, Harry gazed at the professor's table. All seemed well if a little stressed. His observations were broken by the Voice.

'Dear poisonous child, Lord Voldemort is close. So close. Your sister is not safe. Will not be safe. You have finally corrupted her. She will be taken and destroyed, dear child. It is the only way for her to be purified of your filth. You won't be able to save her. She has already been marked.'

Harry abruptly turned to his sister and began an intensive magical scan, startling her in the middle of a sentence. She turned her question eyes to him; however Harry ignored her and everyone else, concentrating solely on the in-depth scan.

The information that was relayed back to him caused him to frown deeply. There were many additions to his sister on a magical level that could be the "mark" the voice had said, while others were simply decorative.

Decorative magic was simply explained as the soul's way to compensate for the imperfections of its human vessel. Examples of decorative magic can be drastic changes in appearance over a short period of time, the appearance of tattoos or other markings along skin in various visually open places which hold specific magical properties.

A magical being can grow 7 inches over night when its soul needs to compensate or change the color and shape of one's eyes in a matter of seconds. The markings usually have some sentimental value to the being and can have protective, offensive, defensive and, or motion magic ingrained into the skin to be used at will. Knowledge on how to use the magic is given at the same time the marking is made. The marking can never be removed but can be changed depending on the will of the soul.

However, marking placed on a magical being without their knowledge for whatever purposes can harmful or deadly. In most cases, marking which resemble decorative magic can be transferred to another being, or removed by the spell caster. If the caster is unknown or dead, the marking must be transferred to another being or left alone until it can be defused or rendered obsolete.

The only way currently known for rendering a decoy mark obsolete is to infuse magic from a relative or loved one into the mark which then combined with a spell will destroy any adverse or unwanted effects of the mark. Afterwards the decoy can be concealed or surgically removed or left.

Harry sighed in frustration before logically shortening the list from 15 designs to 4 by the knowledge of when he saw or was told of their appearance. Standing up stiffly, her motioned for Hermione to follow then stalked swiftly towards the professor's table and their head of house.

"Professor Snape, sir." Harry greeted tersely. Hermione stared at her brother with confusing slowly warping into worry. Snape observed the tense form of the 7th year before answering. Guarded jade eyes were narrowed, face slightly flushed and hands clenched at his sides.

"Mister Evans. Is there a problem?" the Potions Master raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Yes, sir. I am in need of your assistance." Harry nodded, turned and quickly made his way out of the great hall with Hermione tailing him and Severus following.

"Harry?" Hermione questioned as they made their way to the Slytherin common room. Jaded eyes met hers for a brief moment showing the turmoil of emotions storming through their owner.

'You've been marked.' Harry thought to her, causing her to falter in her steps.

Stepping into the common room, Harry moved to pace in front of the cold fireplace while his sister sat in a near by high backed chair and Snape leaned against the wall, arms crossed staring pointedly at his young charges.

"She's marked." Harry began, pausing in his rapid pacing. "I don't know how, or when, but she's marked by Voldemort. It's a decoy decorative mark but I don't know which one. I've narrowed it down to four, but the V-Voi- ice told me nothing more then that. I just..." he trailed off agitatedly.

"I'm what?" Hermione cried incredulously. Snape, who had tensed at the Dark Lord's name grabbed Harry by the forearms and kept him in place.

"What voice? When did you hear this?" Severus questioned forcefully. Harry shook his head back and forth as if trying to dispel unwanted thoughts.

'She'll die soon. You are too late. Even now our Lord is killing her. Her magic will be painfully stripped from her diseased body. Her core harvested. Long after she is dead, her magic will still be support our Lord. It is done...' the Voice whispered happily in Harry's ear.

"The-the... mark first!" Harry struggled out of Severus' grasp and rushed over to his sister. "The flower, sun, tri-circle and tear drop, what do they do? Quickly!" Harry urged, taking Hermione's hand into his own in a tight grip. She looked confused for a moment, dazed.

"Which... ones?" her voice wavered.

"Flower, sun, tri-circle and tear drop." Harry rushed, pleading silently for her to speak.

"Flower protective, sun transport, tri-circle... offensive, tear drop... the tear drop...? I don't know... there doesn't seem to..." she dropped off, eyes clouded and skin paling to soft gray.

"We need to transfer the mark or destroy it if we can." Snape spoke, kneeing next to the duo.

"Do you know the transfer spell?" Harry asked already putting his fingers over the small dime sized mark on the underside of Hermione's left wrist.

Snape nodded sharply before whispering the old Latin incantation three times, watching as a glow of deep red spread from Hermione's wrist, and encased her brother's lower left arm. As the spell finished, Hermione gave a soft sigh and her eyes slowly began to focus. Harry pulled his fingers away revealing unblemished skin.

Turning over his left wrist, Harry relaxed, staring at the tear shaped mark now adorning him skin. Upon closer inspection he noticed a slight difference. The Dark Mark lay at the very tip of the tear.

Harry sat comfortably on the floor, smiling benignly at the two in front of him. He knows he did the right thing. Knew he saved his sister from pain, suffering and death. Knew he could fight the link until they were able to disable it. Knew he would suffer. And knew he would have to face both their wraths.

"Harry? What was the mark doing? I felt it draining... something..?" Hermione turned to her brother, instantly on guard with his unnaturally happy smile.

"It was draining your magic and core." Both of Harry's companions paled as he spoke this, causing him to falter. "It was killing you. I had to do something. I can live with it until we can destroy it. The Voice said, you would die... first time it has helped me..." He trailed of confusion littering his face.

"What voice?"

"The same voice that has spoken to me for years. Telling me the truth. Informing me of my disease. My poison... but I don't believe..." Harry stopped, eyes flickering from side to side as his body went slack, falling back onto the cold dungeon floor. Large dilated jade eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling and cried tears of black and red.

In the dark depths of Harry's unfocused mind, the Voice haunted him, singing an innocent lullaby as he tried to escape its' grasp.

'... Sweet Dreams till sunbeams find you... Sweet dreams that leave all worries far behind you... But in your dreams whatever they be... Dream a little dream of me... Dream a little dream of me...'