A Lighter Shade of Black
Souls to Save
Blaise sat heavily on a nearby hospital bed and looked up at Draco.
"Are they alright?"
Draco nodded. "Ginevra, Laura and Taylor… " his voice drifted off.
"And Nicole?"
Draco looked away from his cousin just as the doors to the wing swung open once more. Tracey and Greg rushed in quickly, followed soon by the Creevey brothers.
"Where are they?" Tracey asked immediately.
"In there." Blaise replied, nodding to the white curtains.
Greg lingered behind as they all headed to check on the girls. This is all my fault, he thought, I know, somehow, that I deserved this. But not Nikki… Not Blaise or Tracey or the others. Not them.
"Is she okay?" he inquired quietly to Draco.
"Yes, Gin, Laura and Taylor are fine."
"What about Ni… What about Black?"
The blonde cleared his throat awkwardly and Goyle's eyes snapped up from the floor to meet Draco's icy blues. Tracey emerged and motioned to Blaise that he could come sit with Laura while glancing curiously at Greg and Draco. The other two were left alone.
"Malfoy, where's Nicole?" Goyle growled, dark eyes piercing into the blonde's.
"Well… you see…"
"Where is she!" he snapped, slamming Malfoy into the wall and holding him there by his collar.
Draco whispered something incoherent.
"What?"
"I said… I said they don't know."
The larger boy's eyes were blazing with fury. "What do you mean they don't know?" he hissed in a deadly tone.
"After the lightening shot down, through Black, they all passed out… But Nicole wasn't there. They can't find her body, spirit, ghost… hell, they can't find her shoes!"
Snape swept into the room swiftly and stared at the scene with an arched brow. Greg just let Malfoy go and stalked from the wing, his aura daring some one to say anything.
Draco shook his head and quickly made his way to Ginevra's side. He looked down into her beautiful face. She was so pale… Not like her usual ivory-alabaster tone, she was almost transparent now. Her blue-purple veins stood out all over her body, up and down her arms and legs… in her face and neck… everywhere…
The blonde ran a hand over his face and took her hand in his own.
I love you, Red.
…
She was so tired… and so hungry… everything on her hurt so much. All she wanted to do was sleep… But she had to do something. But what was it?
She opened her eyes. Everything was so dark… and soft. She reached up and felt around. For some reason, her hands only made it a few inches before they were pushing on a soft, silky material that was also solid. What was going on?
She felt tears of fear swelling in her eyes. Why was she here? Wherever here was…
"Help…" she whispered, "Some one please help me… Help."
She kept pushing on the fabric above her; pushing, shoving, punching, kicking.
"Help! HELP ME!" she screamed, "HELP ME PLEASE!"
The woman stared into the mirror in horror as she watched the scene play out. Quickly tossing a tattered scarves over the looking glass, she ran, about to go and warn somebody, anybody, of what was happening. But she fell short in this run to heroism because of her lover's arms wrapping tightly around her waist.
"My darling, it'll be alright," he soothed, holding her close, "She'll be alright. She's strong."
Her petite frame shook from her sobs of worry. He pulled her away from his chest and wiped the salty tears away from her cheeks with his thumbs. She gave a watery smile and sighed.
"It's too hard," she whispered, voice cracking, "I worry about those girls. They are so delicate and so very important to everything..."
"I know, luv." he smiled, "I worry, too, but they're big kids and they can live their own lives."
"Do you think we'll all be together ever again?"
"Of course... Eventually Taylor will know. Maybe she'll know the whole story."
…
Harry, in all honesty, didn't really like Hermione all that much as a girlfriend. But, Hermione felt the same way. In the beginning, which seemed so long ago by now, it had been great; passion and feeling and want and everything… Now all that was keeping them together was…
Wait a second, Harry thought, What is keeping me with Mione?
Nothing came to mind that could actually need them to be together. The great battle only needed them to be united in tactics, not in bed.
Harry glanced over at the brunette, who had her nose stuffed in a book of some sort, next to the fire in the den of the safe house. She was beautiful, really, their was just something so… logical about her. She was obvious and correct. She made sense.
The only girls Harry had a chance with were always like Hermione. He wanted - No, he needed a girl that smiled and laughed, a girl that loved life and was crazy and wild.
A girl like… Ginny?
Harry stared at the fire and arched an eyebrow. Ginny, eh?
"Hey, Mione?"
"Yes Harry?"
"I think we should talk."
…
Ginevra shivered in the chilling breeze. She was so cold and the woods were dark and deep… she was lost. Lost in the dark, enchanted forest. She might never get back to the world…
She wrapped her arms around her body tightly and searched for any sign of life in the darkness. Nothing.
As she walked, Ginevra soon came upon a large silver-purple pool. She kneeled down in front of the pool and gently touched her fingertips to the waters. As she did, images flashed before her eyelids… images of blood and skin and pain and… victory.
…
Draco stared intently into his lover's pale face, willing her silently to awaken and kiss his lips so that he could hold her and be held in return. Draco squeezed her body to his for a moment as the smallest of tears slid down his cheek.
"You can't leave me, queen. You can't do this to me… " he whispered hoarsely, "I won't live… not without you."
She did not awaken then, and neither did any of the others. Three days went by; still Taylor and Laura slept in comatose-like states; Ginevra stayed in the woods; and Nicole was not heard from. Gregory was supposed by the other boys to have gone out looking for Black. Draco had only left Gin's side to shower and eat... And that was just the two times.
…
Blaise ran his fingers over Laura's pale flesh. Her complexion was not as bad as Ginevra's anymore. Laura had actually began to gain a small amount of color. He tucked a stray piece of honey brown hair behind her ear and sighed. She was nothing like the other girls he'd ever dated.
Laura was beautiful. Truly and unbelievably. All those Slytherins… they were blonde and raven-haired. Either ditzy or cynical. Always impure and evil, though. Laura shone with intelligence and talent. A hidden strength… She was so great…
"You may not hear this, sweet, but... Laura, I think -"
"What is it?" she whispered, a grin creeping to her face and her voice hoarse.
Blaise's gaze shot up from the hand he held to her face. He instantly went to hug her and he almost did, until she stopped him with a hand. "Too sore."
"Oh… right."
She opened her bottle-green eyes and looked up into his cobalt ones. "What were you saying?"
"I… I think I love you, Laura."
Tears sprang into her newly opened eyes and she flung her arms around his neck. "I love you, too, Blaise Zabini."
End Chapter