And there was I thinking that measles were some kind of sickness for toddlers. Boy, was I ever wrong. well, yes, dear old measles have caught up with me, and caused the delay of this chapter. I apologize deeply. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

Disclaimer: I do not own the story of Harry Potter, but I do own Noir, thank you.

NOIR and the Dark Side

Three figures Apparated on a hill that was covered with blooming violets and carnations. The aroma of the two flowers clashed rather stingy, but the sight was ever eye-catching. It was as if someone had laid carpets of purple and faded pink on the unleveled Earth below.

There was a small monument placed on the very top of the hill. It was made of pale marble with a slate embossed with scripts.

'Ah, never changed,' Noir sighed. She drew her right hand out from behind her robes and made flower petals shower the marble monument. 'Needs a little sweeping though,' Noir commented, summoning a broomstick from out of nowhere. She made herself busy cleaning the monument.

A few steps away, Malfoy paid attention on the girl's action. He turned to Severus Snape and questioned, 'So it's true? She really is --?'

'A Maneficus?' Snape interjected. 'Yes, and has always been. A wonderful, rare gift it is, to be able to do all sorts of magic without a need of the wand.' He paused for a second then continued, 'Her non-verbal incantation abilities are outstanding also. She can simply kill us without turning her back from us or moving a single muscle.'

Malfoy's jaw dropped very slightly, as he listened to his professor. Was it true that the man had just given a compliment ever so highly on the girl? For all Malfoy's life knowing Snape, that professor of his never gives high compliments to just anybody. Yet the fact that he just admitted was --

'Surprisingly deadly?' said Snape to his pupil, reading his mind clearly. 'No, Noir wouldn't even hurt a fly, if it wasn't necessary. Traumas occurred during her early years so she doesn't have such fond of using hexes that cause major harm.'

'Ah yes,' Malfoy nodded. 'I remember those incidents.'

The two men stood still reminiscing some time ago, while Noir continued sweeping the site. She hummed along as she swayed back and forth. It was either the area was actually an avec habitat or her humming attracted birds, or maybe both, causing a white flock of doves hover over the monument. The scene was hypnotizing, simply ecstasy to the eye.

Noir clapped her hands together once and the broom disappeared. Then she kneeled in front of the tomb. She whispered some words that were inaudible to Snape and Malfoy. She gently placed a hand on the tomb and merely stared at the embossing for a few seconds. It read:

Rest in Peace

Rani Blanc

Loving wife, caring mother, and dear friend

Neither date of birth nor date of death was encrypted on the tomb, but it was not important, thought Snape as he walked up to Noir's side. What truly matters was what happened between the two dates, right?

Noir heard her teacher's footsteps enclosing. She slowly got to feet and sighed. 'We should go back. Father might be asking why we're taking so long.'

With her right hand, she reached Snape's hand and Malfoy's with the other. The three of them then walked into the magical transport tunnel.

'Father, we're back!' Noir exclaimed at the entrance of the house. 'We've got Wormtail also.' "Got" was a bit understating the condition of Wormtail. He was being half-dragged by Malfoy.

What answered was a crispy, cold voice. 'Good then.' Lord Voldemort who was stirring some ingredients in a heated cauldron turned to Snape. 'I have just realized something and I have plans to be established. You, Draco, and Wormtail should go to the den. I will have a few words with you three.'

'You're not planning to kill anyone again, are you, Father?' asked Noir, with an inquiring look on her face.

'That, my dear, depends on how the plan comes out,' replied her father. He beckoned the rest of the group into the den, closing the door behind him silently.

Noir waited alone in the living room, sitting on wooden chair. She stared at her hands on her lap for a long time. Every time she heard her father had plans, it always ended with murder. She had only lived with her father for two years now, but she had experienced three plans that almost succeeded perfectly and even though in the end they did fail, they managed to kill several people on the way.

Death, thought Noir.

Blood. Blood everywhere: on the floor, the walls, and the ceilings. A single corpse lay in the corner, not even whole. Her teddy bear was drenched in red crimson. She was drenched in red crimson. What happened? Where is this?

Old memories flashed through Noir's mind, several parts of it missing. It wasn't a pleasant one, indeed.

Noir clenched her tiny fists so hard that they started to whiten. Who was it? With a teddy bear in her left hand, she walked up to the stiff body and brushed the hair out from its visage. Yes, she recognized that pale, rigid face somehow. Her small hand wiped the blood away. Yes. Mother.

'Understood?' asked Lord Voldemort to his inferiors, as he finished his lengthy explanations.

The three merely nodded.

The Dark Lord seemed satisfied. He clasped his long and bony hands together. 'Well, then. I should--!'

There was an abrupt halt to the conversation as a shrill shriek of horror erupted from the living room. The shriek was so high-pitched that it made a few empty window sills clatter slightly. All four men recognized the voice automatically. 'Noir.'

Snape drew a short breath and turned to Lord Voldemort, 'Master, I believe it has happened again.'

'Yes, I know, Severus,' replied Voldemort. 'She has not… come over it yet?'

Snape shook his head. 'Traumas that occur on children are much more difficult to overcome. Let me handle this. Come Draco, lend me a hand.'

The two entered the dimmed living room where Noir sat on a chair with her hands clutched over her head. She was muttering words to herself, once in a while shaking her head violently. Her body was rocking gently forwards and backwards on the chair. Her eyes had gone blank and were staring at the floor without interest.

Snape knelt down beside the young girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. Noir abruptly looked up at Snape. Then her eyes snapped into horror. 'Professor, I didn't do it! I didn't mean to! I didn't know! Professor!'

'It's okay now, it's okay,' said Snape in a hush, allowing Noir to embrace his neck. Noir shivered fiercely in his arms. Snape turned his head to Draco, who had been watching all along, and mouthed, 'Get a Sleeping Draught.'

Draco nodded and began to search for the draught on the shelf. He found it bottled in a small pinkish container and handed it over to Snape, who tipped the contents into Noir's quivering lips.

Even with the draught, Noir kept on muttering, 'I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean to…' over and over until the potion finally came to its full effective use. Once the situation was calm again, Lord Voldemort entered the living room and gazed at his daughter. 'Take her to her room upstairs.'

Snape nodded and lifted the miniscule figure.

'And, Severus,' the Dark Lord added, 'don't forget to tell her about her part of the plan.'

Snape gave a glance at his master for moment, but quickly nodded again. Then he proceeded up the stairs, accompanied by Draco, who was staring particularly anxiously at Noir's figure.

Author's note: my skin still itches badly. I know I shouldn't be up facing the computer but I couldn't help it.

Audriel: ah, my friend, thank you for keeping up to date with this fic, how kind of you between your mad lessons and everything… how's driving?

Dracofan2207: I read your fic, and it's really nice! Too bad that the chapters are short… and they keep on ending with cliff-hangers! I had to read them all! Couldn't help myself...

'a Harry Potter fan': perhaps, could be, perhaps, I do need to read more. But dear fellow, what's the use of fanfictioning if we can't add a bit twist of our own?

Jinxeh: ahh, my faithful reader… I managed to gulp down some chapters of your fics, as they were very lengthy indeed… thank you for reviewing, it really helps!

Thank you all for reading and reviewing, do continue to do so… I'll be waiting…