III. THIS IS THE DARK ARTS

Harry loved Christmas, ever since she had started at Hogwarts. There was certainly a sad side to the holiday, the reminder that she had no family left that cared for her, but it was also a reminder that she did have a family, her friends were all the family she needed.

Harry didn't know why, but just the atmosphere, the jolly mood of everyone, she felt like hugging the house elves and singing through the corridor.

She had had another two Dark Arts lessons and had one more on Wednesday, apparently she had a bit of a nifty gift for Dark Arts, but Echo still told her she wasn't any good, just had an extraordinary amount of power.

Harry was watching Sasha and Ron play chess, Ron now quite liked Sasha, they had a lot in common, Sasha was also from a big family, he lived with his parents and sister, aunt and her three children and his grandparents and his uncle's orphaned twin sons. Harriet knew to impress him she would have to remember all their names, but she forgot them all anyway. It was Christmas day, and as there were an extraordinarily small amount of students here, the presents were all around the tree in the great hall. There were the five Gryffindors, one Ravenclaw and two Slytherins. They were all busy opening their presents, not paying attention to one another. Harry did notice both Draco and Echo, and even Sasha left some unwrapped.

They had a fantastic Christmas lunch, Harry even pulled a cracker with Malfoy and Echo, and giggled uncontrollably when Echo and Snape shared a cracker, both of them expressionless, even when Echo slipped on the hat she received when she won.

That afternoon Harry, Ron and Sasha were just relaxing in the common room, Ron was reading some magazine Dean had left behind, Sasha and Harry were talking quietly.

Bored off their current topic, Harry decided to ask about Echo, again.

"Have you decided to tell me anything else about Echo?"

"No," Sasha rolled his eyes, "Vhy are you so interested?"

"She seems interesting," Harry said, "That's all."

There was a slight pause.

"Do you like her?" Harry asked, Sasha nodded;

"Of course, ve have been friends long time."

"No I mean, do you like, like her?"

"Vhat?" Sasha looked at her like she was a little mad.

"Do you like her like a girlfriend?" Harry finally asked.

"No, Echo is like sister to me, but I met Ravenclaw girl at table, Luna, she's very pretty, no?" Sasha said, Harry felt stupid, she had been very obviously flirting with him, and now he just likes another girl, granted, Luna was amazing, but Harry still felt stupid and wanted to mope, or disappointed more likely.

"Where is Potter?" Sasha nervously told Echo that Harry wasn't coming to their lesson.

"Stupid girl, why not?" Echo had been increasingly grumpy the past week, now it was Wednesday and she not only seemed Grumpy, but frightened.

"No lesson today," Sasha said, "You're not yourself. Valk vit me." Sasha extended his hand and she took it, Echo had always been extraordinarily short, very quiet, withdrawn and cute. Most didn't see it, but Sasha had seen her around her father. She liked to hold hands, or have a handful of robe, she hated being alone.

"Vhat is Vong?" Sasha asked her.

"Nothing, I'm just a little nervous, school starting again." Echo looked away, "Its cold, could we go back inside?"

"Sure, but I know you are not vorried about school, I know you too vell."

"I'm fine, really, I'm, um meeting Draco's family tonight."

"Oh," Sasha said, then said "Ooh?"

He wiggled his eyebrows. Echo smiled and they left for the castle.

Sasha could tell she was still uncomfortable.

"Little Draco," Draco tried not to tremble when he first saw the Dark Lord, he was a grotesque, mutilated man, and Draco couldn't remember being more afraid in his life.

"I was so disappointed you were never home this summer, I have a little job for you."

Draco was on his knees, and couldn't see the Dark Lord's expression. "I want you to kill Albus Dumbledore." Draco's head snapped up to look at the Dark Lord, Aunt Bellatrix was laughing, His mother gasped. "Will you do that for me? Little Draco?" Draco nodded, he was in to much shock to do much else. "Bellatrix," The Dark Lord was given something from his aunt, and he motioned for Draco to stand. "You know, you can't be a Death Eater without The Mark, Draco." Voldemort took his left arm, and through the sleeve stabbed Bellatrix's knife into his arm. Apart from the shock and sting and fucking pain of the stab wound, which he was fairly certain went straight through his arm, his forearm caught on fire, his skin was ripping and blistering and just burning. Draco yelled aloud, trying to rip his arm from Voldemort's grip. "Tell me boy, can you apparate?" Voldemort hissed in his ear, he shook his head, no. "Useless!" he pushed Draco to the floor. "You can't be summoned until you can apparate, boy, so I suggest you learn!" Draco crawled to his mother, his arm was bleeding, and she wordlessly gave him a cloth to tie around it for now.

"Now, Severus, you've always been one of my favourites," Voldemort was almost purring when Snape stepped forward.

"Yes, My Lord," Snape bowed his head low.

"Where is your daughter?" Draco watched Echo step forward, she curtsied, very low to the ground.

"My Lord." she greeted him calmly.

"Come here, let me see your Mark." Echo swept up her left sleeve, revealing a Dark Mark, burned into her arm like Draco's. It was just black though, no welts, no scabs, no burns.

"It's healed nicely, shall I see if it works?"

"If you wish, my Lord." Voldemort pressed his wand to the mark, there was a hiss from all the Death Eaters as their marks burned.

"Wonderful, now, Echo, your initiation." Voldemort clapped his hands, and Bellatrix darted forwards and grabbed Snape.

"I know how fond you are of your father, so when I say make him suffer, what happens?"

Without hesitation Echo pulled her wand on Snape and said 'Crucio' Draco watched Snape scream and writhe on the floor until Voldemort finally waved his hand to stop her. She stopped immediately.

"Very well done little girl, I have a job for you as well."

Echo kneeled again, ignoring her father who was struggling to stand. "Anything you ask my lord."

"You need to help Little Draco, can you do that, to kill Albus Dumbeldore?"

Draco looked at Echo, who kept her eyes downcast as she nodded. "Yes, My Lord."

"Leave, now, I'm done with you all." Voldemort watched them all leave, Draco went with his mother, and then ran off to the study.

The study was almost next to the drawing room, there was a small room in between, which conveniently has a peep hole.

Draco opened the little gap and watched the scene inside.

Snape was there, and Voldemort.

Snape was breathing heavily, still suffering from the torture curse his daughter had held him under.

"You will watch them, help them. Make sure Dumbledore doesn't grow suspicious?"

"Of course my Lord, I wish nothing more than for that man to be dead."

"Very good Severus, and you of course know I intend for the Malfoy boy to fail, to punish his stupid father who couldn't retrieve the prophecy?"

"Of course, My lord."

"Good, good, and what of your daughter? How should she be punished if Albus doesn't die in the end?"

"I will kill him for you, My Lord," Snape assured the other man.

Voldemort shook his head. "She will be given as a pet to the warewolves, their work is extrodinary, for filthy mongrels, and you know how much they enjoy children?"

Severus nodded, and the Dark Lord dismissed him, but Draco could very clearly see the tears in his eyes as he left.

Harry was blushing again. Echo hadn't shown up for their Dark Arts lesson, so Malfoy had offered to help her with potions. And since she wasn't cursing, hexing or trying to rip Malfoys hair out, she noticed just how much of a shameless flirt he is. Though he was acting differently than normal, while yes this year Malfoy had been completely out of character since the beginning, now he was out of character out of character. He seemed twitchy, and paled and flinched whenever Harriet moved too quickly. The lesson was going well until she couldn't hold her tongue any longer, she was actually, genuinely concerened.

"Malfoy, why won't you just tell me whats wrong? Maybe I can help-"

Malfoy held his hand up to shut her up.

"For Merlin's sake Potter, just drop it!" Malfoy huffed. "I just don't know. Everything's fine, its in your head."

"It really isn't, Malfoy, I'm sick of being told I'm crazy because people would rather not face the truth, you told me you wanted to be friends well then you have to let me help you."

Malfoy glared at her, and she leaned away from him, glaring back.

"I'm fine," He said, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve, "You're fine, everything is just fine and dandy Potter, Merlin would you just drop it? Not everyone needs you to swoop in and save them, maybe you can't help me okay? Have you ever thought of that. Maybe you make shit worse?"

Harry frowned at him, she knew that all too well, she'd learned that lesson last year and the price was the life of her godfather.

"What do you mean I've made it worse?"

"Nothing, its nothing, just I have to go!" He said, standing, she reached out and grabbed his arm, which he yanked from her grip with another glare in her direction, like her touch had burned him.

"Don't touch me Potter, I'm fine," Malfoy hissed, she stood again and made to stop him, but he shoved her, "Get away from me, filthy half-blood."

And Malfoy stormed off before Harry could slap him.

"Filthy half-blood?" Harriet was pacing in the common room, Sasha was lounging on the lounge, as you do, indifferent, and Ron looked delighted at the excuse to insult Malfoy.

"How dare he? How bloody dare he? I asked him a simple question, and he blows up over it!" Harry continued in much the same way for at least fifteen minuets, Ron adding some colourful insults such as 'twatty albino ferret' and 'buggering little prat'.

"Vat did you ask him, tat has upset him?" Sasha finally asked.

"There's something very wrong, something's going on with him." Harry huffed and flopped into an armchair. "I just wanted to help and he shoves me and storms off, I mean, who even does that?" she muttered.

"Trully horrendous" Sasha said, "Vat if you just upset him?" Sasha looked at her like she was a child. "He has no reason to trust you vit something like tat, does he?"

Harry hated being in the wrong, "I guess you're right."

"I am alvays right!"

"Tell that to your pronunciation." Harry said dryly.

Sasha laughed and said something in Russian, she was certain it was an insult. Ron disagreed with the whole thing, "Don't bother with ferret boy." But Sasha turned the conversation in a different direction.

"I think Echo might be involved she is not herself." He said, Harry gave Sasha her attention and even Ron quieted down.

"Do you think they're up to something?" Harry asked a sick feeling in her stomach, Ron said aloud what she hadn't wanted to voice.

"Death Eaters?"

Sasha shook his head, "She would not join tem, she would never join tem."

"Malfoy might," Harry said sadly, "His father-"

"Vat?" Sasha said, utter panic in his eyes. Harry looked between Sasha and Ron.

"Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father is a Death Eater, I've seen him before at the meetings, when Voldemort was resurrected, the Department of Mysteries last year, but he's in prison now."

"Echo told me the other night that she was going to meet the Malfoy family, I thought her and Draco were more than friends but-"

"They were likely going to a Death Eater meeting?" Ron added, Sasha nodded.

"I don't want to believe that's true." Harriet said with conviction, Ron was not shocked or bothered by it but Sasha agreed with her.

"But are we going to assume they're Death Eaters?" Ron asked, "I guess not, why would You-Know-Who want kids as followers, we're not allowed in the Order yet."

Harry shrugged, "Maybe we are overreacting, look, maybe they really were together and something happened or something?"

"I 'ope so," Sasha said, though he looked thoroughly unconvinced.

"Should we ask Hermione?" Ron suggested, Sasha shook his head, "Keep it between just us," He insisted. "We 'ave no 'ard evidence."

The others agreed, and though it was still a weight on their minds they let it drop for now.

Harry felt the need to apologize to Malfoy; because she was wrong to pry like that. She grew restless just sitting in the common room doing nothing so she excused herself from the boys and went to try to find him, but he was no where to be found, she couldn't even find him on the Marauder's Map. She waited until dinner and stared intently at Malfoy the whole time, and after dinner chased him down.

"Malfoy!" Harry huffed as she ran up the corridor after him, no idea where she was, somewhere in the dungeons, "Malfoy!" And there was nothing for it; she had to crash tackle him.

"Ommph Potter? You crazy bint what the bloody hell are you doing?"

"I'm sorry," Harry said meekly.

"You can't just go tackling people to the ground, its rude and un-lady like and bloody uncomfortable and so muggle of you, you could've killed me- what?"

"I'm sorry for trying to get information out of you when you didn't want to talk."

"Oh, kay, thanks," Malfoy looked at her, a frown marring his handsome features.

"It's just you've been so nice and its easy to get along with you and I feel like you're a close friend already but I know you're a prat and your dad's tried to kill me and I'm kind of the reason he's in prison, but your nice now, and I don't understand why," Harry said this fast, but not too fast for him to understand. "You never even apologised for being horrible to me and my friends and I still feel-"

"I don't like who my dad is," Malfoy said, surprising her, "I don't want to be like him anymore." He confessed, but his eyes were downcast.

"You're not like him," Harry said, calmer than before "Even when you were younger, you were a complete penis but you weren't cruel like he was."

Harry looked at Draco and noticed he was laughing but had tears in his eyes.

"Did you just call me a penis?"

"Yes!" Harry hit him gently on the chest for teasing her choice of insult.

"Thankyou," Draco said, "For everything."

Harry didn't know why she did, but she hugged him, it was what she did when Ron or Hermione were sad, so she will claim it was a habit.

Though she's never hugged either of them whilst straddling them on the floor, she also never stared into their watery silver eyes after hugging them, nor did she kiss them.

But she did kiss Malfoy. He leaned in a little bit and brushed his lips against hers, lightly, and, only ever having kissed Cedric in their fourth year, who, honestly wasn't a very good kisser, she wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and kissed him properly.

They pulled apart and both freaked out a little.

Harry touched her hand to her lips and then stood and just ran.

He was in the room of requirement looking at the vanishing cabinet, if he failed the Dark Lord, he'd be killed, his mother would be killed, his father would be killed, Echo would be fed to the werewolves, or worse. He didn't want to die.

But for now he was just looking at the cabinet, he came here to think about Potter.

She had always been a remarkable woman, small and thin but powerful and confident, she had shoulder length black hair and emerald eyes, and she was very pretty.

Not beautiful, not sexy, pretty. He opened up to her, that one night, because it was all getting too much.

He knew his mother suffered when the Dark Lord came for a visit, he couldn't go home, it was too dangerous, he was supposed to kill his headmaster, soon, and to top it all off, he had kissed Harry Potter, and enjoyed it. He thinks he likes her but he knew he couldn't actually peruse any kind of relationship. She would flip if she ever found his mark. He cared too much about her to hurt her like that, and that thought scared him.

He didn't know if it was because he had know her since he was 11, even though they didn't have a very positive relationship, or if it was just how easily they got over that stuff. He liked her very much. Which was why he should never, never ever never ever never see her again.

His decision to avoid her was all for naught. Echo reinstated their dark arts lessons, as well as suggesting Draco really did help Harry with potions seeing as Snape was getting near unbearable now in classes, and someone needed to help poor Sasha, who was utterly terrible at the subtle art of potion making.

It was an awkward first lesson back, Echo was obviously getting more and more frustrated, Draco and Harry wouldn't look at one another and to top it off, the spells they were learning this time were not even borderline dark, they were downright cruel and dangerous.

Echo had a box of small white mice, Harry felt sick at what they were about to do.

"Dark arts is about intent. I need you to recognise these spells first." Echo said, she lifted a mouse from the box by its tail, "Write down which spell you think I've cast." She unstructed and it began. Harry felt ill, she did recognise these spells, ones that had missed her by less than an inch and it made her stomach drop when she saw the effects. She did her best to recognise them, writing down the colour, incantation, wand movement, counter curse and effects, but there were more than she knew, and her notes were full of holes.

The first spell saw the little mouse squeal in unmistakable pain as its insides were pulled from its mouth, still alive the panicking animal died very slowly, the second one seemed to be burning alive from the inside out, a small pile of ash was all that's left, the next seemed to have all of its bones broken, with a crunching noise the animal was folded in on itself.

Harry wanted to stop watching, but she wanted to see this happen to her friends even less.

The lesson was quiet, Echo tortured the mice, until they were all dead, then wordlessly handed Harriet and Draco a list of the spells she used, and took their lists to mark.

"Complete the lists, effects, wand movement, incantation, counter curse. We'll practice the spells next time." She instructed then she left.

"I'll clean up," Malfoy announced, he was very pale, facing the line of dead rodents. Harriet wanted to help, she really did, but she couldn't bring herself to.

"The killing curse is not as bad as these curses," She said. "It's painless."

Malfoy shook his head, "But there's no counter curse for the killing curse, it is designed for execution, judgement." He argued as he vanished the remains of the rodents.

"There are worse things than death." Harry told him, he looked up at that and nodded. "I guess there is," He whispered. Then Harriet left.

Harry spent the next few weeks dutifully completing all of her work, Draco had really started ignoring her, and honestly it was making her kind of sad, he went home for one weekend and then just changed 180, he went back to his penis persona.

Harry's grades had improved though, for some reason now, while she had retreated into herself again she had turned into Hermione, only very recently had Harry allowed herself to do better in school, now knowing that the Dursleys don't bother to open any mail from Hogwarts, including her grades, so now she was top of her classes, beaten only by Hermione and Draco, and Neville in Herbology.

But Harry was top of her DADA class, as usual. In fact she was doing very well in potions, and it was by some miracle that Snape allowed her in his class, Harry was sure she had McGonagall to thank for that. Harry had even taken to reading a few dark arts books and teaching herself, seeing as Echo had all but disappeared completely. She knew her list of particularly nasty curses by heart, though she dare not practice them (she did practice the counter curses).

Draco was terrified; He couldn't get the memory of his 'visit home' from his mind.

Draco had stepped through the floo with Professor Snape, desperately trying to discreetly dry his eyes, his mark had burned, but white hot pain had shot straight through his arm as well.

He was in his home, and he didn't feel safe to run to his room or go see his mum, just walking up the hallway he saw two dirty men raping a young muggle woman. Snape had to yank him along the corridor to the drawing room, where the Dark Lord was waiting, Echo was sitting on the floor behind him, but she looked terrible.

Severus' hand had clamped down on Draco's shoulder when he saw his daughter, he obviously hadn't known she'd been here.

The Dark Lord smiled when he saw him.

"Draco Malfoy, our guest of honour," Draco went white, but it didn't seem to bother Voldemort. "How's Dumbledore, Draco? Alive, well that's bad news for you Crucio."

Draco still flinched when he just thought about the curse, there was no pain in this world that compared to it, he screamed like a child when the magic swept over him, it was like his insides had been ripped through his body and into his eye sockets by meat hooks. His mother told him it had only been a few seconds, but it felt like a week, and even when the curse was lifted it didn't just stop, he was sore from where he had bashed himself against the floor in his vain attempts to escape the pain.

"You haven't made any attempts to kill Dumbledore, Draco and I'm getting impatient, so, long story short, you can either kill Dumbledore or I kill Mummy Crucio!"

He had begged for mercy, pleaded. And eventually the pain stopped. But It was not over for Echo. With a word the two men from the hall were allowed into the drawing room and they took her away with the instructions of 'no bites, don't kill her.'

Echo had screamed as the men took her away, as had Severus, which ended in him being tortured too. It was most of the night before Voldemort let them all leave, and Draco and his mother had to help Snape back to the school through the floo,Narcissa promised Severus to care for Echo when her punishment was done.

He was crying again, but at least now he had a plan, Draco wiped his eyes as he headed for the room of requirement.