To be a Werewolf

by Tia Evans

Answer to the Werewolf Challenge see bio for details. After finding out who his real father is, Harry is bitten by Moony and becomes a werewolf. NOW AU!

18. Chapter eighteen A bad day in general

Hey everybody! I'm soooo terribly so for the incredibly long wait. Life got in the way. We just found out my grandfather has lung cancer and he has been going through a bunch of treatments of chemo. School isn't any better either and I think I might fail one of my classes because we have such a sucky teacher.

Anyways, I hope you all can forgive me. You know how it is... I promise it will never take this long to update again. I will NEVER abandon any of my stories, trust me. I am just having a major case of writer's block and I'm trying to finish up my other story.

Thanks once again to all my faithful reviewers. You'll never know how good it is to hear a good word about your story unless you actually write one for yourself. I hope this chapter will make up for the too long wait.

Also, it is unbetaed so excuse any gramatic errors.

Chapter eighteen- A bad day in general...

"Is that all?" a cold voice demanded as pale fingers idly twirled a wand. The robed figure that was currently kneeling nodded his unmasked head.

"Yes, my Lord," a silky voice spoke quietly, as if afraid that it would be showing disrespect if he spoke any louder.

Darian narrowed his eyes at the kneeling figure and smirked inwardly. He smelt fear radiating from the blonde man, as he always did from every one of his Death Eaters; how it should be.

"Draco was going to befriend him, my Lord," Lucius continued, struggling to keep the tremor from his voice. "But he insists on disgracing his presence with the mudblood and the blood traitor." He paused to sneer. "Potter's friends."

"A Slytherin befriending a Gryffindor?" Darian spat, as if it was the most disgusting thing.

"Actually, my Lord, he is a Ravenclaw."

"And why wasn't I informed of the house he was put in, Lucius?" Darian whispered, feeling pleasure as the man trembled.

"I-"

"Cruico!"

Darian smirked at the jerking form, the familiar feeling over superiority welled up in him as he watched the Malfoy's features, twisted in pain. It pleased him to know that he controlled the fate of this once proud man, just as he controlled the fate of all of his other Death Eaters. Slaves… that's all they were to him, born to cater to his every desire, if they valued their life, that is. He scowled as blood-curdling screams finally burst from the stubborn man's lips. Pathetic, he thought vaguely as he lifted the curse.

"As you were," he commanded, once again feeling dominance wash over him as Lucius kissed the hem of his robes, murmuring thanks, before stumbling back into his place in line.

"My Lord," Bellatrix Lestrange slipped off her mask as she bowed deeply, her eyes glued to the floor. "Forgive me for asking, but Potter is dead…what is stopping us from taking over the Ministry?"

Darian scowled, feeling fury rise up in him as he glared down at her. She never could keep her mouth shut.

"You'd do best to remember you place," he spat as he cast the Cruciatus for the fourth time that night.

"F-Forgive me….my Lord," she gasped through clenched teeth. He smirked, lifting the curse and she collapsed lifelessly on the floor for a moment.

"Because, fool," Darian snapped, feeling annoyance rise up in him. "Potter is not dead!"

A collective murmur ran through the ring of Death Eaters as they shifted uncomfortably.

"How can you be s-sure, my Lord?" Bellatrix whispered once she had regained her composure.

Darian growled, of all the stupid… "Idiot! The prophecy states that 'one shall die at the other's hand.' He can only be killed by me!"

"My Lord," Macnair also kneeled briefly as he spoke. "How did you acquire the rest of the prophecy?"

Darian smirked, and he felt relief radiate off the Death Eater. "Potter is no better at Occlumency then he was last year, my friends." He looked around at all of them, as they stared expectantly at him. Macnair and Bellatrix had taken their places back in line. "Dumbledore obviously thinks he can hide Potter from me," he drawled, turning to pace for a moment as he usually did when he was in deep thought.

He turned to sneer at them. "But the old fool didn't cover up his tracks well enough."

"What do you mean, my Lord?"

His sneer turned into a scowl again. "Tell me, have any of you even taken the time to notice the absence of one certain member?"

"Snape," Lucius Malfoy responded immediately, disgust evident in his voice.

Darian nodded toward the blonde, thankful that he had at least one tactful Death Eater left. "Snape's son is in Draco's year is he not, Lucius?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"And Snape did stop joining us when this son of his suddenly made an appearance after Harry Potter supposedly died," he stated, glaring at the staring group around him.

"My Lord," Lucius took off his mask and paled slightly. "Are you saying that Snape is disguising Potter as his son?"

"Obviously," Darian snapped impatiently. "I'm surprised it took you so long to figure it out, Lucius. I daresay you are loosing your touch."

Lucius paled even more, if possible.

Darian shot awake, his pajamas nearly soaked with sweat as his frantic eyes darted around. He lay there, focusing on taking deep breaths as the dream ran through his head again. All at once, the full impact of what the dream meant seemed to hit him with such a force that he lost control of his breathing again. He sat up, feeling a dizzying spell hit him as he did so. He felt nausea rise up in him at the memory of being Voldemort.

No! He wasn't anything like that monster. He would never put the Cruciatus on another (except maybe Lestrange). Though why had he felt such a thrill of satisfaction as he watched them squirming on the ground, all because of him, he had the power over them...

Darian shook his head forcefully and angrily pushed those emotions aside.

No. That wasn't him thinking; it was Voldemort. He would never feel satisfaction from another's pain, even as he thought about it now, the thought of causing someone so much pain, even (he grudgingly admitted) Lestrange, made him want to retch.

Darian quickly tried to untangle himself from the sheets that were wrapped around him. Loosing his balance, he stumbled out of bed, but was free from the sheets. Darian let his eyes roam over his fellow dorm mates. Terry Boot was snoring loudly, his head hanging off the bed hazardously. Darian grabbed the first robe he could find and slipped it on over his pajamas. He grabbed his wand on instinct and hurried down to the common room and out the door.

Darian glanced around at the dark library and realized, with a sinking sensation, that he had forgotten both his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map. Darian turned to go back but decided that he had wasted too much time.

"Tempus," he muttered quietly, giving his wand a small flick. He was unsure as to whether there were any prefects in the library.

Neon numbers appeared, reading "11:06PM". Darian cursed mentally. Wonderful. He had only gotten about two hours of sleep and he knew he wouldn't be falling asleep again anytime tonight. Shaking his head, he padded silently down the stone halls, not even pausing to check the next corridor for prefects or teachers. He knew his enhanced senses wouldn't fail him.

Darian paused to sniff the air experimentally and, after reassuring himself that it was clear, he hurried over to the stone gargoyle, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"L-Lemon Drops!" he panted. It opened to reveal the revolving staircase. Darian stepped on it just as he registered a familiar scent, and it wasn't Dumbledore.

Darian quickly ran back down the stairs, stumbling on the last one and falling to the ground. Automatically, his hands flew up to protect his face and he winced as his left elbow cracked upon contact.

"Mr. Snape?" came Professor McGonagall's voice.

Darian hissed in pain and tried to get up, stumbling again. He felt a pair of arms pulling him up off the floor and met Professor McGonagall's stern gaze.

"What are you doing out of your dorm at eleven in the evening?" she demanded. Darian winced, nursing his elbow, which was already starting to form a bruise.

"I needed to see the headmaster, mam."

She sighed. "And you couldn't wait until morning, Mr. Snape?"

"No, mam, it was rather important."

Professor McGonagall folded her arms. "Well, he isn't here, Mr. Snape. He received an owl from the ministry and won't be back until morning."

Darian felt annoyance rise up in him. "But this is important!"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Snape, but he isn't here and I am not going to interrupt his meeting with the minister!" her voice took on a hard tone. Darian winced and took a step back. She seemed to notice it and looked slightly confused.

"Now, return to your dormitory please, Mr. Snape," she said in a softer tone. Darian paused and heaved a sigh. He nodded and turned down the corridor he had come from. He froze for a moment, making sure that McGonagall was gone before hurrying in the opposite direction, to the only other person who could help him.

Darian shivered, a coldness seeping through his casual robe, just now realizing that he had forgotten to put some slippers on. He hesitated before rapping solidly on the door.

No answer.

He pounded again, louder this time.

Still, no answer.

As he raised his hand to knock again, the door opened to reveal a rather disheveled looking Severus Snape.

"Professor?" Darian asked nervously, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

Snape focused his attention on the boy before him. "Darian?" he asked, voice slightly slurred as he reached a hand up to rub the tiredness from his eyes.

"Professor, I had a dream," Darian whispered.

Snape's first motive was to sneer and ask spitefully, "And I can do what about that?" but, surprisingly, his lips didn't move to say the venomous words. His sneer faded as he stared into the boy's pleading emerald eyes. He mentally cursed and told the boy wearily, "Come in."

Darian looked shocked by the sudden invitation. He gave Snape a grateful look before walking in.

Snape tried to sneer again but found that he was far too tired.

Darian stared around the room. The Living Area looked rather...plain, not at all what he would have expected. It wasn't decorated at all. He had expected to see green rugs, black furniture, and silver drapes, or something similar, but instead, there were just the normal stone walls. There was an empty fireplace and instead of the usual stone floors, there were dark hardwood floors, covered by a threadbare tan rug. The mantle above the fireplace was bare. There was only a small bookshelf filled with potions books and, to Darian's amazement, Defense books also. There was one armchair that looked rather ragged, a dark wooded table, and a rather plush looking couch. Other then that, there was nothing else in the sparsely furnished room.

"Sit down before you collapse," Snape's deep baritone broke him out of his reverie.

Darian nodded and sat down on the couch. It was turned to the side, right beside the fireplace with the small table in front of it and the armchair across from the table, so the two occupants would face each other. He shivered, wrapping his arms around himself, wincing as he stretched the bruise on his elbow.

Snape settled himself in the chair. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a minute. Darian stared at his hands for a brief moment before speaking, "He knows I'm me or...that I'm Harry Potter," he whispered dejectedly, as if was his own fault. He didn't need to explain who 'he' was.

Snape jerked suddenly and Darian glanced up at him curiously.

"How do you know?"

"I had a vision."

Snape stared at him. He noticed that the boy was shaking, in fear or coldness, Snape didn't know. Nevertheless, he waved his wand absently and the empty fireplace burst to life. Warmth bathed the room and Darian relaxed slightly.

"What did the Dark Lord say?" Snape asked quietly.

Darian wrapped his arms around himself and raised his haunted gaze to Snape. "Voldemort-"

"Do not say his name!" Snape snapped out of habit.

Darian flinched and quickly looked at his hands. Snape muttered a few obscenities under his breath. He had almost forgotten that the boy had been abused.

"Go on," he urged in a more placid voice. "What did he say?"

Darian swallowed. "He said that I-er Harry Potter couldn't be dead because the prophecy stated that he was the only one who could kill me and he noticed your absence from the Death Eater meetings ever since Darian Snape's arrival and he put two-and-two together to figure that you're disguising me as your son!" Darian said in one breath.

Snape blinked; it took a moment for his exhausted brain to catch up to Darian's words and when it did, he stood up quickly and disappeared into his bedroom. Darian watched him go and felt almost compelled to not follow. After a couple minutes, Snape reappeared.

"Dumbledore is on his way," he told the boy, as he watched the still shaking form on his couch. Darian looked up.

"How did you contact him?"

"That, Mr. Snape, is none of your business," Snape replied evenly.

"Where are we going?" Darian asked as Snape put on his robes.

"To the headmaster's office," the man answered. "He's flooing."

"Why can't he just floo here?"

"Because the headmaster's office fireplace is the only one someone can floo through."

Darian blinked. "But...Remus flooed to your office in my third year."

Snape nodded. "Yes, but now that the second war has started, we cannot risk anything."

They started out the door and Snape eyed the pale boy out of the corner of his eye. Darian was still shaking. Obviously that dream had had more of an effect on him then Snape had thought. The boy looked as if he were about to faint. Snape turned to him and asked the question that he'd been wondering since Darian had come.

"Why did you come to me?"

Darian looked up to meet Snape's uncertain eyes. "What?"

"Why did you come to me?"

Darian shook his head. "Because you were the only one who knows my real identity."

"And Lupin?"

Darian froze for an instant. Truthfully, he hadn't even thought about going to Remus. Remus, who he trusted as much as he did Ron and Hermione. Remus, who was like a second Godfather to him. And he hadn't even thought of going to him. His first thought was to go directly to Snape for some reason. Because he knew Snape could help him...Snape would help him.

He swallowed, "I-I really didn't think of Remus, sir." He whispered, looking at the floor. "You were the first one who popped into my mind when I found out Dumbledore was gone."

Snape stared at Darian, an unreadable expression on his face. He turned and continued the trek to the headmaster's office. Darian sighed and followed.

Dumbledore was already seated behind his desk when Darian and Snape walked in. He nodded to the two of them.

"Darian, Severus, please have a seat."

Darian sat, and immediately started apologizing. "I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't mean to interrupt your meeting I just-"

"Darian," Dumbledore cut in gently. "There is no need to apologize. I assure you, I am most grateful to be out of there." Darian blinked and nodded slowly as he recognized the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Now," Dumbledore's tone turned serious. "Severus tells me that you had a vision. Could you tell me exactly what happened, child?"

Darian was too exhausted both mentally and physically to be insulted by being called 'child' as he started to recall his dream, taking care to explain every detail that he could remember.

Dumbledore stayed silent through his recollection, but Snape would often open his mouth to say something or make a noise of disgust in which Dumbledore would always silence him with a look. Dumbledore sat back, stroking his beard as Darian finished.

"We could use this to our advantage," his gaze swung to Severus. "Tom still believes that we think that he doesn't know Darian is Harry."

Darian shifted slightly, feeling uncomfortable.

"Darian? What's the matter?" Dumbledore asked in concern. Darian looked up to meet Dumbledore's blue eyes, but looked back down as he remembered Occlumency.

"Is there something you aren't telling us, Darian?"

Darian lowered his head but said nothing. Snape and Dumbledore exchanged glances.

"Darian," Snape's voice rang through his ears. He looked up at them before sighing and giving in.

"Professors...in my dream...I was Voldemort."

Silence met the end of his statement. "I felt everything I...he did to them. It was like I was casting the curses."

Dumbledore looked grave. "And did you enjoy that feeling, Darian?" he asked softly.

Darian looked ashamed, he felt as if he were being shrinked. "I..." he faltered, his mind working in overdrive. 'They're going to think you're nuts,' a voice in the back of his head told him. 'No they won't,' another said. 'Just tell them, they'll understand.'

"Yes..." he whispered and put his face in his hands, shaking. "I did," came his muffled voice. He lifted his face to stare at his two professors. "But it wasn't me, I swear! I could never feel like that about someone else's pain! It was Voldemort. I was feeling his satisfaction, his happiness..." he faltered again, realizing how crazy he must sound.

Dumbledore looked sad but Snape looked shocked. He was paler then usual as he stared unblinkingly at Darian. Darian felt a knife cut through his heart. 'He thinks I'm a loony,' he thought vaguely. 'He thinks I'm crazy. My own father thinks I'm crazy.' Darian looked down at his hands, feeling a familiar burning sensation in the back of his eyes.

"Darian?" Dumbledore asked gently. Darian looked up, feeling his mouth go dry. "Why don't we start up Occlumency again? You need to defend your mind against him. It is no longer just an extra convenience you could have, it is a necessity." The serious tone in Dumbledore's voice made a shiver go up Darian's spine.

Snape started. "Why hasn't this come as a surprise to you?" he snapped to the headmaster. "Has this happened before? Has he had a vision where he feels what the Dark Lord feels? I know he has had dreams that he is the Dark Lord but don't tell me he can feel what that monster feels!"

Dumbledore sighed and looked at Darian, who lowered his head farther. "Yes, Severus, it has happened before, but rarely."

Snape sat back in his chair, looking as if he'd just been shot.

"Darian, I am sorry that I can't teach you. I have been far to busy." Darian nodded and looked over at the old man before looking at Snape, who had an unreadable look on his face.

"Severus?" Dumbledore inquired softly. Snape looked at him before looking at Darian. Their eyes met for a moment and Darian thought he saw a flash of worry as he looked into the dark eyes.

Snape stared at Darian for a moment before mentally groaning.

"We'll start Occlumency at your next session with me," he said grudgingly. Dumbledore smiled.

"Excellent, Severus! You two will need to start very soon and please, Severus, don't loose your temper. We don't want a repeat of last year."

Both Snapes flinched.

&&&&&&&&&&&

"Hogsmeade is this weekend," Hermione said at dinner that Friday. She and Ron were at the Ravenclaw table this time. Ron and Lisa were already stuffing their faces.

Darian nodded as he slowly ate his potatoes, his thoughts elsewhere. Ever since that lesson with Snape a week ago, he had been making amazing progress. Though of course still not strong enough to repel powerful spells such as the Unforgivables but it was better then the horrible progress he had been making before. It was almost as if all Darian had to think about was Hermione and he could take control of Snape's spells. He blushed deeply and swallowed the mouthful of potatoes.

There really wasn't much to say about Occlumency though. He and Snape had mostly worked on developing Darian's 'power' last lesson. They had tried Occlumency once, which had ended with Snape cursing rather colorfully and Darian retching violently on the floor after reliving one of Vernon's more brutal beatings. Darian flinched at the memory. He had been trying to clear his head every night, though he didn't think he was doing it right even after Snape explained how he was supposed to do it.

"So what are we going to do?" Hermione's voice cut through his thoughts. Ron looked up from his plate and said nothing for a moment. Lisa tried saying something but it was barely understandable due to the pot roast that was in her mouth.

Hermione rolled her eyes in a similar way she did to Ron. "Okay, Lisa, now try saying that without your mouth full." Darian snickered quietly. Lisa glanced questioningly at Ron, who merely shrugged in response, before swallowing the food loudly and wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

Hermione made a face. "Disgusting," she muttered quietly.

"I said I don't have any plans but it's supposed to snow this weekend so we should definitely go to the Three Broomsticks." She took another bit of her roast. "It always snows after Halloween."

The Halloween feast really had been disappointingly uneventful. Darian had been half-expecting to hear the news of someone letting a troll in or being invited to a Deathday party or Sirius being found once again in the castle…. Halloween was never uneventful, everything happened on Halloween.

"We always go to the Three Broomsticks; it won't be anything new," Ron complained.

Lisa shrugged. "You and Hermione always have but I never go to Hogsmeade unless I need something. Plus, I suppose Darian would love to go as well." She turned to him. "You ever been to Hogsmeade?"

Darian shook his head without hesitation. "No, but at my old school, we did go to a wizarding village but I heard it wasn't near as good as Hogsmeade."

"Nothing is as good as Hogsmeade, mate," Ron spoke up, playing along. "They serve the best butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks and then there's Honeydukes, which has the best chocolate in the world and the joke shop, Zonko's." He grinned and said quietly. "But I bet Fred 'n George's shop'll run them out of business before long."

Darian smiled, mentally agreeing with him.

"The usual then?" Hermione asked Ron, who shrugged, "I suppose."

&&&&&&&&&&

"Now I don't need to inform you all that these Hogsmeade visits are a privilege which can and will be taken away," Professor McGonagall preached as Lisa, Darian, Hermione, and Ron lined up with other students. "For those of you who haven't been to Hogsmeade yet," she paused, her eyes drifting over the third years to Darian, who avoided her stern gaze. "I expect you to act your age as you are representing your school with your behavior. Do I make myself clear?"

There were only a couple of murmurs of agreement. It seemed to satisfy Professor McGonagall as she gave a nod and stepped aside so Filch could check them off.

"Snape, eh?" he croaked when Darian said his name. Filch eyed him for a moment. "For your sake you best be less trouble then your father was," was all he said before turning to Hermione.

"Well, that was odd," Hermione said as the four of them climbed into a carriage.

"Yeah, really," Lisa agreed, sweeping her windswept hair into a bun. "Usually Filch gives new kids hell before going to Hogsmeade."

Darian shrugged. "Maybe he's afraid of my father," he thought aloud.

"Wicked!" Ron exclaimed suddenly. "Maybe you can blackmail him into giving Malfoy detention."

"Or you can get me out of the detention I have with him tonight," Lisa continued hopefully.

"Honestly, you two!" Hermione scoffed. "Even if Filch was afraid of Snape I doubt Snape would be happy that we were using him as blackmail material."

"That is, if Filch tells Snape," Ron grinned.

"He'll probably find out anyway," Darian muttered dryly. "Then I'd be grounded for the rest of my life which, by the way, I believe he's been looking for an excuse to do for a long time now."

"Maybe he wouldn't," Lisa piped up. "I mean, blackmailing is the Slytherin thing to do and you know how Snape adores his Slytherins."

The carriage pulled to a stop and they hurried out to beat the wave of children getting out of the other carriages.

"Over….here…mate," Ron gasped as they shoved through the growing crowd.

Darian felt suddenly very nauseas at the many people shoving him in every direction. He couldn't stand crowds and briefly wondered how he had grown claustrophobic. Just as he felt his head begin to pound, someone grabbed him and yanked him out the onslaught of the mob.

"Thanks," he panted to Ron and took a moment to regain his breathing.

"What's wrong, Darian?" Hermione pushed her way through the throng of people.

He gave her a wry grin. "I think I'm claustrophobic."

She looked sympathetic as they crossed the threshold into Honeyduke's. "Well that's not good."

"It never is," he muttered back, walking up to a large shelf to inspect the Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans.

"Cockroach Cluster?" Lisa offered, nearly shoving it into his face.

Darian pushed it away, feeling his stomach roll again. "No….thank you."

"Oh come on, I bet you haven't even tried them."

"Nor do I have any urge to."

She scowled. "You're too sarcastic," she grumbled, placing the Clusters back on the shelf. "How about a Pumpkin Pasty?"

Darian walked farther down the shelf before she could shove those in his face also. He had lost his taste for Pumpkin Pasties along with Cauldron Cakes and Licorice Wands some time during the summer. For some reason he really couldn't stand many sweets except for his more personal favorites, namely Chocolate Frogs or Every Flavored Beans or even (though he'd take this secret to his grave) Lemon Drops.

"Oh come on! Everyone likes Pumpkin Pasties!" she called after him, attracting the attention of almost every other person in the store.

"She really can be annoying," Darian muttered to Hermione as he picked up a box of Chocolate Frogs. "It's like she doesn't know when to quit."

Hermione smiled. "You need to lighten up and realize that it's okay to joke around sometimes."

Darian glared at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she answered quickly, suddenly becoming very interested in inspecting a pack of gum that turned your teeth green. "You've just been so serious lately. If you would just relax then you wouldn't feel so stressed."

"Well it's kind of hard to when you've lived a lie your whole life, a madman wants to kill you, your father hates you, and you have to turn into a monster every month," Darian whispered through gritted teeth.

"Oh stop being so negative," Hermione said turning to him. "Sirius is alive, that's one thing that you should be happy for."

"I am!"

"I know you are, but you take the things you have for granted."

"Not as much as some people do."

"But nevertheless, you need to realize that your life isn't always about Voldemort chasing you or Snape disliking you or even you turning into a werewolf every month," Hermione went on quickly before he could interrupt. "You live your life because of the good times, Darian, not the bad. That's what you need to realize. You need to appreciate the good times that you have; the things that make the bad times worth facing."

Darian stared at her.

"Be grateful that you have what you have. Be grateful that you have a living parent, and that you still have Ron and Lisa……and me," Hermione blushed.

Darian blinked and opened his mouth to respond when an odd scent struck him. He froze for an instant and turned to the entrance of the store but didn't see anyone out of the ordinary.

"What's wrong?"

Darian ignored Hermione's question and slowly walked to the door, looking outside at the busy street of Hogsmeade. He reached out a hand to push the glass door open, briefly noting the chiming bell as he stepped outside, his green eyes taking in every detail. Carefully he took in a deep breath, examining each scent with caution until he recognized one. But….this one wasn't supposed to be here, he could feel it.

"Darian?"

He shushed her and closed his eyes concentrated duly on the scent. It was so familiar but he couldn't place exactly whose it was. Obviously he hadn't seen this person since he had became a werewolf or his senses would immediately register the smell, and he began to sift through his memories as Harry Potter to find a matching source, thinking mainly about the Department of Mysteries.

He flinched at the memory. No, it wasn't Voldemort or else his scar would be hurting. It smelled vaguely of a properly groomed person, giving Darian the impression of someone who took great care in their appearance. But….there was something else; the scent gave off an air of arrogance, of superiority, as if he or she believed themselves better then anyone around.

Wait. Darian froze. There was one person who fit that description perfectly. But why would he be here? Unless…

Oh shit.

Darian's eyes snapped open and he immediately traced the alleyways with his eyes and saw them. Black robes, white masks.

"It's a Death Eater attack!" he roared at the top of his lungs, at the same time turning around to shove Hermione down just as a violet spell went crashing into the window of Honeydukes. Then, they flooded onto the streets. There were at least a dozen, all of them with their wands poised.

For a moment, it seemed that no one could register what was happening and then, all at once, chaos reigned. There were screams of fright and pain as the hoard of people shoved their way up the street, away from the Death Eaters but there were too many of them, and all they managed to achieve was to cause more damage in the roar of confusion.

"Go!" Darian yelled, picking Hermione up off the ground. "Into Honeydukes!"

Ron and Lisa, who had been on either side of them, were violently shoved out of the way as a large throng of people piled into the shop.

"Ron!" Darian yelled reaching out to grab his hand and drag him back toward the entrances while Hermione did the same with Lisa.

They shoved through the crowd only to find the doors of Honeydukes closed, and obviously warded. Lisa let out a scream of outrage as she clawed at the wood. "Let us in!" she shrieked, banging on the doors. But they didn't budge, nor did the people inside take pity on them and open the doors. It was amazing what fear would do to people.

"Through the window!" Hermione called, gesturing at the now shattered display window. Darian grabbed both her and Ron's forearm and drug them through the panic, nearly stumbling over a little boy that looked about the age of three who was sobbing for his mother.

"It's warded!" Ron announced pounding against what seemed like an invisible wall. Darian peered in to see the mass of people all jumbled into the small shop. It seemed impossible to fit even a feather into the overcrowded building.

"We need to go!" Darian yelled over the roar of fear. "There's no way any of us could even fit in there." As he spoke he glanced at the little boy who was being trampled by a small group of fourth years. He looked around, trying to see if there was anyone coming for the boy.

Ron, Hermione, and Lisa managed to shove their way through the stream of people to an open spot. "Down there!" Ron shouted to them, pointing to an empty alleyway.

"No way! That's the easiest place for them to get us!" Lisa yelled.

"You got a better plan?" Darian answered for Ron. "The crowd's to strong, we won't be able to make it back to school on foot…." As he trailed off he suddenly remembered the Shrieking Shack. "Come on!" he shoved them through the alley. "We need to get to the Shack!"

"The Shrieking Shack?" Lisa called back.

"Is there any other one?"

"But it's haunted!"

Darian's patience seemed to snap. "Do you want to die or not!" he roared, making her jump.

He watched his three friends hurry down nearly abandoned alley and glanced uncertainly at the little boy.

"We can't leave him," Hermione said suddenly and he gave her a jerky nod before pushing through the mob. He paused, glancing unsurely at the crying boy before quickly making up his mind as a green spell flashed before his eyes. He picked up the boy, marveling at how light he was, before hurrying back over to Hermione, trying not to think about exactly who was on the receiving end of the Killing Curse.

'God help us all,' he thought briefly before they began their trek to the Shack.

"It's this way," Hermione informed as they came to a fork. It was much quieter now that they weren't directly in the middle of Hogsmeade though the screams and shouts from the people only a few hundred feet away were still very coherent.

Darian hushed her. "Not so loud; they're could be a few patrolling the exits." He winced as a woman's scream rang out shrilly above the jumble of noise behind him. Ron turned a pasty white and Hermione clamped her hands over her ears, tears glittering in her eyes.

For a moment, Darian was tempted to turn around and go back, to help those poor people in hopes of saving at least one person but then he remembered that he was Darian Snape now, and a Ravenclaw. Ravenclaws were smart; they didn't act foolishly like Gryffindors did. The boy was still in his arms, which were starting to cramp.

"No, it's this way," Lisa whispered back, going left.

"That's the way back to Hogwarts," Hermione snapped. "You know that!"

"No I didn't," Lisa hissed back. "I told you I haven't been here that much!"

"Nevertheless, only an idiot would think that that's the way to the Shrieking Shack when there was a sign back there that said different!"

Lisa smirked. "Signs don't say anything, Hermione; they inform you in means of words. Only an idiot wouldn't know that."

"This isn't the time to be joking around!" Darian growled, rounding on her. "People are out there dying and all you can do is sit there and make jokes about stuff that doesn't even matter!" He shifted the boy in his arms. "Do you understand? This is real; this is really happening. There is a large possibility that we could die as well and an even larger possibility that our classmates are either dead or close to it!"

"I was just trying to lighten the mood," she said defensively. "Jeez, forgive me if I've never been in the middle of a Death Eater attack and I don't know how to act like everyone else here does."

Darian froze. "What, exactly, is that supposed to mean?" he murmured through gritted teeth.

Lisa merely looked at him with an arched eyebrow for a moment. "You know what it means. Don't think I'm an idiot, Darian, to think that you were born and raised in China when you don't even have an accent and that you were put in an orphanage when you had a father."

"So what are you saying?" Darian asked coolly. "That I was really raised by my father the whole time? That he trained me to be a Death Eater, is that it?"

"Darian," Hermione sounded anxious as she glanced around. "She wasn't saying that." She paused and waited for Lisa to nod in agreement. "Er….are you?" she asked uncertainly when Lisa didn't move.

"How did you know there was a Death Eater attack?" Lisa asked hotly.

"We really need to get going," Hermione said in panic.

"I used my eyes to see people in black robes with white masks," Darian said as if he were talking to a small child.

"Come on, mate," Ron said weakly, his freckles standing out prominently against his white face. "They might be coming-"

"You knew they were going to attack beforehand didn't you?" Lisa said suspiciously.

"How would I have? And better yet, if I had known then why did I warn everyone before it happened?" Darian asked furiously. In the back of his mind, he knew they should be going. The boy had stopped crying and was now looking around in fear at the town behind them. He found it strange that the young boy hadn't spoken yet.

"Darian!" Hermione tugged at his sleeve, looking terrified. "Please, we can talk about this later!"

Darian registered her words but he couldn't help but feel an enormous wave of anger at Lisa. How could she even think of him as a Death Eater? Did she honestly think that he would kill or torture anyone after being friends for the last couple of months?

"You tell me!" Lisa shot back, her voice rising. She ignored Hermione attempts to quiet her. "You knew about it didn't you? Maybe not the whole time but you did know about the attack a couple minutes before it happened, didn't you?"

Darian stared at her for a moment. He felt a weight rise off his chest slightly. She seemed to be pointing away from he being a Death Eater at that point, but was drawing close to him being a werewolf. "Yes," he breathed quietly. "I did and, no I am not going to tell you how. You'll just have to trust me."

Lisa stared at him with hard eyes for a couple of minutes but said nothing. She let out a forceful breath through her nose, making a loud whooshing sound before whipping around and striding down the right path.

Darian sighed and looked over at his two best friends, who were both staring wearily back at him. He paused before slowly easing the boy onto the ground.

"What's your name?" he asked gently. Hermione walked over to him and peered down at the boy also.

The boy had straight, perfectly parted chestnut hair with light blue eyes. He looked so innocent and Darian couldn't help but feel a twinge in his heart. One so young shouldn't have to witness something like this.

"A-Aiden," he murmured shyly, staring at the ground as he absently kicked a rock. He wore a small dark blue robe that was caked with dirt. "Do you know where my mommy is?" he asked them in a tiny voice.

Hermione glanced at Ron, who was frowning. Lisa was a few feet away from them, observing the scene quietly.

"What's your mommy's name?" Hermione asked softly, squatting down next to Darian so she was level with the boy.

He sniffed and rubbed his eyes with his small fists. "I don't know," he whined, looking helpless.

Hermione nodded slowly. It wasn't too awfully unusual for one so young to not know their parents' names. "Do you know where you live, Aiden?"

Aiden nodded vigorously. "In a big white house with a red door." He paused. "And we have a fence to and….and we live by a brown house."

Ron blinked. "Okay," he said slowly. "Er…sound familiar to you?" he asked Darian and Hermione sheepishly. Hermione elbowed him.

Darian sighed dismissively. "We need to go; we've wasted too much time." He glanced at the boy once more before asking in a softer tone, "Do you know what your last name is?"

Hermione shook her head. "He probably wouldn't know that, Darian, if he doesn't even know his mother's name…" But no sooner then she had said that did Aiden say quietly, "Fudge."

&&&&&&&&&&

"I must say, Severus, you have a very intelligent boy," Flitwick commented as he stirred his cherry syrup soda.

Severus made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat as he eyed his untouched gillywater. Dumbledore had drug him along to have a drink with the professors. Dumbledore was currently sipping his butterbeer enthusiastically, his eyes twinkling brilliantly.

"I have to agree," Minerva nodded, also sipping on a butterbeer. "Why, he was the first one to transfigure his chair into a cat, and he even made it a bobcat." The other professors looked impressed.

"I know you were rather well at transfiguration when you were younger, Severus," she went on. "But where on earth did he get his charms work? If I'm not mistaken, you had to be tutored by Lily Evans in Charms."

Filius nodded vaguely. "He's a natural," he said, proud of his new star pupil.

"He should've been a Gryffindor," Minerva muttered before taking another swallow of butterbeer.

Severus looked up sharply, hating to admit how close she was to the truth. He turned back to his water, as if waiting for it to grow wings and fly away. At first when Minerva and Filius commented on how well Darian excelled in their classes, Severus felt a sharp flare of pride for the boy but now he was almost used to it.

"You haven't said a thing about his potion making ability," Sprout spoke up. "I suspect he's also a natural in that."

Severus couldn't suppress a slight upturn of his lips though he immediately turned it into a scowl. The boy was actually getting to be rather decent in potions, though not good enough for a Potion's Master like Severus himself, but Darian was definitely up to standards with Granger. Though he loathed admitting it, Darian probably would have made better grades in his previous years if Severus hadn't been badgering him every three minutes.

"Granger and him will make quite a pair," Minerva breathed, looking pensive. Severus's head shot up.

"Excuse me?" he said a bit dryly. So he wasn't only imagining it; there was something going on between the two of them.

"Could you imagine how brilliant those two's children would be?" Dumbledore spoke up, smiling widely at the Potion's Master.

Severus nearly choked on his gillywater he had been attempting to drink. Darian and Hermione? Married? Children! He threw a floored look at his colleges. Was this what they usually talked about on Hogsmeade trips? Did they always try to predict their children's lives? He mentally snorted. Why did that not surprise him? He wouldn't even be the least bit astonished if they made wagers as well.

"Don't worry, Severus," Minerva said shortly. "It's just hearsay and nothing we say here leaves this table."

Snape glared at her but downed the water in one gulp. "I'm surprised Trelawny does not decide to join you in your pathetic attempts at foresight," he said wryly.

"Oh come now Severus-" But whatever else Dumbledore was about to say was abruptly cut short by the rather loud uproar from outside.

"What's happening, Albus?" Minerva asked as they stood up and walked out the doors to see the street overflowing with terrified people. Her question was answered as at least five green jets of light flew by them, followed by at least a dozen black clad figures with white masks.

"Death Eater attack!" Sprout yanked her wand out and the others did the same though Dumbledore was already raising his.

"The students!" Minerva exclaimed suddenly. "We have to find the students!"

Dumbledore nodded as he thrust his wand toward one of the Death Eaters. A jet of purple light issued from the wand and the Death Eater fell as if he had been coiled tightly with invisible ropes.

"Split up!" he roared above the screams and shouts of their fellow wizards. "Get them to shelter before you search for any others or take them with you. Hurry!"

Severus took the path toward Honeydukes. As he shoved his way through the forceful crowd, he scanned each face, his breath quickening when he didn't see any of the students. What if they were taken hostage? A cold dread filled his stomach. Dumbledore would do anything for a student and the Dark Lord knew that. He grabbed the doorknob to Honeydukes and gave it a hard tug only to find that it was locked and, apparently, warded. Cursing, he rose his wand to break through the ward when he noticed that the display widow was broken.

He quickly stepped over the many shards of glass and peered into the shop noting, with an enormous wave of relief, that there were at least twenty students piled in with over a dozen adults. Sighing, he waved his wand and sent a transparent, silver phoenix into the air to inform the other teachers of the students he had found.After carefully checking the wards on the broken window and door (and throwing on a few of his own wards) he continued down the street only to realize that he hadn't seen any one of four particular students who he had specifically heard them saying they were going to the sweet shop.

Snape froze; his heart seemed to stop for a full minute before he flew back to the sweet shop, staring into the broken window as he tried desperately to find any one of them. But they weren't there. Not one.

He had received a phoenix from Minerva and Albus, telling him that they'd found over half of the students piled into Zonko's, which was one of the largest shops in Hogsmeade. There were even a few stragglers at the Owl Post Office. Had they been taken? His heart skipped a beat as he remembered Darian's words, "He knows I'm me….or that I'm Harry Potter."

Shit.

He glanced into the Hog's Head, Madame Puddifoot's, the Apothecary, cursing each time he failed to see the familiar faces, adding to the fire of panic that had swelled dramatically to the point where he felt weak, almost numb.

Dazedly, he waved his wand in the air and sent out the phoenix again, but with a different message.

Lisa Turpin, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Darian Snape were missing….

&&&&&&&&

Ron blinked. "Fudge?" he croaked, shooting a look at Darian and Hermione.

Hermione cleared her throat and turned to the green-eyed boy. "He's probably related to Minister Fudge. Maybe Fudge is his father or something," she said quietly to the young werewolf.

Darian frowned. "Fudge seems a little to old to have a son of three or four."

"You know Grandpa?" Aiden exclaimed in excitement. "You really know him?"

Ron mouthed 'Grandpa!' to Darian, who rolled his eyes. "Is your grandfather the minister, Aiden?" he asked, careful to say it slowly.

Aiden nodded. "Yep!" he said proudly.

"I never thought Fudge was that old," Hermione murmured in thought.

Darian shrugged. "Must've gotten comfortable a bit too young," he muttered very quietly, though Ron heard him and snickered.

"Well this is just peachy!" Lisa walked back over.

"Done sulking?" Darian asked bitingly. She ignored him.

"We don't have any adults with us, there is a Death Eater attack going on, and to top it all off, we are stuck with the minister's grandson!" she yelled in frustration.

"Lisa, hush!" Hermione hissed.

"Don't hush me! You all may be used to this but I'm not! And I say we find an adult."

"We don't need any adults," Ron said tiredly. "All they'll do is tell us to stay calm, which will only rile us up more."

"Interesting logic," Darian said thoughtfully. Ron grinned.

"They'll protect us," Lisa folded her arms. "Or have you forgotten that they are more highly trained then us?"

"We haven't," Darian said, shrugging again. "We just don't need them as much as you think."

"You should have been in Gryffindor!" Lisa huffed. "You're way to cocky and arrogant."

Darian scowled as Ron and Hermione made a fuss to defend their house.

"I just said that we didn't need them as much as you think," Darian said very slowly, his fist clenched tightly in fury. "We aren't helpless, you know. We are sixth years."

"Which means that we still have almost two years of training to complete," she protested.

"But we've got almost five and a half years under our belt!" Hermione snapped back.

"Yeah, we're not helpless!" Ron agreed defiantly.

"Hush, all of you," Darian whispered. He had heard something. For a moment, everyone froze. Aiden looked around with wide eyes, moving so that he was behind Darian. He obviously seemed to trust the person who had carried him away from all those horrible screams.

"What-" Lisa began but was cut off as Darian shouted, "Get down!" and dropped to the ground as a blue curse went whizzing by his head.

There were three Death Eaters, all of them with their wands fixed firmly on them. Darian backed up slowly, his eyes flickering to Aiden and his friends. He growled, feeling viciousness rising up within him, threatening to consume his mind. How dare these people threaten his friends?

"Darian," Hermione was suddenly right behind him. "Relax," she hissed in his ear. "Your eyes are amber…they'll know…"

Darian blinked and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he struggled to regain control. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he used it as his anchor to control.

Unfortunately, one of the Death Eaters seemed to think that her gesture of comfort had meant the beginnings to a curse, because he immediately waved his wand in a complicated pattern before a violent streak when cutting through the air.

Still in a minor daze, Darian's brain didn't seem to register what was happening and it wasn't until Hermione screamed that he snapped back into action. He briefly had time to think that the spell looked very familiar before collided into him, slicing through his robes and into his chest with the force of a charging hippogrif.

He careened backwards, his feet actually coming off the ground for a split second until he smashed into Ron.

"Darian!" Hermione screamed, but didn't have time to run over when Ron cried, "Hermione, look out!"

A bright red curse issued from a wand and she dropped to the ground as it sailed over her head.

Darian dimly felt Ron gently helping him up. His chest and abdomen stung as if a hundred bees were stinging him and he dazedly felt something warm soaking his robes and trickling down his head.

"Hey, mate," Ron whispered. "You okay?"

His only response was to be shoved down as the green curse missed his head by inches. Darian wiped the blood that had reached his eyes and drew in a sharp breath. That had been the Killing Curse. For an instant, he froze up and the only thing he could think of was if one of those curses happened to hit one of his friends.

Gritting his teeth, Darian swayed slightly before standing up again. "Go!" he yelled to them.

"No, we're not-"

"Yes you are now go!" he roared.

A couple of silvery strands fell from the mask of the front Death Eater. Lucius Malfoy. Darian could almost see the smirk behind his mask.

"That's him," he said to his two companions. "Darian Snape."

Malfoy walked up to them, his wand still trained on Hermione. Neither teenager had their wands out. "Darian Snape," he said cordially. "Our master expresses his interest in you." He paused to take off his mask, revealing a sickly white face with gaunt eyes. "That is usually considered an honor here."

"To me, it's considered an insult," Darian growled before he could stop himself. Immediately he cursed every Gryffindor trait he had, even bravery. The wolf was rising again.

Malfoy's face twisted into a grimace. "You are making a big mistake, Snape," he hissed. "If you are in the master's favor, then you won't have to worry about your dear father being attacked every time he exits the doors of Hogwarts."

"Well I suppose that means he won't be going outside much doesn't it?" Darian replied coldly.

"You insolent, little…!" he broke off and smiled. "Have it your way. Culter!"

The Knife Curse, a very dark curse that could cause excessive bleeding that could be fatal. But he was ready this time, and though he didn't have time to get his wand, he did have one other defense. He just hoped his lessons with Snape had paid off.

Darian stared at the black streak streaking toward him and cleared his mind of all emotions, thinking only of Hermione, Ron, Sirius, and Remus. Feelings of fondness and love welled up in him and he projected it forward, thrusting it directly at the curse.

For an instant, he was afraid that it didn't work. But then, just as the spell reached him, it backtracked, almost folding into itself before striking Malfoy in the chest.

Two things happened at once after that. One: the other two Death Eaters flung two Cruciatus's at Darian and two: Snape came out of nowhere, looking both furious and determined.

Snape made a sharp jab with his wand, which struck one of the Cruciatus's, causing it to dissipate into nothingness. The other continued to speed toward him and Darian was far to worn out to try and stop it.

It collided into him and he was amazed to realize that it didn't hurt nearly as bad as when Voldemort had cast it upon him, though that wasn't saying much. It lasted only for a second before the pain left him, leaving his body worn and shaking. Darian felt strong arms yank him upright, though his suddenly weak legs gave out from under him.

Someone cursed, the voice sounding vaguely familiar. There was suddenly a burst of noise as other wizards arrived at the scene, most of them dressed in ministry uniforms, but it was too late as Malfoy took out a portkey (a box of chocolate frogs) and grabbed hold of his companions before tapping his wand on the box. In an instant they were gone.

Darian swayed as Snape pulled him up again. He suddenly felt very weak, as if someone was draining his energy away with a vacuum. He collapsed once again in his father's arms.

Briefly, he heard Hermione shriek and her hurried footsteps padding over to them.

"Back away, Granger!" Snape snapped as he hoisted Darian up, keeping him upright with an arm around his shoulders. Hermione stepped out of the way but took care to stay behind the two in case her professor lost his gripping on Darian again.

Darian felt pain sear through him and his breathing hitched, causing him to collapse once again. Hermione and Ron took each of his arms this time, but Darian found that he really couldn't hold his attention to them much longer as the stinging pain increased. He felt himself being passed again back to Snape as the man muttered something to the two teenagers.

Dimly, he heard an unfamiliar voice exclaim, "Great Merlin, the minister's grandson is here as well!" There were murmurs of relief, and he could hear Dumbledore talking solemnly with what looked to be the head of the aurors. He smiled as they approached.

"How are feeling, Darian?" he asked, dismissing the auror silently as he turned his attention to his student. Darian felt irritation well up in him.

"That," Darian snapped heatedly. "Is a stupid question." He felt Snape stiffen in disapproval but the man remained silent.

Dumbledore ignored the tone and carefully bent down to examine the long cut ranging from his shoulder to his abdomen. He took out his wand and gave it a small flick, emitting the gash in a blue glow.

"Shouldn't he go to the Hospital Wing, Albus?" Snape growled, his tone suggesting that it was obvious.

Dumbledore sighed and stood up. "Poison," he said simply.

Snape was silent for a moment. "What kind?" he asked gruffly.

"I'm not quite sure yet, but knowing Death Eaters, it could be fatal."

Darian let out a bitter laugh, swaying dangerously again. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that, Professors. I can only be killed by Voldemort and Malfoy may be a bastard but he is no Voldemort."

The two wizards looked at him wearily. "Let's get him to the Wing," Dumbledore spoke after a moment. Snape nodded and continued to half drag him, half carry him to the carriage as Darian drunkenly struggled to walk.

A/N- Okay, I'm not quite sure how this chapter went.

Tell me what you think...

Thanx