Dark Magic

A/N: I profusely apologize for how long it took me to post a new chapter. I want you to know that a lot happened in the past month and I did not just blow you off. I'm so so so sorry. So please forgive me. Here is the next chapter. Also, I apologize because it is such a short chapter. But it was necessary. Please note the spell in this chapter should be familiar. And note

Severus sat down gently in a chair in the corner of his bedroom at the Malfoy family home. He ran his hands through his dark hair and sighed in exhaustion. He slipped off his shoes and leaned back in the chair. Just as he was about to relax he heard the clicking of a lock. Springing to his feet he pointed his wand in the direction of the sound- the window. In the darkness, the window swung open and a feline figure slipped into the room.

"Damn it, Minerva, I almost killed you." Severus glared at the woman who had suddenly appeared in the place of the tabby cat.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't want to draw attention to spending so much time with you." His smirk at her wording caused her to roll her eyes and rephrase. "I mean, most of your 'friends' do not trust me as it is. We do not need them suspecting you as well."

Snape motioned to the chair and conjured one for himself out of thin air. "Please have a seat. What is on your mind?"

"Horcruxes."

"You know what a horcrux is correct?"

Minerva glared at him, clearly feeling that he had insulted her intelligence. "Of course I know what a horcrux is. I want to know if he succeeded in making more than one."

"What do you think?" asked Severus as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"I think he did. I also think that these horcruxes are what Potter is about to go running around looking for."

"There are seven," he said. Minerva's eyes widened at the revelation. "Or at least that is what Albus thought."

"Seven," she whispered in shock. "How many have we destroyed?"

"Two for certain. Albus went after a third the night…"

"You killed him?" Seeing his painful flinch, her eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Severus. It's just hard for me sometimes. Albus saved me from all of this…this life you live. I thought, for an instance, that we had saved you too."

"You can't walk away from this life."

"I know." Silence stilled the air around them. Minerva played with the silver ring around her finger, spinning it round and round. She always thought of it as a burden. Now maybe, it could be a tool, a way to save the poor souls like Severus Snape and Augustus Rookwood. Men who had made their choices; there were boys who were making that choice now. Draco Malfoy came to mind.

"Have you gotten the Horcrux at Hogwarts?" Snape's head snapped to attention.

"Hogwarts?"

"Yes, it was some kind of crown…" She closed her eyes trying to think clearly. "I can't really remember, it was so long ago."

"We'll figure it out when we get back to Hogwarts."

Minerva stood to leave and walked over to the window. Glancing back at her colleague she said faintly, "I'm not sure I want to go back. Not like this."

"You know you have to," he whispered after her as she transfigured into her animagus form.

-BREAK-

The next envelope held the letter marked February 1946. The letter was very short, much like the very first one. Her message may have been short, but the consequence of it was certainly lengthy.

"There was always something that pulled Tom and I together: intelligence and a thirst for knowledge. It was a dangerous combination and ever since our first meeting at the lake all those years ago, we had pushing each other to push the boundaries of our magic. Everyone who was ambitious in this world looked into the darker side of what made up their lives. I was no different, especially when I was with Tom. In this memory, you'll see I did not succeed in mastering this spell at the time. I have only used it a handful of times since then and all of them were over twenty years after this memory takes place. I did not know pain back then. I do now."

The snow swirled about the streets of Diagon Alley as Minerva walked swiftly through the streets. Her long cloak was pulled tight over her slender body and she kept one hand on her hat to keep it from flying away. She took the stairs quickly down a back alley that Harry knew to be Knockturn Alley. She ignored the catcalls from the local live-in scum and walked with purpose into Borgin and Burkes.

"Mrs. Riddle," greeted the man behind the counter, "How are you today?"

"Just well, Mr. Burkes."

"Tom is down in the basement."

"Thank you, sir." She removed her hat to reveal her dark hair to be twisted up in a bun. The large cloak was the next to slide off as she maneuvered through the shop. She opened a small door and walked down the stairs to a large basement that was covered from wall to wall in books and artifacts. Tom sat in the middle of the room at an old desk writing furiously. Minerva rolled her eyes at her husband's intent concentration.

"I can come back later if you are busy." His head snapped up at the sound of her voice. His dark eyes were shining with excitement as he stood up from the desk.

"No, I just…" He rushed over to her and kissed her briefly on the cheek. "I figured it all out!"

"Oh, really?" Minerva watched in amusement as he was practically skipping around the room as he pulled a few books from the shelf.

"All magic had some sort of origin. Some sort of creator." His excitement seemed uncharacteristic for the normally serious young man, but he was waving his hands around in enthusiasm as he tried to explain his idea to his wife. "It's not just an incantation or a wand. It's a thought…a process of a thought coming to life."

Minerva sat down in the chair at the desk and flipped through his notes. "I took History of Magic, Tom." Shaking his head furiously, he whipped out his wand.

"No, no, no. It's more than just the history of how spells came to be. It's about creating the magic, not the spell."

"Alright. I'll bite. What have you figured out?"

"Latin." She raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the papers.

"Latin?"

He nodded earnestly. "Any fool can think he has created a spell. But I figured out how to manipulate the magic. I know how to turn someone else's spell into my own."

"Impossible." The words came out of Minerva's mouth, but her emerald eyes told that she was fascinated by the concept. She leaned forward in earnest and Tom's smile widened at her interest.

"Take out you wand," he flourished his in example, "Use the Cruciatus Curse on me."

"What?" She had removed her wand from her robes, but dropped it down to her side at his request. "Tom," she hissed, "That's illegal."

He rolled his eyes and motioned towards his chest. "Come on. I promise it'll only hurt for a second." She regarded him nervously, but raised her wand and pointed it directly at him.

"Crucio." The red beam shot toward her husband, but he was already chanting in Latin.

"Totus meus poena , totus meus moestitia , sileo in meus animus. Totus meus poena, totus meus moestitia, sileo in vestri somes." There was a dark green mist, much like the color of the woman's eyes in front of him, surrounding Tom. In the seconds it took the curse to reach him, the mist had absorbed it, redirected it, and suddenly Minerva was facing the searing red of her own curse. She let out a small cry of pain as it hit her and was brought to her knees, but Tom was quick to end the spell.

"See?" He pulled her to her feet and into an embrace, cupping her face in his hands.

"Ouch, Tom, you could have told me it was going to rebound." She winced, but leaned into his touch.

"But don't you get it? It didn't rebound." His eyes were glittering with power. "I took the spell from you…I made it my own. It was mine to use, mine to direct, my magic."

"Merlin, Tom, this is…"

"Magic," he whispered back to her. "You have to put yourself in that mindset.'Totus meus poena, totu meus moestitia' roughly translates to 'All my pain, all my sorrow'. You have to feel all that pain and all the sorrow that the spell would have given you and turn it around. Give all your pain to them."

"Have you showed this to anyone else?"

"Augustus has tried it, but he can't manage the spell." Frowning, Tom turned away from her. "I think he can't harness that feeling; the feeling of pain."

"Can I try?" He glanced back and nodded. He scribbled the words down on a piece of paper and handed it over to her. She read it several times, mouthing the words over and over again, committing it to memory. Nodding, she said, "Ok, I'm ready."

"Crucio," he murmured.

" Totus meus poena , totus meus moestitia , sileo in meus animus. Totus meus poena, totus meus moestitia, sileo in vestri somes." She said quickly, however, the spell made contact and again she was on her knees in pain. Tom pulled the spell as soon as it made contact. "Damn it."

He helped her up once more. "Sorry, I thought you had it. You really have to push all those emotions you associate with physical pain back into the spell."

"Let me try again." There was determination in her eyes and Tom was quick to encourage her.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny watched as time after time Tom cast the Cruciatus Curse on his wife and as time after time she failed to redirect the curse. Curiously, the young Lord Voldemort had no intention of harming Minerva. In fact, it seemed as if he actually wanted her to succeed and turn the curse back on him. The memory ended after several attempts and failures. They never saw her complete the spell.

Preview: For a Child's Love

"No, no, nothing like that. I have something to tell you." She smiled weakly. She reached and grabbed his hand, bringing it down in her lap. "I'm…I'm…pregnant." Tom stared at her blankly and slowly tried to take in her words.

"Pregnant." He said the word as if he had never heard it before.