Meet Vormund! Well, not yet. You'll meet him towards the end. Quick info: Vormund is German for Guardian. Hopefully he will live up to his name.

For those of you who wish for longer chapters, they'll start getting longer very soon. I promise. Thanks for all of the reviews. Now please enjoy a 'darker Harry'. Review, please!

Love, Keta.

Chapter 9: Call to the Darkness

Harry's POV – Vormund at the end

Blue water wells up from the ground, gushing around my feet. It feels warm like blood as it rises higher and higher, quickly coming up to my chest and then my neck. I wail as it comes around my face and into my throat. I scream as loud as I can, but no one comes to my rescue. Suddenly, the water feels sticky… it's blood; I'm drowning in blood. And no one comes…

I open my eyes with a scream. My heart pounds in my chest, slowing as the darkness wraps around me and lulls me back into slumber.

I'm back in nightmare realm but something holds me above the water; a dark blot against the starry sky. "Please…" I whisper, "don't leave me." Although it doesn't speak, I know it won't. And throughout the rest of the night the darkness holds me far above the blue ocean.

My eyes open again to Snakey's morning hiss as the anaconda slithers up onto my bed. "Hello, massster."

"Morning, Snake." I heave myself off the bed and walk into the closet, finding no reason to hide my limp for the time being. I'm surprised my eye hasn't swelled shut, but it's bruised pretty good. I throw a dress on (in Slytherin colors of course) and gather my bearings to leave the safety of my room. Snakey follows closely behind me, and I'm grateful for his company now that Draco and I don't share a room…

Up the stairs to the dungeons, Luna waits, a smile on her face. She takes my hand and leads me to the Great Hall for breakfast. Luckily, the other Ravenclaws have grown used to my presence. Draco and Blaise sit with Hermione, Neville and Ron most days, leaving Luna and I to our own devises. Oh, well their loss. "Harry?"

"Yes, Luna?"

"What did you dream about last night?"

"Darkness."

"Were you scared?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because the darkness will never hurt me."

"And why's that."

"Because," I whisper, my voice growing distant with a dark undertone, "I like it." I laugh lowly, a manic evil feeling welling up in my chest; the darkness presses against my sanity and buries it within mountains of insecurities.

"Hey, Lestrange!"

"What do you want?" I growl and whirl around to stare into the eyes of one of my tormentors, Seamus Finnigan, wishing he'd leave us alone so we could go inside and eat.

"What are you doing going into the Great Hall? Evil wizards like you belong in Azkaban."

The others who don't like me, quite a few in fact, join in with shouts of "Go to Azkaban! Go to Azkaban."

The corners of my mouth twitch into a smile and I laugh. "Do you really think I should go to Azkaban? Just like my mother?" I close my eyes, feeling the darkness laugh too. When I open them again, I know their red like my father's. "Maybe I should. Would you like to take me there?"

"You-you demon!" he shrieks, running away from me.

"So what if I am? Don't touch Harry, and I won't harm you," I whisper, just low enough that only he can hear me.

"Who a-are you?"

"Vormund. Remember my name, Seamus. If you touch Harry again, I will kill you. Now take your lackeys and leave."

As they scramble away, I look at Luna. "Hello, Vormund. It's nice to meet you."

"As it is for me, Miss Lovegood."

"Call me Luna."

"Alright, Luna. Will you promise me something?"

"Yes."

"Don't tell Harry about me."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you that. If you want to know, ask Bellatrix about her deal with me."

"Are you a demon?"

"You'll have to find that out for yourself."

"You're insufferable."

"I live for it."

So what'cha think of Vormund? I'd love to know.

Bye, bye!