No not the wonderful, talented JK Rowling and I own nothing but the charactors you don't recognize and the story line.

Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter posted... life has been busy!

Chapter Forty-seven

Dark Heart Revealed

When Harry, Ron and Ginny arrived at the hospital after supper they could hear voices coming from inside. As the sound of Madame Pomfrey's stern voice reached them, they paused unsure whether to go in or not.

"In my opinion Miss Porter, you need to go see Healer Grimsby. I talked to her for quite some time and she agreed with me that the Dark curse that you have is way beyond what I can do here at the school. She said that she had never heard of a curse quite like yours, and that it was most definitely something very dark."

"I'm not going to St Mungo's." Taylor's voice said angrily. "I'd have been just fine if you hadn't have given me that sleeping potion!"

"Taylor!" Hermione's voice cried.

"Miss Porter, I told you that if I had have known about the curse I wouldn't have given you the potion. That has nothing to do with trying to get a cure for it." Madame Pomfrey's voice was curt.

"A cure?" Taylor's snort could easily be heard out in the hall.

"Yes, a cure! If Mr. Potter hadn't have been here then…"

"If Potter had kept his big yap shut, you wouldn't have contacted some healer at St Mungo's." Taylor growled.

"If Potter hadn't known what to do, we wouldn't be having this conversation young lady!"

Taylor's voice was contrite when she continued. "I'm sorry, Madame Pomfrey. I do appreciate everything that you tried to do for me but I'm not going to St Mungo's. I will just deal with this curse myself."

"As you are of age I can not force you to go. I will just pray to Merlin that you are lucky enough to have a friend with you the next time you do."

Ron and Ginny were staring wide-eyed at Harry as they heard the nurse walking briskly across the floor to her office.

Harry quickly beckoned to the two of them to follow him and he led them to a small deserted room not far away. Quickly putting up a silencing charm he turned to them.

"Harry, what's going on? What happened to Taylor that Pomfrey wants to send her to a Curse Healer for?" Ginny asked concerned.

Harry told them briefly what had happened to his sister last night.

"Pomfrey thinks she has some sort of Dark curse?" Ron asked when Harry was done.

Ginny watched her boyfriend closely and saw a muscle twitch on his jaw.

"You know more then you are telling us, and Pomfrey."

"I'm sorry Ginny, but it isn't my secret to tell you. If Taylor doesn't want it known, then I have to respect that." Harry said in a tight voice not mentioning that the painting of Dumbledore also said not to tell anyone.

"Does Hermione know?" Ron asked quietly.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think she knows everything."

The three friends were silent for a moment.

Ginny knew that there were things about Harry that he couldn't tell her. She didn't like it but she had accepted it, for now. A thought occurred to her. "Was Hunter there when this happened? I overheard a couple of seventh year Hufflepuffs on the way to charms talking about Hunter being away all last night again. Does he know?"

Harry met his witch's eyes as he nodded slowly, "Yeah, he was there the whole time."

"Bloody Hell, Harry! What did you let that git stay for? What if he blabs this all over the school? If Taylor doesn't want us to know I'm sure she doesn't want that git to know!" Ron growled.

"I didn't have any choice. When Taylor… started to… there wasn't time to tell him to go, and then I couldn't leave her…" Harry tried to explain without giving too much away as he looked at Ron.

"Does he believe that it was a Dark curse?" Ginny asked quietly.

With a sigh he told them about Hunter following him into the boy's lavatory.

"That bloody git!" Ron growled as he rubbed his knuckles, "He's stuck his nose where it doesn't belong one time to many!"

Shaking his head Harry said, "Ron you can't beat him up. Merlin knows I'd like to. The fact is Taylor likes the git, so we can't do anything to him." His eyes met Ron's as he saw understanding come into them. They were going to have to tolerate his sister's boyfriend.

"What if he talks…" Ginny started to say.

"If he talks we hex him until he is unrecognizable and stuff him in that cupboard that vanished that Slytherin Montague for a month!" Harry growled menacingly.

The other two nodded in agreement.

When the three of them walked into the Hospital Wing a few minutes later Taylor and Hermione were sitting up in their beds each reading a schoolbook.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Ron asked as he went over and kissed Hermione on the cheek.

"Hey! What am I, chopped liver?" Taylor asked with a raised eyebrow as Hermione smiled.

"Nah, I think of you more as stink sap, a royal pain in the butt to get rid of, but comes in handy sometimes." Ron joked as he grinned at the shorthaired witch.

"Yeah right back at yah Weasley." Taylor grumbled good-naturedly.

"I can see you are feeling better." Ginny cut in, as she sat on the end of Taylor's bed.

Taylor smiled at the other red-haired witch then looked up at her brother.

"I see your humor has returned." Harry said dryly.

Taylor rolled her eyes but her brother's next statement had her eyeing him.

"So Madame Pomfrey thinks you should see a Curse Healer at St Mungo's?"

"Eavesdropping again are we, Potter?" Taylor growled. Then she told them about what Pomfrey had said.

The evening passed easily, the dark and the fear kept at bay by the conversations and laughter. Ron had to go on patrol again, but Harry and Ginny stayed.

It was almost curfew

Greg looked at his watch and groaned. He was out on patrol with a Ravenclaw sixth year witch who talked nonstop. For about the thousandth time he wondered how Taylor was doing as he walked thru the dimly lit corridors. He hoped that Potter was with her so that she wouldn't be alone, though he was fairly sure that Hermione had finally woken up.

Irritated with the slow pace, Greg tried once again to hurry the Ravenclaw along.

He was starving and would have to make a quick run to the kitchens before going up to the hospital to see his witch.

He had missed supper.

After he left the hospital earlier that afternoon, when he had heard the girls crying, he had gone right to his own room. The pull on his heart to go comfort his witch had been strong, but he thought that she probably needed Hermione right then as much as Hermione had needed her. Feeling both physically and emotionally exhausted he had lain down on his own bed, intending only to rest for the half hour or so, until it was suppertime in the Great Hall.

Justin had shaken him awake almost three hours later telling him that the Ravenclaw prefect was waiting out in the hall for him to go on patrol.

Running a hand anxiously through his hair, he wondered what Taylor was thinking of him. He hadn't been to see her since he had left that morning and he remembered all too clearly how short his goodbye had been. He'd been angry at the time and intent on speaking to Potter. Still that didn't excuse him. He had returned at lunch but Pomfrey had told him that Taylor was sleeping and not to disturb her.

Being a gentleman, something his mother had always drilled into him, and given the dangerous times they lived in, Greg felt obligated to escort the Ravenclaw right to her common room before he could hurry off. Hurrying as fast as he could, and not flat out running, he made his way down through the castle to the kitchens where the house elves were only to happy to give him several sandwiches and a jug of pumpkin juice.

With another groan for all the homework that he needed to do, he turned away from his common room and his book bag and headed for the hospital as fast as he could.

The curfew bell rang as Harry stood looking at his sister, uncomfortable with leaving her.

"Harry, look, Ron is going to stay. We decided this last night. You need to get some sleep. I will be fine. The mirror is here if anything happens. Pomfrey isn't slipping me any sleep potion and I… I will be fine." Taylor said as she looked into his eyes, willing him to see that she would be all right. Taylor would have liked for her brother to stay, sure, but she saw how exhausted he was. He needed a good night's sleep.

"Taylor's right, Harry. You do need to get some sleep." Ron said as he stood up and met his best friend's green eyes. He could see the worry in them but also how exhausted his friend was. "I'll be here mate, I promise."

Harry smiled wanly at his red haired best mate. He'd already told Ron how he had woken his sister up, and he could tell that his mate's promise was sincere. It was just that…

"Harry you know I'd hate to have to petrify you and force Ginny to levitate you all the way to the common room," Taylor said in a mock menacing voice.

Ginny grinned mischievously at Taylor as she winked, catching her boyfriend's hand and giving it a squeeze. "C'mon Harry. I'd hate to hex someone who is already in the hospital."

Harry glanced at his witch then back at his sister before nodding slowly. "All right, but if anything happens…"

"I'll keep the mirror handy and let you know right away." Ron said reassuringly.

"Goodnight Harry. Get some sleep! I'll see you in the morning." Taylor said in a firm voice.

"All right. You get some sleep to." Harry said as he looked at his sister and then turned to his other best friend. "Goodnight Hermione. Don't let Ron keep you up half the night."

Ron and the two witches in the beds waved and called their goodbyes as the other two left hand in hand.

Taylor settled back into her bed. She was glad that Harry had gone. He needed his sleep. With a concentrated effort she tried not to notice how dark it was in the hospital now.

The clicking of Madame Pomfrey shoes distracted Taylor again for a moment.

"So you are going to stay tonight are you Mr. Weasley?" The nurse asked as she came around the screen.

If Taylor didn't know better she'd have almost sworn that the nurse was relieved.

Pomfrey however didn't make any more comment and proceeded to check her patients over before giving Hermione her potion. The nurse had asked earlier if Hermione wanted some Dreamless Sleep potion and after a brief discussion, Taylor had convinced Hermione to take advantage of the potion at least for a night or two.

Madame Pomfrey was just about finished when the Head Boy walked around the screen.

Greg was a little surprised to see Weasley sitting between the two Gryffindor witches, but then he remembered the arrangement Potter had come up with last night. Though after what had happened early that morning he'd kind of figured that Potter wouldn't have left. He didn't miss the scowl on Weasley's face as the nurse spoke.

"Well hello Mr. Hunter, I didn't think you were coming this evening." Pomfrey sent Ron a stern look before she gave the same look to Hunter before continuing. "I don't mind if you stay, but these two need their rest." With that she gathered her potion tray and left, leaving the four alone.

"What are you doing here Hunter?" Ron growled low so the nurse wouldn't hear.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished in a hushed voice also.

"I came to see Taylor. I thought that would be obvious." Greg said in a tight voice, as he met Ron's aggressive look.

"Visiting hours are over!"

Taylor was a little shocked to see the Head Boy suddenly appear and was slow to get a grip on her suddenly racing heart enough to speak. "Ron, it's okay. He can stay if he wants."

Greg heard the hesitancy in the shorthaired witch's voice and it pricked his heart to know that she was unsure if he would come or if he would want to stay.

"Where's the bloody git been all evening then? Why'd he wait until after Harry left to show his sorry ass?" Ron growled not taking his eyes off the Hufflepuff.

Greg didn't miss the way Weasley had spoken, as if he weren't there.

"Ron! I'm sure Greg has a reason. If Taylor doesn't want him here then she will tell him!" Hermione snapped as she glared up at her boyfriend. She would never truly understand the way Ron or Harry acted towards Hunter.

Greg looked away from the wizard to look at his witch as she watched him almost warily, like she had when he had first asked her out. "I'm sorry Taylor. I didn't mean to be gone all day. I was by at noon but you were sleeping, then after class this afternoon… I fell asleep in my room. I didn't wake up until I had to go out on patrol. It's no excuse, but I am sorry."

Taylor heard the sincerity in the Hufflepuff's voice and the sorrow in his eyes. It had been a long day. She had wondered often if Greg would come back or not. She had even told Hermione about it during supper. With a shaky breath she said, "You don't need to apologize." She wanted to say that she was glad that he was here, that she had been afraid that he wouldn't come back at all, but she couldn't force any more words past the lump in her throat.

Greg could see the emotions in the witch's eyes; relief, uncertainty, and fear. It hurt him to know that he had made this witch question his feelings for her. He stepped up to the head of the bed and crouched down so that his head was almost level with Taylor's. "Sure I do. If I made you uncertain if I'd be back." The Head Boy said softly as he smiled gently at his witch.

"I think I'm going to puke!" Ron grumbled from across the bed but he had sat back down in the chair between the two beds.

Hermione smacked Ron on the arm and glared at him. "What?" Asked Ron innocently before looking away from Hermione's accusing stare.

Taylor glanced over at Ron, but Hermione smiled at her encouragingly, as her friend said, "I think I need you to hold my hand Ron. I can feel that potion starting to take hold." Taylor mouthed, "thank you" as Hermione tugged Ron's hand and made him turn more towards her, giving Taylor a bit of privacy.

A silencing charm from the Head Boy ensured they wouldn't be overheard even if they could be seen.

"Taylor, I am sorry. I know that when I left this morning I was…" Greg began but Taylor put her hand on his arm.

"Scared, hurt, angry, appalled, repulsed…" Taylor whispered.

"What? No! Taylor I admit I was angry, and most definitely a little scared, but…" Greg started to explain.

"That's the way I felt when I found out…" Taylor didn't say she was referring to when she found out that she had a dark curse, or whatever it was that caused her to have her nightmare.

Greg rubbed his hand up over his face and back through his hair. "Taylor, please let me explain."

"Greg, you don't have to. I am sorry that you had to find out like that, that I am…broken." Greg went to interrupt her again but she put her fingers over his lips. "I have something… wrong with me. For lack of a better term I'll call it a dark curse. I tried to tell you before that I wasn't a normal witch… but you wouldn't listen."

"Taylor, I…" Greg tried again but Taylor pushed her fingers harder against his lips to stop him.

"Greg, I," Taylor looked up at the ceiling wishing there was an easier way to tell him. There had to be a better place but… she couldn't put off the inevitable any longer. If he left now it would tear her in two, but if he stayed longer and then found out and left then…

"I need to tell you some things. You need to know some facts before you decide if you want to stay. As I said I am… broken. The dark curse that causes my… nightmare. It isn't the only thing. I tried to tell you... before Christmas, but you refused to listen." Taylor spoke slowly as she watched Greg's face as apprehension appeared there. Taylor reached out and lifted Greg's hand that was still holding his wand and moved it in a slow s-like motion. "Now maybe if I show you, you will know. The incantation is 'Rivilo dey Magic'"

Greg's eyebrows rose, "That's a revealing spell… why?"

Taylor slipped her wand into her hand and with a slight wave produced a tiny bird that flew around twittering, a simple cheering charm. Nodding Taylor prompted, "Use the revealing charm."

With a look of foreboding Greg performed the revealing spell on the witch on the bed. He could see a tiny array of pastel colors around her.

Heart starting to pound, as a tiny voice in her mind cried for her to stop, that she couldn't drive him away like this, Taylor closed her eyes. It was much easier now to reach for that calm, a spell already forming in her mind as her pendant turned hot. Opening her eyes she spoke, not English but the ancient language. A delicate beautiful butterfly took flight from the end of her wand.

Taylor looked up from the butterfly to see Greg's eyes wide with shock and fear as he looked from her to the butterfly. Forcing her voice to remain calm as the butterfly disappeared she said, "Now try it again."

Greg couldn't believe what he had just seen. The look in Taylor's eyes as she performed the spell… Words he had never heard before had whispered off her lips… He knew he had just witnessed… something, but he didn't know quite what.

Knowing before he even performed the spell that he wasn't going to like what it told him, he waved his slightly shaking wand hand as he said the incantation. This time instead of a tiny array of pale pastel colors, the colors were deep reds and violent purples.

With a startled gasp he came to his feet and backed into the bed behind him, staring disbelievingly at the witch on the bed. Even though he had never seen it before he knew what it meant. How often had his father told him about the dark colors of Dark Magic that he had seen on different objects? How these objects were always dangerous and should never be touched.

Taylor waited for several long heartbeats for the Hufflepuff to recover some from the shock that showed clearly on his face. Forgotten were her two friends that watched shocked and disbelieving behind her.

"The rumors are true. I can use Dark Magic. But I am not into the Dark Arts!"

Greg swallowed audibly as his knees gave out and he sat down heavily on the bed behind him, never taking his eyes off the witch in front of him. It was a moment or two before he found his voice. "You can use… so the Slytherins were right? That night in the corridor did you…?"

"Yeah, I used Dark Magic. Their spells were getting darker and darker, Dark Art spells. It's no excuse but when you went down… I feared what would happen if I was stunned too."

Greg shook his head. His mind was whirling. How could he have been so wrong? His father… Greg dropped his head in his hands and closed his eyes. Taylor's voice from the Hufflepuff study came to him, "You have a family. If the wrong people found out…" Dear Merlin he'd never thought that she had meant her!

Taylor left him alone for several minutes as her heart broke.

"Greg, I never chose this. No one is sure even how I use Dark Magic. I just can."

Wading through the whirl in his mind he latched onto something to ask, not sure if it would make any difference. His voice was harsh and demanding. "You keep saying Dark Magic and Dark Arts, as if they are something different!"

The look in his eyes made her chest constrict. "They are different."

"How do you know!" The deep voice demanded.

"Moody told me. He explained the difference to me." Taylor said and she told Greg everything the ex-auror had told her. Even explaining some of the details about Snape attacking Harry, and how she had used a Dark Magic spell on the ex-teacher, also how she had needed to go and release him from her Dark spell. When she was done Greg was staring at her dumbfounded.

"Why… why are you telling me all this?" Greg asked finally.

Taylor smiled but it was a sad one. "You trusted me. On that first day, in the Hufflepuff study, you trusted me with the knowledge about your family. At the time I couldn't and didn't trust you. Then you invited me to your house, another act of unbelievable trust." Taking a deep breath she continued. "Greg, I am different, broken in some ways… my nightmare… You need to understand and know what I am. There are still some things I can't tell you, but my ability to use Dark Magic is not exactly a well-kept secret. Though I pray Voldemort never finds out. My dark curse as Pomfrey put it or, nightmare is much more of a secret. Only you, Harry, Hermione, Pomfrey and one other know. It is another thing that I hope Voldemort never finds out about." Greg's why? Made Taylor tremble slightly as she explained, "The snake, as Harry told you, that is trying to… consume my soul, is a symbol of Voldemort's" She shuddered, but knew as sure as she was sitting there that it was the truth.

Greg was silent. He was shocked that Taylor had told him so much, to tell him something that could be so dangerous… She had admitted to being able to use Dark Magic, that Moody knew, and had explained the difference between Dark Magic and the Dark Arts. A distinction he had never heard before. Could there be a difference? Was it possible to use Dark Magic and not be into the Dark Arts? Surely if Moody knew, and McGonagall, as Taylor had led him to believe, there had to be a difference.

"Why did Professor McGonagall give you detention after the fight with the Slytherins if she knows you can use Dark Magic and were just defending yourself?"

Taylor looked up at the ceiling again then answered, "Because Professor McGonagall and Moody told me not to use Dark Magic again after Snape. She knew that the Slytherins had used Dark Arts spells, but as they claimed to be cursed when they did there wasn't anything she could do to them. The Slytherins couldn't prove that I had used Dark Magic, so as long as she appeared to come down on me hard for doing something, then the Ministry didn't look any closer. Plus if I was in detention all week the Slytherins couldn't try something else, and I suppose she was hoping that by the time break was over the gossip mongers would have moved on."

Greg mulled that over for a few minutes. Though his mind was still reeling, he needed to know more. "So the wonky spell, the one that drained your magic?"

Taylor paused, but an old saying that her uncle had used so long ago, a life time ago, came back to her, in for a pinch, in for a pound. "Yeah it was Dark Magic. Though it did go wonky, that part was true enough." At Greg's questioning expression she shook her head. "There are still things that I can't tell you. Things that I may never be able to tell you. I'm sorry. Some things are just too dangerous."

"More dangerous then telling me that you can use Dark Magic and about your nightmare? What could possibly be more dangerous then that?" Fear for the first time tinted the Hufflepuff's voice.

"Because those things are just dangerous for me." Taylor said it simply.

Greg's blue eyes narrowed and when he spoke his voice was hard. "The other things would be dangerous for… Potter! You are protecting him!"

Taylor smiled sadly. "Greg, I told you on that first day that I was committed to helping Harry. I will do whatever it takes to protect him."

"Including being caught by Death Eaters." It was a statement.

"Including being caught by Death Eater, facing Voldemort, or dying." Taylor whispered but her voice became stronger as she continued, "I will fight until my last breath, using Dark Magic and everything else I can get my hands on. Because if Harry should die… then everyone I love… every chance that I possibly could have had for happiness… will die with him. He is our only hope." Taylor knew she shouldn't have said so much, that it was dangerous, but she needed to make this wizard understand.

Greg stared at the conviction in the witch's eyes. "And where do I fit in? Is this goodbye?"

A/N ... I know this is the most evil cliff-hanger in the whole story! Sorry about that! (evil little grin) SO what do you think? Will Greg leave? Will Taylor tell him to go? What will Ron and Hermione say? And Harry? I know the reveling spell I used is another I just made up... sorry but life has been busy the past few days and I never got around to looking up the Latin words before then! Please let me know what you think! Wow 60 reviews! That makes me so happy!

Thank you for reading... if you have gotten this far then you deserve some cyber cookies, just drop me a review and I will give you one! LOL ;) Thanks for all those who have added this story to your Alerts and Favorites and those who have taken the time to leave a review! Thank you to barbc for beta'ing for me! Until next time, which will be soon I promise... I don't want you to make you suffer too long! ;) cytpotter.