Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

I was, once again, the last to leave the library, almost being kicked out by the strict and unfriendly librarian. Why is she even working here? Or is she isn't allowed to leave? Besides making sure the books are sorted and kept in order, she does not even help the students find any of them. Well, no matter! I was already done with my research anyway.

Since my last meeting with the Headmaster, I had two revisions of my spell, and luckily, he never shouted at me, nor did he raise his wand to cast some punishment on me. On the contrary, he looked… pleased? I don't really know; I just can't read his mood or thoughts at all. But… he said at our last meeting that it should be… good enough by now.

"It seems Father was right… I can trust the Headmaster." I murmured as I walked up the stairs, arriving at the castle's front gates. I was just looking around when something hit me on the top of my head, and I was dozed in cold water.

"Ohohooo~!" Arrived the loud laughter and a second water bomb from that annoying menace of a poltergeist.

"One day…" I grumbled, starting to rush towards our common room, followed by Peeves, who was still throwing them at me, cackling like a madman.

By the time I got back to our common room, I was drenched, as if I had taken a swim in the lake with my clothes on. Those who were still up and inside only glanced at me, quickly deducing what had happened.

"Peeves?" Quincy asked, coming up to me.

"Yeah…" I sighed, casting a drying spell on myself while looking around, noticing that very few older students were present. Mostly first- and second-years filled the room, which was eerily weird. I knew it was late but… not THAT late. "Where is everyone?"

"It is Hallowe'en Night." She said, looking at me incredulously.

"Is it?" I asked, thinking, furrowing my brows before remembering and slapping my forehead. "Ah, yes, truly, it is! I totally forgot… So… everyone else is out?"

"Yep. Pretty much." Quincy shrugged.

Hallowe'en Night. A very special day as it was the day that HIM finally fully came to power, eliminating all threats and chasing out the terrorist leader, Dumbledore, from Hogwarts a decade ago. Since then, it has been a special holiday for all wizards and witches. This meant that all the older students, 14 and up, were out in the town, probably having to attend some kind of ceremony in honor of HIS supremacy.

I know that influential families' kids, like the Malfoys, Lestranges, or mine, have to swear their allegiance to HIM and have to perform some kind of task on his orders. No wonder everyone was gone; I bet that many of my peers will be gone for a few days, doing their 'tasks' while the rest probably have some kind of fun in Hogsmeade. This also means I missed the feast…

"I brought out some extra for you." Quincy said whisperingly, "It is in… our classroom."

"Oh… thanks!" I grinned at her and then had a thought. Will she also get to perform a task for HIM two years later? Or had her family been entirely abandoned?

"I will." She answered, making me recoil. Was she this good at legilimency? "No, I am not." She added again.

"I am starting to doubt that." I twitched my mouth, feeling a bit creeped out.

"I'm just used to that kind of look." She shrugged, "I saw that exact same questioning gaze hundreds of times, if not more. I know exactly what you were thinking, and just you know, I am not looking forward to it!"

"Hah, I am surprised you will be allowed to participate!" A voice cut into our conversation as Draco appeared next to us.

"Come on…" I rolled my eyes, but Quincy knew better than to answer him, or it would just give more ammunition to Draco to fire back with. She simply gave him a flat look before starting to ignore his presence altogether.

"It is just the truth!" Draco laughed unceremoniously, trying to tease her into a reaction he could further criticize, "Some families have fallen out of favor so much so that I am confused why are they still considered part of our side?" He asked with a nasty voice, watching Quincy eagerly.

"Says who?" I answered before she could, as she also had a threshold, and I saw her opening her mouth to answer. "Isn't your Father one of those who screwed up some kind of important mission once? Letting the Longbottom family escape a well-placed trap? Wasn't it the Lestranges who had to intervene so it did not turn out to be a complete disaster?"

"You…!" Draco sneered at me, turning bright red and flustered as I hit the nail on its head. That blunder cost the Malfoys great grief as they were no longer the top contenders to be HIS right-hand family. That position has fallen to the Lestranges, to Bellatrix Lestrange. "Like your family wasn't affected just the same!" He added, raising his voice which I answered with a shrug of my shoulders.

"True. But, unlike your daddy, mine was not the planner but the one who followed YOUR daddy's orders. It was not his fault the mission went up in a bust, and they almost escaped! Oh… wait, the kid did escape with those Weasleys' help, didn't he? Still, missing since then? If not for the Lestranges 'arrival, the parents would have been gone too!"

"SHUT UP!" He roared at me, but before he could raise his wand, mine was already out, pointing at his neck.

"Make my day," I said calmly, watching his panicky, silvery eyes. "I am itching to test out the spells we are learning... especially because there are other spells than Avada Kedavra that can kill too, you know." He didn't say anything, but now all eyes were watching me, pointing at Draco. His hand was frozen in mid-air, still thinking to grab his wand or not and how to do it without me casting any magic.

"I think that is enough." A new voice said, and to my surprise, Professor Slughorn came into the common room from nowhere. "Put your wands away."

I immediately lowered my hand and let my wand slip back into its place in my sleeve. This is the exact reason why I never kept it in my pocket. It always had to be at the ready.

"Disperse." The Professor said, watching Draco and me for a moment before leaving once again without us realizing it.

"When did he get here?" I asked Quincy as we sat down at a small table in the far corner of the Common Room.

"I don't know!" She answered, looking at Draco, who was now talking with his cronies at the other side of the room, with their backs to us. "Will there be a problem?"

"Always." I chuckled, "Worry not; I can handle it. And… I need a test subject, so if Draco provokes me well enough, I will test my spell on him!"

"Is it ready?"

"Yep! I was just about to look for some beasts to try it on before attempting to cast it on myself!"

"On yourself?! Are you mad?" She raised her voice before clapping against her mouth.

"Duh! It is made for that exact reason! Don't worry about it! It shouldn't be lethal; it is like a… searching spell! It only looks for information and ancient spells in someone's bloodline!"

"Haaah… If you say so…" She added, rubbing her forehead before looking at my grinning face. "What was that all about, by the way?"

"You mean the thing with Draco?"

"Yes."

"Well…" I leaned back, scratching my chin. "Let's head out to the North Tower; I'll tell you there! We still have time until 9, and I am starving!"

"Okay." She nodded, standing up, and we sneaked out because Professor Slughorn was just as quickly gone as he popped out of nowhere. Well, it was not really sneaking, as I heard a loud, gleeful laugh from others and Draco saying the 'two lovebirds are out on a date again' or something like that.

After arriving at our secret hideout, I was quickly immersed in the snacks and pumpkin juice, enjoying the excellent treats Quincy had smuggled out from the feast.

"So? Are you going to tell me?" She asked, also raising a mug, sitting down amidst the oversized cushions.

"There is nothing much to it, really. You also ought to know that HE got wind of some kind of prophecy that made HIM go after every child that fit the description."

"Yeah." She nodded, "He killed the Potters while the other group went for the Longbottoms. The two families who fitted the description."

"Exactly! Well, the other group was led by Draco's Father, Lucius Malfoy, accompanied by my Father. The reason why none of them were killed as punishment for failing to kill all of the Longbottom family and letting the kid slip away was that Albus Dumbledore was also present. So… their failure was not entirely… unexplainable."

"I did not know that!" She said, looking at me with amazement. "Almost the whole family escaped, but the Lestragnes arrived and managed to kill the parents and the Weasleys who were there to help the Longbottoms and made it possible for Dumbledore to escape with the baby."

"All of them… were killed?" She gulped.

"I think," I answered, tilting my head, thinking hard. "Father never said for sure, but he said they mattered no more. And…”

"And?" She leaned forward with a curious light in her eyes.

"I guess you were not told about it because, reportedly, your Father Regulus was also there. His brother, Sirius, was seen at the Potters. He was almost killed, only escaping death because that half-giant Hagrid brought him away by force! I heard he shrugged off one of HIS spells with his body! That is giant blood for you!" I smiled, trying to look nonchalant but noticing that Quincy had fallen silent at once.

The mere mention of his Father was not something pleasant, I gathered. I bet she never heard one good word about him at all and has probably been suffering under his name since birth. Well… nothing that I could do there.

"That was… a big blunder then." She said, regaining her calm and trying to act as if it did not bother her at all.

"Yep," I answered, putting down my empty mug. "So, even as both Draco's and My Father are ministers, we are… kinda marginalized. Still, a few years and we both will attend that Hallowe'en test of ours. Whatever it may be!"

"It will be nasty," Quincy told me, her voice shaking slightly before biting into her lips.

"Really?" Now it was my turn to ask curiously, leaning forward. Watching her shudder like this made my stomach contract a little. "You know about it? My Father refused to say anything."

"Yeah. I know all about it because my grandmother was telling me every chance she got." She spoke, her voice barely audible. "We will have to demonstrate our proficiency in the Dark Arts. Find, capture, interrogate, and then kill a wizard or witch who works against the Ministry." She finished quickly, not even looking at me while saying it.

"To… kill?" I asked, finding my voice faltering a little. I… I did not expect something like this. And... they expect us to do it? Really?

"Yeah…" She pulled up her legs, hugging them, "After that, we will receive our Dark Mark… My grandmother says only after that will the Blacks be redeemed a little… And I am not looking forward to it at all…"

I couldn't blame her. I wasn't happy about the fact either. Listening to the way she told me… Why should I kill someone who did nothing to me? Well… if it was Professor Umbridge, sure… but… oh boy… this does not sound good at all…