Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

"So… if I get you these…" Draco asked in a hushed voice as we stood outside our Dark Arts classroom, the last to leave a particularly dull and useless exercise.

By now, we all realized how inept Professor Lockhart was, and his sole purpose seemed to be constantly creating chaos… and then we had to clean up after him. I was already suspecting that this curriculum was about nothing but honing our skills to deal with accidents and sudden misfires of spells. A crash course on how to deal with dark magic and its effects, directly tailored for us first-year students. It was a practical class to deal with accidents when practicing curses. As I was thinking about this, I only half-listened to Draco. He constantly mumbled as he read through my ingredient list multiple times, trying to weigh how expensive this would be. I couldn't help but smile inside as I also added some... extra stuff to the list. It wouldn't hurt to have some profit for ourselves!

"I know you don't believe me." I yawned, "So I have another proposal."

"I'm listening." He looked up, rolling up the parchment but did not give it back nor pocket it, showing his hesitation.

"Follow me! It is going to be easier to show you!"

I know Quincy was against showing this to him, but to achieve our goals, I had no better idea. This had to be something that would convince Draco and ignite a fire in his heart to become unique. His family was feeling the heat already, getting marginalized by the Death Eaters after repeated failures. Draco himself was punished multiple times already by Professor Umbridge, and unlike Quincy or me, he couldn't take it without complaints. He even involved his father in it, resulting in Professor Umbridge's even more severe punishment raining down on him.

I actually thought of thanking him for it, as it meant Quincy and I had less chance of ending up in detention or under some kind of painful curse from the tip of her wand. I was surprised to hear Draco's father, Lucius, did go and complain to HIM. Directly. Of course, he was made to regret such a decision as HIS wrath exploded out of HIM, blinding Draco's father into one eye for having the gall to trouble HIM with trivial things like his son being punished.

I won't lie; I was highly entertained when Professor Umbridge retold the incident, taking up the first half of her Charms class. She made a clown out of Malfoy before all of us, and I saw it in her eyes… she was enjoying it immensely. Especially the fact she could flaunt her own importance. She was a valuable asset to the Minister of Magic, going by her words, that outranked everything when it came to teaching future generations.

No background mattered in Hogwarts, as the old saying went… although I am sure it meant something else back then. From Professor Umbridge's mouth, it took an entirely new meaning. No matter what the teachers did here, nobody would bother with it. I guess only deaths would give any grounds for complaints. While attending school, we were under their care… their mercy. This realization was hammered into us with Draco's painful example.

"We are here," I said calmly, ending my thoughts and arriving where the entrance to the Room of Requirements was. I made sure to look like I was searching for something, so he won't catch on how to make the door appear; I even pulled out my wand, tapping against the tapestry in different intervals, giving the impression I was casting a spell. I may reveal a secret of ours to him, but I am not going to hand it over on a silver platter.

"What are you doing?" He asked, watching me with suspicion.

"That." I pointed my wand at the wall, seeing the door appearing and enjoying the flabbergasted look on his face when turning around.

"What… how?"

"Come!" I nudged him, refusing to elaborate, and led him into the room where everything was as I expected. This place truly knew what I wished for as the ingredients were now gone from the ritual… I just hope they will come back next time. "I told you we have been working."

"You weren't lying…" He whispered, trying hard to mask his surprise and the excitement he was feeling. "So… what is this place?"

"Where we are going to do our ritual!"

"Explain this ritual to me. I want to know everything and not be your guinea pig, Conrad!" He looked at me, trying to play the strong and influential noble role before me. Not that it would have worked, not even a few years back.

"Quincy and I discovered a dark art that we have been researching ever since. We finally completed it in theory! We only need the last ingredients to turn it into a reality." I explained calmly, pointing at the list in his hand. "If you get them for us, you will have a spot and be part of it. It is that simple! We already exhausted our resources… and I heard your family is wealthy with a lot of connections!"

"You heard well!" He snorted, which was hard to not laugh at. "But how should I know you are not playing me here?"

"Remember when I was almost found dead?"

"Was it…?"

"Yep, I was experimenting with it. As I said, we were perfecting it!"

"So you say that was a failed experiment?" He looked at me suspiciously.

"I wouldn't say it was a failure!" I grinned, flicking my wand and casting multiple spells without speaking, showing him my sudden proficiency in wordless magic that should be a 6th-year curriculum.

"You can… cast spells without speaking?" He caught on quickly but was still wary.

"Yep. Any spells. What we have here is a ritual that gives its users special abilities! You do know that wordless spells can be weaker if the caster is not used to it or proficient enough with the spell. Do you think I really have the ability to learn and cast all my spells without saying anything? Thank you for your praise!" I giggled, making him look at me angrily. "So? What do you say? Are you in?"

"I already told you previously, I want in! I'll get your stuff, but I want first go at it!"

"Well… I promised Quincy…." I added, looking a bit troubled, but inside, I was laughing. He swallowed the bait with hook and sinker! Now I just had to play my own part well enough. If I agree so quickly, he may become suspicious. I couldn't give in so readily.

"I bet if you repeat the ritual, it will gradually lose its effectiveness! Don't try to play me, Conrad; I am not an idiot!"

"..." I bit my lip, avoiding his eyes. "You can go second."

"I want to be the first or no deal! You can have a second! Why do you even letting that dreg go first and settle for being the last? Have you lost all of your self-respect?"

“That ‘dreg’ is my fiancé…” I answered and couldn't help my voice become a bit colder.

"Pft?!" He laughed at first, quickly holding it back, without much success, "Really? You were forced to take her? Bwahaha! No joke?"

"I wasn't forced. I agreed to it." By now, I had to hold my hand behind my back because his words were starting to really anger me. I felt the hate rising up from my stomach, going into my heart, and being pumped through my veins and every muscle in my body, just like when I was looking at Professor Umbridge.

"You have a weird taste, Conrad… Willingly taking on such a low-caste being? That bloodline had fallen hard! It isn't worth anything!"

"..." I held back my thought of 'look who is speaking' at the last moment before remembering to not blow up our plans at the last moment. "You can go first... I will deal with the rest." I spoke in the end, my voice calm, cold, and matter of factly.

"Good! I will go and see to this." He smiled, raising the list in his hand. "I will tell you when I have everything!"

"It is up to you!" I shrugged, following him as we walked out of the room and watched the door disappear. "The sooner you get it, the sooner we can get to it!"

"Who do you think I am? I will get them soon enough!" Draco said confidently and left hurriedly. After he was gone, I heard familiar steps coming from the other end of the corridor.

"So?" Quincy asked, stopping next to me.

"I will kill him."

"What?" She flinched, looking at me surprised and a bit puzzled because she could tell from my voice I was angry.

"I will make sure he regrets what he just told me." I closed my eyes, pushing back my anger from where it came.

"Pft, I bet he was acting like a Malfoy would! Don't take it to heart!" She giggled, nudging me, "Like father like son!"

"Maybe. He will do it, by the way." I changed the topic, turning away from the spot where Draco disappeared and smiling at Quincy instead.

"So? What now? We just have to wait?" She asked, sounding excited.

"No. We get snakes for ourselves. Draco… he will have to do with a summoned serpent! Fuck him! If the spell does not work with it, good! Hmph! Serves him right!"

"Ahaha, he said something really nasty, eh?"

"Called you a dreg," I mumbled.

"Wait, you are angry because he called me something nasty?" She leaned forward, examining my face and eyes, forming a broad smile while blushing.

“Well… yeah… you are my fiancé, so… he should hold back his tongue!"

“Ehehe… yes… yes I am…” She blushed even more, but her smile became even more radiant. "Come!" She suddenly grabbed my hand, starting to pull me away.

"W-what is it?" I asked, stumbling at the sudden force tugging at me.

"I was bored waiting, so I snuck some food out; let's go to our tower and relax a little!"

"Now that you mention… I do feel hungry!" I answered, letting my fingers interlock with hers as she led me and I simply followed, feeling more content than ever before.