Jewel in the Darkness

"Stop snivelling, Lucius-..."
"B-but, my Lord...he won't b-be my son..." Lucius Malfoy swallowed nervously.
The Dark Lord sighed contemptuously. "Lucius, you test my patience! Once again, I will explain. When a child is born, it's character is already preordained. It's future, everything, is already set." Voldemort glared balefully at Lucius Malfoy.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT IS IN THE FUTURE FOR YOUR BOY?" His voice was loud, but still menacing.
"He becomes a friend of the MudBloods, he falls in love with one, even. He disgraces the name of Malfoy. He even- he even tries to conquer me. ME! The Dark Lord. Is that who you want for a son?"
"No, my Lord."
"Then you will perform a simple piece of Dark Magic, the Alterius Spell. It is very much like the Imperius Curse, Lucius. The only thing is, administered soon after birth, the child will develop the traits you require in it without your bidding." Lord Voldemort stopped. "A loyal follower made from an errant traitor."
"You are right, my Lord, I should not have doubted you." Lucius Malfoy's face seemed twisted, pained. He gulped and opened his mouth again. "My Lord, is there a chance that this will-..." He lowered his eyes. "Fail?"
The Dark Lord caressed his wand thoughtfully. "Now and then flashes of his old self may come through, but that it unimportant. There is...one slim chance. If the MudBlood he was destined to love loves him, he might revert. But there is no chance of that, Lucius, we will put in him the qualities that she hates."
"You are most masterful, my Lord." Lucius bent and reverently kissed the hem of his Masters robes.
"Karkaroff, Snape! Bring the child." Ivan Karkaroff and Severus Snape bowed low and glided away silently. "What will you name the child, Lucius?"
"Narcissa, my wife, she wishes to name him-...Draco." Lucius Malfoy licked his lips timidly.
"The Dragon...a good enough name." Snape offered the helpless bundle to the Dark Lord. "Draco Malfoy."
Lucius took out a dagger and sliced himself on his finger. He let the dark, thick blood ooze into the bubbling cauldron. Reddish brown smoke rose off it and curlicued upwards.
"Blood of the father, to change his son,
To end the tale, before it has begun."
He took a ladleful of potion and tipped it into the the childs mouth. A weird, yellow-green tinge spread over the tiny figure.
"Slytherin qualities we require,
Of his Masters' service he must never tire,
He will value greatly purity of Blood,
And never associate with veins of Mud."
The glow wavered slightly. Lord Voldemort leaned close to the small boy and took out his wand. He muttered a few low words and suddenly it seemed like the child was on fire. A blinding yellow haze shone from him, it subsided a little and Lucius Malfoy watched with awe.
Draco's honey coloured hair slowly turned lighter and lighter as his face drained of blood. All colour seemed to be leeched from his face.
Only his eyes remained unchanged. They had always been of the coldest stone grey. Draco blinked once. Outwardly no change could be seen, but Lucius could sense that from stone they had turned to ice.
~*~*~
Many years later, in Gryffindor Tower...

Hermione Granger threw her Arithmancy book across the room with a muffled yell. It hit the wall beneath the large portrait of Godric Gryffindor and made a dent. Heads turned to stare at her as the pulled out the wand and muttered 'Reparo!' at the wall.
"Hermione, are you-...okay?" Ron asked, gently. Hermione glared at him.
"Oh, I'm just fine. Everything is going just peachy!" She sneered sarcastically.
"Hermione-..." Harry came up to her and began.
She cut him off.
"Leave me alone, you stupid louts!" She threw up her hands in disgust and stalked away, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'insensitive gits!'.
"What's up with her?" Harry asked, bewildered.
"Dunno. Not like her to chuck her homework is it?" Ron said, picking up her battered Arithmancy book. He flipped through it quickly. "Not that I blame her, though, look at this, it's at a higher level than the N.E.W.T's!"
He put the book down in disgust. "Still, maybe there's really something wrong." Harry said, thoughtfully. "We ought to ask Sirius and Hagrid if she's talked to them."
"Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine. Maybe she's just stressed, you know?"
"I don't know, Ron, yesterday she dropped her plate at breakfast. Last Saturday she lost her Quill-..." Harry stopped.
Ron had just picked up a piece of paper that had fallen out of Hermione's folder. He looked at it and offered it tremblingly to Harry. Harry gasped when he saw it.
"A fifteen out of twenty in Ancient Runes!" He whispered, shocked.
"She must be dying." Ron concluded. "I mean-..."
"Just because you're my friends doesn't give you the right to snoop through my things!" Hermione's voice sounded unnaturally shrill.
"But Hermione-...your scores-..." Harry said, weakly.
"That's none of your business!" She snatched the paper from his hands and ripped it into shreds.
~*~*~
At the same time, in the Slytherin dungeons.

Draco Malfoy paced the cold stone rooms. The blazing fire afforded him no warmth. The coldness he felt was not physical. The virulent green decor seemed to hurt his eyes.
He stopped and sighed. He didn't understand these times when he changed. Suddenly, he would hate himself, hate his surroundings...the feeling would then pass. Just as the feeling passed he would feel like a door was being closed.
Sometimes he could even pass through the door to the other side. He saw flashes of light as he groped in the dark. Flashes of feeling and of thought. His heart would seem too cold for him to survive. Then the door would slam shut and warmth would spread over him again.
Sometimes he wished he could stay on the other side of the door.
There he had heard voices, he heard his own thoughts. He experienced a queer love, so familiar, yet so far unknown.
Now and then light would reflect on someone. The person he loved, he just couldn't see her face. He knew her face yet did not. Her eyes would sometimes turn to him.
Like Jewels in the Darkness.
Draco shook his head and banished his ever more frequent imaginings. Stupid idiot! He chastised himself. What would father say? Nothing probably, he's just beat you senseless.
Is that what you want?
"Draco..." A syrupy voice interrupted him. He felt a warm hand latch onto his arm.
"Get off, Pansy!" He said and shook her off. She took a step back, alarmed.
"What's wrong, Draco?" She continued. He fixed her with his cold grey eyes.
He hadn't meant to show anyone their power, but she had annoyed him for some reason. Perhaps because he felt that he was betraying his Love. His Jewel in the Darkness. Perhaps he felt he was being disloyal.
Draco closed his eyes and concentrated for a second. He opened them and stared into Pansy wide glance. Her eyes opened wider for a second and then became terrified. She could feel his coldness seeping through her, pushing into every part of her body. She yelped and Draco suddenly looked away.
Draco shook slightly. He had lost control of his power. That must never happen again. He trembled slightly. Never.
~*~*~
Later, in the Seventh Year Gryffindor Girls Dormitory

Hermione threw off her covers and made a disgusted noise. She was slipping. Her whole life was starting to crumble.
God, Hermione, why are you doing this to yourself? Your grades are getting to be below average and this is your last year. The most important year.
"Hermione, are you awake?" A quiet voice asked.
"Yes...I'm awake." Hermione replied. The owner of the voice opened the curtains and sat carefully on the bed. "How're you, Sylvoren?"
"How are you, Hermie? There's something wrong, I know." Sylvoren Trelawney touched her hand gently.
Hermione laughed softly. "Who would have thought that I, the Divination-hater, would end up being friends with a Divinator!" She stopped suddenly and buried her face in her hands. "Sylvoren...the thing is-..." Hermione gulped. "I'm in love."
For a second it looked like Sylvoren would laugh, but her face quickly became serious. "Well...I expected something a little-...graver than that...but...Anyway, who with?"
Hermione wrung her hands and gulped again. "Draco Malfoy." She said, dropping her voice further.
Sylvoren's eyes widened. "Does he-..does he love you back?"
"I don't know!" Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "You know, Syl, sometimes it's like I can see inside the real Draco. I can feel that who he seems is just a facade."
Sylvoren didn't say a thing, but simply hugged her friend tightly. "Hermie, I don't know whether it will be all right but I just want to say I understand. Many people won't, but I do. I understand."
~*~*~
Potions Lesson, at midmorning...

Hermione couldn't keep her eyes off the back of Draco's head. She jerked her glance away and tried to concentrate on what Professor Snape was saying. As she looked away Draco glanced back at her.
Their eyes locked. The door suddenly swung open in Draco's head. The glance was so familiar...those eyes.
Draco shuddered. They were Granger's eyes, Hermione's eyes.
"Miss Granger! Have you been paying the least attention?" Professor Snape asked smoothly. "What is the eleventh use of DragonBlood?"
Hermione blushed red and stuttered. "Ahem-...it's...uh." She stopped. The whole class stared at Hermione in amazement.
"The infamous Know-it-all is fallible after all, I see..." Professor Snape smiled. "Potter! What is the answer?"
Hermione tuned out again. She didn't hear Harry's answer or see Professor Snape's confused glance.
Draco looked down. Grang- Hermione was the one he loved, the one in his imaginings. He didn't understand why, but his very being pushed him to believe his thoughts. He must believe.
He tore off a piece from his parchment and took out his quill. He screwed up his face and wrote quickly.
Hermione,
There's something important I need to talk to you about. Don't tell Potter and Weasley. I haven't done anything for you to trust me but I'm asking you to now.
In the middle of dinner outside the library. I don't want anyone following us.
Draco
He rolled it up and tucked it in the folds of his robe.
What would father do? He shook his head. Better not to think about it.
Professor Snape glanced at his watch. "Time up. I want a two-foot essay on the Living Death, a report on today's class and at least three feet of research on the uses of Dragons Blood. Miss Granger, in your case I'd like the essay to be five feet long." Snape seemed surprise at Hermione's lack of it thereof, but did not comment. "This has been a terrible class. Everyone, especially the Gryffindors, has been slacking off."
He glowered at them and then turned to gather up his instruments.
Sad man, Snape. Draco thought, understanding Snape for the first time. I understand how bitter he must feel...to have lost her...
Looking at Snape's bitter face Draco's resolve stiffened. He glanced around and panicked. Where was Hermione?
He fairly ran out of class. She was walking away talking to Potter, Weasley and Trelawney. She glanced back and suddenly dropped her books.
Draco could have sworn she did it on purpose.
"Uh- I'll catch up, okay?" She twittered. She slowly started gathering up her books.
Draco started walking towards her slowly, and as he passed her, dropped the piece of parchment on the floor next to her casually. She glanced at him intently and then picked it up.
He continued on in silence.
It was her turn now.
~*~*~
The Great Hall at dinner time...

Hermione's hands trembled as she set down her dinner plate. She looked around for Draco but he was nowhere to be seen. Her stomach felt light and queasy. The food seemed unappetising.
"Come on Herm, eat up, you'll upset the house-elves!" Ron joked, nudging her.
Hermione tried to make a mock-angry face but failed. "I'm not feeling to well..."
"Is there anything I can do, are you all right?" Ron's face loomed concerned in front of mine. He reminded Hermione of his mother.
Draco's so unlike anyone I've ever known. He's outwardly unfriendly, defensive...mean. But I know that inside he's sensitive. I won't say that he's good. He's more interesting than any boy I've known. Hermione thought.
She giggled softly. He's handsome, too. I don't go for just looks but he's grown well.
Hermione glanced at her watch. It was right in the middle of dinnertime. She got up hastily. "I'm going to go-..relax for a while, okay? You, um, take your time."
"Sure, I'll bring up some food-..." Ron began.
"No! I'll be fine!" Hermione said.
She pushed her plate forward and hurried away. She stopped outside the library, but didn't look in, not wanting to be caught by the Librarian.
She paced quickly. It's so stupid of me to come! It's probably a trick...he's probably waiting with his gang of Slytherins to laugh at me...
"Hermione." The softness in Draco's voice startled her. He called me Hermione...
"Hello Draco." She softened her voice. Draco put out his wand hand and placed the other to his lips.
Hermione hesitated for a moment but then took it, shivering in his icy clutch. He drew her into the shadows and round the library. He quickly opened a door and closed it behind her.
"Lumos!" He muttered, lighting the area. "It's the old Transfiguration classroom."
Desks and chairs were littered around the room and cobwebs hing from the ceiling.
Draco let go of her hand. "I suppose you're wondering why I asked you to meet me."
Hermione nodded.
"Hermione every now and then I see images. I see a door. It's opening into another life, a life that I had before. I don't know how or where. I hear voices, feelings...thoughts. They've been getting more frequent." Draco stopped and took a deep breath.
"Hermione, on the other side of the door it's Darkness. The thing I see most are two eyes. Two eyes belonging to a woman that I loved and loved me. I could only see the eyes, I could only see those Jewels in the Darkness." Draco stopped and sat down heavily. Hermione tremblingly reached out a hand and touched his shoulder.
Draco almost recoiled, the touch was so warm and without repugnance. "Hermione, I figured out who those eyes belong to." He looked downwards and then into her eyes. "They're yours." ~*~*~

~*~*~



A/N: We will be doing a sequel (or two) to this, please r/r, we love 'em.
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