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Chapter II: The Darkening Mark

(Daphne P.O.V)

The wind blew through her honey blonde hair as she stared across the River Thames with a bright smile. The smell of flowers in full bloom filled her senses as she looked upon the rustic red stone building in glee. The sun still loomed overhead, and even though she knew it would be a few hours before the stars emerged, she simply couldn't contain her excitement.

She had wanted to come here for so long, and even without stepping foot into the building, the observatory grounds encapsulated her focus as her toes felt the perfectly manicured grass through her t-bar sandals. She hadn't stopped until she had found herself before the statue of General James Wolfe with compart telescope in hand. She smiled as she reflected on how long mankind had been interested in the stars as she adjusted her sage green romper. Tracey's voice echoing in the back of her head, His jaw is going to drop when he sees you, as she pondered why she had ever agreed to wear something so loose-fitting.

"Um, excuse me," she heard a boy call out to her. Slowly, Daphne turned, trying not to let her Ice Queen persona out as the boy looked quiet and timid. He was taller than her, maybe only an inch shorter than Harry the more she thought about it, and his eyes were a warm chocolate brown. Nervously the boy brushed his brunette hair out of his eyes before he spoke, "I um- I was just wondering if maybe you'd- I mean you're very- I-"

But while part of her did gain some amusement in seeing the boy stutter, she forced herself to remember that not everyone she met was as bulletproof to her sarcasm and intimidation as Harry and Tracey were. Gently she replied, "Sorry, I'm actually here waiting for my boyfriend."

"Oh, okay," the boy said awkwardly before he bolted off in the opposite direction, causing Daphne to shake her head in confusion, "Honestly, Muggles are so strange."

Quickly, Daphne shook the experience from her head as blindly, she began to walk the paths throughout the park, her heart fluttering at the well-manicured gardens and the rushing water spouting from various fountains. She had found herself smiling as she watched kids excitedly pull their parents along from sculpture to sculpture and yet, she felt sadness as well..

A pang of sadness filled her heart. Yes, Eoin Davis had always been kind to her, and in a way, he was the father she wished she had. But part of her still craved for the same types of childhood memories with her own parents. She wished she could remember times when her family would laugh together or go on adventures. Yet all she could recall were bitter conversations about business and the importance of appearance.

Suddenly, her heart quickly began to pound in her chest, as her vision blackened from a pair of hands resting over her eyes. Her primary reaction forced her hand towards her bag where her wand was stored, but she stopped herself as she inhaled the scent of Cedar and Green Apple, and with a voice, she had been craving to hear for over a month she heard, "Guess who?"

"Very funny, Flyboy," Daphne said with a forced scowl as Harry removed his hands from her eyes. The first thing she saw was that, while the boy was always quite lean, his muscle definition had become much more apparent, even through his white button-down shirt. The second thing she noticed was that his hair had grown out, and as she watched the way a single strand of hair fell to his forehead, she instantly knew it had been done intentionally to bother her.

Yet there was no time to complain as Harry smiled at her gently, forcing her body to relax as he spoke, "Where's your sense of humor, Princess?" Daphne gave a mock look of disapproval, but her facade quickly melted as Harry spoke the words she'd been feeling for weeks, "I've missed you."

"It's only been a little over a month," Daphne spoke with a soft smile, her cool personality falling apart as she felt Harry's arms wrap around her waist.

"So what?" Harry said with a teasing grin. "That's more than enough time for me to miss you." Harry leaned in, and Daphne closed her eyes as she felt the taste of Harry's lightly-salted lips rest against hers, before wrapping her arms around his neck in equal affection.

As the two broke apart, Daphne was forced to reveal her truth as she rested her head into his chest and smiled, "Yeah, I missed you too, Flyboy. It was too peaceful without you around."

Daphne allowed her defensive state to drop in Harry's presence and happily accepted his hand as they walked towards the red stone building. The show was about to begin.

(Harry P.O.V)

Harry felt his heart racing as he watched his girlfriend smile. In all honesty, while Harry didn't much care for Astronomy at Hogwarts one way or the other, the way Daphne would stare in wonder every time the conductor of the star show would point out a constellation had made Harry feel happier than he could even explain. He grinned as he felt Daphne reach for his hand, and with joy, he took her hand in his.

The show had lasted an hour, and while the auditorium requested silence, every time he glanced at Daphne, her stare had told an entire story. As the lights began to fill the darkened stage once more, he allowed a satisfied look of glee onto his face as he heard Daphne whisper, "Thank you."

As the two walked through the winding halls, Harry laughed as Daphne expanded on her knowledge of telescopes and how important Astronomy was for sea travel back in the day. As they approached the end of the hall, Harry had wrapped his arms around Daphne's waist as he rested his head atop hers and listened.

"Did you know that Galileo wasn't the first person to suggest that the earth revolves around the sun? A lot of people attribute that discovery to him, but he wasn't even the first 'modern' time astrologist to suggest that. In fact, Nicolaus Copernicus was-" She then stopped as she turned up to face him, "I'm boring you, aren't I?"

"Not a bit," Harry said with a smile, amused at the fact that the stoic Daphne Greengrass was finally allowing herself to get excited about something. In the muggle world, she wasn't forced into being the Ice Queen, and he wasn't forced into being the Boy-Who-Lived. He may not have shared his girlfriend's love of the stars, but he liked being this way, just him and his princess, without any titles involved.

Daphne smiled and Harry listened as she rattled on about the silencing of Copernicus by the Catholic Church and the development of Galileo's telescope. It wasn't until the security guards of the business had informed them that the exhibits were closing did Harry finally escort Daphne from the building.

The summer winds had picked up as the night went on, and Harry felt Daphne shiver beneath his arm. He looked at the outfit she was wearing and instantly concluded that Tracey had put her up to it, as it was far less modest than anything Daphne would choose to wear of her own will. Slowly, Harry removed his sports jacket and placed it over Daphne's shoulder causing her to look up to him with a soft smile.

"Thank you. Honestly, I don't know why I let Tracey-"

"You look beautiful, Princess," Harry whispered gently into her ear, "no matter what you wear. But I must say, that shade of green does look amazing on you." Harry smiled as he watched the blush emerge across Daphne's cheeks, and chuckled as Daphne smacked him playfully for saying such 'embarrassing things' before allowing him to take her hand once more. "Come on," he said with a grin. "Let's go get something warm to drink before the night's over. I heard that there's a really good hot chocolate place nearby."

"Okay," Daphne said with a nod, "and then you can tell me what's been on your mind since you got here, besides me, of course."

"You knew?" Harry spoke with a gentle rub of his thumb against the back of Daphne's hand.

"Please, Flyboy," Daphne spoke with a grin, "I can read you like a book."

"I guess I should have expected that," Harry said with a grin. "I just didn't want to ruin our first actual date."

"I'm with you," Daphne said earnestly. "I can handle the news. We'll call the date over after hot chocolate. That way, I'll always have a good memory of our first date."

"Alright," Harry said, his smile renewed with Daphne's word, "I'll take that deal." Together, with Daphne buried into his side, under the warmth of his jacket, they walked towards the cafe beneath the glowing full moon.

(Narcissa P.O.V)

Tears streamed down her cheeks, ruining her perfectly applied makeup as she listened in horror at her son's agonizing transformation. She placed her hands over her ears, begging for the torture her son faced to stop, but no matter how hard she pleaded, no god would listen. Even with the Wolfsbane Potion calming her son's mind, it did little to alleviate the pain his body felt. For years she had endured the traumatic sounds. Every month the pain seemed to worsen, and every month her bitterness grew.

She hated her son's fate, she hated her husband's failures which led to Draco's condition, she hated Greyback, the monster that had infected her son, and most of all, despite her pureblood beliefs, she hated the Dark Lord. He had promised their family. He swore that if Lucius proved his worth to Him once more that He would heal Draco. But He, despite all of Lucius' efforts, never cured their son. No, He, the most powerful wizard to ever live, was killed by a baby and left her son to suffer.

Yet, despite her internal protest to the Dark Lord, she had to mock expressions of joy as her husband clutched his forearm where the mark that once constituted him as one of the Dark Lord's most loyal grew darker every day. Lucius had allowed fanaticism to rule his mind. He still believed the Dark Lord would cure his son. So as Narcissa sat there in cold fury, knowing that their lives had only increased in comfort after the Dark Lord's fall, she watched as her husband smiled menacingly believing in a man with no interests besides his own.

"He's returning, my love," Lucius spoke in a maddening tone. "He's returning to fulfill his promises to those most loyal to him. I may have failed him with his plan to exterminate the Mudbloods of Hogwarts due to that muggle-loving freak Dumbledore, but with my plan, my organized attack, the Mudbloods, and Blood-Traitors will live in fear once more. I will be rewarded beyond all measure, and Draco will be cured."

"Surely you don't mean for Draco to accompany you on your raid?" Narcissa spoke, her heart now beating anxiously at this newly formed piece of her husband's plan. "He's too young. He doesn't know what becoming one of the marked means. You must reconsider."

"Can't you see Narcissa?" Lucius hissed. "This is the only way! I will not allow my son to taint my bloodline by remaining a Half-Breed. He is to be a pureblood Lord, groomed to be the Dark Lord's second, groomed to rule over those of inferior blood. Don't you understand why he must be there?"

"And what of those who will stand and fight?" Narcissa asked. "What if Draco gets harmed? What if he dies?"

"We can always have another," Lucius spoke. "One whose blood isn't tainted."

"It's the pain," Narcissa spoke in shock and pleading desperation. "It must be the pain of the mark that is making you think this way."

"Yes," Lucius spoke momentarily falling back to his senses. "Yes, it's the pain. I'm sorry, my Love. You know I adore our son, but all the same, he will come with me. He needs to grow in favor with the Dark Lord before his complete return. It's the only way."

"Worry not my love," Lucius spoke, the madness seeming to fade from his eyes. "I will ensure Draco returns alive and unharmed. But he must be prepared, the 25th of August approaches closer each day."

"Of course," Narcissa spoke with a twisted smile, "I understand." With a nod, she picked herself up from the couch and left for the master bedroom. She focused on her breathing, attempting to ignore the screams of her only baby boy the best she could, before she collapsed in the chair that rested before her vanity and placed her hands to her face. Her breaths became sporadic as the tears flowed faster than ever down her eyes, and she glared at her fate in the mirror. How could everything have gone so wrong?