Dark Magic

Death Would Be More Quiet...

"Death must  be so beautiful. To lie in the soft, brown earth, with the grasses waving about one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace."

Emerald Potter fled the Slytherin Common room, heading for the opposing side of the Hogwarts dungeons in which Severus Snape's classroom was situated; nearly tripping over her dressing gown in the midst of her plight. Her eyes welled with determination, pushing through the urge to slow down as she closed the gap between herself and the Potion's room. But Severus was not inside and the door was locked; Emerald's powerless state rendering the thought of a spell useless, that she would once find so simple even without the use of the wand. Perhaps, he is sleeping, the girl thought, beginning to bang her fists against the hardwood in the hopes he might hear her.

And then, someone called her name.

With every ounce of her being, she hoped and prayed the voice belonged to the man she so sought, the disturbance causing a small flinch to emit from her, her hands letting go of the piece of parchment as it fell to the floor. But the gruff, disgruntled voice told her it was anything but her salvation. Acting quickly, she placed her foot over the paper and slipped it under the classroom door. It wasn't Filch approaching her. No, Filch would have been far more preferable. But his hobbled leg moving closer to her and the distant 'clonk' of both his wooden staff and leg to match confirmed her greatest fear; his blue, beady eye unmoving as he closed the gap between them.

"Professor Moody." She gasped, still slightly out of breath and terrified that she was now alone in the middle of the night with the man that scared her almost as much as Voldemort himself. And so he should, but she didn't know that just yet.

The man's beady eye scanned the girl from head to toe, as though he was trying to see into her very soul, only increasing her feeling of intimidation. "What do you think you're doing out of bed so late?" He snarled. The girl took a step back, feeling he was far too close for comfort. Though she wasn't sure what she could do; he would stop her in a heartbeat were she to run. Not to mention, she had no way of defending herself.

"I needed to speak to Professor Snape about something." She sighed in feeble attempt to calm her breaths, which were no longer scattered due to being out of breath. No. She was terrified.

The man's eyes narrowed, his head tilting to meet her slightly, "Well, you shouldn't be wandering the castle so late at night, again. We don't want a repeat of what happened at the Black Lake, now, do we?"

Colour suddenly drained from the girl's already pale complexion, ice coursing through her veins as sudden realization hit her like a bucket of cold water. Not only was Moody threatening her, but he had also revealed his knowledge of the occurrence only Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore knew of. Therefore, there was only one obvious conclusion as to how he knew she almost drowned in the Black Lake...A thought too terrifying for her to consider...

Before she had the chance to speak, or even better scream, Moody had silence her with one, very simple word.

"Imperio."

A sudden wave of irrevocable happiness overcame her, yes she did not appear at all dazed on the exterior. Had a moment longer passed, Severus Snape would have rounded a corner and been able to save her from the hands of 'Alastor Moody'. But his conversation regarding the very girl he now laid eyes upon, in Albus Dumbledore's office, had ended a few moments too late. He was but a few moments too late. His first mistake.

"Emerald?" He spoke her voice as his gaze drifted from the girl, seemingly indifferent, and Alastor Moody standing opposite her. The girl's eyes to match her name found his, a small smile making its way through her lips that had the power to make the man melt every time he witnessed it. But the Potion's master remained cautious, narrowing his gaze onto the Auror, "Is everything alright?"

Alastor Moody straightened his back a little, eyeing Snape with the same, sharp look, "Absolutely fine, Professor Snape. Miss Potter and I were just discussing the Third Task. Let's hope her brother has the vigilance to win, eh?"

"Indeed." The man droned a little longer than required, his slick, black hair falling over his eyes as he averted them back onto the girl, who was nodding in eager agreement with the D.A.D.A Professor. "Oh yes, Professor Moody has some really good ideas." The girl yawned, before continuing, "I suppose I better get to bed. Goodnight, Professor Snape." She crossed his path, beginning to walk the opposite direction back to the Slytherin Common Room. However, "Emerald?" Severus grasped her arm softly, preventing her from moving any further as he stared into her eyes for any shred of a lie. "Are you sure you are alright? Did you come to talk to me about something?"

The worry in his eyes made the girl's heart ache to push through the unforgiveable curse and tell him the truth. But her mind and every ounce of her will had been taken by the Professor that should have protected her from such dark magic. She couldn't fight the spell, unlike her older brother. Instead of a scream, the girl laughed and shook her head dismissively, repeating the words Alastor Moody was willing her to say, "Oh! No, Professor. I was actually on my way to the kitchens but I'm not very hungry anymore. Goodnight." And with one final smile, he let go of her arm and allowed her to continue with her journey. That was his second mistake.

Almost bumping noses with the D.A.D.A Professor, they exchanged a very short sneer between one another, Severus beginning to unlock his classroom door as Alastor Moody followed Emerald's path. Severus closed the door, looking down as he noticed the piece of parchment and kneeling to pick it up, sheer terror overwhelming his entire body as he scanned the words on the page. His knees felt weak, as he ran to open the door, once more and run after the girl. Unfortunately, his third and final mistake was not getting to her in time. For the moment he reached the Slytherin Common room, Alastor Moody had walked the girl to the outskirts of the school and disapparated her to a Graveyard in Little Hangleton.

"You may talk. But you cannot scream."

As though super-glue had been removed from her mouth, Moody's words gave the girl a miniscule ounce of her free will back.

"Are you going to kill me?" My voice shook slightly at the prospect, as we began to walk towards a small manor atop the hill, surrounded by gravestones. Alastor Moody merely cackled, slightly more sinister than I had heard before, "I'm not. But I'm not sure what the Dark Lord will do with you, when he sees you."

Unwillingly, I followed him towards the house, my legs dragging me along as I fought as much as I could to free myself from his curse. "You're not Alastor Moody, are you?"

The man snarled, grasping some keys from his pocket and opening the door, "Of course I'm bloody not! But you saw that when you looked into my memories, eh?"

My lip began to quiver, "Dumbledore told me Aurors were allowed to do unforgiveable curses during the first Wizarding War." I stated, but than only made him laugh as he opened the door and ushered me inside, "Oh yes, they were! Just not on other Aurors." I remained silent, confused at his situation. He eyed me as though I was stupid, "Never heard the story of what happened to Longbottom's parents, have you?"

My eyes widened in disbelief, my voice cracking at his insinuation, "You did that to them." A tear rolled down my cheek.

His beady eye glimmered with satisfaction as he pointed a finger at my knowingly, "Not just me, dearie. Rudolphus and Rabastan Lestrange." He spoke nonchalantly, hobbling up the stairs as I was forced to follow him. "Along with his wife, Bellatrix. The aunt of that Malfoy boy you fancy so much." Had this revelation not shook my to my core, I may have blushed. Draco's aunt aided in the torture of Neville's parents and he had never told me. Neither of them had.

A small light emitted from a door at the end of the crooked hallway, voices emitting from inside. By the time I glanced back at the imposter Alastor Moody, his entire face had changed into someone else entirely that I recognized from a Daily Prophet newspaper, once. He was the son of the, recently determined to be mad, Bartemius Crouch, who shared the same name as his father. But he was supposed to be in Azkaban...

Removing the bewitched eye, his own poked through as he motioned for me to enter the room, my greatest nightmare waiting for me inside...

"And who do we have here, then?"