The Darkness Within: Voldemort/Hadria Potter

The Healer's Kiss

Back in the healer's home, nestled deep within the swamp's embrace, Marjorie extended her weathered hand to present Hadria with the scroll. It was a delicate cylinder of parchment, sealed with dark red wax that gleamed like blood under the flickering candlelight. The runic symbol pressed into the seal was ancient, its lines and curves holding the secrets of a powerful magic. Hadria received it with a reverence reserved for sacred relics, her fingers trembling ever so slightly as she felt the pulsating energy emanating from within.

"The Healer's Kiss," Marjorie intoned, her voice a whisper that seemed to stir the very air around them. "This scroll need only be on your person when you kiss him. Remember, that this scroll is powered by love. So that must be your intent and focus when it is cast." Her reminder was a gentle nudge, steering Hadria's resolve towards the path of heartfelt sincerity.

Hadria offered a solemn nod, her eyes reflecting the gravity of her task. She tucked the scroll into the depths of her jeans' side pocket, ensuring its safety like a guardian of fate itself. Turning to face Narcissa, her smile was a beacon of newfound confidence, the shadows of fear and nervousness banished from her visage.

"Go back to the Manor... I'm going to be apparating straight to the school," Hadria declared, her voice steady and sure. Narcissa's expression was a complex tapestry of worry and faith, her belief in Hadria's abilities warring with the maternal concern that enveloped her heart. She reached out, her arms encircling Hadria in a protective embrace, her gaze searching Hadria's eyes for reassurance.

"You can do this, I believe in you. I know that everything will work out. Just... be careful Hadria," Narcissa implored, her voice laced with an emotion that shimmered through her composed exterior. The hug they shared was a silent exchange of strength and courage, a momentary refuge from the storm that awaited.

"I will be," Hadria affirmed, her smile unwavering as she returned the embrace, a promise etched in her tone.

Reluctantly, Narcissa released her hold, stepping back with a grace that belied the turmoil within. She dabbed at the corners of her eyes, a testament to the depth of her care.

"Lucius, Draco and I...we're on your side," Narcissa vowed, her loyalty an unspoken pact between them.

"I know Narcissa, thank you," Hadria acknowledged, her gratitude sincere and profound.

With a final glance that conveyed a world of unspoken thoughts, Narcissa turned and stepped into the swirling green flames of the floo, her figure dissolving into the emerald inferno as she departed from Hadria's sight. The room seemed to hold its breath, the air charged with the magic of parting and the silent hope for the miracle that lay ahead.

***

The air was thick with tension, the very atmosphere of Hogwarts charged with a foreboding sense of impending doom. Voldemort stood, flanked by his loyal Death Eaters. Bellatrix, Lucius, Corban Yaxley, Thorfinn Rowle, Gibbon, and Fenrir Greyback just inside the walls of Hogwarts on the northside forming a sinister assembly, their presence a blight upon the hallowed grounds.

Inside, Amycus and Severus were the jailers of the innocent, the Muggle-borns confined within the cold, unforgiving walls of an abandoned dungeon room. Severus was poised, ready to do what he must should the Dark Lord come for the children. The professors, once pillars of wisdom and guidance, were now prisoners as well being kept in the Great Hall by Alecto and a handful of other Death Eaters.

The silence was shattered by the sudden crack of apparition, a sound that turned every head, every wand, in its direction. Voldemort's reaction was swift, his body coiling like a serpent ready to strike. There stood Hadria, a lone figure of defiance, her silhouette framed by the rising sun that painted the sky with streaks of crimson and gold. Her apparition past the protective wards was a testament to her power, a challenge to the dark forces arrayed before her.