Dark Come Soon

“No, no they can’t take that away from me. We may never, never meet again on the bumpy road to love. But still I’ll always, always keep the memory of the way you hold your knife. The way we danced ‘til three. The way you changed my life. No, no they can’t that away from me. No they can’t take that away from me,” Ramona sang as she brushed her hair on the chilly morning of November. She hummed the next part of the song. It was stuck in her head since last night, and she just needed to sing it out. It bothered her roommates, but she didn’t care. She was in such an Ella Fitzgerald mood lately. She didn’t know how to explain it. She got her scarf, and she headed out of the room. She got to the common room and there was a lot of commotion. They were singing Weasley Is Our King. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

She was getting so sick of hearing it. All she wanted to do was slap each and every person who sang it. A few of the people singing it saw her, but they didn’t stop. They knew how close she was to the Weasley family, and they sang louder. She flipped them off and stepped out of the Slytherin dungeon. She rubbed her hands together and took out the gloves from her pockets. She wanted to make sure Draco was at the game before she went to snoop in his room. She had the Marauder map that Harry let her borrow in her pocket.

On her way to breakfast, she said hi to a few people. She wrapped the Gryffindor scar around her neck. She spotted the trio sitting down, and Ron looking very down. Alexandra was next to him, but even her presence wasn’t enough. She walked over to them and sat down.

“Why so pale, Ron?” Ramona asked and took a bit of his bacon. She was shocked he didn’t call her out on it. He always did. He was seriously down.

“I’m gonna make a fool of myself,” he grumbled.

“You’re not,” Ramona said. “You aced the try outs and you’ve been good in practice, right? I mean, I wouldn’t know. I haven’t really been there.”

“He’s been amazing,” Alexandra said almost at once and it made Ramona smirk and Ron blush and smile.

“How about you drink your pumpkin juice then?” Harry smiled at his friend. “It’ll do you good to have something in you.” The way Harry said it made Ramona give him a suspicious look. Everyone else also gave it to him, and then Harry cleared his throat. “I’m just saying it might give him luck if he had something in his stomach.”

Ramona quickly connected the dots. “You sneaky bastard,” Ramona looked at Ron’s goblet. It must have the Felix potion in it. “You didn’t?”

“Didn’t what?” Harry asked casually.

“Harry!” Hermione exclaimed. “You both could get in a lot of trouble if someone found out.”

“Who is going to tell?” Alexandra spoke up and Ramona grinned.

“Yeah, are you?” Ramona pointed to Hermione.

“Of course not, but it’s… not ethical to do so.”

“Ron needs a little boost up, let him,” Ramona lifted Ron’s goblet and offered it to him. “Do it.”

Ron looked uncertain and turned to Alexandra.

“Slytherin was singing Weasley Is Our King at the top of their lungs this morning,” she told him, and she knew that would set him off. His face turned red in anger, and he grabbed the goblet and drank it all.

“No,” Hermione moaned.

“Aw, come on, Hermione,” Ramona patted her shoulder. “Lighten up!”

**

Draco was definitely at the match. It was Ramona’s chance to snoop without being caught. She left the Quidditch field and went back to the castle. There were some students who didn’t care about the sport, so they were hanging out all around the castle. Some were snogging and others were playing some sort of other game. Ramona got to her common room, and she headed to the boys dormitory.

She opened Draco’s room and started to look around. She went to the drawer and said the password, but it remained closed. She got her glove and opened the drawer, but there was nothing inside. She frowned. Wasn’t there a necklace in there? She couldn’t quite remember, but she did remember getting caught by Draco and making out with him on his bed. She shook the thought away and started to look around again. She checked his closet, but nothing. His trunk was closed, so she couldn’t open it. She tried a spell and even cursed all the bad words she knew, but nothing opened it.

She opened the map to make sure Draco wasn’t around. She was in the clear. She scratched the back of her head. Obviously Draco wasn’t going to leave any evidence around. She saw something, and it caught her attention. It was a photo album. She opened it and it was pictures of him when he was younger. He was smiling at the camera as his neat blond hair was pulled back. He looked so innocent. She turned the page and there was a picture of him with his mom and dad.

Young Draco looked so happy. She kept turning pages, and they were all of Draco as a child. There was one missing though. She didn’t know what it was, but it was the one at the end. She turned back a page and saw the picture of Draco with his mom. Narcissa looked so happy to be with her child. Ramona thought about how Draco acted lately. He was withdrawn. He still insulted Ron and Harry whenever he could, but it wasn’t the same. It was like… the life was sucked out of him.

If he really was a Death Eater, then it would sure make sense why he was acting the way he was. What was his goal though? Not kill Harry because Voldemort had to do that. Then… it clicked. Her grandfather. It was the only person she could think of that Voldemort would want dead more than Harry. Draco could possibly be sent to kill her grandfather.

Draco had no idea her grandfather was already dying.

Ramona placed the album back. She had tears falling down. She had to know what Draco was up to. She needed to be closer to him. There was an attraction between them, and she would have to use it so she could get closer to what he had planned. He couldn’t kill her grandfather straight ahead. Then she thought of the necklace. Draco had done that. She couldn’t prove it, but Katie was supposed to take it to her grandfather. A cold shiver went down her spine. Was she falling for the guy sent to kill her grandfather?

No, she thought fiercely. She was not going to let some silly crush get in her way from saving her grandfather. Even if her grandfather was already dying. Not only would she get closer to Draco to stop him, but also to convince him to turn away from the path he was going. His father was already in Azkaban. He shouldn’t risk so much. He could be protected by her grandfather, but the Order of Phoenix.

Did her grandfather know what was going on? She wouldn’t doubt it. Still she had to ask him, but then again, he wasn’t at Hogwarts once more. Ramona got out of Draco’s room, and when she left the Slytherin dungeon there were several students walking back from the game. By the looks on their faces, Gryffindor had won. At least there was good news. She ran past the grumbling students. She even bumped into Draco, and he gave her a suspicious look, but she ignored him and headed in the direction of the Gryffindor tower.

**

“Nothing?” Harry repeated what Ramona told him when she got him alone.

“Nothing,” she said again. The shouting of the students and the celebration hid their secretive talking.

“Nothing?” Harry said again.

“Nada, zip,” she shrugged and bit her hair. “The drawer didn’t need a password to open. Draco probably removed the spell. Whatever he is hiding it has to be someplace else.”

Harry ran a hand down his face.

Ramona patted his back. “Cheer up, Harry! You won a game with Ron as your keeper? Does he still think it was the potion?”

“How did you know I didn’t put it in?” he asked and smiled at her.

She shrugged a shoulder. “Lucky guess, honestly. You’re a good friend, you know?”

Harry actually blushed, but she didn’t call him out on it. She just looked at him, and then she noticed he started to come closer. Unaware of his intention she remained still, but then she felt his cold lips on hers. A small gasp left her lips. She had no idea Harry felt that way about her. She teased him a lot and sometimes she thought he got tired of her, but yet, he was kissing her. She found herself kissing him back, but then it felt… wrong. As disgusting as it sounded, it was like she was kissing a relative. She pulled away from the kiss, and before she could explain that she didn’t feel that way about him, someone howled and called them out.

“Finally!” Thomas shouted. “Mona and Harry have finally snogged!”

“It was meant to be!” Dean joined in and Ramona for the first time blushed in front of all of her friends. “Whoo! Look at Mona, all red.”

“Shut it,” she snapped at him and she met eyes with Alexandra who gave her an odd look. Alexandra was next to Ron. “It was just a kiss. Why don’t you go back to whatever you were saying?” She shooed them. She gave them a look and they just went back to it.

Ramona turned back to Harry, and she gave him a small smile.

“Um, Harry…” she whispered. “I… that was nice, but…”

“It felt wrong,” he finished.

“Yes,” she said in relief he understood her.

“I’ve… um…” he played with his fingers. “I had a crush on you since we’ve met. I just thought a kiss would seal the deal.”

“But… we’re just meant to be best friends,” she held out her hand, and he shook it.

“You’re right. So who are you taking to the Christmas party Slughorn is throwing?”

“Don’t know. Don’t want to go, but my grandfather told me I should courteous and at least go to one. I might go alone. Bloody hell, I fucking hate wearing dresses in the winter. Oh well, an excuse to go shopping,” she winked and Harry laughed.

Hours later, Ramona was walking back to the Slytherin dungeon. She hummed a song to herself. She said the password to the portrait and walked into the common room. Everyone who was there stopped talking and looked at her with disgusted looks, at least most of the Slytherin team. Others didn’t seem to care. She waved the end of her scarf around. She was on her way to the dormitory when someone grabbed her arm. She didn’t have to guess who it was because Draco’s hair was unmistakable. She was pulled up to the boys dormitory. He didn’t give her time to fight him. He was a lot stronger than she thought. He took her to his room, and once inside he closed the door behind him.

He turned to her with fury in his eyes.

“Were you snooping in my room again?” he hissed.

Her eyes widened. “What? No!” she lied quickly, but she gulped as he stared at her.

“What were you looking for this time?”

“I didn’t come in your room, you twat!”

“That album has been moved!” he pointed to his desk.

Ramona shrugged. “I don’t know how. Maybe an elf came in here to throw away your trashed accidently moved it.”

It looked like he hadn’t thought of that. He came really close to her until he loomed over here. Sometimes she forgot he was taller than her.

“You should really stay away from me,” he warned her.

“You’re the one who brought me here,” she stood her ground and did not show any weakness. Then she remembered that he was here to kill her grandfather. Draco, whom she had known as long as she had known Harry, Ron and Hermione was sent to kill her only family. “You’re very odd. First we have that serious talk about each other, and now you’re telling me to stay away from you.”

“It’s for your own good. There are things you don’t know that it’s better if you don’t know.”

“Like what? Draco, you can talk to me,” she placed her hand on his right arm, but he flinched away.

“Go away, Mona. You’ll end up getting hurt,” he sounded so sincere about that. “In fact, you should go the States like you’ve always said. Go start that band you wanted. Just get the fuck away from Hogwarts, Mona.”

She frowned. “Why are you saying that?”

“Just…” he seemed to struggle with his words and then he looked pained. Ramona hadn’t seen him so vulnerable since they had their talk a while back. “Mona… go have a normal life.”

Ramona didn’t know what made her lean in and press her lips against his, but the moment felt right. A jolt woke her entire body. A huge part of her told her it was not right to kiss the guy sent to kill her family, but a bigger part told her she could change him. She could make him change his course if she just gave him a chance. He clearly cared about her by telling her to go away. Draco only hesitated a moment before he kissed her back. For a minute the kiss was slow and not like the other kisses they’ve had. This was one was much deeper. Then she wrapped her arms around his torso. His hands went up to cup her cheeks, and as time went by the kiss grew hungrier and more passionate.

She released a small moan. Her body and mind were telling her this was right. Hours earlier, kissing Harry had felt so wrong, but with Draco. Lord, why did it have to be him? Ramona thought as she brought her hands up to his shoulders.

Ramona and Draco pulled away for air. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. She knew there was no going back from this. Maybe it was too fast, but it felt right. He removed her scarf and he looked for hesitance. He found none, and so he removed his jacket. She started to discard her clothes. He removed his clothes and soon she was in her underwear and so was he. She stepped close again and placed her hands on his chest.

“We don’t have to do this,” he whispered. “You can walk away before you regret this.” Pain in his eyes. She saw the humanity in him.

She didn’t answer him. Instead she kissed him softly. He groaned and kissed her back with his hands on her hips. She guided him to his bed.