Darius Nott

“We’re not the same.” Faye took another step back, shaking her head as her jaw clenched tight. She had no place to dictate what he did, nor him for her, but that didn’t erase the emotions, the upset at hearing that he had abandoned the cause. “I chose my family. You chose Charlus.” Faye had not forgotten what the other twin had said, instead remembering the judgement he’d bestowed upon her family and his, calling them monsters and saying that they deserved Azkaban. That hateful words of her supposed friend fueled her just as much as they had angered. And now, hearing Darius praise her parents, she didn’t understand how he could follow someone who thought so differently. “You’re just going to forget about Atalia? Chryson? Your mum and dad? Why?” Faye didn’t care to lower her voice, the sounds of the battle did well enough to keep them between her and him. “Because you’re not getting enough attention? My family knows what it’s like to be ignored. They sacrificed! They sacrificed, Darius, because that’s what war is about! They believe in this cause and that’s enough for them, and it’s going to be enough for me.” Faye took another step back, still never once peeling her narrowed eyes off of him. Her choice words had left her breathless, chest rising and falling along to her beating heart. With a breath, she calmed herself enough to bring her voice down, to allow her emotions to be heard. “I’m not replaceable. Unlike you… I plan to stick around long enough to prove them that.” There was no goodbye as Faye turned her back to him. She had nothing more to say, and so much more to prove. To him. To everyone.

To explain meant to reveal too much about his family. It wasn’t simply the abuse they all suffered at the ends of Theodore, or the fact that Daphne never did anything to stop him. It was being negated the right to wear a Dark Mark over and over again. It was so much more. And it was tempting, really, to pour out the depth of his feelings and everything that had brought him to this decision, but there was no way Darius could explain all of that in a few moments. And he could not trust her, not now that it was clear Faye stood with the Death Eaters and had something to prove to them even if they did not deserve her loyalty or her dedication.

Just as soon as Faye had taken a step forward, she took another back, his words shocking her. “What the fuck.” His reaction, questioning her like he did, it was far from what she had expected. None of her friends had been able to understand, none were able to be there and allow her to feel happiness towards her parents freedom. She had never expected them to understand what would follow after that but Darius- she thought with him she might have escaped the negativity and have some support. His sister had given her that, his brother hadn’t. “Don’t you start. I’ve had to listen to everyone hate on my parents and my decision. I didn’t think I’d have to deal with it with you too. You were supposed to be the one person that got it.” Faye narrowed her eyes and her brow furrowed. She didn’t raise her voice to defend her beliefs. She shouldn’t have to. Though she had not spent the years vocally boasting her support for the cause, Faye had never dismissed it. It was never the cause her anger was directed at, it was the absence of parents and the leaders that wouldn’t come to their aid. Faye believed in the cause. She just believed in her family more and that was what Hogwarts had seen.

“I get it.” Darius snapped, though he managed to keep his voice down—it was almost a hiss. “I get standing by your family.” He had stood by his family, always. As a Death Eater, and even now that he was fighting against them. Especially now. “And I don't hate your parents, or your decision to stand by them. They are heroes. They sacrificed years of their lives to the cause.” He had always respected the Travers for remaining loyal through the years. They could've talked, but they hadn't—or at least nothing indicated they had. Their support had been unwavering, even now, even when they had only been freed after years and when it was most convenient to whoever was in charge. The problem was not Faye's parents. “It's you that doesn't get what I mean. How the way they treat us is wrong. How we are kept in the dark or treated like nothing more than pawns to sacrifice blindly. As if we are replaceable.” He shook his head. His hand clutched even more tightly his wand but he wasn't raising it at her. He was angry and frustrated. Why was he keep having these conversations in the worst moment possible? “The fact is.. I get it. You are following your parents. I'm following Charlus. We are the same, we are just not on the same side.”

Anna could feel their breaths mingling between them, Darius far too close for her liking. Another time and another place, and she would’ve been pressing in closer to him, waiting for him to pull her in. She would’ve been eager to be in a position like this. Now, neither the time or place, she backed away a few steps. Despite circumstances, she was still a whole other person than she was when she let him beat her down. It didn’t make it any easier to pull herself together, any easier to remember to breathe, but it was good to remind herself. She was worthy of more than what he could ever give her, no matter how sorry he was.

“I just don’t see how I should have the right to take someone else’s life.” It was an afterthought, more to herself than anyone, but he was definitely close enough to catch it. Her mind was wandering away from the battle beyond them, away into deeper thoughts in her own mind. “It’s not my place. I’m no better than anyone else.” She glanced over at him, wondering how he felt justified in playing God, taking lives when he saw fit. A part of her still remembered him as the little boy who used to believe so much in her, who wanted her to do anything she set her mind to no matter what. Another part of her knew him as a more vicious person than that, more selfish. She sighed, pulling herself from her memories. “But it’s going to get me killed one of these days.” Hearing another scream, she flinched, eyes shutting tight as she tried to keep herself from screaming in return. “I am weak,” she murmured. She wasn’t meant for this.

Chryson bit his tongue. Now wasn’t the right time to pick a fight with his brother, not in the middle of an attack when neither of them were guaranteed to make it out alive. So, he avoided Darius’s words altogether, pushed them out of his mind. “I could never ask you to hide when I’m not hiding. I know you have people out there you love just as much as I do.” His eyes turned to the end of the alley as Darius cast his spell, and was mildly relieved when it came back clear.

Turning back toward his brother, he nodded, pulling out his wand. “It’s as good a time as any, I think.” Before Darius could do anything, Chryson pulled him into a quick, tight hug. Maybe his brother’s words should be taken at face value, no extra meaning read into them. But still, Chryson’s next words came freely. “I love you too, Darius. Don’t you die either.” Without another thought, he turned and walked to the end of the alley, glancing back with a small smile for his brother before disappearing around the corner.

A little bit of the weight settled back down. Chryson could only hope Charlus had heeded their brother’s warning and gotten far, far away from the village. He turned slightly, running a hand through his hair as he looked around. Had the entire fucking family decided to switch sides without bothering to let anyone know? What the hell was happening? He noticed the raised eyebrow and shrugged, feeling defensive. “Hell if I know what any of you lot are doing anymore. I had to ask.“

He crossed his arms. “Darius. Just don’t do anything stupid or reckless. We need to have that talk when we get back to the castle. All of us.” And then his jaw dropped. Darius turning his back on the Death Eaters? It seemed to be coming out of nowhere. Out of them all, Darius was the last person he would have ever expected to leave them. “Seriously?” But Charlus was on the other side, and Chryson could understand the appeal. Atalia was the only thing drawing him toward the group, and the love of a sibling was a strong force. “Bloody hell. Be really fucking careful, Darius. There’s quite a few people out there that wouldn’t take well to blood traitors.”

Faye looked worse than she was. It was the blood on her clothes that suggested different; the blood that didn’t belong to her. Aside from the crimson stains, she had only endured a light dusting from the wreckage of her fatal spell and the few scratches and cuts along both skin and cloth. Underneath it all, Faye was fine, perhaps even better than she had been before stepping foot into Hogsmeade.

“I saw my parents.” The few words had been wanting to burst out of her. It had happened, after so much time and such longing. After never being able to say it before, Faye found herself wanting to say it and to keep saying it. Only not everyone would understand. Darius, however- she believed that he would. “They look older. I know that sounds completely moronic and obvious but- I don’t know. It’s different. It’s great.” Before today, she had never seen much beauty in wrinkles and age. Seeing her parents changed that. So she understood when Darius spoke about being on his family’s side. It was his further elaboration that confused her. “What do you mean? Of course we’re fighting on the same side. Your family, my family, the Death Eaters. I know I haven’t gotten the mark but I will. After today, I don’t see why I wouldn’t.” Faye shook her head from side to side, inching a half step closer. It was instinct now, drawing closer to him, even more so when he confused her. As she took that step, her eyes went down to glance at her own arm, at where she’d eventually accept the mark. With her eyes trained on her scratched skin, Faye wore the faintest of smiles before she poke again. “I made my first kill. Two, I think.”

Blood on her clothes, and yet she seemed fine. Darius still watched her, carefully. Now he wasn't simply searching for wounds, now he was trying to read her. It had always been difficult with faces but hers had slowly started to become more familiar. For someone not born to feel empathy—not easily, not spontaneously—he understood. He had gone through a form of separation too, with Charlus, only they were never physically distant—it was different, but he still understood her. It was an odd feeling to have.

Anna froze softly as she heard him speak words she never thought she’d hear him say. I’m sorry. It was shocking, to say the least, to hear someone like him actually take some blame for some of the pain he’s caused her. It didn’t nessecerily make it better or take away the months of strange torment, but it was nice to hear. Like she hadn’t been overreacting, hadn’t been exaggerating his own behavior. “Thank you, but sorry doesn’t take what you did back. The damage is already done.” A scream could be heard in the distance, a reminder that they were in the middle of a battle. It wasn’t the place for this kind of chat. At least, not out in the open. Moving her wand to her pocket, she grabbed Darius’s arm and pulled him into the darkness, easily maneuvering them into a shadow. It had been the closest they’d been since Spin the Bottle. Letting go of him as if he burned her skin, she sighed. “It’s safer for us over here… at least, for now.” Was she letting him hide with her for a bit? She blamed the part of her that was curious about his apology, about his sudden change of heart, of sides of the battle. He’d hurt her, but he didn’t deserve the treatment the Death Eaters would give him as a traitor.

She kept quiet for a moment, but heard no noises from the battle too close to them. The loudest sound was their mingled breathing, her pounding heartbeat. A jackrabbit in her chest. “Aidan’s supposed to meet me here with your cousin.” There was no use keeping it a secret; Darius would want to know who was working to keep Scorpius safe. “He promised me.” She tried not to think about the countless other promises her brother had broken, not the fact that her breath was shaky as she thought about it. Her brother should’ve been there by now. “Just… I get that you think I’m weak and fragile, but I just need you to stay here for a few moments more. I don’t want to be alone right now.” He couldn’t stay with her forever, nor did she want him to. But she figured, as they were already there, they might as well talk. 

TITLE: Bonds above Beliefs WORD COUNT: 935 CHARACTERS: Darius Nott, Marion Quirke, Teddy Lupin CONTENT WARNING: character death

“Don’t you dare call them Notts.” Scorpius mumbled. “You’re not Irish but they sure are. Bought them from a mean looking Irish this Winter to save them.” He watched Darius be all gentle with the tiny creature and smirked a bit. There was another reason why he didn’t want them to be Notts. It  felt wrong. It wasn’t his own family, not really, not anymore. To make them Notts made them part of this clan of hateful people, and he wanted them to be Darius’, and Darius’ alone. “Thad. Why won’t she be happy? Because it’s such a ridiculous name?” He was teasing, obviously. He had no idea who ‘she’ was. 

Anna nodded at his words, satisfied for a moment. He would have attacked her by now were he meaning to, but keeping her wand aimed at him was a good idea. They could talk, but she could be prepared to protect herself if need be. “Oh, I know who I can trust, Darius. I know where my friends stand.” While she knew that statement wasn’t true, she hoped it would be true. She wanted to be more sure that she kept the best of people around, people with the right mindset about this war. But, looking at her first love, the boy who’d hurt her so deeply, she knew she could be very, very wrong.

His gaze was upon her, and she suddenly felt very uncomfortable. “I’m fine,” she muttered, trying to get his attention away from her figure, his eyes more on level with her own. “Aidan warned me about all of this before it started. I found this spot, and I’ve been here ever since.” It was the most she wanted to tell him, and the easiest way to say that she’d made it this far on her own. “Why don’t you have your mask on?” she asked, feeling as if she had a right with their current question game. “I’ve always known you to fully support their cause. I’m the blood traitor out of the two of us, remember? Good for nothing.”

Faye took a deep, long breath, releasing it quickly with the deflation of her tense shoulders. Her experience this battle had been reserved to strangers and the family she’d been waiting for for nine year, strangers in their own right. Darius was the first familiar face, outside the girl she’s killed. Despite the hell he often brought, she could not refrain from smiling. He was alright. “As much as I’d love to curse your arse, we’re on the same side-” Keeping her eyes locked with his, she slowly lowered her wand to her side, though her grip on it remained strong. Then, as inappropriate a time as ever, Faye giggled. “-Are we not?” She took a step closer, looking at him from head to toe, searching for any noticeable injuries or telling signs of what he’d endured. She failed to dwell on his lack of mask, never even imagining him the type to abandon the cause.

Darius had, until the moment he had warned Charlus, been loyal to the Death Eaters and done as Zabini had ordered—said nothing, warned no one. His betrayal of the group had happened a few minutes before it all started. Or maybe it had happened the moment he had chosen his twin over them, days before all of this was even planned. Either way, the end result was the same. Darius Nott was fighting against the Death Eaters.