A/N – Welcome to the third and final part of Darkness. Thanks for your patience with this story as I know it's taken far longer to get out than I would have liked. If I'd known how much trouble I was going to have with this third part, I would have delayed posting the first couple of parts, but I've never had so much trouble with a story before. In fact I still haven't finished this part and can't say for sure how many chapters there will be, but I am on the final stretch and the end is very much in sight.

Updates will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Enjoy!

Standing atop of the Astronomy Tower, Albus Dumbledore, watched as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of Hogsmeade station and began it's long journey back to London. It was the end of yet another year at the wizarding school, yet for Dumbledore it felt as though more than the school year was coming to an end. It felt as though the entire world was coming to an end, and every instinct in Dumbledore's body was screaming out the end was nigh, and the upcoming summer could very well be make or break for the wizarding world.

Ever since Voldemort had returned, three years ago, and especially since he'd discovered the truth about his daughter, Dumbledore had been prepared for the dark wizard's wrath. However, aside from the odd incident every few months, the dark had been suspiciously quiet. That was until the beginning of the year when the New Year's celebrations at Diagon Alley were disrupted by the largest Death Eater attack in over a decade. The attack almost wrecked Diagon Alley itself and several people lost their businesses and their homes. But that wasn't the end, and since that day barely a week had passed without the Death Eater causing further death and destruction.

To Dumbledore it was sign that the final battle was approaching. Finally Voldemort had done waiting, he was clearly aiming to bring about the destruction of the wizarding world. However, Dumbledore was going to do everything in his power to stop the dark wizard, even though in his heart he knew it was pointless. He knew that Voldemort couldn't be killed, but it was a secret that he hadn't shared with anyone else. There was already a distinct lack of hope within the Order now they no longer had Harry Potter among their numbers, but to admit that Voldemort was invincible would be the final nail in the Order's coffin and Dumbledore knew that people would just give up and roll over for the dark wizard and his supporters.

Dumbledore had always suspected that Voldemort had some way of preserving his life after he wasn't killed outright the night he killed the Potters. But it wasn't until the incident with the diary in Harry's second year that Dumbledore began to get a clue as to what Voldemort had done to render himself immortal. Over the years, Dumbledore had investigated and come to the conclusions that Voldemort had made Horcruxes. He suspected multiple Horcruxes due to the fact the destruction of the diary didn't stop his return, nor did he think that Voldemort would have entrusted such a valuable artefact into Lucius Malfoy's keeping if it was the only thing keeping him safe. Sadly none of Dumbledore's investigations had revealed just how many Horcruxes Voldemort had made, or what he'd used to make them. He did have some ideas, but it was all mere speculation and he'd been unable to actually get hold of another Horcrux. So with the Horcruxes still out there and in perfect condition, Voldemort was invincible, and even Dumbledore didn't know how they were going to defeat him.

While Dumbledore had no idea how they were going to physically destroy The Dark Lord, he did know how they could break him emotionally. Voldemort himself might have been immortal, but his daughter certainly wasn't. As horrible as it might seem, Dumbledore knew that the key to removing the threat Voldemort posed was to destroy the only person he truly loved. And that meant killing Hermione Granger, and doing so right in front of her father so that Voldemort was left in no doubt that this time he'd lost his daughter for good.

Although Dumbledore was under no illusions about how hard it was going to be to take Hermione out. She'd been a smart girl anyway, but under her father's tutelage, Dumbledore was betting she was now pretty dangerous. It was certainly not going to be easy to get to Hermione, but it was something that needed to be done. And of course, it wouldn't totally eliminate the threat of Voldemort, but Dumbledore was working on a way to render The Dark Lord useless again while he was struck down with grief after witnessing his daughter's death.

The only potential problem to Dumbledore's plan concerned Harry Potter. A year ago, he'd walked away from the Order and even though they had no proof, Dumbledore was convinced he was with the dark, or more accurately, he was with Hermione. The Order had all underestimated how much Harry had cared for Hermione, and they'd certainly never foreseen that he would turn his back on his friends and join the wizard who'd killed his parents because of his feelings for Hermione. But now they knew how much Hermione meant to him, Dumbledore knew they would have to proceed with caution. Hermione's death might destroy Voldemort, but it could well tip Harry completely over the edge and well and truly turn him against the Order. And the last thing Dumbledore wanted was to remove the threat of Voldemort, only to be faced with the threat of Harry. What they needed to do was liberate Harry from the dark before they killed Hermione. Harry had to be one of them again, before they brought down his best friend in order to get to her father.

Not that Dumbledore had any idea as to how they could get Harry back. Despite the lies they'd peddled in the press, claiming that Harry had been manipulated into leaving England, and the positivity he exuded to the Order, Dumbledore was seriously worried about Harry's position. The truth was, he hadn't been manipulated into leaving, he'd done so of his own free will, and Dumbledore couldn't see him willing rejoining the Order. All he could think of to do was to find a way to force Harry back to the right side. Not that he was sure how he was going to manage that, but it was something that needed to be discussed with the Order.

Given the frequency of the attacks from the dark side, Dumbledore was positive the big battles were in sight, and in that case, he was hoping that not only would Hermione be returning home, but Harry would as well. Once Harry was back in the country, Dumbledore was convinced they would be able to find him. And once they knew where he was, they could start making plans to bring him back to where he belonged. Even if it wasn't what Harry wanted, it was the right thing to do, and Dumbledore knew the only way they were going to convince the majority of the wizarding public to stand with them was to have the Boy Who Lived fighting on their side. Without Harry their cause was well and truly doomed, but Dumbledore wasn't ready to give up just yet.

Shaking off the defeated attitude that threatened to overtake him, Dumbledore turned and left the Astronomy Tower. Even though the odds were against them, he was going to do everything in his power to remain positive. The war wasn't over yet, and Dumbledore wasn't going to give up until he was dead at the feet of The Dark Lord.

After three years away, Draco Malfoy, was thrilled to return to England. The day after he, Hermione and Harry had taken their final exam, the family had begun packing and in a matter of days they were once again back in Wizarding Britain. Obviously they returned to Malfoy Manor, and Lucius, Voldemort and Severus Snape had spent several hours adding extra security around the property. Word would soon leak out that they were back, and when that happened, no-one wanted an unexpected attack from the Order. Now if the Order did attack they would stand even less chance than ever of breaking into the manor and getting to anyone inside.

By the time they'd been back home less than a week, Hogwarts broke up for the end of the year and Draco had arranged to see his friends for the first time in years. Although their reunion wasn't going to be strictly personal as Draco was under order's from The Dark Lord to recruit as many of the younger Slytherins as he could. While Voldemort already had an impressive array of Death Eaters, he wanted some youngsters in the group as he knew that in order to keep power, he needed to keep recruiting witches and wizards from the younger generations.

Draco had other friends he intended to contact about joining The Dark Lord, but he'd decided to start first with the friend's he'd gone to school with. After all, they were his closest friends, and the ones he'd missed the most while he'd been living on the other side of the world. He'd also decided to meet with his friends by himself, rather than bringing Hermione and Harry with him, as it had been a long time since he'd seen them. Not that Hermione or Harry had been disappointed, as they completely understood that it was best for Draco to see his friends on his own.

The very evening Hogwarts had ended for the year, Draco got ready and flooed to Blaise Zabini's penthouse. Blaise's mother was been romanced by yet another potential husband, so Blaise had the entire penthouse to himself. It was the perfect place for the old friends to catch up and talk in private about what lay ahead, and the opportunities that could come their way if they chose to join Voldemort.

Draco was the first to arrive at the penthouse, and for the first time ever, Blaise greeted him with a bone crushing hug. Draco couldn't say he'd ever been a big one for hugging, and although he'd allowed his female friends to give him the odd hug, he'd never embraced one of his male friends. Still, he found himself returning Blaise's hug as it was great to see his old friend.

"Missed me, Blaise?" Draco questioned with a smirk as the two wizards separated and exchanged slightly embarrassed grins.

"Who are you again? I think I've forgotten you," Blaise joked.

"Nice try Zabini," Draco laughed. "I know your life has been duller without me in it."

"However did we cope?" Blaise chuckled. "Seriously, it's good to see you. You're looking good."

"So are you," Draco replied, appreciating how Blaise had grown and matured over the last three years, just as he had. "So how is everyone?"

"Dying to see you," Blaise replied. "Things haven't been the same since you've been gone."

"Well, I'm back now," Draco said with a grin.

"For good?" Blaise checked.

"Unless everything goes completely and utterly wrong and The Dark Lord is crushed," Draco replied. "Not that I see that happening. What I see is the Order being totally and utterly crushed."

"What's left of them," Blaise snorted. "You should see the ways things are now. Dumbledore only has a small group of supporters. Even the Gryffindors were torn apart about what happened once Potter left. Weasley's spent most of the last year with only his sister to talk to."

"What happened with the other Gryffindors?" Draco asked.

"They weren't buying Dumbledore's lies," Blaise replied. "Longbottom was going around telling anyone who would listen that Potter left of his own accord. He was even sending people to talk to the Weasley twins, and they were telling the same story. I'm telling you, mate, it won't take much for The Dark Lord to crush his opposition."

"Let's hope we at least have a few good battles," Draco said with a pout. "I'm itching to take out the Order, especially the ones who plotted to kill Hermione."

"Do I sense she's more to you than just a friend?" Blaise asked, easily picking up on the emotion in Draco's voice when he mentioned Hermione.

"Much more," Draco confirmed with a nod of his head. "But we can get into that once the others arrive. I've got a proposition I want to put to you all."

"Intriguing," Blaise murmured as the floo activated again and the others began to arrive.

All of the others also greeted Draco with hugs, and there was even some tears from Pansy Parkinson. It was until he was surrounded by his oldest friends that Draco realised just how much he'd missed them. He'd been so caught up in his new life, and getting closer to Hermione, that while he'd missed his friends, he'd never really thought about the hole in his life where they usually were. However, now he was back in the heart of the Slytherins, Draco felt as though he was truly back where he belonged. All he needed was to have Hermione by his side and he would be completely content.

With everyone in attendance, Blaise made sure everyone had drinks and the group spent nearly two hours catching up on what Draco had missed from their lives, and what they'd missed from his. Obviously the topic of Hermione came up, and Draco's friends seemed to take it in their stride that she was now his girlfriend. They also didn't seem overly bothered when he also mentioned that he now classed Harry as a good friend.

"We'll all have to meet up sometime," Theo Nott suggested.

"That was the plan," Draco replied. "Especially if any of you are going to take up the offer The Dark Lord wants to make you."

"Is this the proposition you mentioned?" Blaise questioned.

"It is," Draco confirmed with a nod of his head. "The Dark Lord is wanting some younger recruits. He wants me to ask you all if you wish to join the Death Eaters? Hermione, Harry and I are all going to be receiving the mark in the next few weeks, and we thought you lot might like to join us."

"Count me in," Blaise said almost immediately.

"And me," Theo said.

"Us too," Gregory Goyle added, gesturing to himself and his best friend, Vincent Crabbe.

"Yeah, because of the damn Order, you had to leave," Vince said. "I'd like to pay them back for that."

"I'm also in," Daphne Greengrass said, a fierce look blazing in her eyes.

"And me," Pansy agreed.

"Looks like it's a full house," Blaise remarked with a grin.

"The Dark Lord will be very pleased," Draco replied, returning Blaise's grin. "And so am I. I've missed you guys, and it'll be great to be all together once again."

"The rise of the Slytherins," Theo called, raising his glass for a toast.

Laughing, the other Slytherins all raised their own glasses and joined in with Theo's toast. They were all thrilled to be reunited, and none of them could wait for the adventure that lay ahead once they pledged their allegiance to Voldemort and officially became the youngest group of Death Eaters under Voldemort's command.