Hanging Out and Possibly Studying (Darren)

Zoe watched Darren as he told her his story. She was shocked for a number of reasons. This was never something that she expected. He never shared so much with her. So many things were falling into place now. So much was making sense where it was all confusing before. Now she understood why Darren acted the way he had. She had no idea. Zoe looked back at the table. She didn't want anything that might show on her face to betray her. "I'm so sorry Darren. I had no idea."

But he was right. She was being a huge coward. The only problem was that she didn't know what to do. Even before the Death Eaters she was an outsider within her very family. Being alone was something that she didn't want to revisit. She enjoyed company to much for that. "What am I suppose to do then?" She asked very quietly. "I wont join the Order. How do you turn your back on something that stalks your every move? Its like he is everywhere. I have no idea how to leave."

Darren shrugged at her reaction. He hadn't told his own story to many people, only Gin really. He didn't even feel very sad retelling it to Zoe, though he should be, but Darren wasn't really the emotional type. He thought it was a good thing but Gin and others usually pointed out that it was his biggest weakness. Unlike others, he didn't get more emotional when something happened to him, but rather the opposite. It was just hard to feel sympathetic to anyone when he looked back and saw what happened to him. "Its nothing," he muttered shrugging.

"I'm not asking you to join the order,' he said rather indignantly. "There nearly as bad as the Death Eaters." To Darren, all of them, the DA, order, DE's and the ministry, were wrecking the world, and he despised them for it. "You-know-who is after me and he has been for a long time, and I'm still alive. If I can avoid him, I'm sure you can as well. Plus," he added. "Your safe at Hogwarts anyways."

Zoe watched Darren as he acted like it didn't mattter what had happened in the past. Almost as if it had not bothered him. She knew that on some level that was different. Even if he would never admit it out loud. Zoe sat back into her chair and crossed her arms. Thinking on his story who was Zoe to complain. Her life was nothing like his. She had no reason at all to complain.

Zoe thought on what Darren had said and then nodded. "You just said a mouth full thats for sure. I have sat back and watched the world that these people are suppose to be taking care of. And I see it all going to hell." She tired her best to keep a smurk down. She looked at Darren. He did have a point. If she hid he couldn't find her. "What am I suppose to do then? Hide here for the rest of my life?"

"And you've been helping them," Darren muttered under his breath. "Who says voldemort will be around forever?" he asked, forgetting not to use the name Voldemort. His Dark Mark burned and he winced.

As Darren said the one name that must never be really uttered the mark that they both hard burned. "Smart move." Zoe muttered under her breath. "Yea I have helped a little. But not a lot. They want me to do more than I am willing to." Zoe told him.

Darren scowled as the burning feeling in his arm started to vanish. He had thought about taking the mark off several times. But it was useful to have when he needed to escape from Death Eaters, so he hadn't even tried. Though he doubted he could of anyways. He saw Zoe also wince as he said the name. Everytime the name was called, as it was taboo'd, a death eater could feel it and instantly apparate to the person who said it. They were safe at Hogwarts though, no one could apparate here.

"Sorry," he apologized swiftly. "I forgot." He was rather used to calling him Voldemort as he used to say the name fearlessly and constantly before the name was taboo'd. “Helped a little huh?” Darren repeated with a smirk, his tone sarcastic again. “What does that mean? You merely killed a few people?

"Well, that depends on how you classify killing people. No person that has died can be connected directly to my hands." Zoe said raising her hands out in front of her as if to prove it then she dropped them. This much Zoe was positive of. But that was all she was so sure of. She knew that it wasn't trued about some information she passed. "Now my information. That is probably a total different story." This was the part that she was starting to have a huge problem with. Guess you could say her conscious was starting to bug her.

"Don't think that I am not sorry for that. I am really beginning to see what I have done is wrong. It is all starting to get to me." Zoe said looking back at her hands. This was something she really wasn't proud of. But since they were on the subject she might as well be honest.

Darren listened to her intently, rather interested for the first time. "What do you mean, 'your information?" he asked curiously, still in a rather cool tone. A small inner voice told him he was being rather hypocritical, that he had killed people too, but he ignored it. "Thats good," he said smiling when she said she was starting to feel sorry for all she had done.

"Well people tend to trust me easy. Not sure why. But they do. And some talk to me. At first it was great. I could and often did pass all kinds of information onto them. But then I realized what I was doing. When things happened with Liz last time. I stopped. I haven't passed anymore information to them. It was to much. They keep trying to pressure me to cave. But I refuse." Zoe said. Never looking up. She played with her pencil.

Darren nodded, understanding. Of course people would tend to trust Zoe, it was just her charming personality. Someone who didn't know her well could never detect she was a death eater. Hell, Darren doubted whether even her close friends new she was. She was just too.. nice to be a death eater. Not to mention she was hufflepuff and a Weasley, both of which barely ever became Death Eaters.

"What happened to Liz?" Darren interupted, confused. "Well its good your not passing anymore information," he added dismissively, shrugging. "But it doesn't matter, Voldemort will dig it out of your mind anyways if your close to him.."