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Unexpected	By : draconisdemented Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Ginny Views: 26235 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Author's Note: Once again, I do not speak French. I am using a dictionary/translator on my
computer, so I'm aware it won't be perfect. If you do speak French, I would
to to apologize now for any slaughtering of the language I may have
inadvertently caused. Otherwise, what do you care, right?

French translations: ((example))

This cha is is a birthday present for Kelly, a.k.a. tkmoore! Happy birthday, girl!

My responses to my wonderful reviewers for the last chapter: To OpalKoboi, they aren't. This chap might
clear it up a bit, but there will be
more of that sort of interaction. To AznDreamer802,
thanks! To Kat Davi, yes, I know,
but it will happen eventually, I promise! To power of the stars, that really sucks! I hope you can still find a
way to continue reading. To Jan,
thank you so much, and I should have another chapter after this one posted too
by the time you get back. To Chaney,
I'm glad you've been enjoying the story. Please tell me what you think whenever
you feel like it. J To DRACOSGIRL15, thank you! To a-sam,
short arse, and Psi, I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing! To Lady-Nimoe, yes, yes I do! lol. To seri-chan, you're awesome! Thank you
soooo much for the lovely review! It means a lot to me. To periodi-scuri, never to worry! I promise much, much more! To angelfire33, he meant the decision on
whether or not to cover the whole thing up. I'm happy you liked it otherwise,
though! To aoi-yuki-yume, thanks!
You're awesome and please keep reading! To musiclover86,
thank you so much! Now, onward!

��..

The gods sat down silently, everyone fully aware of why the Full Court had been called for
the first time in centuries, but waiting for one of the Kings to speak and formally
announce it. And it was not just the Full Court of Heaven assembling, but the Dark Court as well. The Courts
did not usually mix well, for obvious reasons, and this was no exception. The
Hall of Divine Justice was split almost completely down the middle, the gods of
the Sky Realm to the right, the gods of the Underworld to the left, and the few
neutral gods were spread out between the two. They no longer separated by
pantheons on a normal basis, but this had been deemed a completely formal
event. The only gods not with their brethren were those few sitting at the long
table in front of the Royal Dais.

Cocidius sat there, of course, as he was the reason for this
Gathering, and he was flanked on both sides by a few of the gods that supported
him, two from each pantheon. Ares, the Greek God of War, sat on his left with
Thanatos, the Greek God of Death, next to him. Anuke, the Egyptian Goddess of
War, sat beside Thanatos, while Am-Heh, the Egyptian God of Destruction, the
Devourer of Millions, sat beside her. Mars, the Roman God of War, sat to
Cocidius' left with Neptune, the Roman God of the Sea, next to him. Loki,
the Norse God of Fire and Trickery, was beside Neptune, and Skadi, the Norse
Goddess of Winter and Hunting, was beside him. At each end sat the two Celtic
deities. Donn, the Celtic God of the Dead, sat by Am-Heh, and Taranis, the
Celtic God of Storms, was next to Skadi.

The Royal Dais was made up of ten sets of thrones, alternating
white and black marble. The Kings and Queens of the Underworld lounged upon the
silver-veined black sets, looking utterly relaxed compared to their
counterparts, the Kings and Queens of the Sky Realm, who sat stiffly on the gold-veined
white thrones. On the far right, in the first black set, sat Isis and Osirus,
Amun-Ra and Mut beside them on gleaming white, the feel of Egypt's heat and old
power rolling from them. The next black set held Hades and Persephone, the
white set Zeus and Hera; all smelling of long-forgotten magic and Greek forests.
Then came the Celtic Afallach and Macha seated on black, Dagda and Dana on
white beside them; thunder trapped within their eyes.

The forth black set was occupied by Pluto and Proserpine, the
white by Jupiter and Juno; the civilized barbarity and crushing weight of
ancient Rome in every movement that
they made. Hodur and Holle sat on the far left set of black thrones, Odin and
Frigg on the white, their faces as hard and icy as their homelands. There was another set of thrones on the dais,
with one black throne and one white throne instead of two, but it was empty, as
usual. It was very nearly impossible to get those
two in a room together without some sort of major catastrophe. She knew that
they were listening from afar, but Sulis still thought that it was sad, as they
had once been the best of friends, back when the world was new and they were
relatively�young. The word sounded so
foreign to her.

"enceence!" Ra's voice cut through the whispers, speaking
in the common tongue of divinity since mortal languages, even the archaic forms
that the gods preferred, sounded harsh and strange in their mouths. Sulis
closed her eyes briefly, before snapping them back open. It was beginning.

"The Full Court has been assembled
this day," Zeus begun, "to deal with a pressing matter."

"No." Isis said, tilting her
head to the side, her long, dark braids spilling over one delicate shoulder.
"We are here today to deal with your stupidity." Murmurs broke out
again. Isis was very nearly enraged about something, no matter how
calm she looked, if she was already insulting the rulers of the Sky Realm. Zeus
started to reply, before Hera lightly touched his arm and shook her elegant
head.

"We are here," she said, "to address the issue of
Cocidius and his recent actions."

"For those of you not yet aware of what has occurred,"
Frigg continued for her, "Cocidius broke the Ban, intentionally and
deliberately, by Marking two wizards and a witch as his Chosen." No one moved
or spoke. They already knew. Everyone had felt the renewed ties between their
Realms and the mortal one after he had stopped shielding them.

"Cocidius, how do you plead?"

lasslass=MsoNormal>"Guilty." Cocidius responded clearly. "And quite
pleased about it." The Light Realm royals looked offended.

"As you say. You are being charged with breaking the Ban, Marking
three humans and-"

"One human, actually." Cocidius interrupted Dagda.
"With the other two, that is�questionable."

"Fine." Dagda
nearly hissed, before catching himself and making the word sound simply
clipped. "Three denizens of the Shadow Realm, then. You are also being
charged of Awakening altars and sending aid to your illegal Chosen the day they
were Marked and just now, mere hours
ago in their time. You als also being charged for tricking two Greek deities
into helping you make the first contact with said Chosen."

"Tricking!?"
Ares and Aphrodite exclaimed in unison, while Mars, Skadi and Loki started
snickering into their hands.

"We were not
tricked!" Ares said, and Zeus glared daggers at him. Ares noticed the
look, and his wolf-like eyes narrowed. "We broke no laws, so you can stop
glaring at me, Father. Take out your marital problems on someone else." He said nastily, the tension
in the air between them long past humming, having changed to something more
like hysterical screaming after the last time that Zeus had cheated on his
mother, Hera. It wasn't usually referred to publicly, however, and it just
further proved how very much on edge they all were.

"Enough!" Hades demanded. "You know that I agree
with you, nephew," he said, looking aes, es, "but now is not the
time. And the charges, however stupid," H smi smirked at

"That is your final word, Cocidius?" Dagda asked, barely
able to keep the glee from his voice. Cocidius nodded.

"Yes."

"So be it." Dagda replied. "I, along with the other
Light Sovereigns, decided your punishment earlier, should that be the case. As
a member of the Sky Court, you understand that you must fulfill that
punishment, yes?"

"Yes."

"You are banished from the Shadow Realm for the next
millennium." Dagda said, smiling as if it were good news. "Keep your Chosen, if you will, but you
won't be able to help them or communicate. Not until they Pass, at least."
He added, waiting for Cocidius's reaction, as was everyone else. The gods that
were spread out along the table with Cocidius stood, beginning to channel power
in order to help him escape. But Cocidius waved them down, shaking his head,
and they stared at him, surprised. He only smiled at them slightly, before
vaulting over the table and landing lightly on his feet before the dais.

"I, Cocidius, God of Forests, Hunting and War, acknowledge
and understand your terms." He said, giving them a mocking bow.

"Then you will abide by them?"

"No. I choose to Fall." Cocidius replied, and gasps were
ripped from divine throats all around the room. No one had Fallen in�Well, the
last was long before man. The Kings anspanspan>Queens of the Underworld
very nearly shrieked in triumph, jumping up from their thrones and laughing
full out at their counterparts, who looked stunned. To Fall m tha that he
removed himself from the Sky Court, removed himself from
their control, becoming completely a creature of the Underworld. And that was
what the Dark Sovereigns had wanted for literal ages, especially his father,
Afallach.

n stn style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'>

"You cannot Fall from
Heaven!" Dagda yelled, forgetting himself and losing his temper.
"I will not allow it and you have not the power to do so on your
own!"

"Don't I?" Cocidius asked too quietly, and a
blacker-than-black portal began opening in the ground behind his feet.
"You wish it were so, don't you, Dagda? Wish that I were weaker than you?
Do not think that I do not know why you have wanted to keep me from fully
embracing the Dark Realm all these millennia. Do not think that I stand unaware
of prophecies or that I do not know about the power I will gain when my Dark
half cancels out the Light."

"I will not al-" Dagda started, but Cocidius cut him
off, speaking words not heard for hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of years.

"I revoke my title as a Prince of Heaven as I revoke your
rule over me, and I shall rule from Hell, answering to the Dark Sovereigns
alone. Kings of Light, Queens of Sky, hear my words and heed them! Witness my
descent into Darkness." With that said, he tilted back, and Fell. The
watching gods and goddesses could only stare blankly as they felt the rippling
aftershocks of his passing through the Sky Realm, and then sensed him crash
through the Shadow Realm, causing freak storms and earthquakes all over the
planet, before slamming into the Underworld with the force of a nuclear
explosion.

"How dare he!"
Dagda exclaimed after a few minutes of shocked silence. "He thinks he can
just, just-"

"Mind your own throne, Dagda." Afallach snapped, though
his eyes were filled with long-awaited joy. "Had you treated my son as he should have been treated, as we treated him, it would not have come
to this. You tried to keep him from power out of fear, and we all know it. Your
insufferable Ban begins to break, and I will laugh as the last t sht shatters
around your miserable head. But for now, the Dark Realm shall celebrate the
return of its Prince. Enjoy your defeat." He said, and the Dark royals
laughed before disappearing. The portal in the floor had closed, no trace of
what had just occurred remaining. The other gods who called the Dark Realm home
also began leaving, victorious smiles upon their faces. And as Sulis looked
around, she noticed that the deities of the Sky Realm looked very nearly
rebellious at the loss of one of their favorite Princes. Wishing her brother
safe, she took her leave, the night's events wearing on her heavily.

��

They'd been waiting to be released from Ministry custody for hours,
answering endless questions and trying to keep their anger in check. Virginia was wrapped in his
arms and had been for what felt like forever, while Draco stood stiffly beh the them, his silver eyes cold and steely. The room they were in was nice, much
better then most got, as they'd been pulling strings since they'd entered the
building. Their mothers were furious that they were even being held as long as
they were, but with over fifty dead bodies and a dozen unconscious ones on the
floor of their office, they didn't have much choice at the moment. Of course,
Blaise knew that had it been, say, Bill and Charlie Weasley who had killed a
bunch of Death Eaters, they would have been patted on the back and sent home
long ago.

But they weren't Weasleys (thank the gods), and it appeared that
even that family wasn't infallible. Percy's
treason had been quite a shock even to him and Draco, and not much did that
anymore. But there he had been, face down next to a poisoned dagger, with the
Dark Mark burned into his flesh. Blaise had been the one who had found him in
the mess of bodies, having left Virginia safely with Draco.
Ron (which Blaise was currently referring to him as, since he knew he was about
to be surrounded by Weasleys and wanted to get them straight in his head, as he
couldn't hope to call them all the same thing) hadn't believed them at first,
going so far as to push him and demand that he prove it. Infuriated that the
little shit had so much as touched him, he'd very nearly broken both his arms.

One look at Virginia's tear-stained face
had changed his mind, however, and he had settled for grabbing Ron's shoulder
and digging his fingers in just hard enough to prove a point. One that should
have been clear to the bastard long before, and was based very simply on the
fact that Blaise could crhis his bones into dust without even really trying. He
had then proceeded to drag the fucker around the room, saying that he needed
his scent next to him so he could find Percy's, which should resemble it. It
had been bullshit, of course, since Blaise's nose was so sensitive that he
could have accurately put the bodies back together again, piece by piece, like
a giant human jigsaw puzzle. He'd just wanted to make the little rodent wade
through dismembered bodies. /p>

He'd seen that that was the last thing on earth that Ron had
wanted to do, and if the little Gryffindor freak got nightmares over it, it was
just an added bonus. His face as Blaise had carelessly kicked severed limbs
aside had been positively priceless, especially when he hacciaccidentally'
tossed a finger at him. The flailing, spinning, swatting dance that Ron had
then preformed was sure to run through his mind countless times in the future. And
if he was honest with himself, which he usually was, he had also wanted the
idiot to see how much better his brother had gotten it, compared to the rest. The
less pain her brother felt, the less pain Virginia would feel. And
putting a smile back on her beloved face was his main priority, even if it
meant he had to be mostly decent to
her family.

After the Aurors had shown up, they had been taken to the Egyptian
Ministry, waiting there for an hour while the case was transferred to Britain. They had then been
moved to that Ministry, where they were currently waiting to view the security
recording crystals from their office. After that, they were told they would be
released, but the Auror who imparted that information hadn't looked very
positive about it. Blaise, however, was quite
positive of it. His patience had been worn nearly to the breaking point
already, and he would tear the fucking place to the ground if it meant that he
and Draco could get Virginia the fuck out of
there. Why in Chaos did it have to be her
that had run into Percy first?

He sure as hell wouldn't have lost any sleep over it, but he knew that
she would. And it didn't even seem to be about killing him, as she wasn't
moping over the other filth they had slain, but more about her family. They
would be there any minute, and he could feel the nervous tension in her lithe
form. He knew what she was so scared of. She feared that she was about to earn
her family's hate. He doubted that that would be cas case after they watched
the crystals, but should it be�All he knew was that if they really turned on
her, if they really hurt her that
much, he and Draco would be digging quiet graves by the end of the week. But, once
again, he seriously doubted that that would be the case. Of course, he'd also
seriously doubted that a Weasley would ever turn traitor.

Everyone else and their grandmothers had always been possible
suspects in his mind, because the nasty truth was that no one could really be
trusted. Except for Draco, and now Virginia, but their
circumstances were a tad bit different than most. But he had never suspected a Weasley of being a Death Eater, and it made him rethink a lot of things. Virginia shifted slightly in
his embrace, and his eyes wandered back to her. She had learned an important
lesson this night if nothing else, even if the situation hadn't been ideal. It
was a lesson that he and Draco had grown up their entire lives understanding
all too well, and it all came back to the same thing in tnd. nd. Trust no one, not even your family, especially
during a war.

The majority of people are too fickle, too greedy, too swayable, for you to ever really trust
them. Sad, yes, but still true. Footsteps approaching from down the hall caught
his attention, and his gaze lifted to meet Draco's. A short glance was all that
was needed to see that he had heard them too, andy way waited silently until
the door opened. The Head of the Auror department, Carrick, came in, followed
closely by Virginia's parents and
siblings, and Draco and Blaise's head lawyer. The Weasleys looked stressed, but
not horrified, so he knew that they hadn't been told what had happened yet.
They rushed over to Virginia and he moved faster
than their eyes could follow, joining Draco behind the couch.

He hadn't wanted to let her go, ever, but he'd be damned if he was in the center of a Weasley
pile-up. Draco gave him a sympathetic glance and played with a strand of his
hair, which was still damp from the quick washing spells they had been allowed
to perform so that their blood-soaked appearance wouldn't completely alarm the
Weasleys or give their lawyer, Satordi, a t att attack. Ever since the incident
with their fathers, he'd had to take potions daily for stress and high blood
pressure. If he'd come in again to see them covered in blood and thicker
things, he might have quit. It had taken him some time to arrive, having been
on business in America, but their team of
lawyers, which Satordi headed, had been with them for the earlier questioning
and had only just left, along with Dumbledore, who was going to meet with the
Minister.

"What happened?" Molly asked, glancing at them, the
Golden trio and Severus, before her eyes landed on Draco and Blaise's mothers.

"Much has happened tonight, Molly." Narcissa responded
carefully. "Perhaps we could watch the crystals now?" She asked,
directing the question at Carrick.

"No!" Virginia said suddenly.
"You can't make them find out like that!" She exclaimed, and her
family's faces grew wary and more concerned than before.

"Ms. Weasley, the Minister said-"

"I don't care!"

"Baby," Molly started, "I'm sure it will be fine.
But shouldn't we wait for Percy?" Virginia made a choking noise
and stood, pushing her family's hands away. Stumbling, she made her way around
the couch, ignoring the looks they were giving her, and Draco and Blaise were
at her side immediately.

"Do what you want." Virginia intoned mechanically.
"But don't say I didn't warn you."

"We'll get started then." Carrick said, and pulled a
glowing blue crystal from his pocket. "Now, Lord Malfoy and Lord Zabini
have denied us the right to view the entire crystal, so we will only be seeing
what is directly relevant to this case."

"Case?" Arthur asked. "What case? What's going on?
Is Ginny in trouble? I knew those boys-"

"Arthur!"
Molly cut him off, her cheeks beginning to flame. Shooting Blaise and Draco
apologetic looks, she turned back to her husband. "We're about to find
out. Carrick, go on. We'll fill Percy in later. He's probably busy with work,
as usual. Although it is quite late,
even for him." She said, causing everyone but the Weasleys to look
slightly uncomfortable, some more than others.

"Oh gods." Virginia whispered, burying
her face in Draco's neck and squeezing Blaise's hand hard enough that had he
been fully human, something surely would have broken. Sending pulses of soothing
energy to her throuis Mis Mark, he tangled his free hand in her hair, kissed
the top of her head, and turned his attention back to the others.

"Alright." Carrick said. "If everyone would take a
seat?" They did so, scattering throughout the medium-sized room, and once
they were settled, he continued. "I'm sure you all know how these work,
but if not, it will show us a three-dimensional hologram in the center of the
room. Ostendo!" He said,
pointing his wand at the crystal. Trails of blue smoke began rising from its
smooth surface, growing and spreading until they began forming a foggy shape.
It cleared soon enough, though, and their Alexandria office appeared
before them. Draco, Blaise and Virginia were sitting on one of the couches,
Badru in a chair across from them. Their mouths moved silently for a moment,
before another spell from Carrick had Draco's liquid voice crawling over their
skin.

"So, what are we here for besides the usual? I know that you
wouldn't have insisted that we come tonight when we already had plans, unless
something had happened."

"You have been made an offer, my lords." Badru's image
replied.

"What kind of offer?"

Silence. Then, "One from the Dark Lord." The Weasleys
sucked in a collective breath, paling as the hologram continued. They watched
with wide eyes as Badru explained the offer and how the price for it was
Dumbledore's head. When Draco and Blaise's images didn't immediately say 'no',
the Weasley males looked at them accusingly. No one spoke as the images of the
two Slytherins threw furniture into the walls, watching the wood splinter on
stone as if the heavy desks were nothing more than children's toys. The scene
focused on Virginia and Badru, as the
man's image handed her a letter.

"This," he said, motioning to it, "was to be given
to you. I had it checked for curses, of course." Badru's image stated. Blaise
remembered the following events clearly, so he wasn't surprised when he saw his
and Draco's images stop suddenly, turning just in time to see what was
happening as they'd sensed something amiss.

"No!" Their images shouted, but it was too late and Virginia's fingers had already
closed on the letter.

Her image's eyes glazed immediately, even as they raced over the
words on the page. Draco and Blaise's images were next to her in seconds, as
the letter fell from her hands to the floor. They were yelling at Badru to tell
them exactly what had happened one second, and the next they had thrown up
shields before he even knew what was going on. They had felt the breach in the
wards stemming from that damned note, and had had only one thought before the
Death Eaters had appeared in the room. Protect
Virginia. The Weasleys all gasped as the robed and masked figures
came out of nowhere, throwing curses before they'd even fully materialized. In
another split second, black and silver shields deflected the first wave,
tossing the hexes back at their owners.

That was when things had gotten�messy. It had never occurred to
Blaise to record himself fighting before, so watching it was a new experience. But
watching a recorded image of Draco fighting�Well, that brought many new ideas
for those crystals into mind. Draco reminded him of a jungle cat; sleek, swift,
deadly and beautiful. Blaise watched carefully as they fought with claws and
magic before calling in their swords. That was when the Death Eaters' lines had
begun to break. Too many among them knew those blades, and too many among them
had thought that attacking the two who wielded them was foolish to begin with.
But there had been one thing Voldemort had definitely not anticipated. It
wasn't by any means easy to enter any of their offices without an invitation,
but it was impossible to leave.

So it hadn't mattered when they had decided to retreat. They'd
turned vicious when they'd realized that they were trapped, and Blaise
remembered losing track of time completely until they'd felt Virginia release a torrent of
power. Minutes afterward, she had thrown the link between their Marks wide
open, and they had been able to focus completely on the fighting. Not having
had the opportunity to watch her fight earlier, he relished the experience.
She'd fought with natural talent in the beginning, but it had turned into fierce
expertise when they had sent their knowledge to her through the Marks. Blaise
hadn't known if it would work or not, but they had thought it worth a try. And
then it happened. Virginia's image blocked a
curse with ll oll of fire, before slamming the hilt of Draco's sword into a
Death Eater's head.

No one watching moved as they saw another figure sneak up behind
hers, a wicked-looking dagger dripping poison in its hand. The renewed fury
that coursed through Blaise's system surprised him, and he once again wished
that it had been his hand that had caused the bastard's death. The Death Eater
raised the blade high and then brought it rushing down, and Molly gave a small
shriek before they saw Virginia's image spin at the
last second, Blaise and Draco's blades sinking into the Death Eater's chest
simultaneously. Her family stayed utterly quiet as they watched her image
observe tradition and rip off the Death Eater's mask. They didn't stay quiet a
moment more, however, as they collectively exploded.

"What the fuck is this!?" Bill demanded.

"Is this some kind of joke!?" Fred yelled.

"I knew you guys were fucked up, but this is the limit!"
George spat, while they drew their wands. Charlie took his in hand as well,
staring disbelievingly at the hologram that Carrick had frozen when they
started screaming. Molly and Arthur were doing the same, but their wands stayed
put up. It didn't even seem as if they were still aware of their surroundings.
Going immediately on the defensive, Blaise and Draco hissed in unison, flashing
fangs in warning.

"It's not a joke." Virginia said, her voice soft
but carrying. After seeing it like they just had, she seemed more angry than
upset. Her brothers stopped dead and stared at her, their faces going green and
causing their freckles to stand out vividly. Then they turned to their youngest
brother for confirmation, as if they believed that if he said it jus just a
twisted joke, everything would be okay. Welcome
to reality, Weasleys, Blaise thought to himself with more than a bit of
vindictive pleasure. He loved Virginia to death, but he
couldn't stand her holier-than-thou, lily-white fucking family. And he very
much doubted that that would ever change.

"It's true." Ron said morosely, and their features fell
while Molly began sobbing, his words having reached her even in the odd state
she seemed to have fallen into. "He had the Dark Mark."

"You can't be serious." Bill argued, but there was no
heat in his eyes like there had been moments before.

"I'm afraid he is very
serious, Mr. Weasley." Carrick said. "This is the first major attack
the Dark Loas mas made in three years of almost complete silence. We stand on
the eve of war, and must begin it with a tragedy." He paused, looking
slightly nervous. "You all do understand the law, yes?" He asked,
looking from Draco, Virginia and Blaise to the
Weasleys.

"Yes." The Weasleys chorused dully, numb with shock,
while the other three stayed silent. Carrick looked at them questioningly,
opened his mouth to say something, and then seemed to think better of it,
turning back to thesleysleys.

"Then you know that you will be under suspicion yourselves
until you partake in drinking Veritaserum before the court?"

"Yeuot;uot; The Weasleys repeated, not even looking at him.
Blaise and Draco didn't take his assumption quite as kindly, however.

"You fucking wish." Draco snapped, his eyes beginning to
frost over. Apparently, he was at the end of his tolerance level as well.

"The law states-"

"Would you like to try and force the issue?" Draco
crooned, his words becoming honeyed poison, which was a very bad sign. "I
could teach you so very many things about pain."

"A-Are you t-threatening me, Lord Malfoy?" Carrick
stuttered, trying and failing to keep the hint of fear from his voice. The
scent of it was sweet, and Blaise felt that sharp edge of cruelty rise up from
within him, seeing the same happen in his lover's mercury orbs. Virginia noticed the change
immediately, and couldn't hide the hunger in her own charcoal eyes. It was one
of the many reasons that they loved her as much as they did. She embraced both
sides of them equally, understanding the mix within them as no one else ever
had, since she experienced it herself.

"Threatening you?
Would I do something like that?" Draco questioned, making it perfectly clear
by his tone that he would. The man blanched.

"O-Ofrse rse not, Lord Malfoy." Then, seeming to
remember he was in a room full of people in the middle of the Ministry, he
apparently fooled himself into thinking that he was safe, and his voice grew
harder. "But we really must insist. I'm not sure how you two got out of it
the last time, but we are adamant. Money can't get you everything.&; He; He
added the last in a fit of boldness.

"Want to bet?" Blaise sneered, gliding forward slowly as
the scent of fear lingered in the air, drawing his instincts to the forefront.
"You'd be surprised. And what money can't acquire, power can. You're no
match in either arena, and you would do well to remember your place. Unless, of
course, you'd like to duel? Would you enjoy stepping inside the circle with me,
Carrick?" He asked venomously, and the man took several steps backwards,
going white.

"N-No, Lord Zabini."

"Coward." Draco laughed mockingly. "Smart decision,
although I would have loved to see that.
Whatever would your Aurors say when you were bested by a student?"

"That's enough, Draco." Narcissa said softly. "I'm
sure Carrick is willing to be more�reasonable."
She arched an elegant eyebrow at the man. "After all, I doubt he would
want to lose his job after his family so recently got out of debt."
Carrick's eyes widened impossibly, and he looked as if he'd suddenly remembered
who he was fucking with.

"Fine." He said, sounding defeated. "No Veritaserum
for the Lords."

"Or for the Weasleys." Blaise said silkily, enjoying the
family's looks of surprise. The things he did for that woman�

"Excuse me?" Carrick asked with a look of disbelief
plastered across his face. "Why would you care what happened to them?" He blurted without thinking.

"Not very bright, are you?" Draco asked, smirking
coldly. "And it's not as if you need to know why in the first place, now
do you?"

"No, Lord Malfoy."

"Good. Now can we leave?"

"Yes, Lord Zabini. You may, but the Weasleys will need to
stay a little longer for the standard questioning that you have
already�indulged us with." Carrick said, the color coming back to his
face. Blaise looked at him suspiciously.

"Will they now?" He asked softly, and then turned.
"Satordi?"

"Yes, Lord Zabini?" Their lawyer asked, his shrewd black
eyes catching everything. He was a tall man with rich brown hair that he kept
clipped, a muscular build from his years as a Beater, and a thick French
accent. He was still quite young by wizarding standards, barely in his forties,
but he didn't look so much as thirty. He was quick, intelligent and adaptable,
which is why they'd kept him around after their fathers had died. Not to
mention that he was utterly loyal, quite like Badru. Blood oaths were a
marvelous thing.

"You will stay with them. Legal traps can be tricky
things," he said slyly, casting a meaningful glance at Carrick, "and
you are the best there is, Satordi. Should anyone try anything, advise them
truly, as you would us. I would hate for my beloved's family to experience
firsthand what it is like to fall from public grace. It only took one member
apiece for our families, too, after all."

"We would never-" Carrick started, before Draco cut him
off.

"Never what?" He asked viciously. "Turn this into a
worldwide scandal? I'm sure you'll try, as it's what your kind does best. After
all, if there are no big, nasty Dark wizards, then what's an Auror to do? So
no, Satordi will stay. We can't stop this from going public, but we can ensure
that nothing�unfortunate happens to
them because of some technicalityot; ot; He then put on a charming smile, his
silver eyes going limpid as he looked at Molly. "If, of course, that's
alright with you, Mrs. Weasley?"

"Yes, Draco, it'll be fine." Molly said, her eyes huge
and haunted as she tried to smile at him. "You'll take Ginny with
you?"

"If that's where she wishesbe.&be." Draco replied
neutrally, though Blaise knew that Draco wished to get her out as much as he
did. Virginia's head snapped up, her
eyes flashing.

"You wish me gone?" She asked in a strange voice, and
Blaise quietly sucked in a breath. Shit.

But before Molly could answer, a loud humming noise filled the
room and Blaise, Draco and < sty style='font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>Virginia put their hands over their
ears in a pointless effort to block it out. It was so high, his ears felt as if they were bleeding, and he realized
moments later, when he tried to throw an aural shield up, that his magic was
going haywire. The shield spell filled the room with dragonflies instead, ahe she saw that his lovers' hadn't done any better. The others were staring at them
as if they'd gone insane, but Blaise couldn't concentrate, on them or anything
else really. He was almost sure that his head was about to liquefy, and he fell
to his knees as the white-hot pain spread from his skull to his chest, the
damnable whining noise growing even louder.

The Mark on his arm was searing, and he ripped his sleeve off in a
frenzy, not too surprised when he saw the skin bubbling. He couldn't think long
enough to figure out what was going on, but he could feel an insistent tugging
and followed it instinctively. His vision was going out, but he saw the others
finally covering their own ears right as he bumped into silky hair that smelt
like Draco and Virginia. The pain continued to spread, and it felt as if
something heavy had descended over the room, crushing them. Everything began
shaking, pictures falling off the walls while the building moved as if it were
swaying. The pain finally became too much, and as the world around him went
black, a familiar voice echoed in his mind.

'Forgive me, my Chosen. Let go
and come to me. I shall make the pain stop.'

��

Hermione wrapped her arms around herself, wishing more than
anything that they could leave. She hadn't said a word since they'd found
Draco, Ginny and Blaise covered from head to foot in blood, and hadn't been
able to so much as look at Ron after Blaise had led him to Percy's body. She'd
been surprised at her reaction, which was made up of more anger than grief, and
it had all felt so surreal�It wasn't, though. It was all very real. She listened silently as Draco and Blaise refused to
take Veritaserum, as their cloaked threats had a man much older than them
backing down, and felt a vague moment of surprise when they extended their
immunity it to the Weasleys. But she became fully aware again after Ginny
questioned Molly.

Alarm bells sounded in her head when there was no response.
Hermione looked up quickly, and then gasped as she saw that Blaise, Draco and
Ginny had all frozen, their eyes clouding over and their hands going to their
heads. Seconds later, they screamed, the sound brutal and cutting, almost
tangible. The room filled with bats, dragonflies and phoenix song as their
spells went awry, and Hermione sprang up from her chair, running as close to
them as she dared, trying to find out what was happening. Something was
obviously hurting them, but what? She couldn't stop herself from gaping as they
fell to their knees, their faces contorted in anguish and their eyes rolling
back in their heads. Their nails dug at the cheap carpet underneath their
fingers, as if they were fighting to hold on.

They seemed to come back a little, as they desperately ripped
their sleeves off in unison, and she felt sick again when she saw the
distorted, moving flesh that was revealed. It looked as if worms were twisting
around madly underneath it, their Marks a fierce red before turning black. Blaise
somehow managed to crawl towards Ginny and Draco, and they both reached for him
at once, as if they knew he was there, yet couldn't see him. All three's eyes
were glazed and filled with agony, and their bodies began convulsing violently.
She wanted to help, but she had no idea how. Severus, Narcissa, Silana, Harry
and the Weasleys were also crowded around, their faces pinched with worry and
the beginnings of panic.

And, right as Blaise made it to them, she had heard something.
Faint at first, it quickly grew louder, until she covered her own ears, trying
to make it stop. The pitch grew higher and higher, before something slammed her
to the floor. The ground was moving, bucking and heaving, and she couldn't
regain her feet. Then it stopped just as suddenly as it had begun, leaving her
facedown with ringing ears. Someone grabbed her, pulling her up and checking for
injuries, and she looked up to see Harry's distraught face looming over her.
His lips were moving, but she couldn't hear anything, and she began to
frantically wonder if she had gone deaf. A minute later, though, sounds started
coming back.

"I-own-ee, car boo kay?"

Shaking her head, as she obviously wasn't hearing right yet, she
got to her feet, wobbling. Her legs felt like jelly, and a splitting headache
was beginning behind her eyes. Everyone else also appeared to be getting to
their feet, except for Ginny and her boyfriends. They were crumpled in a pile,
their eyes wide and unseeing, not even blinking. They were breathing, however, and she let out a small sigh of relief.
Otherwise, they were utterly still, but it was better then the earlier, racking
spasms. Moving to them immediately, where Narcissa, Silana, Severus and Molly
already were, and she took the only available spot, which was between Narcissa
and Molly. Looking down, she realized that Draco's head was right by her lap,
lying on Blaise's thigh.

Blank, silver-turned-steel eyes stared right at her, and she
clenched her hand into a fist. How could she find him beautiful? It was a
question that she had asked herself many times, but she had never come up with
an answer that satisfied her. She knew that he was dark, and more than likely
quite evil, but he had a face that an angel would die for. She found Blaise
beautiful as well, but he terrified her most of the time, loathe as she was to
admit it. She had watched them both at first, before Blaise had noticed one day
the year before. Her eyes had been on Draco at the time, and she didn't know
what Blaise had seen in them, but he hadn't liked it.

The look he had given her had made her feel as if his gaze alone
were peeling off her skin, and she had stayed as far away from him as possible
after that. There had still been the occasional run-in, of course, and the look
of disgust that filled his midnight eyes and scrunched
his perfect nose had been like a punch in the stomach. Draco had been completely
oblivious, but Blaise had scared the shit out of her. She had known,
frighteningly clearly, that he would kill her if she ever so much tried
anything with either of them. Which she wouldn't. She didn't like Draco, no matter what Blaise
thought, damn it. It wasn't her fault she couldn't stop looking at him. And
Blaise�

Well, she wasn't really sure that you could genuinely like someone who you were afraid to so much as breathe
wrong around. It was probably just morbid curiosity, anyway. But looking down
at the mercury-haired beauty beside her, something in her chest began aching.
Pushing it furiously away, she looked over at Ginny. The younger girl was
beautiful herself, and one of the luckiest people Hermione had ever met. Who
wouldn't want two gorgeous men head-over-heels in love with you? Not to mention
two gorgeous, rich and powerful men. Determined not to become some jealous hag,
she shook her head and looked at Narcissa.

"What do we do?" She asked, and the woman turned.

"I would tell you to pray," Narcissa said, her face
echoing the severely disgusted expression that Blaise always had around
Hermione, "but I doubt it would do any good." The 'coming from you' part was left unsaid,
hanging in the air between them. Uncomfortable, Hermione turned away, suddenly
feeling very drab and plain next to the chic, aristocratic woman beside her. If
she hadn't, she wouldn't have seen Draco's eyes finally blink. Spinning, and forgetting
the woman's disdain for her, she tugged on the sleeve of her silk robe.

"What?" The woman snapped, turning away from Blaise,
where she had been looking him over after checking on Draco.

"Look." Hermione said, and pointed. His eyes blinked
again, and a soft groan came from Blaise at the same time.

Light poured into those gray eyes, turning them back to their
normal shining silver, and Draco shot up, looking around wildly. Blaise and
Ginny bolted upright at the same time he did, breathing raggedly and clutching
their forearms. Their eyes met each other's and they calmed slightly, letting
their hands fall away. Their Marks were back to the way they usually were, a
rainbow vortex of swirling colors, except they were�darker, somehow. Ginny
stretched out an arm, flexing her fingers, before her eyes met Hermione's. The
look in them was unsettling, as if Ginny could see right through her, and
Hermione recognized that look. She'd been receiving it often enough the last week.
But she only then recognized it for what it was. A predator scoping out its
prey.

"Baby?" Molly asked, looking at her daughter with tears
streaming nonstop down her cheeks. But Ginny didn't even turn around, just let
Draco and Blaise help her to her feet as they fixed the sleeves of their robes.
Something was wrong; Hermione could feel it. Looking again, she reeled when Blaise
met her gaze. There was nothing remotely human in his eyes, less even than in Ginny's.
Not wanting to, but needing to, she
turned to Draco, fighting to keep her expression bland, and wasn't as surprised
when she saw the same look mirrored there. The three of them said nothing,
making their way for the door as everyone stared.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" Arthur asked, and Ginny
stopped, turning slowly. She looked at her father with darkly intelligent,
alien eyes, before tilting her head and replying.

"It isn't safe for us do be around certain�people, at the
moment. And we were told we were free to leave. I believe you left my choice to
me." She said, her voice dry and bored, and she turned to leave again.

"But what happened?" Molly asked, getting unsteadily to
her feet with Silana's help. "Are you okay?" Ginny froze, and when
she spun around that time, she did it slowly, precisely, her eyes burning.

"Okay?" Ginny
asked, as if the word were strange to her. "My brother, whom I was
supposed to be able to trust no matter what," she shot a slightly
suspicious glance at her remaining siblings, "tried to murder me tonight.
I, instead, murdered him. Tomorrow, it'll be worldwide headlines. How many
pictures of that room do you suppose they got this time? How many pictures of
us when we had first left it, covered in blood? Oh yes, mother, everything's
just fucking peachy." She
finished sarcastically.

"It wasn't your fault, Ginny." Ron said, looking at her
closely. She seemed vaguely surprised.

"Oh, well, I know that.
After all, he was the one trying to
kill me."

"Ginny?" Charlie asked hesitantly, stepping forward. His
eyes were filled with grief and sorrow, but underlain with rage, which was
something that Hermione had never seen from him before. "You know that the
rest of us�I mean, you know that we wouldn't do what he did, right?" He asked hopefully. But Ginny only looked at
him for a few moments, before her eyes flickered to Draco and Blaise, who stood
like silent, deadly sentinels behind her, and then back to him.

"Perhaps. But I've come to realize that there are only two
people I can truly trust." She said with a sense of honesty and conviction
that stunned her family. Saying nothing else, she left through the door Blaise
held open for her, her fire-like hair streaming behind her. Eyes swept over
them, sapphire and silver, crawling over their skin before turning to each
other. Something silent passed between them, and Draco stepped out with Ginny.
Blaise shut the door behind him, before facing those still in the room.

"She loves you still, you know, so you can quit looking as if
the world has ended." He said, a lock of bluish-black hair falling over
his face as his piercing eyes pinned the Weasleys in place. "She is hurt
and confused, and should never have had to do what she did tonight. But she's
strong, stronger than you've ever given her credit for, and she will recover."

"And who's going to help her?" Fred snapped. "You?"

"Think what you will of us." Blaise replied, the purple
in his eyes becoming vibrant. "But we do
love her. And if we have to tear this world apart piece by bloody piece in
order to keep her happy, then so be it. But I am�asking you," he said it strangely, as if the words were new to
his tongue, "not to make this harder on her then it already will be. No
matter what the circumstances, slaying your kin, even in defense, isn't easy on
anyone." He left that statement hanging in the air, the implications of it
as obvious as the threat in his voice. He made to slide out of the door, but his
mother and Narcissa reached out and stopped him.

"What happened?" They asked, and he kissed their cheeks
lightly before stepping back.

"Cocidius has Fallen, in order to keep us." Blaise
replied, the tiniest hints of adoration and something very close to joy leaking
through his mask. Then he was gone, between one blink and the next. No one said
anything, as Severus once more joined the two women, and the Weasleys huddled
together. Harry and Hermione stood off to one side, feeling out of place,
especially when the Weasleys began to grieve. Agreeing with a look that it was
time to get the hell out of there, they left at the same time Carrick chose to
do the same, except that he stayed right outside the door, so he could finish
the questioning in a bit.

"And just where are you two going?" Carrick asked
nastily, obviously feeling the need to vent on somebody after his earlier
humiliation at the hands of two seventeen y'> year-olds. But
Hermione's nerves had been stretched, pulled and stomped on too many times
lately. Something inside her snapping, she spun on one heel, pulling on every
ounce of remembered disgust that the Slytherins had always viewed her with and
letting it fill her eyes, turning them disdainful and cold as they traveled
over the pudgy man. She started at his scuffed shoes, then continued up his
mediocre black robes, over his out-of-shape figure, and ended at his piggy
little eyes.

"You listen to me, you nasty little man." She hissed,
and he looked surprised. "What we do and where we go is absolutely none of
your bloody concern. You're nothing but a weak, spineless bastard, a mind
numbing irrelevance that is utterly reprehensible in every way. So if I want
any shit from you, I'll just squeeze your head, understood?" She spat, and
stormed off down the hall, Harry at her heels.

"Sweet Merlin, Hermione! That was brilliant!" He said, a
real smile on his face.

They turned a corner, and stopped at what they saw. Nine hooded
figures stood in the hallway, talking in hushed voices and what looked like
hand signals to Draco and Blaise. Virginia stood between the two
Slytherins, a haughty smirk on her lips as she laughed. Each of the hooded
figures had two symbols emblazoned upon their cloaks, a set of crossed black
swords outlined in green on the left side of their chests, and a silver set
outlined in the same on the right. Hermione recognized the crests of course,
and remembered reading something in an old book on wizarding families about the
Malfoys and Zabinis' sworn guards wearing cloaks like that, except they had
been two separate groups before. Draco's gaze traveled over to Harry and
Hermione lazily, before dismissing them altogether with the same uncaring
nonchalance.

"Prick." Harry murmured under his breath, and then
louder, "Fuck them. Come on, Hermione. The exit's this way." He said,
and grabbed her hand, pulling them down the hall towards the group.

As they drew closer to them, Hermione's eyes once again slid, mostly involuntarily, to Draco. His eyes
were so bright she was surprised they didn't cast shadows, and his hair was the
color of Christmas tinsel, although she knew it was softer than that stuff could
ever dream of being. She started when his eyes met hers, and something like
surprised understanding swirled within their mercury depths. He took a step
back, looking faintly ill, and she felt her throat close up with tears. No, she realized as she found herself
pinned to a wall by her neck, not tears.
Ginny's hand. Sharp nails and shockingly strong fingers dug into her flesh,
as the crazed vixen before her snarled. Meeting Ginny's enraged eyes, she tried
to let the girl know that she couldn't help
it, tried to let her know that she would never, ever be a threat. It didn't, however, work.

"You had to test me tonight,
didn't you, Hermione?" Ginny growled, a terrifying fire beginning to swirl
inside her smoky eyes. "What is it, hmm? Are my brother and Harry not
enough for you? Did you need a change? Or was it just amusing to see if you
could get me or Blaise to rip your fucking eyes out?" She asked furiously.
Hermione tried to give a sign of denial, but she could barely move since Ginny
had her hands stretched above her head, her free hand on her throat and a knee
in her stomach.

"Ginny, no!" She could distantly hear someone calling,
someone who sounded like Harry, but the world had narrowed down to nothing but
her and the dangerous creature in front of her. Who, at the moment, seemed to
want nothing more than to see her blood run. G sol solidified that belief
seconds later.

"Do you know what I see when I look at you, mudblood?"
She asked, the word she knew Hermione hated the most slipping from her lips as
if it had always belonged there. "Do you know what I smell?" Hermione
screwed her eyes shut, trying to deny the primal hunger she saw in those
charcoal orbs. "Food." Ginny continued, her lips right next to
Hermione's ear. "You're nothing more to me than something that would taste
delectable should it be sliced open and bled dry. Your blood may be tainted,
but it least it's edible."

"Ma �me." A velvet voice cut through Hermione's
horrified haze. "Someone comes. Finish with her, but mind your
brother's�reaction."

"They gave me their hunger, Hermione." Ginny whispered,
leaning even closer and licking a small trail up the side of her neck. "As
did our God. And sometimes, I can barely resist tearing out your throat for the
simple pleasure of doing it. You're
very lucky that my brother loves you, and very lucky that I remember that, even
now. Don't fucking push me, Hermione, or the memory might slip my mind one day.
Stay the fuck away from my boyfriends."

She emphasized her words by pulling Hermione roughly forward and
shoving her back into the wall. Stars sprang up in front of Hermione's vision,
which wavered but stayed solid. Ginny obviously hadn't meant to knock her out,
as she wasn't lying unconscious on the floor, and she hoped that that was a
good sign. Ginny dropped her and another set of arms wrapped around her when
two of the guards let Harry go. He cradled her to him, pale-faced and shaking,
and she wondered if he'd thought she was going to die. She knew she had. She
heard footsteps then, and the circle of guards closed around them, blocking
their views, along with anyone's who tried to look in. The footsteps paused, and
then continued at a much more hurried pace, while Draco and Blaise's musical,
mocking laughter followed whoever it had been down the hall.

"My lords?" One of the hooded figures questioned, the
voice letting them know it was a man.

"Yes?"

"We really must be going. The press outside grows worse by
the minute, even at this hour." A different figure said, that one a woman.

"Alright." Draco replied simply, and as a whole, they
turned and walked down the hall, leaving Harry and Hermione where they were.

��..

Sitting upon his throne, dark thoughts ran through his head. How
had his plan been foiled again? The little brats were stronger than he'd
thought, but he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. They might be powerful,
but he was a Lord of the Dark. They were no match for him, even with their
Elemental energy. He had a new idea, a better idea, one that couldn't fail. And
he hated failure above all else. He waited silently when he heard scales
slithering over stone, and watched impassively as a huge snake glided up to
him, transforming into a beautiful, dark-haired woman.

"What news, my lord?" She asked, kneeling at his feet.

"What do you think?" He snapped, petting her head
harshly, yet fondly. She was his most loyal servant, staying by his side even
through the years that he had floated and pondered and plotted uselessly.

"What do you wish for me to do, my lord?" She asked, and
he flicked his forked tongue over his thin lips.

"Watch. Wait. They want to play with me, and they'll soon see
the consequences. I know something that even they can't be advanced enough to
beat yet." He said, and she looked excited and anxious.

"Really? Ooooh, what is it, my lord? Will it be�bad?"
She asked, her eyes filled with a strange sort of hope.

"Oh, yes. Yes, it will be. After all, a Deep Lord is not one
to mess with." He said calmly, and she jumped.

"A-A Deep Lord, my lord?" She asked hesitantly.
"But there will be a high-"

"Price? Yes, I know. But it will be worth it." He
responded, and she hung her head.

"As you say, my lord."

"They are arrogant." He said thoughtfully. "Too
arrogant. And they, as they won't find out until it is too late, are not the
only Chosen walking this earth."

��..

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