Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Fooling Fate sequel to Bound	By : goldhorse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 44179 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That lucky duck JK Rowling does. I don't make any money from this fanfic. I just play with her toys and put them back in relatively good condition.

Chapter List
- 15
- 16
- 17
Melody cringed at the bright glow that flooded the house. This was exactly what they didn’t want to happen when Zandra was around. However, she knew that there was no way Hermione and Draco could help it. Their bond was a demanding one, often times negating what was proper or prudent in favor of solidifying itself.

“Ew,” Scorp whined.

“Oh quit being a damned baby,” Rhapsody snapped. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, you can say that,” Scoripus mumbled. “It isn’t your mum and dad.”

“At least you didn’t walk in on them,” Rhapsody shot back which made Scorpius flush horribly.

“I think it’s safe to say he did,” James mock whispered.

“Shut up!” Scorpius growled.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Alex bellowed. “I thought you guys were more mature than this.”

Scorpius was still massaging his ears when he mumbled his answer. “I’m fine with other people. It’s just the thought of my parents that squicks me out.”

“How do you think you got here?” Aiden countered which made Scorpius storm out of the house.

“What was that?” Zandra asked timidly.

“Sex magic,” Rhapsody answered hastily before anyone could slip up.

The look on Zandra’s face was comical, a mixture of shock and awe. The answer was enough for her though. The kids thought it was strange how easily she accepted it but they figured it was a trait of the Hufflepuff house. They were glad the subject was dropped though.

“Alex,” Melody growled in annoyance. “Go give them a blood replenisher and remind me to kick their asses when they are well again.”

“Will do,” Alex said with a chuckle and disappeared into the basement to retrieve the potion she requested.

“Ara,” Harmony called. “Scorp has gone to the thicket with Lightening. Please take Bolt and retrieve him…with force if necessary.”

“Do I need backup?” Ara sighed.

“No, I think he’ll be alright. He’s just in a strange place.”

“Why?” Zack asked. “Scorp’s always been able to take it as well as he could dish it out.”

“Suffice it to say that his thoughts have been scattered lately.”

“All of ours have,” Zach countered.

“Yes,” Melody cut in, “But you didn’t see his face when he woke up. Seeing his parents knocked out like that was a wakeup call, to say the least.”

Zach nodded. “Yeah, guess I got one of those too.”

“Only you didn’t have to wait two days for confirmation that I was going to pull through,” Melody said gently. “Cut him some slack, give him a chance to get back on his game, and then you can have a go at each other. Everyone agreed?”

“Agreed,” the children all answered.

“When Ara gets back…and Alex manages to get those two up and around, we’re going to discuss school again. I know you’re not packed, but we need to go over school rules to follow. Until then, Aiden, Zach, you’re up.”

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“Wake up you damn idiots!” Alex hissed and shook Draco and Hermione’s shoulders. He was thankful that they were at least somewhat decent.

“Quit shaking me you wanker,” Draco bit out. “What the fuck?”

“You two,” Alex growled. “I thought we said no draining each other! Damn it, we just got the right amount of blood back in you and here you go sucking it all out!”

“It wasn’t like we could help it,” Hermione groaned and clutched her head. It felt like someone had used it for dueling practice.

“Drink,” Alex ordered and handed them the replenisher. “Then clean yourselves up and get downstairs. Melody is fixing to go over Salem’s rules…and the kids’ assignments.”

“We’ll be down shortly,” Draco said and waited patiently until Alex left. “Bastard.”

“I heard that!” Alex called as he walked down the stairs.

“I know!” Draco bellowed back.

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“So glad you could join us,” Melody said dryly as the pure couple entered the room.

“Overjoyed I’m sure,” Draco growled and plopped down on the couch, pulling Hermione into his lap as he did so.

Melody stared at them a long while before nodding her head. “I’m going to knock some sense into you both later but you look better now. You can’t do that again though. Please? You promised.”

“Wasn’t planning on it in the first place,” Draco sighed. “It isn’t easy to control though.”

“Well, you could start by not doing that to yourselves again,” Melody growled.

“No deal,” Hermione answered quickly. “We’ll do it as many times as it is needed.”

Melody snorted. “I thought you’d say that. Well, shall we go over the rules? There is quite a laundry list of them.”

“How bad?” Scorpius asked stoically. Ara had ridden out to where he was and talked him down for almost half an hour before he relented to coming back. The past week had been nothing but shocking and he was having a hard time coping.

“Well, it is no Hogwarts,” Melody said sadly. “Salem Academy prides itself on strict rules and diverse punishments. Of course, I’m pretty sure Headmistress Whorple would faint dead away if she had a caretaker like Filch who was eager to put students in thumbscrews.”

“Hobbs isn’t much better,” Rhapsody chuckled. “He’s certain he’s going to get the boys in the stocks one day.”

“Dumbledore has suggested it more than once,” Melody said a bit darkly. “Perhaps I should have let him?”

“No!” The kids all spoke up at once.

Melody was having a hard time suppressing her smirk. “Very well. Now, most of you know that Severus has gone back to arrange your schedules and housing. Salem separates their student by year and gender. Therefore, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, none of that matters. Seventh years are on the top floor, the reason being that it is furthest from the main doors. After all, the longer you’re out, the easier it is to get caught.”

“Bloody paintings are narks,” James muttered.

Melody chuckled. “Hogwarts is sentient, all elements from the changing staircases to the gargoyles and yes, even the portraits, work together to provide safety…and order.”

“Because Peeves is so well known for his grand ability to keep order,” Serena said dryly.

Melody laughed a bit harder. “Actually, Peeves is around to keep the student’s tension down. Poltergeists feed off emotions and the more pranks he pulls, the more emotions he can gather…and the less to spill out among other students.”

“Huh,” Ara huffed. “Never thought of it that way. Probably why that bloody menace always shows up right when I try to hex Daisy Nott’s arse off.” She blushed horribly when she realized she said that out loud.

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” Hermione growled.

“Wait, mum’s going easy?” Rose gasped. “The world is ending.”

“No,” Scorpius snorted. “She just hates Daisy’s parents.”

“Hate is a rather strong word,” Hermione muttered.

“I’d like to hear the proper one,” Melody sniffed. “Pansy Parkinson tried to kill you and she married Theo Nott, who is only about half a fraction better. Why they got off with probation, I’ll never know.”

“Amazing what vaults of money will do,” Draco said darkly. “Enough about Daisy Nott. Back to Salem’s disciplinary procedures.”

“Right,” Melody said and cleared her throat. “For each minor infraction, a number of points called demerits are taken from the guilty party. These are personal to each student and don’t accumulate in groups like Hogwarts points since there are no houses and no house cups. For each tier of demerits (multiples of ten), there is a privilege lost. Privileges include leaving on the weekends, being on quidditch teams, and banning from numerous extracurricular activities throughout the school such as the gobstone club. Get enough demerits and you can gain a detention, a temporary suspension, or an expulsion.”

“Harsh,” Aiden murmured. “How do you get rid of demerits?”

“The same way you gain house points, by behaving in an exemplary fashion. However, most teachers aren’t in the habit of handing them out like candy…or McGonagall when Blackwell decides to go on a tear for Slytherin. You must answer extremely difficult questions, show outstanding effort, etcetera. An easier way to work them off is community service, or in this case, castle service. Serving a day with the groundskeeper Mr. Haggis will erase up to fifteen demerits at a turn. Serving as aid to other teachers earns less erasures but they help all the same.

“Of course, there is a way to gain extra points. If you have no demerits to erase, then they are called brownie points. Don’t ask. Anyway, you can either stockpile them or use them for various privileges. Those include eating in your dorms, homework passes, trips home during the week, and so on and so forth. Any questions so far?”

“Um, are demerits the only way you earn detention?” James asked uncomfortably. He probably received more detentions than everyone else put together. This was due to the fact that he just couldn’t disappear fast enough.

Melody grinned. “Unfortunately not. Major infractions earn detentions. Most are served with Mr. Haggis and most include unsavory projects like cleaning cauldrons or de-gnombing the herbology outdoor gardens. Earn enough detentions and your quidditch team will kick you off.”

“Um,” Albus cleared his throat timidly. “If there are no houses, then how do they do quidditch?”

“Each year, eight seventh years that were top of their game the previous year are awarded the title of team captain. These captains hold try outs the third week of school and it is open to all years, including first. Since there are seven students on a team, captains must pick one student from each year. They are allowed to substitute any year for a first year in the event that either the first years are deemed unsafe or unfit to fly. As you can imagine, most are. However, I’m told that many first years do get picked.”

“Can we try out?” James asked.

“You are more than welcome to,” Melody said softly. “Be warned though, I’m told they have their cliques.”

James nodded. “Not the first time.”

“Probably not,” Melody chuckled. “I did some checking and it turns out that Thomas Gregory was set to be a quidditch captain before he moved to England. It stands to reason that many members of the gang are players so it might not be a bad idea to try and get on a team.”

“That settles that then,” Aiden said softly. “James, Albus, we’ll be routing for you.”

James grinned. “I think we should all try out.”

Aiden snorted. “Not a good idea.”

“Might not be a bad idea,” Melody said softly and smiled when Aiden looked up in shock. “Aiden, you have exquisite control. You rival your father and Merlin knows you’re twice as good as the rest of us in that department as well. If you want to play, go for it.”

“I’ll think about it,” Aiden mumbled.

“I didn’t know you played,” Zandra said in shock.

Rhapsody grinned as she saw her opening. “We all do. Even Rose, who is petrified of flying, is a pretty damn fine chaser.”

“Why did you all never try out?” Zandra asked.

“Lack of control,” Aiden said tersely.

“He’s a bit rough on a broomstick,” James butted in. “Personally, I love the challenge but you know that the Professors frown on it.”

“Not in Slytherin,” Zandra pointed out.

“Blackwell is a pansy,” Serena sniffed. “He’s got a weak constitution.”

“Quite frankly, little A scares him stiff,” Zach ribbed.

“To be fair,” Melody cut in. “Blackwell is absolutely petrified of Aiden’s father…and you really do look just like him A.”

“No, he doesn’t have his nose,” Rhapsody grinned.

“It isn’t his nose that is terrifying, is it?” Cadence jested.

“No, I’d imagine it’s the fact that he can turn a human inside out and leave them alive,” Zach popped off.

Zandra paled significantly, almost to the point of being green.

“Whoa,” Alex breathed. “Breathe Zandra. Are you alright?”

“H-he can do that?” Zandra croaked.

“It isn’t one of his finer traits,” Melody hedged. “But you have to know it to be a Death Eater. It isn’t like he’s used it. Promise.”

“I-I’ve seen it,” Zandra said, gagging a bit.

“Drink,” Alex said and thrust a bottle of stomach calmer at her. She readily took it. “What the boys are so ineloquently saying is that Severus has a mere presence that makes people want to soil themselves. Couple that with his vast knowledge of the Dark Arts and the fact that he was once a known Death Eater, spying aside, it tends to unnerve even the bravest of people.”

“Is that why the parents always stare at Aiden at the train station?”

“That’s why,” Aiden said softly. “They don’t believe my father was a spy. They think he switched sides at the last second to save his own skin. They don’t trust him and they don’t trust me since I am his spawn. Anything that came from him has to be bad.”

“You aren’t a bad person!” Zandra hissed.

“Tell that to Woods,” Scorpius snickered.

“He had it coming,” Zandra said softly. “I saw what he did.”

“So did half the school,” Cadence said softly. “The fact that Aiden lost it wasn’t overlooked though. They fear he is just as dangerous as his father.”

“They’d be right too,” Melody said. “But Severus never attacked unless provoked and neither does Aiden. No one seems to realize that.”

“It’s bloody ridiculous is what it is,” Ara said hotly. “They don’t fear Serena, Zach, and Nate, although they should.”

“No, they fear Serena,” Zandra said softly. “They’re just smart enough not to say anything out loud.”

“But not us,” Nate said knowingly.

“Why should they?” Zandra asked. “You two are so quiet. You didn’t even flinch when Rhapsody hexed you a dozen different colors.”

“That’s because they had it coming,” Rhapsody spat. “They’ll never mess with my bath products again, that’s for damn sure.”

Zach grinned. “But we figured you’d see it coming.”

Rhapsody scowled for a moment before affixing a beatific smile on her face. “Would you like to spend your first month at Salem as a pink tortoise?”

“No thanks,” Zach said quickly.

“That’s what I bloody well thought.”

Zandra chuckled. “See, nothing to be scared of.”

Melody laughed. “Don’t let it fool you. Rhapsody is scarier than all this lot put together. Just because she’s cowed the twins doesn’t mean they aren’t just as dangerous as Aiden.”

“But Aiden is the one they fear,” Zandra said quietly. “Because of his father.”

Zach and Nate snorted loudly. The rest of the group held back chuckles.

“What?” Zandra asked bewilderedly.

Melody smiled. “They have the same father sweetie.”

“What? No! But- but they have different last names. They’ve even proved it!”

“They proved they were adopted,” Alex said quietly. “I did a fully consensual public blood adoption when they were born. Biologically, they belong to Severus but my blood flows through their veins as well.”

“But why make such a big deal out of proving they had two different dads?” Zandra asked.

“Because we didn’t want to be labeled like Aiden and Serena,” Nate said softly. “And because the wizarding world frowns on surrogacy.”

“They do?” Zandra asked.

“Well, they did,” Melody said. “Alex was sterile so...um, Severus stepped in.” She shot a warning glance at the twins when they went to argue. “When the boys were conceived, surrogate mothers and especially surrogate fathers were not tolerated. We agreed to the blood adoption shortly after I found out I was pregnant and we completed the ritual when they were first born. It did two things, protected Severus, whose reputation was already in tatters, and made them legitimate in the wizarding world’s eyes...along with making sure that they had Alex’s last name. Views have changed since then but it’s still not talked about.”

“That’s quite sad, actually,” Zandra said after a few moments of digestion.

“It’s definitely a pain in the ass,” Melody acknowledged, “but they are fine. They have a dad and a father who love them. Severus’s wife is their godmother. It’s like one big happy fucked up family.”

All the children started laughing.

“Well, it is,” Melody said brightly. “And we love it and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Zandra?” Hermione called. She realized that the girl was now in tears. “Are you okay honey?”

“Oh, I’m fine,” Zandra sniffled. “It’s just…I’ve always dreamed of having a big family. I’m an only child.”

“Well, you can be part of our family,” Aiden said softly. His eyes were averted, nerves getting the best of him.

“I-I couldn’t,” Zandra muttered.

“Nonsense,” Rhapsody snapped. “All in favor of Zandra being part of the family, raise your hands.”

Every hand in the room went up, including Ginny’s. She had snuck in late. Harry was still sleeping off his exhaustion…with the convenient help of a potion that Alex had slipped him. Zandra looked around in bewilderment. Even the adults had agreed.

“All opposed?” Rhapsody called. No one dared move a muscle.

“That settles it then. Zandra Carter, you are now family. Feel free to take the same liberties that we do. Just remember that Aiden is a fear biter and we’re pretty sure Scorpius is rabid.”

“Hey,” Scorpius hissed. “I’m not bloody rabid you twit!”

“Fine,” Rhapsody sighed. “He’s just perpetually horney.”

“I’m going to smother you in your sleep,” Scorpius said flatly.

“Not if I beat you to it,” Rhapsody popped back.

The children squabbled back and forth, much to the amusement of Zandra and the rest of the adults. Hermione snuggled into Draco’s side and watched as the insults got sillier and sillier. At one point, someone claimed that Ara wasn’t a natural blonde which made Hermione giggle. Ara’s hair was a sore spot for her ever since they’d gone to a muggle beach and the girls there asked her where she’d gotten her hair bleached.

“I’m going to miss this,” Draco thought to her.

“They’re so relaxed,” Hermione agreed. “I don’t want them to change.”

“I don’t think they will. They might get more serious, but I don’t think they’ll turn in on themselves.”

“It could happen, Draco. How many of us were just a shell of ourselves after the war?”

“But they didn’t have someone like us to guide them through the bleakest part. Melody didn’t abandon us. We aren’t going to abandon them.”

Hermione agreed with him. She would die first before she abandoned the children. She loved them all just like they were her own. Right now, they were highly entertaining and had gotten into the sharing embarrassing secrets part of their bickering.

“Aiden wet the bed when he was fifteen,” Rose snapped when Aiden teased her about her first bra shopping experience.

“That wasn’t piss,” James snickered.

“Oh honestly!” Rose shrieked. “That’s disgusting.”

“Well, we can’t use magic,” Zach stepped in. “Where else is it going to go?”

“How about a tissue like everyone else?” Ara smirked.

“Rhap didn’t have one on her,” Nate muttered.

“That’s it!” Aiden roared and tackled him to the floor. They rolled over to the corner and knocked a lamp off a nearby table.

“TAKE IT OUTSIDE!” Melody yelled.

Nate bounced up and sprinted out the door, Aiden hot on his heels.

“And now we’ve come to the physical assault part of our bickering,” Melody sighed. “Zandra, care to step outside and see just exactly why Nate and Zack aren’t little pet bunny rabbits?”

“I-I, they just fought,” Zandra said weakly.

“No, they sparred,” Alex corrected. “This is a fight for honor, totally different. Would you like to see?”

Zandra blushed beet red. “I, um, yeah.” She stood up only to rock forward on her feet.

“Whoa,” Zach cried and lunged for her, catching her just before her legs collapsed. “Let me just carry you out there.”

“I’m heavy!” Zandra protested.

“Doesn’t feel like it,” Zach said as he scooped her up before gliding out the door.

“What is with you people?” Zandra cried from the front porch.

Rhapsody laughed. “She’s in for a shock when Aiden decides to claim her.” Her face fell. “That was low, especially for Nate.”

“Honey,” Harmony said quietly. “You don’t honestly expect her not to know you two were together.”

“But that was just cruel,” Rhapsody sniffled. “Now she thinks that I’m a slag and that Aiden is just like every other guy out there.”

“I doubt she heard it,” Harmony whispered. “Listen to your thoughts. What do they tell you?”

Rhapsody closed her eyes and breathed deeply through her nose, meditating so she could find the information. “Aiden is going to knock Nate into next week. Zandra…she’s going to be…torn.”

“Torn how?” Harmony asked.

Rhapsody sighed. “She’ll be frightened of Aiden, because he is so powerful and such a good fighter. But she’ll be in awe of him too. It’s her wolf instinct to go for the alpha.”

“Well, Aiden is certainly the alpha,” Celeste said quietly. “Do you see Nate’s comment registering?”

“Well,” Rhapsody blushed. “She is thinking of him in a different way, but I don’t think she’s put two and two together.”

“You are okay with this, aren’t you?” Celeste asked worriedly.

Rhapsody sniffed. “No, but yes. I’m elated that he is in love with her. I am. And I’m hoping that the last tangent is right and she’ll return it.”

“But,” Melody pushed.

“But I don’t like my mate,” Rhapsody bit out.

“Why not?” Harmony asked in surprise.

“I can’t read him!” Rhapsody cried out in near panic. “When I touched him, I got nothing. Nothing! That’s never happened before. I can get more out of brick walls!”

Melody giggled until she snorted and then chortled some more. Tears leaked from her eyes as she doubled over. Harmony started chuckling as well, soon joining her twin in the floor.

“What in the fuck is so funny?” Rhapsody spat.

“Language!” Philippe snapped.

“Sorry,” Rhapsody said tersely. “Will someone tell me what in the devil is so blasted funny?”

“Oh sweetheart,” Harmony gasped. “You won’t be able to read your mate. I’ve never been able to read your father. It’s WHY he’s your mate. You can’t change your own fate darling; that includes your mate. He is an extension of yourself, so while you might catch glimpses of the future, getting into his head is out.”

“That’s not fair!” Rhapsody cried. “How will I know if he likes me?”

“For once you’ll be as clueless as the rest of us,” Serena snapped.

“Not helping,” Ara snapped.

“Well, I’m tired of her!” Serena growled. “She always knows what’s going to happen and I’m sick of it. It’s about damned time she learned to take her lumps like the rest of us who don’t have the luxury of being a fucking know-it-all.”

“You don’t have to be a bitch about it!” Ara hissed. “She can’t help what she is any more than you can.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Serena asked in a deadly tone…the same one her mother used before she snapped with Ron.

“It means that we can’t all be that fucking special.” Ara said. “She isn’t the only one who has an unfair advantage, is she?”

“Unfair!” Serena shrieked. “What’s so unfair about me?”

“Shall I give you a list?”

“How about we settle this outside?” Serena growled.

“After you!” Ara snapped and waited until the black haired girl stomped through the door to follow. The rest of the kids trailed behind with the exception of Rhapsody and Cadence, wide eyed at the prospect of seeing the girls fight.

“Well this is turning out just lovely,” Melody sighed.

“I’ve never seen Ara like that,” Hermione said softly. “She’s hot tempered but she’s never attacked anyone.”

“It’s been coming,” Harmony said softly. “Everything is sinking in now, I think.”

“It’s my fault, really,” Rhapsody said softly. “Serena’s pissed off because I broke things off with Aiden. She thought I was the one he was upset over when it was really Zandra. I just…Aiden felt so guilty for being infatuated with Zandra when he was with me. And you all know he’s too much of a gentleman to give me the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ speech. I just couldn’t put him through that anymore.”

“But Serena knew about Zandra,” Celeste said slowly.

“After Aiden broke down and told her,” Rhapsody said. “When she came to apologize-“ Rhapsody sighed heavily. “I was angry that she blamed me. I told her to save her breath, that I’d already seen it all. I’m an idiot.”

“No, you’re human,” Melody said.

“So why is Ara getting into it?” Draco asked.

“While Serena was in her mad phase, she spouted off some stuff about how she could take me because of her abilities,” Rhapsody said. “It was just her letting off some steam but it irritated the hell out of Ara, especially since she only has two of Serena’s gifts.”

“She’s jealous,” Draco said softly.

Rhapsody nodded. “She doesn’t realize that Serena is cursed in her own way.”

“Will the fight take care of it?” Melody asked.

Harmony nodded. “It will be a draw and Ara will realize that she has her own unique gifts as well. All in all, the fight is needed.”

“Too much tension,” Draco said knowingly. “It’s got to be released somewhere.”

“Yes, well not everyone has the same outlet you do,” Melody said dryly.

“You don’t?” Draco asked cheekily.

“Not readily available at my beckon call,” Melody shot back without so much as a blink. “Not until this ludicrous mission is over at least. And they certainly don’t, Rhapsody and Aiden’s love life aside.”

“Do we have to bring this up again?” Rhapsody whined.

“Does Nate know how much trouble you two got into for that?” Melody asked, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“No,” Rhapsody sniffed. “We were too damned embarrassed to tell anyone.”

“That was the point,” Philippe said tersely.

“Well, we got the point,” Rhapsody groaned. “And I think we should move past this point. You still haven’t told them about what we have to do while we’re in school.”

“We’ll get to it in about five minutes,” Harmony said quietly. “After Nate gets his jaw fixed.”

Alex sighed. “Any other broken bones I should know about?”

Harmony smiled. “Not sure…but Aiden’s doing a number on him.”

“Nate’s not too shabby,” Rhapsody said as she shook her head. “I’ll hex that bloody bastard sideways.”

“I think it was a good move,” Harmony countered. “Now Zandra is thinking about him as a man instead of as a friend who happens to be male.”

“You didn’t tell Nate about your plan to make her jealous, did you?” Rhapsody asked.

“No,” Alex scoffed. “You would have seen it. Perhaps it is a move of fate?”

“Stupid fates,” Rhapsody growled. “I wanna take their eye and step on it.”

“We’ll help,” Melody chuckled. She turned to see four very bloody people walk back into the living room, followed by several grinning teenagers and one very pale one.

“Who won?” Alex asked incredulously.

“Aiden,” they all answered.

“And the girls?”

“Draw,” Serena and Ara said softly.

“You’d better not bleed on my carpet,” Melody growled.

“Sorry,” the four fighters said before turning around and walking back outside so Alex could heal them.

“Are you alright, Zandra?” Draco asked. Zach set her back down on the sofa as if she were made of glass. She closely resembled chalk at that moment.

“I thought they were going to kill each other,” Zandra whispered.

“Hardly,” Melody snorted. “They just did minimum damage while using enough force to calm down.”

“Where did they learn to fight like that?” Zandra breathed.

“We taught them,” Melody said proudly. “Would you like to learn?”

Zandra’s eyes widened. “You’d teach me to do that?”

“Of course,” Melody shrugged. “We said we would teach you to fight.”

“I bet I would have been better off if I could have fought like that.”

“Well, you’d have given them a run for their money,” Melody chuckled. “But let’s not dwell in what ifs, okay?”

Zandra nodded. They waited patiently for the four fighters and Alex to come trailing back into the room, all decidedly tidier and not bleeding or bruised.

“Now that that’s out of our system,” Melody said, a hint of disapproval in her voice, “we can discuss the rest of the rules. There is no spell casting in the hallways, curfew is at ten p.m. and ends at six a.m. There is no vulgar language, rude gestures, or fighting. I expect you to use common sense with the rest. Now then, I know you all used to gather in the ROR to go through meditation in the morning but there is no ROR at Salem so you’ll have to go outside. In fact, there are many things Salem doesn’t have. Staircases stay put, there are no ghosts, no portraits, no hidden alcoves or abandoned classrooms, and the stones have muffling charms on them. There are no secret passageways and certainly no way to sneak into the other dorms to see your siblings, significant others, etc.”

“Sounds like loads of fun,” James moaned.

“Certainly,” Melody said dryly. “Those are the easy things to deal with. What you guys will be handling is much worse. You know that Thomas and his gang are moving back to Salem. You’ll need to keep an eye on them. There is a pair of twins there, Emily and Martin Creevey. They have been targeted by Thomas’s little sister, Mary Alice Gregory. Emily is extremely special, extremely. If the Master were to get their hands on her…well, we’ll call it a catastrophe. You will guard her at all costs. Jacob, Rose, you’ll be in their year and in charge of making sure they stay inside the dorms. Understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” the twins said softly.

“Good,” Melody continued. “Now then, there are teachers you want to befriend and others you want to avoid. Lorna Smith is the transfiguration teacher, a damned good one. She taught Harmony and I, in fact. She is on our side but not openly so use caution when approaching her. Cathy Douglas is the Arithmancy teacher and she has sworn she’ll help.”

“Why do you trust her?” Scorpius asked.

“Because your father saved her life,” Melody said softly. “And she considers herself forever in his debt.”

“How?” Scorpius breathed.

“Cathy was rounded up with the other muggleborns during the war. She was one of the ones your father was able to set free. I gave her Lorna’s name and wished her luck. She’s done quite well for herself, but wishes to keep her cover for now.”

“I’d like to meet her,” Draco said softly.

“You will,” Melody said and bowed her head in acknowledgement of his silent wish to see that something good came out of the war. “Let’s see, who else. Oh! Chloe Cartwright, Astronomy teacher. She’s on our side…quite blatantly so. Whorple pissed her off royally last week.”

“Why?” Ara asked.

“Well, Whorple is less than fond of vampires,” Melody said uncomfortably. “Called them, well, something extremely ugly.”

“Cartwright is a vampire?” Serena asked.

“No,” Melody said and glanced over at Harmony who nodded. “But she’s married to one.”

Zandra’s mouth dropped open in shock. “How is that possible? He’d kill her!”

“No he wouldn’t,” Melody sniffed. “Vampires are very protective over their mates and they have a great deal more self-control than anyone gives them credit for.”

“But, wouldn’t he want to eat her?”

Melody laughed. “Very much and she probably loves when he takes a taste. Just because you are bitten by a vampire doesn’t make you become one. He only takes a sip, for both their pleasure.”

“Sounds…gross,” Zandra wrinkled her nose.

“Aiden,” Melody said sharply. “Slice your arm and hold it under Zandra’s nose.”

“WHAT?” Zandra screeched. “WHY?”

“Just hold still and you’ll see,” Melody said softly.

Aiden shrugged and pulled out a dagger from his boot, a gift from his father. His sister and half-brothers had daggers as well. He made a deep cut down the length of his arm without a flinch and walked over to Zandra, sitting slowly so he wouldn’t startle her. She froze like a deer in headlights when he moved his now bloody appendage under her nose.

“Zandra, I want you to take a good whiff of Aiden’s arm,” Melody said.

“Why?” Zandra squeaked.

“You are part werewolf now. You’ll have the same senses as one. Go ahead, smell Aiden’s blood.”

Zandra shivered and timidly inhaled Aiden’s scent. Her eyes dilated and she felt her mouth watering. “Oh gods, he smells good.”

“What does he smell like?” Melody asked curiously.

“Like…fresh strawberries and cream. Oh Merlin, what is wrong with me?” Zandra cried.

“Nothing that any other werewolf or vampire doesn’t experience,” Melody sighed. “I dare say that if you were to lick him, the blood would taste like that as well.”

“Why?” Zandra croaked.

“Human blood is a vampire’s food source and a craving for a werewolf. Since you are only half, you are in complete control. There is no urge to consume blood, only the ability to smell it. Now, imagine a vampire with a mortal spouse who more than likely smells like the best food on the planet. Why on earth would he want to destroy that when he can simply sample it every now and then? Vampires are capable of love, sweetheart. Believe it or not.”

Zandra sighed. “I guess I see the point. It’s just, I haven’t heard of it before.”

“Aiden, go clean up,” Melody said softly and waited as he obeyed before she continued. “That’s because a marriage between a vampire and a mortal isn’t recognized by the government, or your ministry. However, a vampire can adopt mortal children just fine. Tell me where the reasoning in that is but there you go.”

“So Whorple hates vampires and it pissed Cartwright off enough to join us,” Philippe said slowly. “Still doesn’t make sense.”

“Would it if I told you that Sergei was her husband?”

“No shit!” Philippe cried.

Melody grinned. “I shit you not. His woman apparently was pissed off that he joined the war and she went back to the old country. He found Cartwright at the club, fell in love, and they’ve been together ever since. Whorple hates it, takes every opportunity to tell her so too.”

“Who is Sergei?” Zandra asked softly.

“Remember we told you that two covens fought on our side?” Hermione asked.

Zandra nodded. “You lost five vampires.”

“We did,” Hermione said. “The five were all from one coven. Sergei was from that coven as well, until he joined the second coven that also fought with us.”

“Sergei saved my ass in front of the Dark Lord,” Melody clarified. “In return, we kept his girlfriend safe. He had to switch covens to keep seeing her and we kept him alive when he left. He fought in the war to repay the debt.”

“And ended up losing the reason he fought in the first place,” Draco said gravely.

“Chloe is much better for him,” Harmony said quietly. “At least she isn’t terrified of his friends.”

Draco chuckled. “Yeah, she refused to speak. I’d forgotten about that.”

“So are those the only ones on our side?” Aiden asked as he walked back in. His arm was clean and blemish free.

“Um hum,” Melody said. “The rest are neutral, except for a few. The charms teacher, Michael MacNeeley, needs to burn in a lake of fire.”

“I take it you really don’t like him,” Zach sniggered.

“He tried to have a go at your mom,” Alex said softly.

Zach’s eyes darkened. “I’ll kill him.”

“Stand in line,” Nate growled.

“Me first,” Alex said softly.

Melody snorted. “If anything, I’ll get my own revenge, thank you very much. Anyway, his sister Moira is the school nurse, yes nurse. She’s a squib…and a snitch.”

“How does she heal hexes gone wrong?” Rose asked.

“She doesn’t,” Melody sighed. “She’ll ship you off to Circe’s in a heartbeat.”

“She tries to separate us and she’ll regret it,” Jacob growled.

“I was kind of hoping you’d say that,” Melody said. “Those two are your targets. Run them off however you can. Just don’t get caught. Let’s see, what else? Oh yeah, the Ancient Runes teacher, Sanders, right nasty piece of work. He hates Whorple, creatures, and those with less than pure blood. He’s not a friend to anyone and he’ll sell your soul up river given half a chance. Stay the fuck away from him.”

“Got it,” all the children said at once.

“Anything else?” James asked.

“Mmm. Yes, actually,” Melody said with a grin. “Hugo and Annabel have agreed to study abroad with us this year.”

“Annabel?” James squeaked, causing everyone to laugh at him.

“Yes,” Melody chuckled. “Remus and I had a heart to heart. I figured she could help Zandra with her new changes.”

“Why?” Zandra asked.

“Because she is Remus’s child,” Hermione explained. “Who better to ask about being a werewolf than the child of one?”

“She changes with him too,” Melody pointed out. “Don’t forget that.”

“Wait, she’s a werewolf?” Zandra gasped.

“Half,” Melody corrected, “just like you. She’s an animagus wolf and has some of the same urges as Remus. She can help you.”

Zandra nodded. Perhaps she did need some help. She just wasn’t used to having it offered so freely. For the first time in months, she smiled at the prospect of a brighter future.

Melody clapped in excitement. “Alright, Remus will be bringing them along shortly. I expect you all to help them adjust to the time change and keep a sharp eye out for them. Let’s see, what else. Oh yes. Those students who helped with Lily’s healing, they’ve taken a blood vow of silence. They are on our side and I would appreciate it if you could befriend them. Any questions?”

“I have one,” Draco said. “How do we fit into this equation?”

Melody grinned. “Each student is allowed one pet…and Scorpius and Ara have the cutest little hummingbirds. Everyone loves them and the children have all agreed to share them equally. Haven’t they?”

“Yes ma’am,” the kids answered at the same time.

“You know,” Melody said, “Synchronized answering should be a sport.” Chuckles surrounded the room.

“Glad you agree,” Melody laughed. “Now, we have a big day tomorrow. I suggest you all get some sleep. I have to sneak back to school tonight so I won’t be here to help you all out in the morning. Therefore, Harry, Ginny, Harmony, and Philippe will be bringing you in. Good luck everyone. We’re gonna need it.”

AN: How about them apples, ey? Well, this week has pretty much stunk but I'm not going to punish you guys for it. Instead, I'll go wrestle with my muse for a while. Wish me luck. She's being a real bitch here lately. Next chapter, the kids make a big impression on Salem. *ominous chuckle* Sorry updates aren't as often as they were. Life and stuff. Anyway,as always, a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed. They are why I do this. Keep them coming and let me know how I'm doing and if you find any errors. Until next time...love you guys.

I realized I added a new character a few chapters back and she was mentioned in this chapter and will be in the next so...

Remus and Nymphadora:

Teddy Lupin

Annabel Lupin

I'll try to get a list together of all the mates for next chapter.
- 15
- 16
- 17
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Fooling Fate *sequel to Bound*

Fooling Fate sequel to Bound