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Elemental	By : AngelaBlythe Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Ginny Views: 3286 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
A/N: Pronunciation � Achilles (ah-SHEEL), Xavier (za-VYAY)

ELEMENTAL

~by The Labris~

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:

Evergreen Love

Meeting the Dragon

Ginny breathed deep the gathering gloom.� Inhale,
she told herself. She had to inhale or she would be lost. His eyes pinned her
to where she was, and as Cassian stood at his feet, looking up with adoration
he leaned down to ruffle the boy�s head and broke contact with her. He said
something to Cassian Ginny couldn�t hear and they began to walk towards her in
the snow. They didn�t touch; they stayed together though. Cassian�s steps
hurried to keep up with his.

His�him� �Draco�

Ginny�s long curls blew in front of her eyes and she swept them away
hastily as Draco and Cassian approached her. It was like looking back through time.
The boy and the man walking side by side, mirrors in time� Ginny felt
transparent, insecure in Draco�s steel-tinted gaze. He was keeping her there,
unable to move, tortured quietly under his unyielding, intense eyes.

When they stood together before her Ginny forgot to breathe. They were
so perfect together, Cassian and Draco. They were father and son. They were of
the same blood. If they weren�t together what did any of it matter? Why had she
survived so long, driven herself so hard, if not for Cassian to at least have
known his father?

�Ginny�� It came out as a soft whisper, nearly part of the wind. She
felt the world stop for a time, like ice had frozen it and it was only her and
Cassian and Draco, looking at each other, together at last.

Ginny swallowed and rose from the bench under the tree. She looked down
at an anxious Cassian and smiled a small grin. �Cassian, why don�t you go
inside now? We�ll practice later.�

She hated it because he looked about ready to cry. But there were things
that needed to be said that little boys couldn�t hear. He turned up to Draco,
as if knowing instinctually that he was his father, and that if he wanted he
might be able to override her. But Draco knew as she did that this was not the
time and place for little boys.

�May I�give him something first?� Draco asked softly, pulling a
rectangular box from his heavy black coat and presenting it to Ginny. �A present. Just for helping me�back in Greece
.�

Oh, yes, Ginny had heard of this. She knew how she was rescued, Harry
and Ron had made it a point to tell her how amazing her son was and skip over
the details that depicted Draco saving all their lives. But she thought they
were only being kind in not trying to mention him to her. It was kind of them.

She nodded her head. �Take it inside, Cassian.�

Draco sunk to a knee in the snow and presented the green-wrapped present
to Cassian, who took it a little greedily. A gift from the father is always
taken like that, she recalled. Cassian jogged towards the
Burrow but turned back halfway too look again. Then he was gone.

Ginny looked in Draco�s eyes for a long time, and Draco looked into
Ginny�s eyes for a long time. It seemed there were too many words, not too few.
There was no beginning because there had never really been an end. Hope had
kept their strings connected, and now it had brought them together.

�Can we walk a little ways?� he asked.

Ginny nodded.

And Now Presenting

�Nana! Nana!�

Molly jumped at the sound of Cassian�s voice so high. She turned to him
and saw he had a nice-looking green box. �Oh, what�s this?�

�The man is here, Nana! The man is here!� Cassian shouted
triumphantly.

�What man?� Molly asked, looking out the window. Oh, it was that man.
She sighed.

Well, finally. Molly smiled down at the little boy. �Let�s see what he�s
brought you, shall we?�

Ecliptic Daydream,
Part I

There was a river frozen over where she had led him to a stop. Draco
imagined that on hot summer days she and her family would play in the water,
laughing and screaming, happiness surrounding them like the towels they dried
themselves in. He watched her, he had watched her, very carefully as they
walked. She offered no small talk; instead she was silent, introspective. And
she absolutely refused to look him in the eyes.

Her hair had grown out now, and it had become more loosely wavy than
curly. It was still thick and vital, and framed her perfectly pale face in soft
undulations. Her hips were wider than he remembered, and she wasn�t as deathly
skinny either. Draco decided he liked this. Her thin green camisole did little
to protect against he cold, but he doubted she needed it. She was still short,
but not so childlike. She was adult, but still youthful. She was mature, but
still energetic. Her spark wasn�t gone. Welsh hadn�t taken that from her.

It made Draco glad. He watched her as she stopped and looked from her
hand to his feet, working her way to his face. When her eyes met his he wanted
to break apart and let her swim in him. Her eyes�GODS! Her eyes! Magnetic, coppery, metallic and shimmering. How long had it
been since she looked at him like that? How long had it been since he�d seen
the want shining in her eyes?

Five years� Five years of fire and wind. Five years of pain. Five years
of need. Five years of waking up lonely. Five years of never-agains. Five years
of wishing. Five years�

She opened her mouth then closed it again. She sobered and gazed
thoughtfully at him. �Draco��

She said his name so gracefully. Draco� Not hard or unyielding,
not serpentine or cruel. Draco� Like a song or a well-loved book.
Draco� His lover�s sigh in the early morning. Draco�
No one said his name like she did.

Her eyes became bright, as though she was ready to cry. ��I didn�t trust
you, Draco� I�m sorry!�

She jerked, like she wanted to run to him but was afraid of rejection
herself. She thought he hadn�t forgiven her.

When Draco wrapped his arms around her slender form she buried herself
in him, her soft hands finding their way inside his black trench coat and
around his waist. She shuddered against him, the last winter leaf hanging to
the tree. He would turn their love to pine, ere it would be ever green.�

In a way, this is how Draco wanted it. He wanted her to need him like he
needed her. It wasn�t the part of him that could love that wanted this; it was
the part that could hate. He hated that she could have married Potter. That part of him was greedy, selfish, possessive, cruel, bitter,
and, above all, jealous. He wanted her all for himself, so know one else
could take the beauty she had within. He wanted her to feel as though she
couldn�t live without him.

The other half, the half that loved, just
wanted to cherish her, to make sure she was never hurt, so they could be like
they were once before. This half loved her fiercely, and was the part that
he wanted her to see, not that jealous, selfish, possessive half. He couldn�t
help it though; it was how he felt. That half was his father, and it would
always be there. The half that could love, Ginny�s half, would, in time, become
stronger, and his father�s half would become a distant memory.

Ginny�s body, shuddering against him, so close and volatile, reminded
him of all those years ago. He hadn�t looked at another woman; they disgusted
him. He never took another lover, for anyone that wasn�t Ginny wasn�t worthy of
him. He had dreamt only of her, and resigned himself to a period of chastity in
her absence. He was a man; he could wait. But with her pressed against him so,
he reminded himself that he was still only a man.

Draco leaned down and inhaled the soft scent of her hair. She was really
there, with him, so fragile in his arms. It reminded him how tiny she really
was compared to him. He had grown taller in her absence; she had only grown
more beautiful. She was so worthy to be the mother of his children. Her beauty,
her kindness, her thoughtfulness, her gravity, her quickness, her heart� He
needed her.

Draco watched as she leaned back a little and slid one of her hands down
his arm, entwining their fingers. She looked at them with interest. Over the
years Draco�s hands had become calloused and tan. Her skin was still porcelain,
a porcelain they had both matched in their youth.
Finally, her eyes met his and they stayed like that, the sun poking out from
the clouds to shine for a moment.

�Ginny�� he said, sincerely, honestly. �I have to tell you things.�

�I know,� she whispered.

Swallowing hard, Draco released her and they stood, not a foot from each
other, solemnly and quietly. �I never meant to hurt you�� Her eyes shone
brightly and he had to stop for a moment. �I should have told you, but I�I
didn�t want you to hate me, or think I was�despicable. I�ve been working for
the cause since my last year at Hogwarts. I�ve fought it many battles, and I�ve
won many awards. I hope I am worthy now, worthy for you to�to love�if you want��

Ginny�s jaw trembled slightly, her hair shadowing her eyes as she looked
down. �I knew, Draco. The whole time I knew something was wrong. I�I never
stopped believing you loved me, not really.�

She coughed and put her face in her hands. The wind picked up suddenly
and Draco felt something change. The wind hit his face in a heated gust, nearly
throwing him off balance. Ginny�s hair whipped before him
like long tendrils of fire being blown in the wind.

When she looked up at him he saw there were tears in her eyes, rolling
down her cheeks in races. Draco took care to bush every tear out of her eyes
with a white hanker-chief that he later stuffed in his pocket. She looked up at
him with mournful eyes.

�I�m cold, Draco,� she murmured.

Draco placed a large hand on the soft influx of her hip, his other hand
winding around the hair at the nape of her neck. When their lips met Draco felt
the most wonderful gift of all had been returned to him. Her lips tasted like
tears and cold, and they trembled oh, so delicately against his as he drew her
near, into the protection of his long coat. Ginny�s hands slid into his jacket
and up his shoulder blades, bringing him as close to her, needing his warmth.

His knees wanted to give when she purred softly, lustily into his ear, �Please��

All semblance of control left him and he eagerly slipped his tongue into
her mouth. She shuddered and stood on her toes. A feeling of peace passed over
Draco. It was content, something unfamiliar as fire underwater to him. It was
the way he had felt so long ago, reclining in bed with Ginny, her girlish smell
lingering on his sheets when she left.

When they broke apart Ginny�s cheeks were pink and her lips swollen
subtly. She looked like an angel. It was almost impossible to believe that an
angel of her caliber would want anything to do with him. Compared to her he was
a monster bred in hell, bitter and ill tempered. But he needed her, needed her
desperately, like the desert needs the rain.�

�Draco?�

Ecliptic Daydream,
Part II

Draco jerked out of his daydream. They had stopped walking and Ginny was
looking at him with curious eyes. Draco could have slapped himself. He�d been
having that dream for five years now. Why couldn�t it leave him be? It�s not
like it was ever going to happen. He was here to�to make sure she wasn�t going
to marry Potter. And to make sure she didn�t hate him too much.

It had just seemed so real, and even now he could feel the beginnings
coming again, her hair blew in the chill wind, her eyes sharp and chiseled. But
she didn�t shiver, not even in the snow. Not even when Draco himself needed a
long coat to protect him from the cold. She had changed. He saw it. He observed
it in her steps, her eyes, her face, her hands, and her lips. He could even
feel it. She was different than when she left.

Not a bad different. There had always been something that had drawn him
to her, something he suspected had roots in their
shared Elemental powers. But now�there was something deeper in her, something
older, and her body, while the same on the outside,
was different inside. The homeostasis of the Elemental world had been restored
days ago, and Draco had adjusted himself accordingly. He could feel things like
he had before, maybe better now that he was near Ginny. She had changed things.
And Draco didn�t know why, only that she made him feel stronger.

�Draco?� she inquired again, taking a step towards a deadened oak. She
turned from him, her hair zipping over her shoulder blades like water, and
placed a hand on the oak. �Can I ask you something?� she questioned, turning to
look at him for a moment. Her eyes held uncertainty and, he would have to hate
himself it this were true, fear. Did his Ginny fear him?

Draco swallowed hard and nodded.

She bit her lip, as if she didn�t know how to continue. Then, looking at him directly, apprehensively, �I think it would be
a good idea if you and Cassian saw each other. I know, just because
being an auror must be a lot of work, you might not have a lot of time, and the
Malfoys have a reputation to protect. And I know that you don�t have to, but he
seems to look up to you�but he doesn�t know�know that�that you�re his
father. I thought I�d let you tell me if you wanted him to know. I told him
your name�well, I told him a little about you, but he doesn�t know it�s you.�

She stopped, as if sensing she was babbling, which she was. Draco didn�t
mind, if it hadn�t have been for what she was saying. �Are you giving me
permission to visit my son?� he half sneered. He hadn�t meant to do it. But he
had. Now, now that the final, crucial moment had come, he couldn�t do it. He
couldn�t talk to her like he had once so long ago, like he could in the dreams.
Dreams and reality were different. He was different; he was a cold, hard
bastard; he was too scarred to spurt poetry to her.

�Well,� she backed away, seeming a little affronted. �I�� she looked
down, and put her hand on the oak again, swallowing. Gazing up at him with
worried eyes, �Yes, I suppose. You don�t have to, it�s only, it would be good for him to have a father. Every boy needs a
father.�

Draco stopped cold. Every boy needs a father. Potter had said
that. Potter had already been there. He�d already asked her. She was going to
give Cassian to Potter and they were going to be one, big happy family
together. Damn him. DAMN HIM! That rat bastard was always ruining
everything. Give him the spotlight. Give him the money. Give him the women and
the fame and the adoration, but give Ginny to Draco. It�s all he had wanted for
five years. He didn�t want the blood. He didn�t want the killing. He didn�t
want the alcohol. He WANTED Ginny.

Exhaling, Draco took a step closer, clenching his fists at his sides.
�Oh, I see how it is. You�ve talked with Potter haven�t you? You�ve�� Draco
spat, not able to finish the sacrilegious sentence. �Well?� he asked, taking
another step forward, slightly aggressive as he raised an eyebrow.

Ginny swallowed hard, looking at him with wide eyes. �Yes, I�ve spoken
with Harry. Though I don�t know what he has to do with any of this.�

Draco sneered again. What he had to do with any of this?! What he had to
do with any of this!? He grabbed onto her shoulders and shook her, a little
harder than he had meant to. �Why don�t you just go out and say it?! Why don�t
you just admit it?! You hate me! You loathe me, just like you said you would.
You took everything that day, and now you�re taking this!�

He sobered for a moment, looking her in the eye. Her eyes were wide,
uncomprehending. She opened her lips but not a sound came out. Draco seethed.
She didn�t even bother defending herself. �Why can�t you let me go? Why can�t
you let me hate you like you hate me?�

His hands, clasping her shoulders, tensed suddenly and drew her toward
him in a passionate kiss. To a passerby it would seem more cruelty than love.
Draco sank his fingers into her skin, for it reminded him that she was solid
and really, for the first time in five years, there. Her hands were on his, as
though simultaneously trying to pull them off and pull them closer. He pressed
her close into him and could barely believe he felt her.

Coming to his senses, Draco pushed her away, perhaps violently, for she
stumbled back and grasped firmly to the old oak, her eyes looking ready to shed
tears and her body trembling. She was full of fear, Draco could smell it if he
tried. Look what you are, he said to himself. Look what you do to
her. No wonder she�s marrying Potter. Look at yourself. You�re Lucius�

�No!� he whispered harshly to himself. Then, looking at her, watching
her body crumple to the ground, he felt his features grow slightly softer. He
almost helped her up, but he couldn�t. �I�m sorry�I�I�m sorry.�

She looked at him with large, terrified eyes. They said to him, who are
you? What are you? Why? He couldn�t look at them anymore. He couldn�t look at
her anymore. He couldn�t even be near her anymore. It hurt. It hurt maybe more
than being away from her, because at least then he had hope that she would
accept him. She�d already rejected him. So Cassian would have a father.

�Have a good life,� he whispered. Draco took a step towards her, but
stopped, frowned. He didn�t need to hurt her anymore.

Had he looked behind he would have seen Ginny, sinking slowly, quietly
to the snow. A hand went to her lips and she brushed her shoulders tenderly. He
would have seen her wonderment, her disillusioned hope, and her frailty under
his hate. But Draco didn�t turn around and he didn�t see any of that.

Draco Disapparated.

What Threatens

It was quite dark when Percy stepped into his house late that night. He
could see that there were several toys that had been neglected, which he was
happy to dodge, and there was a meal, still hot, on the table in the kitchen.
He had expected this after telling Penelope that he would be very late that
night. Percy tried, he really did, to be a good father and a good minister, but
he could easily see how Barty Crouch had been led astray. There was just so
much to do. He had also expected the workload, and that Penelope and his family
would have to learn how to deal with his absences.

Yes, he had thoroughly expected all this, but he didn�t expect a little
party in his dining room table at midnight that Thursday evening. He walked
into his dim kitchen and saw Penelope, George, Victoria ,
Marissa, and Marcus at the table in the dining room. As he walked in they stopped
talking and Penelope rose tiredly, her hair disheveled and still wearing her
night robes.

�Oh, Percy,� she breathed, moving towards him swiftly and wrapping her
arms around his waist. He patted her head fondly, trying to gage the faces of
his guests. Penelope let go, tears shining in her eyes. �We have to talk,
Percy.�

Percy went dead white. Terror flooded his senses and he turned to his
wife mutely. �Is there�are the children alright?�

Penelope let out a strangled sob and said, tearily, �Thank the gods,
yes!� She swallowed and led him to the table, sitting beside him and looking
him in the eye. �It�s just, we�ve just received a
letter from Dumbledore, all of us. Percy��

As Penelope drained into tears, Percy looked towards Victoria and
George, who where showing uncharacteristic affection to each other by entwining
their hands on the table, eyes downcast. He looked at Marissa, who had rare
tears brimming in her eyes, and finally at Marcus, who looked grim and solemn.

It was Marcus who spoke first, the only one who seemed in the right
frame of mind. Cool, controlled Marcus, Percy now depended on his harshest
critic and long-time enemy for the most honest advice and criticism. Mind, he
didn�t like Marcus, he trusted Marcus, which was the only thing he could do
considering he probably owed the man a life debt for getting him out of
Mordred�s Fortress all those years ago, revealing his loyalties at the same
time.

Marcus held up a parchment with Dumbledore�s crest on it, tossing it
across the table in lee of explanation. �Your children and your brother�s
children are in a lot of trouble. They�re fine, but death warrants have been
placed on their and your heads. In fact, a lot of children are in the same
spot. They�ll have to be taken from you and your wife.� And it seemed that
Marcus�s features softened for a moment as he frowned, �I�m real sorry, Percy.�

Percy closed his eyes for a long moment, trying to regain his focus.

�The Witches Coven headquarters in Selene have volunteered to take in
all the children, female and male. All Witches Coven members are required to
report to Selene posthaste to protect them, unless they have an active role in
the resistance that requires more pressing matters. They�re moving Selene from
under the Vatican to Grise Fiord�, the Inuit stronghold on Ellesmere Island.�

This was one of the more powerful strongholds in the world for a few
reasons. Firstly, it was heavily protected by the Aurora Borealis, an intensely
magical shield the northernmost and southernmost areas of the world seemed to
create. Secondly, Grise Fiord was settled by a powerful Norwegian wizard around
nineteen hundred by the name of Otto Sverdrup. He saw the rising of the dark
lord Grindelwald and set up several such strongholds along the Aurora Borealis,
Grise Fiord being the most powerful. Thirdly, the site was inhabited by an
ancient and mighty tribe of Inuit. They had guarded the area for hundreds of
years, recognizing its powers and protecting it with their distinct and evolved
form of Ice Magic. They claimed that an unthawing block of ice influenced by
the Aurora charged the area with an unlimited amount of white magic, protecting
from the darker magic. They called it Aujuittuq � �the place that never
thaws.�

Moving the Flying City of Selene to Grise Fiord meant these children
were in serious danger from these threats, and that the Coven had been
threatened too. Percy�s own mother would no doubt be called away to her duty in
Selene, and had suspicions that several other mothers would find themselves in
similar situations.

�Since Arthur is so young, as are Josephine and Liberty
, Penelope will be going as well,� Marcus continued. He frowned again,
looking at Percy with a hard stare. �I want you to know, Percy,
that your kids are going to be well protected. I�m on the special unit
of defense aurors, along with Longbottom, Genovese, and Achilles Delacour, who
were enlisted to protect from any sort of attack, and to help the Coven if
things go badly. We won�t let you down.�

Percy breathed deep and turned to Penelope. �We leave tonight,� she
whispered. �We�re meeting the Finnegans, the Brownings, and the Delacours here
tonight. We�re going as a group to Grise Fiord.�

It was all he could do to not lose his temper. He had not become a
Berserker for two years now, no major battle had occurred in which he was
required. But now his children, his brother�s children, and many other
innocents were being hunted down. It was just like twenty years ago. Voldemort
was doing it again. He was going after the innocent, and Percy couldn�t stand
for it.

Clenching his fists, face in a grimace, he
looked towards his brother, who in turn looked at him. �George,� he said
stiffly. George nodded. �You and Fred help escort this area�s families to the
Flying City. Say your goodbyes to your children; you may not see them for a
while. The Order of the Phoenix will be waiting for you at Grimmald Place when
you get back.�

George nodded and he and his wife departed to the hearth to Floo home,
where Percy suspected Fred was staying with the children. Percy pulled Penelope
to her feet and walked upstairs with her. She clutched at his hand, and he
could hear her sniffing up the halls. Stopping outside of Michael and Peter�s
shared room, Percy grabbed Penelope about the shoulders and swiftly brought his
lips on hers, letting his tensions flow out into the kiss. She stood on her
tiptoes swinging her arms around his neck and pulled him down. She was crying;
he could feel her hot tears on his cheeks.

She pulled back stiffly, whispering a tight message in his ear. �Come
back. Just�just come back to me.�

Percy nodded and wrapped his arms around her, swaying slightly as he
inhaled into her curly hair. �Odysseus was a fool, Penelope. I�m coming home to
Ithaca; don�t worry.��

She sobbed for a moment, sniffing and wiping her eyes when she moved to
open the door. Percy heard her, leaning back against the wall and massaging his
temples. His family. This was HIS family. He
loved them. He and Penelope loved, raised, and cherished this family. They were
his sole reason for living. They were the reason he was here today, Minister of
Magic. He was making a difference because he wanted them safe. And this war was
threatening that safety. He would kill Voldemort. He would kill ANYONE who
got in his way.

Penelope exited the room, a very sleepy Peter and Michael in tail. They
yawned and stretched as Penelope brought Josephine and Liberty from their
rooms, and finally Arthur, who was dead asleep. Percy picked up Liberty, whose
golden-red curls brushed his jaw as she burrowed into his shoulder. They
trooped downstairs and found George and Victoria waiting downstairs with their
children already. Marcus and Marissa were by the door, talking quietly.

Liberty whined and sought comfort in Marissa as Percy handed her down.
�Take care of them, Flint,� Percy said with difficultly, offering his hand.

Flint nodded, his face, for once, without sneer, and he took Percy�s
hand. They shook stiffly, both frowning solemnly, and Percy opened the door,
watching everyone walk out. They would catch the emergency Portkey set up a
half-mile from their house and meet up with the Finnegans, Brownings, and
Delacours, who had recently moved to England. Marissa held Liberty, and Flint
had picked up Josephine. Josephine called Flint her favorite uncle. Peter and
Michael walked quietly, for once, behind their mother, who held Arthur in her
arms. Victoria and George left the house carrying a child each, and Percy
closed the door behind them, replacing the safety charms and not looking back.

The fell in a long line, and were soon accompanied by an equally long
line of blond-headed, French speaking witches and wizards. The Finnegans and
the Brownings were already at the hill, waiting quietly for the rest of the
group. When Percy reached the top he reset the Portkey to Selene and put it on
the ground, transfiguring it into a lamppost so everyone could grab hold.

Then, turning to the contingent, he observed their scared, somber faces.
�Seamus,� he said. The man nodded, putting a hand on the shoulder of a young,
brunette boy with wide eyes. It appeared to be his younger son, for the older
was taller and more defiant-looking. �You�re invited to the Order meeting
tonight.�

�Thank you, Minister Weasley,� Seamus said directly with an ascent of
his head.

He looked around and saw Dante Browning, Assistant Director of BAF,
holding a small boy in his arms. Nodding at Dante with respect, he turned to
the French, Wind Elemental, Gustave Delacour. �Mr.
Delacour,� he said, �I�d be honored if you would join us at the meeting as
well. I believe it�s about time that we make this whole war international,
don�t you?�

Gustave was tall and lanky with blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. He
reminded Percy of Lucius Malfoy in appearance and dress, but not in the face,
nor in the eyes. He had the look of something old in him, something worth being
honored. He had the look of a Ravenclaw. �Non,
Monsignor Weaslay,� he said in a soft voice, heavily accented. �It would by my
honor.� He dipped his head as he said it, then put his
hand on a boy that could only be his son. Well, his older son, for there were
two boys and four girls, including a woman Percy knew as Fleur Delacour. �Thees iz my son, Achilles. He iz a good
man, a strong Elemental. He will protect with hees life.�

Percy shook Achilles� hand, noted that the man had the same look his
father did, despite being years younger. He would be a good soldier, Percy
could already tell. Goodbyes were said, and Percy took Penelope and all his
children in his arms one more time before everyone moved about the lamppost and
were sucked in the vortex created by the Portkey. When
Percy looked around only five men and one woman were left � Percy, Dante,
Seamus, Gustave, Fleur Delacour, and Gustave�s younger son, too old to go with
the women and children, too young to fight with the men.

Percy took a deep breath and realigned the Portkey again to Grimmald
Place before transfiguring it into something smaller, a shoe. �What�s your
name, son?� Percy asked the blond boy standing near Fleur and Gustave.

�Xavier, Monsignor,� he said curtly. Percy studied him.

The boy was too young, wanting to be old enough to fight. It must be
hard, Percy thought. If only he was older� Percy sighed. �Can you Apparate,
Xavier?�

�Oui, Monsignor,� he replied, pulling out his wand.

Percy nodded and said, �Apparate to Hogwarts, right outside the gates.
Tell the gate-guard that Percy sent you � the password is �Unicorn.� Can you
remember this, Xavier?�

�Oui, Monsignor,� he replied, clenching his teeth in anger. Percy knew
why.

�Good,� Percy said. �Explain to Headmistress McGonagall your situation
and all you�ve seen and heard tonight. She will take care of you, and you will
have to take care of Hogwarts. Now go.�

Xavier, Fleur, and Gustave shared a moment in French, then Xavier
Disapparated. As soon as the boy was gone, the remaining five grabbed hold of
the shoe and were pulled into Grimmald Place.

Aujuittuq � Inuit
for �The Place That Never Thaws�

Ginny let the Arctic wind slip around her hair, lifting her heavy skirt
into swirls at her feet. She sighed and closed her eyes, crossing her arms. She
couldn�t feel it. She couldn�t feel anything�not even the cold. Aujuittuq was a
barren place, little more than a wasteland. She had been told that there were
occasionally buffalo-like creatures that roamed the ice, but she�d not seen any
life but Coven life.

The Flying City of the Sisterhood, Selene, was called the Flying City
for one reason and one reason only; it flew. It didn�t fly like most people
suspected though. It didn�t have a take-off procedure, and it didn�t have a
countdown. The Flying City was a city of mist. Much like Avalon it disappeared
into the mist, an ancient piece of magic that was taught to the Sisterhood by
their predecessors. The Coven Witches were the daughters of
the Avalon Witches, sent off of the isle by their foremothers before Avalon�s
final sinking into the mist. The daughters of the Avalon Witches formed the
Coven Witches and also created the Flying City based off of the same magic
their mothers used. The Sisterhood, like the Motherhood, had existed for
hundreds of years, and until they were fully defeated the Flying City would
exist as well.

Ginny looked from the Arctic desert to Selene and then back again at the
wasteland. There were more than four hundred inhabitants in the castle and more
pouring in each day. All of Percy�s children, all of George�s children, all of
Seamus�s children, all of Browning�s children, all of Susan Bones� children,
all of the Delacour�s children � so many children. And wives.
Children and wives. The gentlefolk.
The soft woman-folk.

The thought of her as soft made Ginny snort. Did they not know she was
an icy dagger forged by the fires of hell? Did they not know that with her
powers she could end this war with the flick of her wrist? Did they not know
that she was their ultimate weapon?

She sighed. No. No, they didn�t. Because she hadn�t
told them. They didn�t really know what she could do. Yes, some
suspected. Ginny was sure that her mother must suspect. She thought that at
least Dumbledore would suspect. She sighed again, pulling her arms around her
stomach. And even if they did know, would they ask her? She didn�t think they
would. They were under the impression this was a man�s war. It was fought for
the rights of man. It was ideal to kill the other man, the evil man. It was a
war for men. And where did the women fit in? Defense.
They were back up.

She turned back to Selene, a bit perturbed that the sun hadn�t shone
since ten in the morning. Inside the castle it was warm and hospitable. There
was still a bit of reconstruction going on inside the castle � magical
reconstruction that is. They were making room for the guests that were pouring
in for all over the world. The Coven was taking in all children, and if they
were young enough their mothers too. It was damn decent of them, especially
since this had been extended to boys as well.

�Hey! Ginny! Watch ��

The Doubt Disease

Hermione groaned and sat beside her friend. It had been a very long day.
No, correction, it had been a very long week. With all the traffic coming to
Selene�and it wasn�t like it was her fault specifically� Well, she had seen it
as an opportunity to train some of the younger girls. What could go wrong with
a little charms work? And she had chosen all of the oldest girls to do it�

Gabrielle, a girl of about sixteen or seventeen, hadn�t been very good
at charming, and Hermione thought she was giving the girl extra practice. After
all, the girl was the sister of Fleur Delacour, one of the best charmers
Hermione knew. Things like that obviously didn�t run in the family. Well, at
least Gabrielle was remorseful. Gabrielle hadn�t left Ginny�s side since she
ran the bedside table into her skull. Oh, there had been crying, of course,
Gabrielle�s crying mostly. But Ginny would survive; she�d just have a headache
for the next few days probably.

�Really, Ms. Delacour,� Hermione sighed, taking the girl�s hand and
looking her in the eye. �It may have been your fault, but it isn�t the end of
the world.�

Gabrielle sniffed and flung herself over Ginny�s prone body, whispering
things in French and English that Hermione couldn�t decipher. Hermione knew
that any other girl would have left the room by now, very remorseful, but
understanding that nothing could be done now. Hermione knew the real problem
here wasn�t that Gabrielle was a very sensitive girl, though she was, or her
remorse was so overpowering, though it was; the real problem was Ginny was an
Element and Gabrielle was, like Fleur, a Wind Elemental. It was like a magnetic
attraction, something the girl wouldn�t be able to consciously help. It was
like she had worshipped Ginny�s very existence and now was being told that her
goddess was dead. There was no consoling her. Even Sylvaine and Marielle,
Gabrielle�s younger sisters, were utterly stricken by Ginny�s condition.

Hermione understood that Elementals, especially partial Elementals with
little training of the powers, were completely engrossed with stronger, purer
Elementals. In the case of an Element � no, two Elements � in one person�s
body, it must be like a heroine addiction. They were like druggies; they
couldn�t get enough. It made Hermione wonder if that was why Malfoy had liked
Ginny so much.

�All right,� Hermione said a little sharply as she pulled Gabrielle up.
�If you are quiet and don�t lose control, I�ll let you sit in the corner while
I finish healing Ginny. Okay?�

Gabrielle looked from Ginny to Hermione a few times and then scurried
over to the corner and sat in the chair, watching fascinated as Ginny brushed
back Ginny�s hair and proceeded to examine the back of her head. She had a
large lump there, and while the bleeding had stopped by itself she would have a
nasty sort of bruise for maybe a week. Hermione did a charm to stop the
swelling and looked over the cut. It was small and at the nape of her neck. She
healed it easily and looked at the bruise. Already blue. Hermione snorted.
Ginny would be fine. She ran her fingers soothingly through Ginny�s hair and
marveled at it. If she had hair like that�

Hermione frowned. There was some sort of birthmark right at her
hairline, barely a centimeter across. No�it was a rune of some sort, the same
color as a freckle and�well�odd-shaped. Hermione was a fairly good student of
Runes, and she prided herself in knowing most of the Runes from the Dark Age to
today, even some from pre-written-history, ones that
the first wizards used. This was like nothing she had ever seen. She smoothed
the hair away from the top half and sketched the rune on a piece of paper,
tucking it discretely into her blouse pocket.

She turned as the door opened and smiled at Cassian as he walked in. He
had a solemn expression on his face, one that Hermione found discomforting on
such a small child. He seemed to have wisdom beyond his years, even beyond
Dumbledore�s years. It was Ginny�s eyes that did it, a metal, magnetic color.
She shivered and ushered the boy in. Hermione watched as Cassian said nothing,
but walked over to his mother and put a hand on her hand.

�Your mother will be fine, Cassian,� she said gently. �She�s just had a
bump on the head. You may stay here if you want, or you can go back to your
nana.�

Cassian seemed to consider this gravely. �I�ll stay here till Mother
wakes up.�

�May I stay?!�

It was the first clear sentence that Gabrielle had uttered since the
incident, and Cassian and Hermione both turned to look at her. Gabrielle
impulsively rushed the boy and knelt at his feet. �Please,� she asked, pleading
into his eyes. �Please�I love �er.�

Hermione felt as though she was watching some sort of odd power display.
Something instinctive inside of Cassian must have clicked, some of his
Elemental power, for he looked very regal and very royal at that moment. He put
a hand on Gabrielle�s head and looked at her for a long while. It was as if he
were judging her, or weighing her importance and loyalty to him. Hermione
watched with interest as Cassian nodded and said softly, �Yes. I love her,
too.�

Having determined that Ginny was in no immediate
danger from neither boy nor girl, she left the room and headed for
Selene�s extensive libraries. She wasn�t quite sure where she would go if
Selene�s library didn�t have what she was looking for. The only better one was
in Hogwarts, and perhaps the Ministry.

Five hours, twelve texts later, and still not even a clue, Hermione
leaned back in the comfortless chair and massaged her temples. She had tried
everything. It didn�t look right in any direction that she turned it. She�d
looked for any hint that might point to and answer. She sighed and Banished the books to their places, leaving the library and
seeking out Victoria. She was the theorist here � she probably had books and
knowledge no library had.

Victoria was handling her younger son, affectionately named Fred, with
great care. His bottle was half full and tipped at an angle into his mouth as
he sucked greedily. Victoria herself looked tired and slightly frazzled. No
wonder. Coven Witch Turley, her mother, was in the room and playing with
Lawrence, the older son. Victoria greeted Hermione with a weary smile and a
small hug. After Hermione had paid proper respects to Coven Witch Turley,
Victoria and Hermione were left alone in the room.

�I found this, like a sort of birthmark, on Ginny�s neck,� Hermione
explained, both she and Victoria leaning over the paper carefully.

Victoria had swept her short hair into a clip and put on her glasses.
After humming and hawing over the paper for a moment, Victoria rose and pulled
a large, leather-bound tome off of her high shelf and began skimming the pages.
�Now, keep in mind, Hermione, I�m not completely sure, but this, to me, looks
suspiciously like Element to me.�

�What?�

�Element,� Victoria supplied, still gazing over the thick pages of the
book whose title Hermione couldn�t read. �Being the most learned on the subject
of Elements and Elementals in the world,� she smiled to herself, �I, foremost
source on Elementals, published an essay about nine years ago as my thesis
paper. It was very controversial and didn�t even skim the surface of what I now
suspect of being the truth.� She smiled again and sat down next to Hermione,
the book now open to the desired page. �You remember when I explained to you
the needs and goals of the Elements, right?�

�Yes,� Hermione replied.

�Well, as you know, there are very few spirits of each Element wandering
their dimension and ours. That is why they sire Elemental children � to further
their own power with subjects of a sort. Every Elemental born is an extension
of its Element�s powers. Ginny was the first Elemental born of a recent Wind
and Fire pact. Pacts between Elements are very rarely signed, and never between
the polars � the polar opposites like Wind and Earth, or Fire and Water. Having
a hybrid of Ginny�s potential power increased the respective powers of Wind and
Fire, giving them an advantage in the race. It�s all very theoretical, and I
don�t think the Elements converse and think exactly like that, but it�s the
gist. Following?� she asked, looking at Hermione over her glasses.

Hermione nodded. �So why doesn�t every Element do that? I mean, if their
goal is to get more power, why don�t they team up more?�

�Because they�re picky. They�re
untrusting. It�s like being told you had to share the same room as a Death
Eater. Both you and him would have reservations
against it, because you might betray him in sleep or he might betray you in
sleep. Strange bedfellows� as I�ve always said.

�But something was different about Ginny. I suspect that Ginny is a very
well planned out creation by the Elements Wind and Fire, something they�ve been
organizing for a long time now. The reports or Wind/Fire Meetings in the last
couple of centuries have been five times that of any other Element. I think
they�ve been planning; they�ve been in a century long pact. It�s all seconds to
them, but for us, it�s years.�

�You make them sound like�like humans,� Hermione said, slightly
confused. Elements weren�t people. They weren�t anything like people. They
might have agendas, like Victoria explained, but even animals had agendas. They
weren�t people, though.

Victoria smiled. �I think they were people, Hermione,� Victoria
whispered. She pulled Hermione closer to speak quietly in her ear. �At one
point, I think they were all people. But they aren�t now, and I don�t think
they can go back. But something remains, something in
their instincts that tells them to survive. If they were just Elements crashing
around in the universe how can you explain all the coincidences? This is all a theory, and I couldn�t tell you how they became Elements or
why, but I can tell you that this is the way they work. They�re vicious; they
have schemes; they have�agendas.�

Hermione stood and frowned. �No. They�re inanimate. They can�t think
like that.�

A sneer spread over Victoria�s face. �Tell that to Molly Weasley,
Hermione,� she said slowly. Hermione started in surprise at the change in her
friend. �They took Ginny from her, they took her. They, Wind and Fire and Coven
Witch Prewett, had a pact over twenty years ago � Molly, Fred, George, and
Ginny would live if Ginny became an experiment of the Elements. Coven Witch
Prewett was caught in a Meeting of Fire and Wind, Hermione. She is the single
survivor in history to do so. They went back on their promise five years ago,
when Ginny was kidnapped, and made her a full Element, one of Fire and Wind,
and refused to give her back.

�Coven Witch Prewett came to me, she begged me to find a way to get her
daughter back, and I have been trying for years now, Hermione, YEARS! I think
I�m at a breakthrough, but I need your support. You have to believe me, because
I�m only going to tell you things that are going to be harder to understand
from now on.�

Victoria gave Hermione a desperate, pleading look. Hermione recognized
that a lot of this would rely on her, that Victoria�s position as a mother and
as a high level Coven member would restrict her from a lot of activities, such
as actually leaving Selene. Hermione had a good feeling that Victoria�s ideas
were right, she normally was. But it just didn�t seem right to
Hermione�Elements�humans�Ginny�

It clicked. � Victoria �� Hermione said softly.
�The Elements�they�re making Ginny. They�re making Elements, that�s why Ginny
is the way she is. They�re making the ultimate weapon, the Wind/Fire Element �
not Elemental.�

Victoria snorted, eyes tearing at the sides. She gave Hermione a joyful
look. �So many people didn�t believe me, Hermione. They called me insane, a
radical. They don�t know�we�re in danger here, Hermione.� Tears fell down
Victoria�s face, something Hermione had only seen once before at Victoria �s wedding. She flung her arms around Hermione and
sobbed. �They don�t believe, they just berate. Nothing
matters to her�she just likes to see me in pain. Hermione, I hate her. I hate
her.�

She was talking about her mother, Coven Witch Miriam Turley. Her mother
was one of the harshest women Hermione had ever met, and one of the most
spiteful, too. Hermione didn�t know why and she didn�t care, but she didn�t
want this for Victoria. Victoria must be as close to genius as any person could
get, but Coven Witch Turley had instilled an automatic, failsafe button called
doubt in her daughter. It prevented Victoria from functioning like a real
genius, and it made her angry and spiteful in return, especially to her mother.
George was slowly breaking down the years of training and doubt, but it was a
slow process. Hermione would help. And she would help Victoria prove her theory
right.

�Tell me what I need to do.�

A Good Question,
Part I

The first thing you need to do is get a blood sample
from Ginny, Cassian, all the Delacours in Selene, and
all other Elementals you can find. It doesn�t matter what kind, just get them.
Even McGonagall, her blood is already tempered to Ginny�s, and that might be
helpful. Get Auror Malfoy�s too�

She had sent notices to all the people she intended to take blood from.
Within the Coven there were twenty-eight women, and then all the Delacour children, and all the other Elemental children staying in
Selene totaled to seventeen more. Within the Ministry, because of Percy�s
permission and then command to all Elementals working, she had collected
another forty-two.

The polls stood as thus: Fire � twenty-four, Wind � nineteen, Water -
ten, Earth � nine, Metal � eight, Cosmos � seven, Lightning � six, and Wood �
four. Fifty-eight of the Elementals tested were half-blood or lower, and twenty-nine
were fully Elementals.

As she looked over her results Hermione couldn�t help but notice there
was definitely a trend � Fire and Wind had the most subjects and the most
power, followed up closely by Water and Earth. It was an odd pattern, but
Hermione could see by the amounts that Victoria had been right. They were the
most powerful and they were just getting more powerful.

After you collect the samples give them to Snape. He has done analysis
like this before, and he knows what do to. He will need assistance, I had to
help him last time and it wasn�t at all pleasant. It would be great if you
could, Hermione. I know you don�t get along, but this is war. There are heavier
things at stake than petty feuds.

If Hermione had managed to take Malfoy�s blood without him killing her
or insulting her too much, she could certainly offer help to Snape. And this
time she wouldn�t let him take advantage of her fear. She would be a grown up
this time. This time would be different.

Well�

She�d been saying this to herself for five minutes, sitting outside of
Snape�s office, the test blood packed carefully into a picnic-like basket.
She�d left Hogwarts nearly five years ago and never looked back. Since then
she�d lost friends, lost contact, but gained power, and gained knowledge. She
wasn�t an adolescent, hormonal teenager anymore. She was a woman.

Then why did she still feel like a student when she came down in the
dungeons? Hermione was a Gryffindor, so what was wrong with her? Going back to
her old school, visiting an old professor, practically a contemporary now that
she had her teaching degree, should be a joy, not a chore. But it was like
facing down a Boggart that wouldn�t go away with laughter. It was like having
to inhale the fumes of a dead plague victim. She hated fear.

Not even Neville feared Snape anymore. They had, just two years ago,
reconciled and Neville even said Snape was an inspiration to him. It did help
that Neville looked like a fearless stack of muscles, but Hermione knew most of
the change was inside, otherwise Snape wouldn�t have cared what Neville looked
like. He had even attended Neville�s wedding to a young Hogwarts graduate named
Natalie McDonald.

Hermione�s plucky nature during school was based on the fact that she
had Ron and Harry to bolster her. She could hardly ask then to accompany her to
Snape�s office just to give him samples and ask to help him. But, great god
above, she was scared of him. Not just him, his persona, his aura, his
attitude, his strength, and his hate. The man stayed bitter like bad milk.
Hermione would rather ask a Death Eater for help than Snape�

She stiffened when she realized what she�d thought. Snape was a Death
Eater. That�s why he was the way he was. He�d given so much to the cause and
everyone hated him. That�s why he and Malfoy were so much alike. They were
outcasts. Malfoy had Ginny, but who did Snape have? Who made him feel like a
person again? Who did he turn to when things went wrong? Dumbledore?
No one else seemed to be able to befriend him. Lupin?
Hermione doubted it. Remus would like it that way, he would like that last
thread from his past to be woven back into the quilt, but Snape would never let
that happen. Friendship with a werewolf was like friendship with a Muggle. Maybe worse.

So, without Harry and Ron, Hermione took a deep breath, strengthening
herself, and opened the heavy door to the classroom.

�Mr. Stanton! I told you to not interrupt me again!�

Oh, Merlin, he had a class. Hermione sighed and slipped into the room
without being noticed. Well, Snape pinned her with a deathly glare, but she
slunk into the back corner seat, which was unoccupied,
and sat there quietly. Not a person had noticed her; they were much too
enthralled in Snape�s rampage to notice a door opening. Hermione removed her
heavy coat and folded it on the desk, straightening her skirt and crossing her
legs. She would just wait until the end of class. Unless they�d changed things,
he should have a prep period after Gryffindor-Slytherin potions.

Very little had changed, Hermione noticed. The students were all
fresh-looking and terrified of Snape. He ruled the class with an iron fist,
sharply striking at any uprising or potential uprising. Black clouds seemed to
make up his outfit, for they flowed with a singular airy quality that Hermione never
saw anyone else use. Maybe they were enchanted�

As the students filed out, one girl Hermione thought was crying, very
few looked in her direction. They were quiet and somber; Hermione recalled the
feeling herself coming out of Potions with Snape. It appeared Hermione�s memory
served right, for Snape motioned for her to follow him into his office during
his prep period. He was short and curt, not menacing as he had been before.

Hermione sat in the chair and put the basket on his desk and noted that
he filled up a glass of whiskey as she did. She wasn�t aware that he drank.
Malfoy did, but that was no secret. Did they trade alcohol brands? Hermione
frowned to herself and prepared for bitter anger and boosted her bravery with
the memory of cursing Snape in her third year. She swallowed and tried a small
smile, which he sneered at and rapped his fingers as he asked his question.

�Why are you here?�

��breathe deep the gathering gloom.� � lyrics from �Knights in White Satin� by the Moody Blues

��ere it would be ever green.� � come on you guys, let�s get some LOTR action in here

��like the desert needs the rain.� � lyrics from "Missing You" by Everything But the
Girl

�Grise Fiord � Grise Fiord is a very small (city, town, village?) on
Ellesmere Island, part of Nunavut, the northernmost Canadian Province. It has a
population of about one hundred sixty people, which is Inuit-based.

��Odysseus was a fool, Penelope. I�m coming home to Ithaca; don�t
worry.� � Percy to Penelope in allusion to The Odyssey. Odysseus was the
hero who separated from his wife, Penelope, and left his home, Ithaca, to fight
in the Trojan War. Since Poseidon placed a curse on the voyage, Odysseus was
the only man to return home out of the whole army�twenty years after he left.

�Strange bedfellows � political term, I thought it was cute
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Elemental