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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
- 19
- 20
- 21
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 like to apologize now for any slaughtering of the
language I may have inadvertently caused. Otherwise, what do you care, right?

French translations: ((example))

Author's Note: Thanks to a lovely
reviewer, pitchic05, it has come to my attention that when using my beloved
little French endearments, 'mon' instead of 'ma' is supposed to be used before
a word starting with a vowel. Sooooo�I'll be doing it that way from now on, and
I'll eventually go back through the other chapters and fix those. Thanks,
pitchic05!

��..

Hermione sat cross-legged against one wall in the bustling main
parlor, watching as house elves and ghosts scurried back and forth on errands.
They were the only sorts of servants that she'd seen during her stay, unless
you counted the Dementors, Red Caps and Porlocks, the two small covens of
banshees and hags, or the occasional Sphinx. Currently, the entire Manos ins in
an uproar. But not the kind that she'd expected. Everyone from the lady of the
house to the tiniest elf was dashing about madly, decorating the Manor for the
Yule Ball that they held there every other year. She hadn't even known there
would be one until Molly had swooped
into her room yesterday morning.

The woman had woken her up with a steaming tray of food and a warm
smile, telling her to hurry and eat while she got her something to wear. Asking
what the rush was, Hermione had wolfed down two pieces of toast and a boiled
egg by the time Molly had laid out an outfit for her. Pulling her nightgown off
and her robes on, she'd listened to Molly's rushed explanation about the ball
the night after next. The Malfoys and Zabinis had been celebrating Yule
together for centuries, and the annual Yule Ball was held at Malfoy Manor one
year, Tenebre Stella the next. It was to be a grand affair, the event of choice
for society's elite.

Wizarding nobility from all over the world would be in attendance,
and Hermione felt herself growing more nervous by the minute. She was on lunch
break at the moment, her empty platter sitting next to her on the floor. Mephite
was on her other side, and she scratched his massive head idly, as he'd finally
started to at least tolerate her
touch. His thick, soft fur under her fingers made her feel a bit better, but
she knew it wouldn't last. Someone on the other side of the room shrieked, and
she looked over to see Narcissa waving her wand threateningly at Blaise and
George, who were snickering and having to hold onto one another in order to
keep standing.

They had, apparently, snuck up behind her with mistletoe, and both
had laid sound kisses on her lips before she'd even seen them. Spluttering and
very nearly blushing, she told them that they were both heathens and then
covered them in glitter. Sneezing, Blaise threw George off balance and they fell
back into Draco, who was fighting with a strand of ivy. He, in turn, toppled
onto Snape, bringing half an hour's worth of ivy-work down with him, and all
four lay in a pile on the floor, liberally covered in glitter. Then Ginny and
Padma started laughing, shortly followed by the others, and Hermione couldn't
stop from staring at the two girls.

To say that things had changed drastically in the last few days
was an understatement of monumental proportions. After Ginny, Draco, Blaise and
the twins had left the other day, Molly had caught her second wind and let Ron
have it. She'd yelled for close to thirty minutes, and at the end, Ron had been
reduced to a whimpering, cringing rag doll. They'd forgone going to see the
dragon and had come back to the Manor, sitting in stony and contemplative
silence. The Slytherins had departed, off to do who knew what, and they'd
stayed like that for hours until a man's head had popped up out of nowhere in
the fireplace.

Narcissa and Silana had recognized him immediately, and later told
them that it had been a storeowner they knew. The man had been yelling their
names, and when he saw them, he'd started rambling in French until Narcissa
told him to switch to English for the Weasleys benefit. So he had, saying that
a Weasley had been shot by a muggle and that Draco demanded they be informed
immediately. Pandemonium had broken out instantly, and Harry, Ron and Hermione
had been ordered to stay behind, as had the other Slytherins, who had
reappeared at the man's shouting. When everyone had returned, Hermione had felt
like her heart had stopped.

Draco had once again been covered in blood, a limp, seemingly dead
Ginny in his arms, while Snape had been a step behind him, carrying Blaise, who
had been in much the same condition as she was, except his hands and sleeves
were coated with dried red flakes. George had been right on their heels, a deathly
pale Fred cradled against his chest, while Padma Patil, of all people, had been
holding Ginny's lifeless hand. Molly had been sobbing, leaning into Arthur, and
the others who'd gone with them, along with a woman that she later discovered
was Padma's aunt, hadn't been far behind. All had looked shocked and worried,
before disappearing into the endless corridors.

Afterwards, they'd learned what had happened. Pansy and Anton had
raised hell to the point of rioting until they'd been allowed in to see their
friends, and had come out soon afterwards, looking quite a bit calmer. Blaise
and Ginny had both been deep in a healing sleep, and Draco had been exhausted
to the point of collapsing, as he'd poured every last bit of his energy into
his lovers in order to speed up their recovery time. To the surprise of all,
Padma had refused to leave their side, keeping vigil even after Draco had
slipped into sleep as well. Fred had been taken into their room with them, and
all four had lain comatose on the sheets and furs for almost eight hours.

George had sd asd as well, which surprised no one. The only other
occupants of the room had been the pride of great cats, the two largest and one
cub sleeping in the bed with them, and a huge leopard that was even larger then
they were. The leopard had paws bigger then dinner plates and eyes that had no
definable color. They'd simply reminded her of death and malevolence. Startled
whispers from Bill and Charlie had let her know it was one of the feared and
fearsome Nundu, and from what Narcissa had told them, it was the leader of the
pride on the grounds. Later, after the four had awoken, everyone had gotten to
visit them long enough to see that they were okay before they'd been kicked out
again.

For two days after that, no one had seen hide nor hair of them,
except for the twins, who had come out after the first day and had denied
entrance to everyone else. There had been something�different about them, and she could have sworn that their eyes had
been a lighter blue when she'd seen them last. The other four had stayed locked
away for another day, and everyone else had been dying of curiosity. How had
Padma gotten through Draco's shield? How had she done what she had to help
Ginny? Why had they been looking at each other so strangely when everyone had
gone to visit? And what in the fuck were they doing in there?

Fred and George had refused to tell them anything, so Molly had
resorted to fussing over Fred. She'd had him show her the wound, but it hadn't
been able to be called that any longer. Blaise had healed it and neutralized
the slow-death spell that had been on the bullet, and that Draco had told Snape
about before he'd passed out. All that was left of the nearly fatal injury was
a circular patch of perfectly pale skin that was utterly devoid of freckles.
Molly had then said, with tears in her eyes, that at least she had a new way to
tell the twins apart. George had abolished that opinion by pulling his own
shirt up, revealing a matching spot of blank flesh.

Then, yesterday morning, the four of them had appeared to help
decorate as if nothing had happened. No one had said anything, opting to study
them instead. There was a sense of peace around them, a sense of steadiness.
And Padma's eyes�Had she ever seen eyes so calm, so serene? And the four of
them had very nearly been moving in unison, and had to catch themselves from
talking simultaneously more than once, to everyone's bafflement. The only
people taking it in stride were the twins, but she was sure that they knew way
more than the others did about what had happened in that room, about what had
changed.

What was obvious was that Padma seemed to meld into their tight
fold like a piece they hadn't realized was missing until it was there. But it
was the nature of her ties with them
that made Hermione horridly curious. And, if she was honest, more than a bit
envious. After all, she'd been wanting their friendship forever, failing
miserably with every attempt and only barely winning Ginny back. But along
comes Padma, out of blueblue, and she's sucked right in. No, her mind argued, there
has to be more to it then that. There's no way that they'd just blindly
accepted her, no way that they'd just started trusting her for no reason, especially
not Draco and Blaise.

Then why, goddamnit, had
they? In a day and a half of watching them, her jealousy had grown no matter
how hard she'd tried to stop it. They, along with the twins, had acted as if it
had been just the six of them, as if everyone else was mostly invisible. And
they acted as if it had always been that way. Oh, they still talked to
everyone, especially the Slytherins, but you could see that their attention
wasn't fully in it. What had drawn them together? What bonds had been forged
between Padma, Ginny and her boyfriends? And what bonds did they now share with
the twins? Basically, it kept coming back to 'what the fuck had happened in that room?'

"Pansy!" Draco's voice cut through Hermione's musings.
"I just opened the wards for your sister; she's coming through the
floo!" He called out across the room to the dark haired girl, and she
nodded, straightening up and abandoning the green silk streamers that she was
hanging from the ceiling with sticking spells. Lycelle and a house elf came
into the parlor a few moments later, and the sisters embraced warmly, yet
aloofly. Lycelle offered to help, and to Hermione's surprise, she walked over
to her after greeting the others and seeing her alone.

"Want some help?" The girl asked, and Hermione felt like
kissing her when she saw the sincere, yet slightly guarded, look in her eyes.
Her only company was Ginny and Mephite, and the former was pulled in too many
directions in the first place, while the latter barely acknowledged her
existence.

"Um, well, sure. I mean, if you want to." Hermione said,
and led her to where the baskets of fresh holly were. They worked in
companionable silence for well over an hour, moving from room to room on the
ground floor until they came out into the main foyer, where it seemed that
almost everyone else had eventually migrated to as well.

She saw Draco nudge Blaise a while later and whisper something
before the front doors flew open and a lithe, arrogant-looking girl glided in,
hair as white-blond as Narcissa and Silana's flowing to the middle of her back
in waves and swishing around her. She wore robes of pearl trimmed in silver,
and her cheeks were pink from the cold air outside, making her azure eyes dark.
She saw Draco and Blaise, and her cold mask cracked as she broke into a run.
Blaise swept her into a hug immediately, spinning her around as she laughed,
before passing her off to Draco, who sat her down lightly, kissing her cheek. A
woman came in behind her, slightly taller, her hair just as fair.

"Who's that?" Hermione whispered, pointing to the girl, and
Lycelle leaned in.

"Mira Zabini. She's Blaise's first cousin, his mother's
sister's daughter. That's her mother, there." She whispered back, pointing
at the woman. "Armynel Zabini. Was Armynel Fauluri until a little over a
year ago. Her husband died, and Blaise let them take the name Zabini."

"It's good to see you, Mira." Draco said, causing their
whispers to cease, and the girl laughed again.

"It is good to see you, as well, Draco." She said, her
French accent distinct but not marring her English. Turning to Blaise, she
punched him on the arm. "And you,
cousin! You have not written in weeks!"

"Forgive me, dear Mira." Blaise smirked. "I've been
a bit busy."

"Oui, oui, I know." She rolled her eyes. "I read
the papers, which you've been highlighted in quite often. This latest dilemma
has the whole country bristling. But tell me one thing, truthfully, because I'm
dying to know: Did you really beat
the shit out of Potter?" A mocking smile curved his lips.

"Ask him yourself." He said, and her blue eyes widened.

"What?" She
asked incredulously. "Here?"
When he nodded, a distasteful look on his face, she spun, running her gaze over
the people around her for the first time. She spotted Harry, and stalked up to
him. Looking startled, he backed away a step or two at her rapid approach,
until his back hit the wall. "Well, well," she drawled, "look
what we have here. Fresh meat. Can we hurt him?"

"Gods, I wish." Draco muttered, while Hermione sucked in
a breath. She didn't like the lilt in Mira's voice. It hadn't been entirely�human. Almost certain at that point that
the girl in front of her was more than just a little veela, Hermione sighed.
Wonderful. Another veela that was sure to despise her.

"Mira, that's enough. Leave that Potter brat alone." Armynel
called, her voice a slightly older version of her daughter's, and Hermione
started when she saw just how much the woman resembled Silana now that she saw
them side by side. "I, for one, am dying to meet Virgi/spa/span>." She said, her teal
eyes falling on Ginny, who was standing with Padma and Pansy a little to the
right of her boyfriends. Mira walked back over to her cousin, her gaze now
running over Ginny from head to toe. Instead of doing what Hermione would have
and dropping her eyes to the floor, Ginny stared right back, and just as
bluntly. Ignoring her for the moment, Mira looked at Padma.

"What are you doing here early, Padma? I didn't think your
family was arriving until tomorrow night like everyone else's."

"They aren't." Padma replied neutrally, although she did
take a subtle, yet meaningful, step closer to Ginny. "I helped them in Paris."

"Did you? You weren't in the article."

"Are you calling me a whore?" Mira demanded, outraged.
Ginny sneered.

"No. Whores get paid." She said viciously, and Hermione
braced herself for the first explosion. But it didn't come, as instead of
freaking out, Mira gave a small smile.

an>

"I guess you're alright." She said, and Ginny returned
her grin. What the hell? They were about
to murder each other two seconds ago, and now they're hugging? "They
told me you were, but�"

"Don't worry about it." Ginny said, her charcoal eyes
bright with amusement. "I was warned on how to handle you."

"Handle me?"
Mira scowled. "Blaise�"

"Wasn't me."

"Draco�"

"Nope. Completely innocent, this time."

"Gregory! Vincent!" Mira whispered harshly, spinning to
face the culprits. Putting on a hurt expression, she crossed her arms over her
chest. "So you've been saying mean things about me again?" She asked,
while Gregory and Vincent stared. Hermione supposed Mira must have grown a bit
since they'd last seen her.

"Would we do that?" Goyle asked quietly, a teasing note
in his voice, and Hermione noticed that the surprised stares weren't one-sided.
Mira drew closer to them, her eyes soaking them in, and Blaise and Draco
exchanged knowing glances.

"Yes." The girl replied. "I do believe you would.
And didn't you two pretty up nicely?" She asked, an appreciative note to
her voice, and Crabbe and Goyle looked at her as if she'd gone mad. "Want
to go for a swim?" There wasn't really any more that needed to be said.
They left after waving goodbye, and everyone started working again while Armynel
introduced herself to Ginny. Sighing, Hermione let herself relax a bit. Perhathatthat would be the worst they had to deal with today. I mean, surely, she thought to herself, nothing else can happen, we're at the Manor. Safe. Which was true.
But she didn't take into count human stupidity.

"Hermione?" A familiar voice inquired from behind them,
and Hermione put her basket down, but kept her wand. Maybe the Slytherins'
paia wia was wiping off on her. Or maybe she still recalled too clearly the
look in his eyes when he'd tried to stab Blaise in the back.

"Harry." She said, turning to face him.

Lycelle was looking at them strangely, but said nothing. Harry
looked as if he was a second from bolting, and he was fidgeting uncomfortably.
How had they come to this? A year ago, no, a month ago, they were as close as she had thought it possible to be
with another person outside of marriage. And now�Now she'd seen how close the
Slytherins were, and she'd reevaluated their (hers, Harry's and Ron's)
friendship, studying it from all angles. And she'd found it lacking. That
belief had been reinforced when they'd turned on her in a second, over
something that wasn't even any of their fucking business in the first place.

"I�" He started hesitantly, then drew himself up and
took a deep breath. "Can we talk?" He asked, and shot a look at
Lycelle. "Alone?"

"Well," she really shouldn't, she knew she shouldn't,
but�"I guess so. Come on, there's an empty room over here." He nodded
and followed her out of the foyer, and she led him to one of the rooms that they'd
finished decorating earlier. He went in ahead of her, and she left the door
open a crack in case someone needed them for something, while Mephite curled up
in the hallway. "What do you want?" She started, wanting to get to
the point of this discussion and then get out of there.

"To�to apologize." He said, and she wondered why his
lost puppy expression wasn't affecting her like it usually did. But how could
it? How could it when she knew that those innocent eyes could hold such
unfeeling hatred? Shaking such thoughts from her head, she looked up at him.

"What's the point? You and Ron have made your opinions of me
quite clear."

"No! Hermione, I don't�I'm not mad at you like Ron; I just
didn't know what to say. I mean, why did you�"

"Yes, you do!" He argued. "Never, ever, have you done something without
thinking it through first. Even in the middle of a crisis, you still think of
everything! I don't believe for a second that you didn't have a reason! So, just
tell me. You used to tell me
everything."

"I just wanted to know what it was like, alright?" She
said, walking past him to the window.

lasslass=MsoNormal>"But why him? Why a
Slytherin? Have you seen the way Pansy looks at you now? Everyone�Hermione,
if you were just�I mean, if you just wanted�Why didn't you come to one of
us?" He questioned, and she stiffened. There was the inevitable question.
Why hadn't she? She knew that's what everyone would be wondering. Hell, she'd
wondered herself. But the truth of it was quite simple.

"I never saw either of you like that." She said
honestly, and turned to face him. Something flickered in his emerald eyes, but
it was gone a moment latnd snd she continued. "You were both like the
brothers I never had, my best friends in the whole world. But best friends
don't act the way you two have. I have never judged either of you for anything,
never deserted you when you needed me. I never thought to expect any less from
you in return, and that is where I went wrong. I've discovered, in my days of
solitude, that I don't need you like I thought I did. I don't need two people
who quite obviously couldn't give a damn about me when it comes down to it. So
I don't think the question is why I didn't,
but why in the hell I would."

"So that's it then." Harry said, and she sucked in a
startled breath when his eyes darkened strangely. No, she thought distantly, backing away from him, not again. "You fucking whore
yourself out, we don't approve, and you get pissy? What the fuck, Hermione? I was trying to
apologize. It's stupid to turn down the only friend you'll have." He was
moving towards her with that look,
damn it, that same look he'd had on the Quidditch pitch that day, and she felt
fear start to settle in her stomach. This wasn't right, it wasn't him�but it.

"Harry�"

"Shut up." He spat, getting ever closer. She swore there
were flecks of red in his eyes, but the growing threat of his nearing presence
didn't let her concentrate on it. "So I'm not good enough for you? I'll
show you good enough, you traitorous little bitch."

Then he was on her, his hands everywhere as his mouth covered
hers. She screamed but it was muffled, and he was stronger then her by far. She
fought him anyway, scratching and hitting with everything in her. What the fuck
was wrong with him? She heard a shout outside the door, heard Lycelle yelling
something, and prayed that the girl had followed them like she thought she had.
Renewing her efforts to get him off of her, she sobbed in relief when their
bodies were separated roughly. Looking up at a furious Ginny, she watched,
numb, as the girl grabbed Harry by the throat and threw him into the far wall.

"Bad move, Potter." She heard Blaise comment wryly from
her left, but her eyes were glued on Ginny, who appeared at Harry's side again
almost instantly. Her eyes were sparking madly, and sharp, deadly fangs glinted
in the weak sunlight streaming through the window. Enlightenment seemed to hit
Hermione dead on, and she realized why the girl was so angry. It wasn't just
because they were friends. Seeing what she just had must have brought back
memories of her own close call not too long ago, and she'd snapped. Ginny
wrapped a clawed hand in Harry's hair and yanked him up brutally, until his
face was right underneath her sneering one.

"I do believe you were told you had one chance and one chance
only." Ginny snarled, and Harry's eyes were wide and�Harry again. She turned to her lovers. "Do it."

"As you wish." Draco responded gleefully, a real smile
crossing his lips. Then he and Blaise threw their heads back and roared.
Dropping to her knees and covering her ears, Hermione wondered briefly if she'd
gone deaf.

Someone grabbed her arm and she looked over and into Lycelle's
eyes as the walls of the Manor seemed to shiver and shimmer, glowing a dark
blue and green before the colors faded with the noise. Letting her hands drop,
she heard other throats echoing their cry from what seemed like every
direction, and she realized that it was the different creatures that called
this place 'home' and that named them 'master'. The only cries she could
distinguish from the mass were the dragons', but the worst part was the
growing, creepiold old that seemed to be converging on the room, growing
thicker by the second. Dementors.

"It's your claim, Virginia." Blaise said,
twirling Harry's wand in his fingers, though how he'd gotten it, she had no
idea. "State the terms." Ginny nodded and dropped Harry carelessly,
pushing against him when she did hard enough to ensure that his head bounced
off the marble floor. She walked over to a platinum plaque on the wall that was
like the many others Hermione had seen scattered around the Manor and at the
carriage station, and sliced her palm open with a nail before slamming it onto
the shiny surface.

"For his attack on a guest of the Manor, I sentence Harry
James Potter to the Dimidium Hunt." She said, her voice spectral and just
plain scary. "He thought to make prey of one I call friend, so now he
shall see what it is to be prey. By
blood of one soulbound to your Lord, hear my words and heed them! Let the Hunt
begin." The walls of the Manor rumbled in response, and when Ginny pulled
her hand away, it was healed, the blood gone from her palm and the metal of the
plaque. She took Harry in hand once more, and looked him in the eyes. "I
cared for you once, but that was long ago. I care nothing for you know, and
your death would not trouble me. It is time you learned your place." Then
she threw him straight out the window without any more preamble, and he passed
through it as if the glass wasn't even there. Silence covered all for a moment,
and then Ron found his voice.

"What did you do? What
the fuck did justjust do?" He demanded, and Ginny turned those
frighteningly fierce eyes on him.

"It's none of your bloody concern!" She snapped.
"In case you've forgotten, you're not at Hogwarts, or the Burrow, or even in
Britain at all anymore. You are
at Malfoy Manor, in France, and it might as well
be an entire other world in your case. You have no authority here, or anywhere
else for that matter, and quite frankly, I've grown beyond sick of your shit,
as has everyone else. Because of that, it's been decided that if you mess up
again, you simply will not be allowed to leave your rooms for the rest of your
stayn't n't test me again."

"Don't test you?
You just sent Harry to his death! I'm going after him!" Ron yelled. Ginny
rolled her eyes.

"Not very good in Latin, are you?" She taunted.
"Dimidium means 'half'. It's not a hunt to the death, but he thinks it is,
and that's the point. Don't get me wrong; it won't be pleasant. But our god
says he is needed, so no, he won't die. Otherwise, he'd be dead already."

Ginny went to say something else when Padma laid a hand on her
arm. Ginny calmed immediately, almost as if a part of the strange, eerie peace
in Padma's eyes had spread to her as well. Wondering yet again if Padma had
joined the three as their lover or as something else, Hermione got to her feet
slowly, letting Lycelle help her up. There were too many questions and not enough
answers, and Hermione felt as if her head would explode. She was also starting
to worry about her budding friendship with Lycelle. What would the girl say
when she heard what had happened between Hermione and Anton? She was Pansy's
sister, after all.

Telling Lycelle she'd catch up with her later, Hermione set off in
a ranwalkwalk through the Manor, Mephite trailing her as always. She went up
and down, back and forth, never paying attention to where her feet were leading
her. She kept replaying Harry's behavior in her head, and kept coming up with
the same conclusions. Either his scar was affecting him, or he was cracking up.
She knew it was possible that it was simply the real Harry finally shining
through, but that was almost too horrible to imagine. Raised voices caught her
attention, and unable to help herself, she followed them until she was on a
shadowy balcony above the room they were in.

"Why won't you at least fucking talk to me?" Anton inquired, smashing a fist into the wall by
Pansy's head. "We've been friends eight
years, Pansy. Eight bloody years,
and you go all cold on me now? Oveometomething so goddamned trivial?"

"Fuck you, Anton." Pansy hissed, her eyes glistening
with unshed tears. "It wasn't fucking trivial,
it was�" She grew silent again, and Hermione could see Anton's rigid form
practically vibrating with tension.

"It was what?"
He growled. "What the fuck upset you so much about this? What's the

"That's why you're pissed off? I didn't get mad at you about
that guy from Madrid that you told us all
about, or�"

"There was no guy in Madrid." Pansy said
softly, and Anton stiffened even farther.

"What are you talking about? Of course there was, you�"

"There was no guy in Madrid." Pansy
repeated, her struggling ceasing and her eyes closing tightly. "I made it
up, alright? You'd gotten with that witch from Naryan-Mar and I�"

"There was no witch in Naryan-Mar." Anton tossed her
words back at her, and her eyes opened wide. They stared at each other for a
long time, and Hermione knew that she should leave, that she should have
already been gone. But she couldn't. It was as if her feet were rooted to the
floor.

"But�" Pansy finally started, only to have Anton lay a
slender hand over her mouth.

"Shh." He said, his voice going low and satiny.
"You want truth from me?" He asked, and she nodded slowly, her dark
eyes searching his face. "There hasn't been anyone since our night in the Aegean Sea, not until the other
night. I gave more to you then I knew at the time. It was in Russia that I discovered
just how much, when that cute little witch petitioned me. I couldn�t do it, but
there was no way I was telling all of you that. You'd have wanted to know why,
after all, and what would I have said? I did tell Draco and Blaise not too long
afterwards, and Gregory and Vincent had been with me, but what would I have
told Melody and Daphne? What would I have told you? You'd made it glaringly obvious that you didn't want my
attentions."

"I�" Pansy tried, but his hand tightened.

"Uh huh." He chided, the ghost of a smilicklickering
across his shapely mouth. "Not until I'm done. This is what you wanted,
correct? For me to finally crack and pour my soul out, laying it at your feet?
Funnily enough, though, Pansy, I believe it's been there for a while. Do you
remember that oath we took when we were first years? We'd said that we'd never
find anyone to be as close to as Blaise and Dray were to each other, because as
blind as they were for so long, we all already knew. We said that we'd never
find anyone to be as close to as we already were with one another, so we vowed
to never fall in love."

Pansy nodded, the first tear escaping her tight control and
running down her cheek until it hit his hand.

&np>

"I must break that vow now." He said, and it was her
turn to stiffen. "For it seems my heart is no longer my own. A vixen has
sunken firm claws into it, and I do not think I ever really had a chance for
escape. She's y woy wonderful, this witch that I wish to make mine. She's smart,
of course, as one of the smartest people that I've ever known, and she's loyal
to those who she deems has earned her loyalty. She's caring and cunning, cold
and compassionate. She has a smile, when she chooses to bestow it, that makes
me feel as if my world has ended and started over again, all at once. I've
found that I can be quite content for hours just watching her hands write out a
letter or an essay."

More tears had followed the first from those brandy eyes, and
Hermione realized that for all her arrogance, Pansy honestly didn't believe he
was talking about her.

"Many think Slytherins heartless, but you and I both know
that's a lie. When moved, we feel more deeply then others could begin to
understand. And she has moved me irreplaceably. I think of her when I wake up
every morning, I think of her during classes, during meals, and she is the last
thing I see at night when I close mes. es. She haunts every step I take, and
I've come to accept that I will never be free of her. And why would I wish to
be? In my eyes, none outshine her. None could ever hope to. So you'll have to
forgive me for this breach of faith, for this broken oath. It is the first
promise I have ever failed you with, but I cannot avoid it nor ignore it. You
have stolen my soul from me, Pansy, and I wish for it back. I would take you as
my wife, if you would but have me. I love you."

Such simple words. Thsimpsimple, overused words that might have
been considered a lie in the eyes of many when coming from one of his kind. But
Hermione had come to realize that it was quite the opposite. If those words,
those weakening, risky, soul-bearing words were spilled from the lips of a
Slytherin, then every syllable was worth more then their fortunes to them, more
even then their own lives. The effect of those heart-clenching words on Pansy
was clearly evident, as his hand dropped and her shocked gasp filled the room.
She swayed and would have fallen had he not steadied her, and she was as pale
as a sheet.

"Pan�" Anton started, but Pansy drew herself up, a new,
brilliant fire beginning to blaze within her eyes. It was she who covered his
mouth with a hand that time, she who flipped him around and pinned him to the
wall, she who had his eyes turning confused and wary.

"Shh." She mimicked him from moments ago. "You want
truth from me?" He nodded, just as she had, a single lock of his hair falling
across one sharp cheekbone. "There has been no one else for me, either,
since Draco's ingenious idea of taking us all to the Greek archipelago. But I
knew exactly what I was giving you that night. I also knew it was foolish. I'd
heard you talk about your lovers before, how could I not have when we told each
other everything? You were the only one to hear my secrets besides Draco and
Blaise, and I know the reverse held true. So who was I to think that you would
ever forsake the oath that we'd taken as I already had? I knew you did not wish
for commitment."

Anton shook his head, the look in his eyes remarkably clear even
from where Hermione was. It said, 'No,
Pansy. I just didn't wish for commitment
with anyone but you'.

"Melody and Daphne knew as well, of course, and held their
tongues like I asked them to. Had they known this is what you wanted, they
would have done something by now. And this is
what you want, correct? For me to finally crack and hand you my heart, prettily
impaled on one of the shards? Funnily enough, though, Anton, I know it's been yours for a while. It's
been claimed by a wizard that's devious, of course, one of the most devious
people that I've ever known. He's cruel and sadistic, utterly depraved in every
way, and I wouldn't change a thing. The few that he considers worthy of his
love are loved like no others, and those that awaken his ruthless side do not
normally make it through the night."

How can eyes be so expressive? Perhaps
they really are looking glasses into the soul, Hermione pondered. Or perhaps this is just what a Slytherin's
eyes look like when all of their defensive masks and icy walls fall to dust beneath
love's fingertips.

"I cannot put into words what I felt when I saw you in that
cove. And with her, of all people. I
wanted nothing more than to kill her, to see her blood splatter over your skin
and for you to know that it was my doing. And afterwards�It was my fault that
it even happened, in a way. If I hadn't said those things to you in Greece�But I will never
forgive her. She'd seen me looking at
you, I know she had, and yet she
followed you, fucked you. She will pay for crossing me one day, but I care not
to waste more words on her. I know you, Anton, and I trust you. If you say you truly
meant the things you have spoken of today, then I will take you at your word. Many
think you heartless, but I know
that's a lie. And I do not ask for forgiveness for my broken oath. I revel in it." Her hushed voice
reverberated with pure conviction and feeling, and her hand fell away as she
took a step back.

"Pansy�"

"I know. This is where we're supposed to declare our undying
affection, yes? Make promises and pledges. But I tire of games and inue. ue. I
will be frank with you, as I have always been in the past. I would bind myself
to you; I would take you as my lifemate, for I love you as well."

Anton did not answer her with words, simply let the dark joy in
his eyes speak for itself before he pulled her back against him and claimed her
lips with his own. Neither held anything back, and Hermione realized that what
she had shared with Anton was nothing compared to this. They were very nearly eating each other alive, and clothes
were already being ripped to careless pieces. Knowing that she had long
outstayed her welcome (she shouldn't have been there in the first place), she
left the balcony quietly, her chest aching strangely. Would she ever find
something like that? That soul-consuming desire and hunger, that completeness?
She didn't think so.

��..

It was later that night, right after they'd finished eating
dinner, when the next early guest arrived. The decorations were almost
complete, the frenzy of the last two days dying down a bit, and they were (but
for Pansy and Anton) sitting in the front foyer again, watching Draco erect an
ice sculpture of enormous proportions like one would a clay pot on a spinning
wheel. Except there was no large chunk of ice for him to start out with. He was
simply creating it out of nothing and shaping it with fingers, smoothing it
with his palms. Ginny was helping him, using a fingertip to burn designs and
runes into it, and every once in a while, Blaise would be petitioned to blast
off an edge.

"Mother!" Draco called suddenly, and Narcissa looked up
from the fairies she was giving directions to. "Your cousin is here."

"Already?" She asked, tucking a strand of loose, pale
hair behind one perfectly formed ear.

p;"'Cissa!" A low male voice rang out, a moment before the
visitor entered. When he did, Hermione's jaw hit the floor. At least she wasn't
alone. The Weasleys, but for the twins, of course, all looked just as shocked
as she must have, so it was a small consolation. Narcissa embraced him while
Snape glared, and Hermione slowly shut her gaping mouth.

"It's good to see you, Sirius." Narcissa said warmly.
Well, as warmly as she ever said anything, at least. "I trust that Tenebre
Stella has met your approval? You look wonderful."

She was right. Sirius looked better then Hermione had ever seen
him. His skin was darkened, apparently from the Italian sun, and his eyeookeooked much more alive than they had during their last meeting. His thick, wavy
black hair shone in the witchlight, unlike Blaise's, who's seemed to eat it,
but it was almost as long. His robes were a dark crimson silk, and only barely
showed the toes of his dragonhide boots. He looked healthy and well fed, which
was new, but considering where he'd apparently been staying, it wasn't that
surprising. He filled out the robes nicely, muscles moving visibly underneath
the smooth fabric, and she couldn't help smiling.

"Don't compliment me too much, 'Cissa, or Snapey here might
have a heart attack." He teased, and Snape scowled darkly. "And yes,
Tenebre Stella was as beautiful and hospitable as I rememberIt'sIt's certainly
not a bad place to hide out at. Definitely not boring, at any rate." He
said, and Hermione glimpsed something move out of the corner of her eye.
Glancing over quickly, she saw George talking to a house elf in a mumbling
whisper, before he handed it something and it disappeared.

"Boring? I would think not." Narcissa responded with a
knowing smirk. Sirius kissed her cheek and spun around, his eyes roving over
the room. He spotted Draco and Blaise and walked up to them, before bowing
mockingly.

"My lords." He intoned sarcastically.

"Canine." They replied in unison with nasty sneers, and
Sirius grinned roguishly before pulling them into tight embraces. Snape's glare
turned very nearly murderous, but Sirius ignored him, ruffling the two
Slytherins' hair. It was a pointless move, as the silky strands fell back into
place instantly, but it did cause them to don agitated looks.

"Goddamnit, Sirius." Blaise cursed, batting his hand
away. "That's what I liked about Azkaban. You couldn't put your filthy
paws all over us."

"Well, you could always take up residence there yourself in
order to get away from me." Sirius suggested. "By the way, I
redecorated the villa. All of that monochrome black, silver and green was
getting repetitive. But don't worry about i too took care of it for you."
He said passively, and Hermione wondered if he was trying to get one of them to flip out.

"If you changed even one minuscule little item in my home,"
Blaise said with narrowed eyes, "you're furry half's going to wonder when,
exactly, he'd been neutered." Sirius's eyes widened.

"Harsh." He murmured. "You're a harsh, evil little
shit. I'm so proud."

"Whatever, Sirius." Blaise responded dryly, indigo eyes
rolling.

"What do you care anyway?" Sirius questioned, his smirk
back. "You have more homes than you can count."

"Correction, I have more houses
than I can count." Blaise pointed out. "I only have two homes, and I'm in one of them now. If
one thing, Sirius, if one fucking thing
in Tenebre is gold or covered in shaggy, smelly dog fur, I swear by the gods
that�" He trailed off, getting in a minor tug-of-war with Ginny over a
strand of pinecones he was holding. She wrestled them from him after setting
the one in his hand on fire, and he gave her a wounded look.

"Well, it's not like you're working!" She declared hotly. "You're just standing here
chatting with this great oaf, and�" She didn't get to finish as Sirius
swept her off her feet and spun around with her, laughing as she threatene
st
strangle him with the string of pinecones.

"My, my, hasn't the littlest Weasley grown up?" Sirius
commented as he set her back on her feet, and she slapped him on the arm before
glaring at her boyfriends.

"Thanks so much for all of your assistance." She said
sarcastically.

p clp class=MsoNormal>"Anytime." Her boyfriends replied flippantly, and it
seemed a sudden thought occurred to her.

"Oh, have I mentioned that I'm going out for a bit
tomorrow?" She asked and their grins ppeappeared immediately. "Yule
shopping, and all. Padma and Pansy are coming with me."

an>

"Really."

"Yes. And it's for you two and I don't want to hear it."
She said when they started to say more.

"I was going to
say," Draco started after a moment, "that it can be arranged. You're
not a prisoner here, and we have no intention of making you feel that way.
Certain precautions will have to be taken, of course, and I do have one
stipulation."

"What's that?" Ginny asked, looking slightly baffled.
She hadn't, apparently, thought it was going to be that easy. Ah, well. Neither
had anyone else.

"The Ezut��l go with you." Blaise answered for him simply, and
Ginny stared at them as if they'd ltheitheir minds.

"So�that's it? We can just�go?" She questioned
disbelievingly.

"Well, of course not." Draco red. &d. "We'll have
you weighed down with so many protection amulets that you'll rattle when you
walk." Now that sounded more
like them. Ginny sighed exasperatedly, but she couldn't stop a small smile.

:p>

"I knew it would be something."
She said thoughtfully. "Although it's better than I expected, to tell the
truth. I�"

"ARGH!!!!" A
bellow cut her off, and they all spun to see Ron standing beside a house elf
that looked suspiciously like the one George had been talking to.

It was holding a tray of sweetmeats and chocolate, and she could
swear it was laughing internally as it watched Ron, who was, oddly, sprouting
scales. Within half a minute, they'd covered his entire body, and when he
opened his mouth to yell again, nothing came from his forked tongue but es. es.
He started panicking after he ran his hands over his body, his twisted, webbed
fingers scratching over the scales, which were�turning pinkpink? Yes, they were
definitely becoming pinker by the second. Ron spun in circles, high-pitched,
sibilant screams pouring from his rough lips, and Draco, Blaise and the twins
were the first to lose hold of their laughter.

"H-He hates sn-snakes so much," Fred gasped while Ron became
more and more frantic, "that we th-thought we'd see how h-he liked b one."

"We told you Sneperskin strips would work." Draco choked
out as Ron's cries reached a new level of hysteria. His horrified eyes nearly
bugging out of his head, he was still running in circles and patting himself
wildly, brushing off his parents' attempts to help him. Bill tried to catch him
as he went by and Ron yelped and fled. He didn't make it fifteen feet before he
slammed face-first into one of the black marble pillars and hit the floor like
a sack of stones. They stared.

And then�"Did you get that?" George asked, looking at
Blaise and Draco and trying to get his laughter to some sort of manageable
level, while Hermione didn't even try to fight her own. "Please say you
got that!"

"Oui." Blaise agreed, and it took him three tries to
perform a simple summoning spell through his snickers. When he did manage, a
crystal like the ones Hermione had seen at the Ministry flew into his hand.
"We can watch that over and over and over�"

"I bet we could sell copies after we're done." Draco
suggested, causing the other three to laugh even harder. "We can call it
Ron's Requiem. Fuck, I'd be willing to give them away for free at this
point."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ginny asked between hysterical
giggles, holding onto Padma, who still looked utterly calm. But Hermione could
see the amusement flickering deep within her eyes, and wondered how they could
be so peaceful, yet so dark. Padma was an enigma, and one that Hermione was
determined to figure out. &;I w;I would have helped."

"Because it's for
you, Rose." Fred responded. "Did you think we'd just let all of that
shit slide? Ron's started a war now, and we plan to see it to the finish. He
shouldn't have fucked with you, but he did, and now he's got all four of us
more than a bit ticked off. And funnily enough, we've learned that we work quite
well together."

"Nothing." George said hastily, looking sideways at
their mother kneeling on the ground beside Ron, who was still knocked out cold.

He was saved from further interrogating by Pansy and Anton's,
quite belated, arrival. Both had either gotten new clothes or had somehow fixed
the others, but Hermione didn't think so. There hadn't been more than three
scraps of fabric larger then her hand by the time she'd left. Her cheeks
heating as she thought of all that she'd seen and heard, she made sure not to
meet theirs, or anyone else's, eyes. Neither was disheveled, as they'd
obviously made a point to freshen up, but the dark bite marks just visible
underneath their collars said more than words or rumpled robes, as did the fact
that they were both very nearly radiant with afterglow, which, for wizards, can
quite literally be a side effect of coupling.

"What took you so long, hmm?" Blaise asked, throwing
Pansy's words from breakfast the other morning back at her with a mocking
sneer. She didn't even bother glaring, a contented smile her only answer. Then
Ginny shrieked.

"By the gods! Is
that what I think it is!?" She questioned ecstatically, and Padma's eyes
started sparkling happily. Both girls ran over to Pansy, who was beaming, and
surrounded her, and giggling madly over something while Draco and Blaise drug
Anton to the corner. "It is,
isn't it?"

"Yes." Pansy replied, her smile turning beatific and
delighted. Padma shifted slightly and Hermione saw what they were remarking so
excitedly about. An engagement ring glittered on Pansy's finger, the huge
diamond and the white gold band flashing in the luminescence from the balls of
witchlight that spun right below the eternally moving battle scene that was
painted on the ceiling.

"Oooooh, I knew it was!" Ginny exclaimed, and then drew
her friend into a jubilant hug. "About time, too. We were close to locking
you in the dungeons together naked. Bloody ridiculous how long it took
you."

"Oh, be quiet, you." Pansy laughed, and her eyes fell on
something to her right. "What artharth�is that your brother?"
At Ginny's nod, her smile grew even more. "Fabulous. Those two are
absolutely horrid when it comes to
this stuff. He might not survive." She said it as if cou couldn't wait to
see the end result.

"Hmm, yes, they are, aren't they?" Ginny agreed.
"But it's not just them. They've teamed up with the twins for this one,
apparently." Pansy paled.

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no." She moaned.ot;Not;Never mind. I
doubt any of us will survive."

"Now, of course you will." Draco commented from behind
her, Blaise and asterstered looking Anton beside him. Hermione was almost
positive that she didn't want to know what it was that they'd been whispering into Anton's ear. Probably something along
the s ofs of 'Ten Different Ways to Practically Kill Your
Lover with Bloody Ecstasy', or something as equally deranged and psychotic.
Sick and twisted. Intriguing and�

"We'd never make you miss your own wedding." Blaise
continued, jabbing Anton in the ribs and grinning knavishly.

"Speaking of which," Silana's voice rang out, causing
them all to turn. She was standing beside Narcissa, Snape, Sirius, Molly and
Arthur, who all wore serious expressions, and over Ron, who was still
unconscious. "When will we get a wedding out of you three, hmm? Or is it
four, now?"

"Sweet Merlin, Mother, are you serious?" Blaise asked, and the woman put a hand on her hip.

"Of course I am! We want grandbabiometometime before we
die!" She said, and Blaise stared for a moment longer before turning to
Ginny and Padma. Whether he was addressing one or both of them, Hermione didn't
know, and it frustrated her endlessly.

"Very sorry about her." He said in a monotone voice.
"Woman isn't right in the head. Let's go flying." Instead of both
nodding, or only one nodding, or any
sort of clue that would helpmionmione in the least bit, they simply walked off
with him, grabbing Draco and the twins on the way out. Blaise threw a last,
withering look at his mother, who smirked at him in a way that promised the
conversation was anything but over.

"Oi, Hermione!" She heard Sirius call from her left, and
she faced him, returning the hug he gave her.

"Hello, Sirius." She said, a real smile curving her lips
for the first time in what felt like forever. He just looked so much healthier
and happier then he had when she'd last seen him. The change was almost
miraculous, and as she stared at his once-again handsome face, she fancied she
could finally see in him what he must have looked like at her age.

"So, Silana tells me you and Ron have been fighting. She also
told me what else happened." He said, and she gave him a startled look.
"Want some advice?"

"Umm, sure, I guess." Hermione agreed, and he smiled.

"First things first, don't feel bad about it. Worse things
have happened and will happen again. Secondly, you won't have to worry about
the school knowing unless Ron says something. The Slytherins, as a general rule,
won't speak a word of it unless Anton does, and he seems a bit too preoccupied
to give it much thought at the moment. So, what you need to do is corner
Ron."

"Corner Ron?" She parroted, confused.

"Yep." Sirius replied, slipping a rectangular silver case
out of his pocket and withdrawing a small, black cigar. He lit it with the tip
of his wand and a house elf appeared with a crystal ashtray, holding it out in
one hand dutifully. <
<

"Why would I want to do that?" She asked as sweet,
aromatic smoke curled out of his nostrils. He gave her a considering look.

"To threaten him within an inch of his life, of course.
You're not one of the smartest girls in your school for nothing. You know more
hexes then he does, I'd bet my vault on it."

"Well, I suppose I do." She said, turning the idea over
in her mind. When she looked back up, Sirius was gazing around as if he'd just
remembered something. "What is it?" She asked, and his eyes snapped
back to her.

"Nothing, it's just�I could have sworn she'd said he'd be
here�" He mumbled.

"What?" Butterflies settled in her stomach. Not good, she thought quickly, so not good. Why do I have to be the one to
deal with this?

"Where's Harry?"

��....

Well, it's official. I'm a review whore. (sighs) So�review,
please! I even put out this chapter two days early�again!
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