Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

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

Chapter List
- 19
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- 21
“This calls for music, I imagine,” Melody said softly and nodded to Cadence and Rhapsody.

The twins nodded with a grin and grabbed on to Zach and Nate’s hands. They were as equally light as the girls were dark, but they weren’t a soul match. Still, they worked quite well together. In moments, they had a wireless conjured and were ready to blast out music. They would need it. Severus and Melody didn’t exactly have polite mouths when fighting.

“Wait!” Whorple screamed. “What about magic?”

Aiden snickered. “Well, Headmistress, if you are inclined to stay out here all week, then by all means, order them to duel. However, we do still have classes today so hand to hand is much quicker.”

Whorple scoffed. “Why not give them muggle weapons?”

Melody giggled. “Because Severus doesn’t fancy resembling a carved roast.”

“You mean you do not,” Severus interrupted.

“I can still kick your ass and you know it!” Melody spat.

“Then prove it,” Severus said with a smirk and crouched into a ready stance.

The children, not wanting Whorple to get in another comment, formed two groups. One was yelling for Severus, the other for Melody. They even got the other students of Salem that were present to join in. It was quite reminiscent of an elementary school yard brawl and Melody couldn’t help but grin as they circled like lions stalking prey.

“As soon as the music starts then!” Aiden called and waved to the twins. The music blared:

The world is a vampire, sent to drain

Secret destroyers, hold you up to the flames

And what do I get, for my pain?

Betrayed desires, and a piece of the game

Even though I know - I suppose I'll show

All my cool and cold - like old job

Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage

Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage

Then someone will say what is lost can never be saved

Despite all my rage I am still just a rat in a cage*

As soon as the first sentence was over, they charged at each other in a flurry of fists and feet, kicking, blocking, punching, and spinning. They were careful not to move too fast and give themselves away but it was still difficult to track them with human eyes. Severus would grab Melody in a submission hold only to be rolled over and pinned by her before jumping up and throwing her off. They’d switch, her jumping over him and trying to choke him out before he’d flip her ending with her throwing him off.

The cheers blended into the music, leaving the grounds in a dull roar. Undetectable with regular ears, Severus and Melody kept up quite the colorful dialogue.

“I know you have more than this bat.”

“I don’t want to hurt the little girl.”

“I’m going to have your balls for breakfast.”

“I’m told they are quite a delicacy.”

After that comment, Melody landed a solid kick to Severus’s solar plexus, leaving him gasping for air and open for a kick to the ribs. He grunted before he caught her next move, a backhanded swing to his jaw. He twisted her arm behind her and lifted her up, looking for all the world as if he was about to break her arm.

“ENOUGH!” Whorple screamed.

She was ignored as Melody put a foot on Severus’s thigh and managed to wrench up against his hold and break free. Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough to block his next move, an open handed slap right across her face. It sounded out with a loud thwack, causing most of the student to stop cheering and gasp. The music went silent. There were cries of outrage as Severus pulled back in shock, Melody’s face now bearing a bright pink hand print. She merely shook her head and spit out a mouthful of blood.

“I said split lips don’t count,” she said and took up her stance. She gave Severus a gentle smile when she saw his horrified look. “I’m a big girl Sev. I can take it.”

Severus shook his head slightly to clear it and took up his stance. The crowd booed and Melody frowned, holding her hand for a time out. “Honestly, do you all think that your opponent is going to go easy on you? You’re more naive than I thought. Come on Sev, time in.”

“HOLD!” A voice sounded out.

Everyone turned to see Alex stalking up. His face was void of emotion as he dutifully ignored the outraged spluttering coming from Whorple at his appearance. He walked straight up and in between the pair, crouching to examine Melody’s mouth. A quick flick of his wand and the blood disappeared, although the welt remained.

“There,” Alex said a bit louder than necessary. “I hate it when blood is unnecessarily shed. Now, continue.”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Whorple finally managed to boom out.

Alex gave her a bewildered look before pointing at Melody. “I’m her healer. I got a call saying she’d have need of me soon.”

Melody scowled. “Honestly, you would think I had never done this before.”

Alex smiled. “I know you have darling but I’d like you in top condition at all times.”

“Well, I suppose,” Melody sighed. “But we are going to finish this!”

“Yes, of course,” Alex placated. “Do go on. I so enjoy your battles.”

Melody smirked and crooked her hand in a ‘come hither’ fashion. Severus snorted and launched himself at her. They once again crashed in a tangle of limbs. Alex leaned up against a nearby tree and crossed his arms, a passive expression on his face. Draco and Hermione fell back beside him, as did Cadence and Rhapsody.

Draco erected a privacy bubble. “How long?”

“She’ll win here in about five minutes,” Rhapsody said solemnly. “Unfortunately, the final move will open up the scars, or fortunately if you look at it from a healing standpoint.”

“Are you certain this will work?” Alex breathed. “I just…I hate to see her go through the pain for naught.”

“Neither would Severus,” Cadence said softly. “This is killing him.”

“Fighting her always did,” Rhapsody said softly. “He does it for her own good, but any time he inflicts pain it haunts him.”

“That I know,” Alex said sadly.

“How?” Hermione asked curiously. She knew Severus would never admit to it aloud.

Alex sighed. “He talks in his sleep.”

“Ah,” Draco said and grabbed Hermione tighter. “You know she’s holding back as well.”

Alex chuckled. “Yes well we all know she surpassed his skill when we became like him. Still, she hates to beat him. She sees what a blow that is to his ego.”

“On the contrary,” Rhapsody said. “He is torn, that blow is to cover the pride. He’s proud of her.”

“As am I,” Alex said with a soft smile on his face.

“Now,” Rhapsody whispered.

Draco dropped the privacy bubble just as Severus tackled Melody to the ground, his knees digging into her back as he put her in a choke hold. She dropped her chin and managed to scoot out from his grip, flipping him and pinning him with her hand on his throat.

“Yield,” Severus croaked.

Melody scrambled off of him with a triumphant grin. Before she could do a victory dance, she winced and fell to her knees. It wasn’t hard to see what had caused the pain, her white vest slowly turning red in the shape of a giant spider web. Severus got up and immediately forced her to the ground on her stomach. He cut the back of her shirt open with the dagger he kept on him at all times and stared at the bloody scars there. Every last one of them had reopened.

Alex was there in a split second, clean white gauze in his hands to staunch the bleeding. He had her bandaged in the blink of an eye and her arms around his neck as his hands held her thighs. She could barely throw her legs around him the pain was so intense.

“Take her to the infirmary,” Severus said softly. “I’ll be there momentarily.”

“What happened?” Matt, Cadence’s mate, asked from the crowd.

Severus sighed. “Some wounds never heal and reopen at the most inopportune moments.” Then he was gone, absent of his billowing robes but striking an impressive figure as he stormed away.

“Best hurry,” Rhapsody said softly. “We’ll be up after we’ve finished meditation.”

“Thank you,” Draco said and nodded to the children before he grabbed Hermione’s hand and ran up the infirmary after Alex.

Alex already had Melody stripped and lying in a bed, blood still steadily pouring from her wounds. From experience, they knew that they would do this for the exact length of her torture from Severus, which was two hours. It was an exorbitant amount of time but unfortunately, extremely necessary if they wanted to live. The Dark Lord had been extraordinarily angry that day and demanded a more stringent punishment. A crew of his Death Eaters had been thrown off by a contingent of Order members, a teeny coincidence since Draco happened to be standing there when the order was given for the raid. Melody paid the price, two hours torture and a simulated rape. She still was adamant that she received the best reward of all though, her boys.

“What spells do we need to perform?” Hermione asked, breaking the silence Alex was working in.

Alex sighed. “Do you remember the charm you used on her womb, the one to repair the damage wrought by Voldemort’s curse?”

“Like it was yesterday,” Draco breathed. They still had nightmares of that day.

Alex nodded. “It’s a modified version of that. Severus will massage the cream into each wound in turn, in a specific order and then you will charm it closed.”

“What order?” Hermione asked.

“Exactly backwards of how she received them.”

“And he remembers that?” Draco asked. He might remember the day vividly, but he wasn’t sure if he could recall what order she received them in.

“He does,” Melody croaked out. “He studies it…in his mind…in a pensieve…obsessively…trying to figure out where he fucked up.”

“He fucked up?” Draco asked.

Melody heaved a pained sigh. “He thinks so…but the scars would have stayed no matter the order. There were just too many curses on that whip.”

“You can’t convince me of that,” Severus growled and unloaded a bag full of potions and creams. “Here, you’ll need the replenisher first.”

Melody took it without complained, not even grimacing at the taste. Replenisher was disgusting but it paled in comparison to the pain. Then he poured a vial on her back that they recognized as coagulant. After that, he poured a disinfectant, a skin regenerator, and an anti-inflammatory potion on the wounds. In between each, he allowed it to dry, pouring more coagulant on her back before continuing on.

Alex took that opportunity to fill them in on the charm they would be using. “It’s relatively simple, not near as draining as saving the boys was. It will only require the strength of two, easily accomplished by Severus and Celeste…but she isn’t here.”

“Rhapsody said we’d be fine,” Hermione reassured him. “Just tell us what to do.”

Alex nodded and gave them the incantation, stating that they wouldn’t even need to glow to cast it. A simple sharing would suffice. By the time he was done explaining, Severus had gotten out the cream. He closed his eyes and nodded when he was sure of himself.

“Melody, this is going to hurt just as bad as receiving them,” Severus said worriedly.

Melody sighed. “Ah well, not like I haven’t felt this before. Do I at least get a ball gag to muffle my screams?”

Alex chuckled. “No, I rather like your screams. Besides, I want MacNeeley to hear them. Bastard.”

“Won’t that negate my toughness?” Melody hissed.

“No,” Alex said lightly. “Since he’s headed this way, he’ll see that you are merely screaming and not hysterically crying.”

“Why can’t I hear him then?” Melody asked in aggravation.

“I imagine the pain has something to do with that sweetie,” Alex said sadly. “Now, are you ready? We can’t hold off any longer.”

“Why not?” Melody griped.

Severus applied the cream to the furthest mark on her right shoulder, his hands shaking ever so slightly from emotions. He rubbed in smooth and even circles, following the direction that the strike had landed. Draco remembered that last strike like it was yesterday. The scream that emanated from Melody with the blow had caused his insides to turn upside down completely. The one she gave now, however, filled him with sadness and hope that she’d never have to do this again.

“Squeeze my hand sweetheart,” Alex said softly. “I can take it.”

Melody managed to huff before screaming again. “God damn it you overgrown bat, do you have to keep picking at it?”

Severus sniffed and kept on, knowing there was nothing he could do for the pain. When he was done, he nodded to Hermione and Draco. They clasped hands and cast, the wound sealing before their very eyes, only leaving the tiniest shimmering scar, gold and silver, just like their auras. It was quite beautiful, almost like Hermione’s. In fact, this healing was based on hers. Since the wounds were small and only charmed darkly to say there, the counter was quite simple. It was the potion that was the key, loosening the dark magic’s hold and allowing the healing to penetrate.

“Did it work?” Melody bit out.

“Yes love,” Severus said softly. “It’s quite beautiful. It’s like Hermione’s. Would you like to see it?”

“Please,” Melody said softly.

Severus quickly conjured two mirrors so she could see it.

“Wow Sev,” Melody breathed. “It’s wonderful! Will it open again?”

“It shouldn’t,” Severus reassured her. “It should look sort of like a muggle tattoo when we are done, no raised edges to irritate.”

“Oh thank Merlin,” Melody breathed out just as a barrage of people stampeded into the room.

“Did it work?” Zach and Nate shouted out and ran over before anyone else could blink.

“Yes!” Melody said happily and their children, all of whom were in the room now, cheered loudly. They’d all been witness to the scars at least once and were happy to see them pass.

“What on earth are you doing?” Whorple snapped.

“Healing,” Alex said curtly and fed Melody another replenishing potion. “Go on Severus, move to the next one.”

And so it went for the next two hours. The children all had to leave to go to breakfast but assured Melody that they’d see her before classes. All of the other teachers, except for MacNeeley left as well, leaving him and Whorple with the healers. The nurse MacNeeley sat in the corner impotently while Melody went hoarse from screaming in pain and cursing Severus for merely existing.

“Finished,” Severus called softly.

Hermione and Draco collapsed on the next bed, dripping with sweat and more tired than they’d been in days. Severus spelled his hands clean and sat beside them, his whole body trembling imperceptibly. That had been one of the worst experiences of his life, causing pain once more to his best and oldest friend. They watched as Alex tenderly cleaned his wife and admired the metallic scars, his fingers brushing against them in awe.

“They are quite beautiful, my little spider,” Alex purred

Melody chuckled hoarsely. “Hurts like a bitch too.”

Alex smirked. “Well, they say no pain no gain. However, I have a special treat for you.” He produced a small syringe. “I believe this is your drug of choice.”

“No!” Melody said and winced as she moved. “I won’t be able to move until tomorrow.”

“And that is the point,” Alex drawled before giving her several shots of Botox in her back and then stuck a morphine shot directly to her veins.

“But-“ Melody argued drowsily as the muggle medication kicked in. “Who will teach my classes?”

“I will help you, if the Headmistress would be so kind to allow it. After all, you can teach from a sitting position. I’ll just be your body to command.”

Melody snickered. “I like the sound of that.”

“Mmm. Me too my love.”

“Stop!” Whorple screeched. “What has just happened here?”

“A healing,” Draco said angrily. “Or could you not see that?”

Whorple blustered for a moment. “I watched the fight myself. He never struck her with anything sharp.”

“And he explained that some scars reopen,” Hermione said through gritted teeth. “It doesn’t take much.”

“Then why engage?” Whorple huffed.

“What’s life without pain?” Melody sneered. “If I backed down every time pain was promised, I’d be dead a hundred times over.”

The irony wasn’t lost on the others, their snuffles evidence of the laughs they were trying to suppress. Melody wasn’t done yet though. She was just getting started.

“Honestly, I was challenged to a fight. I accepted knowing what the consequences could be.”

“You KNEW this would happen?” Whorple screeched.

“I suspected,” Melody corrected. “However, I was willing. You’ve blinded these children Whorple. They needed to see an actual fight!”

“They are MAGICAL!”

“Yes they are which is WHY I teach DADA. However, when their wand is snapped and they are down on their hands and knees at the wand tip of another, they need a backup plan.”

“Preposterous!” Whorple snapped.

“You’re lucky I can’t get off this bed on my own Headmistress,” Melody said menacingly. “I’d show you exactly how that works. As it is, I can’t teach classes by myself and I know for a fact that your insane schedules don’t allow for a backup teacher. Therefore, allow Alex to help me teach or leave your students to roam the halls unsupervised.”

Whorple turned red with rage. “He’s a vampire!”

“And?” Severus drawled. “Should I call the Vampire Liaison Office?”

“I know very well your wife is the head of that office,” Whorple spat.

Severus suppressed a smirk. “Imagine the school board’s disappointment that the children are not receiving the proper education due to…bias.”

“That’s blackmail,” Michael MacNeeley spat.

Severus quirked an eyebrow. “Is it? I was under the impression that I had the student’s best interests at heart.”

MacNeeley shut up immediately knowing he’d been bested. Melody looked into Severus’s eyes and pushed in his mind. “He’s in league with the old toad.”

Severus gave her a curt nod before returning to Whorple. “Your decision Headmistress?”

“He’ll try to eat my students.”

“On the contrary,” Alex purred. “I’m full. I couldn’t possibly have another…bite.”

Draco bit back a chuckle when he felt Alex’s influence leak into the room. He could most certainly feel it but there was no urge to comply. Hermione buried her head in his chest to keep from laughing out loud as Whorple and MacNeeley relaxed slightly. Their eyes glazed a bit and Whorple started to nod.

“Alright,” the Headmistress said a bit dreamily. “But just until Bach heals.”

“Thank you Headmistress,” Alex said politely, still exuding his power. “I should like to keep the Malfoys here as well…just in case.”

“Of course,” Whorple said softly.

They all smothered their grins as the dumpy woman and her sidekick glided through the door, the nurse on their heels. Once they were out of earshot, they all had a jolly laugh.

“Well, life just got a whole lot more interesting,” Melody said softly.

“Why is that?” Alex asked.

Melody giggled. “Because if she’s that susceptible to the influence, Draco and Hermione are shoo ins!”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“What a week,” Melody groaned as she lowered herself into a dining room chair at the Ranch.

It was finally the weekend and a break from Salem’s newly inherited insanity. The fight between her and Severus was all anyone could talk about…well, that and the fact that a vampire had been teaching classes with the DADA professor. Then again, word of her twins’ parentage had gotten out, too. Rumors had flown all week. Love triangles, lust potions, and the imperius curse were all common speculations for their existence. No one seemed to believe that Snape had magnanimously decided to help Melody and Alex conceive. It was all highly amusing until they hit too close to home.

It happened one day during seventh year potions that the twins were in:

“So, did ole Snape rape your mommy and force her into having you?”

The boys had Thomas Gregory in a choke hold with a broken arm before anyone in the clasp could gasp at his rude comment.

“Take it back Gregory or I’ll make sure your other testicle disappears,” Zach whispered in his ear menacingly.

“Boys,” Severus had reprimanded calmly as he swept in. They reluctantly let him up and returned to their seats.

“Always do what your daddy tells you?” Gregory sneered.

“Gregory, that’s a month’s worth of detention with Mr. Haggis and twenty demerits for both provoking a student and accusing a teacher of less than savory actions.”

“You can’t do that!” Gregory yelled.

“On the contrary,” Severus said with malicious glee. “I can see to it that you will never set foot in this school again. Would you care to continue with your pissing contest?”

Gregory sneered. “No sir.”

“Then Take. Your. Seat,” Severus snapped before flicking his wand and repairing the boy’s damaged arm.

Word spread around school like wildfire and the twins quickly became a pair to both steer clear of and admire. Aiden was just happy that the spotlight was off of him and his sister. He only hoped it would stay that way when Zandra started. He’d been informed that she would start attending that Monday and he’d been a nervous wreck ever since.

Draco sat beside her, pulling his wife in his lap. “I’ll second that.”

They’d spent the week cleaning up after the kids. The Pure Phenoms hadn’t taken too kindly to the new kids and scuffles had broken out all over. Interestingly enough, the children’s mates were at the bottom of most of the injuries. Draco and Hermione never said a word, quietly patching up the gang members and sending them on their way. If one should happen to finger them in an accusation as a testament, they’d get magical amnesia. They weren’t even supposed to practice medicine at the school after all.

That was another thing that had changed drastically. After the article in the Quibbler came out, parents stormed the school in droves, complaining about the lack of competency and care of the staff at the school. How could they miss a simple charm…and their parent’s receiving a bill for services rendered took the cake. Nurse MacNeeley was demoted to the muggle equivalent of a candy striper and Draco had offered to step in temporarily.

Michael MacNeeley was another entity entirely. The girls had worked on him all week, backing him into one corner just to have him maneuver into a straight away and slip through their fingers. They’d tried blackmail, acting up, getting hurt, spreading rumors, and even flirting and he’d seemed to have caught on every time. The next was straight up proving him incompetent which they were more than willing to do…after the weekend.

“Thirded,” Severus huffed and yanked Celeste into his lap. “If I hear one more comment on how big of a bastard I am for rendering a defenseless woman paralyzed for a day, I’ll hex the lot of them.”

“You,” Melody snorted. “I’m the fucking defenseless woman here. I mean, what the actual fuck! I defeated you for fucks sake. You yielded.”

“I did,” Severus said gently. He knew it was a sore subject for Melody.

Melody grumbled illegibly for a while before sniffing. “We’ll have to do it again, now that you can’t open me back up.”

“How do the scars feel?” Celeste asked.

Melody grinned. “Honestly, it feels like normal skin. I haven’t felt this great in years and the scars…they’re beautiful.”

“You know what would be even more beautiful?” Alex asked softly.

“What dear?” Melody hummed.

“Bond marks…just here,” he breathed, caressing her left temple.

“What?” Melody asked, her voice quivering.

“You heard me,” Alex said softly. “I’m afraid I’ve been remiss in asking you to marry me.”

Melody shook her head. “Alex, we can’t. We’ve been over this a hundred times. Vampires are dead and have no soul. They can’t enter into a soul bond and if we were to do so, then someone would get suspicious.”

Alex quirked an eyebrow. “How long did Draco and Hermione hide it?”

Melody huffed. “I don’t want to hide it.”

“Well I want you claimed…entirely…forever. Come on Melody, we already share a soul. Can’t we just combine the rest of it?”

Hermione felt herself tearing up. She hadn’t heard Alex’s desperate pleas for them to bond. She’d always just assumed that they had the vampire bond and were happy with it. It broke her heart now that she knew their reasoning.

“Alex,” Melody pleaded, tears leaking down her face. “I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“I won’t.” Alex assured her. “Besides, if anyone does see it, I’ll mesmerize them and obliviate them afterwards. Come on sweetheart. Please. For me? Don’t you love me enough to do this?”

“That’s low!” Melody spat. “You know I want to you bastard. I’m just trying to be sensible.”

“I’m tired of being sensible!” Alex roared.

Melody drew back, a pensive look on her face. “What’s bothering you so much that you’d press this again?”

Alex snarled angrily. “I don’t trust that fucking MacNeeley and I want to be sure he can’t touch you, no matter what. I know that you could take him blindfolded and hogtied in a corner but I want to make sure. And. And. This might be the last weekend we’ll ever have and I want…I want…” his angry façade broke into anguished cries as he held Melody to him and buried his head in her hair. “I can’t lose you.”

Melody sighed sadly and stroked his hair. “Oh Alex, you aren’t going to lose me. I just don’t want you to get in trouble.”

Celeste cleared her throat gingerly. “You know Melody, the reason Hermione and Draco went through with that ceremony in the first place was because it was undetectable by the Ministry…and the American government works the same way.”

Melody blinked. “You…you want me to do this?”

“We all do,” Severus said softly. “Do you honestly think we don’t notice you two staring at our marks?”

Melody huffed. “How can I stare when you keep yours covered up?”

Severus narrowed his eyes before stalking out of the house with Celeste. Moments later, they reappeared, matching owls in bronze and platinum adorned their left cheeks. Melody and Alex’s eyes were immediately drawn to the fluttering birds. A flash of longing and sadness could be detected in their eyes before it was gone.

“I’ve already contacted Albus,” Severus announced. “He’ll be arriving just before midnight. Make your decision by then.”

“You are a complete bastard, you know that?” Melody griped.

“Everyone knows that,” Harry chirped happily as he bounced into the room with Ginny on his heels. “Sorry we were late. Lily and Cecil had tons of questions and they’ve pretty much driven us barmy with them all week.”

“And the question today?” Celeste asked.

“The same one every child nearing puberty asks,” Harmony said as she entered with Philippe and Zandra on her heels. “When do we have to have sex?”

“Oh shite,” Draco choked. “I do not envy you that one Potter.”

“I wanted to crawl under the floorboards,” Harry said sagely. “However, we explained that as long as they stay relatively close, they should be fine.”

“For how long?” Hermione asked quietly.

Harmony hummed. “I’m hoping years but I couldn’t say.”

“Charming,” Draco said uncomfortably. “So, I believe an abrupt change of subject is in order. Have you figured out how to defeat a Rakshasa yet?”

Zandra cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Um, I have.”

“Oh?” Draco asked. “Have a seat sweetheart and tell us about it.”

Zandra shyly took the last seat available, her eyes flickering with amusement that all the adults were sitting two to a chair before they darkened. “Rakshasas are a diverse lot with as much folk lore surrounding them as daywalkers. However, I know for a fact that the rakshasas exist.”

At that comment, four very uncomfortable daywalkers shifted in their seats. Harmony gave them an imperceptible shake of her head. That was a discussion best left for another time. Right now, they had to focus on defeating the creatures in Khrone’s castle.

“Please continue,” Severus urged.

“Yes, well,” Zandra hedged. “The thing is…there is no sure way to defeat them. There are two different kinds, those that are inherently good and those that are evil with evil far outweighing the good. They feed off of human flesh and spirit, however I unfortunately know they feed off of emotions as well. It felt like…like how they say a dementor does when it sucks out your soul, only you can function afterwards…but just barely.”

Harry shuddered. “When a dementor sucks out your soul, it…hurts worse than any cruciatis curse and is accompanied by a sense of loss so deep it seems as if you’ve lost yourself…including any will to survive. Only misery is left behind until there is nothing left, just blank images.”

Zandra shivered. “I feel like that all the time.”

Melody reached over and patted her hand. “Not to worry sweetheart. After we defeat the castle, we’ll put your soul back to rights.”

Zandra wiped away a stray tear and cleared her throat. “Yes, well, the Rakshasa leaves you…terrified and numb at the same time. They take your grounding from you and leave you bewildered and in the dark. There are only two ways of dealing with them that I’ve found. The first is to make a deal with them. Then again, you have to have something they want. The second way is by strangling or breaking them with your bare hands…or challenging them to a duel…a muggle one.”

“Option number two it is,” Alex quipped.

“It isn’t that easy,” Zandra said softly. “From what I’ve read, they’re about on the same level as a vampire as far as strength, speed, and agility go. They can also shapeshift and use magic.”

Melody shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I know where to scrounge up a few vampires. Anything else we should be aware of?”

Zandra nodded. “Rakshasa’s are free spirits. That they are trapped within Khrone’s castle indicates that they’ve been bonded into service.”

“So if we offered to kill their master, they’d be free?” Severus asked.

“Essentially,” Zandra said. “However, I believe it was the original owner of Khrone’s castle that made the pact, therefore making it impossible to break…because Vanguard and Marguerite Khrone hung themselves from the rafters a century ago.”

“Duel it is,” Melody said. “I’d love to see the look on old Whorple’s face at that news.”

“Or maybe,” Draco said slowly. “She wore that look because she knows that’s the only way to defeat the inhabitants of the castle.”

“Fuck,” Melody said and yanked at her hair. “This just keeps getting better. Are you sure I can’t poison the ugly toad?”

“It’s getting more tempting,” Severus said darkly.

“No,” Harmony said strongly. “We maintain our present course of action…for now. We will see what the weekend brings.”

“Alright,” Hermione called and grabbed a muggle notebook and a pen. “So, item one, Draco shifts into a dragon and we ride across. We avoid that sludge in the moat and the wards that way.”

“You forgot about the cockatrice,” Melody said softly.

“Fuck,” Draco hissed. “Well, we’ll have to bring some mirrors with us.”

“I have an idea,” Zandra said softly and blushed when they all looked at her expectantly. “Well, Professor Flitwick assigned me an extra credit project at the end of last year. I was to catch sounds in a magical container for later playback. He was fascinated by the idea of a digital recorder and wanted a portable magical equivalent. A rooster’s crow will kill a cockatrice. Perhaps you could catch the sound in a magically enhanced bottle. I would say just take a tape recorder, but I’m not sure if it’s just the sound or the entire voice signature that is needed. A captured sound would be just that, the entire sound as if it were from the rooster itself.”

“Brilliant!” Melody chirped. “We’ve got plenty of roosters around here. Thank you sweetheart.”

Zandra blushed again. “Anything I can do to help.”

“It’s highly appreciated,” Severus assured her. “Next, the spells to enter.”

Celeste cleared her throat. “I’ve been studying them. I believe I can recite them verbatim, however, each is in an order to trip another failsafe should they be uttered in the wrong sequence. Therefore, we’ll be in total darkness.”

“Then how did they navigate before?” Harry asked.

“A point me spell I believe,” Zandra said softly. “And he put on something that helped him see. He had a hold of Thomas’s hand and he pulled me along for the walk.”

“I’ll bet it was muggle,” Harmony muttered. “Muggle night vision gear negates magical darkness.”

Melody cocked her head. “And you know this because-”

Harmony sighed. “I got bored one day and read about it.”

“Well, shouldn’t be too hard to get a pair,” Philippe said. “I have a client who’s a military buff. I’m sure he could hook us up. I’ll make a call after this.”

“So,” Hermione said as she ticked things off on her list. “We’ve got the cockatrice, the moat, the castle charms, and the rakshasa. We still have demons, poltergeists, and the Master’s men to worry about.”

“Demons are easy to bind,” Severus said. “I’ll take care of those.”

“And poltergeists just feed off of energy,” Melody said softly. “I’ll take them.”

“That leaves the Master’s men to us,” Draco added.

Harry nodded. “Ginny and I will work to get everyone out.”

Harmony patted him on the hand. “You’ll have help.”

“Wouldn’t dream of going it alone,” Harry said with a grin and a pointed look to his best friend.

Hermione rolled her eyes and folded the parchment. “I suppose we should gather everything we’ll need. When are we leaving?”

“Well,” Melody said softly. “We’ll leave after Alex and I consummate our bond.”

“You mean it?” Alex said in excitement.

Melody smiled at him. “Let’s do this.”

AN: I did it! I typed all day long on this and I finally got this chapter finished. It's a bit short, but I had to stop it there. I'll be back next Monday if I have to pull another all nighter to get it done. I'd like to send a huge shout out and a heartfelt thank you to Kimbovet who has stuck with me from the very beginning. She was the very first person to review Bound (my first posted story ever) and the only one who reviewed this last chapter. You have no idea what it means to me that you've put up with me for so long. Thank you again. As always, thanks to everyone who reviews my stories. Keep them coming and let me know how I'm doing and if you find any errors. Until next time...love you guys.

*The song is Bullet with Butterfly Wings by the Smashing Pumpkins

As promised, a list of children and their mates:

Cadence Belrose - Matthew (Matt) Thompson

Rhapsody Belrose – Deven Hershell

Zachary (Zach) Lee – Violetta (Vi) Parkerton

Nathanial (Nate) Lee – Anastasia LeStrange

Scorpius Malfoy – Lizzy Tottery

Ara Malfoy – Colton Basil

Jacob Malfoy – Emily Creevey

Rose Malfoy – Hugo Weasley

James Potter – (no mate) Annabel Lupin

Albus Potter - (no mate)

Lily Potter- Cecil Gregory

Aidan Snape – Zandra Carter

Serena Snape – Jonah Duncan
- 19
- 20
- 21
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Fooling Fate *sequel to Bound*

Fooling Fate sequel to Bound