Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Bound	By : goldhorse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 126052 -:- Recommendations : 15 -:- Currently Reading : 31
Disclaimer: JK owns HP. Not me. I also don't own any quotes you might recognize. I make no money doing this, I just get the plot bunnies to quit interrupting my sleep.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
- 26
Harry collapsed on the floor in exhaustion. He’d managed to fight off Melody’s attempt at breaking into his mind. It was still extremely difficult but he was improving every time. He could block Ginny completely. Of course, it was more important that she not read his mind because she would know just how much he fancied her.

“Well done Potter. I think you’re ready,” Melody breathed. “Ginny, I know you can block me well enough. You ready to do this?”

“Oh yes,” Ginny said tiredly. Snape had taken her over to the side and watched as she casted her very first balanced spell. It was a simple levitation spell but completely balanced. He’d only given her a stoic nod to mark the occasion but for Snape, he might as well have patted her on the back and given her a lolly.

Melody looked at the clock, eight-thirty. “We won’t have much time to start. Hmm, Potter I’ll give you the choice. You can either start your animagus training, or you can know things.”

“Know things?” Harry asked confused.

“Yep. I deem you good enough to know part of the truth, and depending on your reactions, we’ll go from there,” Melody said confidently.

“What sorts of things can I know then,” Harry said, his face turned down in disgust.

“Weeeell, you can know the extents of your powers. You can see the extent of ours, although you’ve already seen a demonstration. You can know what happened when they combined that day to form a shield.” She looked at Severus for a moment and then glanced at Hermione and Draco who were finishing up their lists and then looked back. His lips thinned in annoyance but he gave the most imperceptible nod. She grinned. “You can even learn some of what your friend can do and why you really can trust Malfoy not to spill your secrets.”

That peaked his interest. Harry’s eyes lit up. Hermione and Draco’s heads whipped up to look at Melody in shock. Hermione was excited and nervous but all Draco was filled with was dread. Was Potter really up to this? He looked at his wife in worry. ‘He’s going to blow a torch.’

‘I don’t think she’ll tell him that. I’m pretty sure she meant telling him about your powers,’ she replied thoughtfully.

Draco was not at all convinced. What if Potter told someone? He’d take his friend’s secrets to the grave for sure but he was no friend to Malfoy. The wrong words to the wrong people and he’d be dead, and subsequently she’d be dead.

‘I don’t think he would,’ Hermione thought softly. ‘But if it really worries you that much, we can make him take the vow of silence. He can’t break that.’

Draco breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she understood his apprehensions. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her judgment at all. He just wasn’t used to trusting anyone. That he trusted every person in this room save Potter was a very surreal thought.

“Tell me that first,” Harry said excitedly.

“Sure,” Melody said, her eyes shooting up to the couple in the back in contemplation. “One catch.”

“What’s that?” Harry asked glumly. He knew there would be a catch.

“You must take a vow of silence for that part. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, can know about Malfoy. You’ve done well keeping your trap shut but it could always slip. You might not like him, but I’m quite fond of him so I’m going to make sure he’s protected. This information could destroy him Potter.”

“You’re joking,” Harry said softly.

“No. Your friends might trust you with their lives Potter, but I don’t and he definitely doesn’t. I guarantee you that you won’t learn a damn thing if you don’t and you might even find yourself short some memories just as a backup.”

“You can’t take my memories!” Potter shouted, angry at her lack of faith in him.

“I sure as fuck can Potter and you’d never know it and no one here would ever turn me in. It’s that important.”

“Why do you care?” He asked, his eyes narrowed.

“Because it will be my life too,” Melody said softly. “I’ve escaped death twice now Potter. It’s not a pleasant experience and I won’t be going through it again, even if I have to take your memories.” She paused for a moment to let it sink in and then smiled grimly.

“My sister and I have talked a great deal about this Harry. We have extremely good instincts about who to trust and they tell us that we can trust you to a point. That point being that when you get angry, you don’t exactly think about the things that are coming out of your mouth and to us that can be deadly. Therefore, a vow of silence will protect all of us from your emotions. Before you decide, think about this too. How much do you love Hermione?”

Harry got an offended look on his face. “She’s my best friend. I love her like a sister! I would never betray her.”

“Oh, but you would and you’d never even know it. It’s not just you that will take the vow Harry. Ginny will take it as well, even though we know she’d rather die than say anything, angry or not.”

“Has Malfoy taken a vow then?” He asked angrily.

“He doesn’t have to,” Melody said softly. “One word and his life is forfeit. That includes one word about you, your friends, or us. He’s not your friend, but he’ll keep this secret to his grave.”

Harry’s mouth hung open as he turned to look at Malfoy. The blonde had leaned back in his desk with his arms crossed. He looked cool, calm, and calculating but what he couldn’t see was that he was a shaking mass of nerves. The only thing that was keeping him grounded was that his wife was sending him reassuring thoughts, begging him to wait it out.

“She’s right Potter,” he said slowly. “My lips are sealed.”

“It’s settled then,” Melody said, drawing Harry’s attention back to her. “One vow and you can know things. Deal?”

Harry narrowed his eyes in thought. Would a vow of silence be worth knowing everything that was going on? He’d never be able to tell anyone, not even Ron. There was a thought. “What about Ron?”

“Ugh,” Melody said in disgust. She wasn’t very fond of the youngest Weasley male. Although he was loyal to the very end and was actually a brilliant strategist, his horrid manners were grating. “Weasley can’t know everything. NOT that we don’t think he’s trustworthy,” she continued quickly when she saw Harry getting ready to protest.

“What you have to realize is that the more people that know about us, the more vulnerable we are. Everyone in this room is special Potter, for reasons that you will learn after the vow. Well, with the exception of Philippe but he’s my sister’s husband so she thinks he’s pretty fucking special.” She giggled when Philippe tsked loudly.

“Weasley, on the other hand, is utterly normal. There is nothing wrong with being normal. Trust me, I’ve longed for it my entire life but it’s just not possible. I’ve found that normal people have a much harder time understanding things from our perspective. They can’t sympathize. Weasley also has the added combination of being one of the youngest of a large family and a male at that. He’s always been in the shadows, always been utterly ordinary. Do you want to be the one to tell him that he pales in comparison to his friends or his own baby sister?”

Harry shook his head. He hadn’t thought about that. Ron had gotten terribly jealous when Harry had been entered in the Tri Wizard Tournament. What would happen when he told him his powers were weaker than his friends? “Still, I don’t want him completely in the dark.”

“I understand,” Melody said softly. “He’s your best…um…what do you call them here, mates?” Harry nodded. “Ha! Yes then, he’s your best mate. It’s only natural to want to tell your friends what’s going on in your lives. Right now, he’s sure you’re getting occlumency lessons and that’s it. What does he think Ginny is doing here?”

“He thinks I’m actually getting transfiguration help,” Ginny said softly. “I couldn’t tell him the truth, could I?”

“No, you couldn’t. However, we can tell him a few things. You can’t tell him about Malfoy or your powers or what we’ll tell you about ourselves later. However, you CAN tell him about your defense training and becoming an animagus. He’ll be charged with keeping it a secret to his grave. In fact, no one can know you’re going to be an animagus Harry. We won’t be registering them. They are to be thought of as tools. It’s pretty easy to hide as an animal. Hermione tells me that your father and godfather were illegal animagi.”

Harry nodded. “They did it to keep Professor Lupin company when he became a werewolf.”

“Then you can see how useful they can be.”

“But Ron will want to become one too,” Harry said while running his hand through his messy hair.

“Well….” Melody said, looking over at Harmony who nodded. “We can help him become one if he’s dead set on it. The same rules apply though, absolute secrecy.”

“You’d do that?” Harry asked, confused.

Melody huffed. “Harry, I might be a bitch but I’m really not that selfish. If your friends mean that much to you, I’ll accommodate them. You’ll find that although I am every bit as crazy as you think I am, I have a soft side.”

Harry looked around at everyone. Hermione looked like she was about to bounce out of her seat, eager to let him in on her secrets. What had she said to him before the holidays? Sometimes, people keep things from you for your own good. How much had she been keeping from him that she could tell him now? Ginny was looking at him with hopeful eyes. She knew much more about what was going on than he did, that’s for sure but he was certain she didn’t know everything. Snape was just this side of livid but he seemed to trust Melody, which was a very telling thing. Snape trusted no one.

“I’ll do it,” he said finally. Melody squealed and clapped her hands. He and Ginny had taken the vow so quickly that his head spun. All he knew was that there was no going back but he loved it. “Now, tell me about Malfoy.”

Melody cackled. “Oh Harry, so typical. Hermione, do you have that book, the one I had Albus give you?” Hermione nodded and grabbed it out of her satchel. She ran up to the front of the room and handed it to Melody. Giving Harry a bright smile, she practically skipped back to her desk. “Read this real quick. Ginny, you too,” Melody said, as she flipped to a page and handed it to them.

Hermione knew exactly which page it was. Remembering exactly what it said, she started to shake.

‘What’s the matter, love?’ Draco thought calmly.

‘Do you remember that passage, the one about pure magic?’

Draco paled. He’d read it so many times that he’d had it memorized word for word:

The third and most rare type of magic is pure. The wizard or witch who possesses a pure magic has only one side or the other, light or dark. There is no balance. The individuals themselves aren’t “good or evil”, but are highly volatile. As a rule, these individuals are bound with magic of the opposite strength. If not bound, they are usually unable to function. Their magic can overpower them and cause them to destroy their very core trying to find some balance. Most of these individuals are unable to make it past their 17th year, as this is when their magic comes into full power. In theory, on an extremely rare occasion two opposites will find each other and will bond, usually on accident. Once bonded, their magic can flow between the two and balance out the powers. These individuals can be virtually unstoppable if trained properly. Pure magic makes up only .01% of the wizarding world. Finding an exact opposite has been thought of as a myth. There is only one couple who has been rumored to possess this type of bond, Merlin and Nimue.

“Shite,” they breathed allowed causing Melody to look up.

She smiled and hustled to the back of the room. “Hey you two,” she whispered. “We’re not going to tell him specifics right now. We’re going to introduce it gradually to let him get used to the idea. For now, the story is that you’ve been bound. We’re just not going to mention that it’s to each other.”

“Are you sure?” Hermione asked warily.

“Harmony says so. I wouldn’t move without it,” Melody said softly. “His spying is going to get someone killed or at least compromised so we need to let him in on it now. Still, we’re not telling him everything. I doubt Sev wants him to know just how sharp his teeth are.”

Draco snorted softly. “He’d sink them into you if you said anything.”

“Oh I don’t doubt that for a moment,” Melody giggled and then noticed that Harry and Ginny were looking at each other in awe.

“So, read the part that pertains to you aloud Potter so the whole class can benefit,” Melody said perkily as she walked back to the front of the room.

Harry took a deep breath and read:

The second type is the phenom. These persons also have a certain balance of magic. However, one side is much stronger than the other. The tiny bit of opposite magic keeps them from self-destructing from surges. These phenoms usually gravitate toward each other. Working together, they have a power most balanced magical persons can’t come close to. They are also very alluring to magical creatures. A great number of phenoms are the offspring of a dark magical creature such a vampire or werewolf who has crossed with a wizard or witch. Phenoms make up .99% of the wizarding world.

“Very good Potter. Now, what do you suppose this means to you?” Melody asked in her best professor voice.

“Ginny and I will have more power than anyone.”

“Mmm. Not quite. You’ll have more power than normal wizards. Phenoms still operate on the same level as you. Pures are totally out of your league. Even the most powerful phenom on the planet won’t be able to touch a pure.”

“How do you know that?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Because I used to be one,” she said matter-of-factly. “I undid my shirt for the Professor the first day I came to teach here Potter. Do you know why? It was to show him a scar, a very peculiar one that no one else save for him and my sister knew why it was there. When I was sixteen, my powers came in fully. I was dying because there was no match for me. So, we did a spell that turned me into a phenom and my sister changed from a phenom into a normal witch. I lost my powers after that. I was a muggle. Then, the best thing ever happened. I died.”

“What?” Harry yelped.

“You’re hearing is fine Potter. I died. My heart stopped. I quit breathing. I failed at living. Call it what you will but that’s what happened. Of course, the fact that I’m standing here right now proves that I didn’t stay that way. Fate had mercy on me and gave me my magic back, but only after I agreed to bond with my perfect phenom match.” She pointed at Alex.

“It’s a good thing I kind of like him, huh? Anyway, I am powerful Potter. You’ve seen that and I have only been using half strength on you. I am the most powerful phenom in this room, and I suspect the world since the likelihood of there being more of us is slim. It’s the reason I didn’t have a wand for a good long while. I was too powerful for one. I had to make one and I’m still terrified that I’m going to burn it up. However, I am not as powerful as I once was.

“My sister is normal now, at least as far as her core balance goes, and more powerful than other normal witches but still not what she was. It is my greatest regret that she had to sacrifice that for me. I’m grateful to be alive but I wish she didn’t have to lose a part of herself as well. Still, she’s got her husband now so it all turned out in the end. As an added plus, he’s a healer so he can help Alex patch us back up if needed.”

Harry was silent for a while and then something occurred to him. “You’re more powerful than Snape?” Melody nodded. “So you’re the most powerful person in the room, the world even.”

“Wrong,” she said softly. “This is where your precious Mr. Malfoy comes in…and your friend.” Harry gave her a puzzled look. She motioned for them to come to the front of the room. “Harry, meet Merlin and Nimue.”

“What?” He asked, startled.

Melody smiled. “They are magically pure, the only pure ones left in the world as far as we can tell. They are equal in power, the most powerful in the room. Actually, they’re probably the most powerful in the entire world. They’re more powerful than Dumbledore and the Dark Lord combined and now that they’ve agreed to work together, almost invincible. It’s why all those strange things happened before the holidays, why they were ill, why they were in the Great Hall that night. They’ve gotten it under control so they won’t be dying anytime soon.”

“Why couldn’t you tell me?” Harry asked Hermione softly, his voice filled with hurt.

“Use your head Harry,” Melody said softly, saving Hermione from having to answer. “You’ve just now gotten good enough at occlumency that we can trust you with this information. What if the Dark Lord found out about them? He’d take them, manipulate them, and turn them into a weapon. No one could ever defeat him then.”

“How powerful are they?” He asked, shocked.

“They could blink and destroy an entire continent Potter. Do you really want that kind of power in that despot’s hands?”

“If they have that kind of power, why can’t they just take him out themselves?” He asked, frowning. He noticed Hermione’s pained look before Melody explained.

“It has to be you Harry, for reasons that are much too complicated to discuss right now. You have GOT to get that memory from Slughorn so we can finish the puzzle. Suffice it to say, you’ll be on your own when you go toe to toe with the snake man. However, they have more purposes than just to destroy. Imagine the lives they can protect with that power.”

“Malfoy doesn’t want to protect me or anyone else,” Harry snorted. “He could be Voldemort’s right hand man.”

Draco flinched and narrowed his eyes. “I’m a threat to him Potter. If he knew about me, he’d try to harness it and he couldn’t even if he tried.”

“Why not?” Harry spat.

“Because he’s dependent on your friend,” Melody said softly. Harry spun around, wide eyed. “Did you read the part about being pure? They won’t survive without a magical match. If one dies, the other does too. Therefore, the only thing keeping Hermione alive is the fact that Malfoy’s magic seeks hers and balances it. It goes the other way too. If Hermione dies, so does he.”

Harry gave a bitter laugh. “Your life depends on a muggle-born. How ironic.”

Draco snorted and turned away to stalk off. He didn’t have to take that from the likes of Potter. Hermione put her hand on his arm and turned him back around. “Stop it Harry. You said you don’t trust Malfoy but do you honestly think he’s going to forfeit his life just to get back at me?”

It took Harry several moments to think that over. “No,” he sighed. “Malfoy is a prat but he values his own life too much for that.”

“Exactly,” Melody butted in. “Now, shall we continue?” Everyone nodded. “I said everyone in this room is special and I meant it. Draco and Hermione are pure. You and Ginny are matching phenoms. I am a phenom and Alex is my match. Severus is a phenom too and he has a match as well. Celeste, please come out from under that cloak.”

Celeste timidly took the cloak off of her body and laid it down on the chair. When she turned around, it was with pride and a fierceness that made Hermione smile. She looked much better, still a bit thin but the dark circles under her eyes and the haggard look were gone.

“You look beautiful today,” Melody said happily. “Celeste is Severus’s magical match. Now, while a pure can’t operate very well without a match, a phenom can flourish for years. However, well you saw Sev and I block the killing curse. We’re not even a direct match but we’re close enough to do it. You’ll be able to do that too. It has to do with the way magic works.”

Melody spent the next hour and a half going over the inner workings of magic, spell casting, intent, the differences in their core percentages, and the power they would hold once they’d come into their full powers. She also explained the different types of bonding, stating the change in magic flow according to the type of bond. She studiously left out the marriage bonding of his friend and enemy. In fact, all she would allude to was that they’d been bound individually which appeased Harry because he was almost lost by magical theory by then.

Then it came to the part where they revealed their own pasts and special gifts to him. They had him read the story of the Paranoid Prince and then explained their history, their ties to Merlin, and the dark spell they had to endure in order for her to live. They even went over how they’d suffered from being exploited. Harry asked tons of questions, including why they couldn’t just see the future and stop it. They explained the fickleness of prophesies, explained how his prophesy could have been interpreted, and then gave general examples.

Ginny spoke up. “So that’s how you could see everyone at the Burrow but ran into things.”

Melody giggled. “Exactly. I could see magic just fine but muggle things were invisible.”

“So you can tell if someone is telling the truth?” Harry asked in astonishment.

“Of course I can,” Melody said, almost offended. “Between Harmony and I, it’s almost impossible to betray us on purpose. However, accidents can happen. This is why we had you two take the vow. You never know what can slip out on the tongues of the unthinking.”

Harry nodded. “So you can see my animagus form?”

She smiled. “Ah, now we get to it. I can see your forms Harry. There are two but I’m not going to tell you what they are. You have to find them yourself. Most wizards that can morph have more than one but phenoms almost always have two and sometimes more. The difference is that most normal wizards can’t achieve more than one where phenoms can.”

“So how many do you have?”

“I have three! Would you like to see them? I haven’t been able to turn in so long.”

Everyone nodded and she happily walked over to the other side of the room. She turned and spread her arms out. She sprouted red hair everywhere and quickly turned into a pretty chestnut mare with a wild -flowing mane and dull jade colored eyes. She trotted happily over to Severus’s desk and leapt into the air, turning into a cute little sparrow with a red tinged chest. Then she landed on the desk and turned into a large brown recluse which caused Harry to bust up laughing as Melody turned back into herself.

“You find my last form humorous?” She asked, agitated.

“No!” Harry said, still trying to stop laughing. “It’s just that, well, I don’t recommend turning into that one in front of Ron. He’s terrified of spiders.”

Melody chuckled a moment. “Yes well, as fun as that would be, Ron will only see one form from each of us. It’s too hard to explain two without getting into everything.”

“Wait, from each of us?” Ginny said as she quit laughing at the thought of Ron running in terror.

“We’re all animagi Ginny, even Harmony and Doctor Phil over there.” Melody said softly and stifled a giggle as Philippe growled. He hated that nick name.

“So will Hermione be learning too?” Harry asked.

Melody smirked a moment and looked over at the chestnut haired girl who was currently trying not to back into her husband. “She’s a bit ahead of you dear.”

“What?” Harry asked bewildered.

“We asked her not to say anything,” Melody said, trying to head off Harry’s temper. “She’s been dying to tell you ever since she found her form. I believe it’s safe to do so now if you wish sweetie. Well, in a manner of speaking.” She said, subtly hinting to Hermione that she should turn into the lion.

Hermione smiled and nodded happily. “I’d love to!” She breathed and ran over to the other side of the room, morphing into her lion form. She roared loudly and spun around, batting her tail and grinning when everyone laughed at her antics. Then she leapt in midair and turned into herself.

“That was bloody brilliant!” Harry and Ginny screamed at the same time. Hermione blushed profusely.

“How many does she have?” He asked softly.

Melody stared at Harmony for a few minutes until her sister nodded back. “Three.”

“Three?” He squeaked.

“She is a pure Harry, meaning more power so more forms. Hermione, show him your second one.”

She nodded shyly and turned into a fox. Then she jumped on the desk so she could be inspected.

“She’s got these same strange markings that she did as a lion.” Harry said softly as he stroked her neck and paws.

“She’s the same person Harry. You’ll notice she’s kept her eyes as well. Most animagi do. Your forms will all have your green eyes and Ginny’s will be brown. Mine are all jade green. It seems we never can actually lose ourselves entirely in a form.”

Harry nodded. “Does she know her third form yet?”

Melody stared again at Harmony who got up this time and gently touched Harry’s hand. Harry froze in shock, seeing the quiet blond concentrate very hard. It took a few moments but she finally let go and nodded.

“Yes she has her third form. Go on and show him sweetheart.”

The fox nodded and leapt into the air, turning into a beautiful red hummingbird and landed on Harry’s shoulder. His mouth dropped open for a moment and then he smiled. “So this is why you’re so attached to Roman. You can understand him.” She hopped up and down and tweeted a bit before flying off his shoulder and landing as herself a few feet away.

“That was brilliant Mione!” Harry said in sheer joy.

“An excellent transition indeed,” Melody said regally. “Unfortunately, besides Ginny, Hermione is the only one who will show you all of their forms. It’s just another security measure, you see.”

Harry nodded stoically and then narrowed his eyes at Draco. “So are you a ferret?”

Draco snorted. “Hardly, although I don’t think you’ll be seeing me.”

“Embarrassed?” Harry taunted.

“Actually, I think there is enough room in here Draco if you’d like to show off a bit,” Melody said thoughtfully. “Just stay way the hell over there and keep your mouth shut.”

Draco smirked, nodded his head, and marched all the way to the back and far side of the classroom. He didn’t want to hurt anyone when he changed. Well, most anyone. He wouldn’t mind singeing Potter a bit, the arrogant git. Hermione chided him for a moment and he could only shrug. He would be civil but he didn’t think he’d ever be best mates with Potter. When he was as far away as he could get, he morphed into his dragon form.

“A Swedish Short-snout,” Harry whispered as he looked into the silver eyes of the dragon Draco had become. It figured that would be his form. “Bit cliché don’t you think?” He asked weakly, unable to come up with a better retort. What did you say to a dragon anyway?

Draco morphed back. “That’s all you got Potty?” He taunted as she sauntered back up to the front of the class.

“That’s enough,” Melody said as if she was breaking up a pair of toddlers. They were certainly acting that way.

“So what is everyone else?” Harry asked, eager to know more.

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Melody said warningly. Harry still looked eager. “Oh all right. You’ve seen Alex change. Shall we go one by one then?”

Everyone nodded. Philippe stood up and jumped into the air, turning into a brown falcon. Harmony smiled and ran across the room, turning into a palomino horse. The falcon flew over and landed on her back. She turned her nose in and nuzzled his beak. Then they separated and turned back, taking their seats.

“You’ve already seen Celeste,” Melody said softly.

“I have?” Harry asked, puzzled.

The quiet red head stood up and turned into a rusty wolf with sparkling emerald eyes. She jumped on the desk and accidently overshot, skidding into Severus’s lap. He merely scooted back a bit so she could turn around to jump back on his desk and face the boy.

“She’s been the wolf in the corner all along?” Harry asked, astonished.

“Yes sir!” Melody said happily. “Actually, she spends more time as that damned wolf than as a witch. I swear one day she’s going to sprout fur as a human.”

Harry turned and eyed his professor. “What about you?” He asked, a silent dare in his eyes.

Snape leveled his eyes and returned the look. “I don’t believe you need to see my form Potter.”

“More like you don’t have one,” Harry muttered under his breath. Snape hissed angrily, causing Harry’s eyes to widened, aware that he’d heard him.

“For your information Potter, I have three. None of them are your business.”

“Sev,” Melody said quietly, causing to turn his head sharply and glare at her. She shrunk a bit but continued on. “What if he needs to know?”

“Does he?” He asked Harmony snidely.

Harmony walked over and touched his hand. She closed her eyes and nodded. “He will, at some point.”

Snape pinched his brow. “Which one?”

Harmony opened her eyes, a tear streaking down her cheek. “I-“ She cleared her throat, apparently upset at what she’d seen. “Go with the one that flies,” she said softly and went to sit back down with Philippe.

A look of concern flitted over his face. Harmony had never had that reaction to touching him and he knew she’d seen some extremely terrible things in both his past and future. Hell, the present wasn’t much better. Sensing that everyone was looking at him expectedly, he stood up from his chair. He shook his head and then leapt into the air with a swirl of his cloak and transformed into a bat.

Harry tried desperately to stifle his laugh. Snape really was the greasy bat of the dungeon. Ginny, having already had a clue what he would be since she knew he was a daywalker, merely smiled and nodded. She’d kept quiet, letting Harry fulfill his curiosity. She’d learned quite a bit too but she also hadn’t had to explain that she knew a good deal of it already. She just hoped that Harry didn’t make the connection between Hermione’s hummingbird form and Roman, the third animagus form of Draco.

Snape transformed back and sat back down in his chair as if he’d never left it. Celeste hopped off the desk and turned back into herself, smirking just a bit. She and Severus Snape had a lot of things in common.

“So, now you know things Harry. How does it feel?” Melody asked, shooting a couple of worried glances over at her sister who was still crying silently.

“Great! A bit overwhelming, but I’m glad I know now.”

“Wonderful, and now that you know things, perhaps it’s time for your best mate to know things.” She looked pointedly at Ginny. He blushed.

“I was going to tell him.”

“Um hum,” Melody said, not believing him for a moment. “I’m sure it would be better coming from your mouth directly than while they’re locked to hers don’t you think?”

“I suppose,” Harry mumbled.

“Don’t worry, he’ll get a bit angry but he’ll get over it quite quickly. That’s my condition though. For him to get animagus training, he’ll need to know about your relationship with Ginny. You can still keep it secret from everyone else though. In fact, I highly encourage it. Now, we’ve wasted all your time. You’d better be heading back to Gryffindor. Don’t worry though; we’ll pick this up on Friday. Until then, practice your occlumency every chance you get and get with Ginny and see if she can’t help you separate out the currents of your magic.”

When they Harry and Ginny left, Melody threw up a few spells and turned toward Harmony. “Spill it.”

Harmony took a deep shuddering breath. “Death is coming for you Severus.” Her voice cracked horribly. “I can see a way around it but you have to be willing to take it. Right now, I don’t see you doing so. Now, I have to go home. I can’t stand it anymore. Sorry Mel.” She ran out the door with Philippe in tow.

“What does that mean?” Draco asked in frustration.

“It means,” Melody said softly, “that Severus is still set on giving his life to the cause.” She shook her head. “You two go to the ROR and have a wonderful rest of Valentine’s Day. I’m sure Potter’s got enough on his mind that he won’t check the map but be careful. I’ll see you tomorrow night for your lesson. I’ll not be working the rest of the week. One embarrassing moment is enough I believe.”

With that, Melody gave one last very sad look to Severus and then ran to Alex. They disappeared immediately. Celeste opened and then shut her mouth, shaking her head. She transformed into a wolf and ran out into the hall, disappearing seconds later. Snape turned towards his children, a bit shell shocked.

Draco shook his head. “I don’t understand. You have a girlfriend now, possibly more. You have a chance at a great life. You practically adopted me for fuck’s sake. You’d leave your family because you made an idiotic mistake over sixteen years ago?” Unable to speak anymore, he turned and stormed out of the room, leaving his wife behind.

Hermione turned to a stunned Severus. “I understand.” At his questioning look, she smiled. “Why would you willingly give up what others are fighting so hard to save?”

Those were the very same words he’d said to her as she lay dying on the floor of an abandoned classroom the day she was to be married. He took a deep breath and smiled sadly and whispered the answer. “Love.”

“How could anyone who gets to know you not fall in love with you?” She asked with a quiver in her voice.

“Easily. I’m just the bastard who happens to have wings,” he said, smirking.

She frowned and then took a deep breath. “You are the glue that will hold us together. You are brilliant and compassionate under that icy heart act. You’re everything I found in my husband and I’m proud to call you my father. You need to get over this silly notion that you will live a life without love. I thought I would have to and it was painful but damn it father, you’ll have more love than you will know what to do with.”

Snape was stunned speechless. She’d managed to take his own words and twist them around to peg him. “Thank you,” he said after a while.

She nodded. “At least think about it, for me?”

He nodded stoically and she quickly walked from the room. It was a long time before Severus Snape went back to his room. Would it be worth it to open his heart once more? He looked at the woman who was sleeping peacefully on his couch. She was almost Lily’s polar opposite in everything but looks. A timid and shy woman, she didn’t want to be in the spotlight. She just wanted to live a normal and peaceful life.

His talks with her revealed a very bloody past including an abusive father who was livid when he found out she was a daywalker. He killed her mother in a fit of rage before her sire could locate her. She ended up being taken in by her sire’s coven and watched as a bloody war between clans ended in disaster. Philippe’s family adopted her at the tender age of five. They didn’t care what she was and treated her as their own. Still, she carried around the scars of her childhood and being hunted was the last straw.

He remembered the way she fought that night in the pasture. She was vicious, fierce, and never hesitated for a second. When he’d gone outside to rage, she’d stepped out with him, conjured things for him to destroy, and quietly watched as he broke down. She caught him as he fell to his knees in exhaustion and walked him over to the porch to sit down. Her words were soft but welcomed at the time.

“Anger is a healthy emotion. Most don’t believe that, but it is. You just can’t let it rule you,” she’d said softly as she held his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. She’d never said another word that night, simply sat quietly and offered her presence as a comfort. He’d appreciated that more than words could say. Melody had that knack too. At sixteen years old, she’d hit dead center on his problems and never faulted him for it.

Melody was truly a great friend and a great lover for a while too but he didn’t love her like that. It was all well and good because she didn’t love him that way either. He was glad she understood that. Why wouldn’t she though? She’d always been like that, gifts or not. She had promised that Celeste would be the best match for him. She was the one person in the world that knew him inside and out and she thought the woman lying on his couch would be the one.

He watched Celeste’s sleeping form for a while. Her deep and even breathing was like a calming draught. She’d proven herself to be very knowledgeable. She’d never become a healer like her brother, claiming that she couldn’t reign in her bloodlust enough for it. She was baffled that Alex could. Still, she had studied all of Philippe’s school work with him. She was an extremely accomplished witch, able to perform wandlessly with ease.

She moved a bit, her tank top and flannel sleep pants shifting a bit to reveal her smooth, creamy skin. She was still a little thin; worry had taken its toll. She was filling back out though. She shifted again, her top riding up to expose her naval and a hint of a curve of breast at the top. Hmmm. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad at all. He smirked and went to try and sleep for a few hours.

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A loud buzzing filled the air. Draco groaned and forced his eyes to open. The sight that met them caused him to close them again. He and Hermione had apparently gotten a bit wild the night before. Clothes were strewn all over the room. He’d caught sight of several feathers, bits of silk ribbon, a half empty bowl of cherries, and a few dabs of whipped cream adorning the bed clothes before he’d slammed his eyes shut. He allowed the memories to fill him as he tried to will himself to move from his comfortable spot beneath his wife.

He’d been pacing back and forth, trying to calm down from his earlier outburst in his godfather’s classroom. How could that man want to give up something that Draco himself would kill for? Hermione’s words had comforted him a bit. Perhaps Severus would think on them and come to realize that they all needed him.

The door opened, revealing his wife with a peculiar look on her face. She looked…disappointed as she stepped inside and closed it. Trying to figure out why she would be disappointed to look at him, he glanced down and realized his error. She’d wanted him to wear his Valentine’s gift. Well, that was simple enough. A simple wave of his hand and his clothes vanished, revealing the snug fitting green silk boxers she’d gifted him with this morning.

“I’ve actually had them on most of the day,” he said sheepishly.

She gave him a feral smile as she waved her hand over herself. She switched to an innocent look. “What a coincidence.”

He’d had to swallow hard to keep his tongue firmly in his mouth where it belonged. It was in terrible danger of hanging out in an undignified manner as he stared at his beautiful wife. She was wearing a Slytherin green negligee with silver trimming, the cut not leaving much to the imagination. Merlin she looked positively edible. He felt his fangs emerge in agreement.

She hadn’t let the shock wear off before she practically tackled him and took charge. In a cinch, she’d had him tied up and was driving him insane with her fangs and tongue laving at his nipples. It was pure torture and he thought he would die just from that until he felt a cool breeze waft over his rock hard cock. She’d engulfed him like a starving woman. Unable to hold back, he’d grunted in warning and shot his load down her throat.

She sat up like the cat that ate the canary and untied him with a blink of her eyes. He flipped the tables and proceeded to ravish her as ardently as she’d done. She was screaming for mercy by the time he let up and allowed her release.

Things had only gotten more heated from there. Sweets, more bondage, several rounds of hot sweaty sex, and intervals of simply exploring each other followed. During one particularly heated moment, they’d actually forgotten themselves and bitten each other. To their horror, their blood tasted delicious.

Draco’s eyes popped open at that thought. They’d bitten each other! He’d have to ask his godfather about that. Her blood was so delicious, like a treacle tart with a side of clotted cream. It had actually terrified them both that they’d drawn blood but they didn’t feel as if they had to consume the other entirely. Perhaps it was just another perk of sharing blood with a daywalker? Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ask just to be on the safe side.

Hermione had shifted and was now snuggled up under his arm with her head on his shoulder. Her breath tickled his neck and he smiled softly. Who would have ever thought that lying down and watching his wife sleep was his favorite thing to do? Probably the same person who guessed his wife would be his old arch nemesis.

He knew he should get her up and they should start getting dressed. His wand had been set to go off a bit early so they would have enough time to make it back to their dorms but he couldn’t bring himself to disturb her. She’d been so stressed out since they’d been forced together. First it was her overwhelming guilt and morals, then the shock of learning Potter’s fate, and now it was the pain of having to hide her whereabouts from her best friend. Last night she’d been relieved, finally able to tell Potter at least some of what was going on. He still had doubts of course, but at least Potter had been bound to a vow of silence.

His thoughts wandered over the previous day’s events and stopped with her attack. Her panicked cry for help had unnerved him so much that he’d tipped over his meal trying to get up. Luckily, Pansy had just run from the hall with a love sick Crabbe hot on her heels. Most had attributed his outburst to his outrage that Pansy had tried to spike his drink. Let them think that.

The run across the school had been one of the longest moments in his entire life. He could feel her every emotion, fear, helplessness, and then an overwhelming anger at her attacker. She wouldn’t have even had to blink to overcome him but she’d been desperate to try and get out of it with as little force as necessary. He had to shake his head a bit. Even in the thick of the things, she still kept a cool head.

It was most fortunate that Cornfoot had stumbled into the hall when he did. It saved him the trouble of having to explain why he found them in the alcove to hex him. His wife storming out and breaking the bastard’s ribs was just the cherry on top, pleasing him immensely that she refused to cower.

His wife was no damsel in distress; she was a warrior. His heart however, had almost stuttered to a stop when he realized she was in trouble. How on earth could they fight a war when the thought of her in danger nearly paralyzed him with fear? He hadn’t realized just how much he’d loved his wife until that moment. Not only could he truly not live without her physically, but now he knew he couldn’t live without her any other way as well.

Hermione sighed softly and opened her eyes. She blinked at him owlishly and then smiled when she realized where she was. As she shifted to look around, she let out a groan. Well, that was one more thing they’d be doing before they left, healing each other.

“I think we might have overdone it a bit.” She winced as she tried to sit up. She grabbed her neck where he had bitten her last night. “How bad is it?”

He took her hand away and looked. “It’s like it never happened!” He figured there would at least be a bruise.

“I guess we got the ability to heal all bites, not just our own lips. It’s a useful gift, to say the least.” She traced the place on his shoulder where she had bitten him in response. “You tasted like lime cordial, my favorite.” She was a bit wary admitting that.

He smiled reassuringly. “You taste like treacle tart.” His smile faltered. “You don’t think we’ll develop a taste for blood do you?”

“Professor Snape said we wouldn’t. I guess we need to ask him though. I wonder if we tasted like that to him?”

Draco laughed a bit. “I didn’t even think about that. I imagine we tasted okay. I couldn’t imagine craving something that tasted like a galleon.”

Hermione laughed and slowly rose from her bed. Well, she might not have a bite mark but she certainly was marked everywhere else. His eyes widened a bit in shock at how much damage he’d inflicted. He looked at her apologetically and began his own slow decent from the bed to go heal her.

“It looks like you were attacked by a lion.” Hermione said in astonishment. He looked down and noticed deep scratches and bite marks all over himself as well. Well, she’d certainly channeled her lion last night. Laughing a bit, he fell to his knees and began kissing each one of her bruises, healing them in turn. When he was finished, she mimicked him and healed him.

“Shower?” He suggested and she grinned, nodding.

Their shower took much longer than he’d originally planned. Then again, he couldn’t exactly bring himself to care as the thrust deeply inside her until she shuddered in completion in his arms. His release was not far away. She was so much more relaxed, despite her close call the day before. He decided that if she could put it behind her, he would too. After all, he knew exactly what she thought about it. They dressed quickly, realizing they were going to be late if they didn’t hurry. They were on their way out the door just as Hermione gasped and pulled him back inside.

“What?” He asked, confused at her panic.

“Your collar, where is it?” She asked, pointing to the silver tattoo on his neck.

“Shite, I think I might have thrown it under the bed.” He dove underneath it to see if he could see it. “Where’s your necklace?” He asked, his voice muffled. He’d realized that she hadn’t had it on when she pointed to his.

“Oh!” She tapped her throat. “Here it is, on the nightstand,” she said as he finally cast an accio to try and find his wayward collar. He’d been opposed to calling it that until he finally relented that it was indeed a collar and not just a necklace. Hermione had ribbed him pretty hard about it too.

“Found it!” She called merrily.

He brought his head out from under the bed. “Where was it?”

She smirked. “It just came zooming out of the canopy.”

“Ah,” He returned her smirk as he put it on and tapped it, thinking the incantation second skin. “Did we miss anything else?”

She bit her lip and raised a lock of his hair by his left temple. “We need to reapply your makeup. It looks like the sticking charm has worn off. How does mine look?”

He lifted her hair and realized that the tiny golden hummingbird was peeking through in some places. “Same. Did you bring the makeup with you?” He’d sent it with her so he wouldn’t be caught with it. Merlin forbid if Pansy found it. He’d be Avadaed.

“Oh no!” She smacked her forehead. “I didn’t even go by the common room before I came here. Dobby always brings us a fresh pair of clothes so I never need to. The makeup is there.”

“Shite. What now?” He asked as he looked at the watch his godfather had given him. “We’ve only got about five minutes before we’re late for breakfast.”

“Well, I’ll go to the tower to get it and be late and I’ll meet you in the alcove to reapply it.”

“I’ll fly with you,” he said definitively. Even if she was okay about yesterday, he wasn’t.

She smiled, understanding his hesitation to leave her to run the castle alone. “Deal but we’ve got to hurry. I’ll fly too. No one will notice if we stay high enough. We still won’t be able to apply it then. You’ll have to keep your hair over your eye to hide it.”

“I’m sure you’re crushed,” Draco said teasingly. He knew she loved it when he didn’t gel his hair back.

“I’ll manage,” she said with a smirk. “Shall we?”

They transformed into their hummingbird forms and flew as fast as they could to Gryffindor tower. Unfortunately, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Lavender chose that moment to exit the portrait. It was just their luck that Potter spotted them and froze, causing the rest of their party to look up.

“Well look at that,” Ron said in amusement. “Roman’s got himself a girlfriend.”

Harry frowned a bit, wanting to tell him who the red bird really was but shook his head instead. “You guys go on. I forgot something in my room. I’ll be there in a second.”

“I’ll help you look!” Ginny chirped a bit too happily and caused her brother to narrow his eyes at her.

“Alright then, I’ll see you in a few minutes,” Ron said slowly and navigated his girlfriend down the hall.

“Yorkshire Pudding,” Harry said to the Fat Lady and she swung open. As soon as they were all in, he looked around, making sure no one else was about. “Alright Mione, what gives?”

Hermione gave a huge mental sigh and transformed back. “I forgot my satchel.”

Harry crossed his arms. “Care to tell me where you were last night? Lavender said you weren’t in your bed all night long.”

Hermione huffed. “Nosy twit.”

“Start talking,” Harry growled.

Hermione sighed. “Look, Harmony was really upset last night so I sat with her for a while. I woke up in the classroom this morning.” Well, lying was certainly getting easier for her, that was for sure. She heard Draco chirping a laugh.

“I don’t believe you.” Harry’s eyes narrowed.

A tear came to Hermione’s eye. “Do you know how long I wanted to tell you all those things you learned last night?”

Harry blinked, taken aback at her sudden change of subject. “How long?”

“Months. Do you understand why I couldn’t say anything now?” Harry nodded slowly. “Then why are you pushing this?”

His mouth gaped open for a minute before he shut it. “Fine.” He shook his head sadly. “You know you could trust me with everything.”

She gave him a weak smile. “I want to, believe me I do but my hands and mouth are tied. I’ve taken more vows than you could shake a stick at. Maybe one day, after the war is over, we’ll sit down and have the longest chat imaginable. I’d like that.”

Harry nodded. “Me too Mione. Best hurry up if you want to eat breakfast.” He looked at Ginny who was biting back a smirk. “Coming?” She nodded and took his hand.

“Hey you two, you wait for me until you tell Ron. I want to watch his reaction…and possibly stun him if he gets out of hand,” Hermione called happily.

“Don’t worry. We’ll wait.” Harry said, his face paling. Ron was his best mate but this was going to be frightening.

They left and Hermione ran up to her room, ransacking it until she found her makeup. Figuring they were already late anyway, she motioned for Draco to change back. When he did, she quickly scourgified the old makeup off his face and admired the tiny silver hummingbird for a moment before she covered it back up and placed a sticking charm on the makeup to set it. They only needed to reapply weekly with this method.

He kissed her as she screwed the lid back on. “Thanks love.” He offered to do the same to her.

She shook her head. “No time. At least this way, you can go on ahead of me. My hair will cover it until I can get to the bathroom to reapply.”

He frowned. “I’m not going to leave you.”

“Yes you are Draco,” she said firmly. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I won’t be caught unawares again. I’ll even put out a sensing charm ahead of me.”

“Promise!”

“I promise.”

“Good.” He kissed her temple and turned back into Roman.

She let him out of the portrait and watched as he flew off. Casting a sensing charm, she set off for the Great Hall, wand at the ready. There was no way she was going to be caught out again. Feeling her panic as well as Draco’s had been almost too much for her. If she ever doubted how much he cared for her, yesterday had proven it in spades. What would happen if the situation were reversed? She really didn’t want to think about it.

She ran into the Great Hall with about twenty minutes left to eat. Making the most of her time, she piled her plate full of food and silently prayed for some coffee. To her surprise, it appeared in front of her.

‘Coffee for the lady?’ Draco asked.

‘Gods yes. Thank you so much,’ she said gratefully as she took a sip of the rich ambrosia.

“Is that coffee?” Ron asked, his nose crinkled in disgust.

“Yes,” she snipped and took another sip, sighing in pleasure.

“Since when do you drink coffee?” He asked, a bit put out at her shortness.

“Sam got me hooked on it.”

“I haven’t seen you drink any here lately.” Ron muttered.

“Well, then you haven’t been paying attention,” she huffed. He was right though. This was the first time she’d enjoyed her coffee at the table with her friends instead of in an alcove or the Room of Requirement with her husband. It was a bit sad really. Cuddling with Draco while she savored the aromatic drink was one of her favorite activities. Who would have thought that?”

“Hermione!” Harry said sharply, jolting her out of her reverie.

“What?” she asked bewildered.

“Where did you go to just now? You looked to be a million miles away.”

“Oh, just thinking about yesterday.”

“Are you okay?” He asked seriously. “I never got a chance to ask you that.”

She noticed that everyone at the table was looking at her now. “I’m fine. Really. He caught me off guard but I got the best of him. He’s been punished and now it’s over.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Yes, I’m sure!” She snapped.

“Did Malfoy really petrify him for you? They’re saying he came to your rescue like some white knight or something,” Dean said excitedly.

“No. He did not come to my rescue. I knocked Cornfoot’s legs out from under him and he stumbled into Malfoy in the hall. Malfoy hexed him for daring to touch him. It was a mere coincidence really. I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I’m glad he did. It gave me a chance to get my wand back.”

“What did Malfoy do when you came out?” Seamus asked.

Hermione shrugged. “Laughed.”

“Sounds about right for that git,” Ron said. It annoyed her but she let it go, not wanting to draw any more attention to their debacle. It was bad enough that they knew he’d been there.

“I heard he got detention for a week for that,” Neville said softly.

Hermione nodded. “For hexing a student in the hallway.”

“He got off too easy,” Ron grimaced.

“Well, he did spare me Ronald, even if it was an accident.”

Ron stared at her with his mouth agape.

“What?”

“You’re defending that git?” He yelled.

“No I’m not,” she said, leveling her eyes at him. “He shouldn’t have hexed him but he did and it helped me out. That’s why he got off as easy as he did.” She noticed everyone else was looking at her strangely. “Oh come on, living with the knowledge that he helped me out is probably a punishment in itself.”

That did it. “I bet it is,” Seamus said jovially. Everyone else murmured their agreements and Hermione sighed in relief. That was a close one. She was really going to have to watch her mouth. They all went back to eating.

“Um Ron,” Harry said, clearing his throat. “Can I talk to you for a bit before class?” His glasses had started to fog over and Hermione cast a discreet charm to clear them. He shot her a grateful look.

“Sure mate. What do you want to talk about?” Ron asked curiously.

“Not here,” Harry said quickly.

“Sure, let’s go,” Ron said, getting up. Lavender clung to his arm.

“Um, Lavender, I’d like it to be just Ron,” Harry said uncomfortably. The blonde huffed and plopped back down on the bench. Hermione and Ginny smirked at each other and grabbed their things. Lavender shot them an evil look before they left, trailing after the boys.

“Hey Gin,” Hermione whispered in her ear. “I need your help. My makeup is coming off. Could you reapply it for me?”

“Sure,” Ginny said happily. “We’ll just go off in a corner and do it while Harry is stuttering and trying to figure out what to say. It won’t take very long.”

“Ok. Just make sure to scourgify the old makeup. If you don’t, it gets all flaky and looks like I have a skin disease.”

Ginny laughed, startling Harry. Ron noticed and turned around. “Oi, he said just me.”

“Actually Ron, they need to be there too,” Harry said uncomfortably.

“Oh.” Ron shrugged as he turned around.

They reached the same abandoned classroom that Hermione had almost lost her life in. Harry and Ron went on but Hermione froze at the door. Ginny, knowing exactly what was wrong, put a comforting hand around her shoulders. “Hey, it’s in the past. Besides, this was the place you first learned you loved each other.”

Hermione swallowed. “You’re right. I’m just being silly.” She squared her shoulders and marched in, running into Ron’s back.

“Blimey,” Ron said softly. “What happened in here?”

Hermione’s heart jumped into her throat when she took in the room. There were scuffle marks in the dust, no one having bothered to hide them. A puddle of blood had dried on the floor where she and Draco had lain and finally let all their walls come down. There were a few drops of blood across the room as well where Snape had bandaged them up. Having had enough, Hermione scourgified the entire room.

“Better?” She asked, her voice a bit hoarse.

“Yeah but still creepy,” Ron said.

“Oh give off,” Ginny snapped and slammed the door shut. She put up all the necessary privacy and locking charms to keep them from being overheard. Then she dragged Hermione across to the other side of the room.

“Oi, where are you going?” Ron asked.

“Oh good grief Ron, I’m just going to touch up her makeup,” Ginny snapped, holding out her hand for Hermione to give her the makeup.

“Mione doesn’t wear makeup,” Ron said incredulously.

“Obviously she does or I wouldn’t be putting it on her now would I?” Ginny growled and turned Hermione’s face to where she could see. She silently cast a lumos for more light. The bird was almost completely visible now.

“Hey, you did that nonverbally,” Ron said in shock.

“So?” Ginny said distractedly. She was too busy pulling Hermione’s hair back so she could scourgify her completely.

“How did you do that?” Ron asked in astonishment.

“It’s called practice,” she muttered, scourgifying Hermione’s face wandlessly since her wand was currently providing light. She sighed when she saw the golden bird flutter a bit. “It’s so pretty.” She’d said it a bit louder than she’d expected.

“What’s so pretty?” Ron grouched, stomping across the room.

“Her face,” Ginny snapped, trying desperately to cover for her mistake. She began quickly dabbing makeup over the bird to cover as much as she could before her brother got there. It began hopping down in protest and she giggled a bit. It hadn’t protested this much the first time.

“What in the bloody hell is so funny?” Ron said, as he stepped right beside his sister.

She’d managed to cover it completely before he’d gotten there but she still needed to smooth it out. “Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you have a chat with Harry instead of sticking your nose in our business? It’s what you’re here for in the first place.”

“Fine!” He stomped over to a very nervous Harry. “What was it you wanted to tell me mate?”

Ginny blew out a breath and quickly smoothed the makeup out so it wouldn’t look so blotchy. Then she cast a wandless sticking charm and recapped the makeup. “That should do it. We should probably intervene, don’t you think?”

Hermione turned around to see Harry running his fingers though his hair and stammering. She nodded. “He’ll never get to it this way.”

“Well, spit it out mate,” Ron said, chuckling at Harry’s antics.

“I’mdatingyoursister,” Harry mumbled.

“What was that mate? I didn’t understand you. It sounded a bit like you said you were dating my sister.” Ron laughed.

“Well then you heard right,” Hermione said brightly causing Ron’s eyes to bulge a bit.

“WHAT?” He shrieked.

Harry sighed. “I’m dating your sister. I just wanted to tell you.”

“Why do you want to date my bloody sister?” He yelled.

Harry cocked his head. “Because she’s amazing and pretty and smart and funny.”

Hermione stifled a grin as Ron gaped like a fish. It took quite a while for him to take it all in. His face grew black. “You can’t.”

Ginny growled. “You listen here Ronald Weasley. I’ll date whoever the bloody hell I want to and you’ll keep your nose out of our business. You aren’t my boss and you aren’t his either. We like each other and we’re going to date whether you like it or not!” She was practically screaming by the end of her rant, her chest heaving in anger and her wand at the ready.

“I don’t want to have to kill my best mate because he’s taking advantage of my sister,” Ron said darkly.

“I wish he would!” She screeched and then paled when she realized what she’d said.

Hermione figured she’d better intervene before there was bloodshed. “Alright, everyone calm down.” She kept her voice soft but stern. “Ron, you can’t choose who Ginny dates. She and Harry fancy each other. You know Harry would never hurt her. He’s not made a move on her yet.”

Ron blinked as if someone had turned a light bulb on in his brain. “How long has this been going on?” He asked, hurt lacing his tone.

“Since yesterday,” Hermione said confidently. “It was a small lie but if it saved them all a bit of heartache, so be it.

Ron nodded and thought for a while. “I…I guess. Just, you be careful with her Harry. I don’t want to have to kill you.”

Harry grinned. “Never! Hey, there’s a lot more to say but we’ve got to get to class. Meet me back in the common room for lunch? We’ll have Dobby bring us something. I’ve got loads more to tell you.”

“Sure mate,” Ron said, crisis averted for now. Hermione wondered how he would take the rest of their news.

AN: Hello again everyone. So I believe this is the chapter everyone has been waiting for, the big reveal... or at least part of it. Show of hands, who's glad Harry's not completely clueless now? Sorry we couldn't see Animagus Harry and Ginny in this but I promise it's comming. As always, thank you all for your wonderful reviews. My heart literally skips a beat when I see a new one come in. Drop me a line, let me know how I'm doing and if you catch any errors. (and yes, I did go back and correct that one HG4EVA, thanks for that) Love you guys!
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