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Beyond the Pale	By : goldhorse Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 81362 -:- Recommendations : 11 -:- Currently Reading : 17
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does, lucky woman. I make no money from this, which is probably why I'm poor as a church mouse.

Chapter List
- 33
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- 35
Hermione limped into the common room, cringing when she saw that Ron was sitting on the couch. Luckily, Harry and Ginny were there as well. Ron was bound to be angry. She hadn’t come out of the ROR until a few moments ago and it was Sunday night. The time spent there was heaven though.

“Look who decided to grace us with her presence,” Ron snarled.

Hermione sighed and hobbled over to the couch. Damn but she ached. Draco wasn’t kidding when he said he’d mark her inside. Hell, he hadn’t spent much time out of her. It reminded her of their bonding. She stopped herself from putting her hand over her mark, the only physical sign that Draco had claimed her. He’d reminded her of it after their third go round… or maybe their fourth. She’d sort of blacked out in between the two.

“Bloody hell,” Ginny breathed. “Are you okay?”

Hermione waved her off and gingerly sat on a nearby footstool. An arc of pain shot up her spine as her arse made contact with the soft material. Draco hadn’t wanted her to leave but she insisted… and was punished. She didn’t mind, though she really needed to feed. She wasn’t healing nearly as fast as she should have. She tapped her tongue ring again, hoping that it would at least numb the stinging from the bamboo cane.

“What the fuck happened?” Ron growled.

Hermione sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I’d rather not discuss it.”

“Was he pretty pissed off?” Harry asked. He blushed and guiltily glanced at Ginny when she shot him a questioning look.

“You could say that.”

“What in the bloody hell is going on here?” Ron bellowed.

“You’re being a loud arse, that’s what’s going on,” Hermione growled.

“I mean,” Ron said, thankfully lowering his voice, “that you just all the sudden get a date to the Halloween dance and then you disappear for two bloody days shagging the bloke and letting him beat the hell out of you from the looks of it.”

Hermione couldn’t fight the smile that stole across her face. “Your point?”

Ron paled. “You like that sort of thing?”

“What if I do Ronald? I hardly think it is any of your business but if you must know, Derik is Melody’s son. We met over the summer.”

Ron’s face went dark. “Is he the one who-“

“No!” Hermione snapped. “He’s never done anything that I didn’t expressly want and I will not have you blame him for something you don’t understand.”

“I understand you’ve turned into a bloody slag,” Ron spat.

Red hot rage consumed her. Before she knew it, she had Ron’s neck between her hands.

“Hermione, you will stop now,” Harry ordered.

She didn’t even think about it, immediately releasing Ron and stepping back several feet. Horror swept over her. How could she have lost it like that? She was becoming a monster.

“Hermione, stay put. Ron, are you okay?” Harry asked, keeping his body in between his friends.

“Yeah mate,” Ron rasped, eyeing Hermione warily.

“I think you owe her an apology,” Harry said darkly before turning to Hermione. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head, unable to voice her thoughts. She’d gone too far. It was one thing to embrace the vampire, another thing entirely to let it dominate her. If Harry wouldn’t have said anything, she might very well have snapped his neck. She had to get out of there.

“No,” Harry ordered when she turned to run. “Don’t go.”

“I…I can’t,” she whimpered, feeling the sting of defying his order. “I’m soo sorry. I... I just… lost it. Oh Gods.”

She rushed out the door, seeking something she didn’t understand. She was terrified. She was no better than Zander or Lysander, a monster who thought nothing of ending another person’s life. She’d never lost control before. Never, not even when she was eating, had she snapped. She couldn’t risk hurting anyone else. She had to go as far away from people as possible.

When her mind finally slowed down enough that she could think, she realized immediately that she had no clue where she was. She wasn’t anywhere near the forbidden forest. In fact, everything smelled quiet foreign to her. There were no human scents, just grass and a few insects. Merlin but she was lost… and in sooo much trouble. She’d promised Draco that she would never run again. Well, at least she wasn’t running from him. She was running from herself.

She decided the best thing to do was stay put for a few minutes. The sun was just peaking over the horizon. Had she really ran all night long? This was horrible. She didn’t really understand anything at the moment. Ron had called her a slag and her anger had blinded her. But why? Comments like that before had rolled off her back in the past, not that they didn’t hurt. Why had she lost it?

An image of Draco popped in her mind alongside Ron’s accusation. The thought of sleeping with anyone but Draco made her physically ill. Perhaps that had been what set her off, the accusation that she had been unfaithful to her mate. But that didn’t explain the rage. She was very glad that Harry was a dom though. He might have very well saved Ron’s life. Why did Ron have to be such a reactive git anyway?

She reached up and fingered the necklace Severus had given her when she first turned. It seemed as though ages had passed since then. Had it really only been four months? She’d lived a lifetime in that short frame of time. She remembered being terrified of what she had become and the gradual acceptance of herself. Why had she not had a temper problem up until now? Was it a side effect of the spell she’d had cast on her? Was it something darker? Could the darkness take her? She didn’t want it to. Tears cascaded down her cheeks unchecked as she tried to decide whether it was safer for her to remain alone.

“I thought I might find you here. I believe this is the place you ran the very first time, halfway to Hogwarts from the club in London.”

Hermione spun around in surprise, shocked that Severus could have snuck up on her yet again. She couldn’t deny that she was glad to see him. The smell of smoke and home filled her lungs and she dove into his chest, sobbing in misery.

“Shush my child,” Severus said, rubbing his hand over her hair. “It’s alright.”

“No it isn’t,” she blubbered. “I almost killed Ron.”

“From what I heard, he quite deserved it.”

“No one deserves to die for expressing their opinion.”

He snorted. “They do if they insult my child.”

“I’m a monster,” she whispered.

Severus sighed and scooped her up in his arms, cradling her close to him. “You are not a monster little one. But you are in sore need of a lesson in vampires.”

“What do you mean? I’ve read every book in in the library on them.”

“Have you read any by an actual vampire?”

“No, there aren’t any, only ones written by humans living with vampires.”

Severus hummed. “It’s a little documented phenomenon, vampire mates. Sure, they detail our mating rituals, our relationships in terms of dominant and submissive stances, but very little about the actual relationship. They couldn’t begin to understand it.”

“You said dark and light relationships are different.”

“They are,” Severus said as he conjured a bench to sit on. He kept her on his lap and she made no move to protest. His proximity was keeping her calm enough to stop the tears. “Dark relationships start out like ours, with scents. However, they become warped over time, as the vampire also becomes warped by the darkness. You heard Alex speak of his child. She tried so very hard not to succumb to the darkness and she probably would have succeeded a great deal longer than she did had she found a different mate. But, you see, mates, true mates, are loyal to the death, even dark ones. It was only natural that you flew into a rage when Weasley accused you of not being faithful.”

“No, he accused me of being easy.”

“Same thing, really,” Severus mused. “A slag is primarily a girl who will fuck anything that walks, is it not?”

“Yes.”

“And would you fuck anyone?”

“No,” she snapped. “The thought makes me sick.”

“Then there you have it. Your conscious mind might not have made the connection, but you are vampire and your mind runs off of instinct as well. It saw a careless comment as an attack on your mate.”

“Draco,” she whispered sadly. “He’s going to kill me.”

“If he doesn’t kill Weasley first,” Severus said, holding her still when she began to struggle. “Easy. Weasley is fine for the time being. Melody fetched Alex. He’s holding Draco in the ROR until we bring you back but I am afraid it is time to reveal your nature to your friend… again. Perhaps this time he will see that you are not a puppet for the dark side.”

“I don’t see how me trying to kill him is going to endear him to us,” she sighed sadly.

“Ah, but his sister and his best mate are on your side. It might help you.”

“And Draco? What about him?”

“He’s ready to rip Weasley’s head off but has refrained because Alex has pointed out that you didn’t not actually want to kill your friend. Draco is respecting your wishes because you are his mate.”

“I promised I wouldn’t run again.”

Severus snorted. “A fool’s promise at best. However, you weren’t running from him. Potter explained that you were absolutely terrified of your actions. Let us just be glad that he thought to order you away at that moment.”

Hermione got a very sinking feeling in her gut. “Will I obey so easily on the battlefield?”

“No,” Severus said comfortingly. “Potter is your very best friend and you trust him with your life. He is on equal stance with your mate in that aspect. Therefore, you obeyed him without question because you knew he wanted to help you. If anyone else was to order it, dominant or not, it would not have stopped you.”

“What if Harry orders me to stop in battle though?”

“I believe you would have a choice. I doubt you’ll be fighting in such a rage.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Of course I am little one. But we must tell Weasley soon. Potter was able to get the memory from Slughorn. Only Nagini remains, of the known artifacts anyway. We must make plans to destroy her.”

Hermione sighed. “Father, can you take me home?”

“Yes my child. But first, you need to feed.”

“What about Draco?”

“Melody fetched him a meal while I went looking for you. Draco was much too depleted to search and I thought you might be in the same shape. Come.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Hermione!”

She winced when she heard the relieved sounds of her friends but it was her mate that she was reacting to. His emotions were so scrambled she couldn’t even begin to sort them. She was ashamed of herself. Before she could apologize, Draco had her in his arms and was breathing in her scent. His trembling body seemed to melt against hers. She inhaled deeply, parchment and grass and home. He was her mate, though he looked like Derik at the moment.

“Gods I was so worried about you,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I couldn’t think.”

“I know,” he said, pulling back just enough to where he could kiss her forehead. “I know. I didn’t think you were ever going to stop though.”

“Father said I stopped in the same place I did when I ran from you in the club.”

Draco chuckled. “Figures. I couldn’t get a location on you. You were running too fucking fast.”

Melody cleared her throat. “I do hate to break up the reunion but classes will be starting in a few hours. I believe we have much to cover in a very short time frame.”

“Right,” Hermione breathed, feeling very nervous.

“Let me,” Ginny said, her eyes blazing. Before anyone could say anything, Ron was chained to a desk, a piece of spellotape over his mouth.

“Bit much, don’t you think?” Harry murmured.

“You have met my brother, haven’t you?”

“Point taken,” Harry sniggered.

“I think I’ll just come out and say it,” Ginny said. “It’s much easier if he just explodes instead of blowing up a dozen times.”

“Get on with it Miss Weasley,” Severus drawled. “My time is valuable.”

“Sorry Professor,” Ginny said sheepishly. “So, we’ll just get to it then. Ron, Hermione was attacked by vampires over the summer and ended up turning into one. That is why she said she lost her innocence, you great stupid git. She found her mate a little bit after that; he was attacked by vampires. Apparently, there’s an epidemic of it.”

“Actually, Voldemort is trying very hard to make it an epidemic,” Harry cut in. “I saw a vision of his last night. He’s livid because Lucius lost him the one vampire that was loyal to him.”

Draco grinned, thinking of the hell that his father was in now. He only wished it would be enough.

“Moving on,” Ginny piped up, “You were actually right about Malfoy, well, partially. Derik?”

Draco nodded and removed the glamour. Ron’s eyes went galleon sized, his face starting to resemble a turnip he was so outraged.

“See, much easier,” Ginny sniffed. “Anyway, as you can see, Malfoy here was the guy she was dancing with. He is her mate, and as such, has switched sides. Of course, we already knew Professor Snape was on our side. The mediwitch is too. She helped Hermione with her turning. George and Fred know as well. They developed the blood pellets and the tongue dispensing device that usually keeps Hermione from snacking on students.”

“I do not snack on students,” Hermione huffed.

Ginny giggled. “But you want to. Anyway, she’s a good vampire Ron, always brushes her fangs.”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous,” Hermione sniffed.

“Well, do you want me to tell him that you’ve never killed a person you’ve eaten?”

“That would be a fair point to mention I would think,” Harry said with a smirk. “Or you could tell him that she never sleeps, is wicked fast, can turn into all sorts of things, and could crush him like a bug.”

“I think he might have already gotten that last one,” Ginny said. “You really should have let her strangle him for a little while longer before you ordered her off.”

“Would you two stop?” Hermione snapped. “I honestly didn’t mean to attack him.”

Harry pushed his glasses up further on his nose. “Why did you attack him? I mean, I realize he was being a first class git, but you’ve never gone that far before.”

Hermione sighed. “He implied that I wasn’t faithful to my mate.”

Harry cocked his head. “I suppose that makes sense.”

Ron was rattling the desk, banging it against the ground so hard that the conjured chains were cutting into his flesh. He looked like he was about to bust a blood vessel in his neck. Maybe it was better to let him blow up once and deal with it then instead of drawing it out.

“For your information Ronald,” Hermione said quietly. “Draco was my first lover and he’ll be my only… for eternity. I love him and he loves me and nothing will change that, not even Voldemort.”

“Um love,” Draco croaked. “Could you please stop saying his name?”

“Sorry,” she squeaked. “I forgot. Anyway, Ron, if you can’t accept this news we will obliviate you.”

“Again,” Ginny snorted.

“Fine, yes again,” Hermione growled, noticing Ron had turned white. “Professor, can you give him his old memories back?”

“I could,” Severus drawled slowly. “But if we need to obliviate him again, it might cause brain damage.”

“No!” Hermione gasped.

Severus nodded. “He isn’t a vampire. His mind can’t handle multiple obliviates.”

“I suppose I understand,” she said, trying not to think about her parents. She hoped that no one happened to find them before this war was over. She couldn’t imagine them sustaining any damage, especially because of her.

“Your parents will be fine,” Severus said softly, realizing what she was thinking about. “Your cousin will keep them from harm. I’m sure she got your missive.”

“Your young friend looks close to passing out,” Alex said quietly. He’d been standing in the far corner with Nancy, observing the goings on.

“Take the tape off Gin,” Hermione said with a sigh. “Might as well let him get it all out.”

“You might need a sound dampening spell,” Melody muttered under her breath.

It was an excellent idea. In fact, after the first few minutes of Ron’s ranting, Hermione cast a complete block on her ears. She didn’t want to go after him again and if she wasn’t aware of what he was saying, she wouldn’t. Judging by the looks of anger on everyone else’s face, it wasn’t pretty anyway. She turned her back on the scene, seeking comfort in Draco’s scent. She wanted Ron on her side. She wanted to stop hiding, stop making excuses, and just be herself for once.

Draco tapped her ears a few times, letting her know that it was time to turn off the spell. She took it off and was relieved that Ron seemed to have calmed down. Well, he at least wasn’t shouting at the top of his lungs anymore. She didn’t have a clue what he’d said and she really didn’t want one but Draco was trembling, holding himself back, so it was bad.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” Harry murmured. “Hermione, how do you feel about what he said?”

Draco snorted. “She had a charm on Potter. She didn’t hear a word of it… thank Merlin. I’m not sure I would have stopped her this time.”

Hermione sighed. “He’s entitled to be mad Harry. We did keep it from him.”

“He believes you are a spy,” Harry said slowly.

She sniffed. “He said that the first time. Apparently growing fangs earns you a one way trip to Vo- You-Know-Who’s side, no second chances.”

Understanding dawned in Ginny’s eyes. “That’s why you obliviated him.” Hermione nodded. Ginny rounded on Ron. “You great stupid git. She had no say in this, no choice. It was become a vampire or die.”

“Dying is better,” Ron said darkly.

“She did it for me,” Harry said quietly. “She changed for me.”

“That doesn’t make it your fault Harry,” Hermione said.

“I know that,” Harry growled. “I just can’t believe I never thanked you for that. Ron, it wasn’t Dumbledore that hunted down all the Horcruxes. It was Hermione and Malfoy.”

“Bollocks,” Ron scoffed.

“No, really,” Harry said. “I didn’t even know at first. She…she had her guts ripped out on their first search. She was cursed because of what she is. She drank poison to get the locket Horcrux. Malfoy found the diadem. They faced Bellatrix and Lucius and robbed the bloody bank to get the cup.”

“That was them?” Ron asked, wide eyed.

“Wait, you knew?” Hermione asked.

Harry grinned. “While you were busy in the ROR, you made the papers. It says that there was a break in but that nothing was stolen and while vampires were in the bank at the time, they had no reason to believe that they were involved.”

“You’re sure they don’t know?” Hermione asked Severus.

“I was called last night,” he answered quietly. “They are quite sure the cup is safe. Bellatrix and Lucius, however, are being punished…severely.”

“Serves them right,” Draco snarled.

“And you believe this?” Ron piped up.

“Believe what exactly?” Hermione snapped.

“That Malfoy had a complete change of heart.”

“You don’t know much about vampires do you Weasley?” Melody asked, sashaying across the room and pulling up a chair beside the struggling boy. “A vampire cannot betray their mate.”

“What’s a mate?” Ron asked, struggling to keep up with the conversation.

“It’s a chemistry thing,” Melody said. “You don’t choose it, not really. I suppose you can equate it to a soul mate for wizards. Every vampire has someone who compliments him perfectly. Draco is that for Hermione and vice versa.”

“Oh come on,” Ron snorted. “You have to be joking. There can’t just be only one person in the entire universe.”

“Well,” Melody said uncomfortably. “There are some who come close in chemistry but don’t quite fit.”

“But Malfoy?”

“Are we still on that?” Draco sighed. “Even Potter didn’t freak out this badly.”

“Harry, you knew?”

Harry ran his hand through his hair and sighed. “Well, I sort of got worried when Snape told me that Hermione was sick because vampires don’t get sick. So I snuck into his room and Malfoy was there watching over her until she got better.”

“Why was she there?”

“That was when she drank poison,” Harry said with a frown on his face. “She was too weak to move and…”

“And what?” Ron asked in aggravation.

“It was sort of hard not to believe him when he took down a hunter to protect her.”

“A hunter?” Ron squeaked

“My father is the head of a league of vampire and werewolf hunters Weasley,” Draco said darkly. “I didn’t know it until that day. Do you honestly think I would still be on their side?”

“Show me your arm then,” Ron sneered.

Draco closed his eyes. Hermione’s heart went out to him. She wouldn’t let him feel badly about it. She didn’t even notice the mark anymore. It was just a symbol of what he was being groomed to be and a tool to use to their advantage. She yanked the sleeve of his shirt up on his left arm, exposing the mark.

“Happy Ron?” She snarled. “He had it forced on him you know. It wasn’t a fucking choice.”

“That’s what he wants you to believe.”

Hermione rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Did you know that vampires can smell emotions? If he were lying, I could smell it. He can’t betray me Ron. It is nearly impossible. Why can’t you accept that?”

“Because he’s bloody MALFOY!” Ron screamed.

“Honestly,” Alex scoffed. “I can’t believe that he takes a larger exception to your choice of mate in comparison to the fact that you are a vampire. I believe his priorities are skewed.”

“Who the hell are you?” Ron snapped.

“He’s my family and you will not speak to him that way,” Hermione snarled, thankful that Draco held back. “And I honestly think he’s right. Why are you so angry that I’m with Draco?”

“Because he isn’t me!” Ron shrieked, breathing hard at his admission.

Hermione sighed and nodded. She figured it was something like that. She knew he hated Draco but this was going to make things that much worse. She supposed she should tell him once and for all. There was no use holding back.

“Ron, I don’t feel that way about you,” she said quietly. “I haven’t since I was turned.”

“So I’m not good enough because I don’t have fangs?” Ron growled.

“I wouldn’t wish this life on anyone Ron,” she said quietly, willing him to listen. “I am so lucky that Professor Snape and Melody found me when they did. If they hadn’t…I’d be Vol –er- You-Know-Who’s puppet right now. It took me until now to really accept what I am. I’ll never sleep again, never dream, never eat real food, and never have children. I’d rather be human Ron, I really would.”

“So you’re with him because he what, smelled right and had fangs?”

“Yes he smelled right,” she sighed. “But I turned him.”

“What?”

“It’s true,” Draco said quietly. “But she had no choice. I was dying. Vampire attack, remember?”

“Only because you tried to save her,” Alex snorted. “Don’t sell yourself short son.”

“You tried to save her?” Ron asked. “From what?”

“Another dominant vampire,” Draco answered.

“Two,” Alex cut in. “He risked him life to keep her from being claimed… and he was still human. You see Weasley, when you have a mate, you are drawn to them no matter what. Hermione and Draco have always been attracted to one another, though they mistook it for hate.”

“Anyway,” Draco said, trying to steer the subject away from his supposed heroics. “I ended up getting my throat ripped out. She gave me a choice. I chose life… or a semblance of it. I’m glad I did.”

“Vampires don’t have souls,” Ron said.

“Wrong,” Alex growled. “Those who give in to the darkness lose their souls. There are those of us that do not subscribe to vampire doctrine Weasley. We feed without killing and treat humans as equals. If we could figure out how to make a synthetic that would completely replace blood, we would. However, your brothers are working diligently on that front and we can’t thank them enough.”

“So you’re saying Hermione is a good vampire.”

“If you want to explain it like a child would,” Severus drawled. “As it is, The Dark Lord has ordered to have an army of submissive vampires created to serve him. Newborn submissives instinctively obey the orders of any dominant being, human or creature, male or female. They wouldn’t ever learn how to resist the pull and would therefore be powerless against such a dominant being as the Dark Lord. Hermione was his first experiment, though her sire was destroyed before the plan could be carried out.”

Ron paled. “He had her turned so she would serve him?”

“That’s it in a nutshell,” Melody said. “But that’s not what we have to worry about now.”

“What else could their possibly be?” Ron asked sarcastically.

“War,” Harry said quietly. “They’ve gotten all but one Horcrux Ron. Voldemort’s snake is all that’s left and then we can destroy him once and for all. We need your help.”

“Why do you need my help?” Ron sneered. “You’ve already got pet vampires to help you.”

“Now you’re just acting like a selfish toddler,” Melody scoffed. “And you’re going to miss your classes.”

“So?” Ron moped.

Ginny growled and smacked Ron upside his head. “Snap out of it you stupid git. They need all the help they can get. Do you honestly want to lose more people? What if it were mum or dad next? We need to end this war before it gets out of hand. Hermione’s already lost her life Ron. Who’s next?”

Ron’s eyes landed on Hermione’s. She could smell every emotion as it flitted through his mind. “You really are dead, aren’t you?”

She nodded, unable to tell him the whole truth. “I’ll never be the same Ron. I’ll always be this way, stuck in this stage of my life for eternity. I’ll never grow old. I’ll have to watch everyone I love die. I don’t want anyone else to end up like me. If You-Know-Who had it his way, the world would turn on its end. Submissive muggles and muggleborns would become slaves. The rest would be exterminated. He would rule as a tyrant. Help us Ron. Help us end this madness once and for all.”

“I don’t like vampires,” Ron growled.

“Gee, I hadn’t noticed,” she said dryly. “I’m not asking you to like me Ron, though it saddens me to think that I’ve lost a friend. I’m asking for your acceptance and your help. I didn’t ask for this but I’ll be damned if I don’t use it to fight.”

“I need to think,” Ron said.

“Very well,” Severus said. “You may think in here without your wand while Alex and his mate watch over you. Have one of them summon us when you have your answer. Keep in mind that should you try and breathe a word of this, Alex will not hesitate to drain you. And if we feel that you cannot keep this a secret, we will obliviate you again.”

As they left the ROR, Hermione couldn’t help but feel a little depressed. Draco gave her a chaste kiss before disappearing down the hall. It wouldn’t do for someone to find out about them. She was glad Harry and Ginny took his place but even their presence wasn’t enough to chase away her fears. They needed Ron’s help. He was a brilliant strategist… and a good friend.

“He’ll come around,” Harry said. “Just you watch.”

“I hope you’re right Harry,” she breathed. “I’m not sure I can handle losing him.”

AN: So, thoughts? Show of hands, who thinks Ron will come around? I realized that this one is almost finished too. Fooling Fate is close to the end as well. I'm considering putting two of them down while I finish and then work on each one until it's done but I don't want to leave you guys hanging while I do that. Decisions decisions. As always, thanks to everyone for your reviews. I'll be sad to see this one gone too. Unfortunately, my muse has put her foot down. Stupid muse. Keep those reviews coming and let me know how I'm doing. Until next time... Love you guys.

*just a quick note, to those who read Fooling Fate, it will be late... again. Work and all that. I can't imagine how I'll ever get this done if I get that second job. Goodness!
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Beyond the Pale