harry_11

Having spent the entire day avoiding all of his friends, Ron decided to skip dinner completely. Ignoring his rumbling stomach, he changed out of his school robes and into jeans and a sweatshirt before collapsing across his bed and staring angrily at the ceiling. Life wasn’t fair… it was a concept he’d been confronted with over and over, he didn’t understand why it continued to surprise him. He was tired of being offered the promise of happiness only to have it ripped away. Okay, so maybe he’d never had a chance with Hermione… but Luna had been his, they’d been in love and either one or both of them had ruined it. But he’d wanted to pick up the pieces after, she was the one who’d been so convinced it was over. And this year- at one point he’d thought Parvati was just the distraction he’d needed, that he could grow closer with her and make something of it… And then Jacinda Nicolau had walked into his life… It had seemed a miracle that she’d returned his interest in her, but then she left and worse, Parvati had been taken away and was now suffering who knew what fate because he hadn’t been vigilant to her and her needs as he should have been. After all, he’d agreed to begin dating her before he even knew Jacey existed, Parvati should have been his first concern.

Ron slammed his fists down on the bed, tired of feeling guilty and mad and frustrated. Maybe he needed a friend right now after all, someone to talk to and help get some of this off his chest. Harry had claimed to want to listen… but that had been while he’d come to defend Luna’s honor. He didn’t really feel like talking about any of this to the guy who was now in all probability sleeping with his first love.

He sat up at the sudden sharp knock on his door and quickly strengthened the shields around his mind, figuring Harry had somehow picked up on his thoughts and was now coming to hash things out. Taking a deep breath in preparation, he got up and went to the door ready to tell whoever it was to go away… but when he opened it, no one was there.

“Boo!” Jacey’s head suddenly appeared out of nowhere as she laughed heartily at his reaction. Fully pulling off the invisibility cloak, she walked right past him into his room and turned to him with a dazzling smile. “Are you not glad to see me?”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I get my heart going again.” He closed the door and faced her nervously. “What are you doing back here?”

“Turns out my business does not take me as far from the castle as I had thought. I was having the opportunity to come see you tonight and so I took it.” She answered, suddenly having trouble meeting his gaze. “Harry has told me what happened with Parvati and that you are sad. I am so sorry about this.”

“It’s not your fault.” Ron sighed, slightly upset to discover that Harry had sent her to see him.

She walked over and took his hand. “It could be though… there is something I should tell you about.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” He quickly shook his head and squeezed her hand. “I’ve been over it and over it in my head for the last two days, Parvati’s parents arrived today and are staying in the castle until we find her… it’s already too much right now. I don’t want to know anymore unless you can tell me exactly where she is.”

“I cannot.” She said sadly.

“Then I don’t want to know. You’re here, that’s enough.”

“Is it?” Jacey smiled and Ron felt himself blush.

“Well, uh… I mean, um…”

She laughed and put her finger to his lips, silencing his attempt to explain. Then she smiled coyly, staring into his eyes before leaning in to lightly brush her lips against his. “Perfect.” She whispered as she leaned back with her eyes closed and a soft smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Am I dreaming?” He asked breathlessly, unable to believe what was taking place.

“‘I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was.’” She whispered, quoting Shakespeare.

Feeling confident, Ron leaned in and fully captured her lips. His boldness was instantly rewarded as she returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck to press herself against him. And then the carpet was ripped out from under him as she pulled away, ending the best thing he’d ever begun to experience.

“I can not stay.” She said, looking away almost guiltily while hugging her arms around herself. “I just wanted to tell you, to let you know that I am not forgetting you.”

Recalling that Parvati was still missing, Ron began to feel rather guilty himself for indulging in such brash behavior. “Trust me, I can’t forget about you either.” He said, picking up the cloak and handing it to her.

Her hand lingered over his as she took it from him. “Just remember, if you are needing to talk to someone, I am not far… If you call out to me-” She reached out and tapped her finger against his forehead before ruffling his hair. “-I will most likely hear you and if I do, I promise I will answer.”

“But you can’t stay tonight?” He asked, both hoping and fearing she would agree to stay.

Jacey shook her head. “It would not be wise I think.” She flung the cloak around herself so that only her head remained visible. “Until next time, I hope you think well of me.”

“That’s the only way I think of you.” He smiled, opening the door so she could walk through. Once in the hallway she pulled up the hood and once more disappeared out of his life… But this time she’d left him with the promise of a way to reach her at any time he wanted, though he wondered if she was aware that he wanted her around all the time.

(BREAK)

“I feel like the worst guardian ever.” Lupin sighed as he led the way through the woods. “I mean I’ve been legally bound to ensure your well-being-” He turned to look at Draco, “-and Harry your parents are counting on me to help look after you, yet here we all are on a midnight stroll through the Forbidden Forest to dispose of a body… I can’t keep James and Lily from finding out obviously, but not a word of this gets back to Tonks, got it?” He asked very seriously.

Draco shared an amused grin with Potter as both boys agreed to keep Tonks in the dark. Lupin led them deep into the woods, letting the boys handle the task of floating Tristan along as the man had claimed it to be their mess to clean up, he was simply there to see that they did it right. The corpse was hidden under Draco’s invisibility cloak as Potter had leant his to Jacey, but the further they went, the more difficulty they were having in maintaining the spell to keep it in the air. “Haven’t we gone far enough?” He asked, not wanting to have to actually carry Tristan’s body.

“I suppose we have. No one should be able to see the fire from here.” Lupin replied, stopping their progress. “Besides, there’s a big Ash Tree right over there.”

Letting the corpse drop to the ground, he went with Potter to help gather enough wood for the task ahead of them. While they did that, Lupin began making a ring of stones around Tristan, instructing the boys to cover the vampire completely with the wood. When they were finished, Draco wiped the sweat from his brow and removed his coat despite the frigid temperature.

“Now we light it?” Potter asked grimly.

“Actually, there’s something else that comes first… It’s pretty gruesome so I think I’ll handle this.” Lupin replied unhappily, looking as if whatever he was about to do was the last thing on earth he wanted to be a part of.

Both boys watched with a sort of twisted fascination as he bent down and moved the sticks away from Tristan’s head and pulled the vampire’s mouth open while ignoring the jagged pieces of wood still sticking out of his eyes. Picking up one of the pieces of Ash next to him, Lupin turned away before solidly jamming it down Tristan’s throat. “We have to be sure to get the fire down inside him too.” He said, quickly covering the head back up. “And now we light it.”

All three pointed their wands and stepped back as the pile of wood exploded within the stone circle. This was the last phase of their dark deed and Draco was glad that Ginny had chosen to follow Luna’s lead and stay behind. He didn’t even really want to be a witness to this, it was better that one of them have the piece of mind to never have to relive this moment. Tristan’s skin seemed to sizzle and almost scream as the Ash wood burned down. Lupin had of course been right about how the wood would weaken the vampire’s natural defenses… but they stayed until there was nothing before them but a glowing pile of embers, just to be sure.

(BREAK)

Fred woke up to his mother pounding on his door. Groaning in displeasure, he buried his head under the pillow and willed her to go away… unfortunately no one’s will was as strong as Molly’s. “Come on Fred, get up!” She called as she continued to bang away on the door.

With a loud grunt he threw his pillow away and unwillingly got out of bed. Flinging open the door, he regarded his mother warily. “What?” He demanded, too tired to care about being rude.

“And a good morning to you too, though it’s nearly lunch time.” She returned. “You really should get to bed earlier dear.”

“I’ll work on that.” He said sarcastically as he rubbed his face and yawned. In all honesty, he never would have fallen asleep if his body hadn’t just given up and passed out on him sometime in the early morning hours. But since he had gone to sleep, he was irritated with her for ruining it. “Was there something you wanted?”

“Something Lee wanted actually.” She replied huffily, thrusting an envelope at him. “A ministry guard showed up with this for you a few minutes ago. Said Lee needs you at the shop. The guard is still down there, waiting to take you.”

“Okay, I’ll be right down.” He promised, suddenly wide awake as a wave of nervous nausea washed over him. Closing the door on her, he tore open the envelope but the note inside wasn’t helpful- it was simply a request that he come to the store as soon as possible. That wasn’t like Lee at all, if there was a problem he wasn’t afraid to complain about it in full detail.

Throwing the useless note aside, he rushed to get dressed and brush his teeth, simply running his fingers through his hair as he hurried down the stairs. Grabbing his coat and kissing his mother goodbye, he left the house and climbed into the waiting ministry car. It took every ounce of self-control he had not to just apparate from the backseat to the store, but not knowing what awaited him he knew it was better to arrive with an actual Auror.

They parked outside the Leaky Cauldron and hurried through to Diagon Alley, trying to rush without being noticeable as they made their way to the store. Fred was surprised to find it closed up, with the shades drawn and the front door locked. “Hey, come in there with me, okay?” Fred asked the guard, pulling out both his wand and his keys.

“What do you think is going on?” He asked as he took out his own wand.

“I don’t know, but it’s not good.” Fred unlocked the door and let the other man go in ahead of him. Fear tingled along his nerves as he followed, but the showroom was empty and nothing seemed out of place. “Lee?” He called out nervously.

“Maybe the office?” The guard suggested tensely, heading down the hallway and opening the door. “Hey! He’s in here!”

He rushed over, entering the office to find Lee spread out on the floor and bleeding from a wound on his head. Kneeling beside him, Fred was able to see that his friend was still breathing. “He’s alive.” He assured the guard who was busy searching the closet for enemies.

“Okay, apply pressure to his wound.” The man replied, moving to the door. “I’ll call for backup.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you do that.” Elanya appeared suddenly from the hallway and before either could react, she drew her wand and cursed the man to death. “Hello Fred.” She turned her wand on him as he pointed his at her.

“What are you doing here?” He demanded, trying his best to ignore the now dead man laying a few feet away. “And what did you do to Lee?”

“I never was very good at the Imperious curse, and he fought against it the whole time.” She shook her head regretfully. “I mean I got him to write the note and hand it off, but he finally broke free of my influence. I certainly didn’t want to kill one of your friends but I had to shut him up somehow. Don’t worry, it’s just a nasty bump on the head.”

“You had no qualms about killing that innocent man.” He pointed out, still not looking at the fallen guard.

She shrugged. “Neither of us knew him, what does it matter as long as he’s out of the way?”

“You’re a very cold person.”

“Perhaps.” She shrugged again. “Perhaps I just need to find the right positive influence.”

“And perhaps you’re just bat shit crazy.” He replied meanly, wanting to leave her in no doubt as to his opinion of her.

“You could be right… time will tell.” She smiled coyly. “Don’t worry, someone will come along to clean up my mess after we leave. Come on, I’m only giving us an hour.”

“Come on where? And an hour to do what?” He scrambled to his feet and stood protectively in front of Lee.

“We’re going to your vault in the bank and then I’m giving us a limit of one hour to shop for all the clothes and supplies we’ll need to disappear… and then we’ll disappear.” She laughed.

“Today?!” He asked in a panic. “But… but you said Friday… and Willem isn’t here.” He argued, desperate for the extra two days she’d promised.

“I see, you want me to play by the rules while you run around breaking them? Thanks to you, Willem can no longer be a part of this…” Elanya scolded. “You didn’t play the game right.”

“What are you talking about? What rule did I break?” He asked desperately.

“You told people about all of this… you involved Hermione Granger and so now the rules have changed. We are leaving today Fred and you will play the game correctly from now on or she will serve the penalty.”

“If she knows what you’re up to, then she’ll certainly be on guard for you or your spy.” He spat out, hating how helpless and angry he felt.

“Everyone must sleep sometime.” She sneered.

“Meaning?”

“I’m sure Harry and Luna informed you of the trip to Azkaban and I’m sure they told you that they know it was Sarah working through Cho… All Sarah needs is a location and an unconscious vessel that she could make do anything at all, from hurting someone else to taking a walk off the top of the highest tower at Hogwarts. It doesn’t matter how guarded Hermione Granger is, she can’t stay awake forever.”

Fred glared at her as his brain worked overtime trying to figure a way out of this, or at best, a way to warn Hermione and perhaps have Luna or Harry try to help protect her mind while she slept. Feeling the weight of the compact in his pocket, he wondered how long it would be until he could find the time to use it.

“I’ll take your silence as begrudging acceptance.” Elanya said, offering him a falsely sweet smile. “And before you get those wheels turning too fast, I won’t be giving you the opportunity to warn your little girlfriend or your special friends about any of this. We’ve thought of everything and neither Harry nor Luna will be given the chance to help.” It was almost as if she could read his mind though he knew that wasn’t the case, she was simply being thorough in explaining the hopelessness of his situation. Using extreme will, Fred was able to keep from reaching in his pocket and grabbing the compact to gain a sense of comfort. Instead he used the fact that Luna was already helping and could therefore involve Harry to calm himself.

“Okay.” He finally broke his silence. “You got me, I admit it. Let’s go.”

Elanya regarded him suspiciously. “Just like that? I expected a little more resistance.”

“What more do you want?” He cried, throwing his arms out in frustration. “You win! You’ve beaten all the fight out of me! What am I supposed to do? One wrong move on my part and it means something bad for Ron or Ginny or Hermione… so okay, I agree to the terms. Let’s just go already!”

“Give me your wand.” She demanded, holding out her hand. In the only small act of defiance he could manage, Fred threw it at her feet instead. She smirked with amusement as she bent to retrieve it, putting both wands in her purse. “There’s just one more thing.” She pulled out a strange looking device with tons of lights and gauges.

“What is that thing?” He asked as she approached him.

“Just relax and stand still.” She ordered, waving the thing over him from his head to his feet. It suddenly started lighting up and beeping like crazy as she moved it over his pocket. “You have a communication device.” She grinned.

“No I don’t.” He lied unconvincingly, even in his own ears.

Elanya nodded. “Put it on the desk.”

Fred hesitated. The compact was the only reason he’d so readily agreed to go with her, figuring he’d be able to use it at some point and alert the others to his predicament.

“Come on, you don’t want to start breaking rules already, do you?” She taunted.

She really had won, without giving him a way to warn Hermione, Ron and Ginny, she had his complete obedience and she knew it. Reluctantly he pulled the compact from his pocket and placed it on the desk. Elanya picked up the glass paperweight, leaving Fred to watch as she smashed the compact into pieces. “That’s seven years bad luck.” He said numbly.

“Really? Because I feel my luck is starting to change for the better.” She laughed as she brushed the pieces to the floor and stepped on them for good measure. “There was no way you were walking out of here with that anyway. I told you, we thought of everything.”

　

　

NOTE: Uh oh… now what’s Fred going to do? Stay tuned for more chapters to find out…
Chapter 50: Searching for the Lost

A/N: Well, so much for my hope to have the characters out of Hogwarts by chapter 50 J So much to deal with here so go ahead, Read, Review and Enjoy!

　

Hermione had woken with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. By the end of her last class the feeling had tripled and she was now sick with concern, having been unable to reach Fred all day. “Hey, are you okay?” Harry asked quietly as they walked back to their dorm together.

“I’m fine.” She answered tensely.

“Really? Because I can’t feel my hand anymore…” He lightly joked, making her realize she’d had his hand in a death grip.

“Sorry.” She loosened her hold and felt him flex his fingers. They’d been at each other’s side all day whenever they were in public, Harry had apparently decided to once more give in to her and Luna with few to no questions. Admittedly his presence at her side was the only thing to give her comfort all day and she was grateful for it.

“Something’s wrong.” He pushed as they entered the common room.

“Well-” Fear and concern overwhelmed her and she suddenly felt the need to confess everything if it would help Fred. But just as she was about to spill it all, she felt her pocket grow warm and nearly collapsed in relief. “I’ll tell you about it later.” She said quickly before rushing off to her room to be alone.

Nearly dropping the compact as she fumbled to pull it out of her pocket, she eagerly flipped it open only to have her heart drop painfully to her stomach. “Hermione?” Lee stared back at her, though his reflection was fragmented as if the mirror had been broken. “Oh good, I fixed it!” He sighed in relief as he caught sight of her on his side.

“What’s going on, where’s Fred?” She demanded.

“I don’t know!” Lee cried out in frustration. “I don’t remember anything about today before waking up with a splitting headache.” He pointed to where his head was now bandaged. “No one was here, nothing was missing… but I found the compact on the floor and smashed to pieces.”

“And Fred?” She asked again with more urgency.

“I contacted Molly…”

“You’re killing me here, Lee! Spit it out!” Hermione yelled.

“She said I had sent a note earlier asking him to come to the store and that the ministry guard was supposed to have brought him… I don’t recall any of that.” Lee seemed beyond distressed and close to tears.

“Someone must have used a spell and wiped your memory.” She shook her head, not knowing how to soothe him when she was so close to panicking herself.

“Probably, it’s what I figured as well. But I didn’t want Molly to start worrying and wind up having Arthur send the whole Auror squad out. It took everything I had to convince her that Fred stopped to pick something up and would be here any minute… So then I tried for the last hour to fix this stupid compact to see if maybe Fred went up there to see you again, but that’s obviously not the case…”

“It’s because she found out he came to see me on Sunday…” Hermione closed her eyes as a sense of dread consumed her. “Elanya must have upped the stakes… she’s made him leave early…”

“What are you talking about?” Lee demanded.

“I don’t have time to explain now, we have to move quickly.” Her mind was racing a million miles a minute. “Arthur and Molly can’t know yet… that will only help the girls’ plan. I need you to convince them that Fred went away for some kind of business trip for the store, tell them you’re going with him so maybe they’ll worry less.”

“Well, I guess I could disguise my voice and write a talking letter to them pretending to be Fred.” He suggested, always eager to become part of their dangerous adventures just like the other boys. “He’s okay, isn’t he?”

“For now… I don’t think hurting him is currently part of their plan.” She said grimly. “I’m going to talk to Luna, see if she can shed any light on this and depending on what she can or can’t see we’ll figure out what to do.”

“And when do I get to know what’s actually going on?” Lee asked.

“After you find a way to contact Willem Fritz and get him there to the store with you. We’ll be needing to talk to him about his niece.” She replied darkly.

“How am I supposed to do that?” He asked incredulously. “No one’s supposed to know the guy’s out of prison.”

“I don’t know. You’re the maniacal mastermind who hung around Fred and George all those years, I’m sure you’ll find a way.” Hermione brushed him off. “I have to go, the sooner I talk to Luna, the sooner we can hopefully figure all this out.”

(BREAK)

“I can’t stand it anymore!” Ginny shouted, throwing her History of Magic book across the room. “It’s just sooo very boring.” She flung herself back on the bed and grabbed the pillow to cover her face as she screamed her frustration into it.

“Is this a normal part of your homework process? Because we may have to begin studying alone.” Draco teased, ignoring her dramatics and returning to his Potions essay.

She got up and kneeling in front of him, grabbed his textbook and threw it over her shoulder with a sly smile. “We aren’t alone now, so why spend our time studying anyway?”

“Can’t argue with that logic, I guess.” He grinned, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her into his lap before kissing her passionately.

Knocking at the door interrupted their impromptu fun before it could really get started and Ginny pulled away in disgust. “You see? This is why I dislike other people…” She groaned.

“I surely hope you have better reasons.” He laughed, getting up to answer. He was utterly surprised to find Drake standing there.

“Hello, sorry to interrupt but I’m here on school business. As acting Head of Slytherin House I’ve come to request your presence in the Headmaster’s office.” Drake smiled apologetically.

“Some advice in dealing with other Slytherins… Snape wouldn’t have been so nice as to request anything.” Draco smiled back. “What’s going on?”

“I have no idea. I was just told to come get you.” Drake shrugged.

He felt Ginny coming up behind him and reached for her hand. “Do I have to go alone?”

Drake grinned wider. “I’m sure whatever’s going on, there would be no objection to Miss Weasley coming along for support.”

“Very officious.” Ginny approved teasingly.

“Yes, I do believe after a few months I’ve begun to get the hang of this whole job.” Drake joked back as he began to lead them to Dumbledore’s office.

As they walked, Draco began to feel nervous… what could they possibly want to see him about? Had the headmaster somehow found out about Tristan? Was Troy trying to frame him for Parvati’s disappearance? Several ideas floated around in his head, none of which were good. In fact, he’d never in his life been called to up there to be given good news. At the gargoyle, Drake gestured for them to go up first and as they climbed onto the stairs Draco squeezed Ginny’s hand in tense anticipation.

Dumbledore was in the process of handing a letter off to Fawkes as they entered the office and he turned to them with a grim smile. “Well, none of you ever seem to be alone anymore. Hello Draco, Ginny, why don’t you both have a seat.” He spoke informally as he tended to do when he was in private with his favored students. Draco felt almost honored to now be considered one of them. “Roscoe, I need you to bring Professor Trelawney here as she is rather skilled at scrying.”

“Who are you trying to find?” Draco blurted out. He knew all about the skill of scrying… it was something Narcissa had mastered and was proud to display. In fact, he knew she had been the one to help Lucius locate several people including Julian Heath.

Dumbledore nodded to Drake who quickly left to carry out the request made of him. With a sigh, the headmaster seated himself before them and looked intently at Draco. “We’ve received intelligence that Lucius has disappeared.”

He could feel Ginny staring at him out of the corner of her eye, but Draco couldn’t make his brain work his mouth to form words. “What do you mean he’s disappeared?” She finally asked for him.

“Since the Quibbler article was released, Lucius has been turned away from the Death Eaters and Arthur has had several people watching him. Yesterday morning he managed to slip away from them all and he hasn’t been spotted since.”

“Well he certainly hasn’t contacted me!” Draco said, leaping to his feet.

“I wasn’t implying that he had.” Dumbledore calmly replied. “I was just wondering if perhaps you knew of somewhere he would go.”

So this was it, the moment that he knew would eventually come. He had to decide whether or not to completely turn his back on his father in order to help the people who had so helped him. Now he had to figure out just how much he’d changed, what his morals are from what they were, and whether he could fully give himself over and cut all ties to the two people who had given him life. “I don’t know.” He said at last, sinking back down into the chair and feeling horribly confused.

“I see.” Dumbledore nodded. “I’m aware of what I’m asking of you and how unfair it is to ask a child to completely turn on their parents. I am sorry for it and only my and Arthur’s desperation drove us to decide to come to you… But you by no means have to answer and I assure you we won’t think less of you for it. I want you to be fully aware that you have a choice here, one that shouldn’t have had to be presented to you and therefore you won’t be judged either way.”

“Won’t I?” He asked miserably. How could they not judge him if he chose to remain silent when he could have helped? And how could he not be judged for completely turning on his family? There was no easy way out of this.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” Ginny said quietly as she reached out to supportively rub his arm.

And he didn’t… not with these people. Recalling his previous way of life, he knew Dumbledore and the others weren’t aware of the truth depth of his father’s evil ruthlessness. Draco had seen Lucius commit many sins without any sign of remorse, what could he be doing out there now that he’d been outcast by the Death Eaters and left on his own? Knowing what the man was capable of when he was in control, Draco hated to think what he was capable of when desperate. “Okay, give me a quill and parchment and I’ll write down the locations of every safe house I know about and any other place he might go.”

Dumbledore made no move to fill his request, instead continuing to look on in concern. “Are you sure?”

“If he’s left out there alone, who knows what he’d do or who he’d hurt to ensure his own survival… I can’t have that hanging over my head, if I don’t try to stop him then I can only share the guilt of his actions.”

“And with that sentiment, I would like you to know how proud I am of your continued growth.” The headmaster smiled with sad encouragement. “But I want you to be assured that not only are you not to blame for your father’s actions, no one would hold it against you if you did feel the need to maintain some form of loyalty to him as your parent.”

Draco shook his head. “No, I’ve decided.” He firmly insisted. It took a few moments to write down everything he knew and by the time he finished Drake was back with Professor Trelawney. Having no desire to witness them attempt to locate Lucius, he made his wish to be dismissed back to his dorm apparent. Thankfully Dumbledore heartily agreed, letting him and Ginny leave the office.

“You okay?” She asked, linking her arm through his and leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked.

“Sometimes I wish I were the orphan instead of Potter.” He muttered.

“I’m sure given the circumstances, Harry would agree to that.”

“Of course he would, James and Lily are nothing like Lucius and Narcissa.”

“And Ted and Andromeda are nothing like Mr. and Mrs. Dursley.” She smiled, reminding him that he did have some family that was worthwhile. “And Tonks is nothing like Dudley.”

“With my luck, I would have gone to be raised by Bellatrix.” He joked. “I guess Potter and I really are opposites… him rather having been raised by his parents and me wishing I had been with my aunt, uncle and cousin.”

“But things happened the way they did and that has brought you to the moment when you had to turn on your father completely… So, are you okay?” She asked again, bringing the conversation back to her original question.

“You’d make a good reporter.”

“And you’d make a very difficult interview.” She returned. “Quit deflecting.”

“I don’t know how I am.” He finally answered with a heavy sigh. “Part of me is relieved to wash my hands of Lucius and part of me feels like the worst son ever.”

“He’s not exactly father of the year.” Ginny squeezed his arm and kissed his shoulder. “There’s no real way to be a good child to a bad parent.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. I spent years trying to impress him.” He answered glumly.

“And yet he never tried to impress you, never tried to show why he was worthy of your love and respect.” She argued against his self-doubt. “You’re going to feel whatever you feel, but just don’t forget- you’ve only turned on someone who turned on you first. He tried to kill you already, he doesn’t deserve your protection.”

“You tried to kill me too.” Draco pointed out, feeling the sudden irrational need to defend his father.

“The difference being I haven’t tried since.” She said stiffly. “And I probably won’t again…” She added the dark threat, letting him know she didn’t appreciate his comment.

“Yeah, okay it was a stupid thing to say.” He admitted, stopping in the hall outside the common room and pulling her in for a hug. “I’m sorry, the two things were completely different situations… I just… I don’t know.”

Ginny pulled away and smiled, reaching up to place her hands on either side of his face. “You’re just a little messed up in here right now.” She playfully shook his head. “It’ll right itself out.”

He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. “I certainly hope so.”

(BREAK)

“Find anything interesting yet?” Luna asked as she pushed the files to the end of the bed and got to her feet, stretching away the stiffness caused from sitting too long.

“A few odd things here and there. But I’m just now getting into the nineteenth century.” Harry took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, shoving his files away as well. “I had foolishly thought all the files from the drawer marked ‘Harry Potter’ would be about me, but they actually go all the way back to Lyraline Elderwood… though I will admit, there’s more detail to these files than the regular ministry records.”

“They probably started compiling it the minute they figured out that prophesy was about you.” She smiled. “It’s a good thing, we should learn everything we can about our ancestors so we don’t wind up repeating their mistakes.”

“Oh, and my bloodline was responsible for quite a few big mistakes apparently.” He picked up the files, laughing as he shoved them towards her. “Not all of us were the greatest of people.”

“Well, no one’s blood is all pure, right? Coven descendants or not, we are all still human.” She grinned. And then a sudden wash of panic flooded her, forcing her to once more sit or risk falling over from the force.

“What’s wrong?” Harry asked, instantly feeling what she felt.

Luna shook her head. “It’s not me, it’s Hermione… something’s wrong and now she’s looking for me. She already tried my room, now she’s coming here.”

Sure enough, Hermione began to frantically knock at the door and Harry rushed over to let her in. She entered in a daze, her eyes wide with fear and desperation. Not caring whether Harry was in the room, she rushed over to Luna and quickly told her everything about Lee contacting her and her concern that Elanya had forced Fred to leave early.

“So wait, you’re saying Fred’s been kidnapped?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Not exactly. It’s more like he’s been blackmailed into leaving.” Luna replied, attempting to remain calm. Knowing what Hermione wanted from her, she prepared her mind and left it to the other girl to fully fill Harry in on what’s been happening.

“So now we have to figure out where they’ve gone.” He said when she was done, clearly upset to have been left in the dark about this. But Luna could see that he was fighting the urge to express his anger, knowing Hermione still had no idea about Tristan and therefore he had no room to judge.

“Which I was hoping Luna could help with.” Hermione replied. They both turned to look at her.

“I don’t know… I’ve been sitting here trying and I think I strained something the last few days because my mind feels so tired.” She watched Hermione’s face fall and quickly turned to Harry. “Maybe you could help me?”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I’ve drained myself completely before and it doesn’t feel good.” He asked uncertainly, as worried as she was that she could damage herself.

“We have to try. Fred’s out there somewhere and if I can’t find Parvati we can at least try to find him.” She argued back.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, let’s do this then.”

Luna reached out to take his hand as he and Hermione sat with her on the bed. Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind of everything but Fred and attempted to force the connection. She could feel Harry with her, wrapping his consciousness protectively around hers and adding his own strength, which had completely regenerated since his fight with Tristan.

Again it hit her unlike anything she’d ever experienced before, a blasting of images that came on so quickly they knocked her back with their force. There was no white room, no scene playing out, nothing of any coherency or distinction. Concentrating she slowed them down, displaying each in order as they swirled around her.

First came an image of Hermione, growing larger as it zoomed toward her, focusing in on the girl’s eyes until they became mirrors displaying Sarah staring back at her and wearing an evil grin. Luna shivered in fear, watching as Sarah’s face melted away and began showering down drops of flesh that turned to rain…

Fred was in the rain, quickly trying to erect a rather ordinary tent as Elanya looked on, tapping her foot impatiently as she stood under an umbrella and waited for him to complete their shelter as a flash of lightning tore open the sky…

An explosion of color burst before her eyes, blinding Luna and forcing her to look away. Blinking away the discomfort, she turned back and watched with fascinated awe as several strange, colorful flowers budded and bloomed in front of her.

The pain was swift and sudden and seemed to come from deep inside her head. The next thing Luna knew, she could feel Harry shaking her as he and Hermione called out, telling her to wake up. Letting her eyes flutter open, she stared up at them as they looked down at her in concern. “What happened?” She asked Harry.

“I don’t know. Something felt off and then there was pain so I stopped the vision.” He answered nervously.

“Are you okay?” Hermione asked as they helped her sit up.

“My head hurts.” She answered honestly, turning to Harry. “You saw everything I saw?”

“I think so…”

“Well, what did you see?” Hermione asked anxiously, once more focused on helping Fred now that she was assured that Luna was somewhat alright. Rather than attempt to explain, Luna told Harry to replay it all for Hermione to see. She would have done it herself, but she was too tired and her mind literally felt fried out. Putting a hand to her head, she could feel that her temperature had risen alarmingly. “Okay, so Fred is definitely with Elanya then.” She seemed grimly hopeful.

“The flowers came after, maybe they give some clue to their location.” Harry suggested, getting up to pour a glass of water from the pitcher on his dresser. He came back and handed it to Luna though she hadn’t mentioned how parched her throat suddenly was. But as he went back to pour a glass for himself, she realized he knew because her ailments were affecting him… This wasn’t good, they had to figure out a way to keep themselves divided when necessary.

“Hold on, I think Lee is calling.” Hermione said, standing to reach into her pocket.

“Ah yes, the compact you and Fred used behind my back.” Harry teased.

“Let not start comparing who did what behind each other’s back,” Hermione suggested wryly, “I’m pretty sure I’ll be the one to come out ahead.”

She flipped open the compact and Lee’s voice immediately floated out of it. “Hey! Turns out I’m better than I thought. Willem’s here already.”

“I’m with Harry and Luna.”

“What’s going on?!” Willem’s frantic voice demanded.

Hermione gave him a brief version of current events up to describing the short vision Luna just had. “Well, what kind of flowers were they?” Lee asked when she was finished.

“How are we supposed to know?” Harry replied. “They’re clearly exotic or why else would they be a clue.”

“Well, what about the first part then?” Willem pressed.

Luna saw Hermione shiver and knew the other girl had probably come to the same conclusion she had. “I’m pretty sure that’s telling us how they got Fred to cooperate…” She said quietly.

“Yeah, they threatened to have Sarah do her stupid astral projection thing to invade me and make me do who knows what.” Hermione added bitterly.

“We won’t let that happen.” Harry assured her.

“Oh yeah? What, is everyone going to sleep in shifts to ensure it doesn’t?” She asked despondently.

“If that’s what it takes.” He insisted. “In the mean time we can look up the flowers, maybe even ask Professor Sprout.”

“Or Neville.” Luna suggested out of nowhere. She didn’t know why she’d suggested their lost friend, it had come to her suddenly and she had spoken before she even realized it… And now they were staring at her. Well, she’d come this far, she might as well finish her thought. “Or George… maybe he knows where Fred is.”

Harry nodded and went to his desk to retrieve the ring. “We can call them both at the same time.” He said excitedly.

“Well we have to do something. And the faster the better.” Lee agreed through the compact. “What do you want us to do while you three are doing that?”

“Willem, Fred told me you two snuck into the ministry to delete those recordings… do you remember how he got you guys in?” Hermione stared at Luna as she spoke, silently asking if she had any sense that this was a worse idea than it seemed and to stop her if she did. Luna shook her head, nothing was poking at her intuition.

“Yes. Why?” He demanded.

“Tonight, you and Lee need to go back and find the archives. Get everything you can on Elise, Sarah and Elanya.” Hermione instructed. “They know all about us, we need to know everything about them.”

“But Arthur has Mad-eye looking after all the records and files.” Harry reminded her.

“Don’t worry about that. All we need is a distraction to ensure everyone’s attention is away from the ministry.” Lee answered mischievously.

“Just don’t get yourselves arrested.” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. “I’ll call you back if we learn anything.”

“And I’ll call you after the heist.” He returned before they both ended the call.

“Well, should we contact George and Neville now?” Hermione asked eagerly as Harry came back over to sit with them.

He reached out and placed a hand over Luna’s forehead. “Maybe you should just sit back and let us call them up.” He suggested in concern, clearly feeling that she had a fevered headache.

“You do look rather pale.” Hermione agreed, leaning in to look at her better. “Maybe we should go to another room, let you rest for a bit…”

“I’m fine to just sit here and watch.” Luna insisted, just as anxiously curious to know what had happened to Fred as they were.

Harry seemed uncertain but she made it clear that he wouldn’t be able to change her mind. “Okay, let’s hope they can tell us something.” He put on the ring and closed his eyes to concentrate as Hermione reached out to feed her own energy into the ring. Luna attempted to close herself off from them, not wanting her own limited store of energy to be accidentally tapped. She could feel Harry also attempting to shield off from her and she hoped his split focus wouldn’t affect his ability to use the ring.

(BREAK)

Fred watched the ocean waves crash against the boat as it sliced through the water toward the sun setting on the horizon. It would have been an amazing experience had he been there under different circumstances, but when he’d woken that morning he had no idea a boat ride into the Atlantic was in his future. He sighed and leaned on the railing, debating what chances he and his friends would have if he just flung himself overboard.

“You don’t have to look so sad and defeated.” Elanya remarked from beside him. She hadn’t let him out of her sight since they’d gone to empty his bank account and proceed on a frenzied shopping spree. He hadn’t chosen to speak to her since they’d secured passage on this boat. “You could just enjoy your surroundings. It is quite peaceful out here.” She went on, trying to goad him into conversation.

Instead he continued to ignore her and moved further along the deck, but she followed wherever he went. “Come on Fred… I half agreed with your plan. Castellumshire is no place for us, but there are plenty of small uncharted islands there that will suit us just fine.”

“There is no us!” He finally exploded. “There you and me, your hostage. We aren’t in this together, this isn’t some holiday for us to get away from our lives for a bit! So quit acting like this is anything other than what it is, you forcing me to come along with you.”

“I was just trying to make the experience a bit friendlier, less hostile.” She pouted. But he wasn’t fooled for a minute, he knew exactly what kind of snake she was.

“Now that you’ve completely severed my communication to my friends, how can I trust that you’ll keep your word and not let Sarah or your spy or anyone else hurt them?” He asked.

“My word isn’t good enough?” Elanya smiled, leaning her back against the railing so she could face him. He had the sudden desire to lunge forward and shove her, to make her disappear beneath the waves and end this nightmare… of course he had no idea what kind of communication she had set up with her friends and he couldn’t take the chance. Surely they would have planned for him attempting to get rid of her.

“Of course it isn’t. Nothing you’ve said has been true.”

She smiled and crossed her arms. “Of course some of it was true. I know you’re well aware that the most convincing lies are rooted in honesty.”

“Okay, I’ll bite… what was true?” He dared her.

“That I don’t want to hurt anyone now that Edmund is gone. Of course I will if I have to… I’d just really rather the situation didn’t come up, which is why I’m relieved that you’ve decided to play so nicely.” She smiled again, this time with a bit of teasing coyness. “You must really love your brother and sister… and this Hermione must be pretty important too.”

“What else were you being honest about?” He pressed, ignoring her attempt to goad him into revealing anything.

“That I want nothing to do with Voldemort or his plan to turn us immortal, and that Sarah and Elise were actually interested… not in Voldemort mind you, but in the vampire curse.”

“We’ll be dropping anchor in five minutes.” One of the boat’s crew members came over to announce. “As you are the only two being let off at the entrance islands, we’ll row you in. Do you already have your return plans booked?”

“Our stay will be indefinite.” Elanya answered him while still looking at Fred.

“But miss, it’s mighty hard to flag someone down if you haven’t already arranged a pick up.” The crew member protested.

“We’ll take our chances.” She finally turned her attention to the man, reaching out to run her fingers up his arm. “Why don’t you go start loading our things into the rowboat?” She suggested, lowered her voice and drawing the man in. “You look strong enough to accomplish the task… and many others I’m sure.” She added with a twinkling laugh.

“Right away miss.” The man smiled and hurried off to do as he asked.

“Now why couldn’t you have been that easy?” Elanya turned back to Fred.

“I’m better at sensing a wolf in sheep’s clothing.” He replied, turning to follow the crew member she’d so easily bewitched.

Within a half an hour, they had been rowed ashore and left all alone with the many things she had made him buy for this little excursion. “Great, it looks like rain.” Fred muttered as the dark clouds rolled in with the coming night. Brief flashes of lighting tore through the sky as ripples of thunder roared overhead.

Elanya casually reached down and pulled out an umbrella. “Well, I guess that just gives you more incentive to get the tent up quickly then, doesn’t it?”

(BREAK)

“Believe me, I wish I could help you.” George said miserably as he and Neville floated before them. “It’s not exactly like we can actually see you guys up here, it’s more like we have a sense of what you’re doing.” He added glumly.

“What did the flowers look like?” Neville asked.

Harry tried to think the image to him, but apparently his power was unable to bridge the gap between the living and the dead. He, Luna and Hermione attempted to describe the exact flowers from Luna’s vision. “Does any of that sound familiar?” He asked when they were done.

Neville appeared thoughtful. “You might want to double check, but they sound like Colorsplosions… they’re flowers that sort of explode in color during the day when they bloom and then shrivel away at night. I know they’re rare, I just can’t remember where they’re found… mostly islands I think.”

“That’s okay. As long as we know what they are, we can look up where to find them.” Hermione assured him. “You’ve been very helpful.”

“Just make sure you find Fred as soon as possible, okay?” George pleaded with them. “I still can’t believe he got himself into something like this.”

“He didn’t have a choice. Elanya was threatening Ron and Ginny.” Luna argued, her voice weak and strained. Harry turned to her in concern, ignoring the discomfort of wearing the ring to focus in on her. Inside her head was dark and shadowy, as if someone had turned off the lights… though he could still see sparks in the back, letting him know she hadn’t fried herself out completely.

“Just, find a way for me to talk to him when you help him straighten all this out okay?” George insisted, clearly worried for his twin.

“We will.” Harry promised. They said their goodbyes and the two ghostly figures of their lost friends disappeared. He went over to his desk to put the ring away, already disliking the familiar pull it had on him and his energy vibrations.

“Are you okay?” He heard Hermione once more ask Luna and turned to see what had her so worried. Luna seemed even more pale than she had before… except for the feverish pink spreading across her cheeks and forehead.

“I just feel a little dizzy. I think I just need to eat something.” She answered in a daze as she carefully got up. Even as Harry made his way over to help, he watched her attempt to take a step before her legs buckled, forcing Hermione to reach out and catch her. He rushed over to help get Luna back onto the bed, sitting beside her and running his much cooler hand over her heated forehead.

“How about if I bring something up for you from dinner?” Hermione suggested.

“Maybe that’s a better idea.” She replied with a faint smile.

“I’m sorry for pushing you to have those visions.” She said quietly, clearly feeling guilty for the position Luna was now in.

“You don’t have to be, we needed to find Fred.”

“I’ll be right back with something to eat.” Hermione promised, hurrying out of the room to do what she could to try and make things better.

“You going to make it?” Harry asked gently once they were alone, smiling to hide the large amount of concern he felt.

“I think the chances are good.” Luna joked back as she took his hand in hers. “I guess I pushed too far too fast… but I had too.”

“I know the feeling.” He sympathized, kissing her fingers. “I just wish you hadn’t let what Ron said get to you so much… many people have warned me about pushing myself too far too fast, yourself included. You didn’t have to burn yourself out to prove to anyone that you’re ‘useful’.”

“I had to prove it to myself.” She protested with a faint smile. “I hate being at the whim of my visions, it’s about time they worked for me.”

“Yeah, okay. Too bad they worked a little too hard. Some food and sleep will do wonders though.”

“I hope so… you aren’t feeling it, are you?” Luna asked in concern.

“Don’t worry about what I’m feeling.” He told her, not wanting her to know that he was in fact going through a lot of the same symptoms she was… to the point where it almost felt as if he’d been the one to drain his power and overextend his energy output.

“This isn’t good… we have to find a way to be separate sometimes.” She said through a loud yawn.

“Yes we do.” He agreed. Harry knew he did dangerous things far more often than she did and that due to his desire for victory, he got hurt a lot. The last thing he wanted was for Luna to suffer every time someone challenged him, to share his pain every time he did something stupid. There had to be a way, they just had to figure it out.

(BREAK)

Jacey looked into the mirror carefully to ensure the potion had entirely worn away. Once assured she was herself with no trace of Tristan, she took a deep breath and picked up Harry’s invisibility cloak, nervously settling it around herself. Ron had called out and asked her to come see him just before dinner, and she was anxious about what she would say. The guilt was eating her alive, she knew she had to tell him about Parvati… and how she had not warned anyone in time to stop the girl’s fate. It would not be easy, but it had to be done and Harry had agreed to let her be the one to tell Ron everything about his missing girlfriend.

She crept through the common room, careful not to get too close to any of the students still milling around. Her stomach clenched painfully as she entered the Gryffindor wing and she only hoped Ron would not hate her after tonight. Standing outside his door, she took a moment to gather herself before knocking. As soon as he opened up, she brushed past him and waited until he closed the door again before flinging off the cloak. “You really came!” He seemed surprised.

“I had told you that I would if I was able.” She smiled, sitting awkwardly at his desk. “There are some things we need to talk about.”

“Yes there are.” He agreed. “Will you go out into the woods with me tonight?”

“Excuse me? The woods?”

“I want to go looking for Parvati.” Ron sighed and went to look out his window. “I know Dumbledore has sent a lot of people out there, all with beasts and gadgets meant to find people. But it’s been three days and they still haven’t found her.”

“And you think we will be more successful?” She asked gently. “I know Dumbledore is doing everything he can, nothing is working. He has sent people to look, he has had people scrying, he has the beasts of the forest keeping an eye out… there is nothing more that can be done.”

“Well I have to do something!” He cried, turning to face her. “I can’t stand worrying like this anymore, I can’t handle not knowing what’s happened to her, or the guilt that it’s my fault.”

“I know why their efforts to locate her have failed.” Jacey looked away, unable to meet his gaze. “It is because all of their efforts are spent attempting to locate a human, which Parvati no longer is.”

“What are you saying?” He asked quietly, his voice tense with emotion.

“She has been turned, we are sure of it. Parvati is a vampire and unless they alter their devices and coordinate their search accordingly, they will never find her. Especially if she does not want to be found.” She blurted out in one swift breath.

“What do you mean you’re sure? What’s going on?” He demanded, coming over so that she had to look at him.

She shook her head and began her story, telling him everything that involved Parvati while leaving out the parts that gave away that they had killed Tristan. When she was done, Ron simply grunted and walked back over to the window, leaning heavily on the sill. “So why didn’t you tell anyone what you thought?” He asked.

“I told you, I was not sure…” She swallowed hard, waiting to see what would happen.

“Better safe than sorry!” He shouted, turning to face her again. “I’m so tired of all this secrecy! Look what’s happened now because of it!”

“I did not want to accuse without proof!” She argued in her defense.

“So you had to wait until she disappeared and Luna saw her as a vampire?! When was there going to be enough proof… when she showed up bearing her fangs in your face?”

“Hey! You knew there was something wrong with her, you could have just as easily tried to figure it out instead of letting the girl convince you it was just a cold.” She said in anger. She already knew she shared some blame in this, but she would not accept it all.

Ron seemed to deflate before her as he turned and slumped down on the edge of his bed. “You’re right.” He said quietly. “I wasn’t paying attention… but what now? What can anyone possibly tell Padma, or their parents?”

“It will not be easy.” She got up and went to sit beside him, placing a hand on his knee in comfort. “But just because she is a vampire does not mean she is like Tristan or Troy. As long as she is away from the will of her creator, there is nothing to say she will be bad.”

“And what if they are around?”

“Then if her will to fight them is stronger, she will be able to overcome… just like Draco and his creator.”

Ron shook his head. “Yeah, Harland- he’s as bad as Tristan.”

Jacey wished she could tell him that Tristan was one being he no longer had to fear, but anyone that was apart of the vampire’s death could be in danger and there were enough of her new friends already in that position. She could not let Ron be put at risk as well.

“I guess the first thing we have to do is find her… until then it’s probably best that we continue to let her family think she’s only missing.” He lamented.

“Probably.” She agreed, moving closer and putting her arm around his shoulders, wanting to make him feel better.

“Do you think she hates me now?” He whispered.

“What?”

Ron shrugged her off and stood uncertainly before her. “Parvati, do you think she blames me for not protecting her? Do you think she hates me?”

“No one can know what she is thinking.” Jacey replied uneasily as certain thoughts of his became clearer in her mind. “But I can see what you are thinking and you are blaming me… you think I distracted you from her!” She stood and crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.

“First of all, stay out of my head!” He shouted. “And secondly, just because I think that doesn’t mean I blame you. I blame myself! I let myself be distracted by you when I should have either paid attention to Parvati or been honest with her about how I really felt.”

“And how do you really feel?” She pushed, taking a step closer to him.

“Like you don’t know.” He answered bitterly. “As if I could even help it after seeing you.”

Without warning, she grabbed his face and pressed her lips to his, giving into what they both wanted. At first he was astonished, but he quickly overcame it and wrapped his arms tightly around her to return the kiss with an equal depth of passion. He walked forward until she felt the edge of the bed against her legs. Letting her knees collapse she fell back, pulling him along with her. It had been so long since she had experienced any kind of intimacy and even longer since she had done so with someone who craved her as much as she craved them. And oh how she wanted Ron… She had no explanation as to why he had so captivated her but he had, and to now feel his lips on her skin, the weight of him as he hovered over her, and the heat of his desire… it was everything she’d thought it would be and more. She had wanted this ever since she’d laid eyes on him and had come close to giving in last night. Her own guilt had stopped her then, as his seemed to stop him now.

“Wait.” Ron said in a strangled voice as he pulled away. “I’m sorry I can’t do this.” He gently rolled away from her and sat up, anxiously running his hands through his hair. “I just can’t let myself be happy while Parvati is out there.”

She sat up and reached out to rub his back. “I understand.” She said quietly.

“I know you do.” He smiled sadly.

“I am going to leave. It will be easier for us both I think.” Jacey suggested, moving to climb off the bed.

“Will you stay?” He asked, his eyes wide and hopeful. “Will you just lay here and sleep next to me so I won’t feel so alone?”

She studied him carefully before giving in. “Okay, I do not want to be alone either. But I must leave very early in the morning.”

“I don’t care. Some time with you is better than none.” He agreed, climbing under the covers and motioning her to join him.

He turned out the light and lay back, both of them left staring at the ceiling as nervous tension descended on them. Taking the initiative, she turned to Ron and wrapped her arm around him, resting her head on his shoulder. She smiled in the dark as he responded, placing his own arms securely around her and pulling her close. For the first time in her life, Jacey felt safe… that there was someone who could care for her more than they cared for themselves. It was a feeling he was bringing out in her that she was beginning to treasure and as she snuggled in closer to him, she knew she would do anything to keep it.

(BREAK)

After more than a week had passed, Hermione felt like she was at the end of her rope. After a disappointing conversation with Professor Sprout, she’d learned that Colorsplosions were so rare they were thought to be extinct. But Luna was sure of what she’d seen and Neville had been pretty sure of what they’d described. Hermione had spent every free moment in the library trying to find out anything about the exotic flowers but so far her search had yielded nothing. Just as she thought she was going to lose her mind, she decided to shift her focus… but she needed to use one of the invisibility cloaks in order to get into the restricted area of the library where she knew the information she wanted was being kept.

Harry had been her first stop but Jacey was still in possession of his cloak and so Hermione had gone to Draco who had gladly handed his over with no questions. Now all she had to do was wait for the castle to shut down for the night. Locked away in her room, she pulled out the compact to check in with Lee for the millionth time. “No, we haven’t found anything interesting yet!” He said right away, clearly agitated with her constant nagging.

She’d been glad to learn he and Willem had been able to sneak into the ministry and abscond with the necessary files. But that had been several days ago and she knew had she been the one in possession of those documents, she would have been able to have gone through them quite a few times by now. “Why not?” She demanded.

“I don’t know, maybe because I also have to keep forging letters to Molly pretending they’re from Fred… Maybe because there’s a million things to read in these stupid files… and maybe it’s because you keep calling every five minutes to distract me!” He said loudly. “What about you? Have you figured out where those flowers grow yet?”

“No, but I have plans to get into the restricted part of the library tonight… while I’m there I’ll look to see if there’s anything about Colorsplosions.”

“Well what else are you going there for?”

Hermione shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. How’s Willem coming along in finding Elanya’s grandmother?”

“Not so good. Turns out the ministry didn’t actually know too much about Jayalina Delamora… we can’t even find her parents names.” Lee answered in frustration. “But he’s having Arthur see what he can do about helping expand the search past our ministry’s information. Willem told him that he wants to try and find any family he may have and thankfully Arthur hasn’t questioned his motives too much.”

“We have to find them.” She insisted. “If Jayalina really did have her parents keeping Elanya safe, then they may be able to give Willem insight into their granddaughter.”

“As soon as he knows who and where, he intends to go see them.” Lee assured her. “In the meantime, give me a few hours of peace and I might actually make headway into all of this information… trust me, if there was a way I could send it all to you without anyone finding out I would.”

“Sorry I’m being pushy.” She sighed and fought back the angry tears threatening to fall. “It’s just that it’s been a week and none of us have heard from him…”

“I know, Hermione. I’m worried too.” He said gently. “How’s Luna? Is she able to have visions yet?”

“She’s been trying but every time she does, she gets a terrible headache… I hope I didn’t break her or anything by pushing her so much last week.” Hermione was actually quite worried about Luna and feeling very guilty for letting the girl force herself that last time when she’d already looked so exhausted. And worse, they still hadn’t been able to figure out the vision she’d clearly hurt herself to have for them. “She has said she’s been having dreams about Fred and that so far she believes he’s okay.”

“Well, I guess if it’s coming from Luna I can accept it as fact… I’m glad he’s okay, but I wonder how he’s doing otherwise, you know?”

“I try not to think about it.” She muttered. “Call me back if you or Willem find anything okay? Otherwise I’ll just talk to you again in the morning.”

“Will do.” He promised.

They ended their communication, leaving her with nothing to do except wait. When she finally felt it was time, the clock had already struck midnight. Carefully wrapping Draco’s cloak around herself, Hermione crept through the common room and out into the hallway. She tried not to make a single noise as she made her way to the library, not wanting to alert Filtch, his cat Mrs. Norris, the ghosts or anyone else who may be awake and also wandering the halls. She’d never felt so nervous before, sneaking out with one of her friends was one thing but she rarely did it on her own for the sheer fact that she just wasn’t as comfortable being sneaky like the others. But she had to push aside her discomfort… being sneaky seemed to be the only way to accomplish anything these days, it had certainly worked for Elanya, Sarah and Elise.

At last she came to the library doors and she hoped Madame Pince hadn’t locked them for the night. She let out a huge sigh of relief when she reached out and pulled, finding the door had easily opened. Moving over to the librarian’s desk, Hermione grabbed the keys and a small lantern before rushing over to the restricted section. She unlocked the gate and with as little noise as possible, began making her way through the stacks in search of what she wanted. Stopping to grab a text on lost and uncharted islands, she quickly moved on to the metaphysical section.

The Advanced Art of Astral Projection. It was the first title to grab her eye and she instantly grabbed the book, figuring she could figure out the basics of something she had little time to learn. Besides, she’d always found it easier to learn things from a harder perspective than to be talked down to during the easier steps. Banned Acts of Astral Projection. Hermione grabbed that book too, figuring a few of the tricks Sarah had mastered would be covered there.

Hearing a noise, she quickly extinguished the lantern and stood as still as a statue, not daring to even breathe. Even though she was able to see that she was still alone, her furiously beating heart could no longer stand the paranoia that comes from breaking so many rules. Tucking all three books under her arm, she hurried to lock the gate and return the key before rushing back to her room. She had a lot of reading to do and she wanted to learn as fast as possible… She wanted to be able to do everything Sarah was capable of doing and while it may have taken the woman years to master her skills, Hermione was certain she could achieve a certain level of mastery within days. Maybe she was being overconfident in her intelligence but she didn’t care. They were always saying she was the smart one, in Luna’s vision even Elanya and Sarah had said so… Now it was time she prove it.

More than learning how to protect her own mind from Sarah’s invasion, she wanted to learn how to leave her body and travel to other places so that she could finally have a way to communicate with Fred once more. She knew it was different than apparating, but since she had picked that up so quickly and astral projection was a part of it, she had high hopes that she could pull it off. Now it was just a matter of how quickly she could get through and apply the material covered in those books. Putting aside the one on islands until tomorrow, Hermione picked up The Advanced Art of Astral Projection and began reading, eager to begin learning the desired skill.

(BREAK)

“I don’t want to go.” Harry turned and buried his head under his pillow. He and Luna had been up late last night going through the ministry documents as they were the only thing able to distract her from the fact that she hadn’t been able to have a vision since draining herself out last week. Despite the fact that they’d figured out two of the three remaining coven members, he’d barely been able to keep his eyes open by the end and the last thing he wanted to do so very early the next morning was get up and get ready to go to Hogsmeade.

“It’s your last trip there as a student.” Luna tried as she sat up and began going through the papers they’d read last night.

“And there’s nothing there I want.” He emerged from under the pillows to put his head in her lap and look up at her with a devilish smile. “In fact everything I want is right here and if I have to be awake I’d rather spend my time doing something I want to do.”

“I’m sure you would.” She rolled her eyes. “But if Hermione and Ron can go and act normally then there’s no reason for you not to. Besides, I’m going so you’d be left here all alone anyway.” She bent over to kiss him before rudely moving out from under him to begin dressing for the day. “You better get going before anyone is awake enough to see you leaving my room.” She teased.

“You’re mean.” He said simply as he forced himself to get up.

“I prefer tough love.” Luna smiled.

Reluctantly Harry left to go to his own room, which felt very cold and lonely. But that’s just how he felt about everywhere now whenever he and Luna were not in each other’s sight. As he dressed, he realized it was a feeling he’d just have to get used to… after all, they couldn’t be next to each other all of the time.

He had just finished tying his shoes when someone came knocking on his door. “Harry?” He heard Ron call through the door. While they’d all just sort of decided to get along, no one had yet attempted to make things right after the things he’d said and the way he’d been acting… And Harry was of the mind that they wouldn’t be able to sort things out while Parvati was still missing. Ron had been going out of his way to avoid his friends- except for Jacey who said she was spending most nights with him, apparently just sleeping. Harry was confused as to why Ron was coming to him now.

“Hey.” He said, opening the door and remaining passive until he could figure out his friend’s motives.

“You remember when you said you were willing to do whatever I wanted to help find Parvati?” Ron asked immediately as he pushed his way into the room.

“Yes…” He answered cautiously.

“Well, according to what Jacey overheard Troy say, the last place he saw her was by Hogsmeade, right? He thought she was heading into the mountains…?”

Harry hesitated. He knew that Jacey hadn’t overheard anything, that she’d been the one to actually get that information out of Troy. But Ron still didn’t know about Tristan or Jacey having to become him. He knew what his friend was about to ask of him and he worried what could happen if he refused such a ridiculous idea. “We can’t just sneak out of the village.” He tried.

“Why not? We sneak out of and into everywhere else.” Ron crossed his arms. “I can’t find any peace of mind until we find her Harry. I don’t care if she’s a vampire, I just want to bring her back to her family!”

“And what if she doesn’t want to come back?” He countered.

“Then at least I’ll know it’s her choice… and at least I’ll have had a chance to talk her out of it.” He was close to begging. “I just need to at least talk to her…”

Harry didn’t know what to do… he had a feeling that if he didn’t agree to go help find Parvati then Ron would simply attempt it on his own. He supposed it would be better if they could find Parvati before Luna’s vision came true, after all, Troy would surely be looking for her and the last thing they needed was two newborn vampires out scuffling in the woods… especially if Troy came out the victor. “Okay.” He agreed, having talked himself into it. At least now he had a reason to go to Hogsmeade, though he knew Luna probably wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea.

“Really?” Ron seemed surprised, as if he’d expected to have to put up more of an argument.

“Really, but we’re asking Lupin to come with us.” He insisted, figuring that would appease both Luna and his own misgivings about the plan. “And everyone else stays behind inside the village walls. The last thing we need is someone else getting bitten, even by accident.”

“Do you think Jacey will be able to meet us out there?” He asked hopefully.

Harry knew she had already taken the potion and had to go into the village as Tristan. Being reminded of that, he felt a sudden pang of guilt. With first Parvati’s disappearance then Fred’s, with Luna frying herself out, with Draco dealing with his father, none of them had focused on releasing Jacey from the obligation of playing their dead enemy. Whether or not they found Parvati today, he knew the next thing he had to do was focus on how to make Tristan disappear for good.

(BREAK)

Jacey climbed into one of the waiting carriages, feeling immensely uncomfortable with having to pretend to be someone else outside of Hogwarts. She had never been to this Hogsmeade village, but Tristan had and he would be familiar with the places and the things he had done there… she was not. Harry and Luna had tried to fill her in during breakfast, thinking her all sorts of memories from their own time spent there. It was overwhelming and as Troy climbed in behind her, she suddenly felt very alone. A sense of foreboding washed over her when Troy turned to Pansy and the others who had been about to also get in their carriage. “You guys do find another one. Tristan and I need to talk.”

They all looked to her and she simple nodded in agreement, sending them scattering to find an empty carriage. She and Troy sat in silence until the caravan of students began moving. “I don’t appreciate being cornered like this.” She said sternly, hoping to maintain her grip on Tristan’s tone.

“And I don’t appreciate being lied to. Something is different about you.” He accused, turning to look at her. There wasn’t a drop of fear in his eyes and Jacey realized he was somehow on to her.

Not knowing what else to do, she quickly reached out and grabbed the boy by the throat, violently shoving him back against his seat. She brought her face close to his and allowed her teeth to grow. “How dare you question me?” She demanded angrily. “I made you, I can just as easily unmake you.”

“And Parvati Patil?” Troy choked out. Thankfully he did not try to break away from her as she knew her strength was nothing compared to Tristan’s. Her performance seemed to have rattled him, making him less certain that he had figured her out.

“What about her?” She asked harshly, releasing her hold on the boy and once more settling comfortably in her seat as if nothing had happened.

“What are your plans for finding her? Surely you are going to find her?” He pressed.

“I don’t have to explain myself or my actions to you or anyone else.” She answered nonchalantly as she gazed out the window, trying to pretend to be disinterested.

“No, but you are supposed to be telling me what to do, remember?” Troy sneered. “So I am I going looking for Parvati on my own today?”

“You do nothing without me!” She roared.

“And what of the plan to get Luna?” He went on, ignoring her fury. Jacey felt shaken, certain he didn’t believe her to be Tristan because if he did, he would never have dared act so boldly. “The others are all waiting for your instructions, I’ve told them you intend to go through with it today no matter what and they’re all wetting themselves in their excitement to prove themselves to you. Unless you give them a specific plan, right now it’s going to be a free-for-all once we get to the village to see which Slytherin will get Luna for you first.” He was so clearly setting a trap, testing her to see what she would do as Tristan.

Forcing herself to remain calm, Jacey shrugged. “Good, let them. That will leave you and I free to go look for Parvati.”

Troy raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Again she shrugged. “I don’t hold out much hope for them, but if one does find success then all the better. If not, then I’ll simply take care of Luna myself once we’ve set things right with our new little vampire.”

“Okay then. I guess you and I will be taking a little trip through the woods alone.” He grinned viciously.

Hiding the shiver of fear that went through her, Jacey silently called out to Harry, Luna and Draco. Hey, I think we have a big problem.

(BREAK)

Okay, new plan. Harry linked his mind to Luna, Jacey, Draco and Ginny so that all of the conspirators could be in on the conversation. Luna, you’re going to come with me, Ron and Lupin… there’s no way in hell you’re staying in Hogsmeade today. Draco, can you follow Jacey and Troy and help her out if she needs it?

“Why is everyone so quiet?” Padma asked, having chosen to ride to the village with them. “I feel like I’m losing my mind in the silence in here.”

Ron took her hand and squeezed it in comfort. “What is there to say?” He asked.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be there soon enough.” Lupin sighed. He’d agreed to come help look for Parvati, but he wasn’t pleased with the idea or the secrecy.

Yeah, I can follow them. Draco replied once they all descended into silence again.

Are you sure you and Jacey could take on Troy alone? Ginny asked in concern.

Do not worry, he is much weaker than Tristan was. Jacey reminded her.

Harry wondered how she was managing to hold herself together riding alone with Troy while knowing he suspected she wasn’t who she claimed to be. For all their sakes, the coaches couldn’t get to the village soon enough. Ginny, I need you to make sure you and Hermione keep out in the open, preferably near the Aurors… Lupin said Kingsley is supposed to be there today. He suggested.

Ginny nodded slightly before glancing at Padma. We should probably keep an eye on her too… Padma looks a wreck. I can’t imagine what she must be feeling not knowing where her sister is.

Harry felt a slight shiver of guilt run through him and Luna at the same time. Neither Ginny nor Ron were yet aware of Fred’s predicament as they hadn’t wanted to alarm them until they knew exactly where their brother was being forced to stay. Plus Ron was already overwhelmed with Parvati’s disappearance, both he and Hermione had worried what telling him about Fred might make him do.

“Finally… We’re here.” Hermione announced from her place beside the window. She took Harry’s hand as they exited the carriage, both still wary of the fact that should Elanya’s spy be watching they had to appear as a couple. She was certain Fred was going to maintain her insignificance to him while he was away and Harry was sure that the less of a target she seemed, the better off they’d be when they were finally able to go looking for Fred.

Together, they led the way behind the nearest building attempting to not draw too much attention to themselves. “Well, are we all ready?” Lupin asked nervously.

“You guys be careful.” Hermione told them, having only been informed that they intended to look for Parvati. “Ginny and I will do our best to cover the fact that you aren’t here.”

“We’ll try not to go out of range. If you need us, call out and we’ll come right back.” Harry squeezed her hand as she nodded in agreement.

Indicating that it was time, Luna took Draco’s hand as Harry grabbed Ron and Lupin. As one they all apparated away with Harry and Luna pushing through the barriers attempting to hold them back. They landed about a half a mile outside the village wall. “Is everyone okay?” Harry asked, wanting to be sure they’d all made it through in one piece.

“There was so much pressure that at one point I thought I was going to burst.” Lupin answered, shaking himself off and ensuring his amulet still hung around his neck. Ron and Draco agreed but Harry and Luna remained unaffected by the trip.

“Well, I better be off.” Draco said.

“Where?” Lupin asked in confusion as he and Ron had no idea Jacey was out there with Troy.

Leaving Luna to silently fill him in, Harry ignored the question and turned to Draco who was absently clutching his amulet as it hung around his neck. “Are you sure you can find them?”

“This close to the full moon, I’ll catch their scent in no time… well hers anyway.” He amended, clearly unsure whether even his heightened senses could detect Troy if he didn’t want to be found. He’d already said as much about Parvati a week ago when Harry had asked if he thought he’d be able to find her.

“Who are you talking about?” Ron asked in total confusion, having no clue as to anything involving Tristan, Jacey or Troy… other than Troy had admitted to being the one to turn Parvati. Ignoring him, Draco merely turned and ran off with more speed than a normal human was capable of.

“Well, let’s try to find Parvati.” Luna suggested, trying to get Ron’s focus back onto their own mission.

Allowing Lupin to lead the way just in case he was able to catch the girl’s scent, Harry and Luna both sent their minds out in search of any signs of consciousness. Even as it began to snow, no one suggested the group turn back. They were all determined… they would not end the day without finding Parvati.

(BREAK)

“Well, let’s go see where Padma went.” Ginny suggested right after the others left.

“I suppose… do you think at some point we could quickly duck into the bookstore?” Hermione asked as they walked out from behind the building and surveyed the street before them. Students and villagers milled around as storekeepers shouted out their holiday sales, attempting to bring in customers. “There she is!” She pointed out Padma, walking toward the Three Broomsticks with Susan, Dean, Seamus and Hannah.

“Well, I guess she’s in good hands.” Ginny remarked. “So, to the bookstore then?”

“I’ll be quick, I promise.” She insisted as they began walking together down the road. An awkward silence descended over them and Hermione knew Ginny was as aware as she was that this was the first time the two girls had been left alone together since they’d had that fight at Harry’s house during the summer. She also knew they were both aware that they were different people from who they were then… but it didn’t make things any less tense between them.

“Great, and now it’s starting to snow.” Ginny muttered before turning her attitude around and attempting to get along. “So, what are you looking for?”

“Anything about exotic flowers or Astral Projection.” She answered simply as they entered the shop and began browsing the shelves.

“Jeez, are they giving something away in here or what?” Ginny grumbled as they pushed their way through the large crowd.

“More likely this is a just a good place for them to stop and get warm before heading back out into the snow.” She muttered while she scoured the titles before her. Ginny walked off a bit, trying to help speed things along by searching out a different aisle. Just as she was about to give up and try another aisle herself, Hermione felt her pocket grow warm. Lee must have found something….

Quickly making sure Ginny wouldn’t notice, Hermione ducked out of the store and around the back away from prying eyes and ears. She didn’t want to have to explain to any of Fred’s family that he was missing and so the last person she needed overhearing her was his sister. To her dismay it began to snow harder… she felt her heart clench as her thoughts returned to Halloween night, when she and Fred had shared their first kiss in the snow covered courtyard. She shook her head, ready to focus on bringing him home. “Lee?” She asked as soon as she opened the compact.

“Yeah, I think I may have figured something out from these files.” He answered uncertainly.

“What?” She demanded eagerly.

“Well, I think I know who they’re using as a spy… and it’s definitely not Simon McKinney.” Lee hesitated, clearly uncomfortable as he furrowed his brow in her broken image of him in the mirror. “You’re not going to believe this… I’m not sure I believe it and I’m looking at the proof in front of me.”

“So, who is it?” Hermione was on edge, unable to stand the anticipation any longer.

“Well… It seems Elise knows one of the professors up there at Hogwarts very well.” He answered breathlessly.

(BREAK)

It didn’t take long for Draco to catch Jacey’s scent despite the falling snow, she had promised to touch as many trees as possible to help lead him to her… Troy he was unable to detect at all. I think I’m close. He thought out, hoping she would respond.

Come quick, I think he’s working up the nerve to make a move. Jacey’s worried voice came back to him.

Pulling off his amulet, he shoved it in his pocket and stopped to close his eyes and concentrate. Draco focused on her smell while eliminating all the others. His ears picked up something to the west and he immediately set off, careful to make as little noise as possible. At last he saw them walking and snuck up as close as he could to determine what the situation was.

“Somehow, I have a feeling Parvati is nowhere near here… I thought you said you’d be more capable to find her.” Troy was saying.

Draco waited for Jacey to strike out at the boy as Tristan would have had his word been questioned. But she didn’t, instead attempting to keep him in line with threats alone. He began to see why Troy had become suspicious, apparently the only thing Jacey wasn’t able to properly imitate was Tristan’s ruthlessness.

Sure enough, Troy stopped and violently grabbed Jacey’s arm. “You aren’t Tristan Macnair, are you?!” He demanded. “What Parvati said on Halloween was true wasn’t it? Potter and Malfoy somehow managed to kill Tristan and you must be that sneaky little girl they’ve been hiding up at the castle!” He bared his teeth, his canines growing to sharp points. While not nearly as scary as Tristan’s, Troy’s fangs looked just as dangerous.

Draco was moving in an instant, rushing the vampire and tackling him to the ground as Jacey pulled herself free. The two boys snarled at each other, each very much wanting to come out the dominant force as they began taking swings at each other. Just as Draco was sure he’d hit hard enough to shatter the other’s nose, Troy managed to connect as well, hitting with enough force to knock Draco back. Rising to his feet with his nose dripping blood, Troy was greeted by the sight of Jacey with her hands up and cupping balls of flame. “What the hell are you?” He marveled.

Sensing Draco getting up behind him, Troy must have figured his best chance was to run. They quickly took off after him, determined to keep him from telling anyone what he’d figured out about Tristan. Jacey, being quite properly human, fell behind quickly as the two boys raced through the woods as fast as their hybrid speed allowed. While Troy wasn’t exactly able to fly, he seemed to hover over the ground as he went and was therefore able to move a bit faster and with less care than Draco who had to be wary of the multitude of obstacles covering the forest floor. But never once did he let the vampire out of his sight… the hunt was on and not only did he not know how to turn it off, he didn’t want to.

(BREAK)

“Hey, here’s one on astral projection.” Ginny grabbed the book and turned to find Hermione but the other girl wasn’t where she’d been a second ago. Quickly scanning the store, she caught sight of her just as she was ducking out the door. What is she up to? Ginny thought to herself. She debated whether or not to follow, knowing if alone it was safer to be here in this crowded store. But Hermione knew that too, so what had drawn her to do something as dangerous as walk the streets alone?

Curious and slightly worried, she made her way towards the door before she could talk herself out of it. Besides, if she was quick she’d be able to catch up to Hermione in no time. Stepping outside, she looked up and down the now deserted streets, but the other girl was nowhere to be seen. Trying to remain calm and logical, she figured Hermione must have ducked into another store as it had begun to snow even harder. And then she saw footprints leading around to the back of the bookstore. They were quickly being filled in with new snow and pulling her hood lower over her face, she set out to follow them, suddenly certain they were Hermione’s. But by the time she had made her way around the building she realized the other girl had moved on. The footprints seemed to stop and then start again as she must have decided to get out of the snow after all.

With a sigh of frustration, Ginny began to make her way back to the front. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught some movement and turning to look, she was able to make out a figure in the distance walking toward the orchard. Maybe she’d read the footprints wrong… after all the snow was now practically coming down in thick, heavy sheets.

“Hey! Hermione!” She took off after the figure, moving as fast as possible as she slipped and slid through the snow. But as she got closer she saw that she had made a mistake. The person ahead of her was far too tall to be her friend, and from the way they moved, she was certain it was a man. Fear washed over her out of nowhere and she tried to turn around before he noticed her.

But it was too late, he had heard her calling. He turned, revealing himself to be Lucius Malfoy. “You!” He narrowed his eyes and sneered at her as he raised his wand. Hers was tucked away in her coat pocket, he would see any move she made to retrieve it. Panic flooded through her. “I know who you are, you’re the little girl who bedded and bewitched my son into turning on us, on me!”

“And you’re the one who tried to kill him and allowed Harland to be sent after him.” She returned, determined not to let him see that she was afraid.

“Two failed attempts to end his life, but I’ve come to finish things today. Where is he?” He demanded, taking several long strides closer to her.

Unable to stop herself she tried to back away but he lunged and grabbed her arm, waving his wand in her face. “Where’s Draco?” He asked harshly, leering at her.

“I don’t know.” She answered honestly.

“Well you better figure it out soon because if I can’t find him, you’re just as good a catch… hell I might even be able to buy my way back in by bringing the minister’s only daughter to the Dark Lord…” Lucius grinned.

“I doubt it.” She kept her voice even, determined to be brave. “Nothing you do will change who your parents are, as Draco had the misfortune to learn.”

His eyes darkened and he gripped her arm tighter. “If I have to drag you through the streets as bait, I will see my son today.” He threatened. “Now, do you know where he is or not?”

(BREAK)

“There are signs that someone has come this way very recently.” Lupin said, bringing them to a stop a he examined the ground. “Since I can’t pick up on any scent other than decaying earth, I can only assume it must be Parvati.”

Ron shivered at the words the man used to describe what he smelled… it reminded him that Parvati was in all actuality dead, that what she was now something entirely other than human.

“Why wouldn’t the Aurors have picked up on it?” Luna pondered dreamily though her gaze was sharp and focused.

“Because they don’t know what they’re looking for.” Lupin answered grimly. “There are ways for them to find a vampire, but they believe they are searching for a student… and as we don’t know how Parvati has taken to it, it’s much better that we find her before they do.”

“Meaning what? That she could attack?” Harry asked.

Lupin shrugged. “She’s a newborn that has been left to wander on her own through nature for close to two weeks. Environment can absolutely affect the way someone can come out of this. For example, had Draco been bitten and left on his own in the woods there’s no telling whether he would have retained as much of his humanity as he had. The same goes for me, Parvati and any other human infected by a humanoid.”

Determining she’d been there less than half an hour before, they quickly moved on. Ron’s stomach was tied in knots as they all started calling out for Parvati hoping the girl would show herself. “Over there!” Luna pointed as her attention was suddenly drawn to a small grove of trees.

“Parvati!” Ron cried out desperately, taking a few steps in that direction.

And then he saw her. She peeked her head out first before fully stepping away from the tree she’d been hiding behind, still wearing the long dress she used as a costume for the dance. It was in tatters now, her hair was hanging in tangles around her shoulders and her skin, normally a dark creamy caramel, was now ashy and pale. She dropped to her knees in the snow in front of them and hung her head. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. “I never wanted this.”

Ron took off his coat and moved to wrap it around her shoulders but she held out a hand to stop him. “Don’t come near me!” She shouted fearfully before once more falling into despair. “It wouldn’t help anyway. I don’t really feel the cold.”

“Parvati?” Lupin tentatively stepped forward, tightly gripping his amulet. Ron, Harry and Luna all stepped to the side, letting their professor attempt to handle things. “We have to take you back, Dumbledore, your family, Arthur and the ministry… they can all help you.”

“NO!” She leapt to her feet. “I don’t want to go back, I can’t! Not like this!”

“Please understand Parvati, this doesn’t have to mean-” Lupin stopped and whipped his head to the side at the same time Parvati did, both obviously picking up on something the others couldn’t.

Harry and Luna must have caught whatever it was next because they both instantly had their wands out and had taken a few steps in front of Ron as if to protect him… Though Harry had been sure to place himself at the front, keeping both Ron and Luna corralled behind him. Seconds later Troy burst into their little clearing, his eyes quickly washing over them all as he took in the situation. “I’ve been looking for you!” He said, zeroing in on Parvati. “I’ll take care of you if it’s the last thing I do!” He screamed, rushing at her faster than Ron could perceive.

Parvati was ready but before he could even reach her, Draco came out of nowhere, tackling Troy mid-strike. Ron watched in stunned horror along with the others as the two boys tumbled to the ground, both quickly getting back on their feet and crouching low as they circled each other, waiting for the chance to attack.

“Whoa, look out!” Ron yelled, catching sight of Tristan running through the trees towards them. He raised his wand and took aim.

“Ron, no! That’s not Tristan!” Luna shouted, knocking his arm just as he released his spell. Not quite understanding what she meant, he turned back in horror to find out whether she had stopped him in time.





NOTE: Who’s the professor spy? What will Lucius do? What will happen with vampires Troy and Parvati? Did Ron mistakenly hit Jacey with a spell? What’s going on with Fred? Find out next chapter!

________________________________________
Chapter 51: A Dangerous Day in Hogsmeade

A/N: So in this chapter I name a professor as a possible spy… just to let you know, I am changing things up from how they were in the real books yet again by using an OC in place of an semi-established character. Let’s all go with the flow on this 🙂 Read, Review and Enjoy!



Hermione entered the gardening shed next to the flower shop and sat on the floor among the flower pots before once more eagerly pulling out the compact. “Lee?”

“What happened? Why’d you cut me off?” He demanded.

“I heard someone coming and had to move.” She explained. Just as the snow had begun to fall harder, she’d heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps crunching around the bookstore to where she’d originally gone to talk to him. She’d had to close the compact and quickly hide herself behind the woodpile before the tall figure of a man walked past her toward the orchard. She hadn’t bothered to question who he was or where he was going, she’d been too anxious to resume talking to Lee. Instead she’d waited until the man was a few yards from her before dashing out and around the other side of the building toward the now deserted streets. Figuring the shed was her best bet not to run into anyone else while still getting out of the snow, she’d rushed there and closed herself in. “You were saying the spy might be a professor?” She asked incredulously.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure. Seems Elanya had a secret fling that the ministry actually knew all about… According to the files, she and the professor involved had to attend disciplinary hearings years ago before she graduated but they were able to convince everyone that they were mistaken… or at least no one could prove the affair.” He answered, flipping through the documents to be sure of what he was telling her.

“None of that was in her Hogwarts file.” Hermione argued.

“Maybe not in so many words, but if you go back and read it now, you might see that they alluded to it… What I have here seems to indicate that Dumbledore had wanted the professor to be banned from teaching but as they were unable to prove anything beyond a doubt, he had to keep the guy in employment and keep both their records clean.”

“So, who is it?”

“Dolos Erebos.” He grimly announced.

“The Arithmancy professor? Are you sure?” Hermione had always enjoyed his class, had been the only one in her house to attempt an OWL in the subject. She couldn’t believe he would have an affair with a student let alone offer to spy on and kill one.

“That’s what it says. And from what I’m seeing of her recent travels, I’m pretty sure they’re still in touch- there was a report of them being seen together this summer in Australia. Let’s see… she had entered the country to reportedly attend a family funeral. I have no idea why he was there obviously. You might want to look into the guy’s files up at school because I’m sure as hell not breaking back into the ministry… nearly had heart failure the last time, I was so nervous someone would catch us.” He shuddered as he recalled the experience.

“I’ll do that. Let me know if you manage to find anything else.” She answered distractedly as her mind whirled, trying to remember everything she knew of Professor Erebos. While serious with a very no-nonsense attitude in his class, he was also very approachable and spent time ensuring each of his students completely understood the material, even if he did issue mile long essays every week. He always offered a friendly smile in the hallways and was willing to listen when a student had a problem. Hermione had always considered Erebos to be a very good teacher and nothing she could think of now reconciled him with the image of a murderous spy. But then… it was right there in his name, wasn’t it? Dolos Erebos, a name full of trickery… at least according to the Ancient Greeks.

(BREAK)

Luna watched in horror as her previous vision of this event came to life before her eyes with a few new changes now that they had attempted to interfere with the future and people were making their own decisions. No one seemed to know what to do as Draco and Troy circled each other waiting for the opportune time to strike. And then Jacey, still disguised as Tristan had come running up and Ron perceiving the danger had mistakenly taken aim to try and help. She shouted and tried to shove his arm in time before quickly whippng around to see whether she’d saved Jacey… she had, the other girl was still coming towards them.

“What do you mean that’s not Tristan?” Ron demanded. Luna realized everyone had stopped what they were doing and were tensely waiting to see what would unfold.

“Now is not the time to explain.” Harry said quickly.

“I think it’s the perfect time to explain!” Troy yelled, taking a step closer to Draco. Harry and Ron instantly pointed their wands, almost daring the vampire to make a move.

At last remembering that these were students and he was a professor, Lupin came to his senses and stepped forward. “Everyone stop!” He shouted. Draco bristled at the command but Troy gave no indication that he heard.

Instead he turned to Parvati. “Come on, snap out of it! Do what you were made to do and help me avenge what they did to Tristan.”

Parvati seemed unsure, her face showed she was concentrating hard. “No.” She said at last. “There’s nothing to avenge. He’s not my master.”

“But I am!” Troy hissed. “Now do as I say!”

“Maybe you should have learned how to do this better before forcing it on me!” She screamed. “I’ll do nothing you say!”

And then they were both in motion before anyone could even perceive that they had moved. Parvati and Troy clashed together, a tangle of teeth and claws. “Stop!” Luna shouted, knowing neither had heard her.

“Harry! Help me separate them!” Lupin yelled, waving his wand. Harry stepped forward and focused, using his own powers to grab hold of Troy and rip him from Parvati’s grasp as Lupin pulled her away. Harry pinned Troy to the ground, allowing Luna to cast and bind him in place.

“Hey!” Draco shouted. Luna spun around in time to see Parvati lunge and attack him. She was on top of him on the ground and he was trying desperately not to hurt her while still keeping her nails and snapping fangs away from him.

Harry, Ron and Lupin rushed over to help but the girl was in a feral state and any time anyone got too close, she’d snap at them as well. “Stop now!” Jacey shouted. Still bearing Tristan’s appearance, she stepped forward and allowed the flames to burst from her hands in warning.

Unlike Tristan, Parvati’s skin wasn’t impenetrable and could easily be burned. Her eyes were on Jacey’s hands, transfixed by the fire. At last she seemed to come back to her senses, giving up her attack on Draco and rolling to the side to allow him to stand. He quickly pulled his amulet from his pocket and put it on as he backed away from her, holding it firmly in his hand. Luna knew they were lucky that he’d managed to hang on to himself, it had to have been difficult for him to separate Parvati from the vampire she now was. It was clear she’d lost herself and attacked him simply for what he was, her natural enemy… thankfully Draco had been given more time to get used to his werewolf self.

“I’m sorry.” Parvati said sadly as she sat before them in the snow.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Lupin reasoned, though he was sure to keep his distance from her as he also clutched his amulet.

Seeing that the situation was under control, Jacey released the fire she’d been holding, her hands now hanging at her sides and smoking slightly. Luna held her breath along with the rest of her friends as Ron approached her.

“Jacey?” He asked hesitantly, clearly unsure as the person before him looked everything like Tristan. “What the hell is going on?”

(BREAK)

Ginny tried to pull her arm free, but Lucius dug his fingers in, refusing to let her escape so easily. “This is your last chance, where’s Draco?” He growled.

“He’s out in the woods somewhere, he’s not here in the village!” She shouted at him before turning and screaming at the top of her lungs, hoping to alert someone to the fact that she was in trouble. But they were so far from the buildings, and the thickly falling snow muffled her voice even more.

“Stupid girl!” He shook her and once more pointed his wand in her face. “Do that again and I’ll cut your tongue right out.” He threatened.

And not doubting that he would, she kept her mouth shut. Panic was quickly settling in as she realized her silent calls for help were going as unanswered as her actual screams. Harry, Luna and Jacey must be too far into the forest and had gone out of range… at least that’s what she hoped. Not wanting to make herself feel even worse, she refused to think that they weren’t answering because something had happened to them out there.

“So, he’s out in the woods.” Lucius stared off thoughtfully, gripping her arm even tighter. “That’s right, the full moon is only two days away… they probably don’t want him mixing with the students too much. Let me guess, he’s out there with Remus Lupin.” He sneered. Ginny remained silent, neither wanting to confirm nor deny anything he thought. He had no idea that Fred had found a way to help with those amulets so she was perfectly willing to let Lucius believe Draco was more out of control than he was. “Alright, we’re going to sneak out of the village and go looking for them. It’s better we go out into the woods anyway, less chance of being seen.” He licked his lips, eager to have this showdown with his son.

She didn’t fight as he pulled her along to whatever break in the fence he’d snuck in through. Ginny very much wanted him to take her out there and closer to Harry and Luna… she had to tell them to warn Draco. The last thing she was going to do was let Lucius have the element of surprise.

(BREAK)

Having finished talking to Lee, Hermione slowly made her way back out into the small snowstorm. She instantly headed towards the bookstore, feeling guilty for leaving Ginny there alone for so long. As she walked, she began preparing her excuse for the other girl, trying to decide what to say to her and still not alert her to the fact that her brother was missing. It was cold and wet out, and Hermione was eager to get inside and warm up despite having to lie to one of her friends once she got there… But just as she was approaching the door, she could have sworn she heard someone scream for help. What’s more, she thought it sounded like Ginny.

The snow was growing deeper, making it hard for her to maneuver her way around to the back of the building once more. She fell twice as she tried to run, and she shivered as her pants where now completely soaked. Even though she hadn’t heard another scream, she was suddenly certain that it was Ginny and she kept moving forward in time to see two figures far ahead of her, one dragging the other into the orchard. Hermione forced herself not to call out, waiting until they were completely in the trees before going to follow, pulling out her wand as she went.

“Hey!” She heard someone call from behind her.

Turning, she found Crabbe and Goyle standing together. “What do you two want?” She asked impatiently, gripping her wand tighter.

“That’s not Lovegood! It’s Granger.” Goyle shoved Crabbe.

“How was I supposed to be able to tell through the snow?” He argued.

“I really don’t have time for an act from Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.” She called over the wind. “Why don’t you two just run along?”

“Where’s Luna? We need to talk to her.” Crabbe took a few menacing steps towards her, forcing her to raise her wand.

“Do you see her anywhere? I have no idea where she is.” Hermione answered nervously. “And I doubt you have any reason to talk to her since neither of you are supposed to be in the village. You’re supposed to be under house arrest back at school.”

“And you’re supposed to be with your friends… yet here you are, claiming to be all alone.” Goyle taunted.

“You really expect us to believe the others aren’t close by?” Crabbe leered.

“I have always expected very little from either of you. And yet you still have the ability to disappoint.” She shot back, refusing to show fear in front of these two idiots. “And I don’t need anybody’s help to be able to take care of you.” To prove her point, she shot a spell at their feet, causing the snow to violently explode up into their faces.

It was clear they would have liked to retaliate, but their uncertainty that they could really take her on was too much. After all, they’d had years to see what she was capable of in class. “Come on, let’s go back to the village and look for Lovegood.” Crabbe suggested. “Granger’s useless to us at the moment anyway since Potter’s not around.” He added, as if they were leaving only because she wasn’t worth their time.

She let them go simply because she knew Luna was nowhere near the village, though she did intend to warn both her and Harry that the Slytherins were looking for her. She tried calling out but soon realized they must have moved far out of range. Waving her wand, she dried her clothes as best she could before turning and continuing on to the orchard, following the deep impressions Ginny and her captor had left in the snow. At last, with her teeth chattering and her legs all but numb, she came to a small cluster of bushes that was hiding a newly made hole in the wall surrounding the village.

Hermione didn’t know what to do. The thought of going out into the woods alone while Parvati and Troy were out there wasn’t too appealing, not to mention she wasn’t sure just how dangerous this mystery man was who had taken Ginny. But looking behind her, the thought of going back to the village alone while the Slytherins were out on the hunt for Luna didn’t seem like the greatest plan either. She had no idea where any of her friends were or how long it would take before she was in range to contact them… and even if she did go after them, she was already so cold, how long would it be until she actually caught pneumonia or frostbite? But going back to the village to warm herself would mean giving up on Ginny and would make her feel like the worst person ever.

Tears of frustration slid down her cheeks, instantly freezing to her skin… she felt so tired, so ready to give up. She didn’t know what to do. She sat down in the snow, giving into the numbness spreading over her. Pulling out the compact, she held it in her gloved hands wishing she could just open it and see Fred’s face… to talk to him and have him tell her it was alright and that she had to get up and go on. But that wasn’t going to happen, only Lee waited at the other end and he had nothing comforting to offer. Never had she felt so alone.

(BREAK)

Harry had been off with Lupin trying to decide what to do next when they heard Luna scream. He turned to see Draco pull her out of the way as Parvati tore past them to attack Troy, sinking both her claws and teeth into his neck. He and Lupin rushed over at the same time Draco did and they all grabbed an arm to pull one vampire off the other. Troy, still bound in Lupin’s spell, could only writhe in pain as blood spewed from his neck… she’d torn his throat out. Parvati was fighting them, trying to get back to her prey but they held on tight… though Harry could clearly see they’d been too late.

As soon as Troy stopped moving, his eyes glazing over with death, Parvati went limp and gave up her struggle to get away. “I was so hungry…” She said quietly, both sad and determined as the boy’s blood dripped down her chin and stained her fingers. “Better it was him than any of you.”

Harry shook his head… Luna hadn’t described any of this in her vision. Apparently Parvati was making her own choices right along with everyone else and changing the future- hopefully for the better.

Lupin appeared dazed. I’ve never known of a newborn to turn so quickly on their creator. He thought to Harry, trying to make logic of what he’d just witnessed. I suppose he did abandon her out here… and he was a newborn himself. He took out his handkerchief and handed it to Luna to give to Parvati so she could attempt to clean herself up.

“Now what?” Ron asked as he and Jacey rushed over. The potion had worn off as she hadn’t had the chance to take another dose and so she was once more looking like herself… which only seemed to make Ron more upset, as if being confronted with evidence of everything they’d told him suddenly made it all true to him.

“Just calm down.” Harry said, his mind whirling as he attempted to make sense of the things he’d just seen. “Let’s all think about this rationally.”

Ron shook his head angrily. “Okay, how do we rationally explain Troy not coming back to the castle with everyone else?”

“Why would we have to? The last person he was seen with was Tristan.” Draco argued.

“Exactly.” Harry said grimly as it clicked together, how they could use this tragedy to their advantage. “Tristan will be the one to have to answer for Troy, if Jacey plays it right, she could give Dumbledore a way to finally expel him for just cause.”

“And me?” Parvati asked miserably. “How are you going to tie up this loose end?”

“You must come back with us.” Lupin once more insisted. “There are many who live almost completely normal lives with the vampire curse, there’s no reason you can’t do the same.”

Parvati shook her head. “I can’t, and I won’t let you make me. Tell my parents, Dumbledore and everyone else I’m dead… I may as well be anyway.”

“What about Padma?” Ron asked quietly as he slowly approached the girl.

She turned to look up at him with tears in her eyes. “Yes, I do want to see her one more time before I disappear…”

“I can’t in good conscience let you just run off on your own.” Lupin sighed. “There is a place I know of where you can go… a colony that takes in new vampires and helps them adapt to a normal life. I will not tell your family you are dead, but I am willing to let them continue to think you are missing until you are in a better frame of mind to decide how you would like to proceed.”

“Where is this place? And how do you know about it?” Ron asked doubtfully.

“I don’t know where it is, for obvious reasons my kind would never be told no matter how in control we are. But it is my business to know these things exist and I know exactly who to contact to take her there.” Lupin replied defensively before turning back to Parvati. “I can have them meet you outside Hogsmeade by morning.”

She nodded slowly, clearly having no better plan. “Okay.”

Harry sighed in relief before realizing they still had the matter of disposing of yet another body. “What about him?” He gestured to Troy.

“Well, I suppose we spread out and find an Ash tree.” Lupin said slowly. “Any wood could work for him, but let’s get Ash just to be sure.”

Draco was the first to spot the group of trees they needed and they quickly went to help gather enough wood to cover Troy’s body. Once they’d accomplished the task, Jacey stepped up and pointed her finger, emitting a stream of fire that instantly lit their gruesome bonfire.

Harry? Luna? He vaguely heard Ginny’s voice whisper through his mind. Turning to Luna he saw her nod to indicate she had heard it too. Reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder, he was nearly knocked off his feet as their combined energy amplified Ginny’s distant call. HARRY? LUNA? Can you hear me yet?

Ginny? What’s wrong? Luna answered anxiously.

Lucius Malfoy found me while he was in the village looking for Draco. I told him he was out in the woods so now we are too. I can’t get away from him! She desperately reported.

Where’s Hermione? Harry asked.

I have no idea. Ginny said quickly. She walked out of the bookstore and I haven’t seen her since.

Can you get Ron and Jacey back to Hogsmeade by yourself? Harry asked Luna.

I believe so. She replied uncertainly, not happy with the idea of splitting up their group even more.

Okay, when you get there stay near Jacey if you can and try to avoid the places you know the Slytherins might be. Try and find Hermione and Kingsley and stick with them. He was uneasy about Luna going back to the village without him but he couldn’t exactly have her and the others stand out here in the woods with a vampire who was barely in control of herself. Hey, guys? We have a slight problem. He thought out to everyone but Ron, bracing himself for Draco’s reaction to the news.

(BREAK)

Jacey watched as Ron walked away from the others and knew he was beyond angry… there may not even be a word strong enough for what he was feeling. It was a dark mixture of fury, betrayal, disgust, guilt and outrage. He knew as everyone prepared to leave that there was now something else he was not being told… but seeing how he was reacting, she felt Harry had made the right decision in not telling him that his sister was in the clutches of her boyfriend’s father. For all they knew, Ron would turn his emotional tirade on Draco and blame him for what Lucius had chosen to do. And seeing how badly Draco himself had taken the news, Jacey knew it would be bad if Ron tried to start anything. “Hey, I am sorry I did not tell you I was pretending to be Tristan.” She said softly as she approached him.

Ron shook his head. “All those nights you came to see me as yourself… and I had no idea that I was still with you everyday… how could I have not known it was you? How could you have lied to me so easily?”

“It was not easy. And I did not lie exactly.”

“You said you were leaving the castle!” He angrily turned on her. “That you were doing things for the coven! And really you were taking over the life of the vampire you helped kill!”

“I said I had to go away but that I would be close by… that was entirely true was it not?” She argued. “Once I was Tristan I was not myself and therefore I was gone, but I was never farther than a few hallways from you. And I did do this for the coven… Harry and Luna are coven members are they not? Tristan wanted to turn Luna and hand her over to Voldemort- not only would that have been bad for the coven, it would have destroyed Harry, how could I not have tried to help stop it?”

He let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah, Harry, Luna, Hermione, Fred, Ginny… you’re just like everyone else, always able to find justification. I’m tired of being on the outside!”

“We wanted to keep you safe… I wanted to keep you safe. This is why we did not tell you!” She said, knowing he did not think it a good enough reason.

“And what’s everyone not telling me now? Why are Harry, Malfoy and Lupin really staying out here?” He countered.

“They already told you, they’re staying to help me.” Parvati said quietly from behind them. They spun around to face her, both surprised by how easily she had crept up on them… Jacey more than Ron as she had not sensed the vampire to be anywhere near them. “Sorry to interrupt, I couldn’t help but overhear.”

Thank you for keeping the secret about Ginny. She thought out.

He’s already dealing with enough right now. Parvati thought back, her voice tense and full of venom. Jacey was quick to realize the other girl did not like her at all, and it was directly as a result of the familiarity she seemed to share with Ron… A jealous vampire… She did not know what to think, though she was struck by the ridiculous idea that Parvati had laid claim to him first. And seeing how he instantly softened his attitude, it was clear the guilt he felt over the girl’s fate was strong, bonding him to her in an obligatory alliance.

“I can stay too.” Ron offered.

Parvati shook her head. “No, you go help find Hermione. She and Luna are going to need you to look after them… but will you do me a favor? Will you please meet me outside Hogwarts tonight with Padma so I can talk to her before I leave?”

“Yes.” He instantly agreed. “Whatever you want.”

Jacey felt uneasy knowing he would probably do anything Parvati asked now… that his own conflict would make it nearly impossible to deny her. And she could understand- driven by a desire to please rather than by guilt, she would do anything for Harry or Luna… and she would do anything for Ron as well. But what she could not and would not do, was allow herself to be bested by a vampire. As soon as she was done being Tristan she intended to make things right with Ron and impatient to make that happen, she was prepared to begin ruining the Macnair reputation the minute they returned to school.

(BREAK)

“Be careful.” Harry warned one last time, reaching out to grasp Luna’s hand. They were standing alone, Lupin had pulled Draco aside and they were talking quietly to each other while Ron, Jacey and Parvati conversed off in the distance. Taking the opportunity, Luna wrapped her arms around Harry’s waist and held herself close against him, already hating that they were about to be separated. He ran his hands up her back, taking her face in his hands and leaning down to kiss her deeply.

“We will.” She promised quietly as they broke apart and rested their heads together. Wanting to hide her own discomfort, she offered a small smile to try and relieve his worries. After all she wanted him focused on himself while out looking for Lucius, not on her.

“Well, I drank the potion, I guess it’s time to head back.” Jacey announced as she, Ron, and Parvati returned. “I will do my best to talk to the Slytherins.” She promised.

Parvati stood near Ron though she didn’t allow herself to get too close. “Don’t forget what you promised.” She said quietly.

He nodded and shuffled his feet. “I won’t. We’ll be there tonight.”

Luna felt bad that they hadn’t told him exactly what was going on, having not wanted to alarm him with the fact that Ginny could be in trouble. In fact, he’d only been told that Harry, Draco and Lupin were staying behind to ensure Parvati could find her way back to the castle and she couldn’t help but feel it was a bad idea not to tell Ron. But at the same time she didn’t want him to tag along and possibly get hurt in his desperation to help his sister… It was bad enough Harry and Lupin would have to be keeping Draco in check.

Luna quickly leaned up to kiss Harry again and assured that Jacey had completely turned back into Tristan, she reached out to grab her and Ron and whisk them back to the village before she could change her mind. They arrived outside the Shrieking Shack, the only place she was certain there would be no students. Sure enough the place was deserted, and even though the snow began to let up as they walked they soon saw the streets of Hogsmeade were pretty much clear of people.

The first thing Luna wanted to do was find Hermione, she was worried about what had happened to her friend and she knew Harry was too. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus in on her while Ron and Jacey stood watch. “Well?” Ron asked after a few moments. “We can’t stand here all day and let people see us hanging out with ‘Tristan’.” He added, clearly still bitter about being kept in the dark.

“She’s in the orchard and we’d better hurry. Something’s really wrong.” She told them, coming back to herself after a dark and lonely trip through Hermione’s head.

They ran off, letting her take the lead as she followed the girl’s dim stream of consciousness. Running through the trees and right up to the wall, Luna frantically pushed the bushes aside to reveal Hermione huddled into herself as she sat in a hole. Her teeth were chattering and her lips were blue, her face red and raw from the cold. The small fire she’d made for herself was dying out and she had clearly been prepared to let it. “Hermione!” Ron rushed to pull her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her in an attempt to offer warmth.

I couldn’t decide what to do, leave or stay.