Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, don't hurt me. Please don't let J.K.R sue me.

(a/n: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, I appreciate it!)

Chapter Twenty Three

Monday, Apr. 29

"You're quite sure you don't recognise them?" Molly asked, her forehead creasing into a frown.

Ron had looked completely bewildered when Molly mentioned the twins and Ginevra, and had asked for a photo album. Molly had left him almost two hours ago, and when she'd returned a few minutes ago, Ron had every single album surrounding him, photos strewn on the floor and was staring at nothing that she could make out.

Molly was grateful that none of the pictures could talk, as every single one of their photo identities looked quite upset at having been thrown around.

"I don't recognise them at all. And I don't even remember this Quidditch photo with Bill and Charlie, either! What's wrong with me?" Ron asked, looking to her for answers with wide eyes.

"You hit your head, Ron. The doctors said that there was a chance of amnesia. They won't be able to do anything about the amnesia, dear. It's something that your own mind will have to heal, if it chooses to do so. Sometimes, memories never return," she said, obviously quoting the doctors' words.

Molly cleared her throat slightly, then smiled brightly at him.

"Harry and Hermione will be over soon. I'm still surprised that Albus let them have the entire day off, so I hope you will make the most of it. Try not to play too much chess with them, dear," Molly said, laughing at Ron's expression. "Why don't you help me clean this up, so the house looks nice when they arrive?" she said, waving her wand so that the pictures reinserted themselves into the albums.

"Sorry; I didn't realise the mess," Ron muttered, frowning.

He picked up the albums when the photos were all inside once more, and put them back on the shelves.

"Don't worry, dear; it's clean now. Would you like to help me make lunch, or do you want to wait for Harry and Hermione in here?"

"I'll help you," Ron said.

He didn't want to be alone with the unfamiliar photos for longer than he needed to be.

Molly smiled happily and went into the kitchen, Ron following quietly.

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"Are you all ready?" Agnes asked, smiling at them.

Ginevra held onto Draco's hand tightly and nodded. Beside them, Lavender hesitated a moment before nodding too.

"We should leave now, dear. If we take any longer, I am sure that Albus will come here himself to get you. He has been most anxious for your return, especially since Buckbeak returned alone last night," Xavier murmured.

"Very well," Ginevra said, stepping forward with Draco.

Lavender moved forward tentatively. She didn't want to go back to Hogwarts; by going back she would be faced with the memories of her younger self, and she knew that the other students at the school would continue to condemn her as her younger self, and not as the person she was now becoming. She was terrified of returning to Hogwarts, and to the person she had been only a short time ago.

As the light faded from the night sky, and the front of the mansion was enveloped in shadow, three vampires, a Veelan, and a mortal left the dimly lit mansion to enter the newly created darkness.

Without a word, Agnes took Lavender and Ginevra's hands, and Xavier took Draco's and his wife's. In the same manner, there was no warning, no gut wrenching feeling, and then suddenly they were all at Hogwarts.

"What was that?" Lavender asked in surprise, looking at Agnes and Xavier.

"You just experienced vampire travel; it's older than wizard Apparation, and much smoother. Though I am not surprised, as the wizards took the idea from vampires, after all," Xavier replied with a grin.

Ginevra looked around them, the familiar Forbidden Forest and lake nearby. Millions of eyes watched her from the darkness of the trees, as if welcoming her return. She nodded her head to the creatures, and then turned back to Draco.

She smelled them before they came over the hill into her line of sight. All of her friends, accompanied by one with extremely powerful blood. Well, for a mortal at least. Ginevra wasn't surprised to see that it was Albus. Her friends ran down to her, surrounding her and Draco in a moment. Agnes and Xavier stepped back to allow them room, Lavender moving away with them.

"I missed you, Ginevra," Neville said, hugging her tightly.

"Missed you too, Neville," Ginevra replied, hugging him back.

The others said the same, all of them hugging her. They ignored Draco's protests to their displays of affection, and hugged him too.

"It is a relief to witness your return, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Thank you, Albus," Ginevra said, smiling back at him.

"And it is my pleasure to see you both again, Lord Xavier and Lady Agnes," Albus added, turning to them and bowing slightly.

"The pleasure is all ours, Albus. And I am sure that we have told you not to bow to us," Agnes said, a slight grin on her lips.

"Indeed, you have, Lady, but I cannot seem to bring my body to obey my mind. Old age, and the like," Albus replied, chuckling as he bowed again. "And who is this with you?" he asked, seeing Lavender beside Agnes and Xavier.

"This is L..." Ginevra went to say.

"My name is Lettie, Headmaster," Lavender said, looking to Ginevra with pleading eyes.

She had been right; Ginevra's friends had already seen her, recognised her and judged her. Lettie was a better name than Lavender, and right now, Lettie was better than no name at all. She would be Lettie until she felt comfortable with a new name, if she needed one. She was a new person, and a new person should have a new name.

"Lettie is my companion," Ginevra added with a comforting smile to Lettie.

"I thought Lavender was ... oh," Millicent trailed off as she looked at 'Lettie' properly.

"And the Knut finally drops!" Fred said, smirking.

"Good one, Mill," Padma sniggered.

Lettie went bright red, looking at her feet.

"It's good to see that you decided to come back, Lettie," Luna murmured, making Lettie look at her in surprise.

"Why are you so happy that I'm back? You weren't happy with me ... before," Lettie said, frowning slightly.

"You were Lavender then, and I had no reason to be happy with you. Now you are Lettie, and that gives me plenty of reasons to be happy with you. You will get used to the name, do not worry," Luna said, smiling brightly.

Lettie was slightly confused, but still thanked Luna for her kind words.

"I apologise for leaving so soon after arriving, but there is a Council meeting scheduled this night, and we cannot be late for it. We will do a progress check on you in a few weeks, just to make sure that you are adjusting well, daughter," Agnes said, smiling at Ginevra as she hugged her.

"Thank you, Lady Agnes. I am sure I will adjust perfectly well with your blood in my veins," Ginevra replied, smirking.

"Let us hope so," Xavier murmured.

Ginevra noticed the look that passed between Xavier and Agnes, but wasn't able to ask them about it, as Xavier bid his farewell to Albus, then they stepped back and disappeared, again without a word of warning. Lettie looked uncertain and somewhat lost without the two vampires by her side, so Ginevra looped her arm through hers and gave her an encouraging smile.

"You are doing very well, Lettie. There is nothing to be worried about," Ginevra said.

Lettie just nodded, not looking at all convinced.

"If you do not mind, Ginevra, there are some things I need to discuss with you before you return to your rooms," Albus said, attempting a smile, but the expression looked rather grim instead.

Ginevra's own smile faded slightly, and she nodded. Not letting go of Lettie's arm, Ginevra followed Albus to the castle. The others walked with them, talking about everything that had happened since they had gone - Flitwick had started his own duelling class, and was teaching them all defensive and offensive spells in Charms.

The Daily Prophet had released a Ministry-sanctioned article about the return of Voldemort. A lot of it was pure rubbish - hiding in basements never worked before against the Dark Lord, so everyone doubted that it would work now - but it did confirm one thing: the Ministry acknowledged the Dark Lord's return.

"I would have preferred to talk to you alone, but I can tell that your friends will find out what I am going to tell you the moment you leave my office, so perhaps it would be best if I tell all of you at once," Dumbledore mused as he entered the castle, and headed up to his office.

The others looked at each other curiously when Ginevra didn't reply. Draco was the only one who knew why she hadn't answered, but that was only because of the bone-breaking grip she'd had on his hand since Albus opened the doors to the Hogwarts entrance. He held onto her tightly, not letting go as they walked past the Great Hall, where hundreds of students sat, completely unaware of the danger walking past through the corridor.

Ginevra was Thirsty. She didn't know why she was, she'd been Drinking from Draco most of the day, after all. But that faded to the back of her mind as the smell of hundreds of students' pulsing blood washed upon her the moment the doors opened.

She could smell every individual student, teacher and creature within the castle walls, and her control almost slipped as they walked past the Great Hall. She could smell what every person inside was eating, from Sally-Anne's mashed potato and chicken wings, to Professor Flitwick's chicken corn soup. But their food didn't matter to Ginevra; their blood did.

Luna edged closer to Ginevra, touching a hand to her shoulder as they passed the Great Hall, both to reassure and hold her.

"You will be able to Drink from Draco the moment we enter Albus' office. Calm yourself," Luna murmured.

Ginevra barely managed a nod, and gripped Draco's hand a little tighter.

Lettie didn't say a word, despite the painful grip Ginevra had on her arm. She knew that Ginevra hadn't done it on purpose, or was even aware of the pain it was causing her. Lettie could see that Ginevra's eyes were dark red, and didn't dare to say a word in case those very eyes were turned on her. She could heal herself later, and there was no point making a fuss over the pain she was feeling, when the agony Ginevra was going through would be so much more than her own.

"Please use the adjoining room while you Drink. I have a weak stomach, especially after a rushed dinner," Albus said as they entered his office.

Ginevra nodded, practically dragging Draco into the room. Lettie managed to free her arm in time for the door to slam in her face.

"Just be thankful that you were not taken in there too. I don't think that you are quite ready for that," Luna murmured, guiding Lettie to a chair gently. "Theodore, Lettie's arm."

Theodore frowned slightly, but moved to face Lettie in the chair. One look at her arm, and he could tell that it was broken.

"You should have said something, La... Lettie," Theodore muttered, healing her arm quickly, and bandaging it.

"I didn't want to make a fuss. My Lady's pain was worse when we went past the Great Hall," Lettie replied, shrugging slightly and then wincing when the action caused her pain.

"Your Lady?" Parvati echoed, raising an eyebrow at her.

"The future Mrs. Malfoy," Lettie said with a brief nod.

"When did you get all polite?" Padma growled, glaring at her. "And don't go pretending you're a different person just because you've changed your name," she hissed.

"That is enough, Padma," Ginevra said, coming into the room with Draco.

Everyone noticed the teeth marks on both of their necks, and looked to Draco curiously.

"We will explain it later. You are to treat Lettie with respect. I will know if you do not," Ginevra added sternly.

"Why do we have to be nice to her? She's still Lavender under all of that," Padma said, glaring at Lettie.

"You have to be nice to her because Lettie is my companion, and she has been chosen for a reason. Lavender does not exist within her, and you will be civil in the very least," Ginevra said, her tone final.

"Do not fear, Lettie. They will come around in time," Luna murmured to her quietly, smiling reassuringly.

"What did you need to talk to us about, Albus?" Ginevra asked, redirecting the conversation.

Padma didn't look happy, or convinced that Lettie wasn't Lavender, but just folded her arms and refused to look at Lettie.

"Apparently, word was sent to The Daily Prophet about there being a vampire within Hogwarts. You have not been named, so your parents are safe, as is the rest of your family. The person did describe the vampire as a student at Hogwarts. That has, of course, caused many parents to write to me, demanding that I expel said student, or at least deny that the rumours are true. I just thought to inform you before I made any further decisions," Albus said to Ginevra.

"Thank you for your concern, Albus," Ginevra murmured absent-mindedly.

She looked at Draco for a moment, sharing her thoughts with him. He didn't look surprised, and nodded briefly in response.

"There is no need for expulsion, or lies. My time here has come to an end. Now you can answer truthfully and reassure the worried parents that there are no Vampires at Hogwarts," Ginevra said, smiling.

"Which means I'll have to leave too, since I'm a hybrid," Draco said, smirking lazily.

Dumbledore didn't look very surprised at either of their comments, but the others did. Their shock prevented them from saying anything, and Dumbledore used the silence to his advantage.

"You will need to complete your exams before you can leave, or else the Ministry will regard you as having failed, and neither of you will be allowed a reference or recommendation for work by me or any other staff member currently teaching at Hogwarts for any future employment that either of you choose to do."

"Very well. I will stay to my rooms during that time, will no longer attend lessons, and will not participate in school doings. That will help the separation easier, fuel enough rumours about me within the general school population, and completely squash any attempt of parents trying to remove their children from here. If I am not seen in the school, then the students cannot say that there is a Vampire among them. Besides, it would do me well to start living at night. The day is far too noisy," Ginevra murmured.

"It's not like I wanted to put up with their staring anyway," Draco muttered with a shrug, moving his tongue to play with his fangs.

"And so ends the official schooling of the Vampiress and the Veelan," Luna murmured, a small smile on her face as her white eyes Saw things that the others could not yet hope to dream of.

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Hermione watched as Ron played a game with Harry. He was winning, as always, but she wasn't concentrating on the game, or the small chess pieces that were yelling victory cries with every defeat of the opposing side. No, she was watching Ron's face.

Soon after they had arrived at The Burrow, Molly had informed Hermione and Harry that Ron had no recollection of Ginny, Fred, or George, and very limited memories of Charlie, Bill and Percy. It was somewhat distressing for Ron, and Molly would appreciate it if they didn't bring them up unless Ron did first. Harry, of course, agreed immediately. Hermione wasn't so sure that this was the best method of restoring Ron's memory, but agreed a moment later.

It was Ginevra's doing, of that Hermione was sure. Ron had talked of his siblings the moment Molly left the room. He could still remember Bill, Charlie and Percy with almost perfect recollection - there were a few memories missing, but he could still remember their birthdays, favourite Quidditch teams, and most of their childhood with him.

Of the other three, there was not one thing he could recall. He didn't know that Ginny's full name was Ginevra, her eyes were brown, or that the twins had turned his teddy bear into a spider at the age of three. He was still afraid of spiders; Ron's fear went deeper than that one memory, it was lodged into the very depths of his brain.

Ron admitted that it bothered him that he couldn't remember three of his siblings, but he uncharacteristically decided not to get wound up about it. Harry had looked somewhat grateful, and then challenged Ron to a game of chess, hoping Ron's amnesia would let him win for once.

Hermione looked at Ron's face. He seemed happy, despite the look of concentration on his face. There were none of the worry lines that had developed on his face since learning that Ginny was a Vampiress and dating a Malfoy. He was as blank as a piece of parchment when it came to his sister and the twins, and that annoyed Hermione. Harry was too worried about being The Chosen One to be overly worried at Ron's sudden loss of memory, or Ginny's perfection as a Vampiress. Neither of them would be of much use.

"I might go back to Hogwarts. I need to finish my assignment on Rune Placement for Professor Yepir," Hermione said, standing up, giving both surprised boys a reassuring smile.

"Are you sure, 'Mione? Dumbledore said we can stay here for the whole day," Harry said, standing too.

"I'm sure, I've really got to get the essay done. You stay with Ron, Harry. I'll just say good bye to Mrs. Weasley. I'm glad to see that you're well, Ronald. Have fun playing against Harry for the rest of the day," she said, grinning at him.

"Yeah, I will. Thanks," Ron said, standing and giving her an awkward hug, pulling away quickly.

Hermione hugged Harry.

"Move your bishop," she murmured.

Harry pulled away, grinning. He looked at the board as Ron called for Molly, seeing that he could move his bishop and get a bit further in the game, at the very least.

"Is everything all right, dear?" Molly asked as she came into the room.

"Everything's fine, Hermione just wants to go back to Hogwarts. Study, or something like that," Ron said, turning back to the board with a dismissive shrug.

"Is everything all right?" Molly asked Hermione with a frown.

"Cramps," Hermione lied, keeping her voice at the appropriate level - low enough to make it seem as though she was whispering, but still loud enough for the boys to hear.

"Hermione, we really didn't need to know that!" Ron cried, going red.

"Do calm down, Ronald. It's a natural response in a woman's body," Molly said, shaking her head at him as she led Hermione out of the room. "You don't have to go, dear. I have plenty of medicines if you would prefer to lie down," Molly offered, smiling at her kindly.

For a moment, Hermione felt bad for lying to Mrs. Weasley. But then she remembered the child she had birthed - the same one who had taken all of Ron's memories away, the same one who was surpassing her in school, and the very same one who was out to get her blood.

"I'd prefer to return to Hogwarts, if you do not mind. Thank you for the offer though, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione replied.

"Very well dear, let me just get the Floo ready for you," Molly said.

Hermione just nodded and waited in the doorway until everything was ready.

"I do hope you feel better soon, dear. And do come back, Ron has been missing you something awful," Molly murmured, handing the flower pot to Hermione.

"Of course. Thank you again, I am sorry to bother you so much," Hermione replied.

Molly immediately protested her words, smiled. Hermione didn't smile in return, she simply threw in a small handful of Floo Powder, stepped into the green flames, and went back to Hogwarts without looking back.

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Friday, May 3 - Saturday, May 4

Midnight

Alexander watched from between the trees as Ginevra led Draco from the rooms. He held back a snarl, knowing that they would both hear him if he so much as breathed out of turn. He was currently matching his breaths to the nearby herd of sleeping centaurs. He was thankful that the moon was waning, or else Ginevra would have spotted him by now.

Even if she was preoccupied with the filth who dared to call himself Ginevra's own. He wasn't worthy of her, Alexander thought with a snarl, glaring at Draco intensely.

Alexander looked away when Ginevra laughed softly, pulling Draco flush to her body and kissing him deeply.

He left the forest's edge, refusing to acknowledge the look of love on Ginevra's face.

Ginevra had just been fooled into thinking that she loved Draco; she didn't know what she was really feeling, what she should be feeling about him, not Draco fucking Malfoy!

Ginevra's laughter followed him into the forest, past the sleeping centaurs, and deep into his dreams.

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Ronan hurried deeper into the forest, briefly glancing up at the stars every so often to ensure that he wasn't being followed. The stars kept murmuring words of death to him, but he was galloping too fast to heed their worry and words.

They had already told him that what he was doing was right, and Ronan already knew the consequences of his own actions. If what he was doing was right, then so be it.

He stopped near a clearing, looking through the gaps in the trees for the pure white glow of the unicorns. He was running out of time, and if he did not get to them in time, then Ronan would not be the only one to die.

Finally seeing the glow ahead, Ronan hurried to it, glancing up at the stars once more. They were beginning to fade in the early morning light, and he feared that all was lost.

The Protector's let him through without stopping him, and Ronan was glad that the unicorns let him in without an inquisition. There was no time.

Ronan, we have been told of the urgency, but not of the cause. What is wrong? Lady Evita asked.

Her words were not as calm as they usually were, and did nothing to soothe Ronan's nerves as they usually did.

"The centaurs plan to attack Ginevra this day. They are going to lure her out by attacking others in the forest, and will kill her if the sun does not," Ronan said.

If it was possible for a unicorn to frown, Evita achieved it.

Alexander has been keeping an eye on the centaurs, and reported that there was no threat to Ginevra only an hour ago.

"You think that I would lie? Ginevra is the Queen of All, and the herd will attack her. Look to the stars!" Ronan burst out, anger filling him.

I do not think that you would lie, Ronan. You are pure of heart, unlike so many in your herd. However, Alexander is Ginevra's Protector. He would not allow any harm to fall to her. I heed your words, and will ensure that there is someone close to the forest's edge today, just in case. Does that appease you? Evita asked.

Ronan shook his head.

"No, it does not. I will protect her myself. You will regret this decision when you hear about the centaurs attacking the creatures in the forest, Evita. The stars agree with me on that," Ronan said, leaving the clearing quickly.

Evita watched as he left, then turned to Volatil Equus.

Go to the forest's edge and keep an eye on Ginevra's rooms. Make sure she does not enter the forest, Evita murmured, then turned to one of her personal Protector's, Aryle. Keep your ears open to the forest. I want to know if the centaurs attack any of the creatures within the forest. If they do, you are to bring Alexander to me immediately, is that understood?

"Yes, my Lady," Aryle murmured, bowing and leaving the clearing silently.

Volatil Equus left the clearing, beginning the journey to the forest's edge.

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"I have reason to believe that we are being betrayed by one of our own," Bane announced.

The centaurs surrounding him looked up to the stars, their murmurs confirming his words.

"In light of this betrayal, I have decided to use the spy as our bait. Those who have been assigned to the decoy will hunt the spy through the forest. Ginevra will feel his pain, and be lured from her rooms in order to save him. Those who have been assigned to the forest's edge will attack when she is close enough, if the sun has not killed her in that time," Bane instructed.

The centaurs nodded, some of them looking doubtful.

"When the betrayer returns, I want him brought to me. I will show you that he is more loyal to Ginevra than to our kind," Bane said.

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"Ronan, there you are! Bane has been looking for you. He wanted to tell you the time for the attack," a centaur called out. "He's this way," he added, leading Ronan through the trees. "Where were you anyway?"

"I was talking with the stars," Ronan replied.

Even now, as the last stars faded from the sky, they were still whispering words of death to him.

"Ah, Ronan. I was looking for you. Thank you," Bane murmured, nodding to the other centaur, who left immediately. "We have planned our attack. It is scheduled for this day. We want you at the front line of the attack, Ronan," Bane said, smiling.

Ronan frowned slightly, but nodded.

"Very well."

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Alexander went deeper into the forest, intent of being as far away from the forest's edge as possible. If he was not within calling distance, then he could not be blamed for what Ginevra was going to go through.

Though, it was not like she was without powers. She had the powers of the world within her; a lowly herd of centaurs should be nothing to her. Not only that, but she was now a Full Blooded Vampiress. Ginevra would be completely fine without him, Alexander reasoned with himself, even as he started moving faster into the forest.

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Bane watched Ronan as they started to go towards the forest's edge. Ronan was fidgeting, something out of character for the usually calm centaur. He was also looking around nervously, as if he was expecting an arrow through the heart.

"Are you nervous?" Bane asked Ronan quietly.

The younger centaur shook his head briefly.

"There she is," a centaur up ahead whispered, quickly and silently locking an arrow into his bow.

As the centaur aimed straight, Ronan paled. He could not see Ginevra past the centaurs, but he could not stand by and do nothing as she was killed. Despite his earlier words when first meeting Ginevra, discretion was no longer an option. He had tried to be discreet, and the unicorns hadn't believed him.

"Ginevra! Don't come! It's a trap!" Ronan yelled.

Bane smiled and nodded to the centaur who had his bow strung. In a second, the bow was pointed at Ronan instead, and not even a whole second later, a look of comprehension dawned on his young face.

"Until this recent event, you have been a loyal herd member, Ronan. Therefore we are giving you a chance to outrun us and our arrows," Bane said. "We will not start hunting until the count of five."

Ronan paled and immediately started running towards the forest's edge. If he could get to Hogwarts, he may be able to warn Ginevra, or someone, in time to save her.

As he ran, Bane's voice followed him, and the invisible stars echoed with one word.

"One."

Death.

"Two."

Death.

"Three."

Death.

"Four."

Death.

"Five."

Death.

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"And then his entire face just started to blow up!" George said, laughing.

"It was hilarious!" Fred said, holding his stomach as he laughed.

"Percy didn't think so," George added, still laughing.

Their laughter was infectious, making the others laugh too. Ginevra stopped suddenly, mid-laugh. In the same moment, Luna collapsed to the floor, her eyes wide.

"No, they cannot do this now. She cannot go. Do not let her," Luna started ranting, her words running together, and completely incomprehensible to everyone around her.

Theodore immediately crouched beside her, checking her vitals quickly.

"Ginevra? What's going on?" Draco asked, shaking her shoulders slightly.

"They shot Ronan," Ginevra murmured, seeming to stare through the wall.

"Centaurs. They bring death, create new death, and watch as they fall down dead," Luna continued her rant.

"I have to go help him," Ginevra said, standing quickly.

"NO!" Luna yelled, that word everyone understanding clearly enough.

"They're killing him!" she yelled in return.

"It's the middle of the day, you'll be burned," Pansy said, standing in front of Ginevra, and attempting to make her see reason.

"I'll be fine. I have to help him. He's dying. They just keep shooting him over and over," Ginevra said, absolute horror in her voice as she felt the ghost of every arrow enter her own body.

"I'll take the pain away, Gin. Pansy and Luna are right, you can't go out there," Padma said, moving towards her with an open hand.

"No, I can't just sit here as he's dying. Padma, they're killing him because of me, I know it," she said.

Without another word, Ginevra moved away from them so quickly it looked like she had disappeared.

Lettie looked to Draco, who had been the only one able to see Ginevra leave. He was already up and starting to follow her when Lettie took his arm.

"Take me with you."

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Ronan wasn't scared to die. He was scared to let Ginevra die. He was fond of the world the way it was, and did not want his death to bring on the consequences that the stars had foretold him.

Bane's words had long finished echoing throughout the forest, but the stars were still repeating their one word over, almost as if they were anticipating the end of his life.

Every time his hooves touched the earth, they murmured the word to him. He briefly wondered if it was like this for every centaur that died, to be taunted by the stars that they looked to for guidance through their life. Then yet another arrow pierced his side, and Ronan concentrated on galloping faster.

Bane aimed his arrow, concentrating on the moving centaur far ahead. His eyes followed the zig-zag pattern Ronan was making in an attempt to confuse them, and after a moment, Bane let his arrow fly.

Ronan could see the sunlight getting brighter as he came closer to the edge of the forest. He could see between the trees, and could make out the bricks of the Hogwarts castle.

The stars continued to taunt him. In fact, they were getting quite loud.

Death.

Death.

Death.

DEATH!

An arrow pierced him from behind, plunging deep into his back and through to his heart.

Ronan collapsed, landing mere centimetres outside of the forest. He heard a cry of pain, but it hadn't come from him. It sounded like Ginevra.

"No," he murmured, coughing as he struggled to stand again.

Blood was pouring from his chest, he could feel his lungs collapsing and knew that his body was bleeding internally as well. Ronan did not expect to live much longer, but he would still attempt to protect Ginevra.

She was the Queen of All, and the herd had no right to kill her just because she was born a human.

There was a sob from nearby; Ginevra had come to him.

Ronan tried to reach out to her, but he found that he could not even do that. He could not stand, call out, and as darkness started to creep up to him, he found that he could not open his eyes, nor feel the pain from the arrows any longer.

The crying continued, and as the darkness enveloped him completely, Ronan struggled to stay alive and protect the Queen.

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Draco cradled Lettie in his arms as he ran after Ginevra. He didn't want to drop Lettie, so he didn't run as fast as he could have. They both heard Ginevra cry out each time an arrow hit Ronan.

"Move faster," Lettie said, tears leaking from her eyes.

As Ginevra's companion, Lettie could feel a dull ache from the pain she was feeling as well. She wasn't the only one; Draco was able to feel Ginevra's pain too. As her own, he felt her pain as intensely as she did, but it was delayed by a few moments, and he was still able to function properly if he focused past the pain. Draco felt every arrow that Ginevra felt Ronan to be hit by, but he still felt the overwhelming need to protect her.

Draco heard Ginevra crying and, gripping Lettie tighter, he hurried even faster to the forest's edge. Ronan's lifeless form was lying on the ground, arrows sticking out of his body in various places. Ginevra was surrounded.

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Ginevra cried out loudly, feeling an arrow piercing her heart through her back.

"Ronan!" she cried, seeing the centaur collapse out of the tree line just up ahead.

He struggled to move, and Ginevra ran even faster to get to him.

"Ronan, don't move. Oh, gods'," she sobbed, seeing all of the arrows protruding from him.

Three were in his back, four in his flank, and there were numerous scratches from arrows that weren't embedded in his body, but had still managed to hit him. Blood was pouring from his body, and she could smell blood clotting internally. She couldn't do anything, not even her power could heal these wounds.

Ginevra couldn't help the tears and sobs that racked her body, watching helplessly as Ronan died in front of her.

His eyes fell shut and his heart stopped beating. Ginevra looked at the arrow protruding from Ronan's back, the one that had caused his death.

"Bane!" Ginevra yelled, standing up.

The centaurs had surrounded her as Ronan died, and even though she was vastly outnumbered, Ginevra's grief and rage ensured that she didn't care about the numbers. Not even the sun burning her skin was enough to make her stop.

"You killed one of your own kind?" Ginevra asked, glaring at Bane.

"He betrayed us," Bane hissed, letting an arrow fly at Ginevra.

Ginevra's dagger deflected his arrow, and she moved towards the herd leader quickly.

Other arrows started flying towards her, and though Ginevra dodged a few of them, more than three embedded themselves into her body. Her dagger sliced at Bane faster than he could see, and she cut his chest. Ignoring the smell of his blood, Ginevra hissed at him and continued to fight the centaurs that were closing in on her.

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Pansy muttered about running, hating that she had no other way to get to the others quickly. Ginevra had taken off, and then Draco and Lettie had followed without so much as a word to them. Theodore was still in Ginevra's rooms, looking after Luna, who was still muttering gibberish and ranting. Colin had stayed behind too, too worried about Luna to be any use out on the field. Millicent had opted to stay as well, since she could help Theodore, but threatened their lives if they didn't return to tell her everything that happened.

Neville was at the front, Blaise and Seamus by his side. Seamus somehow knew exactly where Ginevra was, and was running faster than Pansy could keep up. The twins were having no trouble, and Pansy almost resented them for it.

Gregory and Vincent were glancing at her worriedly, hearing the gasps she was taking. She wanted to get into water, not be up in this stupid restricted atmosphere of pure oxygen.

Pansy yelped when she was suddenly picked up.

"We need to hurry; Ginevra's getting hurt," Fred and George said, holding her between them.

Seamus just nodded in reply, and ran faster still.

8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8

Ginevra could barely even feel the arrows as they pushed their way into her body. She could smell Draco on the other side of the centaurs, and could feel his helplessness as his attempts to get through the centaurs was thwarted each time. His Veelan magic had no affect on the centaurs, and they barely even glanced at him, despite the spells he sent at them.

Bane was almost dead. She was sure that she had taken out one of his eyes, and he would never be able to run again. But it wasn't enough. He had killed Ronan, all because of her. The other centaurs were faring just as bad as Bane. There weren't as many arrows that were coming to her from behind, so Ginevra had to reason that she had at least got a few of them down.

A loud high pitched scream rang out, and suddenly Lettie was pushing Ginevra into the ground. Both women cried out as an arrow pushed its way through Lettie's back, and split Ginevra's side.

"I am sorry, my Lady," Lettie murmured, blood spluttering out of her mouth.

Draco finally got past the centaurs, roaring as he picked up Ginevra's dagger. As his hand came into contact with the dagger, both the hilt and blade extended, turning the dagger into a sword. Draco didn't stop to think about why it had happened. Instead, he cut down the three centaurs that charged at him.

The four remaining centaurs backed away, their eyes wide. A red glow reflected on their chests, and Draco turned to see Bane, Ginevra and Lettie rising into the sky, a red light surrounding them. The three of them floated down the tree line towards Fred and George, who were moving towards the three figures, their wands drawn. The others followed them, Pansy being carried between Parvati and Padma.

As Draco hurried down to them, Neville, Blaise and Seamus shot past him, anger filled in their faces. Blaise was a centaur, following his kind into the forest. Seamus was in his Protector mode with Orion in his eyes, hunting the centaurs that had run away. But it was the look on pure hate and anger on Neville's face that scared Draco. As Neville approached the forest, entire trees seemed to wither up and die, and vines were shooting after the centaurs that were running even faster.

Draco shuddered, hoping to never be on the receiving end of Neville's anger.

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Lettie watched the fight, trying desperately to find a way between the centaurs to get to Ginevra. She was getting hurt, every single arrow that was aimed at her was hitting her in some way.

"You have to help her," a voice murmured in Lettie's ear.

Ronan's ghost, who it seemed that only Lettie could see, was looking just as desperate as she felt. Lettie had seen the ghost the moment they arrived, but Draco hadn't said anything about him, so he was either too worried about Ginevra, or really couldn't see him.

"Do not worry about that now, young one. You need to help your Lady. The next arrow will be fatal!"

"I can't get in," Lettie said, her eyes darting in every direction, failing to find an opening.

"Come here," Ronan said quickly.

Lettie hurried over, Draco too intent on the fight and Ginevra to notice that she'd left.

"Get ready, I will only have enough power to do this once," Ronan murmured, turning his eyes to the fight.

"Do what?" Lettie asked, suddenly nervous.

"Breathe, young one. You do not have time to be nervous," Ronan said, reassuring her with a brief smile.

Lettie nodded, and when Ronan picked her up, she didn't scream. She took in a deep breath, and looked at Ginevra over the top of the centaurs. She quickly looked at the centaurs, trying to see where the next arrow would come from. Ronan threw her, a bright white light shining from him as he disappeared from beneath her.

Lettie landed on the shoulders of one centaur, using her momentum to jump into the middle of the fight, directly on Ginevra's side, pushing her into the ground. An arrow went straight through her back, and due to the close range, continued part way into Ginevra. Lettie cried out, Ginevra's cry echoing her own.

"I am sorry, my Lady," Lettie murmured.

A metallic taste filled her mouth as blood spluttered out of it with her words.

8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8

Fred and George stopped for a moment as they felt an arrow pierce Ginevra. It was only a very dull ache in their bodies, but they had no doubt that it could have been fatal if Lettie hadn't jumped in front of their sister. They had seen Lettie pale, run over to the centaurs and literally jump over them in order to get in front of the arrow in time. The centaurs closed in again, and they lost sight of the fight, but they all heard the roar that Draco gave.

"Take Pansy," Fred and George muttered to Parvati and Padma, handing her over to them quickly.

They were still too far from the fight to be much use with their own magic, but they subconsciously knew that they could use their sister's magic while she was unconscious. They yelled a spell, directing the energy with their wands.

Bane, Lettie and Ginevra started to rise from the ground, enveloped in a red light.

Fred and George made the bodies move towards them, and away from the centaurs, even as the remaining ones began to leave.

Draco hurried over to them, a sword in his hand.

"Where'd you get the sword?" Gregory asked.

"Why is your magic red?" Draco asked the twins at the same time.

"We borrowed some of Ginevra's magic," Fred and George replied.

They picked up Lettie and Ginevra gently, being careful not to separate them. They didn't know how much damage the arrow had done to them, and didn't want to take the arrow out in case it did more damage than good.

"We've got to get to Thedore," they murmured, turning.

"I'm here," Theodore said, puffing slightly from having run the whole way.

The twins lay Lettie and Ginevra on the ground carefully, Theodore dropping beside them quickly.

"I offered to carry you," Apollo muttered to Theodore, gently laying Cassandra down.

"You didn't offer to carry me, you git," Millicent muttered.

"Is Luna all right?" Vincent asked.

"She's Seeing far too much. It calmed down a few minutes ago, and we were able to understand what she was telling us," Apollo replied.

"Where'd Seamus, Neville and Blaise go?" Pansy asked, taking deep breaths.

"They went after the centaurs," Draco replied.

"Get into the water, Pans," Vincent murmured.

"No, I don't ... " Pansy began to protest.

Her words were cut short when Gregory picked her up, taking her to the lake's edge.

"Water pansy will float between new feelings. Centaurs find a new respect. Consequence is newly forced. Nymph finds a new protector. Unicorns create a new future. Vampiress and Veelan live a new life, as a new star watches them from the heavens," Luna murmured, smiling up at the sky.

She closed her white eyes with a small sigh of relief.

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Ronan saw his dead and bloodied body, watched as Ginevra cried over him, and cringed when she started to fight the herd. Not long after, Ginevra's own arrived, holding an old, but young woman. The woman looked at him with wide eyes.

"You can see me, can you not?" Ronan asked.

She nodded, paling as she saw his dead body nearby.

"Do not worry, I am only here for a short while. I need to protect the Queen," Ronan said.

The young woman's eyes darted to the ongoing fight, and she nodded.

"So do I," she murmured quietly.

They both watched the fight intently, hoping for an opening of some kind to slip through. There didn't seem to be one, despite the injuries the herd were receiving.

"You have to help her," Ronan whispered to the young woman urgently.

The stars were beginning to whisper.

Ronan only had a limited amount of power and strength as a ghost. If there hadn't been so many of his herd, he could have killed Bane and perhaps another one or two with the strength he currently had. As he stood there, he felt that power diminishing quickly.

He saw the young one look over to Draco, and heard the worry in her thoughts.

"Do not worry about that now, young one. You need to help your Lady. The next arrow will be fatal!"

The stars were talking to him, telling him he had to hurry, or else the Queen of All would die, and the world would follow.

"I can't get in," the young woman said, her eyes darting in every direction, failing to find an opening.

Throw her, lift her, carry her over the top. Hurry, hurry, hurry.

"Come here," Ronan said quickly. "Get ready, I will only have enough power to do this once," Ronan murmured, looking to the fight.

"Do what?" the young one asked, nerves filling her.

"Breathe, young one. You do not have time to be nervous," Ronan said, reassuring her with a brief smile.

Ronan picked her up gathered his remaining dwindling strength, and threw her. The moment she left his grip, he burst into light, disappearing into a million different places all at once. As he did so, the stars began another chant.

Welcome.

Welcome.

Welcome.

Welcome.

As Ronan's spiritual form gathered itself together once more, he found that he was not in the Otherworld. It was dark, but he did not mind, as there were many lights, and even the darkness was made of light. It may have been cold, but he did not feel it. Ronan found that he could see, but he had no body or eyes to see with.

Where am I? he asked.

You are home. Welcome.

The hundreds of millions of lights shimmered, and as Ronan looked around, he found that he could see Earth. He turned slightly, and saw planets and lights surrounding him, saw the brightest star shining as the Sun, and saw further past that one star to the millions behind it.

All of the stars and lights shimmered, welcoming him happily. He suddenly understood what the stars had been telling him before. They hadn't been taunting him, or his death. They had been anticipating his death in order to welcome him. They had been waiting for him.

Ronan turned his gaze back to Earth. He looked closer, and saw millions of blades of grass, changed his view and saw Ginevra lying on the grass, the young one on top of her, an arrow piercing them together.

"A new light shines in the heavens," a soft voice murmured.

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Evita waited, pacing in the clearing impatiently. She did not want the young centaur to be right, but ever since she had felt Alexander going further into the forest's depths, she had to admit that Ronan was right about both Ginevra, and Evita's regret.

She had called Volatil Equus to return only a few hours after the Abraxicorn had left, and despite Volatil's annoyance at the wasted journey, Evita did not want the young one to see so much death and pain. She could feel Ginevra's pain at this distance, and knew that Aryle's news would not be good.

As if he had heard her thoughts, Aryle stepped into the clearing and bowed to Evita.

"My Lady? I bring word of the centaurs," Aryle said. "The young centaur was right; they did attack a creature of the forest. However, it was the centaur that they attacked, and no other creatures. Ginevra was lured out of her rooms, and the young centaur is dead. Ginevra's companion saved her life, but may have forfeited her own in doing so. There have been a number of centaur deaths, although the number is unknown."

Aryle looked at the ground for a moment before continuing, "I have asked the trees, and have looked in the Protector's areas of the forest, but I have was still not able to locate Alexander."

Evita looked to the stars, a tear slipping from her eye as she saw the new star being welcomed into the heavens.

I am sorry, dear Ronan. I promise that I will not let my faith in Protectors blind me again, Evita said. She looked to Aryle. Orion is hunting in the forest. Volatil Equus will cross his path momentarily. They will find Alexander.

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Volatil Equus didn't make it to the forest's edge. Within a few hours of leaving Evita, she was called back to the unicorns clearing. The Abraxicorn whinnied in some annoyance, but turned and made her way back quickly when Evita related what had happened to Ronan, the centaurs, Ginevra and her companion.

She just hoped that Ginevra would be all right.

After some time, Volatil heard centaurs coming towards her. She snorted angrily, pawing her hoof on the ground. Lowering her horn, Volatil waited for the centaurs to come.

Volatil, Alexander is attempting to escape. We need you to take Orion and find him, and bring him to us so that he can be judged, Evita said.

But the centaurs are almost here, I can take them, Volatil replied.

Be that as it may, it is not your fight. The ones that are hunting them have more need for justice and revenge than you. Now please, help Orion, Evita said.

Yes, my Lady, Volatil murmured with a sigh.

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Orion. Alexander is attempting to evade the consequences of his actions, and has evaded two of my Protectors. Volatil Equus is up ahead. Please go with her and find Alexander. I want him brought to me alive. A Protector who betrays us should not be given the option of death without a trial, Evita said.

Her voice was colder and sterner than Seamus had ever heard it before.

Yes, my Lady. I will bring him to you alive, Orion replied.

"I have to go find Alexander. Keep on these ones," Seamus said to Blaise and Neville.

The centaurs must have realised that they were gaining on them, and started galloping even faster.

Neville just nodded, jumped and landed on Blaise's back lightly. He murmured something under his breath, and the very trees themselves started to move in the direction of the centaurs.

Seamus continued along the path, coming to an abrupt stop when he saw the Abraxicorn up ahead.

Hello, Orion. Are you ready to hunt? Volatil asked.

Volatil Equus, Seamus said, bowing to her. I am always ready to hunt.

Then see if you can keep up! Volatil neighed, galloping deep into the forest.

With a grin, Orion took over Seamus in a split second and ran after her.

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Theodore worked faster than he ever had before, working on removing the arrow while Millicent sent as many numbing spells as she could to both Lettie and Ginevra.

Lettie was still alive, by a rather large miracle in his eyes. The arrow had pierced through her lungs, but she was still breathing shallow and short breaths. Theodore had no idea if it was Ginevra's magic that was keeping Lettie alive, and at the moment he didn't truly care, but it was enough to give him hope for Lettie's life.

He glanced at the bars hovering above Lettie and Ginevra.

"Lettie's going into shock, try some more numbing spells, Mill," Theodore murmured.

"I've done all of the spells I can, they're not working on her anymore," Millicent said, putting more of her power into her spells.

Parvati looked to her twin pleadingly.

"You have to help her; she saved Ginevra's life," Parvati said.

"I don't have to do anything, Parv. And who cares if she saved Gin this once? She's tried to kill her so many more times before," Padma said.

"Come on, Padma. Ginevra trusts her, you should too," George murmured to her.

"Stop telling me what to do, damn you," Padma growled, glaring at George.

"Millicent, they're not working. Just stop now, she's in too much pain and shock..." Theodore murmured, ignoring the pleads to Padma behind them.

"Oh, for gods' sakes, move out of the way," Padma muttered, pushing past Millicent. "Just because I'm doing this, it doesn't mean I'm friends with you, got it?" she muttered to Lettie, putting a hand on her shoulder gently nonetheless.

Theodore shook his head at Padma's poor attempt to stay tough, and hurried to work on Lettie again, the shock and pain leaving her body quickly. He pulled the arrow out of Lettie slowly, the metal leaving her body with a slight pop. Millicent dropped beside him, working her own magic on the split in Ginevra's side.

When her sister's eyes started to roll back into her head, Parvati hurried to give her own emotions to Padma.

"So much pain," Parvati hissed, clenching her fists tightly.

"Almost done, just hold on a little bit longer," Theo muttered to the Patil twins.

He finished repairing Lettie's organs, then quickly worked on stitching and fusing her skin back together. The moment he finished, both Padma and Parvati let go of Lettie, shaking with their own pain.

"Give the twins some chocolate, and Lettie a replenishing potion, Mill. I'll finish on Gin," Theodore murmured to her.

Millicent nodded, and quickly moved out of the way. She rummaged through Theodore's bag, and found the bottle of blood replenishing potion inside. She sat Lettie up gently, making sure not to pull on her newly-healed skin, and poured the contents of the bottle in her mouth. Holding her mouth shut, Millicent pinched Lettie's nose, forcing her to swallow the potion. She passed the twins some chocolate, and turned to see Theodore healing Ginevra with red magic.

"How are you doing that?" Millicent asked.

"I don't know," Theodore replied. "It's depleting her internal store of magic, but I can't use my own, hers is too strong."

"Then how about you hurry up the healing?" Fred muttered.

"I am going as fast as I can. I don't want to make a mistake," Theodore replied tersely.

"She will live, do not worry," Luna murmured, her eyes still closed. "She will live."

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Alexander knew that he was being hunted. Even if it weren't for the complete silence he received from the trees and wind, he would have recognised the shiver on the back of his neck. He started to run.

"He is running. Coward," Orion snarled.

We are not to harm him, remember that, Orion, Volatil called.

Orion just gave her a wild grin and continued running. The wind and trees talked to him as he ran past, telling him the path of the betrayer.

The wind finally spoke to Alexander, and although he was expecting hostility, he had not expected the absolute glee with which they told him that Orion and Volatil Equus were catching up to him.

You will be punished, Alexander. You will be caught, Alexander. You will die, Alexander.

Alexander put on an extra spurt of speed, running as hard and as fast as he could. The wind just laughed after him, mocking his every footfall.

Orion laughed softly, grabbing his bow and quiver of arrows, seemingly out of thin air. He stopped suddenly, Volatil stopping and turning back to him.

We are not to harm him, Orion, Volatil said, whinnying nervously.

"I know, Volatil. Do not worry. I will not harm him," Orion murmured.

He lined his arrow and adjusted his arm slightly to account for the wind and distance. With a steadying breath, Orion let the arrow fly. He stood and shot a spell at the flying arrow using Seamus' wand.

As the arrow started to fall towards Alexander, it changed into a net, covering the Protector firmly. The net ends burrowed themselves into the ground, pinning Alexander down.

Volatil trotted over to Alexander.

Are you harmed, Alexander Tobias Therode? she asked.

Alexander shook his head, glaring up at the Abraxicorn through the net.

That is a pity. He will not be harmed on our journey back? Volatil asked Orion, who shook his head in response..

"I will not harm him. However, if he tries to run, the net will stab him, just like my arrow should have. Therefore, we are not harming him, Alexander is harming himself." Orion said.

I hope he tries to run, Volatil murmured.

"So do I, Volatil," Seamus replied, glaring down at Alexander.

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Monday, May 6

Ginevra opened her eyes with a small gasp.

"Thank the gods'," Draco murmured, hugging her to his body before she had a chance to say anything.

She cried out in pain as his embrace stretched her side.

"Sorry, love. Theo told me to be careful of your side," Draco said, looking sheepish.

Checking her side, Ginevra saw a welt along the entire side of her body. She remembered Lettie pushing her to the ground, an arrow piercing both of them, and her side splitting as the fatal arrow missed its target.

"What's going on? Is Lettie all right? And what happened to Bane?" Ginevra asked the moment he pulled away.

"Lettie is fine. She's been worried sick over you, but she's fine. Theodore healed her. Bane was healed, and is being held, awaiting your punishment," Draco replied.

"You worried over me, didn't you?" Ginevra murmured, running her fingers over the creases on his forehead.

Draco just gave her an indignant look, as if to say he shouldn't need to answer her question. Ginevra laughed softly, kissing him.

"I promise I won't die intentionally, love," she said, echoing his earlier words from months before.

Her words reminded Draco of a vision from long ago, where Ginevra willingly threw herself from the edge of a cliff. He held her a little tighter.

"I'm going to hold you to that promise, Ginevra Weasley," Draco murmured quietly.

A knock at the door prevented Ginevra's response, but she managed to get a curious look directed at Draco before the door opened and the Patil twins came in.

"Ginevra! Oh, thank the gods'! Lettie has been driving me nuts!" Padma said. "Lettie, get your arse in here!"

Lettie came into the room not even three seconds later, her face red.

"I am sorry, my Lady. I did tell them to wait..."

"But you wouldn't stop looking at the door every three seconds," Padma interrupted.

"Don't include me in this! Padma just pulled me along. I was going to the kitchens!" Parvati muttered.

"Didn't Georgie-boy go into the kitchen a few minutes ago?" Padma asked her twin, grinning when Parvati blushed brightly.

She laughed cruelly, leaving Ginevra's room to go to the kitchen.

"Leave him alone, Padma!" Parvati yelled, running after her sister.

"Oh, dear. Do excuse me. I am glad that you are awake, my Lady," Lettie said with a smile as she curtsied.

Ginevra nodded her head in response, and watched as Lettie hurried after the Patil twins.

"Padma, put your sister's boyfriend down, or I will get Pansy!" Lettie said.

"You wouldn't dare!" Padma replied.

"That was definitely weird. What on earth is going on with Padma and Lettie?" Ginevra asked Draco, feeling perplexed.

"After Lettie jumped in front of the arrow to save you, Padma took away Lettie's pain so Theodore could heal her. Ever since then, they've been really close. No one really seems to know why, except for those two and Luna, and none of them are telling," Draco replied. "Speaking of Theodore, he wanted to see you when you were awake. Something about unconscious power sharing," he murmured.

"Never mind, I'm here now. I figured that you were awake since Lettie isn't waiting for your door to open, and is having some sort of female-bonding-argument with Padma," Theodore said, grinning.

"I might go check on them, make sure they're bonding doesn't turn into a full-blown fight again," Draco muttered.

"What do you mean, again?! Why do I always sleep through the good stuff?" Ginevra grumbled.

"Don't worry, it wasn't a proper fight. Apparently Virginia said something about Lettie not being able to protect you. It seems that her comment hit a nerve, and Lettie has joined in the fighting and training at night," Theodore said, grinning.

He sat beside Ginevra on the bed, then continued. "I'm just going to check your vitals, and your internal magic. It was very depleted when you went to sleep on Saturday. You've healed faster than I expected, but I've attributed that to your vampire genes. This may sting a little," Theodore said, pointing his wand at Ginevra's core muscles.

She hissed in pain as his spell went deep into her muscles and body.

"Sorry. I usually only use this spell when someone's already in too much pain to feel it. Just a little longer," he murmured.

Ginevra sighed in relief when the pain faded from her body, and looked at Theodore curiously.

"What did it say?"

"That your power has returned and your internal magic is at full capacity," he answered.

"And what was that Draco was saying about power sharing?" Ginevra asked, frowning.

"On Saturday, you unconsciously leant your power to the twins, and I in order for us to help you. I don't know if it's supposed to be possible to do that as a witch, or even as a vampire," Theodore replied, frowning as well.

Ginevra got out of bed, murmuring to herself as she opened her Vampire book, flipping through the pages quickly.

"Here it is," she said, waving Theodore over.

"Vampires can share their power with those they feel require it," Theodore read.

"Neville did the same with Seamus earlier. I did the same, just without knowing it," she said.

Theodore nodded briefly.

"Didn't think of it that way," he murmured. "How's your side feeling?" he asked.

"Fine, a couple of twinges now and ... "

"LUNA! It's ready!" Pansy yelled down the corridor.

"I know! I'm coming. Had to be ready when I need the bathroom," Luna muttered, hurrying past Ginevra's room to Pansy's. "Glad to see you're awake, Ginevra," she added, not bothering to raise her voice.

Pansy's door slammed shut a second later, and Ginevra looked at Theodore, who shrugged.

"They've been making a potion, but no one knows what it is. Luna hasn't even told Colin what it is. Vincent and Gregory aren't very happy," he replied.

"Since it's ready, will you tell us what th' hell ye've been doin' now?" Seamus yelled, going to Pansy's room too.

"Why is everyone yelling? I'm trying to sleep!" Colin yelled.

"Pansy's potion's ready!" Padma and Parvati called back.

"Coming!"

Brimming with curiosity, Ginevra left her room with Theodore, seeing everyone crowded around Pansy's room. Even Draco and Lettie were standing there, waiting for some answers. Padma looked triumphant, and both Parvati and George were bright red.

Just what had happened to everyone while she'd been sleeping?! Ginevra wondered, her thoughts interrupted as Pansy's door opened.

"Stop looking at me like that; you look like a bloody bunch of Hufflepuffs!" Pansy muttered.

"Just let us in and tell us what the bloody potion is!" Fred called out, ignoring the look Pansy gave him.

"It's all right, Pansy. Bring them in now," Luna called from inside the room.

Pansy sighed, kicked the door open and went back into the room. Everyone followed her quickly, mostly getting stuck in the door at the same time.

Fred and George hit the door frame with a spell, widening the wooden structure and making everyone fall into the room. They grinned at each other, stepped over their friends and moved to the cauldron in the middle of the room.

"That smells disgusting," Ginevra said as she stood up, the smell enough to take any annoyance away from her brothers. "Where have you been sleeping while this has been going?" she asked Vincent and Gregory.

"The meeting room. Pansy wouldn't let us put an anti-odour spell on it," Vincent muttered.

"I told you already; if you do that, it will alter the potion!" Pansy said, glaring at her boyfriend.

"Still doesn't make up for the fact that we've had to sleep alone the past two days," Gregory said, pouting.

"Both of you shut up! You'll be able to go make love to Pansy the moment we've found out what this potion is!" George snapped.

"I wouldn't suggest it though," Luna said, laughing.

"This is annoying me. What the heck is in that cauldron? Pansy? Luna?" Ginevra asked, glaring at both of them when they didn't answer.

"Pansy can tell you. She's known about it longer than I have," Luna murmured, sitting on the end of Pansy's large bed.

"Thanks, Luna," Pansy muttered, sighing. "Over the last month, Luna and I have been making the Animadverto potion."

No one said anything, and Pansy frowned at their stunned expressions.

"Are you insane?!" Fred asked, his eyes wide and voice serious. "I'm not taking that potion!"

"No, we are not insane," Pansy ground out, glaring at him.

"Well, I'm not," Luna said, just grinning when Pansy's glare turned towards her.

George, Parvati and Lettie laughed softly. The others joined in heartily, more to relieve their shock than due to humour.

"All right, it wasn't that funny; you can shut up now," Pansy grumbled.

They sobered up quick enough, and Ginevra sighed.

"Maybe you should tell us why you made the potion before anyone refuses to take it," she said.

Pansy cleared her throat and began, "Animadverto means 'to turn the mind to', and the Animadverto potion allows the drinkers to turn their minds to each other. They can hear each other's thoughts when unguarded, communicate without words over long distances, and feel each other's emotions. If one of us drinks, the rest of us have to drink within ten minutes or else not everyone's minds will be linked. There are some side affects, but they don't always happen, and no same one has happened to one person," Pansy trailed off, looking to Luna.

Luna didn't say anything.

"I'll take it," Ginevra said after a moment of silence.

"Ginevra, do you remember the side affects of that potion?" George hissed at her.

"A high level of lust, bordering on nymphomania; slight degrees of lunacy, paranoia, and amnesia; a very slight chance of loss of all magical abilities; and an even smaller chance of your brain imploding, resulting in death... I remember, George. But you have to remember that most of those affects were temporary, not all of them happened to the one person, and I'm almost positive that the people who did try it didn't have an ounce of any of our powers. Besides, if Luna has been helping Pansy make the potion, there must be a high chance that it will work," Ginevra said.

Everyone turned to Luna expectantly, except Pansy, as she started stirring the cauldron with a large ladle. Seventeen goblets hovered in the air around her, waiting to be filled.

Luna gave herself a second before answering their unasked question. Not only did the next ten minutes rely on her answer, but so did the entire future. It was a large responsibility for such a small moment in time.

"I have Seen various possibilities for this; all of those side affects are possibilities for each and every one of you, so it is somewhat difficult to keep track of every possible future. At this very moment, due to the next ten minutes of our lives, our futures have so many possibilities that I cannot tell you what will happen for certain. It seems that there's only one thing I can do to show you how much the future relies on us drinking this potion," Luna said, her voice trailing to a murmur.

She stood and made her way to the cauldron. Taking one of the goblets from the air, Luna held it out to Pansy, who ladled the right amount into the goblet after a split second of hesitation.

"I will be all right," Luna said with a small smile, then drank the entire contents of the goblet. "They should really think of flavouring that," she murmured, then collapsed to the ground.

Theodore hurried to her, checking everything quickly.

"Tell me what just happened to Luna, Theodore," Colin growled when Theodore just sat staring at his charts for a few seconds.

"Oh, she's fine. Her vitals are fine. Her magic is going off the charts. In both directions," Theodore murmured, frowning.

There was a thud behind them, and they turned to see Ginevra on the floor, a goblet falling out of her hand.

"Did she take the right amount?" Pansy asked straight away.

"Who cares about the right amount? Check her!" Fred and George growled at Theodore.

"If Ginevra didn't take the right amount, it will affect what happens to her now, isn't that right?" Draco asked Pansy, who nodded with a pale face.

"My Lady took the right amount; she measured exactly as Pansy had for Luna," Lettie said quietly, holding out her own goblet.

Pansy breathed a sigh of relief, then filled Lettie's cup as Theodore confirmed that Ginevra's vitals were the same as Luna's.

"Fill mine, Pansy?" Draco asked, sighing as he held out his goblet. "Romeo's got nothing on this," he muttered, drinking the foul-smelling potion and dropping to the ground soon after.

Neville, Blaise and Seamus grabbed their goblets without more than a glance at each other.

Padma watched as her friends dropped around her slowly. She was overly aware of the time ticking by. After two minutes, Colin took the potion. At three minutes, Fred and George took the potion as well. Millicent took it after four, and after reassuring Theodore that she would be fine. Parvati took it at five minutes, sending Padma a worried glance. Both Vincent and Greg were stubbornly waiting for Pansy to take the potion, until she made them realise that she had to go last in order to give the right amounts to everyone else. At seven minutes, Theodore took the potion. And by the eighth minute, Pansy was getting worried.

"Are you going to take the potion, Padma? I can't fill your goblet until you take it yourself," Pansy said.

Padma automatically reached out and grabbed the goblet. Pansy sighed in relief, then scooped the potion into it.

"Even Lettie took the potion, what does that say about me when I'm standing here in the last minute?" Padma murmured.

"It doesn't mean anything, Padma. I can tell that you're worried about everyone's safety. Don't think I can't feel you taking my worry out of me. I was a nervous wreck only fifteen minutes ago," Pansy said with a slight grin.

Padma nodded in surprise. She hadn't even noticed that she'd been doing it, but now that Pansy had told her, Padma found that she could feel their individual worries and fears inside her, mixing and increasing her own.

"Drink up. You can't worry over all of us all the time," Pansy said, raising her own goblet in a salute.

Padma returned the motion with a weak grin and they both drank at the same time. As they swallowed the last of the potion, the tenth minute ticked over.

"Disgusting," Padma muttered, her eyes shutting as she fell to the ground.

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Evita paced in the clearing impatiently. It was an odd characteristic both for a unicorn, and also because she was usually so calm. But her patience had run out hours ago regarding Alexander.

He had taken some herbs to keep himself from talking, and not even her magic could reverse the effect of them. So she had to wait until the herbs wore off before she could question the Protector.

There was a slight shift in the air not a minute later, and Evita huffed in relief.

The herbs had finally worn off.

Speak, Alexander Tobias Therode, Evita said, her voice stern.

Alexander looked at her, his blue eyes bright with malice.

"How's it feel knowing you killed Ronan?" he sneered.

Evita neighed loudly, her horn glowing brightly in anger. She didn't charge at Alexander, as a younger unicorn might have. Evita waited until her anger dissipated and her horn stopped glowing, and then walked towards Alexander.

I will not kill you, no matter how much you attempt to anger me and make it so. You will be put on trial, and I hope that you are not put to death. That punishment would be far too good for you, Evita said.

She left the clearing, her horn beginning to glow again.

Put the net back on him, and make sure that he does not leave, Evita instructed Aryle.

He bowed and entered the clearing, holding the net carefully. Alexander's eyes widened and he tried to get up, his face pale. His body glowed white as Alexander was slammed into the ground. Aryle threw the net over Alexander's still form and left the clearing, not feeling an ounce of remorse for the ex-Protector.

Since Alexander was Ginevra's Protector, she will choose his punishment. And the threat is still not clear, so a new Protector has to be assigned to her as soon as possible. We need to gather all of the Protectors to find someone suitable, Evita said, sighing softly.

"Of course, my Lady. I will organise scouts to gather all of the Protectors; it is too much magic for you to use all at once," Aryle added gently before Evita could call them all with her mind.

She nodded at his sympathetic tone, feeling quite weary after her encounter with Alexander.

I must rest now. Please organise the scouting parties. Do not forget those who are outside of the forest, Aryle. We need Ginevra here for the proceedings, as well.

"Yes, my Lady. I will get them myself," he replied, bowing.

Aryle waited until Evita had left the clearing to sleep before turning to the waiting Protectors and giving them the relevant instructions. With one final look through the trees to make sure his charge was sleeping, Aryle left the clearing as well, heading towards Hogwarts.

Peering into the clearing, Volatil Equus trotted in once she was sure it was empty. With a quick glance, she made sure no one noticed that she was leaving, and followed Aryle.

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Ginevra was in complete and total darkness. She couldn't see the darkness, but she knew it was there. She couldn't walk into it, couldn't seem to move at all.

As she waited - not sitting, because she didn't seem to have any limbs that she could tell - Ginevra became aware of a light bobbing gently in front of her. Much like her red balls of light, but this was nothing like wand magic. She knew it instinctively, just as she recognised the pure white ball as Luna.

"Luna!" Ginevra tried to call, but she had no mouth to call with. Nothing came out, not even a thought of a whisper.

The Luna-ball seemed slightly amused and just continued to bob gently in front of her.

Ginevra tried to look at herself, but had no eyes to see with either. She was there, but nothing was there at all. What was she?! As Ginevra realised that she didn't know the answer to this question, she started to go into a panic.

If she didn't know what she was, how on earth could she know who she was?! And if she didn't know that, then how was anything in the world going to ever make sense to her? If she didn't know who she was, she wouldn't be able to do anything that truly mattered. How could someone do something of significance if they didn't even know who, or what, they were?!

It was incomprehensible, and the fact that she had no form that she could recognise was starting to make Ginevra go more than a little crazy.

The Luna-ball bobbed in front of her a little quicker, as if concerned for her.

Maybe if Luna was a ball of light, then she was one as well? Ginevra thought after a moment of watching the light move erratically.

But if she was just a ball of light, how could she have thoughts? In fact, how could she just be a ball of light? Wasn't she more than this? What if everyone really was just a ball of light, and no one noticed it? If no one noticed the lights that were surrounding them, then maybe no one noticed that they too, were nothing but a ball of light.

Ginevra was vaguely aware of a Lettie-ball and a Draco-ball of light appearing near her. By the time Fred and George appeared, after Neville, Blaise and Seamus, Ginevra was too worked up about being a ball of light that she didn't even notice them. She had also started arguing with herself.

People can't be balls of light! People are people, it's that simple!

But if people only think that they're people, and are really balls of light, then that means they're delusional and have no true concept of themselves!

You can't be a ball of light and not realise it! It gets dark every night, you know! Wouldn't these ball-of-light-people start glowing?!

Not if they were so deluded that they didn't see the light! If someone really doesn't believe in something, then they're blind to everything that pertains to its existence!

That might be true, but still ... Someone would have to notice that everyone's a round ball of light! Not everyone in the entire world can be delusional about the same thing!

Maybe the light's really inside them? And so what if a few people did notice? If they told the people who didn't notice, which has a high chance of being the majority of these people, then those people would lock them up for being insane!

So there's balls of light inside of people, but not everyone knows about them? And those that do know about them continue to pretend that they don't know about them, so that the rest of the world won't condemn them?

Yes.

Then those people are just as bad as the people that don't realise! If they realise that this wonderful ball of light is inside them, but they ignore it, then they're just as bad, if not worse than the rest of the world! They're worried about people who will condemn them, but they're really condemning themselves!

Maybe some of the people do notice, and do something about it! And maybe those people help other people who recognise their light!

There's a lot of "maybes" in there. But I think I agree with you.

There was a blissful moment of silence.

If we're a ball of light, what does that mean? Do we have to help others recognise their light? If we don't do that, does that make us bad, even though we've found our light and are doing something with it?

There was only darkness as a response, and within a second of realising that she was now alone, Ginevra also discovered that she was not completely alone. She could hear other voices with her own, feel other feelings within her, and then Ginevra realised that she was also inside of them.

We did it! Pansy's voice echoed loudly, exhilaration and joy pulsing through her, and through all of them.

It's time to wake up.

8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8

Early morning. Tuesday, May 7

"It's time to wake up," Luna said, gently shaking each of them.

Ginevra opened her eyes to bright morning sunlight and sat up quickly, holding her head.

"Remind me to get pillows next time we decide to spontaneously drink potions that knock us out," Fred murmured to George.

"Colin, wake up," Luna said, a note of urgency in her voice that had everyone looking at them.

Colin was lying on his back, completely still. It didn't even look like he was breathing.

I'm fine. Just need to be alone with Luna, if you don't mind.

Ginevra stared at Draco, who looked just as surprised as she did. Looking at the others, she noticed that they all had looks of surprise on their face.

Now! Unless you want have the desire to watch me make love to my wife, Colin added sarcastically.

When did you get married?! Parvati, Millicent and Ginevra thought in surprise.

"I did not mean married in the mortal sense. Now if you do not leave this room in five seconds, I will make you," Colin said as he sat up, not looking away from Luna to glare at them.

Padma hurried to get everyone out of the room, feeling his burning desire even from across the room.

"But I want to watch!" Millicent said as she was dragged out of the room.

"You have a filthy mind, Millicent. I'd tell Theodore to clean your mind, but I have the feeling he's just as bad as Colin," Gregory said with a snigger, seeing the look on Theodore's face.

Theodore didn't even bother responding, and simply pulled Millicent to their room.

"Those two weren't the only ones affected by the lust side affect," Pansy murmured into her boyfriends' ear.

Vincent grinned at Gregory, and they both headed down to their room just as fast as Pansy was pulling them.

"Damn, I did nae get affected like tha'," Seamus muttered in annoyance.

"It probably recognised how horny you are most of the time and skipped you," Fred and George taunted, grinning at him.

"Where's Neville?" Blaise asked Seamus suddenly, not seeing their boyfriend around.

"Isn't that his shirt?" Lettie asked nervously, pointing to the material on the floor.

"And I think that's his pants," Parvati squeaked, blushing as she indicated material further down the corridor.

Seamus laughed, grabbed Neville's clothes and ran down to their bedroom, where the clothes were leading. Blaise watched with wide eyes as Neville pulled Seamus into the room quickly, grinning smugly when Neville called out to him.

"See you next week," he said cheerfully, hurrying to join his lovers.

"Well, that's not fair. Those three are always at it like jack-rabbits," Fred muttered.

"Well, I'm just thankful to be out of that darkness," Parvati said quietly.

George hugged her gently, murmuring in her ear gently as he led her away to talk in private.

"Why can't I hear anyone in my mind anymore?" Ginevra asked, frowning.

"Probably because we don't know how to use this type of power," Padma replied, shrugging. "If you never use your muscles, then you suddenly discover that they're there, it would take a while to get used to. I imagine it will be painful, just like using our muscles," she added, a slight grin on her face.

"I'm just glad no one's brains imploded," Draco muttered, shivering slightly.

"I think mine almost did," Lettie said quietly. "I couldn't feel anything in that darkness but pain. I wanted to scratch my head out, but Luna calmed me. I'm grateful to be out of that place," she said, her voice quieter still. "If you don't mind, I will go rest, my Lady," she said, curtsying and heading to her room.

"So what happened to you?" Fred asked Padma.

"I lost my magical ability," was all Padma said.

She didn't say anything else, and left the others. Fred frowned deeply and hurried after her.

Ginevra sighed softly, and looked at Draco.

"Should I ask what happened to you?" she asked, only a slight smile on her lips.

"Paranoia. It was fairly extreme, so far as I could tell. Now I know what my father feels like every day," he replied, smirking wryly. "I managed to question every relationship I have, and convince myself that everyone was after something. Apparently you were after my money, which is a very characteristic thing of a Malfoy to assume."

"I think they named the term 'Galleon digger' after people who married into the Malfoy line," Ginevra said, giving him a smirk of her own.

"What about you?" Draco asked as they headed to their room.

"Insanity. I lost my sense of self. And when I had a shred of it back, I argued with myself. Then I convinced myself that I was a ball of light, and everyone in the world was a ball of light, but no one noticed it. It was more confusing than what it sounds like."

"I'm sure it was. Nothing in that place was sane," Draco said, shaking his head.

8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8

Aryle could sense that he was being followed. Since the creature following him had no ill intent, he ignored it, presuming it to be nothing more than a curious forest-creature.

There had been an increase in forest-dwelling creatures since the appearance of the Queen of All, and her King. Aryle didn't mind, so long as the creatures stayed in their designated areas. The forest was only allowing them a temporary residence. When the Queen decided to move on, the creatures would undoubtedly follow, and the forest would return to its usual inhabitants.

Aryle was still undecided as to whether he would miss them, as there had been many a creature arrive that he had never seen before, but that also meant unknown dangers to Lady Evita and the unicorn herd.

The creature following him got closer still, and Aryle jumped up into the trees nimbly. He did not dare to breathe as the creature got closer, in case it did have a hidden agenda. Aryle felt Volatil Equus before she rounded the tree line, and sighed. He jumped from the branches of the tree and landed on the ground.

"What are you doing, Volatil? You should be with the herd," Aryle said, frowning at her.

I ... I just wanted to see if Ginevra was all right, Volatil said, pawing the ground nervously. She helped me when I was hurt, so I wanted to see if there was anything I could do for her.

"The Queen of All is fine. We would know if she wasn't, Volatil," Aryle said, not overly happy at her familiar tone for the Queen.

I want to make sure for myself, Voltail said determinedly. I will not leave, Aryle, the Abraxicorn added, her horn glowing for a moment.

Volatil is already with you, Aryle. Just let her see for herself, Evita said in his mind, sounding tired.

"Very well. Stay with me so that you are not hurt," he said to Volatil, continuing along the path.

She neighed happily, and trotted after him quickly.

8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8

Ginevra sat by the window, trying to ignore the sounds coming from her friends minds. Apparently intense emotions allowed their thoughts to filter through, and it was disturbing hearing their sex-filled thoughts all at once.

Draco was staring at a blank piece of parchment, as if he was attempting to not let anything else fill his mind but that small piece of parchment. Ginevra wasn't sure if it was working, since his face twitched into something painful every couple of minutes.

"Nothing will stop the thoughts," he said after five minutes, throwing the parchment away in disgust. "Colin is so loud. Wish he'd shut up!"

"Want to play Exploding Snap? Might drown out some of the noise," Ginevra said, moving out of the sun.

It was starting to burn her skin and she didn't want to go up in flames just because she was sitting at the window.

"All right," Draco said with a sigh, willing to attempt anything to stop hearing their thoughts.

"We should try with a couple of packets, just so there's more noise," Ginevra said, grinning now.

Draco nodded warily, wondering if she was planning something.

Ginevra just laughed at his expression, and retrieved a deck of Exploding Snap from the bottom drawer. She multiplied the cards three times over, handing him two of the four decks.

Sitting on the floor, Ginevra waited until Draco had seated himself across from her before opening her decks. The bed, although more comfortable, would be subjected to the explosions caused by the cards. Ginevra liked their bed and mattress the way it was.

"Rules?" Draco asked, opening his packs.

"Same as usual, but you can snap on either pile," Ginevra replied, putting two cards on the floor on front of her.

"Twice the chance of the noise," Draco murmured, nodding his appreciation.

Gregory's thoughts made both of them wince, and they hurried to start the game.

Within minutes, the cards were exploding loudly, shaking the floor. Ginevra laughed, cheating and going through her decks to find cards that matched the ones on the floor. The good thing about Exploding Snap was that you were able to re-snap cards when they fell out of the original piles.

Draco laughed along with Ginevra, both of them trying to find cards to match the ones strewn across the floor. The floor continued to shake with each explosion, and their friends' thoughts faded soon enough.

It took both Ginevra and Draco a few minutes to realise that someone was knocking on their door. Draco waved his hand, the door opening quietly as the last of the cards exploded. The twins were standing there, faces slightly pale.

"Can we play? Their thoughts are scaring us," Parvati said, her face red.

Neville's thoughts were the cause this time.

"Close the door behind you," Ginevra said.

Fred and George hurried inside, pulling their girlfriends in and shutting the door behind them firmly.

"How many decks are you using?" Padma asked, seeing more than the usual fifty-two cards on the floor.

"Four. More noise that way," Draco said.

He looked at the cards, and after a moment of concentration, the cards started going back into piles again. Ginevra frowned, and with a look of her own and more concentration and effort than Draco had given, the decks started to multiply.

"So we're playing with wandless magic then?" George asked as he sat on the floor.

"No. We were just playing normally," Ginevra replied.

"Wandless magic would require more attention though," George mused.

"Less opportunity for their thoughts to enter our minds," Fred added with a nod.

"We can just try it for one game," Parvati suggested.

"All right. It'll be good practice for when I kick Colin's arse tonight," Ginevra said, smirking.

"I'm going to kick Pansy's," Padma said, Parvati saying it at the same time.

They looked at each other and grinned.

"Two against one isn't fair," Parvati pointed out.

"I never said I was fair," Padma replied, smirking.

"We're going to get Neville," Fred and George seethed, shuddering.

"Can we start playing already? They're getting louder," Draco said. "I'll take on Theodore," he added with a smirk.

Ginevra just grinned at him, and put down two cards without touching them.

Draco's cards floated in front of him unsteadily, and then two cards were put on the pile, one side exploding already.

"You're cheating!" Parvati said.

Fred and George laughed, their own cards floating in front of them too.

"I am not cheating. I'm merely ensuring that our minds are not filled with thoughts," Draco offered, grinning.

"Fine by me. Wish they'd shut up already," Padma muttered, two of her own cards going onto the piles.

Again, it didn't take long for the explosions to start and the floor to shake. The explosions shook their concentration, and most of the game was spent attempting to keep the cards floating in mid air rather than have them fall to the ground.

"I win!" Fred cried out.

"No, you didn't! Those cards are from your deck!" George protested, indicating the cards tucked under Fred's crossed legs.

"They fell from everyone else's piles!"

They started wrestling each other, the cards forgotten.

"Well, it seems that we're dating ten-year-olds, Parv," Padma said with a sigh.

"How embarrassing. Mother will be so very upset," Parvati said, giggling.

"And imagine Father's face? He might die of shock," her twin replied, grinning.

"Or he might set Khara on them."

"Remember when he did that to those poor boys down the road?"

"He was definitely overreacting. We were only ten!"

"Khara seemed to enjoy herself."

"She did. That is worrying."

"Maybe we shouldn't let these little boys meet her," the said to each other, sighing.

Fred and George weren't wrestling anymore, and were staring at their girlfriends in shock.

"Who's Khara?" Fred asked.

"What happened to those boys?" George asked warily.

"Khara is our father's pet tiger," they replied, smirking at their expressions. "She didn't eat them. Just scared them so much that they never spoke to us again."

"That's a good thing then," Fred and George said, grinning. "Wouldn't want to hurt someone over your attention. Although, we would if there was someone that needed to be hurt."

"Should you be condoling violence like this?" Ginevra murmured to her brothers.

"Silly boys don't stand a chance against a tigress," Parvati said, leaving the room.

"Silly boys don't stand a chance against us," Padma added with a wink, following her sister.

Fred and George's mouths dropped open, and they hurried after their girlfriends quickly.

"Did Colin release hormones or something?" Draco muttered, shaking his head.

The cards rearranged themselves into decks, and flew over to the drawer.

"Probably not, but now we're going to hear them too," Ginevra muttered, frowning.

Draco muttered under his breath, cursing their hormones.

8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8

Luna sighed, kissing Colin's bare chest gently. She didn't want to leave him so soon after they'd finished, but Aryle and Volatil Equus would arrive momentarily. Luna needed to be there to explain, as usual.

Colin's eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply, somewhere between awake and asleep.

Luna sighed softly and started to sit up. She needed to find her clothes and get somewhat presentable.

"Uh-huh," Colin murmured, holding her hips and pulling Luna back onto his chest. "You're not going anywhere, love. They'll be fine on their own," he said, despite yawning slightly.

Luna smiled and snuggled into Colin's chest. He was right, she Saw. They could figure it all out on their own. Smiling brighter, Luna pulled their blanket up around them and settled to sleep.

They would both need their energy for tonight's training.

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Aryle and Volatil Equus saw the light at the edge of the forest, and hurried their pace. Aryle could have been there almost two hours before, but had needed to keep his pace slower so that Volatil could make her way through the unfamiliar land carefully. He did not want her to hurt her hooves on a tree root. They had a tendency to trip unaware creatures this close to Hogwarts.

Arriving at the door leading to the Queen's rooms, Aryle knocked briefly, Volatil waiting impatiently beside him.

"Get yer arses out of there! There's someone at yer bloody door! I ain't yer servant, ye know!"

Aryle frowned slightly, not recognising the voice.

Surely that wasn't the Queen's own? he thought in some surprise.

"Don't be rude! Ginevra said to shows respect!" a childish voice admonished.

"Don't tell me what ter do, ye stupid idiot! How an idiot like ye is feared by kids is beyond me," the first voice replied.

"I'm coming! Relo, Dodger, be nice to each other would you? Wouldn't kill either of you to be friendly. And don't think I didn't hear you swearing, Dodger!" a female voice called.

The door opened, and Aryle stared at the red headed woman standing in the door frame. Her skin was pale, her eyes were black, and she smelled familiar. Aryle quickly dropped to one knee as he recognised the familiar smell belonging to the Queen.

"Volatil! You didn't tell me you were coming! Who's your friend?" Ginevra asked. "Is he tying his shoes or something?"

Hi Ginevra! It was a last minute decision, Volatil said sheepishly, pawing her hoof on the ground. She noticed Aryle bowing and sighed. Get off the floor, Aryle. You're embarrassing me, Volatil said, nudging him with her horn.

"I apologise for staring, Your Majesty! I did not recognise you," Aryle said.

"Of course you didn't, we've never met before. Please, stop bowing and come inside," Ginevra said.

The skin was starting to burn her skin and she didn't have the patience to wait for this stranger to stand up in his own time.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Aryle said, standing.

He saw the look of annoyance on her face and the tightening of her jaw.

Ginevra doesn't like to be called 'Queen'. You should know that already, Aryle! Doesn't Evita tell you anything? Volatil muttered, stepping around him and going inside of the Queen's rooms.

"Volatil! You're not showing the proper respect!" Aryle hissed under his breath, staring after the Abraxicorn.

"For the gods' sakes," Ginevra muttered.

She grabbed Aryle, pulled him inside and shut the door with more force than was necessary. The wall shook and dust floated out of the rafters. Lyra roared and flew down the corridor.

"Sorry Lyra!" Ginevra called, then turned to face Aryle. "I don't know who you are, or why you're here, but next time someone tells you to get off the gods' damned floor and get inside, you should gods' well listen to them! That sun burned, dammit!"

"You all right, love?" a male voice asked.

"Fine. This guy wouldn't listen, and I burned my face in the sun. Next time you're opening the door," Ginevra muttered.

"I did offer," the man replied.

Suddenly, Ginevra wasn't alone. A pale man had an arm wrapped around her, and moved her shoulder so that they were facing each other. His hand caressed her face softly, the slightest of frowns on his face.

"The burn isn't too bad. Do you want me to risk interrupting Theo? Who's he?"

"No, it's fine. I refuse to go in there until it wears off, and even then I'm not going in without everything being sterilised first," Ginevra replied, shuddering. "Don't know who he is, but Volatil arrived with him, so I'm assuming he's with the unicorns. Where did Volatil go? You really don't want to go in there, Volatil! Orion's busy!" Ginevra called, rushing down the corridor quickly.

"I told ye ter shut up, ye stupid fu ... Oh, hi Draco!" one of the voices from earlier turned into a squeak, and Aryle turned to see a Jarvey scurrying along, an Erkling walking beside it.

"Dodger, stop teasing Relo, or else I'll make you be nice for an entire week. To everyone," Draco drawled, smirking.

The Jarvey yelped and ran as fast as he could from the room.

The Erkling sidled up to Draco, and Aryle prepared himself to protect the King. Erkings liked to eat humans, after all... Even though Draco wasn't a child, this Erkling was an adult, and would still be able to cause enough damage to bring down a full-grown human adult. But it seemed that Draco wasn't worried, and the Erkling was hugging him?!

"What alternate universe have I stepped in to?" Aryle muttered quietly, his eyes wide.

Draco chuckled, as if he'd heard his words, then looked straight at Aryle, confirming his thought.

"Sorry to disappoint you, stranger, but this is no alternate universe," he said, chuckling again. "Volatil, really, as much as you think Orion would understand, he really wouldn't like to be disturbed right now!" Draco called.

He held the Erkling up, and hurried down the corridor where Volatil and Ginevra were standing. Frowning deeply, Aryle followed.

But Orion is my friend! I just want to say hello, Volatil whinnied.

"Volatil, sweetie. Orion is currently on Mount Olympus, and Seamus is in there with his boyfriends. You really don't want to disturb them," Ginevra explained gently.

Draco shuddered slightly.

He has more than one boyfriend?! Aryle thought, shaking his head.

"Why don't you introduce us to your friend, and tell us why you're both here?" Ginevra added, leading the Abraxicorn down the hallway.

You promise that you'll tell him that I came by? Volatil asked.

"I promise," Ginevra said, smiling brightly.

Thank you! This is Aryle. He's Evita's Protector, Volatil introduced.

"Hello Aryle. I'm Ginevra, and this is Draco," Ginevra said, smiling at him.

She held out her hand to shake, and frowned when Aryle bowed and kissed it instead.

"Your Majesties. It is an honour to meet you," Aryle said.

A murmur passed between them that was too low for Aryle to hear.

"Didn't I tell him to stop bowing?" Ginevra muttered to Draco.

"I'm sure you did," he replied, smirking.

"Aryle, stand up. Stop bowing to us and address us by our names, not as Majesty," Ginevra said.

"But Your Majesty, I am not worthy to address you as such! And royalty is always bowed to; it is the proper way," Aryle argued, not daring to look up.

Ginevra scoffed at his words.

"Do I look like royalty to you? And what have I done that makes me so bloody worthy to be bowed to, and called 'Queen'? Until I've done something gods' damned worthy of the title, I do not want to be called 'Queen'! I didn't think that would be so much to ask," Ginevra said.

"Ah yes, but the stupidity of commoners is amazing," Draco drawled, smirking at her.

"Dodger said that we was stupid! And he was swearing again! We tolds him to be respectsful!" Relo interjected, still in Draco's arms.

"We'll deal with Dodger when we've finished talking with Aryle, how about that, Relo?" Ginevra asked, smiling at him.

"All right. We go find the naughty little Jarvey!" Relo said happily, jumping out of Draco's arms.

"Are you here about Alexander?" Ginevra asked Aryle when Relo was gone.

"Yes, your Ma ... Ginevra. Evita has requested your presence at the proceedings. Orion also needs to return to the forest, so that a new Protector can be chosen for you," Aryle replied.

"I thought something like this would happen," Ginevra said with a sigh. "When do we need to leave?" she asked.

"Today would be preferred. I still need to get other Protectors that are not within the Forest's dwellings," he said.

"We need to go with you to get them?" Ginevra asked, frowning.

"You will need my protection through the Forest, Ginevra," Aryle said, nodding.

"You don't trust Seamus and Volatil to be able to take care of me?" she asked, grinning at his expression.

"I cannot return to Lady Evita without you. I said that I would get you and Orion myself."

"Along with other Protectors, who are probably nowhere near here, am I right?"

Aryle nodded reluctantly.

"Then you should go get them yourself, like you promised. Seamus and Volatil can look after me. The centaurs are no longer a threat, and I can take care of myself."

Aryle could see her point, but was still reluctant to leave. Both Volatil and Orion were young and still new to the unicorn herd. If anything were to happen to the Queen, it would be all his fault for leaving her in their care.

"Aryle, if you do not leave in the next minute, I will make you leave. I can take care of myself, I trust both Orion and Volatil Equus, and if anything should happen, I will take full responsibility for it. You still have other Protectors to retrieve, and the day isn't going to get any longer while you're just standing here. Now, go," Ginevra said.

It seemed to be the reassurance Aryle needed, as he nodded and bowed slightly to both of them, ignoring Ginevra's look of annoyance.

"Very well. I will see you this afternoon at the unicorn's clearing. Orion and Volatil know the way. Good bye," Aryle said.

He left without another word.

He didn't even say goodbye to me! Volatil neighed, drawing their attention to her. And he still treats me like I'm a foal! I can take care of you, Ginevra! I know I can!

"I know, Volatil. I'm glad that you'll be with me," Ginevra replied, smiling at her. "Now, would you like to help me interrupt Orion? They've been in there quite long enough," she said, heading down the corridor.

"I'm staying out here," Draco muttered, shuddering.

Volatil laughed in a whinnying sound, and followed Ginevra.

"Oh, Orion?! Your presence is needed! And if you don't get your arse out here by the time I count to five, I'm coming in there and getting you myself!" Ginevra called, banging on their door loudly.

One, Volatil started counting, looking far more evil than an Abraxicorn should.

"He's busy!" Neville yelled back.

Two.

"I don't care! Make him un-busy!"

Three.

"Don't send me thoughts like that, Neville! I'm not even down there!" Draco yelled, cursing loudly.

Four.

"Blaise!" Ginevra and Draco yelled, both of them cringing.

Five! Volatil finished, whinnying loudly and readying her horn at the wooden door.

Ginevra smirked, raised her wand and pointed it at the door.

"Time's up, boys!" she called, giving them fair warning.

Just as she was about to blast the door from its hinges, it opened to reveal Seamus with the sheet wrapped around him haphazardly.

I wanted to break the door, Volatil muttered in disappointment, moving her head away.

"Unless someone's dead, I ain't leavin'," he said seriously. "Hi Volatil," Seamus added as he noticed her, then shook his head and did a double take. "Aw, but ... Nev an' Blaise," he said, as if that explained everything.

Considering what Neville had been through, maybe it did, Ginevra thought wryly.

No one has died that I know. But humans die every day, so does that mean you'll leave now? Volatil asked.

"This is 'bout Alexander, right?" Seamus asked.

"Yes. Alexander's getting put on trial," Ginevra replied.

"Good, tha' means there's a possibility I'll be able ter watch th' bastard die!" Seamus said cheerfully. "Give me a minute ter get ready an' I'll be righ' out!"

"As much as I don't like Alexander, I think it's a little morbid to be so happy about him dying!" Ginevra called.

"It's not morbid. It's too kind for that bastard. He deserves to live with unspeakable pains every day for the rest of his life," Draco said from the end of the corridor.

Ginevra turned to admonish Draco, but saw that he was glowing with unbridled anger, and decided to be quiet.

"He practically handed you over on a silver fucking platter to the centaurs, and they're going to give him a trial which will probably result in his death. Oh no, death is far too easy an option for Alexander. He deserves so much more than that," Draco seethed, glowing brighter.

Doors opened with slams, and their friends came out of their rooms in various states of undress. If it wasn't for the blank looks on their faces, Ginevra would have laughed at the comical way in which they'd left their rooms. She had no doubt that Draco was doing this, and hurried to get to him before their friends could.

"Draco, calm down," she said, touching his arm and putting a burst of power through to him.

It didn't seem to work. Ginevra frowned slightly, and moved his head so that she was looking into his eyes.

"You need to calm down, love," Ginevra said, caressing his face softly.

A slight recognition, but not enough to get the blank look of death from their friends' faces.

Ginevra moved closer to Draco still, pressing her lips to his. She almost sighed in relief as his arms wound around her waist, and she kissed him deeply.

"Draco Malfoy! You bastard; this isn't funny!" Pansy yelled, running back into her room.

The others hurried away too, and Draco pulled away to look at Ginevra in confusion.

"What did I do?"

Ginevra explained quickly, and Draco barely kept his temper in check once more. She kissed him again, making him forget about Alexander. She didn't dare bring up Bane's fate. Seamus came out of his room after a few more minutes.

"Aw, ye both tell me ter hurry, an' then ye're both in 'ere kissin' when I can't. That's not fair," Seamus said, glaring at them.

"Oh please, we all know you were in there kissing Blaise and Neville. It doesn't take that long to throw on a shirt and pants," Draco drawled, rolling his eyes.

Seamus grinned at him.

"It does when they keep tryin' ter get me out o' them!" he said cheerfully.

Ginevra shook her head and followed Seamus to where Volatil was waiting.

"We'll be back soon, love," Ginevra said, kissing Draco one last time.

"Come on already!" Orion yelled.

"Looks like he didn't need to get changed after all," Ginevra said with a laugh, getting onto Volatil's back.

Volatil whinnied her good bye to Draco, then started galloping into the forest, Orion next to her.

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Bane turned in the forest clearing, trying to find some opening. The forest seemed to laugh at his predicament, and the ward surrounding the clearing became denser, forcing the centaur to his knees.

The moment the dense atmosphere lessened, Bane was on his hooves and leaping at the ward, despite knowing it was futile. Animals passed by the clearing, completely oblivious to his predicament, and not even the stars were talking to him.

"LET ME OUT OF THIS INFERNAL HOLE!"

"I say we curse him ter stay there fer th' rest of his miserable life," a voice said behind him.

Bane turned to snarl at Orion, who ignored his look easily enough.

I second that! Volatil said eagerly.

"I'm not allowed to punish him until the centaurs have brought their council together... And you're very sadistic for a unicorn, Volatil dear," Ginevra murmured, patting the Abraxicorn's mane tenderly.

He deserves it, Volatil replied.

"Stop talking about me like I am not here! Let me out!" Bane yelled, cursing at them.

"We have to go, Volatil. Please continue," Ginevra said, ignoring Bane.

"If it were up ter me, ye'd be in this clearin' fer the rest of yer life, an' ev'ry creature'd come ter laugh at ye. Yer pride wouldn't like tha', now would it, Bane?" Seamus asked, a knowing glint in his eyes.

"Seamus, stop riling up the centaur! We're going to be late," Ginevra called over her shoulder.

Seamus' laughter echoed in the clearing around Bane. Something inside of him snapped, and Bane let out a loud yell. He started to pull trees out, knocking them over with his hard hooves.

This damn forest had and its damn creatures! All of them laughing at him! He hated them all! Bane thought, ripping up more trees in his anger.

Ginevra heard the trees yelling, the wind crying for help, and hurried back to the clearing. The moment she stepped inside, Bane turned to face her, a snarl on his face.

He launched himself at her without warning, and Ginevra didn't have time to think, scream or retaliate. Her body moved out of pure instinct, and Bane's two front hooves connected with her shoulder instead of her chest. Ginevra heard the bone crack loudly as it popped out of its socket. Now she did scream.

Seamus jumped through the trees and into the clearing, hitting Bane with a spell. His body shone brightly as he fought Bane as a Protector, his wand forgotten after the first spell.

Ginevra noticed a symbol glowing on Orion's forehead, and felt an ache as the same symbol etched itself into the back of her right hand.

Volatil! What's happening? she cried out in alarm.

Volatil didn't have a chance to answer. Orion picked Ginevra up, ran out of the clearing, set her beside the Abraxicorn, and then went straight back into the clearing to continue fighting Bane.

Ginevra muttered under her breath about over-protective males, and hurried to the edge of the clearing to watch the fight.

It was easy to tell that Orion was winning, even at a first glance. Bane hadn't slept since he'd been put in the clearing, and the fatigue was beginning to wear on him, just as the adrenaline from his anger began to deplete too. In less than two minutes, Orion was standing over Bane's crumpled and bloodied body.

"Do not kill him, Orion!" Ginevra called out quickly.

Orion struggled against her words, glaring down at the centaur. His inner battle ended soon enough and Orion left the clearing without looking back once. The clearing's barrier reformed the second Orion left, leaving the wind and trees to tend to Bane's wounds. He couldn't die before Ginevra selected a punishment for him. That would be too good for the betrayer...

"We have to hurry if we are to arrive before Aryle and the others," Orion murmured, touching Ginevra's arm and guiding her away from the clearing.

Volatil was whinnying, but would tell neither Ginevra nor Orion why she was so happy.

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Aryle hurried through the forest, the other three Protectors alongside him. They could all feel the danger the Queen was in, and all had the compulsive reaction to help her.

He should not have let the Queen leave with Volatil Equus and Orion. This was all his fault! Aryle cursed himself once more, putting on an extra burst of speed.

He stopped suddenly, feeling the danger waning. There was another presence protecting the Queen. Aryle closed his eyes, the others continuing to the unicorns now that the Queen was safe. Reaching out briefly, Aryle was surprised at the amount of power this new presence had.

He must be very powerful to hide this amount of power all this time, Aryle mused. He faltered for a moment, recognising the presence.

"Orion?" he whispered, his face paling.

Aryle started running once more, following the other Protectors to the unicorns.

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Ginevra, Orion and Volatil Equus reached the unicorn herd almost thirty minutes after the fight with Bane. They were all surprised to see Aryle there already, three Protectors with him, and even more surprised to see that he was arguing with Evita.

"He did not have that amount of power earlier this day!"

Aryle, if you raise your voice to me once more, I will spear you with my horn! Now be silent! Evita said, her usually calm voice rising with each word.

He stopped yelling abruptly, and bowed deeply.

"My apologies, my Lady. I am stunned, and not myself these last few hours," Aryle said humbly.

Evita huffed, shaking her mane out.

Apology accepted, Aryle. Ginevra, welcome back. I wish it were under more pleasant circumstances, but times are changing, and I fear that those times will be few and far in between, Evita said, sadness in her eyes.

"I certainly hope otherwise, Lady Evita," Ginevra replied, bowing.

Evita nodded, then returned her gaze to Aryle.

Please take our guests into the clearing. Volatil, a moment if you will, she said, leading Volatil away.

"Please, follow me," Aryle said once Evita and Volatil had left, indicating the way.

Ginevra and Orion followed Aryle and the other Protectors into the clearing, waiting patiently for Evita to return.

When the unicorn did return a few minutes later, she looked both pleased and upset.

Ginevra, may I see the symbol on your hand, please? Evita asked.

Putting her hand out, Ginevra watched Evita's face and eyes. Evita smiled briefly, shut her eyes and placed her horn against the now-dull symbol. It lit up brilliantly, and Ginevra cried out as pain flared through her body. She vaguely heard Orion crying out too, and could see his own symbol glowing from the corner of her eye.

Evita gently moved Ginevra closer to Orion, and the moment they touched, the pain disappeared.

"What was that?" Ginevra asked, her breath coming in short shallow gasps.

"Orion is your True Protector. He will now do what Alexander did not do, and he will protect you even if it costs him his life," Aryle answered when Evita stayed silent.

"Why didn't I chose my Protector like this last time?" Ginevra asked.

Last time was the traditional way of choosing one's Protector. Orion was not a Protector then, and could not have been present anyway. This time, his True Protector mode was forced out of him in order for him to come to your aid. It would not have happened with any other Protector besides your True one. You are very lucky that Orion was with you, or else we may have lost Protectors that are otherwise invaluable, Evita said, looking at Aryle pointedly.

Aryle understood her message. She was saying that he should not feel guilty for letting Ginevra go with only Orion and Volatil Equus, as he would not have been able to help anyway. Aryle nodded to Evita, feeling his shoulders lift with the released tension and guilt.

Now that Ginevra's Protector is already chosen, may you all please follow me to the trial of Alexander Tobias Therode? Evita asked, leading them out of the clearing once more.

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"I should have gone with her," Draco muttered to himself, yet again.

If only to escape the lustful little nymphomaniacs I call friends, he added silently, wincing when Pansy's thoughts started to get louder.

"Relo, want to go for a walk?" Draco called.

"Yes! We miss the sunshine, and the animals need to be filling our stomach. We is hungry," Relo said happily.

"Let me come wit' ye," Dodger said, scurrying over.

He sounded almost like he was begging, Draco mused.

"What's the magic word?" Draco asked, smirking.

"Abra-freaking-cadabra, get me the hell out of here?" Dodger replied, running up Draco's leg and body to wrap himself around his neck.

"It's not cold enough for a scarf, Dodge. You can unwrap yourself from my neck now," he replied.

"I wasnae' plannin' on keepin' ye warm," Dodger replied, and if a Jarvey could smirk, Dodger achieved it.

Draco rolled his eyes and left the rooms quickly, Relo beside him and Dodger on his shoulder.

8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8----8

Alexander Tobias Therode, you are hereby sentenced with negligence and purposely putting your charge, and your charge's loved ones in danger. How do you plead? Evita asked.

"Not guilty," Alexander replied.

His entire body glowed red, the symbol on his forehead burning brightly.

"Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!" he yelled, the red fading immediately.

He collapsed to his knees, panting heavily.

"Guilty," Alexander muttered, standing again.

Your sentence will be decided in a few moments, Evita informed him, turning to talk to her fellow herd members.

After five minutes of waiting, Evita turned back to face Alexander.

You will be revoked of your pledge, Alexander Tobias Therode, and then you will lose your status as a Protector, along with the power and skills you have obtained through becoming a Protector.

Beside Ginevra, Orion shuddered at the thought.

The unicorns horns started to glow fiercely, and Alexander's body began to glow once more, silver this time. They all watched as silver blood began to pour itself out of his body, even as Alexander fell to the ground. The unicorns' blood pooled in front of them, and the Protectors started to put the precious blood into small vials so as not to waste it.

Alexander continued to glow, his body changing as the glow started to leave his body. His toned muscles disappeared, his hair losing its shine, his eyes darkening, hands weakening. It continued until the silver glow and blood had disappeared from him completely, and all that was left was an older, weary and unfit version of Alexander.

We revoked his pledge as well, Ginevra, so that you do not need to suffer along with him. He will be taken to the Muggle world, where he will find a job, housing, and forget that we ever existed. He was a good Protector before, Evita murmured to Ginevra.

Before me... Ginevra thought with a heavy sigh.

"Well, I'm glad tha's ov'r. He was a righ' prick," Seamus said, wrapping his arm around Ginevra's shoulder. "He deserved tha', an' more."

Do not be so quick to judge, Orion. There are always outside factors that not everyone knows or considers. You should return to Hogwarts now. Thank you for being a witness to our proceedings, Ginevra. And I am glad that you have found your Protector so soon, Evita said, glowing happily. I would like a moment with Orion, if you please.

Of course, Ginevra bowed to Lady Evita, and left the clearing.

Look after her, Orion. The threat against her is getting closer, and we are still not aware of who or what it is. Keep your eyes open, and listen to the wind. Congratulations, young one. We are all proud of you, Evita said, nuzzling Orion gently.

Thank you, Lady Evita, Orion replied, bowing deeply.

Evita watched with sad eyes as Orion and Ginevra left back for Hogwarts.

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Draco had let Relo go hunting in the forest alone after seeing the way he 'ate' his food. Now he knew why Theodore had felt sick after watching Relo feed when he'd been ill at Christmas.

"Now I know why th' brats are scared of him. Eatin' somethin' like that jus' ain't righ'," Dodger said, shuddering in Draco's arms.

"Yes, well, Ginevra drinks blood. I don't think how he eats really matters, so long as he eats it," Draco replied, shrugging briefly.

There was an excited yell from inside the forest, and Draco stood up quickly, hurrying to the tree line.

"Put me down already! Ye donnae need ter hol' me like a baby!" Dodger yelled, struggling in Draco's hands.

He shook his head and let him go.

"We is out hunting with Draco! Dodger came alongs with us too, but he got scaredy-Jarvey and jumped into Draco's arms when we was eating! Dodger made us laughs!" Relo was saying excitedly, hardly taking a breath.

"It sounds like you've had fun," Ginevra's voice replied, and Draco could hear the tinge of amusement in her tone.

He grinned, heading into the forest to meet her.

"Draco! We found Ginevra! She's with Orion! He's Seamus too, and he's all silver-glowy! He looks so pretty," Relo said, sounding awe-struck.

Draco just nodded at Seamus, who really was glowing silver, and he nodded back in return.

"Thank you for going with her, Seamus. Everything get done all right, love?" Draco asked, hugging her to him.

"Except for Bane, everything was fine," Ginevra replied, grinning up at him.

"What about Bane?" Draco asked, a growl at the back of his throat.

"Nothing that can't be dealt with another day. Let's go home. It's been a long day, and I want to rest before training tonight," Ginevra said.

Draco wasn't overly happy with her choice, but he could see the fatigue in her eyes, and nodded.

"All right. Another day then," he murmured, kissing her forehead.

"Dodger! Want to see how much we can eat at once?" Relo asked, laughing when the Jarvey ran away quickly.

Ginevra shook her head at them, and went back to Hogwarts, her husband, and her Protector by her sides.

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Virginia glared at the picture of the three in the mist. It hadn't taken much to watch into the unicorn's trial, and she had watched as Alexander was revoked of his Protector pledge and powers.

He definitely wasn't much to look at now, she thought, her nose wrinkling in disgust. Her gaze returned to Ginevra, Draconius, and Orion in the mist and she glared once more. How happy they look... How absolutely disgusting, she thought, a hand waving the mist away in anger.

"We have lost another ally, my Lady," Bart said beside her.

"Yes, I know! I saw it myself," Virginia hissed. "Now that Alexander is helpless and mortal, he'll be wanting my help. Ginevra will tell Agnes about all of this, I'm sure. Having her ex-Protector show up on my doorstep just won't do," Virginia mused. "Follow the Protectors to the Muggle world, and make sure that Alexander will never be able to return here."

Bart bowed, a grin spreading across his scarred face. He straightened up once more, and left to fetch his knives.

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(a/n: end of the twenty third chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!)