Unofficial Portkey Archive

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Chapter Twenty Five

Monday, 13 May

Owls hooted loudly as they circled the Great Hall, looking for the people their letters were intended for. Errol made his usual crash landing among the cereal and milk, shouting and hoots of embarrassment following.

Luna had asked that everyone eat breakfast in the Great Hall this morning, as she was waiting some mail and didn't want the owl to get lost on the way to their rooms. Not expecting anything to arrive for them, Ginevra and Draco all but ignored the owls flying above their heads, instead taking the time to concentrate on their breakfast before it went cold.

Two owls landed directly in front of them, and Draco looked up from his toast with a slight frown at the two green envelopes the owls were holding.

"Please don't tell me that this is the mail you were waiting for, Luna?" he said, sighing. "Why couldn't you just have told us that we had letters coming?"

A large owl landed in front of Luna and she held her hand out, while sending a disapproving glare in Draco's general direction.

"You're not the only ones who receive mail, you know," she murmured as she opened the envelope, tapped the letter with her wand and held it to her ear.

"I can just read it out loud to you, Luna," Colin said, frowning.

Putting the letter down when the message was finished, Luna just smiled at Colin and patted his arm. "I know, but some things aren't meant to be heard by your ears... What does your letter say?" she asked Ginevra, turning away from her boyfriend.

"I have my final exams this afternoon. An Examiner from the Ministry of Magic will be coming to Hogwarts to oversee it, apparently," Ginevra said, scanning the official letter.

"I got the same letter," Draco said when Millicent, Parvati and Pansy looked to him.

"Short notice, isn't it?" Theodore said with a shake of his head.

"Lucky we've been studying for it then," Ginevra said, grinning.

"When?" Padma asked, scoffing.

"We don't need much sleep anymore," Draco replied with a shrug.

"And you're voluntarily choosing to spend that time studying?" Vincent sneered.

Draco rolled his eyes. I'm refusing to answer that, Vincent. So very wrong, he thought.

Vincent just laughed and returned to his breakfast.

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Ginevra watched Millicent with a slight frown. All morning, the Slytherin girl had avoided her, and at one point she had even left the room when Ginevra walked in. It wasn't like Millicent to do something like this, and she wondered what was wrong with her friend.

"Mill, what's wrong?" Ginevra asked finally as everyone was eating lunch.

Millicent had chosen the seat furthest away from Ginevra, even though she hadn't been the last person to the table.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong," Millicent replied far too quickly.

"There has to be something wrong, or you wouldn't be avoiding me like this," Ginevra pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Not avoiding you," she muttered, looking down at her food.

"You haven't looked at me once all day, you haven't even spoken to me, and you even left the kitchen when I went in earlier for lunch... Now tell me. What. Is. Wrong?" Ginevra growled.

"I'm menstruating, okay?" Millicent muttered, her face turning red. "I didn't know how you'd handle it after turning into a Full Blooded Vampiress," she said, shrugging.

"You thought I was going lose control and Drink from you because of old blood?" Ginevra asked, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

"Old blood?" Vincent echoed, looking at his tomato soup queasily.

"Yeah, I'd stop eating that too," Gregory muttered, grimacing at the bowl.

"Lovely," Draco drawled, rolling his eyes. "Perhaps you should finish this delightful conversation when weak-stomached people aren't eating?" he added, smirking at Ginevra.

"Well, I didn't know what would happen, and I didn't want to ask," Millicent said, ignoring the guys' reactions.

Ginevra laughed softly and moved over to Millicent so she could pat her shoulder. "Don't worry, your precious blood supply is safe while Draco's around," she said, winking.

"Thanks... I think," Millicent said with a frown.

"Now that that's over, can we go? I'm suddenly not hungry anymore," Vincent asked, still looking ill.

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"Miss Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, if you will follow me please. The Examiners from the Ministry of Magic have arrived for you to take your final exams. I hope you've both been studying," Albus said with a slight smile, leading them upstairs.

"Of course," Draco said indignantly.

Shaking her head with a brief smile, Ginevra put a hand on his arm to calm him.

"The Ministry have created certain rules for your examinations," Albus informed them. "They aware of your non-human status, of course, but as they do not know exactly what unique talents you have as a vampiress and veelan respectively, certain actions have been undertaken to ensure there is no cheating."

"What sort of actions?" Ginevra asked, frowning.

"Separate rooms, various spells to stop communication, the normal anti-cheating spells, and ..." Dumbledore trailed off, coughing slightly.

"And?" Draco prompted with a frown of his own - he doubted he was going to like the Headmaster's answer.

"The Ministry are refusing to let you take your examinations unless you make an Unbreakable Vow stating that you will not cheat. I was against such a drastic measure, of course, but I'm afraid I do not hold much sway over the Ministry anymore," Dumbledore said, looking at his blackened hand.

"An Unbreakable Vow just so that we won't cheat?" Ginevra echoed, surprised and suspicious; there was something Albus wasn't telling them.

Dumbledore looked directly at her, and she could see the pity, anger and fear in his eyes.

"They want you to become human during your theoretical examinations, and nothing more than a normal witch and wizard for your practical ones. It is the Ministry's understanding that if you really are the Queen and King of All, becoming human for a less than a day in order to complete your examinations should be no trouble."

"We can't do that. Can we do that? Is it even possible for us to do that?" Draco asked, looking at Ginevra.

"I ... I have no idea," she replied in a murmur.

"You only have a few minutes to decide," Albus said, standing in front of the examination room's door.

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Ron looked around the Gryffindor Common Room. Everything was exactly as he remembered, though the younger students seemed smaller than he'd ever been. Despite his glances, it wasn't the room he was looking at. He was looking for his sister, the one in the photos, but not in his memory.

"Ha, got another one of your pawns! Distracted there, Ron?" Harry asked with a grin as his knight smashed the pawn in half.

His attention quickly returned to the game, and Ron beat Harry in five moves. With the game over and his victory complete, Ron looked around the Common Room once more.

"Ginny doesn't stay in Gryffindor Tower, Ron," Hermione informed him, not-too-gently either.

"She hasn't been here nearly all year, mate," Harry added.

"Why not?" Ron asked in surprise.

"She lives in an older part of the castle with Malfoy," Hermione said.

There was a thrill to being the reason Ron's face was turning pale to green to the horrendous Weasley-red. No wonder the Slytherins riled him up all the time! She hid her smile and looked concerned at Ron's continually-reddening face.

"Malfoy?!" Ron spluttered.

"'Mione," Harry hissed, nudging her.

"What? I thought someone would have told him by now. They're practically married, he'd find out sooner or later," she said, rolling her eyes.

Ron clutched his chest at the word 'married' and his face went redder still. Harry hit him on the back a couple of times, glaring at Hermione briefly.

"No need to be so blunt about it, 'Mione. He's going to have a heart attack," Harry said, hitting Ron harder.

It took a few minutes for Ron to calm down enough to breathe again, but even then he still didn't look well. A sliver of guilt dug into Hermione's mind and she fought to push it away. Ginny had caused her brother more pain than this, and she wasn't remorseful!

"Sorry, Ron. Are you all right now?" Hermione asked, trying to smile at him.

Ron was uncharacteristically silent as he nodded. "Right, up for another game then, Harry?" he asked, turning back to the chess board.

Harry groaned good-naturedly and they set up another game. Neither noticed Hermione leave the Common Room and go upstairs to the girls' dormitory.

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One Examiner stood in front of Ginevra while in another room two flights down, his colleague was standing in front of Draco.

"Ready?"

Ginevra and Draco both nodded. Neither one looked overly well, but there was a determination in their eyes that indicated their strength. Glowing on both of their arms was the mark of an Unbreakable Vow.

"Your theoretical exams start... Now!"

Turning the first parchment over, both Ginevra and Draco began their final exams.

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Albus looked at the closed door behind which Draco was just starting his exam, and with a heavy sigh, the Headmaster headed down to the staff room.

He was sure that most of the staff would be waiting, worried right up until the last minute when they had to leave for their classes. Even then, he was sure that some would still worry and be preoccupied during them. They all knew of the Ministry's conditions on letting Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley complete their examinations. Not one of them agreed with the condition, but they had no more say in it than he did at present.

"Did they do it, Albus? Are they all right?" Minerva asked the moment he entered the staff room.

Snape didn't say anything, but he looked as worried as Minerva.

"They're both tired, but they managed to do it," Albus replied with a brief nod. "For the next twelve hours, both Ginevra and Draco are completely human."

"May the gods' save us all," Trelawney muttered, toasting her glass of sherry to the heavens before downing it in one gulp.

Snape left the room without a word, and moments later, both Minerva and Sybill had left as well. Sinking into an armchair with a heavy sigh, Albus looked to the clock hanging on the wall.

Eleven hours, fifty-five minutes and thirty-two seconds left.

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Ginevra felt sick. Her entire body felt like it was burning up, her stomach was turning over and over, and her head seemed to be swimming in a non-existent ocean.

Don't be sick, don't be sick, don't be sick, she told herself, forcing her mind to focus so she could concentrate on the exam.

The Examiner from the Ministry looked like he would be as sympathetic as a dead Jobberknoll.

Soon, it became too much and she hesitantly raised her hand.

"What is it?" he asked in a deadpan voice.

"Can I have some water, please?" Ginevra asked.

A glass of water appeared in front of her and she thanked him with a nod before taking the water and drinking eagerly. Feeling refreshed, but definitely not satisfied, Ginevra returned to her exam.

Draco held back a groan of pain. His head was thumping, his stomach was growling, and his entire body was starting to ache. He had to pass these exams, dammit. Without these exams, the only future he would have was one that relied entirely upon his fortune. His father had lived that way, and Draco refused to live the same way as him.

Clenching his fist tightly, Draco let the pain in his palm distract him from the pains in the rest of his body, and continued with the exam silently.

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"All right, quill down. Your first exam is finished," the Examiner said, standing directly in front of Ginevra's desk.

She put the quill down before he finished talking, and watched queasily as he took the parchment off the desk.

"Excuse me, sir? Dobby was asked to bring food for Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy," Dobby said from the doorway, his voice somewhat muffled from behind the large trolley.

"How did you open the door? That was locked from the inside!" the Examiner said, stalking over and glaring at the house-elf.

"It was locked against the students, not Dobby, sir," Dobby replied.

"Fine. What's all this then?" he asked, looking at the trolley with a frown.

"Lunch for Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy," Dobby replied. "It's from Professor Dumbledore, sir. He says that they are still to eat while they are students here, and Dobby says he would bring them food at lunch time, so Dobby has done what Professor Dumbledore has asked of Dobby."

"All right, give Miss Weasley her tray and then take one down to Mr. Malfoy," the Examiner muttered.

Dobby did so quickly, leaving the tray on the desk next to Ginevra's table, before leaving the room and going down to where Draco was being held.

"You have twenty minutes to eat your lunch."

Ginevra nodded gratefully and took the lid off the tray. Two salad sandwiches, a bowl of fruit salad, another bowl of vegetable soup, and a glass of pumpkin juice awaited her. Biting into the first sandwich she was surprised to find that she was ravenous. Forcing herself to eat slowly to avoid indigestion, Ginevra still managed to eat her all of the food in the twenty minute timeframe. Draining the last of the pumpkin juice, she set the goblet down and took a deep breath.

"Your time is up. Get ready for your next exam."

Draco nodded, finishing the last of his pumpkin juice. He hadn't eaten like that in such a long time. Since before he started his Veelan training with Garion, in fact... He hadn't eaten like that since he was human.

Picking up his quill, Draco readied himself for his next exam, feeling much better now.

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"How do you think they're going?" Pansy asked the others as they walked around the castle, licking her ice cream.

Luna had suggested they go for a walk to get out of the rooms, and while the rooms were getting quite stuffy because of the increasingly warm weather outside, it had taken ice cream bribes to make everyone leave.

Relo currently had ice cream smeared over his face, but he had eaten some of it so Pansy was sure that he did actually enjoy it. She was just glad that he hadn't gone hunting and eaten animals in front of them.

"They're probably already finished, knowing them," Millicent replied with a grin.

"Who suggested ice cream again?" Gregory asked, his voice hitching as he watched Pansy lick the melting substance off her fingers.

Pansy just laughed at his expression and continued to eat her ice cream.

"Oh," Lettie murmured, stopping so suddenly that they all looked at her.

Her face was pale and she was staring straight ahead, her ice cream cone held limply in her hand. Frowning at each other, they followed her gaze and saw Ron and Harry up ahead.

"Oh," Millicent echoed.

"There they are," Harry said to Ron, indicating to the large group.

Lettie blanched further and moved so she was hidden behind Gregory. He put an arm behind his back and held her hand gently, reassuring her.

"Good afternoon, Ron, Harry," Luna said pleasantly as they stopped in front of them.

"Hi Luna," Harry said, nudging Ron who was staring at Luna's eyes.

"She's blind, how'd she know it was us?" Ron whispered to Harry.

"Luna's blind, not deaf," Colin said, getting angry already.

"We told her that you were coming over, of course," Padma said, rolling her eyes.

"Of course," Ron said quickly, seeing the look on Colin's face.

"Is there something you wanted?" Parvati asked after a moment of awkward silence.

"Oh, yeah. Have you seen Ginevra anywhere? I wanted to say hello to her," Ron asked.

"She's doing her exams with Draco. They won't be out until dinner," Millicent replied.

"Her exams? But it's only May," Ron replied, frowning. "It is only May, right?" he added to Harry.

Harry nodded, looking confused himself.

"They are taking their final exams as they have finished learning anything that can be taught. You can ask Professor Dumbledore if you wish to know more, or Ginevra herself at dinner," Luna answered. "Let's go to the lake, the squid will be awake soon," she said, smiling.

They all headed down to the lake, leaving Harry and Ron standing there in confusion.

"How does she know the squid's going to be awake soon? Seriously, mate, I don't really think she's blind," Ron muttered to Harry, shaking his head.

"I don't know about that, you think they'd realise if she wasn't, wouldn't you?" Harry replied with a grin.

"Probably not, they're Slytherins, remember? Can't see past their own nose half the time," Ron muttered.

Harry shook his head at Ron and patted him on the back. "Let's go inside and find Hermione. She'll probably want to know where your sister is as well."

Ron nodded, heading into the castle with Harry.

"Final exams? They're doing their final exams?" Hermione's voice became an indignant screech as she repeated it over.

"Maybe we shouldn't have told her," Harry muttered quietly.

Ron nodded as he sat on the armchair, his face pale, watching Hermione pace the Common Room. They were the only three in there - everyone else had already been scared away by Hermione. Ron didn't blame them, she looked murderous.

"Why do they get to do their final exams? Do they think I'm not smart enough? They think I'll fail, don't they?" Hermione questioned, her high-pitched voice not wavering. "Final exams?!" she said again, letting out a scream of frustration.

Muttering to herself, and with another frustrated scream, Hermione stomped her way up to the girls' dormitory. Moments later, a loud slam echoed in the Common Room, making both Harry and Ron jump.

"Really shouldn't have told her, mate. Brilliant idea," Ron said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, I know. Let's get out of here before she comes back down. We'll just ask Dumbledore about Ginny," Harry whispered, grabbing his cloak and hurrying to the exit.

There was another scream from the girls' dormitory, and Ron hurried after Harry.

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Pansy, Gregory, Luna, Colin, Parvati, Padma, and Lettie were waiting outside Ginevra's exam room, waiting for her final exam to finish. They'd split up so half were waiting for both of them to finish, with Theodore, Millicent, Blaise, Neville, Seamus, Vincent, Fred, and George waiting for Draco.

Luna hadn't said much about how Draco and Ginevra were faring with their exams, only that they would finish exactly fifteen minutes before dinner. Finally, the examination door opened and the Examiner stepped out, ignoring the waiting students as he left.

"How are you feeling?" Luna asked Ginevra as she stepped out into the corridor.

"Not so good," Ginevra replied, her head spinning.

"Dinner starts soon, why don't you get some food in you and you'll feel better?" Greg murmured, patting her shoulder gently.

Ginevra nodded briefly, clinging to Gregory when her head decided that nodding wasn't such a good idea at the moment.

"Careful there, don't throw up," Pansy said, moving to steady her friend.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Greg asked, frowning.

"No, I'll be fine. I can walk," Ginevra said, though she sounded anything but fine.

"Do you need ... blood?" Lettie asked, stepping forward.

"That would not be a very wise suggestion at this moment, Miss Lettie," Professor Dumbledore said as he walked over with Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Lettie?" McGonagall murmured, a question in her tone.

Albus just smiled and touched her arm before turning back to the small group of students.

"Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy were required to become human in order to complete their examinations according to the Ministry's rules. As you will notice, there is a Unbreakable Vow mark on her arm, as there is one on Mr. Malfoy's, adhering to this ridiculous rule. If she is given blood at this moment, it will do nothing for her. Miss Weasley needs food and water to strengthen herself, considering she has not eaten adequately for almost nine months now. Mr. Malfoy will be the same, so I suggest you both help them to the Great Hall for dinner immediately. I will have the doors opened early so that they can be seated without so many eyes watching," Dumbledore said with a kind smile.

"Thank you, Professor. Don't feel bad about it, you weren't the one to make the rule, and you certainly were not the one who made us do it. Draco and I decided that for ourselves," Ginevra said, even as she swayed on her feet.

Gregory picked her up quickly, holding her still. He nodded in thanks when the two Professors parted so he could pass with Ginevra, and walked down the corridor briskly.

"Human? How is that possible?" Pansy asked as they followed them quickly. "I didn't think Unbreakable Vows could do that," she murmured, shaking her head.

"What did you mean by 'Miss Lettie', Albus?" Minerva asked when the students were gone.

"Simply what it meant, Minerva," he replied with a chuckle. "At this moment, Miss Lettie has no surname by which she can be called, so I addressed her as was suitable. Now, let us go check on Mr. Malfoy's well-being," he said, humming as he walked down the corridor.

"At this moment? So does that mean she will get a surname?" Minerva asked, frowning. "Oh, Albus," she muttered when she realised that he was pretending not to hear her question, and followed him quickly, shaking her head.

Mere seconds after Gregory arrived at the Great Hall with Ginevra, the doors opened and he went straight inside, sitting Ginevra at the Slytherin table.

A few minutes later, Theodore arrived carrying Draco. He seated him next to Ginevra and they all seated themselves around their friends.

"Do you want something to eat now? We can go to the kitchens," Neville asked, half standing already.

"No, we'll be fine in an hour or so," Draco said, waving for him to sit down again.

"It was only for twelve hours. We started at nine, so we should be fine after that," Ginevra added, trying to smile reassuringly.

It didn't seem to work, and they just looked as worried as before.

"Should be fine?" Fred and George said, a growl in their throats.

"Well, as far as we know, it's never been done before, so we don't really know the consequences," Draco said, shrugging slightly.

"You did a spell without knowing the consequences?" Colin asked, shaking his head.

"We had to. We needed to pass our exams," Ginevra said wearily, tired of justifying their decision.

There was some general muttering about the insanity of the Ministry, but then students started to file into the Great Hall, and they went quiet. Ginevra leant her head on Draco's shoulder in an effort to make the room stop spinning, and he rested his head on top of hers. With a slight smile, they held hands beneath the table and rested quietly together.

In less than ten minutes the Great Hall was full of students, as well as their noise. Dumbledore made an announcement about the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend, and dinner was on the table by two minutes past eight. Some students wondered why dinner was being served early that night, but then decided that the ever-disappearing food was more important, and hurried to eat instead.

Ron's bright red hair was all that could be seen over the sea of students as he popped his head up briefly between chicken legs to see where his sister was. There were three red-heads over at the Slytherin table and he frowned, bypassing them the first few inspections, thinking that they wouldn't be anyone related to him. Fred and George were supposed to have graduated - well, not graduated, but certainly no longer at Hogwarts! - and from what he'd heard of the twins, they wouldn't have returned for anything less than a Quidditch game and the chance to sell their infamous products.

"Is that my sister?" Ron whispered to Harry, his whisper coming out fairly sloppy considering he still had pieces of chicken in his mouth.

"Where?" Harry asked, hardly looking up from his mash potato and roast.

"Over at the Slytherin table," Ron said, biting into another chicken leg.

Harry actually lifted his head this time, and after brushing his bangs from his eyes, he looked between the students to see a very tired Ginevra sitting at the Slytherin table.

"Yeah, that's her," he said with a nod, returning to his roast.

"Thanks," Ron said, getting up and brushing his greasy hands on his robes.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked in surprise.

Ron didn't seem to hear him, and stepped away from the Gryffindor table, making his way towards the Slytherins.

Be nice, Luna's voice echoed in Fred and George's minds. They looked at each other, then to Luna with a frown. When she didn't elaborate, they looked around, and saw that Ron was walking over.

"Ginny?" Ron said, his voice an octave higher with nerves.

"That's Ginevra to you," Fred muttered under his breath, and was rewarded with a sharp kick from Luna. Grimacing in pain, he rubbed his tender ankle and kept quiet.

"Good evening, Ron," she replied with a gentle yet weary smile.

"Is it Ginevra? I'm sorry, I don't really seem to remember," Ron said, his face flushing. "I don't remember you two either. Fred and George, right?" he asked, his nerves increasing as the twins turned to him with identical unreadable expressions.

"Yes, that's right, Ronnie-kins," they replied. Their tones were somewhat pleasant, but their expressions remained the same.

Ron attempted a smile, wondering if they'd always behaved this way to him. Had he done something to make them act this way?

"Would you like to play a game of chess later, Ron? Tomorrow, if you don't mind. I'm a bit tired from my exams," Ginevra added with a slight yawn.

Ron did his best not to lean over the table and inspect her mouth for fangs. He had a feeling Fred and George wouldn't respond well to that. "That'd be great. I'll meet you in the Common Room?"

"How about we play by the lake instead? It will be a nice day to be outside, and the pieces can yell as loud as they'd like," Ginevra said, grinning.

Ron chuckled and nodded enthusiastically. "Excellent. After breakfast, or is that too soon?"

"Perfect. I'll see you then," she replied, smiling at him now.

Feeling a lot more relieved now, Ron went back to the Gryffindor table and took his seat between Harry and Hermione.

"I can't believe you just walked straight up to them!" Harry said in awe, clapping him on the back.

"And over to the Slytherin table, at that. Are you feeling all right?" Hermione asked, placing her hand against his forehead.

"Feel fine, 'Mione. We're playing chess tomorrow by the lake," Ron said with a grin, reaching over Hermione to grab a chicken leg.

"The lake?" Harry said in surprise.

"Yeah, good weather for it," Ron replied, biting a chunk out of the leg.

Hermione frowned slightly, looking over to Ginny and her friends. They all seemed innocent enough at the moment, but why wouldn't she go to the Common Room? Surely Ginny could be separated from them for the short amount of time it would take for Ron to beat her at chess?

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Tuesday, 14 May

"I thought we were supposed to be here after breakfast?" Harry asked Ron as they walked over to the lake, seeing Ginevra and her friends already waiting.

They weren't hard to miss; not only were they the biggest group sitting outside, they were all sitting on a blanket beneath a very large red and green umbrella.

"We decided to eat outside. Would you like something before the game?" Ginevra asked, smiling.

"How many games are we playing?" Ron asked, seeing the small row of chess boards set up.

Plates of food were strewn between the boards as well as the people sitting down too.

"As many as you'd like, I suppose. But the others wanted to play as well. Harry, would you like to play against one of us, or would you like to play against Hermione?" Ginevra asked.

"I should warn you, we take chess very seriously," Draco added, chuckling briefly.

Hermione noticed the bite marks on his neck and shivered in the warm morning sun.

"Draco Malfoy, laughing? Next you'll tell me you're capable of feeling emotion," Ron said, shaking his head as he sat across from his sister.

"Nothing to tell about it, brother," Fred said, glaring at Ron.

"He's more capable of feeling emotion than you are," Padma muttered, not quite under her breath.

George and Parvati were at the shop in Hogsmeade for the day.

"Calm yourselves down; he was attempting to be funny," Draco said, smirking at Ron's surprised face. "But Fred is right, there is nothing to tell. At least, I think it would be easier to show you," he added, turning to Ginevra and kissing her passionately.

She smiled under his kiss, her hands threading through his hair as she kissed him back, nipping at his bottom lip.

No blood play in front of your brother, he will not react well in any scenario, Luna's voice warned them.

Draco pulled away reluctantly, his hand trailing down Ginevra's arm to hold her hand. Ron's face was nothing less than shocked.

"Are we going to play a game or what?!" a black knight yelled.

"We've been sitting out here for ages and we want to play!" the white bishop agreed.

"Yeah? Well, we've been waiting longer!" a red pawn from another board yelled.

"That's enough," Ginevra admonished, looking at the yelling chess pieces. "We already discussed this; keep your conversations and arguments to your own board," she said.

The chess pieces didn't seem to hear her, but suddenly, the screaming was reduced to their own board instead of across the picnic blanket.

"Why do you have an umbrella up? The sun isn't that bright yet," Hermione added, looking over to the cloud-covered sun.

Ginevra didn't respond, instead she watched the older girl intently. Hermione repressed yet another shiver, and looked away, choosing to examine the red and blue chess pieces on a board below. Insults and curses were flying from one side to the other, and she wasn't quite sure if they even knew what it was they were arguing about anymore.

"It's going to get hot quickly, so we wanted the shade and didn't think you'd appreciate playing beneath the Whomping Willow," Theodore drawled.

Hermione looked up, surprised. That was the longest sentence she'd ever heard Theodore say!

"All right, enough questions. Let's play," Ron said with a somewhat impatient huff as he sat across from Ginevra.

Harry had seemingly decided who he wanted to play against, and was seated across from Neville. Hermione wasn't sure Harry should look quite so confident.

"Come on, 'Mione. I ain't got all day. No one else to play against anyway," Seamus said, interrupting her thoughts.

Everyone's full of surprises this morning, Hermione decided as she sat across her House-mate.

Lettie stood behind the tree, watching as Ron, Harry, and Hermione took their places at the chess boards. She didn't want to see them, didn't want to see him. But it was practically impossible to avoid him for the rest of her life: Ron was her Lady's sibling, after all. Stepping out from the shade, Lettie blinked in the bright sun and quickly retreated again.

It won't hurt you, Lettie. Why don't you come over and say hello? Luna asked.

Maybe next time, she replied quickly, stepping further back into the forest.

Don't leave the tree line, the yeti's back, Luna warned.

Lettie paled slightly and glanced behind her. She couldn't hear the yeti, but that didn't mean much. Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat, Lettie stepped out of the forest and headed towards the picnic quickly.

"There you are, Lettie. We were wondering where you were," Millicent said with a brief grin.

"Want to take over for me? I can't stand all this screaming. They scream when they win, they scream when they lose; it's a never-ending screaming match!" Luna said, shaking her head.

"Very well. Thank you," Lettie said, taking her place.

"Still don't know how you were beating me, Luna," Blaise muttered.

"I have a very good memory," she replied with a laugh.

"Who's that?" Harry whispered to Hermione.

Looking up, the bushy-haired girl frowned as she tried to place the woman's face. She seemed familiar somehow, but Hermione had no idea why someone over the age of thirty would be at Hogwarts if they weren't a teacher!

"You paying attention, Potter?" Neville asked, moving his knight closer to the king.

"Yeah! Come on, we're losing here!" the last remaining pawn yelled.

"Sorry," Harry said, distracted easily as he returned his attention to the game.

Now that Hermione realised she had no idea who this woman was, or why she seemed to be friends with the people around her, she wanted to know more.

"Excuse me, Zabini?" Hermione said in what she hoped was a timid enough voice. "Would you mind swapping with me? I think poor Seamus is becoming frustrated at beating me so easily," she said, looking at the board guiltily.

That part very well may have been true at least. She wasn't overly terrible at chess, the years spent with Ron had been bound to rub off, but Malfoy had been right: they all took their chess games very seriously.

Blaise's eyes flicked to Ginevra, questioning her silently for his answer.

It's obvious she's curious about Lettie. We can't let her find out; if she tells Ron... Ginevra thought dubiously, trailing off as she thought of the consequences.

"I'm sure Seamus will survive. You're not losing that bad," Blaise said, turning back to his game.

Annoyed, Hermione turned back to her own game with a huff.

"All right there, brother? You're very quiet," Fred said with a smirk.

"Concentrating. I didn't know you would be this good at chess," Ron said, grinning at Ginevra.

"I play against Draco mostly. He's been playing since he was five, and a very difficult person to beat," she replied, smiling over at her fiance.

"Really?" Ron said, his interest piqued.

"Yes, but finish this game first or I'll be insulted," Ginevra said with a laugh.

"And we all know what happens when you're insulted, don't we?" Hermione muttered, still put out at Blaise's response.

Ron heard his friend's words and looked at his sister with a frown. "What's she talking about?"

"Nothing," Harry said quickly, noting the white-knuckled grip Neville's fists had across from him.

"It's not nothing, you coward! Are you going to tell him, or do you want me to?" Hermione asked shrilly as she stood up, knocking the chess board over.

There was a cry from the affronted chess pieces, but they were ignored as the tension beneath the umbrella mounted.

"Yes, let's tell Ron exactly what you're talking about," Luna said, moving so she was standing across from Hermione. "Let's tell Ron how you hit Neville because he received a better Potions' score than you. Or should we tell him how you revealed a secret to the entire Common Room because of your petty jealousy? Or how you were rude to Ginevra because she was Advanced into your seventh year classes and you were jealous that you never had that opportunity? Need I go on?"

"Tell me you didn't really do all that, Hermione?" Ron asked in disbelief.

Hermione went bright red and looked away from the shocked expression on his face. Unable to think of anything to say, she hurried away from everyone and towards the castle.

"I guess we'd better go after her. Thanks for the game, Ginevra," Ron said with a quick smile.

"You're welcome. See you later," she replied with a nod.

Harry and Ron hurried to catch up to Hermione.

"That was interesting," Padma drawled, turning back to her game against Fred.

The chess pieces called for vengeance, or at least another game, so they set up the fallen boards again and continued to play.

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Monday, 20 May

Ginevra wandered the halls of Hogwarts aimlessly. She no longer had to attend classes, her friends were in their own classes for the day, and Draco had disappeared soon after the sun's first light. She didn't know where he'd gone, but today was supposed to be some sort of Veelan holiday, so she presumed he was with Garion and Julianne.

Ending up outside, Ginevra headed towards the Forbidden Forest. Slipping between the trees, she started down a path. Eyes followed her progress between the trees.

Stopping in a clearing, she sat down cross-legged in the middle of the grassy area. She had chosen this clearing for a reason: the trees long branches stretched across the top of the clearing, providing enough shade so she wouldn't be burnt.

Closing her eyes, Ginevra began to meditate. As her thoughts faded from her mind, and her breathing was all that she concentrated on, a vision began to appear.

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"I told you this would happen, Draco," Ginevra said, sighing.

"I know, and I agreed with you, even then," he replied, lying back on the lounge.

Sitting on the window seat, Ginevra looked out over Muggle London. She could see the wizarding world's barrier from here. It was colourful in the evening sky, rainbow colours swirling as if a large bubble had been blown over their side of the world. The colours, while pretty, were actually detection spells.

All that magical energy and work, just to find us, she thought, shaking her head.

"Has Lettie been in contact yet?" Draco asked, not opening his eyes.

"Not yet," she replied with a sigh. "I'm worried about her."

"I know, love," Draco murmured, sitting up and moving to her side in a second. "She will be fine; she's your companion after all," he said with a smile that was supposed to be reassuring.

Not feeling any better, Ginevra just nodded, leaning into his embrace and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Let's go to bed now. You haven't been resting enough," Draco said, traces of worry and concern in his voice. He caressed her face softly and helped her up from the seat.

Ginevra held her swollen stomach protectively and let Draco take her to the bedroom. Lying down, she smiled softly as he wrapped an arm around her. Both of their hands rested on her stomach, silently telling their baby how much they loved it, and each other.

She fell asleep in Draco's arms, her exhaustion too much to hold off any longer.

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Opening her eyes, Ginevra smiled when she saw various forest creatures surrounding her. Dodger must have come out of her rooms, as he was curled up on the warm forest floor beside her leg. Relo had actually climbed up on to her lap, and Ginevra was surprised that she hadn't been pulled her from her vision. While she wasn't quite sure, she could have sworn the Horklump at the base of the tree to her left hadn't been there earlier.

Closing her eyes again, Ginevra just relaxed and let the morning pass quietly.

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"There you are, my Lady. I have been looking for you," Lettie said as Ginevra came into her rooms, picking blades of grass and leaves off her robe.

"I was in the forest meditating. Is something wrong?" she asked, brushing the last of the leaves off.

"Nothing is wrong, my Lady, but you received a note from your brother earlier this morning," Lettie replied, offering the envelope to her.

"Thank you, Lettie. I hope the twins got their new order," Ginevra said, her words trailing off as she recognised Ron's handwriting.

"I didn't open it, my Lady, but as it is the first time he has written since his return, I thought it might be important," Lettie said.

"Yes. Thank you," Ginevra said, her voice flat. Opening the letter, she read it warily, thinking that Hermione might have told him that she was a Vampiress.

To Ginevra,

Thanks for the game of chess the other day. Sorry we didn't get to finish. Hermione's been acting odd lately. Did I do or say something to her before I hit my head and now I don't remember?

The last two sentences were crossed out so that they were almost illegible, with a quick apology underneath for thinking out loud while using a Quick Quotes Quill.

If you would like to continue our game - or start a new one - I will be in the Common Room after classes today.

Hope you're well, etc.etc.etc.

Ron.

"Shouldn't he be studying instead of playing chess?" Lettie asked after Ginevra had related the note's contents.

"Of course he should, but this is Ron we're talking about," Ginevra drawled, rolling her eyes. "But he won't study until the very last minute."

"So will you go to the Common Room to play?"

"I'm not sure. I'll think about it and send him a reply at lunch," Ginevra murmured, looking down at the note again.

Lettie nodded and with a curtsy, headed to her room.

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Ron staggered out of Potions, his head aching and his hand throbbing. Some of his potion had landed on his hand, causing it to swell ridiculously. After healing him reluctantly, Snape had made some comment about his gloves that Ron didn't really understand, and had then given him detention for later that night.

It was a Monday, and he already had detention for Merlin's sakes! He sighed heavily, rubbing his temples as he came up to the Fat Lady portrait.

"Password?" the Fat Lady asked, looking down at him.

"Umm," Ron said, his mind completely blank. "Bumblebeetuna?" he hazarded a guess.

"I beg your pardon?" the Fat Lady said, looking offended.

That was obviously wrong.

"Queens and knights frolic in the moonlight," a voice said behind him.

Ron turned, wondering who on earth was rambling nonsense, and he was surprised to see his sister standing there, smiling.

"Uhh ... What?" Ron asked, frowning.

"It's the password. Someone was trying to be poetic, apparently. All they managed to do is cause the worst amount of lock outs this year," Ginevra replied with a smirk, nodding behind him to the now-open entrance.

"Who on earth thought that rubbish up?" Ron muttered as he climbed into the portrait hole.

"I believe it was Romilda Vane. The prefects wanted more responsibilities, so they got the Tower passwords. There was a big fuss over it when the passwords became more wordy and far too flowery for some of the guys' taste. But everyone now knows how big Justin Finch-Fletchley's..."

"Okay! I've heard enough," Ron muttered queasily.

Ginevra just laughed as she came out of the portrait hole behind him, brushing off her robes.

"What happened to your hand?" she asked, seeing how red and tender it was.

"Hurt it in Potions," Ron said, trying to shrug it off.

"Again?" Ginevra murmured, taking his hand gently and healing it with her wand.

"What do you mean, again?" Ron asked, frowning.

"Well, you didn't actually hurt yourself last time. I had a spare pair of gloves that you borrowed. Do you want me to go get them? You'll probably have to complete your potion tonight for detention with Professor Snape," she said.

"How'd you know about my detention?"

"Mind reader," Ginevra said, grinning broadly.

"Yeah, right. Why don't you go get your gloves then, and I'll set up the game of chess. You are still playing, right?" Ron asked, feeling anxious about her answer.

"Sure. I'll be back soon," she replied, leaving through the portrait hole quickly.

Ron rushed upstairs, dumped his bag on his bed, grabbed the chess set and ran downstairs again. He wanted to get it set up before she got back. He hadn't even finished setting up his pieces by the time Ginevra returned.

"Wow, you're fast! Did you run or something?" Ron asked with a grin.

"Or something," Ginevra replied, holding out the gloves for him.

"They're nice; thanks for that," Ron said, pocketing the gloves.

"You're welcome. Ready to play?" she asked, setting up her pieces faster than he could see.

"How'd you do that?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Magic," Ginevra replied.

Ron frowned, obviously not satisfied with her answer, but he didn't press it. They started the game in silence.

Tell him the truth, Ginevra, Luna's thoughts entered her mind strongly and forcefully.

No, I can't do that, Luna. Look what happened last time!

Tell him you're a Vampiress, or someone else will, and it will happen all over again, Luna warned.

"Ginevra? Are you all right?" Ron asked in concern, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Oh, sorry. Did you say something?"

"It's your turn, the pieces are getting impatient," Ron said with a grin.

Ginevra nodded and looked at the board. How on earth was she going to tell him? Casually move her knight and then say 'oh, and by the way, I'm a vampire'? That would go over well, she thought sarcastically.

"What's wrong? You look distracted. Don't you want to play anymore?" Ron asked, frowning at her distant expression.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just trying to figure out how to tell you I'm a vampire," Ginevra replied, offering a small smile when he fell silent. "I don't drink blood or anything, well not yours at least. I've been a vampire for a while now, and I didn't want to tell you the moment you got back after hitting your head because there just didn't seem to be a right time..." she trailed off, wondering if Ron was still breathing.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" he asked faintly.

"I'm engaged to Draco."

Ron went quiet and looked down at the board. "So do you want to play or not?" he asked, looking back up at her after a few minutes of silence.

"That's it?" she asked, shocked. "That's all you've got to say?"

"Would you like me to say something else?" Ron asked, grinning.

"No. But... I'm surprised that you're not blowing your top," she admitted.

"Let's just say that hit on the head knocked some sense into me," he said, chuckling quietly. "Well, come on, then; your turn," he added, nodding to the chess pieces who were starting to yell impatiently.

A feeling of relief washed over her, and with a grin, Ginevra moved her pawn forward.

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Sunday, 26 May

"Wow, Mill, you don't look too good," Colin muttered, frowning at her.

Millicent let out a slight growl and pushed past Colin to go back into her room.

"Nice one, Colin. It's a full moon tonight," Pansy said, hitting his shoulder.

"Oh. Sorry, Mill!" he called out sheepishly.

"Where'd Millicent go?" Theodore asked when he saw that his girlfriend wasn't in the corridor anymore. "What happened?" he asked when they were all silent.

Sorry, Colin thought, quickly leaving before he could get hurt.

"Why are you all standing out here? Aren't we going to breakfast?" Ginevra asked with a frown as she came out of her room with Draco, buttoning her robes.

"Millicent and I will stay in this morning. I've got to get the potion ready anyway," Theodore said, going into their room and shutting the door behind him firmly.

"What did we miss?" Draco asked Pansy, frowning.

"Later," she said. "Come on, you three. We want breakfast now, not tonight!" Pansy called, banging on Seamus, Blaise, and Neville's door.

"We're coming, calm down," Blaise said, opening the door.

"You need to be fully dressed to eat in public, Seamus," Pansy added.

"I woulda been dressed fine if ye didn't have ter bang on it so often," Seamus said, stepping out of the room as he pulled his shirt on.

"There should be a law about arguing before breakfast," Neville muttered as he slipped his robe on, following them all out to the Great Hall.

"There should be a law about being woken up at improper times," Padma said, yawning.

"It's not my fault you weren't in bed until after two this morning," Pansy retorted, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Two? You said you weren't going to do that until all hours of the night anymore, Padma," Parvati said with a frown.

"Do what exactly?" Lettie asked in confusion.

"Work on a product for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes," Padma replied, yawning again.

"Uh, guys? We're not late for breakfast, are we?" Gregory asked, looking ahead to the Great Hall.

"No, we're right on time," Pansy answered, looking in the same direction as well.

"Then why are the doors still closed?" Greg asked.

"Maybe there's something wrong?" Vincent asked.

"Where's Colin? He left before us, shouldn't he be here by now?" Parvati asked.

No one answered, but everyone ended up looking at Ginevra and Draco anyway.

"Why are you looking at us like you think we have the answers? We know as much as you do," Draco said, shrugging.

"There's Professor Dumbledore, maybe he'll know what's going on," Ginevra suggested, heading over to the Headmaster quickly. "Excuse us, Professor Dumbledore?"

"Good morning, Miss Weasley. Nice to see that you're all up and eager for breakfast," Albus said with a twinkle in his eye. "The doors will be open momentarily. There was a fire in the kitchen that had to be contained before there was any serious damage, so breakfast will be delayed momentarily," he explained.

"Oh, thank you," Ginevra said.

"You are most welcome, Miss Weasley," he replied, smiling. Dumbledore used the teacher's entrance to get into the Great Hall, leaving the group of students waiting outside.

"That still doesn't explain Colin's absence," Draco muttered.

"He could have gone to the bathroom," Parvati suggested.

Ginevra glanced at Draco quickly, a frown flitting on her face. Wasn't Parvati the one who asked about Colin in the first place? she asked.

Think they're up to something?

Probably. We can't hear them, Ginevra replied.

I just thought I'd blocked them out, Draco thought in surprise, unblocking his mind to find that there was still silence.

The Great Hall doors opened and they all went inside. Ginevra and Draco looked around warily, but there was nothing out of place that they could see. The food was already set on the table, steam rising from the heated dishes. Cutlery and dishes were at their places along the four House tables, and the House flags were hanging in their usual places.

Guess we were wrong, Ginevra thought to Draco, taking his hand in her own.

Then why can't we hear them still?

A camera flash distracted them, and they looked to where Colin was waiting with a large smile, his camera in his hands.

"All right, what's going on?" Draco asked, glaring at them all.

"Nothing!" they answered quickly.

"That's a load of Hippogriff shit. You don't take photographs for nothing," Draco muttered.

"Oh, stop with your whinging and sit down already. We're hungry," Gregory said with a grin, nudging Draco and Ginevra to their seats.

Still not appeased, they both sat down. Students began filing into the Great Hall, and as they did, the morning chatter and noise increased loudly. When everyone was seated and most were already enjoying their breakfast, Dumbledore stood up and asked for silence.

"As most of you may already know, Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy completed their N.E.W.T.s two weeks ago..." There was a pause, and nearly everyone in the Great Hall turned to look at the couple. "Congratulations, Miss Weasley, and Mr. Malfoy. Your final grades from the Ministry arrived this morning," Dumbledore announced, his eyes twinkling. "In honour of this, and as you will not be here to attend the end of year ball, this morning's breakfast will be accompanied by cake!"

Cakes appeared suddenly on all four tables. Dumbledore sat down once more, a smile on his face as he took in the students' wonderment. Applause erupted from their friends, and soon enough the entire of the Great Hall were clapping enthusiastically. Two envelopes flew towards them quickly. Catching them in midair, Ginevra and Draco checked the name on the envelopes, swapping before cracking open the Ministry seals.

"Transfiguration: Outstanding. Divination: Outstanding. Defence Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding. Care of Magical Creatures: Outstanding. Runes: Outstanding. Potions: Outstanding. Charms: Outstanding. Astronomy: Exceeds Expectations," Ginevra read, a grin on her face. "Seven out of eight. I'm happy with that!"

Draco kissed her. "Congratulations, love," he murmured.

"What about you, Draco?" Pansy asked, trying to look over his shoulder.

"Same classes, all eight Outstanding," Draco replied, showing the parchment to Pansy.

"Congratulations, Draco," Ginevra said, kissing him.

"Now that's all over, who wants cake?" Vincent asked, smirking.

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"What are you two reading so intently? You've finished school!" Pansy said as she came into the meeting room.

"Looking for places to live. We can't exactly stay at Hogwarts," Ginevra replied, not looking away from the property listings in The Quibbler.

"Why aren't you staying at Malfoy Manor?" Pansy asked, frowning.

"Can you imagine us living under the same roof as Mother? She's already pestering me about grandchildren, and if we're there, it will just get worse," Draco said with a shudder, the Daily Prophet's listings shaking in his hands.

"Uh huh... This is really because you don't want her walking in on you while you're having sex, isn't it?" Pansy said, looking between them.

A loud bang was heard from the meeting room, and Neville rushed there quickly, Seamus and Blaise behind him. Pansy was covered in soot, her hair sticking up at all angles. Draco and Ginevra were laughing at her shocked expression, but they didn't offer any explanations or apologies.

"Come on, we've still got studying to do. I don't want to have to tell my mother I've failed my N.E.W.T.s," Blaise muttered, going back to their room.

"Speaking of ye mam, when are we goin' ter meet her?" Seamus asked with a grin, following him.

"Graduation, the same time we're going to meet yours," Blaise replied, smirking.

"Remind me ter owl me mam and tell her ter stay home," Seamus muttered.

"Not likely, love. I'm as eager to meet her as Blaise is," Neville said with a chuckle, kissing Seamus lightly.

Pansy yelled obscenities at Ginevra and Draco, shooting a jet of water at them. Dodging the second stream of water, they left the meeting room quickly and ran to their own room, the bundle of papers and parchments in their arms. Shutting and locking the door behind them firmly, Ginevra sighed and brushed her wet fringe from her eyes. Pansy started banging on their door a moment later, still yelling.

"I'm going to miss living with everyone," Ginevra said quietly.

"I know, love, so will I," Draco replied, dropping the papers onto their bed and moving to hug her.

"Pity there aren't any huge houses with eight rooms for everyone to live in," Ginevra said, only half-joking.

Draco dried the water off both of them and kissed Ginevra, trying to soothe both her and himself.

A tapping sound at the window interrupted them, and he pulled away, shaking his head. "We should just go to the bloody Manor. If it's not Mother, it'll be some damn bird," he muttered, opening the window with a thought.

Two owls flew inside and perched themselves on Draco and Ginevra's chairs. Both owls were carrying an envelope, one addressed to Draco and the other to Ginevra. They left the moment the letters were taken from their beaks.

"That's Xavier's handwriting," Ginevra said with a frown as she opened the envelope.

"Mine's from Garion," Draco said at the same time, opening his envelope too.

Both Draco and Ginevra sank down onto their chairs as they read their notes. Their emotions stopped Pansy's banging and yelling, while Blaise, Neville, and Seamus all stopped studying. Looking at each other with frowns, the three headed down to Ginevra and Draco's room. Relo scurried past them quickly, a sob in his throat.

"What's going on, Pans?" Blaise asked, his hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know, but it's coming from them," Pansy replied.

Beside her, Relo was already crying large tears that stained the wooden floor beneath him.

"What's happening? These emotions aren't good for Millicent, can you lot calm down?" Theodore asked as he saw them standing in the corridor.

"It ain't us," Seamus said, shaking his head and nodding to Draco and Ginevra's door.

"I have to go live with the Veelans," Draco said.

"I have to go live with the Vampires," Ginevra said at the exact same moment, both looking up at each other.

Without a word, they both handed their note to the other. The notes were fairly generic, and apart from the names, it was almost the same.

Dear Draconius/Ginevra,

Congratulations on completing your schooling, and well done on your results. We are very proud of you.

As you have only recently changed into a Veelan/Vampiress, there is still much you need to learn of our ways; things that books alone cannot teach you.

This is an invitation to join the Veelan tribe of Torleni/Vampire Council's mansion from the 27th of May this year, until the period of time in which you have learnt all that needs to be learnt.

Congratulations once more, and we look forward to seeing you.

Regards,

Julianne and Garion/Agnes and Xavier

"You have to go tomorrow too?" Ginevra murmured, sadness echoing in her voice.

Draco sighed and rubbed his face with his hand wearily.

"I suppose we don't need to look for somewhere to live anymore then, do we?" he muttered, his eyes focusing on the papers strewn across the floor.

"Would you let us in already?" Pansy yelled, banging on the door once more.

The door opened, and they walked inside to see Draco and Ginevra sitting on their chairs quietly. Property papers littered the floor, flapping quietly in the breeze from the open window.

"What's going on?" Neville asked, his voice soft.

No one really wanted to hear the answer.

"Garion has requested I go stay with him, while Xavier has requested Ginevra's presence," Draco explained.

"We have to leave tomorrow," Ginevra added, not looking away from the letter in her hands.

There was silence for the longest while, making both Draco and Ginevra look to their friends. Blaise, Neville, and Seamus all looked sad, but Pansy had a determined look on her face.

"Right. Then you'd better choose a house quick-smart. Doubt the Vampires and Veelas are going to let you visit each other on their own grounds. They're still at war, after all, and the only time you'll really be able to see each other at the tribe and Council residences will be for special occasions," she added when they all looked confused. Sitting in the middle of the floor, Pansy grabbed some papers and shuffled them into piles. "Hurry up, we don't have much time. You have all night to sex yourselves up," she said, waving off their excuses.

Draco and Ginevra moved to the floor, taking a pile of papers from Pansy. Sighing, Blaise sat down too.

"Guess we'll have the rest of the night to study," he said, taking a pile too as Neville and Seamus sat down as well.

"Oh, how about this one? Two bed, one bath, broom shed," Pansy murmured, reading over the details.

"We need two bathrooms," Draco said immediately, cutting her off. "What? We're not having one each," he said, rolling his eyes at their thoughts of his vanity. "It's for Lettie. I doubt she is allowed to stay away from Ginevra from long, and she'll need her own bathroom."

Pansy nodded, immediately throwing two more sheets at the fireplace.

"Apartment. Two bed, two bath, fireplace... Never mind," Blaise muttered, shaking his head.

"What's wrong with it?" Ginevra asked.

"It's in Muggle London," he replied.

"What's wrong with that?"

"It's Muggle London," Blaise responded, as if that explained everything.

Shaking her head, Ginevra turned back to her listings.

"Two bedroom, two bathrooms, kitchen, broom closet, owl perch, and fireplace. Diagon Alley," Neville said triumphantly, holding the listing up high.

"Bugger them, we'll take that one," Seamus muttered, reaching for the paper.

Faster than anyone could see, Draco took the paper from Neville and was sitting back in his seat before they had time to process the fact that he'd moved.

"Ye slimy thievin' bastard, give tha' back!" Seamus growled, glaring at Draco.

"As kind as your words were, Seamus, I think I'll have to refuse. What do you think, love?" Draco asked, passing the listing to her.

Ginevra tapped the picture with her wand, watching as the photograph moved through the apartment.

"I like it. You don't mind the small rooms?" she asked, looking to him.

"If I didn't like them, do you think I'd be asking what you thought of them?" he asked, grinning. "Would you calm down, Seamus? Blaise and Neville would probably want a large house, just so they can say they've screwed you in every room. A two bedroom would stifle their creativity," Draco added, smirking at Seamus' fading anger.

"Well, when ye put it tha' way... Ye can have the bloody place," Seamus said, grinning as he leant into Blaise's embrace.

"We'd better get it arranged with the agent before it gets taken," Ginevra said, rummaging around to find a parchment that wasn't already written on.

"Don't you know who you're marrying, love? We don't organise things ourselves," Draco drawled.

"You obviously don't know who you're marrying, because we do," Ginevra replied, raising an eyebrow at his tone. "And if you dare say that you'll let me do this myself, I'll make sure the agent changes every gods' damned surface in that place to pink, understood?"

Neville bit his tongue to stop from laughing.

"Fine," Draco muttered, realising that his fiancee was serious. "Here's a clean parchment."

Pansy led the others out quickly, a grin on her face as she shut the door behind them. "Those two aren't going to know what hit them when they start living together," she said, shaking her head.

"They live together now," Seamus pointed out.

"No, they have sex in the same room. That's nothing like living with someone, having them share the same space as you every hour of every day," Pansy said. "They're going to have to learn to compromise, or they'll end up talking to each other through lawyers - or worse - us," she said, shivering.

"I don't think I could choose between them," Neville said in agreement.

"Can't believe they're only going to be here for one more night," Blaise murmured, looking at the closed door.

"Do you think we should tell them we can still hear them?" Draco muttered as he signed the letter Ginevra had written to the estate agent.

"Somehow, I think they know we can hear. They're right though," she added, sighing as she finished addressing the envelope.

"How do you propose we come to a compromise then?" Draco asked, folding the parchment and putting it in the envelope.

Ginevra slid the envelope under the door. "Since you're all standing around listening to us instead of studying, you must have the time to go post that letter for us," she said.

Pansy muttered loudly, but took the letter anyway.

"Well, we're not going to be living together for the gods' know how long. Maybe should get someone to handle our affairs for us, since I doubt we'll be able to communicate directly. Pansy's right - we're in the middle of a war, and unfortunately, on opposing sides - so we're probably not going to be able to see each other for a while," Ginevra said, a tear falling from her cheek.

Draco caught the tear in his palm, moving his hand to wipe away the rest that were flowing. "Don't cry, love. I doubt Garion and Xavier would have us do this if we weren't allowed to see each other. They know what it's like to be without their mates, after all," he murmured, pulling Ginevra onto his lap.

They stayed that way for the longest time, not even moving when Pansy called them for dinner.

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Millicent howled in pain. It wasn't a wolf-howl, but a human one and in her mind that was far worse. The emotions from everyone were becoming too much for her to handle, and the potion Theodore had given her made her feel weak as well as nauseated.

She wanted to shed this human form and run in the forest, the moon whispering to her as the raced the wind through the night. She wanted to get out of this small room that seemed to be getting smaller with every passing second.

Oh, gods'. She was going to throw up.

Complete and utter despair overwhelmed her entire body, emotions projected from her friends unknowingly. Theodore left to tell them off, and Millicent was physically ill within seconds of the feelings coursing through her body.

"Come on, Mill. Let's get you outside," Theodore murmured, helping her stand properly and to the door.

They didn't leave the rooms quietly, yet they were still unnoticed by the others still awake. The wind whipped around her face, the forest's smell taunting her. She breathed deep, a shudder running through her weak frame. Oh, to run between the trees on all four paws would be nothing short of bliss!

Grateful that it was a cloudy night, Theodore lead Millicent past the forest, ducked beneath the Whomping Willow's branches and hit the knot on the tree trunk. The branches stilled immediately, and he hurried back to Millicent, helping her to the opening at the bottom of the large willow tree. It took some time, but eventually, they were inside the Shrieking Shack.

"Here, drink this. Open your mouth. Good girl, good," Theodore said soothingly, pouring a potion into her mouth slowly.

Obediently, Millicent drank the potion he had given her. Moments later, she collapsed to the ground. Theodore sat beside her and quickly began to remove her robe and clothes. When she was naked, he covered her with a sheet and waited.

"Good evening, Professor. Do you need some Wolfsbane Potion as well?" Theodore asked as Lupin entered the shack.

"No, Professor Snape has already given me some, thank you," Lupin replied.

He went up the stairs to get undressed and ready himself for his transformation as well. The clothes were floated down to Theodore, who put them with Millicent's. With a sigh, Theodore kissed Millicent on the forehead and left the Shrieking Shack, the clothes bundled under his arm. As the door closed behind him, the full moon escaped the cover of the clouds and shone directly into the rooms.

With a grunt and growl, Millicent's body was forced onto all fours, and she howled as her body began to change. Hair sprouted from her exposed body, her nose and mouth lengthened to become a wolf's snout, her entire arms and legs changed shape to accommodate their new body, and with a snarl, she tore the sheet from herself.

Further down the tunnel, Theodore heard Millicent howl to the moon loudly. She wasn't happy tonight. He'd had to give her two doses of the Wolfsbane Potion since she'd all but thrown up the first dose. A rough snarl came from the Shrieking Shack, presumably as Millicent and Lupin discovered that the other was there. They would fight for the territorial rights all night, as they had been doing for almost seven months now.

In the morning, when the sun's rays first appeared, Theodore would re-enter the Shrieking Shack to see blood, fur, paw prints, and claw marks embedded into walls, and each other. They usually wore each other out before morning hit, and he would have the task of redressing them in their clothes and waiting for them to wake up. Headaches and grumpiness were the least of his worries. If they woke up and were still in the mindset of a wolf, he would have to dodge teeth and nails, trying to calm one or both down as they fought against him, attempting to kill this new invader.

They never remembered what they did to him, but more often than not, Theodore came away with just as many bruises and scrapes as they did. Both Lupin and Millicent apologised profusely whenever they saw the freshest black eye, scratched arm, or bruised leg, but he waved away their apologies and concerns - it was his job as a Healer to look after them.

The wolf-who-was-Millicent snarled at the older wolf before her. The wolf snarled back, leaping down the stairs to attack her for invading his territory. She snapped her jaws, trying to catch his paw between her sharp teeth. If she did that, then he would be severely weakened. The other wolf dodged her teeth, but barely. Growling, she circled around to avoid his claws. Snarling again, she leapt forward to deliver a blow of her own. The wolf moved, and she only cuffed the side of his head instead of the front of his face. Moments later, she howled loudly as three scratches appeared on her snout. Growling deeply, she moved forward and scratched him back.

Theodore sighed as he heard the howls and growls increasing. This was going to be a long night.

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Ginevra sighed, moving off Draco's lap reluctantly. "We'd better go have something to eat," she murmured.

"How are we going to organise someone to attend to our affairs if we have to leave tomorrow?" Draco asked as they headed to the Great Hall.

"I'm not sure. Could we advertise it in The Quibbler?" she asked, frowning.

"I don't think that would work. People might get suspicious if we're both advertising for someone to do the exact same job, even if we take out separate advertisements," Draco replied.

"True, my mother looks out for things like that," Ginevra mused, shaking her head.

Draco opened the corridor door and moved the tapestry to the side for Ginevra to go through first. He followed her out, going to close the door and tapestry behind him. Lettie stopped him and stepped out into the corridor as well.

"Sorry, my Lady, my Lord," she said, curtsying to them both.

"No need for apologies, Lettie. You haven't been waiting for me to eat dinner, have you?" Ginevra asked

"No, my Lady. I went with Pansy and Gregory to eat. May I offer my assistance, my Lady?" Lettie asked.

"What with?" Ginevra asked, confused.

"With your affairs, my Lady. I will be able to sort everything for both of you, and as I can go to both the Veela tribe and Vampire mansion without any repercussions in the war, I can direct any communications you desire," Lettie replied.

"You can go to the Veelas?" Draco asked in surprise.

"Yes, my Lord. I was sent a pass from Lady Julianne earlier today, about the same time you both received your letters, I believe," she said, holding up her arm.

A black leather strap was wound around her left wrist, brilliant white feathers sewn into it.

"Do you need something like that in the Vampire mansion? I don't want you to be Drunk from accidentally," Ginevra murmured, frowning.

"Oh no, my Lady. I am safe in the mansion so long as you are there as well. Apparently, I smell like you, and as such, would not be mistaken for a ... meal," Lettie replied with a brief smile.

"That is good to know. Draco and I will talk about your proposition over dinner, if you do not mind?" Ginevra said when her stomach began to rumble loudly.

"Of course, my Lady. Enjoy your meal," she replied, curtsying and going back to Ginevra's rooms.

"I think it's a good idea, and I know you do too. What's there to talk about?" Draco asked as they continued to the Great Hall.

"It is a good idea. She knows us, and if that pass allows her to between the tribe and mansion, then half of our problems are solved. I just wanted to talk to you about the places we're applying for first," Ginevra said, sitting at the Slytherin table.

The Great Hall was all but empty, the last of the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students attempting to fit in as much as they could.

"Places? As in plural?" Draco repeated, frowning.

"I applied for the apartment in Muggle London as well," Ginevra said with a slight cough as she moved her bowl forward to get soup.

"What? Why on earth would you do that?"

"I recognised it from one of my earlier visions. The one where I'm falling out of a twenty-storey building to see you?" she reminded him.

"What of it? The apartment was in that same building?" Draco asked.

"No, but in the photograph viewer, it showed the view from the lounge room window. It looked like that building was in a nearby street... Besides, I want a place in Muggle London as well as on this side of the wizarding world. We both know we're not always going to be liked in the wizarding community, and I thought it was a good idea to have somewhere in the Muggle world to go to while we wait that out," Ginevra replied, shrugging slightly.

Draco didn't reply for a moment, drinking from his goblet slowly as he thought it over. "You could have told me earlier, I doubt Pansy or the others would have said anything about it," he said finally.

Ginerva's silence was as much a reply than if she'd screamed her response out loud.

"You don't want the others knowing, do you?" Draco asked, his eyebrow raised slightly.

She shook her head. "I know it seems awful, but if they're captured in the war then they can't tell someone something they don't know," Ginevra said quickly.

Draco took her hand to reassure her. "I understand, love. I think it's a good idea too. What will we do when Lettie finds out then? If she is going to sort our affairs and the like, don't you think she'll notice soon enough?"

"Lettie won't tell anyone if I don't allow her to talk of it. I didn't want her to tell the others before I could talk to her about it properly, and I wanted to tell you first," Ginevra said, dipping her bread in the soup.

"You wanted to eat before any of that, didn't you?" Draco asked, chuckling when Ginevra was silent again.

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Vincent looked at the letter in his hands, his entire body still as he went into a numbing shock-like feeling. There was nothing written on the parchment, but in the top left corner was a drawing of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth.

"Vince, ready to train?" Pansy called as she came into the room.

Her voice interrupted his stupor and he threw the parchment into the fire quickly, standing and straightening his robes as she came over.

"Burning your copies of Playwizard again?" Pansy teased, grinning at him.

Vincent forced himself to laugh and distracted her with a kiss before going to the door. "Coming?" he called back over his shoulder as he left the room.

Pansy hurried after him, not knowing that a parchment with a green skull and snake was burning in the fireplace behind her.

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"Come on, hit harder! You think anyone's going to be scared of you with a little punch like that?" Padma growled at Lettie, swinging her own fist towards her face.

Lettie dodged her quickly, retaliating with her own punch.

There was a sense of desperateness coming from all of them as they fought, knowing this would be one of the last times - or even the very last itself - they would train with each other. In a few months, they would have all gone their separate ways, starting with Draco and Ginevra in a less than eight hours.

Kicking Padma in the stomach, she was somewhat pleased when she heard her friend cry out.

"Good. Keep going, don't stop now," Padma said, surprising Lettie by kicking her feet out from under her.

Falling on her back with a cry of her own, Lettie thought a spell and Padma was too busy waltzing to tell her to keep going again. Getting up just as Padma took the spell off, Lettie attacked her with punches and kicks, not allowing Padma any time to get her bearings and fight back. Eventually her legs and arms tired, and then Padma was retaliating once more.

Ginevra fought Neville and Parvati, her dagger blocking their spells while she sent back spells of her own. She heard Luna come up behind her before the rest of her senses realised, and Ginevra sprung into the air off the pads of her feet, Luna's spell hitting Parvati instead. Landing on the ground steadily, she was barraged by fists and feet, spells and hexes all at once. She was hit by both fists and spells a few times before she was able to put up a temporary shield and remove the Jellylegs spell and fix her broken nose, wiping the blood off on the back of her hand quickly.

Getting to her feet, Ginevra moved faster than they could see and cut at their robes and limbs. She bit her tongue so she wouldn't get distracted by the smell of their blood. Slicing at them again, Ginevra Stunned both Luna and Neville. Their cuts stopped bleeding as both fell to the ground. Still concentrating on Luna and Neville's frozen forms, Ginevra failed to hear Parvati come up behind her. She was hexed and on the ground in seconds.

Blaise, Seamus and Gregory were all fighting against Draco. They were all heavily cut and bruised, and more than one mind was thanking the gods' that Theodore wasn't fighting so they could be healed properly in the morning.

Draco dodged Blaise's hooves, sending a locking spell at the centaur to fix his legs together. The spell didn't last long, but it was enough time to knock Gregory's club out of his hands and use it on the plants that Seamus had sent after him. Arrows shot through the air soon after the plants' attack failed, and Draco hurried to erect a barrier. He was seconds too late, and one of the arrows got through before the barrier was up, piercing his shoulder. His eyes watered in pain, and he growled as he ripped it out, healing the wound temporarily. The barrier began to fade, and Draco readied his Veelan self to fight. Glowing patterns seemed to explode from his face and at the same time, feathered wings escaped the confines of his back. Flying a foot or two off the ground, Draco held his wand at the ready and watched as the last of his barrier dissipated.

Colin soared around the sky, breathing fire at Fred and George as they chased him on modified broomsticks. He had no idea what they'd made the brooms out of, but he didn't like the way they were catching up to him. He was fairly limited in this form if the opposition could handle dragons. He adjusted his wings and began to plummet towards the ground. The twins followed immediately, trying to hit him with a number of spells as he weaved through the air. He roared in pain as a particularly forceful spell hit his tail, almost severing it completely.

Turning on them suddenly, Colin breathed a large ball of fire. The twins had no time to escape, but just enough time to do a cooling spell on their bodies to get through the fire relatively unharmed. Their hair was smoking and singed, and their robes were covered in fire-riddled holes. Grinning at each other through soot-covered faces, they began their attack on Colin once more.

Pansy frowned, even as she kicked Vincent to the ground. He was distracted, he wasn't concentrating on the fight properly, and she was beating him far too easily. She'd even left openings on purpose, but he hadn't taken them. In fact, it didn't even seem like he'd seen them! Frustrated, she hexed him with a simple Petrificus Totalus, and walked over to him.

"If you're not going to fight properly, then don't fight at all," Pansy said, moving him with her wand and leaving him near the door.

Judging the other three fights at a glance, Pansy went over to help Ginevra against Parvati, Neville, and Luna.

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Ginevra was covered in bruises and cuts. She was fairly certain that her arm had come out of its socket again, and there were still various grazes that were bleeding. And there was the matter about her nose not being so straight anymore.

"I think Theodore's going to have a heart attack when he sees all of us," she murmured to Draco as they changed into their pyjamas stiffly.

"Or he'll think he's in the Otherworld. So many people to heal, so little time," Draco said with a smirk, rubbing his jaw.

Blaise had clipped him with his hoof once he'd freed himself and there was a large crescent-shaped bruise beginning to form on Draco's cheek and jaw.

Ginevra was silent as she climbed into bed, but he could tell she was thinking by the distant look on her face.

"How are we going to say goodbye to them all?" she asked quietly as he got in beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist, caressing her spine.

Draco sighed softly, kissing her split lip gently. "We'll figure it out soon," he murmured, closing his eyes to sleep.

Ginevra nodded in response, her eyes closing too.

Dreams of lights and balls flew through her mind. Large red and green glowing balls chased her through unfamiliar streets. Turning down a side-street, Ginevra saw that she'd turned into a dead-end street. There was no way out, her wand was no where in sight, and she was trapped. The balls closed in on her, their lights pulsing as she was backed against the wall. Suddenly, the wall disappeared from behind her. Losing her footing, Ginevra fell backwards into the darkness below. The lights followed her down. They reached her, and instead of the pain she'd expected, a feeling of calmness enveloped her as they entered her mind and body. Still falling towards the ground, Ginevra was relaxed and stopped struggling. She burst into a thousand different pieces and colours as she hit the ground, lights shining everywhere and showing that the ground she'd hit was actually a mattress.

Waking up with a start, Ginevra quickly felt her body to ensure she was still alive and not glowing in any way, shape or form. Eventually reassured, she sighed in relief.

"All right, love?" Draco asked, looking up at her.

Knowing he would be able to see her in the full moon's light, Ginevra nodded. "I know how we can say goodbye."

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Hundreds of red and green balls of light flew through Hogwarts silently. It wouldn't have mattered if they'd made any noise as all of the students were already fast asleep. Still, they flew on silently, veering off from the rest of the group as they had been directed.

Floating through walls, floors, and ceilings, the lights entered the sleeping quarters of all the students and staff of Hogwarts.

Ron turned over in his sleep, mumbling something under his breath about knights and queens in the moonlight. The red-green ball entered his forehead, and a smile soon crept up on his face. His dream faded and he slept peacefully, a renewed love for his sister in his heart.

Asleep on his chair, Argus Filch was snoring slightly with Mrs. Norris on his lap. She was twitching every so often, chasing a mouse through her dreams. As the ball of light entered his forehead, and then hers, Argus stood up and walked over to his bed. He got beneath the covers, Mrs. Norris curled at his feet as they continued to sleep uninterrupted.

Vincent couldn't sleep. His mind was turning over that one picture over and over. He felt sick, but he hadn't eaten enough at dinner to do anything other than dry heave. So wrapped in his thoughts, he didn't even see the ball of light until it was already in front of him and entering his mind. He stilled, relaxing completely as he fell into a dreamless sleep gratefully.

Pansy tossed in her sleep, another nightmare about Death Eaters wrecking her sleep. She shuddered when the light flew into her mind, and then huddled into Gregory's embrace, sleeping soundly for the rest of the night.

Luna waited patiently, her white eyes open as the light flew to her. It stopped a few centimetres from her forehead, as if waiting for her permission. With a smile she gave a slight nod. The light entered her swiftly, and with a contented sigh, Luna had her first dreamless and Sight-less sleep in almost nine months.

Three lone lights flew away from the castle, heading towards the Whomping Willow. Dodging the swinging branches easily, the three balls sank into the earth below, moving through dirt, roots, as well as bugs and other various insects, to get to the tunnel beneath the large tree. Flying through the tunnel quickly, one light stopped in front of Theodore while the other two continued into the Shrieking Shack.

"Hey, wait! You can't go in there!" Theodore called, moving to follow the lights.

The light that had hovered in front of him quickly moved into his forehead, and he slumped to the ground in a heap. Feelings coursed through his body, and Theodore was surprised to find that he was crying at the intensity of the sorrow and happiness the light was giving him. It was from Draco and Ginevra, that much was obvious. Wiping his tears away quickly, Theodore wondered why it felt like he wouldn't see them for a long time after this night. He didn't have much time to think on it, as he soon fell asleep.

The wolves were continuing to fight, though both were weary. So focused on their fight, neither noticed the ball of light flying at them. The moment the lights entered their foreheads, both wolves dropped to the ground, their heads resting on their paws. They slept for the rest of the night, peaceful feelings rippling through them as they dreamed of running under the full moon outside.

One by one, Ginevra and Draco's friends received their own balls of light, wrapping them in warm feelings and dreamless sleeps.

Albus watched from his office window as lights travelled out of Draco and Ginevra's window in the older part of the castle below. He waited expectantly for a light to appear before him, and a few minutes later, he was not disappointed. A red ball with a green tinged light flew towards him. Resting on his blackened hand, the light tried to sink into his skin but failed. With a slight frown, Albus moved his healthy hand towards the light. It bounced up into his skin eagerly, and with a soft sigh, he shut his eyes. A grateful and appreciative feeling flowed though him, thanking him for everything he'd ever done for both Ginevra and Draco even before they'd become beings.

A genuine smile spread across his face as the feelings continued for some time. It was the first time he'd felt peaceful in a very long time.

Draco offered Ginevra his own light, releasing it from his palm as she did the same with her own. The red and green lights entered their foreheads at the same time, and they moved closer as they slept with their emotions and feelings coursing through each other.

Professors and students alike received the balls of light from Draco and Ginevra, feeling their farewell in their minds. Most didn't recognise what it was or who it was from, but they all slept well that night nonetheless. Dreams and nightmares faded to bring dreamless yet restful and peaceful sleeps, and everyone slept with a smile.

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(a/n: thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.)