Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter Thirty-Three

... b ...

Saturday, 20 July

Draco stood at the front of the gathering, his friends around him. The coffin floated along the aisle between the groups of chairs silently, the sombre procession following just as quietly. Beside him, Blaise squeezed his hand gently. He gave a brief nod, his eyes flicking to his best friend. He had become accustomed to the scars covering Blaise's face and body, and to see him without them now was startling.

Blaise had covered the prominent scars with a Glamour so that he wouldn't be stared at by those who didn't know why he had them or why he kept them. Theodore had offered to remove them when Blaise had woken up from being treated, but he had refused adamantly, even while under sedation from the pain potions. His desire to keep the scars hadn't lessened even now when he was being weaned off the potions.

Neville looked as though he was barely holding back a flood of tears, and Seamus wrapped an arm around him, murmuring a few quiet words in Gaelic. Fred and George were uncharacteristically silent as the procession passed by, both staring ahead and looking for all that they were statues. Draco wasn't sure that he could blame them. In front of him, Lettie turned to Miles, hugging him to her and hiding her tears. Pansy was huddled in Gregory's embrace, both of them had been silent for the past four days, and he doubted they'd say anything today.

His attention was diverted from his friends when the eulogy began, and Draco looked up at the redheaded witch who was speaking. Her hair had two long streaks of white in them, the colour brighter than his own hair, but he knew that they weren't natural or due to age. Ginevra had changed irrevocably when she had accepted her title of Queen of All, just as he had.

As Ginevra had stayed limp in his arms, her heart hardly beating, Draco had fallen unconscious as well. From what the others had said, that same light had flown from him and the music had followed. No one had been able to wake either of them up, no matter what spells Theodore tried or the Muggle methods that Colin attempted.

Exactly twenty-four hours after the goblet of blood had been consumed, Ginevra and Draco both woke up abruptly with a scream that no one had ever heard before, nor wanted to hear again. Despite being questioned multiple times and on multiple occasions, neither one could remember what happened after Ginevra had healed the patients. Draco looked blank when his friends talked of the world burning, of the skies opening, and of his solution to save Ginevra. Ginevra couldn't recall drinking the blood, nor remember anything about glowing or music.

The streaks of blonde in Ginevra's hair had appeared over the course of the day they'd been unconscious, the red colour seeming to fade and leak out of her locks slowly. Nearly everyone had expected Draco to gain two red streaks in return, and for a terrifying moment before he had seen his own reflection, Draco had thought the same. It seemed he had been spared that fate; however, he found that his hair had grown ridiculously long. His father had had his hair long enough to be put in a ponytail, but Draco's had surpassed that by far, and it was all the way down to his knees. He had attempted to cut it off, but every time he tried, Draco found that he was suddenly so exhausted that he didn't have the strength or energy to cut even one strand. Luna had murmured something about Samson and his strength, and Draco had quietly decided to leave the hair alone, even if there was the slightest chance she was right. Her words didn't stop him from plaiting the hair back and using a Glamour though.

Ginevra finished her eulogy, and stepped back from the six graves. There were a few more tears as the coffins were lowered into the ground, and the family members stepped forward to cover the coffins with dirt. As she moved to stand next to him, Draco took her hand, gently squeezing it. She squeezed his briefly in return, but didn't look at him, her gaze fixed on the graves before them.

The ceremony and burials complete, people started to filter away, talking quietly amongst themselves, or Side Apparating the family members who were too distraught to leave on their own. Soon, only Draco, Ginevra and their friends remained. Now that everyone else had left, Draco wrapped his arms around Ginevra, holding her even though she didn't return the embrace. Behind them, Lettie was sobbing uncontrollably into Miles' shoulder, and the vampire was having a difficult time soothing both her own emotions as well as those of her Lady's.

"Come on, love. Let's go home now," Draco whispered.

Ginevra nodded, knowing that it was more for Lettie and Miles' benefit than her own. Less than a week ago, she might have yelled at him for that comment, for saying that they could go home when six people she'd essentially killed never could go to their homes again. Now, she simply said goodbye to her friends softly, and let Draco Side Apparate her away, too tired and emotionally exhausted to do so herself.

On arriving in Muggle London, the wet and foggy weather hiding any magical appearance they might have made, Draco silently led Ginevra out of the alley and onto the street. They were quiet as they headed up to the apartment, the rain pounding against the building.

"I'll put some tea on," Draco murmured, a flick of his wrist making their wet coats become dry and disappear into their wardrobe.

Ginevra sat at the bench that looked into the kitchen, watching as he set about filling the kettle and lighting the stove with his wand.

"Do you remember anything that happened?"

Draco looked over his shoulder, Ginevra's words surprising him for a moment, though he supposed that he should have expected them. They'd only been released from St. Mungo's that morning, and hadn't had a chance to talk alone since they'd woken up.

"I'm starting to remember small parts. What about you?" Draco asked quietly.

A loud whistling sound behind him stopped Ginevra's response, and he hurried to stop the kettle and turn the stove off. Ginevra was silent as he poured two mugs of tea, and when he moved to sit on the stool beside her, she answered his question.

"I'm remembering parts as well. I just don't know what they all mean," she added, staring into the kitchen without seeing it, sipping at her tea.

"What do you remember? Maybe we'll have enough pieces to fit it all together," Draco suggested, shrugging.

Ginevra frowned slightly - not at the idea, she thought it was a good one - but at how to express herself, and put into words what she could barely seem to remember. Unable to think of anything, she shook her head and pressed her wand to her fingertip. A thought spell had a few drops of blood forming. Draco offered his mug to her, and Ginevra watched the blood drops fall into the dark liquid. Moments later, Draco had done the same with her mug of tea, and they both added their blood drops to their own drinks. They would be able to combine both memories then, and see what happened from both points of view.

Neither of them drank the tea yet, and Ginevra forcibly stopped herself from shivering. She had no idea what Draco's memories would contain, but if they were anything like her own, Ginevra wasn't entirely sure that this would be a pleasant experience.

"I'm scared," Ginevra admitted hesitantly, glancing at Draco.

He didn't seem surprised, nor want to laugh at her, and nodded sombrely, as if he knew exactly what she was feeling.

"I know, love, so am I. Let's drink together," Draco said, taking her hand in his own.

She smiled briefly, squeezing his hand gently. They raised their mugs to drink, and the moment both Draco and Ginevra swallowed the liquid, memories pulled at them.

... b ...

The world around him was dark, but he immediately knew every nuance, every nook and cranny. He was standing at the edge of a precipice, but how he knew that, he couldn't say. It was pitch black around him, and he couldn't see his own hand, let alone the ground beneath him. He tried to step back to get away from the edge of the cliff, but the ground crumbled away. Moving left and right had the same result, and soon, he was standing atop a small island with nowhere to go.

A hole appeared directly above him, and he hissed in pain at the sudden influx of light. Shielding his eyes, he was finally able to see where he stood. There were five long shining rivers below him. The one at the very left was shimmering white and the far right almost looked black. The first could have held clouds, yet the shimmering seemed to have more substance to it than that. The latter was much thicker, as if rivulets of blood, dirt and ash had run together, forming into some indiscernible liquid. In between the two, another three rivers flowed, one a clear blue, one filled with a haze of red and black, and the third a stormy grey colour that could cloud the mind if looked at too long.

Knowing where he was and that he would be safe in this area no matter what he did or what others attempted against him, a feeling of calm and certainty flowed over him. He moved to step off the cliff, but before he could do so, a sound began to filter from the hole above him. A sweet sound, sweeter than anything he had heard in lifetimes, and as he tasted the very sound on the air itself, he noted that it was even sweeter than his favourite pomegranate fruit. The sound, the taste, the very idea of whoever could make such beautiful music was addicting, and he immediately needed more.

...

The world around her was bright and she laughed at the nymphs as they frolicked and danced to entertain her. Their dance led her friends and guardians to the five streams nearby, but she stayed leaning against the tree, brushing her hair and humming. The sun was shining, she was warm, and she knew every part of her mother's garden. She was happy, and she knew nothing else other than this life.

The nymphs were playing a game with a small bolt that the weather-inclined nymphs had made - a secret game that not even the gods knew of - when the bolt slipped from the youngest nymph's hands, flying directly into the ground and making a hole into the world below. They wept for their carelessness and the loss of their game, and she, who could not bear to see her friends so distraught, began to sing for them. Her song was quiet at first, but grew louder and continued as their tears stopped flowing and their smiles returned.

A rumbling sound stopped her song, and the nymphs huddled behind her, sure that their stray bolt had been discovered and they were to be reprimanded. Shadows were cast over her mother's garden; the trees, plants and flowers wilting back in the presence of a god. He smiled at her, asked her to sing, held out a hand for her to go with him.

He was a man, and she had only ever been surrounded by female nymphs. She was curious, she was filled with a yearning for something other than her mother's garden, and soothing the again-weeping nymphs, she made them promise not to tell anyone of her departure. They agreed, knowing that it had been their own folly with the forbidden bolt that had led to this, yet they still wept. She kissed each of them on the forehead, gave them each a brilliant smile, and then she turned back to him and took his hand.

The journey took her through grass and dirt, into the dark, away from the sunlight, past five rivers that mirrored the exact position of the ones above, but were filled with something that was definitely not an elixir nor cool, refreshing water. The dark frightened her for she had never been exposed to it before. She missed the warmth, the sunshine, the world above, and so she stayed in the room that he had provided for her, shivering next to a fireplace that did little to stave off the cold in the very air itself.

...

He did not understand her reluctance, her confusion, her emotion. He had been in this world for millennia, and had forgotten his own response to the dark world below when he had first descended from the light one above. He may not have understood, but he did try to keep her comfortable. He provided her rooms, the thickest blankets and skins, the warmest gowns and dresses, but she could not seem to move beyond the fire, her feet tucked up onto the chair beneath her, her eyes staring at nothing in particular.

He wanted to hear her sing, asked her for a song, but she had lost her voice in their journey it seemed, because she shook her head minutely, continuing to stare at the flames. He left her, his mind full of her sweet song, his addiction growing even with the absence.

He went to her each day she was imprisoned, asking for a song, asking for her love. He offered her food and drink, but she shook her head and he eventually left her room unsuccessful each time. Staying with her longer during the days, he slowly began to see her smile, actually look at her, her eyes guarded but brightening in his presence. She began to move away from the fireplace and remove a few of the blankets, her body gradually becoming used to the cold; despite the fact that she did not eat or drink, he was pleased.

...

She was wary of him, but she was glad for his company. She was hungry and thirsty, but her mother had warned her of eating unknown foods, and she could not even trust the drink he brought to her since he partook in neither.

Not knowing whether it took days, weeks, or months, she began to become used to the cold. She could walk about her room, and as some more time passed, she ventured out of the quarters with him by her side. She met some of his messengers, as well as the elderly man who rowed across the rivers. They did not fear him, and he did not call them friends, but there was a respect there on both sides.

She was led past two arched doorways, one covered in bronze, and the other an arch into a field. The field made her long for the world above, and she stepped towards it, only to be held back. He told her that she must never step into either archway, for she would be lost to him forever. She knew the meaning of forever and shuddered, stepping closer into his embrace. To ease her trembling, he introduced her to his dog, and she laughed gaily as she played with the three-headed beast with snakes for a mane. One of the heads snapped at the other, certain that it was getting more attention from her. They snarled angrily, and just as he was about to bring her back to him to avoid the dog's temper, she began to sing. The dog stopped snarling almost immediately, moving to rest before her meekly, her sweet song entrancing the beast as easily as it had its master. He was gentle when he led her away and she smiled at him as bright as any sun or star could ever shine.

That night, when he did not wish to leave her presence, he asked to dine in her rooms, and she agreed, pleased that he would spend more time with her. He ate little, drank even less, preferring instead to talk with her, listening to her lilting voice as she talked of the games she would play, the vegetation rites she would perform, listening to everything she wanted to talk to him about. She fell asleep enveloped in his arms, feeling as safe as she could ever remember being.

On waking up, her hunger was so overwhelming that she could not resist it any longer. The food that had been brought for him the night before was still on the table, and she slipped out of his arms to make her way to the tantalising foods. Various platters were spread out, filled from everything from fruit to meats, breads to cheeses. As a vegetarian, she steered clear of the meat platter, and kept her gaze on the fruits instead. Goddess of the harvest as she was, she knew all of them by name, and she licked her lips at the sight of the pomegranate.

The sixth seed had already slipped between her lips when she felt him approaching, and she turned to face him, her lips stained red. He whispered something too low for her to hear, but his hand cupped her face gently, and he kissed her.

Her eyes widened, her heart pounding wildly, and she clutched at his tunic in a mix of fear and her awakening desire. He pulled away, watching her for a moment before lowering his head again, kissing her slowly and drawing out her emotions, her desire, and her blossoming love for him. She was surprised to feel tears sliding down her cheeks as he continued to kiss her, teaching her, learning from her, but she didn't feel sad; how could she when her heart soared in this way? Her grip slowly loosened on his tunic and she wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands slid down to hold her hips.

He was gentle, patient, slowly unfurling her emotions and desire as he undressed her, worshipping her in a very different way than the earth-bound mortals. She almost wished that she had known she could feel like this years' before, but in the same moment, she knew that she never could have felt this way with someone who wasn't him. The nymphs had told her tales, giggling and soft whispers abounding as they played in the rivers together, their eyes alight with some sort of emotion she'd never understood until this moment. They loved the chase, the kisses, the capture, the rise and fall, the eventual release. They spoke of this as if it too were a god, an unseen god that everyone worshipped, no matter their place or status.

She could feel him worshipping her as if she was the embodiment of that god, the flesh and skin of this emotion that could drive men to war. She didn't mind in the slightest. Even when he eased inside her, pain filling her entire being, he still worshipped her, her name falling from his lips and his very heartbeat and breath for her and none other.

In return for his worship, she too worshipped him. She felt his body beneath her fingertips, pressed her lips against his, murmuring words of newly found love and lust. He responded to her words best, moving harder and faster within her.

She had spent years following her mother as a goddess of harvest and thought she understood power. Before this, she would even have said that she was powerful in her own right, but now as his eyes darkened and he lost control, she knew that this was real power. She held a power over him that no other had held before, that none would hold again. She knew that he held a similar power over her, but it was not something that she could begrudge him.

She began to feel as though her entire body was crumbling and dissolving under his touch, only to be rebuilt by the same hands. The release was nothing she had ever thought, ever dreamed, ever imagined before. She was not only dissolving, but disappearing as well, and she was losing part of herself, but at the same time, she was returning, becoming something else entirely, and gaining a brand new part of herself that she had never known she'd needed before. She collapsed in his arms, and he finally too, found the sought-after release, his lips on hers in a rough manner that she found pleasant rather than painful.

Despite looking exhausted, he led her to the hot spring bath in her bathroom, gently cleaning the blood from her legs as he whispered soft apologies for hurting his queen. She rather liked the idea of being a queen, being his queen, and he her king. She smiled a sly smile that she had seen on the nymphs during the rites of harvest, and kissed her king.

The earth itself began to shake, just as it had when he had come up into the bright world above. He lifted her out of the bath carefully, putting her dress back on her body in a moment, his cool fingers lingering on her shoulders. She watched as he pulled his trousers and tunic on once more, her body thrumming with a desire to have him again.

Light flooded the world around them, and she lifted her hand to shield her sensitive eyes, whimpering at the pain the sun caused her. He was before her in a moment, guarding her and blocking the sun despite his own pain in the light's presence.

Without a say in the matter, she was taken from her world, away from her reign, from her king, from her love, pulled up through the dirt and grass, and into the blinding sunlit world above. She screamed in pain, ignoring her mother's waiting embrace, and held her hands over her eyes, even as a tree moved to cover her in shade.

...

He hated that he had been forced to let her go, that she had been taken from him. He had told his brother of her eating the pomegranate seeds, her mother yelling and screaming about tricksters, about force, about rape. He had barely held himself back from killing the goddess for making such a claim about his treatment of his queen, telling himself over and over that his beloved would not forgive him for such an act.

They had left him alone in moments, his brother noticing that he was one more accusation away from destroying the underworld and letting the dead rise from the now barren ground. He left her room the way it was, shutting the door and making sure no one would go near it, or they would face his wrath. She would return in six months time, but he already knew that they would feel as though they were closer to six lifetimes.

Standing atop his cliff once more, a speck of light shining through, he planted a seed in the earth above before returning to his kingdom.

...

She refused to talk to her mother for an entire month, refused to look at her or eat anything other than pomegranate. She sat in the shade of the cypress tree during the day, in the field where he had risen out of the earth to take her and make her his queen.

She knew every inch of the field, knew every plant and tree in the expanse of land, and when she saw a foreign flower pushing it's way up through the earth, she immediately knew that it was a present from her king. The narcissus flower would eventually be known as a daffodil, but she knew that no mortal would ever see this particular shade of the flower. The petals were red and the delicate bell in the middle was white with flecks of red, as if it had grown out of a pomegranate seed rather than a narcissus one.

Her mother was surprised at her sudden transformation that night. Where she had been sullen and silent, she was now talkative and even began to sing once more. The nymphs were gleeful at the return of their beloved young goddess, and she danced and played with them in the streams. When the nymphs lay in the fields, braiding one another's hair back, they whispered of their lovers, she too joined in the conversation, learning of new things to please her king.

She would see him again - her mother had bemoaned that fact often enough - and she would return a goddess fit for her queenly duties. She sang the loudest and sweetest when she was in the field, and she knew that he could hear her below the world, standing upon the highest cliff in his world, and the closest point to her.

... b ...

With a gasp, Ginevra and Draco were pulled out of their memories, their chests heaving as they tried to catch their breath.

"I don't remember any of that happening," Ginevra said eventually, looking at him.

Draco nodded in agreement, looking wary. "I don't even think that happened while we were unconscious. My memory of what happened was nothing like that."

They were both silent for a long moment, simply sitting there and trying to match their memories with what they'd seen. Sighing, Ginevra shook her head and stood up.

"If I keep trying to think about this all, it's going to drive me insane."

"What are you going to do then?" he asked, seeing her head to the door.

"I'm locking up and going to bed. I'm tired," she said, rubbing her forehead with the heel of her palm.

Draco nodded, suddenly feeling exhausted himself. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

In a matter of minutes, they were both in bed, arms wrapped around each other as they fell asleep.

... b ...

"There's no need for all of this, boys. Really, I am capable of looking after myself," Ollivander protested when they brought him his teacup.

"Theo said you weren't to walk and strain yourself, so we're looking after you," Fred said.

"Besides, Ginevra was right annoyed with us, and we'd rather not upset her again," George added with a wince.

Shaking his head briefly, Oscar decided to let them look after them and not risk their sister's wrath. He had Seen her at the funeral that morning, white streaks shining in her hair as she gave the eulogy. From what the twins had told him, Ginevra had only been released from St. Mungo's that morning, and no one was quite sure where she'd gone after the funeral. Draco had disappeared along with her, and from what Oscar had Seen of him that morning, he was covered in heavy Glamours.

Distracted from his thoughts when George brought a tray into the room laden with food, he smiled and accepted it without protest.

"I do hope you'll both be joining me for dinner?" Oscar asked.

"Of course we are. We never turn down food," Fred said, bringing in two more trays of food for himself and George.

Chuckling, Oscar started on his dinner, asking them about the shop when they were seated on the couch across from him.

... b ...

Lettie paced, her hand moving up to the choker around her neck every now and again, as if to reassure herself that it was still there.

"Is everything all right, Lettie?" Miles asked, coming into the room to find her still pacing.

"I can feel them out there, but I don't know where they are. I don't like this feeling, not at all," she muttered, still pacing.

"It's likely that Ginevra and Draconius have a reason why they're not letting you find them. They probably need rest and time to recover from everything they've been through. I'm not sure that you being with them will help them recover any quicker, Lettie," Miles said, treading carefully with his words.

"But... My Lady hasn't returned to the vampire mansion in so long, and I can still feel her emotions and guilt so clearly. I'm anxious for her," Lettie admitted.

"She has been granted to take some time away from the mansion in order to recover. Ginevra will be fine, Lettie, as will Draconius. Do not fret over them so; they need this time to reconnect with themselves and each other," Miles said softly, stopping her pacing by taking her hand in his own. "I was anxious for you when the world was dying," he added, bringing her hand up to press a kiss to it.

Blushing slightly, Lettie nodded. "If you hadn't Turned me, I would have died long before my Lady did. You kept me here," she said, smiling at him.

"I am very glad for that," Miles murmured, kissing her lips this time.

Her lips still curved into a smile, Lettie kissed him back, her arms winding around his neck to hold him close.

... b ...

Pansy lowered herself into the water, a mermaid tail appearing with little more than a thought. Her swim from Antarctica to South America had made her mermaid power grow exponentially, and she could swim within a smaller space and using sharper turns than she'd been able to before.

Gregory was silent as he watched her drop beneath the water's surface. When she was completely submerged, he followed her into the water, two spells turning his legs into a tail and gills appearing on his neck. Pansy motioned to him and then began to swim, Greg following without hesitation.

Apart from talking with each other, neither one had said a word to the others for the past four days, though both for different reasons. Pansy had been unable to form any words to express her emotions over Ginevra still being alive, and had simply hugged both Draco and Ginerva so tightly that they could understand her feelings without having to express them aloud. Gregory, on the other hand, hadn't known what to say on seeing his friends so altered. True, their hair had changed with one gaining streaks and the other's growing to an exceptional length, but he could feel that their power had altered too. He could not bring himself to speak before them, had no idea what to say to two people who were closer in power to gods than the beings they had been before. Gregory had barely been able to repress his entire body from trembling at the amount of power they exuded.

Luna had mentioned something once about both Draco and Ginevra leaking power subconsciously, which was the reason for so many beings and creatures in the two Houses, but Gregory had never felt their power like this before. It seemed as if their entire bodies were filled with so much power that it couldn't be kept inside them, and it just poured from them in torrents instead. It was so overwhelming that even now, the thought of their power sent a shiver up his spine.

On discussing just how Luna had taken him from Hogwarts to the troll's village, Pansy had frowned and asked him to describe the rock portal in more detail. She'd left for a swim later that day and had returned with news of the glowing portal beneath the water. They had eventually agreed to go through it together.

Realising that Pansy was further ahead, Gregory swam faster to catch up with her. Hand-in-hand they swam through the underwater rock portal together.

... b ...

Ginevra rolled over in her sleep, Draco's arm tightening about her waist. They were both dreaming, the memories of what had happened while they were unconscious finally returning.

...

Draco stood atop the cliff once more, but this time he was himself, and not him.

"You've taken your time in getting here, haven't you?"

The voice was familiar, but Draco knew that he'd never heard it before. Yet, somehow, it was as familiar to him as his own voice, as if he'd heard the voice every single day since his birth. Despite this familiarity, Draco didn't recognise the owner of the voice, more so because he couldn't see him.

Before Draco could begin to question the voice, a person began to materialise in front of him, standing on the air as if it was as solid as the ground. The man was wearing nothing but black, looking for all as though he had melted out of his surroundings.

"How are you doing that?" Draco asked, confused as to how this man could be standing there with nothing to hold him up.

"Doing what?"

"Standing on the air like that."

"Perhaps you should ask yourself how you are doing it, before you question me," the man replied, glancing down at Draco's feet.

Following his gaze, Draco saw that the cliff had disappeared, and he was standing on nothing. As soon as he realised this, he began to drop, falling towards the ground and the five rivers beneath him. The man followed him down calmly, watching as he fell and screamed.

"What are you doing?" the man asked curiously.

"Falling to my death, you pillock, what's it look like?"

"It looks like you're falling unnecessarily to me," he replied, coming to a complete stop and sitting in the air cross-legged.

Blinking in surprise, Draco forgot that he was falling, and for a moment, he stopped too. Forcing himself to think of something other than the fact that he was plummeting to the earth below, Draco slowed down gradually until he came to a complete stop mere metres above the rivers.

Chuckling, the man stood up and walked down to Draco. "Now that you've finished with your dramatics, are you ready to talk, Draconius Lucius Malfoy?"

"Who are you?" Draco demanded, not wanting to talk to someone whose name he didn't even know, no matter how familiar they sounded.

He seemed surprised at the question, looking at him for a long moment. "You already know who I am, Draconius. You've known who I am since I spoke to you, and even before that. You will always know me, just as I will always know you."

"You're Hades," Draco said without a hesitation.

"Correct," he replied, smiling briefly. "Now, you're here for a reason. You finally accepted your role and title as King of All, but you have still yet to accept me as a part of that."

"What?"

"Did you honestly think that you'd have all of this power without some way of managing it? Besides, you cannot be King of All without the King of the Underworld," Hades said with a smirk.

"By that reasoning, shouldn't Zeus and Poseidon be here too?"

Hades scoffed. "Zeus would never lower himself to be bound with a mortal. It seems that Poseidon has secured himself away in his castle until the right mortals come to him. I was not afforded that luxury, or you would be dead, and this would be much more difficult."

Not knowing what to say to that, Draco simply nodded.

"Will you accept me as part of your role and title as King of All, Draconius?" Hades asked.

The weight of the decision seemed to burden him all at once, and Draco actually dropped half a metre in the air. He knew what the decision entailed; the power of a god at his fingertips, the memories of a god who had been there since the very beginning of time in his mind. Add in the fact that the god was Hades himself, and Draco could very well be driven insane the moment he accepted. He would have to perform Hades' duties as King of the Underworld, on top of his own duties as a Veelan, as a son, as a fiancŽ, a future husband, and in all likelihood, a future father.

Not to mention that the last time someone had attempted to bind with a god, they had been driven insane in mere seconds, and died a minute later. Of course, the idiot had attempted it without the god's permission, so it was his own fault, really.

Draco frowned and looked up at the earth where the hole had been. "Ginevra's part of this, right? She'll be Persephone?"

"Of course. I would not have agreed to this if Seph had not decided to take pity on mortals and their world, yet again. I am meant to stay out of mortal affairs, but things are happening that are going to affect the world of the gods, and we cannot allow that."

At his words, Draco could see a vision of the future in an instant; mortals pulling the gods from the heavens themselves, Ares and Artemis revelling in the war as the world became barren and frosted over, mortals dying in millions as Famine scoured the earth. Shuddering, he forced the images away with an intensity that surprised Hades.

"Accepting you to bind with me will stop that?" Draco asked after a moment.

"I hope so. I am unaware of what the Fates have seen, and even Cassandra does not know the outcome of the many wars to come."

Draco nodded and held out a hand for Hades to take. Hades smiled a smile that wasn't quite human, and demonstrated just the type of god that Draco was about to be bound to.

Hades walked forward, his body seemingly melting into Draco's. As Draco's eyes had rolled back into his head, he couldn't see this strange occurrence, but in his mind, he could feel the presence of Hades beginning to make room, merging his own mind and body with his. His hair began to lengthen considerably, alternating between black and blonde at such a rapid pace that it was almost impossible to separate. His clothing, which had started off as the King of All's forest garb and crown on Hades' touch, was flitting between the forest clothes and Hades' own black clothes, the two melding together to form a much darker version of the King of All's clothing. As Draco felt the last piece of Hades' mind and body join with his own, his hair turned white completely, reaching down to his knees, and he finally accepted the title of King of All, living or dead.

...

Ginevra was sitting beneath the shade of the cypress tree, her hair red rather than blonde as it had been before, and she could see that the hole in the field was now covered with grass. Near it, a blood-red narcissus plant was growing, and she stood to look at the flower closer.

"It is a pretty flower, is it not?"

Kneeling beside the flower, Ginevra's body froze at the woman's words. She knew that voice. She knew that she knew it, though she could not have said where she had heard it before. Even as she stood to turn around, Ginevra seemed to know exactly who it was who had spoken and was not surprised moments later, to be face-to-face with Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld.

"Am I dead?" Ginevra asked with a slight frown.

"You just died for the third time in your life, what would make you think that this death would be any different from the first two?" Persephone asked, sounding both curious and sarcastic. Her expression softened for a moment, and she looked to the ground beyond the shade of the cypress tree. "You're not in the Fields, if that is what you are asking. The Elysium Fields are much lovelier than this area of grass, I can assure you of that."

In response to her words, the blades of grass seemed to straighten and become a little brighter, as if to prove that they were worthy of any Field, above or below.

"If I'm not actually dead, why am I here then?" Ginevra asked.

"You have finally accepted your title as Queen of All, but in order to complete that acceptance, you must also accept me as part of your role, and bind yourself with me. You cannot be the Queen of All without the Queen of the Underworld, after all."

"Why not?" Ginevra asked in surprise. "I've had this power for almost a year now, why are you showing up now?"

"As you hadn't accepted the power completely, nor had your King, you were both holding back. By doing that, you were both restricting us from contacting you any earlier than this. You drinking the blood of each person, creature, being, and has-been in the worlds has finally brought your acceptance of your title and your role. Will you accept me as part of your title and role, Ginevra?"

Ginevra was silent for a long moment, knowing from the tales just how drastic and encompassing this decision was. Men and women had died attempting to succeed in this very thing. To accept Persephone and bind with her would mean that she would have to carry out her duties as well, not only as Queen of the Underworld, but also her duties as a goddess of the harvest in the sunlit world.

"If I do accept, does that mean I have to stay up here for six months of the year, as part of your role?"

"Thankfully, no. I am binding with you as you are with me, and you have no such restrictions on the time you can spend with your future husband," Persephone replied, a wicked gleam in her eye. "My mother will most likely be keeping a close watch on us though. She would not be forgiving if we were to die unnecessarily."

Glancing back at the narcissus plant growing behind her, Ginevra looked to Persephone once more. "So is Draco a part of this? He'll be Hades, won't he?"

"If he accepts, then yes, Draco will be. I can assure you that Hades would not agree to be bound to a mortal if he didn't think it absolutely necessary."

Ginevra nodded; she doubted that Persephone would agree to it either.

"What will happen if I don't bind myself with you?" she asked, curious for the answer.

"You will not have a way to handle the amount of power you have, and the world will crumble. What happened moments ago will be a teardrop in the ocean in comparison," Persephone added.

The world was burning, relentless fires that could never be put out. The world was dying, every plant and type of vegetation dead or dying. The world was flooding, what was left of humanity forced to the remaining inner lands. Humanity was fleeting, humans turned barbaric to claim land, shelter, food and water. Shuddering, Ginevra forced the snapshot vision of the future from her mind.

"I agree," she said, holding her hand out for Persephone.

Persephone smiled as she reached to take her hand, and a chill ran up Ginevra's spine at the sight. It was not a smile of a young innocent maiden who had been a virgin and hidden from men by her overbearing mother, but rather the cold smile of a Queen who had reign over the Underworld and the power to make the King beg for her.

On taking the Queen's hand, Ginevra's clothes changed into the Queen of All garb. As Persephone began to walk into her body, two souls, minds, and bodies mingling in one space, Ginevra's clothes began to flit between the forest dress and crown, to a pure white dress, and a black and grey dress. The colours merged slowly, and in her mind, despite her eyes rolling back into her head, Ginevra could feel the presence and absolute power of Persephone take place. As the last of Persephone fit into Ginevra's mind and body, her hair turned a brilliant shade of blonde. Eventually, her red hair returned, but two bright streaks of blonde remained as a testament to her power, title, and finally, her acceptance as Queen of All, living or dead.

... b ...

Waking up with a start, Ginevra looked at Draco, her eyes wide and a bright green rather than their normal brown, or even red colour. He was wide awake as well, staring back at her, his grey eyes now entirely black.

"Seph?" Draco queried.

Ginevra nodded with a smirk worthy of a Queen, and without warning, he kissed her intently, his hands cupping her face.

"Already, Hades? We only arrived down here! Give us time to... ohh," her words trailing off with a heated moan as his hands moved to caress her breasts. "Don't you dare stop," she demanded, her hands tearing at his restrictive clothing.

"As my Queen wishes," he replied with a smirk, kissing and caressing her once more.

She simply huffed in irritation, and a single thought later, they were both naked. She smiled in delight on seeing the familiar tattoo wrapped around her husband's body, her hands tracing it, and making him shiver in response.

"Still as responsive as ever," she murmured.

He chuckled against her neck, his mouth leaving small bites and kisses against the pale flesh. She moaned, holding him close to her.

"As are you, my Queen," he replied.

Draco's mind was still everywhere at once, but he was very aware of the fact that he was about to have sex - this could definitely not be classed as anything other than hot hard sex - with a woman who wasn't his fiancŽe. He couldn't deny the feeling of her beneath him though, and he managed to moan Ginevra's name rather than Persephone's. The blue eyed woman beneath him moaned his name in return, and he could clearly see Ginevra's intelligence and acceptance shining through her eyes. With a quick grin, he kissed her once, and let himself retreat so that he and Hades could continue to merge together completely. On some instinctive level, Draco knew that Ginevra had done the same with Persephone.

Their minds still merging with the mortals they'd chosen, Hades and Persephone merged in a very different way entirely, their bodies seeking release, feeling new emotions, and both being reassured that they were still there together.

... b ...

"If you don't get back into bed this instant, Luna, I will tie you up and keep you there... Oh, for the gods' sakes, Apollo, I didn't need a mental image of that," Colin groaned.

Luna laughed, moving towards him around the desk chair and past the misplaced chest at the end of the bed. Her hands reached out to feel his face, her fingertips caressing along his forehead, over his closed eyes, mapping his face with her hands. Luna smiled gently as she traced his lips with her fingers and leaning down, she kissed him.

Grinning beneath her kiss, Colin wrapped an arm around Luna's waist and pulled her down onto the mattress with him.

"Stay here with me," he murmured, his lips still against hers.

Luna tried not to sigh in response. It hadn't taken long for Colin to convince her to have a small holiday, and after everything she'd Seen, she knew that this was a small break between events in which she could actually relax. Cassandra had pushed her, telling her she was silly to feel an ounce of guilt. Her friends and family were alive, the world was still turning, and she could have a holiday to celebrate at the very least.

"Your mother's going to call for us soon. She wants you to train," Luna said, starting to move away from him.

Colin tightened his hold on her, keeping her beside him. Propping himself up on his elbow, he looked towards the closed door. "Mother! I'm staying in with Luna! She needs her rest!" he called loudly, pulling the blanket up over them before Luna could protest.

"Well if you hadn't kept her up all night, shagging like bunnies, she would have had more rest," Harmony called back.

Luna laughed, Seeing Colin's expression easily. "Still want to stay in?"

"Yes. You do need your rest," he said, his legs entwining with hers easily. "Sleep now, and I'll show you the baby dragons later."

"That will be nice. I should tell Hagrid that Norbet's about to be a father," she murmured sleepily.

Colin stroked Luna's hair softly, his fingers slipping between the strands, and he pressed a light kiss to her forehead, holding her to him as they drifted off to sleep.

... b ...

Not knowing what to expect, Pansy had her eyes screwed shut as they swam through the portal, and she still had them closed when she passed through the glowing light. It was only the slight change in the water's temperature that made her realise that they'd actually moved anywhere. Coming to a stop, she opened her eyes cautiously, her jaw dropping when she saw the sight before her.

His eyes shut too, Gregory felt Pansy stop beside him. He stopped swimming before he dragged her through the water, and opened his eyes.

That's bloody enormous, George thought to Pansy, unable to get past his shock to do anything more than state the obvious.

The golden palace before them looked bigger than anything either one had seen before. Hogwarts itself paled in comparison, and Pansy had to wonder exactly where they were for no one to have ever seen this structure beneath the water. The mermaids had swum around the globe, yet none had mentioned this.

Pansy nodded in agreement, taking Greg's hand again before swimming towards the golden palace. As they approached the large flat entrance to the palace, the water rippled in front of them, the waters parting so they could walk inside.

Removing the spells on his legs and neck, Gregory swam to the landing, stepping out onto the golden surface carefully. When the water didn't come crashing down on him and he thought it safe, he nodded for Pansy to join him. A thought had her tail disappearing, and she was soon standing beside Gregory.

"All right, Pans?" he asked, seeing that she was shivering.

"Bit cold," she replied with a weak smile. "I've usually got some nice warm sand to lie on before I have to try and walk."

Gregory shook his head briefly, pulling his wand out from where he'd tucked it into the waistband of his shorts, drying their clothes and adding a warming spell for good measure. A strand of hair was transfigured into a jacket and he placed it around her, kissing her gently.

"Better now?"

"Much, thank you," she replied, kissing him.

"We'll be fine, Pans," Gregory added, feeling from her emotions that she wasn't just cold.

"How do you know that?" Pansy asked, looking to the large entrance that was shining in the muted light from the water and sky overhead.

"The water hasn't come crashing down on us, so I'm going to say that the person, creature, or being inside here is good. It's either that, or they're toying with us."

"Don't worry, I won't let you die if the water does come crashing down around us," Pansy promised, smiling at him.

He grinned in return, kissing the back of her hand. "Thanks, Pans. What do you say we go meet the owner of this lovely golden palace?"

She snorted. "Know I know that they're going to be good; it's Gryffindor gold."

Chuckling, Greg wrapped his arm around her shoulders and they walked towards the entrance.

... b ...

Looking at his half-naked reflection in the mirror, Blaise trailed his finger along the longest scar he could see. He'd been hurt on falling to the forest floor, twigs, branches, and rocks all digging into his skin, some piercing through the layers and making him bleed, others forming large bruises. Theodore had fixed up most of the cuts, but some had become infected and needed to be cleaned. He'd cut away the infected skin and used a healing salve to make the skin grow back. Due to this, Blaise had many more scars across his body and arms than the original injuries might have suggested. He'd refused to let Theodore take the scars away. The process of regrowing skin wasn't as painful as regrowing bones, but it still hurt, and he wanted the physical reminder of everything that had happened even after the pain stopped.

"If yer plannin' on seducin' me by standin' 'round half-naked, go righ' ahead," Seamus said from behind him, kissing his shoulder and grinning at him in the mirror.

"Well, it wasn't my initial idea for seducing you, but I suppose it will suffice," Blaise drawled, smirking.

"Och, love it when ye speak all proper," Seamus said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Laughing, Blaise turned around and kissed him, his arm wrapping around his waist to hold him close.

"Did either of you even notice that the door's wide open?" Neville asked, closing it behind him as he entered the room.

"No, too busy snoggin'," Seamus said, grinning and pulling him to them.

"Well, most of the students are training right outside, and the Patil twins are likely to come in when they've finished for the day," Neville muttered, even as he was drawn into their embrace and kiss.

Blaise made a sound of feigned interest, pulling Neville's shirt over his head before returning to his task of kissing his neck and shoulder. Seamus was pressing hot wet kisses to the scars littering Blaise's back, and he shuddered in response. Seeing the effect it had on him, Neville moved down with a grin, his tongue flicking against the scars on Blaise's torso. Feeling so much love for both of the people kissing him, Blaise pulled Neville and Seamus over to the bed to show them what he was feeling but couldn't even begin to express in words.

... b ...

The sun was starting to set over the Forbidden Forest, but the students had pleaded and begged to continue their training. Padma was beyond tired and sore, but before she could deny the students Parvati had taken her exhaustion, collapsing to the ground as her twin's pain and fatigue crashed upon her. Sighing, Padma conjured a small bed, placing her sister on it and covering her with a blanket. Turning back to the students, she glared at their expressions.

"Don't stand around looking guilty. You wanted to train longer, you're going to train longer. Don't make Parvati's exhaustion for nothing. Pick up your swords, grab your wands, and start training!" Padma barked.

Hurrying to do so, they were all training again in a matter of moments. Her energy restored, Padma joined in the fighting, sending hexes at some and swinging her sword at others. The night wore on, and large fire-lit torches were placed around the field so they could still see who they were fighting.

A few hours passed and the students' fatigue was beginning to show clearly through their half-mumbled hexes and fumbling sword strokes. Padma lined them all up in a row, sending a jolt of energy to each of them to keep them awake. If she had to stay awake and alert, then they would have to as well.

"Come on, you all wanted this! Now get back to training!" Padma demanded, hexing a fourth year with a Jellylegs spell.

You're going to kill them through exhaustion if you don't stop soon, Luna murmured in her head.

I gave them a burst of energy, they'll be fine, Padma replied, trying not to get distracted while sharp swords were being swung in her general direction.

Oh, my apologies, Padma; I thought this was Seamus. Careful on the left, you're wide open.

A glint from the torch made her look to the left, and she raised her sword to stop the student's sword from connecting with her shoulder.

"That was very close, Perks. Good move," Padma said, nodding to her.

Sally Anne smiled at the praise, withdrew her sword and began attacking again.

Another two hours passed before Padma deemed it late enough - and everyone exhausted enough - to stop training and go to bed. She just had enough energy to levitate Parvati to their room in the older part of the castle.

Wincing when she entered to hear the loud moans coming from Neville, Blaise and Seamus' room, Padma hurried past to put her sister to bed. When that was done, Padma returned to the main corridor to the rooms and replaced the silencing ward around the boys' bedroom. Sighing in relief when the noise faded away to nothing, Padma went to bed, climbing in next to her sister and falling asleep in a matter of minutes.

... b ...

The way through the palace was easy to follow, as anytime Pansy and Gregory went to turn the wrong way, a wall of water would appear and redirect them back to the main corridor once more.

Eventually, they made their way into a large throne room, two people sitting on thrones. A large man of stocky build holding a trident in his hand and a large golden crown on his head, while beside him, a woman whose hair shimmered in green, blue, and aqua waves as if the ocean itself had leant the colours to reflect her brilliance. Yet, upon her head, she was adorned with a simple golden band for a crown. Poseidon and his wife Amphitrite.

"Welcome to my palace, mortals," Poseidon said, his voice booming and very presence heavy, as if a weight of water was pressing down upon them.

There was an awkward moment of silence as Pansy and Gregory wondered what sort of response the god before them expected. Applause; tears of gratitude; eternal worship?

Were we meant to say something to that? Greg asked Pansy.

She held back a laugh and quickly swept down into a curtsy. "I apologise for our silence, but we are in such awe of your palace that we could not bring ourselves to respond."

"The woman speaks on behalf of the man?" Poseidon asked, looking at Greg in amused incredulity. "Have you no tongue, man, or perhaps you are nothing but an infant?"

Greg's eyes widened at the insult both to himself and Pansy, but he refrained from doing something stupid like insult a god. "I have no need to add to anything Pansy has said, so I do not feel it is necessary to speak simply to reiterate her words when she has already done so in such an eloquent manner."

Poseidon seemed surprised at Gregory's response. "You do know who I am, mortal?"

"Yes, you are Poseidon, and the lovely woman beside you is your wife Amphitrite," Gregory said, bowing to the aqua-haired woman.

She smiled brightly, but her smile quickly faded when Poseidon glared at her.

"Do you know why you are here?" Poseidon asked.

Biting back a sarcastic remark about choosing to swim through a glowing underwater portal, Gregory shook his head briefly. "No, I do not."

The god's satisfaction at Gregory's answer was clear, and he smirked down at them. "You two have been chosen to be bound with me and Amphitrite," he announced.

"Why?"

Stunned at the man's words, Poseidon gripped his trident, reminding himself that the two before him were mere mortals and obviously knew nothing about the magnitude of his declaration.

"The world above is embroiled in war, no matter which side of the barrier you reside in. That war will be brought to the world of the gods, and we must be prepared. Binding ourselves with you will stop the destruction of all of the worlds," Poseidon explained.

Gregory nodded, and looked between the god and goddess for a moment. "Which of you shall be bound to which of us?"

"I will be bound to you, of course!" Poseidon said indignantly, insulted that the mortal would think him bound to a woman.

"Then I refuse," Gregory said clearly.

"W-what?"

What are you doing, Greg? That's Poseidon, and we are under water, Pansy said, wondering just what on earth he thought he was going to achieve by refusing the god.

Gregory squeezed her hand gently, but did not look away from the immortals before him.

"I am well aware of the tales and legends surrounding you, Poseidon. It is for that very reason that I do not wish myself to be bound with you... You have cheated on your wife, bore children with other women, and have loved so many nymphs, maidens, and wenches that I doubt the tales could ever succeed in naming them all. I love Pansy and will have no other. As such, I cannot bind myself to you and subject my beloved to your womanising ways through me."

Beside Poseidon, Amphitrite had gone extremely still, as if she were a statue of marble rather than a goddess of the sea. Poseidon had gone red, embarrassed at Gregory's accusations and still angry over his refusal.

"You will have no other?" he sneered. "What of Vincent? You had him; multiple times, as I am aware of it."

Gregory stepped forward, anger flowing through him, sadness and pain swirling in his body, and for a brief moment, his power rivalled that of the god before him. Poseidon shuddered, the trident almost slipping out of his grasp.

"What Vincent and I had was love, and we both loved Pansy enough to let her tell us about her sleeping with both of us. We even decided to let her choose between us if she wanted... You would do well not to bring up his name again; you are the ones that need us, we do not need you," Gregory said icily.

His anger increasing, especially at the split second of feeling weak in the presence of a mortal, Poseidon stood from his throne, glowering. The water around the palace rippled fiercely as if it was battling against his barrier to flood the golden structure.

"You would do well to know your place, mortal, or else you will be stuck down here with the waters around you, and no way to escape," Poseidon growled.

Pansy had been getting increasingly frustrated with the pigheadedness of the god before her, especially when everything Gregory had said had not only been true, but said in a clear and calm manner. When the god brought up Vincent, she began to get angry, and then, when the very same god threatened to harm her Gregory, something in Pansy snapped and she stalked forward, power rolling off her in waves.

"Oh, no he will not! How dare you say that you need us and then threaten Gregory's life because he stated the truth? You will not be bound to either of us, and you will die down here in your stupid golden castle because you are a chauvinistic bastard who can't keep his cock in his pants! Don't you dare threaten Gregory because of your faults, do you understand me?"

The power that had been flowing out of her centralised and wrapped itself around Poseidon, bringing him to his knees in an instant.

"Amphitrite," he gasped, begging his wife to help him.

Her statue-like presence disappeared in an instant, and Amphitrite looked to him with fierce eyes.

"You really are an idiot, Poseidon. You could see that they were still hurting over the loss of their lover, and you still thought your power more than their grief to bring him up. You still don't know enough about humans, despite your bedding of seemingly every female that still has breath in her breast. Now, when you are weak and vulnerable, you ask for my help? Do you finally recognise my power as a goddess, as your wife, as the mother of your children, or perhaps you think me compassionate and foolish enough to free you from this just so that you can run off to the next filly and gain another conquest?"

By now, Amphitrite was standing over him, her words spilling out from her, the built up neglect and betrayal finally getting a release after their millennia together. The trident in Poseidon's hand shimmered, disappearing a second later to reappear in Amphitrite's grip. The moment it came into contact with her skin, her entire body began to glow a white as bright as foam in the ocean. The transfer of power was over in a matter of seconds, and she stood before them once more, the trident in her hand and a magnificent crown upon her head. Beside Amphitrite, Poseidon was still kneeling, and his crown was much smaller, signifying that his power had lessened.

Breathing out heavily in an attempt to keep her body from trembling at the overwhelming power it now had, Amphitrite sank down to her throne once more.

"What just happened?" Pansy asked, her power unwrapping from Poseidon's body and returning to her.

"I have been... promoted, I guess you could say. Poseidon is one of the oldest gods, and as such, he always had more power than me, to do with as he wished. Including running off and bedding anyone he wanted, whether they wanted him or not," Amphitrite added, glowering at her still cowering husband. "But now, thanks to both of you, I have the power to keep him from his lustful ways. If he wants sex, he will have to come to me," she said, sounding a bit gleeful at the prospect.

"You would still have him in your bed?" Gregory asked, surprised.

"Oh, I will eventually... He still has to suffer for the years of neglect he's put me through after pursuing me so relentlessly, but he is the only lover I've had, and I do enjoy his company when he's actually with me," Amphitrite added, looking to her husband.

Still on the floor, Poseidon was trembling slightly from the sudden reduction of his power, and he slowly made his way onto the throne beside his wife.

Looking to the two mortals before her, the very ones who had so much love and grief to bring her husband to his knees, Amphitrite sighed softly, wondering how she could convince them to bind with her and Poseidon.

"Do you mean it? You really will be able to keep Poseidon from pursuing other women?" Gregory asked.

Smiling brightly, Amphitrite nodded. "Oh, yes. I have already done so, and I can promise that he will not be lusting after anyone else."

Before Gregory could express his disbelief or uncertainty at her words, Pansy stepped forward, drawing Poseidon's attention to her. The moment he was looking at her, she let the jacket around her shoulders drop to the floor and she pulled her shirt up over her head. On seeing her bare torso, her breasts full and her nipples hard from the cold, Poseidon sat up a bit straighter, licking his lips. Before anyone could do anything more, Poseidon's whole body jolted in pain, and he was forced to look at Amphitrite.

"Oh, good, it worked. You can put your shirt back on now, dear girl," Amphitrite said with a nod to her.

Shivering slightly, Pansy hurried to do so. Gregory replaced the jacket around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her shoulder and wrapping his arms around Pansy's body to warm her once more.

"I'll do it, but only if you agree too. If that chauvinistic bastard tries anything, I will find a way to remove the binding and destroy him," Gregory said, his words harsh against Pansy's shoulder.

"You will be in a long line for that privilege, dear boy, but I understand your sentiments entirely," Amphitrite muttered. "And you, dear girl, do you agree to be bound to me?"

Her hands holding Greg's arms around her body, Pansy leant back against him as she surveyed the goddess before her. She was silent for a long time, but no one spoke or prompted her to answer.

"I agree, but on one condition... Unless both Gregory and I agree to it, neither of you are to use our bodies for sex."

"Agreed," Amphitrite replied immediately, nodding.

Poseidon took a moment longer, and by his pained expression, it was more than obvious that he was remembering the look of Pansy half-naked before him. "I agree," he finally said.

Both the god and goddess held their hands out to shake theirs and Gregory and Pansy stepped forward to accept their hands. The moment they did, Poseidon and Amphitrite began to melt into their skin, their power and minds merging together.

... b ...

Sunday, 21 July. Early morning.

His arms wrapped around his boyfriends, Seamus hugged them to his body tighter when he felt Blaise shivering in the cool morning air. A brief flash of green had vines pushing the blankets up off the floor and onto their bodies, Blaise sighing in content relief. Seamus frowned slightly, knowing that neither he nor Neville had moved the blanket. His mind still somewhere between sleep and awake, Seamus struggled to open his eyes and see who had covered them with the blanket.

"Terra? What're ye doin' 'ere?" he asked groggily, seeing the nymph at the end of the bed.

His words woke Neville, and a moment later, Blaise was awake too, yawning widely and muttering something about needing more sleep before another round of shagging. He noted Terra in the room and reddened slightly.

"I do apologise for waking you, but you are needed in the nymph world right away," Terra said softly.

Sighing, Neville nodded and turned to get his trousers off the floor.

"Not you, Neville. I actually require Seamus to come with me," she amended apologetically.

"What?" Seamus asked, wondering if he was still asleep and this was some very weird dream he was having. "Why do I need ter go ter the nymph world?"

"It's Char'maa. She's awake and asking for you. She is refusing to see anyone else," Terra said, sounding heartbroken.

Still confused, Seamus rubbed the back of his head. "Guess I've got no choice, do I?"

"Thank you. You may both come if you wish," Terra added to Neville and Blaise.

"'Course they're comin'; not goin' in there without 'em," Seamus muttered, grabbing their hands and squeezing tight.

"Right, of course we are. If you wouldn't mind giving us a moment to get dressed and somewhat decent, we'll be right out," Blaise offered, wide awake now.

Terra nodded gratefully, leaving the room as silently as she'd entered it.

"Any idea what this is about, Nev?" Blaise asked as he looked around the room for his scattered clothes.

"Not a clue. We'd best hurry; I'm not sure I want to keep the nymph of Fate waiting," Neville replied, pressing a kiss to Seamus' lips. "Come on, Irish, you need to get dressed too."

"Aye, I know," he muttered, pressing a hot kiss to Neville's shoulder. "When this is done, we'll be stayin' in that tree house and shaggin' Blaise silly, right?"

Neville chuckled when Blaise flopped back on the bed and groaned good-naturedly about already being shagged out. "You'll be changing your tune when we get there, I can promise you that," he said, leaning over to kiss Blaise upside down.

Grinning, Seamus ran his fingertips down Neville's spine teasingly. A knock at the door reminded them that they really had to go, and Seamus hurried to pull on a pair of pants and shirt. Neville moved away from Blaise who looked like he wanted to keep them both in bed despite his protests, and pulled on a shirt quickly.

They left into the corridor, Terra looking apologetic, even though she was smiling at them knowingly.

Neville held his hand out, Seamus and Blaise putting their hands on top of his. She covered their hands with her own, and the four of them disappeared.

... b ...

Her body well spent after the hours of sex Persephone and Hades had gone through, Ginevra had fallen asleep in Draco's arms, his body spooning against hers and his arm wrapped around her body protectively. Beginning to stir now, she yawned and looked at the time on the Muggle digital clock.

If it's earlier than five, I'm not opening my eyes, Draco muttered, sounding exhausted even in his mind.

"It's almost seven," Ginevra replied, kissing his arm gently.

She could feel him smirk against her shoulder, and Draco moved closer to her, his body pressed against her, and his erection nestled between her legs.

"Is Hades back already? Those two went at it like rabbits, I'm surprised he's got any energy left," Ginevra muttered.

Draco chuckled, kissing his way across her shoulder to her neck, finally taking her earlobe between his teeth and biting gently. "That's all me, love. Don't know about you, but I seem to have a sudden wealth of information that is all to do with pleasure," he murmured, his words hot in her ear.

Moaning softly, Ginevra gyrated her hips slowly, drawing out a long and torturous moan from Draco. "I think I do too," she said with a grin.

He moved his hands up to hold her breasts, but Ginevra slipped out of his grasp and got off the bed. Ignoring his look of betrayal, she leaned over to kiss him. "Come on, I want a shower. Take the Glamours off, I want to see you properly," she added.

Grinning when he realised her intentions, Draco took the Glamour off and hurried to follow Ginevra to the bathroom. The light overhead was bright, and the air in the bathroom was cold enough to have both of them covered in goose bumps. After turning on the shower, Ginevra turned and kissed Draco until the room was filled with steam and they were both warm. When she felt warm enough, she stepped back to look at Draco completely.

The tattoo she'd barely witnessed the night before was now much clearer to see. It was nothing more than black wisps, but they were wrapped around him as if smoky materials had taken purchase around Draco's body. His hair was still extremely long, and in her mind, she knew that Hades' hair was the same length, but black instead. His eyes were still the same silver colour, but as she'd seen last night, they had the ability to turn completely black while Hades was in control.

As she was surveying him, Draco did the same to Ginevra. She still looked the same, her body as familiar to him as his own. Apart from her hair, and the green eyes she'd sported the night before with Persephone in charge, it didn't look as though as much had changed with her as it had with him. A memory from Hades made Draco's gaze travel downwards, and he smirked slightly.

Surprised when Draco dropped to his knees before her, Ginevra didn't have time to ask what he was doing before he moved forward, his hands spreading her legs. She leaned back against the bathroom sink to accommodate him. He didn't kiss, lick, or tease her as she thought, but instead, ran his fingers along her inner thighs.

"Draco," she growled, glaring down at him.

He smirked up at her, moving back slightly so she could see what had him so amused. She had two tattoos on her thighs. The left thigh was adorned with a black outlined strand of wheat, and the right had a red circle with six perfect circles within it.

"She put them there so no one would see them," Ginevra murmured, touching the tattoos gently.

"No one but him," Draco replied, slightly surprised by how possessive he sounded.

Ginevra nodded, taking his hand from her knee to pull him up to her and kiss Draco passionately. He lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist, and carried her into the shower, pressing her up against the tiles and moving swiftly inside her. Tightening her ankles around his waist, Ginevra kept him as close to her body as possible. The tattoos on her thighs rubbed against the winding tattoo on Draco's hips, and she swore that she could feel sparks between them. The water cascaded down onto them, and Ginevra watched in fascination as the stream of water down Draco's chest seemed to affect the tattoo, the wisps moving like smoke in a breeze. She touched them lightly at first, but as their pace increased, she was soon raking her nails down Draco's chest and back, his entire body shuddering in response. Ginevra grinned, loving the power she had over him with such a simple motion, and kissed him eagerly, her breasts pressed against him. Draco's hands gripped her hips so tightly that she was sure she'd bruise, but her nails were digging into his shoulders as she moved in time with his rhythm, so Ginevra couldn't bring herself to complain. She felt the beginnings of her orgasm soon, and knew that she wouldn't be able to draw it out even if she wanted to. Riding him faster, Ginevra cried out Draco's name as she found her release. She leaned against his chest as he continued to thrust inside her, pressing a few light kisses to Draco's neck before her fangs pierced the skin. As she bit him and began to Drink, he orgasmed hard inside Ginevra, his fangs biting into her wrist.

She grinned at him, her lips stained with blood, and kissed him once more, slowly sliding her legs down to stand up properly. Still kissing her, Draco lifted her and pulled out of her body, his hands sliding down Ginevra's sides gently. Humming her appreciation, Ginevra flicked her tongue against his lips and pulled away.

"Move back under the water," she murmured, edging him back carefully.

Completely submerged beneath the shower's spray, Draco felt his hair getting very heavy, and winced at the feeling.

"We'll have to do this in the bath next time," Ginevra said, squeezing a generous amount of shampoo onto his wet head.

Draco would have replied, but then she began to massage the lotion into his hair, and the feeling was so soothing that he promptly forgot whatever it was he was going to say. She manoeuvred him around so his back was facing her, and then Ginevra began to wash his hair slowly, her fingers threading through the long locks and squeezing the excess shampoo out at the end. When wet, his hair reached his feet, and Ginevra smiled at the sight of the long straight strands falling down his back like a waterfall. When his hair was completely washed, she gathered it into three thick strands and plaited it quickly before moving it aside and started to wash his back with the washcloth he passed her. Her hands stroked his backside gently, and with a mischievous grin, Ginevra squeezed his buttocks.

"I'll have to punish you if you do that again, Ginevra," Draco said, his voice deep and low.

Kissing her way up his spine, she grinned to herself. "I'll be glad to take any punishment you think worthy of such a heinous crime," Ginevra murmured, pinching his buttocks once more.

He growled, a fierce sound in the back of his throat, turning around to trap her against the shower wall, his hands on either side of her head.

She grinned up at him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. "How shall I be punished?" Ginevra asked sultrily.

Draco kissed her harshly, his teeth nipping at her bottom lip, his hands rough against her skin. Before she could respond in kind, he picked her up and carried her out to the bedroom, dropping her naked and wet body on the mattress. She gasped at the sudden sensation, the sound swallowed by Draco's mouth covering hers, his entire body hovering above her before he sank into her once more. Grinning, Ginevra lifted her lips up to meet his, deciding that this punishment was more than acceptable.

... b ...

Stepping into the store, Julianne was surprised to see Agnes waiting at the counter.

"You received a letter from the twins as well?" Julianne asked as she approached her.

"Hello to you too, dear sister," Agnes said with a smile. "To answer your question, yes I did. They said that they required to meet me, and were kind enough to suggest the meeting time after nightfall," she added.

"They said the same to me. Have you seen them yet? Are they all right?"

"We're fine, actually," George said from behind the counter with a grin.

"We didn't know you cared so much, Jules!" Fred added dramatically.

"Very funny. What's this all about? I've got a sulking husband sitting around at home, and a hunt to prepare for," she said.

"We won't keep you long," George reassured both of them.

"We just want to know if you've seen our sister," Fred said.

"We haven't talked with Ginevra since before we turned evil, and we haven't been able to get in contact with her since yesterday at the funerals," they said in unison.

"I'm sorry, but I do not know where they are anymore than you do," Agnes said, shaking her head.

"Have you checked the Muggle world? They were there before that incident at St. Mungo's," Julianne suggested.

The twins looked at each other with frowns, then back to her. "We haven't heard of Ginevra and Draco owning some place in the Muggle world. What do you know?"

Jules went to reply, but found that no noise left her mouth. She couldn't speak, nor reveal what she knew about the house that Draco had flown from, so obviously had to be close to the magical barrier.

Both Ginevra and Draco will be at St. Mungo's later this afternoon. They will be talking with Bart, Luna informed them. You could have simply asked, she added with a slight frown.

We tried! they both protested immediately. But Colin blocked us out.

We were busy, and Luna wasn't able to think straight in the first place, let alone tell you two anything about Ginevra, Colin muttered.

"If that is all you wanted to ask, why bring us here?" Agnes asked, drawing them away from the internal conversation they were having.

"Well, we also got a few things from our supplier that we thought you'd be interested in," George said.

Fred grinned wickedly as he closed the shop with a flick of his wand and led them to the rooms at the back of the store.

... b ...

On arriving to Karma's branch in the Healing Tree, Seamus wasn't expecting to be attacked by the nymph, much less prepared for the way she wrapped herself around his body and hugged him so tight that he couldn't breathe properly.

"Get off of him!" Blaise said, hurrying to pull the nymph off Seamus.

He was treated to an angry glare, and Karma wrenched herself away from Blaise, moving to sit next to Seamus and hug him again.

"What's she doin' this for?" Seamus asked, looking up at Neville in confusion.

"You woke me up, you're mine now. And I'm yours too," Karma said, all but purring as she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder.

"Nev? Bit o' help wouldn't go astray," Seamus said in a pained voice.

"Karma, you should probably sit up and explain yourself properly. Seamus doesn't know what's going on. Neither do I for that matter," Neville muttered to Blaise.

Karma pouted but reluctantly sat up again, keeping her hand on Seamus's arm even as he moved to stand up.

"I heard Seamus' voice when he said my name while I was sleeping, and I followed it back here to wake up again," she replied simply. "Now, we belong to each other."

"Did that sleep knock the sense out of ye? I don't belong to ye!" Seamus said, pulling away from her sharply.

"But you woke me up," Karma said, frowning in confusion.

"That don't mean a thing," Seamus muttered, brushing off his shirt and pants with a glower. "I wake Nev and Blaise up all the time, but that means something else entirely."

Blaise tugged Seamus over to him, not liking the way the nymph was staring at Seamus at all.

"Actually, in the nymph world, if someone's woken up like this, it means that their lives are entwined in some way," Neville explained. "It doesn't mean sexually, or even romantically, but it seems that Karma's got it into her head that you belong to each other."

"Seamus belongs to us, not her," Blaise hissed.

"Just a mite protective there, Blaise?" Seamus asked, trying not to grin too broadly.

"I think it's an affect of the nymph atmosphere," Neville replied, frowning slightly at the jealous and protective look on Blaise's face.

"We'd better get him ter yer tree afore he does somethin' stupid then," Seamus replied jovially.

A loud wail sounded behind them, and they all looked at Karma in surprise.

"You can't leave me here! You can't bring me back and then go!"

"Ye can go with yer grandmother; Terra'll look after ye," Seamus said.

"No, I want to go with you! He said our lives are entwined, that means I have to go with you!" Karma protested, pointing an accusatory finger at Neville.

"He didn't say that at all, you ..." Blaise's words were cut off by Seamus' hand.

"Take it easy, Blaise. I ain't goin' anywhere with anyone other than ye and Nev, got it?"

Blaise smirked beneath his palm, his tongue flicking out against his skin lightly.

"Nev, ye'd better take us outta here before I start shaggin' him right on this branch," Seamus groaned, the pheromones in the atmosphere affecting him in a very different way to Blaise.

"Right... Terra," Neville called, the curtain of leaves parting a second later. "We have to go. They're not handling the sudden arrival here as well as I'd hoped. Karma followed Seamus' voice here, and thinks that they belong to each other... Oh, fuck," he muttered, seeing Blaise and Seamus snogging as if their lives depended on it.

Behind them, Karma's eyes had widened comically, and she was staring at the scene before her, her face pale.

"Sorry, Terra. I'll talk to you later," Neville said, hurrying to disappear with Blaise and Seamus before they really did shag and desecrate the Healing Tree.

They'd barely landed in Neville's room in the tree before Blaise pulled him against his body, all three naked with nothing more than a thought. Seamus grinned and kissed Blaise once again, deciding that he really liked this world.

... b ...

Bart was confined to his bed both with magic and straps. He was the consort and slave of a Vampiress, and the magic that held him was just weak enough for him to escape from, as the Healers had discovered the hard way. The straps were harder to break, especially after using so much of his power to get past the magical binds, but Bart was wearing them down slowly.

He had to get back to his Mistress. She was somewhere out there without him, and he needed her just as he was sure that she needed him! Besides, if he wasn't with her, then someone else might be, and he couldn't let that happen. She was his, she had promised that she loved him, even more than that filthy husband of her, and he needed to get back to him so she could reaffirm their love together.

The door to his room opened, and he stilled immediately, feigning sleep.

"Pretending to be asleep? What an amateur," a voice muttered in disappointment.

"Didn't even keep his breathing steady at all," another similar voice echoed.

"Oi, open your eyes. We know you're awake, you dolt," the two voices said at the same time.

Cautious and wary, Bart opened his eyes slowly. Two identical faces were peering down at him, both with hair the same shade of red as his Mistress. He recognised the twins, frowning as he tried to place them.

That's right, they were the ones that threatened his Mistress. He'd scarred them for their insolence...

"Where's my Mistress?" Bart demanded, glaring at them the best he could while still bound down.

"Dead, hopefully," they replied with grins.

His eyes widened at the thought, and he tried to reach out to Virginia with his mind as she'd taught him to find where she was or if she was still alive. Bart couldn't feel her presence at all. Stopping trying to use his power to get out of his binds, he frantically used it to try and prove the twins wrong.

His Mistress was alive; she had to be!

It took almost ten minutes, and the remaining drops of his power, but Bart finally found her. He smiled in relief, his smile fading when Virginia pushed him away sharply and disappeared once more. Bart didn't have enough power to try to follow her, and he was too exhausted to try and get out of his binds.

"Let me go, I have to go to my Mistress!"

"Where is she, Bart?"

"We can get her for you."

"We'll bring her back for you."

"Just tell us where she is."

The twins continued like this for a good five minutes, breaking him down. He was too exhausted to fight them off, too worried about his beloved Mistress to realise that they had threatened her before, and finally, he gave in.

"My Mistress has disappeared, but she is probably with Ric in the Andes. My Mistress sent him there after he failed to break Ginevra," Bart muttered with a grin. "You will bring my Mistress back to me, won't you?"

"Of course we will," George said.

"We'll bring her back piece by piece," Fred added with a sneer.

Bart's distraught screams followed them out of the hospital room, and they shut the door behind them firmly, blocking any noise from filtering out.

"What are you two doing here?" Draco asked, surprised to see the twins standing outside of Bart's door.

"Hello, Draco! We're fine, thanks for asking," Fred said sarcastically.

"Oh, sod off," he muttered.

"We just came for a little chat with our favourite knife-wielding, vampiress-obsessed minion," George added, sneering.

"What did you do to him?" Ginevra asked, sighing heavily.

Fred and George ignored her question for the moment, moving forward to gather their sister up in a hug.

"We've missed you, dearest sister."

"Missed you too. Now let me down and tell me what you did."

Placing Ginevra on her feet once more, they took the time to brush off her robes and pick invisible pieces of lint from her shoulders.

"Oh, nothing much," Fred replied off-handedly when Ginevra glared.

"We just broke him," George said.

"And found out where Ric's hiding, probably with Virginia."

Not expecting that sort of answer, Ginevra looked between them, blinking in surprise.

"Really?" Draco asked, stunned.

"Have you ever seen such little faith in us, Gred?" Fred asked with a shake of his head.

"I suppose we should just keep the information to ourselves then, Forge," George replied, sighing heavily and turning away from Ginevra and Draco.

"You'd better be joking," Draco said with a glare.

"You know what we want to hear," Fred and George said, looking at Ginevra.

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine... You're both brilliant geniuses of epic proportions, and I am awed at your power. Now can you please tell me?"

Grinning broadly, they nodded. "He's holed up in the Andes mountain range."

"That's it? You realise that thing's seven thousand freaking kilometres long? How are we meant to find him in all of that?" Ginevra asked.

Fred and George faltered, not knowing how to answer. The silencing spell broke behind them, and Bart's hoarse screams filtered out of the room.

"Time to go," the twins said quickly, grabbing Ginevra and Draco's hands and Disapparating before they could be discovered.

... b ...

Millicent paced around Theodore's office, glancing to the door every time she heard footsteps. Finally, after what felt like her hundredth circle around the small space, the door opened and Theodore walked in.

"You're two hours late," Millicent said, crossing her arms as she glowered at him.

"I'm sorry, Mill. One of the patients decided that trying to bite their bandages off was better than getting their arm healed," Theodore muttered, shaking his head.

He moved to her, kissing her gently and smiling. She sighed, knowing she couldn't stay angry at him for long.

"Fine, you're forgiven. Let's go before someone decides that you're needed again," Millicent said, taking his hand.

Theodore nodded quickly, grinning slightly as he Apparated according to Luna's instructions.

Arriving at their destination a moment later, Theodore and Millicent walked up the lane to their new house. There were very few houses in the cul-de-sac, and a large forest loomed up behind the houses on all sides.

"They're here, they're here!"

Surprised at the loud and sudden voice, Millicent almost jumped out of her skin. Seeing a small boy running towards a house, she muttered something about loud children to Theodore. In a matter of moments, the owners of all of the houses were out on the street, welcoming Millicent and Theodore to their small neighbourhood.

"Sorry, but what's going on here? We were only told the address, not that they'd be quite such a ... fanfare of people welcoming us here," Theodore said, trying not to offend his new neighbours already.

One of the men chuckled, clapping him on the back. "Your little friend sent word here about five months ago that we'd have a new wolf in the pack by mid-year. The kids have been hanging out for a new wolf ever since they heard the news."

Theodore looked to Millicent, who was surrounded by a large group of children, all of them talking to her animatedly. She looked slightly overwhelmed at all of the attention, and he thanked the man before moving to get to Millicent's side.

Realising just how full-on their children could be to strangers - especially ones not used to being around children - the mothers hurried to gather their offspring and herd them back to their homes.

"No whinging now. Let them get settled in..."

"We'll have a barbecue later. Hope you like your steak rare!" one of the women called over her shoulder, ushering two of the children away, despite their protests.

"All right, Mill?" Theodore asked.

"Yeah, a bit better now... Great, and now I want steak for dinner," Millicent groaned. "Come on, let's get inside before one of the cubs tries to ambush us again."

He chuckled, kissing her cheek before taking her hand and leading her to the house at the end of the cul-de-sac.

Seeing that a letter was already in their letterbox, Theodore grabbed it on the way in. Millicent grinned, her cheeks bright as she lifted him and carried Theodore over the threshold. Theodore laughed against her shoulder, kissing her as he closed the door behind them.

"You want to read your letter while I go see what we've got for dinner?" Theodore offered.

She nodded, setting Theodore on his feet once more. Kissing him again, Millicent took the envelope from him and nudged him away gently.

"Go on. I'll take the bags upstairs," Millicent said with a nod, patting her pockets.

"Right. I'll be up soon," he said, smiling as he went to find the kitchen.

Millicent broke the seal on the envelope as she headed upstairs to where she presumed their bedroom would be. Leaving the letter for a moment as she explored the second floor, Millicent found the master bedroom easily enough. She grinned when she saw the ensuite attached, a large bath inside.

We've got steak and potatoes for dinner. I can do up chips or mash, what do you prefer? Theodore asked.

Mash'll be fine. We've got a bath. A really, really big bath. A 'we can fit the whole street in this bath and still have room' bath, Millicent said excitedly.

Sounds great. Except for the whole 'fitting the street in the bath part'. I'd prefer to bathe with you alone, Mill, he said with a chuckle.

Millicent shook her head and pulled the bags out of her pockets. Undoing the spell on them, she flicked her wand at the bags, clothes flying from the bags and into the wardrobes quickly. Heading downstairs again, Millicent found the kitchen towards the back of the house. Theodore was putting steaks on a tray for the oven, so she went to the back door to see where it led. There was a garden and a path that lead in to the forest.

"What did the letter say?"

Theodore's words made her realise that it was still in her hand, and she looked at the letter quickly. Millicent frowned, reading the letter once more. "I've got a job interview next week at the Ministry."

"Seriously?" Theodore said, hurrying over to take the parchment and read the letter. "Looks like Luna organised it."

"Luna really knows how to set things up," Millicent muttered, fanning herself with her hand weakly.

"Well, if we've got some chives, I reckon I can spice up the mash. We'll celebrate in style," he said, grinning.

She laughed, hugging him tightly. "I love you, Theo."

"Love you too, Mill."

... b ...

Parvati dodged the sword that was swung at her, the whoosh of air passing by a testament to just how close she'd come to being cut. Moving back a few paces, she sent a hex at her opponent, who managed to avoid being hit, despite their close proximity. At Parvati's loud and shrill whistle, more hexes began to fly towards them, the rest of the students converging around them and attacking each other in a closer proximity as if it were a real battle.

The fight was brief but intense. No one had really picked a side to fight on, but nonetheless the victors stood above the fallen in the end and called themselves the winners. Padma was surprised to see that her twin was one of the victims, and looked up to see Sally Ann bloody Perks standing above Parvati, the widest grin on her face that she'd ever seen.

"You got beaten by Sally Ann, Parv? I'm both impressed and disappointed," Padma said with a grin, heading over to her.

"Oh, do shut up, Padma," she muttered. "You taught her too well if she can beat me."

"That's the point, dearest sister. Come on, let's get showered and I'll bandage your wounds for you," Padma offered, kissing her cheek as she helped Parvati off the ground.

At her words, the rest of the students began to disperse and head back to the castle, a few people congratulating Sally Ann loudly and talking of a celebration. As Padma helped her off the ground, Parvati winced as a stinging sensation came from her arm. Looking down, she noticed a few red stains on her shirt that hadn't been there before.

"We're still training at the same time tomorrow morning! Don't turn up with hangovers, you twits, or I'll make you regret it!" Padma yelled after them.

Parvati snorted. "Like that lot know where to get alcohol from."

"Looks like we turned up right on time, eh, Gred?" Fred asked, grinning broadly.

Padma and Parvati looked over to see Fred and George walking over from the Hogsmeade path, Draco and Ginevra with them.

"Sounds right to me, Forge. You'll catch up to the students with our little elixirs?"

"Yeah, you look after Parv. Coming, Padma?" Fred asked with a grin, offering her his arm.

When she was sure that George had hold of Parvati properly, Padma accepted Fred's offered arm and kissed him eagerly.

"You took your time getting back to us," she muttered against his lips.

"So sorry, dearest, we had a knife-wielding idiot to break," Fred said.

"Ooh, do tell," Padma said brightly as they headed after the students.

"You want help, George?" Draco asked, stepping forward.

He shook his head and lifted Parvati into his arms gently. "I'm fine, thanks. Looks like you've got a visitor," George added, nodding behind him.

"Ginevra!" Relo's excited call came a moment later, and in a matter of seconds, he was wrapped around her neck, hugging her tightly.

"Hello Relo. I've missed you," Ginevra said, hugging him back.

George carried Parvati to the castle, laying her down on the bed carefully. Removing her shirt, he healed the numerous cuts on her body, applying a healing salve to them when his spells were finished.

Hearing Relo's excited chatter entering Ginevra's rooms, George grinned slightly, but closed the bedroom door nonetheless, and sat with his patient to ensure Parvati would be all right.

... b ...

Lettie woke up slowly, her body warm and comfortable. Sighing in content, she snuggled down further under her blankets. Realising that she was naked, and there was an unfamiliar weight on the bed beside her, Lettie opened her eyes to find that Miles was next to her. Peeking under the blanket, her cheeks red, Lettie saw that he was just as naked as she was. Memories of the night before hit her all at once, and she had to bite back a lustful moan as she remembered just what they'd done, what he'd done, and oh dear gods, what she'd done.

She'd been wanton and desperate whereas he'd been gentle, and he'd spent hours teasing her, loving her, whispering words of love and adoration as she begged him for everything and more. He'd promised it all, and he had delivered on his promise well into the morning.

Miles felt Lettie stiffen in his arms and he opened his eyes to see her face flushed and looking decidedly embarrassed. He attempted a smile, brushing her hair back from her face and kissing her slowly, lovingly. Keeping their bodies a distance apart so she couldn't feel just how much lying beside her affected him, and thinking him some sort of perverted sex-maniac, Miles drew away from the kiss gently.

"Are you well, Lettie?"

She nodded briefly. "I cannot believe how wantonly I acted last night. Or this morning," Lettie added, hiding her face against his shoulder.

Blinking in surprise - the embarrassment was for her own actions? he wondered - Miles shook his head and moved her back so he could look at her.

"You should never apologise for being such a brilliant - or vocal - lover, Lettie. I enjoyed every single second more than you'll know," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her lips.

Lettie didn't seem to believe him, and with a quick grin, Miles moved closer to her so she could feel him against her. Her eyes seemed to widen and she licked her lips gently. Miles barely held his control in check and Lettie could see a range of emotions flitting across his face, even as she felt him enlarge against her thigh.

"You really mean it, don't you?" she asked quietly.

"Every single word, my beloved Lettie," Miles promised, kissing her once more.

... b ...

Sitting in the shade of the villa's balcony, Virginia watched as the sun set. She could imagine Helios drawing his chariot across the sky, flame-burdened horses leading the chariot as much as the charioteer was leading the immortal beasts. She smirked a little, lifting her goblet of blood and rum in mock salute to the gods in their heavens above.

"Soon, you shall have a new goddess reigning. One whose beauty rivals that even of the great Aphrodite. One who even Zeus himself will drop to his knees before to worship and revere," she murmured, drinking the liquid concoction.

When it was completely drained, the goblet held loosely in her hand, Virginia turned and dragged the mortal's dying body inside her room to refill her drink.

Soon, her army would be ready to fight not only Ginevra and her useless friends, but the gods themselves. Her army's victory would leave her sitting atop Mount Olympus, and she would finally be worshipped as she ought to have been since her birth.

... b ...

End of the thirty-third chapter.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!