I was back in my Durmstrang form: muscular build, dirty blonde hair, dreamy brown eyes, but that stupid goofy smile still refused to leave my face. Stefan seemed distant and didn't notice anything unusual about me. So the obvious thing to do was to tell him what he wasn't noticing. "Chris kissed me." I told him as we headed for the Great Hall for the Hallows Eve Feast. Stefan's attention snapped towards me. "In public?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, but no one was around." I assured. "Are you sure?" he pushed. "Pretty sure." I replied. "Are you going to scold me?" I asked. He sighed and shook his head. "If you want to start a relationship that's doomed to fail, I won't judge you." he told me. I stopped walking and crossed my arms over my chiseled chest. "Yes you would, but what you wouldn't do is judge yourself." I corrected. He rolled his eyes at me. "I won't judge you, until you do something stupid like get caught kissing him by a professor. The professor's sit at the same table as the headmasters, and if I'm stuck in the hospital wing I won't be able to help you." Stefan elaborated.

"You're right, but I want your real reasoning." I told him calmly. He ran his finger through his hair and looked around to make sure we were alone. "One of the other champion's asked me on a date. It's tonight after lights out. I know it's probably to just mess with my head, but I still want to. I'd be a hypocrite if I told you to stay away from Chris." he told me. "Just promise me you won't let yourself get hurt because of him." he added. "Only if you promise the same." I replied. Stefan nodded and I smiled.

"So what's the lucky champion look like?" I asked. "Black hair, light brown eyes." he replied. "That's it?" I whined. He nodded with a smirk. I put Stefan in a headlock. "Oi, Angel." I turned with Stefan's head still stuck under my arm. Molly, Rosette, Chris and Scor stood there. Though while the others came over to talk to me Scor continued on to the Great Hall. "What'ch you doing?" I asked them nonchalantly. Chris shrugged. "You know, just headed up stairs for a threesome. What about you?" he replied coolly. I shrugged. "Just looking for a toilet to dunk his head in." I replied. Chris fought a smile and so did I.

Rosette and Molly looked between the two of us in confusion and while my attention was elsewhere my grip loosened and Stefan slipped his head out. He slapped the back of my head lightly and I laughed. "You hit like a girl." I teased him. "At least I don't sound like a girl." he countered. I frowned. My voice was naturally deep and never has sounded like a girl's voice, but it's an octave to high to sound like the voice of a sixteen year old guy. "Angel are you coming to the feast or not?" Molly asked impatiently. "Duh, he wouldn't miss it." Rosette answered for me.

"Duh, Molly." I mocked as Stefan and me followed the three of them into the Great Hall. With all the teasing my goofy smile didn't seem so out of place, but I still tried to avoid looking at Chris to much. I couldn't look at him for to long without feeling my face warm up, because he'd trusted me enough to tell me about the kiss he shared with Gray. I don't know how I became part of his inner circle, but I have and I love it. He trust me more then he trusts me and genuinely wants to be my friend while at the same time he want Gray to be his girlfriend. He's said he's gonna ask her the next time he sees her. So, maybe, just maybe, a relationship with him won't fail. Maybe we could make it work, maybe he'd be okay with Angel and Gray being the same person.

Lily caught my eye and came over to me. She held out a letter. "You're Angel Chilikov, right? An owl dropped this on the Hufflepuff table five minutes ago." she told me. I slowly took the letter from her hands as I recognized the rose drawn on the envelope. It matched to one etched into the flat side of my necklace. I glance up to see Uncle charming the Beauxbatons' Headmistress. Lily had gone back to her table and Molly and Rosette had gone to find us seats. I was torn between reading it and waiting, but something told me it might be important.

"Excuse me." I mumbled before leaving the hall. I leaned against the wall and carefully tore open the letter.


I sat on the floor of my room sobbing. Hydra was coaled on Stefan's pillow. The small wooden chest filled with Roza's pictures sat open by me feet. Someone opened the door. My tear soaked hands covered my drenched face and I didn't care to move them. "Angel?" Stefan asked in confusion as he pulled my hands away from my face. "Vot do you vont?!" I demanded. He sat there in shock that I yelled at him. I leaned my head on his chest and let out a agonizing moan. "V-what happened?" he asked having to correct himself on pronunciation.

"S-she has it." I sobbed. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap like a doll. "Has what?" he asked softly. I barely register him running his fingers through my hair or the fact that I'd unintentionally morphed back into a girl. My mind was consumed with mentally rereading the letter for the millionth time. "E-Ecdysis." I moaned. "Vhy? Vhy her?" I asked in desperation. "I never thought I'd see you so hung up over a girl you've never met." Stefan stated. I pulled away it horror. "Are you saying I have no right to care?" I asked coldly. Stefan broke eye contact. "You do, but you don't care. You're just going to cry yourself to sleep while she's dying." he replied. I stood up in confusion. W-why would Stefan say that? I wiped my nose on my uniform before taking it off and trading it for an outfit including my dark gray jacket and scarf. I picked up the small wooden chest, closed it, grabbed my wand and left.

I used the floo network from the first chimney I ran into and landed myself in muggle London. One street over from St. Mungo's Hospital. I walked straight up to the front desk. "What floor do you keep Ecdysis patients on?" I inquired. "Second floor." she replied. I nodded and head up stairs and grabbed the first person I saw. "Do you know where Roza Chilikov is?" I asked with worry seeping back into my voice. The tanned skinned man just blinked at me. "Angel?" he asked breathlessly. My eyes honed in on the featured we shared: gray eyes, one slightly darker then the other, light wavy brown hair, full lips. "How is she?" I asked my dad. He shrugged. "She's conscious and not in pain, but the Healers say that-" "-at the rate her skin is shedding she's got three weeks, and that's if they can keep infections out of her raw flesh for that long." I finished for him. He looked surprised. "I read the letter." I explained lamely.

He nodded. "Do you want to meet her?" he asked softly. I wasn't able to answer. My dad wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead. I responded by locking my arms around him. "Mr. Antov, she's asking for you." a Healer informed us. My dad broke away from the first hug we've ever shared. "Do you want to come?" he asked. I thought about it before nodding. My dad smiled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders as he guided me to Roza's room. I stopped right inside the door as I looked at the crying three year old. The Healer handed my dad a salve. "She won't let me put it on her." he told him. My dad nodded and walked over to the bed. "What's it do?" I asked them.

"It stops that pealing skin from itching." the Healer told me before leaving the room. I followed him out to demand they do more then 'stop the itching'. Ecdysis might not be curable but it must have better treatments then this. "Angel." my dad called. I turned around to see two sets of gray eyes on me. "She's scared." he told me. "Pa, whoo?" she sniffled curiously. My dad looked at me. "She's your mom." he told his granddaughter. I slowly made my way to her bedside. She didn't seem to understand who I was.


I sat in the floor by Roza's bed cleaning up her newest drawings and putting them inside the wooden chest I brought. I was glad for this time with my baby. I was glad I got to see the look of peace on her face when she drew. Both her eyes were the same shade of gray both with identical dark rims. She had my skin tone but no pale freckles. Her light brown hair was identical to me and my dad's. There were a few features that came from her father, but I didn't care about seeing them in Roza. She was three and nothing like her dad; however, I learned that she was exactly like mine; Artistic through and through.

Everything she owned was made by him. Chargaff Antov was the wizarding world's leading artist for ten years before 'settling down'. For the last three years he's been raising a child. I learning that he cut a deal with this woman in Diagon Alley. He makes pretty jewelry, she puts protective charms on said jewelry, they split the earnings 45/55 the latter being my dad's percentage. Since I got here he's make an average of five necklaces and two bracelets a day. A majority of them were generic and repetitive but a few were unique. At the moment he'd gone back the inn where him and Roza live to get the newest shipment of materially. I think keeping busy helps him keep calm for her.

I tucked Roza in bed for her nap and kissed her hair. Her skin looked like it had been ran through a cheese grater. Which the Healers tell me is good, it's when her skin starts pealing off layers at a time that she- I stopped thinking and tried hard to concentrate on tucking Roza into bed. "Story." she demanded with a pout. "What kind of story?" I asked her and she shrugged. I bit my lip. I didn't know any children's stories. I was never aloud to read them.

"Once upon a time," I started without knowing what the hell I was doing, "a little girl lost her mommy-" "Me?" she asked. I shook my head. "No, this girl's mommy was sick, and her daddy was so so sad." "She died?" Roza asked in a small confused voice. I nodded. "Her daddy was so sad, and the little girl's uncle promised to take care of her till her daddy was okay again. But, her uncle was an evil wizard and when her daddy said he wouldn't give her up the uncle stole her." Roza gasped, she was completely engulfed with the story. "Her uncle was mean to her and lock her in her room for years. He forced her to lie and she was always scared. Then one day she got an owl. It was from her dad. He'd found her and was coming to rescue her." Roza yawned as a small smile slipped on to her face, but my story wasn't finished.

"So she told him to come and take away someone else instead. She told him she didn't want him to rescue her, just her baby, because she was trying to protect him and the child growing in her tummy. They were her only real family and she had to protect them from her evil uncle." I finished. Roza was sound asleep and I looked up to see my dad standing in the doorway. I blushed and looked away. "S-she wanted a bedtime story." I mumbled. He smiled. "I heard." he informed me. He came over and put a handmade bunny-rabbit next to Roza. "I could've gotten all of us out, you know." he whispered to me.

I shrugged. "I was thirteen, and use to fear, but for the first time I was scared for someone besides me. I thought if I left to he'd come after us, come after her. You kept Roza safe. I'll never be able to repay you for that." I whispered back. He nodded while fiddling with the rabbit. "I never told your necklace was part of a set, did I?" he asked. I shook my head. He took off whatever was around the rabbit's neck and held it out to me. He handed it to me and I looked at the other half of the baby dragon tooth that hung around my neck at all times. On the flat side of mine was a carving of a rose, but on the flat side of this one was a small angel.

I turned and looked at my sleeping child. "You should go back to school soon." my dad urged. I shook my head, and the reason why twisted my gut to the point of nausea. I don't want to watch this amazing little girl die, but more-then that-I don't want to go back to my uncle. "It's your education." he reasoned and I laughed before moving off of Roza's bed to one of the chairs in the room. "You're gonna have to find a better argument then that. I was planning on dropping out as soon as I could anyway." I informed him. "But there's a reason you stayed so long." he pushed. "Yes." I confirmed though it wasn't a question. "What was it?" he asked curiously as he gathered the jewelry he made and put it in a bag for his partner to pick up tomorrow.

"My roommate." I admitted. My dad nodded. "Are you two close?" he asked. I shrugged. "He accused me of not caring about Roza." I offered as a means of explanation. My dad eyebrow's scrunched together in thought. "Was that out of character for him?" he asked. I nodded in confusion. "Did he say it right before you decided to come?" he asked. I covered my face with my hands as I fit the pieces together. "I'm such an idiot." I groaned. "No, you're not. You're a bright witch who needs to go back to school." he dad said firmly and I smiled at the awkward look on his face as he said it. "You're such a softy." I teased.

"I'm just trying to look out for you." he said worriedly. I nodded awkwardly. "I'm almost seventeen. You can't make me go back." I insisted in the least childish voice I could manage. "Yes I can, what I can't do is stop you from dropping out in two weeks." he argued reasonably. "You've gonna make me go back to Uncle?" I asked in disbelief. "No I'm making you go back to school," he told me with a smirk,"but it's your choice whether your uncle sees you."

I knew he was right and I knew I had to go apologize to Stefan. "Do I have to go today?" I asked. He nodded, but I was still reluctant to move. "If anything changes I'll to tell you." he assured. "Promise?" I asked. "I swear it." he replied. I nodded and went to Roza's bed to kiss her goodbye. It was then I realized I was still holding the necklace. I carefully lifted her head and slid it around her neck. "I love you." I whispered. It was the first time those three words have every left my mouth in that order.

I stood reluctantly and grabbed my coat and the chest full of Roza's artwork. I caught my dad's eye before leaving the room and we stared at each other because both of us knew we should say something but nether of us knew what. "Do-" he started before he voice caught. "Don't let him hurt you." he begged. I nodded before leaving the room.


A/N: Sorry for the long delay! My laptop charger broke and I've had to learn to type on a tablet that I'm growing to hate with a passion, but alas the seventh chapter is finished and the eighth is soon to come! Reviews are much loved!