X) Truce

The trip had been cut short. Madeline felt weird and uncomfortable staying at the hotel while everyone continued to whisper about what had happened, and stare when Madeline would walk by. She knew that going back meant going back to the vampires, but Madeline wasn't used to the whispers and stares. Honestly, she would choose the vampires.

Everyone was happy that Lola and Madeline had made up. Sometimes all it takes is a big spat to get people together. Except for the times it tears the people apart. Luckily this wasn't one of those times.

"Bon voyage," Lola said, hugging Madeline as they got off the plane and dropped the five off at King's cross (they had owled Dumbledore and arranged a time for a small train to pick them up), "Owl me soon OK? And also..." she dropped her voice and whispered something to Madeline the others didn't hear. Madeline nodded and hugged her back.

"Au Revoir Madeline, Ron, Ginny, Harry, Hermione." Damius waved to them. Damius had lived in France for six years and had just gotten back five months ago. He was still used to speaking French and kept speaking like that without meaning to every little while.

The other four stared at her curiously, but Madeline just shrugged and the five boarded the train.

"This is so cool!" Ginny exclaimed looking around. She dropped her bags into Ron's already full arms and started walking around the little train. It was cool. There were six compartments, each fitting about eight people.

"You know, you can take your own bags?" Grumbled Ron, disposing all of the bags in one of the empty compartments.

"Sure sure." Ginny waved a hand dismissivly while looking out the window.

They all sat down, mixed in different compartments across from eachother, laughing and chatting about any random thing that popped into their heads. A little later a small table appeared covered in food, lunch and dessert, and they ate greedily.

"I made a awesome poem for you guys, you know, because i'm awesome." Madeline giggled. "It goes like this: Run with the wind, Swim with the water, Dance with the earth, Play with the fire. I know... it's so awesome." she was having fun being overly serious and dramatic.

Hermione waved her hand, "Check this out you guys!"

A greenish glow emitted from her finger tips, they seemed to be quivering ever so slightly. A giant crack was heard from outside the puffing train and the other four ran to the window.

Outside, rising from the earth, a large oak tree was rising up. Except it didn't look normal. For one thing, the leaves were glittering like emeralds. The bark looked as luscious as chocolate. And multicoloured birds were fluttering around – blue, pink, green, red and silver.

"Yeah thats it Ron." Ginny said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, looking over at Ron, two compartments down from her and Madeline. The others looked at her in confusion. "What?"

"I didn't say anything Ginny." Ron said. "Well now I did but you get my point."

"What are you talking about I just heard you say something. Why are you denying it? You said 'I bet the tree is really a bunch of emeralds!'." She folded her arms.

Ron looked freaked. "I didn't say that. I... thought that. How the heck did you know what I was thinking?" He stood up and started walking towards her slowly.

"Maybe it comes with the element thing?" suggested Hermione.

They all started eating the chocolates on the table. After seeing the chocolate-like bark, they were hungry for some. The taste on the inside was a bit powerful though, in a good way. It sort of burned their throats.

"Well that is possible." put in Madeline. "It's so weird, but when we were at the hotel... I was well, um, talking to the TV."

"WHAT!!??" Ron cried, flailing his arms.

"I know I don't understand it either Ron," Madeline said, putting a warm hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm him down. "You were all out of the room" (She looked around at the others) "at the time but it was crazy. The same thing happened with the fridge." Her face looked a little pink.

"You can talk to the electronics?" Harry and Hermione asked. Harry's breath smelled funny, but the others couldn't place it.

Madeline shrugged. "Apparently so." She took a bite of her chocolate and her cheeks grew rosier still.

"Anybody feeling lightheaded?" Ginny asked. Her voice was a little tipsy.

"Well maybe it's like how I can talk and control the plants. I don't really talk, I mean obviously the plants don't talk, but if they DID talk, it's like I can feel what they would say." Hermione empathized. "It's hot in here." Her eyes were slightly out of focus.

"Anybody else sweating out their breasts?" asked Ginny, her hands feeling the tops a bit (not in a sexual way though). The others looked down their shirts.

"Oh yeah." said Madeline.

"I'm sweating," said Harry, "Wait a moment. I don't seem to have any breasts."

"I have tiny ones." said Ron. The others immediately leaned over to look.

None had noticed that the chocolates all of them were eating were filled with alcohol.

Ron frowned. "Girls are lucky that have big ones. I don't think I'll get breast implants though." Then he got up to go the bathroom. They heard him puke. He came out with his eyes closed. "Help! I can't see through my eyelids!"

"Open your eyes." said Hermione.

Ron obliged. He blinked a couple times. "Oohhh. It's manual."

Then he seemed to remember the conversation somewhere in his intoxicated brain. "So why don't me and Harry get to do anything cool with these elementas?"

Harry spoke up, "Actually... Ron, I can do something. I can do this." And with that he grabbed Ginny and started kissing her in front of them!

(A/N. I wonder who ate the most chocolates? Harry or Ron?)

"He did WHAT??" cried Jane (Ginny's friend/roomate). They were standing in the middle of their dormitory and had been talking about their winter breaks. Ginny had been talking about to the last part where Harry kissed her. Of course she really didn't remember it.

Jane fell collasped on her back on one of the beds, absolute shock on her face.

"Just as we got to the station Hermione realized there was alcohol in the chocolates." Ginny said, sitting down beside her, holding the ice pack to her head. "Though this was after we all passed out. All thats left is this god awful hangover." she moaned and fell back beside Jane. "I don't think the teachers even realized what happened. Why would they send us chocolates with alcohol?"

"Maybe someone was playing a prank and slipped the chocolates in?" Jane suggested.

"Why would they do that? That's kinda a dumb prank."

"Ah well."

"Welcome back."

Madeline gasped and whirled around, then winced from the throbbing pain.

"What? Can't handle a little hangover? I thought you were the all powerful priestess?" taunted Rosalie. Bella and Alice were beside her, somehow suddenly appearing in Madeline's room. Each was wearing a tight halter dress that went to their knees. Alice's was dark green, Bella's was dark blue, and Rosalies's was black. Each had matching heels.

"Here you are, a pathetic little fledgling. You think you can destroy us?" Bella threw back her head and laughed. Somehow, in it's icy, cold, and taunting sound, it came out sounding like bells.

"Of course we might make a little deal with you dear. You join us and we won't kill you and your friends." Rosalie smiled, a her face twisting cruelly, and got up and almost glided to where Madeline was shaking by the door.

"And we won't take over this school and murder anyone in it." Alice smirked.

"No thats masters job." Rosalie said, glaring at Alice.

"But if I become a vampire, then technically I will have died, and so the Heart would be gone from me." Madeline whispered, her lips so white. "The others can not fight without the Heart."

"Oh yes!" Bella gasped, her eyes wide, with false surprise.

"Dear, dear we did forget something." Alice trilled.

Madeline didn't even have time to blink when suddenly the three were a few feet in front of her, each crouched in a hunting position, preparing to attack.

"So which is it little Maddy? Dead or undead?" Rosalie whispered dangerously, her dark red eyes flashing.

"Fine. I will become this vampire creature. But I have a few parts of the deal I want to throw in: You can not change me before i'm eighteen and it must be done BEFORE the final battle. Of course this means each of us must make sure that for the next two years, neither side plans an attack. And comments?"

Alice hissed and Bella echoed her. Rosalie held up a hand and they quieted, but they continued glaring at Madeline.

"Well will reconsider your offer. In the meantime you must uphold your side of the offer, as we will uphold ours. This is our truce. Tell no one." Rosalie hissed at her. Then the three were gone.

Madeline's knees gave out and she collapsed onto the floor. The numbness was gone and fear replaced it, turning to tears which went for hours.

"Where is Madeline? I sent that letter to meet over two hours ago!" Harry muttered.

He was pacing in front of the fireplace in the R.O.R. (Room of Requirement). Hermione, Ginny and Ron were sitting on couches in front of him, watching him pace.

Hermione spoke up,"Calm down, maybe she fell asleep from the headache. We all had it, but it could've affected her worse, it seems to during her menstrua-"

Ron held up a hand. "OK to much information alert! I do not need to know about your girly problems. I only care about the guy problems."

"Oh yeah? And what if the 'girly problem' is that she doesn't know whether the guy she likes likes her back and she's to afraid to ask?" Ginny shot at him.

"Again, girly problems." Ron empathized. "If that girl has a problem she should go talk to her other girl friends."

"Maybe I should go check on Madeline. I can run back to the tower and see if she's alright." Hermione started to stand up.

"Don't worry about it." said Ginny, pulling Hermione by her arm back down. Hermione fell back on her seat with a little poof (A/N I know weird sound), but then threw off Ginny's hand and jumped up again.

"No. Something must be wrong if she doesn't answer a letter after two hours! We're her friends and we should go see her."

"Weren't you the one who just said she's probably asleep?" Harry asked.

Hermione blushed. "Yes, but I'm getting this awful feeling everytime we say Madeline's name. Haven't any of you been getting a bad feeling?"

"Well now you mention it, i'm not feeling so great about the situation myself." Ron muttered.

"Maybe you two girls should go up to check on her, sense me and Ron can't get up to the girls dormitory." Harry turned to face them.

"OK but lets all go. I don't know when we would get back." Hermione rushed over to the door, with Ginny on her heels.

"Madeline? Are you alright?" Ginny said nervously as she pushed open the door.

Hermione and Ginny had gone up to see Madeline, while leaving the two boys down in the Common Room.

"GO AWAY!!" Madeline screached. The other two jumped back in alarm.

"Madeline what the hell is wrong with you?" Hermione said bursting in the room.\

"Yeah I mean – oh damn, Madeline, you look like shit." Ginny finally got a good look at Madeline.

"Yeah I get it, I look like crap. Now will you go away so I can mope in peace?" Madeline said angrily. Her eyes were red, and even as they watched, fresh tears appeared. She was paler then normal and her lips were still white.

"Ah hell Madeline we're not going anywhere. We're your friends and there is no fricking thing you can do about that!"

Madeline went paler, her eyes wider, at the sound of the power in Hermione's voice, and recoiled as if Hermione slapped her.

Madeline looked down at the floor, "I just need time to think things through. A lot just happened as I got back up here and I need to figure some stuff out."

"Like what Madeline? We're your friends and you can trust us!"

"Nothing. It's just stuff."

"Fine." said Ginny angrily, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "But when your ready to talk about your stuff, you might think of consider talking to your friends for once." And she turned on her heel and stomped out of the room.

Hermione's eyes were sorry but the rest of her face was expressionless as she followed Ginny out of the room.

Madeline broke into a new sob, a fresh wave of tears pouring down her face. Crap. Crap I really have messed up this time. Big.