Yo! Someone left a review (I don't remember who) saying canon Harry definitely would want children. Sorry, but to be blunt, I don't give a shit about what canon Harry wants or not. This is a fanfic, not canon, so if he (she) doesn't want kids in this, then that should be accepted as fact. Seriously, I'm sorry that you (people in general, not this reviewer) can't accept the fact that not all people want kids or whatever the fuck, but jeez, just leave it be and enjoy this, or just stop reading. And no, I'm not going to stop bringing this up, until people stop questioning it, seeing as it is LITERALLY the ONLY reason I'm writing this cliche.

And for the second part of the review, Legolas gets plenty of love from people. Seriously, nine times out of ten, if I ask a Tolkien fan who their favourite character is, they'll say Legolas! I love him too, and he's on my favourite character list, but Aragorn, who is my all time favourite, isn't mentioned as much, which is unfortunate because he's bloody epic.

Anyway, thank you to all readers so far!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...

Violet's weekend alone with Marvolo went better than she had expected. When they went to bed on Friday night, Marvolo, true to his word, simply shrank his own bed and used something or another to transfigure a second bed. He informed her that once she left Sunday night, he would just transfigure her bed back into the original object, and enlarge his own bed again. Since it was better than them having to share, Violet didn't complain.

After getting into the bed, Violet had remembered why exactly she didn't wake her dorm mates up from her nightmares more often: silencing spells. She had been too busy panicking about having to share a room with the man, that she had forgotten she was a witch. Merlin, did she feel like an idiot now.

The night itself was uneventful. The two merely fell asleep and that was that. They had breakfast together the next morning, and then Violet worked on her homework while Marvolo finishing marking things and prepared the next week's lesson plans. Once they were done with their respective tasks, the Dark Lord taught the Girl-Who-Lived the special revealing charm he had been mentioning, and Violet spent the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday trying to get the hang of it.

Nothing particularly special occurred, and as dinner rolled around on Sunday, Violet said goodbye, gathered her belongings, and left her husband's rooms, meeting Ginny and an awkward looking Dean just outside, as previously planned, and the three made their way down to the Great Hall together.

The silence that fell when they entered wasn't quite as heavy this time, with some clearly having better things to do with their lives than point and stare at Violet, who was able to head over to Gryffindor Table without any conflict. She knew that wasn't going to last though. People were still a little too shocked to really do anything just yet. Once the shock faded, the anger was going to set in, and Violet and her friends all knew that was when she was going to have to be more careful.

Violet sat down between Hermione and Ginny, with Ron across her, and practiced the revealing charm she had been taught, on her food and drink, just as she had been instructed. She waved and then flicked her wand under the table, whispering the spell, unable to do it wandlessly or silently just yet. Marvolo had told her he would teach her that later, so this was good enough for now. It came back clear, so she was able to eat her dinner without worry.

Neither she nor her friends mentioned anything about how her weekend had been spent. It was best not to speak of it until they were somewhere more private than their House Table in the Great Hall. But if the many whispers had anything to do with it, plenty of people were fully aware of where exactly she had been...

Once dinner came to an end, Violet, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna all gathered in the Room of Requirement-the only place where it was guaranteed they wouldn't be caught, interrupted, or overheard. And while Dean was still dating Ginny, he wasn't completely comfortable with the entire thing between Violet and You-Know-Who, so he didn't join them. Since he wasn't openly against Violet, they didn't mind.

"So what happened?" questioned Hermione almost immediately, wringing her hands worriedly and searching her face for discomfort or injury or anger or something negative.

"Nothing bad, don't worry," Violet quickly assured. "It actually wasn't that bad. We talked a lot, discussed a few things." And so she told the rest of them about what she and Hermione had spoken of the previous week, about the whole pregnancy thing, and told them some of what she and her husband had spoken of about the DA as well, along with the spell he was teaching her.

Ron folded his arms across his chest, and once Violet was done speaking, said, "While I'm glad things went well and all, I think it would be best if the rest of us learned that revealing charm as well."

Ginny blinked and looked over at her brother in confusion. "Why?"

"Because Dumbledore might use us to get to Violet," Ron explained. "Especially if he thinks she's taking precautions. It's pretty likely that he'll try, meaning we should be as careful as her."

Hermione frowned and worried her bottom lip as she thought. Part of her didn't really want to believe Dumbledore would do all this, would try to harm Violet or the rest of them, but...well there was just too much proving otherwise, wasn't there? She sighed deeply and rubbed her eyes.

Despite the fact that a peace treaty had been signed and the war had come to an end, there was far too much...well, not so good stuff happening right now. And they had no idea what to do about it.

"Hey, Violet?"

"Yeah, Nev?"

"This might sound kind of odd, but, how's your scar been feeling?"

Violet blinked. "My scar?"

"The one on your forehead. I just-I noticed you don't seem to be in pain or anything."

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh!"

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Has it not been hurting at all? Even though Voldemort's in the castle? Even though you two have been in close proximity?"

Slowly, Violet shook her head. "No. I don't...I don't think it's hurt since summer actually. And that's...odd, isn't it?" She supposed she would have to ask Marvolo about it, because she certainly had no answer.

Violet and her friends were seated at Gryffindor Table for breakfast the next morning, most of them yawning tiredly, and Ron mourning the end of the weekend. Violet was doing the same herself, just not as obviously. She finished her cereal, draining the last of the milk in the bowl, and had only set it down when-

"Sss, good morning, Violet."

The girl blinked and looked down, even as there were cries of shock. "Oh, good morning, Nagini. What're you doing in here?"

The serpent raised herself up to coil around Violet. "I was bored."

Violet laughed, unable to help it. "Has Marvolo been keeping you locked in his rooms?"

"Yes. It's horrible! There's nothing to do in there!" Nagini set her head on Violet's shoulder. "You'll keep me with you today, won't you, hatchling?"

"Hmm, I suppose I don't mind. No attacking anyone though, understood? We don't want Dumbledore trying to get rid of you."

If snakes could huff, Nagini would have done so right now. "Yes, fine. I promise not to attack any of the two legs."

Violet smiled and ran her fingers along the serpent's head. "Alright, let's go talk to Marvolo then. It's best he knows where you are." When Nagini nodded, she returned her attention to her friends...who were staring at her wide eyed. "Er, sorry?"

Hermione sighed exasperatedly, and then smiled, eyeing the rather large snake somewhat cautiously. "Um, I'll see you in Defence later?" She had a class now, while Violet and Ron both had a free period.

Violet nodded, still stroking Nagini's head, while Ron merely waved, his mouth too full to speak. Hermione rolled her eyes, hitched her bag over her shoulder, and then walked off.

Once she was gone, the Girl-Who-Lived got up too. "I'll meet you in the common room, Ron. Got something I need to take care of first." When the redhead gave her a little wave too, she turned and began making her way up to the Head Table, making sure Nagini was positioned properly so she would fall or slide off.

Most of the teachers didn't notice her at first, but those who did, froze and stared at her apprehensively, eyeing the large snake coiled around her. Marvolo himself didn't notice until Severus caught his attention, at which point he looked up and raised a brow.

"How did you get out, Nagini?"

"It's called escaping."

"And why did you escape?"

"Because I was bored. Your little mate has agreed to keep me company today."

"Nagi-"

"I already promised her I won't hurt anyone."

Marvolo sighed, and then seemed to give in, no doubt aware arguing with the snake wasn't going to lead to any sort of solution. He turned to the Headmaster. "Nagini will be remaining with Violet today, Dumbledore."

Dumbledore lowered his teacup, and frowned. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that, my bo-"

"I'm not asking for permission, Dumbledore," the Dark Lord interrupted. "I am simply being polite enough to inform you of it."

Surprisingly, it was McGonagall who actually backed him up. "Have you forgotten, Albus? Miss Potter is a Parselmouth. Surely she can keep the-the snake in check? And the two will no doubt be sure to keep one another safe and out of harm's way."

Violet blinked, surprised, but remained silent. Even Nagini didn't make a sound, and Marvolo raised a brow, clearly caught off guard, but attempting not to show it.

It took Dumbledore a moment, but then he too sighed. "Very well, just for today."

The crimson eyed man smirked. He had won. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. "Behave, Nagini. I shall see you both in Defence."

Violet nodded and headed off. She was surprised Dumbledore had agreed to this so easily, and that McGonagall of all people had been the one to talk him into it, considering how she had been behaving recently. And while that did raise a few red flags, this was also perfect, because it gave her and Marvolo the best excuse for beginning to speak to one another in Parseltongue, as they had discussed over the weekend.

Having finished all her homework over the weekend, Violet spent her free period trying to keep Ron focused on his Defence essay, which he hadn't finished, and was due next period. Oh, Ron.

Luckily, since it was for Defence, as long as he remained focused, Ron actually managed to get it done. It was an essay based off their own opinion, rather than facts, so they didn't really need to worry about having to do any research or anything like that.

"Are you still frightened of Marvolo?" Nagini asked suddenly.

Surprised, Violet blinked. "Frightened?"

"Yes. He spent many years attempting to end your life. Are you still scared?"

Slowly, Violet shook her head. "I'm...still a bit nervous and anxious around him, a bit suspicious too, but I'm not scared. Unlike before, thanks to those contracts we signed, I know he can't hurt me, just like I can't hurt him. Though I still don't know why he wanted to marry me, he's been keeping things very simple and polite between us, which does help."

"Sss, will you ever stop being nervous around him?" the snake asked curiously.

Here, Violet shrugged. "Honestly? It's hard to say. I...like talking to him, and he does make a really good teacher. We've spent plenty of time alone together, and while I am still a little nervous about it, it doesn't really make me too uncomfortable like it used to. I think...unless he suddenly changes his behaviour around me, I'll warm up to him."

"Are you still angry you had to marry him?"

"Angry? Yes, very much, and that isn't something that'll go away so soon, but I do understand why it had to be done. The only reason I'm angry about it, is because everyone decided it without me, and then made me do it. They said I had a choice, but I didn't, not really. And no, I'm not particularly happy, but the war is over, and that means no more fighting. And if me doing this means I don't have to worry about the people I care about ending up dying in battle, then it's-it's worth it, isn't it?"

Hissing softly, Nagini lowered her head to the girl's shoulder. "My master chose his mate well," she spoke softly.

In Defence later that morning, Nagini curled up on Marvolo's desk, while the man himself spoke to the class, the students watching and listening in apprehension, wondering what he was going to say, since they hadn't been instructed to bring out their textbooks.

"Today we will be doing something a little...different," he announced. "Something I feel is quite important, no matter what you are told or believe. Today, I will be splitting you off into pairs, and pitting you in a duel."

"A duel?"

"Yes, Mr Malfoy, a duel. I will decide your partners, and then you will duel one another. Yes, Miss Granger?"

"What will the rules be, sir?"

Marvolo leaned back, bracing his arms on his large desk, and thought for a moment. "It will certainly not be a battle to the death, so you needn't concern yourselves over that. I may be the Dark Lord, but I am merciful." He smirked here, which caused quite a few people to pale. "You will duel until your opponent yields, or I call for a stop. Miss Parkinson?"

"It won't stop if we get disarmed?"

"No indeed. A battle may not always end at the loss of one's wand. You will cast no Unforgivables, or anything else that will permanently harm your opponent. Other than that, anything goes-no holds barred, as the Muggles call it. Play to your strengths, whatever they may be. Understood?"

There was a chorus of 'yes, sir' all around, and the professor inclined his head, and reached behind him to gently pet his snake, who was either asleep, or watching the proceedings. It was hard to tell the difference.

"Er, professor?"

"Yes, Mr Longbottom?"

"Um, you said you'll be splitting us off into pairs, but er, there are an uneven number of us, so doesn't that mean one of us won't have a partner?"

Marvolo's lips curled into a smile. "Good eye. But there are indeed an even number of us here, counting myself, at least." He caught the looks on their faces, and smirked. "Yes, one of you will have to duel me."

"I bet it'll be his pretty, little wife," Lavender whispered to Parvati, who started giggling immediately. "You know he'll go easy on her. Probably likes having her on her knees anyway."

Marvolo raised a brow, having heard every word. "It is not for you to decide who I will duel, but I can very well have it be you, should you so desire, Miss Brown. And I assure you, I go easy on no one. You seem to be forgetting who exactly I am, and what I have done over the years." Lavender paled, and the moment she did, he added an absent, "Ah, and ten points from Gryffindor. You will report to Professor Snape tonight at eight to serve your detention."

The girl flushed with embarrassment, and pressed her lips together.

"Good. Now one pair will begin their duel, and the rest of us will watch without interfering. When a duel is completed, the second pair will begin theirs. If we do not get through all of them today, then we will continue during our next lesson, and so on until we have finished." He waited for acknowledgement to his words, had them all stand and line the walls of the classroom, and then magicked the desks into large stacks in the corners. Once the middle of the room was clean, and he was satisfied, he finally called for the first pair.

"Draco Malfoy and Seamus Finnigan."

Malfoy certainly seemed pleased to be the first to be called, and sauntered over to the empty space, wand already in hand. Silently, grinning at the hoots from his Housemates, Seamus joined him, and the two stood opposite one another, face to face.

"Ready? Bow. Begin!"

Draco and Seamus sprang to action immediately, while everyone else watched closely and curiously. The duel was a long one, surprisingly so. Some admitted to themselves that they had assumed Seamus was going to lose within moments, but he seemed to be holding his own quite well against Malfoy.

Violet was watching the proceedings with a more critical eye than most, automatically filing details away like she always had during the DA. Malfoy, she noted, was a more offensive, supportive type. He was quick to draw and cast, but she had a feeling his stamina, while higher than most thanks to his Quidditch position, wasn't going to last for long.

Seamus on the other hand, was a more defensive, supportive type. His strength went into guarding, rather than attacking, and he wasn't quite as fast as the other teen, but his excessive stamina made sure he would remain in a battle long enough. That was another thing, actually. Malfoy had a bit of a temper-not to say Seamus didn't, but when it came to Gryffindors, Malfoy had everyone beat. It wasn't going to be long now before the blond started getting frustrated and began cutting corners.

And sure enough-

"Sectumsempra!"

"What the-!?" Caught off guard by the unfamiliar spell, Seamus was too slow to react, and wasn't able to bring a shield up in time. Maybe it was pure luck, but Malfoy's aim seemed to be off, and instead of catching the Irish teen somewhere more vital, the spell hit him in the arm, leaving a deep gash that began bleeding profusely immediately, staining the white shirt of his uniform. It would have stained his robes too, if he hadn't removed them before beginning.

There were cries of shock as Seamus released a yell of pain, dropping his wand to grab his arm instead, stunned. Malfoy only raised his wand again, only to have Marvolo step in between them.

"Enough," he called immediately. "This duel is over. The winner is Draco Malfoy. Lower you wand, Mr Malfoy, and step back."

The blond stared at him for a moment, but was obviously unwilling to counter the man's words. Instead, glared at Seamus, and then did as the professor has said, joining his Housemates. Marvolo, meanwhile, turned his attention to Seamus, his own yew wand in hand.

Waving it slowly over Seamus, he murmured a soft, "Vulnera Sanentur," and Seamus' wound began closing immediately. He picked the pale boy's wand up, passed it over, then said, "Mr Thomas, please escort Mr Finnigan to the Hospital Wing. He requires a Blood Replenishing Potion."

Dean nodded and helped Seamus out of the room. Once the door shut behind them, the professor looked to Malfoy again, his crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

"I see you have once again invaded your godfather's privacy. He'll not be pleased to hear what spell you cast today." He ignored the sudden horror that flashed across the young Malfoy's face, and addressed the rest of them. "That spell is as forbidden as the Unforgivables in this classroom," he told them. "From this moment on, it is not to be used in this school, or on her grounds. In fact, it should not be used unless your life is being threatened. If anyone is caught having used it-and I assure you, you will be, you will be severely punished, unless the use is properly justified."

There were many muted nods, and the Dark Lord eyed them all closely, as if judging their intentions. When he seemed satisfied, he changed the subject, asking them what they had noticed about Malfoy and Seamus' duel, informing them of what they had missed, and how effective it had been.

As Malfoy explained some of his own reasoning-something Seamus would do once he was able, Hermione pressed in close to Violet, ducking her head slightly so she could speak in her ear softly.

"I think the spell Malfoy used, the one we've been forbidden from casting, was created by Professor Snape."

Violet blinked, and frowned. "What makes you say that?" she questioned just as quietly.

"Professor Slytherin said Malfoy had invaded his godfather's privacy-his godfather is Professor Snape. I overheard him saying just so to Nott."

"Hn. That seemed like a really bad cut. Must be much worse than the Severing Charm."

"Likely created for use on his enemies."

"...Like my dad and Sirius, probab-"

"Miss Potter, Miss Granger, please do pay attention."

Startled, both girls looked up, only to be caught by a stern crimson eyes. ...Oops? "Sorry, Professor," they called in unison.

Marvolo inclined his head. "Ten points from Gryffindor. See that it doesn't happen again."

The two nodded quickly.

"Very well, now that everyone is focused once more, we will begin with our next duel. Mandy Brocklehurst and Lisa Turpin."

The two girls stepped into the middle of the room, waiting for the professor's call to begin. And when they did, Violet watched the two of them just as closely as she had Malfoy and Seamus. These two hadn't been in the DA, she knew, which made her even more curious to see how they did.

The duel was a short one. Brocklehurst was clearly a more defence oriented dueler, while Turpin was an offensive one. Turpin was tenacious too, continuously cutting at the other girl's shields until they dropped, and it wasn't very long at all until she won.

Marvolo questioned everyone, along with the two duelists again, and then called for the third pair once the other two had stepped back to the walls.

"Blaise Zabini and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Ready? Bow. Begin!"

Violet watched curiously. She didn't know much about Zabini at all, seeing as he was a Slytherin and whatnot, but by the way he started the second he was allowed to, and kept at it consistently, Violet had to say that he must have been an offensive and support type. Good speed, and a good mind, but where was that smooth charm he usually seemed to have? He appeared to be getting uncharacteristically irritated. Perhaps because a Hufflepuff was managing to keep up with him?

Violet knew more about Justin, since he had been in the DA. He was better suited to support and occasionally defence too, depending on the circumstances. In this case, with Zabini's intensity, Justin seemed to be focused on defence, and she wasn't at all surprised when, after more time than people probably expected, Justin, running out of energy, was forced to yield.

Again, everyone was questioned, and then the fourth pair was called up.

"Parvati Patil and..." Marvolo smirked. "Padma Patil."

Violet hid a surprised smile. The Dark Lord was probably enjoying this more than he should have been, she decided. But she couldn't fault him for that. Even she herself had a feeling this was going to be an interesting, though short, duel. Padma was a very no nonsense kind of girl-always had been. Parvati on the other hand, though she could work well when deemed necessary, really did need to sort out some of her priorities.

Having taught both of them while in the DA, Violet was familiar with their skills, and new that they were both better suited for support, than anything else. If she truly had to pick one with superior strength or speed, then she would have to say Padma, though Parvati had much better accuracy and stamina. Still, she wasn't at all surprised when Parvati yielded, giving her twin sister the win. Parvati had gotten better, Violet noted, but Padma had surpassed her sister.

Dean returned to the classroom now, informing the professor that Madam Pomfrey had given Seamus the Blood Replenisher, as he had said, but wanted to keep him for a while longer, just to make sure he was alright. Marvolo inclined his head, then continued with the lesson.

"Hannah Abbott and Terry Boot," he called out. "Ready? Bow. Begin!"

Violet was familiar with these two as well, thanks to the DA. Hannah was better suited for support, and Terry for defence, which made this match up interesting since neither of them were offense oriented. Hannah began with the upper hand, keeping a quick, consistent pace with her casting, but the spells she used weren't very effective, and Terry had no problem bringing a shield up to block them.

Violet watched as Terry's eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward, swiftly dropping his shield to attack, forcing Hannah to defend herself. Ah, Terry had gotten much quicker, Violet noted. Hannah was having a hard time keeping up, but it seemed like she too had been practicing, because she certainly hadn't been able to keep a shield up for this long before. But Terry was patient. He watched, and waited, and the second Hannah dropped her shield, cast a Severing charm at the girl's wand hand, causing her to yield.

Again, everyone was questioned, followed by Hannah and Terry explaining what they had done and why, and then Marvolo checked the time, nodding to himself.

"It seems that is all we have time for today. We will continue the duels next lesson. Those of you who dueled today, will have homework. Analyze your duel as closely as you are able to remember, and write this analysis down. You will hand this in at the beginning of your next lesson with me. Those of you who did not have a chance to duel today will have nothing for now, but will be expected to do the same assignment later on. Ah, and one of the Gryffindors, please be sure to inform Mr Finnigan of this as well-he will not be exempt from this."

As they all nodded, the bell rang and the students were all dismissed, leaving Marvolo alone, giving him the chance to set the desks back into place.

Other than the incident with Draco (he was going to have to talk to Severus about that), things had gone quite well. Some of them had impressed him, others underwhelmed, but all in all, they hadn't been as bad as he had been expecting. He could already see where some of them needed to improve, but he would wait until everyone had dueled until he came up with the next lesson plans.

There were still another eight duels to get through, one of which was going to include him. Yes, he thought, this was going to be very interesting indeed...

Don't worry, I do plan on writing out all of the duels, some of which will have more details than others-they'll be in the next chapter. Anyway, looking forward to reviews! Laterz!