Draco had no chance to return to the forest as Carrow kept him busy for the next week, making certain that every waking moment was filled with either school work or prefect duty.

As had now become a custom, he gave Longbottom a curt nod as they walked into detention on Friday evening and the Gryffindor gave him a grateful nod in response. Both boys entered the empty classroom expecting the usual game of faked torture curses. They'd both become rather accomplished actors over the months as a result.

Unfortunately, Neville hadn't always been so lucky as to have Draco oversee his detention, as he now bore more than a few scars from his time under Carrow's tutelage.

As Neville took his place, he looked at Draco blankly, awaiting his usual fate. A few moments later, a third year Hufflepuff girl entered the room, looking small and frightened. Draco became concerned, as he hadn't had the opportunity to signal to the girl about his usual ruse.

Carrow ignored the girl, his attention much more focused on the quiet student who had recently become the most troublesome boy in Hogwarts. "Ah, Mr. Longbottom," Carrow said, his voice dripping with the usual amount of menace. "Back again, I see."

Neville said nothing but remained staring stonily ahead of him. Draco couldn't help but notice the quiet strength that seemed to emanate from the other boy.

Carrow continued his taunts, "I am growing quite tired of our little lessons. You seem to enjoy these sessions far too much. Perhaps, we should try a different tactic this evening."

Longbottom said nothing as he continued to stare at the front of the room, defying the teacher. He was clearly braced, expecting something very painful to hit him very shortly.

Draco felt sorry for him.

The feeling didn't last long as Carrow suddenly turned his wand on Draco with a nasty stinging hex. Not quite as horrible as the razor sharp daggers of a Crucio, but immobilizing nonetheless. Draco gasped in surprise and pain as he fell to the floor, catching the look of shock on Longbottom's face.

The Hufflepuff gasped in fear, looking as if she was going to cry. He turned to her and commanded, "Wait outside," and the girl scrambled out as quickly as her legs could carry her. Carrow chuckled, and reached down to take Draco's wand.

"It appears that some students have learned to obey," he said, sneering. "It's a shame I don't have another appropriate student in here this evening for you, Mr. Longbottom. Mr. Malfoy will have to volunteer for your lesson," Carrow said casually. His tone then changed to a command, "Get up."

Draco was slowly pulling himself to his feet as Neville rose and slowly moved toward the front of the room.

"I've decided to change my approach with you, Mr. Longbottom," Carrow continued.

Draco caught the look of uncertainty in the other boy's eyes, knowing quite well that Carrow's tone did not seem to bode well for either of them.

Carrow looked disdainfully at Draco as he stared hatefully back at the teacher. Looking back to Neville, he continued, "You have a chance right now to return the many favors given to you over the months by Mr. Malfoy. I would like you to practice on him, perhaps being on the other side of a curse might awaken something interesting, hmm?"

Neville continued to stare emptily at the man. Draco internally gave the boy credit. Carrow was a difficult man to ignore and Longbottom was doing a phenomenal job of it. He knew it irked Carrow to no end.

"You will look at me when I address you, Mr. Longbottom!" Carrow snarled.

Neville only gave him a slight glance in acknowledgment. "You will perform every curse I command on Mr. Malfoy."

At this, both boys looked at him in surprise. Carrow laughed wickedly. "Unless you prefer that you and I take turns practicing on the girl..." he said, motioning to the doorway where the Hufflepuff waited. The flash of emotion that crossed Neville's face gave Carrow the expected answer.

"Come now, Longbottom. I wish to show you that I am a fair man. You see, Mr. Malfoy has been hiding something. Something we both want to know. We have an opportunity to find out the information together, a collaboration, if you will."

As he said this, he walked over to Neville, casually placing a hand on the tall boy's shoulder in a condescending gesture. He lowered his voice conspiratorially, "I'm sure you are aware that he's been involved in the disappearance of your little Weasley friend. Didn't you escort her to the Yule Ball some years back?"

He paused and gave a false smile to Draco, who stood frozen in place, feeling quite compelled to run from the classroom. Once again, Draco felt some admiration for how Longbottom so stoically and willingly walked into detention time and again. Being at the end of Carrow's discipline was, at best, unnerving.

He saw Neville twitch at Carrow's words. The demon had hit on a sensitive topic.

"He also seems to be claiming some responsibility in the explosion over the holidays that put two other Weasleys in St. Mungos."

Draco saw Neville's hand tighten on his wand.

"Now, dear boy. Wouldn't you like to know for certain whether or not he's harmed that poor girl? Her family must be beside themselves with worry."

Draco watched as anger flashed in Neville's eyes, and Carrow began to chuckle.

Carrow turned his back an walked toward a chair at the front of the room. Draco stared straight into the other boy's eyes and gave a slight shake of his head, "no".

As fast as the anger appeared, it dissipated from Neville's face. He understood. Whether he understood that Draco was innocent, or that Carrow was using his anger to corrupt him in some way, Draco wasn't sure, but as Carrow issued the orders, Draco saw that Neville tried his best to execute the spells with a bit less malice. While Carrow was turned away, Neville mouthed the words, "I'm sorry."

Unfortunately, to truly be able to fake a spell takes practice, and Neville had had little opportunity for that.

Longbottom had no desire to curse him, and it showed in the weakness of each curse. While that was painful and certainly undesirable, he could endure. Unfortunately, Carrow took great pleasure in demonstrating how to properly cast the same curses, and his overzealous venom made each hit particularly painful. With his wand taken away, he had no ability to defend himself.

Neville, on the other hand, seemed desperate to try something against Carrow. The Death Eater was ready for him, however, and at a perfectly timed moment, decided to reintroduce the fourth year girl that had been sharing their detention. After Carrow demonstrated a curse on her, Neville could only continue to do as he was told.

It quickly became obvious, that attempting to torture another student was far worse on the Gryffindor than being on the receiving end of those same curses. Carrow delighted in that, freely demonstrating his art repeatedly, on both Draco and the girl, each time he failed.

By the end of the night, Draco had started to taunt the other boy, teasing him as mercilessly as he'd done in past years, if only to draw the attention away from the girl in the room, who was nearly unconscious after only a few spells.

Draco hoped that Snape might once again intervene. It seemed that he had frequently taken to interrupting Carrow's detentions, but that night they weren't so lucky. At the end of the hour, Draco could barely stand.

Carrow dismissed them, a greasy smile on his lips as he bid them a pleasant evening, and Draco left, using every ounce of energy to appear unaffected by the pain that seemed to reside in every muscle and joint of his body.

"How is she?" he asked Longbottom, as soon as they were out of earshot, referring to the girl, still crying uncontrollably as she clutched Neville's side.

"Not too bad. He only hit her the three times. I'm taking her to Pomfrey now, just to be sure, maybe get her a sleeping draught."

Draco nodded, glancing around to make certain that their conversation wasn't being noticed by anyone.

"Good. I'll leave her to you, then. Better that way."

"You made me hate you in there, again. How do you do that?"

"Not hard, Longbottom. You have a way about you. Thought you knew that by now."

Neville looked at him oddly, causing Draco to snort in ironic laughter. "Even at your worst, your spells were easier to take than Carrow's. It was self preservation."

The other boy nodded, looking as if he'd come to the conclusion that Draco was barking mad. "Are you coming with us to the infirmary?"

Draco shook his head. Carrow would enjoy seeing weakness. It was the one place he couldn't go. The idea of returning to his dorm was also rather unsavory. He needed someplace safe, to rest and heal.

"Carrow will look for me there. Take care Longbottom. Let's not do this again, shall we?"

Not waiting for a reply, he walked toward the doors of the castle, looking for all the world as if he was only going out for a casual stroll. It was only after he was sure he was out of sight that he began to allow his body to respond the the overwhelming pain.

- ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ -

It was early evening still, the sun's last rays having passed well into twilight. Ginny watched the last light fade from the sky feeling restless.

It had been a long week, full of lessons from the other nymphs, and not once had her studies been interrupted by a visit from him. She'd partly expected that, as he had said it might be difficult for him to get away for a while, but still, she was disappointed.

Her reason for being among the nymphs had never gone far from her mind. She'd stopped asking questions, as the answers were always evasive, and usually included the words "Be patient" or "You will know in time". It was so very frustrating.

It was that frustration that seemed to keep her from progressing any further, or so she gathered from the cryptic teachings of her elders. The life of a nymph was to be in harmony with all things but Ginny found it difficult to let go and embrace that aspect while a large part of her heart clung to the worry she still had about the fate of her family.

There was always more to do, it seemed. Part of her learning process was to study the life around her. Even in the winter, the forest teemed with life to be observed and studied. When she wasn't studying, she had actually spent time with Tenere and the centaurs, learning their ways. It was interesting, but she still had failed to understand how lessons were supposed to help her in her quest.

Ginny was busy with such lessons whenever Draco was away.

He'd been away all week.

This day had been little different from any other. She'd spent the day with Reya, watching a number of creatures in their winter hibernation and studying how they fit into the cycle of the living forest. Ginny tried to appear interested, but her mind was far removed from the subject, lost in her own worries.

The two nymphs were wandering back to the enchanted spring to settle down for the night. They didn't always sleep there, sometimes they simply settled wherever in the forest they happened to be, but this had become Ginny's favorite spot during her months there, and now, with events of the last few weeks, she rarely wanted to be anywhere else.

"You appear pensive," Reya stated. Ginny always was amused with the odd speech patterns of her new sister nymphs. They were much older than she and their speech patterns were from at least a century ago.

"I'm fine. Just missing my family and all..."

"You miss your wizard friend. I understand," Reya replied knowingly as she wove a hammock for herself from the nearby tree branches.

"It's not necessary to tease me about him. I get enough of that from Callista," Ginny groused. "Besides," she continued, "I have much more important things to be worrying about. I still haven't found what I need to help my family."

"No, but I think you are getting close," Reya responded.

Ginny was snuggling down under her mossy blanket, she didn't need the covers, as she was always quite comfortably warm, but she loved the feeling of being cuddled under something. Reya's words took her by surprise.

"You know what I need?" Ginny asked, her tone almost accusing. She understood Elora being cryptic, but she hadn't expected the same from the younger nymph who'd become her closest friend.

"I shouldn't be telling you," Reya began, but Ginny looked at her with pleading eyes. Reya sighed and continued. "I have seen the future as well. There are ripples in the fabric of the near future, nothing definite, but it is a beginning. You are on the right path."

"But I haven't done anything, Reya! I feel so hopeless and frustrated and Elora only talks in riddles," Ginny said, pouting.

"You've accomplished much without even realizing. You are falling in love..."

Ginny stared at her friend, her mouth dropping open in shock. "I am not! And even if I were, it has nothing whatsoever to do with fighting to save my family."

Reya ignored her comment and continued, a teasing smile as she spoke, "I see when he comes here how he brightens at the thought of seeing you. You always talk about fighting, yet love is so much more powerful of a force."

"You sound just like Elora," Ginny grumbled.

"Thank you," Reya replied happily. "She is my mother after all. I hope to be just like her someday."

"I didn't know she was your mother," Ginny replied. "I mean, I know she's quite old, but she looks so young. I never thought of nymphs having children."

Her friend smiled back at her, "How do you think we come to exist?"

"Well, there's me..."

"You are quite an unusual case, my friend," she said. "As you can see, it's very, very difficult to leave everything behind. But there is a purpose for you, although Elora hasn't chosen to share that with me."

"I can't imagine what kind of purpose I could possibly have. I'm nothing important."

Reya just smiled as she bedded down in her hammock, "You are quite important to many beings, Ginny. Never underestimate that."

Ginny just sighed, wished her friend a goodnight and curled up for a troubled sleep.

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ -

She awoke in the middle of the night, feeling restless and troubled. Unable to shake the feeling, she got up quietly so as not to disturb her sleeping friend. Wandering over to the pool, she sat at the edge, dipping her toes into the cool water. Snow had started to fall, turning the area into a crystal-like palace in the moonlight.

The tranquil scene did nothing for her mood, as she felt even more anxious as she sat. Something was amiss, but she couldn't quite place what it was. Immediately, her thoughts went to her family, although she knew that she was wasting her time and energy worrying but that didn't stop her.

She took Draco's cloak and wrapped it around herself, hoping to draw some comfort from the familiar scent of him that lingered on the garment. She settled on the rock and watched the snow fall, feeling more than a little foolish as she thought of Reya's insinuation.

"It's nice to see that my cast-offs are coming to good use," she heard a male voice say from behind her, making her jump in surprise. She'd been so lost in her own thoughts that she'd failed to notice him entering the area, which was unusual, as she normally knew as soon as he entered the forest.

Then she reminded herself that it was the middle of the night and she hadn't been paying attention because it was an extremely odd hour for him to visit. Before she could question him about what he was doing there, she took in his appearance.

He stood at the top of the knoll, leaning almost casually against the large oak gateway back to the wizard's world, his hair dirty and mussed. His clothing was torn in several places, showing gashes on his arms and torso. There were circles under his eyes, but more than all that, he looked completely defeated.

Tossing the cloak aside, she got up and ran to him.

"What happened?"

He just shook his head in response, shifting to move away from the tree. He immediately stumbled, too weak to stand. She immediately moved to wrap his arm around her shoulders to support him as they walked toward the spring to sit down. Weaving a washcloth quickly, she began to clean the blood away from the worst of the cuts.

"Who did this to you?" she demanded.

"It doesn't matter. He didn't have much of a choice. It was me, or a little girl. Even I can't blame him for the choice."

"Who!" she demanded again. He was so unaccustomed to hearing her voice that the forceful tone of her question surprised him.

"Longbottom," he said tiredly.

She pulled back, shocked. "Neville did this to you? Why?"

He almost smiled, realizing that she probably assumed that he'd provoked the other student into some sort of altercation. "It was Carrow. He decided that Longbottom was getting immune to being on the receiving end of curses in detention. He ordered him to work on me, to see what would happen. If he refused, it would have looked suspicious, and Carrow threatened at one point to use a third year girl for target practice if he refused."

Ginny sat back, thinking for a moment, "Neville was going to refuse to curse you?"

He almost wanted to smile at her insinuation that Neville refusing to curse him was more shocking than him actually doing the act. If he had any energy, he might have laughed, as it was, it took most of his effort simply to speak. "We have a bit of an agreement. I've been throwing fake curses at him all year," he said, managing to work up a small and rather satisfied smirk.

She gave a small chuckle. "That's the strangest thing I've ever heard."

"Yes, well, I'm going to pull him aside and give him some advice on practicing in the future," he said snidely, but then wobbled, looking much like he was about to fall unconscious.

His light description belied how seriously he was hurt, making her slightly alarmed. She had power to heal him, but no experience. "Stay here for a moment..." She darted over to Reya's sleeping form, waking her friend.

The two nymphs helped him over to Ginny's alcove, and settled him on the soft ground. As he watched the nymph work to heal him, he once again saw the area glow with magic before he lost consciousness.

-----

When he awoke, it was well after dawn. It took him several moments to register that he was in the forest. The bedding beneath him and the blanket over him were as luxurious as anything he'd ever had in his own home. He tried to move his head, but as soon as he lifted it from the soft pillow, he felt an ache.

"Don't get up," he heard Ginny's voice softly tell him, and felt her hand gently push him back down. He felt inclined to agree with her instruction and only nodded as he closed his eyes again.

"What happened?" he finally asked.

"You collapsed. I had to ask Reya to heal you. You'll be alright, but you need to rest."

He nodded again, then, remembered her sympathy during his first meeting with her, when he'd been thrown across the clearing. Experimentally, he gave a small groan although he was feeling quite well, compared to how he felt when he'd first arrived. Her reaction was exactly as he'd expected.

"Oh..." she said, gently running her hand over his head in a soothing manner. He had to suppress a small smirk. "If I ever get a chance to repay Carrow for this..." she said threateningly.

"He's alright Ginny. He's playing you for sympathy," he heard Reya's voice cheerfully call from the gateway area. He no longer liked her friend as much, even if she did cure him of the aftereffects of his recent torture session.

"Must she spoil what little enjoyment I could get out of this?" he grumbled. Ginny scoffed, responding by giving him a light slap.

Reya joined them, laughing lightly as she settled nearby. He watched her give Ginny a quick lesson on how to use her magic to check his health. He was enjoying the attention from both beautiful nymphs quite well when a disturbing thought suddenly came to him, making him sit up abruptly.

"Did I hurt you?" Ginny asked, jumping back from touching him.

"No, I just realized, I wasn't very careful about being followed. He was asking about you, Ginny. I didn't say anything, but he suspects..."

"He did, but I took care of it," Reya responded, a bit too casually for his liking.

He was confused, but noticed that Ginny didn't seem at all surprised as she added, "You are followed fairly frequently."

"I most certainly am not!"

Reya nodded in response. He felt an annoyed frown come over his face.

"Do not worry," Reya said. "I created a reflection of you. He thinks you are seated near the lake under one of the trees there."

"A reflection?"

Ginny nodded. "It's one of the tricks we use. Rather clever way of bending light to suit our needs. We can't be found, unless we want to be," she confirmed.

"That's why nobody believes anyone who comes back with a tale about nymphs?"

Reya nodded. "I think I'll go and give your follower a bit of a merry chase," she said with a mischievous grin. "By the time I'm done, he'll have no desire to follow you again."

"Thank you, I suppose," he said in response as the brown haired nymph happily danced off in the direction of the lake.

Ginny gave a smile and wave to her friend, then turned back to her charge and gave a small sigh.

"Are all the other nymphs so cheerful all the time?" he asked.

"Pretty much," she said.

"But you aren't," he continued, sitting up.

"No, I'm not, and they tease me about it quite frequently."

"Well, they don't seem to have the worries that we both do right now."

She nodded her head in agreement. "They say that, in time, I'll understand that it doesn't matter. I'm afraid I'm getting less cheerful by the day. I've got power that I'm not allowed to use and knowledge about a million things that have nothing to do with Voldemort or how to fight him. It's maddening."

Not sure of how to respond, since he found the lack of information equally maddening, he decided to change the subject.

"So how did you acquire the bedding. Last I recall, I only left you my cloak."

She looked at him, confused, "I don't understand."

He motioned to the soft chenille blanket. "The bedding... even I don't have anything this nice."

She laughed and he was glad to see it, as it was a rare occurrence. "That's moss."

He looked at it more closely, the soft green chenille material was indeed identifiable under closer inspection.

"But how?"

She motioned to her skirt and the pillow behind him. "We weave what we need."

He looked impressed. He'd noticed that, when touching her clothing, that it felt soft, unlike the rough greenery that it appeared to be fashioned from.

"But you still use my cloak," he said.

She looked shy, blushing slightly and he decided he liked that look very much. "I missed you," she said simply.

"Can't have that, can we?" he stated, reaching for her and pulling her close to him. Unable to resist any longer, he decided that kissing her was well in order. She complied willingly.

He pulled away after several minutes, once again feeling smug about himself, a feeling that he greatly preferred. She didn't miss the smirk on his face.

"You are the insufferable one, aren't you," she said condescendingly.

"Only when it suits my purpose," he agreed, pulling her back into a kiss, gently laying her back onto the soft bedding. He now knew exactly why many never returned after meeting a nymph. There were clearly benefits of never returning to the real world.

After a long while she pulled away, just as he thought things were getting to be very interesting.

"You should be resting," she said.

The pout he gave almost made her laugh out loud.

"Fine," was all he said as he dropped dramatically back onto the pillow. "But it's your fault I can't sleep now."

She laughed again, snuggling up beside him. "I'll keep you company."

"Hmmph," was his response.

"I'm sorry..." she said timidly and blushing furiously. She was still shy and he decided that it was a good moment to apply tact.

He pulled her close, enjoying the feel of her despite his uncomfortable state of arousal.

"You're uncomfortable," he said, feeling her nod in response. If it were any other girl, he likely would have already abandoned her in a temperamental huff, but this was his nymph and, despite himself, he found her to be worth some effort on his part. If she weren't he certainly would have been far less than respectful in the previous months.

"I don't have much time out here, you know. Eventually, they will miss me and I'll have to go back," he said, trying to persuade her out of her shyness. "Can you come back with me if I find a place to keep you hidden?"

Her demure smile faded with his question. "I can't..." she said sadly. "I can't go back inside again... ever."

It was now his turn to look confused. "Care to elaborate on that?" he asked.

"I can't be separated from the magic that holds life in the world together," she explained. "I'm part of that now."

It was true, she'd already tried to test what the others had told her. Her ability to be at harmony with the living things in the world that gave her unbelievable power was unfortunately, the limitation that kept her from returning to the inside walls of her old world. She'd tried once, a month or so ago. It had been a horrible experience.

She'd gone to the remains of Hagrid's old house, just to see someplace familiar. As soon as she set foot inside the stone structure she felt cut off, as if she had been severed from something vitally important. Feeling as if she couldn't breathe, she left the little hut. It was then that she came to understand that her magic was tied to the life of the world around her. Man made structures were dead to her, a barrier between her and the force that bound her very self together.

She got up and brought Draco's cloak over as an example. "You asked about the bedding, and my clothing and I told you that we weave it. It's more than that."

He looked intrigued, so she continued, "If you look at the material in your cloak, the fibers have been harvested and spun and weaved, but basically they've been brutally beaten into submission."

He looked affronted, as she apparently had just insulted his rather expensive cloak. She smiled in response and picked up the blanket, "This is different because we've basically asked the living thing that comprises this to do us a favor."

"It bends to your will?" he said, more than a bit surprised by her explanation.

"Not exactly. It's a request. The nymphs return the favor by binding magic where it's needed to help the forest recover from tragedy or Dark Magic. It's more like a symbiotic relationship."

For one of the few times in his life, he had nothing to say. It was almost beyond his comprehension.

"The nymphs can do anything, Draco. Anything they want. They can control the very fabric of life because they hold influence over the magic that binds it all together. Wizards don't have even a minute grasp of the concept. I may not understand for centuries, even though they gave me the ability."

"And they said they'd help you..." he started to say.

"They said my power was in knowledge. I can't use the smallest bit of the power to influence what's happening in the Wizarding world."

He felt his anger rise at her words. "Are you telling me, that they could stop Voldemort, and any war, with almost no effort but they refuse to do so?"

She nodded. She could see his anger and frustration, as she shared much of it but she was trapped in their rules, trying to understand, where he had the freedom to express his feelings on the matter.

She tried to stop him before his anger got out of hand, placing a hand on his arm to get his attention, she spoke firmly. "They look at interfering with wizards in the same way that the Ministry looks at interfering with Muggle conflicts and wars."

He dropped back onto the bedding with an exhausted grunt. Throwing his arm over his face, he spoke without looking at her, "So why are you here? What have you learned?"

"I don't know," she said sounding small and defeated. "And I'm almost out of time. I've had visions before I came here. I'm sure that the worst will happen this spring."

He sat back up, all thoughts of his earlier playfulness long gone. "Knowledge is power, you said," he echoed her earlier words.

"That's what they said, yes," she confirmed.

"I had been hoping that you would be the answer I needed, but you're no better off than I am," he said, his gaze unfocused as his thoughts had suddenly turned inward as he tried to think. "We're on our own, then."

"I'm afraid so," she confirmed again, albeit sadly.

"Maybe you've learned something, or there's something we can find with my knowledge and your perspective that might be the key to helping Potter win this thing," he said, half to himself.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

His gaze pulled back to focus on her. "What else have we got, Ginny? If we sit back and do nothing, Voldemort wins and our lives will both be hell. We can't sit here and wait for your nymph friends to give you the answer. If they haven't by now..."

She appeared as if a giant weight had been lifted from her. "You're going to help me," she muttered in disbelief.

"If you want to put it that way. I was thinking it was more of a symbiotic type of relationship," he said mimicking her earlier words with a teasing smirk.

Her face lit with joy and next he knew, she had tackled him in an exuberant hug. He caught her and held her as she pinned him to the ground, mumbling incoherent words of thanks into his neck. Unable to contain himself any longer, he wrapped his arms around her bare back in return.

Lecherous thoughts soon returned, as he broke the mood by saying, "Does that mean you are going to thank me properly now?"

She leaned up, still on top of him and smacked him lightly. "Prat," was all she said, although rather unconvincingly.

"You know I want you, Ginny, and you have to admit, all these months of teasing me haven't been exactly fair."

She looked surprised, then looked away, biting her lip. "I... I didn't realize..."

He pushed her hair away from hanging in his face, gently tucking the stray strand behind her ear. "I know."

Looking back up at him, she took in his handsome features, then gave him a soft kiss. "It's just a bit much, you know?"

"Well, let's just sleep on it for a bit, and we'll take things a little more slowly, yeah?" he said, pulling her next to him. "I'm supposed to be sleeping, remember?"

She smiled, then buried her face in his neck, nodding. "Good," he said. He really was quite tired, apparently needing time to heal from his recent ordeal. Pulling his nymph close, he pulled the soft blanket over them both and they fell into a peaceful slumber.