Author's Note: Chapter 25...more of the relationships you've come to love...slight adult scene...read, review, and enjoy!


Nobody had seen Remus all morning. Professor Snape had substituted in his classes. Everyone was beginning to worry about him. Finally, during lunch, Remus strolled into the Great Hall and made his way to the faculty table. As he sat down, he began conversing with Dumbledore and a few other faculty members about his whereabouts. Harry looked over at the table and saw that Remus was grinning ear to ear. Remus looked out at Harry and nodded. Harry grinned and went back to his food. After lunch, Harry, Draco, Ron, and Jason walked out of the Great Hall, talking and conversing.

"I think we might be concentrating on our animagi forms a bit too much," Harry said.

"What makes you think that?" Ron asked.

"Last night while I was talking to Remus and Sirius I sprouted antlers," Harry said. Draco, Ron, and Jason broke out into uproarious laughter. "It's not funny," Harry said.

Everyone quieted down briefly, but then began laughing again. Harry thought about it for a moment, and then chuckled to himself.

"Okay," Harry said, "Maybe it is. But the point is if it happened to me it can happen to the rest of you. We shouldn't think about it for awhile until Remus and Sirius are ready for another lesson."

"Well that shouldn't be too hard," Ron said, "What with Valentine's Day approaching." Everybody froze.

"It is?" Draco asked.

"You forgot?" Ron asked. Draco nodded.

"So did I," Harry said.

"And me," Jason added.

"Well don't feel too bad," Ron said, "If it weren't for Alice mentioning it at breakfast, I would've, too."

"So, what do we do?" Draco asked.

"I've got an idea," Jason said.

All four of them huddled in close, listening to Jason's idea.


Hermione and Ginny had been sitting in class when Ginny slipped Hermione a note. Hermione quickly grabbed the note and opened it up.

Valentine's Day is coming up. Has Jason said anything to you?

Hermione looked over at Ginny and shook her head. Ginny shrugged her shoulders. After class, Hermione and Ginny tracked down Alice and Cho.

"We need to have a talk with our boys," Ginny said, "Valentine's Day is in two weeks and to my knowledge they haven't said a word about it."

"I tried talking to Ron about it," Alice said, "But he kinda ended up running off."

"I say after dinner we confront them," Cho said.

Everyone agreed and continued the rest of their day.


Dinner finally came. Hermione and Ginny sat down, waiting for their men. Cho and Alice sat at their respective tables. Everyone was keeping a watchful eye on the Great Hall. The boys hadn't shown up all night. Dinner was almost over and still no sign of them.

"I'm worried," Ginny said.

"I'm sure they're alright," Hermione said, "They probably figured we'd confront them and decided to hide."


Dinner had ended and everyone was milling back to their commons rooms. Hermione, Ginny, Cho, and Alice had almost reached the Room of Requirement when they heard strange noises coming from within. In a panic, Hermione frantically opened the door to find Harry, Ron, Draco, and Jason on their beds, unconscious. Remus was standing in the middle of the room. Remus noticed the girls and tapped his wand, pulling the boys out of their dream state. One by one, the boys noticed that the girls were in the room.

"We had hoped we'd be done by the time you got back," Harry said.

"Animagus lessons?" Alice asked.

Ron nodded. "And we're making progress," he added, "Draco's form and my form get along."

"Unfortunately neither of us get along with Harry's," Draco said.

"What about Jason?" Hermione asked.

"We're not sure," Jason replied, "We can't get a clear view of what my form is."

"Remus, we need you please leave the room," Ginny said, "We have to talk to our boyfriends about something important." Remus promptly exited the room.

Each girl sat down near their respective boyfriend. "Do you have something to say to us?" Alice asked.

Ron looked at Draco, who looked at Harry, who looked at Jason. Jason rolled his eyes. "When did we decide that I tell them?" he asked.

Without waiting for an answer, Jason lifted his hand and levitated a row of lit candles into the center of the room and began moving them in a circle, creating a swirl of smoke rising up. Ron pulled out his wand and enchanted the smoke so it would turn red. Draco pulled out his wand and enchanted the smoke so it took the form of a heart. Harry, who had already had his wand out, began twirling it, forming letters in the smoke. The girls all leaned in close as they read the words:

RESERVATION. THREE BROOMSTICKS. FEBRUARY 14TH. VALENTINE'S DINNER FOR EIGHT.

Jason stopped spinning the candles and returned them to where he got them. As the smoky message faded, the girls all showed expressions of joy.

"We thought you'd forgotten," Ginny said.

"Us?" Draco asked, "Forget? Never." Quick glances of mischief exchanged from all four boys.

"So, is that why you didn't show at dinner?" Hermione asked.

Jason nodded. "We went out and made the reservation as soon as we could," he said.

"But how did you avoid getting caught?" Cho asked.

"Oh, we have our ways," Harry said slyly, tucking the marauders map into his robe.

"Not only that," Ron said, "But we had to make sure your gift was taken care of." All at once, everyone shot a shocked expression at Ron.

"Gift?" Alice asked.

Ron nodded. "Well what's Valentine's Day without a gift?" he asked.

Draco, Harry, and Jason grabbed Ron and rushed out of the room. "Are you out of your mind?" Draco asked.

"We didn't get them anything other than the dinner and you know that," Harry said.

"Relax I've got it covered," Ron said, "I have an idea." Ron then turned and looked at Jason.

"Why are you looking at me?" Jason asked.

"It requires your musical talents," Ron said.

"Since when do I gotta come up with the gift?" Jason asked.

"Actually it'll take all of us," Ron said.

He pulled them close and relayed his idea. After some muffled debating, each of them agreed and walked back inside, meeting their girls with big smiles.

"Is everything alright?" Cho asked. All four of them nodded.

"Ron wasn't supposed to mention the gift," Draco said.

Commotion was heard outside the hall leading to the room. The door opened and Dumbledore stepped inside. "We've found something," he said.

Hagrid and Mad-Eye walked inside, carrying a large block with them. It was made of granite and was a perfect square.

"Where did you get that?" Jason asked.

"It was found in Hogsmeade," Hagrid said, grunting as he and Mad-Eye put it down.

"Recognize the symbol, Harry?" Mad-Eye asked, pointing to one of the sides of the block.

"That matches the symbol on Harry's chest," Cho said.

Harry approached the block and held out his hand. The block began to hum.

"It's responding to Harry," Hermione said.

Harry knelt in front of it and placed both hands on either side of the block. Suddenly, the block began to shift, moving around like the squares of a rubix cube. Harry, driven by some unknown force, moved the sides of the block around, as if trying to solve a puzzle. Finally, the block stopped. Harry placed a hand over the symbol on the block. The symbol began to glow and it opened the block up, revealing two gauntlets made out of marble.

"What are they?" Harry asked.

"The Gauntlets of Stone," Dumbledore replied, "A piece of armor created and used by Jurgen Jord."

Harry noticed what looked like a teardrop on the back of the hand of each gauntlet. He reached into the block and slipped his hands into each of the gauntlets. With almost no effort, Harry pulled the gauntlets out and held them up.

"That block was almost too heavy for Hagrid and I to carry," Mad-Eye said.

"Harry's the Earth Elemental," Jason said, "Lifting gauntlets made of stone is nothing for him."

Harry examined the teardrop-shaped symbol of each of the gauntlets. "I found the piece of the pendant," he said.

With the gauntlets on, he balled up his fists and connected them together, connecting the two teardrop shapes to form a figure eight.

"Three pieces of the Infinity Pendant have been found so far," Hagrid said, "That leaves five more to go. I just hope we can find them before Voldemort attacks again."

"And if we can't," Dumbledore said, "We must fight Voldemort just the same. I think it's time you eight began training for the coming battle."

"When would we start?" Ginny asked.

"Well, I suspect that you perhaps have plans for Valentine's Day," Dumbledore said. Everyone nodded.

"In that case," Dumbledore continued, "You can begin training after Valentine's Day. For now, you should be getting some rest. Some of you have a funeral to attend to tomorrow."

Jason, suddenly reminded of this fact, turned and made a beeline for the room, hoping to fight off any tears until he was out of sight.


That night, nobody slept. Everyone was too anxious about future events to sleep.

"Jason, I'm worried," Hermione whispered.

"About what?" Jason asked.

"Who the Water Elemental is," Hermione answered.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"I'm worried that you're going to die," Hermione replied, "And not just halfway like at the lake, but really die this time."

Jason wrapped his arms around Hermione and held her tight. "You have my word," he began, "Nothing, not even death, is going to part us ever again. I'll make sure of that."

Hermione curled up into him and drifted off to sleep. Jason, however, had not. He remained awake because a horrifying thought had entered his mind.

"What if she's the Water Elemental?" Jason thought.

Draco and Ginny had remained awake for different reasons. "I'm thinking about having Ron be my best man," Draco said.

"I guess I'll ask Alice to be the maid of honor then," Ginny remarked, "Have you thought about where to have the wedding?"

"Actually," Draco replied with a grin, "I was thinking about where to have the honeymoon."

"I guess I should've seen that coming," Ginny said.

Draco pulled Ginny close and kissed her deeply. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," Ginny replied.

Harry and Cho were trying to be as quiet as they can, making sure nobody could hear them.

...Adult Content Warning...

"Harder," Cho whispered.

Harry bucked his hips harder, causing Cho to let a slight squeal of delight slip. Harry stopped for a moment, checking to see if anybody had heard her.

"Don't stop, Harry," Cho said.

"Well don't make anymore noises like that," Harry said, continuing his pace.

Cho's eyes widened and rolled into the back of her head as she tensed up and suddenly relaxed. Harry continued for another minute or two until he stopped moving, slowly twitching to a halt.

...End of Adult Content...

"What is it with you and the thrill of getting caught?" Harry asked.

"You like it just as much as I do," Cho said, resting her head on Harry's chest.

"Where should we do it next?" Harry asked.

"Hogsmeade," Cho replied, "Valentine's Day."

"But where in Hogsmeade?" Harry asked.

"Wherever the mood strikes us," Cho replied.

Harry grinned and kissed Cho. "We should probably get some sleep," he said. Cho nodded and pressed herself close to Harry, slowly drifting off to sleep.


Ron and Alice had kept a certain amount of distance from each other. "Can I ask you something?" Alice asked.

"You can ask me anything," Ron replied.

"Why do you sleep as far away from me as possible?" Alice asked.

Ron rolled over and faced Alice. "Because I don't want to overstep my limits," he replied, "I'm a gentleman and I don't want you to think I'm trying to take advantage of you."

Alice smiled. "You don't have to sleep on the opposite end of the bed to show me you're a gentleman," she said.

Ron blushed and slowly moved more towards Alice. Alice did the same and met Ron in the middle, grabbing Ron's arm and putting it around her and placing her head on his chest. Ron was rigid for a few moments, but soon relaxed and fell asleep along with Alice.


A few moments later, everyone was sound asleep. That's when the door to the Room of Requirement opened and Professor Snape walked in.

"They're finally asleep," Snape whispered to himself. He reached into his robe and pulled out a bottle of neon blue liquid. "This should do the trick," he muttered.

One by one, he poured a few drops onto everyone's forehead. After finishing, he crept to the door, stopping only to look back at Harry, who was asleep with his arms around Cho.

"You are not ready for what lies ahead, Potter," Snape whispered quietly, "And neither are your friends."

Snape opened the door and quickly exited. The drops sunk into everyone's skin. In an instant, they were sucked into a horrifying nightmare.


A battlefield, just like the other nightmares. Harry quickly scanned the battle for Voldemort.

"Here I am, Harry!" Voldemort shouted, drawing Harry's attention.

Voldemort was standing atop the school, his hand firmly around Cho's throat, holding her in the air beyond the ledge of the school.

"Let her go, Voldemort!" Harry shouted, "Your fight is with me!"

"Let her go?" Voldemort asked, "Whatever you say." Voldemort cackled as he released his grip on Cho, sending her plummeting to the ground.

"CHO!" Harry shouted. Harry shut his eyes as he heard a thump. Cho was dead.

"You and your friends are no match for me," Voldemort said.

Harry, in a rage took off towards the school, passing Alice as he ran. Alice was engaged in a battle with Will. "This would've all been avoided if you'd sided with Voldemort," Will said.

"You honestly think I would help a dark wizard to kill?" Alice asked.

"Shame what happened to your brother," Will said, smirking.

Alice bared her teeth and swung at Will. Will ducked and jumped out of the way as a green blast hit Alice square in the chest, killing her.

Ginny had been taken hostage by Lucious Malfoy. Draco now stood in front of his father. "Give her back!" he shouted.

"I'm sorry, Draco," Lucious replied, "You have obviously mistaken me for someone who cares."

Ginny managed to free herself and jumped onto Lucious' back. Lucious flailed around a bit before grabbing Ginny and throwing her off. Ginny pulled herself to her feet and stood next to Draco. They were soon surrounded by Death Eaters. Draco grabbed Ginny's hand and held it tight.

"Whatever happens," Draco began, "I will always love you."

The circle of Death Eaters raised their wands and shouted, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Harry raced through the hallways. As he ran, he passed by Ron and Hermione. They were pinned down behind a pile of rubble. They were being fired upon by Death Eaters.

"What a way to go," Ron said, "Trapped behind rubble."

"We're not dead yet, Ron," Hermione said, firing at the Death Eaters.

Suddenly, the crowd parted and Jason pushed his way through, blasting away Death Eaters. "We have to help Harry," he said.

Hermione and Ron leapt to their feet and followed Jason. They arrived on the roof to find Harry already engaged in a duel with Voldemort. Ron ran in headlong to aid Harry, but was caught off guard by Bellatrix, who placed him in the Cruciatus curse. In a final moment of strength and bravery, Ron leapt at Bellatrix, knocking them both off the roof and plummeting to the grounds below. Harry, distracted by Ron's sacrifice, turned his attention away from Voldemort. Voldemort saw this and blasted Harry, knocking him back.

"This is the end, Potter," Voldemort hissed, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Hermione watched as Jason sprung into action, diving in front of Harry and taking the full force of the curse, killing him. Hermione shrieked and ran towards Voldemort only to fall from the killing curse as well. Voldemort turned back to Harry.

"You lose," he hissed, "I win."

Harry's last view was a green flash.


A/N: so there's chapter 25...26 up by end of weekend