Disclaimer: I disclaim all of Harry Potter and associated trademarks. Don't sue me!
(a/n: Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing!
Previously: Ginny and Draco wake up in the House and find out that they can't leave for a year, when their training is finished. Merlin shows them how the world goes into a decline, and they agree to stay at the House. They do yoga and meditate, not knowing they are being watched through a two-way mirror. Evan and Evelyyn watch them after they finish their first part of training, then go to check on Tzal and Stella. Molly cooks a feast, making a deal with Fred and George to sell her products. Apparently, Molly's chocolate torte is an aphrodisiac, too. Henry and Brian go to Hogwarts after meeting Madam Malkin in Diagon Alley. They meet Jayde, who is a first year now. After signing their contracts, Albus suggests for Henry to meet with Arthur to get an understanding of how wizards perceive Muggles. Before Brian can use the Floo to get to Madam Malkin's, Jacqui Nash, the new Transfiguration teacher, comes into Albus' office, worried about something that Jayde created. Brian and Jacqui obviously like each other, but Albus gets Jacqui to return to her class, and Brian Floo's to Madam Malkin's.
I'm almost done! I hope you enjoy everything that happens!
Read on, oh faithful ones!)
Chapter Twenty Eight
"There is no need for you to be scared, Jayde. It is not painful," Albus assured her with a smile.
Jayde nodded solemnly, just grateful she hadn't been expelled. She hadn't meant to change Professor Nash's table into a small round, green, horned monster. The fact that it had one eye hadn't helped either. Her Muggle-born classmates knew immediately that it was a character from Monsters Inc., but no one had time to explain that to Professor Nash, who had left the room faster than a Firebolt.
Albus had returned to the classroom and on seeing the 'monster', laughed softly before changing it back. He'd then requested to talk to Jayde. Petrified that she was going to get expelled, or detention, Jayde had followed him quietly, wondering what her parents would say.
Surprising her, Albus had just told her that he wanted someone to test her power. Jayde had agreed, but was shocked to hear the clock stop chiming, the bell stop ringing and the various birds stop chirping. It seemed that everything around them had stopped. Everything was still, except for the single white candle sitting on Dumbledore's table.
"You just need to walk to the candle. I will be right behind you," Albus said, smiling again.
She nodded again, then walked towards the candle, holding her breath. As the white hole seemed to grow, Jayde shut her eyes tightly.
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"You can open your eyes now, dear," Nivian said kindly, smiling down at her.
Jayde opened her eyes and stared at the whiteness of everything around her. She looked behind to Albus, who had changed slightly. Recognising his face from her wizard cards, Jayde's mouth fell open.
"Merlin?" she asked, her eyes wide.
Merlin chuckled softly, then nodded.
"I am quite pleased that you recognised me. You have been enjoying chocolate frogs, I presume?" he asked, a twinkle in his eye, much like the one Albus often had.
"Yes," Jayde said, still shocked that Merlin was standing behind her.
"Come with me, dear," Nivian said, taking Jayde's hand and leading her down a corridor.
Nivian! Where's... Oh! Jayde, I didn't know you were here! Tzal said cheerfully, smiling at her.
"Hello, Tzal," Jayde said with a frown, her head cocked to one side as she scrutinized him. "You're ... different," she said.
You noticed?! Not even Ginny and Draco noticed! Jeez, I'll have to get them for that! Tzal said with a grin.
"You seem sad too," Jayde murmured, almost as if she hadn't heard him.
"Nivian, I think Jayde needs to be tested. Now," a girl said, appearing beside Nivian.
Jayde looked at the older girl, her eyes wide in surprise and recognition.
"I think that you are right, Evelyyn," Nivian said, waving a hand over Jayde's forehead.
Before she could say anything, Jayde's eyes closed and she drooped slightly, asleep. Tzal floated her into the testing room, then looked to Nivian and Evelyyn.
Where's Evan? Tzal asked.
"In the training room," Nivian replied.
"I'll stay here. Tell Evan I'll be by in a few hours," Evelyyn said, looking at Jayde.
Tzal just nodded and floated out of the room, the door closing behind him.
Nivian looked to Evelyyn. "You do realise the consequences if she tells everyone who you are?"
"Yes, I know. I'm not erasing her memory, she'll need it later on," Evelyyn replied criptically.
"Very well," Nivian replied, sighing softly.
Evelyyn placed her hand on Jayde's forehead and watched as Jayde woke up, looking at them through eyes that were far older than her eleven-year-old age.
"Ladies, doth thou ken my love?" 'Jayde' asked.
"Thy name may aide us, lady," Evelyyn replied, not seeming surprised at the change.
"Juliette," Jayde replied, nodding her head gracefully.
"I thought so," Evelyyn murmured. "My guest needs to come in," she said to Nivian.
"I had wondered why you brought him, and at this particular time," Nivian mused, leaving the room quickly.
In less than a minute, Nivian returned, Colin beside her.
"Is that Jayde? What's she doing here? Where's Charlie and Ellen?" Colin asked quickly, too quick for any answers to be supplied.
At hearing his voice, Juliette jumped up and ran over to him, hugging him tightly.
"I have missed thee so," she murmured, smiling at him lovingly.
Colin stared in surprise, and didn't notice when Nivian placed her hand over his forehead until he fell asleep. Evelyyn repeated the action, and Colin opened his eyes, staring down at Juliette with eyes a few years older than hers.
"Juliette?" he asked, hugging her and swinging her around. "My love, I have been searching for thee!" he said, hugging her again.
"I know, Romeo," Juliette said lovingly.
"Excuse me," Evelyyn said, the star-crossed lovers looking at her. "Now that you have found each other, it would be wise for you to control their power bursts. You have seen the world through their eyes, and it is necessary for them to be restrained properly. If it is released before due time, then the world will not benefit from it."
"Consider it done, Lady," Juliette said with a slight curtsy.
"I must also warn you that it is not appropriate for you to air your love at this age. It is illegal to be with one under the age of sixteen," Evelyyn informed them.
"They will stop true love?" Romeo asked.
"Nay, they do not. True love has the ability to wait, as is the case with you. You have both waited centuries to be together. Now that you are together, surely a few years until Jayde is of age will not hurt?" Evelyyn countered.
"Very well. We shall wait," Romeo and Juliette said reluctantly.
"I thank both of you," Evelyyn said, then placed her hands on their foreheads.
Colin and Jayde let go of each other and Nivian woke them up.
"Colin? What are you doing here? Are you getting tested too?" Jayde asked, smiling at him.
"I think I must be," Colin replied with his own smile.
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Ginny kept her eyes closed, wishing that she hadn't woken up, and wishing that she could just fall back to sleep again. She felt Draco stirring beside her, and sighed inwardly, knowing that he'd soon start complaining about the early hour, just as he had for the past few weeks.
Gin! It's way too early! Why'd you have to wake up for? Draco whined, rolling over and looking at her through sleep-ridden eyes.
I asked myself the same damned thing, Ginny muttered as she dressed, quite annoyed at his whinging.
Both of you stop it. No one's awake enough to deal with this this early in the morning. Go get breakfast; you'll feel better then, Tzal said, shooing them out of the room once Draco had finished getting changed.
Tzal grumbled to himself then gave himself a small shake and followed them down to the dining room.
Ginny sat at the table, wishing that she could hear something about the real world. There were no newspapers here, nor a wireless. No information came in at all. Someone could have died and she wouldn't have known about it! She was getting restless, bored, and annoyed. After only four weeks, Ginny just wanted to go home.
Nivian walked in, immediately sensing the tension in the room. Had she been a few hundred years younger, she would have left the room just as quietly as she had entered. Unfortunately, she knew that unresolved feelings never produced good results in the House, so she sat between Ginny and Draco, taking a cup of herbal tea.
"Would you be able to explain what is going on in a calm and rational manner?" she asked them quietly, keeping her voice calm and soothing.
"Probably not," Ginny muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Considering I have no idea what's going on, I doubt it," Draco added.
Oh, I know! Pick me! Tzal yelled, floating up and down and waving his arms about.
"Tzal," Nivian warned, levelling him with a single withering look.
Tzal stopped jumping up and down and quietly floated down to Ginny, his head hung.
"How did you do that?" Ginny asked, looking at Tzal in surprise.
"I have respect for him, and he respects me. Of course, there's always the fact that I know how to make him a normal non-talking wand," Nivian said, a smirk on her face.
Tzal stiffened and floated out of the room as fast as he possibly could.
Ginny laughed softly, shaking her head.
"Feeling better?" Nivian asked with a smile.
Ginny sighed and nodded, looking down at her hands on her lap.
"Sorry about before," she murmured. "I'm just feeling restless and ... something. Oh, I don't know."
"Come with me," Nivian said, offering her an understanding smile.
Ginny nodded and followed Nivian out of the room, sending Draco an apologetic look. Once they were both gone, Tzal floated back into the room warily.
"So, she can make you into a normal wand, huh?" Draco asked, smirking at him.
Oh, shut up, Tzal muttered, setting himself down on the chair beside Draco.
Draco's eyes widened as Tzal turned himself into a human. His brown hair had grown longer, now past his shoulders. Again, it was pulled into a loose ponytail. His blue eyes lit up when he saw the food in front of him and Tzal eagerly grabbed a mug of coffee.
"Are you sure you should be drinking coffee?" Draco asked.
"Probably not," Tzal said, sipping at it and grimacing at the taste. "Eww. Give me hot chocolate any day!" He started to hume a tune as he grabbed a crumpet. "Can't believe you two are arguing already. It's been what, a month? You're supposed to be training and all," he said, munching the crumpet with a look of pure delight onhis face. "Gods, this tastes good," he muttered, then continued. "And then you argue because you can't learn to keep your mouth shut!" Tzal said.
"You think this is my fault?" Draco asked, incredulous.
"Pretty much," Tzal said with a brief nod. "You obviously didn't see that you're whining in the morning is really pissing Ginny off. She can't help the time she wakes up, and she can't help the fact that you wake up at the same, yet every day for the past month you've complained about it. Honestly, mate. Whinge once or twice and get over it!"
"I can't believe I'm getting advice from a wand," Draco muttered, running a hand through his hair.
"Hey, just be thankful you're getting advice!" Tzal said, pointing a piece of crust from toast at him.
"It can't all be my fault! I mean, yeah, I get that the whinging is annoying, but still..."
"No, the rest of it is just Ginny herself. She's getting annoyed at being in the House. Ginny's worried about the family too, since there's no way for her to contact them here," Tzal said with a shrug. "Is that all you want? I am really hungry," he said, taking another piece of toast.
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Nivian led Ginny down a corridor and into a nearby room, closing the door behind them.
All white, Ginny thought to herself with a sigh. Why is there no colour in this place?
"Colours generate a particular emotion. The white colour can seem a bit boring and wearing at first, but you do get used to it after a while," Nivian replied.
"What do you mean they generate emotions?" Ginny asked, frowning.
"Colours affect the way you feel. For example, the colour green represents life, growth and fertility. It usually makes people feel safe," Nivian said, a green ball of light appearing and flowing into Ginny's body.
She felt herself smile, and it felt as if a large blanket was wrapped around her, protecting her from the world.
"However, green can also represent jealousy, greed and a lust for money," Nivian added, a darker green orb appearing and shooting into Ginny.
Her gut clenched as jealousy coursed through her. Greed filled her body and mind; she wanted more money, more clothes, more of everything!
"Red is interpreted as blood, danger and strength on one hand, passion, love and desire on another," Nivian continued, two red balls appearing, one lighter than the other.
The darker one shot into Ginny, and she wanted war, she wanted the strength of fighting to fill her. Then she could almost literally smell and taste blood. It seemed to cover her hands, her body, her face, staining her entire body red. The lighter ball flowed into her, replacing the blood with lust, her body soaring as desire pulsed through her. Love for Draco filled her body and she felt like she could fly up with the clouds.
"A dull yellow colour can be interpreted as sickness, caution, and decay. Light yellow, on the other hand, is associated with joy, intellect and, sometimes, food," Nivian said, two yellow orbs appearing, one darker than the other.
As before, the dark one shot into Ginny, filling her with the emotion it was associated with. She felt weak, sickness flowing through her body. She was too weak to stand properly, it felt like her body was decaying from the inside out. Falling to her knees, caution took over her mind and she was careful not to let anyone near her. She was too cautious to breathe in properly. The second orb flowed into her. Joy at being alive filled her body and she stood, a bright smile on her face. Knowledge came at her from every direction, her mind sharp and clear. A sudden urge for food overcame Ginny and she heard her stomach growling at her.
"Neither dark blue, nor light blue represent anything bad, but both are different from each other. Dark blue," Nivian said, a dark blue orb appearing, "represents integrity, seriousness and expertise. Light blue, on the other hand," a light blue orb appeared, glowing softly, "has healing properties, promotes tranquility, and increases understanding," Nivian said. She continued, even as the dark blue orb flew ito Ginny. "Blue also has its own meanings. It symbolises trust, loyalty and wisdom, just to name a few," Nivian said with a small smile.
Honesty flowed through Ginny and she gave a nod, seriousness following next. Expertise seemed to pulse through her with every move and motion she made. The light blue orb flowed into Ginny. Her doubts were eased and her negative thoughts were replaced with understanding. They needed to be in the House. It was neccessary, she realised, a calm coming over her.
"Black is associated with elegance, power and formality. The negative aspects it associates with are death, evil, and fear," Nivian said, two identically jet black orbs appearing.
The first one pushed into Ginny. Fear filled her body and images of Tom and Harry ran through her mind. She shivered, cowering on the floor. The feeling of evil increased and she began to rock with the emotion. Death beckoned to her, even as the second orb flew into her. Power filled her, reassuring her of her own strength. She stood, no longer afraid, elegance shown with every action she made. Formality had her bowing her head respectfully to Nivian, who just smiled as if it amused her.
The feelings faded, but Nivian continued on to the last colour.
"White shows light, goodness, and innocence. White is a perfect colour. It can balance out or enhance the other colours. Faith and purity are also associated with white," Nivian said, and for a moment, the room seemed to pulse with the simple blinding colour that was white.
Ginny sat on the floor and nodded.
"You did ask," Nivian said with a smile, offering a hand to help her up.
"I know," Ginny said with a sigh. "I should go apologise to Draco now," she murmured, rubbing her face with a tired sigh.
"Today is Sunday, you should have the day off and rest. Spend some time with your husband. You will both benefit from it," Nivian said knowingly, smiling at Ginny as she opened the door for her.
Ginny returned her smile tentatively, then went back to the dining room. Tzal was a wand again, groaning at how full he felt. Nivian led him away, Tzal complaining about indigestion the entire time. Draco looked at Ginny, worry etched on his face.
"Are you okay?" he asked, standing and hurrying over to her.
Not replying, Ginny just hugged him. Draco was slightly perplexed, but returned her hug, a smile on his face.
"Sorry for being cold to you before," she said, kissing him tenderly.
"I'm sorry for whinging all the time. I'll try to stop," Draco replied, looking sheepish.
"Nivian's given us the day off," Ginny said with a smile.
"Oh, has she now?" Draco asked, his eyebrow raised. "Well I think I should meditate for a few hours, then do some yoga and martial arts, and then read the nutrition books," he said, smirking as Ginny scowled at him.
"Fine, you do that. I'll be in our room getting undressed," she said with a laugh, hurrying away before he could say anything. Draco was running after her in a moment.
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Fred and George had sold out of the chocolate torte in less than two hours. They weren't too surprised, considering what they'd done in order to get it advertised, but Molly was estatic.
Arthur looked at the empty torte stand, wondering if he should be happy or annoyed that so many people had bought them. It was his day off, he'd been waiting in a line for nearly three hours and he hadn't even been able to get near the damned stand to get a torte!
Molly's cookies had done just as well, as had the homemade apple sauce, and the chocolate-chip muffins. Arthur was happy for her, but he really wanted another piece of chocolate torte. He hadn't been allowed in the kitchen since they'd started to sell!
Sighing, Arthur went over to the counter, where Fred and George were busy trying to serve their customers. He helped out as much as he could, still sour about not getting any torte.
When business started to finally die down after a few hours, Arthur said goodbye to Fred and George, Apparating back to the Burrow.
"Is that you, Arthur?" Molly asked with a bright smile as she came out of the kitchen.
Despite his disappointment, Arthur couldn't help but smile at his lovely wife. She had flour on her forehead, her cheeks were flushed from the kitchen's heat, and she was smiling at him as if she was the luckiest woman in the world.
"You look lovely, dear," Arthur murmured, kissing her cheek.
Molly blushed brightly, smiling at him.
"I have a gift for you," she said, suddenly feeling shy.
She couldn't believe that she was still shy with him after all of these years. Molly felt like she had when she'd first seen him in his Quidditch robes, giddy and giggling.
Arthur thought for a minute, going through his mental list to see if there was an occassion he'd accidentally missed. Molly smiled at his expression, then grabbed his hand and led him into the kitchen. A chocolate torte was sitting on the table, his name on the top in chocolate icing.
"Thank you for being so patient with me," Molly said, kissing him.
Arthur just stared at the chocolate torte, grinning broadly.
"You mean I stood in line for three hours, and you were here making one for me?"
"You stood in a line for my cake?" Molly asked, sounding surprised.
"Of course!" Arthur said with another grin.
He kissed his wife tenderly, sitting in front of the torte and cutting them both a piece each. Molly just smiled and took the offered slice, sitting across from him.
"Would you stand in line for the roast I'm cooking tonight?"
"With apple sauce?" Arthur asked, his mouth already watering at the thought. "Definitely."
"What about for the vanilla slice that's for dessert?" she asked, a grin on her face.
"Yes!" Arthur said, overjoyed at the fact he was getting to desserts in one day.
"Would you stand in a line for me?" Molly asked, giggling when Arthur looked at her.
"Love, I'd camp out for months to just get a kiss from you. Then I'd Apparate away with you so no one else could tempt you away from me," Arthur said seriously, kissing her.
Her heart full with love, Molly kissed him back and led him upstairs for the second time that week.
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Luna looked at John, who was chatting away to Oliver eagerly. She smiled slightly, then called both of them over.
"We're ahead of schedule for this month's issue. You can both have today off," she said.
"But it's the middle of the week," John said, surprised.
"I know that," Luna said, grinning at him. "You don't really want to spend this lovely day stuck inside, do you? Go meet with your lady friend," she said, shooing him over to the Floo.
Oliver laughed as John was pushed into the green flames, then folded his arms and looked at Luna.
"You too, Ol. Anthony's been lonely without Ginny and Draco here. Take him out for ice cream, and show Becca the wizarding park. She'll love it," Luna said, waving him away.
"You can't stay here when you're telling us to leave," Oliver said, grinning at her.
"I'm just finishing this letter, then I'll be leaving too. Have a good day with your family," Luna said, smiling.
Oliver's heart filled at the word 'family', then Apparated with a small pop.
Luna replied to the letter, then out her robe off and Apparated to her house.
"Lu, that you?" Neville asked, grinning at her as he walked out of the greenhouse. "What are you doing home so early?" he asked, looking at his watch to ensure he had the right time.
"I gave everyone the day off," Luna said with a smile.
She kissed her husband lightly, then looked over his shoulder curiously.
"What are you working on?" she asked.
"A new breed of snapdragon," Neville said, grinning broadly. "I'd show it to you, but it's a bit testy and might bite you," he said, rubbing his own bite marks subconsciously.
"Do you want to go out for lunch with me?" Luna asked.
"Remember what happened last time we went out for lunch?" he replied, looking uneasy.
Luna remembered very well. The waiter had not been happy when Neville had accidentally spilt his pumpkin soup all over his new robes, and they'd had to replace a dinner set after he'd bumped into a table.
"I can order out then," Luna said happily.
Neville sighed in relief and nodded gratefully.
"Okay. Thanks, Lu," he said, kissing her cheek.
Grinning, Luna went to Floo the Chinese restaurant, and Neville went back into the greenhouse to calm the snapdragon down.
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"How is your class going, Henry?" Albus asked him with a smile.
"Really well," Henry said, grinning. "They're all so eager to learn about Muggles, it's disconcerting. I'm almost can't wait until it's the end of the week," he said with a small laugh.
"That is understandable, but you will find that the months go by very fast," Albus said, smiling. "The student's curiosity is quite founded. You and Brian are the first Muggles to enter our world and be allowed to stay since we first started interbreeding," Albus said.
Henry looked surprised about that for a moment, then looked genuinely honoured at the fact.
"You had a lot to do with it, didn't you?" Henry asked Albus, remembering how the power he'd had over the Cooper guy.
"Partly," Albus replied cryptically, a twinkle in his eye.
"Don't bother asking him what he means," Severus said from his place beside Henry. "He never gives out straight answers," he muttered.
Henry just nodded, Albus chuckling heartily.
Brian looked over at Albus for a moment, then returned his attention to Jacqui.
"So how was your week? Did Jayde do anything else?" he asked.
"My week was fine. Oddly enough, she hasn't done anything. It's like she's just repressing all of this power she has," Jacqui said, shaking her head. "I've been trying to get her to do wandless magic, but she refuses to even try."
"Professor Nash," Albus said, interrupting their conversation. "I would like to speak with you after dinner. Brian, you can come too and Floo back to your apartment," he added.
"All right," Brian said with a nod.
Jacqui nodded too, then returned to her dinner.
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Tzal grumbled at the fact that he was training at six on a Friday morning, but then Evelyyn shot a hex at him and he didn't have time to grumble, quickly putting up a barrier. She shot a hex at the 'person' he was guarding, then shot another one at him. He was quick, but he wasn't that quick, especially while in this mortal form. Tzal hit the ground in a Full Body bind. He returned to his wand form.
"You're going to have to do better than that, Tzal," Evelyyn said.
How the heck am I supposed to guard something that isn't real? I've seen blades of grass with more personality than this stupid bag! Tzal muttered, shooting a hex at the dummy beside him.
"I can make it real if you like. How about an ignorant Muggle, whinging and complaining and fainting at every spell you use? You can try to explain at every interval that you're not just a voice in their head, and that magic is real. Is that what you want to do this early in your training?" Evelyyn asked, smirking down at him.
Fine. You win, Tzal muttered.
"Good. Now return to your human form and we'll continue. You need to be able to hold this form for at least five hours straight while hexing, or else you'll be useless," Evelyyn said.
Tzal usually would have complained about how harsh her words were, but he understood that she was trying to get him angry enough to do exactly that. He returned to human form and tied his hair back quickly, facing her.
"Bring it on," he said with a grin.
Evelyyn smirked and shot a spell at the dummy.
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Draco rolled over, waking up before Ginny for once. He grinned at her still sleeping form, kissing her temple softly. Ginny woke up moments later, and looked at him.
"What are you so happy about?" she murmured, yawning.
"We managed to sleep in after seven," he said.
"Well, considering how long you kept me up last night, I'm not surprised," Ginny drawled.
"I kept you up, did I?" Draco asked, smirking at her.
"That's the story I'm sticking to," Ginny said with a nod. "We better go check in with Nivian," she said, sitting up and grabbing her shirt from the floor.
Draco ran a finger along her spine, watching as she shivered.
"Sure you want to leave so soon? It is a Sunday after all," he murmured, hugging her from behind.
"Tempting," Ginny said, pretending to think about it for a while.
Draco chuckled against her skin, taking off her shirt and trailing kisses along her.
Tzal, you up to being a messenger for us? Draco asked.
My eyes are shut and I'm not coming back in here for the rest of the day. Open my drawer, Tzal said, shaking his head.
Light flooded Tzal's drawer and he screwed his eyes shut, flying out and towards the door. After hitting into the bedpost a few times, Tzal opened one eye warily and flew straight at the door, not daring to look around him.
I swear they still have the hormones of teenagers, he muttered, shaking himself all over.
"Did you expect anything less?" Merlin asked, laughing lightly.
Probably should have expected they'd be like this when Lirale and Elaril are still going at it after so long, Tzal muttered.
He changed into a human in the blink of an eye, Merlin nodding, impressed at his action.
"Well, Evelyyn says I have to train to be in my human form, so I'll be in the dining room!" Tzal said cheerfully, walking down the corridor.
"You can stop worrying now, love," Nivian said, touching Merlin's shoulder and smiling at him.
"You would think I would be able to stop worrying about people, after living with them for so long, but it is one fault I fear I will never lose," Merlin said with a sigh.
"Then embrace it and do not fear it," Nivian said with another smile. "They will be all right, you know that."
Merlin sighed again and nodded, hugging her. With a murmured word, they disappeared to their room.
"Everyone's in love! Make me feel left out, why don't you?" Tzal muttered, then grabbed a crumpet and a cup of tea.
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Early Wednesday morning, Nivian watched as Ginny and Draco began their meditation. They slipped into a trance as easily as they took their next breath. Smiling, Nivian left the room, knowing they would be fine with Evelyyn watching over them.
Evelyyn watched Draco and Ginny for a moment, then sat facing them, her hands on their foreheads.
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"Where are we?" Ginny asked Draco, looking around at the place they were in.
A light grey mist surrounded them. Words and images appeared then faded in an instant. Ginny looked at Draco and saw that he was glowing silver. Looking at herself, Ginny saw that she was glowing gold.
"You are in the third plane of existence," a voice replied behind them.
They turned to see Evelyyn, smiling at them. She was shining brightly, pure white light pulsing around her evenly, almost as if it was in time with her heartbeat.
"The third plane? What happened to the second one?" Ginny asked.
"You mastered the second plane years ago," Evelyyn said, smiling again. "You remember what happened after McGonagall made you cut yourself?" she asked.
"We answered those questions in her mind," Draco replied.
"No, not in Ginny's mind," Evelyyn replied, shaking her head. "You both went to the second plane of existence. Since you have proved your love for one another, you are able to return there in a moment. The third plane called the mental plane and deals directly with thought," Evelyyn said. "If you do not say what you think, then the words or images will appear here for all to see," she said.
An image of Evan appeared and she smiled, waving a hand through the image and watching as it wafted away.
Ginny's family appeared in the mist and she took a step towards them, even though she knew that they weren't real. They faded away and she looked at Draco.
"I miss them," she murmured.
"I know, love. I miss them too," Draco replied, hugging her as best as he could in his astral form.
Words appeared near Evelyyn, but they disappeared quickly.
"Do we need to do a quest here too?" Ginny asked after taking a moment to regain her composure.
"No, it is not necessary in this plane. However, you will need to show that thoughts do not govern your actions. You both need to stay here for an hour's duration without leaving this area. If you get lost in the mist, you may not be able to return," Evelyyn said sternly. "Just remember that everything here comes from your thoughts," she said, then disappeared into the fog.
Ginny and Draco sat down in the mist and started to meditate. For fifteen minutes, pure fear kept their thoughts at bay, yet as they started to relax into the meditation, their thoughts began to return, accompanied by words and images. Ginny focused on her breathing, even as her mind drifted to her family.
"Ginny," Molly said, smiling at her.
Surprised that she could see even with her eyes closed, Ginny tried to ignore her mother's image.
"Why don't you come over here? I've made your favourite dessert," Molly cajoled.
"No," Ginny said forcefully, her mother disappearing into the mist.
Draco was having an equally hard time trying to get thoughts of his mother out of his head. Once he finally did, he turned to look at Ginny, finding that the mist had crept between them. He had no idea where she was. He started to panic, and images of Ginny bloodied and in pain surrounded him. He calmed himself down after a moment, then stayed where he was. He didn't want to get lost in the mist.
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Evelyyn watched their struggles quietly, not moving to help or reassure them once. Evan held her hand when Ginny stood up, only releasing her when Ginny had sat again, returning to her meditation.
"You should not hold me here when you are as eager to see them complete their training as I am!" Evelyyn hissed.
"I know, love. But if you do return, then they won't complete their training, will they?" Evan replied practically.
She glowered at him for a moment, really disliking it when he was practical, and even worse, when he was right about it. Evelyyn relented, sighing with a nod.
"Very well," she said, hugging him to her.
"I saw the image you had of me," Evan murmured, grinning at her.
"It was just your face," Evelyyn said, blushing.
"You remember what we were doing when I looked like that, don't you?" he said, chuckling against her skin when she tried to come up with a lame excuse.
"Evan, I swear you are going to get us kicked out of here," she said, knowing how lame it was, yet not wanting him to stop.
"I guess you're right," Evan replied, moving away from her.
She glared at him then grabbed his astral bodsy, pulling him back to her.
"I told you not to tease me on the upper planes," she growled.
"I wasn't teasing you," Evan replied, holding his hands up.
Evelyyn glared again then dropped him. He fell through the planes and landed in his body with a bump.
In the House, Evan started laughing softly, then grabbed their wands and went to his room. Nivian and Merlin watched him curiously, but didn't ask anything, simply returning to watching their charges.
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The mist between them faded away, and Ginny turned to see Draco unharmed. Relief washed through her and she hurried over to him, hugging him as best as she could in their astral bodies.
You scared me. Words floated above Ginny's head before she had time to say them.
Grinning, Draco kissed her forehead, words appearing near him.
Me too, love.
A small cough was heard beside them, words disappearing before they had the chance to read them. Ginny and Draco grinned at Evelyyn guiltily, then stopped hugging and turned to look at her.
"Your hour is up. Return to the Earth plane," she instructed, touching their foreheads.
Ginny and Draco disappeared, and before more words could appear, Evelyyn disappeared to give Evan a good scolding.
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Nivian helped Ginny and Draco stand, well aware of how they would be feeling after the time they had just spent in the third plane.
"How long were we in there?" Ginny asked in confusion, seeing their shadows stretching across the wall.
When they had started to meditate, their shadows had barely been away from them!
"Four hours," Nivian replied. "It will take a while for you to differentiate between the times. An hour on this plane is approximately fifteen minutes there, but it does change with each plane you visit," she informed them.
"You should continue your studies now," Merlin advised them, ushering them out of the room quickly.
I can't believe this. Twenty years old and still studying, Draco grumbled.
Ginny laughed, knowing he was more worried about his age rather than the studying part.
Well, I'm almost twenty and studying too, love. A lot of people our age are studying too, she said, grinning at him.
But they're not studying to become parents, are they? Draco pointed out, smirking.
Ginny frowned and shrugged.
"Could be. Come on, I want to read Dr. Seuss again," Ginny said with a laugh, pulling him to the library.
"I pity our poor child, having to eat green eggs and ham," Draco said, laughing at the face Ginny gave him.
"Nothing wrong with green eggs and ham, as long as you don't think about it," Ginny said.
I like green eggs and ham! I like them, Sam I am! Tzal sang. Hmm. I should be a singer, don't you think?
"No way! Even more people will be out to kill us then!" Ginny said, shaking her head.
I'm not that bad! Tzal muttered, pouting at them.
Draco just raised an eyebrow at him, then grabbed a book off the shelf for Ginny. He sat on the large armchair, Ginny sitting between his legs. They began to read the storybook out loud, calming Tzal down enough to get him to sit and listen eagerly.
We should try that technique on Tzal sometime, love, Nivian said with a grin at Merlin.
It does seem effective, Merlin agreed with a nod. But you can read it, a wizard of my reputation can't be seen reading a book like that, he said, laughing at the glare Nivian gave him.
They left the room as silently as they entered.
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(a/n: I hope you liked the chapter. The colour meanings were taken from:
www (dot) color-wheel-pro (dot) com / color-meaning (dot) html
My singing isn't bad! Someone has to like my singing! ANYONE?!
Uhh... I don't think I've seen Tzal cry before. Well, weddings excluded. (Does anyone know what to do with a crying wand?)
You offer them a tissue and let them cry!
All right. Here's a tissue for you, now have fun crying!
Have fun? What are you, insane? Who has FUN crying
People that cry when they're happy?
Well... They don't count!
Righty-oh then! I think Tzal needs reviews and cookies to cheer up.
Thank you to the entire two people who gave me fan mail! To the rest of you ... You'll get what's coming to you! Mainly a lot of acne and no anti-acne gel!
And that's the cue for Tzal to start laughing evilly, but I think he's still too upset about how bad his singing is to do an evil laugh.
My singing ISN'T bad!
Of course it isn't, Tzal. Here's another tissue for you.
If anyone has any questions or opinions that you want discussed, then please review WITH your email address OR sign in and I will try to help!
I will try to update the next chapter soon!
Thanks again for reading!)
