The blood rushed through Ron's ears like a train through a tunnel; he could hear nothing but his body telling him that he was scared.

The wards to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes had fallen during the night, and because of their size and complexity, the Auror office had been alerted. Ron was the first out of the door.

What the hell had happened?

Those wards had withstood the rise and fall of Voldemort in the few years the shop had been built when the rest of Diagon Alley had been decimated – so what kind of magic was stronger than that to enable them to fall?

Ron knew. There was only one thing that could possibly have broken Fred and George's magic.

Their own.

…

It had been days.

It was the third day of snowfall and even the Hogwarts professors couldn't clear it fast enough. All Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures classes had been cancelled. Quidditch was cancelled for the foreseeable future.

Professor McGonagall had made another conspicuous visit to the eighth-year common room to find out whether this was yet again something to do with the Founders magic.

Hannah's beet red face had been enough to tell the Headmistress that it had been something to do with them, but none broke to questioning. No one wanted to be that person who told their Headmistress that weird magical things were happening because they were having sex with each other.

"Trust us, Professor," Harry said. "You don't need to worry. It's just a snowstorm, nothing more. This is a freak incident."

It hadn't taken much to convince Professor McGonagall not to worry. Knowing that Hermione and Malfoy being… together and somehow vanquishing the school's ghosts as a consequence had probably been enough for her.

Almost as soon as Professor McGonagall had disappeared through the portrait hole, Blaise appeared from the dorm stairs.

"She finally gone?" he asked, greeted by bemused faces.

It was the middle of the day, the first class after lunch, and everyone had gone. Or so they'd thought. The silent question was echoed other's faces as the surprise subsided: how much had he heard?

"What…" Draco began but Blaise waved his hand.

He sauntered over to the couch where Hannah, Hermione and Regulus were sitting and leaned on his hands on the back of it.

Blaise shook his head. "I don't care about whatever magical cult you lot are involved in." Everyone was yet to find the words to disagree with him. "It's my birthday, bitches," he continued. "And we have one hell of a party to plan."

…

Ginny didn't know what to do.

Professor McGonagall wasn't in her office, and there was no way she could get in without her permission. Ginny needed to use the Floo and she didn't know if any other professor had a functioning one anymore. Bill had one in his office, but it was only part of a pair with Shell Cottage. Plus, she didn't have time to walk the distance outside of their boundary to Apparate out of there.

Apparition was out of the question entirely. The snow was too heavy for her to walk to the gates of the grounds and Apparate there, so she was stuck. Damn-buggering-frustratingly stuck.

She kicked the door of the Headmistress' office with a grunt of fury. She snapped around and strode back down the stairs with no particular direction in mind. There wasn't time to stand about and wait for the Headmistress to return.

With a panicked sigh, she pressed her hands into her face. She wanted to scream. She also wanted to cry, and it appeared that her body answered the latter desire first. It was all getting a bit too much.

Bill had come to take her out of class a couple of days previous, the morning the snow had started to fall.

"Don't panic," he'd started, as a sure way to make Ginny panic. "But George is in St. Mungo's."

Ginny immediately started to cry. She pulled her hands close to her chest, partly out of worry and partly in annoyance at her reaction. "How?" she asked, scared to hear the answer.

Bill pulled her into a hug. "We're not sure yet. He's unconscious."

"I'm coming to see him." Ginny pulled away with a determined look on her face.

Bill stopped her with a loose, but firm hold on her arm. "There's no need. He seems fine so far. We'll let you know when he wakes up."

A mix of disappointment, anger and sadness surged though Ginny. She pulled away from him and stormed off. She was sick of being dismissed. How come he had known before her? Did everyone else get to see her brother before she did?

She'd been in Charms class two days later when Ron's terrier Patronus appeared.

"He's awake," was all it had said.

Ginny had shot up out of her seat and sped off towards Professor McGonagall's office without a word, leaving behind a startled and confused Professor Flitwick.

She'd been crying out of frustration in the corridor outside the Headmistress' office for about a minute before a soft voice startled her.

"Are you okay?"

Ginny didn't move but looked at the first year out of the corner of her watery eyes. The Muggle-Born Black girl was staring at her a little fearfully. There was no one else with her.

"Do I bloody look okay?" Ginny snapped, and she immediately regretted it.

Diana stepped back. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Just wanted to know if you needed any help."

Ginny sighed and turned to face the four-and-a-half-foot magical miracle. "Unless you know a way for me to get out of this castle quickly, I'm good, thanks."

Diana surprised Ginny by beginning to smile. "Actually," she said as a familiar smugness crept into her voice. "I do."

…

Draco was going to class. He'd determinedly made up his mind. It was about time to be honest. If even he realised it was a while since he'd been, he knew it was bad.

He slung his book bag over his shoulder as he stepped out of the portrait hole. Hermione was saying goodbye to Harry and was joining him there. With the amount of time he spent at Hogwarts, it really would have been worth his while just to come back to school. Draco rolled his eyes to himself.

A shout of his name suddenly grabbed his attention.

Approaching him from down the corridor was Diana and… Ginny Weasley?

His pace quickened. "What's wrong?" he asked Diana. He looked her up and down to see if she was injured in any way.

Diana appeared breathless but unharmed. She gestured to Ginny. "Can you Apparate her out of Hogwarts, like, now? She's in a hurry."

Draco's face betrayed him with obvious surprise. Ginny's cutting tone quickly broke him out of it.

"Even first years should know that people can't Apparate out of Hogwarts. I can't believe I followed you all the way up here!" Ginny appeared to stomp her foot. "I don't have time for…"

Draco tensed at the way she spoke to Diana. He began to interject but Diana beat him to it.

"Draco can, actually," Diana replied with gritted teeth. Draco saw her hands ball into fists at her sides and a strange sense of pride grew in his chest. "And you're lucky we're willing to help you in the first place."

Ginny turned halfway to face Draco, as though his face would betray the lie Diana was trying to push. Ginny was frowning deeply as she debated with herself. "But that's impossible," she said with a shake of her head. "I mean, how? Is this dark…"

Draco sighed and stepped towards her. "I don't have time for this, and apparently neither do you. Where do you want to go?"

Ginny gaped at him and then at the hand he placed on her arm. "St. Mungo's," she muttered as she realised Draco was being serious.

Draco rolled his eyes. "St. Mungo's here we come," he replied. They disappeared on the spot without a sound. Leaving Diana alone and astounded that her plan had worked.

…

Hermione made it to Arithmancy with a minute to spare. But she could not see Draco. She craned her neck in her seat to see if he was somewhere in the room she hadn't seen yet.

When Professor Vector began to speak, Hermione began to panic. Draco had left five whole minutes before she had, and he hadn't made it? Had he changed his mind? Had something happened?

"Miss Granger?" Professor Vector interrupted through her thoughts.

She turned to the front with her eyes wide. "Sorry?" she asked.

"What do you think? Is the Agrippan method or Chaldean method more appropriate in this scenario?"

Hermione glanced quickly at the chalkboard. Easy. "Agrippan," she replied without a thought.

Professor Vector smiled and turned back to the board. "Very good. Five points to each House."

A wave of relief settled over Hermione. It was nice to be back.

…

Draco and Ginny reappeared in a janitor's closet he vaguely remembered from his stint in St. Mungo's a few years previous, courteous of some Messrs. Fred and George Weasley.

He shivered at the unpleasant memory as he let go of Ginny's arm. She jumped as far away from him as possible in the small space.

"That's not Apparition," she breathed. Worry began to build in Draco's chest from her mixed confused and scared expression.

"It's a long story…" he started. "And it's not my place to tell you."

Ginny gasped gently. "This is what Harry couldn't tell me." She shook her head slowly with miniscule movement. "Professor McGonagall," she continued. "This is what you four were up to with her!"

Draco sighed. He didn't need this right now and he certainly wasn't the one to deal with it. Bloody Potter had broken up with her because of this.

"Look, if Harry didn't tell you, then I sure as hell am not."

Ginny's face fell for a moment, but she nodded. "You lot have done something big to change your magic like that… and… and I have to be somewhere." Her face lit up as she remembered why she was in the weird closet with Draco Malfoy in the first place.

Draco gestured towards the door. "I'll let you get on with it then."

Ginny made to move but stopped mid-step. "You'll have to stay," she replied with a look of faint disgust on her face. "I'll need you to get back, too."

A grunt left Draco's mouth before he could speak. He couldn't argue with her; Hogwarts was basically snowed in. "Fine," he finally said through gritted teeth.

She had one hand on the door-handle as she spoke. "Wait for me in the foyer. I should be about an hour, but I'm not sure." Ginny opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Draco followed. "I'll come find you." She made to leave but turned back. "Oh, and try to avoid Ron, will you?"

Draco raised his hands as he stood facing her. "I don't need convincing." The last thing he wanted was more Weasley's in his life. Why the worst Weasley was also joining her in the hospital was way beyond his current curiosity.

An angry yell of "OI!" suddenly echoed down the hospital hall.

Draco flinched and both he and Ginny turned slowly to face the familiar rage-filled voice.

"Speak of the devil," Ginny said weakly.

Ron Weasley was storming down the hall towards them, his hands balled into fists at his sides and fury in his eyes.

Draco stepped back, away from Ginny.

"Here we go," Draco muttered as Ron's fist grew bigger as it approached his face.

…

"This isn't so much planning, as it's a shopping list of booze."

Regulus and Hannah had a free period along with Blaise, so had been roped into the party 'planning'. But it was mainly guilt which kept them in their seats; as no one had even realised it was his birthday.

With an incredulous shake of his head, Regulus put down the list Blaise had dictated to him. "How do you think we're supposed to get all of this?" He gestured to the white windows with a nod. "It's impossible to get out, never-mind to a shop."

Hannah elbowed him in his ribs. Regulus elbowed her back. He knew she wanted to tell Blaise she could Apparate out anywhere to get what he wanted. But Regulus didn't think people should know about their enhanced abilities. They were far too relaxed about it which stressed Regulus even more.

Blaise sighed. "Well, that was the original plan before this shitty storm." Regulus tried to keep a straight face as Blaise spoke. "But we can see what people have stashed around the school. The more people invited, the more alcohol."

"Or less," Regulus replied unhelpfully.

"I can get it," Hannah interrupted, speaking quickly.

Regulus shot a look at her. She stuck her tongue out at him and he had to bite his lip to hide a smile. He couldn't even be annoyed at her for one bloody second.

Blaise frowned. "How?"

Hannah smirked. "I have my ways." She leaned over Regulus to grab the list he'd dropped, and he had a strong urge to spank her. Maybe later, he thought with a wry smile on his face as she leaned back into her seat, maintaining eye contact.

Blaise immediately perked up. He stood and clapped his hands together. "Fabulous. I'm not going to question how, but I will say this…" Blaise reached into his pocket for his Gringotts money bag. "Absolutely no Sambuca," he finished seriously as he placed the bag in Hannah's hands.

…

It was lucky they were in a hospital, as Draco was bleeding.

"Ron, what the hell?"

"What's he even doing here?"

"Helping! Unlike you."

"But what are you doing with him?"

"Well, that's none of your bloody business, isn't it?"

Weasley was silent after this. That was, until, he grabbed Draco by the collar from where he was on the ground.

"You stay away from my sister, you hear me?" Ron spat his words in Draco's face.

Draco's face was so close to Weasley's, he could smell the coffee he'd spilled on his front in his haste to reach them earlier. He'd had enough of this. Draco grabbed Ron's own shirt, pulled him closer, and head-butted the gormless look off of his face.

They recoiled about a foot away from each other. That really fucking hurt, Draco thought as his sight began to swim. He was definitely not doing that again.

"What the bloody hell was that for?" Ron grunted, now also on the floor. He pressed his hand against his forehead and pulled it away to check if he was bleeding. He wasn't.

Draco began to stand, unsteady on his feet. He debated it for a moment, but he held out his hand for Weasley to take. By both of their surprise, he did. With a grunt from both parties, Draco pulled Ron up to stand next to him.

"Listen to your sister," Draco growled. "I'm helping. Despite all the negativity I'm receiving."

Draco was an only child. A lonely only child. He could barely imagine what it would have been growing up with someone around his own age; another Malfoy. But if it was something even slightly close to the way he felt about Hermione or Diana, Draco couldn't grudgingly argue with Ron's actions.

Plus, Draco couldn't blame him for assuming the worst. The guy you've hated for eight years that your serious girlfriend had left you for had just come out of a cupboard with your recently single younger sister who'd just uncharacteristically dumped your best friend. I wouldn't even trust me, Draco thought with a shiver.

Ron looked confused but remained defensive. "How could you possibly be helping?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Hogwarts is snowed in. I had to Apparate her here."

"But no one can do…"

"Founders magic," Draco hissed. He knew that Hermione had told Ron about the ritual, but he wasn't quite sure how much after that. He hoped that this was enough to sate him.

Ron opened his mouth and clamped it shut again. "Right," he replied, looking away from Draco. "Let's go," he said to Ginny.

Ginny's mouth was hanging open and she was staring incredulously at them both. "Ron knows but I don't?" She put her hands on her hips.

Draco stepped back. This was so not his problem. "I'm just going to go… wait… I'll see you…" he said as he began to walk backwards away from them.

Ron pulled Ginny away in the opposite direction. Draco could hear her grumblings all the way down the corridor. Maybe being an only child wasn't such a bad thing after all.

…

Hermione returned from class to a very happy common room. A very happy Blaise, Hannah and Regulus more specifically.

"Hermione!" Regulus had yelled.

Initially, Hermione hadn't seen him from his place on the floor under the windows; he was stretched out on the rug. Hannah was lying parallel to him on the couch above. Both of their outlines looked black against the white sky.

The empty bottle of whiskey at their feet explained a lot. She'd only been gone two hours and they'd gotten plastered. Without her. The audacity.

"Hermione!" Hannah echoed. She fell into a fit of the giggles at Hermione's stunned expression.

"We're having a party!" Blaise attempted to explain. Apparently two people could lie down on the two-seater love seat, as his head popped up over the back of the couch beside Hannah's.

Hermione made her way to the bottom of the dorm stairs with a smile on her face. "A party of three?" she asked sceptically.

Blaise sat up straighter and scoffed. "Course not." He waved her up the stairs. "Hurry, go get ready. Everyone will be arriving soon."

Hermione glanced at the other two to see that they were nodding along with what Blaise was saying. "Um, okay," she replied, very unsure whether to believe them.

It was approaching dinner time, and Hermione was sure that if anyone was indeed coming, they'd wait until after they'd eaten at least. Unlike those three.

"Wear something pretty!" Blaise called after Hermione as she began to ascend the winding staircase.

Hermione simply smiled and shook her head. She was glad at least someone was having fun.

…

"One hour, my arse," Draco said as Ginny approached him. As he stood, his knees popped. He'd definitely been waiting too long. Why the hell had he even waited this long for someone he didn't know? Or to be more specific, didn't bloody like?

Ginny looked upset, and Draco began to feel uncomfortable. He hadn't even been entirely sure why she was in St. Mungo's in the first place. Was she pregnant? Was one of the many other Weasley's pregnant? To be quite honest, he didn't really care. He just wanted to get back to Hogwarts. He'd missed both of the classes he'd been so determined to go to. Well, tomorrow is a new day, he thought.

"It's George," Ginny said with no prompt from Draco.

Draco grimaced and looked around. Was she talking to him? Well, fuck, she bloody was.

"He tried… he obliviated himself."

Refraining himself from letting out a low whistle, Draco stepped tentatively closer to Ginny. He knew when a wizard tried to obliviated themselves, it was bad. And in a close-knit family like the Weasley's, those things were always harder. He definitely should not have stayed. This was way too personal for him.

"How… is he?" Draco asked, clueless as what to say without sounding too false.

Ginny shrugged and maintained her eye contact with the floor. "He was too drunk to do the spell properly they say. He probably only lost about a week."

Draco nodded. That wasn't too bad of an outcome. Considering what could have been.

"They're keeping him in for a while though... for his comedown."

"Oh," Draco replied. So, George had become an alcoholic. Okay, maybe it was bad of Draco to assume, but it helped explain that night between George and Hermione. Draco still wasn't quite over how she had reacted to their first kiss.

Ginny looked up at him for the first time. Her eyes were red. "I don't even know why I'm telling you this… I didn't even expect you would still be here."

Draco shifted uncomfortably. He really shouldn't have stayed. Fucking idiot.

"But thank you," she continued. The surprise on Draco's face was evident as Ginny gave him a small smile. "Ron told me something about how you helped Professor McGonagall save Hogwarts. That's what this weird magic business is about."

Draco stayed silent. He knew Weasley couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"I appear to have misjudged you, Malfoy."

It felt as though something was stuck in Draco's throat as he realised what she had said. He coughed after a moment and held up his elbow.

"Ready to go?" he asked without looking at her.

The gentle touch of her hand on his forearm told him that she was. Draco glanced up and down the hall to ensure no one was around. When he was sure there wasn't, he disappeared on the spot.

They reappeared in the corridor of the disused classrooms on the first floor.

"I owe you one, Malfoy," Ginny said as soon as she let go of his arm.

Draco began to shake his head. "You don't owe me anything. Hermione, on the other hand…"

Ginny appeared shocked at his statement. "I… I'll try," was all she said.

"That's enough," Draco replied. He cleared his throat and smiled. They could hear the faint chatter from the Great Hall a few corridors away. Dinner must have been finishing.

"You hungry?" he asked.

Ginny shook her head.

Draco fought off a grimace. He didn't want to leave her there, but he also didn't want to stay. How the hell do I get myself into these situations? he thought. More importantly, how do I get out of this?

Suddenly, Draco smiled. "I hear there's a party going on in the common room, if you'd rather drink?"

"Really?" Ginny replied, slowly mirroring his smile. "Now, that, I could be interested in."

Draco held out his arm again, this time taken much less uncomfortably so.

…

A/N: To clear up any confusion, I'm aware that the Founders may have been alive longer than I have mentioned, but I've set their story around the 16th century mainly for setting reasons. In my mind that the most similar society and living to what I imagined their lives to be. I hope that makes sense. If there's any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Also: in reference to Draco's mention of his visit to St. Mungo's, that's from the end of book 4 where Harry, Fred and George jinxed Draco, Crabbe and Goyle on the train home from Hogwarts (and it was pretty nasty).

Thank you as always and please continue to read. This story is in its final part. Well, there's around 10 chapters left and who knows how long I'll take to post them…

Holly - xo