Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I associated with JK Rowling or any of her agents/publishers. I make no money from this writing.

Chapter 35: Xena, Warrior Princess

Emma knocked on the door, only mildly surprised when Sean opened it, yanked her inside, and began to yell. "What the bloody HELL were you thinking, making deals with the fae? Do you have any idea what could have happened? If it went horribly wrong?" He then pulled her into a bear hug.

"You're welcome," Emma's muffled voice responded.

Bridget pulled her husband off Emma and then gave her another tight hug. "They've been hugging me all day, too," Cedric's voice teased and Emma pulled away from Bridget and practically glomped Cedric. "Oi, it seems everyone wants to hug me."

"Just till I'm positive this isn't a dream," Emma promised. "So you stayed here last night?"

"We told him he could stay with us as long as he needs to, until he figures out what he's going to do," Sean nodded. "Your dad already promised him a job, he remembered Cedric was going to work for him after graduation."

"A job you took, it seems," Cedric teased.

"You can have it. I love Riley—didn't mean any offense, Emma—but I don't want to travel. I have no problem working with diplomats here, but I have no desire to travel."

"I think you have your pick of departments, seeing as how the government is practically starting over from scratch," Emma drawled.

"Oi, that sounded like Malfoy," Bridget teased. "I still can't believe it, that you two are together. But he did fight on our side, and he did defeat Fenrir."

"Never would of thought the prat had it in him…sorry, guess we can't rag him anymore, huh," Sean quickly apologized. "Convince him to stay, Emma," Sean pouted.

Emma looked between Sean and Cedric. "I can't. When have I ever changed Ced's mind?" she teased sadly.

"Don't be modest, he listens to you," Sean frowned. "He's only just come back."

"I told you, I have things to do…besides, it's a bit crowded, what with you, Bridget, and the wee babe."

"So crash at my place. When you need to," Emma clarified. Cedric motioned for Emma to follow him and she followed him out onto the little back porch. "It really is a bit crowded with me here," Cedric insisted.

"Sean is just terrified you'll go off and he'll lose his best friend again," Emma explained.

"I know, and I can't even explain what it's like being back, talking with Sean, seeing Bridget. I can't believe I missed their wedding…"

"It was a small affair…" Emma trailed off. There were hundreds of things Cedric had missed, she didn't know what to say to console him. "You weren't exactly living a destitute life, though. You must have travelled and seen a lot."

"Always as someone else…" Cedric trailed off.

Suddenly, it began to make sense to Emma. She had been sure of Jane's feelings, but couldn't tell what Cedric was feeling (which in and of itself was a puzzle). "THAT is what worries you?" Emma demanded.

"What?" Cedric asked confused.

"What were you thinking? Just now, about being someone else."

"Exactly that: I was Zachary for the last three years. Everyone knew me as Zachary. I looked like Zachary to everyone except my parents. I lived as Zachary, I photographed as Zachary, I spoke with an American accent and worked as a tutor and protector to the President's daughter. Life went on here…"

Suddenly everything became clear to Emma. "Well, Jane made it back safe. It turns out she may have figured out what's wrong with Finn, too," Emma smiled, relieved. "So…now that you're not needed in America and all your friends here know you're alive, what are you going to do? Work for the ministry? Stay with me till you find a place?"

"I don't know…I thought so much about this—the battle, you knowing me again—I didn't think so much of the after bit."

"Now you're lying to yourself," Emma frowned.

"I'm not needed, like you said. Jane graduates in less than a month, she is honestly super bright she doesn't need a tutor, and she doesn't really need anyone to protect her, I mean, you saw her fight. And everyone there knows me as Zachary, so I would have to go back to being Zachary and living like Zachary…"

Emma stood up and then completely surprised Cedric by shoving him. "You must have been a horrible tutor because you are being completely stupid."

"What?"

"Okay, first of all, you are trying to rationalize yourself out of your feelings. Have you forgotten I'm an empath, too? Second of all, did Jane ever explain her eyes to you?"

Cedric nodded, wondering what the hell Emma was going on about.

"She never could have seen Zachary, Ced. Her eyes would never allow her to see the spell. You were always Cedric to her, just like you were to me. Well, I'm guessing not just like," she teased. "It wasn't Zachary she became friends with." And so much more, but it wasn't Emma's place to tell Cedric. "So stop being a prat. Surely you picked up on some of that yankee brashness, the 'take the bull by the horns' and whatnot."

"You're suppose to be convincing him to stay, Emma! Not leave!" Sean's voice hollered through the window.

"I saved him because I love him and want him alive and happy. Not to keep him like a pet. So you have a room if and when you need it, Ced. A job if and when you need it. The question is what do you need? What do you want?"

Cedric stood and wrapped her in a hug. "Malfoy has been good for you, Em," he kissed the top of her head. "I'll be back. Did you hear that, Sean?" Cedric teased.

"Fine, fine, I can read between the lines. Did you say empath, though?" Sean asked marveled.

"Forget it," Cedric warned.

Emma leaned up to whisper in his ear. "Don't forget the battle she fought with the other empath. I don't know the details, but I have my suspicions." Whatever happened had damaged Jane deeply, and the cool façade hadn't been able to hide the hurt and pain from Emma.

"Don't forget," Emma said louder not caring if Sean and Bridget overheard them, "you still have to have a weekly dinner with me," she teased, bringing up the bargain they made in her fourth year.

Cedric laughed. "I haven't forgotten. See you soon," he promised.

"Maybe sooner than you think," Emma teased. "I know Jane, she is quite capable of moving on." Cedric frowned at that as he took out a small pin in the shape of an arrowhead, pressed it, and portkeyed out.

"Did I hear that right and Ced fell for a yankee?" Sean marveled. "The lass with the odd glasses? Poor Ced, she seemed like such a spitfire."

"Will you stop eavesdropping? Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you," Bridget sighed, laughing. "Em, we are heading to St Mungos to check on Finn. Are you coming?" Emma nodded and the three of them apparated to the hospital.

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Jane portkeyed home after visiting St. Mungo's and waved off the personnel coming to check on her. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Can I see my mother?"

"She's been waiting for you in the family wing," a secretary motioned. Jane nodded and walked off, leaving the secretaries, Enrique, and Amy behind. Her mother was calm to look at but Jane felt the turbulent emotions under the surface. Upon seeing Jane, it was like a cool ocean breeze as she relaxed for the first time in nearly twenty four hours.

"Are you hurt? How is everyone?" President Johnson asked quickly, hugging Jane.

"I'm fine, we are all fine. Zack… you know," Jane choked on the words.

"So it all went just as you said?"

Jane nodded. "We won, which we already knew. Then we had to stay so Emma could save Cedric…I just want to sleep now."

Mother studied daughter knowingly but only nodded. Jane went off to her own suite and changed out of her battle worn clothes into a cozy pair of pajama bottoms and tank top. The time difference took wrap her head around—it had been near dawn in England when they arrived which meant before midnight for her when they left the States. They left St Mungo's around dusk, which meant it was now afternoon for Jane.

Jane spelled her blinds to close and then body flopped onto her massive bed. Everything was a mess inside her—adrenaline from the battle was replaced with exhaustion now that it was over, grief Cedric was gone, and raw pain from what Diane did. She couldn't even put into words, just in her mind, what Diane had done, as if just thinking it made it even more real.

Not sure how much time had passed, Jane wasn't surprised to find her mom come in and join her on the bed. "Won't the government go into panic mode and shut down if you hide in here with me?" Jane teased, the smile not quite reaching her eyes.

"Let it," her mother said and laid out on one side of Jane. Jane felt like a child again—silly, considering she just fought in such an important war—but she leaned her head against her mother's shoulder, needing her mother's embrace.

"I was afraid this would happen," Anne whispered.

"It's irrational…he's not dead…I'm just tired…" each phrase coming out more strangled, more choked.

"It's never rational, honey. If it was, love would be all formulas and mathematics, pairing people up genetically or something. Love is so much simpler and more complex." She didn't mention that there was something special about the first one.

Jane snorted. "I never used that word," she pointed out.

"I know. You don't have to. I can always have him banned from the States, or have the WAGs turn him into a jackass. I once did that to your father right before he left, it was a good look for him," Anne laughed.

"I'm just going to be an emotional teenager for a little bit…" Jane's voice trailed off.

Anne studied her daughter. "Did something else happen?"

Jane tensed for a moment but shook her head. Anne let it go, hoping Jane would open up in time. She kissed the top of Jane's head and tapped her wand to the silver tray before leaving. It was filled with decant desserts and bowls of ice cream. "Come find me if you need me, honey. You know my priorities."

"Shoe sales number one; me number two; job number three," Jane teased, the smile still not quite reaching her eyes.

Anne walked into the oval office and had Amy brought in. "As soon as you are rested up, I have a retrieval for you and your team."

"To cheer Jane up?" Amy guessed. Amy headed a small team within the service that were experts at retrieving whatever (or whoever) the president needed.

"We'll throw a celebration of winning the battle and graduation. Get Nickelback, Jane still likes them," Anne decided.

"That could be slightly problematic," Amy hesitated.

"You can't retrieve them? You have before."

"That's the problem. The Canadian Prime Minister had made it known he doesn't appreciate our poaching on his territory. Nickelback has been added to the 'No-Snatch-'N-Grab' list," Amy admitted. "They claim they worry about adverse effects of so many magical memory adjustment charms."

"We only took them twice," Anne frowned.

"It wasn't just us, ma'am."

"You know my daughter's taste, I'm sure you can find someone she will enjoy." With a nod, Amy went to gather her team for a strategy session, deciding they haven't poached in Finland in awhile.

Jane, meanwhile, popped in cheesy eighties muggle movies as she pigged out on the chocolate. Feeling like she was being too cliché, she changed movies after awhile and put in the first thing she could find that was the exact opposite of eighties muggle romantic comedies. "That's it, Xena, be a total BAMF."

Exhaustion claimed her and she fell asleep before dinner. When she woke, it was already the following morning. Jane pulled the pillow over her head and groaned. "I fought in an epic battle, that should be a good absence excuse," she muttered.

If not, hey, she was the daughter of the president. She could play hooky one day. Grant it, the last time she played hooky, she and Cedric spent the day travelling around New Mexico, exploring the natural beauties of the desert before following herds of wild mustangs.

Time before that, she and Cedric had just learned their transfigurations were wolves (Jane wanted to slap herself for putting too much importance on the fact they were both wolves; Idiot! It wasn't a sign! She mentally chided herself) and the two of them went to Yellowstone to play around in their animagous forms.

Okay, STOP thinking about him! Jane chided herself. Determined, she went to her bathroom. Her tub was the size of a mini hot tub so she filled it with bubbles that smelled of coconuts and relaxed for what felt like hours.

If only these memories wouldn't interrupt me Jane thought as images of Diane kept popping into her head.

FLASHBACK

She was trapped in her own body. Nothing was her own. Someone else was driving in the cockpit. Even as she realized it, feelings of despair and helplessness flooded her.

"Nature seems to take pity on those of us, the weakest of us, the impotent empaths. What is the point of you?" Diane asked, tisking. "Really, only being able to feel, always being burdened by everyone else's emotional baggage."

So true…it's like walking in water, emotions always compressing in on me, Jane thought, wondering why she couldn't do anything to shield against the emotions of others. She listened to Diane go on about her failure as an empath and all she could do was feel her own failure. What is the point…

She defended against Diane's attempt to take off her glasses. Fear—a lifetime of fear about how the world would view her eyesight—had ingrained a natural defense mechanism. "No one sees my eyes," Jane snarled.

It was a paltry defense as a new onslaught of self-loathing crashed upon her. You can't even rejoice, take pride, in your true gift Jane chided herself. It was as if her insides just dropped into her gut, churning as every drop of self-confidence and self-worth was gone; every breath she took filled her with such self-disgust that Jane wanted the other empath to end it all, and welcomed Diane's next move.

Diane noticed Jane glance at Zachary. "Even now he is worried about how the other empath is faring. Why is that? Who is she that she is so special to him? Instead of the empath right in front of him?"

Was Cedric? She knew he was always worried about Emma. Worried Draco would be a horrible influence on her, worried about her in this war, worried even now about the battle. But never worried because his life was in her hands; no, Cedric didn't worry because if Emma died, he died; Cedric worried because he genuinely cared about Emma.

He's paid to care about you, Jane told herself. Your mother is paying him to care for you, and is helping to keep him alive.

"Second place as an empath and a woman," Diane tisked.

One last move Jane decided, sensing Diane was getting bored with her. She had to do something now before she didn't care and just let Diane kill her. Another minute and she was liable to do the deed herself.

Well, if you are going to go down, take her with you Jane rationalized. "I'm American," Jane started.

Diane snorted. "Really, no wonder nature deemed you inferior."

Jane pushed through all the feelings of disgust, self loathing, and self doubt hoping to grasp onto her sanity long enough for the dementors to come. It was like swimming in quick sand and she didn't know if she could tread and keep her head above long enough to see this through to the end.

But the chilling spikes running down her spine told her she wouldn't have to wait much longer. The end was swiftly approaching. Jane whipped off her glasses, determined to keep Diane in place as long as possible.

And hubris always leads to one's destruction. She would use Diane's hubris against her.

END FLASHBACK.

Jane jumped and climbed out of the tub. Her whole body started to shake and she stared at her arms as they shivered. She haltingly took a few steps in front of the tub. A surge of anger had her grabbing the bottle of bath soap; with a scream she tossed it as hard as she could.

It hit the mirror and shattered, dozens of her reflections staring at her as they crashed to the ground.

Her emotions were all jumbled and she hated herself fearing Emma for just a moment. Emma is nothing, nothing like Diane! Jane argued. This is an irrational fear, but it is a natural reaction to what Diane did… Jane tried to rationalize, staring at the mess she had made.

"Are you alright?" a guard asked from outside her door.

"I'm fine. Leave me alone," Jane ordered. She looked between the door and the pieces of glass. "You can be a victim, or realize that the evil bitch was manipulating you. Evil bitch is the key phrase, Jane," Jane talked to herself as she grabbed her robe.

A spark was already in you, she just encouraged the flames a small voice inside Jane whispered.

She didn't want to admit that some of those feelings were her own. And that was the problem—what were her feelings and what had Diane forced her to feel?

She resolved to get on with her life. She was earning her own reputation, separate from that of her mother's. She was fighting in her own wars, studying her own subjects. She had a head for theory and she would continue with that.

Jane nodded as she changed, resolved to move on.

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Cedric arrived and saw everyone was surprised to see him. I really hope they haven't announced Zachary died in the battle Cedric thought. It had been twenty-four hours since Jane, Amy, and Enrique had returned from the battle and he had no idea what they had told everyone. It would be awkward to explain why he was there. The spell was still on him, so he still appeared as Zachary to everyone except the president and his parents.

And Jane, Cedric thought happily. The thought that she had known him all along, had known him as Cedric and not Zachary, it…well, it put an extra bounce in his step. Now he just had to find her.

"Zachary?" Cedric turned to see Enrique. "You're back," the Latino nodded approvingly.

"Of course. Where's Jane?"

Enrique pointed to the breakfast suite. "Good luck."

"Will I need it?" Cedric wondered. Now he was starting to worry about what his approach should be, he had no clue how Jane felt about him. Yes, she saw him as Cedric, but did she think of him only as a friend?

Or worse, see him only as her mother's employer?

"It's Jane," Enrique smirked.

"Thanks," Cedric drawled. He walked up and one of the doormen opened the door, clearly amused.

Jane was sitting at the table with newspapers spread out before her, eating cereal. "They still refer to me as the president's daughter," Jane sighed. "Would it kill them to just say Jane Johnson?"

"You won't be in her shadow forever," Cedric said.

Jane's spoon froze halfway between her mouth and bowl. She looked up at Cedric and he couldn't read her expression. He would have given anything to know what she was thinking or feeling at the moment.

"You're back," Jane said simply.

"Of course. You thought I wouldn't come back?" Cedric wondered.

"Why would you, Zachary. I have 10 days left of school, your services have been terminated," Jane pointed out, grabbing the papers and standing. "I believe the contract you made with my mother expired two days ago."

Jane pushed past him and headed to her suite. "So you just left, then? You, Enrique, and Amy decided to leave me?"

"You were hardly dropped off at the gates of hell, Zack. Don't be so melodramatic. The war was over, you reconnected with friends, and I came home," Jane said as she stepped into her suite. "Some of us have Senior Projects due today and can't be late."

"You're already late," Cedric pointed out looking at the clock.

"No first period so I don't have to be there till 9:30. Besides, I'm still suffering from jet-lag, or portkey-lag, whatever magical timezone jumping is called. Hmm…" Jane wondered, thinking phrases over in her mind.

Because Cedric knew her so well, he knew she really was thinking of portkey-lag versus whatever else her mind came up with. He also knew once she decided on a phrase, they would all be using it.

"Jane…" An alarm started chiming and he tensed up. "Let's go," he started to grab her arm.

She jerked her arm out of his hand. "First of all, you are not my body guard. I have those. Second, it's Friday which means it's Hobo Holly doing her weekly inebriated flying into a no-fly zone. Third…"

Explosions shook the ground under their feet. "Earthquake?" Jane wondered, hopefully.

"The building is earthquake proof up to a 9.8," Cedric pointed out as alarms blared through the building. He took out the emergency portkey she always wore around her neck and pressed it against her collarbone.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jane asked as they appeared in the middle of nowhere. She had no clue where they were, the portkey was designed to take them to a random undisclosed location.

She saw Joshua trees and cacti.

"It was an attack."

"Exactly! How will it look if I fight someone else's battle and then run from the one in my own backyard!" Jane yelled.

"It's my job to make sure you're safe."

"No, it's not," Jane pointed out. "You're a civilian now, Cedric. This is the part where you catch up with Emma, Sean, Bridget, Cho…" she shook her head and disapparated.

Cursing, Cedric disapparated behind her. They arrived back at the Wizard's House to find order restored. "I'm gone 5 minutes and I miss it all," Jane sighed as she watched the guard had taken down the half dozen attackers from their brooms. She could tell from their insignia they were part of the extremist isolationist group. She turned to Cedric and took her anger out on him. "Do you think I'm incapable of fighting for my own home? Or defending myself? That I fail as an empath and a fighter? Just leave me alone, Zack." She disapparated with a loud crack before he could respond.

"I'll go after her," Amy spoke up.

"She's gone," Cedric shook his head.

"I can trace her," Amy decided, knowing it was useless.

"Maybe I should go back…what happened here?"

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Jane laid in the sand, the waves tickling her feet as they lapped up and rolled back into the ocean. She looked up at the sky, her rose tinted glasses in her hand. She didn't need them here, she was surrounded by ocean, beach, and sky. Her wand was tucked into her bag, a bag she had placed an untraceable charm on so they had no means of tracking her wand or her person.

So she settled into the quiet. It was exactly what she needed since she couldn't trust herself. She fell into the rhythm of nature, letting it sooth her nerves.

She wasn't sure how much time passed, but she eventually heard the soft pitter-patter of something on the sand. She groaned, knowing she was discovered. She had no idea who could have found her secret spot after three years of secrecy.

Jane turned her head to see a silver wolf walking easily towards her, as if afraid he would spook her. The wolf silently stretched out next to her, looking at the ocean. He turned his head to look back at her.

"Don't look at me like that, you have no reason to be upset. What could you be sad about? You're alive and everyone knows it," Jane pointed out. "Great, I'm arguing with a wolf. Muggles are going to call the cops and think I'm insane. Fab," she sighed, laying back down.

"I have no idea how you found me, but it was unnecessary. I'm perfectly fine and safe here."

The wolf made a noise that sounded an awful lot like a snort.

They sat there like that for some time, girl and wolf. Somehow the magic of the beach—the peace she finally managed to find after the battle—wasn't ruined with Cedric's presence. She decided to just bask in it for as long as she could.

She must have dozed for a moment, she woke up to the wolf's face resting on her stomach, looking up at her, eyes studying her as if trying to understand what she was feeling. "If you have something to say, just say so."

The wolf sat up and transfigured back into Cedric. "I won't tell anyone where I found you," Cedric promised.

The first thing he said was her secret place was still secret. Was it any wonder she had fallen for him? Don't even go there Jane warned herself.

"How did you find me?"

"A lot of guesswork. I knew you would want to be away from crowds." Because of her eyes. "I was hoping you would be on the west coast. So I started looking. Took a few hours."

"Started looking?"

"I guessed you would be someplace surrounded by nature. I started with the coast, apparating like crazy in a grid search."

"Why?" Jane wondered, shocked.

Instead, Cedric looked at the ocean. Jane had picked a wonderful place, a small, private beach muggles wouldn't stumble upon her. He was pretty sure he had sensed some spells protecting the place while he was in his animagous form.

"I'm sorry I found you," he confessed, confusing her. "This was the one place you could hide from the world and I took that from you."

"I'll find another," Jane shrugged. "Why did you find me?"

"How are you doing? We never got to that this morning," Cedric studied her. He could see the fatigue and something else in her eyes.

"I'll be fine."

"I feel like…Could you see me as Cedric?" he blurted out.

Jane did a double take. "Of course," she asked confused. "What made you think otherwise?"

"No one else could…"

Jane rolled her eyes and he realized she didn't have her glasses on. He instinctively looked for them and reached over her to get them. She put her hand on top of his to stop him. "It's okay, it's just you."

"I don't want you to hurt your eyes."

"Why?"

"You already suffered so much for me." More, he suspected, than he knew.

"It was my choice. Emma was already doing enough."

"I can't thank you enough, Jane. I can't think of anyone else I would want Emma to ask to save me."

"Why aren't you there? You and Emma have a lot to catch up on," Jane asked.

"We will catch up, soon. I'm thinking what to do. Her dad is still offering me a job," Cedric confessed.

"So take it," Jane decided. "You've wanted it for long enough, you are more than qualified."

"Why is there a wall between us now?" Jane was never one to beat around the bush, a trait he had picked up from her.

"I can never tell what you feel and that unnerves me. And even if I could tell what you feel, I don't think I'd trust myself to know what you were feeling," Jane admitted, not looking at him.

Cedric laughed and Jane shoved him. "Jerk."

"No, it's …" he had to take a breath to stop laughing. "You know Enrique is a sympath." Jane glared at him. He had better talk quickly before she hexed him. "My mother told me she could tell you and Emma were empaths. She is also a sympath. I asked Enrique what exactly that meant. He told me he can sense other sympaths and empaths, but he can also guard his emotions around empaths."

Jane nodded, thinking how it was usually difficult to read Enrique. It took a lot more energy than normal so she didn't bother. "But, I can still tell what Enrique is feeling, for the most part. Nothing specific, but I can tell where he is on the spectrum: happy, sad, angry."

"You can feel that, too, with me," Cedric pointed out.

"I can never tell what you feel with me," Jane admitted. "And that unnerves me, I can tell what everyone feels except for you."

"Enrique thought I might have enough sympathetic tendencies to learn to shield my emotions, so I learned to bury my feelings for you when I was around you," Cedric confessed.

Jane looked at him, clearly doubtful. "Why do you doubt yourself?" Cedric worried.

Jane studied her feet, her toes digging into the sand. "Just some things that happened recently."

"That empath," Cedric knew. "Talk to me."

Jane shook her head. Talking would mean admitting what happened, what she felt. She still wasn't sure…

Suddenly Cedric was kneeling next to her, cupping her face as he kissed her. Despite being shocked she was kissing him back.

The most amazing feeling flooded her; a strong yet tender feeling embraced her as Cedric opened himself up to her. "I'm not an empath, I can't…I can't make you feel what I feel. I can only let you know how I feel and pray I didn't just make a fool of myself."

"Cedric Diggory, making himself a fool?" Jane wondered, her mind still foggy, trying to get back on solid ground.

Cedric grinned. "I like hearing you call me Cedric," he admitted. "I always did, because it reminded me I was still myself. You've been like an anchor for me, Jane. I was afraid if you knew how much I've come to care, you would take pity on me or send me somewhere else. I feared the idea of losing you, too."

"Because I was the only one who knew who you were."

"No, at first I convinced myself of it. I didn't want to admit to myself my feelings were genuine because then it would make after the battle—where we are right now—so much more complicated. But I need to know I've been honest with you and given this a shot. Even if you didn't feel the same, I don't want you to doubt yourself. "

"I willingly gave up my sight. How can you wonder if I don't feel the same?" Jane teasingly shoved him.

"Eh, what's with the shoving?" Cedric wondered. "Everyone's been shoving me today."

"Poor lil' Ced," Jane teased. "Let's go for a run," she offered her hand, a gleam in her eye. He took it and they apparated, appearing in a redwood forest. "I'll try to open up, one day," she promised.

He leaned down to kiss her again, wanting to taste her again. "I'm patient. I'm here when you are ready."

Jane nodded, then transfigured into a pure white wolf. With a yip, she ran off. He quickly transfigured and chased after her.

Huge shout-out to my Beta, WeasleyXisXmyXking, who didn't actually Beta this chapter (all mistakes are mine), but told me two things: a) she was surprised by Jane/Cedric, but really liked it (YAAAAAY!), and when I kept pestering her over a female BAMF (bad-ass-mother-f*!$! if you don't know), she finally just shouted out "Xena!" I don't know if she thought I was seriously going to use it, but it made me laugh. MWAHAHAHA.

Huge thank you to everyone who reviewed and read this chapter! Mizz ALec Volturi (I hope you like Jane/Cedric in this chapter, too!), The Annoying One (Meet the Parents will be super slow on updating, but I hope to put up the first chapter when I update this one again), likewow (More Harry/Draco interactions, I'm sure!), Animecrazy (I think Harry would go into hiding if he got elected...or maybe cry :D) Crossroadsoflife (things will be back to as normal as things can be for this group!) and Devi no Kaze (Thanks for the awesome review!)

As a completely side note, if you are on Tumblr, I tumbl lots of Doctor Who plus Harry Potter and Bleach (plus other crazy, random things). I'm bad-wolf-pond (dot) tumblr (dot)com