"Willow?"
Ron's stare never left her as he pulled himself to his knees and freed Hermione and Harry.
"What?" The snarl brought three wands around, all trained on her. Her eyes stayed solid black. A small corona of dark energy hissed and popped around her hands.
"Umm … perhaps you should calm down," Harry offered warily. He lurched the rest of the way out of the chair, dropping to the ground as his bad leg swiftly gave way.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine, lady," Ron said.
Her right hand came up. His body followed it, rising from the ground like a windblown leaf and slamming into a huge oak tree. His wounded arm caught a knot on the bark and he crumpled to the dirt in a heap.
"See? Fine. Everything in working order."
"STUPEFY!" Harry and Hermione roared together. Neither knew quite what was happening, but they had been aurors long enough to know that something very dark had ahold of Willow.
She waved her hand again, this time mumbling an inaudible word. The two spells hit an invisible barrier and reflected backwards. Hermione caught her own just below the sternum; she fell to the ground retching involuntarily as the earlier meal tried to push itself back up.
Harry rolled, his wand already moving, and barely blocked his as it came back around.
"Ooh, the cripple's got skills." Her eerie laughed pierced his skull like a dagger. "Let's see how many."
For a full second, Willow and Harry locked eyes, each daring the other to go first. Her hand and his wand lifted at the exact same second.
Neither spell went off; an external force seemed to rip the flowing spell from each of them before they could detonate."
"I don't think so, Willow."
Dumbledore's calm voice echoed through the vast forest.
"Please assault Harry no further. I would very much hate to restrain you forcibly."
"If you could, Gramps. Hard to hate what you can't do." Her gaze shifted to Dumbledore and an ugly sneer crossed her features. "Or maybe you could. How 'bout it, Albus? Wanna play too?"
"If that's what you would like."
"Hell, yeah. This could be fun."
Her eyes glowed with darkness. Dumbledore watched calmly as she gathered her power.
When she went completely rigid and fell over, he glanced at Harry and smiled.
"I see you remember your training."
He nodded. "Why shout the spell when you can whisper it?" His eyes stayed on Willow. "What's wrong with her?"
"That is a very long story, Harry, and not mine to tell. Suffice to say I believe she will be fine. I'll bring her to her quarters – she'll be safe there until we free her. Please see to your companions as best you can," He gestured to Hermione, who had recovered from the stunner and was helping Ron to his feet, "and then I think someone should fetch Draco Malfoy through the floo."
"Are you sure, sir? He did tell us that he killed Lucius, after all. His father is most certainly alive. I don't know if …"
"Indeed, I saw the whole thing. Draco was not lying, however. I'm sure of that. I trust him as I do you, Harry."
Harry nodded. He did, as well, though it pained him to admit it. Dumbledore flicked his wand and the younger wizard floated from the ground into his wheelchair.
"Thank you, Professor. We'll bring Draco, and Ginny as well. We'll need all the help we can get."
"I'll do it," Hermione said, walking over with an arm around Ron's shoulders. They both looked severely shaken. "Ron needs to see Madame Pomfrey, as do you," she told Harry sternly.
"I'm fine, Mione, really." Ron's foot kicked a root and he stumbled; only her arm kept him from tumbling head over heels onto the floor. "A'right, maybe a short visit and some chocolate," he conceded.
"Let's meet in Professor Rosenberg's room in an hour," Dumbledore suggested.
The other three nodded their agreement and limped back towards the castle.
With a rush of green flame, Hermione appeared in the fireplace of Draco's tiny flat.
"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"
Hermione instinctively dove for the floor, feeling the heat trail of the spell as it sliced the air just above her head.
"Hold it! It's me, Hermione," she shouted, skidding along the carpet until something hard interrupted her. A sharp pain shot down her arm.
"Granger?" Draco's voice said in the dark.
"Yes, Draco. Granger."
"What are you doing here?"
"If you turn the lights on and help me up, I'll tell you, but only the short version. We must hurry and get Ginny and before we make it back to Hogwarts."
"Um, right." He paused, though in the dark she couldn't see what he was doing. "Give us a sec to get the lights on."
"Sure," she said, rubbing her injured arm. "Do you always shoot people who … wait a minute. Us, Draco?"
"Lampas," Draco said. Several torches lit up the single room like it was day. Behind Draco's shirtless figure, Hermione could see someone else.
The someone else finished pulling on a nightshirt and stepped forward. Hermione gasped.
"Least we don't need another stop," Ginny said with a weak smile. She was blushing so badly that her face was crimson. "Now, what's going on that's got you bursting into our place at three in the morning?"
"Gin," Draco said.
"Drake," she mimicked. "Cat's out of the bag an' darting across the floor, hon. Might as well tell her the whole truth."
"You … you are together. Your mother was right. You live together, too?" Hermione was so stunned she could barely speak. "For how long?"
"Three years, Granger, not that it's any of your business," Draco added. "She's been living with me for the past six months, and before you go screaming at her, I'll thank you not to judge me on how I was at bloody Hogwarts."
Though her eyes were wide, Hermione shook her head.
"No, of course not, Draco. You're no villain. I've known that for years."
He nodded, his expression still guarded.
Ginny slapped him on the arm.
"Stop it, Draco. Hermione trusts you. She always has."
"Why the secret?" Hermione asked.
"Remember last year? When mum picked up on it? Ron threatened to kill him if he had laid a hand on me. And he had softened up a bit, if you recall."
"He wouldn't have, really," Hermione said.
"Arthur would've been a sight less understanding than Ron," Draco pointed out. "Look, Granger, we decided when we started it was for the best, until we saw where it was going, alright? I wanted Ginny to know me, not the bloody picture her family has of a mini-Lucius."
"I see. And the remaining two years?" Hermione came to her feet and crossed her arms.
"More like two and a half," Ginny said. She slipped a dreamy glance at Draco, glad to finally be able to tell someone. "I knew right quick that this was it for me."
Hermione's eyebrows rose as Draco broke into a pleased smile. The smile had a softness to it that she had never before seen in him. He leaned down and kissed Ginny lightly on the mouth.
It only lasted a moment, but Hermione could see the truth in Ginny's words. Their connection was palpable and beautiful; for the first time in years, Hermione wished Ron was there to kiss her like that again.
"We decided it would be better for everyone if we waited. My family is slowly accepting Draco as my partner – I figure when we feel comfortable with that, we'll tell them the rest."
"I … I understand. I won't say anything to anyone."
Draco's cold expression returned. He gave a slight nod. Ginny mouthed a 'thank you.' Hermione grinned widely. They seemed so happy together.
"So," Draco said, "what's so urgent that it's got you busting in on our evening together?"
Her grin disappeared as quickly as it had come, and she told them everything.
"Bloody. Hell."
"Yes, Draco, I think that sums it up rather well," Dumbledore said. They were in the infirmary rather than in Willow's room as they had originally planned. Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Harry were all with them. Dawn had also been roused from the Slytherin dorm and brought up to sit with Willow, who was currently sleeping off a sedative Madame Pomfrey had given her. The redhead's hand rested in Dawn's as Dumbledore explained the situation to Draco again.
"We'll have to start an official inquiry tomorrow," Ginny said. "That way we can shuffle …"
Draco cut her off. "No."
"What? What d'you mean, no?"
"Think about it, Ginny," Harry said. "Lucius is back. The Death Eater network is probably still functional. We'd be risking a leak."
"No way," Ron said, shaking his head. "No way, Harry. We took those bastards apart piece by piece. There's sod all left of 'em."
"So what you're suggesting," Hermione said, "is that we continue with what Professor Dumbledore started by going to the Watchers. We revive and expand the Order of the Phoenix?"
"Seems a bit drastic, Mione," Ron said. "It's one guy."
"The 'one guy' is the Order of Bastard, First Class," Draco said. He seemed to be staring out the window at nothing. "But none of that is what I meant. What I meant is what I said: no official inquiry from us, Ginny. I'll take a leave instead."
"What?"
He turned to look at her, his face looking strangely haunted. "He's my responsibility. I hunted him down before, an' I'll do it again, but I can't be dealing with other things or the auror bureaucracy. Not on this. You think Bones will let me do this? Me? Or if she does, that bastard Snyder will intervene and say no."
"Unfortunately, I think Draco has a point," Dumbledore said quietly. "Perhaps you might try something less drastic, though, Draco. For example, you might tell them you've heard rumors of a group modeling themselves after the Death Eaters, and that you and Ginny need to reduce your caseload to look into it more deeply."
He looked at her. "What d'you think?"
She nodded. "That would be better. We could still use the Ministry resources, an' to be honest, Draco, Grey and O'Brien could take a bunch of our cases without a problem."
Hermione felt a pang of sadness for them. She could tell Ginny was dying to throw her arms around Draco and hold him tight. She also, somehow, knew that Draco wanted her to, which struck Hermione as very odd indeed. She had never thought of Draco as a real person who might be affected that way. Of course, he was about to try and hunt down his own father. That probably battered his defenses something fierce.
"I'd say we could help you," Harry said, pointing to his wheelchair, "but we're a little hindered. Besides," he gestured to Willow, "we seem to have our own problem. What was wrong with her tonight, Professor?"
Dumbledore looked at Dawn.
"Miss Summers? Rupert was kind enough to tell me the whole story, but I'll leave it to you what to share with everyone else. If you feel it best not to say anything, then I would not."
Dawn looked back and forth between Willow and the assembled group. She didn't know the creepy blonde guy or Ron's sister Ginny, but the others seemed to trust them. As for Harry, Ron, and Hermione … she decided they needed to know. She hoped Willow would agree when she woke up.
"Okay, umm, see, here's the thing: Willow's really, really powerful."
"We're no slouches," Draco said. "How powerful?"
Dawn paused, thinking of the best way to describe it. "You guys know about me being the Key, right?" Everyone nodded. Dumbledore had briefed Draco and Ginny on Dawn already. "Well, back a few years ago, when Willow had maybe half the power or less than she has now, this god Glory tried to kill me. She also sort of sucked out Willow's girlfriend's sanity."
"God?" Ginny asked.
"She ruled this nasty hell dimension until her co-rulers gave her the boot because she was too skanky … I mean powerful," Dawn amended.
Harry and Ron nodded to the others; they had heard this on the Hogwarts Express, except for the sanity part.
"Wait," Harry broke in, thinking it through, "Willow's girlfriend? She's gay?"
Draco chuckled. "Aw, was Potter in love with the little witch?"
"Aw, are we gonna spatter Malfoy all over the infirmary walls?" Ron said rhetorically.
"Gentlemen, please," Dumbledore said. They quieted down to a harsh glare. "Dawn?"
"Right. Thanks. Anyway, as I was saying before being rudely interrupted by the Billy Idol wannabe, back then, Willow had less than half the power she has now. She went one on one with Glory and did some major damage. Then later she held off an entire army of knights outside a gas station."
"And she has double that power now," Hermione said, chewing on her lower lip as she pondered. "She clearly has only marginal control over it."
"Sometimes my power tries to eat me," Harry quoted.
"Excuse me?" Dumbledore asked.
"She said that to me the other night. Sometimes her power tries to eat her."
"Sounds fantastic," Draco said sarcastically.
"Listen, buddy, she does the best she can. She's damn good at it now, and if you say one thing about it to her when she's awake, I'll kick your pale ass all the way back to London." Dawn glared fiercely at him.
"Thanks, Dawnie," came Willow's scratchy voice from the bed.
"Will! You're okay!" Dawn hugged her, staring at the girl's green eyes.
"Uh huh. If I don't get the crepe-y skin and black hair, it leaves pretty fast. Is – Is everyone okay?"
"Everyone is fine, Willow," Dumbledore said. "How are you?"
"Embarrassed? Yeah, I'll take Embarrassing Willow Gaffes for two hundred, Alex."
"And the answer is …"
"Don't you dare, Dawnie!" Dawn laughed; Willow managed a weak chuckle. Everyone else looked on with bewilderment except for Hermione, who laughed along with them. She had seen Jeopardy before. "I'm really sorry, guys. I wouldn't have called that much power, but that guy was really giving off the evil vibe." She looked the group over, doing a double take when she saw Draco. "Wow, are you like the guy's son or what?"
"I am. Draco Malfoy," he said, then pointed to Ginny. "This is my partner, Ginny Weasley."
"Oh! Ron's sister, right? And you guys are aurors?"
"Exactly right. Hello, Willow," Ginny said.
"Willow?"
"Yeah, Harry?"
"You know the wave you told me about?" She nodded. "How much bigger is it than your yellow bucket?" Nobody understood a word he had said, except her. She understood what he wanted to know.
"Way bigger. Let me try and make you understand better: two years ago, my … girlfriend, Tara, was … she …" Willow paused, drawing a deep breath. "She got shot and she died. I got lost in the magic. Way lost. The kind of lost where you try and end the world through force of will, and you have the power to do it."
No one made a sound. Dawn clutched her hand tightly.
"Wow," Ron said, trying to imagine something like that. "I still have trouble changing a cannonball into a quaffle."
"Trust me, it's not what you would call a plus on the ol' resume," Willow said. She looked at Dumbledore. "I … I understand if you want me to leave."
"Nonsense," he said. The entire room shifted stares from her to him. "I knew all of this before you arrived, Willow. In fact, I am well acquainted with many of the women you studied under at the coven. They all believed Hogwarts was the right place for you, and so do I."
His tone shifted subtly, becoming warm and professorial at the same time. More than ever, his voice reminded her of freshly-sanded wood.
"All your life, you have experienced magic as part of your battle against evil. You have seen magic at its most harsh, magic that damages and destroys. Your friend Tara, who from what Rupert told me sounds as if she was an extraordinary woman, taught you, I think, that some magic exists that it is not harsh nor damaging. Unfortunately, you have never been able to develop that side of your magic. I can feel it in every spell you cast. You wrench the power from one locale to another, when in fact it is far more easily molded than wrenched. It is meant to be guided, not pulled."
"That is what we have always taught here at Hogwarts. It is the underlying tenet for every spell cast by a Hogwarts student. All of the people you see here have learned to mold magic to their will. They have all chosen to battle the dark forces as their life's work, but they are not corrupted by what they do, no matter how much power they may use. And while none of us rivals you in raw power, I assure you, my dear, that Harry and I can both wield ten times the amount that addicted you initially."
"You know all about me?"
"I do. I did not just bring you here to be my Dark Arts Professor, young lady. When I asked you to come and join our community, I meant just that. You will give to us, and we will give back to you. If you are willing, I would be happy to retrain you so that you no longer need fear calling on your magic. I'm certain all of our staff would."
"Of course," Harry said immediately.
"Count me in," Ron agreed.
"It should be fascinating," Hermione added.
Fat tears dripped down Willow's face.
"That … that would be amazing. C-can you really do it?"
He put a hand lightly on her shoulder and smiled.
"Haven't you heard, my dear? This is a magic school. We can do anything."