Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but the plot is mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing could compare to the relief that swept over the company as they met Dumbledore and Lupin in the air. Dumbledore said nothing about what happened. He ignored for the moment the sea of black cloaks and the crocodile boots, forgotten by the children in the tall grass. He just picked up the children and spirited them back to Hogwarts, over the green sea and the foamy waves. It would have been a spectacular sight, if any of them were sentient enough to care.
It was nearly dark then they alighted on the sweeping lawns of Hogwarts, deserted still with half of vacation left. Never had the windows looked to welcoming, spilling over with warm light and the promise of much needed rest. They entered the Main Hall, eyes blurring with fatigue. It wasn't even that late, but eveyone was tired from the strain of the day, especially Hermione. She had actually fallen asleep on the ride home, head resting heavily on Lupin's back.
"There will be plenty of time later for explanation," Dumbledore said softly, eyeing the straggled company through his glasses. "Everyone is in much want of a good night's sleep,"
"I think it'll take a little more than that," Lupin said, peering through his floppy bangs.
"Naturally," Dumbledore replied. "Now, all of you off to your beds. Your rest will be interrupted by nothing. But all of you will be expected to talk..sometime," Dumbledore added.
Draco started off down the stone steps to the dungeon, only half aware of Hermione walking up with Harry and Ron to their dormitory. It only occurred to him as he was falling into bed that he was back and everything would have to return to normal. But before he could contemplate what that meant, his head hit the pillow and sleep took over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
****
CULT GATHERING SUSPECTED NEAR DUBLIN LIBRARY
*The strange eclipse that occurred yesterday at 8:23 am is now the topic of a heated debate within Dublin's city council and around kitchen tables all over Ireland. There was no premonition of this eclipse, which some people are now writing off as "magic."
Although there is no proof that any supernatural occurrence happened, when the librarian opened up for the day, he found that the cellar had been broken into, and one of the library's oldest books abandoned on the floor. Some sources say that the book dealt with black magic, and a question arises to why the library would hold such a book? The librarian withholds comment, leaving that question unanswered. However the librarian, when stepping outside for a cigarette later that day, found almost two dozen black cloaks abandoned in the field behind the building. More bizarre, he found a pair of crocodile skin boots among the cloaks. The cloaks, suspected from a cult gathering, were collected by law enforcement for inspection. The boots, however, are being kept by the librarian. "Well, they ARE good boots!" he exclaimed. So, although the public will come away with unanswered questions and only a hypothesis of what really happened that morning, someone did come away with a great pair of boots.
~ G. Menary*
**********
Hermione looked up from her newspaper and down the long empty table. She was the first person to arrive for breakfast. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the night before. She had laid in the wonderful familiarity of her bed and listened to the silence until she could see the sun rise and get up for breakfast. When she did, she found her Daily Prophet and Muggle newspaper waiting for her. The Daily Prophet had written nothing of the past night's events, probably silenced by the Ministry by means of threat. However, Cornelius could not stop the Muggle writers from publishing their own story.
She was just about to rise from her seat when Harry appeared, looking small under the massive archway. He made his way to the table and sat down next to her. She pushed the newspaper towards him and he read, amusement lining his face just from the title.
"It's not very funny," Hermione said.
"No, I guess it's not," Harry replied, setting the newspaper down with a sigh, "But we should be glad they didn't think up something worse."
"Just wait until they discover the empty graves around Ireland," Hermione added, rolling up the newspaper nervously.
"Can't wait for that." Harry put his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Are you feeling ok?"
"As well as can be expected," she said, rising. "Did you want breakfast?"
"Not now," Harry said, rising with her. "I left Ron snoring like a freight train, so it'll be a while until he gets up. I can wait until then." As they walked slowly out of the Dining Hall, Harry kept stealing worried glances at Hermione, who stopped by the stairs and faced him.
"What's the matter Harry?"
Harry took a moment, seeming to count the fingers on his hand. He looked up finally. "How did it feel? I mean-playing the pipes?"
Hermione sat down on the steps and Harry remained standing, watching her eyes glaze over in thought. She took a while and Harry waited patiently, almost wishing he hadn't asked at all.
"I felt-," she stopped and took a small breath. "I felt very warm. For those moments I felt like I wasn't in control, like I couldn't stop playing if I tried. I couldn't feel my body or the ground underneath my feet. But it wasn't a bad feeling. I just felt...light," Hermione finished. She sat in thought for a few more moments and then looked up at Harry.
"It sounds nice," Harry said softly.
"It was," Hermione whispered. She stood up and pulled back her hair. "Do you know if Draco is up yet?" Harry only shrugged. Hermione let her hair go and sat back down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Draco woke up and it took him a few moments to figure out that he was back at Hogwarts. He sat up and looked at the clock.
12:00
Draco groaned and fell back on his bed, rubbing his temples. Even with over twelve hours he felt as if he could sleep another decade. Plus, he hated the thought of sitting down and living it all over again for Dumbledore. Still, he slid out of bed and, as slowly as he could, got dressed.
"I wonder if Hermione's up." Draco thought, quickening his pace through the dungeon. He climbed the stairs and walked out into the Great Hall.
Hermione looked up from the stairs, where she had been sitting for the past few hours with Harry, and smiled so wide that Harry thought her face would split. She leaped up and met Draco halfway, pulling him into a fierce hug. Draco buried his face in her hair.
"Now this is what I call a morning greeting," he whispered, and Hermione laughed. It was a pure laugh, something neither Harry nor Draco had heard in what seemed like years.
Draco and Hermione walked back towards Harry, who stood awkwardly by the banister. Draco and Harry stood for a few moments before Draco extended his hand towards Harry. Harry only took a moment to accept it, making Hermione smile and laugh once again.
"How can it be this easy?" Harry exclaimed, taking back his hand.
"Oh, it won't be," Draco replied. "There will obviously be disagreements and I doubt it will take Ron any less than a year to even say my NAME, but you'll have to manage."
Harry nodded seriously.
"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" a voice said from the top of the stairs. They looked up to see Ron standing with his hands on his hips, a grumpy expression on his face, and an ugly purple sweater on his torso.
"Nice sweater, Weasley," Draco sniggered. Hermione hit him lightly as Ron made his way down the stairs.
"You know," Ron said when he reached the bottom, "This sweater isn't nearly as ugly as your face."
"At least I don't have enough freckles to be mistaken for chicken pox," Draco countered.
"You've been awake less than ten minutes and already you're picking a fight!" Hermione exclaimed, getting between the two. "Could you guys keep it together for once?" She turned to Ron. "Are you hungry?"
"I've kinda lost my appetite," Ron hissed, eyeing Draco.
"Well then why don't we sit down and chat?" Dumbledore said, walking serenely up to them from wherever he was evidently hiding. "That is, if you're ready?"
The group looked at each other nervously, Ron's usually crimson face draining a bit in color. But they all kept their stomachs and nodded. Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling from behind his half-moon spectacles.
"This will clearly take us a while, for I want to hear each person's individual story. Unlike most of these times, I have a very dim idea of how this incident came about and I would like as many sides as possible." He turned around and led them down the stone hallway and to the gargoyle which served as the guardian of his office.
"Gummie Bears," he said to the sentry. The gargoyle yawned deeply and leaped aside to reveal the spiral staircase. He turned to look at the company, licking his lips. "I've had the opportunity to sample this Muggle treat and I have to tell you, they beat the pants off of our Bertie Bott's." He winked and led them up the stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ron finished awkwardly and took a gigantic sip of his water. It was late afternoon, the sun shining its brightest through the window behind Dumbledore. He was sitting with his eyes closed, his elbows resting on his desk. His two pointer fingers were folded like a steeple with his chin resting on the tips. The four children sat in silence, each brooding individually on their own part.
Each had heard a different side and each different side added more dimensions to the complicated last week. Both Hermione and Draco found it hard to talk about their time at the Manor, especially their brawl. Draco was amused to find out Harry and Ron's role in the story and no one could miss the grimace Ron tried to hide every time Draco or Hermione talked about their relationship. Dumbledore listened in silence the whole time, except for a few questions here and there to help piece together the four stories. When their stories merged into one they all talked, adding details the others had missed, Draco holding Hermione's hand the whole time.
Dumbledore opened his eyes and looked at the four students sitting in front of him. "I just want to express how impressed I am at your bravery. I don't know if you realized it but three of you risked your lives to save another person who a week before you despised. It's very simple to run headfirst into a dilemma and fight on your own, but it's not easy to trust and work together, especially with past demons hovering over your head. That takes even more courage than facing a thousand dead walkers."
"I beg to differ," Ron said meekly.
Dumbledore smiled. "I know my words sound fancy, but you'll soon realize that what you did was something not a lot of adults could have done. Lupin, for example, would never be accepted back into the real world because of distrust, when anyone with a brain can see he'd be very useful. Putting past differences behind you is one of the hardest things." He paused, letting his words sink in.
"Where is Lupin?" Harry asked.
"He went back to the Phoenix," Dumbledore said, turning towards Harry. "We can't spare many people for long there."
"And my mother?" Draco asked.
"How do you think I was there so quick?" Dumbledore said. "She knew that your father was doing and set out to warn us even before he left. She's fine and will be here tomorrow." He turned towards Hermione. "I would like to see something, if you wouldn't mind, Ms. Granger."
Hermione stood up, slightly confused and enormously spent. "What?"
"Although I've never known anyone personally who have played the Pipes of Ionracas, I have heard that it doesn't leave the user totally unmarred." He paused. "Correction: not marred, MARKED." He motioned Hermione over and next to his chair. "Please trust me in this." He gently turned over her hands, inspected her palms, her arms, her stomach, and her ankles. Harry, Ron, and Draco looked on in confusion as Hermione turned redder and redder.
"I don't mean to be intruding, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said, "But only I know what to look for." He pulled back her hair and looked at the back of her neck. "Ah."
"What?" Hermione asked, feeling with her hand at the back of her neck.
"You can't feel it," Dumbledore said, looking more closely at the base of Hermione's neck.
"Well, what is it?" Harry asked, getting up and peering over the desk at Hermione's neck. Ron and Draco joined him.
"I feel like I'm on display," Hermione grumbled.
On the base of Hermione's neck was a light brown tattoo that shimmered in the sunlight. The tattoo curved around in it itself, a never ending maze of curvy lines, the outside resembling almost the head of an animal.
"It's a Celtic knot," Draco said.
"Yes, but a specific one," Dumbledore said, letting Hermione's hair fall back into place. "This knot was put on the shields of warriors for protection and such. You've been, it seems, blessed."
"By whom?" Hermione asked, going over to a mirror on the wall, trying to catch a glimpse of her mark.
"Perhaps Dagda or perhaps Lugh. Both could provide protection; especially Lugh, who was a warrior himself." Dumbledore replied, getting a second mirror from his desk so Hermione could see the back of her neck. "Don't think I'm vain," he said sheepishly as he handed the mirror to Hermione.
"But what does it mean?" Hermione asked, studying the mark.
"For saving the lives of innocents, you've been protected." Dumbledore caught Hermione's words as she started to speak, "No, that doesn't mean you're invincible. It just means you're not entirely alone."
"Wicked! You have a god watching over you!" Ron said. "Where do I sign up?"
"Merlin, what will my mum say about this tattoo?" Hermione murmured.
"I suspect she'll be very proud," Dumbledore said, smiling gently. Hermione smiled at her blessing in the mirror.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, I think it's hot," Draco said as they walked back from Dumbledores's office towards the Dining Hall for dinner.
"Me too," Hermione said, reaching up and kissing Draco. They sat down next to Harry and Ron on one of the long benches at Gyffindor table. No one remarked that Draco was at the wrong table. Not even Ron stirred a finger to point it out.
"So, what happened to the pipes?" Ron asked suddenly.
They all turned to Hermione. They sat in silence for a few moments as Hermione's thought. "I.don't know," Hermione said.
"Could you have dropped them?" Harry asked. "Perhaps we should go back and try to find them."
"No, I think it's for the best," Hermione said, pushing her food around with her fork. "What would we have done with it anyway?"
They all nodded.
"So what happens next?" Ron asked softly. "We could never go back to normal." Draco squeezed Hermione's fingers and smiled.
"But why should we try?" he asked softly. The four looked at each other and smiled, realizing now that as their adventure ended, another chapter of their life opened up. They ate in silence, their contentment and happiness lighting up the moment, feeling brighter as the sunlight streaming through the windows.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Cianán!"
A boy ran up through the tall grass to join his friend.
"Look what I found!"
He reached down and picked up a strange instrument. It was a set of pipes, five black iron rods roped together.
"Eww! It's all rusty!"
"Well, I bet it's old!" Cianán said, taking the pipes from his friend. He put his mouth to the pipes and blew.
"Hey, you don't know how to pla-," but his friend was cut off as a song came softly from the pipes; a wild, soaring song that reminded one of falling leaves and windy days.
"Hey, I'm good!" Cianán remarked. The two boys ran off through the grass playing the pipes, the wind carrying the song through the air and across the moor into the sky...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: It has taken me almost a year to right this fiction, but not because it took that much effort, but because I'm really lazy! The story is over, but I'm adding one more chapter: The Thank You chapter. For all that reviewed I will try to give a thank you....shush now, I have no life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing could compare to the relief that swept over the company as they met Dumbledore and Lupin in the air. Dumbledore said nothing about what happened. He ignored for the moment the sea of black cloaks and the crocodile boots, forgotten by the children in the tall grass. He just picked up the children and spirited them back to Hogwarts, over the green sea and the foamy waves. It would have been a spectacular sight, if any of them were sentient enough to care.
It was nearly dark then they alighted on the sweeping lawns of Hogwarts, deserted still with half of vacation left. Never had the windows looked to welcoming, spilling over with warm light and the promise of much needed rest. They entered the Main Hall, eyes blurring with fatigue. It wasn't even that late, but eveyone was tired from the strain of the day, especially Hermione. She had actually fallen asleep on the ride home, head resting heavily on Lupin's back.
"There will be plenty of time later for explanation," Dumbledore said softly, eyeing the straggled company through his glasses. "Everyone is in much want of a good night's sleep,"
"I think it'll take a little more than that," Lupin said, peering through his floppy bangs.
"Naturally," Dumbledore replied. "Now, all of you off to your beds. Your rest will be interrupted by nothing. But all of you will be expected to talk..sometime," Dumbledore added.
Draco started off down the stone steps to the dungeon, only half aware of Hermione walking up with Harry and Ron to their dormitory. It only occurred to him as he was falling into bed that he was back and everything would have to return to normal. But before he could contemplate what that meant, his head hit the pillow and sleep took over.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
****
CULT GATHERING SUSPECTED NEAR DUBLIN LIBRARY
*The strange eclipse that occurred yesterday at 8:23 am is now the topic of a heated debate within Dublin's city council and around kitchen tables all over Ireland. There was no premonition of this eclipse, which some people are now writing off as "magic."
Although there is no proof that any supernatural occurrence happened, when the librarian opened up for the day, he found that the cellar had been broken into, and one of the library's oldest books abandoned on the floor. Some sources say that the book dealt with black magic, and a question arises to why the library would hold such a book? The librarian withholds comment, leaving that question unanswered. However the librarian, when stepping outside for a cigarette later that day, found almost two dozen black cloaks abandoned in the field behind the building. More bizarre, he found a pair of crocodile skin boots among the cloaks. The cloaks, suspected from a cult gathering, were collected by law enforcement for inspection. The boots, however, are being kept by the librarian. "Well, they ARE good boots!" he exclaimed. So, although the public will come away with unanswered questions and only a hypothesis of what really happened that morning, someone did come away with a great pair of boots.
~ G. Menary*
**********
Hermione looked up from her newspaper and down the long empty table. She was the first person to arrive for breakfast. She hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the night before. She had laid in the wonderful familiarity of her bed and listened to the silence until she could see the sun rise and get up for breakfast. When she did, she found her Daily Prophet and Muggle newspaper waiting for her. The Daily Prophet had written nothing of the past night's events, probably silenced by the Ministry by means of threat. However, Cornelius could not stop the Muggle writers from publishing their own story.
She was just about to rise from her seat when Harry appeared, looking small under the massive archway. He made his way to the table and sat down next to her. She pushed the newspaper towards him and he read, amusement lining his face just from the title.
"It's not very funny," Hermione said.
"No, I guess it's not," Harry replied, setting the newspaper down with a sigh, "But we should be glad they didn't think up something worse."
"Just wait until they discover the empty graves around Ireland," Hermione added, rolling up the newspaper nervously.
"Can't wait for that." Harry put his hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Are you feeling ok?"
"As well as can be expected," she said, rising. "Did you want breakfast?"
"Not now," Harry said, rising with her. "I left Ron snoring like a freight train, so it'll be a while until he gets up. I can wait until then." As they walked slowly out of the Dining Hall, Harry kept stealing worried glances at Hermione, who stopped by the stairs and faced him.
"What's the matter Harry?"
Harry took a moment, seeming to count the fingers on his hand. He looked up finally. "How did it feel? I mean-playing the pipes?"
Hermione sat down on the steps and Harry remained standing, watching her eyes glaze over in thought. She took a while and Harry waited patiently, almost wishing he hadn't asked at all.
"I felt-," she stopped and took a small breath. "I felt very warm. For those moments I felt like I wasn't in control, like I couldn't stop playing if I tried. I couldn't feel my body or the ground underneath my feet. But it wasn't a bad feeling. I just felt...light," Hermione finished. She sat in thought for a few more moments and then looked up at Harry.
"It sounds nice," Harry said softly.
"It was," Hermione whispered. She stood up and pulled back her hair. "Do you know if Draco is up yet?" Harry only shrugged. Hermione let her hair go and sat back down.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Draco woke up and it took him a few moments to figure out that he was back at Hogwarts. He sat up and looked at the clock.
12:00
Draco groaned and fell back on his bed, rubbing his temples. Even with over twelve hours he felt as if he could sleep another decade. Plus, he hated the thought of sitting down and living it all over again for Dumbledore. Still, he slid out of bed and, as slowly as he could, got dressed.
"I wonder if Hermione's up." Draco thought, quickening his pace through the dungeon. He climbed the stairs and walked out into the Great Hall.
Hermione looked up from the stairs, where she had been sitting for the past few hours with Harry, and smiled so wide that Harry thought her face would split. She leaped up and met Draco halfway, pulling him into a fierce hug. Draco buried his face in her hair.
"Now this is what I call a morning greeting," he whispered, and Hermione laughed. It was a pure laugh, something neither Harry nor Draco had heard in what seemed like years.
Draco and Hermione walked back towards Harry, who stood awkwardly by the banister. Draco and Harry stood for a few moments before Draco extended his hand towards Harry. Harry only took a moment to accept it, making Hermione smile and laugh once again.
"How can it be this easy?" Harry exclaimed, taking back his hand.
"Oh, it won't be," Draco replied. "There will obviously be disagreements and I doubt it will take Ron any less than a year to even say my NAME, but you'll have to manage."
Harry nodded seriously.
"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" a voice said from the top of the stairs. They looked up to see Ron standing with his hands on his hips, a grumpy expression on his face, and an ugly purple sweater on his torso.
"Nice sweater, Weasley," Draco sniggered. Hermione hit him lightly as Ron made his way down the stairs.
"You know," Ron said when he reached the bottom, "This sweater isn't nearly as ugly as your face."
"At least I don't have enough freckles to be mistaken for chicken pox," Draco countered.
"You've been awake less than ten minutes and already you're picking a fight!" Hermione exclaimed, getting between the two. "Could you guys keep it together for once?" She turned to Ron. "Are you hungry?"
"I've kinda lost my appetite," Ron hissed, eyeing Draco.
"Well then why don't we sit down and chat?" Dumbledore said, walking serenely up to them from wherever he was evidently hiding. "That is, if you're ready?"
The group looked at each other nervously, Ron's usually crimson face draining a bit in color. But they all kept their stomachs and nodded. Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling from behind his half-moon spectacles.
"This will clearly take us a while, for I want to hear each person's individual story. Unlike most of these times, I have a very dim idea of how this incident came about and I would like as many sides as possible." He turned around and led them down the stone hallway and to the gargoyle which served as the guardian of his office.
"Gummie Bears," he said to the sentry. The gargoyle yawned deeply and leaped aside to reveal the spiral staircase. He turned to look at the company, licking his lips. "I've had the opportunity to sample this Muggle treat and I have to tell you, they beat the pants off of our Bertie Bott's." He winked and led them up the stairs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ron finished awkwardly and took a gigantic sip of his water. It was late afternoon, the sun shining its brightest through the window behind Dumbledore. He was sitting with his eyes closed, his elbows resting on his desk. His two pointer fingers were folded like a steeple with his chin resting on the tips. The four children sat in silence, each brooding individually on their own part.
Each had heard a different side and each different side added more dimensions to the complicated last week. Both Hermione and Draco found it hard to talk about their time at the Manor, especially their brawl. Draco was amused to find out Harry and Ron's role in the story and no one could miss the grimace Ron tried to hide every time Draco or Hermione talked about their relationship. Dumbledore listened in silence the whole time, except for a few questions here and there to help piece together the four stories. When their stories merged into one they all talked, adding details the others had missed, Draco holding Hermione's hand the whole time.
Dumbledore opened his eyes and looked at the four students sitting in front of him. "I just want to express how impressed I am at your bravery. I don't know if you realized it but three of you risked your lives to save another person who a week before you despised. It's very simple to run headfirst into a dilemma and fight on your own, but it's not easy to trust and work together, especially with past demons hovering over your head. That takes even more courage than facing a thousand dead walkers."
"I beg to differ," Ron said meekly.
Dumbledore smiled. "I know my words sound fancy, but you'll soon realize that what you did was something not a lot of adults could have done. Lupin, for example, would never be accepted back into the real world because of distrust, when anyone with a brain can see he'd be very useful. Putting past differences behind you is one of the hardest things." He paused, letting his words sink in.
"Where is Lupin?" Harry asked.
"He went back to the Phoenix," Dumbledore said, turning towards Harry. "We can't spare many people for long there."
"And my mother?" Draco asked.
"How do you think I was there so quick?" Dumbledore said. "She knew that your father was doing and set out to warn us even before he left. She's fine and will be here tomorrow." He turned towards Hermione. "I would like to see something, if you wouldn't mind, Ms. Granger."
Hermione stood up, slightly confused and enormously spent. "What?"
"Although I've never known anyone personally who have played the Pipes of Ionracas, I have heard that it doesn't leave the user totally unmarred." He paused. "Correction: not marred, MARKED." He motioned Hermione over and next to his chair. "Please trust me in this." He gently turned over her hands, inspected her palms, her arms, her stomach, and her ankles. Harry, Ron, and Draco looked on in confusion as Hermione turned redder and redder.
"I don't mean to be intruding, Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said, "But only I know what to look for." He pulled back her hair and looked at the back of her neck. "Ah."
"What?" Hermione asked, feeling with her hand at the back of her neck.
"You can't feel it," Dumbledore said, looking more closely at the base of Hermione's neck.
"Well, what is it?" Harry asked, getting up and peering over the desk at Hermione's neck. Ron and Draco joined him.
"I feel like I'm on display," Hermione grumbled.
On the base of Hermione's neck was a light brown tattoo that shimmered in the sunlight. The tattoo curved around in it itself, a never ending maze of curvy lines, the outside resembling almost the head of an animal.
"It's a Celtic knot," Draco said.
"Yes, but a specific one," Dumbledore said, letting Hermione's hair fall back into place. "This knot was put on the shields of warriors for protection and such. You've been, it seems, blessed."
"By whom?" Hermione asked, going over to a mirror on the wall, trying to catch a glimpse of her mark.
"Perhaps Dagda or perhaps Lugh. Both could provide protection; especially Lugh, who was a warrior himself." Dumbledore replied, getting a second mirror from his desk so Hermione could see the back of her neck. "Don't think I'm vain," he said sheepishly as he handed the mirror to Hermione.
"But what does it mean?" Hermione asked, studying the mark.
"For saving the lives of innocents, you've been protected." Dumbledore caught Hermione's words as she started to speak, "No, that doesn't mean you're invincible. It just means you're not entirely alone."
"Wicked! You have a god watching over you!" Ron said. "Where do I sign up?"
"Merlin, what will my mum say about this tattoo?" Hermione murmured.
"I suspect she'll be very proud," Dumbledore said, smiling gently. Hermione smiled at her blessing in the mirror.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, I think it's hot," Draco said as they walked back from Dumbledores's office towards the Dining Hall for dinner.
"Me too," Hermione said, reaching up and kissing Draco. They sat down next to Harry and Ron on one of the long benches at Gyffindor table. No one remarked that Draco was at the wrong table. Not even Ron stirred a finger to point it out.
"So, what happened to the pipes?" Ron asked suddenly.
They all turned to Hermione. They sat in silence for a few moments as Hermione's thought. "I.don't know," Hermione said.
"Could you have dropped them?" Harry asked. "Perhaps we should go back and try to find them."
"No, I think it's for the best," Hermione said, pushing her food around with her fork. "What would we have done with it anyway?"
They all nodded.
"So what happens next?" Ron asked softly. "We could never go back to normal." Draco squeezed Hermione's fingers and smiled.
"But why should we try?" he asked softly. The four looked at each other and smiled, realizing now that as their adventure ended, another chapter of their life opened up. They ate in silence, their contentment and happiness lighting up the moment, feeling brighter as the sunlight streaming through the windows.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Cianán!"
A boy ran up through the tall grass to join his friend.
"Look what I found!"
He reached down and picked up a strange instrument. It was a set of pipes, five black iron rods roped together.
"Eww! It's all rusty!"
"Well, I bet it's old!" Cianán said, taking the pipes from his friend. He put his mouth to the pipes and blew.
"Hey, you don't know how to pla-," but his friend was cut off as a song came softly from the pipes; a wild, soaring song that reminded one of falling leaves and windy days.
"Hey, I'm good!" Cianán remarked. The two boys ran off through the grass playing the pipes, the wind carrying the song through the air and across the moor into the sky...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: It has taken me almost a year to right this fiction, but not because it took that much effort, but because I'm really lazy! The story is over, but I'm adding one more chapter: The Thank You chapter. For all that reviewed I will try to give a thank you....shush now, I have no life.
