Is that an update I see before me?

Damn, need to stop studying Shakespeare. :P But, flu and plain boredom have driven me to try and shorten my plan from so-many chapters to a little less. Needless to say, it didn't work. Updates will be very varied. This chapter was started about six times before I realised what I was doing wrong.

Thanks to Cyropi, my Weasley twin. Thank you for your wonderful translation Freda *hugs*

Shameless promotion: Read Cyropi's fic, Magnanimous. She is, of course, the author of the fabulous Fire and Ice, and its sequel, Darkness and Light. Read those, too, while you're at it. And read her upcoming fic. It promises to be awe-inspiring.

I do apologise for the long delay. This chapter has been en hiatus until I managed to start Ouroboros, a new fic. Is rated 'R' so don't read unless you like it. Evil!Draco is fun to write :D *is about five chapters ahead*

I own nothing. "..." denotes speech and italics denote everything else. You know the drill by now.

~ * ~

Harry turned the pages of the reference book cautiously. Opposite him, Ron sat in perfect silence, for once, carefully writing notes on Pegasi. Between them, Hermione sat, her essay finished, her quill at rest, her eyes closed.

"Is she okay?" mouthed Ron when he caught Harry's eye. Harry shrugged; it was the best answer he could give.

"I'm perfectly alright Ron, don't worry." Hermione's first comment since their last lesson, Care of Magical Creatures, shocked the two boys.

"And it is safe to talk. I'm just, thinking." 'Waiting.'

"Okay then 'Mione." Harry let out a relieved sigh.

"Can we copy your essay?" asked Ron, staring over at Hermione's completed homework, fourteen inches longer than his.

"No, you can do your own. You've been doing fine." Hermione opened her eyes, and the boys were more than a little worried when, for a brief moment, they saw a red flare deep within them.

"Alright. Is this right?" Ron picked up his essay and started reciting it. Neville, on the table behind them in the Gryffindor Common Room, picked up a quill and started making notes.


"Pegasi are very rare creatures. They can live for up to three million years. They are usually white in colour, with wings and horns. They are telepathic and use telekinesis. They can fly at speeds of up to ninety miles an hour-"

"One hundred and twenty," corrected Hermione.

"-and they are usually found living in family groups deep within forests. Very rarely do they make contact with humans. They prefer the company of other animals, and vampires, werewolves, giants, but not Dementors, or banshees, or people touched by evil."

"You missed out ghosts, they like ghosts," said Hermione, pointing to Ron's last paragraph.


"Thanks 'Mione!" Ron started scribbling corrections furiously.


"As long as we're correcting homework, Harry, what've you got?" Hermione folded her arms and stared in awe at the eight inches that Harry had managed on his own. Never before had she seen him write so much in a subject she could help with.


"Basically, the same as Ron, except also, Pegasi, singular Pegasus, usually give birth to one foal every two years. A baby Pegasus has small, fluffy wings and a vivid red mane and tail to scare off possible foes. They are usually associated with the moon, the air, and the Elemental race." Harry paused, unsure, but Hermione urged him on.

"The first Pegasus to make contact with a human was Heracles, who, during the time of Balthazar, the first ever Dark Lord, visited the leader of the then small group of Elemental people. He asked for help to protect his herd, and in return would forever be in the debt, promising to use the Pegasus powers of the mind to watch over sacred areas."

"Well done mate, hadn't found that bloke's name." Ron copied it down, making notes furiously as Harry carried on.

"The only exception to the association with good is the Black Pegasus. Seen as a death omen, more serious than a grim, millennia can pass before it is seen. Reputed to be one of the first Pegasi, it will only appear in times of desperate need, lending a hand to whichever side appeals to it. During the time of the wizard Grindelward, the Black Pegasus, as it has been named, assisted the wizard in ruling for a few years, before, as quickly as it decided, it changed sides and helped Grindelward's downfall to come about. The only wizard currently alive who has seen the Black Pegasus is Albus Dumbledore."

"Maybe Hagrid'll get him to come down and talk to us about the black one," grinned Ron excitedly.

"Maybe, maybe not. Dumbledore is very secretive about most things." Harry ruffled his hair. "But it would be great if he did."

"Hermione." Ron had just looked at his watch. "How did you get your essay done so quickly?"

Hermione shrugged and smiled. "I researched Pegasi when we studied unicorns."


Harry and Ron stared at each other and groaned. "Should've known."

Stretching out, Hermione looked at the entrance to the prefect's room from the Gryffindor common room.

"I'm going to let them know that I'm spending tonight in here, and so if there's anything I'm needed for, to send me an owl," she said firmly. "We hardly ever spend time together any more since Dumbledore decided to split us up."

As soon as she was gone, Neville turned around in his seat. "Ginny asked me to tell you that she's ready and she's going to do it in the special room once everyone's asleep. She's in detention at the moment. She yawned in Potions." Neville shuddered and snapped his book shut. "I think I'll go for a walk."

"Have fun Neville!" called Harry after him. Ron bent closer to Harry.

"So we're doing it tonight? In the Room of Requirement?"

"Yes, apparently."

"Then how in Merlin's name are we going to get Malfoy in there?"

Harry stared at Ron pointedly.

"Oh, no. Not me! I'm not doing it! I hate the slimy little git!"

~ * ~

"Hannah!" Hermione knocked on the Hufflepuff Prefect's door. "I'm not going to be in until late. Owl me if I'm needed."

"Right-o!" called Hannah cheerfully. Hermione nodded, satisfied. Nobody was going to stop her spending a night away from prefect responsibilities, away from her hidden past, and above all, away from Draco Malfoy.

~ * ~

Hermione closed her eyes and lay back, her feet on Ron's lap, her head resting against Harry.

"This is nice." She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. "We have to spend more time together."

"We will, 'Mione. It's been hard adjusting to everything, for all of us. Life is far too complicated for us to predict what will happen; if we knew, we'd have spent the summer together" said Harry wisely. Ron threw a cushion at him.

"Stop with the act, Harry, it's doing my head in mate."

Harry straightened his glasses. "Sorry, Ron," he teased. "Do the long words hurt your poor little head?" As Hermione turned to Ron, waiting for an answer to Harry's question, a grin on her face, Harry raised his arm and gestured for Ron to go an alert Ginny.

"Oh wise up, Harry." Ron started to stand, pushing Hermione's feet gently off his.


"I've got to go speak with McGonagall," he said ruefully. "I won't be long. The old bat better not keep me long anyway." He stuck his hands dejectedly in his pockets and dragged his feet as he walked over to the portrait.


"Why?" called Hermione, receiving no answer. "Why? Ron, answer me! Why? Don't ignore me, Ronald Weasley!"

The portrait swung back, leaving her without an answer. As she settled down, she heard Harry whisper something. A jet of light hit her back, and she fell over, stunned.


"Sorry Hermione."


~ * ~

Draco sat in his chair, sulking. Hermione had been avoiding him all day.

'How dare she! I'm a Malfoy! I always get what I want, no matter how hard it is. She can't resist me, that's why she's not here. My charm is simply too much for her Mudblood mind to comprehend.'

Draco bit his lip. "I should stop calling her that, even if it is just in my mind," he said sadly. Hermione was making things so damn hard! They were destined to be together, so why couldn't she resist his charms? She even resisted the leather trousers! No female on the planet, even Veelas, had ever resisted a Malfoy in leather.

'She's got to be using some sort of charms. There's no way she can possibly resist with just will-power.'

The portrait swung open, and Draco straightened up in his chair, hoping it was Hermione.

"Exterminators! Hear you're having problems with ferrets." Ron stepped over to the centre of the room.

"Get out of here Weasel, before I take points. That's an expensive rug that your peasant feet are trampling mud into," drawled Draco, extremely unhappy to see a red-headed Weasley instead of his blue-haired fiancée.

"And it's my precious time that I'm wasting by being here," grouched Ron.

"I certainly don't want your anything, even if it is just your time," sneered Draco, his sarcastic tone reflecting his mood.

"Oh shut up Ferret face." Ron stepped forward, and his foot caught in a loop of the rug. With a strangled yell, he fell forward. Draco leapt out of the chair as Ron hit it.

"Even the Weasley males can't resist my charm," he said smugly. "Sorry Weasley, but I don't fly that side of the Quidditch pitch."

"Oh shut up, before I shove a broomstick up your-"


"Manners, Weasley. Someone superior to you is in the common room."

"Where?" Ron looked around theatrically. "All I see is an arrogant prick."

"Well you'd better open your eyes, Weasley."

Ron opened his eyes wide in pretence, and then performed a double-take.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't realise I was in the company of the Great Malfoy, the Amazing Bouncing Ferret!"

"Would you like to repeat that to my wand?" Draco pulled out his wand with a flourish. "Or would you rather I put it somewhere painful?"


"As long as it hurts you, I don't care what you do with it," was Ron's smooth reply. This was the tone of a person who knew that they still hadn't used the trump card.

"Fine! Stup-"

"Hermione wouldn't like that." Ron played his trump card smoothly. The look on Draco's face was one he would cherish forever.

Draco paused in his shout. 'No, Hermione wouldn't like it if I stunned him. But I can't have a battle of wits with him. He's unarmed.'

"That's right," said Ron levelly. "She wouldn't like a lot of things. Stupefy!"

His spell caught Draco off guard, and the blonde boy hit the rug.

"But they have to be done." Ron bared his teeth in distaste, and pointed his wand again. "Mobiliacorpus."

~ * ~

The light in the Room of Requirement was low, a log fire flickering, causing shadows to dance upon the stunned couple's faces.

Ginny had been busy after getting out of her detention. The room had a large lectern in the middle, on which was placed a large spell book. In the centre of a circle, surrounded by powerful runes, Draco and Hermione sat back to back, their hands tied with ribbons.

Ron and Harry both had their wands drawn. Harry had his pointed at Hermione, and Ron's at Draco. In each of their other hands, they held silver daggers, and silver ribbons.

"I don't like this, Harry." Ron finally spoke up, having been quiet since his wand had guided Draco into the room. "She'll never forgive us."

"Maybe not." Harry's face was grim as he unconsciously echoed Ron's words. "But it has to be done."

Ginny was dressed for the part, in a ceremonial white robe. The ceremony could only be performed by a female, after they had met certain requirements. Harry was somewhat relieved that Ginny was able to perform the spell.

Now, Ginny approached the lectern. All the ingredients were there, powdered unicorn horn, shredded Boomslang skin, Mandrake root, and the talon of a female Hippogriff.

"Ready," she assured Ron and Harry. "Wake them up, and then just do as I told you." She smoothed the pages of the book and looked down, reading the first words to herself.

"Enervate."

Hermione's eyes snapped open instantly. "Harry! What did you do?" she asked, annoyed. She made as if to move her hand, but it was jerked backwards by Draco, who had woken and tried to do the same thing.

"What the hell?" he swore. Their hands were tied, two different coloured ribbons on each. A red and a green bound their left hands, and a blue and a yellow bound their right.

"Argh! What do you think you're doing, Granger?" he asked as his head snapped backwards. Hermione growled.

"We're in a magic circle, ferret."

"What?!" Draco looked around as best he could. Sure enough, there was a circle surrounding them.

"Now that you're awake," said Ginny, coughing slightly to get their attention.

"Ginny! What on earth are you doing?" shrieked Hermione, starting to panic as Harry slowly held both arms by his side. Her attention had been drawn to the dagger. Harry's hand twitched slightly, more through nerves than anything else, but it was enough to silence Hermione.

"We're stopping you two arguing." Ginny nodded at Harry and Ron, who held their wands steadily.

"We're ready," they chorused.

"Good." Ginny traced her finger along the ancient runes, translating as she read.

"Sangue leonis serpentisque, pacem hi perficetur, fonem noster"

Harry and Ron stepped forward. Harry took Hermione's left hand, and Ron took Draco's left hand. Looking away in disgust, they held the daggers up, and slashed the palm of their hands. Ron held the sitting couple's hands together whilst Harry tied them together with the silver ribbons. Hermione winced, unable to speak, she looked about to pass out.

"Bastard," hissed Draco as Harry and Ron quickly repeated the process with their right hands.

"It's not like we enjoy this," responded Ron quietly as Ginny began to read again. Draco stared in horror at the floor as blood began dripping from their hands.

"Et sic, hae infulae ad indutia a hoc dies foras adigimur. Et nemo hostibus erunt, et omnes amicae erunt, coniungimus enim stant," intoned Ginny. Both Hermione and Draco gave a small, sharp gasp as a white hot pain shot through them. Hermione's head fell forward, and she hissed. Draco's head shot backwards, and he groaned.

Ginny watched them intently.

"Is that it?" Ron was the first to speak. "Is it finished?"

"Yes." Ginny snapped the book shut. "Untie their hands, and get ready to run!" she called as she sprinted away, hugging the book.

"Why can't we leave them here?!" shouted Ron in panic. The murderous look on Draco's look was nothing compared to Hermione's Just-wait-until-your-mother-finds-out-Ronald-Weasley glare.

"Ron, you go," said Harry with a sudden idea. "I'll untie one of their hands. Throw their wands into the corner! Then we run!"

"Harry James Potter, You-Know-Who will be small fry compared with me unless you untie us right now!" ordered Hermione, in a no-nonsense, Mrs Weasley tone of voice. Harry gulped nervously.

"Ron, throw their wands away and hold the door open," he said again, reaching down. As soon as the wands had landed, Harry ripped the ribbon off and sprinted out of the door, Ron following.


"Get back here!" growled Draco, trying to stand at the same time as Hermione lunged forward for her wand. This resulted in him getting triumphantly to his feet, and being tugged backwards immediately.

"Argh! Malfoy, away!"

"It's all your fault, you pathetic, useless Mudblood!" he yelled. A spark of pain shot through them both, draining their energy slightly.


"What the hell has that Weasley done to us? And look at my hand!" he yelled, having just seen the cut made by Ron. "What the hell? My perfect hand! My skin! She's going to pay for this; she put those two brainless twits up to it. My hand!"

"Bloody hell."

Hermione's curse pulled Draco out of his moment of self-pity. He stared at her.

"What?"


"She's bound us."

"No shit, Sherlock," observed Draco dryly, lifting his hand, still loosely attached to Hermione's. Another sharp pain shot through them all.


"No, the blood binding. That's what the spell was! I knew I'd read it somewhere before!"

Draco stared at Hermione again, and blinked. He could only think of one word to say.


"Sly."

"No shit."

~ * ~

That's all! Sorry if it's such a small chapter compared to normal.

The first piece of Latin says: By the blood of the lion and the serpent, peace shall be brought to pass by these, our sources.

The second says: And thus, these ribbons bind us unto a truce from this day forth. And none shall be foes and all shall be friends, for united we stand.

Bounteous hugs and kisses to Freda for helping me with this chapter, even if she didn't know that she did.

*kills ff.net* Just went down, so this chapter is severely delayed even more. Sorry bout that.

Shadow-Shamblin - *hands other chapter over* Does anyone actually realise that this is going to be book length? As in humongously long? And I have no other chapters, except the epilogue, already written. *gulps*

willowfairy – got the mail! Thanks SO much for your help! *hugs you*

poetbrit – Pegasi are telepathic. Or, they are now. ^_^ As for their looks, think Pegasus, unicorn with wings.

Kiyoko - ^_^ Thanks. I actually need to remind myself of what's going to happen next. *goes to check*

ShibbySpunkyChick - ^_^ This one is working out much better than it did last time. Am pleased. You're right, it's coming along good (or well, or whatever.)

VelvetDragon – pins and needles? *is squeamish, even at the mention of those words* Am glad you enjoy ^_^

Blue-Dreamz – Oops, forgot to answer what the Pegasi meant by that. But yeah, you're right. Them two, together forever. Cookies for you!

SylviaCater – You have NO idea about what's gonna happen in the future ;) Promises to be side-splitting. If I write it right.

silver-dragon60 – I ship anything and everything, but mainly Draco/Hermione and Harry/Ginny. ^_^

Melanie Sydney and Summer Sue – Posted another one! *hands you cookies* Thanks for waiting patiently, lol. Next one… well, I'm not making any promises about it.

DanishGirl – Define 'soon' as 'within a month….or two' and I can update soon, lmao ^_^

Emma Ackroyd – Tis alright. Sorry for taking so long over this one.

ILoveBen – I've actually read your story before. Can't remember if I reviewed or not, though. Is great. Everyone! Read this story!

Taintless – Your review had me rolling on the floor laughing. Have you been watching Shrek? (My dear aforementioned Weasley twin had the onion phrase as her MSN name for a while, lol) Am glad you like all these ideas. It's kinda hard to pull them all off. Am honoured that you think I do it well. ^_^

firehottie - *blinks* Does that say what I read it to say? *huggles you to death and plies you with cookies*

kagie-chan – Well, the purpose of this chapter was to get rid of Hermione's option of fight. Now all she can do is behave herself and be civil to Draco. ;)

mina-ise – Cookies stop all hurt. *hands over cookies* Don't hurt!

lee – I did have an e-mail list, but lost the e-mails 'cause my original e-mail thingumybob got screwed up. I don't e-mail alerts any more, so so sorry. Have a cookie to make up for it.

Relena Potter – True, everyone does wish they owned Malfoy. Maybe JK could auction him off. ;)

Cookies to everyone for patiently waiting!