Zephari knew she had been in a comatose state for months. She could not explain how she knew this, but her conscious mind was traveling in numerous dreams and memories. She somehow managed to delve beyond the reaches of memory to find her earliest possible thoughts and sights. She had seen her mother in her dreams.

When the coma lifted, she struggled against it. She knew her body would die soon, so she could see her mother and father again. She knew that a part of her was fighting to live, but another was doing quite the opposite.

"No, Zephari, go back." A quiet female voice said in her ears, "Go back to your friends."

"Mum?" Zephari murmured.

"Go join your friends, hun. We'll have an eternity together someday, but not now." Her mother told her.

"I miss you, Mum." She mumbled sleepily.

"And I miss you too, Zephari. Remember that your father and I love you very much, but you cannot come join us yet. You have a life to live." The kind voice rolled through her mind.

"Dethol misses you." She murmured, knowing it was true.

"Yes, he would... Take care of him for us, Zephari. You're all that he has left." Her mother said, her voice fading.

"Don't leave me Mum!" Zephari cried, reaching out with a hand so as to grab a hold of the disembodied voice.

"I'm always with you. Be nice to everyone and take care of your cousins and Dethol." Her mother whispered.

"I love you Mum." Zephari murmured, sinking into her first natural sleep for months.

Dethol did not want to wake up. He was having a nice dream, far away from the world of reality and the pain it caused. Of course, dreams did not come without hallucinations that one thought was true. Sometimes the hallucinations were as painful as the reality; for sometimes one knew they were simply that: hallucinations. Therefore, they were false.

"I'm dreaming." He murmured as soon as he saw Marissa standing before him.

He knew this for a fact as she was not the girl Marissa he had known when he was in school but a Marissa as she would be if she still lived. A Marissa who had grown out of the teenage body most women had at one point, all elbows and knees with only a hint of the curves to come later. He moaned and leaned his head back against the tree he was still leaning against.

"Make it stop... This is isn't real. Let me go... Let me move on..." He pleaded.

"No, Dethol, I won't let you move on as you think of it. I won't let you die." She retorted sharply in the same tone as she always used to when he was being unreasonable, "Your friends need you. I let Christopher die eleven years ago; I won't let Dethol go as well."

"It's my life." He growled, completely pained by her unreal presence.

"People still need you." She answered.

He closed his eyes, unable to look at her.

"I know it hurts, Deth... but you have to go back. You're all one little girl has left." She told him, "Stop pining for me, I'm gone. You're still alive, live your life."

"I can't." He said through gritted teeth.

He felt her move closer to him and her breath on his face. He tried to ignore it, tried to forget the few memories he had of her. They had never done anything more than kiss... but he felt that when he so much looked at another woman he was betraying her.

"Look at me, Deth." She commanded.

He obeyed. She had always been a commanding force, a dominant part of his life. Most thought she was the one that 'wore the pants in their relationship' and they were rather right. But she had been gone for eleven years, leaving him to flail helplessly about in a skirt.

"I'm gone. I'm not coming back. In another life, perhaps we were together, but you have to move on. People are counting on you to do so." She placed a finger over his lips to silence his protest, "If you won't stay for them, then fine, die. Waste away what Lily and I gave for you and others to enjoy."

He suddenly felt guilty, "Marissa..." He faltered, "I'm not ungrateful, I just..."

"I wouldn't trade places with you if I could, Deth. You would be even more miserable trying to be my guide in your after-life." She cut him off.

"I don't believe in after-lives." He grumbled.

"Which is why you'd be miserable," She pointed out, "Either way, I won't let you waste your life away pining. I order you to get off your pining arse and do something."

"Controlling woman," He muttered, looking her in the eyes.

"So you had better not deceive me. I will become a ghost and stalk you if I have to." He smiled slightly at that, this apparition of his own imagination was just like he remembered her when she was alive, "Now, go back to the world of the living."

"Yes ma'am." He whispered, closing his eyes sleepily.

"Don't let a high school romance keep you from living your adult life." She whispered as he drifted away, "I'll always love you, Dethol... but I can't keep you just to myself."

He smiled slightly. That was not at all what she had said back when they were in school. She had told him that he was hers, no question about it, and any other girl who wanted him would have to fight her tooth and nail. How naïve they had been back then...

Zephari stirred from her sleep. She felt her eyelids flutter and opened her eyes to stare around the hospital wing. Fuzzy glimpses of the past few months chased each other around her mind. She saw a clutter of worried people near the door, slowly advancing and becoming clearer. She recognized them in a few seconds and smiled slightly.

"Zephari?" Zoë asked, sounding and looking completely shocked.

"You're awake!" Dante cried.

Before Zephari could protest, as she was rather weak from not having properly eaten in months, they both grabbed her in a hug. She noticed she had been hooked up to something muggles called an IV, which had been putting nutrients straight into her blood stream. Not really wanting to protest, she hugged them back slightly.

"How do you feel?" Liam asked worriedly, his face swimming into clarity.

"Starving," She admitted, "And like I've slept enough for the rest of my life."

"You've been out for four months." Natasha informed her.

"I'll go get Madam Patil." Xander said eagerly, beaming at her before running off.

The others, all her house- and year-mates with the exception of Abe and James, sat on and around her bed. Zoë, Dante and Natasha filled her in on what had happened in the months since she had fallen asleep. Dethol had gone off to fix everything – and had succeeded as she was awake and no longer feeling sick – while the fifth and seventh years had gone to Hogsmeade with Ginny and Draco so they could prepare for their Ministry-enforced examinations.

Madam Patil arrived halfway through their re-telling and examined Zephari with polite questions and minor physical examinations. When they finished, however, she wasted no time in ushering them out and closing the curtains. She then gave Zephari a full physical examination.

The girl tried very hard not to fidget as Madam Patil continued her examination. She wanted to be proclaimed healthy, get the muggle thing out of her arm and go eat the supper feast. Her internal clock, which was never off, told her the feast would soon be laid out for her starving stomach to feast on; with the help of her hands and cutlery – though it would be mighty tempting to forgo the cutlery – to help it travel from plate to mouth, obviously.

"What time is it?" Zephari asked curiously as her pulse was checked for the thousandth time.

"Supper should be ready within the hour," Madam Patil informed her, then moved on to examine her lungs again, "Breathe in."

Zephari rolled her eyes and obeyed. She had a large amount of patience for Healers, as she had been raised to always listen to them. After what seemed like ages of pampering and prodding, she began to get annoyed.

"Madam Patil, you've checked my pulse thirty-three times and checked my lungs twenty-four." She said exasperatedly, "Can you get this muggle contraption out of my arm and let me go, already?"

The matron's lips pursed either in irritation or amusement as she obliged. "You're good to go as soon as you drink this." She commanded.

Zephari downed the potion in one gulp and pulled on her school uniform before dashing out through the curtain. She had not gone two steps out the infirmary door before she was grabbed in a hug by Dante, Zoë, Natasha, Annabelle and – to her surprise – the boys as well. She squirmed good-naturedly and managed to get free.

"Don't take advantage of my weak state!" She chided with a devilish grin.

Liam and Xander looked amused, Natasha looked smug, Annabelle looked happy, Dante and Zoë were obviously blissfully happy and Nathaniel looked surprised that he had hugged a girl.

"I'm hungry, let's go to supper early." She said brightly.

"Dethol!" A voice called through the woods.

Dethol cringed inwardly. His obsessive self was irritated with them for having scared away any strange magical creature in the area. The practical part of him was annoyed they had taken so long to find him. He had been lying there for a week, living off of the food the Death Eaters had left behind and dodging the body of Zabini senior, which was beginning to smell something awful.

He held up his wand and let off a bright beam of light to guide them, as his throat was still raw from screaming when the Cruciatus Curse had been employed. He seriously doubted that he was as sane as he had been before, which was not very. He was also seriously considering going to St. Mungo's for another round of Memory Charms to suppress all the old memories that had arisen once again.

The face of Charlie Weasley was one he had never expected to see again. When he saw the dragon-researcher closely followed by the rest of the older Weasleys, he nearly leapt for joy. However, he was still in a state of severe pain whenever he moved. With no adrenaline to guide him, he simply smiled weakly at them.

"Took your own ruddy time, didn't you?" He muttered.

Charlie chuckled and crouched beside him while Tonks, Wynifred, Samantha, Samuel, Harry, and Albus went to Zabini's body. Angelina and Alicia knelt on either side of him, both trained Mediwitches now that their Quidditch careers were over. Dethol did as they bid, suffering through their check-ups and trying very hard not to think of what the collection of Aurors would discover about Zabini's death.

Tonks turned and looked him straight in the eyes. He stared back, knowing his gaze was hooded and tortured. She sighed visibly and shook her head before turning back to Zabini's body. They would bury the body in the grounds of Azkaban, where the bastard belonged. His grandchildren had no reason to witness his burial and already believed him to be dead.

Charlie had looked at his wife at the same time, then back at Dethol with a now guarded look. Dethol sighed. They knew about his past all too well. They were slightly mad to think that there would never be a reoccurrence. Once a murderer, always a murderer, they said. He had just proved that as true, had he not?

"He was killed with Avada Kedavra. Probably out of nowhere as there are no other signs of hexes or curses on him," Wynifred announced.

Dethol looked away from Angelina's stern gaze despite her best attempts to keep his gaze locked on her own as she examined his pupils. He could not meet her eyes. He would never be able to meet anyone's eyes ever again, especially if they had trusted him before. He gave a slight sigh and shoved himself to his feet, ignoring Angelina and Alicia's attempts to keep him sitting.

"I killed him." He grunted, "Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and both Nott's lack the talent to make a potion as complex as a Dampening Draught, let alone connect it to a key. Zabini was the brains of the outfit and he gave Malfoy the key to guard."

"You realize what this means, right, Dethol?" Albus asked with a heavy sigh.

"Same thing it did last time." Dethol growled, "It was in self-defence and to save the life of a little girl trapped in a coma, you'll say. Everyone will believe you, of course, as very few know who I used to be. You'll say I don't belong in Azkaban, but I do."

"You used an Unforgivable Curse." Harry reminded him.

"I've done so before." He added sharply, earning twitches from them all, "It's only natural for me to do so again. I'm unhinged and I should probably be locked up in Azkaban for the rest of my days. Once a murderer, always a murderer,"

"You can't be serious!" Angelina exclaimed, glaring at him.

Dethol raised an eyebrow, "Everything I just said is true, Angelina, and you know it."

"You are not going to Azkaban." Charlie snapped; standing and grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Dad, he's used an Unforgivable Curse..." Wynifred began.

"In self-defence," Charlie cut her off.

"He still used the curse!" Wynifred countered.

"Can we prove that?" Samantha cut them both off.

"Priori incantatem won't work, seeing as he used that light spell for us to find him." Samuel answered his twin.

"So we have no proof." Charlie said with finality.

Dethol swayed on his feet and both women grabbed him and supported him to the ground. He hissed with pain and allowed them to ease him into a sitting position. However, he was determined to have his say in the matter.

"Just lock me up and save yourself the trouble." He grumbled, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the vehement protests of his muscles.

Before he realized what had happened, his cheek was hurting vehemently and three pairs of female eyes were glaring at him. He growled low in his throat, feeling rather moody at the moment. Why did women tend to slap men to make them pay attention? How did they manage to look so unruffled by it when they were naturally not violent?

"Bloody hell," He snapped, glaring back at them.

"You will not go to Azkaban, Dethol." Angelina hissed, "Not while we have a say in the matter."

"If you think we'll let you abandon Zephari so easily, you're very wrong." Alicia added.

"So you might as well suck it up and stop saying we should lock you up." Tonks finished, "Because we're keeping you free no matter what you say!"

Dethol grumbled, "Don't slap me again and I'll keep my mouth shut."

They were all beginning to look fuzzy around the edges. He saw Samuel, Samantha, Harry and Albus Apparate with Zabini's body to the last place on Earth he wanted to be. Obviously aware of his slipping into unconsciousness, the three women and Charlie Apparated him away to somewhere safe; somewhere that was Hogwarts or, more precisely, the hospital wing of Hogwarts.

Zephari twiddled her thumbs idly in the chair beside the slumbering Dethol. Certain parts of him – his hands, his feet, parts of his face – were wrapped in bandages. The Death Eaters had done horrible things to him. Madam Patil doubted he would ever be the same again. The girl had fought back tears when she was told as much and she was doing so yet again as she watched his battered body.

"Don't cry, Zephari," A croaking ghost of his voice whispered.

She looked up, sniffing, as a bandaged hand wiped away her tears gently. His battered face was creased with a weak smile and his eyes had some of their former gleam back in them. His reddish blond hair was a tangled mess around his face and he was unshaven, the beginnings of a beard across his chin, and she knew he would take care of his haggard appearance as soon as possible.

"I missed you." She told him truthfully.

Dethol smiled, "I missed you too, Zeph, but it would be best not to cry or go all soft. Draco and Severus would be most angry with me for encouraging such awful behaviour in a blood-Slytherin."

She giggled and clutched his hand gently, "You need to drink your potion and get some rest; Madam Patil's orders. Then you need to go and get some supper when you wake up again."

He smiled and drank his potion. "Happy now?"

She smirked, "Yes."

"Good, because I'm going to... sleep... now..." He trailed off into slumber.

Zephari giggled and placed the cup back on his tray before going to inform Madam Patil that he had woken and drunk his potion before running off to work on her Charms homework in the common room. She found her comrades hard at work as well and, despite only having woken a week ago, she felt as if she had not missed a beat.

Abe nodded sharply as she sat down in the chair beside his, "Zephari," He said simply.

"Abe," She answered, though irritably, "Stop being so hostile and such a prat. I know you didn't visit me when I was sick and, frankly, I don't care. Just stop acting as if I'm making you sit in a thorny bush every time you speak to me."

He flushed, "Sorry." He muttered and bent over his Transfiguration homework without another word.

"Hey, Zeph, can I copy your Potions essay?" Zoë asked shamelessly.

Zephari raised an eyebrow, "It's due on Monday of next week, Zoë. You have time enough to finish it."

"Bugger." Zoë grumbled.

Zephari smirked and tucked her hair behind her ears and dipped her quill in ink before writing out her short essay. They sat in companionable silence for a few hours, finishing their homework for the next week. It was Friday night and they knew they would get distracted over the weekend what with the parties Alexis and Alexandre had taken to throwing on weekends.

"When are the older students getting back?" Zephari asked curiously, finishing her essay with a flourish.

"Tonight," A voice they all recognized said.

Zephari looked up to see her cousin, Brandy, looming over her. "Wotcher Brandy." She said impishly.

"And hello to you too, Zephari." Ralph said brightly, hugging her lightly.

The arrival of the twenty Gryffindors, amongst them all the youngest and oldest Prefects, brought the rest of the house down to greet their fellows. Zephari watched with amusement as they hugged and those who had been in Hogsmeade announced everything that happened on their end while others informed them of what had happened at Hogwarts.

"Oh, and Professor Corner and Professor Malfoy had a little fun at night, if you know what I mean." Scott finished once silence had fallen with a broad smirk and a wink.

"Eww!" The first years exclaimed in unison.

Zephari looked at Zoë, who knew their Aunt Ginny and Uncle Michael best.

"They haven't been getting along very well," Zoë informed her.

"Mum and Dad filed for a divorce." Brandy informed the younger Weasleys.

Zephari nodded slightly, "Which is why Draco made his move."

"Draco Malfoy doesn't strike me as someone to wait for such a thing to happen." Alexandre muttered acidly.

"Which proves that you don't know him all that well," Zephari informed him, "He'd never chance upsetting Aunt Ginny's marriage, no matter how tempting it was."

"That's good to know." Ralph commented wryly before he and his twin began planning one of the most lavish parties ever witnessed by Gryffindor tower.