This is late because I am a very bad bad bad girl....

Thanks a BUNCH to:

Tigerlilly2063!!!! Blaise's game is very complicated it even makes me dizzy sometimes!! Draco/Ron *is* the best ship!!! Thanks Lilly!!!

Renn!!!!!!! Happy New Year to You too!! And happy February!!! So very /glad/ that you reviewed!! ^_^!

ElvenGirl2!!! Thanks a bunches!!

Ashley!! Lol.. The crazy lady will be here for ALWAYS!! MWHAHAHAHA!!!!! Love Ya More Than Fat Kids Love Cake!!!!!!

Eyes of the Angel by Aloh Dark

Chapter 28: Knowledge

Pansy slowly stirred the boiling potion counter clockwise as she subtly eavesdropped on the furious professors. Not that their angry voices couldn't be heard without her even trying, at any rate.

"I can't even imagine why they would do such a thing!" Snape said.

"Threatening each other! At breakfast no less!" Professor Sprout exclaimed.

"Severus, something has to be done. As head of their house it's up to you to punish them." McGonagall said.

"Yes. I agree with you Minerva. I can't imagine what brought about their argument though. Mr. Zambini and young Mr. Malfoy aren't the ones to fight with a member of their own house. Other houses, yes, but their own. Never." Snape said, rambling a bit. He and Pansy had been working hard since that morning and he was exhausted. Pansy had slept while he mixed the first part, and most complex, of the potion making. Now all he wanted was to sleep while Pansy watched over the potion. He wasn't up to listening to the quarrel between the most influential students in his house.

"Well?" Professor Sprout demanded.

"Until I am finished with the antidote, I will leave their punishment in your hands. When I have time, I will give them my own, separate, punishment." Snape said.

Pansy's concentration was distracted so she only heard murmurs as she looked up how much longer she'd have to stir. By the time she'd switched the way she was stirring and was under control enough to listen again, Snape was back in the room and the other professors were gone.

"So, what do you think their punishment should be?" Snape asked Pansy casually.

"Punishment, Sir?" Pansy asked, trying to sound innocent.

Snape gave her the eye. "I know you heard that conversation. Please don't insult my intelligence by pretending you didn't."

"Well, Sir," Pansy started. "from the sound of it, Blaise started the fight with some sort of offensive picture. So it would seem that Blaise should get the worst of it. But because Draco kept the fight going and threatened Blaise, he shouldn't get off lightly. So I think they should both get separate punishments, just as harsh, but fitted to their personalities." Pansy said as she stirred.

"And those punishments should be?" Snape asked.

"Blaise is quiet by nature. He likes to be alone and doesn't like to speak much. And he hates it when people are constantly questioning him about their homework. So I'd punish him by making him tutor other students. I'd suggest first years from all houses or second years from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw." Pansy said, looking at Snape.

He raised and eyebrow but nodded. "And for young Mr. Malfoy?" He asked her.

"Draco's proud of his families blood line. A little too proud sometimes. He also has little tolerance for being questioned and having to do things himself. So I'd have him do something where the blood in his veins doesn't matter and he'd have to do something by himself. Some sort of manual labor. So I'd have him work with Hagrid as a punishment." Pansy told Snape.

"Very astute of you." Snape complemented. "I think I shall do exactly that." He rose from the seat he'd settled in while Pansy spoke. "But after I take a well deserved sleep. You will get me if you even think something's gone wrong."

"I will Sir." Pansy assured him. "Have a good sleep."

Snape nodded to her as he left the room for his own bed.

Because of Snape taking all his time out to make an antidote his classes were cancelled. This left the Slytherin and Gryffindor students of Ron's year with no class to go to during their double potions that day. Most decided to spend the time outside, before going in for dinner.

The sky was a light grey quilt. Fat snow flakes occasionally making their way down from the sky in a near crawl. There was a very little breeze but not enough to chill the air. It was a nice day for students to spend outside with a proper warming charm on their coats.

Ron and Harry sat with Hagrid in his hut, eating stone hard biscuits and drinking brandy laced tea. They were talking in happy voices on the impending antidote.

"Hermione will be right sore about that." Hagird told the boys.

"We know. She'll study twice as hard to make up for the time she was out. And doubly hard so she doesn't fall back even a point." Harry said.

"And she'll run us ragged making us study with her." Ron said with a teasing roll of his eyes.

They shared a few more little laughs over Hermione's constant nagging about Ron and Harry's study habits before lapping into silence. It was obvious that Hagrid wanted to ask Ron something but didn't know how to put it.

"I'll be blunt with you Ron. I need to know something and I want no lies." Hagrid said suddenly.

Ron shared a glace with Harry and put his tea down. "About what?" He asked.

"You." Hagrid said. "I saw you yesterday around the end of dinner. I hadn't gone up to the school to eat so I saw you walking back."

Ron adverted his eyes from Hagrid and looked into the fire. "Oh." He said. "And why do you bring that up?"

"Were you with Malfoy or was me eyes playing tricks?" Hagrid asked.

"I was." Ron said, in a soft voice.

"Ron." Hagrid said sadly. "Why with Malfoy?"

Ron shrugged and seemed to shrink into his chair. "I like him."

"Ronald Weasley, I know you to be smarter than that. Why are you with him?" Hagrid.

"He's different! I swear it! When no one else is around he's... He's real." Ron said, staring into Hagrid's eyes. "It's like.. He's not afraid to be himself. He's just, I dunno, different. More human."

Hagrid took a sip of his tea and put it down. "How long this been going?"

"Yesterday was our three month." Ron said with a hint of a smile.

"Good for you." Hagrid said. "I'm happy for you if your happy. But don' you let him take advantage of you. And if he does anything, lemme know." Hagrid said. It was obvious to Harry and Ron that Hagrid didn't approve but wasn't going to interfere.

"Thanks Hagrid." Ron said.

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence again. All three of them drank their teas as they thought of the best thing to say next. Fang helped to break the silence by dropping a dead spider at Ron's feet.

Gena kneeled alone in the woods. She was in her school uniform still but she had a bow on one side of her knees and an ax by the other. Her breathing was shallow and she was sitting still as a rock. She was working her way into a meditative trance so she could see her guardian wolf spirit.

As she got deeper into her trance the sounds of the forest came alive in her ears. She could hear the rustling of insects under leaves and dirt as they passed by. The distant thunder of hooves against the ground. The gentle rustle of the feather of birds as the wind streamed around them. She could feel the vibrations in the earth and air all around her. The magical energies in everything were glowing with faint colors.

She raised her head and opened her eyes to see her wolf spirit. They stared deep into each others eyes for moments before it turned away. She left her weapons and body as she began to follow the wolf.

It lead her spirit and mind over miles of land with single steps. Over mountains and lakes. She followed it with her own spirit until it lead her into a burnt village. She followed the wolf into the center of the town and looked around. The still smoldering homes gave off the rank of burnt flesh. The air was clogged with the feeling of familiarly.

She walked up to what was left of a small charred body and knelt beside it. She reached over what was left of the small girl and picked up a doll. It was her own doll from her childhood.

"What does this mean?" She asked aloud to the wolf behind her.

The wind began to blow and with it ash from the houses was swept away. Gena turned to face the wolf, holding the doll to her hand. Behind her the body of the small girl was slowly being blow to dust.

"What are you showing me?" She asked before the ash clouded her vision and she was pulled from her vision.

Gena fell forward as she came abruptly out of her trance. Her hands had stopped her from falling on her face but as she pulled her hands away from the moss, a spot where ash was smeared remained.

Uneasy with the feeling of not knowing what she'd seen, Gena rose to her feet. She picked up her weapons and began her walk back to the school.

Blaise sat in a chair before the fire in the Slytherin Common room. On his forearm sat a beautiful owl with a grey stripe. As he sat, he stroked the bird and murmured in a soft voice in a language everyone else thought was just nothing.

The owl hooted and Blaise grinned. "Yes." Blaise said. "Yes." He breathed as he glared into the fire.