Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Author's Note: Once again, I do not speak French. I am using a dictionary/translator on my computer, so I'm aware it won't be perfect. If you do speak French, I would like to apologize now for any slaughtering of the language I may have inadvertently caused. Otherwise, what do you care, right?
French translations: ((example))
Responses to Reviewers: tkmoore, oh, sweet goddess, where to start? How about with 'I adore you'? Catalina Royce, love you as always! (bows to your greatness) jenn, ahh, no! she won't be a Slytherin, I promise! Cloaked, yeah, I thought you'd like Lucifer, lol. love ya! madcow, she made them up 'cause she was going mad. :) SkotosEnigma, (drools) I ADORE your pic of Hades! Thanks!!!! sillysun, (grants your wish) enjoy! Wicked Not Evil, thanks so much! nicky j, yes, He was channeling their power without their consent. :) aoi-yuki-yume, updating! hope you like! harry-fanfic-reader, THANK YOU!! manda-hplover4life, thank you! musiclover86, thanks!! Tom4ever, thank you! VirginVixen-666, I just wrote Him the way that I'd always pictured Him, lol. angelfire33, interesting review as usual, darling! love ya! Wytil, thanks! Psi, as usual, thank you!! Sphinxtress, yeah, her kissing him was gross, huh? lol Erin, THANKS!! TarynMalfoy88, thanks! hope you like this one, too! otaku sae, hopefully you'll get your wish, lol! quimbytimmons, my beta is Microsoft Word, lol. Meryl12, I'm glad you're liking it! babykelyse, cool! and thank you! el chikita joules, thanks, and Herm's situation will be farther explained later. :) bigreader, hey, 'awesome' is a cool word! lol short arse, I'm glad you liked that Hades part! so did I! :) mz.sammiz, no, she just spelled a Death Eater's head to look like his, lol. Fallen, behold their love! :) kayla, okay, you're quite freaky, and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop with the stalker shit. seriously. Cougar, sort-of. I'm pagan, so I knew a lot of it already, lol. kia, thanks! Lisa, thanks so much! I'm really glad you like it! a:Sam, behold the chapter you spoke of! lol power of the stars, you don't have to worry about that. :) Haunted-Shadows, cool, I'll probably check it out later, lol. and thanks! Lithui, THANK YOU!! gin rose raposo1, thanksthanksthanks!!!! me, as always, THANKS! AnitaBlake/BuffyFan, thank you! and you will, trust me! sexyjunkie, thanks! it's good to know that it's appreciated! Tytianne, thank you! speechlessness is always good! (I hope, lol) Lorna Lynn, thank you so much!!
Okay, here we go!
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Appearing at the border of the Forbidden Forest, Padma breathed a sigh of relief. It was over; they were safe. For the moment, anyway. Draco, Blaise and Virginia slid out of the ether next to her, and she couldn't stop a smile when she saw the girl's eyes lit up with bliss and lingering traces of disbelief. A group of shadows melted out of the trees beside them, and the Ezutîël kneeled before their lords. Draco and Blaise stared for a moment, before laughing and crouching beside the lead figure. They were embracing the next second, as the guard forgot all formalities and grabbed them roughly, and Padma took one of Virginia's free hands.
"They're alive, Padma." The girl whispered breathlessly, her eyes locked onto her lovers. "Whatever you did, thank you. Thank you so fucking much."
Padma hugged her and wiped the last of the lingering tears off of her face. She had doused the flames that had made her up when they'd first arrived at the Dark Hall, and Padma could see that every ounce of beauty stolen from her seemed to have been returned threefold. She was ethereal, like the Sidhe of legend or a Goddess Incarnate, her every feature lined and shining with utter joy. And that was all of the reward Padma needed. Everything that she had gone through to get the two Slytherins back had been more than worth it, and she knew then, looking at Virginia's sparkling charcoal eyes, that she would do it again a million times over.
"There is no need to thank me." Padma said softly. "The three of you and the twins are my world. You have given me more than I can say. It was the least I could do."
"I—" Virginia started, but Umethi's voice cut her off.
"If you ever do something so bloody stupid again, I'll kill you myself!" The guard exclaimed, his arms still tightly around his masters. The other Ezutîël nodded their agreement, dark hoods concealing their features as always, and they all moved in closer to the two Slytherins, running gloved fingers over any part of them that they could touch. Padma and Virginia were quite shocked to see the fearless guards shaking, diamond-like silver tears falling to the snow underneath them and glittering in the moonlight.
"And we'll let you." Blaise replied, one hand disappearing inside that hood and cupping a cheek they couldn't see. "Forgive us?"
"Always, my lord." The nine intoned in unison, rising when their masters got to their feet and beckoned them to do the same.
"We owe you our lives, you know." Draco said, his mercury eyes trained on Umethi. "Again."
"It is my duty." The guard responded faithfully, before his voice lightened a bit. "And my pleasure. Now, I would recommend returning to your House. Those shields your fire sprite erected around it have kept them completely isolated. The twins' Marks have not so much as felt a twinge of yours or Cocidius's return because of them. They've been trying to escape for hours. The noise became quite deafening more than a few times."
"We will go at once, then." Blaise said, and he and Draco let each of the guards lay silver-streaked lips on their cheeks before they vanished back into the forest without another word.
Their trip to the castle was anything but silent, words spilling from them happily as they told Virginia all that had happened, and as she told them her part as well. Padma had been on a mission to save, Virginia on a mission to kill. The fiery girl had gotten her revenge, had gotten revenge for Pansy and Daphne, for herself, and most of all, for her lovers. Voldemort might be healed by Dagda, but he would be deathly ill for a while even if he did survive, and that would give them the time they needed, or so Draco and Blaise said. When Padma had asked 'Time for what?', they'd just looked at her, and she'd known. Time to raise an army.
And for some reason, she felt the tiniest thrill of excitement just thinking about it. It was growing close, she knew, growing close to the time when one or the other would be defeated for good. And she planned to be there when it happened. Entering the castle silently, their voices dying out, they headed for the dungeons. It was uneventful until they reached the corridor that the Slytherin entrance was in. There they found a large group of teachers and upper-year students milling around, trying to break through Virginia's shields. They were all so intent on their task that no one noticed them at first, until Sprout looked over and saw them, then screamed and dropped her wand.
"Pomona? What's wron—" McGonagall never finished her sentence, her eyes locking onto what had caused the disturbance. Silence soon coated the hallway thickly, the students paling and backing away while the teachers just gawked, all except for Dumbledore, who looked pleased. Fear swirled madly around them, the air thick and tense with it, before Draco stepped forward.
"Boo!"
Six students and Sprout fainted, and the rest screamed heartily, much to their amusement.
"Again," Blaise said cheerfully, looking at his Mark fondly, "I would just like to thank the gods that I was put in Slytherin. I bet none of them faint." He snickered.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Padma mumbled. "Apparently, you mean more to them than you know." Blaise's eyes shot to her, seeming slightly startled, but he said nothing as Dumbledore moved toward them.
"I won't ask how this miracle has occurred for the second time, as I'm sure Professor Snape will fill me in later. I think it would be best for you to return to your friends and families now." The Headmaster said, and Virginia cleared her throat.
"There's just one thing, Professor." She intoned politely, and he nodded for her to continue. "I just wanted to apologize now before the rumors of your death reached you. It was necessary, I assure you."
"My death?" He asked, looking slightly bemused, his eyes still twinkling.
"Hmm." Virginia hummed in agreement. "I sort of needed your head for a minute." McGonagall made a funny choking noise.
"Ah. Well, I'm sure you used it superbly." Dumbledore said, a warm smile on his face. "Now go. They've been frantic since you left. Which I would like to speak to you about later, by the way." He added, raising an eyebrow. She nodded once, and Dumbledore started ushering the students and faculty out of the hallway and back towards the main part of the school, the unconscious ones being woken by Ennervating spells. He flashed them one last smile before he, too, disappeared, and they were left alone.
"I am going to remember that forever." Draco stated, looking quite pleased about the whole mess and turning to face Blaise. "Does that count? It has to count. Did you see their faces?"
"Oui." Blaise sniggered. "It definitely counts. And double the points if any Slytherins pass out like Padma figures."
"I cannot believe you two." Padma huffed. "We all thought you died, and you think it's funny." Both attempted to look serious.
"Very sorry about that." Draco said, batting long black eyelashes at her.
"The next time a rampaging god tries to kill all of our friends, we'll make sure that it's okay with you first to save them." Blaise agreed, and Padma hit him.
"Oh, just shut up and go let them all know that you're alright." She said, and Virginia tried to hide her smirk behind her hand. Padma poked her. "I saw that."
"Yeah, yeah." The redheaded girl said through her fingers. "Be nice or I won't take the shields down." She threatened, letting her hand drop to her hip. Padma smirked.
"Then I'll do it for you." She said, holding up her left hand, which bore Lucifer's ring.
"Oooooh, what is that?" Virginia asked, reaching out and running a fingertip around the silver metal longingly. "Is this the ring that the Morningstar gave you?"
"Yes." Padma said, wiggling her fingers. It felt so good to be talking normally with her, to not see the crushing grief and growing madness in her eyes.
"We have one for you, too." Blaise said, the forth ring appearing in his palm. She took it from him gingerly, examined it from all angles, and slid it on next to the signet ring that had been returned to her along with her family's lands. She shivered when it fell into place and tightened to fit her perfectly, before grinning and looking back up at them.
"Very cool." She said, holding out her hand and watching the runes swim over the surface of the metal. "I can feel you all in it."
"Indeed." Draco replied, twining a curly lock of her hair around one finger. "And you do look good when you wear silver. Perhaps we could cover you in it, hmm?"
"A marvelous idea, that." Blaise commented, his lips brushing over hers lightly. "Do you think they would mind if we cut the reunion short? I very much wish to see how you look lying among a horde of diamonds and emeralds."
"Umm, hello?" Padma cut in when their looks turned steamy and wanting. "Still here, you know. And I doubt you'll have the time for a while. Your mothers are here." Both froze.
"Our mums are here?" They asked at once, looking horrified. "So, they thought…"
"Yes." Virginia intoned, just a hint of remembered agony flashing through her eyes before she was smiling softly again. "So, let's do this, shall we?" She inquired, moving for the entrance. She raised a hand to bring down the wards, but her boyfriends stopped her at the last second.
"We shouldn't make this too overwhelming for them." Draco said innocently.
"Oui." Blaise agreed guilelessly. "So, you two go in first. We'll follow in a minute or two. Just don't bring the shields down immediately." He couldn't quite keep all of the humor out of his vivid indigo eyes. Shaking their heads at them, Padma waited while Virginia kissed each briefly before taking her hand. Then they opened the entrance and slid right through the shields as if they were nothing more than air.
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Lycelle idly wondered if anyone would notice should she happen to start banging her head into the wall repeatedly. Their forced captivity was starting to wear on everyone, and she was about four seconds from snapping completely. They'd tried everything to get out of Virginia's wards, but nothing had even begun to work. Severus had tried to contact Dumbledore, but they had no idea of finding out if the message had gotten through or not. They'd made it strong, though; seventeen of the most powerful Slytherins had drained themselves in its creation. If even a little twinge of it had made it through, it would be enough for Dumbledore to investigate.
But they had seen no sign of any help coming, and after the first four hours, the fighting had started. And since Severus was exhausted, Draco and Blaise were…gone, and Narcissa and Silana were in no condition to govern anyone, Anton had drug himself out of bed to shut them all up. His fury at their childishness in the face of such devastating events had been quite humbling, and they'd all felt about four years old by the time he was finished. He hadn't even yelled or said all that much, but it had had the same effect. Afterwards he had gone to the twins, who hadn't moved or so much as said a word since their sister had left.
So now…Now the mourning had truly started. Everything had been so hectic before, one disaster after another, and no one had really had enough time to sit down and think about it. But now they had, and songs of lamenting had colored the air ever since, one ending only to have another begin. She had joined them at first, but had lost her voice an hour ago and opted to sit by her sister, who had come out to listen to the dirges. Pansy's body was mostly healed, scars that would take a long time to heal without a trip to Reverie the only reminders except for her missing tongue. Padma had managed to return most of her voice to her, but it was useless.
Useless except for when she woke up screaming. It almost made Lycelle wish that Padma had not been successful. But she couldn't comment on it, seeing as how the other girl had gone missing. All she wanted, though, was to see her sister healed, to see her whole. She'd given up on any other wishes. But the only healers who could have helped her were all gone, two dead and the other two probably with them in the afterlife by then. Just thinking about it made her feel miserable, but she knew that her own pain was nothing compared to the twins'. The soul-eating torment in their dark, identical eyes was almost enough to make her ill.
"Gods, will any of this ever end?" She wondered aloud, not even realizing that she'd spoken until her sister traced out an answer with one fingertip on her thigh.
'No. It will never end. They're dead. There's no one to hold us together anymore.'
"Anton did a fine job of it earlier." Lycelle pointed out, being quite truthful. Pansy's sorrowful eyes flickered to him, and then her finger started moving again.
'Yes. He was their confidante, after all. He learned much from them. And that's the problem.'
"What do you mean?" Lycelle asked, confused. Anton was a good leader, a strong leader. And they needed one desperately. Severus was their House's Head and a second father to many, but it wasn't the same.
'They haunt him enough as it is. How much worse would it be if he was reminded of them with every decision he made, every order he gave?'
Well. She hadn't thought of it like that. "So, that's out then. What are we going to do?"
'It's not out. I said that it would be hard. I never said that the stubborn bastard wouldn't do it anyway. I just don't want him to have to.'
"You know, I think that this is the longest I've seen him away from you in days." Lycelle commented, wanting to change the subject. Pansy gave a small smile of acknowledgement.
'I doubt he would be now if the twins weren't so bad off. They're dying, you know. If Padma and Virginia don't return soon, I don't think we'll be able to stop them from killing themselves.'
"I don't want them to die." She whispered, and all Pansy could do was nod before turning her eyes away and laying her head on the back of the couch they were on.
Sirius came out of Severus's room where Daphne and Bella were still staying, rubbing his temples wearily. Bella had woken a few times over the last few days, and her only question had been why her sister looked so sad. No one had wanted to tell her what had happened, as it could have easily sent her back into madness, and she wasn't exactly sane anyway. Whatever Blaise and Draco had said to her had given her the strength to break the Bane's hold, but they weren't here to finish bringing her back, and no one else had the ability to walk the necessary roads of Reverie to do so, although Anton had volunteered to try once he was back to full strength.
And Daphne…No one knew if she would ever heal or not. Rape was traumatizing enough, but she had held such an aversion for male flesh to begin with that it had made it even more horrid for her to undergo. They were helpless to help her, and it drove them all crazy. Only a select few knew that she'd been raped, as it was her business to tell anyone else, not theirs, but it didn't look as if she'd ever wake enough to tell anyone anything. Lycelle had finally spooned up the courage to ask Pansy if she'd been violated in the same way, and had broken down in tears when her sister had told her no, that she had been spared that indignity due to their family's name.
The Wilbriges were old, pure, but nowhere near as old as the Parkinsons, and they were not Death Eaters. Therefore, Voldemort had not had any reason to curb his perversions regarding Daphne. And pureblood witches didn't take well to rape, not that any woman did. But pureblood females never truly healed. The memory haunted them with every step they took, casting a veil of unrelieved darkness over them for their entire lives. A witch who loses her husband is branded a Widow. But a witch who loses her honor (as they see it) in such a barbaric way is branded a Shadow, because that is what they become. So many mourned Daphne as well.
"How are you doing, honey?" Sirius asked in his easy manner, even though his voice was strained and his eyes red from weeping. He had not taken Draco and Blaise's deaths well at all. He had lost too many people that he loved already, and getting a half-mad Bella back only made the burden more to bear. He had stayed with her and Narcissa almost every minute that he'd been there, and the toll was starting to show in his hunched shoulders and shaking hands.
"Better than you, it seems." She said, giving him a reproachful glare. "You need to rest yourself, you know. You can't run on pure will, Sirius."
"This coming from a thirteen year-old witch who ran herself into the ground and back again before she finally stopped? Hypocrite." He said, trying to tease her lightheartedly and failing, his eyes too dull to be playful.
"I'm almost fourteen." She stated crossly, and realized that she must have been pouting quite pathetically when he laughed dryly at her.
"Don't be in such a hurry to grow up." He said, his half-formed grin falling back into nothing. "It's not all that it's cracked up to be, trust me."
She didn't really know what to say to that, so she decided not to say anything at all. Sirius didn't seem to mind, lost in his own thoughts, and she wondered what was running through his head. Probably the same thing that was going through everyone else's. They were going to die down there, trapped until they starved, but it didn't really matter because Draco and Blaise were dead, Virginia and Padma were gone and more than likely dead as well, and their futures had never looked so bleak. Lycelle's mind tended to warp such situations until they were foggy and utterly fucked up, and she vaguely wondered if they would eat each other before the end.
Knowing my Housemates, she thought wryly, they probably will, starting with the first years. But only after they've transfigured all of the tables and such into something edible. Sighing, she stood and went to the liquor cabinet to get herself a glass of wine. It's not like anyone would care besides Severus, perhaps, but she doubted even he would stop her at this point. It's not like she could go to classes while everyone was trapped inside the House. She started to get a glass down when a tanned hand stopped her and got it for her. She turned to face Marcello, who was looking as if he felt as shitty as everyone else.
"Let me get it for you, alright?"
"Alright." She agreed, and he poured her a good amount of wine before handing the glass to her and making himself a straight scotch, his grip on the crystal tumbler turning his knuckles white. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." He said with a wave of one elegant hand, and she felt the strangest fluttering in her stomach as her eyes followed his long, slender fingers.
Realization soon swamped her, and she nearly died right there from mortification. No, she begged silently, no, my first crush can't be Marcello! He was older and handsome and absolutely adored among the pureblood circles. He was strong and confident and dark, merciless and deadly; all of the things that she would never be. He could have just about anyone that he wanted, and for her stupid, foolish heart to choose him could only lead to bad, hurtful things, because she wasn't like her Housemates when it came to the flesh games. She'd played, of course, but had soon learned they weren't for her. She wanted something more; something that Marcello would never be willing to give her.
"Lycelle?" His voice brought her back to reality, and she hoped to the gods that she wasn't blushing furiously. He brushed her hair back from her face, a move that was common among Slytherins when alone among their own kind, but now it took on a whole new meaning for her. How had things changed so quickly? She didn't have time to wonder on it though, as something caught her attention. The entrance was opening for the first time in what felt like forever.
"Look!" She exclaimed, louder than she had intended, and quite a few people turned to where she was pointing. The entire room was soon avidly watching, and they all jumped up when Virginia and Padma came in, not looking the least bit hurt or defeated. Lycelle saw Anton shaking the twins and whispering something, and their heads snapped up a second before they did. They were at their sister and Padma's side almost instantly, very nearly hyperventilating with relief.
"Oh gods, where have you been? Where did you go?" They demanded of both of them, holding them tightly. What shocked Lycelle was that both girls smiled. She hadn't seen anyone really smile in days, let alone those two. Nervousness settled within her as she wondered if they'd both gone completely mad, or been possessed.
"It's okay." Virginia soothed, her voice full of tranquility, and it only made Lycelle worry more.
"No, it's not 'okay'!" They argued, the panic they'd been feeling showing itself a bit. "We didn't know what you were doing, or where you were going, and we were worried sick! And you," they turned on Padma, who actually flinched back a step, "you just disappear without a word to anyone! Do you have any idea how much—"
"But I'm back now." She interrupted, trying to calm them down a bit. It didn't work.
"Yes, but what have you been doing while you were gone, hmm? Were you in danger?" Fred questioned, and Padma paled.
"Umm…" For once, the girl didn't seem to know what to say.
"That's what we thought." George snapped, and the smallest swirl of anger flashed in Padma's green-speckled eyes.
"You don't have to get nasty about it." She said, her voice as steady as ever as her eyes narrowed. "And I don't see why you're blowing this so out of proportion. I—"
"What?" Both twins asked incredulously. "'Blowing this out of proportion'? Have you lost your bloody mind!? We are not 'blowing this out of proportion'! You fucking vanished without a trace after you'd fed us sleeping draughts!"
"I did not vanish, I—"
"Enough!" Virginia stepped in, her own eyes glinting. "We get that you were worried, alright? And we're sorry. But the ends justified the means."
"What 'ends'? What did you two do?" By then, the entire House was in the room watching but for Melody, Daphne, Bella, Narcissa, Severus and Silana.
"Well," Virginia started, a mischievous smirk on her face that convinced Lycelle that she must have gone mad, "I went to go see Tom. Would've had the bastard too if I'd gotten to take his head as the poison worked on him. But alas, it was not yet meant to be." She sighed dramatically, and Lycelle nearly dropped her glass. She'd gone to face Voldemort and poisoned him? The girl was insane.
"YOU DID WHAT?" The twins' outburst nearly shook the very stones they stood on.
"Oh, come now, I'm fine, aren't I?" She said, smirking at their infuriated astonishment and giving them each a sisterly kiss. "No, it was Padma who really hit gold."
"Oh gods." The twins' voices were lower that time, resigned, and they turned back to Padma as if expecting to get hit with something even worse. Lycelle didn't blame them. She was still reeling from the first revelation.
"Would you like to see her spoils?" Virginia questioned, her eyes sweeping across the room. They all nodded, somewhat hesitantly, and she lifted her hand, snapping her fingers three times. They felt the shields around the room come down, and a split second later, Fred and George both gasped, clutching their forearms and nearly falling over. Then they were straightening, looking around wildly as if seeking something or someone.
"Where are they?" They choked out, and Lycelle wondered if they'd lost it too. Where were who?
Everyone else looked as clueless as she did, so at least she wasn't alone in her confusion. Then the entrance started opening again, and she only distantly heard Marcello's tumbler and her own wine glass shatter as they hit the marble floor. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. Because Draco and Blaise had just glided inside like she'd seen them do a thousand times before, their heads lowered and nearly touching as they discussed something quietly between themselves, and they weren't transparent or covered in blood. There were no dripping wounds, no dire injuries, just them as they had always been. Well, almost.
Because when they looked up, she nearly came out of her skin in an entirely pleasant way. They had always practically dripped seduction and sex appeal, it was something that the Slytherins had just had to get used to and try to ignore, but now…Now it was very, very un-ignorable. She could almost feel every oh-so-graceful movement they made as if they were touching her, could almost feel the ecstasy they could cause without so much as laying a finger on her as their predatory eyes trailed over their stunned Housemates. The majority of them gasped, three fainted (which was unheard of except for Vincent's moment the other day), and the rest gaped wordlessly, caught between joy and instant, fierce desire.
And something else was different…Were there black rings around their irises? Sweet gods, there were. Something clicked that she'd only barely noticed earlier, and she had to forcibly rip her eyes away to glance at Padma. Her eyes had the same dark rings, too; they were just less noticeable since her irises were almost solid black anyway but for the flecks of green. Her heart beating erratically, Lycelle turned her attention back to the impossibilities standing before them a moment before someone shot past her and barreled into the two returned Slytherins, knocking them both to the floor. All three were soon laughing, and Anton ran his hands over them frantically, as if fearing that they were a figment of his imagination.
"You're back! How are you back? Sweet gods, you're here! Really, really here!" He exclaimed, his sculpted face the picture of delight.
She'd never seen him so genuinely thrilled before, except for after her sister had agreed to marry him, but this was different. Anton had never really bonded with any of the other Slytherin males, not even Gregory and Vincent. Melody and one of his cousins had been his closest friends before he'd met Draco and Blaise, and they'd clicked almost instantly. And Lycelle had heard, through whispers and low conversations among her older Housemates, that the three had been banned (by Severus) from each other's company during classes until after their forth year, because if they hadn't been getting into trouble, they were much too interested in each other's bodies.
They hadn't even been allowed to sit next to each other most of the time, but they'd still managed to cause complete chaos for many of their teachers. Gregory and Vincent had mostly followed Draco, but one or both had followed the other two around almost as much. Severus had finally relented sometime over the summer before their fifth year, and it was rumored among the Slytherins that the three of them had threatened to fuck in the hallways if he didn't get over it. But regardless of how it had happened, it had, and the three were rarely seen apart after that, and usually had Pansy, Melody and Daphne with them.
Thus had been born the tight six-some that had made up Slytherin's inner circle. They'd all had quite a bit of pull in the House from day one due to their names, and each of them were the firstborn heirs to those names but for Daphne, who had two older brothers. That hadn't changed until Virginia had come along, stealing into Slytherin on a misguided mission and somehow leaving with their princes' hearts. Many had been reluctant to accept her at first, but their respect for Draco and Blaise ran deep, and the girl had soon charmed them all whether they wanted to admit it or not. She was so obviously Slytherin to her very core that they couldn't help but like her.
Lycelle often wondered on that, too. It didn't seem very fair to her that Virginia, a Gryffindor for over five years, was a better Slytherin that she was, and she'd been one since she started Hogwarts. What kind of sense did that make? Not that it mattered. Virginia was there to stay, and none of the Slytherins thought of her as a Gryffindor anymore, and hadn't for a long time. Pansy had been the first to accept her into their circle, then Melody and Daphne, and finally Anton. Gregory and Vincent hadn't minded, but they were more like bodyguards than anything else in most people's opinions, even in most of their Housemates'.
"Oui, we're really here." Draco's voice brought her back to reality, and she saw that all three had gotten back to their feet. Anton embraced each of them again before spinning on Virginia and Padma.
"You two," he started slowly, his eyes narrowed into slits, "have quite a bit of explaining to do."
Both girls mockingly begged for forgiveness, earning each of them a potent glare, and the twins and Sirius were the next to move for Draco and Blaise, confirming that they were real and not a product of mass hallucination. Then, almost as if shaking off some petrifying spell, the rest of the House surged forward, surrounding them and firing off question after question. Something dawned on Lycelle as she started to join them, and she spun on her heel, running for the far right passageway. She nearly busted her arse sliding to a stop in front of a heavy black door, which she threw open without any preamble. Four faces turned to her, drawn and weary and questioning.
"They're alive!" She burst out, grabbing Narcissa and Silana's arms and dragging them to their feet. "Come on, didn't you hear me? Draco and Blaise are alive!"
"No, they're not, sweetie." Narcissa said gently, tears springing to her husky-like eyes. Both women looked as if she'd slapped them instead of delivering wonderful news, and she groaned before pulling them out of the door.
"Just come look, alright? Please?"
"Oui." They agreed emotionlessly, dead blue eyes not really seeing anything. She pushed through her Housemates, her hands still clutching their arms, and they parted immediately when they saw who she was bringing forward. Both women kept their eyes lowered and their heads bowed, and she knew it was because they were both close to breaking down again. The last ring of Slytherins moved back, and she was standing before their sons, who each had a twin on one arm, Virginia in between them. They had been talking to Sirius and Mira, but stopped when they saw who was with her.
"Mum?" They both asked, and the women's heads snapped up, their eyes filling with disbelief. They met their sons' steady gazes and swooned, nearly falling had the two not moved forward instantly and caught them.
"B-Baby?" Narcissa questioned, her voice breaking as she lifted one slender hand to Draco's porcelain cheek. "B-But you were…you were dead."
"No, no, we weren't." Draco assured her. "Just trapped. We're fine now, mère, I promise." ((mother))
"You can't do this again!" Silana said wretchedly, her hands twisted in her son's hair and her face buried in his shoulder. "We can't survive mourning you both a forth time." Blaise's arms tightened around her, while Lycelle silently wondered, 'Forth? When did they mourn them but for that first time and now? Maybe she meant 'a third time' and said it wrong?' But that was highly doubtful. Their mothers drew themselves together remarkably quickly, and Draco and Blaise's eyes sought out another through the crowd. Going to her side, they knelt in front of her and put their silky heads on her thighs.
"How do you feel, darling?" Blaise asked quietly, and Pansy smiled, tears running freely and unashamedly down her cheeks as her finger started moving over the back of his hand, tracing out her response. He seemed satisfied when she was done, and Virginia and Padma each slid onto the couch on either side of her, their heads coming to rest on her shoulders.
Everyone stayed in the common room for almost two hours after that, asking a million questions and generally freaking out over their unbelievable return. Which, for the Slytherins, meant that they were getting wasted, and that had it turning into a full-blown celebration. Even Pansy joined in, letting Anton make her a glass of her beloved Nirvana cocoa. Apparently, their supply of the intoxicant hadn't been depleted on Yule, and they all deemed it a special enough occasion to partake. Severus had thrown back two glasses after hugging both of his godsons fiercely, and Narcissa and Silana were laughing and dancing with everyone else, their happiness knowing no bounds.
Lycelle had managed to sneak a few hits off of one of the many cigarillos being passed around, and she knew now why they all enjoyed the substance so much. She could feel the earth singing under her feet, could feel her spirit soaring and her heart beating in time with the drums that had been brought out. The music was fast-paced and primal, and she loved every second of it, unable to keep from joining the others on the impromptu dance floor in the center of the room. She spun, her arms swaying above her head and her feet pounding the floor, and she felt like a part of them for the first time ever as she went from partner to partner in a blur.
Then there were arms snaking around her waist and drawing her close to a lean, masculine body, and one look at the bronze hands on her waist let her know who danced with her as if they were a part of her. They were mashed together most appealingly, and her skin jumped every time he moved his fingers. Heat was coiling in her center and spreading throughout her limbs in blistering waves, and she moaned when their hips ground together. Her hair was lifted off her neck, damp with sweat, and lips trailed along the smooth skin there, followed by a sharp nip soon soothed by a warm tongue. Turning, every sense aflame, her lips met Marcello's and the rest of the world faded away.
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Virginia was sure that she was about to lose control completely and ravish her lovers right there in the common room. The bastards kept sending teasing tendrils of desire to her through the Marks, and she wondered if anyone noticed her flushed cheeks and heavy breathing in the low, flickering candlelight. It's not as if it mattered, though. People were spread all throughout the room in various stages of fucking. Slytherins were anything but shy. Stretching and finishing off her glass of sherry, she and Blaise watched amusedly as Draco was pulled onto the dance floor by Anton, his metallic hair streaming out behind him as he moved.
Blaise's hand on her lower back was like a live shot of electricity going straight to her core, and she wriggled a bit, barely biting back a frustrated groan. He smiled down at her as if he knew exactly what was going through her head, and those fingers moved down the tiniest bit tauntingly. Her control wearing away ever farther, she tried to distract herself so as not to make a scene by slamming him into the wall and screwing him silly. Her eyes traveling over the room, she nearly didn't see Sirius in the corner for the curtain of silvery blond hair surrounding him. Said hair was attached to a willowy figure that was straddling him and devouring his mouth.
"Check out Sirius." She said, nudging Blaise with one elbow. His eyes moved lazily from Draco and Anton's writhing forms to Sirius, and he smirked in an utterly male way.
"At least it's not that mudblood bitch."
"How charming, love." She replied, rolling her eyes.
"I have no need to be charming regarding anyone but you this night." He murmured next to her ear, and tingling sparks ran down her spine, pooling in her groin. "I think it's time we snatch our silver prince back and leave them to their fun while we make our own, oui?"
"I—" She opened her mouth to agree heartily, when Mira stumbled over from somewhere, grabbing one of the liquor bottles and filling herself a goblet full before draining it.
"Did you see Lycelle?" She asked, tucking a lock of pale hair behind one ear and taking the cigarillo Sebastian offered her from where he was seated beside Blaise. "She was dancing. About time that fille loosened up." ((girl))
"Lycelle? Dancing?" Sebastian questioned incredulously. "Surely you jest."
"Non." Mira laughed, falling down beside him gracefully. "It was her. The last I saw she was making out with Marcello." Sebastian nearly spit his wine all over the floor, while Blaise started snickering. Pansy, who was sitting beside Virginia, nearly choked on her own drink, and Virginia simply stared.
"Shut up!" Sebastian finally choked out, his eyes wide. "No way he finally got with her! He's been wanting to all year. Says she's mysterious or some such, 'cause she's always so quiet."
"Well, she wasn't being quiet a moment ago." Mira said with a sharp grin, before it was suddenly replaced by a look of complete horror. They followed her line of sight, and it was Virginia's turn to snicker when Blaise's mouth dropped open the slightest bit, his nose scrunching up in distaste.
"Is that my aunt?" He demanded, and when Sirius shifted again and that silvery hair fell back, they saw that it was indeed Armynel sprawled across his lap.
"Oh. My. Sweet. Fucking. Merlin." Mira's eyes were the size of saucers, and she rose quickly, scrubbing at them with her palms. "Have to go now. Must find Vincent and Gregory and pretend this never happened. Later, cousin." She said to Blaise before bolting in the opposite direction of her mother.
"You know," Virginia commented idly a minute or two later, "the most interesting developments occur when we take this shit." She said, waving the Nirvana cigarillo in her hand around for emphasis. "It's like…"
Her words died off as Draco came into view, walking towards them with Anton at his side. His hair was loose and swaying around him, his eyes were luminous and bordering on jubilant, and he'd stripped off his robes in favor of a tight, sleeveless silver shirt and black dragonhide pants. Anton wore much the same, she noted absently, his dark hair falling free around his face, getting in his eyes as usual. She could feel Blaise and Pansy stiffen ever-so-slightly on either side of her, and grinned, knowing that she was just as tense and ready to spring as they were. But the fire in Pansy's gaze dampened almost immediately, and she turned away.
"Pansy?" She leaned in and whispered when they were still a good twenty feet away, and Pansy looked up at her, something dark and disturbing in her eyes. Virginia held out her palm in a wordless inquiry, and Pansy hesitated only a moment before answering her the only way that she could, her fingertip racing across Virginia's skin. Glad that she had made her boyfriends teach her this trick, she placed the letters and words together easily.
'He deserves someone whole, Virginia. I can't even kiss him, for the love of Circe.'
Accentuation was given by her pressing harder as she wrote out what she wished to say, and the words made Virginia's heart ache for her friend. Pansy hadn't complained so much as once about her situation; she actually considered herself quite lucky, since she hadn't expected to survive. She knew that her sacrifice had been worth it, and she took pride in the fact that she had made sure no words would be wrenched from her unwillingly. She had proved her strength and her loyalty, but she had lost much as well. Most didn't consider how much a simple kiss could mean, or the taste of cocoa, which she was drinking even though she couldn't enjoy the flavor.
And then Virginia had an idea.
"I don't feel so great." She said suddenly, and her boyfriends' eyes zeroed in on her. Draco and Anton had reached them a moment before, and both crouched down in front of her.
"What's wrong?" Draco asked, reaching to her through the Marks, but she closed them off for the moment.
"I just don't feel very good. Do you think we could turn in early?"
"Of course." Blaise replied, rising and offering her a hand up.
She took it and rose along with Draco, while Anton kissed her cheek and wished her well before taking her spot next to Pansy, talking to her in a low voice and running his fingers over one slightly scarred cheek lovingly. Pansy smiled but it was forced, and he noticed immediately. The need to see if her plan would work overwhelmed her, and she told everyone goodnight before leading her boyfriends to their room. She fell backwards on the mound of pillows and silk as soon as they reached the bed, and her lovers crawled up beside her, their eyes clouded from worry and Nirvana. Her plan would work, but first things first…
"Fuck me."
"Well, that's a change." Draco murmured, arching one pale eyebrow. "I thought you felt like shit?"
"Are you complaining?" She asked, playing with a trailing lock of his hair. "I could always do it myself, I suppose."
Feral grins were her only answer before Draco's icy lips captured hers and Blaise's kissed a tingling trail down her throat. She responded immediately, her soul soaring and her heart beginning to beat madly. By touch alone, she reached for the end of Blaise's braid, undoing it with greedy fingers until that dark, shifting silk was falling all around them and twining with silver and crimson. Sharp teeth nicked her tongue and she responded in kind as she felt her robe coming loose and her weapons being removed one by one. Blaise took his time freeing each blade, trailing the sharp tip of each over the tight leather of the cat suit that was molded to her.
The last around her waist finally disappeared, as did the harness they'd been sheathed in. Those electric fingers moved farther down, the laces of her boots undone in seconds, and she could barely think between his teasing touches and Draco's carnal kiss. Her boots fell unheeded to the floor along with the daggers inside them, and Blaise slid back up, his hands running along the insides of her thighs before settling on her hips. Draco's glorious mouth left hers only to be replaced by another, and she rose up on her elbows, devouring his lips readily. Draco slid in behind her and she leaned back against him as Blaise raised one sharp nail to her chest.
He sliced down the front of the black leather she was encased in and it split open easily, as did the first few layers of her skin underneath, which made her moan dissolutely. Draco peeled the leather back and off of her while Blaise's tongue traveled back up the cut he had made, and she wondered if one could have an orgasm just by simple touches and steamy looks, because they made it seem all too possible. Her entire body was on fire with sheer need, and she was sure that she would die if she didn't get more of them. Quickly. Rising until she was on her knees, her back still pressed against Draco's firm chest, she pushed Blaise back.
Something in her eyes silenced any questions he might have asked, and she pushed him again until his back hit one of the heavy bedposts. He watched her through wavy locks of raven hair from where he was kneeling against it, and she moved away from Draco the slightest bit in order to capture his bruised lips once more. Her hand rose to his chest, her nails digging in hard enough to make him gasp, and she deepened the kiss even farther, their blood mingling between them like ambrosia. He tasted of lemons and heaven, and her lips were more than reluctant to leave his when she finally pulled away.
Blaise hands were wrapped tightly around the bedpost behind him, and she had a positively delightful idea. Moving in and kissing him again, she laid her hands over his and bound him with fiery restraints before he even knew what she was doing. Midnight blue eyes widened in surprise before becoming hooded, a lascivious light filling them and making her tremble. Turning away from him, her mouth met Draco's as he slid the cat suit the rest of the way off of her, revealing her piece by piece to Blaise's licentious gaze. She could practically feel his eyes on her as if he were reaching out and touching her, and the last bit of leather was tossed away unceremoniously.
Then Draco's chilled hands were on her breasts and she was moaning throatily, before his mouth left hers and keen teeth were sliding into the soft skin of her neck. She screamed as unmitigated pleasure swamped her from head to toe and arched back against him, feeling his hardness pressing against her through his pants. She ground against him and his teeth left her flesh as he groaned, their mouths meeting again. The fingers of one hand pinched her nipple, while the other wound its way down her stomach, making the desire fogging her senses almost unbearable. Then ghostly lips closed on her other nipple, and her eyes snapped open, meeting stunning indigo ones.
She had been surprised the first time they had used those phantom caresses, but they had never been so strong before, and the new black rings around his eyes were becoming even darker somehow. They almost appeared to be swirling, but she didn't have enough sentience left to deduce if it was Hades and Lucifer's blood that was causing it. Her world had narrowed down completely to Draco's body smashed against hers, to his hands that were bringing her closer and closer to falling apart completely, and to those eyes that stared straight into her soul. Then Draco's wandering fingers finally went where she so desperately wanted them to be, the first sliding inside her.
She screamed again before biting her bottom lip hard enough to make it bleed anew, and she knew she wouldn't be able to take much more of this maddening foreplay. A thought incinerated Draco's shirt and pants, and his frosty skin came into contact with her own, which felt as if it would soon start boiling. He hissed in pleasure and another finger joined the first, the nails of his other hand digging into her hip hard enough to bruise. Her eyes still locked on Blaise's, the wicked light dancing within them almost undoing her then and there, she fell forward onto her hands, her mouth inches from his erection. Smiling devilishly, she looked back at Draco over her shoulder.
All it took was a debauched look and a pink tongue darting over bloody lips for him to growl and move his other hand to her hip as well, pulling her back against him and entering her in one forceful thrust. That was it, and any coherent thought that she might have had abandoned her totally as one wanton scream after another was ripped from her, her warm breath tickling over Blaise's cock and driving him utterly insane. Her hand wound around his length almost unconsciously, her grip tight enough to make him gasp and pant, and she decided that he'd had quite enough teasing to merit it sufficient payback for earlier.
Her lips wrapped around him a moment later, hot and silky and slick with blood, and his strangled moan melded with Draco's perfectly. Then deliciously cold fingers were running ever-so-lightly over her clit in time with his thrusts, and her scream was muffled that time, vibrating around Blaise's length and making him scream. His head was thrown back, his long, ebony hair shifting around him as if it were alive, and claws were impaled in the thick wood behind him as if it were nothing more than one of the pillows. She continued her task fervently, loving the satiny feel of him on her tongue, and thanked the gods that it came so naturally.
If she'd had to think about what she was doing, she would have been worthless, seeing as how Draco's skilled fingers and wild fucking had reduced her mind to smoking ashes. The white-hot heat that was coursing through her every vein grew even more intense, the knot in her stomach beginning to uncoil, and she knew she was close, so very, very close. The Marks opened wide between the three of them, and their ecstasy coupled with her own made the world explode. Her vision blacked out, her body shook uncontrollably, and her throat was hoarse from screaming. She distantly wondered if you could die from such exquisite rapture.
"Don't let it go." She managed to choke out through her spinning senses, referring to the magickal overflow that they raised every time they did this. They usually released the excess energy into the earth or the stones around them, but she had other uses for it that night. Early morning, she corrected herself, feeling the sun nearing the horizon.
"Why?" They asked as they all fell lethargically onto the silk sheets, Blaise's bonds falling away when the ring on his hand flashed. They were glowing brightly, dark light escaping their skin and casting shifting shadows on the bed curtains around them. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to rise.
"We need it, if you'll help me." She said simply, knowing that it was the longest sentence she would be able to manage in her blissful, dazed state.
They both looked as sated as she did, smirking like the Cheshire cat, but they rose with her all the same, nodding their acceptance of whatever she wanted. They only took the time to throw on loose green night robes before very nearly floating out of the room. They rarely held on to the magick that sex raised, since it kept their senses completely befuddled, and with the Nirvana still racing through them, it was quite an experience just to get down the hallway and to the common room without any major incidents, such as falling over and snickering like lunatics or ripping each other's robes off and starting all over again.
The music in the common room came to an abrupt halt when they entered, but she didn't have time to worry over what they must have looked like, glowing like small black suns. Her eyes sought out the one whom she was searching for, and she led the way to her, one of her boyfriends' hands in each of her own. Her feet barely touched the floor, and she felt celestial and invincible, primordial and powerful. Pushing a long ringlet out of her eyes irritably, she fell to her knees at Pansy's feet and looked up at the girl who'd been her best friend for months. Untangling her fingers from her lovers', she held her hands out, palms up.
"Will you let us help you?" She asked the dark-haired girl, and her voice sounded different to her ears, lower and velvety thick.
Pansy's head tilted to the side, and she raised her own hands slowly, placing them in Virginia's. Her eyes grew huge and her lips parted as the magick rushed into her, and Draco and Blaise each laid one hand on Virginia's shoulder and one on hers, pouring energy into both. Their silent twisting of the magick guided it and bent it to their will, and they were strong and sure in their commands. What should have taken a long, dangerous trip to Reverie to accomplish didn't, and they wound their spells in and out of their friend, covering her in a thick blanket of comfort and power and devotion. Gradually, the effects of their efforts became visible.
The zigzagging white lines marring her hands were the first to vanish bit by bit, then the curving scars traveling the lengths of both arms. The raw, red wounds that were barely closed over along her chest, back and abdomen disappeared next, and Virginia could feel them healing and leaving no trace even though she couldn't see the process. She felt their magick trail down throughout Pansy's whole body, felt it washing over her legs and returning withered, abused muscles to their former strength and more. Then came the hard part. Focusing her mind to one purpose, she felt her boyfriends do the same and the serious healing began.
Lingering traces of poison and potions were still in her system, and their energy overpowered the remnants easily. Fixing the internal damage that they'd caused was a different story. Her organs were depleted, the scar tissue on them thick and tough, and long minutes were spent correcting the deterioration and setting everything to rights again. Well, almost everything. She was as good as new but for one disfigurement, and attempting to heal that was their biggest problem. Tongues were the hardest muscle in the body to regrow, and the process would be agonizing for her. But it would also be more than worth it.
At their most cajoling, they coaxed the ruined cells and dead nerve endings to respond and wake up, charmed them into going into overdrive with promising spurts of power. They obeyed hesitantly at first, lazy and unwilling to work, but more dark energy had them beginning the growth, and that was all that she and her lovers needed to take over and mold the healing to do what they needed it to. Muscle stretched and reformed ever-so-slowly, filling out inch by inch until they felt the last of their gathered magick trickling away into it. They let go of Pansy simultaneously, falling back and breathing hard, and she felt arms wrap around her, stopping her from hitting the ground.
She looked up blearily to meet Padma's gentle, knowing eyes, and strengthening energy rushed back into her, serene and peaceful like its owner. She saw the twins supporting her lovers in much the same way, and they all turned their attention back to Pansy, as if to make sure that they hadn't imagined the entire engagement. She was the one glowing darkly then, their magick filling her to the brim, and she was staring at her hands and arms, her eyes filled with wonder. Then she ran them over her torso, the absence of telltale ridges and bumps making her eyes light up, and that was when she seemed to realize what else had been done.
Her fingers flew to her lips, and she opened them minutely before closing them again. She looked at each of them in turn, her eyes brimming with joyful tears, and she opened her mouth once more to say something, but couldn't seem to find the words. They did glimpse her returned tongue though, and Virginia started when she saw it. It was not the typical pink, fleshy color, but almost platinum. Pansy was truly silver-tongued now. How…appropriate. Anton was looking at her with concern, obviously thinking that she was upset due to her tears, but she turned ecstatic eyes on him and he froze, lost in whatever he saw in their dark depths.
And then she kissed him.
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(sniffles) Anyway…PLEASE REVIEW!!!!