"What are all the memories that Hermione was now holding?" Mira asked, quietly.
Aimee paled slightly.
"It doesn't matter too much with our story, dear," Hermione said, holding Aimee close, "What is important, you will know before our tale ends."
"Why did you choose to not be a Duchess?" the child continued.
"Because," came the quiet reply, "I did not share my father's views."
Shortly after that, students began pouring into the Gryffindor common room. Many were not even Gryffindors. They had come to help Aimee and Hermione switch back to themselves.
"The task will not be easy," a young girl said quietly, with a tiny horn, "but if everyone works together, I can be done."
Ginny went to the two girls. "This is my friend, Unella. She helped me before, and upon learning of your plight, came to help."
Unella gathered all the volunteer students into a circle around the room, mixing he different houses, and having them link arms in a never ending knot; the two girls in the center.
Ever so softly, the unicorn-girl began o chant a soft song with words no human ears could comprehend. It slowly grew in volume, and a ring of iridescent light encircled the group. Slowly, it shrank, closer and closer to the two girls, hugging in the center, until the two of them were completely enveloped in the brilliant light.
Aimee felt as if she were leaving her body and floating away from the ground, but suddenly, the light burst and she was flung into the wall of students surrounding her.
"What just happened?" Hermione asked.
Aimee looked up at her friend and smiled, "Look, Hermione! You're YOU!"
Hermione looked up at Aimee in disbelief, but as soon as she peered at her hand, she knew it was true.
The two girls jumped up enthusiastically and embraced each other.
"Excuse me," a soft voice pulled them from their celebrating.
"As soon as the others break their knot, you will again become each other…but you will be able to revert to normal on your own. For it to work for real, you must do it on your own. Or else, you will be stuck as each other permanently."
The two girls looked at each other. "How?" Aimee asked.
"You should know, Aimee." Came the only response, and the unicorn girl nodded to the others to undo their knot. No bangs of flashes of light showed the two girls becoming each other again, but everyone present could tell it was so.
Suddenly, Aimee grabbed Hermione's hand and stared directly into her eyes. "Forever two and ever one, we're now sisters who can never be undone!"
The two girls smiled at each other.
Jessica looked at them, from one to the other, "Are you two yourselves now?"
"Oh, yes," Hermione said, smiling, "and forever bonded as magical twins."
The duke was brought to Dumbledore's office, once he calmed down, and Aimee was summoned up there as well.
"I trust, young lady, that you are within your own body, now?" The Headmaster asked her, upon her arrival.
"Yes, sir," Aimee stated, nodding.
"Then you and your Father have something to discuss, I believe. I will leave you two here. Fawkes is a good mediator, I think." With that, Professor Dumbledore left his office.
Taking a deep breath, Andrew looked his daughter in the eye, "Why do you refuse your title?"
"Because I cannot stand up to what I believe is wrong."
"What do you mean?" he asked, afraid of her answer.
"You're flags stand for death, in my eyes. I see those beasts because I saw my mother die. You see those beasts because you saw millions die. And all these died…at your hand. I cannot uphold that these things are righteous. And I cannot live by such immorality."
"You…you…" Andrew took a deep breath, "you saw you're mother die?"
"I saw her die. At the hand of your right hand man. Yet you never mourned for her. I cannot stand for that.
"I also cannot stand for the way you sent me here as a little wretched girl, and yet sent those three boys after me, because you did not get your way. You thought to scare me home. You failed. I will stand for what is right. And I will not stand for that which I know is wrong.
I will always be your daughter. I will always be a duchess, whether or not I wish to be, but I will never claim your title, rank, or flag. They stand for Death; I stand for Life."
"Did you're daddy ever forgive you?" Shirley wanted to know.
"I don't know," Aimee said quietly, "but he talks to me now."
Shortly after that encounter, the Duke left the school, Never to return. He gave Aimee a house near the Weasley's to live, with strict orders that she never again enter his home.
Right before the end of term feast, Dumbledore was able to cast a spell on the entire school to make it so that all of the Hag's charms could not return without a desire for them too. Dumbledore even found away for Draco, Harry, Kadry and Gabriel to be restored to normal. Neither Jessica or Ginny would let him remove their new gifts, and Ron had no further fears of becoming a mandrake for the Hag's charm had counter the candy's charm.
That left only Sam. Dumbledore walked to the lonely boy who didn't belong in the school.
"I know you feel out of place here, young man. You are not a wizard, and never could be. Yet, you feel uncomfortable with the concept of going back into the muggle world, I am sure, especially since you have just spent ten years as a magical creature; never mind having a child of the magic realm on its way. Am I right?"
Samanualelcitve nodded in agreement, not sure what to do.
"Would you like to go back to the lake, Sam?" Dumbledore asked him, knowingly.
"Would I ever be able to really be with Jessica?" the young man asked, hesitantly.
"We could help you become a creature like she is now, so you could be on land or sea."
"Really?" Sam perked up at the thought. "How?"
Dumbledore quickly summoned Jessica and Emerald to him, and the four of them went out to the lake.
Dumbledore sent Emerald to get Martin, and turned to Jessica.
"This young man wants to be able to share both of your worlds, Jessica. Will you help him regain the one he has lost?"
Jessica turned to Sam, surprised. "Really? You want to share my world?"
Sam nodded, "I want to share your life, and that of our unborn baby."
Jessica, completely overjoyed, lounged at him, hugging him. "How can I help?"
Dumbledore Smiled and led the young couple to the water where Martin and Emerald awaited them, holding between them a beautiful gemstone.
Jessica gasped. "That's the stone that that creature wanted…isn't it?"
Sam nodded. "Jessica, will you join souls with me, in the fashion of the merfolk?"
Jessica gasped in surprise. "Of course I will!"
Dumbledore, having known that that was going to be her answer, had already summoned her parents to the school, and they presently were arriving at the lakeshore, in time to hear this. Jessica didn't even notice their presence.
Sam and Jessica stared into each other's eyes, while holding each other close. Emerald, using the magic of the gem, gently pulled the two if them into the water. Then, Martin positioned the gem directly beneath the two of them and yanked it straight down into the water.
A flash of garnet light emitted from the stone, and the young couple burst up into the air with a fountain of water holding them aloft, two young merfolk, holding each other tight, oblivious to the red light that encircled them.
Suddenly, they were back in the water. That's when they noticed that Sam had his fin back, and that Jessica's parents were there.
Jessica looked at Sam, and then quickly ran out to her parents.
"Sam?" Martin whispered to his friend, "You can join her."
"I can? But, I'm a merman again…"
"Yes, but she shared her soul with you…and you two can share both worlds. Go on, greet your new parents."
Sam beamed and quickly joined those on the water's edge.
Jessica looked nervously at Sam, and then at her parents. Grabbing her husband's hand she turned to them, "Mom, Dad, This is Sam, and he is the father of my baby."
"You're baby? You're pregnant?" her mother exclaimed, but upon looking at her daughter, she could see that it was so, and nearly fainted.
A few days later, all the students were leaving the school. The end of term feast had commenced, all the seventh years had graduated, and summer was at hand.
A few weeks into the summer, Jessica and Emerald gave birth to beautiful children. Martin's son looked just like his mother, So was named Emris. Sam's daughter looked nothing like either of her parents, so was named Amoura because love is what kept them together.
And everyone was happy. That is, until the next bout of troubles…but that is another story, all together.
A/N : I have every intention of writing one more story to go with this…On to tell Ron's Story…and how he and Hermione got hitched. Don't worry, there will be more foolish candy tricks in that story, too!