Yeah, the last chap was a little short. But at least it was a chap. Better then nothing, 'ey? Anyway. Let's get on with it.

~*~*~*~

Draco ran his fingers softly through Virginia's hair and stared out thoughtfully into the candlelit grotto they'd made their own.

"So. . ."

"You have to admit, it would work. No way they'd stay in hiding afterwards. They'd want to boast to you, at the very least. If we make the break-up scene acrimonious enough, angry enough. Public enough."

"Great Hall?"

"Teachers. And we're going to get violent, we're going to have to otherwise no one will believe it."

Draco chuckled at Virginia's wry statement. "Not of you, anyway. Do we have grounds?"

"Well, I can have grounds. Or maybe. . ."

"Yeah, I think that would be best."

"Just not Pansy."

"Credit me with taste."

"I do, you're going out with me, aren't you?"

"And another benefit of this is that Voldie will fume. You're not that closely affiliated. Only through me, really. And if you're not going out with me. . ."

"I won't have any reason to go near him. We can still meet, here though. While publicly hating each other's very essence of being. Violently, furiously and with all the ire of the nine circles of Hell."

Draco sighed softly and kissed her forehead. "We'll start tomorrow then."

"Probably be best. I'll start it in the Great Hall."

"Ok. Love you."

"Love you too."

~*~*~*~

SMACK! The sound of Virginia's hand violently hitting Draco's cheek rang out over the Great Hall, stilling any conversation as more or less everyone turned to look. She'd timed it perfectly. All the teachers had left to get ready for classes, while enough students still lingered that this altercation between the most unlikely couple of Hogwarts would race through the school like wildfire.

"You bastard! I can't *believe* you did that!"

"What's not to believe, Weasley?" Draco sneered, holding one hand to his rapidly reddening cheek. "You thought we were going to be together forever? How sweet. How girlish. How. . .Gryffindorish."

"You slimy misbegotten snake!" Virginia hissed, brown eyes sparking furiously.

"Better that then a stars in the eyes Gryffindor. Why don't you just go cosy up to Potter now?" SMACK! Virginia slapped him again, and Draco grabbed her hand, squeezing down on the small bones in her wrist. She glared back at him, totally uncowed. "Don't do that."

"Why not, Malfoy? Too weak to take a few slaps from a girl?" She brought her knee up to knee him in the groin viciously. He twisted slightly and she hissed in a breath as her wrist came close to breaking. She kicked him in the groin anyway, yelping as he twisted just that little bit more sharply and something cracked. Draco let go, hands going to his groin in that peculiar agony males get when they're hit hard in that region, particularly by something as hard and unforgiving as Virginia's patent leather buckle up school shoes, face white with pain but not making a sound. She turned and then leapt, nails going out viciously for one of the Slytherin seventh year girl's faces, one named Julia Despiteous. The one Draco had snatched a few kisses with, to add verisimilitude to this whole farce. Eris latched onto the girl's robes and swarmed upwards as arms closed around her middle and pulled her off. Two hands grabbed the furiously raging cat before she reached Julia's face to claw her shocked blue eyes out.

"Cease and desist, Miss Weasley," Snape's voice hissed into her ear and she saw that Hagrid had Eris, the cat squalling and clawing like a wild thing, ears flat against her skull and fur fluffed out to make her look bigger then she was. Virginia screamed like a Maenad, brown eyes burning and hands crooked into claws. Snape winced slightly and then heard Draco hit the floor, felled by a punch from one of the Weasley brothers, one of the three still attending.

'Fifty points from Gryffindor!" McGonagall said angrily. "Each. For all of your atrocious behaviour, brawling like common muggles in the Great Hall. And twenty points from Slytherin, Mr Malfoy!" Eris spat at McGonagall, swearing in feline as she swiped at Hagrid's large hands.

"Ever so sorry, professor," Virginia murmured before she slammed her heel down on Snape's foot. He let go of her with a startled curse and then Virginia got her wand out and cast a hex on herself, in a spell older then they used at school. "Mek wi her seper nek, ntcher Re!" (Look, I appeal to you, Re.)

"Merlin!" Snape cursed, reaching for her. She danced from him nimbly, voicing the guttural words of the Egyptian curse.

"Iwek wereti, ntcher Re. Netek ankh. Heper-wi mawey." (You are great, Re. To you belongs life. Make me new.) Virginia braced herself as Eris leapt onto her shoulder, claws digging into her skin. Draco watched, sudden fear grabbing his heart as he dabbed at his split lip. "Inek ahbi gereg m djesi." (I wish to discover untruth in myself.) Snape pulled McGonagall back from touching her.

"Don't disturb her! She has begun it, and she must finish it. If she does not, or gets it wrong now...we could all die."

"Ntcherew nebwet Tameri ma'ahiw." (All the gods of Egypt hear me.) Stamp, twist, lift her hands in offering. Concentration clear on her face as she swayed seductively, a golden glow starting to form around her. "Bastet, ma'ahiw her nettet hem iryi miw." (Bastet, hear me because indeed I belong to a cat.) A mew, echoed by Eris, came from the air along with a quick shiver of a sistrum. "Inpu, ma'ahiw nettet hem ahreki netek neheh djet." (Anubis, hear me because I know you are eternity and everlastingness.) A jackal's yelp, and the scent of something animal and wild became stronger. "Set, ma'ahiw nettet hem inek mi sdjetek." (Set, hear me because I am like your flame.) Virginia closed her eyes for a moment as she felt something lean against her side and graze the underside of her palm, smelling like dust and somehow like the smell before a storm breaks. Ozone and smoke and old blood...

Eris spat and hissed angrily, fluffing up in feline rage as her mistress continued to do something she in no way approved of.

"Ginny!" Ron shouted as the glow grew brighter around his sister. He glared at Draco. "This is all your fault, you bastard!"

"I did not know she knew this...I did not know anyone still knew this," Draco said softly. "My sweetest Cin...what on earth are you doing?" he murmured to himself. "I hope you can control this."

Virginia closed her eyes as she felt like she was catching on fire, then she darted across to the Slytherin table and closed her hands convulsively around Blaise's upper arms. "Help me finish it." A wind howled angrily and Blaise blinked in shock, then opened his mouth.

"Hahi, ntcher Re. Kem kahtek m iptwey seperty sai." (Descend, Re. Complete your work in these two petitioners, wise one.) His voice was sure and steady, and Snape blinked in shock. How did these two students know this? Virginia and Blaise spoke for a few more words, voices rising and falling around each other before Blaise gasped in pain, throwing his head back. "God, it burns."

"I know." Virginia's fingernails cut into the skin of Blaise's arms as Eris clung to her shoulder, claws sinking through to her flesh. The glow grew brighter, shining like a small sun in the middle of the room. And then Virginia gave a little sigh and collapsed against Blaise's chest. He caught her easily and then started to walk towards the infirmary. Eris leapt off Virginia and scittered after them, crying plaintively then cursing in anger at the stupidity of humans before going back to crying again. Ron ran after Blaise and Snape followed. Draco started to breathe again.

"Let go of my sister!" Ron hissed. Blaise didn't miss a step.

"Ginny is my friend, as little as you value that friendship. Draco is also my friend, yet I will not be taking sides in this, Weasley."

"Mr Weasley, I'm sure you have class to go to," Snape said. "I will escort Mr Zabini and Miss Weasley to the infirmary." Coldly assessing eyes swung on Blaise, and he groaned to himself. Why oh why had he fallen into this? Ah, he knew now. Ginny had batted her eyelashes at him, stared at him with warm as honey brown eyes and he'd agreed. Her eyes were closed now, and he was mildly afraid of what the spell may have done to her. After all, she had prayed for change. "Go, Mr Weasley, before I deduct points from Gryffindor house." Ron glared, then turned on his heel and disappeared into a crowd of Gryffindors. Snape stared after him for a few moments, then followed Blaise, matching his pace to the younger man's.

"Good morning, professor..."

"We are going to speak about the advisability of knowing such things as you have just demonstrated you have knowledge of," Snape said softly, words edged with quiet menace. "And of teaching them to other, younger students."

"Professor, believe me. She already knew. I don't know where she found out, but she did. She went to Egypt last year I think it was, and she might have found a book there."

Virginia roused briefly, eyes sliding open before she closed them again. "He's right. I did," she said faintly as they arrived at the infirmary. Blaise carried her to a bed under Madame Pomfrey's watchful eyes and put her down carefully. She curled up on her side, asleep again as Blaise followed Snape out. When they were in the Slytherin common room, Snape turned on his heel, eyes venomous.

"How did you know how to finish the spell?"

"Old family secret. Actually, my grandmother was an Egyptian priestess of Set. My grandfather wooed her, brought her to England and she died after giving birth to my mother." Blaise seated himself in a chair. "Everyone thinks my grandmother was my grandfather's second wife. Not many remember that first he was married to a woman called Nefernehet...Beautiful Shelter. I've seen pictures. She was beautiful, and deadly cunning, at least she sounds like that from her diaries." The teen leant back, sliding a hand through the silvery strands of his hair and eyes distant. "I would have liked to have known her personally."

"And why did you intervene the way you did?" Snape demanded in a cold voice. Blaise looked at him, eyes tired and face composed.

"Because she asked me. Tell me...if she came to you for help, sincere in the asking and that touch of fear at her own temerity in her brown eyes, but her mouth set in determination, back straight and head high, and knowing she would save you from yourself if you but gave her the incentive, wash away the seasons of darkness from you and leave you the better for even touching her hand, would you have turned her away?" Blaise leant forward, eyes blazing. "If Draco did not have her heart in the palm of his oh so cultured hand, I would take her for myself and cherish her beauty of soul. Light is something I have been distanced from for so long, professor. Forgive me if I wish to see this one alight and living for a little while longer." He got to his feet, shoulders twisting uneasily under his shirt. "Now, if you will excuse me...I have classes."

"Go then," Snape said and watched the teen escape out the door before sinking into a chair and rubbing his eyes wearily.