Ali woke with a start. Breathing heavily, she stepped out of bed. Pain shot through her feet. She treaded lightly and softly to the bathroom. Every step caused her to wince with pain. When she made it to the bathroom, she flipped on the light switch and sat on the toilet. She looked at the clock on the wall. 12:02 AM. She sighed. The pain was gone in her feet, but her hands had tiny cuts all over them. Getting up, she went over to the sink to wash her hands. The soap burned in her cuts, but she knew that the smallest cuts would be gone by sunrise.
She dried her hands and tiptoed back to bed, carefully moving so that she wouldn't make a sound. Before she climbed into bed, she brushed off her sheets. Climbing into her bed, Ali was again thankful for the curtain around her bed. For 5 years now, the other girls in the dormitory had been oblivious to her midnight bathroom break. Or so she hoped. If word got out... Ali was too scared to even think of the possibilities. Lying in bed, she wondered what it was like for all the other girls. The normal girls. Ali sighed, just faintly. Her best friend Persia stirred next to her. Ali quickly closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Then it seemed, right after she'd closed her eyes, it was sunrise.
She awoke to her pet phoenix, Firestorm, making his morning noises. Climbing out for bed, she slipped on her slippers, and walked over to Firestorm. "Hey Pyro, hungry?" she greeted him. Pyro was her nickname for him. Firestorm pecked her hand; his signal for food. After feeding him, she dressed quickly and hurried to the Great Hall for breakfast. On the way, she caught up with her best friend from Hufflepuff. Raven Sapphira had been her friend since they were first years, despite her parents' objections. Just because Raven wasn't put in Slytherin, didn't make her a failure in Ali's eyes. Unfortunately, Raven was in her parents' eyes.
"Hey Ravie! Wanna walk together?" Ali called out to Raven, who was walking ahead of her.
"Sure! But, hurry! I'm starving!" Raven said with a grin. The two girls walked arm in arm into the Great Hall. It was almost full already. Raven's older brother Rylan waved at her from the Slytherin table. Raven waved back, hugged Ali, and went to join her fellow Huffles. Ali stood there for a second and took in her surroundings. The tables were full of food, and students were busily chatting and eating. The smell of the delicious food finally got to Ali.
She smiled, and sat next to Rylan. He was just like an older brother to her. He looked a lot like Raven, with jet-black hair, and sapphire blue eyes, the trademark of the Sapphiras. He was well built, being as he was Keeper for the Slytherin Quidditch team. His best friend Mike was sitting across from her. Mike was well built, too. He was one of the best Chasers, the Slytherin Quidditch team, had ever seen. He had kind of long, brown hair. It usually looked like he had just woken up. Muggles would have thought he was a water polo player. He had beautiful, black eyes, too. They would have been rather piercing and chilling, except for the fact that there was always a playful gleam to them. Persia, Rylan's girlfriend, was sitting next to Mike. Persia had what people would call titan blonde hair. Her reddish blonde hair fell gracefully across her face, and rested upon her shoulders. Ali had always been jealous of Persia's hair. And her looks. Her blue eyes made her beauty even more stunning.
Ali's own beauty was giving Persia a run for her money. But Ali didn't believe so. Despite radiant tan skin, mysterious green eyes, long brown hair and a body any girl would die for, Ali failed to consider herself beautiful, or even pretty. She wasn't insecure. She was very confident, but not cocky. She had just never been told by her family that she was pretty. Former Death-Eaters were not the most affectionate parents. This often caused Ali to daydream.
This morning it was sky blue with a few puffy, white clouds. It was practically picture perfect. She soon drifted off into another daydream. But the dream was short-lived. The arrival of Draco Malfoy and his gang snapped her awake. Few, outside of the Slytherin house, liked him. There were even a few inside the house who also disliked him. Rylan and his pals made up the majority. Ali pretended to dislike him, but really, she believed she was in love with him. The bad-boy attitude, blond hair, beautiful, pale-gray eyes... all this had her attention. But Ali kept it to herself. Her best friend, Raven was in love with him, too. Raven claimed to love him for the same reasons, but Ali believed she saw a hint of hope that if Raven married the son of the most infamous Death-Eater, her parents would accept her as their daughter.
Draco took the seat next to Ali. Her heart fluttered. She glanced over at Rylan. He was glaring at Draco. Pure hatred was seething from the look in his eyes. Mike, also, was glaring at Malfoy. Ali couldn't quite put her finger on the emotion in his glare. She knew, though, that it wasn't complete hatred. Perhaps it was envy... but Ali quickly cast that thought aside.
"Hello, Ali. How's your family been?" Malfoy inquired. Their parents went way back. They'd gone to Hogwarts together, and then became Death-Eaters together. She and Draco had grown up together, yet they'd never been the best of friends.
"Hello, Draco. They're just fine, thank you. And yours? How has your father been doing with all these raids?" For some reason, Ali loved irritating Draco.
"I don't quite understand what you mean, Ali. I'm sure he's coping just as well as your father," he replied coldly. Ali smiled and turned to Persia, who'd been quietly eating. "Did you finish our Potions homework?" she asked. Persia was the same year as Ali and Raven, but Mike and Rylan were a year ahead.
Persia giggled. "No! Of course not! When have I ever done my own homework?" Ali laughed. Persia was as bad as she was. They hardly ever did their own homework. Sometimes, they'd trade off. Persia would do, say Potions, and perhaps Ali would do Herbology. So far, they'd never been caught.
Ali caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned, just in time to see Mike quickly look down. Puzzled, she finished her breakfast and grabbed her books. She said a polite goodbye to Malfoy, waved at Rylan and Mike, and motioned to Persia.
On their way out, Ali and Persia ran into Harry Potter, Ron Weasly, and Hermione Granger. Even though her parents were Death-Eaters, she'd always tried to be kind to Harry. He knew it, too. They exchanged warm hellos and were on their way again. She and Persia always walked quickly, so that they could get to class early, in order to finish their homework.
That evening, Ali plopped into bed exhausted. Classes and homework had been hard. She had also found herself sitting next to Draco in every class. This disturbed her. Not that she didn't like it. He had just never done that before. As she was thinking this, Firestorm had brought her a letter. It was from her mother. Too tired to read it, she stuck it under her pillow. Soon, she was in a deep, yet troubled sleep.
Ali awoke with a start. Breathing heavily, she climbed out of bed. Like every night, her feet were bloody and pain shot through them. She tiptoed the best she could through the girls' dorm into the bathroom. When she got there, she looked into the mirror. She gasped. The usual cuts on her hands, feet, legs, arms and stomach were there, but tonight, there was a big gash on her face. It started in the middle just above her left eyebrow, and then curved around her eye and ended just a few centimeters from her lips. Hoping that the usual washing would diminish the gash, she took a shower. She hoped no one would wake up. Afterwards, she quickly tiptoed back to bed. Like always, she brushed off her bed before climbing in. Again, she quickly fell into another deep, yet troubled sleep.
The next morning, Ali woke up to find Persia hanging over her. She had the most horrified look on her face. It suddenly dawned on Ali what Persia was staring at. Her hand went flying to her face. It was still there. The gash. She sat up, not sure what to do next. "Ali, what happened to your face?" Persia finally asked.
"I'm not quite sure. I never have been sure." Ali whispered, looking down at her feet. Persia was puzzled, and almost said something else, when they were interrupted by Firestorm's call for food. Ali got up, the cold floor chilling her more than she already was. After feeding Firestorm, she got dressed. Persia watched her every move, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.
The girls silently walked to the Great Hall. Ali desperately looked for a way to get away from Persia and the awkward silence. But she had no such luck. Raven waved from the Hufflepuff table, but didn't get up. So, Ali was stuck walking with Persia over to the Slytherin table. Rylan and Mike both looked up when the girls took their places. Persia easily hid any signs that something was wrong, but Ali wasn't that talented. When Ali didn't bounce over and punch either of them, Rylan and Mike immediately picked up that something was upsetting Ali. They also wondered why her hair wasn't tucked behind her ears like usual. The left side of her face was covered by her hair.
"Ali?" Rylan said. But she didn't answer. She continued to play with her food. Touching her shoulder Rylan repeated her name. This time she put her fork down and let her head fall in her hands. When Rylan tried to move her hair out of her face, she recoiled as if he was a snake. For some reason this angered Rylan. He wasn't used to girls recoiling from his touch, even if it was Ali. He grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her. This startled the upset-already Ali so much that she started crying. Mike saw this and quickly wrenched Ali from Rylan's grasp. Wrapping his arms around her, he brought her close to him. She continued to sob into his shoulder.
Meanwhile, Persia had gotten up and calmed Rylan. Once he was calm, she chewed him out. Even though Persia loved him, she was very angry at the way he had shaken Ali. They were all so caught up in their little drama scene they hadn't noticed that most of the Slytherin table and part of the Ravenclaw table was watching them. Of course, this drew the attention of Professor Dumbledore, who then came walking over. He touched Mike's shoulder. This caused him to turn, which caught Persia and Rylan's attention. Ali kept her face buried in Mike's robe. Dumbledore motioned for the four of them to follow him.
Ali kept her face hidden in Mike's robe the entire time. But it wasn't just to hide the cut. He smelled good. She couldn't describe it, but whatever the smell was, it comforted her. So did his arms, which were still wrapped around her shoulders. For the first time in her life, Ali felt safe. She didn't want to let go when they got to Dumbledore's office. But Mike gently set her down in a chair and then took the one next to her. Rylan and Persia took the other two. They continued to hold hands while they were sitting. Mike looked anxiously at Ali. She again had her head in her hands. Her beautiful brown hair draped across her face. Mike again felt the feelings he gets whenever he saw her. But he quickly pushed them aside as Dumbledore cleared his throat. Ali still did not look up.
"I'm not quite sure what went on, but I saw it happen. I was quite surprised to see that it was Rylan shaking a girl. And not just any girl, but Ali, who's like his adopted sister. I was even more surprised to see Ali break down into tears. In the five years she's been here, I have never seen her cry. That is why I chose to deal with this, instead of allowing Professor Snape to take care of it." Dumbledore had always felt a soft spot for Ali, even though she was the daughter of a Death-Eater. Perhaps it was her name and her personality. But whatever it was, it hurt him to see her cry. Though, of course, he couldn't say that.
"I don't know what took over me. It was just like all the sudden I hated Ali. It felt like she was a stupid girl who needed to have some sense beaten into her. I don't know why. I don't know why..." Rylan confessed and trailed off. Persia gripped his hand tighter. He was obviously upset about what he had done. Everyone was. Mike looked over at Ali. She was still silent. He looked pleadingly back at Dumbledore. Acknowledging the glance, Dumbledore spoke to her.
"Ali? Please look at me." She lifted her head. Professor Dumbledore could see the gash, but the others could not. He sat back in his chair to contemplate what to do. He had an idea of what she was suffering from, but he wasn't quite sure. The room was awkwardly silent. Suddenly Firestorm came flying in. Everyone jumped, including Ali. In his mouth, he had a letter. He dropped it on her lap and flew off again.
Out of habit, Ali tucked her hair behind her ear as she read the front of the letter. The sudden intakes of breath struck her like a knife. But before she could do anything, Mike was in front of her, on his knees. He took her face in his hands.
"Ali, what happened to your face?! Who did that?!" he was frantically questioning. He was angry, but not at her. Someone had hurt Ali, and now they would pay, he was convinced. When he had seen the huge gash on her face, all the feelings he had been trying to hide from everyone for two years came swelling up inside of him. He didn't care anymore what anyone thought. He had to make sure that nothing happened to Ali again. Mike sat there watching her, until she answered. When she still made no move to answer, he ran his fingers across her face, brushing back her hair.
"My mother did it," she suddenly whispered. Mike let go of her and sat back on his heels. Persia gasped and Rylan jumped up, angry again.
"Dammit Ali! You're still taking your mother's punishment for her?! I thought we discussed this before you started Hogwarts!" he exclaimed. Mike and Persia looked back and forth between the two. Dumbledore sat silently at his desk still, observing it all.
"I can't let you do this anymore!" Rylan yelled at her again. Ali jumped up, angry and not about to let Rylan yell at her.
"You can't do anything to stop me, Rylan! It's not like it bothers me anymore! I've woken up at midnight for the past seven years!" Ali screamed back at him. By now Mike and Persia were on their feet, trying to separate the two. Struggling, Rylan called out to Ali.
"Tell them! Tell them what your mother did. Tell them what her punishment is, what she makes you go through for her!" Ali didn't say a thing. Rylan continued to shout out at Ali, not loudly, but he could barely control his anger, and you could hear it in his voice.
"Tell them Ali. Tell them how you wake up every night covered from head to toe in cuts. Tell them how you bleed from the cuts. And how you have to take a shower every night to get the glass off of you. And how you have to wipe of your sheets for fear of the glass still being there." Rylan ran out of wind. He stood trembling with anger in front of Ali. Persia came up and wrapped her arms around him to calm him. Mike continued to stare, confused, at Ali. No one said a word for what seemed like in eternity. Yet, it was only a few minutes before Dumbledore broke the silence.
"Ali, could you hand me your letter?" Everyone in the room looked at Ali again. Standing up, she placed it in his hands. Dumbledore stood up, and walked around to the front of his desk.
"Now, I suggest you all go back to your dormitories. I'll let your teachers know that you've all had a trying morning and shall not be attending class. Ali, I know it's hard for you, but I suggest you get some sleep. Daytime may be your only escape. I'll call for you all again later this evening. Do not discuss what went on in this room with anyone. Or around anyone." With that, Dumbledore gently pushed the teenagers out of his office. Once they were gone, he sat down, and read Ali's letter.
The four friends were silent on the way back to their house. Rylan and Persia walked together in front. They had their arms wrapped around each other. Both were tired, and it was obvious. Ali walked farther behind, with her eyes on the floor. Mike walked uneasily beside her. He wanted to hold her again. He wanted to take her away from everything and keep her safe from whatever it was that was tormenting her in her sleep.
When they got back to the Slytherin Common Room, it was empty. Rylan kissed Persia, and went into the boys' dormitory. She went upstairs into the girls'. Ali plopped down onto the couch. She wasn't tired, but scared. She had never been so scared in her life. All she wanted to do was to curl up into a little ball in a dark corner and die. She probably would have done this, except Mike came and sat beside her. She looked up at him. God, are his eyes beautiful, she thought. The playful gleam wasn't there. Instead, it was replaced by something else. At first, she thought it was anger, but she realized it was sadness and something else. It almost looked like longing. But longing for what?, Ali wondered.
"Ali, I need to tell you something. I've needed to tell you it for the longest time." Mike took a deep breath. He knew if he didn't get it out now, he never would. He had been going over a whole speech in his head for months, but he took one look into Ali's eyes, and words fled his mind.
"I... I..." he trailed off. He wanted to tell her so badly, but he was so worried that she wouldn't feel the same. He knew she liked Draco; no matter how hard she had tried to hide it, he had figured it out.
But before he could get up the nerve to continue, Draco Malfoy walked in. Speak of the devil, Mike thought. Ali looked away from Mike and turned her attention to Draco. Well it was more like her attention was stolen away from Mike, because Draco had picked her up from the couch and was hugging her. He ran his fingers through her hair and told her that he had seen what happened and he wanted to make sure she was all right.
Ali smiled and nodded. She didn't like Draco's closeness. He had never touched her before. Now he was holding her, much like Mike had done that morning. Suddenly, Ali realized that she wished it were Mike holding her again. She gently pushed away from Draco. Before he could say something, she put her finger to his lips.
"I'm fine. But maybe you'd better go make sure Raven's ok. She's probably pretty upset. Why don't you go comfort her?" Ali suggested.
"But I'd much rather comfort you." Draco playfully said as he ran his fingers through her hair again. She pushed him away even farther.
"Someone's already beat you to that. Besides, your condolences would be much more appreciated by Raven." Ali insisted. She knew that Raven would either love her or hate her for this, but she didn't care. She just wanted Draco to leave, so that she could be alone with Mike. She had something to tell him too.
"Fine! I see how it is." Draco spun around and stomped off. Ali flopped back down onto the couch next to Mike. She sighed deeply. She turned and looked at Mike, hoping to see the longing in his eyes again, but this time she only found hurt. He hadn't even told her that he loved her, and she knew she had already hurt him. Kicking her shoes off, she put her feet on the couch and rested her head on her knees. She began to cry for the second time that day. The tears ran down her face, but not a sound escaped her lips.
Mike just sat there, lost and hurt. He knew he shouldn't be. She had no clue that he loved her. She didn't belong to him; she was allowed to be swept up into another's arms. But now he'd lost all nerve to tell her that he loved her. Now he was the one who wanted to curl up into a little ball and die. He would have to, if Ali hadn't looked up. He suddenly realized that she'd been crying again. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she was still as beautiful as ever. He was about to say something when she leaned forward, catching him off-guard, and kissed him on the lips.
Chills ran down his spine and he felt himself get hard. When she started to lean back, he grabbed her and kissed her again, this time longer. He kept kissing her, more and more passionately. He had been dreaming about this for almost three years. Her arms were wrapped around his neck as tightly as they could be. It wasn't easy the way they were sitting. Moving quickly, his hands grabbed her around the waist, and picked her up. He set her back down, facing him, on his lap. Ali was surprised and then smiled. She wrapped her arms around his neck again and kissed him more intensely than before. She ran her fingers through his hair as he kissed her neck, and then her lips again. While he was kissing her, he ran his hands up and down her back, often lingering on her hips. He wanted her so badly. He felt it throughout his entire body. He needed her. And he could tell she felt the same.
For ten minutes, they sat there, kissing, running their hands across each other's bodies. They would have sat there longer, but Firestorm flew in. Both of them jumped, afraid that it was a teacher or fellow Slytherin. Seeing it was only Firestorm, Mike relaxed, but Ali didn't. She looked around uneasy.
"What's wrong, Pyro?" she asked. Firestorm pecked her shoulder. Then he flew off. Ali grabbed Mike's hand and hurried to follow Firestorm. They ran through the empty corridors. Something was wrong. It should have been lunchtime. Ali looked at Mike who was running beside her. Finally, Firestorm stopped his flight outside of Dumbledore's office. The door opened, just as the two were getting there. They slowed down, and cautiously walked inside.
Ali screamed at what they saw. Dumbledore was floating in the air, with a noose around his neck. At first she thought he was dead, but then she saw that the rope had slack. Someone was playing with them, messing with their minds. Suddenly, Ali found herself on the ground with Mike on top of her. The spot where she had been standing was there no longer. Instead, a large hole had taken its place. As Ali and Mike scrambled to their feet, they could hear someone laughing. Ali's mother came out of the darkness.
"Mother?!" Ali screamed. "What are you doing?!"
"Keeping my little punishment a secret. People can't know why you run through glass mirrors every night in your dreams. People can't know why you've always been afraid to love another." her mother replied. "Now, I'm feeling pain again, so why don't you be a good little girl and go to sleep."
"I'll make a deal with you, Mother." Ali said.
"What? And you'd better make it good." Her mother was hurting.
"I will go through this for the rest of my life without a complaint, if you spare my friends' lives." Ali offered.
"You'll go through it whether or not I spare them!" her mother laughed.
"Mother?" Ali said, hit suddenly with an idea. "What happens if I figure out how to beat this?"
"Then I have to go find someone else to do it, or I die." her mother responded. Ali nodded and turned to Mike. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. She was about to go to Dumbledore's couch to sleep, but Mike grabbed her wrist and spun her back around. Holding her tight, he finally said the words he's been dying to say.
"I love you very much, Ali. I would do anything for you. I'd die for you," he said, looking straight into her eyes. Ali almost cried when he said this. She wanted to say it back, but she knew her plan wouldn't work if she did. So instead, she said something else.
"If you love me, then when I fall asleep tonight, whatever happens, don't let go of me." Ali knew he wouldn't understand, but she hoped he wouldn't have to. Not yet, at least. She was right.
"I will never let you go." He pulled her close and kissed her again. She feared it would be their last.
Lying down on the couch, Ali curled up in Mike's arms. She could hear Professor Dumbledore's slow, but steady breathing from above where he was still suspended. For some reason this steadied her nerves. Maybe it was the assurance that because he was still alive, she might have a chance to keep it that way. She soon fell asleep, listening to Mike's heartbeat, and lying wrapped up in his arms.
"Ali?! Help me!! Please?! Ali?!!" Mother screams. She's stuck behind the mirror. I have to help her! But I don't know how to get to her! I struggle against the darkness engulfing me. I have to help Mother.
"Ali!! Ali!! Help!!" Her screams are getting more and more frantic. I spin around to find her, but all I see are mirrors with her image.
Suddenly, my father appears in front of me. He tells me that this is my real mother. The person she was before he locked her kind soul into the mirrors. Mother wouldn't become a Death-Eater, he says. She was too soft. But he said that it was really because she was in love with James Potter. Daddy says that he couldn't handle this, because he really did love Mother. So, he locked Mother in the mirrors, and found a new wife. He says that she looks exactly like Mother because she drinks a very special Poly Juice Potion. Suddenly, I hate my father. I have to save my mother from this evil man. I turn around, and he is gone.
"Ali!! Hurry!!" I can't figure out a way to save her. Soon my mother gets angry because I'm not trying, she says.
"I'm trying Mother! Tell me what to do!! Tell me what to do and I'll do it!!" I scream, hoping she'll hear me.
"Run through the mirrors! Just run straight ahead!!" she replies. But won't I get hurt? Won't I get all cut up, I ask. Most likely. But I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to run throughout glass.
"Do it! I'm the only one who loves you! And I'm the only one who ever will!! Everyone else lies! They would never die for you! I would!" Mother yells. I'm about to run through the first mirror when I feel strong arms around me. I feel safe in these arms. A voice says that he loves me and he'll do anything for me. He'd die for me. Suddenly, I don't have to save my mother anymore. She lied to me. She's not who she says she is. I shout out, to whoever is listening.
"NO!! I'm not going to run through any more mirrors! You lie! You don't deserve to be free!!" I hear a shrill scream, and then I start to fall...
"NOOOOOOO!!!", Ali woke up screaming. She would have shot straight up, but Mike, who was true to his word, was holding her tight. He held her tighter and starting stroking her hair. He kept telling her it was just a bad dream. He kept whispering that she was safe now.
"What time is it?!" she frantically asked.
"12:01 am", he whispered, "and we're both still here."
"And so am I." Dumbledore said from somewhere in the dark. Lighting a lamp, Dumbledore went over to the couch. Ali sat up, but Mike continued to hold her close.
"You did it. You beat your mother. No more waking up with cuts everywhere. I also believe that I am in your debt. For if you hadn't had the courage to defy her, I wouldn't be here." In spite of the situation, Professor Dumbledore smiled. Ali smiled back, the first genuine smile she had ever given the Professor.
"Now, I do believe you have some explaining to do to this poor young man who stuck by you so bravely." Dumbledore nodded towards Mike. "I will put a special lock onto the Slytherin Common Room, so that no one can bother you two. This way, only he and I know what truly went on. You have until breakfast. That leaves you... seven hours to explain everything. So, I suggest you two get talking." Dumbledore winked, and walked away.
Mike and Ali walked hand in hand to the common room. Just as Dumbledore had promised, there was a lock on the common room. Mike lay down on the extra large couch. Ali sat at his feet. Without saying a word, she took his shoes off, and then kicked hers off. She gently sat him up, and then took his shirt off. Kissing him, she fumbled with his pants. Mike couldn't control himself any longer. Still kissing her, he pulled her shirt off. He got her pants undone just as she got his off. Rolling over, so that he was on top, Mike kissed her more passionately than ever. Suddenly he stopped. Ali, still breathing hard, asked what was wrong.
"You never said that you loved me," he bluntly told her. Ali smiled, wrapped her legs and arms around his already sweaty body, and pulled him closer.
"I love you, Mike. I love you so much," she whispered into his ear. With that, she lay back, and gave herself to him completely. When they had finished, Ali asked him if he wanted to know what had happened.Mike kissed her deeply and said that they had the rest of their lives to talk about it, but that they only had a few hours left together that night. Ali smiled, and Mike suddenly found himself with Ali on top. Whispering those three special words, he let her take over.
They both awoke to find themselves with their clothes, even though they were still in each other's arms. A little creeped out, Ali looked at the clock.
"Time for breakfast." she said. They got up, and walked hand in hand to the Great Hall. They caught up with Rylan and Persia, who didn't look the least bit surprised to see Mike and Ali together. They all were, however, surprised to see Raven and Draco walking hand in hand together also. Ali smiled. Everything in her world was finally right. She had Mike, and no more dreams. Rylan had Persia, and Raven had Draco, who may have caused Raven's parents to finally warm up to her.
The rest of the year was extremely uneventful compared to that one day. Rylan and Mike both graduated Hogwarts with flying colors. The next year, Persia, Ali, and Raven all graduated with good marks, but rather dull compared to the boys. Draco, of course, graduated. Although, there were several rumors that he had paid of some of his teachers. These were quickly squashed. Perhaps the most eventful thing that year was the death of Ali's mother. But that's a story for another time and another place.
Eight years time would find Rylan and Persia happily married with one child, a second on the way, and good jobs at the Ministery of Magic. Raven and Draco would have one child. Raven's parents equally split their inheritance between her and Rylan, a thing they said they'd never do. Ali and Mike would be happily married with a baby on the way and no more nightmares. And good old Dumbledore would still be running Hogwarts, just as well as he did back then.