chapter 20: Beyond the Looking Glass

Paisa was pacing the room like mad while different scenarios ran ramped through her head. She could feel the pressure building almost to the breaking point as the urgency of her situation was overwhelming her. It was becoming increasingly apparent that she was going to need her father's help but how could she explain all this? Her mind was in such frenzy that it took several minutes and a knock at her door before she realized that she was screaming frantically.

"What's wrong?" Her father screamed while he beat on the locked door. "Are you hurt? Is someone in there?"

Running to the door to open it before he beat it down, Parisa appeared in the archway looking breathless but unharmed. "Sorry Daddy I was just...umm...practicing."

"Practicing? For what, is this another of your silly projects that's just a waste of your time and my money?"

"Oh no, nothing like that...it's for...well, I wanted it to be a surprise for you but if you're insistent on knowing..." she began but was interrupted by her father's apologies immediately.

"Surprise?" he said as his eyes lit afire at the prospect of an expected surprise. "I don't want to runi that, it was just that the scream was so real that I thought you may have been hurt. I'll leave you alone now...to practice. Oh, I almost forgot, don't forget about dinner tonight with Jacq. It's at seven sharp so don't be late."

"Jacq? I didn't know anything about dinner with him." She squealed in dismay.

"He said that he was going to call you but no matter. Just be ready at 6:30 and the car will take you."

"Where will you be?" This came out more as a whine then a question prompting her father to stop dead in his tracks.

"I will be there later, business matters first, we're not going to have a scene tonight, are we?"

"No, father. But couldn't I just skip this one?" she replied weakly.

"No, he said that he had something to discuss with you and I have another question for you." Her father turned back and grabbed a hold of her face.

"Yes?"

"When are you and your friend going to change yourselves back? Surely you two are done playing you're little trick."

"Ah...yes, well..." she'd forgotten about that, again.

"Is there something else that I should know?" He asked her never breaking eye contact in an attempt to gauge whether or not she was telling the truth.

"Yes and no...it part of the surprise, Daddy." Thank goodness hse could think fast in a perilous situation or this could have been terrible, right?

"Very well, remember 6:30."

"Yes Daddy." She agreed reluctantly as the question of what Jacq could possibly want to talk to her about swirled in her brain.
000000000000000

Feeling like a fly caught in the web of her own deceptions, Ginny sat alone in the rundown motel room and tried to come to terms with her new situation. Blinded by a selfish and misguided desire, she had thrown away all her promise at the urgings of a psychopath. Slowly she was beginning to see the real way that things were and, most importantly, who she really wanted to be.

Her present captivity aside, Ginny began to envision a new kind of future. One without Harry Potter, Parisa or the Priory. It was all just a matter of angles, she assured herself. And then she began to allow herself to imagine the fairytale life that Marcus promised.

Armed with her new outlook, she went to the bathroom and readied herself for Marcus's return. After washing, drying, styling and applying makeup, she started to feel like her old self, minus the unhealthy obsession with Potter. Now all that was left to do was to wait for her destiny to walk back through the door.

She'd been waiting for hours and the room was starting to close in around her like a cell when the doorknob finally registered movement. What she didn't account for in all those lonely hours was what, or rather who, was standing at the threashold.
00000000000000

Everyone in the room just stared back at Dumbledore dumbfounded. The most important body in the room had just vanished into thin air and no one of them had known.

"They were just here. Why would Hermione do that?" Harry cried like an abandoned puppy.

"What do expect? The way you were going after him, I wouldn't have stuck around either." Sapphire shot back.

"Is this how they are all the time or just in times of crisis?" Madam Maxine whispered to Dumbledore.

"Children," he spoke firmly yet it was not the word that caught their attention but his tone. "Now is not the time for this. Did anyone see or hear anything? Think very hard as this is crucial for when the final member of our party arrives."

"Wait, the final member?" Harry repeated in the midst of his slack jawed companions.

"Yes."

"That's all you're going to say? Who could possibly be trusted enough for this?" Tara asked.

"Flamel." The sound of Snape's voice prompted everyone to turn to face him in disbelief.

"But he's supposed to be dead, isn't he?" Harry and Tara replied in unison.

"No, what I said was that he was finalizing his affairs but fortunately for us, he wasn't done before this came about." Dumbledore explained meekly knowing this was quite the bombshell to drop in light of recent events.

"Why not say something before now? I mean, that could have kept Draco here instead of Merlins knows where and with Hermione no less." Sapphire admonished. "What is it with everyone and their secrets? Are we all supposed to be on the same side?"

BJ and Sapphire were starting to crack under the strain of the day's revelations. Harry and the other were used to all of this but these two ladies had been sucked in by circumstance and not by choice with little to no hope of easing up. Sex, lies and Dark magic were the new tools of the trade and they had none of them. Unwittingly, they had stepped through the looking glass and into a modern day tale of good versus evil. But who would the winner be and would they ever live to see it?
00000000000000000

Hermione had closed her eyes tightly after she took Draco's hand and clung to the hope of a deserted place away from the harsh dangers which seemed to follow her mercilessly. For years she had worked tirelessly to put these adventures behind her but always mildly aware that it was a false reality. Human nature always allowed evil a way in and to think otherwise would be stupid. And that was certainly something she wasn't but maybe for just today or even just for a few hours, she could make herself believe in that.

But alas, that wasn't to be as she felt the ground firm up on the sole's of her feet and she opened her eyes to see the haphazard street of Knockturn Alley.

"Why are we here?" she questioned.

"We have to find them before they find us."

"And how will that help us? Won't that be like walking into the fires of hell and trying to reason with the Devil?"

"Would you rather run and wait for them find us? At least this way we have some measure of control." Draco stated as he looked her directly in the eye. "Isn't that how you all defeated Voldemort, by attacking him before he could attack you?"

"This isn't the same. There's only two of us, at the final battle we have over a hundred." she corrected him.

"Uh huh...and that wasn't really the final battle, now was it?" he turned the tables on her.

"Strange but I was just thinking the very same thing."

"This is where it ends, Hermione. Either we stop them or I take away their heir." Draco confessed and was about to finish his thought when he noticed her face light up like a light bulb. An indecent and unimagineable proposal was about to be hatched, one which would change them both forever. He could see it in her eyes but could she really say it? Or even carry it out, for that matter?

"If it comes to that, you could produce an heir before your...well you know. Just not the heir that they had intended." she offered.

"But that would mean..."

"I know what it means, I suggested it." she cut him off. Draco didn't know what to think at that moment, he just stood there with jaw in hand and heart leaping out to the young woman in front of him.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the wait on this chapter but I was trying to get it right, unfortunately due to other obligations, no beta was able to be done and I apology for the earlier reference to her...that was a mistake on my part as I forget to edit the transfer. I do apologize for any inconvience or misrepresentation that it may have caused to reetinkerbell.

Big hugs and thanks to the new readers: tAraentula, pele1, kat6528, jameth and dragonStarr.

Returning thanks to: Blood-Red-Pen-Tip, slyswn28, jezebellerd15, Mr. Big Bad, Harrena Potter and HarryPotterLover242. I couldn't have stuck with this that long without you and your wonderful reviews.

Blood...the line breaks wouldn't upload this time like they normally do so I apologize for any confusion.

tAraentula and jameth...welcome and thanks.

slyswn28...you are too kind but I love it.

jezebellerd...the white haired guy is Nicholas Flamel and the woman in pain was Dumbledore hearing Parisa's screams of frustration after her revelation that Ginny could get pregnant by Flint in her body...hope that clears that up...

Harrena...I love fishing for love...

Mr. Big Bad...hope you enjoy the beta-ed help in this new one.

HarryPotterLover...I am so happy at your return and I'm so flattered that you missed the story that much...the girl is Parisa so unless I'm sharing a brain with the lovely Ms. Rowlings, she's just a character from my own brain.

pele1...the man talking about Venus is Nicholas Flamel and the dear boy is his assistant...glad to have you join us..

kat and dragonStar...welcome and the story will be put up more consistently now since my new beta is caught up...thanks for joining us and hope you enjoy the rest.

As always...special thanks to Dracolov for sponsoring this contest and just so that everyone knows...this story managed to come in fourth place on the Dangerous Liaisons site so no award this time but thanks to all who voted for me and maybe next time it will fair better.