Title: PhD

Author: twiddlekinks

Abstract: Featuring Ginny Weasley as graduate student in training, and an icy blond Slytherin as her supervisor. Toss in a couple of science jokes or nerdy pick-up lines, and there's the perfect protocol for passion. (Er…)

Rating: Naughty, and this is a chapter with some fluff. Woohoo!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for my own MIT-spackled background knowledge, which might or might not be correct. One tiny blip in this chapter refers to a portion of HBP, but it doesn't really give away too much of the plot.

-iv-

Chapter 4: Discussion

Let's talk, Professor Malfoy. Lots of conversation, with a smattering of smut/fluff.

-iv-

Slowly, Ginny disentangled herself from the magical-molten-bundle-of-pi-recitin'-virus-analyzing-hot-smokin'-luv that was… her PI. Draco Malfoy, esteemed professor and voracious kisser. Ginny still felt weak in her research-loving knees. But that could be further analyzed at a later date.

"Ron," she said, "Calm a bloody bit down, why don't you? You're in the middle of MIT, for goodness' sake."

Ron's hands were still clenched tightly into fists, but he seemed to realize that they were indeed located in a public hallway, and that violence was generally frowned upon in esteemed research institutions. He visibly reddened, then took a deep and calming breath, and slowly deflated. Instead of a punch, he settled for a snort and a somewhat sharp tone. "Ginny, you might be a Weasley, but you're definitely mental. And even if you did have to come all the jolly way across the Atlantic to do something important with little glass tubes, surely you've got better taste than to taste a Malfoy. And, come to think of it, Malfoy, you'd better have a good explanation as to why you were devouring my sister's face or my fist might have to devour your own pretty little beak."

Malfoy looked shocked. "Weasley, I most humbly assure you -- while Malfoys certainly do many wondrous deeds, we certainly do not devour people's faces." He then sported a thoughtful expression. "I seem to recall however, your own antics during our sixth year…" Ron was turning red (again). "Tsk, Tsk. The pot mustn't call the kettle black, eh?"

Then he turned to his graduate student. "Ginny Weasley, I shall see you tomorrow at lunch. We shall continue to discuss the results of our experimental methods." With that statement and a (Was that really a wink? He wouldn't really wink at her, would he?) glance, he turned on his heel and walked away.

Even in her obvious familial discomfort, Ginny had to admire the adept manner in which he'd offhandedly avoided answering Ron's demand for an explanation. Or maybe she was just enjoying the view of his fantastic arse as he sauntered past. Ah, but then she was left with the explanations. Typical Malfoy, she thought, but she couldn't seem to muster the appropriate resentment. She would've been much more bitter if she hadn't been so successfully snogged… which brought her, unfortunately, back to her fuming brother. Ick.

As soon as Malfoy had disappeared behind his office door, the aforementioned brother turned to his unrepentant sister. "Ginny Weasley!. What do you think you're doing?" Ron was indeed quite angry. Talking in italics seemed to run in the family.

"Research, Ron. It's rather simple, really…"

Ginny was then rescued by a most unlikely savior. A dark head suddenly popped into the hallway, grabbed Ron's arm, and started leading him down the hall. "Oh, don't worry, dearie," Pansy called back to Ginny. "I know how to distract wayward boys."

Ron looked quite scared, but definitely distracted. Wayward, even. He glared at his attacker's red nails. "And who the bloody hell are you?"

Ginny could hear Pansy's burbling laugh. "No one important, dearie. Don't toggle your pretty little head just yet. Come on, I'll give you a little …tour… And you really should stop disturbing your sister, you know. She's quite a wonderful specimen of adulthood, with the whole good head on her shoulders bit and all that, and you'd actually like whomever she associates with if you'd give 'em half a chance, really, and oh dear, am I chattering again? I suppose so… you don't mind, do you?" Pansy's monologue trailed off as the two stepped into the elevator, promptly disappearing from sight.

Ginny burst into laughter. She considered being worried, but then figured that Ron and Pansy could both handle each other. And if not, then Ron could use a lesson in …well, whatever Pansy wanted to teach him. Ah, the power of suggestion, Parkinson-style. Now, to talk things over with that PI of hers…

As she started down the hall, however, another dark head showed up. Black hair, emo glasses, white boy. Not Rob, then. Was he still in the bathroom? "Hello, Harry."

Harry Potter looked quite hesitant and uncomfortable among the scientific posters adorning the walls. "Um, I found your lab…" He looked around. "Oh. Where'd Ron go?"

"Away. With… ah, an acquaintance." Ginny looked around. "But why don't I give you a tour of the lab while we wait for him?"

-iv-

After seeing Harry look distinctly unnerved by the wall of test tubes, Ginny reasoned that her friend didn't feel quite the same fond nostalgia she felt as they admired the glassware. Then Vickie had dropped by the lab, and Harry had gamely submitted to a step-by-step explanation of DNA, gel electrophoresis, and the many uses of pipettes. Ginny definitely noticed how his eyes kept being drawn to Vickie, who was slim and sweet and smart. "Must be the Cho complex," she muttered mentally.

This train of thought was shoved off its proverbial tracks by the breezy entrance of Rob, who saw Harry and Vickie chatting, immediately paled, then grabbed Ginny's arm and pulled her out the door.

"Rob!" Ginny exclaimed, once they were (once again) in the hallway. "What gives?"

"I," Rob said dramatically, "think that I'm in love."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I think I'm in love."

"Ah… well, ah, about that kiss earlier…"

Rob shook his head impatiently. "No, not you, you silly girl."

"Oh. Hmm… well, I think Vickie's sworn off dating, but I'm sure that if you talk to her…"

Rob interrupted. "While Vickie and yourself are quite beautiful in a reasonably aesthetic fashion, that smooch in the hall made me realize that my attraction lies with the more masculine sort. Sorry for taking liberties with your person, Ginny, but that quick kiss proved it. I'd never really kissed a girl before, and now I know: I'm indeed quite the gay one."

"Ah," she thought. "Well, even if he just kissed me to prove his own orientation to himself, I'm glad that kissing me didn't make him sick, after all." Aloud, she said, "It's okay, Rob."

"Thank you, you kind girl. I'm so glad we're friends. Two peas of the same trait, eh? Er… that was a vague reference to Mendel. I haven't quite worked out the phrasing yet." He paused. "I must admit, at first I was quite conflicted. I'd been conditioned to appreciate the beauty of girls all my life, but the icy good looks of our esteemed PI were just so…awe-inspiring? Sexy? Definitely tempting…"

Ginny couldn't stop a guffaw. "Ah, well, Rob, sorry to disappoint, but I think he's quite straight."

"Ah, that's a pity. He's a bit old for me, really, and student-teacher relations aren't quite promoted here. Though, that tattoo… that nearly did me in." Tattoo? Ginny thought. Oh, dear… hadn't Malfoy left England before the Great Wars? Or had he really been a Death Eater? Why else would a Malfoy get a tattoo?

But Rob had continued, quite oblivious to her wizarding reverie. "But I digress. All thoughts of Malfoy have fled, for I have finally met my match. My soul mate. And he's in there!"

Ginny paused. Which guys actually worked in the lab? Beaker? He'd been around for forever, and Rob's strange behavior had only begun today. But she did have visitors… She gasped. "You mean Harry?"

"Perhaps. Is he one of your visitors? He must be! Ah, Ginny! You could be the key to me meeting the love of my life!" Rob laid a flamboyant hand over his heart. "Have you seen the guy, Gin?" he whispered. "He looks like my bloody twin! The sexy English version of yours truly!"

"Well… You always have seemed rather narcissistic."

He considered this. "True."

Never one for blocking the course of true love, Ginny found herself saying, "Why not try it and see, then?"

He looked at her suspiciously. "Are you trying to give me a hint?"

She laughed. "Actually, I have no idea if Harry's gay." With a shrug, she looked up at him with twinkling eyes. "He does tend to go for Asians…" Then, seeing his miserable look, she said, "Oh, Rob… just be yourself. If it's meant to be, then perhaps he'll find you irresistible. And if not, maybe you'll find someone else that looks just like him – er, or just like you. But maybe you should get to know him first, before jumping to conclusions."

Thus, arms linked together, they walked back to the lab. Shaunna and Beaker had apparently left for the day. Rob approached Harry with a hopeful gleam in his eye and a sense of purpose. Harry was sitting at Ginny's lab bench, chatting with Vickie about nothing in general and herself in particular. Then Rob broke in. "Hey."

"Hey," Harry replied. "What's up?"

"i x j," came Rob's quick response. It was almost a reflex, Ginny thought. The inner nerd in Rob was hankering to get out. When he got nervous, the geeky tendencies were amplified tenfold.

Harry, on the other hand, just looked startled. "Pardon?"

"Er… i-cross-j. It's a cross product pun. When you multiply two unit vectors, namely i and j, which go in the direction of the x axis and y axis respectively, and then you get k, which is usually a unit vector going in the upwards direction. Hence, the product of those two vectors is up…" Noting Harry's blank stare, Rob said sadly, "I guess you've never taken calculus."

"Ah." Harry looked apologetic. "No. I took, er… Herbology instead."

"Well, that's kind of cool," Rob exclaimed. He sidled up to the Boy Who Lived. "Speaking of plants, do you mind if I …exchange materials with your surroundings?"

"Er," Harry said. "We, ah, only studied the more, um, exotic breeds of plants."

"Hmm…" Rob said. "Well, do you like biology? How about this one?" He cleared his throat. "Hey, baby," he began. "Some dates have called me a promotor. Others have referred to me as a real operator. Personally, I think I'm just a cute piece of DNA who is still looking for that special transcription factor to help me unwind…"

Harry looked completely blank. Ginny and Vickie were laughing. "I don't think that science is Harry's strong point," Ginny remarked. "Sorry, Rob." Then, recovering her manners, she immediately introduced the two. Rob seemed to melt into Harry's handshake. Harry looked a tad nonplussed. Ginny arranged for dinner plans between the four of them and Ron and whomever showed up. Right as they were leaving, Pansy emerged with Ron in tow. The youngest Weasley brother looked thoroughly disheveled.

"Ginny," he said solemnly. "I've changed my mind. MIT's not so bad, after all."

-iv-

Dinner was a fairly uneventful affair. They ate at Royal East, a fantastic Chinese restaurant down the street. Not long after the scallion pancakes rapidly disappeared, Pansy and Ron started holding hands. Harry had looked startled at first, but then shrugged his characteristic Harry shrug, and ate his food in peace. Ginny couldn't help but feel amused. Pansy did like red hair, after all. Pansy dragged Ron out early, to "give him a tour of the nuclear reactor down the street." The two melted into the night.

After their departure, the love triangle became a brilliant shade of amusing. Harry kept trying to engage Vickie in a conversation, and Rob kept trying to get Harry's attention. Vickie, in turn, wanted to talk with Ginny. After a bit of hand signaling and impromptu phrasing, the two graduate student girls excused themselves simultaneously and headed to the restroom.

"How's it going, Vickster?" Ginny asked her friend.

"Ginny," Vickie groaned. "I don't know what to do here. I think Harry's cute and cool and all, but I really wish he'd stop trying to impress me with Quidditch stats. I mean, who needs sports when you've got sterile glassware?" She giggled. "Did I actually say that out loud?"

Ginny grinned, then sighed. "It's too bad that Rob's gay, then. You two could've been the perfect couple."

"Rob's gay?" Vickie looked surprised. "And here I thought that he was just intensely nice and nerdy. Hmm… is that why he rushed you out of lab today?"

Ginny told her about that particular conversation, then asked, "Um… is it really frowned upon for graduate students and PI's to date?"

Vickie stared at her, then laughed. "Ginevra Weasley! You've got to be kidding me!"

Ginny felt her hackles rising. "What?"

"You mean you've actually snagged that hot professor of ours? The one that all the gals drool over as he lectures about the nuances of viral reproduction?"

"Well," Ginny was extremely hesitant. "Rob kissed me today, and –"

"Wait a snail-speed moment! I thought you said Rob was gay!"

"Well, he is. He just kissed me in order to prove that to himself. He said that he didn't feel anything when he kissed me, and had previously felt stirrings of affection for both our PI and then felt that Harry was his soul mate."

"Ah. Well, then."

"Anyway, the PI himself saw that awful excuse for a kiss, and I kind of got mad at him, and he kind of kissed me."

Vickie raised her eyebrows. "That makes a whole ton of sense."

"It was… er… well, he got mad at me for intra-laboratorial relations. I, ah, lamented that, as Rob had rushed to the bathroom, any guy who kissed me must get sick when doing it. And Malfoy, er… disproved my hypothesis." She hesitated. "Funny, that. I wonder if he plans to actually further the whole 'relations' thing, if he got so mad at the possibility of Rob and me and lab-cest."

Vickie laughed. "You silly goose. He was obviously just jealous." She looked at her watch. "I guess we've been in here long enough. We probably should see how the guys are doing."

It seemed that, with no one else around to distract them, Rob had finally succeeded in capturing Harry's attention. If nothing else, Rob was a good listener and a charming conversationalist, Ginny realized. He also seemed quite interested in any sport involving the riding of a broomstick. Hmm.

Ginny and Vickie settled down at the table, and just watched the two men chatter on about nothing in particular. They pushed up their glasses at the same time in the same manner, noticed at the same time in the same manner, and blushed at the same time in the same manner. It was uber cute. Ginny and Vickie excused themselves soon thereafter. Rob took Harry out for drinks.

-iv-

The next day, Ginny received the customary note, with a twist of sublime.

Hey, Ginny –

Want to balance my equation? Lunch. Noon.

-Draco

She wore a silly grin for the rest of the morning. Rob came in quite content, fresh from a leisurely walk along the Charles River with the Boy Who Lived. "We really communicated, Ginny," he said enthusiastically. "Harry told me about so much stuff that I'd had no idea about. I wish I was a wizard…" Humming "A Whole New World" from Disney's Aladdin, Rob sat down at his computer terminal and went to work. Pansy came in looking like the cat who'd eaten the canary, with a gallon of cream for dessert. She winked at Ginny, then disappeared into her office.

At 11:55am, Ginny started putting her pipettes away. Suddenly, she heard a voice over her shoulder. "So… how are you doing?"

"Fine," came the automatic response.

She could practically hear him smirk. "Yea, baby, and you look fine, too."

She burst out laughing. "You and the pick-up lines, Draco Malfoy. And that one wasn't even remotely nerdy." She sighed dreamily. "How lovely."

He grinned. "Lunch, then?" Ginny took his proffered arm, and the two strolled out the door.

-iv-

Over clam chowder and fried calamari at Legal Seafoods, Draco remarked, "I read your paper, you know."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Which one?"

"Your first one, I believe. I was searching for general microbial genetics, and dug up something on Honeycomb. After I'd read the paper – quite well-written, surprisingly – I glanced at the authorship. G Weasley, first author. It didn't quite connect until I saw your resumé in my office. Bloody hell, I'd thought it was some garrulous Muggle with an unfortunate last name working with Honeycomb." He winked at her. "The vocabulary was entirely too complex for such a simple subject, of course, but the paper itself had superb content."

Ginny grinned again. "Honeycomb insisted upon a few of the more… loquacious paragraphs, I believe. But in general, that paper began my headlong dive into science." She sobered. "That, and the chicken pox that attacked our family, I suppose." Switching gears slightly, she asked, "How did you get involved with science, Draco? I mean, you were from one of the families who were supposed to have everything, perfect lives included."

Her PI closed his eyes meditatively. "Ah, yes. Money and magic… it was the perfect traditional Malfoy combination." His eyes opened slowly. "But I learned the hard way, Ginny, that money can't buy everything."

The phrase was so banal, so overused. But coming from Malfoy, the old adage seemed apt, and it struck a chord in her heart. Or perhaps she recognized the profoundly tired look in his eyes. "What happened, Malfoy?" Ginny winced at her sharp tone. She told herself that she wasn't totally sure of his intentions, and didn't want to develop any deep feelings for him too quickly. For goodness' sake, whom was she kidding?

"My mother developed a sickness, Weasley. All the magic in the world, all the resources available, and she still couldn't overcome it. Of course my father wouldn't condone research; anything Muggle was quite below him, especially this newfangled 'science'. Even though one of our enemies had stumbled upon a rudimentary Muggle bioterrorist weapon, my father failed to see the implications of such. After the chaos, I decided to obliterate my feeling of powerlessness against tiny microbes. Thusly, I am currently waging war against one of the deadliest ones." He shook his head. "And once that problem's been solved, there'll always be more bugs to battle." He looked at her, really looked at her. "And what's your story? Assuming, of course, that a nice girl like yourself didn't stumble upon science from idle interest."

"Me?" Ginny laughed. "I've been interested in science ever since one of my brothers contracted chicken pox, actually. No one in the wizarding world had even guessed that there was a vaccine, or even anything like a vaccine. I started researching and trying to find different potions to cure him, but there wasn't anything available in our world at all, and it was too late." She sighed, giving a half-hearted smile. "Then I went to college and met Honeycomb, and learned that there are many wondrous inventions that we, as human beings, should utilize. We definitely need to bridge the gaps between the wizard world and muggle technology."

"I totally agree." Her PI looked at her approvingly. This was obviously not the spoiled-bratty, somewhat-thickheaded Draco Malfoy of the past. This was an innovative, inventive, and inspired young man, and Ginny could feel herself falling for him, one blink at a time. "Perhaps you and I will indeed make an impact between the two worlds, Ginny," he said. An unfamiliar look darted across his features. Ginny tried to decipher that look, but it was gone too quickly. They munched on in companionable silence.

"Have dinner with me," he said suddenly.

"Pardon?" she was startled.

"Have dinner with me."

"Like… a date?"

He smirked. "Ginny, I tend to not use such plebian terms. But call it whatever you'd like. Dinner at my place."

"And where will the food come from?"

"I'm cooking, of course."

"Whoa -- Draco Malfoy, culinary expert?" He was so totally the perfect guy. Gah! How infuriating.

He shrugged, then smiled. "More or less. What do you say, Ginny? You could come for the food, stay for the pi…"

She grinned. "With an offer like that, how could I refuse?"

-iv-

Draco Malfoy in an apron and oven mitts. They lovingly accented his bare feet, black slacks, and wine-colored collared shirt. Ginny decided that this sight was as distinctly yummy as the food he had served her. Lamb shank, mashed potatoes, a fine merlot, and bok-choy. She was in heaven. He kissed her after he set down the last platter, and she realized that she could happily grow accustomed to the feel of oven mitts cradled against her back.

After dinner, he brought out a pie, emblazoned with a "pi." How adorable! Though no one in their right mind would call Draco Malfoy "adorable." Sexy, yes. Smart, yes. Beautiful…of course.

"You are so beautiful," he remarked, as they sipped their wine after the meal. He was staring at her again, though Ginny wasn't sure whether he was analyzing or admiring. With the context of his previous words, she preferred to think he was being at least somewhat admiring…Previous words? Oh, yes --

She blushed. "You took the words right out of my mouth," she said. "But if they'd actually come from my mouth, 'beautiful' would be describing you, of course."

"Ah. Well, I'm not the one wearing a simple green dress that accents my soulful brown eyes and fire-lovely hair, am I?"

She considered this, looking at him up and down. "Hmm… I suppose not. You could try it on, though, see how it fits."

His eyes gleamed. "To do that, of course, you'd have to get out of it."

Her breath caught. Astounding visual imagery, that. "Ah. I'd, um, probably need help to do that. The zipper's kind of hard to reach…"

"Allow me." With that, he helped her up, and delicately assaulted her mouth with an intense kiss. She traced her tongue along his bottom lip as his adept fingers splayed along her hips and inched up her back. She could feel her zipper melting away, and the straps of her dress started to slide over her shoulders. His mouth wandered down her jawline, lightly skimming and caressing her neck, ghosting over the strap's wayward path. Looking up at her through silver, lidded eyes, he smiled a slow, lazy smile, passionate in its intensity. Her breath caught in her throat.

Her fingers were sliding through his soft, silky blond hair. She massaged his neck and fiddled with the collar of his shirt. Her dress slid around her petite body, then unapologetically fell past her waist. Ginny Weasley realized that she was standing in Draco Malfoy's arms, and the only thing protecting her was her undergarments. Not a bad position to be in, really.

But he had too many clothes on. She immediately set to work on the buttons of his shirt, allowing herself glimpses of a tight standard white undershirt. She lifted his shirttails out of his pants, and ran her hands underneath. Draco Malfoy, complete with a six-pack of muscles, looked stunning in a shirt, and exceptionally moreso in no shirt. His pants were slung low around his hips, and his wiry physique was truly something to drool over. Not that Ginny was drooling; instead, she was kissing every inch of his neck. He, in turn, was skimming the top of her bra with feather light touches, and they both seemed to want faster and faster. The passionate moment felt like a soft curling tendril that stole into her very veins.

"Hey, baby," he breathed. "Want to be sinusoidal functions? We could oscillate horizontally…"

And then their clothes were off, and they were touching, skin to skin. It felt electric, and oodles of tiny frissons shocked through her body. He settled her on his couch, then placed his hands on either side of her head as he hovered over her, raking his eyes over her prone form. She realized that she had an easy view of his forearms, and they were both clear. "Where's the tattoo?" her mind thought hazily. He twisted above her, grabbed his wand, and as he waved it with an incantation, she saw it – a marvelous dragon emblazoned on his back, wings spread and highlighted in glints of silver amidst the dark green. She traced her finger around the edge of the dragon's flame.

"You like it?" he asked brusquely, pausing just a second, and then he swept in, nuzzling her neck.

"I do, indeed. It's beautiful," she breathed, "Vintage Draco." She remembered one of her conversations with a Harry Potter lookalike. She grinned. "Rob likes it, too."

"Ah, that fellow. Well, tell him I'm already taken."

A warm flush diffused through Ginny's body. "If you say so."

"I know so, Ginny Weasley." He stopped suddenly, and looked her in the eye. "In all my years of traversing the wizarding world and the Muggle world, I've never met someone who actually strikes such a response – physically, you're absolutely lovely. Your coppery hair, your passionate eyes, your winsome smile… And mentally, you're quite a catch. Well-written papers, sharp analytical research sense, natural kindness to strangers, and a willing curiosity… We never got to know each other back at school, of course, but now… hey, I like it all." His nose wrinkled. "Except for your brother, perhaps. But that is neither here nor now." And with that, the discussion stopped for quite some time.

-iv-

(Note#1: DNA deoxyribonucleic acid; it's the stuff that makes up our genes. To separate out different sizes of DNA, scientists often use a process called "gel electrophoresis." Basically, you've got a gel that has several slots on one end, in which you put various pieces of DNA. DNA's negatively charged. On one end of the gel, you place a negative electrode, and on the other, a positive electrode. The shorter/smaller pieces will run faster down the gel, towards the positive electrode. The longer/larger pieces will be slower. Pipettes are used to transfer solutions from one container to another. (Phew! End basic bio lesson.))

(Note#2: Gregor Mendel is considered the "father" of genetics; he did a couple of genetics experiments involving pea plants and their traits. For example, when he bred a tall plant with a short plant, he'd get tall plants. Then when he bred these latter tall plants, he'd get some tall plants and some short plants.)

(Note#3: Royal East is an excellent Chinese restaurant, located near Massachusetts Avenue and literally down the street from MIT. I highly recommend the honey-barbequed-spare-ribs and the scallion pancakes and the baby bokchoy; they're most excellent there. :oD)

(Note#4: Yes! MIT really does have a nuclear reactor! It's pretty cool, actually, and you can arrange to take a tour of it. Pansy, however, does not give your standard "tour." She's kind of an odd bird, truth be told. ;))

(Note#5: "Snail-Speed Moment" : That's this joke:

So there was once this snail, and he liked to race – like in the Indy500, things like that. One day, he got himself a brand spankin'-new vehicle – red, with a turbo engine, etc – and he painted an "S" on the door of it for "snail." When he finally got to race it down the track, the crowd ooh'd and aah'd and said, "HEI! Look at the S-car-go!" (escargot?)

;) Courtesy of my sister, Leftywrite)

(Note#6: The "How are you doing/ Fine…" pick-up line is from a collaborative effort with my sister in our early fanfic days. Feel free to check out "H2O Combustion" http / www . fanfiction . net / s / 1390706 / 1 /

(If you liked "PhD," you'll definitely like Chapter 3, "Pick-Up Lines and Lucky Charms."))

(Note#7: PubMed usually lists the author names on papers as "First Initial Last Name." Therefore, Ginny Weasley would be "G Weasley." The first author of a paper is the one that's credited with writing the paper, whereas the last author is usually the person who's funded the work (like the PI).)

(Note#8: "bugs" is slang for "bacteria," though it can also apply to microbes in general.)

(Note#9: "Come for the food, stay for the pi." Is from Embellished's review. Hehe it was too good to pass up:))

(Note#10: Sinsusoidal functions; those are sine, cosine, tangent, etc. They go up and down infinitely. ;))

(Note#11: To get the updates uber-quickly, refer to my LJ. Look in the memories section for a listing of the fic:))