A/N - adult stuff. Some slash in second part, if you wish to skip, just go down to the next divider (----), then a bit more non-slash adult stuff near the end.

Chapter 45

"Hey there..."

"Need help?"

Kulia looked around and smiled as the twins walked in. "Just making a sandwich..." She said, turning back and spreading mayonnaise on a slice of bread.

They came up on either side of her. "There are house elves you know..."

"They could make you anything you wanted..."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No thanks. They stare at me like I'm a pink Unicorn or something... those huge eyes glued on me... it gets kind of irritating..." She looked up, staring into space thoughtfully, "And a bit creepy actually..." She shrugged and went back to work.

The twins chuckled, then gently moved her aside. Working with seamless coordination, they had three sandwiches assembled in moments. They handed her one, Fred grabbing up three glasses from the cabinet and George snagging a pitcher of pumpkin juice from the ice box on the way over to the little table.

Kulia just smirked at them as she settled down, letting Fred push in her chair while George poured her a glass of juice. When they had all settled down, they ate in silence for a time. Unsurprisingly, they finished first. They settled back in their chairs, just watching her and sipping their juice in silence.

After a minute, she sighed, setting the remains of her sandwich on the plate and settling back in her chair, eyeing them. "Ok, what is it? Or are you just practicing to be house elves?" She asked with a rueful grin.

They gave her little smirks, then glanced at eachother as the smirks faded. "Um..."

"We were just wondering..."

"About that contract..."

She folded her arms across her chest, watching them both carefully. "Yes...?"

They looked at eachother, then back over at her. "You..."

"You wouldn't really keep them from us..."

"Would you?"

"Because we just found out..."

"And we were a bit thrown..."

"At first!"

"But now that we know..."

"We can't just not be there!"

"Because that would just kill us..."

"And then there's mum...."

"She'd go absolutely nutters!"

Kulia chuckled, holding up her hand to stop their tirade before they gained too much steam. They fell silent, watching her pensively. "Do you have any idea how rare identical twin Snow Elves are? Even halfblooded ones?"

They looked at eachother, then back at her, shaking their heads in perfect unison.

"It's been over five centuries since the last recorded twins... and those were only a quarter blood. Twin elves are the only thing that any of my kind would consider anywhere near sacred. My species are extremely old and extremely powerful... but twins are a whole different level... working together, they amplify eachother, increasing their powers far beyond what should be possible.Having twins is something I've always wanted more than anything... but the odds of it happening naturally are laughable... so I've worked on finding a way to accomplish it all my life. About twenty years ago, I finally found a way I was relatively certain would work... but it required something that is exceedingly rare, even among humans... something I've been searching for these past twenty years... very special twins... twins that are identical all the way to their soul..."

Their eyes widened. "So you're saying..."

"That we have twin souls?"

She laughed, "Did you ever have any doubt?"

They smirked at eachother.

"The spell I worked allowed a single egg to be fertilized by both of you... making it almost certain that it would split and form identical twins."

"Both?"

"With them being identical..."

"We figured it was one of us..."

"But we didn't ask which..."

"Because we really didn't want to know..."

"But both..." They beamed at eachother, obviously thrilled by the idea. Then they sobered a bit.

"And the contract?"

She smiled at them. "I would think that jackass made it abundantly clear why I had you sign that."

"So we can see them?"

"You won't keep them from us?"

She chuckled. "You really think I could handle your children alone? Especially if they turn out even half as talented as I have no doubt they'll be?"

They both relaxed visibly.

"Besides..." She said with a smirk. "My kind are only fertile about once every three years... I managed to put my reproductive cycle into stasis with spells so as soon as I found my twins, I could release the spells and be fertile immediately... but that hasn't delayed my eventual loss of fertility... and I only have about another fifty years or so of prime breeding time left... you think I want to waste that looking for another set of twins just because I got over possessive? I probably wouldn't have even found you two on my own... I mean I don't usually go nosing around the children of Ministry personnel... but thanks to Draco, I've finally found some good breeding stock... and I have no intention of letting you get away that easily..." She said, smirking at them mischievously.

They stared at her wide-eyed. "Breeding stock?"

"What does that mean?"

She chuckled. "Don't worry... I mean we've practically just met, and you're just boys... you've barely begun to explore sex and relationships... I'm not going to try to pin you down... So give me a little help raising the most likely overly mischievous tikes, and give me a nice little interlude like we had before every three years until I've decided to call it quits and I'll be happy... anything more than that would be nice, but I'm not going to insist upon it... I'll leave that up to your discretion."

They looked at eachother for a moment, then smirked, looking back at her. "After long and careful deliberation..." Fred began with mock seriousness.

"We've come to the conclusion that..."

"We can handle that..." they finished in unison.

----------------

Ron finished casting the cleansing spells on Blaise and himself, leaving them once more clean and sweat free. He sighed contentedly as he tossed his wand back on the bedside table. Blaise rolled up to him, slipping his arms around him. Ron cuddled up to him, enjoying the feel of his warm flesh pressed against him.

Blaise nuzzled up to him, then gave him a lingering kiss. Ron parted his lips and their tongues eagerly explored eachother. Blaise ran his hand slowly down Ron's back, letting it come to rest on his bum. As the snogging deepened, he pulled Ron a bit closer, pressing his hips up against him.

Ron broke the kiss with a little chuckle, glancing down. "Bloody Hell... just what did they give you?!?"

Blaise blushed, pulling back some. "Sorry..."

Ron grinned, pulling him back over. "I'm just beginning to see what Snape meant about him being more worried about us..." He said, grinning over at Pansy, who had already fallen into an exhausted sleep on the other side of the bed.

Blaise looked over at her with concern. "She's ok...?" He said worriedly.

Ron let out a laugh. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Blaise seemed to relax some, looking back over at Ron. He snuggled up again. "Don't suppose you could shag me again...?" he said with a hopeful smirk.

Ron groaned and rolled onto his back. "It hasn't even been two minutes! Not to mention I've never shagged this much in one day... If I don't give my choicer bits a rest they're going to get worn off!"

Blaise sighed and nodded.

Ron looked over at him. He hated to see that dejected look on his face. "You know, you could always shag me..."

Blaise sighed deeper, sitting up and folding his legs tailor fashion. He pulled one of the pillows over and covered himself with it, hugging it to him and shaking his head sadly.

Ron sat up, studying him worriedly. "Why not?"

Blaise dropped his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you..." He said softly.

"What makes you think you would?"

Blaise let out a little frustrated sound. "I wouldn't want to, but I would... The potion they used to cure me... he told you it was too strong..."

Ron nodded, "Ya..."

"Well, it was far too strong... and three entire doses..." He shook his head. "Snape says with luck it will pass out of my system in time... but for now..." He sighed again. "I cracked four of Draco's ribs just hugging him... and I wasn't even halfway recovered at that point! I mean they fixed him right up and he's fine now... and... well he just found it kind of funny... afterwards of course... but I... I just don't want to risk it... I mean come on! How much strict control can you keep over your body when you're shagging someone? I couldn't bear it if I hurt one of you..."

"You shagged Pansy..." Ron said, confused.

Blaise shook his head. "I let her shag me... and even while worried about the babies it was hard to restrain myself... if I'd been on top I have no doubt I would have done damage..."

"Oh..." Ron said softly. He looked over at Blaise and sighed. It seemed almost cruel that he finally had this boy that he loved so much right there at his side, healthy, aroused and ready and yet was unable to fulfill his desires. After another moment of thought, he reached over, pulling the pillow away and putting his hand on Blaise's chest, pushing him back down the bed.

Blaise looked at him questioning, but let himself be pushed back, settling down on the bed. Ron shifted over, smiling down at him, then slipping closer and kissing him deeply. Blaise closed his eyes, returning the kiss unhesitatingly. After a few moments, Ron broke the kiss, shifting over and kissing and licking his way slowly down the side of Blaise's neck. Blaise let out a groan and shivered as Ron's hand drifted down and started caressing him.

Ron slowly worked his way down Blaise's chest. Blaise shivered and chuckled as Ron probed his bellybutton with his tongue playfully. Ron looked up at him, smirking. "Just keep in mind... this is my first bash at this..."

"Ron... you really don't have to..." Blaise trailed off, letting out a moan as Ron ignored him, starting in on him.

Blaise let his eyes drift shut, running his fingers through Ron's hair lovingly. It was easy to tell he was inexperienced, but just the fact that it was Ron made all the difference. He smirked as he felt him trying something he had done to him that first time in the alcove. He opened his eyes, looking down and just watching him for several long minutes as his pleasure slowly escalated.

He groaned and quickly pulled his hand away from Ron as Ron hit a particularly sensitive area. Ron heard and shifted his focus. In moments, Blaise was panting and groaning, grabbing fistfuls of the blankets under him to keep from grabbing Ron as he bucked his hips up.

Ron did an admirable job of not being thrown by his movements, keeping up his onslaught without pause. Blaise hazarded a look down again. Their eyes met and it sent a jolt through him. He bucked up again, calling out as he peaked.

As Blaise came back down, panting for breath, he looked down. Ron was sitting beside him, looking at him with a smirk. "Is it always that sudden?" He asked with a chuckle.

Blaise grinned. "You learn to anticipate it..."

Ron grinned, slipping down beside him and cuddling up to him. "Guess I need practice..."

Blaise chuckled, "You can practice on me anytime..." His smile slipped away and he sighed as he lifted his hand. There was a large chunk of raggedly torn cloth in his hand, little feathers fluttering down from it. "Bloody hell... I think I got the mattress too..."

----------------

Delse looked at the lush grass that was so dense it nearly hid her feet, then her eyes drifted up. She looked over the thick tree trunks and wildly sprawling vines that draped down from them. She reached out, touching a tree trunk, looking up and searching the thick foliage above, noting surprising glimpses of what appeared to be sunshine.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Snape said, coming up behind her.

She started slightly, then smiled over at him before looking back. "Yes... I've never seen it's like..." She said, smirking as she saw a little waterfall gurgling out of a nearby rock outcropping to form a little pool no bigger than a puddle below.

"The Twins' work mostly. They had quite a spectacular swamp going in one of the hallways last year... I believe Professor Flitwick left a bit of it as a sort of tribute to their splendid accomplishment actually... the spellwork was just too impressive to obliterate entirely... With a little help from Firenze, they were able to alter it into a somewhat dryer environment... I must admit, they have real talent..."

She smiled and nodded, "I've heard... but this... this is truly magnificent... I really must see about having them do up part of the manor." She said with a smirk, then sobered slightly, "Do you think it will hold him?"

"Well, it should keep it weak and unable to draw surrounding power at the very least... as for holding it, it is trapped in a physical body, and physical bodies we can contain without too much bother, even ones as strong as that. The entrance has already been warded. Once it enters, it will not be able to exit again without special spells being cast from the other side. We, on the other hand, can pass freely. Not that I'd suggest it once Hagrid gets here with the creature... As it demonstrated with Darien, it is still able to snatch souls, even when contained."

Delse sighed, looking pained. "Harry did what he did so Fudge would have to cure Blaise..."

Snape sighed, "Why would he be so concerned about Blaise? He just did it because his over developed Hero complex kicked in."

Delse just dropped her eyes. He could believe what he wanted, but she knew to truth. She could still see the pained look in his eyes when she'd told him she needed to be alone. Now both Draco and Blaise were whole and well... and yet she couldn't help but feel guilty, feeling like Harry's fate was entirely her doing.

They looked over as they heard someone at the entrance. Delse bit her lip pensively as Hagrid entered, holding the strange green cocoon ahead of him and having to crouch down a bit and move sideways to fit through the average sized entrance. He shifted the cocoon around carefully once he was in, carrying it over and laying it down gingerly in the middle of the small 'clearing'.

Snape went over, checking the binding spell. Hagrid was sniffling, fat tears trailing down into his bushy beard.

Snape sighed, rising. "It's not him, Hagrid." He said sadly.

Hagrid nodded, but the tears didn't stop.

Snape sighed, "You should go back and... check on the Thestrals." He said, grasping for a reason for him to leave, knowing the Thestrals didn't really need looking after. The only one that had been hurt had already been healed.

Hagrid gave another nod, eager for something to do to keep him from thinking about Harry's body laying there, bound and possessed by a demon. He went back to the entrance, giving the cocoon one last mournful look before squeezing back out.

Delse couldn't help but go over, peering down at the innocuous looking bundle of vines. It let out a low growl and thrashed.

Snape put a hand on her shoulder. "We should leave. The vines have been separated from their native earth and are losing power as we speak. It could break free at any time."

She sighed and nodded, letting him lead her out. They stood outside the arch, watching in silence.

It took less thanfive minutes for 'Harry' to fight his way out of the vines, rising a bit unsteadily from the strewn about remains. He looked around, growling in irritation at the burgeoning nature surrounding him. He spotted the entrance and made a run for it. Delse took an involuntary step back, but Snape didn't even flinch as the demon hit the barrier. The demon fell back, looking as if it had run headlong into a solid wall.

He got up, shaking his head to clear it. He approached the barrier a bit more cautiously, reaching out and touching it. He growled in irritation, his eyes flashing crimson. Long, shadowy talons emerged from his fingertips. He tried to use them to claw his way through, but the barrier just sparked, obviously sending some kind of jot back through the claws. He snatched his hand away, the talons vanishing as he shook the hand.

He glared at Snape through the invisible barrier. "Let me out." It growled with inhuman fury.

"No." Snape said evenly. "You will remain here until we are ready for you. Now be a good little demon and do as your told."

The demon slammed his fist against the barrier, but accomplished nothing more than hurting his own hand. He glared at Snape with undisguised loathing. Then his eyes flicked past, noting Delse. "Well... why don't I just tell everyone about our last little meeting then?" He asked with an evil grin.

"I really don't care if you do." Snape said with a shrug, "This is your situation. There will be no negotiation. Deal with it."

"Fine." He snarled. He smirked over at Delse. "You know he's fucking a sixteen year old? One of his students no less?"

Delse blinked, then shrugged. "His sex life is really none of my business, now is it?"

He looked at her, shocked, "Don't any of you people have any morals? Bloody hell!" He growled, storming around and kicking a large toadstool, making little bits of it fly everywhere as spores swirled out like smoke.

Snape was looking over at Delse, a bit surprised by her reaction as well.

They both looked over in amusement as the Demon sneezed. He staggered slightly and sneezed again. "Bloody hell (sneeze)... Stupid bloody bodies (sneeze)..." He said, moving away from the settling spores. He wiped his nose on his sleeve and glared at them. "You might have warned me he's allergic to those bloody things!"

Snape smirked. "Would you have listened?"

The demon glared at him murderously, still sniffling slightly. He looked them over, his posture easing a bit. "Fine... we play nice then. So are you going to fix up this bloody body already?" He said, half irritated, half petulant.

"The body should survive long enough. We will heal it later." Snape said evenly.

Delse looked at him, then back over, noting the amount of blood staining Harry's mangled clothing.

The demon caught the glance and looked her over calculatingly. He slumped against the side of the entrance arch. "My powers are the only thing keeping this body moving... I'm afraid the wounds are pretty grievous... You won't let him kill this body, will you m'lady?" He said, slipping into a soft, imploring voice. "He's known for overestimating his skills... by the time they are done, there would be nothing left but a corpse... no chance of getting poor Harry back then..."

"Oh stop it." Snape growled.

"I don't believe I was talking to you, Snape..." The demon hissed at him irritably.

Snape rolled his eyes and looked over at Delse, "It just wants to get you in there so it'll have a hostage. Or perhaps it'd kill you outright just for spite!"

It glared at him. "You think I want to animate a corpse? You know how repulsive that is? Besides..." He said, looking back over at Delse and giving her a little smile, "How could I hurt such a lovely lady?"

"Oh please! You'd gut her in a second if you thought it would benefit you!"

"Snape..." Delse said, putting a hand on his arm restrainingly. "What if this takes longer than expected? He does look badly injured..."

"Dying as we speak." The demon sighed sadly, giving her another imploring look.

Snape glared at him. "The only way you could safely look after him would be if the demon were to swear an oath not to harm you."

The demon eyed Delse speculatively. "I might be willing..."

They both looked a it in surprise. Then Delse looked over at Snape. Snape glared at the Demon, then looked over at her. "You'd be taking your life into your own hands... it can't break an oath, but if it finds a way around it..."

She nodded thoughtfully, then eyed the demon. "Very well. Here is the oath, then... I will heal the physical wounds of that body, within the limits of my abilities, and in exchange, you will not harm me, or my loved ones in any way... not in body, mind or soul. And all of our souls belong in our bodies, and in control of our bodies, and you will not cause them to be otherwise!"

He rolled his eyes. "Asking an awful lot for a simple healing, aren't you?"

She smiled. "That's the deal. Will you swear the oath, or do I trust that there will be time to heal him later?"

He glared at her for a long moment, then sighed, "Fine. This isn't exactly comfortable."

She narrowed her eyes, "Say the words, demon."

He rolled his eyes, "Fine..." He said, reciting in a bored voice, "I hereby solemnly swear that I will not harm you or your loved ones in any way... not in body, mind or soul. And all of your souls belong in your bodies, and in control of your bodies, and I will not cause them to be otherwise. In exchange you will heal the physical wounds of this body within the limits of your abilities. You have my oath, now get to healing already!"

Delse glanced at Snape. He sighed and shrugged. "It should be binding... if not, I'll just have to have Hagrid rip his limbs off so he can't do any more harm..."

Delse gave him a little smirk while the demon glared at him. "Well, we'll see..." She said, taking a deep breath and passing through the barrier.

The demon smirked at her, looking her over in an entirely indecent manner. "Molesting is considered harming." She said with a smirk.

He chuckled. "Only if you say no..."

"I don't shag demons."

"Oh I think I could change your mind..." he said suggestively.

"Perhaps we should get you fixed up?" She suggested with a smirk.

He grinned. "But of course..." He said, doffing his robe, and then stripping off his shirt, wincing slightly where the dried blood pulled on his wounds. As he dropped the heavily soiled garment, a smile broke over his face. He gave a chuckle, examining the thin scars running up his forearms. "Guess I haven't lost my touch after all!" He said gloatingly.

She glared at him, but went to work healing the claw marks Tiger had left on his chest. "You know..." She said conversationally once she had the first several sets of claw marks healed up, "Dumbledore and Snape... Oblique... Kulia... the Weasleys and all the Slytherins... they have all been so very supportive of me and Blaise during his very nearly fatal brush with that little curse you hit him with..."

He smirked. "I don't do things by halves."

"I can see that." She said, nodding. Then she went on. "But really... it's meant a great deal to me... and I love them all so much for all of the caring and support they've shown us..."

His eyes darted up and narrowed. "You can't just make sweeping statements like that! You can't possibly expect me to leave an entire house be on one oath alone!"

She smiled up at him. "I can list them off by name if you really want to take the time."

The demon seethed, his eyes glowing red as he glared at her, then his eyes darted over to Snape, who was barely stifling a little chuckle. "Forget it! Leave him to rot then! Get out!"

She looked up from her work and smiled. "The oath said physical wounds... meaning only more than one wound. I don't have to finish to fulfill my part... I've already healed nearly a dozen wounds, thus sealing the oath. You're stuck with it, so you might as well let me finish."

He let out a growl, glaring at her, but let her continue.

She healed the deep bite on his shoulder, then started working on the puncture wounds on his neck, having to move much closer to get at it through the fine mesh of the binding device. "You know..." She said musingly, "There is someone else..."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me, you've decided you love the entire wizarding community!" He growled sarcastically.

She looked thoughtful. "No... I could never say that in all honesty... there are a number of them I wouldn't mindwatching you reduce into a bloody mess on the floor..."

He grinned, "Now that I could do... no oath required..."

She grinned, "I have no doubt... but you see... there is at least one more I'd have to say I do love..."

He rolled his eyes, sighing, "Who?" He asked in an irritable voice.

She shifted a bit closer, whispering softly in his ear, "Harry..."

He jerked away from her. "No fucking way!" He growled. "You can't possibly love that little prat! You only just arrived! You can't have had time to even get to know him!"

She grinned, moving closer, "You didn't notice how few of his scars remain? That was my doing..." She moved closer still, until she was peering up at him, bare inches from him. "You could say I got to know him very... very well..." she said softly.

His eyes shot wide, "He shagged someone without me!?! Why that little bastard!" He seethed.

"I believe there was something in that oath about my loved ones' souls staying in their bodies, and in control of their bodies, and you not making it otherwise..." She said, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

He glared at her, looking like restraining himself from ripping her apart was taking all of his will. "Fine." He spat at last. "You want him? Take him!"

There was a flicker in his eyes and he suddenly let out a cry of agony, crumpling to the ground.

She dropped to her knees beside him. She gingerly turned him over, looking down into his face. He looked up at her, his eyes full of pain as his cheeks darkened with fever.

"Harry!" She said in relief.

He looked around, his breath panting in his chest. "Where am I? What happened?" he asked dazedly. He let out another cry of pain as he tried to shift over.

"Tell me where it hurts." She said, her heart aching at his obvious anguish.

---

She worked on him for a good twenty minutes. The stab wound in the leg that he had given himself had already become infected and was the most likely source of the fever that was running through him. He just lay there limply, only moving when instructed to. The aurors had only managed to inflict a few small nicks on his arms and legs, and he had other minor wounds, but the strike from the Thestral Stallion had caused the most grievous damage. Though only two of his talons had penetrated Harry's cloak, they had dug deep. Even the ones that didn't make it through had left deep bruising and cracked several of his ribs. Another few inches over and the blow might have broken his back.

She looked up as she heard someone nearby. Snape knelt by her side, handing her a blanket and a couple of potion bottles. "This should help..." He said softly. He peered down at Harry, who had dozed off while she finished casting cleansing spells on him to remove the grime and blood that had covered him. "I suppose he was the reason you found the demon's declaration somewhat less than scandalous..."

She smiled at him softly. "I already knew about Hermione."

His dark eyes darted over to her.

Her smile widened. "My son could see through walls, Snape. You were in her room the other night when I wanted to talk to you, he told me where you were... he thought it was your room... he said it's the only other place you usually went other than the Potions lab. Said you spent most of your time there..."

He dropped his eyes, his pale cheeks coloring slightly.

"I wish I had known her before... I'm afraid I can't say I love someone who I am not related to and have never even met. To lie would weaken the oath... maybe even break it entirely... I'm not totally naive in these matters..."

"Obviously..." He said with a little smirk. "I guess I should be grateful you included me in your little lovefest." He said with a smirk.

She blushed and grinned. "Oh you would have been in there at any rate... you've been a beloved family friend for many years after all..."

He smirked. "I didn't think your late husband was a big fan..."

She grinned. "Never said he was, but Blaise and I have always cared for you... I always knew there was something about you that was good and decent... not something I usually saw in his 'associates'."

"Well, I'm certainly glad you didn't spread that around!" He said with a smirk.

She smiled, then looked down at Harry, opening up the blanket and spreading it over him. "I'd like to stay with him..."

Snape looked down at Harry with trepidation. "I don't know... I mean sooner or later, it's going to figure out a loophole..."

She gave him a little smile. "I'll take the risk."

He sighed and rose. "Very well. I just hope you don't regret it..." He said, handing her Harry's glasses.

------------------

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Ginny whispered.

Draco grinned, "They won't need us to start getting ready for a while..." He said softly, taking her hand and leading her down the dark passage, "Besides, that thing is in here now, so outside is really safer if you think about it..." he said with a smirk.

"Shouldn't I at least change clothes? I mean this is hardly the proper attire..." She said, glancing down at her plaid skirt. It went down past her knees, being a school uniform skirt, and she managed to grab her winter cloak as he had slipped them out of the Dungeon, but overall it was hardly great winter attire. "Not to mention that there are still Aurors around..." she added worriedly.

He let out a little chuckle, pausing and pulling something out of his robe pocket. "I'll keep you warm... and don't worry, no one is going to see up your skirt... One for you..." He said, handing the little bundle of fine cloth to her, "And one for me..." He said, pulling out a second.

"Invisibility cloaks? How ever did you get two?" She asked, unfolding it and examining the fine material with surprise.

"Well... you could say one of them is on loan from Potter." He said with a smirk. "Come on..." He slipped the cloak over himself and she did the same. Much to her surprise, she could see him as well. He grinned. "Well that's an unexpected benefit..."

He pressed his hand to the cold stone wall and stood back as it ground open. He then grabbed up her hand and led her out. As soon as they had cleared the foliage, he mounted his broom and she slipped on in front of him, trying to get her skirt to cover as much of her legs as possible. "But it's too early for the Thestrals... the sun isn't even down yet... we won't have time to fly with them before they start wondering where we are..."

He held her tight and pushed off, launching them into the air. "Oh we'll manage to find something to do..." He said mirthfully.

She giggled, leaning back against him as they flew up over the castle. She felt a trill as he swung over, heading for Gryffindor Tower. He took them up high to keep any telltale glimpses that the cloaks might reveal out of sight from the tower, then circled down once he was over it. She felt a flutter in her chest as he coasted them into the owlry. As soon as they passed the window sill, the wind cut off as warmth surrounded them, proving the Sanctuary spell was still in place.

"Why are we here?" She asked, pulling off her invisibility cloak, her cheeks warming as she remembered her first time with him.

"Why not? It's warm and it has a great view." He said nonchalantly, tossing aside his own cloak and grabbing up a couple of the blankets that the house elves had obviously recently cleaned. He unfolded them and carefully arranged them on the floor, then sat down and patted the blanket beside him. She sat, looking over at him curiously. He settled back against the column behind him, then at his urging, she leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around her.

Still not sure what this was all about, she followed his gaze as he stared out the window opposite. A smile sprang to her lips. Directly before them, the sun had started to set, filling the sky with a breathtaking array of colors. She snuggled up against him happily. Watching the sunset together wasn't something she had expected from him. It just seemed too... passive for him... but for some reason at the moment it seemed perfect.

As the sun sank lower, the skyline became exquisitely beautiful. She had seen the sunset before, but she couldn't help thinking that it had never been so amazing.

"It's gorgeous..." She breathed, cuddling closer.

He grinned, "It's nothing compared to you..." he said softly.

She looked up and smiled at him, the sincerity in his multi-colored eyes making her blush.

"There... something I've been meaning to ask you..." He said a bit hesitantly.

She blinked in surprise, "Really? What?" He wasn't the type that held back his questions, and she couldn't imagine what would make him look so... well almost timid.

She shifted off him when he indicated he needed up. He moved over, pulling back the blanket a bit and pressing his palm to the very center stone. "This has been a very, very long time in coming..." He said as she stared at the stone. It was shimmering and melting away. He reached in and pulled out a little wooden box. He took a deep breath and opened it. Her eyes went round as he reached out and took her hand, slipping the most astounding ring she had ever seen on her finger. She stared at it wide-eyed as it glittered and seemed to almost glow in the last rays of light.

"Ginevra Weasley... will you marry me?" he asked her softly.

She was having a hard time breathing as she looked from the ring to him and back again, her head spinning. When she got over her initial shock, she let out a laugh, launching herself at him and knocking him flat. She held him, kissing him passionately for several long moments before he was able to break for air.

"Can I take that as a yes?" He asked mirthfully between gasps.

She laughed again, "YES! Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes Yes..." She said, punctuating each with another kiss. She glanced over in surprise and shifted up, staring as her ring suddenly glowed, then her eyes were drawn over, seeing a matching band glimmer into being on Draco's ring finger. She beamed down at him. She couldn't remember ever being so happy. She let out a laugh of pure joy, feeling absolutely giddy, "Was there really ever any doubt?"

"About us? Never in my mind... or... minds rather..." He said with a smirk.

She beamed, then gave a little laugh. "If you told me a couple of weeks ago that I would be a Malfoy someday..." She said, shaking her head.

He chuckled. "Hey, if my bloody father hadn't made numerous explicit clauses in my inheritance barring it, I'd change the name in a heartbeat..." He smirked, "Hmm... Draco Weasley..." he said with mock consideration.

He laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes, "Doesn't exactly have the same ring to it..."

He grinned, "Father would spontaneously combust!" He thought about that for a moment. "Hmm... that might just be worth it..." He said, grinning wickedly.

She giggled, then draped herself down on top of him again, nuzzling up to him. "We'll stick to Malfoy... I don't think I could think of you any other way..." Her eyes glinted mischievously, "Unless of course you wanted to change your name to Ferret..."

He laughed and rolled them over, pinning her down, "Who you calling ferret, weasel girl?"

She giggled and tried to wriggle free, bucking up against him to try to dislodge him. He shivered and shut his eyes. "Do that again..." he said in a low voice.

She grinned and pushed her hips up against him again, feeling something firm press against her through his clothing.

He let out a little groan, settling down on top of her and kissing her passionately. When he broke the kiss he smirked, "I don't see any stuffy old healers around..." He said, nuzzling up to her and making her shiver.

She ran her fingers through his hair, "We should really get back before anyone notices us missing..."

He let out a little sigh of frustration.

She giggled, "So I guess it was a good thing I wore the skirt after all..."

He grinned, shifting up and quickly working her knickers off. She shifted up while he was unfastening his pants. He let her take over with a smirk, watching as she slipped them and his boxers down, freeing him from their confines. She smirked, feeling him shiver when she caressed him.

"Lay down." She said with a mischievous smirk.

A brilliant smile slipped across his lips as he complied, settling back down on the blankets. She grinned, crawling over and straddling him, carefully keeping her skirt out of the way. She didn't waste time teasing him. She shifted into position and immediately thrust down, impaling herself with a groan. He seized her hips, thrusting up to try to bury himself deeper, making her let out a cry of pleasure. She started moving and they quickly fell into a rhythm, her dropping down onto him just as he thrust up. Their bodies seemed to instinctively fall into perfect sync, as if they were of one mind.

After a few minutes, Draco slipped one hand off her hip and reached down, pulling her skirt out of the way. His wildly swirling eyes stared in fascination, watching their bodies merging in the fading light. Ginny watched him, his rapt expression sending a twinge through her body. He felt it and groaned, speeding up as he let his head drift back. Then their eyes locked. They just stared into eachothers eyes as their bodies clashed. Just a few moments of that and they both cried out, peaking in perfect unison.

After a moment, Ginny shifted forward, bracing herself with her hands as her body trembled, still feeling fluttering echoes of pleasure shuddering through her. He reached up, pulling her down to rest on top of him. "I love you..." She sighed.

He reached up, shifting her head around to face him. He smiled at her, and it was a warm, sincere smile. "I love you too... always have and always will..." He stroked his hand down her cheek. "You may not be my first... but you'll be the last." he said softly, then leaned over and kissed her deeply.

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A/N - Yes, I did mean Crouch in the last note. They both start with "Cr", so give me a break. I did mention I was really tired ;) At any rate, I know the spell Kulia used is probably not genetically sound, but it's MAGIC, so who cares? ;) If it isn't readily apparent, Harry is being kept in a room in the Siege tunnel that had been altered with magic to give every appearance of being in the middle of the forest... much like Firenze (the centaur that saved Harry from Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest in his first year, and became the Divination teacher that took over for Trelawney in OOTP) did for his classroom. I imagine his room took a bit more time though, and Fred & George have such keen spells it just made more sense that it was them who did the little 'makeover'.

I trust the mention of Snape spending time at Hermione's side was enough update on those two... cause frankly, actually writting abouthim just sit there at her side (cause she ain't goin nowhere at the moment) struck me as rather boring. As for the ring, no Draco didn't go out shopping. It was the one Darien had gotten for Ginevra over a hundred years before. Where else would he have put it but in their owlry?

As for the delay... my son got sick... like worshipping to porcelain god sick... and then, as soon as he was getting better the inevitable happened and I got wretchedly sick... I even had to miss Thanksgiving because I didn't want to get everyone else sick! Had to send my boy along with my sister so he didn't have to miss out... Spent the holiday just being miserable, not feeling like doing much of anything... and I'm still not feeling entirely back to rights, so chill! It's not like I can write you all a little note to tell you why I'm not posting... they were very clear on that being a no no in the rules. And then of course when I DID try to post there was that block on posting! So hey, don't blame me for THAT part!!! :P