Sorry for the late update. See reviewer responses at the bottom. Thanks for sticking with this story. This chapter has not been beta-ed.
Chapter Eighteen: The Key to the Shadow Lands
Sorcery is concerned with the wandless assimilation of natural magic, more frequently known as elemental magic, and the channeling of that natural magic into what has come to be known as a spell. The act of sorcery requires either great concentration or extreme emotion. It is for this reason that, while all sorcerers are witches and wizards, not all witches and wizards can perform sorcery. Before the invention of magical amplifiers, such as talismans and wands, only those witches and wizards capable of deliberate sorcery were deserving of the title. The few that could perform sorcery were so small that non-magical people freely knew of and greatly respected mages.
It is only when magical amplification devices were invented, and more people were able to use magic, that the non-magical people of the world began to perceive magic as a threat. The first manifestation of separatism and violence against mages recorded through the pages of history was the rise of Arthur, king of Britain, at which point in time the magical community of Avalon- the largest in existence at the time- retreated into the shadows and magic became little more than a myth for non-magical people. (1)
Intrinsically, the separation between mage and muggle is a result of sorcery. It is sorcery and the ability to perform it, which makes us who we are. It is for this reason that every mage should study and become adept in sorcery- for it is the birthright of every mage.
To begin understanding sorcery, one must first understand the origins of magic. Every mage is born under a sign, from which he draws his powers. The signs are commonly known as elements, or natural signs, however those terms over simplify the diversity of signs that a mage may draw his powers from. While, Earth, Air, Fire and Water are the most common signs for a sorcerer to deliberately draw from there are other signs, equally if not more powerful, that are as intensely natural as the four cannons, such as Love, Hatred, Spite, Fear, Scorn, Envy, Lust, Ambition, Virtue, and Thanatos.(2) There is no greater example of the power of these signs, than those accidental spells performed wandlessly by individuals laboring under strong emotion.
To begin mastering deliberate sorcery, one must know their own sign. A mage may draw from any of the signs, and does to accomplish various spells, however a sorcerer will find the greatest ease in drawing from his birth sign…
"Oi! Listen to this!" Ron's awed voice broke through Harry's reading.
Harry looked up from the introduction of the book Sorcery and Elemental Magic to see Ron on his feet, looking at the book in his hands with widened eyes.
"An Elemental Mage is a sorcerer whose control over the currents of his natural sign have become so complete, he need only think of the desired results of a magical casting to weird the environment around him…" Ron read aloud.
"This is it!" Ron said enthusiastically. "Zabini must be an Elemental Mage."
"He can't be…" Ginny breathed, her eyes wide in terror. "An Elemental Mage hasn't been born since Merlin himself. There has to be another answer."
"Why can't he be one?" Harry asked.
"Because, someone with that kind of power would've made headlines. Not only that, but Elementality is said to run in the blood. Blaise would have to be related to Merlin, and he obviously can't be cause he's 100 percent Greek. Merlin was Welsh, everyone knows that." Ginny countered. "Honestly, you act like we didn't already know elementals existed." Ginny muttered darkly.
"Even if you have to be related to Merlin- and there is NO reason to suggest you do- you can't know for sure Zabini isn't. Remember, Matthias Zabini's line went off the page and didn't pick up again. We don't know where this bloke came from." Ron said, sitting down with finality.
"Ron… Don't you think if an elemental was born into a pureblooded and very unpopular family like the Zabini's, that everyone would know?" Ginny replied.
"No. Why would they tell anyone? The child would grow to be extremely dangerous. Enemies to the family would probably want him dead before his majority." Harry added pensively.
"Harry, the power of an elemental is stronger that any type of wandless magic you've seen." Ginny began patiently. "If Blaise was an Elemental Mage and lost control even for a second- well let's just say it would've been worse than blowing up his aunt or something. They wouldn't have been able to cover it up, there is no way."
"Someone did find out." Harry declared with sudden understanding. "Someone ruthless enough to try to kill the possible threat- even if he were just a child."
Ron and Ginny's eyes widened in understanding too.
"Lucius Malfoy." Ginny gasped, appalled.
"The fight that supposedly happened six and a half years ago- the one Blaise and Malfoy's mums kept mentioning." Ron filled in.
"Lucius Malfoy must've found out what Blaise was, and- I dunno, they have a bloodfeud between the two houses don't they? That's what they said- If that were the case, than Malfoy's dad would want to remove the threat to his house. He knew if Blaise reached his majority-"
"He would flatten the Malfoys." Ron finished for Harry.
"So he went after a child.. Well, at least I wasn't the only one he's picked on." Ginny said with a slightly nervous laugh, then her face twisted in disgust. "What a monster…"
"What else does it say about Elemental Mages?" Harry asked.
Ron reopened the book he had been reading. Harry caught the title: Elemental Genesis. Ron's eyes were blurred as he speed read the first chapter.
"Elementals, as the name implies, control their natural sign… yadda yadda… manipulate the environment like a force of nature… blah blah blah… their natural sign will react when the elemental feels strong emotions… something useful please…"
"That is something useful." Harry interjected. Ron and Ginny looked at him. "Fire. Blaise's natural sign must be fire."
Ron went back to his book, muttering as he read.
"Ah-Ha!" Ron said. "Not all elementals are born. While elementality is presumed to be an inborn trait, Taliesin the wise theorized a method for invoking the full measure of one's natural sign in a process that has come to be known as Elemental Genesis."
"Wait a moment." Harry said as something else clicked into place. "Taliesin? Is that what you said?" Ron nodded and looked up.
"Deo-Taliesin." Ron confirmed, his eyes gleaming. "The clan Blaise said he was descended from."
"But being an Elemental Mage wouldn't change the effectiveness of the Fideleus charm, would it?" Ginny insisted. "We still don't know how Blaise was able to get a straight answer out of Snape, or why there is no lifedebt between him and Hermione."
"Alright." Harry said grimly. "Ron, I need you to find out more about this Taliesin person. Ginny, I need you to look into Matthias Zabini. I'll stay with these books on Elemental Genesis, and see if I can't find the answer to your question in there."
Harry shook his head, his expression a mix between amusement and disgust. Ron and Ginny paused as Harry chuckled darkly.
"Remind me to kiss Pansy the next time I see her." Harry said, and laughed.
Ginny's eyes widened and she blushed. Ron's face contorted in revulsion, but all he said was:
"Ew."
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"How soon?"
Draco Malfoy was looking as grumpy and irritated as Hermione felt. Apparently, getting up at dawn didn't agree with him at all. They'd both been drinking tea non stop to keep themselves alert over the potion, but they had to stop because it resulted in too many bathroom breaks.
Malfoy had just returned from his forth one. Hermione was starting to suspect he was going more often than strictly required, just to get away from her.
"We're three quarters done with the potion now. I'm still unsure whether we should use fresh thyme or dried thyme- what do you…" But he cut her off.
"Fresh." He said decisively.
"How do you know?" Hermione asked with irritation. "I know you didn't find a reference on it- it's impossible to find anything and even the restricted section.."
"Gut instinct." He said, cutting her off again.
"Gut. Instinct?" She spluttered. "Malfoy! This is a potion that will do horrible nasty things to our brains if we botch it, and you want to choose an ingredient on instinct!"
"How do you think potions are created to begin with? At the beginning of magic, there is only your brains, guts, and balls. We're going to need a combination of all of that to get through this." Then he smirked at her. "Shouldn't be too difficult for you to manage Ms. Gryffindor-poster-girl."
"Well, some of that…." She mumbled.
"Combining Potter and Weasley, you'll get a full set." He snarked.
Hermione's nose scrunched in disgust.
"Of brains- that is." He added with a sneer.
"You're losing your touch, you know- normally you can do better than that." Hermione said primly. She was choosing from a selection of fresh thyme.
"My criticisms are becoming stupider from prolonged exposure to witless Gryffindors."
"That's more like it."
"It was getting too easy, you see, normally you lot can retreat once you've lost but now we're stuck together. After I gave all the first years permanent inferiority complexes it got boring." He informed her.
"It takes a special kind of person to enjoy terrorizing eleven year olds, Malfoy."
"Father always said I was exceptional." He said in a proud drawl.
Hermione shuddered- that drawl- she knew how it felt when pronounced close to the skin. She faltered and stopped. But wait, she didn't know how, because they were only dreams.
When she looked up from where her thoughts had taken her, she saw that Malfoy was looking askance at her.
"Right, umm… what?"
"Maybe you need more tea…" He said, with his eyes narrowed.
"No, I'm fine- just.. I'm fine." She shook her head. "So, um, it looks alright?" She attempted.
He raised an eyebrow.
"The potion." She clarified.
"How should I know?"
"What happened to your guts?"
"They are firmly in place beneath my stomach and above my-"
"Alright! Um, I think it looks fine and now I'm going to add the thyme, and hey that rhymed."
"Definitely more tea."
It was an exhausting day.
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"…So we figured he must be an Elemental Mage… after that, we researched methods of bypassing binding magic like Fideleus charms using elemental magic, his background, and also… methods for becoming an Elemental. We found little on becoming an Elemental Mage, and nothing at all on his back ground and binding magic…
"Among the things we found on becoming an Elemental Mage, besides the birthright of Merlin, there was mention of a process called Elemental Genesis. Beyond that, all the books we looked at talked about mastering Sorcery. There were none that detailed the process of Elemental Genesis, so we thought it might be a family secret passed down only to Taliesin's descendents." Harry, who had been orating the results of their research to Hermione, fell silent when her eyes widened.
"Taliesin." Hermione said pensively. "I've read the name before- where.."
"We looked for him everywhere." Ron added irritably.
Spending the whole day in the library was one of Ron's least favorite occupations. Harry was less irritated, and not at all because of the research- in fact he found the concept and study of sorcery as fascinating as defense against the dark arts- but because he now owed Pansy. Ginny appeared unaffected, perched as she was on the end of Colin Creevy's bed.
It was late in the evening, and nearly time for bed. The four of them were sitting in the fifth year boy's dormitory- choosing it as a private spot they could all sit where they were protected from being walked in on by Pansy or Malfoy.
After a full day of brewing in the soul company of Draco Malfoy, Hermione was ecstatic to be anywhere but the sixth year boy's dorm, with anyone but Malfoy. She was also very keen on hearing what her friends had found out. An Elemental Mage! Hermione had read about them, of course, and had studied the biography of Merlin thoroughly outside of History of Magic just out of fascination. She couldn't believe another Elemental Mage existed, right under her nose the whole time- Merlin, she'd kissed him!
Hermione shook her head. It was too much, but it also explained so much. The way the fires reacted to Blaise's emotions, and the inherent fear his entire house held of him- it all made sense now. One thing puzzled Hermione.
"I've read about Elemental Mages before, and if I remember properly, they don't use wands." She commented.
"They don't have to use wands- no." Harry agreed. "In fact, they are more powerful without a wand. I'm not sure if you noticed Blaise use his left hand when casting that huge fire spell during his duel with Malfoy- his wand was at his right side."
Hermione did remember that. Her mind also went to the one time she'd seen his wand up close- when they'd been breaking into Snape's rooms. She remembered thinking about how abnormally large and thick it was and making a note to ask him about it- which she never had.
"Tell me more about Elemental Genesis.." Hermione asked.
"There was that one blurb on Elemental Genesis and Taliesin… hardly anything at all really." Ron added as he squinted at his notes. "Although little is known about Elemental Genesis, it has been rumored that the process requires a blood sacrifice be made, to complete the assimilation of the element. The full process, if it is indeed more than myth, went with Taliesin to the grave. Can you believe that? The sodding book was called Elemental Genesis and that was the most useful line on the subject.
"It was mostly the same as the other books of sorcery- A brief history of Merlin and a description on mastering sorcery." He finished in a bored voice. "The ruddy author probably only named it Elemental Genesis to get people to buy the stupid book." He grumbled.
"Let's recap." Hermione said, and straightened the parchment she had been taking notes on. She read the lists she'd made.
"Known:
Elemental Mage – Fire.
Son of Matthias Zabini and Morgan Sinistra
Can see thestrals- has seen death
Can bypass magic used to protect information
Fought L.M. at approximately age ten- and won.
Bloodfeud with Malfoys
Matthias Zabini died in 1992
Deo-Taliesin descendent
L.M. and M.S. dated in their sixth year.
Dumbledore made the Slytherins swear not talk about any of this.
Suspected:
L.M. having found out about an Elemental born to his enemies by bloodfeud, attacked Blaise and culminated in the fight at age ten.
Draco's hatred of Blaise stems from defeat in #1
N.M. was L.M.s second choice, making her terribly jealous.
Per #3, M.Z. was M.S's second choice
Questions:
How does he bypass magic used to protect information?
Red eyes- result of E.Mage status?
Who did he see die?
Who is Taliesin?
Who is Matthias Zabini?
What is the process of Elemental Genesis?
Did Blaise undergo Elemental Genesis, or was he born an E.Mage?
If L.M.'s first choice was M.S and/or vice versa, why marry another?
what really happened six and ½ years ago?
What else do the Slytherins know that they aren't allowed to tell the school?
What, if any, is the relationship to the Dark Lord?
What is the implication all these variables have on the war?" Hermione finished wearily.
"Wow. That last one's a killer." Ginny muttered.
"Well, Ron can ponder the move once we've got all the chess pieces assembled." Hermione said contemplatively. "You all have done a wonderful job, I couldn't have done it any better." Hermione said, genuinely impressed with the results of their research.
"You act like you never did the same for us. I seem to remember many-a research sessions taking place in fourth year." Harry said, and he smiled warmly.
"There are still many more books to read… There has got to be more on the topic." Ginny said.
"Yes, especially about Taliesin… I know I've read his name somewhere!" Hermione said irritably.
"There is one thing we should definitely do, no matter what." Harry declared, drawing the gaze of the others. "I think it would be undeniably beneficial for all of us to become sorcerers."
"But that's supposed to be really difficult Harry." Hermione said in concern. "Do you really think all four of us can manage it?" She asked.
"I don't mean for the four of us to manage it." Harry said to the silence, the others blinked at him. Ron directed a pitying face towards his sister, who was looking horrified at the prospect of being left out of their little clique- again. "I mean for us master it." Harry's somber face melted into a rakish grin that meant adventure and rule-breaking was on the horizon. The others grinned back in anticipation.
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"I've lost him." The cold voice declared to the silence. "More importantly, I have lost the key to the Shadow Lands- the weapon that will destroy Harry Potter."
The occupants of the darkened room shuddered. The conversational drawl of the speaker did not diminish the palpable fury that constricted the air in the room. Whatever tone was used, the speaker was beyond fury.
"I might have lost them both." The cold voice continued lazily- speaking to himself as though no one else existed. "But all is not lost. He will turn because he is of the shadows, because he commands the dark arts. He will turn when he realizes there is no other place an individual of such talents will be accepted. It is the deepest folly of man that he fears his greatest desire. Men desire to be great, and detest greatness in others. They will either come to worship the greatness of other men, in the hopes of attaining greatness vicariously, or they will attempt to destroy it. Is it not so, my faithful servants?"
The listening occupants bowed deeply.
"It is so, My Lord." They intoned.
Tom Riddle inclined his head almost imperceptibly, in a gesture of self-affirmation.
"My Lord?" Bellatrix spoke with deference.
"Speak Bella." Riddle whispered, directing his bloody gaze upon her.
Keeping her head bent low and her knees on the floor she said: "Perhaps there is another way of obtaining the key- the weapon- you desire. In fact, this turn of events could even work to our advantage."
"Indeed?" The Dark Lord was reflective.
"There are few things that possess a man- that drive him. There is the desire for wealth and treasure, if materials are what he covets. The desire for greatness is another, if he seeks to be worshiped. And then there is desire itself- the gravity that pulls a man to a woman. It is this gravity at work which draws away the weapon.
"Could we not use this gravity in reverse? Could we not use my nephew's lifedebt over Potter's mudblood to our advantage?" Bellatrix finished.
"You are suggesting we draw Potter's Mudblood away using young Malfoy." The Dark Lord confirmed.
"A betrayal might be enough to bring Blaise Zabini in to your service." Bellatrix agreed.
"You make two very large assumptions, Bella- The first that young Malfoy will consent to such a plan and the second that he is even capable of it."
"He could never be so foolish as to refuse the opportunity to serve you, My Lord." Bella said, bowing her head deeply.
"And yet, he did not attempt to consult me through his mother or Severus when such an efficacious opportunity to get to Potter was given to him." Voldemort countered.
"The haste of youth…" Bellatrix said- although there was an edge of uncertainty to her voice. "My nephew would never betray our blood- toujours pur." She said more firmly.
"And yet- he saved the mudblood to begin with. Curious- Curious that the ceiling should choose to come down upon her and her alone, when I had no specific target in mind. I was merely making it clear to Dumbeldore that I could do it. And young Malfoy risked his own life to save her- curious indeed.
"And let us assume that young Malfoy would obey me, what is to keep his own heart steady?" Voldemort continued. "I do not want to loose them both, though I may have already."
"Jamais! My Lord, a mudblood like Potter's has nothing to offer a pureblood of Draco's status. He has a beautiful fiancé already."
"Tell me Bella- what is his reason for saving Hermione Granger in the first place?"
Bellatrix faltered and fell silent.
"Indeed. It is an unknown- young Malfoy is, as yet, a wild card. His actions will illuminate his loyalty. My main concern is obtaining the weapon that will destroy Harry Potter- the key to the shadow lands. Blaise Zabini must side with me.
"Potter and Dumbledore are the main obstacles in my path- at this junction. Dumbledore's destruction is already in the works- the first phase is completed. All that remains is Harry Potter…."
The dark lord paused and a sudden realization made his features widen sharply.
"He is here." Voldemort whispered. But before any of the occupants could ask what their master meant, he spoke.
"I am not dismissing your nephew or your plan outright Bella- a betrayal from the mudblood might be just what is needed. And the Granger girl still owes young Malfoy a life debt. I believe the side effects will be enough- that way, we need not rely of young Malfoy's obedience or ability. Yes, it is best this way." He completed esoterically.
"My Lord?" Bellatrix did not understand.
"Never mind Bella, it is a plan I can put into action myself with little effort." The Dark Lord dismissed. "Blaise Zabini will join me. The weapon to defeat Harry Potter will be with in my grasp. Dumbledore will soon be crushed by that which he attempts to protect. And then, the wizarding world will fall to its knees before me."
The Dark Lord turned abruptly and left the audience chamber for his personal study. Situated on the wall of the study was the only mirror in the Dark Lord's personal suites. Smiling a lipless smile, the Dark Lord approached the mirror knowing what would happen.
"I know you are there." Voldemort said quietly- approaching the mirror slowly but staying away from its direct reflection. "Hear me now- I will draw your little friend away from you, I will hunt down everyone you care for and kill them myself. You will watch them die by your own hand as you watch now. I am close, and you cannot escape me, for your blood is now my blood- we are one." He was almost upon the mirror now, almost with in its sight. "Protect them, if you can…."
He stepped in front of the mirror, his blood red eyes flashing in the semi-darkness.
"Harry Potter." The Dark Lord finished.
And- just as he had always done when he recognized the gaunt white face, the skeletal hands, and the blood red eyes as his own- Harry Potter awoke screaming.
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1-I am basing this information off of "The mists of Avalon," which is very historically accurate for a fiction, in my humble opinion. For those of you who haven't read the story: The druids of Avalon withdraw the isle into the mists because the druidic faith is dwindling due to the rise of Christianity. Christianity stands in direct conflict with the worship of the Goddess (modern day Wicca) and because reality is as humans perceive it, the world of the druids and the Christian world are becoming physically separated until people can no longer cross into Avalon without magic. This is the first time in history, I suspect, that people begin to disbelieve in magic altogether. (Disbelief in magic, btw, is a completely western concept- cultures in the middle east, Africa, and east Asia still accept the concept of "hasad" which means "the evil eye," and is a curse afflicted on a person due to the jealousy of others. In the middle east they attribute magic to be the work of "djinns." But that is a whole'nother topic. )
2- The term "Thanatos" in this regard is not used to mean the "god of death," but I am using the Freudian meaning "Desire for destruction/death" which could be the desire for one's own death or the destruction of others. For those of you not familiar with Freud, he theorized that people do things for precisely two reasons: Eros and Thanatos. Eros is sexual desire. So basically, people either want to F--- or they want to Die, and that's about it. Yeah, there is a reason people don't practice psychoanalysis anymore.
General AN's:
- I am now 22 years old as of 11/05! It's the 8th. Happy birthday to me. You know what that means? I've been writing this story for over a year. I need to get on the ball!
- Um, the next two chapters are written, but both my beta and myself are really busy, which is why this chapter is un-betaed at the moment. When Sunny gets back to me I'll post the updated version.
- I have a new greek/Christianity beta: Cinnamon! Everyone say hello.
- Please review!
Reviewer responses:
To all reviewers: Thank you for putting me at 657
Pairing: Draco/Hermione- and it's not changing.
AU: means Alternative Universe – where a story goes when the cannon has already written that time period.
PLEASE NOTE SPELLING! Say it with me now: B-L-A-I-S-E – Blaise! Not, Blaze or Blaize- it's Blaise. And Now: Z-A-B-I-N-I- Zabini- NOT ZAMBINI! There is no 'M' –None! Please notice the distinctive lack of an M anywhere in Blaise's name. No M! Ok?
Congratulations to Angel Moon Princess : For correctly guessing aspects of the plot. I'm not going to tell you what you guessed correctly but that was by far the best conjecture I got! Good job. I hope you'll still enjoy the story.
Individual responses:
Idancer : In second year Blaise was 12- so it is different than the incident when he was 10.
SARCASTICisMYmiddleNAME : This was probably another boring chapter by your book. Cool name.
hugsnkisses72188 : Blaise is a pretty apathetic person when it comes to other people. He works based on self interest.
Ashley : don't be sad- here is the update. Thanks for the loyalty.
Scarlett : that's also my favorite line of the chapter.
njp : Thanks for all the reviews- I enjoyed every one of them. Thank you for appreciating Pansy, she's one of my OC's at this point. As for the B/Hr story- I've started writing it, but it'd be another novel length story so I stopped until I finished this one. I appreciate your enjoyment of Blaise- he's based off myself partially. As for some of your comments- I'd like to know what parts you thought my story was lacking in description- if anything I think I'm too descriptive and wordy. And you should send me cookies- it would certainly encourage me to write. Thanks again!
Violet Spark : Hermione in hot pants- (For you and all other readers who wondered)
Oooooooooooooooooooo-"Short Shorts" Short stories – ooooooooooooooooooooO
The beginning of year six:
It was a feverish day for the inhabitants of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. The start of term had arrived- Harry, Ron and Hermione were on their way towards their first class, having just finished breakfast. As per ritual- Hermione and Ron were arguing rather vociferously.
"Ron, just drop the stupid subject!" Hermione was insisting. "You don't have the ridiculous sight and even if you had the gift, that old fraud can't teach you anything about it!"
"I'm not dropping divination Hermione so you might'as well give it up-"
"Harry dropped it." Hermione cut in, nudging the offending boy to jump in and help her argument .Harry wisely stayed quiet.
"That's cause Harry's in potions, I-"
But Ron was cut off as Hermione shrieked like she'd been delivered an electric shock- When in fact, she'd only felt a draft.
Malcolm Baddock- a slytherin underclassman- was standing right behind Hermione and holding the hem of her skirt to somewhere around her shoulder blades. The hall stopped dead and everyone turned in time to see what lay beneath Hermione's flipped skirt, before she yanked the garment and herself away from the Slytherin and twisted around, her wand in hand and poised.
"I told you they'd be black- it's always the studious ones- Leathter and Libraries and all that rot." Malcolm said smugly. This loud pronouncement was greeted with much sniggering from all the males- and tittering from the females.
Hermione was galvanized with horror. Yes- she was wearing black knickers, but only because she thought they were practical for stain resistance (something she needed with all adventures she and her friends got up to) not because she- Now everyone thought she- Her face would never be the same.
Her whole body shook with rage and embarrassment as news spread around the halls like wildfire. Harry and Ron sprang into action and Malcolm Baddock was quickly reduced to a gibbering female sperm whale- but the damage was done.
From that moment onward- Hermione never wore a skirt without wearing shorts underneath it.
Fast forward in time to after the third chapter- The slytherins are now living in the Gryffindor dorms:
"Hermione, what are you doing! You can't go downstairs like that!" Ginny caught her friend by the arm and gesticulated towards the offending piece of garment- or lack there of.
"stupid scummy smutty …" Hermione continued to rant profanity directed at no one in particular and tried to draw her arm away.
"Her- Mi- O- Neeeeeee. Ginny to Hermione- You. Can't. Go. Down. Like. That."
"…Hypocritical ignorant inbreed!" Hermione proclaimed in a roar, and again tried to yank her arm away.
"Wait, wait, stop- who are you talking about, and why are you trying to enter the common room wearing only those shorts- They are supposed to go underneath your skirt, not to be worn by themselves."
"I hate her! Hate hate hate!" Hermione always got incoherent with rage around her
"Alright, who was it and what did she say?"
"I'll show her- said 'a decent pureblooded boy wouldn't look twice at you, mudblood' I'll show her- they won't be able to look at anything BUT me!" Hermione declared boldly, and her eyes crackled with the same type of fervor SPEW evoked.
"Wait wait – who said that?" Ginny prompted- her grip still iron hard.
"Daphne Greengrass- that ignorant bigoted- She thinks she's so good looking and everyone else is dirt- I'll show her!" Hermione turned her crazed eyes to Ginny. "Right?"
"Er—So, because Daphne Greengrass insulted your heritage and ego, you are going to go down to the common room in something you'd normally never be seen in to get the pureblooded boys to drool over you and prove her wrong. Hermione, don't you think that's a little- whorish?" Ginny asked reasonably.
"It's for a good cause! Don't you get it, Ginny? They think wizards have undergone speciation- SPECIATION, Ginny!"
"Whatever that means." Ginny muttered.
"Hypocrites! Pureblood or Muggleborn, we're still people! Man and Woman!" Hermione's eyes lit up. "Man and Woman!" She declared and this time, when she pulled away, Ginny let her go.
"Colin!" Ginny called as she came down to the common room a little after Hermione. Colin- like every other male in the room, was frozen in place, his eyes fixed. "Colin!" Ginny repeated, a devilish grin spreading across her face.
"What!" Colin snapped at her, his attention still elsewhere.
"Where is your camera?" Ginny asked.
"OH! Good idea!" Colin had almost gotten away when Ginny grabbed him and wheeled him around to face her.
"Not for Hermione you idiot!" Colin's face fell. "Look at Malfoy!" They looked- Draco Malfoy's eyes looked like they had popped out of his head. His lips were parted and his face enraptured. Ginny sniggered. "Get a picture of him like that- I think Lucius would like an update on how his son is fairing- he must get lonely in azkaban." Ginny said sanctimoniously .
Colin stared at her and shivered. "Women are evil." He decided, before he moved to comply.
So now, you all know.
Mhairi : It's pie with pecans in it.
Jessica : Yes, Blaise does disappear at the end of the sequel- it is necessary. This is still a D/H story
rembrandt : The effects of the lifedebt have been there throughout- I just haven't mentioned them so much because doing so embarrasses me. Um- yeah- keep the virgin power!
some random : yes you are correct- Blaise's power does have to do with what happened.
Onigiri Momoko : Yes you are right about the curse of Elainis- that's for the long review. Btw: Isn't Onigiri a rice ball?
Sunny June 46 : You and everyone else wants Blaise to get the girl- well, he got "a girl" but you'll see more about that later
SushiFelton : thanks for the tip about nott- I did know that already, but I figured since JKR left it ambiguous in the story I could use it for Blaise. Thanks for the long review and the loyalty.
moste-piratical-ursh : Yes I did know Ursula meant she-bear. It is a constellation in the sky which is also called "the big dipper" I thought because P. Sinistra was an astronomy teacher, she should have the name of a constellation. Bellatrix and Sirius and Andomeda are all stars.
Luna : Yes, sex sux. As for Hermione in hot pants- look for the two short explanations in this author's note.
ben 'n' jerry : Thanks for the review- but if you don't like the authors notes, simply scroll past them. There is nothing in here you have to read for the story to be meaningful, including this response. : )
dizzydragon : Thank God- someone who agrees with me!
Vashka : Thanks, your feedback means a lot to me as I am reading your story as well and eagerly anticipating your next update. AK green is also my favorite line.
Dreaming One : My draco is cute? Your draco is cute! I don't do descriptions and humor any where near you. Thanks for reviewing- like Vashka, your opinion means a lot as I am reading your story. Did you like the short short stories?
Zekintha : Thanks for the comments.
Lorett : thanks for the long review- they'll be plenty more of Blaise.
ali-lou : Thanks, I like writing the teachers!
Shivais : Down with penises!
Surrounded By Idiots : Ah, but I am one of the idiots that surrounds you.
Ash : Thanks for the loyalty
To all reviewers: Thank you for putting me at 657 reviews, and to the readers- at approx. 27K before the counter was reset. Please continue to review.