A/N: Many thanks to Snapeswidow for helping me with Demetri again. Seriously, please show her some of the same awesome love you show me. :) The idea for this came from a conversation I had with her, so, you know, blame her. As always, enjoy. And thank you so much for your continued support.

Girls' Night

A few hours later, Demetri narrowed her eyes as she caught the familiar head of long raven curls slip into the kitchen. Well, well, look who it was. She smirked as she quietly followed the other witch inside, intent on getting some much-needed answers from the evasive woman. Closing the door softly behind her, Demetri leaned against the varnished wood with crossed arms. "So, you were in that library an awfully long time with Severus, Sin." Her smirk widened when she caught Aurora's jump and a cookie falling to the floor consequently. "Tell me that he took my advice and the two of you didn't shag on every available surface in there, please?"

"For the love of Circe, Dem, you can't just sneak up on me like that," Aurora exclaimed, trying to catch her breath as she whirled around. "Wait. What?" She blinked.

"Yeah, well, you can't dump your friend onto some time travel bullshit, disguised as a teaching job in the Scottish countryside without so much as a 'by your leave,' but you did." She flicked her fingers, vanishing the fallen cookie and Accio'd another that she held out to her friend.

"Thanks." Aurora grabbed the cookie. "What makes you think we shagged in the library?"

"Severus damn near confessed to me if he wasn't afraid you'd hex his bits off, he'd have done more than kiss you earlier."

Aurora took a bite and seemed to consider this for a moment before she shrugged. "Not sure where he got that idea from. I'm not that violent." She then glanced at her. "Am I?"

Demetri snorted. "Oh, no, you slicing a wizard nearly in half would never make anyone think that, Aurora."

"It was either I kill him or he kills me, and I'm not ready to leave yet. I still have things to do."

"It was a joke." Demetri rolled her steel-blue eyes." You two are so much alike it's scary."

"Well, thank you. I do love that I have Severus's dry wit." Aurora laughed before taking another cookie and sitting at the table.

Demetri pushed away from the door and with a flick of her wand set the kettle to boil on the stove. "Speaking of things you have left to do . . ." She arched an eyebrow as she took a seat across from her. "Someone owes me an explanation of why she left out major details of the supposed job offer that brought me from America to Scotland. Don't you think?"

"What do you mean? What'd I leave out?"

Demetri stared at her. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the fact that there were Unspeakables out to kill Severus whom you told me to keep an eye on and try and befriend so he doesn't do anything stupid? Or maybe you could have warned me that you were doing more than just research on time travel? I had to sit there, trying to decipher Severus's ramblings all the while I was literally sitting on a bomb!"

"They're not out to kill him. Maybe irritate and possibly hurt him, but not kill him. They need him. And how was I going to know he'd leave Hogwarts? I'm not a mind reader after all." She then shrugged, taking another bite of her cookie.

"You could have warned me that something major may happen. For God's sake, Aurora, if I hadn't gone down to check on Severus when I did, I would have been in my quarters when the Fate's Warning blew." She pushed back from her chair as the kettle whistled and went about making the tea by hand to keep from strangling her friend. "I should thank whomever set it off though for destroying Morgana's portrait. It'll take at least a month for another one to be sent over from Salem."

"Warn you? Do you honestly believe I have all of this figured out? Because I don't. At all. Everything I was relying on, it's gone now with the attacks. I'm in the dark as much as you are now."

Demetri brought the tea service to the table and sat after pouring out two cups, one for her and the other for Aurora. "I'm sorry. It's just frustrating as hell sitting back and watching all this unfold, being smack dab in the middle of things and not knowing how to help."

Aurora smiled faintly towards her. "I'm sorry. When I asked you to take my place, I thought it'd be a good thing for you. To get away from everything."

Demetri shrugged and smiled back. "I can't say it isn't boring here. Trying to play babysitter and therapist to Severus is far better than being back home where the Wizarding half of the community hates me on account of my last name."

"Therapist?" Aurora snorted. "You mean, you actually got him to talk to you? Wow. Which spell did you use on him? And is there going to be lasting effects later I should know about?" she teased before running a hand through her thick dark curls while taking a sip from her cup.

"No spell. Just Absinthe." Demetri smirked.

"Wait. You got him drunk?"

"Yes, yes I did." She grinned like a Kneazle in a canary shop. "He was ranting and raving, not making a lick of sense, so I got him drunk to calm him down."

"Oh." Aurora picked at her cookie for a moment before she took another bite and looked away.

"Aurora?" All traces of humor were gone from Demetri's voice.

"What?" She turned back a moment later. The playfulness had been replaced with seriousness. Even Aurora's eyes, usually warm and kind, were now a shade darker, angrier or maybe sadder for some reason as she looked back at Demetri.

"Don't what me, missy. Why do you look like I just kicked your puppy?"

"I do not look like that."

Demetri just stared at her, though.

"I don't! Because I have no puppy to kick. It's just little ol' me. That's it."

"Bullshit. You have me and Severus." By the Gods, the two of them were so alike it was downright scary. Both of them would open up only so far before they'd once again close up and shut down. It was positively infuriating. "Why did you go quiet when I told you I got Severus drunk?"

"No. Just forget it. It's stupid, Dem. It's fine." She forced her smile a bit more, her heart clearly not in it. "Did he say anything interesting? Like, you know, something I can lord over him?"

Demetri didn't take the bait, though. "Aurora Celestine Sinistra, you are a terrible liar." She watched her friend's face scrunch up, knowing that she had likely sounded like Aurora's mother. "Answer my question truthfully, and I'll answer yours."

Shaking her head and causing her curls to bounce slightly, she sighed and pushed herself up. She didn't need to know the answer that bad. "Nah. It's fine. Actually, I'm getting pretty tired, you know?" She headed for the door.

Demetri narrowed her eyes, though, and flicked her wand at the door, locking it. "Sin, please tell me what's wrong."

The minute Aurora heard the click, she groaned loudly. "Dem, don't. Just drop it. It's nothing important, and, really, I just want to go to bed. That's it."

Just want to go bed, Demetri's ass. There was no way Miss Night Owl herself was going to bed at seven-thirty. No. It was the weakest, lamest excuse Demetri had ever heard from her before. And she had heard some pretty lame ones over the years from the witch.

"Fine. You want to go sulk like a toddler at some imagined slight, who am I to stop you?" Demetri waved her wand and unlocked the door before she stood from the table and set their cups in the sink to wash. "Just do me a favor and try not to get killed or attacked while avoiding me." Lowering her head, she mumbled, "It's not like I care or anything."

"Avoiding you? How in the hell am I avoiding you?" Aurora turned back. "Because I'm not. I just need to sleep because, I mean, when one gets upset over a stupid thing like her friend drinking with the guy she likes, it's clearly bedtime. Okay? Happy now? I got a little jealous or something. I don't even know what it was even. Just something."

Demetri turned and stared at the other witch. She had to be joking. "Aurora, I am not after Severus. I may be a Le Fay, but I am not Morgana. I would never try to come between you and the man I know you've been in love with for years." She combed her fingers through her messy hair, gently tugging at the ends as she sighed. "He came to me half-crazed, looking for answers I didn't have. I already witnessed him lose consciousness because of what his future self did, so I was afraid he had finally snapped. I gave him my personal brewed Absinthe that has a mild calming Draught in it and just let him talk." She glanced at her friend. "Put yourself in my shoes, Sin. I came into this mess half-blind with vague information from you. I am all alone here, while you're out running around who knows where, doing who knows what, and I'm left wondering if you're lying hurt or dead somewhere."

Aurora's warm eyes fell once again to the floor. The silence stretched on for a minute before she finally spoke. "Well, of course you aren't after him, Dem. He's frustrating as hell and drives you up the wall, and sometimes you want to kill him." Her tone was light again, almost teasingly.

Demetri snorted. "Hex him, yes; kill him, no. You'd have my head if I killed the snarky bastard."

"That I would." She laughed quietly. "But you have to admit, he is pretty sexy when he's angry."

"That he is." Demetri joined in laughing. "Got a nice ass on him too."

"Does he?" Aurora grinned. "Huh. Didn't notice that."

Rolling her eyes, Demetri snorted. "Liar."

"Liar?" She scoffed. "I didn't notice his arse because I'm, you know." Aurora grinned, wagging her eyebrows at her before she burst out laughing.

"More interested in the goods up front?" Demetri giggled when Aurora burst out laughing. "And the perv we know and love returns." Both witches giggled. "I missed this. Being able to joke and laugh with my best friend."

"Yeah. Me too." Aurora then laughed softly. "Don't suppose you have any more Absinthe with you? I could use a drink right about now."

"Does a bear shit in the woods? No. Wait. Don't answer that. I can only imagine what your foul mouth will say," Demetri teased before she summoned the bottle and prepared two glasses. "You know, your beau thinks we're related?"

Aurora laughed before she shook her head. "He did? Strange."

"Of course, naturally, I had to inform him that we were twins separated at birth."

Aurora doubled over laughing. "No?! You didn't!"

"I did." Demetri took a drink from her glass before continuing. "I had to tell him I was joking though when he looked like he was about to bolt."

She snorted. "Wow."

"He's too easy to rile up. He did tell me, though, that you are the more attractive twin."

She smiled, her dark eyes twinkling. "Really? Well, see now why I like him? He's smart."

"Hey." Demetri pouted before dissolving into another fit of giggles.

Aurora laughed, taking a drink before gagging. "Yuck. I don't know how you can like this crap."

"It's an acquired taste." Demetri shrugged. "It was all my father had in the liquor cabinet growing up. So, I may have stolen a bottle or two in my youth."

"Yeah. That I can believe."

"What can I say? Always been the wild child."

"And that's why I'm the good witch."

Demetri snorted. "Maybe now, but I remember a few times when I was the voice of reason."

"If you say so." Aurora smiled before she sighed. "So, what does the wise voice of reason have to say about the predicament we're in now?"

"What she's been saying. That you lock yourself and that wizard of yours into a room and shag each other senseless," Demetri joked. She then adopted a more neutral tone becoming more serious again. "Honestly, though, I think we need to figure out all the pieces we have already before going headlong into confronting the assholes who are attacking you and Severus. Try to get ahead of them if we can. Which is why I picked up a few books earlier in the library on. Before you and Severus sullied it of course." She held her glass up to Aurora before she took another sip. "I figured I could research the Fate's Warning and see if there's anything else connected with it that we don't already know."

"And did you find anything?"

"I realized Ancient Runes wasn't as dull a subject as I first thought when you consider that it was once a language. Why they don't teach that in school is beyond me." Demetri shook her head before she shrugged. "It seems Morgana knew more than she let on too. The Rune can be safely activated by the person whom it involves, sort of like how it is with a Prophecy orb."

"Makes sense."

"Yeah. The Rune's failsafe, though, is to explode if tampered by an outside source, which we've seen firsthand. But, Aurora, it takes a massive amount of power to set off not just one but multiple at once. Somehow these Unspeakables must have known this. Leads me to think there had to be something in one of those runes that they didn't want anyone to see."

"Maybe. But how in the world do they get that sort of power, though? I mean, the Unspeakables I've dueled against—I don't know. Powerful isn't how I'd describe them."

"My theory? They steal it." Demetri ran a finger across the top of her empty cup as she thought. "Severus mentioned Dark Magic earlier, and it got me thinking. What is the darkest Magic one could possibly partake in but Necromancy? We all leave some sort of residual magic after all, whether it's casting a simple spell or Apparation. We also leave behind magic when we die, which we know is used in animating a portrait. What if these people had access to something that collected that magic? Hundreds of witches and wizards must die a day, right? So, that's a lot of untapped power."

"Necromancy?" Aurora stared at her with wide eyes. "But that's . . . wait." She got up, her mouth opening and closing several times before she gasped. "Do you understand what that means? Dem!" She stared at her horrified. "I . . . But . . . Dem!"

"No, I don't, but you're going to tell me, right?" she asked. If the other witch ran from the room without an explanation like Severus had, Demetri swore she'd stop telling them things.

Aurora started to pace back and forth in the kitchen, clearly working something out in her mind. If Demetri was correct and it was the darkest of all forms of Dark Magic they were dealing with, then all bets were off.

"But how does Severus work into it? He doesn't dabble in that sort of Dark Magic."

Demetri watched the other witch pace. "What if it's his intent they're after, Sin? I mean, let's think about it. What really classifies a spell as Dark or Light after all? A tickling jinx is harmless unless it's used to torture. And I know the Imperius is labeled as an Unforgivable because it's so Dark, but I know Mind Healers have used it in extreme cases of mentally-ill patients who could do harm to themselves when normal potions don t work to suppress the self-harm tendencies."

"What do you mean?"

Demetri shrugged. "They have to know that the power they need is Dark, so if they can get him to cast anything with his intent being revenge or the like, wouldn't that give them the Dark power they want from him without him being Dark himself?"

"I don't know. I think there has to be more to it than that. I mean, I don't know of any Inferi roaming the countryside lately. So, if it is Necromancy—I don't know. But it fits with what we learned earlier. That if his future self came back and showed up in the Time room, energy had to be displaced somewhere, likely to something that draws a lot of power, which is likely the Veil thing in the Ministry. Which may have been corrupted somehow by it, causing this. I don't know, though."

"I can keep researching it," Demetri said, pouring her another glass. "See if it's possible to collect or transfer Magic from the dead to an object or a wizard?"

Aurora glanced away, sighing and running a hand through her curls. "Just be careful, will you, Dem? I already had one friend who got obsessed with the Dark magic, and it ate him alive. And Severus, well, you met him."

"You forget my ancestor destroyed an entire kingdom out of jealousy and was labeled a dark sorceress. Let's not even mention my family's history with following Grindelwald, all right?" Demetri rested a hand atop of Aurora's. "I am always careful not to follow in my family's footsteps. Promise."

"Well, I've got the family history of Grindelwald as well, remember?"

"I do. That was another reason why I befriended you. We both needed someone to bitch about how we were such a disappointment to them because we didn't share their warped values."

"Hey, speak for yourself. I'm not a disappointment because I don't share her warped values. I'm a disappointment because Mother is a bitch who thinks anyone who isn't has some sort of defect. But, hey, it's family."

Demetri snorted. "I'm eternally grateful I've never met the woman. I'm sure it'd have ended with hexes being thrown around."

"Maybe from you, but no, Mother would find that barbaric. Why waste energy on you?" Aurora rolled her eyes. "Ugh." She held her glass out. "Another please."

Demetri refilled their glasses. "Maybe we can find an old rundown shack and when your mother kicks the bucket, we can stick her and Morgana's portraits together, so they can compare notes for all of eternity on how horrible we are."

"Only flaw in that theory is Mother's not getting a portrait."

"Lucky for you. If only the one destroyed at Hogwarts was the only one of Morgana's. She just had to have another one." Demetri sighed dramatically before sipping her drink. Deep down, in the very deepest part of her, she was glad that Morgana had the foresight to have another one made.

"What happened to the one in your rooms anyway?"

"There was a Fate's Warning rune dead center of the floor in the Astronomy tower where my rooms were. When it blew," she shrugged. "well, according to the Headmistress, everything was destroyed."

"Is your cat all right?"

"Yes. The little shit was found in Filch's rooms, fraternizing with Mrs. Norris. Thank the Gods he's neutered. The last thing that school needs is her hell spawn roaming about."

"I'm glad he's okay. Is he here then or . . .?" She shook her head, trying to clear her mind so she could think clearer. "This entire time I didn't even notice. I—it's like I'm in a daze, you know?"

"He's roaming the manor somewhere." Demetri sighed. "I wouldn't expect you to be worried about a trivial thing as my cat with what has been going on with you. It's fine."

"It's not trivial, Dem." She then smiled as she thought of something. "Hopefully, Merlin plays nicely with Harrison. Or else we're going to hear about it."

"He will. Anyone who gives that little furball attention that isn't me is his best friend. Harrison could throttle the cat, and Merlin would purr to his heart's content at the attention."

"It could be good for him. For both of them. We all need to keep our mind off things right now. And just, you know, be here."

"True. I've caught our resident hard-ass with Merlin curled in his lap, petting him as he read back at Hogwarts."

"He's not a hard ass, Dem. He just hasn't had a very easy life unfortunately."

"I know, Sin. He just wants us all to think he's Mister Bastard of the Dungeons."

"Exactly. He thinks he has to maintain this persona when he doesn't have to."

"Unfortunately, old habits die hard."

She shook her head. "Yeah, well, either way, though, I can't say anything about it." She gave a thin smile. "One step forward and then two steps back he takes. I've waited this long, you know?"

"I know. Don't let him get away from you. You both need each other, and I swear to the Old Gods that if either of you screw this up, Morgana's reign of terror will look like child's play when I'm done with you two." Demetri smiled sweetly.

Aurora laughed. "It's not that. He just—you know how he is."

"I think your hardheadedness and his will eventually cancel each other out." She shrugged. "I've definitely seen a change in his demeanor from when I first met him. He still has his moments, but if you give back what he dishes out and don't let him walk away mad, he eventually can hold a decent conversation. As long as he's not trying to run away from his feelings again."

"Yeah. I'm not getting that from him. I'm getting more of the he doesn't know what he wants."

"Give him time. He's got so much more than we do going on that would likely have caused another person to go insane. Be there for him, let him talk, rant, throw a hissy fit, but remind him he is not alone and that we are all here to help whether he likes it or not."

"When did you become a therapist, Dem?"

She snorted. "The moment I met your other half."

"He's not that bad."

"Once you get him to realize you get more out of talking to someone instead of at someone."

"Like I said, I don't really have that problem with him."

"Count yourself lucky, then"

"Yeah. No. I get a whole different thing, Dem. I get it where he snogs the hell out of me and then pushes me away like I'm some sort of sea creature. And then he claims he's doing it to protect me or some other ridiculous reason." She then threw back her glass before she wiped her mouth and continued. "Oh and the ranting! Can't forget that. Like it's my fault. He's the one who came back in time!"

"Then you take the initiative, Sin. He may be pulling away to keep from scaring you off. The ranting I've dealt with just by letting him rant, then when the wind has left his sails, get him to talk. I highly doubt he blames you for any of this."

"He blames me for being a distraction because he says I'm the reason he can't think. Well, if he wasn't having sex dreams about me, he wouldn't have that problem. And trust me. I try to get him to talk. He just distracts and moves on. Or we get his dead great-great grandfather to show up in a portrait."

"See? This is why I suggested locking yourselves in a room and dealing with those frustrations, but neither of you will listen." Demetri then cocked her head. "Wait. You spoke to one of the Ashmores?"

"Yeah. Lord Marcus Ashmore. The nice one who lied about his family to cover up the fact that his son was a certified git. Actually, git isn't strong enough of a word. Bastard, abuser, coward, just plain old scumbag."

"That seems to be a recurring theme amongst Purebloods."

"Yep. I don't know, though. I suppose I can see his point. Why should his son destroy everything he and his family built?"

Demetri shrugged. "Most do so out of a claim for power or sheer jealousy."

"Yeah. Least we learned the real Lord Ashmore story. It's strange, though. Meeting him, I mean." She shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck and closing her eyes. The moment she inhaled, she felt lightheaded, so she reopened her eyes. She'd have to be a little bit more careful or she'd get drunk.

"Maybe it's because everything we know about the Ashmore family was a lie?" Demetri offered, nursing her third glass of Absinthe.

"Maybe."

"It does, however, raise the question of what else this family lied about, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"The one constant theme I've seen with this entire situation is how the truth is covered up or distorted in some form."

"Again, a Pureblood thing."

Demetri snorted. "True.

"Though, I think his mother hates me."

"Oh, she does." Demetri winced at her tone. "But I can see why. All she knows about you is Severus was nearly insane because of the memories his older self gave him, so she blamed you for being the one that was hurting her son."

"But I didn't."

"We know that, but try convincing an overprotective mother that."

"She calls me his harlot."

"So?"

"Does she seriously think I'm going to, I don't know, seduce her son and turn him evil?"

"Don't all mother's think that?"

"Do they? None of my other—well, actually, Severus and I aren't dating, yet, but none of the others I was with had mothers who thought that. Course that could have been Mother's doing."

Demetri shrugged. "Mine died while giving birth to me, and my father's been trying to marry me off since I was eleven, so I wouldn't know either. Maybe Eileen is a special case? She met me all of two seconds and already had me married to Severus and all our children's names picked out after all."

"Oh?" Aurora crossed her arms playfully. "No wonder she doesn't like me. She thinks I'm trying to brush aside her first choice of you as her perfect daughter-in-law."

Demetri laughed. "She does not."

"No. It makes absolute sense, Dem. Why mess with perfection after all?"

"From what I heard, she's been ranting about you before she even met me."

"Really? Why?"

"Like I said, Severus was obsessed with finding you after his future self visited."

"He was?"

"Yes. He nearly ripped my head off when he caught us talking through the Floo, demanding I get you back when you just upped and vanished."

"He was there? You didn't tell me that. If I knew that, I'd have—"

"You didn't ask or give me time to tell you. You were there and gone so quickly. Plus, I thought he was still unconscious, so there was no reason to."

"Even unconscious—you know, he is rather sweet when he's asleep." Aurora paused, frowning slightly. That was random. Why had she just said that?

"About the only time."

Aurora rolled her eyes. "You don't know what you're missing. I'll let you know, though."

Demetri smiled wickedly. "Oh please do. Lord knows I'm not getting any, so I'll settle to live vicariously through you."

Laughing, Aurora nodded. "If we ever get there."

"You really need to take my advice and just lock yourselves in a room together. I'm telling you."

"He'd just read, I think."

"Even if you forgot your clothes beforehand?" Demetri offered, pouring herself another glass.

"Probably even then."

"No way to know for sure unless you try," Demetri said with a shrug. "I can give you the address of a naughty little store that sells all sorts of skimpy lingerie if you prefer not to be naked at first." When she caught Aurora's look, she frowned. What? What did she say?

"Um, Dem . . ."

"Hmm?"

"You put a lot of thought into this, didn't you?"

"Only because I love you, Sin." She grinned.

"I don't think it's my appearance that's tripping him up, but rather . . . something else."

"What do you mean?"

"No. It's not for me to say. Really." Aurora then sighed softly, swirling the liquid in her fourth glass of Absinthe. Why was she talking to Demetri about this? Severus was a private person. He'd never forgive her for talking about him like she was. She knew that. So, why was she then?

"Sin," Demetri said softly, her blue eyes narrowing on her.

Aurora winced before she glanced at her. "It's just, well, I have more experience in it, I think."

"Well, he has a son, so obviously he's not a virgin." Demetri shrugged. "And I doubt that's it. He damn near told me he wants to do more than kiss you."

"And yet when we're in a library, and I mean sure I was a little annoyed with him at first but, and then before that even . . . nothing. I mean, nothing, Dem."

"Then you take the lead if you see him start to pull away."

"And then he's going to get scared because I'll come on too strong for him."

Demetri sighed and rested her forehead on the table. "I swear you two are doing this on purpose to see how long it takes for me to say fuck it and Imperio you both," she mumbled into the table.

Aurora giggled before she poured herself another glass. "Maybe?"

Lifting her head up just a bit, she glanced at her. "Don't tempt me, Sin."

"However, before we can think about that sorts of things, we need to figure this out first."

Demetri fully lifted her head from the table. "Fine."

"Well, I wasn't saying right now. I just mean we need to deal with one crisis at a time. Then shagging can commence."

"I'll hold you to that."

"You expect me to send a howler screaming, 'We did it?"

"And balloons and confetti, yeah," Demetri replied with a shrug.

"You're mad."

She grinned. "I know."

"It's not going to happen."

"Not if you keep up with that attitude it won't."

"What are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with my attitude."

"You honestly believe that? If you go around doubting what everyone can see is between you two, then one of you is bound to screw it up."

Aurora tossed back her fourth glass, her face scrunching up again as she drank the bright green liquid. It was losing its bitterness finally with that same faint hint of black licorice just floating around. She knew deep down that drinking wasn't going to solve anything, but it was better than thinking right then. So, she poured herself a fifth, her head already swimming as the room swayed.

"Screw what up?" she asked with a frown, glancing at the several blue-eyed witches sitting across from her. When did Demetri clone herself? She just barely kept from laughing.

"Being happy for once? Being with a man I know you've been in love with for years?"

"Why do you think I'll screw up?" It didn't make sense what Demetri was saying, any of the Demetris actually.

"Either one of you will, Sin, with both of you constantly walking around on eggshells because you don't know how the other feels because you are both too damned stubborn to admit there are feelings to begin with!"

Why were they shouting now? She wasn't deaf. Maybe a little dizzy and slightly drunk, but not deaf. Or maybe Demetri was now? She snorted, trying to brush back her curls.

"But we've admitted our feelings, Dem."

"And yet there is still doubt there."

"There's no doubt. Just hurdles. Big, dark hurdles."

The biggest, darkest hurdle was the one she was in love with, Demetri thought as she grabbed the bottle from the table. "So, jump the hurdle, Sin."

Aurora's eyes narrowed on the three Demetris before she nodded with conviction. "You're right." She slammed her glass down on the tabletop, a few drops of Absinthe spilling. "I should jump him." She then stood up, grabbing the side of the table when the room spun again.

Demetri snorted before she too stood and rounded the table to put her arm around the dark-haired witch. "How about we focus on getting you up the stairs without breaking your neck first?"

"I'm fine, Dem," she replied, her voice slurring horribly now. She reached up to pat Demetri's cheek, frowning when her hand didn't feel anything. "Quit moving. Will you?"

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England. " She grabbed the other witch's hand before Aurora could poke out an eye and led the way upstairs.

Aurora stumbled beside her, wondering why Demetri was stumbling so much. She hadn't had as many glasses as Aurora had. Clearly, it was obvious who the lightweight witch was. She grinned, laughing as they continued towards the stairs.

Demetri tightened her grip on her drunken friend, trying not to trip as Aurora swayed. She sighed when they finally came to the stairs and gripped the banister with her other hand as Aurora swayed heavily. This was why they didn't usually drink. Aurora never could handle her alcohol. But, damn, she was always fun drunk, though.

"This was fun. We should do this again. Maybe after, you know . . ." She leaned in to Demetri's ear. "I hurdle Severus."

"We should," Demetri agreed, wincing as Aurora 's voice was a bit loud in her ear. It was nice to enjoy themselves and forget all their troubles for once. It reminded her of the old days when she wasn't babysitting grown men whose favorite color was black and favorite hobby was driving her insane. Not that Severus was really that bad.

"Mister tall—he's so tall, Dem. So tall and dark—but a good dark. Not a bad one." She held up a finger. "And his fingers, Dem. Oh, his fingers. I—and his eyes. I love him. You know that? I really do. Even though, he's a bit of a, um, something. I don't know. That one word." She couldn't think of it. The word was just on the tip of her tongue. Her smile widened as she recalled her kiss with him earlier then.

"Ass? No, git I believe was the word you use for him," Demetri laughed.

"His arse is pretty nice, isn't it?"

"It is."

Aurora giggled. "You know what we should do?"

Demetri sighed, knowing she'd regret it later but she couldn't not want to know what her friend's alcohol-addled mind came up with. "What should we do, Sin, other than pay attention to where we're going?" she muttered as they nearly tripped again.

Aurora leaned in even further, her lips nearly brushing against Demetri's ear. "We should sneak into his room, Dem. Make him think it's a dream or something. Just to mess with him." She threw her head back and laughed loudly, likely waking up the entire manor. "He'd shit himself!"

"Aurora!" Demetri nearly stumbled on the top step as the witch jostled them. "First of all, lower your voice. People are sleeping. And second, I am not going to have a threesome with you and Severus!"

Aurora kept laughing, though. "No. We wouldn't actually do it. Just make him think. You're the one after all saying we should just be locked in a room and shag. So, it's your fault."

"Yes, the TWO of you, no one else." Demetri shook her head, wondering why she was trying to reason with the very drunk witch.

Aurora rolled her eyes before she narrowed her eyes on the closed doors they were passing.

"Why do you look like the doors just insulted your pride?"

"What?" Aurora turned to her. "Trying to figure out where you're going, Dem."

"To your room"

"Uh . . . all right. Carry on."

"Yes, Master." Demetri laughed as she went to open the door to Aurora's rooms. Her eyes briefly narrowed in confusion as she found it locked, but brushed it aside a moment later. With a muttered spell, the lock clicked and the door opened.

Aurora pulled away from her as soon as the door was open. "All right, Dem. I made it. No broken necks here." She smiled languidly at her before she patted one of Demetri's six arms. "Thank you. And I know, I know. Straight to bed. I know, Mum. You can go now."

"Yeah, and I know you too well. I'll wait until you're in bed before I leave."

Aurora sighed heavily. "Fine." She slowly walked across the dark room, muttering soft curses as she tripped every now and then while she stripped down before she finally reached the bed. She stuck her tongue out at Demetri and then kicked off her shoes prior to sliding into the warm bed.

Her eyes briefly narrowed when her bare feet connected with a solid mass. She, however, dismissed it. It was probably just the alcohol playing tricks on her mind. She snuggled up closer, wondering how far her mind would let her get. She wrapped her arms around the person lying beside her, smiling when she felt him move slightly. He smelled like wood, but she couldn't quite place which kind. It was definitely a pleasant smell, though.

"Uh." Demetri narrowed her eyes as she stared at her friend. Maybe it was the darkness playing tricks on her but was there another bump in her bed? Or was she seeing double now? She blinked a few more times and squinted even more through the darkness. It was then she realized Sinistra wasn't alone in bed. "Shit!"

Just when she thought that it couldn't get any worse, the door off to the right then opened, revealing a dark silhouette of a woman in the bathroom's doorway. Demetri's face fell against her hand as she covered her eyes and bit back a groan. Oh, crap.

"Unhand my husband this instant!" a voice dangerously growled from the shadows of the doorway on the right.

"Husband?" Aurora slurred, blinking. "Severus isn't married."

"Fuck!" Demetri's wand was in her hand as she slowly moved away from the door. "Aurora, you're, um, you're in the wrong room." She left out the 'and in the wrong bed.'

Aurora turned towards her friend. "What?"

"I ain't Severus, lass," an amused male voice spoke from beside her. "That's what she's saying."

Her brown eyes narrowed on the man. She knew that voice. She had heard it before somewhere. If he wasn't Severus, though, then who was he? And why was he in her bed? And why did he smell like wood like Severus did?

"Easy. It's all right," the shadowed man murmured, brushing aside the growls from his wife. "I'm Tobias, remember? 'Bout the only thing me and my boy have in common is our nose, right?"

"Tobias?" Aurora's eyes widened and the color drained from her face before she started taking gasping breaths. "Then . . . Oh . . . oh no . . . oh . . . oh no!"

"Oh no, indeed," Eileen growled from the doorway before she glanced towards Demetri.

"I am so, so sorry. I miscounted the doors," Demetri apologized profusely as she went to retrieve her drunken friend from their bed. She had been so sure that it had been the fourth one from the right.

Eileen glared, though, pointing at Aurora.

Demetri helped her from the bed, trying not to let out nervous laughter at their situation. Later when they were in Aurora's actual rooms, she'd let out her laughs, but right now she needed to get them out of there before Eileen killed them.

Aurora silently followed, still taking gasping breaths. She felt sick. Absolutely horrified at what had happened. When they reached the door, she saw the familiar tall, dark brooding man who was looming overhead staring at both of them with messy raven hair. He must have been sleeping, she realized. He looked adorable.

Her stomach lurched violently.

"I'm going to be—" She couldn't get the words out in time before she doubled over and vomited.

"Lovely, Aurora," Demetri grumbled before she cleaned the mess with a wave of her wand. Her steel-blue eyes then glanced up at Severus, her lips twitching. Maybe he could find the humor in this? Somehow? "I forgot how much of a lightweight she was."

Severus's dark eyes darted from Aurora to Demetri with a blink of surprise before he shook his head. He then looked behind them, likely to his parents. Swallowing back his words, he held a hand out, silently summoning the clothes Aurora had thrown about the room haphazardly earlier. He gently placed her outer robes around her shoulders to cover her, closing his eyes.

"I take it you'll make sure she is in the right room this time," he asked quietly, his eyes darting back to Demetri with a slight frown. His hand didn't move from Aurora's shoulder.

"Not my fault there are hundreds of doors that all look the same in this house," Demetri replied with a slight grumble.

He said nothing to her at first. Instead he continued his stare before he hesitantly turned away. "Thank you."

Demetri opened her mouth to respond, but he was already slipping through his bedroom door. She sighed heavily, wrapping an arm around Aurora. She then silently led her from the room, hearing the door slam shut behind them followed by loud chuckles and Eileen's voice.

Finding the correct room a few moments later and checking it to make sure it was by non-verbally lighting the candles in the room first, she ushered her drunken friend inside. Once the door was closed, Demetri couldn't help but finally laugh at the events that just transpired. Of all the things . . .

"It's bad. Isn't it?" Aurora said as she was helped into her bed. She then grabbed Demetri's arm, her reddened eyes searching Demetri's blue. "Just kill me. Please, Dem? Let me die with some dignity left. Even if it's just, you know, a sliver."

"Oh, no," Demetri drawled, removing the witch's slender fingers from her arm. "You, Sin, get to face the consequences of trying to bury your feelings in the bottom of a bottle of Absinthe just like the rest of us." She smiled softly when she caught Aurora's pained look. "Think of it this way. At least you'll have a good story to tell your kids someday." She sniggered when Aurora tossed a pillow at her. "Now, go to sleep. Maybe you'll be lucky, and this will all be a dream."

"Really?"

Demetri only smiled at her, though, folding Aurora's outer robes neatly. She waited for a few moments for Aurora's eyes to close. After four glasses of Absinthe and complete, utter humiliation, Aurora Sinistra finally passed out five minutes later. Demetri waited a few more moments later just to make sure Aurora wasn't faking it before she quietly slipped out of her friend's room.

Closing the door quietly behind her, she paused when she noticed movement off to her left. She watched the tall, dark figure approach, considering drawing her wand for a second before deciding against it when she saw it was just Severus.

"I take it she's unconscious now?" he asked quietly, motioning to the closed door. His hair was less messy, looking like he just had woken up, than before. But he was still wearing his navy sweatpants and oversized white t-shirt.

"Yeah. She did better this time than the last time she had Absinthe," Demetri said with a shrug. "Last time she was flirting with one of our professors, and it wasn't pretty." She smiled when she heard his snort. With a jerk of her hand, she motioned to the potion he was holding. "For her hangover tomorrow I take it?"

He inclined his head, seemingly uncomfortable under her gaze right then.

"That's nice." She then glanced at the door and then back to him. "You could probably go in there and leave it for her without waking her." Her eyes narrowed briefly when he flinched. "Severus?"

"I, I'm not sure that's acceptable."

"Why? Are you planning on sleeping with her in her drunken state?"

"Of course not," he snapped, glaring at Demetri.

"Then why wouldn't it be? You're just setting it on the nightstand and leaving. It's what friends do for one another, Severus." Demetri then shrugged. "Just make sure you ward her room afterwards, so she doesn't go exploring later. Last thing we need is your mother to kill her." She turned from him and headed for her own room with a faint smile on her face.

She was five rooms down from Aurora's, so as she turned to slip inside her own room, she glanced down and saw Severus still standing outside Aurora's room, staring at the closed door. He didn't trust himself to be left alone with her. That spoke to his character. Demetri waited a second to see if he'd actually enter or if he'd run. When his shoulders slumped in resignation and he slipped inside, her smile widened before she walked into her own rooms, rolling her eyes when she saw Merlin perched on top of her pillow glaring at her.

"Oh, don't even give me that look, you little shit. I fed you earlier." She then waved her hand towards him, levitating him to his own side of the bed. When she heard his huff of indignation, she laughed and waved her hand down her body, dressing for bed.