"Blah" Talking

'Blah' Thinking

"Blah" Parseltongue/Notes/Different languages

Blah Dreams/Flashbacks/Anything and Everything else

A/N: I'm so sorry that this took SO LONG!! I had major computer issues, and RL sucks. Thanks to all of you that reviewed and are still reading this! Again, I'm SO SORRY that this took so long; the next updates shouldn't be this long.

A/N 2: Torture in this chapter, rather graphic, a heads up has been given and I apologize if you find yourself utterly disgusted.

"You were asleep?" Professor McGonagall's voice was incredulous. Harry tried to hide his yawn, leaning his head sideways onto Draco's shoulder. Harry was bored and Draco was warm.

"Mr. Potter, are you listening to me?!" The Deputy Headmistress' voice was piercing.

'No.'

"I'm sorry. But, I really don't see why we're in trouble. We were asleep when Professor Dumbledore told the school that students were to remain in their dorms." The older woman pursed her lips, looking at the group of teenagers in disproval.

They were all rudely awoken that morning by the irate teacher, who escorted them to the Headmaster's office, not even giving them time to get out of yesterday's clothes.

Fred, George, Eleanor, and Neville were all on the stretched out loveseat against the wall. Neville looked like he'd ate his toad and Eleanor looked like a kicked puppy. The twins, true to their reputation, were looking around with apparent boredom, no doubt having been in this office many times before.

Ginny and Hermione were sitting in two plush chairs, purple and orange respectively, while Luna and Ron were sitting on the arms. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were looking at McGonagall sheepishly while Luna was looking at a shadow above McGonagall's head.

Harry yawned again, turning his head into Draco's neck; he smiled faintly when Draco stiffened briefly before relaxing again.

"Mr. Potter, please stop cuddling with Mr. Malfoy and pay attention!"

'No. Screw you; I'm tired.'

"Professor McGonagall, I'll take it from here." Albus Dumbledore's voice sounded amused, and as Harry peeked out from Draco's neck he saw the old man twinkling in his direction. Vaguely, Harry knew that the older man was caught between happiness and sorrow and as horrible as Harry felt for it, he couldn't bring himself to care as much as his heart was telling him to.

"Mr. Potter, I think you will be pleased to know that Sirius Black is going to be completely pardoned by sunset today, or that's how things are looking so far. Now, onto why you're being punished: I'm not sure if any of you are aware of this, considering that none of you were at dinner, but Peter Pettigrew's body was portkeyed into the Great Hall." Silence. Harry bit down on Draco's neck softly, wanting to laugh madly when the boy shuddered.

"But wouldn't someone need the actual location of the Great Hall to achieve that? After all, a portkey is useless if it isn't told where to bring something." Fred and George's voice blended into one. Unbidden, an image of the Inquisitorial Squad practicing the Imperius curse on Cho Chang came to Harry's mind. He noticed that it was from Draco's point of view, complete with the horror and disbelief he had felt that night.

"The Inquisitorial Squad was practicing an Unforgivable on a student, under orders from Umbridge, who was under orders from Fudge, who was under orders from the Dark Lord. So, essentially, they're Death Eaters in training. Maybe they're the ones who got the logistics?" Draco's voice sounded calm and collected, but Harry could feel the uneasiness radiating from his mind. Harry traced the faint outline of his teeth on Draco's neck with his tongue, barely holding in his laughter when he felt Draco tense and his heart speed up.

"Yes, that is rather what I thought as well. This means, of course, that you are in a rather dangerous position, Mr. Malfoy." Harry could practically feel Draco's eyebrow lift.

"Actually, that means I'm in the same position I've been in all year, and that position will become dangerous if I don't handle it properly. For instance, me being here is putting me in more danger, given what happened last night."

"So is the fact that everyone knows you and I are at least friends." Harry said as he paused in licking Draco's neck.

"Yes, but I can explain that one away. All I have to say is that I'm trying to convert you; it's been working so far." Draco's fingers came up to play with Harry's hair, probably of their own violation, given the rather contemplative look on Draco's face.

Albus sighed, leaning back in his chair. His gaze switched to the Weasley twins.

"Dear boys, do you have any information about the recent errand I sent you and your older brothers on?" The twins blinked, becoming serious all at once. They spared glances at everyone else in the room before turning to Albus.

"Nothing that Bill and Charlie haven't told you: the book appears to be a journal of some sort. It's written in Latin – like that book of Merlin's. French is a little like Latin, as you know, so we were able to make out one word from the first page: General. Well, it could have been "leader," but the idea is the same. Everything else you already know." Fred spoke while George nodded along.

"What are you talking about?" Eleanor's soft voice squeaked out. When the Headmaster turned to look at her, she clamped her hands over her mouth and stared at the old man in terror. Albus gave her a kind smile, eyes twinkling in amusement.

"As you no doubt know, , the Weasley twins here were gone for a few weeks earlier. They got back recently. They, with their older brothers who are out of school, went on an errand for me. Don't worry yourself about it, dear girl."

Harry yawned again, once more burrowing into Draco's neck. Thank god he wasn't playing Quidditch today.

'Wait… the game is today... We need to be seen at breakfast, or bad things will happen.'

"Uh… Headmaster? About not putting Draco in any unnecessary danger… If we don't want him in a bad position, he needs to be seen at breakfast."

"And Draco Malfoy has caught the Snitch! 150 points to Slytherin, Slytherin wins!" Lee Jordon's voice boomed across the pitch as the student body went wild.

Harry and Hermione screamed while Ron and everyone else in the Gryffindor stands clapped with mixed enthusiasm. Harry was jumping up and down, clapping and spinning in place. Ron saw more then one longing look go to Harry's skirt, no doubt hoping it would flip up and reveal more then it should. He glared at every student that had that longing in their eyes.

As far as Ron was concerned, the only one allowed to look at Harry's skirt in that manner was Draco Malfoy. And, as Harry and Hermione ran ahead to congratulate the Slytherin team, he could see that Draco also shared that sentiment, considering the death glares he gave his team.

"Congrats! Now, we can utterly destroy you guys when it's time for our match!" Harry said laughing.

Remus had been enjoying a nice cup of tea when Bill Weasley rushed into the kitchen.

"REMUS! Look, LOOK!" Bewildered, Remus took in the young man's appearance: disheveled hair and clothes, a wild look in his eye, a manic smile on his face, and an arm waving what appeared to be a special edition of the Daily Prophet.

'If it's something else about how the world is ending and it's Harry's fault I'm going to kill someone…'

It wasn't. In fact, after reading the headline, Remus could feel his whole body freeze up. Bill whooped and gave him a bear hug that would have crushed his ribs if not for the fact that Remus was a werewolf.

"Anyway, got to get back home… Mum and Fleur might need help getting dinner ready. And Charlie and Dad send their regards. Albus is coming over later to help with the Burrow reconstruction; maybe you two will want to come?" Remus nodded numbly, only half comprehending what was going on around him.

Ten minutes later, Sirius came down.

"Oh, I thought I heard Bill… Moony, you okay?" Remus looked up, a glazed look in his eyes.

"Remus? Hello? There's nothing wrong is there?" Sirius was starting to sound alarmed, so Remus did the only thing he could think of. He threw himself onto the other man, kissing him so passionately that Sirius' hip hit against the kitchen table.

And, as clothes were flung off and Sirius was pushed onto the table, the Daily Prophet sailed to the floor, the headline in bold print for everyone to see:

"Sirius Black Pardoned for the Murder of Lily and James Potter!"

"So, where are you taking me?" Draco asked as Harry pulled him along. Harry had dragged Draco into the Forbidden Forest as soon as he was out of sight of his team.

"I want to show you something." Harry sounded excited, which seemed entirely strange to Draco. What could be exciting about being in a forest that harbored creatures that could kill humans with minimal effort?

Eventually, they came to a clearing. The canopy of leaves parted and let the sun shine onto a small lake. The water was translucent and sparkled merrily. A waterfall roared away opposite them, partially concealed by a massive boulder.

Harry let go of his hand, took off his shoes and stepped into the water.

"You said, that time, that you wanted to see it again, see me dance."

Draco remembered; when they were in limbo, he saw Harry dance for him in one of the creeks he had summoned. It was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen; Harry had been breathtakingly beautiful in those moments.

"Thank you." A serene voice – Harry's – fluttered into his hearing. And then he was dancing; lifting the water to flow around him, stepping from stone to stone, arms twisting in fluid movement, bending at the hips, hair flying in a seemingly choreographed movement.

"I thought you couldn't do that out of limbo; read people's minds, I mean." Harry was cleared of most of the rocks near the shoreline, twirling and moving his body to an imaginary tune. Water formed half created images before breaking apart from Harry's arms slashing through them.

"I said it depended on certain things, not that I straight out couldn't do it." And Harry was in front of him, smiling at the half surprised look on Draco's face. Harry gently took his hand, pulling him into the water. It wasn't as cold as Draco thought it was going to be, but not as warm as he hoped it would have been either. Harry wrapped his arms around Draco's waist, pulling him close. The water got deeper as they went further in, and briefly Draco thought that perhaps he should rid himself of some clothes, lest he drown in them. Then, Harry adjusted his grip on Draco, somehow managing to pull him closer, and the idea quickly fled him. They were closer to the waterfall, some of the mists from it sprinkled over them every few seconds.

He wasn't sure which one of them moved, but suddenly they were kissing. It wasn't like their first kisses, desperate as if they were pressed for time, but slower, gentler.

Legs around his waist, fingers twisted in his hair, a gasped breath.

Draco's fingers wound themselves through Harry's long locks.

"I love you, and I always will even when I'm no longer in this form." Lithe arms around his neck; a soft and slow dance to no music. He loved this woman in his arms.

Harry pulled away from him, drawing him underneath the waterfall.

"I love this forest." She said lying down next to him, smiling as the breeze played with the bed of flowers they were resting on.

There was a cave behind the waterfall. The water got shallow abruptly, just enough for them to find their footing, the water at their necks.

'I'm going to die here…I'm sorry, Aife. So sorry…' Pain, unbearable pain, not just physical. He knew that this would destroy her, crush her heart and extinguish the fire he loved so much. He only hoped they'd be able to find each other again, with Aife's stubborn streak he was sure they'd be together again. And with that last thought, peace swept him up into her arms.

"Draco? You alright?"

"Aiden? You alright?"

Draco looked at Harry, who seemed to shift between himself and someone else. His voice and the voice from his memory lined up, matching almost perfectly. Harry's was deeper, but not by much; but that wasn't what was similar, it was everything else - the tilt of Harry's head, the worry shining through his eyes, his green eyes. Draco's head was spinning, and as an idea came into his head, he briefly thought he was really going crazy.

"I'm alright… Aife." He looked up as he said her name, and knew he wasn't crazy. Harry looked shocked, more then shocked, almost devastated.

"You haven't called me that… in a long time." And as the floodgates opened, everything came back to him.

"Alright, everyone shut up." Harry's voice was so sharp it could have cut through stone. "I'm going to tell you all about what types of magic you all have. Now, there are eight main types of magic, as divided by Merlin - Healing, Defense, Sensory, Offense, Light, Dark, Elemental, and Objective. People do not just have one out of the eight, often times they have five or six types all jumbled together. It doesn't mean anything to have all eight types of magic, just as it doesn't mean anything to just have one." Harry looked around at everyone briefly.

"I'll give you all a quick breakdown of each: Healing is the ability to use your magic for manipulation of the human body; most of the time people with this ability become medical personnel. However, you can also use this ability to stop the lungs from taking oxygen, thus killing someone." Hermione's hand shot up into the air, and Harry blinked a few times before calling on her in an amused fashion.

"So, basically you're saying that no single ability is just 'light' or 'dark?' It depends on the person's intentions?"

"Yes, even the most harmless of spells – say Wingardium Leviosa – can be used for ill. If you levitate someone off a cliff, for instance, and then let them fall you just killed someone. So, intentions are very important, not necessarily what type of magic you have."

"Defense is the ability to defend. Yeah, I know, that needed a lot of explanation." Everyone laughed briefly at his attempt at a joke. "But, seriously, people with this type of magic are generally very talented at making wards, shields, and cloaking things. For some reason, they also tend to be better liars. Offense is the opposite of Defense; it is the ability to attack. People with this category are good with hexes, curses, breaking wards, and can typically handle a weapon with deadly precision. And, most of the time, they're terrible at lying.

"Sensory is the ability to use your senses to your advantage. Empathy, psychometry, dowsing, Legilimency, and the Seer ability all fall under this type. Generally, people with this type of magic have very sensitive nerves; if they were held under the Cruciatus curse their nerves would actually start to disintegrate before they go crazy.

"The Light and Dark category have nothing to do with a person being 'good' or 'evil.' It has to do with their natural leanings towards either end of the magic spectrum. Just because something is called 'Light,' doesn't mean that it is 'good.' Take the hanging spell, for instance. The hanging spell was designed for the hanging of signs, dead livestock, and cooking utensils. Today, it's outlawed by our current Ministry because it has been used to hang people by the neck. And, on the flip side, just because something is 'Dark,' does not mean it is 'evil.' Take the disarming spell. That's a dark spell, but almost every Auror can attest to using it at least once."

"Whoa, wait. The disarming spell is Dark Arts? Are you serious?" Seamus asked incredulously. "There's no way that's true; Hogwarts wouldn't teach it if it was Dark Arts." Harry smiled at him.

"Dark Arts is a branch off of the Dark category. The Dark Arts are classified as: 'Magicks that exploit, harm, influence, or disrupt balance between the planes.' The disarming spell is not Dark Arts, but it is Dark. It's like saying that a unicorn is a horse, but a horse is not a unicorn. The Dark Arts also have one other thing that makes them Dark Arts: they corrupt the blood, tainting it. Dark Arts, like everything in nature, has a counter. Their counter is called Magicks of Heaven. Sounds nice and all, but as with the Dark Arts, the Magicks of Heaven corrupt the blood; instead of tainting the blood, the blood crystallizes within the body. Eventually, your body becomes a living stone, trapping your soul inside it forever. We'll talk more about Dark Arts and Magicks of Heaven at a later date, so just keep in mind what I've said about them."

"Has that ever happened?" Eleanor's voice squeaked out, sounding horrified. Harry smiled encouragingly at her.

"It would have happened to Merlin, were he not murdered. But, I'll talk about that when I come back to the Dark Arts and Magicks of Heaven. Good question, Eleanor." The younger girl blushed.

"Now, Elemental and Objective types are counters to each other. Elemental is using the elements: Water, Fire, Air, Earth, and Metal. Elementals also have better chances of manipulating or distorting time and space. Objective means using objects to do your biding. Telekinesis and other forms of Parapsychology fall under this category. Granted, most objects have the elements in them, but it's not really the same thing. A door frame is made of wood, but the wood is dead, an Elemental wouldn't be able to control it the way an Objective would be able to. So, now that that's all explained, I'll tell everyone what types of magic they have."

"Fred, you're categorized as having Elemental, Dark, Defense, and Sensory magicks. As Fred's twin, George, you have Objective, Light, Offensive, and Sensory magicks. Most twins have only one magic type in common, the rest are opposites. That's how you can tell if two people are true twins or one soul split into two different bodies. Eleanor, you're categorized as having Healing, Offensive, Light, and Objective magicks."

Eleanor squeaked, and Seamus and Dean laughed.

"Offense? You gotta be joking; she can't even attack a fly!" They both burst out laughing. As they were laughing, boiling water was flung onto their faces.

"OW! Damnit, that BURNS!!!" Harry frowned at them.

"That's the sting Eleanor feels when her friends make fun of her. Eleanor doesn't have what it takes to be confident enough to harm those that desire to harm her, but she'll gain that confidence. And I'm not going to have anyone in here bully her like the rest of the people she may encounter in life. So, knock it off." The two boys nodded.

"Now, as I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, Luna you have Healing, Defensive, Sensory, and Objective magicks. Ginny has Offensive, Light, Healing, and Elemental. Notice that even though they only share one type, they have one set of opposites. That means their relationship has a bigger chance of lasting for a long time; that they're compatible. Of course, that only works if you believe that Magic makes the personality and not the opposite.

"Seamus, you're categorized as having Sensory, Objective, and Defense. Dean, you've got Offense, Light, and Sensory. Neville, you've got Healing, Sensory, Light, and Elemental. Just because Neville has neither Defense or Offense doesn't mean that he'd be utterly useless in a battle, it just means that his magic isn't good for one or the other; often times that means one would be equally good at both.

"Ron, you have Offensive, Elemental, Dark, and Sensory. Hermione, you have Healing, Light, Objective, and Sensory. And there we have the opposites and one set of similar things. Ron and Hermione's magicks are compatible, but that really shouldn't shock anyone." Here, Harry stopped to throw the couple a small grin. A few people snickered.

"Moving on, Draco, you have Dark, Offensive, Sensory, and Objective. And now for me. I have Dark, Light, Defensive, Sensory, Elemental, and Healing." Silence followed.

"Does anyone know why I have a set of opposites?"

"You're super cool and powerful?" Fred and George inquired as one voice. Harry grinned at them.

"Thank you for thinking so, but no, that isn't the reason. The types of magic you have don't make you more powerful or weaker then anyone else. Anyone else?"

"You're equally good at both?" As soon as Ron said it he frowned. "No, wait… Neville has neither because he's equally good at both. So, it can't be that you're equally good at both."

"Very good, Ron." Hermione's hand shot up into the air, regardless of the fact that no one had raised their hand prior to her. Harry smiled at her, amused by her behavior.

"The crystal could sense both in you, like maybe your core is Light but Dark magic has been cast on you, causing it to become confused?" Answering a question with a question was something Hermione really didn't like to do.

"That's the closest to the truth. The reason my magic has both Light and Dark is because my core is Light, but this body is Dark. A little known fact: My mother was adopted, she's considered 'muggle-born' by name only; no one knows what or who she was before her adoption. However, from looking at my body, certain guesses can be made. I prefer bloody meat, I can go long periods of time with no food, I can run faster then a werewolf, my nails are hard and sharp - even though my nutrition history should render them useless- and I can withstand extreme temperatures. This is only possible because this body is part vampire." Seamus and Dean's jaws dropped, Eleanor went white, and Ginny and Ron looked like they just solved a puzzle. Harry smiled at everyone.

"Don't be alarmed, I'm not after your blood. My mother must have sealed her blood, because mine is sealed as well. Technically speaking, I'm not even enough of a vampire to have some of their natural allergies and you've all seen me eat food. I just retain a few of their… quirks."

"Sealed? What does that mean?" Eleanor's soft voice squeaked.

"Sealed means sealed - to lock something away, but often times not completely or permanently. My mother locked away the vampire side of herself so she could be human, and thus that seal was passed to me. I'm telling you all of this because I trust you, as I hope you all trust me.

"For me to teach you, you will all need to put your faith in me more then you do now. You will need to trust that when I tell you to jump, I will make sure you land safely. You will have to trust me to dictate your actions in a manner that will not harm you. But, we'll get to that another time. It's late and we have classes tomorrow, so meeting adjourned. Good night, everyone."

He watched his Lord from under a mask, his cloak tight around him. This was right, this was safe. His Lord was the safest choice for him; the Light would fall under this man's feet. That's why he was here; that's why he has essentially pissed all over his family's beliefs and taken the Dark Mark.

It did not matter that as time went on he was becoming increasingly frightened; it didn't matter that in the back of his mind he was screaming, 'What are you doing? What are you doing?;' it did not matter that he had nightmares of killing Umbridge; and it did not matter that Bellatrix Lestrange was fucking crazy.

Lestrange laughed manically as she made some muggle woman eat her child's insides, her husband stood silently next to her, looking for all purposes as if he had been Kissed, though there wasn't a Dementor in sight. The two were without masks, most likely the only ones not afraid to show their faces.

Antonin Dolohov -he was recognizable even with a mask- was lounging against what remained of the family's house; a boy no older then his little brother, Ron, was sucking his cock like a trained whore. Augustus Rookwood -he was always recognizable due to his odd way of walking- came out of a neighboring house accompanied by his bloody lover, a woman only slightly less crazy then Bellatrix Lestrange. From what little he knew of her, she liked to watch her husband rape muggles, sometimes even partaking in the acts herself. He knew Rookwood walked the odd way he did because one of his legs was shorter then the other, due to some unfortunate accident.

The small town they were currently terrorizing was a joint muggle/magical town; his Lord was informed of this place by one of the residents. He tried not to think of who sold out this place, tried not to think about what reason they had to bring His Lord's wrath down upon these pathetic people. But, he couldn't help it. He wondered if it was over some petty thing, some stupid misunderstanding that would haunt whomever told of this place even in the next life. He wondered if this place was peaceful; did everyone get along? Were there arguments?

He was brought out of his musings by a grunt from Dolohov. He looked over just as Dolohov thrust violently into the boy's undoubtedly unprepared entrance – the youth screamed in pain and started sobbing. He looked away, disgusted, and his eyes went to the Lestranges, who were looking with interest at where his Lord stood. His Lord was summoning all the Blood Traitors, the ones that were alive at least, to the town's water fountain, which he stood upon.

"My friends, my newly freed friends, amuse yourselves with these Blood Traitors! These muggles and mudbloods that dare to try and live in harmony, as if they were equal. Show the United Kingdom why you are Death Eaters; show them why you were once their nightmares; show them your strength, and show them your anger at these disgusting fools!" Cheers went up around him, and as if renewed by their Lord's words, everyone around him seemed to become more vicious.

"Percy, darling, you really need to lighten up. Our Lord is rejoicing that our friends have returned to us, join in the festivities!" He looked to the one speaking, someone he thought he knew once upon a time. She was beautiful, blood on her robes and a head with no accompanying body clutched in her hand. Her eyes, the only part of her face he could see easily, were sparkling with a kind of wild happiness. This was his Penelope. This was the woman he abandoned his family for; this is the woman he abandoned his morals for; and this is the woman he forfeited his heart to.

Dolohov was finished with the boy, who lay in a puddle of his own blood and tears. Penelope gently removed her mask, an action which Percy mirrored, and their lips crashed together like the coming tide. Her legs wrapping around his waist, she shot off a killing curse at Dolohov's ruined plaything.

"As you can see, a spell like this would be vastly useful in a battle situation. As much as I hope none of you will have to use it in such context, it is best to at least have the knowledge. Now, your homework will be for you to answer the following question in a well structured essay: What are the potential drawbacks to this spell?" Remus smiled at the groans his students gave.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry gathered their things together and waited patiently for the room to empty. As their classmates were filing out, the trio clustered around Remus.

"I think this was the first class where we got to use our wands this year. My fingers are practically vibrating with joy." Hermione said, completely ignoring the fact that the reason her fingers were vibrating was because they were freezing.

Christmas was coming to Hogwarts and everyone seemed to be a little more high strung than usual. It was a well known fact that the Dark Lord was back now; it was one of the first things the newly appointed Minister of Magic spoke about. Amelia Bones had been voted in as Minister of Magic by the Wizengamot at an emergency council not three days after Fudge had been booted. She would finish his term, which was up in two years, and then a formal election would once more be held. Or so was the plan thus far. Hermione knew things might not turn out that way if the war was still going on in two years.

"For the assignment, can one of the drawbacks be how long the name is? Because, quite frankly, if it takes more then a few seconds to say the damn thing, that can be a serious problem in a battle situation." Ron finished with a chuckle. Remus gave him an appraising look.

"I'm glad to see you're so interested in your schoolwork, Ron. Yes, that can be considered a drawback. And it's a valid one, because you do have a point; seconds can mean lives in a battle situation, after all. Oh, but I hate to say this: Five points from Gryffindor for crude language. Stop cussing, Ron." Remus smiled as Ron rolled his eyes.

A few feet away from them, Harry sat on a desk, looking towards the door with rapt attention. If Hermione concentrated enough, she could just sense what she knew was Draco's mind coming closer. She knew all the mental signatures of every staff member in Hogwarts, all the DA members, and a handful of other students. Most of her fellow DA members were just a few people behind her quota of 200 memorized signatures.

The door opened to admit Draco and Harry was out of his seat instantly. Harry and Draco's signatures were so interconnected it really boggled Hermione's mind. They were like puzzle pieces, fitting together better then perfectly.

"Hello Draco, glad to see you. Maybe now Harry can calm down." Remus teased. Harry paid him no mind, pulling Draco more into the room.

"Guess what?" Harry placed a chaste kiss on Draco's lips, while Remus rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"Sirius said he's going to adopt me." Draco smiled down at him, carding a hand through Harry's hair.

"That's good."

It had been awhile since the three of them felt the need to bathe together. The Order was no longer monitoring dorm rooms, no doubt because they were tired of hearing gossip and sex. So, all things technically considered, what they were doing wasn't necessary. But, they did it anyway. And, if Ron was completely honest with himself, he knew it had a lot to do with the fact that Hermione was naked, barring a towel, and wet. Having Harry there was just to keep himself from doing something incredibility stupid.

"I think all of you are progressing nicely. Eleanor even beat Neville in last weeks spar." Harry murmured from his end of the luxurious bathtub. His head rolled to the side so that his neck was bared and his hair everywhere. Thinking about it, Ron knew Harry looked attractive, hell, even sexy, but as Ron wasn't bisexual that's where the thought ended.

"The twins are rather surprising; their pranks have gotten even more ingenious because of all the knowledge you're giving us. They may very well be able to open up that joke shop of theirs." Hermione's voice made him look over at her. She had taken her textbooks with her and waterproofed them so she could study.

'Typical Hermione.' He thought with a smile. Of course, he liked watching her study like this as opposed to watching her study in the common room; at least here he could see quite a bit of her cleavage. She looked up at him, an amused look adoring her face.

"You gonna stop staring at me anytime soon, Ron?" He cracked a smile at her.

"You gonna stop being so beautiful anytime soon, Hermione?" Harry giggled softly, causing both of them to look over at him.

"It occurs to me that you two must have some immensely strong self-control. Well, I suppose we can all get out now. People will start to wonder otherwise." Getting out, dried and dressed didn't take that long. Each of them left in ten minute intervals, so getting back to the Tower was easy enough. Harry vanished into the woodworks, most likely to see Draco, and Ron was left with nothing to do but study.

As each went their separate path, Ron realized that sometimes he hated having pesky things like morals and self-control.

Dear Ginny,

Arthur has told me about you and your girlfriend, Luna. Dear, I can't believe you didn't tell me something so important about yourself

Molly stopped writing. She frowned, she couldn't sent this; it sounded too judgmental! She cleared the parchment of ink to start over.

Dear Ginevra,

'I never call her Ginevra unless I'm angry at her, and I'm not angry at her…' Molly cleared the parchment again. She looked around the kitchen. Bill was at the Burrow, helping with the reconstruction and rewarding. Charlie and Arthur were away on Order business, doing Heavens knows what.

Fleur walked into the kitchen, grabbing some tea for herself. She briefly glanced at Molly, silently inquiring if she wanted some. Molly declined. The house she was staying at temporarily belonged to the Delacour Family. Molly wasn't sure what hurt her more: the knowledge that Bill had been seriously dating someone and didn't bother to introduce the girl to his mother until absolutely necessary or the fact that her daughter had hidden something so important as her sexuality from her. She sighed and restarted her letter.

Dear Ginny,

I'm hoping that this letter finds you in good health; your knees are completely healed already, right? I'm so sorry that I couldn't be there when the whole business went down, but luckily your father was there. As I understand it, Tonks was the one responsible for your injuries; I still can't believe that such a well behaved girl like that could turn out so horrid. Kisses from your mummy, in hopes that you are completely healed.

Your father also told me about Artemis Lovegood's daughter, Luna. She was sorted into Ravenclaw, just like her mother. I was friends with Artemis while in school, so was your father, of course. She was a wonderfully intelligent girl, and later an intelligent woman; I was distraught when I heard she died. Luna must've been nine when Artemis died, poor girl.

Speaking of Luna, your father tells me you and her are in a relationship. I do wish you would have told me yourself, dear. That way I could have prepared a proper Christmas gift for Luna, but all I can manage now is a scarf. On that subject, Ginny, dear, I really must wonder if you two are…intimate yet. You're both only 14, so don't feel like you have to rush things! Oh, but if you are, remember that being gentle is a wonderful way to go about things! Gentle is always safe, and if you have any questions about anything don't hesitate to ask me. Granted, I'm not sure how things of that nature work between women, but I'm sure I could find out if you needed to know.

Love,

Mum

'There, I think by the end of that I have safely mortified her and established that I have no problem whatsoever about her choice in partner. Well done, me!' And with that, she rolled the parchment up and tied it to an owl. She stretched as she watched it fly towards Hogwarts.