Ok, so I was expecting to have no time for this, but the mood struck me, and I found that I had the time to write this unexpectedly, so here we are! I do hope that FF is accepting my new attempts at formatting these chapters.

I'm so, SO glad the last chapter was enjoyed. I cannot lie that I have F.U.N. writing some aspects of Lucius. Oh my.

Your reviews bring me unending joy! They really do! Thank you all for the time you take to leave them.

On we go!

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Chapter 20

Every day since Theodore and Draco had arrived in to the House of Gresham, the two had found that their days, while arduous, were filled with tranquility that had been joined with laughter and pleasure. It had bled into them, slowly. At first there had been snickers at jokes told by the siblings, or jibes mentioned by the Lady herself. Most of the time the young men would cover their mouths, or try to keep their masks of indifference in place.

Through the months they had been here, those attempts had simply melted away, little by little. It was Theodore, who Lady Ursa had gingerly and lovingly begun to call "Theo", that had been the first to find the crack in his own armor. The laugh he'd belted out had been like the breaking of a dam, long strained and wishing itself to free the waters it trapped within.

It hadn't been very long after that Theo, though not part of the House in a proper sense, had been cleanly wrapped into the folds of laughter, and later; little pranks and less-mature titterings back and forth. The serious veneers of their fellows only returning into place when it was time to practice their dueling, conjuring, defenses or other lessons in magic and combat.

Today the very air in the Gresham household was vibrating with a happiness that both Draco and Theo had come to feel dancing along their skin every moment they lived in this place. Every single denizen within the walls of the castle seemed to have a little extra bounce in their step, and a little bit brighter smile on their faces as they passed each other, speaking words of morning, and good-tide to the other. For this day marked the great day of Lammas.

Following their normal, yet informal morning meal, the group found themselves with a sudden change in their normal and regimented schedule as Ursa stood, the sole head of House present, to direct their little troupe. Her smile was wide, as always, welcoming and warm.

"This day we recognize as a day of celebration and veneration, to be marked as the beginning of the harvest season and the cycle of rebirth." Hermione and Tyt'o listened intently to their mother, as did Draco, Theo and their two tutors who had joined them: Masters Black and Mora.

"To mark our festivities, the Masters Black and Mora have agreed to adjourn your practices to allow us our celebrations for this day and the 'morrow." Hermione and Tyt'o's faces both broke out into smiles as they glanced at each other. Hermione grabbed her brother's hands in hers and wiggled like a giddy little child. Ursa smiled as well as she continued on. "As it is so close to the clutching, his Lordship has allayed our traditional festival and Aonach Tailteann Games until year-next. He and I feared that too many incoming into the valley would disconcert the Dragons at their nest. We will revel instead by taking to the forests around us to collect bounties, and bring an altar of blessings at Dragon's Tears. Then, upon the eve we will feast and revel here in at the House."

Hermione elbowed her brother next to her and muttered at him. "Looks like you'll have another full turn of the seasons before you're able to prove yourself better than I in a race, brother-mine." Tyt'o scowled at his sister, and she fought him off by smiling serenely. Until it had been clear that a hatching was going to commence, and the normal festivities to mark their yearly celebrations would be postponed until the year following, Tyt'o had been conspiring with their father as to which Houses among the Guild had any yet unmarried young women in them.

His sister knew that quite well, and had promised him under no certain terms was she going to let him win easily in any competition, lest of all to impress any visiting damsels. Tyt'o rolled his eyes petulantly at her implication, and poked her in the side. Hermione twitched but made no noise as to alert their mother that they'd digressed so disrespectfully.

Draco and Theo had now been under the roof of the House for long enough to be able to tell when the two Gresham siblings were starting to go after each other. The pair of them were insatiable in their competition with the other, but had been reprimanded so many times over all their youthful years that their incessant pestering of the other just got more subtle. While Theo had recently appointed himself the Mighty Settler of All Disputes as a form of mediator, Draco had decided it was much more fun to watch than to try to stop.

Ever since the night he'd unwittingly chased Hermione though the House and had spied her in her spellbindingly intimate state, he'd found that no matter what Hermione was doing, it was best watched au natural, and the livelier, the better. Using the guise of cool observation, Draco had unabashedly decided that he would use that façade as a shelter to watch her every movement. The way her eyes would crinkle when she laughed, how her cheeks would dimple slightly when her dusky pink lips smiled. The bouncing curls of her hair and how it positively shone when she whipped it over her shoulder.

He'd take these images he had collected and committed to memory throughout the daytime and bring them along with him, as secreted treasures, into his rooms every single night. Each night he would play them back for himself as he caressed himself, and moaned her name reverently as he thought only of her and all of her lustrous beauty.

In the increasingly more frequent chances during the days when they would be pared for sparing, or he was able to justify standing close to her while Master Black lectured, he found that the quality of these materials increased dramatically to the point where he had begun strategizing more opportunities to casually insert himself within her personal sphere of influence. Though while he was certain neither Theo nor Tyt'o suspected any sort of deviation on his part, he still monitored their expressions carefully when he was working out the little dance he did around her.

Today, just as much as any of the days previous, Hermione was captivating. Even in a way that should have surprised him, but it didn't. While her mother was a paragon of poise and beauty, as was Draco's own mother, Hermione herself was so comfortably disposed, and permitted even, to continue to sport breeches and doublets as though she were a young page, and not a budding Lady of the House. Draco counted his blessings on this, as with a normal Lady she would have been forbidden to dress so unseemly. The Malfoy heir had concluded that being privy to the shaped of her lower half was something he would never be thankless for.

Ursa's voice, while sweet and kind, was still possessed of a command, and Draco heeded it then as he broke his little daydream. "Your tutors have even agreed to provide their blessings to the traditional gifts to the deities of the fields, to the God Lugh. It is my wish that all of us take to the out of doors and procure the bounty we will bring the Dragon Tears."

The table around all agreed, with happy voices and pleasant recognitions. Even the stern face of Rune Mora, usually pinched with concentration and severity, seemed lighter than it had been. The seated fellowship rose together, and with excited clamor made way to the stables forthwith to gain mounts. Their procession was gay in countenance as Theo and Tyt'o laughed at a joke Sirius had made, and Hermione had fallen back to take the elbow of her mother, smiling to her. Ursa took her free hand, and stroked her daughter's curls lovingly. Their smiles speaking everything to each other of love and happiness, though they said nothing.

Once the procession of seven had saddled, they trotted their mounts frivolously down the road to one of the paths into the woods. Having a sudden surge of sprightly frolic, Theo spurred his horse into a canter as he called out to Tyt'o in a good-natured challenge. The Gresham heir met the call by urging his steed on to catch him, and not to be left behind, Draco followed. Ursa and Hermione watched as the trio of men did their best to position their mounts in the forerun, and though they couldn't see who the victor was, from the laughing and playful shoves they saw between the riders, it was clear that it wasn't important.

Sirius, who had kept his horse at a leisurely walk, moved his roan gelding over to Ursa, smiled and looked at her. Hermione had long since brought her animal to a rapid trot to catch herself up to the men, and not be left so far behind. "It bring me happiness to see that youth be not wasted on the young here, beneath the roof of your House, my Lady." He said, grinning after the four riders, who were all heading up the slope eagerly into the steep hill paths to collect their offerings. Ursa smiled her own agreement back to him.

"'Tis good that they be allowed to enjoy the young years, truly." She stated, and her brow creased for a moment. "They fly by us soon enough." He caught her frown, and Sirius moved his horse closer to hers, and touched her elbow. Without thinking about the reaction, Ursa pulled her arm away as his very touch sharply reminded her what had happened the last time.

Sirius raised his hands in show of his release. "My Lady?" He asked, and Ursa looked at Sirius fully, and with horror.

"Master Black," she started, with much chagrin in her voice. "My, my apologies to you. I didn't mean- You didn't-" She tried again, and Sirius turned his closes hand up to her in supplication.

"My dearest Lady, you have nothing to be discomfited over. It was my offence, and I beg your indulgence of my lack of manners." He smiled, genuinely smiled. "It is as if the festivities of the day have caused me to forget myself and my reverence of your person." Ursa smiled and calmed a little at that.

"Master Black-" She began.

"Sirius." He corrected, and she shot a dark eyebrow up in question. "I insist, on a day such as today. It is the great celebration of Lammas, is it not? Let us drop these titles, if just for a moment, that we might unburden ourselves of the pressures of pretenses." He leaned in and dropped his voice to a whisper, as though it were some great secret he was to reveal. "I won't tell, if you don't."

Ursa laughed fully. "Sirius, then," She began again. "I should not have flinched so. You do comport yourself as a gentleman, and I should not have assumed you so crudely." He nodded his head, as though agreeing halfheartedly.

"I accept your apologies then, Ursa." He paused, for effect. "But I must tell you that the slight on my person has wounded me." He waited as shock registered on her face.

"Truly?"

"Without question, good Lady. I fear that the only thing that will bring remedy is reparations. Official reparations." His tone had grown haughty and disdainful. Ursa was suddenly aware that, in fact, her reaction had not been very polite at all, and Master Black could have easily taken an offence. Her bronze eyes grew wide and her face paled slightly. Sirius barreled onward with his charade. "As the sole member of name, and the Ancient and Noble House of Black, I fear that the only reparations that can be acceptable will be-" mid-sentence, he reached to his side, and produced a wide-blooming pink wildflower, and presented it between them. "-That you accept this gift on our day of thanks, and wear it in your hair."

Ursa's dismay disappeared, and a shy smile crept onto her face. "Shall I place it in your hair, Lady?" He offered, softly, and she found herself nodding in agreement. Sirius smiled gently and leaned toward her, situating the little flower in the twist of her hair that travelled behind her ear and secured near the nape of her neck. In her brown hair, the pink flower stood our beautifully. "Lovely." Whispered Sirius.

"Thank you, Sirius." Ursa said, softly, and righted her body. She could sense him still looking at her, though she kept her eyes to the front her as they two had approached the forking paths the four youths had encountered some moments before, and turned their horses to follow up the mountain path.

As she made to turn her horse, Sirius reached over to her and clasp his hand over hers. Ursa gave a soft gasp in surprise, and her eyes moved from his hand to his face to see that his expression had changed to one of great concern. "I see you, my Lady." He said simply.

Ursa was frozen in her place, unsure of what either he meant, or what she should say. What his implication meant, or what she assumed it meant. The sober expression on his face did not waiver. "I see how you suffer, Ursa." The Lady broke her eyes away from Sirius's and looked down at his hand over hers, and felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her person. His hand reached up and cupped her chin gently, bringing her face upward once more. "No, my Lady. Do not ever feel that you need to look away." His voice softened to a whisper. "Do not allow yourself to languish, good Lady. You are made of stronger stuff than you may ever know, and you should not be made to endure any miseries."

His gray eyes were both earnest, but still soft as his words soaked into her. He knew. She realized, and before she could register that her eyes contained any tears, she felt them dripping down her cheeks without restraint. How could he know? She thought to herself. Sirius took his fingers from her chin, and wiped away the river from one of her cheeks, and then slowly tended to the other. "You forget, good Lady, that I am Sirius Black. I know better than any other what suffering looks like."

Though the rivers he wiped away were replaced again by the tears she shed, he did not break her gaze, and she did not break hers. Even as her lower lip trembled, she did not feel fear nor vulnerability, and Sirius could see that. Without anything else, he wrapped as much of his arms around her, drawing her into him in a fierce hold in the circle of his strong arms. As he held her, he demanded nothing, he said nothing. He only let her tears cascade from her eyes to release the anxiety and strain she had been under since that fateful day in Loren's study.

As she calmed herself, and her breathing returned, she straightened her back in a silent pleas for him to release her, and Sirius obliged without pressure. She used the hem of her long layers of dress to dab gentle to her face, and Sirius smiled earnestly to her.

"When I said we should lighten our burdens, my Lady, I hadn't realized it would open a flood gate for you." He joked, and Ursa laughed a little at his levity, her voice a little pinched from the tears she'd shed.

"Thank you Sirius." She said solemnly, and touched his hand. His returned smile spoke of acceptance and understanding, and though they said nothing further as they led their horses on to the path, the silence between them was perfect as it was.

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With a final flick of her wrist, the end of the juvenile tree switch was perfect, and Hermione tucked her short blade back into the sheath at her waist. Carefully she twisted the length of the ash branch into a circle as she lifted it to her head to measure as she created a twisting circle. Satisfied with the size she twisted its ends into the branch again and again until it formed a crown of leaves over her brow. She smiled and took the next branch and repeated it.

While she twisted, Hermione strode purposefully to her brother, who knelt with Theo in the dirt as the two drug up a wild onion. Lovingly, she placed the crown at the top of her brother's head and Tyt'o looked up at Hermione to find his sister placing a kiss to his forehead. "Good Lammas, brother." She said, and he smiled back to her.

"Good Lammas, sister-sweet." He returned as she was already fashioning her third crown of twig and leaves, taking great care to mind that she did not shear them off as she twisted and she placed the third on top of Theo's head, and kissed his cheek gently.

"Good Lammas, Theodore." She said to him as well, and he returned her blessing.

From further back, Draco had walked through the bushed where he had found and gathered wild berries and a few nuts into a kerchief to bring safely on their trip to see Hermione leaning into Theo to place her lips to his face. Without any context, he found himself glaring at Theo openly as the man grinned and gave her blessing.

He stepped forward, feeling more than annoyed as he strode past towards his horse. Hermione paid him no mind as he passed, and he felt his irritation rise even further. He placed his parcel at the horn of his saddle to secure it and grabbed for his gloves in a huff. As he swing his arm around, he found his arm connected with something and spun himself around.

Hermione's bright smile was before him then, and without waiting for him to respond, she placed the fourth crown atop of his head, and leaned up to his greater height and placed a kiss to his cheek. Her lips were warm, and just lightly moist, and as sweet as a cloud. Draco felt his eyes begin to close as he soaked in the feeling of her touching him; her soft hands over his forearm, and the other steadying herself on his bicep. Gods did she smell so sweet, and as she backed away, Draco realized that she had lingered there a few seconds longer than strictly necessary. He looked at her copper eyes, and while she wasn't smiling for him as she did for Theo, he could see that she was breathless.

"Good Lammas, Draco." She whispered, and then smiled shyly as she released his arm. Draco could swear that it took a half hour for her hands to finally lift from him, but he knew that was only because he was swimming in the pools of her eyes as she finally turned away.

As she did, much to his mortification, Draco felt a familiar strain at the joining of the legs of his trousers and quickly turned back to his horse to tend to some imaginary problem with his saddle.

From further out of the woods, the gentle thudding of hoofs reached the group as Ursa and Sirius finally found the foraging band. Usra smiled brightly, seeing how industrious they had been, taking note of the crown on her daughters head, and the heads of the three young men. Hermione waved, the last three switches she had cut tucked beneath her arm. "I am never surprised at how busy you two keep yourselves, my wondrous children!" She exclaimed. "I am only thankful that our two friends are just as motivated as you are."

Theo smiled at Ursa as he pulled another wild onion top from the ground and dashed off the dirt that clung to it. "We have onion to weave into garlands." He waved to her, and tossed it into the pile.

"Ash branches!" Hermione pipped up as she finished her next crown.

"Berries and nuts." Draco said over his shoulder.

"Bread and honey." Sirius added, and patted a pouch at his side.

Ursa raised her hands and laughed. "It's as if you need me not at all here!" She joked, and Hermione bounded to her joyously, pulling at her draping sleeve. Ursa dismounted her horse and pulled Hermione into a bone-crushing embrace. Her daughter giggled, and pried her arms out to place her crown atop Ursa's head.

"Good Lammas, mamma." She said, and kissed her mother's cheek. Ursa sighed happily and kissed Hermione's in return.

"Good Lammas, my little blessing." She whispered, and released her. Hermione picked up her last twitch and took to twisting one final crown for Sirius. Ursa looked around her at the four young people who had jumped so eagerly into their efforts with pride. She looked back at Sirius and he gave her a smile in time to have Hermione reach up to him on horseback to hand him his crown. The Master Warlock bent down to accept it and Hermione's lips barely brushed his cheek as she blessed him as well.

With everyone adorned such, Ursa gathered the lot of them and their offerings to bring with them, and they mounted their houses and walked them down the forest path.

The forest grew thicker and more enclosed as they moved further inward, and soon the horses were following in a single line with Ursa at the front. The path had grown thicker in the final months of the summer, and was now overflowing with green vegetation, and a thick cloud of magic that could be felt in the air, like there were clouds that had strayed down from the sky.

A humming of wings sounded as a little zigzagging light passed just by Tyto's ear, and whizzed along merrily. As his horse's flank disturbed a bush as the side, an outpouring of dancing fae folk of miniscule stature soared out and into the air around them, dancing as they flew about.

Theo and Draco looked around them in awe, like two children at the sight of magic for the first time. Their mouths were agape as they watched the tiny forest spirits all around them, creating stars that danced in the forest everywhere they looked. Lights of green and blue, purples and pinks, all playing in the air, darting around all over.

The magic was much thicker than it was the last time they were there, they realized. It settled over their shoulder like a thick quilt that couldn't be shaken. And despite how heavy it felt, it caused their limbs to tingle endlessly as though little fae feet were walking all over them.

The two gawped about in wonder while their procession continued, watching as the clouds of sprites of various breeds and types danced without fear in the presences of these interlopers into their habitat. It wasn't long before the sound of water became clear, and the path narrowed one final time signaling the gate to their destination.

Ursa dismounted first, and loosely tied her mount to a tree. Each rider in turn secured their horses gently to allow them slack to nibble on any morsels they could reach while they waited patiently, and each person in turn followed into the open area where the little falls had once lived.

The opening to the wooded area seemed different to Theo this time. The water, which had once been little more than a trickle at the first visit, was now a healthy and flowing stream that splashed merrily as it dashed about on the rocks below. The mist that had once filled the pocket now carried what appeared to be flickering lights that floated endlessly all around them as well.

Through the stream of water, endless rows of little fairy people danced, and dove, and rejoiced in their mirth, taking absolutely no notice to the intruders upon their merriment. Theo and Draco were overwhelmed at the sight all around them in this purely magical place. Hermione and Tyt'o had told them about Dragon magic, but this felt like something that was out of a dream!

Seeing their continued wonder, Ursa placed her hand on Theo's shoulder as she too, took in the wonders around her. Theo looked to Ursa, and he smiled again for her as well. She leaned down and untied the boots from her leg, and Theo looked around at the company to see that everyone but He and Draco were all doing the same thing.

Hesitantly, the youth followed suit, as did his companion. Ursa beckoned Theo and Draco to her. "Which of the year were you born?" She asked.

"Past Imbolc, my Lady." Theo responded.

"Before Midsummer, my Lady." Draco offered, and Ursa nodded to Theo.

"You are eldest here, then, and an honored guest of our House. Come, take my hand." Ursa offered her hand, and the group followed into the creek bed with soft sand and rounded soft rocks. The water was cool on his feet and Theo suddenly realized the reason they had removed their footwear. He looked down at the water he stood in and saw that it was crystal clear, even though each foot kicked up a little dusting of sand, it settled quickly and remained as clear as could be.

Standing to the side of the falling water, the mist in the air began coating them with wet, and Ursa leaned her cupped hands into the waters. Filling them with water, she brought her hand to Theo and nodded for him to partake her offering. He sipped from the cup that was her hands, and she smiled.

"Our mother is this Earth, and we give thanks for the bounty you have supplied. For grains, beans, vegetables and greens. For fruit, seeds, and honey, we give thanks for you. You sustain us with your bounty. So Mote It Be."

The water that Theo had drank grew warm and filled him with endless waves of tingling and washed of magic as it entered his body. The sensations were glowing and comforting within him, and he closed his eyes in silent prayer in his own thanks. Ursa touched his shoulder and he left to join the circle once her blessing was finished.

As Draco watched the ritual before him, he followed the exchange of blessings and Ursa's kind expression on the young man who had, in these months, become his true friend. Her tender expression spoke of the affection a mother had for her children, and yet the way he saw it given to Theo, Draco knew it was genuine.

As Theo made to move back to the circle they had all formed, Draco felt the slighted tickle in the palm of his hand and he twitched it involuntarily. He looked down to see that Hermione stood beside him, his movement causing her to look at him, and realized it was her. Without missing a beat he slipped his hand around hers and held her eyes for a second. She squeezed gently and released him, giving her head a jerk toward his mother. Draco fought to keep the grin from creeping up at his lips that he wanted to unleash, but he walked forward to Ursa trying to tamp it down. Ursa's expression was knowing and calm, and Draco hoped that she had not taken notice.

The Lady of the House made four more offerings and four more blessings, each harnessing the magic in the wood that lingered there as a result of the presence of the Dragons within their lands. Each recipient was filled with the lingering and floating bliss that came with imbibing pure magic from the Earth. Once finished, the group quietly stepped away from the falls and creek and on a broad rock that seemed innocuous enough at first, they lay a cloth that Ursa unwrapped from her person that had appeared as part of her dress. Each person in turn laying their offering to it and speaking a prayer of thanks, and of blessing, and of bounty.

When each were done, they looked to each other happily and donned their shoes to return to their horse and make their way back to the castle. As each person mounted and returned to the single-animal path, it was circumstance that left only Draco and Hermione together at the very end.

Not certain they should fall too far behind, Draco made to offer his hand to Hermione to help her atop her animal, when he found that instead of the normal boost of momentum she would have made, her hand rested simply in his, and her eyes had met his expectantly.

Looking at her had become painful today, Draco realized. He'd spent too much time daydreaming while watching her, and needed in desperation to make his way back to his rooms for relief. His young imagination had already been playing all day long, and he yearned to be able to find peace in himself so he would not fidget so greatly. This was not helping.

Hermione's expression did not waver; she looked as though she were studying something, or searching for something. As Draco was about to open his mouth to speak, she leaned in, and up toward him, and placed her soft pink lips on top of his, and held them there.

Frozen in place, and unable to close his eyes, Draco watched as her eyelids threatened to close, and her lush eyelashes batted a moment shyly. Gods of the Earth and sky, this must be what heaven would be like. He realized.

Slowly, and seemingly a little confused, Hermione leaned away. Her expression slightly dazed and her lips apart just slightly. Had she truly meant what just happened, Draco wondered, and her spare hand touched her lips in curiosity. A pink flush appeared on her cheeks, and she seemed to come back to the moment because her eyes darted away, and the spell they were under seemed to dissipate. She moved to pull her hand away, and Draco realized that if she did, the moment would be lost forever, and he held it fast before she could.

Her eyes darted up back again to his, and she opened her mouth to make protest, but Draco leaned in to her this time, and brought their lips together again. She gasped a little as he did, and Draco closed his eyes this time and allowed his lips to butterfly against hers once as he lingered there, then a second time as he turned his head just slightly, and Hermione breathed in through her nose softly, and relaxed against him.

Finally, Draco left one last lingering graze between them, brushing his upper lip along her lower one and he opened his eyes slightly. Hers had closed somewhere in the exchange, and her expression had made way to total bliss under his ministrations. Though as soon as their lips parted, her copper eyes fluttered open again.

So closely they stood together that he could feel the heat of her body, and he wished desperately to take her in his arms and feel the length of her along him. She seemed to feel something similar, because her body swayed a bit before she placed her free hand at his chest, and smiled beatifically at him.

It was everything he had been dreaming of her, and so very much more, and Draco smiled back as he touched his forehead to hers.

"The others will wonder…" She whispered to him, and he laughed quietly, and touched her cheek as they rubbed their faces together, eyes never leaving the others. Their hands were still connected, and he squeezed hers.

"Then up we go." He nodded to her animal, and she gave a bounce as she saddled herself atop, waiting for him to do the same. She walked her horse slowly in front, finding that it was harder than she'd thought possible to take her eyes off his, and more so to get the grin from her face as well.

From behind her on his own horse, Draco found that he had the same problem.

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Whew! So this chapter needed to be broken up into two. So hopefully I can get the second section out pretty soon here.

Notes about Lammas:

Ash trees are associated with good fortune

Onion, berries, nuts, grapes, corn, bread and honey are traditionally offerings to the pagan god, Lugh, whom I've decided was a fitting feel seeing as this is a medieval setting, and there's magic and all that.