Author's note: Despite the fact that I don't get the time I'd like to work on this anymore, I think writing is one of the few things keeping me sane right now.

Thank you all for reading, and making me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile here. Huge thanks to those of you who review, especially those who do so repeatedly. Reading your feedback is the best part of posting a new chapter. As always, let me know what you guys think.

-o-o-

Chapter 18

Expecto Patronum

-o-o-

For the fifth time in two weeks, Bill finished up a floo call with his brother Charlie. It was getting harder each time, but he managed to once again convince his younger brother to stay where he was. His main argument was that there was nothing he could do, and nowhere for him to stay. This of course, was a bald faced lie, but he couldn't outright tell Charlie his real reasons. He needed to know that at least one member of his family was safe, and he was sure it was a comfort to their mother as well. He shook his head as it occurred to him that the safest member of his family, was the one who played with dragons for a living.

Bill ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. His family was suffering, and there was very little he could do. Their home, the Burrow, was a complete loss from an attack where he was the first casualty. Ever since he woke up in Saint Mungo's, he had felt constant guilt that he hadn't been able to protect his family.

His fiancée was disfigured badly while protecting him, and despite his constant assurance that he still loved her with all his heart, she was convinced that he was lying. She had taken to covering her face with silk scarfs that showed only her pain-filled eyes, and she refused to remove them, even in the privacy of their small home. If he couldn't find a way to get through to her soon, he feared that she would leave him.

He had learned that the only reason they had all made it out alive at all, was that his father stood firm against Bellatrix Lestrange, giving her no ground, and allowing them time to escape. At times, Bill wondered if his father would have been better off dying that day... The healers had all but given up hope that his father would ever wake, and he was now in the permanent care ward.

Then, on top of all this tragedy, his youngest brother disappeared while at Hogwarts. Bill really wasn't certain that he could take anymore bad news.

A knock on the door startled Bill, to where he nearly fell out of the chair he was resting in. With his wand drawn, he cautiously looked through the window to see a well dressed couple. Considering they wore muggle clothes, and appeared unarmed, he risked opening the door slightly.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Bill asked tersely, a blasting curse on the tip of his tongue.

"My name is Gomez, and this is my lovely wife Morticia. We've come to show our appreciation for your actions. We would have come sooner, but it took a few days for us to convince Ragnok to let you keep your job, and by extension, your home." The man explained cheerfully. "May we come in?"

Bill froze as everything clicked into place. The muggle clothes, the almost vampiric paleness of the woman, that they claimed to have enough influence to sway Ragnok's decision... to... fire him... This couple had to be members of the Addams family, and Ragnok must have somehow learned that he aided Dumbledore in breaking through the protections set around Grimauld Place.

While his brain was able to process and come to the right conclusion fairly quickly, his mouth was a little behind. On reflex, he softly repeated the last words Gomez had said. "Come in?"

"Capitol!" Gomez's smile widened into a full grin, and he pushed the door open fully, passing the threshold with his wife before Bill could react.

Gomez casually plucked Bill's wand from his hand, slid it into Bill's pocket, and shook the redhead's hand vigorously. "An absolute pleasure to meet you old man."

"Gomez, give the boy his hand back." Morticia chided lightly, before softly smiling at Bill. "I'm sorry, my husband does get carried away on occasion. I understand you are engaged to be wed. Is your fiancée here as well? We could all sit down and enjoy a nice cup of tea while we talk."

"Bill, who eez at ze door?" A voice called out from further into the small home.

Before either Bill or Fleur understood what was going on, they were seated at their kitchen table across from Gomez and Morticia, while a kettle heated up on the stove.

"My account manager, a vicious little monster by the name of Sharpclaw, told me that you're the reason why the um..." He paused, snapping his fingers as he groped for the right words.

"Order of the Phoenix dear." Morticia supplied her husband while she studied the young couple.

"Right! You're the reason that the Order of the Phoenix was able to break into our home with such ease." Gomez finished his earlier sentence. "We can't thank you enough for the wonderful time we had."

Bill and Fleur stared at each other, trying to comprehend the bizarre situation, when the kettle began to whistle. Taking the whistle as a cue to duck out of the awkwardness for a brief time, Fleur nearly jumped out of her seat to prepare the tea.

"I'm sorry, you're thanking me?" Bill asked, thoroughly confused, and feeling as if he was under the influence of one of the twins' pranks that had gone very, very strange. "I don't understand... And not that I'm complaining, but you also said earlier that you convinced my boss to not fire me?"

"We had such a lovely time." Morticia offered in explanation. "It isn't every day we have to repel invaders from our home."

"Absolutely!" Gomez agreed enthusiastically. "We'd love for them to try again at some point, perhaps this time they could use some more lethal spells. That would really spice things up, and get the blood pumping."

"As for Ragnok, he was very eager to enact some of the steeper penalties, but as a favor to us has decided to only cut your pay and let you off with a warning." Morticia added pleasantly.

Fleur soon set down four teacups with visibly trembling hands. She had already suffered at the hands of one mad witch, and from all appearances these two made Bellatrix seem like the pinnacle of rationality.

Morticia captured one shaky hand, and gently patted it while looking deep into fleur's eyes. "You have such lovely blue eyes, they look so haunted. I noticed the photographs, so I can understand your reluctance to show your face; however, there's no need to be so self conscious around us. Although, you shouldn't keep such pictures around if you're that insecure about your looks."

Fleur's nervous fear vanished, to be replaced by indignation. "I will 'ave you know zat I was one of ze most desired woman in all of France. My face would cause men to 'umiliate zemselves in hope zat zey might gain my favor."

Morticia raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and gestured at a framed photograph that sat on a side table. "You mean you no longer look like... that? You have my deepest sympathies, I can't even imagine what might cause you to hide your face if that did not."

Furious, Fleur tore the scarves from her face, revealing her scars. A large portion of her nose was missing, along with half of her upper lip, exposing some of her teeth; there was thick scar tissue all along her face, as if she had been mauled by an angry animal; and her left cheekbone was exposed as well, where she had lost too much skin. "Are you 'appy now? Is zis what you wanted to see? I was more beautiful zan you could ever 'ope to be, and now I am 'ideous!

"My god, why would you ever want to hide a face like that?" Gomez commented sincerely, then turned to praise Bill. "Well done old man. How did you manage to capture the heart of such a beauty?"

Morticia apologized with a touch of jealousy in her voice. "My apologies, I had no idea that you were covering up out of modesty. A woman who does not flaunt her charms is a rarity. Please, forgive me."

"Well, seeing as my wife has upset your bride-to-be, I think we had best be going now." Gomez said half reluctantly. He wanted to talk more, perhaps even set up another surprise home invasion, but he was going to enjoy convincing his wife that she was the most beautiful woman in his world. "Thank your friends for us, and relay that we'd love to have them try again."

Confused more than ever, Bill and Fleur watched as Gomez ushered his wife toward the front door.

"I have no idea what just happened." Bill said as he stood and rested his hand on Fleur's shoulder to steady her now angry tremors.

Before she could fully calm down, or realize his intention, Bill took advantage of Fleur being off balance. Pulling her close, he kissed her fiercely. "There's no question that those two are crazy, but they're still absolutely right. I am a lucky man to have you, and I need you to understand that. I love you, period, end of sentence. You're the same witch that I proposed to, and I fully intend to make you my wife."

Even as they heard the front door open, and then close, Fleur searched Bill's eyes for any sign of insincerity. Finding only honesty in his gaze, she broke down in tears, holding him tightly as she let go of her pain.

Bill still had a great deal to worry about, now including his job and the strange couple that just left, but thanks to that bizarre encounter, he felt he no longer had to worry about his fiancée.

-o-o-

Harry wandered around Hogwarts' basement, until he noticed a familiar face. "Hey Susan, have you seen Wednesday?"

"Not since this morning." She replied with an air of confusion. "I thought you two were kind of joined at the hip. I'm surprised you don't know where she is."

Leanne, who had been walking with Susan, hummed thoughtfully. "She did say something about Slytherin earlier. I think she was mostly talking to herself, but it was something about being disappointed they hadn't paid her back yet? Maybe she loaned one of them some galleons, and is in the dungeons trying to get her money back."

He looked skeptical. "That doesn't sound quite right, but thanks anyway. Still, I might as well take a look."

Walking directly toward the Slytherin common room, Harry laughed as a pair of second years scurried around to avoid him. Likely because there were several older Slytherins withing sight, a third year had more backbone, and confronted him.

"What do you think you're doing down here Gryffindor?" The young girl demanded in as haughty a tone as she could manage. "The potions room is down that corridor, and you have no business anywhere else in the dungeons. Are you lost, or just stupid?"

Breaking out in a wide grin, Harry leaned down to be face to face with the Slytherin third year. "I probably know Hogwarts better than anyone else in the school. As for who's stupid..." Harry's grin grew manic, and his eyes flashed dangerously. "Your older housemates might be just down the hall, but I'm right here."

"Hawthorne, if you're going to provoke a Gryffindor, do your research first." A tightly controlled voice drawled, catching the attention of both Harry and the girl. Draco was swiftly walking toward them, with a blank expression. "Black here is likely the only Gryffindor who might actually have a legitimate reason to be here. He's also the last one you want to antagonize."

Looking betrayed, the third year left, giving Harry and Draco dirty looks as she walked away.

"I trust you don't mind that I rescued my foolish little housemate?" Draco asked, feeling good about tamping down his apprehension, and maintaining his poise. "Why are you here anyway, looking for me?"

Harry smirked. "I wouldn't have hurt her... too badly. And no, but you might be able to help me. Have you seen Wednesday? I heard she might have been down this way."

Draco furrowed his brow as he thought, then paled. "He wouldn't be that stupid, not after the Lovegood incident... Bollocks. Promise me you won't kill anyone, I might know where she is."

"Lead on." Harry said with a wave of his hand as he laughed. "I'll keep murder off the table for now. You have me curious though, why would I want to kill someone? Specifically I mean."

"A couple younger students, third or fourth year, have been asking seventh years to help get back at some uppity Hufflepuff." Draco explained as he led Harry through the lesser walked hallways. "I'm pretty sure that idiot Selwyn agreed to help them, but I only now put it together that Wednesday might be the Hufflepuff they were talking about."

After starting up a set of stairs that curved up, they heard voices. Soon they saw Wednesday pinned to the outer wall, suspended a few feet off the floor, next to a small window that was several feet above the Black Lake. Half a dozen Slytherins were crowded around her laughing. The younger ones scattered, leaving three seventh years.

"What do you think you're doing? Harry demanded as he moved to Wednesday's side. He shook his head in disgust. "This is all wrong. She looks way too comfortable. You should have at least hung her upside down."

Selwyn and his friends were preparing to hex Harry when his words caught them off guard. They weren't sure what to do. Did the school's most public couple have a major falling out?

Harry canceled the silencing charm on his girlfriend, and asked how she was. "Are you in pain, did they hurt you at all?"

"No, it's been dreadful. They've just been talking about setting me adrift on the lake without my robes." She rolled her eyes. "Although, I was impressed with how underhanded these three were in capturing me. Really, you should take some lessons, I didn't stand a chance."

Ignoring Draco and the others, Harry charmed one of the stones behind Wednesday to expand outward. With her arms and legs magically stuck to the wall, soon her limbs were straining, and her whole body was arched painfully.

"There, that's better." Harry turned to Selwyn. "Why exactly did you want to torture my girlfriend anyway?"

Before any of the Slytherins could process what was going on and respond, Harry had grabbed Selwyn by his collar, and swung him around, pushing him against the wall on the other side of the window. Pressing his knife against the older boy's throat, he threatened Selwyn. "Because she is my girlfriend. Understand?"

"Draco, do something." One of the other seventh years demanded.

"Yeah, you're the prefect, take care of this psycho." The other added.

Draco wondered for a moment what his life would be like if Harry Potter had never become Harry Black. Perhaps he'd be dealing with something far simpler, maybe a mission from the Dark Lord to kill Dumbledore. That would almost be relaxing in comparison. "Black... Harry... Selwyn is an idiot. Let him go, he's not trying to steal your girlfriend."

"No? But he was planning on stripping her down to her knickers wasn't he?" A drop of blood ran along his blade as he pressed a tiny bit harder. "Or was he planning on stripping her completely?"

"For Merlin's sake Harry!" Draco raised his voice in an attempt to keep Selwyn alive. "You can't just kill a Hogwarts student in the middle of Hogwarts!"

"He has a point Harry." Wednesday added calmly, despite the obvious strain on her body.

"Alright." Harry agreed after a moments deliberation. "Just remember, Wednesday is mine."

Rubbing his throat, Selwyn stumbled behind his friends. "Just wait until Slughorn hears..."

"Oh shut it Selwyn!" Draco yelled. "You're going to tell Slughorn what exactly? That you ganged up on, and threatened his favorite student?" Lowering his voice, Draco walked up to the larger boy. "Your father wears the Dark Mark, same as mine, and Slughorn wants nothing to do with Death Eaters. He isn't like Snape is at all, he'll gladly take the Hufflepuff's side over you. Now do the smart thing, and just drop it."

As the seventh years left, Harry looked at Draco appraisingly. "Look at you Draco, you're actually starting to turn into the kind of wizard you've been pretending to be since I met you."

"I... What?" Draco looked confused.

"You appear stronger, more legitimately assertive. I've only known you a short while, but I can see the difference." Wednesday pointed out, still stretched out on Harry's improvised rack.

"I do?" Draco muttered to himself, then looked at Wednesday, who looked far too... pleased with her current position. "Do you need help getting her down? I'm pretty sure I know which spell he used, and it's not a standard sticking charm."

Looking disappointed, Harry sighed. "Yeah, we don't really have time for anything else. We were supposed to be meeting Hagrid a few minutes ago."

Unable to prevent himself from shuddering first, Draco cast a counter-curse. Wednesday's limbs detached from the wall, and she fell, landing gracefully.

"I knew Selwyn wasn't that bright, but I can't believe he used that curse to secure you. A simple sticking charm would have done the job..." Draco shook his head.

"What difference is there?" Wednesday asked as Harry returned the stone wall to it's original state.

"For you? There probably isn't too much of one." Draco explained. "In theory, the curse he used amplifies fear, anxiety, and encourages truthfulness. It's meant to be used for interrogations. It also won't be dispelled by anything but the counter-curse. Technically, it's considered dark magic."

Draco watched Black and Addams walk away hand in hand, and thought about what they had said. Despite his ever present confident exterior, he had always been in a state of near constant anxiety, sometime even outright fear. He was still almost always afraid, but now that fear all stemmed from Black and others tainted by primal magic. Everything else wasn't worth the slightest trepidation in comparison. In some twisted way, maybe Black was doing him a favor by being so psychotic...

-o-o-

"Fer a minute I didn't think you were gonna come." Hagrid waved Harry and Wednesday into his hut.

"That's my fault, I got caught up in a game." Wednesday apologized. "I'm excited to see what you have in mind."

Hagrid took her words at face value, despite the fact that her expression and tone suggested that she was completely disinterested. "She's hiding behind tha bed, a bit skittish seeing as she's a runt. Haven't named her either, so if you want ta keep her you can think up one you like."

Reaching into the darkness behind his bed, Hagrid gently pulled out a giant spider. The arachnid was about a foot tall, and two feet wide, including its legs.

"Is that an acromantula Hagrid?" Harry asked, remembering the huge colony that was in the Forbidden Forest.

"Sure is Harry... You two are gonna keep this between us right? Professor Tofty will have my job if he finds out about Aragog and his family." The giant of a man looked like a small nervous child despite his size.

"Your secrets are safe with us Hagrid, but you'll probably want to lay off the ale. You wouldn't want to accidentally tell him yourself." Harry advised.

"You said she's a runt." Wednesday commented. "Does that mean she won't get any bigger?"

Giving Harry a nervous smile, Hagrid answered Wednesday. "Oh she'll still grow, but she won't ever get bigger than four or five feet. She was one of tha last of Aragog's children, Mosag's eggs haven't been right lately, she's too old."

Wednesday picked up the acromantula by its body, and examined it as it tried to squirm free. "Is she as venomous as a regular one?"

"I think she's got more venom than her brothers and sisters do. Her glands are twice as big as they should be." Hagrid pointed out where the venom glands were located.

"I think she'll make a wonderful pet." Wednesday decided, as she ran a finger along one of the acromantula's fangs. "I'll have to think up a suitable name. I'll take my time and come up with something better than Ambassador."

"It's The Ambassador, and what's wrong with that name? It suits him just fine." Harry defended his choice.

"You have a new pet Harry?" Hagrid asked in interest.

Rolling back the sleeve of his robe, Harry hissed. A snake slithered its way down his arm, and coiled around his wrist. "I'm not really sure what kind of snake he is, but I know he's not magic. I think he's some kind of pit viper."

"Good on you Harry. Taking a misunderstood creature like a snake on as a pet." Hagrid voiced his approval, then frowned as he looked at the acromantula as if for the first time. "Should probably call your parents ta pick her up. Can't have an acromantula discovered in Hogwarts... It'll cause trouble."

Harry smirked. "Don't worry Hagrid. I know just the place we can keep her safe."

"Where's that?" The half-giant asked.

"It's a secret." Harry answered as his smile widened. Out of Hagrid's view, Wednesday rolled her eyes.

-o-o-

Harry,

My mum and I have been arguing about the whole family thing constantly. She's even got my dad on her side, not that he has any idea about the details. Long story short, I'm in... for now.

I don't like this one bit, but I've been convinced to give you the benefit of the doubt. Just remember, I am an auror. Step out of line, and I'm coming down on you hard. If I ever get the chance, I will take down Bellatrix. Mad-Eye has been giving me special training, so don't make the mistake of thinking that I'm bluffing.

As for your great plan to save the Black family, you'll just have to wait. The man I wanted to have babies with, is more interested in what he can do for you, than what I can do to him. Thanks to my love life's bleak outlook, you aren't getting a sprog out of me anytime soon.

Whenever mum hasn't been yelling at me to accept your offer, she's been trying to convince my dad to give her a new baby. He's not interested, so who knows how long until you see anything there. I will admit, it was pretty funny when dad suggested they adopt a kid instead. Mum patiently explained that the whole point was to have a baby with Black blood, and by patiently explained, I mean screamed at him until he dropped the idea.

Tonks

-o-o-

"Good news?" Wednesday asked as she emptied a phial into his pumpkin juice, after pouring some into her own drink. Both goblets now bubbled ominously, and gave off an acrid smoke.

"Both good and bad I suppose." He replied, setting the letter down. "Considering Nymphadora is the only one who's reluctantly going along, I suppose I can't really complain."

Wednesday took a second helping of sausage, and a sip of her drink before responding. "I don't really think that Draco is too enthusiastic."

Harry drained his goblet in one long gulp. Steam escaped from his ears, and a small plume of fire shot out of his mouth as he burped. "Nonsense, we're pals now."

Over at the Slytherin table, Draco felt a cold chill run down his spine.

Coughing, Harry pounded his chest and looked into his empty goblet. "That lemonade recipe Pugsley told me about?"

"Slightly altered from what we used to make, but essentially the same mix." She nodded before taking another sip.

-o-o-

After the initial meeting, Harry's defense club saw a sharp decrease in attendance. The number of students willing to learn the non-magical side of defense was much more manageable than the enormous crowd that first showed up. Most of those remaining were members of Dumbledore's Army. There were also several younger students, mostly muggleborns and hufflepuffs, and surprisingly, a handful of older Slytherins stuck with it as well.

Before Harry started the meeting off, Blaise Zabini approached with a request. "I understand not wanting to bother with magic we'll learn anyway in class, but I hear that you taught the patronus charm last year. I for one would be interested in learning that myself, and I know it's not part of the standard curriculum."

"Why not?" Harry shrugged. He was doing this for fun anyway, so he wasn't concerned with sticking to a lesson plan. "I'll let you in on a little secret. I pushed the mundane defense so much to scare off most of the people wanting to join up. To be honest, I'm surprised you stuck around."

"I believe in the superiority of magic. That doesn't mean I can't understand the value of physical exertion. As you demonstrated before, the most powerful spell in the world can be thwarted by merely stepping out of the way." Blaise explained in a bored tone. "Besides, it's not uncommon for a wizard to learn to use a sword. You can't get more mundane than swinging around a piece of steel. Even if it happens to be enchanted."

Harry nodded in agreement, then hopped up onto the raised platform to address the members of his little club. "Today we're going to start off with something that's supposed to be so difficult that most grown wizards can't do it, the patronus charm." Seeing some of the younger children look worried, Harry turned to them. "Don't worry if you can't manage it. This isn't a class. You can work on anything you want really, but you should at least try."

"I taught the patronus to several of you last year." Harry motioned for his friends to join him on the dais. "Hermione, Luna, why don't you two demonstrate? I know you both managed it last year."

The girls stepped up, and after Harry briefly went over the theory, wand motion, and incantation, they each performed the spell flawlessly. Harry was expecting the same otter and long-eared hare that the two had produced before. Instead a surprisingly adorable rabbit hopped out of Luna's wand, and the rather large form of a sphinx appeared from Hermione's.

The sphinx stalked across the stage, causing an amusing disturbance, as most of the boys were distracted by her bare assets. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle, and almost missed it when Luna's rabbit yawned, revealing enormous teeth that looked razor sharp.

"Thank you girls. Remember everyone, your patronus' form comes from a reflection of you in some way, so you have no control over what creature your patronus will be. Sorry to disappoint you guys." Harry chuckled as a few of the boys looked embarrassed. "It will probably take some time before you manage to produce a patronus, so don't get too discouraged. Keep trying, and remember," Harry pointed to his manic grin as it formed. "Happy thoughts!"

Everyone attempted the spell for at least a little while, but many decided to work on other things. Soon the club was broken up into a few different groups. Those who had been in Dumbledore's Army, and had already managed it the year before, were taking turns practicing their aim and dodging skills; the DA members who hadn't quite managed it, along with most of the older students, continued to practice the patronus charm; and Wednesday found herself showing the younger students how to relieve someone of their wand, and subdue them physically.

Showing favoritism subtly, Wednesday would whisper additional advice to the young hufflepuffs, as she walked around teaching the children how to hurt each other without magic. She was pleased to note that the three first years that she had helped before were both there, and particularly enthusiastic.

Harry worked with the group that was trying to cast the patronus, and was called over by Blaise and Daphne, who were working together with no visible progress.

"Rumor was, that you managed this back in our third year, so it can't be that hard." Daphne said with a frustrated tone. "What are we doing wrong?"

"Your wand work, and pronunciation seem to be about right." Harry commented after having them show him what they were doing. "You probably aren't using the right memory. It's also important to really feel the happiness of the memory. It's not enough to just remember a good time, you have to fill yourself with joy."

Remembering his summer with the Addamses, Harry concentrated on how it felt to be truly accepted by, and welcomed into the Addams family. "Expecto patronum."

A silvery creature coalesced, and began to trot about, its spectral hooves making no sound.

Daphne looked at Harry, fixing him with a flat stare. "I thought you were a master of this spell. What's wrong, your happy thoughts not enough anymore?"

Blaise looked confused at Daphne's reaction, then took a closer look at Harry's patronus as it unfurled two leathery wings. "You have a thestral patronus? I didn't know that was possible."

"Thestral?" Daphne looked at Blaise sharply. "You mean even a thestral patronus is invisible?"

"To you apparently." Harry shrugged as he wondered why he was expecting a stag, when both Hermione and Luna had new patronuses. "Blaise must have seen someone die."

After dispelling his thestral, Harry smiled and clapped them both on the shoulder. "I know you two aren't exactly known for smiling, but I'm sure you'll manage. Remember, use your memory to fill yourself with joy."

Leaving the two Slytherins to it, Harry made his way over to Susan, who was looking decidedly upset.

"I thought you were getting pretty close last year, what happened?" Harry asked as he stepped into Susan's field of vision.

Scowling, Susan averted her eyes. "You-know-who happened. I have happy memories, but every time I try to remember them, I can't help but think about what he did to my family instead."

"Use that then." Harry offered. When Susan swung her head back around to stare at him incredulously, he elaborated. "Think about how happy you'll feel when he gets himself killed. You don't really need a memory, you can use an idea too. I used to use the thought of what a loving family might be like for my patronus."

Susan thought about what Harry said for a moment, also recalling what Wednesday had told her at the beginning of term. Focusing on Wednesday's words of revenge, she imagined defeating Voldemort herself. In her mind's eye he fell to her wand, and she stood proud, having avenged her family. "Expecto patronum."

A silver mist flowed from Susan's wand, and she concentrated harder, imagining how she would feel in the scenario she had thought up. The mist grew more solid, and began to take shape. Soon a weasel-like creature formed, and Susan smiled grimly at her new mongoose patronus.

-o-o-

Bonus Scene

Ron's private lesson

-o-o-

After tying him to a chair, and trying to reason with Ron for nearly half an hour, Hermione realized it was a lost cause.

"I still can't have you doing anything foolish." She said more to herself than to him. Glancing at her prefect badge, she bit her bottom lip in thought. "I think I'll teach you the spell I just learned. After all, It's quite useful."

Ron glared at her. "I don't want to learn any bloody spells, Just let me go!"

Ignoring his pleas, Hermione calmly explained the flesh mending spell. "The incantation is epidio sarka, and the wand motion is a swirling pattern over the wound. Listen and watch carefully as I demonstrate. Proper pronunciation is vital with medical spells."

She neatly cut a hole into Ron's forearm with the same cutting spell she had used on herself earlier. He screamed, started spouting obscenities, and bucked wildly against his restraints.

"Really now, if you don't hold still and pay attention, how are you ever going to do this yourself?" She pointed out as she gripped his arm firmly to steady it. With a quick swirl of her wand, she cast the spell, "Epidio sarka."

As he felt his flesh literally pull itself back together, Ron hissed in pain. "Merlin's balls! What are you doing to me?"

Hermione sighed, and shook her head. "We've been over this, I'm teaching you the flesh mending spell Ronald. As your friend and a prefect, it's my duty to help you learn spells that you need to know. Chances are if you continue your ridiculous quest to 'rescue' Harry, you will need this spell."

"Rescuing Harry was your bloody idea!" Ron screamed as he continued to try and free himself.

"No, both of us wanted our friend back." She corrected. "I'll admit I was more eager than you, but maybe that's why I do have Harry back. Regardless, you'll no doubt try to 'rescue' me now, and you'll face the same problems anyway."

"Now, while I find out how to get rid of these scars, you should practice the incantation." Hermione suggested as she held up her hands to display her spiraled palms.

Turning her back on Ron, Hermione returned to the tome, and continued flipping through it. By the time she found what she was looking for, and had smoothed away her scars, Ron had managed to struggle enough to free his wand hand, tip his chair over, and was pulling himself toward the other chair, where Hermione had set his wand.

"Tsk." Hermione chided. "You should have been practicing."

She righted his chair, and cut open his robes to expose the top of his legs. "I have to go, but you really should practice. I'll just leave you to it."

She opened up two gaping wounds, one in each thigh. Ignoring his screams, she grabbed her book, and vanished his ropes on her way out of the room.

"Wait! You can't just leave me like this!" Ron cried out, causing Hermione to pause with her hand on the now usable doorknob.

"I've already showed you how to do the spell, twice on myself and once on you. Listen closely, the pronunciation is epidio sarka. You won't learn if I do it for you, and I've given you what you need to learn the spell." Hermione lectured, much the way she had regarding homework in the past. "Learning by doing is the most effective way to learn, so I gave you injuries to practice on. You're welcome."

The situation he was in finally hit Ron as he realized Hermione was dead serious. "Epedeo saarka, epedio, epedio saarka." Ron practiced as he tried to reach his wand.

The pain in his thighs was excruciating, so he couldn't stand and walk the remaining few steps. Instead, he gritted his teeth, and lunged. Letting out a scream of both pain and triumph, his hand closed around his wand, and he collapsed to the floor.

"Incarcerus!" Ron yelled as he swung his arm toward Hermione. Chagrined, he watched the ropes collide with the door harmlessly. She had already left, and once more the door's handle was flat and unusable.

A surge of pain from his wounds brought his attention back to his more pressing problem. Trying his best not to panic, he propped himself up into a sitting position, and quickly swirled his wand over the hole in his thigh, and tried the spell. "Epedio saarka!"

Ron screamed in renewed pain as the flesh surrounding the injury tore itself away to cover the hole, leaving him with a larger ring-shaped wound. Cursing, he closed his eyes and tried to remember exactly how Hermione cast the spell.

When he opened his eyes, he had to blink a few times to clear his vision. He didn't remember seeing quite so much blood on the ground a second ago... Holding his suddenly shaky wand over the enlarged wound, he tried again. "Espideo... Epideo sarkka."

The circle of flesh created by his first attempt shifted, and attached itself to the rest of his skin, leaving an even more gaping hole that continued to hemorrhage.

Realizing that his injuries no longer hurt, Ron figured that he must be close to getting the spell right. Just one more try, that's all he would need. His wand slid out of his grip as he tried to cast the spell a third time. "Esplido skar..."

Ron fell back, losing consciousness before he hit the floor. A crimson pool slowly expanded as Ron's heart continued to beat, spilling his lifeblood into the room. Soon his heart stopped, and the room was still.

The door across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy slowly faded, leaving an unremarkable stretch of wall, no different from any other.

-o-o-

Author's note: I originally didn't think that writing out the scene where Hermione 'dealt' with Ron was a good idea, as I didn't think it would be very entertaining. I decided to go ahead and write it anyway for several different reasons. It came out much better than I had imagined.

At this point, I have most of the school year somewhat mapped out. There are certain scenes that I have already written, and am really looking forward to posting. Thankfully, Halloween isn't too far off, and it will have one such scene.

To Gravin X reviewing chapter 17: I didn't mean to offend with my bloodthirsty comment. I probably should have included a smiley face. Considering some of the scenes I've written, I'm certainly in no place to judge. Not to mention that despite what a few readers have thought, I hold back quite a bit to keep things from slipping into 'MA.'

I'm glad that despite my lack of detail you enjoyed Ron's fate. Hopefully you also enjoyed my elaboration of his lesson with Hermione. :)

To Sinclair36 reviewing chapter 17: I think from Hermione's perspective it's almost like role-playing. Depending on her current 'role,' she might see herself as good, evil, or anywhere in between. As a prefect, she would have had to lean more toward good, as a student she's somewhere in between, and as Harry's friend, she'll probably feel she is supposed to be evil.

Hermione definitely would have remained a prefect if the position didn't put her life in danger regarding Harry. Despite the lack of morals and other Addamsish tendencies, she is still Hermione.

To Spuffylover19 reviewing chapter 17: I'm glad you liked Harry's little Defense Club, and thanks for the generally encouraging comments.

To Jiggly Joe reviewing chapter 17: Hermione's rationale is perfectly understandable. At least that's what the voices in my head tell me... I'm kidding... That's not what they really said. (Can you tell what movie I'm looking forward to?)

Ron's never been too good at thinking about more than one thing at a time. He was freaking out, but then switched over to angry thoughts of perceived betrayal.

Ron's fate should be crystal clear now. Sorry, but one way or another I really couldn't see him surviving long as an antagonist for Harry. At least Hermione gave him a fighting chance, not much of one, but he would have probably lived if he paid attention.

I do feel somewhat sorry for the the Weasleys in general, I really have dumped a steaming pile on them. As a family though, they are steadfastly for the light, and will not compromise their ideals. The tree that bends will survive the hurricane, the tree that stands firm will break under the storm's fury.

To Just a reader reviewing chapter 9: The pain ward didn't hurt Andromeda or Nymphadora, because it was temporarily taken down for the Black family meeting. In chapter 8 Harry told them that the wards would be down in their invitation. This was a partial lie in case Tonks tried to bring along Dumbledore, only the pain ward was actually lowered. The intent wards were still up and very much lethal. Of course, since those wards are powered by Black blood, they wouldn't affect Andromeda or her daughter anyway. As you probably have read in chapter 10, Harry mentions that the pain ward will be put back up for any future visits.

To Darth Toenail reviewing chapter 16: Whether or not Voldemort intended to kill Harry is irrelevant, the end result is that he was left alive as a sole survivor. That's not a very fair judgment, but I can't see Wednesday caring.

While I can picture Lily becoming quite dangerous, I wouldn't say that she'd be twisted. Harry didn't get his crazy from his parents, that just cropped up independently of anything else.

Thank you for the image I now have of Snape sitting down to tea among over-the-top friendly Hufflepuffs. His madly twitching eye is quite amusing.