Disclaimer: The song Candice sings at the end is called "All because of you" and belongs to Blackmore's Night.

A/N: Again I have to tell you I'm sorry for the delay. There had been some trouble and three people – two of them are very dear to me – had been sent to hospital. But at least one of them is well off now so I'll have some time to work on this story. Hopefully. Anyway, there are two new aspects mentioned in this chapter, or rather two characters who hold dark secrets that will be revealed at some point of the story. I hope you'll like it!

-----------------------------

5. Once

-----------------------------

I fear I will never find anyone

I know my greatest pain is yet to come

Will we find each other in the dark

My long lost love…

Oh, do you care, I still feel for you

Oh, so aware, what should be lost is there…

"Long Lost Love" by Nightwish

-----------------------

He had seen it coming.

All along he had known it, the dark secret he kept to himself, never able to reveal it to anyone.

It was killing him.

To anybody else this kind of secret wouldn't seem as dark and painful to bear. On the contrary, it would have been a reason for celebrations and happiness, because finding a mate in this complicated world was hard enough, especially for a being with ancient blood running through its veins.

However Draco Malfoy, though blessed with his grandmother's heritage, had never been in the position to feel joy at discovering his mate. Instead, he was taught to hate the person who would make him complete.

At first he hadn't known about his cruel fate. For more than a year he could happily continue to torture the one he was meant to be with without any consequences. But in his second year at Hogwarts, when he had accidentally touched her for the first time, something inside him changed. His world had stopped turning and with dread he had to face the inevitable truth – one of his worst enemies, a creature of the lowest rank and with unpolished manners, someone his family would never approve of, turned out to be his soul mate.

From that moment on his life had been ruined. Draco knew there was no chance for him getting closer to her, for he could only guess how much she hated him. Trying to get to know her was suicidal because her friends sheltered her from him whenever he got near her. He could only watch her from afar, protect her with the most powerful spells he had learned from his grandmother and hide his true feelings behind the mask of the impassive Slytherin bastard everyone took him for.

But while he barely managed to hide his feelings, controlling his instincts was becoming impossible. Every time he saw her, his heart clenched painfully and on the few occasions he had touched her, the desire burning within his very core was driving him mad.

There were only few people who knew of his passionate nature, a few of his friends and some girl he visited regularly after these overwhelming encounters.

He had no idea how long he could go on like that. While he felt nothing but lust for the girls he slept with, one look from her was enough to make his blood boil. And it was getting worse with every passing day.

Even now while he was sitting amongst his friends at the Slytherin table and pretending to listen to their mindless chatter, his thoughts were with her, with their last unexpected encounter, the surprised look in her eyes… her body pressed close against his, her hands touching his shoulder gently, but not to push him away but to draw him even closer to her. She was stroking his back, while he explored her body with his own hands, touching her chin, her neck, then travelling lower, reaching for her breasts and silencing her soft moan with a passionate kiss…

Lost in his fantasies, Draco barely noticed the doors of the Great Hall swinging open and revealing two girls standing in the doorway.

-----------------------------

Talking to his friends was wonderful, Harry realized after sitting at the Gryffindor table for about half an hour. He hadn't even realized he missed them until then but that realization made their reunion even more exciting. The first years had been sorted into their respective houses, Dumbledore had told them to be careful and not to underestimate Voldemort's power, as he did the previous year, and then they had been allowed to start eating.

During the meal Harry had noticed that Hermione was still gone, probably talking to the new girl. It was unlike her to miss a meal, especially on the first day, but he was sure she had a reasonable explanation for being late.

Just when Seamus Finnigan had started to tell a story about his stay in Ireland, the huge doors of the Great Hall opened. At first none of his friends noticed so he chose to ignore it as well. But then the Hufflepuff table next to them fell silent, as well as the Ravenclaw's. The Slytherins were never as loud as the other tables but they stopped talking, too.

"… and then we visited my crazy aunt, you know, the one who talks to her cats and pretends they are the incarnation of her six late husbands…"

Suddenly Seamus' words were drowned by the excited whispers coming from the Hufflepuff table. Harry frowned when he heard them mentioning the name "Selene" several times.

"… you sure? It cannot…"

"… seen her in London…"

"… Selene. Have you heard that…"

"…how come she's at Hogwarts…"

Harry craned his neck and tried to see who was standing at the door, but his view was effectively blocked by Neville Longbottom who was sitting opposite from him. He turned to Ron and whispered: "Can you see anything?" But his friend didn't respond. Instead, he was starring with wide eyes at whoever had entered the Great Hall.

Harry's frown deepened. He was not exactly small, but Neville was approximately the same height and more massive than him.

Then the obstacle moved aside as Neville also turned around to see the cause of the trouble. Now Harry had a clear view at the scene unfolding in front of him.

He blinked. But when he opened his eyes again, the scene hadn't changed. His heart started to beat faster when he looked at the beautiful girl who was standing beside Hermione in front of the High Table. Harry felt like he was reliving one of his dreams when his gaze drifted from the golden curls to the pale complexion of the vision standing about fifteen metres away from him.

She was closer to him now than she had been at the concert. And even though she was wearing the school uniform instead of the red dress it did nothing to hide her beauty.

'Selene' let her eyes travel over the tables while Hermione talked to the Headmaster, looking confused like she wondered why everyone had stopped talking at her entry. Then a kind smile spread on her face and she bowed to her audience.

"Good evening, everyone," she said with her clear, melodious voice that had captivated him from the moment he had first heard it. It was amazing how she could make such a large room full of people fall silent and only listen to her. Harry watched her closely as she continued talking, not able to turn away from her even if he had wanted to. A warm feeling spread in the pit of his stomach and he had to swallow hard. Something inside him changed at this moment, something he wasn't ready to comprehend yet.

--------------------------------

"My name is Candice Armstrong and I'm glad to meet you all."

Still smiling Candice surveyed the crowd before her. She estimated that approximately one hundred and fifty people were sitting at the four large tables. Everyone was staring at her curiously, obviously surprised of her appearance. After she had entered the hall the people had started whispering but now no one was talking anymore.

It was not that she wasn't used to the feeling of people staring at her. Being the lead singer of a band she was used to it. But still she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable at the undivided attention she received from all those people.

After hesitating for a short moment she let her instincts take over. Her fea would tell her everything about these people she needed to know for now. Candice concentrated on the energy within her and quickly discovered that there was no obvious danger coming from two of the large tables. Some people unconsciously reacted to her efforts – Candice guessed that they were bonded to a creature of ancient blood – probably without knowing it. Obviously the magical world held more possibilities to find a mate, she thought.

Suddenly she felt a person on the third table trying to connect with her fea. It was much weaker than hers, almost non-existent. A small frown appeared on her brow when her gaze fixed on a rather small, pale girl whose large eyes were sparkling with amazement and disbelief. Candice thought she saw recognition in the girl's eyes, but then it was gone. She blinked. Maybe she had only imagined it. Then she bowed her head slightly, indicating she acknowledged her abilities. The girl's eyes lit up and a hesitant smile spread on her face.

Candice turned her attention to the fourth table, were she sensed the presence of Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be too distracted to notice her. What a strange guy he was. It would be interesting to get to know him better. Apart from the Veela-boy, there was no one who raised her interest. But still she couldn't help but notice the cold, hostile atmosphere dominating the whole table. There was something strange about these people, who were looking at her even more suspiciously than the other students.

She suppressed a shudder and then quickly scanned the fourth table for anything unusual. Her fea only reacted twice and she couldn't sense any danger. But then she faltered when she found another person who was protected by powerful charms. In fact they were so powerful that she lost the connection to her fea. Candice gasped and her eyes widened slightly, but she quickly caught herself when Hermione looked at her questioningly. Her heartbeat had quickened considerably and she could feel adrenalin rushing through her veins.

It had never happened before. She had never been faced with such a strong protecting charm that her fea had to draw back to avoid being damaged.

Who was the person whose mind was shielded in such a way from her assault? Her eyes searched the table, but again nothing caught her attention. Most of the students were still staring at her, especially a group of boys near the centre of the table. They seemed to be the same age as Hermione. Candice shook her head, not sure what to make of her strong reaction. Finally she decided to be even more cautious than originally intended. Wizards were more powerful beings than Muggles and she had to be careful around them. Again she realized that there were many things she didn't know about the wizard world. Candice hoped that she would find people who would be willing to help her in the first weeks. She gazed at Hermione who was waving to some people sitting at the last table she had scanned.

"I would like to invite you to sit with me and my friends at the Gryffindor table," the brunette said hesitantly but with a genuine smile on her face. Candice just nodded and let Hermione take her hand and lead her to the table.

---------------------------

Severus Snape was watching the proceedings in the Great Hall with growing interest. While sipping his wine and occasionally eating some food without feeling any hunger at all his gaze was inevitably drawn to the new girl.

Although he had never seen her before he had known who – or what – she was immediately. He could feel she was different from the other students. She moved more gracefully and as someone who had dealt with magical beings his whole life, Severus could almost smell the Ancient Blood running through her veins.

It will be very interesting to test her abilities, he thought, smirking at the thought. He had a feeling she wouldn't disappoint him.

The girl followed Hermione Granger to the Gryffindor Table. Severus had expected it to happen and in fact he was glad he was there to watch this first encounter. Still keeping an eye on her, he took another sip from the red wine the Headmaster had provided for this special occasion and leaned back to see what would happen once Candice Armstrong was confronted with her fate.

She had reached the Gryffindor Table and Granger started to introduce her to the people. Severus could see that the boys were staring at her with mooneyes and he was almost sure he saw some of them drooling. Stupid fools, he thought with contempt. Boys at that age were so full of hormones – it didn't take a genius to figure out that troubles would arise with Miss Armstrong's appearance.

His eyes travelled to Harry Potter and he frowned. Just as everyone else he was gaping at her, but there was something in his gaze, a strange mixture of disbelief and amazement with the slightest hint of longing. It was only natural for him to be attracted to his Sacrifice.

The strange thing about the whole situation was that his Sacrifice didn't react to him in any way. Candice Armstrong was smiling politely at everyone as she was invited to sit with them. She smiled at Potter as well and greeted him when Granger introduced them – and that was it.

Severus leaned back, his frown deepened. He wasn't sure what he had expected – an explosion of magical powers maybe, the spectacular prelude to a highly emotional tragedy or at least two students who fell in love with each other at first sight.

Something was terribly wrong about this scene. The few things he had found out about Gurvelon were by far not enough to understand the events happening before his eyes.

Maybe Remus Lupin had been more successful than him. He had managed to convince the werewolf to work with him – a risky thing given the circumstances and especially considering their past. After everything he had done, it was a miracle to him how he could have the nerve to ask him of all people to help with the research. And how the other man could have agreed so easily to help him.

But then again Remus Lupin didn't know half of the things Severus had done in the past. If he knew he would hate him for it. He would never understand that everything Severus had done was for his own good.

Quickly he shook his head. No, he would not allow guilt or shame to overcome him again. Instead he would focus on the present and what he could do to improve the situation without revealing the one secret he had been hiding for more than twenty five years.

As soon as the meal was over he would owl Remus Lupin again and propose a meeting in the morning before classes started. There were many things they needed to discuss and it was important that they did it soon.

--------------------------

With a smile on her face Candice sat beside Hermione and a boy called Seamus Finnigan at the Gryffindor table. Seamus had just finished telling a story about his stay in Ireland which she had interrupted with her unexpected appearance. He seemed to be a funny guy and the tales about his grandmother were entertaining. All of Hermione's friend seemed to be nice. Although most of them were guys – and they were all staring at her like they had never seen a woman before – Candice guessed that they would get along just fine; she was used to have a lot of male friends after all.

It was fun talking to people who were closer to her age again. Although it had been fun to spend time with Sirius but, well, he was at least twice as old and had obviously seen too much horror in the war to be as easygoing as the Gryffindor boys.

Inevitably they asked her a lot of questions and she tried to avoid answering them whenever they became too personal. The reason was simple – just because they were nice to her she couldn't drop her guard completely. Especially not after she had just met them.

"I have stayed in Ireland as well," one of the girls who sat somewhere opposite from her said. She seemed to be a bit younger than Hermione but Candice couldn't deny that she was beautiful with long, red hair and dark eyes. An excited smile was plastered on her face and immediately Candice decided to like her.

"I hope you have watched some of the bands performing in the pubs," she said, flashing the girl a smile of her own.

"Oh yes, of course. Me and Sarah" – she motioned to a brunette sitting beside her who hesitantly waved at her – "have seen some real minstrels performing one evening. It was great!"

"Irish minstrels are the best," Candice said, remembering the happy time she spent with Gwyneth and everyone else when she had been younger. Her childhood had been filled with magic, with fairytales and music, everything a young girl could wish for. Only when she had to leave them she was forced to face the cold, harsh reality of the world outside of the cheerful, noisy group.

Her smile turned wistful as she listened to the girl's story – what was her name? she would have to ask Hermione later – and memories of her past tried to invade her mind. Then she reminded herself that now was not the right time for that and returned to the present.

"Have you ever visited Ireland?" another redhead, who probably was the brother of the girl, asked her.

"I was raised by Irish minstrels," Candice admitted and grinned when everyone looked at her, obviously surprised.

"Then you might know some of the tales they told us," Sarah, the friend of the redheaded girl exclaimed.

"We'll see." That was the only thing she was about to say to this topic. Then she turned to Hermione and asked her: "Where did you spend your holidays?"

Hermione sighed. "I was at the Burrow, Ron's home." She waved her hand at the redheaded boy who had addressed her before. "Harry was there as well." Now she motioned towards the person sitting beside Ron, a boy with dark, tousled hair and glasses. Candice realized that he was the person whose mind had been so securely protected from her fea. He was looking at her with intense green eyes, which were much too serious for someone his age. But there was something else in his gaze that intrigued her, something she recognized because he saw it every time she looked at her reflection.

A mixture of hope and despair and a longing for… for what? Candice blinked, confused at her own thoughts. Only once had she felt this instant familiarity with a person and this person was the reason she was here. And now she had met… Before she could grasp it, the thought slipped away.

Shaking her head slightly, she managed a small, but heartfelt smile. Harry continued to stare at her, then he blinked as well and finally returned the gesture. A shy, insecure smile.

He's cute, Candice thought and chuckled. She had a feeling he didn't smile that often and felt absurdly glad he had made an exception for her.

"So I take it you are close friends," she stated, intentionally breaking eye contact with the strange boy. It was harder than expected, for she was sure he was still watching her closely.

"Best friends," Ron affirmed and Hermione nodded.

"They can be idiots, but they are the best friends one can wish for." Candice grinned as he saw the deep affection in her eyes. Real friendship was a rare and valuable good.

"Have you chosen the classes you want to take?"

The question startled her. It was coming from Seamus Finnigan and caught her totally off-guard.

"Well… I guess not."

Hermione gasped and turned her full attention towards Candice. "But tomorrow is the first day of the new term!" she exclaimed.

"Obviously I haven't thought of that…" With a groan she buried her head in her hands.

"I will help you choosing the right courses. Can you chose your subjects freely or are there any obligations?"

Candice shook her head. "No obligations."

"Then it's settled." Hermione stood and Candice followed her example. "We need to find a way to arrange your schedule efficiently. I suggest we ask the Headmaster for a time table so we'll know when you can take which classes."

Candice just nodded, taken aback by the girl's vigorous behaviour. It seemed like Hermione was happy as soon as she had a duty to fulfil.

"Don't let her boss you around too much," Seamus Finnigan said and winked at her.

"Yeah, she can be a very… dominant person," Ron started, but when he caught Hermione's deadly glare he added: "But in a good way."

"Whatever," the girl in question snorted and then sighed. "We need to get started. Please follow me, Candice."

"Have a nice evening!" Candice called at the Gryffindors and flashed them a bright smile before she followed the energetic brunette to the High Table.

---------------------------------

Where had his messenger gone?

Impatiently he stared into the flames of the fire in his hearth. But this time they refused to show him what he wanted to see. In fact, they refused to show him anything lately. It had started two weeks ago when he had sent one of his minions to Anor Cirith, the mountains that formed the natural border to Menel Niphrendil where the elves were said to live.

After contemplating his position for a long time, Voldemort had decided not to ignore the threat coming from these ancient beings. He couldn't be sure how powerful they were because he didn't know very much about them. No one did for they kept hidden in their stupid forest and stopped interfering in the wizards' business some decades ago. He had sent out two of his most reliable spies to provide the information for him.

He was getting angry. Patience had never been one of his virtues and the sudden disappearance of his messenger was unsettling him. Voldemort was almost sure that he was smart enough to reach Ethuilrost Council without being discovered. As a creature with Ancient Blood in his veins, Lucius Malfoy should be able to get a permission to talk to the members of the council. The man knew what was at stake and had clear instructions on how to behave.

So why had he not returned yet? What was keeping him away from his master's side?

Voldemort waved a hand at the flames but they still wouldn't obey his command. With a frustrated scream he grabbed a decanter standing beside him on a table and threw it into the fire. With a loud crack it burst and its shards reflected the angry crimson gleam.

-----------------------------

Time flies when you're occupied with something that makes you happy. There were many things that could make Hermione happy; reading a really fascinating book, learning interesting new things or lecturing her friends. Helping other people belonged to this category as well – and in this case helping Candice Armstrong arranging her schedule was more fun than she had expected.

They had been sitting on the huge sofa in front of the fireplace for more than two hours now and finally it seemed like their task was about to be completed.

Candice had chosen Herbology, Potions, Divination, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration and History of Magic according to her personal interests. Upon Hermione's recommendation she had decided to take Charms – which Hermione thought attending was compulsory – and Ancient Runes, mainly because there were no people in this class who worked properly besides herself. It would be fun to have someone around she liked and the topic was not that hard to understand if one learned regularly. And Hermione would help her new friend if she'd have any problems with her schedule.

"I still don't understand why you insist on attending Divination class," she told the blond girl beside her with a frown on her face. Divination class was at the same time as History of Magic lessons and therefore destroyed the whole concept. "Professor Trelawney is a hypocrite. She only managed to make one prophecy that came true in the end. What could she possibly teach her students?"

Candice looked at her and smiled. "Well, at least she managed to look into the future once and that alone is a great achievement."

Hermione snorted and thought of the only time she had entered Professor Trelawney's classroom. The strange smell of burned herbs, the glistening spheres that had been placed everywhere… She had hated it from very beginning and was glad she'd had the brains to cancel this class after the first lesson. It would have been a complete waste of time to continue this senseless education.

"I don't believe fortune-telling is that stupid. When I was living in Ireland I knew someone who could really see the future."

She looked at the new girl disbelievingly. "I'm not sure I believe you."

Candice chuckled and carelessly threw some strands of long hair over her shoulder. Again Hermione couldn't help but being fascinated by her obvious beauty which couldn't even be hidden by the simple black T-shirt and faded jeans she wore. It was a pleasant surprise that she wasn't arrogant at all despite her good looks. When she thought of the bitchy behaviour of some other girls in their year – Lavender Brown for example – who thought they were the most gorgeous beings on earth, she could only shake her head and feel contempt for them. Hermione was not someone who wasted too many thoughts on people's appearance. She had decided long ago that it was too exhausting to concentrate on trivial things like that as well.

"There was a girl amongst the minstrels," Candice started to explain, "who could predict the future. She knew when a thunderstorm was coming or foresaw the arrival of unexpected visitors. We didn't give much thought to it at first; she was just a little girl after all. Maybe she had just luck with her guessing." She looked wistful for a moment and then continued: "One day she predicted a fire would destroy the village we were staying at. None of the villagers paid attention to her words. Only Gwyneth, the leader of our clan, believed her. We left on the same evening and camped some miles away. Late at night, when we were sitting around the campfire, suddenly we could see a huge grey cloud rising in the distance. It was the smoke of a huge fire – just the fire the girl had foreseen. Ever since that day I have believed that some people have the gift to see the future, just as some people can see the past. And I'm looking forward to learn some of the techniques they use to reveal either of them."

Thoughtfully Hermione looked at the other girl. Of course she had heard similar stories as well but never taken them seriously. For some reason, although she was a witch herself she couldn't help but have prejudices about some supernatural occurrences. Her parents were dentists and therefore she had been raised without the superstitious nonsense which most of her friends in the kindergarten and later in primary school believed in. Even magic, although it refuted almost every scientific law, followed certain reasonable patterns. But fortune-telling couldn't be explained logically.

Hermione shook her head and decided to concentrate on the problem at hand. If Candice wanted to attend Divination class they would find a way to make it possible.

"Maybe we could ask the Headmaster if you can attend the 6th year's Divination class," Hermione suggested after thinking for a moment. "If you don't mind, that is. I see no other way for your schedule to fit otherwise."

Candice shrugged. "I don't care. If you think it will work out that way, why not?"

"Great." Highly pleased with the results if the evening she leaned back into the comfortable, soft cushions and sighed. Until now she hadn't even realized how tired she was. "I think we're done."

"Yes." The blond girl beside her put away the scrolls and looked at her curiously. "You are tired, aren't you?"

"Only a little," Hermione admitted and stifled a yawn. "The holidays had been fun, but I didn't get too much sleep lately. I tend to worry too much over trivial things…"

Like her unexpected roommate. When she thought of all the horrible things she had imagined she couldn't help but be ashamed now that she had met Candice. She seemed to be a nice person and not some snobbish or stupid girl. Instead she was the singer of the band Hermione had idolized for the past few months.

"I know that problem only too well. But gladly I know something that calms me down whenever I feel upset or agitated."

"What do you mean?"

Candice smiled at her before giving her simple answer: "Music." She made the simple word sound like it was self-evident.

"Music?" Hermione frowned. "Problems cannot be solved just by listening to music."

"You're right. But music can help you to relax and then you can think more clearly."

She considered the words for a moment. Sometimes she had experienced that she felt better after listening to certain songs, more at ease and loosened up. But if she was honest, she had never thought about that before.

"Music can put you into a certain mood if you're willing to listen closely. Music can make people happy," Candice affirmed her. "If you want to, I will demonstrate it."

A private audition with her favourite singer? Hermione grinned and nodded enthusiastically. There was no way she would miss this chance.

Quickly Candice got up from the sofa and picked up her guitar from the ground. Carefully, almost lovingly, she held it in her hands like it was her most important possession. The acoustic guitar looked rather old and had been used regularly. With growing anticipation Hermione watched as Candice played a few tunes and then looked at her expectantly.

"Do you have any wishes?"

Hermione thought for a moment before answering. "I would like to hear 'All because of you'. Of course only if you don't mind," she added hastily when she saw Candice raise an eyebrow at her words.

"Of course I don't mind. I have asked you after all. It's just that I didn't expect it. You have made a good choice." Candice smiled and, albeit hesitantly, Hermione returned it.

"It's one of my favourite songs," she admitted and had to fight back the colour that had been rising into her cheeks.

"Good to know. You can sing along if you like."

She laughed at that. "You wouldn't want to hear me sing anything. Especially not such a beautiful song."

"I'm not sure. Sometimes it is important to sing when your heart tells you to do so, no matter if you can carry the tune or not."

"I'll try to remember that," she said and grinned.

The blond girl didn't answer and instead started playing the first chords of the song. Hermione adjusted her position to sit more comfortably and watched her new friend while slowly getting lost in the cheerful melody.

"Never did I believe

That there could be such happiness

Feels like nothing on earth

Had started with one little kiss…"

Candice's voice was just as beautiful as she remembered from the concert two weeks ago. Its warmth touched something deep within her, something she would have called her soul if she believed something like that existed. For some reason her min refused to believe in things she couldn't touch or see.

Being a witch had once turned Hermione's whole ordered life upside down. So many things she had thought to be superstitious nonsense, legends, fairytales were reality in the wizard world. It had been hard to cope with this new situation at first but quickly she had decided to accept most of the things she saw.

"I could stay in this moment forever

I could reach every star in the sky

I could lose myself when I look into your eyes…"

A soul didn't belong into this category. Everlasting love, mates that could bind for life… all of those tales were highly interesting, fascinating even but Hermione couldn't bring herself to believe in it.

Still, a small part of her was in love with these romantic ideas. Secretly, so secretly that she rarely admitted it to herself, she wanted a hero of her own, someone who would love her forever and never leave her side. This part of her personality was buried deeply beneath a thick layer of reason and forced indifference.

"Is this happening? Is this fantasy?

All my dreams coming true

All because of you

I can't believe it's true

All because of you…"

No one would come for her. She was not so full of herself that she could ignore the fact that she wasn't exactly the most desirable female on earth. It was obvious why guys weren't interested in her. And she didn't care for there were more important things in life than having a gorgeous boyfriend. Or any boyfriend at all.

Quickly Hermione closed her eyes and concentrated on the music. Oh, she knew why this song was one of her favourites. It was just great to hear it being performed only for herself. She took a deep breath and then let the music guide her away from reality to a bright, joyful place, where none of her worries were important any longer.

Candice was right, she thought. Music could indeed make people happy.

-------------------------