A/N: Don't you all just love me? Four chapters already! See, this is what happens when I have no Internet for a week. D: Updates up the wazoo.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All original characters are my own. Please respect that, and do not claim them as yours.

Continuing off of last chapter…

Mark rose from the back of the room and clapped. "Excellent ladies. That was brilliant. Now, Carmichael", he said looking sharply at Carmi, "you say you choreographed this?"

Carmi shook her head. "It wasn't all me. I had a lot of help from Carter on this one."

Mark looked at Carter. "Is this true, Carter?"

"Sort of. The music was my idea, and I helped with deciding who went in which row, and which style fit which girl, but the dancing… that was all Carmi."

Mark nodded. "I thought so. You have a very distinctive style, Ms. Lei. I hope to see more of your creations in the future. Now! Let's get to work, ladies."

Carmi headed over to Mina. "Can you believe that? He wants to see more of my choreography! Mina, do you understand what this means?"

"That he wants to see more of your work?" Mina asked, amused at her cousin's reaction.

"No! Well, yes, but you don't understand. Mark Nng (Ning) used to be one of the top dancers in the country! Our school was lucky to get him as a teacher, and he likes my choreography. Oh, I could die happy right now."

Mina laughed. She hadn't realized how much she missed spending time with Carmi until now. Now she got two years with her. Heading over to the stretches, Mina looked around at the girls in dance, most of who were on the gymnastics team as well, and realized, she was happy. Ron, Harry, Ginny, and Luna had been good friends to her, but Mina wasn't obsessed with Quidditch or Crumple-Horned Snorkacks – whatever those were. She liked sports too, but she preferred Muggle sports as opposed to wizarding sports. 'Blaise would kill me for that', she laughed silently. Gymnastics- that was her sport. And she danced, too. That was it, though. She wasn't good at others, and she absolutely detested flying. She shuddered just thinking about it.

"And that will be all, ladies! Those of you on our gymnastics team, please try to be on time next lesson. Speaking of next lesson, bring some young gentlemen your age, please. We will be learning…" pausing for dramatic effect, "the tango."

There were cheers and groans all around. The tango would be a fun dance to learn and they were looking forward to that part, but Mark was a slave driver when it came to new dances. Besides, while they could dance, who said anything about the boys being able to? And with Mark as an instructor, there would be plenty of lifts, spins, and twirls that would require the girls to be willing crash dummies. And if they were too injured, Darcy would kill them for getting hurt before their first big meet in two months.

Mina looked at Carter curiously. "Why is learning a new dance so bad?"

Carter looked at her incredulously. "Oh, that's right. You're new, so you wouldn't know. As you've been given a taste of today, Mark is a slave driver. And it's worse with new dances. Also, Mark likes to add plenty of lifts and twirls to his dances. You see where I'm going with this?"

Feeling especially slow, Mina shook her head.

"Sometimes – depending on the dance – the boys have no idea what's going on. Usually, it's like that with dances you would have seen in a ballroom one hundred years ago. Doesn't matter if the dances are still happening today, they'll have no idea. If we'd required them for our hip-hop lesson today, they would have picked it up right away. But for the tango, they'll have trouble. And until they learn the dance, we're the 'willing' crash dummies. If we get too bruised, Darcy will get pissed off. She'll have a screaming match with Mark. Then Mark will get pissed off. It's just bad." Carter said, shaking her head.

Mina looked at her. "Somehow I'm getting the feeling that this will be an interesting two years here."

Carter laughed outright. "Welcome to Newvale High, Mina." She said, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

Carmi walked over with Morgan. "You two ready to go?" Morgan asked.

"Yup", Carter said popping the "p".

Mina covered her ears. "Carter, stop! You know I can't stand that sound."

"Yeah, I know. I also know that when you get absolutely plastered on chocolate, you dance around the room in nothing but your underwear singing along to Justin Bieber's 'Love Me.'" Carter grinned.

"Really?" Mina countered. "Well, I know that you and James still text each other – even though his friends told him to stop texting you – and when he gets completely drunk, he'll call you, and sing, "Won't You Come Be My Love Monkey" to you, and afterwards you always, always need to take a cold shower."

Carmi groaned. "Sometimes I wish that we didn't know so much about each other."

"Yeah." Morgan snickered. "Like the fact that Carmi dances around in her sports bra and short shorts singing at the top of her lungs to Ke$ha when she's the only one home."

Carmi glared at her. "Or the fact that Morgan here will crawl around her house on all fours roaring like a tiger when she has her boyfriend over and the house to herself."

Morgan blushed. "That was private!"

Carter sighed. "Morgie, I knew about that one, too. We've talked about this, Morgan. Close your goddamn blinds!"

Mina giggled. "Before you all get carried away, maybe we should go. It's nine, and don't you still have homework?"

Carter looked up in dismay. "I left my backpack in the locker room. Shit." She said, kicking the wall.

Morgan reassured her. "The other girls will still be changing. If we hurry, we can make it before they close. Come on, I'll go with you. We'll see you guys tomorrow", looking back over her shoulder at Mina and Carmi.

Walking down the steps of the school Mina was taking a sip of water from her bottle when Carmi suddenly asked, "Your boyfriend. Is he a Veela?"

Choking, Mina croaked out, "What?"

"Well that would be a yes."

"How do you know about this kind of stuff?"

"You remember our last family reunion at your place? I read your textbooks, then. I've gotta say Mina, that's impressive."

"How did you even get into that? It was magically locked. With powerful spells, too!"

"D'you remember what Uncle Lou taught us a few years ago?"

Mina stared at her cousin. "You did not lock pick my school chest."

"You magic-y folk really do forget about Muggles – was that the word? – who have the audacity to pick locks. You might want to look into that."

Mina just looked at her cousin. Then, "Yes."

"Hmm?"

"Blaise. My boyfriend – at least I think he is, we haven't really discussed it – yes he's a Veela."

"The blonde one, Draco. He's one too, isn't he? Am I his mate?"

"Seriously, how do you know this stuff?"

Walking into Carmi's house, Mina dropped her stuff by the door numbly, and headed straight for the living room. She walked in and plopped herself right on Blaise's lap. She curled into him, seeking his warmth. She'd enjoyed herself with Carmi at the gymnastics practice and the dance rehearsal, but the conversation afterwards had been both surprising and draining. Mina hadn't been expecting that from Carmi. She had wanted Carmi to get to know Draco over the year and fall in love with him that way – the natural way. Mina herself had accepted the bond she had with Blaise, and she was attracted to him, yes – there was that whole kiss thing, after all – but she didn't know him. There wasn't any love between the two, and Mina knew that if it hadn't been for her being Blaise's mate, nothing between the two would have ever happened. That saddened her beyond words for some reason.

Blaise looked at the small girl on his lap worriedly. She had opened the door to the house and come in with Carmi, but something had seemed off with her. He had felt her exhaustion from the school campus. Then he had felt shock from her, followed by a deep numbness. When she opened the door to the house, her emotions had flooded over him in waves. She'd surprised him by walking into the living room, and plopping herself down right on top of him. She had curled into him, like a cat curling in closer to a fire, searching for warmth. Some of her shock and exhaustion had drained from her, then. But she had thought of something else afterward, and now all Blaise could feel from her was a deep, bone-crushing sadness.

Mina drew a last bit of Blaise's warmth from his body into hers, and then unwound herself from his lap. She stretched her arms and legs out, pointing her toes, then stood up and stretched her back out similar to the way a cat would. Mina hummed in satisfaction as she felt/heard her spine crack. She looked at her Aunt Rena.

"Aunt Rena, are we all enrolled at Newvale?"

Rena looked up at her niece and smiled. Mina was so much like her mother. And when she was with Carmi, Carter and Morgan… The trouble those four got in. And the amount of hospital bills the four had worked up over the years. Rena was fairly sure the doctors still had their private rooms on hold. Oh yes, Rena thought. So much like her mother. Rena could tell you some tales of she and her sister back when they were Carmi and Mina's age. Oh, the trouble they got in!

"Yes, dear you are. The three of you are due to start Monday. Mina can give you all a tour Saturday. Will that work?"

"Mmm, sounds fine, Aunt Rena. Though I think Carmi, Morgan, Carter, and I had plans to run through our floor routines for a bit. Perfect them, learn harder parts, nail those down, y'know."

"Oh, I do wish you four had a safer interest", Rena fretted. "You're in dance, aren't you? Why not just stick to that?"

Mina hugged her aunt tightly. "Aunt Rena, you know we wouldn't be happy with just dance."

Rena sighed. "I know. And you know I'll be there at your invitational next Monday night, cheering the loudest."

"I know. Good night, Aunt Rena. I love you." Pecking her aunt on the forehead, Mina drew back from the hug and wandered upstairs. "Night Blaise, Draco."

Blaise waited a few moments to make sure she was all the way upstairs then looked intently at Rena. "What other interest do they have that isn't safe?"

Rena laughed. "Oh no. I'm not getting into that one. That's between you and Mina. She, Carmi, Carter, and Morgan have so many activities that have landed them in sticky situations, one more isn't going to make a difference. Besides, the four of them have been doing things together since they were old enough."

Blaise and Draco sat on the couch, looking confused. Rena took pity on them. "Well, didn't Mina tell you? She lived here until she was ten, and she's spent every summer here since she could walk. We go to the beach house, all four families. She and her parents have spent every Christmas here, get away from the snow and cold, and spend time with family and friends. Her parents were here for the past several months, actually. It was nice to see Jane again." (No clue what the name of Hermione's mother is, made up my own. If anyone knows, let me know in a review, and I'll change it.)

Blaise and Draco looked at each other in shock. Mina had told Potter and Weasley that she had Obliviated her parents' memories, and sent them to Australia. She had lied to two-thirds of the Golden Trio? Her best friends? That was a twist.

Mina opened the door to the room that she and Carmi were sharing. Carmi sat cross-legged on her bed, reclining against the pillows, school work spread all around her. She looked up as Mina entered.

"Hey." She said softly.

"Hey." Mina replied.

"Sorry for springing all of that on you back there. Bet Blaise could feel your shock from here."

"Mmm, probably." Mina agreed. "It's alright, though. I've been wondering for ages how to tell you I was a witch. You're one of my best friends, Carmi. I've hated hiding something so important from you. And at least this way, Draco won't have to hide anything about himself as he's getting to know you."

Carmi looked down at her bedspread at that last statement.

"Carmi?"

"I remember from reading one of your books on Veelas last year that a Veela's mate must accept the Veela by his or hers eighteenth birthday. How old is Draco now, Mina?"

"He's seventeen, Carmi." Mina told her softly. "His birthday is next May."

"May what?"

"The 19th."

"So I have less than a year to get to know him, and fall in love with him? The kind of love that will transcend everything else? The kind where he needs me to survive? How am I supposed to do that in a year, Mina? I'm freaking out about it right now, and I haven't even accepted the bond! How did you do it with Blaise?"

Mina sat down on Carmi's bed. She looked down and found her hands to be picking at Carmi's bedspread. Her hands stilled. "I haven't, actually."

"What?"

"I accepted the bond with Blaise, but we aren't in love, and I don't know if we'll ever be."

Carmi looked at her cousin incredulously. "What are you talking about, Mina? I've seen how he looks at you! It's like you're everything he needs to survive, like without you his world would end."

"That isn't him." Mina said, shaking her head. "That's the Veela. If it weren't for my being his mate nothing would have ever happened between the two of us. And that makes me so unbelievably sad, and I don't know why. It isn't like he ever meant anything to me before any of this happened, and he would have kept on meaning nothing to me if this hadn't happened. I wish that it hadn't happened, actually. I wish that I could reverse time, and make it so that I wasn't his mate. Or if not that, make it so that I had never accepted the bond. Let him die, it wouldn't have mattered to me then. But I did accept the bond, so if he were to die now, it would matter to me."

Carmi watched her cousin fall apart in front of her. Sliding her bookwork aside, Carmi moved to the other end of the bed, and put her arms around Mina, sitting in silence for a bit. Then,

"You can lie to Blaise, Mina. You can lie to Draco, to Aunt Rena, hell, even to Carter and Morgan – not that they have anything to do with this particular issue – but you can't lie to yourself, and you can't lie to me. You accepted the bond then because it would have bothered you if he had died, and you could have prevented it. And you do know why it makes you so sad that the only reason he even noticed you was because you are his mate. I've read every letter I got from you, Mina. I remember you complaining to me two years ago that you were paired with some moron from a rival house who would only screw up a major project. And then I remember your later letters from that same year. You told me that your partner wasn't as bad as you'd thought him to be. And there are other letters from throughout that year, and all of last year from when the two of you were paired on other projects together. I've pored over those letters thousands of times, Mina, and each time I read them, I knew. You were falling in love with your partner, and you didn't even know it. Each time you told me of a point when he made you laugh I knew. And now I know for sure that Blaise was the partner you told me about. You love him, and you hate it. Ad you hate him for making you love him. That's why it didn't work with Ron. I know it, and you know it, too; you just refuse to admit it."

And… end! Longest chapter yet. So what did you think? Reviews are my crack. No flames, please.

Love!