A/N: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this story! It's been crazy at work lately (report cards to do, took 35 students on a weekend performance trip to the States last weekend, and we've got 'Meet-the-Creature' night this week), but I'm hoping that most of the craziness is starting to settle as the year winds down. Anyway, enough excuses. Here's the next chapter for you!

*** 17 – Rediscovering Magic ***

"Rennervate."

Liz felt herself wake up as she heard these words. She opened her eyes to see a calm Ginny staring down at her. She glanced around as she sat up slowly, realizing that she was still in the now empty study. "What happened?"

"You fainted. I'm sorry for all the shouting, it probably made matters worse."

"You all were upset, I don't blame you for what was said." Liz was now upright on the couch. "Where is everyone?"

"Dumbledore and Harry insisted that you have a little peace and quiet when you woke up, so they herded everyone into the library. I offered to stay with you until you woke."

"I feel so foolish for fainting."

"Don't worry about it. It happens to us all sometimes. I think the only ones in the house who haven't fainted at one point are Dumbledore, McGonagall, Remus and Kingsley."

Liz let out a chuckle at this. The idea of someone like Kingsley Shacklebolt fainting dead away would be a sight to behold. Suddenly, another thought popped into her head, one she'd had before the arguments and fainting began. "Ginny?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you ok?"

Ginny paled, and was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"When I was talking about genetics, I noticed you seemed really nervous, and when I was talking about and Harry, you looked absolutely petrified for a second."

Ginny stared at her hands, which were wringing themselves. "I didn't think anyone had noticed that."

"Ginny, if there's anything going on, you can tell me. I may not remember being your best friend, but I am a good listener."

Ginny smiled at her, despite the lone tear that slid down her face. "I should have known you'd pick up on it. You never missed anything."

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Liz asked, a soft, playful tone to her voice.

"It's not so much my head, but something else," Ginny started. When Liz fixed her with a quizzical look, she elaborated, albeit very quietly. "I'm pregnant."

"You are?" Liz asked, surprise and delight visible in her face. "Ginny, that's wonderful! Congratulations!" She reached over and pulled the other girl into a warm hug. "But why did you look so scared earlier?"

Ginny pulled away, and cast her eyes downward again. "No one knows yet."

"Harry?"

She shook her head. "I'm not scared that he won't want this baby. We've been trying for a while now. I'm just afraid that this isn't the right time. You've just come back, and now with the new knowledge of what those scientists are doing…I'm just afraid this will get in the way."

"Ginny Potter, don't you dare go there," Liz began. "Ok, maybe this isn't the best time, as I can sense that there will be a fight ahead, but that's no reason to question this. You getting pregnant now happened for a reason."

"You think so?"

"I know so. Just like I know it'll all be alright."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because of my favourite quote. 'Everything will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, then it's not the end.'"

Ginny pondered this for a moment, before smiling. "I like it," she whispered.

Liz grinned, and hugged the redhead, before standing from her position on the couch. "Now will you go tell Harry already so that you can announce it to everyone else? We could use some good news around here."

Ginny grinned, and removed herself from the room. Liz looked around to see that the board had been removed, as well as the extra chairs. Seeing something on the table in front of her, she bent down. It was the spellbook Harry had given her the night before. She was about to lift it from the table, and attempt to read it again, but her efforts were thwarted this time by Remus entering the room.

He gave her a smile. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," she replied softly.

"Do you feel up to some magic?"

Liz gazed at him for a moment, pondering his question. Nodding slightly, she headed in his direction, went through the door, and followed him up the stairs to the attic.

She looked around to see the large empty room. There were a few small objects here and there, but nothing too substantial. Tonks, Neville and Luna stood in the middle of the room chatting, but stopped when Liz entered with Remus. She smiled at them, and they each offered her an encouraging one back.

"So what's on the menu today?" she joked, bringing quiet chuckles to the room.

"Well, we were going to just jump right in with both feet," Neville began, "But we're missing a key element here."

"We can start with the theory though," Luna offered, her eyes wise, despite the dreamy note to her voice. "She was always rather good with that."

"She can work on the incantations though," Tonks said.

"I think we need to first establish if she feels anything," Remus said cryptically. Turning to Liz, he gave her a penetrating stare. "Have you ever been exposed to any kind of magic that you can remember?"

"No," Liz replied, the hesitation obvious in her voice. She trailed off, but Tonks caught her tone.

"What is it?" she prodded gently.

Liz sighed, and decided to fess up. "I think I may have done it before."

"When?" Neville asked.

"I don't remember much about being shot, but I remember just before it happened, I threw up my hands…I think I created a shield of some sort."

"Did you say anything when this happened?" Luna inquired.

"I did, but I can't remember what it was. I think it started with 'p'."

"Protego," Remus said, without pause.

"That was it!" Liz exclaimed.

"Wait, I'm confused," Neville stated. "You threw up your hand and did this?"

"Yes."

"You mean, you did it without a wand?"

"I suppose so."

Everyone looked to Remus for an explanation, which he immediately provided. "It's not uncommon for powerful witches and wizards to produce wandless magic, and we know that Hermione could do both back at Hogwarts."

"But after being away from it for so long?" Luna asked.

"She was the most gifted witch of her year. I don't think there's much she can't do."

"There's more," Liz whispered.

"Excuse me?" Tonks uttered.

"It's not the only time it's happened."

"When else?"

"When we were searching for Isabel. I went into the basement to see if I could find her. The door slammed shut behind me, and I heard something below. It was too dark, and I wanted to be able to see. So when I heard the sound at the bottom of the stairs, I did the same thing."

"The Protego charm?"

"No, it was a different one. It made my hand glow like a flashlight…L…Loo…Lumos!"

"Remarkable," Remus whispered. He went to speak further, but the attic door opened at that moment to reveal a tall figure. The person stepped into the room and into the light, holding something in his hands.

"Sorry I'm late," Draco said, shutting to door behind him.

"We were wondering when you were going to join us," Neville joked.

"It took me a little longer to find this than I thought," Draco replied good-naturedly as he held up the object in his hand.

"What's that?" Liz asked.

Everyone looked over at her with smiles on their faces. Draco moved towards her, and looked deep into her eyes. She was immediately lost in his gaze, and didn't come out of her trance until she felt something being pressed into her hands.

Her eyes fell to the long, slender box that was currently in her palms. It was extremely lightweight, but she could feel something moving inside when she tilted it to examine its shape.

"What is it?" she asked, raising her gaze to meet his eyes once again.

"It's yours," he replied, looking softly at her. She felt a shiver go down her spine as she felt his eyes stare all the way into her soul. It scared her a little that she was so affected by a mere look from him. She understood that they were married, but since she didn't remember any of it, she didn't know what to make of it all. She couldn't figure out why she was pulled to him the way she was; why she wanted so badly to have him hold her tightly in his arms; why she felt such a strong urge to close the distance between them and touch her lips to his.

She heard a soft cough from behind her, and the moment was broken. Draco cleared his throat, and took a step back from her. She dropped her gaze to the box in her hands, and gently lifted the lid. Inside, nestled in velvet was a long, thin object. Liz looked back at Draco.

"Is this…?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"A wand?"

"Your wand."

Liz looked down at it, and ran a finger along the length of the smooth wood. It seemed to vibrate beneath her fingertips. She reached into the box, wrapped her slender fingers around it, and pulled it out so that she could examine it. But before she raised it to eye-level, she felt a strong wave pass through her, and she closed her eyes against it.

*FLASH*

Hermione waved her wand and pointed it at a feather. It lifted from the desk, and floated effortlessly in front of her.

*FLASH*

Hermione was holding out her wand, waving it at Harry's face. Immediately, his broken glasses were mended perfectly.

*FLASH*

Harry, Hermione and Ron were all waving their wands at a man with greasy black hair. Spells shot forth from the three pieces of wood, striking the man and knocking him back into a wall.

*FLASH*

Hermione raising her wand and allowing a beautiful, silver otter to float from it and dance on air around the large room.

*END FLASHES*

Liz jolted back to reality, and felt her whole body twitch violently. The shock of what she had just seen was overwhelming, and she lost her balance when she jumped. She started to fall backwards, but was stopped by Draco's strong arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her up against him. Still clutching her wand tightly, she instinctively wraps her arm around his neck as he held her close.

"Are you ok?" he asks, his voice tight with emotion.

Unable to speak, Liz nods and buries her face in his neck. She can hear the others in the room asking questions, but she blocks their voices out until they are nothing but whispers. Her focus is now to try and calm her racing heart and breath, a feat that is greatly assisted by Draco's strong hands rubbing her back and running through her long hair in a calming manner.

"It's ok," he whispered to her, keeping his lips close to her ear. His warm breath on her lobe causes a shiver to course up and down her spine, following the path of his hand.

After another minute of his embrace, she slowly and reluctantly pulls herself away. She raises her eyes to meet his, and is met with a gaze so loving and worried it made her want to cry. She offered him a sad smile, which he returned.

"What happened?"

"I think I just remembered some things."

"What do you mean?"

"It was like a flashback. I saw myself doing magic."

"What did you do?" Remus asked.

"I saw myself floating a feather, fixing Harry's glasses, knocking someone out with Harry and Ron, and creating a silver otter."

"I remember all of that," Harry said, entering the room with Ginny and Ron close behind him. "You were the first to float the feather in our class, and it put Ron in a right state." Everyone chuckled as Ron shrugged sheepishly. "You always fixed my glasses for me, and the man we knocked out was a professor at Hogwarts. It's a bit of a long story though. As for the otter, that was first seen during our secret defence society meetings."

"I really did all that?" Harry nodded at Liz's question.

"We weren't kidding when we said you were the brightest witch of the age," Ginny said, pride evident in her voice.

"Do you think I'll ever be able to do it again?"

Everyone in the room gave her a blazing, confident look, but it was Neville who answered for them all. "Of course you will. If anyone can do it, it's you."

"You always caught on faster than anyone else, with everything you did," Draco admitted. "It drove me nuts sometimes," he confessed, causing the group to laugh softly again. "But you always made everyone around you want to do better. Now it's time for us all to return the favour."

Liz looked around at all the optimistic faces. They all believed in her and her abilities. She suddenly felt an overwhelming need to prove them all right. She decided right there and then that no matter how long it took or how hard it was, she'd recover her lost talents. She would make them all proud.

"So where do we begin?" she asked, causing the smiles in the room to widen immensely.

"We begin, as always, at the beginning," Remus stated. "I need everyone to spread out around the room and close their eyes."

Obeying, Liz soon found herself between Luna and Tonks, with Ginny in front of her. They all gave her an encouraging look before closing their eyes.

"I need you to focus on your energy," Remus instructed. "Find all of your hidden energies and bring them to the surface."

Liz did as best she could, reaching deep within her soul for what she didn't even know was there.

"Can you feel it?" Remus asked. "Pull as much of it out as you can. Feel it filling you up."

Liz could feel something inside, and tried to convince herself that it wasn't just nerves.

"Now take that energy and use it to draw in the energy in the room." Remus' voice was incredibly calm and soothing. "We all know there's magic everywhere, but with this many witches and wizards in one place, there's even more in here."

She reached out with her senses, and tried to feel around the room for other energy. She could feel power emanating from those closest to her physically, and tried to focus on what everyone felt like.

Luna felt like the evening air: cool and calm; Ginny was like a fall wind: powerful yet soothing; Tonks felt like fire: warm and strong.

She could feel the males in the room too. Neville was reminiscent of the sun: full of light but sometimes in the shadows; Ron was like the earth: sturdy and ever-present; Remus reminded her of her favourite tree in her backyard: sheltering and reliable.

Harry was probably the most distinct, for he felt like pure power: controlled and ready to be harnessed.

Despite Harry's distinction, Liz was once again drawn to the feelings that she was getting from the opposite side of the room. Draco's power shocked and excited her. She seemed most aware of his presence, and the fact that he felt like fresh rain: refreshing and sometimes unpredictable. Liz had always loved the rain, so it seemed only natural that she be drawn to his presence. She silently wondered if he could feel her, and what she felt like.

~ You feel like home: warm and inviting. ~

Liz's eyes flew open at the sound of his voice, but she forced herself to remain calm. Glancing across the room, she saw that Draco's eyes were still closed, but he had a small smirk on his face. Confused, but curious, she closed her eyes again and decided to experiment a little.

~ Was that my thought or yours? ~

~ Definitely mine. ~

~ So you're speaking to me in my head now? ~

~ Don't be afraid of it. Just let it come. ~

~ Hey, can you two keep it down in here? ~

~ Yeah, the rest of us are trying to concentrate! ~

Ron and Harry's voices caught her attention. ~ You guys are here too? ~ she asked in disbelief.

~ It would appear that way, ~ they replied in unison.

~ How is this possible? ~

~ Probably because of how close the five of us are. ~

~ Ginny, is that you? ~

~ Yeah, it's me. Where are we? ~

~ Inside our heads. ~ Draco's voice was the clearest of them all in Liz's head.

~ So we're all close enough for this connection to occur? ~ Liz was still trying to make sense of it.

~ Well, you, Harry and Ron were best friends since first year, you're my best friend, and you and Draco were married. So I suppose that accounts for the closeness. ~ Ginny chuckled at her own sarcasm.

~ What does this have to do with magic? ~ Liz inquired, still marvelling at the fact that they were communicating through their minds.

~ It's a form of magic, ~ Ron explained. ~ Many wizards can do wandless magic, or silent magic. This is another form of it. ~

~ There are also some wizards who can read people's minds. It's called Occlumency, but I don't think we're at that level yet, ~ Ginny added.

~ Were we ever? ~

~ I've had lessons in Occlumency and Legilimency since I was young, but I haven't used the skills in years, ~ Draco admitted.

~ Snape tried to teach me back at Hogwarts, but I never took to it, ~ Harry added.

~ So where do we go from here? ~ Ron asked.

~ I think we need to figure out what this connection means before we explore it further, ~ Liz stated simply.

~ She's right, ~ Draco agreed. ~ We need to focus more on physical magic first. This will come in time. ~

~ Time to head out then? ~ Harry suggested.

~ Sounds good to me, ~ Ron answered.

~ I'm with you on that, ~ Ginny added.

Liz could feel the three of them leave the connection, but knew that she wasn't the only one left there. ~ Draco? ~

~ What is it? ~

~ What does this mean for me? How am I able to do this so suddenly? ~

~ I don't know. But I think we can take it be a good sign that you can. ~

~ Why's that? ~

~ Because it proves that you do have magic in you. A plain old muggle wouldn't be able to do this ~

~ So, does this mean that we can have conversations in our heads now? ~

~ I think it might. We can experiment with this a little later, if you'd like. ~

~ I think I would like that, if you don't mind. ~

~ Not at all. ~

~ I guess we should get back to the others. ~

~ Are you sure you're ok to do this? It's been a long day for you. ~

~ If I don't start now, I don't know if I'll ever get going. ~

~ You know I'll help you however I can. ~

~ I know. Thank you. ~

~ Anytime. ~

~ Shall we? ~

~ We shall. ~

With that, they both left the connection, opened their eyes, and immediately sought out the other across the room to shoot a grateful look.

They all spent the next few hours working with Liz on spells. It was like first year all over again, trying to levitate feathers as high off the ground as they could. While it took her a few tries with Neville's help, Liz finally managed to raise her smooth, white feather all the way to the ceiling of the room. She was so shocked and happy with her progress that she hugged Neville and kissed his cheek, causing him to flush pink.

She was then passed over to Ron, who helped her learn how to disarm an opponent. He gave her instructions, and then simply stood a few feet from her with his arms at his sides. Again, after only a few tries, she disarmed him of his wand, sending it flying across the room.

Next up was Remus, who worked with her on strengthening the shield and light charms that she had already demonstrated. She already knew the incantations, so it was only a matter of putting some force behind it to keep the shield up as long as possible, or to make the brightest and longest lasting light she could. While the shield was up, Luna and Tonks threw a few gentle spells her way to test its strength. Once it was decided by her three teachers that she had put enough magical muscle into the shield and the light, she was handed over to Ginny's care.

The two spent the next little while working on spells that she had apparently been excellent at when she was back in school. "Alohamora", "Reducto", and a few others were all shouted at various points during this 'lesson', with Liz improving on her skills quickly, as usual.

Once Ginny was done, Draco took over to work on her defensive spells. Like Ron earlier, he played the role of the punching bag as she experimented with spells like "Petrificus Totalus" and "Stupefy". Being the intelligent man that he was, he had conjured a large bed of pillows for him to fall on once the spells hit him, but that didn't stop her from worrying every time one of her spells was successful.

When Draco had finally had enough, it was Harry's turn at last. At this point, Liz was physically and mentally exhausted, and even asked if they could take a break. Everyone seemed very eager to finish the day's training though, so she finally gave in, and prepared to learn even more. Liz was most nervous about this, because she had no idea what to expect anymore. After a brief introduction to her final spell of the day, Liz set to work on mastering the Patronus charm. This was the most difficult spell thus far, particularly for Liz. Nearly an hour later, and she still hadn't mastered it. It worried the others in the room, as they had been so impressed by her progress over the course of the afternoon.

Liz, on the other hand, was getting angrier and angrier. Partly at Harry for continuing to push her so hard, but mainly at herself for not being as good as they wanted her to be. She'd always had self-esteem issues, and tried to please everyone. Now suddenly, she was in a position where she couldn't please everyone, and it frustrated her to the point of giving up.

"Come on, concentrate!" Harry pushed, his voice tense.

"I'm trying!" Liz shouted back angrily.

"You'll never get anywhere with that attitude!"

"Well maybe I'm not as strong as you think I am!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not HER anymore! I don't know this stuff! Why can't you just accept that!" Liz threw her wand to the ground in her rage, and stormed out of the room. Ignoring the shouts behind her for her to come back, she raced down the stairs, past where Molly was preparing dinner, and ran out the front door of the house, slamming it as hard as she could after her.