OooooO. Chapter 13… omg. Lolz.

Oh, and yes, this will answer many questions.

Dum dum DUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

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She looked at him with tearstained eyes, "You killed her. You killed my sister."

She stared at him for a moment, hatred etched in her face. It took him a moment to process her words, "Your… sister?"

She ignored him, instead cupping her hand to the face that, such a short time ago, had been flushed with life, "Why her?" She asked softly.

"What?"

She flew at him with her fists and her tears and her hurt, "Why her? Why not me? I would gladly have taken her place if it meant she could live. WHY HER?"

He caught her flailing limbs and pressed her to his chest. He tried to sooth her, but she refused to be consoled. They stood there silent, frozen in a hideous embrace for hours.

"Why?" She finally asked, as her tears dried on her face, "Why?"

He didn't want to answer her. Instead, he picked her up and walked back to the castle.

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She beat her pillows, she screamed. She tore at Ginny, who also tried to calm her. She would not be consoled.

"My sister, Ginny. She was my sister. What right did he have? Why would he ever do that to me."

Ginny looked back at her, he eyes curiously remote, " Sometimes death is better than the alternative."

"What could be worse than death? What?'

"Being forced to live and knowing you cannot die. Knowing that no matter what you do, you cannot remain innocent."

"Innocent of what? You chose to be what you are. I did not. And neither did she! She did not have a choice! You did!" Hermione collapsed against her old friend, sobbing into her shoulder.

"I did not choose for me. But perhaps she chose for herself." Ginny murmured.

Hermione pulled herself back and gazed into Ginny's eyes, eyes that had somehow turned human, "What do you mean?"

Ginny looked away, but Hermione begged her, "Tell me, what do you mean?"

"I am not to tell, miss."

Hermione begged with her eyes, and the tears that fell on her lap.

Ginny looked at her for a long time before beginning, " Hermione, haven't you ever wondered precisely why and how those vampyres found you with your sister in the forest? And why there was never a search for the Kings missing daughters?"

Hermione shook her head numbly.

"Because your father sold you. There has been a war for the past hundred years between the Chosen and the Mortals. You know this, yes?" She nodded and Ginny continued, " Well, both sides came to an agreement. If the son and daughter of the opposing sides were to wed, it would unite the two and end the war. But there was one problem with this. It was concluded that you would not agree to this proposal and thus force was necessary to bring you to the palace. Your father agreed to this on the condition that you would not be harmed.

But Luna was with you. This was another problem. Your father decided that, since she had seen you take by the vampyres, she would be better off not coming back to his kingdom. He also decided that she was to be silenced to guarantee there would be no 'rescue missions' for you. The marriage was to be done in secret and then told to the masses, so that they could not revolt against the idea."

"Why would he do that?"

"He loved you Hermione," Ginny said to her unasked question, " But, like himself, if he can better the lives of his kingdom by sacrificing as few as possible, he will do it. Even if they are his daughters."

"Were." Hermione said softly.

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Ok so it twas short. But there was a lot of info to process. So, umm, process it! Lolz.