Author's Note: It's been far too long since I posted another chapter. I'll admit, I almost gave up on this story, but thankfully that wasn't the case. So, without further adieu, here's chapter 28. Read, Review, & Enjoy!

Ron awoke the next morning to find that Alice was nowhere to be found. He got out of bed, got dressed, and left his quarters to find her. He turned a corner and saw Bill and Alice talking at the end of a long hallway. Ron started walking towards them when he suddenly saw Alice crying. He ducked out of sight and tried to listen to their conversation.

"I don't know how I could have been so careless," Alice said.

"Alice, you mustn't blame yourself," Bill said.

"It's my fault," Alice said, "I wasn't paying attention and I let this happen."

"Have you told Ron yet?" Bill asked.

"No," Alice said, "And I don't know if I should."

"Alice, he has a right to know," Bill remarked.

"But what will he think?" Alice asked, "Especially since I didn't want this to happen."

"Ron loves you," Bill said, "He'll understand."

"I can't tell him," Alice said, "And you have to promise me you won't tell him either."

"Alice, he's my brother," Bill said, "You can't expect me to keep something like this a secret."

"Please," Alice said, "Promise me you won't tell him. I don't want him to know until after I find a way to get this out of me."

Confusion swept over Ron. He had no idea what Alice was talking about and had no clue how to handle the situation.

"What mistake did she make?" he thought to himself.

Ron straightened himself up and rounded the corner. "Ah, there you are," he said, startling Alice, "Have you been up long?"

"Uh, yeah," Alice said, "I… couldn't sleep anymore, so I took a walk around the school."

Alice saw a different look in Ron's eyes. One of mistrust and confusion. "Did he hear me?" she thought.

Alice tried to scan Ron's thoughts only to find that Ron had closed his mind to her.

"Ron, is everything okay?" Bill asked.

"Yes," Ron replied, "Everything is fine. Alice, we'd better get ready to leave for Hogwarts."

Before Alice could respond, Ron turned and walked away.

"Do you see that?" Bill asked, "He thinks you're hiding something."

"I am hiding something," Alice replied sharply, "And I can't tell him because I'm ashamed."

"It won't be long before you show signs," Bill said, "What then?"

"Hopefully I can get this…this…curse out of me before he finds out."

Bill sighed and reached into the pocket of his pants, withdrawing a vial of liquid. "This should help with the symptoms," he said, "But I strongly urge you to talk to Ron about this."

Alice took the vial and hugged Bill. "Thank you for understanding," she said before walking off to find Ron.

Bill shook his head. "I sure hope she knows what she's doing?" he said.

Draco was awoken to the sound of banging on his door. "I'm getting awful tired of this," he said as he got up and opened the door to see Snape standing in the doorway.

"What is it now?" Draco asked.

"The dark lord has instructed me to return you to Hogwarts," Snape said as he walked into the room, "I am to give you your cover story and ensure your return."

"So, what am I going to say when I suddenly show up at Hogwarts?" Draco asked, "Ginny will have already informed them of my capture by now."

"When they question you," Snape began, "You will explain to them that you managed to get away from us with enough time to active a floo." Upon Snape's words, he threw a handful of floo powder into the fireplace, causing it to burn green.

"And do I know of anything Lord Voldemort has planned?" Draco asked.

"Discretion is an individual matter," Snape replied, "The floo will take you to Hogsmeade. From there, you will go straight to Hogwarts."

"Anything else?" Draco asked. Snape reached into his robe and withdrew two vials, handing them to Draco.

"What are these?" Draco asked.

"That is not important at the present," Snape said, "Now go."

Draco put the vials into his robe and stepped into the fire. When the flames disappeared, Draco found himself at the Hog's Head Inn. He stepped out of the fireplace and found himself in a room. Draco sat on the bed nearby and pondered to himself.

"I'll give it a day before I go to Hogwarts," Draco said to himself.

He then realized he hadn't eaten anything yet and decided to see if the place had any food. He walked out of his room and down the stairs into the main floor only to come face to face with Sirius.

"You and I need to have a serious talk," Sirius said.

Harry left his quarters with Cho as they descended into the Burning Lotus courtyard. Xeng was training a regimen of students.

"Good morning, Cho," Xeng said.

"Good morning, uncle," Cho said, "What style are you teaching them?"

"Bái Hè Quán," Xeng replied.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"White Crane Fist," Xeng answered.

"Oh, I remember that style," Cho said.

"Perhaps you'd be willing to demonstrate for them," Xeng said.

"Oh, no," Cho said, "I haven't practiced in years."

"You said the same of the flute last night," Xeng replied, "Yet, you played marvelously."

Cho took a deep breath and stepped onto the wooden platform where the other students were training. Cho stood still for moment, then slowly slid into a fighting pose, her arms outstretched and a single leg raised off the ground. Harry watched her remain balanced in this pose as Xeng moved into a fighting stance of his own. Xeng lashed out with a kick to Cho's planted leg, but Cho spun off her feet with lightning fast reflexes, countering with a punch, which found its mark in Xeng's chest. Xeng responded with a flurry of punches that Cho dodged for the most part.

In the midst of the punches, Xeng snapped his leg forward, kicking Cho off her feet. Cho sprung back to her feet and threw a volley of punches. Xeng blocked each punch until finally a stray punch from Cho put Xeng on his back. Cho moved in to finish the fight, but Xeng surprised her by tripping her off her feet and burying his heel in her sternum. Xeng got to his feet and helped his niece to hers.

"Rusted as steel in the rain," Xeng said, "But you remember what I've taught you. Well done, Cho." Cho bowed to Xeng and Xeng bowed in return.

"These are my best students," Xeng said, motioning to the group of young men and women in front of him, "They are ready to leave here with you and will aid you against Voldemort."

"They are your best?" Harry asked.

"Top of their class," Xeng answered, "In both use of magic and combat."

"Brilliant," Harry said.

"Come," Xeng said, "Tsunami awaits. She'll take you to rendezvous with the Rising Dragon. They'll take you all back to England."

Harry, Cho, Xeng, and the students walk out of the Burning Lotus dojo and down to the shoreline, where Tsunami was splashing around in the water. Cho hugged Xeng good-bye.

"Take care of yourself, niece," Xeng said.

"I hope we can see you again," Cho said.

"Once this war is over," Xeng said, "You and your friends will be honored guests in my dojo."

Harry and Xeng shook hands as they turned to Tsunami, who had beached herself, opening her jaws. Harry and Cho stepped inside as the students each held onto the scales of her neck and body, casting bubblehead charms. Tsunami sank into the waters and swam off. Xeng took a deep breath and walked back to Burning Lotus.

When Hermione awoke, Jason was already dressed, strumming his guitar. "How did you sleep?" Hermione asked.

"You mean after my hellish nightmare?" Jason asked, "Fine, I guess. You?"

"Fairly well," Hermione replied, "Have you been up long?"

"Yeah," Jason answered, "Shortly after sunrise. Couldn't sleep anymore, so I thought I'd get packed for Savannah."

"Jason, what's waiting for us in Savannah?" Hermione asked, "Please be honest with me."

"The night my parents died," Jason began, "They had taken myself, Alice, and Bobby to our grandparents for safe keeping, as they were being actively hunted by Death Eaters."

"Death Eaters?" Hermione asked, "In America?"

"The magical world extends all the way across the pond, Mione," Jason said, "Did you ever think that a man like Voldemort with an obsession to control our world wouldn't want to take all of it?"

"But, you said you were four when your parents died," Hermione said, "Voldemort had gone into hiding by then."

"He still had followers," Jason said, "Followers intent on resurrecting their lord. My parents stumbled across a plot to do so and were marked for death."

"I'm sorry I interrupted," Hermione replied, "Please go on."

"When they got to my grandparents, Death Eaters ambushed them. My mother tried to protect us. My father…he ran."

"Ran?" Hermione asked.

"Like a coward," Jason replied, "My mother fell victim to the Death Eaters and my father shortly after that. My grandfather, a powerful wizard, protected us and repelled the Death Eaters, but not before one of them cast the memory charm on him. My grandfather can barely remember his name. My grandmother has to remind him of his relatives."

"That's terrible," Hermione said. "Alice and I turned eleven and we got our letters to Dragonfire. My grandmother didn't want us to go to Dragonfire. She wanted us to study from her. That's how my mother first learned. My father had gone to Dragonfire. I wanted to go to Dragonfire to prove I could be a better wizard, a better man, than my father. My grandmother argued that my father was a better man than I could possibly understand. I told her if she wanted to show love and support for a dead coward, then she could do it without me. I left, Alice and Bobby left with me. We never returned home. We spent summers with other relatives here and there."

"Is that why you're going back?" Hermione asked, "To bury the grudge?"

"I'm going to make peace with what little family I have left," Jason said, "And maybe I can make peace with myself in the process."

"I'll stand by you," Hermione, "But we need to be honest with one another about these aspects of ourselves. You can't keep me in the dark anymore."

"The things I've kept from you are for your safety and mine," Jason said, "My secrets are guarded family secrets kept for the sake of family safety."

"Jason, I'm your fiancée," Hermione said, "I'm to become your family and you can't tell me?"

"I promise you, I will tell you everything," Jason said, "But after we return to Hogwarts. One thing at a time. First, Savannah."

"That's fair," Hermione said.

"Would you settle for a song?" Jason asked.

Hermione sat cross-legged on the bed, eager to listen to Jason sing. Jason strummed a few chords on the guitar before opening his mouth to sing.

You could've bowed out gracefully, but you didn't
You knew enough to know to leave well enough alone, but you wouldn't
I drive myself crazy tryin' to stay out of my own way
The messes that I make but my secrets are so safe
The only one who gets me, yeah, you get me
It's amazing to me

How every day
Every day
Every day
You save my life

I come around all broken down and crowded out
And you're comfort
Sometimes the place I go is so deep and dark and desperate
I don't know, I don't know

How every day
Every day
Every day
You save my life

Sometimes I swear, I don't know if I'm comin' or goin'
But you always say something without even knowin'
That I'm hangin' on to your words with all of my might

And it's alright, yeah, I'm alright for one more night

Every day

Hermione watched as Jason's fingers strummed the chords on his guitar. He always seemed at peace within the music. Hermione, though, was not completely at peace.

"What a hypocrite I am," she thought, "I tell him to tell me his secrets, all the while I harbor secrets of my own that I don't think I can ever tell him."

Hermione shook off her self-pity and watched Jason continue to sing.

Every day
Every day
Every day
Every day
Every day
You save me, you save me, oh, oh, oh
Every day
Every, every, every day

Jason had moved into another solo. The sweet melody made her forget about the things that were bothering her. It made her think back to simpler times. Made her think back to when their relationship had begun, when she would curl up next to him while he sang. She wanted desperately for those days to return.

Every day you save my life

Jason finished the song, letting the last note strummed linger for a moment before putting his guitar to rest. Hermione climbed out of bed and sat in Jason's lap, throwing her arms around his neck and curling up into him.

"I wish we could go back," Hermione said, "Back to before all this horrible business. Before your curse, before the war began, when we could just be kids again."

Jason kissed Hermione's forehead and stroked her hair. "We're not kids anymore, Mione," he said, "But I promise, when this is over, we'll have our peace once more."

Jason held Hermione for much of the morning until it came time to leave. Jason had prepared transport to Savannah and he had to keep to the schedule. Jason and Hermione walked out of the front gates of Dragonfire, where they saw a bus waiting for them. A man was standing by the doors.

"Welcome to the Spirit Express," the man said, "Reliable transport to the wizarding world. I am Bruce Arkane, your driver. You must be the two heading to Georgia."

"Savannah, to be more specific," Jason said, "But yes, we are they."

Bruce ushered Hermione and Jason aboard the bus and drove off. Thanks to multiple enchantments, the Spirit Express' journey did not take long. Jason and Hermione were in Savannah within mere hours. The Spirit Express stopped at a dirt road, allowing for Jason and Hermione to exit with their bags.

"Thank you for riding the Spirit Express," Bruce said with a smile, "And if you ever need a ride, just tap your wand three times and ask for me by name."

Jason and Hermione watched the Spirit Express ride out of sight. "So this is Savannah, eh?" Hermione asked.

"We're actually on the outskirts," Jason said.

"Feel that breeze," Hermione said, "So refreshing."

"The coast isn't too far away," Jason said as he looked down the dirt road to the house that stood at the end of it.

"Is that the place?" Hermione asked.

Jason said nothing as he started walking down the dirt path. Hermione followed him as he walked, finally reaching the house. Jason stood just in front of the porch as the front door opened and a gray-haired woman, looking in her sixties, walked out. She stared at him as he stared back.

"Is that you, Jason?" the woman asked.

"Hello, grandma," Jason replied.

A/N: All I can say is hold on tight, cause the next chapter is gonna drop a bombshell. Stay tuned!