A/N: Thank you, everyone, for favoriting and following — and especially for the reviews. I like to read people's reactions to the plot and characters as they progress. And a special thanks to Bonnie and Mainsail for beta reading this and thus improving on the original. Remember that if you have any questions or concerns about what's going on, feel free to include them in a review or a PM — I'll try to answer.

Fanart! A regular reader named Alice recently created fanart that was inspired by Jasmine and Hermione:

majinssketchbook. deviantart art/Jasmine-and-Hermione-fan-art-597873354

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does.

Recommendation: This chapter's recommended fic is "Divided and Entwined" by Starfox5. The good news is, Fudge believes that Voldemort is back; the bad news is, he thinks appeasement is the best way of dealing with the problem. Sacrificing the muggleborn is worth avoiding another costly war, right? Still in progress, but updated weekly.

Chapter 23 - Wicked Old Witch

Monday, October 11, 1995, Morning.

"Alright, you've had over a week — give me some good news," Amelia Bones said.

"I'm afraid we don't have much of that," Rufus Scrimgeour admitted. "Every attacker seems to have had a timed portkey. Well, every one of them but the three werewolves. Some of the witness descriptions are consistent with Travers and Mulciber, both of whom were among the recent escapees from Azkaban."

"What do we know about the three werewolves?"

"Loners and drifters," Scrimgeour replied. "Standard story for that lot. We suspect that they were off-and-on members of a pack hiding in Wales."

"Despite Fudge's use of Sirius Black as a catch-all boogeyman, he won't approve of a broader search for clues," Moira O'Connor observed. "It's almost as if he knows You-Know-Who is back and doesn't want to do anything which might bring forward real proof."

"Yes, isn't it?" Bones said dryly. "Is that all you have, after more than a week?"

"Aside from the fact that the witches who took them all down did pretty well for themselves, I'm afraid so," Scrimgeour said.

Bones sighed. "Very well, keep at it."

When Jasmine, Hermione, and the others approached the Great Hall for breakfast, they once again found a large group of students gathered around what appeared to be a new Educational Decree. Slipping through gaps in the crowd, they discovered Umbridge supervising Filch, who was attaching Decree Number Twenty-Nine to the wall.

"'All extracurricular activities are subject to review by the Chief Inquisitor'?" Hermione read aloud, wondering how this might impact the loopholes they'd managed to find in her last decree.

"All extracurricular activities?" Jasmine asked. "Every single one?"

"Absolutely," Umbridge confirmed. "It doesn't matter what type, how often it occurs, or where it occurs."

"That seems awfully broad," Hermione observed.

"Why, do you have something to hide?" Umbridge asked with narrowed eyes.

"So, when I meet my girlfriend in a broom cupboard," a voice that sounded suspiciously like one of the twins' said, "do you need to actually be there to review my performance? Or can I submit a written report later that describes how amazing I was?"

"What?" Umbridge exclaimed. "I would never...!"

"Maybe you should have your girlfriend submit a report as well," came a voice that sounded like the other twin's. "You know, so the Chief Inquisitor has a second opinion."

"Better that than to have someone actually there, telling me what I'm doing wrong," came the first voice.

"Yeah," agreed the second, "since your girlfriend will already be doing that, it would be rather redundant."

"Why, you... you..." Umbridge stammered.

"Madam Umbridge," came Dumbledore's voice. "What's this I hear about you trying to join our students during their, ah, amorous activities outside of class?"

"That's completely untrue!" Umbridge protested.

"Really?" Dumbledore asked skeptically. He made a show of examining the new Educational Decree, then looked back at her. "Your new decree certainly seems to encompass exactly such activities. There's no denying that they are very, hm, active, after all."

"If you're doing it right, they are," one of the twins stage-whispered, and Jasmine thought she saw Dumbledore forcing back a laugh.

"And they certainly aren't any part of the curriculum that I'm aware of," Dumbledore continued as he turned to his deputy. "You aren't teaching any of the students what to do in broom cupboards, are you, Professor McGonagall?"

"I should say not!" McGonagall replied primly. "And I'm quite disappointed in you, Madam Umbridge, trying to insinuate yourself into the students' romantic liaisons like that. Have you no decency?"

Umbridge was too shocked to even complain about not having been called "Chief Inquisitor." Instead of trying to argue, she ripped the decree off the wall and stomped back to her office.

Once she was gone, some of the students noticed a twinkle in both Dumbledore's and McGonagall's eyes.

Friday, October 15, 1995, Morning.

Jasmine and Hermione were kept from getting into breakfast by yet another Educational Decree being posted outside the Great Hall. This one, Number Forty-Seven, stated: "Students must consent to have their post checked for illegal contraband."

"Number Forty-Seven?" Hermione asked in bewilderment. "That can't be right. On Monday it was only Number Twenty-Nine!"

"Do you think you can number the Educational Decrees better than the Ministry?" Umbridge asked dangerously. "Do you believe that someone with your unfortunate heritage understands numbers better than Ministry experts?"

Hermione was prevented from responding by Jasmine grabbing her arm and squeezing hard before she dragged the indignant Gryffindor into the Great Hall.

"Why did you do that?" Hermione demanded. "They're obviously numbering things wrong!"

"Instead of worrying about their insane pureblood numbering," Jasmine responded, "you should pay more attention to the content of the decree. They're going to be checking all the mail!"

"I saw that," Hermione retorted. "That was even more absurd than the numbering. Students must consent? If consent isn't an option, how is it even consent? And there wasn't even any penalty to not consenting. It's completely absurd! I'd have complained about that, but Umbridge would have given me a detention — she can't do that quite so easily if I'm talking about the numbers, but I still get to point out how stupid they're being."

"Whatever," Jasmine said. "Do you think maybe Umbridge was responsible for Hedwig getting hurt?"

Hermione stopped and thought for a moment. "That is possible. She's effectively admitted that she wants to monitor our mail."

Before that conversation could continue, owls descended upon the Great Hall — including two carrying a large package and heading directly for Luna.

"Is that what I think it is, Luna?" Neville asked. Luna just nodded, so eager was she to open the package and start pulling out copies of the Quibbler.

"Looks like Umbridge's scheme to read everyone's mail hasn't been implemented yet," Jasmine noted.

"Good thing, too," Neville replied. "Otherwise we wouldn't have gotten these."

"It looks like daddy sent everyone's subscriptions together in this package," Luna said as she read a note that had been included.

"That might seem reasonable," Hermione said, "but you should probably tell him to not do that next time. It's easier to confiscate one package than dozens of separate packages."

Luna nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, under the circumstances. I'll let him know."

"It's a shame that we couldn't get more in here about our resident Chief Inquisitor," Jasmine lamented as she flipped through her copy.

"Umbridge hadn't done much before we had to meet the deadline," Hermione reminded her. "Unfortunately, by next time I'm sure Luna will have plenty of material for an article." Luna looked up and smiled brightly. "In the meantime, I think her article on the Ministry is pretty good. And her father's article on Umbridge's history is a good starting point, too."

"So, any bets on how long it will be until she reads this issue?" Jasmine asked the table at large.

Saturday, October 16, 1995, Afternoon.

Jasmine and Hermione had decided to forego visiting Hogsmeade in favor of training, figuring that it was unlikely that there would be another attack so soon. They were right, but they still ended up regretting their decision. When they got to Professor McGonagall's office in order to travel with Professor Flitwick, they learned that two students had been nearly killed on the road between the castle and Hogsmeade: their fellow Gryffindor Katie Bell and Cedric Diggory.

"She was carrying a large, expensive necklace," McGonagall explained. "Her friend Leanne said that she had gone to the bathroom, then abruptly left the Three Broomsticks with an unfamiliar package. Leanne followed and argued with Katie. At some point Katie touched what was in the package and started convulsing. Mr. Diggory and Miss Chang were on their way to Hogsmeade when they saw this, but when Mr. Diggory tried to help, he touched what was in the package as well. Both were severely injured by a nasty curse."

"What was in the package?" Jasmine asked.

"A cursed necklace. Opal and diamonds, I believe," she replied. "Miss Bell and Mr. Diggory are both in St. Mungo's, and it's expected that they'll be there for quite some time before they recover.

Hermione and Jasmine both gasped. At their professor's inquiring look, Jasmine described seeing such a necklace in Borgin & Burke's, followed by Hermione's account of what they'd heard Nott saying in the same store. They also explained how they'd been keeping an eye on him, noticing that he'd been looking worse and worse as the term progressed.

McGonagall looked pensive. "That's hardly proof of involvement, much less guilt, but it does present a suspicious picture. We believe that Katie was under the Imperius Curse and ordered to use the necklace to kill someone in the castle. I'll start keeping a closer eye on Mr. Nott myself. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

They were soon joined by Professor Flitwick, but instead of heading out the floo with him, they were given a surprise: it was McGonagall who would start training them while Flitwick stayed behind to cover for them all.

According to the two professors, the girls had progressed enough that they now deserved training in higher-level transfiguration and how to use it in a fight. "You can do a lot with curses, hexes, and charms," McGonagall explained, "but in some ways you can do more with transfiguration." She smiled at the slight huff that came from Flitwick. "With transfiguration, all of the debris on a battlefield can become tools for attack and defense, and what you create is limited only by your skill, power, and imagination."

Neither of the younger witches had any idea how the ability to transform buttons into beetles would help them in a fight, but they were in the rocky training area only a few minutes before they learned how valuable transfiguration could be. After gathering up a pile of pebbles, Professor McGonagall transfigured some of them into a pride of lions that could be commanded to attack, others into a wall to defend, and still more into pointed missiles that could be banished into the enemy.

"Wow," was all the two could say as they witnessed why their professor was an acclaimed Mistress of Transfiguration and so highly regarded in her field. She moved her wand like a conductor in front of an orchestra, but instead of directing music, she was calling forth destruction against potential enemies. Fortunately she hadn't conjured any pigs to serve as targets, deciding to leave that for a later lesson.

"It takes power and skill to transfigure small objects into larger objects," she told them. "It takes even more to turn inanimate objects into anything animate, particularly large mammals. It takes still more to apply charms that will have the animals attack, especially to attack specific types of targets. With experience, you'll learn how to apply the charms during the transfiguration process rather than as a separate step afterwards. Fortunately, you two seem to have power to spare, but you'll need to learn how to use that power with greater precision. Otherwise, you'll wear yourselves out after only a few transfigurations."

Jasmine and Hermione's skepticism turned into eagerness as their professor walked them through the process of first transfiguring a random stone into a large mammal, then a mass transfiguration of many stones into many animals at the same time. Needless to say, it was much, much harder to do than she had made it look. The girls barely managed to transfigure one stone into a lion, and even that didn't look quite right. The less said about the results of their first attempts at mass transfiguration, the better.

"Mass transfiguration of large mammals — especially if you include compulsion charms to direct behavior — requires time, concentration, and power," McGonagall explained. "This means it's costly, a cost that can quickly lead to your defeat if you're in the middle of a fight and deadly spells are being cast at you. So why do it?"

"Because if you can do it successfully," Hermione answered, "you force your opponents to divide their attention among multiple targets. If they ignore the attacking animals, they will be mauled. If they ignore you, they get cursed. If they try to do something to take out all of the animals, that will take a lot of effort and power on their part."

"Correct. When would be a good time to use this tactic?"

"When you're safe behind some cover," Jasmine said. "Or when someone can provide covering fire for you."

"When you're outnumbered and need to even the odds," Hermione added. "Or when you need a distraction so you can escape."

"All good answers for different reasons," McGonagall said. "Mass transfiguration can be invaluable in a fight, but it's hard to use if you are alone. It's much easier if you have at least one other ally who can provide cover and defense while the transfigurations are being performed. Since there are two of you, and since it's likely that you both will end up fighting again, it would be wise for you to start thinking about how you could best work together. That would include how you might include mass transfiguration in the future, once you learn how to do it."

Sunday, October 17, 1995, Late Morning.

Once the wizards had left at the end of training, Fleur addressed the study group witches about something she was sure they had all been anticipating. "As you may know," she said, "zere is an important magical holiday at ze end of zis month: Samhain. Can I assume zat you are all interested in participating?"

If the eager looks on all their faces hadn't been enough of an answer, the squeals of delight surely were. "Even my auntie tries to do something on Samhain," Susan chimed in to say. "That's how important the holiday is. But I've always wanted to have a chance to participate in a full ritual celebration."

"Bon, I am glad to hear zat. However, would you accept a change of venue? Our rituals have done wonders to help ze forest — so much so, in fact, that my maman has suggested zat we start holding ze rituals at other important magical sites around Britain."

"Is it that big of a deal?" Jasmine asked.

"Ze forest here has been transformed far more than you may know. Most if not all of ze dark creatures are gone now while life is flourishing as never before," Fleur answered. "Hogsmeade is a little more magical, with all ze enchantments strengthened. All zose who participated in Beltane are a bit taller, stronger, and more powerful magically. And zat is simply what is most obvious. Zere might be more zat we cannot detect." Most of the girls looked at each other in surprise — they knew that there had been changes, but not that they were so extensive.

"Where did you have in mind that we go?" Hermione asked.

"Actually, it would be a bit more complicated zis time around," Fleur explained. "We have a site picked out in Cornwall, an ancient stone circle known as ze Merry Maidens. One of ze reasons why we picked it is because it's one of ze closest sites to Godric's Hollow." She turned to Jasmine and said, "If I remember correctly, you have never been given a chance to visit your parents' graves, non?" All Jasmine could do was shake her head as a welter of emotions rose up inside of her.

"Well," Fleur continued, "Samhain would be a good time for zat. If you would like, we could go zere first to hold a small, private ceremony, then join ze others at ze Merry Maidens."

"How would we do all that travelling?" Daphne asked.

"Portkeys," Fleur answered.

"But they're highly restricted!" Susan objected. "That's why we can't get emergency portkeys for students' families."

"I have a source," Fleur replied cryptically. "I cannot use my source to supply your needs, but I can use it in a limited fashion for zis."

"Will it be just you, or..." Hannah trailed off, uncertain of how to word her question.

"I have not talked to Professor McGonagall, but I will, and I expect she will agree. There will be a number of veela at ze ritual, too, like last time."

"What did you say this place was?" Daphne asked. "Merry something?"

"Merry Maidens. Ze muggles in Cornwall call it zat because ze nineteen stones zat make up ze circle were once said to have been nineteen maidens who were turned to stone for dancing on a Sunday. Ze site is about four or five thousand years old."

"Sounds like an appropriate place for our first ritual outside of Hogwarts," Tracey observed, getting a smile and nod in return from Fleur.

"Won't the Ministry object?" Susan asked.

"Ze Ministry does not control it," Fleur answered. "Ze site is magical, and rituals like ours were performed there for hundreds if not thousands of years, but ze current Ministry has no interest in it. Zey cannot, not given how long zey have disparaged rituals."

"What about the muggles?" Hermione asked. "If I remember correctly, muggles who try to respect or even follow ancient pagan beliefs tend to hold their own rituals on or near these sites."

"We know about zem," Fleur said, "and we will be taking steps to keep ze muggles away for ze night. We would not even try to do zis otherwise."

One by one, all of the witches agreed to the plan. As exciting as the rituals in the forest had been, the possibility of doing one on an ancient site of magical power was even more thrilling. Most were worried about getting caught, but decided the risk was minimal if they were also accompanied by staff.

Jasmine was the last to agree because she was a bit choked up at the prospect of finally getting a chance to see her parents' graves. It was something she'd always wanted to do, but she'd avoided thinking too much about it because she had no idea how she'd manage it. The Dursleys had certainly never offered — and probably would have laughed if she'd asked.

Monday, October 18, 1995, Morning.

When the Gryffindors descended the steps to the Entrance Hall, none of them were surprised to see a crowd which had come to signal the appearance of yet another Educational Decree from the Ministry. Students had been discussing the latest issue of the Quibbler all weekend, and there had been reports that its stories were generating a lot of attention outside Hogwarts, too.

Jasmine and Hermione had known that it was only a matter of time before Umbridge took action against a publication which challenged her, Fudge, and the Ministry. Her opening salvo was Educational Decree Number Twenty-Seven: "Students and staff are prohibited from possessing the magazine The Quibbler. Any student found in possession of the magazine The Quibbler will be expelled."

"It's a good thing Luna knows which students get the Quibbler and ensured that they know the right spells for disguising it to look like something else," Jasmine said in a low voice.

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, "but it only protects them for this issue. It won't help in the future if Umbridge is searching the mail and able to keep upcoming issues out."

"We'll worry about that later," Neville advised. "As long as students can keep the current issue and discuss the stories about the Ministry, it's a victory."

Wednesday, October 20, 1995, Morning.

Apparently, Umbridge figured out that her ban on the Quibbler wasn't going to accomplish anything if she couldn't find any issues of it because students could still discuss it. In her eyes, discussing mistakes by the Ministry was tantamount to treason, thus explaining the reasoning behind the appearance of Educational Decree Number Forty-One: "Students may not discuss the upsetting events of last year. Anyone found doing so will be punished."

"So, what, I can't talk about how awful my Yule Ball date was?" Padma exclaimed.

"What? What happened?" Hermione asked.

Padma scowled. "He was a complete berk! He ignored me for half the night, then he went off and started dancing with some slag from France!"

Parvati put one arm around her sister's shoulders. "A lot of the Durmstrang wizards were rude. Well, except for Viktor, I guess."

"That's just not right," Ron muttered. "You should have told us. We'd have done something about him." The twins gave him approving nods.

"Did you notice how vague that one was?" Hermione asked Jasmine as they walked into breakfast. "It doesn't specify which events nor does it explain what the punishments are. I guess there are limits to how far those terms can be stretched, but in the hands of a petty, tyrannical bureaucrat they would be easy to abuse."

"And who do we know that fits that description?" Ginny asked rhetorically, looking up at the staff table where Umbridge sat, looking smug as ever.

"She's starting to react more quickly and to spot loopholes faster," Jasmine observed darkly.

Friday, October 22, 1995, Night.

After finishing their mind magics practice, Hermione hesitated before returning to her bed to sleep. "Jasmine?" she asked. "Can we talk for a minute about Samhain?"

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

"Do you want to... I mean... well, how would you feel about using that night to finalize our bond?"

Jasmine looked at her quizzically. "Why then? It seems a bit... I dunno, creepy, doesn't it?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not really. Pureheart has a lot to say about ritual celebrations. I'll get the book for you, but the short version is that some believe that the goddesses are especially active on that date, like on Beltane, and so sex on that date can be especially significant. Not as significant as Beltane, or in some ways even as significant as other dates dealing with fertility, but it's still an important day. And the date isn't all about death, either, even though that's what's associated with it in the popular imagination."

"OK," Jasmine said slowly, "so maybe it isn't creepy. I'll have to think about that part. But why that day — is it because some believe the goddesses are active or something?"

"No, not at all. Honestly, it was originally a gut feeling that it would be a good date for it. I didn't have any evidence or arguments, just a strong feeling. And you know that I don't like to depend on them like you do, so I did research and some thinking. It occurred to me that you visiting your parents graves might help fulfill at least part of what that serpent said — you know, overcome the burdens of the past. Also, we'd have to do it here at Hogwarts, but if we set it up right, it would mean three events that night: one in Godric's Hollow to honor your parents, one at the Merry Maidens to honor all of those who have passed on, and then one here that would be about a new beginning for the two of us. It's also the anniversary of when our friendship solidified."

"So," Jasmine said, "we honor the past, shed some baggage that we've allowed ourselves to be burdened with, then finally make a new start for ourselves?"

"Right," Hermione said, her eyes brighter.

Jasmine stared at her for a long moment. "You do know that, uh, once we finalize the bond — once we truly are bonded and not simply developing a bond — that we'll be as good as married? I mean, not legally or anything, but still..."

Hermione's eyes widened for a moment, then she slumped slightly. "No, actually, I hadn't. I guess... well, since it's not legal or official or anything, I've never thought about it in such terms. I honestly only thought about how handy it would be to do it on that date. But you're right."

"It's a big step," Jasmine said softly.

"No kidding, it's a big step," Hermione agreed. "And it's a permanent one, too."

"No take-backs. We can't change our minds, and it really is 'til death do us part.'"

"On some level, the idea of finalizing our bond seems... natural," Hermione said. "I mean, we're already developing it, and we intend to finalize it eventually. It's the natural culmination of the relationship we've been building for the last year — the last four years, in fact. But marriage... that sounds so much more serious, especially since there isn't even a theoretical option of divorce. And we're not even of age yet." Suddenly she got a horrified expression and slapped a hand over her face. "Ugh! I don't even want to think about what my parents would say...!"

Jasmine rubbed her shoulder sympathetically. "On the other hand... if we're old enough to be developing something as significant as a soul bond," she mused, "I mean, isn't marriage almost beside the point? Didn't you say that magical marriage bonds are a pale imitation of a soul bond?"

"There is that," Hermione conceded. Funny how permanently uniting our souls together seems "natural," she thought, yet bring up the word "marriage" and somehow it's such a shock! As she sat there considering all the ramifications, weighing the arguments for and against going through with this, especially now, she glanced over at Jasmine... and it dawned on her that she was going about this all wrong. This was not a decision she could make by toting up the pros and cons. In fact, the only choice to be made had been decided long ago, and she wasn't about to change her mind now.

In for a knut, in for a galleon, she thought resolutely. And this was my idea, after all.

With that, she reached out and grasped Jasmine's left hand with her own. When she felt their promise rings touch, she said formally, "Jasmine Dorea Potter, will you marry me? Even if it's not official?"

Jasmine's smile was wide as she met Hermione's gaze squarely and said, "Hermione Jean Granger, yes, I will marry you, officially or unofficially, til death do us part." Her eyes shone when she added, "And because I know our love will unite us in a way that far outstrips the ability of any government to regulate, control, or even understand."

When the two witches kissed, the glow of their magic and souls warmed them in a manner that they hadn't ever experienced before, and they knew for certain that they were doing the right thing.

"So," Hermione said when they pulled apart, "Samhain?"

Jasmine nodded. "But we should check with Fleur to see if she agrees it will work out alright, or in case we need to do something special."

Sunday, October 24, 1995, Evening.

"Ron, I can't believe you ate five helpings!" Jasmine exclaimed. "And that was just the desserts!"

"What can I say, I'm a growing boy," Ron retorted as they waited for the stairs to swing in their direction.

"You'll be growing sideways if you keep this up," Jasmine muttered.

"Nah," Ron said, "Weasleys stay pretty thin. Besides, no one said you had to wait for me to finish dinner."

"Of course I had to — I don't feel comfortable walking by myself too much while Umbridge is around. I'll do it when I have to, but I don't if I can avoid it. I want witnesses if she tries anything."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," Ron replied, staring at his feet as they started down the corridor to the Gryffindor common room.

"Since Hermione went to the library with Padma, and Neville and Ginny left early to do who-knows-what," Jasmine continued, "you were the only one left that I wanted to be around by the time I was done."

"Sorry," Ron said, looking a little sheepish. "I wonder why those two left dinner so early, though?"

A noise from their right drew their attention, and when they looked into the shadows of an alcove, they discovered why Neville and Ginny had left early.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing with my sister?" Ron demanded, balling up his fists as his ears turned red. Neville took a step backwards from the enraged Weasley. In focusing on Neville, however, Ron failed to notice that he had an enraged Weasley of his own to deal with.

That oversight was rectified when he abruptly found a glowing wand point about two inches from his nose. "What do you think you're doing, brother?" Ginny asked dangerously. Jasmine shook her head. Even I know better than to rile her up like that, she thought, and I didn't grow up with her!

"Ginny," Ron pleaded, "you shouldn't be—"

"I'll do as I wish, Ronald," Ginny interrupted. "It's none of your business what I do with my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Ron exclaimed. "Since when do you have a boyfriend?"

"That's none of your business, either," Ginny said. "All you need to know is that Neville and I are together now."

Jasmine looked at Neville, who still seemed nervous, but he smiled shyly when she shot him a quick grin and a congratulatory thumbs-up. Her support seemed to give him a little more confidence, though he still wisely stayed out of the siblings' confrontation.

"Does Mum know?" Ron asked. "If she finds out that you've been—"

"If Mum finds out anything about who I'm dating or what I do on my dates," Ginny hissed, "I'll know exactly who told her. And remember, brother dearest, that you're locked in this castle with me for ten months of the year. You'll only have Mum to hide behind for two months at best. You do the math."

With that, she pulled her wand back, walked over to Neville, gave him a long kiss, then dragged him down the corridor to the common room.

"Girls are all mental," Ron muttered.

"Excuse me?" Jasmine asked, one eyebrow arched high.

"Nothing, nothing! I just don't know why my little sister is in such a rush to grow up. She shouldn't be snogging blokes in alcoves like that. She'll get a reputation."

"Maybe, maybe not," Jasmine said with a shrug as they started walking again. "But it is her life, and you can't run it for her. At best, you can calmly point out how certain behaviors might look to others, but beyond that you'll have to stay back. You wouldn't like it if any of your older brothers tried to do the same thing to you, would you?"

"No, I guess not," Ron conceded. After a pause, he added glumly, "I didn't handle that too well, did I?"

"Ya think?" Jasmine replied, and Ron winced at the sarcasm. A little more judiciously, she went on, "Right or wrong, only she can decide how fast is appropriate for her when it comes to her relationships. She's bound to make mistakes, but they're her mistakes to make, and you just have to let her."

Ron sighed. "When did you grow up and become all wise and responsible?"

"Who said I did?" Jasmine asked as she stuck out her tongue at him. He never noticed when she slipped out her wand, nor when she turned his hair into a green mohawk with a spell she'd learned from Remus.

In fact, Ron didn't notice the change for another hour, despite the muffled giggles from others in the common room, and when he finally did he promptly blamed the twins.

Monday, October 25, 1995, Morning.

Neville sat alone in the common room, feeling both a bit proud and a bit nervous. Normally he accompanied Jasmine and Hermione to breakfast; more recently, Ginny had been joining the three of them. Now, however, he was thinking that if Ginny came down first, he'd simply walk with her. That sounded like something a boyfriend should do.

Boyfriend, he thought for the millionth time since the previous night. I'm a boyfriend. That means... that means I've got a girlfriend! Every time he had that thought, it was as exciting as the first time. It was as if the mere word were able to conjure up Ginny Weasley herself, just before she leapt into his arms to kiss him.

The truth was, he hadn't even known that he was her boyfriend until she announced it to Ron the previous night. He had intended to ask her, but before he could get it all out she pulled him into an alcove and started snogging him. Not that he was going to complain, naturally, but it had thrown him off his plan. Then they were interrupted by Ron, wands were drawn, and Ginny made her announcement.

I guess that qualifies as a "yes," even if I hadn't quite gotten out my question, he concluded. Just then, Ginny came down the stairs, and Neville couldn't help but smile. She smiled back and sat down next to him. "Shall we go to breakfast?" he asked.

She gave him a curious look but finally said, "No, let's wait for the others. Thanks, though."

"For what?"

"For offering to go with just me," Ginny replied, leaning in to him. "It's sweet."

Neville's chest puffed out a little at hearing that.

Monday, October 25, 1995, Late Afternoon.

It was a nervous Jasmine and Hermione who stayed behind once their Defense class was finished. "Fleur?" Jasmine started. "There's something we'd like to talk to you about. It's, uh, rather personal, but, ah, I'm not sure that there is anyone else we can talk to about this."

The two Gryffindor witches looked at each other for a moment, then turned back to their now-curious professor. "You probably know that we haven't finalized our bond yet," Jasmine continued, "but we were thinking about doing it when we got back from the Samhain ritual."

Fleur's eyebrows rose in surprise, and she said something in French that they didn't quite catch. "It is a big step, non?"

"Yeah, we covered that bit already," Jasmine said, sounding a little tired.

"Can you think of any reason why it would be a problem?" Hermione pressed on. "I know that Samhain isn't traditionally the sort of date for such things, but from what I've read it can be appropriate."

Fleur sighed and leaned back in her chair. "It is good zat you brought zis up with me, because I learned something ze other day that I've wanted to tell you, but I wasn't sure how. It may connect with your concerns."

She paused to organize her thoughts. "You remember how powerful Beltane was, oui?" When they nodded, she continued, "It was much more powerful zan anything anyone had ever heard of. No one can prove why it was, but ze best explanation anyone has come up with is zat ze goddesses descended and joined with you during ze ritual."

"You mean, they took us over?" Jasmine asked with a scowl. "Possessed us?"

"No, I don't think so," Hermione said before Fleur could answer. "I can remember everything I did, but if I had been possessed then I wouldn't be able to."

"Correct," Fleur said. "You were in control and zey would have... been along for ze ride, I guess, adding zeir power and essence to ze ritual, magnifying its effects beyond anything anyone could possibly imagine. Zey may have been able to encourage you to take certain acts, but zey would not have been able to force you."

"And what does this have to do with Samhain?" Hermione asked.

"It is part of why my mother suggested moving ze ritual to a new site," Fleur answered. "Since a ritual with your participation received such a strong blessing from ze goddesses and did so much good here, why not bring zose benefits to more places?"

"But there's no way to be sure that the same things will happen again," Hermione pointed out. "I mean, it's not like we did anything special on Beltane. And the other rituals weren't nearly so powerful."

Fleur shrugged. "In truth, it does not matter. Even in earlier rituals zat weren't so powerful, zey were still more powerful zan normal, and your presence still seems to have brought benefits to ze surrounding area. If for some reason ze goddesses do not wish for ze same to happen elsewhere, zen zey will not join with you as zey did on Beltane. If ze worst zat happens is a repeat of Eostre or Midsummer's Eve, it will still be a great boon to any site where we hold ze ritual."

"What do you believe happened on Beltane?" Jasmine asked.

"Does it matter what I believe?"

"Of course it does," Jasmine insisted. "We respect your opinion."

Fleur sighed. "I really do not know. I understand ze reasons why some believe zat ze goddesses joined with you, but I find ze idea of zat happening hard to accept. Gabrielle didn't speak to me for two days when I told her zat — she is convinced zat ze goddesses joined with you and zat zey are providing zeir blessings for you to fulfill ze prophecy. She may be right, but I simply do not know."

"Does this mean we shouldn't finalize the bond on that night?" Hermione asked, sounding a bit disappointed.

"Not at all. First, you need to be aware of what might be going on before you participate. If ze possibility of being joined with a goddess and having her add her own power to yours bothers you, zen you should not go. However, if zat does not bother you, zen know zat one way or another, ze ritual will affect you, as it did on Beltane. Remember zat at ze very least, you will take in magic from all zose who participate, and zat magic will be in you when you finalize your bond. Ze same is true with ze goddesses, if you have joined with zem. And no, before you ask, I do not know what zat would mean. I don't zink anyone could know — I doubt it has ever happened before."

The three continued to talk about rituals, goddesses, and soul bonds until dinner was nearly over and the two Gryffindors had to run to get to the Great Hall in time to eat.

Later that night, after the girls had finished their mind magics practice, Jasmine took a deep breath and said, "OK, let's do it on the night of Samhain. What do we need to do to prepare?"

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked. "I mean, we don't know what will happen."

"True, but we do know what happened in the past. Was there anything about Beltane that you regret?"

"You mean, aside from picking our way through dozens and dozens of writhing, naked veela?" Hermione asked with a smirk.

"Well, yeah, except for that."

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "You're right, everything about Beltane was good. It was the best ritual, in fact."

"We went into Beltane having already chosen to do what we did," Jasmine pointed out, "and in doing it, both our bond and our relationship grew stronger. Maybe the things Fleur explained to us were irrelevant, in which case I don't think we need to worry about Samhain. Or maybe the things she explained actually made it all better than it would have been otherwise, in which case Samhain is a better choice than you originally realized."

Hermione grinned, then pulled out some parchment and explained her plan for when they returned to the castle after the ritual.

Friday, October 29, 1995, Late Night.

Ward Master Bossplate watched silently as his team completed the ward stone configuration around the great stone circle. Muggles referred to the site as the "Merry Maidens," but goblins remembered its original name — not that they spoke it anymore, out of respect for the builders who had all long passed. The builders wouldn't have minded later generations using this site to honor magic in their own way, so long as they did so respectfully and sincerely, otherwise the goblins wouldn't have even considered helping on this project.

"The primary ward line is nearly complete," Warding Apprentice Stonesack reported. "All we have to do after that is the secondary line a hundred meters out to ensure that muggles keep their distance. With the amount of magic being carried by the ley line here, they should both be fully charged by tomorrow night."

"Good — we still have the second site to ward, and I want to get at least a little sleep tonight."

"The second site may take us a bit longer than this one," Stonesack pointed out.

"I know, I know. Placing wards around a graveyard in a mixed magical and muggle village is difficult, but it shouldn't take too long. I know a few tricks that I'll be teaching you."

"Are... are the rumors true?" Stonesack suddenly asked.

Bossplate eyed his apprentice critically. "You should know better than to listen to rumors."

"Yes, but these rumors..." The goblin looked around furtively, then continued in a low voice, "I heard that a priestess will be attending whatever is going to happen here. A priestess from the capital!"

Bossplate rolled his eyes. "Yes, I've heard that rumor. I even heard one that said that both the Queen and the High Priestess would be coming. And participating, too! I've told you before: rumors are garbage."

"I know, but something important has to be going on. Why else would we be warding this place?"

"Our treaty with the wizarding government doesn't let us ward wizard-controlled sites without the Ministry's approval, nor any muggle sites at all," Bossplate said. "This site, however, is magical and has been for millennia. It just isn't claimed by the current wizarding government, so it's fair game. The graveyard is a bit dicier, but it is partially magical, and the Ministry doesn't claim any authority over it. As to why they need to be warded..." Bossplate shrugged. "I honestly don't know. You're right that something important has to be going on, but I'm not going to speculate or make up stories. Neither should you. Just because your brother Knobshaft is a senior account manager doesn't mean you can gossip like that."

One of the goblins waved a hand, signalling the completion of the primary ward line. "Get moving on the secondary line," Bossplate ordered his apprentice. "Focus on your work and not on rumors!" Stonesack rushed to help the others set up the secondary line while Bossplate violated his own rules and started wondering what was going to happen here that was so important that wards like these would be needed.

Saturday, October 30, 1995, Evening.

Bellatrix Lestrange admired herself in the full-length mirror, turning this way and that as she ran her hands down along the rich, black fabric of her dress. A decade and a half in Azkaban (plus years of dark magic even before that) had taken their toll on her beauty, but she was still a good-looking witch and she knew it. The past two months in close proximity to her Lord had done wonders for her, bringing her back to nearly where she had been before entering the wizarding prison. Sure, Snape kept trying to take all the credit by claiming that his potions had been what was healing her, but she knew the truth.

And now, she was fit enough to once again lead her Lord's servants in the quest to clean up the filth that surrounded them.

He freed me from the shackles of mediocrity, she thought. He freed me from the walls that imprisoned me. He will free the entire wizarding world, too, rewarding those like me who are the most faithful while eliminating the filthy, wicked, muggle scum that envy us our righteous power. We are the Chosen Ones of Magic, blessed with power, grace, and nobility. Our power gives us the Right to cleanse the world of all those not blessed like us. Once our Lord has cleansed the world, we will have a paradise of pure magical humanity — witches and wizards who all enjoy the blessings of Magic and who are free to explore the full nature of magic under the guidance of our Lord!

Bellatrix was interrupted from her reverie when someone behind her cleared his throat. "Are you ready yet?" She turned her head and looked with narrowed eyes on her brother-in-law, Rabastan. "You witches always take too long to get ready. It's a raid, not a freakin' fancy-dress ball!"

Bellatrix sniffed and turned away from him again. "That's no excuse to be so lax in your manners and behavior," she replied haughtily. "As the Chosen Ones of Magic, we have a duty and an obligation to set a higher standard. To demonstrate to those who are inferior why it is that we deserve power while they do not."

"Even though yer just gonna kill 'em?" Rabastan asked.

"Especially then," Bellatrix insisted. "What's the point of cleansing the filth from the streets if they die without ever knowing why it is they need to die? Any of them could die in an accident and thus still be removed, but where's the value in that? No, it is up to us to make sure they know that they are dying painfully and messily for a good reason: that it is the Will of Magic that the filth be removed in order to make room for their superiors."

She watched in the mirror as Rabastan shook his head. "That don't make sense. Kill 'em and move on, I say."

Bellatrix whirled around to face her brother-in-law. "And did it never occur to you that that's why I am the Dark Lord's most faithful servant? Most trusted? Why the Dark Lord has always picked me to lead His most important missions?"

Rabastan snorted. "Not tonight, yer not. We're just getting rid of the family of a muggleborn witch, maybe burn down a few muggle houses fer good measure, too."

Bellatrix raised her head and looked at Rabastan imperiously. "It may not seem important to you, but it must be important to our Lord, otherwise He'd never order it. Do not presume to know the Dark Lord's will or plans. If nothing else, it may be a test — a test of our skills and resolve. And that would be another reason to do this right!" She stalked past her brother-in-law, no longer interested in debating with him.

She had a raid to lead. She had filth to cleanse. It felt good to get back to the action again, and she was determined to demonstrate that her faith and commitment had never wavered.