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Draco, Hermione, Blaise, Luna, Ginny, and Harry crossed the line of trees that started the Forbidden Forest. They kept a few feet behind the pair, and it was when the two started stepping on leaves and twigs that Draco was glad that Granger cast a silencing charm on all their feet.
They walked a few minutes more when Felix and Lavender stepped under a low hanging branch. The air around them shimmered white before it settled and looked normal.
"What the hell was that?" Blaise asked.
"Well, let's find out," Draco said.
They all walked forward and stopped before the branch. Each person looked at each other before Blaise shrugged and stuck his hand out. The air around it shimmered and Blaise pulled his hand back.
"I don't feel any different."
"Well, maybe your whole person has to pass through for whatever it is to take effect."
They looked around the group at each other.
"I'll do it," Harry spoke up.
Draco rolled his eyes. "No, Potter. Don't," he said in a monotone voice.
Potter shot Draco a look. He stepped up to the branch and stuck a hand through. When nothing else happened, he eased his arm, then his shoulder, and eventually jumped through. He stood there a moment. He looked down at his arms and legs, and brushed off his torso.
"Nothing."
Blaise stepped up to the branch and repeated the process that Potter did. When nothing happened to either of the two, Draco went through, followed by the three girls.
Granger was the last through, but stumbled on a twig. She fell back, only to hit a wall. Draco pulled her up into a standing position. Her reached his hand tentatively out toward the space underneath the branch.
His fingers connected with some sort of surface. The air around his hand shimmered white and disappeared when he took his hand off.
"What do you suppose that means?" Ginny asked.
"It means we're stuck here," Granger answered.
There was a resounding silence in the group.
"Well, as ominous and disturbing as that sounds, we're already here. Wherever the hell 'here' is," Blaise said. "We might as well continue following after Felix and Lavender."
Everyone nodded their head. Draco took the lead at the front of the group and they started walking. There was a path a little bit ahead of where they were, so they started following it. Eventually they got to where they could see Lavender. They stayed at a pace that kept Lavender in their vision, but back far enough that they wouldn't be spotted.
Sometime later, Lavender and Veela stopped in a small clearing. They stood there. The group hid behind some brush, out of view. It was a small clearing. It actually wasn't really a clearing. More like a spot where trees were missing, but it had space. The Forrest was still dense with greenery, despite it being the end of October. It didn't look green now, however. The only light was from the moon, and clouds were covering that. What light did escape the clouds was filtered through the tree tops, giving the Forrest a particular black look. Draco didn't realize how creepy it all looked.
There weren't really any sounds. The wind was blowing a slight breeze, but it was a warm breeze and that contrasted strongly with the cold air.
A dark shadow melted out of the tree line. It was shrouded in a cloak and strode forward.
"About time," it said.
"Sorry, but Brown here got nervous," Veela replied.
Lavender lowered her head. "Sorry."
"No need to be," the figure said quietly.
Draco's eyes widened. He knew that voice. He looked over to see that both Blaise and Granger had figured out as well. They turned back to the three in the clearing.
"Well, you've been briefed several times on what to do with this. There's not much else we can tell you at this point."
Veela laughed. "The first one's always the-"
The figure raised its hand, cutting Veela off. There weren't any other noise besides the Forrest. The figure raised a wand and swished it furiously.
Draco, Hermione, Blaise, and the rest were all jerked forward out of their hiding spot. They all landed by Veela and Lavender.
"What the hell? What are you guys doing here?!" Veela exclaimed.
Draco got up, brushing his pants and suit off. "I could ask you the same thing," Draco said coolly. Veela looked at the group and his eyes hardened. "You guys need to leave. Now."
"So sorry. Whatever little enchantment is back there, wouldn't let us back out."
Lavender paled.
"Son of a bitch," Veela muttered.
"You still haven't said why you're here," Draco said to Veela.
Veela shook his head. Felix looked up at Draco. "Do you remember what I said? About things that I couldn't explain? This is one of them."
"Well, you also said that you'd explain things," Draco shot back.
"You have no idea what you've done Malfoy. Do any of you know what tonight is?"
Blaise looked at Felix. "It's Halloween."
Felix started muttering in that weird language.
Draco noticed that the dark shadow had not moved once, other than casting the spell that revealed the party. The shadow just stood there, but Draco could feel the anger and panic rolling off.
"Well?" Draco asked the figure. "He won't answer. Why not you? I thought there was something weird about the two of you. What is this? You two plan to sacrifice Brown over here? Is it some weird American ritual?"
Valerie reached up and pulled her hood back. "I wish."
The clearing became silent again. Valerie had changed. Not just her wardrobe. Her dress was the same, but it now looked like someone had cut the top of her dress off. Her shoulders and collar bone were now bared, and the bottom of the dress was in that high-low style of dress that Draco had seen a few Muggle females wear. Her hair was no longer pinned up, but let down freely. Her makeup was still dramatic, but what added to it was her expression. She was furious, that much Draco could tell. It was just in her eyes though. The rest of her seemed calm and relaxed, but that added to the deadly feeling that Draco had always had around her.
"What's going on? Why are you all here?" Granger asked.
Valerie stared at Hermione. "Felix, go acquaint Lavender with the packs. And while you're at it, find Thenora," she said calmly.
Felix took Lavender by the elbow and guided her forward. He gave the group one last glare, but it was filled with worry and panic.
As Felix and Lavender left the clearing, Valerie looked at each person individually.
"You have no idea what you've done."
Blaise snorted. "Yeah, so we've been told."
Valerie suddenly appeared in front of Blaise. He shrank back from the intensity, and the rest of the group jumped.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" She sounded calm and spoke each word slowly.
Blaise said nothing.
Valerie backed away from Blaise and started pacing slowly in front of the group.
"Humor me. Do any of you know what tonight is? Other than Halloween?"
No one spoke.
She stopped and looked at the group. "Oh, one of you must know."
Draco didn't know why, but he felt paralyzed. With fear, surprise, or what, he couldn't say. He had never seen Valerie so threatening or dark. He had caught glimpses of it, he knew now. After that first night in the common room, when Harper attacked Granger. When Harper called her Mudblood. He had seen something dangerous flash in her eyes. Now, however, that look intensified.
He heard someone clear their throat and looked over to see Granger opening her mouth to speak. Valerie cocked an eyebrow.
"Well..." Granger started, "it is Samhain."
The wind blew.
Valerie nodded her head. "Care to elaborate?" She asked with a low voice.
Granger nodded. "Samhain, well, is said to be a Gaelic festival. It was meant to mark the end of Harvest and the beginning of winter. It signifies darker times."
"Anything else?"
"Yes. It's been said it's a kind of 'doorway' if you will," Granger finished lamely.
"What kind of doorway, Hermione?"
Granger didn't answer at first.
"Hermione?"
"A doorway between the living world and-"
"-and Beyond. The Dead World. Am I correct?"
Granger nodded her head. Valerie smirked.
"For the most part you are correct. It's a celebration of a time come and gone. Wizards don't really celebrate it because, well, you have Halloween. Samhain lasts from sunset on October the thirty-first, to sunset on the first of November. Most people are passed out drunk by then. But Samhain doesn't just signify the end of Harvest. Do you ever feel different on Halloween? More...empowered?"
Draco's mother used to tell him that magic was strongest around this time. There wasn't any specific reason. Just that the magic fluctuated. And Draco did notice the change. He could feel his magic flow through him, he felt stronger.
Valerie smirked at him, as if reading his mind. "Samhain isn't just a doorway between the Living and the Dead. It's when magic is its strongest. The doorway lets magic, ALL magic flow freely. The rest of the year magic is...restricted. You aren't in touch with all of your potential. Just part of it. Wizards don't realize this, because as I said, wizards don't really celebrate Samhain."
She was quiet.
"But magical creatures do," Draco finished.
She gave him a feral smile.
"Yes. You have made the mistake of walking into a Samhain Circle."
"What?" Potter asked.
"You see, while you wizards celebrate Halloween, magical creatures celebrate Samhain. When there aren't any inhibitions on magic. When the magic is just free. ALL the magical creatures from the world come together in the time of Samhain to experience the magic. Magical creatures have always been around, long before wizards have."
She sighed.
"Unfortunately, this magic, as free as it is, is also dangerous. Those restrictions are there for a reason. So much raw magic can have its consequences. And magical creatures are strongly affected by it. They lose their logical side of thinking and become, well, animals. That barrier back there, when you couldn't go back, was for your safety. But it wasn't to keep you out."
She stopped.
"It was to keep us in."
Draco's mind was working a million times faster than normal trying to process it. There was one thing though...
"Us?"
Valerie turned her gaze back to him.
"You just said 'us'. As in magical creatures."
She gave him another smile. "Did I?"
And it would make sense. How she knew everything about the Community, about the Wizengamot bill, about her anger she had displayed over the mistreatment. Talking to Felix in that weird language.
"So that would make you a magical creature."
She rolled her eyes. "I would have thought that obvious at this point."
Draco felt betrayed. He knew Felix was one, he was open. But Valerie, she had said nothing. He'd been lied to for the past few months.
"So becoming an ambassador between the Community and the wizards? That was just bullshit."
Her expression softened. "No, it wasn't. I do want to be a go between. The only thing I lied about was the fact that I already am one."
"And how-"
"My, my Valerie. We've been naughty. Sneaking in humans?"
Draco looked over to see Felix coming back into the clearing with a new woman. She was wearing a sheer gown. Like she had managed to sew glittering lights together. Her hair was wild and her face had a slightly green tinge to it, although she looked far from sick. She gave Draco a sharp toothed smile.
"No, I haven't, Thenora," Valerie answered.
"Well, what do you intend to do with them?"
"What do you think I've been trying to figure out?"
Thenora rubbed a hand across her jaw in thought. "You could always give them to the Vampires and Pixies. But no doubt that would cause a stir with the Ministry."
Valerie shot her a look.
Thenora looked at the line of students. The wind blew and Thenora's eyes widened.
"Oh dear."
"Yep."
"There are-"
"Two of them."
Thenora's easy smile dropped and her face turned serious. "You are really fucked."
Valerie snorted.
"What?" Draco asked. "Don't just talk about us like we aren't here."
Felix walked over and joined Thenora and Valerie. "You lost that respect when you followed me and Lavender into the Forrest."
"Lavender and I," Valerie said quietly. She sobered up, and became the Valerie that Draco had known. "You don't get it. Thanks to your stupidity, I am now responsible for ALL of you. Any one of you dies, it's my ass. So I have to make sure you don't become the midnight snack. Which will be even harder since two of you are virgins."
Draco scrunched his eyebrows together. Well, it obviously wasn't him or Blaise. Which left...
"Harry!" Granger exclaimed.
Draco didn't know if he'd seen the Boy Wonder that red before. And She-Weasle had turned so red that she matched her hair and dress.
Blaise chuckled. "Way to go, Potter. Didn't know you had it in you."
Potter just put his head in his hands. She-Weasle shot Blaise a look.
"Oh, come on. We are two seventeen year olds who are dating. It is not the most scandalous thing, especially since you've snogged Malfoy, Hermione!" She-Weasle's eyes widened and clamped her hands over her mouth.
Potter turned green now. He looked back and forth between Granger and Draco. "Hermione you haven't really...have you?"
Granger made an annoyed sound. "Just twice."
"Twice!"
"Oh, don't you sit here and lecture me, Harry James Potter! At least I haven't..."
"Jumped Draco's bones?" Blaise suggested.
"Yes! At least I haven't jumped Malfoy's bones."
"Shame really," Draco muttered. Potter heard that and his expression turned stormy.
The three magical creatures looked on in annoyed amusement.
"With all this entertainment, Valerie, I don't even know why you would show up," Thenora said dryly.
"Yes, well, when said entertainment is a re-run, it becomes dull."
"Ah."
Felix just grimaced.
Hermione was caught off guard when Valerie once again materialized out of nowhere. She came in between Harry and Malfoy, who had become face to face with fighting, and shoved them back. The boys both stumbled back.
"Can we act civil, so that I may think?" Valerie hissed.
Harry and Malfoy both fixed their tuxes.
The new magical creature, which Hermione was sure was a fairy, walked up to the row of students.
"There's not much we can do with them. You'd be lucky if they survived the hour, let alone the night. And with these two," the woman gestured to Hermione and Luna, "well..."
Valerie glared at everybody. "Yes, well I thought about that. He," she jerked her thumb at Harry, "will be the easiest to explain. He's Harry Potter, so that will give us a valid excuse, if not a political advantage."
Thenora widened her eyes at the announcement of who Harry was, and then turned back to face Hermione, Luna, Blaise, and Malfoy.
"And them?"
"They'll have no choice," Valerie said. She looked at Blaise and Malfoy. "They'll have to be my Guard."
"WHAT?!" Felix strode forward. "Valerie?"
"Just for the night," she answered calmly. "After this, I'll release them."
A strange look flashed across Thenora's face. "Is that why I'm here?"
Valerie nodded her head.
Thenora smiled. "Sweet." She clapped her hands together and brought them to rest under her chin. She looked at Hermione, Luna, Blaise, and Malfoy like a scientist with a new discovery. She gave them all thorough look overs before she turned to Ginny and Harry.
"Let's fix you two, since you'll be the easiest." She made space between Harry and Ginny, who had come to hold each other in a slight desperate manner. She forced Ginny's arms up, so that she made a 't'.
"Alright dear, spin around." Ginny gave Thenora a strange look before spinning around.
Thenora rolled her eyes. "Slowly." Ginny repeated the process, only slower now, and Thenora made several sounds of approval. When Ginny was done spinning Thenora nodded her head. "Your hair has so much potential. And your dress, dear, takes away from that. It is a gorgeous gown on you, but..." Thenora reached forward and touched the dress on the strap and stepped back. From where Thenora had touched the dress, it appeared as if it was bleeding. But it was just changing color. Gold spread throughout the dress until it covered it fully.
"There we go. And this." Thenora stepped forward and undid the straps around Ginny's neck that held up the dress. She wrapped them around Ginny's shoulders and upper arms until the fabric started to grow. It filled in the space between the loops, all the way down Ginny's arms, to her wrists. The neckline went up to her collar bone. Next, Thenora stepped up to Ginny again and turned her around She gathered up her hair and twisted, putting it in a bun, but made it so that a braided strand kept it together. There were long strands kept down on either side of Ginny's head. Thenora took a step back, cocked her head to the side, and touched Ginny's dress again. The waist line took in a little more as did the bust. It wasn't so tight that it clung to Ginny like a second skin, but it did define her curves more. Thenora then flicked Ginny's dress, and the little designs disappeared. Sparkles trickled up Ginny's dress, starting to disappear and thin around Ginny's waist.
Harry gawked. Ginny looked absolutely stunning. The gold brought out her hair all the more and the sparkles twinkled as Ginny moved. She turned to Harry.
"What do I look like?" She asked.
Harry was opening and closing his mouth. "Gin you...you're...you look..."
Thenora smirked and looked at Valerie. "I figured, with the excuse we're giving them, that she could be 'regal political princess'. I think it turned out rather well."
Valerie said nothing.
"How'd you do that?" Hermione asked breathlessly.
Thenora turned to Hermione.
"I'm a nymph, dear. More specifically, I'm a fashion nymph. Sounds absurd, but nymphs do tend to have fields of specialty, and fashion is mine. My magic allows me to manipulate fabric. Much like your Transfiguration spells, you could say. The hair though, I learned to do myself. Now, you," she pointed at Harry, "have got it much simpler than your mate."
She stepped up to Harry touched his overcoat, pants, and vest once. Harry filled his overcoat out more, giving him broader shoulders. The sleeves shrank only a little, as did the pant legs on his trousers. The fabric itself tuned brighter, going from black to a 'dusted charcoal' color. The vest turned the color of Ginny's dress, as did the tie when Thenora touched it. She stepped back for a moment and looked at Harry, furrowing her brow. She moved closer to him again, and flicked his tie. Golden snitches raced across Harry's tie.
"A little humor doesn't hurt."
Thenora turned back to the remaining four.
"Now, the blondes together and the dark skinned one with-"
"No."
Thenora turned to Valerie. It was the only sound she had made during the whole process. Her gaze turned to the students, eyes blazing, but face serenely still calm. Thenora cocked a brow.
"The blonde with the brunette," she said.
Thenora smirked. "Hmmm, girl on girl. I must admit, I haven't done that in a while."
Valerie turned her blazing stare to Thenora. "The MALE blonde with the FEMALE brunette, Thenora."
The nymph turned her head back around. Her gaze swept over Hermione, then Malfoy. Her eyes sparked.
"Ah. I see it now." She clapped her hands again. "Alright, you two come here." Blaise and Luna moved forward.
She did the same arm up thing to Luna that she had done with Ginny. She tackled the hair first, bringing it back behind Luna's shoulders and grabbing strands from either side of her head. She twisted each strand and brought them together at the back.
"Hold this," she said to Blaise. Blaise stepped forward and gingerly took the blonde strands and held them. His eyes did not leave Luna as Thenora walked over to a tree and tore a leaf from the branch. She shook it once, and it turned into a silver hair clip. Taking the two strands of hair back into her hands, she clasped them together with the leaf clip.
"Simple, but effective." She walked around Luna to stand in front of her. "Hmm...I like the simplistic look. That seems to be a theme with you, my dear."
Blaise glared at her, and she caught it. She laughed. "That was a compliment, dear." She focused her attention back on the dress. "Now, the dress color looks fabulous on you, but let's change the style." Thenora touched the dress, and it fanned out longer. The material became lighter and thinner, making it flow around her like mist. It did cling to Luna's curves a bit, but there was still plenty left to the imagination. Thenora altered it so that the dress was held up with thin straps that wrapped around her neck. These straps did not originate from the arms like Ginny's old gown, but instead the middle of Luna's chest. The created a small 'v' in the gown that allowed some of Luna's cleavage to be bared, although it was still quite modest. Thread's bloomed from the 'v' creating a flower like shape. The color seemed to change in the fact that, depending on the angle, it was a different purple.
Hermione watched and was drawn to Blaise. He had become still, tense and did not seem to breathe. He stared at Luna as if she was the only one in the clearing, oblivious to everyone else.
Thenora seemed to notice this as well, and gave Hermione a sideways smile.
With Blaise, she darkened the suit, shortened the cuffs, and changed his vest and tie color to match Luna's dress. Blaise filled out his suit quite well, with distinguished shoulders.
When Thenora turned to Hermione and Malfoy, Hermione found herself taking in a shallow breath. Thenora's gaze skittered over both her and Malfoy, longer than it took for Blaise, Luna, Ginny, and Harry.
She looked at both Valerie and Felix and spoke in that strange language that the Americans often spoke in. It was an amused sentence, one that had the three magical creatures looking between Malfoy and her. Valerie said nothing. Felix responded with a short few words and gave a dry chuckle.
"You, my dear," she said slowly to Hermione, "so MUCH potential, but stowed away, hidden. I wonder why. No matter. Tonight, my dear, you shall bask in the gaze of powerful men, and they will have wild dreams. They can't touch of course, but it is a nice thought, being the center of male attention.
Thenora fluffed Hermione's hair three times. Hermione reached a hand up and felt her hair. Her usual frizz was gone, and in place were curls. Thenora moved her hand away and took hair and braided some strands together so that it curved over the top of her head, keeping the hair on top of her head, out of her face.
"This dress is all wrong. You need extravagant, not simple. The color, while flattering, is not your color. Your color," she touched Hermione's dress, "is green."
Hermione looked down. Instead of the pink color, there was a dark green, SLYTHERIN green color bleeding into the dress.
Hermione opened her mouth. "No protests, my dear. It is what it is."
Thenora touched the dress, letting it flow down to Hermione's ankles. The material wasn't thin like Luna's new dress but it wasn't as heavy as it used to be. There weren't any ruffles left, and the material clung to her more than Luna or Ginny's did. It wasn't like the misty material of Luna's, with plenty of material flowing around. There was enough material to leave it comfortable enough to move. Thenora took the small straps and moved them farther off the tops of her shoulders and put them so that they looked to be falling onto her arm. Material flowed down her arms. They weren't sleeves. It was just material that lay on top of her arms. Thenora pinned something on the top of each length of fabric. Flower pins. Like Luna's hair pin.
Thenora turned Hermione's head up and muttered a "Close your eyes," and rubbed a finger across each. She felt Thenora's fingers on her lips. She opened her eyes.
"What-"
"Makeup, my dear."
"But I thought you just did material. Fashion."
"Well, magical creatures have magic of their own. Fashion does go with hair and makeup."
Everyone there was staring at her. Surprise, amazement, and then...Malfoy was giving her a look she could not remember ever receiving. His eyes smoldered and he unabashedly looked at her, all of her. She felt warm. A butterfly feeling shot from her spine down to her toes, and she shivered.
"Oh! That reminds me. Shoes!"
Thenora just tapped the students' shoes with her foot. The boys had nice looking dress shoes, so they were taken care of.
Ginny got beautiful golden pumps that matched her dress. Luna got black ballet flats. Hermione got silver sandals that had straps around her ankles.
"Silver," Thenora said. "It matches his eyes." She gestured to Malfoy.
Somewhere, dead people were laughing at her.
"One more thing," Felix said. He gestured to Luna and Hermione. "We walk in there, they'll know. And even with Guards with them..."
"Right." Valerie said. She nodded to Thenora. Thenora stepped up to Malfoy and plucked several hairs from his head.
"Ow!"
Thenora sighed. "Should have done this earlier. Didn't think of it."
She went over to Hermione and took out the braid. She re-did the braid, only this time with Malfoy's hair in it. Hermione made a face.
"Either this, my dear, or you'll be attacked." Thenora's tone was serious.
"You, blonde one, come hold her."
Malfoy blinked. "Beg pardon?"
"Hold her. Wrap your arms around her. What I just said."
Malfoy did not move. It was not Thenora, but Valerie who stalked forward, grabbed Malfoy by the wrist, and yanked him forward, next to Hermione. She did not release him from her grasp.
"Let me make one thing very clear, Malfoy. YOU were the one who tried to play detective, poking his nose where it doesn't belong. YOU stumbled past the barrier. You are in MY territory, insofar as this night, which means you are under MY jurisdiction. If you would like to live past this night, you will do what either I, Felix, or Thenora tell you. No hesitation. Am I understood?"
Hermione had never seen Valerie this intense. She was serious yes, but not this panicked, angry seriousness. For a moment it appeared as if Malfoy was going to argue, but he grasped the situation however, and nodded slowly. Valerie let his hand drop.
Malfoy stalked forward with one passing glare at Valerie. He stopped in front of Hermione for a moment before getting behind her and wrapping his arms around her.
Her mind went back to the library, with Malfoy in his drunken state. The warmth. He was just as warm now. She could feel his breathing become slower, deeper.
Neither made a comment.
Thenora went to do the same thing with Blaise she had done with Hermione, but stopped.
"Your hair is not long enough. Damn."
"Well, why exactly do you need my hair? Why the hair thing in the first place?"
Thenora sighed and looked at Valerie. Valerie nodded her head.
"If there was ever a bad situation to be a virgin, it would be a Samhain Circle. With the magic running so freely, magical creatures become animalistic. They go from logical thinking and need to want. Every creature on this night will want a virgin. To be their first, to claim them. Sad to say, the Community is still rather archaic. The first is your last so to speak. They will want to claim you, and only for themselves. Vampires will want to drink of their pure blood; Veelas see them as prime mates, fairies and goblins for show, and the nymphs even. But others...others in this Circle will attempt to claim them for the savagery of being their first. Of claiming them so that they can do with you what they want."
Ginny gasped, and Harry tightened his hold. Hermione could have sworn that Malfoy's arms tightened around her.
"You two need not worry. She is claimed, by you Potter. Your, uh, scent, is on her. Others will leave her be."
Blaise nodded in understanding. "So the hair thing-"
"Is to mask your blonde and the brunette's scent of innocence. She," Thenora pointed at Hermione, "already has some of Malfoy's scent on her. Not strong like Potter and his woman, but enough that if he sticks close to her, none should touch her. You, Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome, however, must put your scent on her somehow."
"A kiss should do." This from Felix.
With all the things going on, Hermione did not notice Felix's outfit. It changed between the ball and now. He had the black trousers and shoes, but he had a thin white shirt on only. It gave him a rather pirate kind of look. His hands were in his pockets, and he had watched the entire situation play out with worry.
Her attention was brought back to Blaise, however when Blaise turned to Luna.
"What do you say Lovegood? Fancy a go?" He was all charm and smile, but Hermione could tell he was nervous.
Luna gave Blaise a smile, and he melted a little on the inside.
"Alright Blaise Zabini." She stepped up and kissed him.
Blaise was not prepared to have the first move made upon him. He always took control of situations, not the other way around! What was with this woman?!
Hermione felt like she was intruding and turned away, forcing Malfoy to look away as well. Harry and Ginny followed suit.
"Really Granger?" Malfoy murmured. His breath was in her ear. It tickled.
She didn't answer.
Hermione turned her head a little, and saw that they were done.
Valerie gave them a look. "It would probably help if you hold hands for the night. Keeps your scent on her."
She gestured Blaise and Malfoy forward.
"In order for you two to get through the night, you will pose as my Guard."
"Guard?" Malfoy asked.
"It's exactly what it sounds like. But..." Her voice stopped. "For this next part, I apologize."
She took Blaise's hand.
Bringing her wand out and the tip down in Blaise's palm, she muttered an incantation.
"Ah!" Blaise jerked his hand away.
There was blood on his palm.
"It will be over before you know it."
"What does this entail exactly?" Malfoy demanded, looking at Blaise's hand.
"A cut, a drop of blood, and your survival." Valerie said, holding her hand out for Blaise's.
Blaise looked at Draco for a moment. They nodded, and Blaise gave his hand to Valerie.
She continued tracing her wand over his palm. Blaise made no sound, but grimaced at times. She looked at Blaise's hand, turning it here or there. She seemed to be pleased with it. She took her wand's point and put it against the pad of her thumb. Blood beaded out of the wound and she held it over Blaise's palm. It dropped into the cut.
"Is, um, is that...sanitary?" Blaise asked with a frown.
"You're safe, believe me."
"It seems questionable to me," Malfoy muttered.
Valerie held her palm out.
Tentatively, Malfoy put his hand in hers. She pressed the tip of her wand into his palm. There was a sharp pain, a searing pain, followed by a cold feeling. It was tingling in a strange way. When she added the drop of blood, the tingling sensation went away.
She waved her hand over his and Blaise's palms. The cuts healed.
There was a V inlaid within a G.
"Valerie's guard?"
Valerie did not answer, but merely turned away and pulled her hood up.
She didn't turn around as she said, "Another thing. Do not draw your wands. At any point. You do that, and all of Thenora's hard work will have been for nothing.
They followed her.
They passed under low hanging branches going to wherever their destination was. It was darker here than back in that little clearing and Draco tripped several times.
That could, however, be attested to the fact that he kept staring at Granger.
The nymph, Thenora, had done the most beautiful transformation on Granger he had seen. She looked even more beautiful than the Yule Ball. Granger's dress looked to be in a toga like fashion. It didn't hug her curves, but wrapped around them. She was a Greek goddess come to life in Slytherin green. Draco's favorite color.
Her hair was gorgeous with the defined curls to it, and Thenora had merely thinned the eyeliner, smoked the eye shadow, and added lipstick to Granger. They were subtle changes, but made such a dramatic difference that Draco, once again, fell on his arse.
"Really, mate," Blaise whispered, hauling Draco to his feet. "You could be a bit more subtle."
"Oh, like you are with Lovegood?"
Blaise looked at him.
"Don't give me that look. I'm not the one making puppy dog eyes-" Blaise snorted, "and getting my feet swept off."
Blaise smacked Draco upside the head. "The expression is 'get swept off my feet', you idiot. And she kissed me first. It caught me by surprise, that's all!"
"Sure, Blaise. And I'm-"
"Entirely too loud and annoying," Valerie finished from the front of the line. She stopped.
Draco heard music and voices. Laughter.
"Alright little humans," Valerie flashed a dark smile, "from this point on, you are not you. You are acting, which should be easy for you, Draco. You keep a poker face at all times. No emotion. They'll take that as a sign of weakness. You are not students from Hogwarts. You are mature," she looked at Blaise, "adults who are attending a party because you have to, not because you want to. You feign interest. Dissociate yourself. Also, do not speak unless spoken to. Re-growing a tongue is a bitch. Harry, Ginny, you two will go in last. Blaise and Draco, behind me, side-by-side. Girls on either side."
She looked directly at Blaise and Draco. "If you want to pull this off, and believe me, you need to; you will have to be 'loyal' to me. You don't have to actually give a rat's ass about me in real life, but for tonight, you are my Guard. So act like a pair of loving knights and shining armor, 'Kay?"
She turned to Felix. "Keep an eye on them."
Valerie stepped through the brush.
Felix sighed. "I'm going to ask you all something."
When no one spoke, Felix continued.
"Reserve judgment. For Valerie. Tonight...well, you'll see a different side of her. A side reserved only for situations like this."
"So she's two faced?" Draco put in.
He did it on purpose. He felt a surge of anger, at being treated like a child, told what to do. Forced to be this 'Guard', whatever it meant. Draco did not care as Felix's face contorted in anger.
"The things she had done, the things she'll have to do, are for your safety. Just remember Malfoy that she didn't have to do anything. She could have let you wonder the Circle all you damn well pleased, and you would have been torn apart."
Felix shook his head, his anger disappearing. He blinked a few times and squinted his eyes. He ran a hand down his face.
"Dammit."
As quick as Draco's anger had appeared, it left just as quickly. He looked at Felix.
"Just...remember what I said." He gestured the students forward.
"One moment," Thenora spoke. The group looked at her.
"Do not eat or drink anything that is not given to you by Valerie, Felix, or I."
She received wide, questioning looks.
"This sounds like a Fairy Ring," Hermione piped in.
Thenora looked at her and smiled.
"Very good, my dear. That's where the Community did, in fact, get the idea for the Samhain Circle. In olden days, Samhain was still a large affair, but not as...confined," she said slowly. "The celebrations were held in the open. However, when the magic became too much and took hold of us, well, there were casualties. This Circle is to keep us from harming any humans."
"Oh."
Felix peered through the branches. "Time to move. Malfoy, Blaise, if you will..." He motioned the two forward.
Draco stepped through the brush.