AN: Hello, fanfiction and Harry Potter fans. I do not own Harry Potter, but feel free to enjoy this or hate it. If you enjoy it, please leave a lovely comment, if you hate it, then leave some constructive criticism, thanks!
Can You Take the Jump?
Chapter 20
Every time the rumor mill about Hermione seemed to slow down, someone else claimed they hooked up with the 'school slut', or someone else claimed they saw Hermione in the broom closet with another boy. Even though the boys in the rumor knew they never touched Hermione, let alone spoke a word to her, the news of their sexual prowess gartered them attention from their peers, so they never denied anything.
Months passed liked this.
No one was as thankful as Hermione when it was time for final exams.
"What's billywig stings used in?" Hermione asked Lily.
The 3rd years' last exam was Potions. So far, in the forty minutes of quizzing each other, Lily had gotten every question right, but refused to stop studying. She could feel Fredrick Avery's frantic and impatient glare from across the library. He'd been trying to get a private conversation for the past 35 minutes.
"The billywig is a magical insect with a vivid sapphire blue appearance. Its sting can cause people suffer from giddiness, and levitation. Dried billywig stings are used in Antidote to Uncommon Poisons and Wideeye Potion."
"Correct."
"Next question."
"No, Lily." Hermione put their large textbook down and shook her head. "Stop. You're ready. The more you study the more you're going to confuse yourself. At this point, you can teach 3rd year Potions."
"Just 5 more questions!" Lily begged her sister. "And then we'll be done. I promise!"
"Lily, at this point I don't even have anything to ask you other than, 'what page is Confusing Concoction?'"
"Page 73." Lily responded automatically.
Hermione gave her sister her best 'what the fuck' face.
"Plllllleeeeeaaaassssseeeeee." Lily gripped her sister's sleeves from across the table.
Hermione sighed at the red head sitting in front of her. It was like Lily was the reincarnation of Hermione Granger. She remembered the times where she would beg Ron and Harry to study with her in the same way.
"Alright, let me just go to the loo first."
Hermione stood up from her seat and gave Avery a meaningful look before exiting the library. She hid and waited behind a column, only to reveal herself when she heard him coming.
"Evans, it's a day before the exam! I didn't study because I trusted you when you said you'd handle it, but it's the day before!"
In the past, the two had used very detailed cheat sheets to ensure Avery's continuation of academic success and prodigal image, but last year a stupid 6th year got caught using a similar system as theirs. With the professors cracking down on cheating, especially in the form of cheat sheets, they were no longer a viable tactic, forcing Hermione to change strategies this year.
"Relax Avery, I solved the problem." Hermione reached into the deep pockets of her robes and pulled out to the same quills except one had a thin red band while the other had a blue one. She handed the blue marked quill to Avery, "This is a quill that will write everything I write on my paper. Whatever you do, don't forget to bring this to the exam room, and make sure to hold it so you don't look suspicious, but don't hold it too tightly so that I can write freely."
Avery held up the blue quill in amazement, "You sure this will work? What if we get caught?"
"Not possible. I made the quills myself. They're the only two in existence." Hermione explained. The idea came from one of George's prototypes he was developing for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. His original idea was with practice wands so that children could master wand movements faster with a helping guide from adults, but Hermione modified it so that she could use it on quills.
"You made this yourself?" Avery asked astonished. "How do you know how to do that?"
Hermione raised her brow at the boy next to her, "Do you really want to talk logistics with me? Right now?"
Avery shook his head but couldn't get the dumbfounded look off his face. To make spells or magical items took knowledge in advanced magic and skills, something that was definitely not taught at Hogwarts at their age.
Just who really was this girl?
For once in his life, he was truly glad about his inability to stomach violence that led to bloody messes. Despite his father's disappointed looks, his 'weakness' made him unable to participate with his friends' activities bullying the girl standing beside him.
Although, these days, the tone of her targeted bullying had changed into something much more…intimate. The Slytherins latched on to the salacious rumors, delighted to have an avenue of torment that hadn't been forbidden by Lucius Malfoy. He compared the rumors to those cold and intelligent eyes, her posture and demeanor standoffish and distant. How could anyone believe that she was easy or subservient for their touch and approval?
"Just make sure you bring that quill and just leave the rest to me."
"Won't the examiners realize that we've written the exact same answers?"
"When you're done, hand in your exam immediately and put your quill away. I'll spill ink all over my exam forcing me to rewrite the entire exam. And you'll just leave."
"Won't you not have enough time to finish the exam?" Avery paused at how it sounded. "Not that I care… or anything. Never mind. Go back to your clingy sister." He stalked off back into the library to pick up his belongings and left.
"Hey, you're back, great!" Lily greeted when Hermione sat back down. "Let's go over the uses of dragonfly thorax and how to make undetectable poisons."
…
The last day of the school year was a rainy one, much to most people's disappointment, but Hermione personally loved the rain. She sat at the wet docks not caring she was getting rained on. With her hand out, she let the rainwater wash away the ink stains left on her hands after she spilled her ink all over the exam paper.
"How'd you find the exam?" Someone held an umbrella over her head.
Remus smiled as he moved to sit next to her. Hermione moved aside, away from the shelter of his magical umbrella, keeping an arm's length distance between the two of them, something Remus noticed. They stared up into the crying heavens letting the smell and sound of the rain soothe them.
"It went fine. Lily's insistence to study the same thing 9 times probably helped me get a much better grade than I would normally receive."
"Yeah, Lily is like that. She gets really intense during exams. I've often seen her passed out in the common room for studying until so late."
"Would you throw a blanket on top of her when you see that?" Hermione asked as a favor to the tall sandy blond Gryffindor. Remus Lupin was a handsome boy. He still had a gentleness about him, but he was no longer as shy as the boy that rode the boat with her to Hogwarts on their first day.
"Of course. Gryffindors take care of each other."
"Good."
There was a silence between the two as they watched the rain. Hermione could tell that Remus wanted to say something but was trying to find the right way to phrase it, so she waited.
"Is it much different with the Slytherins?" He asked tentatively. "Do they…take care of each other?"
"I've seen many of them take care of their own friends like the way you've described. It's just different for me."
"Why didn't you ask for a re-Sorting?"
Hermione watched as the puddles on the pavement grew bigger and the clouds turn darker. It was going to thunderstorm soon.
"Because I am a Slytherin." Hermione admitted. It was the first time she admitted it out loud, but it was the truth. She was no longer Gryffindor's Princess, Hermione Granger. She didn't strive for new knowledge as a Ravenclaw should and she wasn't kind and fair like a Hufflepuff. "It is the House where me and my attributes fit best. Perhaps in a different life, I would have been a Gryffindor, but who I am today find you lot extremely exhausting half the time and far too loud the other half."
Hermione looked up to see if she offended the proud Gryffindor next to her but was glad to find him smiling. "Is that why you've suddenly gone back to avoiding us? And here I thought it was because of whatever happened between you and Sirius."
Hermione's smile dropped.
Remus knew that his friend tried to make things right, but no one believed him and the more he reached out to Hermione, the more it exacerbated the situation. The Marauders, Lily and her friends furiously fought for Hermione, but it was them versus the school. Lily and James would make a scene in order to stand up to Hermione's bullies, but then they just called Hermione a coward or a manipulative bitch who used people as pawns. It was impossible to win.
"You know, you drove me crazy with what you said when we first met in our boat ride to Hogwarts in our first year. About the lake being magical." Remus changed the subject.
"You remember that?"
"Of course. When the girl you shared your first glance of Hogwarts, tells you that the Black Lake is magical, you remember it. And research it."
"And?" Hermione asked, wondering what Remus found.
"I found nothing," Remus shook his head. "But, the Giant Squid, the merpeople, the abundance of magical creatures in the waters."
"What about them?" Hermione pushed.
"Most of them are saltwater creatures, but the lake is fresh water. It's the magic that sustains them despite the lack of salinity."
Hermione smiled her sad smile. It was small and always slightly subdued, like she was suppressing true happiness from emerging. "10 points to Gryffindor."
Remus looked down at the smaller girl. She was just as pretty—no—even prettier than when they first met. Her damp wavy hair curled in the humidity and her pink lips were chapped, but even her disheveled state suited her. She was beautiful. When their eyes met, her stare had something about it that made it feel like she was looking far beyond your exterior, deep down into your soul.
"I know it seems like the whole school hates you, but I don't hate you." Remus blurted out. "I-I mean, we don't hate you. My friends and me. And Lily could never hate you, she adores you. James even got a detention for giving a gossiping 2nd year a massive wedgie."
"I know you think that you have to stay away because of this whole fiasco, but you don't. You have people on your side. We…we can be your friends." He offered his hand timidly. Remus had never asked for friendship before. He was blessed enough to have friends who simply offered it the moment they met. His heart was pounding in chest, proud of his accomplishment, yet afraid of rejection.
He watched as she stared at his hand. There was longing in her eyes. The corners of his lips lifted when he saw her hand slowly reach out. He closed his eyes to suppress the bubbling glee in his chest, but the feeling instantly turned sour when he realized she wasn't grabbing his hand but pushing it down.
"Wha—"
"I'm not sure about friends. I don't really know how to keep them." Alive. Hermione looked up at Remus's frozen face, knowing she's just hurt him with her rejection. "We're good acquaintances, Lupin. If you don't mind, I'd like to keep it there."
"You're pushing me away. Everyone away."
"It's just... easier alone."
"It's not though." Remus shook his head. "Trust me, I know. It's not easier alone." He stood from his spot, but gave her his umbrella.
"My offer will stand, no matter how long it takes. When you're ready to accept it, it'll be there."
…
Hermione mentally braced herself as she stepped into the Great Hall for the last dinner of the year. As always, the Hall was extravagantly decorated with the House winner of the previous year; Slytherins. It was most likely that the Slytherins would win again this year.
Everyone stared and gasped as she walked towards the Slytherin table instead of the Gryffindors. She sat down right in the center of the table, where the people of the highest hierarchy in Slytherin sat.
"Zabini, pass the steamed vegetables, would you?" Hermione asked casually, ignoring all the wide-eyed stares she was receiving.
"How dare you, you filthy mudblood." Alecto Carrow spat at her, ripping the plate out of her hands.
"How dare I what? Sit with my House and eat dinner?" Hermione asked innocently.
"You!" She pulled out her wand and pointed it threateningly at her head. "You think you can sit here because the professors are watching and Malfoy decreed you can't be touched?"
Hermione looked around the table to see all the eyes on them. "I can sit here because I am a Slytherin."
Just as Carrow was about to wave her wand, another one of Bellatrix's crew caught her arm and pulled it back down. "Alecto, calm down. Lucius and your brother will come down to dinner soon and deal with her. There's no point in getting yourself in trouble on the last night of school."
Still fuming, Carrow slowly lowered her wand and threw the plate back in front of Hermione causing it to clatter on the table loudly. If there had been students who weren't paying attention before, it ensured that everyone was looking now. "You're right. Malfoy can deal with his toy on his own." She clicked her tongue at Hermione with a look of disgust on her face. "Father did always say mudbloods were only good for one thing, but I didn't know they started so young. I don't know why I expected any dignity out of filth though."
Hermione froze at their implication. As her friend snickered, Carrow sneered in disgust, then tried to walk away, but Hermione quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer with surprising strength.
"Ugh!" Carrow screamed in disgust. "Don't touch me, you dirty-blooded whore!"
Hermione's eyes travelled to down the table to see the indecent look in people's eyes. She let out a small laugh of disbelief, she had assumed the rumors spreading around were just malicious for the sake of being malicious, but she had no idea that people truly believed it. Every single rumor had been made up, every single person she'd supposedly gone to second base with or had sex with were lying, yet everyone watching were looking at her as if she had a neon sign that asked for 20 galleons per hour.
"You think I slept with Malfoy?" She whispered.
"Mudbloods freely give out their bodies, seducing men from an early age. Why else would Lucius Malfoy do something like this for something like you?"
Her head started hurting as she felt her blood pulse beneath her skull. Hermione shook her head when something sparkling caught her attention from the corner of her eyes. It was a Hufflepuff girl's plastic earring in the shape of the peace sign. Oh dear Morgana, the 70s was a revolutionary time with a sexual revolution brought on by the women's rights movements and the gay liberation movement that caused cultural change. Compared to the super conservative Wizarding World, the muggle world must have seemed like a sex-crazed society. Hermione's brain started connecting the dots as to why this blatant lie was starting dress itself like the truth.
"Did Malfoy refute any of these claims?"
"True Purebloods don't kiss and tell, mudblood."
"So, Malfoy never acknowledged any of these claims, and yet you're so sure it happened…" she looked to glance at Carrow's unwavering gaze.
"So, you admit to it?"
"I admit nothing."
Carrow smirked and pointed her wand at Hermione's face, "You can deny as much as you want, but nothing can change the fact that everything thinks you're a power-hungry whore."
"What is going on here?"
Lucius Malfoy and Amycus Carrow arrived at their usual seats at Slytherin table.
"Lucius…" Alecto froze, caught red handed, disobeying his direct order. She looked down at her offending hand and quickly pulled her wand and hand behind her back.
"Why are you sitting here?" Lucius turned to Hermione.
"I was enjoying my last dinner as a third year when I heard an interesting rumor."
"I don't care about your rumors, go find somewhere else to sit mudblood."
"No," Hermione denied, causing everyone in hearing distance to gasp. "This rumor concerns you too Malfoy, so I think it'd be best that you listen."
There was no way that a rumor this big could ever escape Malfoy's ears, but the fact that he didn't rebut it initially, made her furious. She will not be thought of as some 14 year old child prostitute who sold her body to others in power to achieve her goals.
"There's a rumor that's linking you and I in… intimate ways." Hermione turned to the female Carrow. "Is that why you're so mad? Because he made the decree meaning he didn't reject someone like me? That he preferred someone like me, over something like you?"
Amycus Carrow's eyes turned into saucers looking back and forth between his sister then to Malfoy.
Malfoy pushed down the scowl. Of course, the rumor had trickled into his ears as well, but he didn't deny it because he thought adamantly denying would only add flesh to the rumor. Mudbloods were known to be much freer with their bodies than pureblood witches, this was a common fact, so even if he did deny it, people would still believe what they wished to believe. However, now it was different. Thanks to the Mudblood's wording, if he didn't disclaim the rumor now, everyone will assume he chose a mudblood over a pureblood.
He stared down at Hermione who didn't flinch away at the fire in his eyes. She recognized the twitch in his jaw showing his true anger, but she didn't care.
"Nothing of the sort, in which you're implying, happened." He said clearly, making sure everyone in Slytherin heard. "Like I would ever touch filth like you."
Hermione knew that even Lucius Malfoy's words wouldn't erase doubt from people's minds. Unable to stomach eating next to these people she stood up and made her way to the exit only to see Lily's worried eyes watching her leave and the Marauders… giggling?
Her eyes followed their line of sight, which fell on the Slytherins and then to the proud Slytherin banners that hung above their heads.
Were her eyes deceiving her or were those banners shining?
She looked back at the Marauders to see James lifting his wand. Before she knew it, Hermione was running back to her table, eyes searching for a familiar head of black hair. She grabbed the back of Severus's collar and yanked him back as hard as she could, ignoring the choking sound that came out of his mouth. She pulled him so hard, his butt slid off the bench and hit the floor, leaving his feet raised on the bench.
"Hermione!" Severus exclaimed, forgetting to call her by her last name. "What the f—"
Severus didn't get to finish his sentence as he was interrupted by a huge wave of Slytherin green slime pouring over the entire table, covering the food and everyone sitting there with its gooey mess.
Except for his shoes and feet, Severus remained unscathed by the slime thanks to Hermione. The two survivors and the rest of Hogwarts stared at the catastrophe with jaw unhinged. When Hermione looked up to the Marauders, they looked equally shocked at how successful their execution was.
The look on every Slytherin's face was absolutely priceless. Even the ever-stoic Lucius Malfoy couldn't control his expressions at the sticky green mess that covered him completely. Like green blob aliens the Slytherins attempted to scrape the slime off themselves, only for it to turn stringy and sticky the more they touched it.
"Pffff" Hermione slapped her hand over her mouth but couldn't help it when another laugh escaped her mouth. And then another, and another, and another. Eventually, she sank to the floor, leaning against Severus for support as she laughed harder than she could ever remember doing in this life. Like the laughter she'd suppressed over her 14 years exploded at this moment.
Everyone in the Hall soon followed in her footsteps, and started laughing at the Slytherins' expense, most of whom woke up from their shock and started to try and shake the slime off themselves while glaring at the laughing girl.
Unbeknownst to her, there were a group of people who were too shocked to laugh or cry in anger. Lucius, Remus, Sirius, Severus, Lily, and Dumbledore all wore the same dumbfounded expression as pure joy spread on Hermione's face.
They shared one unified thought. She's beautiful.
It wasn't the type of beauty where she was perfect and gorgeous, like an edited model on the cover of a magazine, but in the most human way possible. Her face opened up as the wide smile showed her teeth and little wrinkles formed on the bridge of her nose and at the corner of her eyes. It was the way she was throwing her head back and how her shoulders moved as another fit of laughter shook her. The sound of her laugh rang clear and loud throughout the hall; it was infectious. She didn't try to cover her reddening face with her hands, but rather embraced the moment of joy so whole-heartedly by sinking to the ground and clutching her stomach. Her eyes, instead of its usual calculating or far off look she often wore, were teary from mirth as it shined clear and so very present.
"Oh my god, I can't breathe!" Hermione cried in between laughs.
"Want to let go of me first?" Severus asked, grinning at the girl sitting on the floor next to him.
"Oh, right." She quickly released her grip. She stood up, trying to compose herself and failing. She leaned forwards and touched the goo just to start laughing again. It wasn't just any slime, but magical slime; a pain to wash off. The entire Slytherin house will need to hit the showers and scrub down until they were raw to get this stuff off properly.
"Miss Evans! Control yourself!" McGonagall commanded as she finally arrived with the other professors to investigate the situation.
"Oh, dear." Professor Sprout tutted. "It's—"
"Magical slime." Hermione nodded, still grinning wildly. "Not a very soluble, is it professor?"
"EVANS DID IT!" Alecto Carrow cried as she pointed her accusatory finger at Hermione. "EVANS DID IT! I KNOW IT!"
Normally, Hermione would feel offended for being falsely accused, but for something like this, she honestly didn't mind taking the credit.
"OI!" James called out, hearing the accusation. "Point that finger where it belongs!"
The Marauders rushed to the Slytherin table with their heads held high.
"Yeah! Do you know how hard it was to make this much magical slime? We stayed up several nights making it! And don't even get me starting on transfiguring it so that it would remain transfigured into a banner shape until the perfect moment!" Sirius dramatically pinched the bridge of his nose as if he were about to cry.
"I had to levitate Sirius's fat ass for an hour! Do you know how much concentration that takes?" Peter complained, in which he was rewarded with a hard nudge in the ribs by Sirius who cried indignantly.
"Hermione is definitely not at fault here." Remus chimed in last.
"Detention, all four of you!"
"Minnie, it's the last night sch—"
"Finish that sentence Mr. Black, and I will be greeting you for your extended detention on September 1st, next year, with no Welcome Back dinner."
Sirius effectively snapped his mouth shut.
"Slytherins are dismissed. Go clean up."
Hermione giggled as she watched the Slytherins trudge out of the Great Hall, but realized there were two people who missed all of this. Two very important people; Bellatrix and Narcissa Black.
…
Hogsmeade Station was bustling with students who were ready to go back home for their summer vacation. With all the stress of school left behind all the tension in the students were gone as they chattered on the station platform with their friends.
Well, everyone except Hermione.
Her deal with Malfoy had ended precisely at 12:00AM last night, and there were already 3 attempted ambushes from her former bullies. It was only 9:00AM.
She was standing outside the train, leaning against a pillar in the busy platform, waiting until the last moment to step onto the train. Sitting inside a small compartment by herself would make her an easy target to all the Slytherins. At least on the platform, there were professors and other students, allowing her some cover.
"Mudblood."
Malfoy loomed over her, covering the sun's glares for her. She noticed he wasn't wearing his uniform. It was the first time she saw him in normal civilian clothes, though custom-fitted silk wizarding robes, weren't exactly 'civilian'. His usual platinum blonde was still stained with a bit of green, which made her smirk, but thankfully she didn't laugh out loud.
He looked good, handsome and fierce.
"Malfoy." She greeted in return. "I would normally wish you good luck in the outside world, but I know the real world will probably be easier for you than in Hogwarts since it's outside the influence of someone like Albus Dumbledore. So, I guess good luck with your engagement."
He remained quiet, still staring at her as if he was waiting for something.
"Narcissa Malfoy will be a good fit for you, you and your parents chose well. Bellatrix is far too political and fanatical; she won't sit on the sidelines letting you do everything as you please. She won't support you, but rather become your opponent."
"Yes, Narcissa meets all the conditions that are required for a Malfoy bride."
"True…" She trailed off.
Lucius frowned, clearly noticing how she wished to speak more. In the three years they'd had their deal, he'd kept a close eye on her. He told himself that it was because he needed to keep his end of the deal, but if he was being brutally honest with himself, he wasn't so sure. He'd watched her grow up into an even more beautiful girl than when he first met her.
In the sun, her hair shined like flaming firewhiskey. Her lashes were covered with dark mascara, framing her incredible eyes. Intelligence and knowledge shined through them. She held herself with tall grace, despite the rumors that she'd faced this year.
He thought it then and he thought it now; she was beautiful.
"Does she meet the conditions to move your heart, Lucius?"
"Such frivolities are not necessarily. An heir is simply all I need."
"Then I guess we don't need to have this conversation."
Lucius clenched his fist around the handle of his trunk, afraid that the sweat on his hands would cause him to drop it. He wasn't sure why he was discussing the matters of his engagement with her, but he felt like he should. He studied her features, looking for something, an emotion, but he wasn't sure what. Whatever he was looking for, she wasn't expressing it, leaving him disappointed.
"While I don't like the rumors, I do want to tell you that I appreciate you taking my protection so seriously and taking responsibility for my safety. I know it was a deal, but you went above and beyond. It means a lot to me."
Lucius frowned at the unexpected thanks.
"Well, goodbye Malfoy."
"Wait!" He called to her. His eyes shifted noting all the eyes on them. He should just let her leave, but he needed to know. "Why would I need to…be moved?"
Hermione paused. She couldn't believe she was talking to Lucius Malfoy about marrying for love rather than political gain, but she supposed it was a rather foreign concept to him.
"Good family, beautiful, magical, and healthy to bare children." Hermione listed off with her fingers. "Those may be your requirements for marriage, but for most others, it's more like, compatibility, respect, trust, and most importantly, love. Don't you think there's something about love, something very important about love that you're missing?"
"Affection… can grow."
"Of course." Hermione agreed immediately.
"How can you know if the person is the right person?" He asked suddenly. His eyes had widened infinitesimally, but Hermione saw it. He was worried about his future marriage. "How would you choose the right person?" Lucius asked, but instantly regretted the question the moment it left his lips.
Seeing the embarrassment, she gave him the courtesy of answering him. She thought back to why she chose Ron instead of Harry. In many ways, she and Harry were much more compatible than Ron and her, but nothing about being with Harry made her… "heart sing."
"What?" Lucius studied Hermione's features which grew soft, and her eyes became distant, like they were looking at something behind him. He turned to see if there was anyone behind him, only to find a group of first years bumbling around.
"When I see someone I love. My heart sings." Hermione explained. "When I'm with them, I feel at home. When they hurt me, it hurts more than anything else, but I'm faster to forgive them than anyone else."
"Sounds horrible. And abusive."
"On second thought, maybe you're better off with that arranged marriage of yours." Hermione joked.
Her smile was captivating.
"From what I know about Narcissa Black, she may not be as charismatic or magically powerful as her sisters, but she's observant and knows the inner workings of the mind and heart. Respect her. Trust her more than you trust others. No matter how convincing they are."
She shot him a knowing look and then glanced at his left forearm. The look was short, and the gesture was small, but it was undeniable. With his right hand, he instinctively covered his left forearm as a chill ran down his spine.
"H-How?" He asked breathlessly. "There's no way you could…" His eyes looked freaked then he shot a suspicious glare at her. "Who in Merlin's name are you?"
"You really think I sat around twiddling my thumbs for the last three years, don't you?"
"I said, who are you?!" His volume was slowly increasing as panic grew in his chest.
"Don't be fooled by his looks or his charm." Hermione pushed off the pillar she was leaning against and proceeded to pick up her trunk. "Just because you drown shit in cologne doesn't mean it's not shit." Hermione was shaking her head, as she looked at the pale boy with pity. "Abraxas should have never sacrificed his only son to a demon like that."
"WHO ARE YOU?" He roared. He grabbed the collar of her shirt and thrusted his wand painfully against her neck, right at her pulse point.
"If the reason Bellatrix and Narcissa isn't here right now is the same reason you weren't at school for 2 weeks in the middle of the school year, you better get home as quickly as possible to protect your future wife. Narcissa will refuse the mark, but we both know Bella won't. He doesn't like it when he's denied, and he likes sets. If it's too late, even your parents won't be able to deny him."
…