The next day, the revelation of Manny's curse reverberated through the school. Students were gossiping and buzzing about it all day, especially during lunch – the first-year Gryffindors had been caught entirely off-guard by Professor Sprout calling out 'Manfred Barrows' during attendance without so much a flicker of her eye.

"And you helped?" Pansy demanded again. "How did you help?"

"She helped feel out the Dark magic and hold it separate, Pansy," Tracey snapped back. "I already said that."

Hermione was toying with her sandwich, somewhat uncomfortable. Her classmates were much more likely to be able to catch her in a lie than the Ravenclaws.

"What, she can just feel out Dark magic?" Pansy sniffed.

"Why, can't you?" Tracey asked sweetly.

Pansy scowled. "I don't buy it."

Hermione shrugged. "Then don't. I helped Manny with his Dark magic issue because he was bloodline-cursed. It's not like I'm going to start turning in Slytherins for having Dark items in their possession or something."

Theo visibly relaxed at her statement, and Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, to which he smirked but said nothing.

"Hogwarts doesn't care about Dark items, anyway," Blaise said, cynical. "Rookwood had that Dark pendant last year to control the Basilisk, remember? And the Dark Lord himself was able to infiltrate the year before. If someone did turn someone in, there might not even be a punishment."

"I'll not take the chance, thanks," Draco quipped. "Some of my Malfoy family heirlooms are old. Who knows what Dumbledore will consider them Dark or not?"

"I think that's probably why there aren't wards or protections against Dark magic," Hermione mused. "There is no truly objectively 'Dark' magic, is there? It all depends on how you use it, to make it Dark or not."

"And we are not discussing this at the lunch table with the Ravenclaws within eavesdropping distance," Theo announced loudly, cutting her off. "There is a time and place, and this is not it."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she grudgingly accepted his point.

"Instead, let's discuss Quidditch for this weekend," Draco said. He looked to Hermione with a grin. "Do you think we've learned enough Arithmancy to figure out who's going to win or not yet? Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff?"

Hermione laughed. "I doubt it."

The rest of the day, the school continued to buzz about Manny's bloodline curse, but towards dinner, people had already seemed to have entirely accepted it. All of the teachers seemed aware of the matter ahead of time but refused to discuss it (as they would have been, if there had been Dark magic in the castle, after all), and all the professors had called out "Manfred" during attendance without a flicker. Manny also seemed more confident, now, standing up straighter and taller, volunteering more in class now as well, apparently. The consensus seemed to be that now that he was free of his curse suppressing his magic and making his magic try to be female, he was free to reach his full potential as a wizard.

Hermione listened to the rumors and gossip and merely smiled, not volunteering or participating in anything directly.

That night in the common room, Jade approached Hermione, her eyes sharp.

"Now," she said succinctly. "Come on."

"Alright." Hermione rose from the sofa she had been reading on and obediently followed Jade down the hallway.

Dorms went in order of year; Hermione's dorm was the third door down the hallway, now. To Hermione's surprise, Jade stopped not at the seventh door in the hallway off to the side, but went to the very end of the hallway, opening an eighth door that Hermione was fairly certain had not been there last year. She smirked at Hermione's jaw-dropped expression.

"Perks of being Head Girl," she said smugly. "Private dorm."

Hermione enviously made a note to become Head Girl as soon as she had the chance.

Jade's room wasn't that extravagant – it was just a bedroom. It was about the size of a normal dormitory, really, but it had only one bed, allowing lots of room for a dresser, desk, and full-size wardrobe as well. There was a doorway off to the side, and Hermione enviously realized Jade had her own private bathroom as well.

Milan sat on Jade's bed, waiting for them – a Queen-size bed, if Hermione wasn't mistaken – and she grinned when Jade came in with Hermione. Jade pushed Hermione into her desk chair before going to sit down next to Milan on her bed, turing back to look at Hermione sharply.

"I followed along with Milan's little plot with you because she said it would help us stay together," Jade said. She shot a look at Milan. "But she won't tell me the details. She won't tell me what bargain you struck."

"Well, I only agreed for me, really," Milan said, smiling. "It's not a bargain until you agree as well."

Jade rolled her eyes but looked back to Hermione.

"What, then?" she asked. "What is your little plan to help us?"

Jade sneered at her, and Hermione watched, her head tilted. It must be incredibly frustrating, Hermione mused, to feel so helpless and hopeless in such a situation. Jade was probably being cruel because she didn't want to get her hopes up again only to have them dashed once more.

"I talked to Milan over the summer," Hermione said. "She said that the wizarding world in Britain doesn't look kindly on two women marrying because they can't produce an heir. Is that correct?"

"The magical world doesn't look kindly on it anywhere," Jade corrected, rolling her eyes. "But essentially, that's correct."

"We'll agree to disagree on the former point – magical France doesn't seem to have nearly as many hang-ups about it as the UK," Hermione said calmly. "But the core of the matter is that if you wed Milan, you won't be able to have a child and heir with her, correct?"

Jade looked suspicious. "Correct."

"Well, what if you could?" Hermione asked. "If you could have an heir with her, and could prove it, could you marry her then?"

Jade looked at her incredulously. "Granger, in case it's escaped your notice, we're both girls. We can't have a child together – biology doesn't work that way—"

"That's correct," Milan cut in calmly, answering Hermione's question. "Wedding bonds aren't gender-specific. Strictly speaking, anyone could get married to anyone. It's just social standard that stops two women or two men." She paused. "I think marrying more than one person is illegal, though, under current Ministry law."

"It is," Jade said dryly. "There was a Dark wizard forming an evil harem in the 1800s, sucking up all his wives' magic… anyway, what does it matter?" Jade looked at them both sharply. "I can't go against my family and name, and without the potential to have an heir, I'll definitely be disowned."

"So," Hermione said, "we make sure Milan can have your child, then."

There was a pause.

"I'm not under a 'bloodline curse', Hermione," Jade growled. "You can't disenchant me to suddenly have a pecker."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly. I know that, Jade. I was thinking more ritual magic, not making you into a boy."

Jade went very still.

"Ritual magic?" she said quietly. "Like what?"

"Like the kind to give you and Milan a child." Hermione kept her gaze steady. "It would be difficult, don't get me wrong. But there have been rituals that have given women children before, and there are spells and rituals to combine one person's DNA with another's as part of conception. I'm not saying it'd be easy, but I do believe it is possible – for you and Milan to have a baby together."

"...DNA?" Jade looked suspicious. She turned to look at Milan, who looked back at her pleasantly.

"Hermione was telling me all about it," she said. "She and her coven are getting good at creating and altering rituals—"

"You have a coven?" Jade gasped, her eyes going wide.

"—and Hermione pointed out Imbolc would be an excellent time to do a ritual to conceive," Milan finished. "If it worked, it'd be twelve weeks by May first. We could announce on Beltane."

"Are you mad?" Jade demanded, looking at Milan with wide eyes. "Are you insane? We can't—ritual or not, that's got to be severely illegal and Dark magic – we couldn't—"

"It's not illegal," Hermione said, annoyed. "I checked. I looked."

"And it's not Dark," Milan assured Jade, her eyes soft. She brushed Jade's check with the back of her hand. "We would be hurting no one, Jade. We've talked about having children. And we'd be securing the future for ourselves."

"The Ministry—"

"The Ministry wouldn't like it, no," Hermione admitted. "But they couldn't exactly do anything about it, could they? They're not about to tell you to terminate a magical child, no matter how it came about."

"And if anyone asks 'how?', we can just point out that New Bloods have access to fertility magic that no one else does," Milan said, her eyes sparkling. "It's part of that book you have, the stuck-up one. I looked."

Jade groaned. "Milan…"

"Come on," Milan said, pushing. "Jade, we could do this. We could have this. A future – a real one – together."

"Do you really want to become a mother at seventeen?" Jade said pointedly, raising an eyebrow. "I, for one, do not want to endure morning sickness while taking my N.E.W.T.s."

"I'll carry it, then," Milan said easily. "I'll carry the child – the morning sickness will be mine. My family has good luck with pregnancies." Her eyes shone as she looked up at Jade. "Jade… if your family sees that you have an heir…"

Jade sighed deeply, running a hand through her hair.

"This is crazy, you understand?" she said. "Crazy."

Milan shrugged, uncaring.

"People have been willing to do crazier things for love," she said quietly.

There was a heavy silence. Hermione didn't say anything, just watching the two older girls sit on the bed in the quiet.

"I will—" Jade broke off, frustrated, and sighed. "I will think about it," she finally conceded.

"Yes!" Milan broke into a happy grin.

"I'm not agreeing just yet," Jade warned her. "There's got to be more dramatic implications to this than just 'oh, there's a Rince heir now, everything is happy and fine'. I'm going to need to think through this and figure it all out, you understand?"

"I understand," Milan said. She was beaming. "You need to figure out all the Slytherin mind games you'll need to play and what you'll have to say and do ahead of time, and I'll need to start planning on how to find childcare while I'm in a Healer's apprenticeship program."

"I am not—" Jade broke off, frustrated, before giving Milan an exasperated look. "I disagree with your alleged translation of Slytherin to Ravenclaw."

"But I'm not wrong, am I?" teased Milan, nudging Jade's chin.

Jade rolled her eyes.

"You're not wrong," she conceded. There was a small smirk on her lips. "Silly bird."

"Stupid snake," Milan retorted, and Jade laughed. She pulled Milan closer into her side, slinging an arm around her, and Milan snuggled into her side happily, looking incredibly at peace and comfortable. Hermione felt her heart warm, watching them and their easy manner around each other, and a moment later, Jade's eyes returned to hers.

"I'm not agreeing to anything, Granger," Jade warned her. "But… I'll consider it."

Hermione grinned.

"I'll continue to consider the ritual and the planning, then," she said. "Fair?"

"Fair," Jade said. She paused. "…just what are you getting out of this, Granger? This is worth far more than spreading a rumor for a day."

"Backing from one of the older pureblood houses and credibility as a New Blood, for one," Hermione pointed out. "New Bloods are supposed to be adept at fertility magic. Also, your discretion and secrecy on all matters pertaining and relating to me and my coven."

Jade looked thoughtful.

"The Rince family isn't Sacred 28 or anything," she said, "but it's certainly old and up there. We're fairly well-established at this point."

"See?" Milan teased. "Are your sneaky Slytherin senses appeased yet?"

Jade rolled her eyes but grinned at Milan.

"Are you offering to appease me?" she teased back. "If my senses require more?"

"I can certainly help the Rince family further their name," Milan said, batting her eyelashes. "Why don't you come over here and see how well-established you can be over me?"

Jade smirked, and Hermione was torn between laughing and gagging at the ridiculousness of their flirting and foreplay. Was that really what it was like, when you got older…?

"Let me know what you decide, then," Hermione said, standing. "I'm—I'm just going to go."

"Close the door behind you," Jade said, not looking up at Hermione. Her eyes were focused on Milan. "Now, you little minx…"

Hermione pulled the door to the Head Girl's dorm firmly shut behind her, shook her head to clear it, and headed back down the hallway, with a note of pride to her stride.

Jade might require a reason for Hermione to help them, but really, Hermione just wanted to help and see if she could. It would be heartbreaking to see them break up because of something so stupid as the wizarding world requiring biological children and not liking adoption. Milan was game enough, and Hermione suspected Jade, too, would come around.

It was ridiculous that one of them would have to have a child to do it, of course, but if they wanted to play the game of magical society… they had to abide by its rules. At least they wanted children, though Hermione suspected neither of them had ever quite envisioned having children out of wedlock while still in their teens.

Hermione would have to go over the idea with her coven soon. Something like this… it would require a larger, grander ritual than usual, possibly bigger than they have ever done to date. The sacrifices they'd have to find ahead of time, to use magic to go against nature in such a way… they'd have to be immense, or very rare and hard to find… but still…

She suspected her coven would agree with her, though, and want to help the two find happiness if they could, and the thought made Hermione smile to herself as she headed to her bed.