And now we get the aftermath. I've decided to loop potions class and Rons detention together with a few other things.

So we will talk about the Weasleys a bit more, get some extra development with Merlot's alchemy, and begin the hunt for Ravenclaw's lost diadem.

Let's get going, shall we?

—0—

Merlot stood over her desk, papers scattered in all directions. Hannah lay on her bed, throwing an apple in the air and catching it lazily. "Sometimes I wonder if you're really only eleven."

Merlot looked up from her work. "What do you mean?"

Hannah caught the apple again and yawned. "Well, you do well enough in class, but behind the scenes you take on groundbreaking research into magical theories. That's pretty advanced."

"The further ahead I am in class, the more attention I draw to myself." Merlot shrugged, turning back to the object on the desk. "And if more people find out how advanced I am, which I really don't think I am… they will want me to spend my time on them."

"Is that why you've put the book writing to the side?"

Merlot smiled. "In part, yes. I also find that my research into runic arrays and their basic functions is incomplete."

"Oh?"

Merlot smiled. "You'll see once I figure it out. I'm attempting to create an array that draws power into a central core rune, generating effects specifically geared towards that rune's meaning."

"Hm." Hannah hummed. "Well, you have fun. I'll be over here when you're ready."

"Don't you have homework?" Merlot raised an eyebrow.

"An essay for history on Rowena Ravenclaw. Unfortunately, all books that mention her are checked out of the library at the moment." Hannah sighed. "I could do my potions work…"

"Brewing a girding potion on your own? Just make sure to cast the proper protections over your workspace, and you'll do fine."

Hannah nodded and stood up, cracking her back with a groan. "Alright. It is something to do after all. I'll be over in the corner."

Merlot smiled and picked up her latest project. Not only would the development of a core array give her insight into new possibilities in runecarving, but she was using a gemstone for this project. If done properly, it would have a secondary effect that could store unused magic.

The enlarged emerald in her hand gleamed in the dim light of the room, and Merlot nodded. It was as perfectly shaped as she could get it. She had spent the last few hours trimming and sanding each plane of the gem, now it was time to work.

Fifteen facets meant that she had space for fifteen outer runes in the circle, with the core rune sitting upon the large, top face of the gem. It was an odd number, but she had arranged it to have five cardinal runes instead of four, arranged in a pentagram.

She would carve the fifteen outer runes and fill them with melted bronze, with the cardinal runes filled with silver. The core rune would be done in gold. Precious materials would be contained within this project, but they conducted magic much easier than iron or lead, which couldn't conduct the power nearly as well.

If she had really wanted to get fancy, she would have delved into her book on alchemy to create the most basic of alchemical metals, Enamour. However, she hadn't yet attempted to experiment with alchemical metals, and she knew that while it was the most basic, it would conduct magic at a far higher rate than gold, silver, and bronze. She had a feeling that if she even tried to use it, it would most likely magnify the power of the array to an unprecedented rate, turning the charm into a magical bomb.

With a deep breath, Merlot drew out her wand and whispered the incantation for blood carving. She had enough wiggenweld for this, and more if she really needed. The girl dragged the glowing tip of her wand across the first facet of the gem, creating the first cardinal rune as her hand began to itch from the etching charm.

"Gyfu, a gift… Let this rune bring magic inward…" The first rune complete, Merlot continued. "Ur, the ox. Let this rune strengthen the magic of the core… Mann, man. Let this rune bind this magic to the magic of humans… nȳd, the rune of need. Let the magic of the runes help the bearer most when they are in need… Finally… rad, the rune of journeys. Let the runes never stray from the side of he who bears it."

Merlot sighed and rubbed the back of her hand as she finished. The first runes were done, and she wasn't bleeding much. That was a good sign.

"Wiggenweld?" Hannah stepped up beside her.

"Thank you Hannah." Merlot nodded, holding up her hand.

The hufflepuff girl smiled. "It's no problem. Honestly, you seem to be getting better with that spell."

"You think so?"

Hannah nodded as the wiggenweld reversed Merlot's injuries. "See? No redness this time."

"Thanks Hannah…"

"What are friends for?" She smiled. "Now, you keep this here, I've got everything ready for my brews, so."

"You get to your potion." Merlot nodded. "I won't stop you."

Hannah smiled and walked to her cauldron, while Merlot turned back to the emerald. "Five down, eleven to go."

—0—

"I am very disappointed in the two of you."

Draco and Ron hung their heads as they sat in McGonagalls office.

"Sneaking out in the middle of the night to smuggle dangerous magical creatures. You're lucky that the aurors aren't being called."

Aurors. That's how bad the situation was. Draco could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Next to him, Ron was completely whitefaced.

"Mr. Malfoy, luckily enough for you, your father was lenient. He said that he would detail your punishment in your next correspondence… Mr Weasley, your parents happened to take great issue with the scenario you have put yourself in. I will be meeting with them and the headmaster in a few days time."

Ron nodded and remained silent. McGonagall continued. "Should you not be expelled, you will still serve detention with myself. Mr. Malfoy, you shall join him."

"What would we be doing?" Draco swallowed down a mouthful of bile.

"Since you are both brave enough to retrieve eggs from grown Acromantulas. The two of you will be accompanying me to the forbidden forest to take care of an issue that has arisen."

Draco and Ron both paled. The transfiguration professor stood and waved her wand at the door to her office, causing it to open. "See yourselves out please."

The two first years stood and hurried from the room, both feeling quite sick.

—0—

Merlot sighed as her body settled in her seat at the Hufflepuff table. For some reason, it had been much more comfortable in the last week or two.

It had been a week since she had gotten the egg out of hogwarts. Scortwit and Charlie had written that the egg hatched into a healthy wyrmling, with the stipulation that it had a few odd white stripes of scales on its back.

Merlot had heard from Fred and George that Malfoy and Ron had been captured. In the end, the password to Ron's final passage had been changed and Malfoy had given himself up so that she could get the egg to safety.

They had taken the fall, and she respected them for it.

Merlot let a hand fall into the bag on her waist, her purse from diagon alley. It didn't hold gold, no. She had galleons to spare. However gemstones came at a much greater supply thanks to Charlie and Scortwits hoard runs. She had decided since the stones that she had were worth several galleons, even after being failures for her rune work, she would give each the valuable spoils. Equal to about a hundred and fifty galleons each.

She spotted Malfoy sitting down at the slytherin table, his head held high, but his eyes not shining at all with pride. With a frown, Merlot stood and walked over.

"Hey." She said softly, sitting down beside the boy. "Everything alright?"

Draco looked at the girl and nodded, before sighing. "I'm doing better than Ron. Our houses lost a hundred points each because we got caught. Nobody in either house is especially happy with us."

"I'm so sorry." Merlot's eyes widened. "A hundred-"

Draco held up a hand. "It isn't your fault. Nobody could have known that the passwords had switched. I gave myself up when I heard that Ron had been caught."

Merlot bit her lip. It had still been her fault that they had been out there in the first place. "What else… you aren't telling me something."

Draco looked at Merlot again. "We have a detention at the end of the day. McGonagall is taking us into the forbidden forest."

"What? Why would she do that?"

"Because when I gave myself up, I knew they'd find the acromantula eggs. I told them that Ron had gone to the forest to get one for me to exchange with him."

"Does his family know what you said?"

"Both of our families were written to. I didn't get it too harsh from my dad. He's a bit dark, you know, he was more disappointed that I got caught. But Ron…"

Merlot watched as Draco's voice failed him. The boy seemed to go gray at the thought of what was going on. She noticed that he spoke about his father with a twinge of something in his voice. Disgust? Maybe…

"What is it, Malfoy?" Merlot demanded. "Tell me, now."

"His mum wrote to him, saying that his tuition for Hogwarts would be cut at the end of the year. He won't be allowed back."

"WHAT?" Merlot shouted, causing everyone to look at her. "That is outrageous. How could that-"

"Keep it down." Draco hissed. "But yeah, it's outrageous alright. I wrote to my father, asking him to at least cover some of the cost so that Ron could attend, but… he has never liked the Weasleys."

Merlot leaned back. "I'll write to Charlie. She can't do that to him, it isn't fair."

Draco sighed. "Well, any little bit helps. Good luck with it."

Merlot put a hand on Draco's shoulder. "I'm here for you too, Malfoy. You put your neck on the line for me. Thank you."

"What are friends for?" The boy shrugged.

"That was more than friendship, and you know it. You were incredibly brave." Merlot smiled. "As well as noble. I wonder how it is that you got into Slytherin…"

Draco blushed and his ears turned red. "Don't let my housemates hear you say that. They won't like it one bit."

Merlot smiled. "You should be proud. You're a good Wizard Draco Malfoy."

"Thanks Scortwit. That means a lot right now." The boy smiled. "The truth is, I don't want to be like my father. He's hurt a lot of people…"

Merlot nodded. "I don't like hurting people either. Scortwit and Charlie say that sometimes choices have to be made but… I'd rather it be me than someone who can still do good."

Draco smiled. "You know, I think you've got a lot of good left in you. Thank you for coming over and talking to me."

"Of course. Before I forget, I did say I was going to give you something in return for that night."

"Give it to Ron. He needs it more."

Merlot nodded. "Okay, but I will still give you one thing."

Draco's eyes widened as Merlot pulled out a thin silver jewelry chain with a tiny emerald pendant. "Where did you-"

"Living on a Romanian dragon preserve has its perks." Merlot smiled. "We always have an influx of gems and precious metals. I know how to make a few things…"

Draco held the necklace in his hands. "It's warm… so warm."

"If you look closely, you can see the rune of the sun, Sowilo. It provides warmth and good luck. It will protect you when you need it most."

Draco smiled and slipped the necklace over his neck, his eyes glimmering a bit as the magic settled around him. It wasn't super powerful, just a small ward that Merlot had developed experimentally, with the use of alchemy. The open face contained what she called the core rune, while the rest of the array was hidden around the edge of the pendant. It was just enough to gently soothe bruises and ward off pain, and it made Merlot's heart ache a bit, seeing his reaction to the magic.

He was like her. Maybe with a better arrangement early on, and his own parents. But he had endured a lot.

"Thank you." Draco smiled.

"Of course. See you Malfoy."

"Scortwit."

Merlot turned to the blonde as he spoke her name. "Hm?"

"Call me Draco."

Merlot blinked, before her cheeks got a bit red. "Okay then… Draco. Call me Merlot."

"Okay then Merlot," The boy nodded. "See you in potions."

"See you in potions."

—0—

Ron clutched his stomach as he retched for the thirtieth time. The Gryffindors hadn't been very peachy about the point deduction, especially as it was thanks to him conspiring with Slytherin. Fred and George did their best to help him, but still. Every so often he would get hit with discreet hexes from upperclassmen in the corridors. The rest of the house wasn't buying the story, especially because Percy had gotten his two cents in.

The redhead retched again, a wave of bile coming from his throat and spattering upon the floor stones of the boy's lavatory.

'Of course the painting's password had to be changed.' Ron shook his head. 'Aways just my luck.'

"Is someone in here?"

Ron wiped his mouth at the sound of the voice. "Sorry, occupied."

Suddenly, a wave of relief spread through Ron. His stomach felt much much better. "Nevermind, I'll be out in just a moment."

After flushing the toilet and wiping his mouth again, Ron stepped out of the stall to see an old man in very brightly colored robes.

"Headmaster Dumbledore?"

"Ah! Mr. Weasley, what a coincidence." the man replied cheerily. "I just got off of a floo call with your parents."

The boys face fell. "Oh…"

"Oh? Oh indeed. I do have to admit I was quite surprised that my mistake of changing the password of that atticway had such an effect on Miss Scortwits plan."

Ron blinked. "You knew?"

"Of course I knew. I know everything that happens within the valley of Hogwarts." the man chuckled. "And while I understand that mr. Malfoy gave quite a different story to Minerva, you are not at all dark."

"You mean that-"

"Your parents may attempt to cut off your tuition after this year, but rest assured that it will make no difference in your placement here at Hogwarts. You will return until you graduate."

Tears rolled unbidden down Ron's cheeks. "Thank you…"

"Dry your tears now." The headmaster responded. "I believe you have classes to take care of, and a detention later on tonight."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

Ron hurried from the lavatory as Dumbledore chuckled. "Ah, the energy of youth."

The man walked into the stall and frowned, noticing that there was no toilet paper remaining inside.

"Alas, the trifles of adulthood…"

—0—

Merlot sighed as she entered the potions classroom. She still had not gotten a chance to speak with Ronald Weasley, and she really wanted to give him the charm she made him.

The work with the core rune arrays had been more than successful. In having Draco wear the emerald pendant, it would slowly attune to his magic. It's enchantments were minor, so it would only be worth a few gold coins because of the materials used. But if completely attuned to one's magic… she wanted to see what could happen in a time of need.

Perhaps she would carve one for herself.

Merlot sat down at her desk and pulled out the earring for Ron. It was carved from a ruby, which she had painstakingly faceted. Like Draco's it had fifteen outer runes, and a core face rune. Bronze, Silver, and Gold filled in each carving, just like Malfoy's pendant. Unlike Malfoys pendant however, was contents of the runic array.

This time, Merlot had still used Ur and Gyfu, denoting strength, and magical gifts, but she used Sol, or sowilo, as a cardinal rune, followed by Wynn, denoting joy, or bliss, and then Eolh Secg, the rune of the higher self. Upon the face of the gem was Gar, Odin's spear, and to each of the cardinal runes, there was a carving of nȳd. She hoped that the minor runes would make up for the lost bond provided by Mann.

She had made it with Ronald Weasley in mind. He was, from the very beginning, in a state of struggle. Virtually cast away by his parents, his elder siblings, and it felt like he was taken advantage of by his twin brothers. Merlot felt a sort of kinship to the boy. While she didn't have siblings, she understood how he felt when it came to his parents. There was a time when she considered the dursleys to be her mother and father… but that was when she was very very young.

"Today we will be making the Alihotsy draught." Snape walked by Merlot's desk, causing her to put the earring away and pull out her book.

"Turn to page one hundred and twelve."

Potions went by without a hitch. Merlot could make the Alihotsy draught in her sleep. Professor Snape's added instruction made the brewing a cakewalk, and soon, Merlot had left the classroom.

In the hallways, she caught sight of a bright red head of hair.

"Ron!"

The boy turned, bags under his eyes, which looked bloodshot. "Oh. Hey Scortwit. What's-uff*"

Although she didn't really feel comfortable with touch, hugs were different. Merlot all but tackled the boy and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry… had I known that-"

"Hey. It's not your fault that the password got changed." Ron said, as she let him go. "Did you get the egg out safely?"

Merlot nodded. "Charlie knows about your situation. I'll see what we can do to help with your parents."

Ron waved a hand in dismissal. "Thanks, but that's okay. The headmaster told me that even if they cut my tuition, I could still return. School supplies might still be a different story though…"

Merlot nodded. "I'm sorry… I should've been better at planning."

"Hey, it took you, Fred, and George how long to make this plan? In my eyes, it was pretty much foolproof." The redheaded first year smiled. "I'm just a special kind of fool."

Merlot shook her head. "I think that you are incredibly strong. You don't let everything get to you, even with the whispers and hexes thrown your way."

"Yeah well, they're a bit difficult to handle, but I manage."

Merlot smiled. "I have your payment. I'd really like it if you'd accept it."

Ron looked inside the pouch that Merlot handed over. "That's a lot…"

"Equal to about three hundred galleons. And then there's this." Merlot held up the ruby earring. "I made one for Draco as well. Did all the rune work myself."

Ron held the earring in his palm. "This is too much…"

"Hey. It's what friends are for, right?" Merlot smiled. "Here, I can help you-"

"I've got it." Ron smiled, slipping the earring through a tiny hole in his earlobe. "I pierced my own ears with a sewing needle when I was eight. Saw Charlie with an earring and thought it would make me look cooler."

Merlot giggled. "Well, I think you look cool."

"Thank you, Scortwit. I have to go to lunch, and then do some homework. Detention tonight isn't looking very bright."

Merlot nodded. "I heard. I'm here if you ever need to talk okay?"

The boy nodded. "Thanks. I might take you up on that. And if you ever need a hand with anything, I'm always around the castle somewhere."

Merlot nodded. "Have a good lunch!"

"Bye Scortwit."

"Call me Merlot!" The girl called as the boy vanished down the corridor. It was done. The earring was in Rons possession. All dues were paid.

Merlot smiled and walked to her next destination, the library.

—0—

It was warmer than normal that night, as Draco and Ron stood within McGonagalls office. The transfiguration mistress donned a heavy robe and her hat.

"Come along now, we have work to do."

The professor led the two first years through the corridors and out into the night. They tramped across dry grass and a few familiar hills, eventually coming to Hagrid's hut.

"This is the groundkeepers hut…"

"Indeed." McGonagall responded, before knocking on the door. "Hagrid, are you ready?"

The door swung open, revealing Hagrid in a heavy coat that seemed to be made of pockets, carrying a rather large crossbow. "Ready Pr'fessor."

"Why does he need-" Draco whispered in horror.

"Throughout the year, there have been an incredibly high amount of attacks on unicorns in the forbidden forest. They ebbed away a bit during the winter holiday, but now they have begun occurring again. We will split up into teams of two. With Mr. Hagrid going with Mr. Malfoy, and Mr. Weasley going with myself."

That made the two first years feel a bit more confident. They were, at the very least, accompanied by adults.

The group of four marched into the forest, With Hagrid in the lead, and McGonagall taking up the rear. Ron and Draco clutched their wands tightly in hand as they swiftly moven through the forest.

Eventually, they came upon a circle of trees, where a unicorn lay, covered in silver blood. McGonagall lowered her head as Hagrid leaned down beside the sacred creature. "It's still warm… whatever did thin 'eard us comin'."

McGonagall nodded. "I'll go left, you take Mr. Malfoy and go right. Perhaps we will be able to find what did this and finally put a stop to it."

Hagrid nodded and gestured for Draco to follow him, while Minerva took Ron and headed into the forest.

The next few minutes were silent. Every so often, McGonagall would stop and raise her wand, listening closely, before continuing onward. With Hagrid, Draco kept his wand drawn, hunched down low behind the half giant, ready to help if the need arose.

Hagrid suddenly stopped.

"Why did you-"

"Shh… it's there, do you see it?"

Draco peeked out from behind the groundskeeper and whitened in horror. A large thing in a cloak was hunched over the corpse of a unicorn.

Hagrid raised an arm and trained his sights upon the thing, before loosing an arrow straight for its head. The arrow whizzed through the air, before stopping a centimeter short as the creature stood.

"Uh oh…"

"What do you mean uh-"

Draco was shoved out of the way as a blast of pure force sent the arrow spinning back. Hagrid howled as the projectile embedded itself in the side of his face, piercing through skin, bone, and right through his eye. Blood spewed from the man's eyelid and splattered across Draco's face, causing him to scream.

Hagrid fell, clutching his face and whimpering as the thing stood, it's face shrouded in shadow. A high pitched voice rang through the forest.

"CRUCIO!"

Draco watched in horror as Hagrid began convulsing upon the ground. For all his bravery, the man would not scream. The thing repeated the spell twice more, before letting the half giant fall unconscious. A horn sounded in the distance, and the thing turned.

"Draco Malfoy…"

Draco held back his scream as the thing glided towards him almost ethereally.

"I see power within you…"

"G-go away…"

"You will join me soon enough… I can see it… You are much like your father…" The thing brushed a covered hand over Dracos cheek, causing visions to fill his mind.

-Bodies, screaming, fire, a glowing green skull hanging in the sky. Spells glowed in the darkness, Hogwarts lay in ruins. A man without an arm, covered in blood, marched through a field of the dead. There he lay, older, but still much too young. His eyes looking on into the unknown.-

An unknown presence touched Draco's mind, speaking in a deep voice that sent chills down his spine.

'Do not be fooled, this is not your destiny…'

Draco opened his eyes to see the thing standing over him. "I am not my father." He spoke, his voice firm. "Now leave!"

"Foolish Child. Diffindo!"

The cutting curse hurtled towards Draco's neck. The boys eyes widened in fear, before he felt a heat on his chest, and the curse dissipated on a golden shield.

"What is this?"

Draco looked down to see something glowing beneath his robes, generating the golden field of energy that now surrounded him.

'It will protect you when you need it most.'

"Merlot…"

Draco looked up at the thing. "I have friends, and they care about me. I am not some corrupt rich wizard who will do anything to live another day."

The thing shrunk back as the golden glow intensified. "Wretched light…"

"GO! NOW!"

With a final flash of gold light, the thing fled. Draco quickly slumped, suddenly exhausted from the magic. The pendant must use his own magic when it ran out of its own.

"Hagrid…" Draco crawled over to the man. "Hagrid… please be okay…"

Draco's vision darkened as he heard a cry of "DRACO!"

"Ron…"

And the boy fell unconscious.

—0—

Hermione smiled as she slipped out of the Ravenclaw common room. Certainly, Weasley and Malfoy being caught was the talk of the castle. It meant that the prefects were cocky, they wouldn't find her or Neville, especially with the practice of disillusionment they had been doing.

After getting it the first time, the charm was surprisingly easy. It was simply a shield charm that shielded your visible form. Sustaining the charm was much more difficult, but Hermione and Neville had practiced forever. They could hold the charm for long enough.

Hermione waved her wand and cast the charm with a quick mumble, before sneaking away down Ravenclaw tower, toward the dungeons of Slytherin.

"You know, running around that loudly kind of defeats the purpose of disillusionment."

Hermione smiled as she heard her friends voice. "Hello Neville, are you ready to go?"

"We have to be careful. Snape's out tonight, if we're caught by him, it's going to be trouble." Neville spoke.

"So where are we going?"

"The last place that the diadem was. It's where everyone starts. Ravenclaws abandoned office on the third floor."

"You mean… at the end of the forbidden corridor?"

"Exactly." Neville's voice began to grow further away. "Try and keep up!"

Hermione quickly followed the boy down the corridor.

The hunt for Ravenclaw's lost diadem of wisdom had begun.

—0—

And there's the next chapter. A lot crammed in there, but I think I like how I'm tying everything together. The diadem, the forbidden corridor, voldemort, Draco, developments with Hagrid.

Leave a review, I am always happy to answer questions. Your input keeps me going, so thank you.

Happy Holidays, and until next time.

Adios.