Secrets of the Musidora

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted. Life has just gotten in the way. This one's long to make up for it, as is the next (and final) chapter. Thanks to everyone who's reading!

Chapter 10: Comedy and Tragedy

The days passed at Hogwarts, and as every day passed Melanie's worries grew. Each day, she thought of more spells that could be in the Musidora, more ways that Voldemort could overpower the musea, more ways her powers could be turned for evil. Pretty soon, Melanie's mind was full with so many scenarios for Voldemort's success that she half-expected him to come storming through the door any moment.

Draco tried to keep her mind off of this by occupying her throughout the castle. He arranged activities with some of the other families staying at Hogwarts, dinners with Professor McGonagall, who also stayed at Hogwarts almost as a mother hen to all the refugees within the castle walls, and the other professors who, for one reason or another, chose to stay at the school. He even once arranged for a relaxing night in Firenze's grass-covered classroom, but even there Melanie could find something to worry about.

So the days passed. Melanie would begin her days working in her lab, trying to produce a defense to every worry she had about Voldemort. That's where Draco would find her and would drag her off to whatever diversion he had created for the day.

One day, Draco was a bit late and did not come to the lab until after lunch. He walked up behind Melanie and put his arms around her waist. "Good afternoon," he told her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Melanie managed to smile. "Good afternoon," she replied in a somewhat flat tone of voice.

"Hey, why the sad voice? Don't you realize what day it is?"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "All the days roll together here."

"Well," Draco teased, giving her another kiss on the cheek. "I just happen to have looked at a calendar this morning."

"Well, care to enlighten me?" Melanie asked, pulling away and putting her hands on her hips.

"Maybe," Draco replied, a mischievous smile breaking out across his face. "Meet me in my room tonight and I'll tell you." He smirked and walked off down the hall. Melanie rolled her eyes and continued flipping through the pages of the book she had out on the table.

Later that afternoon, Melanie was working in her lab when Kathryn appeared in the doorway. "Aren't you supposed to be eating dinner with Draco?" she asked.

Melanie didn't move from her position hunched over the cauldron. "I'll get there."

Kathryn took a step inside and picked up the compass from on the table. "Why do you keep working on this? It's not like you can go out and look for musea."

Melanie sighed and turned from the cauldron to look at Kathryn. "I can hope." She turned back to the cauldron. "Plus, it gives me something to do."

"You have something to do," Kathryn told her, putting the compass into Melanie's hand. "Go see Draco."

Melanie looked from the compass in her hand to Kathryn and raised an eyebrow. "Are you in on this?"

Kathryn laughed. "Maybe. Just go."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Fine." She hurriedly put away all of her potion things and walked out the door, through the common room, and out into the hall. Draco's room was in a small apartment next door. Melanie knocked on the door, which swung gently open before her.

"Draco?" Melanie asked, peeking into the dark apartment. She pulled out her wand. "Lumos."

She peered around and saw some dress robes hanging on the back of a chair in the kitchen. She moved closer and saw a piece of parchment lying on top.

"Get dressed and meet me in the Great Hall," Melanie read to herself. "What is all this about?" She sighed and looked once more around the room. Shaking her head, she changed into the dress robes and made her way downstairs.

Draco was waiting for her outside of the doors to the Great Hall dressed in his own dress robes. "Good evening," he told her, bowing and offering his arm.

"Draco?" Melanie asked as she slid her arm into his. "What is all of this about?"

"Do you really have no idea?" he asked, looking at her in surprise.

"About what?"

Draco chuckled as the doors to the Great Hall swung open. He led her through them into the Great Hall. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Melanie took in a deep breath. The ceiling, in normal fashion, shimmered with the stars of the night sky outside, but Draco had added to the grandeur with hundreds of floating candles, plants spreading their vines elegantly around the room, and a small group of enchanted instruments in a corner playing softly.

As Melanie looked in wonder around her, Draco gently led her to the table set up in the middle of the room. Once they had sat down, a house-elf appeared to place the first of their seven-course meal in front of them. For once, Melanie managed to let herself relax and they talked freely of matters of no great importance.

When the house-elf appeared for the last time to bring them their desserts, Melanie found her gaze drifting up to the ceiling more and more. Draco noticed her glance and smiled. "That ceiling is amazing, isn't it?"

Melanie just nodded. She couldn't explain why, but her heart was beginning to beat faster in her chest and she couldn't bring herself to speak.

"I remember the last time we were out under the stars," Draco continued. "Of course, I've made sure that nothing like that will happen again."

Melanie tried to laugh, but her heart continued to race and it seemed like something was closing in on her. For some reason, sitting in the middle of the Great Hall and staring up at the star-stricken ceiling, she felt an inescapable urge to go outside.

"Melanie?" Draco asked gently, getting up out of his seat and walking around so that he was in front of her. He knelt down onto his knees.

Melanie was gasping for breath. Draco opened his mouth to speak again, but Melanie jumped up to her feet. "I have to go outside," she gasped.

"What?" Draco asked, climbing to his feet.

"I don't know. I just need to go outside-now." And without another word, Melanie turned and started running outside.

"Melanie? Wait!" Draco shouted, taking off after her.

Melanie kept running until she could see the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Then, she started to slow down until she stopped just outside of its boundary. She took a few deep breaths and finally felt her heart calming down and her breath slowing.

"Melanie?" Draco asked, running up next to her. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know," Melanie told him, shaking her head. She looked up at the sky. "It's just, ever since I looked up at the ceiling in the Great Hall, I felt like I had to be here. I had to be outside."

"Why would you have to be outside? What's going on?"

"I don't know," Melanie replied, her eyes still on the stars above. "There's just something..." Her voice trailed off.

Draco looked at her curiously for a moment, and they just stood there for a few minutes.

A crack and the shuffling of leaves in the forest ended their reverie. They both turned and looked into the darkness.

"There's something in there," Draco said, his voice quivering. He backed away, pulling Melanie with him. As the noises drew closer, Melanie broke away from his grip and took a few steps away from him towards the forest.

"Melanie!" Draco hissed. "Melanie, get away from there!"

Melanie ignored him and continued to inch towards the forest. Finally, Draco ran up to her side and forcibly dragged her away from the forest edge.

"Draco, stop!" Melanie protested, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. Her struggling forced him to stop moving.

"Melanie, what has gotten into you?" While they were struggling against each other, the noises from the forest finally stopped. Melanie froze and looked at the figure that had appeared on the Hogwarts grounds. Draco followed her glance. "It's a centaur."

Sure enough, a centaur stood unmoving at the forest's edge. Her long hair draped down over her thin and elegant white body.

Melanie slowly began to step towards the creature, who did not move. Draco just looked on in wonder as Melanie reached up and touched the centaur's cheek. Both Melanie and the centaur flinched at the energy that passed between then.

Melanie gasped. "You're a musea?" She looked at the centaur in surprise.

"Tineah, at your service," the centaur replied gruffly, bowing almost unwillingly.

"A musea?" Draco asked, rushing to Melanie's side.

"A musea can be any magical creature," Melanie replied softly, still looking at Tineah in surprise. She shook her head. "Why are you here?"

Tineah looked up at the sky. "Because the stars ordained it. It is time. The spirit that has dwelled among my kind for thousands of years must emerge to take its place in the outer world."

"Well, welcome to Hogwarts, then," Draco said uneasily. "Well, don't you two think it's about time to get out of the cold?"

Melanie nodded. "Of course." She looked over at Tineah. "Shall we?"

The centaur nodded and the three of them made their way back to the castle in silence.

"Melanie," Draco whispered to her. "What exactly are we going to do?"

"Find her someplace to stay in the castle, what else?"

"But don't you think it's a bit odd that she just appeared-and tonight of all nights?"

"What do you mean tonight of all nights?" Melanie asked as they walked into the castle. "For some reason, I don't think Valentine's Day is of particular importance to centaurs."

The sound of Tineah's hooves against the stone floor stopped suddenly.

"Tineah?" Melanie asked, looking up at the centaur.

"Tineah?" a deeper voice echoed Melanie's. Melanie and Draco both looked over to see Firenze standing in the doorway of a classroom.

"Firenze!" Tineah replied, her voice higher and a small semblance of a smile crossing her face.

"Tineah, what are you doing here? Do you know what Bane would do if he knew?"

"He already knows, Firenze..."

"I am not worth it!"

"What's going on?" Professor McGonagall's voice asked as she appeared in the hallway.

"We've found another musea, Professor," Melanie answered. "Tineah, the centaur."

"Another centaur from the forest, then?" McGonagall asked. She sighed and turned to Melanie. "Are you sure?"

Melanie nodded. "When we touched..."

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Fine. I will arrange for housing for her, then. Perhaps in an apartment with our divination professor so that she can be with one of her own kind?" She looked from Tineah to Firenze.

"I would not want to cause Tineah any more problems on my account," Firenze answered simply, retreating back into the classroom. Tineah made a move to follow him, but remained in the hall, looking longingly at the closed door.

"Very well, then," Professor McGonagall said. She looked at Tineah. "If you'll follow me, we'll get you settled in." McGonagall started to retreat down the hallway and, after one more glance at the door, Tineah followed.

Melanie and Draco looked at each other. "What was that all about?" Melanie asked.

Draco sighed. "I don't know." He reached out and grabbed Melanie's hands. "I just hope that it hasn't ruined our evening."

Melanie gave him a confused look. "What do you mean? We've discovered another musea! How could that ruin our evening?"

Draco opened his mouth to reply as Kathryn, Scarlett, and Pippy ran down the stairs.

"Melanie! Professor McGonagall told us that you found another musea!"

"Who was it?"

"How did you find her?"

"Where was she?"

Melanie laughed. "Her name is Tineah. She's a centaur and she's been living in the forest."

Pippy turned pale. "The Forbidden Forest?" She gulped.

Melanie laughed. "It's okay, Pippy. She came out to us. It wasn't like we went in looking for her."

"There's a forbidden forest around here?" Scarlett asked.

"Melanie," Draco said softly, trying to get her attention. But the girls continued to talk.

"Melanie," Draco repeated. Kathryn heard him and sent him a strange look, but Melanie continued to gossip with the girls. Kathryn tried to nudge her, but just gave Draco a defeated shrug.

"Melanie," Draco repeated a bit louder. When she ignored him again, he practically shouted her name.

"What, Draco?" Melanie asked, turning to look at him.

He gave a frustrated sigh. "I've tried to be clever, I've tried to be meaningful, I've tried to be romantic, I've tried to do everything right! But every time something comes up. I give up!"

Melanie looked at him, confused. "What?"

Draco sighed again and knelt down on one knee. "Will you marry me, already?" he asked, pulling out a box. Melanie's eyes widened as he opened the box to reveal a sparkling ring.

"Are you serious?" she asked, taking the box out of his outstretched hands.

"Yes. And I've even checked the ring for spells and curses," he added with a grin. Melanie smiled back.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, giving him such a big hug that he nearly fell over on the floor.

"Well, put the ring on, then." Draco laughed as he pulled the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger.

Pippy jumped onto Melanie's back with a big hug and even Scarlett gave her a small hug. Kathryn stood a little back, smiling.

"You knew, didn't you?" Melanie asked her.

Kathryn blushed and nodded mischievously. Melanie laughed and broke away from the crowd to hug her.

The group went back to the girls' common room and talked for hours. Even late that night, it took Melanie a while to drift off to sleep. For once, however, it was not worries about Voldemort or the other musea that kept her awake, just pure excitement and happiness. She thought about telling Rhonda and everyone else the next day when she noticed her floating picture frame at the foot of her bed, a picture of her and Sophie at the top.

Melanie sighed and rolled over in her bed and cried herself to sleep.

~*~*~*~

The next day, Rhonda came to visit and she and Melanie spent the morning walking around the castle gossiping about the engagement.

"When are you two going to get married?"

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. We've talked about trying to get it together for this summer, but I'd like to wait until all of this is over." Melanie sighed. "But who knows when that will be. It might be never."

Rhonda shivered. "I hope not. It'd be horrible if you had to keep hiding away in Hogwarts for the rest of your life." She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, Hogwarts would be a lovely place to have a wedding, though. You could decorate the grounds, and then the reception in the Great Hall..."

Melanie laughed. "Right, right, right. And we'd have Peeves as the guest of honor."

They both laughed as they turned a corner to a hallway that ended with a familiar portrait.

"Wow, it's been a while since I've been over here," Rhonda said, walking up closer to the portrait that guarded the Ravenclaw common room. "I don't even remember what the last password was."

"Ab uno disce omnes," Melanie told her as they approached the painting.

"Well, I'm impressed," Rhonda told her.

"As am I," a voice added next to them.

Melanie turned around in surprise until she noticed Rutherford Brienwald's portrait. "Oh, hello Grandfather."

"Yes, I'm quite impressed that my great-great-granddaughter has been in Hogwarts for, oh, several months now and has yet to talk to me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. There's just been a lot..." Melanie stammered.

"A lot going on, eh?" Rutherford finished, raising an eyebrow. "Like hiding from You-Know-Who, or getting engaged." The portrait winked at her.

"How do you know about that?" Melanie interrupted.

"We paintings talk," Rutherford replied indignantly. "Even more so now that there are no students around to keep us occupied." His look softened. "But congratulations. All of the portraits think that you are a good match. Much better than that other Slytherin girl he had been spending time with."

"Thanks," Melanie replied uncertainly. She looked over at Rhonda.

"Oh, right," Rhonda said, turning to the portrait. "Sorry, Mr. Brienwald, but we really have to finish our, um, some more of the planning for the wedding." Rhonda started to back away quickly, pulling Melanie with her. "Sorry."

"Talk to you later, Grandfather," Melanie told him as she walked with Rhonda back down the hall.

"Well, come see me anytime," the portrait shouted after them. "I'll be here."

When they were out of hearing range, the two girls started giggling. "I had forgotten all about him," Melanie finally said. "I wasn't expecting him to talk to us like that."

"Well, aren't you proud to know that you're the highlight of the painting gossip around the castle?" Rhonda laughed. "What, do they eavesdrop on people or something?"

"I don't know where'd you get that idea!" a painting of a mother with a sleeping baby cried indignantly, turning her head away from Rhonda and Melanie.

The two girls exchanged looks silently and hurried back to Melanie's room. Once they were safe from all painted eyes, they burst into giggles again.

"What's so funny?" Pippy asked, looking up from where she was sitting on the couch.

"Hogwarts paintings," Melanie answered, still laughing, as she and Rhonda sat down in the two chairs next to the couch. Melanie looked down and saw her book on Greek mythology in Pippy's lap. "Why are you looking at that?"

"Oh. I'm trying to figure out which muse Tineah is."

"Why do you need the book? I thought you memorized everything from looking at it once?" Rhonda asked.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to have something to flip through while you're thinking," Pippy replied, blushing.

Rhonda sighed. "Well, I should probably get going. My mom wants me home to help her clean and cook. It's my grandma's birthday and we're celebrating at our house."

Melanie nodded. "Have fun. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Pippy," Rhonda added as she walked out the door into the hallway.

"Bye," Pippy replied, still flipping through the book of Greek mythology. "So, we're thinking that Tineah is the musea for Urania?" she asked after Rhonda had left.

Melanie nodded, moving to sit next to Pippy on the couch. "I think it makes sense. Centaurs are known for their interest in the stars and every other word Tineah said last night referred to them."

"So her power would be being able to tell the future from the stars."

"That's what I would think," Melanie agreed. "I'm going to go talk to her after lunch to see what else I can find out."

"Ooh! Can I come, too? There's not a lot about centaurs in the books in the library and I've always wanted to know more about their culture."

Melanie shrugged her shoulders. "No problem."

~*~*~*~

After lunch, Melanie and Pippy walked up to Tineah's room. McGonagall had arranged for a room up in one of the towers with a fabulous window and balcony where Tineah could look out at the stars at night. McGonagall has also created a magical elevator to transport Tineah to her room and filled the room with chairs and a bed that suited a centaur's body. Once there, Melanie and Pippy started to explain to Tineah what they knew about the musea and what had been going on. Even though she had been cut off from much of the world in the Forbidden Forest, Tineah didn't seem too interested or concerned with what Melanie and Pippy had to tell her.

"Don't you understand what's going on?" Melanie finally asked, frustrated with Tineah's lack of concern.

"I knew years before now," Tineah replied.

Melanie and Pippy gave each other a confused look. "How?"

"Our kind have always known that the spirit-this Urania as you call her-would leave us when it was her time and the outside world called her. We just did not know when or under what circumstances."

"You mean now with You-Know-Who," Melanie finished, talking more to herself.

"Not quite yet. I hardly mean now. The spirit has not yet left my kind so long as she dwells within me. That time is yet to come, but it is near."

Melanie looked at her in surprise. "You mean that you think You-Know-Who will succeed in claiming the muses?"

"It has been foretold by the stars. It is inevitable."

"It's not inevitable. I won't let You-Know-Who have this power!" Melanie protested.

"The stars have spoken. Why is it that humans feel they can change the heavens?"

"Because there is choice in this world," Melanie argued. "You don't have to let something else dictate your life, you can choose for yourself."

Tineah shook her head. "You fight against a power that cannot be overcome."

"I don't believe you," Melanie replied, standing up and walking out of the room.

"Whether you believe it or not, it is true," Tineah said as Melanie disappeared out of the room, Pippy following in confusion.

"I can't believe that she isn't willing to at least try to fight against what is going to happen! She just seems so resigned to her fate."

"But you are admitting that it is going to happen, that You-Know-Who is going to get to the muses."

"No, of course not! It will happen if we don't try to prevent it, of course. But if we fight it doesn't have to happen!"

Pippy nodded. "Of course..." she trailed off when she saw another centaur approaching them in the hall.

"Good afternoon, Miss Brienwald, Miss McGregor," Firenze greeted. "May I have a word with both of you?"

Melanie looked at him in surprise. "Of course," she agreed as she and Pippy followed him into his classroom.

"I know that neither of you have had a class with me, but I assure you that I mean you no harm and only wish to help you."

"I assumed that, since you are a Hogwarts teacher," Melanie replied.

Firenze nodded. "I know more of what is going on than Tineah, and also have more experience with humans, so I hope to explain some of her behavior for you. I am sure that she confused you both."

"Well, upset is probably the better word," Melanie corrected. "But an explanation would be nice."

Firenze nodded and cleared his throat. "The world of the centaurs revolves around the stars. Thousands of years ago, a spirit came into our herd that allowed one of us to see the future reliably through the stars. This blessed member taught this skill so that the art of reading the stars became well known through our kind. When that first musea, as you call them, passed away, the spirit moved on to another of our herd, and so the tradition has carried on for years."

"And Tineah is one of these blessed members?" Pippy asked.

Firenze nodded. "The blessed one has the highest station among our people. From birth, they are identified and exalted, and their males of close relation rise to leaders, as well." Firenze's tone changed and Melanie noticed.

"What about Tineah's relatives? I heard you two hinting at some form of disagreement between you."

Firenze sighed. "Tineah's brother, Bane, and her uncle Magorian are the chiefs of the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest right now. They are very anti-human and loyal to the future of the stars. They are the ones that banished me from them forever and set the herd on me for coming here to teach. They have a heavy influence not only over the other centaurs but over Tineah."

"Tineah seemed quite happy settling with the future of the stars when we spoke to her."

"Yes," Firenze agreed angrily. "That is her brother and uncle talking through her." He sighed. "I am very different from Bane and Magorian. I think that cooperation with the humans would aid our kind, and the more humans understand us will help them respect us more, as well."

"What about Tineah?"

Firenze took a deep breath. "When we were young, Tineah and I were friends. While fear of her uncle's anger kept her silent from the rest of the centaurs, in private she revealed to me a much deeper understanding and willingness to think outside of Bane and Magorian's propaganda."

"What happened when you grew up?" Pippy asked.

"Her brother and uncle intervened. While I still held Tineah's friendship I held a high place among the centaurs and they could not confront me in front of the others, but they worked to end any of my influence over her. It seems to have worsened this time I have been at Hogwarts."

"But then isn't she revolting against her brother and uncle by coming here, as well? If they banished you, won't they banish her?" Pippy asked.

Firenze shook his head. "No. In their eyes, I came here to be a servant to the humans. That is unacceptable. Tineah is here because the spirit that rules our kind requires it. Although they do not like it, I am sure, they have no other choice than to allow it, as it was already foretold by the stars."

"But you said when you met her that..." Melanie protested.

Firenze stopped her by shaking his head. "I was mistaken." He quickly turned away so that the girls could not see her face. He sighed. "I, of course, have always known that the spirit would leave one day, but I did not realize that it would involve this type of involvement with humans. When I first saw Tineah last night, I thought she had come to Hogwarts for a different reason, one Bane and Magorian would not approve of."

"You thought she came here for you, didn't you?" Melanie asked, her thoughts starting to fall into place in her mind. Firenze just stood there, facing away. "Professor?"

"Somewhere I had hoped so, yes," he finally answered slowly. "I could not stand here and tell you that at some point throughout our friendship that I thought..." He took a deep breath. "It cannot be. We are too different."

There was silence in the room as Firenze looked at the starry ceiling. "You should go now. I have explained to you all you need to know, and even more than that."

"But will Tineah ever be willing to help us fight against You-Know-Who?" Melanie asked quickly as Firenze was ushering them out.

"I cannot say. Unless she changes much in the near days I would say no. Tineah will not do anything against what she sees to be in the stars."

Melanie sighed disappointedly. "Great." She and Pippy had both emerged back into the hallway before Firenze stopped them again.

"I have seen what Tineah has in the sky. While I do not blindly leave my fate to the stars, I do see that the time is approaching quickly when the spirits shall encounter their hunter. You do not have much time."

And with that, he closed the door.

Pippy looked worriedly up at Melanie. "We don't have much time?"

"Don't worry," Melanie assured her. "Centaurs probably live so long that to them, a year is soon." She tried to lightheartedly laugh her worry away. "We'll be ready, don't worry."

Yet, late that night as Melanie tried to go to sleep she heard the music playing in her mind that she knew could only mean that Voldemort had captured one of the musea. Reality seemed to close in and she cried herself to sleep yet again.

~*~*~*~

The sun set over the Spanish countryside. A light evening breeze passed over the stalks of wheat that populated the fields. Out from the stalks popped a dark face lined with long, black hair that blew in the wind. The girl's glassy eyes sparkled in the dark night as she turned, looking over the landscape. The head disappeared back into the stalks. There was a clap and a yell and a few minutes later, a small lamb appeared from between the stalks, the girl following it, ushering it into a nearby pen with other sheep. Another girl, perfectly identical, emerged from among the other sheep to join her sister. The two girls smiled at each other and closed the gate into the pen.

There was a loud boom, and the two girls looked back in the direction of their house. A light began to grow until the flames were observable even across the field.

A collective gasp and four legs took off running through the wheat field. As they ran, the sky turned green, and they paused long enough to see a green skull appear in the sky and a snake slither menacingly towards them. They slowed down as they approached the house, and paused at the edge of the field, using the stalk's protection to see what was going on. Half a dozen figures in black cloaks appeared, backlit by the growing flames.

"Find the two girls," one figure commanded, and the other figures spread out. The girls exchanged two looks before retreating back into the field, moving silently amongst the stalks and avoiding the loud rustling of their pursuers.

The bleating of lambs cut through the darkness, a voice cried "Incendio!" The night around the girls began to warm, and they ran at full speed, not heeding the sputters of the stalks around them as they ran from the spreading flames.

When they reached the edge of the field, the flames and heat drove them into the nearby trees. Footsteps followed them, and the girls helped each other climb up one of the taller trees. They climbed as high as they could as footsteps shuffled in the grass below them. Time seemed to stand still as they sat up in the tree. Eventually, the heat began to spread, the crackling of burning wood grew closer, and the girls finally had to descend from the tree and push further away. Eventually, the trees ended against a wall of rock. The girls exchanged worried looks as they huddled against the rock.

"Ahh!!" one of the girls squealed, jumping away from a hand that appeared on her shoulder.

"Shhh, it's all right," the voice assured her, a head of pink hair appearing out of the darkness.

"Find the girls!" a voice shouted from somewhere nearby.

"Please," the woman asked, offering her hand out to the girls. The girls exchanged looks before grabbing the woman's hand.

~*~*~*~

Everyone was gathered eating dinner in the common room of the girls' apartment. A month or so had passed from when Tineah had come to the castle, but she so refused to do anything except keep to herself in her room that the others had finally given up on inviting her to anything. There was a knock at the door, and Tonks and Lupin walked in, followed by two identical girls with long, black hair.

"Everyone, we want you to meet Stella and Stephanie Algrande," Tonks announced, stepping aside so that everyone could see the two girls. "We found them in Spain."

At first, nobody could do anything except stare at them in shock, but then Melanie climbed to her feet. She walked towards the new arrivals, offering out her hand.

"Welcome," she greeted.

The girls exchanged uncertain looks before one of them reached out to shake Melanie's hand. There was a surge of energy between them, and Melanie smiled despite the girls' frightened look.

"It's all right," Melanie assured her, moving to pat her on the shoulder, but the girl moved away fearfully.

"They don't speak English, Melanie," Lupin told her.

"Then how are we supposed to talk to them?" Kathryn asked.

Tonks shrugged her shoulders. "Make it work, somehow. We found them on a farm in Spain-hardly any protection-we had to bring them here."

"Do they have any clue about what's going on?" Melanie asked.

"I think we got it into their heads that they are in danger, but that's about it," Lupin admitted.

"That's quite the explanation," Scarlett commented sarcastically. "Explains everything, that does."

"It was the best we could do," Tonks told them.

"Wasn't there a translator or something?"

"Surely you can think of something!"

Soon, the room erupted into shouts and arguments. The two girls pulled up against the wall as everyone else took to yelling at each other. Only Pippy didn't participate, and the little girl slowly made her way to where the girls had pulled away.

"Lo siento," Pippy told them. "Ellos acaban de ser tontos. Usted no tiene nada ser espantado de."

The room went quiet and everyone turned to look at them.

"Pippy?" Melanie asked in shock. "Can you speak Spanish?"

The girl blushed. "A little," she admitted. "I read a book about it...once."

"See? I told you it would all work out," Tonks commented, smiling at Lupin. "Well, I hate to cut the visit short, but we need to be going. I'm sure you all will manage quite well without us." And before anyone could say anything, they disappeared through the door.

Melanie looked from the two girls to everyone else. "Well, this is interesting," she said with a chuckle.

The next few days were indeed interesting as the group tried to make Stella and Stephanie at home. With the help of Pippy, they discovered that their family farm had been attacked by Death Eaters and that the sisters had barely escaped by the lucky chance that they had been out in the fields chasing some stray sheep at the time of the attack. Tonks and Lupin had found them before the Death Eaters and brought them to England. Pippy did her best to describe the situation to them, but there were still several holes since Pippy complained that it was hard to translate everything into Spanish.

"There are no words to translate 'muse' and 'musea' and 'Death Eater' to them!" she complained.

March faded into April, and Stella and Stephanie caught on to English quickly enough that Pippy was not the only one able to talk to them. As the days passed, they tried to figure out what powers Stella and Stephanie possessed, since they had yet to display any extraordinary talents.

"I'm fairly sure that they're Thalia and Melpomene, the muses of comedy and tragedy," Pippy announced, looking up from the book of Greek mythology. "They're twins, and that makes the most sense."

"But what powers would comedy and tragedy have?" Melanie asked, pacing around the common room's table.

"Make us laugh, make us cry," Kathryn suggested. "Make us remember specific parts in our lives?"

"But we haven't seen anything like that since we've been here," Melanie countered. "Surely there must be something." She looked over to where Stella and Stephanie were sitting and looking back at her. "You can't do anything strange or special?"

The twins exchanged looks, conversing in fast Spanish until they both looked back at Melanie with sad looks on their faces, shaking their heads. Melanie sighed and kept pacing.

Pippy looked up thoughtfully from the book. "Wait." She turned to the sisters. "¿Qué tal la niebla figura?"

"¿Qué?" Stella asked.

"What are you talking about, Pippy?" Melanie asked.

"La niebla figura, or mist figures, roughly translated," Pippy told her. "They were telling me the other day that they used to play games with them as children."

Melanie leaned over the couch. "Can you show us these mist figures?" she asked slowly.

Stephanie held out her hand, and a wisp of light began to flow from it. It grew until it formed into the shape of a bunny that hopped around the room. Another wisp of light followed that, forming into a squirrel that began to chase the rabbit around the room.

Kathryn leaned over towards Melanie. "Patronuses," she whispered.

"There's nothing extraordinary about those, is there?" Melanie asked.

"Well, making more than one is something unheard of," Kathryn mentioned. "And she's not even using her wand."

"Of course!" Pippy shouted, flipping quickly through the book. "Patronuses are positive energy, aren't they? So that's what she can do through Thalia-the muse of comedy helps her control the positive energy of patronuses."

Melanie and Kathryn looked over at Stephanie, who was allowing another wisp of light to emerge from her hand, forming a puppy that scampered around the floor with the bunny and squirrel.

"Then what about Stella?" Melanie asked. "Does that mean she can control negative emotions?"

Pippy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe something having to do with negative emotions."

Scarlett shook her head from the corner where she'd been sitting. "I think everyone's done enough thinking for now. I mean, it's almost dark and we've spent the last three weeks trying to figure out what powers these two have."

"For once, I think she's right," Kathryn agreed, standing up and yawning. "It's getting dark, and I think I'm ready for dinner."

Melanie sighed and headed towards the door. "I'll go see what the elves have cooking. She had just reached the door when they heard Stella gasp.

"Stella! ¿Qué es?" Stephanie cried, grabbing her sister's hand. Stella started to breathe quickly and her body was stiff.

"La oscuridad viene," Stella said softly, continuing to babble on in Spanish.

"What?" Melanie asked, walking away from the door.

"The darkness is coming," Pippy translated, also moving to Stella's side.

"The darkness? What darkness?" Kathryn asked.

"I...I don't know, she won't say," Pippy stammered. Her face hardened and she concentrated on what Stella was saying. "She's saying something about a nearby town, and then on and on about the darkness."

Melanie and Kathryn caught each other's eyes. "Hogsmeade."

"But what's the darkness?" Kathryn asked as Stella went on.

"She says it's supposed to attack someone...it's going to attack someone."

"Who?"

Pippy shook her head. "I don't know. All I can make out is pelo rojo, pelo rojo...red hair."

Melanie's eyes widened. "The Weasleys?" She looked over at Draco, who had just walked in. "Wait, weren't Fred and George starting up a store in Hogsmeade?"

Draco nodded. "I think so. I guess the Dark Lord thinks it's time to put an end to their games."

"We've got to help! There must be something we can do," Melanie said, standing up and looking around the room.

"You're not leaving Hogwarts!" Draco told her, grabbing her sleeve and pulling her back down into her seat.

"But Fred and George..." Melanie protested.

"Melanie, it's too dangerous," Draco interrupted. "And besides, McGonagall forbid you from leaving the castle and its grounds."

"But she didn't forbid the rest of us," Kathryn stammered.

Melanie and Draco looked at her in surprise as Kathryn pulled Stella and Stephanie to their feet and pulled them towards the door. "We'll go see what we can do. If Stella can sense whatever this is, then maybe she can fight or control it, too." And, without another word, she disappeared through the door with Stella and Stephanie.

"What just happened?" Scarlett asked, getting up from her chair.

"I don't really know," Melanie said, still looking at the door in shock.

Nobody said anything for the longest time. Pippy paced around the room, and Melanie and Draco sat silently across from each other at the table. Scarlett, figuring that she wouldn't be having dinner anytime soon, retreated into her room. No one spoke; they only waited, all sharing the same unspoken thoughts.

It was only about an hour later when Kathryn, Stephanie, and Stella returned, followed by Fred and George Weasley.

"Kathryn!" Melanie shouted, jumping up and running to give her a hug. "Are you all right?"

Kathryn started laughing. "I'm fine. Oh, it was fabulous, you should have seen Stella go!"

"What was it?" Melanie asked, looking from Kathryn to Stella and Stephanie.

"Dementors," the Weasley twins answered.

"Ruddy things didn't seem to realize I don't like to kiss deranged monsters," Fred added.

"Or that I prefer my soul to stay here," George echoed.

"We had the whole situation in hand."

"But you girls' help is, well, greatly appreciated."

"What happened?" Pippy asked.

"Let's just say that Stella can control Dementors." Kathryn laughed.

"Of course, since they feed on negative emotions!" Pippy exclaimed.

"So, did she just turn the Dementors away?" Melanie asked.

"Well, they did leave," George said.

"Eventually," Fred added.

Melanie looked from the Weasley twins to the Spanish twins to Kathryn.

"Well, Steph attacked first with a few patronuses," Kathryn explained. "A snake tripped them, and then a few kangaroos kicked them against the wall."

"We helped with that part, though," Fred interrupted.

"Our mockingbirds pecked at their heads-or what would be a head on a normal person-for a bit."

"But then Stella took over," Kathryn said, taking control of the story back over from the Weasleys. "She made the Dementors dance with each other. It was so funny."

"They must have really enjoyed that, though," George explained.

"Because they ended up kissing each other."

Kathryn turned to Melanie, eyes wide. "That's how you kill a Dementor, Melanie. If they kiss each other, then they kill each other."

"I didn't know that."

"Nobody did," Pippy added. "Because no Dementors have ever needed to kiss before. I don't think they would do it of their own will."

"Either way, tonight was educational."

"Thank you, ladies." The Weasley twins bowed to Stella and Steph. "If any more Dementors come our way, we'll be sure to let you know." Fred winked at Stephanie as the two redheads left.

~*~*~*~

Pippy knocked on the door as she cracked it open. "Tineah?"

"What?" she asked harshly, walking up to the door, although her stern glare softened somewhat when she saw Pippy.

"We're having dinner downstairs. It's Melanie's birthday and we're having a big party in the Great Hall. Why don't you come?"

Tineah turned and started to retreat back into her room. "I'm sorry, child, but I have no interest in that."

"But you never do anything with us," Pippy protested, running up behind her.

"I see no reason to have more involvement with humans than I need to," Tineah replied, still turned away from Pippy.

"Do you not like us?" Pippy asked, her voice becoming sad.

Tineah finally turned and sighed. "Humans have caused my people many problems."

"But have we here?"

Tineah sighed. "No."

"Then why avoid us? It's wrong to judge a whole people on the wrongs of a few."

Tineah chuckled. "The innocence of a child. Pippy, you cannot understand something as complicated as centaurs and humans. My brother says that..."

"Firenze will be there," Pippy interrupted, a sly smile on her face.

"Just because Firenze is going to..." Tineah argued, the resolve in her tone of voice noticeably weakening.

"Well, then maybe it's in the stars that you should go and make new friends."

"Don't mock me..."

"But maybe that's the will of the spirit," Pippy replied sincerely. "Maybe it wants you to be more involved with humans so that centaurs and humans can get along better."

Tineah sighed and looked out of the large window behind her. "The sky has been cloudy lately."

"It's probably going to storm tonight," Pippy agreed.

Tineah ignored her and continued. "I haven't been able to read the stars through all the clouds." She sighed. "I cannot rely on their guidance and must trust in my own choices leading up to the final battle."

Pippy gave her a frightened look, which Tineah noticed.

"You said that Firenze was going to be there?" she asked, smiling at the young girl. Pippy giggled and the two of them journeyed down to the Great Hall.

Almost everyone else had already gathered in the Great Hall when Pippy and Tineah walked in. A long table had been set up and everyone was slowly making their way to their seats. All seven of the girls were there, as were the rest of Melanie's family (even her mother and Simon had come in from the US) and Rhonda. Pippy's aunt was there, as well, and so were many of the professors and other inhabitants of the castle, excited that something out of the ordinary was going on. A few members of the Order were also there, including Tonks and Lupin and the Weasleys.

"Tineah?" Melanie asked when she noticed the centaur. She fought her way through the crowd to Tineah's side. "I'm...I'm glad you came."

"The little one convinced me to come," Tineah answered, looking at Melanie but letting her gaze wander to where Firenze was standing at the other side of the room. Firenze caught her look and soon had walked to her side.

"Tineah, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I was invited to a dinner," she replied. "I thought it would be rude to turn down the invitation."

"If Bane found out..."

"Why do you worry so much about me?" Tineah interrupted. "I am here with both my brother and uncle's blessings."

"But if they found out what you were doing while you were here," Firenze continued. He sighed. "You know how they feel about me, about humans."

"Firenze..."

He shook his head. "I don't want to be the cause of problems for you." He turned to Melanie. "Happy birthday, Miss Brienwald. I regret that I cannot stay." He gave Tineah a long look before he walked out of the Hall.

"Firenze," Tineah whispered. She made a motion to follow him out, but Pippy grabbed her hand. Tineah sighed and headed towards the table.

Nobody else had noticed the scene, and as the food was served joyful noise began to fill the Great Hall. Everyone was about through with dinner as the clouds on the ceiling began to thicken quickly. There was a flash of lightning, and a giant crash of thunder made several people in the room jump.

"Oh, I hate storms," Melanie muttered, sitting back in her seat.

"Happy Birthday," Stella announced through her thick Spanish accent with a false cheer in her voice.

"Thanks," Melanie laughed, looking up at the rain in the ceiling.

"So what if it's raining?" Kathryn said. "We have a delicious cake, everyone here is safe and together-there's lots to be thankful for."

Melanie laughed and looked over at Draco, who smiled back. Her hand instinctively went to touch the ring on her finger and she thought back to all that had happened in just the last year as the group broke into a chorus of 'Happy Birthday.' "Time for presents!" Pippy exclaimed happily when the song ended.

Melanie laughed as she grabbed the first present sitting on the table.

"Wait!" Tonks shouted, jumping up from her seat. "Mine first!" She ran to the door and opened it, and in walked Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

"Happy Birthday, Melanie!" Hermione cheered, running up to Melanie and giving her a hug.

"My goodness! Hermione? What are you guys doing here?"

Harry laughed. "We finished and Tonks told us that there was going to be party for your birthday. We had to drop in."

"I'm glad you did," Melanie told him, letting go of Hermione to hug him as well. She looked at all three of them seriously. "So you're done, then?"

Harry nodded. "It was tough, but we managed it."

"So all that's left now is to..." Melanie's voice trailed off.

Ron gulped and even Hermione sighed.

Harry nodded. "But let's not think about that right now. Let's just enjoy the party." He broke away from their small group and started to join the rest of the crowd.

"Harry's right," Hermione agreed. "Ron?"

"Yeah," Ron said, following her to join the rest of the crowd.

Melanie laughed and also went back to the table and started to unwrap the different presents piled on the table.

After all the presents were unwrapped and everyone was filling themselves full of birthday cake, the sound of hooves in the hallway drew closer. A few minutes later, Firenze appeared in the doorway.

"Firenze?" Tineah asked, moving out of her corner of the room. "You came back!"

Firenze nodded. He looked over to Professor McGonagall. "There are two strangers at the gate."

"What?" she asked.

"Two strangers are at the gate. They seem to be refugees of some kind."

McGonagall walked through the crowd to Firenze's side. She turned back and motioned to Tonks and Lupin. "Let's go down and see what this is about."

The crowd in the room watched as McGonagall shrank down into a cat and led Tonks and Lupin down the hall.

"I wonder what all that is about," Melanie asked, leaning up against Draco.

"I'm sure that it's nothing. Refugees show up all the time," he assured her.

"But at night in the pouring rain?" she asked.

"Why not? Don't worry, McGonagall and the others will handle it just fine."

Melanie nodded.

A few minutes later, everyone in the room turned and looked at the two figures standing in the doorway, dripping from the rain outside.

"The last two musea just turned up on our doorstep," McGonagall told Melanie, walking up next to her.

Melanie looked at her in surprise before turning to look at the two girls standing there. She slowly approached the tall blonde on the right and held out her hand. The girl smiled uneasily and shook it. Melanie took in a deep breath as the familiar surge pulsed through her hand.

"We just managed to escape," she suddenly explained through a heavy French accent. "There was zis horrible man that held us captive."

"Was it You-Know-Who?" Melanie asked breathlessly, turning to look at the other girl, a shorter girl with tight brown curls and a rather large nose.

"Yes," the other girl answered through an accent all her own, reaching out to shake Melanie's hand. "My name is Clytemnestra. I was taken a few months ago from my home in Athens."

"And I a few weeks ago from my home in Paris," the other girl added. "My name is Aidra Laurele. I am sorry to arrive unannounced, but we did not know where else to go, and we heard that we would be safe here."

"And that you are," McGonagall assured her, walking up to her. "Come with me, we'll get you dried off and settled in."

"Oh, no, we'd rather stay here," Clytemnestra protested. "I mean, after all of that time held captive, it'd be nice to be around people for a while."

"Oh, of course," Tonks agreed. "Just let me dry you off." She waved her wand and the two girls dried off.

"Thank you," Aidra told her as Clytemnestra looked around the room.

"So, are all of the musea in this room?" she asked.

Melanie looked at her in surprise and nodded. "All nine of us, yes."

"Wouldn't it be incredible for us all to join hands and feel the power of us all united?" she asked, her eyes looking out dreamily.

"Are you sure that's safe? We don't know what will happen yet," Kathryn protested.

"No harm could come from us simply joining hands, I'm sure," Aidra countered.

"I don't know," Melanie stammered. She looked across the room at Tineah. The centaur just shrugged her shoulders, although she gave a sad look to the cloudy ceiling. She shook her head and turned to Draco. "Maybe I should finish the potion first and see what it does when parts of every musea is in it."

"Come on, let's do it," Clytemnestra encouraged, joining hands with Scarlett. Aidra walked to the other side of Melanie and grabbed Pippy's small hand.

"I don't think they're going to wait for you," Draco hissed back.

Melanie shook her head as Stella took Pippy's hand and then happily linked arms with her twin. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"All you need is a hair from each of them?" he asked as Kathryn joined the link.

"Yes," Melanie answered hurriedly. She was starting to feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. The feeling grew as Kathryn took Scarlett's hand and only Tineah and Melanie were not in the circle.

"It is inevitable, Melanie," Tineah said as she walked up in between Scarlett and Kathryn and joined in.

Out of the corner of her eye, Melanie saw Draco sneak up behind Aidra and Clytemnestra and pull hairs from their heads. She tried to back out of the group, but Aidra and Clytemnestra grabbed her hands before she could go anywhere.

A bright light flashed in the room, and everyone in the circle was pushed apart and to the ground.

"Melanie!" Draco cried, running to her side and helping her up. "Are you all right?"

Melanie nodded. "Yeah. I just wasn't expecting that."

Everyone in the room slowly climbed to their feet and just looked around in wonder. Nobody spoke; they only exchanged wordless looks of wonder at what had happened. A booming voice coming from nowhere soon interrupted the silence.

"Clio, the keeper of events long past, I call you to seek the wisdom of the years," the voice proclaimed.

There was a scream, and Melanie's eyes instantly went to Kathryn, who seemed to be fading away. "Kathryn!"

"Melanie?" she asked worriedly, looking around as she vanished entirely.

"What's going on?" Scarlett asked loudly as the voice returned.

"Erato, whose beauty is beyond renown, join me as well to charm both my eye and my heart."

Beside her, Melanie watched as Aidra, too, faded away to nothing. The room erupted into whispers and Pippy started to cry. Melanie looked around the room and saw Hermione, Harry, and the other guests all looking around in frightened wonder.

"Thalia, most cheerful of the inspired nine, come to me to bring joy to my world."

The twins embraced one another tearfully as Stephanie started to fade away until Stella was left embracing the empty air.

"Oh, do not wallow in sadness, O Melpomene my tragic queen. I require you as well to teach me to accept the ills life brings."

Stella gasped as she, too began to fade away. As the room watched on in wonder, Harry made his way to Melanie's side.

"Melanie, I don't like what's going on," he whispered.

"Oh, and like I do," she returned as she looked around at the five remaining musea.

"No, I mean that I have heard that voice before," Harry told her as the voice echoed through the room for the fifth time.

"O dance with me, fair Terpsichore, and we shall use the heavens as our stage and the stars as our footprints."

"No!" Scarlett yelled, looking down at her hands as they slowly faded away. She started to emphatically shake her head. "No, no, no, no, no..." her voice faded away with her body.

"Melanie," Harry continued as a strange silence filled the room after Scarlett's disappearance. "I've heard that voice before. Three years ago in that graveyard." He took a deep breath. "Melanie, that's Voldemort calling the musea to him."

Melanie gasped and turned deathly pale, looking around at the room. Her eyes stopped and focused on Tineah as the voice returned yet again.

"Come watch the stars with me and find their inner meanings, dear Urania. The stars are always in your eyes and your face always looks towards the heavens."

As Tineah slowly faded from view, the centaur looked at Melanie and sighed.

"Inevitable," she announced.

Melanie's breathing quickened, and Pippy's cries beside her grew louder. There were only three of them left, and the voice returned for the seventh time.

"Calliope," Pippy's cries turned into a wail, "whose mind holds so much knowledge, come and share with me the epics of heroes long past."

Pippy screamed and ran to Melanie. Melanie held her in her arms as the pigtails disappeared into the darkness.

"Pippy," Melanie whispered. Tears started to flow uncontrollably down her cheeks as she looked around to the few remaining people in the room.

"Is there no way to stop it?" Hermione cried. Melanie looked up at her and saw that tears were forming in her eyes, as well. Next to her, Ron just shook his head as the voice appeared yet again.

"The keeper of the book and the one whom no ancient spell can confuse, hearken unto me Polyhymnia, whose faith gives you power over all."

Melanie looked over at Clytemnestra, who gave her a triumphant smile as she disappeared into the darkness.

"Melanie," Draco said, pulling her to her feet. "Think. Quick. There's go to be a way around it."

Melanie just shook her head in shock and stared into space as Lord Voldemort's voice filled the room one last time.

"And now, fair Euterpe, whose voice and music bring light and happiness to all, come to my side to charm me always with your sweet melody."

"Charm yourself!" Melanie yelled into the darkness. She felt something hit her in the stomach and take her breath away.

"Melanie!" Draco yelled, grabbing her hand.

"Draco," Melanie sobbed, looking at him.

"Stay with me, Melanie," he told her, grasping her hand even as it faded away.

"Draco..."

"Stay with me!"

"I can't stop it..."

"Stay with me, dammit!" he screamed as his hand closed in on itself.