The Legend of Chime

Chapter twenty-six

As he entered, Harry looked at the shadowed walls of the exercitium room with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He seriously wished he hadn't told Elizabeth he would help her learn how to fight the Imperious curse. There was only one way to go about it that he knew and the thought of putting her under the unforgivable, frankly, made him want to expel the contents of his stomach. The major risk of being caught and thrown into what was left of Azkaban prison didn't bother him. He knew the security spells placed on the house kept the ministry from knowing what spells were preformed inside. What made him nervous was the fact that he had never attempted the curse before and it wasn't a spell to be used by an amateur. It was dark magic in its purest form. If anything went wrong, the damage would be permanent. Absently, Harry ran his hand through his hair in a not-so-subtle sign of frustration and emitted a low growl. Ron turned and gave him a crooked grin.

"Don't worry, Harry," he said, misinterpreting the reason for Harry's mood as he peered around the empty room. "It shouldn't be too difficult to figure out. Wish we had known about this room earlier though. We could have kept up with our duelling skills," he frowned, "Wonder why Mum and Dad never mentioned it?"

"Isn't that obvious?" said Hermione, striding through the door. "Well, ignoring the apparent fact that they would have had to scrape both of you off the floor every five minutes in your enthusiasm to out do each other which would have definitely put a damper on their commitment to the order, they clearly know how dangerous this room can be and don't trust us to use it properly." She paused as she stopped next to Ron and also examined the dreary room. "Of course, almost everything in this house has been touched with dark magic of some sort and they had no difficulty allowing us to help clean," she sighed, "Well, anyway, we can't really blame them for not telling us, now can we? We don't exactly have a greatest of track records when it comes to dealing with potentially dangerous rooms."

"Hermione's right."

Harry and Ron turned to find Elizabeth leaning on the door frame with a dangerous glint in her eye. "It was probably quite logical on their part," she said mischievously, as she pushed herself away and slowly sauntered onto the room with obvious relish. She came to a stop in front of Harry, smiling up at him and Harry's stomach lurched dangerously. "Don't you agree, Harry?" she asked sweetly. "After all, we have no intention of using the room properly. At least, not proper by their definition."

"Pardon me...but what exactly do you mean, Elizabeth?" asked Hermione, frowning as she turned to face her with her hands on her hips.

Ron's ears suddenly turned a bright shade of scarlet. "Uhhh....I don't think you should be asking that, Hermione. She might actually answer you and....well... I'd rather not have a mental image."

Harry immediately punched Ron in the shoulder and Elizabeth laughed as she turned to look at Hermione, but said nothing as she glanced back up at Harry. Hermione's mind was obviously working overtime because it took her less than a few seconds for her to accurately interpret the meaning of Elizabeth's silence and she immediately shook her head. "Absolutely not! No. You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am and Harry has agreed to help me," assured Elizabeth with a mischievous expression so similar to Sirius's when he reminisced about the marauders, it made Harry's heart ache.

Hermione pressed her mouth into a hard line in a clear sign of disapproval, giving Harry a distinct impression of a young Professor McGonagall. "Well, that was stupid. Harry obviously wasn't thinking with his head," she said stiffly. "And I doubt you played fair, Elizabeth. Everyone knows all you have to do is touch him and he loses all sense of reason." That comment elicited a bark of laughter from Ron, but at Harry's glare, he immediately turned it into an unconvincing cough. Elizabeth looked completely unrepentant and smiled wider, clearly delighted.

Harry quickly came to his own defence as his temper sparked at the blunt insinuation, even though it was somewhat true. He'd be damned if he admitted it to Hermione. "It was a logical request, Hermione," he growled. "The fact that she was touching me at the moment I agreed has NOTHING to do with it." Hermione crossed her arms and rolled her eyes unconvinced. Harry ran both his hands through his hair as he started to pace the floor, fighting hard to keep from shouting. "Look! Dammit!" he growled again, stopping as he turned to face her, "Elizabeth can learn every spell and counter-curse in every blasted book there is and it wouldn't matter. She is defenceless against the effects of that ring and we all know it." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "If there is a chance that she could learn to throw off the Imperious curse like I can...."

"The Imperious curse?" Ron interrupted incredulously, looking from Harry to Elizabeth and back again, all trace of a smile gone. "You can't seriously be thinking about putting Elizabeth under an unforgivable?"

"Of course, he is," said Elizabeth firmly, lifting her chin. "How else am I supposed to learn?"

Ron's mouth fell open and his eyes widened. "Are you barking? That's a life sentence in Azkaban, Harry! Not to mention, you've never done it before. You could scramble her brains permanently!" He glanced at Elizabeth who was still half grinning at his frazzled disbelief and gave her a wary expression. "Though... I'm starting to think that it won't make much of a difference."

Hermione suddenly piped up, slightly exasperated with the direction of the conversation though trying to appear calm. "Did either of you stop to think that there might be a simpler way to avoid the effects of The Ring of Oenone?" Both Harry and Elizabeth abruptly turned to look at Hermione who fought hard to keep from rolling her eyes once again. "No, I didn't think so," she said stiffly.

When she didn't elaborate, Elizabeth frowned. "Well, are you going to tell us? Or should Harry pilfer the thoughts right out of your head?" she asked calmly, lifting a delicate eyebrow and putting her hands on her hips. Harry suddenly started to grin.

"What would we do without you, Hermione?" he said sincerely, feeling immensely relieved.

Hermione ignored Elizabeth's sarcastic question and glared at Harry. "I don't appreciate you doing that, Harry," she huffed. "It's rude."

Harry's grin broke into a broad smile. "Then you shouldn't leave us hanging. I gave you enough time to spill it before."

"Okay, enough of this mind-reading stuff. Elizabeth and I are still in the dark," reminded Ron, impatiently.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Harry beat her to it. "Disapparation," he said as he glanced down at Elizabeth. "You haven't learned to apparate and disapparate yet. Once you learn, you can use it to avoid the ring and avoid being captured," he said simply.

"Exactly," Hermione chimed in at Elizabeth's continued look of confusion, "We already know you have to be within a certain distance for the ring to work properly. It's clearly not like a normal Imperious curse. Or you wouldn't be safe anywhere. That's why V-Voldemort gave it to Malfoy in the first place."

"That's right!" said Ron, excitedly. "I overheard Mum and Dad talking a couple of nights ago. According to Dumbledore, even You-know-who wasn't certain that the ring would work at first."

Elizabeth sighed. "Apparating," she said quietly, sounding slightly disappointed. "I have to admit, it is much simpler."

"Yeah, and not to mention legal," mumbled Ron.

"Is it?" asked Elizabeth, thoughtfully biting her lip. "I'm not seventeen yet. From what I've read, you can only acquire an Apparation license from the ministry if your seventeen years of age or older. I've still got seven months before my birthday makes it legal for me to do so." Elizabeth looked from Harry to Ron to Hermione. "What?" she asked as the three exchanged guilty looks.

Hermione subtly cleared her throat. "Well...ummm...the ministry has made a few exceptions over the summer," she informed Elizabeth delicately, glancing quickly at Harry who refused to meet Elizabeth's questioning gaze and then back again. "With Professor Dumbledore's endorsement, we were able to get our Apparation license before the start of the school year. All confidentially, of course."

Elizabeth's eyes widened during Hermione's brief explanation, but then her face relaxed again before Hermione had finished. "Of course...I should have realised," she said quietly, looking down at her hands. "You were at the stone ring. How else could you have gotten there, but by apparating?" She took a deep breath as if refusing to allow the memory to fully surface then forced a smile. "Brilliant."

"Yeah, it was great," said Ron proudly, his face taking on a dreamy expression as he remembered it fondly. "Fred and George threw a wobbly when they found out I was able to get my license months before they were. I had to keep a close eye on everything I ate for weeks afterward. Afraid they'd try to sneak a Canary cream or worse into my dessert or something." He glanced down at Elizabeth. "Anyway...I'm sure your application will sail through. After all, they'd be mad not to issue you one...as long as you can apparate without getting splinched, that is," he winced slightly at the thought, but then smiled, "What am I saying? Of course, you can. You're Elizabeth Fairchild, the quickest study in the history of Hogwarts."

Elizabeth slowly smiled at Ron's compliment and Harry noticed Ron's ears turning red again. Absently, Harry put his arm around Elizabeth's waist, effectively returning her attention to himself. He'd never get use to the effect Elizabeth's smile had on people, men especially. "Ron's right, Elizabeth. It'll probably only take a couple of days for you to get the hang of it," Harry said as she looked up at him.

"I do hope you're right," said Elizabeth quietly.

Hermione snorted. "Of course, he's right."

"All right, now that that's sorted," said Ron abruptly, turning toward Hermione, "Finish telling us about this Challen-thing Harry's got."

Hermione smiled at Ron, suppressing a laugh. "It's not a disease, Ron. It's a source power."

"Whatever... the Challen source power thing then?" insisted Ron again.

"Yes," said Elizabeth. "I'm curious about that as well."

Harry snorted. "So am I," he mumbled, pulling out his wand and conjuring a set of four chairs with a casual flick of his wand.

"Well," said Hermione, pausing to sit down in the closest chair as Harry, Elizabeth and Ron did the same, "like I said, Harry's source power is very rare. And if it's the same source power I think it is, Zyrechallen, it's no wonder Voldemort sees him as a threat. It's the same source power Merlin himself was gifted with."

"No way!" said Ron, clearly in awe. "THE Merlin was a Challen!" Hermione nodded and Ron looked at Harry with an expression of utter amazement. "Blimey, Harry! Even muggles know about him, you said so yourself back in our first year! He's a legend, one of the most powerful wizards in history! No wonder You-know-Who has it out for you! Once you reach your full power, you could probably squash him without breaking a sweat! Harry, this is fantastic news!" he said enthusiastically, practically bouncing in his chair.

Harry was quiet for several moments as he let this new information sink in. If Hermione was right and she usually was, he was gifted with one of the most powerful source powers known to wizardkind, more than an equal threat to Voldemort. For a moment Harry wasn't certain what to think. There was a part of him that was extremely proud to think he was destined to be so powerful, but then there was another part that was terrified at the thought of possessing such a...thing. It was why his parents had died, why everyone he loved was in danger. Even now. The old familiar feeling of bitterness and resentment suddenly pressed in on him and he closed his eyes to suppress the thoughts that always accompanied it. But still... it came.

Damn! He hadn't asked for any of this. Why did it always have to be him? Why couldn't it be someone else for a change? Why couldn't it be Neville?

Harry felt a hand slid over his clenched fist and with it, a soothing warmth. It slowly wove its way through his body, pleasantly invading his mind and easing the sudden tension from his muscles. He slowly looked up and his emerald eyes met sapphire blue. Elizabeth gave him a soft understanding smile and he quickly remembered why it wasn't so bad being who he was. After a moment, he took a deep breath and allowed a smile. "Yeah, you're right, Ron." He glanced at his friend as he entwined his fingers with Elizabeth's. "It's great news. At least, now I know I have a better chance of doing what needs to be done to defeat Voldemort." He shrugged. "Whatever that is." He glanced back at Hermione. "Is there anything else I should know? No more suspicions lurking in your brain, are there?"

Hermione grinned proudly. "No. I believe that about covers it," she said cheerfully.

Harry gave her a half grin. "Good. I'd hate to wake up one morning and find I've sprouted three heads or something," he whinged as he released Elizabeth's hand and pushed himself up from his chair.

"In my opinion, that would be a vast improvement, Potter. What Elizabeth actually sees in you is, quite frankly, beyond me."

Harry turned to find Malfoy strutting through the doorway with his signature smirk plastered onto his pale face. Harry scowled and opened his mouth to give a nasty retort, but quickly thought better of it. Instead, a slow smile crossed Harry's face. The image of a large hippogriff sprang to his mind and Harry suddenly concentrated on that image, projecting it into Malfoy's thoughts. He almost laughed out loud when Malfoy's face lost what little colour there was left in it as he stumbled to a halt in front of the imaginary creature only he could see.

"Something wrong, Malfoy?" Harry asked innocently. "You look like you've seen a dementor...or maybe something large with a hooked beak."

Ron snorted with laughter at Malfoy's confused expression and Harry's smile became wider.

"Where have you been?" asked Elizabeth as she came to her feet and started walking toward Malfoy. Harry's smile faded from his face along with the image of the hippogriff as he watched Elizabeth come to a stop in front of Malfoy. "You've done a fair job of bandaging yourself," she said approvingly to Malfoy as her eyes examined his neck. "Madame Pomfrey would be pleased." She lifted her hand to remove the bandage, but Malfoy caught it in his and refused to let her touch it.

"Leave it, Elizabeth," he said in a bored tone of voice as he quickly released her hand.

Elizabeth frowned. "Don't be ridiculous, Draco." She started toward the bandage again. "It will only take a second. I promise it won't hurt..."

Malfoy caught her hands again and took a step back. "I said... Leave it," he commanded quietly. His tone made it clear he would not allow her to heal him again under any circumstances.

Elizabeth stepped back from Malfoy and casually let her hands drop. "Fine. Have it your way then," she said flippantly. "We'll just walk around with matching scars. Maybe we should start a club or something." She flicked her hand and moved her long tresses away from her neck to reveal the pale pink scar that was just visible underneath. She lightly ran her thumb and forefinger over it. "I can understand the novelty of it, really. Gives a person character, I say. I, myself, have never had a scar in my life, until now," she said sarcastically with a wave of her hand. "You know...with the pesky Chime thing and all that."

"Don't take it personally, Elizabeth," said Malfoy casually as he proceeded further into the room. "I just prefer to heal myself."

"Whatever," replied Elizabeth with a roll of her eyes as she walked back to her seat.

Malfoy's smirk was back in place again as he slowly walked around the perimeter of the room. "Anyway...." he started in a casual tone of voice. "After thinking it over, I have decided to take your recent request into consideration, Granger."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You have?"

"Indeed," he said matter-of-factly as he ran his finger down wall and curled his lip at the accumulated dust it came away with. "It seems to me that a few lessons in the Dark Arts would benefit all of us in the long run. I mean....if we do confront the Dark Lord and his evil minions once more, I'd rather be on a side that knows how to fight properly."

"We know how to fight, Malfoy," barked Ron.

Malfoy turned and lifted a pale eyebrow. "Of course, you do, Weasel. That's why I had to save your clumsy arse more times than I could count in the forest," he purred with a hint of disdain.

Ron's face flushed with anger and his hand instinctively went for his wand. "That's a bloody lie, Malfoy, and you know it! I was the one covering your arse! Four or fiver times, in fact! Though now, I'm severely regretting it, you lying git!"

Hermione stepped in front of Ron and put her hand on his chest as he started toward Malfoy. "Forget it, Ron!" she insisted firmly. "We need his help, remember. He knows how to defend himself in ways we don't." Then she whispered, "He's only baiting you. Don't allow him the satisfaction."

Ron stared down at Hermione for a moment longer. Then he took a deep breath, gave her a short nod and twirled his wand once before putting it back in his pocket.

"Wise of you to listen to your girlfriend, Weasel," sneered Malfoy.

Elizabeth threw a warning glare at Draco who seemed intent on ignoring it as he resumed inspecting the room for hidden flaws. He was spoiling for a row. She knew he was feeling a large amount of anger and frustration, though his cool demeanour belied the fact. She had felt it radiating from him when he had grabbed her hand. His well-rehearsed, aloof facade was firmly in place again, but that was all it was...a facade, something to distract others, to keep them from knowing what was really bothering him. She tilted her head thoughtfully as she studied his actions. What exactly happened between him and Ginny in this room? Ginny seemed to be acting strangely as well. Elizabeth contemplated the possibilities as she watched Draco casually throw a cleansing charm at the wall, effectively getting rid of the grime Kreacher had left behind. Then she glanced at Harry who seemed to be focusing usually hard on Draco and not really hearing the conversation. What she wouldn't give for his ability right now.

"You say you have decided to show us a few spells, Malfoy. Then get to it before your mouth gets you into more trouble than you can handle," Harry said menacingly.

Draco slowly turned to face Harry. "Not so fast, Potter," he countered smugly. "I said I agreed to consider it. But before I would feel... comfortable becoming your dark arts tutor," he smiled, "I have some stipulations I would like to address first."

"I knew there was a catch," sneered Ron. "Well, you can just forget it, Malfoy..."

"Wait. Let's hear him out first, Ron," insisted Hermione firmly. But when she turned toward Draco, her expression was less than confident. "Go on then. Tell us your conditions."

"Very well," Draco said crossing his arms with a hint of satisfaction. "First, no one is to know that I agreed to teach you three anything. Especially not Dumbledore. I don't relish the idea of getting kicked out of here just because Weasley couldn't keep his mouth shut."

Ron's face flushed red again. "Yeah, like we're going to go blabbing around that we know dark spells, Malfoy. Gimme a break. How thick do you think we are?"

Draco smiled and opened his mouth to reply, but Elizabeth cut him off. "Very well, we agree. Next."

Draco glanced at Elizabeth briefly then turned to Harry. "Second, I am the tutor and you are the students. Any cheeky remarks from anyone and you're out. You will do what I say, when I say," he glanced meaningfully at Hermione, "no questions asked. I refuse to go into long explanations. They utterly bore me. Is that clear?"

It was Hermione's turn to blush, but she lifted her chin determinedly. "Fine. No questions. Anything else?"

"Yes, in fact, there is," Draco said offhandedly, uncrossing his arms and lifting a piece of imaginary lint from his sleeve. "Ginny will not be allowed to be part of the lessons."

Elizabeth and Hermione exchanged meaningful glances, but Ron quickly agreed with casual shrug. "Fine by me, Malfoy." He pulled his wand out of his pocket. "That's the first sensible thing I've heard you say since you arrived. Let's get on with it then."

"Wait a minute, Weasley. There's something else...." Draco slowly turned to look meaningfully at Elizabeth, his jaw set as if he hated to suggest what he was forced to say next. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "There's a good chance someone will get hurt on a regular basis during these lessons... and we can't afford to allow anyone outside of this room to notice the injuries..."

Harry, who had been in the middle of dissipating the conjured chairs, froze with his wand in midair. "Now YOU wait a minute, Malfoy. We can take care of our own injuries. There's no need for Elizabeth..."

Elizabeth held up her hand to stop his words and gave a short laugh. "It's not a problem, Harry. Don't worry about it."

"The hell I won't!" spouted Harry angrily. "You've been through enough. Your body is still recovering from..."

"I'm quite capable of gauging whether I can heal or not, Harry," Elizabeth interrupted tersely, giving Harry a warning glance. Like you...with experience, my power has become greater. Believe me, Harry...I know what I can and cannot do. And I can definitely heal my friends. I've been doing it for years. She crossed her arms for emphasis.

Harry crossed his arms as well and studied her for several minutes. The others wisely kept their opinions to themselves, silently waiting to see who would cave first. Finally, Harry let out a deep breath and ran a hand through his messy hair. Fine. Do what you want. He lifted his wand and vanished the chairs in one angry swipe. But you're not healing me.

Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow. We'll see about that. She turned back to Draco. "Like I said, it won't be a problem."

Draco gave her a brief nod then slowly walked to the centre of the room. "Hold on to your wands," he warned dryly. He hesitated briefly before lifting his own wand and muttering, "Malusum Veneficium!"

The door to the room immediately sealed itself and the flickering light of the gas lamps turned an ominous blood red as the stone walls themselves turned black as night and seemed to dissolve into nothing. Harry and Ron instinctively moved closer to Elizabeth and Hermione with wands drawn in a protective stance.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" demanded Ron nervously, as he and Harry grabbed the girls arms and carefully backed them away toward where the outer wall once stood.

Hermione visibly swallowed. "He's preparing the room, I think ...malusum veneficium, loosely translated, means ugly magic," she whispered in a tense voice.

"What was wrong with the way it was?" asked Harry, eyeing Draco suspiciously.

"I don't know," said Hermione apprehensively. "Maybe it just wasn't conducive to learning the dark arts or something."

A soft rush of icy wind appeared within the room and sent a chill down Elizabeth's spine. She vaguely felt a sense of foreboding as if evil itself had quietly entered the room and she shivered slightly as she gripped her wand tighter. Suddenly, the wind became stronger and swirling faint shadows started to materialize around Draco who seemed to be enveloped in a large glowing crimson light that was slowly increasing in size. He didn't move a muscle as the dark shadows became more and more grotesquely defined, circling him like birds of prey within the light.

Hermione's eyes widened in barely suppressed horror as she watched the scene unfold. "My God!" she breathed. "Those are Shadow Demons."

"Bloody Hell!" Ron shouted as the first one suddenly attacked in a blaze of fire.

"Bisulcusum!"

Draco's movements were so fast that they were almost a blur. He flicked his wand and a red flash hit the swooping creature directly its murky face. The impact of the curse ripped the Shadow Demon in half instantly, tearing a brief, terrible, ear-splitting scream from the depth of its core before it regenerated itself back to its original form. Immediately it and it's brothers retreated to the outer edges of the circle, giving Draco a wider berth, but they did not disappear. They continued to swirl around him for several minutes, seeming to study him with infinite care.

"What is he doing?" asked Ron shakily. "Why doesn't he just get rid of them entirely, instead of just standing there with that stupid smirk on his face? He's completely lost it, I tell you."

Elizabeth was in complete agreement with Ron for once. She didn't understand what Draco was doing either. He was allowing these sinister beings to flutter around him like harmless butterflies, giving them a free opening to attack him again. It didn't make sense.

In the absence of light, darkness consumes all.

She shook her head to get rid of the small voice and started forward determined to help, but Harry grabbed her arm.

"Don't, Elizabeth. Malfoy knows what he's doing. If you go in there, you'll just make him more vulnerable," Harry said quietly.

Elizabeth was momentarily torn, but silently nodded her head then turned back to the scene before her. In that short time, Draco had made himself more susceptible by closing his eyes and Elizabeth let out an involuntary gasp.

"He's attempting to block them mentally," whispered Hermione at Elizabeth's obvious alarm. "See, his lips are moving. He's muttering a counter-curse under his breath. Shadow Demons are notorious for their psychological attacks. They weaken their enemies by forcing them to relive their worst memories then they cause them to go insane by making their recollections ten times more horrible then they were originally. They feed off pure terror...just before they absorb their prey's life force completely and turn them into ash."

"But it's his greatest weakness, his memories, things he cannot see," breathed Elizabeth as she noticed perspiration start to form on Draco's brow. A moment later, he started to shake uncontrollably and his eyes sprung open. Her breath caught in her throat as she witnessed the absolute horror etched on Draco's pale face seconds before it vanished. His eyes locked with hers and she saw something click on inside his mind.

Darkness cowers before the light.

"Deletrius!" he shouted and the demons to the left of him scattered instantly, dodging the curse. But Draco spun in place and lifted his wand in a graceful arc, a victorious expression making his features come alive with unforeseen delight.

"Contorqueo!"

As the dark curse hit the band of retreating demons, they froze momentarily in midair. Then as if a huge invisible hand had come down from the ceiling and snatched them up and crumpled them together like a large piece of warped clay, they converged together in a misshaped, swirling ball. The sound that they emitted was shrill enough to pierce eardrums and shatter glass. The invisible walls and floor vibrated fiercely in protest. Elizabeth and the others grimaced painfully and clasped their hands to their ears in an attempt to block out the sound, but Draco seemed not to notice as he whipped his wand through the air one more time.

"Exentero!"

The ball of demons withered slowly into a putrid, dark vapour, their screams dying to a low squeal before they dissipated into thin air.

A second later, a heavy-breathing Draco turned toward them with a smile of utter delight. "Malusum Veneficium Evanesco!" he said breathlessly, waving his wand. The gas lights flickered and the room returned to its original state. Then Draco gracefully bowed with a flourish. "And that, my friends, is how to defend oneself properly."

Elizabeth was stunned into silence for several minutes as the ringing in her ears slowly dulled to a low buzz and then vanished. But by the looks of Harry, Ron and Hermione who were holding their ears with similar expressions of discomfort and shaking their heads, they were still having difficulty in hearing anything.

Draco seemed somewhat put out by their lack of enthusiasm, obviously not caring that their eardrums were probably ruptured. "Well....aren't you going to say something? I just vanquished SIX Shadow Demons right in front of you!" He crossed his arms over his chest and waited impatiently for a response.

"We can't hear you, Malfoy! The howl of the Shadow Demons damaged our ears!" shouted Hermione, still holding her ears.

"HUH?!" bellowed Ron, his fingers twisting in his ears as he attempted to clean them out. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?! I SEE YOUR MOUTH MOVING BUT I CAN'T HEAR A BLASTED THING!"

"Very impressive, Draco," said Elizabeth, lifting her hands to Harry's ears momentarily to repair the damage before he realised what she was doing. "But a bit over the top. Don't you think?"

"Oh, not at all," purred Draco, twirling his wand with one hand. "I believe I made my point precisely."

"What the hell was that for, Malfoy?" asked Harry angrily as he lowered Elizabeth's hands from his ears.

"WHAT?!" bellowed Ron again, leaning in toward Harry with his hands cupped around his ears, but Harry pushed him away.

Draco shrugged, ignoring Ron's shouting. "A mere demonstration of proper Dark Arts defence moves."

"Well, really, Malfoy," said Hermione in pure exasperation as Elizabeth lowered her hands from her ears as well. She paused. "Oh...uhhh...thank you, Elizabeth." Then she turned back to Draco with hands on her hips. "Were Shadow Demons quite necessary?"

Draco lifted an eyebrow. "Is that a question, Granger?"

"WHAT?!" bellowed Ron for the third time as Elizabeth suppressed a laugh and moved to cover his ears with her hands.

"As a matter of fact, it was, you bloody git!" shouted Hermione, surprising everyone with her outburst, including Draco. She stomped over and poked a finger at his chest with every other word. "Shadow Demons are even more dangerous than Dementors and you summoned them on purpose, risking all our lives, purely for the purpose of your ridiculous demonstration! So yes...I believe that warrants a bloody explanation!"

Draco seemed to be taken back for a few seconds, but recovered quickly. He slowly smiled down at Hermione. "Very well." He delicately removed Hermione's finger from his chest and casually turned to pace the room. "I'll allow it...this once. Shadow Demons were introduced to me three years ago while I was home from school on holiday. Father insisted that I learn to conquer them." He paused and released a bitter chuckle. "Even though, he never could." He shook his head slightly and continued pacing. "Anyway, Shadow Demons were my ultimate test. If I could vanquish them, according to father, I was truly a powerful wizard and worthy of the name Malfoy. So I practiced over and over and over again with my father watching me, but every time I would..." he glanced at Harry briefly, "black out before I could figure out a way to defeat them. Father would..." He paused, realising what he almost revealed, and then he shook his head. "It doesn't really matter now. The point is that today, for the first time, I defeated them."

"Which means you passed the test. In your father's eyes, you're a truly powerful wizard now and worthy of the name Malfoy," said Harry quietly.

Draco turned and shrugged as he put his wand back in his pocket. "I could care less what my father thinks now, to tell the truth."

Harry studied Draco for a moment. "Then why the show?" he asked.

Draco met Harry's eyes briefly then shrugged again. "To prove to myself, I could do it, I suppose."

"Is that it?" asked Harry.

Elizabeth stood silently between Hermione and Ron watching the exchange. She knew Harry was already aware of the answer to the question he was asking. She could tell by the way Harry was looking at Draco. But he was giving Draco a chance to be honest with them and himself.

Draco slowly smiled again. "You tell me...Challen."

Harry didn't hesitate in answering. "You did it to prove to yourself that you're good enough to tutor us. You doubted your abilities, but now you know you can." Harry smiled. "We intimidate you, Malfoy. That surprises me."

Draco lifted his eyebrows. "Does it?" he asked quietly. "It shouldn't. Why do you think I challenged you so often? You are the famous Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. If I could best you, I could defeat anything my father threw at me with my eyes closed." Draco let out a bitter, sad chuckle as he turned toward the door. "But I never could...and now I know why."

"Where are you going, Malfoy?" asked Ron. "You're not backing out, are you?"

Draco paused as he opened the door, but he didn't look back as he answered, "No, Weasley. I'm not backing out, but I do have to start with the basics for my first lesson and unfortunately, that was a very long time ago for me. I need to scan through a few books in the library to refresh my memory first. Don't get your knickers in a bunch. I'll be back in an hour." Then he strode through the door and shut it behind him.

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Ginny stared at the massive book open in front of her and attempted to reread the chapter on the Inanimatus Conjurus spell for the third time. Sadly, she made little progress. She was only able to successfully digest half of the chapter before the distracting image of a glistening, wet Malfoy draped only in a towel resurfaced in her head and blocked out the fourth listed advantage of mastering the spell. She groaned pathetically and leaned onto the desk with her elbows, covering her eyes with her hands, trying to physically erase the memory. Still the image remained floating behind her eyelids. "Dammit!" she cursed. "Why couldn't he have some gross deformity of some kind? Why did he have to be so bloody perfect?" She grabbed the book and slammed it shut in frustration. "Merlin's beard! I'm acting like a bloody bitch in heat. I'm never going to pass my O.W.Ls at this bloody rate." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Okay, Ginny. Focus. You can do this." She opened the book and found the chapter again, determined to finish this time or die trying. She followed the words with her finger and concentrated, reading them quietly out loud to herself. But right as she was reading the last sentence, her nostrils flared and she closed her eyes. The clean scent of Malfoy's soap mixed with the musky scent of perspiration seemed to conjure itself from her memory and she inhaled deeply, freely enjoying the sensation it evoked this time.

"Studying hard?"

Ginny kept her eyes shut and prayed desperately that she imagined the voice she just heard so close to her ear. She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to find Malfoy leaning over her with a seductive smile on his face. Her mouth went dry and she felt her face flush, characteristically betraying her thoughts and she silently cursed. "What do you want, Malfoy? As you can see, I'm busy," she heard herself say calmly, indicating the book in front of her.

Malfoy casually pushed himself away from the desk and slipped something out of his back pocket. "Yes, I can see that," he said quietly as he reached out his hand and softly placed it in the ridge of the open book. "But I figured, you might need this at some point."

Ginny slowly looked down. Her wand winked back at her, freshly polished and nestled carefully between the pages of the book. She was speechless. She hadn't even realised that she had left it behind. She glanced back up and watched him walk to the nearest bookshelf. He studied the titles briefly then removed the books he needed before she found her voice again. "Thank you for returning it to me. I hadn't realised I'd left it behind."

"Your welcome, Ginny," Malfoy responded without looking at her.

Curiousity getting the better of her, she gently picked up the wand from the book. "You polished it. Why?" she asked quietly, her eyes searching his face.

Malfoy hesitated for a moment then shook his head as he headed for the door, his books under his arm.

"Malfoy?" Ginny persisted.

He paused as he came to the door and gave her his signature smirk. "Don't worry, Ginny. I'll not ask for anything in return...yet," he said evasively. Then he quietly walked out the door, leaving Ginny with her question unanswered and throwing the possibility of more studying completely out the window.

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Pop!

"Blast it! It's not fair, I tell you. She hasn't even been at it an hour and look at her," complained Ron in mock disgust as he and Hermione sat together, leaning against the wall, witnessing Elizabeth successfully apparate to the opposite side of the room for the first time.

Hermione applauded and hooted with delight as she watched Harry run and pick Elizabeth up, twirling her through the air in his enthusiasm. "Brilliant job, Elizabeth. Excellent teaching, Harry," she cheered proudly. Elizabeth laughed as Harry set her back down on the floor and she turned and gave a formal curtsey in their direction.

"Yeah, yeah, show-off," Ron teased, waving her off as she disapparated and apparated right in front of them. "We're not impressed."

"Yeah, right," said Harry, smiling proudly as he walked up and put his arms around Elizabeth. "Who else do you know that could learn to apparate in an hour?"

Ron pushed himself off the floor and reached down to help Hermione up. "All right. No one," he admitted with a smile. "But technically she already knew how to do it. Lupin said so himself."

Elizabeth's smile froze and her brow wrinkled in confusion. "What are you talking about? Of course, I didn't know how to apparate until just now. You saw me. I'll admit I had been reading up on it before I left school, but I hadn't tried to accomplish it. I didn't think I was allowed."

"What Ron is trying to say, Elizabeth," Hermione explained gently, "is that Professor Lupin told us that you are mentally connected to the Chimes of the past and their knowledge is your instinct, in a sense. What they learned, you already know. It just has to be brought forth with a little guidance." She smiled. "And you having a photographic memory doesn't hurt, now does it?"

Elizabeth thought about Hermione's words for a moment then shrugged. "Well, I guess it makes sense...in a very weird sort of way." She gave a small laugh. "Knocks my ego down a few notches though. Here I was thinking all that I had accomplished this year was the result of me being an excellent student. And lo and behold again, it is the result of something I had no control over." She shook her head in amazement and cursed, "Damn!"

Ron nudged her in the shoulder a bit and laughed. "Yeah, too bad. You're just an average, everyday nutter, Elizabeth. You'll never be able to impress us again." Elizabeth snorted, rolling her eyes and nudged him back slightly harder.

Hermione reached out and took Ron's hand, subtly grabbing his attention. "Then why don't you show them something that will impress them, Ron," she whispered and Ron lost his smile.

"Not now, Hermione..."

Harry stepped out from behind Elizabeth and eyed Ron curiously. "What is it, Ron?"

Hermione grinned. "He can..." she started but was effectively cut off when Ron's hand went over her mouth.

"Never mind," he said meaningfully, staring at Hermione.

Hermione gently pulled his hand away and entwined it with hers. "He'll be okay, Ron. They both will. You'll see. You just have to show them."

"Show us what, Ron?" prodded Harry.

Ron glanced at Harry and Elizabeth then he looked back at Hermione who gave him and encouraging smile. "I...uhhh...I-I can transform. I'm a...a...Animagi now. Like you and Hermione."

Harry smiled and clapped Ron on the back. "That's terrific, mate. What form do you take?" Ron nervously glanced at Hermione again and Harry added teasingly, "Whatever you do, don't tell me you're a spider."

Ron allowed a small grin. "No worries there...it's just that..." he let out a deep breath, "Oh... wait here," he said as he moved toward the centre of the room. He turned around and looked at Harry. "Just promise me, you won't freak out."

Harry nodded his head. "I promise. Go on. Do it."

"All right..."

A moment later, Ron smoothly transformed and sat down on his haunches, waiting for Harry's and Elizabeth's reaction.

"Brilliant, Ron," breathed Elizabeth excitedly. "You're an Alsatian." Ron wagged his tail a little in response, but tilted his head in Harry's direction.

Harry stared for a moment, somewhat taken back. Then he smiled sadly. "A dog. That's why you didn't tell me...because Sirius was a dog." Ron emitted a small whine as he stood and slowly padded over to Harry. Then he raised his right front paw and nudged Harry in the knee. Harry leaned down and patted his head. "It's all right, Ron. I'm glad you're a dog. I'm certain Sirius would have gotten a kick out of it." Harry's smile became genuine, "It is strange petting my best mate though." Ron barked in response and changed back to human form.

"Yeah, well, try keep the urge to a minimum," said Ron with a hint of relief as he straightened is hair.

Harry laughed. "As long as you don't try to feed me birdseed or whatever it is that Falcon's eat."

"It's a deal, mate," laughed Ron. Then he sputtered and swiped at his tongue, "Yuck...dog hair."

Hermione beamed with tears in her eyes and suddenly threw her arms around both of them. "You're both such wonderful idiots," she sniffed.

Elizabeth watched the friends embrace with a bitter, sweet smile. They had been through so much together and they still had so much more to go through before it was all over. Her heart ached for them, but she was honoured to have them as friends and for that she would forever be grateful. Harry loosened Hermione's grip on his shoulder and he stretched out his arms and pulled Elizabeth close.

"You're part of us, Elizabeth. Maybe the very best part...especially to me. You deserve a hug as well, don't you think?" Harry whispered in her ear.

"I agree," Elizabeth whispered back, enjoying the sweet moment, knowing that the next one might be some time in coming.