Beyond Boundaries

Chapter Thirteen: Revelations

This is not good, Harry thought, which was the understatement of the millennium.Voldemort, was powerful, he knew that. Buthe couldn't be a Citatio, because that would make two Citatios. And if he wasn't a Citatio, and still could Wander, what was he then? Right Harry, don't panic. Stay calm. But how could he, when people were being murdered all around him? First thing first, he thought. A quick telepathic message,and all the children started to run for his portal. This caused distraction for the Death Eaters who were practically streaming out of Voldemort's portal. One of them shot a curse at one of the children, but missed.

The curse however, woke the stunned audience. Only Harry knew what was really happening, but everybody understood they were in grave danger. The crowd was no longer silent. More curses from the Death Eaters were answered by curses from the crowd. The Aurors gathered some of them and fought back, but there seemed to be no end to the dark wizards. Harry saw people fall from the Killing curse, others were severely damaged by Cutting curses and Burning hexes. The Cruciatus was a favourite it seemed.

Making sure every child was safely through the portal Harry closed it, and sent a calming reassurance to hysterical parents, who thought this was a Death Eater product. Then he sent a powerful energy blast into the Death Eater forces, knocking several of them out, perhaps even killing them. Then he stepped out of the shadows.

He was impressive, he knew that. He was surrounded by a golden glow, and through it you could see the red robes. It was for that reason he'd chosen the red colour, other than his being a Gryffindor, as darker colours would be more fitting for a 'Hero'. It was a warm colour, easy to spot, and an opposite of the Death Eaters' black. Red went nicely with gold too, and was a small piece of colour in an otherwise dark world.

His appearance caused angry shouts from the Death Eaters, and awed exclamations from all others. Those of the Death Eaters who hadn't noticed the Aurors before now, did, and realised they were expected. This caused a few moments of hesitation; enough for the Aurors to organise themselves better, but not long enough. The Death Eaters were many, and knew they'd probably win, even though the Aurors had protection from the Avada Kedavra. The spell had to be recast every time they were hit, and that took a few seconds. A few seconds they didn't have. A few seconds the Death Eaters quickly learned to use.

So they charged.

~*~

Harry was exhausted, both physically, mentally and magically. He was shocked, worried and furious. He was wounded, cut and bloody. His head was spinning and he was dizzy. All he wanted was to lie down and sleep forever, and forget about the world.

He was ecstatic, happy and triumphant.

Arthur Weasley was alive.

He was alive.

Three hundred and fifty-four innocent citizens were dead. One hundred and fifty-seven wounded.

One hundred and forty-three Death Eaters were dead or captured.

Twenty-four Aurors were dead. Seventeen wounded.

Five Order members dead. Seven wounded.

Voldemort was probably furious.

Voldemort had been there. He had shown he was powerful. Harry couldn't open a fifty foot wide Wander portal. Harry couldn't kill twenty persons with a single blow. How they had managed to drive him back, was something Harry would marvel at forever. Perhaps it was because the Minister was out of reach, and Voldemort probably concluded that they had caused enough damage. The Death Eaters had scared the living daylights out of the Wizarding world, and they had showed how powerful and how numerous they really were. More wasn't yet needed.

Well, except getting rid of that Citatio. Which Voldemort fortunately had to give up. Even though he was more powerful than Harry, it didn't help him much. He couldn't manage to catch him, as Harry was too fast. So they left. They didn't flee. What was there to flee from? Dead bodies?

No, they left. As if they had only been visiting for tea.

Leaving the Wizarding world to tend to its wounds.

Much was going to be revealed. The members of the Order of the Phoenix would be revealed. Even though everyone knew Dumbledore was the leader, few knew who the members were, and that most of them were this century's brightest wizards and witches: Healers, Potions Masters, Transfigurations Masters, and Charms Masters. Some of them were even Muggles: Technicians, Scientists, Medics, etc. They were the defensive part of it. The offensive part of The Order of the Phoenix consisted of Duelling Masters, Combat Masters, Strategists and Tacticians. They were about twenty-five in numbers. Well, now they were twenty. Five of the seventeen who had been at the Attack were now dead.

All this would be revealed to the public eye, because with so many wounded and dead people, they couldn't stay in the shadows and leave the clean-up to others. It was time to stand forward, unite the Wizarding world, and fight.

But that wasn't what scared Harry the most. He would be revealed. He and Hermione. First to the Order of the Phoenix, and the Aurors, and then to the rest of the world. They wouldn't be able to hide it anymore, as several of the captured Death Eaters knew about them, and they wouldn't keep their mouths shut. Besides, it is easier to work with an ally you know the name of. It's easier to trust the ally too, then.

That was why he was running through the corridor, to a part of Hogwarts which the Marauders had never found. A hidden wing, in which the Order members stayed when they were at the castle. A labyrinth of corridors, rooms and halls.It was here, to one of the big, empty rooms they brought the critically wounded ones. All of the others were brought to St. Mungo, where they were treated by both Order members who weren't at Hogwarts, and St. Mungo's doctors.

He stopped outside the door. "Do you think you can do this?" he asked worriedly.

Hermione squeezed his hand reassuringly. "I have to, Harry. You wouldn't let me come with you today, because you claimed I'm not ready for combat, but this I have to do. If I can save lives, I will." She placed a quick kiss on his lips. "Don't worry, I'm not afraid of blood, you know."

Harry shook his head. What awaited her on the other side of the door could only be described as horrible, but he knew she was right. She had to go in there.

Hermione paled when she entered. The smell, the sounds and the sight told of blood and death. Oh God, she thought. She felt Harry's gentle touch on her shoulder, and ground her teeth together. She could do this!

One of the Order Healers briskly asked her what a child like her was doing here, but Hermione ignored her completely, and stepped past her. She had eyes for the young woman on the nearest bed only. The Healer tried to stop her, but froze in her tracks when she saw Hermione's silver eyes. She knew what that meant. She turned to Harry, and suddenly noticed the scar on his forehead. Her jaw dropped. Harry raised an eyebrow, before grabbing her wrist and dragging her over to another patient.

"I'm a powerful magician," he said, "but I have never had any tutoring in the Healing arts. Tell me what to do."

~*~

Hermione was exhausted, Harry could easily tell. Yet, she carried on with her task, never wavering. She'd been working for four hours straight, and Harry was immensely surprised by her stamina. Proud too. The Healers had been surprised when they noticed her, but they were all intelligent beings, and understood what she was and what she did. They led her away from the patients they could handle themselves, over to those who were dying, and often missing a limb, or having most of their skin burnt away. They watched her in amazement, and those who knew a bit about Pectals, were impressed.

Harry too was busy. He learned quickly, and cast powerful healing charms and spells, and healed wounds an average spellcaster couldn't even dream of, as healing magic was one of the most difficult magical arts. But there were so many of them! People died before their eyes, because they didn't reach them in time.

Fortunately, after four hours, they began to get the situation under control. One of the Healers approached Harry. Harry looked up, his eyes glowing. He had put what he had left of his Citatio energy into his spells.

"Mr. Potter," the Healer said, and Harry's lips twitched slightly. They had quickly accepted his presence, even though he'd been gone the last two, almost three, years, and had probably guessed that they would get their questions answered later. He liked that kind of person. "You came with the Pectal, didn't you?" he asked, and Harry nodded. The Healer continued. "Well, I suggest you take her away from here now. She's exhausted and we don't need her anymore. We can manage it ourselves now."

Harry broke into a genuine smile, and thanked the man. He was definitely a likeable person. He found her in the other end of the room. She had collapsed in a chair, dead tired. She was sweaty, and was panting slightly. Harry murmured in her mind, and she opened her eyes, looking around for him. He kneeled beside her chair, and she looked at him through half-closed lids. "You need to rest," he said. Ignoring her muttered protests, he effortlessly picked her up in his arms, and walked out of the improvised hospital.

Now, where to take her... He couldn't take her to her dorm, that wouldn't do. But she needed to lie down in a bed. It'll have to be my room then, he thought. But how to get there, without being spotted by students... He mentally slapped himself. At two AM? But anyway...

"Harry!"

He spun around, almost losing Hermione in the process, and stared up at...Sirius. Sirius had been one of the Order members at the election. He had been wounded, but not seriously, and had been treated at St. Mungo. Harry guessed he had been unable to return to Hogwarts before now.

"Oh, Sirius," he said. "What are you doing here?"

Sirius chuckled a little at his godson's startled expression. "What a way to greet your godfather who you haven't seen it two weeks," he said, still chuckling. His eyes wandered over to Hermione, who was cradled in Harry's arms, seemingly oblivious to the world around her. He grinned devilishly, which only strengthened Harry's suspicion: He knew something. "By the way Harry, it seems like you have forgotten to tell me something..." Sirius continued.

Yep, he knows. Harry thought, while groaning silently. "Who said I forgot?" he asked, and arched an eyebrow at Sirius. He then turned around and stalked away from his godfather, a small smile playing on his lips. he spoke mentally to him. His smile widened into a grin, as he imagined Sirius' expression when he heard Harry's voice in his mind.

~*~

Harry managed to get to his rooms without being spotted by students walking around after curfew. He put Hermione on his bed and made sure she was covered by a blanket, before he sank down in a chair in the living room. He sighed. He was exhausted too. And he was thirsty...

He must have fallen asleep, and when he woke up, all the candles in his room had died down. For a second he wondered what had woken him, before he realised there was someone else in the room. He shot up and had his wand trained at the person before one could blink. He then lowered his wand and sighed.

"Hermione, what are you doing out of bed?" he asked.

She glared at him. "Just trying to find out where I am," she answered. "and when did it become your concern whether I'm in bed or not?"

"When you became a Pectal. It's my responsibility to make sure you don't exhaust yourself." He grabbed her by her shoulders and gently steered her back to the bed.

She sighed, but obediently lay down. He tucked her in, and was about to leave the room, when she stopped him.

"Stay," she whispered. "Please."

Harry wavered a second. Stay? In the same bed as her? He gulped. Well, it can't hurt...The bed is wide enough. He lay down beside her and conjured up a blanket for himself. She scooted closer and snuggled up to him. Harry's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he didn't say anything. Hesitantly, he laid his arm around her shoulders. She didn't seem to mind. He grinned to himself. I can get used to this...

~*~

When Harry woke up he noticed two things. Firstly: The sun was up, far up. It was past mid-day at least. Secondly: He wasn't alone in bed. He almost jumped out of his skin before his memory returned. He let out a relieved sigh. It was only Hermione.

She's beautiful, he thought, and then he chuckled to himself. Her hair and clothes was a mess, and she had other people's blood splattered all over, and she smelled of sweat. And she was absolutely gorgeous.

Harry wondered why his internal organs had decided to take flying lessons. Right now they were in a dip, and he had a sudden desire to just kiss her senseless. However, seeing that he was in the same condition as she was, he concluded that it wouldn't be the best idea. Sighing, he crawled out of bed, careful not to wake her, picked up some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later he re-emerged, water dripping from his hair.

"Morning Harry,"

He spun around to find a quite awake Hermione sitting on his bed.

"Can I use your bathroom?" she asked.

He nodded. "Of course," he said, before he noticed that Hermione was looking at him. Now, that wasn't very uncommon, it was more what she was looking at. Blushing furiously he quickly buttoned his open shirt and disappeared out of the bedroom as quickly as possible, followed by her giggles. He shifted into Christian and left the room. He had things to do and matters to solve. Firstly, he had to talk to Dumbledore.

~*~

Hermione had yet to come out from the bathroom when Harry came back, so he called a house-elf for breakfast. Well, rather lunch. He was halfway through his meal before Hermione showed up. (Why do girls take so long in the bathroom?) She grabbed her plate (Harry had gotten one for her too, of course) and seated herself beside Harry. They ate in silence. Well, at least Harry ate; Hermione only picked at her food. In the end Harry sighed, and put his plate down. It disappeared immediately. Hermione looked up at the soft pop it caused, and found Harry looking expectantly at her. She smiled inwardly: He always seemed to know what she was thinking.

"What's going to happen now?" she asked, and she saw Harry smile amused at her.

"You do have a knack for mathematics, Hermione. When you put two and two together you usually get five," he grinned at her. "Well, as you have already guessed, everything will be revealed. After this it won't be possible to hide it. You will be revealed, I will be revealed, the Order will be revealed. This doesn't have to turn out negatively, as we have a new Minister, who will ensure protection for the members, and start recruiting Aurors as quickly as possible." He paused. "As I said, it doesn't have to turn out in a bad way, but, with the recent 'development', it very well can."

"Recent development?" Hermione asked, and Harry proceeded to tell her about Voldemort. When he had finished, Hermione was confused, and a bit scared.

"But why hasn't he come here then? He knows we're here, and wants us dead. And if he can Wander-" sheshuddered at the thought, "-he should be able to get in!"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps he can't. Or perhaps he has something planned out. But now it is very important that we somehow manage to prevent people from Wandering at Hogwarts," he said. "I've already started, and I have a rough sketch, but I need you to help me."

"Me?" Hermione asked, startled. "How? When? Now?"

Harry snorted with laughter. "No, not right now. It would be impossible, due to the spells I've already placed. They need time to manifest themselves." He sighed. "But anyway, I've talked to Albus. When it comes out that you're the Pectal, you must move out of your dorm. To avoid complications and stuff." Hermione nodded and Harry continued. "I've also asked the Headmaster if it is possible for you to take your NEWTs now, so you can concentrate completely on your training."

Hermione nodded uncertainly. "But I don't know if I can manage the NEWTs now. I'm not prepared-"

Harry laughed heartily, much to Hermione's annoyance. "Hermione!" he cried. "You could have passed the NEWTs two years ago, with flying colours!"

Hermione blushed. "Okay, okay, I'll take those NEWTs," she said, a bit curtly, as she didn't like being laughed at.

Harry smiled and seated himself on the arm of Hermione's chair. "Don't worry, Hermione," he said. "You'll do fine." He leaned in and caught her lips in a tender kiss, which soon grew more passionate. Groaning softly, he allowed her to put her arms around his neck and pull him further down. Hadn't he been so occupied, he would have noticed that his spine, which was twisted into a rather awkward position, didn't have a very good time.

They pulled apart, both rather breathless.

"That was...nice," Harry breathed, and Hermione smiled shyly.

Harry suddenly turned serious again. "You will have to tell your parents about you being-"

Hermione broke him off, suddenly hysterical. "My parents!" she cried. "What about them? Voldemort must have killed them by now!" She tried to get out of the chair, but Harry stopped her.

"Don't worry, Hermione. I placed wards over your house when I found out you were the Pectal, and yesterday I moved them to Hogwarts, when I found out Voldemort could Wander. And before you ask, no, you can't meet them now. We'll place them under the Fidelius Charm; they'll be quite safe then."

Hermione calmed down again, and nodded. "You're right. I must tell them about me being a Pectal." She looked pointedly at him. "And about us."

Harry winced.

~*~

The Order of the Phoenix and quite a few of the Aurors' highest commanders were in the room. Some of them had never met before, so they had spent quite a lot of time on introductions. And now everyone were craving answers. Few knew how they had gotten the information about the attack, few knew who the Golden Mask was, though many guessed it was a Citatio, especially as all the Healers insisted that they'd seen a Pectal at Hogwarts. No one recognised what You-Know-Who had done when he arrived at the Ministry, and of course there was the matter of Harry Potter, who the Healers claimed to have seen too. Everyone however, suspected that Dumbledore knew quite a lot, and therefore, they awaited an explanation. An explanation Dumbledore secretly was waiting for too.

Someone though, wasn't as patient.

"Albus, we all know who the Pectal is, and you know it too," Snape said. All the teachers had found out when the Death Eaters attacked Hogwarts, though they had been silenced by Dumbledore. "Why don't bring the Granger girl here?"

"Because she isn't the right person, Severus," Dumbledore answered patiently. "She's still very much in training. We're waiting for the Citatio, the so-called 'Golden Mask'." Dumbledore made a dramatic pause, and hid a smile. He was looking forward to see their reaction when they got to know exactly who the Citatio was. "He will," Dumbledore continued, "be able to tell us exactly what Voldemort-" several people flinched "-did today." He added secret: 'I hope', to himself.

Snape growled. "I still can't figure how you could give the responsibility for her training to Atos," he continued. "He could be a Death Eater for all we know!"

"But he isn't," Harry Potter said, as he stepped out of the shadows, closely followed by Hermione.

Quite a few jaws dropped. Harry smirked. "As you all know who I am, I won't bother with introducing myself, but go straight to the point." That he did, before anyone could manage to shut their mouths again. "What Voldemort-" quite a few flinched "-did at the Ministry is called Wandering. It is a thing only Pectals and Citatios can do. I assume you all know what they are?" he asked. No one spoke up. "As I said, no one but Pectals and Citatios can Wander."

The fact started to sink in. "Does that mean that Voldemort is a Citatio?" one of the Aurors asked, fearfully.

Harry sighed. "No, Mr. Harrington," he said, having read the man's name from his mind. "There can be only one Citatio and one Pectal in the world at once. And both are here now."

"Where?" one of the others demanded.

Without batting an eyelash, Harry stepped forward, and mentally told Hermione to do the same, making sure he wasn't broad-casting. The Aurors and the Order members were sitting in a circle, along the walls of the circular room, which was well hidden, deep under the school.

Harry held up a hand, and something golden sprung from it. It looked like flower at first, but then it widened, the threads spread, forming an intricate pattern. The threads glowed with a gentle light, illuminating the room. The others stared in awe, as the threads reached the walls, the floor, the ceiling. It looked like they were embedding themselves into the stone, forming patterns there too. And then suddenly, silver threads started to spread, and they saw Hermione standing there. Her threads followed Harry's, but not always. Sometimes they took off, forming patterns of their own, they too glowing. The two Children of Power released the threads, allowing them to be consumed by the walls.

The adults stared at the walls, astonished. Golden and silver patterns covered them, and in between it was black stone. It was breath-taking. The two youths had certainly proved their point.

"Oh." It was the Auror who had asked 'where'. The room suddenly erupted: People were asking questions, demanding answers, talking together in loud voices. Hermione covered her ears.

"Silence," Harry said, raising his voice slightly. The effect was instant. The room fell silent. Harry held back a snicker; that Voice gift was fun. "As I said, the Pectal and the Citatio are here, both of them. I do not think it will surprise any of you if I say that I was at the election today." He paused, and whispers ran though the room. "And now, I think it is time for me and Hermione to reveal ourselves. Voldemort-" several people flinched again, and Harry fought a sigh, "-already knows who we are, and it is better that the public get it from us than from him. Besides, people need to know everything about the resistance. As powerful as he is now, all support is needed." He looked around at the persons assembled. "And, we need a way to defeat him." Then he took Hermione with him, and they seated themselves in two chairs beside Dumbledore.

The rest of the meeting they were asked questions, which they tried to answer as well as they could. They had decided not to tell about Mind-Reading and Soul-Searching though, as people probably would object to it, and demand a block. It was decided that they had to find out exactly what You-Know-Who was, and how powerful he was. Those who didn't know, were introduced to the prophecy, and most agreed that it pointed towards Harry and Hermione. Harry did most of the talking, and told them that Hermione would start taking her NEWTs the next day, so she could fully participate in the resistance.

"But you're both children!" one of the male Aurors exclaimed, clearly dissatisfied with the two of them taking part in 'adult' work. "What good can you do?"

Harry glared at him, and the man cowered slightly. "If I am 'adult' enough to be put in Azkaban, I am also adult enough to fight, Mr. Yamamoto," he said, so softly that it was barely audible. Everybody heard it though. "I can fight, you have seen me, and Ms. Granger will soon be capable of doing the same. If you want to stop us, that's alright; you may try. But you will not succeed."

Not many objected after that.

When the meeting came close to an end, it was decided to let the journalist Marice Newman take care of getting everything out to the people. Harry and Hermione would put up Wander wards where it was important, and some from the Order would do research on Voldemort, Citatios and Pectals. They couldn't put to many on this task, as that would draw attention. The Healers was very excited to learn that Hermione had a Healing Talent, and wanted to speak with her.

As Hermione and Harry were about to leave, they were interrupted by Snape. He hadn't said much during the meeting.

"Potter," he drawled, and Harry turned towards him.

"Yes, Professor," he said, politely.

"You said when you came, that Mr. Atos wasn't a Death Eater. How do you know that?"

Ahh, Harry thought. He remembered that... Frankly, Dumbledore probably wouldn't have let Christian Atos take up Hermione's training, if Harry hadn't been so good with Voice and Persuasion. Oh well, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. This time.

"Quite simple, Severus," Harry said, and almost laughed at Snape's reaction to him using his first name. "I'm a Shapeshifter."

When realisation dawned for Snape, Harry and Hermione were out of reach.

~*~

"I'm closer now, Asham. He's in the same area as yours. He'll be ready soon."

"Good. Mine's ready soon too, and the other two have already arrived."

"That's good news. I feel like I'm closing in on him. I'm going to find him faster than you did."

The man, called Asham, grinned. "Him or her, William."

He other man, called William, groaned. "Stop that, Asham. It's not funny any longer." But he smiled too, as he said so.

~*~

Hermione giggled as Harry led her to the room that had been prepared for her. Though, she didn't actually fancy the next time she met Snape, even though she was a Pectal. He could be rather... satiric... at times. Especially now that Harry had out-manoeuvred him so seriously. That she wasn't Harry wouldn't bother him much.

It would be fun though, to meet her year-mates again. Her room-mates had been informed that she wouldn't return, and they would soon find out why. That would surprise them.

"You know, that was hilarious, Harry. I see why you like surprising people so much," Hermione said.

Harry grinned. She would probably like the surprise he had for her now. They stopped outside the door, and Harry, being the gentleman he was, bent down to kiss her goodnight. She sighed when their lips parted again, and Harry could easily see that she had something on her mind. Years and years of acting had made him very observant to such things. She looked at him, with those deep brown eyes, which somehow made his stomach churn.

"Harry," she said, biting her lip. "I-I'm frightened," she blurted out.

He sighed. "Hermione," he said softly. "So am I. Voldemort is no joke, we both know that." He put his arms around her and embraced her gently. "But don't worry," he said, in a light tone. "The Chiantesh'alfh can manage everything!"

She chuckled softly at his enthusiastic behaviour, and he chuckled with her. "What does 'Chiantesh'alfh' mean, Harry," she asked.

"Oh, that," he answered. "It means 'Children of Power' in the ancient tongue of the Pectals and Citatios. It appears that we once were a kind of race. Or at least had our own community.We called ourselves 'Children of Power', to remind ourselves that the power wasn't there for us, but we were there for the power."

He didn't notice Hermione's slight frown. I'm sure I've heard that before... she thought. Oh well, he's probably mentioned it at a point I wasn't paying attention.

"But now," Harry changed the subject, "it's bed-time."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Bed-time Harry? I slept through the whole day."

Harry however, didn't listen, just opened the door, bowed courteously and showed her inside. "This way, milady," he said in shrill, high-pitched voice.

Hermione grinned at his antics, before she stopped dead in the doorway. "Mum? Dad?" she said, disbelieving. In the next second she found herself embraced by her mother. She didn't notice Harry closing the door behind her, or the sad look on his face.

Outside the closed door he sighed, before squaring his shoulders and shaking the sadness off. One cannot have everything, he resolved.

~*~

Blaise was frightened. She didn't know what had happened today, if He had been victorious, or if He had not. But she feared the worse, because he never called his followers together so soon after an attack. And she hadn't even been there, only Marked Death Eaters had. She wished she'd had the courage to wait long enough to warn Potter or Dumbledore. But if she did, and she was too late, they would become suspicious, and if they found out she was a spy... she knew what awaited her then. Horrible torture, rape and death. And she would be parted and sent back to people she knew and cared for in pieces. Perhaps she'd even be parted alive, even though Voldemort didn't really fancy 'bloody' matters. It was too Muggle for him.

She shuddered and drew her cloak tighter around her. She was glad she didn't have troubles with the Light side anymore, even though Ron still kept pestering her. She'd been allowed to tell about an upcoming attack by Atos, but not when and where. It was weird really, cause Potter seemed to be keeping secrets from Dumbledore too... The Headmaster didn't know about Ron. But then, Potter had been Ron's best friend, and blackmail was illegal.

No, she wouldn't think about Ron. He was a prat, an idiot... and he had a beautiful smile. She sighed. He was a prat, but yet, there were times when he was almost... nice to her. She cherished those moments, but she knew it was so hopeless. Her parents were Death Eaters, so she couldn't confide in them, and Slytherin friends she didn't have. People were right when they said Slytherin was the Dark house, because almost everyone above fifteen in her house got this fanatic shine in their eyes when they talked about...Him. There were a few who were as deep in as she was, not wanting to be there, and she'd already pointed them out to Professor Dumbledore, but she couldn't confide in them either. They weren't trustworthy, as they would do anything to get out of the mess, give her name to an Auror or a superior Death Eater too.

Blaise clenched her fists. Why oh why did she always end up in the bad company. First, she was sorted into Slytherin, which once might have been ahonourable house, and it still could be again, but right now it wasn't. Then, she was recruited as a Death Eater, and then she fell hopelessly in love with an absolute prat. She ground her teeth together. When she graduated from Hogwarts she was going to ask Dumbledore never to reveal her secret, before she would change her name and flee out of the country, never to return. If Voldemort won, and started to expand to other countries (well, he already had done some attacks in Germany and France, to 'test the waters' as he called it), she could deal with that then. Now, she only wanted to leave and never return!

She saw the flickering blue light in front of her, between the trees. (Why the Forbidden Forest of all places!) She took a deep breath and stepped into the circle of light, where two Marked ones waited for her. She respectfully waited for them to address her.

"Ms. Zabini," one of them said silkily. "The Dark Lord is not pleased today..."

What a nice start, Blaise thought, and struggled not to show any fear. This couldn't be any good.

"You see, he was expected when he arrived at the Ministry today, and we, his servants, failed to kill the new Minister."

Now Blaise really struggled to keep her face straight, but her insides coiled with terror.

"And you," continued one of the Marked ones, "have been observed behaving rather... abnormally."

"Therefore," the other broke in, "you will be taken in for interrogation."

Blaise could no longer keep the fear off her face. She knew what an interrogation meant. You didn't stand a chance; you admitted it or died. And if you admitted it you died too.

"Noo!" she cried. "I haven't done anything!"

"Spare your voice, girl, you'll be able to use it later."

Blaise managed to think: How cliché, before she turned and ran for her life.

"Crucio!"

She fell to the ground, hit in the back, screaming in agony, as the pain of the Cruciatus pierced through her like thousands of glowing swords. She writhed in pain for what seemed like an eternity, and then... it stopped.

It took her several moments before she was able to think straight again. "I haven't done anything," she wept piteously. She saw a dark figure rise over her, wand trained at her, and she heard him speaking the incantation.

"Stupefy!"

Confused, Blaise blinked, trying to see clearly. Why should he use the Stunning curse? Then she realised she hadn't been hitten by any curse, and that no dark figure was hovering over her any longer. She heard the Stunning curse being repeated, and then another, a dark curse, being uttered. She noticed one of the Marked ones unconscious before her feet, and her mind registered there was a duel going on.

Yellow light whizzed through the air, and the other Marked one slumped to the ground. She could make out a figure in the dark, and squinted her eyes. He/She turned towards her, and Blaise instinctively reached for her wand.

He came fully into view, and she could see the newly risen moon shining down on his features.

"Ronald!" she gasped.

He kneeled beside her, and she was shocked when he laid his arms around her, hugging her tight. "I'm so sorry," he said in a raspy voice. "I never thought- I never realised- I was so shocked when I saw them hurt you."

"It's okay," she said, being her own Slytherin, composed self. "I'm used to it." It was true, it wasn't the first time she'd experienced the Cruciatus.

"Used to it?" he asked incredulously. "Used to it?"

"Yes," she said, impatiently. "They do that when they're not pleased with us." She looked up at him and was startled when she saw tears in his eyes.

"And I- I forced you to..." he trailed off, and she suddenly realised that he hadn't understood really what it was to be a Death Eater trainee. And now that he knew, he regretted what he'd done to her.

He gritted his teeth and looked down at her. "I'll make it right again," he promised. "We'll tell Dumbledore, and you'll be protected. I'll witness, tell everybody you were forced to it. I'll take all the guilt if I have to."

"But Ron," she said. "It's not your fault."

"Not that you became a Death Eater, no," he said. "That's not my fault. But everything else is my fault. I threatened you, and- and. Damnit Blaise! Don't tell me I didn't make it much, much worse!"

Blaise would have laughed if it hadn't been so serious. The boy had had no idea! No idea to what it was all about. He hadn't even thought that she could be hurt, or killed! Either, he was incredibly stupid, or he just had been too caught up in his own mind to notice. I'd wager for the latter one, Blaise thought dryly to herself, because she knew he wasn't stupid. Just so very, very... egocentric and selfish. Well, now he saw. But yet, why had he rescued her? It was so unlike him to do such a thing.

"Ron," she asked. "Why did you save me? I'm of no use to you now, 'cause now they know I'm a traitor to the Dark."

"Because I- I- ..." he trailed of, stammering. "I didn't want you to get hurt," he whispered. "I didn't want you to get hurt."

She was surprised when she saw pure despair and worry in his eyes. She hadn't known he could feel such things. Shouldn't he be angry at her for not telling him about this meeting?

And why wasn't she furious at him? Why was she enjoying having his arms around her, while she should have been furious at him for using her in such a way? Because he regretted it? Or because her heart just had to go skydiving when near him?

But then his words struck her. He didn't want her to get hurt! Not because she wasn't valuable to him anymore, but because he cared! Blaise wanted to curse her emotions, which right then went into a loop-de-loop. He cared!

"Ron," she asked hopefully. "Do you care about me?"

He tightened his grip on her. "Yes," he said. "I do. And I'll make sure no one is ever going to hurt you again. I know you'll never forgive me, but I'll prot-"

Blaise cut him of by sealing her lips over his. To say that Ron was surprised would be an understatement, but Blaise left him no time to stay surprised.

Silent rain started to fall, pouring down on the two youths, tightly embraced in new-found love, found in a rather surprising way. Puddles of water started to form, and water dripped from the trees, and soaked the humans who were outside.

A shadow passed quickly over one of the small puddles, so fast it might not have been there.

====================