Prophecy

Eight who are one

The rest of the morning passed quietly, as the three who had met with Dumbledore told the others what they could about what had been said. When everything had been discussed, James raised the thing that had bothered him in the Headmaster's office.

"Did anyone talk about the feud or the prank to anyone besides Prefect Moore?" The other looked at James curiously, but they all denied it. James frowned. "That is what I thought, but I had to make sure. Nobody here said anything, which leaves just two options. Prefect Moore said something, or Dumbledore has some way of listening to conversations that happen in Hogwarts." James sent Daniel to find Prefect Moore and bring him here. As James said, "He wanted to talk to us anyway, and now I want to talk to him."

Emma was watching James and Tiffany who were sitting back against the same tree. Every time their attention became focused on something, or they were distracted, they started touching. It didn't matter what body part they gravitated toward each other. When they realized what they were doing, they would pull back. Emma quietly pointed it out to Melissa, and the two of them watched the bonded couple for a few minutes. Rose became aware of the focus of their attention and soon all three of the girls were having a whispered argument that involved a great deal of laughing and giggling. It did not take the boys long to figure out that they had lost the attention of the girls. They were staring at the girls trying to decide what was so fascinating. Hangeld and Adam were watching the girls, the girls were watching James and Tiffany, and the soul mates were still trying to figure out what they were going to do about their roommates. Lisa was the only one present not involved in the watching, and she was even more unaware than the rest, as she had her nose in a book.

That was how Prefect Moore found them, and he stopped to study the group for a minute. Physically, they looked like any other group of first years he seen, with the sole exception of Hangeld, whose size would make him stand out anywhere. A closer examination would find only an oddly adult look in their eyes, as if people far older than their years lived in those bodies.

Prefect Moore was aware of James and Rose watching him, although the rest of the group had not noticed him yet. He moved up and sat next to the group. Daniel had come back with him, and sat back down with the group. "Daniel said you wanted to talk to me?"

James nodded, but Tiffany that answered him. "Did you speak of the feud or the prank to anyone?" Prefect Moore denied doing so, and the group discussed how Dumbledore might have learned of the situation. Lisa came up with the only other option, saying that the Prefect Grey might have said something. Prefect Moore said he'd talk to him about it.

Prefect Moore looked around and lowered his voice. "I wanted to ask you something. In every war, some things are lost simply because nobody keeps track of it all from the beginning. I want to record everything you do." Prefect Moore went on to explain he was going to be a historian, and that this was history in the making. "Of course, I will keep everything to myself until after the war is over, but being able to take notes before anything happens would make writing the accounts of the war much easier."

Everyone looked at James. James was considering the older boy carefully as he linked with Rose and Tiffany. "I don't like the idea of everything we're doing being on parchment, so that anyone can read it." He sent bluntly.

"It does not sound like a bad idea James. I think we could keep the records safe." Tiffany disagreed. Rose was still thinking about it, while they argued. Finally Rose spoke.

"James, she's right this time. All we have to do to keep the records safe is put them in one of the hidden rooms." Rose said. "Plus, if we say no, he might keep notes anyway. Being a historian is as important to him as the project is to us. This way, we can make sure we have control of anything he writes down."

"I still don't like it, but I'll go along with the two of you. Rose, like I said earlier, he's your responsibility, and I can't open my room without telling Dumbledore anyway. Make sure you get all his notes, and destroy anything that he's not keeping." James decided. Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. James raised an eyebrow at her. "What did I do now Sister mine?"

"James I love you, but I did get exactly the same lessons in security that you did. Go teach the rest of the group about security, and let me talk to Moore alone." Rose backed her mental words with a shooing motion. James grinned at her, and got up. He led the rest of the group off a bit, and they settled in the grass again.

Adam looked at James. "I was wondering why you wanted everyone to try out for the Quidditch team. Isn't that going to take time away from the project?"

James shrugged. "Yes and no. It will leave less time for actual training, but at the same time, it will give most of us practice in working together as a team, and show me who handles stress the best." He looked at Lisa then. "It will also get people used to seeing you doing good things, or normal things at least."

Lisa stared at him. "Why worry about it? We do have bigger things to worry about, and the only people that have to know what I'm like are right here."

James shook his head at her. "Not really. When the project starts, we can't have people wondering about you, or refusing to help us because of you. This will start things going right. All of Hogwarts will be telling their families about you, and if we can take the House Cup a few times, that will leave a favorable impression on people."

Hangeld was watching James thoughtfully. "Do you do anything that does not impact on the project in some way?"

James looked at Hangeld and thought about it. He frowned. Hangeld shook his head. "Never mind. If you have to think that long about it, I already know the answer." Hangeld looked at James again, and realized that he had lost James's attention. Hangeld followed the direction of James and Tiffany's stare. Near the lake, the unknown Slytherin first year was walking, and Martin Crabbe and another Slytherin boy, Michael Dunsutter were sneaking up on her. James spoke to Melissa without turning his head. "I think we're about to find out why she's so scared." The rest of the group looked at her and the two sneaking up on her.

Emma's eyes were glittering as she started to stand up. "Sit down." James's voice was barely above a whisper, but the coldness of it stopped Emma dead. "I want to see what they do, and how she responds before we get involved." James was watching the two boys with a predatory look. "After all, we don't want anyone to think we just bully people for no reason."

Rose came up then alerted by her link with James, and looked at him. "James, what are you planning?" He grinned mirthlessly without taking his eyes from the scene in front of him. "James..." said Rose warningly.

James turned to Melissa. "Melissa, read the young lady for me, and tell me if she is anything but a victim." Melissa frowned, looking at the girl. She'd never tried to reach the emotions of a person that far away, and she was not sure if it could be done. She reached with her Empathy, finding the group around her easily, and recoiling from the burning fury building in James. That fury was also rising in Tiffany, although she was fighting it. James was letting it build, holding on to it with the stubbornness that marked everything he did. Past the group, she found the two Slytherin boys first, and the evil glee with which they regarded their target made Melissa ill. She reached past them, and found the dark haired girl. She reached into the girl, and was nearly swept away on a tide of despair, fear and depression that swirled though every thought the girl had. Melissa pulled away from the girl's emotions feeling dizzy, and Rose steadied her.

Melissa looked at the girl again. Compassion warred with pity as she gave James his answer. "She's a victim, there is not a single evil feeling in that girl, nor any of violence." Melissa considered the feelings she read in the girl in that brief tsunami of feelings. "If somebody doesn't do something, I think she might do something drastic." Melissa shivered as the fury building in the Soulbonded couple edged higher, and the look on James's face was reflecting the heat inside.

Tiffany and James moved up to the closest tree to the scene below them, and Emma watched her friend a bit nervously. Emma had seen Tiffany angry before, but this cold-eyed patience was new. Tiffany had always been the type to get angry, yell about it, and then get over it, sometimes in mere minutes. The girl standing there watching Crabbe and Dunsutter with cold eyes was not the Tiffany Emma knew, and she looked at James. Emma watched them, and suddenly she realized just how profound the changes of the Soulbond were. Emma frowned as she abruptly realized she no longer knew her best friend at all.

The rest of the group was watching the two Slytherins, who were finally in the position they wanted. They raised their wands and Crabbe struck first, immobilizing the girl with the "total body bind". Dunsutter cast a spell that the people on the slope above couldn't see, but Melissa felt the Slytherin girl's fear like a blow even at this distance. James and Tiffany were running down the hill even as Dunsutter cast, and Rose was half a step behind them. The rest of the group and Prefect Moore were late getting started, not having the links of the trio, but they were catching up and so they were close enough to see the knife in Crabbe's hand as he knelt by the girl and started cutting. Prefect Moore slowed and pulled his wand, but before he could stop Crabbe with a spell, James arrived, and what followed stopped Crabbe as surely as any spell.

James hit Crabbe from behind, slamming his shoulder into the other boy's side, just under the arm he was holding the knife in. There was a snapping sound, much like a branch breaking and Martin screamed in pain. The two rolled over the girl, and James ended up on top of Martin. He grabbed Martin's arm, twisted it up, turning the elbow up, and brought his elbow down on top of it. There was a sickening crack as Crabbe's elbow tried to bend backwards and failed. He dropped the knife, and James dropped the arm even as his other hand struck Crabbe across the face. James had used the knife-edge of his hand, and Crabbe's nose gave way under the assault, which was followed quickly by a backhanded fist that struck Martin right at the hinge of his jaw. Crabbe's jaw popped as the joint was dislocated. James looked at him for an instant, and raised his hand to strike him again. Crabbe's eyes went wide in fear, and he whimpered.

While James was dealing with Crabbe, Dunsutter had raised his wand to cast a spell on James from behind when Tiffany arrived. Caught up in the rage resonating between James and her, she chose the most direct route to stop him. Coming up from behind him, She kicked out. Without any warning, and with Dunsutter facing away from Tiffany, her foot made a perfect connection with his groin, lifting him off the ground. Unable to do anything but grab himself, he was attacked by a raging whirlwind. Tiffany didn't have James's training, and she hit, scratched and kicked, caught in the rage. She knew James had the Pendragon temper, but nothing had prepared her for feeling it. While she could access James's memories of the rage, that was at one remove, and she had nothing to reference the rage to. She was learning quickly though. Hangeld arrived on the scene and picked Tiffany up off him, holding her away from Michael. Dunsutter fought the pain in his groin and elsewhere, and grabbed his wand. He turned to hex her, only to find the rest of the first year Gryffindors standing there. Rose was in front, and she had her wand in one hand, and a disk in the other. The rest of them were spread out beside her, and every one of them had a wand pointing his way. Dunsutter looked at them, and dropped his wand. Rose smiled thinly. "That's possibly the smartest thing you've ever done."

Melissa took Tiffany's hands, and began sending calming feelings at her, as Prefect Moore moved toward James and Crabbe. He was the only person that heard James speaking to Crabbe.

When Crabbe had whimpered, James had halted his blow. He looked down at the bloody mask that Martin's face was becoming, and spoke very quietly. "If you even look at that girl again, touch her, encourage someone else to, or hurt her in any way, I will get very, very violent with you." Crabbe stared at James, and fear flickered in his eyes. James smiled, and it was not a nice smile. Martin Crabbe's blood went cold, and his bladder let go as James continued. "Maybe you think this was violent, but violence would be breaking half or more of the 216 bones in your body one at a time." Crabbe took a minute to think about that one and stared at James, and the fear was gone from his eyes. It had been replaced with terror. He held very still, even as the wetness on his robes testified to his fear. James rose, and never looked back as he crossed to the girl, still lying on the ground under the immobilizing spell. James released her from the spell, and offered her a hand up. She took it warily, and stood up.

The girl was short, with large dark haunted eyes, and a sweep of sable hair reaching nearly to her waist. She looked at James and then at Crabbe. She paled and moved further from Crabbe. James led her to Rose and Melissa and turned back toward Crabbe. He sighed. "Daniel, would you get Madam Pomfrey please? I think Martin here is going to need her."

Daniel started back toward the school, and James turned to the unknown girl again. Melissa and Rose were blocking her view of Martin, and comforting her. James's tone was gentler than anyone except Rose had heard from him. "Are you ok?"

The girl looked up at him and nodded. James smiled gently at her and introduced himself. "I'm James Evans, and this is my sister Rose, and our friend Melissa." Indicating the rest of the group, he introduced everyone. Melissa felt a strange spike of fear and resignation from the girl as the group was introduced.

"My name is Mercy. Mercy Riddle." Silence fell across the group as the British wizard born heard the family name of Voldemort. Adam looked at the suddenly uncomfortable group, and at James and Rose, who were taking it calmly.

"Would somebody tell me why her name makes you look like she suddenly grew another head?" Adam asked bluntly. "She doesn't look any different to me now that I know her name."

James sighed, suddenly understanding why Mercy had been having such a hard time. "Adam, Riddle was Voldemort's family name." Adam considered that, and shrugged.

"So what? Lisa here is a Malfoy, and none of you look at her like she's a basilisk." Adam said pointedly.

James added his bit. "She's a first year just like us, which means she's eleven. I believe the War ended before any of us were even born. So how can you treat her any differently than Lisa?" He looked at Lisa then. "How you can say anything is beyond me. In fact you should be sympathizing with her."

Emma Weasley was torn between remembering Charlie and Percy, killed in the final assault on Voldemort's stronghold at the end of the war, and their words. The group's discomfort was set aside as Madame Pomfrey and Ginny Potter came up with Daniel. James and Rose stood to the side with Mercy, and after a long second, Melissa and Hangeld joined them. A few seconds later, the rest of the first year Gryffindors moved to join them, and they formed a protective circle around Mercy. Madame Pomfrey started checking Crabbe as Ginny looked over Michael Dunsutter.

Dunsutter's injuries were merely scratches and a few bruises, and Ginny decided his healing could wait until they reached the Hospital wing. Albus Dumbledore came walking up, his face somber as he took in the scene. He looked at the group standing there, and his eyes sharpened as he noted Mercy peering around them, but still protected by them all. He looked at Prefect Moore. "An explanation would be nice Mr. Moore." He said calmly.

"Sir, we were up there," said the older boy, indicating the slight rise and the trees. "when we saw these two sneaking up on Miss Riddle here." Ginny jerked at the name, and turned to stare at Mercy. She looked at her daughter, and Tiffany shook her head. Mouthing "later", Tiffany returned her attention to Dumbledore and Prefect Moore. "We were not able to interfere before Mr. Crabbe there cast the "Total body bind" on Miss Riddle, and the other boy, who's name I do not know, cast another spell on her. When we reached the area, Mr. Crabbe had that knife and was cutting at Miss Riddle." He indicated the knife still lying where Martin had dropped it. "At that point Sir, I am not quite sure what happened, as it did happen in two places, and very quickly."

James stepped forward, and spoke. "Sir, I was the first one here, and I saw him cutting at that girl there. I did not know if he was cutting her, or just her things, and I felt that waiting to ask might be a bad idea. I tackled him from behind, and took the knife away from him. I then attempted to persuade Crabbe that doing this again might be a Very Bad Idea." The capital letters in his last three words were clearly audible. Albus Dumbledore looked over his glasses at James, and looked at Madame Pomfrey, asking about Crabbe's injuries.

"He has two broken ribs, from where he was tackled, a dislocated jaw, a broken nose, and a broken elbow," she recited. "The elbow is the worst, and he'll be in the hospital wing overnight. The other boy will be fine in an hour." Dumbledore looked at him.

"What happened to him?" Albus asked. Tiffany winced, and began blushing even as she admitted doing the damage to him. Albus raised an eyebrow and inquired as to why.

As Tiffany struggled to find an answer that didn't make her sound like a berserker, James stepped in. "Sir, it was an unforeseen side effect of the Soulbond." James looked at the students who had been gathering since Prefect Moore had been talking, knowing by the rushing staff members that something different was going on. He sighed, and continued. "I have a bit of a temper that I can keep mostly under control, but Tiffany was not expecting it, and she might have gotten a little carried away." Dumbledore looked at Dunsutter's face, which looked as if an angry wildcat had attacked him, and agreed in a dry tone that she might have gotten carried away indeed. James faced the Headmaster and spoke again. "This is entirely my fault Sir. Tiffany would not have done anything like this, if it were not for the Soulbond. I am to blame for her actions."

Albus looked at the group still clustered around Mercy, and the two boys being taken to the Hospital Wing. He looked around at the other students and suggested to them that they find another place to be. When the last of them was out of earshot, Albus turned to James. "You used skills taught to you to fight a dark wizard on a couple of bullies?" Dumbledore's tone was more disapproving than angry, and James flushed.

His voice was firm though, as he answered the Headmaster. "Sir, What is the difference in evil? This act here was as evil as anything the Patient Child can do, if not as extreme. Little evils, big evils, it's all evil, and should not be tolerated." James turned to his friends and gently drew Mercy out of the group. "Melissa tells me that there is not a violent or evil thought in her, and that she may be the best person in this school, judging by her emotions. To allow Crabbe to finish what he was doing, or to allow him to do it again later would make me no better than the Patient Child."

Albus Dumbledore considered James's words and suddenly realized why Robert and James Evans were willing to go so far in protecting people. Most people see the world in shades of gray, allowing small wrongs to pass. James and Robert saw the world in black and white, making no distinctions between various levels of wrong. This insight into the Evans did not make Albus happy, as he thought about all the things that could happen if James continued to allow that attitude free rein.

Support for James came from the last person Dumbledore expected to be in favor of hurting people. "I have to agree. From her emotions and observed actions since the beginning of the year, I would say they have been hurting her from the beginning, and it had to stop." Albus regarded Melissa as he wondered what she's seen in Mercy's emotions that made an Xavier, one of a clan famed for their healing skills and pacifist natures, willing to condone violence, and even support it. One by one, the other Gryffindors added their support, although Emma and Daniel were hesitant. Albus understood that, as they had lost more family to Voldemort than the others. That they were willing to speak up at all spoke volumes about their personal integrity. Professor Dumbledore looked at Prefect Moore then.

"Mr. Moore, you will escort Mr. Evans and Miss. Potter to the Gryffindor common room and insure that they stay there until I send for them. I will have meals sent up if it takes that long." Before Prefect Moore could say anything, James spoke to Dumbledore.

"Sir, what about Mercy? If she goes back to Slytherin, they will only continue their assaults on her. Since she wasn't at the Sorting Ceremony, she was not sorted into Slytherin, was she?" Dumbledore agreed that she had not been sorted. James then asked, "why couldn't she be one of us then? In Gryffindor at least, she will not be picked on like this, and Tiffany and I will take care of her." Albus Dumbledore looked pointedly at the still unconscious Martin Crabbe, now being carried to the hospital wing for treatment.

"You might take care of her, but how many more students will join Mr. Crabbe?" asked Professor Dumbledore sharply.

James grinned mirthlessly, and looked up the hill, where several dozen students stood around watching from just out of earshot. "Sir, once the rumours start flying about what happened here, I don't think anyone will touch Mercy again, and certainly not if she's with us." Albus Dumbledore looked at James again, and saw the coldly pragmatic look in his eyes that he got anytime he was talking about the prophecy. Professor Dumbledore was suddenly certain that James had not 'lost it', and that he had deliberately hurt Crabbe that way, just to get this affect. He was correct about one thing though. When word of what had happened here got around, nobody would come near Mercy, James or Tiffany. Only time would tell if that was a good thing or not.

Albus looked at the girl he had cared for since her birth, and then at the Gryffindors standing around her. "Miss Riddle, would you care to join the first year Gryffindors?" No one at Hogwarts knew that Dumbledore had been responsible for Mercy, and both he and Mercy wanted it that way. Mercy looked at the people around her, noticing the eyes that were older than the physical ages suggested, and looked back at Dumbledore.

"No Professor, I think I should let the Sorting Hat do its job. Maybe it will find a place for me." Said Mercy quietly. Dumbledore nodded, but then his feelings for Mercy got the better of him.

"That is your choice, but until I can have the hat sort you, I suggest you spend a bit of time with these people, as I will have to do something about Slytherin, since you have not mentioned anything to anyone about what is going on in that house."

Albus Dumbledore turned back to Prefect Moore. "Mr. Moore, I am holding responsible for all three of them. Take them off now, and I will send for you when I want them." Prefect Moore started towards Gryffindor, with James, Rose, Tiffany and Mercy following him.

After a split second of looking at each other, the rest of the first year Gryffindors followed them. James looked back and saw them. He grinned at them, and made a hurry up motion at them. Using the links, the two Evans and Tiffany fell in around Mercy like an honor guard, and the rest of the Gryffindors joined them. Mercy however, looked so embarrassed that Tiffany and Rose moved up beside her, and each of them took one of her hands. Mercy smiled shyly at them, and the parade walked to the Gryffindor common room like that.

In the common room, it was obvious that the story had already gotten there by the silence that clamped down on the room when they came in. James looked around and then an idea hit him, or Tiffany, not that they could tell the difference anymore. They looked at each other, and after a quick consult with Rose, James stood up from his favorite chair and faced the other Gryffindors. "You might as well hear it from me, so ask the questions. We have nothing to hide about what happened."

A second year they didn't know by name looked at James. "Did you really kill him?"

James's eyebrows jumped at that. "No. I did break several bones, and dislocated his jaw, but like I told him, I didn't even get all that violent." Everybody stared at him.

Emma's oldest brother Robert Weasley, who was a fifth year, looked at Emma. "Your Yank has a different idea of violence than we do I think. Multiple broken bones and dislocations sound very violent to me."

James looked at him, and then swept the crowd with his eyes, looking at each one of them. His reply stunned almost everyone, for two reasons. "As I told Mr. Crabbe, violent would be breaking half of the 216 bones in his body one at a time, which is what I am going to do to the next person to mistreat my friend Mercy Riddle."

The common room fell as silent as a tomb when James was done speaking. Everyone turned to look at the young girl standing with them for the first time. Mercy, feeling all those eyes on her, shrank back into the circle of first years, and they closed ranks around her, to shield her from those eyes. James moved up, and took a deep breath, assuming a balanced position. "Does anyone have a problem with My Friend?" Again, the capital letters were clearly audible.

A sixth year student moved up. "Is she one of those Riddles?" The contempt that laced his voice was just as plain as James's letters had been just a minute ago. James thought about the best way to answer that, when Rose took it out of his hands.

"Yes she is. So what? Lisa is one of those Malfoys, but she has been nothing but a credit to Gryffindor from day one. In addition, if anyone in this room had any right to complain about Mercy, it would be these people here, who's families spearheaded the War. Tiffany, do you have a problem with Mercy?" When Rose got a negative answer, she asked the rest of the first year students one by one. At the end, she turned to the rest of the Gryffindors. "We support Mercy. I would suggest you at least give her the same chance you gave Lisa, and find out who she is before you jump on her for who her parents were."

Prefect Moore moved forward then, and the older Gryffindors moved over to a corner, and discussed the whole situation in low tones. Chimera sat down with Mercy and talked with her, while the older students debated.

Mercy's story was enough to chill the blood, and more than one of the first years shivered as she told them how Voldemort had used her mother as a broodmare to bear his child, and the reason he did so. Only the end of the war before Tom Riddle's plans could be carried out had saved Mercy, although nothing could be done for her mother. She told them of her upbringing in a muggle house that had a wizard child, and the boarding school she had gone to until receiving the Hogwarts letter. She also told them that she had avoided the Sorting Ceremony, trying to hide her family name, and that Professor Dumbledore had put her in Slytherin, hoping that her family name might protect her better in that house than in the others. What Dumbledore had not counted on, was the number of families that had lost people in the War. Most of them were Death Eaters, but they had still been lost to their families, and the students had started taking it out on Mercy.

James thought about it, and his eyes narrowed suddenly. "Why didn't you just hex one or two? That would have ended the torment quickly."

Mercy looked at him, and her eyes were every bit as determined as James's could be. "I will not do violence, to anybody for any reason. Not for this, not for anything." The group stared at her.

James was very impressed. "You held to that despite everything they were doing to you?" James was reevaluating Mercy in the light of her vow. Prefect Moore had come up in time to hear the last exchange. Having been friends with Prefect Grey for nearly twelve years, he knew all about the things that could go on inside the Slytherin House doors, where the rest of Hogwarts didn't go. He shuddered as he thought of a pacifist in that house. Having the family she did would have only made it worse.

Prefect Moore sat down with the first year students. "We have decided to give Mercy the same chance we gave Lisa; we will not bother her, or help her, until we see what type of person she is."

James shook his head. "You know, between Rose's Sight, and Melissa's Empathy, we know more about people than anybody except maybe the sorting hat. You could just trust us."

Prefect Moore nodded slowly. "Those of us that know about the project do trust you, and it was our arguments that swayed the others to your point of view." He lowered his voice. "You might consider letting the House in on your project."

James stiffened. "No way." He looked at Prefect Moore. "Gryffindors may be brave, but this many people couldn't keep a secret if their lives depended on it."

Prefect Moore disagreed with him. "Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the Order of the Phoenix kept it a secret, and they had nearly twice as many members."

"James, we could use help. Not to mention it would be easier to do the things we have to do, if we had more people." James turned to look at Rose. Before he could say anything, Tiffany joined in and the three of them had a long silent debate. Finally, James threw his hands up and spoke aloud. "Look, you lot have agreed to let me lead, and I'm saying no. So quit arguing with me."

Emma was looking at the three of them. "You know, it would be nice to be able to hear what you're saying, so we would know what the argument is about."

James turned to Emma and was about to say something, when he froze. He looked at Rose, and both of them looked at Tiffany. Once again, they shared a long look. While they were lost in their private talk, Tiffany pulled her wand out, pointed it at Melissa and cast a spell. Melissa flinched but then relaxed as she recognized the spell as an aura-scanning spell. The three of them were still ignoring everyone when the House started heading out of the common room for dinner, and James looked at the rest of the first years long enough to tell them to watch after Mercy at dinner.

"Like you need to tell us that." Emma snorted. "Come on Mercy, let's show you how to ignore Slymies." The entire group except Rose, Tiffany and James headed for the exit. Prefect Moore was sitting back and watching the trio left behind. They spoke not a word, but their actions told the story. They were arguing fiercely about something. James was on one side of the argument, and the two girls on the other. The other two looked at whoever was speaking, hands gestured and in every way, they looked liked three people debating something. Prefect Moore was just on the verge of asking what was going on when James spoke aloud.

"Fine, we'll ask the others if they want to do it. If they say yes, we'll do it Saturday. If they say no, you two will drop it. Period."

Tiffany nodded her agreement, while Rose watched James. "I think Brother mine, that I will tell them about this. I think you might put a very negative spin on it."

James shrugged. "You can tell them anyway you want, as long as you cover the disadvantages as well."

Prefect Moore broke in. "Pardon me, but would somebody kindly fill me in on what you're been arguing about for the last two hours?"

Tiffany grinned at him. "Nothing much. Emma's comment about being able to hear the links just reminded me that these two have a spell to allow that. It's the same one they used to be able to talk to each other in the first place." Prefect Moore froze as he thought about the implications of that. Having the Eight able to talk at any time and any distance sounded too good to be true, and he looked up at James.

"What's the catch? I assume there has to be one, or you would be all for this." James raised an eyebrow, and smiled sourly.

"Two catches actually, one Tiffany and I have already found, and the other is temporary, but significant." He looked at Moore and Rose. "This first one you don't say anything about, until Tiffany and I figure out what to do about it." He waited for their agreement, and then told them about Tiffany seeing Adam in his boxers. Tiffany was blushing during the story and Rose grinned at her. "The second problem is a bit more important. While two or more people are linked with this spell, they cannot get more than a few miles apart, or they both start feeling nausea and headaches. What happens after that, we don't know, because we've never pushed it further."

Prefect Moore blinked. "So, if you do this, all of you would have to be within what, ten kilometers of each other or so?"

James made a waggling motion with his hand. "A little more, if you can take the headache. It becomes a serious migraine at about" James converted miles to kilometers and continued. "15 kilometers. Staying within about 12 kilometers usually keeps the pains down to an acceptable level." Prefect Moore thought about that.

"I can see some problems with it. What about holidays?" He asked. "Everybody is going to want to go home, and I don't think you all live close enough for that."

James frowned. "The summers are easy, we'll be doing some training then, and together anyway. Christmas holiday is a bit tougher."

"Not if we get everyone to stay here for the Holidays." Said Tiffany.

James considered that, but Rose shook her head. "And when were you planning on letting us see our families?" Tiffany frowned and admitted she hadn't thought about that.

Prefect Moore was still thinking about the first implication. "Wait, you and Rose can't see what each other sees, can you? If you can't, then that should not be a problem. The distance thing is going to be a problem though."

Tiffany was thinking about something else. "James, what would happen if I cast that spell on Prefect Moore and Mercy?"

James stared at her, and thought. "You can't. The spell has to be cast by the people involved in it. However, even if they cast it on themselves, I'm not sure. We designed it to affect two people that already had a bond of sorts, and I don't know what it'll do to two people without any kind of a bond."

As they talked the rest of Chimera and Gryffindor came back from dinner. Rose pulled them over to one side and told them about the spell, and what it could do. She also told them about the problems with the spell. When she was done, she told them that they had until Saturday morning to decide what they were going to do. Rose went back to James, and they began working on the spell, changing it to encompass more than two people.

Late that evening Albus Dumbledore sent for James Tiffany, Prefect Moore and Mercy. When they arrived in his Office, Dunsutter and Crabbe were already there with Prefect Grey. Albus Dumbledore waited until they lined up with the other three, and spoke. "I have made my decision and this is what is going to happen. Mr. Dunsutter, Mr. Crabbe, you two have detention every Tuesday and Thursday until the end of school. You have also cost your house 500 points. Miss Riddle, you will sit under the Sorting Hat, and abide by its decision. Miss Potter, Because of the circumstances of what you did, you have just 2 detentions, and a loss of 10 points. Mr. Evans, you have detention every Friday night until the end of school. You have also cost your house 250 points." The Headmaster looked at all the students. "Does anyone have any questions?"

Martin Crabbe started to say something, but Dumbledore cut him off. "If you're going to ask why Mr. Evans's punishment is so much lighter than yours, it's because he was trying to help out a classmate. He is not being punished for that, but for going too far in helping her." He looked at James. "I will say Mr. Evans, that if you ever do something like this again, you had better be able to prove that whoever you do it to was causing as much physical damage as you do to them, or you will be expelled. Is that clear?" James agreed, and Dumbledore had them all leave except Mercy, who came out a few minutes later.

She smiled at James. "I'm a Ravenclaw."

James smiled back, and looked around before hugging her. "If you ever need us, for anything, we'll be here for you." James whispered it low in her ear, and Mercy smiled again.

"That's a good thing, because I'm supposed to go back to Gryffindor with you tonight." she said. The Gryffindors headed back upstairs to tell the rest of the first years what had happened, until Mercy suddenly stopped on the stairs. "Why are we hurrying? They already know what happened, don't they James?" The grin on James's face as the rest were reminded about his bond with Rose was very much on the smirk side.

Prefect Moore watched the group over the next few days, and he was certain they were going to cast the spirit-binding spell.

This left him with a dilemma. On the one hand, he wanted to record this entire sequence of events. On the other hand, James and Rose would be casting a spell that they had admitted was not made for what they were going to use it for. This was something Professor Dumbledore should know about. Of course, if he told the Headmaster, James would not allow him anywhere near the group again. Finally, he decided that he'd stay quiet. After all, the spell had not hurt the two of them when they cast it, and even if something went wrong, there were enough people here at Hogwarts to fix it. (Prefect Moore was aware he was making justifications, and weak ones at that, but here was history in the making that would put his name high on the Historians Merit List.)

Saturday morning, as they headed out to breakfast, Emma spoke quietly to Rose. "We want to do it."

Rose nodded as she passed the information to James, and got his answer. "James says that we're to meet by the main entrance after breakfast."

Breakfast was a quiet meal, everyone busy with their own thoughts about what they were about to do. After the meal was over, James got Prefect Moore and Mercy, and joined the rest of his friends outside. He looked at them, measuring them, and their commitment to what they were going to do.

"Last chance to back out" he said quietly, "nobody will hold it against you." He looked at them all again, but nobody moved. He turned to Hangeld. "Would you ask your Father if we can borrow his cabin for a couple of hours?" James grinned as he handed Hangeld a package he'd had under his robes. "If he seems less than eager, give him these, and he should change his mind."

Hangeld looked at the package suspiciously. "It's not wiggling, and it's not big enough to be a dragon egg, so what is it?"

James just looked innocent. "It's a gift, from the Montana mountains. It should be right up your father's alley." Rose grinned suddenly. She sent a quick warning to James. "Oh yes. As Rose has reminded me, Tell your dad to wear heavy gloves when he opens that pouch."

Hangeld headed for his Father's cabin carrying the pouch to one side. The rest of the group looked at James. Emma said, "I have been asked to let you know that we do have a couple of questions about this. First, what happens if something goes wrong?"

James sighed. "Rose and I have been thinking about that, and the honest answer is we don't know. The spell worked for us the first time, and this version of it is simply building on what we already have. Doing it that way, instead of creating a whole new link, allowed us to keep most of the spell that we know works, and build on it." James gestured at Prefect Moore and Mercy as he continued. "These two will be there if something goes completely wrong and we all turn into purple hippos or something."

Melissa caught a strange mix of embarrassment and humour coming from the trio as he mentioned hippos, and she interrupted James. "Have you turned into purple hippos before?"

Rose and James flushed with remembered embarrassment as Tiffany giggled. Tiffany answered the question. "Yes they did, about a year ago." The group looked at the red-faced twins.

"Long story," said Rose, "and I believe you had some questions about today, don't you?"

Emma was grinning as she pictured the scene, but she asked the next question anyway. "If something happens later, can one or more of us be released from the link?"

Tiffany nodded. "I made sure of that. Two of us trapped in a link forever is enough." James looked at her as her bitter tone registered. She looked back at him and smiled. "I wouldn't trade the Soulbond for anything now, but you have to admit we were trapped into it." James shrugged.

"I knew there was a very good chance it would be me from the start. I wish I could have warned you, but we had no idea which of you it would be." He continued the answer for Tiffany. "Anyone can be released at anytime, but you had better be sure about wanting out. Once you're out, you can't reform the link with the same people, unless they all drop the link, and you all start over from scratch." James was standing between Rose and Tiffany, and Lisa noted with amusement that the Soulbonded were holding hands again. They continued to answer questions until Hangeld came back and said that Hagrid was going to let them use the cabin.

"What was in that pouch anyway? He opened it up, looked inside, and left in a rush. He was heading for the Forbidden Forest." Hangeld asked.

James and Rose grinned as they looked at each other. They turned identical innocent looks on Hangeld, and chorused, "It's will be a surprise. We wouldn't want to ruin Hagrid's surprise for him would we?"

Hangeld rolled his eyes, and Lisa had to laugh. When Hangeld turned an inquiring eye her way, she said, "Rose told me that rolling eyes was common around James, and now it appears we're all going to be looking like Mad-Eye Moody around both of them." Smiles lit the group's faces, even James and Rose joining the amusement.

At Hagrid's cabin, they closed and locked the door, and moved everything out of the way, so that they would have room for all of them to stand around in a circle. Rose passed out sheets with each person's part of the spell on it and James and Tiffany walked them through it while Rose set up the physical components they would be using. Prefect Moore was fascinated by the change that came over the twins as they worked. The jokes and humour disappeared and they focused completely on the task. Tiffany was listening to Emma recite her part of the spell, as James finished with Adam. Rose had the cauldron bubbling and everything ready, and James helped her set the cauldron down in the middle of the floor.

Tiffany indicated her satisfaction with Emma's reciting, and the group gathered in a circle around the simmering potion. James added something to the potion, and started his part. At the same time, Tiffany added something else to the potion, and started her part. The potion started glowing, and the twins put some more ingredients in the potion, which was Emma and Hangeld's cue to start their chanting. Lisa and Adam started next, and then Rose and Melissa. Daniel was the last one, and as he started chanting, James threw the last ingredient into the pot. As the nine people continued their chanting, the potion turned silver, and began glowing.

The glow continued to get brighter and began to expand, flowing out of the cauldron like a mist. The mist extended fingers to each of the people in the circle, and started to cover each of them. By the time each of them was covered by the mist, it had turned a pure white, so bright that Prefect Moore and Mercy, sitting forgotten in the corner had to turn their heads away.

The chanting came to an abrupt stop, as if all of them lost their voices, and the glow brightened to the point that the cabin was lit up like the sun had come for a visit. The glow didn't fade; it disappeared in the blink of an eye. Prefect Moore and Mercy blinked trying to grow accustomed to the normal light again. They looked at the group, the half they could see the faces of had far away looks on them, as if they listened to something only they could hear Mercy thought. She grinned as she realized they were hearing things no one else could hear.

Eight voices spoke as one, happy, triumphant. "It worked."

The single low voice that spoke after that was a shock, that brought everyone to stare at the speaker. "Not for me it didn't"

Everybody turned to look at the person that had spoken, and Daniel Creevy looked back at them.