Magical Theory

Incendio
The Fires of Hell: III

Written by: FireSprite

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's Note:

Please note that the rating for the chapter has gone up to 'R'. This is to ensure that I can write this story how I want and not offend some. Thanks.

"Heav'n has no rage, like love to hatred turn'd. Nor hell a fury, like a woman scorn'd."

- William Conaugh

"Draco," the goddess breathed. "Welcome to my Sídhe."

"What?" Draco snapped at her, his eyes puzzled--he was truly lost on what she meant. Ginny--no, he corrected himself-- this woman pouted and huffed, crossing her arms. She seemed almost angry with him, as if he should know what a Sídhe was. She looked down upon him, her pout still very evident.

Draco was about to say something along the lines of 'Who are you and where am I?' when a smile tugged at her lips, silencing him before he had had a chance to speak.

The woman raised a hand, the tips of her fingers skimming his cheek, then his jaw. Draco opened his mouth again, but her fingers had skimmed over his lips.

"Shh..." she whispered, her eyes glinting menacingly, as she smiled fully now. Her fingers traced his lower lip, as he had done to Ginny just a few days ago. This was confusing Draco immensely; it was as if the roles were switched. This woman--who looked exactly like Ginny--was doing the exact same thing he had been doing to Ginny just a day ago. "Draco," the woman murmured, "are you happy to see me?"

Draco gaped. Was he going mad? he idly wondered. It would explain a lot. What was going on with the dreams, the sword, the gem and this woman. And Ginny--it would definitely would explain his feelings and thoughts towards Ginny. But then... Wouldn't she have to have lost it too for it all to make sense? And Ginny seemed as sane as ever. A little bit pissed, perhaps, but sane.

Finally he realised that the woman was still waiting for his answer. Looking up at her disdainfully, he said with a sneer, "Lady, I don't even know you."

The woman looked really angry and upset. Hey eyes flashed dangerously and she regarded him openly, standing back to glare at him.

"Perhaps this will remind you," she said, before lowering her lips to his, kissing him roughly, almost enough for Draco's lips to bruise. Draco pushed her away with a cry. He had almost believed that it had been Ginny for a moment; the young woman's heady scent had filled his nostrils and closing his eyes he could see Ginny: yelling her head off at him, her face red.

"The dream," he panted as he backed away from her slightly. "You're the one in the dreams." The goddess smiled.

"Very good, mortal. Very good." She seemed happy with the response but Draco wasn't sure what to do. So, he settled for staring at her, thinking.

"Sídhe?" Draco repeated faintly. Now that the second problem had been cleared--that being who this woman was--he could concentrate on the first problem a little better.

"My plane of existence," the woman said, using her hands as though to show her plane off. "Drake, this is a paradise--my paradise. There is never sorrow, food is plentiful and everyone is always happy." The woman smiled, as though pleased with her achievement; pretending that she herself had brought this into existence.

"Without sorrow," Draco said giving her a withering look, "we cannot experience happiness."

The woman studied Draco for a moment, before saying quietly, "You think too much." Draco wasn't sure, but he thought he detected a note of impatience and anger. Before he could think much further though, the woman spoke. "Draco," she almost purred, bending down low so he had a wonderful view of her chest. "Do you like my dress?"

It was an easy answer; appease anyone with supernatural power.

Yet, Draco struggled with the answer. His mind began to grow fuzzy as though he was tired, and for a second his vision went, then came back and doubled.

"Uh..." Draco struggled for a moment, swaying slightly. "I'm sorry," he slurred a tad. "What did shu ask?" Draco felt like he had when he had got into his father's brandy one summer night last year. Remembering the endless night by the toilet, he hoped he wouldn't be sick.

"My dress," the woman whispered, seductively. She smiled as if not noticing Draco's laboured breathing. "What do you think?" he heard her whisper in his ear. Had she moved closer? Draco wasn't sure.

Pressing his lips together, he noticed sweat on his upper lip. Opening his eyes, as difficult as it were, he saw two brown eyes--endless orbs of light, so close to him, staring at him wordlessly. So like Ginny's, he thought. Draco swayed again, almost falling over.

"That's right, " the woman said. "Just close your eyes. Shh. I promise everything will be all-"

"Maeve! " a voice boomed, as a pop was heard. The eyes left Draco and he realised the dizziness and light-headed feelings were disappearing. Standing next to Maeve was... himself.

Draco groaned and closed his eyes. All right, he thought to himself. So I'm going mad. It won't be bad. I'll just, he groaned again; see myself everywhere I go.

Draco opened his eyes, hoping to see Non-Draco gone, but was disappointed. Backing up slightly, Draco did not let his vision waver on Non-Draco, lest Non-Draco tried something.

However, Non-Draco paid Real-Draco no attention; instead, he set his murderous glare upon Maeve.

"Maeve, qu'est-ce que tu as fait? What the bloody hell did you do, wench? " Non-Draco was livid, his eyes flashing red and his hand clutching something as though afraid to let it go. Draco tried to see what it was, but to no avail; the hand was holding it too tightly.

'Taranis, I am and was busy! Go away," Maeve told him, sending him a frigid look.

"What did you do? " he asked again, his other fist clenching and unclenching.

"Do? " Maeve tried to act innocent, but Draco could see she was feeling smug about something. It was in the way she looked at Taranis over her shoulder, smiling slightly, as she walked away from him slowly, sashaying her hips.

"I got this," Taranis said, holding up the necklace Ginny had been wearing. How had he got that? Draco's mind screamed. It was in my hand when I last saw her!; "from Donn. Sent by one of his red horsemen! "

"Donn? " Draco asked, a sense of dread filling him. "Who's Donn? "

"Oh, " Maeve said, with a swish of her hair. "Just the Lord of the dead and caretaker of the underworld. "

"Lord of the dead? " Draco repeated, faintly. "Underworld? "

"Maeve, " Taranis bit out; "where did you send her? "

Maeve just laughed, a gleeful laugh, which proved to anger Taranis more. He took her by the shoulders angrily, clutching her a bit too hard, making her wince and asked her again, gruffly.

When she only answered with a smile and a slight laugh, he shook her--violently.

"Where?! " he spat. "Tell me you witch! "

"I sent her--" Maeve gasped as her head lolled back and forth dangerously; "--to the North hostile, with Donn." Taranis let Maeve go with a shove, which sent her flying backwards. She landed on the grass most unlady-like.

"Mis dios-you are going to pay, Maeve! Go scriosa cúnna ifrinn thú!" he hissed. "I will make sure you never hurt the girl again, nor see the boy!"

"Ginny? " Draco said, feeling the bile of terror in his mouth. "Ginny's in the Underworld? "

Taranis turned to look at him for the first time since he had arrived.

"Yes, " Taranis said, softly, looking down at Draco in one might call a fatherly fashion. "I know you do not understand why I am here or who I am, but rest assured, Virginia will be safe with me. I am going to go retrieve her. You have my word she will be returned to you."

Draco nodded, stunned. This feeling of anxiousness--so foreign to him, filled him. So completely that all he managed was a, "Please."

"Draco," Taranis said, handing him the gem and closing it in his fingers. "Take care of her--Lord she'll need it. Pray that I'll get her in time..." He swore, then sobered. "Be there for her." Turning to Maeve, he simply growled and said, "I curse the day we met! "

With that, he disappeared from sight, a second before Draco was back in the lake, coughing and spouting water--the gem still in his hand, held as tightly as ever.

At the other end of the worlds, Ginny was standing alone, wet and cold. A harsh wind bit at her, gusting so hard it almost knocked her over. It howled and screeched with pain, causing Ginny to shiver--with the cold or fear, she didn't know. It was extremely dark, so much so that Ginny couldn't see her hand when she held it up in front of herself. Suddenly, it began to pour--hard rain--causing Ginny to flinch in pain as it struck upon her face. Lightning struck up the sky and Ginny saw in the few seconds her surroundings was lit, a tree right behind her and... She squinted her eyes. It seems to be some sort of building? A house perhaps? She prayed it was, but paused, unsure if she should enter the house. She didn't even know where she was. One second she was falling into the lake with Draco, and now...

Where was Draco? Ginny thought frantically. She looked around--but it was still so dark, she didn't see him.

"Draco?" she called, praying, hoping... For what she wasn’t sure. Did she want him here? she wondered. He might say something witty or sarcastic, but then again, it would make her feel better. Just being in his presence, she felt slightly safer. Slightly. There was still the chance he'd leave her to fend for herself if he were here. Perhaps that's what he did. He had just walked off; left her alone.

No. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of these thoughts. Draco might be vile and mean and downright horrible, but he'd never leave a girl alone in the middle of his rainstorm. He had some class. Some upbringing to his name.

So, it was obvious in Ginny's mind that he wasn't here. She was half-glad about this--at least he probably wasn't being rained on furiously. The drops still had not lost their sting and Ginny decided it would be best to grope around for that tree she had seen earlier. At least under its' protection of branches she'd be safe from the rain. Then she'd figure out a way to get out of here.

Suddenly, lighting stuck again--only this time it hit the tree, setting it on fire. Ginny gave a strangled cry. She could have been under that tree!

Her eyes widened as they looked upon the fiery mass. The orange of the fire lit up her face, showing an ashen Ginny, eyes as wide as a deer's caught in headlights, her hair in disarray and sodden.

Slowly, she looked behind her, her eyes finally laying upon what was indeed a house, lit up outside by the fire from the tree. It looked old, abandoned. The steps up to the porch of the house were completely broken, a few timbres of wood hanging on one side, as though someone meant to fix them up but apparently died before they could.

The windows were all bashed in, and the door had completely fallen off its' hinges; it was now lying diagonally across the porch, one half inside the doorway, the other half lying on the porch border. It looked as though the house would fall down any second. Ginny was sure if she even put one foot on the porch that it would collapse under her.

But she had to get out of the rain. She couldn't take much more.

Running, head bent against the rain, Ginny made it to the house quickly, panting slightly. Cautiously she tried the first step and was relieved to see that it held her weight. Climbing up the stairs, she made it to the porch and stopped short, not quite sure whether she should go in. It was dark in the house, she could tell that by just peering inside, although there seemed to be a light coming from somewhere deep in the house.

But if she went in, she might hurt herself if anything were to fall or break while she was walking around. Then again, she couldn't stay out here, she thought, the wind ripping at her school uniform. She wasn't even wearing a cloak, she was soaking wet; she'd never survive the cold if she stayed out her on this dilapidated porch.

Squaring her back and trying to stop her teeth from clattering, Ginny climbed over the door and inside the house.

The moment she was inside, she knew she had to get out. It was the feeling in the air, one of menace, of anger, of every troubled mood possible. Ginny's heart began to race, her heart in her throat. She could just feel the evil in here. She had to get out. She had to get out now. Go! her mind yelled at her, even though her feet refused to move. Go! Go! Go! Run, damnit!

Slowly, her feet began to move, turning her around to face the doorway, where she saw the plane outside, through the empty doorway. The rain was splattering, where the tree had been standing were only smoking ashes. All of a sudden, there was a roaring, and the house began to shake, tiles falling off the roof outside, dust unsettling itself off the walls, bits of plaster raining down on Ginny, who screamed and covered her head.

The house shook and shook, for what seemed like ages. Ginny was sure she was going to die, right there, under the piles of dust and plaster. And then, suddenly it stopped. Silence was upon her again. Coughing slightly, Ginny pushed off the plaster from her and stood up, looking at the doorway, telling herself to get out before she was killed.

But as her eyes travelled to the door, she stopped breathing. The doorway! It was completely blocked up, plaster, rubble, tiles piled high; she wouldn't be able to get out. She was trapped in this house.

'Oh shit,' Ginny said, running to the door, panicking now. 'Let me out! Let me out!' she screamed, trying to pull at the rubble, the plaster, everything, but nothing would give. 'Let! Me! Out!'

But it wasn't working; the rubble stood in place, blocking her first exit. She'd have to search the house for a door, a window, anything to get out.

Wrapping her wet robe around her, Ginny walked down the long hall, trying not to look at the walls, for there were pictures upon them: horrible, disgusting pictures of death, sacrifice and terror. Ginny shuddered, afraid she'd be sick if she looked at them. How could someone live in a house such as this? she wondered, freaking out still at the fact that someone, had indeed, once lived here. Were they mad? Had they escape some sort of mental institution?

Pictures of half crazed men ran through her head, and she whimpered slightly, afraid he'd come popping out of the next door she saw any second from now. He'd leer at her, his eyes slightly too big for his face, his arms in a straight jacket. He'd follow her, yelling mad rambles, not making any sense. Then, he'd catch up to her and...

Stop it, she told herself, knowing she was making herself panic more than she needed to. Don't do this to yourself.

Nodding her head, as if in agreement with her thoughts, she continued down the corridor, watching the sombre shadows shift and change with unseen objects. Ginny looked rapidly around to see confirm to herself that no one was there and screamed when she saw someone.

It was horrible. She couldn't look at it, but as though the fear had caused her body to seize up, she couldn't take her eyes off it... off him.

"What's taking him so long?" Ron grumbled, leaning against the outside wall of the Quidditch changing rooms for Gryffindor.

"Tut, tut," Hermione said. "Ron, it's been only five minutes; why are you so anxious to see Harry?"

"I'm not..." Ron said, pursing his lips. "It's just cold out, that's all."

Hermione eyed him, but didn't say anything. She sighed and turned to look at the stars, up high in the sky. It was a cloudy night, but every once in a while the clouds would part and one would see the sky for what it truly was. Out here, at Hogwarts, the air was clean and fresh, and because it was hidden up north, away from Muggles, the lights of the cities didn't dim the majestic magic of the night sky.

"They're just stars, 'Mione," Ron said, a bit more gently a few minutes later. Hermione turned to look at him, his red hair darkened in the night sky, his face a pale white. She smiled, marvelling at the peace of the moment.

"Have you ever looked at the night sky, Ron?" she asked him. "I mean, really looked at it?"

Ron shrugged as though saying he didn't quite care, to be perfectly honest. Hermione took his hand and brought him away from where he had been leaning, leading him over to the top of the small hill. Ron shot her a glance, but she was once looking up the sky.

"Look at it," she whispered as she gazed upon them. "Can you imagine, that every single one of those dots up there is gas burning billions of miles away? They could have life on them. They could be the sun, be life. There could be people looking right back at us, right now, wondering the exact same thing. Am I alone?" She turned to Ron, and smiled; an honest smile. He smiled back, and looked up at the sky, really appreciating it for once.

Hermione went on, "They could be just like us, they could be complete opposites. They could feel the power of the universe, as everything orbits around each other. A delicate balance of light, dark and vacancy. There are black holes, sucking up whole parts of the universe. There are places no one has ever explored. Ever touched..." She stopped talking, letting the silence continue on; to finish her sentences.

They just stood there, holding hands and staring at the night sky. Breathing in the night air. Smiling.

"Hey guys, been waiting long?" came a voice from behind him and Ron and Hermione broke apart, not daring to look at each other.

"Harry," Ron said. "About bloody time. We've been waiting ages!"

"Sorry, mate," Harry apologised. "I wanted to talk to the team about something..." Harry had become captain in his fifth year, after taking over Wood's job. He was very dedicated, sometimes keeping the team in for more than an hour to talk about plans and strategies. It was Ron and Hermione's luck, or unfortunate luck as they might call it, that he decided to make it a quick ten-minute lecture before letting them go. "So, what are we up to now?"

Ron shrugged.

"Let's go for a walk," Hermione suggested. "It's been a while since we've had one."

"Good idea, Herm," Harry said, smiling. "Let's go."

They set off, the three of them against the moonlight, laughing and joking.

A man. No, a body, staggered forward, his eyes black, his whole body grey, hands dead as they reached out to her. At his throat... Oh Gods... Ginny thought. At his throat, a rope hung, tied around his neck, severed after just a few inches. He had definitely been hung. Which mean he was definitely dead.

He made some indecisive noise, a sort of grunt and groan. He stumbled forward, reaching out to her, a hand grazing her arm. She shrieked again, and fell backwards, stumbling on the ground as she shuffled backwards, away from this thing.

Then she heard it. A grunting from behind. Turning around, she whimpered. There was another man, also obviously dead. Although he hadn't been hung, it was pretty obvious how he had died. Fire burns covered his body, the skin a red brown, as though he had been covered by blood. Where it wasn't bright red, it was black. Dead black. He too was reaching to her, as the other one had. It was as if they wanted something.

Suddenly a door burst open and a third figure appeared, completely naked and bleeding from the throat. Bleeding so much, his whole body was covered by it, dripping onto the floor, forming a puddle of red. A huge puddle and Ginny's eyes widened, knowing she'd be sick if she stayed any longer. Get up! Get up, Virginia Weasley! Just get up. Get up and run. Run away! Now! Now! NOW!

Her body tentatively became aware of its self and it slowly managed to get up, facing all three of the dead men as they walked towards her unevenly. She backed up, moving back until she hit something. A wall! she thought, frantically. I'm trapped!

Her hands ran along the wall, hoping to find something, anything, and immense relief washed over her when it hit a doorknob. She had hit a door, not a wall. Sighing only slightly, she turned the knob and pushed--hard, causing her to start falling backwards, down the stairs. Down, down, down, she tumbled, into the depth of the house, into the very core of it.

Panting as the falling finally stopped, Ginny lay there, hurt and bruised, but not seriously broken. She was more scared than in pain. What kind of house was she in? her mind screamed at her. How did she manage to end up here?

She knew it was related to the dreams, it had to be! But how? When was this nightmare going to end?

Groaning, she knew it would end when she got out. She had to get up. Get up and find a way out of here. Pushing herself to her hands and knees, she gasped for breath as pain shot through her rib. She must have bruised a rib badly on her fall down. Wincing, she held a hand to her side, cursing slightly. She'd have to go see Madam Pomfrey again. The nurse wouldn't be happy. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself to standing position and had to hold onto the stairs rail for a moment, letting all the blood rush to her head again.

Jutting out her chin in determination, Ginny walked into the darkness, trying not to show that she couldn't see a thing. She walked as though she knew where she was going, and when she tripped, she showed no sign of surprise. She had to get out of here, that feeling in the air, so evil, still invaded her senses and she just wanted out.

Finally, that light she had seen when she first looked in the house was quickly getting brighter, as she walked further towards it. It was an odd light, slightly red, but Ginny reasoned, any light was good light. It meant that perhaps there was a doorway near, or that someone had to be there, or perhaps had been there. Again the picture of the mad man leering at her, and she quickened her pace as though trying to leave the thought behind her. As she walked, she was aware of her quivering knees, the thin line of sweat on her forehead and how she felt sick. The nerves and fear were getting to her and she stumbled slightly as she reached the stairs that climbed up to the red light.

But she was ready to get out of here, so she climbed the stairs quickly, smiling slightly at the prospects of finally being able to get out of this... hell hole. Yes, Ginny thought. That's exactly what this place is.

She reached the end of the stairs, and walked cautiously into the room. Before she knew what was happening, she felt two pairs of hands grab her from behind, one on each shoulder and she gave a cry. She hadn't seen them before! She looked behind her and saw two men, both in red armour, holding her quite firmly in place as they pushed her to the kneeling position. They were huge, more than six feet tall, and Ginny, being a small five foot three, felt dwarfed by these men, and more scared than she had ever been before. What did they want with her?

A third knight came up and stood before her, smiling down at the girl cowering up at him. He studied her for a moment.

"You are strong," he said, in a slow, thoughtful voice. 'But he will break you. They always break.'

"Who will?" Ginny managed to whisper.

'Donn, a thaisce,' the man said softly. Ginny didn't know what he had said, but the way he had said it... She shivered again, and refused to look at him. The knight laughed a devilish laugh and gave a high pierced whistle.

Immediately, a door opened from the side of the bare room and a man walked in. Ginny gaped. The man, although dressed as shabbily as a servant boy or peasant, gave off such a strong aura of evil and dominance that Ginny could feel it creep into her bones, into the very inner of her being. It covered her like a blanket of cold. Her shoulders hunched together and she seemed for a moment to try to shrink into herself.

The man, tall and strong bodied, carried a sword with him. A huge sword with a heavy handle and a long steel blade. The design on it was amazing, if Ginny had taken the time to look at it; she would have seen ancient Celtic carvings imbedded deep in the hilt of the sword, depicting victory and triumph. However, she refused to look at him or the sword, and looked down at her lap, praying she wouldn't cry. There was only so much she could take.

"This is her?" the man boomed, looking down upon her. One of the horsemen nodded. Taking the blade, the god lifting Ginny's head up by placing it under her chin and lifting. She looked up at him, unwillingly. "Then, I pity you, a chuisle," he said. Ginny didn't know what he had called her, but it sounded like a term of endearment and she ground her teeth, staring up at him with defiance. The man laughed, a loud, oafish laugh. "She is strong, ja?" he asked his loyal servants, who nodded silently. "Well, we shall break her," he said after a moment. Ginny was tired of them saying this, as though she was merely a toy, something to be played with. She felt her anger rising.

"Leave me alone," Ginny said, standing up, and pushing the horsemen away. Donn signalled to them to leave her alone.

"Leave you alone?" Donn laughed. "My, you're a fighter." He admired her for a minute, the way her eyes burned with fire and hatred. His eyes fell to her neck, white and pale, then to the collar. "My," he said. "What do you have here?" He used to blade to pick up the necklace that hung around her neck. Ginny looked down, lost. I didn't even have that when I fell in the lake--how'd it get here? she wondered. "This will be perfect," Donn commented.

"For what?!" Ginny whispered, worried that he was going to destroy the gem.

He only laughed and ripped the gem off her. She cried out as she had when Draco had ripped it off.

"Give it back to me!" Ginny screamed, throwing herself at him only to be restrained by two of the knights. She struggled for a second, before giving up. The man laughed again and motioned to the third horsemen.

"Give it to him," was all he said. The servant nodded and disappeared, holding the gem in his hands. Ginny sagged, leaving the two servants to hold her weight up. They dropped her to the floor, however, and she had the wind knocked out of her as she hit. Gasping for breath and trying to scream out in pain when her bruised rib twinged as she took a deep breath, she pushed herself to her hands and knees, glaring at the God with such hatred she had never felt before.

"Let. Me. Go," she told him, spitting out each word as though it were poison, and she rose to face him. She could feel the magic coursing through her veins, the feeling of power overwhelming. Her self-awareness was so high. She could feel the power in her, rising, building, growing... If she had her wand right now...

"Ah, no. I am sorry. Cannot do that. I have orders." Donn smile maliciously.

"From who?!" Ginny burst out. "Who would do this to me?!"

"Maeve, of course." Ginny stopped glaring to look up at him, puzzled. "The goddess of sovereignty?" he tried, looking at her. Ginny backed up, afraid all of a sudden. A goddess had done this? Sent her here?

"Why?" Ginny whispered.

"To punish you," he replied. "You are to be punished, child. You must stay here forever."

"No!" Ginny flared. "I won't! Let me go! LET ME GO!" she screamed.

"I cannot," the man repeated. "Donn does not let victims go. They must stay here, until the end of time."

"No... No, I won't let you," Ginny said, turning, and before the horsemen could grab her she ran down the stairs she had previously climbed. As she ran, she heard a scream of rage and a bellow of: "She shall not escape! You shall catch her, and bring her to me!"

Suddenly, there was a noise and someone appeared in front of her. At first, Ginny thought it was the horsemen and she screamed, a terrified scream, trying to turn around. Then she saw it was Draco.

"Draco?" she gasped, almost falling down, her legs hardly supporting her as it were. She felt faint; the tingling of the ancient magic that had coursed through her veins moments ago was now disappearing, leaving her weak.

"No, I am not Draco. I am Taranis, god of thunder and the passing seasons," he said, his voice deep and rich. He drew himself up to full height. "I am here to take you home."

"Home?" Ginny almost wept with relief.

"I will take you back to Draco," Taranis said, grabbing her by the waist and picking her up, carrying her.

"Home? Away from here?" she whispered, hardly believing him. Should she trust him?

"You will be safe with me, ma chère," he promised and Ginny believed him. "Close your eyes," he whispered. "Relax. I will see you soon. Goodbye, Virginia." He sounded so much like Draco, Ginny thought, as she inexplicably became tired, feeling her eyes shut and she slowly lost consciousness.

And then she hit the water and swallowed a mouthful.

"That," Anna said, simply, "is Godric Gryffindor's cloak pin."

"What?" Raina said, looking at Anna with wide eyes. "You can't be serious!" She gazed at the lion pin in her hand. It roared again, and Raina cautiously lifted a hand to it-as though going to stroke its' mane.

"Don’t worry, Rain," Anna said. "It can't bite you."

"Wow..." Raina said, stroking the lion's head as it purred deeply. "How did you get this?" she asked, looking up at Anna.

Anna shrugged. "It was a couple years ago, I sorta..." Anna trailed off and Raina looked at her. "I found it deep in one of the dungeons on the floor... I didn't think anyone was looking for it. It looked like it had been left there for some time, years, centuries even. I figured no one wanted it--and I did--so I took it."

"You took it?" Raina said, her voice oddly half-choked. "Do you realise how much trouble you could be in for that?"

Anna shrugged again. "Look, it's been a couple of years, no one has noticed it yet, why would they now?"

"But it's not right, Anna! Someone could be looking for it--you don't know!" Raina glared at Anna, as she put it back in its box. "I can't believe you..." she muttered, not looking at Anna.

"Rain, please!" Anna sighed. "Really, no one's noticed, no one wanted the old thing. Can you imagine what else could be down there?"

"What?" Raina said, looking up at Anna. "What do you mean, 'what else'?"

"Well, think about it!" Anna said, getting up and sitting down on Raina's bed. Her eyes were wide and excited. "If I found one of the Founder's cloak pins down there--I mean, imagine what other things that the Founder's used to own that could be down there!"

"You mean, the place could have been some sort of storage room for the Founder's stuff?"

"Exactly." Anna grinned, pleased that Raina might be warming up to the idea.

Raina gasped, as though she just realised something. Turning to Anna, she said, "Think of all the legends that could be down there! They could have real Hogwarts stories and fables down there! They might have accounts of what life was really like back then!"

"Oh, yeah," Anna said, looking at Raina with a smile. "I'm sure they have loads of those types of thing."

"We have to go check it out sometime!" Raina said, beside herself with excitement.

"Well..." Anna said, looking around the dorm as if to make sure it was empty. Ginny, of course, wasn't back from wherever she was. And their other dorm-mate, Adara, was in the library, as she usually was. Anna was sure Adara was trying to become the next Hermione Granger. She even had the bushy hair to go with it.

Seeing that it was empty as previously assumed, Anna continued in a low voice, "We could go check it out tonight after I meet with Gin in the library."

"That'd be good," Raina whispered back, nodding her head. "Not many Prefects will be out, but it'll be too early for the teachers to start their patrols."

"Exactly," Anna repeated with a smile. "We can explore for hours down there."

"I can't wait," Raina gushed.

"Neither can I, Rain," Anna said, smiling slyly. "Neither can I."

Draco wasn't sure what he should do. He was still in the water, waiting... Waiting for Ginny to come--if she came back, like Taranis had told him she would. He was irked with himself for staying in the lake, for staying wet, when he could go back to the castle and change. Should he have even believe Taranis? he wondered, getting impatient.

Take care of her--Lord, she'll need it.

Right, he thought, impatiently. Ginny's a big girl, she can handle herself. If I tried to help her, she'd probably rip my head off. I don' t need to wait around for her to yell at me. Making an aggravated noise, Draco began to swim to the shore, muttering to himself for staying in the water for longer than he should have.

Suddenly, there was a shriek and a splash behind him. And then coughing and more coughing. Draco turned around quickly to see Ginny, not twenty feet away, choking on the water. It seemed that every time she time she tried to draw in a breath, water would enter her mouth instead. She could drown... Draco realised. Cursing to himself, Draco swam quickly over to where Ginny was rapidly losing the battle for air and grabbed her, hauling her out of the water, so her face was above the water line.

She gasped for breath, taking it in as if it were a precious gift given to her. She coughed a few more times, but quieted down, laying limp over Draco's shoulder, as if she was having a moment to thank God for saving her life.

I need to her out of the water, before she chokes again, Draco thought to himself, and began swimming to the shore, Ginny so docile on his shoulder, a few gasps here and there as she still tried to make-up for the loss of air moments before. Finally Draco reached the shore, and hauled himself and Ginny up upon the shore, the wet school robes much heavier than they should be. He dropped Ginny to the ground, as he was already on all fours on the shore, panting for breath, and almost fell on top of her in his exhaustion. He just lay there for a moment, trying to catch his breath, before looking down at Ginny. She was breathing, but she seemed to be having a hard time, and it wasn't from the water.

She was staring at him, her breath caught, and Draco realised too late he was actually laying on top of her, their bodies pressed closely together.

He stared at her, looking into her eyes. The eyes that haunted him wherever he went. They stared back up at him, wide and dilated, as she began breathing shallowly, her face wet, her hair dripping onto the group. A drop from his hair fell from a tip and landed on her nose. She flinched as it hit her but did nothing to wipe it away. It was as if she was frozen. Slowly, Draco brought up his hand and wiped the droplet of water from her face, his fingers caressing her cheek. She looked at him like she had in the dreams--like Maeve had, he reminded himself. It hadn't been her. But it looked so much like her... And when Maeve had pulled him in to kiss her, her lips teasing his as he unwillingly opened them for her so she could slide her tongue in to his mouth; how he loved it. How he wanted it. How he wanted it again.

Slowly, as to not frighten her, Draco lowered his mouth to hers, stopping millimetres away from her mouth, just enough so that he could feel her sweet breath on his face. She licked her lips, and Draco looked at them. Full and plump, they silently begged him to kiss her. Closing the gap, he pressed his lips against hers lightly, brushing his lips back and forth against hers before pressing his lips hard against her.

She seemed to gasp, and come alive when he did. Using her open mouth before she could think about it, he slid in tongue in easily, caressing her mouth. She moved under him, though not as though to get away, but as to get more comfortable. Slowly, he felt a hand run up his chest to hook around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He deepened the kiss and she pressed herself against him, trying to memorise the feel of him with simply her body. Draco could feel himself getting hot and tried to stop himself from touching her. But he couldn't. He had to touch her hair, to know if it was really as silky and soft as it looked. Her ran a hand through her hair, letting the strands fall through his fingers like sand. It was just like her had imagined it. It was so soft, so... Draco broke off the kiss, to trail a kiss across her jawbone, down to her ear where he nibbled on her ear lobe, eliciting a forbidden groan from her.

"We shouldn't do this," he whispered in her ear, his breath hot and wanting.

"I know," Ginny whispered back. "I-"

Suddenly, they heard voices. And laughter. And then,

"Ron! I never said that!"

"My brother!" Ginny said, as though finally realising where she was. By the lake, where anyone could see them. She hastily sat up, causing Draco to fall away from her, to lie on the wet grass besides her. She wiped at her mouth. "If he finds me...!" She looked at Draco fearfully, and saw that he understood--the flash was so quick in his eyes, she knew if she had blinked, she would have missed it.

She got up to run away when a hand on her arm stilled her. She looked at Draco, who looked like he had this morning: cool, suave, unaffected. Smirking, he gave her a wink.

"You might need this," he drawled, giving her necklace back.

"W-where did you find this?" she asked, taking it and closing her fingers around it, loving how it seemed to meld with her, making her soul complete.

Draco smirked and ran a hand through his hair, trying to rid it of water, before standing up and strutting off. Ginny just looked at him for a moment, so surprised she could hardly think before remembering the reason they had almost been caught. She got up and ran all the way up to her dorm, not stopping once to apologise to the students she bumped into and got wet as she ran past them or to cry out at the pain her rib was causing her with each deep breath.

"My God, Maeve," Taranis said, as he paced back and forth across the beautiful grass. The air smelled so sweet, the sun was shinning down upon the two gods and Maeve only smiled as she put her hand in the clear, sparkling river water and watched as the fish skittered away from her. "Were you trying to kill her?" he growled and stopped pacing.

"I was only having a little fun," Maeve said, smiling down into the water. "She wasn't hurt. Donn wasn't going to do anything to her. She was perfectly safe."

"She almost collapsed of fright when she saw me. She thought I was one of those bloody horsemen Donn uses. How can you say she wasn't scared?!"

Maeve looked up at him, glowering. She stood up, her dress rippling in the wind. "Look, Taranis," she spat. "I did what I wanted to do. I am a goddess," she added, raising her hand over her heads like she had the first dream Draco had had with her in it. "And as such, I am allowed to do what I want, capish?"

"You are destroying our lives, Maeve!" Taranis said, picking up a dead flower. "The Sídhe we worked so hard for--you are killing it!"

"Taranis, please. It will re-grow."

"No, it won't!" he growled, spinning to face her. "It is irreplaceable." Maeve looked at him, smiling slightly.

"Then there is only one thing we can do." Maeve said.

"What is that, witch?" Taranis said, sitting down on a bench and running his hands through his blond hair. He was in his true form right now, looking almost exactly as he had before, except that his eyes were now a sky blue and he bore a beard upon his face.

"We must destroy the gem," Maeve said, simply.

"We cannot!" Taranis said, getting up and pacing again. "That would destroy the girl. The gem has already attached itself to her. You saw how it reappeared upon her when she was in the North hostile. It is part of her. Destroy that; you destroy the girl."

Maeve shrugged daintily. "One less girl to contend with, Taranis."

"I won't let you. You cannot. I will kill you before you touch her again," he swore.

Maeve smiled, and turned to walk away from Taranis. Just as she reached an awning, she turned her head back to look at Taranis. "Too late," she smiled, and disappeared.

Authors Note 2:

Taranis was speaking Irish when he said, "Go scriosa cúnna ifrinn thú". It meant: "May the hounds of hell destroy you." Also, "a thaisce" and "a chuisle" mean "My dear darling."

I would like to thank Amy (wmlaw), Emily (StrangerWithMyFace) and Geralynn for listening to me while I bitched and moaned about this chapter. Thank you so much. They're great, be sure to read their stuff! Again, I must thank Irina (check her out too!) for introducing me to Celtic mythology and also for helping when I couldn't find the information I needed on Donn. And thanks to all the reviewers! You make it all worthwhile. Hope this chapter was a little more clearer than before.

One last thing: If you'd like to get an email when I update my stories instead of losing track of them, just go here ( http://firesprite_fanfic.tripod.com/notify.html ). I am now going to send out cookies and ETA's for each new chapter to my list, so if you'd like a sneak peak, make sure to sign up.

Thank you (and my apologises for it being so long):

wmlaw (AKA Amy. Yeah, seems to me you get confused easily. Hopefully this part was clearer?) Bella (Why have they chosen Ginny and Draco as subject? *grins* You'll find out, one day. And in reply to what's happening to their world-well, basically, as they tamper with the fates, their paradise begins to die. Fun, no? Thanks for the great review-I always love yours!)Anonymous (*blush* Thank you, that was one of the nicest comments!) Wyld Rose (I hope I've got Draco down right, it's so hard sometimes, no? I love Celtic stuff too--it's so interesting!) The Blue Faerie (*laughs* Oh, yes, the gem is certainly not good news! I can definitely say this is going to be Ron/Hermione, because Harry/Hermione squicks me. And yes, R/H definitely belong together!) MochaButterfly (Thank you. I was hoping someone would understand why it was so confusing. It's not that I'm trying to make it confusing [at least, I hope not!] but that it's slowly unravelling as the story progresses! Can't wait for more of yours too!) Aisling (Aisy, what do you think of my Draco? Seeing as you're the best Draco I know, I'm looking for a little advice! And thanks for the review, honey!) The Inimitable DA (A shagging Death Eater? I really like that phrase! I think I may have to steal it from you and the fic you stole it from! I don't know... something sexy about DE's! ;) ) Kat Riddle (Thanks!) Caliko (Oh, wow. Someone actually enjoys cliffies? I'm amazed. Shall have to make more for your enjoyment! Oh and I just want to say I loved you D/G lemon!) seekerpeeker (Oh, you've caught a mistake I didn't notice, nor did my betas! How very clever. Hmm... Well it did say that Lucius had pulled a few strings to get Draco a privet room, so I supposed that happened off camera. My apologies for that.) Halo and Wings (Hmm, Ginny looking into Raina's legend book. You might be onto something there, but I'm not telling...!) Moongoodess (Thank you. The gem is a magical object, changing Ginny's appearance when she wears it. And also, just to let you know, it is drawn to Ginny now, ever since she put it on. She's now bound it.) Korinna Myorin (Thanks!) SIlvER.sHoT.eYEs (Right on the updating time! Thanks so much. And I should thank Brianna for showing you to me!) Issa (Thanks!) Thrasia (*laughs* Oh, I love how immortal play with mortals too! It's so much fun to write, IMHO. Thanks!) Blaze (Hmm... Books on Celtic Myth. Well, I use the 'Dictionary to Celtic Mythology and Legends' a lot so I'm apt to suggest that one. Also, I know of a few good web-sites, if you're interested. Check your local library, is what'd I say--although I'm sure you already have! Good luck on your project, I hope you find it enjoyable-unlike most projects ;) To answer your questions: The gods look like Ginny and Draco for a certain reason--one of them being that Draco and Ginny wouldn't be scared if they appeared as someone they knew. And Ginny's features changed, because the gem is changing her, and physical appearance is one of the side affects. Draco also considers his initiation as his Death day, the day he dies inside. Thanks and I hope that helped you.) Starshine (Yes, the ending of the letter is in reference to his initiation. Like I said in the previous comment, Draco considers it the day his freedom is shot and he is eternally bound to someone he does not want to be. Ah, the gem, well you'll find out ;) ) Ginny Dallaire (Thanks!) Dracella (Thanks, I really do love writing love/hate.) MrsSpongeBob333 (Thanks! *laughs*) Victoria_Draco88 (Snogging is what you asked for, and snogging is what you got! Thanks so much. Hope you enjoyed!) Dracoshottie (*laughs* thanks, I guess ;) ) Shadow Ducki (Have you finished reading 'The Tain" yet? I'm so glad you liked it!) SWMF (Hee! Glad you understood it unlike a certain Amy. *cough* Y'know, I hadn't realised that I was writing love/hate. Aren't I weird? And the Gods can speak any language so :P) and Amanda Mancini (Sorry I didn't get you last time! Tell me, has Ginny grown any sort of backbone yet?)

This chapter has now ended.

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Draco and Ginny belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, Warner Bros and various other corporations. They are being used here without permission and/or affiliation with the above. None of the authors listed here make any profit from these stories.