"Thanks, Tara"

"Hey, if you gotta play, you g-gotta play," she replied. "Just don’t get carried away, alright?"

Ron nodded, and sat down at the piano, which, moments ago, had been a normal table.

Tara tousled his already messy red hair, before exiting the common room.

He’d given Hermione a bit of scare that night. The new demon in him had come out rather suddenly, and it had startled she and Harry. He looked fairly calm now, pressing down the keys, seeming to test them. She decided not to bring it up.

"I didn’t know you played," Hermione said without looking up from her school books.

Ron sighed. "I don’t… y’know I never got lessons… just pick things out, is all. We can‘t really afford a piano at home, and I doubt my mum would appreciate my turning a piece of furniture into a piano"

Hermione smirked, but still didn’t look up.

Ron sighed and started to play a few chords, which randomly formed a song that Hermione recognized. She finally looked up from her books to find him staring down in concentration.

"How do you know that song?"

"Oh, come on, Mione, what do you take me for?"

"A wizard who pronounces telephone pheli-phone-tone. How do you know Muggle music?"

Ron sighed, still playing. "Well… y’know, The Weird Sisters are really the only decent Wizarding music that isn’t classical. And Dad’s got a thing for Muggle stuff… and we’ve got a few things laying around…"

"Oh…"

"Wanna sing?"

"No"

"Why?"

"Because I’m an awful singer"

"I could teach you"

"Ron, I have work to do"

"You always do work"

"Yes, and you never do work, so I suppose we balance out somehow"

Ron smirked. "Yeah"

They fell into silence again, until Ron started to sing to his playing.

That did it for Hermione. She slowly put her quill down and watched him.

Ron Weasley. Biggest distraction ever.

She got up and sat down next to him on the piano bench. She rested head on his shoulder, closed her eyes and just listened.

She straddled his waist, pulled the Daily Prophet from his hands and threw it behind her. "Hi"

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting on you," Faith replied. "What does it look like?"

"It looks like you want to do very wicked things to me," Charlie replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh, a perceptive one… I’m not sure I’ve ever been with one of those before," she joked.

"Have you been with a lot of guys before this?"

Faith sighed. "Yeah… but… they never really lasted" She sighed, and began to unbutton his shirt. "But let’s not talk about them"

"No," Charlie replied, sitting up a little. "I wanna talk. We never talk. How come they never lasted?"

Faith sighed. "Mix of two very simple factors. One, I was a slut. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve still got some slut left in me. And two, I was dumb"

"Dumb?"

"I had no clue how to keep a relationship going," she snickered. "I’m shocked this one has lasted longer than a week. What about you? What‘s the girl count?"

Charlie sighed. "Well… you have to understand the women in Romania are… well… there are two types. The completely chaste and the raving whores"

"Hook up with the raving whores?"

Charlie sighed. "Well… yeah"

Faith snickered. "We’re just a match made in heaven, aren’t we?"

Charlie sighed. "My mum says there are two factors that hold a relationship together. Openness and trust"

Faith nodded. "Sounds about right… your mother should write a book"

"Been telling her that for years," Charlie replied, shaking his head.

They sat in silence for a while.

Charlie smirked, and turned the tables. She was underneath him in a heartbeat. "I’ve gotten bored with the talking," he informed her.

"Oh, yeah?" Faith asked with a laugh. "Good"

"So, I’m supposed to tell you all about what happened with Darla, but you can keep everything you did with Spike a secret?"

"I didn’t get Spike pregnant," Buffy snapped. "I can’t believe all this happened, and you’ve been keeping it from me for so long"

"Why would you want to know, Buffy?" Angel asked. "What possible good would it have done for you to know that I went nuts, slept with Darla, got her pregnant, lost the kid to a hell-dimension, only to have him show up and try to kill me. A lot"

"Is it true that Wesley took him?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah… it’s past"

"And now, Connor is here?"

"He’s tied up in Wesley‘s office"

"Because tying him up is going to make things all better," Buffy quipped.

"Would you rather have him trying to kill Ron, or even Oliver, for being a half-demon?" Angel snapped. "We can’t have him loose. We’ve got to get him out of here"

"…Why does he hate demons so much?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms in her seat.

Angel sighed. "He was taught that all demons are evil. He partially the reason that Lorne went to Vegas"

They sat in silence for a while, until Buffy got up. "How could you do this?! How could you sleep with Darla?!"

Angel rolled his eyes and got to his feet. "I was in a bad place in my life, sound familiar?"

"That’s… that’s totally different… I died!"

"And in a lot of ways, so did I!" Angel cried. "You have no idea what I was going through!"

"So why don’t you just tell me?!"

"Why don’t you?"

They stood staring in silence.

Seamus and Dean had done just what they’d planned. They didn’t even bother knocking on the door. They swung it open, and both flopped onto Torianna, who was sitting in her bed, doing homework.

She yelled out in surprise as both boys landed on her and her work.

"What the hell?!"

"Hi!" Dean said pleasant. "We’re hiding from Harry and Dudley. They’re arguing. We‘re sleeping here"

Evelyn sighed. "Ah, the ties that bind"

"And choke," Seamus snickered. "So, what’re you ladies up to?"

"Potions homework," Torianna said grumpily. "You two jerks landed on it"

Dean got up, and sat on the floor, while Seamus just slid to sit next to Torianna.

"Waiting for Draco," Evelyn said.

"What do you see in him?" Seamus asked, crinkling his nose. "He’s such a… Malfoy"

Evelyn smirked. "Yeah, but he’s a hot Malfoy"

Seamus blinked. "Ew"

"So, what do you think of Dudley?" Dean asked.

"Fat," the girls said in unison.

"Does need to lose a little weight," Seamus commented. He was staring intently at Torianna.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow, but made no commented.

"Bet I could whip him into shape real good," Torianna said, not looking up from her work.

Evelyn snorted. "No way in hell"

"Bet you I could," Torianna said, looking up from her books.

"What’re we talking?" Evelyn asked leaning in. "Money? Candy? Chores?"

"Potions homework," Torianna smirked. "One week of mine if I get Dudley skinny by the end of five whole days"

"And if it can’t be done?"

"I’ll do a weeks-worth of Trelawney’s shit," Torianna replied, snapping her Potions book shut.

Evelyn’s mouth twisted into a grin. "Deal"

They both leaned over their beds and shook on it.

Evelyn noticed that Seamus was still staring intently at Torianna.

Willow sighed as she sat with Draco in the hospital wing. "What happened, again?"

"I got hit by the punching bag"

Willow reached a hand out to touch the nearly-healed bruises on his face. "The punching bag did this?"

He nodded.

"May I have a minute with him?"

Willow’s head snapped up to a girl who looked about seventeen. Her hair was stick straight and Draco’s color. Her eyes were exactly like his, a pale, steely gray. She was tall and thin, wearing black robes.

This could only be the sister.

"No, you can’t," Draco said sharply.

Willow looked to Draco. His expression was blank. "Maybe it’s a good idea, Draco"

"It’s not, believe me," Draco replied. "I don’t want to be left alone with any of them ever again"

The girl glared at him. "What did you say to him?"

"I said I wouldn’t kill for him or the Dark Lord," Draco spilled out. "I told him he could go to hell"

"So you did have it coming," the girl mused.

"Sod off, Maureen," Draco snapped. "Just sod off!"

She shrugged. "Suit yourself" With that, she walked out.

Willow gave Draco a grim look. "Punching bag, huh?"

"How did it go with your son, Lucius?"

Lucius Malfoy glared at Dumbledore as Narcissa led Maureen out of Hogwarts.

"I have no son"

Dumbledore stared sadly as Malfoys left. He knew that if ever they returned, there would be much bloodshed.

"Ron?"

Ron and Hermione had gotten tired in a hurry. They shifted from the piano to the couch. He was half-asleep, and Hermione was passed out, curled up next to him.

Professor Wyndham-Pryce walked to sit on the table in front of the teens.

"Hi," Ron said.

"I need to know exactly what happened with Connor in the Forbidden Forest," Wesley told him.

"Gonna give me detention?"

"No," Wesley replied. "What happened?"

"He jumped us," Ron replied. "Which is unbelievable to begin with, considering we were under the invisibility cloak. He grabbed Mione, put an axe to her head, and I got angry"

"And then?"

"I was… growling," Ron replied, looking past Giles into the fire. "I felt so… angry, more angry than I’ve ever been… And I felt my eyes go white again, and I was strong"

"The demon?"

Ron nodded. "Guess so… and then Hermione took my hand, and it was like a shot of ice ran through my whole system, and I was back to normal"

Wesley sighed. "You’ve got to keep yourself under control at all times, Ron. The demon the Powers fused you with can obviously be quite volatile. I was wondering if perhaps you would be interested in training with Draco… I was going to go speak with Harry as well. It might be a good idea. I’m sure we can find some techniques which will keep your demon in check"

Ron nodded, sleepily. "Yeah, alright"

Wesley sighed and got up. "Alright… I’m off to bed… and Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"If you touch my niece in any inappropriate ways, I’ll kill you"

A snort sounded from next to Ron, and both he and Wesley glanced to Hermione, who still seemed to be sleeping.

Ron glared at her. "Faker"

It was many hours later that Harry walked into the common room. He was drained. He couldn’t argue with Dudley anymore. They’d fought about everything.

He walked over to the couch to find Ron passed out, sitting up. Hermione was curled up next to him, her head on his chest, her eyes still open.

"You’re still up?" Harry asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. So’re you"

"I just got done fighting with Dudley," Harry sighed. "He can’t take this. He can’t take being the outcast. He’s never the outcast"

Hermione sighed. "I think you might be wrong," she said softly, taking Ron’s limp hand and entwining her fingers with his. "He’s not exactly a normal size… he’s probably always been an outcast"

"Except at home," Harry pointed out. "He’s always the center of attention, spoiled-"

"But that’s only at home," Hermione replied. "At school… who knows… The Dursleys hate you at their home, but here, in Hogwarts and the wizarding world, you’re a celebrity, and you’re brave. Maybe Dudley’s just as outcasted at Smeltings as he is here"

Harry sat down in front of the couch. "Maybe you’re right… but that doesn’t mean he can act up like he did. I know he didn’t know about the Forbidden Forest, but I even got Ginny to keep him company while I was at practice. I don‘t understand why he had to run off"

"He was upset," Hermione shrugged. "You can’t just expect him to sit there and take George and Fred’s quips"

Harry sighed. "I could… try to be nice, I suppose"

Hermione smiled. "You should get some sleep," she yawned, cuddling closer to Ron’s still form. "It’s late"

"Do you mind if I… I mean, can I…?"

Hermione smiled, and Harry joined his two best friends on the couch.

They both fell asleep