I love where this story is going! I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 20: For The Love Of The Night

000000000000000

Blaise opened his eyes to find a little red-headed bundle on his chest. "Purn…" he groaned and the two bright eyes peered up at him as she smiled wildly. Her little fangs reminded him of what she really was, even though she often seemed mortal. Her hair was in pigtails on either side of her head, Luna must have done it, where was the Dark Queen? He lifted his head to look around but she no where to be found. "Did you escape from your Luna mama?" She smiled even more brightly at him as he guessed correctly, she cuddled into his chest mumbling about butterflies and fields of flowers. His eyes teared a bit knowing that this child's mind still needed healing, something that could only be given by Charis or his sister. Neither were seen in the position to do so last he knew. Charis had been wounded badly in the battle and his sister had gone missing with her mate chasing after her. "We better get you back to your mother before she freaks out. " He imagined the blind woman trying to find the girl and wandering out of the room, he shivered, Irial would kill him.

Sitting up, Calpurnia tumble from his chest in a fit full of giggles, she hopped around on the bed as he dressed. He watched her with warm eyes, hoping one day she could truly know reality and find such happiness. He hoped one day he could have such beautiful immortal children with his own mate-to-be. Gathering the flame-haired toddler into his arms, he nodded his head as she started on with a story for him. "Uncle B?" She looked up at him and then she leaned over and bit into his wrist. He hissed and had to use all his self-control not to throw her. "Snack, snack, snack." She mumbled around his wrist as she drew blood from him.

Prying the child from his wrist, she smiled up at him with red lips and tinged fangs. "I am not your snack. We'll find you something much better for your health. I am death, Purn, I am Merricini, I have no idea what my blood could do to you." She ignored his warnings and instead sunk her little fangs into his thumb. Biting the inside of his mouth, he pulled her away again. "Stop that." Sighing, he held her out away from him, eyeing her warily as he protected himself from anymore nibbles from the little fanged child. Entering Irial's chambers, he brushed of the foreboding feeling from Irial's guards and peaked around the bookshelves to see Luna still quite asleep. He glared down at the little runaway, "You busted this joint didn't you, Purn." He moved over to the crib that Irial must have conjured up, and placed her in then used his magic to place wards on it to keep the little one in and handed her a conjured doll.

"Blaise?" he turned to the young woman now sitting up in the bed.

Steeping over to the desk chair, he seated himself comfortably, "You had an escape. Calpurnia made a run for it and ended up in my bed. Then she continued to bite the hell out of me on my way to bringing her back to you. What do you feed the little fanged beast anyhow?" The little girl was now chattering to herself and the doll about butterflies and flowers. Luna stretched and he saw the little marks on her arms, "Irial lets the child feed from you? I am surprised he can contain himself to allow the sharing." Luna laughed then and shook her head at Death.

"No, she cannot feed from me, no, these marks were left by Greyback when he attacked me. Irial, he has one of the Natura on call for when Callie gets hungry. It is best for like to take from like he says at her age." Then he watched as she laid back against pillows, "Blaise, I'm sorry for what is coming. She won't die, I promise."

000000000000000

Pansy laid in bed when she heard all the commotion going on out in the hall. Sitting up she ignored the weakness she felt and took to standing, walking to the door she opened it to see Draco dragging a petulant Dark King passed her door. "Little Raven." he spoke as he went by, but continued to seem as childishly upset as possible. She expected him to pout up and begin whining at any moment. Nothing could stay even relatively calm around here, her arm was caught as she stepped out of her room and she looked up into peaceful blue eyes. The woman had her short brown hair pushed behind her ears and her blue dress swept around her like mist.

"You could be mine." she whispered to her and then the woman who was taller and an elder immortal bent and picked her up. Irial seemed even more put out as he saw this and started whining just as she knew he would into Draco's ear. He even began petting on the High King much as he did most of his favored among the immortal and mortal beings. The woman holding her rolled her eyes at the Dark King who was being such a child, even though he was one of the oldest of their kind. "He is odd. He courts a prophet as his one true mate. He lays claimed by another royal of our highest clan. He puts such human emotions like love towards mortals and those beyond his clan and mate. He allows his kin to fall into the realm of another clan. He gives such affection to these that I cannot imagine mattering and yet I find I have begun to care for such as these." The woman seemed confused but she moved into the living room where Ron looked at her oddly as the vampire woman settled her on a couch. "She could be mine."

Irial was pouting in a corner of the room as he watched them, "So the Lady Calm understands a bit of why I have such attachment to these."

Calm looked at him curiously then back to Pansy, "I see now why we must protect these, I shall make my clan of service in this war, and I will visit Sight. His clan is not as small as he suggests, and then I will claim whatever other allies we may have from the Rogues and what is left of the other clans." she nodded to the Dark King before turning back to Pansy like a gentle mother she bent and kissed her forehead. "Heal little-one-who-could-be-mine."

Then the woman was gone and Irial had a curious wicked smirk replacing his pout now, "You are much like Calm, she has never mated nor has she claimed to announce an heir. Still an immortal as she is, she is old and powerful, she has much time to do such things. How would you like to be a queenling, little Raven?"

Pansy gave him a half-hearted glare as Ron came to settle next to her and gather her close. "Iri, you're such a brat. Now what is all the fuss about? Did he kill someone again?" Irial bristled at that, "Fine, what is he on about? He didn't unintentionally mortally maim someone again?" she stuck out her tongue at him as she changed up the language in her inquiry and he leaned forward to reciprocate the action. Yes, Irial had much affection for them, Calm was right it was odd for the Dark King to treat them as such as he did. Still she was happy he found some value in them.

000000000000000

Twilight helped Harry down into the living room with Charis fussing the whole way, "Really, he's fine, nothing you haven't already healed is affecting him. Other than your incessant fluttering about him." The little sighted one was annoyed with both Harry and Iri and regretted taking her annoyance out on her closest friend but really she needed to relax. Harry and Irial would be dealt with and she wasn't helping the situation at the moment with her fussing. Then again she'd fuss if it had been Blaise fighting Irial, but Blaise would fair better in a fight with Shadow. Death was nothing to mess with that was for sure, and well he was interesting, he like Draco were two that could actually take on Irial as mortals. Iri had said Draco certainly had put up quite the fight against him before he'd turned him. Too bad he'd not become one of the Dark but instead turned out to be High, the King of High, King of Immortals. Yet Iri liked to boast he was the one who made him.

Harry sighed again, "Charis, calm down will you, I'm fine, really. Twi is being crazy by truing to help me downstairs. I can walk just fine you two, you're making me look weak." He was as petulant as Irial then, Twilight felt like pushing him down the stairs if he was going to start acting like he Dark King, she already had enough to worry about with Blaise under Irial's constant influence. She had to remember to punch the Dark King in the face when she got down to the living room. He certainly deserved it.

Harry managed to shrug them off and Twilight gave up, hopping down the stairs she almost ran into Calm, she gave the woman a weary look. She was so creepy. Then she caught the end of Irial's conversation with Pansy. Interesting sneaking around the the edges of the room she noticed Pansy did hold that certain creepy quality to remain peaceful much like those of Calm did, she'd need to look into the future to see Pansy's path. Yes, that must be looked into, but for now she was trying to sneak up on the Dark King, who was busy hanging on Ron now. The ginger was not at all happy about it and began swatting Irial away.

Then she leaped and Irial leaned to the side so she would go shooting past him and land in the floor rumpled. She glared at him, the damned idiot knew she was coming and let her just be deluded into messing up for his amusement. "Silly, Twi. Thought she could sneak up on the great Dark King."

Glaring at him harshly she stood and dusted herself off, plaintively ignoring him. Then her arm shot out, dogged the move she knew he'd make to stop him, switch arms and landed a good hit on his right cheek. Smiling, she watched as he tipped back into Ron's lap. The ginger looked completely fed up the immortal royal and shoved him into the floor. "Ha! You deserved that you asshole!" She then went to settle herself in for the long discussion as she took the large overstuffed chair that she favored on the other side of the room. Before she could get there, the man lunged at her, thanks to her gift she was able to swing out of the way. Still it was far from over as they began their fight with Pansy and Ron as spectators, Ron found it amusing and started to announce for their fight. Might as well been a muggle boxing match between them.

0000000000000000

Draco looked on at them in annoyance as Hermione now leaned against his side. Snape had informed him that she was fine she'd only passed out from a rush of memories that conflicted with the ones provided by the curse she was under. He wanted to speak with her later on the solution for her dreadful problem after they cleared up all the commotion of earlier. The man was his godfather and more of a father than his own had ever been, but he still got this chill from his demeanor at times. Hermione was snuggled against his side and staring wide-eyed at the events taking place in the living room. Harry was at his other side trying to get Charis to stop fussing with him about his health. "He's fine little swallow, leave him alone. Here keep Hermione comfortable while I break this up. He just can't stay out of trouble for five minutes."

Walking into the middle of the room, he dove into the wrestling match between Shadow and the heir of Sight. They'd destroy the room if they didn't stop soon, they weren't going to actually hit one another anyways. Placing himself the middle he pried them apart then used wandless magic to douse them both with water. Twilight glared at him, "I would've won."

Rolling his eyes, he tossed the little sighted one, into her favored seat and then let go of Irial who pouted and began playing with his hair. Then he was the little High queen and rushed over to her. "Oh, my little queenling!" He picked her up cuddling his face into her curls as she giggled at him, "I know you have no memory of me, but you loved me once little mortal immortal." He sighed choosing to carry her over to sit on a couch away from where Charis decided to settle with Harry. Though he did kick out a foot to hit Harry in the shin as he walked by and then continued on to act as if nothing had happened while the Chosen One glared at him.

Draco rubbed his face in frustration, "Now, Iri, I know you didn't want to do this, but now let all be revealed. It cannot continue on like this, you know he was hers to be claimed by."

The Dark King looked none to happy as a wary High Queen settled against him as she looked up at her King who smiled softly down at her, still his smile was sad. The light did not radiate from her as it once did, but that was consequence of her being mortal. It was hard for the man to let go of the secrets of his past, "Perhaps, I shall start at the beginning, not my beginning but some background before hers. You see I was the son of a regent High King and a woman who was not his true mate. It was not long after my birth, I may have been 5 or 6, that my mother's true mate died and she faded from this world. My father though grief-stricken by her death was able to continue on and raise me, it wouldn't be until I was completely enwrapped in the feuding of Irish clans that my father found his true mate, it had been many centuries. Still she was his and he was hers, it was a beauty of Irish grace, yet she was much a part of her country's religion and would not be turned. As I was still expanding my own Dark Clan, I had little time to spend with my father and this new mate. Yet, I was there that stormy night in which my sister breathed her fist breath, a terrible keening mixed with the treble of the thunder. As my father lay next to his dying mate, I clutched my younger sister in my arms, that night she became my world. My father would hang on for some time but it wasn't long before he faded as well into that mist known as the Ether.

Turning he saw the shock in Charis's eyes as she looked upon his sorrowful visage, "My little deifiúr was only three when she showed signs of the magic in her blood as long with her gift by her immortal birthright. She was a curiosity, so to protect her and help her I took her to Rosencrantz, the only known refuge for my kind. I set up my Clan's Court there in the dungeons and faded from her memory. Becoming Irial, the Dark King, who favored her along with the little sighted one she befriended. I gave her to the High Clan, her birthright to belong to them, and then Draco came along. I made a deal not long ago, after I was told she'd received her heart's dream, to have her safe and happy. I swore fealty to the High King, my own, my favored, and as part of that deal my little deifiúr was sent to his friends, to her true mate." Sighing he kissed Hermione's temple before standing to hand her off to Draco, he then felt as Shadow kissed his cheek before he approached his sister. "Charis, you are mine own blood, through our father. You must understand, I never wanted to give you up as I did but it was for your best and protection. Now, I must as I did then give up my rights and hand you over to your true heart. Harry, take care of mine own." He watched as the Dark King leaned forward to give his sister a brotherly kiss before he stood. "I need some time."'

000000000000000

Charis gasped as her brother disappeared into the hall beyond, away from them, she was in shock. She'd found him, she'd found the one who claimed her as his kin. So he was only but a half-brother, but he was her own blood. She now understood the conflicting memories from a young age that did not match the stories she was told at Rosencrantz. She could remember her homeland because she had lived there, she could remember a laughing young man with jet black hair and violet eyes because he was her brother who'd cared for her. "Charis?"

Looking up she saw Twi kneeling in front of her, studying her expression. "I'm fine… I'm happy. So happy. I remembered him, I have always remembered him. I have a brother." Her eyes shined with tears and Harry leaned over pressing his cheeky to the top of her head as she let a couple tears slip down her cheeks. "But little sighted child, what have you done to yourself?" Her healer's eyes began taking in all the markings again as she frowned at her. Brushing an empathic calm across the chaotic edginess that radiated from her childhood friend she felt as Twi leaned into her smiling. She looked up at her King who smiled at her gently, "My Lord, how long did you know of this?" she asked him softly, not that she would be upset with him from keeping it from her, but she wanted to know how long her brother suffered in silence, concealing his truest identity.

Draco winced, afraid of her anger with him, "I have known since not long after Iri turned me. He and I, we share a close bond."

Hermione slipped from her mate as she came to the girl who was her subject, "My dear, if you are truly are happy, I beg of you to go after him. I will not pretend to know all that there is to know here as I might once have, but I know my Draco. Iri is much like my Draco, if he asks to be alone, I know he is really asking me to come closer, to have that intimacy of privacy of our moment away from the eyes of others. Your brother, he would like to have a private moment to regain his family. His sister he loved so dearly, he was able to give her up to provide her a better and happier life even if that meant he could not truly be in it as he wanted to be." Charis stared at the wise eyes of her queen, it was almost as if their true Hermione was sitting here speaking not the ghost of a shell that a sadistic demon had left behind.

Standing quickly, she bent to kiss Harry sweetly before fluttering after her brother. Never had she felt happier, her mate and brother were found.

000000000000000

Luna rested and knew all was good with her mate, she felt his burst of rage as he attacked her once almost lover. She felt his fear and trepidation, the sorrow, as he told his sister his story and who he was. She felt his joy and warmth as she accepted him and he enveloped her in a hug. He had much to take care of, before he would return to her. Callie slipped into her mind, it saddened her today to find she had broken away. One day she may find that she cannot keep her flamed-hared child, there must be one who can clan her as a relation. Perhaps a story as much like her beloved mate's with his sister. Little Calpurnia, so unaware of the truth that surrounded her. Just last night before Irial had left them, she'd made the bed an actual bed of roses, her nature of the Natura clan bursting forth in her joy, she had no control. Still Irial being old as he was, knew how to calm her and give her some restraint. Irial. How she loved him. How had she lived without him before she'd never know.

Sighing deeply she heard Blaise move, he was so much like Death personified, but perhaps that's because he is and she had just never known or recognized the truth of it. Yet now she had seen. Seen as he spread his grayed blackened wings across a blood red field, darkened the skies with his fearsome terror. Seen as those who dealt an evil hand had fallen at his own. A shudder went through her and she heard him approach. "Milady?"

Ah, yes, she would day be his queen if Irial had his way. She was not just a Faerie Queen as her mate enjoyed to call her but she was Night, Queen of Darkness, of the Dark Clan, mate to Shadow and the King. Her name, she was so aptly named, Luna, a moon to the Night that she would be. Her mother had a strong power of Divination perhaps she had known what her daughter would become. Blaise, no Death, settled next to her on the bed as she opened her aquamarine eyes and stared up at him as they shined and swirled with the knowledge the contained but were all she could see. Prophecy.

"What do you see, oh Lady of the Night?" he whispered to her.

A soft gasp left her as she rose from the bed, the black sheer material sliding from her shoulders, the silk cool against her skin, still she only knew from Irial's minds eye. "In time, my little servant, you shall have the little sighted one in your hands, check your power, know who you are and she shall live. The one who courts the highest of our kind, the mortal immortal, she must live so that His minion may die for his transgressions against her. Protect he who was chosen and his halfling, for the silvered king may destroy his past and our greatest threat beyond Him. The heir of Peacefulness shall prevail as she leads our kind at the side of a brave mortal to allow the halfling's mate victory for all. The one who controls nightmares has all the answers if only he can hold the moon." Then she felt darkness take her into the blissful silence of sleep.

A tinlge of her mate's worry as her energy dropped, the coolness settled on her chest, and she no longer feared the nighttime.

0000000000000

Hermione dove to cling to Twilight as she seized on the floor, her mate was screaming for the Dark King as she began to sob. Twilight's wails of agony were so great that the mirror in the back of the china cabinet cracked as they pierced the silence that had settled. Draco was trying to pull her away from the sighted one as mist began drifting around her but she refused to let go, even as pain began searing through her. Fear gripped her, she would not lose this girl, in her heart she knew she was important. Tears burned her eyes as she couldn't understand why, as her mind was wiped clean of what was real.

Voices continued in the background but she did not listen, she just clung to the golden light that began to link her and this little sighted one. She could only wish for a increment of the power she had once possessed, even if she had had no control. A burst of pain made her eyes go blind with whiteness, black spots appearing in the white, she wanted to cry out for Draco but feared him tearing her away from Twilight.

Slowly, her vision returned but with a rolling of her stomach as she felt nauseous. Looking up she felt as the room began to grow dark, even still as her mate the High King knelt next to her with concern wrinkling his face glowed brightly. His mouth moved but she heard no words, was he unable to speak or could she not hear. The Dark King was upon her as he looked worriedly between her and Twi. He told Draco something, she read his lips, 'They must be linked. It is my Luna, it is another prophecy. She is not yet where she can see such possibilities without pain or losing her sanity.' Draco shook his head vehemently, 'Link them? While my- she's still mortal Iri… she won't be able to withstand it. I-I can't let you kill her, them both! One cannot link with High, she cannot be contained by what we are. My mate cannot bind her as such as that. Sight is mad if he believes this to be true, you are mad.' Irial glared at him and turned to his sister and sighed, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder he disappeared with him.

Charis ran to her side and suddenly she could hear again, Twi ceased seizing but she could feel the pain this caused Charis, she was hers, she could feel her. Then Calm swept into the room glaring at the girl. Gripping Pansy's arm she drug her away from the room, Ron tight on their trail as he looked back apologetically. A bang on the door had Harry running to open it, only for it to fly free as Blaise, Draco, and Irial all came wrestling through yelling in a garble at one another. Calm appeared once again with another royal one or perhaps a Rogue, they gripped Draco and tore him away. His eyes begged to go to her and still she clung to the heir of Sight even as her heart and being called for him as they took him away roaring, "NOOOO! SHE'LL NEED ME!"

Irial walked into the room looking grim, "Little Queenling, I need to use you to bind her… I am not sure you will survive this, but I need you to try. This thing that she has inflicted upon herself, it will kill her or take her sanity, this is only for the true head of Sight, not his heir. Until she sits upon the throne you shall bind her, you shall be linked with her, you will have her fealty as much like I have given your King."

"Use me, Iri, use me." Tears fell from her eyes, almost like golden stars of light. A taste of what she had once been, what she could be once again.

000000000000000

Ron stared in shock at Draco as he screamed and fought against the two that held him, he held Pansy close as if he would attack her even though he knew so much better. He understood those immortals with their passion and dedication to their mates, for he felt just as strongly for his little Raven. Calm looked to him again, but not at him, she was staring at Pansy in his arms. "Protect her, she is mine, you are hers, so you are mine as well." She nodded to me as she continued to fight Draco.

The Rogue she had brought with her ignored us both, perhaps due to how vigorously Draco was fighting against him. Lady Calm had explained as she'd brought them here what the situation was and who she was bringing. This man could have been a ruler of a Clan, it was the Baser Clan. A clan known for its brawn but no brains, a clan of misfits and lesser immortals, a link of werewolves and vampires, what they could be if they mated. She called it right abomination, but knew she was old-fashioned and prejudiced. Still for the good of all she had called upon this Rogue to hold back the High King from his Queen.

Hermione was going through quite a trial as she was being used as a vessel for what Twilight had done to herself, taking in a nature not her own would be hard, especially for the mortal immortal. She may not survive, she would bind Twi to save her life and sanity, and in turn Twilight would be hers until she took the throne and her full inheritance given through ritual she had inflicted erroneously upon herself in such a dire time. Only a royal could hold control over such ancient gifts, only one who was a strong royal. Hermione was the High Queen, had been immortal, was Life, was Merricini of the Ether. Sight had chosen well one to bind his heir, to be a vessel to that which until now only he'd had control. The possibility of the future that was not just a possibility came from the now-immortal prophet, the new Queen of the Dark Clan.

Shaking himself back to reality he watched as Draco cried out in pain, his shirt came loose showing a wilted white rose with a black stem, something was shining on the back of his neck that he couldn't see. "HERMIONE!"

Ron swallowed deeply as he felt Pansy cling to him. Only time would tell if his once best friend would come out of this, if his now brother would survive along with her. What would they do with out their immortal dragon and the golden princess? They couldn't die. It would be all over if they died. The end, Harry could not go on at such a loss. The world would come to cease being as the Dark Lord continued his reign of destruction. They all had to survive, they needed one another. He wouldn't let anyone die, not if he could help it. Right now, though, he didn't know what he could do but hold onto Pansy while she cried. "Drake?" he asked as he sagged, growing quiet. Drops landed on the wooden floors below his bent head.

000000000000000

Loving her was like loving the night, it was like loving the stars in the sky, like loving rain in a thunderstorm as it pattered against a tin roof. It was something he couldn't control, it just was. It was an instinctive force that held his heart in a vice grip and would never let go. It connected him to his humanity, to morality, to reality. He could not exist without her, he would not exist without her. The smile she wore was like the moonlight over the sea, her laugh the tinkle of the wind at the end of the day through wind chimes as he sat looking out over his land. Her warmth was like the heat of the darkness in the summertime as surrounded him in its embrace. He wondered if it ever ended like how he wondered if anyone could see the end of the stars as the spread out across the night sky.

Loving her was like loving the night.

For the love of the night, for the love of her, he would create a peaceful world in which they could love forever.

000000000000000

Amata Mercy

Wow. A lot happening in this chapter. Who is the speaker at the end?