Chapter One

The bushy-haired witch stared out of the train, watching the scenery fly by. The cart was rocking slightly, but Hermione Granger didn't really notice. She was longing for those last few moments on King's Cross Station. Where she had to say goodbye to her best friends.

It wasn't an easy farewell. Of course, no one was surprised when Hermione had announced that she was returning to school to finish her studies. And no one was really taken aback to learn that Ron and Harry weren't on the same page as her. Naturally, Hermione was devastated when she learned that her best friends weren't coming with her.

But really, she wasn't shocked. Kingsley had given everyone who fought in The Battle of Hogwarts the N.E.W.T.S they needed to succeed in their career. So why would they want to go back to school, for no apparent reason? And even if they wanted to finish their education, Hermione suspected they wouldn't be able to set foot in Hogwarts without remembering what it had looked like the last time they saw it.

She sighed. Hermione missed the two of them terribly already. She glanced around her compartment and smiled at Ginny and Luna. There were a few other students that Hermione recognized but didn't automatically know. They were ignoring her slightly, and she was really okay with that. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts and strategies for the year.

When the trolley lady came by, Hermione shot up. She handed over the necessary Knuts and Sickles for three chocolate frogs. One for her, and two for the pair of idiots that weren't there with her. She sat back down at her window seat and gingerly opened one packet.

Hermione wasn't at all surprised to see that Harry's face was smiling up at her. His hair was as messy as it had been his whole life. The famous round glasses rested on his nose, and that scar that had always intrigued Hermione, peeked out beneath his mop of hair. The moving photograph winked at her, and she felt her eyes go damp. God, she missed them already. How she wished they would've came with her.

Hermione shook away the thoughts. Yes, she wouldn't see her two best friends for six months. But she was returning to Hogwarts, for God's sake. She had missed it so much, and deep down; she was extremely excited that she was going back. Hermione took a deep breath. No matter was happened, she was finishing her Hogwarts career, even if it killed her.

...

The carriage ride up to the castle wasn't really what Hermione thought it'd be. She had completely forgotten about the thestrals. So, when she saw the bony, eyeless, winged horses; she had stopped dead in her tracks, terrified. Then realization hit her, and her heart had skipped a beat.

Tears filled her eyes, and they threatened to fall over when she noticed so many more students stare at these creatures. Sobs started to fill the air, and she walked to the coach closest to her. Hermione crawled into the carriage and pressed a fist to her mouth. The faces of her dead friends and colleagues flashed through her mind. Fred, she thought with a sinking heart, Poor, poor brilliant Fred. And Remus and Tonks. Her list of mourning seemed endless.

Hermione stopped her sobs when she heard the rickety door open. She casually brushed her tears away, and her sympathy flashed through her when she saw Ginny's expression. Wordlessly, she gestured for Ginny to join her.

So instead of marveling at the sight of Hogwarts, instead of taking in its towers and high windows glowing in the dark night; Hermione silently cried over the people who lost their lives the last time she was at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Her and Ginny's eyes were still red when they sat down for the feast. She scanned the newly refurbished Great Hall, and the happy people sitting in it. Her eyes fell on familiar faces and distinctive features. The giant door creaked behind her, and Hermione turned to watch the first years pile in.

She happily watched the ceremony, vaguely wondering how different sorting was a year ago. Hermione recalled Grimm's Place and fell deep into her memories. She didn't even notice Professor McGonagall had begun to speak until she heard, "-Silence for those who had fallen during the Battle of Hogwarts."

A painful lurch went through the young witch. She pulled her wand out of her robes and held it above her head, lighting the tip. One by one, witches and wizards raised their arms (except for the first years) in a silent salute. Many students, and even some staff members, had tears streaming down their faces.

When McGonagall had wiped her cheeks, she continued in a steady voice, "As, I assume, most of you noticed; we have two new staff members joining us this year. Professor Noble has taken over the Defense Against the Dark Arts position for this year."

Hermione's eyes scanned for a new face, and they landed on a beautiful red-headed witch. She was dressed in simple witch's robes. Professor Noble smiled easily and batted her fingers at the crowd. Her eyes were scanning the room hurriedly, as if she couldn't believe that she was actually there. Polite clapping filled the Great Hall, and Professor Noble looked very pleased. She crossed her arms back over her chest, and Hermione clearly saw attitude stressed in each curve of her body.

"And," McGonagall was saying, "Our new Astronomy teacher, Professor Smith."

Hermione was taken aback when her eyes landed on the other new face. Professor Smith wasn't wearing wizard robes. Instead, he was wearing a deep blue suit, a lighter shirt underneath it, and a red tie was wrapped around his neck. Hermione glanced around her, and she saw how surprised other students were also. His thick, brown hair was spiked in the front and drooped forward slightly. Professor Smith removed his rectangular glasses and smiled wide at the students. He wiggled his fingers in a little wave. His grin was extremely contagious, and many students, including Hermione, beamed back.

"What a strange wizard." Ginny leaned up and whispered in her friend's ear as the food appeared on glittering gold plates.

Hermione nodded gently. Yeah, she thought, what a strange wizard indeed.

...

It wasn't long before Hermione found herself buried in homework. The teachers wasted no time diving into lessons. Even the new teacher, Professor Noble, got down to business in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hermione thought she was going to be a good advisor. Ever since Umbridge, she had become less criticizing of teaching skills. And Professor Noble actually let her students use their wands, so that was a major bonus.

And even though Professor Noble had fantastic teaching skills on wand movements and pronunciations; Hermione never saw her cast a spell. She had never even seen her teacher's wand for goodness sake. But due to her growing pile of work, Hermione didn't really have time to wonder about the seemingly wand-less witch.

Hermione had both of the new teachers on Fridays. So, after finishing a good margin of her back-to-school assignments, she packed her messenger bag with quills, ink, parchment and her telescope. she walked with Ginny up the moving staircases, mentally planning on which teacher assigned what and trying to figure out a schedule.

Professor Smith was a few minutes late, which was good for a few stragglers. Hermione sat in the middle of the classroom, near the aisle. Her eyes were flickering back and forth between different objects in the room. She was twirling her eagle-feather quill when the door opened. She, along with twenty other students, swiveled in their seats to look at the new teacher.

He was wearing a brown, striped suit that day. A long coat went down to his ankles, and ordinary muggle shoes stuck out beneath them. His hands were stuffed in his coat pockets, and he took long, lazy steps towards the front of the room. Somewhat baffled by his choice of clothing, it took a second for Hermione to focus her attention on the actual teacher and not his clothes.

His name was on the chalkboard, and he was leaning on his desk, staring up at the ceiling. His face was impassive, and it looked as if he was longing for the planets and stars that were above them. Professor Smith looked back down at his class and grinned wide, "Hello all, seventh years innit?" His face scrunched up, and he cocked an eyebrow.

Without waiting for an answer, he pushed away from his desk and spun on his heel, his coat trailing out behind him. "Welcome to Astronomy. I will be your teacher, which means I have to teach things. And hopefully, you will learn them."

"Now," He was on the other side of the room, and Hermione was just beginning to realize how much energy was contained in that skinny man, "Astronomy, astronomy, asTRonomy. Astronomyastronomyastronomy, Assss-trrrron-o-mmy. Astronomy. As-tron-o-my." He said with a different air each time he repeated the word. His eyes fell on his students, "I hope you're all getting this down."

Several students glanced at each other, some amused and some confused. Everyone slowly opened their notebooks and scribbled down the name of the class. Hermione was convinced that Professor Smith was completely mad, but she couldn't help but grin.

"Who can tell me was astronomy is?" He scanned the classroom. And Hermione was shocked to see how old his eyes looked compared to the rest of his face. And even though he had crow's feet and a gleam in his eyes, you could just see the scars from the horrible things they had witnessed and the pain that those eyes had shed.

Hermione swallowed uneasily, and raised her hand. He nodded his head towards her, "Ah yes, Miss-?"

"Granger…sir."

He grinned wide and tested her name out, "Alright Miss Granger, what is astronomy?"

Happy to be back in her element, she replied without thinking, "Astronomy is the branch of science that deals with celestial objects, space, and the physical universe as a whole."

Smith raised his eyebrows slightly, taken aback at the textbook answer. "Very good Miss Granger. Ten points to Gryffindor." He seemed overjoyed to have given out points.

"Now!" All of the students jumped, their eyes widening. Smith glided behind his desk and grabbed…his wand, it seemed like. He pointed it towards the ceiling and a projection screen floated down. An annoying sound had pulsed at the end of his wand along with a blue light, and Hermione flinched. Before she could examine his instrument clearly, he was already tucking it inside his coat.

"Time to discuss black holes. Very interesting topic, love doing this. I consider myself an expert on black holes. Well, I consider myself to be an expert on many things, actually. Including bananas. I love bananas. Hate pears though.

"Anyway, who can tell me what a black hole actually is?"

No one was shocked to see that Hermione had put her hand up after a moment's silence.

...

On the third Saturday of October, Hermione woke up late. All of her fellow seventh year witches were already gone. She slowly sat up and stretched, her neck aching from accidentally falling asleep in the chair the night before. The sun was rising when she had jerked awake and crawled into bed. Her sore neck was worth it though; a majority of her homework was finished.

She checked her watch and realized that she had missed breakfast. Hermione sighed and changed into her weekend wear. She filled her bag with a few quills, ink and parchment before heading out of Gryffindor tower. Knowing exactly where she wanted to go, she let her feet wander the familiar path while her mind drifted.

Before no time, she was in front of Hagrid's hut. Disappointment shot through her like an arrow when Hermione realized one of her oldest friend wasn't home. She was really looking forward to catching up with him. Seeing what ridiculously dangerous creature Hagrid had caught this year and recalling old times would have put Hermione in a much better mood. She would have even forced down some of Hagrid's homemade rock pies, but it didn't really matter now. she could've stayed there and waited for him, but that seemed like a silly option. She backed away slowly, calling Hagrid's name once or twice. Just to make sure.

Foolishly fighting back tears, Hermione numbingly walked towards the Black Lake. She sat down at the first tree she saw that had shade. The sorceress gently took out her supplies and started composing her letters, writing carefully, making sure her handwriting was tiny so she wouldn't waste parchment. The slight breeze blew her thick hair into her face, which she impatiently brushed away. The only sound around Hermione was her quill scratching and the little waves hitting the beach. It was peaceful and familiar. It felt like home.

She signed the bottom of her letter to Harry and started to write Ron's. Her mind went blank on what to say. Her feelings for Ron were still conflicted. Yes, she had kissed him in the Battle of Hogwarts, and he most certainly kissed her back. But over that summer, they never did more than hold hands and share a few kisses. They never really talked about their relationship. Ron never brought it up, and Hermione sure as hell wasn't going to. She sighed, her mind aching.

Although, Ron never really knew how to express emotion very well, so she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Hermione wrote a note similar to Harry's, with a few different details. She knew better than to be girly in her writing. It would either disgust Ron or just scare him off. Both of which would not make Hermione very happy. She'd send birds after him again.

Smiling, Hermione leaned back against her tree and glanced at Hagrid's cottage again, hoping to see that huge man blundering around. Instead of seeing her wild-haired friend, she saw Professor Smith and Professor Noble walking together. They appeared to be deep in conversation, Smith was waving his hands around, and Professor Noble was rolling her eyes.

It was clear now, but Hermione didn't know why it surprised her so much to realize that the two new teachers already knew one another. It was clear by their body language that they were extremely close. But they weren't involved romantically. Professor Noble shoved her confidant, laughing. And Smith's smile could be seen clearly from where Hermione was relaxing. They both looked like best mates that loved having the other around.

Of course, that reminded Hermione of Harry, Ron and herself. Slightly depressed, she pushed herself up and grabbed her bag. She had to stop thinking about her friends along with the war and just about everything else that happened in the last year. Hermione found it so easy to fall back into the past, the memories closing around her just like she had fallen into a pensive. It was messing with her mind and, more importantly, her studies. She couldn't afford to break down every time she thought of Dobby, Mad-Eye, or anyone she had lost because of Voldemort. Hermione knew she needed to forget and move on. But she was terrified that if she did, the memories of them would fade away also.

Hermione brought herself back to reality and noticed the sun was in the middle of the sky. she's stomach rumbled, and she quickened her pace slightly, wanting to get something in her stomach.

Ginny was already eating, so Hermione plopped down next to her. She grabbed a sandwich that looked similar to her fellow Gryffindor and filled her goblet with pumpkin juice. She didn't talk much to her younger friend, Ginny was writing furiously in one of her notebooks. Hermione glanced left and right down the dining table but didn't find anyone to chat to. Feeling awkward, Hermione wrapped her sandwich in a napkin and drained her goblet. Her bag was over her shoulder as she sauntered away. Many students whispered behind their hands when they saw her. Hermione still became quite unnerved when students' eyes widened whenever they fell on her. She had absolutely no idea how Harry dealt with it for so many years.

Hermione finished her sandwich by the time she was back at Hagrid's house. Looking left and right, she strolled past the little cottage and ducked into the Forbidden Forest. She stumbled for a few feet, grabbing her wand from her back pocket. she rotated her hand and branches, leaves, and any other foliage cleared away in front of her. She began walking, and the path immediately became cluttered again when it fell behind her.

Hermione was heading to her favorite hiding spot at Hogwarts. She had stumbled upon it during her third year, when she was at her loneliest. Hermione had been so desperate for something to get her mind off her seemingly ended friendship that she had snuck out anytime she could. This particular spot had hidden her from the rest of her peers and muted her sobs. She had practiced charms, read books, wrote letters, and basically any small chore that she didn't want to do in the castle. Hermione had really grown fond of the place.

A smile lit up her face when she saw the entrance of her cave. she scaled the bigger rock and slid down the other side. Hermione walked carefully, making sure she didn't trip over one of her many lanterns. she ignited the tip of her wand and walked a couple of meters before finding her favorite flat rock. Happier than she had been in a while, Hermione sat on the stone and groped for her lantern. She muttered a charm, and a small flame brightened the cavern.

Hermione leaned against the slightly damp wall and several thoughts filled into her mind. Hogwarts seemed to be back to normal, no physical damage from the war. Nothing seemed different or out of place. Except, of course, the giant new addition to the entrance hall. Beautiful writing covered an entire wall, and there were a dozen rows containing different names. And each name belonged to a person who lost their life because of Voldemort and his followers. In the first or second war, wizard or muggle, it didn't matter. Each and every name was etched into the stone. And it was one of the most beautiful and horrific things Hermione had ever seen.

Many more topics filtered through her mind. How difficult seventh year was already and how fast it seemed to be moving along. she thought of old adventures and new troubles she was sure to face. Hermione had sworn to herself early in the school year that she would not meddle and get into any kind of trouble. But she knew that was a promise she was more than likely going to break.

Finally, Hermione thought of the two new teachers. What a strange couple those two were. They weren't like any witch or wizard she had ever met. They had a different aura around them than the rest of the faculty and the students. The sorceress couldn't really put her finger on it, but she didn't really trust those two. Not that they were necessarily untrustworthy, it was just that they didn't seem to know much about having magical blood despite having a job to teach students with it.

Hermione didn't notice how dark it was becoming until the sun had already slipped under the surface. Cursing, she launched up and grabbed her messenger bag. She put the lantern out with an impatient wave of her wand. She practically sprinted towards the entrance of the cave, needing to get back before it was pitch black. Even though she was an experienced witch, she did not want to be caught dead in the Forbidden Forest at night. Hermione picked up the pace, but she stopped in her tracks when she heard a low, deep growl.

Years of being in awful situations taught her not to panic right away. Hermione took a deep breath and grabbed her wand. She pivoted on her foot, her heart crashing in her chest. Her eyes were still adjusting to the dark now that her lantern was out. Her mind was racing, trying to come up with a plan .Hermione's breath was shallow, and it echoed off the walls. she scanned the walls and squinted to see farther into the cave. Maybe it was just a-

A huge black…thing materialized out of the shadows and launched itself towards the she. She brandished her wand upwards, and a temporary shield rose in front of her. Growling and yells of frustration echoed off of the walls. Hermione rushed towards the forest, panic eating away at her heart and mind. she threw random curses over her shoulder, hoping to stop whatever it was. Her brain was completely blank except for one thing: Run.

Hermione could feel its presence behind her, and she screamed in spite of herself. She picked up speed, throwing her bag behind her. Her terror was growing, and she couldn't come up with a strategy. The sorceress scrambled up the largest rock at the entrance of her cave. Everything was moving extremely fast and agonizingly slow at the same time. she struggled to get her balance while trying to look over her shoulder to find...find whatever that thing was.

Hermione screeched, seeing the creature right behind her. It grabbed her throat and lifted her up off her feet. Fury made the girl fight back, and it doused her fear momentarily. She was not going to die like this, not now, not this way. The young witch's vision was spotted, but she managed to stick the tip of her wand to the thing's gruesome chest. She could feel her heart slowing down, but it was still roaring in her ears. She screamed inside her head, and she felt her wand heat in the palm of her hand.

A blinding light filled the cave, and Hermione fell onto her knees, forcing air back into her lungs. Her neck throbbed horribly. Gasping, she scanned the seemingly empty cave, wishing and hoping the thing was gone. she stood up on shaky legs. What the hell was that thing? She had never seen anything like it before. A slight breeze ruffled the she's hair, and Hermione hoped that the thing, whatever it was, had vanished. She took a step backwards, knocking a few pebbles away.

A terrible, inhuman screech echoed around Hermione. She flung herself away from the cavern and the creature. An impossible plan formed in her head. The brilliant she twisted in midair and sent a powerful curse at her beloved hiding spot.

The explosion lit the entire area around the cavern with blinding white light. Hermione landed twenty feet farther than if she would've just jumped. Her mind was foggy and her body ached. Dust and gravel was raining down around her, and when she looked up; her one and only secret was crumbling in front of her. An intense sadness squeezed at her chest, along with a new wave of fury.

She was lying in wet leaves and soft mud. Her chest was moving rapidly. The anger and sorrow she felt started to die down, and Hermione started to shake. She didn't want to move due to sheer exhaustion and shock. Trying to fully understand what just happened, the she buried her face into the crook of her arm, replaying the last few minutes in her mind; trying to remember what the creature looked like exactly. Her annoyance grew when the face of her attacker wouldn't clearly come to mind. She couldn't remember anything about the thing that nearly strangled her. Hermione had been stupid enough to forget to identify the damn thing trying to kill her. Screaming in frustration, she slammed the heel of her hand into the ground.

Leaves crunching and footsteps were the sounds that started to clear Hermione's head. A warm hand grabbed her shoulder, and she threw her arm out, hitting who, and whatever, it was. Fear grabbed at her heart, and she pushed herself up on her elbow. Her wand was out, and it was pointing at the silhouette. She identified it as a human, and her terror died down the slightest bit.

Hermione couldn't tell who it was, but she didn't really care either way. She knew that was idiotic. But what did it matter? she just wanted to sleep. She wanted to fall asleep and not wake up for a very long time. The figure in front of her crouched down and laid a hand on her knee. She didn't feel frightened. she was too damn tired and hurt to be frightened.

"It's okay." A familiar voice whispered urgently. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to make sure you're alright."

She could feel someone's body heat, and Hermione became grateful. She didn't realize how cold she was until then. She laid herself back down in the damp leaves, trembling slightly. she opened her eyes and studied the outline of the man. His breathing was heavy, and a long fingered hand checked her pulse and pressed gently against a gash that covered her leg. Hermione cried out and cringed away.

There were muttered apologies. That same hand then curled around her neck and lifted her head a bit. Her rescuer leaned close to the she, and Hermione could just see the brown in his eyes. Worry and fright shined brightly in them.

"Miss Granger?" The voice said, "Miss Granger, can you speak to me?" He shook her gently.

Hermione couldn't make herself say anything, she couldn't find the words. Her fingers closed around her wand, and she thought, "Lumos."

A brilliant light shone from her wand, and Professor Smith's face was inches from hers. Concern showed clearly in his deep brown eyes, "Miss Granger? Are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened?"

Hermione's mind was scattered, and she blinked stupidly at her teacher. It slowly started to sink in that help had arrived, and that it was one of her newest professors. But it didn't make sense. How did Professor Smith get there? How did he come to her aid so quickly? It was impossible for him to have arrived that fast. There was no possible way he had heard the cave collapsing from the Astronomy tower or even the grounds. Hermione was miles in. The only explanation would be for him to already have been in the woods. But why? For what reason was this strange man to be in the Forbidden Forest?

Thinking about that made her head hurt. Hermione nodded slowly and struggled to sit up. Professor Smith moved his hand from her neck to the base of her spine to steady her. It hurt to breathe; she could feel blood soaking her jeans. Multiple scratches covered her arms, her head ached, and her entire body throbbed. Hermione could feel the delayed panic sinking in, and she tried to contain it. she curled her hands into fists to stop the shaking.

She examined the teacher in front of her and noticed his thin mouth and worried eyes. she started to open her mouth to answer one of his questions. Then the distinct sound of rocks shifting had her heart stopping cold. Her wand jerked out in front of her, pointing at the boulders.

Professor Smith looked over his shoulder, and comprehension slowly dawned on his face. He reached into pants pocket and pulled out what looked like a metal wand. Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, it can't be metal. No wand is made of metal. It must have to do with the lack of lighting. It has to be…

Professor Smith gently told his student to stay down. He gracefully rose to full height and took almost silent footsteps towards the fallen cavern. Hermione nearly yelled at him to stop, but she was frozen. she's mind raced at a million miles an hour. She quickly examined herself, and realized she didn't have any serious injuries, not counting the one in her leg. Hermione shifted, Professor Smith heard the crunching of leaves.

He turned sharply to look at her, "Stay down Miss Granger! I mean it. Do not take one step."

With that order, the man walked a few more feet towards the she's former hiding place. Anger filled her chest, and her nostrils flared. How dare he treat me like a child, Hermione steamed, I am of age. And I am more than capable of helping this little twig wizard .Her wand still clutched tightly in her hand, she slowly got to her feet, gritting her teeth. Hermione tried to focus on her irritation and not the pain that was coursing through her body.

It was silent, not even a cricket was chirping. But the silence was deafening, and Hermione just wished something would happen already. The sorceress tiptoed until she was a few feet behind her teacher. Professor Smith glanced behind him to check on Hermione. When he noticed that she was standing, his face morphed into an expression of rage.

"I told you-"

Hermione opened her mouth to interrupt when she saw a dark shape. Her eyes widened, and she launched forward. The sorceress threw her arm out in front of Professor Smith, and his confused protests fell on deaf ears. she sent a red beam of magic towards the shadow that was throwing itself towards them. A horrible wail filled the silence as the spell hit Hermione's target directly in the chest. It crashed to the ground, shaking and snarling, but not moving. Momentarily proud, she grinned.

The shadow screamed in rage and jumped to its feet. Hermione sent another spell, but the creature dodged it. A new wave of panic crashed over her, and all she wanted to do was run. she tried to focus on her attacker, but it kept blending into the dark. Each curse that Hermione casted lit up the woods.

Professor Smith was yelling, but Hermione ignored him. Adrenaline crushed her fear, and she wasn't even thinking about what spells she was firing off. she slung her arm forward, a purple beam of light hitting a tree.

"Miss Granger!" Professor Smith scolded. She felt him behind her, and a hand clutched her arm. she shook him off. "You don't know what it is. Don't-"

A crunch of leaves had both of them whirling around. The shadow was standing eerily still, its chest heaving. Fear clutched at the young witch's heart. She didn't know what it was, so how could she defeat it?

"Hermione." Professor Smith hissed urgently, and she was taken aback with the use of her first name, "It's after you. When I say so, run."

She glanced at her professor and nodded slightly. A slight breeze stirred up leaves between the opposing forces. But no one moved, not even to breathe. Fear was making its way back into the sorceress's chest. A branch snapped far off, and Hermione spun her head towards the noise, startled.

A terrifying roar exploded in her ears. The thing threw itself at the witch. Hermione brandished her wand, but it was knocked out of her hand when the shadow pinned her to a nearby tree. The back of her head slammed against the bark, and her vision doubled. she heard Professor Smith shouting at the top of his lungs.

She struggled against the thing that was holding her. Hermione was yelling and fighting, refusing to give up. That's when the young sorceress saw the monster's face for the first time. It was pure black, with absolutely no facial features. Just smooth, dark skin. The flesh on its chest was torn away and hanging lifelessly away from its skinny body. Ribs shown clearly, gleaming in the moonlight, and it smelled of sulfur and death. Gnarled, scaly fingers wrapped around her already bruised neck, and her only weapon of defense was lying however many feet away.

The last thing that Hermione saw was that blank face so close to hers and a glow of blue light. A familiar sound pierced her ears along with terrified yelling, and Hermione thought no more.