===June 18 1995===
Early morning finds Hermione sitting at the breakfast table by herself, a cup of coffee sits in front of her, when Amanda comes in. "Hey, where's Harry?"
"He's got the twins. I needed a few minutes of quiet." Hermione answers as she sips her coffee.
"That bad?" Amanda asks.
"Only because I insist on breastfeeding. I could just let Dobby and Winky take care of them with formula." Hermione says. "Once we go back to Hogwarts I won't have much choice if I want to continue with classes."
Amanda nods. "So you want to feed them while you can."
"Pretty much." Hermione says as she looks at Amanda. "So why did you really come down here?"
"Is it worth it?" Amanda asks.
"What do you mean?" Hermione asks.
"Marrying Harry, and everything." Amanda answers.
"It is, I love Harry and I love our daughters." Hermione says.
"So Harry's your prince?" Amanda asks.
Hermione chuckles. "You were the one that wanted a prince."
"True." Amanda says. "I remember when we were little and you would read fairy tales to me."
"It was a good compromise." Hermione says. "I still got to read. That was all I cared about back then."
"That's not true." Amanda says. "You would occasionally play with me, or take care of me. Like the time I got sick."
"I remember that, we were what 8?" Hermione asks.
"Our first sleepover." Amanda says. "I snuck a bottle of Dad's whiskey thinking you'd like someone who acted more adult."
"And you proceeded to vomit all over yourself." Hermione says. "I remember being glad we were both girls as I washed you and put you in my spare pajamas."
"I remember that." Amanda says. "You told your parents you wet the bed and washed your bedding with my pajamas. They took your favorite book as punishment."
"I got it back eventually." Hermione says. "I couldn't let my only friend get in trouble."
"I was a horrible friend, I let you be punished for me." Amanda says.
"We knew what happened." Helen says from the doorway. "Your father knew you took the whiskey."
"He never said anything." Amanda says.
"We asked him not to." Helen says. "Up until then Hermione hadn't even tried to be friends with someone, but you got through to her. She didn't even hesitate to offer us her favorite book as her punishment."
"I can't believe you didn't say anything!" Hermione exclaims. "I loved that book!"
"Consider it a punishment paid for lying to us." Helen says.
Hermione nods. "I suppose that's fair enough."
"I thought so as well." Helen says.
"Is that why you accepted Harry so easily?" Hermione asks. "I finally made another friend?"
"That was part of it." Helen admits. "Until I saw the way you looked at him. I knew you loved him before you did."
Hermione blushes. "You did?"
Helen nods. "As for you, Amanda, when are you going to admit that you have feelings for Draco?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Amanda says, blushing heavily.
"Amanda, you're only lying to yourself." Helen says.
"Fine!" Amanda explains. "I love the prat!"
"Have you told him?" Helen asks.
"No, I can't." Amanda answers.
"Why not?" Helen asks.
"I feel I can't trust him." Amanda says. "Things he says don't always add up."
Hermione grins. "I have just the spell for you."
#####
Draco is sitting on the bed of his borrowed bedroom when Amanda knocks on his door before entering and closing the door behind her. "I need to tell you something."
"What's that?"
"I feel like I'm so close to loving you, but sometimes I don't think I can trust you." Amanda says.
"Is it because I'm a Slytherin?" Draco asks.
"That probably doesn't help things." Amanda answers. "Hermione taught me a spell that will ensure you can't lie. How would you feel if I cast it on you?"
"How would you feel if it was reversed?" Draco asks.
"Take your wand and circle it around my neck saying the words: veritas torquem."
Draco follows her instructions, when he does a silver collar appears around her neck. "How's it work?" He asks
"If I lie it shocks me." Amanda says.
"Hermione taught you this?"
"Yes." Amanda admits. "What do you say?"
Draco sighs. "Go ahead."
Amanda casts the spell, he now has a silver collar. "Now we ask questions that we want answers for."
Draco nods. "You first."
"Are you a Death Eater?"
"No." Draco answers. "Did you know Professor Moody wasn't really him before the third task?"
"No. Were you aware Voldemort was going to return?"
"Yes." Draco admits as he rolls his fingers indicating for her to keep asking.
"Did you know how he planned to do it?"
"No." Draco says and then grunts as he's shocked.
"Now we know it works. Tell me what you knew."
"All I knew was it involved the third task."
Amanda raises an eyebrow. "Did you have anything to do with Harry getting knocked off his broom second year?"
"No." Draco says and grunts as he's shocked again.
"Was the whole thing orchestrated so he'd trust you?"
Draco grimaces. "Yes."
"Why?" Amanda asks
"So I could betray them to the Dark Lord." Draco admits.
Amanda nods. "Whose plan was that?"
"My father's."
"Is Dobby a spy?"
"No." Draco says. "Do you hate me now?'
"No, you're human. You've always done what you thought was the best thing to do." Amanda says. "Have you thought about what you wanted?"
"A little." Draco says. "I want to change and become someone worthy of you. I never thought it would be possible but I'm in love with you."
When he doesn't wince Amanda looks surprised. "You're serious!"
"Yes, I am." Draco says. "How can I prove myself to you?"
"You don't have to do anything to prove yourself." Amanda says but winces as the collar shocks her.
"So I do need to prove myself."
"Not to me." Amanda says. "You need to prove it to yourself."
"You're right." Draco says, "and I know what I need to do."
"What's that?"
"My dad raised me to follow the Dark Lord and betray the Potters." Draco says. "I'll let him think that's what I'm doing. Meanwhile you'll be near the Potters and tell them everything that's going on."
"How will I do that?" Amanda asks.
"I was thinking we'd ask your cousin about the ritual she used." Draco says.
Amanda nods. "That could work."
Draco nods. "This is going to be very dangerous. At any moment they could kill me."
"If you die, I die, right?" Amanda asks.
"That's what my dad said." Draco says. "He also said that there's an exception."
"What is it?"
"If you're pregnant, magic will sustain you until you can safely have the baby." Draco answers.
"Then I'd die?" Amanda asks.
Draco nods. "Unfortunately."
"Finite!" Amanda says as she taps the collar on Draco's neck with her wand making it vanish. "Then I guess we better get started."
Draco dispels her collar then kisses her passionately for a minute before pushing away. "We need to talk to your cousin first."
Amanda raises an eyebrow. "You want to talk to Hermione instead of securing your magic and maybe your lineage?"
Draco clears his throat. "They said they did the ritual on their wedding night. Not at some point during the honeymoon, very specifically wedding night."
"Oh," Amanda says, as her eyes widen. "Yeah, good point."
The two of them head downstairs and find Harry and Hermione in the living room with the twins. "Hey, cus," Amanda says.
Hermione looks up at Amanda and Draco and asks: "Did my spell help?"
Amanda nods. "I have another favor to ask."
"What's that?" Hermione asks.
Amanda blushes heavily. "We want to know more about the ritual you two did."
Hermione laughs. "Seriously? Did neither of you look up magicmates last year?"
"I was too busy trying to woo Amanda to do anything other than school work." Draco admits.
"My first year in a new school, so I spent most of the year getting used to it." Amanda says.
Hermione nods. "You don't need a ritual to merge your souls, you just need to have sex to complete your bond."
Amanda grins wickedly. "Let's go, Dear." She says as she pulls Draco back upstairs.
"Privacy charm!" Harry and Hermione shout at the same time, then burst out laughing.
"I guess that means Amanda's staying at Hogwarts." Harry says still chuckling.
Hermione nods. "Sure does."