Laura looked at Minerva and smiled. "Not much." Laura smiled seriously no professor would tell them off for helping the animals. "Well if we dress then up we don't have to use our wands on them." Laura eyes shone bright as she thought about what the groundskeeper would say but well she didn't care. "So which are we doing then?"

He sighed, as it flashed through his mind again, "We were out on one of our normal nature walks. Mom and I were talking about what we would be doing the next time I got back from Hogwarts... When we were ambushed. Even though I'm well trained in defense they were still able to get me down. Then, when they cast the spell, at the last second... Mom somehow got free and jumped in front of me. By the next time they tried to get me Puck had gotten there." He couldn't fight a tear falling, "It's my fault..."

Minerva thought for a second. "Laura how on earth are we going to get clothes that would fit ducks, or get the ducks to come close enough to us to put the clothes on them?" She was liking the clothes idea better then the color idea, but just wasn't sure how it could go down. Would they feed the ducks and as they come up the other person catch them.. She couldn't figure it out.


Minerva sat there stunned by the story. She felt horrible for him, even though she had lost her parents, she did not have to see them die. She pulled him closer with her arm that was around him and wiped his tear away. "Damon, I'm so sorry. No one should ever have to see something like that. No wonder Sage and Puck have tried to protect you for so long." she looked at him a bit confused now. "You were at Hogwarts when this happened?" she had thought it might have happened when he was a lot younger. "Damon it is not your fault. Don't say that. You family did what they needed to for their child, that is not your fault and any parent would do the same thing." She rubbed his back trying to comfort again and leaned in kissing his head.

Laura looked at Minerva and smiled. "It's easy we strink down some clothes using the strinking spell and then we just feed them and whilst them are feeding we put the clothes on them, it's simple." Laura giggled, "And we can't get into trouble for giving the ducks some fashion advice."

Damon looked at her and shook his head, "It wasn't even a year ago." He sighed, "He and Chelle met the same day Taylor and I did... Which was only three weeks after it happened. Got engaged two months later... When I say that Puck remarried quickly I wasn't kidding." He looked down, "But had I not been there... She'd still be alive."

Minerva got up out of her chair and smiled. "I have to run and meet my boyfriend Maxwell down at the Duck pond, but meet me down there in like an hour and I will help you, does that sound like a plan? Oh and you know where my bed is in the third year dorm, you are welcome to pull some clothes out of the right side of my closet area to use if you want."

Minerva could't believe it, yes he did tell her the Puck married quickly, but she just guessed it was a year or two after. "Wow you weren't kidding. I mean Puck loved your mom, but sometimes what the heart wants is what the heart wants I guess. Everyone morns differently." She felt like she could relate even though she wasn't morning, but she did just jump into a new relationship two weeks after her break up with Damon. "Well I'm still saying that you are not at fault. You can not blame yourself for being with your mother. That's what families do, they are together. Damon I am realizing that myself to be honest. I have spent so much time saying if I wouldn't have done this or I didn't do that, then the roller coaster of events that lead to my families crash wouldn't have happened, but lately with the help of others, I am realizing that I couldn't control any of it and neither can you." She continued to keep him close trying to make him feel better, hoping it wasn't making him uncomfortable or anything.

Damon looked at her, then back down, "I know... but it's still something I feel bad for..." He sighed, "I know, I care to much. I worry to much, I'm over-dramatic... I've heard it all before; but it doesn't change how I feel. And I do feel like it was my fault. Had I not gone home, Mom and I wouldn't have gone for a walk, we wouldn't have been caught... Mom would still be alive."

Minerva sighed "Damon, yes your probably right she would have not died that day, but if they were after you, they would have come a different time, maybe when you were there maybe, maybe not, but she could have been killed any other time. You can't think about the what if's. Has your dad been able to see if the money has worked?" She had been wondering that lately, especially with him being in the woods alone that evening, what if they would have been there looking for him.

He shrugged, "I have no idea. I don't even know if Chelle has gotten the money yet." He sighed. He didn't know what to do anymore.

"Well could you do me a favor, not go into the woods alone again while people might still be out there looking for you. It worries me." She was nervous that these people might come after him and she didn't know what she would do if something happened to him. "Well I think you need to ask Puck for an update on that just to see. It might help see if you guys can start putting this to an end so wounds can finally heal and no more lies need to be made."

He smiled, "I'll try my best for you, but can't promise anything. I mean, the woods were my first home Min." He chuckled, "I can't think of anywhere safer but Hogwarts, and I don't think they'd even know me when they saw me, seeing how they think I'm a dark-haired, brown eyed boy. I don't think they'd ever tell if everyone just called me Ash."

Minerva couldn't help but smile at him when he smiled. She felt her heart skip, but pushed the feelings away, just friends.. I have moved on, stop thinking that way. "Yes you are the safest here at Hogwarts, but when your home please Damon just be careful. I.. I can't lose you, I won't lose you like I did my family." She felt the emotion come out in her words and wanted to take back the emotion, her feelings were showing to strong, it wasn't good nor was it right. "Well then you need to stay this handsome red headed green eyed boy and most call you Ash already, so I will begin remembering again."

He chuckled, "You see there's that small delema though that this, is how Damon looks." He smiled, "So hearing Ash now is rather strange. But I'm always precatious when I'm out there. I was raised to be. I know how to get away. I highly doubt they can climb or jump as far as I can Minnie." He sighed, "Last time it was on a rocky patch, so I wasn't as use to that kind of thing. In the woods though. I'm safe, I promise."

Minerva didn't care anymore about how her feelings were being perceived she was worried sick about him and she didn't care who knew it. "Damon, you said yourself they got you down last time and your mother was just as familiar as you were. So don't underestimate these people. I can't.. no I won't sit around here while your in danger. There has to be something I can do." she didn't realize that she had gripped onto the back of his shirt from where she had been rubbing his back. "What can I do to help?" She thought about owling Puck herself, but didn't know how Damon would feel about that. She wanted to know he could trust her and that wasn't the way to do it.

"I don't underestimate. I just know my strongest areas, and that would be wilderness." He sighed, and lightly tapped her arm when she gripped the back of his shirt, "The only thing you could do is stay away from me, and I know you aren't going to do that; and I don't want you to, but if they find out who my friends are... I could live with myself if they got one of you..."

Minerva blushed "Sorry" she knew she needed to get her feelings into check, but it was just hard thinking that she could lose him. It was hard enough facing facts that they would always be just friends, but to completely lose him she couldn't do. She crossed her arms, not to pout, but to just show a bit of an attitude. "Like I have told you before, I have dealt with people like that before, so it wouldn't be the first time and fine let them take me..I would do it over and over if you were safe." She couldn't believe she even said that, but she thought for a second, nope she was telling the truth, just as she wanted to run form her friends last summer to be caught again, so they would leave her dad alone, if she would have done that maybe things would be different.

Damon sighed, "I know you wouldn't leave... I wish you would though... Even if you would be dealing to do it again, and wouldn't care if you had to... I don't want you to risk your life for me." He sighed laying his hands on top of hers, "I don't want to be responsible for another person's death."

She felt her hand tingle a bit as Damon placed his hand on hers. "Don't underestimate me. I spent half the summer in hiding once. By myself, not with adults, not with anyone. So I can handle myself. you don't have to be responsible for anything that happens to me. If I am there, I'm there, not because you forced me, but because I am not leaving. Your a friend, a very close friend and I will never change that. No one is going to scare me away from you." She looked into his eyes and stayed a bit standoffish to show how serious she was. She cared about him and didn't care if that put her in any danger, she would do what was needed.

He sighed, "I just... I worry about you Min... You and Taylor, and Maxwell even... I'm worried about hurting all of you." His voice did shake a little... He worried about hurting them. He didn't want that to happen.

She took her hand and put it under his chin pushing his face to look at her again. "Damon, we are fine. we are in Hogwarts nothing is going to touch us here. Just stop sneaking away and you will stay safe as well. When winter or summer break come along we will figure out something else,. Don't worry aout us, plus if it's our time it's our time." She wanted to assure him they were all strong and that they would be fine.

He sighed, "I know... I shouldn't worry, but I do. No amount of trying is going to make me worry any less."

Minerva smiled at him, she wanted to help take his mind off of everything, but wasn't sure how. "I know Damon, it's hard not to worry about things." She turned her hand over and squeezed his that was on top of hers. "So have you wrote any poetry lately or learned any knew instruments or songs?" She gave a weak smile knowing he would see through her attempt to try and get his mind off of all the bad for a bit, but she wanted to at least try. She would do anything to try and help Damon.

"Not any poems recently, though I've actually started to write a book." He smirked, "But a new song, yes. A song I actually just found. It seems to work a bit for me lately." He lightly pulled his hands away as his guitar appeared. He smiled as he started to sing with the song.

Justin walked into the common room and saw Minnie sitting in their favourite chair and talking to Damon. He just looked at the floor and sat in front of the fireplace and sat on the floor. He was feeling so alone these says. He really felt like he had no one.... No friends , no Ronnie.... He pulled a book that he had gotten from the library out of his school bag and opened it up to the first age and began to read.

Minerva couldn't help but smile when he began to sing, she really liked hearing him sing. The song was surprisingly close to things going on in his life it seemed. She waited until he was finished, "It's always so nice to hear you sing. I like the song by the way, but did you say a book? What's the book about?" She was curious as to what he would be writing about. She noticed Justin walk into the room and gave him a friendly smile, but turned back to Damon giving him her full attention.