In which:
Lily needs to prioritize;
Mary is confused;
Dorcas is secretive;
Marlene is unreachable;
Charlotte smokes too much;
James is conflicted;
Sirius is depressed;
Remus has a sarcastic demeanour;
Peter is mysterious.
These nine sixth years no not what awaits them. They only know the here and now, for that is really all they wish to know. It's difficult enough to deal with the present, let alone the future.
-..-
Our tale begins with one Lily Evans (almond shaped emerald green eyes, dark red hair that falls in waves past her shoulders, five-feet five-inches tall, slender frame, small nose, adorable freckles), and one James Potter (hazel eyes, raven black hair that sticks up in every direction, six-feet two-inches, lanky frame, long nose, irresistible grin). Two adolescents that know not yet of the great things they are destined to do. Two young teenagers that have a place in the wheels of fate but for the time being remain blissfully unaware. This is not only their story, but their lives as they see it through ignorant eyes. The eyes of two sixteen year olds.
-..-
"Damn it, Padfoot!" a disheveled James Potter yelled across King's Cross Station, an apologetic look on his face to a nearby mother's glare. He tapped his foot, checking his watch every few seconds. The brick barrier to platform nine and three-quarters was just five steps away from where he stood (which was actually three steps, considering James's height and leg-length).
Sirius Black finally caught up to his mate, panting slightly. "It's your bloody fault—those stilts you call legs—" but James was already moving towards the platform, pushing a trolley with his luggage towards the barrier. And Sirius, after having muttered a few more vile curse words pertaining to James, followed suit.
The clock struck eleven as the two boys hauled their trunks onto the train and hastily jumped aboard themselves. James lagged behind for a moment while Sirius hauled down the corridor to search for Peter, who had no doubt found them a compartment already.
"Where have you been?" Peter Pettigrew asked. He was quite a lump of a boy, and had he supported red hair instead of brown would have rather resembled a large ice cream sundae with a cherry on top.
"We were already running late without the stop we had to make on the way here," James said as he took a seat beside Peter, stowing his trunk under the seats and then looking sideways at Sirius as if about to roll his eyes. Which Peter found quite odd—James hardly ever rolled his eyes at Sirius: that responsibility was reserved to Remus. This was why he asked where they had stopped and was told again by James: "A liquor store."
Sirius, who Peter had just noticed was also supporting a rather large brown paper bag, sat down and took a flask out of his pocket. "We could have taken the bike if we had missed the train, Prongs. Would have made more of an entrance that way, anyway."
Peter also found it odd that when Sirius said this, he did not grin. He actually looked quite worn; his face looked tired and his dark hair was a bit of a mess.
"Yes, Padfoot—why didn't we just ride your flying motorcycle to Hogwarts? What a grand idea! What say you, Pete?" James exclaimed, blatantly sarcastic. Then he thought about it more seriously. "You know, there was a time when I would seriously consider actually doing that, which honestly frightens me more than you suggesting it."
Sirius had taken a glass bottle out from the paper bag, filled the flask, and stuck the bag along with the rest of its contents into his trunk, which he promptly stored under the seats. "What happened?"
James shrugged, mostly taking this as a rhetorical question. He stared out the window, a faraway look in his eyes.
"Damn it—" Sirius checked his pockets and stood up from his seat, scanning the compartment.
Peter furrowed his brow. "What?"
"Dropped my cigarettes somewhere…." Sirius checked his pockets again, then with one last look around, opened the compartment door. "I'll be back in a minute."
Peter watched him go. He realized the compartment already smelled like smoke just since Sirius had come in. He had always wondered what the appeal of smoking was; he had tried it himself a few times, none of which he found it very enjoyable: It made him cough and caused his mouth to feel dirty.
James did not look up from the window when Sirius left the compartment. He did look up, however, when the sound of Peter breaking something that sounded an awful lot like a candy bar reached his ears. His mouth began to water when he saw that Peter held a chocolate bar in his hands, and his stomach thought this was an appropriate time to alert him of his lack of breakfast that morning by growling loudly.
He grinned sheepishly at Peter. Peter smiled with his lips (as he was always embarrassed to do so with his teeth on account that they were horribly crooked) and handed him a large portion of the chocolate bar, which was, in James's opinion (or rather his stomach's opinion), worth more than gold.
-..-
"Have a good holiday, Lily?" Remus Lupin asked as he entered the Prefects compartment, fifteen minutes early.
Lily thought for a moment of the best way to answer this seemingly innocent question. She wasn't about to begin ranting on poor, unsuspecting Remus Lupin, so she figured she had better choose her words carefully to prevent herself from doing so. How had her summer been?
Certainly her sister Petunia's engagement was the most life-altering event that had occurred over the summer, but she wasn't about to bring that up, for she was confident she would do just what she was trying to prevent if she spoke even a word about it. The next biggest thing she supposed would be her family dog's passing, but that was also still a sore spot that she didn't really want to discuss. Besides those two things, she had done her summer homework and drank absurd amounts of tea, both of which she reasoned were rather uninteresting. She was coming up with nothing and Remus was still waiting for an answer, so she said:
"It was…all right."
And it had been. But then again, she was a bit of an optimist, and anyone besides herself would have called her summer no less than completely dull. But, it was over now anyway, so why should she live in the past? Her focus renewed, she turned her thoughts back to Remus.
"How about you?" Lily asked. She had to crane her neck to meet his eye-level from where he stood. "You've grown about a foot," she smiled.
It was true—he all but towered over her five-feet five-inches, and that had been last term. She'd always thought he was quite handsome, despite the fact that he always appeared to be tired. His reddish-brown hair still hung in his eyes, but appeared to have gotten lighter from the summer sun. He had a thin face and a proportional nose, along with a fair amount of stubble. He was thin—not muscled, but thin. He looked, as he did more often than not, like he could do with a hearty meal and a good night's rest.
"Eventful," he grinned slightly as he sat down beside her window seat, "quite eventful."
Even as he said it, she knew it was a grand understatement.
"How could it not be with those two," she said goodheartedly, smiling.
"Yes, well…." Remus shook his head fondly. "I'm not proud of most of it."
She cocked an eyebrow. "I suppose I would be wise not to ask?"
"That would probably be best for not only your sanity, but my self-confidence."
She laughed, leaning back against the window. Her smile quickly faded as her mind fell upon, once again, the only significant thing that had happened to her in the past three months. Whenever she was happy, her sister always found a way to drag her mood down, even if she wasn't present. Remus noticed this change in attitude and knitted his eyebrows slightly.
"My sister got engaged over the summer," she sighed, forgetting about the deal she had made with herself. She felt like she needed to tell someone though, and she had seen no one besides her family for the past three months.
Remus said nothing for a moment. Then: "You don't appear very enthused on the matter."
She blew a laugh out her nose. "Petunia and I….we don't exactly get along." Lily hadn't realized how much resentment she had built up towards her sister over the summer. It felt strange letting it all go. It felt….nice.
"When I was little," Remus said quietly, "I always wished I had a brother. Someone to play with….someone that was always there for me." He smiled nostalgically. "My parents never had another child after me, though."
"Why not?" Lily inquired, captivated by this sudden breach in Remus's barrier. She had never heard him be so open with her before; he was a bit of an enigma to her. She knew more than he thought she knew about him, like where he went every month. She had discovered that about him last year, and certain things about his personality had fallen into place, but she knew even then that she would never fully understand him.
"I suppose I was enough for them to handle," he said jokingly.
Lily smiled, but knowing the truth behind his words, it was a bit strained.
Their conversation was cut short when Prefects began arriving in the compartment. She was a bit disappointed at this; she'd hoped they could talk a bit longer. She liked Remus. She hadn't had many heart-to-hearts like this with him before, and he looked like he could use a chat as much as she could.
-..-
"Darla, have I told you how stunning you look in that incredibly short skirt?"
"Keep talking, Black, and you'll wish you were able to have children." Darla Rhodes snarled at her predator, her hand twitching towards her wand.
Sirius held his hands up in surrender. "I was merely complimenting you," he said innocently. Then with a slight grin: "Though I wouldn't mind getting into—"
But the rest of his no doubt crude comment was cut off as he dodged into his compartment to avoid a particularly nasty looking hex hurtled his way.
"Haven't you dated her already?" Peter asked, chocolate bar long since finished. He was seated nearest the window, preparing the card deck to play exploding snap. "She looks familiar…."
Sirius sat elegantly adjacent to him, propped his legs up on the seat across from him and said arrogantly, "All girls look the same if you've never dated one, Wormtail. Where'd Prongs run off to?"
"Loo," Peter said, seemingly unfazed from the insult besides a slight tinge of pink that had crept up his neck. "Did you find your smokes?"
"Yeah."
Peter bit his lip. It wasn't often that Sirius didn't initiate conversation, and when that happened, Peter found himself not quite knowing what to say. "Want to go a round?" he finally asked, motioning to the prepared card deck.
Sirius stared out the window. "I'm not in the mood."
Peter nodded as though he understood, but sometimes he just didn't get Sirius. They weren't exactly similar people. That was why when Sirius stood and, without bothering to announce where he was headed, left the compartment, Peter didn't question him. Because he was Sirius, and sometimes he thought Sirius didn't even understand himself.
And he was right. Sirius didn't have a damn clue what was in the equation of his life, but he did know that if he didn't add alcohol and a cigarette to the formula, he might just collapse in on himself. He needed to be alone.
The loo was occupied. Fuck. He knew it was highly unlikely, but still traveled up the corridor, searching for an empty compartment. He was nearly frantic now that the prospect of alcohol in his system and a fag on his lips had come to mind.
Not believing his luck, he dodged into one a few compartments down from the loo and locked the door. He drew a flask from his pocket, and after a few gulps, lit a cigarette. He opened the window and tapped the end after a few drags, trying to think of the last day he had gotten through completely sober.
-..-
The Prefect meeting had run a little longer than usual this year. A bit of this was due to the fact that the Head Boy had been snogging his girlfriend in the nearby loo and was a bit late to the meeting—to the Head Girl's blatant annoyance—but most of it was because times were bad and it was necessary to take extra precautions to ensure the school's safety. Overall, it looked like everyone in the compartment had their work cut out for them.
"Patrols," began the Head Girl, Melanie Grant, coming to the last thing on her list, "will no longer be carried out by individuals." As she said this the Head Boy began passing out pamphlets. "You will be assigned a partner to patrol with you and you may not split the ground you have to cover. You will, however, be at your partner's side at all times during your patrol. Your patrolling partner is your House partner of the same year, and yes, I do realize this is much more time consuming than what we have done in previous years, but safety is of the highest importance at this moment in time and to ensure that safety certain measures have been taken."
Remus handed her a stack of pamphlets and Lily took one before passing the rest onto the person beside her. She read the title curiously.
The Ministry of Magic's Guide to Defensive Magic
"The pamphlets that have been handed out have been sent by the Ministry," Melanie explained. "It's nothing to panic about, just precautionary."
Lily wasn't so sure, and judging by Remus's expression, he wasn't either.
"I wouldn't even suggest you give it a read over if I weren't required to," Melanie said dryly, glancing through her own pamphlet. "Most of this a second year can perform without hassle….however," she cleared her throat, "at this time I would like to assure everyone that there is no danger, Hogwarts is completely safe. I really think they're jumping a bit ahead of themselves over at the Ministry even bringing this about, but they never seem to have the best timing, do they?"
"Bunch of sods," the Head Boy murmured, earning him an elbow in the ribs from the Head Girl.
"And that's about it for now," Melanie concluded. "Unless there are any questions—? All right, then. See you tomorrow evening!"
The Prefects began filing out of the compartment (Lily returned a friendly wave sent her way by Alice Prewett) until it was only Lily and Remus left in the back.
"What do you suppose this is all about?" Lily asked him, a bit unnerved by the pamphlet despite the Head Girl's reassurance.
"I haven't the slightest idea," Remus admitted. But he stuck it in the pocket of his robes anyway.
-..-
James hadn't exactly been lying when he said he had gone to the loo. He'd just been stretching the truth a bit. He was, in fact, going to the loo, just the loo on the other side of the train.
He wasn't even really sure why he had left the compartment at all. His bladder was a bit full, but he didn't have to go very badly, and he at least could have waited until after the trolley came around. Even so, he felt a bit like something was compelling him to go to the loo on the other side of the train. Now, he wasn't one to believe in the wooly area that was divination, but he did have a bit of faith in fate, and right now all of his instincts were telling him to go to that loo. When he passed the only other loo he knew of on the train and it was occupied, he took this a sign.
As he played it over in his head, it sounded a bit ridiculous. A lot, really, and he would have turned around right there on the spot if he had any sense at all. Fortunately—or unfortunately, as it is yet to be discovered—he really had no sense whatsoever, and so through the narrow corridor he went.
When he arrived at the loo, he wasn't sure what to think. First of all, this loo along with the one he had already passed was occupied, so he supposed this journey was not for the sake of his bladder. Second, thinking about the loo so much actually had him needing to use its facilities, but again, it was occupied, and he wasn't sure how long he should wait for whatever had been compelling him to come this far. He didn't have to think about this for long, however, because the occupant of the ever-so-fateful loo opened the door just as he was walking past it and the two became a jumble of arms and legs on the floor. His glasses fell askew to the mess, and he could only tell that this person on top of him was feminine by her voice when she said, "Oh! I'm sorry—"
She climbed off of him and held her hand out. He took it gratefully, and once he was on his feet she picked up his glasses on the floor and stood on her tip-toes.
"Don't move," she said, placing the glasses upon the crook of his nose when he complied. His eyes came into focus, revealing her to be a petit, stunning brunette with bright blue eyes, sharp features, and a gentle smile. "Better?"
He smiled. "Thank you,"
"I think it was me who crashed into you, actually." She laughed daintily.
"Yes, but only the truly thick stand in front of lavatory doors in narrow corridors." He grinned as she laughed again. He liked the sound of it. "James Potter," he brought forth his hand.
She took it in hers. "Bridget Byrne,"
"It was nice running into you, Bridget," James said, his hand jumping to his already tousled jet-black hair.
Bridget smiled. "You too, James." She turned to leave, calling softly over her shoulder, "See you around."
He watched her go, eventually heading in the opposite direction. He wondered what had compelled him to meet this girl and why she had been so sweet and pretty, and completely flirting with him, if he wasn't misreading the signals. And he usually didn't.
He had made it all the way back to his compartment when he realized he had forgotten something: to use the loo.
-..-
Remus seemed a bit preoccupied as they walked together down the length of the train. Lily couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.
"I'll see you later," she said when she had located her friend's compartment. He smiled at her and continued down the corridor.
Lily slid open the compartment door only to be accosted by a sea of blonde hair.
"Lily! How are you?"
Lily sneezed. "Well I'd tell you Mary, but your hair is up my nostrils."
Mary Macdonald drew back and reigned in her light hair, throwing it over her shoulder. She laughed at Lily's expression and sat down in the seat beside the door. "You're tan." She somewhat accused.
"And you're not?" Lily grinned as she sat down across from Mary and acknowledged the third person in the compartment. "Good holiday, Marlene?"
Marlene McKinnon, it seemed, always found something to be angry about. And sure enough—
"Did it sound very cheerful in my letters, Lily?" she asked grumpily. She was seated against the window with her knees to her chest, blonde curls falling down both of her shoulders.
"Oh, she's just angry because Dennis is dating a seventh year," Mary explained, drawing her legs onto the seat to sit cross-legged.
That was another thing about Marlene; she liked to keep tabs on all of her love interests, past and current. And Marlene had many love interests. She mainly focused on those who had broken up with her, however, and Dennis Bixby happened to be one of those people.
"Miss 'I'm perfect' Georgia Marks," Marlene muttered, pulling absently at a blonde curl. "That slut!"
"That was nearly a year ago, Mar." Lily attempted, though she knew it was no use. "He was a tart."
"Definitely a tart," Mary agreed.
Mary was perhaps the most agreeable person Lily had ever met. And not in that "I'm just agreeing with everything you say to make you happy" sort of way, she actually meant something when she said it. She was just extremely easy-going. She was short, about five-two, with straight blonde hair that reached her elbow but seemed much longer because of her height. She had a straight fringe and often wore a headband to pull her hair back, though she had none in today. Her features were petit besides her blue eyes which could become quite wide when she was excited or sad. She hardly wore any makeup, which made her Marlene's entire opposite, for the latter never went anywhere without her makeup bag. Marlene did not wear anything dark or heavy, but she accented her natural features nicely with cosmetics and tended to the "horrendous bags" under her eyes when she awoke every morning with cover-up.
"Where the hell is Dorcas, anyway?" Marlene asked impatiently, glaring at the compartment door.
Mary shrugged. "She said she had someone she had to talk to."
Marlene blatantly didn't think this was a satisfactory answer. "I'm going to find her," she said as she stood and stormed out of the compartment.
Lily looked at Mary; Mary shrugged.
Mary smiled and said, "A day in the life of Marlene McKinnon," It was a private joke between Marlene's dorm mates and was sort of an excuse for anything unexpected or unexplainable she did.
Lily laughed. "Clearly…."
-..-
"Where the hell have you been?" Sirius demanded as James entered the compartment. He himself had smoked five cigarettes in the unoccupied compartment and still made it back before James had. "And why do you look like you've just been wanking?"
James was grinning rather foolishly. He sat down across from Sirius. "I've just met someone," he tried to explain. The truth was, he didn't really know what he was so happy about himself.
"Presumably a bird?" Sirius guessed dryly, not feeling the same vibe.
"Presumably. Where's Moony?"
"Hasn't come back from the Prefect's meeting," Peter supplied. He had taken to staring out the window.
James noticed the cards on the seat beside Peter and said, "Anyone up for a round?"
"I'm in," Peter agreed immediately.
Sirius shrugged, but James looked much too enthusiastic to disappoint. "Why not?"
-..-
Lily laughed as the trolley rolled in front of their door and a minute later, she and Mary were surrounded by sweets, unable to help themselves.
"I've missed magical candy," Lily sighed as she opened a chocolate frog and took a bite, groaning from the taste.
"Seems like there's something else going on there entirely, Lily." Dorcas Meadowes grinned as she entered the compartment. "Would you and the frog like a room?"
Lily smiled. "I think we've already got one, thanks. Oh, you don't mind, do you?"
Dorcas took the seat by the window adjacent to the one Marlene had vacated a few minutes ago. Her brown hair was pulled back into a braid and looked the slightest bit tousled; there were a few flyaway strands around her ears and her fringe. Her brown eyes were covered in dark eyeliner and her pale skin was slightly flushed around her cheeks.
"You haven't happened to see Marlene, have you?" Mary asked Dorcas, adjusting her position in her seat to face her. "She went out looking for you,"
Dorcas shook her head. "I haven't seen her," she said. "I did see Darla Rhodes send a good hex Sirius Black's way, though." She grinned at the thought. "Nearly hit him, too."
"That I wouldn't miss," Lily grinned, checking her chocolate frog card. She didn't collect them, but Mary did. It was Morgana, though, and she has about ten of her.
"How've you been?" Dorcas inquired of Lily, tucking a flyaway strand behind her ear and reaching for a chocolate frog. "I haven't heard from you all summer."
Lily hesitated. "It's been…hectic." She supposed that was the right word.
"Your sister?" Dorcas guessed.
Lily nodded. "She's engaged." She sighed. "I hate him."
Dorcas looked sympathetic. "I don't like my brother's wife very well, either." She frowned. "I dislike her quite a bit, actually."
Dorcas Meadowes never used the word 'hate.' She never used the word 'love' either, and no one really knew why. She said it was because she's never loved anything other than her parents and her brother in her life, and she's never hated anything other than peaches and the taste of alcohol, the latter which she manages to tolerate anyway. She wasn't really the kind of person you could understand, though. She was similar to Marlene in that way, though Marlene was a bit more blunt and Dorcas had a bit more tact.
"Who did you have to talk to?" Mary asked lightly, attempting to change the subject.
"Hmm?" Dorcas hummed. "Oh, no one," she shrugged nonchalantly.
Dorcas, also unlike Marlene, was an excellent liar.
"Okay," Mary began again. She did not have to grope for a new topic for long, because a moment later Marlene entered the compartment.
"And just where have you been?" Marlene demanded of Dorcas as she stood before her, crossing her arms.
Dorcas shrugged. "Here and there….what's wrong?"
Marlene sat down in a huff beside Lily. "Aunt Flow."
Lily laughed. "Mar, if we didn't know any better we'd think it was always your time of the month."
"Thank you for that wonderful insight, Lily." Marlene snarled.
"It must be Aunt Flow," Dorcas reasoned, "I can't remember the last time you snapped at Lily."
"No one asked you, Dorcas." Marlene pulled absently at a blonde curl in the sea cascading over her shoulder. "I hate men."
"I hate these," Mary said, holding out a licorice wand.
Dorcas leaned over to take it. "I don't see how that is possible, but more for me, I suppose." She smiled as she took a bite. "Mhhmmm.…I nearly orgasm to these things."
The four girls burst out in a fit of giggles. Even Marlene could not hold back laughter.
"Has anyone seen Charlotte?" Lily asked once the four girls had subsided.
"Yes," Dorcas nodded. "I didn't speak with her, but I saw her on the platform with Oliver."
Mary took a bite of a pumpkin pasty before inquiring, "I wonder why she hasn't stopped by?"
-..-
The train was too full of people. Too cramped. Too claustrophobic. Charlotte had endured about an hour of it before she couldn't take it any longer and her lips started to itch. Not for the cigarette, but for the smoking itself. It was peaceful.
She dodged into the first loo she came to and lit the end of a fag, enjoying the way it felt on her lips. She leaned against the wall, the cold easing her head a bit. There was a mirror across from her, reflecting her light red curls and pale skin. And besides the slight bags under her eyes, she looked fine. And she was glad, because maybe if she looked it, she'd start to believe it.
-..-
When Remus arrived in the compartment, he was slightly taken aback by James's ecstatic mood, though he was not about to complain. After ten games of exploding snap, however, he had decidedly changed his mind.
"You're off you're game today, Moony," James grinned, cracking his knuckles for effect.
Remus threw both hands in the air. "You know, I believe you're right. I am feeling a bit ill..."
"I am creaming you for the first time in my life and by God, you are not backing down." James put a hand delicately to his heart. "It would crush me, Moony."
"You'll still have the best winning streak if you lose again," Peter assured. "Though if you lost two more—"
"You're not helping things, Wormtail," James said plainly. He waggled his eyebrows at Remus. "One more round, Moons." He pleaded. "Don't make me bribe you..."
Remus looked affronted. "What makes you think I can be bought over?"
James grinned. He knew that candy bar he bought off of the trolley would come in handy. He opened his trunk and extracted it. "It's all yours if you win," he promised as he watched Remus's eyes widen upon seeing the gigantic chocolate mound, and his saliva glands—well, he couldn't see them, but he could tell that they were secreting in excess amounts.
"All right," Remus sighed, knowing he was committing to his impending doom.
"Want to go a round, Pads?" James asked Sirius without looking up.
Sirius, who did not want to in the slightest, did not respond, but instead said, "I need to use the loo," before exiting the compartment.
"Has anyone noticed," Peter began slowly, "that he's been more...Sirius-ish than usual?"
"Who else would he be?" James asked, clearly missing the point. "Come on, Lupin, get ready for the arse kicking of your life..."
Peter frowned. He knew Sirius was acting strange, even if James didn't see it, and by the way Remus stared after him, Peter knew Remus knew it too.
-..-
Her third cigarette was down to a nub when Charlotte decided to clear out. She didn't like the idea of sitting in a cramped compartment with four of her dorm mates for the rest of the afternoon, but she didn't have much of a choice in the matter, and it was beginning to smell like waste in that tiny loo, somehow, through all of the smoke.
Charlotte drew her wand from the back pocket of her jeans (she hadn't yet changed into her robes) and waved it around the room, clearing all traces of smoke. She stuck it back inside her pocket and exited the lavatory, breathing a deep breath out of her nose to regain her composure. And she could have done it—gone to the compartment where her friends were seated and pretend to be interested in what little conversation they had to relate; nodded her head and smiled like they all expected her to.
She was on her way to do just that when the power went out. She could hear the squealing of metal on metal as the train breaks were triggered, causing her to lurch forward violently and crash into a nearby compartment. The door shut behind her.
"Hullo?" She couldn't tell if there was anyone in this compartment—it was almost pitch-black even though it couldn't have been later than three-thirty; she hadn't realized how heavily the rain clouds had formed. She spotted a silhouette against the window and her hand jumped quickly to her pocket for her wand.
Sirius beat her to it, his wand tip illuminated. "Hartry?" he asked, dark hair hanging in his eyes. He looked tired. "What the hell is going on?"
Disclaimer:
The only things I own are the personalities and descriptions of Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes, and Mary Macdonald, along with my OC, Charlotte Hartry. Yes, I do cry myself to sleep at night.
Author's Notes:
Confusing? Check!
My work here is done. Well, not really since I intend on finishing the rest of the fic, but you get the point.
Reviews are everything, so please take a moment to let me know what you think.