All the wonderful reviews! * happy dance * I tend to us the word 'wonderful' a lot, don't I? need to find something new. * thinks for a few minutes * I got it! All the fantastic reviews! How's that? * crickets chirp * ok, I'll stop that now. * slinks away dejectedly *
Anyways, I'm sorry I took this long to update this beautiful story. I had writer's block. I knew what I wanted to happen in this chapter, but I couldn't put it into words. So irritating. Please don't hurt me! Remember, kill me and you won't get the rest of the story. That's why I haven't killed Rowling yet for The Death.
The usual Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter or anyone else. Except for Eveilyn, she's mine! Mine, I tell you, mine! *insert evil laugh* and Rob, Mary, and mystery Mr. Andrew Colins. But they're not really important, Eveilyn is. Anyways, you lawyers go find someone else to sue.
Symbols :
"speech"
'thoughts'
//Parseltongue//
~ - ~ - ~ = time/scene change
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Chapter 4 – Surprises for Padfoot
Weak morning sunlight struggled through the stark leaf-less trees of a forest just outside the city limits of a newly-stirring London. Sending weak tendrils between the tall stands of living wood, trembling beams of white light crept upon the back wall of a small house at the edge of the snowy woods. They splashed the dark wall of heavy sturdy wood, creating shadows in the knots of the weather-warped timber and highlighting the different hues brought about by wind and water. Fresh pure untouched snow, having covered the plot of abandoned land throughout the chill night, glowed and glittered as the new light fell upon it, bearing no tracks of woodland creatures nor touched by a man's heavy tread. A thick gray-white cloth hung heavily in the lower wall, the only splotch of color in the drab monotone wall of darkness, just large enough for a grown man to wiggle through if he was careful. The dash of white shifted slightly as something from within the desolate structure touched the makeshift door of cloth.
The cloth shifted slightly, touched by something yet to be seen by the bare trees outside. A pale hand appeared, the small fingers grasping and moving aside the 'door', allowing the owner to looks out into the dawn's light. Lips curled into a childlike grin as bright eyes took in the fresh clean sweep of white blanketing the ground. Quick nimble feet took a small body away from the shelter of the house, the energy of youth filling the light form as it relished in the wonder of a crisp winter morning of new-fallen snow.
A child's laughter, a beautiful joyful sound like silver bells ringing and birds singing and a dozen other bits of noise that couldn't quite be named yet were full of a carefree aura that all was right in the world, reached the black furred ears of a large dog laying on a bed of blankets. Padfoot jerked awake, startled by the noise that came from outside, but not worried. No, not worried at all. How could he be worried or anxious or anything else when the sound of his godson's laughter rang clear to him from the other side of the wall. Blue-gray eyes closed, basking in the sound of a child's happiness, something he had thought he would never hear again but a few months ago. The chorus of joy strengthened the resolve in the animagus. He would let nothing get in the way of making his godson happy, nothing would keep him from protecting the son of his now-dead best friends. Everything he had would go toward seeing Harry happy and safe and loved by himself, and probably Remus, and, one day, a man or woman who would be with his godson for the rest of his days to share that happiness and keep the sound of laughter alive in the boy.
Opening his eyes once more, Padfoot rose to his four furry feet, letting the blanket that had been draped over him by his caring godson sometime during the night fall gently to the floor. Giving himself a quick shake to settle fur tousled by sleep, pale eyes surveyed the living room/bedroom. The fire had finally died completely, leaving only warm ashes behind. The light of predawn wiggled its way into the room from the slits between back window and cloth and shone from around the 'door' at the back wall. Padfoot scratched at the green collar he wore about his neck. Harry had given it to him a few days after they first met, telling him that even though he was too intelligent to get caught by dog catchers, the collar would make people less fearful of the large canine he was. He had to admit, people didn't seem as ready to chase him away if he had a collar on. That didn't mean he liked the ruddy thing, the way it rubbed against his neck and everything. But who was he to deny Harry? Who could deny Harry when he used those puppy-dog eyes? Just like he used to on Jam--- Padfoot stopped that train of thought, shying away from the painful memories. Well, giving his head a shake to readjust the collar, at least Harry somehow made it so the collar disappeared when he reverted back to his human form. The magic that kid could do was amazing, especially at so young an age. But then, he's never really been young, not with everything that's happened to Harry in his short few years…
Another peal of laughter drew Padfoot out of his thoughts. Ears pricked, he silently padded over to the door and poked his head out, glad for the warmth of a natural fur coat in the chill winter morning air. Seeing his godson, Padfoot couldn't contain a large doggy grin. Harry was dancing about in the fresh snow, grabbing handfuls to toss in the clear air, his pale cheeks flushed from exertion and energy. White dusted his wild black locks and a bit of snow adorned his nose. The blue sweater had its own scattering of the white stuff as a snow angel was present a few feet away from Padfoot's position. The boy giggled, bearing the joyful attitude a six year old should have out in the new snow of a new winter day.
Padfoot barked and trotted over to where Harry was standing, paused in his play. The thin boy grinned and reached out to give the grim his usual morning head rub and ear tousle. With a snort and mock growl, the large canine backed up and pounced on the child. Harry just managed to dodge and scampered into the woods, looking over his shoulder and laughing gleefully as Padfoot followed in hot pursuit. It was a bit of a routine for the pair, waking early some mornings for a romp in the forest. Sometimes Harry would take a burlap bag with him and gather the odd sprig of late berries and nuts found in some foolish squirrel's nest. Other times the pair would gather firewood for the cold nights, not wanting to always expend magic for a fire. Then there were times like this, where they would just chase and play in the woodland, safe from interruption and worry. Padfoot barked and sped up a bit, running a curve to catch up to his godson. Harry stopped and threw a snowball at the bear-like canine, which he dodged, then caught the next in his mouth. He listened to his godson laugh some more and they continued the snowball fun for a while, both grinning hugely.
Finally, several snowballs and laughs later, both sat down under a squat spruce tree, the nest of fallen needles still dry thanks to thick foliage above. A small hand started to brush and scratch the black furred back, ridding it of any errant snow and just enjoying time with the canine. (A/N : hey, that kinda rhymed.) Harry chuckled a bit as Padfoot rolled onto his back for a stomach rub, demands to which the boy easily complied. They were like this for a few minutes until a sound caught Harry's attention, and he paused in his movements to focus on the noise. Padfoot rolled over and watched his godson curiously as Harry moved closer to the truck of the tree and cocked his head, listening hard. After a moment, pale hands began to move aside brown needles and bits of bark, revealing a hollow at the foot of the tree. A soft warning hiss brought Padfoot to his feet and standing by Harry's side, ready to defend his godson.
There, in a nest of soft dirt and pine needles, was a 1and ½ foot long black snake with two red dots on the top of its triangular head. Padfoot's pale eyes widened in recognition of a rare Algane Serpent, one of the most poisonous of the magical snakes. If he remembered rightly from his Care for Magical Creatures classes, this kind of snake bore the ability to bond with a particular wizard, always protecting his chosen master and defending him with elemental magic and a deadly fast-acting poison. Unpaired, the reptiles were very unpredictable and dangerous, often striking out at anything that seemed to be the slightest threat to itself. Padfoot tensed, ready to shove Harry aside the second the snake even twitched.
//So cold. Hurts. Irritating humans.// The snake hissed again, drawing its tail end closer to the rest of the body, trying to curl up, hissing softly in pain.
//What hurts?// Padfoot nearly jumped out of his skin to hear hissing come from the boy kneeling beside him.
The serpent seemed just as surprised, looking around with those gold eyes, trying to pinpoint the source of the new hissing. Then it stopped and looked straight at the green-eyed boy before it, studying him before asking //Did you say something?//
Harry just nodded. Both snake and dog stared at the boy in shock. The said boy frowned a bit, confused by their reactions. Why were they looking at him like that? He talked to snakes all the time. What was so strange about this situation? Sure, Padfoot had never seen him talk to a snake, but most snakes usually weren't so . . . doubting? confused? bewildered? Hm, how strange. Deciding to rephrase his question, Harry asked //Where are you hurt?//
The snake just stared a moment longer before hissing incredulously //You can Speak?//
Exasperated a tad, Harry nodded again. As the snake mulled over the information, still in a bit of shock over the encounter, the intense emerald eyes closely looked over the black body of the serpent. He searched for any tears or dry blood, knowing that the snake was injured somehow and still in pain, even though it was well distracted from that particular sensation at the moment. Then, he saw it. A long cut marred the smooth black scales down the snake's back, the edges inflamed from infection. 'Looks like it's been hurt for a while. Probably why it's out here in the cold rather than some cave or burrow. Was in too much pain to get some place warmer before the chill started. Know how that feels.' Harry nibbled his lower lip a bit as he thought, judging the severity of the wound. Deciding he couldn't leave the snake injured like this, Harry gave a decisive nod and reached out his hand, drawing the attention of his companions. Both tensed, not sure what to expect. Then they went back to just staring as a warm light began to glow from Harry's outstretched hand and blanketed the wound. The hand hovered there for a few moments, the owner's green eyes closed in concentration as he worked the needed magic. Slowly, the light faded away and the hand withdrew, revealing the now smooth area of shiny black scales, completely healed.
Pale blue-gray eyes and slit gold eyes gazed in shock at the healed area, then the boy now watching them both with amusement in his eyes, and back to the newly-unmarked flesh. The staring between boy and healed flesh went on for a few more minutes until Harry decided he had had enough. With a shake of his head and a slight glare at the Grim, the boy looked back at the snake and hissed //Do you want to come with me? I can take you somewhere warmer than this place. What do you say?//
The snake blinked. (A/N : can snakes blink? Hmm…) Cocking its head, the reptile thought for a moment. Coming to the decision that it didn't have much of a chance in the survival department out here and the boy seemed rather kind and good, the snake nodded its triangular head, agreeing to the change of residence. With a grin, Harry held out his left hand, allowing his new snake friend to slither its way up his thin limb, making its way up until it was wrapped around the boy's neck. The gold eyes peeked out at the world from this new height and tickled its new master with a forked tongue. Harry giggled and rose to his feet, rubbing Padfoot on the head and starting back toward the house. The Grim followed a bit more slowly, unsure that it liked having a very poisonous magical snake around his godson's neck. Plus, the interesting little bit of Harry being a Parseltongue had caught him off guard. Parseltongues were thought by many to be evil, and while Padfoot knew there wasn't an evil or cruel bone in Harry's body, if word were to ever get out about this gift of the boy's… Well, let's just say that the wizarding world may have a whole new opinion of the Boy Who Lived. Snarling silently, Padfoot swore he would tear apart anyone who treated Harry harshly just because of an ability that he had no choice in receiving.
With a start, Padfoot realized that the little group had reached the small house at the woods' edge. He silently followed his godson and his new pet into the building, still a bit uneasy at the reptilian housemate that was slithering down to the boy's left wrist, gold eyes examining the snake's surroundings. The Grim sat and watched as Harry murmured something and waved at the embers in the fireplace, the magic flowing from his right hand awaking and strengthening the flames without need of wood or any other fuel. The dark-haired lad knelt and let the serpent slid onto the rug and coil up before the warm fire, giving the smooth black scales a stroke and hissing something before rising to his feet and moving to the black hound.
"Eveilyn is going to stay here while we're in London today." said Harry, running a hand through the silky long fur of the animagus. Padfoot gave the boy a confused look, wondering who in the world was Eveilyn. Noticing the canine's confusion, the boy stated, "The snake told me her name was Eveilyn. She also said she didn't feel like wandering about London and trusted that you could protect me while she remained here. I know you can too." After giving a grin to the Grim, Harry went to gather a paper shopping bag he had nicked from a rubbish bin a few days before, perfect to carry any stolen goods taken from a store in without the workers getting suspicious.
Padfoot, meanwhile, was recovering from yet another shock in the so-far short morning. That snake – Eveilyn, she had a name now – trusted her 'master' in his care. Trust like that was rare for the Algane Serpents, who were extremely protective and possessive of those in their care. Padfoot rose to his feet and padded over to the black coil on the soft rug, watching the snake raise a red-dotted head to gaze steadily at the Grim with gold eyes. An agreement was made between them, a vow to protect the boy they both had fallen in love with (A/N : platonic! Not anything else! No Harry/Sirius!) and wanted to care for in such a short time. The said boy watched as his two protectors nodded to each other, a small smile crossing his face. Padfoot trotted over to the cloth door, waiting for his godson to hiss a farewell to Eveilyn before they once again headed out into the crisp winter morning, this time toward the heights of London.
~ - ~ - ~
A large black dog trotted into an alleyway on the edge of London, glancing over his shoulder a moment at the back of his departing godson. Seeing the boy go around a corner on the way to his own 'shopping' excursion, the Grim slipped into the shadows, seeking the privacy they held from any prying eyes. With a tingling feeling running over him, Padfoot transformed into his human body, a small 'pop' marking the bit of wandless magic that only so few witches and wizards could accomplish.
Sirius gave a shake of his black-maned head and knelt down, one hand tapping bricks at the bottom of a wall as lips silently counted. Reaching the one he sought, the red man-made rock was tugged out of its position along with several of its brothers, revealing a small cavity. A Muggle pen and several pieces of stationary were removed, the white paper bearing a pale blue border. 'It's a good thing I found this hole. Need a place to keep the materials for my latest bit of cleverness.' With a small smirk, Sirius began to pen several notes, a mischievous light glittering in his pale eyes.
About forty-five minutes later, the Grim could be seen trotting down the sidewalk with a wicker basket clutched carefully in his strong jaws. After crossing the street to a clothing store, Padfoot padded inside, pale eyes and attentive ears searching the building for store employees. He walked up to the counter, where a young woman gazed bemused at the hound waiting patiently for her to make some sort of move, black tail waving friendly. Confused, the woman turned to the man restocking shelves of woman beauty products near the cash register. "Um, Rob? There's a black dog standing here with a basket. Ah, what do I …?" She trailed off, unsure of what to make of the situation.
"Ah, Mr. Colins' dog is back. Hey, Jaz, boy. Whatcha got today?" Rob, a tall man with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and kind blue eyes, gave Padfoot a good scratch behind the ears as he took the basket from the dog's mouth. Padfoot gave a lick to the hand as the store-worker moved away, sitting quietly as the man read the note in the basket, explaining to his co-worker as he read. "You see, Mary, Jaz here belongs to an old man, Mr. Andrew Colins, who has been restricted to bed thanks to a hip surgery. He doesn't have any family living near here to care for him, but he does have Jaz. This is one amazing well-trained pooch, he can even go shopping for the man. See, this note tells what Mr. Colins wants from the store, and Jaz also has the right amount of money from his master to pay for any purchases." Rob gave the dog an admiring glance before turning back to a stunned Mary.
"The note here," Rob said, waving it a bit, "says that Mr. Colins wants to buy some clothes for his great-grandson who is in the states right now. Christmas present. Boy is 103 cm tall (A/N :I don't know. Just a bit over a meter tall. Too short? Too tall? Sorry.), has black hair and green eyes with a pale complexion, and is rather thin. Usual young boy outfits for winter. So, whatcha think, Mary?"
"Well…" The female store-clerk managed to come out of her daze and looked thoughtfully around the store, one slim finger tapping pursed lips. Rob gave the waiting dog a wink, which Padfoot nodded to. 'Women.' Padfoot thought. 'They can always make a guy look good. Not that I have a bad fashion sense, but ladies have a better one. 'Sides, think some of my fashion sense died in Azkaban.' Shaking his head and focusing on the present rather than the past, Padfoot didn't have to wait much longer for this Mary to make up her mind. "We can get him these pants in dark gray and another in blue, maybe this deep orange sweater, definitely this black one. Green eyes, you say? Then we'll need this in green, and…."
For several minutes, the two males just watched as the brunette young woman scurried about the store, picking up various items, dismissing others, and creating a nice stack of clothes for a homeless young boy who deserved every bit of love and care that could be given to him. Rob moved behind the counter and started ringing things up as Mary brought over the last item, a red and gold woolen scarf. 'Hm, Gryffindor colors. Coincidence? Wonder if he'll be in Gryffindor when he goes to Hogwarts. Hm, probably. Can't see him anywhere else.' Padfoot mused as he watched the purchases and the small wicker basket placed in a paper bag with a twine handle, making it easier for the Grim to carry it. Rob took the money from a small cloth bag that had also been carried in the basket and rang up the purchases. With a nod to both store clerks, Padfoot trotted out and headed swiftly back for the house at the edge of the woods.
Once inside, Padfoot set the bag down and transformed back to his human form. Eveilyn hissed softly, watching all from her place by the fire. Sirius looked at the magical serpent and put a finger to his lips, silently asking to keep all this quiet. The snake nodded in return and settled to doze a bit more. Assured that the black snake wouldn't tell Harry of his Christmas presents, Sirius drew over the bag he had placed in the corner the night before and started to take things out. 'I'm keeping a secret with a snake. Well, I can't have her tell Harry. Funny how quickly I accepted him as a Parseltongue.' Shaking his head a bit, he focused on the items he removed from last night's shopping trip : four books for children and young teens that he suspected Harry was smart enough to understand and which he could read to his godson after Sirius revealed his human form to the boy, new sneakers to replace the hole-ridden ones his godson now wore, some various Muggle candies that he hoped were good, and a small green pendant he had found at a small wizard-owned shop that would warn and protect Harry from harm. He organized all the presents and wrapped them in some red and gold wrapping paper he had bought a few days ago.
After the gifts were all wrapped and stacked carefully in the two bags, Sirius stood and stretched, hearing his back crack a bit. Glancing outside, he noticed that it was getting late. The winter sun was beginning to set, the orange light peeking through the drapes on the front windows. Sirius frowned with worry; Harry should have been back by now from his own little shopping trip. Shifting back into his Animagus form, Padfoot headed swiftly out the cloth-covered door and around toward the city, busy with people hoping to head back home in time for dinner. Snuffing the trampled snow, Padfoot followed the physical scent and faint magic aura of his godson, senses alert for any sign of the missing boy.
As he neared an alley, a cry of pain and the strong scent of blood and fear caught his attention. A tremor of fear went down Padfoot's spine as he realized that Harry's scent led to this alley. Padfoot sprinted to the opening of the alley, easily dodging the few people on this particular street. When he got to the alley entrance, Padfoot froze, shocked by what lay within. Six large boys, looking to be between the ages of nine and thirteen, had Harry cornered up against the wall. Two of the older ones had bloody penknives in their hands, standing back and watching the four younger boys kick and beat a bruised and beaten Harry, grinning maliciously as the green-eyed boy was hit again and again. A few bruises and a line of red scratches on the other boys showed that Harry had put up a fight, but had obviously been overwhelmed by the group.
A steel-toed boot, one of the few pricey items that the other street kids wore, met soundly with Harry's lower right leg, a crack indicating bone breaking under the blow. Harry screamed with pain, his already injured leg filled with even more painful agony. The malicious uncaring laughter of the boys at his godson's pain erased the shock and replaced the void with rage. How dare they hurt a defenseless kind boy like Harry?!? A low growl rumbled in Padfoot's chest and rose to spill out of his clenched bared teeth. With a snarl, he lunged forward, ready and willing to met out justice for daring to harm his godson.
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Dun dun dun. I know, you probably hate me for ending it there, but I couldn't help myself. I'm evil, that simple.
Please review. Please?
Thanks to my beta-reader, sara, for helping me over some of the bumpy spots in this chapter. Thank you! But don't blame her for any grammar mistakes or anything, I didn't have the chance to send this to her.
Also, thank you to Duath and stupid kid 04 and blah and Sophia and Sophie for putting me on their favorite lists. Thank you!
Review Responses : (28 of them! 28!!! for ONE chapter! *faints*)
Acacia Jules : Don't worry, Harry will meet Sirius, not Padfoot, soon. I agree, Harry needs a loving parent figure and all that. It will happen soon.
Amber-986 : Well, you're the one who put me in your faves, so the thanks is mine. Glad you're liking this story. Hope you keep reading! ^.^
atalante : happy you think this is 'a great story'! ^_^ I'm glad I can get the Harry/Padfoot relationship of godson/godfather through well. Remmy will come in soon (around chapter 7), but I'm not sure when Hogwarts will come it. It will eventually, just not sure when. Please keep reading!
athenakitty : Remmy and Sirius's freedom will both come in here eventually. Be patient.
Duath : I loved your review! "reading and reading and then poof where's the next chapter!" *giggle* Your cliff analogy will be put to good use for this chapter. *evil smirk*
Facade1 : Don't be sorry over the late review. We all have lives and can't get on the 'net everyday and stuff. And I'm sorry for taking so long to update. *bows head in shame* Happy you liked descriptions! ^_^ Glad the seer ability thing came out okay. Was a bit worried over that. Hope you keep reading! ^.^
Fangfoot : neat name. glad you like so far!
Felion : Still like your name. And yes, Harry is so very cute. *huggles little Harry*
jordan : Harry will meet Padfoot soon, trust me. as for what Harry Saw, it was a vision of the future that may or may not happen in this fic, I haven't decided yet. It was of Harry himself being held captive and tortured by Voldie and Death Eaters. and no, it's not anything from Rowlings' books, it's my own Harry-tortured-by-Voldie scene. *grins evilly* anyways, here's more!
Kaira-chan : ^__^ I'm honored to be your only HP story right now. what else are you reading? *joins Kaira-chan in huggling Harry and Sirius* So cute indeed.
Kemenran : have you gotten around to Shirebound's stuff yet? hope so. yes, Sirius will care for Harry soon. please keep reading! ^.^
Lady Mandara Snake : nice name. I've always like the idea of seeing the future and all that, so I saw an opportunity and put it in. no pun intended there. *grin* here's more!
LaterosevBlack : argh! the irresistible puppy dog eyes! *giggle* happy you like! ^.^ and in case I didn't mention before, thanks for putting me on your fave list. *bows in gratitude*
Layce74 : glad you like, here's more!
Li : *pokes gently* are you still alive? hope you haven't held your breath all this time. sorry it took so long, by the way. Thank you! *humbled by your compliments of my work* I hate it when people just stop writing a good story in the middle too! I do not plan to do that. and yes, Sirius lives! ^_^
Lily-of-Annoth : I'll try to keep writing long chapters, but sometimes I can't think of enough to put in a single piece. but I'll keep trying. here's another long one for you, though. a bit more patience with Sirius, Harry will see him human soon.
Lucifer aka Lord of Darkness : glad you're liking it! ^.^ This is completely platonic love here! No Harry/Sirius! I'm not against same sex couples (in fact, I kinda prefer them), but that particular couple is a no go for me. I agree with your second review. *grabs a Vernon Dursley plushie and tears it to pieces* Ahh, that's better. ^__^
ping*pong5 : glad you liked long chapter! ^_^ and here's another one for you! think it's even longer than chapter 3. but I only took so long this time because I got writer's block for a while. sorry! *ashamed* hope ahappyjtm updates soon too!
Piper of Locksley : Remmy/Moony should be in around chapter 6 or 7. *checks notes* yep, 6 or 7. as for Harry remembering him, you'll get an idea of that in chapter 5. please keep reading! ^.^
Romm : thanks. here's more.
stupid kid 04 and blah : Dude, here's more! glad you like! ^.^ hope you feel better by the time I put this up and can give me a nice long rant! ^_^
The Princess of Darkness : glad you like! but I'm not the best writer or anything. you should read Bored Beyond Belief's "Never Alone, Never Again" or some of Neutral's stuff. now those are some good authors with some very good fics. well, here's more for you!
Treska SilverFlame : hope you got your laundry done! *grin* I'm honored by your compliments! *bows respectfully* now, if only you'd update....
Tsukishiku : it's ironic. I don't like people who take forever to update. yet, look what I did. but I can understand the other authors better now. writer's block is horrible! at least I wasn't stuck with it for more than, what's it been, almost two months or so? glad I can make the character seem so real to you! ^__^ I will bring dear Remmy in in chapter 6 or so, don't worry. I love that werewolf! *huggles Remus plushie* Albus won't be seeing Sirius and Harry for a while yet, but you will see a bit of him in the next few chapters. I cried when Sirius was killed in the book, middle of the bookstore and tears started running down my cheeks. ^.^ I refuse to kill my dear Sirius! Harry needs his godfather! Rowling better bring him back! and don't apologize for rambling. I like rambling. I like your name too. what does it mean? hope you'll keep reading!
Viresse430 : yes, the Dursley part was fun to write. would have gone more graphic, but these are Harry's thoughts, and I got a PG-13 rating to mind. didn't want to have to go and increase the rating.
Virusgod : yes, mighty Virusgod, don't send the flu upon me. *bows in homage* ^.^ here's more!
WalkingCensure : don't worry about the late review. I mean, look at my late update. I'm glad you reviewed, and very sorry I took so long. *bows head, ashamed*
Yana5 : glad you like, no _love_ , this story! ^_^ please keep reading!