As he strode through the familiar hallways, the pressure behind his right eye got worse. It always did when he was about to report bad news, though it was considerably worse than it normally was. That was being attributed to the fact that he and his men were starting to look like idiots. Not just to their coworkers, but to the general public, as well. Yet again, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was playing the unwelcome host to some kind of terrible monster. And yet again, the Aurors were able to do absolutely nothing. Despite having his men scattered throughout Hogwarts and Hogsmeade both, no one had seen anything. Not until the night the beast had tried to attack a crowded room, anyway.
To say they had nothing to go on would be an understatement. What little information that had been gleaned thus far was almost useless. One piece of evidence would point in one direction and the next would point in the opposite. He was sure the creature wasn't some new species. He had a gut feeling about it, for all the good that would do in an official report. The Minister cared about results and that was precisely what he wasn't being given. The fact that Harry Potter himself was having no luck at hunting the thing down was completely irrelevant.
Locket Wolf narrowed his eyes as he knocked on the Minister's door. No, Rufus Scrimgeour was becoming decidedly paranoid as the years went on. Even before the incident in Germany, the Minister had been keeping tabs of Harry Potter's mental condition, watching as it deteriorated in his insane quest to stop Voldemort at any cost. The fact that Potter had outright ordered them to stay their hand in regards to the murder of Vernon Dursley had never sat well with anyone at the Ministry. And while he had rid the world of Voldemort's presence in the end, it had taken a great toll on everyone involved. Because of that incident, Albus Dumbledore had stepped down from his position as headmaster at the school, a slew of Aurors had flat-out quit their jobs, and the Daily Prophet had run a string of accusatory articles on how Scrimgeour ran things.
Harry Potter got a pass because, at least for a time, he had been one of the strongest wizards on the entire planet. He had ended the war almost single-handedly and for that, his many transgressions had been pardoned. The public knew very little of what had happened, though word of mouth had spread rumors and slander against the man. For a time after the war had ended, Harry Potter and his fiance had vanished from the face of the earth. When they showed their heads again, Tonks was pregnant and Harry seemed much older than he was. Whether it was his body finally catching up to what he had done or whether the stress was finally getting to him, no one could say. Wolf had just entered into Auror training at the time and much of what he had initially heard came by way of his fellow Aurors. It wasn't until years later, after he had rose through the ranks to become the head of the division itself, that he and Harry met again.
At first, Harry was unsure of who Wolf was. It was only after Wolf had reminded Harry that he had been the one to bust him out of Snape's class for the weighing of the wands during the Goblet incident that Harry had remembered him. He had seemed surprised at just how much Wolf had changed since they had last interacted. Wolf had returned the sentiment, stating that Harry looked like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in years. Harry had explained that it was due to nightmares interfering with his normal sleep schedule. Normally, he had said, the nightmares were kept at bay. But something seemed to be happening, and he was worried about what that meant.
What it meant, of course, was a splinter group of Death Eaters causing trouble. After being stumped by the case for a month, Wolf had gone to the Potters' residence and sought Harry's help in the matter. Harry had been all too happy to provide assistance, though what they eventually dredged up didn't make anything any clearer. The one Death Eater that they had eyewitness confirmation of had refused to talk and, when Veritaserum had been administered, the man had simply dropped dead on the spot, likely due to some kind of curse that prevented him from betraying anyone.
It didn't matter in the end. The rise of this 'Cult of Voldemort,' as Harry had started calling it, started to grow and spread. One day, a town far to the north was under siege. The next, they'd get a rogue report of someone down in Italy being subjected to the same type of torment and madness. The events were so spaced out and random that they simply hadn't been able to get any conclusive leads. It had spanned multiple years now, with the Cult fading and returning at several points. And while it was nice having Harry's assistance, it didn't sit well with a number of people. The Minister himself was staunchly opposed to it, in fact. If it weren't coming as a personal request from the head of the division, he would have shot the idea down entirely. As it stood, he only grudgingly allowed Harry to tag along on the assignments related to the Cult and its activities.
The older Aurors had issues with Harry's involvement, as well. They had stayed through the end of the Germany incident and weren't about to led 'some smart-mouthed kid' come between them and the job they had signed up for. And while Harry was pleasant to everyone around him, there were still a few opposing voices on the force. It was an ongoing, internal struggle to deal with Aurors that simply refused to be around Harry. They labeled him as an unstable psychopath. Wolf knew very well that those claims weren't entirely unjustified, but the man had grown older and had settled down. He had had a child. The insane amount of magical power he had had as a teenager was simply no longer there. And while Harry was still an immensely powerful wizard, he wasn't a hazard to the world as a whole anymore.
That none of them could figure out what in the hell the monster at Hogwarts was annoyed everyone to no end. The longer it went on, the more irate Scrimgeour got, as well, often bellowing at Wolf when he'd come to report that no progress had been made on the case. After all, the Aurors were spread incredibly thin at the moment. Men and women were working suicidal paces at times just to keep up with what needed to be done. A good chunk of them were still out trying to catch up to the cultists who were wreaking havoc across wizarding Britain. Another sizable portion had been kept at and around the school in the hopes that their presence would keep the students safe. But what good were they if the creature was completely invisible?
No... Wolf was not looking forward to informing the Minister on what type of enemy they were up against this time. Hearing Scrimgeour finally bark at him to enter, Wolf grit his teeth, grabbed the handle, and pushed open the door.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Alice, another letter's arrived for him."
"Another one? They must be getting desperate. How many are we up to, then, Cat?"
"This'll be the fifth. I don't think we're going to be able to stop him. He's downstairs, his nose stuck in another book on Harry Potter. What do you think he's looking for?"
"No idea. I learned a long time ago not to try too hard to work out what the Master's doing at any given time. If he's researching Harry Potter, he's got a good reason for it. That's enough for me."
"I guess so, but it still worries me, the thought of him going halfway around the world. If he gets the job, then what'll happen to the apothecary?" Asked Alice.
"We'll hold it down." Catherine said, offering the other woman a smirk.
"On our own?"
"What have we been doing for the last two years? He's always brewing or staring into a book and not responding. He's finally getting that chance he's been looking for. We can't stand in his way."
"He actually wrote back, huh?"
"Yeah. Delivered it yesterday evening. Should be out around Hogwarts by the weekend."
"Is he going to start when the next school year begins, then, or is he going to replace whoever's there right now?"
"He's waiting, though he really doesn't want to. Apparently there's a lot of bad stuff going on up there that he wishes he could assist with." Catherine explained, frowning slightly.
"It'd do wonders for his family name."
"I dunno if it's even about that. I think he just wants to live his own life. If he ends up fixing his family's name in the process, so much the better, but I don't think it's an active goal. You know he doesn't like talking about it."
"Yeah yeah, the whole 'I'm my own man' speech, right?" Alice said, grinning crookedly.
"Right. Well, I'll go take this one down to him, then, see if I can't get his bleedin' head outta the book for five seconds."
"Good luck!"
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"This is insulting." Lapis declared, sighing as he stared up at the ceiling. In the kitchen of the small cabin, a man in his late-40s let out a soft laugh.
"You know it all has to go through the proper channels." Said the man. "We can't simply walk up and ask to enter."
"That's why it's insulting." Lapis argued, making a face. "I shouldn't have to jump through hoops just to look around my own house! What on earth are they still doing there, anyway? Do they think they'll find something the fiftieth time they've upended everything?"
Grabbing a pair of cups, the man poured piping hot tea into each before carrying them into the living room, where Lapis was laying on a short couch. Setting the filled cup on the nearby coffee table, he turned and took a seat in the empty chair just to the right of the sofa. "Wizarding law enforcement is just shy of being completely incompetent more often than not. Don't trouble yourself with it the entire time you're here, little one. I know it's difficult, but you must try."
"How can you be so calm about this, Uncle Adel? Aren't you angry?"
"Of course I am. But venting my anger vocally will solve nothing. My frustration and anger will be directed into my writing, where I can put them to use." Adel said, smiling as he took a slow sip of his tea. "Rostam and Sogand will get the justice they deserve, kuchulu, you will see."
Blowing out a weary sigh, Lapis sat up and reached for the cup on the table. "I hope so. Even if I can't be the one to kill the monster, I want it dead. I don't care how at this point. If getting into my house means gaining some kind of hint as to what mother and father brought with them that day, then it's worth the embarrassment and humiliation I'll have to endure. I'll do it for them so they can rest in peace..."
Adel nodded slowly. "Use your anger and focus it, don't let it get the better of you. When the Aurors let us return, I'll make sure to 'accidentally' knock some things around so you can look around unguarded."
"If they've left anything, it's going to be in the safe in their bedroom closet. Assuming the Aurors haven't figured out how to crack it open, we should have some kind of information, surely." Lapis said, staring into the tea and frowning slightly.
"Do you know how to get it open, then?"
"If father never changed the spells on it? Yes, I do." Lapis said.
"Then let us hope that Rostam's tendency to be sidetracked works in our favor this time."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
He laughed as he spun the top of the bottle off, filling the pair of glasses up with the liquid inside. Hissing and steaming slightly as it filled the glasses, the glowing, red liquid provided one of the few light sources to the room. Once he had finished pouring, Bill Weasley put the top back on the bottle and stored it back in a drawer of his desk. Sliding one of the glasses across the table to where Filius Flitwick was sitting, the redhead took his seat and raised his glass.
"Here's to cracking this mystery once the holidays are over!" Bill said.
Flitwick let out a chuckle, raising his own glass before taking a careful sip. He hiccuped almost instantly, blinking owlishly down at the liquid. "Good heavens, Bill, where did you get this from?"
"It's Dragon's Ale. Pretty expensive, but well worth the money. I've picked up a bottle of the stuff every year since Charlie introduced it to me. Burns all the way down, then cools in your stomach. Makes you drink more to warm up." Bill explained, taking a substantially larger drink than his fellow professor had.
"A bit early to celebrate, don't you think?" Flitwick asked.
"Perhaps, but I've got a good feeling about this, Filius. Call it a hunch. I think everything's going to converge on that damned monster and make it pay for causing us all to be so bloody paranoid constantly." Said Bill. "I'd be happy with just seeing what the hell it is, to be honest. Drag it out the front doors of the school so we can see what attacked us."
"Your shot was quite good, I must say." Flitwick said, taking another sip of his ale and wincing. Coughing out a small cloud of smoke as he began speaking again, he added, "It's a shame we weren't able to track it down. It would've saved us all some time and trouble."
"Yeah, but what can ya do?" Bill asked. "Someone'll run across how to beat it sooner or later. My money's on 'sooner.' Just aggravated I'm not being much help."
"Well, it's certainly not your fault." Flitwick said. "I'm not sure any of us could fight something that's invisible."
"If it rears its... I dunno, potentially-ugly head again... I'll hit it with some kind of paint spell. See how well the damn thing escapes when we can see a floating blob of paint running around!" Bill stated, laughing again.
"I'd hope it would be licking its wounds, but if it can regenerate, I daresay that's out of the equation." Flitwick said, sounding somewhat annoyed. Taking a bit of a longer drink, he continued, "I hope Harry and the Aurors can stop it before the year ends. That sort of thing also seems to occur around here with alarming frequency."
"What do you think of his kid, anyway?" Asked Bill.
"Vega? Oh, he's a polite enough boy, though a bit on the shy side. Worries too much about being as good as his father, I think." Flitwick said. "The Malfoy twins seem to bring out the best in him, and it's quite clear that no matter how he may feel about himself, he's following down the same path Harry did."
"Just with less insanity."
"With less insanity, yes." Flitwick echoed, a smile on his face. "Poppy's said there's something odd about his magical core, but so long as he's not blowing up half the Forest, I don't think we're going to be in too much trouble."
"I dunno. He's gotten pretty scary for a little kid." Bill said, swirling the liquor in his glass and glancing up at the ceiling. "Especially when that Eskander kid's involved."
"He seems fiercely loyal to his friends, yes." Flitwick agreed. "I wish we could come up with a better way to punish the students. Sending them home for a week or two isn't a punishment when there's a monster on the loose. But detentions don't seem strong enough. People tend not to notice me since I'm so short, so it's let me get overhear a number of conversations. The older students are getting more antsy. Not all of them, you know, but some have talked about some rather extreme measures. They seem to be under the impression that because certain people are here, that automatically means monsters will start plaguing the castle again..."
"Well, it's been pretty true so far. Not saying the kids are to blame, they sure as hell can't help what's going on around them. But it is true that Hogwarts was quiet when there weren't any Potters here, right? Starting to wonder if Harry got his family cursed at some point."
"Albus would've picked up on it ages ago if that were the case." Flitwick said, shaking his head slowly. "I think it's just a lot of bad luck. In the end, they usually redeem themselves, though. Harry always did, even in the end when the Gauntlet had nearly broken his mind completely. Bill, at one point, I was fearing that Harry might actually replace Voldemort. Especially after he kept showing up in Hogwarts even though he had left for Germany. Losing Severus was unexpected but not entirely unplanned. Albus is a clever man, and I think he knew that leaving Severus as he was would only put everyone at the school in danger."
"You think he sent Snape to his death on purpose?" Asked Bill.
"Perhaps not using those words, but yes, I do. Albus was so tired that year. After Harry attacked him, he spent a long time recovering, both physically and mentally. When news of Harry's victory reached the school, everyone was both pleased and saddened. Odd business with the Gauntlet, though. Harry claims that there might have been two outcomes to the fight, one of which got overwritten."
"Overwritten? How do you mean?"
"Well, Harry isn't sure himself. He says his memory is fuzzy around the time of Voldemort's defeat. But he knows Luna Lovegood died. And yet presently she's still alive and out there, Bill. Something must have happened to rewrite history. It's not unheard of and if something of that magnitude were to have happened, it's not surprising that it happened to Harry. He's still trying to piece things together." Flitwick explained.
"Lot of strange business with the Potters, isn't there?"
"Quite so." Flitwick said, downing the last of his ale. "Well, I believe it's just about time for me to accompany Neville in searching the upper floors of the castle. I'd best be on my way. Thank you for inviting me to sample this! I may have to order some myself."
"You don't seem drunk at all." Bill observed. "How can you handle such strong liquor so well?"
"Imbibing charm." Flitwick explained. "Lets me enjoy alcohol without getting drunk off of it."
Bill snorted at this. "But getting drunk is half the fun!"
"I'll remember that when you're asking me for a hangover fix tomorrow. Good night, Bill!"
"G'night, Filius. Stay safe out there."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Viola leaned against Vega, nudging him to try and cheer him up, even just a little. The Malfoys had stopped in on Christmas Day to deliver their presents in person. At one point during their parents' conversation, Vega had slipped off back to his room. The first chance she got, Viola slipped away, as well, and was now sitting next to him on his bed. Hydrus was still downstairs, getting involved in the adults' discussions on both Hogwarts-related business and other, more dangerous matters plaguing wizarding Britain as a whole.
"Come on, what's wrong? You haven't smiled the entire time we've been here. Talk to me." Viola pleaded, moving her arm and slipping it around Vega's shoulders to tug him into a one-armed hug. At the very least, she was hoping to get him to swat her away, but he did just the opposite. He leaned back against her, letting out a rather dejected sigh.
"I can't sleep, Vivi." Vega murmured, his voice hoarse. "I keep having nightmares about that thing killing people..."
"That isn't all that's bugging you though." Viola observed. "Out with it."
"Just waiting to hear from Lapis, really." Vega said. Motioning to his desk, he continued, "He sent me a letter a couple days into the break, saying he'd write on Christmas Day. So far, no followup on that. I hope he didn't get into trouble for trying to get back into his house..."
"If he had, we'd have heard something of it by now." Viola said. Ruffling her friend's hair, she murmured, "Come on, it's Christmas. You should at least try to be happy..."
"I know... and I realize I'm being mopey over nothing. Just keep thinking of how Lapis can't spend any more Christmases with his parents, though. Kinda kills the festive mood, ya know?" Vega said, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "And I'm worried about going back to school. I can't relax at all."
"Why? Do you think something's going to happen again?" Viola asked. "Or is the lack of sleep just gettin' the better of ya?"
"Little o' both, honestly." Vega said. "I'm really tired, Vivi..."
"So take a nap..."
"I told you, nightmares have been keeping me awake."
"So I'll stay in here until you're asleep!" Chimed the girl.
Vega turned his head to the side. "And what kind of good is that going to do, exactly?"
"I'll fight the nightmares off." Viola stated, nodding solemnly.
"You didn't drink any of that eggnog, did you? Mum spikes the stuff." Vega said, eyeing Viola warily.
"No, I didn't drink any eggnog." Viola replied, rolling her eyes. "Okay, so forget the nap. Let's think of better things - like how stuff'll be once the monster's caught!"
"If the monster's caught." Vega corrected, scowling.
"When the monster's caught." Viola argued. "Or killed. Either way!"
"Well I can't kill it. Even Cygnus seems to be thinking we can't. And Cygnus is usually sure of everything." Vega said.
"He hasn't taken control lately, has he? Any reason?" Asked Viola.
"Dunno. No fighting's going on, so he seems content to just tag along, I guess." Vega said, shrugging. "I try not to think about it too hard, it gives me a really bad headache."
"You talked to your dad about it?"
"A little, here and there. He seems kinda worried, but isn't acting like I'm going to blow up the Forbidden Forest like he did." Vega said.
"Can't imagine what that had to've looked like." Viola said, tilting her head. "One minute there's a forest there, the next it's mostly gone."
"Dad was scary when he was a kid." Vega said.
"You can be pretty frightening yourself, at times." Viola said, squeezing Vega's shoulder. "Kinda glad it seems like you won't be able to kill the monster. I don't wanna think about you chasing it down."
"You and me both." Vega stated. "We do need to train a bit more. Bill Weasley's cool and all, but I wish he'd do more practical lessons."
"But you're really good with all that magical theory crap. Even Hydrus isn't that good at wrapping his brain around it." Viola said, grinning as she saw Vega blush and duck his head.
"I suppose. Not gonna stop a monster with theorycrafting, though." Vega said. "...You don't hafta stay up here being gloomy with me, Vivi, you should go back downstairs."
"Not without you, I'm not." Viola said.
"Not really in the mood." Vega sighed. "If Lapis doesn't write by tomorrow, I'll write him and see what the hell's going on."
"If he wrote, do you think you'd feel better?"
"A little. I guess it depends on how well things go." Vega said. "C'mon, you really can't tell me what he's planning?"
"It'd ruin the surprise. I'm guessing he's hiding it for a reason, anyway. He'll tell you when he's ready. All in due time and all that junk." Viola said. "Sitting around here isn't gonna make a letter show up any faster. Move your butt, mister."
"Nope. And you can't make me." Vega said.
He immediately regretted the decision. Viola promptly lifted her right hand, clutching something in it. Vega eyed it nervously, as there was a twinkle in her eyes that was setting off all kinds of warning signals in his head. The problem now was getting away, as he was sitting in a very bad position and she still had her arm around him, the grip on his shoulder tightening as she lifted her other arm into the air.
"Merry Christmas, Vega." Viola said, her voice soft as she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, despite his best efforts to evade it. Moving her arm from around his shoulders, she grabbed his right hand and set the sprig of mistletoe in it, smirking a little. "You oughta try catching Hydrus with it, ya know."
"Oh yeah, that'd go over real well with all of our parents watching." Vega said, glaring at the mistletoe that had been given to him. "Where did you even get this from?"
"Stole it from the doorway to the den on my way up!" Chimed Viola, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and getting to her feet. "Come on, let's go back down. They're gonna start to wonder what we're doing up here by ourselves if we stay much longer."
"They wouldn't." Vega said, though he noted that he was almost involuntarily standing back up, as well. Making a face, he set the mistletoe on the table next to his bed and walked over to where Viola was waiting for him. Knowing what she was waiting for, he let out a melodramatic sigh and held his arms open. She grinned and leaned in for a hug, which he returned. "Merry Christmas to you too, Vivi."
"Knew I'd get it outta you eventually." She said, the grin still on her face as the hug was broken. Taking one of Vega's hands, she tugged him towards the still-open doorway. "Let's get back down there and see if my brother's still acting like he has any idea what's going on."
Letting himself get pulled along, Vega said, "Or if our parents have been put to sleep?"
"Or that, yes. Letters and monsters and terrible things can wait. You're gonna have a good Christmas even if I have to pester you the entire day!"
"You have way too much energy. Have I ever told you that?" Vega asked.
"Only once or twice a week! C'mon!"
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
When Vega awoke the next morning, it was to a strange-looking owl staring down at him. He jumped, nearly keeling over and out of his bed, giving the creature a bewildered look. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he managed to quickly untangle himself from his blankets. "...You brought me a letter. I don't know anyone with an owl like you, though." He murmured, reaching for the letter on the owl's leg.
The second it was taken, the owl let out a strange, decidedly bizarre cry, and vanished into thin air. Vega stared at the spot it had been, reaching out tentatively to poke around the area. But it had actually disappeared, presumably to wherever it had come from. This was new. Vega wasn't used to teleporting owls watching him sleep. The idea unnerved him incredibly. Shuddering, and wondering how long the damned thing had been staring down at him, he finally looked at the letter it had been clutching.
It was in an unmarked envelope, which was quickly opened up. Pulling the letter out, he unfolded it and found himself looking at the information he had been waiting for.
'I know what the first question you have will be. The owl is my uncle's. He'll be using a spell to get it in and out of your house directly. Too risky letting this pass through the usual places. Dunno if the Ministry is checking letters I send or not. Refuse to take the risk, either way.
I also know what the second question you have will be. And yes, I have an answer to that, too. I don't want to say anything here, even though we're sending it direct. Don't write me back, either! We'll talk back at Hogwarts. I don't like it any more than you do, but Uncle Adel and I need to try and research whatever this thing is. All we have is a name, but that's a lot more than we had a week ago. Trying to be positive, even though my heart feels like it's trying to pound its way out of my chest.
Uncle Adel claims he has an idea of what this is, but wants to be sure. I want to be absolutely positive, too, before we tell anyone else. No sense in sending people off to be hurt. Or worse. Sorry if this all sounds odd. I haven't slept since yesterday. Hands are shaking pretty badly too, if it wasn't obvious. I'll head to the Pit when we get back to school. Meet me there and we'll talk.'
The letter wasn't signed, but it didn't need to be. His eyes slid back up to the top of the short letter and reread it. Once he'd finished, he read it for a third time, his own heart beating rather heavily now. However Lapis had gotten the Aurors to agree to let him in, it had worked. They had a lead, they could work it out, and they could stop whatever it was. The hard part, at least to Vega, was the wait. If waiting for Lapis' letter had been bad, waiting to return to school would be even worse. He couldn't imagine how his friend was doing, but the shaky way the words were scrawled out, especially towards the end, said a lot.
Vega folded the note back up and slid it back into the envelope, setting it under one of the pillows on his bed. He would bring it back to Hogwarts with him and bury it in his chest down in the Pit, where it wouldn't be seen by anyone he didn't want seeing it. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he stared down at the ground and thought. He wouldn't say anything to his parents just yet. Harry would be at Hogwarts anyway, he could always be pulled aside at any given moment if they needed to act. Lapis was right - they had to ensure they knew what they were dealing with before they risked sending anyone after it. If they were wrong, people could die.
As much as he hated it, waiting was their only option. But it was a hopeful wait for once. Letting out a sigh, he pushed himself back to his feet and walked to his door. Glancing briefly back at the pillow he had stuffed the letter under, he pulled his door open and headed out into the hallway. He could hear his parents moving around downstairs, his father already busy cooking. Vega paused at the top of the stairs for a moment, trying to decide what he'd say if they'd heard the owl's odd screech.
Blowing another sigh out, he decided that he'd just have to play it by ear. If it absolutely came down to it, he would explain it all to Harry and ask that he wait until they had a chance to talk to Lapis directly before doing anything. That made sense, Vega thought. His father was a calculating man when he needed to be, and this was something he was going to have to trust them on. Whatever information that Lapis and his uncle dredged up, Vega hoped it would be enough to take the horrid thing down with.
He'd had more than enough dreams of red eyes staring at him from the darkness.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Author's Notes: Finished on November 20th. Uploaded on February 5th. I hit one of the worst bouts of writer's block I think I've ever had to deal with. I'm finally writing again, which is a good sign, but I have to force myself not to set my projects aside until some nebulous time later. Currently I'm rewriting chapter 6 of Changing Fate, but after that, I'll finish chapter 10, which is about halfway done, if memory serves. With any damned luck, you won't have to wait a quarter of a year for the next chapter this time. I really apologize for it taking so long. The end of 2011 was bad and the start of this year hasn't been much better. I was laid up for most of January with a nasty bug that hit me two days after Xmas. Suffice to say, that took a lot of the wind outta my sails.
But I'm back and hopefully I'll stay back this time. I want to get book 2 over with. I've been on it so stinkin' long now. Book 3's where all the fun happens, I have to get to it. And I'll hopefully get to it before summer if all goes well.
