He's Not Dead Yet
I do not own Harry Potter or Monty Python.
…Fish, Bananas, Old Pajamas, Mutton, Beef, and Trout
The meeting at the Three Broomsticks proved to be quite enjoyable and Harry soon forgot all the troubles that came with Halloween. When Harry mentioned the Potter-Longbottom alliance to Neville, the boy's face broke into a broad smile.
"I was wondering if you would ever ask about that, Harry," he said. "The fact that you never brought it up before now had made me suspect you had no interest in reconfirming it."
"Neville," Harry replied, "until recently, I had no idea about the alliance. No one ever bothered to explain things like that to me."
Neville looked a little embarrassed.
"I guess I shouldn't have assumed you knew about it."
"Not your fault, Neville. No one's fault except Dumbledork's."
Everyone snickered. Lately, the student population had begun to feel a growing resentment and suspicion of the Headmaster.
"So, how exactly do we renew the alliance?" Harry asked. "We haven't covered that in my Magical Customs class."
The pure-bloods at the table all grinned. Blaise Zabini, who was part of the group that day, got up from his seat.
"Listen up, everyone!" he called out. "An Allegiance Pact is about to be confirmed!"
All heads turned in awe and a hush fell.
"Madam Rosmerta," Blaise continued, "We'll need wine, two small knives, and a halibut."
The buxom witch didn't need telling twice.
Harry was looking rather puzzled.
"A halibut?"
"You'll see," Daphne chuckled.
Madam Rosmerta came back with the requested items, looking very flustered but positively beaming. The fact that two heirs of Most Noble and Most Ancient Houses were going to swear allegiance in her pub was definitely good for business.
"Right," Blaise continued as he poured two cups of red wine. "First, you each make a thin cut across your palms and then join hands."
Harry and Neville each picked up a knife and did as instructed.
"Neville, why don't you go first since you know the oath?" said Tracey.
"I, Neville Francis Longbottom, Heir to the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom, do hereby renew allegiance to my brother-in-arms, Harry James Potter, Heir to the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, as was begun by our forefathers. I do so swear upon my magic that I will come to the aid of the Potter family should they ever call upon me or the rest of House Longbottom."
"I, Harry James Potter, Heir to the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Potter, do hereby renew allegiance to my brother-in-arms, Neville Francis Longbottom, Heir to the Most Noble and Most Ancient House of Longbottom, as was begun by our forefathers. I do so swear upon my magic that I will come to the aid of the Longbottom family should they ever call upon me or the rest of House Potter."
There was a strange glow around their joined hands.
"This oath is recognized by magic and by those who bear witness this day," said Blaise.
The light flashed and then went out.
Blaise then instructed them to drink the wine, a symbol of camaraderie. Lastly, there was the part of the ritual which involved the halibut.
"This is ridiculous," Harry said. "Blaise, are you sure you're not having me on?"
"The fish-slapping is an ancient and important aspect of the tradition," Blaise declared looking scandalized that Harry would question something so important.
"I think the chaps who came up with this tradition had a little too much to drink," said Fay.
Once the alliance ritual was complete, there was a tumult of applause. After the noise died down, the group returned to its discussion. The conversation eventually turned to the subject of Snape.
"He's really mad about Mr. Preston upstaging him," said Tracey. "He's forbidden anyone in Slytherin from going to the classes, but, as you know, that hasn't turned out so well for him."
"He's gotten really nasty," Daphne added. "And I mean more than usual. He said that anyone going to Mr. Preston's classes will have detention for a month."
"You leave old Snivelly to me," Harry replied with a smirk. "I've got a little something in store for him soon. Although, I am surprised that he hasn't violated the restraining order since that first day."
"You know, Harry," Fay spoke up, "he already did violate it when he started screaming at you. You could've pressed charges then."
"True, but I didn't want to be too hasty. It's just so much fun to mess with him."
"He does tend to look rather blue in the face whenever you walk into the Great Hall," said Susan.
Soon they changed to more pleasant topics and Snape was all but completely forgotten.
However, the greasy-haired Potions master would not remain forgotten for long. Seeing as how Remus would be indisposed during the full moon, it stands to reason that a substitute would be needed. Of course, Snape made an attempt to snatch up that position; however, his plans were foiled when a smirking McGonagall arrived in the staff lounge with Mr. Stearns to announce that the American had agreed to substitute for Remus' classes.
Snape was furious.
"How do we even know if this man is competent?" Snape sneered, his eyes glinting maliciously.
"Do you really want to find out?" Stearns retorted calmly.
Snape gave another sneer at the challenge.
"Really, now," McGonagall huffed. "Severus, I have seen Mr. Stearns at the Defense Club and he is an excellent teacher."
Snape glared at Stearns who looked back. The two men began a silent staring contest in which Snape attempted a Legilimency attack, only to find himself pushed back, rather forcefully, by one of the most superb mind-shields he had ever encountered.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't try to look inside my mind, sir," Stearns said. "Doesn't this school have a policy regarding Legilimency attacks?"
McGonagall was fuming.
"Severus! The rules state, quite clearly, that the use of Legilimency on students, co-workers, and invited guests is strictly forbidden."
Stearns glared at Snape; Preston had told him about the man's completely inept and unprofessional nature; now it was clear that the man was also hostile and belligerent. Stearns and Preston were planning on sending in a report to the School Board. A man like Snape should never be permitted to teach children.
Mr. Stearns turned out to be just as good a Defense professor as Remus. As a substitute, though, he decided to give the class a bit of variation in what they learned. While he did cover some of what they had been learning in Remus' class, Stearns decided to help the class with spellwork.
Much to the delight of the students, Mr. Stearns did not believe in assigning essays as regular homework; he did, however, point out that they should start doing independent studies in order to prepare for future classes.
Snape was being nastier than ever. The few Slytherin third-years who persisted in attending Mr. Preston's classes soon found themselves in detention. Harry was not amused and so it came to pass that a pranking was in order.
Everyone had seated themselves in the Great Hall for breakfast. It was the day of the Gryffindor-Slytherin match and, just like last time, it was pouring rain. Harry had suggested to Wood that the team put Impervius and Warming Charms on themselves. Wood was positively ecstatic by Harry's suggestion.
Harry was just helping himself to porridge when the doors of the Great Hall burst open. There was Snape; he looked incredibly purple in the face, much like an angry Uncle Vernon. Snape took a step forward and everyone laughed; Snape had somehow been pranked into doing a silly walk. He was goose-stepping all the way up to the staff table, which was very hard considering his heavy black robes were in the way. He then did a sort of odd skip, a backtracked step, and a forward aerial half-turn every alternate step.
No one had ever seen anything so funny happen to the overgrown dungeon-bat. A few people had to be taken to the hospital wing they were laughing so hard.
Snape was apoplectic. He turned to glare at a smugly grinning Harry and was just about to shout abuse at him and threaten to expel him when he remembered the restraining order. If he violated the order it would mean the Aurors would stop by for a visit; Snape gave a shudder. The last thing he needed was for Amelia Bones to get her hands on him; the woman would have no sympathy for him because she hated Death Eaters with a passion (especially if they got off). Snape did not want to think what Bones would do to him if she knew he was singularly responsible not only for the deaths of the Potters (as Amelia was James Potter's godsister) but also for the deaths of Bones' brother Edgar and his family. He knew he would probably suffer a fate worse than anything the Dark Lord could do to him if Bones ever found out that he had revealed the hiding place of Michael McKinnon, who was Amelia Bones' fiancé before the Dark Lord killed him. No, it would not do to violate that restraining order; things would go downhill very fast and Snape doubted that Dumbledore would be able to save his hide a second time.
Glaring at the laughing students, Snape made his way (with great difficulty) over to the staff table and tried to act as though there was nothing wrong.
Harry and the Gryffindor team, having finished breakfast, set off for the locker rooms. They changed quickly and were soon heading out. On their way, a group of well-wishers stopped them with applause and cheers; Harry was surprised to see Daphne and Tracey amongst them.
"Believe it or not, Harry," said Tracey, "We would actually prefer it if Gryffindor wins."
"There's no way we would be able to stand Malfoy if he won," Daphne added. "He's annoying enough as it is."
Hermione was also there; she pulled Harry in for a hug and all but demanded that he stay safe out there. Luna was there, too; she warned Harry to look out for Blibbering Humdingers as they are often attracted to places where there are high levels of anxiety and they cause people to become unfocused and prone to mistakes.
It was dark and thunderous when the teams made their way onto the Quidditch pitch; luckily, thanks to Harry's suggestion, the Gryffindors were relatively comfortable and dry while the Slytherins were soaked to the bones and looking utterly miserable. Flint and Wood shook hands (though it looked as though they were both trying to crush each other's fingers) and the players mounted their brooms.
"On my whistle," declared Madam Hooch as another round of thunder was heard. "Three, two, one!"
The whistle blared and they were off.
Harry looked around for the Snitch, immensely grateful that he no longer needed glasses; however, it didn't make the Snitch any more visible as the darkness of the storm loomed overhead like a vast ocean of steely-grey.
Then, he saw it.
About fifty feet below, at the base of one of the Slytherin goal posts, was the tiniest glint of gold. Harry quickly glanced back and saw Malfoy hovering behind him. Taking a sudden shot towards the ground, Harry plunged, Malfoy on his tail. Harry pulled up just before he hit the ground; Malfoy barely managed to jerk up in time to avoid crashing. Harry sped up and headed right for where the tiny Snitch was waiting. The Snitch appeared to have realized that it was about to be caught because it zoomed straight up. Harry followed.
The Snitch seemed to go higher and higher. Malfoy was still following him. Harry didn't want to think about how high up they were now. A flash of lightning, a peal of thunder. Harry was within mere inches of the Snitch. Even Malfoy had fallen behind, clearly terrified of the storm. Harry's fingers closed around the Snitch. Then, from out of nowhere, a blast of lightning struck and Harry was unseated from his Nimbus.
He fell. Down, down, faster and faster. He could hear the screams of the crowd below. Harry had to think fast; he had a funny feeling that old Dumbles wasn't going to save him. That's when it came to him. Harry wasn't sure how, but a spell appeared in his mind and he shouted it out.
"Assurgo!"
Suddenly, a wind swept up at his feet and he landed, unscathed, upon the ground. Staring up into the stands around him, Harry raised his hand to show the still-struggling Snitch.
"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch and performed a spectacular display of wandless magic!" Lee Jordan shouted to the roaring crowds. "Incredible! Never seen anything like this!"
Harry, still smiling, finally felt the drain on his energy from his little performance and collapsed, unconscious, on the field just as the rest of the team was rushing over to him.
"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!"
"I thought he was going to die."
"Don't be stupid. He's Harry Potter. Death's beyond him."
Harry heard the voices above him. Some were eager, others worried. Harry knew at once that he must be in the hospital wing; he'd slept in this particular bed often enough to know what it felt like. Harry groaned from how sore he felt and sat up.
"Harry!" Fred exclaimed. "How're you feeling?"
"Sore," Harry replied shortly.
"I'd expect you would be," Hermione said reprovingly. "I told you not to try and get yourself killed. Honestly, it's like you have some sort of death wish. I was worried out of my mind that you would get hurt or worse-"
"Expelled?" Harry finished cheekily.
"Killed," Hermione corrected. "Harry, I can't stand the thought of losing you. Don't you ever scare me like that again."
"We won, didn't we?"
"That's beside the point. Really, this is ridiculous. Someone needs to change the rules for Quidditch matches. Playing in storms, especially like this one, is a good way to get people killed. And it nearly did today."
Harry looked bemused. True, he agreed with her that the rules needed to be changed, but he still would've done what he did. He knew how much the game mattered to everyone and he wasn't about to disappoint.
"Where's Wood?" Harry asked.
"Half-drunk and running around starkers," said George with a grin. "He was rather pleased that you snagged us a victory, Harry."
"By the way, Harry," said Angelina Johnson. "How did you do that thing? With the wind?"
"You were only a few feet from death," continued Katie Bell. "We thought you were done for."
"Honestly," said Harry, "I'm not sure myself. Hey, did someone get my Nimbus?"
Everyone suddenly looked awkward.
The news that his Nimbus had hit the Whomping Willow was almost as hard as the first time he got it. Harry knew that he could probably afford to buy a Firebolt for every person in Hogwarts and barely make a dent in his fortune, but still. His Nimbus had been his first real broom and it was hard to take this news a second time.
Harry was startled when the doors of the hospital wing opened to admit Sirius. Sirius was looking very worried.
"Harry, are you alright?" he asked.
A few of the people in the room looked at him uncomfortably; they were still not used to the idea of Sirius Black being innocent.
"I'm okay, Sirius," Harry replied. "How'd you know I was in here?"
"Bathsheba sent me an owl saying you had gotten struck by lightning and nearly fell to your death," Sirius said.
"You know Professor Babbling?"
Sirius suddenly looked awkward himself.
"Ahem, yes, from some time back. She sent me the message as your Head of House."
It was good to know that Professor Babbling was taking her role as Head of Gryffindor seriously. Harry doubted that Dumbledore was pleased about word getting out that a student had nearly been killed.
The doors swung open again and Dumbledore entered.
"Ah, Sirius," he said warmly. "It's nice to see you again. I was wondering if I could see you and Harry in my office-"
"Sod off," Sirius retorted sharply. "My godson is nearly killed and you have the nerve to strut in here and make demands of me?"
"Sirius, I merely wish to ask-"
"It's Lord Black, to you. Harry is going nowhere until he has recovered. I will not be meeting with you and neither will Harry unless it is strictly to do with academics. Now push off, you old fart."
Dumbledore was shocked. Never had he experienced such a dismissal. He glared at Sirius for a moment before turning to leave; it wouldn't be a good idea to further irritate the young Lord.
"Oh, and sir," Harry added, "Kindly return the things you stole from my vault. I would hate to have to send the Goblin Inquisition after you."
Dumbledore froze as the students gasped. He hadn't expected the Goblin Inquisition. He'd heard stories of people who'd been unfortunate enough to receive a visit from them and had no desire to experience it himself. But he couldn't let the Potter grimoire fall into Harry's hands; there would be no telling how powerful the boy would become with that kind of knowledge. If only Dumbledore himself could access the book, that kind of knowledge would be helpful in the protecting of the Greater Good. It was very troubling to be in this position.
Little did Dumbledore know that things were about to get worse for him.
Over the next few days, Dumbledore discovered that the castle itself seemed to have turned against him. None of the secret passageways would open for him, suits of armor tried to trip him as he passed, the ghosts had started giving him the silent-treatment, the portraits frequently glared at him and seemed to whisper behind his back (well, except for the portrait of the rude French knights that had somehow found its way into his office; said Frenchmen chose to make very loud and obnoxious comments as well as rude noises), and the gargoyle that guarded his office was often heard to growl whenever he approached. Even Fawkes seemed angry with him lately.
Things for Harry, however, were going far better by comparison.
Despite the fact that Madam Pomfrey insisted that Harry spend the rest of the weekend in the hospital wing, Harry was not deprived of company. The twins spent a good deal of time with him going over some new prank ideas they would use; they grinned wickedly when Harry suggested something involving Filch, a cactus, and a croquet mallet. Hermione made sure to come by; her original intent was to help Harry with homework, but she was surprised at how he just seemed to breeze straight through it with no difficulties, and the two ended up talking a good deal. Tracey, who turned out to have a love of cooking, stopped by with a basket of muffins; and Daphne, who accompanied her, gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek and offered her congratulations for his victory. Luna was immensely helpful in keeping Harry's spirits up during the tedium of staying in the hospital wing; she told Harry a number of very interesting stories about her special creatures. Several other girls stopped by during the weekend, including Susan Bones and Fay Dunbar. A few of Harry's guy friends stopped by to make sure he was doing okay and to play some games and things to pass the time (though Madam Pomfrey threw Seamus and Dean out when they brought along an Exploding Snap set).
Finally, though she was reluctant to do so, Madam Pomfrey released Harry from the hospital wing on Sunday evening.
When Harry made his appearance in the Great Hall for dinner, there was a torrent of cheers. People were happily slapping him on the back and asking him how he did that strange bit of magic at the end.
Ron was less than cheerful. He sulked all the way through dinner and only managed about four helpings of food. While he was happy that Gryffindor won, he couldn't get over the fact that Harry had once more taken the spotlight. It was just so unfair!
Ginny was staring at Harry with undisguised lust. If she hadn't already desired Harry then she definitely did now. In the young redhead's mind, she was absolutely, positively, one-hundred percent certain that Harry Potter was her destined husband. After all, he had saved her from Vol-from You-Know-Who last year; what more evidence did she need?
Harry spent a nice quiet week of school (well, as quiet as things ever are at Hogwarts). Classes were more interesting than ever; Professor Vector had begun teaching them about Arithmantic patterns used to create sentience in otherwise inanimate objects while Professor Babbling had started them on Summoning Circles. Even Hagrid, who had no reason to be distressed as Harry had prevented the hippogriff incident, had stepped up his game; he had planned out his most recent lesson to involve some much more mild-mannered creatures, something for which Harry was truly grateful as he had no desire to see a repeat of the Blast-Ended Skrewts in fourth year.
Winter had soon descended upon Hogwarts. A thick blanket of snow covered the grounds and a frosty wind blew through the old castle. Christmas was approaching and soon most of the students would be off for the holidays.
It was the last Hogsmeade trip of the semester. Harry made his way down to the village with a large and cheerful group of friends (Harry wondered why he had never sought out more friends in the previous timeline when he had been so desperate for them during his childhood). Together, they entered the Three Broomsticks; it was certainly very festive. Clearly Christmas spirits were running high.
They were all just sitting down to butterbeers when Neville spoke up.
"Harry, isn't that your godfather?"
Harry looked over at where Neville was pointing and, sure enough, there was Sirius arm-in-arm with…Professor Babbling? The young blonde teacher was laughing merrily at something Sirius had just said to her and the man himself had a big goofy grin on his face.
"Remember what happened around this time in sixth year?" Babbling said.
Sirius' eyes lit up.
"James and I turned old Snivellus into a penguin and you taught me how to ice-skate," he replied. Sirius then noticed Harry, smiled at him and waved.
Harry waved back.
It was so odd seeing his godfather out doing normal things. Sirius was obviously on some kind of date with the Ancient Runes professor. Still, it was nice to see the man having fun; he deserved it after all those years in Azkaban.
While almost everyone in third year and above was down at Hogsmeade, two Ravenclaws had decided they would be celebrating their holidays a little differently. Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe were quietly following behind Luna, waiting until they had the little blonde trapped before they launched their attack.
They had just rounded a corner, intending to knock the younger girl unconscious and lock her in a broom closet like they had done last year; only to find that Luna wasn't there.
"Wait a minute," said Cho, puzzled, "This can't be right. This is the Charms corridor, but we just came out of the wing off the Transfiguration classroom."
They looked around and saw, to their astonishment, that they were, indeed, in a completely different part of the castle.
"This can't possibly be right," Marietta replied.
"And where did Loony go?"
"Let's just get moving; this is creeping me out."
The two girls set off in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower only to find themselves down in the freezing dungeons. No matter which direction they went in, they always ended up in a completely different location than the one they wanted to be in. It wouldn't be until the very last day of school that either girl was able to get back to Ravenclaw Tower at all; and even then the door posed them a question that neither knew the answer to: "What is the capital of Assyria?" And they were stuck waiting outside until Luna, who was much more merciful than either of them could ever hope to be, answered that Assyria no longer has a capital as it is no longer an existing country but when it did exist it was Assur first and later Nineveh.
"But it's not even a riddle!" Cho had exclaimed angrily.
Luna shrugged and brushed by the two frustrated girls.
As it was the last day of school, Harry figured he needed to take a look through the Room of Hidden Things; it was time to collect the Diadem and maybe have a look at what else might be in there. Three times he paced outside the Room of Requirements; after the third time, the door appeared.
The room looked just like it had the last time, cluttered and incredible. Moving swiftly to where the Diadem was, Harry quickly pulled on his dragon-hide gloves so that he wouldn't get accidentally cursed by the Horcrux. Once he retrieved the ancestral artifact, Harry asked the room for a curse-resistant bag, which then appeared. After safely securing the Diadem in the bag, Harry began to take a look at the other contents of the room.
There was a set of old broomsticks that still seemed to be in good condition, an assortment of cloaks, numerous gems that had a strange quality about them, corked bottles with bizarre and obscure contents, a statue of the first Headmaster of Hogwarts, the broken Vanishing Cabinet, some very old weapons, and, of course, the mountains of books (Harry figured that if Hermione ever saw this it would be impossible to tear her away from the room for the next four years, or even longer).
Harry had eventually returned to the Room of Requirements to retrieve several things. He collected the valuable jewels and decided to store them at Gringotts until he decided what to do with them; he had read about certain magical properties in various types of gemstones and there was a chance that these particular jewels might prove useful. He retrieved the broomsticks (which he afterwards took to Madam Hooch who was delighted to finally have suitable replacements for the first year practice brooms) and then turned his attention to the books. It would take ages to sort through this collection of knowledge; but then he realized Wait, duh, it's the Room of Requirement; I just need to ask it to organize all these books for me.
No sooner had the thought entered his mind than the books all began to rise as the room changed into an enormous library. The books all zipped to the shelves that were organized firstly by subject and then alphabetically.
"Well, that's handy," Harry said aloud.
That evening, everyone loaded up their things and set out for the carriages. Harry spent an enjoyable ride on the Hogwarts Express, laughing and playing games with his friends; a certain ginger-haired ex-friend was not invited.
When the train pulled in at King's Cross, Harry immediately noticed Sirius and Remus waiting for him (Harry and Sirius had invited Remus to join them for Christmas). As Harry got his things and headed over to meet them, he was accosted by Mrs. Weasley who then grabbed him in a hug.
"Hello, Harry dear," she said.
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," Harry greeted, trying to refrain from wincing.
"I had no idea you were leaving Hogwarts for Christmas. You are, of course, more than welcome to come by The Burrow, if you wish."
"Thank you for the invitation, Mrs. Weasley, but I will be spending a great deal of time with my godfather. You see, he's only been a free man since the end of summer…"
"Oh, of course, dear. You both may stop by any time."
What was with the woman? Couldn't she take a hint that he already had plans?
"I am spending Christmas at Potter Manor," Harry explained calmly. "It's the ancestral home of my family and I want to get better acquainted with it."
"Of course, Harry dear. Just remember, our door is always open."
Finally, Mrs. Weasley departed and Harry was able to meet up with the two Marauders. Sirius, of course, had to tease Harry mercilessly as they headed out. Sirius had decided they would travel to Potter Manor in the new car that he had bought; the old dog still loved many Muggle things, including bright red Ferraris.
"Sirius," Harry said, "you do have a Driver's License, right?"
Sirius' eyes began to dart shiftily.
Harry gave a sigh.
"Oh, before we head to Potter Manor, we need to take the Horcruxes in to Gringotts," Harry stated.
"Good idea."
"What Horcruxes?" Remus inquired.
"You didn't tell him, Padfoot?"
"I thought you were going to do it!"
"What Horcruxes?"
Harry sighed again.
"Alright. This will probably take a while."
One explanation to Remus about Voldemort's Horcruxes later, the three arrived at Gringotts and presented the locket and diadem to Director Ragnok. Naturally, Ragnok was outraged that someone had created such an evil work of magic and encased it inside historical treasures. Harry went on to explain the same things to Ragnok that he had to Remus and also his 'hypothesis' that another Horcrux 'might' be hidden in the vault of a Death Eater; Harry suggested they check Bellatrix Lestrange's vault first.
The goblins told Harry it would take a few months for the necessary procedure to be set up to exorcise the objects; none of the goblins had any wish to destroy such valuable artefacts. Harry also mentioned that he believed there was one other Horcrux out there; he then explained that he knew that Voldemort had stolen a ring from Morfin Gaunt and likely made it into a Horcrux; he then pointed out that the Gaunt shack was possibly where Voldemort had hidden it and that it would assuredly have curses or something to protect it if that was the case. Harry also chose to mention that he 'suspected' a fragment of Voldemort's soul was lodged inside his head; of course, the goblins were only too willing to check for him (only to be startled and horrified when his 'theory' was proven true).
When Harry left Gringotts that day, he was unaware of just how much respect he had earned; both from already destroying one Horcrux, and for identifying and capturing several others. It was a few days later that Hufflepuff's Cup was discovered in the Lestrange vault.
Author's Note: I was a little unsure of what to do with Cho and Marietta. My first thought was to have them run into a spine-chilling, giant, electric penguin; but I decided to save that for the Triwizard Tournament. I'm also thinking of having the Death Eater's go up against the Killer Rabbit.
Thanks to my loyal readers. I hope to update soon. My decision to have Sirius paired with Professor Babbling was actually spur-of-the-moment; I had originally planned to have Sirius with Hestia Jones, but I wasn't exactly sure how to characterize her and I like what I did with Babbling.
Yes, Harry has finally started taking care of the Horcruxes. I wanted to hold it off for a while so I could fit in some stuff I had already written for the fic.
Sorry there wasn't as much Monty Python in this as usual, but I finally fit in the Silly Walk.
Thank you all, please review.