Chapter 11: Being Bright

Alecta:

"Well," I said, as we left the Shrieking Shack twenty minutes later. "That was…interesting."

Ron and Lupin both gave me odd looks. I shrugged.

"Hey, Nicci?" said Hermione in a small voice. I glanced over at her. "I—I'm really sorry about what I said…and about not hearing the entire story. I'm really glad you did what you did and—"

"Hermione," I said.

"I know you had your reasons, and I don't blame you, and it's our fault—"

"Hermione." This was the third time she'd done this, and it was really getting old.

"And I really hope you can forgive us for labeling you as a traitor, because you're not, you're a really great friend—"

"Hermione!"

"What?"

"You're doing it again!"

"The rambling? I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

I looked at her and she looked back. We hugged and laughed at ourselves.

Harry stared at us strangely.

Hermione, Harry, and I were at the very back of the little procession we were making. Crookshanks was at the front, with Lupin and Ron (who were chained to Pettigrew) behind him. Sirius was behind him, using magic to make Snape float.

Harry and Sirius began to have a conversation, so Hermione and I fell back a little. "D'you think this'll all turn out all right?" she asked nervously.

"With our luck? Probably not," I joked weakly.

"I wonder if we'll have a normal year at Hogwarts."

"Nah," I said, grinning. "And it wouldn't be very fun if we did."

"Nicci…," she said, "did you…well, did you happen to see what we're going to do next year?"

My smile faded. "No," I lied. Going back to the whole 'technically' excuse, I wasn't entirely sure what we'd be doing. But I had a good idea. The Tri-Wizard Tournament was happening next year, and Harry was going to be a champion. Somehow.

"Oh," she sighed, and her shoulders sagged. "I just want Harry and Ron to be safe, y'know? I'm tired of all these near-death experiences."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, I love the adventure, and it's great to be with them…but what if Sirius hadn't been after Pettigrew? What if he had betrayed Harry's parents and wanted to kill Harry?"

"You can't think like that, Hermione," I told her, shaking my head.

Just then, we reached the base of the Whomping, and Hermione focused on getting out of the hole.

"One wrong move, Peter," said Lupin, pointing his wand at Pettigrew.

I watched as the castle lights got larger; we were walking across the grounds. Easily the most amusing part of the entire experience was Snape, continuingly slamming against passing objects. I looked up the clouds, covering the—

Full moon.

Ah, crap.

Snape slammed into Lupin, Pettigrew, and Ron, who had stopped walking. Sirius and I exchanged glances, and simultaneously stopped Hermione and Harry.

"Oh my—he didn't take his potion tonight! He's not safe!" gasped out Hermione.

"I know," I said grimly. "Dammit Sirius, do something—Harry, no!"

I grabbed Harry and pushed him back as he tried to jump forward to get Ron.

"Run," whispered Sirius. "Run. Now."

But we couldn't just leave Ron—

"Leave it to me—RUN!"

"Don't be stupid!" I cried.

But it was too late—Sirius was transforming. Lupin had broken free of the chains and was now battling Sirius, locked jaw to jaw, claw to claw—

Really bad timing, but that was an amazing rhyme.

I'm kidding. It was terrible.

BANG! Pettigrew dived for Lupin's wand and Ron fell. There was a burst of light and Ron lay motionless.

"Ron!" I shrieked. Forgetting that there was a werewolf five feet away, I ran for him and felt Hermione follow me.

"Expelliarmus!" yelled Harry at Pettigrew.

I bent down next to Ron and saw Hermione on the other side. Lupin turned towards us, teeth bared. Before Sirius could get there, he charged—

"Protego!" I screamed. Lupin ran into the shield and was blasted backward, landing in a pile of branches.

"Sirius, he's gone, Pettigrew transformed!" I heard Harry yell.

Lupin was galloping off into the forest, Sirius had gone off somewhere. This was not good. Harry dashed over to Hermione and I.

"Nicci, what did he do to him?" asked Hermione, clearly panicked.

"I don't know…," I moaned. "Harry…we've got to get up to the castle…we've got to tell someone…"

Harry stood up straight. "C'mon—"

And then I heard it. It was a dog—a dog in pain, yelping—

"Sirius," muttered Harry.

He took off into the woods towards the sound of the dog's voice, Hermione right behind him.

I groaned. This was terrible—this was awful—

"Ron, wake up, wake up!" I cried, shaking him. "You're not dead, come on—"

But Ron wouldn't wake. I stared up at Snape, who was still floating off the ground, completely unconscious. I sighed and said, "Finite Incantartum."

He fell to the ground with a thump.

I heard a scream from the direction of the lake. Someone cried "Expecto—EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

What was going on down there?

"Harry? Hermione?" I called uncertainly. I heard no answer.

"Oh come on, come on," I said to Ron. "Wake up, wake up…"

He moaned in pain but only rolled over.

I heard Snape begin to stir. There was only one thing for it. I was going to have to Stun myself; otherwise, I'd be blamed for being in cohorts with Sirius. Damn this all.

I murmured, "Stupefy," and with my remaining seconds stowed my wand safely in my robes.


I woke up very suddenly; it was really an odd feeling. I'd never actually Stunned myself before.

I sat up in my bed and saw that Hermione (who was in the bed next to me), Harry, and Ron were all still unconscious. Madam Pomfrey came bustling in, and saw me sitting up.

"My goodness!" she exclaimed, obviously quite shocked. "Up already, Miss Lonsen? That was quite a nasty Stunning spell."

"I heal fast," I said, pulling my legs out from under my sheets. Madam Pomfrey opened her mouth as if to say something, but closed it again as she saw the mark on my ankle. "What is that?"

"Birthmark," I mumbled. She walked over and looked at my ankle. "That is not any old birthmark, Miss Lonsen. Where did you get that?"

"I've had it since birth. It's a birthmark."

"The lion…intertwined with the…snake—" Her eyed widened. "Gryffindor?"

"Shush!" I said.

"Alecta Gryffindor? But that's—completely—"

"Impossible?"

"I—I…no—"

"You seem to be stuttering quite a bit, Madam Pomfrey," I said. "Are you all right?"

"You can't be—"

"Can't I?" I focused my mind and got rid of the enchantments. My hair turned to the color of golden-wheat; my body became slightly tanner. Finally, my face grew more angel-like.

She stumbled back and gaped at me. "You—you are—"

"Well, no need to sound so surprised," I grumbled, turning back to Nicci Lonsen.

"I can't believe—" She was interrupted by another voice.

"Shocking business…shocking…miracle none of them died…never heard the like…by thunder, it was lucky you were there, Snape…"

I growled. "He didn't do anything! He was knocked out!" I muttered under my breath.

"No!"

Huh?

"Black had bewitched them, I saw it immediately. A Confundus Charm, to judge by their behavior. They seemed to think there was some possibility he was innocent…"

I got out of bed angrily, realizing suddenly that I was still dressed. I Transfigured a goblet into a brush and started brushing through my hair.

"…and of course Potter has always been allowed an extraordinary amount of license by the headmaster…"

I pulled a clod out of dirt out of my hair angrily and began running the brush through a huge knot.

"…Personally, I try and treat him like any other student..."

I raised my eyebrows skeptically. Treat him like any other student? What a joke! I jumped up out of bed and started pacing in annoyance.

"Here, Miss Lonsen, could you come help me?" said Madam Pomfrey, looking more collected. I nodded and went over to her office.

I came out carrying a glass of water and a boulder-like piece of chocolate a minute or two later. I put down the chocolate next to Harry's bed and saw he was rubbing his eyes groggily. I actually laughed.

"…Nicci?" he asked.

"Hi, Harry," I said softly.

"Shhh, you two," hissed Hermione. She pointed to the opened door where Snape's voice was coming through. Someone else was out there…but I couldn't quite make out who

"Ah, you're awake!" said Madam Pomfrey. She took out a hammer and started beating it on the chocolate boulder. Did she usually keep a hammer in her pocket?

"How's Ron?" asked Harry and Hermione together. I'd seen Ron already; he looked pale, tired, and hurt, but not dead. Certainly not dead.

"He'll live," said Madam Pomfrey. "As for you two…" I stuck my tongue out at them, "you'll be staying here until I'm satisfied you're—Potter, what do you think you're doing?"

"I need to see the headmaster," Harry said, putting on the glasses I handed him.

"Potter," said the nurse soothingly, "it's all right. They've got Black. He's locked away upstairs. The dementors will be performing the kiss any moment now—"

"WHAT?" Harry and I yelled together. "Why didn't you tell me that?" I said alone.

Harry and Hermione jumped out of bed. I heard people running in and turned to face them only to meet—Fudge?

"YOU!" I shouted, dropping the glass of water I was holding. It shattered to pieces at my feet.

He stared at me, recognition crossing his face. "Nicci—Nicci Lonsen? What're you doing here? At Hogwarts?"

"You're still Minister?" I shouted, rage in every syllable. "After what you did? What idiots elected you?"

"Lonsen!" he yelled back, looking quite flustered. "I don't—how did you—?"

"Minister, listen!" interrupted Harry, jumping between us. "Sirius Black's innocent! Peter Pettigrew faked his own death! We saw him tonight! You can't do that to Sirius, he's—"

"Harry, Harry, you're very confused, you've been through a dreadful ordeal, lie back down, now, we've got it under control…"

Oh, Harry's going to love that.

"YOU HAVEN'T!" he yelled. "YOU'VE GOT THE WRONG MAN!"

"Minister, listen, please," said Hermione, rushing to stand next to me. I bent down and muttered "Reparo," quietly. The cup flew back together and I picked it up.

"They're telling the truth, Fudge," I added quietly.

"You see, Minister?" said Snape nastily. "Confunded, all of them. Black's done a very good job…"

"WE'RE NOT CONFUNDED!" roared Harry.

I tossed my head angrily.

"Minister! Professor!" cried Madam Pomfrey. "I must insist…"

I ignored her and quietly edged around the arguing group. I ghosted out the door (no pun intended) and almost ran into Dumbledore.

"Nicci?" asked Dumbledore curiously. "Why aren't you in the hospital wing?"

"Snuck out—Did you talk to Sirius, Dumbledore?"

"I did indeed," he said. He shook his head, smiling. "I should have known you were lying about not speaking with him, Nicci."

"Yeah, well, it was necessary," I said distractedly. "Are they really going to perform the Kiss, Dumbledore?"

"I'm afraid they are, Nicci."

"They can't—they just—"

We had reached the entrance of the hospital wing. Harry, who had been sitting for some reason, stood back up and said with difficulty, "Professor Dumbledore, Sirius Black—"

"For heaven's sake! Is this a hospital wing or not?" said Madam Pomfrey hysterically. "Headmaster, I must insist—"

"My apologies, Poppy, but I must have a word with Miss Lonsen, Miss Granger, and Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore. "I have just been talking to Sirius Black—"

"I suppose he's told you the same fairy tale he's planted in Potter's mind," hissed Snape. "Something about a rat, and Pettigrew being alive—"

"That, indeed, is Black's story," said Dumbledore.

"And does my evidence count for nothing? Peter Pettigrew was not in the Shrieking Shack, nor was he on the grounds!"

"You know, for someone who claims to know everything, you're really quite dumb," I snapped.

"Miss Lonsen, HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"Now, Snape," said Fudge, "the young lady is disturbed in her mind—we must make allowances—"

"I would like to speak with Harry, Hermione, and Nicci alone," said Dumbledore, ending the argument. "Cornelius, Severus, Poppy—please leave us."

When he finally got everyone to leave (Snape put up quite a bit of a fight), he turned to us. Harry and Hermione burst into speech at once.

"Professor, Black's telling the truth—we saw Pettigrew—"

"—he escaped when Lupin turned into a werewolf—"

"—he's a rat—"

"—Pettigrew's front paw, I mean, finger, he cut it off—"

"—Pettigrew attacked Ron, it wasn't Sirius—"

I alone remained silent.

Dumbledore held up his hand. "It is your turn to listen, and I beg you will not interrupt me because there is very little time," he said urgently. I grimaced and got ready for the long speech by tuning out everything that was being said. Thinking was really a hobby for me (you have no idea how many speeches I've had to listen to), and so I thought. But what to think about?

I believe I was staring off into space for about a minute and a half before I caught back onto the conversation.

"Sirius has not acted like an innocent man. The attack on the Fat Lady—entering Gryffindor Tower with a knife—without Pettigrew, alive or dead, we have no chance of overturning Sirius's sentence."

"But you believe us," I cut in.

"Yes, I do," said Dumbledore. "But I have no power to make other people see truth, or overrule the Minister of Magic…what we need," he added, looking into our faces, "is more time."

"What…?" said Hermione.

"Oh!" I cried, seeing were he was going with this. "Exactly—Dumbledore, that's…of course!"

Dumbledore stared at me. "Now pay attention," he said. "Sirius is locked in Professor Flitwick's office on the second floor. Thirteenth window from the right of the West Tower. If all goes well, you will be able to save more than one innocent life tonight. But remember this, all of you: you must not be seen. Miss Granger, Miss Lonsen, you both know the law—you know what is at stake…You—must—not—be—seen."

Dumbledore strode over the door.

"I am going to lock you in. It is—five minutes to midnight. Miss Granger, three turns should do it. Good luck."

"Good luck?" asked Harry. "Three turns? What's he talking about? What're we supposed to do?"

Hermione fumbled in her robes and pulled out the Time-Turner. I quickly went over to her and stood next to her. "Harry, come here!"

Harry walked over to us and Hermione threw the chain around our necks.

"Ready?" she asked.

"What are we doing?" asked Harry.

"Hermione, just go," I exclaimed. "We're ready."

She nodded and turned the hourglass three times.


"Harry, we musn't be seen!"

Hermione was yelling at Harry again; they'd been arguing about the details for the past hour.

"How can you just let this happen?" asked Harry angrily. "Just standing there and watching it happen? I'm going to grab the cloak."

"Harry, no!" I hissed, grabbing the back of his robes. "Look, it's already happened. We can't change what went on down there, all right? Maybe if Snape hadn't been wearing the cloak, and hadn't waited until later, he would've entered the place before you had heard about the Animagi—maybe you wouldn't have Stunned Snape, maybe you'd have gone with him, and we'd be right back where we started! Even worse, if Snape meant his threat about the dementors and Kissed Sirius before we got up to the castle! And then all this would be for nothing because you tried to change the past!"

Harry and Hermione stared at me. "She's right, Harry," said Hermione earnestly.

Harry growled a bit, but sat back down.

Almost two minutes later, we saw Snape head down the path and take the Invisibility Cloak. He picked up the branch Lupin had used, froze the tree, and slid into the passageway.

"So that's it," I heard Hermione say. "We're all down there…and now we've just got to wait until we come back up again…"

"No," I said, a detail from earlier coming back to my memory. "We have one other thing to do first."

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well…" I stalled. "You—we—didn't manage not to be seen. We were seen."

"By who?" asked Harry, looking alarmed.

I smiled grimly. "Me."

"You? You saw us?" asked Hermione.

I nodded. "But I don't come out for another twenty or so minutes."

We lapsed into silence again.

Hermione suddenly said, "Harry, there's something I don't understand…Why didn't the dementors get Sirius? I remember them coming, and then I think I passed out…there were so many of them…Nicci, did you…?" She trailed off as I shook my head.

"I didn't go anywhere near you," I admitted. "I was with Ron—I think Pettigrew came back and Stunned me, because—Anyway, the only thing that could stop the number of Dementors at Hogwarts would be…" I swallowed. "A real Patronus."

"Did you see anything, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"I was blacking out—a dementor was about to Kiss me and Sirius…probably you too. And then this big silver shape just came out of nowhere and it—it forced the dementors away," he said.

"But who conjured it?" Hermione asked. "Didn't you see what they looked like? Was it one of the teachers?"

"No," Harry said, "he wasn't a teacher."

"But it must have been a really powerful wizard, to drive all those dementors away…If the Patronus was shining so brightly, didn't it light him up? Couldn't you see?"

"Yeah, I saw him," said Harry. "But…I might have imagined it…I wasn't thinking straight…I passed out right afterward…"

"Who did you think it was?" I asked in interest.

"I think—I think it was my dad."

"Harry, your dad's—well—dead," said Hermione quietly.

Dead…dead…dead

"Nicci!"

Huh?

"Nicci? Nicci! Wake up!"

Oof!

I fell out of my bed and glared balefully at Ginny Weasley, who was standing over me. Then I remembered. It had been a dream. Well, a memory really...it had all actually happened.

Sirius was gone. Him and Buckbeak had escaped about a week ago, and I was still haunted by the feeling of what could have happened. If our luck hadn't been unusually good that night. But of course, Miss Ginevra was not going to allow me to drown in my worries and fears.

"Nicci! Up! Dumbledore wants to talk to you, so go get dressed," she said, pulling me up and dragging me over to my dresser. I glared at her.

"You really are the worst friend in history."

"I can live with that, Nicci."

"Go die."

"Do you say that to all of your friends?"

"Maybe," I grumbled, putting on my robes. "Or maybe I'm homicidal."

"What's that?" Ginny asked me. Damn, I forgot that 'homicidal' was a Muggle term.

"Oh—never mind," I said, walking out the dormitory.

When I reached Dumbledore's office (which, by the way, was my father's), I said tiredly, "Hello, Magnus."

The gargoyle jumped to life at the sound of my voice. "A—Alecta?"

"Hello," I repeated. "D'you think you could let me up, Magnus?"

"Er, sure," said the statue, leaping aside. I nodded my head at him and walked up the steps, not bothering to wait for the slow rotation.

"Ah, hello Nicci," said Dumbledore from behind his desk. I walked forward and sat down in a chair across from him. "I trust you know why you're here?"

"You've decided which family to send me off to?"

He nodded, and I saw the familiar twinkle in his eye. "When is the twenty-first?" he asked me.

"Er, two days from now," I responded.

"And that is when you lose your immortality?"

"Yeah," I said. "And I stop having these stupid visions every other Saturday!"

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow.

"From now on I'll only have them on the summer and winter solstice," I told him, grinning madly.

"Ah, good," he said, his expression clearing. "I was worried that you might disturb your—er—host family, but it seems that's all been cleared up."

I nodded.

He took out a letter and read it quickly, then looked back at me and smiled. "All right, Miss Lonsen, I've arranged for you to stay at the Weasley's," he was saying. "But I expect you to use your magic to make the stay easier, and I think it would be fair if some of your vault money…20 galleons, let's say…goes to the Weasleys anonymously for every month you're there."

"Thanks, Dumbledore," I said, nearly bursting with laughter.

"You knew this was going to happen," he said dryly, folding up the letter again.

I just smiled.

"One more thing," said Dumbledore, petting Fawkes. "I know that you're still only thirteen, but really you're over a thousand years old, and your magic…well, your magic recognizes that. You don't have the Trace on you. Haven't, in fact, for a millennium, but you haven't spent much time in England so it hasn't really mattered. You are—technically—of age…" Here he swallowed nervously.

"Seriously? So I don't have to hide magic? Yes!" I shouted, grinning.

"Please don't abuse your magic, Nicci," he said, sighing. "And don't tell anyone."

"Dumbledore, I've kept my secret a thousand years. I think I'm good."

I began to leave when I remembered something. "Dumbledore?"

"Yes, Nicci?"

"What're we going to tell Mr. and Mrs. Weasley? I mean, are we telling them the truth or—"

"No," said Dumbledore sadly. "Not yet. Not quite yet. They are not ready to learn such things yet."

"Secrets," I agreed unhappily. "Bring people together even as it tears them apart."

"Very wise," he said. "And here I thought all you could do was sarcasm."

"Oh, thanks," I said huffily. "See you, Dumbledore." I stalked out of the office and marched back to the girl's dormitory only to be stopped by Lupin.

"Nicci?" he asked. "Miss Lonsen?"

I spun around in surprise. "Professor?"

"Not anymore," he said grimly.

"What? What're you talking about?" I asked.

"I've resigned," he said. I stared at him in horror. "Professor Snape, er, accidentally let it slip this morning that I am a werewolf."

"And you're leaving because of him?"

"I am indeed," he said. "Parents do not want their children being taught by a werewolf."

"Have you talked to Harry?" I asked him.

"I already did," he admitted. "In fact, I just left him. I returned the Marauder's Map to him."

"See? You are an old softy," I said, grinning. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other again?"

"Just a feeling?"

"All right, I know we're going to see each other again."

"How long?"

"Mmm…" I racked my brains. "Beginning of next summer."

"I can't wait to see you," he said, holding out his hand.

I shook it. "Good-bye, Lupin."

"I'll see you soon," he told me, smiling. "And Nicci, don't do anything stupid, all right?"

He turned and walked away, leaving me glaring after him.

"Nicci! Nicci!" cried a voice. I swung around and saw Ginny running up, out of breath. "Did you talk to Dumbledore? Are you coming with us? Are we adopting you?"

"No, you're not adopting me," I said, enjoying her crestfallen face. "But I am coming home with you!"

She stared at me. "But—you—no way—Nicci!" she cried, slapping my arm.

I laughed. "Serves you right for pushing me out of bed."

"How did you—you don't miss anything, do you?" she said. "My brothers are going to have a real challenge with you."

"If it were easy to pull one over me, I wouldn't be going to the same house as Fred and George."


I was sitting on the Hogwarts Express with Harry, Ron, and Hermione yawning madly. I'd forgotten how it felt to be tired, or hungry, or even growing. It was really quite disorientating. I almost missed Hermione saying, "Harry, what's that thing outside your window?"

I turned to see a very tiny, fluffy, grey owl outside Harry's window. It was carrying a letter very disproportioned to its' size. Harry opened the window and grabbed the owl. It dropped the letter in Harry's lap, then began zooming around. Harry opened the letter. "It's from Sirius!"

"What?" Hermione and I said excitedly.

"Read it aloud!" said Ron.

"Dear Harry,

I hope this finds you before you reach your aunt and uncle. I don't know whether they're used to owl post.

Buckbeak and I are in hiding. I won't tell you where, in case this letter falls into the wrong hands. I have some doubt about his reliability, but he is the best I could find, and he did seem eager for the job.

I believe the dementors are still searching for me, but they haven't a hope of finding me here. (Nicci, if you think hard enough, you can probably guess where I am.) I am planning to let some Muggles catch a glimpse of me, a long way from Hogwarts, so the security on the castle will be lifted.

There was something I never got around to telling you during our brief meeting. It was I who sent you the Firebolt—

"Ha!" cried Hermione triumphantly.

"Yes, but he hadn't jinxed it, had he?" said Ron. "Ouch!" The owl had bit him. I sniggered.

Crookshanks took the order to the Owl Office for me and Nicci kept the teachers from inflicting any damage to it during their "examination." She's a really great friend; if it weren't for her, you wouldn't currently have a godfather to give you a present.

I would also like to apologize for the fright I think I gave you last year when you left your uncle's—"

"Oi! Nicci!"

George's voice interrupted the letter. I whirled around to see George opening the compartment door with Fred behind him.

"What is it, George?" I asked.

"I heard you're staying with us this summer, Nics," he said.

"I heard I was too," I responded, smiling sweetly. "What a coincidence!"

"C'mon little sis," said George.

"Oh no," I said, jumping up. I was never going to be able to forget Erised's Mirror if I thought of George as a brother. "No, no, no. I am not your sister."

"Why not?" asked Fred, looking offended.

"Because I'm not obliged to and there's no job satisfaction," I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

"Yeah, what's so great about being your sister?" asked Ginny, appearing at the door.

"Is Gin-Gin excited?" asked George.

"Does Georgie have a death wish?" I shot back.

Hermione looked faintly amused, but Ron looked stunned. "You're staying at the Burrow?" he asked faintly.

"Is it really so hard to believe?" I said, looking confused. "It was a bit obvious."

"I thought so too," said Ginny triumphantly. "Come on, George, Fred, Jordan's getting bored. Nicci, you want to come?"

I nodded and said good-bye to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Following Ginny down the train, I asked, "Lee Jordan, right?"

"Yeah," she said. "I don't know why I sat with them, but they're funny and I'm pretty sure they're not doing anything illegal, so why not?"

"Yes, why not?"

She laughed.


Exiting the train, I said good-bye to Lee and walked off with Ginny, Fred, and George. Right outside the barrier, we ran into Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were talking together.

"Hey, Harry!" I called. He turned around and I hugged him. I would miss him. I'd really miss him over the summer.

"I'll call about the World Cup!" yelled Ron as I dragged him off towards the rest of the family. Hermione spotted her parents, and after a quick hug, she departed as well.

"Nicci!" called Mr. Weasley. "It's really great to see you again!"

"It's good to see you too, Mr. Weasley," I said. I had a feeling—but no more than a feeling—that this would be a really great summer.

A/N: Yes! Finally done! So, after arguing with myself, I finally decided to take a reviewer's advice and cut out most of the Time-Turning, which brought my original two chapters down to one. Did you catch my dream-thing? Of course you did: it wasn't exactly subtle.

I thought I'd taken forever to write this chapter. Then I looked at my last update and realized, Oh. It was five days ago.

Well, I'll update soon as I can with the next chapter.