I am really bloody sorry this took so long to write and post. RL has been, and still is, utterly insane, and there were times that I seriously thought I would never be able to write again. Yeah, so sorry again!
Goldhawk – There may be some attempts to mock Harry and Snape for favoritism, but those will be swiftly beaten down.
Linky2 – I love your review! Honestly, that is brilliant! Thanks for the support...
Henriette – Yes, well Harry is suppose to be kind of creepy in this... That was the point of writing it. I mean after all he is to be the new Dark Lord...
RaistlinofMetallica – Well I'm thinking on a summer visit to the Black Family Mansion, there will be some 'tension', to term it nicely... weeps You pegged it... no time and my Severus muse decided he didn't want to shout, so he cursed my Sirius muse into submission... My muses are so violent... They take after me too much! Hehe... That is sad. I hope you are all right. But still, update PLEASE! I am seriously begging you! Plus, as incentive, here is a chocolate-covered Severus for your last update...
Note: If someone could tell me in which chapter I said that Kreacher died of old age, I would appreciate it a lot. I need to change that because I don't want him dead... I have plans for that house elf! Thanks and read on!
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than Krista and the plot. I also don't own any of Tolkien's books. I respect the man and his pure genius too much to even think of claiming such a thing!
Dedication: All right, all right. Goldhawk got the first review for that last chapter in. Thus this chapter is dedicated to Goldhawk! Yay!
A Change of Fate
Referees and Dragon's Breath
Several weeks after Christmas break, Marcus gathered the Slytherin Quidditch team together after a particularly rainy practice. "Great news team!" He beamed, looking more like a troll than usual. Harry was by far the smallest person on the team, and the only one picked for speed and talent. Of course, the others could fly and play Quidditch well enough, but most of them had been picked for brute force over extreme talent. Harry was also the only team member under the fourth year...
"Professor Snape, our dear Head of House, has decided to referee our next match. Now there is no way Gryffindor can beat us, not that they could anyway with Harry here as our best Seeker in Hogwarts' history." He beamed proudly looking very much like a bloated bullfrog that had been dead a week or two. Harry smiled weakly and tried to join in the celebration, but he found he was too furious and left the party as soon as possible.
Harry burst into Severus' office in his practice gear with his broom still over one shoulder. "What are you doing, Dad?" Severus looked up from the paper he was grading. "I am sure I have no idea what you mean, Son." His voice had a dangerous edge to it, which Harry pointedly ignored. "Refereeing the match! Do you think I need extra protection? Because I don't!" Severus' expression was mild while the boy yelled his piece. Severus then waited a moment to make sure his son was finished. "Extra protection, yes. From a bunch of Gryffindors, no. Now sit and let me explain." Harry sank into a chair angrily as his father cast several strong silencing charms on the room, along with some special locking spells. The boy listened carefully, despite his anger, and tried to quickly memorize the ones he had never before heard. "Now Harry," sighed Severus as he seated himself behind his desk and steepled his long fingers. "As you know, I was a Deatheater. I always will be really." He looked into space a moment sadly, his eyes distant while Harry waited.
Severus blinked suddenly and looked back at the boy. "Harry... My son, you remember I told you of those Deatheaters trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone?" Harry nodded mutely; wondering what this had to do with the match. "Well they have obviously heard about my adopting you as my son..." "So?" It had been all over the Daily Prophet as soon as news got out. "This puts us both in a very... dangerous situation, Harry." Severus said slowly. "These Deatheaters don't like the idea of a fellow adopting the boy that killed their Lord. They will assuredly try to kill not only myself, but you as well. That is why you need extra protection. You see, Lucius is still tight within their group, acting more closely to a spy than a loyal follower, but they will never question him." Here Severus shook his head slightly. "He told me they hope to catch the school during the match, kill us two, and steal the Stone all at once. Don't worry about the Stone," Severus assured seeing his son's look of horror. "It is extremely well- guarded by that monster dog and many other things as well. And," Severus smirked with dark pride. "If they get past the other foolish guards, they most certainly will not get past mine."
Harry grinned. "You however Harry, will not be so carefully guarded if they get past the school's barrier. I asked to referee the match so I could get to you more quickly, should there be the need." Harry nodded solemnly; his anger had dissipated like so much mist at high noon. Then he grinned again. "I bet those Gryffindor babies heard you were refereeing and started to cry!" He laughed coldly, causing Severus to shiver. The laughter was so much like the 'late' Lord Voldemort's. 'Too much like it,' he thought grimly. "Now Harry... Promise to keep your wand on you during the match and be careful." His son nodded and left after giving the Potions Master a hug.
The Quidditch team walked into their changing room with high-spirits several weeks later. As Harry changed for the match, he carefully slipped his wand under his robes while no one was looking. Tracy, Marvolo, Draco, Blaise, and the other first years were sitting up in the stands, sure of a Slytherin victory. In fact, everyone was sure of Slytherin sweeping the pitch with Gryffindor, probably literally as well as figuratively. Marcus came back from the door. "Dumbledore's even come to watch!" He exclaimed in slight dismay. "Don't worry Marcus, we'll still clean house so badly that no one will have a chance at that Cup!" Grinned one of the Beaters. Harry nodded; knowing the real reason the Headmaster had come.
As the teams took the pitch, Harry noticed the Gryffindors were all pale and sweating. He smirked even as he scanned the crowd. Lucius Malfoy had even come. He was sitting with Harry's followers; Marvolo draped over his shoulders. Harry sneeringly wondered if the Deatheater knew who exactly Marvolo was. Then he was mounting his broom and they were off. The game went on for hours, all the while Harry purposely blocked the Gryffindor Seeker again and again. Snape was awarding penalties left and right to Slytherin for real and imagined Gryffindor offences. Chaos more or less ruled the stands as Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuff alike howled with indignation, and Slytherins jeered at them all smirkingly. The game started at eight am and it wasn't until noon that trouble finally came cursing.
Harry pulled into a spectacular dive, drawing gasps of awe from even the Gryffindors. The whole match seemed to freeze as every eye turned to him. He plummeted out of the sky like an emerald comet; the Gryffindor Seeker left in his dust fifty feet above. He blasted past Severus, missing his father by inches. Harry was mere feet from the ground when he finally pulled up again; the Snitch clutched tightly in one hand. However the roar of the Slytherin cheering quickly turned to panicked screams as an angry red curse flew by Harry's head. One hundred figures robed in black and masked filled the pitch. Many had brooms and were already flying after both Harry and Severus. Snape was blasting curses at Deatheaters with unerring accuracy as the teams and student-body fled in panicked disarray. However, Harry soon found out that his father could not protect him; he was too busy trying to stay alive. After some time dodging and firing curses back at Deatheaters, Harry began to feel the pull of exhaustion, both from the fight and the game beforehand. He saw the curse aimed at his heart too late. He stared, transfixed, as it flew at him. However, at the last moment, a figure reflected it with a shielding spell. Lucius hovered between Harry and his attacker; Marvolo still wrapped around his shoulders. By now, the pitch was empty other than Severus, Harry, Marvolo, Lucius, and the remaining Deatheaters.
Severus flew up to where the Deatheaters were surrounding Harry and Lucius. The boy noticed his father was bleeding freely, but dared not try to heal him. Even Dumbledore had left, probably to protect the rest of the students in the school. Lucius glared defiantly at the remaining Deatheaters, and handed Marvolo back to Harry. The snake began to hiss urgently in the boy's ear. "Stop!" Harry hissed at Marvolo prompting. "Stop! All of you fools, stop in the name of Lord Voldemort, whom we all hold in highest honor!" Every set of eyes turned to the boy and snake; Marvolo kept hissing loudly. "This snake," Harry indicated Marvolo, "speaks with Lord Voldemort's tongue! He came to me because Voldemort is dead and was reincarnated to this form. By the laws of Darkness, there can only be one Dark Lord at a time. This you all know, and know well!" He looked more confident now, and Marvolo quieted with a self-assured airs. "When Voldemort tried to kill me, he knew there could be only one as powerful as we two on this planet at once. He gave his life and power to me as his successor, then returned as my serpent advisor. By his rights, none shall question my authority! Isshna sssahhaa ksshrrraaa harrI! The followers will never fail!" He cried, quoting Voldemort's own oath. Every Deatheater bowed instantly, feeling the aura of power backing those words, even Lucius and Severus bowed deeply.
"You follow Lord Pharames now. Voldemort is my advisor, and Snape and Malfoy are my council and protectors." The two men bowed again, deeply honored. "Now the rest of you leave! You will be contacted when needed." The Deatheaters departed meekly enough, though several still shot the trio dark glares. As the three landed, Severus hugged Harry tightly. "That was an amazing display, Potter." Smiled Lucius. "Or should I say Young Master." He bowed slightly in the manor of aristocrats. Harry smiled as Severus let him go, however as the support fled Harry felt faint and nearly fell. His father caught him up. "You displayed great power today, my son. I am very proud of you, but I think you need rest now." Harry nodded with a sleepy smile; glad his father was there. The boy was asleep by the time Dumbledore met them and never knew how they explained the fight to the Headmaster without giving away the boy Dark Lord. However, they did and he and Severus woke in the Hospital wing with Marvolo the next morning.
"Dad?" Harry's throat hurt; it felt sore and cracked. "Yes son?" Severus' wasn't much better, though his voice still retained some of its silk. "Did yesterday really happen?" Harry saw the corner of Severus' mouth twitch with what might have been a smile. "Yes Harry, it did. Soon the whole of England, if not the world, will have heard rumor of Lord Pharames, the new Dark Lord." Harry sighed. "This is ahead of schedule." He glanced about to make sure Madam Pomfrey wasn't around. "I hadn't wanted anyone outside of Hogwarts to know until I was more prepared." "That's understandable Harry, but the Deatheaters will not give you away; they respected Voldemort too much for that. At least those whom are loyal to Voldemort won't." Harry nodded. The two fell silent as the Hospital doors opened. Madam Pomfrey bustled in. "Well you two are finally up. Fighting all of those Deatheaters! You two are lucky to be alive!" She muttered to herself the whole time they were being treated. Neither was allowed to leave until everyone was at dinner. Severus brought Harry down to his library, where Krista was waiting.
"Thank Circe you two are all right!" She cried, pulling them both into a hug. "Lucius told me everything. I was so worried about you Harry." She pulled the boy into an extra tight hug, which squished the indignant Marvolo. They all sat down on the couch and Krista made them tell her the story all over again. "Why didn't you stay, Aunt Krista?" Harry asked when the tale was done. "Because Harry, I wasn't at the game in the first place. Dumbledore asked me to guard the Stone." She smiled at him. "Besides you obviously didn't need my help." Harry was thoughtful a moment. "You will help me, won't you Aunt Krista?" Krista smiled at her godson, silently cursing the boy's fate. "Of course I will Harry, as long as you don't kill senselessly." The boy nodded and then smiled brightly. "Wait until Draco and the others hear about this!" Severus looked worried. "Harry, it might not be wise to tell your friends about this... I mean, this is not a game." Harry's smile took on a sly nature. "I know that Dad, but why should I not tell my first followers about additions to their ranks? After all, I trust their loyalty more than those Deatheaters'." Harry and Marvolo left soon after. Indeed, Lord Pharames' followers were no longer limited to Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Tracy, Vincent, and Gregory. Harry now had many followers more than that.
As the weeks passed quietly and the homework was piled on over Easter break, Harry began devising a way to contact his followers, as Voldemort once had. "That tattoo is too tacky and easily found." He said to Draco one day. "What about a tattoo that is only visible when you call them? And it doesn't even need to be in the same place for every follower. If the tattoo is in different places and not visible until a calling, then no one will find it." "Yeah, that is an excellent idea. I knew I made you my highest follower for a reason Draco." The blond grinned and turned back to the drawing he had been working on. Draco was an artist at heart and every one in Slytherin knew it. "Draco?" Harry whispered. "Hmm?" Draco didn't even look up. "I want you to design the tattoo..." Now his head shot up. "What?" Harry grinned. "I want you to draw the tattoo for me." Draco blinked. "I – I would be honored." He stammered. Harry watched with a dark smile as Draco turned to a blank page and started immediately.
Within half an hour, Draco presented Harry with three options. One, a snake coiled around a lightning bolt, was "too tacky". The second, a fire with a lightning bolt in the middle, was "not right". The third was a snake coiled into a side-ways figure eight, the sign of eternity, with a lightning bolt behind it. The third one was perfect, and the two immediately began writing the spell from Marvolo's memory. Harry decided Severus should help them perfect the spell once they had most of it written. "Just so that nothing unsightly happens." Draco nodded, knowing he would have the honor of being the first tattooed. The two sat there talking about the spell for several hours. Finally, as they were packing to leave their niche in the library, they saw Hagrid the gamekeeper walk over to Granger, Weasley, and Dursley. "I wonder what that is all about." Draco muttered as the half-giant left. "He had a book about raising dragons behind his back." The two exchanged a smirk and decided to pay the half-giant a visit after dinner. Little did they know, they weren't the only ones.
That night, Harry and Draco slipped out under Harry's cloak. In the Great Hall, they began to follow three figures; none other than Granger, Weasley, and Dursley. Harry smirked as he watched them try to sneak out without an invisibility cloak. They crossed the lawn and the three Gryffindors entered the bright cabin to the barking of a huge dog. Harry and Draco however went to a back window. Inside Hagrid was taking a large egg from over the fire.
The egg was huge and black. "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback egg! They are very rare dragons." Draco muttered in Harry's ear from under the cloak. "We'll come back next time those Gryffindors come and see if the stupid oaf is actually going to keep it." Harry decided. He needed time to think over how this might best be used to his advantage. The two left silently, just after the three Gryffindors, and Hagrid was left to his merry humming as he stoked the fire.
After about a week, Harry had a plan. As it was, at breakfast, the Gryffindors got a note from one of the school owls. "Bet that oaf's egg is hatching?" Draco muttered with a smug smirk on his lips. Harry sneered darkly. "I bet it is." The two watched the trio all through Herbology as Granger and Weasley argued constantly with only a word or two being added from the Dumb Dursley. As Draco was walking by about half way through Herbology, he over-heard a snatch of the conversation.
"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?" Weasley insisted, as yet unaware of Draco, whom had stopped dead to listen. "We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing." "Shut up!" Dursley whispered; he had seen Draco. Draco smirked knowingly and shrugging nonchalantly, walked off.
"You were right of course Pharames." He whispered when he returned to the table he and Harry were working at. "The egg is hatching and I think they'll probably plan to go see the oaf over morning break." Harry glanced up from the small buds of Snapdragons he had been transplanting with a quiet smirk. "Perfect..."
Sure enough, as soon as the bell rang at the end of Herbology, the trio bolted for Hagrid's hut. Harry and Draco, waving on the others, followed out of sight. Again the two Slytherins looked in through the gap in the curtains of a back window. The four people inside were sitting at the table, watching with bated breath as something moved within the black egg on the table. All at once the egg split open and the baby dragon flopped onto the table. Draco almost snorted with laughter, it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella, but he managed to hold his derisive laughter in check. The spiny wings were huge compared to the skinny black body. It had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.
Hagrid reached out to stroke the head and it snapped at him, showing tiny, pointed fangs. "Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" The giant exclaimed. Now both Harry and Draco were hard pressed to contain their laughter. The oaf was as stupid as he was huge. Suddenly Hagrid looked up at the window and both Harry and Draco bolted for the school as fast as their feet could carry them.
All that week, the Gryffindor trio kept close watch on Harry and Draco. The two Slytherins just kept up there smug, knowing smirks and sneers. The trio knew these two could report Hagrid at any moment, and the Slytherins liked that kind of power. At one point, the Gryffindors approached Harry and Draco in the library. Granger was apparently the elected spokesperson.
"We know what you saw." She stated in a mater-of-fact manner as the three strode up. "Oh really?" replied Harry smugly. "Well perhaps you could remind us because we have no idea what you're talking about." The smirk on his face told them that he knew exactly what they meant. Granger narrowed her eyes. "I know you have every reason to report Hagrid, but please... We'll make a deal with you, anything you want." "Hermione!" "Hush Ron! This will be for the best." She turned back to the two Slytherin boys. "Well?"
Harry was never one to pass up an opportunity, and if ever there was an opportunity, this was it. "Please, sit down and we'll talk." They were in a secretive, hidden-away niche of the library where no one would see them; he could afford to be gracious to his losing opponent. "I would rather – " "Ron, shut up!" Granger was the first to sit down, facing the two boys. She was followed by Dursley and finally a very red-faced Weasley. "Ron's brother, Charlie, works in Romania with dragons. We are sending Norbert to him." Harry arched an eyebrow, and Granger hurried on.
"All I am asking is that you don't tell anyone about the dragon. It will be gone by Saturday." It was Wednesday. "If by Saturday, you have told no one, then we'll do anything you ask..." On second thought she amended, "Almost anything. Agreed?" Harry looked thoughtful a moment before hissing to Marvolo. Draco leaned back comfortably in his chair as the two talked it over. Granger was watching Harry speak Parseltongue with great fascination, while Weasley looked mortified and Dursley looked bored. Finally Harry looked up with a smug smirk firmly in place. "I accept... On the condition that should the dragon not be gone by ten o'clock Saturday night, we will go straight to the Headmaster." "One in the morning. Some friends of Charlie's are set to pick up the dragon at midnight and one will give them some leeway." Harry sized Granger up. She was a know-it-all in class, but outside of the classroom, she was cunning and intelligent. She would have made a good Slytherin. Harry nodded, "The dragon will be gone by one Saturday night. Then you three will at our mercy." Weasley looked as though he might protest, but Granger cut him off. She reached across the table and shook Harry hand. "Agreed."
The Gryffindors stood to walk off, but Granger stopped short a moment. "Could I speak to you a moment alone, Potter?" Harry glanced at Draco and Marvolo. The boy shrugged, and Marvolo probably would have as well, had he shoulders. The other two Gryffindors cast pleading, warning glances at Granger as she led Harry to a tiny private niche not far from where the two groups had converged. "I believe you have something that we'll need, Potter." "Oh?" He seemed bored. "And what, pray tell, might that be?" "I know you followed up the first night we went to Hagrid's cabin and first saw the dragon egg. You have some means of becoming invisible, and we'll need that to get rid of Norbert."
Harry eyed the Gryffindor girl warily, wondering how much she really knew and how much he could tell her. Finally he made up his mind. "All right, I'll help you, but the other two are never to know anything about this. Just tell them that I am helping you get the beast to the pick-up spot to make sure you uphold the time limit. Meet me in Professor Snape's office after dinner Saturday, and I'll help you get rid of the beast. However," Harry stepped closer to her. "You do realize that you personally will owe me even more than those other two morons will for this?" "Yes..." Granger's voice was faint as she nodded vigorously. Harry smirked. "Good." And walked off.
As he and Draco left the Gryffindors in the library, Harry called softly over his shoulder so that all three could hear him. "Remember Granger... Snape's office after dinner Saturday night. I expect you no later than eight sharp or else..." With that, Draco, Marvolo, and Harry were gone, leaving Granger to answer the questions being hard put to her by Weasley and Dursley.
At seven thirty on Saturday night, there was a timid knock at the door to Professor Snape's office. Harry had evasively persuaded his father to let him have the office for the night. Severus only acquiesced when Harry mentioned that Severus and Aunt Krista could "catch up" for all the time they were losing over grading students' work. Harry was reposing in Severus' chair with his feet propped on the desk. He was reading a muggle novel by some dead guy named J. R. R. Tolkien. The novel was called "The Lord of the Rings; Return of the King". He had all ready read the three books that came before this one, "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings; Fellowship of the Ring", and "The Lord of the Rings; The Two Towers". He found the books were very good, but didn't feel compelled to talk to his friends about it; they were muggle books after-all.
Harry waved his wand when he heard the knock. The door swung open and Granger entered nervously. She glanced about the room quickly; seeing no one but Harry, she closed the door and sat down across the desk from him. "What are you reading?" She asked after several long moments of silence. "The Lord of the Rings; Return of the King... It is some muggle novel." But Granger had already jumped at the name. "Have you read the first three books? Do you like them? If you do, I know some other wonderful books that you would probably like." Harry glanced up at her and put the book aside. He was almost done and he had only started it this morning.
"Of course I like the books. One would have to be a fool not to..." He stated. This began a lengthy conversation between them about the merits of Tolkien's works closely followed by dozens of other muggle fantasy/science- fiction novels. Both of them were secretly surprised at how well read the other was, and despite all misgivings, they began to enjoy each other's company. Finally, at eleven, Harry stood up and stretched. "We need to get moving if we are going to get that damn dragon to this meeting spot by midnight. Where are we taking it?" Granger hurried to her feet. "The top of the tallest tower. Charlie's friends will meet us there." Harry nodded and threw his invisibility cloak over himself and the startled girl. "Remember Granger..." He warned. "Weasley and Dursley are to know nothing about this." "Of course. I won't tell them, and they probably wouldn't believe me anyway."
With that the two hurried off to Hagrid's hut. Granger was hard put to explain to Hagrid that Harry was helping her as part of a deal, and even harder put to get the giant to let Harry and her go off with the baby dragon. However, she was clever, and soon enough the two were carrying a crate with the dragon inside to the top of the tallest tower of Hogwarts. They finally reached the top of the tower at five to midnight and only had to wait ten minutes until Charlie's friends arrived. The four were a cheerful bunch, even to Harry, and by twelve fifteen they and the dragon were flying out of sight.
Harry and Granger watched them out of sight. At least Granger did. Harry however was watching Granger watch the dragon out of sight. When Norbert's crate and the four friends were no more than a tiny speck in the sky, she looked shyly at Harry. "Thank you so much for the help tonight, but I really have to get back to my dorm. Where shall I meet you tomorrow to discuss the terms out the bargain?" Harry continued to watch her a moment longer before throwing the cloak over them. "It is too late for you to try and get back to Gryffindor Tower without the cloak, and I am not going up there even with the cloak. You'll just have to come down to my dad's library and stay there the night." He whispered. "But Professor Snape would never..." "I'll deal with my father. Do you want a detention for being out of bed?" He asked, using the dagger of his words to test her weaknesses. "Well of course not, but..." "Then it is settling. Come on."
Granger meekly followed Harry down to Snape's library. Severus and Krista were in the bedroom and the library was quiet and dark. "Incendo!" A fire flared in the fireplace at Harry's whispered command. He pulled the cloak off, tucking it in his pocket, and sat down on the couch with his book, which had appeared out of a different pocket. Granger came and sat down beside him. "Do you often stay down here instead of in your dorm?" She asked. For the second time that night, Harry put aside his book. "Yeah occasionally. Really it depends though. If I am up late studying with dad or Aunt Krista, then I'll just sleep here. Normally, I'll sleep in the dorms though." She nodded. "Why did you want Snape to adopt you?" "Look, Granger! What is this? Twenty questions?" Harry snapped angrily. "I'm sorry. I was only curious, and call me Hermione, please."
Harry looked taken back a moment. "Fine Hermione..." He muttered. "And I wanted Severus to adopt me because of something he did when I was little..." The two spent the rest of the night talking about their family lives. When dawn finally came, if found Harry sitting up, asleep, with the finished book beside him. Hermione was curled up beside him, her head in his lap.
"Harry! Harry! Son!" Harry woke slowly. "What dad?" Severus only pointed at the problem. "Oh..." Harry muttered, seeing Hermione's bushy hair in his lap with her body beside him. "I can explain, Sir." Came a sleepy voice. Hermione was awake. She sat up slowly with some considerable dignity considering her position. "Harry was helping me with the essay you assigned us. I was a little unsure about the part the newts played in the potion and wanted to be sure that I was using correct information, so I asked to talk to Harry about it. We came in here to look through a few of the books on the subject. When we were done, we started talking about Tolkien and must have fallen asleep during the conversation."
Severus eyed the two warily, but Harry nodded his head, as if this were the truth. Severus had a feeling it wasn't, but it was too early to press the matter, besides it didn't really matter. "Very well, but if it happens again, at least tell me you two may be in here to study." The two nodded gravely and Severus left for breakfast, a grinning Krista at his side. "We'll talk about what you three, and you particularly, owe myself and Draco after dinner tonight." Hermione grimaced. "What about all the studying I have to do?" She muttered this more to herself than to Harry, but he heard. "Bring it. We'll work on our studying and homework while we talk. Be back here after dinner." With that the two parted ways, changed, and went to breakfast as if nothing had happened between them.
AN: Yes, I know this took a very long time, but please get use to it... I start college this August and this summer will be crazy. I will try to be quicker with updates, but still I promise nothing. I love all of you that are still bothering to check this! Enjoy!
Goldhawk – There may be some attempts to mock Harry and Snape for favoritism, but those will be swiftly beaten down.
Linky2 – I love your review! Honestly, that is brilliant! Thanks for the support...
Henriette – Yes, well Harry is suppose to be kind of creepy in this... That was the point of writing it. I mean after all he is to be the new Dark Lord...
RaistlinofMetallica – Well I'm thinking on a summer visit to the Black Family Mansion, there will be some 'tension', to term it nicely... weeps You pegged it... no time and my Severus muse decided he didn't want to shout, so he cursed my Sirius muse into submission... My muses are so violent... They take after me too much! Hehe... That is sad. I hope you are all right. But still, update PLEASE! I am seriously begging you! Plus, as incentive, here is a chocolate-covered Severus for your last update...
Note: If someone could tell me in which chapter I said that Kreacher died of old age, I would appreciate it a lot. I need to change that because I don't want him dead... I have plans for that house elf! Thanks and read on!
Disclaimer: I own nothing other than Krista and the plot. I also don't own any of Tolkien's books. I respect the man and his pure genius too much to even think of claiming such a thing!
Dedication: All right, all right. Goldhawk got the first review for that last chapter in. Thus this chapter is dedicated to Goldhawk! Yay!
A Change of Fate
Referees and Dragon's Breath
Several weeks after Christmas break, Marcus gathered the Slytherin Quidditch team together after a particularly rainy practice. "Great news team!" He beamed, looking more like a troll than usual. Harry was by far the smallest person on the team, and the only one picked for speed and talent. Of course, the others could fly and play Quidditch well enough, but most of them had been picked for brute force over extreme talent. Harry was also the only team member under the fourth year...
"Professor Snape, our dear Head of House, has decided to referee our next match. Now there is no way Gryffindor can beat us, not that they could anyway with Harry here as our best Seeker in Hogwarts' history." He beamed proudly looking very much like a bloated bullfrog that had been dead a week or two. Harry smiled weakly and tried to join in the celebration, but he found he was too furious and left the party as soon as possible.
Harry burst into Severus' office in his practice gear with his broom still over one shoulder. "What are you doing, Dad?" Severus looked up from the paper he was grading. "I am sure I have no idea what you mean, Son." His voice had a dangerous edge to it, which Harry pointedly ignored. "Refereeing the match! Do you think I need extra protection? Because I don't!" Severus' expression was mild while the boy yelled his piece. Severus then waited a moment to make sure his son was finished. "Extra protection, yes. From a bunch of Gryffindors, no. Now sit and let me explain." Harry sank into a chair angrily as his father cast several strong silencing charms on the room, along with some special locking spells. The boy listened carefully, despite his anger, and tried to quickly memorize the ones he had never before heard. "Now Harry," sighed Severus as he seated himself behind his desk and steepled his long fingers. "As you know, I was a Deatheater. I always will be really." He looked into space a moment sadly, his eyes distant while Harry waited.
Severus blinked suddenly and looked back at the boy. "Harry... My son, you remember I told you of those Deatheaters trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone?" Harry nodded mutely; wondering what this had to do with the match. "Well they have obviously heard about my adopting you as my son..." "So?" It had been all over the Daily Prophet as soon as news got out. "This puts us both in a very... dangerous situation, Harry." Severus said slowly. "These Deatheaters don't like the idea of a fellow adopting the boy that killed their Lord. They will assuredly try to kill not only myself, but you as well. That is why you need extra protection. You see, Lucius is still tight within their group, acting more closely to a spy than a loyal follower, but they will never question him." Here Severus shook his head slightly. "He told me they hope to catch the school during the match, kill us two, and steal the Stone all at once. Don't worry about the Stone," Severus assured seeing his son's look of horror. "It is extremely well- guarded by that monster dog and many other things as well. And," Severus smirked with dark pride. "If they get past the other foolish guards, they most certainly will not get past mine."
Harry grinned. "You however Harry, will not be so carefully guarded if they get past the school's barrier. I asked to referee the match so I could get to you more quickly, should there be the need." Harry nodded solemnly; his anger had dissipated like so much mist at high noon. Then he grinned again. "I bet those Gryffindor babies heard you were refereeing and started to cry!" He laughed coldly, causing Severus to shiver. The laughter was so much like the 'late' Lord Voldemort's. 'Too much like it,' he thought grimly. "Now Harry... Promise to keep your wand on you during the match and be careful." His son nodded and left after giving the Potions Master a hug.
The Quidditch team walked into their changing room with high-spirits several weeks later. As Harry changed for the match, he carefully slipped his wand under his robes while no one was looking. Tracy, Marvolo, Draco, Blaise, and the other first years were sitting up in the stands, sure of a Slytherin victory. In fact, everyone was sure of Slytherin sweeping the pitch with Gryffindor, probably literally as well as figuratively. Marcus came back from the door. "Dumbledore's even come to watch!" He exclaimed in slight dismay. "Don't worry Marcus, we'll still clean house so badly that no one will have a chance at that Cup!" Grinned one of the Beaters. Harry nodded; knowing the real reason the Headmaster had come.
As the teams took the pitch, Harry noticed the Gryffindors were all pale and sweating. He smirked even as he scanned the crowd. Lucius Malfoy had even come. He was sitting with Harry's followers; Marvolo draped over his shoulders. Harry sneeringly wondered if the Deatheater knew who exactly Marvolo was. Then he was mounting his broom and they were off. The game went on for hours, all the while Harry purposely blocked the Gryffindor Seeker again and again. Snape was awarding penalties left and right to Slytherin for real and imagined Gryffindor offences. Chaos more or less ruled the stands as Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuff alike howled with indignation, and Slytherins jeered at them all smirkingly. The game started at eight am and it wasn't until noon that trouble finally came cursing.
Harry pulled into a spectacular dive, drawing gasps of awe from even the Gryffindors. The whole match seemed to freeze as every eye turned to him. He plummeted out of the sky like an emerald comet; the Gryffindor Seeker left in his dust fifty feet above. He blasted past Severus, missing his father by inches. Harry was mere feet from the ground when he finally pulled up again; the Snitch clutched tightly in one hand. However the roar of the Slytherin cheering quickly turned to panicked screams as an angry red curse flew by Harry's head. One hundred figures robed in black and masked filled the pitch. Many had brooms and were already flying after both Harry and Severus. Snape was blasting curses at Deatheaters with unerring accuracy as the teams and student-body fled in panicked disarray. However, Harry soon found out that his father could not protect him; he was too busy trying to stay alive. After some time dodging and firing curses back at Deatheaters, Harry began to feel the pull of exhaustion, both from the fight and the game beforehand. He saw the curse aimed at his heart too late. He stared, transfixed, as it flew at him. However, at the last moment, a figure reflected it with a shielding spell. Lucius hovered between Harry and his attacker; Marvolo still wrapped around his shoulders. By now, the pitch was empty other than Severus, Harry, Marvolo, Lucius, and the remaining Deatheaters.
Severus flew up to where the Deatheaters were surrounding Harry and Lucius. The boy noticed his father was bleeding freely, but dared not try to heal him. Even Dumbledore had left, probably to protect the rest of the students in the school. Lucius glared defiantly at the remaining Deatheaters, and handed Marvolo back to Harry. The snake began to hiss urgently in the boy's ear. "Stop!" Harry hissed at Marvolo prompting. "Stop! All of you fools, stop in the name of Lord Voldemort, whom we all hold in highest honor!" Every set of eyes turned to the boy and snake; Marvolo kept hissing loudly. "This snake," Harry indicated Marvolo, "speaks with Lord Voldemort's tongue! He came to me because Voldemort is dead and was reincarnated to this form. By the laws of Darkness, there can only be one Dark Lord at a time. This you all know, and know well!" He looked more confident now, and Marvolo quieted with a self-assured airs. "When Voldemort tried to kill me, he knew there could be only one as powerful as we two on this planet at once. He gave his life and power to me as his successor, then returned as my serpent advisor. By his rights, none shall question my authority! Isshna sssahhaa ksshrrraaa harrI! The followers will never fail!" He cried, quoting Voldemort's own oath. Every Deatheater bowed instantly, feeling the aura of power backing those words, even Lucius and Severus bowed deeply.
"You follow Lord Pharames now. Voldemort is my advisor, and Snape and Malfoy are my council and protectors." The two men bowed again, deeply honored. "Now the rest of you leave! You will be contacted when needed." The Deatheaters departed meekly enough, though several still shot the trio dark glares. As the three landed, Severus hugged Harry tightly. "That was an amazing display, Potter." Smiled Lucius. "Or should I say Young Master." He bowed slightly in the manor of aristocrats. Harry smiled as Severus let him go, however as the support fled Harry felt faint and nearly fell. His father caught him up. "You displayed great power today, my son. I am very proud of you, but I think you need rest now." Harry nodded with a sleepy smile; glad his father was there. The boy was asleep by the time Dumbledore met them and never knew how they explained the fight to the Headmaster without giving away the boy Dark Lord. However, they did and he and Severus woke in the Hospital wing with Marvolo the next morning.
"Dad?" Harry's throat hurt; it felt sore and cracked. "Yes son?" Severus' wasn't much better, though his voice still retained some of its silk. "Did yesterday really happen?" Harry saw the corner of Severus' mouth twitch with what might have been a smile. "Yes Harry, it did. Soon the whole of England, if not the world, will have heard rumor of Lord Pharames, the new Dark Lord." Harry sighed. "This is ahead of schedule." He glanced about to make sure Madam Pomfrey wasn't around. "I hadn't wanted anyone outside of Hogwarts to know until I was more prepared." "That's understandable Harry, but the Deatheaters will not give you away; they respected Voldemort too much for that. At least those whom are loyal to Voldemort won't." Harry nodded. The two fell silent as the Hospital doors opened. Madam Pomfrey bustled in. "Well you two are finally up. Fighting all of those Deatheaters! You two are lucky to be alive!" She muttered to herself the whole time they were being treated. Neither was allowed to leave until everyone was at dinner. Severus brought Harry down to his library, where Krista was waiting.
"Thank Circe you two are all right!" She cried, pulling them both into a hug. "Lucius told me everything. I was so worried about you Harry." She pulled the boy into an extra tight hug, which squished the indignant Marvolo. They all sat down on the couch and Krista made them tell her the story all over again. "Why didn't you stay, Aunt Krista?" Harry asked when the tale was done. "Because Harry, I wasn't at the game in the first place. Dumbledore asked me to guard the Stone." She smiled at him. "Besides you obviously didn't need my help." Harry was thoughtful a moment. "You will help me, won't you Aunt Krista?" Krista smiled at her godson, silently cursing the boy's fate. "Of course I will Harry, as long as you don't kill senselessly." The boy nodded and then smiled brightly. "Wait until Draco and the others hear about this!" Severus looked worried. "Harry, it might not be wise to tell your friends about this... I mean, this is not a game." Harry's smile took on a sly nature. "I know that Dad, but why should I not tell my first followers about additions to their ranks? After all, I trust their loyalty more than those Deatheaters'." Harry and Marvolo left soon after. Indeed, Lord Pharames' followers were no longer limited to Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Tracy, Vincent, and Gregory. Harry now had many followers more than that.
As the weeks passed quietly and the homework was piled on over Easter break, Harry began devising a way to contact his followers, as Voldemort once had. "That tattoo is too tacky and easily found." He said to Draco one day. "What about a tattoo that is only visible when you call them? And it doesn't even need to be in the same place for every follower. If the tattoo is in different places and not visible until a calling, then no one will find it." "Yeah, that is an excellent idea. I knew I made you my highest follower for a reason Draco." The blond grinned and turned back to the drawing he had been working on. Draco was an artist at heart and every one in Slytherin knew it. "Draco?" Harry whispered. "Hmm?" Draco didn't even look up. "I want you to design the tattoo..." Now his head shot up. "What?" Harry grinned. "I want you to draw the tattoo for me." Draco blinked. "I – I would be honored." He stammered. Harry watched with a dark smile as Draco turned to a blank page and started immediately.
Within half an hour, Draco presented Harry with three options. One, a snake coiled around a lightning bolt, was "too tacky". The second, a fire with a lightning bolt in the middle, was "not right". The third was a snake coiled into a side-ways figure eight, the sign of eternity, with a lightning bolt behind it. The third one was perfect, and the two immediately began writing the spell from Marvolo's memory. Harry decided Severus should help them perfect the spell once they had most of it written. "Just so that nothing unsightly happens." Draco nodded, knowing he would have the honor of being the first tattooed. The two sat there talking about the spell for several hours. Finally, as they were packing to leave their niche in the library, they saw Hagrid the gamekeeper walk over to Granger, Weasley, and Dursley. "I wonder what that is all about." Draco muttered as the half-giant left. "He had a book about raising dragons behind his back." The two exchanged a smirk and decided to pay the half-giant a visit after dinner. Little did they know, they weren't the only ones.
That night, Harry and Draco slipped out under Harry's cloak. In the Great Hall, they began to follow three figures; none other than Granger, Weasley, and Dursley. Harry smirked as he watched them try to sneak out without an invisibility cloak. They crossed the lawn and the three Gryffindors entered the bright cabin to the barking of a huge dog. Harry and Draco however went to a back window. Inside Hagrid was taking a large egg from over the fire.
The egg was huge and black. "That's a Norwegian Ridgeback egg! They are very rare dragons." Draco muttered in Harry's ear from under the cloak. "We'll come back next time those Gryffindors come and see if the stupid oaf is actually going to keep it." Harry decided. He needed time to think over how this might best be used to his advantage. The two left silently, just after the three Gryffindors, and Hagrid was left to his merry humming as he stoked the fire.
After about a week, Harry had a plan. As it was, at breakfast, the Gryffindors got a note from one of the school owls. "Bet that oaf's egg is hatching?" Draco muttered with a smug smirk on his lips. Harry sneered darkly. "I bet it is." The two watched the trio all through Herbology as Granger and Weasley argued constantly with only a word or two being added from the Dumb Dursley. As Draco was walking by about half way through Herbology, he over-heard a snatch of the conversation.
"Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?" Weasley insisted, as yet unaware of Draco, whom had stopped dead to listen. "We've got lessons, we'll get into trouble, and that's nothing to what Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing." "Shut up!" Dursley whispered; he had seen Draco. Draco smirked knowingly and shrugging nonchalantly, walked off.
"You were right of course Pharames." He whispered when he returned to the table he and Harry were working at. "The egg is hatching and I think they'll probably plan to go see the oaf over morning break." Harry glanced up from the small buds of Snapdragons he had been transplanting with a quiet smirk. "Perfect..."
Sure enough, as soon as the bell rang at the end of Herbology, the trio bolted for Hagrid's hut. Harry and Draco, waving on the others, followed out of sight. Again the two Slytherins looked in through the gap in the curtains of a back window. The four people inside were sitting at the table, watching with bated breath as something moved within the black egg on the table. All at once the egg split open and the baby dragon flopped onto the table. Draco almost snorted with laughter, it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella, but he managed to hold his derisive laughter in check. The spiny wings were huge compared to the skinny black body. It had a long snout with wide nostrils, the stubs of horns and bulging, orange eyes.
Hagrid reached out to stroke the head and it snapped at him, showing tiny, pointed fangs. "Bless him, look, he knows his mommy!" The giant exclaimed. Now both Harry and Draco were hard pressed to contain their laughter. The oaf was as stupid as he was huge. Suddenly Hagrid looked up at the window and both Harry and Draco bolted for the school as fast as their feet could carry them.
All that week, the Gryffindor trio kept close watch on Harry and Draco. The two Slytherins just kept up there smug, knowing smirks and sneers. The trio knew these two could report Hagrid at any moment, and the Slytherins liked that kind of power. At one point, the Gryffindors approached Harry and Draco in the library. Granger was apparently the elected spokesperson.
"We know what you saw." She stated in a mater-of-fact manner as the three strode up. "Oh really?" replied Harry smugly. "Well perhaps you could remind us because we have no idea what you're talking about." The smirk on his face told them that he knew exactly what they meant. Granger narrowed her eyes. "I know you have every reason to report Hagrid, but please... We'll make a deal with you, anything you want." "Hermione!" "Hush Ron! This will be for the best." She turned back to the two Slytherin boys. "Well?"
Harry was never one to pass up an opportunity, and if ever there was an opportunity, this was it. "Please, sit down and we'll talk." They were in a secretive, hidden-away niche of the library where no one would see them; he could afford to be gracious to his losing opponent. "I would rather – " "Ron, shut up!" Granger was the first to sit down, facing the two boys. She was followed by Dursley and finally a very red-faced Weasley. "Ron's brother, Charlie, works in Romania with dragons. We are sending Norbert to him." Harry arched an eyebrow, and Granger hurried on.
"All I am asking is that you don't tell anyone about the dragon. It will be gone by Saturday." It was Wednesday. "If by Saturday, you have told no one, then we'll do anything you ask..." On second thought she amended, "Almost anything. Agreed?" Harry looked thoughtful a moment before hissing to Marvolo. Draco leaned back comfortably in his chair as the two talked it over. Granger was watching Harry speak Parseltongue with great fascination, while Weasley looked mortified and Dursley looked bored. Finally Harry looked up with a smug smirk firmly in place. "I accept... On the condition that should the dragon not be gone by ten o'clock Saturday night, we will go straight to the Headmaster." "One in the morning. Some friends of Charlie's are set to pick up the dragon at midnight and one will give them some leeway." Harry sized Granger up. She was a know-it-all in class, but outside of the classroom, she was cunning and intelligent. She would have made a good Slytherin. Harry nodded, "The dragon will be gone by one Saturday night. Then you three will at our mercy." Weasley looked as though he might protest, but Granger cut him off. She reached across the table and shook Harry hand. "Agreed."
The Gryffindors stood to walk off, but Granger stopped short a moment. "Could I speak to you a moment alone, Potter?" Harry glanced at Draco and Marvolo. The boy shrugged, and Marvolo probably would have as well, had he shoulders. The other two Gryffindors cast pleading, warning glances at Granger as she led Harry to a tiny private niche not far from where the two groups had converged. "I believe you have something that we'll need, Potter." "Oh?" He seemed bored. "And what, pray tell, might that be?" "I know you followed up the first night we went to Hagrid's cabin and first saw the dragon egg. You have some means of becoming invisible, and we'll need that to get rid of Norbert."
Harry eyed the Gryffindor girl warily, wondering how much she really knew and how much he could tell her. Finally he made up his mind. "All right, I'll help you, but the other two are never to know anything about this. Just tell them that I am helping you get the beast to the pick-up spot to make sure you uphold the time limit. Meet me in Professor Snape's office after dinner Saturday, and I'll help you get rid of the beast. However," Harry stepped closer to her. "You do realize that you personally will owe me even more than those other two morons will for this?" "Yes..." Granger's voice was faint as she nodded vigorously. Harry smirked. "Good." And walked off.
As he and Draco left the Gryffindors in the library, Harry called softly over his shoulder so that all three could hear him. "Remember Granger... Snape's office after dinner Saturday night. I expect you no later than eight sharp or else..." With that, Draco, Marvolo, and Harry were gone, leaving Granger to answer the questions being hard put to her by Weasley and Dursley.
At seven thirty on Saturday night, there was a timid knock at the door to Professor Snape's office. Harry had evasively persuaded his father to let him have the office for the night. Severus only acquiesced when Harry mentioned that Severus and Aunt Krista could "catch up" for all the time they were losing over grading students' work. Harry was reposing in Severus' chair with his feet propped on the desk. He was reading a muggle novel by some dead guy named J. R. R. Tolkien. The novel was called "The Lord of the Rings; Return of the King". He had all ready read the three books that came before this one, "The Hobbit", "The Lord of the Rings; Fellowship of the Ring", and "The Lord of the Rings; The Two Towers". He found the books were very good, but didn't feel compelled to talk to his friends about it; they were muggle books after-all.
Harry waved his wand when he heard the knock. The door swung open and Granger entered nervously. She glanced about the room quickly; seeing no one but Harry, she closed the door and sat down across the desk from him. "What are you reading?" She asked after several long moments of silence. "The Lord of the Rings; Return of the King... It is some muggle novel." But Granger had already jumped at the name. "Have you read the first three books? Do you like them? If you do, I know some other wonderful books that you would probably like." Harry glanced up at her and put the book aside. He was almost done and he had only started it this morning.
"Of course I like the books. One would have to be a fool not to..." He stated. This began a lengthy conversation between them about the merits of Tolkien's works closely followed by dozens of other muggle fantasy/science- fiction novels. Both of them were secretly surprised at how well read the other was, and despite all misgivings, they began to enjoy each other's company. Finally, at eleven, Harry stood up and stretched. "We need to get moving if we are going to get that damn dragon to this meeting spot by midnight. Where are we taking it?" Granger hurried to her feet. "The top of the tallest tower. Charlie's friends will meet us there." Harry nodded and threw his invisibility cloak over himself and the startled girl. "Remember Granger..." He warned. "Weasley and Dursley are to know nothing about this." "Of course. I won't tell them, and they probably wouldn't believe me anyway."
With that the two hurried off to Hagrid's hut. Granger was hard put to explain to Hagrid that Harry was helping her as part of a deal, and even harder put to get the giant to let Harry and her go off with the baby dragon. However, she was clever, and soon enough the two were carrying a crate with the dragon inside to the top of the tallest tower of Hogwarts. They finally reached the top of the tower at five to midnight and only had to wait ten minutes until Charlie's friends arrived. The four were a cheerful bunch, even to Harry, and by twelve fifteen they and the dragon were flying out of sight.
Harry and Granger watched them out of sight. At least Granger did. Harry however was watching Granger watch the dragon out of sight. When Norbert's crate and the four friends were no more than a tiny speck in the sky, she looked shyly at Harry. "Thank you so much for the help tonight, but I really have to get back to my dorm. Where shall I meet you tomorrow to discuss the terms out the bargain?" Harry continued to watch her a moment longer before throwing the cloak over them. "It is too late for you to try and get back to Gryffindor Tower without the cloak, and I am not going up there even with the cloak. You'll just have to come down to my dad's library and stay there the night." He whispered. "But Professor Snape would never..." "I'll deal with my father. Do you want a detention for being out of bed?" He asked, using the dagger of his words to test her weaknesses. "Well of course not, but..." "Then it is settling. Come on."
Granger meekly followed Harry down to Snape's library. Severus and Krista were in the bedroom and the library was quiet and dark. "Incendo!" A fire flared in the fireplace at Harry's whispered command. He pulled the cloak off, tucking it in his pocket, and sat down on the couch with his book, which had appeared out of a different pocket. Granger came and sat down beside him. "Do you often stay down here instead of in your dorm?" She asked. For the second time that night, Harry put aside his book. "Yeah occasionally. Really it depends though. If I am up late studying with dad or Aunt Krista, then I'll just sleep here. Normally, I'll sleep in the dorms though." She nodded. "Why did you want Snape to adopt you?" "Look, Granger! What is this? Twenty questions?" Harry snapped angrily. "I'm sorry. I was only curious, and call me Hermione, please."
Harry looked taken back a moment. "Fine Hermione..." He muttered. "And I wanted Severus to adopt me because of something he did when I was little..." The two spent the rest of the night talking about their family lives. When dawn finally came, if found Harry sitting up, asleep, with the finished book beside him. Hermione was curled up beside him, her head in his lap.
"Harry! Harry! Son!" Harry woke slowly. "What dad?" Severus only pointed at the problem. "Oh..." Harry muttered, seeing Hermione's bushy hair in his lap with her body beside him. "I can explain, Sir." Came a sleepy voice. Hermione was awake. She sat up slowly with some considerable dignity considering her position. "Harry was helping me with the essay you assigned us. I was a little unsure about the part the newts played in the potion and wanted to be sure that I was using correct information, so I asked to talk to Harry about it. We came in here to look through a few of the books on the subject. When we were done, we started talking about Tolkien and must have fallen asleep during the conversation."
Severus eyed the two warily, but Harry nodded his head, as if this were the truth. Severus had a feeling it wasn't, but it was too early to press the matter, besides it didn't really matter. "Very well, but if it happens again, at least tell me you two may be in here to study." The two nodded gravely and Severus left for breakfast, a grinning Krista at his side. "We'll talk about what you three, and you particularly, owe myself and Draco after dinner tonight." Hermione grimaced. "What about all the studying I have to do?" She muttered this more to herself than to Harry, but he heard. "Bring it. We'll work on our studying and homework while we talk. Be back here after dinner." With that the two parted ways, changed, and went to breakfast as if nothing had happened between them.
AN: Yes, I know this took a very long time, but please get use to it... I start college this August and this summer will be crazy. I will try to be quicker with updates, but still I promise nothing. I love all of you that are still bothering to check this! Enjoy!