Chapter 33
The Ritual of Intent
My little snake,
I shall promise not to come and hex both Malfoy and Hagrid if you promise to look after yourself. I'm not there to look after you Harry, and I worry every day we are apart. But hopefully not for long. I will be frank: you know how to get to the celebration grounds, correct? How you have to tap your wand twice onto the doorknob of the door out of the common room? I am trying to recreate that charm connecting our home to Hogwarts. It is difficult, almost impossibly so, to do so remotely. A workaround I am fielding for is to make a fifth shack at the ritual grounds and have that connect to Riddle House. This has its own problems, such as having the shack built in secret, however, I am hopeful to have it ready by if not early on during your fourth year.
I miss you as well my lovely. You are proving day after day how loyal you are to me, and more importantly how good you are for me. It has been an honor to watch you flourish into the beautiful man you undoubtedly will become. And the thought of one day calling you mine entirely is a very pleasurable thought. Especially once you learn about carnal pleasure. But all in good time my sweet boy.
I am a little worried about this Grim business but let us not dwell on it. Try and have a normal semester. There are only two months till Samhain and then Yule is right around the corner. I will see you then, my Harry.
Your Master and Husband,
Tom
Professor Lupin quickly became Harry's favorite teacher. He felt excited to learn from him, and Harry couldn't help but be reminded of whenever Tom taught him the Dark Arts. Professor Lupin's lessons were always as interesting as the first. They studied Red Caps, goblinlike creatures that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed, and after that, they moved onto kappas, water-dwelling creatures that looked like scaly monkeys with webbed hands. Harry only wished that he were just as enthusiastic about his other new classes. He was growing to dread Divination, where he suffered in Professor Trelawney's stifling tower room, deciphering lopsided shapes and symbols as he tried to avoid the looks Professor Trelawney was giving him as though he would be on his deathbed at any moment.
Nobody liked Care of Magical Creatures, which, after the first disastrous class, had become extremely dull. Hagrid seemed to have lost his confidence, if he had any at all Harry couldn't tell, and they now were spending lesson after lesson learning how to look after flobberworms. The most boring creatures that existed in Harry's mind.
The start of October brought Quidditch practice, and Harry was excited to fly once more. Last year they were able to steal the Quidditch cup from Gryffindor and Flint was excited to do it once more. They trained three evenings a week. The weather was getting colder and wetter, the nights darker, however, none of it mattered to Harry as he found himself liking the dark more. He could be lost easier and fly undetected for longer.
Harry and Draco returned from quidditch practice one day to see the common room buzzing with excitement. "What's going on?" Draco asked.
"Our first Hogsmeade weekend," Blaise grinned, pointing at the noticeboard. "It's on Samhain's weekend."
"Sounds fun," Harry said, stretching.
"Yeah—hey Draco, wanna go together?"
"Yes!" Draco said a little too quickly, "I mean sure, sounds like fun."
"Wicked," Blaise said, his grin growing. "I heard about so many shops that we can visit; mother loves the chocolate from Honeydukes! I'm sure your mother would like some too."
"Y-Yeah," Draco nodded. "Then maybe we can get some tea or a drink?"
"Yeah of course," Blaise nodded. "I talked with Pansy already, and we're all going to meet up at the Three Broomsticks after shopping around."
"Oh."
"Yeah, hey Harry, why don't you join us?" Blaise asked.
Harry blinked between the two of them. Draco's eyes went wide, and he stared at Harry pleadingly. Harry looked between the two and recognized a look on Draco that he himself had plenty of times. "I can't, I was actually thinking of going with Crabbe and Goyle, it's been forever since I was alone with them," he said.
"Oh, alright," Blaise said, and just like that, the conversation was dropped. Draco stared at Harry silently relieved, and Harry just offered a soft smile.
At the end of their next Potions lesson, Professor Snape told the Slytherins to hand in their permissions forms. When Harry handed in his, Snape raised an eyebrow wordlessly, but Harry didn't react as he left the class and joined his friends.
The day of Samhain came too quickly. Harry woke up feeling nervously excited for both the trip as well as his Ritual of Intent that night. He went down with the rest to eat breakfast and couldn't help but fall into the excited murmurs that filled the table. "We have to check out the Shrieking shack after Honeydukes Draco!" Blaise said excitedly, "It's supposedly haunted and nobody goes in it."
"Alright, yeah," Draco breathed.
"Daph, how about we head to Tomes and Scrolls?" Theo asked, "Then maybe we can get some tea?"
"Yeah, I like that," Daphne nodded, the two sharing a smile.
"Harry! You have to come with me please," Pansy begged. "I'll even join Crabbe and Goyle!"
"Okay, I'm fine with that," Harry nodded. "I was just going to wander around."
"Perfect, please," Pansy said, giving a sigh of relief.
After breakfast, the students all gathered in the entrance hall where Filch was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face, and making sure that no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going.
Harry joined the line until, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Lupin climbing the marble staircase. He remembered the Boggart lesson and his annoyance and curiosity of why Professor Lupin did not let him face the boggart rose once more. He patted Pansy's shoulder and said, "I'll be right back," and race after Professor Lupin.
Harry caught up to Professor Lupin outside of his office. "Sir?" he said, knocking on the open door.
Professor Lupin turned around, "Ah, Harry, surprised to see you here. Aren't you supposed to be going down to Hogsmeade today?" he asked.
"Yeah, but I just wanted to ask you something," Harry said.
"In that case come in," Professor Lupin said. "I've just taken delivery of a grindylows for our next lesson."
"What's that?" Harry asked.
He followed Lupin into his office. In the corner stood a very large tank of water. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long spindly fingers.
"Water demon," Lupin said, surveying the grindylow thoughtfully. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the kappas. The trick is to break his grip. Do you notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."
The grindylow bared its green teeth then buried itself in a tangle of weeds in a corner.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one, it helps after breakfast I find."
"Alright," Harry said awkwardly.
Lupin tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout. "Sit down," Lupin said, taking the lid off a dusty tin. "I've got only teabags. I'm afraid—but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"
Harry looked at him. Lupin's eyes were twinkling.
"How did you know about that?" Harry asked.
"Professor McGonagall told me," Lupin said, passing Harry a chipped mug of tea. "You're not worried, are you?"
"No," Harry said. He thought for a moment. "But there was something I wanted to ask you."
"I'm assuming you are wondering why it was that I did not let you take on the boggart?" Lupin asked.
"Yes, sir," Harry said.
"I would have thought that was obvious, Harry," Lupin said, sounding surprised.
"Why?" Harry frowned. He was taken back; he did not think that Lupin would admit to doing it so freely.
"Well," Lupin said, frowning slightly. "I assumed that if the boggart faced you, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort."
Harry stared. Not only was this the last answer he'd expected, but Lupin had said Voldemort's name. The only person he heard say Voldemort's name was Professor Dumbledore. He had to hold back the giggle.
"Clearly, I was wrong," Lupin said, still frowning at Harry. "But I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the classroom. I imagined that would cause people to panic."
"I wasn't thinking of him," Harry said honestly. "I—I remembered those dementors."
"I see," Lupin said thoughtfully. "Well, well … I'm impressed."
He smiled slightly at the look of surprise on Harry's face. "That suggests that what you fear most of all is—fear. Very wise, Harry."
Harry did not know what to say to that, so he drank some tea. "So you've been thinking that I didn't believe you capable of fighting the boggart?" Lupin asked shrewdly.
"Well, yeah," Harry said. He was suddenly feeling a lot happier. "Professor Lupin, you know the dementors—" He was interrupted by a knock on the door, and a second later Professor Snape walked in carrying a goblet which was smoking faintly.
"Ah, Severus," Lupin said, smiling. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"
Snape set down the smoking goblet. "You should drink that directly, Lupin," he said, sounding as though he wanted to be anywhere else.
"Thank you, I will," Lupin said.
"I made an entire cauldronful. If you need more."
"Yes, I should probably take some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus."
Snape's lip curled and he left without a word, only staring at Harry for a moment as he left. Harry looked at the goblet curiously. Lupin smiled.
"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he said. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering. He drained the goblet and shuddered. "Disgusting. I should get back to work. I'll see you at the feast tonight, Harry."
"Right," Harry said and left. He ran back to the entrance hall only to see that everyone was gone. Filch was standing by the front door and glared at Harry.
"Where do you think you're going, Potter?" he asked when Harry tried to go through the front doors.
"Hogsmeade."
"No you're not, you missed your chance," Filch chuckled gleefully. "No sweats or butterbeer for you, boy." His chuckles turned into a loud laugh and Harry frowned as he walked back to the dungeons. He just nodded to the older Slytherins who didn't go and returned to his room where he pulled out his Marauder's Map. If he could not go down to Hogsmeade, he might as well explore the castle and learn all of its hidden passages.
Harry's friends did not return till the feast. "Where were you?" Pansy demanded. "I was left with Crabbe and Goyle by myself! Worse of all, I was with Millicent!"
"I wanted to talk with Professor Lupin but when I was done, Filch wouldn't let me go," Harry said, sounding a little bitter.
"What did you talk about?" Blaise asked curiously.
"Just about why he didn't let me face the boggart," Harry shrugged. He leaned forward and whispered, "He told me that he didn't want it to turn into the Dark Lord, which is preposterous! I love my master not fear him."
"Well, the world doesn't know that," Draco whispered, "and that's a good thing. So what was the boggart going to turn into?"
"A dementor," Harry frowned. "I couldn't get it out of my mind."
"Scary," Draco whispered, shivering.
"Yeah, but anyway what did you guys do in Hogsmeade?" Harry asked, wanting to change the subject. His friends went on to talk animatedly about the many shops at Hogsmeade. Harry couldn't help but feel a little jealous and made a promise to himself that he would not miss the next weekend, whenever that was.
The food at the feast was delicious, everyone having second helpings of everything. The Slytherins were all filled with a buzzing excitement that was easily hidden by Halloween cheer. Harry's stomach started to roll as he thought about what he was going to do in now mere hours and he couldn't help but grin widely. He was finally, finally, going to start his journey down the Dark Arts! He is going to tell his intent to Dark Magic and begin his two-year journey to become a Dark Wizard!
He couldn't wait!
When the feast was over, the Slytherins returned to the dungeons and talked loudly and openly about what they were going to do. Harry and his friends talked about the rituals, Theo standing in front of them. "We can do it in pairs, or we can do it individually. Either way, after we declare our intent, we are allowed to ask for a favor or a wish from Dark Magic. This is usually a long-term goal you have or a reason of why you're going down this path. Some say it aloud, but you can keep it between yourself and the Dark Magic," Theo explained.
"Do you just have all the rituals memorized, Theo?" Blaise asked.
Theo's cheeks darkened. "Maybe," he muttered. "One day, I want to become the Voice of the Dark. I'll need to know the rituals intimately for that."
"Voice of the Dark?" Harry frowned. "What's that?"
"Harry!" Theo gasped, sounding scandalized. "Only the most honored position in our community!"
"The Voice of the Dark is the closest position you can be to Dark Magic," Daphne explained. "Theo's going to be overlooking the rituals, especially during Yule and the Ritual of Announcement. He's going to be a role model for future Dark Witches and Wizards."
"Oh, that's cool," Harry said, nodding. "How do you become one?"
"You're either elected by the families or picked by Dark Magic itself," Theo answered.
"All of our families decide," Draco said. "They've picked one new one last year. I haven't met him, but mother told me that he appeared very nice."
"And he will look over our Ritual of Announcement, right?" Harry asked.
"Exactly," Theo nodded. "He will help us fully announce ourselves to Dark Magic and our community."
"Okay, I get it now," Harry nodded. "Seems like a very important thing, I'm sure you'll get it."
"Thanks," Theo said, smiling brightly.
The door to the common room opened and Professor Snape stepped in immediately. "All of you are to report to the Great Hall immediately," he said.
Terrance Higgs stepped forward, "But Sir! Tonight—"
"These are orders from the headmaster. Follow," Snape said. He turned and left the common room. The Slytherins looked at each other, confused and worried. Nobody wanted to move. Terrance seemed frozen for a long moment before the seventh year seemed to found his limbs once more. He turned to his housemates and cleared his throat. "You heard him," he said grimly.
"But what about our rituals!?" Draco demanded.
"Don't Malfoy. Not now. For now, we go to the Great Hall and find out what is going on," Higgs said. The mood soured around them, and they all muttered nervously as they lined up.
As they entered the Great Hall, they saw that they were not the only ones. The Gryffindors were already there, and the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws soon arrived after. The students all muttered confused as Professor Dumbledore said loudly, "The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle. I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy Weasley, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."
Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing…"
One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squishy purple sleeping bags. "Sleep well," Professor Dumbledore said, closing the door behind him.
The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what just happened. Apparently, the entrance to their Tower was attacked by Sirius Black! Nobody knew why Black tried to force himself into Gryffindor, however, Harry couldn't help but feel a sense of anger and dread when he heard his name being thrown around.
"This is horrible," he whispered. "How are we supposed to go to the grounds?"
"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" Percy Weasley shouted. "Come on, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"
"Shut up Weasley, you're not the boss of us!" Higgs shot back.
"What is that Higgs? Do you want me to take points away?" Percy asked smugly. "I am Head Boy."
"Head Boy of bastards maybe," Higgs sneered. "Now shut up, we are talking!" He looked at the other Slytherins, who nodded as they followed him and Amelia Selwyn into a corner, crowding around the two. They talked in whispers, "What are we going to do?" Theo asked. "I can't delay starting my journey!"
"And you won't," Higgs whispered. "All of you will be out celebrating tonight even if I need to stun everyone else here. We need to wait for our chance. Weasley can't stay awake all night, can he? We'll wait him out along with that girlfriend of his and sneak out. In the meantime, go tell our friends in Ravenclaw. Harry, I expect you to go tell the good Weasleys and Diggory."
"When will we know when our chance will be?" Draco asked.
"When everyone else is asleep. So, do your best to stay awake," Amelia whispered. "Get a sleeping bag, rest if you need to but do not fall asleep. We'll wake you up when it's time to go." They all nodded and separated.
Harry felt completely awful, all of his excitement turning into anxiety as he glanced at the Gryffindors. He hated them at the moment and hated Sirius Black even more. He had to do this tonight, he had to try and find him tonight of all nights! He couldn't have waited? Couldn't have done it on not the most important night of his life? Stupid Black, when I see him I'll show him how angry I am, he thought bitterly as he made his way to Fred, George, and Cedric.
"Harry! What's going on?" Fred whispered. "What are we going to do?"
"Wait," Harry whispered. "We are going to wait. Your brother can't stay awake forever, yeah?"
"Harry," Cedric whispered, "I have to go tonight."
"I know Cedric, I know," Harry whispered back. "Tonight's my intent. We'll be there, just trust me. Until then why don't you guys—"
"Why are you whispering?" Ron Weasley's voice demanded. Harry turned to face Ron, Granger, and Longbottom.
"We're talking about how stupid Black is for assuming that I'm in Gryffindor," Harry said, "after all only idiots and the simple-minded would have even thought that I would belong with the lions." Ron's face went red, and Harry smirked.
"Leave him," Granger sighed. "He's not worth it."
"He won't be so cocky when Black gets to him," Ron muttered. Harry just stuck his tongue out as the three turned away from him.
Harry sighed as he turned back to his friends. "Sorry about that," he said. "About the Gryffindor comments. Anyway, just wait. We'll find a way just follow us when we move."
"Got it," Cedric nodded. He looked at George and said, "Come on baby, let's try to find a private corner somewhere." The two stood and left, stopping to grab two sleeping bags. Fred sighed and shook his head, "I'll be fine," he muttered. "See you at the grounds, Harry."
Harry grabbed his own sleeping bag on the way back to his friends and the group of third years gathered together.
"The lights are going out now!" Percy Weasley shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"
The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars.
Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the hall to check that everything was quiet. Around midnight, when many students had fallen asleep, Professor Snape walked in. Harry saw that Higgs stepped towards him immediately. "Sir," he whispered, "We need to go. It's not fair."
"Mr. Higgs, I understand that Halloween Night is important for a variety of reasons, however, my hands are tied," Snape whispered. He glanced at Percy Weasley who still stood valent. "I cannot send an entire House out of the great hall with Black on the loose and eyes on all of you."
"Then not everyone," Higgs whispered. "Just those who need to perform a ritual for their journey, and they will return right after."
Snape was silent for a moment. He looked around the Great Hall for a moment and nodded. "Fine. Those who need to perform a ritual only."
Higgs nodded and turned to Amelia who nodded as well. She knelt by the fifth years and whispered to them before moving onto others. Higgs, meanwhile, turned to Percy Weasley and the Head Girl and whipped his wand quickly when the two were distracted. A white haze developed around them, and they both slumped to the floor, snoring softly. "Only a little more than an hour, just to make sure," Higgs whispered. He nodded to the others and Harry finally stood up.
Harry looked around to see Cedric and the twins standing as well and he turned to join his friends. "Potter!?" Snape hissed. He stared at Harry, looking almost heartbroken. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to do my ritual, what else, sir?" Harry whispered. "I'm sorry but I have only an hour." Snape, stunned silent, only watched as Harry left with the rest of the budding Dark Wizards.
"There's no time so I'm leading you all to Slytherin's door," Higgs said as they all took the stairs down to the dungeons. "Keep up everyone! We've only an hour!" They ran down the corridors until they reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room. For a moment Harry thought that they would go in, but instead, Higgs tapped the entrance twice and pushed. "Let's go."
They all stepped out into the ritual grounds, the clearing deep in the Forbidden Forest that always made Harry feel a sense of ease. Harry and the other third-year Slytherins all moved towards the side as Blaise and Theo started to make their ritual circles. Draco moved towards Blaise as Daphne moved to Theo. Crabbe and Goyle made their own as Millicent and Pansy made their own individual circles. Harry stretched and started to make his own, Blaise joining him to help Harry summon the seven candles needed. Harry pulled out a knife from his pocket and took a breath. "Seven candles for seven holidays," he muttered to himself as he pricked himself with the knife. He knelt down in front of each candle, letting the blood drip down into the small cup of the candle before moving to the next. He looked around to see how the rest was doing before turning back to his own ritual.
He waved his wand and the candles around his ritual circle all lit, giving off a deeply red flame. Harry felt a sense of thrill fill him. He was finally doing it! Harry pointed his wand to the center and another flame appeared, burning without any source. "I stand as a circle never-ending and eternal. I stand here with magic, never-ending and eternal. I am here to present myself to Dark Magic and let my will flow through it as its magicks flow through me. My name is Harry Potter! I stand at the precipice of my journey, and I ask that you accept me." The red flames started to flicker, and Harry took a breath. "Guide my thoughts, actions, and words. Let the Dark consume my core though it may have Light, I will be your vessel and instrument. Please accept my plea and watch over me as I descend into your dark embrace!"
The candles all flared and in the center, the fire turned into a deep purple, mixing with almost black, its smoke was changing colors as well as it hovered. It smelled sweet and made Harry smile lightly. The smoke moved towards Harry and began caressing him. It felt strange like strong hands holding him, touching him. He gave a soft moan, his penis starting to harden as a deep male voice whispered in his head "My sweet child, I can see your desires. Tell me your secrets and use my power to achieve them." Harry moaned softly as he thought, I want to be a man Tom can be proud of to call his husband. Give me the power to protect him as much as I love him. The smoke returned slowly back to the flames and Harry's cheeks blushed deeply. The fire continued to burn, growing darker and darker until it did not extinguish, but appeared to simply return to the dark, black void.
Harry's smile continued as he finished the ritual, pointing his wand at the circle. "By the Dark, I thank and praise you for granting me this power. This humble wizard thank you for allowing him to step into your embrace. I swear to give my thoughts, words, and actions in your Name and do honor to it through my deeds. As I start my path, I know you will be with me. Even when I am alone, I know that I will always be with Dark Magic, and so I will always be with those who are connected through your power. With my duty done and my goal achieved, I praise and thank you, Dark Magic, endless and eternal, and so I close my circle."
Harry walked around slowly and blew the candles out one by one. When he was done, he collected the seven candles and looked at his friends. Most of them were already done. They were just waiting for Theo and Daphne. Their ritual circle had two sources of fire, both burning a beautiful purple that extinguished the next second. Theo finished the ritual as Daphne went around and collect the candles. She looked at the circle and sighed, apparently lost in her own world as she said, "I wish to be comfortable in my own body."
A harsh laugh broke her spell. Everyone turned to see Millicent standing, smirking at Daphne, "Good joke!" she laughed. "Comfortable in your own body? Daphne, you are skinny! How much more comfortable do you need to be? You lucky bitch!" she laughed some more and everyone looked around awkwardly. Daphne just stared at Millicent and started to shake.
She dropped the candles just as fat tears started to fall from her face. Sobbing, Daphne ran towards the shacks, everyone watching her stunned. "Daph!" Theo yelled and ran after her.
Harry and the others turned to Millicent, who was still chuckling. "What?" she said, "It was just a joke."
"Your whole existence is a joke, Bulstrode," Harry sneered. "Pansy, help me with the candles." He and Pansy silently bent to pick up the candles Daphne dropped as the rest just glared hatefully at Millicent. "It was a joke!" she said again, "By the dark, you all are too sensitive."
"I think you should leave," Blaise said threateningly, his wand still out.
Millicent sneered, "Whatever," she said. "You're all a bunch of stupid faeries and softies." She turned and left.
Harry sighed and looked up only to see that they were being watched. A large black dog was staring curiously at them. Harry and the dog's eyes met and for some reason, the dog looked sad. Harry turned his head slightly to the side, but the dog kept staring sadly at him. "Harry, we have to go." Harry turned to see Blaise waiting for him. He turned back to the dog only to find that it was gone. It was then that Professor Trelawney's words played in Harry's head. "You have… the Grim! It is an omen—the worst omen—death!" He pushed it out of his mind, not wanting to acknowledge the small sliver of fear developing.
Harry stood up straight and joined the others. He looked over his shoulder in hopes of seeing the dog again, but only saw trees. "That damn Bulstrode, who does she think she is acting like that?" Pansy muttered. "Ruined my perfect day!"
"And poor Daphne," Blaise hummed, "She looked absolutely devastated. I hope she's alright."
"Bulstrode won't be when I'm through with her," Draco muttered. "I swear if I could, I won't even let her see Yule!"
"Let's just focus on making sure Daphne is okay," Harry said.
"I'll make her a blanket," Crabbe offered.
"And I'll make sweets," Goyle added, "It's been a long time since I made something."
Harry nodded and smile, "She'll love that, I'm sure." He took Draco's hand as they neared the Slytherin's shack and walked slowly, "We don't do anything without my master's permission, understand?"
"We?"
"I'm doing it too," Harry whispered. "Remember, I'm the Dark Prince, Draco, and Millicent Bulstrode just made me angry."
A/N: Raise your hand if you thought things would go without a hitch! Good, I see no hands. Now please keep your hands to the side as Harry and Draco throw hands with Millicent.
Werebunny87: Glad you're enjoying!
JjlovesPJO: Yay Pericico! I love that pairing so much! ...Sorry Will.
Frass22: Daph needs all the hugs but only from Theo. And the others won't know for a while sadly...
Louise Spinster Black: It's my writing... it's never good.