Sixteen Candles - Chapter 19
Yes, I'm sorry this took so long. I've been busy writing a story I really want to get done - it's on LanaMariah and it's called Save Yourself. Go read it, please? I like it. :o) I may move this story back to LanaMariah, I don't know. I already lost about 340 reviews, I'm not too eager to lose another 85. O well... *shrug* I think it's happy here for now.
Aimée
-----
Nothing had changed when we reached Hogwarts; the castle was still the same, the stone walls still gloomy and damp. When I walked through the front doors, however, I had a sudden sense of hone that I'd hadn't experienced since I had lost my memory.
I was now ready to say that I truly had lost my memory and perhaps dreamt of something else; this world was far too real for it to be a dream, and I wasn't disappointed in the least with my parents being alive. I would have rather had this world be real than the other – therefore, I convinced myself I had simply had one of those visions. A memory had even reappeared – how could I deny this world of reality?
As Draco, Ron, Hermione, and I walked into the Great Hall, I immediately noticed nothing had changed within it either; the only difference was that Draco didn't turn towards the Slytherin table as we sat down. Instead, he sat down next to me, his hair falling sloppily into his face as he sat down on the bench with a thud.
I looked up at the High Table with curiosity, wanting to see which teachers I would recognize and which ones would be foreign to me; as I had expected, instead of seeing Professor Flitwick, Mum was sitting with the teachers, placing herself between Snape and Dumbledore. I smiled and allowed myself to move on, recognizing each face that was seated up there. There was one seat empty, however – one that I assumed belonged to the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, just as it always had in the years previous.
"Don't we have a DADA teacher?" I asked Draco, nodding up towards the empty seat.
He turned around and looked, "No, we don't – I don't know where he is though."
I sighed, "Who is he? If you say Lockhart, I think I'll turn myself into a toad."
He grinned, "You mean that idiot author? Of course not, he was thrown into Azkaban years ago – apparently he tried to cure a raving madman of his insanity and ended up killing him. Didn't go over too well with the Ministry when he admitted to lying in all of his books, either."
I laughed, "Serves the old bastard right – he was my second year DADA teacher," I explained.
Draco winced, "Sorry, mate."
I shrugged, "Doesn't matter – who's the teacher then?"
Before he had a chance to answer, I looked up once again and saw Professor Lupin sit down in the empty chair next to Snape, a smile adorning his tawny features.
"Lupin?!" I asked incredulously, "Really?"
Draco nodded, "Of course. Has been for all five years now – I really couldn't imagine it any other way. He's an excellent teacher."
I nodded, amazed, "Yeah, I know… He was the third year DADA teacher."
Draco snorted, "What, did you change DADA Professors every year?"
I grinned, "Something like that."
"Should I even ask why?"
I shrugged, "I killed one, Lockhart lost his memory – from Ron's wand, I believe. Lupin was a werewolf – did I tell you that part? – and after everyone found out, he resigned. Mad-Eye Moody was the fourth year DADA professor, but he ended up being Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise after he escaped from Azkaban."
Draco laughed, "That's absolutely insane, Harry."
I nodded, "Believe me, I know."
Just then, Professor McGonagall burst into the room with two rows of First Years behind her. I grinned and nudged Draco, eyeing all of the nervous eleven year olds.
"Fresh meat," I muttered.
He nodded, "I have a feeling it's going to be one hell of a year."
We sat patiently during the ceremony, whispering between the four of us as our friends' siblings were called. It took perhaps fifteen minutes for the entire year to be Sorted, and after it was Dumbledore stood up, looking for all the world he would rather be at no other place.
"Welcome students, both new and old!" He exclaimed, "It's so good to see all of your faces ready for another year of schooling. I hope not everything you've learned in the years previous hasn't drained out of your head during the summer – ears can be tricky that way, you see."
I snorted, along with about half of the school as he said this. Draco leaned over and whispered something to Ron, making him laugh loudly.
His speech continued on for a few more minutes, his upbeat voice making the mood of the Great Hall lift even as clouds loomed overhead in the enchanted ceiling. After what seemed like forever, he finally announced it was time to eat – and just as it always had, food appeared on the table instantly.
Suddenly starving, I attacked the food in front of me, not caring if I was making a mess of myself. I was ecstatic I finally felt comfortable; I was at Hogwarts and for once in my life, I was home.
Anie: Thank you, I hope you liked this chapter! :o)
Aragorn's Love Slave: LOVE the SN! :o) Thank you - I think Harry and Draco make better boyfriends than bestfriends, but I don't know if it'll go that way this time. Most of my other fics are slash, so... Hmm.. Those are on LanaMariah, in case you're wondering. Thanks again!
Artemis-chan: Harry may go back to his old world, he may not. I know though - for once in a story's life, I actually know how it's going to end. *sigh* For Least Likely of All (which is on LanaMariah), I literally decided what I was going to write as I was writing it. Had no idea how it was going to end until something like chapter 90.. :o) Feel free to ask any questions, I promise I won't think of them as rude. Questions are good, you may even get a few answered :o)
Arwen Undomiel: LOL, thanks. I know my chapters are short - unless I get some burst of inspiration, they usually are. I always always ALWAYS make them at least a page long though. I'll try harder though :o) Thanks again!
Ashliebelle: Thank you! I'm glad you finally decided to review a bit, it was very much appreciated. Thanks for sticking up for me, and I really hope you liked this chapter!
Catspook: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter, even though it was so short. :o)
clarke24: Nothing happened, sorry :o) Maybe next chapter? I'm due to give out a surprise here soon... Hmm.
Christy Corr: Yeah, the Dark Mark disappeared when Voldemort died for good. The scar's a completely different matter though, which you'll see towards the end. Thanks for reviewing!
Dickens, Polyre, LS, Darling, Love: Yes, I know. Have you read Chapter 7 of the pansy story yet, huh huh huh?
hat, scarf, and gloves: Heh, thanks. Eh, you can do what ever you'd like with HP+WoL, of course - free will and all :o) Thanks a ton though! And yeah, Draco/Harry does seem to make things better, doesn't it?
IncubusSuccubus: Nice pen name :o) "Holy shirt"? That's a new one. Thanks!
Jayde: Thanks :o) DoE isn't cheesy, at least not in my opinion - I like it, actually. It's just really Americanized... Is that even a word? The two girls who write DoE are absolutely wonderful people and I wouldn't insult them for the world. Thanks a ton for your review! :o)
jimi: There may be one more encounter... but I can promise you Harry and Draco don't end up together.
Jedi Cosmos: Thanks for the compliments, and I have to say I've talked to the author of WOL for a while - I have reason to attack her and I'm not just shooting my mouth off. There are more similarities than there are differences there with that story, and she HAS read 16C - she told me about a month before this whole thing started. I'm a hypocrite, I know, but everyone has a right to defend their story. Thanks again though :o)
keja wilson: Thank you, I hope you liked this chapter :o)
Klee: Where have you been? I haven't talked to you in ages! Ok, a few days... But still. You still reading Save Yourself or have you given up on that? :o) Thanks a ton, hon!
Liz Skywalker: Thanks! I wonder what Potions will be like as well.
Loony Loony Lupin: Thanks for the suggestion... this story isn't going to be slash though, and if it does end up that way it most certainly won't be the center of the plot. No one likes flames, and I can assure you I never told anyone to go out and flame her. I've talked to her for a while and I know what she's like.. more or less a bitch. Thanks again though.
Mare: You are fucking AWESOME, you know that? I've read Legacy, by Rube - she's a good author, but after that flame? She lost any respect I had for her. Thank you tons for sticking up for me, you're an absolute doll! :o)
Peacockgirl: Hopefully we settled that whole issue in the chatroom, eh?
Quack Quack 88: Yeah, I know what you mean with the whole Harry/pairing thing. To be honest, I can only see him with Draco - I'd find it offending if he got together with Cho or Hermione, and I'd shit a brick if he got together with Ginny. I honestly hate that pairing, probably because it's always written so fluffy and sweet. *sigh* O well, thanks a ton!
SilverFox: Being curious definitely isn't a bad thing. Hermione's around... I suppose. Pansy's still a Slytherin... And Ginny? Hmm. Hadn't factored her in yet, thanks for reminding me. I'm completely against all Ginny ships (except for the odd Draco/Ginny, but those are very, very rare), so no one's gonna get her in this story. I know who Draco and Harry are going to get though - and the answer may just surprise you :o)
Tiger Lily: Yep, Peter killed Lucius. Thanks for reviewing.
twirlgirl04: I know, I know... short. They all are, I can't help it - as long as they're a page long ,will that be acceptable? :o) Thanks again!
Urania: Sorry about the slash, I honestly wasn't expecting to write it when I started out. You can rest assured now, there shouldn't be any more slash in it - if there is, it'll be very, very little and a one-time thing. I have plans for Harry that don't include Draco.
Wolf of Solitude: An inside joke? Hmm, perhaps. :o) I'm sorry the chapter took so long.. *sigh* I wrote too much of Save Yourself. Have you read that one yet? It's under LanaMariah, if you're interested. Thanks again!
POLGAN. What do I have to do to get some feedback here, hold the next chapter hostage until you review? *sigh* And I thought you loved me... Kidding :o)
Yes, I'm sorry this took so long. I've been busy writing a story I really want to get done - it's on LanaMariah and it's called Save Yourself. Go read it, please? I like it. :o) I may move this story back to LanaMariah, I don't know. I already lost about 340 reviews, I'm not too eager to lose another 85. O well... *shrug* I think it's happy here for now.
Aimée
-----
Nothing had changed when we reached Hogwarts; the castle was still the same, the stone walls still gloomy and damp. When I walked through the front doors, however, I had a sudden sense of hone that I'd hadn't experienced since I had lost my memory.
I was now ready to say that I truly had lost my memory and perhaps dreamt of something else; this world was far too real for it to be a dream, and I wasn't disappointed in the least with my parents being alive. I would have rather had this world be real than the other – therefore, I convinced myself I had simply had one of those visions. A memory had even reappeared – how could I deny this world of reality?
As Draco, Ron, Hermione, and I walked into the Great Hall, I immediately noticed nothing had changed within it either; the only difference was that Draco didn't turn towards the Slytherin table as we sat down. Instead, he sat down next to me, his hair falling sloppily into his face as he sat down on the bench with a thud.
I looked up at the High Table with curiosity, wanting to see which teachers I would recognize and which ones would be foreign to me; as I had expected, instead of seeing Professor Flitwick, Mum was sitting with the teachers, placing herself between Snape and Dumbledore. I smiled and allowed myself to move on, recognizing each face that was seated up there. There was one seat empty, however – one that I assumed belonged to the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, just as it always had in the years previous.
"Don't we have a DADA teacher?" I asked Draco, nodding up towards the empty seat.
He turned around and looked, "No, we don't – I don't know where he is though."
I sighed, "Who is he? If you say Lockhart, I think I'll turn myself into a toad."
He grinned, "You mean that idiot author? Of course not, he was thrown into Azkaban years ago – apparently he tried to cure a raving madman of his insanity and ended up killing him. Didn't go over too well with the Ministry when he admitted to lying in all of his books, either."
I laughed, "Serves the old bastard right – he was my second year DADA teacher," I explained.
Draco winced, "Sorry, mate."
I shrugged, "Doesn't matter – who's the teacher then?"
Before he had a chance to answer, I looked up once again and saw Professor Lupin sit down in the empty chair next to Snape, a smile adorning his tawny features.
"Lupin?!" I asked incredulously, "Really?"
Draco nodded, "Of course. Has been for all five years now – I really couldn't imagine it any other way. He's an excellent teacher."
I nodded, amazed, "Yeah, I know… He was the third year DADA teacher."
Draco snorted, "What, did you change DADA Professors every year?"
I grinned, "Something like that."
"Should I even ask why?"
I shrugged, "I killed one, Lockhart lost his memory – from Ron's wand, I believe. Lupin was a werewolf – did I tell you that part? – and after everyone found out, he resigned. Mad-Eye Moody was the fourth year DADA professor, but he ended up being Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise after he escaped from Azkaban."
Draco laughed, "That's absolutely insane, Harry."
I nodded, "Believe me, I know."
Just then, Professor McGonagall burst into the room with two rows of First Years behind her. I grinned and nudged Draco, eyeing all of the nervous eleven year olds.
"Fresh meat," I muttered.
He nodded, "I have a feeling it's going to be one hell of a year."
We sat patiently during the ceremony, whispering between the four of us as our friends' siblings were called. It took perhaps fifteen minutes for the entire year to be Sorted, and after it was Dumbledore stood up, looking for all the world he would rather be at no other place.
"Welcome students, both new and old!" He exclaimed, "It's so good to see all of your faces ready for another year of schooling. I hope not everything you've learned in the years previous hasn't drained out of your head during the summer – ears can be tricky that way, you see."
I snorted, along with about half of the school as he said this. Draco leaned over and whispered something to Ron, making him laugh loudly.
His speech continued on for a few more minutes, his upbeat voice making the mood of the Great Hall lift even as clouds loomed overhead in the enchanted ceiling. After what seemed like forever, he finally announced it was time to eat – and just as it always had, food appeared on the table instantly.
Suddenly starving, I attacked the food in front of me, not caring if I was making a mess of myself. I was ecstatic I finally felt comfortable; I was at Hogwarts and for once in my life, I was home.
Anie: Thank you, I hope you liked this chapter! :o)
Aragorn's Love Slave: LOVE the SN! :o) Thank you - I think Harry and Draco make better boyfriends than bestfriends, but I don't know if it'll go that way this time. Most of my other fics are slash, so... Hmm.. Those are on LanaMariah, in case you're wondering. Thanks again!
Artemis-chan: Harry may go back to his old world, he may not. I know though - for once in a story's life, I actually know how it's going to end. *sigh* For Least Likely of All (which is on LanaMariah), I literally decided what I was going to write as I was writing it. Had no idea how it was going to end until something like chapter 90.. :o) Feel free to ask any questions, I promise I won't think of them as rude. Questions are good, you may even get a few answered :o)
Arwen Undomiel: LOL, thanks. I know my chapters are short - unless I get some burst of inspiration, they usually are. I always always ALWAYS make them at least a page long though. I'll try harder though :o) Thanks again!
Ashliebelle: Thank you! I'm glad you finally decided to review a bit, it was very much appreciated. Thanks for sticking up for me, and I really hope you liked this chapter!
Catspook: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter, even though it was so short. :o)
clarke24: Nothing happened, sorry :o) Maybe next chapter? I'm due to give out a surprise here soon... Hmm.
Christy Corr: Yeah, the Dark Mark disappeared when Voldemort died for good. The scar's a completely different matter though, which you'll see towards the end. Thanks for reviewing!
Dickens, Polyre, LS, Darling, Love: Yes, I know. Have you read Chapter 7 of the pansy story yet, huh huh huh?
hat, scarf, and gloves: Heh, thanks. Eh, you can do what ever you'd like with HP+WoL, of course - free will and all :o) Thanks a ton though! And yeah, Draco/Harry does seem to make things better, doesn't it?
IncubusSuccubus: Nice pen name :o) "Holy shirt"? That's a new one. Thanks!
Jayde: Thanks :o) DoE isn't cheesy, at least not in my opinion - I like it, actually. It's just really Americanized... Is that even a word? The two girls who write DoE are absolutely wonderful people and I wouldn't insult them for the world. Thanks a ton for your review! :o)
jimi: There may be one more encounter... but I can promise you Harry and Draco don't end up together.
Jedi Cosmos: Thanks for the compliments, and I have to say I've talked to the author of WOL for a while - I have reason to attack her and I'm not just shooting my mouth off. There are more similarities than there are differences there with that story, and she HAS read 16C - she told me about a month before this whole thing started. I'm a hypocrite, I know, but everyone has a right to defend their story. Thanks again though :o)
keja wilson: Thank you, I hope you liked this chapter :o)
Klee: Where have you been? I haven't talked to you in ages! Ok, a few days... But still. You still reading Save Yourself or have you given up on that? :o) Thanks a ton, hon!
Liz Skywalker: Thanks! I wonder what Potions will be like as well.
Loony Loony Lupin: Thanks for the suggestion... this story isn't going to be slash though, and if it does end up that way it most certainly won't be the center of the plot. No one likes flames, and I can assure you I never told anyone to go out and flame her. I've talked to her for a while and I know what she's like.. more or less a bitch. Thanks again though.
Mare: You are fucking AWESOME, you know that? I've read Legacy, by Rube - she's a good author, but after that flame? She lost any respect I had for her. Thank you tons for sticking up for me, you're an absolute doll! :o)
Peacockgirl: Hopefully we settled that whole issue in the chatroom, eh?
Quack Quack 88: Yeah, I know what you mean with the whole Harry/pairing thing. To be honest, I can only see him with Draco - I'd find it offending if he got together with Cho or Hermione, and I'd shit a brick if he got together with Ginny. I honestly hate that pairing, probably because it's always written so fluffy and sweet. *sigh* O well, thanks a ton!
SilverFox: Being curious definitely isn't a bad thing. Hermione's around... I suppose. Pansy's still a Slytherin... And Ginny? Hmm. Hadn't factored her in yet, thanks for reminding me. I'm completely against all Ginny ships (except for the odd Draco/Ginny, but those are very, very rare), so no one's gonna get her in this story. I know who Draco and Harry are going to get though - and the answer may just surprise you :o)
Tiger Lily: Yep, Peter killed Lucius. Thanks for reviewing.
twirlgirl04: I know, I know... short. They all are, I can't help it - as long as they're a page long ,will that be acceptable? :o) Thanks again!
Urania: Sorry about the slash, I honestly wasn't expecting to write it when I started out. You can rest assured now, there shouldn't be any more slash in it - if there is, it'll be very, very little and a one-time thing. I have plans for Harry that don't include Draco.
Wolf of Solitude: An inside joke? Hmm, perhaps. :o) I'm sorry the chapter took so long.. *sigh* I wrote too much of Save Yourself. Have you read that one yet? It's under LanaMariah, if you're interested. Thanks again!
POLGAN. What do I have to do to get some feedback here, hold the next chapter hostage until you review? *sigh* And I thought you loved me... Kidding :o)