Author's Note: Lol, I was just thinking that nobody probably reads these, but oh well. Here I go anyways. It's a nice long chapter for you all! Just a quick note: Ginny does NOT know about the cancer. Neither do Fred and George, or any Weasley besides Ron. The only students who know are Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Eloise. She was the one who tipped off the reporter as well. Dumbledore, as usual, had his strange knowledge of things going on. Also, the movies from last chapter were totally made up, though the freaky demon-ghost girl is based on the girl from the Ring and from the previews for Gothica where there is another freaky looking girl. The plot, however, was completely random, typical scary movie type stuff, based probably upon the hundreds of scary movies I've seen. The shopping movie was completely random, though I wouldn't be surprised if a movie like that came out. Scared, but not surprised. Oh Oh, who else saw the HP3 teaser preview? What was with the students randomly singing the Macbeth song while holding giant frogs? I can't even imagine a scene that would even make sense to include that. I was laughing so hard!!! And the boggart scene with Snape wearing grandma clothes? YES!!!!
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The next morning, Ron woke to someone shaking him.
"Ron. Ron, wake up. You've got to see this."
Ron opened his eyes to find Hermione looking down at him, eyes glittering with excitement. She put a finger to his lips.
"Shh…it's a bit early. Your dormmates are asleep, but come here," she instructed, pulling his hands to help him up and led him out of the dorm.
"'Mione what's going on?" he asked sleepily. Hermione just gave him an excited look and put a finger to her lips as she led him down to the common room. At the bottom of the steps, she slowed and led him around so they could see the couch. A smile spread over Ron's face.
There on the couch, lay Harry and Ginny, both fast asleep and looking completely blissful. Ginny was laying her head on Harry's chest as it slowly rose and fell. Her arm was draped over him, while he had his own draped over her back. Harry still had his glasses on, but they were slightly crooked on his face. Harry's blanket was covering both of them.
"When did this happen?" Ron whispered.
"I'd guess last night, though I'm not sure anything's really happened yet. I think we can relate to somehow managing to fall asleep in a compromising position. Remember the hospital wing?" she said blissfully, remembering when she had woken up to find herself lying cuddled up to Ron.
"But we secretly liked each other. It's not like you fell asleep on Neville or anything."
"Exactly. Isn't it so sweet?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder as he put an arm around her, the pair gazing at the two on the couch.
Ron cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, but I think Ginny might be drooling on Harry a little," he said in amusement. Hermione giggled quietly.
"Go ask Colin for his camera," she whispered. Ron grinned evilly.
"You're brilliant," he said, giving her a quick kiss before heading up the stairs.
Ron quickly went into the younger dorm and got consent from a half-asleep Colin to use the camera. He made a quick stop at the seventh year dorm and quietly crept in.
"Fred. George," he whispered, shaking them awake.
"Wha'?" Fred asked groggily.
"Ron?" George asked confused.
Ron put a finger to his lips and motioned for them to follow. They were slightly bewildered, but did as told.
When they got to the bottom, Fred and George broke out into identical grins.
"Brilliant," they both said in unison at the sight.
Ron took a few pictures.
"Do you reckon we ought to send one to mum?" he asked mischievously. All the Weasleys laughed quietly, knowing how their mother would react.
"She'd have the wedding ready by the time we arrived at King's Cross," Fred sniggered.
"Look how happy Ginny looks," George commented.
"They look good together don't they?" Ron asked with a smile. Everyone agreed.
Fred frowned. "Are we sure she didn't drug him?" he asked in a mock-suspicious tone.
"You Weasley boys are awful. The whole lot of you," Hermione said with a grin. "Now get out of here before you wake them up and spoil the whole thing. They have a few hours until other people start coming down, so let them have that. If they wake up to see all of you staring at them, it'll be totally ruined."
The three boys practically skipped to the stairs.
"Was Gin drooling on Harry?" Fred asked as they started up.
Hermione glared at the three sniggering boys, causing them to get up the stairs quickly.
An hour later, the two on the couch were still asleep. The rest of the Gryffindors were beginning to wake up and Hermione gave the Weasleys permission to wake the pair before others started getting down to the common room.
"Be nice," she warned. "I know you guys don't want to mess this up for them, so be nice."
"Of course, Hermione!" Fred said putting his hands over his heart.
"What kind of people do you think we are?" George asked with an evil grin.
Hermione sighed and sank down into one of the chairs muttering about boys.
"Okay, now everybody has to keep a straight face. Try to look no less than furious," Fred instructed.
The sniggering boys had to take a few deep breaths before they could plaster angry-looking expressions on their faces. They had been working for the last half hour to perfect the look. Fred picked up a book and slammed it down on the table next to them, causing them both to jerk awake.
Harry tried to sit up, but realized something was weighing him down. He looked down and met Ginny's eyes, who was still on top of him. They both whipped their heads to the side to see three furious-looking Weasley boys. Ginny scrambled off of Harry in a flash.
Fred seized Harry by the collar of his pajamas and pulled him to his feet.
"What the hell are you doing with my sister?!" he bellowed. Harry was absolutely terrified he looked from Ron to George and then back to Fred, each looking livid.
"Nothing, I swear!" he yelped.
"Fred, what the bloody hell are you doing?" Ginny shrieked.
"Harry, I should have warned you, but if you touch our sister, we're going to have to hurt you," Ron said coldly.
"Leave him alone!" Ginny yelled. When Fred showed no sign of letting Harry go, Ginny leaped off the couch, onto his back sending them crashing to the floor and dragging Harry along with them. Ron and George raced over to try to help, laughing hysterically.
"Gin, we were just kid…" Ron started, but with a swift kick to the leg from his little sister, fell into the fray.
George was laughing too hard to actually do anything at this point. Fred was trying to block himself from Ginny's small fists, while laughing so hard that tears were coming out of his eyes, forgetting that he was still clutching Harry's pajamas, who was trying to wrench himself free. Ron was trying to wrench Ginny off of Fred, but could hardly breathe from such intense laughter.
"Gin…we were," Ron paused to gasp for air, "…just…kidding!"
Ginny suddenly realized that all her brothers were laughing and slapped Fred's arm.
"You're all horrible. See if I get you guys anything for Christmas ever again!"
She got to her feet and shoved Ron, who was already unstable with laughter, sending him crashing onto Fred. George collapsed to the floor in a fit of laughter.
"Ah Ron, get off me!" Fred yelled, pushing his little brother off.
"Fred…I think you can let go of Harry now," Ron laughed.
Fred immediately dropped Harry's pajama shirt.
Ginny held out her hand to Harry and helped him up.
"Sorry mate, but that was just too priceless of an opportunity to pass up," Fred said cheerfully.
"Your face!" George gasped, pointing at Harry. He put mimicked Harry's earlier expression by putting on the most terrified expression he could muster. The three brothers once again dissolved into peels of laughter. Even Harry and Ginny had to chuckle now.
"Too bad we didn't get some pictures of that," Ron said wistfully once he had calmed down, wiping some tears of mirth from his eyes.
"You don't think I'd let something like that happen without some proof," Hermione said, standing behind the couch. They all looked up to see a camera in her hands.
"Say cheese!" she called, clicking another picture of them all.
Ginny and Harry exchanged a look that clearly said, 'Seize the evidence!' Harry suddenly darted toward Hermione, who shrieked and ran around the other side of the couch. Ginny raced toward her on that side of the couch, but was seized around the middle by Fred, who threw her over his shoulder.
"Put me down, Fred!" she yelled, pounding fists into his back. He spun around in a circle, causing her to shriek and grab onto him for dear life.
Meanwhile, Harry had almost caught up with Hermione, when she darted behind Ron who stuck out his arms to block Harry. All of them were laughing as Harry tried to get past Ron.
"You're going down Weasley!" laughed Harry.
"I don't think so Potter. These pictures are going to be posted all over the Great Hall!"
"And because of your behavior, I'm sending the ones of you two sleeping right to Mrs. Weasley!" Hermione called from behind Ron.
"No, send them to Cho!" Ron said excitedly.
"Hermione, I'm going to kill you!" Ginny screamed in between peels of laughter. Fred spun Ginny around again, making her scream. "Fred" she shrieked, "you're going to make me sick!"
"Puke on him, Gin!" Harry called. Ron looked over at his sister to see if she really was going to be sick and Harry used the distraction to lunge past him. He reached out to grab Hermione but was tackled from behind by George. "Ginny," he called, "what's something embarrassing about George?" He threw his hands up as Ron and George began hitting him with pillows.
"Er…once, when dad was having over people from the ministry for a Christmas party, he ran into the room naked! Ahh!! Stop Fred!!"
Everybody laughed hysterically. George glared at everyone and continued his pillow assault on Harry.
"When was that?" Harry gasped for air from laughing so hard.
"Last summer!" Fred shouted.
"I was four you prats!" George yelled.
"Oh good, I was looking for a good story to write to Kota about!" Harry laughed.
"You wouldn't!" George gasped.
"Well, unless you become my body guard!" Harry offered. George froze thoughtfully and swung his pillow, this time hitting Ron in the stomach.
"Hey!" Ron yelled.
"You've got a deal, Harry! Instead, you can tell her about the time I battled a dragon on a broomstick in front of the whole school!"
"That wasn't you, you prat, that was Harry!" Ron squeaked as he tried hitting George back.
"Details, details little brother," George said, forcing Ron to back up away from Harry. Harry jumped to his feet but Hermione was gone. When she reappeared from the girls' dorms, she announced that the camera was hidden. He began to dart after her when somebody cleared their throat. Everybody froze and looked up to find practically all the boys in the Gryffindor tower watching them. Colin Creevey had another camera up and was snapping pictures. Girls were now tromping down the girls' dorm staircase as well, stopping at the bottom with glares.
"Some of us were trying to sleep in," Lee Johnson said with a glare.
"Yeah, it's a bloody Saturday!" Dean moaned.
"Er, sorry," they all murmured. Fred put Ginny down and the twins took dramatic bows. Everyone trudged back up to their dorms. George and Ron put the pillows back on the couch. Ron tossed Harry his blanket with a smirk.
"So did you two have a good time last night?" he asked evilly.
"Oh shut it Ron, we didn't do anything," Ginny said with a roll of the eyes. "We're just friends."
"Right," Harry said with an emphasizing nod.
"Oh so you just happened to meet down in the common room in the middle of the night," George said sarcastically.
"So that's why you were so jumpy last night, Har," Ron said mischievously.
"No," Harry said with a glare.
"So what were you two doing down here snuggling up on the couch?" Fred asked.
Harry and Ginny looked at each other and sighed.
"The ghost girl," they said in unison.
"You mean Moaning Myrtle? What has she got to do with anything?" Ron asked.
"Not Moaning Myrtle, the demon-ghost girl," Harry said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"The one who murders people in horrifying ways, hiding in dark corners and such, just waiting until people like you and me look the other way before hacking them to death and hanging them from ceiling fans," Ginny clarified.
"Yeah, if you're lucky, she'll just get you quickly. The drawn out ones are just gruesome," Harry said with a shrug.
"She strikes in the dark so we figured we'd go to the fireplace for some light."
"We figured you guys could fend for yourselves if she came."
The Weasley boys looked pretty frightened now. Hermione sniggered.
"What?" Ron squeaked.
"Oh, look at the time, better get dressed," Ginny said and went up the girls' staircase. Hermione trailed after her quickly, no doubt ready to hear the inside tale of exactly how Ginny's night was.
"Oh don't worry guys, she only comes out at night," Harry said before heading up the boys' staircase.
"Wait Harry, what are you guys talking about?"
"Wait, who's going to hack us to death in the night?"
"Sorry, guys, really must run. I'll put in a good word for you when I write to Kota today, George," he called.
"Thanks Harry! You're the best!" George called back.
"Wait, who's going to hack us to death?" Ron asked.
Harry just laughed and went to take a shower.
June first came swiftly. Ron woke that morning dreading that the day had come. He felt an ominous feeling, knowing that his best friend was supposed to die before the end of the month. It was enough trying to focus on his O.W.L.s without wondering how much longer he'd have with his friend. Sirius had been visiting Harry more and more often. Professor McGonagall had been caught on a few occasions staring down at her sick student tearfully. Ron even swore he once saw a sympathetic gaze from Snape. All in all, he took it as a bad sign. They were all signs that there was no hope and that the end was near.
Ron walked over to wake Harry, something he had to do most every morning now since Harry was so tired all the time.
"Oi mate, time to wake up," he called, ripping back the bed curtains. Harry was lying on his side, his back toward Ron. He made no reply so Ron shook his arm gently.
"Mmm…go 'way Ron," he mumbled in a strained-sounding voice. His body shook in painful-sounding coughs. Ron winced sympathetically. He shook Harry's shoulder again.
"Sorry, Harry, but it's a school day."
"Please Ron, no," he moaned shakily. Ron sighed sadly and began to pull Harry toward him, onto his back.
"Harry, I'm sorry but you have to…" Ron trailed off, his words catching as he inhaled sharply.
The spot on Harry's pillow where he had been laying was covered in blood. There were still a few drops at the corner of his mouth as well. Ron looked down and saw that the lower arms of Harry's nightshirt were soaked with red, since, as always, Harry had been coughing into his sleeves. There were spots of blood all over his shirt where he had either coughed on or brushed his sleeves against. There was even some in Harry's hair, where he had laid his head in the blood on his pillow. As Ron's hand rested on Harry's shoulder, he felt that Harry was shivering. Small beads of sweat covered his face, which was contorted in pain.
"Oh Merlin," he gasped.
Harry struggled to open his eyes. They were filled with extreme pain.
"I really don't feel good," he whimpered, swallowing hard. He abruptly sat up in bed, clutching his head as it pounded in agony.
"Harry?" Ron asked, concerned.
"I'm going to be sick," he gasped before scrambling out of bed.
Ron raced around the bed to Harry. Halfway out of the room, Harry's legs gave out and Ron had to catch him as he fell, wrapping his arms around Harry's chest and slowly lowered him to his knees. He helped Harry lean against a wall and raced to grab a trash can. He thrust the can at his friend who promptly began to violently empty his stomach. Ron grabbed a blanket and draped it over Harry's shoulders, rubbing his back comfortingly.
As Harry retched into the wastebasket, Neville came back in to find them. In seeing Harry, his eyes grew wide.
"Neville, get a wet washcloth, quick," Ron ordered, not wanting to leave Harry's side, especially now that blood was coming up too. Neville nodded and raced out of the room.
After the last of Harry's dry heaves subsided, he leaned back against the wall to catch his breath. Ron grabbed a shirt off Seamus' bed and handed it to Harry to wipe the sick off his face. After doing so, Harry looked at what he was holding.
"I don't think Seamus is going to appreciate that," he commented, his voice hoarse from all the coughing and vomiting.
"It'll teach him not to leave his things laying around," Ron said.
Neville burst back into the room with Hermione trailing close behind. She was biting her bottom lip and looked extremely anxious.
"Oh Harry!" she exclaimed, rushing over to him. "Oh God, you're covered in blood!"
Neville pressed the wet washcloth against Harry's burning forehead. Harry was clenching his teeth to try and relieve his pounding headache. He was swept with a sense of vertigo, feeling as if he was going to fall.
"Need to lay down," he murmured, beginning to do so on the floor.
"Wait Harry, we're going to get you into bed, okay?" Ron protested. He and Neville lifted Harry to his feet and helped him back to his bed. The two boys exchanged a worried look as they both felt how hard Harry was shivering despite the heat of his skin.
"'Mione, grab my pillow off my bed, this one's covered in blood," Ron requested. Hermione swiftly switched out the two pillows as Ron and Neville eased Harry into his bed.
"I don't think I'm going to go to class today," Harry said in his raspy voice.
"Of course you're not!" exclaimed Hermione who was pulling Harry's blankets up to his chin. Neville put the washcloth back onto Harry's forehead.
"I'll be right back," he said softly to Ron and Hermione. "I'm going to fetch Madam Pomfrey." He slipped out of the room.
"Ron, give him some of those potions Snape gave you!"
"No, 'Mione, he said not to if it seemed worse than a fever unless…" he trailed off, thanking Merlin the situation didn't call for the emergency potion that Snape had given them. The two sat down on Harry's bed on either side of him.
"Tell us what to do for you, Harry. What do you want?" Hermione asked, compulsively smoothing Harry's hair back from his face again.
"I'm all right guys, really. I'm just tired," he murmured, eyes drifting closed.
"Okay, just go to sleep then. It'll be all right." Hermione chanted, her face full of fear.
"Wait, no Harry, just hold on until Madam Pomfrey gets here. Just stay awake until then, okay? You think you can do that?" asked Ron. He didn't want to let Harry go to sleep only to find out that he should have stayed awake. Plus, he remembered from Potions class that potions were more effective and quicker when ingested rather than injected, which was why it took so long for the potions to work the last time.
Harry weakly nodded his head. "I'll try, but I don't know if I'll be able to."
"We'll keep talking to you to keep you awake," Hermione suggested. Harry nodded.
"Just think Harry, twelve more days of school and we are out of here," Ron nearly shouted as Harry's eyes began closing.
"Yeah, and think, no more Dursleys. You'll be living with Sirius!" Hermione interjected.
"And Mum's already said that you and 'Mione can come to the Burrow. We're going to have a blast. We'll experiment with the tricks from Fred and George's shop and we'll play tons of Quidditch."
Harry smiled at this, though his eyes remained closed. "Sirius said he has a pitch," he muttered, pausing for a deep, shuddering breath. "Maybe you all can come over to his house."
"It'll be your house too, as of this summer," Hermione reminded him. "You never referred to the Dursley's house as yours, but now you can with the Black house. Why don't you give it a try?"
Ron looked at Hermione with a raise eyebrow. She shrugged. Harry smiled amusedly and chuckled.
"All right, you can come over to my house this summer." As silly as he felt uttering the words, he couldn't help but smile, liking the way they sounded.
Suddenly, waves of nausea swept through his stomach and as he tried to repress the urge to vomit, pain shot through his whole body. All the windows in the room shattered with a loud crash. He gasped and grabbed his stomach. The motion upset his head and he once again felt as though a hammer was beating against the inside of his skull. His whole body tensed up and he began to shake slightly. A whimpering moan escaped his lips.
Ron and Hermione watched helplessly as Harry grimaced and shivered violently, trying to bite back the pain. Ron noticed Harry's fists clenched so tightly, he was worried he would cut himself with his fingernails. Ron managed to wrench his hand into Harry's and squeezed back, trying to let Harry know he was there. He looked at his friend in undisguised worry. Hermione stroked Harry's cheek and murmured comforting words.
Finally, it passed as Harry managed to relax slightly. Ron felt Harry's hand slacken in his own. Harry laid his head back down on the pillow, taking in agitated breaths. Hermione adjusted the washcloth on his forehead.
"Harry?" Ron asked frightened.
He looked around at the broken glass and closed his eyes to concentrate. Ron and Hermione watched in amazement as the glass lifted off the floor like upside-down rain, flew into the window frame, and reformed the glass panes. He opened up his eyes again and looked up at his friends.
"Keep going," he said weakly, shivering violently. Hermione grabbed another blanket and draped it over him. He thanked her with a feeble smile.
"Er…well at your house this summer you can show me that wicked trick you pulled in the match against the Hufflepuffs. That won us the match!"
They heard the bells chiming, signaling for students to get to their first class. Harry frowned.
"You guys should go before you're late. I'll be fine," he said in an unsteady voice.
"No way, Harry, we're not leaving you. You're way more important than school!" Hermione insisted. The corners of Harry's mouth turned up at this extreme compliment, because to Hermione, there were precious few things more important than school.
Once again, Harry's body tensed up, the pain and nausea almost overwhelming. He felt bile starting to rise up in the back of his throat and swallowed it back hard, agitating his already raw throat. He felt Ron clenching his hand and looked up into the redhead's eyes. They were filled with emotional pain and were brimming with tears, a look of pleading apparent in them. Pleading with Harry to be okay, to just jump up and be the healthy Harry he had been at the beginning of the school year. Unfortunately, that was one thing Harry couldn't do.
Ron noted that this time, even in the worst of his pain, Harry couldn't clench his hand as strongly as he could the first time. He longed for the bone-crushing squeeze from before, because without it, Ron could feel how Harry was weakening.
Finally, it passed and Madam Pomfrey and Neville arrived, arms laden with potions. Madam Pomfrey was unusually somber, simply giving Harry the necessary potions without commenting on their frequent meetings. She thanked Ron for his foresight to keep Harry awake.
"All right, Harry, you can go to sleep now. We'll wait awhile to see if we're going to need to move you into the hospital wing. I'm going to send up a house elf to watch over you in case you need me and I'll check on you again in an hour," she said soothingly, wiping away the blood on his sheets and pajamas with a flick of her wand. Harry barely nodded before his breathing evened out.
"Madam Pomfrey, you don't have to call a house elf, I'm staying here with him," Hermione announced. It was not a request but a statement.
"Me too," Ron said.
"Same," Neville nodded.
The medi-witch looked unsure though. "I don't know about pulling you all out."
"Don't worry, our professors will understand. Besides, I'm a few chapters ahead and I'll teach Ron and Neville the lessons we'd be learning today so we don't get behind," Hermione said. Ron and Neville nodded.
The nurse looked sadly at their concerned faces. She nodded.
"All right then, I'll alert your professors." She quickly explained the potions on Harry's nightstand to them and instructed them to get her the second something even seemed wrong. She cast a final mournful glance at Harry before leaving.
"Merlin, poor Harry," Neville said quietly looking at his friend shivering in his sleep, waiting for the fever-reducing potion to kick in.
"I hate to admit this, but I'm getting really scared now," Hermione whispered in a frightened voice. "He said the latest would be the end of the month, but it could really happen any day."
"Don't, Hermione," Ron said angrily with a shudder. "Harry's strong, he'll make it to the end of the month. Probably passed then even. We'll probably get to celebrate his next birthday."
Hermione and Neville exchanged a quick look.
"Just don't give up on him," Ron practically whispered, looking not at them, but at Harry's bloodstained pillow that Hermione had thrown on his bed in her haste to switch the two. "He's counting on us to not give up. If we give up hope, then he will too. And hope is all we have right now."
"I won't give up on him, Ron. I promise," Hermione said quietly.
"Me neither. I swear it," said Neville.
"Good," Ron said quietly.
"Well, shall we start on our lessons," Hermione suggested cautiously. To her immense surprise, Ron and Neville both sat on a bed facing her, getting out their quills and parchment.
"Yeah, let's do that," Ron said in a hushed voice so not to bother Harry. Hermione quickly recovered from her shock and began teaching the two their last chapter in History of Magic.
"Severus, you wanted to see me?"
Snape looked up from the paper he had been furiously scribbling notes on to find the headmaster standing in the doorway of his living area. The potion's master was surrounded by large books and pages upon pages of sketches, notes, and lists of potions ingredients.
"Albus, please have a seat," he said gesturing to a chair, moving the books that had been stacked on it.
"I must say, Severus, this is the messiest I have ever seen your quarters," he said with amusement.
"I take it you've heard that Potter and his friends were not in class today," Snape said, ignoring Dumbledore's previous comment.
"Yes, I've spoken with Madam Pomfrey. Harry's condition is declining rapidly," he said sadly.
"Well, I've been researching the boy's condition. The spell, cancer in Muggles, previous cases with this spell, cures that have been tried but failed. I'm working on some theories. Har—Potter's magic has strengthened to such a magnitude that, if we were able to somehow…er…disconnect the cancer from his life energy, it is very likely that his magic will push it out of his body. The question, of course, is how to do this without harming him, or doing it period for that matter," he said, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, looking through notes and gesturing with his hands.
Dumbledore had seen the potions master speak with determination and passion whenever working on a new potion, but this intensity was beyond anything that the headmaster had witnessed. The headmaster smiled slightly in seeing the usually extremely composed and meticulous man finding it difficult to even string together his thoughts. The man suddenly looked so natural, so human, a side of him that most would never see.
"I've broken down a few potions that break magical bonds somewhat similar to this and think that with some experiments, I might be able to isolate the ingredient or combination of ingredients that would be most effective here. And if I combine it maybe with something from this list," he said, handing a list ingredients to Dumbledore, "it might get closer to what we want, though I'm not sure if it will even be safe to drink. I don't even know if it will work or what the side effects might be. Anyway, Albus, the reason I asked you down is to request that for the next few weeks, somebody cover my first through fourth year classes so I can work on this. Obviously I need to work quickly and my younger students are hopeless anyway. So are most of my older students for that matter, but I don't trust anyone else to teach those classes with the advanced classes and so close to the O.W.L.s for the fifth years, not that most of them will even pass, but that's beside the point," he rambled.
Dumbledore put up a hand to stop him. "Of course I will have someone cover your classes. I will do it myself if I can't find someone else, though, as you know, potions is definitely not a strong area of mine."
Snape huffed in agreement.
Dumbledore looked around at the mess. "You do realize, Severus, that you have come to actually care about someone," he said with amusement. "And not only somebody, but Harry Potter, your old enemy's son."
Snape glared at him. "I do not. I am only intrigued by the condition and finding a potion that might cure it. I am not concerned with that boy. He means nothing to me."
"Your actions betray you, Severus. It's written in your eyes." He sighed. "It's a wonderful thing, to care about someone. It makes you human."
"Not someone who is about to die," he said stiffly. He looked up at the headmaster with a sadness he could almost completely hide. "Life disappoints, Albus. If you allow yourself to become emotionally involved, the disappointment becomes hurt." His tone changed as he realized he was actually speaking of his feelings. "Of course this is purely hypothetical. As I said, I don't care for that boy. I don't get emotionally involved with anyone, and especially not with an arrogant little celebrity."
"You know Harry better than that, Severus." Albus rose from the chair and brushed his robes straight. "I will begin asking about substitutes for your classes immediately." He nodded at the potions master and made to leave. As he passed the couch, he rested a hand on Snape's shoulder.
"I wish you would believe me that the benefits of caring about someone outweighs the risk of hurt, but you can only discover this on your own."
With that, Dumbledore left, leaving Snape to briefly ponder his words before turning back to his notes. He would rather die than admit it to Albus, but the hope for Harry that was beginning to show made him long for Harry to live more than he had wanted anything in a very long time. He had tried so hard not to care about anybody. How this had happened, he would never know.
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Disassembly of Reason: Dumbledore does have that strange way of knowing things. He figured out what was going on pretty quickly and, because he's cool and knew what Cho was doing, went with it. Lol, that would have been hilarious if it had been Snape. About Cho and Cedric, sometimes people aren't as perceptive as Harry when they're involved with someone like Cho. He probably believed that she really did like him and then ignored all the red flags that are so apparent to everyone else who isn't emotionally involved. When you have a crush on somebody, it's easy to ignore bad things about them. Merlin knows it's happened to me several times before. Cho was just referring to the Weasley's financial status. Whether or not she's prejudice against Muggleborns, I don't think she would really pay attention to that stuff, it takes some perception, that she doesn't have, to be able to tell who actually is Muggleborn, since they all look alike. Lol, you may have been proud of Ron's restraint on teasing Harry last chapter, but I guess it got to the point where he couldn't resist. Plus, the twins are a bit of a bad influence :) (I love them!) Neither movie was real, though the demon-ghost girl was based on the girl from the Ring.
Dadaiiro: Really? Yay!! Thanks!! I'm so happy I seemed to catch a lot of people by surprise with the Ginny taking revenge on Cho thing. Dumbledore knows all that happens in Hogwarts, well sort of. I think he just figured it out really quickly and let it happen. He's just cool like that! I know what you mean about fifth book Harry. He was so moody and took out his anger on his poor friends. I love scary movies! I'm glad you're for George/Kota. I honestly wasn't even going to do anything with them beyond her going ga ga over George, but everyone seemed to want more and voila: the dance, which worked well to work with the wishes for the Stensons to find out about the cancer. Can't get enough of your telling me you love my story! Not to sound conceited!!!!
PussyKat: Yeah, I must say, I hate the love triangle thing too. It's just too sad and I can't picture anybody doing that to their friend. But anyways, yeah,H and G won't start dating because then I would have to write about them going out together, and it's just not fun like that. I know what you mean. I don't think either Ginny or Harry are the type to bluntly ask the other to a movie, they're a bit too shy. Well, maybe Ginny would have when she was younger, but not anymore. And Harry's just too clueless about girls, which is adorable. I'm glad my fic remains a bit unpredictable. Thanks! I love responding to reviewers! I'm glad its appreciated! I am in love with Harry too! Of course, I imagine him slightly different than he was in say the fifth book? Too moody there, but he was depressed! You can't blame him all that much, can you?
Thundering Lights: Sorry! I totally understand weeks from hell, and know how horrible it is when it prevents you from reading fanfiction! It's so frustrating! I'm glad you found your cat! I'm sorry Cho wasn't as bashed as you wanted. Just pretend that Ginny tackled her and beat her down. Lol, Harry reincarnated into an animal? Sweet, though probably not the angle of the story. But hey, you never know. Maybe this fic ends with him coming back as a bird and crapping on Cho's head. Unfortunately, for me, this story is coming to its end somewhat soon. I mean, it's already June!
Eowyn of Ithilien: Are you serious?? Well, J.K. better be lying to throw people off or there's going to be a serious smackdown!! HAHAHA!! Cho/The Giant Squid????? Aahhhhh!! That's the most hilarious thing ever!!! How would that even work? LOL. Anywho, I imagine the Slytherins wrapping their arms around themselves or pulling their cloaks closed or grabbing the tops of their pants as if afraid she'd pull them off. All right, you can have the Giant Squid as long as I can have Kreacher! Now that is one sexy thang!
Terence: Well, I'm so glad you're finally feeling better! It's so freezing in here. But apparently the heater must be the devil or something. My finger tips are slightly blue since I had to take off my gloves to type. Sad, huh? I think so, but I guess the rest of my family doesn't understand my pain. They're crazy. Or maybe just cruel. They probably all secretely have the heater on in their rooms and are laughing maniacally while they make my room like an arctic vent!
Luinlothana: lol, of course I'll read your reviews!! I love them!! Ginny did the potion on her own, using the beginning of Fred and George's of course. I don't think I could see her asking Snape for help with a prank. I mean, who in their right mind would? Lol. How long will it take for Harry to calm down? Well, I'm sure by day he'll be fine, it's just in the dark of the night when it starts to get scary. After seeing the Ring, I was totally fine until in the middle of the night, I somehow convinced myself that Samara was in my room. I ended up pretending there was a lot of people with me and then called "I really hope you would have better things to do than kill me," in a really casual voice, as if that would make her go away. Then I jumped in and realized it was empty. Yeah, I felt slightly stupid, but fear makes us act irrationally right?
Lalilo: You were the only one to take a crack at my question about the password. Actually, Bubasti is an ancient city, once the capital of Egypt, that was devoted to the worshp of the cat-headed goddess, Bast. I thought it would be a fun little inside joke for Professor McGonagall to make it as if the Gryffindor tower was a city that worshipped her, since her animagus form is a cat. Hmm…chapters left? Tough question, I'd say this fic, at one chapter a week, will be finished around Christmas. It's hard to judge though since I'm still adding stuff. It could be sooner. It could be later. But there's your ballpark figure.
ParanoiaIn2005: Thank you! Lol, yeah, well scary movies can make people act irrationally. For an example, read my response to Luinlothana. Read the author's note about the movies, since it takes quite a bit of space to explain. No, the password was pretty hard, I was just wondering if anybody knew. Read the response to Lalilo, right above yours for the answer.
BratPrincess-187: I could totally imagine Hermione punching Malfoy if he went too far in insulting her friends. He really touched a sensitive spot there. She can be a very feisty girl! Well, here you go, a nice dose of drama for you!
Lindiel Eryn: Thank you, I'm glad you think so. Cho's punishment has had a wide range of responses, many who think it wasn't harsh enough. Lol, I think that for Cho, it was the worst thing possible. Ok, I sound really arrogant, but I don't mean to, really! Sweet, innocent Ginny? As in the one who lied with ease to Dean and Seamus to keep them from the common room? Lol, yeah, she is sweet, but she's getting a mischievous streak in her as well.
Nelum: Ta da! It's Ron and Fred, and George and Hermione who find the pair! Hope that tickled your fancy!
Siri Kat: lol, yes, that is what I do during scary movies too!! I scream at them since they can be so stupid! I mean, jeez, how about calling the police or turning on the lights, or not going into the house with the killer in it? I just hope that if I'm ever in a scary movie situation (which I don't really count on) I am smarter than them.
Crystal113: Yay! I'm glad you like Snape in this story. He's one of my favorite characters to work with in this fic! I hope you continue to feel the same! Yes, OWLs will be mentioned. I'm glad you even like the type of scenes you usually don't like (romance). Yeah, I'm not a Cho fan either. Of course I make her a ton worse than in the book, but I didn't like her there either. I sometimes feel bad bashing her so horribly, but other times, I don't! LOL.
GuitarGirlErin: That's so great that your friend recommended my story! Thank them for me. Wow, I can't believe you read so late into the night! Actually I do that occasionally too, right up until my eyes burn from trying to keep them open. But thank you for doing it for my fic! I'm glad you don't find Kota Mary Sue-ish since that is one of my main concerns about the story!
Duende: Thank you! Well, this chapter was up sooner than it has been lately and it has Harry with a bad day! Your two requests! You're English was wonderful.
Heretic Angel: Wow, all 30 in one go? Congratulations! I'm glad you like it. You mean you haven't thought of Ron and Hermione getting together? No R/H fics? Wow. That's crazy. I think they would be perfect together! It's so obvious they like each other, well at least to me. Voldemort found out earlier that he and Harry have a connection when he invaded Hogwarts the first time and therefore, has been working against that connection. But he will make his appearance. Never fear.
SiriuslyObsessed: I'm glad you haven't abandoned ship, but don't worry about the chapters missed. I'll definitely check your fic out the moment I have a free…well, moment. I'm glad I took you by surprise with Ginny making the potion! Yeah, Ginny tipped off the reporter. It wouldn't be too hard, just say that Harry's girlfriend is going to make an announcement at dinner, but stay near the shadows. And of course, Dumbledore caught on and didn't do anything to stop it. Scary movies are fun. They make us act all crazy! Well, guess what, this chapter has Harry torture in it for you!! Yeah!! Lol.
Myr Halcyon: Well, I hope angst does help, b/c this chapter has some. I know how it is to go through a rough time and I wish you the best of luck with it. Anything I can do to help, just ask. HP fanfiction does help to get your mind off things though. Ginny doesn't know that Harry has cancer yet. In fact, the only Weasley who does is Ron. I've taken psych before too! Psychology of adolescents to be exact. Trying to find out what I'm thinking I guess. Lol. I hope things get better, and until then, I'll send over your pick of Harry, Snape, the twins, or any other character of your choice to make you feel better! lol
SiriusWolf: Lol, I have no idea what you mean by the Matrix reference, but you did catch on nicely to the Ring one. That's too bad that you're putting your fanfics on hold, but a novel sounds like a really cool idea. I know what you mean! College apps are hell!!
Lady Abbey Bartlet: You're welcome! Thank you so much for reading it! Wow, worship?? That may be a little strong for this story, but thank you! I know what you mean about craving stories. It's really weird! I just can't function without the occasional dose of HP fanfiction. Luckily, being the author of this fic, I can put in whatever I'm craving at the time!
Ganymade: I must admit that sometimes I feel bad for what I'm doing to Cho's character. You're absolutely right, she wasn't nearly as bad in the books. See, I started writing this before the fifth book when we didn't know much about Cho's character. She was the one I could mold into a character I wanted in my story, somebody who would bring Harry out into the public eye a little more. We don't really get to see much of the tabloid, crazed reporters and fanclubs aspect in the book, but every celebrity has fanclubs and tabloid rumors, so I wanted to bring that out. I guess you could consider Cho as almost a different character, since it is AU and stuff. Oh and Ginny doesn't know about Harry's illness. Thank you for the ego boost!!
Not a Muggle: I'm glad you gave this story a chance. I really tried to break away from a lot of cliches, even though it starts out with child abuse and stuff. I'm so happy you ended up liking it!
Miss Shadow Prowl: Uh, a made up movie! As I said in the A/N, the scary girl is based on the girl from the Ring and the one from the previews for Gothica, but the bits of plot you saw were just random figments of my imagination spurred from too many years of watching horror flicks.
Chibi-Bex: Yes, in this fic Cho is a major bitch! (I hate her in the books as well, but my friend, who really likes her, has sort of convinced me that she's not THAT bad. I still don't like her, but she's a lot better than in this story!) I'm so happy it's kept you entertained.
I-like-chickens: Awesome penname! Thank you! "it's like wow?" Lol, yes!! Thank you so much for the wonderful compliments!!
Bulldogchick05: Thanks! Yeah, I did think that Cho losing her reputation would be her absolute worst nightmare. I love scary movies! The Ring is one of my favs, even though it scared me shitless.
Shawn Pickett: Don't think I'm going to go into much detail about Cho's punishment. I think the imaginations of the readers of this story can come up with something far worse than I can, as I've seen throughout the last few chapters. Hahaha. But, maybe I'll put in a little comment about it somewhere if I can find an appropriate place for it.
Viskii: Good question about people worrying that Harry would get sick at the movies. Well, I guess they either didn't think of it. Every day that Harry has gotten majorly sick, he's started off the day feeling bad, and he was having a good day that day. On the other hand, maybe they were worried about it, but knowing that he only has a limited time left to live, didn't want to deny him a chance to have some fun. Pick whichever explanation you like better. :) Unfortunately, I can't answer your other questions!! Sorry! You'll find out eventually though! Glad you liked the Cho scene!
Maximum Poofy-Pissed Off Queen: Lol, I know what you mean. I get stuck in the slash groove a lot, since I can never find good H/G fics! There are just so few and a lot of them are horrible, while there are so many good slash fics! But, I still love H/G and think they'd be so cute together. (Especially fifth book Ginny. They were sooo flirting when Ginny brought him the easter egg in the library! Okay, well maybe not, but that's not the point.)
Also thanks to: rosie (Thank you! Nah, the reporter was just tipped off by the little redhead demon lol), Jedi-Bant, jo0609, ckat44 (Thanks, I'm glad you liked I all. You'll just have to see what happens), fantagal(procrastination power!), GabiAnne, Pennypacker (Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. Um, maybe they'd say cheese still, but then when the picture was snapped, all the other cheeses would be looking around to see who called their name. Lol), Cestrel, EriEka127, Mickeymoose, PhoenixPadfoot89 (the author's note explains the movie thing. H/G forever!), "crystal, lily, james and sirius", ArcticWolf2 (can't tell!), Romm, Tristen-Potter, to the windows to the walls and Kay (hey, I'm glad you found my story too!! Thank you!)
Lol, I really should cut back on review responses. They're almost as long as the chapter!! Hahaha, well, maybe not. They're fun! I'm so freezing right now!!