Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling except for the many many plots and cliffhangers of this story…

The Secret Keeper XIII

In the cramped, dusty office of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were sitting on the floor, their shoulders hunched over the thick blanket of files spread out before them. The supply of rather innocent-looking yellow folders seemed to be endless, and even Remus, who had the patience of a saint, was beginning to doubt the merits of his idea to search Percy's office. His back was aching from the strain, the tension enhanced by his awareness of his friend's growing impatience. Sirius kept flicking the pages of his report on international school league tables as noisily as possible, apparently not even bothering to read them, and every couple of minutes he would look up at Remus, as though challenging him to complain. Remus, of course, was determined not to oblige. Finally, disappointed at the lack of response from his friend, Sirius snapped shut the third volume of, "The International Wizarding School League Tables for Year Ending 1997", and turned pleadingly to Remus.

"Please tell me you've found something. I can't take much more of this…"

"Sorry, Padfoot, but all I've discovered is that a six millimeter diameter wand holds untold advantages over a seven millimeter diameter wand, and that we English have a lot to learn on the subject of wands from the Bulgarians, who have perfected an ideal standardizing technique that will ensure-"

"Stop it, Moony! This isn't funny, although I'm sure Fudge is probably in hysterics right now. It'd take us years to go through all these files. This "you start at the start of the alphabet and I'll start at the end of the alphabet" thing isn't working. Come on, you must be able to think of something-"

"Oh? And why is that? Is it because I am so very much more clever than you? Yes, that must be it!"

"Haha. Come on, think!"

"Oh, alright. Let me see…Okay, it must have been looked at quite recently. Maybe Percy stored it with other files that he was working on before he died-"

"That's brilliant Moony! What was he working on?"

"How should I know? Maybe he had a calendar or a diary…"

Sirius got up wearily from the musty floorboards, sighing at the relief from abandoning his former cramped position. He walked over to the desk and began pushing Mrs. Graves' files onto the floor with a sweep of his hand, ignoring the reproachful glances that he could sense he was receiving from Remus without having to turn around. Presently, he came upon a small navy, leather-bound book.

"Here! This looks like a diary. Let me see…January, no, that's too early…Aha! June! Here we are: "June 2nd: lunch with John Phoenix at the Unicorn (12.00). Remember to bring report on next Quidditch World Cup". Geez, I wish I could have found that one. It'd be about the only interesting file in this entire room…"

"Hush! We have to find the files on quidditch. Right, where's Q? "

Remus and Sirius scanned the cabinets for the files labelled under Q.

"Got it! Now what have we here? "Quality Contol", "Questions and Answers for the Minister of Magic", "Quotas on eye of newt imports"… wait, that's too far. Aha! "Quidditch World Cup". Here, you open it Moony! I can barely keep my eyes open…"

Remus opened up the folder and quickly scanned it's contents. It mostly concerned budgeting and the applications made by various nations to host the competition, but at the back, Remus found an old-looking sheet of parchment that was of a thicker texture than the others. He looked meaningfully at Sirius and held the parchment up to the light to read it. Sirius watched him carefully, and was amazed to see a look of shock come into his pale face. Remus seemed to be reading its contents over and over again, as if to assure himself that he had indeed read it correctly. At length, he put the parchment down on the desk, his hand shaking in disbelief, and stared at him in astonishment.

"What is it, Moony?"

"Its your pardon, Sirius, signed by the Minister of Magic fourteen years ago…"

***

Harry rushed out of the dark passage into the living room of Godric's Hollow, his wand ready for action. He had responded the instant he heard his godmother cry out in terror, his shock and confusion at his recent experiences outside temporarily forgotten in the excitement of the moment. No sooner had he stepped through the hidden door than it closed silently behind him, blending seemlessly into the dark grain of the mahogany-pannelled wall. The living room was exactly the way he had left it, with no sign of a struggle, and the door was still closed from Arabella's tactful exit a short time ago. Harry listened intently to the sounds of the house, but heard nothing, so he gently opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He was alarmed to see that the front door was open. Cautiously, he crept into the kitchen, his golden-streaked wand outstretched before him and his bright green eyes alert to any sudden movements in his field of view. He turned swiftly at the sound of a man's voice behind him, but swallowed the stupefying incantation that had been about to leave his lips.

It was Mundungus Fletcher. Harry slowly lowered his wand, but did not put it away. He looked curiously at the large man standing before him and felt a strange sense of unease come over him. Harry realised that, although he hardly knew this former friend of his father, he would never be able to take to him the way he had taken to Sirius and Remus. There was such an expression of honesty in Lupin's countenance that one could not help but trust him, and, while Sirius certainly looked intimidating, he had only to open his mouth for his true gentleness to be exposed. Fletcher, on the other hand, was a mystery. He had barely spoken to Harry on the two occasions they had met, which seemed strange considering he had been such a close friend of James. Perhaps it's just Slytherin rudeness…but how could he do that to Sirius?…Could my Dad have been wrong to befriend him?

"Harry! Thank goodness I found you, it's not safe here.The house is surrounded by Death Eaters-"

"I know, something's happened to Arabella. I heard her scream. I can't find her anywhere. What'll we do?"

"It's alright. I found her a minute ago. She's gone back to fetch Lupin and Black."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief to hear that Sirius was coming, but something just didn't seem right. Why would Arabella leave him without explaining why, or at least without checking that he was okay? Fletcher was looking at him in a strange calculating way that made him very uncomfortable. How did he even know we'd be here? I told Sirius not to tell anyone but Arabella and the Weasleys…Harry's grip on his wand tightened and he looked nervously around the kitchen. Somehow he doubted Arabella was gone to fetch Sirius and Remus. She was probably in danger. Right. Think fast…

"I'll check to see if anyone's in the garden-"

"No, that's alright, Harry. We're safe enough here for the time being. Black, I mean, Sirius will be here soon…Tell me, what made you come here in the first place?"

"No reason. What about you?"

Fletcher was surprised at this question. Harry saw him begin to finger his wand nervously and watch him carefully.

"I was worried. Molly said you had come here, so I thought I'd better make sure you were safe. Good thing I came, really…"

"Yeah…won't it take a while for Arabella to go to the Ministry and come back? Maybe we should just go back to the Burrow now…"

"No, I don't think so. Listen, Harry, I can see you're very clever. You've seen right through me, so I'll be honest with you. Dumbledore told me you'd be here. That's why I came. I know why you're here. Dumbledore explained everything to me…He asked me to help you find it-"

"I don't know what you mean", Harry stated carefully. Dumbledore told him? He's lying…I have to get out of here…

"Oh, come now! Of course you do. We have to find it quickly, especially with the house under attack. They're looking for it too, Harry. Now, think! Where would Lily have kept it?"

"I really just came to see where my parents lived. I'm not looking for anything-"

"Enough! I'm talking about the Penna Potissimus, and you know it! Lily Potter made you her Secret Keeper, and it's somewhere in this house. Now, tell me where it is! Surely, you don't want the Death Eaters to get their hands on it. They'd take it straight to the Dark Lord…"

"You're lying! Dumbledore would never have told you about the Penna. Where's Arabella?"

There was a stifled groan from behind the kitchen counter. As Fletcher instinctively turned, Harry took quick advantage of the distraction and was just thinking of the correct hex to use, when thick cords flew out of his wand, binding his opponent from the neck down. Fletcher fell face first onto the stone floor, a stunned expression on his face, and his wand rolled away. Harry looked at his own wand in astonishment, surprised at how quickly it had reacted. He hadn't even had time to say the incantation! He made a mental note to examine it more closely later, and swiftly ran behind the counter, where he found Arabella sprawled on the floor, only beginning to come around.

"Harry? Are you alright? It was Mundungus! He attacked me…"

Harry helped his godmother to her feet, and they walked around to Fletcher. Arabella stood over him with a mixture of shock, sadness and anger dawning on her usually collected features, reminding Harry of the look on Professor McGonagall's face after the Third Task when she had thought Alastor Moody had betrayed them all. Harry could tell what she was thinking. Sirius…

"It was you, wasn't it? You killed Percy, and you would have killed Remus…You let Wormtail into the Burrow…I should have known! All those years ago…arresting Sirius, putting him into Azkaban without a trial, telling me it was for the best when we all knew it couldn't be true. You were a Death Eater all along! How could you do this to us, to me, to Sirius, to James' son, Mundungus?-"

Harry felt a wave of sympathy wash over him as he saw tears appearing in Arabella's eyes.

"You're a fool if you think this was personal. Can you not see the bigger picture? The Dark Lord has the power to create a new age of wizards, pure, untainted wizards. That is how it should be… everything I did was for the best. He will succeed, with or without the Penna. You will not stop him, Potter. Look out the window! You'll see that I've summoned some help…"

Harry ran to the window, but didn't see anything until he looked up at the sky. There, the dark mark hung ominously, casting a deep green shadow over the lawn.

"They'll be here soon", Fletcher continued, "You won't escape the Dark Lord…"

"Come on, Harry! We have to leave…", Arabella yelled, pulling him after her.

***

"It's your pardon, Sirius, signed by the Minister of Magic fourteen years ago…"

Sirius felt as if the bottom had just dropped out of the world. For a moment he stood still, uncomprehending, until finally he looked back up at Remus with disbelieving eyes. It required great effort to speak, and his voice sounded thin and empty in his ears.

"What do you mean?"

Remus took a step toward him and reached out to pat his shoulder comfortingly, but Sirius brushed him off, demanding to know the meaning behind his friend's revelation. Remus held the parchment out before him and began to read it aloud, watching Sirius carefully for his reaction.

"This is to certify that the accused, Mr. Sirius Black, is hereby formally acquitted of the charges of murder and Death Eater activity, owing to irrefutable evidence of his innocence. The accused will be released fortwith from Ministry of Magic custody and returned to wizarding society as a free citizen. Signed: Cornelius Fudge, Minster of Magic, Order of Merlin 1st class, International Confed. Of Wizards, July 2nd 1986."

"'But, then why…" Sirius began, his mind struggling to make sense of what he had just heard. He had so many questions, he didn't know where to start. Remus led him unresisting over to a chair and stood looking down at him for a moment, before speaking.

"I don't understand it either, Padfoot. Look, why don't you go home and get some rest? I'll take this to Dumbledore and see what he says…There's probably some perfectly logical explanation-"

"I have an explanation, Remus!" Sirius spat out bitterly, "Evidence was found proving my innocence and Fudge concealed it. Twelve years in Azkaban, for nothing!…"

"We don't know that, Padfoot", Remus spoke gently, "There's no point in speculating. This could just have been a convention used by the Ministry, that they'd make two verdicts and then just use the correct one after the trial, or maybe it was-"

Remus never got to finish his sentence, as the attic door suddenly popped open and Arthur Weasley climbed into the room.

"I just got a strange letter from Molly. She said Mundungus Fletcher was looking for you two, that he was furious he hadn't been told you were coming here, and that he then went to Godric's Hollow to check on Harry. She said he was acting very strangely, made her quite uncomfortable, in fact…".

Arthur became aware of the strained expression on Sirius' and Remus faces.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, "Did you find anything incriminating?"

"Everything's fine, Arthur, thanks to Percy. I think I'll go deliver some good news to my godson… and show Mundungus Fletcher what an innocent man looks like!"

"Sirius, hadn't you better wait awhile? This might not be what you think it is…"

"Relax, Moony. By tomorrow there'll be a new Minister of Magic…"

"Sirius, wait! You can't just walk out of the building…"

"Why not? I'm a free man, Moony!"

"Sirius!"

Sirius dashed out of the office, followed swiftly by Remus. At the base of the ladder he directed a contrite glance at Remus before transforming and bounding down the corridor, leaving his breathless friend to kick the ladder in frustration. Arthur looked down at him, a confused expression on his face.

"Damn! Why does he never listen to me?…Arthur, I have to take this to Dumbledore at once", he said stuffing Sirius' pardon into his pocket, "Would you mind putting a tidying charm on the office for me?"

***

"Come on, Harry! We have to leave…", Arabella yelled, pulling him after her.

Harry tore his gaze from the dark mark hovering above his parents' house, jumped over Mundungus Fletcher, who was still tightly bound in thick ropes, and made his way to the front door with Arabella. The heavy oak door was already wide open, and through it they could see a throng of dark-robed wizards walking up the driveway toward the house.

"We can't get out this way… Alright, Harry, don't worry…We'll barricade ourselves in the upstairs study. It has only one entrance, so we should be able to hold it together-"

"I know another way out…"

"No, we can't go out the back, Harry. There are more of them out there-"

"No, that's not what I mean! There's a secret passage through the living room that I found earlier."

Arabella looked at him doubtfully, but offered no objection. Harry led her into the room and aimed his wand carefully at the mahogany panelling.

"What happened to your wand, Harry? It looks gold…"

"Oh, long story…Finite incantatem!"

Harry smiled at the look of amazement on his godmother's face as the panel opened up before them. She turned to look at him in wonder.

"That's amazing, Harry! How did you find this? I didn't even know about it…"

"Just by accident, I guess. There's no way out of here, but we can hide until they go."

Arabella followed Harry into the dark tunnel and performed a closing spell on the door. As complete blackness engulfed the passageway, she sat wearily on the ground next to her godson. Sirius, where are you?

***

As Padfoot leapt out of the trees surrounding Godric's Hollow, he halted at the image of the Dark Mark floating ominously above the house, a terrible feeling of déja vu rising in his gut. Howling softly, he raced onward, oblivious to the Death Eaters who were stealthily approaching the house behind him. The posterior of the house, with it's painfully familiar net-curtained kitchen window, came into sharper focus, and on he ran, over the hard, dark lawn, as fast as he could, ignoring the stabbing pains now assailing his tired canine body. He just had to get to Harry…

He could remember thinking along the same lines on that terrible morning fourteen years ago. It had been just like this: sunny, quiet, with the smell of rotting vegetation in the air. Of course, back then there had been no need for him to appoach the house as a dog. Snuffles had just been a party trick he reserved for his night-time excursions with Moony, Wormtail and Prongs. Little had he known then how important his powers as an Animagus would prove to be, that they would even save his life one day. He could remember running down the sloping lawn, crying despairingly as he did so, and making his way over to the giant standing in the doorway with Harry in his arms, tiny and ignorant of his loss. He had known long before he reached the house that James and Lily were dead, but seeing little Harry alive in Rubeus Hagrid's arms had come as a great surprise. It might have given him hope, had he not met with Wormtail on a muggle street soon after…

The dog quickly transformed at the kitchen door, which he opened with a determined, "Alohomora!" and Sirius entered the kitchen, stopping dead at the sight of Mundungus Fletcher tied up on the floor. Mundungus looked at him scornfully and wriggled helplessly to try and escape his bonds.

"Well? Are you going to stand there goggling or are you going to untie me?"

"What happened? Where's Harry?"

"They took him, Arabella too …weren't all that bothered with me, though. Now untie me, Black, so we can find them. Maybe they didn't get too far…"

"Finite incatatem! Come on, then! Which way did they go?"

Mundungus got up carefully from the floor and retrieved his wand. He pointed in the direction behind Sirius.

"That way-"

As Sirius turned to leave, something inside him made him stop and reach for his wand, but it was too late. He heard Mundungus scream out the incantation behind his back, and knew that he had failed Harry for the last time. He was engulfed in a flash of bright light. Then there was darkness…

***

Harry leapt up in the darkness, making his godmother jump in surprise.

"Sirius! Did you hear that? It sounded like his voice…"

"Yes, I heard it, but wait Harry! It might be a trick-"

"'But if it is him, he's in danger. There are Death Eaters everywhere and he doesn't know about this passage. We have to help him!."

"Oh, alright Harry, but stay behind me…"

Harry slowly followed Arabella toward the kitchen. She opened the door, emitted a tiny squeal of fright, and ran to Sirius' body, which lay unmoving on the cold stone tiles. Harry threw himself down on the floor beside his godfather and shook him frantically, calling out his name at the top of his lungs. Oh, God. He can't be dead, not now…Sirius! He could hear Arabella weeping bitterly beside him and realised that his own face was wet with tears and that his hands were shaking badly. Sirius, please…He felt Arabella put her arms around him, whispering to him that they had to go back and hide, that there was nothing they could do, but Harry was not about to give up so quickly. With shaking hands, he checked Sirius' neck for a pulse and exhaled in relief.

"He's alive! Sirius, wake up!"

Arabella bent over Sirius and pointed her wand at him, calling out in an unsteady voice, "Enervate!"

He stirred and his eyes fell on Harry.

"Harry! Thank God, I feared the worst-"

He was cut off by Arabella, grabbing him into a tight embrace.

"Oh, Sirius! We thought you were dead…"

"Me? Never…well, actually, I thought I was dead too, but I think he just stunned me, though. It was Mundungus Fletcher, 'Bella! I'm surprised he didn't kill me when he had the chance. I knew he wasn't to be trusted…Come on! We have to get out of here-"

"We can hide in the living room", Arabella explained as she helped him to his feet.

Harry ran to the living room door, followed closely by his godparents, but opened it to find himself looking down the business end of Lucius Malfoy's wand.

"Well, well, Potter…I see you survived my little curse. Stupefy!"

There were three muffled thumps as Harry and his godparents fell unconscious on the floor.

***

Ron's hands shivered with the cold as they gripped the icy handle of his broomstick. They seemed to have become permanently welded to it, and it required a supreme effort for him to free one long enough to pull Harry's invisibility cloak tighter around his shoulders against the chill. It seemed like he had been flying for days, and he was beginning to despair of the cold and the pain in his backside, but was certain there wasn't much farther to travel. Inside his robes was a map that he had found in Snape's office, showing him exactly where he needed to go. Over the last couple of hours, however, a red letter X had appeared on the map, getting steadily closer to the small orange dot labelled, "Ron Weasley". The landscape beneath him had changed also, with fewer and fewer muggle buildings and more open country and forest. He suspected he was somewhere over Scotland, but his geographic knowledge was sketchy at best, so he had long given up trying to work out his location.

Now that he was approaching the end of his journey, however, he found himself becoming increasingly sorry for Harry's absence. He tried telling himself that this was his own problem and that it didn't involve Harry in the slightest, but he still missed having him along. Somehow, things that would really frighten him or Harry if they were on their own, did not seem so bad when they were together. I guess we just egg each other on. We're pretty stupid really…probably get ourselves killed one of these days! Facing Wormtail alone just didn't feel right, however…No! I have to do this for Percy. Once again, Ron fought to ignore the nagging little voice that had been telling him to stop being a fool and go home, sounding a lot like Hermione, as he reminded himself with a wry grin. Presently the image of Hermione in her beautiful blue ballgown and with long sleek hair entered his mind, reminding him of all he had left behind. He suddenly felt guilty for having abandoned her, and Harry. It's not too late to go back…

Sighing, Ron swooped down to land on a large limestone outcrop, telling himself that this was the last time he would stop to ask himself if he was doing the right thing. It was bliss to move his aching limbs off the unsympathising broomstick, and as he walked back and forth in the fading sunlight, he took out Snape's map to see how much farther he had to go. A chill ran down his spine as he realised that he was practically there, perhaps only five minutes away. I've come so far…I'm not going back now. Well, maybe I'll go back if I can't do the curse…

Ron took out his wand and pointed it at a large rocky mound. Alright, think of something terrible…Geez, I don't know. What did Harry think about? 'Probably his Mum and Dad. I haven't a clue what that must feel like. Nothing that bad has ever happened to me. Maybe I'll try Draco Malfoy, the rich little git…

"Avada kedavra!"

Ron opened his eyes and realised that the spell had failed, as it had for Harry. Wow! Maybe I don't hate Malfoy, afterall! Alright, one more try, and then I'm going home. Something worse than Malfoy…hmmmm. It's not easy. Percy, then…

"Avada ked-"

"Well, well, if it isn't the penniless weasel! Where's Potty, today? Crying over his parents' graves, I suppose…"

Ron whipped around in surprise at the sound of Draco Malfoy's drawling voice. Malfoy was walking casually towards him, dressed in his habitual black and with his wand outstretched.

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?"

"Shame you don't have the little mudblood with you. I'm sure she could enlighten you. Let me put it like this: Expelliarmis!"

Ron's wand flew through the air and Malfoy caught it deftly, a smug, triumphant expression on his pale face. I take it back. I do hate him…

A/N: Here comes the good news! My holiday, that I was soooo looking forward to, has had to be cancelled because of this f*%$ing Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak, so I'll be able to keep writing without a week's break. I'm really annoyed, much as I enjoy writing, but I was really excited about my holiday. This Foot and Mouth thing is enough to make me turn vegetarian…Oh well, enough complaining. Special thanks to the people who reviewed, and there were loads of you! That's really encouraging, and I'm eternally grateful. And now, as ever, I will respond to your criticisms, comments, insults etc…

PixyChick: Thank you very much. I try to make this interesting. And yes, it should be obvious from this chapter that Mundungus is one evil dude! You'll find out later exactly how he ruined Sirius' life and why James Potter was friends with him in the first place.

The Inflammable Gohan Hugger: I really don't know what to make of your comments! Sorry…

Harry's mum lily: Hurray! There was another chapter of The Dark Sigil this week. I'll review tonight.

OrcaPotter: You were right. It was time I showed where Ron was. He'll play a bigger part from now on.

PEZ: As ever, I leave more questions than answers, but all will be explained before the end. Honest!

Steffi Silberstreif: That's a good point about the brotherhood of Harry's and Voldemort's wand. The cores still come from Fawkes, but since Harry now has the primal feather, his wand is bound to be more powerful. This may give him an edge if they enter a duelling showdown. Of course, that's assuming Harry will still have his wand by the end…

Rede: As you can see, I've laid the foundations for Ron to meet up with Harry. This chapter was a little boring, I know, but we're coming to the exciting part now. I'm glad you enjoyed the exchange between Sirius and Remus, as they're my favourite characters. I hope to write some short fics about them later.

Dumbledore: Yes, I think it makes sense for Ron to start coming out of Harry's shadow. He may not be the Boy-Who-Lived, but neither is he a squib. I agree about Hermione. I don't particularly dislike her character, but I felt that this fic was complicated enough without including her in it. Harry will need to learn the adaptation to Avada kedavra before he faces Voldemort. That should happen in the next chapter. As for other new curses…well, that's a great idea. I'll certainly consider it.

The Wizened Wizard: I love long chapters too, so I'll try to stay above the 50kb mark in future. I'm just glad people aren't scared off by such lengthy stories.

Sailorcelestial: Sorry if the ending in the last chapter wasn't clear, but I was trying to express Harry's confusion by not explaining it. I know, it's terrible. I've made at least five different plans since I started this series and had to change them all, following criticisms and suggestions. These changes were all for the best, but it really does make it impossible to work out how long it will be. I'll certainly think long and hard before I start a sequel. I want to know exactly what it'll be about before I write it, but rest assured, Hermione will be tortured!

Amanda Mancini: Yes, I'm getting these out quickly. I hope they don't lack in quality as a result, however. I know I could write better if I mulled over each chapter for weeks, but where would be the fun in that? We'll see Harry's new improved wand in action soon.

someone2: I know. Cliffies are great fun to write but agonising to read if you don't know whats going to happen. Aren't I the lucky one!

Coqui: I'll have to post on the message board more often! Whenever I'm trying to discover new fics I click on the display 1-50 thing and pick a number at random, so I might read the 9320th fic, for example. But I'll try your method in future. That's so funny, pasting my fic into your homework to read it in secret, lol. When I read your review, I was on the bus going to college and I couldn't stop laughing. People were giving me some very strange looks, I can't imagine why! Anyway, I'm really glad you're enjoying it, and that you reviewed. Thanks!

Nagh: Thank you for reviewing, please read on!

Nameless: It's like this: I made several plans as I went along and ended up abandoning them according to people's comments, so I'm pretty much making it up as I go along. I just hope it isn't too obvious. The cliffies are the clearest proof of this. Whenever I don't know what direction the fic is about to take, I do something crazy, like kill Percy, and then I have to think up a reason to justify it in the next chapter. So far, it seems to be working! I have a vague idea of where I'm heading, however. It's just important to keep on top of the plot and tie up all the loose ends in a believable way. I wouldn't recommend this method, however. In future, I'll make a really good plan for all my fics, and stick to it.

Caitlyn: Nah, don't worry. I won't kill Arabella, or Harry, or Sirius, or Ron…I would really like to see poor old Sirius to live happily ever after once this series ends, at least for awhile. I want to have a happy ending, so everyone can stop feeling guilty, and grieving etc.

Lilly Potter: Spelling mistakes?! Moi? I don't believe you! I check every chapter with the Word spell-checker. If anything is spelt incorrectly, blame Bill Gates! In fact, just blame him anyway. He has far too much money…It may just be the difference between U.S. and U.K. English that is leading to confusion. And hey! Shouldn't Lilly have only two "l"s ? *grins* Ah! I'm sorry for being so hard on you since you were good enough to review. I'm just a bit sensitive about this sort of thing L. Heehee. Just kidding. I'll try harder in future…

Pleiades