This part is dedicated to all the wonderful H/H shippers
out there, and my superlative beta-reader, ~*Snow Angel*~. Oh yeah, and
gumdrop, for being such a terribly nice person …
He rounded another corner, and the dense woodland blocked
the last lingering rays of light from the sun. Harry whipped out his wand, and
muttered 'Lumos!' his voice slicing apart the night air as it had never
before. His wand light lit up the surrounding path, but there was still no sign
of blue amongst the green. "He had killed her." There was no other
possibility. The argument they had had – it had been their first argument since
meeting, and it looked like being their last. Harry couldn't believe the last
words he may have spoken to Hermione were angry ones. If only Ron hadn't
brought up the subject of parents …
He moved faster. If there was the slimmest chance that
Hermione was still alive, he had to find her, fast. He stumbled on a
large piece of rock protruding from the undergrowth. He had torn his jeans
quite badly, and his knee was bleeding profusely; staining his jeans with a
sticky red hue – but none of that was important. "Why couldn't I just have told
her?" he thought, trying to not lose it all together, "it was the perfect
opportunity." He rounded another corner, and his heart stopped in mid-beat.
Hermione was lying spread-eagled on the ground, her face
hidden under mounds of blue silk. Her necklace had been torn off – there was
blood on her neck – and was lying clasped between her fingers. Harry inched
forward, not wanting to see what was coming. He approached Hermione's body, and
touched her face softly with his finger – she was cold as ice. He lay down next
to her on the ground, and slowly, averting his eyes, he lifted back her dress.
And he screamed.
His scream carried backwards through the Forest – it
reverberated around the small grove that he was kneeling in. He stared, choking
with tears, back to Hermione, and let out another sound, a sound he wouldn't
have thought himself capable of producing. It was a long moan, and sounded like
the pitiful howl of a wounded dog. He looked back again to Hermione, into her
lifeless hazel eyes. She was gone, and He had done it again. He looked at the
scrawled word in blood on her forehead.
Potter
It was on his hands. Her death was on his hands. It was his
fault – he should never have spoken to her that way. He let out another howl,
and took Hermione's limp body in his hands. Even though he knew she could never
come back, he still clung on. The grief was tearing through him like a serrated
knife. Come on Hermione, he thought, don't leave me now. You can't leave me
now. He buried his head in his hands and felt the tears pouring down his face.
This couldn't be real. She couldn't be dead, she couldn't. But, as he
looked back at her bloody face, still, inexplicably, beautiful, he saw the
lifelessness in her eyes. Her eyes, usually the perfect shade of hazel, were
dead and grey, and her bright face was the deathly pallor on the white of the
snow.
He was just considering, after a few minutes, whether to
return to the castle, when a small movement caught his attention.
He stood back, breathing hard. He looked down to Hermione's
arm. He wasn't sure whether he'd just imagined it, but he was sure that her
hand had just – quivered, slightly. He looked again. For a few minutes,
Hermione remained still, but then her hand suddenly shivered again, and lay
down by her side. Harry's mind worked at light speed. She was still alive! And
he could save her …
He had to do it; there was no other way. His secret might
come out, but he had absolutely no choice whatsoever. He tried to remember
clearly what it was that Professor Flitwick had said in that lesson…
*****
'In you come, in you come,' the tiny Professor squeaked. 'Ah,
thank you, Miss Granger.' Hermione had helpfully lifted him onto his extremely
high chair. The class filed in slowly, looking particularly unenthusiastic.
Perhaps it was because exams were drawing ever closer, or maybe something completely
unrelated, but the sixth year Gryffindors looked nothing short of asleep as
they seated themselves for double Charms.
Professor Flitwick looked around
at that all, a wry smile playing about his lips. His eyes lingered for a minute
on Dean, whose head was on the desk, and Ron, who was emitting a number of odd
high-pitched sounds.
'Well,' he squeaked cheerfully. 'You all seem very eager to get
to work. Therefore, I think I may teach you something off-syllabus just this
once …'
This sentence had the effect of grasping a little more of the
class' attention. Hermione's pose did not change at all – she paid rapt
attention no matter what the subject – but Harry straightened up, looking more
interested. Looking around, he noticed that Dean had stopped leaning on the
desk and was looking quizzically to Professor Flitwick. Seamus caught Harry's
eye and gave him a perplexed look. Only Neville, a student with a particularly
affinity for always imagining the worst, looked in any way scared – in fact, he
looked remarkably like he did whenever Snape asked him to brew a simple Beauty
Draught (a/n What a tragedy that isn't available – some of you could use some).
'What is it, Professor?' Hermione asked keenly. Over the years,
her thirst for knowledge and inquisitive nature seemed to have increased
tenfold. Harry grinned at the fervent look in her eyes compared to the
particularly lethargic one in Ron's, who looked as though he'd much rather be
sleeping in Gryffindor Tower than having a non-curricular Charms lesson.
Professor Flitwick turned to them.
'I suppose you are all familiar with the common Muggle phrase
"Love at first sight?"' he asked.
At the mention of the word "love",
Lavender and Parvati suddenly seemed to become a lot more interested, Dean lay
his head back on his desk, and Neville took on, if that was possible, an even
more terrified look. Harry and Hermione nodded simultaneously.
'That particular saying was derived, as many Muggle sayings
are (a/n Go Cornwall Catswingers!!), from the magical world. There was once a
potion – its usage is now strictly monitored by the Ministry of Magic – known
as Amora. In America and Australia particularly, this 'drug', as it was
hitherto referred to, was widespread. Perhaps because these particular nations
had trouble falling in love by natural methods, or perhaps because they merely
enjoyed the sadistic use of the potion, the amount of Amora sold
illegally soon rose to such high levels that the International Confederation of
Wizards had to ban its production except by highly trained potions experts or
for research purposes. The potion is now extremely rare, although …' He
punctuated his sentence by bringing out from his robes a small glass phial
filled with a shimmering red substance. Abandoning all pretence, Neville hid
under his desk, transfixed with horror. Harry caught Hermione's eye and raised
his eyebrows.
'This is a dose of Amora that the Ministry kindly
allowed Professor Snape to brew up several years ago. Now, I have weakened its
properties intensely – in its purest form the love will never run out – for our
purposes. I don't suppose,' he said, looking round at them and failing to hide
a smile. 'That I could have some volunteers?' This caused some activity.
Neville made a number of incoherent gulping sounds, whilst Seamus and Dean
backed against the far wall, eyeing Parvati and Lavender nervously. Ron jerked
awake, and also stepped back. Lavender and Parvati themselves were looking
amusedly to Dean and Seamus, whilst giggling uncontrollably. Only Harry and
Hermione stayed in their seats.
'Miss Granger? Mr Potter? Would you care to try?' Hermione
looked at Harry with an arrested expression. Harry grinned.
'You never know, Hermione,' he said. 'We may get used to it.'
Hermione smiled.
'I doubt that, Mr Potter,' Professor Flitwick replied, looking
more amused than they'd ever seen him before. 'This potion has been set for
precisely one minute. Any longer than that and well – I think you'd rather not
know the gory details. Here you are.' He split the potion into two even tinier
glass phials and handed on each to Harry and Hermione. Harry looked again at
the nervous grin on Hermione's face before tipping back the phial and
swallowing the potion.
Hermione smelled the sweet liquid.
It had a delicate scent, one of fresh fruit and pine. She looked over to Harry,
who had just drunk his own. "Oh well," she thought, "better get it over and
done with." She too tipped the contents of her bottle into her mouth and
swallowed it in one gulp.
It was the most amazing feeling.
She felt for a minute as though she was floating on thin air. The effect didn't
last long, however. The classroom soon came back into focus, but she wasn't
looking at that. She was staring intently at Harry. She had never before
noticed how incredibly tall and handsome he was before. He was just Harry. Her
friend. Harry. She didn't have any feelings for him, did she? But she could
feel a powerful kind of aching rising in her chest, and felt herself falling
forward into his bright green eyes...
Harry blinked. Hermione was still
standing in front of him, a very odd expression on her face. He recognised it
as the expression she had used in the past, whenever she had just solved a
tricky puzzle or riddle. He suddenly realised that he didn't feel in the
slightest bit different. He had definitely just taken Amora, hadn't he?
So why was nothing happening? He looked, perplexed, to Professor Flitwick, who
also had a strange expression on his face. He also seemed to be studying Harry
intently.
Hermione walked forward, towards
Harry. How could she never have noticed it before? How kind, handsome, gentle
and brave Harry really was. She approached him slowly; he was looking to
Professor Flitwick. She spoke softly.
'Harry,' she said slowly. 'I think I lov –' Suddenly, however,
she felt as though a bucket of ice-cold water had just drenched her from head
to toe. The warmth inside her subsided, and her heart rate returned to normal.
She too glanced at Professor Flitwick, who was smiling.
'Excellent,' he said to Hermione. 'That exemplified the effects
of Amora perfectly. Thank you, Miss Granger, Mr Potter. Now, for Monday
–'
'Sir?' Seamus asked, as Professor Flitwick began reading out
their homework. The tiny Professor looked up. 'Er – you know you said Amora
lasts until death … what if someone has a really near-death experience, and
gets within about five seconds of death?' Professor Flitwick looked at him
shrewdly.
'Amora would remain intact, Finnigan,' he replied,
waving his hand in the air as though looking for a particular thought.
'Although, you have reminded me… there was once a legend…' The class had gone
very quiet; everyone had shut up to listen to Flitwick's words. Even Ron had
raised his head from his desk.
'There was a very ancient spell,' he said slowly. 'One that was
never proven to work. The spell translated directly as "First Love", and could
only be used in cases of, as you describe, Finnigan, near-death.' He scratched
his chin suddenly, still trying to remember certain facts. 'Yes,' he continued.
'The legend went that if your one true love lay dying in your arms, you could
save them by invoking Amora Primus.' He whispered quietly, looked around
at the keen faces before him. Indeed, the class were now hanging onto his every
word. 'There is, of course, no proof of this, as the scenario has never arisen.
Supposedly, a witch or wizard would utter the words "Amora Primus"
before administering the "Kiss of Life" to their love to revive them. This
again you may recognise as a wizarding phrase that was later adapted by
Muggles. However, Amora Primus was also a very dangerous spell. The
problem was, that if the person on which the spell was administered was not
the real true love of that person, the effect would go into a reverse, and
effectively kill the person near death. And, it may only been invoked once, as
by definition it only works on your one true love.' Ron shuddered, as though he
was getting sick of that phrase.
'Sir?' Hermione asked, her hand narrowly missing Harry's
glasses as it shot up into the air. 'If you don't mind me asking – how exactly
could the spell recognise your one true love?' Professor Flitwick seemed to
ponder this for a few moments.
'I think,' he said uncertainly, after a few minutes, 'that the
spell was designed to bring to the surface previously concealed feelings. Even
if two people did not know they were in love, Amora Primus would still
recognise it.' Hermione nodded, and lowered her hand. Professor Flitwick looked
about to speak again, when the bell rang.
Harry got up, and walked to the
door. There was a thought lurking somewhere at the back of his thoughts that he
could not pinpoint. But suddenly he realised. When he had sat down … something
he may have overlooked whilst standing up there: why hadn't the Amora
potion affected him?
*****
Harry leaned over Hermione. He
knew it now. He was in love with her. That was why Amora hadn't affected
him in the slightest. It was better that people knew than that Hermione should
die. He straightened up. He had kissed Hermione before, on the cheek, but this
was completely different. What if she wasn't his true love?
He bent down slowly, and wiped the
blood from her face. He could hear his heart racing, at what seemed like a rate
of knots. He had to do it before she died. He could wait no longer. He glanced
once more into her face, and softly muttered "Amora Primus". He felt
sure he saw a glimmer of something on his robes, but that wasn't important.
Slowly, he bent down, closed his eyes, and kissed Hermione tenderly on the
lips.
A million thoughts exploded in
Harry's head with the force of a neutron bomb. All the blood seemed to have
rushed to his head; it was pounding in his ears. He couldn't describe the
feeling, but he knew it was something new and something wonderful. It
was as though lightning bolts was striking through his heart, and he had been
plunged into warm water. Despite Hermione's lips being in reality frozen, they
felt warm against his own. He didn't break the contact, but opened his eyes and
stared again into Hermione lifeless ones. He pulled back, breathing heavily,
and a wave of unreality washed over him. However, Hermione remained perfectly
still, and Harry once again put his face into his hands. After all that …
He didn't noticed Hermione's eyes
flicker open…
***
Harry sighed heavily again, his
heart rising uncomfortably into his throat. How could he not have told her?
What was she going to say when she found out? He let out a few uneven breaths and
looked around the room. He noticed a picture of Hermione that he himself had
taken some months ago. He had been in love with her then … and he still was. He
didn't want to admit it, but he was. He had never quite discerned what it was
about Hermione that made him love her. It wasn't just to do with appearance,
though she was beautiful, or to do with her intelligence, though she was the
cleverest student in the school, or anything similar. It was about Hermione as
a person, an individual…
Seamus interrupted his thoughts by
entering the common room.
'Hi, Seamus,' said Harry weakly, but Seamus didn't reply. He
was looking at Harry intently.
'What happened, Harry?' he asked evenly.
'Pardon?'
'The night you saved Hermione's life. I know you love her.'
Harry stared.
'What –?' he said. 'But – how –?'
'I was informed by a certain Ronald Weasley.' He let this
statement sink in.
'Ron?' said Harry breathlessly. 'He knew? He knew, and
he still –?' Seamus nodded sadly, and Harry sucked in a low breath, his jaw
working. How could he? If Ron knew, why had he gotten together with Hermione?
He could feel anger coursing within him, and Seamus seemed to notice.
'Look Harry,' he said suddenly. 'Why don't you just tell me
what happened? Have you told anyone else?'
'Just James,' Harry replied, without thinking.
'James?' Seamus asked. Harry bit his lip, and ended on a sigh.
'We've got quite a bit to talk about, Seamus...'
*
Hermione smiled. She was leaning
back against Ron's chest; the two of them were lying snugly together on the
same couch. James and Dean, next to them, were having a game of wizard chess.
Dean was much better than James.
'You haven't improved much, Neville,' he commented wryly,
taking another bishop. James grinned.
'You know what they say. Unlucky at chess …' Dean laughed, when
the portrait hole suddenly opened. Ginny walked in.
'Hi,' she said, approaching the four of them. 'Have you guys
heard? There's a new student just arrived in our year. Her name's Megan. "Megan
G. Horner", or that's what Colin told me, anyway.' James looked up, interested.
'Yes, me and Harry met her earlier,' he said, smiling. 'Harry
was so smitten. You'd have loved seeing it.'
'What?' Hermione asked suddenly. James looked at her.
'Harry. I think he's kinda taken with this new Megan girl.
What's the G for, Ginny?'
'I think that it's Geri, or something like that. Maybe Gail. I
forget… Anyway, what are you lot doing?' Hermione still looked slightly
bemused.
'This Megan,' she asked suspiciously. 'Where's she from?'
'Beauxbatons,' James replied, without skipping a beat. 'Her
parents were killed, so she had to come here. Why?' Hermione flushed slightly.
'No reason,' she said. 'Anyway, what are we doing now?'
'I'm sure we can think of
something,' Ron muttered lazily. Hermione giggled, turned and kissed him on the
nose. Ron went as red as his hair, while the others laughed. But then James
spotted something that stopped him laughing abruptly.
*
'Let me get this straight,' said Seamus. 'Your dad came back
from the past here, and pretended to be Neville?' Harry nodded. 'That makes a
lot more sense,' Seamus finished. Harry stared.
'What, you believe me?' he asked, amazed.
''Course,' Seamus replied. 'Why lie? Anyway, about Hermione …'
Seamus was cut off at this point, as they both heard what sounded like thunder
coming up the steps to their room. They stared, as James walked into the room,
his face pale, holding a letter in his hand.
'It's Donna,' he said breathlessly. 'She's dead.'
And … Cut! So there we are. All
you H/Hers can go have a party. Or not. Because the voting is still open
(Although no one's using my sadistic methods, so their votes don't count).
Remember: 'Acromantula' for R/H and 'pimple' for H/H. Now, I have rather a sad
confession to make. Yes, I'm sure some of you know that the theory of 'Amora
Primus' does not belong to me. What I could have done was invented a new
name for it and used the same theory, but I knew someone would report me. This
was my idea from the outset, though; I don't think I'm a horrible plagiarist.
The concept was thought up by Arabella, another ff.net author, in her H/G, R/H
story Sine Qua Non. I love the story, and you guys can check it out
here: http://www.members.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=121723
No offence was meant to Arabella, and I had her permission anyway.
So, here we go with the thanks
section:
VIHPF5
(First again, Robbie. Good for you. Leave Ron alone – all my female friends
tell me he's a cutie, apparently. "Unto each person her own" to randomly quote
Twilight and Silence {a R/H fan, amazingly enough}. It keeps getting better and
better, eh? How interesting. I suppose you H/Hers will like this part,
actually. The R/Hers shouldn't moan, I've stuck Ron and Hermione together for a
good reason {don't even try mentioning the word sadistic.} Right, look
at this. Eight lines for one reviewer. I'll be here 'til Easter. Love ya, Robbie. Thanks), Lavander
(I didn't used to use cliffies, I just finished with things like 'And within
five minutes all four boys were asleep' or something remarkably similar. Yeah, I
enjoyed the James catching R/H bit; my mate came up with the 'Sirius always
said being treated to a floorshow was not particularly good for one's stomach'
He's a very odd fellow. Love you, Lavander. Cheers), Lizzy/Tygrestick
(You're a Teenage Witch, no? I forget, you're all too 'sexy, smart and twisted'
as your biography quite rightly points out. Harry does deserve it, doesn't he?
When I put Hermione with Ron you should have seen the look he gave me. Sad.
Thanks, Lizzy. Love you), Wanderer (Going AQAP. Thanks a lot), Jenavira
(Ridiculous, corny, unbelievable and pointless? Hmm … someone's really
trying to epitomise constructive criticism. You flatter me, saying things like
that *g*. Yeah, the Snape/James bit was quite funny J.
Thanks), HGW (Yeah, my ability to write evil cliffies seems to be
improving. I did consider not telling you the H/H story in this chapter, but
decided that I couldn't do that to my loyal reviewers, people like you,
Kelzery, gumdrop, Lizzy/Tygrestick, VIHPF5, Twilight and Silence etc. Love ya,
HGW, and thank you very much), Kelzery (Hmm. Someone's going for
'longest review' award, methinks. I've already taken four votes from you for
H/H, but as I'm evil I'll take all six of your 'Acromantulas' as R/H votes. So
in the end you're a R/H fan after all … Poor Seamukins. I'm definitely incorporating
that in chapter 9. I've just told you how ol' Harry saved Bertha. I feel like
such a plagiarist for using Arabella's idea … still, she did give me
permission. Evil people out there, feel free to report me. Some healthy
controversy never hurt anyone. Thanks again for your comments, KZ. Where would
I be without you, eh? Still putting this in, whats-it-called, er, Algerian
font, probably. Illegible stuff. Love you too, Kelzery. Thanks and Cheers and Merci
and things.), someone2 (Does Harry have a crush? Er, was Hitler Austrian? {Anyone who tells
me no, he was a Teletubby, will be shot} Do I live in England? Is Pluto
the furthest planet in our solar system from the sun? I think the message is
yes; Harry does have a teeny crush. Still love ya, s2. Thanks.), Rachel
Granger-Gryffindor (All right, I lied. I do study French. In fact I
have an exchange partner from Dreux over this minute. But I couldn't think of
anything intelligent to say before. Hmm … Pour aller au insert
French word for Mental institution, sil-vous-plaît? That's about the
sort of thing. I do know that I'm evil, and I relish it. Yes I do. Evilness is
not a sin; it's just grievous human misdemeanour. Go R/H? … oh dear; you may
not have liked all of this part. Oh well. Love you, Ray {It's what I call my
sister}. Thanks a very bunch.), the wonderful and marvellous™ gumdrop
(I'm actually talking to you at this present moment on MSNM. What's that you're
all saying about going OTT? Snape left Defence Against the Dark Arts for
certain reasons – clever of you to pick up on it. Oh, and btw, who's that
friend Ben you contacted here? You've got me all dazed an contused. I'm adding
this after: you've already told me. French is OK, I suppose. German is better.
Well, thanks again, Nadia. Love you.), Jae-san {x7}(Well, if it isn't
the spiky crusader himself. So you finally got round to reviewing, Mr.
Mak? Don't go into that Dr. X type 'Shmif' thing again. I'll have to do
unpleasant things to you with knives. I'm more evil than Ann Robinson … but she
does have some talent {'LIAR!' someone shouts from the back}. Don't have much
else to say to you really, Spiky man. See ya when I see ya. Thanks, and Ciao.),
the seraphim (I don't flatter. I compliment. And I only compliment
when it's deserved. You like Wrigley's and hairy combs. Not at the same
time, I hope. Oh yeah, and I've added you to my AOL buddies list; hope you
don't mind. Ten pina caladas, that is right, isn't it? Hermione is totally out
of character in this fic, methinks. She plays the field whereas she's usually
reading or studying. Thought I'd spice up her life a little. And James, he's
fast becoming my favourite character. NO! NEVER!! I still love ol' Sirius.
Plus, he's alive. That helps, in some ways. I'll definitely have to bring him
into part 9 – this part was just sort of for the H/Hers. They're a suffering
bunch … thanks a lot once more, seraphim. Love you.), Mayleesa (You love
it, you love it, you love it? How sweet of you. I love reviews like that. Make
me feel warm, despite the incessant snowfall here {Gumdrop, I care not what you
say. I'm coming to Australia}. Thanks a lot, Mayleesa.), illusions2525
(You like my random plugging? Good, you deserve it. A better writer than you,
eh? I could dispute that. Thanks a lot illusions, love you as well.), JustMe
(Best Story in the Universe? I think not. I could name at least ten better. Draco
Dormiens, Draco Sinister {Cassie Claire}, Paradigm of Uncertainty,
Show That Never Ends {Lori}, The Mirror's Gift, The Jade
Dragon {Starlight}, A Sirius Affair {Penny and Carole}. I could go
on for hours. Some fantastic writers are included in my bio; go have a look
see. However, I will still keep writing. Thanks a lot.), The ever-wonderful™
Mladybug3 (I did think for a while about making this J/H, but I realised
James wouldn't cop along. If Sirius came back in time, maybe …{rushes
off to plan a spin-off}. Yes, us Brits have a wry sense of humour. But Cape
Cod, I mean, you can't really expect us not to start speaking about Salmon
Shore and such things besides. I'm still considering Hermione/Dumbledore,
actually. In fact, you've given me a marvellous idea. PEOPLE, YOU CAN VOTE FOR
HERMIONE/DUMBLEDORE by leaving either the words 'the', 'a', or 'love' in your
review. Good luck. You've already voted R/H, so your vote didn't count …
unfortunately. Oh, come on. You can tell me the origin of Mladybug3. I have
spare time, in copious amounts. Though I am sending hilarious messages to
gumdrop at this time on Microsoft Messenger. Love you as always, M3. Thanks a
lot.), Harry Potter and Hermione Granger worshipper for life (Nice
pseudonym. Er, this part was delayed as ff.net was down yesterday. Could have
been up a while ago. Your vote was registered. I've definitely lost count, but
H/H definitely has ten times more votes. Cheers.), Chinook {x2} (Are you
in England yet? Grrr. Abused and abandoned? Probably because you didn't
review … now you know how I felt. No, no gratuitous detail on that
particular issue. Suffice to say you can leave it all to your twisted
imagination. Shudder. Scary stuff. Love you, Chinooky. Thanks a lot.), Twilight
and Silence (Methinks this may not have been your favourite chapter
… oh dear. Very interesting story behind your pseudonym, I see. Yes, I have a
scary brother of sorts; though Rainbow Kitty is much fiercer … I'm evil. My
friend has mild arachnophobia and I plan to put a spider in his, er, face on
April fool's day. Original, no? Was ~Rose~ your name, or just a random flower
description? Never mind. Thanks again, T&S. Love ya.), Amethyst (A
lot of people use this name. I've seen no 'Emerald', 'Sapphire' or 'Diamond'
yet, as such. Eleven thirty, eh? I was up speaking to gumdrop on MSNM until
1:30 … I'm actually still quite tired. We had some interesting conversation …
everything does move rather quickly; it's terribly good fun. I could slow it
down and make it completely boring, but I'm not going to be doing that.
Thanks a lot.), Malfoy's Best Friend (Will do. Thanks a lot for your
positiveness.), Ol' Housey (Oh dear. More trouble on the horizons. I
love cliffies now. I've developed a certain affinity for them {run for the
dictionaries!}. The image you and Bernie had on the way down to Hockey, eh?
*Grins* You dirty sod, you. I think there is a slight difference between the
two, somehow. Let's face it … you weren't thinking about reading at that
particular moment in time. See you later, Andy. Cheers.), Wendy (Snape
may realise, he may not. I suppose we'll see, eh? Thanks a lot.), Rufus
(Thanks very much, Rufus. The pimple on their noses … *chuckles* That was me
showing support for the H/Hers. This is actually the first fic I know of where James
moves through time. I've seen Harry go back in a few fics. Your vote was
very subtle indeed, which was surprising, as the R/Hers are usually the cunning
lot {All damn ugly, though. *grins*} Thanks again.), Mina (Oh dear.
Sunflower seed girl. Hide, everyone. Sunflower seed girl … catchy, wouldn't you
say? Yes, a few cameos may well be made in this lil' ficcy. Mina Finnigan, eh? Very
surreptitious. Maybe I could rename you, oh, how about, Mary-Sue, maybe? Would
that work? You could even be an American exchange student … or not. No
Americans coming to Hogwarts in my fic. Hmm … American Werewolf in Hogwarts …
right, nobody is allowed to steal that idea! The guy on the HPFWA with no name
… has a charming ring to it, no? I suppose I do have a name, in reality. But I
forget what it is with all these pseudonyms kicking around. I worked out what OOC
was before … Hermione miles OOC in this little fic. But I don't care …
fanfiction was invented purely for the purpose of screwing up hard-working
authors' characters. Fun, as it is commonly known. Me Irish, actually, I've
just decided. Quarter Irish, Scottish, English and Russian. That's grand, och
aye, comrade. See you later, Mina. Love ya.), Stardust (No no no no no! {That's emphasis}.
Your vote was in no way subtle. You weren't attacked by an Acromantula, you
don''t live near an Acromantula, and Acromantula didn't offer to cut your hair
… not good enough, I'm afraid. So your vote is null and void and things. Still,
thanks anyway.), Lita of Jupiter (Nadda. I mentioned in chapter 1 of
this that Professor Jackson in this fic is not the same Professor Jackson from
Werewolf. And his real name was 'Thornheart' anyway. Good guess though. One of
the closest so far … thanks a lot. Is it nice on Jupiter, btw?), Amethyst
(Is this the same person as before? Yes it is? OK. My mate asked why I kept
making constant references to Ron/Harry the other day. He had a nice life.
You've said 'a' quite a few times. In fact, Hermione/Dumbledore is now
streaking into the lead. Shame … Lucius Malfoy – I can't be bothered with him.
He's not one of my favourite characters. Peter, though, he's still kicking
about somewhere. Why couldn't Hermione remember? Because she was kind of,
what's the word? Dead, that's it. Or very nearly, anyway. Thanks again.), *Ice
Lily* (I pride myself on my cliff-hangers. Yes I do. It was pretty cruel.
*Shrugs* what are you going to do? Thanks a lot), Renee (No … Harry has no
feelings for Hermione. {Is shot by some green thing squeaking 'Perjury!'} OK, I
lied. Did you hyperventilate? What a tragedy … I come from a small land where
all the talent lies. NO, not
Lleichtenstein. England, I think it is. California … that's supposed to
be really nice {at least according to my friend}. Yes, a few people were
surprised to see I am a guy …*shrugs* I can' help it. Thanks a lot.), Jenn
(Thanks a lot once again, Jenn. Poet and I didn't know it. The James hints were
a bit silly really … my sadistic nature taking over again. Oh well. Love ya,
Jenn. Thanks!), Hermione Gulliver (The tripley thing, as it will
hereafter be referred to as, is going to have a nasty little twist at the end
{Hermione/Dumbledore!}. Spiffing, eh? That's one word that hasn't been used
before. Cheers.), Calder Lynch (Thanks very, very much. I'm still going
AQAP … this thanks section took me about as long as the fic itself to write … Love ya, Calder. Thanks), Caro
(When's the next part? Um … now. Deathing of a heart attack? … I'll have to go
look that up … if you'd like to see Harry/Hermione, vote for them by subtly
incorporating 'pimple'. Thanks a lot.), Violet Papillon (Purple
butterfly, if my French serves me correctly. Nice pseudonym. Hermione's well
OOC in this fic; I think I've already said so before. Playing the field … just
isn't her style, really. Cat swinging … that ought to scare you. Scared me,
certainly. Yes, people {women, as long as my slashy friend steers well clear}
will begin to notice Jamesy after we play Quidditch … your name's Sarah-Jane,
eh? Coincidental, that. I named her after a very good friend of mine. You are
on the tombstone because you also will be killed. Oops. Revealing Government
plans … not a good idea … you love me for being a fast writer? I love you for
being a great reviewer. Thank you.), Tiger Lily (Yes, the pimpleface@hotmail.com definitely
deserved a mention. And your cunning similes {I know what they are now – I woke
up!}. Was 'Mione {I hate that name for Hermione} saved by Harry's endless love?
It's a distinct possibility. The suspense is killing you? That's what it's
designed to do … thanks a lot, TL. Love you.), ~*Snow Angel*~ (Ah, my
wonderful beta-reader. I write this before I send, but I'm sure you'll do a
great job, Kim. Love you.), PixyChick (I'm OK at spelling, actually.
Want to know a really fun word? Here it is: the longest in the English
vocabulary. Try saying it with a mouthful of mushrooms:
Ornicopytheobibliopsychocrystarroscioaerogenethliometeoroaustrohieroanthropoichthyopyrosiderochpnomyoalectryoophiobotanopegohydrorhabdocrithoaleuroalphitohalomolybdoclerobeloaxinocoscinodactyliogeolithopessopsephocatoptrotephraoneirochiroonychodactyloarithstichooxogeloscogastrogyrocerobletonooenoscapulinaniac.
Interesting, no? Me? On your favourites? Stop, you'll embarrass me. Thanks, PC.
Love ya.), Cousette Lupin (Me? A great writer? *Flushes a whiter shade
of pale* {that's what happens to me when I'm embarrassed. To do with
Deoxyribonucleic acid, if you ask me}. J. Me? Which ship
preference? I suppose I should be honest … I'm a die-hard H/H, though I try to
be impartial in this fic {not that that matters, as the H/H to R/H voting ratio
is still about 8:1.}. I think it was Paradigm of Uncertainty {Read that here: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=25951
Wonderful fic. Read also Trouble in Paradise: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=143632.
The author, AngieJ, first introduced me to PoU. If you care, they're both adult
fics, the former is H/H and the latter R/H. Superlative stuff. And if you're
done with them, Draco Dormiens will do you no harm: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&storyid=56276. All right, enough with the random plugging.}
that convinced me so. Thanks a lot, Cousette. Love you.), The Frog ('You
suck!' What a charming way to begin a transmission. *Grins* Thanks, Froggy. I
haven't missed a single review of BTTF. Be proud of me, I am O
One-Who-Gets-Little-Sleep. Your vote was hardly subtle, which is strange for
the R/Hers, but I registered it anyway. Only really bad ones are
ignored. PEOPLE!! YES! YOU! READING THIS!! PAY ATTENTION!! WHAT DID YOU SAY? I
DON'T WANT THIS TO GET PERSONAL!! Erm, sorry. Heat of the day. ANYWAY. READ
THESE, PLEASE: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=Directory-AuthorProfile&UserID=38276
BTW, CAN I JUST ASK YOU ALL? Do you pay attention to these plugs, or just skip
over? I'd be interested to know. Snapey may find out, je ne sais pas.
Thanks, Froggy. Love you.), Lily White (Yes, I do feel special. How
touching. {'Terribly!' someone whose name might be Nadia shouts from the
back *glares*} Thanks a lot, still going AQAP. Love you.), rebecca (A
number of people have alluded to this point. Snape may find out … I suppose
we'll see. Thanks a lot.), LongLongHair (Someone's writing long reviews.
I'll work out the trivia at the end, just for you. Do you feel special now?
Excellent. SOME MORE STORIES FOR YOU, PEOPLE: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=Directory-AuthorProfile&UserID=20121.
There we go. Your votes were registered … I think. You're evil in Science
reports? And I thought I was the only one. Love you, Baldy. Thanks a lot.), Moony
Lupin (Going AQAP. You said 'love', so you effectively voted for H/D. As
did fifty other people *cackles insanely*. Thanks a lot, ML. Love you.), NickzChick
(I do kinda know where this is going. Sorta. And *g*, you're far too clever for
me. Going AQAP. Thanks a lot.), Daydreamer (Hermione played along to try
and keep James convinced he was in his own time. She was doing it whilst
thinking of a plan. James was too clever, though. Thanks a lot.), liat
(Isn't everyone? Thanks for your review.), Starlight (Oh no, I don't think
I'll have Harry's offspring in this particular fic … in a sequel, maybe. And I
wouldn't do anything cruel to little Kim. Except maybe throw her off a bridge
*g*. Have Andrew Smith as a cameo part, eh? In your Hermione fic? He could be a
secret admirer, or perhaps a crazed psychopath. That would fit the bill. I will
allow you to die a brave and noble death. I'll even throw in some good grace.
Thanks Kim, Love you and all your interesting {and slightly twisted} comments.
Hope that wedding thing will go all right, or went all right {depending on when
it happened} Ciao.), Cat Samwise (You hate me? Another nice way to begin
a review. It's all about first impressions, I suppose. Rape… that's brilliant.
Why didn't I think of that? Ah, I already have a spin-off brewing. You're
having bets on it, eh? I had a nice illegal betting ring at school for Euro
2000. {Remember that Housey? Jae-san?} That was quality. Your spelling's
horrible? Try spelling the word a few lines above; the longest one in the
English language. Practice, oh, I don't know, seventeen hours a day for
eighteen years. Then you'll have it clocked. Thanks a lot.), JadeiteZ (I
went and checked out that recommendation, actually. Lilly Potter, if you are
reading this, I love you. Thanks a lot for the positive comments. Ciao.), Professor
Unicorn (No, my homework assignment is to 'compare and contrast the
way in which Shakespeare uses prose in some of his more emphasised soliloquies'
Thrilling stuff. Still, thanks anyway. Ciao.), Kate (How original.
People are yelling at you? *Sighs* What is the world coming to? Thanks.), Fiona
(No pimples were used, so your vote was ignored. Come again. Seriously, thanks
a lot.), Patrick (No, I am slowly getting back into Werewolf. How
I hate that story at present. Oh well. Thanks a lot, Patrick. Ciao.), Hank
Riddle (I am strange. Well observed. Yeah, after that last time I went and
looked up similes and metaphors, and realised, that after two years of
Shakespeare, I already knew. Thanks anyway for the definitions. Methinks you're
very clever *g*. Your vote attempt was pretty pathetic, though, so I had to
ignore that. If you tell me your real name, I might be able to tell you if I
know you. You'd have to live in England first though. Heh heh. Thanks a lot.
Ciao.) Sprika (Where am I trying to go with this? Well, it is moving
kinda slowly, I suppose. But it does have a plot, hidden somewhere under the
romance. Thanks a lot J.), And last but by no means least, Pie (Your
army of pens, eh? Scary stuff. Subtle vote was registered. Going AQAP. Love you
for being the last reader and allowing me to finish this INHUMAN PRACTICE!!!).
Words: 3377
(Thanks section), 7354 (Whole thing). Therefore, the thanks section is
approximately 46% of the entire fic. That was for you, LongLongHair, and for
you only. Added (5/01) I think I must have been insane to write all
that.
That was
very, very exhausting. Can't be bothered to say much else.
Thanks to my
wonderful beta for this part, ~*Snow Angel*~. Anyone interested in doing
part 9 either email me or put it in a review. I'm going with the first person
that asks – no stereotyping from me.
I love you
all, really I do.
Ciao
