A/N: I know that this "top stuff" is a bit boring (someone told me so), but others (most of you) seem to be delighted when I answer you reviews – this one is going to be long, sorry.

Okay, first of all (as always): thanks for all the reviews! It is always wonderful for an author to get feedback – especially to get this many! Love you all, people!

Vanilla: thank you, I really liked your comment.

Lyny: no, it won't be Bill, he cannot meet Harry in Egypt, because: nr.1: Bill in my fic isn't working in Egypt, nr.2: Harry left Egypt in the last chapter. Of course you'll see the baby's birth (two more chapters to go until then!).

Rose: sorry, I never wanted to torture anyone :-)

Ariana Black: I have to tell you – as I have told everyone else – that I am going to have exams soon (nine exams and lots of other tests till the end January), and don't really have time to read people's stories. I also promised them – and promise now you, too – that I will read their fics as soon as possible. I hope you understand.

hermione potter: Harry won't go back to Ginny in this chapter, because this chapter won't even have Harry in it. (But don't worry, it will happen soon.) Thanks for the good luck wish – I'll need it!

teacherchez: it will be finished at the end of December or the beginning of January.

Shaun Wilson: "Sahib" means (I quote from Longman's Dictionary of Contemporary English): used as a title of respect for a man in India, especially in former times. Have you seen any films or read any books in which Indian people called the British men "sahib" and the British women "mem-sahib"? For example the Little princess – sahib is used a lot there. You wrote that my story is predictable – it isn't too predictable, since it isn't Dumbledore or Sirius who'll find Harry. Not at all.

Blondie in Disguise: don't worry, he'll get his memory back.

Mikey: sorry, there won't be 150 chapters… but there'll be more than the one-fifth of it. Anyway, it IS Harry, of course – using doppelgangers would be a bit cheap, wouldn't it?

WiLdWiTcH: I haven't had my tests yet – I'll have them from next week until the end of January. *sigh* I'm not looking forward to them – but next week I'm gonna see the film at last, so at least there IS something to look forward to :-)

Waldomier: no, Ginny isn't having twins. I have already given the reason: it would be way too Star Wars-ish. (not that I don't like SW, I like it, but I don't want to make HP be like SW).

zach: thank you so much!

jennaration: yes, I have written the whole story. About Voldie's servant I can tell you only one thing: sometimes things seem to be impossible because they are too obvious – sometimes they seem to be obvious because they are impossible. The same theory works here.

RonWeasley'sGirlfriend: maybe… *wink*

Star Surfer: there are way too many stories with H and G together at Hogwarts, I wanted to make Harry DO something for a change – see the world, have adventures… but at the end he'll come back to good old Hogwarts.

Blondie2592: yes, Harry will get his memory back. There are more than 30 chapters.

PepsiAngel: Someone will find Harry. They won't bring him to Hogwarts – but to somewhere else.

Lucretia: more Sirius in this chapter!

obi_ewan_maul_lover: yes, "sahib" is Harry. Read the reply I wrote to Shaun Wilson!

Zenon Lee: no, don't worry, Harry won't get himself into trouble because of apparition. (Did Rowling really say that Lockhart wouldn't be back???? Oh, my, that's sad! I like that character so much!)

Hermione Gulliver: no, the Egyptians won't follow him – they have no idea where he went!

Julietta: you wrote the longest review ever, so I'm going to write the longest reply ever. First of all: I'm not offended at all – I wrote back in chapter one that constructive criticism was welcome (but not flames.) I didn't consider your review as a flame, of course. You wrote that Ginny wasn't okay. Well, I can tell you only one thing: from the books we don't really get to know her character - all we know is that she is shy and she is in love with Harry. So, without special traits (like Hermione being an insufferable know-it-all) I had no idea how to describe her. Maybe in book five we'll get to know Ginny better. About hate mail… I didn't think of it at all – and I won't include anything like that. Ginny has her problems without hate mails, thank you. About Draco: I thought even he wasn't that evil, and even he could be shattered by something. I wanted to show him "broken". Anyway, he had already mocked Ginny about her bastard child back in chapter 14 (that's why Hermione put the body-binding curse on him, exposing him to Peeves, who painted him.) About the battle scene: yes, there will be one, but not at Hogwarts, and neither Moody nor Mundungus will be there. About Voldie being stupid: no, he isn't of course. I gave him a VERY good reason to "be silly". About the removal of Harry's scar: it will be explained, you have no idea what a simple explanation it has! And even Dumbledore can't know everything – there could be a way to remove scars (correction: not remove them, just make them invisible). About the wet dream: well, I only wrote it to make that chapter a bit funnier, because it was the one in which Dumbledore was sacked, and it was too dark in itself. Anyway, after Harry's wet dream Neville also talked about his dream and there was a little detail in there that (surprisingly to me) no one noticed… though it foretold something (I don't mean H and G's wedding, but something else). About Sirius: of course I know what "Canis Maior" means: I'm an amateur astronomer!!! I know all constellations visible from the northern globe! I know their Latin names by heart! Okay, that was all – Merry Christmas to you, too!

K-K: no, James won't come and see Ginny. Yes, Dumbledore will come back. Yes, Harry will go on the Run.

Nikkianna: you've seen it 3 times! I envy you! I'll only see it next Thursday for the first time!

lololo: well, once I wrote a sci-fi adventure story and lots of parodies - but all in Hungarian, so I cannot share them with you. You asked where I live: Hungary (central Europe). I'm 20.

mandi: you asked why I didn't upload more than one chapters at a time. Well – I wouldn't get as many reviews, would I? Lol… anyway, the rest of the story still needs editing, so that's the real reason why I'm putting up only one chapter at a time. Still, you get three chapters a week! Other fanfic authors never post their new chapters this quickly, do they?

Super saya-jin Gotan: well, your guess was almost okay – just almost… because it would be way too simple if they just met Harry, cast Crucio on him and he'd live happily with Ginny forever… I won't make it this easy for them.

2Coolio: no, Ginny and Sunny will never meet.

Jenna B: thanks for you compliment on my English (see, I did put you in my a/n!)

D2: please, don't neglect your homework because of my story! If you got bad grades at school because of me, I'd feel guilty…

Right, that was LONG. Sorry.

I have to warn you that this chapter isn't exciting – it is the shortest of the whole story, a transition chapter, but in this one I'll start to give some attention to someone who has been shunned by me (and by 99% of the fanfic authors out there). I simply thought he deserved some attention.

Okay, on to chapter 25!

Chapter 25

The new seeker

Lupin dropped himself on the sofa, letting out a resigned sigh. "First I went to France and Germany, but no one there saw Harry. Then I visited the Scandinavian countries - still nothing. Neither in Italy, nor in Greece. Spanish and Portuguese wizards didn't meet him, either. Not even the Hungarian shamans or the Transylvanian vampires… though the latter would never admit if they happened to see him. They never talk about their 'donors'."

"Don't scare me, Remus!" Sirius frowned. "I don't want to imagine Harry sleeping in a coffin by day and go hunting for blood by night!"

"Take it easy, Sirius!" Dumbledore interjected. "Our friend, Remus, has a vivid imagination. Of course the V.C.R. would never attack Harry."

"The V.C.R?"

"Yes. The Vampire's Community of Romania. I signed a treaty with them, back in November."

"But Albus… is a treaty signed by vampires enough guarantee for you that they wouldn't harm any of us? Vampires aren't famous for their reliability." Black commented.

"Sirius is right." Lupin nodded. "Albus, does anyone know anything in America?"

"Alas not." Dumbledore shook his head. " I spent the last week travelling throughout the States, visiting all wizarding colonies, but to no avail. Neither the IMF nor the USD know anything about Harry's whereabouts."

"IMF? USD?" Sirius furrowed his brow.

"International Magician's Federation, United Sorcerer's Department." Albus explained.

"Oh. I see." Black said with a rather bewildered expression.

"Look, a falcon!" Remus yelled.

A bird flew through the open window, directly to Dumbledore, dropping a letter into his lap.

"Strange… a falcon? Only Arabian wizards use them as message-carriers." Dumbledore said, unfolding the letter.

As he started to read, the usual calmness of his features disappeared at once, to be replaced by a shocked expression.

"Bad news?" Sirius asked.

"It depends on your point of view." Albus replied.

The other two wizards raised their eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Harry has been found…" Dumbledore started, "…then lost again."

Sirius shook his head in disbelief. "Why? How? Where? When?"

"He spent four months in Egypt, and yes, our suspicion was right - he'd lost his memories."

"Has someone recognised him from his scar?" Remus cut in.

"Nay. He doesn't have the scar anymore."

"WHAT?" Sirius gaped. "Scars like his never disappear! You know it as well as I do!"

"Yes, I do." Albus nodded. "Still, he doesn't have it anymore. Don't ask how it happened, because I have no idea. Really. But at least we know now why no one recognised him up till now… everyone was looking for a boy with the famous lightning-shaped scar…"

"But… if he no more has the scar, who could recognised him, then?"

"Gilderoy Lockhart."

"Lockhart? That buffoon? I thought he lost his memories long ago." Remus frowned. "That was why you needed me in third year."

"Right." Dumbledore answered. "He has just regained his memories, thanks to Abysmal sun-Amun, an Arabian memory-back-lurer. As soon as he remembered everything, he realised that the boy, who was accompanying him to Egypt, was none other than our Harry… But unfortunately he was too late, and by the time the realisation struck him, Harry had gone."

"Where to?" Black asked nervously.

"That is something that no one knows, my friend."

"Okay. He might still be somewhere in Egypt. I'll go and search for him." Sirius stated. "I'll ask Bill Weasley to come with me, he's a real expert on Egypt."

"Do so, Sirius. I will continue my search in Asia. Who knows… he might be anywhere." Lupin added.

"Good. I'll send an owl to the IMF and tell them to continue their search – for a boy WITHOUT a scar…" Dumbledore sighed. "I still can't believe… no scar… this makes finding him even more difficult… All right, we must never give up hope! I'm going to travel to Australia tomorrow. And never forget: we have to be as inconspicuous as possible. We don't want to attract attention… especially not that of Voldemort. I hope you understand - he surely has heard about Harry's disappearance. He might also know about his amnesia. The boy is vulnerable, totally defenceless. If the Dark Lord gets him now, he'll be dead. We mustn't risk that."

"Of course, Albus. You can count on us. We'll be as inconspicuous as one can be." Sirius nodded. "I'm going to fetch Bill."

Dumbledore watched them leave. *It's not you who has to die, Harry. You must be found before Voldemort… *

* * * * *

"Oh, no!" Ron moaned, dropping himself into an armchair in the Gryffindor common room.

"What happened?" Hermione looked up from her arithmancy book.

"We cannot play the match against Slytherin in three days." the boy replied, his voice shaking with rage.

"Why not?"

"Luke Turpin, the deputy-seeker has just got a message telling that his mother had a car accident. He and his sister - the Ravenclaw Lisa Turpin - are both going to leave for two weeks, or more. We - won't - have - a - seeker!"

"Find someone else." Hermione replied coldly. She wasn't that interested in Quidditch since Harry left, and now, that their exams were very near, she didn't care for anything else but studying. "Luke wasn't that good a seeker, after all."

"But he was still the best after Harry."

"The best?" Hermione looked amused. "That's why you lost the match against Ravenclaw?"

Ron covered his face with his hands. "Stop mocking, please… it is bad enough for us without your teasing. Anyway, it wasn't Luke's fault. Slytherin's new seeker decoyed him."

Hermione smiled bitterly. "A good seeker cannot be decoyed."

"I know, I know…" Ron sighed. "Since Charlie graduated, Gryffindor has had five seekers, and only one of them was a good one - Harry… But Harry isn't likely to return for the Gryffindor-Slytherin match."

"No, he isn't." she whispered.

"Hey, guys, I'm bored!" Dean popped into a chair next to Ron. "The school has never been this quiet! It's unbearable! You know, I almost miss Malfoy! At least he always provided us with something to be upset about, but now there's nothing like that! Professor Dumbledore was a funny guy, but McGonagall is a morose spinster - always so keen on keeping order at Hogwarts! Uh, terrible! If it weren't for Quidditch, I'd die of boredom!"

"Boredom?" Hermione frowned. "If you'd start preparing for the N.E.W.T.s, you wouldn't be bored!"

"Oh, come on, Herm!" Seamus joined them, "We still have two months before them! That's plenty of time! Now let's only worry about the match against Slytherin!"

"There won't be a match." Ron replied sullenly.

"What?" the Finnigan-Thomas duo shouted.

"Luke has left for two-weeks. Family problems. We have no seeker."

"Shit!" Dean slapped the table. "Can't you find another? Anyone?"

"We have three days before the match, Dean." Ron reminded him. "All capable of flying are on the team already. All others are blunderers. You remember how difficult it was to replace Ginny with someone else in November? It was a wonder that Natalie turned out to be a talented chaser."

"What's up, boys?" Colin Creevey approached, followed by his brother, Dennis. They had been the Gryffindor chasers together with Ginny for the last two years. Now they were playing with Natalie McDonald, who had to play instead of the heavily pregnant Ginny.

"Everything is lost, boys." Ron turned to them. "Turpin is away for two weeks. We have no one to play seeker."

"And... and… Neville?" Dennis mumbled shyly.

"Neville?" Seamus and Dean burst out laughing "He doesn't even know what a broomstick looks like!"

"But he does!" Dennis protested. "He told me about his cousin, who lives in Canada. Neville spent the summer at his place… do you know who his cousin is?"

"Nay." Ron shrugged, not really paying attention. "Who?"

"William Whittby!" Colin replied eagerly.

All the others gasped, with the exception of Hermione, who was deeply absorbed in studying.

"Whittby? The world-famous keeper of the Vancouver Vultures?" Ron almost fell off his chair.

"Yup." Colin nodded. "And he had been lecturing Neville on flying the whole summer."

"What if he did?" Seamus wrinkled his nose. "No matter how cool the teacher is, if the student is totally hopeless. And Neville is."

"Don't you talk about him that way, until you haven't seen him fly!" Dennis yelled - something absolutely out-of-character for the shy, silent boy.

"Why, have you?" Dean knitted his eyebrows. "Have you seen him fly?"

"We have." the Creevey brothers replied in unison. "He spent the last week of the holidays at our place. We are good friends with him, you know."

"Yeah, I know." Ron sighed. "And how long did it take the broom to drop him?"

"It didn't drop him!" Colin replied with clenched fists. "He flew wonderfully! And he knows how to perform the Whittby-Corkscrew! His cousin taught him!"

"The Whittby-Corkscrew?" Ron gave him a 'don't-take-me-for-a-fool'-stare. "That's extremely dangerous! Neville would never do anything dangerous! Anyway, not even Harry knows how to do that corkscrew!"

"But Neville does!" Dennis snapped. "We've seen him do it over daddy's cow barn. Even Dolly, our cow, was appalled to see it! She got so shocked that she forgot to give milk that day!"

"Ah, very convincing, huh? A cow, petrified by Neville's performance…" Ron smirked. "Okay, guys, what do we do?"

"You're the captain, you tell us!" Dean shrugged.

"But…" Ron began.

Hermione suddenly looked up from her book. "I thought you had more sense, dear."

"What do you mean?" Ron frowned.

"Had I been in your place, I would already be looking for Neville."

"You think we should…"

"Admit him to the team?" she finished. "Exactly." and with that, she buried herself into her book again.

* * * * *

Next morning the first lesson of the seventh-year Gryffindors was Potions, together with the Slytherins.

Since Draco had been expelled, Professor Snape constantly had a bad mood, making both his classes - Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts - unbearable for all the students.

Once Parvati broke down so much because of the professor's cruelties, that she ran out of class. Snape had all intentions of getting her expelled, but McGonagall sided with the girl, making Severus even angrier. Some of the students even started to plan a strike and write a petition to the Educational Department of the Ministry of Magic, demanding that Snape leaves.

Recently he had been even more terrible than before – no one knew what, but something had happened to him – something he was keeping a secret. All the students and teachers saw was that he looked even paler than usual, with a weary look in his eyes – a look of a man who had suffered a lot. From what? No one knew.

After all these, it was a great surprise to all students that the professor seemed to be in a good mood in the morning of 2nd May. He looked extremely pleased about something.

After he'd written the ingredients of a rat-poison on the blackboard, he walked up to Ron, who was standing between Hermione and Neville, spilling flobberworm-saliva into his cauldron.

"Weasley, Weasley… I thought you had higher standards than that…" Snape whispered into his ear, so that only his two neighbours could hear it. "Next time you'll ask a dung-beetle to play seeker… poor Potter, did he know who you resigned to choose to supply his place, he'd surely commit suicide! This will be the most shameful defeat Gryffindor has ever suffered. Potter had better never know what you let HIS team become… tsk, tsk, tsk, this guy," the pointed at Neville, "is the most pathetic creature I've ever met. Be prepared for a complete rout, Weasley."

* * * * *

"I can't do it, Ron!" Neville whimpered as they left the classroom. "Snape was right, I'm a dupe. We are gonna lose…"

"Listen to me, Neville!" the red-haired boy grabbed the new seeker's arm. "Snape only told me that in your presence, to make you insecure… don't even listen to him!"

"But, but, he's right, Ron… I'm really pathetic. I'll never ever make my family proud of me…I'm a loser!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"ARE NOT!" Ron yelled. "Be on the Quidditch pitch at six o'clock sharp! This is not a request - this is an order!"