A/N: Damn, I was hoping nobody would notice the little bit about Gingy.
Sticks tongue out in general direction of Willow. I refuse to say
anything more other than the following three things: 1. I was aware of the
apparent discontinuity when I wrote it, and intentionally left it in… 2.
Gingy is not a one-chapter character, and 3….well, three would be fairly
incriminating in terms of future plot, so I'll just keep that little tidbit
to myself. :-) But sharp reading on your part, Willow!
Anyway, enjoy. More notes and answers at the end.
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The Color of Crimson
By Lady of Arundel
Chapter Ten: Pain and Potion
Pain.
Pain and fire.
Pain. Exquisite, scorching heat, in his skin, throughout his body…coursing through his very blood.
Past the initial flare of agony Harry became distantly aware of strong arms lowering him onto something soft and cool. Well-intentioned hands rearranged his own limp arms so that they no longer dangled at awkward angles, but Harry could do nothing more than moan and try to move away from the pain as jolts of renewed suffering shot through his very veins and nerves.
He lay there unmoving, his short gasps for air evening out as the pain subsided slightly, fading so long as he didn't move. Not wholly awake, Harry dimly sensed the other person was still in the room, the whispers of shifting cloth oddly soothing to his ears.
If he didn't move and if he concentrated on the steady swishing, the pain dulled into a fierce ache. He was close to dropping off into an uneasy sleep when there was a sudden cracking bang followed by the loud gasping of someone pressed for breath from physical exertion. The intrusion startled Harry in his lulled state and his body jumped out of reflex, triggering the waves of electric pain and nausea all over again. Harry whimpered as he was torn back into a hovering state of awareness.
"Remus? Remus are you – oh, Merlin…what happened, what's wrong with…I came as soon as I - " The feminine voice was still ragged for breath.
"Death Eaters. I went to pick him up and the house was half destroyed, and several Death Eaters…we need to get to Hogwarts –" The presence from before…Remus? Remus was here? But Harry did not properly follow through with the thought, as trying to quell the fire in his body took precedence over trying to remember the significance attached to the name Remus…
"Did you-"
"I signaled Albus and Severus. I don't trust the Ministry…so I brought him here –"
The man's voice was traced with hints of something wild…panic? The fire subsided and Harry started to remember…the flight from Privet Drive, the arrival of the Death Eaters, his decision to leave the Wizarding world…he remembered the summer and Uncle Vernon's "discipline"…
/NO!/
If Harry had been fully conscious and if his body had not been so weak, he would have leapt off whatever it was he was laying on…but as it was, to the outside world Harry only whimpered pleadingly, eyelids still heavily closed.
He couldn't let them find out, couldn't bear the shame if they found out…he knew he had deserved each and every blow, but how would he ever be able to face his friends, his teachers, any of them again if they knew…one more reason why he should never allow himself to return to his true home.
He needed to find a way to escape, before they brought him to Hogwarts where he would put everyone in danger, before they found out what a pathetic and weak person he really was…if only his body would obey him…
"As you should have." A cool hand lightly pressed against his forehead. The feather-light touch might have well as been a heavy blow for the excruciating pressure he felt upon his tender, fevered skin. The hand jerked away as Harry, jolted back to the present, cried out weakly.
"Oh, my! The child is burning up! What did they do to him…"
"I don't know, 'Bella, I don't know…"
"A fever shouldn't cause this much pain…Where else is he injured, let me check him, why would-"
/No, no, no…please no, they can't find out, they can't see what he did, they can't find out now…please just leave me alone…don't touch me, please don't touch me…/ Harry struggled to focus all his energy to move, to do something to stop them, but he couldn't move…hands, obviously trying to be gentle but were painful all the same, began to methodically probe his neck…/No, stop…hurts…it hurts…you're hurting me…/
"Bella, wait. We need to get to Hogwarts – then we can get him all the help he needs and figure out what happened. He was awake, earlier, I don't think his injuries are life threatening…we need to focus on keeping it that way until we can get out of here…I…could you possibly-"
The hands pulled back and had he been fully conscious his eyes would have brimmed with tears of relief.
"Yes, of course…last year I completed a general healing potion intended to heal without further inflaming injuries of unknown. It's effects are only temporary, it's not a permanent solution. It hasn't been tested, but…I'll be as quick as I can." A rustle of movement as the woman who had been looming over him stood and moved beyond the perimeter of Harry's vague awareness. The couch's edge sank with newly added weight as someone else – Remus, wasn't it? – took Harry's clammy, shaking hand in his.
The room fell mercifully silent and Remus simply sat, loosely holding Harry's hand. The silence grew heavier and the brutal throbbing in his head became too much until Harry finally gave in to the soothing emptiness crowding the edges of his semi-awareness. Soon even the gentle pressure on his hand felt weaker and farther away until all sensation faded to almost nothing.
As he surrendered completely to the warm darkness, Harry faintly heard a new, third voice calling out his name.
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Severus threw open the door leading to Arabella Figg's living room and froze, relieved to have finally found the missing wizards yet simultaneously horrified by the sight of a stricken Remus hovering over Harry's still, too-pale form on the couch.
"Harry!"
/It's too late…I should have told him…I should have told him…What if it's too late…/
Dispelling the invisibility charm, Severus sprinted across the room and knelt between Remus and Harry.
"Is he…?" Severus's eyes were wild, panicked, and focused only on his son. Remus touched the black-haired man on the shoulder reassuringly.
"He's alive. Hurt, but still alive."
Severus closed his eyes briefly and swallowed, thanking every deity he could draw to mind. Upon opening his eyes he automatically reached out to touch Harry's forehead but stopped himself before making contact, pulling back his shaking hand self-consciously. Oh, how he longed to touch his son, to reassure himself that he was really there, and alive…but years of conditioning, of having to silence his paternal instincts and uphold the façade of the cold-hearted Death Eater, had stayed his hand when he remembered he wasn't alone in the room. Severus tensed, mind scrambling for a proper excuse for his behavior…
/He knows, Remus knows…/
He slumped back against his heels in relief. Never had he ever thought he would be so thankful for Albus having revealed his most painful secret to another. The prospect of being able to drop the charade and be true to himself, at least around Remus, gave him a sense of liberation, something he hadn't truly felt in years. In less pressing circumstances it would have been enough to make him nearly giddy – that, or in a less frantic state of mind he would have been able to swiftly block the new and confusing feelings threatening to rise, just as he had done for almost an entire two decades. But as it was, the feeling was strong enough to fracture his carefully maintained projection of stony indifference, at least for the time being.
"Severus?" Worried, Remus squeezed the other wizards shoulder. Severus turned to Remus, cheeks flushed and brow furrowed with worry, not really seeing the other wizard. Remus blinked, surprised by the blunt /emotion/ of Severus's expression
Severus, however, was too lost in his thoughts to notice Remus's reaction, nor to notice that his hand fallen to rest lightly on Harry's shoulder.
Not since the chaos following Voldemort's fall had Severus felt so uncertain about his place in the world. No longer pretending to be a follower of the Dark Lord, no longer even a spy…for Merlin's sake, the majority of the dark wizards of Britain most likely thought he was dead. His relationship with the children of his House would undoubtedly change in the coming year now that Severus had been exposed as a traitor among Voldemort's inner circles. Hell, some of his students' parents were the ones who had tried to kill him this summer, and nearly succeeded…
Severus gave an imperceptible shudder before composing himself and focusing on the matter at hand.
Harry. His son.
En route to Arabella's home Severus had begun to piece together a hazy idea as to what happened. The pain he had felt coursing through the Dark Mark, the partial destruction of 4 Privet Drive…even Albus's sudden timing in starting to bring the secret of Harry's parentage to light…now coupled with the pale, fevered boy laid out before him…
"Why are we waiting, shouldn't –"
Severus blinked at Remus's interruption to his thoughts.
"Traveling by floo while unconscious is too high of a risk, you ought to know that. I will not endanger Harry more than I must. We must wake him."
"I…we used Ennervate earlier, at the house, but quickly lost consciousness again, I—"
"No, Ennervate doesn't work." Remus cast a curious glance at Severus's quick and confident tone but Severus spared him no mind.
Severus's brow furrowed. Even if he were correct in his assumptions, the boy should have woken of his own volition by now. Of course, who knows what the Death Eaters might have done to him before…Severus quickly quelled the flare of panic sparked by that line of thought. Again Remus broke his reverie.
"Arabella went to her workshop to fetch some new potion…"
Severus delicately sniffed the air.
"Brassica oleracea, a member of the Cruciferae plant family—and no, that's not a coincidence," Severus noted absently, slipping into academic mode. "Commonly known as cabbage, has an intriguing array of both curative and injurious properties when combined with other key ingredients in liquid form. Arabella's specialty in potions research. Brassica oleracea was once- "
"Five points to Slytherin." Severus jumped and turned to see Arabella standing in the doorway, goblet in hand. She looked much the same as she had the last time he had seen her, some fourteen years ago. "And you scoffed when Albus offered you my old position. Natural teacher and brilliant mind, I said."
Severus ventured a smile. "I learned from the best."
"Ah, yes, you did indeed." Arabella smirked as she crossed to the others, her expression growing more solemn. Her eyes lingered on Harry a moment before turning to Severus.
"He looks like you, you know," she said quietly. "More so every year."
It was Remus's turn to be startled.
"You knew?"
Arabella looked at Remus appraisingly. Remus himself had unwittingly weeks prior delivered a message from Albus detailing the wizard's plans to inform Remus of Severus's secret.
"Of course I knew! I was Severus's –"
"Arabella, Remus, we don't have time for this. The potion?"
Both turned to Severus, who was reaching for the goblet. Arabella hesitated a second before pressing it into the wizard's hands
"I just developed it this past year, it hasn't been tested…"
Severus squeezed her hands a moment before taking the goblet in his own.
"I trust you."
Arabella knelt to lift and support Harry's head as Severus pressed the goblet to his son's lips, forcing the unconscious boy to swallow the liquid.
Now all they could do was wait.
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TBC…
A/N: Severus found Harry. Happy? Also my longest chapter yet, happy? Exams and final papers are upon me…so there might be a slightly longer wait for the next chapter (although maybe not…finals seem to inspire me to focus on other things rather than studying…).
A NOTE ABOUT SEVERUS: I've been sitting here pondering the characterization of Severus (rather than study for exams). Just because he's rather emotional and fatherly here (which I think he *would* be in the circumstances of the story, which haven't completely been revealed…but keep in mind he's known for Harry's entire life), that doesn't mean that he can't and won't be his snarky self later. Coming to terms with something on your own and in your head is very different than coming to terms with it in reality and completely changing your behavior. I just thought I'd put that out there before people turned away in disgust at emotional!Severus.
*Diana Le Defonceur: Lol…you'll get your answers…it just might be in a long, drawn out way…much like Chris Carter's style, now that I think about it. I haven't been watching lately, but I hear they've heard they killed off the three Lone Gunmen….eep!
*Prophetess of Hearts: Points up. See? New chapter. And it's only been a couple of days!
*Venus4280: Yeah, I like it too…plus it can be used to insert mini cliffhangers midchapter. Evil Grin. See? Harry and Sev are together. Well, physically, at least. If only Harry would wake up…pokes Harry gently…
*Luna Rose or Phoenix Child: I imagine Sirius will appear in a few chapters. He did just receive an owl from Dumbledore…
*Whome the Fox Goddess: Ha, welcome back! That happens to me all the time…which can be nice because then I can read through several chapters at once…thanks!
*Ariana Deralte: See? They met. Smiles sweetly. What, you want both of them to be conscious at the same time? How demanding. Don't worry, I'm not procrastinating…I'm just tellin' it like it is. Well, like it is in my head…
*Saerry Snape: Growls. Must…have…sequel…
*Atheis: Yeah, yeah, I know last chapter dragged…but I had to bring Sirius and what's-his-name (I can never remember how to correctly spell it, and I'm too lazy to look it up now) into the story, as well as continue the Lucius thread. It's another one of those chapters like the Remus and the ring one, that will be more worthwhile later on. At least that's my hope. This one hopefully was a bit more interesting. :-) And a tiny cliff, to boot.
*Willows: Again, thanks, and damn you for being observant!
*Sev Rickman: Yeah, I totally hear you. Feel free to keep asking questions about things that don't make sense…'cause while some of them are intentional, I'm sure not all of them are. :-) Maybe it NOT being a cliffhanger is a bit of a cliffhanger in itself, no?
*Kim: Sirius will be back. Later. With the exception of the very first chapter, all of this story so far is taking place on September 1, the day everyone goes back to Hogwarts. Albus sent Remus to pick Harry up at the Dursleys and was supposed to bring him to Diagon Alley to get school supplies and then on to Hogwarts in time – if all had gone as it was supposed to, Harry would have arrived when everyone else did.
*And many, many thanks to: Zorra, Lin-Z, Nicky, Seer of the Panther (ha! thanks!), Potions Master Snape Potter, Arabwel, Silver*Chime, and summersun. :-D
Anyway, enjoy. More notes and answers at the end.
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The Color of Crimson
By Lady of Arundel
Chapter Ten: Pain and Potion
Pain.
Pain and fire.
Pain. Exquisite, scorching heat, in his skin, throughout his body…coursing through his very blood.
Past the initial flare of agony Harry became distantly aware of strong arms lowering him onto something soft and cool. Well-intentioned hands rearranged his own limp arms so that they no longer dangled at awkward angles, but Harry could do nothing more than moan and try to move away from the pain as jolts of renewed suffering shot through his very veins and nerves.
He lay there unmoving, his short gasps for air evening out as the pain subsided slightly, fading so long as he didn't move. Not wholly awake, Harry dimly sensed the other person was still in the room, the whispers of shifting cloth oddly soothing to his ears.
If he didn't move and if he concentrated on the steady swishing, the pain dulled into a fierce ache. He was close to dropping off into an uneasy sleep when there was a sudden cracking bang followed by the loud gasping of someone pressed for breath from physical exertion. The intrusion startled Harry in his lulled state and his body jumped out of reflex, triggering the waves of electric pain and nausea all over again. Harry whimpered as he was torn back into a hovering state of awareness.
"Remus? Remus are you – oh, Merlin…what happened, what's wrong with…I came as soon as I - " The feminine voice was still ragged for breath.
"Death Eaters. I went to pick him up and the house was half destroyed, and several Death Eaters…we need to get to Hogwarts –" The presence from before…Remus? Remus was here? But Harry did not properly follow through with the thought, as trying to quell the fire in his body took precedence over trying to remember the significance attached to the name Remus…
"Did you-"
"I signaled Albus and Severus. I don't trust the Ministry…so I brought him here –"
The man's voice was traced with hints of something wild…panic? The fire subsided and Harry started to remember…the flight from Privet Drive, the arrival of the Death Eaters, his decision to leave the Wizarding world…he remembered the summer and Uncle Vernon's "discipline"…
/NO!/
If Harry had been fully conscious and if his body had not been so weak, he would have leapt off whatever it was he was laying on…but as it was, to the outside world Harry only whimpered pleadingly, eyelids still heavily closed.
He couldn't let them find out, couldn't bear the shame if they found out…he knew he had deserved each and every blow, but how would he ever be able to face his friends, his teachers, any of them again if they knew…one more reason why he should never allow himself to return to his true home.
He needed to find a way to escape, before they brought him to Hogwarts where he would put everyone in danger, before they found out what a pathetic and weak person he really was…if only his body would obey him…
"As you should have." A cool hand lightly pressed against his forehead. The feather-light touch might have well as been a heavy blow for the excruciating pressure he felt upon his tender, fevered skin. The hand jerked away as Harry, jolted back to the present, cried out weakly.
"Oh, my! The child is burning up! What did they do to him…"
"I don't know, 'Bella, I don't know…"
"A fever shouldn't cause this much pain…Where else is he injured, let me check him, why would-"
/No, no, no…please no, they can't find out, they can't see what he did, they can't find out now…please just leave me alone…don't touch me, please don't touch me…/ Harry struggled to focus all his energy to move, to do something to stop them, but he couldn't move…hands, obviously trying to be gentle but were painful all the same, began to methodically probe his neck…/No, stop…hurts…it hurts…you're hurting me…/
"Bella, wait. We need to get to Hogwarts – then we can get him all the help he needs and figure out what happened. He was awake, earlier, I don't think his injuries are life threatening…we need to focus on keeping it that way until we can get out of here…I…could you possibly-"
The hands pulled back and had he been fully conscious his eyes would have brimmed with tears of relief.
"Yes, of course…last year I completed a general healing potion intended to heal without further inflaming injuries of unknown. It's effects are only temporary, it's not a permanent solution. It hasn't been tested, but…I'll be as quick as I can." A rustle of movement as the woman who had been looming over him stood and moved beyond the perimeter of Harry's vague awareness. The couch's edge sank with newly added weight as someone else – Remus, wasn't it? – took Harry's clammy, shaking hand in his.
The room fell mercifully silent and Remus simply sat, loosely holding Harry's hand. The silence grew heavier and the brutal throbbing in his head became too much until Harry finally gave in to the soothing emptiness crowding the edges of his semi-awareness. Soon even the gentle pressure on his hand felt weaker and farther away until all sensation faded to almost nothing.
As he surrendered completely to the warm darkness, Harry faintly heard a new, third voice calling out his name.
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Severus threw open the door leading to Arabella Figg's living room and froze, relieved to have finally found the missing wizards yet simultaneously horrified by the sight of a stricken Remus hovering over Harry's still, too-pale form on the couch.
"Harry!"
/It's too late…I should have told him…I should have told him…What if it's too late…/
Dispelling the invisibility charm, Severus sprinted across the room and knelt between Remus and Harry.
"Is he…?" Severus's eyes were wild, panicked, and focused only on his son. Remus touched the black-haired man on the shoulder reassuringly.
"He's alive. Hurt, but still alive."
Severus closed his eyes briefly and swallowed, thanking every deity he could draw to mind. Upon opening his eyes he automatically reached out to touch Harry's forehead but stopped himself before making contact, pulling back his shaking hand self-consciously. Oh, how he longed to touch his son, to reassure himself that he was really there, and alive…but years of conditioning, of having to silence his paternal instincts and uphold the façade of the cold-hearted Death Eater, had stayed his hand when he remembered he wasn't alone in the room. Severus tensed, mind scrambling for a proper excuse for his behavior…
/He knows, Remus knows…/
He slumped back against his heels in relief. Never had he ever thought he would be so thankful for Albus having revealed his most painful secret to another. The prospect of being able to drop the charade and be true to himself, at least around Remus, gave him a sense of liberation, something he hadn't truly felt in years. In less pressing circumstances it would have been enough to make him nearly giddy – that, or in a less frantic state of mind he would have been able to swiftly block the new and confusing feelings threatening to rise, just as he had done for almost an entire two decades. But as it was, the feeling was strong enough to fracture his carefully maintained projection of stony indifference, at least for the time being.
"Severus?" Worried, Remus squeezed the other wizards shoulder. Severus turned to Remus, cheeks flushed and brow furrowed with worry, not really seeing the other wizard. Remus blinked, surprised by the blunt /emotion/ of Severus's expression
Severus, however, was too lost in his thoughts to notice Remus's reaction, nor to notice that his hand fallen to rest lightly on Harry's shoulder.
Not since the chaos following Voldemort's fall had Severus felt so uncertain about his place in the world. No longer pretending to be a follower of the Dark Lord, no longer even a spy…for Merlin's sake, the majority of the dark wizards of Britain most likely thought he was dead. His relationship with the children of his House would undoubtedly change in the coming year now that Severus had been exposed as a traitor among Voldemort's inner circles. Hell, some of his students' parents were the ones who had tried to kill him this summer, and nearly succeeded…
Severus gave an imperceptible shudder before composing himself and focusing on the matter at hand.
Harry. His son.
En route to Arabella's home Severus had begun to piece together a hazy idea as to what happened. The pain he had felt coursing through the Dark Mark, the partial destruction of 4 Privet Drive…even Albus's sudden timing in starting to bring the secret of Harry's parentage to light…now coupled with the pale, fevered boy laid out before him…
"Why are we waiting, shouldn't –"
Severus blinked at Remus's interruption to his thoughts.
"Traveling by floo while unconscious is too high of a risk, you ought to know that. I will not endanger Harry more than I must. We must wake him."
"I…we used Ennervate earlier, at the house, but quickly lost consciousness again, I—"
"No, Ennervate doesn't work." Remus cast a curious glance at Severus's quick and confident tone but Severus spared him no mind.
Severus's brow furrowed. Even if he were correct in his assumptions, the boy should have woken of his own volition by now. Of course, who knows what the Death Eaters might have done to him before…Severus quickly quelled the flare of panic sparked by that line of thought. Again Remus broke his reverie.
"Arabella went to her workshop to fetch some new potion…"
Severus delicately sniffed the air.
"Brassica oleracea, a member of the Cruciferae plant family—and no, that's not a coincidence," Severus noted absently, slipping into academic mode. "Commonly known as cabbage, has an intriguing array of both curative and injurious properties when combined with other key ingredients in liquid form. Arabella's specialty in potions research. Brassica oleracea was once- "
"Five points to Slytherin." Severus jumped and turned to see Arabella standing in the doorway, goblet in hand. She looked much the same as she had the last time he had seen her, some fourteen years ago. "And you scoffed when Albus offered you my old position. Natural teacher and brilliant mind, I said."
Severus ventured a smile. "I learned from the best."
"Ah, yes, you did indeed." Arabella smirked as she crossed to the others, her expression growing more solemn. Her eyes lingered on Harry a moment before turning to Severus.
"He looks like you, you know," she said quietly. "More so every year."
It was Remus's turn to be startled.
"You knew?"
Arabella looked at Remus appraisingly. Remus himself had unwittingly weeks prior delivered a message from Albus detailing the wizard's plans to inform Remus of Severus's secret.
"Of course I knew! I was Severus's –"
"Arabella, Remus, we don't have time for this. The potion?"
Both turned to Severus, who was reaching for the goblet. Arabella hesitated a second before pressing it into the wizard's hands
"I just developed it this past year, it hasn't been tested…"
Severus squeezed her hands a moment before taking the goblet in his own.
"I trust you."
Arabella knelt to lift and support Harry's head as Severus pressed the goblet to his son's lips, forcing the unconscious boy to swallow the liquid.
Now all they could do was wait.
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TBC…
A/N: Severus found Harry. Happy? Also my longest chapter yet, happy? Exams and final papers are upon me…so there might be a slightly longer wait for the next chapter (although maybe not…finals seem to inspire me to focus on other things rather than studying…).
A NOTE ABOUT SEVERUS: I've been sitting here pondering the characterization of Severus (rather than study for exams). Just because he's rather emotional and fatherly here (which I think he *would* be in the circumstances of the story, which haven't completely been revealed…but keep in mind he's known for Harry's entire life), that doesn't mean that he can't and won't be his snarky self later. Coming to terms with something on your own and in your head is very different than coming to terms with it in reality and completely changing your behavior. I just thought I'd put that out there before people turned away in disgust at emotional!Severus.
*Diana Le Defonceur: Lol…you'll get your answers…it just might be in a long, drawn out way…much like Chris Carter's style, now that I think about it. I haven't been watching lately, but I hear they've heard they killed off the three Lone Gunmen….eep!
*Prophetess of Hearts: Points up. See? New chapter. And it's only been a couple of days!
*Venus4280: Yeah, I like it too…plus it can be used to insert mini cliffhangers midchapter. Evil Grin. See? Harry and Sev are together. Well, physically, at least. If only Harry would wake up…pokes Harry gently…
*Luna Rose or Phoenix Child: I imagine Sirius will appear in a few chapters. He did just receive an owl from Dumbledore…
*Whome the Fox Goddess: Ha, welcome back! That happens to me all the time…which can be nice because then I can read through several chapters at once…thanks!
*Ariana Deralte: See? They met. Smiles sweetly. What, you want both of them to be conscious at the same time? How demanding. Don't worry, I'm not procrastinating…I'm just tellin' it like it is. Well, like it is in my head…
*Saerry Snape: Growls. Must…have…sequel…
*Atheis: Yeah, yeah, I know last chapter dragged…but I had to bring Sirius and what's-his-name (I can never remember how to correctly spell it, and I'm too lazy to look it up now) into the story, as well as continue the Lucius thread. It's another one of those chapters like the Remus and the ring one, that will be more worthwhile later on. At least that's my hope. This one hopefully was a bit more interesting. :-) And a tiny cliff, to boot.
*Willows: Again, thanks, and damn you for being observant!
*Sev Rickman: Yeah, I totally hear you. Feel free to keep asking questions about things that don't make sense…'cause while some of them are intentional, I'm sure not all of them are. :-) Maybe it NOT being a cliffhanger is a bit of a cliffhanger in itself, no?
*Kim: Sirius will be back. Later. With the exception of the very first chapter, all of this story so far is taking place on September 1, the day everyone goes back to Hogwarts. Albus sent Remus to pick Harry up at the Dursleys and was supposed to bring him to Diagon Alley to get school supplies and then on to Hogwarts in time – if all had gone as it was supposed to, Harry would have arrived when everyone else did.
*And many, many thanks to: Zorra, Lin-Z, Nicky, Seer of the Panther (ha! thanks!), Potions Master Snape Potter, Arabwel, Silver*Chime, and summersun. :-D