princesswitch: the ice-cream idea made me rotfl:)))
~VWW~: so, you found the chapter short? Then I have good news for you: the chapters of the third part of the trilogy are damn long, (with the exception of the prologue). The average chapter-length in that fic will be the same length as the 34th chapter in TGSoHH, and that's really long.
Notebook Girl: oh, you poor one, already having homework! School for me only starts in the middle of September.
MauiGoddess3: how long has Draco loved Ginny? Since their seventh year at Hogwarts (you know that Malfoy and Harry had to repeat their seventh year because they were away from Hogwarts most of TGSoHH). Draco started to like Gin when she helped him after he had been beaten up by another Slytherin (see chapter 7 of TGSaWCS). Yes, Herm's twins are due 1st September, but I won't describe their birth, just mention their names in the final chapter. You'll be able to read a lot about them in the third fic.
Bucky: my Jedi master, I have resisted the Dark Side, don't worry. D/G is against my Jedi philosophy, though I do not think that Draco is a Sith Lord – he is not that bad, the Force told me. You'll see him having a girlfriend in story #3, though it won't be Cho Chang (Yuck, I hate Cho! One day I'll behead her with my lightsaber and that will turn me to the Dark Side, master…) Excuse me, now I have an appointment with councillor Palpatine (you know, that nice guy who is going to make me his right hand when I'll be strutting in a sexy black, shiny suit and matching helmet – hm… Force-visions told me so :)
Cassandra Anthemyst: calor is both Spanish and Latin.
K. C. Hunter: I don't like the Young Jedi Knights series. Though I only read two books of it, I found those terribly boring. And I hate Jacen and Jaina, and those books are about them, so that might be the other reason why I hate them. NJO is a bit better, at least something happens in there – though I stopped reading that, too. Yes, English is NOT my first language. Oh, is reading my fic more enjoyable than sleeping??? :)
Aimee: I wouldn't put anything past myself, either :) I'm glad you like Aaron's character.
Lily Chelstane: no possibility of another green flame torch, because its chamber had closed in TGSoHH for another 1000 years.
aurora riddle: no, the central figure of the third fic won't be Lily, but she'll have much more of a role than in the first two fics. The 3rd story will be mainly about the Potter+Weasley+other kids. You have no idea how much I hesitated before starting a 'new-Hogwarts-generation-fic', because that's not something easy, IMHO, you've got to make up a lot of characters to fill the classes and everything... I hope I'm still doing it okay… we'll see:)) Aaron does have a bit to do with Tatyana – Tatyana/Natasha was the lover of Aaron's brother.
Elfangor19: no, Harry wouldn't be able to suck the powers back, because this Exsugo vium magicae charm/curse is wandless magic – thus you HAVE TO have magic talents to perform it. And Harry lost his powers.
Katie Bell: the absolute best? *blush* thanks :) You have no idea how much this means to me nowadays…
Myr Halcyon: no, Rowling hasn't told us about the reason why certain people become ghosts and why others don't. As far as I know, she is going to tell in book five. Sorry, there will be no encounter between ghostly Harry and Ginny, neither will there be a happy D/G ending. I cannot bear the thought of Ginny and Draco together. In fact I was just having fun with them, but no way would I make them become a couple. Sorry… I hope you'll still keep reading the story.
Tifanee Weasley: wow, you are really changing names very often! :) Yes, Aaron was frozen in 896 A.D – you know why I chose that particular year? Because that was the year when the Hungarians came into the area of today's Hungary and settled down. I used it as a tribute to my ancestors :) But of course the story has nothing to do with the Hungarians, LOL. The bad guy is called Anor, not Olaf.
starheart: don't worry, I didn't take your review as a flame, not even as constructive criticism – it was just a grammatic mistake that you corrected – thanks!
Moony Lover: your sister is one year older than me. I don't have nieces or nephews.
GinnyPotter387: you asked what good movies I have seen lately. Well, I saw Scooby Doo, but I didn't like it – totally stupid! I also saw The sweetest thing with Cameron Diaz, that was pretty funny, but the one that I loved the most was a German western parody, The shoe of Manitu. There was a homosexual Indian in there, wearing pink clothes and living on a ranch called Puder Rosa! The last movie I saw was Asterix and Obelix – mission Cleopatre. It was funny, but the first Asterix movie was better.
starqueen: thanks for writing me the 'missing Weasley theory'. I don't think that the Weasleys had children that got killed or something – maybe Molly and Arthur just used some contraceptive charm…But Bill and Charlie's age isn't all right – Rowling really made a mistake there, and I had noticed it ages ago.
grambones: should I write book five? LOL:) Noooo, IMHO Rowling has already written the whole book but she might want to write the other two as well before letting it be published, maybe in order to avoid plot mistakes… dunno. Read my answer to aurora riddle.
Jeanine23Dr: you asked about the Star Wars concept. Well, I'm giving you a short summary of the SW history – I hope that is what you need. So, at first there was a Galactic Repulic, in which the Jedi knights were the guardians of peace and justice. They wielded lightsabers and used the Force (a mystical energy which allows the Jedi to lift objects with their mere thoughts, to see into the future and make other people obey their will). There were also the lords of Sith, who wanted to do away with the Jedi knights. The chief of state of the Republic – Palpatine – was a Sith lord in secret and he took over the power and created an evil Empire. He turned the Jedi Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side and Anakin helped him kill all the Jedi. However, Anakin's son Luke and daughter Leia survived, and 20 years later Luke redeemed his father. Emperor Palpatine was killed by the good-turned Anakin and the Empire fell. Leia became chief of state in the New Republic, while Luke started training new Jedi knights. Leia married the space pirate Han Solo and had 3 kids (Jacen, Jaina, Anakin). Luke married Palpatine's former hand, Mara Jade, and had a son called Ben (named after Anakin and Luke Skywalker's late Jedi master, Ben Kenobi.) Now the galaxy is attacked by an evil species called the Yuuzhan Vong – these creatures came from another galaxy and they cannot be sensed through the Force – so the Jedi knights are in deep shit, practically unable to kill their new enemy. I haven't read Luceno's book, but I hope I have managed to give you enough information about the concept of Star Wars. If you need more, send me a mail! I wanted to mail you this little SW lecture, but I couldn't find your email-address.
Lavendar Brown: don't worry, just read my answer to Myr Halcyon. Did you get my mail that I sent to thethirdfloorcorridor? Maybe not. Anyway, I asked you whether it was okay to send you TGSoHH in a zip format – every chapter is in Word. Is that okay? Because if it's okay for you, then I'll send it to you.
LilGinny: thanks for writing twice. The weather is okay in Hungary – quite warm.
Lana Riddle: I'm glad you like my drawings on GT :) Why don't I post my fics there? Because the terms of service (or whatever) of GT require me to have my stories betaed by a GT author (or definitely one of the Queens) and I don't want that. They wrote that they were quite busy, so I don't think that they would have time to read through 34+39 chapters soon enough. It would take them a year to read it through!
xenocide: you must have heard another legend before, because Anor and Aaron were totally made up by me. Read my answer to Myr Halcyon. Yes, Ginny IS gullible – but she's so innocent, that's why. So, school started for you on Monday? You poor one… I have two and a half more weeks :)
Houou: no, even if Tatyana dies, the spell still cannot be reversed. *aren't I evil? :))* About D/G, read my answer to Myr Halcyon.
X-Tow-Naga: space camp? Wow, what is it like? Tell me about it! Another reviewer has already pointed the 'avenge' thing out to me, so now I know it :) In fact Tatyana and his lover Anor do not need Harry, no matter how valuable a prisoner The Boy Who Lived could be. Now he wouldn't be valuable to them, given that he lost his powers. I also thought that English must have changed a lot during 1100 years, but poor Aaron HAD TO be able to communicate with the others. There must be a drying spell, of course, but Aaron could not perform it, because he had no idea that he still had his wand. He'll tell you about it in the next chapter, I guess.
Harrysgirl: happy belated birthday! And read my answer to Myr Halcyon.
Also thanks to: Nefertiri, Hermione Weasley, Lady Python, Melinda Malfoy, Blondie in Disguise, C-chan/Sailor Capricorn, Jessica, PrincezzShortie, AmandaPanda, Alexander Pheonix,Kit Clodkicker, goldenstar555, Saphron, Sirius B, Novalee, Lupin's Angel, zzxm, apple-pie, thebiggesthpfan
Chapter 30 A glimpse into your heart"No way. We aren't taking you!" Ron shouted at Lucius Malfoy.
"We could go separately as well," Malfoy shrugged, "but the more of us there is, the more of a chance we stand to find our relatives."
"True." Arthur nodded. "I don't want you to have delusions that we are pleased to go together with you, Malfoy, but we have to put aside our hostility now… for our children."
"I agree." Lucius nodded. "If you are ready, just tell me."
"I'm ready. But my twin isn't coming, is he?" Fred asked. For months he had been refusing to utter George's name and even when they were together, he always made it sure that he didn't have to talk to his twin.
"But of course I'm coming!" George shouted, storming down the steps. "Ginny's my sister as well! And Harry's my friend as well! I have just as much right to go as you do! And Mr. Malfoy was right: the more of us, the better. We take care of Gin and Ron can take care of Hermione."
"Who said I cared for Hermione?" Ron spat. He regarded the sheer assumption as personal insult.
"C'mon, Ron, don't say you don't care for her!" Fred said.
"But I say it! I don't care for that…!"
Lucius' face revealed highest interest. "Problems with your little mudblood wife, Weasley?"
"Don't you dare insult her!" Ron burst out.
"Now you see! You do care for her!" George pointed out.
Ron shrugged and ran upstairs for his rucksack.
* * * * *
"Azgard?" Draco, Ginny, Dennis, Guillaume, Mileta and Piotr gasped.
"Yes. That's the name of the castle I and my brother grew up in." Aaron replied. "Our father named it after the Viking gods' heavenly palace. It is the only place where Anor could have taken your friends… if that castle is still standing, that is… but I'm sure that Natasha took care of it for my brother." he uttered both Natasha and my brother with sheer disgust.
"How far away is that castle?" Draco asked.
"Quite far away. It's on the northern tip of Norway. The North Cape."
"Brrr, it sounds cold." Dennis shuddered.
"It isn't much colder than here." Aaron replied.
"Not much colder? Now that's lucky!" Draco grimaced. "Apparate there or what?"
"You cannot just apparate out of Durmstrang." Mileta said. "And even if you could, we haven't learnt it yet. I for one haven't. Have you, boys?" she turned to the other two champions.
Dennis and Guillaume shook their heads.
"I hope you aren't planning to go without us." Dennis said.
"Well, in fact I think you should stay." Draco answered. "You're just kids, after all, and it wouldn't be proper to risk your lives…" for a second he cringed, realising that he sounded way too nice, so he added: "…and of course you, being not trained enough, could screw up our whole mission."
"We aren't staying!" Mileta cut in furiously. "My only brother is there! Our friends are there! I won't stay here, sitting on my laurels why you and Ginny go and fight!"
"Neither will I." Dennis added resolutely. "Guillaume?"
The French boy hesitated for a moment, then he nodded. "I also want to go… Svetlana's zere, too."
"Svetlana?" Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Professor Zvezda, astronomy teacher. Young, pretty and totally in love with Guillaume." Mileta made a wry face and Guillaume blushed a bit (though his blush wasn't that spectacular, given that his face still had a shade of light-purple, thanks to Mileta's botched potion).
"Right then… where do we find a transport big enough for six?" Draco mused.
"Seven." Piotr added.
"No way, old man!" Malfoy growled. "We aren't taking you! You surely would be killed, you're a sickly old Muggle, after all!"
The old man put an arm on Draco's shoulder and stared into his eyes. Draco found his stare oddly penetrating, even from under the hood of his cloak. "Listen to me, boy. I'm old that's true. Very old… so for me it doesn't matter where and when I die. If my destiny is to die there, helping to rescue those people, then so be it. But I'm definitely not staying behind while all of you go and fight. It was bad enough for me to be born a squib. If I can't be a wizard, at least let me die a hero. Don't deny me the chance." The old man's eyes flashed with such resolution and seriousness, that all Draco could do was nod. "Thank you." Piotr said and released his shoulder. "As for the problem of the transport… I believe that Mr. Anor did not take all magical creatures from here."
"But he did! He even took Vladi!" Dennis insisted.
"Then tell me, young Creevey, what do you hear if you listen carefully?" Piotr asked, pointing at the half-open window.
"What?" Dennis furrowed his brow. "The wind, I guess… crows, maybe, and…" his eyes widened. "Sleigh bells!"
"Sleigh bells?" Draco looked confused. "A sled? With reindeers?"
"Not a simple sled and not simple reindeers." Piotr replied. "They are magical creatures. They belong to Aberforth Dumbledore… I told you, I have been looking after them for quite a while."
"So you know how to control them? How to fly that sled?"
"Yes." the old man nodded.
After they have all gathered their things and put them into the 'boot' of the sleigh, the three champions, Ginny, Draco, Aaron and the old man seated themselves into it. Draco had put an expanding charm on the sled so that everyone could comfortably stretch their limbs.
"Everyone sitting well?" Piotr asked.
"Yeah…"
"Think so…"
"Are you sure this thing can fly?"
"Yes, it can fly." Piotr answered, then took the reins into his hands. "And now, pray."
"Why???"
"Because of… this!" Piotr said and jerked the reins. The reindeers swooped off the ground and soared into the air with such a speed that Ginny and Mileta shrieked, Guillaume and Draco closed their eyes and Dennis joined his hands and started mutter: 'Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…'
The only person who didn't look scared at all was Aaron – he even leant a bit forward to have a better view and seemed to be enjoying himself terribly.
"Wonderful! Now I'm really happy to live again!" he yelped gleefully. "May I try?" he asked from Piotr, who shrugged.
"Be careful. Tricky little beasts, reindeers."
All eight reindeers turned their heads back and shot him a despising stare.
"They don't like me. Maybe they'll like you better." the old man said, handing the reins to Aaron, who enthusiastically grabbed them.
As soon as the reins touched his hands, the eight animals went berserk and went into a dive.
"What should I do?" Aaron shouted, while the two girls kept screaming, Guillaume and Draco still didn't dare open their eyes, and Dennis had reached the line: '…for thine is the kingdom, the power…'
"Give it back!" Piotr ripped the reins out of the hands of Aaron, who looked rather disappointed. "Dangerous creatures, reindeers! Not many can control them."
"How came you can?" Draco asked, opening his eyes.
"Mr. Dumbledore taught me." Piotr shrugged. "I had to be able to control them, since my job was taking care of them."
"And they still don't like you?" Dennis asked curiously after saying 'Amen'.
"Unfortunately." the old man replied. "Well, Mr. Aaron, which direction?"
"Just straight ahead."
* * * * *
The four Weasleys and Lucius apparated next to the four stones of the stable portkey.
"How exactly does it work?" Arthur asked.
"You have to step into the middle and touch two of the stones." Malfoy replied. "Want to do it first?"
"No, just go ahead. We'll follow you."
"But what if he reaches Durmstrang and seals the gate behind himself so that we can't get through?" George turned to his father.
"Charming, how much you Weasleys trust me." Lucius gave them a grim smile. "Anyway, what good would it do to me if I sealed the gate? I don't want to face the unknown without people who could die instead of me."
"I'd like to see it the other way around." Fred remarked. "You dying instead of us."
"Your children are really charming." Malfoy sneered at Arthur. "Come on, I will not close the gate and you'll get to Durmstrang, I promise."
The Weasleys shrugged and watched as Lucius stepped into the square and disappeared.
"You next, Ron." Arthur instructed.
After Ron went Fred, then George, finally their father.
"Er… not bad." George said, looking around in the huge entrance hall of Durmstrang after having been 'spat' out by the portkey.
"Bad or not, get off me!" Fred growled, tossing his twin off himself.
"A little bit gentler, couldn't you?" George grunted, massaging his butt, then stood up.
"I'm not gentle to someone who knocked up my girlfriend!" Fred hissed with clenched fists.
"I told you I believed her to be someone else! I was too drunk to realise it was her!" George retorted.
"Stop it, stop it, stop it, boys!" Arthur pulled Fred back.
Malfoy gave them a belittling smile. "Really. Could you Weasleys behave properly for only two minutes?"
"I haven't heard it." Arthur replied, looking around in the entrance hall. "Hm, really not bad. Though Hogwarts looks better. At least there are no ugly stuff like this at the Hogwarts entrance hall." he said, sizing up Natasha Yanska's huge statue.
"Ugly? I think she looks cool." George whistled admiringly.
"Was that why you shagged Angie?" Fred frowned. "Because she looked cool? Did you just tell yourself 'oh, this chick looks cool, let's get her laid? Did you?"
"I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS HER!" George shouted. "Can't you talk about anything else?"
"No!" Fred crossed his arms.
"Stop that, guys!" Ron yelled at them. "This thing about Angelina is getting really irritating!"
"Look who's talking!" Fred pointed Ron. "Mr. 'I-love-my-wife-and-would-never-be-angry-with-her'!"
"That's… non of your business!" Ron burst out.
"Calm down, all of you!" Arthur shouted. "Really! You are behaving like monkeys in the zoo!"
"Just behaving like that?" Lucius raised an eyebrow.
The Weasley boys shot angry looks at each other and let Mr. Malfoy lead them upstairs.
"Funny that we haven't found anyone here." Arthur remarked. "Where's everyone? Hiding?"
"Yes, Weasley, sure, they're playing hide and seek." Lucius grimaced. "Really. They are kidnapped. It's clear, isn't it?"
"But where are they?"
"No idea." a voice right above them spoke up.
They looked up to see a ghost hanging from the ceiling.
"Who are you?" Fred asked.
"Yevgheniy Anegin at your service." the ghost replied. "And I don't know where they are, either. They were here just an hour ago, then they took the sled and rid away."
"Sled???" all the Weasleys gasped.
"Yeah, you know, that box on stuff that looks like skis… it can seat seven or eight people and there are reindeers to pull it… proper description of a sleigh?"
"Reindeers? Like with Santa Claus?" Arthur's eyes widened.
"Just like that."
"You said it seated seven or eight people." Ron cut in. "But at least seven-hundred people are missing from here. Where are the others? And who were the ones in the sleigh?"
"The people in the sleigh… well, let's see…" Anegin started to count, using his fingers. "The stuck-up blonde, Ms. Bushy-Eyebrows, the weenie one, the dragon guy, the red-head, the black-beard and the old codger."
"Who???" Ron blinked.
Hours had passed since they had arrived at the castle, but they knew no more than they did before. Well, at least they knew that Draco and Ginny were still alive when they left Durmstrang, but Anegin couldn't tell them where they had gone.
Ron was told by Anna Karenina's ghost where to find Hermione's room and he decided to have a look at it – he couldn't explain himself why, though. He wanted to find something in that room… something to prove his wife's guilt… or rather something to prove her innocence. As he looked around in the room, he suddenly felt extremely stupid. *What was I hoping to find here?* he thought, dropping himself on the bed. *Love letters lying discarded on Hermione's desk? Red roses with cards saying 'to Herm-own-ninny from Vicky'?* he ran his fingers through his copper hair, ashamed. "Why did I question your faith, Hermione?" he whispered. "You never loved Krum, did you?" suddenly a thought came to him: what if there were love letters hidden in one of the drawers?
He stood up and walked over the Hermione's desk, pulling open a drawer. He felt guilt wash over him as he dug into the heap of papers and quills. He found nothing suspicious. He moved to the next drawer, jerking it open, flinging out parchments and notebooks, then… he caught a glimpse of a little red booklet lying at the bottom of the drawer. He reached out with a trembling hand and opened it.
Hermione Weasley's Diary, he read. "Oh," he slapped the booklet shut, feeling awkward about having looked into another person's diary.
He dropped it back into the drawer as hastily as if it had burnt him, and walked back from the desk, as if it was something highly dangerous beast with fangs and horns.
He headed for the door, but he simply couldn't leave. As though a magnetic field had been holding him back…
"This is madness…" he whispered and ran back to the table, grabbing the booklet and practically tearing it open.
Hermione Weasleys's Diary
26th December, 1998
I have decided to write a diary. When I was a little girl, my life was so dull with my dentist parents that I had nothing to write about. At Hogwarts life was so full of surprises and perils that it wasn't wise to write it down – one could never know who might dip into one's diary, after all…
Ron gulped, feeling utterly embarrassed.
After the Dark Lord's defeat, however, I started to believe that nothing dangerous could happen that should be kept a secret… so I've started this diary, one day after the most wonderful day of my life.
Yes, yesterday I got married to Ronald Weasley – the guy whom I have been in love with since my fourth year at Hogwarts. (I still feel like giggling when I remember those times: Ron shouting at me after the Yule-ball because of me going with Viktor, I shouting at him because he never regarded me as a girl… I wish those times weren't over! However, if I was still fourteen, I wouldn't be married to him and that would be a great pity, wouldn't it?)
Ron flipped over some pages that contained notes about Hermione's work in the school, about Harry's birthday – expressing Hermione's sympathy for Harry and Ginny because of Daniel being a squib -, he kept leafing through the diary until he reached Christmas of 1999.
I'm home at last with my beloved husband! I can't tell how happy I am! Yesterday, when I arrived, he greeted me with a kiss lasting for about five minutes! I couldn't breath properly afterwards! He's such a cutie, Ron! And the way he kissed me… they way he made love to me three times in a row… WOW – that's the only appropriate word for it!
Ron blushed from the memories of Christmas Eve and turned the pages over to New Year.
I don't believe it! It's 2000! We have just celebrated it – Ron and Sirius got drunk, of course. Ron said he was making a New Year's wish, and I have to admit that I also made one: I would like to have a baby!
Ron's heart sank. "That was MY wish as well!"
I just keep watching Lily and Dannie, and they simply bewitch me! I can't wait to have a couple of children of my own – with Ron's hair, but NOT Ron's temper!
He found himself smiling. Then he shuddered… these lines didn't sound like the thoughts of someone who had cheated on her husband! Not at all.
There were only a couple more pages written on and he couldn't resist the temptation to read into them.
14th February, 2000
I have never felt so miserable before. No news from Ron at all. He believes that I cheated on him with Viktor! How can someone be so stupid??? I feel like slapping him in the face but he isn't here for me. I hate Valentine's Day!
"Really?" Ron raised an eyebrow and continued to read.
Still Valentine's Day, only 11 p.m., Hermione's writing said – but her always so neat hand seemed to have changed – it rather looked like scribble. Her hand must have shaken when she wrote it.
I have just realised something… I wasn't sure at first, but my sicknesses also referred to it, after all… I looked at my calendar, and it just reassured my suspicion: I am pregnant.
The booklet fell out of Ron's hands.
A/N2: *the author is depressed. Her grandpa is very ill and she is under a huge deal of stress. Still, she'll try and update more often – but you'll have to keep reviewing in order to make her want to update.*
This is not a threat, of course, but the fact is that after the one-month ffnet break-down I lost several readers who might have forgotten about the story because of the long break. I'm starting to feel a bit neglected and I'm happier about every single review I get than ever before. So please, those who up till now have been too lazy to click 'submit review', do so. Just drop a line, that's enough. To those who have not forgotten me and remained faithful: A BIG THANKS. *author out, she has to get a hanky.*