A/N: the set date for uploading this chapter was Friday, but I thought I'd be nice and update sooner, I hope you appreciate it :) Warning: this might be the craziest chapter so far and Severus will be ooc (but I had so much fun writing him in this chappie!), so don't tell me I didn't warn you ;)
Note to Mistri and Shazzman: in the last chapter I tried to give you a link to a site that was mentioned on my star-chart-CD, but ffnet wasn't willing to show it. So I repeat it here, leaving a space among the letters, hopefully ffnet won't delete it this way:
w w w. s k y m a p. c o m – I don't know whether you'll find anything useful here, I just thought you should check it out.
Chapter 20
The most charming smile
Daniel stared at the star chart lying on the table, still unable to believe what he and his friends had just realised. "Could it be? Could it be Gryffindor's chamber?"
"Why not?" Norbert shrugged. "If Slytherin could build one without the other three knowing, then Gryffindor could have built one, too."
"But why?" Dan asked. "I mean, we know that Slytherin built one to store his basilisk in it and purge the school of Muggle-borns later. But what reasons could Gryffindor have had for building a chamber?"
"One way to find out," young Malfoy said. "We've got to go in there."
"What?" Gilda gasped. "You mustn't leave the castle again or you'll be expelled for sure! Don't even dream about that, do you hear me?"
"You could also come, you know," Dan grinned at her.
Her face turned slightly pink, then she returned the grin. "When are we going?"
"We've got to wait until Sunday – we're having a match against Ravenclaw on Saturday and Avery isn't likely to let us have free afternoons or evenings for the following three days. After the match, we can go."
"Now wait a minute, hotshot. I just remembered something," Gilda cut in. "The script says: prove me you are my blood, and enter you may, then. We cannot go in there, we haven't got a single droplet of blood from Gryffindor."
"You two don't. I do," Dan drew himself up, looking rather smug.
"What?" his friends gasped.
"Haven't I told you yet? Oh, how forgetful I am!" Daniel said. "The Potters descend from Godric Gryffindor. We are his heirs, thus we do have his blood coursing in our veins… and that of Rowena Ravenclaw."
"You mean… Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were… together? Um… that way?" Gilda furrowed her brow.
"Well, yeah. Rowena was married to Sal Slytherin, but cheated on him with good ol' Godric and had a son called Godwin. Godwin was raised by the Potter family as their only child. So we Potters all have a bit of Gryffindor in ourselves… that's why I find it downright ridiculous that I got into Slytherin. I should be in Gryffindor!"
"That's right. Do you have any idea, any at all, why the Sorting Hat put you into Slytherin?" asked Gilda.
"Unfortunately no," the boy shook his head.
"You still want to be in Gryffindor, right?" Norbert perceived.
Dan shrugged. "What if I want to? This is not by request. So I think all I can do is make the best out of being in Slytherin… for example beat the crap out of the Ravenclaw team on Saturday."
"Tut, tut, I thought that you liked the ickle Ravenclaws, Dannie," mocked the girl. "Especially because lil Liu is in there."
"Don't even mention Liu to me, okay?" snapped young Potter. "I don't want to hear her name, I don't want to have anything to do with her!"
"Hey, what is this sudden conversion?" Norbert raised an eyebrow.
"You know," Dan replied, "when you almost die, then you are likely to re-evaluate your life, especially your relationship to the girl who almost caused your death. I've done it and come to the conclusion that it isn't worth dying for Liu."
A delighted grin spread on Gilda's face, but Dan didn't notice.
"Well, what about going to bed early tonight?" suggested Norbert. "Tomorrow we'll have Astronomy till midnight, and very possibly a tiring Quidditch training before it."
"Okay, I suppose I could do with some sleep," the girl nodded. "I'm very tired."
"Yeah, because you've been reading all day. You should relax sometimes, you know," said Norbert.
"Relax?" Miss Lockhart snapped. "How could I relax when I've got to prepare for the May quiz?"
"The May quiz? You mean the wizard-knight tournament-quiz?" Daniel looked surprised. "I thought you didn't want to take part in all that madness. You said so back in September."
"Couldn't I have changed my mind as you did?" she crossed her arms. "As far as I remember, Dan, you said the same – that there was no way you'd take part in it and make a fool of yourself… but for days, or rather weeks, you have been rambling about showing your cousin Kevin that you're capable of fighting at a tournament. So, if you can go for the title champion, then why couldn't I go for the title Queen of Beauty and Love?"
"Well… no offence, but you're not exactly the Queen of Beauty and Love type, Gil," Dan shrugged.
"So!" she slammed her book on the table and jumped up – the boys had never seen her so angry. "Why don't you yell into my face that I'm too ugly and unlikely to get a boy's affections, thus unsuitable to be named Queen of Beauty and Love? Come on, Dan, tell me! Show yourself true to being Gryffindor's heir and be brave enough to tell me!"
"Gil, I…" Dan stammered.
"You know what? The Hat was right: you do not belong into Gryffindor because you're a bloody coward; you truly belong into Slytherin, because all that you're good at is insulting people! And just to inform you: you are nothing like a champion, yourself! Good night!"
Seeing her storm off, Dan heaved a huge sigh. "I've screwed it up, right?"
"That you have," Norbert nodded. "And not only your friendship to her, but our possible trip to the cave, too. I bet her first way tomorrow will lead to your dad, Snape or Dumbledore to tell on us. Damn, you really have no idea about women, mate."
* * * * *
"Glad to see that you're feeling better, Miss Bradley," Albus smiled at Beryl and took place on a chair next to her bed. "I heard what happened to you and I got worried."
"There's no need to worry about me, headmaster," she shook her head. "I'm not sick. I'm just…"
"…expecting a baby, I presume," Dumbledore nodded with jovially twinkling eyes.
"How do you know? Madame Pomfrey can't have told you yet, can she?"
"Oh, dear Miss Bradley, I just put two and two together," the old wizard replied. "It wasn't difficult, really. I knew that you spent a night with our Severus in the Shrieking Shack about two months ago and I doubted that you brought pills with yourself to Hogwarts, given that you were supposed to act as a male here. I also doubted that you asked our Poppy for contraceptives after the 'event', because if you had done so, I'm sure that Poppy would have come to me long ago, demanding an explanation why I employed a woman as a caretaker. Finally, when I heard that you lost your consciousness, the first thing that came to my mind was: is our Severus going to become a daddy?"
Beryl nodded. "So it was obvious for you, headmaster. My brother-in-law knows, too. But we're not telling anyone else, are we?"
"No, for the time being, we aren't," Albus shook his head. "But, you know, I cannot imagine anything more hilarious than Severus getting to know the truth about you," he added with a wink.
"I wish I could tell him!" the woman sighed.
"Well… in fact you could. Not right now, but you can, when you see fit."
"No, headmaster," she replied. "You made me swear to keep my gender a secret when I came here, and I'm going to keep my promise… even if both Severus and I will suffer. Gosh, he must be suffering a lot… thinking that he had sex with another man! Neville said that he even looked… um, jealous… the fact is that Professor Snape believes that Neville and I are… a couple."
Dumbledore chuckled. "My, my, poor Severus. I think he really loves you."
"Loves me? I don't think so. Perhaps he loves Bert Bradley, the caretaker, but not Beryl Bradley, the divorced woman who's fleeing from her ex-husband."
The headmaster reached out to pat her hand. "You're wrong, dear. He loves you. Either as Bert or as Beryl, it's you he loves. And I trust you love him, too?"
"You have no idea how much," she whispered. "I love everything about him, from his loving for Potions to his scowling, from his eyes to his… hair," here Albus burst into a new fit of giggles, "I even love his nose and his teeth… if only he cared to wash them better…" now Albus was clutching at his stomach, it must have hurt much to laugh so hard.
"Sorry, Miss Bradley… I understand. No one can choose whom to fall in love with, right?"
"How very true, headmaster," she grimaced. "The first man whom I have fallen in love with turned out to be a criminal… the second one is just… well, Snape. That's enough to scare me; I mean… loving a person like him is scary. And bearing his child is even scarier… what kind of a father could he be? He doesn't even like children! He hates them! Perhaps he should never get to know about the baby. What do you think, headmaster?"
Albus gave her a penetrating stare. "Listen here, Miss Bradley. I know Severus. There are very few people who know him as well as I do… and I know that he doesn't hate children. Well, he is a bit… sour, that's right, but believe me, when the time comes and you tell him the truth, he'll melt like butter exposed to sunrays. He is a good man, Snape. Not a particularly kind one, but deep down, he has feelings."
"I know that, Professor. I saw it the first time I met him," Beryl said. "You have no idea how hard it was to convince Neville that Severus was a good man…"
"Ehm, that's quite understandable, I believe, given Mr. Longbottom's bad memories of Potions classes. I trust he told you about them."
"Oh, yes, he did," the woman smiled. "And not only about the Potions classes, but also about his boggart at Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"Ah!" the old wizard's eyes lit up. "The wondrous vulture hat! It was your idea to make him wear that costume at Halloween, wasn't it?"
Beryl nodded, giggling. "Severus asked me where I knew it from, but I told him that I had just heard it somewhere… he has no idea that I'm related to Neville."
"I'd like to see his face when he gets to know that, too…" Albus grinned. "Poor Severus, he has no idea about anything. He'll be really, really surprised. The only problem is – I think he doesn't like surprises."
* * * * *
Dan spent the next three days until the match in a rather grumpy mood – so did Gilda Lockhart. She wasn't talking to him, only to Norbert, which was really disturbing, given that they not only had classes together, but three long Quidditch training sessions until Saturday as well.
Daniel wished he could imagine himself turning back time and changing that single line that had spoilt his friendship with the girl. He had regretted it terribly and missed Gilda's chattering and constant reprimanding. Norbert kept telling him that Gilda's anger would disappear soon, but Dan wasn't that much of an optimist.
It was not only him, though, who was sad and distracted – Professor Snape seemed to be struggling with the same problem. Dan didn't tell anyone, but he suspected that Snape's bad mood had something to do with the caretaker. Mr. Bradley had left the infirmary days earlier, but had changed a bit – he wasn't the same talkative person, he seemed to be more occupied with his thoughts and just worked silently, without initiating any kind of conversation with the students. Daniel felt sorry for him – it must be terrible to know that you have slept with Severus Snape, due to a stupid mistake. The headmaster must have ordered some house-elves to help Mr. Bradley with the caretaker's work, because they were seen cleaning the corridors quite often. Daniel put this down to Bert's recent illness – very likely Dumbledore wanted him to do less work as long as he was healing. That was very nice of the headmaster, wasn't it?
Finally, Saturday came. Strangely to Daniel, he didn't feel worried about this match – at least not half as worried as he had felt when they were playing against Gryffindor. Perhaps it was because he didn't have to play against Kevin and the twins this time. But, this time, he would be playing against Liu Chang, who was one of the Ravenclaw Chasers. However, he didn't really mind having to play against her. His almost lethal experience had somehow sobered him and he wasn't that lovesick anymore. Maybe it had been the fall that had healed him out of his 'liuchangitis', or maybe it had been Myrtle's "sexual harassment" that made him feel less desire for Liu (and for girls in general)… he didn't know, but he was satisfied with this new 'I'm-not-crazy-about-Liu-anymore' condition.
"Listen here, team, we've got to beat Ravenclaw today," said Ted Avery, captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. "We've got to. At all costs."
"What if the Snitch explodes again?" interjected Patrick Parkinson, one of the Chasers.
"That is out of question. Things like that don't happen twice in a row!" Daniel replied, only to get an 'I-didn't-ask-you-Potter'-stare from the captain. Avery didn't like Dan, but Dan didn't care at all.
"All right, team, out onto the pitch, and show 'em!" ordered the captain, and the players walked out of the changing room, into the nice early-March sunshine. The weather was still chilly, but at least the Sun had decided to play a bit of peekaboo, coming out from behind the clouds every once in a while.
Daniel was surprised – and pleased – to see his father sitting in the Slytherin stands, clearly showing his support for the team. Last time, of course, he hadn't wanted to hurt either Lily or Dan by sitting at either the Slytherin or the Gryffindor stands, but today was different.
Lily, Vivian and Valentine were sitting next to Harry, waving happily at Daniel and giving him the thumbs-up. Even Lancelot sat with the twins. Kevin, certainly, took place in the Ravenclaw stands, looking rather sullen. Next to him sat Yvette Weasley, waving the deep-blue flag of her house.
Daniel's spirit lifted, seeing his father, sister and cousins all rooting for his team. Professor Snape gave him a nod, his expression sending him the same message it had in October: 'Results, Potter!'
As soon as he kicked off on his brand-new Nimbus 4000 broomstick, Daniel left all the little bits of worry on the ground, taking only a thirst to catch the Snitch with himself.
"Aaaand the Quaffle is released, Ravenclaw's got it, Nash in possession, passes to Chang, Chang scores… Avery saves!" came the commentator David Dursley's voice through the magical tone-amplifier. "Slytherin intercepts the Quaffle, but no… a Bludger from Beater Smith and Lavinia Flint drops it…"
Dan watched with a sour expression as Ravenclaw scored five times in a row, while Slytherin only managed to do twice. Despite the exertion of Gilda and Norbert, the Ravenclaw Chasers couldn't be really rattled by the prospect of getting a Bludger to the head… down on the stands Kevin looked very satisfied, and Yvette looked downright smug. Slytherin – true to its name – started to play dirty, earning two penalties for Ravenclaw – Avery intercepted one of them, but the other went through one of the hoops. Sixty – twenty to Ravenclaw. Too bad.
*Damn it,* Dan thought, *my team's going to lose if I don't catch the Snitch soon. If only I could imagine myself catching it…* he sighed, not even realising that while this line ran thought his mind, the picture of the Snitch flashed into it, too. And there it was, glinting in the sunshine, not more than fifty feet away… had he just imagined it there, or did it really fly that way? He had no idea, but couldn't contemplate it, because there was no time to be wasted. He directed his Nimbus 4000 towards the tiny golden ball… forty feet… Dorothea Crockford, the Ravenclaw Seeker didn't seem to have noticed it yet… thirty feet… aha, so Dorothea noticed it, too… twenty… there was no way that she'd catch up with Dan… ten…
"Daniel Potter catches the Snitch! Slytherin win, one hundred and seventy points to sixty!" bellowed David, and the crowd below burst into cheers.
Before Daniel could say or do anything, he got surrounded by his teammates and fellow Slytherins, who hoisted him up onto their shoulders. His father sent him an 'I'm damn proud of you, son!' kind of expression, while Lily and the twins waved at him merrily. Even Lancelot seemed impressed by Dan's performance, although he was that kind of person who was hardly impressed. Kevin and Yvette, of course, fumed at the Ravenclaw stands. Daniel grinned at Kevin, who jumped up from his seat and stormed away.
Professor Snape also seemed very satisfied, given that young Potter had given him results, and sent Professor Sinistra (new head of Ravenclaw house) a wide grin, showing all his thirty-two yellowish teeth. *Gosh, he really needs a whitening toothpaste!* thought Daniel, while the others carried him off the pitch. *A whitening toothpaste? * he mused, not even caring for the cheering crowd anymore, his mind drifting elsewhere… he was sure that he had made the Snitch appear out of nowhere – he had imagined it. Perhaps this was his very first intentional Imagining outside the Imaginer training sessions. The thought thrilled him, still filled him with a little bit of disappointment and guilt – he had caught the Snitch using powers that the other team Seeker didn't possess… that was unfair. He felt a sudden pang of remorse, not even being happy about Slytherin's victory anymore. He had cheated. Because it was cheating, after all. True that other Slytherins wouldn't have felt pangs of remorse because of a bit of cheating, but Daniel just wasn't the average Slytherin.
"Well done, Potter, very well done!" Ted Avery beamed at him, probably already seeing himself in his mind's eye, clutching the silver Quidditch Cup. This was the first time he had lauded his Seeker.
As his fellow team-members put Dan down, Professor Snape did something he had never done to a student before: he patted him on the back and said: "For the first time, I'm happy that Harry Potter's son is in Slytherin. Yes, Potter, however strange this sounds," (Daniel was gaping at him stupidly), "I'm happy about it. Like father like son. You're just as brilliant a Seeker as he was."
"Hey, thanks, Severus," chimed Harry, wearing a grin. Dan stifled a chuckle, comparing his father's flashy white, almost Gilderoyish smile to Snape's. Something really should be done about those teeth! A smirk spread on the boy's face, and he decided to try it again – try Imagining outside class once more. He couldn't harm anyone with it, could he? Certainly he couldn't make professor Snape turn even uglier, so… why not try?
"You were wonderful, little brother!" Lily hugged him.
"Yeah, great, wasn't he?" Norbert added, sending the girl a rather peculiar stare.
She blushed and nodded, absentmindedly fiddling with a necklace from which little orbs were hanging. "You were great, too, Norbert."
"Really?" young Malfoy's face lit up.
"Really," she blushed even more.
Suddenly, Liu Chang appeared next to Dan. "Well, congratulations, Daniel," she said.
"Thanks," he nodded, turning away in search for Gilda, who – obviously – hadn't taken part in celebrating his wonderful performance.
Liu knitted her eyebrows. "What's his problem with me?" she muttered.
"He's just not interested in you anymore, sweetheart," Norbert said and steered Lily away from her.
"Hey, Dan, what a spectacular catch of the Snitch!" chimed James Lupin's cheerful voice. "Really, Dan, how could you catch it so wonderfully? How could you notice it so much earlier than the other team Seeker? Are you proud of yours… mmmppphhh!" James tried to open his mouth, but his lips seemed to have stuck together for some reason.
Hiding a victorious grin, young Potter dashed past the other boy to catch up with Gilda.
"Gilda!" he reached her half way to the castle.
"What?" she grunted, not even stopping in her pace.
"Why did you hurry away?" he asked. "Didn't want to celebrate Slytherin's victory?"
"You mean: didn't I want to celebrate your victory?" she retorted derisively. "No, thanks. Go back to your groupies, you have enough of them, you don't need me, too."
"You're wrong," he reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. "I do need you. Not as a groupie, but as a friend."
"Friends don't hurt each other's feelings the way you did," she pointed out.
"I have already apologised for that, haven't I?"
"I don't remember you doing so," she shook her head.
"Then I'm doing it now: Gil, I was a dupe, you're not that ugly at all, and…"
"Not that ugly? Oh, how sweet of you!" she shouted.
"I mean…"
"You know what? I don't care what you mean, Daniel! Just let me show you my opinion!"
Before he could jump back or prevent it in any way, her fist met with his jaw, sending him reeling back onto the grass.
"Wow…" he whispered, watching her hurry away, massaging his sore jaw. "She's in love with me!"
"Well, let me congratulate you on Slytherin house's victory," said Professor Sinistra Lupin, offering her hand to Severus Snape.
"Thank you, Stella," the Potions Master shook her hand with a smile.
"Er… Severus?" she blinked.
"Yes?"
"What happened to your…?"
"Um… what?" Snape asked as the headmaster approached them.
"Ah, there you are, Severus!" Albus greeted him. "Um… do you have a new hairdo?"
"No," Snape shook his head. "As far as I know, I don't."
"Then… new robes?" Albus asked.
"No," the Potions Master looked rather confused. What was going on here?
"Then… what?" Albus scratched his head. "Something is… strange on you, Severus."
"Strange?"
"His teeth, headmaster," said Stella Sinistra Lupin.
"Oh, indeed!" Dumbledore clasped his hands. "Say cheese, Severus, will you?"
"What?"
"Cheese. Say cheese," Albus pleaded.
"Er… cheese," growled Snape, clearly not understanding what this was all about.
"Severus!" the headmaster's face lit up like the Sun at the zenith. "Wonderful! You've got to teach me this new tooth-whitening spell!"
"New what?" the head of Slytherin house blinked.
"Well, the charm that you used on your teeth," Albus said. "Marvellous. Absolutely marvellous."
"What is marvellous?" Snape shook his head in confusion.
"Gilderoy, oi, Gilderoy, would you please come up here?" Dumbledore rose to his tiptoes, waving at Lockhart.
"Yes, Albus?" the P.E. teacher joined them with a flashy smile.
"Would you please stand next to Severus and say cheese? You too, Severus!"
Gilderoy looked surprised, Snape looked grouchy, but both men looked very confused.
"Well, cheese!" Lockhart complied, and Severus followed suit with an unhappy expression.
"Truly magnificent!" Dumbledore beamed. "Don't you think, Stella?"
"Yes, very much, Albus," she nodded, struggling with her facial muscles not to grin.
"What is magnificent?" Severus beseeched the headmaster, looking desperate and on the verge of going mad.
"Magnificent that you are likely to win Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award this year, professor," interjected Beryl Bradley, who had also come to see the match but had been sitting far away from Snape so far.
"The what?" the Potions Master gasped.
"That's out of question, Albus," said Lockhart. "That's my title."
"Indeed? Then have a look at Severus' smile, Gilderoy."
"I'm not going to smile at him," Snape declared with a murderous expression. "Not even on your request, Albus."
"Then would you smile at me?" Beryl asked in a husky voice.
"Mr. Bradley, I'm not making a fool of myself…" Snape started to say, but got interrupted by Albus saying Rictusempra. "That's… hahaha… not… fair…. hehe… not fair, Albus…" he clutched at his stomach, doubling over with laughter, unintentionally showing a lot of his teeth.
"That's really not fair!" Gilderoy Lockhart breathed. "His teeth are flashier than mine!" he was seemingly turning green with envy. "How did you do that, Severus? You've got to tell me your secret!"
"There – is – no – secret!" bellowed Snape, after having cast the spell Finite Incantatem on himself, and stormed away.
"He's greedy. That's why he doesn't want to let us in on his secret," Gilderoy fumed. "But I'll get it out of him, I swear, headmaster. No one can take the Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award away from me!"
* * * * *
"Professor Snape!" the caretaker followed him into the castle, barely being able to keep up with his long strides.
"Leave me alone, will you?" he grunted, not even stopping, not even looking back at her.
"But Professor?!?" she gasped for breath.
In the next instant, he turned around. "My teeth are not flashy, understood?!?"
His sudden outburst took her by surprise, but she didn't lose her sense of humour.
"But they are," she said with a smirk. "And they're pretty, you know that, Professor?"
"No!"
"Then look at this!" the caretaker pulled a small mirror out of her pocket and held it up to Snape's face. The wizard looked away.
"Look at it!" Beryl demanded. Her voice sounded peremptory, and Severus – though very slowly – turned to peer into the mirror. "Good. Now smile."
Snape gave the caretaker a scowl, but obliged – he wanted, needed, to know what was going on. He forced a grin (this must have been rather painful to him, because he looked like a man being tortured), and jumped when he saw it.
"No…" he breathed. "Impossible."
"Impossible? You mean… you didn't even know that you had white teeth?" Beryl frowned. "How is that possible? People usually remember brushing their teeth, don't they?"
"But I have not…" Snape growled. "I mean, I have brushed them, but… not like this. These… aren't my teeth."
"Oh, yes, they are," the woman replied. "I recognise them – one of your front teeth stands a bit more forward than the others… and it always used to be like that."
"I had no idea you have given that much attention to my teeth, Mr. Bradley," Severus knitted his eyebrows.
"I haven't. Just… never mind. I like your new ones very much," she smiled, her warm brown eyes boring deeply into Severus'. "They're becoming."
"Bec… Enough! Enough of this, Mr. Bradley!" the Potions Master yelled.
"Why?" she gave him an innocent look.
"Because… I can't stand… I can't bear…"
"What?" she cocked her head, smiling sweetly.
"Because… damn you, Bert Bradley!" Professor Snape shouted and yanked her to himself, pressing his lips firmly to hers. Before Beryl could start to enjoy it, Severus broke their contact and hurried away as though he were chased by a thousand Lockharts yelling 'I want flashy teeth like yours, Sev!'
Daniel Potter could barely jump behind a suit of armour to get out of the enraged Snape's way, not believing what he had just seen: his Potions professor and the caretaker – snogging? That's all right (or maybe not) that he had heard about those two sleeping together by mistake, but this kiss… this wasn't a mistake. It was intentional. Just as intentional as Daniel's imagine-transforming Snape's teeth.
* * * * *
Gilda still wasn't talking to Dan, and he started to miss her – truly miss her. She was there, but only in body, not available for him in spirit as well. And that he missed. During the night of Saturday, he even dreamt about her – the very same dream he had had back in autumn, about himself falling, and Gilda catching him, making him feel all warm and...
He sat bolt upright in his bed, glaring at his straining erection. "No…" he whispered. It was out of question… he couldn't… he couldn't have feelings for her… could he? He hastily muttered Deminuo and slumped back into his pillows, his mind reeling. He had been in love with Liu for months, and had even had erotic dreams about her, but… none of those had felt so real… both times when he had dreamed about Gilda, she had felt almost tangible, as if she had been there… but for the time being, she was sleeping in her dorm, perhaps dreaming about how much she despised Daniel.
He shook his head and decided that this couldn't remain this way. He didn't want to be her enemy, he wanted her to be his friend. Or more?
No way.
He wouldn't like her that way, it wasn't… sensible, was it? She really wasn't attractive. She was quite clever (though surely not as clever as Aunt Hermione), and she was a tough fighter, but… that was exactly why she wasn't, couldn't, be Daniel's idea of the perfect woman.
The perfect woman in his opinion looked like Narcissa Malfoy (Norbert had shown him a pic of his mother) – beautiful, fragile, very feminine. Gilda was none of these. Perhaps she wasn't downright ugly, but she wasn't fragile and was very far from feminine.
Still… why this feeling? What could it mean?
"It's just pangs of remorse," Dan told himself. "I feel guilty because I hurt her feelings. That's all, really." At least he hoped so.
He drew back his curtains, groped for his glasses and his stare fell on Norbert's trunk that stood open next to his bed. With a thought he reached into it, pulling the picture of Mrs. Malfoy out. *Yeah,* he stated in thought, *she's the type of woman I like. Not Gilda.*
Norbert's raven, Ivo, gave him an accusing croak, as if saying 'how dare you rummage in someone else's trunk?'
"Sssh! It's all right, I'm putting it back," Dan whispered, feeling happy that at least Abu didn't wake up. As he placed the picture back into the trunk, his hand brushed something soft, covered with a blue piece of cloth. The invisibility cloak.
*Norbert wouldn't mind if I borrowed it, would he?* he thought and fished the cloak out of the trunk, only to get another reprimanding croak from Ivo. "I'm going to bring it back, don't worry," he said quietly and sneaked out of the dorm.
* * * * *
Miss Lockhart wanted to scream, but couldn't, because a hand firmly pressed onto her mouth.
"Ssssh, it's just me, Daniel!" she heard a whisper, coming out of thin air.
"Mmmmh?" she asked.
"Promise me not to scream and I'll release you," he said.
She nodded, and saw the boy's figure appear in the semi-darkness of her four-poster bed. "What the heck are you doing here, Dan? This is the girl's dorm, if you haven't noticed! And this is my bed! What are you doing in my bed…" she squinted at her fluorescent wrist-watch. "…at five o'clock?"
"Nothing dirty, don't worry," he said. "I have just come to apologise – this time really apologise. And you've got to listen to me."
"Oh, really?" she crossed her arms, her vivid blue eyes gleaming with fury. "I don't think you could apologise in such a way that would make me forgive you."
"Maybe I cannot… I'm… not exactly talented with words, you know…"
"I've noticed," she grunted.
"Anyway, let me try, Gil… I'm not going to say anything… not in person… but let me… give you this," he said, and pushed a piece of parchment into her hands. "Just read it, okay? If you still don't want to forgive me after reading it, I accept. But please, give me a second chance."
"A third, you mean," she said. "You've hurt me twice."
"Please?" he asked with a puppy-stare. She could barely make out his features in the darkness, but his warm brown eyes were pleading… and so cute.
"All right," she sighed. "Now out with you! And don't wake the others, I don't want them to think that I'm having boys in my bed at the dead of night!"
He nodded, slipped on the cloak and left the dorm.
Gilda couldn't go back to sleep – and she didn't even want to – she was very curious about Dan's letter. She wondered why he hadn't just sneaked into the dorm and left the letter on her bedside table. She'd ask him later.
She grabbed her wand, said Lumos and made it cast a beam of light on the parchment.
Her jaw fell as she saw that it was a poem. Gosh, he had written her a poem! But when? During the night? Had he stayed up all night to write her this? Well, he had to, given that the poem said:
It's already dawn, I'm sitting in my dorm,
Weaving word to word, watching a text form,
Arranging the words into a pattern,
Feeling very guilty, feeling my cheeks burn.
All I'm feeling now, Gil, is pangs of remorse,
It's assaulting me like some terrible force.
You can laugh at me, Gil, you can say I lie,
But it will not make these blasted feelings die.
There is no denying, I'm a silly git,
But have mercy on me, just a little bit…
I have long regretted everything I told you,
But what I'm telling now is heart-felt and so true:
You might not be like a veela, not so very pretty,
But you're open, kind and very, very witty.
You're a true friend, and I miss you –
I hope you miss me a bit, too.
I do not care what you look like,
As long as you remain that tyke
I've grown fond of since September,
You're someone I shall remember,
Whatever will happen to me.
I shall always, always like thee.
Gilda was taken aback. Had Daniel Potter really written her a piece of poetry? She still couldn't believe it, though the parchment with Dan's unmistakable scribble was the material proof for it. She felt blood rush into her face, reading the last two lines. He liked her! He liked her!
No, wait a minute! The poem said he liked her, not loved her. Big difference.
She tried to go back to sleep, but simply couldn't. After half an hour of tossing and turning, she slipped out of her bed, put her dressing gown on herself and headed upstairs into the common room, hoping for a little bit of warmth from the always-crackling-fire. The Slytherin dormitories were quite cold, but the common room at least offered some heat, and heat was exactly what she needed now.
To her surprise, she found Daniel sitting by the fire, staring into the flames. Hearing her arrive, he looked up with a timid little smile. "Hi. Up so early?"
"Yeah… since an evil little chap woke me up. Do you know him?" she replied, sitting down into the green velvet armchair opposite him.
"A short guy with messy black hair, glasses and brown eyes? No idea who it is."
"Oh, so maybe you don't know him… but I do. He's an insolent, and sometimes totally insufferable brat, conceited and selfish, and…" seeing the expression of horror spreading on his face, her mouth tucked into a smirk. "…despite all these things, I like him. He's such a prat, but… can be quite normal if he tries. And… I guess he has a poetic streak."
"Does he?" he grinned.
"Oh, yeah… if he refined his talents, he could become one hell of a poet."
"So… you liked my verse?" he asked with a hopeful glance.
"Yeah, I sort of liked it. It didn't make me forget your insults, but… it must have taken a lot of your time – your night – to write this stuff, so I suppose, I might as well forgive you," she replied. The flames in the fireplace painted various patterns on her face, lighting her short brown hair, making it look a bit reddish-brown. Her eyes were glinting more than usual – whether it was due to the fire's light or something else, Daniel didn't know. All he knew was that she looked… cute. Maybe even pretty. As the flames' little reflections danced in her eyes, she seemed so ethereal, so intangible… yet Daniel wanted to touch her. He tentatively reached out with one hand towards her face, expecting her to pull away or toss his hand away, but she just sat there, motionless, letting his fingers make contact with her skin. She let him caress her cheek, even seemed to be enjoying it. She shifted her head a bit to make her face snuggle completely into his palm, closing her eyes. Daniel wondered how he hadn't noticed before what pretty long eyelashes she had. With her eyes closed, her eyelashes looked particularly long and thick – perhaps it was a feature she had inherited from her Egyptian ancestors. If nothing else, than her eyes were feminine and beautiful. The same colour as Gilderoy's, but the same shape as Anck-sun-Amun's - a bit almond-shaped, like the eyes of the women on the ancient Egyptian wall paintings.
Before she could open her eyes, she felt something warm and soft touch her lips – and this time it weren't his fingers. She half-opened her eyes to peer at him through her extraordinarily long eyelashes, just to see him pulling away, a blush spreading on his face.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have," he muttered. "That was just a… um… just a 'we're-friends-again-kiss', okay?"
"Okay," she nodded. "I think I should be going back to the dorm… the girls are going to wake up soon and if they find me with you here… dad wouldn't be happy if I got caught with a boy."
"But… we weren't doing anything," he shrugged. "We just… reconciled. That's all."
"Yeah," Gilda smiled, standing up. "I think that reconciliation is better than fighting, isn't it?"
"Much. Especially if fighting involves getting punched by you, oh great Egyptian warrior! My jaw still aches," he rubbed it with a grin.
She bent down to examine his jaw, but she couldn't see black and blue spots on it. "Never mind, it doesn't even look bad."
"But it still hurts," he pouted. "Perhaps you could kiss it better?"
"Dream about it, Daniel," she grimaced and headed for the stairs.
"Uh, what about a visit to the cave tonight?" he called after her. "I mean… together with Norbert, of course."
"I'm game," she nodded. "Good night. I mean… good morning."
* * * * *
Daniel spent most of the morning and early afternoon with his cousins Viviane and Valentine. Gilda was avoiding him all day for some reason and Norbert was dallying somewhere with Lily (which Dan was unaware of).
"Have you seen Professor Snape today?" asked Val in a hushed voice.
"No. Should I have?" said Daniel.
"Well…" the twins exchanged a look and burst into a fit of giggles.
"What's up?" the boy frowned.
"So… you haven't seen Snape since the match yesterday morning?" asked Viv.
"No. Why? What's up with him?"
"He's changed," Valentine whispered, though she shouldn't have been whispering, because no one was nearby.
"What do you mean by he's changed?"
"His teeth. They're… white. And glittery. He's grown simply… dashing."
Dan made a disgusted sort of noise. "Dashing? Snape? You must be joking."
"No, we aren't. Of course you cannot appreciate a change like this, because you're a boy, but we are girls and we think that he's become downright cute."
Dan rolled his eyes. *Maybe I shouldn't have imagine-whitened his teeth?* he thought.
Kevin Weasley rounded the corner, giving Dan a contemptuous look.
"Oh, hi, Kevin, come and join us in the Snape-discussion!" Viviane beckoned to him.
"I'm not joining you as long as he's here," young Weasley pointed at young Potter.
"Don't worry, Kevin, I'm leaving. You are free to discuss Snape's charming smile."
"Snape's what?" the Weasley boy raised an eyebrow at the girls as Daniel departed. "Charming? Snape? Smiling? Snape? What the hell are you rambling about?"
"Er… well… just look at him," Viviane grinned at her cousin and waved at the Potions Master who was approaching with a rather sullen expression. "Good afternoon, Professor! What a lovely day, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Lovely, Miss Weasley," Snape grunted and hurried past them.
"I don't believe it!" Kevin gaped. "He barely opened his mouth, but his teeth… were practically shining!"
"See, that's what we were talking about," said Valentine. "I bet Professor Lockhart is contemplating which way to commit suicide. Or maybe he has already done it, that's why we haven't seen him all day."
"Speak of the devil," said Kevin, pointing at a pink-robed figure walking towards them. "Oh, good afternoon, Professor Lockhart!"
Gilderoy only nodded and hurried past them, wearing a scowl.
"Teehee… these two don't seem too happy today," grinned Viv.
"Wonder why?" commented Val.
* * * * *
"So, Lils, what do you think about Snape's brand new smile?" asked Norbert. They were standing in the Astronomy Tower, holding hands.
"Snape's what?" the girl furrowed her brow.
"Never mind," he waved. "No one's smile can be as charming as yours."
"Really?" she blushed.
"Really…" he leaned forward to kiss her when they heard someone clear their throat.
"Harry?" Lily breathed as her father appeared at the top of the stairs.
"Lily? Norbert? May I ask what you two are doing up here?"
"Er…" Norbert hastily released the girl's hand. "Looking at the view, Professor Potter. It's a lovely view, isn't it?"
"Undoubtedly," Harry said, crossing his arms. "But you can watch the view without holding hands and kissing, you know."
"Er… yeah," the boy nodded.
"Norbert, I have something to discuss with my daughter… privately."
"I understand, sir," young Malfoy replied and dashed downstairs.
"So," said Harry.
"So what?" Lily asked, clasping her hands behind her back.
"May I get to know what this was about?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I strongly disapprove of what you are doing with this boy."
"You mean… dating with him?"
"No," he shook his head. "Using him."
"Using him?" she raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Harry?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, young lady. I know that it's Christopher Wood you like, but you're trying to make him jealous by using this boy. It's not fair, Lily. A decent girl would never do such a thing."
"Then maybe I'm not a decent girl," she retorted.
"You know that's not what I meant. I meant that you shouldn't play with that poor boy's emotions."
"Which poor boy? Chris or Norbert?"
"Both. Play fair, Lily. Tell Norbert that you don't like him."
"But I do! I like him. Honestly."
"If you truly liked him, you wouldn't have steered him up into the Astronomy Tower before my very eyes. You wanted me to come up here and tell you off. You are provoking me, Lily. And I don't know why. So tell me. What is going on with you?"
"Nothing!" she snapped. "I'm a teenager, if you didn't know, and my hormones are working overtime!"
"Making a fool of this unfortunate boy and provoking your father isn't the result of overworking hormones," Harry said sternly, sitting down on the windowsill. "Come, Lily. Sit down here."
"Why?" she asked reluctantly.
"Because I'd like to talk to you. As a father to his daughter."
"Oh, come on, Harry, don't want to give me the talk about the birds and the bees!"
"That's not what I'd like to talk to you about," he said quietly, his emerald eyes boring deeply into her emerald ones.
"Then what?"
"About you. About what's going on in you. Something's amiss with you, Lily, and I'd like to help. Tell me if I can help."
"Help me?" she spat. "You haven't cared for me for years, Harry, and now suddenly you want to play the wonderfully caring daddy?"
"It's not true that I haven't cared for you. I do care for you. Always did."
"But not as much as I would have liked you to," she replied with an accusing expression. "You always thought of me as a good little girl, someone who was good and disciplined enough not to need your special attention. You have spent all your time with Daniel, the triplets and Lea, but never with me. You spent time with Dan because you felt sorry for him, the poor little half-squib… you spent time with the triplets trying to discipline them because they needed it… you spent time with Lea because she was the youngest and cutest, but… never with me. You even cared more for your unborn son than for me. You've been ignoring me, Harry."
"Is that why you never called me dad?" he whispered, clearly taken aback by what she had just said.
"Perhaps," she shrugged. "I don't know. I never really felt that you were my father."
Harry felt as though a dagger had been stabbed into his heart. And the main reason was that she was right – at least partly. "You… you don't remember, Lily, but when you were small, you did regard me as your father. And believe it or not, I always loved you exactly as much as I loved your siblings. If you felt that I was ignoring you, then I apologise. I really should have spent more time with you, but, as you said, you were always the good little girl who never put a toe out of line, who never wailed about anything… who never seemed to be in dire need of me. You seemed to be happy, even without me breathing down your neck all the time. I thought you'd be just… mad at me if I followed you around… that you'd feel I didn't trust you enough…" he scrutinised her face, trying to understand her expression, and suddenly he felt that he managed to understand it all. "Is… is that why you provoked me into coming up here? To make me follow you around? To make you feel…"
"…that I have a father. Yes," a droplet of tear ran down her cheek. "I wanted to annoy you into giving me a dressing-down. I wanted you to… behave like a normal father, and normal fathers do tell off their kids," she wiped the tear away. "I needed you, dad. I need you."
"Oh, Lily," he stood up and gathered her into a firm embrace, feeling guilty and feeling touched at the same time – touched, because she had finally uttered the word 'dad'. "Forgive me, please, dearest. I've been a terrible father to you, I know, but… give me a chance to make it up for you."
"All right, dad," she smiled. "But… what about Norbert now?"
"Tell him the truth," Harry said, offering her a hanky.
"But…" she blew her nose, "the problem is, that… I don't know what the truth is… I… I don't know what I feel… I like him. He makes me feel… special…"
"That's my fault, too," her father sighed. "You were looking for someone's attention and fled into his arms. It should have been me who made you feel special, not this boy. It's all my damn fault."
"Dad!" she grinned, "Fathers aren't supposed to swear in front of their children!"
"True," he smiled. "I apologise. I think I still have a lot to learn about parenthood."
"Not that you haven't had enough time to learn it all," she pointed out.
"Yeah… but I suppose I started it too early, Lily. I was way too young, almost a child myself when I became a father… and I fear I still haven't grown up enough for the task. Perhaps I never will… but I'll try, I promise."
"Do or do not. There is no try," she said.
"Aye, aye, Master Yoda!" Harry laughed, slipping an arm around his daughter's shoulder. "Come, we'd better go downstairs. I've still got to go to Hogsmeade," Ginny and the kids had moved back into their renovated house during the week, but Harry hadn't found time yet to visit them in their old/new home sweet home.
Lily nodded, walking downstairs with her dad, whom she was at last calling dad. It felt a bit funny for her to address him like that, but she'd surely get used to it. "Give my love to mum and Lea, and even the triplets, okay?"
* * * * *
"Seeing you again, Potty?" asked Draco Malfoy, who was scattering some flower seeds on his flowerbeds.
"Malfoy," Harry nodded as a sign of recognition. "How are your flowerbeds doing?"
"Very well, thanks, since my neighbour hasn't been trimming my flowers for a while."
"Oh, don't worry, Malfoy, as soon as your flowers have lice, your neighbour is definitely going to trim them."
"The same stands for your bushes," Draco smirked. "By the way, Potter, are the rumours true about Snape's teeth?"
"What rumours?" Harry raised an eyebrow. He couldn't care less for anything else but Severus Snape, so he had no idea what Malfoy was talking about. Before he could ask, Draco started to clean his hands and face with a quick-cleaning charm. Harry squinted in the direction of the gate, suddenly realising why his neighbour was tidying himself so hastily – Gabrielle Delacour was standing at Draco's gate, peering in, waving.
"Ah, here's Gabie!" Malfoy breathed. "Sorry, Potty, I can't chat with you any longer…"
"I'm heart-broken," Harry replied with a grimace, watching as Draco dashed to the garden-gate. Ginny had told him about the ring Gabie was wearing, but he seriously doubted that Malfoy had really married the girl. Had they been married then they'd be living together, in the same house, wouldn't they?
With a shrug, he turned away from his neighbour and the part-veela, heading for the house.
The building had been restored to its original state, and perhaps it even looked better than earlier with new painting and everything. The garden pond was filled with water again and some frogs were croaking on lily pads. It was absolutely idyllic, with the exception of…
His glance fell on a small rock under a tree – a rock with the word Hedwig on it.
Harry's heart wrenched as he walked past it, but he tried to ignore the sudden wave of sadness that washed over him. This was no time to grieve; he wanted to spend a wonderful evening with his family, especially with his wife. Three months of 'celibacy' had been a bit too much for him and he craved for her closeness and touch as much as a thirsting man would crave for water in the Sahara.
Meanwhile, Daniel was also thirsting for something, though he couldn't really tell what. It was some kind of a need, but… for what? He felt somehow empty after his morning encounter with Gilda. He felt relieved that she had forgiven him, but he hadn't seen her all day. She didn't even appear for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Just after dinner, she finally put in an appearance, looking rather happy about something.
"I've found it," she said.
"What?" asked Daniel and Norbert in unison.
"Visualicus Noxus - the charm that allows us to see in the darkness without saying Lumos."
"What the hell do we need such a charm for?" yawned Norbert.
"Oh, don't be such a dupe," she said. "How else could we get through Hogsmeade without getting noticed by anyone? We'll be wearing your invisibility cloak, right? It'd look rather peculiar if we held up our wands with the little flames at the tip while walking under the cloak, wouldn't it? People would find it rather… suspicious. If there's a flame swimming in the air, then there has to be a wizard conjuring it, too, and we'll get caught."
"Hm, quite clever, I have to admit," replied young Malfoy.
"Of course it's clever," she nodded. "'Cause I'm very-very witty, right, Dan?" she grinned at the boy, who turned red, realising that she had just quoted half a line of his poem.
"Yeah. So… are we going or not?"
With the help of the Marauder's Map, they crept through the tunnel to Honeydukes. It seemed that Gilda had not spent her whole day in the library in vain – she had found a spell with which they managed to open Honeydukes' front door that was sealed both in magical and Muggle way. The other charm that she had found was also excellent – she cast it on the boys and herself, this way allowing them to see in the darkness for ten hours. After that the charm would wear off.
"We should have asked you to come with us the last time we went to the well," whispered Norbert to the girl, clearly amazed by her knowledge on spells. "Perhaps you could have stopped Dan from falling into it."
"Had she stopped me, we would have no knowledge of Gryffindor's secret chamber," Daniel whispered back.
They were walking very slowly along the main street of Hogsmeade, since they couldn't proceed quick enough under the cloak.
As they reached the Malfoy house, they saw two figures standing at the gate, quite close to each other.
"Really, Gabrielle, why are you turning me down? We've been married for more than three months and we still haven't had our wedding night!" whined a male voice.
"And we aren't going to 'ave it at all. I 'ave told you, 'aven't I? Marriage, but no sex. Ghrin and bear it."
"But Gabie…" he sighed, gently pulling her to himself.
"Is zat a wand in your pocket, Draco, or are you just zis 'appy to see me?" she asked.
Gilda couldn't help but let out a small giggle, immediately clasping her hands over her lips.
"What was that?" Draco Malfoy released his wife and looked around, holding up his wand with the tiny flame at the end.
"I don't see anyzing," Gabrielle said. "Maybe it was a mouse, or… a ferrhet?"
"A ferret?" Draco snorted irritably and Daniel also had to clasp his hands over his mouth to stifle the chuckle that wanted to burst out of him – he had been told about the amazing bouncing ferret by his Uncle Ron.
They walked past the two blondes, only to arrive in front of the Potter house. The window of the Potter parents' room was open and rather unmistakable noises were coming out.
Dan blushed slightly, happy that his expression couldn't be seen under the cloak. He nudged his friends to proceed, not wanting to hear snide comments from Norbert.
* * * * *
"So this is that well," said Gilda, peering down into the abyss below. Thanks to the Visualicus Noxus charm, Norbert found the entrance into the second cave without difficulty. It seemed that the ladder that Harry had conjured into the well hadn't been removed after their first visit to this cave.
"How thoughtless of dad to leave it here," commented Daniel, starting to climb down. The other two followed him.
Twenty minutes later they were standing in front of the door that was emitting some diffuse light.
"It's okay that one should be Gryffindor's heir to open the door, but… how could I prove it that I'm Gryffindor's heir?" Dan pondered.
"Give me your hand," said Norbert.
Dan had no idea what his friend had in mind, but he reached out with his right hand. Norbert placed the tip of his wand to the tip of Dan's index finger.
"Ouch!" Dan jerked his hand back, seeing droplets of blood seeping from his finger. "What was that good for?"
"Simple," Norbert replied, catching his hand again, and pressing his bleeding finger into a small oval dent on the door. In the next instant the door started to glow even more, emitting light that was almost blindingly white, then slowly, very slowly, with a loud creak, it opened. The doorframe was still filled with dazzling white light, so that they couldn't see beyond it, into the chamber.
Daniel gave his friend a dubious look. "How did you know that?"
Norbert rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you haven't realised that the small dent on the door was exactly finger-tip-shaped? It was just obvious what to do. Anyway, my father taught me quite a bit about using blood in magic…"
"You know, sometimes you scare me," breathed Daniel.
"Scared or not, would you two please move forward?" spoke up Gilda.
"Er… okay," young Potter motioned her to enter.
"No," she smiled. "It's your privilege. You're Gryffindor's heir, after all."
Dan shrugged, took a deep breath and entered the white light.
A/N: I know that Lily's tirade directed at her father was a bit peculiar. I must admit that only two months after I wrote this chapter did I realise WHY I had written those things. Subconsciously I projected my own feelings about my own father into Lily's head: my parents got divorced when I was one year old and my dad remarried and adopted two kids. My brother Andrew is witty but very hard to control, extremely mischievous, thus he needs father's special attention and gets it. My sister Anne is very peaceful and nice, but not exactly bright – so she also needs his attention and gets it. As for me, I've always been clever like Andrew and peaceful like Anne – the good little girl who never put a toe out of line, so perhaps my dad thought that I didn't need his special attention – and never got it. I never really felt that I had a father. I think he doesn't even know me. I'm sure he has no idea that I'm writing HP fanfics, even though I have mentioned it to him on several occasions. Even my friends know me much better than he does :( Sorry about spilling my family problems on you, I just wanted to explain Lily's behaviour. So, in this chapter Lily was me.
PhoenixFire: thanks for the correction, you're right about Native Americans. Snape will get to know the truth about Beryl in chapter… 22, I think.
thecrazygirl: this story will have 31 chapters.
jennaration: of course I'm going to show you what's behind the door :D
Princess Ginny: yes, I got your mail :)
Black Ice: yes, it's like a soap opera, isn't it? ;) Do you like Orion? It's my fave constellation, it's so pretty!
BigDaddy753: glad you like them so much :D
Alexander Phoenix: perhaps this chapter was even odder than the previous one? What do you think? I hope you won't stop reading, though.
Inigma: yes, I have readers of all ages, the youngest I know of was 12, the eldest is over 50 (a twenty-something year old reader of mine told me that even her fifty-something year old mum read it, LOL).
X-Tow-Naga: Ginny doesn't like apparating ;) You're right about 12 year olds wanting adventures… but Dumbledore just tries to protect his students from all dangers. Yup, you're right, it should have been Norbert Devilsmoor-Malfoy :) Yes, I know that Dan wasn't supposed to be able to decipher the old script, but he had to, for plot reasons. Interesting theory about the poem… I had no idea about these madins. You wrote: "Hogwarts don't seem to care if its teachers are gay, but the caretakers can't be female? That's pure sexism!" LOL, I was rotfl when I read this. But you're right, it's evil sexism.
Lioness-07863: no, Harry isn't needed to open the chamber :) Philippe is a Muggle.
Wood's secret lover: well, now you know how Dan proved being heir of Gryffindor. Yes, Snape was too drunk and under the effect of the potion to realise that Beryl was a she. Lockhart? Petunia? As the enemy? LOL :D
jasper: Snape will find out Beryl's secret in chapter 22, as far as I remember.
rebkos: Bert isn't transsexual, he's a she and she's pregnant with Snape's kid. Check back to the previous chapter.
No longer a Lone Wolf: don't worry, Dan won't let Myrtle get to him again!
starheart20: eleven chapters left.
weirdo_without_a_clue: yes, of course I'll show the parent/teacher Quidditch match! And it will be fun.
LilGinny: I'm glad I could make Cherie happy :) You know what? Norbert wears leather all the time! (I'm just not mentioning it in the story, but you're free to imagine that he does).
Altec: Snape's like Charles Darwin… hm… that's interesting. But imagine Snape with a beard like Darwin's, LOL :D You wrote: "how did Beryl meet up with Dumbledore in the first place if neither her nor Philippe are wizards?" Well… there's Neville, he's the link between Albus and Beryl.
Punky Poet: you'll find out more about Beryl's ex later, don't ask when, I don't remember in which chapter I mention it.
Lavendar Brown: was your birthday nice? What did you get as a present?
AmandaPanda: Snape will find out, but not from Beryl ;) Dan's wish… I'll come back to that in the final chapter.
Katie Bell: sorry, I forgot Katie's marriage to Oliver! Stupid me! Btw, I decided to register on fictionalley and I submitted some arts to ArtisticAlley. If you have time, could you please review them? People don't seem too willing to review them, especially my poor Albus and Ron/Herm... you'll find them in the Cho, Ron, Harry and the Albus section.
Lupin's Angel: no orcs? Whew, I'm relieved :D No, I haven't seen any pics of the PoA filming yet. Did the Express really set a field on fire?
puppy duck: hey, lovely name, very funny :) Norbert couldn't have wished for Daniel not falling into the well, because he had already used his wish before Daniel did (I supposed that one could have only one wish from the well). I haven't read Artemis Fowl, I don't even know whether we have it published on Hungary or not. Who's the author?
sabby: yes, it's hard to picture Sev as a daddy, isn't it? ;) A three-headed lion in the chamber? Oh, no…
Sky: yeah, it was quite obvious that Bert was a she, wasn't it? :D Though still only 20% (or less) of my readers managed to guess it before chapter 19.
Hermione We@sley: yeah, Lily and Norb don't resemble any other couple, do they? :))
Houou: it's an interesting concept that the greatest enemy might be Harry himself… really interesting. I never thought of this before. Philippe is a Muggle.
Toby Haine: so you didn't even suspect that Bert was a girl? Teehee… I'm glad I could surprise you, then. Where did I learn the word gobsmacked? Whew, no idea. Must have read it in a book or a fic.
FireBolt9000: it's Liu, not Lui :) Anyway, you used to say you wanted Dan and Liu together… and now you called Liu a psycho. Does this mean that you no more like her? (I hope so;)
Indigo Ziona: don't worry, no Alice in Wonderland will be in this fic :) Yeah, I can imagine how Myrtle freaked you out – she freaked Dan out, too.
2Coolio: yes, clupea was the same word I used for Ginny's pregnancy, Poppy remembered it :) Philippe as the evil person? Now that's interesting! Please, read my answer to Altec.
Inken: Myrtle getting pregnant? No, for heaven's sake! A ghost couldn't carry a baby… at least it sounds totally unbelievable. But I laughed aloud when I read your supposition about it, LOL. Harry didn't want Dan to be expelled, he was just mad at his son for having caused him such a shock.
Phoenix_Kiss02: you'll see the chamber in the next chapter. More on the shock and grief thingie later… in chapter 28. I'm glad I could make you rotfl with Snape soon becoming a daddy ;)
TaMaraR: the caretaker's real name is Beryl Bradley. Glad you liked the Harry/Lily scene in the last chapter. Did you like it in this one, too? I hope so.
Wizzabee: well, now you know that Bradley is in love with Snape. About marriage… well, Sev has to find out the truth at first, don't you think?
seashell: no, what Dan will find in the chamber is not the evil.
SiriDragon: I hope you're in better mood now :D
The Millenium One: glad you thought I managed to write something really 'twisty', LOL.
C-chan: yes, about 5-6 people managed to guess that Bradley was a woman after chapter 18. I have just started to read I am lord Voldemort, and it's really cool. You said you thought I had written it… but no, I don't think I could have written anything as good as that.
Sean Mulligan: because some rules at Hogwarts are very old-fashioned and stupid :)
Katrina: I agree, it's hard for a woman to disguise herself as a man, but with some make-up perhaps she could. She also has a lean body with small tits, so nothing too obvious… You don't need to review twice, just review once for each chapter, and it'll keep me happy :D
Bucky: yes, Snapie deserves a family. He might as well have twins, dunno, the baby(s) won't be born in the fic. What is midol? Some kind of contraceptive? Ugly Cho? LOL :)
goldenstar555: I'm glad I could surprise you, then.
ruffled owl: not all women have big boobs. Bradley is a very lean woman with small ones. Hehe, she resembles me in this respect :)
Nefertiri: I agree, I don't think that being gay suits Snape. Unfortunately way too many authors make him gay, and he usually falls for poor Harry… ;)
romina: what did you think when you read 'should I say miss…'? I'm curious!
heavenly182angel: of course I know the Big Dipper :) It's one of the most widely-known constellations. However, my favourite one is Orion. Yeah, Myrtle was disturbing, wasn't she?
Kristen Michelle: I AM having fun torturing Snape :D
Zenon Lee: no, there won't be any kind of a scandal in this fic. The pregnancy will be kept a secret before the students.
Keila: I'm glad you thought Bradley was a bit girly, that just means I wrote her all right.
Any last requests: I don't think Norbert would be able to Wingaridum Leviosa Dan out of the pit… *shrugs* no idea.
Tap Dancing Widow: yes, the Big Dipper is part of Ursa Major. Yup, Oliver's coming back for a match :D
Shazzman: I don't remember that episode in which Edmund falls in love with this servant. I remember that once he wanted to marry a very young girl, who was still a child.
Myr Halcyon: no, Beryl's personality isn't a reflection of mine. Lily and Gilda have much more in themselves of me. But well, I am also a pro-lifer in most cases. Of course if it turns out that a baby would be born with a serious illness then I am for abortion, and also if the parents wouldn't be able to provide their baby normal circumstances. But Beryl would surely be able to… especially if Sevvie helped her ;) Rudolph? Hahaha! Btw, thanks for reviewing on checkmated, you were right: the Knockturn Alley scene got longer: I inserted a prostitute witch wanting to seduce Dudley.
apple-pie: Sev will find out soon :D There's some reason for Lily's behaviour that I can't reveal yet. Glad you liked the Astronomy riddle :)
Lady Schezar: of course you may join the Cho hater club! Welcome!
Autumn Dreams: there'll be a bigger fight between Dan and Kevin. Snape isn't a cannibal, LOL.
Pamela-potter-24: yes, Snape will be scared for sure :D