Disclaimer:  I own nothing but a bad attitude right now.  Grrr….I'm mad, can't you tell?

*** Thank you to Soupcan314 for the wonderful compliment.  I am so glad that my story holds your interest!  Nichole thank you saying I'm brilliant!  It really does mean so much to me that you people like this story!  Slap me silly here is another (hopefully) well thought out chapter!  I hope you and your sister enjoy it!  Fiona Goldfeet the weather here sucks…20 degrees and it's snowing and hailing and now we might be in for a thunderstorm (go figure)!  Thanks so much for asking!  AND thank you for review!  It means a whole hell of a lot to me!  Pinkchicklet, thank you for continually reviewing my story!  It means a lot to me and you better update again soon!  Jenny I must admit I too like the term whipped…it's a good term!  I hope you enjoy this chapter!  Diana thanks for loving my story!  Shaunna I'm so glad you still the Harry/Parvati thing!  I'm still worried you reviewers will revolt against me until I turn it into a Harry/Ginny thing!  Silly I know, but oh well!  Ronaldrose I emailed you an answer to your question!  Did you get it?  Thanks for liking my story and I will read your story!  (It's the least I can do!)  HogwartsHoe thank you so much for saying I make your day!  I needed to hear that and it's so nice you think that.  Claire I didn't even think of the "research team extraordinaire" but I like it and I hope you didn't mind but I'm using that quote for the chapter's title!  Alayna thanks for your support and saying the last chapter was a great chapter…it makes my day!  Mela you wrote things in your review I didn't even think of!  He he!  I may use some of those ideas now!  Thank you!  Marjojo you are way too cool for reviewing!  And you're right, fanfic can be and is wonderful therapy!  I'm so glad the weather is nice for you!  Vanilla Baby all I have to say to your review is I hope it will work…to be honest I have no idea how it will all work as I'm just writing/flying by the seat of my pants!  DazzilinAngel555 I've got to admit I have no idea whether or not you'll find out who the candidates are in this chapter…although I'm hoping you will and then, it could just totally be a mush-chapter…we'll see…Americanangel sure no problem…I'll email you when I update…although by that time you will probably already know I've updated…since you'll be reading this!  And hey, English anyone?  English is my absolute favorite subject!  I love grammar (I'm a nutcase, I know it) and I love history, like I said so I'm planning on being a historical fiction author…so it's all cool!  Thank you so much for reviewing!  Ann, thank you so much for saying this fic is getting more and more interesting, that was the idea and it means a lot to me that you think it is!  Triniroo thank you for agreeing with me.  Boys are idiots…and I suppose girls can be too, but let's not focus on that one, right?  LOL! Glad you like the story!  Danidancer thank you so much for putting me on your favorite authors list!  That is such a cool compliment!  Maddy Leigh as soon as I'm done writing and then updating this story to ff.net I'm going to read yours!  Thanks for the review!  Hermiones-Twin thank you so much for not boycotting my story even though it isn't Harry/Ginny!  That really does mean a lot to me!  You guys are wonderful!  AND as a group "thank you" thanks to everyone who helped me remember who Thomas Paine was!  I knew I knew his name from something but COULD NOT remember, you all know how that goes, right?  Thank you so much!  You guys are so awesome!

Chapter 27: Research Team Extraordinaire

Parvati sidled up next to Angelina and Alicia, both who were slipping on their Quidditch robes.  "Hi girls, so you have a game tonight huh?" she asked.  She had slipped into the very recognizable I-want-to-learn-some-new-gossip voice and the seventh year Gryffindors looked at her wearily, rolled their eyes and began pulling their long hair back.

Parvati inclined her head to one side and looked into the mirror reflection that stared back at Angelina.  "You really are very pretty Angelina.  And you too Alicia," she said nicely enough. 

Both girls smiled politely and thanked Parvati.  It really meant something if she thought one was pretty.  She wasn't one to give out compliments on a whim, that one.

She sat there quietly observing them as they continued to prepare for the Quidditch match that was in an hour.  Her dark eyes stared at the two girls and finally she managed to completely unnerve them.

Alicia whipped around to look at Parvati.  "Is there something you want?" she asked irritably.  "Because if it's just to sit around and tell us how pretty we look when we ought to be getting ready for the game you really should leave and you can tell us how beautiful we are after we're dirty, sweaty and tired!"

"Harrumph!" she said indignantly.  She crossed her arms over her full chest and stuck her bottom lip out.

Alicia rolled her eyes and continued braiding her hair.  The older girls began completely ignoring Parvati.

She was quite offended that they so easily ignored her and so she began making indiscreet loud sighs until both girls, annoyed, turned and openly stared at her with irritation.  "Yesss?" Angelina finally prompted through clenched teeth. 

Parvati grinned.  Her eyes crackled to life.  "I don't suppose either of you know if Katie kept a diary do you?  And if she did, I don't suppose you know where it might be hidden?" she asked sweetly.  Batting her eyelashes worked best on boys but she tried out here too, knowing it would give her a sweetly innocent look.

"Why would you need to know if Katie kept a diary?" Alicia asked.

"So a guy can fall in love with her," Parvati replied. 

"What?" they both asked curiously.  Angelina's eyebrows shot up into her bangs and Alicia's eyes narrowed.

It was Parvati's turn to look impatient and annoyed.  Did it really matter why she wanted Katie's diary? 

"Well?" Alicia finally prompted. 

"Listen, if we can get a guy to fall in love with Katie while she's unconscious, she'll be released from the blessing-curse.  And, well, I was thinking how does a guy fall in love with a girl?  Well, first she has to have a decent body and Katie does.  Then she needs to have a mind, and Katie does…but a guy whose never spoken to her wouldn't necessarily know that so…he reads her diary…its where every girl speaks the whole truth and nothing but the truth, right?" Parvati reasoned.

"I…I don't know Parvati…I can't imagine Katie wanting anyone to read her diary," Angelina said thoughtfully. 

"Neither can I," Alicia agreed.

Parvati sighed.  "I know…that's why I'm asking you.  Please?"

They were silently thinking for a minute before Angelina piped up again.  "What about Lee?  I doubt guys keep a diary."

"Yeah…Ron's on that right now."

***

"You want us to what?" the Weasley twins asked incredulously.  They had just finished readying up for the match when Ron brought up the subject of curing Lee. 

Ron's patience was already wearing thin.  He was nervous for Quidditch this evening, he hoped everything was going OK for Harry and Hermione, who were speaking Dumbledore (hopefully at this very moment) and now his bloody brothers were being stupid over talking about Lee.

"You heard me," he answered.  It was not the biting remark he had previously wanted to say.

Fred had a goofy grin on his face, one Ron wanted to wipe off with one swift fist movement as George reiterated what his little brother had just said.  "So you want us to go up to some random witch and start talking to her about Lee because that will get her to fall in love with him?  Right Ron, you just think that's going to work."  George snickered and Fred outright laughed.

Ron clenched and unclenched his hands, reminding himself they were needed in the Quidditch match.  Damn Quidditch!  If it wasn't for that his twin brothers would be easily expendable!

"What else do you suggest?" he asked.  His voice had deepened and tightened.

"Ooh!  Little brother is getting scary George!" Fred warned with a laugh.  George's snickering turned into a bursting laugh.  Ron was not amused.  If there was one thing he hated more than seeing Hermione cry (or losing a Quidditch match—he hadn't figured out which one bothered him most yet) it was his brothers' constant teasing and annoying laughter.  Couldn't they ever be serious?

"Seriously—

Ron was interrupted by laughter from both his brothers.  "He said seriously, Fred!" George called out between gasps.  No, apparently they couldn't be serious.  Ever.

This was stupid, Ron thought.  He didn't know why he had even tried. 

He to leave his brothers laughing there but stopped when an evil thought crossed his mind.  "Hey Fred," he started in a soft, questioning voice.  "What if it was Angelina in the Infirmary or St. Mungo's?" he asked.

Fred's laughter jolted to a stop.  "What?  Is something wrong with her?" he asked quickly, letting on to the fact that he would be very, very worried if it was her in the Infirmary or St. Mungo's.

Ron shook his head.  "No.  No, nothing is wrong with Angelina.  She's fine.  Changing for the match with Alicia as far as I know.  But what if it was her?  Wouldn't you want something to be done about it?"

His brother's quiet demeanor let him know he was seriously thinking about this.  "And George," Ron said as he turned to his other brother.  He would hit him where it hurt too.  "What if it was Alicia there?  Wouldn't you want to help her?"

George's face paled and Ron could tell he was bothered by the picture of a helpless Angelina lying there.  He knew he couldn't really compare Angelina and Alicia to Lee but they were the only people Ron knew to compare Lee with.

And, he would admit later to Harry, it was kind of fun to see the shocked looks on their normally Joker-like faces.

"OK, so what is it we have to do?" Fred asked after a long silence.

Ron sighed and launched into a detailed explanation, all the while hoping Harry and Hermione's trip to see Dumbledore was more successful as well as easier.  At least they wouldn't be dealing with two jokers.

***

"The Umbra Visius blessing, you say?" the wizened Dumbledore repeated thoughtfully.

Harry and Hermione nodded.  "Yes sir," they replied in uniform and quite respectfully.

Harry tugged at the collar of his Quidditch robes.  He hadn't wanted to speak with Dumbledore dressed like this but he wasn't sure how long it would their meeting with him would take and so he had thought it best to get dressed early and so if the meeting ran late he could meet them at the Quidditch pitch.

Dumbledore popped the third lemon drop into his mouth and sucked on it quietly.  "It is interesting really.  I had wondered if it was that blessing-curse.  I even mentioned it to Dr. Braddock.  We quickly dismissed it as a myth and if not a myth as an extinct spell.  Did you know there are such things as extinct spells?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry stared at him blankly but Hermione spoke up.  "Yes sir.  I've read about them."

"Then you know what they are, correct Ms. Granger?" he asked.  His half-moon shaped glasses slipped farther down his nose and he leveled his blue gaze to hers.  Hermione shifted uncomfortably.  She had never been so close to the Headmaster before. 

She bit her bottom lip and nodded.  "They are spells that haven't been used in such a long time that no one remembers the spell.  Or the blessing, in this case.  Even the books which told about the curse began to forget and so their words faded from page upon page of book, isn't that right Headmaster?"

He nodded.  "Very good, Ms. Granger."  He held out the jar of lemon drops to her.  "Would you care for a lemon drop?"

She shook her head.  "No sir."

He nodded and set the jar back on his desk.  "You're a good student, Hermione," he complimented.  She nearly glowed with his words.

Harry indiscreetly rolled his eyes.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.  "I am sure you would like me to have the students moved back to the Infirmary then, correct?"

How he always knew what Harry was about to ask, Harry would never understand.  Hermione's eyebrows rose in silent surprise.  He was sure to get asked about it as soon as they left Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore smiled.  "I assume you will be playing matchmaker, yes?  At least for Mr. Jordan and Ms. Bell?"

Hermione's eyes widened even further.  They both nodded.

Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled.  "Then may I suggest Natalie Pickett and Mitchell Reed?"

OK!  So I know I picked to original characters but that is OK, right?  Well, how did you like it?  It's so great that you guys continue reading.  I just want you to know that it means a lot to me…it's great to see reviews and new reviewers too!  You guys are awesome!  Thank you for everything!

*** As a side note, please pray/light a candle/meditate/whatever-it-is-you-do for the Allied forces in light of the war…and not only for the Allied soldiers but also the innocent Iraqi lives that will be lost. Remember, it is not Iraq we are against, but Saddam Hussein. I apologize if this request has offended you.

History shows there are no invincible armies.

~ Former Soviet Leader Joseph Stalin