Disclaimer: I DO own certain characters but not the ones you recognize from the books.

*** Hands down to Celeste for being the first to review!  I'm glad the whole thing with the diary is making more sense to you!  Thanks so much for the review! Vanilla Baby I'm glad you loved the last two chapters!  It really means so much to me that you like this story!  I hope you like this chapter too!  Scallywag don't worry about not reviewing for a while.  I understand how everyone is busy and it's so nice to know that you reviewed even with everything that might be going on!  And I'm glad, that as a G/H supporter you like Harry/Parvati in this fic.  That's a nice compliment!  Soupcann314 I'm glad you liked the little twists in the last chapters.  This chapter kind of goes fast but I think it's still good.  Please tell me what you think!  Pineapplehead I have to admit that I just really enjoy making things difficult for characters I write about.  I think I do it more often when my own life is difficult…hmm…thanks for reviewing and everything!  Jenny I hope you had a good sleep and I hope that you enjoy this chapter too (and I promise, Ron/Hermione will be in the next chapter).  Spicey thanks for reading and everything.  I hope you enjoy this chapter and all the twists that will come because of the events here.  Fiona Goldfeet yep!  It's still getting complicated!  I just really love complicating things!  I hope your game in Prague went alright!  Ronaldrose thanks so much for your enthusiasm toward my stories!  It means so much to me, it's just great!  MinMuni I'm glad that you're enjoying my story and that you still find it unique to everyone else's.  That really means a lot to me.  Even though the characters belong to J.K.R. I enjoy putting them in my own little situations. Hermiones-Twin I'm glad you think I've done an awesome job!  Thanks so much!  Felicia he he!  Here's that update you so eloquently asked for!  HogwartsHoe I'm totally cool with reading a/b Harry and Ginny…I just like my own little fantasy much better!  LOL!  You've got some great stuff too!  Thanks!  Danidancer I'm glad you can accept the short chapter since there was two chapters yesterday!  Thanks for being an awesome reviewer!  Shans here's the next chapter, in which kind of a lot happens quickly.  I hope you enjoy it!  Princess-Pixie-Sugar-Stix glad you're "addicted" to the story!  And I DO feel special that you put me on your favorites list!  Thanks so much!  Shaunna thanks for saying I'm brilliant.  That really does mean a lot to me!  You're great!  And you're reviews always put a smile on my face.  Mela this chapter is for you!  And there's a specific reason it's for you too: Ginny and Neville have a…ahem…a talk!  I hope you enjoy it!  Thanks for being a kick ass reviewer!  Hermione Weasley I'm glad you can read now everyday!  And I'm glad you liked the plot twist also!  Thanks for reading and reviewing and it's good to have you back!  LOL!  Lily Michelle you're welcome for reading your story.  It really was good!  Thanks for saying I write well, it means so much you think I do!  Mina a first time reviewer!  Thanks for deciding to review now and not when you're done with the story!  I'm taking it as a great compliment!  And you're right, this fic is a little on the longer side.  If you want to know the truth, it was only supposed to be a few chapters long but I (obviously) got a little carried away…Thanks for enjoying my story!  Thank you to everyone who reviewed!  I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 34: The Truth

"Lee was the one who thought up of the Bubble Buster Bar?" Natalie reiterated incredulously.  From what she had heard from random people in general those things were terrible; supposedly they were a sweet (much like the Muggle's bubblegum) that when you chewed it turned you into an Oompa-Loompa type thing.

George nodded.  "Yep!  He was pretty proud of those things too!  They turned more than one enemy fat for a day!  And the greatest thing about them was that no teacher but Dumbledore could really get them to lose all that weight!" he exclaimed with a devilish grin.

Natalie laughed.  "That's absolutely terrible of him!" she said, giggling.

"You might very well be right about that but someday we'll get rich off those things when we have our Joke Shop!" Fred threw in for good measure.

Natalie's laugh bounced off the ceiling and walls of the common room.

Just then the portal door swung open and in stepped a grinning Seamus.  Seamus had been in a remarkably good mood since Lavender had wakened up.  Lavender, still in the Infirmary, was recovering nicely, which warranted Seamus's good mood.

"How is Lavender Seamus?" Fred called out with a wink.

Seamus smiled a little.  "She's right good.  It's good to 'ave her back," he claimed before joining them on the chair across from Natalie. 

"We're just telling Natalie here about Lee," George informed the youngest Gryffindor in the common room at that time.

Seamus grinned.  "Did you tell her about his Busting Bars or whatever they were called?"

Fred nodded.  "Yep!  She thought that was pretty funny!"

Natalie laughed harder again.  "And they're called Bubble Buster Bars, Seamus," she told him knowingly. 

Seamus raised his eyebrows and his eyes locked with George's.  George waggled his eyebrows and winked.   

Miss Natalie was definitely paying close attention to their stories.

***

It didn't take Mitch long to figure out what he had to do.  He had to go down to the Infirmary and confess his lack of feelings for…Padma Patil. 

He had been paying enough attention to what was happening at Hogwarts to know that's what would cure them.

Padma would be humiliated.

She could make his life a living Hell when she came out of…the trance.  He knew that. 

He desperately wanted to find a way out of doing this but there was no other way.

Mitch sulked down to the Infirmary.  He was going to do this in private, he firmly resolved.  He didn't want to do it at all. 

"Ah, Mr. Reed, how can I help you?" the older witch asked upon his entering the Infirmary.

Mitch took a deep breath.  "I'm here to see Padma, that's all," he replied in a surprisingly steady voice.

Madame Pomfrey sighed and nodded, conceding to his request.  "I'll be in the Teacher's Lounge then, if you need me or if anything changes," she said.  "She's in the bed by the window," she told him.

Mitch nodded and gulped. 

Why was he acting chicken?  He hated people who were too…quiet…to say what was on their mind!  And now he was acting like that too!

Dammit.

Mitch looked down at the fellow Ravenclaw.  She was pretty.  She and her sister Parvati were both pretty.  Any guy would have loved to have either one of them interested in them, even if they didn't return the feelings.  Any guy but him, that is.

He studied her quietly. 

Her dark hair was limp and obviously hadn't been washed in awhile.  The make-up she had last put on was still vaguely painted across her face.  What lay on the bed was the essence of a girl that was more than pretty.  Even with drab hair and dulled make-up there was an uneasy peacefulness.  She looked serene. 

Mitch had heard the blessing-curse left people unconscious looking scared, terrified, or even disoriented.  The people at St. Mungo's however had been able to ease their pain a little.  Dr. Braddock had come by last week to check on those who never made it to St. Mungo's and had performed the Calming Curse, making them all look more at ease.

He shifted around and looked to the others.  Lavender wasn't paying any attention to him; rather it looked as if she was reading a magazine.  She was obviously trying to give him privacy.  He appreciated that much anyhow.

"Padma," he finally began.  His fingers tangled in her bangs.  "Padma, you're a darling girl, you really are.  Any guy would be lucky to have; I'm not lying.  But I'm not that guy," he admitted softly.  "See, I can't care that way about you, or about anyone.  I've given up on things like that already.  I'm sorry but I can't love you," he finished slowly.

Mitch heard a sniffle from elsewhere in the Infirmary.  He looked over his shoulder to find Lavender silently crying as she continued reading.  He shook his head and leaned down.  He kissed Padma on her forehead and left.  There was nothing else he could do for the Patil girl.

***

Ginny slid up to Neville in the library later that evening.  She knew she'd have to admit her sort-of feelings to him.  She wouldn't normally do this except there was a chance she'd end up in the Infirmary and she'd rather be the laughingstock of the school then in the Infirmary because of some stupid thing that was supposed to be a blessing!

Neville's face turned red as she sat down.  His palms were sweaty and she knew she would be laughing about this later. 

"Neville, I'd like to talk to you about something," she started off saying rather quietly.  She watched as his cheeks flushed and he stuttered incoherent words under his breath.  "I—we're friends, aren't we?" she asked.  It wasn't exactly what she was planning on saying, but she realized, watching his face blush fire red, that's all she felt for him.

Neville let out a long breath and he seemed relieved.  Like he thought she was going to come onto him or something.  She stifled a giggle.

"Oh good!" he said loudly.  "I thought you were going ask me if I liked you!" he admitted.

"Mr. Longbottom, Miss Weasley, be quiet!" Madame Pince ordered, coming to stand behind the pair.  "This is a library."

Neville mumbled an apology but Ginny barely acknowledged the librarian. 

As soon as Madame Pince left Ginny leaned over and gave Neville a kiss on the cheek.  He blushed from the roots of his hair to the tips of his toes.  "I'll talk to you later, alright Neville?"

He nodded mutely.

Ginny sighed as relief spread throughout her body and she sat down on a nearby chair.  It felt good knowing she and Neville were just friends.  She wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

***

They were eating in the Great Hall when another announcement regarding the fates of one of their fellow students was announced.

Harry was quietly observing his two best friends, who were fighting rather loudly once again about Ron's lack of study habits.  Every once in awhile the fight would turn on Hermione though and then it would be about Hermione's excessive study habits.  It was the same old, same old and there was something comforting about that.

He glanced down the long Gryffindor table.  Fred kissed Angelina on her cheek and she smiled.  George was trying to persuade Alicia into trying a "candy" he had snuck into dinner.  She was quite adamant about not tasting the product however.  Seamus and Dean were involved in a loud discussion about the fundamental basics of football.  Harry had to smile.  Dean loved that sport.  Neville was listening with some interest.  Ginny cursed loudly when she tasted one of the foods on her plate.  Harry had to give her some credit; he hadn't had the nerve to try whatever the orange stuff was.

There was one person missing at the table.

Parvati.

Harry had waited for her in the common room until it was apparent she wasn't coming to dinner.  He tried hard not to be worried but didn't he have the right to be worried?  Shouldn't she have at least told him what was up?  Or met him or something?  He would have understood had she said she wouldn't have been able to meet him for dinner that night.  But she hadn't so he was left to wonder what was going on.

There desserts had just appeared when Professor McGonagall stood up.  "Students, the Headmaster has an important announcement to make.  Silence," she told them and the student filled hall was silent.

Dumbledore stood up with a look of purpose on his face and in his serious blue eyes.  Harry was once again struck with how wise he looked. 

"Students, especially those in Gryffindor, might notice that Miss Parvati Patil is not seated with them," Dumbledore paused and looked at the Gryffindor table.  Heads nodded from all around.  "That is because this afternoon her sister, Miss Padma Patil, woke from her coma."

Hermione's gasp was the first thing Harry made sense of after Dumbledore's short, precise speech.

"That is all," the Headmaster finalized, seating himself again.

"That must be where Parvati is, Harry," Ron said.

Harry nodded.  He was shocked.

"Well then…how…who did Padma fancy?" Hermione asked Harry's exact silent question.

"Who cares who?" Ron said decidedly.  "All that matter's is that she's awake!"

And Harry had to agree with his friend.

OK, so what did you think?  I hope you liked it!  There were kind of a lot of things going on in this chapter and so I hope it all made sense!  Thanks for reading and please review!  Oh, and don't worry: the triangle between Padma/Mitch/Katie: WILL HAPPEN (eventually)!!!

*** 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.

What you do is of little significance, but it is very important that you do it.
~ Mahatma Gandhi