Disclaimer:  If I were J.K. Rowling, I doubt I'd be writing this stuff…ah…or at least posting it online…

*** Special thanks goes out to Celeste for being an awesome reviewer!  I love you girl!  This chapter is especially for you!  Thanks so much!  I hope you enjoy this chapter!  Claire thank you for saying this fic is just getting better and better!  That really does mean a lot to me!  HogwartsHoe good, good!  I'm glad I'm giving you inspiration…that's quite a compliment!  I'm sorry that you're confused but I hope this chapter will fix things and if it doesn't, ASK AND YE SHALL BE ANSWERED!  (OK, so I'm a dumbass…and I tired one at that!)  Lily Michelle, ha!  I finally actually have Katie (OK, so her diary) in this chapter!  Ha ha!  LOL!  I finally have not avoided Katie at all!  But it's all good; you're keeping me on my toes with this story!  Good, good!  Andie Carmen is the first girl who was taken under the blessing-curse!  I'm glad you're getting to reading this again!  Thanks so much!  Ronaldrose things are, I think, beginning to make a little more sense in this chapter…or maybe I'll confuse everyone more!  I don't mean to and please tell me if I do so I can at least answer all your questions!  Thanks so much for reviewing; it really does mean a lot to me!  Hermiones-Twin glad to have you back!  And I'm glad you enjoyed the last few chapters!  I hope you like this one too!  (And I'm sorry that you had to go clean your room…LOL!)  Americanangel by the time you've read this you probably know that, yes, I read your beginning and I sent you an email on it and if you didn't know, well you do now!  And yes, the triangles are kind of confusing…hmm…I hope this chapter helps a little bit…though I'm 'fraid I've probably just confused more people!  Vanilla Baby I'm glad you've called it "good stuff!"  I hope you enjoy this chapter too!  ******, whoever you are, I'm glad you're loving my story!  Hope you continue to enjoy it!  HpFaNaTiCa I wish someone would say something to me like that too!  Thank so much for your feedback; I hope you enjoy this next part!  Shaunna I admit it: I love being called "bloody brilliant!"  It's quite a rush to be that, I'll say!  Thanks so much for always reading and then reviewing!  It means a lot to me that I have such a faithful reviewer!  Everyone, ENJOY!  AND don't eat too much Easter candy! 

Chapter 37: Solutions

"Well it's really so simple," Hermione determined.  "I mean, now at least we know what we have to do.  It'll be simple, wouldn't you all agree?" she asked her three comrades.

Parvati contemplated what Hermione had said while Harry and Ron looked as confused as ever.

"Hermione, what are you talking about exactly?" Ron asked, needing clarification and not able to pretend like he knew what she was talking about.

Hermione gave an impatient roll of the eyes and thumped her foot on the floor.  "Lee.  Carmen.  Katie.  Pansy.  Oh, and Natalie is involved yet…actually Natalie's a huge part of the solution."

Ron looked at Harry, who continued looking like he knew what Hermione was talking about.  They had only told Hermione about Natalie's announcement five minutes ago but five minutes was all it had taken Hermione to forget about that so-called Hufflepuff Carmen supposedly liked and come up with a solution.

Parvati's dark blue eyes lit up and she started nodding slowly.  "Yes!  It all will be rather…easy!  Time consuming…people don't fall in love just like that," she explained with a snap of her fingers.  "But it will be rather easy, won't it Hermione?" she rattled.

"What will be quite easy?" Harry asked, finally interjecting into the minimal conversation.

"Don't you get it yet?" Hermione asked, displeased that neither of the boys understood. 

They shook their heads apprehensively. 

"Well…like we said: it will be rather easy.  Really, Natalie's feelings for Lee will be the catalyst for the whole thing.  First, Natalie has to fall in love with Lee.  Then she tells Lee how she feels, who in turn wakes up and then tells Carmen how he does not feel for her," Hermione briefed.

Ron opened his mouth to speak but promptly shut it. 

"What is it Ron?" Hermione asked.

His brows came together in absolute puzzlement.  "Well, Hermione…if it were that simple then…well, shouldn't Lee be able to tell Katie how he feels and then she'd come out of that coma too?" Ron asked.

For being Ron's, the question was surprisingly thoughtful.  It also made a lot of sense, Harry thought.

Hermione was flustered for a moment; she obviously didn't know how to answer her boyfriend's question, especially because it was such a good question.  She stuck her lower lip out and smirked when she came up with a good answer.  "Easy, Ron…because Dumbledore told us that Mitch and Natalie were the…chosen ones," she answered with a triumphant light to her smile.

Ron seemed to accept her answer; after all, it was what Dumbledore told them.  He shrugged.  "Alright then, I guess that makes sense."

Hermione smiled softly at his quiet answer.  Then she got all serious and business-like again.  It was that same look she got when she was solving any problem, be it what the Philosopher's Stone was or whether or not she should go to Bulgaria.

In both instances, she had come out in the right so Harry figured they could trust her judgment here too.

"OK, so now that we've got that little…mess…figured out…what about Pansy?" Parvati asked curiously.  "Malfoy, I doubt, would say anything to her.  During class all he's trying to do…other than pissing you guys off…is avoid Pansy."

She had a valid point there.

"Maybe we could make some truth telling potion and ask him how he feels about her in front of her," Ron joked.

Hermione just sort of stared at him.  First she looked irritated and then she looked at him like he was brilliant.  Five seconds later she had his face between her hands and she kissed him full on the lips.

Harry looked away uncomfortably.  There was something completely sick about watching the two people whom you considered your best friends, even more than that your brother and sister, kiss like that.  If they didn't pull away from each other right now he'd have to tear them away from one another.

Harry made a guttural noise that broke into their bliss, much to Harry's thankfulness. 

Hermione backed away from Ron red in the cheeks.  Ron looked speechless.  "What…what was that for?" he asked in a strange, strangled type of voice.

Hermione's eyes darted away from Ron for a split second and then were upon him again.  "For being brilliant," she replied in a sweet, steady voice.

Now he looked more confused then he ever had been before.  Did Hermione Granger just call him brilliant?  The word, used as an adjective for him, just didn't sound right.

She laughed upon seeing his face and it was like Harry and Parvati were back in the room again.  "What you said made sense Ron!  Didn't it Parvati?" she asked as she turned to look at her counterpart.

Parvati nodded slowly.  "Yes…it did kind of make sense."

Harry and Ron were left completely in the dark and Ron was the one who'd made the suggestion!

"See Ron…what you said, it sort of makes sense…we should give Malfoy a truth telling potion in front of Pansy!  The only problem though is that Malfoy has to tell Pansy how he feels, not us," she explained in short.

The light clicked on in Harry and Ron's minds. 

"So…we'd have to make that and then Pansy would be cured!" Parvati exclaimed.  At the truth of her words, Hermione's nose wrinkled in disgust.  Parvati chuckled but the boys stayed quiet.

"But that won't cure the rest of them," Harry said flatly.

Hermione rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that morning.  "I know that, Harry!  But, we'll get Mitch to fall for Katie and so he'll tell her how he feels…poof!  She'll wake up!  Then Natalie falls for Lee!  Poof, he's awake!  And finally, Lee tells Carmen how he feels for her and voila!  Carmen is awake!"  Hermione snapped her fingers for effect.  "It really all ought to be accomplished by Christmas," she reasoned.

"And how do you figure that?" Ron wondered skeptically.

"Well, Christmas is a month and a half away and I'm suspecting our magic…or "love" is already working on them.  It really shouldn't be too hard.  I fell for you the moment I saw you," Hermione said shyly.

Ron blushed a brilliant red.

This really was just too much for Harry to take.  They were acting more lovey-dovey than usual and it was making him sick.

"So see Ron?  Anything can happen.  Anything at all," she finished as she quietly looked up into his eyes.

***

…and so today Carmen Lowery thought the twins played a joke on her during dinner.  She was screaming and yelling frantically, Merlin knows what it was all about.  Personally, I'd want to crawl under a rock and die if I went nutters…piss insane, that is…the way she did.  I'd be absolutely humiliated.

I am so confused about Lee!  I AM UNBELIEVABLY CONFUSED!!!  You'd think it would be easy to tell someone how you feel but is it?  NO!!!  And then, on top of all the confusion, I've been getting these vibes from another guy.  He's in Ravenclaw.  Mitch Reed.  Or at least I think I've been getting vibes from him this year.  I know he's had a crush on me before but something is, well, I don't really know.  It's just different…

Mitch stared unseeingly at the pages in front of him.  His heart was thudding and his palms were sweaty.  She had known he had a crush on her?  Was it really that obvious?  Mitch hadn't thought so…apparently she did.

But then if she knew did the entire rest of the school know too?  He hoped not.  Dear God did he hope not!

He shook his head in frustration.  Did all this mean he…what did all this mean?

Mitch fell back onto his bed and kept his sight focused on the ceiling. 

She had thought he had a crush on her earlier, did that mean he had?  He had sworn all those feelings had left him.  He had sworn they left him.  But if she could see that he did…well now he was starting to doubt his own feelings, or lack of feelings…

Hey there!  Just a short, quick note: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!  I had a lot of fun writing it!  So, you guys continue reviewing and (either way) I'll continue updating.  To any of you who may have started reading my latest fic, I'll be updating that one soon…by Monday at least!  (This one WILL NOT be updated until Monday…I'm taking a short sabbatical from the laptop…LOL!)  Thanks for everything!  Happy Easter!

*** 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.

~ Tears from the Moon

Another person's sleep is the acid test of our own sentiments.

~ Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night