Title: The Well of Shadows
Author name: Ruskbyte

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.


***
Chapter Fourteen
~ Unexpected Proposal ~


The teachers of Hogwarts had spared no expense in the decorating of the Great Hall for this year's Yule Ball, which was taking place this Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day. This was primarily in order to bolster the flagging spirits of the students, who were still under the pall of depression which had settled over the school following Draco Malfoy's attack during the first Practical Fighting Techniques class of the year.

The walls of the Great Hall were dusted with glittering frost and the floor was coated in a thin layer of snow, all specially charmed not to melt. A dozen massive Christmas trees were arrayed along the walls and were covered in so many decorations that their branches sagged and groaned under the weight. Wreaths of mistletoe and ivy abounded, festooned across the hall and hanging beneath the high ceiling, which had been enchanted as a crystal clear moonlit night.

As with the prior balls the four house tables had been replaced by a hundred round tables, each large enough to seat five couples. The tablecloths were a pale, icy blue, trimmed with white frost. Sparkling ice sculptures adorned the dining tables as centrepieces - each one different from the last. Hundreds of tiny fairies, glowing white and blue and yellow, flitted here and there, giggling merrily as they swooped over, between and sometimes under the tables.

"Professor Flitwick has outdone himself," commented Harry as he and Ginny entered the hall, Harry dressed a set of deep crimson, scarlet and black dress robes. Ginny, one arm curled around his extended elbow, was wearing the new azure and jade robes that her parents had bought for her fifteenth birthday.

"Yes," she agreed, "though I think it's really amazing he and the other teachers were able to put everything up in only a single afternoon."

As they slowly ambled their way further into the hall they were greeted by those couples who had already entered. Dean, Seamus, Lavender and Moira waved at them from the table they were sitting at, having saved the seats for them. Neville and Cho, who would not be sitting with them this year, were across the hall with a group of Cho's Ravenclaw friends.

Harry was amused to note that Crabbe and Goyle, dressed the same horrible green dress robes they had worn two years before, were once again unaccompanied. Ever since their participation in the Halloween cabaret, and their truly atrocious singing, no girl in the school would dare to touch them with a fifty-foot dragon-prod.

~They look like a pair of moss-covered boulders~ Ginny observed as they strode past the hulking pair, who were glowering lugubriously at their empty table.

We're definitely on the same wavelength then, he replied with a chuckle, I had the exact same thought before the first Yule Ball, when they first wore those robes.

Ginny giggled. ~Well, it's as true now as it was then.~

Reaching their table, where the other Gryffindors were waiting for them, Harry drew a chair out for Ginny. Sitting down next to her, Harry exchanged hellos with his fellow sixth-year dormitory mates and their dates.

"Where's Hermione?" asked Seamus, who was sitting opposite him.

"Hospital Wing," answered Ginny, reaching for the goblet of pumpkin juice she had quietly requested upon taking her seat.

Harry elaborated, "She's visiting Ron. Wants to wish him a merry Christmas and tell him that he's a prat for standing her up tonight."

Laughter enveloped the table as everyone there could easily imagine Hermione yelling at a comatose Ron for not being able to escort her to the ball. The image was particularly amusing as Harry pictured his friend lecturing the poor boy in that stern manner she could so easily assume, a copy of Hogwarts: A History in her hands as she did so.

"Now there's motivation for Weasley to wake up," intoned a wry voice, catching everyone's attention and halting their laughter.

Standing behind Harry and Ginny, dressed in form hugging, yet elegant, dress robes of a rich burgundy, was none other than Blaise Zabini. Her short bob of blonde hair framed her face like a halo of gold, a special charm giving it a faint ethereal glow. Her sparkling blue eyes were alight with good humour and her cherry red lips were curled up in amusement.

This is a relief, thought Harry, trying to keep a gobsmacked expression off his face. From the corner of his eye he could see that his fellow Gryffindors, with the exception of Ginny, were not succeeding in doing so. He hadn't seen any of them look so surprised since the previous Yule Ball when Neville had revealed Cho Chang to be his date.

~What do you mean?~ asked Ginny, who had arched one eyebrow up in amazement.

Harry tried not to smile as he pointedly turned to greet Blaise's date. I was starting to worry that maybe he fancied me.

~Harry!~

"Hullo, Colin," he said to the nervous Gryffindor standing by Blaise's side. He frowned as he looked the younger boy up and down, puzzled over something he could not place. It was slightly unusual to see Colin in anything other than black school robes, but there was something about the mousy-haired boy that seemed out of place now. When he realized what was bothering him he looked at Colin in wonder and asked, "Where's your camera?"

"I told him to stop pointing that stupid thing at me or he'd be sitting on it," declared Blaise, smiling dangerously at Colin as he pulled out a seat for her.

Dean laughed and asked, "I gather he had the telephoto lens attached?"

Colin, who was blushing to rival a terribly embarrassed Weasley, ducked his head and took his place next to Blaise. He mumbled something under his breath and quietly ordered up a goblet of pumpkin juice from the menu.

"So, Colin, when did you ask Blaise to the ball?" asked Ginny with interest. Everyone leaned forward to hear his reply, but Blaise answered before he could.

"He didn't," the Slytherin girl declared, "I asked him."

Colin, still blushing, spoke up, "You didn't."

Blaise looked at him with raised eyebrows. "What?"

"You didn't ask me to escort you to the ball tonight," asserted Colin looking at her with a sardonic smile. "You ordered me to."

"I had to. Otherwise you'd never have got round to asking me in the first place," defended Blaise indignantly. She turned to the others, who were watching with growing amusement, and told them, "He came up to me after dinner on Halloween and spent ten minutes skirting the issue with all the tact of a politician."

"A' luist he managed tae plook oop enuif courage t' trae an' ask ye," noted Moira, sipping on her drink while Seamus shook his head in silent laughter.

Blaise nodded in agreement. "True. That's one of the reasons I accepted." She smiled at Colin, who was blushing again, and said, "He may seem a bit timid at first, but that famed Gryffindor courage occasionally shows itself."

"A Slytherin going to the ball with a Muggle-born Gryffindor," observed Harry, "I imagine your housemates were less than thrilled."

"I'm my own person, Potter; I do what suits me not others. Besides, I was getting tired of having Malfoy's cronies continually throwing themselves at my feet," she explained with a slight shrug.

Lavender asked, "What did you do when they tried?"

Blaise gave a typically Slytherin smirk, "Stood on them."

The Gryffindors exploded into laughter at the thought of Blaise, who was not even half their size, treading on a prostrate Crabbe and Goyle. As the laughter slowly died down Colin looked at Blaise and admitted, "That's one of the reasons I asked. Or tried to. You're not like most of the other Slytherins."

"What're the other reasons?" she asked with some curiosity.

"Well... you have a great butt."

***

"I can't believe he said that," said Hermione as Harry and Ginny recounted the story to her at one of the buffet tables arrayed along the side of the Great Hall. Hermione, who had been with Ron in the infirmary, had arrived just before the feast had begun and had missed most of the conversation surrounding Blaise and Colin's attendance together.

"He did," confirmed Harry, sipping on his goblet of apple juice. The feast was now over and the hall had been cleared of the many dining tables to make room for a dance floor. He had already danced with Ginny through several slow pieces, as well as a couple of faster paced songs sung by the Hex Girls, a band of witches Dumbledore had hired for the evening.

Ginny laughed. "And I always thought Ron was the most tactless man I'd ever meet."

Hermione had to chuckle and then tease, "I don't know, Ginny. Fred and George are definitely not known for their diplomacy. And don't get me started on Harry..."

"Me?" asked Harry, sounding slightly affronted.

"You," confirmed Hermione, grinning mischievously. She patted him on the shoulder in mock commiseration and said, "It's not your fault. You're a man - you can't help it."

"I can be diplomatic and tactful," Harry declared, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at the two young women. His disgruntled expression was slightly ruined by the faint smile curving around his mouth and the bemused twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh really?" teased Hermione.

Harry, scowling playfully at her and Ginny, nodded authoritatively. "Yes!"

Hermione tried to look sceptical and said, "Then prove it."

She watched as Harry exchanged a quick look with Ginny. Though not a word was spoken she had the strangest feeling that an entire conversation was taking place. It was uncanny, yet Hermione had seen them do this a hundred times since school began. If she weren't a natural sceptic, and if such a thing weren't completely impossible, Hermione might think they were communicating telepathically or by some similar means.

Oh, stop being ridiculous, Hermione, she berated herself. Telepathy. Really! Where do I get these wild ideas? Ron's natural gullibility must be rubbing off on me.

Her attention was reclaimed when Ginny kissed Harry and trailed a hand suggestively down his front and slipped it under his robes. She giggled and whispered something to him that brought a touch of pink to his cheeks and made Harry arch both eyebrows up to his hairline. He looked at her and said, "It's a good thing I'm wearing these dress robes, otherwise my anticipation would be blatantly obvious."

Ginny giggled. "Then make sure you don't dance too closely with Hermione."

"Ginny!" gasped Hermione, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks.

"You're trying to get me into trouble, aren't you?" accused Harry his girlfriend. Receiving only a knowing grin as a reply, he turned to Hermione and bowed deeply. Extending a hand he asked with a dramatic flourish, "Hermione, would you, as my dearest friend, do me the honour of accompanying me onto the dance floor?"

"D'you promise not to step on my toes?" she asked.

Rather than looking offended, as she expected him to be, Harry actually blushed and ducked his head in embarrassment. "I asked Bill to give me some pointers over the summer," he said, looking up at her with a wry smile, "besides, from what Ron told me after last year's ball, I'm the one that should be worrying about my toes being trampled, not you."

Blushing at the unexpected retort, mostly because it was true, Hermione muttered, "I thought I made him promise not to tell anyone."

"Not to worry, Hermione," Harry assured her, "I believe there's a relatively simple solution."

"What?"

Harry grinned charmingly. "Let me lead.

"In that case," Hermione proclaimed regally, taking his proffered hand, "I shall be honoured to accept your gracious request for this dance."

Hermione saw Ginny rolling her eyes at their exaggerated acting. Harry, ever the gentleman, led her to the dance floor. With a deft motion, he twirled her about and then took her in his arms as they began to dance. The song they began dancing to was nearly over, so they did not really have a chance to get familiar with the motion. After a couple of minutes the piece ended and a slower paced tune began to play.

"So far so good," Harry teased as they swayed back and forth in time with the music. "See? No stomped toes. No broken bones. No sprained backs. In fact, you dance very well."

"Thank you." They continued dancing for a while, then Hermione said, "You dance very well too. I'd say Bill was a good teacher."

"You can tell him that tomorrow," said Harry. He paused, slightly changing the rhythm of their movements, and then said, "The entire family are coming to visit tomorrow."

She nodded and then, remembering something Ron had told her, asked, "Did you ever find out what Bill was doing at Hogwarts at the start of summer?"

Hermione was referring to the fact that, during the frantic time when Ginny had felt that Harry had been shot by Vernon Dursley, Dumbledore had arrived at Privet Drive with Bill in tow. He had apparently been visiting the headmaster for something, though had not mentioned what. Hermione had taken an interest in the incident after hearing that Fleur Delacour, Hogwarts' new Ancient Runes professor, had also been present.

Harry nodded and told her, "Yeah. Apparently the Gringotts branch in Egypt were excavating a site in Hamunaptra and found a stone tablet with some kind of Sanskrit written on it. None of their interpreters were able to translate the dialect, so Bill brought it here. Dumbledore gave it to Fleur to work on."

"That must've pleased him," Hermione suggested, recalling how Bill and Fleur had got along so well during their brief meeting before the third task of the Triwizard Tournament.

"I don't doubt it," agree Harry with a slightly lecherous smirk.

Their conversation came to an abrupt, not to mention startled, end when a loud crash reverberated throughout the Great Hall. Everyone, whether dancing or standing by the buffet, came to a standstill and turned to the source of the disturbance. The main doors, leading out to the Entrance Hall, had been swung open and now revealed a lone figure.

Throughout the Great Hall eyes grew wide as saucers, jaws dropped to the floor and the music came top an abrupt halt. It was Terry Boot, who was dancing with Padma Patil at the time, that succinctly summed up the unexpected arrival of their intruding guest.

"Feetal's gizz! Lucius Malfoy?"

***

It was indeed Lucius Malfoy standing tall and proud at the entrance to the Great Hall. He was wearing stately black silk and velvet robes that were at odds with his status as wanted criminal on the run from the Ministry. His icy grey eyes were fixed solely on Harry, who had released his gentle hold on Hermione, and seemed quite unconcerned about the fact that he was on the wrong end of the several hundred wands pointed his way.

"Potter," he announced, his silky smooth voice ringing clearly through the hall, "I am here to deliver a message to you.

*Now this is a pretty Christmas present.*

*Aye, that it is.*

I don't know, thought Harry, watching Lucius closely as the Death Eater made his way further into the Great Hall. He seems confident. Too confident.

~Then let us show him the price of overconfidence~ Ginny growled, coming up to stand next to Harry and Hermione.

Lucius smirked arrogantly as he swept his cold gaze over those students, guests and professors who were aiming their wands at him. He shook his head and laughed in a mocking manner and scoffed at their watchful vigilance, "Do you really believe me so foolish to come here unprepared? I have a specially prepared Portkey within my robes. Any attempt to capture me, whether by magic or by physical means, will cause it to activate. I will not be staying here any longer than I have to."

Harry nodded as he perceived the magic traces of the Portkey, which seemed to be some sort of amulet around Lucius' neck. His lips curled down fractionally at the realization that Malfoy could indeed escape from Hogwarts untouched if he needed to.

Can we disable it? he asked silently, watching Lucius approaching him.

*Maybe,* admitted Merlin, *However it will take time.*

*And a fair bit of energy if we can't physically touch it either.*

~How much time?~ asked Ginny, eagerly fingering her wand as the silver haired wizard drew to a halt several paces away. Harry could feel the anger, doubtless a product of the fact that it was Draco who brought about Ron's current condition, which she was directing towards the man now standing before them.

*Fifteen, twenty minutes.*

Harry considered, then asked, What's the process?

As the Order began filling their minds with the information he and Ginny would need to deactivate Lucius' Portkey, Harry outwardly turned his attention to the waiting Death Eater. He had to keep the man busy long enough to disable his escape route. Arching an eyebrow he asked, "Since when were you Voldemort's messenger boy, Malfoy?"

~Got it~ declared Ginny as the Order finished their instruction. Harry could see her focus her powers on Malfoy, though the process was not visible to anyone but the two of them. ~I'll start with the grounding element, that way if we don't have enough time he won't be able to reach his proper destination.~

*'Arry,* suggested Joan, *you should work on ze activation trigger - zere it is.*

Got it, he acknowledge, edging his aura towards Malfoy.

Lucius glared dangerously at him, but was holding his tongue for the moment. Dumbledore and several of the professors had come down onto the dance floor and joined them. Harry was aware of McGonagall, Snape and Hagrid stepping into place on either side of Ginny, Hermione and himself. As Dumbledore spoke Harry wondered where the Proteuses were, since he could not see nor sense them anywhere inside the Great Hall.

"This is unexpected, Lucius," the headmaster said. Dumbledore's voice was brimming with stern authority and he radiated the same sense of quiet power Harry had last seen when the venerable wizard had burst in on Barty Crouch Junior at the end of the Triwizard tournament.

*I can feel his aura growing,* commented Iphicles quietly.

Isis agreed softly, *I would have loved to see him in his prime.*

Dumbledore peered over the rims of his half-moon spectacles with a severe expression as he observed, "The last time Voldemort had a message for us he used his serpentine friend, Nagini was her name I believe, to deliver it."

"He's not as important as he thinks he is," declared Hermione, who was glowering at Lucius in a manner that would have melted lead. Her wand was firmly grasped in her left hand and, though her arm was not extended, aimed right at Malfoy's stomach.

Ginny nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He's obviously expendable."

"Hardly child," sneered Lucius haughtily. His voice was laced with pride when he continued, his chest puffed out in self-importance. "I am the only one of his many servants that the Dark Lord trusts, other than himself, to initiate these negotiations."

"Negotiations?" repeated Dumbledore as a soft murmur swept through the room as everyone began whispering amongst themselves. It was a well-known fact that the Dark Lord did not negotiate for anything with anyone. He simply took what he wanted, usually by force. That Malfoy should speak of negotiations was causing a stir.

Somehow, observed Harry with a frown, I get the feeling something surprising is about to happen.

Lucius' next words silenced the Great Hall more effectively than a Killing Curse.

"My Lord Voldemort wishes to discuss a truce."

TBC...

Makaveli - Thanks, I'm glad you like it.

Green Dragon UK - They aren't back to change anything, just to do the things they've already done.

Glasen Dauthi - Draco will be making his first assault on Hogwarts very soon.

fairy cheese - It's still early days.

Enforcer - Hopefully a few good laughs in this chapter, as well as the mandatory ominous ending.

dragynshart - Terribly sorry about the wait, it's been a busy couple of weeks.

legolas lover - Always.

jedifanatic - The prophecy doesn't really have much bearing on this story. It deals mostly with events in Harry's seventh year.

Nosgoroth - Yep. Me and my prophecies. And my evil cliffhangers will soon be making their reappearance.
_____

"What is that?"

The poor stormtrooper in charge of system operations onboard the heavily damaged Cliffie Star was currently pressed up against the bulkhead, hovering a foot off the deck. Governor Ruskbyte stood before him, one hand outstretched towards the choking officer, the other pointing askance towards the primary tactical display.

"The... Windows... blue screen... of... death!" gasped the stormtrooper, barely able to breath around the crushing pressure against his windpipe.

Ruskbyte's eyebrow slowly arched up to his hairline.

"I find your lack of elaboration disturbing," he declared, clenching his fist and snuffing out his subordinate's life. With a dangerous scowl he turned back to the screen, the rest of the command crew cringing as he stalked to his command chair.

Ruskbyte sat down and glared at the blue screen. His lips set into a thin line as he began punching commands into the console set into his armrest. "Very well then," he hissed, keying in a sequence of preset commands. "Prepare to initiate Hyperspace Fold Drive."

"Sir? Our operating system is offline," cautioned one of the bolder stormtroopers.

"The drive is hardwired with DOS," replied Ruskbyte, tabbing the activation command. "Unlike Windows it never broke down."

The stormtrooper nodded his aquiecence to Ruskbyte's order, but could be heard muttering something about having only four colours, 256k of RAM and 10mb hard drives. The governor obviously overheard his grumblings and taught him to keep his mouth shut with a cautionary blast of dark lightning.

"Drive online," came a report over the intercom. "Hyperspace fold will commence in t-minus thirty seconds."

"Excellent," acknowledged Ruskbyte. "Prepare my shuttle. Once the fold is complete I will be transferring command to the nearest Baseship."

***

"Sir," called Mr Beta, "Reading an energy source on the Cliffie Star. Pattern I've never seen before."

Nosgoroth almost fell out of his chair in a panic, "It's not the Genesis Wave is it?"

Beta shook his head, "Negative sir. It appears to be some form of non-linear quantum flux. It is radiating from the Cliffie Star's core and extending over a range of one million kilometres."

"Is it dangerous?" asked Nosgoroth.

"Unknown sir," replied Beta.

A brilliant flash of white light washed over the bridge of the DementorSlayer as a twisting sensation throughout his body caused Nosgoroth to firmly grasp the armrests of his chair. When the light finally faded he blinked several times in an attempt to banish the spots in front of his eyes. Eventually he looked up at the viewscreen and gaped in astonishment as the scene displayed there.

The Yavin system had completely disappeared and the starfield was overwhelmed by a nebula of vibrant red gases that flared so brilliantly it was difficult to look at. Static crackled at the edges of the screen as the sensors struggled against the detrimental effects of the nebula, but the picture was clear enough to show the Cliffie Star drifting before them. It appeared to be abandoned.

"We appear to be in the outskirts of the Nova Madagon," reported Beta. "Primary sensors are being overloaded by the radiation emissions. Static discharge has caused our shields to suffer cascade failure."

Nosgoroth was slightly confused, though the name of their location did sound familiar, but he couldn't place it. "What the hell is Ruskbyte playing at?"

"Sir," called Beta, motioning at the viewscreen. There, emerging from the blanket of red that was the Nova Madagon, were five large ships. Ruskbyte recognised the design and felt a leaden weight settle in his stomach.

"Reading multiple three passenger vehicles being launched towards us," reported Beta, who was monitoring the situation with his usual indifference.

"Define multiple," ordered Nosgoroth, watching as swarms of saucer-shaped fighter craft emerged from the slowly rotating baseships.

Beta tilted his head to one side and replied, "Five hundred."

***

Inside one of the sleek fighters, a trio of humanoid robots sat. The two in the forward seats had their chrome armour polished to a mirror finish and unquestioningly obeyed all instructions from the golden armoured robot that sat behind them in the command chair.

"DementorSlayer death squadron; attack," tonelessly ordered the golden centurion, his glowing red ping-pong eye bouncing back and forth with a cool sound effect.

"By your command," replied the two silver centurions in unison.

***

Standing on the bridge of the Cylon baseship he had commandeered Ruskbyte smirked as he watched hundreds of Cylon raiders bear down on the DementorSlayer. Streaks of blue laser fire lit up the blackness of space and then one of the space fighters rammed into the main hanger doors of the beseiged starship.

"They might not be able to hit anything with their lasers," admitted Ruskbyte, smirking evilly, "but they can fly straight."

A second Cylon raider flew through the gutted hanger doors and into the DementorSlayer's shuttlebay. Several short seconds passed after the fighter disappeared from view before the starship was rocked under a massive explosion. The raider had been packed to the brim with Solenite, a high yield explosive, and its detonation all but gutted the insides of Nosgoroth's vessel.

Laughing wickedly Ruskbyte settled down in the chair reserved for the Cylon's Imperious Leader, his eyes gleaming in the subdued lighting as yet more Raiders commenced kamikaze runs on the now crippled starship.

Mistri - Perhaps some time in the future, when I don't have so much on my plate.

aznviolin - I'm evil.

Chocolate Mousse - Might get a bit boring if I didn't.

Grims - Yes I am.

Luigi - I'm currently working on a third chapter to Alternate Sleeping Arrangements, which should be ready something early January.

Mistri - Now all I have to do is wake Ron up and everyone will be happy.

reg - I'll try and update at least once a week.

Ciara Moondagger - The full explanation about Gregory and Hilary will only be coming in chapter 29.

KaYos - No guarantees.

Sayin Shinigami - Considering I'm under simultaneous attack by five people, I can use all the help I can get. Thanks.

TheSniffingNiftyNiffler - Regular updates will hopefully continue from now on.

Queen of the Jungle - Hope the sunburn cleared up okay.

Furioh - How was this for a cliffie?

Arizosa - Better get more popcorn ready, next update in a few days.

JUDGMENT - Unfortunately the prophecy will be a long time coming. I'm trying not to rush things.

OliverLover4Life - The giant's dagger is a family heirloom of Hagrid's. I don't feel Harry would take it into battle, but would rather keep it safely in his trunk.

kylesmom - I love Calvin and Hobbes, but my favourite is definitely Garfield.

VV - Yep, they are.

Toby Haine - There are a planned thirty chapters, though I might add an epilogue. I don't plan to kill any main characters in this story, but expect a body count in the seventh book.

lady knight of kennan - Anything's possible.

didihoulio - Serious evil, not to mention fight scenes, coming in the next chapter.

Silver Earth Dragon - Not to worry.

Saerry Snape - Thanks. Are you splitting up Not Myself? 'Cause I see you now have a separate book one.

Professor Weasley - The next chapter should be quite long.

AmaraDragon - He has to die - there's a prophesy that says so!

freelancer3473 - Nope, Merlin is not involved.

Songbreeze Swifteye - I get the feeling you're going to find year 7 very traumatising to read.

P-chan - Sorry about the horrible delay. Things just kept piling up on each other the last couple of weeks.

Briar Rose - Nah, I have plans for Draco. A few Death Eaters are going to be torn apart though, is that okay?

GShans - All will be revealed in chapter 29. Well... almost all.

TigerLily - The prophecy is going to be remaining in the background for most of the story.

Merusa - It's only cool if he comes back... and this time he won't.
_____

He casually waved a hand and conjured up a plush looking chair to sit on. Repeating the gesture he conjured up another chair opposite him, as well as a small table in between with a silver tea set resting on it.

"Where are your manners, my dear girl?" he asked teasingly. "Please sit down, have a crumpet, and let us discuss my proposal like civilised people."

Cautious of this being some sort of trick, Merusa slipped into the chair he had produced, keeping her katana held at the ready throughout. Despite her better judgement, she had to admit that the chair was very comfortable and the crumpets not only looked delicious, but also gave off a mouth-watering aroma.

After the teapot poured itself into a cup, which then proceeded to float to her, Merusa said, "We're supposed to be discussing this deal of yours, not having a late afternoon tea."

He arched a silver eyebrow and snorted. "That's the problem with people these days, always in a rush to get things done. Always in a hurry, never taking the time to enjoy life's simple pleasures."

Merusa immediately retorted, wagging her katana at him, "I doubt that any of the pleasures you indulge in are simple ones."

"Perhaps," he agreed, sipping on a cup of Earl Grey, hot. He smirked, "In any case, we're not discussing my... indulgences, as you call them. We're discussing the possibility of something that will benefit both of us. For the time being."

"And what exactly is that?" Merusa asked, taking particular note of the last four words.

He smiled charmingly and bit into a crumpet before answering, "A truce."

may - It was a swimming gala - where everyone dresses down in incredibly tight swimsuits that raise a man's voice several registers.

Dawniky - I try to keep things linked.

Necromantic - I hope you liked them.

Santa Claus - Actually it was inspired by a line from Babylon 5, "The avalanche has already started, it is too late for the pebbles to vote."

ME - I'm afraid my excuse this time isn't as plausible, but I'll try and make up for the long wait by getting the next couple of chapters out as quickly as possible.

Icewind Stormfire - Having an account definitely helps when it comes to keeping track of stories.

pamela-potter-24 - Maybe. Maybe not.

amora - Glad to hear it.

Twilight Fantasy - Not really, but it would make you a tad impatient for year seven to start.

tigress33 - Painfully.

Magi Vixen - Yes, Harry is gonna die. And he might not come back.

gros minou #1 - Poor Hermione is really going to be in a state with both Ron and Harry in comas.

Raine Lionheart - I'll see if I can't work something from Doctor Lecter into a chapter.

Butler - Feel free to join in. The more the merrier.

Angelis - In that case by now you've probably forgotten all about me. Sorry.

swimade333 - I'm the author. I can kill anyone. I'm evil.

Washuu - I prefer Korn.

LittleA - An R-rated Blaise? But with who? Somehow I don't think I'll be able to write an R-rated Colin Creevey.

FaLL4mGrace - Don't bet on it. I can kill Harry permanently. Nothing's set in stone until I write otherwise.

Illiamwa - Ginny's Animagus form will be kicking people's heads in sometime during chapter 22.

QuidBrm - I shall try to.

Lone Wolf - I don't think Fudge has the brains to be a Death Eater, but then again, everyone said the same thing about Peter, didn't they?

Sakura Le - I hope you did well in your finals.

Ginny1946 - AAAAAHH!! PUPPY-DOG-EYES!! NOOOOO! NOT AGAIN!! AAAAAHH!! AND GLAZED CHERRIES!! NOOOOO! I'M DOOOOOMEDDD!! AAAAAHH!!

Sorry... too much caffeine.

Krista of StarTress - The wars with the reviews are just as much fun to write as the actual story is.

Bob - The answers; "How?" Very painfully. "When?" Start of year seven. "Why?" 'Cause I'm evil!!!

Orion - Sounds promising.

ffnetjoel - The answer to that will only be properly confirmed in chapter 29. Until then I reserve the right to be ambiguous and maybe even change my mind and the story with it.

The Millennium One - No problem.

Soldemort - Um... no?

Ruefus - I'm not going to kill Malfoy. I have plans for that boy... ::starts chuckling evilly under his breath:: Hee hee.

Iniysa - I hope the surprise was worth the wait.

Ran - Outnumbered; Yes. Outmanoeuvred; Maybe. Outgunned; Never for long.

ElvishNature - The prophecy says more, it's just that the Harry dying part is kind of the crux of the matter.

Lana Riddle - Maybe I should be truly evil and have Harry die offscreen?

Garina - I love cliffhangers.

Blue Roses - Soon. A couple of chapters.

Geor-sama - Good guess about it being Colin.

Da-xia Nariko - Well, this story will have a happy ending. I don't know about the seventh year story though. It might not.

Confuzzler - According to the laws of JKR's universe, it's impossible to bring the dead back to life.

FireWulf - Their secrets will remain well hidden for the time being.

sk8reagle - It wasn't bad news, just disturbing news.

Khatt - Not Quidditch, but the hospital visit I mentioned.

howling wolf - Halleluja! Finally, an ally!

Cygnus Crux - Hopefully any loose ends will be tied up in chapter 29.

anastacy - More like the Grim Reaper where Harry's concerned.

LaminaCourt - I never get bored with these reviews.

Alquamor - Sound advice, as always.
_____

The half dozen throwing stars hit the old man in his chest, sinking into his flesh with sickening thunks, like a dull axe striking a log. The throwing stars were clustered tightly around his heart and Alquamor grinned evilly at the sight.

The old man looked down at the weapons embedded in his chest. With a curious expression on his face he fingered the offending stars and said, "Hmm, interesting. I've been stabbed, shot, poisoned, hung, stretched, disemboweled, drawn, quartered and even decapitated once or twice, but I've never been skewered with throwing stars before." He looked up at Alquamor and smiled goofily, "It kinda itches a little."

"What?" asked Alquamor, totally confounded. This was not possible.

"Oh, but it is possible," the old man said, "You see--"

He didn't get a chance to finish explaining as Alquamor leapt forward and buried her daggers in his gut, sinking the blades to the hilt. She backed away and smirked as the old man looked down at his body for a second time.

She was slightly taken aback when he glowered unhappily at her. "Let me give you an anatomy lesson. This," he pointed, "is my stomach. This," he pointed, "is my heart." He then began to point back and forth, "Stomach. Heart. Stomach. Heart.

By now Alquamor was beginning to get worried. She became even more worried, frightened actually, as the old man pulled the daggers from his body and tossed them aside, not even flinching while doing so. He slowly stalked towards her, pulling out the six throwing stars, and then stood right before her.

Oddly enough, he didn't seem quite as old as he did before.

Reaching behind his back he unexpectedly pulled out... a dozen red roses, which caused Alquamor to wonder if perhaps she hadn't hit her head on something. The not-so-old man presented the flowers to her and, a bit reluctantly, she accepted them.

"Flowers are the fastest way to a woman's heart," he said knowingly. Then he graced her with a demented grin and lashed out, his arm moving faster than the eye could see and slamming into Alquamor's chest - literally. He laughed at the stunned look on her face.

"Well, actually, the fastest way is through her ribcage, but flowers are a lot less messy."
_____

Friend of mine rented Vampire in Brooklyn last night, so Eddie gets the credit for the more interesting lines.

clifjumpr13 - If anything I'm planning on upping the insanity level a couple of notches.

casvv - Our municipality is dumber than anyone else's. They spend a week painting the lines on a street, then a week after they're done another bunch show up and tar over it all!

Honey666 - If you like Snape, then I suggest you avoid chapter 17.

RoseFyre - Ah, thanks. The long things at the end are responses to various attacks that some reviews see fit to throw at me. Nosgoroth (who started it all) has compiled all the attacks and counter-attacks into a story if you want to see everrything that's happened between us. Quite amusing actually.

Sparks - Aw... ::pouts:: I wanna be a god again. Next chapter should be quite long.

The Red Dragons Order - Calvin and Hobbes! Gotta love 'em.

shdurrani - Glad you like it.