Disclaimer: This chapter contains some quotes, nearly literally borrowed from Michael J. Straczynski's Babylon 5

Author's Note: Enjoy this chapter, which contains some more revelations.

About a Ranger

Chapter 8

The body had still been warm when Ron and Matt brought it to the Cruiser. They had been mere moments too late. If only Harry had known, he'd never have allowed them to send Wolfe to Azkaban. If only…but he hadn't.

"…we commend the soul of our brother departed, and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…" The priestess droned on, although nobody seemed to be listening.

Galatea's beautiful deep-blue eyes lacked that enchanting spark they usually held. The dark crescents under them hinted at her sleepless nights. Gudrun, who had dyed her hair black in mourning, and Heidi held onto Galatea tightly, since she swayed on her feet unsteadily at times. Along with Ginny, Hermione, and Lilia, they had made sure that Galatea had never been alone for the past three days, during which she'd cried ceaselessly.

A tearful Jasmine and Charlie stood closer to Ron, Hermione, and Wolfe's relatives. Long and Mei, Wolfe's great aunt and uncle, Tempeste Louvel, his paternal grandmother, Elena Ironheart, the Commander's youngest daughter, who had been the only one to accept Wolfe wholeheartedly, and her nine-year-old son Nicolai, Wolfe's first cousin. Commander Ironheart still hadn't returned from the mysterious mission he'd been sent on, and Harry wondered what on earth could be important enough to make him miss his own grandson's funeral.

About a dozen or so Rangers were also there. Captain Faust and his wife, who for the sake of simplicity was still called Lieutenant Cliff. The Kelly brothers, Helga, Lilia, Gavin, and a handful of older Rangers Harry didn't know very well. He guessed that Khan and Mordecai would have been there too if they hadn't been assigned to watch Commander Ironheart's back.

Lastly, Aberforth was standing at a slight distance from the other guests, regarding them from under the brim of his floppy grey wizarding hat that obscured his eyes. He was leaning on heavily on his staff.

Harry stroked Ginny's hair softly and lowered his face to her head, seeking comfort with her soothing and familiar scent. The reason they were standing there, he knew, was owing to Wolfe's sacrifice. If Wolfe hadn't made that sacrifice, they'd both be dead and he'd be alive. Despite all the things he'd been told over the past few days, every time that thought crossed his mind, he only felt worse.

Most of the Rangers left shortly after the ritual's end. Gudrun and Heidi guided Galatea away from the grave after she'd placed an object on the headstone. It glinted in the weak sunlight and Harry recognised the tear shaped pendant. Wolfe had given it to Galatea after they had finally admitted their feelings to each other. Jasmine stepped forward and removed her necklace as well, placing it beside its twin. Harry guessed she didn't want to wear it anymore, now that her twin was dead.

"Potter?"

"Yes, Captain?" Harry replied, doubting that anything Faust could say would make him feel better.

"I was wondering if you, Ms Granger and Mr Weasley could come to my house at about eight…and you too, Ms Weasley," Faust added, looking at Ginny.

"What for?" Harry asked.

"It's a bit complicated."

"Well, I'd like to, but I really can't. The new recruits need training."

"I know, and I've already found you a substitute."

"Eight?"

Faust nodded.

"All right, then," Harry agreed.

"What was that all about?" Ginny asked, after the officers had left.

"I thought you might know, because I really haven't got a clue."

Wolfe's relatives were leaving too, and Ron and Hermione, also getting ready to leave, looked at him. "Ginny, why don't you go with Ron? I have to say goodbye to Wolfe."

"Will you be all right?" Ginny asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Harry said quickly, although it depended on what she meant. If she wondered whether he'd lose his composure, he wouldn't. But whether he'd ever forgive himself was another matter.

Ginny clearly didn't believe him, but she yielded to his wishes and joined Ron and Hermione. Then he stepped closer to the grave and tried to sort out his thoughts.

"You have to let go," Aberforth, who had been ever present in his peripheral vision, said.

"How can I?" Harry sighed. "I can't work out why he did it, why he threw everything away like that…why he had to die like that, for nothing."

"He didn't die for nothing. He died for you and Ginny."

"But why throw his life away?" Harry said quietly, quickly wiping away a tear that had managed to escape. He couldn't be seen crying like that. Wolfe wouldn't have.

"You think he threw his life away? That his death didn't have meaning?" Aberforth asked.

"He died among the scum of the wizarding world, believing that he was a disgrace. He didn't even have the opportunity to die whilst making a difference…to die in the line of duty, like a Ranger."

Aberforth said nothing for a good five minutes, and Harry looked up to check if he was still there. Then he finally spoke. "If someone told you to climb a mountain and bring him a flower from the highest point and you would die after completing your task—Would that be meaningless?"

"Of course, it's trivial," Harry said. What would be the point of doing such a thing, after all?

"And if there were thousands of people waiting at the base of the mountain for whom that one flower was a symbol of their freedom and they would follow that symbol in a struggle that would liberate a million souls. Would that have a meaning?"

"You're not going to tell me I'm special, are you?" Harry groaned, seeing where Aberforth was going. "I'm nothing special. Before he was shipped off to Azkaban, Wolfe told me that he thought I would've done the same for him if the situation had been reversed. But he was wrong." Harry didn't think he would have been able to give up his new found happiness with Ginny, like Wolfe had done with Galatea and his unborn child.

"Wouldn't you?" Aberforth laughed softly, as if Harry were some schoolboy who didn't know himself. It was a peculiarly disconcerting sound. "Then why did you risk your life to go back for him in India?"

"At the time I thought I had nothing to lose because my loved ones hated me. I thought I had no future. I don't think I can ever live up to Wolfe's expectations of me. I'm simply not that good a man."

"Aren't you? Then why did you oppose Voldemort while you were still eleven years old?"

"I was too stupid to realise how much danger I was in," Harry replied tersely.

"You could have joined him—knowing Voldemort, I'm sure he offered you a chance to join him. But you didn't."

"Yeah, well I—"

"You thought he was lying because he didn't strike you as the kind of chap who'd like to share his power?" Aberforth smiled. "You opposed him simply out of rage, because he'd killed your parents? No! You went to face him regardless of your own safety because you knew it was the right thing to do!"

"I didn't have any choice. I had to fight him…he came after me first."

"There is always a choice, Harry. And you made the right one at the tender age of eleven. You hate yourself right now…I understand why. But you really shouldn't, Harry. You're a good man, and you and Ginny deserve the gift Wolfe gave you."

Harry shook his head. Wolfe hadn't deserved his fate. "That still doesn't take away the fact that Wolfe died believing that he'd disgraced himself."

"He didn't!" Aberforth said with conviction. "It is painfully obvious that some of the Rangers have strayed from the true path, but Max wasn't one of them. Being Rangers doesn't mean worrying about what others will think about us. It doesn't mean deciding what to do based upon whether or not it serves our sense of ego or destiny. It means living each moment as if it were your last one. It means doing each right thing because it is the right thing. The scale doesn't matter. The where, the when, the how, or in what cause ... none of those things matter.

"You said he shouldn't have died because of you. You think his death was meaningless because you 're nothing special. But you're wrong! You see, we create the meaning in our lives. It does not exist independently. In my life, I've discovered very few truths. Here is the greatest truth I know: your death, Harry, will have a meaning if it comes while you're in fullest pursuit of your heart."

As Harry mulled over those words, he realised that Aberforth was right. Wolfe had believed in him wholeheartedly. But there was still a question that nagged at the back of his mind. "Do you think he knew there was a chance that he wouldn't survive?"

"I'm sure he had his fears. But as Rangers, we choose to do that which frightens us, knowing that there are no guarantees. He knew he was making a huge gamble. You couldn't have helped him."

"He shouldn't have stood alone."

"At the end, Harry, we all stand alone…" Aberforth's eyes nearly burst out of their sockets as they swept over the tombstone. "By my father's crooked nose, are those what I think they are?" He walked around the grave. "Good Lord, how did those girls get these?" he asked as he held up the two pendants.

"Oh, one of them used to belong to Wolfe, but he gave it to Galatea. And the other belonged to his twin sister."

"And they didn't know how special these are? Of course they didn't, otherwise they wouldn't have discarded them…" he muttered to himself as he pocketed them. "I always wondered what Albus did with these. Must've given them to…yes, of course."

"Hey, you can't just take those!" Harry frowned.

"I know they're not mine to take, but if you knew what these could do, you wouldn't leave them here either."

"What are they, then?"

"Draconian Pendants. These have been in my family for centuries. Albus inherited them, being the eldest. I guess he passed them on to his daughter."

"Professor Dumbledore had children?" Harry exclaimed. He'd simply never stopped to consider the possibility.

"Don't look so surprised." Aberforth chuckled. "Yes, he had one daughter, Stela, her name was. She was the spitting image of her mum, Bianca…a Muggle Roma woman. He met her in Romania and left the Order for her, because she wasn't allowed to enter Nomad Island, being a Muggle and all."

"I never knew he was married."

"He didn't exactly spread the word, because our parents weren't happy with his choice."

"Because she was a Muggle?"

"And a gypsy, and older than he was…thirty-three. You see, because of our lifespan we weren't really in a hurry, and our father wanted us to gain some life experience before settling down. Albus was only twenty-five." Aberforth sighed. "Then there's fact that she caused him leave the Order of Illumination…that didn't endear her to them either. She was also a bit of a scarlet woman, but she had a heart of gold, and she really did love Albus."

"She died a long time ago?"

"She lived to old age for a Muggle, especially in those days. She died in 1913."

"But Professor Dumbledore didn't live with her very long, did he?" Harry frowned. There weren't any records that indicated that he'd ever been married, so the only explanation was a break up, possibly earlier in life.

"You're right. They split up in 1872, after seven years together. Their daughter was two, at the time. She really tried to stay with Albus, but she was a drifter at heart, and he loved her too much to keep her with him even though she yearned to travel. They kept seeing each other about a dozen times a year though, so Albus go to see his daughter once in a while."

"Did she go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked, already guessing that this likely wasn't the case due to the absence of records on Stela Dumbledore.

"No, she didn't. You see, even at a very young age Stela could see things before they happened. She's a Diamond Seer."

Harry raised his eyebrows. The Sight, or the ability to tap into plain, which allowed a wizard to get glimpses of what might yet be, was relatively common among wizards. Roughly one in twenty wizards had it…mostly witches, because they seemed more sensitive to the occurrences on the mystical plane. Most of these were like Lavender Brown and Sybil Trelawney, who were classified Glass-Seers.

Next…and a great deal rarer, were the Emerald Seers. They had more accurate and more frequent premonitions than the Glass Seers. Lieutenant Cliff was one of the Emerald Seers.

But the Diamond Seers were truly rare, and often only one or two existed at a time. The Oracle of Ogygia was the only one Harry knew of. He'd met her in his sixth year, when she came she'd come to visit Professor Dumbledore to tell him about a vision that ended up saving a lot of lives. He'd had tea with her and Professor Dumbledore, and in a very pleasant conversation she had explained to him that Ogygia Academy for Clairvoyants, located on the unplottable island Ogygia in the Ionian Sea, specialised in anything that had to do with divination. They were also better equipped than most other schools to teach students with other extrasensory gifts. The title, 'Oracle of Ogygia' was always given to the headmistress. "Like the Oracle of Ogygia?"

"She is the Oracle of Ogygia, Harry." Aberforth smiled. "As I was saying, Albus recognised her potential and sent her to Ogygia, because they had a much better curriculum for pupils like her."

Harry smiled. He should have known. One thing he had noticed when he'd seen her, was that her nose was just like Professor Dumbledore's. "So she taught there after finishing her education?"

"Not immediately, no. She travelled around, plied her trade, doing readings for wealthy wizards who were too foolish to leave the future alone. She loved to be on the move…just like her mother. She met her husband when a good while later, just after her mother died. They had a lot in common, among other things, they were both much older than they appeared.

"Yes!" Aberforth nodded, leaning heavily on his staff, "He had Draconian blood too…through his mother's lineage. Maximilian van Ketel, he called himself. His surname was his mother's, because he didn't want to be associated with his father…a dark wizard who was quickly gaining power. A dark wizard named Grindelwald." Aberforth paused and gazed at Wolfe's Tombstone.

Maximilian Donovan Wolfe

December 22, 1976 - October 6, 2001

Maximilian…it was a Latin name by origin, often used by Germans. The name 'van Ketel' sounded very familiar as well. He looked up at Aberforth, who was now staring at him intently, almost as if he were trying to tell Harry something. Then Harry's mind made the connection. Rudolf van Ketel was Wolfe's grandfather's name. Maximilian van Ketel…Maximilian Wolfe. It wasn't a coincidence! Wolfe had been Dumbledore's great-great grandson…and Grindelwald's as well. So that's why Aberforth and Professor Dumbledore had been so interested in Wolfe's life. "He was related to you?"

Aberforth shrugged. "Most purebloods have some common ancestors. I've always been interested in tracing bloodlines. It's a hobby of mine. Imagine my surprise when I found out I was related to Rita Skeeter," he chuckled. "Ah well, you know what they say. You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your relatives. But I digress… Ahem, now as I was saying, most purebloods in a certain region share common ancestors. Maximilian was related to you as well, Harry, albeit very distant…to the twelfth degree, I think." The old wizard turned to leave. "Why, if you go back far enough, you'd probably find a common ancestor with the Weasleys."

Still stunned by the revelation, Harry had to force his legs to move to follow Aberforth. "Did you know that Maximilian van Ketel was Grindelwald's son?"

"He never kept it from Albus. He was a really good man, he opposed his own father fiercely while Albus passively looked on. That was my brother's main character flaw, he was too passive. He only decided to face Grindelwald after he'd killed his son and threatened to kill Stela as well…it took a threat to his immediate family to spur Albus into action." Aberforth frowned. "He also did it to prevent Rudolf from trying to avenge his father. He was already a promising and powerful young Ranger at the time, just like his grandfather and grandson had been."

Aberforth jammed his staff in the soft ground. "But I don't think he could have taken Grindelwald…yet. You know, Lei Li and Donovan Ironheart told me that he would have beaten Skaras, had it not been for his son-in-law getting in the way…he was that powerful by then…

"Anyway, with a little help from me and the Rangers, Albus put an end to Grindelwald."

"He killed Grindelwald?"

Aberforth shrugged. "I'm not sure how to answer that. The confrontation brought about Grindelwald's end, yes. But it was a complicated spell of Grindelwald's own making that consumed him."

Harry slowly shook his head as he attempted to digest all the information. "Wow, no wonder Wolfe was so powerful. With ancestors like his…"

"Ancestry isn't everything, as you know," Aberforth pointed out. "My research showed that the chances of squib offspring increase as the blood gets purer. In fact, wizards with a good bit of Muggle blood tend to be the most powerful ones." The old wizard glanced at his timepiece. "Oh, I'm running late. I've got a meeting with Commander Nomvete. I've got to persuade her not to resign!"

Harry's lip curled into a sneer. "Why would you want to do that?"

"She's a brilliant manager, Harry. But not so great a leader, I'm afraid. It seems like Ironheart was the one who took charge in times of crisis. I think he would have handled things differently if he'd actually been here. But he was preoccupied with his mission…"

Harry wondered if Aberforth wasn't telling him something. "Do you know what the mission's about?"

"I don't know the details…just that a being that was supposed to have vanished a long time ago has been sighted on several occasions. Ironheart was needed to verify whether or not the testimonies were true, and to draw images from memories whenever possible."

Harry decided to ask Captain Faust about it later. "Well, I hope you know what you're doing with Nomvete. I can't say I would be terribly disappointed if she chose to go."

"Her resignation would do the Order no good."

"Wouldn't it? Everybody is reluctant to follow her orders, especially after they heard you set her straight."

Aberforth frowned darkly. "Yes, I need to have a chat with Ronald about that. That was a foolish thing to do. It should have been solved behind closed doors. I know he was frustrated at the time, but undermining the authority of one's superior officers out of frustration is not is not a good thing. We were lucky that almost everybody agreed with my point of view in the matter. If they hadn't, things could have become nasty."

Harry had to admit to the truth in Aberforth's words. "I suppose you're right." It wouldn't be fair and just to blame Wolfe's death on Nomvete alone.

*

Both being officers, Captain Faust and Lieutenant Cliff could afford a nice house on the fifth level. Captain Faust had been waiting for them on a bench in front of the house, wearing a Rastafarian hat that looked ridiculous on him. He smiled under his moustache. "Welcome…you happen to be the first visitors to hour home. I wish the circumstances were a bit different. Please, come in."

Much to her own surprise, Hermione found that the odd combination of German and Jamaican decorations didn't clash. The only clashing thing in the house was Captain Faust wearing that hat. Hermione shot a glance at Ginny and saw that she had trouble keeping a straight face.

Faust waved his wand and muttered an incantation. A purple light flashed through the room and Hermione shielded her eyes while she waited for the glare to subside. She knew it was a kind of protective ward, although she didn't know which one.

"Well, that ought to keep our secrets our own," Faust said.

"What was that?" Ron asked.

"If an officer chooses to live outside the Citadel, his home has to have several powerful wards on it, particularly wards that keep out spies."

"How does it work?"

"I only know its effect, and how to activate and deactivate it. It's very complicated, requiring several enchantments to complete. You'll have to ask one of the curse breakers if you want to know the details."

"So we're completely secure?"

"As secure as Docmor and Wortelgraaf can make us."

Ron nodded. "So it would be okay to ask you why Commander Ironheart didn't show turn up for Wolfe's funeral."

Hermione saw that Faust had a tough time deciding whether or not tell them about it, for he obviously knew. "Okay, but you can't discuss it outside the Citadel…" he said as he plopped down in a large easy-chair and gestured them to have a seat. Hermione, Harry and Ginny sat down on a sofa that could seat three, while Ron took another high-backed easy chair. "You know the legend of the Draconians, right?"

Hermione nodded, as did the others.

"Commander Ironheart set out on his mission after a Libyan witch claimed to have seen a Draconian, as did several Muggles," — Faust's words drew a gasp from Ron and Ginny — "But they mistook it for an angel. Commander Ironheart decided to look into the matter personally, since his gift could be very useful to check the statements from the witnesses without having to resort to truth potions and the like. We also want to keep the appearance of the Draconian under wraps."

"Why would the Muggles mistake Draconian for an angel?" Ron asked.

"Because Draconians were able to sprout angel-like wings at will to enable them to fly. At least, that what the book I read about it said," Ginny explained.

"Yes! The witch who saw the Draconian didn't know what it was. She merely described it as a winged spirit being…angelic wings. The wings provided us with its identity."

"Why is it taking so long for Commander Ironheart to find it?" Hermione frowned. "And why would you want to keep its appearance a secret?"

"We don't know where it's from, why it's here or what it wants. As long as we don't, it isn't prudent to reveal the existence of a being that vanished millennia ago, a being of strange and exotic power. Many evil organisations would hunt for it as well, trying to add it to their ranks. However, it doesn't seem like we have to worry about that just yet. She seems to be wary of contact and easily frightened. Ironheart already found her and approached her once, in Bombay. But she was startled by the noise of an aeroplane flying over and vanished. That's the reason why it's taking so long."

"It's a female, then!" Harry said.

Faust nodded. "Black hair and eyes, she wears a green dress…young woman."

"Right." Harry muttered, as his expression closed up. "Well, now we know why Commander Ironheart wasn't here for Wolfe's funeral," he added quickly. "But there was a reason you wanted to see us. So far we have been asking all the questions."

The sudden change in Harry's mood was very odd. Hermione remembered Ginny telling her about those moments when Harry suddenly withdrew into himself for no apparent reason, but now she was seeing it herself. She made a mental note to ask him about it later, although she wasn't sure if he'd open up to her. She turned her attention to Faust, who produced a sealed letter.

"It's from Wolfe. This letter is addressed to the four of you, and its magical seal prevents anyone else from opening it. He explained it in a letter addressed to me. He left the letter here shortly before he travelled back in time. He also left a copy at Commander Ironheart's, in case he'd return sooner than I did."

"He broke into your house? How did he do that? Wouldn't the security charms keep him out?" Ginny asked.

"He knew the deactivation enchantment," Faust explained. "And the wards are set to recognise Rangers by their aura. Only Rangers can deactivate these wards. The wards were designed that way, in case of an emergency. I have no idea how he found out the proper incantation, though. I think Lei Li might have left a few clues on how to get restricted information, in that diary of his." The rotund German chuckled.

"What's the letter about?" Harry asked.

"Like I said, I couldn't have read your letter even if I'd wanted to. I suspect he'll talk about his reasons for doing what he did…I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine."

Hermione took the letter from Faust, and the moment she touched it, she felt as if she'd got a mild electric shock. A yellowish light briefly flashed over the seal.

"Ah, you broke the seal." Faust nodded. "I'll leave to give you all some privacy. Whatever is in that letter is obviously not for me to know." He got up from his chair and strolled out of the small living room.

Hermione carefully opened the letter, as Ron came to stand behind the sofa so he could read over their shoulders. She gave the letter to Harry, who sat in the middle, enabling Ginny to read the letter too.

Dear friends,

I am well aware of the possible consequences of what I'm about to do. If you read this letter, it means that I succeeded in my mission. I've instructed my grandfather and Captain Faust to give you this letter in case the consequences of my actions would have proven to be fatal.

Harry, I don't know if Ron and Hermione ever told you about this. If circumstances had been slightly different, you would have grown up being my little brother. I'm not going into details about that. You'll have to ask Master Lei himself. I instructed the Diary to come alive at your touch. It is now yours. I can't be sure where it'll be, but I reckon the commanding officers will want to know the source of my knowledge. I'm not going to lie to them, even if it leads to the confiscation of the diary. I think Commander Nomvete might keep it, or maybe they'll put it in the vaults. If you show this letter to my grandfather, I'm sure he'll pass the diary on to you. He might expect you to share Master Lei's secrets with him, however. But that's all right. You can trust him.

I've always admired you, kid. You have the potential to be even greater than you already are. With friends like yours, I'm sure you will be. If you want to continue your Japanese sword training, you should ask Sahid or Mayumi. And remember, you should charge more aggressively.

I reckon my actions have stirred up things quite a bit. I'm sure I rushed along my inevitable trial and judgement on purpose. In case you were wondering, I did this because I think many Rangers would sympathise with my motives, but the fact remains that what I did seriously undermines the authority of the commanding officers. I'm hoping for leniency, but I obviously didn't get it, since you're reading this letter. I wouldn't have lasted very long in Azkaban, since Dementors affect me worse than they do most wizards. I've seen my share of horrors, and my childhood wasn't the easiest. Still, I can't expect the officers to go easy on me because of it. I've chosen and acted, and I had to pay the price. But I won't dwell on this any longer.

Ron, I want to thank you for getting through to me. You impressed on me how much of an idiot I was, and you convinced me that freely loving Galatea would be worth it. Believe me, it was! When Galatea told me she was having my baby, when she consented to marry me, I felt happiness unlike any I've ever felt in my whole life. Please look after Galatea for me now…all of you. Ginny, Hermione, I know I can count on the two of you to give her the support she needs.

Hermione, little sister, you befriended me even though I did nothing to earn your friendship. You were there for me when I really needed a friend. You also deserve part of the credit for getting me together with Galatea. I know that you, Heidi and Gudrun tricked her into forgetting her angry feelings towards me.

Ginny, you forgave me even though I deliberately let Malfoy take you. We've discussed my motivations, but even so, I had no reason to expect forgiveness. And look after Harry. Your love for him makes him much stronger.

This doesn't begin to mention all the things I want to say, but I don't have any more time.

Max.

Harry folded away the letter after a while, and they all remained in stunned silence until Ron finally managed to speak, albeit in a surprisingly strangled voice. "He knew…exactly…what he was doing."

It was like Ron had said. Max had anticipated the potential for disagreement within the Order and had taken steps to prevent it. Hermione shook her head. Ron's insight had been right on the mark.

"What did he mean about us growing up like brothers?" Harry asked hoarsely.

"Well, after he heard that you'd survived the Killing Curse, Lei wanted to start training you early. He thought it would have been the best way to have you reach your full potential," Ron said. "He even considered kidnapping you from the Dursleys. But the Ranger Prime caught wind of this and stopped him."

One of the doors to the living room opened a little, and Faust suck his head through the opening. "Sorry to interrupt—"

'That's all right, we were done," Harry said.

"Really? Well, would the four us you like to follow me up into the attic? Janice wants to see you. She's looking for her favourite Tarot deck. I think she wants to do a reading."

Hermione rolled her eyes. They didn't have time for that. "I don't think so."

Faust smirked. "Yes, I heard you're quite the sceptic when it comes to Divination. I assure you that my wife is much better at it than Sybil Trelawney. It was thanks to her that we got to Hogwarts in time, in June. Please indulge her. She made it sound quite urgent."

Hermione shrugged. It wasn't as if she had anything better to do.

"But I've got to go back to the Citadel for disciplinary duty," Ron said, reminding Hermione of the consequences of Ron's decision to broadcast Aberforth's tirade at Commander Nomvete all over the Citadel. He'd have to help rearrange tons and tons of files in addition to his regular duties, for two weeks. Hermione wasn't pleased with that, because it meant she'd have virtually no time together with him. Indirectly, she was being punished as well. It wasn't fair! She sighed, remembering that she could use her time without Ron to spend some more time with Galatea.

"I can postpone your punishment one more day," Faust said.

Hermione looked at Harry, who shrugged, and then at Ginny, who raised her eyebrows. "Well, what about you two?"

"Why not?" Harry said.

***

The Millennium One: He's not going to pull a Harry.

Eclectic Angel: I will indeed be interesting to see how Harry deals with it, which is why is removed Wolfe in the first place.

Caitlin: Trust me, the mission is pretty important.

musicgirl225: I'll do my best to illustrate Jasmine and Galatea's feelings on the matter. But since the story revolves around the quartet, I'm not sure how much 'screen time' they're going to get.

SiriDragon: Yeah, Aberforth is cool. Just wait until he fights a Balrog…oh, wrong character. ;-)

clifjumpr13: Well, you should know by now that I don't bring people back. If they reappear it means that I haven't killed them in the first place. ;-) And I won't complain about reviews anymore. Good point, about the original fics.

Gogirl: How's your story coming along?

psychochick: I think plenty of people hate me right now.

Maab: I admit, I do feel a sadistic sort of pleasure from reading the reviews. But that's not why I do it.

rowan: Wolfe was you favourite character? Wow, I never thought he'd be so well liked.

pamela-potter-24: Well, I'm not going to focus on the guilt as such, but more on the consequences of Wolfe's departure on a broader scale.

Ruskbyte: Aberforth does like to tinker, being an artificer.

jona: as you've read, Ironheart had been too busy to have done anything about it.

Lana Riddle: I meant that you're the first one to have reviewed 'Existence after Life'.

sherman: errrr???

LaminaCourt: What can I say? Fate is a fickle bitch.

Sorensen: I guess it comes down to the definition of expendable.

Maverick Davis: I haven't even started with the angst. Mwahahaha!

harry/ginny4eva: Why do you like him so much? Isn't he annoying sometimes?

Nosgoroth: I don't bluff.

Petals: Thanks for the correction. Nguyen it was. My mistake. As for Dumbledore, as I read canon, I got the feeling that he's pretty old, even for wizards. But I've never seen any indication that he might be 150. As it is, in this story, he just didn't reach 150, although he could have. I made Aberforth the younger brother, by a handful of years. So he isn't 150 yet either.

Kathryn: Okay, so they say that Dementors eat souls. That doesn't mean that the body lives very long afterwards. And all my characters are expendable. Doesn't mean that I'll kill 'em all, but it's the principle of the matter.

Ginny1946: No sweat, review when you have time.

Zennith: I don't know…I've had some pretty darned dumb ideas in my life. You're right about people coming back from the dead, but it isn't that they come back…it's the how!

hpfania: Hey, finally someone who seems happy. Are you really happy, or did you just say that to be contrary.