**Yes, I'm creating a snake farm. So?

YES OH YES OH YES! Past 500 REVIEWS! YES!

Ok, that's out of my system. Right, anyway. Sorry for the delay. Basically, the weather here is getting better for the first time since August so instead of scribbling in the library at lunchtime, I'm outside, or doing something pointless, like a piano lesson. I wouldn't get too worried. The sun here is usually too lazy to appear this much for more than a week at a time.

I'm doing my lovely thanks list now, cause by the end of this chapter you are all going to hate me so much that you won't want to listen to any of my replies. You'll want to moan at me. I don't care – as long as you review! But seriously, you will, really, really, hate me.

I still haven't decided on a snake's name, so feel free to give me serious help!

Here be thanks:

AllAboutMe: I still need your help with the snake's name! Keep sending in ideas!

shdurrani

Myk

Ugly Duckling: I like it! I think that's on the pile!

Riser155

Chrispy

nova

RainWaters: I love your new name.

kateydidnt: yes, well. I did actually think about it, but then I thought, 'nah, no one'll realise…'! Thanks for proving me wrong! Ah, well, you're still the only one that noticed.

Anon

Chaser

Darkfire

Bumblebee Bucy: Thanks for your kind words! French sucks, apart from the funny incident today when the teacher spat in the bin…

DraconicalPriest

Bananafanayou: Right…

Shells

John

Karen

Ssjgoddesschico

Jordan

Satans lil sis

the Queen of Fire and Ice: When are you people going to learn that 'evil' is my middle name? He he…

Amerz: You sound like a supportive fan! Keep reading!

skahducky

shinystars007

Lanfear: Snake invasion? Hmm… sounds about right… he he…

summersun

Moonlight Snitch

Sirius' Mistress: Nice idea, thanks!

Phoenix Flight: Thank you sooooooooooo much for all your great ideas! I need those! I still haven't decided, but all of them are great and even if I don't choose any of them, I can always use them elsewhere, like another snake maybe… **dam, stop giving things away!**

august wynd

Darienetta Stoke

Daisi: ER… wow. Thanks for the compliment. I'm not sure that J.K would be too pleased to hear you say that though… ha ha only joking! Ha! Rowling – I'm going to take over your job! Muahahah!

Iniysa

Katani Petitedra

AllieSkittllez: You mean Sherlock Holmes, right? (You know, the most famous spy ever in fictional history???) Hmm..

Setsuna

Koneko

SEEKER-2000: Mary Sue (shudders)

chanzo654

Ascafeniel

Autumn Dreams

Lani Lalaith

Lorelei Wood: Thanks for your ideas, they're on the pile!

gothic lover

Toffee

BigDaddy753

hp fan

Shellme

FleccaHPfan

Lady Russell Holmes

Charma1219

Hrei-siesn: Priori Incantatem is the reverse spell effect: ie: it reverses the spell. Regurgitation only happens when you are not pointing the wand at anything, to show an echo of the wand's last spell. I think it is, anyway. You could be right, but it's not all that important anyway, is it???

Phoenix Angel

Lucerito-del-alba

poter iaol

Cataclysmic

JuniperRose07

Phèdre nó Delaunay: Wow – long review!!What's a condy… whatsit?

Anya Wood: Ha ha! Thanks for cheering me up, m8. (To the tune of 'I know a song…') Evil froggie teacher spat in the bin, spat in the bin, spat in the bin, Evil froggie teacher spat in the bin, and grossed everybody out!  Evil froggie teacher actually laughed, actually laughed, actually laughed, Evil froggie teacher actually laughed, and everyone ran away!!!!!!! See, you're a bad influence. I'm catching crazy disease already. God, he was in a good mood today. What has he been TAKING?

Thanks everyone for your brill reviews, comments and helpful suggestions! Flipping snake's causing more trouble than it's worth. **

The Chamber was large and square, with no furnishings, and Harry got the distinct impression that it was not a usual part of the castle.

The were no windows, and the walls seemed to made, not of ordinary grey stone or brick, but of marble.

The little grey ball started to hum and vibrate in Harry's hand.

Harry looked at it. The 'red button' was sunk into the metal, so it was impossible to press it by accident.

Harry put the ball close to his eyes and dug his fingernail into the gap, which, he realised later, was a pretty stupid thing to do, after all.

The result was that the little metal ball flew out of this hand and whizzed around the room. Sometimes it was so fast Harry's eyes couldn't even follow it.

After about ten second of this madness it stopped, suspended in midair about two feet from Harry's head at eye level, rotating slowly.

The first attack came completely without warning.

A beam of red light shot out from some unseen perforation in the metal ball and hit Harry's internal shield in his chest – full centre.

The force made him fall over, and he just had time to roll out of the way before another beam made a dent in the floor.

The thing's lethal, Harry thought. I should've guessed.

His first life on his shield was gone – Harry had a feeling Wendy had planned that – so he threw up a blinding silver wall to deflect the next curse from the little metal snitch.

"Right," Harry muttered. "This means war."

********************************************************************

"As I was saying," Professor Little continued when Harry had left. "Shield work. Who can tell me what a shield is? A magical, shield, I mean? Miss Granger?"

"A wall of sheer magical power or force, used to absorb or deflect unfriendly spells or curses. Every person's shield is a unique shade, and the colour of the shield shows the strength of the person's magical power," said Hermione, alias textbook girl, excitedly.

"Well done," said Professor Little, smiling, as the rest of the class sniggered.

"Five points to Gryffindor. Now, unfortunately, there is some theory to do, as with all things, so please copy up the notes on shields on page fifty-nine of your textbook. Then we can find out just how strong you all are."

Everyone else started talking excitedly about what colour his or her shield would be. As Hermione ducked to get her coloured pencils from her bag, she whispered to Ron. "I'm not sure about this. Anything could be happening in there."

"Hermione, Professor Little's a teacher. She wouldn't have given Harry that ball thing if it was really dangerous."

Hermione glared at him over her half filled-in colour chart. "I think you're forgetting Quirrel and Moody."

Ron glared back. "This is different," he said, scribbling in the last box on his own 'Colour Code of Magic' chart.

Before Hermione could answer, Professor Little spoke up again.

"Right then. If you've finished…" she still looked nervous.

"How obvious is it that it's her first teaching job?" They heard Parvati Patil giggle across the room.

Professor Little went bright red.

"Erm… the first person in the register come to the front, please."

Grinning, Lavender Brown made her way to the front of the class before Professor Little's desk. Professor Little stood back and eyed her warily.

"Right," she said again. "Hold your wand straight out, yes that's right, and say the words. I suppose you remember them?"

Lavender shook her head, and Little grinned in triumph. The class giggled a little uncertainly. "Now, now, that's not a very good start, is it?" Little said. "The words are, listen carefully now – Expecto Protectum."

Hermione's hand shot up, and Ron leant back quickly to avoid being hit.

"Professor, isn't that the same as the Patronus charm?"

Ah," said Little. "I was wondering how long it would be before someone asked me that. The incantations are not the same, Miss Granger, but they're very similar."

"How does that other one go then?" Seamus asked rowdily.

Little, her confidence apparently growing, rounded on him.

"Go look it up if you're so interested. That's seventh year magic, and I'm not confusing you on purpose just so you can end up in the hospital wing with a severe need for medical care and rest."

There was a slightly stunned silence, as Professor Little turned back to Lavender, who was looking very worried indeed.

Ron had a rather satisfied look on his face, however.

"Now, before you start," their teacher told Lavender. "Remember that the colour of your shield will only tell you how strong your magic is, and the extent to which it can reach. It has nothing to do with how hard you study, how clever you are, or how quickly you pick things up."

Hermione looked rather worried at this too.

Professor Little gave Lavender the go ahead, and she said, rather shakily, "Expecto Protectum."

A small wisp of colourless smoke pushed itself out of her wand, and Lavender looked at it with disappointment, her bottom lip quivering.

"Dearie me," said Professor Little. "Put a bit more effort into it, girl!"

"Expecto Protectum!"

It worked. A thin strand of sparkling orange fire made its way out of Lavender's wand and billowed into a wall, but painfully slowly.

"Not bad," Professor Little admitted. "Orange is about halfway down the scale, so you're average. I wouldn't plan on a career as an auror though," she told Lavender succinctly.

"That's all right Professor," said Lavender, looking very relieved. "I'm going to be a seer."

"In that case, you're magic level doesn't matter in the slightest," said their teacher, smiling as though she shared some private joke.

Dean Thomas chuckled a little.

The next two people to try out their shields were also orange, on an average level of magic.

When it came to Seamus' turn, he was ecstatic when he created a shimmering, palm tree green shield.

"Well done!" said Professor Little, delighted. "We're moving up the scale."

Lavender shot Seamus a very poisonous look, and didn't say a word for the rest of the class.

Not long after Seamus, it was Hermione's turn. She made a shield instantly, and it was a solid crimson.

"Brilliant!" said Professor Little. "We've got some talented people in the class here. If we're lucky we might even get a couple purple or blue even."

"Miss?" said Parvati. "What about silver?"

Wendy looked at her kindly. "That's very, very rare, Miss Patil. It only occurs once or twice in a century.

"What colour's your shield miss?" Seamus asked, ever persistent.

Professor Little shook her arm out impatiently and a sky blue shield rocketed out to block her completely from their view.

She brought it down and looked around at the class' stunned faces.

"If that's enough questions?"

One green, then another orange. One yellow, which was a step down from orange, and then it was Neville's turn.

He came shakily to the front of the classroom. He tried to say the words, but they wouldn't come out properly.

"What are you so worried about?" Professor Little asked him.

"Well…" Neville tried.

"What colour are you expecting it to be?"

Neville coughed. "Black."

A few people laughed. Black was at the very bottom of all their carefully drawn out charts.

"You have to stop thinking like that Neville," said Professor Little, making him look up quickly when she used his first name.

"Clear your mind. Don't try and make the shield come out like you expect it to – it can't do that. You can't change your magical talent anymore than you can your… brothers and sisters, say."

Neville looked down at his wand. "Expecto Protectum!"

A steady, solid wall of green magic tinged with red shot out of his wand. He stared at it in a kind of abject horror.

"Well done, Mr. Longbottom!" Professor Little exclaimed. "You're quite a powerful wizard!"

Lavender's head fell forward onto her desk.

The rest of the class continued until it came to Ron's turn. The strongest of them so far, surprisingly, had been Parvati, with a shield of red and purple streaks.

Ron sauntered up, his face confident but his hand sweaty around his wand. It took him a while to pluck up the courage to actually cast his shield, but when he did, he almost fainted from shock.

The shield was blue. All right, there were a few purple streaks in it, weakening its strength a little, but the rest of it was definitely blue.

He couldn't see through it, and he started to panic because he felt like there wasn't any way of getting out, so he let his wand drop. The blue wall with purple streaks vanished.

Everyone, including Professor Little, was staring at him.

"It's defective," Ron said quickly. "It has to be."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Professor Little. "You-" but the rest of what she had to say was drowned out by the sound of the bell.

Ron ran to put his wand and books back in his bag, avoiding Hermione's eyes.

The rest of the class filed out, throwing Ron surprised looks. Only Neville smiled at him as he left. Lavender didn't look at all.

Ron wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, his head still reeling, but Hermione grabbed his bag to make him stay.

"Is there anything I can help you two with?" Professor Little asked, calmly tidying papers, though she kept sending the occasional glance in Ron's direction.

Hermione looked unsure of how to answer that.

"Er… Professor, are you going to let Harry out?"

Professor Little straightened up quickly, slapping herself on the forehead and scattering the papers she'd been tidying all over the floor.

"Oh, drat! I'd clean forgotten!"

Hermione looked at Ron rather pointedly. Ron tried hard not to meet her eyes. He knew that his ears were pink.

Professor Little pulled her wand out of her pocket. "Finite incantatem!" She said, pointing at the door that Harry had gone through. The spell shot straight through the wood and into the room beyond.

The door slid open a crack at the force exerted on it. There was a whizzing sound, a dull clunk, and a cry of 'Hey!' from inside the chamber.

A moment later, Harry stalked out, holding the little metal ball in one hand. It had a few dents in it, and looked slightly less round than before.

Professor Little took it from him and frowned.

"That thing's indestructible," Harry complained. "It fights like a Death Eater, moves like a Death Eater, but it refuses to die like a Death Eater."

"It's not supposed to," Professor Little told him. "It's supposed to be impossible to break. You're not even meant to damage it."

Harry grinned, as he took a surprising amount of care to pick up his bag. "Never make me mad," he told her. "Other stuff will get broken."

He turned to his two friends. "Good lesson?"

"Unbelievable," said Ron in earnest.

"There's a surprise," said Harry, and narrowly ducked a swipe from Professor Little.

"Go away," she said. "You've done enough damage already, don't you think?"

Harry grinned at her and led the other two out of the classroom.

"Harry, what was all that about?" Hermione asked the second they were out of earshot. "How could a little metal ball hurt you?"

Harry laughed. "It looks like a little metal ball," he admitted. "But it's the best dueller I've ever come across."

"Yeah, like you've come across so many," said Ron, sarcastically.

"Well, it was better than Wendy, and that's saying something."

"You fought with her?"

"I wouldn't call it a fight. It was more like a training exercise."

"Oh, sure."

"But you lost, of course," said Hermione confidently.

Harry looked at her in surprise. "I did not!" he said. Then he thought for a moment. "Well, I didn't exactly win either," he continued. "I think it was a draw."

"But Harry, she's a Blue witch!"

Harry stopped walking. "A what?"

Hermione sighed. "How are you ever going to learn your shields when you're off playing games with metal balls during the lessons?"

"Oh, I know how to do that," said Harry, as they resumed their pace.

"Then how come you don't know what a Blue witch is?"

"I don't know. No one ever told me."

"Haven't you read up about shields if you know so much about them?"

"No, actually," Harry said as if only just realising. "We read up about pretty much everything else, but not shields. It was all practical work. Why?"

Hermione sighed, and started using the voice that meant she thought that she was explaining something incredibly simple to someone with an incredibly small IQ.

"Harry, what colour is Professor Little's shield?"

"Blue."

"Brilliantly observed. And the colour of your shield determines how strong your magical talent is, right?"

"Does it?" said Harry in surprise. "I never heard that. I thought it was something genetical."

"Well you were very wrong," said Ron with a laugh.

"Oh, shut up Ron. Harry, blue is a rarity, because it's one of the most powerful shield colours you can have. It means she's one of the most powerful witches of the age."

***************************************

Harry's mind went blank. Wendy? He'd known she was good, sure, he'd known she used to be an Auror and that people had suspected her of being one of Voldemort's top agents, but this?

"After blue, it's…" Hermione's brow creased as she remembered, "purple, red, green, orange, yellow, pink, grey, brown and black. At least they suspect it to be black, because no one on that level of magic has actually been able to cast a shield…"

She continued in this vein as Harry's mind span. His shield was silver, where was it on the list? Had he mistaken it for silver when it had really been a light grey? Was that bad, or good? What was the average?

"We all got to cast our shields, it was a really good lesson…" Hermione was still saying.

"Ok, what colour were yours then?" Harry asked challengingly.

"Mine was red," said Hermione proudly. "A lovely solid red with no gaps or anything. Most people got orange though. That's normal for students that go to Hogwarts."

"What about you, Ron?" asked Harry.

Ron looked away, his ears flaming as red as his hair.

"Ron?" Harry looked at Hermione and saw slight embarrassment in her eyes, too.

"It wasn't something awful, was it?" he said anxiously. He knew how Ron would feel if it turned out he was a weak wizard as well as a poor one.

"It was blue," said Hermione. "Blue with purple bits in it."

That just confused Harry even further. Ron, almost as strong as Wendy?

"But that's good isn't it?"

"Well, I'm proud of you, Ron," said Hermione, giving him a surprise hug.

"Thanks," said Ron gruffly. By this time they had reached the portrait hole.

"Hello there," said the Fat Lady, as she eyed them critically. "All prefects, I see. The password has changed. It is 'Esa Eslp Drows Sap'."

"Right," said Hermione.

"Hello, Harry dear," said the Fat Lady. "Good first day back?"

"Yes, thank you." Harry said politely.

The Fat Lady lowered her voice slightly. "You haven't seen that little black monstrosity around lately, have you?"

Harry laughed in what he hoped was an offhand way. "My Lord? He's probably chasing mice round one of the dungeons."

"I'm sure. He keeps popping out of here, when I've no idea how he gets in. I've half a mind to report it to Professor Dumbledore."

Harry thought that pursuing this conversation would only lead to more awkward questions, so he quoted the new password and entered the Gryffindor common room, which was already full of people.

As soon as they entered, Harry was set upon by all the Gryffindors in their year, asking earnestly what he had been doing with the little metal device all lesson.

After about an hour on continual evasive comments and answers to frequently asked questions like,

"Did it hurt you?"

"Did you have to destroy it?"

"How did you fight it without your wand?"

It was bedtime. As prefects, Harry Ron and Hermione were allowed to stay downstairs for as long as they liked, although all the sixth year prefects decided to go to bed early on their first night.

"Who's Your Lord?" asked Ron.

"What?"

"Your Lord. Who were you talking about with the Fat lady?

"Oh, you mean My Lord. That's just his name. He's a cat who pops up from time to time."

"Maybe we should introduce him to Crookshanks," said Hermione. The animal in question was sitting stoically in Hermione's lap, enjoying her strokes and scratches immensely.

Harry remembered Scabbers. "I don't think they'd get on," he decided. "So," he said, to break the mood. "Good summers?"

Ron immediately and almost automatically launched into a whole one-sided conversation about his holiday.

"… And then, you'll never believe this, but Fred and George bought me new dress robes. First hand ones. I checked them all over for curses before I put them on, and I was seriously expecting to turn into something the moment I did, but there really wasn't anything wrong with them.

"Mum was very interested to hear where they'd got the money, but apparently, they've found someone who likes their pranks so much that they've invested a whole load of Galleons to give them a head start.

"They're making out it's bagman, but me and Ginny know it can't be Bagman, because he doesn't have enough money to pay the rent, let alone lend money, but I mean, who'd be that stupid? To give Fred and George a whole pot of money?

"Anyway, then we went to France for the weekend to visit Auntie Emily and Juliet, because she's at Hogwarts this year, and…"

And so it continued. Harry tried to listen and pay attention, put for some reason all he could think about was his own horrific first seven weeks of the summer, his 'tumble' with Dudley's gang, Hermione's phone call, the newspapers, his brief spell in hospital, and his final, glorious week at Hogwarts.

Ron stopped suddenly. "Sorry," he mumbled. "It's not fair for me to go on about my holiday when you both had rubbish ones."

Harry looked up at Hermione.

She looked about the same as he felt. She was clutching Crookshanks close to her, her cheeks were a little flushed and she seemed to be holding back tears.

"I… I think I'll go to bed," she said shortly, and went quickly up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

"What's up with her?" Harry asked Ron, who stared at him.

"Don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"About what happened in Bulgaria?"

Harry was about to answer, "What happened?" before he remembered something.

"Oh no," he said, and put a hand into his pocket. His hand closed around an envelope.

Ron looked as it as he brought it out.

"I forgot about this," Harry said, breaking the seal and pulling the parchment out. "That was the day after Mr. Anderson died."

"It was as well," Ron agreed, watching him open the letter. "So?"

Harry didn't answer. He was already reading the letter.

"Dear Harry,

I've just got back from Bulgaria. Yes, I know I said it was going to be a week, but things changed. I really, really thought Victor was the right guy for me, Harry. Only once I got out there, and I met his parents (who were really nice, by the way) and we were a real couple for a few days, I realised I didn't love him anymore. Victor felt the same way, and he broke up with me the day before yesterday. We both felt it was best if I just left before we embarrassed each other even more.

I'm sorry to bother you when you're busy, but I thought you ought to know. I sent Ron an owl too. This is really embarrassing for me, so let's not talk about it once we get to school, Ok?

By the way, I'm a prefect, and so is Ron! Are you? How weird would it be if you were the third prefect?

See you then, (and I hope you really are better and not just lying which you do quite a lot)

Love,

Hermione."

Harry swore.

"That's what I said," said Ron.

"She left? Krum broke up with her and she flew back across the whole continent after a few days?"

"You're forgetting that she probably didn't use a ner-e-oplane," said Ron.

"Aeroplane," Harry corrected automatically, still mentally kicking himself for not remembering this letter.

He'd been too caught up in his worries about the press and Dumbledore's interrogation of him and his dreams. Why was he always so selfish?

They sat in silence for a bit.

"Harry?" Ron said after a while.

"Yeah?"

"You know I said, about that idea I had over the holiday, right…?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, do you want to know about it?"

"That all depends on what it is, I suppose."

Ron smiled, reached behind him and pulled a book out of his bag. He tossed it to Harry, who read the front cover.

'Intentional and Unintentional Magical Ties.'

"Open it to the bookmark," said Ron. He was hanging on the edge of his seat, one knee clasped to his chest, as if worried as to what Harry would say.

It wasn't much of a bookmark. It was a piece of paper.

Harry noticed with amusement that it was one of his own letters. It was dated four years previous – the first letter he had ever sent to the burrow.

On the back a big scrawling word 'HARRY' was written in Ron's handwriting.

Harry turned his attention to the page his letter had been bookmarking.

He read it through.

Once.

Twice.

"What do you think?" asked Ron, quite seriously.

Harry looked up at him. "Are you joking?"

"No. I think it's a good idea."

A pause. Another pause.

Harry looked down at the page again. "Effects," he read aloud. "A very strong bond is formed. Occasionally shared feelings, thoughts, dreams, morphed powers and…"

"Telepathy," Ron finished for him.

"Is that all?" Harry said sarcastically.

"There could be others. Not many other people have been mad enough to try it."

"Ron, this is crazy! No one is going to agree to this!"

"No one has to know."

"Hermione will slaughter us."

"What the eye doesn't see, the heart can't grieve over."

"Ron, she'll find out, even if no one else does."

"Then we'll just have to be extra careful, won't we? Look, you have to be looked after no matter what you say, and this is a great way of doing it. We can help each other through whatever turns up. It'll be a huge help to the wizarding community, if that makes you feel better."

Harry leant back in his chair, resigned. He looked at the diagram in the book and winced. "This is going to hurt like hell," he said.

"Probably," said Ron. His face was set. He'd obviously spent hours, even days thinking about this, and his mind was made up.

"When'll we do it?" asked Harry, in a last ditch attempt to change it.

"Now."

"Now?"

"Why not? There's no preparation involved."

"All right then. Where are we going to do it?"

"Stop trying to avoid this. I've thought about that, too. It's obviously going to have to be in a bathroom of some sort, unless there' s a house-elf who doesn't mind helping students doing this stuff and then clearing up afterwards…"

"But all the bathrooms in the castle… someone's bound to come in…"

Ron grinned.

"Oh no." Harry said flatly. "No way."

"You got a better idea?"

"No, but-"

"There you are then. Now hop off and get the cloak, just in case. I'll wait here."

Harry picked up his bag and went up the stairs as quietly as he could, trying not to laugh. Ron was obviously enjoying his moment of genius, and if he wanted to push Harry around for as long as it lasted. But Moaning Myrtle's bathroom…

After making sure that the large snake in his bag was asleep, for a while at least, Harry left it under the bed, grabbed the invisibility cloak and left the dormitory. Neville snored once, but none of the other boys made a move.

"Ready?" Ron asked when he got back down.

"Ready."

"Got your wand?"

"Yes."

"Right. Have we forgotten anything?"

"Ok, now it's you who's putting it off."

Ron turned away. He was shaking slightly.

"Ron, if you don't want to do this, I don't mind, really I don't, it was your idea after all…"

"No way. I'm doing it. I know all the risks and I'm taking them, so there."

Harry laughed, and they climbed out of the portrait hole together, to make their way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, where their lives would change forever.

** **Runs away really fast to avoid being killed, murdered, crucified, pelted with rotten tomatoes, and even worse, made to read a slash fic.**

I need help! Snake names? Anyone? Remember there is potential for a lot of snakes here, so I'm going to need a lot of names…

Love your evil cliffie writer,

Laterose. **