Author's Note: Hey all, I'm very close to being better, though I've now officially been sick for 2 weeks straight. It's okay though since all I'm dealing with now is a runny nose. Prom was on Friday and it was so wonderfully fun. Well, my date kind of sucked because his focal point of choice was strategically below my face, if you know what I mean. I'm not sure if he realized I even had a face. Anyways, it was still fun and the after-party included jumping on a trampoline in our prom clothes until we broke it (oops!) and dancing around to Footloose and such. By five in the morning, we were all just lying around the kitchen talking about hypothetical questions. It was so fun, though I do think I might have poked someone in the eye while dancing to the YMCA.

Well, here's the next chapter! I can tell you that the first really big thing is going to happen within the next few chapters. Of course, I can't tell you what that is, but I like to peak your interests every once in awhile and make sure you know I do intend to go somewhere with all this.

Harry woke to bright light shining in his eyes. Hr. Callahan was looking down at him. Harry squinted into the light and Hr. Callahan quickly said, "Nox," and pulled his wand out of Harry's eyes. The healer helped pull Harry back into a sitting position and cleaned him up with a quick cleaning spell, as his nose had started to bleed again.

"Okay, so I take it that was a little demonstration of what's been happening. Can you describe exactly what you felt there?"

Harry once again tried to describe the flash of pain in his head that disappeared as soon as he woke, leaving him just feeling momentarily drowsy before any evidence of it disappeared altogether.

"All right. Harry, I'm going to take you down to the lab and perform some tests and get some head scans. I must admit I have no idea what's causing this, but my best guess is that it's some sort of after-effect of the experimental spell used to bring you back to life. Hopefully it'll just be a temporary condition, but since this is obviously unfamiliar territory, it could mean anything," he said, somehow managing to soften the blow with his comforting tone of voice. He then turned to Sirius and Snape. "You two can wait in the waiting room, or there's a tearoom on the fifth floor you can…"

"Woah, wait, we're staying with Harry," Sirius protested, sounding slightly alarmed. "Snape is Harry's physician," he said, stretching the truth slightly, much to Snape's surprise. "He knows more than any of us about Harry's condition and what that spell did. I really think he should be involved in whatever you're doing. And I am his godfather and refuse to leave him."

"I understand your concern, but…" Hr. Callahan began apprehensively.

"Look," Snape stepped up in his usual menacing sort of way, "Harry's still under a considerable amount of danger, and for safety reasons his godfather will be near him, and for medical reasons, I will be involved in whatever tests are done. Otherwise, we will bring Harry elsewhere."

Hr. Callahan sighed in surrender. "All right. I guess we could use your expertise in this area anyways, Professor. If you will all please follow me then?"

They spent hours in the lab drawing blood, giving Harry's head the wizarding equivalent of an x-ray, and hundreds of different tests for different types of illnesses that Harry could possibly have.

However, everything indicated that he was healthy, aside from his weak immune system. Harry was relieved to hear that even with extensive testing for it, there didn't seem to be any cancer left in his system and that all the cells it had mutated were back to normal.

Yet all this seemed to trouble the adults more, as they weren't able to find the problem but knew there was one all the same.

"Well, it seems that we can't find the source of this. The only thing I can think to do at this point," said Hr. Callahan, looking troubled, "is to start trying to figure out what exactly it's doing to Harry, what technically causes the fainting and nose bleeds, and work from there. We'll just have to start testing out things and see what has an effect."

"So we're just going to fiddle around with Harry's health trying to fix a problem we don't understand?" Sirius asked worriedly. "That doesn't seem safe."

Harry silently agreed.

"Well, we seem to have no other choice at the moment. You're right, we don't understand the problem and therefore we don't understand the degree of seriousness it could entail. It could be a temporary side-effect, or it could be indicative of a larger problem. You said yourself that it only happened once a few weeks ago, and then today it happened three times. It seems it may be increasing in severity and we have to try something," Hr. Callahan gently argued.

"How often am I going to have to come in?" Harry asked apprehensively.

"Well, I think it'll depend somewhat on what happens with these little attacks of yours and how successful we are to begin with. Since it'll be difficult to continue these sorts of tests often once you start school, I think we should really try to get a solution as quickly as possible. How does three times a week sound? Two to four hours a day depending on what we need to do. I'll even let you chose the days," the kind man suggested.

Harry gaped at him. "Three times a week? No, that's way too much! It's not that bad really…"

"Harry, we need to figure out what's causing this," Snape said sternly. "Three times a week is hardly a sacrifice. You're lucky we're not hauling you in here every day."

Harry sighed and reluctantly relented. He grudgingly agreed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They agreed to have the appointments in the mornings. Hr. Callahan kindly offered to change any of Harry's appointments if given notice, in case something came up.

Finally, after night had long since fallen, the three Flooed back to the Lighthouse.

When they arrived, Harry was taken aback to see that not only were the Weasley kids still there, but so were their parents. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Ginny and Draco were playing chess together, even if the three Weasley boys didn't look too pleased about the fact.

Everyone jumped up to greet them, all looking extremely worried and asking a thousand questions at a time.

"So what's wrong?" Ron asked loudly over the voices of everyone else.

Harry shrugged with a sigh.

"They don't know," Sirius explained gently.

"And I have to go to stupid testing three days a week!" Harry said indignantly. Yet, he didn't get very many sympathizers, since everyone else's first priority was Harry's health, even if Harry's was not.

"As long as they can help you, honey, it's for the best," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh, by the way," Harry said, blushing slightly, "sorry about the scare with the whole attack thing."

"Don't be silly, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said in a rush. "Now we just have stronger wards than we did before, which is always a good thing."

"All right, I'd reckon it's time to get home," Mr. Weasley said to his kids. "Harry, you get some rest."

His kids groaned and whined as their parents shuffled them through the fireplace. Sirius and Snape went into the kitchen with Remus to talk about the latest developments in Harry's health.

"So, that went well," Draco said sarcastically as soon as the Weasleys were all gone.

Harry sighed. "Well, you didn't have to call him those things." Draco opened his mouth to protest but Harry put up a hand. "I know, I know. He insulted you too. Well, it's both of your faults then. At least you got along with Ginny all right."

"Well, the Weaslette seems decent. It's unfortunate about that family of hers," he drawled.

"Draco…" Harry said warningly.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"It would be so much easier if you could just get along," Harry sighed. "Now, if I ever want to do anything, I have to chose which one of you to invite or something."

"Well, there's your solution right there. Just always invite me," Draco said with a satisfied smirk.

Harry rolled his eyes.

.

Remus and Harry were sitting in the living room talking when Sirius ran down the stairs excitedly. He had been looking for something in the attic and dust clung to the bottom of his robes. He was carrying something that looked like a large box, with large, skinny square envelopes under his arm.

"Did you find that book you were looking for?" Remus asked.

"No," Sirius said brightly, "I found something better!"

He set the box on the table and opened the lid. It was an old record player.

"Lily got it for me when she was in her phase of giving us Muggle lessons," he explained to Harry. "And Remy, look at this!" he said, holding up a dusty record case, which he wiped off on his robes.

"Oh Merlin, is that what I think it is?" Remus said excitedly.

Sirius shot him a huge grin and put the record on. It was a disco song. Harry and Remus laughed as Sirius looked at them and began doing disco moves.

"Remember this song, Moony?" Sirius asked enthusiastically.

"Of course I do. How could I forget?" Remus said with a laugh.

"Do you remember the moves Lily taught us to go with it?" Sirius asked with a bright grin.

Remus nodded with a chuckle.

"Then get your arse up here and boogie down with me!" Sirius ordered cheerily. Harry laughed and Remus shook his head vehemently.

"No way," he said.

"Remy…"

"No."

"Reeeeemy…."

"No."

"The chorus is coming, get up here," Sirius said, pulling Moony to his feet. The Defense professor protested continually until the chorus struck and he was suddenly compelled to join Sirius in what appeared to be a coordinated disco dance. Harry laughed hysterically and the two men began to sing to the seventies song.

"Do you know this song, Har?" Sirius asked, continuing his outrageous dancing.

Harry chuckled. "Frighteningly, yes."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Sirius exclaimed.

"Harry, if I'm looking like a fool, you have to as well," Remus said.

"No way," he said, mirroring Remus's earlier words. "You two look ridiculous."

"Harry…" the two men called, grins on their faces as the chorus began approaching. Sirius grabbed a spoon out of an empty bowl on a side table and shoved it into Harry's hand for a microphone.

"No way, you guys," Harry protested.

"Come on Har, here's the chorus. We're just the back ups; you're our main singer!" Sirius shouted gleefully.

Harry made a face and jumped to his feet on top of the couch and began belting out the words with Sirius and Remus.

"Alright, Har," Sirius said as soon as the chorus was over, "now you have to work in the moves."

"There is no better guarantee to make yourself look like an idiot," Remus said enticingly.

Harry laughed as he began imitating the dance moves the two men were teaching him.

"Congratulations Harry," Remus laughed over the music, "you now have the skills to look like a complete prat while dancing!"

"A prat with style," Sirius corrected.

"Oh joy," Harry said sarcastically with a huge grin as three once again broke out into the chorus.

.

"Come on, Ron. You can do this. He's not that bad, really!" Harry insisted as Ron stood rigid before the Lighthouse's fireplace, looking oddly pale.

"You know," he started in a higher voice than normal, "being a healer was a dumb idea. I don't need Advanced Potions after all." He turned around to walk away but Harry grabbed his shoulders, turned him back around, and marched him forward to the fireplace.

"Ron, you have to at least ask. You'd make a brilliant healer and Madam Pomfrey already talked to Professor Snape, but he refuses to let you in unless you ask him yourself," Harry said for the tenth time.

"I doubt he'll be so forgiving after the fight Malfoy picked with me," Ron said bitterly. Harry raised an eyebrow. "What?" Ron asked innocently. "I tried to be civil."

"Oh, so calling him an 'arrogant, ass-kissing ferret' was really a call for peace?"

Ron shrugged. "He deserved it."

"No he didn't, Ron. And you didn't deserve the things he called you. I just hope you'll both see that one day," Harry said with a sigh. "Anyways, back to the subject at hand," he said, gesturing to the fireplace.

Ron gulped. "You're coming with me, right? You're not going to leave me alone with him?"

"No, I'll be right there the whole time. Ron, he's not that bad. He's not going to attack you…maybe poison you, but all you have to do is make sure you don't drink anything."

Ron looked at him in horror.

"Joking, Ron. Just joking," Harry said with a chuckle, handing him the pot of Floo powder for the redhead to take a pinch.

"How about you go first?" Ron suggested.

"No, because then I know you'll never come behind me and that would look even worse if I had to go back for you. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you, I swear," Harry said reassuringly.

Ron took a deep breath and threw his powder in, stepping into the green flames.

"Snape Manor," he squeaked in a frightened voice.

Harry followed right behind him, nearly knocking into Ron as he came through the other side.

Snape was sitting in his favorite chair. He looked up and raised an eyebrow. Harry rolled his eyes as Snape put on his cold, menacing look he liked to wear when in the role of greasy Potions master.

"Weasley," he said coldly.

"Um…hi, Professor. I was sort of…I mean I was…or I am wondering if I could maybe be in Advanced Potions next year?" Ron asked nervously. "I know I didn't do well on my Potions O.W.L., and I haven't gotten great marks in your class, but Madam Pomfrey said I need it if I want to be a healer and I really want to be one so I would try really, really hard. So um…yeah," he finished lamely, sneaking a worried glance at Harry who nodded reassuringly.

"What makes you think you deserve to be entitled to a privilege given to those who have actually worked hard for five years in my class? Do you think that even though there are students who have worked toward doing well on their Potions O.W.L. and getting good marks in my class, I should accept you anyway, even though you have been a complete failure in it so far, just because you changed your mind?" Snape asked in an intimidating tone.

"I-I'll try really hard," Ron offered weakly.

"So you can try hard for two years while everyone else has to try hard for seven? Is that fair?"

Ron was at a loss for words and shot a desperate look at his friend.

Harry stepped forward next to Ron. "You accepted me into your class and I slacked off the first four years and last year I made the marks only because of an unfair advantage, but you said I could be in as long as I work hard, which is exactly what Ron's offering to do."

Snape shot him a glare, but Harry just smirked back, knowing he had won.

"Weasley!" Snape snapped sharply just to see Ron jump. He needed to occasionally reassure himself of his ability to intimidate since it wasn't working on Harry and Draco. "Despite my predictions that you will fail miserably if allowed into advanced Potions, I will give you a chance to get in. I only let those who are able to understand the material on the Potions O.W.L. into the class, no exceptions. I'll give you a test equal to the OWLs in two weeks. If you are up to satisfactory standards, I'll let you in. You should thank Madam Pomfrey because she is the only reason I'm even considering this."

"Thank you, Professor," Ron said quickly.

"Don't thank me, Weasley. Use your efforts to start studying because your current level of competence in this subject will not even get you close to passing the test I'll give you."

"Yes sir."

"Now get out of my house, Weasley," Snape said with a sneer.

Ron nodded and hurried back to the fireplace. Harry caught Snape's eye as soon as Ron turned. Harry rolled his eyes. Snape smirked in a self-satisfied way before going back to his reading.

The two boys Flooed back to the Lighthouse.

"He's not that bad?" Ron asked incredulously. "That felt like visiting the head of some crime ring and begging for my life!"

"He's not always like that. He was just trying to intimidate you," Harry said with a shrug.

"Well it bloody worked! I'm never going to be able to pass that test," Ron said in exasperation.

"I'll help you study. I still remember everything I knew about Potions last year and I tutored Neville and Eloise, so I can tutor you as well. Of course, this next year, you might be on your own since I'm having to get tutored myself on the summer homework."

"Tutored by who?"

"Professor Snape."

Ron shuddered. "You know, you always call him Professor Snape now. What happened to just plain old Snape?"

Harry shrugged. "Respect?"

"Oh Merlin, you've gone nutters," Ron proclaimed. Harry laughed.

"Maybe, but at least it's a new development for me," he teased, giving Ron a pointed look.

"Hey!" Ron said, making a face at Harry.

"Come on, let's go look through my old Potions books. We're getting you into Advanced Potions whether you like it or not."

.

That night, the Harry and Draco were called upon their offer to babysit for Anna so Snape and Laura could go on their first real date, a thought which would have made the entire student body of Hogwarts shudder.

The night was mostly spent with Anna making up games and Harry playing along with her, while Draco watched with a raised eyebrow. They eventually got the Slytherin to join in on the fun by hiding some of his things and drawing coded treasure maps he would have to follow to find them. Of course Harry had to mouth to him over Anna's head what some of the symbols were, since Anna had drawn them and they didn't make logical sense to anyone above the age of five.

"Harry! Draco!" Anna squeaked at one point as they were going to turn a corner. "I hear pirates!" she whispered urgently.

Harry put his finger to his lips and pulled out the fencing foil he had sheathed in his belt loop. Anna did the same with the one she had been carrying. Draco couldn't help but be enticed into joining into the childhood world of pretend he had never been allowed to participate in when he was that age. Anna whispered for him to pull out his sword and Draco embarrassedly pulled out the foil that Anna had insisted he put through his own belt loop. Harry chuckled slightly and Draco made a face at him.

Right when they got to the end of the map, Harry pretended to turn against the other two, wanting the treasure for himself. This, of course, led to a duel which Anna watched in amazement, calling to Draco every five seconds that she had his back, dragging along the large fencing foil as she ran on little legs in circles around the two to get the full view. Finally, Harry was defeated, knocked to the ground. Anna sat on his chest to keep him down as Draco claimed the treasure, which turned out to be a stack of Draco's boxers crammed into a shoebox. The Slytherin looked at Harry indignantly as the Gryffindor broke out into hysterics, still lying with Anna perched on top of his chest.

"Harry!" Draco cried in embarrassment.

"I didn't know. Anna picked it out," he laughed. Anna looked at the two curiously.

"Harry said to find something that couldn't be broken. He said clothes would be a good idea so I got some of your shorts. How come you don't wear your shorts, Draco?" Anna asked innocently.

"Yeah, Dray, why don't you wear your shorts?" Harry asked, echoing Anna's innocent tone while he had a knowing grin on his face. He lifted Anna off his chest so he could sit up, but she scrambled onto his lap as soon as he was situated.

"I do wear them, thank you very much."

"Ooh, can you try them on so I can see?" Anna asked innocently. "I think the green ones are pretty."

Harry burst out into peals of laughter and Anna looked at him in confusion.

Draco just huffed and stalked off to go put his boxers away.

"Is Draco going to go put them on?" Anna asked excitedly.

"I don't think so, Anna," Harry chuckled. "I don't think it's a good idea to go through Draco's things anymore."

"Okay, Harry," she said, hugging him around the neck. "Do you think Draco needs a hug?" she asked him seriously, her big blue eyes meeting Harry's green ones.

Harry grinned mischievously. "You know, I think he does."

As soon as the Slytherin walked back into the room, Anna ran up and demanded a hug.

"Uh…I don't do hugs," Draco said, flabbergasted.

Anna looked at him with a hurt expression and Draco immediately corrected himself.

"Just joking," he said weakly. He glared at Harry, daring him to say a word, as he awkwardly bent down to the girl's level and let her wrap her arms around his neck. Draco patted her on the back a few times before breaking away, looking very relieved to get out of that awkward situation.

"You're the best pirate ever, Draco," Anna said sincerely.

"Oh joy," he said with a sarcasm that was beyond the four-year-old's grasp.

.

Harry and Draco weren't the only ones who ended up babysitting Anna. Snape and Laura had begun to see each other very often and Anna had taken an unexplainable liking to Snape, and Laura seemed to be oblivious to the fact that the feelings weren't quite reciprocated. Therefore, when she had to go out of town unexpectedly, she asked Snape if she could leave Anna with him for a few days. Snape was still positive he had meant to say no, but somehow a yes had stumbled out of his mouth. Draco had made it quite clear that he wasn't having the responsibility dumped on him and hid out at Harry's for awhile, leaving Snape alone with the four-year-old girl.

Of course, when Harry found out, he had to see it for himself. As much as he had tried to encourage the Potions master to try with Anna, Harry truly couldn't picture Snape dealing with kids. He was a little worried for the girl, wondering if Snape was planning on just putting her in a full body bind for the few days. Draco had to admit he was curious to see how it was going over at Snape Manor.

The two Flooed over and Baz the house elf told them that Snape was giving Anna her dinner. Harry could have sworn the house elf was biting back a laugh.

The boys walked to the kitchen and opened the door.

Snape was standing near the table, looking as if he was in shock. He was covered with what looked like powdered sugar and was dripping with syrup. Anna was in a similar state, but while Snape was looking as if he were lost, Anna was standing on her chair biting holes out of the middle of her pancakes and slipping them on her wrists.

"Harry! Draco!" she squealed in delight, running toward them. Draco jumped behind Harry so the little girl ran to the Gryffindor, wrapping her arms around his legs. "Do you like my pancake jewelry?" she asked proudly, holding up her hands to show them.

Harry and Draco looked questioningly over at Snape.

"She said she wanted pancakes," he muttered, still in some kind of shock.

Harry lifted Anna up and carried her back to her chair as she sucked syrup from her fist. He gave her a gentle lecture about playing with her food as he took the pancakes off her arms, pointing out that she wasn't the one to have to clean it and that Snape was now messy too when he didn't want to be.

Anna turned around in her chair and looked up at Snape with innocent eyes.

"Aw, Sevvie, are you mad at me?" Anna asked.

Snape opened his mouth and Harry thought he might berate her as he did his students, but instead he just sighed.

"No, but don't play with your food anymore."

Anna jumped out of her seat and hugged Snape around the knees. "Aw, Sevvie, I love you. I want you to be my daddy."

Snape coughed in surprise.

"Er, I think you need a bath," he countered.

"Noooo," Anna whined.

"You have to take a bath because you are too messy to sit or walk anywhere in the house. The sooner you take a bath, the sooner you can have dessert, which you can only have if you don't play with it."

Harry looked up at Snape in surprise while Anna lit up.

"Dessert? Okay!" she agreed happily, holding up her arms as a signal to be picked up. Snape lifted her up into his arms.

"Draco, can you call a house elf to clean this up?" he asked as he walked out the door.

"Was Professor Snape just being…fatherly?" Harry asked in amazement.

"Sev can surprise you with the fatherly thing on occasion," Draco said with a shrug. "He tries, there's just the small barrier of having absolutely no experience in caring for anyone that he's working on getting over. It's so weird having him do the serious talks. He gets all nervous. It's sort of funny, really. Just don't tell him I told you that or he might kill me."

Harry felt a pang of jealousy that he couldn't explain.

.

Harry was sitting at the kitchen table moping slightly. He had just gotten back from another one of his medical appointments, and was positive they were wasting his time. They had gotten no closer to figuring out what was wrong with him, and the only progress they had made was in making it so he stayed conscious longer when the headaches hit. Hr. Callahan assured him that this was a good development, but all Harry knew was that the headaches were painful enough to make him long for unconsciousness when they struck. Most of the times, it was like the Cruciatus curse being focused in on his head. Hr. Callahan asked him to try to figure out where the pain originated, but it was too intense to sort out. Sirius and Snape weren't too happy with everything either. The headaches coincidentally hit most of the time during the appointments, and they all had to watch as Harry writhed around on the table, biting back screams of agony. All Hr. Callahan could do was continue to test him, to try to study the headaches, and give him a new potion to try with each visit, making him swallow the entirety of it in his office and report the effects to him the next time he came in.

The tension between Hr. Callahan and Snape was obvious as well. Snape was constantly trying to question the healer and kept making sarcastic comments about the things the healer had tried. Hr. Callahan dealt with it well, in Harry's opinion, being very calm and patient, but struck back at the potions master in his own way by no longer letting him take home and critically examine samples of the potions he was giving Harry. Harry figured the man was probably sick of Snape's comments on how the potion could have been made slightly better.

Hedwig flew through the window, landing on Harry's head to tease him and try to cheer him up.

"Hedwig," Harry chuckled, reaching up to get her off, but she dug her talons into his hair. "All right, all right. Can I have my letter at least?"

Hedwig stuck out her leg with a hoot and Harry pulled off the letter.

Harry-

Big news. Fate is in the making. Come over at seven. Major help needed.

Eloise

"What do you think, girl?" Harry asked the owl on his head. "Fate in the making?"

Hedwig hooted in a way that sounded like a scoff and ruffled her feathers.

"Yeah, I agree," Harry said, taking a sip of his tea.

.

At seven, Harry found himself and Neville being escorted to Eloise's room where she sat them down on her bed.

"So what's this big news, Eloise?" Neville asked.

"All right, are you ready?" she asked taking a deep breath.

"Ready," Harry and Neville said together.

"Roger Davies asked me on a date, tonight!" she squeaked excitedly.

Neville's and Harry's grins faded, though the both plastered them back on half-heartedly as Eloise looked at them.

"Oh, that's…that's good," Harry said.

Neville only managed a weak smile.

"All right, he's going to be here in an hour. You stay here and I'm going to try on the outfits I'm thinking about and show them to you and you can help me decide," she said jumping around.

"Eloise, you know we're not girls, right?" Harry asked. Eloise happily ignored him and ran off to go put on the first prospective outfit.

The whole time, Neville was pacing the room, only stopping when Eloise would show them another outfit. Then, Neville would smile and compliment her, but as soon as she would leave, the act would drop and he would begin his pacing again.

"Harry, what do you know about this Roger bloke?"

"He's a pretty decent bloke from what I can tell. He seems nice enough," he said truthfully.

"Why do you think he's suddenly so into Eloise?" he asked suspiciously. "I mean, why now? Why not before? It's sort of fishy?"

"Well, now he knows that she exists for starters. He's popular so he's mostly surrounded by a certain type of girl, the completely into looks and reputation sort. I mean, Cho was his date to ball. Eloise is probably one of the first girls he's met who actually has a personality," Harry said thoughtfully. Neville sat down on the bed miserably.

Eloise popped back in the room and Neville's solemn expression instantly transformed into a cheery grin.

"Okay, so here's the yellow skirt with the white shirt. Do you have it committed to memory?"

The two boys nodded and Eloise popped back out.

As soon as she was gone, Neville's expression turned depressed once more.

"Do you think they'll start dating a lot? You know, become a couple?" Neville asked weakly.

Harry looked at him sympathetically. "Why don't you tell her how you feel?" he suggested cautiously.

Neville's head shot up.

"Wh-what do you mean?" he stammered.

Harry quickly glanced at the door to make sure Eloise wasn't there. "That you fancy her," he whispered.

Neville's face went pale. He let out a forced chuckle and shifted uncomfortably. "What? I don't. Really! I don't," he insisted.

"Neville, it's obvi—" Harry abruptly shut his mouth as Eloise popped in again with her last outfit of consideration.

After a thoughtful discussion of all her outfits (by Eloise herself since the boys had secretly forgotten all the choices. They just nodded along with whatever she said) Eloise did her hair in her bedroom, which killed any chance of conversation between Neville and Harry.

As eight o' clock drew nearer, they made their way down to the living room. Eloise grew more and more nervous and Neville began to sight more and more often, leaving Harry to calm Eloise himself.

"Why is he asking me to go on a date? He has so many pretty popular girls after him! That sixth year, Mindy Morganson, obviously fancies him. He's got to know that! And she's bloody gorgeous! Oh, maybe I should have worn something differt," she said anxiously, pacing the room and jumping sideways into the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror every so often.

"Eloise, you look fine. He asked you out for a reason so stop worrying. Besides, er…" he tried to think of something that would make her feel better, "Mindy's an idiot with a fixation on shopping," he finished lamely, but it seemed to do the trick.

"Really?" she asked as though it was the sweetest thing anybody had ever said to her.

"Yup. Complete Cho clone."

He followed her into the bathroom as she played with her hair with a sigh.

"But um…Eloise? Are you sure this is your fate?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I just thought you were always a step ahead of the game with the romance stuff."

"I am," she said proudly.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, looking over to Neville. Eloise followed his gaze to find Neville looking at her sadly. When she caught his gaze he smiled fondly. He stood up and walked over.

"You look nice, Eloise. Roger won't know what hit him," he said with a forced smile.

Eloise was looking at him curiously when the bell rang over the fireplace, signaling that someone was Flooing in. A very handsome Roger stepped out with a smile.

"Hi Eloise. Hey there Harry," he added in surprise. "And…"

"Neville."

"Right, Eloise told me about you," he said charmingly. He pulled out a flower. "It's a Portkey," he explained to Eloise, "to take us to the restaurant."

"Well, you two have fun," Harry said. Neville managed a weak smile.

Roger held out the rose to Eloise. "Ready?"

She nodded and tentatively touched it, shooting a searching look over at Neville just before she disappeared.

Eloise's parents burst into the room with cameras.

"Oh shucks," Eloise's mum said disappointedly, "we missed them. I wanted to get pictures of our baby's first date!"

"She would have killed us, wouldn't she?" her dad asked.

The two boys nodded.

"All right, well you two have some cookies before you leave. I want to hear about what's been going on with you lately," Mrs. Midgen said warmly, leading the two boys into the kitchen.

A/N: Just a quick reminder to review!! They encourage me to update sooner, hint hint.

Wiccan PussyKat: lol, you know you love the cliffhangers, and I've left a few really steep ones throughout this fic, so watch your step! Lol. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the plot, and even if I had, it's all written down in my ratty tatty notebook and most of the fic's typed up! looks around as rabid fans look hungrily at the notebook and my computer. Celebony gulps There will be more of the Stensons soon, but as you said, they're not going to dominate the fic. They're very useful however. Of course Anna doesn't know better, but I'm occasionally afraid for her life with the things that pop out of her mouth. I babysit a four year old all the time so I know the random, and many times awkward, things that they say. Sev's trying, but he definitely has his moments where he slips back into Snape mode. He, like Sirius, is very unused to the parenting thing, and Snape hardly even knows how to have any human contact where he doesn't act like a bastard. We'll have to see where he goes. You are a sleuthy genius, or are you? Dun dun dun. Lol. I love your reviews, btw! They're very wonderful.

Velith: I'm glad you like the new characters. Yes they are Irish. Your plot summary sounds good! Good luck on the fic! I'll try to read it sometime this summer when I hopefully have more time. None of my friends like HP fanfiction either, nor do they even know I write it. I know what you mean, though. It would be very useful if they did.

ParanoiaIn2005: lol, yes, this cliffie is now very famous in my story. But it's so fun just to make Harry pass out and let everyone wonder why. I'm so glad you liked the date scene. It was majorly fun to write and I was hoping it would be fun to read as well. The thing with how Snape acts toward Anna is that he actually realizes that she's not one of his students. In fact, (don't tell him I told you this) he's actually a bit scared of her. He doesn't know how to act around her and wants to make a good impression with Laura. He's very lost with how to act around a rambunctious four-year-old. You've got to remember that Ginny hasn't had the same kind of previous interaction with Draco that the other Weasley boys have. Though he may have made an occasional snide comment to her, it's nothing compared to his rivalry with Ron, or even the twins which spurred from the Quidditch field. Lol, my mom and my aunt always sit around the pool drinking Margaritas, so I guess that's where I got the idea. I didn't want to give them hard liquor that would remind Harry of his uncle's drinking habits, and I figured it's about time for them to have a little fun. Oops, sometimes I miss little things like repeating a word too much. I'll try to be more careful, but thanks for pointing it out! I'm glad you like "Annabella's Song"!! I love it too! Everclear rocks.

EternallyMine: Lol, thank you! takes deep bow lol, won't be able to retake the chem test, but it's okay. Everyone always fails them anyways (my teacher's a combo of Binns and Snape. Boring and cruel), but thanks for the concern. Lol, one time I set the oven on fire. We're such good cooks, aren't we? Lol. I'm glad you're mad at Snape. So am I. He's got a long way to go, hasn't he? Ah, well, he's still in adjustment period and he figures Harry can take it. Ron and Draco are both very stubborn and not ready to put the past behind them, unfortunately. Lol, I love the famous last words. Very hilarious. I truly enjoy making characters eat their words. This fic, I'm especially cruel in that fashion. Once everyone finds out what happens, if they go back and reread it, they might find just how much I use the famous last words idea. Of course I don't want you to stop. I love your reviews. Keep up the great work!

Myr Halcyon: lol, yeah they are. LOL, the potter puppet pals are SOOOOOO funny. Lol, actually, many people are looking for a trigger. I've got a bunch of sleuths on my hands!! I love it! I'm glad you like Anna and her song. I'm really happy you're not trusting my characters, since that shows you've got a healthy suspicion that will come in very handy with the fic. Keep it up, Sherlock!

Ash of Mine (in a way, but there will be much more serious stuff later), Solus Ardere and Ranagirl (wow, that is a coincidence! No, the fic will not run into the school year but takes place entirely during the summer), Catiechan (I'm glad you like! Much Harry angst ahead, trust me), yellowpages, Rakella, Mickeymoose, angeli0722, SiriusWolf, gizachick, Kevin-McKay, lyss33, Crystal113, dana, Lindiel Eryn, Evil Unicorn, liz (lol, well, you'll see, but I love your guesses! Congrats about the art institute! That's awesome!), Serpent of Light (no problem! I'm glad you're reviewing now. I'm so glad you find my work original! I really try to make it so. Thanks for the awesome compliments!), bast4, pokie4389, Rocky235, shadowsfriend (I'm so happy to hear you can picture the scenes I write. That's really one of the ultimate compliments.), Savoy Truffle (cool, French computers!!), Didge (lol, me too. Sick Harry's just so fun. Actually, I agree with you on the ships, though I didn't when I started Recnac. But I'm glad to do an H/G since I really don't think there are many good ones out there. I want to put in my contribution toward that cause.), fantagal (run me over with a car? You sound like my brother. He took out our bushes the third day he had his permit. Lol), Gryphonmistress (definite H/G stuff, though it's not the central focus. This fic takes place entirely during the summer.), Mistress-Genari, Helen, KrijonLodgae (well, I hope to change your mind. Just be patient with this one and give it some time to develop, because I personally like this one better than Recnac. Of course, you're free to choose on your own, but don't abandon this one yet), Nemati, Nation El-Diablo, fairy, Mystic Phoenix, Von (we'll see…anyways, I type my story in Microsoft Word and save it as a web page. It's always worked with Recnac, but now it won't leave in my spaces. Oh well. I'll find ways around it.), Alternativelyspliced (lol, don't worry. I'm a person of extreme sarcasm, as may come through in my character's speech often times. I'm quite good at recognizing it, and sometimes even think I recognize it when it's not there. Lol. I'm very hard to offend that way. Never think that people are actually insulting me, lol.), ImaginaryFriendless (some things don't change, but some things just need time and perhaps a reason to change.), Agnes, Atticus J. Finch, Earthmom (I'm glad you like the length. I try to give you guys a lot with each update), EriEka127 (I love cliffies!), angel74 (hey you! When are you going to update?! Please, soon! Fave author of all time? Really? Wow, thank you!! Lol, yes, praise does actually motivate me to either update sooner, or at least work on my fic, which will lead to quicker updates of future chapters), atenakitty, ardicana (lol, don't worry, most people didn't figure that out for a while. I have a thing with backwards words. They're fun.), HarryandGinnyforever, Siri Kat, Arctic Wolf2 (so much it hurts? Well, I hope it "hurts so good" as Bob Seiger might sing. Lol. Thanks for the great compliment!), kneh13, Black-Rose1212, Serpentsattire, Ashes7, Lourdes1 (Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the sequel and I am trying very hard to make sure this one does not disappoint those who liked Recnac. I just hope everyone stays with it long enough to get into the depths of it. I do plan to plunge you all into the deep end soon.), therese, ratgirl, SillyGillie, HG/HrRFan2ever (no wandless magic, I assure you. Sorry! But trust me, it's for the best.), HappiGoLucki616 (yay! I'm glad you liked the Anna/Snape scene.)