Author's Note: Hey everyone! Long time no post, eh? London was great! I want to study abroad there in college! I went a little insane with the review responses, but what could I do, there were so many! And such good ones. I didn't feel much like writing when I came back, but when I was met with all those wonderful reviews, I got to it and well, here's a sixteen page chapter for you all!
An outsider would have said that things returned to normal after the next few days.
Mrs. Weasley wouldn't stand to go without visiting Harry for another day and tearfully burst into his room, sweeping him up into gentle hugs and planting motherly kisses in his hair, all the while asking about his health, and making her own assessments about it. She apologized for not protecting him better and not getting to him sooner. Harry assured her there was nothing she could have done, but the whole conversation seemed to make him feel worse rather than better, for some reason.
Fred and George also stopped in for a visit, and their seriousness and somber attitudes only made Harry feel extremely awkward. None of them seemed to know what to say and no one seemed in the mood for jokes.
Ginny's was perhaps the visit Harry enjoyed most. She just walked into his room and wordlessly wrapped her arms around his neck. He was thankful she didn't start crying, because he wasn't sure how to comfort her. She also seemed to sense that he wasn't in the mood to talk about what had happened or hear once again what a mess he looked like. Instead, she surprisingly pulled out a bunch of magazines and climbed into bed with Harry, both sitting up against his backboard. They spent the rest of the day taking quizzes out of the magazines, finding out what ice cream flavor they were (Harry was chocolate-crunch while Ginny was banana-rama), what their professions should be (Ginny got Auror, but Harry surprisingly got farmer, something they both had a good laugh about), and what their superpower would be (Harry got invisibility and Ginny got x-ray vision, and though it said it meant she had insight and could look under the surface to people's emotions, she insisted that it made her sound pervy and took the quiz again and adjusted her answers until she ended up with super-strength.)
Hr. Callahan had been shocked to find out what had happened and commended Snape on his healing job. He told Harry to take a day off, but two days later, they began the testing again, much to Harry's dismay.
Everyone seemed to have wordlessly agreed to not treat Harry differently and went back to acting the same around him, and Harry did his best to ignore the worried or sympathetic looks that occasionally slip onto someone's face.
The twins began to joke again, Harry began to laugh again, Mrs. Weasley went back to her normal level of fussing over him. It seemed as if everything was as it should be.
But there was something different.
It was hard to notice, but the subtle changes were there. The twins' jokes were almost always done for Harry's entertainment, though Harry hadn't realized it. Harry's laughs didn't sound quite as sincere as they once did and his smiles rarely met his eyes. Mrs. Weasley's fussing had lessened, but when Harry wasn't looking, she was often found staring at him with a sad expression, trying to judge how he was really doing.
Nobody had forgotten the incident, but tried to act like it never happened, for Harry's sake.
Sirius had taken after the twins, trying to make Harry forget his troubles through laughter, and poor Remus had been the victim of more pranks than he had ever thought possible.
Remus had been horrified at what had happened and wasn't so sure he was a fan of Sirius's "let Harry come to them when he's ready" philosophy. He pointed out that when they were kids, Remus had never come to his friends about his being a werewolf, even when he could have used the comfort, and probably never would have if they hadn't figured it out themselves and come to him. Sirius insisted that this was different, that Harry trusted Sirius enough to come to him when he was ready.
Though Remus wanted to stay and try to help Harry, he had already planned and booked a trip to go see his parents. He couldn't get out of it, because it had to be between full moons and the next space for that would be the second half of August, and that was too close to school starting since he had to prepare his lessons and such for the new school year.
Before he left, he sat Harry down for a quick talk.
"Hey Harry, how are you doing?" he asked gently.
Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Fine, how are you?" he came back with his standard answer.
"Harry," he said seriously, "you know, Sirius is there for you to talk to. He's your godfather and he loves you very much. It's just that sometimes, he just handles things wrong because he's trying so hard to do what's right."
Harry looked down at his comforter and began picking at a stray thread. "That's alright. I don't need to talk with him about anything," he said quietly.
Remus looked at him sadly. "Harry, let me explain some things about Sirius so you might be able to understand him better."
Harry looked up and nodded curiously.
"Sirius…well, Sirius never got along with his parents and then he was out on his own when he was sixteen when he ran away to here. I'm sure you know some of this, but he's never really that open about it, so I just want to make sure you understand completely. Sirius had a decent home life until he got to about thirteen. That's when he started going against his families political views. They were all for getting rid of Muggleborns and thought Muggles were evil, but then at school, Sirius was friends with a bunch of Muggleborns and half-bloods. I'm a half-blood, you know, and we were pretty good friends, so he wasn't too keen on getting rid of us. Plus, his best friend, your father, was absolutely smitten with a Muggleborn, who would, of course, be your mum, so Sirius was always blabbing on about Lily Evans as well. His parents would be spouting out their views and Sirius would always argue with them about it with more and more ferocity until they completely turned on him. They really gave him a hard time. They sort of shut him out of the family. They ignored him, stopped inviting him home for the holidays, and always compared him to his brother. And when Sirius had enough, he just left. His relationship with them was already so strained that everyone was pretty relieved about it.
"Sirius dealt with it pretty well. He had us. He stayed with James and his parents for a while before moving out here, and I know they took him right in, but the whole thing left its mark. Sirius sort of distanced himself from it all and refused any comfort from anyone. He just wanted to forget it, so he threw himself into pranks and friends and school, all to get his mind off how his family, his own parents, had just rejected him. And now, he hasn't the slightest clue how to give comfort. He was never taught how. He's avoided serious subjects for so long that I think he's forgotten that they still exist and just wants to believe that everything can be healed with laughter. Especially after Azkaban.
"I don't know if you really understand what an impact that had on him, but it was thirteen years of living in his own personal nightmares. Now, I think he just wants everything to be happy and perfect to escape that depression he was caught in and he refuses to acknowledge that things might not always be perfect and happy. Do you see what I mean?"
Harry nodded. He now felt guilty for being so selfish. He had been acting all depressed when Sirius couldn't handle something like that.
"You also have to understand that Sirius, in a way, is still mentally in his early twenties. He was put in Azkaban when he was twenty-one and time just moves differently in there. There's this huge gap in time in his life and I don't think he always grasps that it's there. It's sort of like he was thrown fifteen years into the future and is now handed all these responsibilities like being a father-figure to you and being a mature thirty-six year old, and he's not quite ready for it. He's not quite sure what he's doing, but he's trying, Harry. Just give him a little while to figure things out. You can still go to him; I want you to know that. Don't be deterred by any nervousness Sirius might have. He needs it just as much as you do, okay?"
Harry nodded again and Remus smiled at him. Secretly, Harry thought going to Sirius with any problems seemed like the last thing in the world Sirius needed at the moment.
"Sirius does care, Harry. He would die for you in a second, even if he doesn't know how to show it in the conventional way. And remember you can always owl me while I'm at my parents if you need someone to talk to, alright?"
Harry nodded with a forced smile. "Thanks Remy, I'll remember."
"Come here kiddo," Remus said, holding his arms out for a hug.
Harry awkwardly hugged him, but after a few moments found himself desperately wishing that Remus wasn't leaving right now. But of course Harry couldn't ask him to stay just for him.
"Take care, Harry, and I'll see you in three weeks, okay?" Remus said, sounding a bit reluctant to leave.
Harry nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
And then Remus was gone.
...
Harry woke in the middle of the night shaking with fright and frantically pushing his covers away in fear that they were really hands trying to strangle him. He had had another nightmare, as he did every night now. He looked around and made sure Uncle Vernon wasn't somewhere in the room.
He laid back down and tried to get back to sleep, but didn't really want to close his eyes. He didn't want to relive the nightmares again.
It seemed that the night at the Stensons had opened the floodgates for horrible dreams, and none of them were about villains from scary movies. Now, he was once again having nightmares about Cedric dying in the graveyard in his fourth year. There were dreams where Snape told him that he hadn't really given Harry a cure and that he was going to die within a few minutes and ones with Sirius getting fed up and bringing him back to the Dursleys. He dreamed about his uncle the most, with both real memories and others that his mind made up, where Uncle Vernon found him at the Lighthouse and was trying to kill him.
That particular night, he had dreamed that he had walked into the kitchen to find Sirius talking with Uncle Vernon, where the large, beefy man had just finished convincing Harry's godfather that Harry was nothing but a horrible freak and a burden. Sirius had agreed and told Vernon to take Harry back to Privet Drive. The dream then flashed to Harry, lying in his bed at the Lighthouse in the middle of the night. He had heard a creak and looked over to find Uncle Vernon coming out from his closet, a bloodied knife gleaming in his hand.
"You should be dead," he had said calmly.
Harry had looked down in horror at his stomach to find it covered with blood right before he woke up, relieved to find that he did not, in reality, have a stab wound.
He didn't know why, but nights made him feel so lonely. Lying there in the dark by himself reminded him of when he was younger, being frightened to death in his cupboard, but being locked in and having no one to go to even if he wasn't. He remembered how he always used to hear Dudley run across the hallway to his parents' room and climb into bed with them as they comforted him. Harry had always felt such jealously at those times and would try to imagine that instead of his cupboard, he was really in his parents' bed, that they were still alive, chuckling on either side of him and telling him that he had nothing to worry about because they would keep him safe.
That's what he wanted to do right now, go run into Sirius's room and have Sirius worriedly ask him what was wrong and let him stay for the night so Harry didn't have to be alone.
But he was too old for that, of course. The last thing he wanted was for Sirius to think he couldn't handle things himself or that he was some annoying little kid to take care of. Just as Remus said, Sirius wasn't ready to be a father-figure and Harry wasn't about to force him into it.
On the other hand, he just wanted some company. He felt so alone.
Harry fought desperately against it, but soon found himself quietly getting out of bed.
He knew it wasn't good to be doing this. It was a sign of weakness and he would be mortified if Sirius ever found out. He felt disgusted with himself for being so afraid and needy. Nevertheless, he nervously tiptoed downstairs and down the hall.
He held his breath and gently pushed open the door, finding Sirius lying in his bed, completely asleep. After a moment's indecision, Harry slipped in and sat down on the floor at the foot of the bed, letting Sirius's mere presence keep thoughts of his uncle at bay.
Merely sitting there, listening to his godfather breath and occasionally turn over, relaxed him more than he would have imagined. He felt so much safer and relieved to have someone there.
Harry knew it was a bit dangerous, but he hadn't been sleeping much lately and needed it so desperately. He hadn't felt this safe about going to sleep since the incident at the Stensons a few days before. For once, he thought the nightmares might stay away. Besides, he always woke before Sirius anyway.
He tiredly lied down on the floor at the foot of the bed, so Sirius wouldn't be able to see him if he woke up for some reason, and quickly fell asleep, using his arm as a pillow.
True enough, Harry woke up at the first signs of daybreak, hours before Sirius would be waking up. He silently tiptoed out of the room and made his way back to his own, scolding himself the whole time for what he had done, even if he had gotten away with it.
He changed into his clothes and picked up one of Kota's Muggle books she had lent him on her campaign to re-introduce him to literature, since he had hardly read a single fictional book since he had started Hogwarts. He felt more awake than he had in days, but felt guilty about needing to run to his godfather to get that rest.
Finally, the sun came up enough that Harry could go down and start breakfast, promising himself that it wouldn't happen again.
...
Snape took a sip of his tea and leaned back into the couch. He had just finished telling Laura what had happened with Harry and she was taking a moment to digest it.
"I just can't believe that someone would do that, especially to Harry," she said while she watched Anna gleefully play with a fake cauldron with toy ingredients to through into it.
Snape sighed. "I know, and I can tell it's affecting him poorly but his joke of a godfather can't see it. The last time I saw him, when he came over to see Draco, he was so…different. You could tell just by looking at him. He was fidgeting a lot and looked nervous. It was as if he were afraid he'd do something or say something wrong. Draco said he was really quiet and would just agree with Draco on everything, even where he would normally disagree. And when I was tutoring the two in potions, everything I asked them to do, Harry would jump to do it without any resistance, where the boys usually try to get the other to do it, or at least be more relaxed about it. He was so…overly compliant. Merlin, I would rather be back to the way we used to be where he would glare at me and be defiant," he said with a sigh.
"You're worried about him," Laura said, trying to prompt him into admitting it.
"No, I just…" he stopped and thought about it for a second. "Well, yes. Yes, I am worried about him. He's already done such idiotic things before…" He trailed off with a frown, thinking about the cancer and the self-sacrifice to stop Voldemort.
"I see. He did those things because he has a problem with self-worth," Laura said sadly, smiling at Anna who began running over with a fake jar of bat wings.
"Yes, I think so," Snape said, sipping his tea.
"Sev, is this bait?" Anna asked, holding up the jar and pointing at the word "bat".
"That's bat wings, Anna," Snape answered without any annoyance in his voice. He had gotten used to Anna in the past few weeks, and had even grown quite fond of her, though he would never admit it.
"Sev, will you teach me potions one day?" she asked hopefully, blinking up at him with her big blue eyes.
"Anna," Laura said with an indignant smile, "would you rather have Sev teach you potions than me?"
Anna nodded. "Mummy, he teaches potions to kids! And he's more funny than you."
Laura burst out laughing at the look on Snape's face with that declaration and Anna giggled, climbing up onto Snape's lap and burying her face into his chest.
"You're so snuggly, Sev," she informed him. This made Laura laugh even harder.
"Well, that's certainly not something I've been called before," Snape said, a bit taken aback.
"You know, Sev," Laura said quietly, "maybe it would be good for Harry to spend a bit of time with Anna. It would help him feel needed, and Anna adores him. You know how affectionate she is, and maybe Harry needs that right now, especially from someone he won't feel awkward about. Maybe during your next Order meeting, I could take Draco out and Anna could stay with Harry at his house so he doesn't have to feel awkward about coming here."
Anna perked up. "Harry's going to baby-sit me? When? When? I want to see Harry! I love Harry! He plays with me and tells me stories when he puts me to bed and he makes cheesy things!" she squealed happily.
Snape and Laura exchanged a knowing look and Snape nodded to let Laura know that she was, as usual, right.
...
Snape looked up from searching through a stack of papers as he heard a soft knock on the doorframe. Harry was standing there shyly. Anna, who had been gleefully looking at all the potions ingredients through the windows of Snape's storage cupboards, looked up and squealed in delight.
"Harry!!" she cried happily and raced across the room until she slammed into Harry's legs, wrapping her arms around them in a hug.
"Hey Anna," Harry said with a grin. He looked up at the Potions master. "Um, you were running late so I thought I'd just pick Anna up to save you the trip. Did you lose something?" he asked, watching Snape lift up folders and shifting through papers, looking quite stressed.
"Yes. I had a few reports for the Order that I seem to have misplaced," he said as he looked through his desk drawers again. "I don't understand where it went. I'm usually so organized and I could have sworn it was right here," he said, pointing at a spot on his desk.
"What did it look like?" Harry asked, letting Anna hold onto his hands, walk up his legs and flip over backwards.
"It's a dark green folder with a bunch of papers in it, but I've searched everywhere," Snape said, looking a bit lost.
"Anna," Harry asked, "have you seen a dark green folder that was on Professor Snape's desk?"
"You mean Sev?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Yes. Did you maybe take a folder off his desk?"
Anna looked up at him guiltily. "Um…."
"You're not in any trouble, but Professor Snape really needs to know where it is," Harry said gently.
"I'll go get it," she said, running out of the room.
Harry and Snape were left together and Harry shifted awkwardly and played with the bottom of his shirt.
"So, how are you?" Snape asked in a business-like tone, obviously not used to asking these types of questions. Harry looked up, surprised at the abnormal question from the Potions master. He moved his gaze away again to break eye contact.
"Fine, and you?" he asked, quickly turning the focus away from himself.
Snape just nodded, his inquiry not going as planned.
Anna rushed back in, sheepishly handing over the green folder to Snape, who sighed in relief.
"Now Anna," he said sternly, "don't take things off my desk anymore. They're very important. If you want folders or paper to play with, just ask me, alright?"
Anna nodded. "I'm sorry, Sev. Are you mad?"
"No, I'm not. I just don't want it to happen again."
"It won't, I promise," Anna said sincerely. "Sev, can you give me pigtails real quick pretty please?" she asked eagerly, tugging out the ribbon in her hair to take down her ponytail.
"Pig tails?" Snape asked in confusion, glancing over to his potions ingredients.
Anna nodded expectantly.
"I don't think I have any, and I don't want you playing with potions ingredients anyway," Snape said firmly. Anna looked at him in confusion and Harry grinned.
"No, in my hair," she said, pointing to her head.
Snape looked at her as if she had gone mental. "What would you want pig tails in your hair for?" he asked, perplexed.
"It's a girl's hair style," Harry informed him.
"Oh no, I don't do hair," Snape said firmly as if someone had just asked him to hand over his masculinity on a platter.
Anna looked at Harry hopefully.
"I don't know how, Anna, but we'll see if we can figure something out," he said, taking her hand as she held it out to him.
"Thank you, Harry. You're the nicest brother ever," she said, looking up at him fondly as the three of them walked to the fireplace.
"Brother?" he asked in surprise.
"Yup. You and Draco are my new brothers because I said so. And you're the nicest and Draco's the funniest, like Sev!"
Snape looked back her and then up at Harry.
"She's mental," he said seriously. Anna covered her mouth as she burst out into giggles. Harry grinned.
"Laura wanted me to tell you thank you for doing this," Snape said when they reached the fireplace.
"Oh, it's not a problem," Harry assured him, picking Anna up into his arms as he prepared to Floo away.
"And I…I want to thank you as well," Snape said awkwardly. Harry once again looked up at him in surprise.
"You're, uh, you're welcome," he said quickly as he tossed the powder into the flames, stepping in as they turned green. Anna pinched her nose and squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into Harry's shoulder as he called out, "the Lighthouse."
Snape sighed and flooed to one of the regular spots for the Order meetings.
.
After making grilled cheese sandwiches and playing spies with Anna for a bit, he attempted to give her pigtails, but for the life of him, couldn't figure out how to get the whole thing to work.
"Harry, you're not good at pigtails," Anna finally concluded, "but I love you anyways." She turned around in the chair she'd been standing on and hugged Harry around the neck, giving him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
"You know what?" Harry said thoughtfully. "I have an idea."
.
A few minutes later, Hermione flooed over. Anna peered out at her from behind Harry's legs.
"Anna, this is Hermione. Why don't you go say hello?" Harry encouraged her.
Anna looked up at him questioningly. "Is she nice?"
"Oh yes, very nice," he said with a nod. Hermione grinned at him.
"Is she your girlfriend?" she asked. Harry and Hermione looked at each other and laughed.
"No, she's not my girlfriend. She's one of my best friends," he informed her. "So go say hi!"
Anna shyly looked up at her. "'Lo."
"Hello there, Anna," Hermione said with a smile.
"Hermione knows loads of good stories," Harry said enticingly. Anna's eyes lit up.
"Really?" she asked, looking up at Hermione in wonder.
"Oh yeah. She told me stories for hours when I was sick last year," Harry said, looking up at Hermione who smiled sadly in remembering it.
Anna stepped out from behind Harry and looked at Hermione intently, as if deeply examining her.
"So you can do pigtails?" she asked skeptically.
"I can do pigtails," Hermione said, suppressing a grin.
"I guess you're okay then," she finally announced. She grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her along toward the bathroom, Harry following along behind.
.
After doing Anna's hair, Hermione stayed for a while longer.
Harry put Anna to bed in his room, and quickly told her a story from a movie he had seen at the Stensons' blushing each time he looked up to see Hermione watching him in fond amusement.
"Okay, Anna," Harry said quietly to the half-asleep girl, "I'll come check on you in a bit and if you need anything, I'll be downstairs."
Anna nodded sleepily and Harry and Hermione quietly left the room. The two went downstairs and quietly talked over tea.
A little later, the four Weasleys flooed in, claiming they were taking a break from doing work for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, not admitting that they had all been worried about Harry having to be alone. They were a bit surprised to find Hermione there, but Fred and George conjured up a few more chairs and Harry put on another pot of tea and they all sat around talking.
At one point, Harry looked up, swearing he had just seen something move near the kitchen door. He watched a little longer, and sure enough, Anna's small head peered into the kitchen, pigtails starting to come out, looking nearly asleep where she stood.
"Anna?" Harry asked, halting conversation as everyone looked over to where the small four-year-old stood shyly by the doorframe.
"Harry, can you come check on me now?" she asked sleepily. "Or can I stay up with you for a little while? Please?"
Harry smiled at her. "Alright, come on," he relented, waving her over.
Anna hurried over and scrambled onto his lap, lying back against him. Fred waved at her from across the table, and she tiredly waved back before snuggling into Harry's chest.
When Harry finally carried the sleeping girl upstairs, everyone looked at Ginny's adoring face and laughed.
"Hey Gin, he's good with kids, too!" Fred teased quietly.
"Yeah, better not let mum see him like that or she may order you two to go reproduce instantly," George mused.
Ginny gave him a look that said that she might not mind all that much.
"Gin!" Ron sputtered in horror. "Get your mind out of the gutter. This is my best friend we're talking about here!"
"Well just think, Ron," Ginny said, "you know Mum would die for grandchildren, and right now, you and Fred are the only ones with girlfriends. I'd watch out, Hermione."
Hermione laughed, Ron blushed deeply, and Ginny just smirked, taking a bite from another biscuit.
....
Snape and Laura sat at a small table outside of a quaint little restaurant, watching as Harry, Ginny and Draco walked around, gazing through the windows of all the stores that were in sight of the two adults.
Harry had come with Snape, Laura and Draco to Diagon Alley for the day, where they had run into the Weasleys. Laura volunteered herself and Snape to look after the four redhead teenagers while Molly and Arthur did their shopping. The Weasley parents were to meet them after lunch at the restaurant the bunch were now at, and Snape couldn't wait until they arrived to take their kids away.
Ron, Fred and George were still eating a few tables over. They had refused to speak to Draco or even be around him all day. Ron especially was in a sour mood. While the twins chose to simply avoid the blonde, Ron couldn't help but glaring daggers at him whenever his back was turned.
"Wow, look at the newest broom model!" Ginny said in awe. "The Lightningstrike 2000."
Immediately, the two boys were at her side.
"Wow," Harry said almost lovingly. "It's just…wow."
Ginny and Draco grinned at each other.
Harry turned around and gestured across the street for Ron to come over. Ron shook his head and pointed at his food to show that he wasn't done. Of course he hadn't touched his food in ten minutes, but Harry didn't need to know that.
Harry gestured more insistently for him to come over and pointed excitedly toward the window. Ron just shook his head and turned to the twins to break eye contact with Harry.
The raven-haired boy sighed sadly and turned back around.
"Don't worry, Harry," Ginny said sympathetically. "Same with you, Draco. Ron's just…well he's being a bit of a prat right now."
"No, he just needs time to adjust to all this," Harry said defensively. "Don't worry, he'll come around."
"Well, it's fine with me," Draco said bitterly. "This way, I don't have to deal with him and his little temper tantr…"
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" came a snotty female voice from behind them.
The three whirled around to find themselves face to face with four Slytherins. Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott were obviously the leaders, with Crabbe and Goyle as their bodyguards.
.
Back at the restaurant, Snape saw what was going on and started to get up, but Laura pulled him back down.
"Sev, if it gets out of control, we'll go, but Draco's going to have to face them sometime and it might as well be now when we're here."
.
"You're friends with Potter?! Wow, Draco, you've really gone downhill, haven't you?" Pansy asked smugly. "You became a traitor for what? Two low-class, Muggle-loving Gryffindors. Pathetic."
"No, pathetic would describe your insults. I mean really, Pansy, is that the best you can come up with? Oh wait, I'm sorry. That probably took you a week to come up with. I'm sorry, sometimes I just forget that you're a little…you know…slow," Draco retorted.
Pansy scowled at him.
"At least I haven't become the black sheep of my family. At least I have what it takes to bring honor to my family name, while you don't even have a family name to uphold any longer since you were rejected from yours," she sneered.
"I do happen to have a family name now, Pansy," Draco spat. "It's Snape, but that's a bit out of your league since it actually means something, rather unlike the Parkinson name. What values do your family uphold again? Find the richest possible spouse and latch on?"
Pansy glared at him, but Draco glared right back.
Harry and Ginny watched in near wonder at how high-class people verbally sparred.
"Even your friends have realized what a waste you are, Draco," Nott said coldly. "Isn't that right, you two?"
Crabbe and Goyle nodded and cracked their knuckles menacingly. Draco rolled his eyes.
"Oh yes, you should be so proud to have those two. Where did you find them? In an alleyway chasing their tails, not knowing what to do without someone to tell them what to do? I'll be sure to let you know if I have any other rejected leftovers you might want to pick up," Draco said.
"You know, Draco," said Nott maliciously, "you always thought you were so great, but you're really just nothing. Even your father saw you were a piece of trash he needed to filter out of the family."
A pained look flittered across Draco's face and Harry lost his temper. He stepped forward, twisted his arm back and punched Nott hard in the face.
Pansy shrieked as Nott grabbed his bloody nose. Ginny and Draco pulled Harry back before he could lunge at Nott.
At this point, the Weasley boys ran over to watch the scene, trying to see what was going on.
"I see they even fight in a low-class way," Pansy spat. "What barbarians."
"Oh yeah, because Crabbe and Goyle are really good at using their verbal intellect in fights," Harry said sarcastically. The two large boys growled at him and cracked their knuckles.
"Come on," said Draco sharply, "Let's just get out of here. They're not worth the effort."
"Wait, before you go, let me see if I can get this little arrangement straight," Pansy said with an evil grin. "So Potter, you protect Draco from bullies, while he protects you from who?"
Harry looked at her bizarrely and began to walk away.
"Hmm…your uncle maybe?" she asked wickedly.
The Weasleys' jaws dropped and Draco looked shocked. Harry froze in his tracks and whipped back around. "What?"
The four Slytherins grinned evilly.
"Your Gryffindor buddies might be complete idiots, Potter, but Slytherins actually have brains, and eyes," Pansy said haughtily.
"Plus, we've heard some interesting things through the grapevine. I mean when Hogwarts has a bunch of people in it trying to rebuild wards, its not all that inconspicuous to have Professor Snape running through the castle carrying your bloody, unconscious body right after Dumbledore had told everyone you were at your relatives," said Nott.
"Hey, you two shut your mouths," Draco snapped. "This is between us so don't go dragging Harry into it just because you can't think of anything to say to me."
"Okay then, Draco," Pansy said with a sneer, "how does it feel to be friends with someone who can't defend himself against a Muggle. Or maybe he didn't even try. Maybe he liked it."
"Be quiet you low-class bitch!" Draco barked.
"Poor little Potter," Nott continued wickedly, "lying down and letting yourself be beaten by your uncle while your whore mother is decaying away in a grave somewhere, with worms crawling around in her eye sockets and…"
Harry lunged at Nott in fury and tackled him to the ground, throwing punches at every place he could reach.
"Go Harry!" the Weasley boys yelled. "Beat the shit out of him!"
Ginny pushed up her sleeves, raced forward and jumped on Pansy. The Slytherin girl shrieked as Ginny gave her a split lip and pulled at her hair. The Weasley boys cheered for their sister.
Suddenly, Crabbe and Goyle ran toward Draco to attack him, but right before they could reach him, they were tackled from the side by the three Weasley boys. Draco jumped into the fray to help keep the two monster-sized boys down and to get some small revenge for the two turning on him.
Nott and Harry were rolling around on the ground, having the most intense fight of them all, trying to cause each other as much pain as possible. Harry knew from being beat up by Dudleys gang which places hurt the most to be hit in, and how to make his fist cause the most pain. He was almost thankful Dudley and his crew had taught him this, even when they didn't mean to.
Of course, Nott was putting up a good fight himself and kept flipping himself on top of Harry to gain the advantage of height, but then Harry would manage to flip them over again.
Harry hardly noticed when somebody's arms slid around him until he was lifted off of Nott, still trying to punch and kick him. He tried to escape the arms that were holding him back, but couldn't break free.
Nott hurriedly got to his feet and spit blood onto the ground. Blood was gushing down from his nose and his clothes were ripped and streaked with dirt. Harry was pleased to see that in a few hours, Nott would have a shining black eye. Of course, he knew he probably wasn't in a much better condition, but didn't really care.
"Maybe you can get Professor Snape to give you that arse-kicking he's been dying to give you since first year. That way, you'll feel more at home," Nott spat furiously.
Harry lunged at him, but was roughly pulled back.
"Nott!" growled an irate Snape as he struggled to keep a hold of Harry. "When school begins again, I will take points and give detention every time you breathe! I will have you expelled if it's the last thing I do!"
Nott just glared at the professor and turned back to Harry.
"You seem to have a thirst for violence, Potter. Maybe you're more like your uncle than you'd like to believe," he said nastily.
Harry froze in horror, letting the words sink in.
"NOTT!" Snape bellowed, whipping out his wand, while keeping a hold on Harry with the other even though the Gryffindor boy was no longer fighting to escape. "Get out of here before I curse you so hard your ancestors will feel it."
"As a professor, you can't threaten me, I'm a student," Nott said superciliously.
"Watch me," Snape said with his best glare.
Nott gulped and immediately ran off with a hysterical Pansy and their two dazed bodyguards.
Snape grabbed Harry's shoulders and turned him around to face him.
Harry looked over at the other teenagers. Apparently, the Weasley parents had finally arrived, because they were now with their kids, fussing over their wounds and listening to their explanations. Laura was with Draco, who looked quite proud of himself.
"Harry, Harry what happened?" Snape asked, trying to hide his concern.
Harry refused to meet his eyes. "Nothing import…"
"Is that Harry Potter?" he heard a voice from behind.
"Merlin's beard it is!" someone else exclaimed, grabbing more people's attention.
Harry's eyes widened in panic. He couldn't help but look back.
A crowd was gathering. There were a bunch of teenage girls that began screaming with glee and pointing. Tourists began pulling out cameras and everyone seemed to be searching for a quill.
"Oh shit," Snape cursed.
Laura ran up and threw her cloak over Harry's head. She pulled him around so hers and Sev's bodies were between him and the crowd.
"Draco, come here!" she yelled. "Quick! Ron, Arthur, you too!"
Harry heard footsteps running up.
"Sev, throw your cloak over Draco, and put yours over Ron, Arthur. No wait, let's swap because mine's slightly different and they saw me put it over Harry."
The cloak was lifted from Harry's head and he momentarily saw Ron before the cloak was thrown over the redhead. Draco already had Snape's cloak over him and the Potions master was looking over his shoulder worriedly.
Harry was plunged into darkness once again as a cloak was put over his head.
"Now they're coming. We've got to scatter and hopefully separate this little mob up. Sev, take Draco to the potions shop, I know the owner has a Floo in the back. I'm going to take Harry to the one in the Leaky Cauldron. Arthur, just take Ron and run. It'll throw them off and they won't know who to follow. Go!" she yelled.
Harry felt her grab his hand and he started running blindly after her as she pulled him along.
"Turning right!" she announced as Harry felt himself being pulled to the right. "Okay, it looks like we've only got a small fraction of them after us. I figured they wouldn't think you'd be coming with me. We've got a few screaming girls who seem to want you to marry them, what looks like a reporter, and a few excited tourists. Left!"
Harry was tugged to the left. He was actually glad for the run. His leftover adrenaline from the fight was being used up and he felt his bad mood lessening as long as he didn't think about the images of his mother that Nott had put in his head…or that last comment of his.
"Harry! Harry is that you?" he heard a slightly out-of-breath voice call from behind.
"Tourist, it looks like," Laura informed him.
"Harry! I love you! Marry me!" a young female voice shouted.
Harry's jaw dropped and Laura burst out laughing.
"Going left!" she called.
"What was the fight about, Harry?" a male voice yelled. Harry assumed that was the reporter.
"Oh Merlin, those teenage girls are really determined. They're closing in," Laura gasped.
Right when Harry was thinking how bizarre it must look for a mob to be chasing after someone with a cloak over their head, Harry felt the cloak being ripped away.
He looked back as he continued to run, seeing some teenage girl right behind him cradling the cloak to her chest. As soon as the girls saw his face, they began screaming wildly and cameras began clicking.
"It's Harry Potter!" they shrieked to everyone around, creating an even larger mob and attracting practically every teenage girl in the vicinity to join the strange little marathon.
"I love you, Harry! We're meant for each other! I never believed that Cho Chang girl! Owl me! Venetia Carter at 1616 Covert Place!"
"Come back Harry! Please!"
"Just one kiss!"
"Just let me touch your hand!"
"Harry, make out with me!"
Harry was sure he even heard one girl sobbing. He looked back in horror at the girl bawling as she raced along with her friends.
"Sorry, can't stop right now," he apologized as he ran. "Please don't cry."
Of course, this only made the girl sob harder. Harry's eyes grew wide.
"He's so sweet!" they all cooed.
"Laura," he said quietly, "they're insane."
"They're just…whew…they're just excited to see a famous…person," she gasped. "That's it. I need to go to the gym. We're almost there, Harry."
They pushed passed some people who were coming through the brick barrier and burst into the Leaky Cauldron. Laura yelled for Tom to throw some Floo powder into the fire. She pulled Harry forward and gave him a small push into the emerald flames.
"Snape Manor!" Harry gasped, just as the small mob burst into the pub.
Harry fell out of the fireplace and somehow landed on his back. He lied there for a second to catch his breath before climbing to his feet. Laura spilled out of the fireplace, tripping over a log. Harry pulled her up.
"Some whacko just asked me if I was your girlfriend," she said incredulously. Harry burst out laughing as the two collapsed on the couch to catch their breath.
"People are weird," Harry panted.
Seconds later, Draco emerged from the fireplace, followed by a harassed-looking Snape.
The blonde grinned at Harry in amusement.
"Oh Harry!" he said, putting on a high-pitched voice. "Marry me, Harry! Let me kiss your wounds! I want you to be the father of my children, Harry!"
"Shut it Draco," Harry said warningly. Draco, of course, paid him no attention.
"Oh Harry, I'm your soul mate! I dream about you day and night! I have your picture blown up above my bed, Harry, and I look at it every night and tell you my deepest, darkest secrets. Oh Harry, I want your hot body," Draco mocked dramatically.
Harry put on a flattered look. "Aw Draco, I never knew you felt that way."
The blonde made a face at him and plopped down on a chair laughing. Snape rolled his eyes.
"Alright, you two, let's go to my lab so I can heal you up," he said.
The two pulled themselves to their feet and followed the potions master, only to collapse back down onto the couch in there.
Snape tried healing Harry first, fixing him up pretty well, but wasn't able to completely heal a cut below his eye.
"That's the best I can do," he said regretfully before moving to his godson.
"Uh uh, Sev," Draco said, shaking his head, "I earned this," he said proudly, pointing to the shallow cut on the side of his forehead. "It felt good to beat the crap out of Crabbe and Goyle and I'm not getting rid of the only evidence of it."
Snape raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
"Teenagers," he muttered.
"Professor? You're not going to tell Sirius about what happened, are you?" Harry asked hopefully.
"How else are you going to explain that cut?"
"I'll just tell him a little about the fight, but I was sort of hoping to play it down…a lot. Please?" Harry asked.
Snape sighed. "Fine, I won't tell him. If he asks, I'll just tell him there was a small fight, and won't elaborate."
"Promise?"
"Yes, yes. I promise," he said with a roll of the eyes.
"Thank you so much," Harry said sincerely.
"Yeah, yeah, you two get cleaned up. You look a disgrace."
"No kidding. I hope this doesn't stain," Draco grumbled looking in disgust at the dirt and blood on his clothes.
"You're a real warrior, Draco," Harry said sarcastically, causing Snape to let out a small laugh.
The two boys looked at him in surprise, and for a moment, everything was still.
"Did you just…" Draco started.
"No. Go get cleaned up," Snape said sharply before leaving the room.
Draco and Harry exchanged a look and snickered.
.
Back in Diagon Alley, Ron and Mr. Weasley had somehow gotten separated and the mob that had been chasing them finally cornered Ron, ripping the cloak away from the redhead. The adults groaned in disappointment and walked away, but the teenage girls giggled.
"Hi. You're Harry's best friend, aren't you? Ron Weasley?" one girl giggled.
"Er…yeah. Hi," Ron said awkwardly.
"You're kinda cute," a blonde said running a hand through his hair.
"I am?" Ron choked out.
"Oh yeah. I think red hair is very sexy," a brunette cooed.
Ron gulped.
"Umm…well, actually, I have a girlfriend."
"Awww," the girls pouted in disappointment.
"Well, just in case you break up with her, here's my name and address," an pretty Asian girl giggled, pulling out a black marker. The girls pinned his arm to the wall as she wrote her information on his skin with the words "Owl Me, Sexy!" scrawled underneath. The other girls took turns with the marker, while Ron sputtered that he had a girlfriend.
One yanked his shirt up slightly to reveal his stomach, causing Ron to blush crimson.
"Ooh, nice abs," she cooed, writing her information big across his stomach as the others played with his hair and planted kisses on his cheeks and forehead. "You must play sports."
"I-I'm a Keeper on a Quidditch team. Wait, I-I have a girlfriend," he sputtered, half-heartedly trying to wiggle away.
"It's okay, cutie, we know that. We're just introducing ourselves," one with chin-length hair said, tweaking him on the nose with a giggle.
"Oh," Ron got out weakly.
"Alright girls, off my son. That's right, move along," Mr. Weasley said, finally finding his son. He grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him out of the group of girls as they pouted. He stumbled out, lipstick kiss marks all over his cheeks and forehead and girlie writing all over his arms. His clothes and hair were rumpled.
"Bye Ron!" they giggled, waving.
Ron waved back at them weakly, still a bit stunned, as his dad led him away.
"They think I'm cute," Ron said in shock. His dad patted his head fondly and chuckled.
Wiccan PussyKat: hahaha, you make me feel so special! LOL, you daydream about my updates?? That's hilarious. (I do the same thing sometimes. Shh!) Lol, looks like you've been being a pretty darn good sleuth! I'll get a bit more into Harry's dreams later, as I've just thought up a scene that has to do with it that I need to add later into the story. Snape's got some issues himself that he needs to deal with if he's going to help Harry. Yeah, unfortunately, the people Harry needs to help him right now all seem to have some issues of their own: Snape, Sirius, even Ron to an extent, though you'll see more of that later. No, I didn't do a court room scene, I just didn't think there would be much I could do to make it original and it would be stepping away from the plot a bit, not that I don't do that occasionally, but that's not the point. Right…even though Petunia and Dudley SUCK, there's not much the courts can do about it, so they'll just have to deal with Petunia finding a job (GASP!) and Dudley not having everything he wants (amazing!) Plus, if Petunia has to work, and Harry's gone, who's going to do the cleaning and cooking? Dudley's going to get to feel how it is to do some work around the house, woo hoo! I didn't forget to update, even though it's been awhile, I know. I've been working on it like a fiend ever since I got home though! I promise!
ImaginaryFriendless: Well hopefully this chapter gave you some more insight into why Sirius is acting the way he is. You must remember, as loveable as Sirius is, it's just as you said: nobody's perfect. He has to learn how to do this stuff just like everyone else and he doesn't know the miracle cure. Yeah, Snape's another who's not perfect. He's trying but he's a bit lost as well and needs to learn a lot in order to help Harry. Lol, don't worry, I'll hand out Britishisms to all!
HarryHeartthrob: I'm so glad you've decided to review! I really appreciate it. I'm so glad you like the story, and if you enjoy angst, just wait, there's loads ahead. For the H/G pairing, you'll have to wait a bit, but I won't ignore it forever. That's so sad you couldn't stalk me quickly calls body guard to alert him I'm so curious about the 6th book title! I have no clue what it means though. I'll have to do some sleuthing.
Closetfanficaddict: thank you so much! Wow, are you serious? You've read Recnac that many times??? Wow. That's definitely an accomplishment. Thank you so much for the ego boost. I really enjoyed it. Lol. I'm glad you like angst because there's plenty in store. Yes, poor Harry and Ginny. I'll get a bit into why they haven't hooked up yet later.
Beseeched by Locomotives: well hopefully when this story is complete, you'll like it just as much as Recnac. Maybe it's just because I know what's going to happen, or maybe because I'm excited to be working on it, but I like this one better. Don't worry. I have plenty of Harry bashing in store for you. We're just getting into it. Wow, thank you so much! Lol, I'll tell you a secret: I like H/D as well, much better than H/G. I really wanted to write an H/G fic though, because there are so few good ones out there, and I do like the pairing for canon. shrugs I'm weird like that. Plus, it was my pairing of choice when I started writing this, even though that's changed. I actually wasn't really planning on focusing on their relationship that much, but many begged and I thought of some good scenes and it went from there. Well, you've sort of answered your own question. Harry feels bad about his uncle going to Azkaban because in his mind Harry doesn't feel like his crime's that bad, since the victim was himself. If the victim had been one of his friends, Harry would have killed the man himself, but he just doesn't see it the same way when it's himself that's being hurt. He has major self-worth issues. I'm so glad you like the story and hope you continue to read and review! As for your P.S., those are unfortunately the types of questions I can't answer, but stay tuned and you'll find out for yourself!
SiriuslyObsessed: Ah yes, angst. There's a lot of that to come. Well, that's the way these things happen. "The real troubles in your life are things that never crossed your worried mind. The kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday" –Baz Luhrman (I think I got that quote right.) Isn't that how life happens? One second everything's fine and then something unexpected happens and changes everything? The incident with his uncle brought back all those things he's never really dealt with, coupled with all the stress he's been under lately from these mystery headaches and such. Of course I remember you! I've always loved your username.
ParanoiaIn2005: Really? Yay! Okay, I really thought the last chapter was sad (I cried when I wrote it), but most people didn't seem to think so. What can I say, I just find emotional turmoil stuff heartbreaking, more so than physical torment. Isn't it so weird how it can become a physical pain when you're sad? Lol, Snape's slowly learning, though he keeps screwing up. Sirius thinks he's doing the right thing, and you're right, he's meant to be a fun uncle. That's all he really wanted to be, I think. I sort of don't think he ever really thought about what would happen if Lily and James DID die when he accepted the role of Harry's godfather. And now he's been thrown into that position of the father figure, and though many people seem to think he'd make an immediate success as a father, I really think he'd be extremely lost. He's still a bachelor at heart and though he's trying to adjust, it's going to take some time. It's not that he doesn't care, he's just so lost about what to do. I'm so glad you're with me on this because you're right, most people are really defensive about him and want me to make him perfect. Right now, Sometimes after a big traumatic event, everything seems a little different somehow, even your home, but you may be right. This idea that there's nowhere that feels like home may be affecting Harry more than it shows right now, so keep an eye out for it later. Angst fest? Definitely. I did get pics of me trying to walk through the barrier, but I'm too computer illiterate to know how to do something like that, or even get it on the computer! No impressionable children around to torment though. Oh well.
tati1: lol, you're making me blush and grin stupidly. Yes, poor Harry, he's got issues and is not helping himself get them solved. Umm…actually, I've never thought of it as depression, but I've sort of gone through a phase similar to what Harry's going through, to a lesser degree. I know how it is to tell everyone you're fine when you're really not, and you think you're making it so obvious that you're not okay, but even those closest to you can't see that something's wrong, so you start to think they don't care. And I know what it's like to have your emotional pain manifest into a physical one, like I described when Harry tries to stop his crying. And then one day my mom just said she was worried about me and asked if something was wrong, and I burst into tears. I never told her what was wrong, but it got me out of that little spell. I think I just needed to know somebody cared enough to notice. Before you asked, I never realized how much of that I was putting into this story. Hmm…wow. Lol. But don't worry, I've only been like that once and it didn't last that long and won't be heading back there any time soon. It was just a bad time. I hope you're not going through it. Okay, now that I've depressed you, I really want to see the Stepford Wives! I know, I think that book title's hilarious!Lourdes: Oh wow! I was right next to where you live!! We actually did just that with the week pass. The tube was great!! The funniest thing was after England lost their big football match (sorry bout that by the way) we were in the tube station and this lady comes on the intercom and says "I hate to inform you, but England has just lost. The fans are coming back from the pubs. I suggest you catch your trains VERY VERY quickly. Thank you." And everyone just looked at each other for a moment, before everyone just tore off running toward the tube trains. It was hilarious!! Unfortunately, Lion King was too expensive to go see, along with Mama Mia, which I really wanted to say. We didn't have time to see the colleges either, unfortunately. I'm in love with London though. I really want to study abroad in my junior year of college, which is two years away! Now, to the review part. Are you sure that's where it's all leading? It might be, but don't be too quick to jump to conclusions. Poor Harry, I'm really putting him through the ringer, aren't I?
Madame Moony: I spend a lot of time on the story, actually. You have no idea. I'm a little crazy with it actually, having calendars and such where things are supposed to happen. That's the thing, my schedule hasn't been very flexible lately! I would write in classes and at every moment I could, and I often, though I'm ashamed to say it, skipped homework in order to write, and then scrambled to get my work done during passing periods. Lol. Now that it's summer, hopefully I'll have some more time, even though it hasn't been that way so far. I LOVED the movie. Thought it was the best of them all.
Savoy Truffle: In an interview, JK Rowling was asked which character she'd like to spend a day with, and she said she'd take Harry to a nice dinner and apologize for all she's put him through, and all she's about to put him through. I feel the same way. Lol. I don't know, Remus had some weird-ass mustache going on in the movie. Hahaha, Elvis Presley slash Eminem, awesome! Lol, it takes me hours to do review responses, let me tell you.
Tish: Lol, I know, but hey, I actually came through with the sequel! I actually try not to promise things I don't intend to keep, which lucky for you means I finish the stories I start! Hypnotism: you are completely aware of what you are doing, but are so relaxed you just don't really care and are more suggestible. I wanted to go to the zoo and do just that, but my friends weren't too keen on the idea. Dan Radcliffe needs acting therapy! He's better, but for Godsakes the boy should not try to cry. Lol, I just made/bought stuff to make a Slytherin school outfit, complete with cape and wand, and hung out with my friend who was Draco and the two of us sneered at all our friends dressing up as Gryffindor or Hufflepuff and challenged them to duels. It was quite fun. Lol, yeah, I always think of funny things from fanfics, but nobody understands. I'm so glad you agree with Harry's superpowers thing! It's a relief I'll tell you. Exactly!! There's no risk, and with no risk, there's no real bravery. Yeah, Sirius isn't really shining now, but you're right, Sev has had his moment of stupidity as well. I think most of the characters will have a moment of stupidity, including Harry, because really, who doesn't have those? Thanks for the awesome review!!
Jamie (I'm glad you like my fav stories. Obviously I like them too! Lol), Leena7 (cowers yes ma'am), SmellyCat-190, HappiGoLucki616, hedwigs-biggest-fan (I'm so sorry you've missed this update, but no you'll have something to read when you get back! Maybe Sirius is alive! But then again, JK said she cried when she killed him, so that doesn't exactly fit. Hmm… I'm so glad you liked the last chapter though!), Kiki (lol, you should always review when in doubt. They do nothing but help me along, and motivate me to write. Thank you so much for all the compliments!! Sirius isn't mean, lol, he's just immature and…well, Remy gives you a good insight. There you go), lonlyheart, kadie, war mage, Catiechan (I'm so glad you like Sev, even though you are a diehard Sirius fan. Hopefully this chappy gave you a bit of insight into Sirius's actions. For the rest, you'll have to wait and see…), shadowsfriend, Emilie (I'm glad you like how I'm doing Sirius. I think some want me to make him more of the perfect father, but I really think this is more realistic.), bright-lightning, dinahmacabre, Lost Book, Earthmom, Soft Willow, Hp-Azn (lol, Draco will have a bit of angst in here as well, though definitely not as much as Harry. But there's definitely some thrown in here), shikatanai (hey, well if you're a sadistic bitch for reading it, what does that make me for imagining it and writing it in the first place? Lol. Don't worry, I think we can all relate. I'm so glad you like Draco!), AgnesSophia (of course, I can't answer your question. You'll just have to read on. But I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter!), onthesidelines (lol, thanks! Trust me, I won't be abandoning my fic, since the last part is the best part!), Dana (it was my first time out of the country. It was awesome), PhoenixMarauder (yeah, Sirius is wrong, but he really thinks he's right. He thinks he's being the good guy, putting his trust in Harry. He just doesn't realize that Harry can't be trusted to look out for his own best interest.), Helen (glad you're back), jmerriampaul (always glad to make a reader cry. wink), NathanPostmark (wow, thanks!), GrimmyD, littlestomper (lol, yes, the good old ego's inflated a bit. I love it! Thank you so much!), SiriusWolf (I'll have to leave what Vernon sees from the dementors up to your imagination. Harry definitely needs to talk to Sirius about it all, but right now, it's not looking like that's going to happen for a while.), George Ballerina (Thank you! I'm so glad you like it so far. And it's very good you like sad stuff and angst, because there's a lot of it ahead. Lol, thanks, I would love to be an author.), Shawn Pickett (Lol, I love that idea of Vernon being locked up with Cho! Though I honestly think Vernon would have the worse deal), stahchild, water drifter, mickeymoose, ikke-isso-cute (can't say, but I'll go more into Harry's dreams later), lmill123 (lol, they just don't know how to handle it. The problem is, what they think is best for Harry might not be. As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.), Mystress Tate (good explanation), DreamersDisease (oh yes, there is a greater conflict that brings about the climax of this story. You guys won't know what hit you…I hope. Lol), later days, Lorie1101, Siri Kat, A-Brighter-Dawn (lol yes. Too bad they're all fictional characters or I would have to beat down Ginny and take Harry for myself.), lyss33 (lol, yes, minor details), kneh13, Maxwell Coffee House, lilynjamesAAF (a work of art? Wow thank you!), Wynjara, Miss Lily Star, torifire126, jilleahblack (Yeah, Harry's a bit messed up at the moment, lol. The hypnotist who came to my school was female, but I didn't catch her name.), Nicky15 (I'm so sorry I couldn't get another chapter up before July, but now you'll have plenty to read when you get back!), lost angel92 (ah, of course, I can't answer your questions. You'll just have to wait and see.), Crystal113 (yes, well they haven't been having much luck leaving the Muggle police to deal with Vernon. Besides, the wizarding world has a bit of a soft spot for Harry after getting rid of Voldie for good, and sacrificing his life to do so, so they're more than happy to give Vernon a little harsher punishment than he would normally get in Muggle court.), sou85a (thanks for the tip. I actually used one in McDonalds for internet access, but I didn't have access to my story so I couldn't update), fantagal (poor Sirius. Everyone's so harsh on him. He's trying, he really is. But he's so lost and misguided. He thinks he's doing what's best, but he's obviously got a lot to learn. I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to you. That's really horrible.), StarWest45, BabyBlu4 (I know! I think maybe the barrier only lets people through on September 1st. I mean, otherwise, it should have worked, right? Unfortunately, the Weasleys wouldn't pick me up in the Ford Anglia for some reason, otherwise, I would've come and given you a lift. Oh well.) May, Jamie (Dumbledore's not very involved right now. He's got the Order to deal with and all that stuff. I promise you there is a main conflict in this story, but I can't tell you or it wouldn't be a surprise), Arctic Wolf, ChildOfDarkness, James Milamber (wow, you are the master problem solver. There you go. Draco IS good! Lol, yes, Sirius is a bit misguided), Threetoedsloth, alliohomora (lol, thank you! Hahaha, yeah, poor Sirius is…well he's a bit lost. And isn't anxious to have anything in the way of serious talks (no pun intended). I'm always happy to ruin other stories for you! Lol, no really, thanks for the awesome compliment), Angel74 (Yeah, Harry definitely needs to talk about this. But let me take this moment to express how much I'm IN LOVE with your new fic. I am obsessed with it and can't wait for the next chapter!! In the middle of review responses, I got your author alert and had to stop and read the chapter, even if I didn't have time to review yet. Update soon!), Englishgirl, corinnetkn24, Dea Puella, Always Confused, kjkit, cintishortstop, Nation El-Diablo, yellowpages, ckat44, texasjeanette (you've definitely pegged that one. Harry always looks for the best in everyone but himself), Rhyllen, X-Goddess of Imaginary Light-X (lol, really, you wrote that review at 3am? Would never have guessed…Lol, it was great), Dana, Myr Halcyon (lol, Mbop. Well, I did do the YMCA, but you're right. Yours is better. Lol, don't worry, I have fulfilled the mission of scarring the Brits with my HP obsession. It was their own faults really for having HP ads on the side of every bus! I'm glad you're being persuaded toward Slytherin. Snape is proud.)